Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cryptosporidium in Calves, Lambs and Kids at Haramaya, eastern Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was carried out from November 2010 to April 2011 to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in calves, lambs and kids and to assess potential risk factors in Haramaya, eastern Ethiopia. Hence, fecal samples from a total of 237 study animals (133 calves, 63 lambs and 41 kids) were tested with Sheather’s flotation technique and Modified Ziehl-Neelsen Staining. Accordingly, the overall prevalence was found to be 23.6% (56/237) with the prevalence of 27.8% (37/133) in calves, 22.2% (14/63) in lambs and 12.2% (5/41) in kids. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium significantly (p = 0.047) varied with species of study animals being three times higher likelihood of occurrence in calves compared to its chance of occurrence in kids (OR = 2.8, 95%CI = 1.0, 7.6). No significant difference in prevalence was observed between kids and lambs. The occurrence of the disease was also assessed among the species of animals by taking into consideration different demographic characteristic of the animals including breed, age and sex. For caprine, the prevalence was higher in the cross breed animals (28.6%) followed by the breed of Hararge highland (25%) with no report of the disease in Boer and Ogaden breeds. In ovine, no association was observed between the infection occurrence and the potential risk factors. Analysis of the risk factors in bovine revealed a significant (p = 0.044) difference in disease occurrence among age groups with almost three times more likelihood of the disease occurrence in calves under 3 months than older age category(OR = 2.9, 95%CI = 1.0, 8.2). In conclusion, this study demonstrated the importance of Cryptosporidium in young ruminants with a higher prevalence among calves than lambs and kids. Key words : Cryptosporidium; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Calves, Lambs, Kids, Haramaya, Ethiopia
RIG-I Mediates an Antiviral Response to Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

ABSTRACT In the cytoplasm, the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) senses the RNA genomes of several RNA viruses. RIG-I binds to viral RNA, eliciting an antiviral response via the cellular adaptor MAVS. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), a negative-sense RNA virus with a 5′-monophosphorylated genome, is a highly pathogenic zoonotic agent with significant public health implications. We found that, during CCHFV infection, RIG-I mediated a type I interferon (IFN) response via MAVS. Interfering with RIG-I signaling reduced IFN production and IFN-stimulated gene expression and increased viral replication. Immunostimulatory RNA was isolated from CCHFV-infected cells and from virion preparations, and RIG-I coimmunoprecipitation of infected cell lysates isolated immunostimulatory CCHFV RNA. This report serves as the first description of a pattern recognition receptor for CCHFV and highlights a critical signaling pathway in the antiviral response to CCHFV. IMPORTANCE CCHFV is a tick-borne virus with a significant public health impact. In order for cells to respond to virus infection, they must recognize the virus as foreign and initiate antiviral signaling. To date, the receptors involved in immune recognition of CCHFV are not known. Here, we investigate and identify RIG-I as a receptor involved in initiating an antiviral response to CCHFV. This receptor initially was not expected to play a role in CCHFV recognition because of characteristics of the viral genome. These findings are important in understanding the antiviral response to CCHFV and support continued investigation into the spectrum of potential viruses recognized by RIG-I.
Influence of Hemagglutinating Viruses on Tumor Cell Suspensions: II. Newcastle Disease Virus and Ehrlich Carcinoma.∗

Summary 1. When NDV and Ehrlich were mixed at 4°, 25° and 37° and inoculated immediately, a much smaller percentage of tumors grew than in the NAF control mixtures. When the same mixtures were held at 25° or transferred from 4° to 25° for one to 3 hours, inoculation resulted in tumor growth. 2. When virus and tumor were mixed in vivo no tumor inhibitory effect was noted unless the virus was given intraperitoneally first and the tumor suspensions by the same route immediately thereafter. The course of development of ascites in mice was not affected by daily inoculations of NDV. 3. No evidence could be found for multiplication of the virus in the tumor cells either in the animal or tissue culture.
Response of human B cells to different anti‐immunoglobulin isotypes: Absence of a correlation between early activation events and cell proliferation

Cross‐linking of surface immunoglobulin (sIg) by antibodies against IgM, IgG and IgD activates B cells and in some circumstances can induce cell proliferation. We studied the potential link between anti‐Ig‐induced changes in the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), inositol phosphate production and the ability to induce cell proliferation in the presence or absence of the phorbol ester 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol 13‐acetete (TPA). Anti‐IgM, but not anti‐IgD or anti‐IgG, induced cell proliferation in the presence but not the absence of TPA. Each of the antibodies induced a rapid increase in [Ca2+]i which appeared to be due to release of Ca2+ from internal stores. This was followed by a sustained increase in [Ca2+]i, apparently due to Ca2+ uptake from the extracellular medium. Anti‐IgD induced the greatest increase in [Ca2+]i, anti‐IgM induced intermediate changes and anti‐IgG the lowest change. Since inositol 1,3,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) can release Ca2+ from internal stores, we tested the ability of each anti‐Ig isotype to increase concentrations of IP3. In contrast to the change in [Ca2+]i and proliferation, anti‐IgG induced the most significant increase in IP3 concentrations. Taken together these data indicate that changes in [Ca2+]i, inositol phosphate production and anti‐Ig‐induced human B cell proliferation are not directly linked. They also demonstrate that changes in [Ca2+]i, inositol phosphate production and activation of protein kinase C are not sufficient to induce proliferation of human B cells. It appears that anti‐IgM induces an additional Ca2+‐independent, inositol phosphate‐independent and protein kinase C‐independent activation signal which can collaborate with TPA to induce B cell proliferation. The molecular events involved in this signal remain to be identified.
Basileia III: Impacto para os Bancos no Brasil

This article evaluates the potential impacts deriving from the change in required capital of banks in Brazil, with the implementation of Basel III. To do this, a sample of 58 banks was used, which accounts for 80% of the assets in the Brazilian National Financial System, according to the balance sheets of December 2012. The methodology adopted has simulated the need for regulatory capital that will be mandatory in the end of the transition period, in 2019, considering the continuity of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) contained in these balance sheets. Assuming that some banks will resort to the capital market to raise their capitalization level, the return on equity (ROE) for the previous three years was analyzed, compared to the cost of equity, estimated by the International Capital Asset Pricing Model (ICAPM). It was found that 23 institutions had some kind of noncompliance with the new regulatory capital, among them the 3 largest federal public banks. It was also observed that 39 banks have a ROE insufficient to attract new investors. The joint analysis of the adequacy of capital structure and the return level may identify occasional vulnerabilities. It is concluded that implementing Basel III in Brazil may increase the search for greater efficiency and profitability. In a future scenario, the Brazilian banking system may observe a wave of mergers and acquisitions and an increased number of initial public offerings (IPOs).
Prevalence of unprotected anal intercourse among HIV-diagnosed MSM in the United States: a meta-analysis

Objective:To integrate the empirical findings on the prevalence of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among HIV-diagnosed men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Methods:Comprehensively searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO (2000–2007), hand searching bibliographic lists, and contacting researchers. Thirty US studies (n = 18 121) met selection criteria. Analyses were conducted using random-effects models and meta-regression. Results:The prevalence of UAI was considerably higher with HIV-seropositive partners (30%; 95% confidence interval 25–36) than with serostatus unknown (16%; 95% confidence interval 13–21) or HIV-seronegative partners (13%; 95% confidence interval 10–16). The prevalence of UAI with either a serostatus unknown or HIV-seronegative partner was 26%. The UAI prevalence did not differ by the length of the behavioral recall window but did vary by the type of anal intercourse (insertive vs. receptive). Studies with the following features had a lower UAI prevalence: recruiting participants before 2000, MSM of color being the majority of study sample, recruiting participants from medical settings, using random or systematic sampling methods, and having interviewers administer the questionnaire. Being on antiretroviral therapy, having an undetectable viral load, and reporting more than 90% medication adherence were not associated with UAI. Conclusion:Most HIV-diagnosed MSM protect partners during sexual activity, but a sizeable percentage continues to engage in sexual behaviors that place others at risk for HIV infection and place themselves at risk for other sexually transmitted infections. Prevention with positives programs continues to be urgently needed for MSM in the United States.
An investigation of the ionic mechanism of intracellular pH regulation in mouse soleus muscle fibres

1. Intracellular pH (pHi) of surface fibres of the mouse soleus muscle was measured in vitro by recessed‐tip pH‐sensitive micro‐electrodes. pHi was displaced in an acid direction by removal of external (NH4)2SO4 after a short exposure, and the mechanism of recovery from this acidification was investigated.
Satisfaction of patients attending an arthritis clinic in a county teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE To gather information about the satisfaction of medically indigent arthritis patients with their health care. METHODS Patients attending a university-affiliated county hospital arthritis clinic were surveyed using a questionnaire about their satisfaction with various aspects of the clinic. RESULTS Two hundred thirty-two out of 283 questionnaires were completed. Patients were most satisfied with the care given by doctors, and least satisfied with the waiting times; accessibility, environment, and information received intermediate responses. Although most patients said that they were satisfied with their overall care, only 53% would continue to attend the clinic if they had full insurance. CONCLUSION A number of aspects of health care delivery were sources of dissatisfaction for medically indigent arthritis patients. Attention to these concerns could increase overall satisfaction and perhaps improve compliance in this group of patients.
Evaluation of Parallel POMDP based on State Space Partition and State Transition Learning

Significant problems with Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) lie in a large number of states, causing a long computation time and difficulty of system development. In order to solve these problems, we have applied Hierarchical POMDP (H-POMDP) to the spoken dialogue system (SDS) so far. However, in H-POMDP, the transitions between the states are restricted because of the partition of state space and the hierarchical structure. In this paper, we propose Parallel POMDP (P-POMDP) in which small POMDPs are scattered and they work together in parallel to relax this restriction. In P-POMDP, the reward function is newly formalized to make the system reply optimally. In the experiment, we compared the proposed P-POMDP with H-POMDP and the conventional POMDP in terms of task achievement rates and computation times.
A framework for understanding energy for water

Abstract This article offers a framework for understanding how energy is used to meet water demand in countries. Specifically, the relationships between energy use and water scarcity, the location of renewable water resources, and aggregate water demand are explored. The article also examines how policy options such as water price reforms, agriculture subsidies and crop elimination may influence the energy use and energy intensity of water withdrawals. Conclusions suggest that while policy options exist, certain uncontrollable factors such as severe water scarcity or substantial freshwater abundance limit the ability of some countries to significantly improve the aggregate energy efficiency of water provision.
A qualitative study: Barriers and support for participation for children with disabilities

Background This qualitative–exploratory study examined the barriers to participation amongst children with disabilities in Lusaka, Zambia, from the mothers’ perspective. Objectives The objectives of this study were to understand how mothers of children with physical and cognitive disabilities who engaged their children in community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services in Lusaka, Zambia, perceived and described (1) the level of support they received and the barriers they encountered in terms of their child’s meaningful social participation; (2) the use and awareness of these barriers to identify and pursue advocacy strategies; and (3) hopes for their child’s future. Methods Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with each mother in her home. Results: Findings revealed both support and barriers to the child’s social participation in relationship to their family, friends and community. Support also came from the CBR programme and mothers’ personal resourcefulness. Mothers identified their child’s school, their immediate environment and financial burdens as barriers to participation as well as their own personal insecurities and fears. Strategies to overcome barriers included internal and external actions. The mothers involved in the study hope their child’s abilities will improve with continued CBR services. Some mothers described a bleak future for their child due to a lack of acceptance and access to education. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest the significant role the mother of a child with a disability plays in her child’s social participation. Recommendations include enhancing CBR programming for families, especially for mothers, and advocating on behalf of children with disabilities and their families to attract the attention of policy makers.
Efficient Public‐Private Capital Structures

This paper presents a rationale for hybrid public‐private capital structures in public utilities. The public sector can borrow money cheaper, while private investors can spawn life‐cycle cost savings. When investment vehicles enable the internalization of the financial advantage of the public sector and the managerial advantage of the private sector, a Pareto‐efficient capital structure is achieved with both the public and private parties as shareholders. I show how different knowledge transfer schemes determine the optimal shareholding structure for the utility company.
Determination of Phase Loads in the Primary Distribution Network Using Smart Meters

The paper presents an option for determination of phase loads in the primary distribution network using the results of state estimation of the secondary distribution network that are obtained by smart meter measurements installed at the load and generator nodes. The problem of state estimation in the secondary distribution network based on measurements of the active and reactive nodal powers and voltage magnitudes rather than by the Newton method traditionally used for this purpose is solved by a method of simple iterations. Efficiency of using the proposed approach for determination of phase loads of the primary distribution network for each hour of daily curve of nodal powers is illustrated by the example of a 32-node test network.
Haemoglobin‐mediated response to hyper‐thermal stress in the keystone species Daphnia magna

Anthropogenic global warming has become a major geological and environmental force driving drastic changes in natural ecosystems. Due to the high thermal conductivity of water and the effects of temperature on metabolic processes, freshwater ecosystems are among the most impacted by these changes. The ability to tolerate changes in temperature may determine species long‐term survival and fitness. Therefore, it is critical to identify coping mechanisms to thermal and hyper‐thermal stress in aquatic organisms. A central regulatory element compensating for changes in oxygen supply and ambient temperature is the respiratory protein haemoglobin (Hb). Here, we quantify Hb plastic and evolutionary response in Daphnia magna subpopulations resurrected from the sedimentary archive of a lake with known history of increase in average temperature and recurrence of heat waves. By measuring constitutive changes in crude Hb protein content among subpopulations, we assessed evolution of the Hb gene family in response to temperature increase. To quantify the contribution of plasticity in the response of this gene family to hyper‐thermal stress, we quantified changes in Hb content in all subpopulations under hyper‐thermal stress as compared to nonstressful temperature. Further, we tested competitive abilities of genotypes as a function of their Hb content, constitutive and induced. We found that Hb‐rich genotypes have superior competitive abilities as compared to Hb‐poor genotypes under hyper‐thermal stress after a period of acclimation. These findings suggest that whereas long‐term adjustment to higher occurrence of heat waves may require a combination of plasticity and genetic adaptation, plasticity is most likely the coping mechanism to hyper‐thermal stress in the short term. Our study suggests that with higher occurrence of heat waves, Hb‐rich genotypes may be favoured with potential long‐term impact on population genetic diversity.
Prognostic impact of the residual SYNTAX score on in‐hospital outcomes in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

This study sought to assess the impact of residual coronary artery disease (CAD), using the residual SYNTAX score (rSS), on in‐hospital outcomes after primary percutaneous intervention (PPCI). The study also aimed to determine independent predictors for high rSS. Residual CAD has been associated with worsened prognosis in patients undergoing PCI for non‐ST acute coronary syndromes. The rSS is a systematic angiographic score that measures the extent and complexity of residual CAD after PCI.
Of Pigs in Pokes and Policy Diffusion: Another Look at Pay-for-Performance

What is the rationale for the adoption, diffusion, and implementation ofpay-for-performance programs in the public sector? Patricia Ingraham questions the basisfor the common view that private sector experience with pay-for-performance has been successful. She explores the additionalproblems posed by public management and compensation systems. An examination of implementation ofpay-for-performance in the United States and in other OECD nations demonstrates gaps between expectations and realities in public settings. Despite obvious problems, the effort continues to appeal to both elected officials and many public managers. More careful attention to design, resource commitment, and evaluation in public organizations is recommended. During the past 30 years, performance appraisal and pay-for-performance systems have become widespread in the United States. Over 90 percent of private sector firms operate with some form of pay-for-performance (Wyatt Company, 1989). The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created pay-for-performance systems for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and for midlevel managers in the federal government. The Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 established a joint labor-management committee to investigate the possibility of extending the systems government-wide. Over 20 states currently have pay-for-performance systems on the books, and several more are considering adoption in the near future (U.S. General Accounting Office, 1990). Many counties and cities also have such systems, although data are limited on these schemes (Ammons and Rodriguez, 1986). The diffusion has also been cross-national; 13 member nations of the international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) now have some form of pay-forperformance (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1992). 1
Pressure-Based Gain Factor Control for Mobile 3D Interaction using Locally-Coupled Devices

We present the design and evaluation of pressure-based interactive control of 3D navigation precision. Specifically, we examine the control of gain factors in tangible 3D interactions using locally-coupled mobile devices. By focusing on pressure as a separate input channel we can adjust gain factors independently from other input modalities used in 3D navigation, in particular for the exploration of 3D visualisations. We present two experiments. First, we determined that people strongly preferred higher pressures to be mapped to higher gain factors. Using this mapping, we compared pressure with rate control, velocity control, and slider-based control in a second study. Our results show that pressure-based gain control allows people to be more precise in the same amount of time compared to established input modalities. Pressure-based control was also clearly preferred by our participants. In summary, we demonstrate that pressure facilitates effective and efficient precision control for mobile 3D navigation.
Design and Performance Analysis of 1.8 GHz Low Noise Amplifier for Wireless Receiver Application

In present stereo audio system is a most popular audio system for different purposes. Now a day’s stereo system is commonly used in communication and other purposes. Moreover Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) based adaptive filtering is an effective filtering process in case of communication and other applications. However adaptive filtering is an adaptive filter process to cancel out the noise from audio signal successfully. Hence the main objective of this paper is to design a NLMS adaptive filter which cancels out the noise from a noisy wave format stereo audio file. Moreover by varying the order of the adaptive filter (such as 8 th , 16 th , 32 th and 64 th ), the performance of the NMLS adaptive filtered signal with respect to reference and noisy stereo audio signal are analyzed as well.
Dual-polarization and dual-pattern planar antenna for diversity in body-centric communications

A planar three-port annular-ring slot antenna has been described. The antenna has been designed to operate at 5.725-5.825 GHz (a IEEE 802.11a frequency band). Port 1 is associated with a dipole-like radiation pattern whose radiated field is perpendicular to the antenna plane. Port 2 and 3 both radiate a broadside radiation pattern, with two orthogonal linearly polarized electric fields. The annular ring slot antenna can be useful for the implementation of a pattern/polarization receiving diversity scheme in on-body and off-body communication systems. Diversity gain measurements in both an anechoic chamber and an actual indoor environment are being performed, for different body positions and typical body movements, as already done, for a spatial diversity scheme. The most significant results of the measurement campaign will be shown at the conference. Finally, work is in progress to get a more compact layout of the slot-ring antenna, which is needed if it has to be designed for working at the 2.4-2.48 GHz frequency band.