Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Potentials of ICT Tools for Human-Centric Regenerative Design

Aiming for sustainable buildings and cities is critical to achieving a future that is socially just, ecologically regenerative, culturally rich, and economically viable. However, our current concepts of sustainability often exclude the essential domains of data, information, and the knowledge relating to the relationship between buildings and people that inhabit them. Thus, the research questions at the core of this paper have been as follows: Can technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) be used to create systems that enhance relationships between buildings and inhabitants? Can social networks and natural interactions support further research relating to human-centric design tools for the built environment? The Human Observation Meta-Environment (HOME) project was developed to address this question. The ICT architecture has been tested to observe and collect human behaviour data within a sentient room at the Politecnico di Torino (IT), where the inhabitants were strategically aware of their behaviours. Methods of analysis included technologies related to the domain of AI (such as Natural Language Analysis, Computer Vision, Machine Learning and Deep Learning) that have been used in social network analysis in connection with the word ‘comfort’, and definitions resonate strongly with the realm of regenerative design. Results were used to further research the role of users that could serve as leverages to design (both spaces and related smart systems) according to actual user needs. People from very different disciplinary backgrounds interacted with the prototype in a workshop and provided stimuli for further considerations regarding the possible technological, psychological, cognitive, cultural, social, political, and aesthetical impacts of the use of these technologies inside sentient buildings. The paper enriches the discourse on how ICT data can be organised and read in a human-centric regenerative design process perspective.
A novel EspA‐associated surface organelle of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli involved in protein translocation into epithelial cells

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), like many bacterial pathogens, employ a type III secretion system to deliver effector proteins across the bacterial cell. In EPEC, four proteins are known to be exported by a type III secretion system—EspA, EspB and EspD required for subversion of host cell signal transduction pathways and a translocated intimin receptor (Tir) protein (formerly Hp90) which is tyrosine‐phosphorylated following transfer to the host cell to become a receptor for intimin‐mediated intimate attachment and ‘attaching and effacing’ (A/E) lesion formation. The structural basis for protein translocation has yet to be fully elucidated for any type III secretion system. Here, we describe a novel EspA‐containing filamentous organelle that is present on the bacterial surface during the early stage of A/E lesion formation, forms a physical bridge between the bacterium and the infected eukaryotic cell surface and is required for the translocation of EspB into infected epithelial cells.
Purification and partial characterization of a Nocardia brasiliensis extracellular protease

Nocardia brasiliensis possess proteolytic activities that can be readily detected in a variety of media. In a modified formulation of a growth medium originally used for Streptomyces aureofaciens, N. brasiliensis was found to secrete proteolytic enzymes, one of which was capable of hydrolyzing casein. This enzyme was purified to homogeneity from cell-free culture filtrates of N. brasiliensis. The purification procedure included ion-exchange chromatography on carboxymethyl-Sepharose, gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, and affinity chromatography, using a hemoglobin-Sepharose resin. The molecular weight of the N. brasiliensis protease was found to be 25,000 by gel filtration and 35,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-discontinuous gel electrophoresis. The enzyme is inhibited by o-phenanthroline and 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid but is not affected by EDTA. Average values for its kinetic parameters were 0.288 mumol of hemoglobin solubilized per min per mg of enzyme for Vmax and 0.76 mM for Km, using hemoglobin as the substrate.
Effect of ribavirin on hepatitis C viral kinetics in patients treated with pegylated interferon

A dynamic equilibrium between viral production and clearance characterizes untreated chronic hepatitis C viral infection. After initiating antiviral treatment, a typical multiphasic decay of viremia can be observed and analyzed using mathematical models. To elucidate the antiviral mechanism of ribavirin when used in combination with (pegylated) interferon alfa, we investigated kinetic parameters in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with either peginterferon α‐2a with or without ribavirin and standard interferon α‐2b plus ribavirin for 48 weeks. Serum HCV RNA was measured frequently before, during, and at the end‐of‐treatment and the follow‐up period. By using an appropriate model for viral dynamics, kinetic parameters were derived from nonlinear, least square fitting of serum HCV RNA quantifications. The first phase of viral decay (day 1) and the second phase of viral decay (days 2 to 21) were similar for all treatment groups. After about 7 to 28 days, a third phase of viral decay was seen in several patients, and this phase of decay was significantly faster in patients treated with peginterferon α‐2a plus ribavirin compared with those treated with peginterferon α‐2a alone. The decay of this third phase was associated with the virologic end‐of‐treatment response and sustained virologic response. In conclusion, the third‐phase decay of initial viral kinetics, which may represent a treatment‐enhanced degradation of infected cells, was more pronounced in patients treated with peginterferon α‐2a plus ribavirin. This finding suggests that combination treatment leads to a better restoration of the patient's immune response.
Effects of calcium chloride injection and hot boning on the tenderness of round muscles.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of CaCl2 injection on round muscles obtained from Bos indicus bulls and late-castrate steers. In Exp. 1, the biceps femoris (BF) muscle from the left side of each of 15 bull carcasses was injected within 30 min postexsanguination with . 3 M CaCl2 at 10% by weight while either intact (n = 8) on the carcass or after hot boning (n = 7). The right sides served as controls. In Exp. 2, the semimembranosus (SM) muscles from the carcasses of nine steers (castrated at 16 mo of age) were hot-boned within 30 min postexsanguination and one-half were injected with CaCl2 as described above. Hot boning had no effect (P greater than .05) on shear force values. Calcium chloride injection dramatically reduced shear force requirements at 1, 8, and 14 d postmortem compared with noninjected controls in both experiments. Cooking traits of the SM muscle were not affected (P greater than .05) by CaCl2 injection. However, BF muscles injected with CaCl2 required more (P less than .05) time to cook and had greater (P less than .05) cooking losses than BF controls. Calcium chloride injection of prerigor round muscles reduced aging time needed for normal tenderization to 1 d postmortem. Hot boning was successfully used in conjunction with CaCl2 injection to facilitate the injection process.
Unidirectional antenna for cognitive radio applications

A novel band-reconfigurable antenna with stable unidirectional radiation patterns is presented for cognitive radio applications. One wideband mode based on a magneto-electric (ME) dipole and four narrowband modes based on a length-reconfigurable thin dipole are achieved for operation between 0.83 to 2.16 GHz. PIN diodes are used as switches for choosing different operating modes. The ME dipole technology makes the wideband mode with flat gain (8.7 ± 1 dBi) and well-controlled radiation patterns (cross polarization ≤ -25 dB, back radiation ≤ - 20 dB). Moreover, as parts of the ME dipole, four hollow metal posts can hide the DC bias lines from the RF radiation, which provides the advantages of high efficiency and simple structure.
Sex Hormones and Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study and Meta-Analyses.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Whether endogenous sex hormones are associated with ischemic stroke (IS) is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that extreme concentrations of endogenous sex hormones are associated with risk of IS in the general population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Adult men (n = 4615) and women (n = 4724) with measurements of endogenous sex hormones during the 1981-1983 examination of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, Denmark, were followed for up to 29 years for incident IS, with no loss to follow-up. Mediation analyses assessed whether risk of IS was mediated through potential mediators. Present and previous findings were summarized in meta-analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Plasma total testosterone and total estradiol were measured by competitive immunoassays. Diagnosis of IS was ascertained from the national Danish Patient Registry and the national Danish Causes of Death Registry and verified by experienced neurologists. RESULTS During follow-up, 524 men and 563 women developed IS. Men with testosterone concentrations ≤10th percentile compared to the 11th-90th percentiles had a hazard ratio for IS of 1.34 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.72); 21% of this risk was mediated by body mass index (P = .002) and 14% by hypertension (P = .02). In accordance with this, the corresponding hazard ratio was 1.46 (1.09-1.95) in overweight/obese and hypertensive men. The corresponding hazard ratio in the meta-analysis was 1.43 (1.21-1.70). Other extreme concentrations of testosterone or estradiol were not associated with risk of IS in men or women. CONCLUSIONS Extremely low endogenous testosterone concentrations were associated with high risk of IS in men, a risk mediated in part by body mass index and hypertension. Whether or not low testosterone is a causal factor for IS or merely a biomarker of poor metabolic health is still not known.
Use of a lipid-lowering food supplement in patients on hormone therapy following breast cancer.

AIM The aim of this paper was to determine the activity of a natural nutraceuticals combination (AP=Berberine+Red Yeast Rice) on dyslipidemia which frequently persists after life style changes in patients on hormone-therapy following breast cancer (HT-BC). METHODS Twenty-one HT-BC patients, free of tumor, mean age 59.9 years, BMI 28,9 kg/m2, waist circumference 95.9 cm, with altered lipid profile (total cholesterol 269.0 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol 54.9 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol 184.0 mg/dL, and triglycerides 263.3 mg/dL) were recruited. They were recommended a 3-month period of diet followed by a 3-month period of treatment with AP 1 tablet/day. AP tablets contain berberine 500 mg, red yeast rice extract 200 mg (equivalent to 3 mg monacolins), policosanol 10 mg, folic acid 0.2 mg, coenzyme Q10 2 mg, and asthaxantin 0.5 mg. RESULTS The lipid profile was significantly improved by AP vs. diet: 1.8% decrease in total cholesterol on diet and a further 15.3% decrease with AP vs. diet (P<0.001); a 3.1% decrease in LDL cholesterol after diet and an 18.9% decrease after AP treatment vs diet alone (P<0.01); a 2.3% decrease in triglycerides after diet alone and a 36.5% decrease after AP vs. diet (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Adequate life style therapy is effective in reducing, but not in normalizing, the lipid profile in patients on hormone-therapy following breast cancer. The use of natural nutraceuticals as AP, combined with diet, leads to a good therapeutic response and optimal acceptance by the patients.
The Corporate Social Responsibility and Accountability in the Modern Corporation

Friedman (1970) held that the only social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. With the ever changing business environment as well as the rapidly growing public concerns with the impact corporations have on society, the onesidedness of his assertion becomes obvious in interpreting the behavior of the corporation and the influence of their conduct. Nowadays, the role of a corporation also includes corporate social responsibility (CSR) and accountability, of which the aim is to bring positive and beneficial effects to the stakeholders. Keywordscorporate social responsibility; accountability; corporation; business; profit.
Copper filling process for small diameter, high aspect ratio Through Silicon Via (TSV)

3D Integration is a good solution for extending Moore's momentum in the next decennium. Through Silicon Via (TSV) is an alternative interconnect technology for higher performance system integration with vertical stacking of chips in package. Due to high demands of chip miniaturization, small diameter TSV with high aspect ratio has become particularly important. This paper focuses on Cu electroplating via filling of small diameter, high aspect ratio TSV. Samples of different via diameters under various current densities are fabricated and analyzed in lab. In addition, exhaust and pre-wetting procedures are also introduced after a series of contrast experiments, robust copper filling result for small diameter (4μm ~ 6μm) TSVs with high aspect ratio up to 6:1 has been successfully realized. Based on the good copper filling result, a testing vehicle structure of 3D integration is fabricated.
Plaque minerals in the prediction of caries activity.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Attempts to identify subjects who will develop caries lesions in future years have been only moderately successful, suggesting that one or more important risk factors are being overlooked. The aim of this study was to validate the use of plaque calcium, phosphate and fluoride concentrations as significant risk factors in caries. METHODS DMFS and DMFT rates were measured three times over 2 years in a group of rural Chinese schoolchildren initially aged 12 years and not living in a high-fluoride area. At the baseline and year 1 examinations, dental plaque was accumulated for 3 days and, after collection, was analysed for Ca, P and F. Plaque scores, dental health behaviour and parents' occupation data were also recorded. RESULTS The mean DMFS increment over 2 years was 1.14 with a range of -2 to +9. Regression analysis taking all factors into account identified only plaque Ca concentration, baseline DMFS score and toothbrushing frequency as significant factors in identifying high-risk individuals. Plaque Ca also showed predictive ability on its own. For example, when high caries was defined as 3+ new DMFS and a Ca cut-off value of 200 nmol/mg dry wt was selected, sensitivity was 0.84 and specificity 0.38. However, with this cut-off value the percentage predicted to have high caries risk was unrealistically high at 66%. As in several other studies, baseline caries score was a useful predictor of future caries. CONCLUSION Low plaque Ca concentration showed a modest ability to predict future caries, and since it is implicated directly in the chain of events leading to caries, its use in caries prediction should be considered further. Plaque P and F showed no predictive ability in this study.
REITs and REOCs and their initial stock market performance: a European perspective

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between initial public offering (IPO) pricing in the real estate sector and to provide insight into how real estate investment trust (REIT) and real estate operating company (REOC) IPOs perform in a comparative framework. ,The sample consists of 107 European REIT and REOC IPOs from nine European countries over the period 2000-2015. The initial returns are examined by creating subsamples based on the two business forms, countries and specific timeframes (before, during and after the global financial crisis). A multiple regression analysis is applied to identify the ex-ante uncertainty factors, IPO and firm characteristics, which may impact on the different underpricing levels of REITs and REOCs. ,European property companies are on average significantly underpriced by 4.63 per cent. The results also reveal that REITs provide a significantly lower underpricing of 2.02 per cent than REOCs, with a positive initial return of 5.69 per cent. The causal treatment effect of the legal form of the company and the underpricing is confirmed by propensity score matching. Among the most influential factors for a lower REIT underpricing, besides the REIT-status itself, are the volatility, offer size and market phase of the IPO. During the global financial crisis (GFC) (2008-2010), underpricing exceeds the initial return for the total sample by approximately 70 per cent. ,This is the first study investigating differences in the underpricing level of REITs and REOCs in a European setting, including the GFC as an extraordinary market phase. The authors provide evidence that REIT IPOs compared to REOC IPOs “leave less money on the table”.
Throughput-Maximum Resource Provision in the OFDMA-Based Wireless Virtual Network

In this paper, we propose a throughput-maximum resource provision scheme in the OFDMA-based Wireless Virtual Network (WVN). The proposed scheme takes the dynamics of both traffic arrivals and wireless channels into consideration. Furthermore, we consider a more flexible service contract where average resource provision is guaranteed for each slice. As it is practically impossible to know future traffic arrival and channel information, we employ the Lyapunov Optimization to develop an online resource provision algorithm. The proposed online algorithm performs joint subcarrier and power allocation to each slice based on the traffic information, wireless channel state as well as historical resource provision. Theoretic analysis implies that the proposed algorithm can arbitrarily get close to the theoretic optimal throughput with degradations in delay, and the two performances can be balanced on demand. Extensive simulation results show that our proposed scheme can significantly improve the average throughput, while reducing the average delay and achieving an excellent isolation performance.
Physiological and biomechanical factors associated with elite endurance cycling performance.

In this study we evaluated the physiological and biomechanical responses of "elite-national class" (i.e., group 1; N = 9) and "good-state class" (i.e., group 2; N = 6) cyclists while they simulated a 40 km time-trial in the laboratory by cycling on an ergometer for 1 h at their highest power output. Actual road racing 40 km time-trial performance was highly correlated with average absolute power during the 1 h laboratory performance test (r = -0.88; P less than 0.001). In turn, 1 h power output was related to each cyclists' VO2 at the blood lactate threshold (r = 0.93; P less than 0.001). Group 1 was not different from group 2 regarding VO2max (approximately 70 ml.kg-1.min-1 and 5.01 l.min-1) or lean body weight. However, group 1 bicycled 40 km on the road 10% faster than group 2 (P less than 0.05; 54 vs 60 min). Additionally, group 1 was able to generate 11% more power during the 1 h performance test than group 2 (P less than 0.05), and they averaged 90 +/- 1% VO2max compared with 86 +/- 2% VO2max in group 2 (P = 0.06). The higher performance power output of group 1 was produced primarily by generating higher peak torques about the center of the crank by applying larger vertical forces to the crank arm during the cycling downstroke. Compared with group 2, group 1 also produced higher peak torques and vertical forces during the downstroke even when cycling at the same absolute work rate as group 2. Factors possibly contributing to the ability of group 1 to produce higher "downstroke power" are a greater percentage of Type I muscle fibers (P less than 0.05) and a 23% greater (P less than 0.05) muscle capillary density compared with group 2. We have also observed a strong relationship between years of endurance training and percent Type I muscle fibers (r = 0.75; P less than 0.001). It appears that "elite-national class" cyclists have the ability to generate higher "downstroke power", possibly as a result of muscular adaptations stimulated by more years of endurance training.
Validity of Current Somatoform Disorder Diagnoses: Perspectives for Classification in DSM-V and ICD-11

Background: The impending revisions of DSM-IV and ICD-10 provide an excellent opportunity to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the current somatoform disorder classification. To prepare for these revisions, this study systematically investigates the validity of the current classification of somatoform disorders. Methods: We searched Medline, Psycinfo and reference lists to investigate convergent, divergent, criterion and predictive validity of the current somatoform disorder classification. Results: Substantial associations of somatoform disorders with functional impairment and elevated health care costs give evidence for the clinical and societal importance of somatoform disorders and for the convergent validity of the current operationalization. The specificity of the current somatoform disorder classification, i.e. their divergent validity, is demonstrated by the fact that functional somatic syndromes and their consequences are only partially explained by association with anxiety and depression. However, the imprecision of the diagnostic criteria, which are not based on positive criteria but on the exclusion of organic disease, largely limits the criterion validity of the current classification systems. Finally, studies investigating the predictive potential of somatoform disorders are lacking, and to date predictive validity has to be considered as low. Conclusions: The insufficient criterion and predictive validity of the present somatoform classification underlines the need to revise the diagnostic criteria. However, an abolishment of the whole category of somatoform disorders would ignore the substantial convergent and divergent validity of the current classification and would exclude patients with somatoform symptoms from the current health care system. A careful revision of the current somatoform disorder diagnoses, based on positive criteria of psychological, biological and social features, has the potential to substantially improve the reproducibility and clinical utility of the existing classification system.
Atoh1 gene therapy in the cochlea for hair cell regeneration

Introduction: The sensory epithelium of the cochlea is a complex structure containing hair cells, supporting cells and auditory nerve endings, all of which degenerate after hearing loss in mammals. Biological approaches are being considered to preserve and restore the sensory epithelium after hearing loss. Of particular note is the ectopic expression of the Atoh1 gene, which has been shown to convert residual supporting cells into hair cells with restoration of function in some cases. Areas covered: In this review, hair cell development, spontaneous regeneration and hair cell regeneration mediated by Atoh1 gene therapy in the cochlea are discussed. Expert opinion: Gene therapy can be safely delivered locally to the inner ear and can be targeted to the sensory epithelium of the cochlea. Expression of the Atoh1 gene in supporting cells results in their transformation into cells with the appearance and function of immature hair cells but with the resulting loss of the original supporting cell. While the feasibility of Atoh1 gene therapy in the cochlea is largely dependent on the severity of the hearing loss, hearing restoration can be achieved in some situations. With further advances in Atoh1 gene therapy, hearing loss may not be as permanent as once thought.