Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
European consensus conference on faecal microbiota transplantation in clinical practice

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an important therapeutic option for Clostridium difficile infection. Promising findings suggest that FMT may play a role also in the management of other disorders associated with the alteration of gut microbiota. Although the health community is assessing FMT with renewed interest and patients are becoming more aware, there are technical and logistical issues in establishing such a non-standardised treatment into the clinical practice with safety and proper governance. In view of this, an evidence-based recommendation is needed to drive the practical implementation of FMT. In this European Consensus Conference, 28 experts from 10 countries collaborated, in separate working groups and through an evidence-based process, to provide statements on the following key issues: FMT indications; donor selection; preparation of faecal material; clinical management and faecal delivery and basic requirements for implementing an FMT centre. Statements developed by each working group were evaluated and voted by all members, first through an electronic Delphi process, and then in a plenary consensus conference. The recommendations were released according to best available evidence, in order to act as guidance for physicians who plan to implement FMT, aiming at supporting the broad availability of the procedure, discussing other issues relevant to FMT and promoting future clinical research in the area of gut microbiota manipulation. This consensus report strongly recommends the implementation of FMT centres for the treatment of C. difficile infection as well as traces the guidelines of technicality, regulatory, administrative and laboratory requirements.
Non-entity event argument extraction on structural representation

Currently almost all work of event argument extraction focused on extracting entity-based arguments. However, non-entity arguments also play an important semantic role in most events. Inspired by the task of speculation and negation scope detection, this paper proposes a novel structural representation-based method to extract those non-entity arguments, which regards the selected syntactic subtrees of a sentence as the candidates of non-entity arguments and directly explores the syntactic relations between the event triggers and the syntactic subtrees to recognize nonentity arguments. The experimental results show that our method improves PCS by 12.6%, compared to the baseline.
Do differences in religious affiliation explain high levels of excess mortality in the UK?

Background High levels of mortality not explained by differences in socioeconomic status (SES) have been observed for Scotland and its largest city, Glasgow, compared with elsewhere in the UK. Previous cross-sectional research highlighted potentially relevant differences in social capital, including religious social capital (the benefits of social participation in organised religion). The aim of this study was to use longitudinal data to assess whether religious affiliation (as measured in UK censuses) attenuated the high levels of Scottish excess mortality. Methods The study used the Scottish Longitudinal Study (SLS) and the ONS Longitudinal Study of England and Wales. Risk of all-cause mortality (2001–2010) was compared between residents aged 35 and 74 years of Scotland and England and Wales, and between Glasgow and Liverpool/Manchester, using Poisson regression. Models adjusted for age, gender, SES and religious affiliation. Similar country-based analyses were undertaken for suicide. Results After adjustment for age, gender and SES, all-cause mortality was 9% higher in Scotland than in England and Wales, and 27% higher in Glasgow than in Liverpool or Manchester. Religious affiliation was notably lower across Scotland; but, its inclusion in the models did not attenuate the level of Scottish excess all-cause mortality, and only marginally lowered the differences in risk of suicide. Conclusions Differences in religious affiliation do not explain the higher mortality rates in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK. However, it is possible that other aspects of religion such as religiosity or religious participation which were not assessed here may still be important.
Positive Emotional Effects of Leisure in Green Spaces in Alleviating Work–Family Spillover in Working Mothers

Studies have shown that family and work spillover affects well-being and that leisure activities can alleviate the negative effects of work-related stress on health. However, few studies have focused on investigating the effects of specific leisure activities among specific populations. To examine whether leisure activities in green spaces can promote individual recovery processes and alleviate the effects of work and family spillover on positive emotions, this study applied the effort-recovery model to a population of working mothers. Through online and paper questionnaires, sample data were collected from 221 working mothers in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the experimental hypothesis, and mediation analysis was used to determine whether leisure in green spaces is a mediating factor. The results indicated that leisure in green spaces is a mediator of the relationship of negative work and family spillover with positive emotions. In addition, strolls and park visits were found to provide greater psychological benefits to working mothers, compared with picnics.
Influence of marine and freshwater connectivity on the dynamics of subtropical estuarine wetland fish metapopulations

Estuarine wetlands have received little study in dry tropical and subtropical areas despite the fact that unpredictable rainfall makes their temporal continuity tenuous. In fact, many of these wetlands exist for much of the time as isolated pools that are remnants of extensive areas of shallow water that occur during infrequent flooding. Among the most important functional components of estuarine wetlands are the multifaceted connections between wetland units, and between wetlands and adjacent habitats, that maintain wetland integrity and allow fish to access them as nurseries. As the principal determinants of the likelihood of recolonisation, these connections are critical to metapopulation dynamics. To understand the ways in which the unique patterns of connectivity in these wetlands influence metapopulation dynamics and the compositions of fish fauna, we investigated patterns of physical and biological connectivity among estuarine wetland pools in the Fitzroy River delta of Australia’s dry subtropics. Ten wetland pools ranging in salinity from fresh to hyperhaline, and differing in periodicity of connection from weeks, through months, to years were sampled regularly from February 2004 to May 2005, using cast nets. There were 4 distinct categories of pools; isolated freshwater pools, in-stream freshwater pools, regularly connected poikilohaline pools (pools where salinity varied over time from close to fresh to hyperhaline) and infrequently connected poikilohaline pools. The catch per unit effort and size structures of fish fauna of the different pool categories reflected connectivity, which determined the extent to which both marine- and freshwater-spawned species could re-colonise pools following local extinction. Overall, factors related to recolonisation were more important than those related to extinction in determining fish assemblage structures. Moreover, in contrast to many other metapopulation situations many extinction factors were heavily influenced by connectivity rather than being independent of it.
Innovative TPV two‐phase polymers: Formulation, morphology formation, property profiles and processing characteristics

An innovative TPV two-phase polymeric system is described. The new TPV is composed of a polypropylene (PP) matrix in which a metallocene-type ethylene/octene copolymer (EO) is dispersed. The EO-copolymers are with vinyl organosilanes, then blended with PP, hydrolyzed and water-crosslinked in a co-rotating, intermeshing twin-screw extruder. The resulting TPV-grades are easy to process into articles showing an attractive range of properties. The advantages are due to blend composition and crosslinking concept. The new TPV's can be-processed without pre-drying. Moldings are characterized by excellent surface quality and absence of odor as a result of the innovative use of the EO elastomer and the modified crosslinking concept. They can easily be colored to any desirable-shade. The reduced cost of ingredients is another advantage of the newly developed thermoplastic elastomers. High ultimate strength (σ R ) and elongation-at-break (e R ) values as well as a broad spectrum of different Shore A grades open up many new fields of application. The main focus has been on the automotive applications not least because of very low fogging rates.
Decoupled lifeguards: enabling path optimizations for dynamic correctness checking tools

Dynamic correctness checking tools (a.k.a. lifeguards) can detect a wide array of correctness issues, such as memory, security, and concurrency misbehavior, in unmodified executables at run time. However, lifeguards that are implemented using dynamic binary instrumentation (DBI) often slow down the monitored application by 10-50X, while proposals that replace DBI with hardware still see 3-8X slowdowns. The remaining overhead is the cost of performing the lifeguard analysis itself. In this paper, we explore compiler optimization techniques to reduce this overhead. The lifeguard software is typically structured as a set of event-driven handlers, where the events are individual instructions in the monitored application's dynamic instruction stream. We propose to decouple the lifeguard checking code from the application that it is monitoring so that the lifeguard analysis can be invoked at the granularity of hot paths in the monitored application. In this way, we are able to find many more opportunities for eliminating redundant work in the lifeguard analysis, even starting with well-optimized applications and hand-tuned lifeguard handlers. Experimental results with two lifeguard frameworks - one DBI-based and one hardware-assisted - show significant reduction in monitoring overhead.
CONCEPTUAL PERFORMANCE CRITERIA FOR ASPHALT MIXTURES

The empirical nature of performing mix designs has led to significant differences in the volumetric composition for an acceptable asphalt mix. A key to successful mix design is the balance between the volumetric composition and the raw materials used (binder, aggregate, filler, and additives) at specific climatic and traffic conditions. Thus, a balanced design can be achieved only when the climatic considerations are taken into account while selecting the volumetric criteria. A delicate balance between mixture stiffness and shear strength appears to provide the key to a successful design. Based on these findings, fundamentally-based conceptual performance criteria are presented. The criteria rely on stiffness and shear strength to explain the mechanical behavior of asphalt mixtures.
Fractal unit-design principle of product innovation design

Fractal is broadly applied in both natural and social sciences. Fractal art represents an application of fractal theory in the art field. Fractal unit design principle is the design language of fractal. This paper intends to provide a brief introduction to the basic concepts of fractal and fractal unit, with an emphasis on fractal unit design principle, a new language for design, and its application via some examples.
Socioeconomic and Human Behavioral Factors Associated With Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Immature Habitat in Tucson, AZ

Abstract Aedes aegypti (L.; Diptera: Culicidae) has been established in the southwestern United States for several decades, but relationships between humans and mosquitoes in this arid region are not well-characterized. In August 2012, the outdoor premises of 355 houses within 20 neighborhoods in Tucson, Arizona were surveyed for containers that could provide larval habitat for Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. At the same time, a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) questionnaire was administered to a resident of each house surveyed for immature mosquitoes. The KAP questionnaire assessed respondents' knowledge and concerns about vector-borne illnesses as well as practices they used to avoid mosquitoes. Of the houses surveyed, 91% had at least one container present, and 64% had at least one container with standing water. On average, each house had 2.2 containers with water at the time of the survey. The overall House Index (proportion of premises surveyed with at least one container with Ae. aegypti immatures present) was 13%. Based on questionnaire responses, there was a significant positive association between the number of residents in the home and the odds of finding Ae. aegypti positive containers on the premises, while household income showed a significant negative association. The reported frequency of checking for standing water was also significantly associated with the odds of finding immatures, although the nature of this association was ambiguous. Flower pots were the principal type of container with Ae. aegypti larvae. These findings show that larval habitat is widely available even in an arid environment and city with good housing and sanitation infrastructure.
Comparative Proteomics Reveals Differences in Host-Pathogen Interaction between Infectious and Commensal Relationship with Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading food-borne poisoning in industrialized countries. While the bacteria causes disease in humans, it merely colonizes the gut in poultry or pigs, where seems to establish a commensal relationship. Until now, few studies have been conducted to elucidate the relationship between C. jejuni and its different hosts. In this work, a comparative proteomics approach was used to identify the underlying mechanisms involved in the divergent outcome following C. jejuni infection in human and porcine host. Human (INT-407) and porcine (IPEC-1) intestinal cell lines were infected by C. jejuni for 3 h (T3h) and 24 h (T24h). C. jejuni infection prompted an intense inflammatory response at T3h in human intestinal cells, mainly characterized by expression of proteins involved in cell spreading, cell migration and promotion of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Proteomic analysis evidenced significantly regulated biofunctions in human cells related with engulfment and endocytosis, and supported by canonical pathways associated to infection such as caveolar- and clathrin-mediated endocytosis signaling. In porcine IPEC-1 cells, inflammatory response as well as signaling pathways that control cellular functions such as cell migration, endocytosis and cell cycle progression resulted downregulated. These differences in the host response to infection were supported by the different pattern of adhesion and invasion proteins expressed by C. jejuni in human and porcine cells. No marked differences in expression of virulence factors involved in adaptive response and iron acquisition functions were observed. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that both host and pathogen factors are responsible for commensal or infectious character of C. jejuni in different hosts.
etermining synaptic parameters using high-frequency activation

Background: The specific properties of a synapse determine how neuronal activity evokes neurotransmitter release. Evaluating changes in synaptic properties during sustained activity is essential to understanding how genetic manipulations and neuromodulators regulate neurotransmitter release. Analyses of postsynaptic responses to high-frequency stimulation have provided estimates of the size of the readily-releasable pool (RRP) of vesicles (N0) and the probability of vesicular release (p) at multiple synapses. New method: Here, we introduce a model-based approach at the calyx of Held synapse in which depletion and the rate of replenishment (R) determine the number of available vesicles, and facilitation leads to a use-dependent increase in p when initial p is low. Results: When p is high and R is low, we find excellent agreement between estimates based on all three methods and the model. However, when p is low or when significant replenishment occurs between stimuli, estimates of different methods diverge, and model estimates are between the extreme estimates provided by the other approaches. Comparison with other methods: We compare our model-based approach to three other approaches that rely on different simplifying assumptions. Our findings suggest that our model provides a better estimate of N0 and p than previously-established methods, likely due to inaccurate assumptions about replenishment. More generally, our findings suggest that approaches commonly used to estimate N0 and p at other synapses are often applied under experimental conditions that yield inaccurate estimates. Conclusions: Careful application of appropriate methods can greatly improve estimates of synaptic param-
Process Modeling in Brazilian Public Administrations: The domain-specific PICTURE approach

This paper discusses a process modeling case, which applies a semantic building block-based approach as a means for business process modeling in Brazilian municipal public administrations (MPA). It derives a set of distinctive requirements to process modeling methods that are refined to the specific demands of Brazilian MPAs. We introduce the modeling method PICTURE and discuss whether and why its application in Brazilian MPAs is appropriate. We evaluate it against the before mentioned set of requirements. It could be shown that PICTURE delivers valuable support for Brazilian MPA process modeling projects.
Getting personal with prostate cancer: DNA‐repair defects and olaparib in metastatic prostate cancer

Despite the progress that has been made in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, many patients with metastatic prostate cancer still progress to hormone resistance. Development of new agents has greatly expanded the treatment options for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), but their impact on survival outcomes has been limited. There remains an acute need for improvements in the prognostic assessment and targeted treatment of mCRPC. The recent study by Mateo et al. [1] not only offers a novel therapeutic agent, olaparib, but demonstrates the feasibility of targeted treatment for mCRPC.
Molecular Imprinted Polymer Based Electrode for Sensing Catechin (+C) in Green Tea

Green tea is believed to be a healthy beverage due to a number of therapeutic benefits. Catechin, one of its constituents, is an important antioxidant and possesses free radical scavenging abilities. This paper demonstrates a low cost solution related to the sensing of catechin (+C) using the principle of molecular imprinted polymer technique. Here the electrode was synthesized using the co-polymer of acrylonitrile and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and was subsequently imprinted with catechin. The material was extensively characterized using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscope and field emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry using the three electrode system were employed for determining the electrochemical characteristics of the proposed electrode. It exhibited a linear range from 5 to 100 $\mu \text{M}$ with the limit of detection of 37 nm (S/N = 3). On studying the analytical characteristics, the electrode was found to be repeatable, reproducible, and offered a good selectivity. Our sensing device was subjected to green tea samples in order to study their catechin content. A partial least square regression model was developed for correlating the response with that of the high performance liquid chromatography data and it resulted in a prediction accuracy of about 92%.
Enhancing the Adaptability of the Deep-Sea Bacterium Shewanella piezotolerans WP3 to High Pressure and Low Temperature by Experimental Evolution under H2O2 Stress

ABSTRACT Oxidative stresses commonly exist in natural environments, and microbes have developed a variety of defensive systems to counteract such events. Although increasing evidence has shown that high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and low temperature (LT) induce antioxidant defense responses in cells, there is no direct evidence to prove the connection between antioxidant defense mechanisms and the adaptation of bacteria to HHP and LT. In this study, using the wild-type (WT) strain of a deep-sea bacterium, Shewanella piezotolerans WP3, as an ancestor, we obtained a mutant, OE100, with an enhanced antioxidant defense capacity by experimental evolution under H2O2 stress. Notably, OE100 exhibited better tolerance not only to H2O2 stress but also to HHP and LT (20 MPa and 4°C, respectively). Whole-genome sequencing identified a deletion mutation in the oxyR gene, which encodes the transcription factor that controls the oxidative stress response. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that the genes associated with oxidative stress defense, anaerobic respiration, DNA repair, and the synthesis of flagella and bacteriophage were differentially expressed in OE100 compared with the WT at 20 MPa and 4°C. Genetic analysis of oxyR and ccpA2 indicated that the OxyR-regulated cytochrome c peroxidase CcpA2 significantly contributed to the adaptation of WP3 to HHP and LT. Taken together, these results confirmed the inherent relationship between antioxidant defense mechanisms and the adaptation of a benthic microorganism to HHP and LT. IMPORTANCE Oxidative stress exists in various niches, including the deep-sea ecosystem, which is an extreme environment with conditions of HHP and predominantly LT. Although previous studies have shown that HHP and LT induce antioxidant defense responses in cells, direct evidence to prove the connection between antioxidant defense mechanisms and the adaptation of bacteria to HHP and LT is lacking. In this work, using the deep-sea bacterium Shewanella piezotolerans WP3 as a model, we proved that enhancement of the adaptability of WP3 to HHP and LT can benefit from its antioxidant defense mechanism, which provided useful insight into the ecological roles of antioxidant genes in a benthic microorganism and contributed to an improved understanding of microbial adaptation strategies in deep-sea environments.
Association of Markers of Hemostasis With Death in HIV-Infected Women

Abstract:In HIV negatives, markers of hemostasis, including D-dimer, factor VIII, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen (PAI-1), and total protein S are associated with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. In HIV positives, studies of D-dimer and factor VIII with death were limited to short follow-up; associations of PAI-1 and total protein S with death have not been examined. In 674 HIV-infected women from the Women's Interagency HIV Study, markers from the first visit after enrollment were exposures of interest in multivariate analyses of death (AIDS and non-AIDS) in separate models at 5 and 16 years. There were 87 AIDS and 44 non-AIDS deaths at 5 years, and 159 AIDS and 113 non-AIDS deaths at 16 years. An inverse association of total protein S quartiles with non-AIDS deaths was observed at 5 (P trend = 0.002) and 16 years (P trend = 0.02); there was no association with AIDS deaths. The third quartile of PAI-1 was associated with AIDS deaths at 5 [hazard ratio (HR) = 4.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9 to 8.4] and 16 years (HR = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.9 to 5.9); and with non-AIDS deaths at 5 years (HR = 4.8; 95% CI: 1.6 to 13.9). D-dimer and factor VIII were not associated with AIDS or non-AIDS death at 5 or 16 years. Lower total Protein S was a consistent marker of non-AIDS death. We found no association between D-dimer with AIDS or non-AIDS death, in contrast to previous studies showing increased short-term (<5 years) mortality, which may represent sex differences or population heterogeneity. Given longer survival on highly active antiretroviral therapy, further studies of these markers are needed to determine their prognostic value.