Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ESCHERICHIA COLI PATHOTYPES ASSOCIATED WITH DIARRHEA IN HUMAN AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS

Ruminants are important reservoirs for zoonotic pathogenic E. coli. The objective of this study was to characterize pathogenic E. coli isolates from cattle and sheep linked to human illness with respect to their path types, serotypes and genotypes. E. coli O157:H7 isolated from cattle, sheep and human patients were compared for their genomic similarity by Pulsed-Field Gel-Electrophoresis (PFGE). PCR detection of virulence factors associated with different E. coli path types (VTEC, ETEC, EPEC, EAEC and EIEC) revealed that VTEC was the most prevalent path type (22/45; 48.9%), followed by EAEC (3/45; 6.7%), EPEC (1/45; 2.2%), a EPEC (3/45; 6.7%), ETEC (1/45; 2.2%) and EIEC (1/45; 2.2%). E. coli O157:H7 represented the most prevalent VTEC serotypes (11/22; 50%). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis typing revealed exact matches between E. coli O157:H7 isolates from the human patients, sheep and cattle in the same municipality. VTEC play an important cause of diarrhea in human, sheep and cattle. The molecular relatedness between PFGE profiles of E. coli O157:H7 isolates from human, sheep and cattle supported the hypothesis that ruminants especially cattle and sheep act as reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7 for human infection.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Associated with Meniere's Disease: Epidemiological, Pathophysiologic, Clinical, and Therapeutic Aspects

Objectives: We studied the demographic, pathogenetic, and clinical features of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) associated with Meniere's disease. Methods: The medical records of patients with BPPV associated with Meniere's disease were reviewed. In all patients, results of a complete otolaryngological, audiological, and neurotologic evaluation, including nystagmography, were available. Patients with idiopathic BPPV were used as a control group. Results: Twenty-nine patients with both disorders were found and were compared with 233 patients with idiopathic BPPV. The patients with BPPV associated with Meniere's disease presented the following features, in which they differed from the patients with idiopathic BPPV: 1) a higher percentage of female patients; 2) a longer duration of symptoms; 3) common involvement of the horizontal semicircular canal; 4) a greater incidence of canal paresis; and 5) more therapeutic sessions needed for cure and a higher rate of recurrence. Conclusions: The BPPV associated with Meniere's disease differs from idiopathic BPPV in regard to several epidemiological and clinical features, may follow a different course, and responds less effectively to treatment.
Detection of Partially Visible Objects

An "elephant in the room" for most current object detection and localization methods is the lack of explicit modelling of partial visibility due to occlusion by other objects or truncation by the image boundary. Based on a sliding window approach, we propose a detection method which explicitly models partial visibility by treating it as a latent variable. A novel non-maximum suppression scheme is proposed which takes into account the inferred partial visibility of objects while providing a globally optimal solution. The method gives more detailed scene interpretations than conventional detectors in that we are able to identify the visible parts of an object. We report improved average precision on the PASCAL VOC 2010 dataset compared to a baseline detector.
The direct summand conjecture in dimension three

The direct summand conjecture asserts that if R is a regular local ring and S is a module-finite R-algebra containing R, then R is a direct summand of S as an R-module. It was previously known to be true if R contains a field or if dim R is at most two. In this article, the result is demonstrated for mixed characteristic rings of dimension three. The proof is accomplished by showing that an extension of plus closure has the colon-capturing property in dimension three.
Multiple mechanisms contribute to the biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene by petroleum‐derived multicomponent nonaqueous‐phase liquids

The presence of multicomponent nonaqueous‐phase liquids (NAPLs) on contaminated sites critically alters the biodegradation susceptibility of many target pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This study investigated the effects of petroleum‐derived multicomponent NAPLs on biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene by a bacterial consortium in liquid culture. When high—boiling point diesel fuel distillate (HBD)‐NAPL was added to liquid culture, the consortium initiated benzo[a]pyrene mineralization after a lag period of several days. This lag period was not observed in the mineralization of phenanthrene, anthracene, and chrysene by the same consortium with HBD. Nonaqueous‐phase liquids added to cultures pregrown before experimentation largely affected the extent of benzo[a]pyrene mineralization and the duration of lag period in subsequent experiments, suggesting that NAPL presence was important for maintaining the efficiency of the mineralizing consortium. Experiments using further fractionated oil components suggested that stimulation of benzo[a]pyrene mineralization by NAPLs was fraction dependent; an alkylated aromatic fraction was more effective than aromatic and aliphatic fractions. The effect of NAPL on benzo[a]pyrene biodegradation was determined to be multimechanistic; that is, NAPL acted as a cosolvent for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dissolution, as a substrate to induce cometabolic degradative pathways, and as an agent to formulate the effective microbial consortium. Data suggest that the third mechanism was of particular importance for rapid benzo[a]pyrene mineralization.
Vapor-Phase Transport of Explosives Compounds in Soils

Abstract : The fate and transport of explosives in the air-filled pores within soil affect both the potential detection of buried ordnance by chemical sensors and vadose zone transport of explosives residues. The efficacy of chemical sensors and their potential usefulness for detecting buried unexploded ordnance (UXO) is difficult to determine without understanding how explosives chemical signatures are transported through soil. The objectives of this study were to quantify chemical signature transport through soils under various environmental conditions in unsaturated soils and to develop a model for chemical signature transport in unsaturated soils. Flux chambers, large soil containers, and batch testing were used to determine explosives signature movement and process descriptors for model development. This study showed that the moisture content and temperature of soils affect the flux of explosives chemical signatures from soils. Low signatures were observed for explosives under all environmental conditions. Low fluxes of even the most volatile compounds from explosives indicate that this environmental loss pathway is minimal. A model was developed that can accurately predict explosives signature movement to the surface where chemical detection can occur when the source strength is known. The model can also predict explosives signature movement and corresponding accumulation of explosives concentrations in vadose zone soils. Chemical sensors will need to be very sensitive because of low signatures. However, this may result in many false alarms because of explosives residues not associated with UXO on firing ranges. Low explosives signatures should also result in insignificant air environmental exposures.
Possessives, favorite, and Coercion

Possessive constructions like John’s teacher , John’s team, John’s cat, friend of John’s offer an interesting test-bed for the argument-modifier distinction in NPs, both in English and cross-linguistically. Many, perhaps all, possessives seem to have some properties of arguments and some of modifiers, but some seem more argument-like and some more modifier-like. Recent proposals by Jensen and Vikner (1994), Vikner and Jensen (1999), Partee and Borschev (1998), Borschev and Partee (1999a,b) analyze all possessives as argument-like, a conclusion we are no longer sure of for English (see Partee and Borschev, in press). But while we now doubt that such an analysis is correct for all kinds of possessives in all languages, we believe that it is correct for some kinds of possessives in some languages, and that it represents a promising approach to other constructions as well, including the behavior of the relational adjective favorite. In this paper we focus on this kind of uniform analysis, and on the coercion principles required to shift the argument structure of lexical items to meet the demands imposed by the construction. We first discuss our central question about possessives and then turn to more specific questions about the role of coercion in the possible uniform analysis of possessives and an analogous possible uniform analysis of favorite. One of our principal conclusions is that our earlier view of coercion with possessives as principally a triggering of type-shifting operations has to be refined, as speculated by Partee and Borschev (1998) and urged by Vikner and Jensen (1999), to accommodate finer-grained sort-shifting.
[The effect of assertiveness training on communication related factors and personnel turnover rate among hospital nurses].

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of assertiveness training on nurses' assertive behaviors, interpersonal relations, communication conflicts, conflict management style and personnel turnover rate. METHOD A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Nurses were assigned into the experimental or control groups, each consisting of 39 nurses. Data was collected between January to March 2004. An 'Assertiveness Training Program' for Nurses developed by Park was used for the study. To emphasize assertiveness practice, 5 practice sessions utilizing ABCDE principles were added to Park's program. To examine the effects of the program, differences between the two groups in assertive behaviors, interpersonal relations, communication conflicts, conflict management style and personnel turnover rate were analyzed using ANCOVA. RESULTS The assertiveness training was effective in improving the nurses' assertiveness behaviors, but was not effective in improving interpersonal relations, reducing the subjects' communication conflicts, changing the conflict management style or reducing their personnel turnover rate. CONCLUSION There have been many studies about factors affecting nurses' personnel turnover rates, but few have been done about methods of intervention to reduce the personnel turnover rate. Thus, this study provides a significant contribution in attempting such an intervention from nursing management perspectives.
Family correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption in children and adolescents: a systematic review

Abstract Objectives To review associations between the family environment and young people’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Design A systematic review. Published English-language (n 60) papers were identified using electronic databases and manual searches of personal files and reference lists. Observational research reporting a measure of fruit/vegetable intake for children (aged 6–11 years) and/or adolescents (aged 12–18 years) and at least one potential family correlate of dietary intake was included. Results Parental modelling and parental intake were consistently and positively associated with children’s fruit and fruit, juice and vegetable (FJV) consumption. There were also positive associations between home availability, family rules and parental encouragement and children’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Parental intake was positively associated with adolescents’ fruit and vegetable consumption. There were also positive associations between parental occupational status and adolescent fruit consumption and between parental education and adolescents’ FJV consumption. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of targeting the family environment for the promotion of healthy eating behaviours among children and adolescents. Future interventions should encourage parents to be positive role models by targeting parental intake and to create a supportive home environment through increased encouragement and availability of fruits and vegetables and employing rules to govern eating behaviours. For adolescents, indicators of family circumstances (e.g. parental education) should be used to identify target groups for interventions aimed at promoting healthy eating.
Factors influencing Leishmania major infection in IL‐4‐deficient BALB/c mice

The outcome of Leishmania major infection in IL‐4‐deficient BALB/c mice has been a controversial subject. We have shown that IL‐4‐deficient BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania major developed progressive lesions and could not contain the replication of the parasites, whereas other studies have reported that IL‐4‐deficient mice were able to resist infection. Therefore, we examined different factors that can influence the course of Leishmania major infection. We tested different lines of IL‐4‐deficient BALB/c mice and show that the reported differences in the outcome of infection were not due to the different genetic origin of the embryonic stem cells used to disrupt the IL‐4 gene. In addition, we infected IL‐4‐deficient mice with different isolates of L. major parasites and show that none of the parasite strains tested were cleared, although some of them caused milder pathology. Interestingly, this milder pathology was paralleled by a reduced arginase activity of the parasites. We also tested the influence of age on the course of Leishmania major infection in IL‐4‐deficient BALB/c mice and show that older mice express a transient resistance. Thus, we conclude that differences in the age of the mice and in the arginase activity of the different isolates of parasites are factors that can influence the non‐healing phenotype of IL‐4‐/‐ BALB/c mice.
STABILIZED FOLIC ACID VITAMIN FOR THE REDUCTION OF EXCESS SLUDGE IN SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS

Vitamins are essential nutritional compounds that contribute to a variety of functions, including metabolic maintenance and cell growth /1/. Each vitamin has particular roles that cannot be fulfilled by other vitamins in the same manner. Folic acid, often cited as a "deficient" vitamin, plays an important role of which many are not aware, although it is present in many foods, such as fruit, vegetables and whole grain products. The first scientific encounter with folic acid was in 1931 in a study by Wills, in which eating yeast was found to correct anemia during pregnancy, and Day, who found that moneys with aplastic anemia due to poor nutrition could be cured with liver extracts. In 1940, Snell et al. described an essential factor for the growth of Lactobacillus casei. Pure folic acid was isolated three years later by Stokstad and crystallized by Pfiffner. The structure of this antianemia, growth or Lactobacillus casei-factor, to mention only a few of the terms then used to refer to folic acid, was elucidated in 1946 by Angier et al. by means of degradation reactions and synthesis (reviewed by Koebnick /2/). Most of the functions performed by folic acid in the transfer of C1 units in organisms were determined by 1951 /3/. After that, little attention was paid to folic acid for a longer period of time. Recently, however, attention has been focused on it once again, because the latest research shows that it is not only a critical vitamin for nutritional maintenance, but it is crucial medical factor for embryonic development and it has a positive effect on vascular diseases, leukemia as well as on psychological health and the brain. Folic acid does not exist in a pure state naturally. It is a "pure synthetic product obtained through isolation" /4/ and is only found it foods to which folic acid has been added as a supplement, such as some breakfast cereals, salt and flour. The name "folic acid" is derived from the Latin word "folium" (leaf), because the substance was first isolated in 1941 from four tons of dried spinach leaves /5/.
Levosimendan May Improve Weaning Outcomesin Venoarterial ECMO Patients

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) provides temporary mechanical circulatory support in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock, allowing time for cardiac recovery. Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer with inotropic and vasodilatory effects used in the treatment of severe heart failure. It does not increase myocardial oxygen consumption. Its maximum hemodynamic response is seen 24–48 h after stopping infusion, but its effects can persist for 7–9 d owing to active metabolites. We sought to investigate whether the use of levosimendan improves weaning outcomes in patients on VA-ECMO. Six consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock were placed on femorofemoral VA-ECMO support and received levosimendan 24 h before the planned weaning (group A). As control group (group B), we retrospectively reviewed the VA-ECMO implanted at our institution before the introduction of the levosimendan protocol. These patients received only traditional inotropes. The weaning rate was 83.33% in group A and 27.3% in group B. The survival rate was 66.66% and 36.4%, respectively. In group A, three of six patients (50%) required inotropic/vasopressor support after ECMO cessation, while in group B 11 of 11 patients (100%) required support. In our case series, pretreatment with levosimendan seems to facilitate weaning from VA-ECMO, reducing the need for high-dose inotropes.
Manual asymmetry during object release under varying task constraints.

OBJECTIVE This study examined differences between the dominant and nondominant hands of children during an object release task under various accuracy and speed constraints. METHOD Fifteen children 7 to 14 years of age who were typically developing released an instrumented object held with a precision grip onto a stable or unstable surface at a self-paced or quick speed while temporal and force measures were recorded. RESULTS Few differences were found between the two hands under stable, self-paced conditions. However, given accuracy constraints, object replacement with the nondominant hand took longer than the dominant hand. The nondominant hand exhibited different force coordination patterns than the dominant hand when both accuracy and speed constraints were imposed. CONCLUSION Task constraints differentially affected the performance of the dominant and nondominant hands during this object release task. The results suggest that clinicians should incorporate various task constraints into hand preference evaluations and during "dominance retraining".
Exploring Representations from Unlabeled Data with Co-training for Chinese Word Segmentation

Nowadays supervised sequence labeling models can reach competitive performance on the task of Chinese word segmentation. However, the ability of these models is restricted by the availability of annotated data and the design of features. We propose a scalable semi-supervised feature engineering approach. In contrast to previous works using pre-defined taskspecific features with fixed values, we dynamically extract representations of label distributions from both an in-domain corpus and an out-of-domain corpus. We update the representation values with a semi-supervised approach. Experiments on the benchmark datasets show that our approach achieve good results and reach an f-score of 0.961. The feature engineering approach proposed here is a general iterative semi-supervised method and not limited to the word segmentation task.
Mitigating Pilot Contamination through Location-Aware Pilot Assignment in Massive MIMO Networks

We propose a novel location-aware pilot assignment scheme to mitigate pilot contamination in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) networks, where the channels are subjected to Rician fading. Our proposed scheme utilizes the location information of users as the input to conduct pilot assignment in the network. Based on the location information, we first determine the line of sight (LOS) interference between the intended signal and the interfering signal. Our analysis reveals that the LOS interference converges to zero as the number of antennas at the base station (BS) goes to infinity, whereas for a finite number of antennas at the BS the LOS interference indeed depends on specific pilot allocation strategies. Following this revelation, we assign pilot sequences to all the users in the massive MIMO network such that the LOS interference is minimized for a finite number of antennas at the BS. Our proposed scheme outperforms the random pilot assignment in terms of achieving a much higher uplink sum rate for reasonable values of the Rician K-factor. Furthermore, we propose a new performance metric to measure the strength of the LOS interference and demonstrate its effectiveness to analyze the performance of pilot assignment schemes. Theoretical analysis is provided and verified through numerical simulations to support the proposed scheme.
The Role of Ubiquitination and Sumoylation in Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common and characteristic microvascular complication of diabetes; the mechanisms that cause DN have not been clarified, and the epigenetic mechanism was promised in the pathology of DN. Furthermore, ubiquitination and small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) were involved in the progression of DN. MG132, as a ubiquitin proteasome, could improve renal injury by regulating several signaling pathways, such as NF-κB, TGF-β, Nrf2-oxidative stress, and MAPK. In this review, we summarize how ubiquitination and sumoylation may contribute to the pathology of DN, which may be a potential treatment strategy of DN.
The prognostic value of family history among patients with urinary bladder cancer

A history of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) in first‐degree relatives increases UBC risk by twofold. The influence of positive family history on UBC prognosis is unknown. Here, we investigated association of first‐degree UBC family history with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of UBC patients. Detailed clinical data of 1,465 non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and 250 muscle‐invasive or metastatic bladder cancer (MIBC) patients, diagnosed from 1995 to 2010, were collected through medical file review. Competing risk analyses were used to compare recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) of NMIBC patients according to self‐reported UBC family history. Overall survival in MIBC patients was estimated using Kaplan‐Meier analysis. The added value of family history in prediction of NMIBC prognosis was quantified with Harrell's concordance‐index. Hundred (6.8%) NMIBC and 14 (5.6%) MIBC patients reported UBC in first‐degree relatives. Positive family history was statistically significantly associated with smaller tumor size and non‐significantly with more favorable distribution of other tumor characteristics. In univariable analyses, positive family history correlated with longer RFS (p = 0.11) and PFS (p = 0.04). Hazard ratios for positive vs. negative family history after adjustment for clinicopathological characteristics were 0.75 (95% CI = 0.53–1.07) and 0.45 (95% CI = 0.18–1.12) for RFS and PFS, respectively. Five familial and 48 sporadic MIBC patients (Kaplan‐Meier 10‐year risk: 41% and 25%) died within 10 years. Family history did not improve the c‐index of prediction models. This study shows that a first‐degree family history of UBC is not clearly associated with NMIBC prognosis. Family history does not aid in prediction of NMIBC recurrence or progression.