Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MBT3D: Deep learning based multi-object tracker for bumblebee 3D flight path estimation

This work presents the Multi-Bees-Tracker (MBT3D) algorithm, a Python framework implementing a deep association tracker for Tracking-By-Detection, to address the challenging task of tracking flight paths of bumblebees in a social group. While tracking algorithms for bumblebees exist, they often come with intensive restrictions, such as the need for sufficient lighting, high contrast between the animal and background, absence of occlusion, significant user input, etc. Tracking flight paths of bumblebees in a social group is challenging. They suddenly adjust movements and change their appearance during different wing beat states while exhibiting significant similarities in their individual appearance. The MBT3D tracker, developed in this research, is an adaptation of an existing ant tracking algorithm for bumblebee tracking. It incorporates an offline trained appearance descriptor along with a Kalman Filter for appearance and motion matching. Different detector architectures for upstream detections (You Only Look Once (YOLOv5), Faster Region Proposal Convolutional Neural Network (Faster R-CNN), and RetinaNet) are investigated in a comparative study to optimize performance. The detection models were trained on a dataset containing 11359 labeled bumblebee images. YOLOv5 reaches an Average Precision of AP = 53, 8%, Faster R-CNN achieves AP = 45, 3% and RetinaNet AP = 38, 4% on the bumblebee validation dataset, which consists of 1323 labeled bumblebee images. The tracker’s appearance model is trained on 144 samples. The tracker (with Faster R-CNN detections) reaches a Multiple Object Tracking Accuracy MOTA = 93, 5% and a Multiple Object Tracking Precision MOTP = 75, 6% on a validation dataset containing 2000 images, competing with state-of-the-art computer vision methods. The framework allows reliable tracking of different bumblebees in the same video stream with rarely occurring identity switches (IDS). MBT3D has much lower IDS than other commonly used algorithms, with one of the lowest false positive rates, competing with state-of-the-art animal tracking algorithms. The developed framework reconstructs the 3-dimensional (3D) flight paths of the bumblebees by triangulation. It also handles and compares two alternative stereo camera pairs if desired.
“It saved me from the emergency department”: A qualitative study of patient experience of virtual urgent care in Ontario

Introduction In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario Ministry of Health introduced a pilot program of 14 virtual urgent care (VUC) initiatives across the province to encourage physical distancing and provision of care by telephone and video-enabled visits. The implementation of the VUC pilot is currently being evaluated by an external academic team. The objective of this study was to understand patient experiences with VUC to determine barriers and facilitators to optimal virtual care as it rapidly expands during the current pandemic and beyond. Method The qualitative component of the evaluation used one-on-one telephone interviews with patients, families, providers, and program administrators as the main method of data collection. Patient and family participants were invited to participate by the triage nurse after their VUC visit. Data analysis, using thematic analysis, occurred in conjunction with data collection to monitor emerging themes and areas for further exploration. Results Between April and October 2021, we completed 14 patient and/or family interviews from a representative cross-section of 6 pilot sites. Participants had a range of presenting complaints including infection, injury, medication side effects, and abdominal pain. The vast majority of participants were female (90%), and 70% were VUC patients themselves. Our analysis identified three key themes in the data which characterise patient and family member experience with VUC: a) emphasis on access to the ED; b) efficiency and quality of care; c) obtaining reassurance and next steps. Conclusion Virtual care options are valued by patients and families; however, the nature of care needed by those accessing VUC and who can best provide that care needs to be evaluated to position it for sustainability. Understanding how virtual care performs from both a provider and patient perspective during the current crisis has implications for designing alternative care options beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reinforcement Learning Without Backpropagation or a Clock

In this paper we introduce a reinforcement learning (RL) approach for training policies, including artificial neural network policies, that is both backpropagation-free and clock-free. It is backpropagation-free in that it does not propagate any information backwards through the network. It is clock-free in that no signal is given to each node in the network to specify when it should compute its output and when it should update its weights. We contend that these two properties increase the biological plausibility of our algorithms and facilitate distributed implementations. Additionally, our approach eliminates the need for customized learning rules for hierarchical RL algorithms like the option-critic.
The distribution of sensitization to common aeroallergens in patients with rhinitis and asthma in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye

ABSTRACT The distribution of sensitization to common aeroallergens in patients with rhinitis and asthma in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye Introduction Sensitization to common environmental aeroallergens plays a significant role in the pathogenesis and severity of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Knowledge on the sensitization pattern helps allergen avoidance, prediction of the severity of the disease, and use of specific immunotherapy for the most common allergens. The distribution of sensitization to aeroallergens differs in every region of Türkiye. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the allergen sensitization profiles of patients with asthma and rhinitis in Şanlıurfa, which is in Southeast Türkiye. Materials and Methods Patients with rhinitis and asthma who presented to the outpatient clinic of adult immunology and allergy between April 2021- 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic information (age, sex), rhinitis and asthma duration, location of residence, allergic and non-allergic comorbidities, smoking history and skin prick test results were extracted from medical records. Results A total of 472 skin prick tests were performed on patients (35.4% males; 64.6% females), with a mean age of 33.8 years, and 120 (25.4%) were negative for skin reaction. The frequency of sensitivity to allergens was: grass (42.6%), cereal mixtures (41.5%), timothy grass (37.9%), cockroach (37.3%), olive tree (35%), house dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae 27.5%, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 20.8%). In patients with only rhinitis (n= 305), the most frequent aeroallergen was pollen (grasses 43.6%; cereal mixtures 43.3%; timothy grass 41.6%; olive pollen 37.4%). In patients with asthma and rhinitis (n= 134), the most frequent aeroallergen was grass (44.8%). In patients with only asthma (n= 33), the most frequent aeroallergens were D. farinae (27.3%) and cockroach (27.3%). Conclusion The most frequently detected allergens in this study were pollen, cockroach, and house dust mites, respectively. The findings revealed that pollen was the most frequent aeroallergen in subjects with allergic rhinitis with and without asthma. In patients with only asthma, the most frequent aeroallergen was house dust mites.
Virologs, viral mimicry, and virocell metabolism: the expanding scale of cellular functions encoded in the complex genomes of giant viruses

Abstract The phylum Nucleocytoviricota includes the largest and most complex viruses known. These “giant viruses” have a long evolutionary history that dates back to the early diversification of eukaryotes, and over time they have evolved elaborate strategies for manipulating the physiology of their hosts during infection. One of the most captivating of these mechanisms involves the use of genes acquired from the host—referred to here as viral homologs or “virologs”—as a means of promoting viral propagation. The best-known examples of these are involved in mimicry, in which viral machinery “imitates” immunomodulatory elements in the vertebrate defense system. But recent findings have highlighted a vast and rapidly expanding array of other virologs that include many genes not typically found in viruses, such as those involved in translation, central carbon metabolism, cytoskeletal structure, nutrient transport, vesicular trafficking, and light harvesting. Unraveling the roles of virologs during infection as well as the evolutionary pathways through which complex functional repertoires are acquired by viruses are important frontiers at the forefront of giant virus research.
Development and characterisation of suitably bioengineered microfibrillar matrix-based 3D prostate cancer model for in vitro drug testing

Bioengineered 3D models that can mimic patient-specific pathologies in vitro are valuable tools for developing and validating anticancer therapeutics. In this study, microfibrillar matrices with unique structural and functional properties were fabricated as 3D spherical and disc-shaped scaffolds with highly interconnected pores and the potential of the newly developed scaffolds for developing prostate cancer model has been investigated. The newly developed scaffolds showed improved cell retention upon seeding with cancer cells compared to conventional electrospun scaffolds. They facilitated rapid growth and deposition of cancer-specific extracellular matrix through-the-thickness of the scaffold. Compared to the prostate cancer cells grown in 2D culture, the newly developed prostate cancer model showed increased resistance to the chemodrug Docetaxel regardless of the drug concentration or the treatment frequency. A significant reduction in the cell number was observed within one week after the drug treatment in the 2D culture for both PC3 and patient-derived cells. Interestingly, almost 20%–30% of the cancer cells in the newly developed 3D model survived the drug treatment, and the patient-derived cells were more resistant than the tested cell line PC3. The results from this study indicate the potential of the newly developed prostate cancer model for in vitro drug testing.
Uncovering therapeutic opportunities in the clinical development of antibody‐drug conjugates

Abstract Introduction Antibody‐drug conjugates (ADCs) are a family of therapeutic agents that have demonstrated clinical activity in several indications. Material and methods In this article, we performed a deep analysis of their clinical landscape matched with public genomic human datasets from tumour antigen targets (TATs), to identify empty areas for clinical development. Results We observed that TATs used in haematological malignancies were more specific than the ones developed in solid cancers. Those included CD19, CD22, CD30, CD33 and CD79b. In solid tumours, we identified TATs, with approved ADCs, widely expressed in non‐explored niche indications like Enfortumab vedotin (anti‐Nectin4) in lung or cervical cancer; Tisotumab vedotin (anti‐TF) in glioblastoma or pancreatic cancer; and Sacituzumab govitecan (anti‐TROP2) in pancreatic, gastric, thyroid or endometrial cancer, among others. Similarly, niche indications for ADCs in clinical development included targets for CD71, PSMA, PTK7 or CD74, in tumours like breast, lung, stomach or colon. Some of these TATs were essential for the survival of tumour cells like CD71, PSMA and PTK7. Conclusions In summary, our study opens the door for further evaluation of ADCs in several indications not explored before.
Recognizing and Adapting to Cultural Differences: Influence of International Educational Programs on Future Nursing and Midwifery Practice

Introduction: International educational programs build cultural humility and safety skills in nursing and midwifery students; however, long-term outcomes of these programs are unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of international educational programs on nurses’ and midwives’ future professional practice. Method: Using grounded theory informed by Charmaz, 13 general nurses, two mental health nurses, three midwives, and four dual-qualified nurse/midwives across eight different countries were interviewed. Three categories evolved from the analysis. This article reports on the category Recognizing and adapting to cultural differences. Findings: Participants developed cultural safety and awareness from participation in programs extending into future practice. Experiencing and adapting to cultural similarities and differences, they developed culturally congruent practices many years after program completion. Discussion: International programs contributed to participants’ professional practice. Positive and ongoing influences are important for employers to promote patient safety and culturally congruent quality care. Findings are also relevant for education providers to inform quality cultural learning.
Active-Passive Dynamic Consensus Filters With Reduced Information Exchange and Time-Varying Agent Roles

Active-passive dynamic consensus filters consist of agents subject to local observations of a process (i.e., active agents) and agents without any observations (i.e., passive agents). The key feature of these filters is that they enable the states of all agents to converge to the average of the observations only sensed by the active agents. Two sweeping generalizations can be made about existing active-passive dynamic consensus filters: 1) they utilize integral action-based distributed control algorithms such that each agent is required to continuously exchange both its current state and integral state information with its neighbors; and 2) they assume that the roles of active and passive agents are fixed; hence, these roles do not change with respect to time. The contribution of this paper is to introduce and analyze a new class of active-passive dynamic consensus filters using results from graph theory and systems science. Specifically, the proposed filters only require agents to exchange their current state information with neighbors in a simple and isotropic manner to reduce the overall information exchange cost of the network. In addition, we allow the roles of active and passive agents to be time-varying for making these filters suitable for a wide range of multiagent systems applications. We show that the proposed active-passive dynamic consensus filters enable the states of all agents to converge to an user-adjustable neighborhood of the average of the observations sensed by a time-varying set of active agents. We also generalize our results using event-triggered control theory such that agents schedule information exchange dependent on errors exceeding user-defined thresholds (not continuously). This generalization allows agents to further reduce the overall cost of interagent information exchange and to determine when to broadcast their information to their neighbors thus eliminating the need to synchronize their states. Four illustrative numerical examples and one experimental study are also presented to demonstrate our theoretical findings.
Associations among computed tomographic measures of bone and muscle quality and biomechanical measures of tibiotarsal bone quality in laying hens.

OBJECTIVE The objectives of the current study were to quantify laying hen sternal carina (keel) and tibiotarsal bone and muscle quality using clinical CT, tissue level, and biomechanical measures; test associations among muscle transverse sectional area, bone mineral density, and biomechanical measures of bone quality; and determine whether CT measures of bone and muscle quality would be predictive of biomechanical measures of tibiotarsal bone quality. ANIMALS 60 40-week-old Hy-Line brown laying hens were used. METHODS Associations among CT imaging, tissue level, and biomechanical measures of tibiotarsal and keel bone and muscle quality were tested using multivariate correlational analyses. Bivariate and generalized regressions were performed to determine whether CT measures were predictive of biomechanical measures of tibiotarsal bone quality. RESULTS Low positive correlations were identified between tibiotarsal muscle transverse-sectional area (cross-sectional area [CSA]) and bone mineral density (BMD) in the proximal location of the bone (r = -0.11 to 0.31). Tibiotarsal muscle CSA was also low to moderately correlated with biomechanical measures of bone quality (r = 0.20 to 0.41). Keel muscle CSA values were not correlated with keel BMD values, but they were correlated with biomechanical measures of tibiotarsal bone quality (r = 0.18 to 0.40). Keel CT measures of bone quality were not correlated with tibiotarsal CT measures of bone quality. At the proximal location, muscle CSA and tibiotarsal BMD were predictive of biomechanical failure load (F = 9.68, P = .0003muscle CSA; F = 9.13, P = .004tibiotarsal BMD). CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings supported using noninvasive CT measures of muscle and bone quality in longitudinal research studies evaluating the effects of interventions on laying hen welfare.
Role of radiation in heat transfer from nanoparticles to gas media in photothermal measurements

The heat transfer from nanoparticles (NPs) to gas of photothermal effect is investigated by taking into account both conduction and radiation. The steady-state and unsteady-state heat transfer processes are studied analytically and numerically, respectively. In contrast to the photothermal effect in liquid with metal NPs, in which the radiation is negligible, we found that the thermal radiation must be taken into account in the nanoparticle–gas system. The reason is that the thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of gas–solid interface is several orders of magnitude smaller than the TBC of liquid–solid interface, especially when the diameter of nanoparticle is comparable to or smaller than the mean free path of gas molecules. We propose a method to measure the ultra-low TBC of interface between nanoparticle and gas based on our investigations.
Birth weight influences cardiac structure, function, and disease risk: evidence of a causal association

Abstract Background and Aims Low birth weight is a common pregnancy complication, which has been associated with higher risk of cardiometabolic disease in later life. Prior Mendelian randomization (MR) studies exploring this question do not distinguish the mechanistic contributions of variants that directly influence birth weight through the foetal genome (direct foetal effects), vs. variants influencing birth weight indirectly by causing an adverse intrauterine environment (indirect maternal effects). In this study, MR was used to assess whether birth weight, independent of intrauterine influences, is associated with cardiovascular disease risk and measures of adverse cardiac structure and function. Methods Uncorrelated (r2 < .001), genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10−8) single nucleotide polymorphisms were extracted from genome-wide association studies summary statistics for birth weight overall, and after isolating direct foetal effects only. Inverse-variance weighted MR was utilized for analyses on outcomes of atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart failure, ischaemic stroke, and 16 measures of cardiac structure and function. Multiple comparisons were accounted for by Benjamini–Hochberg correction. Results Lower genetically-predicted birth weight, isolating direct foetal effects only, was associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (odds ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.06–1.37; P = .031), smaller chamber volumes, and lower stroke volume, but higher contractility. Conclusions The results of this study support a causal role of low birth weight in cardiovascular disease, even after accounting for the influence of the intrauterine environment. This suggests that individuals with a low birth weight may benefit from early targeted cardiovascular disease prevention strategies, independent of whether this was linked to an adverse intrauterine environment during gestation.
A novel pharmaceutical preparation of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. regulates macrophage polarization to alleviate inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To validate the enhanced therapeutic effect of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. (TWHF) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by restoring homeostasis of M1/M2 macrophages. METHODS This study, using random walk models and network pharmacology, examined the molecular targets and mechanism of TWHF in RA. Based on clinical observations and experiments in arthritis animal models, the effects of TWHF on macrophage polarization, related signal pathways, and targets were examined. Triptolide, a component of TWHF, was used to intervene arthritis rats. KEY FINDINGS Network pharmacological analysis revealed the key RA target genes related to TWHF. TWHF showed a strong correlation with the improvement of inflammatory indicators. TWHF inhibited the factors secreted by M1 macrophages such as IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL8, TNF-α, and VEGF-A, but promoted IL-10 from M2 macrophages. Quantitative liquid-phase chip assay showed that triptolide reduced the levels of TNF-α, CXCL2, and VEGF, while IL-4 and IL-10 were increased in arthritis model. Meanwhile, triptolide inhibited the NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways, which in turn improved the RA joint inflammation and fixed immune imbalance. CONCLUSIONS Triptolide downregulate the expression of M1 macrophage-secreted factors that inhibit the overactivation of inflammatory signaling pathways.
A HIERARCHICAL REGIONALIZATION OF RSFSR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS USING 1966–69 MIGRATION DATA

The coefficients of migration intensity calculated by Rybakovskiy (see preceding article) are used to derive a system of migration regions, which are defined as groups of administrative units with maximum internal interaction and a minimum flow across migration-defining boundaries. The technique is based on the assumption that gross migration flows may provide a reasonably objective basis for determining practical boundaries within a national territory. The technique yields a hierarchy of regionalizations that is then compared with the official Soviet system of major economic regions. None of the 10 major economic regions in their entirety turn out to conform to strong migration components, although one migration cluster, focused on the Northwest, corresponds fairly closely to the official Northwest region. For the rest, administrative units of the Far East and Siberia are grouped together in one migration cluster, as are the southern Volga region and the North Caucasus. Units of the Central [Industrial] .