Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of AMPLICOR Neisseria gonorrhoeae PCR Using cppB Nested PCR and 16S rRNA PCR

ABSTRACT Certain strains of Neisseria subflava andNeisseria cinerea are known to produce false-positive results with the AMPLICOR Neisseria gonorrhoeae PCR (Roche Diagnostic Systems, Branchburg, N.J.). The analytical sensitivity and analytical specificity of three PCR tests were assessed with 3 geographically diverse N. gonorrhoeae strains and 30 non-N. gonorrhoeae Neisseria spp. The sensitivities of the in-house nested cppB gene and the 16S rRNA PCR methods were greater than that of the AMPLICOR N. gonorrhoeae PCR with purified DNA from all 3 N. gonorrhoeae strains. Six of 14 clinical strains of N. subflava (1 from a vaginal swab, 5 from respiratory sites) produced false-positive AMPLICOR N. gonorrhoeae PCR results and were negative by the two other PCR methods. When applied to 207 clinical specimens selected from a population with a high prevalence (∼9%) of infection, the results for 15 of 96 (15.6%) AMPLICOR-positive specimens and 14 of 17 (82.3%) AMPLICOR-equivocal specimens were not confirmed by the more sensitive nested cppB PCR method. Only 2 of 94 (2.1%) of AMPLICORN. gonorrhoeae PCR-negative specimens from the same population tested positive by the nested cppB method. These results suggest that for this population the AMPLICOR N. gonorrhoeae PCR test is suitable as a screening test only and all positive results should be confirmed by a PCR method that is more specific and at least as sensitive. This study also illustrates that caution should be used when introducing commercially available nucleic acid amplification-based diagnostic tests into the regimens of tests used for populations not previously tested with these products.
Correlated Fading in Broadcast MIMO Channels: Curse or Blessing?

The impact of transmit correlation on the performance of limited feedback multi-user MIMO is investigated. Correlated fading is shown to highly influence the probability of scheduling orthogonal users and the ability to achieve small quantization errors. Correlated fading is indeed beneficial to MU- MIMO performance as it can potentially reduce the quantization error, if an appropriate codebook is used. Grassmanian line packing is very much inappropriate for MU-MIMO in correlated fading environments, while DFT-based codebooks and channel statistics-based codebooks are promising candidates. Additionally correlated fading is very beneficial to the scheduler. User correlation is shown to decrease more quickly in transmit correlated channels than in i.i. d. channels as the number of active users increases. However, correlated fading is also shown to be detrimental to the scheduler performance when the number of active users is rather small and cell sectorization is performed.
Automatic Discovery and Quantification of Information Leaks

Information-flow analysis is a powerful technique for reasoning about the sensitive information exposed by a program during its execution. We present the first automatic method for information-flow analysis that discovers what information is leaked and computes its comprehensive quantitative interpretation. The leaked information is characterized by an equivalence relation on secret artifacts, and is represented by a logical assertion over the corresponding program variables. Our measurement procedure computes the number of discovered equivalence classes and their sizes. This provides a basis for computing a set of quantitative properties, which includes all established information-theoretic measures in quantitative information-flow. Our method exploits an inherent connection between formal models of qualitative information-flow and program verification techniques. We provide an implementation of our method that builds upon existing tools for program verification and information-theoretic analysis. Our experimental evaluation indicates the practical applicability of the presented method.
Futures Exchange Innovations: Reinforcement Versus Cannibalism

Futures exchanges are in constant search of futures contracts that will generate a profitable level of trading volume. In this context, it would be interesting to determine what effect the introduction of new futures contracts have on the trading volume of the contracts already listed. The introduction of new futures contracts may lead to a volume increase for those contracts already listed and hence, contribute to the success of a futures exchange. On the other hand, the introduction of new futures contracts could lead to a volume decrease for the contracts already listed, thereby undermining the success of the futures exchange accordingly. Using a multi-product hedging model in which the perspective has been shifted from portfolio to exchange management, we study these effects. Using data from two exchanges that are different regarding market liquidity (Amsterdam Exchanges versus Chicago Board of Trade) we show the usefulness of the proposed tool. Our findings have several important implications for a futures exchange's innovation policy.
Random drift and culture change

We show that the frequency distributions of cultural variants, in three different real–world examples—first names, archaeological pottery and applications for technology patents—follow power laws that can be explained by a simple model of random drift. We conclude that cultural and economic choices often reflect a decision process that is value–neutral; this result has far–reaching testable implications for social–science research.
The Effect of Hepatic Impairment on the Pharmacokinetics of Asunaprevir, an HCV NS3 Protease Inhibitor

Background It is necessary to evaluate the impact of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetic profile of direct-acting antiviral agents for the treatment of HCV infection. Methods In this open-label, parallel group, multiple-dose study subjects (aged 18–70 years with a body mass index <35 kg/m2) with mild (n=6), moderate (n=6) and severe hepatic impairment (n=4) received asunaprevir 200 mg twice daily; healthy subjects (n=12) were matched (age, weight, gender) 1:1 to the first 4 subjects in each hepatic impairment group to act as controls. Pharmacokinetic sampling and analyses were performed on days 1 and 7 of dosing. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived by non-compartmental methods. Geometric mean ratios (GMRs) and 90% CIs were used to assess the impact of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics of asunaprevir, relative to healthy matched controls. Results Compared with healthy subjects, mild hepatic impairment did not result in meaningful alterations in asunaprevir exposure (day 7 maximal plasma concentration [Cmax] GMR: 0.58 [90% CI 0.35, 0.98]; area under the plasma concentration–time curve in one dosing interval [AUCtau] GMR: 0.79 [90% CI 0.55, 1.15]); clinically significant increases in asunaprevir exposure were observed in subjects with moderate (Cmax GMR: 5.03 [90% CI 2.99, 8.47]; AUCtau GMR: 9.83 [90% CI 6.76, 14.28]) and severe hepatic impairment (Cmax GMR: 22.92 [90% CI 12.57, 41.81]; AUCtau GMR: 32.08 [90% CI 20.84, 49.40]). Correlation between increased asunaprevir exposure and all individual components of the Child–Pugh classification system was observed in subjects with moderate and severe hepatic impairment. Conclusions Mild hepatic impairment does not meaningfully affect the pharmacokinetic profile of asunaprevir. The dosing of asunaprevir in patients with moderate-to-severe hepatic impairment is not recommended. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01019070.
Effectiveness and Safety of Transcranial Laser Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— We hypothesized that transcranial laser therapy (TLT) can use near-infrared laser technology to treat acute ischemic stroke. The NeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trial–2 (NEST-2) tested the safety and efficacy of TLT in acute ischemic stroke. Methods— This double-blind, randomized study compared TLT treatment to sham control. Patients receiving tissue plasminogen activator and patients with evidence of hemorrhagic infarct were excluded. The primary efficacy end point was a favorable 90-day score of 0 to 2 assessed by the modified Rankin Scale. Other 90-day end points included the overall shift in modified Rankin Scale and assessments of change in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. Results— We randomized 660 patients: 331 received TLT and 327 received sham; 120 (36.3%) in the TLT group achieved favorable outcome versus 101 (30.9%), in the sham group (P=0.094), odds ratio 1.38 (95% CI, 0.95 to 2.00). Comparable results were seen for the other outcome measures. Although no prespecified test achieved significance, a post hoc analysis of patients with a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of <16 showed a favorable outcome at 90 days on the primary end point (P<0.044). Mortality rates and serious adverse events did not differ between groups with 17.5% and 17.4% mortality, 37.8% and 41.8% serious adverse events for TLT and sham, respectively. Conclusions— TLT within 24 hours from stroke onset demonstrated safety but did not meet formal statistical significance for efficacy. However, all predefined analyses showed a favorable trend, consistent with the previous clinical trial (NEST-1). Both studies indicate that mortality and adverse event rates were not adversely affected by TLT. A definitive trial with refined baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale exclusion criteria is planned.
Dietary protein and calcium interact to influence calcium retention: a controlled feeding study.

BACKGROUND The effect of meat protein on calcium retention at different calcium intakes is unresolved. OBJECTIVE The objective was to test the effect of dietary protein on calcium retention at low and high intakes of calcium. DESIGN In a randomized controlled feeding study with a 2 x 2 factorial crossover design, healthy postmenopausal women (n = 27) consumed either approximately 675 or approximately 1510 mg Ca/d, with both low and high protein (providing 10% and 20% energy) for 7 wk each, separated by a 3-wk washout period. After 3 wk, the entire diet was extrinsically labeled with (47)Ca, and isotope retention was monitored by whole-body scintillation counting. Clinical markers of calcium and bone metabolism were measured. RESULTS High compared with low dietary protein significantly increased calcium retention from the low-calcium (29.5% compared with 26.0% absorbed) but not the high-calcium diet (18% absorbed). For the low-calcium diet, this effect nearly balanced a protein-related 0.5-mmol/d greater urinary calcium excretion. Protein-related calciuretic effects were independent of dietary calcium. Testing at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 wk showed no long-term adaptation in urinary acidity or urinary calcium excretion. High compared with low dietary protein decreased urinary deoxypyridinoline and increased serum insulin-like growth factor I without affecting parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, or tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase. CONCLUSIONS In healthy postmenopausal women, a moderate increase in dietary protein, from 10% to 20% of energy, slightly improved calcium absorption from a low-calcium diet, nearly compensating for a slight increase in urinary calcium excretion. Under practical dietary conditions, increased dietary protein from animal sources was not detrimental to calcium balance or short-term indicators of bone health.
Localised and Biased Technologies: Atkinson and Stiglitz's New View, Induced Innovations, and Directed Technological Change

This paper revisits the important ideas proposed by Atkinson and Stiglitz’s seminal 1969 paper on technological change. After linking these ideas to the induced innovation literature of the 1960s and the more recent directed technological change literature, it explains how these three complementary but different approaches are useful in the study of a range of current research areas though they may also yield different answers to important questions. It concludes by highlighting several important areas where these ideas can be fruitfully applied in future work.
Myoclonic-like Finger Microdisplacements in Patients With Cerebellar Deficits

Abstract Background: Here we assess the ability of patients with cerebellar disease to execute a simple visually-guided movement task involving tracking of a target with the index finger. Methods: Spontaneous microdisplacements in index finger position are compared in patients with cerebellar deficits (ischemia [n = 3], multiple sclerosis [n = 3], degenerative cerebellar disease [n = 3]) and age-matched healthy subjects. Subjects were required to maintain a constant finger position relative to a stationary baseline displayed on an oscilloscope. Results: Unusual transient abrupt movements (saccadic or myoclonic-like) directed with or against gravity were seen in patients whose neurological deficits were the most severe (7/9 patients). These abrupt myoclonic-like movements occurred independently of visual input, were not associated with clinically observable myoclonus, and were not detected previously in patients with Parkinson’s disease. These abrupt myoclonic-like movements were not associated with abnormalities in either physiological tremor, or oscillations in finger microdisplacements induced by insertion of a delay (300–1400 ms) into the visual feedback of this finger “holding” experiment. An unexpected finding is that the results obtained for patients with cerebellar deficits by insertion of an experimental delay are not significantly different from those obtained with their age-matched controls. Conclusions: These observations suggest that abrupt myoclonic-like movements are a characteristic abnormality of patients with a variety of cerebellar deficits and emphasize the value of this simple motor tracking task for characterizing movement disorders.
Balanced boolean functions that can be evaluated so that every input bit is unlikely to be read

A Boolean function of <i>n</i> bits is balanced if it takes the value 1 with probability 1⁄2. We exhibit a balanced Boolean function with a randomized evaluation procedure (with probability 0 of making a mistake) so that on uniformly random inputs, no input bit is read with probability more than Θ(<i>n</i><sup>-1/2</sup>√ log <i>n</i>). We construct a balanced monotone Boolean function and a randomized algorithm computing it for which each bit is read with probability Θ(<i>n</i><sup>-1⁄3</sup> log <i>n</i>). We then show that for any randomized algorithm for evaluating a balanced Boolean function, when the input bits are uniformly random, there is some input bit that is read with probability at least Θ(<i>n</i><sup>-1𔊪)</sup>. For balanced monotone Boolean functions, there is some input bit that is read with probability at least Θ(<i>n</i><sup>-1𔊫</sup>).
Effect of Famciclovir on Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Corneal Disease and Establishment of Latency in Rabbits

ABSTRACT Famciclovir (FCV) is efficacious in the treatment of acute herpes zoster and recurrent genital infections but has not been used to treat ocular herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections. We evaluated the efficacy of orally administered FCV in treating HSV-1 epithelial keratitis and determined its effects on the establishment of latency and subsequent reactivation. Rabbits were inoculated with HSV-1 strain 17 syn+ and treated twice daily with increasing concentrations of FCV (60 to 500 mg/kg of body weight). This resulted in a significant, dose-dependent improvement in keratitis scores, as well as prolonged survival. Regardless of the dose of drug used, all groups exhibited the high rates of spontaneous and induced reactivation characteristic of 17syn+. The efficacy of 250 mg of FCV per kg was also compared to topical treatment with 1% trifluorothymidine (TFT). Although TFT treatment was more effective at reducing eye disease, FCV-treated rabbits had a better survival rate. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of rabbit trigeminal ganglia (TG) demonstrated that FCV significantly reduced the HSV-1 copy number compared to that after treatment with TFT or the placebo but not in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, oral FCV treatment significantly reduces the severity of corneal lesions, reduces the number of HSV-1 genomes in the TG, improves survival, and therefore may be beneficial in reducing the morbidity of HSV keratitis in the clinic.
Establishing maximal oxygen uptake in young people during a ramp cycle test to exhaustion

Objectives This study tested the hypotheses that (1) secondary criteria (respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate, blood [lactate]) traditionally used to verify the determination of maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) in children can result in the acceptance of a ‘submaximal’ V̇O2max or falsely reject a ‘true’ V̇O2max and (2) the V̇O2peak recorded during a ramp test in children is comparable to the V̇O2peak achieved during supramaximal testing. Methods Thirteen children (9–10 years) completed a ramp cycle test to exhaustion to determine their V̇O2peak. After 15 min of recovery, the participants performed a supramaximal cycle test to exhaustion at 105% of their ramp test peak power. Results Compared with the V̇O2peak during the ramp test, a significantly lower V̇O2 was recorded at a RER of 1.00 (1.293 litre/min (SD 0.265) vs 1.681 litre/min (SD 0.295), p<0.001, n=12), at a heart rate of 195 beats/min (1.556 litre/min (SD 0.265) vs 1.721 litre/min (SD 0.318), p<0.001, n=10) and at 85% of age-predicted maximum (1.345 litre/min (SD 0.228) vs 1.690 litre/min (SD 0.284), p<0.001, n=13). Supramaximal testing yielded a V̇O2peak that was not significantly different from the ramp test (1.615 litre/min (SD 0.307) vs 1.690 litre/min (SD 0.284), p=0.090, respectively). Conclusions The use of secondary criteria to verify a maximal effort in young people during ramp cycling exercise may result in the acceptance of a submaximal V̇O2max. As supramaximal testing elicits a V̇O2peak similar to the ramp protocol, thus satisfying the plateau criterion, the use of such tests is recommended as the appropriate method of confirming a ‘true’ V̇O2max with children. Keywords Children, Aerobic Fitness, Fitness Testing, Supramaximal Exercise.
The Small GTPase Rac1 Regulates Auditory Hair Cell Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis of sensory hair cells, in particular their mechanotransduction organelle, the stereociliary bundle, requires highly organized remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. The roles of Rho family small GTPases during this process remain unknown. Here we show that deletion of Rac1 in the otic epithelium resulted in severe defects in cochlear epithelial morphogenesis. The mutant cochlea was severely shortened with a reduced number of auditory hair cells and cellular organization of the auditory sensory epithelium was abnormal. Rac1 mutant hair cells also displayed defects in planar cell polarity and morphogenesis of the stereociliary bundle, including bundle fragmentation or deformation, and mispositioning or absence of the kinocilium. We further demonstrate that a Rac–PAK (p21-activated kinase) signaling pathway mediates kinocilium–stereocilia interactions and is required for cohesion of the stereociliary bundle. Together, these results reveal a critical function of Rac1 in morphogenesis of the auditory sensory epithelium and stereociliary bundle.
Distributed segmentation and classification of human actions using a wearable motion sensor network

We propose a distributed recognition method to classify human actions using a low-bandwidth wearable motion sensor network. Given a set of pre-segmented motion sequences as training examples, the algorithm simultaneously segments and classifies human actions, and it also rejects outlying actions that are not in the training set. The classification is distributedly operated on individual sensor nodes and a base station computer. We show that the distribution of multiple action classes satisfies a mixture subspace model, one sub-space for each action class. Given a new test sample, we seek the sparsest linear representation of the sample w.r. t. all training examples. We show that the dominant coefficients in the representation only correspond to the action class of the test sample, and hence its membership is encoded in the representation. We further provide fast linear solvers to compute such representation via l1-minimization. Using up to eight body sensors, the algorithm achieves state-of-the-art 98.8% accuracy on a set of 12 action categories. We further demonstrate that the recognition precision only decreases gracefully using smaller subsets of sensors, which validates the robustness of the distributed framework.
A pneumolysin-negative mutant of Streptococcus pneumoniae causes chronic bacteremia rather than acute sepsis in mice

Pneumolysin is a cytoplasmic virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae that can interfere with phagocyte function in vitro. We have examined the effects of pneumolysin in vitro and in vivo and have found that it protects intravenously injected pneumococci against infection-induced host resistance. We employed a virulent capsular type 2 pneumococcal strain, D39, and its isogenic pneumolysin-negative mutant, PLN. Strain D39 exhibited exponential net growth in mice (doubling time, 1.4 h); 24 to 28 h after infection with 10(4) CFU, the numbers of pneumococci reached 10(9) to 10(10) CFU/ml and the mice died. Strain PLN yielded identical net growth in mice until reaching 10(6) to 10(7) CFU/ml at 12 to 18 h postinfection. At this time, the increase in the level of PLN CFU per milliliter ceased and remained constant for several days. PLN exhibited wild-type growth kinetics in mice when coinfected simultaneously with strain D39. This observation suggests that pneumolysin exerts its effects at a distance. By 12 to 18 h postinfection with PLN, mice exhibited the following evidence of an induced inflammatory response: (i) elevated plasma interleukin-6, (ii) a halt in the net growth of PLN, and (iii) control of the net growth of pneumolysin-producing D39 pneumococci upon subsequent challenge. Our data suggest that pneumolysin plays a critical role in sepsis during the first few hours after infection by enabling pneumococci to cause acute sepsis rather than a chronic bacteremia. However, once chronic bacteremia was established, it appeared that pneumolysin was no longer able to act as a virulence factor.
ROTATION IMPLANTATION: WHAT IS AT STAKE? WHAT ARE THE MARKERS?

Nicole Vezina Chaire GM en ergonomie de l’UQAM et CINBIOSE Universite du Quebec a Montreal The following document has been translated from PISTES © Vol. 5 No. 2 Decembre 2003. It represents the conclusions from a 2 day forum. During the two days of this forum, we realized that rotation is very present in the work place, especially in the industrial sector, at the initiative of both workers and employers. However, opinions are split on the value of such work organization and it would seem that these divergences are linked to many variables and questions regarding the various forms of rotation application and their impact. It is therefore not so simple to answer our original question
Comparison of Visual and Logical Character Segmentation in Tesseract OCR Language Data for Indic Writing Scripts

Language data for the Tesseract OCR system currently supports recognition of a number of languages written in Indic writing scripts. An initial study is described to create comparable data for Tesseract training and evaluation based on two approaches to character segmentation of Indic scripts; logical vs. visual. Results indicate further investigation of visual based character segmentation language data for Tesseract may be warranted.