Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Learning-Based Steel Bridge Corrosion Segmentation and Condition Rating Using Mask RCNN and YOLOv8

The application of deep learning (DL) algorithms has become of great interest in recent years due to their superior performance in structural damage identification, including the detection of corrosion. There has been growing interest in the application of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for corrosion detection and classification. However, current approaches primarily involve detecting corrosion within bounding boxes, lacking the segmentation of corrosion with irregular boundary shapes. As a result, it becomes challenging to quantify corrosion areas and severity, which is crucial for engineers to rate the condition of structural elements and assess the performance of infrastructures. Furthermore, training an efficient deep learning model requires a large number of corrosion images and the manual labeling of every single image. This process can be tedious and labor-intensive. In this project, an open-source steel bridge corrosion dataset along with corresponding annotations was generated. This database contains 514 images with various corrosion severity levels, gathered from a variety of steel bridges. A pixel-level annotation was performed according to the Bridge Inspectors Reference Manual (BIRM) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) regulations for corrosion condition rating (defect #1000). Two state-of-the-art semantic segmentation algorithms, Mask RCNN and YOLOv8, were trained and validated on the dataset. These trained models were then tested on a set of test images and the results were compared. The trained Mask RCNN and YOLOv8 models demonstrated satisfactory performance in segmenting and rating corrosion, making them suitable for practical applications.
In silico Analysis of Anti-cervical Cancer Drug Off-Target Effects on Diverse Protein Isoforms for Enhanced Therapeutic Strategies

Background. Cervical cancer is a serious medical condition that affects hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide annually. The selection and analysis of suitable gene targets in the early stages of drug design are crucial for combating this disease. However, overlooking the presence of various protein isoforms may result in unwanted therapeutic or harmful side effects. Objective. This study aimed to provide a computational analysis of the interactions between cervical cancer drugs and their targets, influenced by alternative splicing. Methods. Using open-access databases, we targeted 45 FDA-approved cervical cancer drugs that target various genes having more than two distinct protein-coding isoforms. To check the conservation of binding pocket in isoforms of the genes, multiple sequence analysis was performed. To better understand the associations between proteins and FDA-approved drugs at the isoform level, we conducted molecular docking analysis. Results. The study reveals that many drugs lack potential targets at the isoform level. Further examination of various isoforms of the same gene revealed distinct ligand-binding pocket configurations, including differences in size, shape, electrostatic characteristics, and structure. Conclusions. This study highlights the potential risks of focusing solely on the canonical isoform, and ignoring the impact of cervical cancer drugs on- and off-target effects at the isoform level. These findings emphasize the importance of considering interactions between drugs and their targets at the isoform level to promote effective treatment outcomes.
In-vitro selection of drought tolerant doubled haploid rice lines using polyethylene glycol (PEG)

The present study was conducted to determine the response of 55 double haploid (DH) rice lines developed for drought tolerance from the cross Swarna × IR159B in polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced drought stress under in-vitro conditions (DH lines named as double haploid rice lines-DRL). Drought stress was created using PEG-6000 at different level of external water potential. Analyzed seedling traits of DRLs showed significant differences in response to different PEG concentrations. A decrement in plant growth at seedling stage with the increase in PEG concentration was observed as expected. Among 55DRLs, 14 DRLs were found to be drought tolerant sustaining the stress level till -7.5 bar as of the tolerant checks. Further, Drought linked SSRs were also evaluated in developed rice lines. Out of 8 SSRs, RM55 (R2 value- 13.5%) and RM259 (R2 value- 13.9%) found to be exhibiting significant association with the shoot/root ratio at - 7.5 bar stress level. Out of 14 DRLs, 9 DRLs were found to be showing drought tolerant in phenotypic and genotypic screening. Hence, PEG induced stress screening method used in this study will serve as the baseline for screening of rice lines for drought tolerance at very early stage without exploitation of much resource.
PENGELOLAAN RUMAH TINGGAL SEHAT TERHADAP RAGAM CEMARAN MIKROBA PADA RUMAH PERKOTAAN

Masalah rumah di perkotaan menyangkut kualitas dan kwantitas. Menurut Ditjen PPM dan PL, (2002) penyakit ISPA penyebab kematian kedua, tuberculosis ketiga, diare keempat, ini erat kaitannya dengan kondisi sanitasi rumah yang tidak sehat. Kondisi udara dan kelembaban mempengaruhi jumlah mikroba udara. Keberadaan mikroba udara dalam rumah menyebabkan masalah kesehatan pada rumah tinggal. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengidentifikasi jumlah dan ragam mikroba. Parameternya ragam cemaran bakteri dan jamur. Jenis penelitian deskriptif observasional laboratorik. Sampel 12 rumah di pusat kota Malang, kecamatan Klojen, Kelurahan Kiduldalem. Teknik pengambilan sampel purposive sampling. Metode penelitian (1) isolasi mikroba dan (2) identifikasi mikroba. Hasil dikarakterisasi dengan Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. Data berupa jumlah rerata jamur dan bakteri pada masing-masing ruang dalam rumah yakni ruang tamu, kamar tidur, ruang keluarga, dapur dan kamar mandi. Hasil penelitian 1) jumlah koloni jamur rata-rata pada ruang tamu: 46.2, kamar tidur: 55.7, ruang keluarga: 50.7, dapur: 48.2 dan kamar mandi: 71. 2) Jumlah bakteri pada ruang tamu: 96.2, kamar tidur: 73.4 , ruang keluarga: 86.8, dapur: 52.2 dan kamar mandi: 45.2. Hasil identifikasi ragam cemaran jamur yakni Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus dan Trichosporun mucoides. Sedangkan ragam cemaran bakteri yang ditemukan adalah Escherichia coli inactive, Acinetobacter lwoffii, dan Klebsiella azaenae. Dengan diketemukannya ragam cemaran mikroba ini maka perlu pengelolaan rumah perkotaan agar menjadi rumah sehat, yakni dengan memenuhi persyaratan kesehatan suatu rumah tinggal sesuai dengan Permenkes No.829/Menkes/SK/VII/1999.
USAGE OF ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF KNEE JOINT DISORDERS

Following article address the issue of automatic knee disorder diagnose with usage of neural networks. We proposed several hybrid neural net architectures which aim to successfully classify abnormality using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) images acquired from publicly available dataset. To construct such combinations of models we used pretrained Alexnet, Resnet18 and Resnet34 downloaded from Torchvision. Experiments showed that for certain abnormalities our models can achieve up to 90% accuracy.
Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells Show Stability of BDNF Protein Expression in Mossy Fiber Axons with Age, and Resistance to Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology in a Mouse Model

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is important in the development and maintenance of neurons and their plasticity. Hippocampal BDNF has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because hippocampal levels in AD patients and AD animal models are often downregulated, suggesting that reduced BDNF contributes to AD. However, the location where hippocampal BDNF protein is most highly expressed, the mossy fiber (MF) axons of dentate gyrus granule cells (GCs), has been understudied, and not in controlled conditions. Therefore, we evaluated MF BDNF protein in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. Tg2576 and wild-type (WT) mice of both sexes were examined at 2–3 months of age, when amyloid-β (Aβ) is present in neurons but plaques are absent, and 11–20 months of age, after plaque accumulation. As shown previously, WT mice exhibited high levels of MF BDNF protein. Interestingly, there was no significant decline with age in either the genotype or sex. Notably, MF BDNF protein was correlated with GC ΔFosB, a transcription factor that increases after 1–2 weeks of elevated neuronal activity. We also report the novel finding that Aβ in GCs or the GC layer was minimal even at old ages. The results indicate that MF BDNF is stable in the Tg2576 mouse, and MF BDNF may remain unchanged due to increased GC neuronal activity, since BDNF expression is well known to be activity dependent. The resistance of GCs to long-term Aβ accumulation provides an opportunity to understand how to protect vulnerable neurons from increased Aβ levels and therefore has translational implications.
VALORACIÓN ACTITUDINAL FRENTE A TEMAS AMBIENTALES

The scale of attitudes by Moreno, Corraliza & Ruiz (2005) was applied to 367 students from the city of Talca. An adequate internal consistency of the scale is confirmed; α Cronbach = 0.776. It was detected that it is in the attitudinal variables, corresponding to the personal framework, where the major differences occur i.e., assessment and moral obligation, and the minor differences were found in the
Journey to the End of the World Map - How Edges of World Maps Shape the Spatial Mind

World maps are among the most widely used geomedia products for visualizing global phenomena. Since there are, theoretically, infinite ways to portray Earth’s spherical surface on a plane, the question of the most appropriate world map design has been widely discussed in recent decades. However, this discussion has focused mainly on different projections, while another basic characteristic of any map, i.e. the presence of map edges, has been largely ignored so far. In view of this gap in cartographic research, this article examines empirically whether spatial relations are memorized differently by learners when these are presented on maps that have differently positioned edges. Distance estimations between locations learnt on Eurocentric and Americentric world maps are compared for this purpose. In line with previous spatial cognition research on barrier effects, our results indicate that distances are memorized more exactly when relevant inter-object relations are not being cut by map edges. Hence, designing an appropriate world map does not seem to be a problem purely of map projection; the position of the map’s edges shapes the knowledge that users may acquire when reading a map.
Smoking cessation education and training in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the United States

Background: OB/GYN physicians should be involved in providing smoking cessation counseling to their patients who smoke, especially pregnant patients. However, the smoking cessation practices of OB/GYN physicians seem to be dependent on their education and training and not much is known about their training during medical school. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the smoking cessation education provided by OB/GYN residency training programs in the United States. Methods: The investigators developed and mailed a valid and reliable survey to all allopathic and osteopathic OB/GYN Residency Directors in the US (n = 275). The internal reliability coefficients (Cronbach alpha) for the four major subscales ranged from 0.63 to 0.90. Best practices in survey research were used to achieve a final response rate of 58%. Results: The majority of residency programs (60%) did not have a formal, structured curriculum in tobacco topics and/or smoking cessation. In contrast, 40% of programs reported having a formal, structured tobacco education curriculum. Sixty-five percent of programs did not formally evaluate residents’ competence in providing smoking cessation counseling to patients. A range of 42% to 57% of residency programs reported spending less than one hour/year on teaching various basic science and clinical science topics related to tobacco use. The majority of residency programs spent no time teaching residents about the socio-political aspects of tobacco use cessation. Lack of teaching time was identified by the majority (51%) of the residency directors as a barrier to teaching smoking cessation. Conclusion: Although OB/GYN physicians are expected to provide smoking cessation counseling to their patients, the majority of OB/GYN residency programs in the United States provide minimal education and training in this area. Therefore, continuing medical education on smoking cessation counseling should be broadly implemented for OB/GYN physicians.
Implications of alder shrub growth for alpine tundra soil properties in Interior Alaska

ABSTRACT The increase in deciduous shrub growth in response to climate change throughout the Arctic tundra has uncertain implications, in part due to a lack of field observations. Here we investigate how increasing alder shrub growth in alpine tundra in Interior Alaska corresponds to active layer thickness and soil physical properties. We documented increased alder growth by combining biomass harvests and dendrochronology with the analysis of remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and fire history. Active layer thickness was measured with a tile probe and carbon and nitrogen pools were assessed via elemental analysis. Shallower organic layers under increasing alder growth indicate that nitrogen-rich, deciduous litter inputs may play a role in accelerating decomposition. Despite the observed reduction in organic carbon stocks, active layer thickness was the same under alder and adjacent graminoid tundra, implying deeper thaw of the underlying mineral soil. This study provides further evidence that the widely observed expansion of deciduous shrubs into graminoid tundra will reduce ecosystem carbon stocks and intensify soil–atmosphere thermal coupling. PLA IN LANGUAGE SUMMARY Two consequences of rapid climate warming in the Arctic, where grass-like plants dominate under very cold conditions, are an increased growth and occurrence of shrubs and associated thaw of frozen ground. This exposes organic matter in soils to microbes that can decompose it into carbonaceous greenhouse gases, but some of this carbon loss may be offset by the increased plant growth. Here, we investigate the impacts of greater shrub presence on soil properties at five sites in Alaska. We documented shrub growth by analyzing satellite images, which can help us understand the productivity and/or leaf coverage at each site back in time, and annual growth rings in shrub stems, which show how old the shrubs are and how much they grow each year. We also measured the depth of soil thaw in the field and its organic matter content in a laboratory. Where shrubs were more common, we found a thinner layer of organic matter at the soil surface. Thaw depth remained the same, which may indicate that the presence of shrubs results in deeper thaw of the mineral soil. Our findings support the hypothesis that shrub expansion will further enhance warming-driven increases of greenhouse gas emissions from Arctic landscapes. KEY POINTS Trends in dendrochronology and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index reveal increasing growth of alder shrubs in Interior Alaska. More alder cover results in the loss of the soil organic layer and thus soil C and N that is not offset by more shrub biomass. Increasing alder growth may promote permafrost thaw not captured by tile probe active layer thickness monitoring.
Spatial–Temporal Attention and Information Reinforcement Network for Machine Remaining Useful Life Prediction

Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is crucial for enhancing equipment reliability and safety in industry. In recent years, deep learning techniques, particularly those based on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, have been widely used in the field. However, the performance of LSTM-based models is often constrained by the loss of early time dependence. In addition, learning the mapping relationships between large multisensor data and features poses a challenge. To address these issues, a novel multisensor data-driven RUL prediction method named the spatial–temporal attention and information reinforcement network (STAIRnet) is proposed. First, the spatial–temporal attention module (STAM) adaptively weights and encodes the original signal in both temporal and spatial dimensions. Second, the feature extraction module (FEM) extracts hidden features from the weighted data, while the lookback mechanism filters the hidden states. Following that, the information reinforcement module (IRM) decodes the encoded information and supplements, which reinforces the hidden features to improve the model performance. Finally, degraded features are mapped to specific RUL values. The effectiveness of STAIRnet was validated using a commonly used dataset. The results demonstrated that the proposed method outperformed other approaches in terms of prediction accuracy and computational efficiency.
Totally Implantable Venous Access Devices: Study of 1,613 Patients and Complication Management

Objectives: Totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) are crucial for treating patients with malignancy. However, reaching the intravenous route is rendered difficult owing to the consequences of chemotherapy. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the early and late complications associated with percutaneous insertion and TIVAD use. Methods: A total of 1,647 TIVAD procedures in 1,613 patients between 2010 and 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. All TIVADs were placed in the cardiovascular surgeon operating room under sedation. A C-arm fluoroscopy machine and ultrasound were used during the procedure. Results: A total of 1,613 patients were included in the study, of which 1,085 were males and 528 were females. The mean age of these patients was 49.8±19.2 (16–86) years. At the right side, 1,403 devices were implanted (791 right subclavian vein and 612 right internal jugular vein), while 210 were implanted at the left side (128 left subclavian vein and 82 left internal jugular vein). During the study period, 285 early and 142 late complications were detected. TIVAD insertions were performed successfully, with no recorded deaths. Conclusion: This study revealed that TIVADs are relatively safe procedures. Majority of the early complications are related to the implantation technique, whereas late complications are associated with catheter fatigue or the use of inlabrate. These complications can be prevented by adhering to rules of the procedure and employing the appropriate technique. Although C-arm fluoroscopy is crucial for these procedures, a risk of accumulated radiation exposure exists but can be reduced with utmost care.
On the Relationship of Travel Time and Energy Efficiency of Industrial Robots

This paper presents an approach to quantify the energy saving potential with regard to travel time of industrial robot motions. In order to minimize the influence of the exemplary considered trajectories and, thus, provide general results, the evaluation is done on a large set of automatically generated point-to-point motions on a KUKA KR 210 serial robot. For this purpose, an energy model specifically tailored to industrial robots is introduced, along with an algorithm for automatic generation of appropriate evaluation trajectories. It is shown that the power consumption model requires an accurate inverse dynamics and friction model, while simplified models of motors and invertes yield sufficient results.
Viðhorf endurskoðenda til endurskoðunarnefnda

Í lögum um ársreikninga nr. 3/2006 er kveðið á um að stjórn viðkomandi einingar sem tengist almannahagsmunum skipi nefndarmenn í endurskoðunarnefnd. Endurskoðunarnefnd fer með hluta af þeim verkefnum sem stjórn hafði áður á sínu borði sem á að tryggja gæði og áreiðanleika fjárhagsupplýsinga, hvort heldur er um að ræða skýrslur til stjórnenda félagsins eða til hagsmunaaðila utan félagsins. Tilvist endurskoðunarnefnda tengist því beint góðum stjórnarháttum. Starfsumhverfi endurskoðunarnefnda hafa hins vegar verið lítið rannsakað á Íslandi jafnvel þó að þær gegni mikilvægu hlutverki í stjórnarháttum fyrirtækjum. Endurskoðunarnefndir fara með störf sem stjórnir fyrirtækja höfðu áður á sínu borði. Greinin byggir á tveimur rannsóknum, annars vegar frá 2018 og hins vegar frá 2022 þar sem ytri endurskoðendur voru þátttakendur í spurningakönnun og í rýnihópi. Sambærileg samanburðarrannsókn hefur ekki verið gerð áður á Íslandi, þar sem umhverfið er endurskoðunarnefndir. Samanburðarrannsókn þessi felur í sér viðhorf ytri endurskoðenda til endurskoðunarnefnda t.d. hvort endurskoðunarnefndir hafi aukið gagnsæi og traust á fjárhagsupplýsingum fyrirtækja, að mati þátttakenda. Þátttakendur ræða m.a. hugtökin traust og gæði í samhengi við starfssvið endurskoðunarnefnda. Jafnframt er rætt um undirbúning nefndarmanna fyrir fundi, umræður og virkni þeirra og síðast en ekki síst um ábendingar og framlag til bættrar ytri endurskoðunar. Rannsóknarspurningin sem unnið er með er hvort viðhorf endurskoðenda til endurskoðunarnefnda 2022 hafi breyst frá 2018 og leitað mögulegra skýringa Samanburður á niðurstöðum þessara tveggja rannsókna, 2018 og 2022, bendir til þess að breytingar séu á viðhorfi ytri endurskoðenda til verklags endurskoðunarnefnda. Til að rýna í einstök atriði, eins og sérþekkingu, gagnsæi og traust, var fenginn rýnihópur úr hópi þátttakenda í könnuninni 2022. Niðurstöður rannsóknanna tveggja er jákvætt viðhorf gagnvart starfsemi endurskoðunarnefnda. Í báðum rannsóknunum töldu 35-40% þátttakenda að mest vantaði sérþekkingu er tengist reikningsskilum og endurskoðun.
Approaches and Directions for the Physiotherapeutic Management of Patients with “Duchenne” Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) affects cardiac and skeletal muscles but represents a condition that causes numerous secondary pathologies. Although there is no curative treatment available, multidisciplinary approaches, centered on the needs of the patient, improve the quality and duration of life. Therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, physical activities, and respiratory physiotherapy, but also the management of cardiac, osteo-muscular, and neuro-psychiatric manifestations, are continuously developing, (as new data becomes available) and are the key to DMD management today. These multidisciplinary approaches can lead to good long-term outcomes by helping patients with muscular dystrophy reduce muscle damage, early detect and treat heart failure, and manage cognitive impairment as best they can.