Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generalized Haber's Law for Exponential Concentration Decline, with Application to Riparian‐Aquatic Pesticide Ecotoxicity

A simple analytic solution to the dynamic version of Haber's law was derived, conditional on a specified toxic load exponent (n) and on exponential decline in environmental toxicant concentration. Such conditions are particularly relevant to assessing ecotoxicity risk posed (e.g., to juvenile salmonids) by agricultural organophosphate (OP) pesticides that are subject to degradation and/or dissipation. A dynamic Haber's law model was fit to previously published detailed data on lethality for two aquatic species induced by six agricultural OP pesticides, and more crude fits were obtained to less detailed data on five other OP and on two non‐OP pesticides, indicating that for lethality, a range of 0.5 ≤ n ≤ 1.5 may be typical for OP pesticides. The AgDRIFT® stream deposition model was next used to establish that first‐order or exponential loss, with dilution half‐times on the order of ≤0.01 days, pertains approximately to pesticide residues in streams that arise after aerial application of agricultural pesticides 100 feet upwind. The analytic model was then applied to demonstrate that pesticide concentrations deposited in downwind streams following an aerial application are effectively diluted by about 50‐ to 300‐fold from their initial concentration. Riparian ecotoxicity risk assessment models that ignore this effective dilution, and base pesticide‐specific estimates of reduced survival on the initial concentrations, are therefore unrealistically conservative.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV-1 prevention does not diminish the pregnancy prevention effectiveness of hormonal contraception

Background:For women at risk of HIV-1, effective contraception and effective HIV-1 prevention are global priorities. Methodology:In a clinical trial of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-1 prevention in HIV-1-serodiscordant couples, we estimated the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives (oral contraceptive pills, injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, and hormonal implants) for pregnancy prevention relative to no contraception among 1785 HIV-1-uninfected women followed up to 36 months. We compared the effectiveness of each method among women assigned PrEP versus placebo. Contraception was not required for participation, but was offered on-site and was recorded monthly; incident pregnancy was determined by monthly urine testing. Results:For women using no contraception, overall pregnancy incidence was 15.4% per year. Women reporting oral contraceptive use had comparable pregnancy incidence to women using no contraception, and this lack of contraceptive effectiveness was similar for those assigned PrEP and placebo (17.7 and 10.0% incidence per year, respectively; P-value for difference in effect by PrEP use = 0.24). Women reporting injectable contraception had reduced pregnancy incidence compared to those reporting no contraception, which did not differ by arm (PrEP 5.1%, placebo 5.3% per year; P-value for difference = 0.47). Contraceptive effectiveness was highest among women using implants (pregnancy incidence <1% per year in both arms). Conclusion:PrEP had no adverse impact on hormonal contraceptive effectiveness for pregnancy prevention. As seen previously in similar populations, women reporting contraceptive pill use had little protection from pregnancy, possibly due to poor adherence. Injectable or implantable hormonal contraception and PrEP provide effective prevention for pregnancy and HIV-1.
Developments in outcome-based education

Visitors to medical schools are usually shown the new clinical skills centre, the computer learning suite, or the latest interactive response or data projection system with which the lecture theatres have been equipped. These are highprofile features, seductive in their promise of better, easier and perhaps even more cost-effective learning. The visitors have to probe more deeply and often futilely, however, if they wish to see the learning outcomes for the curriculum that students will achieve before graduation and plans as to how these facilities will contribute to each learning outcome. All of this is changing and there is a new agenda for medical education, with a reorientation from process to product. This is not to say that how we teach and how we expect our students to learn is not important. It is. We cannot expect, however, to deliver our learning programme effectively and to choose the most appropriate tools for the task if we have not made the learning outcomes for our courses explicit. The public, the government and our colleagues in the other healthcare professions are asking justifiably for more explicit statements about the product of our medical schools: what sort of doctor are we trying to train and are the needs and expectations of the society in which they will be practising being taken into consideration? Leinster (2002) has drawn attention recently to the need to rethink how we educate doctors, taking into account among other things the changing roles of healthcare professionals, the need to be able to assimilate, evaluate and use new information and the importance of attitudes and communication skills.
A Theoretically Grounded Approach to Assist Memory Recall During Information Requirements Determination

The interview has long been a part of the system professional's repertoire of elicitation techniques, used extensively in both requirements analysis and knowledge acquisition. Unfortunately, although interviewing is a widely recommended elicitation technique, the literature offers little in the way of theoretically grounded support or advice on exactly how the interview should be conducted and what format should be used.This paper reports the findings of a study that compared the efficiency and effectiveness of the cognitive interview with the standard information requirements interview in an experiment using reference librarians as interviewees. The cognitive interview was found to be both more effective and more efficient than standard interviewing techniques in eliciting episodic knowledge from reference librarians. Use of the cognitive interview resulted in a richer recall, in terms of both breadth and depth, of details relevant to the task domain.
Features Derived from First-Order Motion Mechanisms Predict Anomalies in Motion Perception

Current dominant hypotheses of how humans detect the movement of patterns assume that the pattern is divided into one-dimensional sinusoidally varying luminance patterns, referred to as gratings (first-order components). The speed of these gratings is independently encoded from predominantly spatial and temporal frequency information, and their direction is encoded from orientation information. This paper addresses the problem of how the individually encoded grating information is combined to give perceived pattern direction, given that real moving objects are generally made up of more than one component. More specifically, further evidence is presented for a combination based on the use of a feature derived from first-order components—‘first-order feature hypothesis’. This hypothesis essentially implements a constraint on pattern direction called the intersection of constraints (IOC) proposed by Adelson and Movshon [1982, Nature 300 523–525]. A simulation of the model is used to make three new predictions about a perceived motion reversal reported by Derrington et al (1992, Vision Research 32 699–707); these predictions are tested and found to be consistent with the first-order feature hypothesis.
Laser Sintering of Nano-Ag Particle Paste for High-Temperature Electronics Assembly

In this paper, we have investigated a laser-assisted fast nano-Ag sintering process for die attach in power electronic applications. The effects of laser power, irradiation time, and load on microstructure and shear performance of the bonded samples are presented. Moreover, samples sintered by a hotplate were also studied as a comparison. The results indicate that the die-attach process using the nano-Ag material can be realized within 1 min in the laser-assisted sintering method. In general, better shear strength was obtained with increasing laser power, irradiation time, and load. The shear strength of samples irradiated by 2–5 min of laser beam was comparable to that of the samples sintered on the hotplate for 80 min.
Implementing Emergency Manuals: Can Cognitive Aids Help Translate Best Practices for Patient Care During Acute Events?

In this article, we address whether emergency manuals are an effective means of helping anesthesiologists and perioperative teams apply known best practices for critical events. We review the relevant history of such cognitive aids in health care, as well as examples from other high stakes industries, and describe why emergency manuals have a role in improving patient care during certain events. We propose 4 vital elements: create, familiarize, use, and integrate, necessary for the widespread, successful development, and implementation of medical emergency manuals, using the specific example of the perioperative setting. The details of each element are presented, drawing from the medical literature as well as from our combined experience of more than 30 years of observing teams of anesthesiologists managing simulated and real critical events. We emphasize the importance of training clinicians in the use of emergency manuals for education on content, format, and location. Finally, we discuss cultural readiness for change, present a system example of successful integration, and highlight the importance of further research on the implementation of emergency manuals.
When the World Outside Gets Inside Your Head

Citizens are variably influenced by information flow depending on their location within a social structure. One method of understanding this influence is through an assessment of multiple levels of analysis. Although many scholars have called for such analyses, few have heeded that call. This research addresses the relevance of “context” to the study of media effects on perceptions of public opinion. Survey data from the American National Election Studies are combined with a content analysis of campaign news in 24 regional newspapers, as well as advertising data, in order to parse out contextual media effects. Results show that perceived public opinion varies significantly across media markets. Newspaper use and personal candidate preference had a significant effect on the likelihood of perceiving Kerry to be the state-winning candidate. There was also a significant cross-level interaction between media context and political discussion on perceptions of public opinion.
Fast adaptive identification of autoregressive signals subject to noise

Adaptive identification of autoregressive (AR) signals subject to white measurement noise is studied. A fast adaptive algorithm, which is based on the recently proposed improved least-squares (LS) method, is developed. The variance of the white measurements noise, which specifies the source of the noise-induced bias in the standard LS estimate, is calculated by means of extra noisy measurements of the AR signal. With a good estimate of the measurement noise variance being attained more quickly, the convergence speed of the developed adaptive identification algorithm can be accelerated. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the promising performance of the new fast adaptive identification algorithm.
An experimental investigation of message latencies in the Totem protocol in the presence of faults

Group communication is a powerful and easy-to-use abstraction for distributed applications. The Totem protocol is a popular and efficient implementation of group communication primitives. To use Totem in soft real-time environments, the distribution of message latencies is an important performance measure-in particular when fault tolerance is required. The authors conducted an experimental study of these distributions using a number of different fault scenarios (communication faults, performance faults, crash faults) and additional load scenarios. Using these experiments, they give empirical distributions for message latencies in the Totem protocol. The relative effects of various fault scenarios are discussed, highlighting the importance of scheduling delays for any practical, real-time group communication system.
Lupus erythematosus profundus ( lupus panniculitis ) induced by interferon-β in a patient with multiple sclerosis

We report a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) who developed subcutaneous nodules in the face, shoulders and extremities while being treated with interferon (IFN)-β-1b. These nodules fluctuated in parallel with myelopathy, and were diagnosed as lupus erythematosus profundus (LEP) based on histopathological findings. The patient showed no relapse of either neurological symptoms or subcutaneous nodules after cessation of IFN-β-1b. This agent can cause induration and necrosis in the sites of injection but also systemic skin lesions such as LEP ascribable to its immunomodulatory effects.
Thin shells in general relativity and cosmology: The lightlike limit.

This paper shows how the structure and dynamics of a thin shell traveling at the speed of light can be obtained from a simple and convenient prescription that is a straightforward extension and continuous limit of the familiar extrinsic-curvature algorithm for subluminal shells. It allows the space-time coordinates to be chosen freely and independently on the two sides of the shell. The prescription is applied to several examples of interest in general relativity and cosmology.
Effect of angiotensin II type 2 receptor on tyrosine kinase Pyk2 and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase via SHP-1 tyrosine phosphatase activity: evidence from vascular-targeted transgenic mice of AT2 receptor.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has two major receptor isoforms, AT1 and AT2. AT1 transphosphorylates Ca(2+)-sensitive tyrosine kinase Pyk2 to activate c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). Although AT2 inactivates extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) via tyrosine phosphatases (PTP), the action of AT2 on Pyk2 and JNK remains undefined. Using AT2-overexpressing vascular smooth muscle cells (AT2-VSMC) from AT2-transgenic mice, we studied these undefined actions of AT2. AT1-mediated JNK activity was increased 2.2-fold by AT2 inhibition, which was abolished by orthovanadate. AT2 did not affect AT1-mediated Pyk2 phosphorylation, but attenuated c-Jun mRNA accumulation by 32%. The activity of src-homology 2 domain-containing PTP (SHP-1) was significantly upregulated 1 min after AT2 stimulation. Stable overexpression of SHP-1 dominant negative mutant in AT2-VSMC completely abolished AT2-mediated inhibition of JNK activation and c-Jun expression. These findings suggest that AT2 inhibits JNK activity by affecting the downstream signal of Pyk2 in a SHP-1-dependent manner, leading to a decrease in c-Jun expression.
Asymmetric innervation of the habenula in zebrafish

The habenular complex is a paired structure found in the diencephalon of all vertebrates, linking the forebrain and midbrain. Habenulae are asymmetrical and may contribute to lateralized behavior. Recent studies in zebrafish have characterized molecular pathways that give rise to the habenular asymmetry and the distinct projections of the left and right habenula to the midbrain. However, it is unclear whether there are asymmetries in habenula afferents from the forebrain. By lipophilic dye tracing, we find that axons innervating the habenula derive primarily from a region in the lateral diencephalon containing migrated neurons of the eminentia thalami (EmT). EmT neurons terminate in neuropils in both ipsilateral and contralateral habenula. These axons, together with axons from migrated neurons of the posterior tuberculum and pallial neurons, cross the midline via the habenular commissure. Subsets of pallial neurons terminate only in the medial right habenula, regardless of which side of the brain they originate from. These include an unusual type of forebrain projection: axons that cross the midline twice, at both the anterior and habenular commissures. Our data establish that there is asymmetric innervation of the habenula from the telencephalon, suggesting a mechanism by which habenula asymmetry might contribute to lateralized behavior. J. Comp. Neurol. 502:611–619, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validity and Use of the UV Index: Report from the UVI Working Group, Schloss Hohenkammer, Germany, 5–7 December 2011

Abstract The adequacy of the UV Index (UVI), a simple measure of ambient solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, has been questioned on the basis of recent scientific data on the importance of vitamin D for human health, the mutagenic capacity of radiation in the UVA wavelength, and limitations in the behavioral impact of the UVI as a public awareness tool. A working group convened by ICNIRP and WHO met to assess whether modifications of the UVI were warranted and to discuss ways of improving its effectiveness as a guide to healthy sun-protective behavior. A UV Index greater than 3 was confirmed as indicating ambient UV levels at which harmful sun exposure and sunburns could occur and hence as the threshold for promoting preventive messages. There is currently insufficient evidence about the quantitative relationship of sun exposure, vitamin D, and human health to include vitamin D considerations in sun protection recommendations. The role of UVA in sunlight-induced dermal immunosuppression and DNA damage was acknowledged, but the contribution of UVA to skin carcinogenesis could not be quantified precisely. As ambient UVA and UVB levels mostly vary in parallel in real life situations, any minor modification of the UVI weighting function with respect to UVA-induced skin cancer would not be expected to have a significant impact on the UV Index. Though it has been shown that the UV Index can raise awareness of the risk of UV radiation to some extent, the UVI does not appear to change attitudes to sun protection or behavior in the way it is presently used. Changes in the UVI itself were not warranted based on these findings, but rather research testing health behavior models, including the roles of self-efficacy and self-affirmation in relation to intention to use sun protection among different susceptible groups, should be carried out to develop more successful strategies toward improving sun protection behavior.
Can ultrasound replace arteriography in the management of chronic arterial occlusive disease of the lower limb?

OBJECTIVES to investigate whether colour duplex scanning can be used as the sole diagnostic investigation prior to lower limb revascularisation. PATIENTS AND METHODS the results of angiography and duplex were compared in 80 limbs (69 claudication, 11 critical limb ischaemia [CLI]) from 68 patients. RESULTS excellent diagnostic agreement (kappa value 0.89, 95% CI 0.85-0.93) was achieved at the femoropopliteal segment. Agreement was good for the aorto-iliac segment (kappa value 0.69, 95% CI 0.61-0.77) and moderate for the infrapopliteal segment (kappa value 0.59, 95% CI 0.55-0.63). Similarly, in the decision-making process excellent agreement was achieved for the femoropopliteal segment (kappa value 0.91, 95% CI 0.88-0.94), good for the aortoiliac segment (kappa value 0.62, 95% CI 0.56-0.68), and moderate for the infrapopliteal segment (kappa value 0.46, 95% CI 0.42-0.50). Duplex detected patent 12 tibial arteries in 10 limbs that were not opacified on arteriography. In four limbs duplex revealed significant disease in the above knee popliteal artery that was missed on arteriography. CONCLUSIONS treatment of femoropopliteal disease can be based upon duplex alone in the great majority of cases. However, where there is disease in the aortoiliac segment, or where infrapopliteal revascularisation is long considered both duplex and angiography should be performed to maximise pre-operative information.
Fluospheres for cardiovascular phenotyping genetically modified mice.

Assessment of systemic and regional hemodynamic phenotypes in genetically engineered mice by nonradioactive methods is yet an unsolved problem. We therefore investigated whether the reference sample method using fluorescent microspheres (FMs), already validated in rats, might be used for this purpose in C57BL/6 and in apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient mice. FMs were injected into the left ventricle of instrumented anesthetized mice. In 10-week-old C57BL/6, cardiac output was 18-19 ml/min, and its regional distribution under basal conditions was approximately 1.5% (brain), 3.5% (heart), 9. 1% (left kidney), 9.8% (right kidney), 1% (spleen), and 0.8% (stomach) (i.e., values similar to those previously reported with radioactive microspheres). Proper mixing of FMs was achieved as both kidneys had identical flows; distribution of two differently labeled FMs injected simultaneously was shown to be identical by an agreement study, and FM trapping in the capillary bed was demonstrated both histologically and by the recovery in the lungs of 90% of intravenously injected FMs. In addition, identical values for cardiac output and its distribution were obtained in different age-matched groups of C57BL/6. The FM technique also proved to be able to evidence angiotensin II and isoprenaline classic systemic and regional hemodynamic effects. Finally, applied to 30-week-old ApoE-deficient mice and age-matched C57BL/6, the FM technique showed no major hemodynamic difference between the two groups, except for coronary blood flow, which was significantly decreased in ApoE-deficient mice. In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time the feasibility, accuracy, and reliability of the FM technique at characterizing the cardiovascular phenotype of genetically engineered mice.
Norwalk-like viruses: when the runs can slow you down.

Background and epidemiology: In 2002, outbreaks of gastroenteritis caused by Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) occurred on a cruise ship bound for Alaska,[1][1] a trans-Canada VIA Rail train[2][2] and a Christian camp northwest of Vancouver. [3][3] In the case of the cruise ship, 13% of the estimated 1266
At-speed current testing [logic IC testing]

This paper proposes a scheme of at-speed current testing by applying two alternative vectors to circuits under test for a fault, to enable a slow measurement under a high frequency operation. The paper presents test generation of the two alternative vectors at gate level by means of counting only logical up-transitions based on a Boolean process, and employing the Bayesian optimization algorithm. SPICE simulation shows that the responses of tests generated by the algorithm can be observed either by a low-cost ATE or a waveform sensor.
Chronology of the Last Glacial Maximum in the Upper Bear River Basin, Utah

ABSTRACT The headwaters of the Bear River drainage were occupied during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) by outlet glaciers of the Western Uinta Ice Field, an extensive ice mass (∼685 km2) that covered the western slope of the Uinta Mountains. A well-preserved sequence of latero-frontal moraines in the drainage indicates that outlet glaciers advanced beyond the mountain front and coalesced on the piedmont. Glacial deposits in the Bear River drainage provide a unique setting where both 10Be cosmogenic surface-exposure dating of moraine boulders and 14C dating of sediment in Bear Lake downstream of the glaciated area set age limits on the timing of glaciation. Limiting 14C ages of glacial flour in Bear Lake (corrected to calendar years using CALIB 5.0) indicate that ice advance began at 32 ka and culminated at about 24 ka. Based on a Bayesian statistical analysis of cosmogenic surface-exposure ages from two areas on the terminal moraine complex, the Bear River glacier began its final retreat at about 18.7 to 18.1 ka, approximately coincident with the start of deglaciation elsewhere in the central Rocky Mountains and many other alpine glacial localities worldwide. Unlike valleys of the southwestern Uinta Mountains, deglaciation of the Bear River drainage began prior to the hydrologic fall of Lake Bonneville from the Provo shoreline at about 16 ka.