Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PCR versus serology for diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection: A systematic review & meta-analysis

Background & objectives Diagnosis for Mycoplasma pneumoniae usually relies on serological tests. PCR technology has some advantages but also limitations. The optimal selection for these tests still needs discussion. This paper reviews the overall diagnostic accuracy of PCR versus serological assays for diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections and to identify factors associated with heterogeneity of results. Methods: MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched. Articles meeting the selection criteria were retrieved for data collection and analysis. Studies were assessed for methodological quality using QUADAS. Hierarchial summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model was used to estimate summary ROC curve. Results: Initial meta-analysis showed a summary estimate of sensitivity (SEN) 0.62 (95% CI, 0.45-0.76), and specificity (SPE) 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93-0.98). Subgroup analyses were performed to identify factors associated with heterogeneity. For different gene targets, reference standards, subjects (children or adults) and different PCR types, these aspects can generate results of heterogeneity. The 16s rDNA target and adult subjects and real-time PCR may have better test results for PCR. Interpretation & conclusions Commercial PCR tests generated consistent results with high specificity but a lower and more variable sensitivity. The findings suggest commercial PCR tests having superiorities in diagnosing M. pneumoniae infections but still cannot replace serology. PCR plus serology could be good screening tests for reliable and accurate diagnosis of M. pneumoniae.
Rural Women in Livestock and Fisheries Production Activities: an Empirical Study on Some Selected Co

Progressive participation of women in agriculture is evident throughout the Globe. Their participation in fisheries and livestock sector is well recognized but less perceived due to paucity of sufficient data. Considering this fact the present study had been designed to examine women‟s participation in fisheries and livestock activities as well as influence of selected socio-economic factors on their participation in some selected coastal villages of Bangladesh. For achieving research objectives a well structured interview schedule was administered on 70 randomly selected rural women during the period of September, 2010. Descriptive statistics exhibit that almost three quarter of the respondents had moderate to high level participation in fisheries and livestock activities. Among the fisheries related activities women had highest participation in feed application (M=1.528) while cleaning cattle shed (M=2.914) and giving feed to poultry birds (M=4.571) occupied the top ranks for cattle and poultry related activities. According to correlation estimates agricultural knowledge and family size had strong positive correlation with women‟s participation where as education and family income had negative significant correlation with women‟s participation in fisheries and livestock activities. Stepwise multiple regression mirrored that family size, agricultural knowledge and education jointly contribute to 25.6% variance in women‟s participation in fisheries and livestock activities.
The Shortest Augmenting Paths for Online Matchings on Trees

This paper is devoted to understanding the shortest augmenting path approach for computing a maximum matching. Despite its apparent potential for designing efficient matching and flow algorithms, it has been poorly understood. Chaudhuri et. al. [K. Chaudhuri, C. Daskalakis, R. D. Kleinberg, and H. Lin. Online bipartite perfect matching with augmentations. In INFOCOM 2009. ] study this classical approach in the following model. A bipartite graph $G=W \uplus B$ is revealed online and in each round a vertex of $b$ is presented together with the adjacent edges. It is then matched by applying the shortest among the augmenting paths. Chaudhuri et. al. conjecture that the total length of the augmenting paths is $O(n \log n)$, where $n$ is the number of vertices in the final graph. Recently a bound of $O(n \log^2 n)$ has been proven given that the underlying graph is a tree [B. Bosek, D. Leniowski, P. Sankowski, and A. Zych. Shortest augmenting paths for online matchings on trees. In WAOA 2015]. We further improve this bound to $O(n \log n)$. To achieve that, we introduce brand new techniques that we believe are applicable to bipartite graphs as well.
Evaluation of Spectrum Occupancy using Approximate and Multiscale Entropy Metrics

In this paper we apply approximate and multiscale entropy metrics to spectrum occupancy data gathered during an extensive measurement campaign. We show that the presented methods can be successfully applied to search for and quantify structures of highly varying complexities and time scales. Although structures can be found they are unfortunately relatively complex and it does not appear to be easy to directly exploit them for dynamic spectrum access. We also discuss the major foreseen application areas for entropy-based analysis. These include increasing the reliability of spectrum sensing as well as validation of spectrum occupancy models. Finally, we highlight some results that should be taken into account in future work on spectrum sensing. In particular we observe that strong interference has significant structure, and cannot be well approximated by noise.
Entomopathogenic infection ability of low land rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation from Ogan Komering Ilir regency

Entomopathogenic fungi are biological agents important in suppressing or regulating pest populations in agricultural ecosystems. This study aimed to determine the ability to infect entomopathogens from lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation from the Ogan Komering Ilir District. This research was conducted in the Pest and Plant Diseases Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, the University of Palembang, from February to May 2022. The study used a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method consisting of 5 treatments, namely PS1 = mortality of bait insects three days after infestation (dai), PS2 = bait insect mortality six dai, PS3 = bait insect mortality nine dai, PS4 = bait insect mortality 12 dai, PS5 = bait insect mortality 15 dai and five replicates. This study concluded that the entomopathogenic fungus found in lowland rice (O. sativa L.) from Ogan Komering Ilir Regency was Beauveria bassiana and could infect the highest bait insect mortality on day nine after infestation.
Romantic Attachment and Subtypes/Dimensions of Jealousy

The present study explored the possible relationship between romantic attachment and jealousy in 100 healthy subjects. The romantic attachment and jealousy were evaluated by means of, respectively, the “Experiences in Close Relationships” questionnaire (ECR), and the “Questionario della Gelosia” (QUEGE). The ECR anxiety scale was related to all QUEGE dimensions, while the ECR avoidance scale to three. Individuals with the preoccupied attachment style showed higher scores than secure subjects on the obsessionality, interpersonal sensitivity and fear of loss dimensions. Fearful-avoidant individuals had higher score than secure subjects on the fear of loss dimension only, while dismissing individuals had lower scores on the self-esteem dimension. These findings suggest that romantic attachment and jealousy are intertwined.
Feminist Self-Defense and Resistance Training for College Students

There remains resistance to feminist self-defense and resistance training programming for women, despite (a) documented effectiveness of rape resistance strategies in avoiding rape, (b) consistently high rates of sexual victimization on college campuses, and (c) limited evidence of lasting change in sexual assault perpetration reduction within existing men’s prevention programs. The current article seeks to discuss (1) the rationale for feminist self-defense and resistance training for women, (2) key components of feminist self-defense and resistance training, (3) barriers to its implementation, (4) outcomes of self-defense and resistance training programming, and (5) recommendations for future work. Such suggestions include increasing funding for large-scale self-defense and rape resistance outcome research to examine program effectiveness. Specifically, outcome research that examines the role of contextual factors (e.g., alcohol use) and women’s victimization histories is needed. Finally, self-defense training and resistance training should be combined with bystander intervention and men’s programs with the goal of providing synergistic effects on rape reduction.
What Determines the Exit Decision for Leveraged Buyouts?

How and when to exit portfolio company investments are critical choices facing private equity funds. In this paper we analyze 1022 European private equity exits, using information on fund and portfolio company characteristics, and on conditions in capital markets. For over 43% of the exits, private equity funds sold to each other and we analyze why such secondary buyouts have gained in popularity relative to IPOs and sales to corporate acquirers. We find that the exit route depends on various portfolio company characteristics, and that conditions in the debt and equity markets have a strong influence on exit choice. The existing literature has tended to portray the IPO is the “preferred” exit route. However, our analysis suggests this is mistaken: private equity funds take advantage of ‘windows of opportunity’, and the exit route that maximizes value varies with market conditions.
Realizing a video environment: EuroPARC's RAVE system

At EuroPARC, we have been exploring ways to allow physically separated colleagues to work together effectively and naturally. In this paper, we briefly discuss several examples of our work in the context of three themes that have emerged: the need to support the full range of shared work; the desire to ensure privacy without giving up unobtrusive awareness; and the possibility of creating systems which blur the boundaries between people, technologies and the everyday world.
First phase viral kinetic parameters as predictors of treatment response and their influence on the second phase viral decline

summary. It has recently been shown that upon initiation of interferon (IFN) treatment there is a biphasic decline in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels. In preliminary results, the rate of second phase viral decline has been shown to be an excellent predictor of treatment response. In this analysis, we determined whether the first phase viral kinetic parameters affected the rate of second phase viral decline. We also assessed whether first phase viral kinetic parameters could be used to predict treatment response within 24 h of initiating treatment. This study is a retrospective analysis of two completed studies from which detailed kinetic data were obtained in patients infected with genotype 1 HCV. In both studies, viral levels were measured frequently over the first 24 h, allowing the determination of IFNs effectiveness in blocking viral production and the viral load at the end of the first phase (v1). The second phase decline slope was calculated by log‐linear regression on measurements of serum HCV RNA during days 2, 7 and 14. In study one, sustained viral response (SVR) rates were obtained, allowing the determination of the first phase's predictive power for SVR. Logistic regression and fisher exact tests were used to analyse data. In study one, no patient achieved SVR without an IFN effectiveness greater than 98% and a V1 less than 250 000 copies/mL. When V1 and IFN effectiveness werecombined to predict SVR, a negative predictive value= 100%, positive predictive value=71% and accuracy of 95% was obtained after only 24 h of IFN treatment. Both studies illustrated strong correlations for both IFN effectiveness and V1 with the rate of 2nd phase slope (P < 0.001). V1 also correlated significantly with a calculation of infected cell loss (delta), which is a major determinant of the second phase viral decline. These results suggest that early viral kinetics may predict lack of response after only 24 h of treatment initiation and indicate a strong link between the degree of viral load reduction during the first phase, and the subsequent 2nd phase decline slope. This might be explained by a viral dynamics model assuming a jump‐start of the immune response when viral loads are reduced below a threshold, subsequently giving rise to a faster 2nd phase decline slope.
Notes on the OpenSURF Library

In this document, the SURF detector-descriptor scheme used in the OpenSURF library is discussed in detail. First the algorithm is analysed from a theoretical standpoint to provide a detailed overview of how and why it works. Next the design and development choices for the implementation of the library are discussed and justified. During the implementation of the library, it was found that some of the finer details of the algorithm had been omitted or overlooked, so Section 1.5 serves to make clear the concepts which are not explicitly defined in the SURF paper [1].
Using Hippocampal 'Plane Cells' for Navigation, Exploiting Phase Coding

A model of the hippocampus as a central element in rat navigation is presented. Simulations show both the behaviour of single cells and the resultant navigation of the rat. These are compared with single unit recordings and behavioural data. The firing of CA1 place cells is simulated as the (artificial) rat moves in an environment. This is the input for a neuronal network whose output, at each theta (θ) cycle, is the next direction of travel for the rat. Cells are characterised by the number of spikes fired and the time of firing with respect to hippocampal θ rhythm. 'Learning' occurs in 'on-off' synapses that are switched on by simultaneous pre- and post-synaptic activity. The simulated rat navigates successfully to goals encountered one or more times during exploration in open fields. One minute of random exploration of a 1m2 environment allows navigation to a newly-presented goal from novel starting positions. A limited number of obstacles can be successfully avoided.
Neuropeptide Ygene therapy decreases chronic spontaneous seizures in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy remains amongst the most common and drug refractory of neurological disorders. Gene therapy may provide a realistic therapeutic approach alternative to surgery for intractable focal epilepsies. To test this hypothesis, we applied here a gene therapy approach, using a recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vector expressing the human neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene, to a progressive and spontaneous seizure model of temporal lobe epilepsy induced by electrical stimulation of the temporal pole of the hippocampus, which replicates many features of the human condition. rAAV-NPYor a control vector lacking the expression cassette (rAAV-Empty) was delivered into the epileptic rat hippocampi at an early progressive stage of the disease. Chronic epileptic rats were video-EEG monitored to establish pre-injection baseline recordings of spontaneous seizures and the effect of rAAV-NPY versus rAAV-Empty vector injection. Both non-injected stimulated controls and rAAV-empty injected rats showed a similar progressive increase of spontaneous seizure frequency consistent with epileptogenesis.The delivery of rAAV-NPY in epileptic rat brain leads to a remarkable decrease in the progression of seizures as compared to both control groups and this effect was correlated with the NPY over-expression in the hippocampus. Moreover, spontaneous seizure frequency was significantly reduced in 40% of treated animals as compared to their pre-injection baseline. Our data show that this gene therapy strategy decreases spontaneous seizures and suppresses their progression in chronic epileptic rats, thus representing a promising new therapeutic strategy.
Production of bacteriocin-like inhibitors by group A streptococci of nephritogenic M types

Application of a bacteriocin-typing scheme that had been designed to minimize the inhibitory effects of hydrogen peroxide and acidic metabolites demonstrated a high incidence (72%) of bacteriocin-like inhibitors belonging to 5 different production (P) types in 61 strains of group A streptococci isolated in association with the development of acute glomerulonephritis. By contrast, only 4 of 16 (25%) rheumatic fever-associated strains were inhibitor positive, and 3 of these strains were P type 604, a P type not detected in any of the nephritis isolates. The P type designation was found to be identical for all inhibitor-positive strains within each particular M serotype, regardless of whether the source was a nephritis patient or an individual having an uncomplicated streptococcal infection. The incidence of inhibitor-positive strains was particularly high in strains of M types 2, 4, 12, 25, 57, and 60; it was moderately high in M types 49, 52, and 55 and absent in M1 and M3. Although the results indicate that the bacteriocin-like inhibitors detected in this study are probably unlikely to have a direct pathogenetic role in either rheumatic fever or acute glomerulonephritis, it does seem that the present P-typing scheme is a useful epidemiological tool, particularly for the presumptive identification of and differentiation among group A streptococcus strains of nephritogenic serotypes.
A Dynamic Parallel-rendezvous MAC Mechanism in Multi-rate Cognitive Radio Networks: MechanismDesign and Performance Evaluation

Parallel rendezvous multi-channel MAC mechanisms are regarded as an efficient method for media access control in cognitive radio networks since they do not need a control channel and use only one transceiver. However, existing parallel rendezvous MAC mechanisms assume that all channels have the same maximum capacity and channel availability for secondary users. In this paper, we propose a dynamic parallel rendezvous multi-channel MAC mechanism for synchronized multi-rate cognitive radio networks in which secondary users jump among different channels according to their own distinct hopping sequences and a node can adjust its hopping sequence according to channel conditions, in order to achieve higher system capacity. A Markov chain based model is designed to analyze the system capacity of the proposed mechanism. Numerical results show that the new mechanism can significantly improve system capacity of cognitive radio networks, compared with the traditional channel hopping MAC mechanisms.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A New Metabolic Disease of the Aging Male and Its Correlation with Sexual Dysfunctions

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a well-recognized cluster of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycaemia, closely associated with an increased risk of forthcoming cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Emerging evidence indicates that benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and its related lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) represent other clinical conditions frequently observed in subjects with MetS. Several modifiable factors involved in MetS determinism, such as inadequate diet, lack of physical exercise, and smoking and drinking behaviours are emerging as main contributors to the development of BPH. The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the connection between MetS and BPH have not been completely clarified. MetS and its components, hypogonadism, and prostate inflammation probably play an important role in inducing BPH/LUTS. Although historically considered as a “normal” consequence of the aging process, BPH/LUTS should now be faced proactively, as a preventable disorder of the elderly. Type of diet and level of physical activity are now considered important factors affecting prostate health in the aging male. However, whether physical exercise, weight loss, and modifications of dietary habit can really alter the natural history of BPH/LUTS remains to be determined. Further research is advisable to better clarify these points.
Tuk Sikopyah Water Taking Ritual to Revitalize Local Wisdom in Anticipating Drought in Serang Village

This paper aims to describe the local wisdom values of the Tuk Sikopyah Ritual in Serang Village, explain their inheritance, and analyse the water management in overcoming drought. The research employed a mixed method. The qualitative method was used to examine the data dealing with explaining the local wisdom values of the Tuk Sikopyah Ritual and the ways of their inheritance to the younger generation; whilst the quantitative method was to calculate the usage of the water in meeting daily water needs of Serang community. It was found that seven kinds of noble values are practised in the Tuk Sikopyah water-taking ritual. The seven noble values are concerned with the existence, utilization, and preservation of the Tuk Sikopyah water spring. The caretaker collaborates with the clerics and local government to teach and inherit the local wisdom values in the Tuk Sikopyah water-taking ritual. The calculation showed that only around 72.80% of the Tuk Sikopyah water debit (calculation in the dry season) were used to fulfil the daily need of the community of Serang Village.
Characterization of Neurophysiologic and Neurocognitive Biomarkers for Use in Genomic and Clinical Outcome Studies of Schizophrenia

Background Endophenotypes are quantitative, laboratory-based measures representing intermediate links in the pathways between genetic variation and the clinical expression of a disorder. Ideal endophenotypes exhibit deficits in patients, are stable over time and across shifts in psychopathology, and are suitable for repeat testing. Unfortunately, many leading candidate endophenotypes in schizophrenia have not been fully characterized simultaneously in large cohorts of patients and controls across these properties. The objectives of this study were to characterize the extent to which widely-used neurophysiological and neurocognitive endophenotypes are: 1) associated with schizophrenia, 2) stable over time, independent of state-related changes, and 3) free of potential practice/maturation or differential attrition effects in schizophrenia patients (SZ) and nonpsychiatric comparison subjects (NCS). Stability of clinical and functional measures was also assessed. Methods Participants (SZ n = 341; NCS n = 205) completed a battery of neurophysiological (MMN, P3a, P50 and N100 indices, PPI, startle habituation, antisaccade), neurocognitive (WRAT-3 Reading, LNS-forward, LNS-reorder, WCST-64, CVLT-II). In addition, patients were rated on clinical symptom severity as well as functional capacity and status measures (GAF, UPSA, SOF). 223 subjects (SZ n = 163; NCS n = 58) returned for retesting after 1 year. Results Most neurophysiological and neurocognitive measures exhibited medium-to-large deficits in schizophrenia, moderate-to-substantial stability across the retest interval, and were independent of fluctuations in clinical status. Clinical symptoms and functional measures also exhibited substantial stability. A Longitudinal Endophenotype Ranking System (LERS) was created to rank neurophysiological and neurocognitive biomarkers according to their effect sizes across endophenotype criteria. Conclusions The majority of neurophysiological and neurocognitive measures exhibited deficits in patients, stability over a 1-year interval and did not demonstrate practice or time effects supporting their use as endophenotypes in neural substrate and genomic studies. These measures hold promise for informing the “gene-to-phene gap” in schizophrenia research.