Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of low prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among Egyptian health care workers at intensive care and bronchoscopy units

Aim: Latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI) contain a significant reservoir for future epidemics. Screening of health care workers (HCWs) in a high-risk tuberculosis (TB) environment is an important strategy in TB control. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of LTBI among high risk Egyptian HCWs and to assess infection associated risk factors. Methods: Fifty-two HCWs who work at intensive care unit (ICU), bronchoscopy unit, and chest diseases department were tested for LTBI using both tuberculin skin test (TST) and Quantiferon TB Gold in-tube test (QFT). Risk factors for infection, knowledge of HCWs towards different aspects of TB infection and agreement between TST and QFT were also evaluated. Results: Prevalence of LTBI in this study was 13.5% by QFT and TST. It was 13.6% by TST alone and 10.3% by QFT alone. There was good concordance between both tests (Kappa=0.713). There was a statistically significant association between prevalence of LTBI and age of staff ≥30 yr (p=0.002), period of working experience (p=0.006) and working at the Bronchoscopy Unit (p=0.001). The total knowledge of HCWs towards different aspects of TB infection was generally good. Conclusion: Although the participants in the current study were among high risk HCWs, the prevalence of LTBI was low. Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination, young age, short employment duration, good knowledge and a good infection control were the predictors of low risk of contracting TB at our hospitals. The risk of TB infection in resource-limited countries can be reduced with simple continuous educational and administrative infection control programmes.
Improved single image super-resolution using sparsity and structured dictionary learning in wavelet domain

This paper introduces a single-image superresolution approach which is based on sparse representation over dictionaries learned in the wavelet domain. The diagonal detail subband learning and reconstruction is improved by designing two diagonal dictionaries; one for the diagonal and another for the anti-diagonal orientations. Four pairs (low resolution and high resolution) of subband dictionaries are designed. The sparse representation coefficients for the respective low and high resolution images are assumed to be the same. The proposed algorithm is compared with the leading super-resolution techniques and is shown to excel both visually and quantitatively, with an average PSNR raise of 0.82 dB over the Kodak set. Moreover, this algorithm is shown to significantly reduce the dictionary learning computational complexity by designing compactly sized structural dictionaries.
CELLULAR RESISTANCE TO INFECTION

The mouse was found to be natively susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes. Its susceptibility was attributed to the capacity of the organism to survive and multiplying in host macrophages. During the first 3 days of a primary infection the bacterial populations of spleen and liver were found to increase at a constant rate. On the 4th day of infection the host became hypersensitive to Listeria antigens and at the same time bacterial growth ceased. A rapid inactivation of the organism ensued. Convalescent mice were resistant to challenge, but no protective factor could be found in their serum. Histological evidence suggested that acquired resistance was the result of a change occurring in the host's mononuclear phagocytes. When challenged in vitro, the macrophages of convalescent mice were found to resist infection with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria-resistant cells appeared during the course of infection at a time which corresponded with the development of the antibacterial mechanism in the spleen. They persisted for as long as the antibacterial mechanism remained intact in this organ. This period of absolute resistance to Listeria lasted about 3 weeks. Thereafter, the host remained hypersensitive but unable to inactivate a challenge inoculum of Listeria. However, it remained capable of producing an accelerated response to reinfection. This was thought to depend upon an ability to generate a new population of resistant cells from a residuum of specifically sensitized macrophages or macrophage precursors still surviving in the tissues as a result of the immunological activation which occurred during the primary infection.
Between national mobilization and social responsibility : a case study of Red Cross Movement in China

This thesis is protected by copyright, with all rights reserved. By reading and using the thesis, the reader understands and agrees to the following terms: 1. The reader will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the thesis. 2. The reader will use the thesis for the purpose of research or private study only and not for distribution or further reproduction or any other purpose. 3. The reader agrees to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.
Resistance of Transgenic Mice Expressing Human Group II Phospholipase A2 to Escherichia coliInfection

ABSTRACT Group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is a newly recognized antibacterial acute-phase protein. Recently we observed that transgenic mice expressing group II PLA2 (PLA2+ mice) were able to resist experimental Staphylococcus aureusinfection by killing the bacteria, as indicated by improved survival and by the small numbers of live bacteria in their tissues (V. J. O. Laine, D. S. Grass, and T. J. Nevalainen, J. Immunol. 162:7402–7408, 1999). To establish the role of group II PLA2 in Escherichia coli infection, the host responses of PLA2+ mice and their PLA2-deficient C57BL/6J littermates (PLA2− mice) were studied after intraperitoneal administration of E. coli. The levels of group II PLA2 in sera of PLA2+ mice increased after the administration ofE. coli, and the concentration of group II PLA2 correlated significantly with the catalytic activity of PLA2 in serum. PLA2+ mice showed lower rates of mortality and less bacterial growth in peritoneal lavage fluid, blood, and spleen and liver tissues than PLA2− mice. Unlike the observations with staphylococcal infection, serum and peritoneal lavage fluid did not inhibit the growth of E. coli in vitro. The results indicate that expression of the group II PLA2 transgene improves the host defense of mice against E. coliinfection.
High-quality operation binding for clustered VLIW datapaths

Clustering is an effective method to increase the available parallelism in VLIW datapaths without incurring severe penalties associated with large numbers of register file ports. Efficient utilization of a clustered datapath requires careful binding of operations to clusters. The paper proposes a binding algorithm that effectively explores tradeoffs between in-cluster operation serialization and delays associated with data transfers between clusters. Extensive experimental evidence is provided showing that the algorithm generates high quality solutions for basic blocks, with up to 29% improvement over a state-of-the-art advanced binding algorithm.
Energy harvesting in vehicular networks: a contemporary survey

Vehicular networks have recently been witnessing an upsurge of interest in energy consumption control. Precisely, in the majority of vehicular networking scenarios, roadside units are deployed along roadways in rural areas as well as on the sides of long highways where a direct connection to the electric grid is merely available. In such situations, these roadside units will be equipped with rechargeable batteries with maintenance requiring costly human intervention. Thus far, the literature offers several proposals of efficient operation schemes for roadside units aiming at optimizing their energy consumption, hence, elongating their duration of availability and participation in the network. Energy harvesting presents itself as an appealing alternative to power/recharge nodal batteries in wireless networks. This article starts by presenting a concise general overview of energy harvesting sources, techniques, and applications. Second, it investigates the feasibility of energy harvesting in vehicular networks, specifically the different challenges confronting its applicability in vehicular environments. Finally, pending related open research problems and directions are presented.
Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum infection in dogs and dog owners in an endemic area in southeast France

The prevalence of asymptomatic leishmaniasis in dogs and their owners in the main endemic areas of France has not been studied to date. The objective of this study was to quantify asymptomatic Leishmania infantum infection in southeast France in healthy people and their dogs using molecular and serological screening techniques. We examined the presence of parasitic DNA using specific PCR targeting kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and specific antibodies by serology (ELISA for dogs and Western blot for humans) among immunocompetent residents and their dogs in the Alpes-Maritimes. Results from 343 humans and 607 dogs were included. 46.9% (n = 161/343) of humans and 18.3% (n = 111/607) of dogs were PCR positive; 40.2% of humans (n = 138/343) and 9.9% of dogs (n = 60/607) were serology positive. Altogether, 66.2% of humans (n = 227) and 25.7% of dogs (n = 156) had positive serologies and/or positive PCR test results. Short-haired dogs were more frequently infected (71.8%, n = 112) than long-haired dogs (12.2%, n = 19) (p = 0.043). Dogs seemed to be more susceptible to asymptomatic infection according to their breed types (higher infection rates in scenthounds, gun dogs and herding dogs) (p = 0.04). The highest proportion of dogs and human asymptomatic infections was found in the Vence Region, corresponding to 28.2% (n = 20/71) of dogs and 70.5% (n = 31/44) of humans (4.5/100,000 people). In conclusion, the percentage of infections in asymptomatic humans is higher than in asymptomatic dogs in the studied endemic area. It is questionable whether asymptomatic infection in humans constitutes a risk factor for dogs.
UTDSP, a VLIW programmable DSP processor

VLIW architectures are well-suited for implementing application-specific programmable processors because of their great scalability and modularity. VLIW architectures take advantage of not only temporal parallelism found in RISC architectures but also spatial parallelism by using multiple functional units. However, the large instruction storage and bandwidth requirements have prevented VLIW architectures from being used in cost-sensitive systems. This thesis describes a VLIW DSP processor called UTDSP, which incorporates a novel and flexible instruction packing and fetching mechanism to reduce the code size and bandwidth problems plaguing other VLIW architectures. With this scheme it is possible to actually achieve some code compression while attaining significant performance speedup over a traditional architecture. The UTDSP is flexible in that additional functional units with application-specific instructions can be easily added when required for performance with little impact on its compiler. The VLSI design and implementation of the UTDSP is presented. This implementation, consisting of five pipeline stages, is capable of executing seven instructions per cycle and provides zero-overhead hardware loops that are nestable and interruptable. A GUI-based assembly debugger and architecture simulator were implemented. The UTDSP adopts a synthesis-based design methodology and a novel hierarchical CAD flow that can significantly reduce its area. ii To Hsiao-ching, Hsien-yuan, and Yu-liang iii Acknowledgements
Swedish Forest Harvest Level Considering Demand of Biomass for Energy Purposes

This paper presents the development and demonstration of an approach for incorporating decisionsconcerning forest management within the framework of a TIMES energy system model. The presented model explicitly incorporates a number of long-term applicable forest harvest trajectories, thereby endogenously linking decisions concerning harvest levels with the development of the energy system. The operation of the model is demonstrated by evaluating the optimal long-term harvesting level of Swedish forests for the development of the bioenergy and forest industry sectors. The experimental results suggest that in the short term (between 2010 and 2035), an increased national forest harvest level would be benecial for the joint development of the two sectors. Such a short-term increase in harvest levels of forest biomass sources would ensure an adequate and reliable supply of biomass sources for the expansion of the two sectors. However, in the long term (between 2070 and 2100),the endogenously computed forest harvest level stabilized at a reference harvest level corresponding to a continuation of the current trend in forest harvest levels. While the emphasis of this paper is on the methodological development of the model, the experimental results highlights the importance of considering cross-sectorial implications when assessing the future developments of the bioenergy and forest industrial sectors. This paper presents the development and demonstration of an approach for incorporating decisions
Spatial dynamics of the bearded goby and its key fish predators off Namibia vary with climate and oxygen availability

Hypoxia [O2 < 2.0 mL L−1 (87 μmol kg−1)] and severely hypoxic water masses [O2 < 0.5 mL L−1 (21.8 μmol kg−1)] are increasing in coastal marine ecosystems due to eutrophication and warming. Here, we investigate the response of the suboxic-tolerant endemic fish, Sufflogobius bibarbatus, to variations in the thermal and oxygen environment, as well as to predation pressure, using 22 yr worth of satellite and in situ data. We show that environmental variation and predation pressure affect the goby population, which has expanded over the last decade while that of horse mackerel has contracted. These changes co-occurred with a general warming in the north and central shelf areas (north of 24.5°S). Spring warming positively affected both goby and hake abundances, but not the horse mackerel, suggesting different responses to surface temperature. The goby habitat contracted when predators were abundant, particularly in the north, which is the fringe of its distributional area. The implications of the differential tolerance of gobies and their predators for climate variations are discussed.
Maps of open chromatin highlight cell type–restricted patterns of regulatory sequence variation at hematological trait loci

Nearly three-quarters of the 143 genetic signals associated with platelet and erythrocyte phenotypes identified by meta-analyses of genome-wide association (GWA) studies are located at non-protein-coding regions. Here, we assessed the role of candidate regulatory variants associated with cell type–restricted, closely related hematological quantitative traits in biologically relevant hematopoietic cell types. We used formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements followed by next-generation sequencing (FAIRE-seq) to map regions of open chromatin in three primary human blood cells of the myeloid lineage. In the precursors of platelets and erythrocytes, as well as in monocytes, we found that open chromatin signatures reflect the corresponding hematopoietic lineages of the studied cell types and associate with the cell type–specific gene expression patterns. Dependent on their signal strength, open chromatin regions showed correlation with promoter and enhancer histone marks, distance to the transcription start site, and ontology classes of nearby genes. Cell type–restricted regions of open chromatin were enriched in sequence variants associated with hematological indices. The majority (63.6%) of such candidate functional variants at platelet quantitative trait loci (QTLs) coincided with binding sites of five transcription factors key in regulating megakaryopoiesis. We experimentally tested 13 candidate regulatory variants at 10 platelet QTLs and found that 10 (76.9%) affected protein binding, suggesting that this is a frequent mechanism by which regulatory variants influence quantitative trait levels. Our findings demonstrate that combining large-scale GWA data with open chromatin profiles of relevant cell types can be a powerful means of dissecting the genetic architecture of closely related quantitative traits.
Early Infrastructure of an Internet of Things in Spaces for Learning

The deployment of mobile and ubiquitous computing in smart objects introduces the concept of an Internet of things which will offer new scenarios for learning processes. This paper presents this concept in relation with some other new alternatives of spaces for learning. A basic architecture for interaction is proposed and a set of prototypes that we have developed are also explained as part of an early infrastructure.
Torque estimation of robot joint with harmonic drive transmission using a redundant adaptive robust extended Kalman filter

A torque estimation method with adaptive robustness and optimality adjustment according to the load for modular and reconfigurable robot joint with harmonic drive transmission is proposed, on the basis of harmonic drive compliance model and redundant adaptive robust extended Kalman filter (RAREKF). The proposed approach can adapt torque estimation filtering optimality and robustness to the load variations by self-tuning the filtering gain and self-switching the filtering modes between optimal and robust. The redundant factor of RAREKF is designed as a function of the load to provide desirable tolerant capability to the modeling error and load-dependent filtering mode switching. The proposed joint torque estimation method has been experimentally studied in comparison with a commercial sensor, and the results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed torque estimation technique.
Determinants of Flood-Response Behaviour of Residents In Lagos Metropolis, South-Western, Nigeria

Floods have been reported as a major ecological disaster facing urban dwellers in Lagos metropolis due to prolonged rainfall events. Evidence abounds in literature that physical factors such as land use and poor drainages are important determinants with little attention paid to behavioural attributes. This study therefore, investigates environmental locus of control and self-efficacy as determinants of flood-response behaviour among residents in Lagos metropolis, South-western, Nigeria. The study population comprised residents in Lagos metropolis. A questionnaire comprising demographics, Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale (MDLOS), Environmental Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) and FloodResponse Behaviour Scale (FRBS) was used to collect data from 123 participants. The selection of the respondents was done using a purposive sampling technique. Their age ranged between 16 to 45 years with a mean age of 25.98 (SD= 7.96). Results indicated that environmental locus of control has a significant influence on flood-response behaviour (F = 3.762, p<0.05). The result also showed that environmental self-efficacy has no significant influence on flood-response behaviour (F= 1.453,p > 0.05). The findings have implications for environmental researchers and policy-makers who are seeking to improve preparedness towards flood disasters through the designing of relevant intervention and prevention programme.
Quantitative Model Checking of Continuous-Time Markov Chains Against Timed Automata Specifications

We study the following problem: given a continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) C, and a linear real-time property provided as a deterministic timed automaton (DTA) A, what is the probability of the set of paths of C that are accepted by A (C satisfies A)? It is shown that this set of paths is measurable and computing its probability can be reduced to computing the reachability probability in a piecewise deterministic Markov process (PDP). The reachability probability is characterized as the least solution of a system of integral equations and is shown to be approximated by solving a system of partial differential equations. For the special case of single-clock \DTA, the system of integral equations can be transformed into a system of linear equations where the coefficients are solutions of ordinary differential equations.
TRANSFORMASI PENGELOLAAN PERAIRAN UMUM DARATAN DI KABUPATEN OGAN KOMERING ILIR

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji implementasi dan antisipasi dampak ketentuan baru Peraturan Daerah (PERDA) Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) No. 9/2008 tentang Pengelolaan Lebak, Lebung, dan Sungai di Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ilir, yang menjadi otonomi desa. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif eksploratif melalui pendekatan historis kasuistik yang didukung data primer dan sekunder. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa transformasi pengelolaan perairan umum daratan dengan berlakunya Perda OKI No. 9/2008 memberikan akses yang lebih besar kepada masyarakat untuk memanfaatkan sumber daya ikan. Kewenangan yang dimiliki desa menjadi lebih luas dalam mengatur lebak lebung dan sungai. Kurang optimalnya implementasi Perda OKI No. 9/2008 dikarenakan aparatur dan masyarakat Desa Berkat belum siap mengadopsi perubahan nilai serta norma baru. Implikasi kebijakan penelitian ini adalah perlunya meningkatkan kompetensi aparatur desa melalui pelatihan/pendidikan; memberikan sosialisasi secara komprehensif kepada masyarakat; melakukan kontrol dan pendampingan yang konsisten, serta menciptakan komunikasi hukum yang baik dalam menerapkan peraturan baru. Tittle: Transformation Management of Inland Waters in Ogan Komering Ilir District This research aimed to review the impact of implementation and anticipate potential impacts of the new provisions of Local Regulation No. 9/2008 on Management of Lebak, Lebung, and Rivers in Ogan Ilir Komering Ilir regency, which has become an autonom of the village. Research was conducted using descriptive-exploratory method, through historical case approach, supported by primary and secondary data. Results show that transformation of the management of inland waters by the enactment of Local Regulation No. 9/2008 provides a greater access to the community to utilize fish resources. Authority of the village was wider than previous system in terms of arranging the lebak lebung and river. Under optimal level of implementation of the Local Regulation No. 9/2008 was due to the apparatus and community unreadines to adopt the values changing in and new norms. Policy implications of this research were as follows improving the competence of village apparatus through training/education; providing comprehensive socialization to the community; doing control and consistent mentoring, and creating a good communication law in applying new regulation.