Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Extraction of Urban Road Centerlines from High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Using Automatic Thresholding and Morphological Operation Method

The commercial high-resolution imaging satellite with 1 m spatial resolution IKONOS is an important data source of information for urban planning and geographical information system (GIS) applications. In this paper, a morphological method is proposed. The proposed method combines the automatic thresholding and morphological operation techniques to extract the road centerline of the urban environment. This method intends to solve urban road centerline problems, vehicle, vegetation, building etc. Based on this morphological method, an object extractor is designed to extract road networks from highly remote sensing images. Some filters are applied in this experiment such as line reconstruction and region filling techniques to connect the disconnected road segments and remove the small redundant. Finally, the thinning algorithm is used to extract the road centerline. Experiments have been conducted on a high-resolution IKONOS and QuickBird images showing the efficiency of the proposed method.
The interconversion of glutamic acid and proline. I. The formation of delta1-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid from glutamic acid in Escherichia coli.

Nutritional and other studies with isotopic carbon have provided strong evidence for the interconversion in viva of glutamic acid and proline in both animal tissues and microorganisms (see (1, 2)). Recently the bio-synthetic path from glutamate to proline has been further analyzed (3). By using two proline-requiring mutants of Escherichia coli, it was shown that one (55-l) accumulated A*-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid (PC), while the other (55-25) used this compound to satisfy its proline requirements. A third mutant (22-64) responded to glutamate, proline, or the intermediate. These results suggested the following series of reactions:
Revision Total Ankle Arthroplasty: Conversion of New Jersey Low Contact Stress™ to Agility™: Surgical Technique and Case Report

Encouraged by intermediate results of second generation ankle implants, many surgeons are expanding their indications for total ankle arthroplasty1,3,5 As these devices are used in younger and more active patients, it is likely there will be an increasing number of patients with failed implants as is seen with hip and knee replacements. A major concern with ankle replacement surgery is late salvage. With significant bone loss, revision arthroplasty may not be possible, leaving arthrodesis with structural autograft or even amputation as the only options.4 The New Jersey Low Contact Stress (Endotec, South Orange, NJ) (NJLCS) total ankle implant requires relatively little initial bone resection.2 The implant relies on intact medial and lateral talar walls (medial and lateral ankle gutters) for stability. Unfortunately, subsidence of the talar component is a common mode of failure for any ankle implant, and this results in loss of the ankle gutters, making revision with a similar implant impossible. The Agility (DePuy, Warsaw, IN) total ankle does not rely on talar walls for stability. In fact, much of the talar walls are not resected, but the inner medial and lateral malleolar walls are resected during Agility ankle arthroplasty, which makes it a potential candidate for revision procedures. The NJLCS tibial component has a stem with a porous surface for bone ingrowth. Removal of this stemmed component has not been well described, but there is reasonable concern that replacement of this may cause major bone loss or even distal tibial fracture
Pituitary FSH is released by a heterodimer of the β-subunits from the two forms of inhibin

Inhibin is a gonadal protein that specifically inhibits the secretion of pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Two forms of inhibin (A and B) have been purified from porcine follicular fluid1 and characterized as heterodimers of relative molecular mass (Mr) 32,000 (ref. 2). Each inhibin is comprised of an identical α-subunit of Mr 18,000 and a distinct but related β-subunit of Mr 13,800–14,700 linked by interchain disulphide bond(s). Throughout the purification of inhibins, we consistently observed two fractions which stimulated the secretion of pituitary FSH. We report here the isolation of one of the FSH-releasing proteins; it has a Mr of 24,000 and its N-terminal sequences up to residue 32 are identical to those of each β-subunit of inhibins A and B. In the presence of reducing agents, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis resolves the FSH-releasing substance into two subunits which are identical in their migration behaviour to the reduced β-subunits of inhibins A and B. Based on the N-terminal sequence data and Mr of the intact and reduced molecules, we propose that the FSH-releasing substance, which is active in picomolar concentrations, is a heterodimeric protein composed of the two β-subunits of inhibins A and B linked by interchain disulphide bond(s). The structural organization of the FSH-releasing substance is homologous to that of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)3, which also possesses FSH-releasing activity in the same bioassay4. We suggest that the substance be called activin to signify the fact that it has opposite biological effects to inhibin.
The effect of grazing on the fatty acid profile of longissimus thoracis muscle in Galician Blond calves.

The objective of this work was to examine the effect of different levels of grazing on muscle nutritional fatty acid (FA) profile, including the beneficial n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and cis-9, trans-11 (cis-9, trans-11) 18:2 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Thirty male Galician Blond (GB) breed calves were randomly assigned to the following three grazing treatments: (1) continuous pasture grazing for 250 days (P); (2) 197-day grazing followed by a 50-day short period of concentrate-based finishing (PC) and (3) 57-day grazing followed by a 165-day long period of concentrate-based finishing (C). Calves kept sucking their mothers up to the time of slaughter. The slaughter weight was similar for all treatments (about 330 kg). Samples of the longissimus thoracis muscle were used for assessment of chemical composition by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and FA profiles by gas chromatography. Muscle from C calves was fatter and had higher content in total FA, monounsaturated FA (MUFA), cis-9 18:1 than muscle from P calves, whereas PC muscle had generally intermediate values. No significant treatment difference for total saturated FAs (SFA) was found. Content of potentially beneficial n-3 PUFA (18:3n-3, 20:3n-3, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3), cis-9, trans-11 CLA and n-6:n-3 ratio were lower and PUFA : SFA ratio were higher in P than in both C and PC calves. Calves fed exclusively on pasture synthesised higher amounts of beneficial FA than calves finished on concentrate. A 50-day period of concentrate-based finishing was sufficient to offset the synthesis of beneficial FA from pasture grazing.
Efficient Plant Biomass Degradation by Thermophilic Fungus Myceliophthora heterothallica

ABSTRACT Rapid and efficient enzymatic degradation of plant biomass into fermentable sugars is a major challenge for the sustainable production of biochemicals and biofuels. Enzymes that are more thermostable (up to 70°C) use shorter reaction times for the complete saccharification of plant polysaccharides compared to hydrolytic enzymes of mesophilic fungi such as Trichoderma and Aspergillus species. The genus Myceliophthora contains four thermophilic fungi producing industrially relevant thermostable enzymes. Within this genus, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica were recently separated from the well-described species M. thermophila. We evaluate here the potential of M. heterothallica isolates to produce efficient enzyme mixtures for biomass degradation. Compared to the other thermophilic Myceliophthora species, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica and M. thermophila grew faster on pretreated spruce, wheat straw, and giant reed. According to their protein profiles and in vitro assays after growth on wheat straw, (hemi-)cellulolytic activities differed strongly between M. thermophila and M. heterothallica isolates. Compared to M. thermophila, M. heterothallica isolates were better in releasing sugars from mildly pretreated wheat straw (with 5% HCl) with a high content of xylan. The high levels of residual xylobiose revealed that enzyme mixtures of Myceliophthora species lack sufficient β-xylosidase activity. Sexual crossing of two M. heterothallica showed that progenies had a large genetic and physiological diversity. In the future, this will allow further improvement of the plant biomass-degrading enzyme mixtures of M. heterothallica.
Scaphoid nonunion: what is the role of the Zaidemberg 1,2 intercompartmental supraretinacular arterial flap?

The reported results for the treatment of scaphoid nonunions with non-vascularized grafts are based on observational studies with a high variability in union rates from 38%–100% and time to union from 6–18 weeks, and there is also a lack of a standard classification. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews have been presented to better support conclusions from large pools of data (604 to 5246 cases), but their interpretation remains limited because of lack of uniformity in the studies analysed. Several authors have presented results from the Zaidemburg flap, with highly variable outcomes despite using the same technique; union rates have ranged from 27%–100% achieved between 6.5–19 weeks. Technical details that may be responsible for the discrepancies are discussed. There is a need for a validated prognostic classification system for scaphoid nonunions that can allow comparisons between outcome studies.
Aeromechanics of Long Jumps in Spider Crickets: Insights From Experiments and Modeling

Flapping, gliding, running, crawling, and swimming in animals have all been studied extensively in the past and have served as sources of inspiration for engineering designs. In this paper, we describe the aeromechanics of a mode of locomotion that straddles ground and air: jumping. The subject of our study is the spider cricket of the family Rhaphidophoridae, an animal that is among the most proficient of long-jumpers in nature. The focus of the study is to understand the aeromechanics of the aerial portion of the jump of this animal. The research employs high-speed videogrammetry to track the crickets’ posture and appendage orientation throughout their jumps. Experiments demonstrate that these insects employ carefully controlled and coordinated positioning of their limbs during their jumps so as to increase jump distance and stabilize body posture. Simple phenomenological models based on drag laws indicate that the conformation of the limbs during the latter portion of the jump is stable to pitch and enables these animals to land in a controllable manner. Insights from this study could be useful in the design of micro-robots that exploit jumping as a means of locomotion. INTRODUCTION Small jumping robots and vehicles have the potential to combine the benefits of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); jumping vehicles would have the stability and ground access of UGVs and the speed and agility of UAVs. Such vehicles would provide effective means for exploring complex urban and natural terrains for tasks such as search and rescue as well as environmental monitoring. A 1 Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering. 2 Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering. 3 Professor, Mechanical Engineering. number of animals such as spiders and crickets, among others, employ jumping as their primary mode of locomotion [1-5,8]. Analysis of such animals could lead to bioinspired designs for micro robots and vehicles that can move efficiently over complex terrains. Figure 1. Rhaphidophoridae, or what is commonly referred to as a
An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator (u-PA) and Mutants and Chimeras Containing the Serine Protease Domain of u-PA

Summary An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitation of natural and recombinant plasminogen activators containing the serine protease domain (B-chain) of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) was developed, based on two murine monoclonal antibodies, MA-4D1E8 and MA-2L3, raised against u-PA and reacting with non-overlapping epitopes in the B-chain. MA-4D1E8 was coated on microtiter plates and bound antigen was quantitated with MA-2L3 conjugated with horseradish peroxidase. The intra-assay, inter-assay and inter-dilution coefficients of variation of the assay were 6%, 15% and 9%, respectively. Using recombinant single-chain u-PA (rscu-PA) as a standard, the u-PA-related antigen level in normal human plasma was 1.4 ± 0.6 ng/ml (mean ± SD, n = 27). The ELISA recognized the following compounds with comparable sensitivity: intact scu-PA (amino acids, AA, 1 to 411), scu-PA-32k (AA 144 to 411), a truncated (thrombin-derived) scu-PA comprising A A 157 to 411, and chimeric t-PA/u-PA molecules including t-PA(AA1-263)/scu-PA(AA144-411), t-PA(AA1-274)/scu-PA(AA138-411) and t-PA(AA87-274)/scu-PA(AA138-411). Conversion of single-chain to two-chain forms of u-PA or inhibition of active two-chain forms with plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or with the active site serine inhibitor phenyl-methyl-sulfonyl fluoride, did not alter the reactivity in the assay. In contrast, inactivation with α2-antiplasmin or with the active site histidine inhibitor Glu-Gly-Arg-CH2Cl resulted in a 3- to 5-fold reduction of the reactivity. When purified scu-PA-32k was added to pooled normal human plasma at final concentrations ranging from 20 to 1,000 ng/ml, recoveries in the ELISA were between 84 and 110%. The assay was successfully applied for the quantitation of pharmacological levels of scu-PA and t-PA(AA87_274)/scu-PA(AA138-411) in plasma during experimental thrombolysis in baboons. Thus the present ELISA, which is specifically dependent on the presence of the serine protease part of u-PA, is useful for measurement of a wide variety of variants and chimeras of u-PA which are presently being developed for improved thrombolytic therapy.
The effect of valdecoxib on the production of growth factors evoked by hypoxia and bacterial lipopolysaccharide in HMEC-1 cells.

BACKGROUND Endothelial cells produce prostaglandins (PGE2 and PGI2) and growth factors (VEGF and bFGF). These substances regulate proliferation of cells, inflammatory processes and neovascularization under physiological and pathological conditions. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to check whether valdecoxib - a selective COX-2 inhibitor - inhibits VEGF and/or bFGF secretion in the presence of LPS or cobalt chloride in normal human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1). MATERIAL AND METHODS HMEC-1 cells were treated with valdecoxib at a concentration of 10 and 100 μM in the presence of 100 μg/mL LPS or 200 μM CoCl2. The effect of NSAIDs and LPS on VEGF and bFGF proteins was analyzed by ELISA kit (R&D Systems). Cell viability was measured using the 3-[4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. RESULTS Valdecoxib inhibited LPS-induced proliferation of endothelial cells and bFGF secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Valdecoxib stimulated VEGF formation via HMEC-1 under inflammatory conditions.
Pedestrian indoor navigation by aiding a foot-mounted IMU with RFID Signal Strength measurements

We present a methodology to accurately locate persons indoors by fusing Inertial Navigation (INS) techniques with active RFID technology. A foot-mounted IMU aided by the Received Signal Strengths (RSS) obtained from several active RFID tags, placed at known locations in a building, has been used. Other authors have already integrated IMUs with RFID tags in loosely-coupled Kalman Filter (KF) solutions [1], [2], [3]. They feed the KF with the residuals of inertial- and RFID-calculated positions; these approaches do not exploit the benefits of Zero Velocity Updates (ZUPT). In this paper, we present a tight KF-based INS/RFID integration using the residual between the INS-predicted range-to-tag, and the range derived from a generic RSS path-loss model. Our approach also includes ZUPTs at detected foot stances, ZARU (Zero Angular-rate Update) estimation at still phases, and heading drift reduction using magnetometers. A 15-element error state Extended KF [4], [7] compensates position, velocity and attitude errors of the INS solution, as well as IMU biases. This methodology is valid for any kind of motion (forward, lateral or backwards walk, at different speeds) and does not require an specific off-line calibration, neither for the user gait, nor for the location-dependent RSS fading in the building. The integrated INS+RFID methodology eliminates the typical drift of IMU-alone solutions (approximately 1% of the total travelled distance), accounting for typical positioning errors along the walking path (no matter its length) of approximately 1.5 meters.
Roles of Endonuclease V, Uracil-DNA Glycosylase, and Mismatch Repair in Bacillus subtilis DNA Base-Deamination-Induced Mutagenesis

ABSTRACT The disruption of ung, the unique uracil-DNA-glycosylase-encoding gene in Bacillus subtilis, slightly increased the spontaneous mutation frequency to rifampin resistance (Rifr), suggesting that additional repair pathways counteract the mutagenic effects of uracil in this microorganism. An alternative excision repair pathway is involved in this process, as the loss of YwqL, a putative endonuclease V homolog, significantly increased the mutation frequency of the ung null mutant, suggesting that Ung and YwqL both reduce the mutagenic effects of base deamination. Consistent with this notion, sodium bisulfite (SB) increased the Rifr mutation frequency of the single ung and double ung ywqL strains, and the absence of Ung and/or YwqL decreased the ability of B. subtilis to eliminate uracil from DNA. Interestingly, the Rifr mutation frequency of single ung and mutSL (mismatch repair [MMR] system) mutants was dramatically increased in a ung knockout strain that was also deficient in MutSL, suggesting that the MMR pathway also counteracts the mutagenic effects of uracil. Since the mutation frequency of the ung mutSL strain was significantly increased by SB, in addition to Ung, the mutagenic effects promoted by base deamination in growing B. subtilis cells are prevented not only by YwqL but also by MMR. Importantly, in nondividing cells of B. subtilis, the accumulations of mutations in three chromosomal alleles were significantly diminished following the disruption of ung and ywqL. Thus, under conditions of nutritional stress, the processing of deaminated bases in B. subtilis may normally occur in an error-prone manner to promote adaptive mutagenesis.
A SWT Verified Method of Natural Scene Text Location

Text location from natural scene images is very challenging due to variations in text fonts, color, alignment and illumination. In order to deal with this problem, a novel method of scene text location is proposed. Firstly, gradient difference is introduced to detect text regions, because it can capture the texture various in the local regions. Secondly, a stroke width based verification step is employed to wipe off false alarms, and stroke width of candidate characters is computed by SWT (Stroke Width Transform). The proposed method is evaluated on ICDAR2003 location contest dataset, and the experimental results show it outperforms methods with similar ways.
Impact of equalization on hybrid communication system for smart grid

This paper investigates the impact of advanced signal processing techniques on a communication through Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in smart grid. While the Narrowband Powerline channel (NB-PLC) is very harsh, we propose to use two h e t e r o g e n e o u s environments: wireless (RF) and wired (NB-PLC) channels. Authors present channel estimation techniques based on Least Squares (LS) and Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) algorithms and channel equalization based on Zero Forcing (Z F) and Minimum Mean Square Error (M M SE) methods. Performances analysis show that the MMSE channel estimator is better than the LS estimator in terms of mean square error for the two environments and the MMSE equalizer used for NB-PLC channel do not have good performances. Therefore, environment diversity can be exploited to enhance our system reliability.
Single Lead Atrial Synchronous Ventricular Pacing: A Dream Come True

Single lead, atrial synchronous pacing systems were developed in the late 1970s. Clinical experience has demonstrated the need to position the “floating” atrial electrode in the mid‐to‐high right atrium and the need for a specially designed pulse generator (with very high atrial sensitivity) to provide a high quality and amplitude atrial electrogram for consistent sensing. A 12‐year experience with different electrode configurations, from the first unipolar designed in 1980 to the most recent atrial bipolar electrodes, has confirmed the validity of the original concept and the long‐term reliability of the single lead atrial synchronous pacing system, which can reliably produce long‐term atrial sensing and ventricular stimulation in the presence of normal sinoatrial function.
Statistical Characterization, Modelling and Classification of Morphological Changes in imp Mutant Drosophila Gamma Neurons

In Drosophila brain, gamma neurons in the mushroom body are involved in higher functions such as olfactory learning and memory. During metamorphosis, they undergo remodelling after which they adopt their adult shape. Some mutations alter remodelling and therefore neuronal final morphology, causing behavioural dysfunctions. The RNA binding protein Imp, for example, was shown to control this remodelling process at least partly by regulating profilin expression. This work aims at precisely characterizing the morphological changes observed upon imp knockdown in order to further understand the role of this protein. We develop a methodological framework that consists in the selection of relevant morphological features, their modelling and parameter estimation. We thus perform a statistical comparison and a likelihood analysis to quantify similarities and differences between wild type and mutated neurons. We show that imp mutant neurons can be classified into two phenotypic groups (called Imp L and Imp Sh) that differ in several morphological aspects. We also demonstrate that, although Imp L and wild-type neurons show similarities, branch length distribution is discriminant between these populations. Finally, we study biological samples in which Profilin was reintroduced in imp mutant neurons, and show that defects in main axon and branch lengths are partially suppressed.
Vertebrate anteroposterior patterning: the Xenopus neurectoderm as a paradigm

This review discusses formation of the vertebrate anteroposterior (AP) axis, focusing on the dorsal ectoderm, which gives rise to the nervous system, using the frog Xenopus as a model. After summarizing classical models of AP neural patterning, we describe recent molecular studies that are encouraging re‐examination of these models. Such studies have shown that AP ectodermal patterning occurs by the onset of gastrulation, much earlier than previously thought. The identity of tissues that determine AP pattern is discussed, and the definition of the Organizer is reconsidered. The activity of factors secreted by inducing tissues in early patterning decisions is assessed and formulated into a revised model for Xenopus AP neural patterning. Finally, AP ectodermal patterning in Xenopus dorsal ectoderm is compared to that of other germ layers, and to other vertebrates. BioEssays 22:976–986, 2000. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.