Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aerial detection of beached marine plastic using a novel, hyperspectral short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera

Plastic pollution in the marine environment is a pervasive, global problem that threatens wildlife and human health. Routine monitoring is required to determine pollution hotspots, focus clean-up efforts, and assess the efficacy of legislation implemented to reduce environmental contamination. The shoreline represents an accessible area, relative to open water, from which to monitor this. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a low-cost platform for remote sensing that operates below cloud coverage, which can interfere with satellite imagery. Detection of plastic using visible light is limited however, and results may be improved by using short-wave infrared (SWIR) imagery to collect chemical information. Within the commercial recycling industry, plastic items are sorted successfully based on their composition using SWIR instrumentation that measures the chemical spectra of waste items under controlled illumination. Here, proof of concept is established for aerial detection of domestic and shoreline-harvested plastic items on a beach under natural sunlight with a lightweight (800 g), hyperspectral SWIR camera deployed at an altitude of ∼ 5 m over ∼ 30-m transects. The results of spectral correlation mapping to compare imagery spectra to polyethylene and polypropylene reference spectra demonstrate that these two polymers can be successfully detected with this novel method.
Mapping Natural Regeneration in Canopy Gaps from Seedlings to Saplings in Uneven-Aged Deciduous Forests using ALS Data

Assessing regeneration state is essential for forests sustainable management. However, field surveys to collect data on regeneration are time consuming and difficult to implement. Remote sensing could therefore be an effective way to characterize regeneration. Only few studies focused on forest regeneration characterisation using ALS data: understory coverage estimation (Latifi et al. 2017, Venier et al. 2019), post-fire vegetation characterization (MartinAlcon et al. 2015), regeneration stems density and height estimation (Debouk et al. 2013, Imangholiloo et al. 2020). Regeneration dynamic depends on the characteristics of canopy gaps. They increase availability of understory light, which is beneficial for regeneration development, especially for less shade-tolerant species (Ligot et al. 2014). Moreover, the regeneration that develops within canopy gaps is not overtopped by dominant trees and is therefore favourable to the production of high value wood. Some studies focus on the identification of understory types in canopy gaps (Vehmas et al. 2011). Another method was developed to distinct non-regenerating gaps from regenerated ones (Sénécal et al. 2018). The height growth of regeneration saplings within canopy gaps was also estimated using ALS time series (Vepakomma et al. 2008). Using ALS data, the study’s objectives were (i) to detect and map canopy gaps, (ii) to characterize and delineate four regeneration development stages within these canopy gaps and (iii) to differentiate ligneous stems from herbaceous and soil for the first development stage (height < 1.5 m).
OP-NDTJ190147 648..656

Background. There has been little research on strategies for prevention of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis. We explored whether regular retraining on bag exchanges (via two methods: technique inspection and oral education) every other month could help reduce the risk of peritonitis in PD patients through a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Method. This is an RCT conducted at Peking University First Hospital. A total of 150 incident patients receiving PD at our centre were included between December 2010 and June 2016 and followed up until June 2018. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to receive retraining on bag exchange via technique inspection, oral education or usual care. The primary outcome was time to the first peritonitis episode. Secondary outcomes were time to organism-specific peritonitis, transfer to haemodialysis and all-cause death. Results. Patients in the technique inspection group, oral education group and usual care group (n1⁄4 50 for each group) were followed up for 47.5 6 22.9 months. Time to first peritonitis was comparable between the groups. The technique inspection group showed a lower risk of first non-enteric peritonitis than the usual care group, while the oral education group did not show a significant benefit. The incidence of first non-enteric peritonitis in the usual care group (0.07/patient-year) was significantly higher than that in the technique inspection group (0.02/patient-year; P< 0.01) but was comparable with that in the oral education group (0.06/patient-year). Transfer to haemodialysis and all-cause mortality were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusions. Neither technique inspection nor oral education significantly altered the risk of all-cause peritonitis compared with usual care, despite technique inspection showing a trend towards reducing the risk of non-enteric PD-related peritonitis. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01621997).
Determination the bacterial etiologies for sepsis in premature newborns admitted in neonatal intensive care unit

Background: Bacterial sepsis is a main cause of mortality and morbidity especially in preterm newborns. The aim of this study was to search the bacterial etiologies of neonatal sepsis in NICU admitted preterm neonates. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study had done in NICU of Ali Asghar Hospital, Tehran, Iran from March 2007 to March 2009. Seventy septicemic preterm newborns (<37 weeks) were studied. At admission day, for blood culture, 1-2 ml of venous blood was drawn after swabbing the venipuncture site with alcohol. After centrifugation of blood samples, deposits were cultured on sheep blood agar and incubated in a candle jar at 37 °C for 48 h and followed by subcultured. Isolates were identified using standard techniques (Nima pouyesh, Iran). Type of isolated bacterial organisms determined. Its correlation with gestational age, birth weight, premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and other variables determined we used the nonparametric two independent sample test, Mann-Whitney U test. Chi-square values (CI 95%, P< 0.05) were calculated for all cate-gorical variables. P-value less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Of 70 studied septicemic preterm cases, 17 (10.6%) cases had positive blood culture. Overall gram-negative organisms were more frequent than gram-positive organisms, Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae, Escherichia (E.) coli and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus organisms were the 3 common causes of bacterial sepsis in studied cases. Early onset sepsis produced by K. pneumonia (40%), E. coli (20%) and S. aureus (20%). K. pneumonia, E. coli, S. aureus had equal incidence in late onset sepsis (26.8%). K. pneumonia was more frequent in early onset sepsis (P= 0.05), and in low birth weight (< 1500 g) neonates (P= 0.005, and PROM (P= 0.05). Conclusion: Three causes for sepsis in premature newborns were determined: K. pneumonia, E. coli and S. aureus , it is so important for initial antibiotic treatment in admission day. Low birth weight, prematurity, and, PROM were the common risk factors for sepsis in cases. By preventing of low birth weight, low gestational age, and PROM the risk of sepsis could be decreased. We recommend empiric antibiotic in septic preterm newborns which can cover : K. pneumonia, E. coli and S. aureus in our center. Abstract
- 1-Differential response of digesta-and mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota to 1 dietary black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ) larvae meal in seawater phase Atlantic 2 salmon ( Salmo salar ) 3 4

20 Background: Intestinal digesta is commonly used for studying responses of microbiota 21 to dietary shifts, yet evidence is accumulating that it represents an incomplete view of 22 the intestinal microbiota. The present work aims to investigate the differences between 23 digestaand mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) 24 and how they may respond differently to dietary perturbations. In a 16-week seawater 25 feeding trial, Atlantic salmon were fed either a commercially-relevant reference diet or 26 an insect meal diet containing ~15% black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal. 27 The digestaand mucosa-associated distal intestinal microbiota were profiled by 16S 28 rRNA gene sequencing. 29 Results: Regardless of diet, we observed substantial differences between digestaand 30 mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota. Microbial richness and diversity were much 31 higher in the digesta than the mucosa. The insect meal diet altered the distal intestinal 32 microbiota resulting in higher microbial richness and diversity. The diet effect, however, 33 depended on the sample origin. Digesta-associated intestinal microbiota showed more 34 pronounced changes than the mucosa-associated microbiota. Multivariate association 35 analyses identified two mucosa-enriched taxa, Brevinema andersonii and unclassified 36 Spirochaetaceae, associated with the expression of genes related to immune responses 37 and barrier function in the distal intestine, respectively. 38 Conclusions: Our data show that salmon intestinal digesta and mucosa harbor 39 microbial communities with clear differences. Mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota 40 seems more resilient to variations in the diet composition than digesta-associated 41
Lumbar Spinal Fusion Short-Term Impact of Bracing in Multi-Level Posterior

Background: Clinical practice in postoperative bracing after posterior lumbar spine fusion (PLF) is inconsistent between providers. This paper attempts to assess the effect of bracing on short-term outcomes related to safety, quality of care, and direct costs. Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of consecutive patients undergoing multilevel PLF with or without bracing (2013–2017) was undertaken (n ¼ 980). Patient demographics and comorbidities were analyzed. Outcomes assessed included length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, quality-adjusted life years (QALY), surgical-site infection (SSI), total cost, readmission within 30 days, and emergency department (ED) evaluation within 30 days. Results: Amongst the study population, 936 were braced and 44 were not braced. There was no difference between the braced and unbraced cohorts regarding LOS ( P ¼ .106), discharge disposition ( P ¼ .898), 30-day readmission ( P ¼ .434), and 30-day ED evaluation ( P ¼ 1.000). There was also no difference in total cost ( P ¼ .230) or QALY gain ( P ¼ .740). The results indicate a significantly lower likelihood of SSI in the braced population (1.50% versus 6.82%, odds ratio ¼ 0.208, 95% confidence interval ¼ 0.057–0.751, P ¼ .037). There was no difference in relevant comorbidities ( P ¼ .259–1.000), although the braced cohort was older than the unbraced cohort (63 versus 56 y, P ¼ .003). Conclusion: Bracing following multilevel posterior lumbar fixation does not alter short-term postoperative course or reduce the risk for early adverse events. Cost analysis show no difference in direct costs between the 2 treatment approaches. Short-term data suggest that removal of bracing from the postoperative regimen for PLF will not result in increased adverse outcomes.
THE IMPACT OF TECHNICALLY-ORIENTED LEAN PRODUCTION PRACTICES ON OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCES IN MALAYSIAN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between technically-oriented lean production practices and operational performance in Malaysian manufacturing industries. Grounded by the Socio-technical System Theory and the Program Theory, this study formulates and examines a conceptual model that links technically-oriented lean production practices and operational performance. This study utilizes two hundred and five manufacturing companies, selected randomly from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers Directory. The study measures senior production or lean managers’ perception of the lean production practices and the level of operational performances in their companies. This study applies SPSS package for data analysis. The result indicates that technically-oriented lean production practices namely quality at source, just-in time, flow system and technology & innovation are significantly associated with the operational performance of the companies. This study presents empirical evidence in the field of management, particularly in the context of operations management. The findings would further enrich the existing knowledge in this field. Finally, this study would provide useful guidance for the managers to plan and maintain lean production in the organization as well as to generate new measures of lean production in order to enhance operational performance at the company level.
Jornadas Nacionales de Robótica Spanish Robotics Conference

Vessels constitute one of the most cost effective ways of transporting goods around the world. Despite the efforts, maritime accidents still occur, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Ships involved in these activities are periodically submitted to inspections for the early detection of the defective situations that precede service disruptions, personnel injuries and, ultimately, shipwrecks. These inspections are nowadays carried out by human surveyors at a great cost from both time and economical points of view. The recently initiated EU-funded H2020 project ROBINS pursues filling the technology and regulatory gaps that today still represent a barrier to the adoption of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) in activities related to the inspection of ships, starting from understanding enduser’s actual needs and expectations as well as analyzing how existing or near-future technology can meet them. This paper overviews the ROBINS project, focusing on the main development activities to be carried out by the UIB, namely a re-designed Micro-Aerial Vehicle (MAV) specialized for the inspection of cargo holds and new tools for the analysis of the inspection data collected by the robotic platforms. Copyright c © 2018 CEA.
ArticleImplementing Systems Modelling and Molecular Imaging to Predict the Efficacy of BCL-

Resistance to chemotherapy often results from dysfunctional apoptosis, however multiple proteins with overlapping functions regulate this pathway. We sought to determine whether an extensively validated, deterministic apoptosis systems model, ‘DR_MOMP’, could be used as a stratification tool for the apoptosis sensitiser and BCL-2 antagonist, ABT-199 in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of colorectal cancer (CRC). Through quantitative profiling of BCL-2 family proteins, we identified two PDX models which were predicted by DR_MOMP to be sufficiently sensitive to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy (CRC0344), or less responsive to chemotherapy but sensitised by ABT-199 (CRC0076). Treatment with ABT-199 significantly improved responses of CRC0076 PDXs to 5-FU-based chemotherapy, but showed no sensitisation in CRC0344 PDXs, as predicted from systems modelling. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) scans were performed to investigate possible early biomarkers of response. In CRC0076, a significant post-treatment decrease in mean standard uptake value was indeed evident only in the combination treatment group. Radiomic CT feature analysis of pre-treatment images in CRC0076 and CRC0344 PDXs identified features which could phenotypically discriminate between models, but were not predictive of treatment responses. Collectively our data indicate that systems modelling may identify metastatic (m)CRC patients benefitting from ABT-199, and that 18F-FDG-PET could independently support such predictions.
Reactions in Human Conjunctiva Direct In Vivo Monitoring of Acute Allergic

Immediate allergic reactions are initiated by allergen-induced, speciﬁc IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation and involve leukocyte recruitment into the inﬂamed site. We compared conjunctival signs, symptoms, and in vivo leukocyte rolling and extravasation into sites of inﬂammation in ﬁve patients allergic to birch pollen and in 10 nonallergic controls who received a challenge to birch allergen or histamine. Both the speciﬁc allergen in allergic patients and histamine, both in patients and in healthy controls, induced symptoms and signs of an immediate allergic reaction together with leukocyte rolling within the conjunctival blood vessels. However, only allergen, not histamine, caused leukocyte extravasation into the site of inﬂammation in the allergic patients. Allergen also increased expression of endothelial P-selectin in conjunctival vessels and slowed the rolling of leukocytes which is required for their extravasation from blood circulation into the target tissue. Finally, i.v. heparin strongly reduced the number of slowly rolling cells during allergen- or histamine-induced reactions and this can probably hinder the leukocyte extravasation after allergen exposure. These ﬁndings suggest that slow rolling is required for leukocyte extravasation in acute allergic reactions, and it can be inhibited by heparin in vivo in therapeutically relevant conditions. The Journal of Immunology, 2004, 172: 3235–3242.
University of Birmingham A Minimal Model for the Emergence of Cooperation in Randomly Growing Networks

Cooperation is observed widely in nature and is thought an essential component of many evolutionary processes, yet the mechanisms by which it arises and persists are still unclear. Among several theories, network reciprocity — a model of inhomogeneous social interactions — has been proposed as an enabling mechanism to explain the emergence of cooperation. Existing evolutionary models of this mechanism have tended to focus on highly heterogeneous (scale-free) networks, hence typically assume preferential attachment mechanisms, and consequently the prerequisite that individuals have global network knowledge. Within an evolutionary game theoretic context, using the weak prisoner’s dilemma as a metaphor for cooperation, we present a minimal model which describes network growth by chronological random addition of new nodes, combined with regular attrition of less ﬁt members of the population. Speciﬁcally our model does not require that agents have access to global information and does not assume scale-free network structure or a preferential attachment mechanism. Further our model supports the emergence of cooperation from initially non-cooperative populations. By reducing dependency on a number of assumptions, this model offers broad applicability and as such may support an explanation of the emergence of cooperation in early evolutionary transitions, where few assumptions can be made.
EPSTEIN BARR VIRUS AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE - A CAUSAL LINK?

Introduction: The etiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is still not clear. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and PD. Methods: A systematic search of the electronic databases PubMed was con-ducted to identify publications exploring the relationship between EBV and PD. All statistical tests were one-sided, and statistical signiﬁcance was deﬁned as P < 0.05. Results: Without EBV infection no PD. Conclusions: EBV infection is a necessary condition of PD.
Novel PKD1 and PKD2 mutations in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)

Background. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common genetic renal disorder with an incidence of 1:1000. Mutations in two genes ( PKD1 and PKD2 ) have been identified as causative. Eighty-five per-cent of patients with ADPKD carry their mutation in the PKD1 gene. So far, >500 mutations for PKD1 and >120 mutations for PKD2 , respectively, are known. Methods. In this study, we performed mutation analysis of PKD1 and PKD2 by exon sequencing in patients during routine molecular diagnostics for ADPKD. Results. In total, 60 mutations were identified in 93 patients representing a mutation detection efficiency of 64.5%. Fifty-two mutations were identified in PKD1 (86.7%) and 8 in PKD2 (13.3%). These include 41 novel mutations detected in PKD1 and 5 novel mutations in PKD2 . Accordingly, our data expand the spectrum of known PKD mutations by 8% for PKD1 (41/513) and 4.2% for PKD2 (5/120). These results are in agreement with the detection ranges of 42%, 63% and 64% for defini-tive disease-causing mutations, and 78%, 86% and 89% for all identified variants reported in several comprehensive mutation screening reports. Conclusions. The increased number of known mutations will facilitate future studies into genotype – phenotype correlations. Abstract Background. Serious concerns have risen during the last decades regarding the potential role of solitary kidney (SK) in promoting systemic hypertension, proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. The aim of the study was to assess mid- and long-term outcome of children with SK, with special highlight on the differential functional outcome of congenital and acquired forms of SK. Methods. Ninety-seven patients (43 females) aged from 2.9 to 25 years with radiologically normal SK were divided into two groups depending on whether they had a congenital (CSK, n = 44) or an acquired SK (ASK, n = 53). Mean follow-up time with SK was 8.3 ± 3.2 and 9.1 ± 4.4 years, respectively (P = NS). Blood pressure (BP), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measured by inulin clearance, and microalbuminuria were assessed in all patients. Results. Two children (2%), one in each group, had systemic hypertension confirmed by 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring, and 17 (17.5%) had a significant microalbuminuria (8 in CSK and 9 in ASK, P = NS). The overall mean GFR was 100.6 ± 15 mL/min/1.73 m 2 and was found to be inversely correlated with age and follow-up time. Seven children had a GFR <80 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , all had been nephrectomized in early childhood. Interest-ingly, GFR was higher in CSK than in ASK group (107.2 vs. 95.2 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , P < 0.01) and was negatively related to follow-up time only in the latter but not in the former group. children to a greater incidence of hypertension and renal impairment in later life. Thereby, careful screening should be proposed throughout childhood to detect early signs of glomerular hyperfiltration and prevent its progression to more serious complications.