Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tuberculosis incidence in Turin, Italy, 1973-1999.

SETTING Turin, Italy, 1973-1999. OBJECTIVE To estimate tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates in Turin between 1973 and 1999. DESIGN Incidence study. An active search of new TB cases was carried out by examining the clinical records of the three major TB care services in the city. New cases were defined as patients treated for the first time. To evaluate the completeness of this series, data were linked with the TB Notification Register and the Regional Hospital Discharges Register for the years 1997-1999. RESULTS TB incidence rates declined from 25.6 cases per 100,000 population in 1973 to 6.4 in 1999. TB/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection increased after 1985, reaching a peak (16.5%) in 1994-1996, and significantly decreasing in 1997-1999. Foreign-born cases started to increase after 1988, reaching 25.8% of total cases in 1997-1999. TB infections in Italian-born, non-HIV-infected cases occurred mostly among the elderly, while HIV/TB co-infections and TB in immigrants occurred mostly in younger age groups. The study captured 59% of cases diagnosed in Turin in 1997-1999. CONCLUSIONS In recent years, new cases of TB have been diagnosed mostly among HIV-positive people and immigrants. Preventive and control strategies should focus on these population groups, improving quick identification and effective treatment of cases, and implementing accessible services.
Some Effects of a Human Resources Strategy on Total Productive Manufacturing (TPM) improvement

Total productive manufacturing (TPM) also addresses planned maintenance as well as autonomous maintenance that determine the maintenance requirement of machines in their operating context. This paper focuses on the effect of an integrated human resource strategy on total productive manufacturing (TPM) and assesses how the combination of the two can increase a firm's productivity. Some results of a South African manufacturing case study company in a unique environment are presented. The main conclusion reached in this paper is that when innovative human resources practices are applied properly, they will promote total machine system efficiency and hence increase the productivity of the company. As result TPM that does not normally focus on HR is taken to a higher level, whereby the additional human factor is taken into consideration. It suggests that operators should be nurtured and be well trained as part of the TPM focus, because they are the ones who are operating those machines with intimate knowledge. The limited research presented here as part of a doctoral thesis highlights some element of human resources practice that can be applied to enable operators to be efficient and productive as part of the TPM machine system.
How Can Syntax Support Number Word Acquisition?

We expand upon a previous proposal by Bloom and Wynn (1997) that young children learn about the meaning of number words by tracking their occurrence in particular syntactic environments, in combination with the discourse context in which they are used. An analysis of the Childes database (MacWhinney, 2000) reveals that the environments studied by Bloom and Wynn (specifically, the partitive frame x of the y) do not on their own distinguish between number terms and those terms that are more generally quantity denoting. A set of novel word-learning experiments reveals that children (and adults) are aware of the semantic constraints of two of the syntactic environments targeted by Bloom and Wynn (the partitive frame and modification by very) but either rely upon or benefit from contextual information supporting learning where a number word can but need not be used in a sentence. We propose that children most likely combine their knowledge of counting principles (Gelman & Gallistel, 1978) with the discourse context to support the conclusion that a number word can appear in certain syntactic frames. Overall, the results indicate that recruiting syntax-semantics knowledge and assigning a number-word meaning to a new word is a delicate affair, even for adults, and suggest that there is a tight link between surface-level form, underlying constraints, and the discourse context in number word learning.
Mucosal and systemic candidiasis in congenitally immunodeficient mice

Colony counts and light microscopy were used to assess the capacity of Candida albicans to colonize, infect the alimentary tract, and cause disseminated disease in athymic (nu/nu), euthymic (nu/+), beige (bg/bg), black (bg/+), beige athymic (bg/bg nu/nu), or beige euthymic (bg/bg nu/+) germfree mice. The alimentary tracts of all six genotypes of germfree mice were quickly colonized after exposure to yeast-phase C. albicans. Only bg/bg nu/nu mice showed obvious morbidity and mortality after mucosal colonization with C. albicans. Histopathology of C. albicans-colonized immunocompetent (nu/+, bg/+) and singly immunodeficient (nu/nu, bg/bg, bg/bg nu/+) mice showed minimal to moderate mucosal infections, whereas doubly immunodeficient (bg/bg nu/nu) mice showed extensive yeast and hyphal infection of the palate, tongue, esophagus, and stomach. A progressive systemic infection in C. albicans-colonized mice occurred only in bg/bg nu/nu mice 12 to 16 weeks after colonization and mucosal infection. Thus, it appears that a combination of defective cell-mediated immunity and phagocytic cell defects (polymorphonuclear leukocytes and/or macrophages) predisposed mice to severe mucosal and systemic candidiasis of endogenous origin. This is the first report of a mouse strain that is not only naturally susceptible to mucosal and systemic candidiasis of endogenous origin but also shows lethality at early (1 to 4 weeks) and late (12 to 16 weeks) times after alimentary tract colonization.
Biohydrogen Production from Waste Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) Extract Liquid

Hydrogen creates water during combustion. Therefore, it is expected to be the most promising environmentally friendly energy alternative in the coming years. This study used extract liquid obtained from the waste nigella sativa generated by the black cumin oil industry. The performance of biological hydrogen manufacturing via dark fermentation was investigated in the fluidized bed reactor (FBR) and completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) under the operation conditions of pH 5.0, 4.0, and 6.0 and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 36 and 24 h. The performance of hydrogen manufacturing was determined to be good under an organic loading ratio (OLR) of 6.66 g.nigella sativa extract/L and pH 4.0. According to these conditions, the maximum amount of hydrogen in CSTR and FBR was found to be 20.8 and 7.6 mL H2/day, respectively. The operating process of the reactors displayed that a reduction in HRT augmented biohydrogen manufacturing. The work that used mixed culture found that the dominant microbial population at pH 4.0 involved Hydrogenimonas thermophila, Sulfurospirillum carboxydovorans, Sulfurospirillum cavolei, Sulfurospirillum alkalitolerans, and Thiofractor thiocaminus. No research on waste black cumin extract was found in biohydrogen studies, and it was determined that this substrate source is applicable for biological hydrogen manufacturing.
Making soccer kicks better: a study in particle swarm optimization and evolution strategies

Biomechanics is a science of examining the internal and external forces on the human body. In biomechanics, forward dynamics simulation models can be used to study optimal control of the human musculoskeletal system. An example application is the soccer kick, where the optimal recruitment pattern of the muscles of the lower extremity can result in a high speed shot on net. We used evolutionary algorithms - particle swarm optimizers and evolution strategies - to adjust muscle control parameters for a soccer kick. In this paper we describe our implementation of the soccer kick project, optimization experiments performed with the soccer kick and comparing the results from particle swarm optimization and evolution strategies
Internet of Things Application to Smart Grid

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a paradigm that is rapidly gaining ground within the facility the modern telecommunication technologies provide [1]. The basic idea of this concept is the pervasive presence around us of a variety of things or objects – such as Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, sensors, actuators, mobile phones, etc. – which, through unique addressing schemes, are able to interact with each other and cooperate with their neighbors to reach common goals.
A Dynamic Spectrum Access Strategy Based on Real-Time Usability in Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

Currently, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) mostly operate on the fixed and unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) spectrum. With the increasing spectrum shortage in WSN, the Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks (CRSN) is proposed to employ the Cognitive Radio (CR) technology to utilize the spectrum resources dynamically (i.e., Dynamic Spectrum Access, DSA). However, it's a challenge to increase the delivery rate and the throughput in the CRSN because of the power and process restrictions. In this paper, with the consideration of the spectrum idle condition and communication capability, a novel DSA strategy based on the Real-time Usability (DSARU) is presented. And the energy-saving updating algorithm of the spectrum real-time usability is proposed to sense the spectrum changes. Based on the IEEE 802.15. 4, DSARU simulation model and experiment system are set up to evaluate the transmission performances. Both simulation and experiment results demonstrate that the DSARU strategy can efficiently increase the delivery rate and throughput, especially under the condition of spectrum interference.
Correlation between the Resistance Genotype Determined by Multiplex PCR Assays and the Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Staphylococcus aureus andStaphylococcus epidermidis

ABSTRACT Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (a total of 206) and S. epidermidis (a total of 188) from various countries were tested with multiplex PCR assays to detect clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes associated with staphylococci. The targeted genes are implicated in resistance to oxacillin (mecA), gentamicin [aac(6′)-aph(2")], and erythromycin (ermA, ermB, ermC, andmsrA). We found a nearly perfect correlation between genotypic and phenotypic analysis for most of these 394 strains, showing the following correlations: 98% for oxacillin resistance, 100% for gentamicin resistance, and 98.5% for erythromycin resistance. The discrepant results were (i) eight strains found to be positive by PCR for mecA or ermC but susceptible to the corresponding antibiotic based on disk diffusion and (ii) six strains of S. aureus found to be negative by PCR for mecA or for the four erythromycin resistance genes targeted but resistant to the corresponding antibiotic. In order to demonstrate in vitro that the eight susceptible strains harboring the resistance gene may become resistant, we subcultured the susceptible strains on media with increasing gradients of the antibiotic. We were able to select cells demonstrating a resistant phenotype for all of these eight strains carrying the resistance gene based on disk diffusion and MIC determinations. The four oxacillin-resistant strains negative for mecA were PCR positive for blaZand had the phenotype of β-lactamase hyperproducers, which could explain their borderline oxacillin resistance phenotype. The erythromycin resistance for the two strains found to be negative by PCR is probably associated with a novel mechanism. This study reiterates the usefulness of DNA-based assays for the detection of antibiotic resistance genes associated with staphylococcal infections.
Predictable Oxygen Isotope Exchange Between Plant Lipids and Environmental Water: Implications for Ecosystem Water Balance Reconstruction

In this study, we present the first evidence for predictable exchange of oxygen isotopes between water and lipid compounds. Using laboratory incubations with aliphatic alcohols, hexadecanol and eicosanol, and bulk soil lipid extracts in isotopically enriched water for 160 days, we determined the magnitude and direction of exchange rates for bulk and compound‐specific lipid extracts. Our data show that δ18O ratios of long‐chain aliphatic lipids that persist in hydrophobic portions of soil organic matter integrate the signature of plant water δ18O values, which can be used to reconstruct hydrologic shifts in terrestrial systems. For bulk lipid extracts, equilibrium was reached, indicating that 22% of its oxygen content is exchangeable with a half‐life of 0.13 years. Incubations with the same bulk lipid extracts in contact with iron oxyhydroxide minerals showed no difference in exchange rates, although the exchangeable fraction decreases to 19% of the total. This result suggests that mineral surfaces can inhibit oxygen exchange for some oxygen‐containing functional groups. In contrast, pure compounds showed stable oxygen isotope signatures with no exchange under the same conditions. Taken together, these findings represent a significant development in the mechanistic understanding and application of oxygen isotopes in plant‐ and soil‐derived lipids, toward a path for the use of lipid extracts in reconstructions of ecosystem water balance.
Dynamics of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Membrane Potential in Mouse Pre-Implantation Embryos: Responses to Diverse Types of Oxidative Stress

Mitochondria undergo a myriad of changes during pre-implantation embryo development, including shifts in activity levels and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication. However, how these distinct aspects of mitochondrial function are linked and their responsiveness to diverse stressors is not well understood. Here, we show that mtDNA content increased between 8-cell embryos and the blastocyst stage, with similar copy numbers per cell in the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE). In contrast, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was higher in TE than ICM. Culture in ambient oxygen (20% O2) altered both aspects of mitochondrial function: the mtDNA copy number was upregulated in ICM, while MMP was diminished in TE. Embryos cultured in 20% O2 also exhibited delayed development kinetics, impaired implantation, and reduced mtDNA levels in E18 fetal liver. A model of oocyte mitochondrial stress using rotenone showed only a modest effect on on-time development and did not alter the mtDNA copy number in ICM; however, following embryo transfer, mtDNA was higher in the fetal heart. Lastly, endogenous mitochondrial dysfunction, induced by maternal age and obesity, altered the blastocyst mtDNA copy number, but not within the ICM. These results demonstrate that mitochondrial activity and mtDNA content exhibit cell-specific changes and are differentially responsive to diverse types of oxidative stress during pre-implantation embryogenesis.
Choroidal Neovascular Membranes Express Toll-Like Receptor 3

Background: Recent evidence has suggested a role for toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in experimental models of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). To date, however, few data exist about TLR3 in human AMD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of TLR3 in human choroidal neovascular (CNV) membranes. Methods: Immunostaining for TLR3 was performed on sections of CNV membranes from 8 AMD patients and eyes from 4 donors without CNV. Results: All CNV membranes expressed TLR3 in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. One was classified as having strong intensity, 5 as having moderate intensity and 2 as having weak intensity. All cases had ≧30% of the RPE cells staining for TLR3, ranging from 30 to 90%. No expression of TLR3 was observed in vascular endothelial cells or fibroblasts in any CNV membrane. In the donor eyes, the RPE cells near the ora serrata stained stronger than those at the posterior pole, where no staining was observed in 3 out of 4 cases. Conclusion: TLR3 was found in all CNV membranes and was expressed exclusively in RPE cells. The observed difference in RPE staining for TLR3 in donor eyes and CNV membranes suggests a possible role for this receptor in human neovascular AMD.
Dose-Related Differences in Effectiveness of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Against Genital Warts: A Nationwide Study of 550,000 Young Girls.

BACKGROUND Reducing the number of doses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination regimen from 3 to 2 could increase coverage rates. In this cohort study, we assessed the risk of genital warts (GWs) according to timing and number of doses of quadrivalent HPV vaccine. METHODS From population-based registries, we identified all girls in Denmark born during 1985-1999, for whom information on HPV vaccinations was retrieved. The cohort was followed for GW occurrence during 2006-2012. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated by Poisson regression to determine differences in GW rates by number of vaccine doses. RESULTS Of the 550,690 girls in the cohort, 361 734 had been vaccinated. Of these, 25.9% had been vaccinated twice and 58.8% 3 times. The risk of GWs decreased significantly with each additional dose of vaccine. For girls who received 2 doses, extension of the interval between doses reduced the incidence of GWs. In comparison with a 2-month interval, the incidence of GWs was reduced by 45% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%-62%), 55% (95% CI, 35%-69%), and 63% (95% CI, 44%-75%), with an interval of 4, 5, and 6 months, respectively. The IRR of 2 vs 3 doses was close to 1, with an interval of about 6 months between the first 2 doses. CONCLUSIONS With the original vaccine schedule, completion of 3 doses seems to be required to obtain full protection against GWs. A 2-dose regimen may be as effective if the dosing interval is extended to around 6 months, although the long-term effectiveness of this regimen is unknown.
Mechanisms of Internet Security Attacks

Internet security attack could endanger the privacy of World Wide Web users and the integrity of their data. The attack can be carried out on today's most secure systems’ browsers, including Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. There are too many types, methods and mechanisms of attack where new attack techniques and exploits are constantly being developed and discovered. In this paper, various types of internet security attack mechanisms are explored and it is pointed out that when different types of attacks are combined together, network security can suffer disastrous consequences. Keywords—DoS, internet attacks, router attack, security, trojan, virus, worm, XSS.
Very low frequency modulation in QRS slopes and its relation with respiration and heart rate variability during hemodialysis

In this work, we study the very low frequency (VLF) modulation (range 0.01-0.03 Hz) in QRS slopes, heart rate variability (HRV) and ECG-derived respiration in hemodialysis patients. First, the relation between QRS slopes and HRV in the VLF band is measured using ordinary coherence. Then, partial coherence is used to measure the former relationship once the effect related to respiration is removed. Ordinary coherence values above a statistical threshold revealed linear relationship between VLF modulation in QRS slopes and HRV in about 10% of analyzed segments, with mean ± SD values of 0.79 ± 0.07 for upward slope and 0.77 ± 0.06 for downward slope. For these segments, partial coherence values drop below the threshold for 64% of the cases for upward slope and 76% for downward slope, suggesting that the origin of the VLF modulation in QRS slopes is mainly driven by respiration or linearly related to it. In the rest of the cases, partial coherence values dropped with respect to ordinary coherence from 0.89 to 0.77 for upward slope and from 0.86 to 0.75 for downward slope, suggesting that other ANS effects non-linearly related to respiration also contribute to the VLF modulation in QRS slopes.
A Phase I Study of Gefitinib and irinotecan (IRN) in pediatric patients with refractory solid tumors.

8521 Background: Gefitinib (Iressa), an oral Epidermal Growth Factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor that has been well tolerated in adults, modulates intracellular drug effects through inhibition of efflux pumps (e.g., BCRP). In xenograft models of pediatric solid tumors it has additive/synergistic activity with IRN, which was independent of EGFR status. We are conducting a Phase I study of this combination in children with refractory solid tumors. METHODS Our objectives are to estimate the maximum tolerated dose and dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) of gefitinib administered daily × 21 days in combination with protracted intravenous IRN [day 1- 5, day 8 - 12]. Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of IRN and metabolites were obtained with and without concurrent gefitinib. PK studies of gefitinib were obtained on days -1 and 8. Courses are repeated every 21 days in the absence of DLT or disease progression. RESULTS At present, 2 cohorts have been evaluated (age 3 -15 yrs, median 5 yrs). Cohort 1 (n = 5) received continuous daily gefitinib at 150 mg/m2/d and IRN at 15 mg/m2/d. Dose-limiting diarrhea was seen in 2 patients. In cohort 2 (n = 3), gefitinib was de-escalated to 112.5 mg/m2/d; DLTs were experienced by 2 patients (1 grade 4 anorexia, 1 grade 4 transaminitis). The onset of all DLTs was on day 10 or greater of the first 21 day course. Concomitant gefitinib administration was associated with decreased IRN lactone systemic clearance (P<0.05). Steady-state gefitinib concentrations approximates the IC50 for BCRP inhibition. One patient with Ewing sarcoma had a partial response, one with anaplastic Wilms tumor had a decrease in multiple (<1 cm each) pulmonary nodules, one with adrenocortical carcinoma had stable disease (SD) for 4 courses and one with neuroblastoma has SD for 3+ courses. Because of delayed onset of these DLTs, the study is being amended to administer gefitinib for the first 12 days of each course only. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest a shorter schedule of gefitinib in combination with IRN may be better tolerated and will maintain the apparent synergy of these agents. This combination warrants further study in children with refractory solid tumors. [Table: see text].
Value of Virtual Water Applied for the Production of Strategic Agricultural Commodities of Tunisia

The objective of this study is to estimate the virtual water content of strategic crops produced in Tunisia and to determine its economic value in the different bioclimatic areas of the country using the residual imputation method. A set of experiments and surveys were conducted for this purpose. Average values of virtual water embedded in the selected crops (including cereals, vegetables, and trees), varied from 0.38 Tunisian dinars (TND) m -3 to 1.3 TND m -3 . Moreover overall virtual water used by crops (including green and blue water) found to be more accurate for assessing and comparing water valorization among crops and agroclimatic zones of Tunisia.
Constructing Conjunctive Attributes using Production Rules

Many existing constructive decision tree learning algorithms such as Fringe and Citre construct conjunctions or disjunctions directly from paths of decision trees. This paper investigates a novel attribute construction method for decision tree learning. It creates conjunctions from production rules that are transformed from decision trees. Irrelevant or unimportant conditions are eliminated when paths are transformed into production rules. Therefore, this new method is likely to construct new attributes with relevant conditions. Three constructive induction algorithms based on this basic idea are described and are empirically evaluated by comparing with C4.5 and a Fringe-like algorithm in a set of artificial and natural domains. The experimental results reveal that constructing conjunctions using production rules can significantly improve the performance of decision tree learning in the majority of the domains tested in terms of both higher prediction accuracy and lower theory complexity. These results suggest an advantage of the attribute construction method that uses production rules over the method of constructing new attributes directly from paths in noisy domains.