Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Detection Algorithm for Optical Targets in Clutter

There is active interest in the development of algorithms for detecting weak stationary optical and IR targets in a heavy opticalclutter background. Often only poor detectability of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) targets is achieved when the direct correlation method is used. In many cases, this is partly obviated by using detection with correlated reference scenes [1, 2]. This paper uses the experimentally justified assumption that most optical clutter can be modeled as a whitened Gaussian randomprocess with a rapidly space-varying mean and a more slowlyvarying covariance [2]. With this assumption, a new constant falsealarm rate (CFAR) detector is developed as an application of the classical generalized maximum likelihood ratio test of Neyman and Pearson. The final CFAR test is a dimensionless ratio. This test exhibits the desirable property that its probability of a false alarm(PFA) is independent of the covariance matrix of the actual noiseencountered. When the underlying noise processes are complex intime, similar considerations can yield a sidelobe canceler CFARdetection criterion for radar and communications. Performance analyses based on the probability of detection (PD)versus signal-to-noise ratio for several given fixed false alarm probabilities are presented. Finally these performance curves are validated by computer simulations of the detection process which use real image data with artificially implanted signals.
Psychological Meaning of a Woman with a Hysterectomy Among Mexican Physicians and Women

The psychological meaning of women who have had a hysterectomy, and attitudes toward them, were explored in 121 Mexican gynecologists, 155 women who had undergone a hysterectomy, and 115 women who had not had a hysterectomy. The surveys were completed between January and May 2011. Both groups of women defined a woman who had had a hysterectomy using words with positive meanings (healthy, happy, reassured, and complete), as well as words with negative meanings (sad, incomplete, and irritable). However, the participants who had not had a hysterectomy defined a woman who had had a hysterectomy using more negative words and showed more negative attitudes toward such a woman with a hysterectomy than those women who had undergone a hysterectomy. Among participants who had undergone a hysterectomy, those who were premenopausal prior to the surgery and those who had undergone bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy defined a woman who had had a hysterectomy in a more negative manner and showed the most negative attitudes. The gynecologists did not use words with emotional content regarding women who had had a hysterectomy and showed more neutral attitudes toward such a woman than did both groups of women. These findings could be helpful in designing support programs for women facing a hysterectomy.
Millimeter wave FMCW radar for Foreign object debris (FOD) detection at airport runways

Presence of Foreign object debris (FOD) at airport runways is an immense threat to flight safety operation. Such unwanted objects may cause potential damage to the aircraft during critical phases like take off and landing. Due to the miniaturized nature of FOD parts, a very high resolution sensor is required to resolve and locate such objects with higher extent of accuracy such as less than 1 meter. The reported FOD systems operate at W-band. This paper discusses the design considerations for millimeter wave FOD radar system operating at Ka-band and presents a simulation platform comprising of FOD radar model and test setup for design evaluation. The radar model is developed using the specifications of the selected commercially off-the-shelf (COTS) components and is evaluated under different scenarios in ADS®. The design addresses inherent issues associated with FMCW architecture such as mutual coupling between transmit and receive antennae and self mixing due to substrate coupling. For improved azimuth accuracy, two channels receiver for amplitude comparison monopulse is incorporated. Transmit power is 10 dBm and receiver's minimum detectable strength is -122 dBm. The simulation results indicate radar's ability to detect very small objects - 20 dBsm radar cross section (RCS) up to 300 meter range.
Robust Multi-Band Detail Encoding for Triangular Meshes of Arbitrary Connectivity

The flexibility coming along with the simplicity of their base primitive and the support by todays graphics hardware, have made triangular meshes more and more popular for representing complex 3D objects. Due to the complexity of realistic datasets, a considerable amount of work has been spent during the last years to provide means for the modification of a given mesh by intuitive metaphors, i.e. large scale edits under preservation of the detail features. In this paper we demonstrate how a hierarchical structure of a mesh can be derived for arbitrary meshes to enable intuitive modifications without restrictions on the underlying connectivity, known from existing subdivision approaches. We combine mesh reduction algorithms and constrained energy minimization to decompose the given mesh into several frequency bands. Therefore, a new stabilizing technique to encode the geometric difference between the levels will be presented.
Evaluation of the association between OPA1 polymorphisms and primary open-angle glaucoma in Barbados families.

PURPOSE To investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OPA1 gene are associated with two primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) subgroups: those with elevated intraocular pressure (POAG/IOP) and those with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in the African-Caribbean population of Barbados, West Indies. METHODS SNPs at intervening sequence (IVS) 8, +4, and +32 of the OPA1 gene were directly sequenced from 48 individuals with POAG/IOP, 48 nonglaucomatous controls, and 61 people with NTG. The remaining exons of OPA1 were screened for sequence variations in the same 48 POAG/IOP participants and 48 controls by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC), and identified variations were confirmed by bidirectional sequencing. Genotype and allele frequencies of all SNPs were compared for statistically significant differences using the chi2 and Fisher's exact test. Haplotypes and compound genotypes were also analyzed to evaluate the combined effect of the two IVS8 SNPs. RESULTS The analyses of the genotype and haplotype frequencies of IVS8 +4 and +32 do not show statistically significant differences between those with POAG/IOP or NTG and controls. At IVS8 +32, although there are suggestions of possible associations of the CC genotype with NTG (chi2 = 3.81, p = 0.05), and the TC genotype with POAG/IOP (chi2 = 4.23, p = 0.04), these differences do not reach statistical significance at the level of 0.017 after a Bonferroni correction. In addition, the combined genotype comparisons at IVS8 +32 do not support the association (for controls compared to NTG chi2 = 4.19, p = 0.12, df = 2; and for controls compared to POAG chi2 = 4.83, p = 0.09, df = 2). Sixteen variants are observed in the OPA1 gene, of which 10 are novel. Neither genotype nor allele frequencies of any SNP are found to be associated with POAG/IOP. CONCLUSIONS Although some results are suggestive, there is not sufficient evidence to support an association of the SNPs evaluated in OPA1 with POAG/IOP or NTG in the African-Caribbean population of Barbados, West Indies.
An ontology framework for developing platform-independent knowledge-based engineering systems in the aerospace industry

This paper presents the development of a novel knowledge-based engineering (KBE) framework for implementing platform-independent knowledge-enabled product design systems within the aerospace industry. The aim of the KBE framework is to strengthen the structure, reuse and portability of knowledge consumed within KBE systems in view of supporting the cost-effective and long-term preservation of knowledge within such systems. The proposed KBE framework uses an ontology-based approach for semantic knowledge management and adopts a model-driven architecture style from the software engineering discipline. Its phases are mainly (1) Capture knowledge required for KBE system; (2) Ontology model construct of KBE system; (3) Platform-independent model (PIM) technology selection and implementation and (4) Integration of PIM KBE knowledge with computer-aided design system. A rigorous methodology is employed which is comprised of five qualitative phases namely, requirement analysis for the KBE framework, identifying software and ontological engineering elements, integration of both elements, proof of concept prototype demonstrator and finally experts validation. A case study investigating four primitive three-dimensional geometry shapes is used to quantify the applicability of the KBE framework in the aerospace industry. Additionally, experts within the aerospace and software engineering sector validated the strengths/benefits and limitations of the KBE framework. The major benefits of the developed approach are in the reduction of man-hours required for developing KBE systems within the aerospace industry and the maintainability and abstraction of the knowledge required for developing KBE systems. This approach strengthens knowledge reuse and eliminates platform-specific approaches to developing KBE systems ensuring the preservation of KBE knowledge for the long term.
The Antifungal Activity of RsAFP2, a Plant Defensin from Raphanus sativus, Involves the Induction of Reactive Oxygen Species in Candida albicans

RsAFP2 (Raphanus sativus antifungal peptide 2), an antifungal plant defensin isolated from seed of R. sativus, interacts with glucosylceramides (GlcCer) in membranes of susceptible yeast and fungi and induces membrane permeabilization and fungal cell death. However, using carboxyfluorescein-containing small unilamellar vesicles containing purified GlcCer, we could not observe permeabilization as a consequence of insertion of RsAFP2 in such vesicles. Therefore, we focused on a putative RsAFP2-induced signaling cascade downstream of RsAFP2-binding to GlcCer in fungal membranes. We show that RsAFP2 induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Candida albicans wild type in a dose-dependent manner, but not at all in an RsAFP2-resistant ΔgcsC. albicans mutant that lacks the RsAFP2-binding site in its membranes. These findings indicate that upstream binding of RsAFP2 to GlcCer is needed for ROS production leading to yeast cell death. Moreover, the antioxidant ascorbic acid blocks RsAFP2-induced ROS generation, as well as RsAFP2 antifungal activity. These data point to the presence of an intracellular plant defensin-induced signaling cascade, which involves ROS generation and leads to fungal cell growth arrest.
Detection and antibiotic treatment of Herbaspirillum huttiense isolated from in vitro explants of Eucalyptus sp.

In vitro assays involving explant cultures aiming the establishment of a genetic transformation protocol for the Eucalyptus grandis vs. E. smithii hybrid were hampered by the contamination of the explants. One yeast and one bacterium were isolated. The bacterium was identified as Herbaspirillum huttiense (Leifson) Ding and Yokota, with which further analyses were carried out and its response to different antibiotics were evaluated. Amongst 34 in vitro tested antibiotics, 12 inhibited bacterial growth. Sulfadiazine, streptomycin, kanamycin and penicillin were selected for determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration. Sulfadiazine, streptomycin and kanamycin presented inhibition halos at 256 and 512 mg L-1, while penicillin did not display bacteriostatic effects in concentrations up to 1024 mg L-1.
Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Characterization among Escherichia coli Clinical Isolates Causing Severe Obstetric Infections in Pregnant Women

ABSTRACT The virulence markers and the antimicrobial resistance profiles of 78 Escherichia coli isolates causing obstetric infections accompanied by sepsis or not were studied. Adhesion-related virulence factors were the most prevalent markers. Low rates of resistance to the antimicrobial agents used as first-line therapy suggest their correct implementation in stewardship guidelines.
Highlighting Human Form and Motion Information Enhances the Conspicuity of Pedestrians at Night

Exploring how biological motion can make pedestrians more conspicuous to drivers at night, one-hundred-and-twenty participants were driven along an open-road route at night and pressed a button whenever they recognized that a pedestrian was present. A test pedestrian wearing black clothing alone or with 302 cm2 of retroreflective markings in one of four configurations either stood still or walked in place on an unilluminated sidewalk. Participants' response distances were maximal for the full biological-motion configuration and remained surprisingly long when convenient subsets of reflective markers were positioned on the pedestrian's ankles and wrists. When the pedestrian wore a reflective vest, the responses were no better than when he wore no reflective markings. The biological-motion advantage actually results from interacting form-perception and motion-perception mechanisms. These results confirm that basic perceptual phenomena—observers' sensitivity to human form and motion—can be harnessed to reduce an important problem of traffic safety.
Ishtar: a flexible and lightweight software for remote data access

In this paper, we present Ishtar, a lightweight and versatile collection of software for remote data access and monitoring. The monitoring architecture is crucial during the development and experimentation of autonomous systems like Micro Air Vehicles. Ishtar comprises a flexible communication layer that allows enumeration, inspection and modification of data in the remote system. The protocol is designed to be robust to the data loss and corruption that typically arises with small autonomous system, while remaining efficient in its bandwidth use. In addition to the communication layer, Ishtar offers a flexible graphical software that allows to monitor the remote system, graph and log its data and display them using a completely customisable cockpit. Emphasis is put on the flexibility to allow Ishtar to be used with arbitrary platforms and experimental paradigms. The software is designed to be cross-platform (compatible with Windows, Mac OS and Linux) and cross-architecture (it is compatible with both microcontroller- and embedded-PC-based remote systems). Finally, Ishtar is open source and can therefore be extended and customised freely by the user community.
Efficient Global Illumination for Morphable Models

We propose an efficient self-shadowing illumination model for Morphable Models. Simulating self-shadowing with ray casting is computationally expensive which makes them impractical in Analysis-by-Synthesis methods for object reconstruction from single images. Therefore, we propose to learn self-shadowing for Morphable Model parameters directly with a linear model. Radiance transfer functions are a powerful way to represent self-shadowing used within the precomputed radiance transfer framework (PRT). We build on PRT to render deforming objects with self-shadowing at interactive frame rates. It can be illuminated efficiently by environment maps represented with spherical harmonics. The result is an efficient global illumination method for Morphable Models, exploiting an approximated radiance transfer. We apply the method to fitting Morphable Model parameters to a single image of a face and demonstrate that considering self-shadowing improves shape reconstruction.
Insertional inactivation of genes to isolate mutants of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942: isolation of filamentous strains

We have developed a simple procedure for generating mutants of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 in which the site of the lesion can be readily identified. This procedure involves transforming Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 with a library of its own DNA that was fully digested with Sau3A and ligated into the plasmid vector pUC8. The homologous integration of the recombinant plasmid into the genome will often result in the disruption of a gene and the loss of gene function. We have used this method to generate many mutants of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 which grow as multicellular filaments rather than as unicells. Since the gene harboring the lesion was tagged with pUC8, it was easily isolated. In this paper, we discuss the usefulness of this procedure for the generation of mutants, and we characterize one mutant in which the lesion may be in an operon involved in the assembly of lipopolysaccharides.
Glucose targets in pregnant women with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Glucose-lowering treatments are used during pregnancy to reduce the risk for complications in the mother and offspring, yet treatment targets have not been established. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to appraise and summarize the available evidence regarding the association between different blood glucose targets during pregnancy and fetal and maternal outcomes. METHODS We searched Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, and CINAHL through May 2011 for randomized trials and observational studies that enrolled women with diabetes during pregnancy and reported planned or achieved glucose targets. We used random-effects meta-regression models to estimate the odds ratio for the association of outcomes of interest and glucose targets. When possible, we adjusted for diabetes type, trimester, and diabetes treatment. RESULTS We included 34 studies enrolling 9433 women. The studies had moderate to high risk of bias due to evidence of reporting bias and insufficient adjustment for important covariates, particularly maternal body mass index. A fasting glucose target of <90 mg/dL was the most commonly reported and the one most strongly associated with reduced risk of macrosomia (odds ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = 0.31-0.90, P = .02) for women with gestational diabetes during the third trimester. For type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and for pre- and postprandial targets, data were sparse and inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS Evidence warranting very low confidence in the estimates suggests that a fasting glucose target of <90 mg/dL is associated with a lower risk of macrosomia and other outcomes of different importance in women with gestational diabetes. Whether this target can be extrapolated to women with pregestational diabetes or whether targets above or below this threshold offer a better benefit/risk balance remains unclear.
Design and performance analysis of distributed relay selection techniques in wireless networks

We develop and analytically study the performances of three relay selection techniques for a two-hop decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative communication system in a large wireless sensor network with uniformly distributed nodes. It is assumed that there is no central processing unit to optimally select the relay and that the nodes use their locally available knowledge, that is, their distances from the source as well as their backward channel gains, to compete with one another to acquire the relaying status. The relay selection schemes are compared in terms of their fairness and energy efficiency. Taking into account both the fading effect and the nodes' locations distribution, the end-to-end outage probabilities of all relay selection schemes are derived and discussed. In particular, it is proved that when the source transmission power is high enough, the outage performance is independent from the scheme used to select the relay. Moreover, when the node intensity is large enough, the outage probability of the optimal relay selection scheme is almost the same as that of its suboptimal but more energy-efficient counterpart that uses the nearest node to the source as the relay. Computer simulations are used to validate the analytical results.
Hepatocyte growth factor regulation: An integral part of why wounds become chronic

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine known to play multiple roles during the various stages of wound healing. This study addresses the ongoing key questions regarding the role of HGF in wound healing, namely: are HGF and its regulators expressed differently in chronic and acute wounds? Biopsies from normal skin (n=10), acute (n=10), and chronic wounds (n=17) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), and quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR for the presence of HGF, its receptor cMet, its activators and its inhibitors. Immunohistochemical staining for HGF, HGF activators, and HGF inhibitors was similar, with expression being greater in chronic wound dermis compared with acute wound dermis. While expression of cMet in chronic wound dermis was less than in the acute wound dermis. PCR quantification of these proteins showed similar trends although the differences did not reach statistical significance. The results of this study provide important data confirming the role of HGF in wound healing. In addition, we have demonstrated the aberrant expression of the HGF receptor cMet and activation inhibitors (HAI‐1 and HAI‐2) in chronic wounds. This aberrant expression may have a value in predicting the process of healing and nonhealing wounds and constitute important targets of future therapies.
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CAPRINE FASCIOLIASIS IN JAMMU ( J & K ) – INDIA *

Caprine fascioliasis is a major constraint to small ruminant production in Jammu and Kashmir. The present study was conducted in subtropical Jammu area of Jammu and Kashmir State to determine the prevalence of fascioliasis in goats of different age groups, sex and in seasons. In this study, livers of male and female goats were collected randomly from slaughter houses during the period of one year (2007-08). A total of 284 livers were examined of which 15 were found to having Fasciola hepatica (5.28% prevalence). Seasonal prevalence of infections indicated that the infection was 1.56% in spring, 3.38% in summer 3.84% in autumn and10.84% in winter. Prevalence with respect to sex and age of the host were also recorded during the present study.
Influences upon the diffusion of thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction in England: Case study

Objectives: To investigate the factors that influenced the adoption and diffusion of thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction in England and to verify usage data from 1981 to 2001. Methods: Survey of cardiologists in England using a pre-prepared time line of historical events and a plot of thrombolysis diffusion since 1981. The cardiologists were divided into three groups that were provided with (i) the time line only, (ii) the diffusion curve only, and (iii) the time line and the diffusion curve. Results: The GISSI and ISIS-2 clinical trials were perceived to have had a significant influence upon the initial diffusion of thrombolysis in England occurring over the 3 years after launch. Other positive influences included the initial listing in the national formulary, the change to administration in emergency departments, the rise in evidence-based medicine, and production of national guidance. Conclusions: Although it is apparent that the overall influences on adoption and diffusion of thrombolysis were multiple; clinical trials, service developments, and national guidelines all were judged to have played a part. The GISSI and ISIS-2 clinical trials were confirmed as the major influence on initial adoption.