Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Estimation of Population Exposure to PM2.5 Using Mobile- and Station-Based Big Data

Extremely high fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration has been a topic of special concern in recent years because of its important and sensitive relation with health risks. However, many previous PM2.5 exposure assessments have practical limitations, due to the assumption that population distribution or air pollution levels are spatially stationary and temporally constant and people move within regions of generally the same air quality throughout a day or other time periods. To deal with this challenge, we propose a novel method to achieve the real-time estimation of population exposure to PM2.5 in China by integrating mobile-phone locating-request (MPL) big data and station-based PM2.5 observations. Nationwide experiments show that the proposed method can yield the estimation of population exposure to PM2.5 concentrations and cumulative inhaled PM2.5 masses with a 3-h updating frequency. Compared with the census-based method, it introduced the dynamics of population distribution into the exposure estimation, thereby providing an improved way to better assess the population exposure to PM2.5 at different temporal scales. Additionally, the proposed method and dataset can be easily extended to estimate other ambient pollutant exposures such as PM10, O3, SO2, and NO2, and may hold potential utilities in supporting the environmental exposure assessment and related policy-driven environmental actions.
Kinetics of Recrystallization in Al-Mg Alloys

In order to clarify the effect of Mg on recrystallization of heavily cold rolled Al, Al-Mg alloys containing Mg up to 5 % were cold rolled 95 % reduction in thickness, and annealed at temperatures between 200 and 450°C. Their recrystallization behavior was investigated with both optical and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that addition of Mg up to 1 % significantly retarded recrystallization, since solute Mg atoms strongly suppressed recovery, nucleation of recrystallized grains and migration of recrystallized high angle grain boundaries. Recrystallization was most strongly suppressed at 1% Mg, and at Mg content above 1 %, recrystallization was remarkably accelerated with increasing Mg content. Transmission electron microscopy of cold rolled specimens revealed that, although well-recovered subgrain structures were formed in pure Al, ill-defined small cell or subgrain structures with high dislocation densities were developed homogeneously in Al-Mg alloys. It was therefore concluded that, in Al-Mg alloys containing Mg more than 1%, recrystallization was accelerated with increasing Mg content, since dislocation densities and therefore stored energies i.e. driving force for recrystallization was increased with increasing Mg content.
Impact of a commercial order entry system on prescribing errors amenable to computerised decision support in the hospital setting: a prospective pre-post study

Background In this UK study, we investigated the impact of computerised physician order entry (CPOE) and clinical decision support (CDS) implementation on the rate of 78 high-risk prescribing errors amenable to CDS. Methods We conducted a preintervention/postintervention study in three acute hospitals in England. A predefined list of prescribing errors was incorporated into an audit tool. At each site, approximately 4000 prescriptions were reviewed both pre-CPOE and 6 months post-CPOE implementation. The number of opportunities for error and the number of errors that occurred were collated. Error rates were then calculated and compared between periods, as well as by the level of CDS. Results The prescriptions of 1244 patients were audited pre-CPOE and 1178 post-CPOE implementation. A total of 28 526 prescriptions were reviewed, with 21 138 opportunities for error identified based on 78 defined errors. Across the three sites, for those prescriptions where opportunities for error were identified, the error rate was found to reduce significantly post-CPOE implementation, from 5.0% to 4.0% (P<0.001). CDS implementation by error type was found to differ significantly between sites, ranging from 0% to 88% across clinical contraindication, dose/frequency, drug interactions and other error types (P<0.001). Overall, 43/78 (55%) of the errors had some degree of CDS implemented in at least one of the hospitals. Conclusions Implementation of CPOE with CDS was associated with clinically important reductions in the rate of high-risk prescribing errors. Given the pre-post design, these findings however need to be interpreted with caution. The occurrence of errors was found to be highly dependent on the level of restriction of CDS presented to the prescriber, with the effect that different configurations of the same CPOE system can produce very different results.
Whole-body electromyostimulation and protein supplementation favorably affect sarcopenic obesity in community-dwelling older men at risk: the randomized controlled FranSO study

Background Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a geriatric syndrome characterized by the disproportion between the amount of lean mass and fat mass. Exercise decreases fat and maintains muscle mass; however, older people fail to exercise at doses sufficient to affect musculoskeletal and cardiometabolic risk factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS), a time-efficient, joint-friendly and highly individualized exercise technology, on sarcopenia and SO in older men. Materials and methods A total of 100 community-dwelling northern Bavarian men aged ≥70 years with sarcopenia and obesity were randomly (1–1–1) assigned to either 16 weeks of 1) WB-EMS and protein supplementation (WB-EMS&P), 2) isolated protein supplementation or 3) nonintervention control. WB-EMS consisted of 1.5×20 min (85 Hz, 350 µs, 4 s of strain to 4 s of rest) applied with moderate-to-high intensity while moving. We further generated a daily protein intake of 1.7–1.8 g/kg/body mass per day. The primary study end point was Sarcopenia Z-Score, and the secondary study end points were body fat rate (%), skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and handgrip strength. Results Intention-to-treat analysis determined a significantly favorable effect of WB-EMS&P (P<0.001) and protein (P=0.007) vs control. Both groups significantly (P<0.001) lost body fat (WB-EMS&P: 2.1%; protein: 1.1%) and differed significantly (P≤0.004) from control (0.3%). Differences between WB-EMS&P and protein were significant for the Sarcopenia Z-Score (P=0.39) and borderline nonsignificant (P=0.051) for body fat. SMI increased significantly in both groups (P<0.001 and P=0.043) and decreased significantly in the control group (CG; P=0.033); differences between the verum groups and control were significant (P≤0.009). Handgrip strength increased in the WB-EMS group (1.90 kg; P<0.001; P=0.050 vs control) only. No adverse effects of WB-EMS or protein supplementation were recorded. Conclusion WB-EMS&P is a safe and efficient method for tackling sarcopenia and SO in older men. However, the suboptimum effect on functional parameters should be addressed by increased voluntary activation during WB-EMS application.
Prediction of radio-responsiveness with immune-profiling in patients with rectal cancer

We evaluate whether the tumor immune infiltrate (TIL) could be used for prediction of responsiveness to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (PCRT) in rectal cancers. Using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded slides of pretreatment biopsies, co-stain for CD4, CD8, CD274 (PD-L1), FOXP3, cytokeratin, and DAPI was performed with Opal multi staining kit (Perkin-Elmer, Waltham, MA). Multispectral imaging and digital analysis to visualize and quantify specific immune infiltrates were performed using the Vectra imaging system (Perkin-Elmer). The density (number of cells per mm2) and proportion of total TILs and specific cell types in the stroma were calculated by inForm™ 2.2. 1 software (Perkin-Elmer). The density and proportion of total TILs and specific cell types in the stroma were calculated by inForm™ 2.2. 1 software (Perkin-Elmer, Waltham, MA). Patients were classified as group with total regression (TR, n = 25) and group with residual disease (near total, moderate, and minimal regression, RD, n = 50). The mean density of T cell infiltration and CD274 (PD-L1)+ lymphocyte were significantly higher in TR (p = 0.005, p = 0.001). The proportion of CD4+ lymphocyte (p=0.042) and CD274 (PD-L1)+ lymphocyte (p = 0.002) were different between 2 groups. The TR group has lower CD4+ and higher CD274 (PD-L1)+ proportions than RD group. The ratio among CD4+, CD8+, CD274 (PD-L1)+, FOXP3+ T cell was different between groups. TR group showed lower CD4/ CD274 (PD-L1) (p = 0.007), CD8/ CD274 (PD-L1) (p = 0.02), and FOXP3/ CD274 (PD-L1) (p = 0.003) ratio than RD group. The determination of the immune infiltrate in biopsies before treatment could be a valuable information for the prediction of responsiveness to PCRT.
Alternative Polyadenylation of PRELID1 Regulates Mitochondrial ROS Signaling and Cancer Outcomes

Disruption of posttranscriptional gene regulation is a critical step in oncogenesis that can be difficult to observe using traditional molecular techniques. To overcome this limitation, a modified polyadenylation site sequencing (PAS-seq) protocol was used to generate a genome-wide map of alternative polyadenylation (APA) events in human primary breast tumor specimens and matched normal tissue. This approach identified an APA event in the PRELID1 mRNA that enhances its steady-state level and translational efficiency, and is a strong breast cancer subtype-dependent predictor of patient clinical outcomes. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that PRELID1 regulates stress response and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in a cell type–specific manner. Modulation of PRELID1 expression, including its posttranscriptional control, appears to be a common stress response across different cancer types. These data reveal that PRELID1 mRNA processing is an important regulator of cell type–specific responses to stress used by multiple cancers and is associated with patient outcomes. Implications: This study suggests that the regulation of PRELID1 expression, by APA and other mechanisms, plays a role in mitochondrial ROS signaling and represents a novel prognostic factor and therapeutic target in cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 15(12); 1741–51. ©2017 AACR.
Molecular Characterization of New Zealand White and APAU Black Rabbits using Microsatellite Markers

Genetic diversity among two genetic groups (New Zealand White and APAU Black) was investigated with a set of 20 microsatellite markers in the present study. The results showed that out of 20 microsatellites, 12 rabbit specific markers were successfully amplified by PCR which were highly polymorphic. A total of 257 alleles were observed across the 12 loci amplified. Number of alleles ranged from 5 to 14 and 5 to 16 in New Zealand White and APAU Black populations, respectively. The overall mean values of observed heterozygosity (0.554 in New Zealand White and 0.556 in APAU Black), expected heterozygosity (0.870 in New Zealand White and 0.875 in APAU Black), Polymorphic Information Content (0.856 in New Zealand White and 0.862 in APAU Black) and the mean effective number of alleles (8.629 in New Zealand White and 8.876 in APAU Black) of these two genetic groups were high. Out of the 12 amplified loci 7 loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in New Zealand White and 5 loci deviated in case of APAU Black which may be due to selection followed. The mean FIS, FIT and FST values over all the population were found to be 0.377, 0.402 and 0.040, respectively. The results suggested that the 12 amplified rabbit specific microsatellite loci were effective markers for analysis of genetic relationships among rabbit populations.
Tracking algorithm of improved spatio-temporal context with particle filter

Aiming at the problem that spatio-temporal context tracking algorithm is easy to generate drift when the target is in the occlusion condition and complex background, a visual tracking algorithm of improved spatio-temporal context with particle filter is proposed. During the target tracking process, first, the Bhattacharyya coefficient is used as a judgment criterion when the target is occluded. Then the particle filter is used to estimate and predict the position and trajectory of the target in the subsequent frame, and the target can be traced accurately. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can not only be applied to visual target tracking when the target is in complex conditions such as illumination changes, target rotation and background interference, but also is robust to the occlusion of the target and satisfies the requirements of real-time tracking.
Availability and Utilization Pattern of Forage Plants in relation to their Nutritive Values by Wild Elephants in South West Forests

The study was carried out on the availability and utilization pattern of various wild plant species by migratory elephants in relation to their nutritive values. It wasobserved that migratory elephants were selective for food plants in the wilderness. Out of 52 recorded plant species, only 22 plant species were found to be utilized either fully or partially as evidenced by branch breaking, debarking, uprooting etc. Overall utilization of food plants revealed that Diospyros melanoxylon was utilized maximum (34.39%) followed by Pterocarpus marsupium (24.86%) among all the plants consumed by migratory elephants. Bark of Buchanania lanzan was moderately utilized (10.58%). All other recorded plants were utilized below 10 per cent. Chemical composition of some wild plants consumed by elephants revealed that crude protein content varied form 3.18 (Shorea robusta) to 21.25 (P. marsupium) g per cent. High protein content of P. marsupium leaves might be the reason for highest degree of utilization. Crude fibre content ranged from 20.0 (P. marsupium) to 54.0 (D. melanoxylon) per cent.
Deglacial temperature history of West Antarctica

Significance The magnitude and timing of Antarctic temperature change through the last deglaciation reveal key aspects of Earth’s climate system. Prior attempts to reconstruct this history relied on isotopic indicators without absolute calibration. To overcome this limitation, we combined isotopic data with measurements of in situ temperatures along a 3.4-km-deep borehole. Deglacial warming in Antarctica was two to three times larger than the contemporaneous global temperature change, quantifying the extent to which feedback processes amplify global changes in polar regions, a key prediction of climate models. Warming progressed earlier in Antarctica than in the Northern Hemisphere but coincident with glacier recession in southern mountain ranges, a manifestation of changing oceanic heat transport, insolation, and atmospheric CO2 that can further test models. The most recent glacial to interglacial transition constitutes a remarkable natural experiment for learning how Earth’s climate responds to various forcings, including a rise in atmospheric CO2. This transition has left a direct thermal remnant in the polar ice sheets, where the exceptional purity and continual accumulation of ice permit analyses not possible in other settings. For Antarctica, the deglacial warming has previously been constrained only by the water isotopic composition in ice cores, without an absolute thermometric assessment of the isotopes’ sensitivity to temperature. To overcome this limitation, we measured temperatures in a deep borehole and analyzed them together with ice-core data to reconstruct the surface temperature history of West Antarctica. The deglacial warming was 11.3±1.8∘C, approximately two to three times the global average, in agreement with theoretical expectations for Antarctic amplification of planetary temperature changes. Consistent with evidence from glacier retreat in Southern Hemisphere mountain ranges, the Antarctic warming was mostly completed by 15 kyBP, several millennia earlier than in the Northern Hemisphere. These results constrain the role of variable oceanic heat transport between hemispheres during deglaciation and quantitatively bound the direct influence of global climate forcings on Antarctic temperature. Although climate models perform well on average in this context, some recent syntheses of deglacial climate history have underestimated Antarctic warming and the models with lowest sensitivity can be discounted.
Advances in light-curing units: four generations of LED lights and clinical implications for optimizing their use: Part 2. From present to future.

UNLABELLED The first part of this series of two described the history of light curing in dentistry and developments in LED lights since their introduction over 20 years ago. Current second- and third-generation LED light units have progressively replaced their halogen lamp predecessors because of their inherent advantages. The background to this, together with the clinical issues relating to light curing and the possible solutions, are outlined in the second part of this article. Finally, the innovative features of what may be seen as the first of a new fourth-generation of LED lights are described and guidance is given for the practitioner on what factors to consider when seeking to purchase a new LED light activation unit. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Adequate curing in depth is fundamental to clinical success with any light-activated restoration. To achieve this goal predictably, an appropriate light source needs to be combined with materials knowledge, requisite clinical skills and attention to detail throughout the entire restoration process. As dentists increasingly use light-cured direct composites to restore large posterior restorations they need to appreciate the issues central to effective and efficient light curing and to know what to look for when seeking to purchase a new light-curing unit.
Management of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among Healthcare Workers: 10-Year Experience at a Single Center

Background The risk of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis among healthcare workers (HCWs) is estimated to be higher than the general population. However, HCW acceptance and compliance with available latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment regimens has been problematic. Recently, regimens have become available that might improve HCW acceptance and compliance with LTBI treatment. Methods A retrospective single-center review of Employee Health and Wellness Services records of all HCWs diagnosed with LTBI was conducted. HCWs diagnosed with LTBI were offered 9-month isoniazid (INH), 4-month rifampin (RIF), weekly rifapentine/isoniazid (RPT/INH) for 12 weeks, or no treatment. Acceptance, completion rates, and side effects were reported for each regimen. Comparisons of regimens were assessed using Fisher exact test. Results Between 2005 and 2014, 363 of 927 (39%) HCWs diagnosed with LTBI accepted treatment. Of 363, 202 chose INH, 106 RIF, and 55 RPT/INH. Completion rates for each regimen were 58%, 80%, and 87%, respectively. HCWs were significantly more likely to have completed treatment with RIF (P < .0001) or RPT/INH (P < .0001) than INH. Rates of discontinuation owing to side effects were 35% for INH, 21% for RIF, and 10% for RPT/INH. Discontinuation of therapy due to side effects was significantly more frequent in the INH than the RPT/INH group (P = .0042). Conclusions Completion of RIF and RPT/INH for LTBI in an HCW population is more likely than INH. Rates of discontinuation due to side effects were lower among those taking RPT/INH. Shorter LTBI treatment regimens should be more widely considered for HCWs in the United States.
SmartHear: A Smartphone-Based Remote Microphone Hearing Assistive System Using Wireless Technologies

In this paper, we propose a new smartphone-based hearing assistive system (SmartHear) using wireless technologies for individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss (HL). Our system is a stigma-free implementation of the personal frequency modulation (FM) system for people with HL, with enhanced accessibility, affordability, and customization and extension potentials. The SmartHear system consists of a smartphone running a mobile application and a Bluetooth handset coupled with the smartphone. The voice of the speaker is picked up by the smartphone placed near the speaker and transmitted wirelessly to the Bluetooth handset placed near the listener for listening. The transmission of the voice signals over radio waves overcomes the reverberation and ambient noise effects, and thus, the listener can listen from a distance with better clarity and ease. Speech intelligibility experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed SmartHear system, showing an average improvement of 0.2 speech intelligibility score (on the scale of 0–1) across four typical audiograms for mild-to-moderate HL and in four signal-to-noise ratio conditions. A user survey reveals the favorable user experience with SmartHear in various dimensions, as compared to the conventional FM system.
Explicating Experience: Development of a Valid Scale of Past Hazard Experience for Tornadoes

People's past experiences with a hazard theoretically influence how they approach future risks. Yet, past hazard experience has been conceptualized and measured in wide‐ranging, often simplistic, ways, resulting in mixed findings about its relationship with risk perception. This study develops a scale of past hazard experiences, in the context of tornadoes, that is content and construct valid. A conceptual definition was developed, a set of items were created to measure one's most memorable and multiple tornado experiences, and the measures were evaluated through two surveys of the public who reside in tornado‐prone areas. Four dimensions emerged of people's most memorable experience, reflecting their awareness of the tornado risk that day, their personalization of the risk, the intrusive impacts on them personally, and impacts experienced vicariously through others. Two dimensions emerged of people's multiple experiences, reflecting common types of communication received and negative emotional responses. These six dimensions are novel in that they capture people's experience across the timeline of a hazard as well as intangible experiences that are both direct and indirect. The six tornado experience dimensions were correlated with tornado risk perceptions measured as cognitive‐affective and as perceived probability of consequences. The varied experience–risk perception results suggest that it is important to understand the nuances of these concepts and their relationships. This study provides a foundation for future work to continue explicating past hazard experience, across different risk contexts, and for understanding its effect on risk assessment and responses.