Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relative Importance of Visual, Auditory, and Haptic Information for the User's Experience of Mechanical Switches

While the use of hand tools and other everyday manually controlled devices is naturally accompanied by multisensory feedback, the deployment of fully multimodal virtual interfaces requires that haptic, acoustic, and visual cues be synthesised. The complexity and character of this synthesis will depend on a thorough understanding of the multimodal perceptual experience, including the interrelations between the individual sensory channels during manual interaction. In this study seventy participants were asked to rank the manual operation of ten electromechanical switches according to preference. The participants were randomly assigned in groups of ten to one of seven sensory presentation conditions. These conditions comprised six bimodal and unimodal sensory combinations created by selectively restricting the flow of haptic, auditory, and visual information, plus one condition in which ful sensory information was available. A principal components analysis on the obtained ranking data indicated that the sensory conditions with unimpeded haptic information were clearly distinct from those in which the haptic cues were impeded. The analysis also showed that, for switch use, the unimodal haptic condition most closely approached the condition with combined haptic, auditory, and visual feedback, compared with all of the conditions where haptic feedback was restricted.
Monitoring periodontal disease status in smokers and nonsmokers using a gingival crevicular fluid matrix metalloproteinase-8-specific chair-side test.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE With current periodontal diagnostic tools it is difficult to identify susceptible individuals or sites at risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8-specific chair-side dip-stick test in longitudinally monitoring the periodontal status of smoking (S) and nonsmoking (NS) patients with chronic periodontitis, using their gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) MMP-8 concentrations. MATERIAL AND METHODS Clinical parameters, MMP-8 test results and concentrations were monitored in 16 patients after initial treatment and in 15 patients after scaling and root planing (SRP), every other month, over a 12-mo time period. Progressing and stable sites, and sites with exceptionally high MMP-8 concentrations, were analysed in smokers and nonsmokers. RESULTS SRP reduced the mean GCF MMP-8 levels, test scores, probing depth (PD), attachment loss (AL) and bleeding on probing (BOP). In sites of periodontal disease progression, the distribution of MMP-8 concentrations was broader than in stable sites, indicating a tendency for elevated concentrations in patients with periodontal disease. The mean MMP-8 concentrations in smokers were lower than in nonsmokers, but in smokers' and nonsmokers' sites with progressive disease, MMP-8 concentrations were similar. Sites with exceptionally elevated MMP-8 concentrations were clustered in smokers who also showed a poor response to SRP. In these sites, the MMP-8 concentration did not decrease with SRP and these sites were easily identified by the MMP-8 test. CONCLUSION Persistently elevated GCF MMP-8 concentrations may indicate sites at risk, as well as patients with poor response to conventional periodontal treatment (e.g. SRP). MMP-8 testing may be useful as an adjunct to traditional periodontal diagnostic methods during the maintenance phase.
Association of mycothiol with protection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from toxic oxidants and antibiotics

Mycothiol, MSH or 1d‐myo‐inosityl 2‐(N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteinyl)amido‐2‐deoxy‐α‐d‐glucopyranoside, is an unusual conjugate of N‐acetylcysteine (AcCys) with 1d‐myo‐inosityl 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐α‐d‐glucopyranoside (GlcN‐Ins), and is the major low‐molecular‐mass thiol in mycobacteria. Mycothiol has antioxidant activity as well as the ability to detoxify a variety of toxic compounds. Because of these activities, MSH is a candidate for protecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis from inactivation by the host during infections as well as for resisting antituberculosis drugs. In order to define the protective role of MSH for M. tuberculosis, we have constructed an M. tuberculosis mutant in Rv1170, one of the candidate MSH biosynthetic genes. During exponential growth, the Rv1170 mutant bacteria produced ≈ 20% of wild‐type levels of MSH. Levels of the Rv1170 substrate, GlcNAc‐Ins, were elevated, whereas those of the product, GlcN‐Ins, were reduced. This establishes that the Rv1170 gene encodes for the major GlcNAc‐Ins deacetylase activity (termed MshB) in the MSH biosynthetic pathway of M. tuberculosis. The Rv1170 mutant grew poorly on agar media lacking catalase and oleic acid, and had heightened sensitivities to the toxic oxidant cumene hydroperoxide and to the antibiotic rifampin. In addition, the mutant was more resistant to isoniazid, suggesting a role for MSH in activation of this prodrug. These data indicate that MSH contributes to the protection of M. tuberculosis from oxidants and influences resistance to two first‐line antituberculosis drugs.
Cytokine gene polymorphisms in psoriasis

Background Cytokine production is under genetic control, and certain allelic variants of cytokine genes are associated with higher or lower cytokine production in vitro and in vivo. Psoriasis is associated with an overexpression in the involved skin of T‐helper cell type 1 (Th1) cytokines, e.g. interferon (IFN) ‐γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α and relative underexpression of Th2 cytokines, e.g. interleukin (IL) ‐4 and IL‐10.
Crystal structure and Raman spectral studies of BaSO4—PbSO4 solid solution

Abstract Natural hokutolite, (Ba,Pb)SO4, is a radioactive sulfate mineral occurring in hot-spring deposit. Unlike the limited PbSO4 content observed in natural specimens, the present study reveals that (Ba,Pb)SO4 crystals can be grown with compositions covering the whole solid solution series of PbSO4 and BaSO4. X-ray measurements show that the unit cell parameters gradually increase with increasing BaSO4 content. The nonlinear behavior of the unit cell dimensions with composition shows that a positive deviation from linear variation exists in the b-axis direction and negative deviations for a- and c-axes. It is evident that the variations in the M-O bond lengths result in the significantly negative deviations of all unit cell parameters from Vegard’s rule around 70 mol% BaSO4. Hence, the abnormally negative deviations of all unit cell parameters from Vegard’s rule are primarily attributed to the discontinuities in the mean M-O bond lengths. In addition, the existence of structure gap in natural hokutolite samples reported may be ascribed to the same reason. Raman bands in these synthetic crystals show monotonous changes in ν1 frequency from anglesite to barite. It is inferred that the slight decrease in ν1 frequency for crystals with BaSO4 content being smaller than 20 mol% may be attributed to the net effect of the S—O force constants, intertetrahedral O—O force constants, and distortions of SO4 tetrahedra. The present results also indicate that the positional disordering along the solid solution series is responsible for the Raman line broadening, showing the local maximum in the line width plot occurs at about 50 mol% substitution. This work also demonstrates that variations of Raman shift of ν1 band as well as its line width are essentially related to the random Pb—Ba substitution in our synthetic crystals.
Multiple Biochemical and Morphological Factors Underlie the Production of Methylketones in Tomato Trichomes1[W][OA]

Genetic analysis of interspecific populations derived from crosses between the wild tomato species Solanum habrochaites f. sp. glabratum, which synthesizes and accumulates insecticidal methylketones (MK), mostly 2-undecanone and 2-tridecanone, in glandular trichomes, and cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), which does not, demonstrated that several genetic loci contribute to MK metabolism in the wild species. A strong correlation was found between the shape of the glandular trichomes and their MK content, and significant associations were seen between allelic states of three genes and the amount of MK produced by the plant. Two genes belong to the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway, and the third is the previously identified Methylketone Synthase1 (MKS1) that mediates conversion to MK of β-ketoacyl intermediates. Comparative transcriptome analysis of the glandular trichomes of F2 progeny grouped into low- and high-MK-containing plants identified several additional genes whose transcripts were either more or less abundant in the high-MK bulk. In particular, a wild species-specific transcript for a gene that we named MKS2, encoding a protein with some similarity to a well-characterized bacterial thioesterase, was approximately 300-fold more highly expressed in F2 plants with high MK content than in those with low MK content. Genetic analysis in the segregating population showed that MKS2's significant contribution to MK accumulation is mediated by an epistatic relationship with MKS1. Furthermore, heterologous expression of MKS2 in Escherichia coli resulted in the production of methylketones in this host.
Severity Scores in Emergency Department Patients With Presumed Infection: A Prospective Validation Study*

Objectives:The objectives of this study were to 1) validate a number of severity of illness scores in a large cohort of emergency department patients admitted with presumed infection and 2) compare the performance of scores in patient subgroups with increasing mortality: infection without systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. Design:Prospective, observational study. Setting:Adult emergency department in a metropolitan tertiary, university-affiliated hospital. Patients:Emergency department patients admitted with presumed infection. Interventions:None. Methods:Consecutive emergency department patients admitted with presumed infection were identified over 160 weeks in two periods between 2007 and 2011. Clinical and laboratory data sufficient to calculate Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, and the Severe Sepsis Score were entered into a database. Model discrimination was quantified using area under the receiver operating curve. Calibration was assessed using visual plots, Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics, and linear regressions of observed and predicted values. Measurements and Main Results:A total of 8,871 patients were enrolled with 30-day mortality of 3.7%. Area under the receiver operating curve values for the entire cohort were: Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score of 0.92, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores of 0.90, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score of 0.86, and Severe Sepsis Score of 0.82. Discrimination decreased in subgroups with greater mortality for each score. All scores overestimated mortality, but closest concordance between predicted and observed mortality was seen with Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score. Conclusions:The decrease in area under the receiver operating curve seen in subgroups with increasing mortality may explain some variation in results seen in previous validation studies. Scores developed in intensive care settings overestimated mortality in the emergency department. Our results underscore the importance of employing predictive models developed in similar patient populations. The Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score outperformed more complex predictive models and would be the most appropriate scoring system for use in similar emergency department populations with a wide spectrum of mortality risk.
Do Hardened Femoral Heads Reduce Blood Metal Ion Concentrations after Hip Resurfacing?

Background Elevated cobalt and chromium ion concentrations have been associated with the use of metal-on-metal bearings in hip arthroplasty. The use of a differential hardness bearing may reduce metal particle release. The aim of our study was to compare circulating cobalt (Co) and chromium (Cr) ion levels between patients treated with a standard all ‘as-cast’ heat treated bearing and a differential hardness bearing. Materials and methods One hundred and thirty-two patients implanted with unilateral hip resurfacing arthroplasties and having had blood metal ion studies performed between one and six years after surgery were retrospectively selected. There were 73 patients in the standard all ‘as cast’ heat treated bearing group (group 1) and 59 in the differential hardness bearing group (group 2). Results Clinical and quality of life scores were comparable between groups. The median Co in group 1 was 1.01 µg/L and 1.23 µg/L in group 2 (p = 0.0566). The median Cr in group 1 was 1.60 µg/L and 1.34 µg/L in group 2 (p = 0.0505). Conclusion Compared with conventional heat-treated CoCr bearings, differential hardness metal-on metal bearings do not confirm in vivo the hopes of a substantial reduction in circulating metal ions concentrations suggested by in vitro wear studies.
Shocking aspects of monetary union: the vulnerability of regions in Euroland

The economic recession in Europe, triggered by the financial crisis of 2008–2009, has rekindled the debate over whether Europe constitutes a viable single currency area. A key issue concerns the relationship between regional economic cyclicity and monetary union: in the absence of a common automatic fiscal stabilization mechanism and with limited geographical mobility of factors, the greater the asymmetry of shocks across the regions making up a currency area, the more that area departs from an optimal single currency space as far as monetary policy is concerned. Our aim in this article is to investigate whether the regions in the Eurozone have become more or less similar in their vulnerability and resilience to economic shocks since the monetary union. Using predictions based on a spatial panel model with random effects, an endogenous spatial lag and spatially autoregressive errors, we find that a common contractionary shock across the Eurozone has its biggest impact on the most geographically isolated regions, which are precisely those peripheral regions in Euroland that are suffering the most acute sovereign debt crisis, and which are among the lowest productivity regions of the European Union. The implications of these results for the debate over European monetary and fiscal integration are discussed.
Ethical considerations in the de-adoption of ineffective or harmful aspects of healthcare

De-adoption refers to the discontinuance of a medical practice or health service found to be ineffective or harmful following a previous period of adoption. As growing healthcare budgets threaten to cripple the societies that fund them, facilitating de-adoption may be integral to sustainable healthcare systems that provide high-quality care. This article explores ethical issues pertinent to de-adoption including the underpinnings of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and autonomy.
Why Is the Hope-Focused Couple Approach Effective ?

Hope-focused couple enrichment has been evaluated by a recent review (Jakubowski et al., 2004) to be one of four empirically supported couple enrichment interventions. We review the essence of the hope-focused approach for the therapist, and in doing so we present and discuss four possible reasons for the efficacy of the hope-focused approach. These include (1) a focus on hope, (2) a simple strategy with diverse techniques, (3) a focus on repairing damaged emotional bonds through forgiveness, and (4) reliance on systematic research on the components of the method. We hope to interest researchers and clinicians in the hopefocused approach as well as improve therapists’ couple counseling.
Do perceived cues, benefits, and barriers to physical activity differ between male and female adolescents?

A four-page survey was administered to 535 adolescents at two single-sex (one male, one female) high schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, to examine whether perceptions of physical activity differed by gender. More specifically, the survey assessed perceived cues, benefits, and barriers to exercising. Results indicated that the most helpful cue to physical activity for both female and male students was "having a friend to exercise with. " The most commonly reported benefit of exercising among females was "to stay in shape," whereas the most commonly reported benefit to exercising among males was "to become strong. " Among females, the most common barrier to exercising was "having no time to exercise," whereas males were most likely to report "wanting to do other things with my time. " Multivariate analyses of covariance revealed that perceived cues, benefits, and barriers to physical activity differed significantly based on gender. Recommendations on specific strategies to increasing male and female adolescent physical activity levels are offered.
Severity of illness and organ dysfunction scoring in children

Objective: To describe predictive and descriptive general scores that can be used to estimate the severity of illness in critically ill children. Design: Review of the medical literature. Setting: Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Patients: Critically ill children. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Two predictive scores are frequently used in PICUs: the Pediatric Risk of Mortality III score and the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2. The data considered in these scores are collected at baseline. Predictive scores can be used to compare expected and observed mortality in PICUs or to estimate the balance in the baseline severity of illness of patients included in the different arms of a randomized clinical trial. Only one descriptive score is validated to estimate the severity of cases of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in PICUs, namely, the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score. The data required to calculate this score are collected from baseline to discharge from the PICU or up to 2 hrs before death in the PICU. The Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score can be used to describe the clinical outcome of patients during their stay in a PICU. Conclusion: Pediatric Risk of Mortality III, Pediatric Index of Mortality 2, and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction scores are the best available tools to estimate the severity of illness in critically ill children.
Analysis of Wearable and Smartphone-Based Technologies for the Measurement of Barbell Velocity in Different Resistance Training Exercises

The purpose of this study was to analyze the validity, reliability, and accuracy of new wearable and smartphone-based technology for the measurement of barbell velocity in resistance training exercises. To do this, 10 highly trained powerlifters (age = 26.1 ± 3.9 years) performed 11 repetitions with loads ranging 50–100% of the 1-Repetition maximum in the bench-press, full-squat, and hip-thrust exercises while barbell velocity was simultaneously measured using a linear transducer (LT), two Beast wearable devices (one placed on the subjects' wrist –BW–, and the other one directly attached to the barbell –BB–) and the iOS PowerLift app. Results showed a high correlation between the LT and BW (r = 0.94–0.98, SEE = 0.04–0.07 m•s−1), BB (r = 0.97–0.98, SEE = 0.04–0.05 m•s−1), and the PowerLift app (r = 0.97–0.98, SEE = 0.03–0.05 m•s−1) for the measurement of barbell velocity in the three exercises. Paired samples T-test revealed systematic biases between the LT and BW, BB and the app in the hip-thrust, between the LT and BW in the full-squat and between the LT and BB in the bench-press exercise (p < 0.001). Moreover, the analysis of the linear regression on the Bland-Altman plots showed that the differences between the LT and BW (R2 = 0.004–0.03), BB (R2 = 0.007–0.01), and the app (R2 = 0.001–0.03) were similar across the whole range of velocities analyzed. Finally, the reliability of the BW (ICC = 0.910–0.988), BB (ICC = 0.922–0.990), and the app (ICC = 0.928–0.989) for the measurement of the two repetitions performed with each load were almost the same than that observed with the LT (ICC = 0.937–0.990). Both the Beast wearable device and the PowerLift app were highly valid, reliable, and accurate for the measurement of barbell velocity in the bench-press, full-squat, and hip-thrust exercises. These results could have potential practical applications for strength and conditioning coaches who wish to measure barbell velocity during resistance training.
Diffusivity in a marine macrophyte canopy: implications for submarine pollination and dispersal.

The dispersion and capture of differently shaped particles within a Zostera marina L. (eelgrass; Zosteraceae) bed were examined to understand submarine pollination and other dispersals. During periods of moderate flow in the canopy, the capture rate of "spherical" (the shape of ancestral pollen) and "filamentous" (the shape of eelgrass pollen) particles was greater for particles released at the top of the canopy (3.07 and 4.53% × 10(-5) cm(-2) of collector; i.e., percentage of particles captured normalized to collector area) and greater for filamentous than for spherical particles (4.51% × 10(-5) cm(-2) vs. 2.01% × 10(-5) cm(-2)). Estimates of the horizontal P (Joseph-Sendner diffusion velocity) and the vertical diffusivity (Gaussian K) of filamentous particles were small (P ≈ 4 × 10(-4) m/s; K ≈ 10(-4) m(2)/s) compared to theoretical values that do not consider plant canopies. These findings support the concept that eelgrass canopies modify the fluid dynamics (i.e., reduced turbulent mixing) within their canopies. These results indicate that 1000-10 000 Z. marina pollen are required to pollinate a single flower. Similarly, it was estimated that under some conditions, the probability of particle impaction on eelgrass vegetation approaches certainty. These results provide insight into the evolution of filamentous pollen and submarine pollination, as well as dispersal and other mass transport phenomena within macrophyte canopies.
Extracellular Enzyme Activity and Microbial Diversity Measured on Seafloor Exposed Basalts from Loihi Seamount Indicate the Importance of Basalts to Global Biogeochemical Cycling

ABSTRACT Seafloor basalts are widely distributed and host diverse prokaryotic communities, but no data exist concerning the metabolic rates of the resident microbial communities. We present here potential extracellular enzyme activities of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) measured on basalt samples from different locations on Loihi Seamount, HI, coupled with analysis of prokaryotic biomass and pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The community maximum potential enzyme activity (V max) of LAP ranged from 0.47 to 0.90 nmol (g rock)−1 h−1; the V max for AP was 28 to 60 nmol (g rock)−1 h−1. The Km of LAP ranged from 26 to 33 μM, while the Km for AP was 2 to 7 μM. Bacterial communities on Loihi basalts were comprised primarily of Alpha-, Delta-, andGammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Planctomycetes. The putative ability to produce LAP is evenly distributed across the most commonly detected bacterial orders, but the ability to produce AP is likely dominated by bacteria in the orders Xanthomonadales, Flavobacteriales, and Planctomycetales. The enzyme activities on Loihi basalts were compared to those of other marine environments that have been studied and were found to be similar in magnitude to those from continental shelf sediments and orders of magnitude higher than any measured in the water column, demonstrating that the potential for exposed basalts to transform organic matter is substantial. We propose that microbial communities on basaltic rock play a significant, quantifiable role in benthic biogeochemical processes.