Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Epidemic Characteristics and Changing Trend of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome in Hubei Province, China

Background Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is caused by different hantaviruses within the Bunyaviridae family. HFRS is a fulminant, infectious disease that occurs worldwide and is endemic in all 31 provinces of China. Since the first HFRS case in Hubei Province was reported in 1957, the disease has spread across the province and Hubei has become one of the seriously affected areas in China with the greatest number of reported HFRS cases in the 1980's. However, the epidemic characteristics of HFRS in Hubei are still not entirely clear and long-term, systematic investigations of this epidemic area have been very limited. Methods The spatiotemporal distribution of HFRS was investigated using data spanning the years 1980 to 2009. The annual HFRS incidence, fatality rate and seasonal incidence between 1980 and 2009 were calculated and plotted. GIS-based spatial analyses were conducted to detect the spatial distribution and seasonal pattern of HFRS. A spatial statistical analysis, using Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic, was performed to identify clustering of HFRS. Results A total of 104,467 HFRS cases were reported in Hubei Province between 1980 and 2009. Incidence of and mortality due to HFRS declined after the outbreak in 1980s and HFRS cases have been sporadic in recent years. The locations and scale of disease clusters have changed during the three decades. The seasonal epidemic pattern of HFRS was characterized by the shift from the unimodal type (autumn/winter peak) to the bimodal type. Conclusions Socioeconomic development has great influence on the transmission of hantaviruses to humans and new epidemic characteristics have emerged in Hubei Province. It is necessary to reinforce preventative measures against HFRS according to the newly-presented seasonal variation and to intensify these efforts especially in the urban areas of Hubei Province.
Response of Olive Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) to an Attract-and-Kill Trap in Greenhouse Cage Tests

ABSTRACT. A novel attract-and-kill trap for olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), was constructed with yellow corrugated plastic in an inverted cylindrical pan shape formed from a disk and collar. The trap components were tested under three greenhouse temperatures and humidities of warm, hot, and very hot for attractiveness to caged young or older adults. A greater proportion of adults regardless of age were found underneath the devices including disks, cylindrical pans, and pans with pheromone lures and test units of cylindrical pans sprayed with water, insecticidal bait spray, and with lures. The effect was related to lower temperatures on the underside compared with the top and the intolerance of the pest to heat. A circular collar added to the perimeter of the disk that formed the top of the inverted cylinder made the attract-and-kill trap more attractive to adults than the disk alone. Pheromone lures or bait sprays did not increase adult attraction, so were not needed for efficacy. The cylindrical pan was especially attractive to adults when temperatures were high by providing shelter from the heat. At very high temperatures, the pan became unattractive, possibly due to heating of the construction materials. Cylindrical pans sprayed with water on the underside attracted the highest number of adults especially at high temperatures. Greenhouse tests showed that the inverted cylindrical pan design has potential as an attract-and-kill device for olive fruit fly control.
Inferring the Security Performance of Providers from Noisy and Heterogenous Abuse Datasets

Abuse data offers one of the very few empirical measurements of the security performance of defenders. As such, it can play an important role in strengthening and aligning the security incentives in a variety of markets. Using abuse data to measure security performance suffers from a number of problems, however. Abuse data is notoriously noisy, highly heterogeneous, often incomplete, biased, and driven by a multitude of causal factors that are hard to disentangle. We present the ﬁrst comprehensive approach to measure defender security performance from a combination of heterogeneous abuse datasets, taking all of these issues into account. We present a causal model of incidents, test for biases across seven abuse datasets and then propose a new modeling approach. Using Item Response Theory, we estimate the security performance of providers as a latent, unobservable trait. The approach also allows us to quantify the uncertainty of the performance estimates. Despite the uncertainties, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach by using the security performance estimates to predict a large portion of the variance in the abuse counts observed in independent datasets, after controlling for various exposure effects such as the size and business type of the providers.
Procalcitonin, C-reactive protein and APACHE II score for risk evaluation in patients with severe pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE Procalcitonin (PCT) is a peptide that is found elevated in patients with sepsis and severe infections. In healthy persons PCT serum levels are below 0.1 ng/mL. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of serum PCT determination for risk evaluation in patients with pneumonia. METHODS We focused on the correlation of PCT with the clinical status of the patient and prognosis of the disease. In a prospective study, in a nonsurgical intensive care unit the following parameters were assessed regularly in 93 patients with documented pneumonia: C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), body temperature, PCT and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score. RESULTS At the onset of infection 50% of the patients had elevated PCT levels above 2 ng/mL. The model of multivariate analysis of all tested parameters on days 0-5 stratified for clinical outcome (change in clinical classification or death) showed local significance for APACHE II score only. None of the other parameters in this model serves as an isolated indicator for change of clinical status or death. An intra-individual change of body temperature or CRP was never significantly associated with a change in the clinical status of the patient. CONCLUSION Change in PCT on admission and at the end of the observation period significantly indicated a clinical change.
Manufacture of Wood Veneer-Bamboo Zephyr Composite Board: II. Effect of Manufacturing Conditions on Properties of Composite Board

This research was performed to investigate the feasibility of bamboo as a raw material for the manufacture of plywood. Wood veneer-bamboo zephyr composite boards (WBCB) were manufactured using keruing (Dipterocarpus sp.) veneers and hachiku bamboo (Phyllostacbys nigra var. henonis Stapf) using various adhesives, and the effect of the method and amount of resin spread on the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The WBCB manufactured using polymeric isocyanate (PMDI) showed the best mechanical properties, followed by phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF), phenol-melamine-formaldehyde resin, urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin, and urea-formaldehyde resin. However, considering the operation feasibility as well as mechanical properties, PF resin proved to be the appropriate adhesive for the practical purpose. As the amount of resin spread increased, the mechanical properties of 5-ply WBCB with 12 mm thicknesses manufactured using PF resin tended to increase, and more failure occurred at the interface between veneer and bamboo zephyr than at the interface among bamboo zephyrs. This result suggests that penetration of resin into bamboo zephyr could be the important factor. In this research, the appropriate amount of resin amount was . 5-ply WBCBs were manufactured using various methods of resin spread but the effect of the methods on the mechanical properties showed no little difference, which meant that the method of resin spread could be chosen considering the manufacturing conditions and operation feasibility.
Prevalence of Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism in Type 2 Diabetes Male Patients

Background: Erectile dysfunction is common in patients with diabetes mellitus. In addition, reduced testosterone itself is considered as a risk factor for diabetes; therefore hypogonadism was studied in diabetes. Objective: This study was done to determine the prevalence of hypo- and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism in the type 2 diabetes male patients in Mashhad in north-east of Iran. Methods: This study was done on type 2 diabetic men aged 40 - 60 years in the endocrine clinic, Endocrinology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Fasting blood samples were collected at 8 am for measurement of fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1C, total serum testosterone, FSH, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), LH, prolactin, thyroxin-stimulating hormone (TSH), and immediately was sent to laboratory. Results: Out of total 96 type 2 diabetic males (mean age of 51.4 ± 11.26 years, range of 40 - 60 years), 11 (12.94%) patients were excluded because of inadequate samples, insufficient information and fulfillment of the exclusion criteria of the study. Hypogonadism based on Testosterone, Calculated free testosterone (CFT), and boiavailable testosterone (BT) were observed in 10 (11.8%), 31 (36.6%), and 30 (35.3%) of the patients, respectively. Libido was decreased in 55 (64.7%) of the patients. Based on the obtained SHBG values there were 7 (8.2%), 52 (61.2%), and 26 (30.6%) cases of low, normal and high values, respectively. According to TSH observed values there were 6 (7.1%) patients and 1 case of sub-clinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, respectively, and the rest 78 (91.8%) cases were euthyroid. Prolactin level was normal in all cases. Conclusion: Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is common in type 2 diabetic men, and whether its treatment is useful for erectile dysfunction or not, needed additional investigation.
A Study on Feature Analysis for Musical Instrument Classification

In tackling data mining and pattern recognition tasks, finding a compact but effective set of features has often been found to be a crucial step in the overall problem-solving process. In this paper, we present an empirical study on feature analysis for recognition of classical instrument, using machine learning techniques to select and evaluate features extracted from a number of different feature schemes. It is revealed that there is significant redundancy between and within feature schemes commonly used in practice. Our results suggest that further feature analysis research is necessary in order to optimize feature selection and achieve better results for the instrument recognition problem.
Undercooling and microhardness of Pb-free solders on various under bump metallurgies

The undercooling behavior of pure Sn, Sn–0.7Cu, Sn–3.5Ag, and Sn–3.8Ag–0.7Cu solder alloys was observed in terms of various under bump metallurgies (UBMs). Four different UBMs (electroplated Cu, electroplated Ni, electroless Ni(P), and electroless Ni(P)/immersion Au) were used. The amount of the undercooling of Pb-free solder alloys was reduced when reacted with electroplated Cu UBM and Ni-based UBMs. The Ni-based UBMs were more effective than Cu UBM in reducing the undercooling of Pb-free solders. When Ni_3Sn_4 was formed during the interfacial reactions with Ni-based UBMs, the reduction of undercooling was significant, especially for pure Sn and Sn–3.5Ag. The effects of UBMs on the undercooing of Pb-free solder alloys are discussed by comparing intermetallic compounds formed during interfacial reactions with UBMs. In addition, the microstructural changes as well as the microhardness of four solders with or without UBMs are discussed, which could be related to their undercooling behaviors.
Combining Cohort and UBM Models in Open Set Speaker Identification

In open set speaker identification it is important to build an alternative model against which to compare scores from the 'target' speaker model. Two alternative strategies for building an alternative model are to build a single global model by sampling from a pool of training data, the Universal Background (UBM), or to build a cohort of models from selected individuals in the training data for the target speaker. The main contribution in this paper is to show that these approaches can be unified by using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to learn a decision rule in the score space made up of the output scores of the client, cohort and UBM model.
Lattice contraction due to carbon doping of GaAs grown by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy

Epitaxial layers of GaAs have been grown by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE) with atomic carbon concentrations ranging from 4×1017 to 3.5×1020 cm−3. The dependences of GaAs lattice parameter and hole concentration on atomic carbon concentration have been determined from x‐ray diffraction, Hall effect, and secondary‐ion mass spectrometry measurements. For atomic carbon concentrations in excess of 1×1019 cm−3, the hole concentrations are less than the corresponding atomic carbon concentrations. Lattice parameter shifts as large as 0.2% are observed for carbon concentrations in excess of 1×1020 cm−3, which results in misfit dislocation generation in some cases due to the lattice mismatch between the C‐doped epilayer and undoped substrate. Over the entire range of carbon concentrations investigated, Vegard’s law accurately predicts the observed lattice contraction.
Biological properties of arginine‐based gemini cationic surfactants

Biological properties of novel gemini (double‐chain/double‐head) cationic surfactants, Nα,Nω‐bis(Nα‐acylarginine)α,ω‐alkylendiamides, so‐called bis(Args), are reported. The effect of both the alkyl (10 and 12 carbon atoms) and the spacer chain (from 2–10 methylene groups) of bis(Args) on their antimicrobial activity, acute toxicity on Daphnia magna and Photobacterium phosphoreum, and aerobic biodegradability is studied. These surfactants constitute a novel class of chemicals of low toxicity with excellent surface properties and considerable antimicrobial activity. The aquatic toxicity of these compounds is lower than that of the conventional Monoquats. As regards the biodegradation test, the molecules with a spacer chain ⩽6 methylene groups can be considered as ready biodegradable. The increase of hydrophobicity in the bis(Args) is a negative structural parameter for their environmental behavior.
Physiotherapeutic management strategies for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in adults

Physiotherapy has long been considered a cornerstone of condition management for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The presentation of CF has changed over time with an increased life expectancy and increased expectations of people with CF to have a complete lifestyle. In turn, the scope of strategies used in physiotherapy for CF have also changed dramatically over the years, moving away from routine postural drainage and manual techniques toward an individualized regimen including the choice of many different forms of airway clearance, such as both independent and assisted, exercise, treatments to promote continence and good posture, inhalation therapy, oxygen, and noninvasive ventilation. This article describes the techniques and overall strategies used by physiotherapists in helping people with CF to manage the symptoms and progression of their condition.
Templated Sphere Phase Liquid Crystals for Tunable Random Lasing

A sphere phase liquid crystal (SPLC) composed of three-dimensional twist structures with disclinations among them exists between isotropic phase and blue phase in a very narrow temperature range, about several degrees centigrade. A low concentration polymer template is applied to improve the thermal stability of SPLCs and broadens the temperature range to more than 448 K. By template processing, a wavelength tunable random lasing is demonstrated with dye doped SPLC. With different polymer concentrations, the reconstructed SPLC random lasing may achieve more than 40 nm wavelength continuous shifting by electric field modulation.
Turbo Equalizers for MIMO Systems: Optimality Consideration

In this paper, we show how many of the well-known low complexity linear turbo equalizers, including the zero-forcing (ZF) and minimum mean square error (MMSE) soft-input softoutput (SISO) equalizers, can be obtained as solutions to the variational optimization problem, originating from statistical physics. The imposed variational optimization framework provides an interesting link between the a posteriori probability (APP) based demodulators and the linear SISO equalizers, enabling us to gain new insight into the optimality of these equalizers in the context of turbo processing. Moreover, it suggests improved designs which either tune the known ones or combine the linear filtering and the nonlinear message-passing algorithms. Finally, simulation results are provided to confirm the advantages of the proposed new designs for the MIMO systems.
Optimization of a protocol for myocardial perfusion scintigraphy by using an anthropomorphic phantom*

Objective To develop a study aiming at optimizing myocardial perfusion imaging. Materials and Methods Imaging of an anthropomorphic thorax phantom with a GE SPECT Ventri gamma camera, with varied activities and acquisition times, in order to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the quality of the reconstructed medical images. The 99mTc-sestamibi radiotracer was utilized, and then the images were clinically evaluated on the basis of data such as summed stress score, and on the technical image quality and perfusion. The software ImageJ was utilized in the data quantification. Results The results demonstrated that for the standard acquisition time utilized in the procedure (15 seconds per angle), the injected activity could be reduced by 33.34%. Additionally, even if the standard scan time is reduced by 53.34% (7 seconds per angle), the standard injected activity could still be reduced by 16.67%, without impairing the image quality and the diagnostic reliability. Conclusion The described method and respective results provide a basis for the development of a clinical trial of patients in an optimized protocol.
Determinants of aflatoxin exposure in young children from Benin and Togo, West Africa: the critical role of weaning.

BACKGROUND Dietary exposure to high levels of the fungal toxin, aflatoxin, occurs in West Africa, where long-term crop storage facilitates fungal growth. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study in Benin and Togo to investigate aflatoxin exposure in children around the time of weaning and correlated these data with food consumption, socioeconomic status, agro-ecological zone of residence, and anthropometric measures. Blood samples from 479 children (age 9 months to 5 years) from 16 villages in four agro-ecological zones were assayed for aflatoxin-albumin adducts (AF-alb) as a measure of recent past (2-3 months) exposure. RESULTS Aflatoxin-albumin adducts were detected in 475/479 (99%) children (geometric mean 32.8 pg/mg, 95% CI: 25.3-42.5). Adduct levels varied markedly across agro-ecological zones with mean levels being approximately four times higher in the central than in the northern region. The AF-alb level increased with age up to 3 years, and within the 1-3 year age group was significantly (P = 0.0001) related to weaning status; weaned children had approximately twofold higher mean AF-alb adduct levels (38 pg AF-lysine equivalents per mg of albumin [pg/mg]) than those receiving a mixture of breast milk and solid foods after adjustment for age, sex, agro-ecological zone, and socioeconomic status. A higher frequency of maize consumption, but not groundnut consumption, by the child in the preceding week was correlated with higher AF-alb adduct level. We previously reported that the prevalence of stunted growth (height for age Z-score HAZ) and being underweight (weight for age Z-score WAZ) were 33% and 29% respectively by World Health Organziation criteria. Children in these two categories had 30-40% higher mean AF-alb levels than the remainder of the children and strong dose- response relationships were observed between AF-alb levels and the extent of stunting and being underweight. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to this common toxic contaminant of West African food increases markedly following weaning and exposure early in life is associated with reduced growth. These observations reinforce the need for aflatoxin exposure intervention strategies within high-risk countries, possibly targeted specifically at foods used in the post-weaning period.
An engineered EBV vector expressing human factor VIII and von Willebrand factor in cultured B‐cells

Hemophilia A is a congenital disorder caused by a deficiency of the blood‐clotting factor VIII (FVIII) and is an attractive candidate for gene therapy. Most of the studies have only explored the potential of hepatocytes and muscle cells as the targets for gene transfer. Attempts to transfer the genes into hematopoietic cells have so far been mostly unsuccessful due to inefficiency of most viral vectors to transduce these cells and the supposed inability of the cells to express FVIII.
Polymorphism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae aquaporins

Aquaporin water channels facilitate the transmembrane diffusion of water and higher organisms possess a large number of isoforms. The genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains two highly similar aquaporin genes, AQY1 and AQY2. AQY1 has been shown to encode a functional water channel but only in certain laboratory strains. Here we show that the AQY2 gene is interrupted by an 11 bp deletion in 23 of the 27 laboratory strains tested, with the exception of strains from the Σ1278b background, which also exhibit a functional Aqy1p. However, although the AQY2 gene from Σ1278b is highly homologous to functional aquaporins, we did not observe Aqy2p‐mediated water transport in Xenopus oocytes. A survey of 52 yeast strains revealed that all industrial and wild yeasts carry the allele encoding a functional Aqy1p, while none of these strains appear to have a functional Aqy2p. We conclude that natural and industrial conditions provide selective pressure to maintain AQY1 but apparently not AQY2. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On logic synthesis for timing speculation

By allowing the occurrence of infrequent timing errors and correcting them with rollback mechanisms, the so-called timing speculation (TS) technique can significantly improve circuit energy-efficiency and hence has become one of the most promising solutions to mitigate the ever-increasing variation effects in nanometer technologies. As timing error recovery incurs non-trivial performance/energy overhead, it is important to reshape the delay distribution of critical paths in timing-speculated circuits to minimize their timing error rates. Most existing TS optimization techniques achieve this objective with post-synthesis techniques such as gate sizing or body biasing. In this work, we propose to conduct logic synthesis for timing-speculated circuits from the ground up. Being able to manipulate circuit structures during logic optimization, the proposed solution is able to dramatically reduce circuit timing error rates and hence improve its throughput, as demonstrated with experimental results on various benchmark circuits.
The fiction of methodological development: a field study of information systems development

This paper describes the findings of a field study that explores the process of information systems (IS) development in a large organization. The paper argues that traditional IS development methodologies are treated primarily as a necessary fiction to present an image of control or to provide a symbolic status, and are too mechanistic to be of much use in the detailed, day‐to‐day organization of systems developers’ activities. By drawing on the insights gained from this study, the paper outlines some implications for IS development methodologies. A secondary purpose of the paper is to illustrate the use of an “ecological” research approach to IS development as advocated by Shneiderman and Carroll.