Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin E blended Uhmwpe may have the potential to reduce bacterial adhesive ability

Biomaterial‐associated infection (BAI), a clinical problem resulting in septic failure of joint replacement implants, is initiated by bacterial adhesion, often by Staphylococcus epidermidis. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a material of choice for joint replacement; reducing the adhesion of S. epidermidis to the polymer could be a means to decrease infection. We examined the adhesion of two ATCC and one clinical strain of S. epidermidis to standard polyethylene (PE), vitamin E blended UHMWPE (VE‐PE), and oxidized UHMWPE (OX‐PE) after different incubation times: a significant (p < 0.01) decrease in the adhered staphylococci on VE‐PE and a significantly higher incidence of the dislodged biofilm bacteria on OX‐PE was observed compared with that registered on PE. With attenuated total reflectance (ATR)–FTIR spectroscopy before and after suspension in bacterial medium for 48 h, new absorptions were observed mainly in OX‐PE, indicating adsorption of protein‐like substances on the polymer surface. We hypothesized that the different hydrophilicity of the surfaces with different chemical characteristics influenced protein adsorption and bacterial adhesion. These results may have clinical implications concerning the prevention of septic loosening: the VE‐PE could have the potential to reduce S. epidermidis adhesive ability if the preliminary data observed in these selected strains is further confirmed, as diversity among clinical strains is well known. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29:1662–1667, 2011
A review of the genus Metalype Klapálek, with descriptions of three new species from China (Trichoptera, Psychomyiidae)

Abstract Three new species of Metalype from China, Metalype hubeiensis Qiu & Morse, sp. n. , Metalype shexianensis Qiu & Morse, sp. n. , and Metalype truncata Qiu & Morse, sp. n. , are described and illustrated. Metalype uncatissima (Botosaneanu, 1970) is reported from China for the first time. The differences between genus Metalype and genus Psychomyia are discussed and four Psychomyia species are transferred to Metalype: Metalype holzenthali (Schmid, 1997); Metalype klapaleki (Malicky, 1995a); Metalype kumari (Schmid, 1997); and Metalype nithaiah (Malicky, 2014). A key to the males of Metalype species of the world is provided.
Revisiting the Dynamic Relationship between Macroeconomic Fundamentals and Stock Prices: An Evidence from Indian Stock Market

The relationship between stock prices and macroeconomic variables varies across countries, time periods, datasets used, and the frequency of data used. Thus, an in-depth study to reinvestigate the relationship between selected macroeconomic variables i.e. inflation rate, exchange rate, index of industrial production, gold price, money supply and yields on treasury bills, and Indian stock market for the period of April 2005 to March 2014 has been carried out. In this study Johansen’s cointegration test, vector error correction model (VECM), impulse response functions (IRFs), and variance decomposition (VDCs) test have been applied. The results of Johansen cointegration test indicates a significant negative relationship between exchange rate, inflation rate, and index of industrial production with stock prices whereas there exists a significantly positive relationship of money supply and yield on treasury bills with stock prices. Vector error correction model helps to determine both short and long run causal relationship between macroeconomic variables and stock price. The results found short run causality runs from exchange rate to Nifty, Nifty to money supply, and inflation rate whereas long run causality found from Nifty to short term interest rate and money supply.
Investigation of Multiple Decoupled Coil Primary Pad Topologies in Lumped IPT Systems for Interoperable Electric Vehicle Charging

Today many vehicle manufacturers are interested in an inductive power transfer system design with a secondary side that is simple and low in cost, weight, and size. To achieve this, a more sophisticated primary side design is required to ensure interoperability with various magnetic topologies. Simple secondary pads such as the circular pad and double-D pad (DDP) (similar to the flat solenoid) can only couple either the perpendicular or parallel component of flux entering the surface of the pad respectively. This paper investigates using various known multiple coil pad designs as the primary that can be switched between various excitation modes during operation, without making tuning or other expensive adjustments. The primary pads considered here include; the DDP, the double-D quadrature pad (DDQP) and the bipolar pad (BPP). Results show that the mutually coupled structure of the DDP primary makes it a poor choice for interoperability, whereas the DDQP and BPP are able to achieve good results because of the decoupled coil structures inherent in their design. The DDQP has improved leakage characteristics while the BPP shows better interoperability characteristics with improved material usage efficiency and is easy to drive because of its identical coil structures.
A Review of Case Studies Related to Distance Education in Developing Countries

Many educational institutions are answering this challenge by developing distance education prog.rams. At its most basic level, distance education takes place when a teacher and student(s) are separated by physical distance. and technology (Le., voice. video. data. and print). often in concert with face-to-face communication. is used to bridge the instructional gap. These types of program can provide adults with a second chance at a college education. reach those disadvantaged by limited time. distance or physical disability. and update the knowledge base of workers at their places of employment. Of course. the reason distance learning is such a hot topic right now is that it provides what training departments are desperate for cheaper. faster, and sometimes more effective training that can reach a bigger audience.
Dephosphorylation of microtubule‐associated protein tau by protein phosphatase 5

Protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) is a 58‐kDa novel phosphoseryl/phosphothreonyl protein phosphatase. It is ubiquitously expressed in all mammalian tissues examined, with a high level in the brain, but little is known about its physiological substrates. We found that this phosphatase dephosphorylated recombinant tau phosphorylated with cAMP‐dependent protein kinase and glycogen synthase kinase‐3β, as well as abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau isolated from brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The specific activity of PP5 toward tau was comparable to those reported with other protein substrates examined to date. The PP5 activity toward tau was stimulated by arachidonic acid by 30‐ to 45‐fold. Immunostaining demonstrated that PP5 was primarily cytoplasmic in PC12 cells and in neurons of postmortem human brain tissue. A small pool of PP5 associated with microtubules. Expression of active PP5 in PC12 cells resulted in reduced phosphorylation of tau, suggesting that PP5 can also dephosphorylate tau in cells. These results suggest that PP5 plays a role in the dephosphorylation of tau and might be involved in the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Emergence of MRSA clone ST22 in healthy young adults in the community in the absence of risk factors

SUMMARY One thousand adults aged between 18 and 35 years were investigated for nasal colonization with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Each volunteer completed a questionnaire to assess the presence or absence of risk factors for hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) carriage. All MRSA isolated were characterized by microbiological and molecular methods. A S. aureus carriage rate of 22% and a MRSA carriage rate of 0·7% were observed. Analysis of the questionnaires revealed 121 individuals with HA-MRSA risk factors. Subsequently two MRSA infections with associated risk factors were excluded from calculation of the true carriage rate and an adjusted rate of 0·57% (5/879) was established. All seven MRSA isolates expressed the genotypic profile ST22-MRSA-IV, were PVL negative, agr type 1, and differed only by their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. ST22-MRSA-IV (EMRSA-15) has shown worldwide spread in the hospital setting but has not been previously documented in isolation in the community.
The economic value of releasing parasitoid for the control of maize stemborers in East and Southern Africa

The braconid larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes Cameron was introduced from Asia into East and Southern African region starting in 1993 to control the invasive exotic maize stemborer Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). A quasi-experiment was constructed using farmers that applied sublethal dosages of pesticide in assessing the counterfactual for the impact of the establishment of the introduced parasitoid in five countries in the region. Logistic regression method was used to estimate the probability that farmers’ would inadvertently exclude parasitoids in their maize field. Thereafter the propensity score matching method was used to find corresponding farmers excluding parasitoids among those who did not for yield comparison. The geographical information system (GIS) application software with ecological, agricultural and land cover data bases was used to classify and select the ecological zones surveyed, to estimate the spread of the parasitoid. Results indicate a rampant use of pesticides at sublethal dosage across the countries. Intensifying maize production by is likely to improve the effectiveness of parasitoids. The annual value of the economic impact of the introduced parasitoid is estimated to range from US $ 43 m – 76 m. It is apparent that the appropriate matching algorithm depends on the distribution of yield data available. The study demonstrates the potential of using biological agents to improve yields among the poor households who can seldom afford purchased inputs.
Fully asynchronous neural paradigm

In this paper, a new integrate-and-fire neural model is proposed. In order to obtain an asynchronous behaviour, a different delay time is assigned to every firing process, in function of the inner dynamics of the single neuron. This model allows also an efficient computer simulation, which has been implemented with MATLAB and supports up to a hundred of thousands of neurons. Simulations show an auto-confinement property: when proper input is given, we observe a specific neural group selection in which the activity appears in a quite high level, while it remains lower in the regions among different groups. When the considered input is terminated, activity seems to remain stable, acting as a memory of some past input event.
Post-traumatic growth in adult survivors of brain injury: a qualitative study of participants completing a pilot trial of brief positive psychotherapy

Abstract Purpose: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) can occur following acquired brain injury (ABI). It has been proposed that people experiencing psychological distress following ABI may benefit from a positive psychotherapy intervention (PPT) aimed at increasing well-being; PPT may also influence PTG. We aimed to investigate PTG experiences in participants of a positive psychotherapy pilot trial. Methods: ABI survivors who had received PPT or treatment as usual (TAU) were interviewed individually after the end of the trial. Thematic analysis was conducted, to code transcripts for known themes from PTG literature as well as newly emerging themes. Results: Four participants (age = 46–62; n = 3 male; months since injury = 11–20) from the PPT group and three (age = 58–74; n = 2 male; months since injury = 9–22) from the TAU group were interviewed. Six themes were shared across both groups: personal strength, appreciation of life, relating to others, optimism/positive attitude, feeling fortunate compared to others, and positive emotional/behavioral changes. Two themes were expressed by PPT participants only: lifestyle improvements and new possibilities. One TAU participant reported spiritual change. Conclusions: A greater understanding of the development of PTG following ABI may help rehabilitation clinicians to promote better adjustment by focusing on clients’ potential for positive change and enhancing their capacity for growth. Implications for Rehabilitation Post-traumatic growth is “positive psychological change experienced as the result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. ” This is the first qualitative investigation of post-traumatic growth in participants in a positive psychotherapy trial following acquired brain injury. Several post-traumatic growth themes were shared by participants from the positive psychotherapy and treatment as usual study arms, with additional themes evident only in positive psychotherapy participants. A greater understanding of post-traumatic growth among rehabilitation professionals may help to promote adjustment following brain injury.
Performance results of the Galileo Precise Timing Facility

The Precise Timing Facility (PTF) is considered as a key element of the Ground Mission Segment (GMS) in the Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The development of both PTFs, located in two GCCs (Galileo Control Center) in Germany and in Italy, are currently under responsibility of Thales Alenia Space Italia S.p.A. The PTF major purpose is to generate the physical realization of the reference time scale of Galileo, the Galileo System Time (GST), which has two main functions: the provision of a very stable time reference for navigation purposes and the metrological timekeeping. The first one is critical for fulfilling the navigation mission and is needed for the accurate computation of the orbit and satellite clock information included in the Galileo Navigation Message. The second function is aimed at steering GST towards Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) (the steering is in frequency, no leap seconds introduced in GST) and to provide the UTC timing dissemination service to the Galileo users through the Galileo Signal-In-Space (SIS). Navigation timekeeping is the core task of the PTF, whereas the metrological timekeeping is performed by an external Time Service Provider (TSP). In addition to the above, PTF is also in charge of computing the Galileo-GPS Time Offset (GGTO) which contributes to GPS-Galileo interoperability. The paper will present a brief overview of the system and will report the performance test results achieved by the 2 PTFs.
An Opportunity Labor Demand Model and Markovian Labor Supply Models: Comparative Tests in an Organization

Modell, John, Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., and Douglas Strong 1978 "The timing of marriage in the transition to adulthood: continuity and change, 18601975. " American Journal of Sociology 84:S 120-S 150. Neugarten, B. L. , J. W. Moore, and J. C. Lowe 1965 "Age norms, age constraints, and adult socialization. " American Journal of Sociology 70:710-7. Ornstein, Michael D. 1976 Entry into the American Labor Force. New York: Academic. Winsborough, Halliman H. 1978 "Statistical histories of the life cycle of birth cohorts: the transition from schoolboy to adult male. " Pp. 231-59 in Karl E. Taeuber, L. L. Bumpass, and J. A. Sweet (eds.), Social Demography. New York: Academic.
Proportional Assist Ventilation Improves Exercise Capacity in Patients with Obesity

Background: Exercise capacity is reduced in obese patients due to disadvantageous respiratory mechanics that lead to dyspnea. Proportional assist ventilation (PAV) has the potential to unload resistive and elastic burdens of the ventilatory system. Objectives: The present study aimed to test if PAV can increase endurance and reduce exercise-related dyspnea in obese patients. Methods: Two symptom-limited exercise tests were performed at 75% of V·O2max: (1) without PAV and (2) with PAV. Exercise endurance, blood gases, dyspnea and limb discomfort (Borg scale) were assessed. Responders to PAV were defined as those increasing their exercise duration by more than 20%. Results: Eighteen male obese patients (body mass index 35 ± 5 kg/m2) were investigated. Overall, PAV increased exercise duration by 13% (p = 0.037) and improved exercise-induced dyspnea (p = 0.004). In responders (n = 10), PAV increased the exercise duration by 31% from 721 ± 300 to 1,041 ± 454 s (p < 0.001) and reduced dyspnea (p = 0.004) as well as limb discomfort (p = 0.016). Following stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, prolonged exercise time with PAV can only be predicted from total lung capacity (p = 0.02), considering total lung capacity, V·O2max and body mass index. Conclusions: PAV applied during exercise led to an overall prolongation in exercise endurance and a reduction in dyspnea in obese patients. There was a broad spectrum of response to PAV, with more than 50% of patients increasing their exercise endurance by a mean of 31%. Therefore, PAV might serve as a novel treatment option to enhance exercise capacity in a subgroup of obese patients in rehabilitation programs.
A Development of AIS Vessel Monitoring System on online map using HTML5

최근 선박의 안전운항에 대한 요구가 증가되면서, 국제해사기구에서는 SOLAS규정에 따라 선박의 다양한 정보를 제공하는 AIS의 의무 장착을 시행하고 있다. AIS장비는 선박의 자선 정보를 주변 선박 및 육상에 자동으로 브로드캐스팅방식으로 발신하고, 또한 주변 선박의 정보를 수신할 수 있는 장비이다. 최근에는 다양한 디스플레이 장치에 서비스를 제공하기 위한 시도가 진행되고 있으며, 특히 웹 응용을 이용하는 사례가 많아지고 있다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 웹 기반 응용에 대한 실현을 실험해보기 위해, 온라인 기반의 상용지도를 이용해 AIS 정보를 확인할 수 있는 디스플레이 시스템을 구현해 보았다. AIS수신 메시지 분석을 통해 주변 선박 정보를 분류하고, 상용지도는 구글 맵을 사용했으며, 디스플레이 처리를 위해서는 차세대 웹 표준인 HTML5 기술을 이용하였다. 【As the increasing of requirement for safety navigation, IMO has enforced the mandatory installation of vessel AIS equipment by SOLAS regulation. The AIS transceiver broadcasts various vessel information which can be gathered by the receivers on-board or on-shore. And, recently, as web-based application developments on various devices have been increased, there are more and more requirements of AIS information presentation on internet. To meet these web-based application requirements, this paper shows the practical implementation of the AIS display system, which is on the Google maps as online commercial map and adopts the HTML5 as a web standard. 】
Role of autophagy and its molecular mechanisms in mice intestinal tract after severe burn.

BACKGROUND Severe burn can lead to hypoxia/ischemia of intestinal mucosa. Autophagy is the process of intracellular degradation, which is essential for cell survival under stresses such as hypoxia/ischemia and nutrient deprivation. The present study was designed to investigate whether there were changes in intestinal autophagy after severe burn in mice and further to explore the effect and molecular mechanisms of autophagy on intestinal injury. METHODS This study includes three experiments. Kunming-species mice were subjected to 30% total body surface area 3rd degree burn. First, we determined protein of LC3 (light chain 3), beclin-1 and cleaved-caspase3 by Western blotting and Immunohistochemical (paraffin) staining to investigate whether there were changes in intestinal autophagy after severe burn in mice. Following, changes of the status of enteric damage post-burn were measured by observing intestinal mucosa morphology under a magnifier, Hematoxylin and eosin(H&E) staining, ELISA, Western blotting under the condition that the intestinal autophagy was respectively activated by Rapamycin and inhibited by 3-Methyladenine (3-MA). Finally, protein of the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase)/mTOR (Mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway, LC3-II and beclin-1 were assayed, and mice were treated with compound C before burn. RESULTS The protein of LC3 and beclin-1 were observed at 1h post-burn and increased to peak-point at 24h, reaching the normal level at 96h. The cleaved caspase-3 expression increased at 1h post-burn, but the peak-point occurred at 12h and had dropped to normal level at 72h. In addition, rapamycin enhanced intestinal autophagy and alleviated burn-induced gut damage, while 3-Methyladenine showed the against behavior. The AMPK/mTOR pathway which was inhibited decreased the expression of phosphorylated AMPK, LC3-II, and beclin-1, increasing the expression of phosphorylated mTOR. CONCLUSION Intestinal autophagy is activated and response to intestinal apoptosis after serious burn, which alleviated burn-induced intestinal injury. The AMPK/mTOR pathway may involve in activation of burn-induced autophagy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic/care management, levels of evidence are not applicable to some studies, such as in vitro work, animal models, cadaver studies.
A New Design Method for Solar Energy Harvesting System Based on Neural Network

This paper presents a new design method based on neural network and co-simulation of MATLAB/Simulink and Virtuoso for solar energy harvesting system to power IoT applications. With the help of this new design method, a solar energy harvesting system with MPPT is designed and fabricated in 0. 18µm CMOS technology. The proposed MPPT scheme was able to track the maximum power point successfully with average tracking errors of 0.30% (pre-simulation) and 0.42% (test). And the efficiency is about 72.9%∼76.8% when the light intensity is changing from 5000lux to 11000lux. In summary, the proposed new design method has the advantages of high accuracy, controllability and operability.
The effectiveness of telecenters in rural development: a case of Sega Silicon Valley telecenter in Kenya

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are seen as important resources in enabling millions of people in rural areas participate in their development while bridging the global digital divide (Rogers & Shukla, 2001). Since most of these people in the rural areas are unlikely ever to own their own computers, access to ICTs is increasingly being enabled through community telecenters which are viewed as community resources that offer access to information and other services that community members need to make informed decisions to improve their livelihoods. The telecenter model is increasingly being championed in the developing countries by governments, donor agencies and NGOs who see their potential in generating rural development while affording marginalized communities the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the information revolution (Parkinson, 2005). But relatively little is known about how rural communities benefit from telecenter projects and whether information accessed through telecenters impact on their lives and livelihoods. The Government, donors, NGOs and private sector actors are investing in community telecenters while basic needs such as food, health, clean water, and education still remain a big challenge in the rural areas. The study was modelled on the following objectives; one, it seeks to find out the type and relevance of information being accessed by users from Sega Silicon Valley Telecenter. The study also set to find out whether information obtained from the Telecenter lead to changes in decision making, to improve people’s welfare as well as investigate the flow of information from telecenters to community networks. Finally, the study looked at the prospects of telecenters in rural development and made appropriate recommendations for telecenter development in Kenya.
International Earnings to Price Ratio Convergence: Evidence from the European Union

This paper investigates whether any pattern of convergence of international earnings-to-price ratios that exist for a sample of 19 European Union (EU) countries over the period 1994-2012 can be detected through the methodology of Phillips and Sul (2007). This methodology is based on a general form of a nonlinear time varying factor model and allows for cross sectional heterogeneity as well as for different transitional time paths towards equilibrium. The results show that such a convergence is not present. Next, the study aims at detecting any potential factors supporting the pattern of divergence. The empirical findings reveal that such divergence patterns mainly reflect divergence in economic factors