Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Invasive candidiasis in intensive care unit; consensus statement from an Iranian panel of experts, July 2013

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is associated with high mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Timely diagnosis of this potentially fatal condition remains a challenge; on the other hand, the criteria for initiating empirical antifungal therapy in critically ill patients are not well defined in different patient population and ICU settings. Alongside the international guidelines, reaching regional and local consensus on diagnosis and management of IC in ICU setting is essential. This report summarizes our present status of IC management in ICU, considered by a group of Iranian experts in the fields of intensive care and infectious diseases. A round table of 17 experts was held to review the available data and discuss the optimal treatment strategies for IC in critical care setting. Comparative published data on the management of IC were analytically reviewed and the commonly asked questions about the management of IC in ICU were isolated. These questions were interactively discussed by the panel and audience responses were taken to consolidate point-to-point agreement with the panel arriving at consensus in many instances. The responses indicated that patients’ risk stratification, clinical discretion, fungal diagnostic techniques and the empirical therapy for IC are likely to save more patients. Treatment options were recommended to be based on the disease severity, prior azole exposure, and the presence of suspected azole-resistant Candida species. This report was reviewed, edited and discussed by all participants to include further evidence-based insights. The panel expects such endorsed recommendations to be soon formulated for implementation across the country.
Wear Performance of UHMWPE and Reinforced UHMWPE Composites in Arthroplasty Applications: A Review

As the gold standard material for artificial joints, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) generates wear debris when the material is used in arthroplasty applications. Due to the adverse reactions of UHMWPE wear debris with surrounding tissues, the life time of UHMWPE joints is often limited to 15–20 years. To improve the wear resistance and performance of the material, various attempts have been made in the past decades. This paper reviews existing improvements made to enhance its mechanical properties and wear resistance. They include using gamma irradiation to promote the cross-linked structure and to improve the wear resistance, blending vitamin E to protect the UHMWPE, filler incorporation to improve the mechanical and wear performance, and surface texturing to improve the lubrication condition and to reduce wear. Limitations of existing work and future studies are also identified.
Shadows of blow-up algebras

We study different notions of blow-up of a scheme X along a subscheme Y, depending on the datum of an embedding of X into an ambient scheme. The two extremes in this theory are the ordinary blow-up, corresponding to the identity, and the `quasi-symmetric blow-up', corresponding to an embedding into a nonsingular variety M. We prove that this latter blow-up is intrinsic of Y and X, and is universal with respect to the requirement of being embedded as a subscheme of the ordinary blow-up of some ambient space along Y. We consider these notions in the context of the theory of characteristic classes of singular varieties. We prove that if X is a hypersurface in a nonsingular variety and Y is its `singularity subscheme', these two extremes embody respectively the conormal and characteristic cycles of X. Consequently, the first carries the essential information computing Chern-Mather classes, and the second is likewise a carrier for Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson classes. In our approach, these classes are obtained from Segre class-like invariants, in precisely the same way as other intrinsic characteristic classes such as those proposed by William Fulton and by W. Fulton and Kent Johnson. We also identify a condition on the singularities of a hypersurface under which the quasi-symmetric blow-up is simply the linear fiber space associated with a coherent sheaf.
Computer aid assessment of driver's fatigue during driving based on eye movements analysis

In the article a specific biomedical requirements for the driver's psychophysical condition in terms of early warning system against excessive fatigue states was presented. In the first part of the paper selected driver’s biomedical parameters were described, next the video image analysis algorithms in the context of eye movements were presented. In the last part a hardware solution for the non-invasive on-line measurements was proposed and the results obtained in practice were briefly characterized.
Developing and researching PhET simulations for teaching quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is counterintuitive, difficult to visualize, mathematically challenging, and abstract. The Physics Education Technology (PhET) Project now includes 18 simulations on quantum mechanics designed to improve the learning of this subject. These simulations include several key features to help students build mental models and intuition about quantum mechanics: visual representations of abstract concepts and microscopic processes that cannot be directly observed, interactive environments that directly couple students’ actions to animations, connections to everyday life, and efficient calculations so that students can focus on the concepts rather than the mathematics. Like all PhET simulations, these are developed using the results of research and feedback from educators, and are tested in student interviews and classroom studies. This article provides an overview of the PhET quantum simulations and their development. We also describe research demonstrating their effectiveness and discuss some i.
Linking Service Learning and Civic Engagement in Community College Students.

In 2003 the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) received a three-year grant from the Learn and Serve America program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The purpose of the Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning grant was to create and enhance service learning activities at eight community colleges selected in a national competition. The proposed end outcome for this grant was to increase civic knowledge and civic commitment in at least 50 percent of the service learning students from these eight Horizons grantee colleges.
ESKAPE active antibiotics avoiding resistance development

Antibiotics are now “endangered species” facing extinction due to the worldwide emergence of antibiotic resistance (ABR). Food animals are considered as key reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria with the use of antibiotics in the food production industry having contributed to the actual global challenge of ABR. There are no geographic boundaries to impede the worldwide spread of ABR. If preventive and containment measures are not applied locally, nationally and regionally, the limited interventions in one country, continent and for instance, in the developing world, could compromise the efficacy and endanger ABR containment policies implemented in other parts of the world, the best-managed high-resource countries included. Multifaceted, comprehensive and integrated measures complying with the One Health approach are imperative to ensure food safety and security, effectively combat infectious diseases, curb the emergence and spread of ABR, and preserve the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations. Countries should follow the World Health Organization, World Organization for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recommendations to implement national action plans encompassing human, (food) animal, and environmental sectors to improve policies, interventions and activities that address the prevention and containment of ABR from farm-to-fork. This review covers (i) the origin of antibiotic resistance, (ii) pathways by which bacteria spread to humans from farm-to-fork, (iii) differences in levels of antibiotic resistance between developed and developing countries, and (iv) prevention and containment measures of antibiotic resistance in the food chain.
Comparison of Fourier and model-based estimators in single-mode multi-axial interferometry

There are several solutions to code the signal arising from optical long-baseline multi-aperture interferometers. In this paper, we focus on the non-homothetic spatial coding scheme (multi-axial) with the fringe pattern coded along one dimension on one detector (all-in-one). After describing the physical principles governing single-mode interferometers using that sort of recombination scheme, we analyse two different existing methods that measure the source visibility. The first technique, the so-called Fourier estimator, consists of integrating the high-frequency peak of the power spectral density of the interferogram. The second method, the so-called model-based estimator, has been specifically developed for the Astronomical Multi-BEam combineR (AMBER) instrument of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and deals with directly modelling the interferogram recorded on the detector. Performances of both estimators are computed in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the visibility, assuming that the interferograms are perturbed by photon and detector noises. Theoretical expressions of the visibility S/N are provided, validated through numerical computations and then compared. We show that the model-based estimator offers up to 5 times better performances than the Fourier one.
Performance improvement in distributed Turkish continuous speech recognition system using packet loss concealment techniques

In this work, we investigated performance improvement of the distributed Turkish continuous speech recognition system (TCSRS) with some well-known packet loss concealment (PLC) techniques. The PLC techniques, Lagrange, Spline and maximum a-posteriori (MAP) are applied to the sparse and burst packet losses in the system. The experimental results showed that the interpolation methods give acceptable performance during sparse packet losses. But for burst losses, the performance of MAP estimation method is better than that of interpolation methods.
Effect of stress on the evolution of mask-edge defects in ion-implanted silicona)

In an effort to extend the scaling of advanced complementary metal-oxide semiconductor devices, strain has been incorporated to enhance carrier mobility. In this study, the effect of strain on the solid-phase epitaxial regrowth process of patterned wafers was explored. Implants of 1×1015∕cm2 Si+ with an energy of 40keV were introduced into these patterned regions forming a continuous amorphous layer. After implantation, the oxide and nitride masks were removed and the wafers stressed uniaxially between 0 and 250MPa. The wafers were subsequently annealed under stress to crystallize the amorphous layer, which was monitored using transmission electron microscopy. It was found that without stress, defects formed at the mask edge where the vertical and lateral epitaxial regrowth fronts meet. These defects were threading dislocations which form at the amorphous-crystalline interface and propagate to the surface. Tensile stress levels of as little as 50MPa were found to begin to suppress the formation of mask-ed.
Design of a Ten-Way Conical Transmission Line Power Combiner

Axially symmetric power combiners, such as radial line and conical line combiners, are very effective in combining the output signals from a large number of power amplifiers over a wide band with low losses. The main problem with radial lines is the behavior of the characteristic impedance against radial distance, which makes design of radial combiners difficult and normally optimization based. In this paper, a step-by-step design procedure is presented for the design of a conical line combiner. The design strategy relies on the transverse electromagnetic properties of the conical line to eliminate the need for complex full-wave optimization in the design process. Circuit models are instead employed and optimized to achieve a wide matched bandwidth. A ten-way prototype was developed at X-band, which displayed more than an octave matched bandwidth with low insertion loss
The Entrapment/Escorting Mission

The problem of escorting a moving target with a team of mobile robots was solved in this article by resorting to a formation control algorithm that can be cast in the framework of the NSB control approach. The overall mission, therefore, is decomposed into properly defined elementary tasks that are hierarchically arranged, so that the higher-priority tasks are not influenced by the lower-priority ones. The validity of the proposed approach has been proved by both simulation case studies and experimental results with a team of six Khepera II mobile robots. Stability analysis concerning effective conditions needed to verify that the behaviors of specific missions are properly defined and merged is under investigation. Future improvements might regard decentralization of the algorithm, consideration of the vehicles' nonholonomicity in the definition of the task functions, and the introduction of a piecewise-constant constraint for the linear velocity to allow application of the method to teams of cruise vehicles (e.g., a fleet of vessels or a flight of planes).
Ethical Issues in Qualitative E-Learning Research

In the mid 1980s education researchers began exploring the use of the Internet within teaching and learning practices, now commonly referred to as e-learning. At the same time, many e-learning researchers were discovering that the application of existing ethical guidelines for qualitative research was resulting in confusion and uncertainty among both researchers and ethics review board members. Two decades later we continue to be plagued by these same ethical issues. On reflection on our research practices and examination of the literature on ethical issues relating to qualitative Internet- and Web-based research, the authors conclude that there are three main areas of confusion and uncertainty among researchers in the field of e-learning: (a) participant consent, (b) public versus private ownership, and (c) confidentiality and anonymity.
AN ULTRASTRUCTURAL AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF THREE INHIBITORS OF CHOLESTEROL BIOSYNTHESIS UPON MURINE ADRENAL GLAND AND TESTIS

Triparanol and 20,25-diazacholesterol inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and result in the accumulation of desmosterol. AY-9944, another inhibitor, produces an accumulation of 7-dehydrocholesterol. Adult male C3H mice receive one of these drugs intraperitoneally. Livers, adrenal glands, and testes from each drug group are excised, and portions of each are analyzed by a modified Liebermann-Burchard reaction for quantitation of sterols. Adrenals and testes are examined also by electron microscopy. Fine-structural localization of acid phosphatase has been studied in triparanol-treated adrenal glands. Biochemical analysis reveals that 14–64% of the sterols occurs as desmosterol or 7-dehydrocholesterol. Fine-structural alterations in the adrenal glands and testes from each drug group are essentially identical. The predominant cytological feature is the occurrence of increased numbers of pleomorphic, unit-membrane-limited, electron-opaque, cytoplasmic inclusions. Hence, the cellular modifications following triparanol administration are not unique, as has been suggested. They represent a generalized phenomenon, probably related to inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis, which is an effect common to each drug. Lead phosphate reaction product (indicating acid phosphatase activity) is demonstrable within these membrane-limited cytoplasmic bodies, identifying them as morphological lysosomes. The utilization of a lysosomal mechanism in sterol-synthesizing cells, which are accumulating cholesterol intermediates, is discussed.
High Fat Diet Enhances β-Site Cleavage of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) via Promoting β-Site APP Cleaving Enzyme 1/Adaptor Protein 2/Clathrin Complex Formation

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We reported that a high fat diet (HFD) promotes amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleavage by β-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) without increasing BACE1 levels in APP transgenic mice. However, the detailed mechanism had remained unclear. Here we demonstrate that HFD promotes BACE1/Adaptor protein-2 (AP-2)/clathrin complex formation by increasing AP-2 levels in APP transgenic mice. In Swedish APP overexpressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as well as in SH-SY5Y cells, overexpression of AP-2 promoted the formation of BACE1/AP-2/clathrin complex, increasing the level of the soluble form of APP β (sAPPβ). On the other hand, mutant D495R BACE1, which inhibits formation of this trimeric complex, was shown to decrease the level of sAPPβ. Overexpression of AP-2 promoted the internalization of BACE1 from the cell surface, thus reducing the cell surface BACE1 level. As such, we concluded that HFD may induce the formation of the BACE1/AP-2/clathrin complex, which is followed by its transport of BACE1 from the cell surface to the intracellular compartments. These events might be associated with the enhancement of β-site cleavage of APP in APP transgenic mice. Here we present evidence that HFD, by regulation of subcellular trafficking of BACE1, promotes APP cleavage.
Evaluation of the Waste Tire Resources Recovery Program and Environmental Health Policy in Taiwan

This paper examines the effectiveness of Taiwanese environmental health policies, whose aim is to improve environmental quality by reducing tire waste via the Tire Resource Recovery Program. The results confirm that implemented environmental health policies improve the overall health of the population (i.e. a decrease in death caused by bronchitis and other respiratory diseases). Current policy expenditures are far below the optimal level, as it is estimated that a ten percent increase in the subsidy would decrease the number of deaths caused by bronchitis and other respiratory diseases by 0.58% per county/city per year on average.
Combined Delivery of Paclitaxel and Tanespimycin via Micellar Nanocarriers: Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy and Metabolomic Analysis

Background Despite the promising anticancer efficacy observed in preclinical studies, paclitaxel and tanespimycin (17-AAG) combination therapy has yielded meager responses in a phase I clinical trial. One serious problem associated with paclitaxel/17-AAG combination therapy is the employment of large quantities of toxic organic surfactants and solvents for drug solubilization. The goal of this study was to evaluate a micellar formulation for the concurrent delivery of paclitaxel and 17-AAG in vivo. Methodology/Principal Findings Paclitaxel/17-AAG-loaded micelles were assessed in mice bearing human ovarian tumor xenografts. Compared with the free drugs at equivalent doses, intravenous administration of paclitaxel/17-AAG-loaded micelles led to 3.5- and 1.7-fold increase in the tumor concentrations of paclitaxel and 17-AAG, respectively, without significant altering drug levels in normal organs. The enhanced tumor accumulation of the micellar drugs was further confirmed by the whole-body near infrared imaging using indocyanine green-labeled micelles. Subsequently, the anticancer efficacy of paclitaxel/17-AAG-loaded micelles was examined in comparison with the free drugs (weekly 20 mg/kg paclitaxel, twice-weekly 37.5 mg/kg 17-AAG). We found that paclitaxel/17-AAG-loaded micelles caused near-complete arrest of tumor growth, whereas the free drug-treated tumors experienced rapid growth shortly after the 3-week treatment period ended. Furthermore, comparative metabolomic profiling by proton nuclear magnetic resonance revealed significant decrease in glucose, lactate and alanine with simultaneous increase in glutamine, glutamate, aspartate, choline, creatine and acetate levels in the tumors of mice treated with paclitaxel/17-AAG-loaded micelles. Conclusions/Significance We have demonstrated in the current wok a safe and efficacious nano-sized formulation for the combined delivery of paclitaxel and 17-AAG, and uncovered unique metabolomic signatures in the tumor that correlate with the favorable therapeutic response to paclitaxel/17-AAG combination therapy.
The phylogeny of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria as determined by analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences.

Partial sequences of the 16S ribosomal RNA genes of eleven autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were determined by PCR amplification from small amounts of heat-lysed biomass followed by direct sequencing of PCR products. The sequences were aligned with those of representative Proteobacteria and phylogenetic trees inferred using both parsimony and distance matrix methods. This confirmed that the autotrophic ammonia-oxidizers comprise two major lines of descent within the Proteobacteria. Nitrosomonas spp. , Nitrosococcus mobilis, and strains of Nitrosovibrio, Nitrosospira and Nitrosolobus were located in the beta-subdivision. The recovery of Nitrosococcus oceanus strains as a deep branch in the gamma-subdivision supported the RNA catalogue data which had indicated that the genus Nitrosococcus is polyphyletic. The autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria of the beta-Proteobacteria formed a coherent group which is interpreted as representing a single family. Within this clade, the genera Nitrosovibrio, Nitrosospira and Nitrosolobus exhibited very high levels of homology in their 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences and can be accommodated within a single genus. Separation of these genera is currently based entirely on gross morphological differences and these can now be considered more appropriate for the identification of species within this group. It is therefore proposed that Nitrosolobus, Nitrosovibrio and Nitrosospira strains be reclassified in a single genus for which the name Nitrosospira has priority.
Transportation of Critically Ill Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be a life-saving procedure for patients with severe reversible pulmonary or cardiac failure or for patients in need for a bridge to transplantation. ECMO is provided by specialized centers, but patients in need of ECMO are frequently taken care of at other centers. Conventional transports to an ECMO center can be hazardous and deaths have been described. For this reason, many ECMO centers have developed transport programs with mobile ECMO. After request, the mobile team including all necessary equipment to initiate ECMO is sent to the referring hospital, where the patient is cannulated and ECMO commenced. The patient is then transported on ECMO to the ECMO facility by road, helicopter, or fixed-wing aircraft depending on distance, weather conditions, etc. Eight publications have reported series of more than 50 transports on ECMO of which the largest included over 700. Together, these papers report on more than 1400 patient transports on ECMO. Two deaths during transport have occurred. A number of other adverse events are described, but without effect on patient outcome. Survival of patients transported on ECMO is equivalent to that of non-transported ECMO patients. It is concluded that long-, short-distance interhospital transports on ECMO can be performed safely. The staff should be experienced and highly competent in intensive care, ECMO cannulation, ECMO treatment, intensive care transport, and air transport medicine.