Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virulence Criteria for Brucella abortus Strains as Determined by Interferon Regulatory Factor 1-Deficient Mice

ABSTRACT Interferon regulatory factor 1-deficient (IRF-1−/−) mice infected with virulent Brucella abortus 2308 at 5 × 105 CFU developed acute hepatitis similar to many natural hosts but, unlike natural hosts, IRF-1−/− mice were unable to resolve infection and died. In contrast, IRF-1−/− mice survived when infected at 5 × 105 CFU with several attenuated Brucella strains (S19, RB51, cbp, and cyd). The survival of infected IRF-1−/− mice is likely a function of the level of virulence of each Brucella strain and the extent of retained immunity. Further, these findings suggest that adaptive immunity may be important to the survival of IRF-1−/− mice since attenuated Brucella strains can protect IRF-1−/− mice against lethal challenge with virulent Brucella. Using the IRF-1−/− mouse model, the following set of criteria were identified to define Brucella virulence: (i) the day of death for 50% of mice infected with 5 × 105CFU of Brucella, (ii) the extent of liver toxicity, and (iii) the minimum immunizing dose of Brucella to protect against challenge with virulent S2308. Thus, IRF-1−/− mice are important to determining the level of Brucella virulence, to evaluating Brucella mutants for attenuation, and to investigating adaptive immunity in brucellosis.
Cloud Computing Adoption Determinants: an Analysis of Australian SMEs

In Australia, there is an emerging tendency among SMEs towards the adoption of cloud computing. However, there are limited studies investigating the factors that influence cloud computing adoption within Australian SMEs. To fill the research vacuum, we developed a research model based on the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI), the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework, and our prior exploratory study to investigate the determinants that influence the adoption of cloud computing. An organizational-level survey was conducted across Australia to collect data from technology decision makers in SMEs. Data collected from 203 firms are used to test the related hypotheses. This study contributes a statistically validated model of the influential determinants of cloud computing adoption. Data analysis indicates that Technological Factors (cost savings, relative advantages, compatibility, and trialability), Organizational Factors (firm size, top management support, innovativeness of the firm, and IS knowledge), and Environmental Factors (market scope and external computing support) were found to be determinants of the adoption of cloud computing services. Benefits of the findings are twofold. First, they provide knowledge about cloud computing determinants in the Australian marketplace. Second, they provide policy planners and SMEs' decision makers with insights and directions for successful adoption of cloud computing technology.
Design, Fabrication and Mass-spectrometric Studies of a Micro Ion Source for High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry

A needle-to-cylinder electrode, adopted as an ion source for high-field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), is designed and fabricated by lithographie, galvanoformung and abformung (LIGA) technology. The needle, with a tip diameter of 20 μm and thickness of 20 μm, and a cylinder, with a diameter of 400 μm, were connected to the negative high voltage and ground, respectively. A negative corona and glow discharge were realized. For acetone with a density of 99.7 ppm, ethanol with a density of 300 ppm, and acetic ether with a density of 99.3 ppm, the sample gas was ionized by the needle-to-cylinder chip and the ions were detected by an LTQ XL™ (Thermo Scientific Corp.) mass spectrometer. The mass spectra show that the ions are mainly the protonated monomer, the proton bound dimer, and an ion-H2O molecule cluster. In tandem with a FAIMS system, the FAIMS spectra show that the resolving power increases with an increase in the RF voltage. The obtained experimental results showed that the micro needle-to-cylinder chip may serve as a miniature, low cost and non-radioactive ion source for FAIMS.
The incomplete infrastructure for interhospital patient transfer

Objective: Interhospital transfer of critically ill patients is a common part of their care. This article sought to review the data on the current patterns of use of interhospital transfer and identify systematic barriers to optimal integration of transfer as a mechanism for improving patient outcomes and value of care. Data Source: Narrative review of medical and organizational literature. Summary: Interhospital transfer of patients is common, but not optimized to improve patient outcomes. Although there is a wide variability in quality among hospitals of nominally the same capability, patients are not consistently transferred to the highest quality nearby hospital. Instead, transfer destinations are selected by organizational routines or non-patient-centered organizational priorities. Accomplishing a transfer is often quite difficult for sending hospitals. But once a transfer destination is successfully found, the mechanics of interhospital transfer now appear quite safe. Conclusion: Important technological advances now make it possible to identify nearby hospitals best able to help critically ill patients, and to successfully transfer patients to those hospitals. However, organizational structures have not yet developed to insure that patients are optimally routed, resulting in potentially significant excess mortality.
A novel 1/spl times/4 coupler-multiplexer permutation switch for WDM applications

A novel 1/spl times/4 coupler multiplexer permutation switch (CMPS) is proposed for applications in wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical networks. The structure of the CMPS integrates the multiplexing and switching functions into a single compact device. It consists of a single-mode/multimode-waveguide grating-assisted, backward-coupler multiplexer followed by a 1/spl times/4 digital optical switch (DOS). The specific design uses an InP-based 1/spl times/4 CMPS with InGaAsP-InP multiple-quantum-well (MQW) DOS. The calculated values of crosstalk for the coupler multiplexer and the DOS are <-25 dB and -23 dB, respectively, giving an overall crosstalk <-21 dB for channel bandwidths of 10-13 GHz. The device channels are unequally spaced, which reduces unwanted four-wave mixing (FWM), but are fitted to the ITU standard wavelength grid.
Field-aligned chorus wave spectral power in Earth's outer radiation belt

Abstract. Chorus-type whistler waves are one of the most intense electromagnetic waves generated naturally in the magnetosphere. These waves have a substantial impact on the radiation belt dynamics as they are thought to contribute to electron acceleration and losses into the ionosphere through resonant wave–particle interaction. Our study is devoted to the determination of chorus wave power distribution on frequency in a wide range of magnetic latitudes, from 0 to 40°. We use 10 years of magnetic and electric field wave power measured by STAFF-SA onboard Cluster spacecraft to model the initial (equatorial) chorus wave spectral power, as well as PEACE and RAPID measurements to model the properties of energetic electrons (~ 0.1–100 keV) in the outer radiation belt. The dependence of this distribution upon latitude obtained from Cluster STAFF-SA is then consistently reproduced along a certain L-shell range (4 ≤ L ≤ 6.5), employing WHAMP-based ray tracing simulations in hot plasma within a realistic inner magnetospheric model. We show here that, as latitude increases, the chorus peak frequency is globally shifted towards lower frequencies. Making use of our simulations, the peak frequency variations can be explained mostly in terms of wave damping and amplification, but also cross-L propagation. These results are in good agreement with previous studies of chorus wave spectral extent using data from different spacecraft (Cluster, POLAR and THEMIS). The chorus peak frequency variations are then employed to calculate the pitch angle and energy diffusion rates, resulting in more effective pitch angle electron scattering (electron lifetime is halved) but less effective acceleration. These peak frequency parameters can thus be used to improve the accuracy of diffusion coefficient calculations.
Depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking among middle adolescents: prospective associations and intrapersonal and interpersonal influences.

Using data from a 4-wave longitudinal study with a school-based sample of 1,218 middle adolescents, the authors investigated the directionality (e.g., unidirectionality and bidirectionality) of the prospective relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette use within the context of potential confounding variables and common and unique intrapersonal and interpersonal predictors. Findings indicated that serious and persistent depressive symptoms were prospective predictors of increased cigarette use across time, after controlling for baseline levels of smoking. Similarly, heavy and persistent smoking prospectively predicted increases in depressive symptoms. Intrapersonal and interpersonal predictors of cross-temporal changes in depressive symptoms and cigarette use were more unique than common. Latent growth curve modeling indicated a quadratic trend in adolescent cigarette smoking across time with an initial acceleration followed by a deceleration, though there was substantial intraindividual variation in individual trajectories.
Using Targeted Active-Learning Exercises and Diagnostic Question Clusters to Improve Students' Understanding of Carbon Cycling in Ecosystems

In this study, we used targeted active-learning activities to help students improve their ways of reasoning about carbon flow in ecosystems. The results of a validated ecology conceptual inventory (diagnostic question clusters [DQCs]) provided us with information about students' understanding of and reasoning about transformation of inorganic and organic carbon-containing compounds in biological systems. These results helped us identify specific active-learning exercises that would be responsive to students' existing knowledge. The effects of the active-learning interventions were then examined through analysis of students' pre- and postinstruction responses on the DQCs. The biology and non–biology majors participating in this study attended a range of institutions and the instructors varied in their use of active learning; one lecture-only comparison class was included. Changes in pre- to postinstruction scores on the DQCs showed that an instructor's teaching method had a highly significant effect on student reasoning following course instruction, especially for questions pertaining to cellular-level, carbon-transforming processes. We conclude that using targeted in-class activities had a beneficial effect on student learning regardless of major or class size, and argue that using diagnostic questions to identify effective learning activities is a valuable strategy for promoting learning, as gains from lecture-only classes were minimal.
Pathways to Word Reading and Decoding: The Roles of Automaticity and Accuracy

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to describe the relationship of initial skill and rate of progress on a measure of the alphabetic principle, Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF), to first-grade reading outcomes as measured by Oral Reading Fluency (ORF). In addition, we describe a scoring approach to NWF where the predominant decoding strategy (i.e., sound-by-sound, recoding, partial blending, or whole word reading) is also recorded. This study replicates two findings from prior research. First, we found that the effect of NWF gain on ORF outcomes was attenuated for students scoring well above the criterion on NWF. In addition, after controlling for both NWF initial skill and progress over the year, decoding strategy added explanatory value to the prediction of end of first grade ORF outcomes. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice are discussed.
Amygdala Volume and Verbal Memory Performance in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

ObjectiveTo clarify the relationship between amygdala-hippocampal volume and cognitive performance in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. BackgroundAbnormalities of the amygdala-hippocampal complex and memory deficits have been reported in both schizophrenia and bipolar illness. MethodWe examined memory performance and its relationship to the volumes of the whole brain, lateral ventricles, hippocampus, and amygdala using morphometric magnetic resonance imaging in 19 patients with schizophrenia, 11 bipolar patients, and 20 healthy controls. ResultsSchizophrenia patients performed more poorly than bipolar patients and controls on indices of memory functioning, whereas patients with bipolar disorder showed milder impairments relative to controls. The schizophrenia group showed reduced total cerebral volume and enlarged ventricles relative to controls, but no group differences were found for amygdala or hippocampal volume. Left amygdala volume was predictive of memory performance in both groups, correlating positively with better immediate and delayed verbal memory for bipolar patients and negatively with immediate and delayed verbal recall for schizophrenia patients. Amygdala volume was unrelated to memory performance in healthy subjects. ConclusionsSchizophrenia and bipolar disorder both seem to be associated with anomalous and differential limbic volume-function relationships, such that the amygdala may facilitate hippocampal-dependent memory processes in bipolar disorder but impair these same processes in schizophrenia.
The generation of oligodendroglial cells is preserved in the rostral migratory stream during aging

The subventricular zone (SVZ) is the largest source of newly generated cells in the adult mammalian brain. SVZ-derived neuroblasts migrate via the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into mature neurons. Additionally, a small proportion of SVZ-derived cells contribute to the generation of myelinating oligodendrocytes. The production of new cells in the SVZ decreases during aging, affecting the incorporation of new neurons into the OB. However, the age-related changes that occur across the RMS are not fully understood. In this study we evaluate how aging affects the cellular organization of migrating neuroblast chains, the proliferation, and the fate of the newly generated cells in the SVZ-OB system. By using electron microscopy and immunostaining, we found that the RMS path becomes discontinuous and its cytoarchitecture is disorganized in aged mice (24-month-old mice). Subsequently, OB neurogenesis was impaired in the aged brain while the production of oligodendrocytes was not compromised. These findings provide new insight into oligodendrocyte preservation throughout life. Further exploration of this matter could help the development of new strategies to prevent neurological disorders associated with senescence.
Social and Cultural Factors Affecting Maternal Health in Rural Gambia: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Background The high rate of maternal mortality reported in The Gambia is influenced by many factors, such as difficulties in accessing quality healthcare and facilities. In addition, socio-cultural practices in rural areas may limit the resources available to pregnant women, resulting in adverse health consequences. The aim of this study is to depict the gender dynamics in a rural Gambian context by exploring the social and cultural factors affecting maternal health. Methods and Findings Five focus group discussions that included 50 participants (aged 15–30 years, with at least one child) and six in-depth interviews with traditional birth attendants were conducted to explore perceptions of maternal health issues among rural women. The discussion was facilitated by guides focusing on issues such as how the women perceived their own physical health during pregnancy, difficulties in keeping themselves healthy, and health-related problems during pregnancy and delivery. The data resulting from the discussion was transcribed verbatim and investigated using a qualitative thematic analysis. In general, rural Gambian women did not enjoy privileges in their households when they were pregnant. The duties expected of them required pregnant women to endure heavy workloads, with limited opportunities for sick leave and almost nonexistent resources to access prenatal care. The division of labor between men and women in the household was such that women often engaged in non-remunerable field work with few economic resources, and their household duties during pregnancy were not alleviated by either their husbands or the other members of polygamous households. At the time of delivery, the decision to receive care by trained personnel was often beyond the women’s control, resulting in birth-related complications. Conclusions Our findings suggest that despite women’s multiple roles in the household, their positions are quite unfavorable. The high maternal morbidity and mortality rate in The Gambia is related to practices associated with gender inequality.
Universal photonic quantum computation via time-delayed feedback

Significance Creating large entangled states with photons as quantum information carriers is a central challenge for quantum information processing. Since photons do not interact directly, entangling them requires a nonlinear element. One approach is to sequentially generate photons using a quantum emitter that can induce quantum correlations between photons. Here we show that delayed quantum feedback dramatically expands the class of achievable photonic quantum states. In particular, we show that in state-of-the-art experiments with single atom-like quantum emitters, the most basic form of delayed quantum feedback already allows for creation of states that are universal resources for quantum computation. This opens avenues for quantum information processing with photons using minimal experimental resources. We propose and analyze a deterministic protocol to generate two-dimensional photonic cluster states using a single quantum emitter via time-delayed quantum feedback. As a physical implementation, we consider a single atom or atom-like system coupled to a 1D waveguide with a distant mirror, where guided photons represent the qubits, while the mirror allows the implementation of feedback. We identify the class of many-body quantum states that can be produced using this approach and characterize them in terms of 2D tensor network states.
Simulation of the effect of recruitment on loudness relationships in speech.

Persons suffering from perceptive deafness commonly find it difficult to understand amplified speech, and their understanding of speech is easily destroyed by competing speech or noise. One source of perceptive distortion is recruitment, which exaggerates loudness differences among the acoustical elements of speech. A transposition of these distorted loudness relationships from the deaf‐subject span of hearing to the normal span is illustrated graphically, and achieved in practice with an electronic processor. A recording of processed speech, simulating for normal listeners the loudness relationships perceived by deaf subjects with recruitment, accompanies this paper. Recruitment‐compensation processing for hearing aids is also simulated. The recruitment simulation is validated by an experiment with four unilaterally deaf subjects, who compared processed speech in the normal ear with unprocessed speech in the impaired ear. The simulation suggests that (1) recruitment is a sufficient cause for loss of intelligibility in the deaf, whether or not there are other causes; (2) compensation for this recruitment is a necessary, although possibly insufficient, condition for restoring that intelligibility; (3) the benefit of using both compression and post‐compression equalization in a hearing aid designed to compensate recruitment is likely to be considerably greater than the arithmetic sum of the separate, limited benefits of each process; and (4) the combined processing, by restoring redundant speech‐recognition cues to the subjects's perception, can increase the resistance of intelligibility to acoustical interference.
Role of polar compensation in interfacial ferromagnetism of LaNiO 3 / CaMnO 3 superlattices

Author(s): Flint, CL; Jang, H; Lee, JS; N'Diaye, AT; Shafer, P; Arenholz, E; Suzuki, Y | Abstract: © 2017 American Physical Society. Polar compensation can play an important role in the determination of interfacial electronic and magnetic properties in oxide heterostructures. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, bulk magnetometry, and transport measurements, we find that interfacial charge redistribution via polar compensation is essential for explaining the evolution of interfacial ferromagnetism in LaNiO3/CaMnO3 superlattices as a function of LaNiO3 layer thickness. In insulating superlattices (four unit cells or less of LaNiO3), magnetism is dominated by Ni-Mn superexchange, while itinerant electron-based Mn-Mn double exchange plays a role in thicker metallic superlattices. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and resonant x-ray scattering show that Ni-Mn superexchange contributes to the magnetization even in metallic superlattices. This Ni-Mn superexchange interaction can be explained in terms of polar compensation at the LaNiO3-CaMnO3 interface. These results highlight the different mechanisms responsible for interfacial ferromagnetism and the importance of understanding compensation due to polar mismatch at oxide-based interfaces when engineering magnetic properties.
As‐Conformal‐As‐Possible Surface Registration

We present a non‐rigid surface registration technique that can align surfaces with sizes and shapes that are different from each other, while avoiding mesh distortions during deformation. The registration is constrained locally as conformal as possible such that the angles of triangle meshes are preserved, yet local scales are allowed to change. Based on our conformal registration technique, we devise an automatic registration and interactive registration technique, which can reduce user interventions during template fitting. We demonstrate the versatility of our technique on a wide range of surfaces.
State of the Art Management in Spine Oncology: A Worldwide Perspective on Its Evolution, Current State, and Future

Study Design. A review of the past and current status of the evolving field of spine oncology. Objective. To provide a framework of reference for developments in the field, particularly the rapidly evolving field of molecular biology, as well as contemporary practice in the management of spine tumors. Methods. Literature review of the surgical treatment of spine tumors in the past and present, the emerging radiologic and biologic technologies, as well as the field of targeted therapy in cancer and the economic implications of technological advances. Results. A vast contemporary literature is currently available that provides a clear rational basis for treatment. Most treatment recommendations are currently based on retrospective data and small Phase II prospective studies. Treatment paradigms continue to evolve without their relative merits being evaluated by randomized controlled trials. The current lack of randomized trials in spine oncology reflect both the rarity of spine tumors and strongly held biases based on retrospective studies and institutional bias. Conclusion. Spine oncology is a rapidly evolving field with contributions in surgery, radiation therapy, and targeted chemotherapy resulting in overall improvement in quality of life and survival in patients with spine tumors. However, the economic consequences of these improvements are substantial and need to be kept in proper perspective.