Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICNet: Information Conversion Network for RGB-D Based Salient Object Detection

RGB-D based salient object detection (SOD) methods leverage the depth map as a valuable complementary information for better SOD performance. Previous methods mainly resort to exploit the correlation between RGB image and depth map in three fusion domains: input images, extracted features, and output results. However, these fusion strategies cannot fully capture the complex correlation between the RGB image and depth map. Besides, these methods do not fully explore the cross-modal complementarity and the cross-level continuity of information, and treat information from different sources without discrimination. In this paper, to address these problems, we propose a novel Information Conversion Network (ICNet) for RGB-D based SOD by employing the siamese structure with encoder-decoder architecture. To fuse high-level RGB and depth features in an interactive and adaptive way, we propose a novel Information Conversion Module (ICM), which contains concatenation operations and correlation layers. Furthermore, we design a Cross-modal Depth-weighted Combination (CDC) block to discriminate the cross-modal features from different sources and to enhance RGB features with depth features at each level. Extensive experiments on five commonly tested datasets demonstrate the superiority of our ICNet over 15 state-of-the-art RGB-D based SOD methods, and validate the effectiveness of the proposed ICM and CDC block.
Trichinella Spiralis-Ab3 (IgG, IgM, IgA), IL-6 and Tnf Levels in Murine Trichinellosis

The syngeneic anti-anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab3) IgG, -IgM, and -IgA induced by polyclonal mouse anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2) against the rabbit F(ab) T. spiralis-Ab1, was studied. IL-6 level and cytotoxic activity (TNFα and LT) in the serum of mice infected with L1-T. spiralis or immunized with T. spiralis-Ab2 antibodies were also determined. The Ab1 antibody response was found to reflect the life cycle of the parasite. High IgA-, IgM-, and IgG-Ab1 levels, as well as corresponding levels of cytotoxic activity (62.3, 88.8 and 107.8 5/ml) and IL-6 (216, 447 and 789 U/ml) on days 10, 20 and 28 after the infection, respectivelly, were detected. The Ab3 antibody response against the polyclonal T. spiralis-Ab2, followed the classical pattern of antibody level after initial infection with an immunogen. IgM was first detected 10 days p.i. , while IgA and IgG were detected 20 days p.i. Cytotoxic activity of 93.2, 245.9, and 326.7 U/ml, and IL-6 levels of 237, 304, and 487 U/ml, were detected on 10, 20, and 28 days p.i. , respectivelly. Although Ab3 bound to T. spiralis-Ab2 antibodies or to L1-T-spiralis antigen and cytotoxic activity in mice immunized with T. spiralis-Ab2 antibodies was increased, there was no protection against the parasitic infection.
Stronger Evidence is Needed to Determine if Exercise is Effective in Improving Hand Function in Women ≥ 50 Years of Age with Hand Osteoarthritis

CLINICAL SCENARIO: A 55-year-old woman with hand osteoarthritis (OA) complains of stiffness in both hands. Due to a family history of hand OA, she has expressed a desire to find methods of managing the stiffness and maximizing hand function so that she can continue to do her activities of daily living, including knitting. Having little previous experience in treating patients with hand OA, I wonder if exercise is an effective intervention for improving this woman’s stiffness and/or hand function.
Accelerated Acquisition of High-resolution Diffusion-weighted Imaging of the Brain with a Multi-shot Echo-planar Sequence: Deep-learning-based Denoising

To accelerate high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging with a multi-shot echo-planar sequence, we propose an approach based on reduced averaging and deep learning. Denoising convolutional neural networks can reduce amplified noise without requiring extensive averaging, enabling shorter scan times and high image quality. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed denoising method over state-of-the-art methods such as the widely used block-matching and 3D filtering.
Fully Adaptive-Gain-Based Intelligent Failure-Tolerant Control for Spacecraft Attitude Stabilization Under Actuator Saturation

This article investigates the attitude stabilization problem of a rigid spacecraft with actuator saturation and failures. Two neural network-based control schemes are proposed using anti-saturation adaptive strategies. To satisfy the input constraint, we design two controllers in a saturation function structure. Taking into account the modeling uncertainties, external disturbances, and adverse effects from actuator faults and failures, the first anti-saturation adaptive controller is implemented based on radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) with a fixed-time terminal sliding mode (FTTSM) containing a tunable parameter. Then, we upgrade the proposed controller to a fully adaptive-gain anti-saturation version, in order to strengthen the robustness and adaptivity with respect to actuator faults and failures, unknown mass properties, and external disturbances. In the two schemes, all of the designed adaptive parameters are scalars, thus they only require light computational load and can avoid the redesign process of the controller during spacecraft operation. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed methods is illustrated via two numerical examples.
Loneliness as a mediator of the impact of social isolation on cognitive functioning of Chinese older adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE older adults have increased risk of social isolation, loneliness and cognitive functioning impairment, but the relationships among these factors are not conclusive. We investigated the potential mediation mechanism of loneliness on the association between social isolation and cognitive functioning among Chinese older adults within their cultural context. DESIGN secondary analysis of the baseline wave (2011-12) of the harmonised China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. SETTING AND SUBJECTS community-dwelling older adults in China (N = 7,410 participants aged 60-101 years). METHODS we applied a multiple indicator multiple cause approach to determine whether the construct of social isolation is well defined by four indicators (social activity engagement, weekly adult children contact, caregiving for grandchildren and living alone) and used structural equation modelling to examine the direct and indirect effects among variables of interest. RESULTS the results demonstrated that social activity engagement, weekly adult children contact and caregiving for grandchildren were significantly related to social isolation (β = -0.26 to -0.28) (Living alone was fixed to 1 for model identification.) The indirect effect of social isolation on cognitive functioning through loneliness was significant (β = -0.15), indicating loneliness was an important mediator. However, the direct effect of social isolation on cognitive functioning also remained significant (β = -0.83), suggesting a partial mediation effect. CONCLUSIONS our study highlights the mediation role of loneliness in the relationship between social isolation and cognitive functioning among Chinese older adults. The findings support the beneficial effects of maintaining social relations and coping with feelings of loneliness on older adults' cognitive functioning.
Inequity in palliative care service full utilisation among patients with advanced cancer: a retrospective Cohort study

Abstract Background: Advanced cancer patients often die in hospital after receiving needless, aggressive treatment. Although palliative care improves symptom management, barriers to accessing palliative care services affect its utilisation, and such disparities challenge the equitable provision of palliative care. This study aimed to identify which factors are associated with inequitable palliative care service utilisation among advanced cancer patients by applying the Andersen Behavioural Model of Health Services Use. Material and methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using administrative healthcare data. A total of 13,656 patients residing in the Lazio region of Italy, who died of an advanced cancer-related cause—either in hospital or in a specialised palliative care facility—during the period of 2012–2016 were included in the study. Potential predictors of specialised palliative service utilisation were explored by grouping the following factors: predisposing factors (i.e., individuals’ characteristics), enabling factors (i.e., systemic/structural factors) and need factors (i.e., type/severity of illness). Results: The logistic hierarchical regression showed that older patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.45; <0.0001) of Caucasian ethnicity (OR = 4.17; 0.02), with a solid tumour (OR = 1.87; <0.0001) and with a longer survival time (OR = 2.09; <0.0001) were more likely to be enrolled in a palliative care service. Patients who lived farther from a specialised palliative care facility (OR = 0.13; <0.0001) and in an urban area (OR = 0.58; <0.0001) were less likely to be enrolled. Conclusion: This study found that socio-demographic (age, ethnicity), clinical (type of tumour, survival time) and organisational (area of residence, distance from service) factors affect the utilisation of specialised palliative care services. The fact that service utilisation is not only a function of patients’ needs but also of other aspects demonstrates the presence of inequity in access to palliative care among advanced cancer patients.
Food insecurity on a college campus: Prevalence, determinants, and solutions

Abstract Objective: Students are at risk of food insecurity. We aimed to determine: the prevalence of food insecurity among students; the variables associated with student food insecurity; and appropriate solutions. Participants: We collected data from 339 students at a large state university in the western United States between December 2016 and February 2017. Methods: We used an anonymous online survey that incorporated the USDA US Six-Item Short Food Security Survey. Results: First, 54% of respondents had been food insecure within the last year. Second, students in receipt of financial aid were significantly more likely to be food insecure. Third, respondents proposed solutions to student food insecurity that included on-campus food assistance programs, education initiatives, and off-campus food assistance programs. Conclusions: Our paper contributes to a growing body of knowledge about the extent and causes of, and solutions to, food insecurity among college students.
Cross-cultural dementia screening using the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Objectives: To quantitatively synthesize data on the accuracy of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) in different sociocultural settings and compare its performance to other brief screening instruments for the detection of dementia. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Literature searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL from January 1, 2004 until September 1, 2019. Setting: Community, outpatient clinic, and hospital settings in high-, and low- and middle-income countries. Participants: Twenty-six studies reporting diagnostic accuracy of the RUDAS were included with almost 4000 participants, including approximately 1700 patients with dementia. Measurements: Procedures for translation and cultural adaption of the RUDAS, and influence of demographic variables on diagnostic accuracy, were compared across studies. Bivariate random-effects models were used to pool sensitivity and specificity results, and diagnostic odds-ratios and the area under the hierarchical summary receiver operator characteristic curve were used to present the overall performance. Results: The pooled sensitivity and specificity for the detection of dementia were . 82 (95% CI, .78–.86) and . 83 (95% CI, .78–.87), respectively, with an area under the curve of . 89. Subgroup analyses revealed that the RUDAS had comparable diagnostic performances across high-, and low- and middle-income settings (z = .63, P = .53) and in samples with a lower and higher proportion of participants with no formal education (z = −.15, P = .88). In 11 studies making direct comparison, the diagnostic performance of the RUDAS was comparable to that of the Mini-Mental State Examination (z = −.82, P = .41), with areas under the curve of . 88 and . 84, respectively. Conclusions: The RUDAS has good diagnostic performance for detecting dementia in different sociocultural settings. Compared to other brief screening instruments, advantages of the RUDAS include its limited bias in people with limited or no formal education and a minimal need for cultural or language adaptation.
Asymptomatic Human Paragonimiasis among the Karen People in Tak Province, Thailand: A Case Report

During the mobile clinic activities in Tak Province, Thailand, Paragonimus sp. eggs were found in a fecal sample of a 72-year-old Karen resident. Paragonimus DNA was amplified from the stool sample and identified to P. heterotremus. The patient did not have any symptoms. Apparent pulmonary lesion was not found on the chest X-ray. The patient admitted habitual consumption of semi-cooked or roasted waterfall crabs for several years. The waterfall crabs collected from stream near the village were found negative for Paragonimus metacercariae. In northern Thailand, paragonimiasis remains as one of the public health concerns and should be ruled out for asymptomatic pulmonary patients.
Association of Disability Benefits and/or Litigation with Time to Return to Work after Tibia Fracture Fixation.

OBJECTIVES We explored the association of compensation status with return to work (RTW) after tibial fracture. METHODS Eligible patients were adults with tibial shaft fractures enrolled in the Trial to Re-evaluate Ultrasound in the Treatment of Tibial Fractures. We explored the association between disability benefits and/or litigation and RTW using multivariable discrete interval hazard analysis, adjusting for sex, age, country of residence, smoking status, body mass index, poly-trauma, fracture severity, fracture gap, pain severity, and physical functioning. RESULTS Of 330 eligible patients, 111 (34%) had not returned to full time work 1-year after surgery. In our adjusted model, receipt of disability benefits and/or involvement in litigation was associated with delayed RTW (HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.96). DISCUSSION Tibial shaft fracture patients receiving disability benefits and/or involved in litigation are less likely to RTW.
Measuring Opioid Withdrawal in a Phase 3 Study of a New Analgesic, NKTR-181 (Oxycodegol), in Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract Objective To evaluate the SUMMIT-07 trial opioid withdrawal results of NKTR-181 (oxycodegol), a new molecular entity mu-opioid receptor agonist. Design Phase 3, enriched-enrollment, double-blind, randomized-withdrawal study in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Setting Conducted in the United States at multiple sites. Methods SUMMIT-07 was comprised of five periods: screening; NKTR-181 open-label titration (100 to 400 mg twice daily); 12-week randomized, double-blind study drug (NKTR-181 or placebo); one-week study drug taper; and two-week safety follow-up. Permitted rescue medication included hydrocodone 5 mg/acetaminophen 300 mg (two tablets daily) for two weeks after randomization, then acetaminophen 1.0 gm daily for the remainder of the trial. Signs and symptoms of drug withdrawal were evaluated using the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS); Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS); Misuse, Abuse, and Diversion Drug Event Reporting System (MADDERS); and withdrawal-related adverse events. Results Of 1,190 patients entering titration, one patient had moderate withdrawal (COWS score 13/48 maximum) three days after discontinuing NKTR-181. Of 610 patients randomized (N = 309, NKTR-181; N = 301, placebo), no COWS scores indicating withdrawal at a moderate level or greater (i.e., score ≥13) were observed at any time point. At day 8 after randomization, week 12, and the end of tapering, COWS scores indicating mild withdrawal (<13) were observed in seven (2.4%), one (0.4%), and one (0.5%) placebo patients, respectively, and three (1.0%), one (0.4%), and five (2.3%) NKTR-181 patients, respectively. Mean SOWS scores in both arms were ≤2.8 of 64 possible points at all time points. During the randomized period, of 35 events identified by MADDERS, adjudicators identified 20 possible “withdrawal” events (9 [2.9%] NKTR-181 and 11 [3.7%] placebo). Conclusions NKTR-181 exhibited a low rate and severity of opioid withdrawal in SUMMIT-07 patients with CLBP.
Exendin‐4 protects the hearts of rats from ischaemia/reperfusion injury by boosting antioxidant levels and inhibition of JNK/p66Shc/NADPH axis

Exendin‐4, a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, was shown to protect against cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by suppressing oxidative stress. p66Shc, a pro‐oxidant and an apoptotic protein, is activated in the infarcted left ventricles (LVs) after induction of I/R. This study investigated if the cardiac protective effect of Exendin‐4 against I/R injury in rats involves inhibition of p66Shc and to determine the underlying mechanisms behind this. Adult male rats (n = 12/group) were divided into four groups as a sham, a sham + Exendin‐4, an I/R, and an I/R + Exendin‐4. Exendin‐4 was administered to rats 7 days before the induction of I/R. Ischaemia was induced by ligating the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery for 40 minutes followed by reperfusion for 10 minutes. The infarct myocardium was used for further analysis. Exendin‐4 significantly reduced infarct area (by 62%), preserved LV function and lowered serum levels of LDH and CK‐MB in I/R‐induced rats. Also, it significantly reduced LV levels of ROS and MDA and protein levels of cytochrome‐c and cleaved caspase‐3 but significantly increased levels of glutathione (GSH) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in LVs of I/R rats indicating antioxidant and anti‐apoptotic effects. Furthermore, it inhibited JNK and p66Shc activation and downregulated protein levels of p66Shc and NADPH oxidase with no effect on protein levels/activity of p53 and PKCβII. Of note, Exendin‐4 also increased GSH and MnSOD in LVs of control rats. In conclusion, Exendin‐4 cardioprotective effect in I/R hearts is mediated mainly by antioxidant effect and inhibition of JNK/P66Shc/NADPH oxidase.
Prediction of lung cancer using volatile biomarkers in breath

9510 Background: In patients with lung cancer, induction of high risk cytochrome p450 genotypes may also accelerate catabolism of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by normal metabolism (e.g. alkanes and alkane derivatives). A breath test for these VOCs can detect alterations in their abundance, and potentially identify a set of biomarkers of lung cancer. Methods: VOCs in 1.0 L alveolar breath collected over 2.0 min were analyzed in 195 patients with untreated primary lung cancer and 212 control subjects without lesions at chest CT. 268 subjects were randomly assigned to a training set to construct a fuzzy logic model of breath VOC markers of lung cancer, and 139 to a prediction set, where the model was tested as a predictor of lung cancer. Results: A fuzzy logic model employing 29 VOCs predicted primary lung cancer with 90.6% sensitivity, 82.7% specificity, and 0.91 area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). When all 407 subjects were combined in a leave-one-out analys.
Getting Help with Child Care Expenses

Data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families examines the help families get paying for child care expenses. Twenty-nine percent of employed families with children under age 13 get help paying for care, or free care, from relatives, the government, private organizations, employers, non-resident parents, or other individuals. At least 14 percent of families get free child care from relatives, and at least 12 percent get free child care or pay lower bills due to help from the government or private organizations. The report examines the help received by families by income and family structure as well as expenses with and without preschool-aged children. The report updates earlier research on the incidence and amount of child care expenses. Despite the help they receive, low-income families paying for child care spend an average of 14 percent of their earnings to purchase that care. [View the corresponding press release ]
Understanding Smartphone Users From Installed App Lists Using Boolean Matrix Factorization

Smartphones are changing humans’ lifestyles. Mobile applications (apps) on smartphones serve as entries for users to access a wide range of services in our daily lives. The apps installed on one’s smartphone convey lots of personal information, such as demographics, interests, and needs. This provides a new lens to understand smartphone users. However, it is difficult to compactly characterize a user with his/her installed app list. In this article, a user representation framework is proposed, where we model the underlying relations between apps and users with Boolean matrix factorization (BMF). It builds a compact user subspace by discovering basic components from installed app lists. Each basic component encapsulates a semantic interpretation of a series of special-purpose apps, which is a reflection of user needs and interests. Each user is represented by a linear combination of the semantic basic components. With this user representation framework, we use supervised and unsupervised learning methods to understand users, including mining user attributes, discovering user groups, and labeling semantic tags to users. Extensive experiments were conducted on three data subsets from a large-scale real-world dataset for evaluation, each consisting of installed app lists from over 10 000 users. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of our user representation framework.
Design Exposition Discussion Documents for Rich Design Discourse in Applied Visualization

We present and report on Design Exposition Discussion Documents (DExDs), a new means of fostering collaboration between visualization designers and domain experts in applied visualization research. DExDs are a collection of semi-interactive web-based documents used to promote design discourse: to communicate new visualization designs, and their underlying rationale, and to elicit feedback and new design ideas. Developed and applied during a four-year visual data analysis project in criminal intelligence, these documents enabled a series of visualization re-designs to be explored by crime analysts remotely – in a flexible and authentic way. The DExDs were found to engender a level of engagement that is qualitatively distinct from more traditional methods of feedback elicitation, supporting the kind of informed, iterative and design-led feedback that is core to applied visualization research. They also offered a solution to limited and intermittent contact between analyst and visualization researcher and began to address more intractable deficiencies, such as social desirability-bias, common to applied visualization projects. Crucially, DExDs conferred to domain experts greater agency over the design process – collaborators proposed design suggestions, justified with design knowledge, that directly influenced the re-redesigns. We provide context that allows the contributions to be transferred to a range of settings.