Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recovery of Triatoma infestans populations after insecticide application: an experimental field study

Abstract. The capacity of populations of Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) to survive and recover was assessed after application of insecticide (γ‐HCH at a rate of 0.5 g a.i./m2) at different seasons. T.infestans populations were maintained in experimental chicken houses under natural climatic conditions in a region of Argentina endemic for Chagas disease transmitted by these bugs. Based on previous studies of T.infestans populations in these habitats, each experimental group was set up with a total of 626 T. infestans, comprising 390 eggs, 204 nymphs of particular stages, fourteen male and eighteen female adults. The chicken houses were dismantled and rebuilt at monthly intervals to study the vector population changes over a period of 33 months.
Two novel missense mutations in iron transport protein transferrin causing hypochromic microcytic anaemia and haemosiderosis: molecular characterization and structural implications

This study was supported in part by a grant BT/PR-13968/MED/12/465/2010 from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India to ES and by the grant SAF2012-40106 from the Spanish Secretary of Research, Development and Innovation (MINECO) and the grant CIVP16A1857 “Ayudas a proyectos de Investigacion en Ciencias de la Vida- Fundacion Ramon Areces” to M.S. M.S. held a research contract under the Ramon y Cajal program from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC-2008-02352).
Design of Satellite Constellations for Optimal Continuous Coverage

A satellite-borne sensor can view a region at or above the Earth's surface. The size of this region depends on the satellite's altitude, the maximum range and scan angle of the sensor, the minimum above-the-horizon viewing angle required, the extent in altitude of the region to be viewed, and the maximum altitude of sensor obscuration by the atmosphere. Except for geosynchronous satellites this region moves relative to the Earth, so that constellations of satellites are generally necessary for continuous coverage. Satellite constellations which minimize the number of satellites required for continuous coverage are derived as a function of the angle subtended at the Earth's center by the coverage of a single satellite. This is done for single and triple continuous coverage of the entire Earth and of the polar regions extending to arbitrary latitude. Simple, cogent approximations for the configurations and numbers of satellites are found. Expressions which relate sensor capabilities and surveillance requirements to are presented. Examples are given to illustrate the use and accuracy of the results.
Bone Strength at Clinically Relevant Sites Displays Substantial Heterogeneity and Is Best Predicted From Site‐Specific Bone Densitometry

In this study we test the hypotheses that mechanical bone strength in elderly individuals displays substantial heterogeneity among clinically relevant skeletal sites, that ex situ dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides better estimates of bone strength than in situ DXA, but that a site‐specific approach of bone densitometry is nevertheless superior for optimal prediction of bone failure under in situ conditions. DXA measurements were obtained of the lumbar spine, the left femur, the left radius, and the total body in 110 human cadavers (age, 80.6 ± 10.5 years; 72 female, 38 male), including the skin and soft tissues. The bones were then excised, spinal and femoral DXA being repeated ex situ. Mechanical failure tests were performed on thoracic vertebra 10 and lumbar vertebra 3 (compressive loading of a functional unit), the left and right femur (side impact and vertical loading configuration), and the left and right distal radius (fall configuration, axial compression, and 3‐point‐bending). The failure loads displayed only very moderate correlation among sites (r = 0.39 to 0.63). Ex situ DXA displayed slightly higher correlations with failure loads compared with those of in situ DXA, but the differences were not significant and relatively small. Under in situ conditions, DXA predicted 50‐60% of the variability in bone failure loads at identical (or closely adjacent) sites, but only around 20‐35% at distant sites, advocating a site‐specific approach of densitometry. These data suggest that mechanical competence in the elderly is governed by strong regional variation, and that its loss in osteoporosis may not represent a strictly systemic process.
Spectral discomfort glare sensitivity under low photopic conditions

Car headlamp manufacturers have to optimise the headlamp spectrum to produce maximum visibility and minimal glare. There are very few investigations on the best spectrum for mesopic visibility and even less data on the spectrum of discomfort glare. We have performed pilot measurements to determine the spectral discomfort glare sensitivity under situations similar to night‐driving conditions and conclude that it is not a simple additivity of the V(λ) and the V′ (λ) functions.
Có vay có tra (What goes around comes around): culture, risk and vulnerability to blood-borne viruses among ethnic Vietnamese injecting drug users.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Ethnic and cultural differences in vulnerability to drug-related harms have received little attention in Australia. The current study aimed to explore the influence of cultural beliefs and practices on vulnerability to blood-borne viral infections (BBVIs) among ethnic Vietnamese IDUs and to identify barriers to this group accessing health and preventive programmes. DESIGN AND METHODS Observational fieldwork and in-depth interviews (n = 58) were conducted in South Western Sydney. Participants were recruited using a mix of snowball and theoretical sampling strategies. Open coding was used to inductively classify data into themes and data examined for regularities and variations in relationships between and within themes. RESULTS Participants embraced pluralistic approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, relying on co-existing layers of beliefs and utilising both traditional and western remedies. Four main cultural characteristics influenced vulnerability to BBVIs: trust and obligation, stoicism, the importance of 'face' and beliefs in fate. Other factors influencing injecting risk included low levels of knowledge, being in a state of withdrawal, availability of sterile injecting equipment and environmental constraints. Barriers to accessing services included stigma and discrimination, concerns in relation to confidentiality, long waiting times, resistance to pharmacotherapy treatment and language and financial barriers. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Results indicate a need for interventions based on culturally specific meanings and contexts of health, illness and risk. By understanding how culture impacts risk and protective behaviours among ethnic Vietnamese IDUs, clinicians and other service providers will be better equipped to meet the needs of this vulnerable group.
Immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase on Magnetized Dacron: Kinetic Study

Candida rugosa lipase has been covalently immobilized on ferromagnetic azide polyethyleneterepthalate (Dacron) with specific activity retention of 16% for 4-nitrophenyl palmitate and 24% for hydrolysis of triolein in hexane. The immobilized enzyme was more thermal stable than the soluble one, retaining 78.8% of the activity after 1 h at 60°C. Also, this immobilized derivative was stable at the storage at 4°C. It has been used 5 cycles for pNPP hydrolysis without loss of activity. Soluble and immobilized Candida rugosa lipase showed a Michaelian behavior for fatty acid 4-nitrophenyl esters and different apparent KM values: 0.110 mM and 0.124 mM (4-nitrophenyl palmitate – C16); 0.193 mM and 0.235 mM (4-nitrophenyl laurate – C12) and 0.206 mM and 0.119 mM (4-nitrophenyl butyrate – C4), respectively. The immobilized lipase was more efficient for catalyzing the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl esters with short chain length fatty acid (4-NPB – C4) than soluble enzyme. The ferromagnetic Dacron-lipase derivative was able to catalyze the synthesis of triolein from glycerol and oleic acid with 50% of conversion after 72 h at 40°C.
Mechanical support of the functionally single ventricle

Children with a functionally single ventricle constitute just over 1% of congenital cardiac defects.1 A majority of children with the functionally univentricular circulation undergo a three-staged reconstruction to achieve completion of the Fontan circulation. The first stage is usually performed in the neonatal period, and is either banding of the pulmonary trunk, an aorto-pulmonary shunt alone, or the shunt included as part of the first stage of reconstruction. In recent years, a conduit placed from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries is being used as an alternate source of flow of blood to the lungs. The second stage is the bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis, the two surgical variations being the so-called “hemifontan”, and “bidirectional Glenn” procedures, while the third stage is the completion of the Fontan circulation, the two surgical variations being either construction of a lateral tunnel, or placement of an extra-cardiac conduit, each being possible with or without a fenestration. In many centres, patients with the functionally univentricular circulation make up one-fifth of the total surgical volume. The syndrome of low cardiac output is quite common in this population through all three stages of reconstruction, and some of these patients will eventually require cardiac transplantation. While conventional therapy, with inotropic support and afterload reduction, remains the mainstay of therapy for the failing heart in children, mechanical support is being increasingly used.3 Most of this experience is limited to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.2–5 In this review, we discuss the current experiences with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with a functionally univentricular circulation, and describes some of their unique features. We also focus on the pulsatile ventricular assist devices capable of providing support over the longer term, and other new devices that may have a role in the future in these patients.6
Safety and efficacy of spinal loop rectangle and sublaminar wires for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture fixation

Background: Natural history of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs), that is, collapse, loads the rigid pedicle screw rod construct in the absence of anterior column reconstruction, often leading to implant back outs. Semi rigid spinal loop rectangle and sublaminar wire construct allows controlled axial collapse and does not require anterior column reconstruction. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 50 consecutive patients of OVCFs. The immediate and final follow-up safety (neurologic deficit, implant failure/back out, revision surgeries, and infection) and efficacy (visual analog scale [VAS] score, axial collapse of the fracture, fracture union and retaining, and the attempted segmental deformity correction) parameters were compared to describe the utility of spinal loop rectangle and sublaminar wiring as a novel, low cost modality of spinal instrumentation for treating OVCFs. Results: All the twelve patients with Frankel grade D neurologic deficit improved to Frankel grade E and six patients (out of 8) with Frankel grade C improved to Frankel grade E (and remaining two patients improved to Frankel grade D), following surgery. The average preoperative VAS score of 8.98 (ranging from 5 to 10) improved to 2.76 (ranging from 1 to 10) at final follow-up. Controlled collapse of anterior column, union of OVCF nonunion, and retaining of attempted deformity correction by sublaminar wire anchors cephalad and caudal to the transpedicular decompression was seen in each patient at the final follow-up. Conclusion: Spinal loop rectangle and sublaminar wiring construct are viable alternative options for stabilizing OVCFs.
The dangers of “cross‐trial” and “cross‐retrospective experience” comparisons

Analysis 1 Several institutions have reported their individual data regarding long-term (>5 years) risk for recurrence in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who previously had achieved a surgically confirmed complete response to primary chemotherapy. Table 1 shows that, after cisplatin-based treatment, this rate exceeded 50%, whereas for patients who received alkylating agent chemotherapy, the risk of recurrence was <20% (even with follow-up >8 years). These data would appear to support the conclusion that alkylating agent therapy is the superior primary chemotherapy strategy in advanced ovarian cancer. Why is this class of antineoplastic agents not the ‘‘standard of care’’ in the management of the malignancy?
Sketch based modeling via manifold regularization

This paper proposes a novel method to automatically generate the realistic 3D model for a 2D free-hand sketch drawn by a user. Specifically, the proposed method first retrieves 3D shapes based on the sketch, and then implements a deformation procedure to make the most similar model retrieved more consistent with the provided sketch. In the retrieval stage, a locality preserving view selection scheme is adopted to generate views that are well-suited to create sketch images for the 3D object. Our method predicates the sketch views accurately while significantly reduces the amount of rendering views. In the deformation stage, retrieved models are modified according to the input sketches. Since free-hand sketches always contain various kinds of drawing errors such as stroke jittering and asymmetry, extracting plausible deforming information from sketches while discarding undesirable drawing errors is difficult. To address these issues, we obtain the plausible deformation for the corresponding sketch by exploring a shape manifold trained on a collection of similar 3D models. Experimental results show that the proposed method can generate 3D shapes that correspond quite well with 2D sketches.
Safety evaluation of intracameral and subconjunctival injection of a novel mucoadhesive polysaccharide isolated from Bletilla striata in rabbit eye.

PURPOSE To evaluate the safety of intracameral and subconjunctival injection of a novel mucoadhesive polysaccharide isolated from Bletilla striata in rabbit eye. METHODS One hundred microliters (100 μL) of Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BsP) at concentrations of 10, 40, and 80 mg/mL was intracamerally or subconjunctivally injected into rabbit eyes. Phosphate-buffered saline and 10 mg/mL hyaluronic acid solution were also injected as controls. BsP safety was evaluated via clinical follow-up and histological analysis. The dead corneal endothelial cells were observed by vital staining with alizarin red and trypan blue at 14 days after intracameral injection. Finally, in the intracameral injection study, scanning electron microscopy was performed for evaluation of the structure of the corneal endothelium and anterior lens capsules. RESULTS Subconjunctival injection of 10 mg/mL BsP does not cause pathological changes or an inflammatory response. Concentration greater than 10 mg/mL of BsP (40 or 80 mg/mL) leaded to a slight inflammatory response, but the rabbits recovered well in 3 days. The pathological observation further confirmed the safety of subconjunctival injection of BsP, and subconjunctival injection of 80 mg/mL BsP caused no lesion of the ocular tissues. Intracameral injection of 80 mg/mL of BsP did not cause a significant inflammatory reaction, and an even lower inflammatory response was observed in rabbits intracamerally injected with 40 or 10 mg/mL BsP. All rabbits intracamerally injected with BsP recovered within 7-14 days. BsP had little effect on the blood-aqueous barrier's integrity when the concentration was 10 mg/mL; at 40 or 80 mg/mL, a mild effect was observed, and the rabbits recovered in 1-3 days. Intracameral BsP injected at a concentration of 80 mg/mL had a negative impact on the corneal endothelium and lens, but concentrations of 40 or 10 mg/mL could be injected safely. CONCLUSIONS BsP injection into the subconjunctival space and anterior chamber in rabbits at low concentrations (such as 10 mg/mL) did not have adverse effects.
TermPicker: Recommending Vocabulary Terms for Reuse When Modeling Linked Open Data

Reusing terms from Resource Description Framework (RDF) vocabularies when modeling data as Linked Open Data (LOD) is difficult and without additional guidance far from trivial. This work proposes and evaluates TermPicker: a novel approach alleviating this situation by recommending vocabulary terms based on the information how other data providers modeled their data as LOD. TermPicker gathers such information and represents it via so- called schema-level patterns (SLPs), which are used to calculate a ranked list of RDF vocabulary term recommendations. The ranking of the recommendations is based either on the machine learning approach "Learning To Rank" (L2R) or on the data mining approach "Association Rule" mining (AR). TermPicker is evaluated in a two-fold way. First, an automated cross-validation evaluates TermPicker’s prediction based on the Mean Average Precision (MAP) as well as the Mean Reciprocal Rank at the first five positions (MRR@5). Second, a user study examines which of the recommendation methods (L2R vs. AR) aids real users more to reuse RDF vocabulary terms in a practical setting. The participants, i.e., TermPicker’s potential users, are asked to reuse vocabulary terms while modeling three data sets as LOD, but they receive either L2R-based recommendations, AR-based recommendation, or no recommendations. The results of the cross-validation show that using SLPs, TermPicker achieves 35% higher MAP and MRR@5 values compared to using solely the features based on the typical reuse strategies. Both the L2R-based and the AR-based recommendation methods were able to calculate lists of recommendations with MAP = 0.75 and MRR@5 = 0.80. However, the results of the user study show that the majority of the participants favor the AR-based recommendations. The outcome of this work demonstrates that TermPicker alleviates the situation of searching for classes and properties used by other data providers on the LOD cloud for representing similar data.
IL‐18 in patients with multiple sclerosis

IL‐18 is a cytokine which plays an important role in Th‐1 response through its ability to induce IFN‐gamma production in T cells and NK cells. The purpose of the study was to measure IL‐18 levels in serum and CSF of 21 patients with the relapsing–remitting form of MS, 9 with active gadolinium enhancing lesions in MRI and 12 without enhancing lesions, and to compare results with control group consisting of 11 patients with diagnosis of neurasthenia and tension headache. IL‐18 concentration in the CSF and sera was measured by ELISA. We found a highly significant increase of both IL‐18 CSF and serum levels in MS patients in comparison with the control group. In patients with active MRI lesions the levels of IL‐18 in CSF and serum were significantly higher in comparison with the levels found in patients without enhancing lesions. The results suggest involvement of IL‐18 in immunopathogenesis of MS especially in the active stages of the disease.
Quantum-noise-limited interferometric measurement of atomic noise: Towards spin squeezing on the Cs clock transition

We investigate theoretically and experimentally a nondestructive interferometric measurement of the state population of an ensemble of laser-cooled and trapped atoms. This study is a step toward generation of (pseudo)spin squeezing of cold atoms targeted at the improvement of the cesium clock performance beyond the limit set by the quantum projection noise of atoms. We calculate the phase shift and the quantum noise of a near-resonant optical probe pulse propagating through a cloud of cold {sup 133}Cs atoms. We analyze the figure of merit for a quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement of the collective pseudospin and show that it can be expressed simply as a product of the ensemble optical density and the pulse-integrated rate of the spontaneous emission caused by the off-resonant probe light. Based on this, we propose a protocol for the sequence of operations required to generate and utilize spin squeezing for the improved atomic clock performance via a QND measurement on the probe light. In the experimental part we demonstrate that the interferometric measurement of the atomic population can reach a sensitivity of the order of {radical}(N{sub at}) in a cloud of N{sub at} cold atoms, which is an important benchmark toward the experimental realization of themore » theoretically analyzed protocol. « less
Sustained care intervention and postdischarge smoking cessation among hospitalized adults: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE Health care systems need effective models to manage chronic diseases like tobacco dependence across transitions in care. Hospitalizations provide opportunities for smokers to quit, but research suggests that hospital-delivered interventions are effective only if treatment continues after discharge. OBJECTIVE To determine whether an intervention to sustain tobacco treatment after hospital discharge increases smoking cessation rates compared with standard care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A randomized clinical trial compared sustained care (a postdischarge tobacco cessation intervention) with standard care among 397 hospitalized daily smokers (mean age, 53 years; 48% were males; 81% were non-Hispanic whites) who wanted to quit smoking after discharge and received a tobacco dependence intervention in the hospital; 92% of eligible patients and 44% of screened patients enrolled. The study was conducted from August 2010 through November 2012 at Massachusetts General Hospital. INTERVENTIONS Sustained care participants received automated interactive voice response telephone calls and their choice of free smoking cessation medication (any type approved by the US Food and Drug Administration) for up to 90 days. The automated telephone calls promoted cessation, provided medication management, and triaged smokers for additional counseling. Standard care participants received recommendations for postdischarge pharmacotherapy and counseling. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was biochemically confirmed past 7-day tobacco abstinence at 6-month follow-up after discharge from the hospital; secondary outcomes included self-reported tobacco abstinence. RESULTS Smokers randomly assigned to sustained care (n = 198) used more counseling and more pharmacotherapy at each follow-up assessment than those assigned to standard care (n = 199). Biochemically validated 7-day tobacco abstinence at 6 months was higher with sustained care (26%) than with standard care (15%) (relative risk [RR], 1.71 [95% CI, 1.14-2.56], P = .009; number needed to treat, 9.4 [95% CI, 5.4-35.5]). Using multiple imputation for missing outcomes, the RR for 7-day tobacco abstinence was 1.55 (95% CI, 1.03-2.21; P = .04). Sustained care also resulted in higher self-reported continuous abstinence rates for 6 months after discharge (27% vs 16% for standard care; RR, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.15-2.51]; P = .007). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among hospitalized adult smokers who wanted to quit smoking, a postdischarge intervention providing automated telephone calls and free medication resulted in higher rates of smoking cessation at 6 months compared with a standard recommendation to use counseling and medication after discharge. These findings, if replicated, suggest an approach to help achieve sustained smoking cessation after a hospital stay. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01177176.