Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Mandatory License Testing for Older Drivers in Reducing Crash Risk Among Urban Older Australian Drivers

Most licensing jurisdictions in Australia maintain mandatory assessment programs targeting older drivers, whereby a driver reaching a specified age is required to prove his or her fitness to drive through medical assessment and/or on-road testing. Previous studies both in Australia and elsewhere have consistently failed to demonstrate that age-based mandatory assessment results in reduced crash involvement for older drivers. However studies that have based their results upon either per-population or per-driver crash rates fail to take into account possible differences in driving activity. Because some older people maintain their driving licenses but rarely if ever drive, the proportion of inactive license-holders might be higher in jurisdictions without mandatory assessment relative to jurisdictions with periodic license assessment, where inactive drivers may more readily either surrender or lose their licenses. The failure to control for possible differences in driving activity across jurisdictions may be disguising possible safety benefits associated with mandatory assessment. The current study compared the crash rates of drivers in Melbourne, Australia, where there is no mandatory assessment and Sydney, Australia, where there is regular mandatory assessment from 80 years of age onward. The crash rate comparisons were based on four exposure measures: per population, per licensed driver, per distance driven, and per time spent driving. Poisson regression analysis incorporating an offset to control for inter-jurisdictional road safety differences indicated that there was no difference in crash risk for older drivers based on population. However drivers aged 80 years and older in the Sydney region had statistically higher rates of casualty crash involvement than their Melbourne counterparts on a per license issued basis (RR: 1.15, 1.02–1.29, p = 0.02) and time spent driving basis (RR: 1.19, 1.06–1.34, p = 0.03). A similar trend was apparent based on distance travelled but was of borderline statistical significance (RR: 1.11, 0.99–1.25, p = 0.07). Collectively, it can be inferred from these findings that mandatory license re-testing schemes of the type evaluated have no demonstrable road safety benefits overall. Further research to resolve this on-going policy debate is discussed and recommended.
Multiplex PCR and RPLA Identification of Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxigenic Strains From Bulk Tank Milk

Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk poses a potential health hazard to consumers, and the identification of such strains should be used as part of a risk analysis of milk and milk products. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of enterotoxigenic S. aureus strains in raw milk supplied for dairy processing in the Czech Republic. A further aim was to compare the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) with the presence of the corresponding genes. This was undertaken using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA). Out of 440 bulk tank milk samples from 298 dairy herds, 70 proved positive for S. aureus (15.9%). Staphylococcal enterotoxin genes (ses) were detected in 39 (55.7%) isolates. The genes most commonly detected were sei (38.6%), seg (31.4%) and sea (27.1%). Genes seb, seh, sed, sej and sec were observed in 10%, 4.3%, 2.9%, 2.9% and 1.4% of strains respectively. Genes see and sel did not occur. The most frequently detected genotypes were seg, sei at 11.4%; sea at 10.0%; and sea, seg, sei at 8.6%. Toxin production was observed in nine (12.9%) S. aureus isolates. Seven strains were detected as SEB‐ (10%) and two as SED‐ (2.9%) producing. A relatively high number (32%) of discrepancies between the results with multiplex PCR and RPLA assays was obtained, particularly on account of SEA. Nineteen strains were sea positive by PCR but SEA negative by RPLA, and one strain was sec positive and SEC negative. The results of both methods were identical concerning SEB and SED. It was concluded that detection of ses by PCR was a useful additional tool to support identification of enterotoxigenic strains.
Absolute dependence on kappa B responsive elements for initiation and Tat‐mediated amplification of HIV transcription in blood CD4 T lymphocytes.

The role of NF‐kappa B‐dependent signals in activating the transcriptional activity of the HIV regulatory region (LTR) was analyzed by systematic comparison of HIV LTR activity in human CD4 T cells purified from peripheral blood and a transformed lymphoblastoid T cell line. In normal CD4 T cells we also analyzed the role played by the viral kappa B responsive elements in HIV replication. Analysis of nuclear extracts of resting, normal T lymphocytes revealed the presence of the p50, but not the p65, NF‐kappa B subunit and the induction by phorbol esters of bona fide (p50‐p65) NF‐kappa B complexes. In parallel, we observed clear enhancer‐dependent HIV LTR transactivation comparable in intensity with that observed in lymphoblastoid cells. We show that unstimulated CD4 T lymphocytes offer a cellular environment of very low permissivity to HIV LTR functioning. This was in sharp contrast to the high spontaneous LTR activity observed in lymphoblastoid T cells, where LTR activity was essentially independent of kappa B‐responsive elements. Due to the low basal LTR activity in resting T lymphocytes, NF‐kappa B‐dependent transactivation was a sine qua non event for induction of the HIV LTR. Surprisingly, even the function of HIV Tat in resting CD4 T lymphocytes was found to be absolutely dependent on LTR kappa B responsive elements. The relevance of these observations obtained in transient transfections was confirmed by the incapacity of blood CD4 T lymphocytes infected with an HIV infectious provirus carrying critical point mutations in the kappa B responsive elements to show any detectable transcriptional activity upon cell activation and prolonged culture in vitro. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Spectrum of β -thalassemia Mutations in Isfahan Province of Iran

Background: β-thalassemia is a common autosomal recessive disorder resulting from over 200 different mutations of beta globin genes. The aim of the present study was to identify the distribution and frequency of the most common β-thalassemia mutations among the population of Isfahan Province in central Iran. Methods: The data presented here were derived from a total of 114 β-thalassemia chromosomes of 18 affected patients and 78 unrelated carriers identified in our screening program. Furthermore, 23 pregnant women were analyzed among couples with a PND request for β-thalassemia. Allele identification was carried out using routine Reverse Dot Blot, ARMS, and genomic sequencing. Results: The most common mutation, IVS-II-I, followed by FSC-36-37, IVS-I-5, FSC-8-9, IVS-I-110, IVS-I,3’-end; -25bp, IVS-II-745, FSC-8, Cd-39, FSC-22-24, IVS-I-1, Cd-44, IVSII-2,3 (+11/-2), IVS-I-6, and FSC-16, respectively. The present study not only provides a guide for distribution and frequency of both recurrent and uncommon mutations, but also for the first time, reports a rare β-thalassemia mutation, IVSII-2, 3 (+11/-2), in the Isfahan province of Iran. Conclusion: The information presented here could greatly facilitate screening for β-thalassemia and prenatal diagnosis in the province of Isfahan.
Targeted Therapy Alone for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.

Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia who received all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) plus arsenic trioxide had an event-free survival rate of 96% at 50 months and an overall survival rate of 99%, better results than with ATRA plus chemotherapy (81% and 88%, respectively).
Role of Aspergillus lentulus 14-α Sterol Demethylase (Cyp51A) in Azole Drug Susceptibility

ABSTRACT Recent studies have demonstrated that some morphologically atypical Aspergillus fumigatus strains are different species belonging to the section Fumigati. Aspergillus lentulus, one of these sibling species, is increasingly reported in patients under corticosteroid treatment. MICs of most antifungals in clinical use are elevated against A. lentulus, and it shows primary resistance to azole drugs. Two A. lentulus cytochrome P450 14-α sterol demethylases, encoded by A. lentulus cyp51A (Alcyp51A) and Alcyp51B genes, were identified. Targeted cyp51A gene knockout in A. lentulus showed that the intrinsic azole resistance of this species is cyp51A dependent. The Δcyp51A strain was morphologically indistinguishable from the A. lentulus wild-type strain, retaining the ability to cause pulmonary disease in neutropenic mice. The heterologous expression of A. lentulus cyp51A was performed in an A. fumigatus cyp51A-deficient strain, confirming that Cyp51A is responsible for the differences in A. lentulus-azole drug interaction.
Direct binding of F-actin to ponticulin, an integral plasma membrane glycoprotein.

We have developed an 125I-labeled F-actin blot overlay assay for the identification of F-actin-binding proteins after transfer to nitrocellulose from SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Two major F-actin-binding proteins from Dictyostelium discoideum, a cytoplasmic 30 kDa protein and a 17 kDa integral membrane protein, and two minor membrane polypeptides of 19 kDa and 15 kDa were detected by this method. Using F-actin affinity and immunoaffinity chromatography, the 17 kDa polypeptide was identified as ponticulin, a previously described actin-binding glycoprotein from D. discoideum plasma membranes (Wuestehube, L.J., and Luna, E.J., [1987]: J. Cell Biol. 105:1741-1751). The binding of F-actin to ponticulin on blots is specific because unlabeled F-actin competes with 125I-labeled F-actin and because G-actin does not bind. Nitrocellulose-bound ponticulin displays binding characteristics similar to those of purified plasma membranes in solution, e.g., F-actin binding is sensitive to high salt and to elevated temperatures. Under optimal conditions, 125-I-labeled F-actin blot overlays are at least as sensitive as are immunoblots with an antibody specific for ponticulin. When blotted onto nitrocellulose after 2-D gel electrophoresis, all isoforms of ponticulin and of the 19 kDa and 15 kDa polypeptides appear to bind F-actin in proportion to their abundance. Thus the actin-binding activies of these proteins do not appear to be regulated by modifications that affect isoelectric point. However, the actin-binding activity of nitrocellulose-bound ponticulin is diminished when the protein is exposed to reducing agents, suggesting an involvement of disulfide bond(s) in ponticulin function. The 125I-labeled F-actin blot overlay assay also may enable us to identify F-actin-binding proteins in other cell types and should provide a convenient method for monitoring the purification of these proteins.
Motor-Intuitive Interactions Based on Image Schemas: Aligning Touchless Interaction Primitives with Human Sensorimotor Abilities

Elicitation and evaluation studies investigated intuitiveness of touchless gestures but did not operationalizeintuitiveness.Forexample,studiesfoundthatusersfailtomakeaccurate3Dstrokesas interactioncommands.Butthisphenomenonremainsunexplained. Inthispaper,wefirstexplainhow making accurate 3D strokes is generally unintuitive, because it exceeds our sensorimotor knowledge. Wethenintroducemotor-intuitive,touchlessinteractionthatusessensorimotorknowledgebyrelying on image schemas. Specifically, we propose an interaction primitive—mid-air, directional strokes— based on space schemas up‐down and left‐right. In a controlled study with large displays, we found that biomechanical factors affected directional strokes. Strokes were efficient (0.2s) and effective (12.5 ◦ angular error), but affected by directions and length. Our work operationalized intuitive touchless interaction using the continuum of knowledge in intuitive interaction, and demonstrated how user performance of a motor-intuitive, touchless primitive based on sensorimotor knowledge (image schemas) is affected by biomechanical factors.
Magnetic Navigation and Tracking of Underwater Vehicles

Abstract This paper proposes novel methods with the potential to improve the performance of navigation and tracking systems in underwater environments. The work relies on well-established methods of potential field inversion and introduces a new analytic formulation designed to stabilize the solution of the inverse problem in real-time applications. The navigation method proposed exploits the terrain information associated with geomagnetic field anomalies, without the need of a priori maps. The procedure can also be applied to track a moving vehicle based on its associated disturbance of the environmental magnetic field. We envision the integration of theses methods in terrain-aided navigation systems, simultaneous localization and mapping algorithms, and tracking applications.
Infinite horizon optimal control of affine nonlinear discrete switched systems using two-stage approximate dynamic programming

In this article, a novel iteration algorithm named two-stage approximate dynamic programming (TSADP) is proposed to seek the solution of nonlinear switched optimal control problem. At each iteration of TSADP, a multivariate optimal control problem is transformed to be a certain number of univariate optimal control problems. It is shown that the value function at each iteration can be characterised pointwisely by a set of smooth functions recursively obtained from TSADP, and the associated control policy, continuous control and switching control law included, is explicitly provided in a state-feedback form. Moreover, the convergence and optimality of TSADP is strictly proven. To implement this algorithm efficiently, neural networks, critic and action networks, are utilised to approximate the value function and continuous control law, respectively. Thus, the value function is expressed by the weights of critic networks pointwise. Besides, redundant weights are ruled out at each iteration to simplify the exponentially increasing computation burden. Finally, a simulation example is provided to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Phase Transitions and Critical Fluctuations in Rhythmic Coordination of Ipsilateral Hand and Foot.

Four subjects performed rhythmic movements of the ankle and the wrist in time with an auditory metronome, in two modes of coordination, antiphase and in-phase. The forearm was placed in either a prone or a supine position. When movements were prepared in the antiphase mode, spontaneous transitions to the in-phase mode, or to phase wandering were observed as metronome frequency was increased. When prepared in the in-phase mode, transitions between in-phase modes or to phase wandering were occasionally observed. Predicted signature features of nonequilbrium phase transitions were noted, including loss of stability and critical fluctuations. The stability of the movement patterns was determined by spatial (dependent upon the direction of movement) rather than anatomical (dependent on the coupling of specific muscle groups) constraints. The position of the forearm had no consistent bearing upon the variability of the phase relations between the limbs, the frequency of phase transitions, or the time of onset of transitions. These results are discussed with reference to the coordination dynamics (e.g., multistability, loss of stability) of multijoint movements.
Palliative care provision in the emergency department: barriers reported by emergency physicians.

BACKGROUND There is increasing interest in moving palliative care (PC) upstream to the emergency department (ED). However, barriers to PC provision in ED exist and are not yet clearly delineated. OBJECTIVE To elicit the ED physicians' perceived barriers to provision of PC in the ED. METHODS ED physicians at an urban, level-1 trauma center completed an anonymous survey. Participants ranked 23 statements on a five-point Likert-like scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Statements covered four main domains of PC barriers: (1) education and training, (2) communication, (3) ED environment, and (4) personal beliefs. Respondents were also asked if they would initiate a PC consultation for ED-specific clinical scenarios (based on established triggers). RESULTS Sixty-seven percent (30/45) of eligible participants completed the survey, average age 31 years. Respondents listed two major barriers to ED PC provision: lack of 24 hour availability of PC team (mean 4.4) and lack of access to complete medical records (mean 4.2). Almost all respondents agreed they would initiate a PC consultation for a hospice patient in respiratory distress, and the majority would consult for massive intracranial hemorrhage, traumatic arrest, or metastatic cancer. However inpatient triggers like frequent readmits for organ failure issues, e.g., dementia, congestive heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), were rarely chosen for an ED PC consultation. CONCLUSION We identify two main ED physician-perceived barriers to PC provision: lack of access to medical records and lack of 24/7 availability of PC team. ED physicians may not use the same criteria to initiate PC consultation as used in traditional inpatient PC trigger models. Outlining ED-specific triggers may help streamline the palliative consultation process.
The Arabidopsis bZIP Gene AtbZIP63 Is a Sensitive Integrator of Transient Abscisic Acid and Glucose Signals1[W][OA]

Glucose modulates plant metabolism, growth, and development. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), Hexokinase1 (HXK1) is a glucose sensor that may trigger abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis and sensitivity to mediate glucose-induced inhibition of seedling development. Here, we show that the intensity of short-term responses to glucose can vary with ABA activity. We report that the transient (2 h/4 h) repression by 2% glucose of AtbZIP63, a gene encoding a basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor partially involved in the Snf1-related kinase KIN10-induced responses to energy limitation, is independent of HXK1 and is not mediated by changes in ABA levels. However, high-concentration (6%) glucose-mediated repression appears to be modulated by ABA, since full repression of AtbZIP63 requires a functional ABA biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, the combination of glucose and ABA was able to trigger a synergistic repression of AtbZIP63 and its homologue AtbZIP3, revealing a shared regulatory feature consisting of the modulation of glucose sensitivity by ABA. The synergistic regulation of AtbZIP63 was not reproduced by an AtbZIP63 promoter-5′-untranslated region::β-glucuronidase fusion, thus suggesting possible posttranscriptional control. A transcriptional inhibition assay with cordycepin provided further evidence for the regulation of mRNA decay in response to glucose plus ABA. Overall, these results indicate that AtbZIP63 is an important node of the glucose-ABA interaction network. The mechanisms by which AtbZIP63 may participate in the fine-tuning of ABA-mediated abiotic stress responses according to sugar availability (i.e., energy status) are discussed.
Structure and elasticity of wadsleyite at high pressures

Abstract The athermal equilibrium structure, the equation of state, the elastic constants, and O atom charges were calculated for Mg2SiO4 wadsleyite over a range of pressures using a plane-wave pseudopotential method. The zero-pressure volume is 2% lower and the bulk modulus is 4.5% higher than experimentally observed. After correcting for zero point motion and the 300 K temperature difference between theory and experiment, using a Debye model, the calculated zero pressure volume is within 1% of experiment and the bulk modulus agrees within experimental error. The structure compresses anisotropically with linear moduli for the a, b, and c axes of 610 GPa, 599 GPa, and 454 GPa, respectively. The compression is largely taken up by the Mg octahedra M1, M2, and M3 which are much softer than the Si tetrahedra, with polyhedral bulk moduli of 161 GPa, 159 GPa, 157 GPa, and 331 GPa, respectively. The M1 and M3 octahedra were found to compress anisotropically which explains the greater compressibility of the c axis. The geometry of the Si2O7 group is characterized by a small Si-O-Si angle of 121.2°; compression of this group is largely accommodated by shortening of the Si-O bonds, while the inter-tetrahedral angle is almost pressure independent. We find that our results at ambient pressure are consistent with previously established systematics relating bulk modulus to volume, and Si-O-Si angle to Si-O bond length. However the variation of these quantities upon the application of pressure leads to trends that are distinct from the systematics. The calculated zero pressure elastic constants agree to within 10% with available Brillouin scattering data, with the exception of C12 which is 15% higher than experimentally observed. The calculated isotropically averaged bulk and shear modulus and their pressure derivatives are K0 = 182 GPa, K0' = 4.23, and G0 = 116 GPa, G0' = 1.10, respectively. The aggregate velocities and their pressure derivatives are VP = 9.75 km/s, VP' = 0.056 km/s/GPa, and VS = 5.72 km/s, VS = 0.012 km/s/GPa. We find that the elastic anisotropy of wadsleyite is intermediate between the two other Mg2SiO4 polymorphs, forsterite, and ringwoodite. The anisotropy is only weakly pressure dependent and decreases with increasing pressure. The azimuthal and polarization anisotropy for S waves 14.5% and 12.8% respectively, is almost pressure independent, while the azimuthal anisotropy for P waves decreases from 12.5% at ambient pressure to 10.5% in the upper part of the transition zone (14-17 GPa). Our calculated O atom charges suggest that Ol is the most likely hydroxyl site and remains so throughout the stability field of wadsleyite.
Synovial Chondromatosis of the Foot

Synovial chondromatosis rarely occurs in the foot. Five patients with synovial chondromatosis in the foot were treated with excision. There were four men and one woman with a mean age of 37 years (range, 19–58 years). Mineral densities adjacent to the joint were seen on radiographs of all patients. Synovial chondromatosis occurred in the calcaneocuboid, tibiotalar, naviculocuneiform, and metatarsophalangeal joints. A painful mass was the common initial presentation in all patients. The patients were followed up for an average of 5 years (range, 3–16 years) after arthrotomy and excision. All patients were relieved of symptoms and retained normal function. There was no clinical or radiographic evidence of recurrence.
XETAL-II: A 107 GOPS, 600mW Massively-Parallel Processor for Video Scene Analysis

Xetal-II is a SIMD processor with 320 processing elements delivering a peak performance of 107 GOPS on 16b data while dissipating 600mW. A 10Mb on-chip memory can store up to 4 VGA frames allowing efficient implementation of frame-iterative algorithms. A massively parallel interconnect provides an internal bandwidth of more than 1.3Tb/s to sustain the peak-performance. The 74mm2 IC is fabricated in 90nm CMOS.