Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerated haze removal for a single image by dark channel prior

Haze scatters light transmitted in the air and reduces the visibility of images. Dealing with haze is still a challenge for image processing applications nowadays. For the purpose of haze removal, we propose an accelerated dehazing method based on single pixels. Unlike other methods based on regions, our method estimates the transmission map and atmospheric light for each pixel independently, so that all parameters can be evaluated in one traverse, which is a key to acceleration. Then, the transmission map is bilaterally filtered to restore the relationship between pixels. After restoration via the linear hazy model, the restored images are tuned to improve the contrast, value, and saturation, in particular to offset the intensity errors in different channels caused by the corresponding wavelengths. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed dehazing method outperforms the state-of-the-art dehazing methods in terms of processing speed. Comparisons with other dehazing methods and quantitative criteria (peak signal-to-noise ratio, detectable marginal rate, and information entropy difference) are introduced to verify its performance.
A Novel c.973G>T Mutation in the ε-subunit of the Acetylcholine Receptor Causing Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome in an Iranian Family

Abstract Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) constitutes a group of inherited disorders of neuromuscular junctions. The majority of postsynaptic syndromes result from mutations in the CHRNE gene that causes muscle nicotine acetylcholine deficiency. In this study, we report on a 2 and a half-year-old boy with normal developmental milestones and bilateral ptosis. Clinical courses, electrophysiological studies and molecular genetic analysis were assessed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct DNA sequencing of the CHRNE gene were performed for the proband and all the family members. A novel homozygous missense mutation of c.973G>T was found in the CHRNE gene. Segregation studies were suggested to be the genetic cause of the disease. Using three in silico tools and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) variant classification guidelines indicated that the novel variant c.973G>T was likely pathogenic. Our results recommended first screening of the CHRNE gene for pathogenic mutations in Iranian origin.
Inhibitory Effect of Probenecid on Osteoclast Formation via JNK, ROS and COX-2

Probenecid is a representative drug used in the treatment of gout. A recent study showed that probenecid effectively inhibits oxidative stress in neural cells. In the present study, we investigated whether probenecid can affect osteoclast formation through the inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in RAW264.7 cells. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ROS levels were dose-dependently reduced by probenecid. Fluorescence microscopy analysis clearly showed that probenecid inhibits the generation of ROS. Western blot analysis indicated that probenecid affects two downstream signaling molecules of ROS, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). These results indicate that probenecid inhibits ROS generation and exerts antiosteoclastogenic activity by inhibiting the COX-2 and JNK pathways. These results suggest that probenecid could potentially be used as a therapeutic agent to prevent bone resorption.
Patellofemoral Pain.

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common musculoskeletal-related condition that is characterized by insidious onset of poorly defined pain, localized to the anterior retropatellar and/or peripatellar region of the knee. The onset of symptoms can be slow or acutely develop with a worsening of pain accompanying lower-limb loading activities (eg, squatting, prolonged sitting, ascending/descending stairs, jumping, or running). Symptoms can restrict participation in physical activity, sports, and work, as well as recur and persist for years. This clinical practice guideline will allow physical therapists and other rehabilitation specialists to stay up to date with evolving PFP knowledge and practices, and help them to make evidence-based treatment decisions. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2019;49(9):CPG1-CPG95. doi:10.2519/jospt.2019. 0302.
Effect of Smoking and Tobacco Chewing on Periodontal Disease and Non-Surgical Treatment Outcome: A Clinical and Biochemical Study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare effects of smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco consumption (tobacco chewing) on periodontal disease parameters and response of these subjects to non-surgical periodontal therapy. METHODS One hundred sixty-eight patients with chronic periodontitis were screened for the study. Eighteen patients were excluded as they decided to quit the tobacco habit. One hundred fifty patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were grouped as: Group 1, 50 smokers; Group 2, 50 tobacco chewers; and Group 3, 50 non-smokers, non-tobacco chewers (controls). Scaling and root planing was performed at the initial visit as a part of initial therapy. The clinical parameters recorded at baseline, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months were plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) measurement. RESULTS With respect to the comparison between smokers and tobacco chewers, smokers had significantly more probing depth at baseline examination, while tobacco chewers had more gingival recession. Gingival inflammation, response to non-surgical treatment and oral hygiene maintenance were more suppressed in smokers as compared to tobacco chewers. CONCLUSION Tobacco consumption in both forms affects the severity of periodontal disease. It affects the response of periodontal tissues to non-surgical treatment. In addition it leads to poorer oral hygiene and hampers maintenance of oral hygiene.
The protective effect of resveratrol against cyclosporine A-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity

Abstract The immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine A (CsA) has hepatotoxic potential. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation is among the causes leading to hepatotoxicity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of resveratrol (RES) on CsA-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in rats. Rats were treated with RES (10 mg/kg/day; i.p.) for 14 days. CsA (25 mg/kg/day; s.c.) was given during the last seven days together with RES. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities together with hepatic histopathological examinations were performed. ROS, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), ferric reducing antioxidant power, and glutathione levels as well as superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities were measured in the liver tissue. RES ameliorated histopathological changes and decreased hepatic ROS, TBARS, and AOPP levels significantly. However, antioxidant parameters did not change in CsA-treated rats. Our results indicate that RES treatment may be effective in decreasing CsA-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity.
Title Collusion-resistant spatial phenomena crowdsourcing viamixture of Gaussian Processes regression

With the rapid development of mobile devices, spatial location-based crowdsourcing applications have attracted much attention. These applications also introduce new security risks due to untrustworthy data sources. In the context of crowdsourcing applications for spatial interpolation (i.e. spatial regression) using crowdsourced data, the results can be seriously affected if malicious data sources initiate a colluding (collaborate) attacks which purposely alter some of the measurements. To combat this serious detrimental effect, and to mitigate such attacks, we develop a robust version via a Gaussian Process mixture model and develop a computationally efficient algorithm which utilises a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based methodology to produce an accurate predictive inference in the presence of collusion attacks. The algorithm is fully Bayesian and produces posterior predictive distribution for any point-of-interest in the input space. It also assesses the trustworthiness of each worker, i.e. the probability of each worker being honest (trustworthy). Simulation results demonstrate the accuracy of this algorithm.
Two linked TBXT (brachyury) gene polymorphisms are associated with the tailless phenotype in fat‐rumped sheep

Summary T‐box transcription factor T (TBXT), encoding the brachyury protein, is an embryonic nuclear transcription factor involved in mesoderm formation and differentiation. Previous studies indicate that TBXT mutations are responsible for the tailless or short‐tailed phenotype of many vertebrates. To verify whether the tailless phenotype in fat‐rumped sheep is associated with TBXT mutations, exon 2 of the TBXT gene for 301 individuals belonging to 13 Chinese and Iranian sheep breeds was directly sequenced. Meanwhile, 380 samples were used to detect the genotypes of the candidate variations by mapping to their reads databases in the Sequence Read Archive repository of GenBank. The results showed that one missense mutation, c.334G>T (GGG>TGG) with a completely linked synonymous variant c.333G>C (CCG>CCC) was found to be associated with the ‘tailless’ characteristic in typical fat‐rumped sheep breeds. The c.334G>T transversion led to the conversion of glycine to tryptophan at the 112th amino acid in the T‐box domain of the brachyury protein. In addition, crossbreeding experiments for long‐tailed and tailless sheep showed that CT/CT allele of nucleotides (nt) 333 and 334, a recessive mutation, would cause sheep tails to be shorter, suggesting that these two linked variants at nucleotides 333 and 334 in TBXT are probably causative mutations responsible for the tailless phenotype in sheep.
Predicting the risk of stroke among patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of C-statistics

Objective Stroke is a major cause of disability and death worldwide. People with diabetes are at a twofold to fivefold increased risk for stroke compared with people without diabetes. This study systematically reviews the literature on available stroke prediction models specifically developed or validated in patients with diabetes and assesses their predictive performance through meta-analysis. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources A detailed search was performed in MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE (from inception to 22 April 2019) to identify studies describing stroke prediction models. Eligibility criteria All studies that developed stroke prediction models in populations with diabetes were included. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently identified eligible articles and extracted data. Random effects meta-analysis was used to obtain a pooled C-statistic. Results Our search retrieved 26 202 relevant papers and finally yielded 38 stroke prediction models, of which 34 were specifically developed for patients with diabetes and 4 were developed in general populations but validated in patients with diabetes. Among the models developed in those with diabetes, 9 reported their outcome as stroke, 23 reported their outcome as composite cardiovascular disease (CVD) where stroke was a component of the outcome and 2 did not report stroke initially as their outcome but later were validated for stroke as the outcome in other studies. C-statistics varied from 0.60 to 0.92 with a median C-statistic of 0.71 (for stroke as the outcome) and 0.70 (for stroke as part of a composite CVD outcome). Seventeen models were externally validated in diabetes populations with a pooled C-statistic of 0.68. Conclusions Overall, the performance of these diabetes-specific stroke prediction models was not satisfactory. Research is needed to identify and incorporate new risk factors into the model to improve models’ predictive ability and further external validation of the existing models in diverse population to improve generalisability.
Bathymetry — the art and science of seafloor modeling for modern applications

Introduction Seafloor mapping is one of the oldest professions known to humankind. Mariners have been measuring the depths under their vessels for thousands of years, primarily for safe navigation. Striking the rocky ocean floor would imperil a ship, threaten loss of life, and jeopardize the livelihood of those aboard. As time passed, charts derived from seafloor mapping took on a decidedly military purpose for naval warfare and were kept as closely guarded national secrets. Today, national governments, militaries, telecommunication companies, petroleum corporations, and academic institutions map the seafloor for many applications. Knowledge about our benthic habitat and seafloor is imperative as we go forward to better understand the oceans and the Earth. The science of measuring and charting the depths to determine the topography of the seafloor and other bodies of water is known as bathymetry, and this chapter discusses how this type of information is collected, represented, and applied. Bathymetry is gathered from a variety of sources, including satellites, aircraft, surface ships, 1
Treatment of Multiple Gingival Recessions Using a Minimally Invasive Coronally Advanced Tunnel: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

AIM : The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the outcome of a modification of pin hole surgical technique which consists of a minimally invasive coronally advanced tunnel technique (MI-CAT) with orthodontic buttons and suturing in the treatment of multiple recession type defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twelve systemically healthy patients (79 sites) aged between 22 - 55 years with Miller's Class I and II multiple recession defects were treated with minimally invasive coronally advanced tunnel technique. Thirty-nine sites were randomly assigned to a control group and the other 40 sites to the test group. In the test group, in addition to the MICAT procedure, buttons and suspensory silk sutures were used for the stabilization of the advanced flap. Clinical parameters were assessed at baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS A total of 79 recessions were treated. Complete root coverage from baseline to 6 months was 56% in the control group and 73% in the test group. Mean root coverage was 82.4% in the control group and 85.7% in the test group. Root coverage aesthetic scores of 9.3/10 and 9.4/10 were noted in the control and test group respectively. CONCLUSION Six months post-surgical evaluation showed that minimally invasive coronally advanced tunnel technique with orthodontic buttons and suturing was effective and predictable for the treatment of multiple recession type defects. The clinical outcomes were similar to that of the control group with no statistical difference between the two groups.
Changes in the macroscopic morphology of hip muscles in low back pain

Low back pain is a major health issue affecting the lumbopelvic muscles. Morphological changes in hip muscles, such as alterations in the muscle cross‐sectional area and muscle volume, may occur in patients with low back pain. This systematic review was conducted to investigate whether patients with low back pain have macroscopic changes in their hip muscle morphology compared with asymptomatic, healthy individuals, based on current evidence. The electronic databases of PubMed/Medline, Ovid, Scopus, Embase®, and Google Scholar were searched from the inception to August 31, 2018. We only included full texts of original studies regarding macroscopic morphological alterations, including atrophy and fat infiltration, in hip muscles of patients with low back pain compared with asymptomatic controls. The quality of the included studies was determined using an assessment tool based on the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. The scale was modified for the purposes of this study. Sixteen comparative observational studies were found eligible to be included in this review. Eleven were classified as high quality and four as moderate quality. The morphological changes in the psoas major, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and piriformis muscles were assessed in the primary studies. All selected studies were considered B level of evidence studies. The strength of conclusions for the psoas major, gluteal, and piriformis muscles was moderate. The results revealed that there is substantial controversy about the morphological changes in hip muscles in patients with low back pain; however, the majority of high‐quality studies concluded that atrophy of hip muscles is evident in patients with low back pain. The psoas major muscle was the most commonly investigated hip muscle for morphological changes. Major methodological limitations of the included studies were identified and discussed. The present systematic review does not include a formal meta‐analysis because of very significant differences in the primary studies in terms of study populations and methodologies. Finally, in clinical practice, it is recommended that physical therapists develop exercise programs to improve hip muscle function in patients with low back pain.
Using Monarch Butterfly Optimization to Solve the Emergency Vehicle Routing Problem with Relief Materials in Sudden Disasters

Abstract China has one of the highest rates of natural disasters in the world. In recent years, the Chinese government has placed a high value on improving emergency natural disaster relief. The goal of this research was to resolve a key issue for emergency natural disaster relief: the emergency vehicle routing problem (EmVRP) with relief materials in sudden disasters. First, we provided a description of the EmVRP, and defined the boundary conditions. On this basis, we constructed an optimization model of EmVRP with relief materials in sudden disasters. To reach the best solution in the least amount of time, we proposed an enhanced monarch butterfly optimization (EMBO) algorithm, incorporating two modifications to the basic MBO: a self-adaptive strategy and a crossover operator. Finally, the EMBO algorithm was used to solve the EmVRP. Our experiments using two examples EmVRP with relief materials in a sudden-onset disaster proved the suitability of EMBO. In addition, an array of comparative studies showed that the proposed EMBO algorithm can achieve satisfactory solutions in less time than the basic MBO algorithm and seven other intelligent algorithms.
Melioidosis of the Musculoskeletal System

Objective: Recent studies indicate that India is an endemic region for Burkholderia pseudomallei infection. We aimed to describe the clinical presentation of B. pseudomallei infection of the musculoskeletal system and summarise the various treatment modalities used in our clinical practice. Subjects and Methods: Patients with confirmed microbiological diagnosis of B. pseudomallei infection involving the musculoskeletal system treated from January 2007 to December 2016 with a minimum follow-up of 1 year were included. A retrospective review of medical records was carried out and patients’ demographic data, co-morbidities, clinical presentation, and details of medical and surgical treatment were documented. Results: Of 342 patients diagnosed with B. pseudomallei infection, 37 (9.2%) had musculoskeletal involvement; 26 patients (23 males) followed up for at least a year were included in the study. Four patients (15%) had multisystem involvement and 10 (37%) had multiple musculoskeletal foci of infection; 15 patients (58%) had osteomyelitis, 10 (38%) had septic arthritis with or without osteomyelitis, and 1 patient (4%) presented with only soft tissue abscess. All patients required surgical intervention in addition to medical management. Surgical treatment varied from soft tissue abscess drainage, arthrotomy for septic arthritis, decompression and curettage for osteomyelitis, and/or use of antibiotic (meropenem or ceftazidime)-loaded polymethylmethacrylate bone cement for local drug delivery. At final follow-up (average: 37 months, range: 12–120), all patients were disease free. Conclusion: We found the rate of musculoskeletal involvement in B. pseudomallei infection to be 9.2%. Appropriate surgical treatment in addition to medical management resulted in resolution of disease in all our patients.
Interactive effects of PTSD and substance use on suicidal ideation and behavior in military personnel: Increased risk from marijuana use

The current study examines the unique and interactive effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and days using alcohol, opioids, and marijuana on PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior up to 1 year, later in a high‐risk sample of military personnel not active in mental health treatment.
Improvement of Human Sperm Vacuolization and DNA Fragmentation Co-Cultured with Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome: In Vitro Effect

Background and Objectives Oxidative stress (OS) is known to be an important factor of male infertility. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) are known to have immune-modulatory and anti-oxidant effects through their secretions, hence raising the idea of their potential benefit to improve sperm parameters. This study aims at investigating the effect of AD-MSCs conditioned medium (CM) on human sperm parameters in the presence and absence of H2O2-induced OS. Methods and Results Sperm samples were collected from 30 healthy men and divided into two groups: non-stressed and H2O2-stressed. Isolated AD-MSCs from healthy donors undergoing liposuction were cultured and CM was collected at 24, 48 and 72 h. Both sperm groups were cultured with CM and a time course was performed followed by an evaluation of sperm parameters. The incubation of non-stressed and stressed sperm samples with AD-MSCs-CM for 24 h was found to have the optimum impact on sperm vacuolization, DNA fragmentation and OS levels in comparison to other incubation timings, while preserving motility, viability and morphology of cells. Incubation with CM improved all sperm parameters except morphology in comparison to the non-treated group, with the best effect noted with CM collected at 24 h rather than 48 or 72 h for sperm vacuolization and DNA fragmentation. When compared to fresh semen parameters (T0), samples cultured with CM 24 h showed a significant decrease in sperm vacuolization and DNA fragmentation while keeping other parameters stable. Conclusions AD-MSCSs-CM improves sperm quality, and hence can be used in treating infertility and subsequently enhancing IVF outcomes.
THE PROSODIC MARKING OF GIVENNESS IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN : A COMPARATIVE STUDY

This paper compares the prosodic marking of repeated (given) information in English and Italian, with a view to addressing the role of cross-linguistic variation in second language acquisition. The investigation considers the prosodic marking of givenness in monolingual Neapolitan Italian (NI) and Standard Southern British English (SBE) speech, in addition to that of a native NI subject who speaks English at an advanced level (NI-EL2). New and given tokens were generated by a semi-spontaneous card game which repeated referents within noun phrases. While the SBE speakers were found to signal given information through accent distribution and duration, the NI speakers did not appear to encode givenness prosodically: accent distribution, pitch contour and duration were not found to be predictive of givenness. The NI-EL2 speaker showcased accent distribution and pitch contours typical of NI in English tokens, indicating that prosodic transfer is persistent at advanced levels.