Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of channel sampling methods and brush heads in surveillance culture of endoscope reprocessing: A propensity score matching and paired study

Background: Endoscopy-related infections have caused multiple outbreaks. The importance of surveillance culture is gradually recognized, but sampling techniques are not consistent in many guidelines. It is unclear whether the Flush-Brush-Flush sampling method (FBFSM) is more sensitive than the conventional flush sampling method (CFSM) and whether different sampling brushes have different effects. Methods: The propensity score matching method was done with two matching ways, 1:1 nearest neighbor propensity score matching and full matching was used to analyze the surveillance culture data collected by FBFSM and CFSM. We fit a confounder-adjusted multiple generalized linear logistic regression model to estimate the marginal odds ratio (OR). A paired study was applied to compare the sampling effect of polyurethane foam (PU) head brush and polyamide (PA) head brush. Result: From 2016 to 2020, 316 reprocessed endoscope samples were collected from all 59 endoscopy centers in Tianjin. About 279 (88.3%) reprocessed endoscopes met the threshold of Chinese national standards (<20 CFU/Channel). The qualified rate of reprocessed endoscopes sampling by CFSM (91.8%) and FBFSM (81.6%) was statistically different (p < 0.05). The adjusted OR by full matching for FBFSM was 7.98 (95% confidence interval: 3.35-21.78). Forty one pairs of colonoscopes, after reprocessing from 27 centers, were tested by PA and PU brushes, and no difference was found in microbial recovery. Conclusion: FBFSM was confirmed to be a more sensitive sampling technique. PU and PA brushes had no significant difference in sampling effect.
Infections Independent of Contamination: From Organic Matter, Evolution or Stem Cells

This study presents evidence to propose that some human infections may derive Independent of contamination by invading pathogens. Diverse data suggest multiple pathways Independent of contamination may generate human infections. For instance, the first microorganisms that emerged from lifeless organic matter 3.6 billion years ago indicated transformation of lifeless organic matter to micro organisms. Viral infections do correspondent to a lifeless protein particle in a cell of a complex multi- cellular organism reproducing and spreading infections to other complex multi- cellular organisms. Some microbes -such as pseudomonas aeruginosa with a larger genome and greater functional complexity than common bacteria -may evolve from human flora as observed in mammalian decomposition in sterile soil. For, decomposer species are not foreign Invaders from the environment and they represent evolution of common microorganisms during mammalian decomposition. Human cells may produce microorganisms consistent with a proven genetic link between humans cells and the Christensenellaceae (a family in the phylum Firmicutes). Human stem cells which are capable to differentiate to epithelial cells and cancer and have the essentials to produce microbes are the most likely candidates to produce microorganisms. What may be almost certain and not experimentally validated is the possibility that infections have multiple pathways of origin independent of contamination. Most nosocomial and opportunistic infections may be endogenous. Our knowledge may demolish the dogma of contamination by foreign microbes as the exclusive source of infections and pave novel avenues to prevent and treat diverse infections.
Functional validation of genetic variants identified by next generation sequencing in malformations of cortical development

Malformations of cortical development (MCDs) result from a disruption in the process of the human brain cortex formation: currently, there are no pharmacological treatments for diffuse MCDs. Next-generation sequencing has accelerated the identification of MCDs causing genes: in some cases, functional studies are needed to clarify the role of genetic variants. The aim of this PhD project has been to apply a multidisciplinary approach to identify causative mutations in patients with MCDs, validate the pathogenic role of the identified mutations, and assess the effectiveness of novel in vitro treatment for mTOR pathway related MCDs.
A Novel Runoff Forecasting Model Based on the Decomposition-Integration-Prediction Framework

Runoff forecasting is of great importance for flood mitigation and power generation plan preparation. To explore the better application of time-frequency decomposition technology in runoff forecasting and improve the prediction accuracy, this research has developed a framework of runoff forecasting named Decomposition-Integration-Prediction (DIP) using parallel-input neural network, and proposed a novel runoff forecasting model with Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), and Stochastic Fractal Search (SFS) algorithm under this framework. In this model, the observed runoff series is first decomposed into several sub-series via the VMD method to extract different frequency information. Secondly, the parallel layers in the parallel-input neural network based on GRU are trained to receive the input samples of each subcomponent and integrate their output adaptively through the concatenation layers. Finally, the output of concatenation layers is treated as the final runoff forecasting result. In this process, the SFS algorithm was adopted to optimize the structure of the neural network. The prediction performance of the proposed model was evaluated using the historical monthly runoff data at Pingshan and Yichang hydrological stations in the Upper Yangtze River Basin of China, and seven various single and decomposition-based hybrid models were developed for comparison. The results show that the proposed model has obvious advantages in overall prediction performance, model training time, and multi-step-ahead prediction compared to several comparative methods, which is a reasonable and more efficient monthly runoff forecasting method based on time series decomposition and neural networks.
Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Increasing Illegal Livestock Grazing over Three Decades at Moyowosi Kigosi Game Reserve, Tanzania

The global increase of livestock has caused illegal intrusion of livestock into protected areas. Until now, hotspot areas of illegal grazing have rarely been mapped, long-term monitoring data are missing, and little is known about the drivers of illegal grazing. We localized hotspots of illegal grazing and identified factors that influenced spatio-temporal patterns of illegal grazing over three decades in the Moyowosi Kigosi Game Reserve (MKGR), Tanzania. We used questionnaires with local pastoralists (N = 159), georeferenced aerial survey data and ranger reports from 1990–2019 to understand the reasons for illegal grazing in the area. We found that hotspots of illegal grazing occurred initially within 0–20 km of the boundary (H (3) = 137, p < 0.001; (H (3) = 32, p < 0.001) and encroached further into the protected area with time (H (3) = 11.3, p = 0.010); (H (2) = 59.0, p < 0.001). Further, livestock herd sizes decreased with increasing distance from the boundary (R = −0.20, p = 0.020; R = −0.40, p = 0.010). Most interviewees (81%) claimed that they face challenges of reduced foraging land in the wet season, caused by increasing land used for cultivation, which drives them into the MKGR to feed their livestock. We conclude that there is spatio-temporal consistency in the illegal livestock intrusion over three decades, and hotspot areas are located along the boundary of the MKGR. We suggest focusing patrols at these hotspot areas, especially during the wet season, to use limited law enforcement resources effectively.
FEA of electromagnetic forming using a new coupling algorithm: effects of strain hardening properties and anisotropy

Electromagnetic forming is a sheet metal forming technique which utilizes magnetic fields to drive the workpiece deformation at high speed. Modeling of such dynamic deformation is considered as a multi-physics simulation which involves electromagnetic model and mechanical model and a coupling algorithm. Material properties namely; anisotropy, strain hardening exponent and rate sensitivity index are key factor in controlling such dynamic deformation. A necessity exists for a better understanding of deformation behavior upon variation of such material properties in order to control quality of the deformed product. In the current investigation, effects of anisotropy, strain hardening exponent and rate sensitivity index on deformation characteristics were studied via FE simulation. An enhanced loose coupling algorithm was proposed by the author in a previous research work and it was utilized in the current research. The simulation results showed that bulge height were inversely proportional to anisotropy value and rate sensitivity and proportional to strain hardening exponent. However, response of thickness and thickness uniformity were opposed to response of bulge height.
Description of drumming signals of four stonefly species from Corsica (Plecoptera: Perlodidae, Nemouridae, Capniidae and Leuctridae)

Abstract The intersexual drumming signals of four stonefly species from Corsica (France) are described. The male call signal of Isoperla insularis (Morton, 1930) consists of a repetition of short monophasic calls or sequences. Because the female answer is not yet known, it is uncertain if the male call signal should be considered as a repeated monophasic call signal pattern or a grouped call signal pattern. The duet of Protonemura bucolica (Consiglio, 1957) is a two-way exchange with monophasic grouped call and monophasic answer, showing the same general pattern of other Protonemura species. Capnioneura petricola Giudicelli, 1967 has a classic Capnioneura signal with monophasic call and answer signals overlapping. The Tyrrhenoleuctra zavattarii (Consiglio, 1956) duet, the second three-way signal exchange described in the family Leuctridae, has monophasic grouped male call and reply, and monophasic female answer. Drumming signals of the studied species are compared with those of some congeneric European species.
Efeitos da aplicação de vinhaça sob os atributos físicos do solo coberto com palhiço de cana-de-açúcar

Areas under vinasse application have been associated to favorable physical conditions for root development, aeration, infiltration and water movement in soil profile. This study aimed to evaluate changes on physical attributes of soil under sugarcane straw after vinasse application in two sugarcane growing areas (Area 1 and Area 2) under mechanized management in the state of Paraiba, Brazil. In each area, the samples were collected in the 0-0.20, 0.20-0.40 and 0.40-0.60m layers of the soil, in 36 points, distributed in a 10×10m mesh, one day before and 40 days after vinasse application. The data were submitted to multivariate analysis with repeated measures and geostatistics. The vinasse application decreased soil density and increased total porosity in both Areas and increased organic matter in Area 2. In Area 1 occurred pure nugget effect for the fractions of sand, silt and clay, independent of soil layer. In Area 2, this effect was verified mostly at superficial layers, except for the fraction of clay that presented a moderate degree of spatial dependence.
Three-dimensional numerical investigation of solid particle erosion in gate valves

Gate valves, which are widely applied in pneumatic conveying systems, are vulnerable to erosion by particles. It is thus important to investigate the erosion in gate valves from the perspective of fluid analysis, and then to predict and improve their lifetimes. The effects of valve geometry and gas–solid flow conditions on valve erosion are investigated. Since a gate valve usually operates fully open to let fluid pass through, the geometry is simplified as a cavity. As gate valves are always placed horizontally in industrial situations, investigated cavities are placed horizontally, and the erosion damage to the bottom half of the aft wall (surface T), which is most likely to be eroded, is studied. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based two-way Eulerian–Lagrangian procedue is used to predict the erosion severity. The simulation procedure is validated by comparing the CFD results with those obtained from experiments of a pipe and an elbow, and also with the erosion region of a damaged valve. For convenience, the total erosion ratio, defined as the ratio of the mass eroded on a particular surface to the total particle mass passing through the pipe inlet during the same time, is introduced. The results show that the total erosion ratio of surface T is largely independent of the mass flux ratio, pipe diameter and cavity depth. Meanwhile, the total erosion ratio increases with cavity width and particle diameter, while it decreases with inlet velocity. According to the fitted results, a simple erosion formula is proposed and validated by the CFD results in another 16 orthogonal experiments. Furthermore, the formula is improved for various values of Brinell hardness of carbon steel and sharpness factors of particles.
Home management scheme for patients with severe covid-19 in Duhok city, Kurdistan region of Iraq: a possible role for family physicians

Aim: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who were involved in the home management scheme in Duhok city. Materials and Methods: This prospective descriptive study enrolled Kurdish patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19 between June 1 and November 1, 2020, and were treated at home. Results: The average age of the patients was 59.77 ± 14 years and 51 (56.04%) of them were males. Seven of these patients (7.69%) were smokers. Most patients (72.52%) had one or more comorbidities. Fever (87.1%) was the most commonly presented symptom in older patients. The case fatality rate was 3/91 (3.29%). This rate was not found to be associated with sex, history of smoking, or comorbidities. The age of deceased patients (40 ± 25 years) was significantly lower than that of cured patients (60 ± 13 years) (p = -0.025). Conclusions: The case fatality rate of patients enrolled in this scheme was comparable to those who received treatment in hospitals. Therefore, this scheme could provide a good alternative for treating patients with severe COVID-19 and family physicians could lead the scheme through the primary care network.
A method for the evaluation of insulation systems for high voltage rotating machines

Partial Discharge Pattern of three important types of defects in insulation systems of high voltage rotating machines (the internal defect, the damaged semi-conductive screen and the defect on grading coating) were studied. As test object, model stator bars with artificial defects similar to practical ones on the ground wall and end-winding of bars were used. The internal defect in insulation was furthermore realized with a thermal ageing procedure on machine bars. The comparison of PD patterns, that were caused by different defect on stator bars presents clearly that the different defects generates different partial discharge types and that the defect type can be recognized and used for diagnosis of the insulation of high voltage rotating machines. For the interpretation of off-line and on-line measurements, the partial discharges were also measured at different temperatures in order to generate a basis for the on-site measurements, which can be only carried at given temperatures depending on the load conditions.
Managing the Intangible Aspects of a Project: The Affect of Vision, Artifacts, and Leader Values on Project Spirit and Success in Technology-Driven Projects

Successful projects are often characterized by a unique spirit. Phase one results, based on 193 employees partaking in 60 projects across organizations, support a model positing that leader building activities affect employees' emotions, attitudes, and behavioral norms that are focused on expected project outcomes, termed project spirit. Spirit affects employees' contextual performance behavior, which in turn affects success as proposed. Phase two cases, designed to ground these results in technology-driven project contexts, highlight the value of managing the project's intangible aspects captured by spirit. Quantitative and qualitative findings imply that leaders can be coached to execute behaviors that generate a project's spirit, which boosts contextual performance behavior and increases project success.
Packaged foods, consumption pattern and impact on the environment in Zaria, Nigeria

Packaged foods, consumption pattern and impact on the environment was studied in Zaria, Nigeria (Long. 7030'-7o50'E and Lat. 11o00'-11o50'N). Convenient (packaged) foods are easier to prepare, save time, easy to store, reduce wastage and makes the task of food preparation by housewives, workers and students easier. For example in urban homes, women simply do not have the time to spend in shop queues or cooking time for breakfast meals in particular. Therefore, the pre-packaged, pre-priced goods available even in supermarket shops are a tremendous time saving device; thus providing convenience to the household. This study therefore aims to determine food materials commonly preferred by consumers in Zaria area as convenience foods, consumers preferred food packaging materials and food packaging material more commonly seen littering the Zaria environment. The study was therefore conducted using survey method, and interviews were employed for the non-literates in the sample areas. Stratified sampling technique was used to sample population of the institutions and business sector in Zaria. Data obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure for means, standard deviations and tests of significance at P>0.05. Results showed that among reasons adduced by respondents for patronizing packaged food products include convenience, cost, quantity and disposability. Convenience (28.2%) was rated highest as reason for patronizing packaged food products, and consumers' prefer plastic food packaging materials to metal, glass or paper. Attributes that least influenced consumers' choice of package food products patronized in Zaria include colour (6.0%) and physical shape of the package (5.7%). This would suggest that food products that are well protected and the package can be re-used/recycled and have acceptable nutritional information clearly written on the package and the ease with which the packaging can be opened are attributes mostly driving packaged food products patronage in Zaria. However, consumers' food pattern is tilting towards packaged food product in Zaria and calls for further governmental quality control measures to promote consumers good health. Plastic waste food packaging materials do not degrade easily in the environment and constitute risk to health and environmental beauty.
Exploring the Relationship Between Satisfaction and Intention to Stay Among Millennial Employees: The Moderating Role of Managerial Support

Purpose: The main purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to stay among the millennials working in IT organizations of North India. Research methodology: The present study has adopted descriptive research design and purposive sampling technique was used to gather data from 396 respondents with the help of a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS and PLS-SEM. Findings: Findings revealed that job satisfaction has a significant impact on organizational commitment (β=0.457, p<0.05) and intention to stay (β=0.596, p<0.05). It was also revealed that managerial support moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and intention to stay. Originality: This study is one of the few empirical studies that have investigated the perception of millennials about their intention to stay in IT sector. The study will be beneficial for the HR experts in improving the employees’ intention to stay by focusing on giving support to their employees.
The Effects of Service Quality and Positive Recommendation on Trust Building in Mobile Banking Adoption Among the Customers of Private Banks in Myanmar

This study attempts to follow the research direction and fill the research gaps of previous studies, most notably mobile financial service landscape, specifically mobile banking (MB) services of private banks in Myanmar. The proposed research model in this study emphasizes service quality, positive recommendation, and different perspectives of trust in namely: trust in bank and trust in MB, evaluated their extent of influence on customers of private banks to adopt MB. The data was collected from 310 customers of private banks in Myanmar. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to analyze the data and investigate the hypotheses. The analysis results indicate that customer intention to adopt MB is significantly influenced by trust in MB however trust in the bank was found to be statistically insignificant. The positive recommendation plays a critical role in the improvements of trust in the bank and MB according to the research results. Although service quality is a key factor to obtaining positive recommendations and acquiring trust in the bank, it is an insignificant factor for building trust in MB. Further, trust in the bank has a significant effect on trust in MB. These findings are highly beneficial for future research studies in a similar context and bank managers to develop appropriate strategies regarding MB services in the private banking sector in Myanmar.
Epidemiology of interstitial lung diseases and their progressive-fibrosing behaviour in six European countries

The PERSEIDS study aimed to estimate incidence/prevalence of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (F-ILDs), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), systemic sclerosis-associated ILD (SSc-ILD), other non-IPF F-ILDs and their progressive-fibrosing (PF) forms in six European countries, as current data are scarce. This retrospective, two-phase study used aggregate data (2014–2018). In Phase 1, incident/prevalent cases of ILDs above were identified from clinical databases through an algorithm based on codes/keywords, and incidence/prevalence was estimated. For non-IPF F-ILDs, the relative percentage of subtypes was also determined. In Phase 2, a subset of non-IPF F-ILD cases was manually reviewed to determine the percentage of PF behaviour and usual interstitial pneumonia-like (UIP-like) pattern. A weighted mean percentage of progression was calculated for each country and used to extrapolate incidence/prevalence of progressive-fibrosing ILDs (PF-ILDs). In 2018, incidence/105 person-years ranged between 9.4 and 83.6 (ILDs), 7.7 and 76.2 (F-ILDs), 0.4 and 10.3 (IPF), 6.6 and 71.7 (non-IPF F-ILDs), and 0.3 and 1.5 (SSc-ILD); and prevalence/105 persons ranged between 33.6 and 247.4 (ILDs), 26.7 and 236.8 (F-ILDs), 2.8 and 31.0 (IPF), 22.3 and 205.8 (non-IPF F-ILDs), and 1.4 and 10.1 (SSc-ILD). Among non-IPF F-ILDs, sarcoidosis was the most frequent subtype. PF behaviour and UIP-like pattern were present in a third of non-IPF F-ILD cases each and hypersensitivity pneumonitis showed the highest percentage of progressive behaviour. Incidence of PF-ILDs ranged between 2.1 and 14.5/105 person-years, and prevalence between 6.9 and 78.0/105 persons. To our knowledge, PERSEIDS is the first study assessing incidence, prevalence and rate of progression of ILDs across several European countries. Still below the threshold for orphan diseases, the estimates obtained were higher and more variable than reported in previous studies, but differences in study design/population must be considered. The PERSEIDS study provides updated and detailed epidemiological data for ILDs across six European countries. Prevalences ranged between 26.7–236.8 (F-ILDs), 2.8–31.0 (IPF), 22.3–205.8 (non-IPF F-ILDs). A third of non-IPF F-ILD cases showed PF behaviour. https://bit.ly/3wLH7pF