Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Object identification and location used by the fruit and vegetable picking robot based on human-decision making

The key to a picking robot is to identify and locate accurately in a fruit and vegetable picking site. This paper presented a method that was based on human-decision making. The human-decision making could overcome the difficulties brought by light environment, leaves shading, fruit ripening, fruit overlapping, etc. First, the binocular vision system was applied to obtain close-range pictures of the fruit and vegetable picking site; second, the picking points were chosen by human-decision making; then, the corresponding points of picking points were clicked on the screen based on epipolar geometry; finally, the coordinate transformation was used to calculate the spatial value of the picking points. The simulation experiment of cucumber picking (4 groups, 10 picking points in each group) in lab shown the maximum errors obtained were 15.1mm in vision depth direction and 8.7mm in horizontal direction. Both errors had no regular pattern, which was caused by inaccuracy in pixel when researchers click the picking points. Meanwhile, light condition, whether sunny or cloudy, had little effect on accuracy of identification and location. The research displays that this method can satisfy the need of accurate identification and location of picking points by the robot so it can be applied in design of the fruit and vegetable picking robot, improving the picking robot's quality of simplicity and accuracy in practice.
mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates mitochondrial function and microvesicle release in riboflavin-and ultraviolet light – treated apheresis platelet concentrates

BACKGROUND: Biochemical analyses of mechanisms triggered in platelets (PLTs) upon pathogen inactivation (PI) are crucial to further understand the impact of PI on PLT functionality and, subsequently, quality. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: PLT concentrates (PCs) were split into four small illumination bags: 1) untreated control, 2) treated with riboflavin and ultraviolet light (RF/UV), and spiked with 3) solvent control dimethyl sulfoxide and 4) p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor SB203580 before RF/UV treatment. Flow cytometry was used to monitor PLT mitochondrial potential (DWm); generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS); and release of microvesicles (MVs), mitochondria (MT), and MVs containing MT (MVs/ MT). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to quantify extracellular mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Translocation of selected mitochondrial proteins was analyzed in subcellular fractions by immunoblot. RESULTS: RF/UV treatment triggered an increased mitochondrial translocation of both Bax and Bid (p<0.05, Day 7) and cytochrome c release (p< 0.01, Day 7), loss of DWm (p< 0.05, Day 5 and Day 7), and ROS generation (p<0.01, Day 5 and Day 7) in PCs compared to the untreated control during storage. These PI-triggered changes were inhibited by SB203580 (p<0.05). The release of MVs, MT, and MVs/MTwas increased upon the RF/UV treatment during storage (p<0.05) and, with the exception of MT, the release was decreased by the inhibitor (p<0.05). qPCR analysis showed that RF/UV does not trigger mtDNA release during storage. CONCLUSION: These findings further our understanding of mechanisms in PLTs initiated by the RF/UV treatment, demonstrating that this treatment induces p38 MAPK-dependent mitochondrial signaling and MV release in apheresis PCs. R iboflavin and ultraviolet light (RF/UV) treatment is one of several pathogen inactivation (PI) technologies currently available. These treatments aim to target the replication and/or proliferation mechanism of pathogens and to destroy residual white blood cells (WBCs) to improve the safety of blood
Monitoring shipping emissions in the German Bight using MAX-DOAS measurements

Abstract. A 3-year time series of ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of NO2 and SO2 on the island Neuwerk has been analyzed for contributions from shipping emissions. The island is located in the German Bight, close to the main shipping lane (at a distance of 6–7 km) into the river Elbe towards the harbor of Hamburg. Measurements of individual ship plumes as well as of background pollution are possible from this location. A simple approach using the column amounts of the oxygen molecule dimer or collision complex, O4, for the determination of the horizontal light path length has been applied to retrieve path-averaged volume mixing ratios. An excellent agreement between mixing ratios determined from NO2 retrievals in the UV and visible parts of the spectrum has been found, showing the validity of the approach. Obtained mixing ratios of NO2 and SO2 are compared to co-located in situ measurements showing good correlation on average but also a systematic underestimation by the MAX-DOAS O4 scaling approach. Comparing data before and after the introduction of stricter fuel sulfur content limits (from 1 to 0.1 %) on 1 January 2015 in the North Sea Emission Control Area (ECA), a significant reduction in SO2 levels is observed. For situations with wind from the open North Sea, where ships are the only local source of air pollution, the average mixing ratio of SO2 decreased by a factor of 8, while for NO2 in the whole time series from 2013 to 2016, no significant change in emissions was observed. More than 2000 individual ship emission plumes have been identified in the data and analyzed for the emission ratio of SO2 to NO2, yielding an average ratio of 0.3 for the years 2013/2014 and decreasing significantly, presumably due to lower fuel sulfur content, in 2015/2016. By sorting measurements according to the prevailing wind direction and selecting two angular reference sectors representative for wind from the open North Sea and coast excluding data with mixed air mass origin, relative contributions of ships and land-based sources to air pollution levels in the German Bight have been estimated to be around 40 % : 60 % for NO2 as well as SO2 in 2013/2014, dropping to 14 % : 86 % for SO2 in 2015/2016.
Indistinguishability and Energy Sensitivity of Gaussian and Bernoulli Compressed Encryption

The principle of compressed sensing (CS) can be applied in a cryptosystem by providing the notion of security. The Gaussian one-time sensing (G-OTS) CS-based cryptosystem employing a random Gaussian matrix and renewing the elements at each encryption is known to be perfectly secure, as long as each plaintext has constant energy. A random Bernoulli matrix can replace the Gaussian one for encrypting each plaintext efficiently in the Bernoulli one-time sensing (B-OTS) cryptosystem. In this paper, we analyze the security of G-OTS and B-OTS cryptosystems, respectively, where each cryptosystem may have unequal plaintext energy. By means of probability metrics, we study the indistinguishability of each CS-based cryptosystem, which formalizes the notion of computational security. Moreover, we investigate how much the indistinguishability is sensitive to energy variation of plaintexts in each cryptosystem. For the B-OTS cryptosystem, we analyze the indistinguishability and the energy sensitivity in a non-asymptotic manner for a finite plaintext length. In conclusion, this paper confirms that G-OTS and B-OTS cryptosystems can be strictly and asymptotically indistinguishable, respectively, as long as each plaintext has constant energy, but the indistinguishability is highly sensitive to energy variation of plaintexts.
Is the International Court of Justice Biased

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has jurisdiction over disputes between nations and has decided dozens of cases since it began operations in 1946. Its defenders argue that the ICJ decides cases impartially. Its critics argue that the members of the ICJ vote the interests of the states that appoint them. Prior empirical scholarship is ambiguous. We test the charge of bias using statistical methods. We find strong evidence that (1) judges favor the states that appoint them and that (2) judges favor states whose wealth level is close to that of the their own states, and weaker evidence that (3) judges favor states whose political system is similar to that of their own states and that (4) (more weakly) judges favor states whose culture (language and religion) is similar to that of their own states. We find weak or no evidence that judges are influenced by regional and military alignments.
How Should the Impact of Different Presentations of Treatment Effects on Patient Choice Be Evaluated? A Pilot Randomized Trial

Background Different presentations of treatment effects can affect decisions. However, previous studies have not evaluated which presentations best help people make decisions that are consistent with their own values. We undertook a pilot study to compare different methods for doing this. Methods and Findings We conducted an Internet-based randomized trial comparing summary statistics for communicating the effects of statins on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Participants rated the relative importance of treatment consequences using visual analogue scales (VAS) and category rating scales (CRS) with five response options. We randomized participants to either VAS or CRS first and to one of six summary statistics: relative risk reduction (RRR) and five absolute measures of effect: absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat, event rates, tablets needed to take, and natural frequencies (whole numbers). We used logistic regression to determine the association between participants' elicited values and treatment choices. 770 participants age 18 or over and literate in English completed the study. In all, 13% in the VAS-first group failed to complete their VAS rating, while 9% of the CRS-first group failed to complete their scoring (p = 0.03). Different ways of weighting the elicited values had little impact on the analyses comparing the different presentations. Most (51%) preferred the RRR compared to the other five summary statistics (1% to 25%, p = 0.074). However, decisions in the group presented the RRR deviated substantially from those made in the other five groups. The odds of participants in the RRR group deciding to take statins were 3.1 to 5.8 times that of those in the other groups across a wide range of values (p = 0.0007). Participants with a scientific background, who were more numerate or had more years of education were more likely to decide not to take statins. Conclusions Internet-based trials comparing different presentations of treatment effects are feasible, but recruiting participants is a major challenge. Despite a slightly higher response rate for CRS, VAS is preferable to avoid approximation of a continuous variable. Although most participants preferred the RRR, participants shown the RRR were more likely to decide to take statins regardless of their values compared with participants who were shown any of the five other summary statistics. Trial Registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN85194921
Automatic Approach to Vhr Satellite Image Classification

In this paper, we present a proposition of a fully automatic classification of VHR satellite images. Unlike the most widespread approaches: supervised classification, which requires prior defining of class signatures, or unsupervised classification, which must be followed by an interpretation of its results, the proposed method requires no human intervention except for the setting of the initial parameters. The presented approach bases on both spectral and textural analysis of the image and consists of 3 steps. The first step, the analysis of spectral data, relies on NDVI values. Its purpose is to distinguish between basic classes, such as water, vegetation and non-vegetation, which all differ significantly spectrally, thus they can be easily extracted basing on spectral analysis. The second step relies on granulometric maps. These are the product of local granulometric analysis of an image and present information on the texture of each pixel neighbourhood, depending on the texture grain. The purpose of texture analysis is to distinguish between different classes, spectrally similar, but yet of different texture, e.g. bare soil from a built-up area, or low vegetation from a wooded area. Due to the use of granulometric analysis, based on mathematical morphology opening and closing, the results are resistant to the border effect (qualifying borders of objects in an image as spaces of high texture), which affect other methods of texture analysis like GLCM statistics or fractal analysis. Therefore, the effectiveness of the analysis is relatively high. Several indices based on values of different granulometric maps have been developed to simplify the extraction of classes of different texture. The third and final step of the process relies on a vegetation index, based on near infrared and blue bands. Its purpose is to correct partially misclassified pixels. All the indices used in the classification model developed relate to reflectance values, so the preliminary step of recalculation of pixel DNs to reflectance is required. Thanks to this, the proposed approach is in theory universal, and might be applied to different satellite system images of different acquisition dates. The test data consists of 3 Pleiades images captured on different dates. Research allowed to determine optimal indices values. Using the same parameters, we obtained a very good accuracy of extraction of 5 land cover/use classes: water, low vegetation, bare soil, wooded area and built-up area in all the test images (kappa from 87% to 96%). What constitutes important, even significant changes in parameter values, did not cause a significant declination of classification accuracy, which demonstrates how robust the proposed method is.
Tracking far-range air pollution induced by the 2014–15 Bárdarbunga fissure eruption (Iceland)

The paper by Boichu et al. presents a study on the far-range air pollution caused by the Badarbunga fissure eruption. The authors gather an extensive, and very useful, set of various type of measurements to complement and compare with modelling results. The paper is however rather descriptive and additional in depth evaluation of such an interesting dataset would be desirable. The authors encounter several problems in the modelling results that are not tackled. Although it is hard to tackle all of them, I would encourage the authors to suggest a roadmap on how to identify the main factors leading to a poor representation of the ground-level concentrations by the model. In addition, given that they have access to a full chemistry model, it would be worth to try to include SO2 chemistry in the simulations.
Using Information Visualization to comprehend user interface layer: an application to web-based systems

Web applications have a complex user interface (UI) structure. The lack of formal documentation for web applications has been noticed in literature. If updated, formal documentation (and its models) would be helpful both to development and maintenance tasks. However, UI models are difficult to understand because they must have all information about UI structure, with levels of abstraction and scattered information across multiple diagrams. We propose an UI presentation using Information Visualization techniques, named ModelUIVIZ, to support understanding UI implementation. For that, we implemented two tools: a reverse engineering tool, named WebModelUI Data, to extract data from web applications; and the WebModelUI Tool, to create visual presentations. In order to evaluate ModelUIVIZ, we also conducted a controlled experiment focusing on evaluating the ModelUIVIZ on supporting UI comprehension, what had positive results. In this paper we present both the ModelUIVIZ, its evaluation as well as results obtained.
Constructions of Random Distributions via Sequential Barycenters

This article introduces and develops a constructive method for generating random probability measures with a prescribed mean or distribution of the means. The method involves sequentially generating an array of barycenters which uniquely defines a probability measure. Basic properties of the generated measures are presented, including conditions under which almost all the generated measures are continuous or almost all are purely discrete or almost all have finite support. Applications are given to models for average-optimal control problems and to experimental approximation of universal constants. 1. Introduction. The purpose of this note is to introduce a general and natural method for constructing random probability measures with any prescribed mean or distribution of the means. This method complements classical and recent constructions [e.g., Dubins and Freedman (1967), Ferguson (1973, 1974), Graf, Mauldin and Williams (1986), Mauldin, Sudderth and Williams (1992) and Monticino (1996)], none of which generates random measures with a priori specified means. In fact, even the calculation of the distribution of the means for those constructions is difficult [cf. Cifarelli and Regazzani (1990) and Monticino (1995)]. The new method presented here, which is based on sequential barycenters, satisfies Ferguson's (1974) two basic requirements that such constructions have large support and be analytically manageable. The construction is easy to implement and is robust, allowing generation of random measures which are either (almost surely) discrete or continuous, as desired. Since many problems in probability and analysis involve distributions with given means, the new construction will perhaps prove a useful tool in a variety of applications. 2. Sequential Barycenter Arrays. This section introduces the notion of a sequential barycenter array (SBA) and develops some basic properties of the probability measures defined by the arrays. These SBA's, although not named as such, are used in standard proofs of Skorohod's embedding theorems [e.g., Billingsley (1986), Section 37], and it is the reversal of this standard procedure which is the foundation for the construction of the random measures given in the next section.
Performance evaluation for rapid detection of pan-cancer microsatellite instability with MANTIS

In current clinical practice, microsatellite instability (MSI) and mismatch repair deficiency detection is performed with MSI-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Recent research has produced several computational tools for MSI detection with next-generation sequencing (NGS) data; however a comprehensive analysis of computational methods has not yet been performed. In this study, we introduce a new MSI detection tool, MANTIS, and demonstrate its favorable performance compared to the previously published tools mSINGS and MSISensor. We evaluated 458 normal-tumor sample pairs across six cancer subtypes, testing classification performance on variable numbers of target loci ranging from 10 to 2539. All three computational methods were found to be accurate, with MANTIS exhibiting the highest accuracy with 98.91% of samples from all six diseases classified correctly. MANTIS displayed superior performance among the three tools, having the highest overall sensitivity (MANTIS 97.18%, MSISensor 96.48%, mSINGS 76.06%) and specificity (MANTIS 99.68%, mSINGS 99.68%, MSISensor 98.73%) across six cancer types, even with loci panels of varying size. Additionally, MANTIS also had the lowest resource consumption (<1% of the space and <7% of the memory required by mSINGS) and fastest running times (49.6% and 8.7% of the running times of MSISensor and mSINGS, respectively). This study highlights the potential utility of MANTIS in classifying samples by MSI-status, allowing its incorporation into existing NGS pipelines.
Inbreeding depression does not increase in foreign environments: a field experimental study

Inbreeding depression can lower individual fitness and cause the extinction of populations. As a result, it is of interest to evolutionary biologists and conservationists alike. Studies have shown that inbreeding depression can increase in stressful environments. However, most of these studies do not utilize natural environmental stress. Hereford tested how natural environmental stress from transplanting into foreign habitats influences inbreeding depression. While there was significant inbreeding depression, there was no difference in inbreeding depression between plants in their native environment versus foreign habitats. These results imply that inbreeding depression does not increase when environmental stress reflects natural variation.
In vivo imaging in the oral cavity by endoscopic optical coherence tomography

Abstract. The common way to diagnose hard and soft tissue irregularities in the oral cavity is initially the visual inspection by an experienced dentist followed by further medical examinations, such as radiological imaging and/or histopathological investigation. For the diagnosis of oral hard and soft tissues, the detection of early transformations is mostly hampered by poor visual access, low specificity of the diagnosis techniques, and/or limited feasibility of frequent screenings. Therefore, optical noninvasive diagnosis of oral tissue is promising to improve the accuracy of oral screening. Considering this demand, a rigid handheld endoscopic scanner was developed for optical coherence tomography (OCT). The novelty is the usage of a commercially near-infrared endoscope with fitting optics in combination with an established spectral-domain OCT system of our workgroup. By reaching a high spatial resolution, in vivo images of anterior and especially posterior dental and mucosal tissues were obtained from the oral cavity of two volunteers. The convincing image quality of the endoscopic OCT device is particularly obvious for the imaging of different regions of the human soft palate with highly scattering fibrous layer and capillary network within the lamina propria.
Carotid Atherosclerosis and Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background and Purpose— Whether consideration of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and carotid plaque would improve risk prediction of ischemic stroke in persons with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the improvement in risk prediction of stroke by adding cIMT and carotid plaque to the CHA2DS2-VASc (variables age, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, and peripheral arterial disease) score. Methods— We included participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study (mean age, 63 years) who developed AF within 5 years after carotid measurement, were not on warfarin, and had no prior stroke at AF diagnosis. AF was ascertained from study ECGs and diagnosis codes, and stroke was physician adjudicated. Multivariable Cox models were used to assess association between carotid indices and ischemic stroke. Improvement in 10-year risk prediction of stroke was assessed by the C-statistic, net reclassification improvement, and relative integrated discrimination improvement. Results— There were 81 (11.2%) stroke events that occurred among 724 participants with AF during a mean follow-up of 8.5 years. Increased cIMT and presence of carotid plaque were significantly associated with increased stroke risk. The addition of cIMT+plaque to the CHA2DS2-VASc score marginally increased the C-statistic (95% confidence interval) from 0.685 (0.623−0.747) to 0.698 (0.638−0.759). The net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement for cIMT+plaque were 0.091 (95% confidence interval, 0.012−0.170) and 0.101 (95% confidence interval, 0.002−0.226), respectively. Conclusions— Increased cIMT and presence of carotid plaque are associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke in individuals with AF. Furthermore, they may improve risk prediction of stroke, over and above the CHA2DS2-VASc score.