Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CS-CapsFPN: A Context-Augmentation and Self-Attention Capsule Feature Pyramid Network for Road Network Extraction from Remote Sensing Imagery

Abstract The information-accurate road network database is greatly significant and provides essential input to many transportation-related activities. Recently, remote sensing images have been an important data source for assisting rapid road network updating tasks. However, due to the diverse challenging scenarios of roads in remote sensing images, such as occlusions, shadows, material diversities, and topology variations, it is still difficult to realize highly accurate extraction of roads. This paper proposes a novel context-augmentation and self-attention capsule feature pyramid network (CS-CapsFPN) to extract roads from remote sensing images. By designing a capsule feature pyramid network architecture, the proposed CS-CapsFPN can extract and fuze different-level and different-scale high-order capsule features to provide a high-resolution and semantically strong feature representation for predicting the road region maps. By integrating the context-augmentation and self-attention modules, the proposed CS-CapsFPN can exploit multi-scale contextual properties at a high-resolution perspective and emphasize channel-wise informative features to further enhance the feature representation robustness. Quantitative evaluations on two test datasets show that the proposed CS-CapsFPN achieves a competitive performance with a precision, recall, intersection-over-union, and F score of 0.9470, 0.9407, 0.8957, and 0.9438, respectively. Comparative studies also confirm the feasibility and superiority of the proposed CS-CapsFPN in road extraction tasks.
CIVIT DATASETS: HORIZONTAL-PARALLAX-ONLY DENSELY-SAMPLED LIGHT-FIELDS

In this paper, we present datasets consisting of six horizontal-parallax-only densely-sampled light ﬁelds (DSLFs). Five of the presented light ﬁelds (LFs) have been captured using a camera attached to an in-house built motorized linear positioning system (LPS). The sixth LF has been generated in Blender by replicating the LPS’ camera setup. All LFs have undergone pre-and post-processing steps in order to mitigate capture-related distortions. The generated LFs are organized, based on their characteristics, into three categories: synthetic, Lambertian and non-Lambertian LFs. All of them comply with the DSLF requirement, i.e. the maximum disparity between adjacent images is less than one pixel. The datasets are provided to serve as ground truth LFs for developing various applications, such as LF view interpolation, super resolution, and compression.
Title: Acid exposure impairs mucus secretion and disrupts mucus transport in neonatal piglet airways One sentence summary: Early life airway acidification has profound impacts on mucus

Tenacious mucus produced by tracheal and bronchial submucosal glands is a defining feature of cystic fibrosis (CF). Although airway acidification occurs early in CF, whether transient acidification is sufficient to initiate mucus abnormalities is unknown. We studied mucus secretion and mucus transport in piglets forty-eight hours following an intra-airway acid challenge. Acid-challenged piglet airways were distinguished by increased mucin 5B (MUC5B) in the submucosal gland but decreased lung lavage fluid MUC5B, following in vivo cholinergic stimulation, suggesting a failure in submucosal gland secretion. Concomitantly, intrapulmonary airways were obstructed with glycoprotein rich material under both basal and methacholinestimulated conditions. To mimic a CF-like environment, we also studied mucus secretion and transport under diminished bicarbonate and chloride transport conditions ex vivo. Cholinergic stimulation in acid-challenged piglet airways induced extensive mucus films, greater mucus strand formation, increased dilation of submucosal gland duct openings and decreased mucociliary transport. Finally, to elucidate potential mediators of acid-induced mucus defects, we investigated diminazene aceturate, a small molecule that inhibits the acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC). Diminazene aceturate restored surface MUC5B in acid-challenged piglet airways under basal conditions, mitigated acid-induced airway obstruction, and magnified the number of dilated submucosal gland duct openings. These findings suggest that even transient airway acidification early in life might have profound impacts on mucus secretion and transport properties. Further they highlight diminazene aceturate as an agent that might be beneficial in alleviating certain mucus defects in CF airway disease. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license a certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not this version posted June 13, 2019. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/669879 doi: bioRxiv preprint
The First Consecutive 5000 Patients with COVID-19 in Qatar; a Nation-wide Cohort Study

Ali S. Omrani,1,2* Muna A. Almaslamani,1,2 Joanne Daghfal,1 Rand A. Alattar,1 Mohamed Elgara,3 Shahd H. Shaar,1 Tawheeda B. H. Ibrahim,1 Ahmed Zaqout,1 Dana Bakdach,4 Abdelrauof M. Akkari,4 Anas Baiou,4 Bassem Alhariri,5 Reem Elajez,6 Ahmed A. M. Husain,1,2 Mohamed N. Badawi,1,2 Fatma Ben Abid,1,2 Sulieman Abu Jarir,1,2 Shiema Abdalla,1 Anvar Kaleeckal,7 Kris Choda,7 Venkateswara R. Chinta,7 Mohamed A. Sherbash,8 Khalil Al-Ismail,1 Mohammed Abukhattab,1,2 Ali Ait Hssain,4 Peter V. Coyle,9 Roberto Bertollini,10 Michael P. Frenneaux,11 Abdullatif Al Khal,1,2 Hanan M. Al Kuwari10
Comprehensive evaluation of error correction methods for high-throughput sequencing data

The advent of DNA and RNA sequencing has significantly revolutionized the study of genomics and molecular biology. Development of high-throughput sequencing technologies have brought about a quick and cheaper way to sequence genomes. Different technologies use different underlying methods for sequencing and are prone to different error rates. Though many tools exist for error correction in high-throughput sequencing data, no standard technology-independent method is available yet to evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of these error correction tools. In order to supply a standard way to evaluate error correction methods for DNA and RNA sequencing, this thesis presents a Software Package for Error Correction Tool Assessment on nuCLEic acid sequences (SPECTACLE). SPECTACLE can evaluate corrected DNA and RNA reads from many underlying sequencing technologies and differentiate heterozygous alleles from sequencing errors. The work provides some key insights on many factors that stress the challenges in error correction by compiling high-throughput sequencing read sets from technologies like Illumina, PacBio and ONT. The performances of 23 different error correction tools have been analyzed using SPECTACLE and the compiled datasets. This thesis also provides unique and helpful insights into the strengths and weaknesses of various error correction tools and aims to establish a standard platform for evaluating error correction tools in the future.
NDT_A_273287 2539..2551

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland Introduction: Ketamine exhibits antidepressant properties in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) with some concern over its cardiovascular safety and tolerability issues. This paper reports on the cardiovascular safety in short-term intravenous ketamine treatment in TRD inpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BP). Materials and Methods: The observational study population comprises 35 MDD and 14 BP subjects treated with intravenous ketamine. Results: Blood pressure (RR) and heart rate (HR) values returned to baseline within 1.5hours post infusion with no sequelae for all study subjects. Six time points were analyzed for each infusion: 0’, 15’, 30’, 45’, 60’ and 90’ for RR and HR. After the infusion significant peaks in systolic (p = 0.004) and diastolic (p = 0.038) RR were seen. In concomitant medication with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), higher RR peaks (p = 0.020; p = 0.048) were seen as compared to other subjects. The decrease in HR was greater (p = 0.02) in the absence of concomitant medication with mood stabilizers as compared to subjects receiving mood stabilizing medication accompanied by the observation of a greater decrease in diastolic RR among those taking mood stabilizers (p = 0.009). Limitations: The study may be underpowered due to the small sample size. The observations apply to an inhomogeneous TRD population in a single-site, pilot study, with no blinding and are limited to the acute administration. Conclusion: The study demonstrates good safety and tolerability profile of intravenous ketamine as add-on intervention to current psychotropic medication in TRD, regardless of the MDD or BP type of mood disorders. The abatement of elevated RR and BP scores was observed in time with no sequelae nor harm. Still, cardiovascular risks appear to be more pronounced in subjects with comorbid arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Anomaly detection to predict failures in server systems *

The article discusses the problem of predicting failures to ensure the uninterrupted state of the server and the application of anomaly detection methodology to solve this problem. Some solutions in this area are briefly analyzed and the advantage of the method based on the Holt-Winters forecasting model is described. A mathematical formulation of the problem of detecting anomalies and a formalized description of the method for solving the research objectives are carried out. Several shortcomings of the standard method for detecting anomalies in the operation of server systems have been identified. Several additions are proposed that allow you to adapt the method for solving work goals and reduce the number of false positives. To improve the forecasting accuracy, point anomalies entering the model input are additionally smoothed by a weighted moving average. To eliminate redundant detections associated with the simultaneous appearance of anomalies, a comprehensive assessment of the server state is introduced. To exclude false alarms associated with noisy data, only those anomalous events are recognized, in which an abnormal state of the server remains for a period of time. Computational experiments were carried out to evaluate the resulting improved method. It is concluded that the proposed additions make it possible to improve the forecasting accuracy of the model and reduce the number of false positives of the method, and the method can be used for early detection of gradual failures in the operation of server systems.
Self-Efficacy of Records Personnel and Student Records Management Practices in South-West Nigerian University Registries

Educational institutions depends on students records to make sound decisions about students’ performance. Despite their importance, some educational institutions seem not to pay adequate attention to management of student records. This is evidenced by high incidence of file mutilation and missing records. While studies have examined various factors that could be associated with these challenges, few examined self-efficacy. Hence, the study investigated the extent to which self-efficacy influence student records management practices in selected universities in South-West Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 1,094 registry personnel in universities in South-West Nigeria. The sample size of 380 was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondent. A self-structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for the construct ranged from 0.70 to 0.89. A return rate of 77% was achieved. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential (simple and multiple regression) statistics. Findings revealed that self-efficacy influenced student records management practices in South-West Nigeria university registry (R2 = 0.118, β = 0.344, t(291) = 6.230, p < 0.05). This study concluded that personnel self-efficacy are critical to the management of student records. The study recommended that the management of the university registries should enhance self-efficacy of registry personnel by providing them with training opportunities.
eLoominate: Tools for Casual Creation in Hybrid Craft

Hybrid Craft is a form of combining digital media and physical creation. eLoominate is a hybrid craft system that combines hardware and software where the designs of both are inspired by casual creators. eLoominate aims to simplify Fair Isle knitting–a technique for creating patterns using multiple colors of yarn. The process requires a crafter to take their eyes away from their work to read a pattern, which slows down knitting and is prone to errors. We introduce a novel physical tool that embeds individually-addressable LEDs into a circular knitting loom to provide row-by-row patterning instruction. This physical tool works with software we have developed to allow users to quickly design their own repeating patterns and download them to the loom. We argue that the combination of our novel digital and physical tools are required to create a casual creator appropriate for hybrid craft.
Owner-manager when death do us part – roles of a widow in sudden succession in family firms

This study sheds light on a hitherto understudied group in family business literature: widows. We explore the roles a widow may take following the unexpected death of her owner-manager spouse when she had no salient role in the business prior to the death. ,We used a qualitative approach to research, to study inductively the roles considered and taken by three widows who unexpectedly succeeded as owners of Swedish privately held family firms. We conducted semi-structured interviews with widows and children in top management. ,We construct a typology of four main roles a widow can take and analyse the underlying dimensions that they represent. We also analyse to which extent the choice of role widow can be explained by psychological ownership and double-loss theory. The typology can be used as a tool for family business owners and their advisors as the basis of an open and non-prejudiced discussion of the choices available to a widow. ,We have investigated the factors that influence a widow's decision whether to take over the business or not, as suggested in previous research by, for example, Martinez et al. (2009). We explore the roles a widow can consider and adopt. The study advances our understanding of how businesses can remain as family firms also in the event of the unexpected death of an owner-manager (De Massis et al., 2008). We hereby contribute to the literature on sudden successions and on women in family businesses.
A data array generating algorithm for diagnosing a hydraulic system using machine learning methods based on a virtual model

—The existing systems for diagnosing and monitoring complex technical systems are based on machine learning methods which require acquisition and processing of large amounts of information. Generating data based on virtual simulation is preferable in comparison with the experiment since it not only takes less time, but also allows you to model faults that are difficult or impossible to implement with the test bench. However, this requires the development of a model of the diagnostic object adequate to real processes, as well as the processing and classification of the received information. Based on the dynamic processes modeling in the power supply subsystem of the fluid power system of an engineering complex in a fault-tree and faulty states, we have developed an algorithm for generating a data array used in machine learning for diagnosing faults. As a result of virtual modeling in SimulationX, we have calculated transients according to the main parameters of the power supply subsystem adequate to the experimental data. The developed algorithm for the processing and classification of transients allows the formation of training samples under various technical conditions of the system. The published material may be useful for specialists engaged in developing methods for monitoring and diagnosing fluid power systems of energy and engineering complexes based on machine learning methods.
The Goverment Policies Impact on Economic Development of Society and Tourism

This study investigates the relationship between local government policies, tourist areas and people's economic behavior. The population in this study amounted to 375 people who live in the ecotourism area of Jembatan I, II, III and IV in Relang and Bulang Batam Districts and the number of samples is as much as 193. Data analysis techniques using SEM with AMOS 21. The results of the study local government policies have a significant effect on community economic behavior in Rempang and Bulang Batam with tourist areas as intervening variables. Eco tourism area has a significant effect on economic behavior in Rempang and Bulang Batam. The tourist area has no significant effect on economic behavior in Rempang and Bulang Batam. This means that the economic behavior of the community in the ecotourism area is more dominantly stimulated to meet the needs of family life, not because it is oriented towards the potential of tourism in the environment. Keyword: local government policies, community economic behavior and The tourist area
TLR-Dependent and -Independent Pathways Viral Activation of Macrophages through

Induction of cytokine production is important for activation of an efﬁcient host defense response. Macrophages constitute an important source of cytokines. In this study we have investigated the virus-cell interactions triggering induction of cytokine expression in macrophages during viral infections. We found that viral entry and viral gene products produced inside the cell are responsible for activation of induction pathways leading to IFN- (cid:1)(cid:2) expression, indicating that virus-cell interactions on the cell surface are not enough. Moreover, by the use of cell lines expressing dominant negative versions of TLR-associated adaptor proteins we demonstrate that Toll/IL-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN- (cid:2) is dispensable for all virus-induced cytokine expression examined. However, a cell line expressing dominant negative MyD88 revealed the existence of distinct induction pathways because virus-induced expression of RANTES and TNF- (cid:1) was totally blocked in this cell line whereas IFN- (cid:1)(cid:2) expression was much less affected in the absence of signaling via MyD88. In support of this, we also found that inhibitory CpG motifs, which block TLR9 signaling inhibited early HSV-2-induced TNF- (cid:1) and RANTES expression dramatically whereas IFN- (cid:1)(cid:2) induction was only slightly affected. This suggests that virus activates macrophages through distinct pathways, of which some are dependent on TLRs signaling through MyD88, whereas others seem to be independent of TLR signaling. Finally we demonstrate that IFN- (cid:1)(cid:2) induction in HSV-2-infected macrophages requires a functional dsRNA-activated protein kinase mol-ecule because cells expressing a dsRNA-dependent protein kinase version unable to bind dsRNA do not express IFN- (cid:1)(cid:2) on infection. The Journal of Immunology,
Measuring the Anisotropy in Interfacial Tension of Nematic Liquid Crystals

Liquid crystal (LC) phases typically show anisotropic alignment-dependent properties, such as viscosity and dielectric permittivity, so it stands to reason that LCs also have anisotropic interfacial tensions. Measuring the interfacial tension γ of an LC with conventional methods, such as pendant drops, can be challenging, however, especially when we need to know γ for different LC aligning conditions, as is the case when we seek Δγ, the interfacial tension anisotropy. Here, we present measurements of Δγ of the common synthetic nematic LC compound 5CB against water using a microfluidic droplet aspiration technique. To ensure tangential and normal alignment, respectively, we add poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), respectively, as a stabilizer and measure γ for different concentrations of stabilizer. By fitting the Szyszkowski equation to the data, we can extrapolate to zero-stabilizer concentration, obtaining the γ of 5CB to pure water for each alignment. For normal alignment, we find γ⊥=31.9±0.8 mN·m−1, on the order of 1 mN·m−1 greater than γ||=30.8±5 mN·m−1 for tangential alignment. This resonates with the empirical knowledge that 5CB aligns tangentially to an interface with pure water. The main uncertainty arises from the use of polymeric PVA as tangential-promoting stabilizer. Future improvements in accuracy may be expected if PVA can be replaced by a low molar mass stabilizer that ensures tangential alignment.
Antisense inhibition of selenoprotein synthesis by Zika virus may contribute to neurological disorders and microcephaly by mimicking SePP1 knockout and the genetic disease PCCA By:

Objective: Selenium status plays a major role in health impacts of various RNA viruses. We recently reported potential antisense interactions between viral mRNAs and host mRNAs of the antioxidant selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase (TR). Here, we examine possible targeting of selenoprotein mRNAs by Zika virus (ZIKV) as a pathogenic mechanism, because microcephaly is a key manifestation of Progressive Cerebello-Cerebral Atrophy (PCCA), a genetic disease of impaired selenoprotein synthesis. Methods: Potential antisense matches between ZIKV and human selenoprotein mRNAs were initially identified via nucleotide BLAST searches, using ZIKV genomic RNA as a probe. The strongest antisense matches of ZIKV regions, against human TR1 and selenoprotein P (SePP1), were validated by algorithms for prediction of RNA hybridization and microRNA/target duplexes. The ZIKV-SePP1 interaction was further assessed by gel shift assay. Findings: Computationally, ZIKV has regions of extensive (~30bp) and stable (ΔE < −50kcal/mol) antisense interactions with mRNAs of both TR1 and SePP1, a selenium carrier protein essential for delivery of selenium to the brain. The ZIKV/SePP1 hybridization was experimentally confirmed at the DNA level using synthetic oligonucleotides. Conclusion: Antisense inhibition of TR may be a general RNA virus strategy to favor RNA synthesis over DNA. ZIKV-mediated antisense inhibition of SePP1 and TR1 in fetal brain could mimic SePP1 knockout in mice, contribute to neuronal cell death, and mimic the genetic disease PCCA, characterized by brain atrophy and microcephaly. When given to nursing mothers, sodium selenite can counteract neurological deficits in SePP1 knockout mice, suggesting that a similar approach might help reduce ZIKV-induced human fetal abnormalities.