Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic annotation of coral reefs using deep learning

Healthy coral reefs play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity in tropical marine ecosystems. Deep sea exploration and imaging have provided us with a great opportunity to look into the vast and complex marine ecosystems. Data acquisition from the coral reefs has facilitated the scientific investigation of these intricate ecosystems. Millions of digital images of the sea floor have been collected with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Automated technology to monitor the health of the oceans allows for transformational ecological outcomes by standardizing methods for detecting and identifying species. Manual annotation is a tediously repetitive and a time consuming task for marine experts. It takes 10-30 minutes for a marine expert to meticulously annotate a single image. This paper aims to automate the analysis of large available AUV imagery by developing advanced deep learning tools for rapid and large-scale automatic annotation of marine coral species. Such an automated technology would greatly benefit marine ecological studies in terms of cost, speed, accuracy and thus in better quantifying the level of environmental change marine ecosystems can tolerate. We propose a deep learning based classification method for coral reefs. We also report the application of the proposed technique towards the automatic annotation of unlabelled mosaics of the coral reef in the Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia. Our proposed method automatically quantifies the coral coverage in this region and detects a decreasing trend in coral population which is in line with conclusions by marine ecologists.
Inclusive and Pro-Poor Financial System in Africa: Does Islamic Finance Development Matter?

Why is African financial system less developed in general and how can it impact the real economy? Is Islamic finance development instrumental for inclusive and pro-poor financial system in Africa? Does it matter in improvement of financial development impact on GDP per capita in particular? Are findings valid when we consider non-Muslim countries? This paper assesses the Ben Jedidia and Ben Ayed (2012) conclusions in the African context. Thus the intuition was to assess if Islamic finance can be instrumental in the way toward pro poor and inclusive financial system in Africa through improvement of financial development impact on GDP per capita. A TSLS-IV estimation technique is applied to undertake the analyses. In the analyses, while the Islamic finance dimensions have been approximated by the gap between overall financial depth and traditional banking depth, the financial development dimension was captured by an indicator constructed with Principal component analyses. The main finding is that Islamic finance is a powerful tool for pro poor and inclusive financial system in Africa regardless the fact that they are Muslim country or not. African countries should put emphasis on Islamic finance development for pro poor and inclusive financial system and thus pro poor economic growth, regardless of their religion affiliations. This paper has tested the Ben Jedidia and Ben Ayed (2012) hypotheses in the continent where concerns of less developed financial system, poverty and low economic development are most acute.
Treatment of chlordecone (Kepone) toxicity with cholestyramine. Results of a controlled clinical trial.

Industrial workers exposed to the organochlorine pesticide, chlordecone (Kepone), had signs of toxicity in several organs. The extent of toxicity was proportional to the levels of this chemical in the tissues. In 22 patients, chlordecone was eliminated slowly from blood (half time of 165 +/- 27 days--mean +/- S.E.M.) and fat (half time of 125 days, with a range of 97 to 177), chiefly in the stool. Output of chlordecone in bile was 10 to 20 times greater than in stool, suggesting that chlordecone is reabsorbed in the "ntestine. Cholestyramine, an anion-exchange resin that binds chlordecone, increased its fecal excretion by seven times. In a five-month trial, cholestyramine significantly accelerated elimination of chlordecone from blood, with a half life of 80 +/- 4 days (S.E.M.) (P less than 0.005) and fat (half life of 64 days, with a range of 52 to 85) (P less than 0.05). Cholestyramine offers a practical means for detoxification of persons exposed to chlordecone and possibly to other lipophilic toxins.
The Ketogenic Diet for the Treatment of Epilepsy: A Challenge for Nutritional Neuroscientists

Abstract The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, adequate-protein diet that has been used for more than eight decades for the treatment of refractory epilepsy in children. Despite this long history, the mechanisms by which the KD exerts its anti-seizure action are not fully understood. Questions remain regarding several aspects of KD action, including its effects on brain biochemistry and energetics, neuronal membrane function and cellular network behavior. With the explosion of the KD use in the last 10 years, it is now imperative that we understand these factors in greater detail, in order to optimize the formulation, administration and fine-tuning of the diet. This review discusses what is known and what remains to be learned about the KD, with emphasis on clinical questions that can be approached in the laboratory. We encourage scientists with a primary interest in nutritional neuroscience to join with those of us in the epilepsy research community to address these urgent questions, for the benefit of children ravaged by intractable seizures.
Intraoperative Fluoroscopy with a Direct Anterior Approach Reduces Variation in Acetabular cup Abduction Angle

Introduction The purpose of this study was to compare acetabular cup position for 2 cohorts of total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients who had a direct anterior approach. Methods 100 THA cases were performed with an anterior approach using intraoperative fluoroscopy (IF) to aid in cup positioning. Another group of 100 cases underwent THA with an anterior approach without the use of any fluoroscopy. Postoperative abduction and anteversion angles were measured using Martell's hip analysis software. Results Mean abduction angle was 43.2° (standard deviation (SD) = 4.5°) for the IF group versus 37.5°(SD = 7.4°) for cases without IF (p<0.001). 18% more cases with IF fell within the Lewinnek safe zone (p<0.001); however, a similar number of cases had over 50° of abduction. The mean anteversion angles of the two groups were also significantly different (IF 21.8° vs. 24.9°) (p<0.01). Conclusions There was significantly less variation in cup position among the cases using IF with regards to abduction.
Acoustic Measurement of Multisubtidal Internal Modes Generated in Hiroshima Bay, Japan

A coastal acoustic tomography (CAT) experiment with seven acoustic stations was successfully carried out to measure multisubtidal internal modes, generated in Hiroshima Bay, Japan, in spite of severe data gaps due to many oyster aquaculture rafts, accompanied by an array of vertical wire strings for growing oysters and distributed widely over the bay. The travel-time data acquired along five transmission lines with better data acquisition rates in one-way or reciprocal directions are analyzed, focusing on subtidal variations of sound speed (proportional to temperature). Significant multisubtidal internal modes are observed in the period range of 1.0-4.0 h. To specify the source region of internal modes and to estimate their propagation speed and direction, the power-spectral and cross-spectral analyses are applied to the time-series data of range-averaged sound speed along the successful transmission lines. Waves of period ranges 3.8-4.2, 2.0-2.3, and 1.4-1.5 h are identified as the second, third, and fourth modes of long internal waves, respectively, and the first internal mode is attributed to the semidiurnal tide. It is suggested that the source region of internal modes is located in the narrow channel at the northeastern corner of the tomography site and the modes radiate out from the source region, satisfying the propagation parameters (period, phase speed, and propagation direction) determined by this study. The propagation parameters of the subtidal internal modes can also be measured by point temperature sensors, attached to aquaculture rafts with an appropriate arrangement. However, it should be noted that the tomographic technique can confirm temperature variations through a spatial average along each ray path.
HIV-1 drug resistance surveillance using dried whole blood spots

Background Field-friendly methods for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) surveillance in resource-limited regions are urgently needed. Despite evidence that dried blood spots (DBS) are suitable for HIV serology, viral load and CD4+ T-cell enumeration, no study has evaluated DBS for HIVDR genotyping. We assessed the feasibility of genotyping HIV-1 from field-collected DBS stored under challenging environmental conditions. Methods We prospectively collected specimens from newly diagnosed, treatment-naive HIV-positive subjects in Mexico. Whole blood was spotted onto filter cards, air dried at ambient temperature and stored with desiccant at 37°C and 85% humidity for 3 months. Genotypes obtained from DBS-extracted nucleic acids using an in-house nested reverse transcription-PCR method were compared to genotypes derived from matched plasma. Results Genotypes from 103 phylogenetically matched plasma and DBS were compared. In total, 90.1% of all DBS specimens could be amplified in either the region of HIV protease or the region of reverse transcriptase. Failure to amplify from DBS did not correlate with low plasma viral loads. Between paired specimens, the median nucleotide similarity was 99.95%. In the nine specimens with drug resistance mutations, all differences between pairs were partial discordances. Mutations identified in plasma were found in the majority of replicate DBS amplifications. Conclusion The results suggest that genotypes obtained from DBS are equivalent to those from plasma. DBS are a promising public health tool for HIVDR surveillance of treatment-naive subjects, especially in regions where specimens might be exposed to severe environmental conditions and where logistical difficulties could prevent timely specimen processing. More studies are needed to validate DBS for patient monitoring.
Disulfide Bond Engineering to Trap Peptides in the MHC Class I Binding Groove1

Immunodominant peptides in CD8 T cell responses to pathogens and tumors are not always tight binders to MHC class I molecules. Furthermore, antigenic peptides that bind weakly to the MHC can be problematic when designing vaccines to elicit CD8 T cells in vivo or for the production of MHC multimers for enumerating pathogen-specific T cells in vitro. Thus, to enhance peptide binding to MHC class I, we have engineered a disulfide bond to trap antigenic peptides into the binding groove of murine MHC class I molecules expressed as single-chain trimers or SCTs. These SCTs with disulfide traps, termed dtSCTs, oxidized properly in the endoplasmic reticulum, transited to the cell surface, and were recognized by T cells. Introducing a disulfide trap created remarkably tenacious MHC/peptide complexes because the peptide moiety of the dtSCT was not displaced by high-affinity competitor peptides, even when relatively weak binding peptides were incorporated into the dtSCT. This technology promises to be useful for DNA vaccination to elicit CD8 T cells, in vivo study of CD8 T cell development, and construction of multivalent MHC/peptide reagents for the enumeration and tracking of T cells—particularly when the antigenic peptide has relatively weak affinity for the MHC.
How Different Are Non-specialists' Forecasts from Specialist'?(in Japanese)

This paper conducts a survey asking economists, but not specialists of forecasting, to submit their forecasts of real GDP growth and CPI inflation rates for 2007Q4, 2008Q1 and FY 2009, and compares the responses with the corresponding results of the ESP forecasts, a monthly survey of professional forecasters. The specialists turn out to be superior to the non-specialists in foresting for very short time period, especially predicting changes due to time specific factors. The non-specialists seem to tend to extrapolate recently available data, but their heterogeneous information sets are likely to make their forecasts scatter wider apart than specialists'. This may imply a possibility that the heterogeneous information held by non-specialists could improve accuracy of the consensus forecasts calculated from specialists' forecasts.
Fragile X males with unmethylated, full mutation trinucleotide repeat expansions have elevated levels of FMR1 messenger RNA.

Fragile X syndrome normally arises as a consequence of large expansions (n >200) of a (CGG)(n) trinucleotide repeat in the promoter region of the FMR1 gene. The clinical phenotype is thought to result from hypermethylation of the repeat and adjacent upstream elements, with consequent down-regulation of transcription (transcriptional silencing). However, the relationship between repeat expansion and transcription has not been defined in the full mutation range. Using the method of quantitative (fluorescence) reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we demonstrated previously that FMR1 mRNA levels are substantially elevated in premutation (55 </= n < 200) male carriers. In the current work, we report that in fragile X males with unmethylated alleles in the full mutation range (n > 200), FMR1 mRNA levels remain significantly elevated (mean 3.5-fold elevation; P = 6.7 x 10(-3)) relative to normal controls, even for alleles exceeding 300 repeats. This conclusion is independent of any assumption regarding the transcriptional activity of methylated alleles. However, if it were assumed that all methylated alleles were transcriptionally silent, the FMR1 mRNA levels for cells with unmethylated alleles would be even higher (mean 4.5-fold elevation; P = 2.1 x 10(-4)). These observations show that the full-mutation CGG expansion per se is not a strong impediment to transcription and that the apparent up-regulation of the FMR1 locus remains active in at least some cells with full-mutation alleles.
Ethical Accounting to Measure, Manage and Enhance Performance: An Attempt to Relate Underlying Philosophies/Motivations and Models/Operating Systems and Evidence from the Field

This exploratory paper examines motivators underlying research studies of additional disclosure of non-traditional (social and environmental) materials in corporate reports, and a number of proposals or models that have been made to organise such information. Seeking evidence from the field literature and reporting are examined to determine what is happening in practice. It was found that motivators to range from critical theory, through social contract of business and society and organisational legitimacy to the 'business case' at the other end of a spectrum. Models or operating systems loosely associated with these motivators included idealistic exhortation, mega-accounting theory, Triple Bottom Line reports based on GRI 2002, AA1000, and SA8000, and environmental management accounting influenced by EMAS and ISO14000. Although a direct relationship cannot be proven there appears to be an association between the researchers underlying philosophies and solutions they propose to given problems. In the case of social and environmental accounting this association may be stronger than in the more familiar financial and management accounting. Writers claim an increasing interest in this area and an examination of the literature and company voluntary reporting appears to support the claim.
Material stocks in Germany's non-domestic buildings: a new quantification method

The building sector consumes large quantities of resources and generates high levels of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. From an ‘urban mining’ perspective, the building stock can be seen as a repository of natural resources. In order to manage this repository, evidence is needed on its quantity and dynamics. Although data exist for domestic buildings, little evidence exists for non-domestic buildings. A new method is presented to quantify the material stock of non-domestic buildings – based on the German building stock. The quantification process involves three steps: (1) material composition indicators (MCIs) are calculated with respect to various building types; (2) the country's total floor space is estimated and disaggregated; and (3) the total material stock is calculated. The main results are MCIs and the floor space for both domestic and non-domestic stocks, as well as the material mass in total. In Germany the total material mass of non-domestic buildings is approximately 6.8 billion tonnes, accounting for 44% of the entire building stock. The method can be adapted and validated for use in other countries. These results will assist both policy-makers and the construction industry to understand the potential for moving toward a more circular economy.
TRANSITIONING PATIENTS WITH DIABETES OUT OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS: A PATH TOWARDS BETTER OUTCOMES AND LOWER COSTS?

There are at least 29.1 million people with diabetes and <6,000 board-certified endocrinologists in the United States (1,2). Given these numbers, it is not surprising that many patients turn to Emergency Departments (EDs) for diabetes care that often could take place in an outpatient setting (3). Innovative ways to triage patients for access to outpatient care are needed. the advantage resource-intensive leverages existing
Selective cytotoxicity of synthesized procyanidin 3-O-Galloylepicatechin-4b,8-3-O-galloylcatechin to human cancer cells

Cocoa-derived flavanols and procyanidins have been previously reported to exhibit anti-oxidant and anti-tumor properties. In this study, we have investigated the cellular growth inhibitory effect of chemically-synthesized procyanidin 3-O-Galloylepicatechin-4b,8-3-O-galloylcatechin (GECGC) on a variety of human cancer cell lines. Among 16 human cancer cell lines tested, GECGC selectively inhibited proliferation of a subset of human cancer cell lines, especially those of short doubling time. In contrast, all 6 normal cell lines tested including human mammary epithelial cells and skin fibroblast were resistant to GECGC’s cytotoxicity. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis assay showed that GECGC increased sub-G1 population and increased the population of propidium iodide and Annexin V staining cells in GECGC-sensitive cell lines, suggesting that cell growth inhibition by GECGC may be mediated through both apoptotic and non-apoptotic mechanisms. Further characterization of GECGC cytotoxicity on 30 genetically modified cell lines with overexpression or depletion of key proteins involved in cell cycle regulation and signal transduction pathways suggested that GECGC-mediated cell death involves IKKα and IKKγ. Collectively, our observations indicate that synthesized GECGC has selective anti-proliferative effect on human cancer cells and warrant further evaluation as a preventive and chemotherapeutic reagent to human malignancies.
Ruminal biohydrogenation as affected by tannins in vitro

The aim of the present work was to study the effects of tannins from carob (CT; Ceratonia siliqua), acacia leaves (AT; Acacia cyanophylla) and quebracho (QT; Schinopsis lorentzii) on ruminal biohydrogenation in vitro. The tannins extracted from CT, AT and QT were incubated for 12 h in glass syringes in cow buffered ruminal fluid (BRF) with hay or hay plus concentrate as a substrate. Within each feed, three concentrations of tannins were used (0·0, 0·6 and 1·0 mg/ml BRF). The branched-chain volatile fatty acids, the branched-chain fatty acids and the microbial protein concentration were reduced (P < 0·05) by tannins. In the tannin-containing fermenters, vaccenic acid was accumulated (+23 %, P < 0·01) while stearic acid was reduced ( − 16 %, P < 0·0005). The concentration of total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers in the BRF was not affected by tannins. The assay on linoleic acid isomerase (LA-I) showed that the enzyme activity (nmol CLA produced/min per mg protein) was unaffected by the inclusion of tannins in the fermenters. However, the CLA produced by LA-I (nmol/ml per min) was lower in the presence of tannins. These results suggest that tannins reduce ruminal biohydrogenation through the inhibition of the activity of ruminal micro-organisms.
Long‐term dynamics of rockslides and damage propagation inferred from mechanical modeling

Long‐term observations of large active rockslides show accelerating deformation over many thousands of years since the last deglaciation. The effect of deglaciation on slope stability is however poorly understood due to (1) limited long‐term observations and (2) a complex interaction between glacier retreat and hydrogeological, mechanical, and morphological processes. To assess the sensitivity of rockslide dynamics to these different processes, a model of progressive damage through intact rock mass is developed in this study, based on the finite element method. This model uses time‐to‐failure laws based on rock laboratory creep experiments. It is able to reproduce progressive damage localization along shear bands associated with strain rate acceleration as observed during tertiary creep. The model reproduces the different phases of deformation associated with morphologies typical of large rockslides. This model is thus suitable for simulating the dynamics of large rockslides and the transition from initiation to rapid sliding. The sensitivity of rockslide kinematics and morphology to different mechanical properties is analyzed. This analysis shows that the time evolution of the rockslide can be inferred with the knowledge of only one time parameter, independent of the knowledge of the mechanical properties of the rock mass. This parameter is here chosen as the time when the summit slope displacement has reached 10 m, a parameter that can be estimated with cosmogenic dating. The model is then used to study the effects of deglaciation on the valley flank stability and the formation of large rockslides. This study shows that the deglaciation velocity can affect the morphology of the rockslide, with the shear band of the rockslide emerging at higher elevation as the velocity decreases. We also show that the response to the deglaciation can last several thousands of years after the glacier retreat.
Hypothermia and Acute Pancreatitis: Myth or Reality?

Among the rarer causes of acute pancreatitis listed in surgical texts is hypothermia. To assess the evidence for cause and effect, we questioned selected consultants about their experience and examined the case-notes of patients admitted with hypothermia. The 31 consultants who returned our questionnaire (69% response rate; 317 consultant-years’ experience) could recall only 5 cases of pancreatitis associated with hypothermia, in 2 of which other aetiological factors were judged primary. In case-notes for 100 months of emergency admissions at a single hospital we identified 310 patients with hypothermia and 1153 with acute pancreatitis; none had the dual diagnosis. Of the hypothermic patients, none had abdominal pain typical of acute pancreatitis. In 43 serum amylase was measured because the patient was unable to give a full history and in 2 of these the enzyme was slightly raised; both had experienced a cerebrovascular accident, which is a known cause of hyperamylasaemia. Considered alongside the weak evidence from previous studies, these findings offer negligible support for the idea that hypothermia is a clinically relevant risk factor for acute pancreatitis.