Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FakePolisher: Making DeepFakes More Detection-Evasive by Shallow Reconstruction

At this moment, GAN-based image generation methods are still imperfect, whose upsampling design has limitations in leaving some certain artifact patterns in the synthesized image. Such artifact patterns can be easily exploited (by recent methods) for difference detection of real and GAN-synthesized images. However, the existing detection methods put much emphasis on the artifact patterns, which can become futile if such artifact patterns were reduced. Towards reducing the artifacts in the synthesized images, in this paper, we devise a simple yet powerful approach termed FakePolisher that performs shallow reconstruction of fake images through a learned linear dictionary, intending to effectively and efficiently reduce the artifacts introduced during image synthesis. In particular, we first train a dictionary model to capture the patterns of real images. Based on this dictionary, we seek the representation of DeepFake images in a low dimensional subspace through linear projection or sparse coding. Then, we are able to perform shallow reconstruction of the 'fake-free' version of the DeepFake image, which largely reduces the artifact patterns DeepFake introduces. The comprehensive evaluation on 3 state-of-the-art DeepFake detection methods and fake images generated by 16 popular GAN-based fake image generation techniques, demonstrates the effectiveness of our technique. Overall, through reducing artifact patterns, our technique significantly reduces the accuracy of the 3 state-of-the-art fake image detection methods, i.e., 47% on average and up to 93% in the worst case. Our results confirm the limitation of current fake detection methods and calls the attention of DeepFake researchers and practitioners for more general-purpose fake detection techniques.
Tumor Sphericity Predicts Response in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Invasive Breast Cancer

This retrospective study examined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–derived tumor sphericity (SPH) as a quantitative measure of breast tumor morphology, and investigated the association between SPH and reader-assessed morphological pattern (MP). In addition, association of SPH with pathologic complete response was evaluated in patients enrolled in an adaptively randomized clinical trial designed to rapidly identify new agents for breast cancer. All patients underwent MRI examinations at multiple time points during the treatment. SPH values from pretreatment (T0) and early-treatment (T1) were investigated in this study. MP on T0 dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was ranked from 1 to 5 in 220 patients. Mean SPH values decreased with the increased order of MP. SPH was higher in patients with pathologic complete response than in patients without (difference at T0: 0.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02–0.05, P < .001; difference at T1: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02–0.04, P < .001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was estimated as 0.61 (95% CI, 0.57–0.65) at T0 and 0.58 (95% CI, 0.55–0.62) at T1. When the analysis was performed by cancer subtype defined by hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were observed in HR−/HER2+: 0.67 (95% CI, 0.54–0.80) at T0, and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.51–0.76) at T1. Tumor SPH showed promise to quantify MRI MPs and as a biomarker for predicting treatment outcome at pre- or early-treatment time points.
Stress and Adaptation: Applying Anna Karenina Principle in Deep Learning for Image Classification

Image classification with deep neural networks has reached state-of-art with high accuracy. This success is attributed to good internal representation features that bypasses the difficulties of the non-convex optimization problems. We have little understanding of these internal representations, let alone quantifying them. Recent research efforts have focused on alternative theories and explanations of the generalizability of these deep networks. We propose the alternative perturbation of deep models during their training induces changes that lead to transitions to different families. The result is an Anna Karenina Principle AKP for deep learning, in which less generalizable models unhappy families vary more in their representation than more generalizable models happy families paralleling Leo Tolstoy dictum that all happy families look alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Anna Karenina principle has been found in systems in a wide range: from the surface of endangered corals exposed to harsh weather to the lungs of patients suffering from fatal diseases of AIDs. In our paper, we have generated artificial perturbations to our model by hot-swapping the activation and loss functions during the training. In this paper, we build a model to classify cancer cells from non-cancer ones. We give theoretical proof that the internal representations of generalizable happy models are similar in the asymptotic limit. Our experiments verify similar representations of generalizable models.
Molecular Model Construction of the Dense Medium Component Scaffold in Coal for Molecular Aggregate Simulation

Coal as an important fossil energy has been comprehensively studied in terms of its structure, reactivity, and application. However, there are few publications reported about the formation mechanism of coal. In order to explore the molecular mechanism of the formation of the dense medium component (DMC) aggregate, which is extracted from coal, the molecular model of the DMC scaffold (DMC-S) was constructed based on a number of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, 13C NMR, and ultimate analysis. Then, DMC-S was further optimized, and the periodic boundary condition was added for molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulation. The DMC-S molecule model with a density of 1.05 g/cm3 and a different number of unit cells was obtained after the aforementioned experiments and simulations. When the unit cell contained 12 DMC-S molecules, the absolute value of electrostatic energy significantly increased and the peripheral branch chains in DMC-S interlaced with each other, forming a compact aggregate. The density and macrosize calculated values are all slightly lower than the true relative values because the presence of minerals or small molecules was not included in the model construction. Despite some unavoidable defects, the comparison between the simulated and experimental results validates the DMC-S aggregate model and lays a solid foundation for an in-depth study of DMC and its reactivity.
Semifield Evaluation of Improved Passive Outdoor Host Seeking Device (POHD) for Outdoor Control of Anopheles arabiensis Mosquitoes

Despite the considerable progress made so far, the effectiveness and mass application of odour-baited outdoor mosquito control devices in pipelines is limited by several factors. These include the design and size of the devices, optimal placement of attractive blends, and nature of materials into which the blends are impregnated. The primary aim of this study was to manipulate these factors to improve the attractiveness of our recently developed passive outdoor host seeking device (POHD) to outdoor biting Anopheles arabiensis. Specifically, the study aimed to determine optimal placement of odour blends and killing bioactives in POHD for maximum attraction and killing of An. arabiensis and to assess the effects of blend types, formulation, and residual activity on attractiveness of the POHD to An. arabiensis. The POHDs baited with attractive blends, carbon dioxide (CO2), and bendiocarb-treated electrostatic netting were placed either towards the top or bottom openings, and other modifications were exposed to An. arabiensis under the semifield system at Ifakara Health Institute (IHI). Each night, a total of 100 starved female, 3–7-day-old, semifield reared An. arabiensis mosquitoes were released, collected the next morning (alive or dead), counted, and recorded. Live mosquitoes were maintained in the semifield insectary and monitored for 24 hours mortality. Each treatment combination of the POHD was tested in three replicates. Overall, the results indicated that the proportion of mosquitoes attracted to and killed in the POHD varied with position of attractants and killing agent (bendiocarb). The POHD with bottom placed attractants and bendiocarb attracted and killed higher proportion of mosquitoes compared to the POHD with top placed attractants and bendiocarb. The highest mortalities were observed when the POHD was baited with a combination of attractive blends and CO2. Moreover, the residual activity of attractive blends applied inside POHD varied with type and formulation of attractive blend. The POHD packed with Mbita and Ifakara blend in microencapsulated pellets (granules) attracted higher proportion of mosquitoes than that baited with soaked nylon-strip formulation of either blends. Interestingly, POHD baited with Mbita blend in microencapsulated pellets (granules) formulation attracted and killed higher proportion of mosquitoes (>90%) than that baited with Ifakara blend even 9 months after application. Conclusively, the POHD remained effective for a relatively longer period of time when baited with bottom placed synthetic blends and CO2 combination, thus warranting further trials under real life situations.
Multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis in an adult non‐smoker treated with steroid therapy

We describe the case of a 29‐year‐old female non‐smoker who was treated with steroid therapy for a subacute exacerbation of multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis (MS‐LCH) with worsening lung, skin, and oral mucosal lesions. The patient developed pneumonia, and computed tomography (CT) showed multiple thin‐walled cavities. Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) specimens revealed Langerhans cells, which were positive for CD1a and S‐100 expression. Similar histological findings were detected in the submandibular gland, skin, and tooth. On the basis of these findings, the patient was diagnosed with MS‐LCH and subsequently treated with steroid therapy. From the literature review, case reports of non‐smokers with pulmonary lesions that worsened and required treatment are rare. Almost all cases recurred and needed additional treatment. This case study contributes to our understanding of the potential role of steroid therapy in MS‐LCH treatment. Additionally, TBLC is a novel, potentially safer, diagnostic tool that has not been previously described for LCH.
Screening and Application of Bacillus Strains Isolated from Nonrhizospheric Rice Soil for the Biocontrol of Rice Blast

Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most destructive rice diseases worldwide. The aim of this study was to screen bacterial isolates to efficiently prevent the occurrence of rice blast. A total of 232 bacterial isolates were extracted from nonrhizospheric rice soil and were screened for antifungal activity against M. oryzae using a leaf segment assay. Strains S170 and S9 showed significant antagonistic activity against M. oryzae in vitro and in leaf disk assays, and controlled M. oryzae infection under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that strains S170 and S9 could effectively control rice leaf blast and panicle neck blast after five spray treatments in field. This suggested that the bacterial strains S170 and S9 were valuable and promising for the biocontrol of rice disease caused by M. oryzae. Based on 16S rDNA, and gyrA and gyrB gene sequence analyses, S170 and S9 were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. pumilus, respectively. The research also demonstrated that B. amyloliquefaciens S170 and B. pumilus S9 could colonize rice plants to prevent pathogenic infection and evidently suppressed plant disease caused by 11 other plant pathogenic fungi. This is the first study to demonstrate that B. amyloliquefaciens and B. pumilus isolated from nonrhizospheric rice soil are capable of recolonizing internal rice stem tissues.
Impact of MRI Protocol Adherence on Prediction of Pathological Complete Response in the I-SPY 2 Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Trial

We investigated the impact of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol adherence on the ability of functional tumor volume (FTV), a quantitative measure of tumor burden measured from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRIs for 990 patients enrolled in the multicenter I-SPY 2 TRIAL. During neoadjuvant chemotherapy, each patient had 4 MRI visits (pretreatment [T0], early-treatment [T1], inter-regimen [T2], and presurgery [T3]). Protocol adherence was rated for 7 image quality factors at T0–T2. Image quality factors confirmed by DICOM header (acquisition duration, early phase timing, field of view, and spatial resolution) were adherent if the scan parameters followed the standardized imaging protocol, and changes from T0 for a single patient's visits were limited to defined ranges. Other image quality factors (contralateral image quality, patient motion, and contrast administration error) were considered adherent if imaging issues were absent or minimal. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to measure the performance of FTV change (percent change of FTV from T0 to T1 and T2) in predicting pathological complete response. FTV changes with adherent image quality in all factors had higher estimated AUC than those with non-adherent image quality, although the differences did not reach statistical significance (T1, 0.71 vs. 0.66; T2, 0.72 vs. 0.68). These data highlight the importance of MRI protocol adherence to predefined scan parameters and the impact of data quality on the predictive performance of FTV in the breast cancer neoadjuvant setting.
Air transportation, population density and temperature predict the spread of COVID-19 in Brazil

There is evidence that COVID-19, the disease caused by the betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is sensitive to environmental conditions. However, such conditions often correlate with demographic and socioeconomic factors at larger spatial extents, which could confound this inference. We evaluated the effect of meteorological conditions (temperature, solar radiation, air humidity and precipitation) on 292 daily records of cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the 27 Brazilian capital cities during the 1st month of the outbreak, while controlling for an indicator of the number of tests, the number of arriving flights, population density, proportion of elderly people and average income. Apart from increasing with time, the number of confirmed cases was mainly related to the number of arriving flights and population density, increasing with both factors. However, after accounting for these effects, the disease was shown to be temperature sensitive: there were more cases in colder cities and days, and cases accumulated faster at lower temperatures. Our best estimate indicates that a 1 °C increase in temperature has been associated with a decrease in confirmed cases of 8%. The quality of the data and unknowns limit the analysis, but the study reveals an urgent need to understand more about the environmental sensitivity of the disease to predict demands on health services in different regions and seasons.
Isolation, characterization, and cryopreservation of collared peccary skin-derived fibroblast cell lines

Background Biobanking of cell lines is a promising tool of support for wildlife conservation. In particular, the ability to preserve fibroblast cell lines derived from collared peccaries is of significance as these wild mammals are unique to the Americas and play a large role in maintaining the ecosystem. We identified collared peccary fibroblasts by immunofluorescence and evaluated their morphology, growth and adherence capacity. Further, we monitored the viability and metabolic activity of the fibroblasts to determine the effects of passage number and cryopreservation on establishment of cell lines. Methods Skin biopsies were collected from the peripheral ear region from five adult animals in captivity. Initially, cells were isolated from fragments and cultured in the Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 2% antibiotic–antimycotic solution under a controlled atmosphere (38.5 °C, 5% CO2). We evaluated the maintenance of primary cells for morphology, adherence capacity of explants, explants in subconfluence, cell growth and absence of contamination. Moreover, we identified the fibroblast cells by immunofluorescence. Additionally, to evaluate the influence of the number of passages (first, third and tenth passage) and cryopreservation on establishment of cell lines, fibroblasts were analysed for the viability, metabolic activity, population doubling time (PDT), levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Results All explants (20/20) adhered to the dish in 2.4 days ± 0.5 with growth around the explants in 4.6 days ± 0.7, and subconfluence was observed within 7.8 days ± 1.0. Moreover, by morphology and immunocytochemistry analyses, cells were identified as fibroblasts which presented oval nuclei, a fusiform shape and positive vimentin staining. No contamination was observed after culture without antibiotics and antifungals for 30 days. While there was no difference observed for cell viability after the passages (first vs. third: P = 0.98; first vs. tenth: P = 0.76; third vs. tenth: P = 0.85), metabolic activity was found to be reduced in the tenth passage (23.2 ± 12.1%) when compared to that in the first and third passage (100.0 ± 24.4%, P = 0.006). Moreover, the cryopreservation did not influence the viability (P = 0.11), metabolic activity (P = 0.77), or PDT (P = 0.11). Nevertheless, a greater ΔΨm (P = 0.0001) was observed for the cryopreserved cells (2.12 ± 0.14) when compared to that in the non-cryopreserved cells (1.00 ± 0.05). Additionally, the cryopreserved cells showed greater levels of intracellular ROS after thawing (1.69 ± 0.38 vs. 1.00 ± 0.22, P = 0.04). Conclusions This study is the first report on isolation, characterization and cryopreservation of fibroblasts from collared peccaries. We showed that adherent cultures were efficient for obtaining fibroblasts, which can be used as donor cells for nuclei for species cloning and other applications.
Retrospective Correction of ADC for Gradient Nonlinearity Errors in Multicenter Breast DWI Trials: ACRIN6698 Multiplatform Feasibility Study

The presented analysis of multisite, multiplatform clinical oncology trial data sought to enhance quantitative utility of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) metric, derived from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, by reducing technical interplatform variability owing to systematic gradient nonlinearity (GNL). This study tested the feasibility and effectiveness of a retrospective GNL correction (GNC) implementation for quantitative quality control phantom data, as well as in a representative subset of 60 subjects from the ACRIN 6698 breast cancer therapy response trial who were scanned on 6 different gradient systems. The GNL ADC correction based on a previously developed formalism was applied to trace-DWI using system-specific gradient-channel fields derived from vendor-provided spherical harmonic tables. For quantitative DWI phantom images acquired in typical breast imaging positions, the GNC improved interplatform accuracy from a median of 6% down to 0.5% and reproducibility of 11% down to 2.5%. Across studied trial subjects, GNC increased low ADC (<1 µm2/ms) tumor volume by 16% and histogram percentiles by 5%–8%, uniformly shifting percentile-dependent ADC thresholds by ∼0.06 µm2/ms. This feasibility study lays the grounds for retrospective GNC implementation in multiplatform clinical imaging trials to improve accuracy and reproducibility of ADC metrics used for breast cancer treatment response prediction.
Efficacy of acupuncture and acupressure for the treatment of Raynaud's syndrome: Protocol for a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Raynaud's syndrome is a rare vascular disorder that causes the contraction of blood vessels, usually in the fingers and toes, when there is a decrease in temperature or during emotional events. As a result, blood cannot reach the tissue in these areas, causing them to appear blue or white. It had long been speculated that acupuncture and acupressure may help mediate symptoms of Raynaud's syndrome, however no knowledge synthesis project regarding this topic had ever been conducted (to our best knowledge). We propose a meta-analysis that investigates whether the use of acupuncture or acupressure can improve symptoms of Raynaud's syndrome. Our proposed outcomes are incidences of positive cold water immersion test, incidences of positive temperature recovery after cold water immersion tests, incidences of remission/short-term remission, number and duration of attacks per day, and outcomes relating to nailfold microcirculation examinations (including capillary blood flow velocity, capillary deformity and capillary density).
Identification of Clade E Avipoxvirus in Brazil

SUMMARY. Avian poxvirus (APV) is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus that affects many domestic and wild birds worldwide. APVs are classified into three clades (A to C), represented by fowlpox (FP) virus (clade A), canarypox virus (clade B), and psittacinepox virus (clade C), although two additional clades (D and E) have been proposed. In this study, a tumorlike skin lesion found in a domestic fowl was submitted for molecular diagnosis of Avipoxvirus by PCR and sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the amplified segment of the corelike 4b protein and polymerase genes clustered in clade E. The APVs in clade E were previously reported from outbreaks in Hungary (flock of turkeys) and in Mozambique (layer chickens), associated with a possible vaccine failure to protect against clade E viruses. To our knowledge, this report is the first identification of clade E in this country, providing new information about host range and genetic diversity of APVs in Brazil, and may represent a potential risk of FP disease outbreaks in commercial poultry.
Chapter 5 The Eocene Subduction–Obduction Complex of New Caledonia

Abstract Convergence and subduction started in the Late Paleocene, to the east of New Caledonia in the South Loyalty Basin/Loyalty Basin, leading to the formation of the Subduction–Obduction Complex of Grande Terre. Convergence during the Eocene consumed the oceanic South Loyalty Basin and the northeasternmost margin of Zealandia (the Norfolk Ridge). The attempted subduction of the Norfolk Ridge eventually led to the end-Eocene obduction. Intra-oceanic subduction started in the South Loyalty Basin, as indicated by high-temperature amphibolite (56 Ma), boninite and adakite series dykes (55–50 Ma) and changes in the sedimentation regime (55 Ma). The South Loyalty Basin and its margin were dragged to a maximum depth of 70 km, forming the high-pressure–low-temperature Pouébo Terrane and the Diahot–Panié Metamorphic Complex, before being exhumed at 38–34 Ma. The obduction complex was formed by the stacking from NE to SW of several allochthonous units over autochthonous Zealandia, including the Montagnes Blanches Nappe (Norfolk Ridge crust), the Poya Terrane (the crust of the South Loyalty Basin) and the Peridotite Nappe (the mantle lithosphere of the Loyalty Basin). A model of continental subduction accepted by most researchers is proposed and discussed. Offshore continuations and comparable units in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand are presented.