Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Streamer characteristic and breakdown in synthetic and natural ester transformer liquids under standard lightning impulse voltage

Interests on ester liquids as replacement of mineral oil in large power transformers are growing in recent years. This paper presents experimental studies on streamer and breakdown in synthetic and natural esters. Lightning impulse voltage was chosen when considering the practicality of standard tests of transformer industry. First, streamer length, velocity, shape and mode were analyzed based on optical images obtained by a multi-channel ultra high speed camera. Under the same voltage level, streamer in both natural and synthetic esters propagates faster and further, with more branches, than in mineral oil. Breakdown tests at various gaps from 15 mm to 100 mm were conducted, and it was found that fast streamer led breakdown becomes statistically dominant in a large gap under lightning impulse and ester liquids have lower breakdown voltage than mineral oil due to their low tolerance to fast streamer. Therefore a relationship between the results under lightning impulse and previously published results under step voltage was built up and an empirical formula was obtained to predict the breakdown voltage of esters at very large gaps.
Significance of Renal Rim Grade on Computed Tomography in Severity Evaluation of Acute Pancreatitis

Objectives: Multifactor scoring systems, such as the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, are useful for predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP); however, they are rather complicated. The aim of this study was to introduce renal rim grade (RRG) as a severity assessment measure for AP. Methods: One hundred twenty-two eligible AP patients who underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) on admission were evaluated for RRG (grades 1-3). The end points were the severity of illness and hospital mortality. Furthermore, RRG was compared with the Balthazar score, the CT severity index, the Ranson score, and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, using a receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: The exacerbation rates into severe disease were 3% (grade 1), 48% (grade 2), and 89% (grade 3). The mortality rates were 3% (grade 1), 8% (grade 2), and 31% (grade 3). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves to predict the severe disease and mortality using the RRG system were comparable with other scoring systems. Conclusions: Renal rim grade is useful for the evaluation of the severity of AP.
Violent behaviour in UK military personnel returning home after deployment

Background There is growing concern about an alleged rise in violent behaviour amongst military personnel returning from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of violence in a sample of UK military personnel following homecoming from deployment in Iraq and to examine the impact of deployment-related experiences, such as combat trauma, on violence, and the role of sociodemographics and pre-enlistment antisocial behaviour. Method This study used baseline data from a cohort study of a large randomly selected sample of UK Armed Forces personnel in service at the time of the Iraq war (2003). Regular personnel (n=4928) who had been deployed to Iraq were included. Data, collected by questionnaire, included information on deployment experiences, sociodemographic and military characteristics, pre-enlistment antisocial behaviour, post-deployment health outcomes and a self-report measure of physical violence in the weeks following return from deployment. Results Prevalence of violence was 12.6%. This was strongly associated with pre-enlistment antisocial behaviour [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.9–4.4]. After controlling for pre-enlistment antisocial behaviour, sociodemographics and military factors, violence was still strongly associated with holding a combat role (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.6–2.5) and having experienced multiple traumatic events on deployment (aOR for four or more traumatic events 3.7, 95% CI 2.5–5.5). Violence on homecoming was also associated with mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (aOR 4.8, 95% CI 3.2–7.2) and alcohol misuse (aOR 3.1, 95% CI 2.5–3.9). Conclusions Experiences of combat and trauma during deployment were significantly associated with violent behaviour following homecoming in UK military personnel. Post-deployment mental health problems and alcohol misuse are also associated with increased violence.
Performance Evaluation of Homomorphic Filtering, Anisotrophic Filtering and Autocontrast Algorithm

Underwater images suffer from various factors like non-uniform lightning, low contrast, color gets diminished, blurring etc. There are different algorithms to reduce underwater perturbations and improve the quality of the image. The quality of the image varies with the algorithm used. This paper considers three main such algorithms namely Homomorphic filtering, Anisotropic filtering and Autocontrast algorithm. Each algorithm is tested for noisy underwater images and the performances of these algorithms are evaluated by using parameters like SNR, MSE.
Temporal Deep Belief Network for Online Human Motion Recognition

Interaction between humans and machines, like social robots, requires real time recognition of human actions. Most approaches to this problem wait for the end of the gesture to perform classification. In this paper we present a deep learning approach to online gesture recognition that allows for an estimation of the current gesture since its beginning. Our approach is to modify the existing Temporal Deep Belief Network (TDBN) architecture. The result is a Discriminative Temporal Deep Belief Network (DTDBN) which we apply to the online classification of motion capture streams. We optimize and evaluate our model in comparison with related
Anatomical Organization of the Parahippocampal‐Hippocampal Network

Abstract: The anatomical organization of the parahipppocampal‐hippocampal network indicates that it consists of different parallel circuits. Considering the topographical distribution of sensory cortical inputs, the hypothesis is that the major parallel circuits carry functionally different information. These functionally different parallel routes reach different portions of the hippocampal network along the longitudinal axis of all fields as well as along the perpendicularly oriented transverse axis of CA1 and the subiculum. In the remaining fields of the hippocampal formation, that is, the dentate gyrus and CA2/CA3, separation along the transverse axis is not present. By contrast, here the functionally different pathways converge onto the same neuronal population. The entorhinal cortex holds a pivotal position among the cortices that make up the parahippocampal region. By way of the networks of the superficial and deep layers, it mediates, respectively, the input and output streams of the hippocampal formation. Moreover, the intrinsic entorhinal network, particularly the interconnections between the deep and superficial layers, may mediate the comparison of hippocampal input and output signals. As such, the entorhinal cortex may form part of a novelty detection network. In addition, the organization of the entorhinal‐hippocampal network may facilitate the holding of information. Finally, the terminal organization of the presubicular input to the medial entorhinal cortex indicates that the interactions between the deep and superficial entorhinal layers may be influenced by this input.
Locating microseismic sources with a single seismometer channel using coda wave interferometry

ABSTRACTA novel source location method based on coda wave interferometry (CWI) was applied to a microseismic data set of mining-induced events recorded in Nottinghamshire, England. CWI uses scattered waves in the coda of seismograms to estimate the differences between two seismic states. We used CWI to estimate the distances between pairs of earthquake locations, which are then used jointly to determine the relative location of a cluster of events using a probabilistic framework. We evaluated two improvements to this location technique: These account for the impact of a large difference in the dominant wavelength of a recording made on different instruments, and they standardize the selection of parameters to be used when implementing the method. Although the method has been shown to produce reasonable estimates on larger earthquakes, we tested the method for microseismic events with shorter distinguishable codas in recorded waveforms, and hence, fewer recorded scattered waves. The earthquake location res.
New structures for high resolution THz-imaging in medical applications

For applications in medical imaging, microspectroscopy and also in ultrafast time domain spectroscopy in the THz-range often spatial resolutions in the sub-wavelength range are requested. Therefore special structures, called coupling structures, are needed to focus the incident Gaussian beam or free space mode on a probe. Traditionally for this purpose cones are used, which results in high transmission losses, especially at high resolutions. Beginning with the invention by Keilmann et al [1] this problem was solved by using different coupling structures to transform the incident wave in a TEM (transversal electromagnetic) wave without lower cut-off frequency. Further development has been lead to a class of structures with frequency independent properties and even higher resolution. An example of such structures is a logarithmic periodic coupling structure [2] inside a cone to couple the incident wave on a two-wire TEM wave guide. By designing the single dipole an adaptive frequency transmission is possible. The two-wire structure also leads to a higher field concentration, preferable for microspectroscopy. Using usual numerical methods (FEM, FDTD, MoM) for the design it leads to enormous computation effort. Also ray tracing methods (GTD, PO, UTD) could used only for parts of such structures. Furthermore such methods give no answers on design questions. Therefore an approach from group theory was used to design such structures. The presented structures are used for high spatial resolution transmission / time domain spectroscopy and experimental imaging in the THz-Range at the IRIS Beamline at BESSY and we will present some experimental results.
Random Mutagenesis of Helicobacter pylori vacA To Identify Amino Acids Essential for Vacuolating Cytotoxic Activity

ABSTRACT VacA is a secreted toxin that plays a role in Helicobacter pylori colonization of the stomach and may contribute to the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. In this study, we analyzed a library of plasmids expressing randomly mutated forms of recombinant VacA and identified 10 mutant VacA proteins that lacked vacuolating cytotoxic activity when added to HeLa cells. The mutations included six single amino acid substitutions within an amino-terminal hydrophobic region and four substitutions outside the amino-terminal hydrophobic region. All 10 mutations mapped within the p33 domain of VacA. By introducing mutations into the H. pylori chromosomal vacA gene, we showed that secreted mutant toxins containing V21L, S25L, G121R, or S246L mutations bound to cells and were internalized but had defects in vacuolating activity. In planar lipid bilayer and membrane depolarization assays, VacA proteins containing V21L and S25L mutations were defective in formation of anion-selective membrane channels, whereas proteins containing G121R or S246L mutations retained channel-forming capacity. These are the first point mutations outside the amino-terminal hydrophobic region that are known to abrogate vacuolating toxin activity. In addition, these are the first examples of mutant VacA proteins that have defects in vacuolating activity despite exhibiting channel activities similar to those of wild-type VacA.
Quality of life and return to work 5 years after coronary artery bypass surgery. Long-term results of cardiac rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND Rehabilitation is an important part of the treatment of patients with ischemic heart disease. Therefore, many patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) also participate in cardiac rehabilitation programs. This study was conducted to investigate whether rehabilitation influences quality of life and work status after CABS. METHODS Consecutive patients undergoing elective CABS were randomly assigned to a rehabilitation group (R, N = 119) and a hospital-treatment group (H N = 109). All patients received usual medical care. Group R participated in a rehabilitation program based on exercise and counseling. The follow-up time was 5 years. The measured domains of health-related quality of life were heart symptoms, functional class, exercise capacity, use of medication, depression, the patients' perception of health, and overall life situation. The Nottingham Health Profile as a measure of perceived distress was used. RESULTS Symptoms, use of medication, exercise capacity, and depression scores did not differ between groups R and H. Five years after the CABS, the patients in group R reported less restriction in physical mobility on the Nottingham Health Profile than patients in group H (P = 0.005), and more patients in group R than in group H perceived their health (P = 0.03) and overall life situation (P = 0.02) as good. The increase in the proportion of subjects working was higher in group R than group H at 3 years after the CABS (P = 0.02), but not at other follow-up times. CONCLUSION A cardiac rehabilitation program in conjunction with usual medical care after CABS may induce a perception of improved health. The influence on return to work is limited.
MEASURING NET PRIMARY PRODUCTION IN FORESTS: CONCEPTS AND FIELD METHODS

There are pressing reasons for developing a better understanding of net primary production (NPP) in the world's forests. These ecosystems play a large role in the world's carbon budget, and their dynamics, which are likely to be responding to global changes in climate and atmospheric composition, have major economic implications and impacts on global biodiversity. Although there is a long history of forest NPP studies in the ecological literature, current understanding of ecosystem-level production remains lim- ited. Forest NPP cannot be directly measured; it must be approached by indirect methods. To date, field measurements have been largely restricted to a few aspects of NPP; methods are still lacking for field assessment of others, and past studies have involved confusion about the types of measurements needed. As a result, existing field-based estimates of forest NPP are likely to be significant underestimates. In this paper we provide a conceptual framework to guide efforts toward improved estimates of forest NPP. We define the quantity NPP* as the summed classes of organic material that should be measured or estimated in field studies for an estimate of total NPP. We discuss the above- and belowground components of NPP* and the available methods for measuring them in the field. We then assess the implications of the limitations of past studies for current understanding of NPP in forest ecosystems, discuss how field NPP* measurements can be used to complement tower-based studies of forest carbon flux, and recommend design criteria for future field studies of forest NPP.
Association between maternal periodontitis and preterm and/or low birth weight infants in normal pregnancies

Abstract Objective: To relate the periodontal condition with the presence of periodontal bacteria in pregnant that had babies with preterm delivery or/and low weight at birth (PTLBW). Methods: We recruited 134 pregnant women without systemic diseases attending at the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Room, from Maternal Provincial Hospital, Córdoba, Argentine. Pregnant were grouped according to the International Classification for a System of Periodontal Disease. A sample from periodontal pocket was extracted to identify Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Treponema denticola (Td), Tannerella forsythia (Tf) Prevotella intermedia (Pi) and Agreggatibacter actinomycemcomitans (Aa). Results: We identified 7 (5%) cases of children born underweight or preterm of mothers diagnosed with Gingivitis, 6 (4%) in Mild Periodontitis and 4 (3%) in Moderate Periodontitis. We estimated that when Pi and/or Aa were not detected in the periodontal pockets of mothers, the infants had more than 129% chance of having normal birth weights (OR 3.47 for Pi and OR and 2.29 for Aa). The average age of the mothers who has PTLBW was 21 ± 3.5. The age showed an association with PTLBW (p < 0.0008). Conclusions: The presences of periodontal pathogens in periodontal pockets from pregnant with different periodontal status would associate with PTLBW infants when the mothers are young, and the normal term and normal birth weight infant are associated with the absence of periodonto bacteria like Pi and Aa.
Diabetic polyneuropathies: update on research definition, diagnostic criteria and estimation of severity

Prior to a joint meeting of the Neurodiab Association and International Symposium on Diabetic Neuropathy held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 13‐18 October 2009, Solomon Tesfaye, Sheffield, UK, convened a panel of neuromuscular experts to provide an update on polyneuropathies associated with diabetes (Toronto Consensus Panels on DPNs, 2009). Herein, we provide definitions of typical and atypical diabetic polyneuropathies (DPNs), diagnostic criteria, and approaches to diagnose sensorimotor polyneuropathy as well as to estimate severity. Diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN), or typical DPN, usually develops on long‐standing hyperglycaemia, consequent metabolic derangements and microvessel alterations. It is frequently associated with microvessel retinal and kidney disease—but other causes must be excluded. By contrast, atypical DPNs are intercurrent painful and autonomic small‐fibre polyneuropathies. Recognizing that there is a need to detect and estimate severity of DSPN validly and reproducibly, we define subclinical DSPN using nerve conduction criteria and define possible, probable, and confirmed clinical levels of DSPN. For conduct of epidemiologic surveys and randomized controlled trials, it is necessary to pre‐specify which attributes of nerve conduction are to be used, the criterion for diagnosis, reference values, correction for applicable variables, and the specific criterion for DSPN. Herein, we provide the performance characteristics of several criteria for the diagnosis of sensorimotor polyneuropathy in healthy subject‐ and diabetic subject cohorts. Also outlined here are staged and continuous approaches to estimate severity of DSPN. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The properties of thyroglobulin. I. The effects of alkali.

Several studies have appeared in the past 25 years (l-5) concerning the physicochemical properties of thyroglobulin, the protein precursor of the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Most of this work has utilized hog thyroid gland as a source of material. The various investigations are in rather good agreement in obtaining a molecular weight for thyroglobulin close to -$ million. Moreover, this form of the protein appears to be stable within the pH range -5.0 to 11.3 when neutral salt is present (1). Lundgren and Williams (2) in 1939 and O’Donnell et al. (5) recently have reported the appearance of a derivative of hog thyroglobulin, which sedimented with a substantially reduced sedimentation coefficient, when the free electrolyte was removed by extensive dialysis. Similar results have been obtained in the present study with calf thyroglobulin at low ionic strengths. However, the interpretation of data obtained on charged macromolecules, when investigated with insufficient amounts of salt to suppress electrostatic interactions, is usually not free of ambiguities. With thyroglobulin extracted from calf thyroid tissue, a new component, which possessed quite similar sedimentation properties to that reported by Lundgren and Williams, was observed to form at higher ionic strengths when the pH was raised above the neutral range. More extensive data, which can be interpreted with greater confidence, have been collected on this form of thyroglobulin. Further conformational changes’ of calf thyroglobulin at still higher pH values are also reported.
SOME PROBLEMS IN EXPRESSING AND COMPARING BODY COMPOSITION DETERMINED BY DIRECT ANALYSIS *

A “natural” way of expressing body composition data is in terms of percentages or ratios. In most articles on body composition, results have been expressed in this way and comparisons among groups have been made in terms of the averages of the percentages or ratios used. The comparison of groups in terms of such averages may be misleading. ’“‘ It is the purpose of this paper to discuss ways of comparing groups of animals, with reference to composition data obtained from total body analysis.
Probabilistic model‐based discriminant analysis and clustering methods in chemometrics

In chemometrics, the supervised and unsupervised classification of high‐dimensional data has become a recurrent problem. Model‐based techniques for discriminant analysis and clustering are popular tools, which are renowned for their probabilistic foundations and their flexibility. However, classical model‐based techniques show a disappointing behaviour in high‐dimensional spaces, which up to now have been limited in their use within chemometrics. The recent developments in model‐based classification overcame these drawbacks and enabled the efficient classification of high‐dimensional data, even in the ‘small n / large p’ condition. This work presents a comprehensive review of these recent approaches, including regularization‐based techniques, parsimonious modelling, subspace classification methods and classification methods based on variable selection. The use of these model‐based methods is also illustrated on real‐world classification problems in chemometrics using R packages. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Food Safety in Southeast Asia: Challenges Facing the Region

The paper tackles the issue of food safety, which is generally defined as the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use. Echoing the recognition by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1996 that food safety is an element of food security, the paper discusses the importance of the food trade in the economies of many countries, as reflected in the health, economic and political consequences that arise when the food safety system of a country fails. It focuses on the Southeast Asian experience—their food marketing system, the current food safety situation, as well as the complexities brought about by the concern for food safety. Highlighted are the challenges in establishing and strengthening the key components of a food control system to ensure safety along the whole food chain continuum, the relationship between Codex standards and related texts, as well as the enormous responsibility faced by Southeast Asian countries in meeting the obligations of the World Trade Organization. Finally, several recommendations are outlined, stressing the importance of carrying out a needs assessment, participating more actively in Codex work, and taking advantage of the existing collaborative initiatives undertaken, including those in ASEAN, and the various technical assistance available for capacity-building in food safety.
Antigen Detection Assay Modified with a Booster Step for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

p24 Antigen Detection Assay Modified with a Booster Step for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection Ruengpung Sutthent,* Narintorn Gaudart, Kulkanya Chokpaibulkit, Nattaya Tanliang, Chinda Kanoksinsombath, and Pongsakdi Chaisilwatana Departments of Microbiology, Pediatrics, and Obstretics-Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand