Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the Impact of Local Collaborative Tools on Urban Sustainability Efforts: Does the Managerial Environment Matter?

Collaborative management is thought to enhance policy implementation in urban settings by overcoming governmental fragmentation, creating greater goal consensus, increasing access to resources, and facilitating policy learning. However, empirical studies of this relationship are conspicuously absent, limiting researchers’ ability to predict how collaborative tools will directly and indirectly affect local implementation outcomes. This article investigates the effects of inter- and intralocal collaboration on the implementation of urban sustainability practices, and investigates interaction relationships to test whether two managerial environmental factors—administrative capacity and stakeholder support—influence the effectiveness of collaborative tools. Drawing data from a national survey, the analysis finds evidence that the effectiveness of collaborative tools depends on the policy target, and that administrative capacity and stakeholder support influence the effectiveness of collaboration in policy implementation. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for how public managers utilize collaborative tools in urban sustainability governance.
Tissue penetration of moxifloxacin into human gallbladder wall in patients with biliary tract infections.

OBJECTIVES Moxifloxacin, the newest fourth-generation fluoroquinolone, has a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity covering both Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and is therefore very well suited for the treatment of biliary tract infections. The present study aimed to determine the penetration of moxifloxacin into gallbladder tissue to evaluate its antibiotic potential in this indication. PATIENTS AND METHODS Hospitalized patients with acute cholecystitis received a single, 1 h infusion of 400 mg of moxifloxacin before cholecystectomy. Serum and gallbladder wall tissue samples were collected during surgery, and the moxifloxacin concentrations were measured by HPLC. RESULTS Sixteen patients (eight men and eight women) were included between January 2007 and April 2008. The time between start of infusion and gallbladder removal ranged from 50 min to 21 h 10 min. The serum concentration at the time of cholecystectomy was between 0.39 and 4.37 mg/L, and the tissue concentration between 1.73 and 17.08 mg/kg. The tissue-to-serum concentration ratio ranged from 1.72 to 6.33. CONCLUSIONS The results show that moxifloxacin penetrates well into gallbladder tissue and is therefore a therapeutic option for biliary tract infection. The highest concentrations in serum and gallbladder tissue were measured shortly after the end of a 1 h infusion. As perioperative prophylaxis, moxifloxacin should therefore be administered 30-60 min before the first surgical incision.
Return to work: Police personnel and PTSD.

OBJECTIVE This study i) describes the number of police personnel with PTSD who are working and those who are on sick leave before and after an out-patient-clinic treatment program and ii) examines which factors are related to return to work. PARTICIPANTS Police personnel treated for PTSD (n=121). METHODS In this retrospective study all police officers had an intake interview before and an outtake interview following a 16-week treatment for PTSD. Information about several personal characteristics, PTSD complaints, and work related factors were gathered. A t-test and chi-square test were used to evaluate differences between working police personnel and police personnel on sick leave at intake and outtake. Binary logistic regression was used to test whether the intake data were related to returning to work at outtake. RESULTS At the start of the treatment half of the police personnel were on sick leave (n=59) and at outtake 48 participants who were not working at intake had returned to work. None of the variables at intake contributed significantly to return to work at outtake. CONCLUSION The majority of police officers returned to work after the treatment program. We recommend that attention be paid to successful return to work as part of the treatment program, therefore the occupational health professional and employer should be involved.
Enhancement of Laser Cancer Treatment by a Chitosan-derived Immunoadjuvant¶

Abstract A chitosan derivative, glycated chitosan (GC), has been used as an immunostimulant for cancer treatment in laser immunotherapy. The function of GC is to enhance the host immune response after direct cancer cell destruction by a selective laser photothermal interaction. To further test its effects, laser immunotherapy was extended to include several different adjuvants for immunological stimulation and to include photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a different tumor-destruction mechanism. Complete Freund (CF) adjuvant, incomplete Freund (IF) adjuvant and Corynebacterium parvum (CP) were selected for treatment of metastatic mammary tumors in rats, in combination with a selective photothermal interaction. The solution of the immunoadjuvants admixed with indocyanine green (ICG), a light-absorbing dye, was injected directly into the tumors, followed by noninvasive irradiation of an 805 nm laser. Combined with PDT, in the treatment of tumors in mice, GC was administered peritumorally immediately after laser irradiation. The survivals of treated animals were compared with untreated control animals. In the treatment of rat tumors, CF, IF and CP raised the cure rates from 0% to 18%, 7% and 9%, respectively. In comparison, GC resulted in a 29% long-term survival. In the treatment of EMT6 mammary sarcoma in mice, GC of 0.5% and 1.5% concentrations increased the cure rates of Photofrin-based PDT treatment from 38% to 63% and 75%, respectively. In the treatment of Line 1 lung adenocarcinoma in mice, a 1.67% GC solution enabled a noncurative meso-substituted tetra(meta-hydroxy-phenyl)chlorin–based PDT to cure 37% of the tumor-bearing mice. The experimental results of this study confirmed our previous studies, showing that immunoadjuvants played an active role in laser-related cancer treatment and that GC significantly enhanced the efficacy of laser cancer treatment.
EGF stimulates gastrin promoter through activation of Sp1 kinase activity.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor activation stimulates gastrin gene expression through a GC-rich element called gastrin EGF response element (gERE). This element is bound by Sp1 family members and is a target of the ras-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) signal transduction cascade. This raised the possibility that Sp1 may be phosphorylated by kinases of this signaling pathway. Erk is capable of phosphorylating other mitogen-inducible transcription factors, e.g., Elk and Sap, suggesting that Erk may also mediate EGF-dependent phosphorylation of Sp1. This possibility was tested by studying Sp1-dependent kinase activity in extracts prepared from EGF-activated AGS cells by use of solid-phase kinase assays and immunoprecipitation of metabolically labeled Sp1. The results revealed that Sp1 kinase activity (like gastrin promoter activation) is inhibited by PD-98059 and, therefore, is dependent on mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (Mek 1). However, EGF-dependent activation of endogenous Erk did not account for most of the Sp1 kinase activity, since Erk and additional Sp1 kinase activity analyzed in a solid-phase kinase assay eluted from an ion-exchange column in different fractions. Phosphoamino acid analysis of in vivo radiolabeled Sp1 demonstrated that the kinase phosphorylates Sp1 on Ser and Thr in response to EGF. Therefore, most EGF-stimulated Sp1 kinase activity is Mek 1 dependent and distinct from Erk.
An adaptive actuator failure compensation scheme for landing of a helicopter with robotic legs

This paper develops an adaptive actuator failure compensation scheme for landing of a helicopter with robotic legs. The adaptive control design uses an integration of multiple failure compensator controllers designed for each actuator failure pattern. Such a design effectively utilizes the actuation redundancy of the robotic manipulators, using for landing of a helicopter, to compensate for possible actuator failures with no knowledge of actuator failure pattern, failure time instant and failure values. With complete parameterization of system and actuator failure uncertainties and direct adaptation of controller parameters, the adaptive control scheme guarantees desired closed-loop stability and asymptotic output tracking, despite uncertain actuator failures. Simulation results are presented to verify the desired system performance.
Permanent Draft Genome Sequence for Frankia sp. Strain CeD, a Nitrogen-Fixing Actinobacterium Isolated from the Root Nodules of Casuarina equistifolia Grown in Senegal

ABSTRACT Frankia strain CeD is a member of Frankia lineage Ib that is able to reinfect plants of the Casuarina families. Here, we report a 5.0-Mbp draft genome sequence with a G+C content of 70.1% and 3,847 candidate protein-encoding genes.
Islamic Microfinance and Poverty Alleviation : An Empirical Ascertainment from Pakistan

Islamic Microfinance (IMF) is an emerging mode for empowering the poor. The current study has been devised to observe the implications of IMF on the assets and poverty status of the households who borrowed from three pioneering organizations i.e. Akhuwat Foundation, Farz Foundation and NAYMAT based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Pre and post project approach was rendered to observe the impacts of microfinance on the targeted respondents. In this regard, purposive sampling was employed for data collection to avoid randomized error where self-administered structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Foster, Greer and Thorbecke measures of poverty assessment were used to achieve the objectives of the study. Results exhibited positive impacts of Islamic microfinance on the lives of the poor. This study is a contribution in the literature as there is no empirical study about the impact casted by the Islamic microfinance in Pakistan.
Validation and adaptation of rapid neurodevelopmental assessment instrument for infants in Guatemala.

BACKGROUND Timely detection of neurodevelopmental impairments in children can prompt referral for critical services that may prevent permanent disability. However, screening of impairments is a significant challenge in low-resource countries. We adapted and validated the rapid neurodevelopmental assessment (RNDA) instrument developed in Bangladesh to assess impairment in nine domains: primitive reflexes, gross and fine motor development, vision, hearing, speech, cognition, behaviour and seizures. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 77 infants (0-12 months) in rural Guatemala in July 2012 and July 2013. We assessed inter-rater reliability and predictive validity between the 27-item RNDA and the 325-item Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III) and concurrent validity based on chronic malnutrition, a condition associated with neurodevelopmental impairments. For both RNDA and BSID-III, standardized scores below 80 were defined as borderline impairment. RESULTS Children came from rural households (92%), were born to indigenous women of Mayan descent (73%) and had moderate or severe growth stunting (43%). Inter-rater reliability for eight RNDA domains was of moderate to high reliability (weighted κ coefficients, 0.49-0.99). Children screened positive for impairment in fine motor (17%) and gross motor (14%) domains using the RNDA. The RNDA had good concurrent ability; infants who were growth stunted had higher mean levels of impairment in gross motor, speech and cognition domains (all p < 0.001). The RNDA took 20-30 min to complete compared with 45-60 min for BSID-III. CONCLUSIONS Wide-scale implementation of a simple, valid and reliable screening tool like the RNDA by community health workers would facilitate early screening and referral of infants at-risk for neurodevelopmental impairment.
Recognition of power quality events using DT-DWT based Complex Wavelet Transform

This paper presents the use of DT-DWT (Dual Tree-Discrete Wavelet Transform) based CWT (Complex Wavelet Transform) technique for detecting and localizing the power quality (PQ) events like sag, swell, interruption, harmonics, transients and flicker. CWT is the complex valued extension to the standard DWT (Discrete Wavelet Transform) which suffers from the limitations like shift sensitivity, poor directionality and the absence of the phase information. A data base of these events is generated in MATLAB from the numerical models of these events within the parameters as per IEEE-1159 standard. Various features like mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, energy, entropy etc. are extracted to detect PQ events. An ANN (Artificial Neural Network) technique is used as a classifier and the classification results are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the DT-DWT based CWT.
Modelling and design of cost efficient novel digital controller for brushless DC motor drive

It is predicted that electric vehicles would set the trend for transportation in future due to their sustainability, efficiency and zero greenhouse gas emission. In recent days, the Brushless DC (BLDC) motor is being mainly used in electric vehicles and is also used extensively in industrial automation, aerospace, instrumentation and automotive industry since the 70's. It is a novel type of brushless motor that is commutated electronically instead of using brushes. This paper presents the fabrication of a cost efficient IC for control of BLDC motors. A simple novel digital pulse width modulation control has been implemented for BLDC motor drive system. In future the same design can be used to develop a low-cost application specific integrated circuit due to the simplistic nature of the control. In this system the controller deals the BLDC motor as a digital system. The BLDC motor can be operated in high state, low state, skip state and regenerative state. In addition, this technique utilizes low side current sensing. The specialised design strategy helps to realize a low cost advanced simple controller for BLDC motor. This can result in a considerable reduction of size and the cost of the systems that use these controllers. This can be a stepping stone for their use commercially.
Exploring the Foundations of the Future STEM Workforce: K-12 Indicators of Postsecondary STEM Success. REL 2016-122.

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest conducted this literature review to identify malleable factors that can be measured in K–12 settings and that predict students’ postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) success (defined as enrolling in, persisting in, and completing a postsecondary STEM major or degree), particularly for Hispanic students. The review found that courses taken in high school and interest or confidence in STEM were strong predictors of postsecondary STEM success for students of all racial/ethnic subgroups. Yet racial/ethnic minority students were less likely than White students to take the highest level math and science courses, and despite similar levels of STEM interest, racial/ethnic minority students were less likely to achieve postsecondary STEM success. Other indicators of postsecondary STEM success included high school grade point average, class rank, math and science achievement, and SAT or ACT scores. Grades in math and science courses were found to be less predictive of postsecondary STEM success for racial/ethnic minority students than for White students.
Identification of Host Proteins Involved in Rickettsial Invasion of Tick Cells

ABSTRACT Tick-borne spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species are obligate intracellular bacteria capable of infecting both vertebrate and invertebrate host cells, an essential process for subsequent bacterial survival in distinct hosts. The host cell signaling molecules involved in the uptake of Rickettsia into mammalian and Drosophila cells have been identified; however, invasion into tick cells is understudied. Considering the movement of SFG Rickettsia between vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, the hypothesis is that conserved mechanisms are utilized for host cell invasion. The current study employed biochemical inhibition assays to determine the tick proteins involved in Rickettsia montanensis infection of tick-derived cells from a natural host, Dermacentor variabilis. The results revealed several tick proteins important for rickettsial invasion, including actin filaments, actin-related protein 2/3 complex, phosphatidylinositol-3′-kinase, protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), Src family PTK, focal adhesion kinase, Rho GTPase Rac1, and neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein. Delineating the molecular mechanisms of rickettsial infection is critical to a thorough understanding of rickettsial transmission in tick populations and the ecology of tick-borne rickettsial diseases.
Newly Discovered Penicillin Acylase Activity of Aculeacin A Acylase from Actinoplanes utahensis

ABSTRACT Aculeacin A acylase from Actinoplanes utahensis produced by Streptomyces lividans revealed acylase activities that are able to hydrolyze penicillin V and several natural aliphatic penicillins. Penicillin K was the best substrate, showing a catalytic efficiency of 34.79 mM−1 s−1. Furthermore, aculeacin A acylase was highly thermostable, with a midpoint transition temperature of 81.5°C.
Normal Sensation of the Human Face and Neck

A total of 116 adult volunteers were studied to determine normal values for static two-point discrimination and sensation of pressure of the head and neck. Thirteen regions of the head and neck corresponding to major sensory innervation were examined bilaterally for static two-point discrimination with the Mackinnon-Dellon Disk-Criminator and for sensation of pressure with Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. Perception of two-point discrimination improved from lateral and posterior areas (17 to 25 mm) to the midline toward the lips (3 to 7 mm). Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments proved inadequate in determining sensitivity to cutaneous pressure because of low thresholds in the face and neck. Static two-point discrimination is a reliably reproducible method for assessing sensation of the face and neck. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 93: 1141, 1994.)
Interleaved 31P MRS imaging of human frontal and occipital lobes using dual RF coils in combination with single‐channel transmitter–receiver and dynamic B0 shimming

In vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a unique tool for the non‐invasive study of brain energy metabolism and mitochondrial function. The assessment of bioenergetic impairment in different brain regions is essential to understand the pathophysiology and progression of human brain diseases. This article presents a simple and effective approach which allows the interleaved measurement of 31P spectra and imaging from two distinct human brain regions of interest with dynamic B0 shimming capability. A transistor–transistor logic controller was employed to actively switch the single‐channel X‐nuclear radiofrequency (RF) transmitter–receiver between two 31P RF surface coils, enabling the interleaved acquisition of two 31P free induction decays (FIDs) from human occipital and frontal lobes within the same repetition time. Linear gradients were incorporated into the RF pulse sequence to perform the first‐order dynamic shimming to further improve spectral resolution. The overall results demonstrate that the approach provides a cost‐effective and time‐efficient solution for reliable 31P MRS measurement of cerebral phosphate metabolites and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) metabolic fluxes from two human brain regions with high detection sensitivity and spectral quality at 7 T. The same design concept can be extended to acquire multiple spectra from more than two brain regions or can be employed for other magnetic resonance applications beyond the 31P spin.
[Number of nurses and adverse events: the results of a study].

UNLABELLED Number of nurses and adverse events: the results of a study. Introduction. Adverse events may be related to an higher workload and a lower nurse staffing level compared to patients needs. OBJECTIVE To assess the association between adverse events and lower nurse staffing level compared to patients workload, measured with the Nursing Activity Score (NAS). METHOD The daily workload of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of San Gerardo Hospital (Monza) from December 15, 2009 to May 9, 2010 was measured with the NAS. The scores were correlated with the number of nurses on shift over 24 hours, the bed occupancy rate and the adverse events occurred. RESULTS Out of a population of 240 patients for a follow-up period of 145 days, 45 adverse events were observed. In the days with events the difference between ideal and actual nurses requirement amounted to -7.68% (±8.84). On days without events, the difference was 0.44% (±7.96) (p value 0.0001). In the days with events patients received less minutes of care than needed -110.66 (±127), and on days without events an excess of minutes of care 6.40 (±115) minutes /patient. The average NAS score of patients with events was 81.88 (±10.00); 73.54 (±13.83) of those without events (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS In the period observed adverse events occurred mainly when the difference between patients workload according to NAS and minutes of care provided by nurses on shift was higher.
Impact of Helicobacter pylori infection on gastric cancer incidence in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama study.

BACKGROUND Several nested case-control studies have reported the potentially causal relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric cancer. However, there has been no prospective study evaluating this issue. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of H pylori infection on gastric cancer occurrence in a general Japanese population (Hisayama, Japan) stratified according to sex, using a prospective study design. METHODS A total of 2602 subjects aged 40 years or older (1070 men; mean age, 57 years; 1532 women; mean age, 59 years) without a history of gastrectomy or gastric cancer were classified according to the status of the serum IgG antibodies to H pylori and observed prospectively for 9 years from 1988. RESULTS Infection of H pylori was more common in men (71.5%) than in women (62.5%; P<.001). The age-adjusted incidence of gastric cancer for men (5.3 per 1000 person-years) was 4-fold higher than that for women (1.3; P<.001). In men, the age-adjusted incidence of gastric cancer was significantly higher in the subjects with H pylori infection than in those without it (6.2 vs 2.5; relative risk, 2.59 [95% confidence interval, 1.03-6.50]), whereas no significant difference was observed in women (1.2 vs 1.1; relative risk, 0.99 [95% confidence interval, 0.36-2.68]). These results were similar even after controlling for other risk factors in multivariate analysis. It was estimated that 40.1% of gastric cancers for men in this cohort were attributable to H pylori infection. CONCLUSION A significant relationship exists between infection with H pylori and subsequent occurrence of gastric cancer for men but not for women in this Japanese population.