Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation and identification of pathogenic Naegleria australiensis (Amoebida, Vahlkampfiidae) from a spa in northern Italy

Samples from therapeutic swimming pools and mud basins were cultured for free-living amoebae. Seven strains of pathogenic Naegleria species were isolated. Although some of the strains were as virulent as Naegleria fowleri, the etiological agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, they were identified as Naegleria australiensis with the indirect fluorescent-antibody technique. The virulence of the isolates for mice corresponded with the cytopathic effect for Vero cells. The N. australiensis strains were isolated from swimming pools with water temperatures ranging from 32 to 35 degrees C and from mud with temperatures from 25 to 43 degrees C. The presence of pathogenic N. australiensis in the swimming pools did not correlate with bacterial indicators.
Play as a Resource for Children Facing Adversity: An Exploration of Indicative Case Studies

In this paper, we suggest that the ability and opportunity to play affords children a natural resource to meet intellectual and emotional challenge. Analysis of case studies focusing on interventions with children caught in the bombing of Beirut, children abandoned to the state system in Romania, and the street children in Rio de Janeiro and Cali is used to support this view. When resources are in deficit, challenge is more likely to become adversity. The impact of adversity is particular to context, but comparison across contexts also shows connections between children’s disparate experiences. Analysis confirms that given the opportunity, children interact with and influence their environment through play and that this process provides a resource to meet the challenge of adversity.
Writing and Rewriting the Epigenetic Code of Cancer Cells: From Engineered Proteins to Small Molecules

The epigenomic era has revealed a well-connected network of molecular processes that shape the chromatin landscape. These processes comprise abnormal methylomes, transcriptosomes, genome-wide histone post-transcriptional modifications patterns, histone variants, and noncoding RNAs. The mapping of these processes in large scale by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and other methodologies in both cancer and normal cells reveals novel therapeutic opportunities for anticancer intervention. The goal of this minireview is to summarize pharmacological strategies to modify the epigenetic landscape of cancer cells. These approaches include the use of novel small molecule inhibitors of epigenetic processes specifically deregulated in cancer cells and the design of engineered proteins able to stably reprogram the epigenetic code in cancer cells in a way that is similar to normal cells.
Quantification of Retrograde Axonal Transport in the Rat Optic Nerve by Fluorogold Spectrometry

Purpose Disturbed axonal transport is an important pathogenic factor in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as glaucoma, an eye disease characterised by progressive atrophy of the optic nerve. Quantification of retrograde axonal transport in the optic nerve usually requires labour intensive histochemical techniques or expensive equipment for in vivo imaging. Here, we report on a robust alternative method using Fluorogold (FG) as tracer, which is spectrometrically quantified in retinal tissue lysate. Methods To determine parameters reflecting the relative FG content of a sample FG was dissolved in retinal lysates at different concentrations and spectra were obtained. For validation in vivo FG was injected uni- or bilaterally into the superior colliculus (SC) of Sprague Dawley rats. The retinal lysate was analysed after 3, 5 and 7 days to determine the time course of FG accumulation in the retina (n = 15). In subsequent experiments axona transport was impaired by optic nerve crush (n = 3), laser-induced ocular hypertension (n = 5) or colchicine treatment to the SC (n = 10). Results Spectrometry at 370 nm excitation revealed two emission peaks at 430 and 610 nm. We devised a formula to calculate the relative FG content (cFG), from the emission spectrum. cFG is proportional to the real FG concentration as it corrects for variations of retinal protein concentration in the lysate. After SC injection, cFG monotonously increases with time (p = 0.002). Optic nerve axonal damage caused a significant decrease of cFG (crush p = 0.029; hypertension p = 0.025; colchicine p = 0.006). Lysates are amenable to subsequent protein analysis. Conclusions Spectrometrical FG detection in retinal lysates allows for quantitative assessment of retrograde axonal transport using standard laboratory equipment. It is faster than histochemical techniques and may also complement morphological in vivo analyses.
Pathotyping avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in Korea

To examine the genetic background of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) that affects virulence of this microorganism, we characterized the virulence genes of 101 APEC strains isolated from infected chickens between 1985~2005. Serotypes were determined with available anti-sera and median lethal doses were determined in subcutaneously inoculated chicks. The virulence genes we tested included ones encoding type 1 fimbriae (fimC), iron uptake-related (iroN, irp2, iucD, and fyuA), toxins (lt, st, stx1, stx2, and vat), and other factors (tsh, hlyF, ompT, and iss). Twenty-eight strains were found to be O1 (2.0%), O18 (3.0%), O20 (1.0%), O78 (19.8%), and O115 (2.0%) serotypes. The iroN (100%) gene was observed most frequently followed by ompT (94.1%), fimC (90.1%), hlyF (87.1%), iss (78.2%), iucD (73.3%), tsh (61.4%), fyuA (44.6%), and irp2 (43.6%). The strains were negative for all toxin genes except for vat (10.9%). All the strains were classified into 27 molecular pathotypes (MPs). The MP25, MP19, and MP10 pathotypes possessing iroN-fimC-ompT-hlyF-iucD-tsh-iss-irp2-fyuA (22.8%), iroN-fimC-ompT-hlyF-iucD-tsh-iss (21.8%), and iroN-fimC-ompT-hlyF-iss (11.9%) genotypes, respectively, were predominant. Redundancy of iron uptake-related genes was clearly observed and some strains were associated with higher mortality than others. Therefore, strains with the predominant genotypes can be used for diagnosis and vaccine.
The Geography of Happiness: Connecting Twitter Sentiment and Expression, Demographics, and Objective Characteristics of Place

We conduct a detailed investigation of correlations between real-time expressions of individuals made across the United States and a wide range of emotional, geographic, demographic, and health characteristics. We do so by combining (1) a massive, geo-tagged data set comprising over 80 million words generated in 2011 on the social network service Twitter and (2) annually-surveyed characteristics of all 50 states and close to 400 urban populations. Among many results, we generate taxonomies of states and cities based on their similarities in word use; estimate the happiness levels of states and cities; correlate highly-resolved demographic characteristics with happiness levels; and connect word choice and message length with urban characteristics such as education levels and obesity rates. Our results show how social media may potentially be used to estimate real-time levels and changes in population-scale measures such as obesity rates.
Health-OS:: a position paper

The area of medical monitoring and diagnostics is of particular importance and relevance today. Modern nanotechnology has reduced prices and size of increasingly sophisticated sensors. Short-range wireless communication has become advanced enough to support inexpensive active sensor systems. Wearable computing devices are ubiquitous and increasingly powerful. As a result of these advances, a growing number of health monitoring systems with increasingly sophisticated capabilities are available today. Moreover, there is growing public interest in products that allow individuals (from children to elders) to monitor and improve their own health. These trends create an increasing demand for platforms that aim to support and improve one's health and lifestyle. We propose Health-OS, a middleware platform for multi-device sensing that transparently monitors, stores, transmits, analyzes and presents various physiologically based signals. The objective is to unify an open group of sensing mechanisms with a myriad of computing platforms and applications via a common platform equipped with a software development kit.
Optimal Monitoring and Sanctioning Systems

Many countries rely on monitoring of unemployment insurance and welfare recipients and impose benefit sanctions in case of noncompliance with job search requirements to encourage job search and to prevent abuse of the social insurance system. This paper systematically analyzes the characteristics of optimal monitoring and sanctioning systems for the unemployed as a function of worker characteristics, unemployment duration, the monitoring technology, worker preferences and the generosity of the welfare system. I propose a theoretical framework where benefits, wage taxes, the job search requirement, the monitoring intensity and the size of a benefit sanction are endogenously chosen by the planner for each period of unemployment. I allow for arbitrary ex-ante heterogeneity in reemployment wages and job finding probabilities as well as for dependence of these key parameters on unemployment duration. I find that the optimal sanction is in the majority of cases a temporary cut in benefits to zero, i.e. full suspension of benefits. The optimal monitoring intensity increases as the returns to search deteriorate with falling reemployment wages and job finding rates during unemployment in order to restore search incentives. It also increases with the generosity of the welfare system because monitoring can be used to offset some of the disincentives to search implied by more generous benefit payments. I also demonstrate how very informative and large data can be used to considerably improve and extend the insights that can be obtained from numerically solving and simulating economic models. I propose and apply a new method that allows quantifying the impact of implementing the optimal policy on the job finding probabilities. I find that the optimal policy implies considerably higher job finding rates than the actual policy, especially for low-skilled workers.
Postantifungal Effects of Echinocandin, Azole, and Polyene Antifungal Agents against Candida albicans andCryptococcus neoformans

ABSTRACT The postantifungal effect (PAFE) of fluconazole, MK-0991, LY303366, and amphotericin B was determined against isolates of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Concentrations ranging from 0.125 to 4 times the MIC were tested following exposure to the antifungal for 0.25 to 1 h. Combinations of azole and echinocandin antifungals (MK-0991 and LY303366) were tested againstC. neoformans. Fluconazole displayed no measurable PAFE against Candida albicans or Cryptococcus neoformans, either alone or in combination with either echinocandin antifungal. MK-0991, LY303366, and amphotericin B displayed a prolonged PAFE of greater than 12 h againstCandida spp. when tested at concentrations above the MIC for the organism and 0 to 2 h when tested at concentrations below the MIC for the organism.
NONLINEAR VIRTUAL REFERENCE FEEDBACK TUNING Application of Neural Networks to Direct Controller Design

Abstract: Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning (VRFT) is a direct controller design methodology which can be applied both in the linear and nonlinear case. In this work, neural network controllers have been designed following nonlinear VRFT principles, conforming what could be considered a particular scheme of direct neural Model Reference Control. The approach has been applied to a simulated crane example, proposing alternative block diagrams with extra inputs. In this example, the neural VRFT is compared to the linear one.
Realizing the Tactile Internet: Haptic Communications over Next Generation 5G Cellular Networks

Prior Internet designs encompassed the fixed, mobile, and lately the "things" Internet. In a natural evolution to these, the notion of the Tactile Internet is emerging, which allows one to transmit touch and actuation in real-time. With voice and data communications driving the designs of the current Internets, the Tactile Internet will enable haptic communications, which in turn will be a paradigm shift in how skills and labor are digitally delivered globally. Design efforts for both the Tactile Internet and the underlying haptic communications are in its infancy. The aim of this article is thus to review some of the most stringent design challenges, as well as propose first avenues for specific solutions to enable the Tactile Internet revolution.
Time to publication for results of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that a time-lag bias exists whereby research studies with striking results are more likely to be stopped earlier than originally planned, published quicker, or both. If time-lag bias exists, new interventions might be mistakenly assumed to be effective. OBJECTIVES To study the extent to which time to publication of a clinical trial is influenced by the significance of its result. SEARCH STRATEGY Studies were identified by searching the Cochrane Methodology Register (The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2005), MEDLINE (1966 to May 2005), EMBASE (1980 to May 2005), Science Citation Index (June 2005) and by handsearching journals and conference abstracts. SELECTION CRITERIA Studies were eligible if they contained analyses of any aspect of the time to publication of clinical trials and tracked the publication of a cohort of clinical trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data extraction was performed independently by two authors. Data were extracted on the median time from the date the trial started to the date of publication. Data were also extracted on source of trials under investigation; source of funding; area of health care; means by which the publication status of these trials were sought; and methodological quality of the empirical study. MAIN RESULTS Two studies with a total of 196 trials met the inclusion criteria. In both studies just over half of all trials had been published in full. Trials with positive results (i.e. statistically significant in favour of the experimental arm) were published in approximately 4 to 5 years. Trials with null or negative results (i.e. not statistically significant or statistically significant in favour of the control arm) were published after about 6 to 8 years. One study suggested that this difference could, in part, be attributed to the length of time taken to publish the results of a trial once follow up has been completed. This study showed that trials with null or negative findings took, on average, just over a year longer to be published than those with positive results. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Our review shows that trials with positive results are published sooner than other trials. This has important implications for the timing of the initiation and updating of a review, especially if there is an association between the inclusion of a trial in a review and its publication status. It is of particular concern when one considers reviews containing only a small number of studies.
An Application of Operational Research to Computational Linguistics: Word Ambiguity

Abstract This paper draws on graph theory and optimization techniques to develop a new measure of word ambiguity (e.g., homonymy and polysemy) for use in psycholinguistic research. This measure provides information regarding the uncertainty of the intended meaning of English words. Specifically, data about fifty thousand distinct words was collected from a corpus of close to six hundred million words. These data are used to generate information about word association which forms a basis for the creation of semantic graphs from which clusters are created and analyzed. The clusters identify groups of words related to the different meanings of a word and are used to calculate a set of relative probabilities for the meanings. These are in turn used to calculate the information entropy for the word, which acts as a surrogate measure of ambiguity. A genetic algorithm is used to optimally determine parameters for our formula for word association and for the graph clustering algorithm. The effectiveness of this application is demonstrated with examples from psycholinguistic research.
Colloidal Particles: Crystals, Glasses, and Gels

Colloidal particles are microscopic solid particles suspended in a fluid. Colloids are small enough that thermal energy drives their dynamics and ensures equilibration with the suspending fluid; they are also large enough that their positions and motions can be measured precisely using optical methods, such as light scattering and laser-scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. Colloidal suspensions are a powerful model system for the study of other phenomena in condensed matter physics, where the collective phase behavior of the solid particles mimics that of other condensed systems. We review three classes of interacting colloidal particles, crystals, glasses, and gels, each of which represents fascinating properties of colloidal particles as well as a model for more general types of materials and their behavior.
A comparison between system dynamics and agent based modeling and opportunities for cross-fertilization

Summary form only given. This work proposes a systematic approach to identify opportunities for cross-fertilization between two modeling paradigms: system dynamics and agent-based modeling. The motivation for this work is the authors' belief that there are gains to be made by crossing the boundaries between different domains of research, or different scientific approaches. This paper presents a comparison between the two modeling approaches, which is brought one step beyond the simple statement of the similarities and differences between them by introducing the novel aspect of taking a synergistic view specifically aimed at identifying a list of likely opportunities for cross-fertilization. The list presented here is not exhaustive and should be regarded more as a starting point than an ending point, and an invitation to other scientists to take such synergistic views even further.
A Dual Task Response Modality Effect: Support for Multiprocessor Models of Attention

In Experiment I two groups of 11 men performed a continuous visual input/manual output task simultaneously with a two-choice tone identification task. One group responded vocally to the tones; one group responded with the hand not involved in the continuous tracking task. In either perceptual or stimulus uncertainty terms the two combinations were identical; the only difference between them was the modality of the two-choice responses. The continuous task was performed significantly worse when the two-choice responses were manual. The probability of response production on the continuous task was affected by the production of manual responses but not by the production of vocal responses. It was concluded that although the two manual responses were produced by a single limited capacity process, the manual and vocal responses were produced by independent processes. In Experiment II the same manual tracking task was combined with a mental arithmetic task at two levels of difficulty. Tracking performance was independent of the difficulty of the arithmetic task. These results support a multi-processor approach to attention as opposed to single channel models. Results of dual task studies which have used only one pair of response modalities are re-examined in the light of the response modality effect found in Experiment I.
Investigations on regenerated energy during braking in electric traction system

Bidirectional Z-source inverter can be applied to the main line traction services which give the same performance as voltage source inverters. This paper investigates the amount of energy that is fed into the electric traction system by the Z-source inverter fed locomotives. The speed control method adopted is variable voltage variable frequency in the constant torque region and field weakening in the constant power mode. The simulation analysis shows that the current fed back during regenerative braking is very near to the value obtained by calculation. Regenerated power obtained is also at par with the calculated value.
Marriage choices in North Carolina and Virginia 1969-71 and 1979-81.

This study investigates age race and educational patterns of marriage choice in North Carolina and Virginia during 1969-71 and 1979-81 and provides substantial support for exchange theories of marriage behavior. While like marrying like is most common a female emphasis on male economic characteristics and a male emphasis on female noneconomic characteristics lead to significant patterns of exchange.The major change between 1969-71 and 1979-81 is a decline in the level of marriage but the increasing economic role of women is associated with a reduction in the extent to which women marry men with more education. The marriage exchange thus reflects less inequality between the sexes as it becomes less common. (EXCERPT)
Isoprene emission from terrestrial ecosystems in response to global change: minding the gap between models and observations

Coupled surface–atmosphere models are being used with increased frequency to make predictions of tropospheric chemistry on a ‘future’ earth characterized by a warmer climate and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. One of the key inputs to these models is the emission of isoprene from forest ecosystems. Most models in current use rely on a scheme by which global change is coupled to changes in terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) which, in turn, is coupled to changes in the magnitude of isoprene emissions. In this study, we conducted measurements of isoprene emissions at three prominent global change experiments in the United States. Our results showed that growth in an atmosphere of elevated CO2 inhibited the emission of isoprene at levels that completely compensate for possible increases in emission due to increases in aboveground NPP. Exposure to a prolonged drought caused leaves to increase their isoprene emissions despite reductions in photosynthesis, and presumably NPP. Thus, the current generation of models intended to predict the response of isoprene emission to future global change probably contain large errors. A framework is offered as a foundation for constructing new isoprene emission models based on the responses of leaf biochemistry to future climate change and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Robust Stability Analysis for Feedback Interconnections of Time-Varying Linear Systems

Feedback interconnections of causal linear systems are studied in a continuous-time setting. The developments include a linear time-varying (LTV) generalization of Vinnicombe's nu-gap metric and an integral-quadratic-constraint-based robust L2-stability theorem for uncertain feedback interconnections of potentially open-loop unstable systems. These main results are established in terms of Toeplitz--Wiener--Hopf and Hankel operators, and the Fredholm index, for a class of causal linear systems with the following attributes: (i) a system graph (i.e., subspace of L2 input-output pairs) admits normalized strong right (i.e., image) and left (i.e., kernel) representations, and (ii) the corresponding Hankel operators are compact. These properties are first verified for stabilizable and detectable LTV state-space models to initially motivate the abstract formulation, and subsequently verified for frequency-domain multiplication by constantly proper Callier--Desoer transfer functions in analysis that confirms consistency of the developments with the time-invariant theory. To conclude, the aforementioned robust stability theorem is applied in an illustrative example concerning the feedback interconnection of distributed-parameter systems over a network with time-varying gains. (Less)