Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Detection of Changes and Deformation In Rock Faces By Terrestrial Laser Scanning

The use of TLS application for forecasting of possible rock falls is the main aim of this research, whose intermediate steps have been already presented in previous publications. Through some experiences carried out in monitoring of a few rock faces in Italian Prealps, the whole process to extract changes and to detect deformations of their shape along time is outlined. All the steps of the processing pipeline are here described. First, problems concerning setting up of the reference system, data acquisition and reduction of georeferencing errors are analyzed. Second, the use of a low-cost NIR camera integrated to a terrestrial laser scanner for filtering out vegetation from point clouds is proposed and a test presented. Finally two algorithms able to automatically recognize changes (i.e. rock mass detached) and deformations between surfaces acquired at different epochs are presented and discussed.
The comparative study of immunity between two scallop species Chlamys farreri and Argopecten irradians

Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri) and Bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), two major aquaculture molluscan species in China, are different in some important traits such as life cycle, growth performance and temperature tolerance. In the present study, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and four immune parameters including phagocytic activity, respiratory burst and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acid phosphatase (ACP) of scallops under heavy metal exposure and bacteria challenge were measured by flow-cytometric method and immunochemistry assays to compare the immunity of these two scallop species. In the non-treated scallops, the phagocytosis of hemocytes, MDA content, the activities of SOD and ACP in hepatopancreas of Bay scallops were all significantly higher than those of Zhikong scallops. After challenged with Vibrio anguillarum, the ROS level in hemocytes of Bay scallops was significantly lower than that of Zhikong scallops at 30 min, and the cumulative mortality of Bay scallop was also significantly lower than that of Zhikong scallop at 2nd-5th day. The exposure of Pb2+ with different concentration induced significantly higher phagocytic activity, ACP activities, SOD activities, MDA content in hepatopancreas and significantly stronger respiratory burst in hemocyte of Bay scallops compared with those of Zhikong scallops, while the hemocyte mortalities in Bay scallops were significantly lower than that in Zhikong scallops. The results collectively indicated that Bay scallops had a higher level of immune potential than Zhikong scallops, suggesting its greater capacity for stress response and immune resistance against pathogens as well.
Foveated Image Refocusing in VR Applications

In this paper we propose a foveated refocusing technique as an alternative to traditional foveated rendering for VR applications. Unlike traditional techniques, we propose to partially render and blur the entire frame then refocus the foveal region of the image locally in the HMD. In addition to reducing the latency requirement of the eye tracking system, our technique also reduces the bandwidth required between the GPU and the HMD since lossless compression can achieve better results with blurred images. Furthermore, similar to previous methods, our technique achieves lower GPU computational load since we partially render each frame.
A fast wallace-based parallel multiplier in quantum-dot cellular automata

Physical limitations of Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductors (CMOS) technology at nanoscale and high cost of lithography have provided the platform for creating Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA)-based hardware. The QCA is a new technology that promises smaller, cheaper and faster electronic circuits, and has been regarded as an effective solution for scalability problems in CMOS technology. Therefore, it is possible to generalize QCA to all digital components. Multipliers are considered as one of the most important building blocks of computational circuits in digital processing systems. The traditional design of multipliers results in wasting the resources and increasing computational time. This paper presents an effective implementation of QCA parallel multiplier based on Wallace tree. It is able to significantly reduce the occupied area by reducing the number of QCA cells and therefore increases the speed of multiplying operation. The proposed QCA multiplier is simulated by QCADesigner2.0. 3 software. The simulation results confirm that the proposed QCA multiplier works well and can be used in high performance circuits in QCA technology. Moreover, the proposed QCA multiplier has less complexity and occupied area compared to other QCA multiplier designs.
An Aircraft Detection Framework Based on Reinforcement Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks in Remote Sensing Images

Aircraft detection has attracted increasing attention in the field of remote sensing image analysis. Complex background, illumination change and variations of aircraft kind and size in remote sensing images make the task challenging. In our work, we propose an effective aircraft detection framework based on reinforcement learning and a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. Aircraft in remote sensing images can be accurately and robustly located with the help of the searching mechanism that the candidate region is dynamically reduced to the correct location of aircraft, which is implemented through reinforcement learning. The detection framework overcomes the difficulties that the current detection methods based on reinforcement learning are only able to detect a fixed number of objects. Specifically, we adopt the restricted EdgeBoxes that generate the high-quality candidate boxes through the prior aircraft knowledge at first. Then, we train an intelligent detection agent through reinforcement learning and apprenticeship learning. The detection agent accurately locates the aircraft in the candidate boxes within several actions, and it even performs better than the greed strategy in apprenticeship learning. During the final detection step, we carefully design the CNN model that predicts the probability that the localization result generated by the detection agent is an aircraft. Comparative experiments demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our aircraft detection framework.
Patient-reported outcome measures in urology

Purpose of review Many urologic treatments have similar clinical outcomes, necessitating alternative methods to discriminate between options. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have become the new standard for evaluating the patient experience, and their use has drastically increased over the past decade. The purpose of this review is to discuss the status of PROMs in urology, highlight commonly used tools and address their future direction. Recent findings An increasing number of urology-specific PROMs tools have been developed and validated. An increased focus on patient-centered care has provided an impetus for their rise in use. Implementation of PROMs has transitioned from being primarily descriptive in nature to producing actionable findings. Many PROMs are now implemented in daily clinical practice. The future of PROMs will involve new instrument development, integration into clinical practice and the use of PROMs as performance measures. Summary PROMs are effective tools for characterizing symptom burden and health-related quality of life. With increasing clinical implementation, PROMs are playing an increasing role in patients’ clinical decision-making.
Responsiveness of the functioning and disability parts of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health core sets in postacute stroke patients

To study the responsiveness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) core set with respect to human functioning and disability in stroke patients. Postacute stroke patients who were admitted to the convalescent rehabilitation wards were included in this observational cohort study. The comprehensive ICF core set for neurological conditions for postacute care and the ICF rehabilitation set were evaluated at admission and discharge using five-grade qualifiers. Extension indexes were calculated for entire two ICF core sets. Responsiveness was measured as change in the extension indexes in the ICF core sets. The correlation between changes in ICF core sets and improvement in the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The study included 108 poststroke patients (49 women, mean age 70.8 years, mean FIM score improvement: 23.0). The mean percentage of categories that showed changes with at least one qualifier level was 19.5% in the comprehensive ICF core set for neurological conditions for postacute care and 35.9% in the ICF rehabilitation set. Effect sizes in each ICF core set were moderate to large (0.79–0.80). Improvement in the two ICF core sets correlated significantly with changes in the FIM score. Our results indicate that functioning and disability parts of these two ICF core sets can detect changes in functioning and disability in patients who receive an inpatient rehabilitation program for postacute stroke.
Synovial fibroblast‐targeting liposomes encapsulating an NF‐κB‐blocking peptide ameliorates zymosan‐induced synovial inflammation

Synovial fibroblasts (SFs) play a crucial role in the inflammatory process of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The highly activated NF‐κB signal in SFs is responsible for most of the synovial inflammation associated with this disease. In this study, we have developed an SF‐targeting liposomal system that encapsulates the NF‐κB‐blocking peptide (NBD peptide) HAP‐lipo/NBD. HAP‐lipo/NBDs demonstrated efficient SF‐specific targeting in vitro and in vivo. Our study also showed a significant inhibitory effect of HAP‐lipo/NBD on NF‐κB activation, inflammatory cytokine release and SF migration capability after zymosan stimulation. Furthermore, the systemic administration of HAP‐lipo/NBDs significantly inhibited synovial inflammation and improved the pathological scores of arthritis induced by zymosan. Thus, these results suggest that an SF‐targeting NF‐κB‐blocking strategy is a potential approach for the development of alternative, targeted anti‐RA therapies.
An audit of injuries in six english professional soccer academies

ABSTRACT Regulations now state that professional academies in the United Kingdom are required to substantially increase the volume of soccer training. This study assessed the current injury occurrence, providing an update to reports published prior to the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). 608 soccer players aged 11–18 years from six professional soccer clubs were prospectively monitored, recording injuries during the 2014–2015 season. An injury rate of 1.32 injuries per player/season was indicated with a mean time loss of 21.9 days per injury. The greatest time loss per injury was in the U14s-U15s, and the highest rate of severe injuries in the U15s. Strains and sprains were the most common injury type, with the knee and ankle the most frequently injured anatomical sites. Seasonal variation indicated two peaks in injury incidence, occurring in September and January. In comparison to a published audit prior to the inception of the EPPP, this study indicates that academy soccer players are three-times more likely to experience an injury. Given that time loss and injury severity also increased during periods that typically follow rapid growth, these players should be considered an important group for training load monitoring and injury prevention strategies.
Molecular characterization of human parainfluenza virus type 1 in infants attending Mbagathi District Hospital , Nairobi , Kenya : a retrospective study Joshua

Human parainfluenza virus type 1 (HPIV-1), a paramyxovirus, is a leading cause of pediatric respiratory hospitalizations globally. Currently, there is no clinically successful vaccine against HPIV-1. Hence, there is a need to characterize circulating strains of this virus to establish the feasibility of developing a vaccine against the virus. The variable HPIV-1 hemagglutin–neuraminidase (HN) protein is found in the envelope of HPIV-1, where it initiates the infection process by binding to cellular receptors. HN is also the major antigen against which the human immune response is directed against. The present study focused on identifying mutations in the HN gene that would be useful in understanding the evolution of HPIV-1. 21 HPIV-1 isolates were obtained after screening nasopharyngeal samples from patients with influenza-like illness. The samples were collected from Mbagathi District Hospital Nairobi from the period July 2007 to December 2010. RT-PCR was carried out on the isolates using HNspecific primers to amplify a 360 nt in the most polymorphic region and the amplicons sequenced. Genomic data were analysed using a suite of bioinformatic software. Forty eight polymorphic sites with a total of 55 mutations were identified at the nucleotide level and 47 mutations at 23 positions at the amino acid level. There was more radical nonsynonymous amino acid changes (seven positions) observed than conservative nonsynonymous changes (one position) on the HN gene fragment. No positively selected sites were found in the HN protein. The result from the analysis of 21 HPIV-1 Mbagathi isolates demonstrated that the HN gene which is the major antigenic target was under purifying (negative) selection displaying evolutionary stasis.
Series No . 33 Wage Determinants and Age Profiles in the Japanese Child Care Industry : Evidence from Employee-level Data

1 This research originated as a study on Japan's child care conducted by the Price Policy Division of the Cabinet Office. We thank Mikio Kawa, Naohiro Yashiro, Reiko Kanda, Heather Montgomery and the seminar participants at the ESRI for their useful comments. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent those of the Economic and Social Research Institute or of the Japanese government. Abstract This study is the first comprehensive empirical assessment on wage determinants of child care workers in Japan. In particular, this paper focuses on the sectoral wage differentials among publicly owned and licensed private facilities and the wage-age profile among different types of management. To address these topics, we take advantage of a unique, large , and high-quality employer-employee matched survey data set on child care workers collected in the summer 2002. We present four major empirical findings. First, we found adjusted hourly wage d are higher at public centers by 19.3 percenta ge points (355 yen in real value) compared to the private centers. Second, regular workers who are male, older, more experienced, and who have higher degrees of education and qualifications tend to have higher wages, while a similar profile is not significantly correlated with non-regular workers' wage rates. Thus, we can conclude that the age and experience wage profile for regular workers in the child care market strongly reflects the seniority system in Japan. At the same time, differences in the wage-age profile could not be attributed wholly to differences in types of management. Third, the rates of increases in return for workers' human capitals are diminishing much faster in private centers than the ones in public facilities. The magnitudes of diminishing rates in the public sector are negligible, while the diminishing rates in private facilities are not insignificant. Finally, employment status also has a large effect on the wage profile. Both regular and non-regular employees with long hours of work enjoy enormously higher wage s than non-regular workers with shorter work hours. The result might be partially accounted for by the implications of human capital such that they are valued for regular workers, but not appreciated for non-regular workers in the labor market. We conclude that much higher wage levels and steeper age-wage profile in public centers cannot be justified unless such high costs are closely related with higher quality of care in the public sector. That might not be the …
Biochemical and Molecular Roles of Nutrients A High Glycemic Index Starch Diet Affects Lipid Storage–Related Enzymes in Normal and to a Lesser Extent in Diabetic Rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chronic effects of a high (waxy corn) vs. a low (mung beans) glycemic index starch diet on the lipogenic enzymes, fatty acid synthase (FAS) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Normal and diabetic (streptozotocin-injected on d 2 of life) male Sprague-Dawley rats consumed a diet containing 575 g/kg carbohydrates either as waxy cornstarch (WCS) or as mung bean starch (MBS). After 3 wk, neither body weights nor relative epididymal fat pad weights differed. In diabetic rats, the WCS diet induced high basal plasma insulin levels. Plasma triglycerides were not significantly affected by diet in either normal or diabetic rats. Adipose tissue and liver LPL activities were not modified by the type of starch in the diet. In normal rats, FAS activity and gene expression in epididymal adipose tissue but not in liver were greater in rats consuming the WCS diet than in those consuming MBS. To evaluate the implication of insulin in this regulation, two genes regulated by insulin [GLUT4 and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK)] were also studied. The high glycemic index WCS diet compared with the low glycemic index MBS diet resulted in lower hepatic PEPCK mRNA in both normal and diabetic rats. Normal, but not diabetic rats fed WCS had greater GLUT4 gene expression in adipocytes than did those fed MBS. We conclude that the total replacement of 575 g/kg low glycemic index starch by a high glycemic index starch for 3 wk caused the following in normal rats: 1) high FAS activity and mRNA in adipose tissue but not in liver and 2) high GLUT4 gene expression in adipose tissue. In both normal and diabetic rats this same diet resulted in lower hepatic PEPCK mRNA. Therefore, high glycemic index starch diet is implicated in stimulating FAS activity and lipogenesis and might have undesirable long-term metabolic effects. J. Nutr. 128: 1878–1883, 1998.
A revision of the genus Phellopsis LeConte (Coleoptera: Zopheridae)

The world species of Phellopsis LeConte are revised based on the examination of all available material. Phellopsis obcordata (Kirby) and P. porcata (LeConte) are found to be valid vicariant species isolated in old growth boreal forest habitats of eastern and western North America, respectively. Phellopsis robustula Casey and P. montana Casey are placed as junior synonyms of P. porcata NEW SYNONYMIES. On the Asian continent, P. imurai Masumoto is placed in synonymy with P. amurensis (Heyden) NEW SYNONYMY. Phellopsis amurensis (Heyden) now has a documented range that extends from the coastal mountains of Russia’s Primorskii Krai into the Korean peninsula. The other two described species found to be valid are P. suberea Lewis, known only from Japan, and P. chinense (Semenow) from west central China. Phellopsis yulongensis NEW SPECIES is described from the Yunnan Province of western China. Redescriptions of all valid species are provided, with comments on the history of the genus, biology and biogeography of the group. A key and illustrations are provided for the identification of all known Phellopsis species.
How many more images do we need? Performance prediction of bootstrapping for image classification

Motivated by the recently introduced scalable concept detection challenge that requires classifiers for hundreds or even thousands of concepts, the objective of this work is to predict the cases where the enhancement of an initial classifier with additional training images is not expected to provide significant improvements. To facilitate this objective, we need a model for predicting the performance gain of a bootstrapping process prior to actually applying it. In order to train this model, we propose two features; the initial classifier's maturity (i.e. how close is the current hyperplane to the optimal) and the oracle's reliability (i.e. how reliable is the oracle in providing the correct labels of new training data). Thus, the contribution of our work is on proposing a method that is able to exploit the correlation between the expected performance boost and these two indicators. As a result, we can considerably improve the scalability properties of such bootstrapping processes by concentrating on the most prominent models and thus reducing the overall processing load.
A PATTERN MATCHING MODEL FOR MISUSE INTRUSION DETECTION

This paper describes a generic model of matching that can be usefully applied to misuse intrusion detection. The model is based on Colored Petri Nets. Guards define the context in which signatures are matched. The notion of start and final states, and paths between them define the set of event sequences matched by the net. Partial order matching can also be specified in this model. The main benefits of the model are its generality, portability and flexibility.
Taking a Long Look at QUIC IMC ’ 17 , November 1 – 3 , 2017 , London , United Kingdom PLT Experiments Test Environments

Google’s QUIC protocol, which implements TCP-like properties at the application layer atop a UDP transport, is now used by the vast majority of Chrome clients accessing Google properties but has no formal state machine specification, limited analysis, and ad-hoc evaluations based on snapshots of the protocol implementation in a small number of environments. Further frustrating attempts to evaluate QUIC is the fact that the protocol is under rapid development, with extensive rewriting of the protocol occurring over the scale of months, making individual studies of the protocol obsolete before publication. Given this unique scenario, there is a need for alternative techniques for understanding and evaluating QUIC when compared with previous transport-layer protocols. First, we develop an approach that allows us to conduct analysis across multiple versions of QUIC to understand how code changes impact protocol effectiveness. Next, we instrument the source code to infer QUIC’s state machine from execution traces. With this model, we run QUIC in a large number of environments that include desktop and mobile, wired and wireless environments and use the state machine to understand differences in transportand application-layer performance across multiple versions of QUIC and in different environments. QUIC generally outperforms TCP, but we also identified performance issues related to window sizes, re-ordered packets, and multiplexing large number of small objects; further, we identify that QUIC’s performance diminishes on mobile devices and over cellular networks.