Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination of Fungicidal Activities against Yeasts and Molds: Lessons Learned from Bactericidal Testing and the Need for Standardization

SUMMARY In certain unique clinical settings, the ability of the antimicrobial agent administered to kill the pathogen outright may be quite important. These situations invariably involve infection of a site not easily accessed by host defenses and/or of a structure with essential anatomic or physiologic function such as the heart (endocarditis), central nervous system (meningitis), or bone (osteomyelitis). Likewise, infections in immunosuppressed hosts, especially those who are neutropenic, are often thought to require microbicidal therapy. Proof of the cidal nature of an antimicrobial agent in vitro is tedious, complex, and fraught with error. Although several methods for assessing in vitro bactericidal activity have been standardized (NCCLS M26-A and M21-A), the clinical relevance of these determinations is questionable and the tests are performed infrequently in most laboratories. Most of the clinical data supporting the need for microbicidal therapy and testing have focused on bacterial infections. However, given the fact that most serious fungal infections occur in profoundly immunosuppressed individuals, it is generally assumed that a cidal regimen would be preferable in that setting as well. In view of this clinical concern and the perceived need to assess the fungicidal activity of a variety of agents, we considered that it would be useful to review what is known about the issues and problems in assessing bactericidal activity and the clinical utility of such measurements. Following this review, we discuss the issue of how one defines fungicidal activity in vitro and in vivo and how feasible it might be to determine the fungicidal activity of organism-drug combinations for purposes of both drug development and clinical care. Proposed methods for fungal time-kill determinations and minimal fungicidal concentration determinations are also discussed.
Variation in Living Environments Among Community-Dwelling Elders

Many studies examine the movement of elderly individuals across living arrangement and institutional care settings, but the rapidly evolving structure of elderly living environments makes traditional measurement paradigms less representative. We investigate the diverse health-related environmental characteristics of noninstitutional elderly living environments in 1993 and their association with health. We use the 1993 wave of the Asset and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old (AHEAD) survey, which includes both physical and social characteristics of the living environment for over 7,000 older Americans. Grade of membership (GoM) models are used to summarize variation in social and physical environment characteristics, and examine differences between males and females. We also estimate the cross-sectional association between living environment and several measures of physical and mental health status. Results illustrate extensive within and between-sex heterogeneity in elderly living environments using five idealized environment types, as well as significant associations with physical and mental health status measures. As older individuals stay in the community for longer periods of time, traditional me need to be replaced by definitions of noninstitutional environments that meaningfully represent the social and physical challenges faced by this rapidly growing segment of our population.
Considerations regarding current diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major health issue, ranked the fifth most common tumor and currently being responsible for a third of the cancer-related deaths globally, with an ever-increasing number of fatalities. Current advances in contrast-enhanced imaging techniques such as contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, multi-detector computed tomography and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging are improving the rate of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography has widely become the first choice in liver tumor assessment, as it is faster, simpler and safer than other forms of diagnostic imaging. On the other hand, cross sectional computed tomography is frequently employed when a hepatic formation is suspected of malignancy and allows a more accurate characterization of lesions through multiphasic multi-detector computed tomography technology. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging represents another addition to the wide range of diagnostic and prognostic techniques available for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and is currently regarded as one of the best tools for the characterization of these lesions. Furthermore, groundbreaking biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma are being discovered, although alpha-fetoprotein remains one of the most frequently used serum test in the early stages. Nonetheless, further advances are required for the detection of small liver carcinomas. Abbreviations : AASLD = American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, AFP = Alpha-fetoprotein, AFP-L3 = Alpha-fetoprotein isoform 3, CEUS = Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, DCP = Des-gamma-carboxy-prothrombin, DW-MRI = Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging, FNA = Fine neddle aspiration, Gd-EOB-DTPA = Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, GGT-II = Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase II, GP73 = Golgi protein 73, HCC = Hepatocellular carcinoma, HCCR-1 = Human cervical cancer proto-oncogene 1, IL-18 = Interleukin 18, MDCT = Multi-detector computed tomography, PET-CT = Positron emission tomography – computed tomography, SUV = Standardized Uptake Value
‘I really don’t like them!’ – Exploring citizens’ media criticism

In information and media affluent societies, the critical ability of citizens is increasingly important. This is reflected in a number of political initiatives that aim at engaging citizens in questions of media content and production, often labelled as media literacy. In this context, skills related to media technologies that are often accentuated in media literacy education are a necessary but not sufficient condition for media literacy. Critical reflexivity and critical practices are crucial for media literacy and therefore in the centre of this article. This article proposes an analysis of media criticism from a citizens’ perspective. Drawing on solicited, open-ended online diaries as well as in-depth interviews with young Estonian citizens, the article applies an inductive approach to media criticism while paying attention to the specific context in which the media criticism arises.
SORT: A Validation Study with Stroke Patients

Summary The Salford Objective Recognition Test (SORT) was developed as a measure of recognition memory suitable for use with elderly people as it requires a shorter administration time than Warrington's Recognition Memory Test. Normative data for the SORT were collected from 50 normal elderly people living in the community. Fifty stroke patients were assessed on the SORT and other tests of psychological functioning. The words and faces subtests were found to correlate well with other measures of memory. The SORT was found to be uninfluenced by the effects of sex and time since onset of stroke, but was affected by language difficulties and perception problems. The split-half reliability of the test was found to be good as alternative versions of the subtests correlated well with each other.
Positive Selection Underlies Faster-Z Evolution of Gene Expression in Birds

The elevated rate of evolution for genes on sex chromosomes compared with autosomes (Fast-X or Fast-Z evolution) can result either from positive selection in the heterogametic sex or from nonadaptive consequences of reduced relative effective population size. Recent work in birds suggests that Fast-Z of coding sequence is primarily due to relaxed purifying selection resulting from reduced relative effective population size. However, gene sequence and gene expression are often subject to distinct evolutionary pressures; therefore, we tested for Fast-Z in gene expression using next-generation RNA-sequencing data from multiple avian species. Similar to studies of Fast-Z in coding sequence, we recover clear signatures of Fast-Z in gene expression; however, in contrast to coding sequence, our data indicate that Fast-Z in expression is due to positive selection acting primarily in females. In the soma, where gene expression is highly correlated between the sexes, we detected Fast-Z in both sexes, although at a higher rate in females, suggesting that many positively selected expression changes in females are also expressed in males. In the gonad, where intersexual correlations in expression are much lower, we detected Fast-Z for female gene expression, but crucially, not males. This suggests that a large amount of expression variation is sex-specific in its effects within the gonad. Taken together, our results indicate that Fast-Z evolution of gene expression is the product of positive selection acting on recessive beneficial alleles in the heterogametic sex. More broadly, our analysis suggests that the adaptive potential of Z chromosome gene expression may be much greater than that of gene sequence, results which have important implications for the role of sex chromosomes in speciation and sexual selection.
The role of environmental hazard in mothers’ beliefs about appropriate supervision

Understanding factors that influence mothers’ beliefs about appropriate levels of supervision for their children may assist in efforts to reduce child injury rates. This study examined the interaction of child (i.e. age, gender, and injury risk behavior) and maternal perception of environmental hazard (i.e. hazard level, injury likelihood, and potential injury severity) variables in predicting mothers’ beliefs about appropriate levels of supervision for their children. Participants were 58 mothers of 2- to 8-year-old community children who were interviewed about their beliefs regarding child injury risk and appropriate supervision. Results indicated that perceived environmental hazard level interacted with child age, gender, and injury risk behavior to predict mothers’ beliefs about supervision. Perceived injury likelihood also interacted with child injury risk behavior to predict beliefs about supervision. Findings underscore the complexity of factors influencing mothers’ beliefs about appropriate supervision and indicate the importance of environmental hazard level in such beliefs.
Can Music Foster Learning – Effects of Different Text Modalities on Learning and Information Retrieval

This study investigates the possibilities of fostering learning based on differences in recall and comprehension after learning with texts which were presented in one of three modalities: either in a spoken, written, or sung version. All three texts differ regarding their processing, especially when considering working memory. Overall, we assume the best recall performance after learning with the written text and the best comprehension performance after learning with the sung text, respectively, compared to both other text modalities. We also analyzed whether the melody of the sung material functions as a mnemonic aid for the learners in the sung text condition. If melody and text of the sung version are closely linked, presentation of the melody during the post-test phase could foster text retrieval. 108 students either learned from a sung text performed by a professional singer, a printed text, or the same text read out loud. Half of the participants worked on the post-test while listening to the melody used for the musical learning material and the other half did not listen to a melody. The written learning modality led to significantly better recall than with the spoken (d = 0.97) or sung text (d = 0.78). However, comprehension after learning with the sung modality was significantly superior compared to when learning with the written learning modality (d = 0.40). Reading leads to more focus on details, which is required to answer recall questions, while listening fosters a general understanding of the text, leading to higher levels of comprehension. Listening to the melody during the post-test phase negatively affected comprehension, irrespective of the modality during the learning phase. This can be explained by the seductive detail effect, as listening to the melody during the post-test phase may distract learners from their main task. In closing, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Teaching civics in a divided society: The case of Israel

Civic education teachers instruct in a field that is institutionally ill-defined and highly sensitive to the macro-political cultures of nations and the micro-political culture of schools within these nations. Teachers' performance greatly depends on both their professional qualifications and their perceptions of central social issues. The purpose of the study is to examine the professional background of upper-secondary civic education teachers in Israel, their perceptions concerning issues related to democracy in general and to existing rifts within Israeli society in particular, and their views on school climate. The study reveals differences between teachers in Arab and Hebrew religious and regular state schools on issues that are related to rifts within Israeli society. This, in turn, can create differential climates of opinion in schools that would nurture and perpetuate existing rifts.
Tight Upper Bounds on the Minimum Precision Required of the Divisor and the Partial Remainder in High-Radix Division

Digit-recurrence binary dividers are sped up via two complementary methods: keeping the partial remainder in redundant form and selecting the quotient digits in a radix higher than 2. Use of a redundant partial remainder replaces the standard addition in each cycle by a carry-free addition, thus making the cycles shorter. Deriving the quotient in high radix reduces the number of cycles (by a factor of about h for radix 2/sup h/). To make the redundant partial remainder scheme work, quotient digits must be chosen from a redundant set, such as [-2, 2] in radix 4. The redundancy provides some tolerance to imprecision so that the quotient digits can be selected based on examining truncated versions of the partial remainder and divisor. No closed form formula for the required precision in the partial remainder and divisor, as a function of the quotient digit set and the range of the partial remainder, is known. We establish tight upper bounds on the required precision for the partial remainder and divisor. The bounds are tight in the sense that each is only one bit over a well-known simple lower bound. We also discuss the implications of these bounds for the quotient digit selection process.
Initial analysis of tandemly repetitive sequences in the genome of Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri Jones et Preston)

Tandemly repetitive sequences are widespread in all eukaryotic genomes, but data on tandem repeats are limited in Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri). In the present study, paired-end sequencing of 2016 individual fosmid clones resulted in 3646 sequences. A total of 2,286,986 bp of genomic sequences were generated, representing approximately 1.84‰ of the Zhikong scallop genome. Using tandem repeats finder (TRF) software, a total of 2500 tandem repeats were found, including 313 satellites, 1816 minisatellites and 371 microsatellites. The cumulative length of tandem repeats was 552,558 bp, accounting for 24.16% of total length. Specifically, the length of microsatellites, minisatellites and satellites was 9425, 336,001 and 207,132 bp, accounting for 1.71, 60.81 and 37.49% of the length of tandem repeats, and 0.41, 14.69 and 9.06% of total length, respectively. The detailed information on the characteristic of all repeat units was also represented, which will provide a useful resource for physical mapping and better utilization of the existing genomic information in Zhikong scallop.
The Unintended and Unanticipated Consequences of Robert K. Merton

Using the HistCite system of algorithmic historiography, we have created a series of online databases available to the public, which contain bibliographic records and citation links to a series of Merton's publications. These include the 'Matthew Effect' (1968), Technology and Science in Seventeenth-Century England (1970), On the Shoulders of Giants (1965), and his classic 1936 paper 'The Unintended Consequences of Purposive Social Action', which has been cited in more than 160 journals. We intend to create additional HistCite collections for his other works. While commenting upon his worldwide scholarly influence, the present paper calls particular attention to Merton's impact on information science and scientometrics.
Examining the Role of Self-Disclosure and Connectedness in the Process of Instructional Dissent: A Test of the Instructional Beliefs Model

The current study examined the relationship between student-to-student communicative behaviors and communication outcomes in the college classroom. The instructional beliefs model was used to examine student self-disclosures, student perceptions of connectedness, and student enactment of instructional dissent. Students (N = 351) completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of other students' self-disclosures, classroom connectedness, and their own enactment of expressive, rhetorical, and vengeful dissent. Results of path analyses indicate that students' perceptions of classroom connectedness mediate the relationship between student self-disclosure and enactment of instructional dissent, particularly in the case of vengeful dissent. These results offer increased understanding of the ways in which student-to-student communication affects perceptual and communicative outcomes in the college classroom.
Model-based analysis of event-driven distributed real-time embedded systems

As embedded systems become increasingly networked, and interact with the physical world, Distributed Real-time Embedded (DRE) systems emerge. DRE systems range from small-scale Multi-processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoCs) operating in resource constrained environments such as cell phone platforms, medical devices and sensor networks all the way to large-scale software-intensive systems of systems used in avionics, ship computing environments, and in supervisory control and data acquisition systems managing regional power grids. This dissertation focuses on the model-based analysis of event-driven DRE systems. Event-driven DRE systems are based on a reactive communication paradigm, where the execution of tasks is triggered asynchronously, invoked by external events, interrupts, or by other tasks. Events can also express time, providing a common semantic domain for the compositional analysis of time- and event-driven DRE systems. Key technical contributions of this dissertation are (1) the specification of a formal semantic domain for DRE systems, (2) a model checking method for the real-time verification of non-preemptive DRE systems by timed automata, (3) a performance estimation method for DRE systems by discrete event simulations, (4) a conservative approximation method for the verification of preemptive event-driven asynchronous DRE systems by timed automata, (5) a method for the functional verification and performance estimation of 1VIPSoCs built on an industry standard MPSoC interconnect protocol, and (6) a cross-abstraction real-time analysis method for MPSoC designs utilizing bus matrix interconnects. The novelty of our approach lies in combining formal methods and symbolic simulations for the system-level evaluation of DRE designs early in the design flow, and utilizing multiple abstractions to trade off analysis accuracy in scalability. We implemented the proposed analysis methods in the open-source Distributed Real-time Embedded Analysis Method (DREAM) framework for the model-based real-time verification and performance estimation of DRE systems. DREAM focuses on the practical application of formal analysis methods to automate the verification, development, configuration, and integration of event-driven DRE systems. DREAM is available for download at http://dre.sourceforge. net. We applied the proposed design flow to the domain of software-intensive mission-critical avionics DRE applications, and the domain of multimedia MPSoCs.
Interspecific Visual Adaptations among Wobbegong Sharks (Orectolobidae)

Several visual traits have previously been assessed in elasmobranchs; however, few studies have examined and compared multiple visual attributes within a particular genus. The primary advantage of studying closely related species is that any differences between them are more likely to reflect functional ecological adaptations rather than the effects of phylogenetic separation. In this study, the visual capabilities of 4 wobbegong shark species, which vary in life-history and/or habitat, were examined: the western wobbegong (Orectolobus hutchinsi), the spotted wobbegong (O. maculatus), the ornate wobbegong (O. ornatus) and the dwarf spotted wobbegong (O. parvimaculatus). The retinae of all 4 wobbegong species are duplex; rod and cone photoreceptors can be distinguished easily on the basis of morphology. Some variation in relative eye size exists, with O. parvimaculatus possessing the largest eyes. The topographic distribution of cells within the ganglion cell layer of O. hutchinsi reveals a weakly elongated central visual streak of increased cell density, mediating a higher spatial resolving power of 2.06 cycles deg–1 in the frontal visual field. Retinal topography of O. maculatus and O. parvimaculatus is similar, with both possessing a dorsal horizontal streak facilitating an increased spatial resolving power of 3.51 cycles deg–1 and 3.91 cycles deg–1, respectively, in the lower visual field. O. parvimaculatus also possesses an area of increased cell density in the naso-ventral region of the retina, mediating acute vision in the upper caudal region of the visual field. While all 4 species have visual systems optimised for increased visual sensitivity, O. maculatus and O. parvimaculatus appear to be particularly well suited to activity under low light conditions.
A semismooth Newton method for adaptive distributed sparse linear regression

The presented work studies an application of a technique known as a semismooth Newton (SSN) method to accelerate the convergence of distributed quadratic programming LASSO (DQP-LASSO) - a consensus-based distributed sparse linear regression algorithm. The DQP-LASSO algorithm exploits an alternating directions method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm to reduce a global LASSO problem to a series of local (per agent) LASSO optimizations, which outcomes are then appropriately combined. The SSN algorithm enjoys superlinear convergence and thus permits implementing these local optimizations more efficiently. Yet in some cases SSN might experience convergence issues. Here it is shown that the ADMM-inherent regularization also provides sufficient regularization to stabilize the SSN algorithm, thus ensuring a stable convergence of the whole scheme. Additionally, the structure of the SSN algorithm also permits an adaptive implementation of a distributed sparse regression. This allows for an estimation of time-varying sparse vectors, as well as leverages storage requirements for processing streams of data.