Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Review of Coastal Navigation Asset Management Efforts within the Coastal Inlets Research Program (CIRP): Part 2: The Channel Portfolio Tool

Abstract : This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) summarizes research efforts that have taken place since the 2008 fiscal year (FY) within the Coastal Inlets Research Program (CIRP) concerning asset management of coastal navigation channels. Specifically, the details concerning the conceptual basis and application of the Channel Portfolio Tool (CPT) are described. The CIRP work unit responsible for all of the efforts described herein is referred to as Coastal Navigation Portfolio Management (CNPM). In response to a direct request from USACE-HQ, beginning in July of 2008 the CIRP started development of the Channel Portfolio Tool (CPT). This web-based software uses the proprietary, dock-level tonnage database maintained by the Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center (WCSC), part of the Corps Institute for Water Resources (IWR) Navigation Data Center (NDC), for determining the extent to which dredged channel depths are utilized by commercial shipping. CPT provides an objective, consistent basis by which channels may be compared quickly to others for prioritization of Operation & Maintenance (O&M) funding, thereby providing improved justification for annual O&M dredging budget items. The preliminary, proof-of-concept version of CPT received positive feedback in a briefing to examiners from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prior to the end of FY08. These same examiners had indicated previously to USACE-HQ personnel that improved justification such as that provided by CPT is a required precondition for increased outlays from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), which carries a net balance of several billion dollars due to annual revenues exceeding outlays (GAO, 2008).
Basic radiation effects in nuclear power electronics technology

An overview is presented of the effects of radiation in microelectronics technology. The approach taken throughout these notes is to review microscopic phenomena associated with radiation effects and to show how these lead to macroscopic effects in semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. Bipolar integrated circuits technology is reviewed in Appendix A. Appendix B gives present and future applications of radiation-tolerant microelectronics in nuclear power applications as well as the radiation tolerance requirements of these applications.
Offshore Snapper and Shark Distributions are Predicted by Prey and Area of Nearby Estuarine Environments in the Gulf of Mexico, USA

Seascape ecology has demonstrated that marine fishes are associated with multiscale habitat characteristics; however, most species distribution models focus on only a few predictors (e.g. depth, temperature), and this limits knowledge of essential fish habitat characteristics. Our objectives were to (1) determine habitat associations of offshore predatory marine fishes using a comprehensive suite of predictors, including area of nearby estuarine environments, (2) assess variable influence, and (3) model the spatial distribution of selected fishes in the families Carcharhinidae and Lutjanidae. We hypothesized that the concept of coastal outwelling would be evidenced by species associations with areas of nearby estuarine environments, and prey abundance would correlate with predator distributions. Species distribution models were developed for 2 snapper and 3 shark species in the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA. We used 34 multiscale predictors to evaluate how fish probability of presence or catch per unit effort (CPUE) were associated with oceanography, geography, substrate, area of nearby wetlands and estuaries, and prey abundance. Boosted regression trees, a machine-learning technique, modeled the most influential variables and predicted distributions. Model validation showed an overall accuracy of 79−86%, and CPUE models explained >40% of model deviance. Oceanographic variables, particularly mixed layer depth, were most influential and most frequently selected. As hypothesized, predatory fish distributions were predicted by prey abundances, and shark distributions were predicted by area of nearby coastal wetlands and estuaries. Our findings suggest that spatial models can provide novel insights into prey associations and linkages of marine species with nearby wetlands and estuaries.
Age-related Changes in the Effective Stiffness of the Human Thorax Using Four Loading Conditions

This paper presents a series of tests utilizing ten post-mortem human surrogates (PMHS) to study the effective stiffness (keff) of the thorax at realistic restraint loading rates (~1 m/s) under four loading conditions (distributed load, diagonal belt, 4-point belt, and hub). Subjects were grouped into four subgroups: younger males (n = 2, age = 54 years), younger females (n = 2, age = 58 years), older males (n = 3, age = 75), and older females (n = 3, age = 79). It is shown that keff is strongly dependent on the loading condition, with the lowest keff corresponding to the hub loading condition (keff = 4,750 N/ 100% deflection). The highest keff was measured with the distributed loading condition (3.1 times hub keff), followed by the 4-point belt (3.0), and the diagonal belt (2.1). The effect of age was small compared to the influence of size, but the older subjects exhibited slightly higher keff than the younger subjects of similar size, indicating a slight trend toward increasing keff as a person ages. For the covering abstract see E135170.
Improved Lagrangian-PPA based prediction correction method for linearly constrained convex optimization

This paper presents an improved Lagrangian-PPA based prediction correction method to solve linearly constrained convex optimization problem. At each iteration, the predictor is achieved by minimizing the proximal Lagrangian function with respect to the primal and dual variables. These optimization subproblems involved either admit analytical solutions or can be solved by a fast algorithm. The new update is generated by using the information of the current iterate and the predictor, as well as an appropriately chosen stepsize. Compared with the existing PPA based method, the parameters are relaxed. We also establish the convergence and convergence rate of the proposed method. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted to show the efficiency of our Lagrangian-PPA based prediction correction method.
A behavioral model of software project risk management

Prior research suggests that software project managers do not widely use project risk management prescriptions. This study adopts the view that this situation may be because the assumptions underlying the majority of software project risk management prescriptions diverge from how project managers actually view risk and respond to it. To advance our understanding of project managers' risk response behavior, the study first applies a problematization methodology to a selection of 55 articles and identifies, articulates, and revises the assumption-ground underlying most of these studies. It then proposes a conceptual model that aims at explaining and predicting software project managers' risk response behavior and that takes into account the revised assumption-ground. This conceptual model is developed by using the reasoned action approach as a canvas to integrate behavioral decision making under uncertainty research and prior behavioral research in the software project risk management context. Finally, the paper derives several propositions from this conceptual model and provides suggestions for future research.
Treatment of Ureteral Stent-Related Symptoms

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the main classes of drugs used at reducing morbidity related to ureteric stents. Summary: After establishing a priori protocol, a systematic electronic literature search was conducted in July 2019. The randomized clinical trials (RCTs) selection proceeded in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered (PROSPERO ID 178130). The risk of bias and the quality assessment of the included RCTs were performed. Ureteral Stent Symptom Questionnaire (USSQ), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and quality of life (QoL) were pooled for meta-analysis. Mean difference and risk difference were calculated as appropriate for each outcome to determine the cumulative effect size. Fourteen RCTs were included in the analysis accounting for 2,842 patients. Alpha antagonist, antimuscarinic, and phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors significatively reduced all indexes of the USSQ, the IPSS and QoL scores relative to placebo. Conversely, combination therapy (alpha antagonist plus antimuscarinic) showed in all indexes of the USSQ, IPSS, and QoL over alpha antagonist or antimuscarinic alone. On comparison with alpha blockers, PDE inhibitors were found to be equally effective for urinary symptoms, general health, and body pain parameters, but sexual health parameters improved significantly with PDE inhibitors. Finally, antimuscarinic resulted in higher decrease in all indexes of the USSQ, the IPSS, and QoL relative to alpha antagonist. Key message: Relative to placebo, alpha antagonist alone, antimuscarinics alone, and PDE inhibitors alone have beneficial effect in reducing stent-related symptoms. Furthermore, there are significant advantages of combination therapy compared with monotherapy. Finally, PDE inhibitors are comparable to alpha antagonist, and antimuscarinic seems to be more effective than alpha antagonist alone.
Chapter 6: Methane and Climate Change

The start of the shale gas revolution coincided with the promotion of natural gas as a bridge fuel. According to those who promoted the bridge-fuel idea, natural gas (including shale gas) is a fuel that can replace coal and yet allow the continued use fossil fuels for a relatively short time until society can move to an economy powered entirely by renewable energy. While it is true that using natural gas instead of coal or oil lowers emissions of carbon dioxide, natural gas is composed mostly of a very powerful greenhouse gas in itself – methane -which is inevitably emitted into the atmosphere from the production and use of natural gas.
Induction of innate immune responses by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae of the pandemic sequence type 258-clade I

Klebsiella pneumoniae -carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC) sequence-type 258 (ST258) has emerged as an important human pathogen throughout the world. Although lacking known virulence factors, it is associated with significant morbidity and high mortality rates. The pathogenicity of KPC K. pneumoniae ST258 strains has not been fully elucidated yet. We sought to investigate the interactions of the KPC K. pneumoniae ST258-clade I with different components of innate immunity. Human serum was used to evaluate the serum bactericidal activity and the J774A.1 murine (BALB/c mice) macrophage cell-line was used to examine phagocytosis, mRNA expression and production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6. L-78, a KPC-producing K. pneumoniae ST258-clade I strain was used as representative of the strains circulating in Greek hospitals. K. pneumoniae ATCC 43816, a virulent K2 strain, was used for comparison. Strain L-78 was susceptible to human serum and rapidly phagocytosed by J774A.1 cells, in contrast to the virulent K2 strain, which was serum-resistant and slowly phagocytosed. Stimulation of the J774A.1 cells with the L-78 strain induced production of IL-1β at concentration levels significantly higher compared to K2, whereas production of TNF-α and IL-6 levels were comparable by the two strains. L-78 was able to induce IL-1β mRNA and NLRP3 mRNA expression. Our findings indicate that K. pneumoniae ST258-clade I is serum sensitive, rapidly phagocytosed and is capable of eliciting adequate innate immune response in terms of production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
A Deep Learning-Based Embedding Framework for Object Detection and Recognition in Underwater Marine Organisms

The detection of marine organisms is an important part of the intelligent strategy in marine ranch, which requires an underwater robot to detect the marine organism quickly and accurately in the complex ocean environment. Based on the latest deep learning arithmetic, this paper put forward to find the marine organism in a picture or video to construct a real-time objective invention system for marine organisms. The neural network arithmetic： YOLOv4 was employed to extract the deep features of marine organisms, implementing the accurate detection and size detection of different fish can use arithmetic for evaluation in fisheries. Furthermore, improving the architecture of the backbone and the neck connection is called YOLOv4-embedding. As a result, compared with other object detection arithmetic, YOLOv4-embedding object detection arithmetic was better at detection accuracy--higher detection confidence and higher detection ratio than other one-stage object detection arithmetic, EfficientDet-D3 example. The consequence demonstrates that the suggested instrument could implement the rapid invention of different varieties in marine organisms. Compared to the YOLOv4, the mAP 75 of the YOLOv4-embedding achieves an improvement of 2.92% for the marine organism dataset at a rapid rate of ~51 FPS on RTX 3090, 60.8% AP 50 for the MS COCO dataset.
Role of Episamarcandin in Promoting the Apoptosis of Human Colon Cancer HCT116 Cells through the PI3K-Akt Signaling Pathway

This study identifies the active ingredients of Ferula sinkiangensis and investigates the role and mechanism of episamarcandin in colon cancer cells. The silica gel column chromatography was utilized to separate the chemical components of Ferula sinkiangensis. Sephadex LH-20 and semipreparative HPLC were adopted for further separation and purification. The compound episamarcandin showed good anticolon cancer activity among the 13 monomeric compounds obtained. Its effects on the apoptosis, cell cycle, and invasion and migration of colon cancer HCT 116 cells and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were further investigated. The results showed that, similar to positive control cisplatin, episamarcandin inhibited the proliferation, promoted the apoptosis, arrested cells at G0/G1 phase, and suppressed migration and invasion of HCT 116 cells. A large number of apoptotic HCT 116 cells were observed under a transmission electron microscope. Fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR and western blot analysis showed that episamarcandin increased the expression of PTEN, p53, and Bax and decreased the expression of P-Akt, Akt, mTOR, Bcl-xl, and Bcl-2. Conclusively, episamarcandin may inhibit cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote the apoptosis of human colon cancer HCT 116 cells possibly through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.
Are we adequately assessing the demographic impacts of harvesting for wild‐sourced conservation translocations?

Translocation, the human‐mediated movement of organisms from one area to another, is a popular tool in conservation management. Wild‐caught individuals are more likely to persist following release than those sourced from captive breeding. However, this benefit of obtaining individuals from wild populations must be carefully weighed against the potential harm to the viability of source populations. In this structured review, we assess the peer‐reviewed primary literature that addresses wild‐sourced translocation programs. We aim to determine what proportion of studies make a priori estimates of the impact of harvesting on source populations, what proportion provide quantitative evidence of demographic trends in source populations following harvest, and which methods are being used to assess impacts of harvesting on source populations. Of 292 articles reviewed, we identified just 32 instances (11%) where impact on the source population was estimated. The proportion of studies that assess impacts on source populations in a given year has not increased over time. However, studies that make explicit a priori comparisons of alternative harvesting strategies are becoming more frequent. We propose a standardized framework for reporting on management of translocation source populations. Published summaries of wild‐sourced translocations should include clear conservation goals, a description of the methods used to assess potential impact, an a priori justification based on evidence for the chosen harvesting strategy, an estimated timeline for recovery and a summary of postremoval population trends to assess the efficacy of a priori impact assessment. Routinely reporting impacts of harvesting on source populations will inform management when source sustainability is uncertain, improve transparency and increase the likelihood of successful conservation for many threatened species.
Malaria Diagnosis in Non-Endemic Settings: The European Experience in the Last 22 Years

Accurate, prompt, and reliable tools for the diagnosis of malaria are crucial for tracking the successes or drawbacks of control and elimination efforts, and for future programs aimed at global malaria eradication. Although microscopy remains the gold standard method, the number of imported malaria cases and the risk of reappearance of autochthonous cases stimulated several laboratories located in European countries to evaluate methods and algorithms suited to non-endemic settings, where skilled microscopists are not always available. In this review, an overview of the field evaluation and a comparison of the methods used for the diagnosis of malaria by European laboratories is reported, showing that the development of numerous innovations is continuous. In particular, the combination of rapid diagnostic tests and molecular assays with microscopy represents a reliable system for the early diagnosis of malaria in non-endemic settings.
The Clinical Application of Pulsed Radiofrequency Induces Inflammatory Pain via MAPKs Activation: A Novel Hint for Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment

Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) works by delivering short bursts of radiofrequency to a target nerve, thereby affecting nerve signal transduction to reduce pain. Although preliminary clinical investigations have shown that PRF treatment can be used safely as an alternative interventional treatment in patients with refractory pain conditions, unexpected damage to a normal nerve/ganglion is still one of the possible complications of using the PRF strategy. Noxious pain may also be triggered if PRF treatment accidentally damages an intact nerve. However, few studies in the literature have described the intracellular modifications that occur in neuronal cells after PRF stimulation. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effects of PRF on unimpaired nerve function and investigated the potential mechanisms of PRF-induced pain. Wistar rats were stimulated with 30–60 V of PRF for 6 min, and mechanical allodynia, cold hypersensitivity, cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production, and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity (p38 MAPK, ERK1/2, JNK/SAPK) were analyzed. The results indicated that PRF stimulation induced a significant algesic effect and nociceptive response. In addition, the protein array and Western blotting analyses showed that the clinical application of 60 V of PRF can induce the activation of MAPKs and the production of inflammatory cytokines and MMPs in the lumbar dorsal horn, which is necessary for nerve inflammation, and it can be suppressed by MAPK antagonist treatment. These results indicate that PRF stimulation may induce inflammation of the intact nerve, which in turn causes inflammatory pain. This conclusion can also serve as a reminder for PRF treatment of refractory pain.
AUTONOMOUS MULTI-SENSOR AND WEB-BASED DECISION SUPPORT FOR CROP DIAGNOSTICS IN GREENHOUSE

An autonomous machine vision guided plant sensing and monitoring system was designed and constructed to continuously monitor plant related features: color (red-greenblue, hue-saturation-luminance, and color brightness), morphology (top projected canopy area), textural (entropy, energy, contrast, and homogeneity), Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) (as well as other similar indices from the color and NIR channels), and thermal (plant and canopy temperature). Several experiments with repeated water stress cycles, using the machine vision system, was conducted to evaluate the machine vision system’s performance to determine the timeliness of induced plant water stress detection. The study aimed at identifying significant features separating the control and treatment from an induced water stress experiment and also identifying, amongst the plant canopy, the location of the emerging water stress with the found significant features. Plant cell severity had been ranked based on the cell’s accumulated feature count and converted to a color coded graphical canopy image for the remote operator to evaluate. The overall feature analysis showed that the morphological feature, Top Projected Canopy Area, was found to be a good marker for the initial growth period while the vegetation indices (ENDVI, NDVIBlue, and NDVIRed) were more capable at capturing the repeated stress occurrences during the various stages of the lettuce crop. Furthermore, the crop’s canopy temperature was shown to be a significant and dominant marker to timely detect the water stress occurrences. The graphical display for the remote user showed the severity of summed features to equal the detection of the human vision.
Understanding the Key Factors of Older Adults’ Continuance Intention in Congregate Meal Halls

Eating congregate/community meals with friends promotes a balanced and healthy diet among older adults. It is helpful for postponing aging, preventing chronic diseases, and improving their quality of life. However, little research has examined the continuance intention for older adults with the congregate meal program in Taiwan. This study established a model for key factors of older adults’ continuance intention dining at senior meal halls, and hypotheses to explain them, and subsequently designed questionnaires and scales. By analyzing the longitudinal data collected from 416 individuals using survey questionnaires, we found that the perceived service quality is the main factor that affects the perceived satisfaction, and the perceived satisfaction of the older adults plays an important role in this survey. It showed that if the older adults are satisfied with the service quality provided by the senior meal halls, which will accordingly affect the post-use trust, they will show a positive continuance intention to participate in the senior meal halls. We also found that the older adults have positive views on the planning and service contents of the existing senior meal halls. Together, these results illustrate the process and provide comprehensive insights and evidence to create a better user experience and improve the satisfaction of the congregate meal for older adults.