Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparison of AVIRIS and Landsat for land use classification at the urban fringe

In this study we tested whether AVIRIS data allowed for improved land use classification over synthetic Landsat ETM+ data for a location on the urban-rural fringe of Colorado. After processing the AVIRIS image and creating a synthetic Landsat image, we used standard classification and post-classification procedures to compare the data sources for land use mapping. We found that, for this location, AVIRIS holds modest, but real, advantages over Landsat for the classification of heterogeneous and vegetated land uses. Furthermore, this advantage comes almost entirely from the large number of sensor spectral bands rather than the high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).
Retrieval accuracy, statistical significance and compositional similarity in protein sequence database searches

Protein sequence database search programs may be evaluated both for their retrieval accuracy—the ability to separate meaningful from chance similarities—and for the accuracy of their statistical assessments of reported alignments. However, methods for improving statistical accuracy can degrade retrieval accuracy by discarding compositional evidence of sequence relatedness. This evidence may be preserved by combining essentially independent measures of alignment and compositional similarity into a unified measure of sequence similarity. A version of the BLAST protein database search program, modified to employ this new measure, outperforms the baseline program in both retrieval and statistical accuracy on ASTRAL, a SCOP-based test set.
An analytical model of network connectivity in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks using spatial point processes

We investigate the network connectivity of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) for a typical highway at the free flow state. We propose a new approach to model the spatial distribution of vehicles in a given area using the statistical properties of spatial point patterns. We consider the VANET as a homogenous Poisson point process in which the number of vehicles per unit area has a Poisson distribution. The main advantage of such an approach is its ease of translation to a practical system. Our proposed model provides an analytical result for the vehicles' nearest-neighbour distance distribution. We present simulation results to verify the obtained closed form solution of the network connectivity. Our model is verified by comparing it to real data obtained from the Bureau of Transport Statistics (BTS) NSW, Australia. The main advantage of our proposed model is reducing data acquisition in measuring of data, as the network connectivity can be studied dynamically using aerial images taken by aerial traffic monitoring systems. Another advantage is the ease with which arbitrary function for transmission coverage areas (e.g., antenna radiation pattern) can be included in the final closed form solution which shows capability and flexibility of the proposed model.
On the Zero Point Energy Diculty of Quasiclassical Trajectory Simulations

Following the work of Guo, Thompson, and Sewell (Y.Guo, D.L.Thompson, and T.D. Sewell, J.Chem.Phys. 104, 576 (1996)) on the zero point energy correction of classical trajectories, we emphasize that the zero-point energy of a molecule is a quantum phenomenon with no classical counterpart, rooted soundly in the positionmomentum uncertainty principle. As a consequence certain quantum \ingredients," such as those introduced using Heller’s thawed Gaussian wavepacket dynamics (E.J. Heller, J.Chem.Phys. 62, 1544 (1975)), are probably necessary to avoid the computational diculties in applying zero-point energy corrections to classical molecular dynamics trajectories which have been described in the literature to date.
A human identification system based on Heart sounds and Gaussian Mixture Models

In this paper, we propose a novel biometric method based on the Heart sounds and the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). Heart sounds are trained by GMM to build an identification system. The MFCC Feature extraction algorithm is studied and GMM model is built. The optimal parameters are achieved by varying experimental parameters. The system has an accurate recognition rate up to 100% under the experimental conditions. The results show that the system based on GMM has a better performance than the system based on Vector Quantization (VQ).
Amino acid availability in ruminants of cereals and cereal co-products.

BACKGROUND Microbial corrected in situ estimates of the ruminal undegraded fraction (RU) and intestinal effective digestibility (IED) of amino acids (AA), except tryptophan, of rye, wheat and corn grains, wheat bran, wheat and barley distilled dried grains and corn gluten feed were measured on three rumen- and duodenum-cannulated wethers using (15)N-labelling techniques and considering ruminal rates of particle comminution and outflow. RESULTS The lack of microbial correction led to overestimations of the intestinal digested fraction that rose with the increase in ruminal degradability. Thus these overestimations varied widely among feeds (from 4.3 to 32.1% for total analysed AA) and among AA. Digestion led to large changes in the AA supply that were greater in the rumen than in the intestine. The impact of these changes on the protein value is conditioned by the magnitude of the undegraded protein fraction. CONCLUSION Microbial contamination taking place in the rumen and changes in the AA supply with digestion should be considered to attain accurate estimates of AA digestion. Globally, digestion improved the AA supply in rye, wheat and wheat distilled dried grain and decreased it in corn and corn gluten feed by reducing the supply of valine and basic AA, especially lysine.
Four-Fold Increase in Direct Costs of Stroke Survivors With Spasticity Compared With Stroke Survivors Without Spasticity: The First Year After the Event

Background and Purpose— The prevalence of spasticity after first-ever stroke is approximately 20%, but there are no health economic studies on costs associated with spasticity after stroke. The objective of our study was to estimate direct costs of stroke with spasticity for patients surviving up to 1 year after the stroke event in comparison to costs of stroke without spasticity. Methods— A representative sample of patients with first-ever stroke hospitalized at Uppsala University Hospital was eligible for our cross-sectional survey. All direct costs during 1 year were identified for each patient, including costs for hospitalization (acute and rehabilitation), primary health care, medication, and costs for municipality services. Swedish currency was converted to Purchasing Power Parities US dollar (PPP$). Results— Median age (interquartile range) was 73 years (18), and the proportion of women was 48%. The majority of the direct costs (78%) was associated with hospitalization, whereas 20% was associated with municipality services during 1 year after a first-ever stroke. Only 1% of all direct costs were related to primary health care and 1% to medication. The level of costs for patients with stroke was correlated with the presence of spasticity as measured with the modified Ashworth scale (rs=0.524) and with the degree of disability as measured with modified Rankin Scale (rs=0.624). The mean (median, interquartile range) direct cost for stroke patients with spasticity was PPP$ 84 195 (72 116, 53 707) compared with PPP$ 21 842 (12 385, 17 484) for patients with stroke without spasticity (P<0.001). Conclusions— Direct costs for 12-month stroke survivors are 4 times higher than direct costs for patients with stroke without spasticity during the first year after the event.
SAR ADC algorithm with redundancy

This paper describes a redundant algorithm for a highly reliable Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADC where mistakes of comparator decision can be digitally-corrected. We generalize a conventional non-binary search algorithm which requires more conversion steps in the SAR ADC than the binary search algorithm, and clarify which decision errors can be digitally-corrected with the derived redundant algorithm. We also shows that the sampling speed of the SAR ADC using the proposed algorithm can be faster when the incomplete settling effects of the DAC inside the SAR ADC are taken into account.
Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) as an Indicator of Left Ventricular Function, Early Outcome and Mechanical Complications after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Aims This study investigated the prognostic value of B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and its relation with left ventricular function and post-myocardial infarction complications. Methods In this cross-sectional study, plasma BNP level was measured for 42 consecutive patients (mean ± SD: 61.6 ± 10.85 years old) with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (MI) and 42 healthy, age and gender matched subjects. Result BNP level in AMI patients were significantly higher than control group (@P < 0.001). Regarding to infarct location, the highest BNP level measured in inferoposterior MI (BNP = 4436.63 ± 6188.159 pg/ml) and the lowest one indicated in standalone inferior MI (BNP = 598.83 ± 309.867 pg/ml (P = 0.071). There was significant reverse relation between BNP and EF (P = 0.006, OR = −0.47) and a significant relationship between BNP and killip classification (P = 0.036). There was no significant relation between diastolic and right-ventricular function and BNP level (P = 0.61, P = 0.21). The highest BNP level was detected in LV septal rupture and false aneurysm (P = 0.02) and in ventricular tachycardia, but without significant relationship (P = 0.25). Conclusion After the onset of AMI, BNP blood level can be used as an important predictor for left ventricular dysfunction, killip classification, early mechanical complications and cardiac death.
Modeling and simulation of multilayer flip-chip package

A research of multilayer flip-chip package interconnects between coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines in two different layers and a CPW chip was presented in this paper. Different structures are modeled and simulated to determine the electrical characteristics of multilayer flip-chip packages. By choosing a small bump pitch and a large bump diameter in the first layer, the quality of the transmission can be improved significantly. The dielectric constant of different substrate material has also been investigated at high frequency.
Predicting Scholars' Scientific Impact

We tested the underlying assumption that citation counts are reliable predictors of future success, analyzing complete citation data on the careers of scientists. Our results show that i) among all citation indicators, the annual citations at the time of prediction is the best predictor of future citations, ii) future citations of a scientist's published papers can be predicted accurately ( for a 1-year prediction, ) but iii) future citations of future work are hardly predictable.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY INFORMED CUMULATIVE STRESSORS AND RESILIENCY INDEX (CSRI) TO EXAMINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AND DISEASE RISK IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Title of Dissertation: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY INFORMED CUMULATIVE STRESSORS AND RESILIENCY INDEX (CSRI) TO EXAMINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AND DISEASE RISK IN SOUTH CAROLINA Kristen Burwell Naney, PhD 2017 Directed By: Sacoby M. Wilson, PhD, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH) Communities with environmental justice (EJ) issues usually have disparities in exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors and health status compared to other communities without underlying EJ issues. Improving cumulative risk assessment (CRA) screening tools and models can provide the necessary information needed to reduce health disparities and create more resilient communities. To address these gaps in EJ science, this dissertation has three specific aims: 1) Identify perceptions of environmental and resilience factors that may influence health among African-Americans in North Charleston, South Carolina (SC) (Study 1), 2) Develop a Cumulative Stressors and Resiliency Index (CSRI) used to rank risk in SC (Study 2), and 3) Examine associations between CSRI scores and risk of asthma hospitalizations/emergency department (ED) visits in SC (Study 3). Community stakeholders (N=18) participated in key-informant interviews and completed a 26-item paper survey in study one. Interviews were transcribed and coded, while mode, frequencies, and percentages were calculated for each indicator based on its ability to influence health. Statistical tests performed in study two included a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression performed in SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1. Choropleth maps were also developed in ArcMap 10.5. We concluded by calculating descriptive statistics by Environmental Affairs (EA) region, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, one-way ANOVA, and negative binomial regression analyses in study three. Many of the indicators (61%) were rated as extremely high priority items and included environmental hazards, sociodemographic attributes, and factors that may influence resiliency. CSRI scores ranged from 7.4 – 64.0 with a mean score of 29.1. Statistically significant differences in CSRI scores were evident by EA region (p <0.0001) and a one-unit increase in the percentage of non-white populations per census tract projected to increase CSRI scores by roughly 6.1%. The CSRI was not able to predict risk of asthma hospitalizations/ED visits as hypothesized. Overall, we demonstrated that identifying and addressing chemical and nonchemical stressors and resiliency gaps in areas impacted by environmental injustice may lead to overall improvements in community resilience. We anticipate this work will be used as a blueprint to build more resilient and equitable communities in SC. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY INFORMED CUMULATIVE STRESSORS AND RESILIENCY INDEX (CSRI) TO EXAMINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AND DISEASE RISK IN SOUTH CAROLINA
FIRST DRAFT PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE – PLEASE DO NOT CITE Do Politicians Reward their Supporters ? Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Ghana

We use a unique dataset collected from a random sample of schools in Ghana to test the “Patronage” hypothesis, that central government funds are targeted to districts that support the ruling party. We find evidence of patronage targeting to administrative districts, the level of government at which the national budget is allocated. However, there are no significant patronage effects at the parliamentary seat level. We further use 1996 and 2000 parliamentary election results to estimate incumbency effects for members of parliament, and can rule out even small incumbency effects (of 4 percentage points). These findings suggest a partial re-evaluation of the “conventional wisdom” on new African democracies: while there is some evidence of patronage, certain institutional arrangements – such as fiscal decentralization – partially limit the manipulation of public funds for political gain. These safeguards also appear to neutralize any potential electoral advantage that incumbents might reap from their position of power. *Correspondence to: Department of Economics, University of California, 549 Evans Hall #3880, Berkeley, CA 94720-3880, phone: (510) 642-7162, fax: (510) 642-6615, email: emiguel@econ.berkeley. edu. Frances Fontanilla has provided excellent research assistance. We thank Xiao Ye for her assistance with the data, and David Lee for many helpful discussions.
Epidemiology of head injury in Malaysian children: a hospital-based study.

A prospective observational study was carried out at the Emergency Department, Hospital Kuala Lumpur to determine the proportion of accidental head injury among children and the circumstances of injury. The study was carried out from November 1993 to January 1994 on all children below 14 years who presented to the Emergency Department with accidental head injury. Accidental head injury made up (4.75%) of all cases seen at the Casualty Department. The ratio of boys to girls was 2:1. The mean age of head injured children was 5.2 (S.D. 3.63) years. The leading cause of head injury was fall (63%) followed by road traffic accidents (RTA) in (30.7%) while the rest were due to 'impact' (injury caused by flying object or missiles) injuries. More than half (54.4%) of those injured in RTA were pedestrians. Pedestrian injury was particularly important in the 5-< 14 years age group, where adult supervision was lacking in two thirds of the children. None of the patients who were involved in vehicle-related injuries had used a suitable protective or restraining device. All three patients who died were from this group. This study emphasises the need for stricter enforcement of laws related to the use of protective devices and measures to decrease child pedestrian injury. The issues of lack of adult supervision, both in and outside the home need to be addressed.
A Novel Local Structure Descriptor for Color Image Retrieval

A novel local structure descriptor (LSD) for color image retrieval is proposed in this paper. Local structures are defined based on a similarity of edge orientation, and LSD is constructed using the underlying colors in local structures with similar edge direction. LSD can effectively combine color, texture and shape as a whole for image retrieval. LSH integrates the advantages of both statistical and structural texture description methods, and it possesses high indexing capability and low dimensionality. In addition, the proposed feature extraction algorithm does not need to train on a large scale training datasets, and it can extract local structure histogram based on LSD. The experimental results on the Corel image databases show that the descriptor has a better image retrieval performance than other descriptors.
The pertussis enigma: reconciling epidemiology, immunology and evolution

Pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory infection, remains a public health priority despite the availability of vaccines for 70 years. Still a leading cause of mortality in developing countries, pertussis has re-emerged in several developed countries with high vaccination coverage. Resurgence of pertussis in these countries has routinely been attributed to increased awareness of the disease, imperfect vaccinal protection or high infection rates in adults. In this review, we first present 1980–2012 incidence data from 63 countries and show that pertussis resurgence is not universal. We further argue that the large geographical variation in trends probably precludes a simple explanation, such as the transition from whole-cell to acellular pertussis vaccines. Reviewing available evidence, we then propose that prevailing views on pertussis epidemiology are inconsistent with both historical and contemporary data. Indeed, we summarize epidemiological evidence showing that natural infection and vaccination both appear to provide long-term protection against transmission and disease, so that previously infected or vaccinated adults contribute little to overall transmission at a population level. Finally, we identify several promising avenues that may lead to a consistent explanation of global pertussis epidemiology and to more effective control strategies.
Signaling in myocardial hypertrophy: life after calcineurin?

Cardiac (ventricular) hypertrophy is an important adaptive response in vivo that (at least in the shorter term) allows the organism to maintain or increase its cardiac output. Global ventricular hypertrophy is a recognized response to increased pressure or volume work (reviewed in Reference 11 ), with increased myofibrillogenesis and sarcomere deposition being cardinal features. Although global hypertrophy is clinically important, probably the most significant form of cardiac hypertrophy in terms of patient numbers is the localized hypertrophy of the ventricular wall that may follow loss of myocardium after a survivable myocardial infarct. In the early stages, both global and localized hypertrophy may resemble the readily reversible, nonfibrotic “physiological” hypertrophy that develops after repeated endurance exercise. In the longer term, beneficial, “compensated” hypertrophy may decay into maladaptive “decompensated” hypertrophy and heart failure (reviewed in References 2 and 32 3 ) with diminished coronary flow reserve and increased risk of lethal arrhythmias. Although some aspects of the maladapted state are probably intrinsic to the myocyte [eg, prolongation of the action potential and Ca2+ transient (reviewed in References 4 and 54 5 )], other factors (increased fibrosis and mismatch between O2 supply and demand) are also probably involved in decompensation. The predominating view is that mammalian ventricular myocytes lose their capacity for cell division during the perinatal period and are thus terminally differentiated cells, although this is still a matter of some dispute (reviewed in References 6 and 76 7 ). In contrast, other cells in the heart (endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells) retain their mitotic capacity. Although ventricular myocytes are not the only cell type involved in the overall hypertrophic response, much of the ventricular enlargement or remodeling is attributable to their hypertrophy. The identities of signaling pathways that couple the demand for increased …
HDTV1080p HEVC Intra encoder with source texture based CU/PU mode pre-decision

HEVC doubles the coding efficiency with more than 4x coding complexity as compared to H.264/AVC. To alleviate the burden of Intra encoder, we estimate the RD-cost from the source image textures, and dynamically select two promising CU/PU mode candidates to execute exhaustive RDO processing. As integrated in our hardwired encoder, the averaged 61.7% computation complexity was saved with 4.53% rate augment. With TSMC 90nm technology, the real-time encoder for HDTV1080p at 44fps is implemented with 2269k-gate at 357MHz operating frequency.
Enantioselectivity of human AMP, dTMP and UMP-CMP kinases

l-Nucleoside analogues such as lamivudine are active for treating viral infections. Like d-nucleosides, the biological activity of the l-enantiomers requires their stepwise phosphorylation by cellular or viral kinases to give the triphosphate. The enantioselectivity of NMP kinases has not been thoroughly studied, unlike that of deoxyribonucleoside kinases. We have therefore investigated the capacity of l-enantiomers of some natural (d)NMP to act as substrates for the recombinant forms of human uridylate-cytidylate kinase, thymidylate kinase and adenylate kinases 1 and 2. Both cytosolic and mitochondrial adenylate kinases were strictly enantioselective, as they phosphorylated only d-(d)AMP. l-dTMP was a substrate for thymidylate kinase, but with an efficiency 150-fold less than d-dTMP. Both l-dUMP and l-(d)CMP were phosphorylated by UMP-CMP kinase although much less efficiently than their natural counterparts. The stereopreference was conserved with the 2′-azido derivatives of dUMP and dUMP while, unexpectedly, the 2′-azido-d-dCMP was a 4-fold better substrate for UMP-CMP kinase than was CMP. Docking simulations showed that the small differences in the binding of d-(d)NMP to their respective kinases could account for the differences in interactions of the l-isomers with the enzymes. This in vitro information was then used to develop the in vivo activation pathway for l-dT.