Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shadow Detection and Elimination Technique for Vehicle Detection

One of the fundamental functions of traffic monitoring systems is vehicle detection. However, vehicle detection is typically hampered by the shadow problem. Objects are sometimes lost or their shapes are distorted because shadows are misunderstood to be elements of a vehicle. Shadows are a major problem for the current vehicle detecting technology. For video target segmentation, a moving shadow can be easily mistaken for a portion of the object due to their similarity, and the processing speed of classic shadow eradication methods is insufficient for a real-time intelligent transport system. For the purpose of removing shadows, a novel technique is suggested in this research. There are a number of issues that arise as a result of this, including the destruction of objects and the warping of their original shapes. Many algorithms, including deep learning ones, ignore the shadow problem, which contributes to the poor accuracy of vehicle recognition. The shadow problem can reduce the accuracy of vehicle detection, hence traditionally, vehicle detection has been a part of traffic monitoring structures. Vehicle components cast in a shadow may be misidentified, and users may have to deal with the loss of items or the distorting of their shapes. Since the problem could be caused by inaccurate data, the shadow reduction technique is the primary method for improving precision during the vehicle detection procedure. This research presents a method for removing shadows from an image by first identifying the foreground regions using edge data, and then detecting and removing the shadows using prior knowledge based on the image's grayscale data. According to the results of the performance analysis, the suggested method outperforms similar methods in detecting vehicles, hence it will be used in future Intelligent Transportation System deployments.
Diesel spills under stilted buildings in Canadian Arctic villages: what is the best remediation method?

In remote communities in the Canadian Arctic, petroleum hydrocarbons supply most household energy needs. Their transportation and use frequently incurs small volume spills in populated areas. The remediation method that is currently used when such spills affect the soil under northern villages’ stilted buildings is expensive and not well suited to local conditions. Here, we review local constraints and environmental considerations and select the best remediation technology for this context: in situ chemical oxidation, involving sodium persulfate (SPS) alkali activated with calcium peroxide (CP). Activated SPS presents a good reactivity and amenability to compounds found in diesel. Its high persistence allows a gradual contaminant degradation, regulating heat release from exothermic reactions associated with the oxidative reactions. CP provides suitable alkali activation, acts itself as an oxidant and provides O2 into the subsurface, which may favour a final smoothing bioremediation step. The SPS properties and the contaminant amenability mean that diesel is removed relatively efficiently, while the subsurface temperature increase is limited, thus preserving the residual permafrost. The solid form of the chemicals offers safe and economic transportation and operation, along with versatility regarding the preparation and distribution of the oxidizing solution into the subsurface. Finally, the oxidation by-products resulting from this method are not considered to be environmentally problematic in the context of the application, and they can be partly confined during the treatment.
Field-dependent carrier decay dynamics in strained In x Ga 1-x N/GaN quantum wells

We have studied the effects of an external electric field on photoluminescence spectra and carrier lifetimes in strained In x Ga 1 - x N/GaN quantum wells embedded in p-i-n light-emitting diode (LED) structures. Two sample structures with x=0.15 for blue LED's and 0.2 for green LED's have been investigated, with increasing reverse bias up to - 30 V. From spectrum-resolved photoluminescence, we observed region of blueshift and redshift in photoluminescence peak energies. From the energy shift, the strength of piezoelectric field was estimated to be 2.1′0.2 MV/cm. Within our bias range, we observed three orders and one order of magnitude changes in carrier lifetime, for blue and green LED's, respectively. These time-domain results are explained by escape tunneling and thermionic emission, together with carrier recombination which depends on the electron-hole wave function overlap change.
High sensitivity and fast response and recovery times in a ZnO nanorod array/p-Si self-powered ultraviolet detector

High quality, vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on a silicon substrate, using microwave-assisted chemical bath deposition with poly (vinyl alcohol)-Zn(OH)2 nanocomposites as seed layer. The structure and surface morphology of the prepared ZnO nanorod arrays were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The optical properties were assessed using photoluminescence measurements; the results showed a high-intensity UV peak, and a lower intensity, broader visible peak. Upon exposure to 395 nm light at a zero-bias voltage, the UV detector showed a high sensitivity of 8000% and fast response and recovery times of 25 and 22 ms, respectively.
A comparison of antibody response in kidney transplant recipients and healthcare workers who had PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection

Background/aim Data on antibody response following COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients is scarce. This crosssectional study aims to investigate the antibody response to COVID-19 among kidney transplant recipients. Materials and methods We recruited 46 kidney transplant recipients with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 and 45 recipients without COVID-19 history. We also constructed two control groups (COVID-19 positive and negative) from a historical cohort of healthcare workers. We used age and sex-based propensity score matching to select the eligible subjects to the control groups. We measured the SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels quantitatively using the Abbott ARCHITECT system. An antibody level above 1.4 S/C was defined as positivity. Results Transplant recipients with COVID-19 had a higher BMI, and COVID-19 history in a household member was more common than that of the transplant recipient without COVID-19. IgG seropositivity rate (69.6% vs. 78.3%, p = 0.238) and the median IgG level (3.28 [IQR: 0.80–5.85] vs. 4.59 [IQR: 1.61–6.06], p = 0.499) were similar in COVID-19-positive transplant recipients and controls. Kidney transplant recipients who had a longer duration between RT-PCR and antibody testing had lower antibody levels (r = −0.532, p < 0.001). Conclusion At the early post-COVID-19 period, kidney transplant recipients have a similar antibody response to controls. However, these patients’ antibody levels and immunity should be closely monitored in the long term.
Thermal and mechanical properties of amorphous selenium films in the glass transformation region

Thermal and mechanical properties of photoreceptor-type amorphous selenium (a-Se) films have been studied via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermomechanical analysis (TMA) as well as thermomicrohardness analysis (T mu HA). The a-Se films were vacuum deposited by thermal evaporation onto heated Al substrates and identically aged. The experiments were carried out over a temperature range encompassing the glass transformation to examine the nature of physical processes controlling the thermal and mechanical properties. In DSC experiments, the glass transformation kinetics was investigated via both heating and cooling schedules. By applying the present thermoanalytical methods-Ritland and Kissinger analyses-it proved possible to identify a typical Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher ( approximately exp(A/(T-T0))) type of response in the structural retardation times controlling the relaxation of the enthalpy. It was found that over a common temperature range, the temperature dependence of the mean relaxation time tau (T), whether determined from heating or cooling schedules, followed the viscosity-temperature data for a-Se suggesting that tau (T) approximately eta (T). The temperature dependence of the microhardness, Hv(T), on a semilogarithmic plot evinced a sharp decrease at a temperature Tg in the glass transformation region. The origin of this sharp decrease in the microhardness has been attributed to a structural relaxation process which has a mean retardation time proportional to the viscosity as in the enthalpy relaxation process. In the case of TMA however, it was found that the shift in the softening temperature with the heating rate indicated an apparent activation energy less than that for the viscosity. Two possible models are discussed for the interpretation of the TMA softening temperature which are based on the relaxation of the elastic modulus and an elastic deformation to viscous flow transition. By comparing the results from the present thermal and mechanical studies with the reported viscosity-temperature data, it is concluded that the rate of relaxation of enthalpy and microhardness of a-Se in the glass transformation region is inversely proportional to the melt viscosity which can be adequately described over a temperature range above approximately 30 degrees C by a Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher expression.
THE CONTROL ACTION OF THE PERIODIC PERTURBATION ON A HYPERCHAOTIC SYSTEM

This paper presents a four-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system. By the numerical simulation the hyperchaotic attractor, Lyapunov exponents and Lyapunov dimension are obtained, also it is confirmed that hyperchaos can be driven in the system described by the equation. The control action of the periodic perturbation on the autonomous hyperchaotic system is studied, and a control rule is obtained which indicates the relationship of the control action and the frequency characteristics after degeneration of the system. Finaly the circuit implementation of the dynamical system is given.
Understanding the Allosteric Modulation of PTH1R by a Negative Allosteric Modulator

The parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor (PTH1R) acts as a canonical class B G protein-coupled receptor, regulating crucial functions including calcium homeostasis and bone formation. The identification and development of PTH1R non-peptide allosteric modulators have obtained widespread attention. It has been found that a negative allosteric modulator (NAM) could inhibit the activation of PTH1R, but the implied mechanism remains unclear. Herein, extensive molecular dynamics simulations together with multiple analytical approaches are utilized to unravel the mechanism of PTH1R allosteric inhibition. The results suggest that the binding of NAM destabilizes the structure of the PTH1R–PTH–spep/qpep (the C terminus of Gs/Gq proteins) complexes. Moreover, the presence of NAM weakens the binding of PTH/peps (spep and qpep) and PTH1R. The intra- and inter-molecular couplings are also weakened in PTH1R upon NAM binding. Interestingly, compared with our previous study of the positive allosteric effects induced by extracellular Ca2+, the enhanced correlation between the PTH and G-protein binding sites is significantly reduced by the replacement of this negative allosteric regulator. Our findings might contribute to the development of new therapeutic agents for diseases caused by the abnormal activation of PTH1R.
Lineage Reconstruction of In Vitro Identified Antigen-Specific Autoreactive B Cells from Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoires

The emergence, survival, growth and maintenance of autoreactive (AR) B-cell clones, the hallmark of humoral autoimmunity, leave their footprints in B-cell receptor repertoires. Collecting IgH sequences related to polyreactive (PR) ones from adaptive immune receptor repertoire (AIRR) datasets make the reconstruction and analysis of PR/AR B-cell lineages possible. We developed a computational approach, named ImmChainTracer, to extract members and to visualize clonal relationships of such B-cell lineages. Our approach was successfully applied on the IgH repertoires of patients suffering from monogenic hypomorphic RAG1 and 2 deficiency (pRD) or polygenic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) autoimmune diseases to identify relatives of AR IgH sequences and to track their fate in AIRRs. Signs of clonal expansion, affinity maturation and class-switching events in PR/AR and non-PR/AR B-cell lineages were revealed. An extension of our method towards B-cell expansion caused by any trigger (e.g., infection, vaccination or antibody development) may provide deeper insight into antigen specific B-lymphogenesis.
Tourism and Troubles: Effects of Security Threats on the Global Travel and Tourism Industry Performance

Literature on the effects of security threats such as terrorism, political instability, and geopolitical power-plays on travel and tourism has produced mixed results with scant attention paid to the spillover effects on the tourism economy (e.g., employment, leisure expenditure, travel, and tourism services’ contribution to gross domestic product). This study provides a conceptual framework for the transmission of direct, indirect, and induced spillover effects of security threats on travel and tourism service industries. It uses rigorous methodological design and non-spatial and spatial panel-data analyses to examine the effects of security threats on tourism demand and economy. The conceptual framework and results of spatial panel data provide novel insights into security threats’ spillover effects on spatial inter-connectivity in the tourism service industry. The results show that security threat indices have significant negative impacts on tourist receipts, but they also contribute positively to employment, leisure expenditure, and tourist arrivals. Our conceptual model and substantial findings will inform both policymakers and future research.
Analysis and control of the active area scaling effect on white organic light emitting diodes towards lighting applications

The authors investigate the scaling of the performances on white organic light emitting diode in devices having active regions ranging from 0.25to9cm2. They observe a drop in the luminance and in the current density with increasing active area of the devices. A model where both these effects are ascribed to the spread of the current leakage on the indium tin oxide surface is proposed. To limit the consequences of these effects on the device performances, they insert a pattern of metal stripes onto the anode contact. This results in a device with a maximum luminance of 1800cd∕m2 on a surface of 9cm2.
Linear waves in a one‐layer ocean model with thermodynamics

The simplest member of a family of ocean models with inhomogeneous layers is used to study the physics of an active mixed layer overlying a quiescent denser layer. The dynamical variables of the system are the depth-averaged horizontal velocity u and buoyancy ϑ fields and the layer thickness h. The potential vorticity q is not conserved in these models, unless ϑ is constant. An integral of motion quadratic in the deviation from a steady and symmetric basic state is derived and shown not to be positive definite; that is, there is no formal stability theorem (except in the case of uniform flow). This is due to a term proportional to the square of the distance between the isolines of q and ν, which is a measure of the nonconservation of q. A reference state without mean currents must have ΘH2 = constant, where Θ and H are the buoyancy and layer thickness, respectively, in that state. Linear waves superimposed on this basic state are Poincare and Rossby waves, analogous to those of a homogeneous layer problem but with a different topography. In addition, there is a force-compensating mode (FCM), which corresponds to changes in buoyancy and layer thickness that represent a vanishing contribution to the depth-averaged pressure force. The phase speed of gravity waves (in the absence of rotation effects) is . Rossby waves are driven by the gradient of ƒ/c2 (where ƒ is the Coriolis parameter) rather than by the gradient of ƒ/H, as they are in the homogeneous layer case. The quadratic integrals of motion are used to classify the types of instability. First, this is done in an a priori sense, looking for properties of an unstable basic flow that constrain the structure of growing perturbations. Second, this is done in an a posteriori sense, through the evaluation of the rate change of selected parts of those integrals of motion, as a function of the perturbation fields. It is stressed that for this method to give unambiguous results it is necessary that the integrals of motion be quadratic, to lowest order, in the perturbation. Unlike the case of the classical shallow water equations, a uniform flow in a channel may be unstable, if the buoyancy increases toward its right (left) in the northern (southern) hemisphere. In the ƒ plane this necessary instability condition corresponds to mean flow in the direction opposite to that of the propagation of Rossby waves. A growing perturbation is very well represented by the combination of a Rossby wave and an FCM (from the system without currents), which interact due to the presence of the uniform flow.
Multiomic Approaches Reveal Hormonal Modulation and Nitrogen Uptake and Assimilation in the Initial Growth of Maize Inoculated with Herbaspirillum seropedicae

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic bacterium that can fix nitrogen and synthesize phytohormones, which can lead to a plant growth-promoting effect when used as a microbial inoculant. Studies focused on mechanisms of action are crucial for a better understanding of the bacteria-plant interaction and optimization of plant growth-promoting response. This work aims to understand the underlined mechanisms responsible for the early stimulatory growth effects of H. seropedicae inoculation in maize. To perform these studies, we combined transcriptomic and proteomic approaches with physiological analysis. The results obtained eight days after inoculation (d.a.i) showed increased root biomass (233 and 253%) and shoot biomass (249 and 264%), respectively, for the fresh and dry mass of maize-inoculated seedlings and increased green content and development. Omics data analysis, before a positive biostimulation phenotype (5 d.a.i.) revealed that inoculation increases N-uptake and N-assimilation machinery through differentially expressed nitrate transporters and amino acid pathways, as well carbon/nitrogen metabolism integration by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the polyamine pathway. Additionally, phytohormone levels of root and shoot tissues increased in bacterium-inoculated-maize plants, leading to feedback regulation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The early biostimulatory effect of H. seropedicae partially results from hormonal modulation coupled with efficient nutrient uptake-assimilation and a boost in primary anabolic metabolism of carbon–nitrogen integrative pathways.
A novel approach to airway management in Pierre Robin syndrome—a case report

ABSTRACT Pierre Robin syndrome (PRS) neonates are one of the most difficult cases to intubate even for an experienced paediatric anaesthesiologist. We describe a case of a PRS-related anatomical anomaly that hindered attempts to manage the airway and the final approach that made it possible to insert an endotracheal tube (ETT). We describe the novel use of a video ureteroscope (Olympus URF-V2) as an airway endoscope. A 7-day-old, 2-kg boy was referred to our tertiary care hospital with diagnosed PRS. He was planned for correction of the mandible with mandibular distraction osteogenesis under general anaesthesia. Fibreoptic scope (Olympus, Japan) revealed the epiglottis lying on the posterior pharynx, which could not be manoeuvred. Due to repeated attempts, the patient developed laryngospasm, and his pulse arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) was reduced to 70%. Following jaw thrust and slight pulling of the tongue with Magill’s Forceps, a 150-cm long and 0.035-inch diameter atraumatic, Roadrunner® hydrophilic polyurethane-coated guidewire was introduced through the working channel of the video ureteroscope into the trachea under the vision (and a 3.5-mm ID ETT was railroaded over it and a definitive airway was established). A flexible fibreoptic ureteroscope may be useful in the management of a difficult airway and may become an important tool in the armoury of an anaesthesiologist. At our institute, which is a tertiary care centre, we are now training and utilising video-ureteroscope as an airway endoscope. To our knowledge, there is no documentary evidence of the use of a video ureteroscope for difficult airway management of a neonate.
Software-defined Wide-area Networks in the Coevolution of Network and Computational Bandwidth

Software-Defined Wide-Area Networks (SD-WAN) are a technology that utilizes programmatic configuration to maximize network throughput. The main problem to achieve efficient use of network bandwidth with SD-WAN is the network delay (latency) in the communication. A network could be further slowed down by not enough memory or CPU resources. Here we conduct experiments, investigating the capability of an SD-WAN to maximize the network throughput at increasing levels of latency. We find that to a limited extent the computational optimization at the software side could offset the network limitations. At higher network latency the SD-WAN adds little value. Further increase of the capacity can only be achieved by hardware upgrades of the network bandwidth. Such solutions may be considered drivers of a coevolutional relationship between computational and network bandwidths, whereby the network use becomes more efficient.
Comparison between Laparoscopic and Robotic Approach for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Endometrial Carcinoma Women

Robotic surgery has been approved as an alternative to laparoscopy to improve surgical outcomes. There is neither a consensus nor a systematic assessment of the literature about the superiority of the robotic approach over the laparoscopic one for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in endometrial carcinoma (EC) women. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to compare the laparoscopic and robotic approaches for SLN biopsy in EC patients. Five electronic databases were queried from their inception to May 2022 for peer-reviewed studies, comparing such approaches in SLN biopsy in EC patients. The rate of detected SLN, dissected SLN, intraoperative and postoperative complications, conversion to laparotomy, number of dissected SLN, and SLN identification and dissection time were compared between the laparoscopic and robotic approaches for SLN biopsy in EC patients. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated when possible. Two studies with 660 EC women (364 who had undergone laparoscopy, and 296 who had robotic surgery) were included. No assessed outcome showed significant differences between the two approaches. In conclusion, the laparoscopic and robotic approaches for SLN biopsy in EC patients appeared to not differ, in terms of SLN detection, intraoperative and postoperative complications, conversion to laparotomy, number of dissected SLN, and SLN identification and dissection time.
Efficacy of power‐driven interdental cleaning tools: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

To summarize the available evidence on the efficacy of power‐driven interdental cleaning tools (PDICTs) as an adjunct to tooth brushing compared to tooth brushing alone or tooth brushing combined with any other non‐PDICT in terms of interproximal plaque and gingival bleeding reduction in gingivitis patients.