Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of Fluconazole and Caspofungin Activity against In Vivo Candida glabrata Biofilms by Bioluminescence Imaging

Candida glabrata can attach to various medical implants and forms thick biofilms despite its inability to switch from yeast to hyphae. The current in vivo C. glabrata biofilm models only provide limited information about colonization and infection and usually require animal sacrifice. ABSTRACT Candida glabrata can attach to various medical implants and forms thick biofilms despite its inability to switch from yeast to hyphae. The current in vivo C. glabrata biofilm models only provide limited information about colonization and infection and usually require animal sacrifice. To gain real-time information from individual BALB/c mice, we developed a noninvasive imaging technique to visualize C. glabrata biofilms in catheter fragments that were subcutaneously implanted on the back of mice. Bioluminescent C. glabrata reporter strains (lucOPT 7/2/4 and lucOPT 8/1/4), free of auxotrophic markers, expressing a codon-optimized firefly luciferase were generated. A murine subcutaneous model was used to follow real-time in vivo biofilm formation in the presence and absence of fluconazole and caspofungin. The fungal load in biofilms was quantified by CFU counts and by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). C. glabrata biofilms formed within the first 24 h, as documented by the increased number of device-associated cells and elevated bioluminescent signal compared with adhesion at the time of implant. The in vivo model allowed monitoring of the antibiofilm activity of caspofungin against C. glabrata biofilms through bioluminescent imaging from day four after the initiation of treatment. Contrarily, signals emitted from biofilms implanted in fluconazole-treated mice were similar to the light emitted from control-treated mice. This study gives insights into the real-time development of C. glabrata biofilms under in vivo conditions. BLI proved to be a dynamic, noninvasive, and sensitive tool to monitor continuous biofilm formation and activity of antifungal agents against C. glabrata biofilms formed on abiotic surfaces in vivo.
‘Handled with care’: Diffuse policing and the production of inequality in Amsterdam

The intersection of race and the criminal justice system has been a longstanding topic of activism, public debate and research in the US context. In recent years, European countries have also seen a growing social and academic debate about the way racialized minorities are policed. Based on ethnographic research in Amsterdam, this article argues that in order to understand such racialized policing, we have to go beyond a narrow focus on the police itself, and instead examine the broader institutional landscape tasked with security. This institutional landscape is made up of penal and welfare actors who together enact what I call diffuse policing. Such diffuse policing envelops targeted persons and spaces in a dense web of surveillance, and disciplinary and reform interventions that are hard to escape or challenge. This article explores the cumulative effects of this dense security landscape, and argues that it produces significant inequalities among youths in Amsterdam.
Refining Diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium Infections: Antigen and Antibody Detection in Urine

Background: Traditional microscopic examination of urine or stool for schistosome eggs lacks sensitivity compared to measurement of schistosome worm-derived circulating antigens in serum or urine. The ease and non-invasiveness of urine collection makes urine an ideal sample for schistosome antigen detection. In this study several user-friendly, lateral-flow (LF) based urine assays were evaluated against a composite reference that defined infection as detection of either eggs in urine or anodic antigen in serum. Method: In a Tanzanian population with a S. haematobium prevalence of 40–50% (S. mansoni prevalence <2%), clinical samples from 44 women aged 18 to 35 years were analyzed for Schistosoma infection. Urine and stool samples were examined microscopically for eggs, and serum samples were analyzed for the presence of the anodic antigen. Urines were further subjected to a set of LF assays detecting (circulating) anodic (CAA) and cathodic antigen (CCA) as well as antibodies against soluble egg antigens (SEA) and crude cercarial antigen preparation (SCAP). Results: The urine LF anodic antigen assay utilizing luminescent upconverting reporter particles (UCP) confirmed its increased sensitivity when performed with larger sample volume. Qualitatively, the anodic antigen assay performed on 250 μL urine matched the performance of the standard anodic antigen assay performed on 20 μL serum. However, the ratio of anodic antigen levels in urine vs. serum of individual patients varied with absolute levels always higher in serum. The 10 μL urine UCP-LF cathodic antigen assay correlated with the commercially available urine POC-CCA (40 μL) test, while conferring better sensitivity with a quantitative result. Urinary antibodies against SEA and SCAP overlap and correlate with the presence of urinary egg and serum anodic antigen levels. Conclusions: The UCP-LF anodic antigen assay using 250 μL of urine is an expedient user-friendly assay and a suitable non-invasive alternative to serum-based antigen testing and urinary egg detection. Individual biological differences in the clearance process of the circulating antigens are thought to explain the observed high variation in the type and level of antigen (anodic or cathodic) measured in urine or serum. Simultaneous detection of anodic and cathodic antigen may be considered to further increase accuracy.
Placing Abstract Concepts in Space: Quantity, Time and Emotional Valence

Research has shown that abstract concepts are often conceptualized along horizontal and vertical axes. However, there are mixed results concerning which axis is preferred for which type of conceptual domain. For instance, it has been suggested that the vertical axis may be preferred for quantity in tasks using linguistic stimuli (e.g., ‘more,’ ‘less’), whereas numerals (e.g., ‘1,’ ‘2,’ ‘3’) may be more prone to horizontal conceptualization. In this study, we used a task with free response options to see where participants would place quantity words (‘most,’ ‘more,’ ‘less,’ ‘least’), numerals (‘2,’ ‘4,’ ‘7,’ ‘9’), time words (‘past,’ ‘future,’ ‘earliest,’ ‘earlier,’ ‘later,’ ‘latest’) and emotional valence words (‘best,’ ‘better,’ ‘worse,’ ‘worst’). We find that for quantity words, the vertical axis was preferred; whereas for numerals, participants preferred the horizontal axis. For time concepts, participants preferred the horizontal axis; and for emotional valence, they preferred the vertical axis. Across all tasks, participants tended to use specific axes (horizontal, vertical), rather than combining these two axes in diagonal responses. These results shed light on the spatial nature of abstract thought.
Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. hoffmannii subsp. nov., Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. xiangfangensis comb. nov., Enterobacter roggenkampii sp. nov., and Enterobacter muelleri is a later heterotypic synonym of Enterobacter asburiae based on computational analysis of sequenced Enterobacter genomes.

Background: The predominant species in clinical Enterobacter isolates is E. hormaechei. Many articles, clinicians, and GenBank submissions misname these strains as E. cloacae. The lack of sequenced type strains or named species/subspecies for some clades in the E. cloacae complex complicate the issue. Methods: The genomes of the type strains for Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. oharae, E. hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii, and E. xiangfangensis, and two strains from Hoffmann clusters III and IV of the E. cloacae complex were sequenced. These genomes, the E. hormaechei subsp. hormaechei type strain, and other available Enterobacter type strains were analysed in conjunction with all extant Enterobacter genomes in NCBI’s RefSeq using Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI). Results: There were five recognizable subspecies of E. hormaechei: E. hormaechei subsp. hoffmannii subsp. nov., E. hormaechei subsp. xiangfangensis comb. nov., and the three previously known subspecies. One of the strains sequenced from the E. cloacae complex was not a novel E. hormaechei subspecies but rather a member of a clade of a novel species: E. roggenkampii sp. nov. E. muelleri was determined to be a later heterotypic synonym of E. asburiae which should take precedence. Conclusion: The phylogeny of the Enterobacter genus, particularly the cloacae complex, was re-evaluated based on the type strain genome sequences and all other available Enterobacter genomes in RefSeq.
Impact of immature platelet fraction on platelet reactivity during prasugrel maintenance treatment

Abstract Residual high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) despite dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has emerged as a predictor of major ischemic events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), especially after an acute cardiovascular event. However, its determinants are still poorly defined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of the percentage of reticulated platelets on HTPR in patients on DAPT with ASA (100–160 mg) and prasugrel (10 mg). Platelet reactivity and the reticulated platelets fraction (immature platelets fraction [IPF]) were assessed at 30–90 days after an acute coronary syndrome. Aggregation was assessed by multiple-electrode aggregometry. HTPR was defined as ADP test > 417 AU × min. Our population is represented by 180 ACS patients undergoing stent implantation, divided according to median values of IPF (< or ≥ 2.8%). Higher IPF values were associated to lower platelet count (p < 0.001) and a higher rate of active smokers (p = 0.02). No difference was observed in terms of mean platelet reactivity, with different activating stimuli. The prevalence of HTPR on prasugrel did not significantly differ in patients with IPF < or ≥ 2.8% (8%vs. 11.8%, p = 0.46; adjusted OR [95% CI] = 1.89 [0.66–5.4], p = 0.24). Our study showed that in patients treated with prasugrel after PCI for ACS, the immature platelet fraction influences neither platelet reactivity nor the rate of HTPR.
Kriging‐based robotic exploration for soil moisture mapping using a cosmic‐ray sensor

Soil moisture monitoring is a fundamental process to enhance agricultural outcomes and to protect the environment. The traditional methods for measuring moisture content in the soil are laborious and expensive, and therefore there is a growing interest in developing sensors and technologies which can reduce the effort and costs. In this work, we propose to use an autonomous mobile robot equipped with a state‐of‐the‐art noncontact soil moisture sensor building moisture maps on the fly and automatically selecting the most optimal sampling locations. We introduce an autonomous exploration strategy driven by the quality of the soil moisture model indicating areas of the field where the information is less precise. The sensor model follows the Poisson distribution and we demonstrate how to integrate such measurements into the kriging framework. We also investigate a range of different exploration strategies and assess their usefulness through a set of evaluation experiments based on real soil moisture data collected from two different fields. We demonstrate the benefits of using the adaptive measurement interval and adaptive sampling strategies for building better quality soil moisture models. The presented method is general and can be applied to other scenarios where the measured phenomena directly affect the acquisition time and need to be spatially mapped.
Physiological responses to central and peripheral injection of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid in chicks

ABSTRACT 1. The purpose of the present study was to determine if intracerebroventricular (ICV) and intraperitoneal (IP) injection of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a viral mimetic that binds to toll-like receptor-3 (TLR3), affects food intake, voluntary activity, cloacal temperature, plasma corticosterone (CORT) and glucose concentrations, and crop emptying rate in chicks (Gallus gallus). 2. Both ICV and IP injection of poly I:C significantly decreased food intake. 3. IP but not ICV injection of poly I:C significantly suppressed voluntary activity, whereas ICV injection decreased time spent sitting. Both ICV and IP injection of poly I:C significantly increased plasma CORT and glucose concentration. Neither ICV nor IP injection of poly I:C significantly affected cloacal temperature. 4. In addition, ICV injection of poly I:C significantly reduced crop emptying rate, whereas IP injection had no effect. 5. These results suggested that central TLR3 is related to anorexia, stress response and retardation of crop emptying while peripheral TLR3 is related to anorexia, change in behaviour and stress responses during viral infection in chicks.
Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain) in treatment of replanted teeth – a systematic review

Abstract Objective: The main purpose of the present systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of enamel matrix derivative Emdogain in healing of replanted teeth in humans. Materials and Methods: This review conducted in adherence to PRISMA standards and was registered in PROSPERO with registration number CRD42017062736. We graded the methodological quality of the studies by means of Cochrane's tool of risk of bias in non-randomized studies – of interventions (ROBINS-I). Results: In total, 65 studies were identified for screening, and five studies were eligible. The uneventful healing of replanted teeth was varied from 20% to 75%. Two controlled trials found Emdogain treatment significantly reduced resorption of replanted teeth and improved the healing of periodontal ligament compared with controls. Two studies showed high recurrent resorption in Emdogain treated teeth. Conclusions: To conclude, the number of publications that met all inclusion criteria were limited and did not allow for drawing evidence for Emdogain being effective in supporting healing of replanted teeth.
An Alternative Approach Obtaining a Normalization Factor in Normalized Min-Sum Algorithm for Low-Density Parity-Check Code

The min-sum algorithm (MSA) for decoding Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code is an approximation algorithm that can greatly reduce the computational complexity of the belief propagation algorithm (BPA). To reduce the error between MSA and BPA, an improved MSA such as normalized min-sum algorithm (NMSA) that uses the normalization factor when updating the check node is used in many LDPC decoders. When obtaining an optimal normalization factor, density evolution (DE) is usually used. However, not only does the DE method require a large number of calculations, it may not be optimal for obtaining a normalization factor due to the theoretical assumptions that need to be satisfied. This paper proposes a new method obtaining a normalization factor for NMSA. We first examine the relationship between the minimum value of variable node messages’ magnitudes and the magnitudes of check node outputs of BPA using the check node message distribution (CMD) chart. And then, we find a normalization factor that minimizes the error between the magnitudes of check node output of NMSA and BPA. We use the least square method (LSM) to minimize the error. Simulation on ATSC 3.0 LDPC codes demonstrates that the normalization factor obtained by this proposed method shows better decoding performance than the normalization factor obtained by DE.
Pregabalin to improve postoperative recovery in bariatric surgery: a parallel, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Purpose Obesity has been considered as a major public health problem in developed countries for which bariatric surgery has become an important treatment strategy. Postoperative pain, however, is a frequent problem in postoperative management. Pregabalin blocks the development of hyperalgesia and central pain sensitization. The objective of this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial was to evaluate the effect of a single dose of preoperative pregabalin vs placebo on the quality of postoperative recovery in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Patients and methods A total of 70 patients undergoing abdominal gastroplasty were randomly assigned to receive oral pregabalin (75 mg) or an identical placebo 1 hour before surgery. The primary outcome was Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption and postoperative pain scores. P<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results In all, 60 of the 70 patients completed the study. The mean (SD) global recovery scores (QoR-40) 24 hours after surgery in the pregabalin and control groups were 183.7 (9) and 182.1 (12), respectively (mean difference=1.6, 95% CI –7.36 to 4.2, P=0.59). There was no significant difference in the total opioid consumption in the 24 hours following surgery between the two groups (pregabalin vs control=0.47×0.2; mean difference=0.26, 95% CI −0.24 to 0.77, P=0.3). There were no significant differences in nausea, vomiting, or time to postanesthesia care unit discharge between the two groups. Conclusion In patients who underwent bariatric surgery, a single preoperative dose of pregabalin (75 mg) did not improve pain relief, quality of postoperative recovery, or reduction in opioid consumption. Clinical trial registration http://www.ensaiosclinicos. gov.br (identifier: RBR-2g89x8).
Ad-hoc Analytical Framework of Bitcoin Investigations for Law Enforcement

SUMMARY Bitcoin is the leading cryptocurrency in the world with a total marketcap of nearly USD 33 billion, [1] with 370,000 transactions recorded daily[2]. Pseudo-anonymous, decentralized peer-to-peer electronic cash systems such as Bitcoin have caused a paradigm shift in the way that people conduct ﬁnancial transactions and purchase goods. Although cryptocurrencies enable users to securely and anonymously exchange money, they can also facilitate illegal criminal activities. Therefore, it is imperative that law enforcement agencies develop appropriate analytical processes that will allow them to identify and investigate criminal activities in the Blockchain (a distributed ledger). In this paper, IN-TERPOL, through the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation, proposes a Bitcoin analytical framework and a software system that will assist law enforcement agencies in the real-time analysis of the Blockchain while providing digital crime analysts with tracing and visualization capabilities. By doing so, it is feasible to render transactions decipherable and compre-hensible for law enforcement investigators and prosecutors. The proposed solution is evaluated against three criminal case studies linked to Darknet markets, ransomware and DDoS extortion.
Strong Tetrel Bonds: Theoretical Aspects and Experimental Evidence

In recent years, noncovalent interactions involving group-14 elements of the periodic table acting as a Lewis acid center (or tetrel-bonding interactions) have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in supramolecular chemistry, material science and so on. The aim of the present study is to characterize the geometry, strength and bonding properties of strong tetrel-bond interactions in some charge-assisted tetrel-bonded complexes. Ab initio calculations are performed, and the results are supported by the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) approaches. The interaction energies of the anionic tetrel-bonded complexes formed between XF3M molecule (X=F, CN; M=Si, Ge and Sn) and A− anions (A−=F−, Cl−, Br−, CN−, NC− and N3−) vary between −16.35 and −96.30 kcal/mol. The M atom in these complexes is generally characterized by pentavalency, i.e., is hypervalent. Moreover, the QTAIM analysis confirms that the anionic tetrel-bonding interaction in these systems could be classified as a strong interaction with some covalent character. On the other hand, it is found that the tetrel-bond interactions in cationic tetrel-bonded [p-NH3(C6H4)MH3]+···Z and [p-NH3(C6F4)MH3]+···Z complexes (M=Si, Ge, Sn and Z=NH3, NH2CH3, NH2OH and NH2NH2) are characterized by a strong orbital interaction between the filled lone-pair orbital of the Lewis base and empty BD*M-C orbital of the Lewis base. The substitution of the F atoms in the benzene ring provides a strong orbital interaction, and hence improved tetrel-bond interaction. For all charge-assisted tetrel-bonded complexes, it is seen that the formation of tetrel-bond interaction is accompanied bysignificant electron density redistribution over the interacting subunits. Finally, we provide some experimental evidence for the existence of such charge-assisted tetrel-bond interactions in crystalline phase.
A Multiple-Access Time and Frequency Spectrum-Spreading Modulation

In this paper a novel modulation scheme called Carrier Interleaved Multiple Access (CIMA) is proposed. CIMA provides an alternative for multiple-access modulation accommodating resistance to noise and channel interference. The approach is based on polar signaling modulated with an FM-like composite sinusoidal function. The user assigned frequency deviation and modulation index are strictly related and unique. The latter parameters are generated using a nontraditional pseudorandom noise generator (PRNG). This PRNG provides CIMA with low interference capability between cochannels and adjacent channels. CIMA can be considered for a single-user or multiple-access technique. Selected CIMA characteristics are presented. In order to numerically illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed modulation scheme, the performance of CIMA is compared with the conventional direct-sequence spread spectrum binary phase-shift keying (DSSS-BPSK) modulation.
Priority-based target coverage in directional sensor networks

The target coverage optimisation is an important problem in directional sensor networks (DSNs). In this study, the authors present a novel algorithm, called cover critical target first (CCTF), for improving the coverage ratio in DSN. CCTF simultaneously maximises the number of covered targets, reduces the number of active sensors, and extends network lifetime. For a set of uncovered targets, CCTF always finds the highest priority target which has the minimum number of covering sensors. Among sensors that could cover this target, CCTF activates a sensor that covers more additional targets besides the found target. CCTF's performance is evaluated in terms of coverage ratio, the number of active sensors, and power consumption through extensive simulation. The simulation indicates that CCTF is robust against orientation and localisation errors.