Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of the G143A mutation associated with QoI resistance in Cercospora beticola field isolates from Michigan, United States.

BACKGROUND Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, is the most serious foliar disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) worldwide. Disease control is mainly achieved by timely fungicide applications. In 2011, CLS control failures were reported in spite of application of quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicide in several counties in Michigan, United States. The purpose of this study was to confirm the resistant phenotype and identify the molecular basis for QoI resistance of Michigan C. beticola isolates. RESULTS Isolates collected in Michigan in 1998 and 1999 that had no previous exposure to the QoI fungicides trifloxystrobin or pyraclostrobin exhibited QoI EC(50) values of ≤ 0.006 µg mL(-1) . In contrast, all isolates obtained in 2011 exhibited EC(50) values of > 0.92 µg mL(-1) to both fungicides and harbored a mutation in cytochrome b (cytb) that led to an amino acid exchange from glycine to alanine at position 143 (G143A) compared with baseline QoI-sensitive isolates. Microsatellite analysis of the isolates suggested that QoI resistance emerged independently in multiple genotypic backgrounds at multiple locations. A real-time PCR assay utilizing dual-labeled fluorogenic probes was developed to detect and differentiate QoI-resistant isolates harboring the G143A mutation from sensitive isolates. CONCLUSION The G143A mutation in cytb is associated with QoI resistance in C. beticola. Accurate monitoring of this mutation will be essential for fungicide resistance management in this pathosystem.
CD154 stimulation of interleukin‐12 synthesis in human endothelial cells

The interaction of proinflammatory type 1 T helper (Th1) cells expressing the CD40 ligand (CD154) with endothelial cells expressing the corresponding receptor (CD40) may play an important role in chronic inflammation including arteriosclerosis. Here we demonstrate that activation of CD40 in human cultured endothelial cells (e.g. by interaction with freshly isolated human T cells) not only up‐regulates expression of various adhesion molecules, chemokines and cytokines, but within 12–24 h also causes the release of bioactive interleukin‐12 (IL‐12 p70) through induction of IL‐12 p40 synthesis. IL‐12 p35, on the other hand, appears to be constitutively expressed in these cells. Despite enhancing expression of the other gene products, cytokines such as interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) or tumor necrosis factor‐α, alone or in combination, failed to induce IL‐12 p40 expression, whereas IFN‐γ markedly augmented CD154‐induced IL‐12 p40 and p70 release. Of note was that the magnitude of CD154‐induced IL‐12 synthesis in the cultured endothelial cells was comparable to that evoked in freshly isolated human monocytes. This CD40‐mediated induction of endothelial IL‐12 synthesis may thus lead to an enhanced activation of the adherent CD154‐expressing Th1 cells, thereby fuelling the proinflammatory response.
Flat Band Slow Light in Symmetric Line Defect Photonic Crystal Waveguides

Flat band slow light in symmetric line defect photonic crystal waveguides formed by adding dielectric pillars in the air holes nearest to the waveguide core is investigated. By adjusting the radii of the new dielectric pillars, a linear band in the photonic band structure appears which denotes low group velocity dispersion. High average group index of 74.4 with 2.3-nm bandwidth is demonstrated in an optimized waveguide by finite-difference time-domain simulation.
LEARNING BEHIND BARS: THE EXPERIENCES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN PRISON

Most prisoners want to better themselves so that they never have to return to prison furthermore many studies have shown that the best way to reform and improve behaviour is through education however students studying in prison face numerous challenges in their endeavour to ameliorate themselves. In other words, schooling has become a painful experience for many of them and their feelings of shame and anger at becoming unsuccessful in a world where academic achievement is highly valued, run deep. Public perception is that prisoners should be denied access to educational opportunities and be punished for the crimes committed. Using qualitative phenomenological design, the article explores in detail the learning experiences of a group of inmates who are studying at undergraduate level, via distance learning. This article specifically focuses on the experiences and challenges encountered by these students. Data was collected from the five participants using semi-structured interviews and analysed using content analysis. All the participants were provided with informed consent and they demonstrated their willingness to participate in the research. Based on the data collected, we conclude that although the student inmates find the prison environment to impact negatively on their studies, they (students) also attach great value to their studies and hope to use it to secure employment once released from prison.
Why Gender and Age Prediction from Tweets is Hard: Lessons from a Crowdsourcing Experiment

There is a growing interest in automatically predicting the gender and age of authors from texts. However, most research so far ignores that language use is related to the social identity of speakers, which may be different from their biological identity. In this paper, we combine insights from sociolinguistics with data collected through an online game, to underline the importance of approaching age and gender as social variables rather than static biological variables. In our game, thousands of players guessed the gender and age of Twitter users based on tweets alone. We show that more than 10% of the Twitter users do not employ language that the crowd associates with their biological sex. It is also shown that older Twitter users are often perceived to be younger. Our findings highlight the limitations of current approaches to gender and age prediction from texts.
Semantic analysis of matrix structures

The automatic interpretation of mathematical text structures has received only limited attention so far. While there has been work on the particularities of the character recognition of two dimensional formulas such as matrices in texts, very little has been done on exploiting their additional semantics in order to make them available for further processing. We present an algorithm that provides the interface between the recognition of matrix expressions and their concrete interpretation as mathematical objects. Given an underspecified matrix representation as they commonly appear in textbooks, containing ellipses and fill symbols, our algorithm extracts the semantic information contained. Matrices are interpreted as a collection of regions that can be interpolated with a particular term structure. The effectiveness of our algorithm can be demonstrated by its ability to derive concrete instances for the processed matrix representations in a symbolic computation system.
Disaster-resilient communication networks: Principles and best practices

Communication network failures that are caused by disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and cyber-attacks, can have significant economic and societal impact. To address this problem, the research community has been investigating approaches to network resilience for several years. However, aside from well-established techniques, many of these solutions have not found their way into operational environments. The RECODIS COST Action aims to address this shortcoming by providing solutions that are tailored to specific types of challenge, whilst considering the wider socio-economic issues that are associated with their deployment. To support this goal, in this paper, we present an overview of some of the foundational related work on network resilience, covering topics such as measuring resilience and resilient network architectures, amongst others. In addition, we provide insights into current operational best practices for ensuring the resilience of carrier-grade communication networks. The aim of this paper is to support the goals of the EU COST Action RECODIS and the wider research community in engineering more resilient communication networks.
Ranking Recipes According to Classicality towards Understanding Evolution of Food Preference

Food evolution has been a revealing indicator of human beings' living activities. Knowing how food and people's food preferences evolve helps us to elucidate important aspects of human society, culture, and history. Before, an individual researcher was able to track changes of food by manual investigation of recipes in books or among people. Propagation of information among common people was slow, usually limited to being narrow and regional. Today, people can upload their own recipes easily to recipe sites such as CookPad in Japan. Information related to food has increased rapidly. Therefore, tracking food evolution has become impossible without computer-based data analysis. To help elucidate the evolution of food preferences, we propose a novel measure, called the classicality score, of a recipe, and propose a method for computing the score by analyzing recipe data including characteristics of the ingredients of each recipe. Using recipe data of several foods on CookPad, we examined the usefulness of our proposal by comparing rankings according to our classicality score to those according to other measures. Some interesting discoveries were made from case studies of the rankings.
Inaccuracies Inherent in Patient‐Specific Dual‐Energy X‐Ray Absorptiometry Bone Mineral Density Measurements: Comprehensive Phantom‐Based Evaluation

An extensive series of dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans and dual polyenergetic X‐ray simulation studies of 150 different phantom arrays were carried out to evaluate quantitatively the extent of systematic inaccuracies inherent in DXA in vivo bone mineral density (BMD). These measurements are particularly relevant to lumbar vertebral and proximal femoral sites. The phantoms were specially fabricated near perfect absorptiometric representations of bone material, red marrow (RM) and yellow marrow (YM), and extraosseous mixtures of fat (F) and lean muscle that spanned the full range of soft tissue anthropometrics encountered clinically. In each case, the DXA‐measured BMD values obtained using Hologic, Lunar, and Norland densitometers were found to be virtually the same and to be in excellent agreement with the corresponding quantitative simulation study BMD results. Comparisons of the known phantom BMD values and DXA‐measured BMD in each case allowed the BMD inaccuracies to be evaluated. These present findings show that these ubiquitous inaccuracies in DXA BMD methodology are of in vivo soft tissue anthropometric genesis. It is found that patient‐specific DXA‐measured in vivo BMD inaccuracies as high as 20% or more can be readily anticipated clinically, particularly in cases of osteopenic, osteoporotic, and elderly patients. As these inaccuracies exceed considerably DXA precision errors, they may compromise patient‐specific evaluations of fracture risk and, in prospective studies, mask or exaggerate clinically significant true changes in BMD. It is concluded that the magnitudes and variability of inherent inaccuracies in DXA‐measured in vivo BMD underscore the need for prudence and circumspection in interpretations and assessments of DXA‐based clinical studies.
Resilient Information Infrastructures: Mobilizing Adaptive Capacities under Extreme Events

In recent decades, the frequency of large-scale catastrophic disasters or extreme events has dramatically increased. Extreme events overwhelm entire regions and communities to the extent that traditional disaster preparedness and response planning prove insufficient during and after an event. The devastation from an unfolding extreme event can be so grand that response efforts are severely hampered, and the recovery process aimed to restore former levels of performance and wellness might take years or even decades. Reliable, accurate, complete, and timely information has been touted the key resource when coping with an extreme event. However, the complex and not merely technical information infrastructure necessary for providing and transferring the high-quality information to and from responders has been little studied and is not well understood. This paper attempts to develop a conceptual understanding of dimensions and interacting elements in a resilient information infrastructure under the duress of an extreme event.
Prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt: associations with psychiatric disorders and HIV/AIDS in post-conflict Northern Uganda.

BACKGROUND Research on the prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempt, and cormorbid psychiatric disorders in post-conflict areas is still limited. AIM We explored the prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempt, associated psychiatric disorders and HIV/AIDS in post-conflict Northern Uganda, an area that experienced civil strife for over two decades. METHODS A total of 2400 respondents (aged 18 and above) and randomly selected in three districts (Gulu, Amuru and Nwoya), were interviewed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess for associations between suicidality (suicidal ideation and attempt) and psychiatric cormorbidities. RESULTS The prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt were 12.1 % and 6.2 % respectively. Suicidality was significantly (P<0.001) higher among respondents with major depressive disorder (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 9.5; 95%CI= 7.4, 12.1) and post-traumatic stress disorder (adjusted OR =2.4; 95%CI= 1.6, 3.6). Men had lower odds of ideating or attempting suicide compared to women (adjusted OR = 0.55; 95%CI: 0.38, 0.82). CONCLUSION The prevalence rate of suicide ideation and attempt indicate a major public health problem in post-conflict Northern Uganda. Effective public mental health programs that that target both suicidality and psychiatric co-morbodities will be vital. Special attention should be given to women in post conflict Northern Uganda.
Airborne measurements of aerosol scattering properties above the MABL over Bay of Bengal during W_ICARB – characteristics and spatial gradients

Abstract. Realizing the importance of aerosol characterization and addressing its spatio-temporal heterogeneities over Bay of Bengal (BoB), campaign mode observations of aerosol parameters were carried out using simultaneous cruise, aircraft and land-based measurements during the Winter Integrated Campaign for Aerosols gases and Radiation Budget (W_ICARB). Under this, airborne measurements of total and hemispheric backscatter coefficients were made over several regions of coastal India and eastern BoB using a three wavelength integrating nephelometer. The measurements include high resolution multi-level (ML) sorties for altitude profiles and bi-level (BL) sorties for spatial gradients within and above the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) over BoB. The vertical profiles of the scattering coefficients are investigated in light of the information on the vertical structure of the atmospheric stability, which was derived from the collocated GPS (Global Positioning System) aided radiosonde ascents. In general, the altitude profiles revealed that the scattering coefficient remained steady in the convectively well-mixed regions and dropped off above the MABL. This decrease was quite rapid off the Indian mainland, while it was more gradual in the eastern BoB. Investigation on horizontal gradients revealed that the scattering coefficients over northern BoB are 3 to 4 times higher compared to that of central BoB within and above the MABL. A north-south gradient in scattering coefficients is observed over Port Blair in the eastern BoB, with values decreasing from south to north, which is attributed to the similar gradient in the surface wind speed, which can be replicated in the sea salt abundance. The gradients are parameterized using best-fit analytical functions.
Obscuring Gender-Based Violence: Marriage Promotion and Teen Dating Violence Research

abstract This article argues that United States public policies have prioritized marriage and healthy relationship promotion over research and education about gendered violence in teen dating relationships, despite evidence of the prevalence of intimate partner and teen dating violence that disproportionately impacts women and girls. The lack of a gender-based analysis reflects a shift from a feminist framing of violence that focuses on the safety and well-being of women and girls based on an analysis of gender, power, and structural inequalities, toward a conservative focus on individualistic solutions to gendered social problems like poverty and violence.
Long‐Term Follow‐Up of Hypopituitary Patients Treated with Human Growth Hormone

Thirty-six former human growth hormone (hGH) recipients underwent comprehensive physical, endocrine and lipoprotein evaluations as adults. Treatment was associated with a decrease in height standard deviation score (SDS) in males from 4.0 pretreatment to 2.1 as adults, and in females from 4.2 to 2.5. Males showed a better growth response to treatment than did females. Plasma somatomedin-C levels were subnormal in 30 patients, but were higher in isolated growth-hormone-deficient patients than in others. Three men and 1 woman showed evidence suggesting a disturbance in pulsatile gonadotropin release despite the previous documentation of normal serum gonadotropin levels. Hypertriglyceridemia was not observed, and the women's plasma cholesterol levels were unremarkable. Men, however, showed higher-than-expected total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations. The last finding may explain the lack of increased cardiovascular morbidity in this group.
Ultrasound‐guided cannulation of the internal jugular vein in robotic cardiac surgery

Background Robotic assisted minimally invasive cardiac sugery is a new technique that uses small port sites and peripheral vessel cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been used. The right internal jugular vein (IJV) is commonly used for intraoperative venous access to the central circulation and identified with an external landmark. Previous studies have demonstrated the superiority of ultrasound guidance over external landmark technique in anaesthetic and intensive care settings. The aim of the present study was to delineate the utility of ultrasound‐guided cannulation of the IJV during establishment of peripheral CPB in robotic cardiac surgery. Methods We prospectively studied 296 adult patients undergoing ultrasound‐guided right IJV cannulation during establishment of peripheral CPB in robotic cardiac surgery at our institute from January 2007 to October 2012 (ultrasound group). The success rate, the first attempt success rate, access time and the complication rate of ultrasound‐guided method were compared with the landmark‐guided method used for 302 historical control patients (landmark group). Results In the ultrasound group, 296 consecutive adult patients underwent ultrasound‐guided right IJV cannulation during establishment of peripheral CPB in robotic cardiac surgery. In the landmark group, 302 patients underwent right IJV cannulation using the landmark‐guided technique. The success rate and the first attempt success rate in the ultrasound group were significantly higher than that in the landmark group (100% vs. 88.1%, P <0.000 and 98.6% vs. 38.4%, P <0.000). Average access time in the ultrasound group was shorter than that in the landmark group ((6.3±13.6) seconds; interquartile range (4‐62) seconds vs. (44.5±129.5) seconds; interquartile range (5‐986) seconds). The complication rate in the ultrasound group was significantly lower than that in the landmark group (0.3% vs. 8.3%, P <0.000). Conclusion Compared with the landmark‐guided approach, ultrasound‐guided cannulation of the right IJV significantly improves success rate, decreases access time and reduces complication rate during establishment of peripheral CPB in robotic cardiac surgery.
Clinical testing patterns and cost implications of variation in the evaluation of CKD among US physicians.

BACKGROUND Clinical practice guidelines were established to improve the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the extent, determinants, and cost implications of guideline adherence and variation in adherence have not been evaluated. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTINGS & PARTICIPANTS The questionnaire was sent (on paper or through the internet) to a nationally representative sample of 1,200 US primary care physicians and nephrologists. PREDICTOR Provider and patient characteristics. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Guideline adherence was assessed as present if physicians recommended at least 5 of 6 clinical tests prescribed by the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes and Quality Initiative guidelines for a hypothetical patient with newly identified CKD. We also assessed patterns and costs of additional nonrecommended tests for the initial clinical evaluation of CKD. RESULTS Of the 301 (86 family medicine, 89 internal medicine, and 126 nephrology) eligible physicians who responded to the survey (response rate, 32%), most practiced longer than 10 years (54%), were in nonacademic practices (76%), spent greater than 80% of their time performing clinical duties (77%), and correctly estimated kidney function (73%). Overall, 35% of participants were guideline adherent. Compared with nephrologists, internal medicine and family physicians had lower odds of adherence for all recommended testing (odds ratio, 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.3 to 1.1; and odds ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 0.6, respectively). Participants practicing longer than 10 years had lower odds of ordering all recommended testing compared with participants practicing fewer than 10 years (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.3 to 0.9). Eighty-five percent of participants recommended additional tests, which resulted in a 23% increased total per-patient cost of the clinical evaluation. LIMITATIONS Recommendations for a hypothetical case scenario may differ from those of actual patients. CONCLUSIONS Adherence to recommended clinical testing for the diagnosis and management of CKD was poor, and additional testing was associated with substantially increased cost of the clinical evaluation. Improved clarity, dissemination, and uptake of existing guidelines are needed to improve quality and decrease costs of care for patients with CKD.
A Fast Generalized Sphere Decoder for Optimum Decoding of Under-determined MIMO systems

A new Generalized Sphere Decoder (GSD) is proposed for optimum decoding of lattice points in a system with fewer equations than unknowns. The proposed algorithm is significantly faster than the one proposed in [1] and is a natural extension of the sphere decoding philosophy introduced in [2, 3]. The complexity reduction is achieved by partitioning the entire range of maximum likelihood hypotheses for the GSD into ordered subsets. Such a partition enables the rejection of several hypothesis at once. A parameter called the depth of the GSD is shown to offer additional complexity reduction as the gap between the number of equations and the number of unknowns grows. Numerical results are presented to show the application of the proposed GSD for various Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems.