Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular vs culture methods for the detection of bacterial faecal indicators in groundwater for human use

Aims: The current standard culture methods are unable to detect nongrowing bacteria and, thus, might not be sufficient for precise monitoring of the microbiological quality of waters. The use of a molecular method such as PCR could be a valid alternative to detect bacterial faecal contamination indicators such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis and reveal the presence of culturable and nonculturable bacterial forms.
Optimum image restoration and topological invariance

An optimum image restoration filter is defined by an objective function. Its objective function is given using a topology in a space. Therefore, when another topology in a space is used, a different restoration filter may be obtained. In this paper the change of the topology in a space is restricted to a homeomorphic change of the inner product in a Hilbert space and the following two are discussed: (1) some optimum image restoration filters are independent of the inner product in a space; (2) When a Mahalanobis space is used, some of the optimum image restoration filters coincide with each other. The former property can be used in practical situations as follows. The inner product in a space generally must be chosen to suit the problem at hand, but in many cases this is a very difficult task. However, if a restoration filter is independent of the inner product in a space, there is no need to search for such an optimal inner product. Therefore, such inner product independent filters are very useful in practice.
Rapid collision detection by dynamically aligned DOP-trees

Based on a general hierarchical data structure, we present a fast algorithm for exact collision detection of arbitrary polygonal rigid objects. Objects consisting of hundreds of thousands of polygons can be checked for collision at interactive rates. The pre-computed hierarchy is a tree of discrete oriented polytopes (DOPs). An efficient way of realigning DOPs during the traversal of such trees allows us to use simple interval tests for determining the overlap between DOPs. The data structure is very efficient in terms of memory and construction time. Extensive experiments with synthetic and real-world CAD data have been carried out to analyze the performance and memory usage of the data structure. A comparison with oriented bounding box (OBB) trees indicates that DOP-trees are as efficient in terms of collision query time and more efficient in memory usage and construction time.
Fair Simulation Relations, Parity Games, and State Space Reduction for Bu"chi Automata

We give efficient algorithms, improving optimal known bounds, for computing a variety of simulation relations on the state space of a Buchi automaton. Our algorithms are derived via a unified and simple parity-game framework. This framework incorporates previously studied notions like fair and direct simulation, but also a new natural notion of simulation called delayed simulation, which we introduce for the purpose of state space reduction. We show that delayed simulation---unlike fair simulation---preserves the automaton language upon quotienting and allows substantially better state space reduction than direct simulation. Using our parity-game approach, which relies on an algorithm by Jurdzinski, we give efficient algorithms for computing all of the above simulations. In particular, we obtain an O(mn3)-time and O(mn)-space algorithm for computing both the delayed and the fair simulation relations. The best prior algorithm for fair simulation requires time and space O(n6). Our framework also allows one to compute bisimulations: we compute the fair bisimulation relation in O(mn3) time and O(mn) space, whereas the best prior algorithm for fair bisimulation requires time and space O(n10).
Prevalence of papillomavirus in Brazil: a systematic review protocol

Introduction Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a cause of premalignant and malignant cancer in the lower genital and digestive tracts. In Brazil, there have been no prevalence studies that included a nationwide sample, and the prevalence of HPV has not been determined in many regions. Methods We will search the EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, Web of Science and SciELO databases and previously published review articles to identify original research articles assessing HPV prevalence of the perineal (cervical, penile and anal) and oral areas. No exclusion criteria related to language or publication date will apply. 2 reviewers will independently screen for eligibility and perform data extraction. Discrepancies will be resolved through consensus; the opinion of a third reviewer will be sought as necessary. Relevant measures and data about study and population characteristics will be extracted from the included studies. Where possible, study prevalence will be pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. The methodological quality of the studies will be assessed using an adapted version of the NIH ‘Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies’. The overall quality of evidence will be assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Ethics and dissemination We expect to estimate the prevalence of perineal and oral HPV infection in the general population as well as the prevalence of HPV infection in individuals with premalignant and malignant lesions in Brazil and its 5 geographic regions. This systematic review does not require ethical approval. Trial registration number CRD42016032751.
Experiments in detecting delay faults using multiple higher frequency clocks and results from neighboring die

This paper presents experimental results from circuits specially implemented to evaluate a new technique for detecting delay faults in scan based designs. The faults are detected by observing circuit outputs at multiple capture intervals, each progressively shorter than the nominal switching delay for the logic block. For this study a simple datapath circuit was designed and fabricated through MOSIS. Extra capacitive delays were deliberately introduced in a copy of the design. The test results presented here clearly establish the signGCant potential of the proposed new delay testing approach.
Controversies in Targeted Therapy of Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma: ON Target or OFF Target Effects?

Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) represents an ideal model for targeted therapy because of intrinsic chemo-resistance of ATL cells and the presence of two well identified targets: the HTLV-I retrovirus and the viral oncoprotein Tax. The combination of zidovudine (AZT) and interferon-alpha (IFN) has a dramatic impact on survival of ATL patients. Although the mechanism of action remains unclear, arguments in favor or against a direct antiviral effect will be discussed. Yet, most patients relapse and alternative therapies are mandatory. IFN and arsenic trioxide induce Tax proteolysis, synergize to induce apoptosis in ATL cells and cure Tax-driven ATL in mice through specific targeting of leukemia initiating cell activity. These results provide a biological basis for the clinical success of arsenic/IFN/AZT therapy in ATL patients and suggest that both extinction of viral replication (AZT) and Tax degradation (arsenic/IFN) are needed to cure ATL.
Preclinical Evaluation of the Safety and Immunogenicity of a Vaccine Consisting of Plasmodium falciparum Liver-Stage Antigen 1 with Adjuvant AS01B Administered Alone or Concurrently with the RTS,S/AS01B Vaccine in Rhesus Primates

ABSTRACT Several lines of evidence suggest that targeting pre-erythrocytic-stage parasites for malaria vaccine development can provide sterile immunity. The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate preclinically the safety and immunogenicity of a new recombinant pre-erythrocytic-stage antigen, liver-stage antigen 1 (LSA1), in nonhuman primates; and (ii) to investigate the potential for immune interference between LSA1 and the leading malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S, by comparing the immune responses after single-antigen vaccination to responses after simultaneous administration of both antigens at separate sites. Using a rhesus monkey model, we found that LSA1 formulated with the GlaxoSmithKline proprietary adjuvant system AS01B (LSA1/AS01B) was safe and immunogenic, inducing high titers of antigen-specific antibody and CD4+ T-cell responses, as monitored by the production of interleukin-2 and gamma interferon, using intracellular cytokine staining. RTS,S/AS01B vaccination was well tolerated and demonstrated robust antibody and moderate CD4+ T-cell responses to circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and HBsAg. Positive CD8+ T-cell responses to HBsAg were detected, whereas the responses to CSP and LSA1 were negligible. For both LSA1/AS01B and RTS,S/AS01B, no statistically significant differences were observed between individual and concurrent administration in the magnitude or duration of antibody and T-cell responses. Our results revealed that both pre-erythrocytic-stage antigens were safe and immunogenic, administered either separately or simultaneously to rhesus monkeys, and that no significant immune cross interference occurred with concurrent separate-site administration. The comparison of the profiles of immune responses induced by separate-site and single-site vaccinations with LSA1 and RTS,S warrants further investigation.
Past and Current Work Highlights

Modern data-driven applications rely on powerful computational infrastructure and skilled data scientists, people with full command of known statistical guarantees and efficient computation techniques, to deliver analytical insights. Big organizations like web companies, retailers and government have the resources to attract experts and maintain powerful infrastructure. Social groups, NGOs and academic research units, on the other hand, lack funding and struggle to attract the people and maintain infrastructure. Brokers like DataKind connect data scientists to organizations of impact, but depend on experts volunteering their time while being aggressively recruited in industry. To make data analysis accessible, it is necessary that we bridge the gap between tools, human capital and infrastructure. Work towards this ambitious vision can be broken into three major thrusts:
Healed Plaque Ruptures and Sudden Coronary Death: Evidence That Subclinical Rupture Has a Role in Plaque Progression

Background —Subclinical episodes of plaque disruption followed by healing are considered a mechanism of increased plaque burden. Detailed pathological studies of healed ruptures, however, are lacking. Methods and Results —We identified acute and healed ruptures from 142 men who died of sudden coronary death and performed morphometric measurements of plaque burden, luminal stenosis, and smooth muscle cell phenotype. Healed ruptures were found in 61% of hearts and were associated with healed myocardial infarction, increased heart weight, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Multiple healed rupture sites with layering were frequently found in segments with acute and healed rupture; the percent area luminal narrowing increased with increased numbers of healed sites of previous rupture. The underlying percent luminal narrowing for acute ruptures (mean 79±15%) exceeded that for healed ruptures (mean 66±14%, P =0.0001), and the area within the internal elastic lamina was significantly less in healed ruptures than in acute ruptures, when segments were grouped by distance from the ostium. Healed ruptures favored the accumulation of immature smooth muscle cells at repair sites, with a cellular proliferation index of 0.40±0.09%, significantly higher than the index at the sites of rupture (P =0.008). Conclusions —These data provide evidence that silent plaque rupture is a form of wound healing that results in increased percent stenosis. Healed ruptures occur in arteries with less cross-sectional area luminal narrowing than acute ruptures and are a frequent finding in men who die suddenly with severe coronary atherosclerosis.
Recurring BALB/c Mouse Lung Inflammatory Responses to Episodic Allergen Exposure

This study detailed the sequence of recurring inflammatory events associated with episodic allergen exposures of mice resulting in airway hyperreactivity, sustained inflammation, goblet-cell hyperplasia, and fibrogenesis that characterize a lung with chronic asthma. Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized female BALB/c mice were exposed to saline-control or OVA aerosols for 1 h per day for episodes of 3 d/wk for up to 8 wk. Lung inflammation was assessed by inflammatory cell recoveries using bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and tissue collagenase dispersions. Cell accumulations were observed within airway submucosal and associated perivascular spaces using immunohistochemical and tinctorial staining methods. Airway responsiveness to methacholine aerosols were elevated after 2 wk and further enhanced to a sustained level after wk 4 and 8. Although by wk 8 diminished OVA-induced accumulations of eosinophils, neutrophils, and monocyte-macrophages were observed, suggesting diminished responsiveness, the BAL recovery of lymphocytes remained elevated. Airway but not perivascular lesions persisted with a proliferating cell population, epithelial goblet-cell hyperplasia, and evidence of enhanced collagen deposition. Examination of lung inflammatory cell content before the onset of the first, second, and fourth OVA exposure episodes demonstrated enhancements in residual BAL lymphocyte and BAL and tissue eosinophil recoveries with each exposure episode. Although tissue monocyte-macrophage numbers returned to baseline prior to each exposure episode, the greatest level of accumulation was observed after wk 4. These results provide the basis for establishing the inflammatory and exposure criteria by which episodic environmental exposures to allergen might result in the development of a remodeled lung in asthma.
The Chang Management Strategies and Processes for Successful ERP Implementation: A Case Study of MADAR

Top management usually faces an unexpected attitude from potential users during implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. For one reason or another, they resist the implementation process and may cause the failure of ERP system. Therefore, top management should be deal with this problem using effective change management strategies and processes. In this paper, we discuss the successful change management strategies and processes in literature. A case study of MADAR has been presented to discover the strategies and processes used for the successful enterprise system.
Physiological and behavioural responses of broilers to controlled atmosphere stunning: implications for welfare

Controlled atmosphere (gas) stunning (CAS) has the potential to improve the welfare of poultry at slaughter but there is a lack of consensus about which gas mixtures are most humane. The aim of this study was to evaluate the welfare consequences of different gas stunning approaches. Individual broilers were exposed to gas mixtures capable of inducing unconsciousness and euthanasia while their behavioural, cardiac, respiratory and neurophysiological responses were measured simultaneously. The approaches investigated included anoxia (N2 or Ar with < 2% residual O2), hypercapnic anoxia (30% CO2 in Ar, 40% CO2 in N2) and a biphasic method (40% CO2, 30% O2, 30% N2 for 60 s followed by 80% CO2 in air). Evaluation of the welfare implications of each approach centred on the likelihood of them inducing negative states or experiences during the conscious phase. Hypercapnic mixtures were associated with strong respiratory responses, while anoxic mixtures induced vigorous wing flapping. Electroencephalogram analysis using the correlation dimension (a non-linear measure of complexity) suggested that anoxic wing flapping occurred during periods in which a form of consciousness could not be excluded. Hypercapnic hyperoxygenation (biphasic approach) exacerbated respiratory responses but eliminated the possibility of vigorous behavioural responses occurring during a conscious phase. The relative importance of respiratory discomfort versus the potential to induce significant distress due to convulsive wing flapping and associated trauma is a matter for debate. We argue that respiratory discomfort is unpleasant but may be preferable to the risk of vigorous wing flapping and associated injury while conscious in poultry during CAS.
Formation professionnelle et approche par les capacités

La formation professionnelle constitue aujourd’hui un axe central des politiques d’emploi en Europe. Sous l’influence des institutions europeennes, elle s’est rapidement developpee comme un instrument privilegie de lutte contre le chomage de masse persistant et contre la deterioration toujours croissante de la position relative des individus faiblement qualifies sur le marche du travail (Van der Linden, 1997). La Strategie europeenne pour l’emploi (SEE), elaboree en 1997 par la formulation de lignes directrices emanant du Conseil de l’Union, accorde une place prioritaire a la qualification et aux competences ; deux piliers de mesures y sont consacres : le pilier « employabilite », qui a pour objectif d’accroitre la capacite individuelle d’insertion des chomeurs, et le pilier « adaptabilite » visant l’actualisation constante des qualifications et des competences des travailleurs (Guyot et al., 2005).
Une vision de la petite entreprise basée sur les ressources

La presente recherche s'inscrit dans le champs disciplinaire de la resource based view (RBV) et de l'entrepreneuriat. Elle cherche a mettre en evidence l'applicabilite d'une demarche strategique fondee sur le primat des ressources en contexte de Tres Petite Entreprise (TPE). La recherche doctorale s'articule autour de deux parties. La premiere est scindee en deux sous parties centrees sur la delimitation des concepts utilises ainsi que sur le cadre d'analyse propose. Cette derniere repose sur une triple analyse : une analyse cognitive pour serier la vision strategique de l'entrepreneur, une analyse d'activite (ABC) pour formaliser la structure de la TPE et une analyse fonctionnelle afin d'etudier les elements constitutifs de la valeur apportee au client. La seconde partie a pour objet de tester le cadre theorique propose. Elle est decomposee en deux sous parties : la premiere s'attache a justifier la methodologie qualitative retenue (etudes de cas) et a presenter les 4 cas retenus. La deuxieme sous partie fait la synthese des resultats obtenus et tente de mettre en exergue la pertinence d'une approche de type RBV en contexte de TPE.
Cooperative MIMO and relay association strategy

In wireless distributed networks where multiple antennas can not be installed in one wireless node, cooperative relay and cooperative Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) techniques can be used to exploit the spatial and temporal diversity gain in order to reduce the energy consumption. The simplicity and the energy efficiency of cooperative Multi-Input Single-Output (MISO) and relay techniques is very useful for the energy constrained Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). If under ideal conditions cooperative MISO has been proved to be better than relay, the latter is a better solution when transmission synchronization errors occur. In this context, an association strategy of these two techniques is proposed, in this paper, in order to exploit simultaneously the advantages of these two techniques. The principle of this association strategy is that a cooperative MIMO technique is employed at multiple relay nodes to retransmit the signal by using a MISO transmission in one transmission phase instead of multiple transmission phases of the traditional parallel relay technique. Performance, energy consumption and transmission delay of this association technique, including the comparison with the cooperative MISO and relay techniques, are investigated in this paper.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) An interferometric study of the post-AGB binary 89 Herculis . II . Radiative transfer models of the circumbinary disk

Context. The presence of stable disks around post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) binaries is a widespread phenomenon. Also, the presence of (molecular) outflows is now commonly inferred in these systems. Aims. In the first paper of this series, a surprisingly large fraction of optical light was found to be resolved in the 89 Her post-AGB binary system. The data showed that this flux arises from close to the central binary. Scattering off the inner rim of the circumbinary disk, or scattering in a dusty outflow were suggested as two possible origins. With detailed dust radiative transfer models of the circumbinary disk, we aim to discriminate between the two proposed configurations. Methods. By including Herschel/SPIRE photometry, we extend the spectral energy distribution (SED) such that it now fully covers UV to sub-mm wavelengths. The MCMax Monte Carlo radiative transfer code is used to create a large grid of disk models. Our models include a self-consistent treatment of dust settling as well as of scattering. A Si-rich composition with two additional opacity sources, metallic Fe or amorphous C, are tested. The SED is fit together with archival mid-IR (MIDI) visibilities, and the optical and near-IR visibilities of Paper I. In this way we constrain the structure of the disk, with a focus on its inner rim. Results. The near-IR visibility data require a smooth inner rim, here obtained with a double power-law parameterization of the radial surface density distribution. A model can be found that fits all of the IR photometric and interferometric data well, with either of the two continuum opacity sources. Our best-fit passive models are characterized by a significant amount of ∼mm-sized grains, which are settled to the midplane of the disk. Not a single disk model fits our data at optical wavelengths because of the opposing constraints imposed by the optical and near-IR interferometric data. Conclusions. A geometry in which a passive, dusty, and puffed-up circumbinary disk is present, can reproduce all of the IR, but not the optical observations of 89 Her. Another dusty component (an outflow or halo) therefore needs to be added to the system.
An incremental learning method for hierarchical latent class models

We explore the method of incremental learning for an existent hierarchical latent class model which are widely used for cluster analysis of categorical data. As new data is observed, we can not ignore the new information in the data, hence it's important to improve the performance and accuracy of the model. Previous works pay little attention on incremental learning method about incomplete data, in this paper, we introduce a new approach that can sequentially update the hierarchical latent class model when new data is available, and the data coincidence degree is defined to evaluate the latent nodes that are influenced by the new data. A learning algorithm is developed and we also present experiment that demonstrates the feasibility of our approach.
Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis in the Athlete

Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis are common diagnoses made in the athlete suffering from persistent back pain. Although the etiology of this continuum of conditions is uncertain, genetic predisposition and repetitive trauma have been strongly implicated. Sports in which participants are subjected to repetitive hyperextension across the lumbar spine pose a risk for such injuries. Football lineman, oarsmen, dancers, and gymnasts show high rates of these conditions. Treating the athlete with spondylolysis and/or spondylolisthesis can be a challenge. An inherent drive for return to competition, pressure from coaches and family, and obligations to the team can confound decision making on both the part of the patient and the treating physician. Although this motivation for prompt return to sports must certainly be considered, a safe return to competition is paramount.