Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sexual behaviour of Cape Town high-school students.

OBJECTIVES To document prevalence rates for selected aspects of sexual behaviour among Cape Town high-school students and to conduct a survival analysis of age at first intercourse. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING State high schools in Cape Town. SUBJECTS A multistage cluster sample of 2,740 grade 8 and 11 students at 39 schools. OUTCOME MEASURES Ever having had sexual intercourse; for those who had, age at first intercourse, number of partners during the previous 12 months, time since last intercourse; and, at last intercourse, whether the partner had been known for more than 7 days, whether any method was used to prevent pregnancy or disease, and (if so) what was used. RESULTS Overall, 29.9% had participated in sexual intercourse, with a higher proportion among males and those in grade 11. By the age of 14 years, 23.4% of males and 5.5% of females had participated in sexual intercourse. By the age of 19 years, these proportions were 71.8% and 58.2% respectively. The median time since last intercourse was 4 weeks, the median number of partners in the past year was 1, and 78.4% had known their most recent partner for more than 7 days. At their last coital episode, 65.4% had used contraception, and the most common methods were condoms and injectable steroids, which were used by 67.7% and 43.2% respectively. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of sexually active students has increased since 1990. Intervention programmes should commence in primary school. Large numbers of students are at risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Two Novel Approaches to Reduce False Alarm Due to Non‐Earthquake Events for On‐Site Earthquake Early Warning System

An on‐site earthquake early warning system (EEWS) can provide more lead‐time at regions that are close to the epicenter of an earthquake because only seismic information of a target site is required. Instead of leveraging the information of several stations, the on‐site system extracts some P‐wave features from the first few seconds of vertical ground acceleration of a single station. It then predicts the intensity of the forthcoming earthquake at the same station according to these features. However, the system may be triggered by some vibration signals that are not caused by an earthquake or by interference from electronic signals, which may consequently result in a false alarm at the station. Thus, this study proposes two approaches to distinguish the vibration signals caused by non‐earthquake events from those caused by earthquake events based on support vector classification (SVC) and singular spectrum analysis (SSA). In the first approach (Approach I), the fast Fourier transform algorithm and the established SVC model are employed to classify the vibration signals. In the second approach (Approach II), a SSA criterion is added to Approach I for the purpose of identifying earthquake events that are classified as non‐earthquake events by the SVC model with increased accuracy. Both approaches are verified by using data collected from the Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program and EEW stations of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering. The results indicate that both of the proposed approaches effectively reduce the possibility of false alarms caused by an unknown vibration event.
Real‐time Volumetric Deformable Models for Surgery Simulation using Finite Elements and Condensation

This paper discusses the application of 3D solid volumetric Finite Element models to surgery simulation. In particular it introduces three new ideas for solving the problem of achieving real‐time performance for these models. The simulation system we have developed is described and we demonstrate real‐time deformation using the methods developed in the paper.
Automatic speech recognition with a cochlear implant front-end

Today, cochlear implants (CIs) are the treatment of choice in patients with profound hearing loss. However speech intelligibility with these devices is still limited. A factor that determines hearing performance is the processing method used in CIs. Therefore, research is focused on designing different speech processing methods. The evaluation of these strategies is subject to variability as it is usually performed with cochlear implant recipients. Hence, an objective method for the evaluation would give more robustness compared to the tests performed with CI patients. This paper proposes a method to evaluate signal processing strategies for CIs based on a hidden markov model speech recognizer. Two signal processing strategies for CIs, the Advanced Combinational Encoder (ACE) and the Psychoacoustic Advanced Combinational Encoder (PACE), have been compared in a phoneme recognition task. Results show that PACE obtained higher recognition scores than ACE as found with CI recipients.
Model-driven safety assessment of robotic systems

Robotic systems (RSs) are often used for performing critical tasks with little or no human intervention. Such RSs must satisfy certain dependability requirements including reliability, availability, security and safety. In this paper, we focus on the safety aspect and propose a methodology and associated framework for safety assessment of RSs in the early phases of development. The methodology relies upon model-driven engineering approach and describes a preliminary safety assessment of safety-critical RSs using fault tree (FT) analysis (FTA). The framework supports a domain specific language for RSs called RobotML and includes facilities (i) to automatically generate or manually construct FTs and perform both qualitative and quantitative FTA, (ii) to make semantic connections with formal verification and FTA tools, (iii) to represent FTA results in the RobotML modeling environment. In the case study, we illustrate the proposed methodology and framework by considering a mobile robot developed in the scope of the Proteus project.
Recent accomplishments in wound healing

The challenge to balance limited resources with infinite demand has encouraged an evolution in the way health care services are managed and operated. Chronic wound management is complex and prolonged, and places a considerable financial burden on health services. A typical driver of cost includes the necessity to change dressings on a regular basis. Over the last few decades, several scientific and biological advances have furthered the development of wound care products and facilitated wound management. This article investigates some of the major advancements that have occurred within the wound‐care arena during the last 5 years and how these advancements are being translated to provide better delivery of clinical care to patients.
Increasing drought in Jordan: Climate change and cascading Syrian land-use impacts on reducing transboundary flow

Water-poor Jordan faces extreme droughts and lower river flows due to climate and land-use change after the Syrian crisis. In countries where severe drought is an anticipated effect of climate change and in those that heavily depend on upstream nations for fresh water, the effect of drier conditions and consequent changes in the transboundary streamflow regime induced by anthropogenic interventions and disasters leads to uncertainty in regional water security. As a case in point, we analyze Jordan’s surface water resources and agricultural water demand through 2100, considering the combined impacts of climate change and land-use change driven by the Syrian conflict. We use bias-corrected regional climate simulations as input to high-resolution hydrologic models to assess three drought types: meteorological (rainfall decrease), agricultural (soil moisture deficit), and hydrologic (streamflow decline) under future scenarios. The historical baseline period (1981–2010) is compared to the future (2011–2100), divided into three 30-year periods. Comparing the baseline period to 2070–2100, average temperature increases by 4.5°C, rainfall decreases by 30%, and multiple drought-type occurrences increase from ~8 in 30 years to ~25 in 30 years. There is a significant increase in the contemporaneous occurrence of multiple drought types along with an 80% increase in simultaneous warm and dry events. Watershed simulations of future transboundary Yarmouk-Jordan River flow from Syria show that Jordan would receive 51 to 75% less Yarmouk water compared to historical flow. Recovery of Syrian irrigated agriculture to pre-conflict conditions would produce twice the decline in transboundary flow as that due to climate change. In Jordan, the confluence of limited water supply, future drought, and transboundary hydrologic impacts of land use severely challenges achieving freshwater sustainability.
A Wearable Technology Revisited for Cardio-Respiratory Functional Exploration: Stroke Volume Estimation from Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography

The objective of the present study is to extract new information from complex signals generated by Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography (RIP). This indirect cardio-respiratory (CR) measure is a well-known wearable solution. The authors applied time-scale analysis to estimate cardiac activity from thoracic volume variations, witnesses of CR interactions. Calibrated RIP signals gathered from 4 healthy volunteers in resting conditions are processed by Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition to extract cardiac volume signals and estimate stroke volumes. Averaged values of these stroke volumes (SVRIP) are compared with averaged values of stroke volumes determined simultaneously by electrical impedance cardiography (SVICG). There is a satisfactory correlation between SVRIP and SVICG (r=0.76, p
Label-Free Biosensor Imaging on Photonic Crystal Surfaces

We review the development and application of nanostructured photonic crystal surfaces and a hyperspectral reflectance imaging detection instrument which, when used together, represent a new form of optical microscopy that enables label-free, quantitative, and kinetic monitoring of biomaterial interaction with substrate surfaces. Photonic Crystal Enhanced Microscopy (PCEM) has been used to detect broad classes of materials which include dielectric nanoparticles, metal plasmonic nanoparticles, biomolecular layers, and live cells. Because PCEM does not require cytotoxic stains or photobleachable fluorescent dyes, it is especially useful for monitoring the long-term interactions of cells with extracellular matrix surfaces. PCEM is only sensitive to the attachment of cell components within ~200 nm of the photonic crystal surface, which may correspond to the region of most interest for adhesion processes that involve stem cell differentiation, chemotaxis, and metastasis. PCEM has also demonstrated sufficient sensitivity for sensing nanoparticle contrast agents that are roughly the same size as protein molecules, which may enable applications in “digital” diagnostics with single molecule sensing resolution. We will review PCEM’s development history, operating principles, nanostructure design, and imaging modalities that enable tracking of optical scatterers, emitters, absorbers, and centers of dielectric permittivity.
Are girls (even) more addicted? Some gender patterns of cell phone usage

1. Mobile phones and gender roles. 2 2. The scope of the present study . 4 3. Data and Methodology . 4 4. Empirical results . 5 4.1 Age patterns of cell phone adoption . 5 4.2 Intensity of usage . 7 4.3 Subjective motivations and emotional commitments . 14 5. Conclusions . 18 References . 20
Outer Surface Protein B Is Critical for Borrelia burgdorferi Adherence and Survival within Ixodes Ticks

Survival of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks and mammals is facilitated, at least in part, by the selective expression of lipoproteins. Outer surface protein (Osp) A participates in spirochete adherence to the tick gut. As ospB is expressed on a bicistronic operon with ospA, we have now investigated the role of OspB by generating an OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi and examining its phenotype throughout the spirochete life cycle. Similar to wild-type isolates, the OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi were able to readily infect and persist in mice. OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi were capable of migrating to the feeding ticks but had an impaired ability to adhere to the tick gut and survive within the vector. Furthermore, the OspB-deficient B. burgdorferi bound poorly to tick gut extracts. The complementation of the OspB-deficient spirochete in trans, with a wild-type copy of ospB gene, restored its ability to bind tick gut. Taken together, these data suggest that OspB has an important role within Ixodes scapularis and that B. burgdorferi relies upon multiple genes to efficiently persist in ticks.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis NAD+-dependent DNA ligase is selectively inhibited by glycosylamines compared with human DNA ligase I

DNA ligases are important enzymes which catalyze the joining of nicks between adjacent bases of double-stranded DNA. NAD+-dependent DNA ligases (LigA) are essential in bacteria and are absent in humans. They have therefore been identified as novel, validated and attractive drug targets. Using virtual screening against an in-house database of compounds and our recently determined crystal structure of the NAD+ binding domain of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis LigA, we have identified N1, Nn-bis-(5-deoxy-α-d-xylofuranosylated) diamines as a novel class of inhibitors for this enzyme. Assays involving M.tuberculosis LigA, T4 ligase and human DNA ligase I show that these compounds specifically inhibit LigA from M.tuberculosis. In vitro kinetic and inhibition assays demonstrate that the compounds compete with NAD+ for binding and inhibit enzyme activity with IC50 values in the µM range. Docking studies rationalize the observed specificities and show that among several glycofuranosylated diamines, bis xylofuranosylated diamines with aminoalkyl and 1, 3-phenylene carbamoyl spacers mimic the binding modes of NAD+ with the enzyme. Assays involving LigA-deficient bacterial strains show that in vivo inhibition of ligase by the compounds causes the observed antibacterial activities. They also demonstrate that the compounds exhibit in vivo specificity for LigA over ATP-dependent ligase. This class of inhibitors holds out the promise of rational development of new anti-tubercular agents.
Design and performance of a three-phase inverter with voltage injection

Control of a three-phase inverter with neutral-line voltage injection is proposed to improve the output voltage waveform. This inverter consists of a main three-phase inverter and an auxiliary single-phase inverter; the main inverter acts in the 120-degree conduction mode and the auxiliary inverter behaves as a wave shaper with three times frequency of the main frequency. The main inverter converts almost all the input dc power to ac power in discontinuous rectangular waveform. The auxiliary inverter is applied to lower the output voltage total-harmonic-distortion (THD). Design of the proposed inverter is presented in the paper. Performance of the total inverter is investigated in theory and experiment. The output three-phase voltages had a THD of about 4.5% in experiment. The practicability of the control method is confirmed.
A Fine-Grained Access Control System Combining MAC and RBACK Models for XML

In this paper, we present a novel fine-grained access control system for applications where the information flow is critical; the confidentiality of the data is essential and there are a huge number of users who access different portions of an XML document as in military applications. We combine MAC and RBACK models for XML for use in the mentioned type of applications. In accordance with the peculiarities of the target applications, the access control model is structured in such a way that the implementation can be done efficiently for large number of users. In the system presented, instead of using access control lists, we use a security labeling approach in defining the grant rules. By combining the advantages of role-based and mandatory access control schemes, the access control system presented provides a fine-grained, flexible and effective access for applications where the confidentiality of data is crucial. The system is implemented and tested for correctness. Performance analysis is also given.
Estimation of the biodegradability of packaging materials by a screening test and a weight-loss method

Two methods were studied in order to estimate the degradability of packaging materials, using cellulosic materials—such as cellophane or paraffin waxed paper—as models. A preliminary orientation test was carried out, based on the visual observation of microbial development on the materials used. This qualitative test permitted an initial classification of materials according to their potential degradability, and especially allowed the identification of microbial species, particularly fungi, most likely to grow on the materials being studied. The biofragmentation of materials was evaluated from their dry weight loss. For a fixed time of incubation, the classification of these materials was based either on the percentage or on the absolute value of this weight loss. For the method applied to a solid medium, we found that an inoculum deposited on an agar surface was more suitable than direct inoculation of the samples, in fact, pure fungi strains, especially Trichoderma viride or Aspergillus niger, were found to be more suitable for cellulosic materials than the bacterial strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens) or bacterial mixture used.
Sampling Content from Online Social Networks

Analysis of content streams gathered from social networking sites such as Twitter has several applications ranging from content search and recommendation, news detection to business analytics. However, processing large amounts of data generated on these sites in real-time poses a difficult challenge. To cope with the data deluge, analytics companies and researchers are increasingly resorting to sampling. In this article, we investigate the crucial question of how to sample content streams generated by users in online social networks. The traditional method is to randomly sample all the data. For example, most studies using Twitter data today rely on the 1% and 10% randomly sampled streams of tweets that are provided by Twitter. In this paper, we analyze a different sampling methodology, one where content is gathered only from a relatively small sample (<1%) of the user population, namely, the expert users. Over the duration of a month, we gathered tweets from over 500,000 Twitter users who are identified as experts on a diverse set of topics, and compared the resulting expert sampled tweets with the 1% randomly sampled tweets provided publicly by Twitter. We compared the sampled datasets along several dimensions, including the popularity, topical diversity, trustworthiness, and timeliness of the information contained within them, and on the sentiment/opinion expressed on specific topics. Our analysis reveals several important differences in data obtained through the different sampling methodologies, which have serious implications for applications such as topical search, trustworthy content recommendations, breaking news detection, and opinion mining.
Characterization of Outer Membrane Proteome of Akkermansia muciniphila Reveals Sets of Novel Proteins Exposed to the Human Intestine

Akkermansia muciniphila is a common member of the human gut microbiota and belongs to the Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobia-Chlamydiae superphylum. Decreased levels of A. muciniphila have been associated with many diseases, and thus it is considered to be a beneficial resident of the intestinal mucus layer. Surface-exposed molecules produced by this organism likely play important roles in colonization and communication with other microbes and the host, but the protein composition of the outer membrane (OM) has not been characterized thus far. Herein we set out to identify and characterize A. muciniphila proteins using an integrated approach of proteomics and computational analysis. Sarkosyl extraction and sucrose density-gradient centrifugation methods were used to enrich and fractionate the OM proteome of A. muciniphila. Proteins from these fractions were identified by LC-MS/MS and candidates for OM proteins derived from the experimental approach were subjected to computational screening to verify their location in the cell. In total we identified 79 putative OM and membrane-associated extracellular proteins, and 23 of those were found to differ in abundance between cells of A. muciniphila grown on the natural substrate, mucin, and those grown on the non-mucus sugar, glucose. The identified OM proteins included highly abundant proteins involved in secretion and transport, as well as proteins predicted to take part in formation of the pili-like structures observed in A. muciniphila. The most abundant OM protein was a 95-kD protein, termed PilQ, annotated as a type IV pili secretin and predicted to be involved in the production of pili in A. muciniphila. To verify its location we purified the His-Tag labeled N-terminal domain of PilQ and generated rabbit polyclonal antibodies. Immunoelectron microscopy of thin sections immunolabeled with these antibodies demonstrated the OM localization of PilQ, testifying for its predicted function as a type IV pili secretin in A. muciniphila. As pili structures are known to be involved in the modulation of host immune responses, this provides support for the involvement of OM proteins in the host interaction of A. muciniphila. In conclusion, the characterization of A. muciniphila OM proteome provides valuable information that can be used for further functional and immunological studies.
Proper MgO Addition in Blast Furnace Operation

Based on laboratory experiment, the effects of MgO on sintering process and metallurgical properties of sintered ore are examined. The experiment results show that, adding no or small amount of MgO in sintering, the sintering productivity can be improved, and the sintered ore can have high cold strength and small temperature range of cohesive zone and as a result the permeability of cohesive zone can be improved and the total pressure drop of blast furnace (BF) can be decreased. In this paper a new process of proper MgO addition into BF operation is proposed and in this process MgO content in BF slag can meet the requirement and at the same time RDI of sintered ore is low.
A multi-agent control architecture for a robotic wheelchair

Assistant robots like robotic wheelchairs can perform an effective and valuable work in our daily lives. However, they eventually may need external help from humans in the robot environment particularly, the driver in the case of a wheelchair to accomplish safely and efficiently some tricky tasks for the current technology, i.e. opening a locked door, traversing a crowded area, etc. This article proposes a control architecture for assistant robots designed under a multi-agent perspective that facilitates the participation of humans into the robotic system and improves the overall performance of the robot as well as its dependability. Within our design, agents have their own intentions and beliefs, have different abilities that include algorithmic behaviours and human skills and also learn autonomously the most convenient method to carry out their actions through reinforcement learning. The proposed architecture is illustrated with a real assistant robot: a robotic wheelchair that provides mobility to impaired or elderly people.