Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Networked Performance Project for LO SPECCHIO Confuso dall'ombra of Roberto Girolin

Communication of expressive and emotional content is a central aspect in music performance. An open research challenge in networked music performance is how to communicate such expressive, emotional content to remote audiences and performers. We carried out a preliminary study in this direction in the framework of the networked performance “Lo specchio confuso dall’ombra” by Roberto Girolin, presented for the first time at Casa Paganini, Genova, on the occasion of the opening concert of the 8th Intl Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME08), June 4th, 2008. The piece consists of two separate installations, one in the Foyer and another in the Auditorium of Casa Paganini. The problem of remote communication and social interaction between audience and/or performers between the two different locations is based on the extraction and transmission in real-time of qualitative movement descriptors (expressive cues): the EyesWeb XMI open software platform has been adopted for this aims. In “Lo specchio confuso dall’ombra” we investigate how the sound and visual rendering of a collection of qualitative expressive and emotional descriptors of fullbody movement and gesture of a user/performer are perceived and understood remotely by another user/performer and by the audience. Such descriptors have been chosen according to theories of psychologists [4], humanistic theories by choreographers and researchers on human movement and gesture (e.g., Laban’s Theory of Effort), and results from previous projects at our Centre (see for example [1], [2]). Sound rendering is inspired from research on sound design and sonification; visual rendering is inspired from research into theories on animacy [3]. The expressive qualities from full-body movements and gesture are extracted in real-time, and concern cues on movement activity, contraction/expansion, symmetry, impulsiveness, postural attitude (Camurri et al 2005). Descriptors of the dynamic shape of such cues are also used, as well as techniques for higher-level analysis (Camurri et al.2008). The following section describes the concept of “Lo specchio confuso dell’ombra”. The piece has been developed with the EyesWeb XMI open platform for eXtended Multimodal Interaction (www.eyesweb.org) and has been partially supported by the EU Culture 2007 Project CoMeDiA.
Structural basis of photosensitivity in a bacterial light-oxygen-voltage/helix-turn-helix (LOV-HTH) DNA-binding protein

Light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domains are blue light-activated signaling modules integral to a wide range of photosensory proteins. Upon illumination, LOV domains form internal protein-flavin adducts that generate conformational changes which control effector function. Here we advance our understanding of LOV regulation with structural, biophysical, and biochemical studies of EL222, a light-regulated DNA-binding protein. The dark-state crystal structure reveals interactions between the EL222 LOV and helix-turn-helix domains that we show inhibit DNA binding. Solution biophysical data indicate that illumination breaks these interactions, freeing the LOV and helix-turn-helix domains of each other. This conformational change has a key functional effect, allowing EL222 to bind DNA in a light-dependent manner. Our data reveal a conserved signaling mechanism among diverse LOV-containing proteins, where light-induced conformational changes trigger activation via a conserved interaction surface.
Cytokine Response Signatures in Disease Progression and Development of Severe Clinical Outcomes for Leptospirosis

Background The role of the immune response in influencing leptospirosis clinical outcomes is not yet well understood. We hypothesized that acute-phase serum cytokine responses may play a role in disease progression, risk for death, and severe pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome (SPHS). Methodology/Principal Findings We performed a case-control study design to compare cytokine profiles in patients with mild and severe forms of leptospirosis. Among patients hospitalized with severe disease, we compared those with fatal and nonfatal outcomes. During active outpatient and hospital-based surveillance we prospectively enrolled 172 patients, 23 with mild disease (outpatient) and 149 with severe leptospirosis (hospitalized). Circulating concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines at the time of patient presentation were measured using a multiplex bead array assay. Concentrations of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, and TNF-α were significantly higher (P<0.05) in severe disease compared to mild disease. Among severe patients, levels of IL-6 (P<0.001), IL-8 (P = 0.0049) and IL-10 (P<0.001), were higher in fatal compared to non-fatal cases. High levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were independently associated (P<0.05) with case fatality after adjustment for age and days of symptoms. IL-6 levels were higher (P = 0.0519) among fatal cases who developed SPHS than among who did not. Conclusion/Significance This study shows that severe cases of leptospirosis are differentiated from mild disease by a “cytokine storm” process, and that IL-6 and IL-10 may play an immunopathogenic role in the development of life-threatening outcomes in human leptospirosis.
A beamformer for CDMA with enhanced near-far resistance

The spatio-temporal array-receiver (STAR) achieves good performance in CDMA with multiple receiving antennas where the interference can be characterized as AWGN uncorrelated with the signal. To enhance its near-far resistance in correlated noise environments, we introduce optimal combining of the spatio-temporal components. Nearly as good performance can be obtained with a low complexity adaptive beamformer combination of the antenna and multipath diversity branches. Simulation results indicate that the modified STAR manifests significant gain in near-far resistance over its original version, more so with more branches. They also suggest that exploiting additional temporal correlation fingers as interference references can further improve near-far resistance in poor diversity situations.
Sequential auto-reclosing method for hybrid HVDC breaker in VSC HVDC links

Voltage source converters (VSC) are increasingly being used in high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems and with higher power ratings of these converters, the interest for usage with long transmission system is also increasing. With long overhead transmission dc links, many faults would be transient or temporary in nature. Such faults are mainly caused by lightning. The objective of this paper lies in proposing and implementing an auto-reclose feature to the operation of Hybrid HVDC breaker (HHB). The proposed method has been evaluated in a point-to-point HVDC link along with HHB at each end. This study shows that the proposed sequential operation of HHB can quickly and cost-effectively re-close the faulty line with minimal impact on connected ac grid and where the converters can continue to support the ac network with reactive power. Furthermore, the proposed soft start procedure adopted in auto-reclosing operation of HHB assists in reducing the dc current inrush and distribute the energy stress among the non-linear resistors in the main breaker modules of HHB.
Effects of physical activity on cancer prevention

Results of most epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest an inverse relationship between regular exercise and the risk of certain malignancies, such as intestinal, colon, pancreatic, breast, lung, skin, mammary, endometrial, and prostate cancer. However, physical activity can have different influence on carcinogenesis, depending on energy supply and the age of the subject as well as strength, frequency, and length of exercise. The biochemical and molecular basis of the interaction between aerobic physical activity and tumorigenic processes remains poorly understood. Physical activity may generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to a different extent. Mild oxidative stress caused by moderate physical activity can activate cellular stress response signaling and potentiate cellular antioxidant defense capacity. However, accumulation of relatively large amounts of ROS as a consequence of exhaustive exercise can either directly damage DNA, causing mutation, or promote tumorigenesis by activating proinflammatory signaling. This review highlights the effects of physical activity on various malignancies in the context of redox status modulated during exercise.
A Wideband Circularly Polarized Patch Array for V-band Low-Cost Applications

In this paper, we present a 60 GHz low-cost circularly polarized patch array antenna which exhibits excellent axial ratio performances. The 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth has been measured to be about 11.25%. The 10 dB return loss bandwidth is up to 17% while the gain is about 10.2 dBi at 60 GHz. These results have been obtained by applying a sequential feeding array to an aperture-coupled truncated corner patch. To the best knowledge of the authors, this work is the first report of a 60 GHz low-cost microstrip aperture-coupled patch antenna which presents such performances.
Study of water quality and eutrophication in Sanya coastal zone

Seasonal and spatial distribution of water quality was investigated at 29 stations in the Sanya coastal zone (SYCZ). Nutrients, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and other physical and chemical parameters were measured in April and September from 2007 to 2009. The concentrations showed ranges of 1.22–35.93 μ mol/L for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), 0.03–1.80 μ mol/L for phosphate (PO4-P), and 2.46–156.60 μ mol/L for silicate (SiO4-Si). The result indicated that NO3-N and NO2-N were the main ingredients of DIN in most coastal zones. DIN was mainly influenced by domestic sewage coming from Sanya City and sea breed aquatics, while phosphate and silicate were generally controlled by river runoff. N/P ratios were also calculated, results suggested the restrictive nutrient was N in dry season and P in rain season. In the past two decades, concentrations of nitrogen and phosphate had markedly increased. It was too high for the natural growth of the coral and coral reef ecosystem in SYCZ.
PREVALENCE OF LISTERIA SPP. IN RAW MILK IN SYRIA

Summary Al-Mariri, A. , A. Abou Younes & L. Ramadan, 2013. Prevalence of Listeria spp. in raw milk in Syria. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 16, No 2, 112−122. Testing for Listeria spp. was performed in milk samples collected from Syrian provinces, from August 2005 to December 2008. A total of 766 milk samples were collected from randomly selected dairy farms. Using conventional bacteriologic methods, 84 samples (10.96%) were positive for Listeria spp. The isolated Listeria spp. strains were catalase positive, oxidase negative, did not produce H2S and were motile. The highest prevalence of Listeria spp. was found in raw bovine milk samples (16.2%), followed by sheep milk samples (12.4%), whereas Listeria spp. was not found in tested goat milk samples. L. monocytogenes was the most frequently isolated bacterium and was found in 41.6% of the raw milk samples. The remaining isolates were L. innocua (17.8%), L. ivanovii (14.2%), L. welshimeri (9.5%) and L. gravi (4.7%). PCR has confirmed our results using the specific 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S spacer involved in the genotypic identification of Listeria sp. The results of this study indicated the potential risk of the infection with Listeria in people consuming raw and unpasteurised milk and dairy products.
Broadcast Gossip Algorithms for Consensus on Strongly Connected Digraphs

We study a general framework for broadcast gossip algorithms which use companion variables to solve the average consensus problem. Each node maintains an initial state and a companion variable. Iterative updates are performed asynchronously whereby one random node broadcasts its current state and companion variables and all other nodes receiving the broadcast update their state and companion variables. We provide conditions under which this scheme is guaranteed to converge to a consensus solution, where all nodes have the same limiting values, on any strongly connected directed graph. Under stronger conditions, which are reasonable when the underlying communication graph is undirected, we guarantee that the consensus value is equal to the average, both in expectation and in the mean-squared sense. Our analysis uses tools from non-negative matrix theory and perturbation theory. The perturbation results rely on a parameter being sufficiently small. We characterize the allowable upper bound as well as the optimal setting for the perturbation parameter as a function of the network topology, and this allows us to characterize the worst-case rate of convergence. Simulations illustrate that, in comparison to existing broadcast gossip algorithms, the approaches proposed in this paper have the advantage that they simultaneously can be guaranteed to converge to the average consensus and they converge in a small number of broadcasts.
Predicting long-term outcome following traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of brain damage, resulting in long-term disability. The ever increasing life expectancies among TBI patients necessitate a critical examination of the factors that influence long-term outcome. Our objective was to evaluate the contribution of premorbid factors (which were identified in our previous work) and acute injury indices to long-term functioning following TBI. Method: Eighty-nine participants with moderate-to-severe TBI were evaluated at an average of 14.2 years postinjury (range: 1–53 years) with neuropsychological battery, medical examination, clinical interviews, and questionnaires. Results: TBI severity predicted cognitive, social, and daily functioning outcomes. After controlling for injury severity, preinjury intellectual functioning predicted cognitive status, as well as occupational, social, emotional, and daily functioning. Preinjury leisure activity also predicted cognitive, emotional, and daily functioning, whereas socioeconomic status failed to predict any of these variables. Conclusion: Findings offer further support for the cognitive reserve construct in explaining significant variance in TBI outcome, over and above the variance explained by injury severity.
Effect of clonidine as adjuvant in bupivacaine-induced supraclavicular brachial plexus block: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: Clonidine has been used as adjuvant to local anesthetics in order to extend the duration of analgesia in various regional and central neuraxial blocks. It is previously reported that clonidine added to bupivacaine increases analgesia duration in brachial plexus block. We evaluated the effect of this combination in supraclavicular brachial plexus block for upper limb orthopedic procedures. Materials and Methods: A randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial was done with 70 patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists Grade I or II status undergoing upper limb orthopedic procedures. Group A (n = 35) patients received 25 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine and 0.2 ml (30 mcg) clonidine, whereas group B (n = 35) received 25 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine and 0.2 ml normal saline through a supraclavicular approach for brachial plexus block. Vital parameters were recorded 10 min prior to block placement and every 3 min thereafter till the end of the procedure. Onset and duration of both sensory and motor blocks and sedation score were recorded. All patients were observed in postanesthesia care unit and received tramadol injection as soon as they complained of pain as rescue analgesic. Duration of analgesia was taken as the time from placement of block till injection of rescue analgesic. Results: Analgesia duration was 415.4 ± 38.18 min (mean ± standard deviation) in Group A (clonidine) compared to 194.2 ± 28.74 min in Group B (control). No clinically significant difference was observed in heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation. Sedation score was higher in the clonidine group. Conclusion: Addition of a small dose of clonidine to 0.5% bupivacaine significantly prolonged the duration of analgesia without producing any clinically important adverse reactions other than sedation.
MODELS OF WOLF-UNGULATE RELATIONSHIPS: WHEN IS WOLF CONTROL JUSTIFIED?

Predator-prey relationships are often complicated (Cowan 1979), and understanding them is especially difficult when considering logistic obstacles to collecting demographic data on large, long-lived mammals such as wolves (Canis lupus) and their ungulate prey (Allen 1979). Nevertheless, studies have determined that wolves may or may not limit prey numbers (Connolly 1978). Simple conclusions about the role of wolf predation are confounded by interrelated environmental variables, primarily the relationship between proximate and ultimate factors that influence population size, compensatory or noncompensatory mortality, and the effects of buffer prey and multiple predator effects (Keith 1974, Connolly 1981, Carbyn 1983). This topic is important because of the increasing number of wolf control programs in recent years in Alaska (Gasaway et al. 1983, Harbo et al. 1983), Yukon Territory (Government of the Yukon Territory 1984), British Columbia (Elliott et al. 1984), Saskatchewan (Wiltse 1983), and Ontario (Kolenosky 1983). Decisions to kill wolves must be based on adequate ecological information. In this paper we propose a set of descriptive models based on an analogy that provides a framework within which to consider the complexity of wolf-ungulate relationships, together with supporting evidence for each model. Although these models may have general applicability in predator-prey systems, we restrict the discussion to wolf-ungulate systems
Molecular genetic analysis of the glycosyltransferase Fringe in Drosophila

Fringe proteins are β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases that modulate signaling through Notch receptors by modifying O-linked fucose on epidermal growth factor domains. Fringe is highly conserved, and comparison among 18 different Fringe proteins from 11 different species identifies a core set of 84 amino acids that are identical among all Fringes. Fringe is only distantly related to other glycosyltransferases, but analysis of the predicted Drosophila proteome identifies a set of four sequence motifs shared among Fringe and other putative β1,3-glycosyltransferases. To gain functional insight into these conserved sequences, we genetically and molecularly characterized 14 point mutations in Drosophila fringe. Most nonsense mutations act as recessive antimorphs, raising the possibility that Fringe may function as a dimer. Missense mutations identify two distinct motifs that are conserved among β1,3-glycosyltransferases, and that can be modeled onto key motifs in the crystallographic structures of bovine β1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 and human glucuronyltransferase I. Other missense mutations map to amino acids that are conserved among Fringe proteins, but not among other glycosyltransferases, and thus may identify structural motifs that are required for unique aspects of Fringe activity.
A structured review of chronic care model components supporting transition between healthcare service delivery types for older people with multiple chronic diseases

Objective: Older people with chronic diseases often have complex and interacting needs and require treatment and care from a wide range of professionals and services concurrently. This structured review will identify the components of the chronic care model (CCM) required to support healthcare that transitions seamlessly between hospital and ambulatory settings for people over 65 years of age who have two or more chronic diseases. Method: A structured review was conducted by searching six electronic databases combining the terms ‘hospital’, ‘ambulatory’, ‘elderly’, ‘chronic disease’ and ‘integration/seamless’. Four articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the review. Study setting, objectives, design, population, intervention, CCM components, outcomes and results were extracted and a process of descriptive synthesis applied. Results and conclusion: All four studies reported only using a few components of the CCM – such as clinical information sharing, community linkages and supported self-management – to create an integrated health system. The implementation of these components in a health service seemed to improve the seamless transition between hospital and ambulatory settings, health outcomes and patient experiences. Further research is required to explore the effect of implementing all CCM components to support transition of care between hospital and ambulatory services.
Power allocation strategies across N orthogonal channels for singe-relay networks at both source and relay

We consider a wireless relay network with one source, one relay and one destination, where communications between nodes are preformed over N orthogonal channels. This, for example, is the case when orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is employed for data communications. Since the power available at the source and relay is limited, we study optimal power allocation strategies at the source and relay in order to maximize the overall source-destination capacity. Depending on the availability of the channel state information at both the source and relay or only at the relay, power allocation is performed at both the source and relay or only at the relay. Considering different setups for the problem, various optimization problems are formulated and solved. Some properties of the optimal solution are also proved.
Plasmodium falciparum Phospholipase C Hydrolyzing Sphingomyelin and Lysocholinephospholipids Is a Possible Target for Malaria Chemotherapy

Sphingomyelinase (SMase) is one of the principal enzymes in sphingomyelin (SM) metabolism. Here, we identified a Plasmodium falciparum gene (PfNSM) encoding a 46-kD protein, the amino acid sequence of which is ∼25% identical to that of bacteria SMases. Biochemical analyses of the recombinant protein GST-PfNSM, a fusion protein of the PfNSM product with glutathione-S-transferase, reveal that this enzyme retained similar characteristics in various aspects to SMase detected in P. falciparum–infected erythrocytes and isolated parasites. In addition, the recombinant protein retains hydrolyzing activity not only of SM but also of lysocholinephospholipids (LCPL) including lysophosphatidylcholine and lysoplatelet-activating factor, indicating that PfNSM encodes SM/LCPL-phospholipase C (PLC). Scyphostatin inhibited SM/LCPL-PLC activities of the PfNSM product as well as the intraerythrocytic proliferation of P. falciparum in a dose-dependent manner with ID50 values for SM/LCPL-PLC activities and the parasite growth at 3–5 μM and ∼7 μM, respectively. Morphological analysis demonstrated most severe impairment in the intraerythrocytic development with the addition of scyphostatin at trophozoite stage than at ring or schizont stages, suggesting its effect specifically on the stage progression from trophozoite to schizont, coinciding with the active transcription of PfNSM gene.