Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevention of tetanus during the First World War

The emergence of tetanus in wounded soldiers during the first months of the First World War (WWI) resulted from combat on richly manured fields in Belgium and Northern France, the use of modern explosives that produced deep tissue wounds and the intimate contact between the soldier and the soil upon which he fought. In response, routine prophylactic injections with anti-tetanus serum were given to wounded soldiers removed from the firing line. Subsequently, a steep fall in the incidence of tetanus was observed on both sides of the conflict. Because of fatal serum anaphylaxis associated with administration of serum at a time when purification methods still needed to be improved, it must be presumed that tens to hundreds of men might have died as a result of the routine administration of anti-tetanus serum during WWI. Yet anti-tetanus serum undoubtedly prevented life threatening tetanus among several hundred thousands of wounded men, making it one of the most successful preventive interventions in wartime medicine. After the abrupt fall in tetanus incidence in 1914 due to introduction of anti-tetanus serum, the incidence of the disease tended to become even lower as the war went on. This was probably due to earlier and more thorough surgical treatment, consisting of opening, cleaning, excision and drainage of wounds as early as possible. In this overview, recent battlefield findings from the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918 are used to illustrate common practices employed in the prevention of tetanus during WWI.
Nuclear Assembly of UGA Decoding Complexes on Selenoprotein mRNAs: a Mechanism for Eluding Nonsense-Mediated Decay?

ABSTRACT Recoding of UGA from a stop codon to selenocysteine poses a dilemma for the protein translation machinery. In eukaryotes, two factors that are crucial to this recoding process are the mRNA binding protein of the Sec insertion sequence, SBP2, and the specialized elongation factor, EFsec. We sought to determine the subcellular localization of these selenoprotein synthesis factors in mammalian cells and thus gain insight into how selenoprotein mRNAs might circumvent nonsense-mediated decay. Intriguingly, both EFsec and SBP2 localization differed depending on the cell line but significant colocalization of the two proteins was observed in cells where SBP2 levels were detectable. We identify functional nuclear localization and export signals in both proteins, demonstrate that SBP2 undergoes nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, and provide evidence that SBP2 levels and localization may influence EFsec localization. Our results suggest a mechanism for the nuclear assembly of the selenocysteine incorporation machinery that could allow selenoprotein mRNAs to circumvent nonsense-mediated decay, thus providing new insights into the mechanism of selenoprotein translation.
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HIV AND FERTILITY IN A COHORT STUDY IN RURAL TANZANIA

Recent studies in sub-Saharan Africa have shown that fertility is reduced among HIV-infected women compared with uninfected women. The size and pattern of this fertility reduction has important implications for antenatal clinic-based surveillance of the epidemic and also for estimates and projections of the demographic impact of the epidemic. This paper examines the association between HIV and fertility in Kisesa, a rural area in Tanzania, where HIV prevalence among adults is about 6% and gradually increasing. The analysis is based on data obtained through a demographic surveillance system in Kisesa during 1994–98 and two large sero-surveys of all residents in 1994–95 and 1996–97. The HIV-associated fertility reduction among women was investigated by estimating fertility rates by HIV status and prevalence rates by fertility status. A substantial reduction (29%) was observed in fertility among HIV-infected women compared with HIV-uninfected women. The fertility reduction was most pronounced during the terminal stages of infection, but no clear association with duration of infection was observed. Use of modern contraception was higher among HIV-infected women. However, both among contracepting and noncontracepting women, a substantial reduction in fertility was seen among HIV-infected women.
Tuning of temporo‐occipital activity by frontal oscillations during virtual mirror exposure causes erroneous self‐recognition

Self‐face recognition, a hallmark of self‐awareness, depends on ‘off‐line’ stored information about one's face and ‘on‐line’ multisensory‐motor face‐related cues. The brain mechanisms of how on‐line sensory‐motor processes affect off‐line neural self‐face representations are unknown. This study used 3D virtual reality to create a ‘virtual mirror’ in which participants saw an avatar's face moving synchronously with their own face movements. Electroencephalographic (EEG) analysis during virtual mirror exposure revealed mu oscillations in sensory‐motor cortex signalling on‐line congruency between the avatar's and participants’ movements. After such exposure and compatible with a change in their off‐line self‐face representation, participants were more prone to recognize the avatar's face as their own, and this was also reflected in the activation of face‐specific regions in the inferotemporal cortex. Further EEG analysis showed that the on‐line sensory‐motor effects during virtual mirror exposure caused these off‐line visual effects, revealing the brain mechanisms that maintain a coherent self‐representation, despite our continuously changing appearance.
Activity of plantaricin SA6, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum SA6 isolated from fermented sausage.

Plantaricin SA6, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum SA6, exhibited an inhibitory action against several mesophilic lactobacilli. It was stable at 90-100 degrees C at pH 2-4 and it remained stable in the presence of several organic solvents, urea or beta-mercaptoethanol. Plantaricin SA6 bound specifically to the cell surface of only plantaricin SA6-sensitive bacteria. The putative receptors are not destroyed by different hydrolytic enzymes added to the phosphate buffer. Plantaricin SA6 acted as a bactericidal agent lysing sensitive strains, that became more permeable to ortho-nitro-phenol-beta-galactoside and lost their intracellular K+ ions and u.v. -absorbing materials. Both the adsorption and lethal action of plantaricin SA6 were maximal between pH 4 and 7, but the range of temperature tested (5-37 degrees C) had no effect. Ions (of several salts such as MgCl2) inhibited the binding of plantaricin SA6 and protected cells against bacteriocin action.
OPTIMAL TIME TO EXCHANGE TWO BASKETS

In this paper we present simple extensions of earlier works on the optimal time to exchange one basket of log Brownian assets for another. A superset and subset of the optimal stopping region in the case where both baskets consist of multiple assets are obtained. It is also shown that a conjecture of Hu and Oksendal (1998) is false except in the trivial case where all the assets in a basket are the same processes.
Original Research: Intravenous Ribavirin—Review of the FDA's Emergency Investigational New Drug Database (1997–2008) and Literature Review

Abstract Intravenous (IV) ribavirin does not have US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, although oral and aerosol formulations have been approved. Intravenous ribavirin can, however, be authorized for use as a result of an Emergency Investigational New Drug (EIND) application as investigational treatment for patients with serious viral infections, including emerging or rare infections for which no alternative treatment is available. This retrospective study evaluated clinical experience with IV ribavirin based on a review of the FDA's EIND database and a literature review. The main outcome measures were disease condition, clinical outcomes, and adverse events (AEs). First, the FDA's EIND database was evaluated for these variables among patients authorized to receive investigational IV ribavirin. Second, published literature on IV ribavirin was reviewed for diseases treated, reported clinical outcomes, and AEs. Adverse events reported in the literature were compared with AEs listed in approved product labeling (aerosol and oral formulations). From February 1997 to December 2008, 608 IV ribavirin EIND requests were made for 19 disease conditions. Adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and parainfluenza infections comprised 84.7% of IV ribavirin EINDs. Inadequate reporting of clinical outcomes and AEs in the EIND database prevented analysis of either outcome. Data interpretation in the literature was limited by multiple factors, including retrospective design, small sample sizes, differences in reporting outcomes and AEs, lack of generalizability, and potential confounders such as concomitant medications, selection bias, and reporting bias. Reported AEs were consistent with labels of approved aerosol and oral formulations, except for lip and gingival swelling. However, estimates of frequency, severity, and causality of AEs associated with IV ribavirin could not be determined because of study limitations. Our study findings suggest that the literature is inconclusive on the potential benefit for continued use of IV ribavirin. A review of the literature and the FDA's EIND database suggests that prospective, controlled trials of IV ribavirin in patients with adenovirus, parainfluenza, or serious respiratory syncytial virus infections could be feasible.
Risk Factors of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in the Working Area of Kotaraja Public Health Center of Jayapura City, Papua Province

Background: Tuberculosis is still a major problem in the health of the Indonesian people. Pulmonary tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The main symptom is coughing for 3 weeks or more. It is estimated that the number of Tuberculosis patients in Indonesia is around 10% of the total number of Tuberculosis patients in the world. Indonesia is ranked second after India with the highest incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the world. Research Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Kotaraja Public Health Center of Jayapura City, Papua Province. Research method: The research method used in this study was observational analytic with a case control study approach. A sample of 66 people consisted of 22 people with a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis as a case and 44 people who were not sick with pulmonary tuberculosis as a control. The study was conducted in October 2018. Statistical tests used in this study were univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis. Data obtained using questionnaires and interviews. Results: Bivariate analysis showed several risk factors affecting the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Kotaraja Public Health Center of Jayapura City were age (p = 0.040; OR = 0.175; 95% CI = 0.036-0,848), occupation (p = 0.012; OR = 0.214; 95% CI = 0.070-0,688), history of pulmonary TB in the family (p = 0,000; OR = 13,571; 95% CI = 3,438-53,568), smoking habits (p = 0,008; OR = 4,911; 95% CI = 1,628–14,817), and alcohol drinking habits (p = 0,001; OR = 7,268; 95% CI = 2,328–22,805), while gender (p = 0.136; OR = 0.396; 95% CI = 0.139-1129), education level (p = 1,000; OR = 0.908; 95% CI = 0.315-2619), knowledge (p = 0.057; OR = 0.267 ); 95% CI = 0.078-0,917), and history of DM (p = 0.869; OR = 0.476; 95% CI = 0.050-4.536) were not influencing to the incidence of pulmonary Tuberculosis. The dominant risk factors were the history TB in the family, smoking habits, alcohol drinking habits, occupation, and age.
Impact of Ionic Implantation Energy in Latchup by using Retrograde Wells in a Submicron Depth Bulk CMOS Process

Latchup is a parasitic and intrinsic effect on CMOS technology. When a CMOS circuits is triggered in latchup a circuit malfunctioning or circuit destroying can occur. In this work, results of simulation for obtaining and reducing latchup critical values by using majority guard ring structures, retrograde wells and separation between parasitic emitters are presented. Then these results are compared with reported data in experimental works
Effects of Applied Bias and High Field Stress on the Radiation Response of GaN/AlGaN HEMTs

The sensitivity of GaN/AlGaN HEMTs to 1.8 MeV proton irradiation is greatly enhanced by biasing the devices during irradiation and/or applying high field stress before irradiation. The resulting defect energy distributions are evaluated after irradiation and/or high field stress via low-frequency noise measurements. Significant increases are observed in acceptor densities for defects with ~ 0.2 and ~ 0.7 eV energy levels. These defects appear to dominate the degradation in threshold voltage and transconductance for these devices. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that N vacancy-related defects in GaN and hydrogenated O N complexes in AlGaN are strong candidates for the defects with ~ 0.2 eV energy levels in these devices. We also present evidence that the previously unidentified ~ 0.7 eV defect in GaN is a N anti-site defect (N Ga).
Optimal sizing and siting of distributed generators using Big Bang Big Crunch method

The concept of integrating small generating units in the power system attracted the attention in the last few decades. Distributed generator (DG) reinforces the main generating station in covering the growing power demand. DG can be connected or disconnected easily from the network unlike the main power stations, thus providing higher flexibility. Good planned and operated DG has many benefits as economic savings, decrement of power losses, greater reliability and higher power quality. Optimal location and capacity of DGs plays a pivotal rule in achievement of gaining the maximum benefits from DGs, on the other side improper placement or sizing of DGs may cause undesirable effects. This paper applies the Big Bang Big Crunch optimization algorithm on balanced/ unbalanced distribution networks for optimal placement and sizing of distributed generators. The proposed algorithm deals with the optimization problems incorporating voltage controlled distributed generators for the sake of power loss minimization. The proposed algorithm is implemented in MATLAB environment and tested on the 69-bus feeder system and the IEEE 37-node feeder. Validation of the proposed method is done via comparing the results with published results obtained from other competing methods.
A copula-based approach to financial contagion in the foreign exchange markets

In this paper, we try to find out if the foreign exchange markets of developed countries reflect the effects of financial contagion of the 2007 subprime financial crisis and the intensity of contagion differs across countries. In fact, we have defined contagion as the significant increase in co-movement of foreign exchange markets during the crisis period for reasons that are not explained by fundamentals. This paper investigates the dependence structure between the following three foreign exchange currencies (the British pound, the French franc and the German mark) by using copulas. Our results suggest that the current crisis does not affect the exchange markets of these three developed countries.
Leukocyte‐associated Ig‐like receptor‐1 has SH2 domain‐containing phosphatase‐independent function and recruits C‐terminal Src kinase

Most inhibitory receptors in the immune system contain one or several immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based inhibitory motifs (ITIM) and recruit the SH2 domain‐containing phosphatases SHP‐1, SHP‐2 and/or SHIP, which are generally believed to be essential for the inhibitory function. However, it has not been systematically investigated whether ITIM‐bearing receptors exert their function through alternative interactions. Here we describe that leukocyte‐associated Ig‐like receptor (LAIR)‐1 has inhibitory function in DT40 chicken B cells that lack both SHP‐1 and SHP‐2. In addition, we found that LAIR‐1 did not recruit SHIP upon phosphorylation. Thus, LAIR‐1 can function independently from SH2 domain‐containing phosphatases and must recruit at least one other signaling molecule. Using a yeast‐tri‐hybrid system, we found that phosphorylated LAIR‐1 bound the C‐terminal Src kinase (Csk). The interaction required the SH2 domain of Csk and phosphorylation of the tyrosine in the N‐terminal ITIM of LAIR‐1. We propose that Csk is an additional player in the regulation of the immune system by ITIM‐bearing receptors.
Image processing technique for determining cold thyroid nodules

Image processing is a technique that can be applied on medical images for detecting abnormalities such as tumors. Due to risk of malignancy, detecting and diagnosing of cold nodules in thyroid gland are important. We applied Image Enhancement (circular averaging filter, morphological opening by diamond structure element, division of results, transforming colorful image in to gray image), Image segmentation (thresholding) and feature extraction (hill climbing algorithm) to determine cold thyroid nodules automatically with high accuracy.
Effects of Ascertainment Bias on Recovering Human Demographic History

Abstract In recent years multilocus data sets have been used to study the demographic history of human populations. In this paper (1) analyses previously done on 60 short tandem repeat (STR) loci are repeated on 30 restriction site polymorphism (RSP) markers; (2) relative population weights are estimated from the RSP data set and compared to previously published estimates from STR and craniometric data sets; and (3) computer simulations are performed to show the effects of ascertainment bias on relative population weight estimates. Not surprisingly, given that the RSP markers were originally identified in a small panel of Caucasians, estimates of relative population weights are biased and the European population weight is artificially inflated. However, the effects of ascertainment bias are not apparent in a principal components plot or estimates of FST . Ascertainment bias can have a large effect in other genetic systems with inherently low heterozygosity such as Alus or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and care must be taken to have prior knowledge of how polymorphic markers in a given data set were originally identified. Otherwise, results can be skewed and interpretations faulty.
Assessing the Geographic Representativeness of Genebank Collections: the Case of Bolivian Wild Potatoes

Abstract: Genebank collection databases can be used for ecogeographical studies under the assumption that the accessions are a geographically unbiased sample. We evaluated the representativeness of a collection of wild potatoes from Bolivia and defined and assessed four types of bias: species, species‐area, hotspot, and infrastructure. Species bias is the sampling of some species more often than others. Species‐area bias is a sampling that is disproportionate to the total area in which a species is found. Hotspot bias is the disproportionate sampling of areas with high levels of diversity. Infrastructure bias is the disproportionate sampling of areas near roads and towns. Each of these biases is present in the Bolivian wild potato collection. The infrastructure bias was strong: 60% of all wild potato accessions were collected within 2 km of a road, as opposed to 22%, if collections had been made randomly. This analysis can serve as a guide for future collecting trips. It can also provide baseline information for the application of genebank data in studies based on geographic information systems.
The Discovery of the Asylum: Social Order and Disorder in the New Republic

It is by now a thoroughly familiar concept, in the social sciences at least, that the way in which a society identifies and cares for its deviant members offers a fair index to its basic character. ' It is more than perverse curiosity, then, that tempts historians and social scientists to study that portion of the human record. In much the same way that Freud looked at pathology to learn about the nature of health, others look at the deviant fringe of a society to get some sense of the values lying at its center. One problem is that societies often come to regard their methods for controlling deviance as ancient in origin, logical in form, perhaps even inevitable in the nature of things. Americans, for example, have tended to view incarceration in penitentiaries or asylums as the obvious method for dealing with deviants. 2 It is important to be reminded now and then that men invent both the definition of deviance and the social machinery for dealing with it. Professor Rothman's excellent book is an attempt to describe this process of invention and application during one critical moment of American history. Rothman outlines his inquiry in the opening sentences of the book:
Effect of electrode location on surface electromyography changes due to eccentric elbow flexor exercise

Experiments were carried out to determine whether the location of electrodes has an effect on eccentric exercise–induced changes in surface electromyography (sEMG) variables in the biceps brachii muscle. sEMG signals were recorded with a grid of 64 electrodes before and up to 4 days post‐exercise. Root mean square (RMS) and mean power frequency (MNF) were calculated for: (1) each channel; (2) as an average of all channels; and (3) as an average of individual channel rows and columns. Mean muscle‐fiber conduction velocity (CV) was estimated similarly but was based on double‐differential channels. Maximal isometric voluntary torque decreased 21.3 ± 5.6% post‐exercise. The average sEMG variables decreased after the exercise and recovered 2 days (RMS and CV) or 4 days (MNF) post‐exercise. Site‐dependent changes were observed in sEMG variables. We conclude that site‐dependent changes in sEMG variables after eccentric exercise can be detected and are influenced in part by anatomical factors. Muscle Nerve, 2009
A survey on driver behavior detection techniques for intelligent transportation systems

Driver behavior is an essential component of the driver-vehicle-environment system and plays a key role in the design of the transport and vehicle systems in order to improve the efficiency and safety of human agility. The most important factors that influence driver behavior are the environment, vehicle and the driver itself. Experience, distraction, fatigue, drowsiness etc. are so me of the other factors that have an impact on driver behavior. Improper driving behavior is the leading cause of the accidents and thus, detection of driver behavior is an emerging area of research interest. This paper discusses the various techniques used for monitoring driver behavior and also classifies them into real-time and non-real time techniques. A comparative analysis was performed on the basis of advantages, disadvantages and methodology applied by various techniques for detecting driver's behavior for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
The Representation of Roots in the Spelling of Children With Specific Language Impairment

Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) have demonstrated general spelling and writing difficulties. We investigated the sensitivity of children with SLI to the consistent spelling of root morphemes, a feature to which young typically developing children demonstrate sensitivity. We asked children with SLI and two groups of typically developing children (n = 17 in each group) to spell the same letter-sound sequence (e.g., win) as a root, and as a component of inflected, derived, and control words (e.g., win, wins, winner, wink). Children with SLI and spelling-age-matched children (mean age of 9 and 7 years, respectively) were more accurate and more consistent in spelling the initial sections of the inflected and derived words than of the control words, a pattern that suggests sensitivity to the representation of roots in spelling. The absence of a group-level interaction suggests comparable sensitivity in the two groups. Our results suggest that elementary-school-aged children with SLI are sensitive to the consistent spelling of roots, at least to the extent predicted by their general spelling abilities.