Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant Classification Combining Colour and Spectral Cameras for Weed Control Purposes

Weed plant detection and classification is a difficult task for any computer vision system. Previous studies show promising results with either colour camera or spectral imaging solutions. However, typical colour camera solutions have found it hard to deal with overlapping leaves, and spectral solutions often lack in the spatial resolution required for accurate leaf level detection. In this paper a novel system for weed detection and classification is presented using both low-cost RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour and spectral (400 - 1000 nm) cameras combining the strengths of these individual technologies. The system presented performs accurate leaf level classification and is capable of identification at 97.6% with non-overlapping full leaves in laboratory under controlled lighting conditions. Plant leaf samples from 6 different plant types were used. With dedicated hardware and optimized software the system should be capable of at least 5 km/h real-time operation in field conditions.
Flexible path planning for real-time applications using A*-method and neural RBF-networks

We developed a generally applicable concept for flexible path planning and representation in high-dimensional configuration spaces. Therefore, an AI-algorithm for fast preprocessing and a neural network were combined. Specifically, the standard A*-method was developed into an advanced A*-method (AA*-method) by creating an additional class of FREE-cells to enlarge the computed surroundings of the detected optimal path, and by constituting expansion matrices to enable flexible modeling of different cell extents and configuration spaces. Furthermore, a neural RBF-network was modified by adding an activity peak generating neuron guaranteeing updates in real-time (less than 1 ms). The output of the AA*-method, a set of classified cells, was used to train the modified RBF-network. The capabilities of this novel hybrid path planning system are demonstrated for various complex 3D- and 6D- path planning tasks.
LTP in the lateral amygdala during cocaine withdrawal

The amygdala plays key roles in several aspects of addiction to drugs of abuse. This brain structure has been implicated in behaviours that reflect drug reward, drug seeking, and the aversive effects of drug withdrawal. Using a model that involves repeated cocaine injections to approximate ‘binge’ intoxication, we show in rats that during cocaine withdrawal, the impact of rewarding brain stimulation is attenuated, as quantified by alterations in intracranial self‐stimulation (ICSS) behaviour. These behavioural signs of withdrawal are accompanied by enhancements of glutamatergic synaptic transmission within the lateral amygdala (LA) that occlude electrically induced long‐term potentiation (LTP) in tissue slices. Synaptic enhancements during periods of cocaine withdrawal are mechanistically similar to LTP induced with electrical stimulation in control slices, as both forms of synaptic plasticity involve an increase in glutamate release. These results suggest that mechanisms of LTP within the amygdala are recruited during withdrawal from repeated exposure to cocaine. As such, they raise the possibility that the development and maintenance of addictive behaviours may involve, at least in part, mechanisms of synaptic plasticity within specific amygdala circuits.
Developing IVHM Requirements for Aerospace Systems

The term Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) describes a set of capabilities that enable sustainable and safe operation of components and subsystems within aerospace platforms. However, very little guidance exists for the systems engineering aspects of design with IVHM in mind. It is probably because of this that designers have to use knowledge picked up exclusively by experience rather than by established process. This motivated a group of leading IVHM practitioners within the aerospace industry under the aegis of SAE’s HM-1 technical committee to author a document that hopes to give working engineers and program managers clear guidance on all the elements of IVHM that they need to consider before designing a system. This proposed recommended practice (ARP6883 [1]) will describe all the steps of requirements generation and management as it applies to IVHM systems, and demonstrate these with a “real-world” example related to designing a landing gear system. The team hopes that this paper and presentation will help start a dialog with the larger aerospace community and that the feedback can be used to improve the ARP and subsequently the practice of IVHM from a systems engineering point-of-view.
Effects of dynamic fluid activity from an electric toothbrush on in vitro oral biofilms.

OBJECTIVES To determine the plaque-removing ability of a Sonicare Plus electric toothbrush in an in vitro model. MATERIAL AND METHODS Multispecies oral biofilms derived from human saliva were grown on hydroxyapatite discs in a constant-depth film fermenter. The biofilms were placed in a typodont model so that they mimicked the interproximal plaque between teeth 46 and 47 and were then treated with an electric toothbrush, both activated and inactivated. The distance from the bristle tips to the edge of the disc was 2.65 mm. Brushing action was controlled by a specially constructed brushing machine. After brushing, the number of viable bacteria removed from, and remaining in, the biofilms were determined. RESULTS In all, 73.70% of viable bacteria in the biofilms were dislodged from the discs using the activated toothbrush. An inactivated toothbrush removed only 3.66%. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy revealed differences between untreated and treated biofilms. CONCLUSION The fluid shear forces generated by the electric toothbrush penetrated at least 2.65 mm beyond the reach of the bristles and these forces contributed to the toothbrush's plaque-removal ability (p<0.001).
Effects on Blood Pressure Do Not Explain the Association Between Organizational Justice and Coronary Heart Disease in the Whitehall II Study

Objective: To examine whether lower BP mediates the inverse association between organizational justice and incident coronary heart disease (CHD). Previous studies suggest lower blood pressure (BP) and reduced risk of CHD among employees with high organizational justice (the perception of being treated fairly by supervisors). Methods: Prospective occupational cohort study of 4250 men and 1812 women free of CHD and hypertension at study entry (the Whitehall II study). Justice was assessed at phase 1 (1985–1988) and phase 2 (1989–1990); systolic and diastolic BP at phases 1, 3 (1992–1993), and 5 (1997–1999); hypertension at phases 3 and 5; and incident CHD from phase 2 to phase 5 (231 events, mean follow-up 9.6 years). Results: A higher level of organizational justice was associated with a slightly lower mean level of diastolic BP over time. After adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, and employment grade, higher organizational justice was associated with lower CHD incidence. This association was not attenuated after further adjustment for measures of BP and hypertension, although these measures were associated with increased CHD risk. Conclusions: This study suggests that sustained lower levels of BP do not represent a key mechanism through which organizational justice protects against CHD. The importance of this study is that it eliminates a strong candidate mediator of the association between organizational justice and CHD and thus allows future research to concentrate on other mechanisms. BP = blood pressure; CHD = coronary heart disease; CI = confidence interval; ECG = electrocardiogram; HR = hazard ratio; ICD9 = International Classification of Diseases, revision 9; MONICA = Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease.
Stakeholder Identification in Agile Software Product Development Organizations: A Model for Understanding Who and What Really Counts

Stakeholder Theory is an area of strategic management that defines a stakeholder as someone who affects or is affected by the actions of the organization. The principles and concepts of stakeholder theory can be applied to software development organizations to give managers a better understanding of the diverse community of stakeholders that influence product development efforts. A deeper understanding of the broad community of stakeholders can help an organization that is transitioning to agile methods by highlighting the stakeholders that are affected. This paper describes the application of stakeholder theory to product development organizations in the context of a global product development company undergoing a multi-year transition to agile development. A model is presented for mapping stakeholders into stakeholder groups, and for quantifying the influence of stakeholders. This paper further uses a stakeholder approach to demonstrate how traditional organization roles map to roles in an agile product development organization.
Threshold voltage in tunnel FETs: physical definition, extraction, scaling and impact on IC design

This work reports on the physical definition and extraction of threshold voltage in tunnel FETs based on numerical simulation data. It is shown that the tunnel FET has the outstanding property of having two threshold voltages: one in terms of gate voltage, V<sub>TG</sub>, and one in terms of drain voltage, V<sub>TD</sub>. These threshold voltages can be physically defined based on the saturation of the barrier width narrowing with respect to V<sub>G</sub> or V<sub>D</sub>. The extractions of V<sub>TG</sub> and V<sub>TD</sub> are performed based on the transconductance change method in the double gate tunnel FET with a high-k dielectric, and a systematic comparison with the constant current method is reported. The effect of gate length scaling on these threshold voltages, current, conductance characteristics, g<sub>m</sub>/I<sub>D</sub> and g<sub>m</sub>/g<sub>ds</sub> of the tunnel FET is investigated for the first time.
Customer Oder Fulfillment Process Analysis with Process Mining: An Industrial Application in a Heavy Manufacturing Company

Under the pressure of the rapid change engendered by the fast growth of information and communication technologies, organizations are required to continuously enhance their business processes in order to defend their market position and maintain their competitive edge. To achieve this, process mining has emerged as a mean to analyze the behavior of companies by extracting process-oriented knowledge from event logs recorded in today's information systems. In this paper, we present an industrial application of process mining in a real customer order fulfillment process of a heavy manufacturing company. This process is characterized by a very long lead time. Event logs from the Shipbuilding Processing Plan Management System of the company are analyzed based on several process mining techniques. We have identified the real as-is process of the customer order fulfillment process and determined what makes this process spending too much time. The outcomes of this case study can be used by the company as a foundation to optimize and improve their processes.
Organised haematoma of the sphenoid sinus mimicking a pituitary tumour

Abstract Objective: We report an extremely rare case of an organised haematoma arising in the sphenoid sinus. Case report: An 85-year-old woman presented with an expansile soft tissue mass in the left sphenoid sinus, with bony destruction of the sella turcica, which mimicked the extrasellar extension of a pituitary tumour. The tumour was excised using an endoscopic, transsphenoidal approach. Histopathological examination revealed an organised haematoma. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of an organised haematoma arising in the sphenoid sinus. This case indicates that organised haematoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of extensive sphenoid lesions; it also emphasises the importance of correct pre-operative diagnosis for therapeutic planning, as complete surgical resection by an endoscopic approach is curative.
A review of Polylekithum Arnold, 1934 and its familial affinities using morphological and molecular data, with description of Polylekithum catahoulensis sp. nov.

The type material of Polylekithum ictaluri, P. halli, and Maculifer chandleri was examined from the United States National Parasite Museum, and we determined that the material was conspecific, making P. halli and M. chandleri junior subjective synonyms of P. ictaluri. Polylekithum catahoulensis sp. nov. was described from material collected from catfishes at the Catahoula Wildlife Refuge, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana, USA, and compared with P. ictaluri collected from catfishes in Reelfoot Lake, Obion County, Tennessee, USA, and the Pearl River, Hancock County, Mississippi, USA. Polylekithum catahoulensis had smaller eggs (77–88 μm long by 51–63 μm wide vs. 94–108 μm by 52–76 μm) and a longer forebody (35–41% of overall body length vs. 29–34%). Comparison of more than 2,400 bp long fragments of nuclear ribosomal DNA (complete ITS and partial 28S regions) strongly supported the status of P. catahoulensis as a new species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of 28S rDNA gene sequences from Polylekithum as well as representative species from Allocreadiidae, Atractotrematidae, Brachycoeliidae, Callodistomidae, Dicrocoeliidae, Encyclometridae, Gorgoderidae, Haploporidae, Opecoelidae, Plagiorchiidae, and Telorchiidae rooted by Monorchiidae and Lissorchiidae demonstrated that of the families tested, Polylekithum was most closely related to Encyclometridae as a gorgoderoid and not to Allocreadiidae as previously reported. Morphological features of three South American allocreadiids, Allocreadium patagonicum, P. percai, and A. pichi were inconsistent with generic diagnoses of Allocreadium and Polylekithum, so we suggested they belonged in a single unnamed genus similar to Creptotrema. Polylekithum catlai from India was assessed from the description and failed to conform to the generic diagnosis of Polylekithum. Morphology of Caudouterina suggested a close relationship with Polylekithum and not Allocreadiidae.
Sample size determination for fold-increase endpoints defined by paired interval-censored data

ABSTRACT Medical studies often define binary end-points by comparing the ratio of a pair of measurements at baseline and end-of-study to a clinically meaningful cut-off. For example, vaccine trials may define a response as at least a four-fold increase in antibody titers from baseline to end-of-study. Accordingly, sample size is determined based on comparisons of proportions. Since the pair of measurements is quantitative, modeling the bivariate cumulative distribution function to estimate the proportion gives more precise results than using dichotomization of data. This is known as the distributional approach to the analysis of proportions. However, this can be complicated by interval-censoring. For example, due to the nature of some laboratory measurement methods, antibody titers are interval-censored. We derive a sample size formula based on the distributional approach for paired interval-censored data. We compare the sample size requirement in detecting an intervention effect using the distributional approach to a conventional approach of dichotomization. Some practical guidance on applying the sample size formula is given.
Bonebeds : genesis, analysis, and paleobiological significance

The vertebrate fossil record extends back more than 500 million years, and bonebeds - localized concentrations of the skeletal remains of vertebrate animals - help unlock the secrets of this long history. Often spectacularly preserved, bonebeds - both modern and ancient - can reveal more about life histories, ecological associations, and preservation patterns than any single skeleton or bone. For this reason, bonebeds are frequently studied by paleobiologists, geologists, and archaeologists seeking to piece together the vertebrate record. Thirteen respected researchers combine their experiences in "Bonebeds", providing readers with workable definitions, theoretical frameworks, and modern techniques in bonebed data collection and analysis. By addressing the historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of bonebed research, this edited volume - the first of its kind - provides the background and methods that students and professionals need to explore and understand these fantastic records of ancient life and death.
Multidomain pseudospectral time-domain simulations of scattering by objects buried in lossy media

A multidomain pseudospectral time-domain (PSTD) method with a newly developed well-posed PML is introduced as an accurate and flexible tool for the modeling of electromagnetic scattering by 2-D objects buried in an inhomogeneous lossy medium. Compared with the previous single-domain Fourier PSTD method, this approach allows for an accurate treatment of curved geometries with subdomains, curvilinear mapping, and high-order Chebyshev polynomials. The effectiveness of the algorithm is confirmed by an excellent agreement between the numerical results and analytical solutions for perfectly conducting as well as permeable dielectric cylinders. The algorithm has been applied to model various ground-penetrating radar (GPR) applications involving curved objects in a lossy half space with an undulating surface. This multidomain PSTD algorithm is potentially a very useful tool for simulating antennas near complex objects and inhomogeneous media.
Band-pass unit cell for extended low-profile lens over radially-corrugated circular horn

In this paper, a low-profile planar lens fed by a radially-corrugated circular horn antenna is presented. The lens is a multilevel frequency selective surface designed to focus the energy in the far-field region. The constitutive unit cell of the FSS is a perforated metallic square sheet with a capacitive patch in the center of the cell. A large phase shift can be reached for a five-layers configuration by just adjusting the size of the inner capacitive elements. Thereby, the phase of the incoming waves can be compensated to achieve the desired phase distribution on the upper level of the lens. Results show an increment of 3.78 dB at 20.45 GHz in the maximum directivity of the planar lens with respect to the feeding horn antenna.
Cyclooxygenase-2 mediated synergistic effect of ursolic acid in combination with paclitaxel against human gastric carcinoma

Ursolic acid (UA) induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Paclitaxel (PTX) is an important chemotherapy agent used to treat solid tumors. We evaluated the in vitro antitumor activity of UA in combination with PTX against gastric cancer cells and investigated the mechanisms underlying the combined effects. A cytotoxicity test and flow cytometry were utilized to study the effects of UA and PTX on proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. To further elucidate the mechanism, Western blot analysis was used to assess changes in the expression of a series of related proteins, including COX-2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Bcl-2, and Bax. UA and PTX dose- and time-dependently inhibited BGC-823 and SGC-7901 gastric cancer cell proliferation. Combined delivery of UA and PTX synergistically reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in these cells by lowering COX-2, PCNA, and Bcl-2 expression and by increasing Bax expression. These results indicate that the synergistic inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis by UA and PTX may be induced by reducing COX-2 expression in gastric cancer cells.
Induction of cellular and molecular immunomodulatory pathways by vitamin A and flavonoids

Introduction: A detailed study of reports on the immunomodulatory properties of vitamin A and select flavonoids may pave the way for using these natural compounds or compounds with similar structures in novel drug and vaccine designs against infectious and autoimmune diseases and cancers. Areas covered: Intracellular transduction pathways, cellular differentiation and functional immunomodulatory responses have been reviewed. The reported studies encompass in vitro, in vivo preclinical and clinical studies that address the role of vitamin A and select flavonoids in induction of innate and adaptive B- and T-cell responses, including TH1, TH2 and regulatory T cells (Treg). Expert opinion: While the immunomodulatory role of vitamin A, and related compounds, is well-established in many preclinical studies, its role in humans has begun to gain wider acceptance. In contrast, the role of flavonoids is mostly controversial in clinical trials, due to the diversity of the various classes of these compounds, and possibly due to the purity and the selected doses of the compounds. However, current preclinical and clinical studies warrant further detailed studies of these promising immunomodulatory compounds.
Randomized controlled trial and uncontrolled 9-month follow-up of an adjunctive emotion regulation group therapy for deliberate self-harm among women with borderline personality disorder

Background Despite the clinical importance of deliberate self-harm (DSH; also referred to as non-suicidal self-injury) within borderline personality disorder (BPD), empirically supported treatments for this behavior among individuals with BPD are difficult to implement in many clinical settings. To address this limitation, a 14-week, adjunctive emotion regulation group therapy (ERGT) for DSH among women with BPD was developed. The current study examined the efficacy of this ERGT in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and the durability of treatment gains over a 9-month uncontrolled follow-up period. Method Female out-patients with BPD and recent recurrent DSH were randomly assigned to receive this ERGT in addition to their ongoing out-patient therapy immediately (n = 31) or after 14 weeks (n = 30). Measures of DSH and other self-destructive behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, adaptive functioning and the proposed mechanisms of change (emotion dysregulation/avoidance) were administered pre- and post-treatment or -waitlist (to assess treatment efficacy), and 3 and 9 months post-treatment (to assess durability of treatment gains). Results Intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses (n = 61) revealed significant effects of this ERGT on DSH and other self-destructive behaviors, emotion dysregulation, BPD symptoms, depression and stress symptoms, and quality of life. Analyses of all participants who began ERGT (across treatment and waitlist conditions; n = 51) revealed significant improvements from pre- to post-treatment on all outcomes, additional significant improvements from post-treatment to 9-month follow-up for DSH, emotion dysregulation/avoidance, BPD symptoms and quality of life, and no significant changes from post-treatment to 9-month follow-up on the other measures. Conclusions The results support the efficacy of this ERGT and the durability of treatment gains.
An improved scan-line algorithm for display of CSG models

A scan-line algorithm uses a one-dimensional set operation instead of a depth comparison to find a visible surface of the object shape defined by constructive solid geometry (CSG). Interactive solid modelers employing a scan-line algorithm require considerable computing time in repeated construction and destruction of parts of the CSG object models during the design process. We discuss three steps to improve a scan-line algorithm to display the CSG models on a screen. First, changing the order of application of the partial procedures in the algorithm can improve the performance in the interactive modelers. Secondly, substituting set operations for simple manipulations of the elements in two kinds of lists reduces computing time. Finally, using the connection information at the adjoining facets drastically reduces the number of set operation executions.