Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urban-Hazard Risk Analysis: Mapping of Heat-Related Risks in the Elderly in Major Italian Cities

Background Short-term impacts of high temperatures on the elderly are well known. Even though Italy has the highest proportion of elderly citizens in Europe, there is a lack of information on spatial heat-related elderly risks. Objectives Development of high-resolution, heat-related urban risk maps regarding the elderly population (≥65). Methods A long time-series (2001–2013) of remote sensing MODIS data, averaged over the summer period for eleven major Italian cities, were downscaled to obtain high spatial resolution (100 m) daytime and night-time land surface temperatures (LST). LST was estimated pixel-wise by applying two statistical model approaches: 1) the Linear Regression Model (LRM); 2) the Generalized Additive Model (GAM). Total and elderly population density data were extracted from the Joint Research Centre population grid (100 m) from the 2001 census (Eurostat source), and processed together using “Crichton’s Risk Triangle” hazard-risk methodology for obtaining a Heat-related Elderly Risk Index (HERI). Results The GAM procedure allowed for improved daytime and night-time LST estimations compared to the LRM approach. High-resolution maps of daytime and night-time HERI levels were developed for inland and coastal cities. Urban areas with the hazardous HERI level (very high risk) were not necessarily characterized by the highest temperatures. The hazardous HERI level was generally localized to encompass the city-centre in inland cities and the inner area in coastal cities. The two most dangerous HERI levels were greater in the coastal rather than inland cities. Conclusions This study shows the great potential of combining geospatial technologies and spatial demographic characteristics within a simple and flexible framework in order to provide high-resolution urban mapping of daytime and night-time HERI. In this way, potential areas for intervention are immediately identified with up-to-street level details. This information could support public health operators and facilitate coordination for heat-related emergencies.
Reconsidering Zoanthus spp. Diversity: Molecular Evidence of Conspecifity Within Four Previously Presumed Species

Abstract We have conducted the first phylogenetic study to our knowledge of Zoanthus in the northern hemisphere by sequencing and analysing the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene. Various unidentified Zoanthus specimens and samples of what have been assumed to be four discrete species (Z. pacificus, Z. sansibaricus, Z. gnophodes, Z. erythrochloros) were collected from four field sites in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Based on our obtained COI gene sequences, all but one of our collected Zoanthus samples appear to be conspecific, with nearly 100.00% base pair matching. Genetic results are further backed up by collected polyp diameter, tentacle count, and mesentary count data. These results indicate a need to reconsider and re-analyze current Zoanthus classification and identification. Possible reasons for the large morphological variation in the same genotype in Zoanthus are also discussed.
Critical and systematic evaluation of data for estimating human exposures to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) – quality and generalizability

ABSTRACT The herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) has been commercially available since the 1940’s. Despite decades of data on 2,4-D in food, air, soil, and water, as well as in humans, the quality the quality of these data has not been comprehensively evaluated. Using selected elements of the Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument (temporal variability, avoidance of sample contamination, analyte stability, and urinary methods of matrix adjustment), the quality of 156 publications of environmental- and biomonitoring-based 2,4-D data was examined. Few publications documented steps were taken to avoid sample contamination. Similarly, most studies did not demonstrate the stability of the analyte from sample collection to analysis. Less than half of the biomonitoring publications reported both creatinine-adjusted and unadjusted urine concentrations. The scope and detail of data needed to assess temporal variability and sources of 2,4-D varied widely across the reviewed studies. Exposures to short-lived chemicals such as 2,4-D are impacted by numerous and changing external factors including application practices and formulations. At a minimum, greater transparency in reporting of quality control measures is needed. Perhaps the greatest challenge for the exposure community is the ability to reach consensus on how to address problems specific to short-lived chemical exposures in observational epidemiology investigations. More extensive conversations are needed to advance our understanding of human exposures and enable interpretation of these data to catch up to analytical capabilities. The problems defined in this review remain exquisitely difficult to address for chemicals like 2,4-D, with short and variable environmental and physiological half-lives and with exposures impacted by numerous and changing external factors.
Acute effects of summer air pollution on respiratory symptom reporting in children.

A daily diary of respiratory symptoms was collected from the parents of 1,844 school children in six U.S. cities to study the association between ambient air pollution exposures and respiratory illness. A cohort of approximately 300 elementary school children in each of six communities were asked to keep a daily log of the study child's respiratory symptoms for one year. Daily measurements of ambient sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, inhalable particles (PM10), respirable particles (PM2.5), light scattering, and sulfate particles were made, along with integrated 24-h measures of aerosol strong acidity. The analyses were limited to the five warm season months between April and August. Significant associations were found between incidence of coughing symptoms and incidence of lower respiratory symptoms and PM10, and a marginally significant association between upper respiratory symptoms and PM10. There was no evidence that other measures of particulate pollution including aerosol acidity were preferable to PM10 in predicting incidence of respiratory symptoms. Significant associations in single pollutant models were also found between sulfur dioxide or ozone and incidence of cough, and between sulfur dioxide and incidence of lower respiratory symptoms. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Applying Human Factors Principles to Mitigate Usability Issues Related to Embedded Assumptions in Health Information Technology Design

Background There is growing recognition that design flaws in health information technology (HIT) lead to increased cognitive work, impact workflows, and produce other undesirable user experiences that contribute to usability issues and, in some cases, patient harm. These usability issues may in turn contribute to HIT utilization disparities and patient safety concerns, particularly among “non-typical” HIT users and their health care providers. Health care disparities are associated with poor health outcomes, premature death, and increased health care costs. HIT has the potential to reduce these disparate outcomes. In the computer science field, it has long been recognized that embedded cultural assumptions can reduce the usability, usefulness, and safety of HIT systems for populations whose characteristics differ from “stereotypical” users. Among these non-typical users, inappropriate embedded design assumptions may contribute to health care disparities. It is unclear how to address potentially inappropriate embedded HIT design assumptions once detected. Objective The objective of this paper is to explain HIT universal design principles derived from the human factors engineering literature that can help to overcome potential usability and/or patient safety issues that are associated with unrecognized, embedded assumptions about cultural groups when designing HIT systems. Methods Existing best practices, guidance, and standards in software usability and accessibility were subjected to a 5-step expert review process to identify and summarize those best practices, guidance, and standards that could help identify and/or address embedded design assumptions in HIT that could negatively impact patient safety, particularly for non-majority HIT user populations. An iterative consensus-based process was then used to derive evidence-based design principles from the data to address potentially inappropriate embedded cultural assumptions. Results Design principles that may help identify and address embedded HIT design assumptions are available in the existing literature. Conclusions Evidence-based HIT design principles derived from existing human factors and informatics literature can help HIT developers identify and address embedded cultural assumptions that may underlie HIT-associated usability and patient safety concerns as well as health care disparities.
Lexical acquisition and pragmatics *

This paper considers the extent to which lexical acquisition is an exercise of an associationist ability, a general mind-reading ability or a specifically pragmatic ability. Particular attention is paid to the role played in word-learning by natural communicative phenomena—gaze direction, facial expression, tone of voice etc.— and to the question of how such behaviours might be accommodated within a pragmatic theory. Some possible directions in which future research into the pragmatics of lexical acquisition might proceed are also sketched.
Diagnostic accuracy of digital chest radiography for pulmonary tuberculosis in a UK urban population

To the Editors : Population screening for tuberculosis was discontinued in most Western countries, largely due to the decreasing prevalence of the disease. The use of chest radiograph examination for population screening has, therefore, appropriately declined and is now limited to the screening of high-risk groups, such as immigrants 1, prisoners or homeless persons in certain countries 2 and for disease prevalence surveys 3. Chest radiography, however, remains a key tool for the clinical diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Previous studies suggest that chest radiograph abnormalities in tuberculosis are not specific and levels of intra- and inter-reader agreement are very variable 4–6. Modern digital tuberculosis screening has been noted to have high levels of sensitivity where chest radiograph examination is standardised, quality assured and a simple coding system is used 7–9. Levels of reader agreement are also reported to be higher among experienced readers 10. In many low incidence countries, tuberculosis is concentrating in specific urban populations, such as homeless persons and drug users, with high prevalence rates reported 2, 11. In the UK, this may be contributing to the general rise in tuberculosis 12. Using a sample of digital chest radiographs from a hard to reach population at high risk of tuberculosis in London, we assessed some of the factors associated with greater diagnostic accuracy and determined levels of agreement between readers. The study was carried out in London (UK), Amsterdam and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) between July and October 2008. Of 20 physicians invited, 13 participated: three radiologists, six respiratory physicians and one infectious disease physician from London and three public health tuberculosis physicians from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. 56 randomly selected chest radiographs were chosen: 18 confirmed cases of tuberculosis, 19 other abnormalities and 19 normal films from …
The EIIABMan Phosphotransferase System Permease Regulates Carbohydrate Catabolite Repression in Streptococcus gordonii

ABSTRACT Commensal oral streptococci play critical roles in oral biofilm formation and promote dental health by competing with, and antagonizing the growth of, pathogenic organisms, such as Streptococcus mutans. Efficient utilization of the spectrum of carbohydrates in the oral cavity by commensal streptococci is essential for their persistence, and yet very little is known about the regulation of carbohydrate catabolism by these organisms. Carbohydrate catabolite repression (CCR) in the abundant oral commensal Streptococcus gordonii strain DL-1 was investigated using the exo-β-d-fructosidase gene (fruA) and a fructose/mannose sugar:phosphotransferase (PTS) enzyme II operon (levDEFG) as model systems. Functional studies confirmed the predicted roles of FruA and LevD in S. gordonii. ManL, the AB domain of a fructose/mannose-type enzyme II PTS permease, contributed to utilization of glucose, mannose, galactose, and fructose and exerted primary control over CCR of the fruA and levD operons. Unlike in S. mutans, ManL-dependent CCR was not sugar specific, and galactose was very effective at eliciting CCR in S. gordonii. Inactivation of the apparent ccpA homologue of S. gordonii actually enhanced CCR of fruA and levD, an effect likely due to its demonstrated role in repression of manL expression. Thus, there are some similarities and fundamental differences in CCR control mechanisms between the oral pathogen S. mutans and the oral commensal S. gordonii that may eventually be exploited to enhance the competitiveness of health-associated commensals in oral biofilms.
Neurogenic pulmonary edema following intracranial coil embolization for subarachnoid hemorrhage -A case report-

Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) is a well-known complication of acute central neurologic injury, particularly aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Both increased intracranial pressure and severe over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system seem to be pathogenetic for the onset of NPE. Although intracranial endovascular therapy is minimally invasive, it may affect brain stem regions and result in sympathetic activation. We now report the case of a 70-year-old woman who suddenly developed pulmonary edema during coil embolization of a ruptured aneurysm. During the intervention, oxygen saturation declined suddenly and a chest radiograph revealed pulmonary edema. The delayed appearance of NPE in this patient implies a risk for sympathetically mediated NPE during endovascular therapy.
Suicide in adolescents with disruptive disorders.

OBJECTIVE To determine the psychiatric risk factors for suicide in adolescents with disruptive disorders. METHOD Fifty-nine adolescent suicide completers and 18 community controls, both having a probable or definite current DSM-III diagnosis of disruptive disorders, were compared. RESULTS Adolescents with disruptive disorders who committed suicide had higher rates of current substance abuse, past suicide attempt, family history of substance abuse, and family history of mood disorder than disruptive community controls. CONCLUSIONS Disruptive adolescents appear to be at risk for completed suicide when comorbid substance abuse and past history of suicide attempt are present. The risk increases if the adolescents have a past history of physical abuse and if they have parents with substance abuse and mood disorders. Clinicians should be aware of these risk factors and implement active interventions to prevent suicide. Treatment should focus on treating not only the adolescents, but also their family members. The findings of this study also highlight the need for future research in the prevention of suicide in adolescents with disruptive disorders and comorbid substance abuse.
Improving Picture Quality for Regions of Interest

In order to improve the picture quality, the region of interest within video sequence should be handled differently to regions which are of less interest. Generally the region of interest is coded with smaller quantization step-size to give higher picture quality, compared with the remainder of the image. However the abrupt change picture quality variation on the boundary of regions of interest can cause the some degradation of the overall subjective picture quality. This paper presents a method where the local picture quality is varied smoothly between the region of interest and the remainder of the image. We first classify the type of subjectively region of interest which can be determined by using motion vectors estimated in the coding process. Then the region of interest is coded by decreasing the quantization step-size according to a gradual linear change from the other regions within a video sequence.
Automatic Pool Allocation: Compile-Time Control of Data Structure Layout in the Heap

Despite the potential importance of data structure layouts and traversal patterns, compiler transformations on pointer-intensive programs are performed primarily using pointer analysis, and not by controlling and using information about the layout of high-level data structures. This paper describes a compiler transformation called Automatic Pool Allocation that segregates instances of “logical” data structures in the heap into distinct pools, and allows different heuristics to be used to partially control the internal layout of those data structures. Because these are rigorous transformations, their results, combined with pointer analysis information, can be used to perform further compiler analyses and transformations, and we briefly list a few examples. Automatic Pool Allocation also provides several direct performance benefits for pointer intensive programs, most importantly, that traversals of a logical data structure allocated to a separate pool can have better spatial locality and smaller working sets. We evaluate the performance and cache behavior of the code transformed by the automatic pool allocation transformation on a series of heap-intensive and general-purpose benchmarks, and find that it speeds up several C programs by 10-40% percent or more, and does not hurt (or help) other programs.
Orientation detection of major Indian scripts

The problem of orientation detection of all major printed Indian scripts is considered. For a large skew, the corrected document may be oriented in 0° or 180°. The OCR system will make fatal error if the document is in 180° orientation. We tested with several simple features like gray density, vertical/horizontal crossing counts, border directions and water reservoir area to detect orientation and found that the last one works uniformly good for all 11 classes of printed Indian scripts. Experimental results are presented on moderate data sets of all scripts.
The Present Status of Animal Cognition: An Introduction

At a meeting of a major society of experimental psychologists, three people were discussing some current developments in the field of animal learning and behavior. Research in this province had long been characterized by a stimulusresponse (S-R) tradition, which had as its basis many historical and philosophical antecedents. These included an early emphasis on reflex physiology as a source of theoretical models for learning; a biological continuity suggesting that "simple" mechanistic principles of animal learning could be applied to humans; and a behavioristic metatheory which argued against the study of mentalistic processes-such as cognition-that could not be tied to direct observation. It was apparent, however, that many principles of animal learning had turned out not to be so simple after all, suggesting an important limitation to the strict application of an S-R approach. Furthermore, animal psychologists were attacking problems that stemmed more and more from the domain of cognition, such as higher order association, memory, and concept formation. Clearly, animal psychologists were using with increasing frequency some of the techniques and models of colleagues in the field of human cogni: tion and information processing. With the advent of psycholinguistics and mathematical learning theory, and especially with the appearance of the computer both as a tool and as a ready-made model for human thought, memory, and attention, S-R approaches were in decline. Was it now the time for animal psychologists to borrow ideas and methods from their neighbors in human cognitive psychology? Those psychologists at the meeting in question were Harry Fowler, Werner
Translational Signalling, Atrogenic and Myogenic Gene Expression during Unloading and Reloading of Skeletal Muscle in Myostatin-Deficient Mice

Skeletal muscles of myostatin null (Mstn(−/−)) mice are more susceptible to atrophy during hind limb suspension (HS) than are muscles of wild-type mice. Here we sought to elucidate the mechanism for this susceptibility and to determine if Mstn(−/−) mice can regain muscle mass after HS. Male Mstn(−/−) and wild-type mice were subjected to 0, 2 or 7 days of HS or 7 days of HS followed by 1, 3 or 7 days of reloading (n = 6 per group). Mstn(−/−) mice lost more mass from muscles expressing the fast type IIb myofibres during HS and muscle mass was recovered in both genotypes after reloading for 7 days. Concentrations of MAFbx and MuRF1 mRNA, crucial ligases regulating the ubiquitin-proteasome system, but not MUSA1, a BMP-regulated ubiquitin ligase, were increased more in muscles of Mstn(−/−) mice, compared with wild-type mice, during HS and concentrations decreased in both genotypes during reloading. Similarly, concentrations of LC3b, Gabarapl1 and Atg4b, key effectors of the autophagy-lysosomal system, were increased further in muscles of Mstn(−/−) mice, compared with wild-type mice, during HS and decreased in both genotypes during reloading. There was a greater abundance of 4E-BP1 and more bound to eIF4E in muscles of Mstn(−/−) compared with wild-type mice (P<0.001). The ratio of phosphorylated to total eIF2α increased during HS and decreased during reloading, while the opposite pattern was observed for rpS6. Concentrations of myogenic regulatory factors (MyoD, Myf5 and myogenin) mRNA were increased during HS in muscles of Mstn(−/−) mice compared with controls (P<0.001). We attribute the susceptibility of skeletal muscles of Mstn(−/−) mice to atrophy during HS to an up- and downregulation, respectively, of the mechanisms regulating atrophy of myofibres and translation of mRNA. These processes are reversed during reloading to aid a faster rate of recovery of muscle mass in Mstn(−/−) mice.