Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Track-to-Track Fusion Using Split Covariance Intersection Filter-Information Matrix Filter ( SCIF-IMF ) for Vehicle Surrounding Environment Perception

an important process for many applications. Nowadays, a tendency is to incorporate redundant and complementary sensors into an intelligent vehicle, in order to enhance its perception ability; then an essential issue arises naturally, i.e. what fusion architecture can be used to combine the data from multiple sensors? In this paper, we propose a new track-to-track fusion architecture using the split covariance intersection filter-information matrix filter (SCIF-IMF). The basic idea is to use the IMF (adapted for estimates in split form) to handle the track temporal correlation of each sensor system and to use the SCIF to handle track spatial correlation. The proposed architecture enjoys complete sensor modularity and thus enables flexible self-adjustment. A simulation based comparative study is presented, which shows that the track-to-track fusion architecture using the SCIF-IMF can achieve centralized architecture comparable performance.
DNA Repair Capacity-Related to Genetic Polymorphisms of DNA Repair Genes and Aflatoxin B1-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among Chinese Population

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is the sixth most commonly occurring cancer and the third most common cause of cancer deaths in the world (1). This tumor has two main pathological types: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocellular carcinoma. HCC, the most common pathological form of PLC, occurs more often in specific regions which include eastern and southeastern Asia, Melanesia, and sub-Saharan Africa (1, 2). Once diagnosed, survival rates for HCC are poor: 75% of patients die within 1 year, and 5year survival rate is only 3 5% (3, 4). Therefore, insight into the tumorigenesis mechanisms of HCC will broaden and deepen implications in understanding and preventing occurrence of the cancer. It has been known that chronic infection with hepatitis virus [including hepatitis virus B (HBV) and hepatitis virus C (HCV)] is the most common cause of HCC worldwide (3). In sub-Saharan Africa and Southern China, chronic exposure of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) may present a special environmental hazard, especially in individuals chronically infected with HBV (1, 2, 5-8). However, increasing epidemiological evidence has exhibited that although many people are exposed to these risk factors, only a relatively small proportion of chronic infectors or exposure person develop HCC (3, 9, 10). This indicates an individual susceptibility related to genetic factors such as DNA repair capacity might be associated with HCC carcinogenesis (3, 11). In recent years, evidence has been accumulated to support the hypothesis that common genetic polymorphisms in genes involved in long process of
Modeling Bacterial Detachment During Transport Through Porous Media as a Residence‐Time‐Dependent Process

Bacterial transport through porous media was modeled using detachment functions that incorporate the dependence of detachment rate on bacterial residence time on the collector. Model parameters and the relative merit of alternative forms for the detachment function were evaluated on the basis of comparisons between model simulations and experimentally derived bacterial breakthrough and elution curves. Only detachment functions that provided an initial period in which bacteria were rapidly released, followed by slow bacterial detachment, were able to reproduce the elution portion of the breakthrough curves. In optimal simulations, 90% of the bacteria that were captured by the porous medium detached within 1 min of attachment. Experiments involving saturated flow through columns packed with sand indicated that the time to achieve complete breakthrough was inversely related to the influent bacterial concentration. On this basis and because of the relatively slow approach to breakthrough that was typically observed in transport experiments, it was hypothesized that the experimental medium contained a number of preferred attachment sites that must be essentially filled before breakthrough is achieved. Only when such (irreversible) sorption sites were included in the model formulations was it possible to produce transport simulations that matched both the breakthrough and elution portions of the empirically derived curves. It is concluded that both a time-dependent detachment function and a degree of sorption site heterogeneity are required to describe bacterial attachment and detachment during transport as observed in our laboratory.
Hypoxia in future climates: A model ensemble study for the Baltic Sea

Using an ensemble of coupled physical‐biogeochemical models driven with regionalized data from global climate simulations we are able to quantify the influence of changing climate upon oxygen conditions in one of the numerous coastal seas (the Baltic Sea) that suffers worldwide from eutrophication and from expanding hypoxic zones. Applying various nutrient load scenarios we show that under the impact of warming climate hypoxic and anoxic areas will very likely increase or at best only slightly decrease (in case of optimistic nutrient load reductions) compared to present conditions, regardless of the used global model and climate scenario. The projected decreased oxygen concentrations are caused by (1) enlarged nutrient loads due to increased runoff, (2) reduced oxygen flux from the atmosphere to the ocean due to increased temperature, and (3) intensified internal nutrient cycling. In future climate a similar expansion of hypoxia as projected for the Baltic Sea can be expected also for other coastal oceans worldwide.
State estimation in support of an iron fertilization experiment in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone

The mutual availability of a high-resoltion data set and a suitable numerical ocean model makes a multivariate data-model analysis possible. In general, combining models and data with data assimilation or state estimation techniques is promising when both data and models separately exhibit skill. However, in oceanography more often than not, data and in particular subsurface data are sparse and the prediction skill of ocean models tends to be poor on long time scales. We present a state estimation experiment, in which we use highresolution hydrographic, tracer and velocity data from the European Iron Fertilization EXperiment (EIFEX) to constrain a high-resolution coupled ecosystem-ocean circulation model of the experimental site in Atlantic sector of the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone.
Capacidad antioxidante de extractos metanólicos de cuerpo entero del escarabajo Ulomoides dermestoides (Chevrolat, 1893)

Introduction: Ulomoides dermestoides is a beetle used in traditional Oriental medicine. In Central and South America beetles are eaten alive as a treatment for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, but few scientific studies validate this therapy. Objective: Evaluate the antioxidant capacity of whole-body methanolic extracts of U. dermestoides. Methods: Extracts were obtained by discontinuous extraction with 48 % and 96 % MeOH. Antioxidant capacity was determined by the ORAC method and the 2.2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical reduction assay. Results: All extracts showed antioxidant capacity, but the extract obtained with 48 % MeOH and 48 h extraction time (UD4848) exhibited higher activity: ORAC= 3.65±0.5 trolox equivalents, reduction DPPH30min= 81.7 % and IC50 of DPPH30min= 23 μg/mL. The main components in extract UD4848 were saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, n-pentadecanol and 4-ethyl resorcinol. Conclusions: The antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of U. dermestoides may explain its use in folk medicine.
Diviseur de fréquence SiGe:C 0,25 µm, large bande et faible bruit, pour banc de mesure de bruit de phase intégré

La conception, la realisation et la caracterisation d'un diviseur de frequence par 2, large bande et faible bruit de phase est presentee. L'application ciblee est un banc de mesure de bruit de phase totalement integre. Le diviseur de frequence sert a fournir des signaux de reference en quadrature, sur la bande [1 kHz ; 5,5 GHz]. Ainsi, une erreur de quadrature inferieure a ± 1° a ete mesuree sur toute la bande, avec un bruit de phase residuel de seulement −164 dBc/Hz a 100 kHz de la porteuse de 3,5 GHz.
Tourism Community Views on Destination Positioning: A Case Study

Research efforts, relating to the positioning of tourism destination, have centred upon understanding the attributes related to the destination under study. This has assisted us to understand how a destination may be preferred to competing destinations on the basis of one or more preferred attributes. To date research efforts have been tourist centric. A single case study method was employed to investigate how the tourism community views the positioning of their destination. Results indicated that tourism community buys-in to the destination positioning enabling a cohesive message to be communicated to targeted tourists. Using an alternate research method this paper extends our understanding identifying an alternate method that can be used to identify the criteria that are important to tourists.
The impact of changing the focus size of piezoelectric lithotripsy on renal stone disintegration: A prospective randomized study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of different focus sizes used in shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) in breaking up renal stones. Methods One hundred patients with radio-opaque renal stones up to 20 mm were included in this prospective trial from the urology department at Benha University Hospital. Patients were divided into two groups at random. Group A was overseen by F1 and Group B by F2.KUB determined the percentage of patients who were stone-free after two weeks. There were no statistically significant differences between groups with respect to loin pain (P = 0.121), loin pain duration (P = 0.963), stone size (P = 0.443), stone density (P = 0.6), stone number (P = 0.897), stone location, or hydronephrosis (P = 1.01). Stones were most often found in the left lower calyx (28%) of patients in group A, and the left mid-calyx (38% of patients in group B). Two-week residual (P = 0.024), residual size (P = 0.049), and stone-free rate (P = 0.033) all differed significantly across the groups. In terms of adverse effects, group B had a substantially greater incidence of both colic (22% vs. 10%, P = 0.027) and fever (20% vs. 6%, P = 0.034). In terms of hematuria, no significant changes were found (P = 0.239). A high stone-free rate can be achieved with a small focus size and a constant force and rate in SWL, but these findings need to be validated in the presence of other variables, such as breathing or stone movement, which can influence effectiveness.
Characteristics of the storm-induced big bubbles (SIBBs)

[1] Large equatorial plasma depletions, referred to as storm-induced big bubbles (SIBBs), are detected from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F15 and from the first Republic of China Satellite during the large magnetic storms of 31 March 2001, 29 October 2003, and 20 November 2003. They occur in the equatorial region at night, are elongated in the north-south direction, have steep walls, and always coexist with plasma bubbles. These observations are consistent with the SIBB characteristics described in the companion paper by Kil and Paxton [2006] and corroborate that the SIBBs are associated with bubbles. We discuss the common characteristics of the SIBBs and the role of the E × B drift for the formation of the SIBBs.
Characterizing the Pharmacokinetics and Biodistribution of Therapeutic Proteins: An Industry White Paper

Characterization of the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of therapeutic proteins (TPs) is a hot topic within the pharmaceutical industry, particularly with an ever-increasing catalog of novel modality TPs. Here, we review the current practices, and provide a summary of extensive cross-company discussions as well as a survey completed by International Consortium for Innovation and Quality members on this theme. A wide variety of in vitro, in vivo and in silico techniques are currently used to assess pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of TPs, and we discuss the relevance of these from an industry perspective, focusing on pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic understanding at the preclinical stage of development, and translation to human. We consider that the ‘traditional in vivo biodistribution study’ is becoming insufficient as a standalone tool, and thorough characterization of the interaction of the TP with its target(s), target biology, and off-target interactions at a microscopic scale are key to understand the overall biodistribution on a full-body scale. Our summary of the current challenges and our recommendations to address these issues could provide insight into the implementation of best practices in this area of drug development, and continued cross-company collaboration will be of tremendous value. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The Innovation and Quality Consortium Translational and ADME Sciences Leadership Group working group for the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of therapeutic proteins evaluates the current practices and challenges in characterizing the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of therapeutic proteins during drug development, and proposes recommendations to address these issues. Incorporating the in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches discussed herein may provide a pragmatic framework to increase early understanding of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships, and aid translational modeling for first-in-human dose predictions.
High-Resolution Measurement and Analysis of Visitor Experiences in Time and Space: The Case of Aalborg Zoo in Denmark

The notion of consumer and user experience has become dominant in our society in recent years, especially in relation to leisure activities. In this study we used the experience sampling method (ESM) data collection technique in Aalborg Zoo, Denmark, to understand the distribution of subjective experiences within this site. Visitors to the zoo were asked to send phone messages (SMS) about their subjective feelings in real time and to carry with them Global Positioning System (GPS) devices that recorded their movement. This method allowed us to geotag experiences of visitors throughout the zoo compound. The results indicate that the quality of experience of visitors varies both in time and in space. We conclude that there is a need to further explore the effect of place on experiences using repeat, high-resolution measurements. In this regard we believe that geographers, who have a long tradition of studying human–environment relations, have the tools to lead this type of exploration.
Technology Open Access

The failure of the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 to effectively reach a global agreement on emission reduction targets, led many within the developing world to view this as a reversal of the Kyoto Protocol and an attempt by the developed nations to shirk out of their responsibility for climate change. The issue of global warming has been at the top of the political agenda for a number of years and has become even more pressing with the rapid industrialization taking place in China and India. This book looks at the effects of climate change throughout different regions of the world and discusses to what extent cleantech and environmental initiatives such as the destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, biofuels, and the role of plant breeding and biotechnology. The book concludes with an insight into the socio-religious impact that global warming has, citing Christianity and Islam.
A Phenomic Perspective on Factors In ﬂ uencing Breast Cancer Treatment: Integrating Aging and Lifestyle in Blood and Tissue Biomarker Pro ﬁ ling

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Over the last four decades, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures have improved substantially, giving patients with localized disease a better chance of cure, and those with more advanced cancer, longer periods of disease control and survival. However, understanding and managing heterogeneity in the clinical response exhibited by patients remains a challenge. For some treatments, biomarkers are available to inform therapeutic options, assess pathological response and predict clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, some measurements are not employed universally and lack sensitivity and speci ﬁ city, which might be in ﬂ uenced by tissue-speci ﬁ c alterations associated with aging and lifestyle. The ﬁ rst part of this article summarizes available and emerging biomarkers for clinical use, such as measurements that can be made in tumor biopsies or blood samples, including so-called liquid biopsies. The second part of this article outlines underappreciated factors that could in ﬂ uence the interpretation of these clinical measurements and affect treatment outcomes. For example, it has been shown that both adiposity and physical activity can modify the characteristics of tumors and surrounding tissues. In addition, evidence shows that in ﬂ ammaging and immunosenescence interact with treatment and clinical outcomes and could be considered prognostic and predictive factors independently. In summary, changes to blood and tissues that re ﬂ ect aging and patient characteristics, including lifestyle, are not commonly considered clinically or in research, either for practical reasons or because the supporting evidence base is developing. Thus, an aim of this article is to encourage an integrative phenomic approach in oncology research and clinical management
The Leopard Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Bulgaria. A Review of the Paleontological Record and Archaeological Finds

The study is an attempt to collect and present all direct and indirect information about the former existence of the leopard in Bulgaria. Data on 2 Pleistocene sites (Bacho Kiro Cave and Triagalnata Cave) of bone remains, as well as 14 archaeological monuments - 6 prehistoric (Neolithic and Chalcolithic) and 8 historical (antique and medieval) - representing objects of prehistoric and ancient art (statuettes, images) that contain or represent (presumed) images of leopards, are presented (according to literature data). The archaeologists' original interpretations of the primary sources are accompanied by the author's assessment of the reliability of their identification as leopards. It can be concluded that the leopard existed in Bulgaria until the end of the Pleistocene (until about 15,000 years ago). So far, there is no irrefutable evidence of its existence during the Holocene (Neolithic and Chalcolithic), despite the assumptions made in the literature about this. Some of the examined prehistoric monuments (Eleshnitsa, Dolnoslav, Golyamo Delchevo) probably represent statuettes of leopards, but most of the later images from antiquity were most likely borrowed from the southern provinces of the Roman Empire and cannot serve as evidence for the distribution of the leopard in Bulgaria in historical times.
Evaluation of Water Stress Impact on the Parameter Values in Stomatal Conductance Models Using Tower Flux Measurement of a Boreal Aspen Forest

AbstractThe impact of water stress on plant stomatal conductance (g) has been widely studied but with little consensus as to the processes governing its responses. The photosynthesis-driven stomatal conductance models usually employ constant model parameters and attribute the decrease of g from water stress to the reduction of leaf photosynthesis. This has been challenged by studies showing that the model parameter values decrease when the plant is under water stress. In this study, the impact of plant water stress on the parameter values in stomatal conductance models is evaluated using the approach recently developed by S. Wang et al. and the tower flux measurements at a Canadian boreal aspen forest. Results show that the slope parameter (α) in the stomatal conductance models decreases substantially with the development of plant water stress. The magnitude of this reduction is dependent on how plant water stress is represented. Overall, the relative reduction of α from its maximum value is 28% when soil.
More Than Marine Heatwaves: A New Regime of Heat, Acidity, and Low Oxygen Compound Extreme Events in the Gulf of Alaska

Recent marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska have had devastating impacts on species from various trophic levels. Due to climate change, total heat exposure in the upper ocean has become longer, more intense, more frequent, and more likely to happen at the same time as other environmental extremes. The combination of multiple environmental extremes can exacerbate the response of sensitive marine organisms. Our hindcast simulation provides the first indication that more than 20% of the bottom water of the Gulf of Alaska continental shelf was exposed to quadruple heat, positive hydrogen ion concentration [H+], negative aragonite saturation state (Ωarag), and negative oxygen concentration [O2] compound extreme events during the 2018–2020 marine heat wave. Natural intrusion of deep and acidified water combined with the marine heat wave triggered the first occurrence of these events in 2019. During the 2013–2016 marine heat wave, surface waters were already exposed to widespread marine heat and positive [H+] compound extreme events due to the temperature effect on the [H+]. We introduce a new Gulf of Alaska Downwelling Index (GOADI) with short‐term predictive skill, which can serve as indicator of past and near‐future positive [H+], negative Ωarag, and negative [O2] compound extreme events near the shelf seafloor. Our results suggest that the marine heat waves may have not been the sole environmental stressor that led to the observed ecosystem impacts and warrant a closer look at existing in situ inorganic carbon and other environmental data in combination with biological observations and model output.
Macrophages as a Target for Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers

In all stages of wound healing, macrophages play a pivotal role by coordinating the repair steps in a timely and accurate fashion. The successful completion of wound healing requires proper spatiotemporal presence and function of macrophages. Diabetes significantly alters the proliferation, polarization and functionality of macrophages, leading to a suboptimal but prolonged pro-inflammatory M1-like phenotype in wound macrophages and a failure of their late transition to a reparative M2-like phenotype. This defect in macrophage phenotype and the proper transition results in delayed or even failure of wound healing. Specifically in the diabetic foot ulcer (DFUs), this macrophage dysfunction results in chronic infection and potentially amputation. The abnormal macrophage phenotype in diabetes is not fully understood but is believed to mainly result from epigenetic changes in macrophages and altered interactions between macrophages and other cell types, such as fibroblasts, endothelial cells, neutrophils and T-cells. Recent research on DFUs has focused on developing strategies to improve diabetic wound repair through modulation of macrophage polarization. Treatment of DFUs will greatly benefit from a multi-modal therapy that includes controlling high blood glucose, topical support, prevention of secondary infection, resolution of sustained inflammation and application of cellular therapies targeting macrophages.