Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Basis of Escherichia coil Colonization of the Upper Urinary Tract in BALB/c Mice

Most human pyelonephritis Escherichia coli isolates express both mannose (MS)and globoside (Gal-Gal)-binding pili. An ascending E. coli urinary tract infection model was established in the 16-wk-old female BALB/c mouse to compare the pathogenic significance of MS and Gal-Gal pili and their efficacy as vaccines for the prevention of pyelonephritis. The distribution and density of pilus receptor compounds in urogenital tissues and as soluble compounds in urine were determined with antibodies to the synthetic receptor analogues, aDGal(1-4)#D-Gal and aD-Man(1-2)aD-Man. Both carbohydrates were detected in vagina, bladder, ureter, and renal pelvis epithelium and in collecting duct and tubular cells. A pilus receptor compound also was detected in urine. It competitively inhibited the binding capacity of MS pili and was found to be physically, chemically, and immunologically related to TammHorsfall uromucoid. Infectivity and invasiveness were quantitatively and histologically characterized for four E. coli strains: J96, a human pyelonephritis strain that expresses both MS and Gal-Gal pili; two recombinant strains prepared from J96 chromosomal DNA encoding MS pili or Gal-Gal pili; and the nonpiliated K12 recipient. Intravesicular administration of J96 (10' colony-forming units [CFUI) resulted in renal colonization and invasion in each of nine mice. The Gal-Gal clone (10' CFU) colonized the kidneys in each of 10 mice but did not invade. In contrast, the MS clone (106 CFU) did not colonize renal epithelium or invade. This effect was superceded when larger doses (>10IO CFU) of the MS clone were administered in volumes that cause acute vesicoureteric reflux. The efficacy was determined of vaccines composed of pure MS or Gal-Gal pili or the lipopolysaccharide containing 0 somatic antigen of the challenge strain, J96. The Gal-Gal pilus vaccine blocked renal colonization in 19 of 22 mice and renal invasion in 10 of 11 mice. Gal-Gal pili may be useful immunogens for the prevention of pyelonephritis in anatomically normal urinary tracts.
Power Trends in Communication Networks

Power trends in communication networks are analyzed using a transaction-based model. Traffic models are developed for North America and used to evaluate the relative power trends of wireline networks and mobile networks through 2020. An ideal case for aggressive network-efficiency improvement measures is evaluated within this framework and shown to lead to roughly unchanged consumption over the next decade. Implications for future technology requirements are discussed.
Multi-objective optimization of hybrid electric vehicles considering fuel consumption and dynamic performance

In this paper a new concept for the layout of hybrid-electric-powertrains is developed that includes optimization of the component-sizes as well as control strategies. In contrast to most existing publications, the approach explicitly considers the conflicting goals of low fuel consumption and high vehicle longitudinal dynamics and the trade-off is quantified. Two multiobjective optimization subproblems are solved for one example with a parallelized genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) using the Condor software framework. The analysis of the solutions (Pareto front) shows that combinations exist which improve the fuel consumption with only a slight deterioration of the dynamic performance. So the designers are supported in their decision for a configuration which is attractive for the customers.
Dissociating Automatic and Consciously Controlled Effects of Study/Test Compatibility

Abstract Two experiments examined the effects of reinstated context on consciously controlled and automatic influences of memory. Results showed that reinstating associative context had separate effects of enhancing both controlled and automatic influences. In contrast, dividing attention during study reduced later recollection, a consciously controlled use of memory, but left automatic influences unchanged (Experiment 1). Changing modality between study and test eliminated data-driven, automatic influences of memory but left conceptually driven influences invariant (Experiment 2). The importance of separating consciously controlled and automatic effects of study/test compatibility is discussed.
Private versus public strategies for health service provision for improving health outcomes in resource limited settings: a systematic review.

Background: Private healthcare providers deliver a significant proportion of healthcare services in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Poorer patients get sick and go without care more frequently, and spend more of their incomes on private healthcare than the wealthy. This review is focused on comparing health outcomes in private versus public care settings. It seeks to summarize what is known regarding the relative morbidity or mortality outcomes that result from treatment by public or private providers in LMIC.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies evaluating the impact of public and private healthcare provision. We performed meta-analyses on data within identified studies, in order to estimate the effects of type of healthcare provision on identified health outcomes.Results: Twenty-one studies met our inclusion criteria and explicitly compared health outcomes between the public and private sectors. Of those, 17 were cohortstudies, from 9 countries. Eleven studies were conducted in lower-middle-incomecountries ($996–$3,945 GNI per capita) and 10 studies from upper-middle-incomecountries ($3,946–$12,195 GNI per capita). Eighteen studies were conducted inurban settings. Fifteen of the 21 studies provided mortality for a health outcome,and studies examined a wide range of diseases, with tuberculosis (TB) being themost represented. A meta-analysis of all studies exploring the impact of healthcare type and mortality showed that patients in a private healthcare setting are less likely to die than patients in a public healthcare setting (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.41–0.88). The pooled analysis showed that patients in a private healthcare facility are more likely to have unsuccessfully completed TB treatment than patients in a public healthcare facility (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.07–3.89). Regardless of outcomes, the quality of evidence is rated, by objective measures, as either low or very low. Conclusions: More evidence is needed to compare health outcomes between the public and private sectors. Governments and researchers can play a critical role in improving the evidence base for decision making about the contributions of the public andprivate sectors in a given country’s health system.Governments should encourage data collection in both public and private settings that would permit ongoing comparison of clinical data. When government facilities are absent or insufficient, contracting with private-sector facilities or providerswould appear to be an acceptable option. Governments must consider appropriateprofit margins, regulations and training for private providers.Further research is needed in this area, and should include low-income countriesand rural settings. Diseases of the poor – notably malaria and childhood illnesses – are largely absent from the current literature, with the exception of one study onHIV/AIDS and six on TB.
Political Budget Cycles :

The introduction of a new real estate taxes in Italy in 2011 generated a natural experiment, which is useful to test political budget cycles, i.e. the strategic choice of fiscal variables in relation to elections. We do find substantial evidence of political budget cycles, with municipalities choosing lower tax rates when close to elections. We observe this budget cycle only for smaller municipalities where the tax was more likely to be the single most important issue for the local government. Cities close to elections with large deficits did not set lower rates before elections, probably because they felt the binding constraints of budget rules. JEL Codes: E62, H3, H7.
On zero lower bound traps: a framework for the analysis of monetary policy in the "age" of central banks

We present a simple theoretical framework that integrates the notion of the natural or neutral interest rate, liquidity preference theory, and the monetary policy practice by modern central banks. We claim that this theory explains the conditions under which an economy will experience an aggregate demand deficiency problem within a modern institutional setting. Contrary to the predictions of the New Consensus View in macroeconomics, the model suggests that “structural” factors such as a high saving rate and, especially, a low “natural” rate of growth increase the chances that an economy experiences an aggregate demand deficiency. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the model predicts that a fall in the NAIRU may lead to a rise in the natural interest rate, and vice versa. JEL Classification: B50, E12, E24, E50
Prosocial Behavior and Moral Reasoning in Italian Adolescents and Young Adults

This study analyzed the relationships between the inclination to help the others and prosocial moral reasoning (PMR) in a sample of 548 Italian adolescents and young adults. We used the Italian version of Prosocial Tendencies Measure to evaluate the tendencies to adopt prosocial behaviors in different conditions (public, anonymous, and helping behavior in emotionally critical and dire situations) and the two Italian versions of Prosocial Reasoning Objective Measure (respectively for adolescents and adults) in order to assess the general level (composite PMR) and the five typologies of PMR (hedonistic, needs oriented, approval oriented, stereotypical, and internalized prosocial moral reasoning). Results showed that girls scored higher than boys in helping behaviors in emotionally critical and dire situations, while boys scored higher than girls in public behaviors; furthermore, young adults expressed higher levels than adolescents in anonymous behaviors while adolescents scored higher than young adults in public behaviors. In relation to prosocial moral reasoning, girls expressed higher scores than boys in composite PMR and, specifically, in internalized and hedonistic PMR, while boys showed higher levels than girls in stereotypical, needs oriented, and approval oriented PMR. Moreover, young adults reached higher levels than adolescents in composite PMR, especially in internalized and hedonistic PMR; additionally, adolescents obtained higher levels than young adults in stereotypical, needs oriented, and approval oriented PMR. Significant relationships between prosocial behavior and PMR were found: the inclination to use helping behaviors in emotionally critical and dire situations was related positively to levels of composite PMR, especially to internalized PMR, but negatively to approval oriented PMR; public behaviors were related positively to approval and needs oriented PMR, but negatively to composite PMR and, specifically to internalized PMR. Future research will analyze the effects of these dimensions on other psychological constructs such as moral disengagement and value orientations in educational context.
Commentary (Kleinberg et al): Primary Combined-Modality Therapy for Esophageal Cancer

Based on positive results from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 85-01 trial, the conventional nonsurgical treatment of esophageal carcinoma is combined-modality therapy. Dose intensification of the RTOG 85-01 regimen, examined in the Intergroup (INT)-0123/RTOG 94-05 trial, did not improve local control or survival. Areas of clinical investigation include the development of combined-modality therapy regimens with newer systemic agents, the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography to assist in the development of innovative radiation treatment planning techniques, and the identification of prognostic molecular markers. The addition of surgery following primary combined-modality therapy apparently does not improve survival, but this finding is controversial.
From value-added VCs to equity crowdfunding syndicates : the new platforms of the venture capital industry

If you look at the venture business, for an industry that funds innovation it really doesn't have that much", declared Josh Kopelman, founding partner at First Round Capital, in 2013. Notwithstanding, observing the industry in the last decade, one can identify at least two evolutions. First, a new generation of VC firms, to which First Round Capital belongs, has emerged and is reinventing VC firms' traditional organization to offer additional services beyond investment capital and their partners' time. Second, equity crowdfunding, spearheaded by equity crowdfunding syndicates, now allows entrepreneurs to raise funds entirely online and has become an interesting alternative to traditional venture capital. This paper's first objective is to describe and evaluate the strategies embraced by these new types of value-added VC firms. The second objective is to review online syndicates' characteristics and their evolution since their inception 3 years ago. I first consider whether they can become credible competitors of VC firms and end with a few predictions regarding the space equity crowdfunding syndicates are likely to occupy. I show that the new emphasis placed on VC firms' value added services has empowered new entrants in the VC market, enabling them to break into the concentrated circle of the very few VC firms actually earning significant returns. Beyond the objective of improving their portfolio companies' operating performance, I show that VC firms embrace this strategy in order to 1) increase the size of their inbound deal flow, 2) improve the firm's brand and 3) provide General Partners with additional arguments to close competitive deals. In a second part, I argue that online syndicates could increasingly embrace the key success factors shared among successful venture capital firms. However, their lack of reputation may undermine their performance in the next venture capital cycle. I conclude that equity crowdfunding syndicates are primarily an interesting addition to the traditional early-stage industry, rather than a substitute for traditional VC firms. Lastly, I show how VC investors can take advantage of online syndicates to increase their firms' competitiveness. Thesis Supervisor: Christian Catalini Title: Fred Kayne (1960) Career Development Professor of Entrepreneurship Assistant Professor of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management
Influence by Layer Structure on the Output EL of CMOS Compatible Silicon-Based Light Emitters

Fully combined metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible light-emitting devices based on nano bi-layer structures are fabricated. The active layers are composed of silicon nitride on top of a silicon-enriched silicon dioxide film with different Si concentrations. Electro and photo luminescence spectra of the devices and the active materials are analyzed and correlated to verify if the origin of the emission is the same. Differences found between electrically and optically stimulated photo-emission in the studied region of the spectra are concluded to be due to optical phenomena introduced by the gate and multilayer configuration, meaning that the same radiative centers are stimulated optically and electrically.
Gr upSM T Cell Mediated Immune Responses Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

One-third of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and remains asymptomatic. Of these, only 5-10% of the individuals are known to develop active tuberculosis in their lifetime. Host T cell mediated adaptive immune responses are of critical importance against M. tuberculosis infection. However the immune mechanisms that determine why some individuals are protected from disease while others develop infection are yet to be defined. This chapter aims to summarize the role of different T cell subsets against and their regulation against M. tuberculosis infection. INTRODUCTION The outcome of an infection with M. tuberculosis depends on the effect balance between the host innate and adaptive immune response. In most cases, the interaction between M. tuberculosis and the alveolar macrophage results in clearance of the bacillus. Multiple factors are involved in achieving this response and this chapter focuses on the role of adaptive immunity in mycobacterial clearance.
Photocatalytic Degradation of Wood Coated with a Combination of Rutile TiO2 Nanostructures and Low-Surface Free-Energy Materials

To test the hypothesis that wood coated with rutile TiO2 nanostructures can undergo degradation because of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, three sets of wood specimens were aged at an accelerated rate. These three sets consisted of blank wood (BW), HDTMOS/MTMOS-coated wood (WHM), and TiO2/HDTMOS/MTMOS-coated wood (WTHM). After exposure to 155-h UV irradiation, the wettability of WTHM changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This indicated that the initial low-surface free-energy materials underwent degradation because of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. After exposure to 960 h of UV light irradiation and water spray, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) of WTHM showed that rutile TiO2 nanostructures had partially peeled off the wood surface. This suggested that the adjacent wood surface also suffered degradation because of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Although the rutile TiO2 coating noticeably enhanced the color stability during UV light aging, it made a relatively small contribution to the color stability of the wood during UV light and water spray weathering process. This study suggests that to derive the greatest benefit from modification of wood surfaces with rutile TiO2 nanostructures for weathering resistance, it is necessary to take measures to inhibit the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 or to fix the TiO2 coating on the wood surface.
An epidemiological study of road traffic accident cases attending a tertiary care hospital, Tirupati

Introduction: Globalization has resulted in motorization pacing up the number of road traffic accidents, thereby affecting the families, community and nations as a whole. In 2010, the WHO member countries declared 2011–2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, to stabilize and reduce the increasing trend in road traffic fatalities. Objectives: To know the socio-demographic profile of RTA cases attending SVRRGGH, Tirupati. To study the frequency of occurrence of RTA by month, day & time and to identify the type of road users and their mode of RTA. Methodology: A hospital based, cross sectional study with victims of road traffic accidents as study subjects was conducted for a period of one year from June 2013 to May 2014 at S.V. R.R. Government General Hospital, Tirupati, India. 820 cases of road traffic accidents were interviewed after taking prior consent using a predesigned questionnaire. Results: 63.8% cases were less than 40 years of age and 85.0% of the subjects were males. 44.1% and 77.7% of the respondents belong to upper lower socioeconomic status and rural areas respectively. Approximately half of the RTAs happened on weekends and most (35.3%) of the RTAs occurred between 6PM and 10PM. Motorcyclists (54.3%) were the leading road users among victims. Majority of cases were stuck by a light motor vehicle (20.9%) followed by self-fall (20.3%).
Gap junction plasticity can lead to spindle oscillations

Patterns of waxing and waning oscillations, called spindles, are observed in multiple brain regions during sleep. Spindle are thought to be involved in memory consolidation. The origin of spindle oscillations is ongoing work but experimental results point towards the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) as a likely candidate. The TRN is rich in electrical synapses, also called gap junctions, which promote synchrony in neural activity. Moreover, gap junctions undergo activity-dependent long-term plasticity. We hypothesized that gap junction plasticity can modulate spindle oscillations. We developed a computational model of gap junction plasticity in recurrent networks of TRN and thalamocortical neurons (TC). We showed that gap junction coupling can modulate the TRN-TC network synchrony and that gap junction plasticity is a plausible mechanism for the generation of sleep-spindles. Finally, our results are robust to the simulation of pharmacological manipulation of spindles, such as the administration of propofol, an anesthetics known to generate spindles in humans.
Enhanced aridity and atmospheric high-pressure stability over the western Mediterranean during the North Atlantic cold events of the past 50 k.y.

Multiproxy paleoenvironmental records (pollen and planktonic isotope) from Ocean Drilling Program Site 976 (Alboran Sea) document rapid ocean and climate variations during the last glacial that follow the Dansgaard-Oeschger climate oscillations seen in the Greenland ice core records, thus suggesting a close link of the Mediterranean climate swings with North Atlantic climates. Continental conditions rapidly oscillated through cold-arid and warm-wet conditions in the course of stadial-interstadial climate jumps. At the time of Heinrich events, i.e., maximum meltwater flux to the North Atlantic, western Mediterranean marine microflora and microfauna show rapid cooling correlated with increasing continental dryness. Enhanced aridity conceivably points to prolonged wintertime stability of atmospheric high-pressure systems over the southwestern Mediterranean in conjunction with cooling of the North Atlantic.
Novel direct voltage control by wind turbines

Wind turbine controllers are generally designed for grid connected operation. Under certain grid conditions such as islanding of offshore wind farms following HVDC converter blocking, voltage and frequency of the island remains uncontrolled. Measurements in real wind farms show that the voltage in this situation can rise to unacceptably high values. In this paper the performance of the well-known current control approach which controls the terminal voltage via the injected currents will be compared with a new control approach which controls the terminal voltage directly. The results show that the existing approach has deficits with respect to its performance in islanding conditions because the integrators of the PI controller reach their limits and thus force overvoltages. In contrast the proposed direct voltage control is able to keep the terminal voltage in the transient period of islanding within an acceptable tolerance band and thus avoids damages to the remaining components in the network.
Climate drives interannual variability in probability of high severity fire occurrence in the western United States

A long history of fire suppression in the western United States has significantly changed forest structure and ecological function, leading to increasingly uncharacteristic fires in terms of size and severity. Prior analyses of fire severity in California forests showed that time since last fire and fire weather conditions predicted fire severity very well, while a larger regional analysis showed that topography and climate were important predictors of high severity fire. There has not yet been a large-scale study that incorporates topography, vegetation and fire-year climate to determine regional scale high severity fire occurrence. We developed models to predict the probability of high severity fire occurrence for the western US. We predict high severity fire occurrence with some accuracy, and identify the relative importance of predictor classes in determining the probability of high severity fire. The inclusion of both vegetation and fire-year climate predictors was critical for model skill in identifying fires with high fractional fire severity. The inclusion of fire-year climate variables allows this model to forecast inter-annual variability in areas at future risk of high severity fire, beyond what slower-changing fuel conditions alone can accomplish. This allows for more targeted land management, including resource allocation for fuels reduction treatments to decrease the risk of high severity fire.