Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Positioning an underwater vehicle through image mosaicking

Mosaics have been commonly used as visual maps for undersea exploration and navigation. The position and orientation of an underwater vehicle can be calculated by integrating the apparent motion of the images which form the mosaic. A feature-based mosaicking method is proposed in this paper. The creation of the mosaic is accomplished in four stages: feature selection and matching, detection of points describing the dominant motion, homography computation and mosaic construction. In this work we demonstrate that the use of color and textures as discriminative properties of the image can improve, to a large extent, the accuracy of the constructed mosaic. The system is able to provide 3D metric information concerning the vehicle motion using the knowledge of the intrinsic parameters of the camera while integrating the measurements of an ultrasonic sensor. The experimental results of real images have been tested on the GARBI underwater vehicle.
Hexadecyloxypropyl-cidofovir, CMX001, prevents adenovirus-induced mortality in a permissive, immunosuppressed animal model

Adenoviruses (Ads) cause a wide array of end-organ and disseminated diseases in severely immunosuppressed patients. For example, ≈20% of pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients develop disseminated Ad infection, and the disease proves fatal in as many as 50–80% of these patients. Ad infections are a serious problem for solid-organ transplant recipients and AIDS patients as well. Unfortunately, there are no antiviral drugs approved specifically to treat these infections. A suitable animal model that is permissive for Ad replication would help in the discovery process. Here we identify an animal model to study Ad pathogenesis and the efficacy of antiviral compounds. We show that human serotype 5 Ad (Ad5) causes severe systemic disease in immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters that is similar to that seen in immunocompromised patients. We also demonstrate that hexadecyloxypropyl-cidofovir (CMX001) rescues the hamsters from a lethal challenge with Ad5. The antiviral drug provided protection both prophylactically and when given up to 2 days after i.v. exposure to Ad5. CMX001 acts by reducing Ad replication in key target organs. Thus, the immunosuppressed Syrian hamster is a powerful model to evaluate anti-Ad drugs, and its use can facilitate the entry of drugs such as CMX001 into clinical trials.
Differentiation of Intraplaque Versus Juxtaluminal Hemorrhage/Thrombus in Advanced Human Carotid Atherosclerotic Lesions by In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background—Intraplaque hemorrhage and juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus may differ in cause and clinical implications. This study tested the hypothesis that MRI can distinguish between intraplaque hemorrhage and juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus and investigated the association between hemorrhage and underlying lesion types. Methods and Results—Twenty-six patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy were imaged with a 1.5-T GE scanner by a multicontrast-weighted MRI technique. Hemorrhages were identified with previously established MRI criteria, and differentiations were made between intraplaque and juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus. Corresponding histology was used to confirm the magnetic resonance findings. Tissues underlying areas of hemorrhage/thrombus were histologically categorized according to modified American Heart Association criteria. Of 190 matched sections, 140 contained areas of hemorrhage by histology, of which MRI correctly detected 134. The sensitivity and specificity for MRI to correctly identify cross sections that contained hemorrhage were 96% and 82%, respectively. Furthermore, MRI was able to distinguish juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus from intraplaque hemorrhage with an accuracy of 96%. The distribution of lesion types underlying hemorrhages differed significantly (P=0.004). Intraplaque hemorrhage had an underlying lipid-rich type IV/V lesion in 55% of histological sections, whereas juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus had an underlying calcified lesion type VII in 70% of sections. Conclusions—In vivo high-resolution MRI can detect and differentiate intraplaque hemorrhage from juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus with good accuracy. The association of hemorrhage and lesion types suggests potential differences in origin. Noninvasive MRI therefore provides a possible tool for prospectively studying differences in origin of plaque hemorrhage and the association of plaque progression and instability.
Activated Interstitial Myofibroblasts Express Catabolic Enzymes and Mediate Matrix Remodeling in Myxomatous Heart Valves

Background—The mechanisms of extracellular matrix changes accompanying myxomatous valvular degeneration are uncertain. Methods and Results—To test the hypothesis that valvular interstitial cells mediate extracellular matrix degradation in myxomatous degeneration by excessive secretion of catabolic enzymes, we examined the functional characteristics of valvular interstitial cells in 14 mitral valves removed for myxomatous degeneration from patients with mitral regurgitation and in 11 normal mitral valves obtained at autopsy. Immunohistochemical staining assessed (1) cell phenotype using antibodies to &agr;-actin (microfilaments), vimentin and desmin (intermediate filaments), smooth muscle myosin (SM1), and SMemb (a nonmuscle myosin produced by activated mesenchymal cells) and (2) the expression of proteolytic activity using antibodies to collagenases (matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-1, MMP-13), gelatinases (MMP-2, MMP-9), cysteine endoproteases (cathepsin S and K), and interleukin-1&bgr;, a cytokine that can induce secretion of proteolytic enzymes. Although interstitial cells in normal valves stained positively for vimentin, but not &agr;-actin or desmin, cells in myxomatous valves contained both vimentin and &agr;-actin or desmin (characteristics of myofibroblasts). Moreover, cells in myxomatous valves strongly expressed SMemb, MMPs, cathepsins, and interleukin-1&bgr;, which were weakly stained in controls. Nevertheless, interstitial cells in both groups strongly expressed procollagen-I mRNA (in situ hybridization), suggesting preserved ability to synthesize collagen in myxomatous valves. Conclusions—Interstitial cells in myxomatous valves have features of activated myofibroblasts and express excessive levels of catabolic enzymes, without altered levels of interstitial collagen mRNA. We conclude that valvular interstitial cells regulate matrix degradation and remodeling in myxomatous mitral valve degeneration.
Efficient disparity calculation based on stereo vision with ground obstacle assumption

This paper presents a fast local disparity calculation algorithm on calibrated stereo images for automotive applications. By utilizing the ground obstacle assumption for a typical road scene, only a small fraction of disparity space is required to be visited in order to find a disparity map. It works by using the neighbourhood disparities of the pixels in the lower image line as supporting points to determine the search range of its upper vicinity line. Unlike the conventional seed growing based algorithms that are only capable of producing a semi-dense disparity map, the proposed algorithm utilises information provided by each pixel rather than trusting only the featured seeds. Hence, it is capable of providing a denser disparity output with low errors in homogeneous areas. The experimental results are also compared to a normal exhaustive search (block matching) algorithm, showing a factor of ten improvement in speed, whilst the accuracy is enhanced by 20% without constraint to the maximum possible disparity.
Fatty acid composition of fats is an early determinant of childhood obesity: a short review and an opinion

The importance of dietary fat in human obesity remains a controversial issue as the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased despite no dramatic change in the amount of ingested fats over the past few decades. However, qualitative changes (i.e. the fatty acid composition of fats) have been largely disregarded. In this review, we summarize experimental evidence which supports polyunsaturated fatty acids of the ω6 series as being potent promoters of both adipogenesis in vitro and adipose tissue development in vivo during the gestation/lactation period. This conclusion is also supported by epidemiological data from infant studies as well as by the assessment of the fatty acid composition of mature breast milk and formula milk. It is proposed that unnoticed changes in fatty acid composition of ingested fats over the last decades have been important determinants in the increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity.
A survey of software aging and rejuvenation studies

Software aging is a phenomenon plaguing many long-running complex software systems, which exhibit performance degradation or an increasing failure rate. Several strategies based on the proactive rejuvenation of the software state have been proposed to counteract software aging and prevent failures. This survey article provides an overview of studies on Software Aging and Rejuvenation (SAR) that have appeared in major journals and conference proceedings, with respect to the statistical approaches that have been used to forecast software aging phenomena and to plan rejuvenation, the kind of systems and aging effects that have been studied, and the techniques that have been proposed to rejuvenate complex software systems. The analysis is useful to identify key results from SAR research, and it is leveraged in this article to highlight trends and open issues.
Maximum Margin based Semi-supervised Spectral Kernel Learning

Semi-supervised kernel learning is attracting increasing research interests recently. It works by learning an embedding of data from the input space to a Hilbert space using both labeled data and unlabeled data, and then searching for relations among the embedded data points. One of the most well-known semi-supervised kernel learning approaches is the spectral kernel learning methodology which usually tunes the spectral empirically or through optimizing some generalized performance measures. However, the kernel designing process does not involve the bias of a kernel-based learning algorithm, the deduced kernel matrix cannot necessarily facilitate a specific learning algorithm. To supplement the spectral kernel learning methods, this paper proposes a novel approach, which not only learns a kernel matrix by maximizing another generalized performance measure, the margin between two classes of data, but also leads directly to a convex optimization method for learning the margin parameters in support vector machines. Moreover, experimental results demonstrate that our proposed spectral kernel learning method achieves promising results against other spectral kernel learning methods.
Staphylococcus lugdunensis Abscesses Complicating Molluscum Contagiosum in Two Children

We report the occurrence of Staphylococcus lugdunensis abscesses in two girls with molluscum contagiosum who both required surgical intervention under general anaesthesia. S. lugdunensis is a coagulase‐negative Staphylococcus recently recognized as an emerging human pathogen. Because of its ubiquitous nature and the high prevalence of molluscum contagiosum in children, it is likely that this as yet unreported association may be underestimated, thus raising the question as to whether bacterial culture of superinfected mollusca should be obtained more often.
The use of an occlusion perfusion catheter to deliver paclitaxel to the arterial wall

AIM Nonstent drug delivery platforms have recently emerged as an alternative treatment of peripheral arterial disease. Perfusion catheters have the potential to directly deliver antiproliferative agents to the medial arterial layer to prevent restenosis. The purpose of this study was to therefore determine the effectiveness of a perfusion catheter to deliver paclitaxel, a proven antiproliferative agent, to combat restenosis. METHODS A benchtop model was utilized to determine the varying parameters of a novel occlusion perfusion catheter to maximize paclitaxel delivery using pharmacokinetic evaluation and fluorescent microscopy. Parameters tested included concentration of paclitaxel, delivery pressure, duration of delivery, and the use of an excipient. In addition, bilateral rabbit iliac arteries were treated with the perfusion catheter and pharmacokinetic evaluation performed at 1 hour, 1 day and 3 days. RESULTS Benchtop testing demonstrated uniform and circumferential penetration of paclitaxel within the treated arteries. The results of the ex vivo test identified two groups with and without an excipient with similar loading conditions (with excipient: 15.4±8.6 ng/mg vs without excipient: 8.9±6.9 ng/mg, P=.77). The in vivo pharmacokinetic analysis of these two groups demonstrated the use of contrast agent increased arterial paclitaxel levels and maintained initial paclitaxel dosing up to 3 days (With excipient: 1 hour: 107±62 ng vs 3 days: 40±23 ng, P=.824; No excipient: 1 hour: 247±120 ng vs 3 days: 2.92±2.9 ng, P=.009). CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate the feasibility to deliver paclitaxel directly to the medial layer of an artery via a perfusion catheter.
Implementation of a CKD checklist for primary care providers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES CKD is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and financial burden. Practice guidelines outlining CKD management exist, but there is limited application of these guidelines. Interventions to improve CKD guideline adherence have been limited. This study evaluated a new CKD checklist (a tool outlining management guidelines for CKD) to determine whether implementation in an academic primary care clinic improved adherence to guidelines. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS During a 1-year period (August 2012-August 2013), a prospective study was conducted among 13 primary care providers (PCPs), four of whom were assigned to use a CKD checklist incorporated into the electronic medical record during visits with patients with CKD stages 1-4. All providers received education regarding CKD guidelines. The intervention and control groups consisted of 105 and 263 patients, respectively. Adherence to CKD management guidelines was measured. RESULTS A random-effects logistic regression analysis was performed to account for intra-group correlation by PCP assignment and adjusted for age and CKD stage. CKD care improved among patients whose PCPs were assigned to the checklist intervention compared with controls. Patients in the CKD checklist group were more likely than controls to have appropriate annual laboratory testing for albuminuria (odds ratio [OR], 7.9; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.6 to 17.2), phosphate (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.5 to 8.3), and parathyroid hormone (OR, 8.1; 95% CI, 4.8 to 13.7) (P<0.001 in all cases). Patients in the CKD checklist group had higher rates of achieving a hemoglobin A1c target<7% (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.4 to 5.1), use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.0 to 4.2), documentation of avoidance of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (OR, 41.7; 95% CI, 17.8 to 100.0), and vaccination for annual influenza (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.0) and pneumococcus (OR, 4.7; 95% CI, 2.6 to 8.6) (P<0.001 in all cases). CONCLUSIONS Implementation of a CKD checklist significantly improved adherence to CKD management guidelines and delivery of CKD care.
An Efficient Encryption and Key Management Scheme for Layered Access Control of H.264/Scalable Video Coding

This paper proposes a new selective encryption scheme and a key management scheme for layered access control of H.264/SVC. This scheme encrypts three domains in hierarchical layers using different keys: intra prediction modes, motion vector difference values and sign bits of texture data. The proposed scheme offers low computational complexity, low bit-overhead, and format compliance by utilizing the H.264/SVC structure. It provides a high encryption efficiency by encrypting domains selectively, according to each layer type in the enhancement-layer. It also provides confidentiality and implicit authentication using keys derived in the proposed key management scheme for encryption. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
The Relationships of the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) and the Alleged Slowdown in the Rate of Macromolecular Evolution in Birds

The taxonomic relationships of the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) have been uncertain since its discovery more than 200 years ago. Although usually considered to be a New World wood warbler (Parulini) it possesses structural and behavioral char acteristics that seem aberrant in compari son with the typical members of that group. The relationships of Icteria were inves tigated by comparing its single-copy DNA sequences with those of other New World nine-primaried oscines and representatives of other oscine families, using the technique of DNA-DNA hybridization. The data indi cate that Icteria is a paruline warbler and it should continue to be included within that group. The study of Icteria provided the basis for an examination of the suggestion by several authors that the proteins of birds and, by extension, their DNAs, evolve more slowly than do those of other animals. Evi dence is presented indicating that the al leged differences are due, at least in part, to differences in the human perception of the boundaries of taxonomic categories in birds versus most other organisms. Birds are taxonomically oversplit at all supra-©
Editorial: IDASPHERE phase I trial for chemoembolisation for HCC ‐ authors' reply: a necessary step for treatment optimisation and standardisation

and epirubicin) and release the drug locally within the target tissue over a prolonged period. Boulin et al. now report the findings of a phase I dose-escalation trial of TACE with idarubicin-loaded beads in cirrhotic patients with HCC. In vitro studies had previously demonstrated superior cytotoxicity of idarubicin on HCC cells. Twenty-one patients were enrolled (76% Child’s A, 71% BCLC stage B, 95% ECOG 0). The study determined the maximum-tolerated dose of idarubicin to be 10 mg per TACE session. At 2 months, the objective response rate was 52%. The median time to progression was 12.1 months; the median overall survival was 24.5 months. These were in line with the doxorubicin DEB 6 (not head-to-head). It is still too premature to define the place of idarubicin DEB in the future intermediate-stage HCC therapy from this early phase I data. Furthermore, there is no clear verdict of the superiority of DEB over conventional TACE. The prospective randomised PRECISION-V trial (n = 212) failed to show significant superiority in the tumour response of doxorubicin DEB-TACE over conventional TACE. Consequently, it remains to be seen whether idarubicin DEB has any superiority over doxorubicin DEB or conventional TACE, and this can only be demonstrated in a randomised controlled trial.
Face Match for Family Reunification: Real-World Face Image Retrieval

Despite the many advances in face recognition technology, practical face detection and matching for unconstrained images remain challenging. A real-world Face Image Retrieval (FIR) system is described in this paper. It is based on an optimally weighted image descriptor ensemble utilized in a single-image-per-person (SIPP) approach that works with large unconstrained digital photo collections. The described visual search can be deployed in many applications, e.g. person location in post-disaster scenarios, helping families reunite quicker. It provides efficient means for face detection, matching and annotation, working with images of variable quality, requiring no time-consuming training, yet showing commercial performance levels.
Negotiated decisions on baltic fishery resource allocation

Negotiation is important in settings where stakeholders have conflicting interests and a desire to cooperate. In that relation argumentation analysis is a promising approach to support the idea that it should be possible to say more about the certainty of a particular decision than just assessing a degree of its probabilistic certainty. In particular, it should be possible to assess the potential reasons (i.e., arguments) why a decision is made, and to combine and compare arguments in order to understand the balance of interests behind the decision. This paper explores the issue of negotiation based decision making using argumentation frameworks for arguing about knowledge (science based advice) and justification of objectives adopted by stakeholders. Fishing fleet overcapacity, being clearly conducive to over-fishing and economic underperformance, is believed to be an important negotiation context element in striking the balance between divergent short-term interests, environmental on the one hand, and socio-economic on the other, often authorizing catch quantities that are higher than those recommended by the scientists, in order to protect the immediate social and economic interests of those employed in the industry.
Magnetic Properties of Bulk Zn0.95-XMnXFe0.05O2 Prepared by Sol-Gel Method and Subsequent Hot Pressing

Mn, Fe doped ZnO powders (Zn0.95-xMnxFe0.05O2, x≤0.05) were synthesized by an ameliorated sol-gel method, using Zn(CH3COO)2, Mn(CH3COO)2 and FeCl2 as the raw materials, with the addition of vitamin C as a kind of chemical reducer. The resulting powder was subsequently compacted under pressure of 10 MPa at the temperature of 873K in vacuum. The crystal structure and magnetic properties of Zn0.95-xMnxFe0.05O2 powder and bulk samples have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study chemical valence of manganese, iron and zinc in the samples. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that Zn0.95-xMnxFe0.05O (x≤0.05) samples were single phase with the ZnO-like wurtzite structure. No secondary phase was found in the XRD spectrum. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that Fe and Mn existed in Zn0.95-xMnxFe0.05O2 samples in Fe2+ and Mn2+ states. The results of VSM experiment proved the room temperature ferromagnetic properties (RTFP) of Mn, Fe co-doped ZnO samples.
Activity Blockade and GABAA Receptor Blockade Produce Synaptic Scaling through Chloride Accumulation in Embryonic Spinal Motoneurons and Interneurons

Synaptic scaling represents a process whereby the distribution of a cell's synaptic strengths are altered by a multiplicative scaling factor. Scaling is thought to be a compensatory response that homeostatically controls spiking activity levels in the cell or network. Previously, we observed GABAergic synaptic scaling in embryonic spinal motoneurons following in vivo blockade of either spiking activity or GABAA receptors (GABAARs). We had determined that activity blockade triggered upward GABAergic scaling through chloride accumulation, thus increasing the driving force for these currents. To determine whether chloride accumulation also underlies GABAergic scaling following GABAAR blockade we have developed a new technique. We expressed a genetically encoded chloride-indicator, Clomeleon, in the embryonic chick spinal cord, which provides a non-invasive fast measure of intracellular chloride. Using this technique we now show that chloride accumulation underlies GABAergic scaling following blockade of either spiking activity or the GABAAR. The finding that GABAAR blockade and activity blockade trigger scaling via a common mechanism supports our hypothesis that activity blockade reduces GABAAR activation, which triggers synaptic scaling. In addition, Clomeleon imaging demonstrated the time course and widespread nature of GABAergic scaling through chloride accumulation, as it was also observed in spinal interneurons. This suggests that homeostatic scaling via chloride accumulation is a common feature in many neuronal classes within the embryonic spinal cord and opens the possibility that this process may occur throughout the nervous system at early stages of development.