Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Object-Based Dense Matching Method for Maintaining Structure Characteristics of Linear Buildings

In this paper, we proposed a novel object-based dense matching method specially for the high-precision disparity map of building objects in urban areas, which can maintain accurate object structure characteristics. The proposed framework mainly includes three stages. Firstly, an improved edge line extraction method is proposed for the edge segments to fit closely to building outlines. Secondly, a fusion method is proposed for the outlines under the constraint of straight lines, which can maintain the building structural attribute with parallel or vertical edges, which is very useful for the dense matching method. Finally, we proposed an edge constraint and outline compensation (ECAOC) dense matching method to maintain building object structural characteristics in the disparity map. In the proposed method, the improved edge lines are used to optimize matching search scope and matching template window, and the high-precision building outlines are used to compensate the shape feature of building objects. Our method can greatly increase the matching accuracy of building objects in urban areas, especially at building edges. For the outline extraction experiments, our fusion method verifies the superiority and robustness on panchromatic images of different satellites and different resolutions. For the dense matching experiments, our ECOAC method shows great advantages for matching accuracy of building objects in urban areas compared with three other methods.
Perennial grasslands enhance biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services in bioenergy landscapes

Significance Science-based polices are needed to inform sustainable bioenergy landscape design. Our key finding is that the linkage between biodiversity and ecosystem services is dependent not only on the choice of bioenergy crop but also on its location relative to other habitats. The implication is that careful design of bioenergy landscapes has the potential to enhance multiple services in food and energy crops, leading to important synergies that have not yet informed the ongoing bioenergy debate. This study is especially timely as high commodity prices are driving conversion of marginal lands to annual crop production, reducing future flexibility. Agriculture is being challenged to provide food, and increasingly fuel, for an expanding global population. Producing bioenergy crops on marginal lands—farmland suboptimal for food crops—could help meet energy goals while minimizing competition with food production. However, the ecological costs and benefits of growing bioenergy feedstocks—primarily annual grain crops—on marginal lands have been questioned. Here we show that perennial bioenergy crops provide an alternative to annual grains that increases biodiversity of multiple taxa and sustain a variety of ecosystem functions, promoting the creation of multifunctional agricultural landscapes. We found that switchgrass and prairie plantings harbored significantly greater plant, methanotrophic bacteria, arthropod, and bird diversity than maize. Although biomass production was greater in maize, all other ecosystem services, including methane consumption, pest suppression, pollination, and conservation of grassland birds, were higher in perennial grasslands. Moreover, we found that the linkage between biodiversity and ecosystem services is dependent not only on the choice of bioenergy crop but also on its location relative to other habitats, with local landscape context as important as crop choice in determining provision of some services. Our study suggests that bioenergy policy that supports coordinated land use can diversify agricultural landscapes and sustain multiple critical ecosystem services.
Clinical presentation of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine the clinical presentation of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in neuropathologically confirmed cases. Methods: Thirty-six adult male subjects were selected from all cases of neuropathologically confirmed CTE at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy brain bank. Subjects were all athletes, had no comorbid neurodegenerative or motor neuron disease, and had next-of-kin informants to provide retrospective reports of the subjects' histories and clinical presentations. These interviews were conducted blind to the subjects' neuropathologic findings. Results: A triad of cognitive, behavioral, and mood impairments was common overall, with cognitive deficits reported for almost all subjects. Three subjects were asymptomatic at the time of death. Consistent with earlier case reports of boxers, 2 relatively distinct clinical presentations emerged, with one group whose initial features developed at a younger age and involved behavioral and/or mood disturbance (n = 22), and another group whose initial presentation developed at an older age and involved cognitive impairment (n = 11). Conclusions: This suggests there are 2 major clinical presentations of CTE, one a behavior/mood variant and the other a cognitive variant.
Basic study of corn protein, zein, as a biomaterial in tissue engineering, surface morphology and biocompatibility

The zein films, were prepared for culturing human liver cells (HL-7702) and mice fibroblast cells (NIH3T3), while the Corning microplate and polylactic acid (PLA) were chosen as controls. The surface morphology of zein films prepared by two different methods was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), which revealed that the zein films were composed of particles of diameter 100-500 and 500-2500 nm, respectively. The biocompatibility of zein films was assessed by attachment, extensibility and proliferation of cells on them. Our study indicated that over 60% of both HL-7702 cells and NlH3T3 cells could attach to the Corning microplate, zein films and PLA at 3 h after seeding. The concentration and particle sizes for preparing zein films did not seem to affect the proliferation of the cells tested. There were no significant differences in the proliferation of both HL-7702 cells and NIH3T3 cells between the Corning microplate and two kinds of zein films, except that the zein film composed of smaller particles at the lowest concentration exhibited a very good ability for proliferation of both the cells, while PLA was a poor matrix in the latter period of the cell proliferation. This preliminary study demonstrates that zein is a promising biomaterial with good biocompatibility for the development of tissue engineering. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Impact of Host Diet on Wolbachia Titer in Drosophila

While a number of studies have identified host factors that influence endosymbiont titer, little is known concerning environmental influences on titer. Here we examined nutrient impact on maternally transmitted Wolbachia endosymbionts in Drosophila. We demonstrate that Drosophila reared on sucrose- and yeast-enriched diets exhibit increased and reduced Wolbachia titers in oogenesis, respectively. The yeast-induced Wolbachia depletion is mediated in large part by the somatic TOR and insulin signaling pathways. Disrupting TORC1 with the small molecule rapamycin dramatically increases oocyte Wolbachia titer, whereas hyper-activating somatic TORC1 suppresses oocyte titer. Furthermore, genetic ablation of insulin-producing cells located in the Drosophila brain abolished the yeast impact on oocyte titer. Exposure to yeast-enriched diets altered Wolbachia nucleoid morphology in oogenesis. Furthermore, dietary yeast increased somatic Wolbachia titer overall, though not in the central nervous system. These findings highlight the interactions between Wolbachia and germline cells as strongly nutrient-sensitive, and implicate conserved host signaling pathways by which nutrients influence Wolbachia titer.
Relation between physical activity and energy expenditure in a representative sample of young children.

BACKGROUND Strategies for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity require a better understanding of the relation between the pattern of free-living physical activity and total energy expenditure (TEE). OBJECTIVE We assessed the relations between TEE and physical activity level (PAL) during engagement in different intensities of physical activity. DESIGN We used a cross-sectional study of 104 children (median age: 5.4 y) in Scotland. TEE was measured with use of doubly labeled water (DLW), and resting energy expenditure was predicted to determine PAL. Time spent sedentary and in light-intensity activity and in moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) was assessed by accelerometry concurrent with DLW measurements. Correlation and regression were used to assess the relations between measures of sedentary behavior, intensities of activity, and PAL as the dependent variable. RESULTS Time spent sedentary was negatively correlated with PAL (r = -0.33, P < 0.01), and time spent in light-intensity activity was positively correlated with PAL (r = 0.31, P < 0.01). In multiple regression analyses, both time spent sedentary and in light-intensity activities were significantly associated with PAL. Time spent in MVPA was not associated with PAL; engagement in MVPA was limited in this sample (median: 3% of waking hours; range: 0-14%). PAL was significantly higher in boys than in girls. CONCLUSION In this sample and setting, PAL was not influenced by engagement in MVPA but was influenced by time spent sedentary and in light-intensity activities. This study suggests that in young children, MVPA could make only a minor contribution to free-living TEE and PAL.
Optimization of AIMD Congestion Control for Media-Streaming Applications

Media-streaming applications require smooth patterns of data transmission and also benefit from efficient resource utilization. System-wise, the underlying congestion control mechanism should achieve fairness and maintain TCP-friendliness. In this context, we optimize Additive Increase Multiplicative Decrease (AIMD) congestion control for multimedia applications, within the framework of bandwidth efficiency, smoothness, and inter-protocol fairness. We assume Scalable Streaming Video Protocol (SSVP) as the underlying congestion control mechanism. Departing from SSVP's throughput model and based on the concepts of the knee and the cliff as defined in (4), we provide an analysis of AIMD congestion control, taking into account the role of the bottleneck queue. We observe that although multiplicative decrease is necessary to achieve fairness, it does not necessarily sacrifice the system throughput, as long as the system operates between the knee and the cliff. The proposed AIMD mechanism introduces congestion control parameters adaptable to current network conditions, preventing the system from operating below the knee, where a fraction of the available bandwidth is not utilized and smoothness is compromised as throughput fluctuates.
Receiver operating characteristic analysis of body mass index, triceps skinfold thickness, and arm girth for obesity screening in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND Valid and practical methods based on health-related criteria for obesity screening in children and adolescents are not available. Arbitrarily defined body mass index (BMI) cutoffs have been proposed to select adolescents at high risk of developing obesity in adulthood. OBJECTIVE We assessed the usefulness of BMI, triceps skinfold thickness, and upper arm girth for screening for obesity by using a health-related definition of obesity (> or = 25% body fat in boys and > or = 30% body fat in girls) and a criterion method (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) that estimates percentage fat without the potential bias associated with other methods in adolescents. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional study of Portuguese boys (n = 165) and girls (n = 163) aged 10-15 y. Nonparametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to define the best tradeoff between true-positive and false-positive rates. RESULTS True-positive rates ranged from 67% to 87% and from 50% to 100% in girls and boys, respectively, and false-positive rates ranged from 0% to 19% and from 5% to 26%, respectively. For children aged 10-11 y, the areas under the curves (AUCs) for ROCs, an index of diagnostic accuracy, were close to 1.0, suggesting very good accuracy. For older boys and girls, AUCs for triceps skinfold thickness were similar to or greater than AUCs for BMI and upper arm girth. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that triceps skinfold thickness gives the best results for obesity screening in adolescents aged 10-15 y. BMI and upper arm girth were reasonable alternatives, except in 14-15-y-old boys, in whom both indexes were only marginally able to discriminate obesity.
Decreased expression of microRNA-20a promotes tumor progression and predicts poor prognosis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND MicroRNA-20a (miRNA-20a or miR-20a) plays a key role in tumorigenesis and progression. But the prognostic value of miR-20a in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the association of miR-20a and the prognosis of CSCC patients. METHODS The miR-20a expression was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in 152 CSCC tissues and matched adjacent normal tissues. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis were utilized to determine the association of miR-20a with overall survival as well as the prognosis of CSCC patients. RESULTS The expression of miR-20a was lower in CSCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues (P=0.000). Moreover, the expression of miR-20a was closely correlated with TNM stage (P=0.013). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with low miR-20a expression had significantly poorer overall survival than those with high miR-20a expression (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that miR-20a expression (P=0.001, HR=3.262, 95% CI: 1.635-6.520) could influence the prognosis and might be an independent prognostic predictor in CSCC. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that low miR-20a expression was associated with tumor stage of CSCC and suggested that miR-20a expression would be a novel biomarker for predicting clinical outcomes in CSCC patients. The inhibition of miR-20a might even become a new therapeutic method for the treatment of CSCC.
Fish intake is associated with a reduced progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Higher intakes of fish and n-3 fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. However, limited data exist on the effect of fish intake on actual measures of progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE The aim was to examine the association between fish intake and the progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis in women with coronary artery disease. DESIGN This was a prospective cohort study of postmenopausal women (n = 229) participating in the Estrogen Replacement and Atherosclerosis trial. Usual fish intake was estimated at baseline with a food-frequency questionnaire. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed at baseline and after 3.2 +/- 0.6 (x +/- SD) y to evaluate changes in the mean minimum coronary artery diameter, the mean percentage of stenosis, and the development of new coronary lesions. RESULTS Compared with lower fish intakes, consumption of > or =2 servings of fish or > or =1 serving of tuna or dark fish per week was associated with smaller increases in the percentage of stenosis (4.54 +/- 1.37% compared with -0.06 +/- 1.59% and 5.12 +/- 1.48% compared with 0.35 +/- 1.47%, respectively; P < 0.05 for both) in diabetic women after adjustments for age, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and dietary intakes of fatty acids, cholesterol, fiber, and alcohol. These associations were not significant in nondiabetic women. Higher fish consumption was also associated with smaller decreases in minimum coronary artery diameter and fewer new lesions. CONCLUSIONS Consumption of fish is associated with a significantly reduced progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis in women with coronary artery disease.
ON THE TAXI INTELLIGENT CALL SYSTEM BASED ON ANDROID PLATFORM

With the advancement of urbanization, how to make the city taxi system efficiently operate is an important problem in public transportation. The traditional cruise or point-point type guest-looking ways lead to the waste of resources, high operation cost and long passengers' waiting time. This is because the information transmission between the taxi and passenger is not real-time. This paper implements a taxi calling system based on intelligent mobile terminal, by which the passengers and the taxi driver can exchange information anytime. It can analyze the randomly appeared personalized passenger transport demand and timely transfer it to the appropriate service provider (cab), so as to fully use the existing taxi service potential, promote the improvement and development of city bus system, improve the quality of urban residents and promote the quality of the city. This paper tests the city taxi calling system through the actual system and simulation methods. The experimental results show that the use of the system can reduce the taxi empty loading rate by 68%, and the average passenger waiting time by 73%.
Effect of Graphene Loading on Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Recycled Polypropylene/Polyaniline Nanocomposites

The investigation of the graphene (GN) performance in improving mechanical properties of recycled polypropylene with crosslinkedpolyaniline (rPP-g-PANI) was prepared via ultrasound extrusion. The concentration of GN in the research was varied from 0.5 to 3 phr, while polyaniline (PANI) and dycumil peroxide(DCP) were fixed at 4 wt. % and 1 phr loading, respectively. The morphological structure of the nanocomposites was investigated using fill emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and confirmed a good dispersion of PANI and GN on rPP matrix. The increasing loading of GN has promoted a slight improvement in tensile modulus and tensile strength at 1.5 and 2 phr of GN loadings, respectively. However elongation at break showed a decrease at all PANI loadings due to lack of interfacial addition between PANI/GN particles and the rPP matrix.
ACVIM small animal consensus statement on safe use of cytotoxic chemotherapeutics in veterinary practice

The purpose of this report is to offer a consensus opinion of ACVIM oncology diplomates and technicians on the safe use of cytotoxic chemotherapeutics in veterinary practice. The focus is on minimizing harm to the personnel exposed to the drugs: veterinary practitioners, veterinary technicians, veterinary staff, and pet owners. The safety of the patient receiving these drugs is also of paramount importance, but is not addressed in this statement. Much of the information presented is based on national recommendations by Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, United States Pharmacopeia, and other published regulations. These directives reflect an abundance of caution to minimize exposure to medical personnel, but large‐scale studies about the consequences of long‐term occupational exposure are not available in veterinary medicine. Challenges in the delivery of optimal treatment safely and economically to veterinary patients in general practice without access to a veterinary oncologist or other specialist, because of costs or proximity, remain.
Egg consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Physicians' Health Study.

BACKGROUND A reduction in dietary cholesterol is recommended to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although eggs are important sources of cholesterol and other nutrients, limited and inconsistent data are available on the effects of egg consumption on the risk of CVD and mortality. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the association between egg consumption and the risk of CVD and mortality. DESIGN In a prospective cohort study of 21,327 participants from Physicians' Health Study I, egg consumption was assessed with an abbreviated food questionnaire. Cox regression was used to estimate relative risks. RESULTS In an average follow-up of 20 y, 1550 new myocardial infarctions (MIs), 1342 incident strokes, and 5169 deaths occurred. Egg consumption was not associated with incident MI or stroke in a multivariate Cox regression. In contrast, adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) for mortality were 1.0 (reference), 0.94 (0.87, 1.02), 1.03 (0.95, 1.11), 1.05 (0.93, 1.19), and 1.23 (1.11, 1.36) for the consumption of <1, 1, 2-4, 5-6, and > or = 7 eggs/wk, respectively (P for trend < 0.0001). This association was stronger among diabetic subjects, in whom the risk of death in a comparison of the highest with the lowest category of egg consumption was twofold (hazard ratio: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.20; P for interaction = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS Infrequent egg consumption does not seem to influence the risk of CVD in male physicians. In addition, egg consumption was positively related to mortality, more strongly so in diabetic subjects, in the study population.
Comparatives studies of different drying process of strawberry hot air drying freeze-drying and swell-drying : application on the biological compounds preservation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hot air drying (HAD), freeze-drying (FD) and swell drying (SD), which is a coupling of hot air drying to instant controlled pressure drop, (DIC) on the strawberry (Fragaria var. Camarosa) to compare and to contrast its quality in terms of drying and rehydration kinetics, bioactive compounds and its antioxidant activity, and texture parameters as crunchy and crispy features. The obtained results shown that SD method helped to reduce the drying time leading to a low-cost processing compared with classical hot air drying and freezedrying. SD globally preserved the strawberry’s nutritional value and bioactive compounds, increasing their availability. Moreover, a strong correlation between antioxidant activity and total anthocyanin content was established in SD strawberries. On the other hand, the swell-dried strawberries showed an interesting macro and micro-structure. They presented a high expansion ratios and significant crispness provoked by the micro-alveolation phenomenon induced as consequence of the instant decompression process in the DIC treatment. Moreover, it was possible to instrumentaly measure the crispy/crunchy features of the final dried samples. By assessing such crispy and healthy contents of fruit “snacking”, it was possible to modify, control, and optimize DIC operating parameters. And, it can be designed according to the industrial or consumer needs.
RESOLUTION ENHANCEMENT OF SUSPENDED MICROCHANNEL RESONATORS BY MASS CORRELATION ANALYSIS

We present here a novel method of measurements for the Suspended Micro- and Nanochannel Resonators (SMRs and SNRs) [1] in flow-through mode that allows detection and characterization of nanoparticles far below the conventional noise floor. To increase the signal-to-noise ratio, we employed an autocorrelation analysis based on population number fluctuations. To demonstrate the gains in bandwidth and resolution attainable by this method, the mass of biomolecular monolayer coatings on the surface of nanoparticles free in solution was measured with a resolution of tens of attograms in under 5 minutes.