Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Health Promotion

[][1] Ed David Scott, Ross Weston Stanley Thornes, £18, pp 176 ISBN 07487 33132 ——————— Rating: ! [Graphic][2] ! [Graphic][3] ! [Graphic][4] This is a collection of essays that provide a range of perspectives on evaluation. Readers hoping for practical advice on how to conduct an evaluation will be disappointed. The target audience for the book is not clearly defined, but it is certainly not those with a peripheral or early interest in evaluating health promotion programmes. The book instead takes the reader on a tour of different models, evaluation designs, and measures of success for the … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-3.gif
Gastric colonization by Campylobacter pylori subsp. mustelae in ferrets

Campylobacter pylori subsp. mustelae was cultured from both normal and inflamed gastric mucosa of ferrets. Examination of neonatal, juvenile, and adult ferrets established that the gastric mucosa in the majority of preweanling (age, less than 6 weeks) ferrets sampled were not colonized with C. pylori subsp. mustelae, whereas the gastric mucosa of 100% of adult ferrets were colonized with this gastric organism. C. pylori subsp. mustelae was isolated from the gastric mucosa on a sequential basis from nine ferrets during a several-month period, inferring either persistent colonization or frequent reinfection with C. pylori subsp. mustelae.
Experimental Infection Model for Johne's Disease in Sheep

ABSTRACT Johne's disease in ruminants results in chronic enteritis caused by the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. This study examined two M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis strains (JD3 and W), using different doses and routes of infection, to establish the optimal time postchallenge when predictable levels of infection, gut lesions, and clinical disease occur in a large proportion of sheep. While a small proportion (25%) of sheep challenged with a low-passage-number laboratory culture of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (strain W) became infected, no infection was found in animals exposed to a high-passage-number culture isolate of strain W. In contrast, a primary tissue homogenate of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (JD3) resulted in high (90%) infection rates and gut histopathology following oral or intratonsillar challenge. The optimal conditions necessary to produce Johne's disease involve oral inoculation of 3-month-old lambs with four doses of 5 × 108 CFU of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolated directly from the gut lymphatic tissues of clinically affected sheep. This resulted in consistent gut histopathology at 9 months and the onset of clinical disease by 11 months postchallenge.
FDTD Analysis of the Electric Field of a Substation Arrester Under a Lightning Overvoltage

The electric field in and around a 2.6-m-long substation arrester, on which a 1 MV lightning impulse is imposed, has been analyzed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The arrester is represented as a combination of 10 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm cubic cells, each of which has a nonlinear resistivity (or conductivity) in each of the x-, y-, and z-directions, dependent on the electric field in each direction. This simple representation requires no iterative procedure, and is suitable and useful for the FDTD simulation of an overvoltage-imposed arrester. The transient electric field in and around the overvoltage-imposed arrester, and the spatial distributions of vertical and radial electric fields along the surface of the arrester are shown. The influence of a shield ring is also shown.
The non-circular MUSIC method for uniform rectangular arrays

Numerous studies for non-circular signals are being conducted to improve the performance of systems. However, the studies of Non-Circular MUSIC (NC-MUSIC) method include mostly uniform linear arrays and not as much effort has been devoted to other configurations. This paper extends the Non-circular MUSIC for the rectangular array. The simulation shows the NC-MUSIC method has a higher resolution and the structure of the rectangular array has significantly influence on the NC-MUSIC method.
Sorption of tylosin A, D, and A‐aldol and degradation of tylosin a in soils

Heightened concerns regarding the potential impact on soil and water quality of veterinary antibiotics warrant a better understanding of the environmental fate of antibiotics in soil. Sorption of the macrolides tylosin A (TA), tylosin D, and TA‐aldol was measured in several soils and evaluated with respect to soil pH, organic matter content, percentage clay, and cation‐exchange capacity (CEC). Tylosin and related compounds exhibit similar sorption characteristics and generally are strongly sorbed, with sorption being well and positively correlated to surface area, clay content, and CEC. Sorption coefficients normalized by CEC were within a narrow range (104.1±0.21 L/molc) for all but one soil; however, good extraction recoveries with only methanol for most soils suggested that hydrophobic processes also contribute to sorption. Aerobic degradation of TA over a three‐month period in two freshly collected agricultural soils and 60Co‐irradiated soils indicated that both abiotic and microbial processes contribute to TA transformation. The abiotic process was much slower and dominated in the first two weeks, followed by rapid microbial degradation within 3 d. Three primary degradation products were identified using liquid chromatography with full‐scan mass spectrometry, with unconfirmed identifications of TA having the aldehyde group oxidized to an acid (m/z = 932) in both soils and tyslosin B (m/z = 772) as well as tylosin B having the aldehyde group oxidized to an acid (m/z = 788) in the sandy soil.
POU domain factors of the Brn-3 class recognize functional DNA elements which are distinctive, symmetrical, and highly conserved in evolution

To better understand the diversity of function within the POU domain class of transcriptional regulators, we have determined the optimal DNA recognition site of several proteins of the POU-IV (Brn-3) subclass by random oligonucleotide selection. The consensus recognition element derived in this study, ATAATTAAT, is clearly distinct from octamer sites described for the POU factor Oct-1. The optimal POU-IV site determined here also binds Brn-3.0 with significantly higher affinity than consensus recognition sites previously proposed for this POU subclass. The binding affinity of Brn-3.0 on its optimal site, several variants of this site, and several naturally occurring POU recognition elements is highly correlated with the activation of reporter gene expression by Brn-3.0 in transfection assays. The preferred DNA recognition site of Brn-3.0 resembles strongly the optimal sites of another mammalian POU-IV class protein, Brn-3.2, and of the Caenorhabditis elegans Brn-3.0 homolog Unc-86, demonstrating that the site-specific DNA recognition properties of these factors are highly conserved between widely divergent species.
Object-oriented COBOL recycling

A tool supported process for extracting objects from existing COBOL programs is described. The process is based on human interaction to select objects coupled with automated slicing techniques to identify all of the elementary operations which change the state of the object selected. The object is redefined within the framework of an object-COBOL class and the elementary operations are attached to it as methods. The result is a set of object-COBOL classes.
Ambroxol: a multifaceted molecule with additional therapeutic potentials in respiratory disorders of childhood

Introduction: Mucoactive drugs are currently used to cleanse the respiratory tract following disturbance of the normal mucociliary clearance due to mucous hyperproduction and/or modification of its physicochemical characteristics. However, in addition to possessing the ability to perform specific actions on airway secretion, these compounds have the capability to modulate the mechanisms involved in abnormal secretions. Indeed, over the years, in the postmarketing phase, a large number of studies have been published showing interesting pharmacological activities in addition to their secretagogue activity. Areas covered: This article collates available data on ambroxol (2-amino-3,5-dibromo-N-[trans-4-hydroxycyclohexyl]benzylamine), a metabolite of bromhexine, used as a secretagogue in the treatment of childhood airway diseases. This article goes beyond the mucoactive aspects of the drug covering its multiple pharmacological properties. Expert opinion: The non-mucoactive functions exhibited by the compound may provide beneficial effects on airway structure and function in health and disease. Beyond the mucokinetic and secretagogue effects, ambroxol showed great antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, local anesthetic and surfactant synthesis stimulatory activities. Moreover, some antiviral and antibacterial activities were shown. These findings may better explain the clinical results observed in a variety of airway disorders and suggest additional therapeutic potential. Further studies are needed to better define the clinical relevance of these non-mucolytic activities.
Bridging and bonding: social capital at music festivals

This paper uses the theoretical concept of social capital as its framework to examine festivals in the context of social and cultural policy. Government policies have cited the arts as a tool for combating social exclusion, overcoming barriers between people and fostering community cohesion. Social capital theorist Robert Putnam specifically suggests that cultural events can bring together diverse social groups. To investigate these claims in practice, this study collected empirical data at three festivals: a pop festival, an opera festival and a folk festival. The empirical data, comprising observations, screening questionnaires and in-depth interviews, were analysed using critical discourse analysis to bring out styles and discourses relating to social interactions. It was found that the reinforcement of existing relationships, termed bonding social capital by Putnam, was an important part of the festival experience. The formation of bridging social capital: that is, new and enduring social connections with previously unconnected attendees was not, however, found to be a feature of festivals, despite a sense of general friendliness and trust identified by some. Furthermore, drawing on Bourdieu's conceptualisation of social capital, festival attendees were found to be remarkably similar in their demographic make-up, also throwing doubt on policy-related suggestions that festivals could be sites of inter-connections between people from diverse backgrounds. This study therefore suggests that music festivals are not valuable sites for social and cultural policy aims of combating social exclusion, bridging barriers between groups and fostering wider community cohesion.
Dendritic spines: convergence of theory and experiment.

Dendritic spines, small protrusions covering the surface of many neurons, have fascinated anatomists ever since Ramon y Cajal first described them at the turn of the century. Until recently, their small size has precluded direct measurement of their functional properties. Nevertheless,spines have long been investigated from a theoretical point of view. Experimental and computational studies now seem to be converging toward a common viewpoint - that spines allow biochemical, rather than electrical,compartmentalization within neurons.
Haplotype‐Based Methods for Detecting Uncommon Causal Variants With Common SNPs

Detecting uncommon causal variants (minor allele frequency [MAF] < 5%) is difficult with commercial single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays that are designed to capture common variants (MAF > 5%). Haplotypes can provide insights into underlying linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure and can tag uncommon variants that are not well tagged by common variants. In this work, we propose a wei‐SIMc‐matching test that inversely weights haplotype similarities with the estimated standard deviation of haplotype counts to boost the power of similarity‐based approaches for detecting uncommon causal variants. We then compare the power of the wei‐SIMc‐matching test with that of several popular haplotype‐based tests, including four other similarity‐based tests, a global score test for haplotypes (global), a test based on the maximum score statistic over all haplotypes (max), and two newly proposed haplotype‐based tests for rare variant detection. With systematic simulations under a wide range of LD patterns, the results show that wei‐SIMc‐matching and global are the two most powerful tests. Among these two tests, wei‐SIMc‐matching has reliable asymptotic P‐values, whereas global needs permutations to obtain reliable P‐values when the frequencies of some haplotype categories are low or when the trait is skewed. Therefore, we recommend wei‐SIMc‐matching for detecting uncommon causal variants with surrounding common SNPs, in light of its power and computational feasibility.
Evolution of resistance mutations pattern in HIV-1-infected patients during intensification therapy with a boosted protease inhibitor

Intensification therapy adding a boosted protease inhibitor (PI) to a failing regimen has the potential to worsen the resistance profile. Sixty-six patients included in four different boosted PI intensification studies were assessed and resistance mutations in the reverse transcriptase and protease genes were evaluated at baseline and 4 weeks after the initiation of the intensification strategy. Only one of the 66 patients developed changes in their pattern of mutations able to generate or increase resistance to new drugs.
Light attenuation experiments on double diffusive plumes and fountains

By adapting the method of light attenuation to the study of axisymmetric disturbances, we examine the structure of forced plumes and fountains whose buoyancy is set by salinity and/or temperature differences between the turbulent flow and the otherwise stationary ambient. The attenuation measurements are used to infer the statistically steady-state density as a function of radius and height. These compare well with in situ measurements of density taken from a conductivity-temperature probe that repeatedly traversed the centreline of the plume. The theory for forced plumes also agrees well with the centreline density profile. The radial structure of plumes and fountains near the source is found to correspond well to a Gaussian profile, although the standard deviation is found to increase moderately faster with height than spreading rates reported in the existing literature. This is attributed in part to averaging biases resulting from light attenuating through transient eddies. In most experiments, hot and.
Genotype Cluster Analysis in Pathogenic Escherichia coli Isolates Producing Different CDT Types

Diarrheagenic and uropathogenic E. coli types are mainly characterized by the expression of distinctive bacterial virulent factors. stx1, stx2 (Shiga toxins), and cdt (cytolethal distending toxin) genes have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer. Some virulent genes such as espP (serine protease), etpD (part of secretion pathway), and katP (catalase-peroxidase), or sfpA gene (Sfp fimbriae), are on plasmids and the others like fliC (flagellin) and the fimH gene (fimbriae type-I) are located on chromosome. Genomic pathogenicity islands (PAIs) carry some virulent genes such as hly gene. To determine the existence of virulence genes in cdt clinical isolates, genes including stx1, stx2, cdt, hly, espP, katP, sfpA, etpD, fliC, and fimH were assessed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The most prevalent isolates for etpD and katP genes were 85.7% in cdtII. katP gene was also observed 83.3% in cdtI. However, in 42.85% of cdtIII isolates, espP gene was the most detected. Moreover, hly gene was also the most prominent gene in cdtIII (71.42%). sfpA gene was observed in 66.6% of cdtV. stx1 gene was detected in 100% of cdtII, cdtIV, and cdtV types. Presence and pattern of virulence genes were considered among cdt positive isotypes and used for their clustering and profiling.
Cytotoxic T cells specific for a single peptide on the M2 protein of respiratory syncytial virus are the sole mediators of resistance induced by immunization with M2 encoded by a recombinant vaccinia virus

We have studied the immunobiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of respiratory tract morbidity in children. As part of these studies, it was previously found that immunization of BALB/c (H-2d) mice with a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) which encoded the M2 protein of RSV provided complete protection against infection with RSV. This protection was transient and associated with M2-specific CD8+ T-cell (TCD8+) responses. In this study, we used two approaches to demonstrate that expression of an H-2Kd-restricted nonameric peptide (Ser Tyr Ile Gly Ser Ile Asn Asn Ile) corresponding to M2 residues 82 to 90 is necessary and sufficient to induce protective TCD8+ responses. First, infection of mice with an rVV which encoded the peptide M2Met82-90 induced levels of primary pulmonary TCD8+ and resistance to RSV challenge equivalent to that induced by infection with an rVV which expressed the complete M2 protein. Second, elimination of peptide binding to Kd by the replacement of Tyr with Arg at amino acid position 83 of the full-length protein completely abrogated the ability of an rVV-expressing full-length M2 to induce either M2-specific TCD8+ responses or resistance to RSV infection. These findings demonstrate that the M2(82-90) peptide is the sole determinant of immunity induced in BALB/c mice by the M2 protein and that a remarkably high level of transient resistance to infection with pulmonary virus is associated with TCD8+ responses to a single determinant.
Millimeter-wave passive front-end based on Substrate Integrated Waveguide technology

An integrated millimeter-wave passive front-end based on Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) technology is presented in this research. It consists of a diplexer which acts as channel separator between transmit and receive chains and a common 8×8 SIW slot antenna array for both transmission and reception. Simulation results show very good performance in terms of channel bandwidth, insertion loss, out-of band rejection and channel-to-channel isolation as well as good performance in terms of radiation characteristics at 60 GHz band. The proposed passive front-end can be easily integrated with active components and provide a fully-integrated transceiver front-end adopting the System-on-Substrate concept for millimeter-wave wireless applications.
Predictors of Excess Mortality After Fracture: A Population‐Based Cohort Study

To determine the extent to which excess mortality after fractures attributable to particular causes at specific skeletal sites can be predicted using data about all medical diagnoses, we conducted a historical cohort study among 1991 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents aged ≥50 years who experienced any fracture in 1989 to 1991 and who were followed passively for up to 22 years for death from any cause. We used a machine learning approach, gradient boosting machine (GBM) modeling, to determine whether the comorbid conditions present at the time of fracture and those that arose subsequently could, in aggregate, identify patients at the greatest increased risk of death. During 21,867 person‐years of follow‐up, 1245 deaths were observed when 1061 were expected (standardized mortality ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–1.2). Patients presented with a median history of 26 comorbid conditions each as assessed by the Clinical Classification Software system and 57 each over the total duration of follow‐up. Using all available information, the excess deaths could be predicted with good accuracy (c‐index ≥0.80) in 89% of the GBM models built for patients with different types of fracture; in one‐third of the models, the c‐index was ≥0.90. The conditions most prominent in the GBM prediction models were also reflected in the specific causes of death that were elevated, suggesting the influence of confounding on the relationship. However, the predominant comorbid conditions were mainly those responsible for mortality in the general population, rather than the specific diseases most closely associated with secondary osteoporosis. To reduce long‐term deaths in the fracture population as a whole, a more general approach to the fracture patient is indicated. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Melanomas That Failed Dermoscopic Detection: A Combined Clinicodermoscopic Approach for Not Missing Melanoma

OBJECTIVE The objective was to describe the clinical and dermoscopic characteristics of difficult-to-diagnose melanomas (DDM). DESIGN This study was a retrospective analysis of clinical data and dermoscopic images in a series of excised melanomas. SETTING Cases were obtained from the database registers of three public hospitals in Barcelona (Spain), Naples (Italy), and Graz (Austria). PATIENTS A total of 97 tumors with a main preoperative diagnosis different from melanoma and without sufficient criteria to be diagnosed clinically and dermoscopically as melanoma were studied. We studied clinical data from the patients and lesions, mean reason for excision, and consensus dermoscopic description of the lesions according to pattern analysis performed by a panel of four dermoscopists to obtain clues that allow these melanomas to be recognized. RESULTS Ninety-three DDMs were evaluated. Three main dermoscopic categories of DDM have been identified: (1) DDMs lacking specific features (16/97), (2) DDMs simulating nonmelanocytic lesions (14/93), and (3) DDMs simulating benign melanocytic proliferations (67/93). The reasons for excision were (1) the subjective history of change referred by the patient (38% of cases), (2) the presence of clinical and/or dermoscopic “hints” for biopsy (33% of cases), and (3) the objective evidence of changes detected by digital dermoscopic follow-up (29% of cases). CONCLUSIONS A diagnostic algorithm is proposed not to miss melanoma.
Numerical Analysis of Asymmetric Silicon Nanowire Waveguide as Compact Polarization Rotator

In this paper, an ultracompact design of a low-loss silicon (Si) polarization rotator based on a silicon-on-insulator platform, which contains an asymmetric strip Si nanowire waveguide core, is presented. A full-vectorial finite element method and the least squares boundary residual method are used to study the effects of the device parameters, the results of which indicate that a very high polarization conversion with a very low polarization crosstalk is possible.