Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integral Ratio: A New Class of Global Thresholding Techniques for Handwriting Images

We propose a class of histogram based global thresholding techniques called integral ratio. They are designed to threshold gray-scale handwriting images and separate the handwriting from the background. The following tight requirements must be met: 1) all the details of the handwriting are to be retained, 2) the writing paper used may contain strong colored and/or patterned background which must be removed, and 3) the handwriting may be written using a wide variety of pens such as a fountain pen, ballpoint pen, or pencil. A specific application area which requires these tight requirements is forensic document examination, where a handwritten document is often considered as legal evidence and the handwriting must not be tampered with or modified in any way. The proposed class of techniques is based on a two stage thresholding approach requiring each pixel of a handwritten image to be placed into one of three classes: foreground, background, and a fuzzy area between them where it is hard to determine whether a pixel belongs to the foreground or the background. Two techniques, native integral ratio (NIR) and quadratic integral ratio (QIR), were created based on this class and tested against two well-known thresholding techniques: Otsu's (1979) technique and the entropy thresholding technique. We found that QIR has superior performance compared to all the other techniques tested.
Interactive modelling and simulation using blending techniques

Blending splines are constructions where local geometry is blended together by a blending function to create global geometry. The different basis functions has different properties, which can be suited for different problems. Different basis functions, properties and the implementation of physical properties with a focus towards utilizing parts of blending splines in an isogeometric analysis (IGA) context constitutes the basis for the current study. This paper gives an introduction to a newly started PhD project regarding the use of blending splines in modeling and simulation environments.
In vitro mechanistic study towards a better understanding of ZnO nanoparticle toxicity

Abstract ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) elicit significant adverse effects in various cell types, organisms and in the environment. The toxicity of nanoscale ZnO has often been ascribed to the release of zinc ions from the NPs but it is not yet understood to which extent these ions contribute to ZnO NP toxicity and what are the underlying mechanisms. Here, we take one step forward by demonstrating that ZnO-induced Jurkat cell death is largely an ionic effect involving the extracellular release of high amounts of Zn(II), their rapid uptake by the cells and the induction of a caspase-independent alternative apoptosis pathway that is independent of the formation of ROS. In addition, we identified novel coating strategies to reduce ZnO NP dissolution and subsequent adverse effects.
Climate Smart Agriculture? Assessing the Adaptation Implications in Zambia

We examine a set of potentially climate smart agricultural practices, including reduced tillage, crop rotation and legume intercropping, combined with the use of improved seeds and inorganic fertiliser, for their effects on maize yields in Zambia. We use panel data from the Rural Incomes and Livelihoods Surveys merged with a novel set of climatic variables based on geo-referenced historical rainfall and temperature data to explore the changing effects of these practices with climatic conditions. We estimate the impacts on maize yields, and also on the exhibition of very low yields and yield shortfalls from average levels, as indicators of resilience, while controlling for household characteristics. We find that minimum soil disturbance and crop rotation have no significant impact on these yield outcomes, but that legume intercropping significantly increases yields and reduces the probability of low yields even under critical weather stress during the growing season. We also find that the average positive impacts of modern input use (seeds and fertilisers) are significantly conditioned by climatic variables. Timely access to fertiliser emerges as one of the most robust determinants of yields and their resilience. These results have policy implications for targeted interventions to improve theproductivity and the resilience of smallholder agriculture in Zambia in the face of climate change.
CD8α+βlow Effector T Cells in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disorder characterized by the loss of self‐tolerance to nuclear antigens. Aberrant T‐cell function plays a central role in lupus pathogenesis. We and others previously demonstrated that peripheral TCRαβ+CD3+ T cells express CD8β either at a high (CD8βhigh) or low density (CD8βlow), thereby defining two functionally distinct subsets. CD8βlow T cells express predominantly CD8αα and less CD8αβ as a coreceptor, display a differentiated phenotype and exert effector function. CD8βhigh T cells appear to be the precursors expressing predominantly the heterodimeric efficient CD8αβ coreceptor, exhibiting a naïve phenotype and high proliferative capacity. In the present study, the distribution and functional properties of CD8βhigh and CD8βlow T cells of SLE patients were compared (n = 20) with those of healthy subjects (n = 16). It was found that expansion of CD8βlow T‐cell subset correlated with disease activity indicating chronic antigenic stimulation leading to a major lack of naïve CD8βhigh precursor T cells in SLE. Functional characteristics of CD8βlow T cells including production of cytokines and cytotoxic granules were not significantly different between patients with SLE and healthy individuals. We speculate that unbalanced CD8βhigh/CD8βlow T‐cell relation reflects a skewed homeostasis within the CD8+ T‐cell compartment towards fully differentiated effector T cells possibly due to persistent antigen stimulation in SLE.
Cutting Planes and the Elementary Closure in Fixed Dimension

The elementary closureP' of a polyhedronP is the intersection ofP with all its Gomory-Chvatal cutting planes.P' is a rational polyhedron provided thatP is rational. The known bounds for the number of inequalities definingP' are exponential, even in fixed dimension. We show that the number of inequalities needed to describe the elementary closure of a rational polyhedron is polynomially bounded in fixed dimension. IfP is a simplicial cone, we construct a polytopeQ, whose integral elements correspond to cutting planes ofP. The vertices of the integer hullQ Iinclude the facets ofP'. A polynomial upper bound on their number can be obtained by applying a result of Cook et al. (1992). Finally, we present a polynomial algorithm in varying dimension, which computes cutting planes for a simplicial cone that correspond to vertices ofQ I .
Theorizing the Diffusion of International Human Resource Practices: Towards an Integrated Conceptual Approach

With the increasing globalization of the world economy and the rapid diffusion of international management practices, a vast literature has emerged on how and why some of these practices are adopted or rejected by firms. A central issue in this body of literature is whether firms’ adoption of management practices is triggered by a need to improve corporate performance (rationalism) or necessitated by institutional factors and constraints (institutionalism). This review of rationalist and institutionalist conceptual approaches is particularly interesting given that in the (prescriptive) human resource management literature the rationalist presumption of strategic choice and managerial autonomy is usually taken for granted, a view institutionalist approaches tend to criticize for being overly rationalist and acontextual. In concluding, the paper agues that since organizations are faced with both rationalist and institutionalist pressures in their choice of human resource practices, there is a need for robust, integrated frameworks that incorporate this duality.
The Microbial Genetics of Antibiotic Cycling

Abstract Cycling of currently available antibiotics to reduce resistance is an attractive concept. For cycling strategies to be successful, their implementation must have a demonstrable impact on the prevalence of resistance determinants already dispersed throughout the hospital and associated healthcare facilities. While antibiotic use in hospitals clearly constitutes a stimulus for the emergence of resistance, it is by no means the only important factor. The incorporation of resistance determinants into potentially stable genetic structures, including bacteriophages, plasmids, transposons, and the more newly discovered movable elements termed integrons and gene cassettes, forces some degree of skepticism about the potential for such strategies in institutions where resistance determinants are already prevalent. In particular, the expanding role of integrons may pose an ultimate threat to formulary manipulations such as cycling. Despite these concerns, the crisis posed by antimicrobial resistance warrants investigation of any strategy with the potential for reducing the prevalence of resistance. Over the next decade, new studies with carefully designed outcomes should determine the utility of antibiotic cycling as one control measure for nosocomial resistance.
Hierarchical Community Detection Algorithm based on Local Similarity

Although community, one of the general characteristics of complex networks, has obvious hierarchical structure, in-depth research on its application in the current community detection algorithms is limited. In this paper we present a novel hierarchical community detection algorithm which starts from the node similarity calculation based on local adjacency in networks. Then we find the initial communities and joint them one by one as starting point from the bottom all the way to the top until all nodes fall within the same community. The concept of community similarity is defined for better community incorporation and each time, initial communities with the most similarity are integrated. Taking the advantage of time efficiency in local community mining, this kind of algorithm recognizes the community structure accurately when revealing the hierarchical structure of community, as the experiment shows.
Contemporary technologies for remineralization therapies : A review

Enamel minerals The mineral in dentine and enamel is not pure hydroxyapatite, but rather a mixture of compounds including a number of carbonated apatites, with greater diversity of composition in dentine than in enamel. Fluorapatite is less acid soluble than hydroxyapatite, which in turn is less soluble than carbonated apatites. Because of this chemical inhomogeneity of enamel, the process of enamel remineralization is rather complex. While a ratio of 10 calcium ions to 6 phosphate ions to 2 fluoride or hydroxyl ions (or one carbonate ion) appears suitable, there is evidence which supports other ratios for calcium to other components. Nevertheless, calcium availability remains the singular limiting factor in enamel remineralization. One of the most important properties of calcium phosphate/calcium fluoride materials is their solubility behavior, bearing in mind that the majority of calcium compounds are very insoluble.
Identification and Characterization of a Gene Encoding a Gut-enriched Krüppel-like Factor Expressed during Growth Arrest*

A cDNA clone, named gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor (GKLF), was isolated from an NIH 3T3 library using a probe encoding the zinc finger region of the immediate-early transcription factor zif/268. The deduced GKLF amino acid sequence contains three tandem zinc fingers that are related to members of the Krüppel family of transcription factors. By indirect immunofluorescence, GKLF is localized to the cell nucleus. In cultured fibroblasts, GKLF mRNA is found in high levels in growth-arrested cells and is nearly undetectable in cells that are in the exponential phase of proliferation. The growth-arresting nature of GKLF is demonstrated by an inhibition of DNA synthesis in cells transfected with a GKLF-expressing plasmid construct. In the mouse, GKLF mRNA is present in select tissues and is most abundant in the colon, followed by the testis, lung, and small intestine. In situ hybridization experiments indicate that GKLF mRNA is enriched in epithelial cells located in the middle to upper crypt region of the colonic mucosa. Taken together, these results suggest that GKLF is potentially a negative regulator of cell growth in tissues such as the gut mucosa, where cell proliferation is intimately coupled to growth arrest and differentiation.
Segmentation robuste de vertèbres

Nous proposons une nouvelle methode de segmentation vertebrale pour les donnees TDM 3D robuste aux problemes rencontres en routine clinique. Cette methode comporte deux etapes principales : la premiere est une nouvelle methode coarse-to-fine produisant une premiere forme grossiere de la vertebre, la seconde est une segmentation par chaine de Markov Cachee (CMC) introduisant une nouvelle transformation du volume en chaine pour produire un resultat regulier. Cette methode n'introduit pas d'a priori sur la forme des vertebres et permet donc de prendre en compte les cas particuliers et pathologiques, courants en routine clinique. Elle est testee et validee sur un ensemble de vertebres issues de scanners realises chez des patients explores en routine clinique, ainsi que dans le contexte de traitements de colonnes entieres, puis validee par un expert.
Symbolic Fractional Dynamics

Fractional dynamics reveals long range memory properties of systems described by means of signals represented by real numbers. Alternatively, dynamical systems and signals can adopt a representation where states are quantified using a set of symbols. Such signals occur both in nature and in man made processes and have the potential of a aftermath as relevant as the classical counterpart. This paper explores the association of Fractional calculus and symbolic dynamics. The results are visualized by means of the multidimensional technique and reveal the association between the fractal dimension and one definition of fractional derivative.
A personalized approach to deliver health care information to diabetic patients in community care clinics.

OBJECTIVE The study's purpose was to test the generalizability of an individualized information prescription model, which has been previously validated for educating patients about hypertension in emergency department and community health center settings. Study investigators assessed the effects of educational materials targeted to health literacy levels and learning styles on patients' diabetes knowledge in a community clinic setting. METHODS From May to August 2012, 160 patients were recruited and randomized into intervention (n = 81) and control (n = 79) groups. Inclusion criteria included 18 years or older, English or Spanish speaker, and a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Measures included modified versions of the Diabetes Knowledge Test and Subjective Numeracy Scale, along with brief health literacy and learning style assessments. Study team members contacted both groups after 2 and 6 weeks to reassess diabetes knowledge. RESULTS The control group showed no significant change in diabetes knowledge at both follow-ups. In contrast, the mean number of diabetes knowledge questions answered correctly by the intervention group increased significantly after 2 weeks (Δ = 2.66, P = 0.000), which persisted at 6 weeks (Δ = 2.46, P = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that patients' knowledge about diabetes increased significantly after exposure to educational materials targeted to their health literacy levels and learning style preferences and that the model is transferrable among health conditions.
A comparison of balloon-expandable-stent implantation with balloon angioplasty in patients with coronary artery disease. Benestent Study Group.

BACKGROUND Balloon-expandable coronary-artery stents were developed to prevent coronary restenosis after coronary angioplasty. These devices hold coronary vessels open at sites that have been dilated. However, it is unknown whether stenting improves long-term angiographic and clinical outcomes as compared with standard balloon angioplasty. METHODS A total of 520 patients with stable angina and a single coronary-artery lesion were randomly assigned to either stent implantation (262 patients) or standard balloon angioplasty (258 patients). The primary clinical end points were death, the occurrence of a cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, the need for coronary-artery bypass surgery, or a second percutaneous intervention involving the previously treated lesion, either at the time of the initial procedure or during the subsequent seven months. The primary angiographic end point was the minimal luminal diameter at follow-up, as determined by quantitative coronary angiography. RESULTS After exclusions, 52 patients in the stent group (20 percent) and 76 patients in the angioplasty group (30 percent) reached a primary clinical end point (relative risk, 0.68; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.50 to 0.92; P = 0.02). The difference in clinical-event rates was explained mainly by a reduced need for a second coronary angioplasty in the stent group (relative risk, 0.58; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.85; P = 0.005). The mean (+/- SD) minimal luminal diameters immediately after the procedure were 2.48 +/- 0.39 mm in the stent group and 2.05 +/- 0.33 mm in the angioplasty group; at follow-up, the diameters were 1.82 +/- 0.64 mm in the stent group and 1.73 +/- 0.55 mm in the angioplasty group (P = 0.09), which correspond to rates of restenosis (diameter of stenosis, > or = 50 percent) of 22 and 32 percent, respectively (P = 0.02). Peripheral vascular complications necessitating surgery, blood transfusion, or both were more frequent after stenting than after balloon angioplasty (13.5 vs. 3.1 percent, P < 0.001). The mean hospital stay was significantly longer in the stent group than in the angioplasty group (8.5 vs. 3.1 days, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Over seven months of follow-up, the clinical and angiographic outcomes were better in patients who received a stent than in those who received standard coronary angioplasty. However, this benefit was achieved at the cost of a significantly higher risk of vascular complications at the access site and a longer hospital stay.
Multi-agency working in British social policy: Risk, information sharing and privacy

Tensions between goals of integrated, seamless public services and of client confidentiality are increasingly important, as trends in public services require more extensive sharing of information about users of those services. This article identifies reasons why these tensions have become more salient under the Labour Government in the UK and the types of policy initiative that now give rise to them, before considering the development of the policy frameworks intended to strike settlements between these goals. In conclusion, the sustainability of these settlements is considered in the context of the trade-off between the risks of different types of judgment errors likely to be made by professionals providing public services in decisions on whether, when and how much to share client information.
Spindrehimpuls in der allgemeinen RelativitätstheorieDer

In seiner allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie hat Einstein den Energie-Impuls der Materie geometrisiert. Spinnende Materie besitzt aber neben den Translations- zusatzlich noch Rotationsfreiheitsgrade, die im Spindrehimpuls ihren Ausdruck finden; fur dessen Beschreibung ist jedoch in der allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie keine geometrische Grose verfugbar. In diesem Artikel wird daher im Anschlus an Arbeiten von Sciama, Kibble, Kroner und dem Verfasser die dem Spindrehimpuls zugeordnete Raumgrose aufgesucht und eine allgemein-relativistische Feldtheorie fur Energie-Impuls und Spindrehimpuls angegeben. Im ersten Kapitel erlautern wir zuerst die unserer Arbeit zugrunde liegende Konzeption (§1). Wesentlich ist dabei, das materieller Spindrehimpuls dem antisymmetrischen Teil der affinen Konnexion, der sog. Cartanschen Torsion aquivalent ist. §2 gibt eine Literaturubersicht, und in §3 fuhren wir etwas naher eine zwischen der Feldtheorie der Versetzungen und der allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie bestehende Analogie aus, die den Ausgangspunkt unserer Uberlegungen bildete. In §4 werden eine Reihe mathematischer Formeln aufgestellt, die wir spater benotigen werden. Das zweite Kapitel dient der eigentlichen Ausarbeitung der Theorie. In §5 wird als physikalischer Erfahrungsraum der allgemeinste metrische und affine Raum eingefuhrt. Gegenuber dem Riemannschen Raume der allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie besitzt er als zusatzliche Struktur die Cartansche Torsion. Betten wir die Wirkungsfunktion der Materie in diesen Raum ein (§6), so folgen aus ihrer Invarianz gegenuber beliebigen Koordinatentransformationen gewisse Identitaten. Wir definieren in §7 den Energie-Impuls und den Spindrehimpuls der Materie dynamisch und konnen dann in §8 die erwahnten Identitaten auswerten: die dynamisch definierten Energie-Impuls- bzw. Spindrehimpuls-Tensoren sind mit den entsprechenden kanonischen Tensoren, die aus dem Lagrange-Formalismus folgen, identisch. Zudem erhalten wir die explizite Form der Erhaltungssatze fur Energie-Impuls und Drehimpuls. Diese Ergebnisse gelten bei beliebiger Form der Feldgleichungen der Gravitation. Letztere stellen wir erst in §9 mit Hilfe des Hamiltonschen Prinzipes auf. Die Wahl einer bestimmten Wirkungsfunktion des Feldes fuhrt zu den Feldgleichungen Einstein-Tensor = kanon. Energie-Impuls, (modifizierte) Cartansche Torsion = kanon. Spindrehimpuls. In §10 diskutieren wir die dargelegte Theorie und schneiden einige noch offene Probleme an.
Immune Modulating Topical S100A8/A9 Inhibits Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mitigates Biofilm Infection in Chronic Wounds

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm maintains and perturbs local host defense, hindering timely wound healing. Previously, we showed that P. aeruginosa suppressed S100A8/A9 of the murine innate host defense. We assessed the potential antimicrobial effect of S100A8/A9 on biofilm-infected wounds in a murine model and P. aeruginosa growth in vitro. Seventy-six mice, inflicted with a full-thickness burn wound were challenged subcutaneously (s.c.) by 106 colony-forming units (CFUs) of P. aeruginosa biofilm. Mice were subsequently randomized into two treatment groups, one group receiving recombinant murine S100A8/A9 and a group of vehicle controls (phosphate-buffered saline, PBS) all treated with s.c. injections daily for up to five days. Wounds were analyzed for quantitative bacteriology and contents of key inflammatory markers. Count of blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes was included. S100A8/A9-treatment ameliorated wound infection, as evaluated by quantitative bacteriology (p ≤ 0.05). In vitro, growth of P. aeruginosa was inhibited dose-dependently by S100A8/A9 in concentrations from 5 to 40 μg/mL, as determined by optical density-measurement (OD-measurement) and quantitative bacteriology. Treatment slightly augmented key inflammatory cytokine Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), but dampened interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels and blood polymorphonuclear count. In conclusion, topical S100A8/A9 displays remarkable novel immune stimulatory and anti-infective properties in vivo and in vitro. Importantly, treatment by S100A8/A9 provides local infection control. Implications for a role as adjunctive treatment in healing of chronic biofilm-infected wounds are discussed.