Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast Determination of Yttrium and Rare Earth Elements in Seawater by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry after Online Flow Injection Pretreatment

A method for daily monitoring of yttrium and rare earth elements (YREEs) in seawater using a cheap flow injection system online coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry is reported. Toyopearl AF Chelate 650M® resin permits separation and concentration of YREEs using a simple external calibration. A running cycle consumed 6 mL sample and took 5.3 min, providing a throughput of 11 samples per hour. Linear ranges were up to 200 ng kg−1 except Tm (100 ng kg−1). The precision of the method was <6% (RSDs, n = 5), and recoveries ranged from 93% to 106%. Limits of detection (LODs) were in the range 0.002 ng kg−1 (Tm) to 0.078 ng kg−1 (Ce). Good agreement between YREEs concentrations in CASS-4 and SLEW-3 obtained in this work and results from other studies was observed. The proposed method was applied to the determination of YREEs in seawater from the Jiulong River Estuary and the Taiwan Strait.
Multi-level Selective Deduplication for VM Snapshots in Cloud Storage

In a virtualized cloud computing environment, frequent snapshot backup of virtual disks improves hosting reliability but storage demand of such operations is huge. While dirty bit-based technique can identify unmodified data between versions, full deduplication with fingerprint comparison can remove more redundant content at the cost of computing resources. This paper presents a multi-level selective deduplication scheme which integrates inner-VM and cross-VM duplicate elimination under a stringent resource requirement. This scheme uses popular common data to facilitate fingerprint comparison while reducing the cost and it strikes a balance between local and global deduplication to increase parallelism and improve reliability. Experimental results show the proposed scheme can achieve high deduplication ratio while using a small amount of cloud resources.
Evaluating the biosafety of conventional and O3-BAC process and its relationship with NOM characteristics

ABSTRACT It is the priority to guarantee biosafety for drinking water treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of widely applied conventional and ozone-biological activated carbon (O3-BAC) advanced treatment technology on biosafety of drinking water. The items, including assimilable organic carbon (AOC), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) and the microorganism community structures, were used to evaluate the biosafety. Moreover, their relationships with molecular weights (MWs) and fluorescence intensity of dissolved organic matter were investigated. The results indicated that the technology provided a considerable gain in potable water quality by decreasing dissolved organic carbon (DOC, from 5.05 to 1.71 mg/L), AOC (from 298 to 131 μg/L), BDOC (from 1.39 to 0.24 mg/L) and HPCs (from 275 to 10 CFU/mL). Ozone brought an increase in DOC with low MW <1 kDa, which accompanies with an increase in AOC/BDOC concentration, which could be reduced effectively by subsequent BAC process. The formation of AOC/BDOC was closely related to DOC with low MWs and aromatic protein. Bacteria could be released from BAC filter, resulting in an increase in HPC and the presence of pathogenic bacteria in effluent, while the post sand filter could further guarantee the biosafety of finished water.
Holistic health care: Patients' experiences of health care provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse

Abstract Introduction Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a fairly new role in the Swedish health care system. Aim To describe patients' experiences of health care provided by an APN in primary health care. Methods An inductive, descriptive qualitative approach with qualitative open‐ended interviews was chosen to obtain descriptions from 10 participants regarding their experiences of health care provided by an APN. The data were collected during the spring 2012, and a qualitative approach was used for analyze. Results The APNs had knowledge and skills to provide safe and secure individual and holistic health care with high quality, and a respectful and flexible approach. The APNs conveyed trust and safety and provided health care that satisfied the patients' needs of accessibility and appropriateness in level of care. Conclusion The APNs way of providing health care and promoting health seems beneficial in many ways for the patients. The individual and holistic approach that characterizes the health care provided by the APNs is a key aspect in the prevailing change of health care practice. The transfer of care and the increasing number of older adults, often with a variety of complex health problems, call for development of the new role in this context.
The presence of PD-1 positive tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in triple negative breast cancers is associated with a favorable outcome of disease

Triple negative breast cancer patients have a poor course of disease not least because of limited treatment options however immunotherapy by targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint system is a promising strategy to improve the outcome. Here we systematically investigated the expression of PD-1 on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and PD-L1 on both tumor and infiltrated immune cells. Moreover, the PD-L1 gene status in tumor cells was assessed. 103 tissue microarray samples derived from triple negative breast cancer specimens were immunohistochemically stained against PD-1 and PD-L1. Dual marker fluorescence in-situ hybridization was applied to the PD-L1 gene and centromere region of chromosome 9. The disease free and overall survival rates were determined as a function of the PD-1/PD-L1 status. A slight gain of the PD-L1 gene region was found in 55% of all samples but an elevated PD-L1/cen9 ratio was rather rare (7%). An increased gene dose is not associated with an enhanced protein expression and the PD-L1 expression only weakly correlates with the amount of immune cell infiltration. Instead, we found an association of PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells, respectively. Notably, the PD-1 expression on immune cells is associated with a favorable disease free and overall survival. PD-1 expression indicates an enhanced immunological anti-tumor activity and represents a favorable prognostic impact. A deeper understanding of factors that affect the regulation and function of the PD-1/PD-L1 system is required to establish predictive variables and to utilize the system for therapeutic intervention of triple negative breast cancer patients.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Perineal Lacerations in a Diverse Urban Healthcare System

Objectives The aim of the study was o determine whether variations exist between races/ethnicities in perineal laceration at first vaginal delivery. Methods We assessed first vaginal deliveries greater than 35 weeks gestation, for a four-year period, in our diverse urban healthcare system. Predictor variable was race/ethnicity with outcome variable of none, first-, second-, third-, or fourth-degree perineal laceration. Race and ethnicity were self-reported and combined into one variable to facilitate analysis. We also collected data on other known risk factors for laceration to adjust our analysis accordingly. Results A total of 1179 charts met criteria. When comparing none, first-, or second-degree lacerations versus third or fourth degrees (obstetric anal sphincter injuries) race was not a significant factor. We also compared lacerations among the following three groups: none or first degree versus second degree versus obstetric anal sphincter injuries. In this case, Asian and white women were associated with an increasing trend of perineal lacerations as degree of severity increased (P < 0.0001), whereas black and Latina women were associated with a decreasing trend as severity increased (P < 0.0001). After adjusting for other significant variables, race was still significant (P = 0.02). Conclusions With an urban diverse population, our study demonstrates an association between race/ethnicity and perineal lacerations. As degree of laceration increased, Asian and white women were noted to have more lacerations, and black and Latina women were noted to have fewer. Because perineal lacerations pose a significant risk to future pelvic floor health, the associated factors identified in this study may prove useful in counseling patients on future risk or in identifying the actual risk in underrepresented populations.
Photodynamic properties of azobenzene molecular films with triphenylamines

A new type of photochromic molecule containing three azobenzene groups, tris[(4-(phenylazo)diphenylamine) phenylamine] (TPPA), was synthesized and its photoinduced behavior was examined. Good optical quality TPPA films could be prepared by spin-coating. The photoinduced behavior of the TPPA films, such as photoinduced birefringence and surface relief grating (SRG) formation, was investigated. Compared to an azobenzene-functionalized polymeric PDO3 film, the TPPA molecular film showed a rapid response for photoinduced birefringence and SRG formation, but the saturated value for the birefringence was much smaller than that of the PDO3 azopolymer film. The dynamic behavior of SRG photofabrication was compared for two TPPA films with different morphologies: an amorphous film prepared by spin coating and a semicrystalline film prepared by vacuum thermal deposition. The crystallinity associated with the TPPA film strongly hampered photoinduced mass transport in the fabrication of SRG.
Reconstructing Roma History from Genome-Wide Data

The Roma people, living throughout Europe and West Asia, are a diverse population linked by the Romani language and culture. Previous linguistic and genetic studies have suggested that the Roma migrated into Europe from South Asia about 1,000–1,500 years ago. Genetic inferences about Roma history have mostly focused on the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA. To explore what additional information can be learned from genome-wide data, we analyzed data from six Roma groups that we genotyped at hundreds of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We estimate that the Roma harbor about 80% West Eurasian ancestry–derived from a combination of European and South Asian sources–and that the date of admixture of South Asian and European ancestry was about 850 years before present. We provide evidence for Eastern Europe being a major source of European ancestry, and North-west India being a major source of the South Asian ancestry in the Roma. By computing allele sharing as a measure of linkage disequilibrium, we estimate that the migration of Roma out of the Indian subcontinent was accompanied by a severe founder event, which appears to have been followed by a major demographic expansion after the arrival in Europe.
Modeling of Return Strokes With Their Initiation Processes Under Consideration

We developed an engineering return-stroke model specifically for studying the effects of return-stroke initiation processes. In the model, two current waves with identical wave shapes propagate upward and downward at two independent speeds from a height-variable return-stroke initiation point. Using that model and several results recently observed on the lightning return-stroke initiation processes, we have studied the electromagnetic fields produced by a return stroke at a horizontal distance from the strike termination point. It is shown that, depending on the front steepness of the current waveform, the presence of the downward return-stroke current wave may result in a visible initial peak in the rising portion of the return-stroke-produced field waveforms. A larger initiation height appears to result in an initial field peak with a larger amplitude, and also longer duration time. Moreover, a larger downward return-stroke speed tends to produce a sharper initial field peak.
Robust Covariance Representations With Large Margin Dimensionality Reduction for Visual Classification

Inspired by the breakthrough performance of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and the effectiveness of covariance representations, the combination of covariances with activations of deep CNNs has great potential in representing visual concepts. However, such method lies in two challenges: 1) robust estimation of covariance in the case of high dimension and small sample size and 2) high computational and storage costs caused by high-dimensional covariance representations. To tackle the above challenges, this paper proposes a novel robust covariance representation with large-margin dimensionality reduction for visual classification. First, we introduce two regularized maximum likelihood estimators to perform the robust estimation of covariance in the case of high dimension and small sample size, which can greatly improve the modeling ability of covariances. Then, we present a large-margin dimensionality reduction method for high-dimensional covariance representations. It does not only significantly reduce the dimension of robust covariance representations with considering their Riemannian geometry structure, but also can further enhance their discriminability. Experiments are conducted on three kinds of visual classification tasks, and the results show that our proposed method is superior to its counterparts and achieves the state-of-the-art performance.
Sexual behaviour of backpackers who visit Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, Thailand: a cross-sectional study

Objectives To measure the proportion of backpackers engaging in unprotected sex while travelling in Thailand and to identify predictors of unsafe sexual behaviour. Methods A cross-sectional study using an anonymous questionnaire was performed. English-speaking backpackers, excluding US and Thai citizens, were recruited while travelling through the piers of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan between 25 January and 13 March 2013. Results 61.5% (1238/2013) respondents were travelling without a long-term sexual partner, of whom 39.1% (29.4% females; 51.9% males) reported intercourse with a new partner. 36.8% of these reported inconsistent/no condom use. Inconsistent condom use was independently associated with age <25 years, UK (vs Canadian) nationality and not bringing condoms from home. Backpackers who brought condoms from home were more likely to have sex with a new partner. Male gender and longer trip length increased the likelihood of new partner acquisition and overall risk of unsafe sex but were not associated with inconsistent condom use. New partners were most commonly backpackers from other countries. Men were more likely than women to have sex with a local person. Conclusions Backpackers visiting Thailand frequently report unsafe sex. Partner demographics demonstrate a mechanism of international sexually transmitted infection (STI) transfer. In an era of growing antibiotic resistance and continuing HIV transmission, targeting unsafe sex in backpackers has the potential to reduce STI incidence internationally. These data highlight the need for innovative public health intervention. To focus such measures, future research may elucidate why certain groups are at higher risk.
What You Can't See Can Help You - Extended-Range Imaging for 3D-Mask Presentation Attack Detection

High-quality custom-made 3D masks are increasing becoming a serious threat to face-recognition systems. This threat is driven, in part, by the falling cost of manufacturing such masks. Research in face presentation-attack detection (PAD) in general, and also specifically for 3D-mask based attacks, has mostly concentrated on imagery in the visible-light range of wavelengths (RGB). We look beyond imagery in the visible-light spectrum to find potentially easier solutions for the challenge of face presentation-attack detection (PAD). In particular, we explore the use of near-infrared (NIR) and thermal imagery to detect print-, replay-, and 3D-mask-attacks. This preliminary study shows that both NIR and thermal imagery can potentially simplify the task of face-PAD.
In Vivo Fitness Associated with High Virulence in a Vertebrate Virus Is a Complex Trait Regulated by Host Entry, Replication, and Shedding

ABSTRACT The relationship between pathogen fitness and virulence is typically examined by quantifying only one or two pathogen fitness traits. More specifically, it is regularly assumed that within-host replication, as a precursor to transmission, is the driving force behind virulence. In reality, many traits contribute to pathogen fitness, and each trait could drive the evolution of virulence in different ways. Here, we independently quantified four viral infection cycle traits, namely, host entry, within-host replication, within-host coinfection fitness, and shedding, in vivo, in the vertebrate virus Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). We examined how each of these stages of the viral infection cycle contributes to the fitness of IHNV genotypes that differ in virulence in rainbow trout. This enabled us to determine how infection cycle fitness traits are independently associated with virulence. We found that viral fitness was independently regulated by each of the traits examined, with the largest impact on fitness being provided by within-host replication. Furthermore, the more virulent of the two genotypes of IHNV we used had advantages in all of the traits quantified. Our results are thus congruent with the assumption that virulence and within-host replication are correlated but suggest that infection cycle fitness is complex and that replication is not the only trait associated with virulence.
BYNET-SR: Image super resolution with a bypass connection network

This paper proposes a deep residual network, ByNet, for the single image super resolution task. The main innovation is the introduction of two effective components, bypass connections and a feature scaling layer. Bypass connections are formed either by skip connections that jump multiple layers or by adding a convolution layer in such a jump. The final feature scaling layer enables more robust convergence. Experiments on standard benchmarks show that the proposed method achieves state of the art results over multiple scales in terms of PSNR and structural similarity (SSIM).
Management of infections caused by extended-spectrum β–lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: current evidence and future prospects

ABSTRACT Introduction: The spread of extended-spectrum β–lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae has become a major public health threat worldwide. Area covered: A thorough systematic literature review describing the current evidence and future prospects of therapeutic options for infections caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Expert commentary: The methods of detecting ESBLs have been evolving. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing lowered the MIC breakpoints of cephalosporins against ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in 2010. Phenotypic testing for ESBLs is no longer recommended. Instead, the selection of appropriate antimicrobial agents largely depends on the report of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). To date, therapeutic options for these multidrug-resistant organisms remain limited. The clinical efficacy of piperacillin/tazobactam and cefepime on in vitro-susceptible ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae remains a concern. Many studies found an in vitro-in vivo discordance based on current breakpoints. Carbapenems are the most reliable antibiotics for severe infections caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. However, their overuse has led to a serious problem of increasing drug resistance. Recently, ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam have been approved for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections. The introduction of these new β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations offers new carbapenem-sparing options for the treatment of ESBL infections.
BiP and Multiple DNAJ Molecular Chaperones in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Are Required for Efficient Simian Virus 40 Infection

ABSTRACT Simian virus 40 (SV40) is a nonenveloped DNA virus that traffics through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) en route to the nucleus, but the mechanisms of capsid disassembly and ER exit are poorly understood. We conducted an unbiased RNA interference screen to identify cellular genes required for SV40 infection. SV40 infection was specifically inhibited by up to 50-fold by knockdown of four different DNAJ molecular cochaperones or by inhibition of BiP, the Hsp70 partner of DNAJB11. These proteins were not required for the initiation of capsid disassembly, but knockdown markedly inhibited SV40 exit from the ER. In addition, BiP formed a complex with SV40 capsids in the ER in a DNAJB11-dependent fashion. These experiments identify five new cellular proteins required for SV40 infection and suggest that the binding of BiP to the capsid is required for ER exit. Further studies of these proteins will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of polyomavirus infection and ER function. IMPORTANCE The polyomaviruses, including simian virus 40 (SV40), are important human pathogens and model systems for exploring the general features of virus replication and cell biology. We used a genetic system to interrogate the role of cellular genes in SV40 infection. Based on the results of this unbiased genetic screen and analysis of proteins related to the strongest hit from the screen, we identified five new cellular proteins required for the entry of SV40 into cells. These proteins physically associate with SV40 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during virus entry and are required for exit of the partially disassembled virus from this organelle. These results demonstrate that the polyomaviruses have coopted an ER-localized protein quality control process to initiate disassembly and transit through the cell on their way to the nuclear site of virus replication. The polyomaviruses, including simian virus 40 (SV40), are important human pathogens and model systems for exploring the general features of virus replication and cell biology. We used a genetic system to interrogate the role of cellular genes in SV40 infection. Based on the results of this unbiased genetic screen and analysis of proteins related to the strongest hit from the screen, we identified five new cellular proteins required for the entry of SV40 into cells. These proteins physically associate with SV40 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during virus entry and are required for exit of the partially disassembled virus from this organelle. These results demonstrate that the polyomaviruses have coopted an ER-localized protein quality control process to initiate disassembly and transit through the cell on their way to the nuclear site of virus replication.