Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Characterization, Antimicrobial Resistance and Caco-2 Cell Invasion Potential of Campylobacter jejuni/coli from Young Children with Diarrhea

Background: Campylobacter is a major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Young children represent a particular age group affected by Campylobacter infection because of their limited diets and weak immune systems. Methods: In this study, a total of 110 Campylobacter (80 Campylobacter jejuni and 30 Campylobacter coli) isolated from children younger than 5 years of age with diarrhea in Shanghai, China in 2011 were examined for their genetic relationship and antimicrobial susceptibility. The presence of virulence genes and its association with invasion potential in Caco-2 cell were also determined. Results: Multilocus sequence typing revealed 62 sequence types (STs) under 14 clonal complexes from C. jejuni and 15 STs under 2 clonal complexes from C. coli. High resistance rates among the 110 isolates were observed to nalidixic acid (88.2%), ciprofloxacin (87.3%) and tetracycline (87.3%), followed by ampicillin (30.9%), gentamicin (28.2%), clindamycin (21.8%), erythromycin (21.8%) and chloramphenicol (8.2%). Compared with that of C. jejuni (32.5%), a larger proportion of C. coli (83.3%) were resistant to multiple antimicrobials, including 16 isolates of ST-828 complex resistant to 6 antimicrobials: ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid and tetracycline. Furthermore, 57 Campylobacter isolates were selected based on their distinct STs and the presence of virulence genes to determine their abilities to adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells. The level of invasion varied widely among isolates and had relatively weak correlation with the genotype data. Conclusion: Our findings provided baseline data on Campylobacter among young children. Active surveillance of Campylobacter is needed to better understand the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance trends of this significant pathogen to help control and protect young children from such infections.
Android Based Children Tracking System Using Voice Recognition

— Recently, all over the world, crime against children is increasing at higher rates and it is high time to offer safety support system for the children going to schools. This paper focuses on implementing children tracking system for every child attending school. However the existing systems are not powerful enough to prevent the crime against children since these systems give information about the children group and not about each child resulting in low assurance about their child safety to parents and also does not concentrate on sensing the cry of the child and intimating the same to its parents. The proposed system includes a child module and two receiver modules for getting the information about the missed child on periodical basis. The child module includes ARM7 microcontroller (lpc 2378), Global positioning system (GPS), Global system for mobile communication (GSM), Voice playback circuit and the receiver module includes Android mobile device in parent’s hand and the other as monitoring database in control room of the school. Finally, implementation results for the proposed system are provided in this paper.
Outbreak of Leishmania braziliensis Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Saül, French Guiana

New World cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a zoonotic disease, is increasingly seen among travelers returning from Latin American countries, particularly from Bolivia, Belize, and French Guiana (1). The epidemiology of CL in the Americas is heterogeneous and has complex variations in transmission cycles, reservoir hosts, and sandfly vectors. Changing human activities that affect these factors may have resulted in the emergence of species with distinct pathogenic potentials and responses to therapy. In the Guianan ecoregion complex, leishmaniasis is endemic, and 5 coexisting Leishmania parasite species are known to infect humans: L. guyanensis, L. braziliensis, L. amazonensis, L. naiffi, and L. lainsoni. Among these species, L. guyanensis accounts for ≈85% of CL cases (2). We report an outbreak of 7 cases of L. braziliensis CL that occurred among 24 scientists who participated in a field mission at Limonade Creek in Saul, French Guiana, during October 10–25, 2013. Saul is an isolated village in the Amazonian rainforest (3°55′18′′N, 53°18′02′′W).
Does a multicomponent exercise program improve dual-task performance in amnestic mild cognitive impairment? A randomized controlled trial

Background and aims: There has been much interest in exercise interventions as a primary behavioral prevention strategy against cognitive decline. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multicomponent exercise program on physical and dual-task performances in community-dwelling older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods: Fifty older adults (23 women) with aMCI (mean age, 76 years) were randomized to an intervention (n=25) or a control group (n=25). The intervention group received a multicomponent exercise program for 90 minutes/day, 2 days/week, or 40 times over six months. The multicomponent exercises included aerobic exercise, muscle strength training and postural balance retraining, which was conducted under multi-task conditions to stimulate attention and memory. Participants in the control group attended two health promotion education classes within six months. Physical and dual-task performances were measured before randomization and after six months. Dual-task performances using reaction times with balance and cognitive demands were measured. Results: The improvement effects on dual-task performances with both balance and cognitive demands were not statistically significant: reaction time with balance demand F1,45=3.3, p=0.07, and cognitive demand F1,45=2.6, p=0.12. However, there was a significant group-by-time interaction on maximal walking speed, which decreased significantly in the control group (F1,45=5.9, p=0.02). Conclusion: This six-month multicomponent exercise program improved maximal walking speed in older adults with aMCI; however, it did not improve dual-task performances assessed by reaction times.
Indoor Marker-based Localization Using Coded Seamless Pattern for Interior Decoration

Because marker-based position tracking system is inexpensive and easy to use, it has the potential to make the system more feasible for homes or businesses and broaden the current suite of augmented reality (AR) techniques. To apply marker-based systems to homes or businesses, blending markers with environments naturally is important. Our innovative approach to marker-based 3D position tracking uses seamless patterns encrypted with positional data. Although users can obtain 3D positional data by processing marker images similar to many existing marker-based systems, our markers are designed with interior decoration in mind. That way they can be installed in walls, floors, or ceilings. Unlike existing systems whose fiducial markers were designed first and foremost to be processed by computers, ours are visually attractive. By integrating positional information within the interior design, our system enables users to enjoy the benefits of position tracking without being constantly aware of the system's presence. We developed a method for making patterns in which positional information is encrypted and a method for calculating the 3D position of a user by decoding those patterns. We then constructed a system using three patterns that were made by the proposed method and evaluated that system
The Exploration-Exploitation Trade-off in Interactive Recommender Systems

Recommender Systems (RS) help users discover interesting products by means of relevant proactive suggestions. To accomplish this, RS must learn about user's unknown/unclear tastes, and constantly adapt to the dynamic nature of their environment. In this research, I focus on the notion that RS are faced with an optimization problem when generating recommendations: exploit the known user model, or explore other preferences the user might have. My PhD work aims to define the role of exploitation and exploration in RS, and proposes mechanisms that would allow to balance and control this trade-off. In this extended abstract I present the motivation, related work and research plan that guide the project.
Prolapsed cervical myoma after uterine artery embolization. A case report.

BACKGROUND Cervical prolapse of myomas following uterine artery embolization is an infrequently reported occurrence. CASE A 40-year-old woman with a history of three prior abdominal myomectomies underwent uterine artery embolization for severe menorrhagia due to myomas. Two weeks later a large cervical myoma prolapsed, requiring an abdominal hysterectomy. CONCLUSION Cervical myomas should be considered a relative contraindication to uterine artery embolization.
Cortical Mechanisms of Mirror Therapy After Stroke

Background and Objective. Mirror therapy is a new form of stroke rehabilitation that uses the mirror reflection of the unaffected hand in place of the affected hand to augment movement training. The mechanism of mirror therapy is not known but is thought to involve changes in cerebral organization. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure changes in cortical activity during mirror training after stroke. In particular, we examined movement-related changes in the power of cortical oscillations in the beta (15-30 Hz) frequency range, known to be involved in movement. Methods. Ten stroke patients with upper limb paresis and 13 healthy controls were recorded using MEG while performing bimanual hand movements in 2 different conditions. In one, subjects looked directly at their affected hand (or dominant hand in controls), and in the other, they looked at a mirror reflection of their unaffected hand in place of their affected hand. The movement-related beta desynchronization was calculated in both primary motor cortices. Results. Movement-related beta desynchronization was symmetrical during bilateral movement and unaltered by the mirror condition in controls. In the patients, movement-related beta desynchronization was generally smaller than in controls, but greater in contralesional compared to ipsilesional motor cortex. This initial asymmetry in movement-related beta desynchronization between hemispheres was made more symmetrical by the presence of the mirror. Conclusions. Mirror therapy could potentially aid stroke rehabilitation by normalizing an asymmetrical pattern of movement-related beta desynchronization in primary motor cortices during bilateral movement.
Enhancing effect of cholera toxin on interleukin-6 secretion by IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells: mode of action and augmenting effect of inflammatory cytokines

Oral administration of cholera toxin (CT) induces a strong mucosal immune response to CT as well as having a potent adjuvant effect. Since one of the first cell types to encounter CT during cholera infection or after oral administration is the epithelial cell, we studied the effect of CT on interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion by the rat intestinal epithelial cell line IEC-6. CT was found to rapidly enhance IL-6 secretion and IL-6 gene expression by these cells. The addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (cAMP) to cultures of IEC-6 cells had little effect on IL-6 secretion, yet mRNA levels were elevated, suggesting that the response may have been regulated by cAMP. Purified B subunit of CT did not significantly enhance IL-6 secretion or mRNA expression. CT and transforming growth factor beta 1 synergistically enhanced IL-6 secretion in IEC-6 cells. The addition of CT with either IL-1 beta or tumor necrosis factor alpha gave even greater synergistic enhancement of IL-6 secretion, and dibutyryl cAMP could mimic CT's synergy with IL-1 beta. These results indicate that the intestinal epithelial cell is capable of secreting high levels of IL-6 after encountering CT, especially in the presence of inflammatory cytokines. This high level of IL-6 secretion could be a very important component of the mucosal immune response to CT and may also account for a portion of the adjuvant effect of CT.
Application of Boolean-valued models and FCA for the development of ontological models

The paper is devoted to the development of methods of ontology supported knowledge discovery in the field of mobile network subscribers. We develop the ontological model of the domain of mobile networks. This ontological model is intended to describe the behavior of mobile network subscribers. The ontological model is based on the four-level model of knowledge representation. In the paper, special attention is given to the third level which represents the set of cases from the domain. For the analysis of domain cases and for the generation of fuzzy knowledge about the domain we use Boolean-valued models, fuzzy models and Formal Concept Analysis. To describe the set of cases from the domain we use formal contexts; objects of these formal contexts are models representing sets of subscribers. We study formal contexts generated by Boolean-valued models, and formal concepts of these formal contexts. We obtain a description of theories of classes of domain cases in the language of formal concepts.
APC modeling of smoking prevalence among US adolescents and young adults.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of age, period, and cohort with the changing pattern of cigarette smoking among youth and young adults for better planning tobacco control in the United States. METHODS Age-period-cohort analysis of the 1990-2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data. RESULTS Rates of lifetime and 30-day smoking for adolescents fluctuated between 1990 and 1996 before they declined; the same rates for young adults progressively increased until 2002 before declining. There were significant cohort effects on changes in the prevalence rates of cigarette smoking. CONCLUSIONS The cohort effects on smoking underscore the need for sustained tobacco control policies.
Dependence of Small Planet Frequency on Stellar Metallicity Hidden by Their Prevalence

The dependence of gas giant planet occurrence rate on stellar metallicity has been firmly established. We extend this so-called planet-metallicity correlation to broader ranges of metallicities and planet masses/radii. In particular, we assume that the planet-metallicity correlation is a power law below some critical saturation threshold, and that the probability of hosting at least one planet is unity for stars with metallicity above the threshold. We then are able to explain the discrepancy between the tentative detection and null detection in previous studies regarding the planet-metallicity correlation for small planets. In particular, we find that the null detection of this correlation can be attributed to the combination of high planet occurrence rate and low detection efficiency. Therefore, a planet-metallicity correlation for small planets cannot be ruled out. We propose that stars with metallicities lower than the Solar value are better targets for testing the planet-metallicity correlation for small planets.
Novel Burkholderiales 23S rRNA Genes Identified in Ileal Biopsy Samples from Children: Preliminary Evidence that a Subtype Is Associated with Perianal Crohn's Disease

ABSTRACT A novel family of Burkholderiales bacteria was identified in ileal biopsy specimens from children presenting with symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. A molecular subtyping approach based on sequencing of a variable region of the bacteria's 23S rRNA genes identified three variants. Pilot analysis identified one variant to be significantly associated with perianal Crohn's disease.
The effect of aggressive versus standard lipid lowering by atorvastatin on diabetic dyslipidemia: the DALI study: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic dyslipidemia.

OBJECTIVE In patients with type 2 diabetes, intensive glucose regulation, although effective for microangiopathy, has not been shown to have unambiguous preventive effects on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. Patients with diabetes show a characteristic dyslipidemia (high triglyceride level, low HDL cholesterol level). Aggressive reduction of triglycerides might be an effective method to reduce the cardiovascular risk in these patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study to assess the effect of 30 weeks of administration of atorvastatin 10 and 80 mg on plasma triglyceride levels in 217 patients with type 2 diabetes and fasting triglyceride levels between 1.5 and 6.0 mmol/l. RESULTS Administration of atorvastatin 10 and 80 mg resulted in significant reductions (25 and 35%, respectively) of plasma triglyceride levels (both P < 0.001). The difference between 10 and 80 mg was not statistically significant (P > 0.5). Atorvastatin 10 mg provided significant reductions from baseline in total cholesterol (-30%, P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (-40%, P < 0.001), and apolipoprotein B (-31%, P < 0.001), and significantly increased HDL cholesterol from baseline by 6% (P < 0.005). Atorvastatin 80 mg had a similar effect on HDL cholesterol (+5.2%, P < 0.005) but significantly decreased total cholesterol (-40%, P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (-52%, P < 0.001), and apolipoprotein B (-40%, P < 0.001) more than atorvastatin 10 mg (P < 0.005). The side effects of atorvastatin 10 and 80 mg were similar and did not differ from the patients receiving placebo. CONCLUSIONS Administration of 10- and 80-mg doses of atorvastatin provides similar, significant reductions from baseline in triglyceride levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. A higher dose of atorvastatin improves cholesterol-related parameters. Both doses were well tolerated in this patient population.
Average Case Analysis of Brzozowski's Algorithm

We analyze the average complexity of Brzozowski's minimization algorithm for distributions of deterministic automata with a small number of final states. We show that, as in the case of the uniform distribution, the average complexity is super-polynomial even if we consider random deterministic automata with only one final state. Such results were only known for distributions where the expected number of final states was linear in the number of states.
THE EFFECT OF PNF STRETCHING COMBINED WITH A RESISTANCE TRAINING ON STRENGTH, MUSCLE VOLUME AND FLEXIBILITY IN NON- ATHLETE MALE STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of PNF stretching combined with resistance training on performance during an 8-week training protocol in non-athlete male students. Twenty healthy non-athlete males (age 21.3 ± 1.3 years, height 174.7 ± 2.9 cm, weight 71.1 ± 2.4 kg) college students were randomly divided into a resistance training (RT) group (n=10), or resistance training combined with Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching (RT + PNF) group (n=10). The resistance training program was performed 3 days (Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday) each week for 8 weeks. The resistance training consisted of 3 lift (triceps pushdown, bench press and lateral pull down), 3 sets of 8 repetitions, and the initial weight was 80% of the pre-1RM. The 8 weeks stretching program consisted of 15 different PNF stretches designed to stretch all of the major upper-extremity muscle groups (pectoralis major, triceps, biceps, teres minor & major, deltoidus). Subjects were tested for performance before and after the 8-week period. The results of this study indicated significantly (P 0.05) between groups. However, findings showed the RT + PNF group had slightly more improvements in strength, muscle volume and flexibility when compared to RT group. It can therefore, be concluded that within 8 weeks PNF stretching combined with resistance training was found can not necessarily be effective on muscle volume, strength and flexibility more than RT only.
Distinct roles for astrocyte αvβ5 and αvβ8 integrins in adhesion and migration

The αv integrins are likely to be an important group of molecules for regulating astrocyte behaviour within the central nervous system. Together with their ligand vitronectin, they are expressed by astrocytes in vivo and are further upregulated during neurological disease. Here we have characterised the expression of αv integrins on primary astrocytes from both rat and mouse, and shown that they express just two members, αvβ5 and αvβ8. By using RGD peptides and function-blocking antibodies against the β1 integrins and αvβ5, we find that both αvβ5 and αvβ8 can act as functional receptors for vitronectin. However, while αvβ5 is largely responsible for astrocyte adhesion to vitronectin this integrin appears to play no role in migration on vitronectin, with αvβ8 playing the dominant role in promoting migration on this substrate. β1 integrins are not involved in mediating interactions between astrocytes and vitronectin. These results were confirmed in experiments with astrocytes derived from mice in which the β5 gene had been deleted by homologous recombination. β5 null astrocytes attached to vitronectin at a reduced rate, but showed no defect in migration on vitronectin relative to wild-type astrocytes. These data provide the first evidence that αvβ8 regulates migration and show that astrocyte αvβ5 and αvβ8 integrins have distinct functions. SUMMARY
Rapid Prototyping With Fourth Generation Systems – An Empirical Study

Discusses experiences on the development and use of horizontal and vertical prototypes. Explains the difference. Resolves that horizontal prototypes can be developed with ′little effort′, but end users are reluctant to become involved in the development process. Contrastingly resolves that vertical prototypes appear to stimulate constructive response. Reasons that developers should be aware of the tacit knowledge which plays an important part in users′ work practices and should be involved early in the development process. Proposes three techniques to meet the requirements – participation, simulation and evaluation.
March 2002.

Dr.-Ing. Dieter Anselm, Chief Operating Officer of Allianz Center for Technology, Division of Automotive Engineering, Ismaning near Munich, has been conferred the title of Honorary Professor by the Technical Un iversity of Vienna on 31 January 2002. He has taught vehicle safety and construction of repairfriendly passenger cars at the Technical University of Vienna for many years. Prof. Dr Hans Peter Lenz and Dr.-Ing. Dieter Anselm
Course Project Milestone : Real-time object detection and recognition

Real-time, scalable, multi-view object instance detection is an active area of research in computer vision. An efficient template-based object detection algorithm has recently been proposed [2] that utilizes both color and depth information, and works on texture-less objects. However, the template-based approach scales linearly with the number of objects and views. This project uses the same efficient feature extraction algorithm, but we replace template matching with a part-based model and a fixed-sized template dictionary.
Effects of gender on kidney function in magnesium‐deficient rats

This study investigated the gender differences in the kidney function of magnesium (Mg)‐deficient rats. Male and female rats were fed a control diet or a Mg‐deficient diet for 21 d. Mg‐deficient diet had no significant effect on kidney calcium (Ca) or phosphorus (P) concentration in male rats, while Ca and P concentrations in female rats were significantly higher in Mg‐deficient rats than in the control rats. With regard to indicators of kidney function, no significant differences in creatinine clearance and serum urea nitrogen concentration were observed among the groups. Serum albumin concentrations were significantly lower in rats fed the Mg‐deficient diet than in rats fed the control diet. In both sexes, urinary albumin excretion was significantly higher in rats fed the Mg‐deficient diet than in rats fed the control diet. Gender differences had no significant influence on creatinine clearance, serum urea nitrogen concentration, serum albumin concentration and urinary albumin excretion. These results suggest that gender differences have no effect on kidney function in Mg‐deficient rats under the condition used.