Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of ATP bioluminescence to assess hospital cleaning: a review

Summary Introduction. Contamination of hospital surfaces plays an important role in the transmission of several healthcare-associated microorganisms, therefore methods for evaluating hospital surfaces' cleaning gain particular importance. Among these, there are visual inspection, quantitative microbiology, fluorescent markers and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence. The latter seems to provide interesting features, detecting the presence of ATP on surface (as Relative Light Units, RLU), a proxy of organic matter and microbial contamination. Several studies have investigated the effectiveness of this technology; with this research, we aim to summarize the most significant results. Methods. A systematic review was conducted. The keywords (namely, "ATP", "bioluminescence", "hospital" and "surfaces") were searched in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases, in order to find relevant data, from January 2000 to October 2014. After the selection, we globally considered 27 articles. Results. Most of the studies were conducted in United Kingdom and in USA. Different threshold RLU benchmark values were identified by analyzed studies. Fourteen of these researches compared the ATP bioluminescence with microbiological methods, 11 identified a significant correlation between the two methods, although poor or not complete for 5. Discussion. ATP bioluminescence is not a standardized methodology: each tool has different benchmark values, not always clearly defined. At the moment, we can say that the technique could be used to assess, in real time, hospital surfaces where cleanliness is required, but not sterility.
The Networked Resource Discovery Project 1

Large scale computer networks provide access to a bewilderingly large number and variety of resources, including retail products, network services, and people in various capacities. We consider the problem of allowing users to discover the existence of such resources in an administratively decentralized environment. We describe an approach for a system that accesses the distributed collection of repositories that naturally maintain resource information, rather than building a global database to register all resources. A key problem is organizing the resource space in a manner suitable to all participants. Rather than imposing an inflexible hierarchical organization, our approach allows the resource space organization to evolve in accordance with what resources exist and what types of queries users make. Concretely, a set of agentsorganize and search the resource space by constructing links between the repositories of resource information based on keywords that describe the contents of each repository, and the semantics of the resources being sought. The links form a general graph, with a flexible set of hierarchies embedded within the graph to provide some measure of scalability. The graph structure evolves over time through the use of cache aging protocols. Additional scalability is targeted through the use of probabilistic graph protocols. A prototype implementation and a measurement study are under way. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 1 This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement DCR-84200944, and by a grant from AT&T Bell Laboratories.
Circulatory control via vagal afferents. V. Impairment of the circulatory adjustment to hemorrhage by vagal deafferentation and prolonged hypotension.

In order to study the effect of vagal deafferentation on the resistance to bleeding, Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to repeated blood loss to an arterial pressure of 40–50 nim Hg. The time to the critical point, when blood had to be reinfused to maintain the pressure, as also the total drawn blood volume, was estimated after partial or complete vagal deafferentation. The time was reduced to, respectively, 64 and 40% compared with controls, and the blood loss to 86%. The bradycardia provoked on the first blood drawing decreased gradually to the critical point. A direct correlation was found between the time to the critical point and the duration of the heart rate depression in controls and partially deafferentated animals. On reinfusion at the critical Foint a phase of increased resistance to bleeding, falling off exponentially, was demonstrated. Subsequently the resistance was lowered in the controls and some animals died in circulatory insufficiency. During the phase of decreased resistance, the animals reacted on a renewed blood loss as after vagotomy. It is concluded that the resistance to bleeding is significantly influenced by vagal afferents, probably mediating impulses from the low pressure side, and that the effect of these receptors is abolished on prolonged hypotension.
Ambulatory Polysomnography in the Study of Patients with Disorders of Initiating and Maintaining Sleep

We have presented the rationale, treatment implications, and recording and data reducing techniques of ambulatory PSG. We find the method well accepted by patients, the data of adequate quality, the scoring of tape-recorded data far easier than with paper recorded data, and the interpretations of value in the diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with DIMS.
The Yeast P5 Type ATPase, Spf1, Regulates Manganese Transport into the Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a large, multifunctional and essential organelle. Despite intense research, the function of more than a third of ER proteins remains unknown even in the well-studied model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One such protein is Spf1, which is a highly conserved, ER localized, putative P-type ATPase. Deletion of SPF1 causes a wide variety of phenotypes including severe ER stress suggesting that this protein is essential for the normal function of the ER. The closest homologue of Spf1 is the vacuolar P-type ATPase Ypk9 that influences Mn2+ homeostasis. However in vitro reconstitution assays with Spf1 have not yielded insight into its transport specificity. Here we took an in vivo approach to detect the direct and indirect effects of deleting SPF1. We found a specific reduction in the luminal concentration of Mn2+ in ∆spf1 cells and an increase following it’s overexpression. In agreement with the observed loss of luminal Mn2+ we could observe concurrent reduction in many Mn2+-related process in the ER lumen. Conversely, cytosolic Mn2+-dependent processes were increased. Together, these data support a role for Spf1p in Mn2+ transport in the cell. We also demonstrate that the human sequence homologue, ATP13A1, is a functionally conserved orthologue. Since ATP13A1 is highly expressed in developing neuronal tissues and in the brain, this should help in the study of Mn2+-dependent neurological disorders.
THE USAGE OF INTERNET BANKING EVIDENCE FROM JORDAN

The huge technological development in banking sector forced the Jordanian banks to cope with these changes in order to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Banks in Jordan have adopted internet banking since 2000. During that period the usage of internet banking by customers are questionable. The current study aims at investigating the usage of internet banking at commercial banks in Jordan from points of view of electronic services employees. 75 questionnaires were distributed through e-mail. A total of 40 usable were received. The results of this study indicate that the usage of internet banking services is weak. The results also, mentioned that there is a significant relationship between, ease for use, security and privacy and quality of Internet connection and the usage of internet banking.
Nanocrystalline Cellulose/Polyvinylpyrrolidone Fibrous Composites Prepared by Electrospinning and Thermal Crosslinking

Nanocellulose/polyvinylpyrrolidone (nCel/PVP) fibrous composite materials containing rod-like nanocrystalline cellulose particles with the lengths varying in the range from 100 to 2000 nm were prepared by using DC electrospinning. The particle size had a strong effect on the precursor viscosity, process efficiency, and resulting fiber diameter. The thermal crosslinking of nCel/PVP composite nanofibers with up to 1.0 : 8.0 nCel/PVP weight ratio resulted in fibrous membranes with textural, air transport, and mass swelling properties varying significantly with the size of cellulose particles. The presence of nCel particles increased the oxidation resistance of PVP during the crosslinking and affected the morphological changes of nCel/PVP fibrous membranes in aqueous solutions. Particles with the smallest size improved the strength of the membrane but decreased its mass swelling capacity, whereas the larger particles led to a more porous and flexible, but mechanically weaker, membrane structure with a higher swelling ability. Thus, by using the nCel particles of different size and shape, the properties of nCel/PVP composite fibrous membranes can be tailored to a specific application.
CMOS-compatible photonic crystal VCSEL arrays for wavelength division multiplexing

Arrays of CMOS-compatible double photonic crystal mirror vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (PCM-VCSELs) for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) are presented. An optically-pumped 16xλ VCSEL array emitting in the C-band with a frequency channel spacing of 100 GHz is demonstrated.
A single step of STriDER ’ s novel tripedal gait

This work presents a systematic approach to optimizing the mechanical design of a novel Self-excited Tripedal Dynamic Experimental Robot, STriDER. Specifically, we present a numerical optimization-based formulation for the design of STriDER’s mechanical parameters that minimizes the amount of externally supplied actuation energy consumed while taking a single step. The optimal design is found while accounting for STriDER’s dynamical and kinematic constraints. Past prototypes of STriDER have successfully taken completely passive steps. However, the former prototypes required significant manual ‘tweaking’ in order to successfully realize a passive step. This work provides the first systematic process for the proper design of an energy efficient walking STriDER.
Re-engineering revisited: a simulation approach

In the last 10‐15 years rapid changes in the world along with globalization have had great effects on almost all countries and enterprises. This is especially the case for companies faced with international competition. Also, these enterprises have had to take notice of scarce resources becoming more so. All these developments force companies to make decisions in light of their strategic positions, and these developments directly or indirectly affect hotels. They increasingly find themselves in types of competition previously unknown: their customers are demanding more and more for their money and these demands can also be noted in the sector of information technology. Hotels must increasingly make use of the new technologies, and at this juncture total quality management attempts may spell out the decisive differences between the hotels and their ultimate survival. In this study the role of re‐engineering is taken into consideration within the scope of total quality management. The goal of this study is to propose a new process model for a five‐star hotel.
La autonomía de los centros escolares y su regulación

Se presenta un amplio panorama y balance de la autonomia de los centros escolares. El articulo analiza los fundamentos teoricos de la autonomia en las teorias economicas y sociologicas para, en segundo lugar, estuchar las politicas de autonomia en los centros escolares y sus dispositivos de regulacion en Inglaterra, Estados Unidos y Francia, en especial mediante la inspeccion y autoevaluacion, asi como en el rendimiento de cuentas. En tercer lugar, se establece un balance sobre los efectos cie la autonomia segun los modelos rie regulacion. Se concluye que la autonomia, por si misma, no tiene efectos directos sobre la eficacia cie los centros.
Ubiquitous Geo-Sensing for Context-Aware Analysis: Exploring Relationships between Environmental and Human Dynamics

Ubiquitous geo-sensing enables context-aware analyses of physical and social phenomena, i.e., analyzing one phenomenon in the context of another. Although such context-aware analysis can potentially enable a more holistic understanding of spatio-temporal processes, it is rarely documented in the scientific literature yet. In this paper we analyzed the collective human behavior in the context of the weather. We therefore explored the complex relationships between these two spatio-temporal phenomena to provide novel insights into the dynamics of urban systems. Aggregated mobile phone data, which served as a proxy for collective human behavior, was linked with the weather data from climate stations in the case study area, the city of Udine, Northern Italy. To identify and characterize potential patterns within the weather-human relationships, we developed a hybrid approach which integrates several spatio-temporal statistical analysis methods. Thereby we show that explanatory factor analysis, when applied to a number of meteorological variables, can be used to differentiate between normal and adverse weather conditions. Further, we measured the strength of the relationship between the ‘global’ adverse weather conditions and the spatially explicit effective variations in user-generated mobile network traffic for three distinct periods using the Maximal Information Coefficient (MIC). The analyses result in three spatially referenced maps of MICs which reveal interesting insights into collective human dynamics in the context of weather, but also initiate several new scientific challenges.
Neurod1 Suppresses Hair Cell Differentiation in Ear Ganglia and Regulates Hair Cell Subtype Development in the Cochlea

Background At least five bHLH genes regulate cell fate determination and differentiation of sensory neurons, hair cells and supporting cells in the mammalian inner ear. Cross-regulation of Atoh1 and Neurog1 results in hair cell changes in Neurog1 null mice although the nature and mechanism of the cross-regulation has not yet been determined. Neurod1, regulated by both Neurog1 and Atoh1, could be the mediator of this cross-regulation. Methodology/Principal Findings We used Tg(Pax2-Cre) to conditionally delete Neurod1 in the inner ear. Our data demonstrate for the first time that the absence of Neurod1 results in formation of hair cells within the inner ear sensory ganglia. Three cell types, neural crest derived Schwann cells and mesenchyme derived fibroblasts (neither expresses Neurod1) and inner ear derived neurons (which express Neurod1) constitute inner ear ganglia. The most parsimonious explanation is that Neurod1 suppresses the alternative fate of sensory neurons to develop as hair cells. In the absence of Neurod1, Atoh1 is expressed and differentiates cells within the ganglion into hair cells. We followed up on this effect in ganglia by demonstrating that Neurod1 also regulates differentiation of subtypes of hair cells in the organ of Corti. We show that in Neurod1 conditional null mice there is a premature expression of several genes in the apex of the developing cochlea and outer hair cells are transformed into inner hair cells. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggest that the long noted cross-regulation of Atoh1 expression by Neurog1 might actually be mediated in large part by Neurod1. We suggest that Neurod1 is regulated by both Neurog1 and Atoh1 and provides a negative feedback for either gene. Through this and other feedback, Neurod1 suppresses alternate fates of neurons to differentiate as hair cells and regulates hair cell subtypes.
Exploring the use of Time-Dependent Cross-Network Information for Personalized Recommendations

The overwhelming volume and complexity of information in online applications make recommendation essential for users to find information of interest. However, two major limitations that coexist in real world applications (1) incomplete user profiles, and (2) the dynamic nature of user preferences continue to degrade recommender quality in aspects such as timeliness, accuracy, diversity and novelty. To address both the above limitations in a single solution, we propose a novel cross-network time aware recommender solution. The solution first learns historical user models in the target network by aggregating user preferences from multiple source networks. Second, user level time aware latent factors are learnt to develop current user models from the historical models and conduct timely recommendations. We illustrate our solution by using auxiliary information from the Twitter source network to improve recommendations for the YouTube target network. Experiments conducted using multiple time aware and cross-network baselines under different time granularities show that the proposed solution achieves superior performance in terms of accuracy, novelty and diversity.
An Adaptive Rate Assignment Strategy for CDMA2000 IS-856 Subject to RAB Delay

In this paper, the problem of resource allocation in IS-856 uplink in the presence of time-delay is studied. A set of nonlinear adaptive controllers are designed to stabilize the wireless network and use the system resources efficiently. The controllers obtained are then modified properly to retain network stability and performance in the presence of time-delay. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Face based image navigation and search

People are often the most important subjects in photos, and the ability of finding photos of a particular person easily and quickly in an image collection is highly desired. In this paper, we present a face clustering system which automatically groups photos into clusters, with each cluster containing photos of the same person. This is done based on an advanced face recognition engine and a semi-supervised clustering approach. The system achieved good clustering accuracy when tested on different image sets and by different users. Moreover, features such as adding new images, face cluster navigation and face based image retrieval are added that greatly improve the usability of the system. It also facilitates efficient manual manipulations of clustering results. On top of this technology, image navigation systems have been built, including the "face bubble" visualization which provides one-glance view of a photo collection, and shows the relations among people.
Timing of Treatment Initiation With Oral Anticoagulants for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND Only a few studies have addressed the optimal start time for oral anticoagulants (OACs) after acute ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the time of OAC administration after stroke onset.Methods and Results:This study included 300 patients with NVAF who had acute ischemic stroke and were treated with OACs between April 2012 and March 2016. We investigated the time at which OACs were started by anticoagulant type and the relationship between the time of OAC administration and stroke severity (the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score on admission). Of the 300 patients, 114 and 186 patients received warfarin and direct-acting OACs (DOACs), respectively. Patients in the DOAC group had OAC initiated therapy significantly sooner (3 days) than in the warfarin group (7 days; P<0.001). With regard to stroke severity (NIHSS score <8, mild; 8-16, moderate; >16, severe), the median time for starting therapy was 2, 7, and 11 days for mild, moderate, and severe stroke, respectively. Hemorrhagic events occurred in 3 patients in the warfarin group; however, no hemorrhagic events occurred in the DOAC group. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed that neurologists began OACs earlier in patients with mild acute cerebral infarction. Even in patients with severe stroke, OACs were started earlier than expected.
Mitochondrial DNA deletions and depletion within paraspinal muscles

G. R. Campbell, A. Reeve, I. Ziabreva, T. M. Polvikoski, R. W. Taylor, R. Reynolds, D. M. Turnbull and D. J. Mahad (2013) Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology39, 377–389
Mutations in the Stalk of the Measles Virus Hemagglutinin Protein Decrease Fusion but Do Not Interfere with Virus-Specific Interaction with the Homologous Fusion Protein

ABSTRACT The hemagglutinin (H) protein of measles virus (MV) mediates attachment to cellular receptors. The ectodomain of the H spike is thought to consist of a membrane-proximal stalk and terminal globular head, in which resides the receptor-binding activity. Like other paramyxovirus attachment proteins, MV H also plays a role in fusion promotion, which is mediated through an interaction with the viral fusion (F) protein. The stalk of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein of several paramyxoviruses determines specificity for the homologous F protein. In addition, mutations in a conserved domain in the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) HN stalk result in a sharp decrease in fusion and an impaired ability to interact with NDV F in a cell surface coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay. The region of MV H that determines specificity for the F protein has not been identified. Here, we have adapted the co-IP assay to detect the MV H-F complex at the surface of transfected HeLa cells. We have also identified mutations in a domain in the MV H stalk, similar to the one in the NDV HN stalk, that also drastically reduce fusion yet do not block complex formation with MV F. These results indicate that this domain in the MV H stalk is required for fusion but suggest either that mutation of it indirectly affects the H-dependent activation of F or that the MV H-F interaction is mediated by more than one domain in H. This points to an apparent difference in the way the MV and NDV glycoproteins interact to regulate fusion.
Study on the influence of drought to crop growth based on SAR remote sensing

This paper aims to get the relationship between drought and crop growth. By investigating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscattering coefficients, HH- and VV- polarization were found different due to influence from canopy, because of strong attenuation of the VV- polarization by the vertically oriented wheat stems. In small incidence angle, HH is sensitive to soil moisture, while VV is more sensitive to canopy. Two classes of crop with low and high soil moisture are investigated by “water-cloud” model with vegetation descriptor vegetation water mass (VWM). Parameters of the model show that in drought the crop growth will be worse. This research presents that it is possible to study the influence of drought to wheat growth with small incidence angle of C-band SAR.