Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salmonella enterica serotype Javiana infections associated with amphibian contact, Mississippi, 2001

Salmonella Javiana is a Salmonella serotype that is restricted geographically in the United States to the Southeast. During the summer of 2001, the number of reported S. Javiana infections in Mississippi increased sevenfold. To identify sources of infection, we conducted a case-control study, defining a case as an infection with S. Javiana between August and September in a Mississippi resident. We enrolled 55 cases and 109 controls. Thirty (55%) case patients reported exposure to amphibians, defined as owning, touching, or seeing an amphibian on one's property, compared with 30 (29%) controls (matched odds ratio 2·8, P=0·006). Contact with amphibians and their environments may be a risk factor for human infection with S. Javiana. The geographic pattern of S. Javiana infections in the United States mimics the distribution of certain amphibian species in the Southeast. Public health officials should consider amphibians as potential sources of salmonellosis, and promote hand washing after contact with amphibians.
Vildagliptin Improves Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilatation in Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor vildagliptin improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Sixteen subjects with type 2 diabetes (age 59.8 ± 6.8 years, BMI 29.1 ± 4.8 kg/m2, HbA1c 6.97 ± 0.61) on oral blood glucose–lowering treatment were included. Participants received vildagliptin 50 mg b.i. d. or acarbose 100 mg t.i. d. for four consecutive weeks in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design. At the end of each treatment period, we measured forearm vasodilator responses to intra-arterially administered acetylcholine (endothelium-dependent vasodilator) and sodium nitroprusside (endothelium-independent vasodilator). RESULTS Infusion of acetylcholine induced a dose-dependent increase in forearm blood flow in the experimental arm, which was higher during vildagliptin (3.1 ± 0.7, 7.9 ± 1.1, and 12.6 ± 1.4 mL ⋅ dL−1 ⋅ min−1 in response to three increasing dosages of acetylcholine) than during acarbose (2.0 ± 0.7, 5.0 ± 1.2, and 11.7 ± 1.6 mL ⋅ dL−1 ⋅ min−1, respectively; P = 0.01 by two-way ANOVA). Treatment with vildagliptin did not significantly change the vascular responses to sodium nitroprusside. CONCLUSIONS Four weeks’ treatment with vildagliptin improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in subjects with type 2 diabetes. This observation might have favorable cardiovascular implications.
Systemic lactose intolerance: a new perspective on an old problem

Intolerance to certain foods can cause a range of gut and systemic symptoms. The possibility that these can be caused by lactose has been missed because of “hidden” lactose added to many foods and drinks inadequately labelled, confusing diagnosis based on dietary removal of dairy foods. Two polymorphisms, C/T13910 and G/A22018, linked to hypolactasia, correlate with breath hydrogen and symptoms after lactose. This, with a 48 hour record of gut and systemic symptoms and a six hour breath hydrogen test, provides a new approach to the clinical management of lactose intolerance. The key is the prolonged effect of dietary removal of lactose. Patients diagnosed as lactose intolerant must be advised of “risk” foods, inadequately labelled, including processed meats, bread, cake mixes, soft drinks, and lagers. This review highlights the wide range of systemic symptoms caused by lactose intolerance. This has important implications for the management of irritable bowel syndrome, and for doctors of many specialties.
Social Recommender System for Predicting the Needs of Students/Instructors: Review and Proposed Framework

Because of the interest in mining learning from text and even images shared in the posts, comments, and chats of online e-learning networks, it is necessary to identify whether the text contextually reflects the learner's interests. Thus, based on the posts and comment analysis, it is possible to automatically recommend posts that meet the interests of learners and instructors through an e-learning application system. Until recently, web personalisation in social mining and e-learning mining has received little attention in social networking research. Furthermore, there is little published research in e-learning mining for personalising web content applications. Some progress has been made in addressing the capacity to make recommendations in e-learning and social mining, but current solutions are restricted both by the limitations of the recommendation methods that are based on data mining techniques and by the difficulties with automatic image and text analysis on social networks. This paper describes the merits of a number of common data mining techniques and also reviews the problems associated with their limitation in e-learning and social mining. Such review is necessary since the personalised recommender approaches and techniques represent personalisation services that aim to predict a learner's interest in some elements existing in the e-learning application systems. From this analysis, it is suggested that such a framework will offer an increased level of instructor and student confidence, support for multi-criteria ratings, and support for semantic data.
SENSORY AND INSTRUMENTAL EVALUATION OF TEXTURE OF COOKED AND RAW MILLED RICES WITH SIMILAR STARCH PROPERTIES

Three pairs of milled rices with similar starch properties (low gelatinization temperature waxy, and low gelatinization temperature low amylose, and intermediate gelatinization temperature intermediate amylose) were assessed for cooked rice properties by two industry taste panels and for raw and cooked rice properties by 30-member Filipino consumer panels. Only slight differences in texture within pairs were noted by the two industry taste panels who had not been trained to assess boiled raw rice or waxy rice. The Filipino consumer panel gave significantly higher ranked scores for one low-amylose variety in both raw and cooked forms. Malagkit Sungsong suman sa antala was ranked higher than modern waxy rices. Instrumental methods for translucency and whiteness of raw rice and Instron hardness and stickiness of cooked rice were not able to detect differences perceived by the Filipino consumer panels.
A panoramic 3D video coding with directional depth aided inpainting

The success of 3D and free-viewpoint television largely depends on the efficient representation and compression of 3D video in addition to viable rendering methods. This paper presents a novel 3D video coding technique based on the creation of a panorama view to compact the information of a stereoscopic pair. The panorama view represents the information that would be visible to a virtual camera with a larger field of view embracing all the available views. The information in the panorama view is then used to estimate any intermediate view using depth image based rendering. Furthermore, to fill the disocclusions in the reconstructed view a directional depth aided fast marching inpainting technique is presented. The panorama view and corresponding depth map are amenable to standard video compression. In this paper we show that using the novel HEVC standard the proposed 3D video format can be compressed very efficiently.
No Stress! Relax! Mechanisms Governing Growth and Shape in Plant Cells

The mechanisms through which plant cells control growth and shape are the result of the coordinated action of many events, notably cell wall stress relaxation and turgor-driven expansion. The scalar nature of turgor pressure would drive plant cells to assume spherical shapes; however, this is not the case, as plant cells show an amazing variety of morphologies. Plant cell walls are dynamic structures that can display alterations in matrix polysaccharide composition and concentration, which ultimately affect the wall deformation rate. The wide varieties of plant cell shapes, spanning from elongated cylinders (as pollen tubes) and jigsaw puzzle-like epidermal cells, to very long fibres and branched stellate leaf trichomes, can be understood if the underlying mechanisms regulating wall biosynthesis and cytoskeletal dynamics are addressed. This review aims at gathering the available knowledge on the fundamental mechanisms regulating expansion, growth and shape in plant cells by putting a special emphasis on the cell wall-cytoskeleton system continuum. In particular, we discuss from a molecular point of view the growth mechanisms characterizing cell types with strikingly different geometries and describe their relationship with primary walls. The purpose, here, is to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the multitude of events through which plant cells manage to expand and control their final shapes.
Complete motion planner for time-varying environments

This paper presents a complete motion planner in three-dimensional changing environment. The robot is either a manipulator or a rigid object that translates and rotates, while obstacles are polyhedra translating and rotating along known trajectories. The motion planner is based on the SANDROS search strategy, which uses a hierarchical, multi-resolution representation of the product space of the time and the configuration space. A solution is found by generating a candidate sequence of subgoals and subsequently computing collision-free path along the sequence. For changing environments it is the first planner for non-point robots that is efficient and guarantees a solution. This planner can control the trade-offs between the computation resource and algorithmic completeness/solution path quality, and thus can fully utilize the available computing power. This algorithm is useful for navigation of mobile robots and submarines, or motion planning of multiple robots by regarding other robots as moving obstacles.
Analysis of fiber-optic probes using graded-index fiber microlenses with non-ideal refractive index profiles

Fiber-optic probes for sensing and imaging applications often employ sections of graded-index (GRIN) fiber to re-focus the diverging light from the delivery fiber. Such GRIN fiber microlenses possess aberrations which can cause significant distortions of the focused output beam. Using a numerical beam propagation method, we analyze the output beams resulting from index profiles that exhibit a central dip or a deviation from the ideal parabolic shape. Our method is in good agreement with experimental data and it enables the accurate simulation of fiber probes for biomedical applications using non-ideal or custom-engineered GRIN fibers with arbitrary refractive index profiles.
Study of Raman effect of ultrashort pulse in optical fiber

The Raman effect influence on ultrashort pulse in optical fiber is investigated by using experimental data of delay response function. The frozen of the Raman effect is clarified by using nonlinear Schrodinger equation and finite difference time domain method. In Raman freezing region, a more stable soliton propagation is obtained when the initial power is enhanced.
Effect of tillage and poultry manure application on soil infiltration rate and maize root growth in a sandy Alfisol

This study was carried out in Abeokuta, South-western Nigeria in 2008 and 2009 to assess the impact of tillage and poultry manure (PM) on soil infiltration rate and maize root growth. The experiment was a split-plot design with three replications. The main plot consisted of three tillage treatments: zero tillage (ZT), minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) while the sub-plot comprised three PM treatments (0, 10 and 20 Mg ha-1). Soil infiltration characteristics were determined on the field using disc permeameter while root mass was evaluated by excavation method. In 2008, the soil infiltration rate (IR) was significantly higher under MT than other tillage systems while the IR was higher by about11% under CT than ZT. Though, there was no significant difference in IR among the three tillage systems in 2009, IR was lower under CT by about 9% and 3% compared with MT and ZT, respectively. The IR of 10.87 cm hr -1 observed in 2008 under the plots treated with 20 Mg ha-1 of PM decreased to 6.19 cm hr-1 in 2009 possibly due to reduction in the large pores of the sandy soil by repeated application of 20 Mg ha-1 of PM. The implication of this is that nutrients are likely to be held against leaching when 20 Mg ha-1 PM is applied in a sandy soil. Root mass was insignificantly higher under MT than CT in both years of the study while root mass was lower under ZT than CT by about 26% in 2009. Plots treated with poultry manure gave significantly higher root mass than the control. Therefore, fast draining pores dominating sandy soil may be modified by application of large quantity (20 Mg ha -1 ) of PM to improve the soil water and nutrient holding capacities and maize root growth. Keywords : Disc permeameter; fast draining pores; infiltration rate; maize root
The effect of poverty on developmental screening scores among infants

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Child development is negatively influenced by multiple risk factors associated with poverty, thus indicating the importance of identifying the most vulnerable groups within populations that are apparently homogeneous regarding their state of socioeconomic deprivation. This study aimed to identify different levels of poverty in a population of low socioeconomic condition and to ascertain their influence on infants’ neuropsychomotor development. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study conducted at four Family Health Units in the Health District IV in the city of Recife, Brazil. METHODS: The sample comprised 136 infants aged 9 to 12 months, which represented 86% of all the infants in this age group, registered at the units studied. Socioeconomic status was assessed through a specific index and child development through the Bayley III screening test. RESULTS: Around 20% of the families were in the lowest quartile of the socioeconomic level index and these presented the highest frequency of infants with suspected delay in receptive communication. Maternal and paternal unemployment negatively influenced receptive communication and cognition, respectively. Not possessing a cell phone (a reflection of low socioeconomic status) was associated with worse cognitive performance and gross motricity. Male infants showed a higher frequency of suspected delay in receptive communication. CONCLUSIONS: Infants of more precarious socioeconomic status more frequently present suspected developmental delay. Development monitoring and intervention programs should be encouraged for this subgroup, thereby providing these children with a better chance of becoming productive citizens in the future.
Interference Alignment for Time-Varying Channel with Channel and Weight Predictions Based on Auto Regressive Model

In interference alignment (IA), interference signals are aligned in a certain signal subspace of each receiver using transmit weights and eliminated using receive weights. The transmit and receive weights are typically calculated at transmitters with an iterative optimization based on estimated channel state information (CSI) from receivers. However, the estimated CSI is different from the channel when a signal is transmitted by the transmitter, because the channel varies during a CSI feedback and the iterative weight calculation. In IA with the weights based on the estimated CSI, the interference signals are not perfectly aligned and remains at the receiver. As a result, a rate decreases due to the remaining interference signals. In this paper, we propose three IA methods having the capability of adapting to time-varying channel using auto regressive (AR) model by which next state is predicted with some past states. In the first method, the channel when a signal is transmitted at the transmitter is predicted from the estimated CSI at the receiver based on AR model. Transmit and receive weights are calculated with the predicted CSI so that the interference signals are aligned and eliminated. In the second method, transmit and receive weights are predicted with past transmit and receive weights based on AR model, respectively. In the third method, only the transmit weight is predicted with past transmit weights based on AR model and receive weight is calculated with the estimated CSI. The prediction methods are able to calculate transmit and receive weights with low amount of calculation compared with the iterative optimization. Through computer simulation, compared with general IA methods that do not use prediction process, the proposed ones are shown to improve the rate irrespective of signal to noise power ratio (SNR) and decrease the calculation amount.
Band gap engineering in 2D photonic crystals: the influence of element shape and rotational angle

The influence of the element shape and rotational angle on the band gap structure of 2D photonic crystals is investigated. Elements of triangular and hexagonal shape, organised in triangular lattices, are considered. Generally, for elements having a regular polygon shape, the lowest band gaps calculated are found to correspond to those for equivalent circular elements with a smaller material fraction. The size and location of the band gaps are strongly affected by decreasing the structural symmetry, through changing the element shape, its rotational angle relative to the lattice, or a combination of the two. This allows absolute band gap engineering. Example geometries show large absolute band gaps.
Caregiver burden after stroke: towards a structural model.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Stroke may impose a severe burden on both the patients and their caregivers. Although there is substantial literature relating to the adverse impact of stroke on patients, considerably less is known about its impact on their caregivers. The aim of this study was to analyse predictive factors of the overall burden in caregivers of stroke victims and to verify the structural model of burden, built on the basis of theoretical and empirical assumptions. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and fifty pairs of patients and their caregivers were evaluated. The Caregiver Burden Scale (CB), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), Social Support Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Barthel Index and Scandinavian Stroke Scale were all used to evaluate caregiver burden and the characteristics of patients and caregivers. RESULTS The caregivers experienced a moderate burden (mean CB = 2.08) and emotional distress (mean total HADS = 14.1). Path analysis showed that higher burden was associated with a lower SOC score, higher emotional distress, and lower patient's functional status. Higher emotional distress, in turn, was associated with lower SOC and lower patient's functional status. These results show that the burden and the degree of emotional disturbance are two distinct negative consequences of caregiving. CONCLUSIONS The negative consequences of caregiving depend mainly on the caregiver's intra-psychic factors and the patient's disability. Professional interventions should be targeted at enhancing caregivers' ability to cope with stress, improving their caregiving skills and reducing the physical dependence of patients.
Coverage in Heterogeneous Downlink Millimeter Wave Cellular Networks

In this paper, we provide an analytical framework to analyze heterogeneous downlink mmWave cellular networks consisting of $K$ tiers of randomly located base stations (BSs) where each tier operates in a mmWave frequency band. Signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) coverage probability is derived for the entire network using tools from stochastic geometry. The distinguishing features of mmWave communications such as directional beamforming and having different path loss laws for line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) links are incorporated into the coverage analysis by assuming averaged biased-received power association and Nakagami-m fading. By using the noise-limited assumption for mmWave networks, a simpler expression requiring the computation of only one numerical integral for coverage probability is obtained. Finally, effect of beamforming alignment errors on the coverage probability analysis is investigated to get insight on the performance in practical scenarios.
Can Salt Hypothesis Explain the Trends of Mortality from Stroke and Stomach Cancer in Western Europe?

The salt hypothesis was revived in 1904 by Ambard and Beaujard[1] and since then, many researches around the world have been studying this aspect. [2] The salt hypothesis states that salt is necessary for the genesis of essential hypertension. [3] Moreover, the mortality rates of stomach cancer and stroke were found to decrease in a similar way over a given time in different countries. [4] Based on an observation in 1965—that stomach cancer mortality and stroke mortality were strongly correlated—the hypothesis was presented that salt could be involved in the etiology of both the diseases, although by different mechanisms. [5] While salt intake could have an influence on blood pressure and thus increasing the risk of stroke mortality,[4] it can also have a caustic influence on the stomach mucosa, stimulating atrophic gastritis leading to stomach cancer. [6]
A foundation for understanding online trust in electronic commerce

Trust is a key concept in business, particularly in electronic commerce (e‐commerce). In order to understand online trust, one must first study trust research conducted in the offline world. The findings of such studies, dating from the 1950’s to the present, provide a foundation for online trust theory in e‐commerce. This paper provides an overview of the existing trust literature from the fields of philosophy, psychology, sociology, management, and marketing. Based on these bodies of work, online trust is briefly explored. The range of topics for future research in online trust in e‐commerce is presented.
Normal serum aminotransferase concentration and risk of mortality from liver diseases: prospective cohort study

Abstract Objective To examine the relation between the normal range of serum aminotransferase concentration and mortality from liver disease. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Korea Medical Insurance Corporation study with eight years' follow up. Participants 94 533 men and 47 522 women aged 35-59 years. Main outcome measure Mortality from liver diseases according to death certificate. Results There was a positive association between the aminotransferase concentration, even within normal range (35-40 IU/l), and mortality from liver disease. Compared with the concentration < 20 IU/l, the adjusted relative risks for an aspartate aminotransferase concentration of 20-29 IU/l and 30-39 IU/l were 2.5 (95% confidence interval 2.0 to 3.0) and 8.0 (6.6 to 9.8) in men and 3.3 (1.7 to 6.4) and 18.2 (8.1 to 40.4) in women, respectively, The corresponding risks for alanine aminotransferase were 2.9 (2.4 to 3.5) and 9.5 (7.9 to 11.5) in men and 3.8 (1.9 to 7.7) and 6.6 (1.5 to 25.6) in women, respectively. According to receiver operating characteristic curves the best cut-off values for the prediction of liver disease in men were 31 IU/l for aspartate aminotransferase and 30 IU/l for alanine aminotransferase. Conclusion People with slightly increased aminotransferase activity, but still within the normal range, should be closely observed and further investigated for liver diseases.