Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid Susceptibility Testing of Medically Important Zygomycetes by XTT Assay

ABSTRACT The XTT colorimetric assay quantifies fungal growth by measuring fungal metabolism and has been used successfully for susceptibility testing of Aspergillus species after 24 and 48 h of incubation. In the present study using 14 clinical isolates of Zygomycetes (Rhizopus oryzae [5 isolates], Cunninghamella spp. [3 isolates], Mucor spp. [3 isolates], and Absidia corymbifera [3 isolates]), significant metabolic activity was demonstrated before visual or spectrophotometric detection of fungal growth by performing the XTT assay as early as 6 h after inoculation. Testing of susceptibility to amphotericin B, posaconazole, and voriconazole was subsequently performed using the XTT method (100 μg/ml XTT, 25 μM menadione) at 6, 8, or 12 h after inoculation and the CLSI (formerly NCCLS) M38-A method with visual and spectrophotometric MIC determinations at 24 h after inoculation. Concentration-effect curves obtained with the use of the Emax model (a sigmoid curve with variable slope) were comparable between the early XTT and spectrophotometric readings at 24 h. Complete inhibition of early metabolic activity with the azoles was delayed in comparison to that with amphotericin B. Using appropriate cutoff levels, agreement was demonstrated between the early XTT and 24-h spectrophotometric or visual readings. In particular, for MIC-0 (the lowest drug concentration showing absence of visual growth) of amphotericin B, overall agreement levels were 90 to 93% for the 6-h XTT assay and 100% for the 8- and 12-h time points. For MIC-0 of posaconazole, agreement levels were 86% for the 6-h XTT and 93 to 100% for the 8- and 12-h time points. The overall agreement levels for MIC-0 and MIC-2 (the lowest drug concentration showing prominent reduction of growth compared with the control well) of voriconazole (compared with 24-h spectrophotometric readings) were 93 to 98% for the 8- and 12-h XTT assays. These results support the use of the XTT method for rapid MIC determination for Zygomycetes.
Towards an Adaptive Skeleton Framework for Performance Portability

The proliferation of widely available, but very different, parallel architectures makes the ability to deliver good parallel performance on a range of architectures, or performance portability, highly desirable. Irregularly-parallel problems, where the number and size of tasks is unpredictable, are particularly challenging and require dynamic coordination. The paper outlines a novel approach to delivering portable parallel performance for irregularly parallel programs. The approach combines declarative parallelism with JIT technology, dynamic scheduling, and dynamic transformation. We present the design of an adaptive skeleton library, with a task graph implementation, JIT trace costing, and adaptive transformations. We outline the architecture of the protoype adaptive skeleton execution framework in Pycket, describing tasks, serialisation, and the current scheduler.We report a preliminary evaluation of the prototype framework using 4 micro-benchmarks and a small case study on two NUMA servers (24 and 96 cores) and a small cluster (17 hosts, 272 cores). Key results include Pycket delivering good sequential performance e.g. almost as fast as C for some benchmarks; good absolute speedups on all architectures (up to 120 on 128 cores for sumEuler); and that the adaptive transformations do improve performance.
The Demographics of Long-Period Comets

The absolute magnitude and perihelion distributions of long-period comets are derived, using data from the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey. The results are surprising in three ways. First, the flux of comets through the inner solar system is much lower than some previous estimates. Second, the expected rise in comet numbers to larger perihelia is not seen. Third, the number of comets per unit absolute magnitude does not significantly rise to fainter magnitudes. These results imply that the Oort Cloud contains many fewer comets than some previous estimates, that small long-period comets collide with the Earth too infrequently to be a plausible source of Tunguska-style impacts, and that some physical process must have prevented small icy planetesimals from reaching the Oort Cloud, or have rendered them unobservable. A tight limit is placed on the space density of interstellar comets, but the predicted space density is lower still. The number of long-period comets that will be discovered by telescopes such as SkyMapper, the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS), and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is predicted, and the optimum observing strategy is discussed.
Rethinking the hedonic treadmill within the context of broaden and build theory: Developing resources through positive employees

Entrenched within the sphere of positive psychology, the present series of studies takes a progressive approach to understanding and furthering the practical application of constructs subsumed within the subfield of positive organizational behavior (POB). The progression begins with Study 1, which analyzes the factorial structure and psychometric footholds of the primary measurement instrument for Psychological Capital (PsyCap), one of the newer positive psychological constructs. This study suggested that both the measurement of this construct in addition to its factor structure may need to be reevaluated in order to best conceptualize the multifactorial nature of this variable. In turn, Study 2 involves resilience, one of the four aspects of PsyCap, and suggests that it may play an important role in molding employees’ work experiences. Specifically, Study 2 explores the relations between workload and eudaimonic and hedonic well-being over a two-week period, finding that workload is negatively related to eudaimonic well-being, but, interestingly, positively related to hedonic well-being. However, hypotheses suggesting that resilience and role salience may independently moderate workload’s relations with eudaimonic and hedonic well-being were not supported. Finally, recognizing the potential value of these positive psychological constructs (resilience and well-being in particular) for employers and employees alike, Study 3 aimed to develop interventions capable of increasing individuals’ positive personal resources, whereby they may enhance their ability to endure work challenges and even thrive in the face of such challenges. Findings indicated that the intervention targeting resilience did not result in significant differences between a control group and the intervention group. The intervention targeting well-being resulted in no differences in hedonic well-being, but did evidence differences on the personal growth aspect of eudaimonic well-being. Overall, these three studies taken together speak to the applicability of positive organizational behavior constructs in the workplace, and how such constructs might be enhanced in employees. RETHINKING THE HEDONIC TREADMILL WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF BROADEN AND BUILD THEORY: DEVELOPING RESOURCES THROUGH POSITIVE EMPLOYEES
Shift-Invariant and Sampling Spaces Associated With the Fractional Fourier Transform Domain

Shift-invariant spaces play an important role in sampling theory, multiresolution analysis, and many other areas of signal and image processing. A special class of the shift-invariant spaces is the class of sampling spaces in which functions are determined by their values on a discrete set of points. One of the vital tools used in the study of sampling spaces is the Zak transform. The Zak transform is also related to the Poisson summation formula and a common thread between all these notions is the Fourier transform. In this paper, we extend some of these notions to the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) domain. First, we introduce two definitions of the discrete fractional Fourier transform and two semi-discrete fractional convolutions associated with them. We employ these definitions to derive necessary and sufficient conditions pertaining to FrFT domain, under which integer shifts of a function form an orthogonal basis or a Riesz basis for a shift-invariant space. We also introduce the fractional Zak transform and derive two different versions of the Poisson summation formula for the FrFT. These extensions are used to obtain new results concerning sampling spaces, to derive the reproducing-kernel for the spaces of fractional band-limited signals, and to obtain a new simple proof of the sampling theorem for signals in that space. Finally, we present an application of our shift-invariant signal model which is linked with the problem of fractional delay filtering.
Ionic Mechanisms Underlying Repetitive High-Frequency Burst Firing in Supragranular Cortical Neurons

Neocortical neurons in awake, behaving animals can generate high-frequency (>300 Hz) bursts of action potentials, either in single bursts or in a repetitive manner. Intracellular recordings of layer II/III pyramidal neurons were obtained from adult ferret visual cortical slices maintained in vitro to investigate the ionic mechanisms by which a subgroup of these cells generates repetitive, high-frequency burst discharges, a pattern referred to as “chattering. ” The generation of each but the first action potential in a burst was dependent on the critical interplay between the afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) and afterdepolarizations (ADPs) that followed each action potential. The spike-afterdepolarization and the generation of action potential bursts were dependent on Na+, but not Ca2+, currents. Neither blocking of the transmembrane flow of Ca2+nor the intracellular chelation of free Ca2+ with BAPTA inhibited the generation of intrinsic bursts. In contrast, decreasing the extracellular Na+ concentration or pharmacologically blocking Na+ currents with tetrodotoxin, QX-314, or phenytoin inhibited bursting before inhibiting action potential generation. Additionally, a subset of layer II/III pyramidal neurons could be induced to switch from repetitive single spiking to a burst-firing mode by constant depolarizing current injection, by raising extracellular K+concentrations, or by potentiation of the persistent Na+ current with the Na+ channel toxin ATX II. These results indicate that cortical neurons may dynamically regulate their pattern of action potential generation through control of Na+ and K+currents. The generation of high-frequency burst discharges may strongly influence the response of postsynaptic neurons and the operation of local cortical networks.
Examining the direct and some mediated relationships between perceived support and intention to quit

This study investigated: (a) the validity of a three-dimensional perceived support construct (organisational, leader, and co-worker); (b) the direct relationship between perceived support and intention to quit; (c) the indirect relationships as mediated by affective commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction; and (d) the relative importance of these four constructs in predicting intention to quit. A sample of 187 bank employees participated in the study. An exploratory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity of a two-dimensional perceived support construct (leader and co-worker), which was found to be reliable and strongly negatively correlated with intention to quit (r = -0.52, p < 0.01). Baron and Kenny's (1986) procedure was used to investigate the mediated relationships. Job satisfaction, affective commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour were all found to partially mediate the relationship between perceived support and intention to quit. Of the four constructs, perceived support was found to make the strongest unique contribution in the prediction of intention to quit.
A randomized trial to evaluate the risk of gastrointestinal disease due to consumption of drinking water meeting current microbiological standards.

BACKGROUND This project directly and empirically measured the level of gastrointestinal (GI) illness related to the consumption of tapwater prepared from sewage-contaminated surface waters and meeting current water quality criteria. METHODS A randomized intervention trial was carried out; 299 eligible households were supplied with domestic water filters (reverse-osmosis) that eliminate microbial and chemical contaminants from their water, and 307 households were left with their usual tapwater without a filter. The GI symptomatology was evaluated by means of a family health diary maintained prospectively by all study families over a 15-month period. RESULTS The estimated annual incidence of GI illness was 0.76 among tapwater drinkers compared with 0.50 among filtered water drinkers (p less than 0.01). These findings were consistently observed in all population subgroups. CONCLUSION It is estimated that 35% of the reported GI illnesses among the tapwater drinkers were water-related and preventable. Our results raise questions about the adequacy of current standards of drinking water quality to prevent water-borne endemic gastrointestinal illness.
High intertester reliability of the Cumulated Ambulation Score for the evaluation of basic mobility in patients with hip fracture

Objective: To examine the intertester reliability of the three activities of the Cumulated Ambulation Score (CAS) and the total CAS, and to define limits for the smallest change in basic mobility that indicates a real change in patients with hip fracture. Design: An intertester reliability study. Setting: An acute 20-bed orthopaedic hip fracture unit. Subjects: Fifty consecutive patients with a median age of 83 (25—75% quartile, 68—86) years. Interventions: The CAS, which describes the patient’s independency in three activities — (1) getting in and out of bed, (2) sit to stand from a chair, and (3) walking ability — was assessed by two independent physiotherapists at postoperative median day 3. Each activity was assessed on a three-point ordinal scale from 0 (not able to) to 2 (independent of human assistance). The cumulated score for each activity provides a total CAS from 0 to 6, with 6 indicating independent ambulation. Main measures: Reliability was evaluated using weighted kappa statistics, the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the smallest real difference (SRD). Results: The kappa coefficient, the SEM and the SRD in the three activities and the total CAS were ≥0.92, ≤0.20 and ≤0.55 CAS points, respectively. Conclusions: The intertester reliability of the CAS is very high, and a change of more than 0.20 and 0.55 CAS points for the total CAS indicates a real change in basic mobility, at group level and for an individual patient, respectively.
Lost in Transition or Geared for the S-Curve? An Analysis of Flemish Transition Trajectories with a Focus on Energy Use and Buildings

In recent years, many cities have adopted action plans to become climate neutral in the coming decades. Hereby, a strong motivational factor has been the goal to realize a win-win situation in the long term: climate neutrality and sustainable functioning are not only beneficial for the environment, but are equally beneficial for society and for the economy if well-integrated trajectories are adopted. Nevertheless, as actors across the fields start to implement these plans, many practical obstacles have arisen. These barriers are typical of a systemic transition: dominant practices are characterized by path dependencies, vast institutional frameworks and vested interests that are hard to break through. At the same time, relevant initiatives typically show some elements of uncertainty and a long term return, factors that make it difficult to attract financial investments. The present article addresses the state of the art for current transition experiments in the region of Flanders, Belgium, focusing on actions related to energy and buildings in cities. A brief overview of the state of affairs in several cities and provinces is presented, and some important opportunities and bottlenecks are identified. The resultant findings are tested against the framework of transition theory and related literature on the subject. Subsequently, a set of possible strategies to overcome the above mentioned barriers is formulated. These strategies focus on effectively mobilizing actors and investments.
Characterization of Na+-K+-2Cl− Cotransporter Activity in Rabbit Lacrimal Gland Duct Cells

Purpose We recently reported that isolated duct segments from rabbit lacrimal gland (LG) were able to secrete fluid in response to secretagogues, which were blocked completely by bumetanide. This suggests the functional involvement of Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter (NKCC1) in ductal fluid secretion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the activity profile of NKCC1 in isolated rabbit LG duct segments. Methods Interlobular ducts were isolated from fresh rabbit LG tissue. Microfluorometry with the ammonium (NH4+)–pulse technique was used to elicit pH changes in duct cells, and the rate of bumetanide-sensitive cytosolic acidification after addition of NH4+ was used to quantify the activity of NKCC1. Results While basal activity of NKCC1 was undetectable, low cytosolic chloride (Cl−) level and hyperosmotic challenge (390 mOsm) were able to increase the activity of NKCC1. Carbachol (100 μM) had no significant effect on NKCC1 activity. Elevation of cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) level with Ca2+-ionophore (A 23187, 1 μM) did not cause any alteration in the activity of the cotransporter while direct activation of protein kinase C (phorbol myristate acetate, 100 nM) increased its activity slightly but in a significant manner. Addition of either forskolin (10 μM), cell-permeable cAMP analogue (8-bromo cAMP, 100 μM) or vasoactive intestinal peptide (200 nM) resulted in a significant increase in the activity of NKCC1. Conclusions These results highlight the functional involvement of NKCC1 in LG duct secretion. These findings may facilitate our understanding of LG function and may contribute to the development of targeted pharmacologic interventions in case of dry eye disease.
The role of psychopathy in scholastic cheating: self-report and objective measures

Despite a wealth of studies, no consistent personality predictors of scholastic cheating have been identified. However, several highly-relevant variables have been overlooked. I address this void with a series of three studies. Study 1 was a large-scale survey of a broad range of personality predictors of self-reported scholastic cheating. The significant predictors were psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism, low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness. However, only psychopathy remained significant in a multiple regression. Study 2 replicated this pattern using a naturalistic, behavioural indicator of cheating -plagiarism as indexed by the internet service Turn-It-In. The psychopathy association still held up after controlling for intelligence. Finally, Study 3 examined possible motivational mediators of the association between psychopathy and cheating. Unmitigated achievement and moral inhibition were successful mediators whereas fear of punishment was not. Implications for researchers and educators are discussed.
Cost effectiveness of bronchial thermoplasty in patients with severe uncontrolled asthma

Abstract Rationale: Based on its clinical effectiveness, bronchial thermoplasty (BT) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010 for the treatment of severe persistent asthma in patients 18 years and older whose asthma is not well-controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonist medicines. Objective: Assess the 10 year cost-effectiveness of BT for individuals with severe uncontrolled asthma. Methods: Using a Markov decision analytic model, the cost-effectiveness of BT was estimated. The patient population involved a hypothetical cohort of 41-year-old patients comparing BT to usual care over a 10-year time frame. The main outcome measure was cost in 2013 dollars per additional quality adjusted life year (QALY). Results: Treatment with BT resulted in 6.40 QALYs and $7512 in cost compared to 6.21 QALYs and $2054 for usual care. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for BT at 10 years was $29 821/QALY. At a willingness to pay per QALY of $50 000, BT continues to be cost effective unless the probability of severe asthma exacerbation drops below 0.63 exacerbation per year or the cost of BT rises above $10 384 total for all three bronchoscopic procedures needed to perform thermoplasty and to cover the entire bronchial tree (baseline = $6690). Conclusions: BT is a cost-effective treatment for asthmatics at high risk of exacerbations. Continuing to follow asthmatics treated with BT beyond 5 years will help inform longer efficacy and support its cost-effectiveness.
A novel structure for realization of a pseudo two path band-pass filter

In this paper, a modified auto zeroed integrator is used to design and simulate a low-voltage high-speed and accurate switched capacitor pseudo 2-path filter. The filter is a sixth-order Chebyshev band-pass filter operating at sampling frequency of 1MHz and center frequency of 250 kHz with a quality factor of 50. The circuit is simulated using HSPICE and 0.25¿m CMOS technology.
Design of Three-Stage Class-AB 16  $\Omega$ Headphone Driver Capable of Handling Wide Range of Load Capacitance

In this paper, the effect of load capacitance variation on the location of the closed loop poles of three-stage amplifiers is analyzed and a frequency compensation scheme that automatically adjusts the damping factor according to the load capacitance is proposed. A class-AB 16 Omega headphone driver designed using the proposed scheme in 0.13 mum technology can handle 1 pF to 22 nF capacitive load while consuming as low as 1.2 mW of quiescent power. It can deliver a peak power of 40 mW (1.6 Vpp swing) to the load with - 84.8 dB THD and 92 dB peak SNR. It occupies 0.1 mm2 area.
To Compare the Effect of Vibration Therapy and Massage in Prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

OBJECTIVES To compare the effects of vibration therapy and massage in prevention of DOMS. METHODS Pre-test and Post-test Control-Group Design was used, 45 healthy female non athletic Subjects were recruited and randomly distributed to the three groups (15 subject in each group). After the subject's initial status was measured experimental groups received vibration therapy (50 Hz vibration for five minutes) or massage therapy (15 minutes) intervention and control group received no treatment, just prior to the eccentric exercise. Subjects were undergoing the following measurements to evaluate the changes in the muscle condition: muscle soreness (pain perception), Range of Motion (ROM), Maximum Isometric Force (MIF), Repetition maximum (RM), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Cretain Kinase (CK) level. All the parameters except LDH, CK and 1RM were measured before, immediately post intervention, immediately post exercise, 24 hours post exercise, 48 hours post exercise and 72 hours post exercise. LDH, CK and 1 RM were measured before and 48 hours post exercise. RESULT Muscle soreness was reported to be significantly less for experimental (vibration and massage) group (p=0.000) as compared to control group at 24, 48, and 72 hours of post-exercise. Experimental and control group did not show any significant difference in MIF immediate (p=0.2898), 24 hours (p=0.4173), 48 hours (p=0.752) and 72 hours (p=0.5297) of post-exercise. Range of motion demonstrated significant recovery in experimental groups in 48 hours (p=0.0016) and 72 hours (p=0.0463). Massage therapy showed significant recovery in 1RM (p=0.000) compared to control group and vibration therapy shows significantly less LDH level (p=0.000) 48 hours of post exercise compare to control group. CK at 48 hours of post exercise in vibration group (p=0.000) and massage group showed (p=0.002) significant difference as compared to control group. CONCLUSION Vibration therapy and massage are equally effective in prevention of DOMS. Massage is effective in restoration of concentric strength (1 RM). Yet vibration therapy shows clinically early reduction of pain and is effective in decreasing the level of LDH in 48 hours post exercise periods.