Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of invasive pneumococcal disease with season, atmospheric conditions, air pollution, and the isolation of respiratory viruses.

We examined the relation of invasive pneumococcal disease to season, atmospheric conditions, and the rate of respiratory virus isolation in a community-wide surveillance program in Houston. Among adults, the number of cases of pneumococcal bacteremia peaked in midwinter and declined strikingly in midsummer, indicating a high degree of inverse correlation with the ambient temperature. We detected significant correlations between the occurrence of pneumococcal disease and the isolation of respiratory syncytial virus (P < .001), influenza virus (P < .001), and all viruses except influenza virus (P < .001), as well as with air pollution, as measured by SO2 levels (P < .001). In contrast, the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease among infants and children was relatively more sustained from October through May, with a notable decrease in summer months; the incidence of pneumococcal disease was therefore less strongly correlated with cold weather and less closely associated with the isolation of respiratory syncitial virus or influenza virus. However, pneumococcal disease among infants and children was associated with isolation of these viruses after a 4-week lag period as well as with isolation of adenovirus and ragweed pollen counts. The finding, with regard to children, that correlations tended to be stronger for events that occurred 1 month previously than for those that occurred contemporaneously is consistent with the concept that viral or allergic events predispose to otitis media with effusion, which becomes suppurative and leads to pneumococcal bacteremia or meningitis. For adults, a more immediate predisposition to pneumococcal pneumonia and bacteremia because of viral infection or air pollution was suggested.
Premium efficiency motors effectiveness

The paper presents an experimental comparison of the efficiency performances of 3 hp Premium efficiency induction motors issued from three different main manufacturers. In general, the obtained experimental results concord sensibly well with the rated nameplate data. In the rated regime, the three motors show faithfully the same efficiency, but a certain 1 to 2.5 % discrepancy appears with load and frequency variations. Furthermore a comparison at different operating voltages shows that, under the same load conditions, the Premium motor operates with up to 2 % lower efficiency when supplied from 208 V voltage source rather than 230 V motor rated value. The experimental results show that feeding voltage has an important impact on efficiency value, while efficiency at low frequencies depends on a certain level of manufacturer technology. From a global energy saving point of view, the ASD application to Premium efficiency motors should be promoted just when adjustable speed is needed.
Effect of direction of applied mobilization force on the posteroanterior response in the lumbar spine.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate whether changing the direction of applied force affects measured posteroanterior stiffness and associated pelvic (sacral) and lower thoracic rotations. DESIGN A repeated measures design was used. SETTING University biomechanical laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-four subjects (14 male, 10 female) with no history of recent low back pain or contraindications to mobilization volunteered for testing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Posteroanterior stiffness was assessed at vertebral levels L3 and L5 through use of 3 sagittal plane directions of applied force; the directions differed by 10 degrees. The amount of sacral and lower thoracic rotation that occurred during loading between 30 and 100 N was also recorded. RESULTS A small but significant variation of stiffness with direction of applied force was found. At L3, mean stiffness was greatest when the posteroanterior force was applied in a base direction; it was 11% less when the force was applied 10 degrees more caudad than the base direction and 14% less when the force was applied 10 degrees more cephalad than the base direction. There was no significant effect of direction when the force was applied at L5. Both sacral and thoracic rotations displayed significant variation with direction of force when load was applied at L5, with decreasing rotation as the force was applied in a more caudal direction. CONCLUSION Posteroanterior stiffness in individuals without back pain is affected by the sagittal plane direction in which the posteroanterior force is applied to the lumbar spine. Remote (thoracic and sacral) movements are also affected by the direction of posteroanterior force. Direction of applied force should therefore be controlled, particularly in the research setting.
Después de la inundación

El principal objetivo de este trabajo consiste en realizar una evaluacion del estado en que quedo el sur del Departamento del Atlantico, en particular el Municipio de Santa Lucia, despues de la inundacion que se produjo como consecuencia de la ruptura del Canal del Dique, el 30 de noviembre de 2010. Para ello se presentan cifras asociadas a las afectaciones que la inundacion genero sobre la poblacion, se hace enfasis en un analisis socioeconomico antes y despues de la tragedia, aparte del seguimiento a indicadores relacionados con la ejecucion de los recursos asignados para atender la emergencia invernal. La informacion recopilada permite concluir que la emergencia en esta subregion es persistente debido a la poca eficiencia y fallas institucionales asociadas a la estrategia de apoyo, lo que resta celeridad en la ejecucion de la misma. Dicho resultado es particularmente evidente cuando se compara al Atlantico con el Departamento del Valle del Cauca. Finalmente, se recomienda la elaboracion de normas tecnicas y operativas, las cuales establezcan las metodologias y lineamientos especificos a seguir por los operadores designados para la estrategia de apoyo, antes de la ocurrencia de un desastre natural, o en su defecto, la designacion de un ente dedicado exclusivamente a elaborar e implementar los protocolos de intervencion requeridos para reparar o rehabilitar los distintos componentes afectados por un desastre natural. ABSTRACT: This paper evaluates the conditions of the southern part of the Department of Atlantico, Colombia, emphasizing on the municipality of Santa Lucia, after the massive flood that took place in this territory as a result of the breach of the levee canal, the 30th of November of 2010. For this purpose, I present a flood aftermath, an analysis the economic and social state of the population before and after the event, and a ground of indicators related to flood relief resource management and execution. The information gathered allows us to conclude that there is a persistent state of emergency in this territory, due to the reduced efficiency and institutional gaps associated to the relief strategy, which account for the observed delay. This result becomes increasingly evident when comparing the Department of Atlantico with its equivalent in terms of affected population, the Department of Valle del Cauca. Finally, we recommend the establishment of operative and technical standards, which fix the specific guidelines to be followed by operators coped to the relief strategy, before the occurrence of a natural disaster. This should be carried on in accordance with a major emphasis towards the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected infrastructure, allowing increases in social welfare and economic activity recovery.
Insight and Resistance in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of insight and resistance in a sample of obsessive-compulsive patients, and the predictive value of poor insight with respect to response to treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). Ninety-three patients fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder were evaluated. Seventy patients were treated with an SRI in a 24-week open-label trial. Sixteen percent of the patients did not recognize obsessions and compulsions as unreasonable or senseless. Fifty-two percent of the patients did not try to resist, 72% had little or no control over obsessions, and 64% were not able to exercise an effective control over compulsions. Patients with poor insight had a greater severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, a higher rate of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in their first-degree relatives and a higher frequency of a history of psychiatric disorders during childhood. Fifty-two percent of the patients with normal insight responded to SRIs, whereas none of the patients with poor insight were found to be responders. These results suggest the utility of the assessment of insight and resistance in obsessive-compulsive patients, also for the prediction of response to treatment with SRIs.
Gains and Losses from the Misperception of Brand Origin: The Role of Brand Strength and Country-of-Origin Image

Mounting empirical evidence shows that consumers often associate brands with the wrong country of origin (COO) or are unable to classify a brand to any COO. In this study, the authors investigate the consequences of brand origin misclassification and nonclassification on consumers’ brand image evaluations and associated purchase intentions. Drawing from categorization theory, the authors test hypotheses regarding the impact of brand strength and COO image on misclassification gains and losses on a sample of U.K. consumers. The results show that both misclassification and non-classification have mostly adverse consequences on both brand evaluations and purchase intentions. The findings further show that strong brands are not immune to misclassification and stress the importance of ensuring that consumers are aware of a brand's true COO.
Investigation of Indoor Air Quality and the Identification of Influential Factors at Primary Schools in the North of China

Over 70% of a pupil’s school life is spent inside a classroom, and indoor air quality has a significant impact on students’ attendance and learning potential. Therefore, the indoor air quality in primary school buildings is highly important. This empirical study investigates the indoor air quality in four naturally ventilated schools in China, with a focus on four parameters: PM2.5, PM10, CO2, and temperature. The correlations between the indoor air quality and the ambient air pollution, building defects, and occupants’ activities have been identified and discussed. The results indicate that building defects and occupants’ activities have a significant impact on indoor air quality. Buildings with better air tightness have a relatively smaller ratio of indoor particulate matter (PM) concentrations to outdoor PM concentrations when unoccupied. During occupied periods, the indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio could be larger than 1 due to internal students’ activities. The indoor air temperature in winter is mainly determined by occupants’ activities and the adiabatic ability of a building’s fabrics. CO2 can easily exceed 1000 ppm on average due to the closing of windows and doors to keep the inside air warmer in winter. It is concluded that improving air tightness might be a way of reducing outdoor air pollutants’ penetration in naturally ventilated school buildings. Mechanical ventilation with air purification could be also an option on severely polluted days.
Double-Blind Multicenter Study of Paroxetine and Amitriptyline in Depressed Inpatients

Paroxetine is a new compound in the group of the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors. The results of several open and double-blind control-group studies demonstrate clear antidepressive efficacy of paroxetine. However, most data were collected in samples of outpatients. To overcome this restriction, a six-week double-blind control-group study, comparing 30 mg paroxetine with 150 mg amitriptyline per day, was performed in a sample of inpatients suffering from major depression. Generally speaking, the efficacy analysis of 160 patients was not able to demonstrate statistically significant differences in the antidepressive activity of paroxetine or amitriptyline, either with respect to the total score on the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and the Clinical Global Impressions or with respect to the subscores of the HAMD. One exception was the retardation subscore, in which amitriptyline showed a greater degree of reduction. Both drugs had a characteristic side-effect profile. Paroxetine was characterized by a lack of anticholinergic side-effects and a higher rate of nausea.
Leptospira: a spirochaete with a hybrid outer membrane

Leptospira is a genus of spirochaetes that includes organisms with a variety of lifestyles ranging from aquatic saprophytes to invasive pathogens. Adaptation to a wide variety of environmental conditions has required leptospires to acquire a large genome and a complex outer membrane with features that are unique among bacteria. The most abundant surface‐exposed outer membrane proteins are lipoproteins that are integrated into the lipid bilayer by amino‐terminal fatty acids. In contrast to many spirochaetes, the leptospiral outer membrane also includes lipopolysaccharide and many homologues of well‐known beta‐barrel transmembrane outer membrane proteins. Research on leptospiral transmembrane outer membrane proteins has lagged behind studies of lipoproteins because of their aberrant behaviour by Triton X‐114 detergent fractionation. For this reason, transmembrane outer membrane proteins are best characterized by assessing membrane integration and surface exposure. Not surprisingly, some outer membrane proteins that mediate host–pathogen interactions are strongly regulated by conditions found in mammalian host tissues. For example, the leptospiral immunoglobulin‐like (Lig) repeat proteins are dramatically induced by osmolarity and mediate interactions with host extracellular matrix proteins. Development of molecular genetic tools are making it possible to finally understand the roles of these and other outer membrane proteins in mechanisms of leptospiral pathogenesis.
Study of 47 DNA markers in five populations from four continents.

Forty seven DNA markers from 30 genes or chromosomal regions were investigated in five populations (Biaka and Mbuti Pygmies, Melanesians, Chinese and Caucasoids). Both the variation between populations (measured by FST) and between markers is highly significant. The average heterozygosity for all markers is . 284 and the average FST is . 145. There was no significant difference in the FST values, or in the average heterozygosity between known genes and random segments. The FST distance between all populations considered in pairs, and averaged over all loci favours a primary split between Eurasia and Africa, but this conclusion is neither statistically significant nor uncomplicated. Condensing the 47 markers into 30 "genes" where 10 were treated as haplotypes, it was found that the haplotypes always give higher FST's than the separate markers, although similar conclusions can be drawn.
Reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS) in dementia

Objective: To examine the test–retest reliability and validity of the Norwegian Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS), a short form of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) assessing the frequency of agitation in dementia. Methods: We investigated the internal consistency, test–retest reliability and the validity of BARS. In the validity study, we compared the BARS scores with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Nursing Home Version subscale Agitation/Aggression (NPI-NH/AA) and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia subscale Agitation (CSDD/A). Results: In the reliability study, Cronbach's alpha was 0.76; the test–retest reliability of the BARS showed a Spearman's rho of 0.64, but this increased to 0.86 when we deleted the item ‘complaining’. In the validation study, the BARS score correlated with the NPI-NH/AA and the CSDD/A scores, Spearman's rho 0.55 and 0.52, respectively. These correlations changed when controlling for the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale stages. The highest correlations between the BARS and the NPI-NH/AA and the BARS and the CSDD/A were found among patients with CDR score 2. Conclusions: The study indicates that the Norwegian version of BARS is a reliable and valid instrument to test agitation in dementia, but a version without the item ‘complaining’ would be better.
Stochastic Models for Asset Pricing

Stochastic calculus has been applied to the problems of pricing financial derivatives since 1973 when Black and Scholes published their famous paper ”The pricing of options and corporate liabilities” in the journal of political economy. In this work, we introduce basic concepts of probability theory which gives a better understanding in the study of stochastic processes, such as Markov process, Martingale and Brownian motion. We then construct the Itô’s integral under stochastic calculus and it was used to study stochastic differential equations. The lognormal model was used to model asset prices showing its usefulness in financial mathematics. Finally, we show how the famous Black-Scholes model for option pricing was obtained from the lognormal asset model. iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug. edu.gh
Heterologous Expression of Lysergic Acid and Novel Ergot Alkaloids in Aspergillus fumigatus

ABSTRACT Different lineages of fungi produce distinct classes of ergot alkaloids. Lysergic acid-derived ergot alkaloids produced by fungi in the Clavicipitaceae are particularly important in agriculture and medicine. The pathway to lysergic acid is partly elucidated, but the gene encoding the enzyme that oxidizes the intermediate agroclavine is unknown. We investigated two candidate agroclavine oxidase genes from the fungus Epichloë festucae var. lolii × Epichloë typhina isolate Lp1 (henceforth referred to as Epichloë sp. Lp1), which produces lysergic acid-derived ergot alkaloids. Candidate genes easH and cloA were expressed in a mutant strain of the mold Aspergillus fumigatus, which typically produces a subclass of ergot alkaloids not derived from agroclavine or lysergic acid. Candidate genes were coexpressed with the Epichloë sp. Lp1 allele of easA, which encodes an enzyme that catalyzed the synthesis of agroclavine from an A. fumigatus intermediate; the agroclavine then served as the substrate for the candidate agroclavine oxidases. Strains expressing easA and cloA from Epichloë sp. Lp1 produced lysergic acid from agroclavine, a process requiring a cumulative six-electron oxidation and a double-bond isomerization. Strains that accumulated excess agroclavine (as a result of Epichloë sp. Lp1 easA expression in the absence of cloA) metabolized it into two novel ergot alkaloids for which provisional structures were proposed on the basis of mass spectra and precursor feeding studies. Our data indicate that CloA catalyzes multiple reactions to produce lysergic acid from agroclavine and that combining genes from different ergot alkaloid pathways provides an effective strategy to engineer important pathway molecules and novel ergot alkaloids.
Baseline Circulating FGF21 Concentrations and Increase after Fenofibrate Treatment Predict More Rapid Glycemic Progression in Type 2 Diabetes: Results from the FIELD Study.

BACKGROUND It is not known whether circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) concentrations are associated with glycemic progression in patients with established type 2 diabetes. This study reports this relationship in type 2 diabetes patients participating in the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) trial. METHODS Plasma FGF21 was quantified in 9697 study participants. Among patients with lifestyle-only glucose control measures at baseline, glycemic progression was defined as the initiation of oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin therapy. We assessed the relationship of FGF21 concentrations with glycohemoglobin (Hb A1c), the homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and glycemic progression. RESULTS Among 2584 patients with lifestyle-only glycemic therapy at baseline, plasma FGF21 concentrations were positively associated with HOMA-IR (5.1% increase per 100% increase in FGF21 concentrations). Patients with higher baseline plasma FGF21 concentrations had higher risk of glycemic progression over a 5-year period (P = 0.02), but the association was not significant after further adjusting for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzyme activity. During the fenofibrate active run-in phase, higher tertiles of fenofibrate-induced increase in FGF21 concentrations were associated with higher risk of glycemic progression (adjusted hazards ratio = 1.09 and 1.18 for tertiles 2 and 3, respectively, P for trend = 0.01), even after adjusting for ALT enzyme activity. This association was statistically significant in the fenofibrate group only (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Higher baseline and fenofibrate-induced increase in FGF21 concentrations predict more rapid glycemic progression in type 2 diabetes patients. This association may be partly explained by hepatic function.
Evaluation of Chlorpheniramine Maleate microparticles in orally disintegrating film and orally disintegrating tablet for pediatrics

Abstract Objective: To mask the bitterness of Chlorpheniramine Maleate via encapsulating drug into Eudragit EPO microparticles, and then incorporate these microparticles into orally disintegrating films (ODF) and orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) for pediatric uses. Methods: Spray drying of water-in-oil emulsion was utilized to encapsulate Chlorpheniramine Maleate into Eudragit EPO microparticles. Based on an orthogonal experimental design L9 (33), polynomial regression models were developed to evaluate correlation between microparticle properties (encapsulation efficiency and drug release) and variables (X1: weight ratio of polymer to drug, X2: volume ratio of oil to water and X3: Q-flow of spray dryer). ODF and ODT formulations were evaluated including weight variation, content uniformity, tensile strength, disintegration time, friability and dissolution profiles. The bitterness taste test was evaluated in 10 adult volunteers. Results and discussion: From polynomial regression analysis, the best values of variables leading to the optimized microparticles were X1 = 10, X2 = 3 and X3 = 45. The optimized microparticles were incorporated into ODF and ODT with satisfactory weight and drug content uniformity, and acceptable physical strength. Both dosage forms disintegrated immediately (less than 40 s) in simulated saliva solutions. The outcome of taste-masking test indicated that microparticles alleviated drug bitterness significantly; bitterness was not discernible with microparticles incorporated in ODT, whereas only slight bitterness was detected from microparticles incorporated into ODF. Conclusion: Both ODF and ODT are shown to be suitable vehicles for taste masked Chlorpheniramine Maleate microparticles with potential for pediatric uses.