Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The welfare problems of laying hens in battery cages

So far as feeding, health and protection from cannibalism are concerned, the welfare needs of laying hens can be well catered for in cages. In other respects, however, cages fail to provide for hens' welfare needs. Deprived of litter, caged hens are prevented from dust bathing and foraging. Without access to a nest site, nesting motivation is frustrated and without a perch, roosting is prevented. Restrictions on movement within a cage cause frustration and prevent normal bone maintenance, particularly in the legs and wings. Confinement in a battery cage is concluded to cause suffering to laying hens in several different ways.
Discourse parallelism, ellipsis, and ambiguity

In this paper we combine a simple recovery mechanism for ellipsis with a general, discourse account of parallelism to account for a variety of phenomena concerning ellipsis, including Sag's wide scope puzzle and complex examples concerning sloppy identity. Our recovery mechanism requires an identity of logical structure between the recovered material and antecedent in the ellipsis. The recovered material and the antecedent are then interpreted independently in their respective contexts, subject only to the general discourse constraints on parallelism. These constraints give a uniform account of parallelism facts, whether or not there is ellipsis.
Neural-Symbolic Cognitive Agents: Architecture and Theory

In real-world applications, the effective integration of learning and reasoning in a cognitive agent model is a difficult task. However, such integration may lead to a better understanding, use and construction of more realistic models. Unfortunately, existing models are either oversimplified or require much processing time, which is unsuitable for online learning and reasoning. Currently, controlled environments like training simulators do not effectively integrate learning and reasoning. In particular, higher-order concepts and cognitive abilities have many unknown temporal relations with the data, making it impossible to represent such relationships by hand. We introduce a novel cognitive agent model and architecture for online learning and reasoning that seeks to effectively represent, learn and reason in complex real-world applications. The agent architecture of the model combines neural learning with symbolic knowledge representation. It is capable of learning new hypotheses from observed data, and infer new beliefs based on these hypotheses. Furthermore, it deals with uncertainty and errors in the data using a Bayesian inference model. The model has successfully been applied in real-time simulation and visual intelligence systems.
Model Integration for HMM- and DNN-Based Speech Synthesis Using Product-of-Experts Framework

In this paper, we propose a model integration method for hidden Markov model (HMM) and deep neural network (DNN) based acoustic models using a product-of-experts (PoE) framework in statistical parametric speech synthesis. In speech parameter generation, DNN predicts a mean vector of the probability density function of speech parameters frame by frame while keeping its covariance matrix constant over all frames. On the other hand, HMM predicts the covariance matrix as well as the mean vector but they are fixed within the same HMM state, i.e., they can actually vary state by state. To make it possible to predict a better probability density function by leveraging advantages of individual models, the proposed method integrates DNN and HMM as PoE, generating a new probability density function satisfying conditions of both DNN and HMM. Furthermore, we propose a joint optimization method of DNN and HMM within the PoE framework by effectively using additional latent variables. We conducted objective and subjective evaluations, demonstrating that the proposed method significantly outperforms the DNN-based speech synthesis as well as the HMM-based speech synthesis.
[Analysis of several anthropometric measurements for the identification of metabolic syndrome, with or without disturbance of glucose metabolism].

OBJECTIVE This study compared anthropometric measurements and insulin resistance indexes of individuals with or without metabolic syndrome (MS), stratified by the presence of glycemic abnormalities. SUBJECTS AND METHODS 454 individuals (66% women, 54% Caucasians) were included, being 155 allocated to group 1 (without MS, without glycemic abnormality), 32 to group 2 (without MS, with glycemic abnormality), 104 to group 3 (with MS, without glycemic abnormality), and 163 to group 4 (with MS, with glycemic abnormality). Groups were compared by ANOVA. RESULTS Those with MS (3 and 4) showed the worst anthropometric and lipid profiles; in group 2, despite higher plasma glucose levels, the mean values of anthropometric variables and lipids did not differ from group 1. The highest mean values of HOMA-IR were found in the groups with MS, while group 2 showed the lowest HOMA-β. Triglyceride was the metabolic variable with the highest correlation coefficients with anthropometry. However, the strongest correlations were those of waist circumference (r = 0.503) and waist-to-height ratio (r = 0.513) with HOMA-IR (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that, in a sample of the Brazilian population, any anthropometric measure identifies individuals with MS, but such measurements seem to be unable to differentiate those with glycemic disturbance. We reinforce the strongest relationship of measures of central adiposity with insulin resistance, suggesting utility for the waist-to-height. An autoimmune component may be contributing to the deterioration of glucose metabolism of individuals from group 2.
The Surface Protein Srr-1 of Streptococcus agalactiae Binds Human Keratin 4 and Promotes Adherence to Epithelial HEp-2 Cells

ABSTRACT Streptococcus agalactiae is frequently the cause of bacterial sepsis and meningitis in neonates. In addition, it is a commensal bacterium that colonizes the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. During its commensal and pathogenic lifestyles, S. agalactiae colonizes and invades a number of host compartments, thereby interacting with different host proteins. In the present study, the serine-rich repeat protein Srr-1 from S. agalactiae was functionally investigated. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that Srr-1 was localized on the surface of streptococcal cells. The Srr-1 protein was shown to interact with a 62-kDa protein in human saliva, which was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight analysis as human keratin 4 (K4). Immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay experiments allowed us to narrow down the K4 binding domain in Srr-1 to a region of 157 amino acids (aa). Furthermore, the Srr-1 binding domain of K4 was identified in the C-terminal 255 aa of human K4. Deletion of the srr-1 gene in the genome of S. agalactiae revealed that this gene plays a role in bacterial binding to human K4 and that it is involved in adherence to epithelial HEp-2 cells. Binding to immobilized K4 and adherence to HEp-2 cells were restored by introducing the srr-1 gene on a shuttle plasmid into the srr-1 mutant. Furthermore, incubation of HEp-2 cells with the K4 binding domain of Srr-1 blocked S. agalactiae adherence to epithelial cells in a dose-dependent fashion. This is the first report describing the interaction of a bacterial protein with human K4.
Performance Analysis of Various Data Mining Algorithms

The Data Mining is the essential point of data combination for business intelligence. Now a day, there has been emerging trends in database to discover useful patterns and/or correlations among attributes, called data mining. This paper presents the data mining techniques like Classification, Clustering and Associations Analysis which include algorithms of Decision Tree (like C4.5), Rule set Classifier,kNN and Naïve Bayes ,Clustering algorithms(like k-Means and EM )Machine Learning (Like SVM),Association Analysis(like Apriori). These algorithms are applied on data warehouse for extracting useful information. All algorithms contain their description, impact and review of algorithms. We also show the comparison between the classifiers by accuracy which shows ruleset classifier have higher accuracy when implement in MATLAB.These algorithms useful in increasing sales and performance of industries like banking, insurance, medical etc and also detect fraud and intrusion for assistance of society.
Undernutrition and adolescent growth among rural Indian boys.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate impact of undernutrition on various adolescent growth parameters among rural Indian boys. DESIGN Adolescent boys covering 8-18 yr age group were observed longitudinally for a period of 3 years. SETTING Adolescent boys (n=673) from seven different villages within 30 to 40 km from Pune were studied. METHOD Six monthly measurements on weight (upto 50 g) and height (upto 0.1 cm) were recorded and age assessment was done from school records with reasonable accuracy. RESULTS Stunted and underweight boys were lighter (by 4 kg) and shorter (by 8 cm) at 10 yr age compared to their normal counterparts but this difference increased to 12 kg and 10 cm respectively by adulthood. Undernourished boys however, revealed significant height gains at later ages especially beyond 14+ yr, compared to normals suggesting slow, gradual but continual growth. Undernutrition delayed age at take-off and age at PHV by about 2 yr, and lowered attained height at PHV (by 5 cm) and adult height (by 7 cm). CONCLUSION Normal and maluourished children from the same rural community show wide differences in their adolescent growth performance. Nutritional deprivation thus seems to affect almost all growth parameters and final adult size too.
Reliability Analysis and Optimal Mixture Strategy for a Lot Composed of New and Reconditioned Systems

In this paper, we introduce and study the shape and the behavior of the failure rate of a mixture of two populations of components with the same distribution but different ages. This type of mixture is encountered in industrial settings when new and reconditioned systems are mixed together in remanufacturing or for maintenance operations. The conditions under which such a mixture of increasing failure rate components can result in a population with modified bathtub-shaped failure rate are derived. A cost-optimal mixture strategy is developed to illustrate a successful use of new and reconditioned parts in maintenance.
Intermittency analyses on the SIERRA measurements of the electric field fluctuations in the auroral zone

We perform intermittency analyses on the electric field data obtained by the SIERRA sounding rocket in the auroral zone. The electric field fluctuations are broadband, covering the extremely low‐frequency range with a power‐law relation, similar to the type of fluctuations commonly observed at various altitudes of the auroral region. Our preliminary analyses of the data based on the technique of probability distribution functions indicate that the electric field fluctuations are intermittent in the spacecraft frame. Using the methods of wavelet analyses and local intermittency measures, we determine the degree of intermittency of the fluctuations at various scales. It is found that the electric field fluctuations are more intermittent at smaller scales.
Interaction between phosphorus removal and hybrid granular sludge formation under low hydraulic selection pressure at alternating anaerobic/aerobic conditions

The hybrid granular sludge (HGS) formation and its performances on phosphorus removal were investigated in a sequencing batch airlift reactor. Under conditions of low superficial air velocity (SAV = 0.68 cm s−1) and relatively long settling time (15–30 min), aerobic granules appeared and coexisted with bio-flocs after 120 days operation. At the stable phase, 54% of total suspended solid (m/m) was granular sludge with the two typical sizes (Dmean = 1.77 ± 0.33 and 0.89 ± 0.11 mm) in the reactor, where the settling velocity was 98.7 ± 12.4 and 37.8 ± 0.9 m h−1 for the big and small granules. With progressive extension of anaerobic time from 15 to 60 min before aerobic condition per cycle during the whole experiment, the HGS system can be maintained at a high total phosphorus removal efficiency (ca. 99%) since Day-270. The phosphorus content (wt %) in biomass was respectively 9.54 ± 0.29, 7.60 ± 0.48 and 6.15 ± 0.59 for the big granules, small granules and flocs.
Interactive Teleoperation of a Mobile Manipulator Using a Shared-Control Approach

This paper presents a shared-control-based design for teleoperation of a dual-arm omnidirectional mobile robot-a robot that can execute tasks commanded by a remotely user, or that can operate autonomously by adapting to its immediate environment, or that can operate in both modes simultaneously. To achieve this capability for the robot and for its effective remote control, a shared-control method has been developed. The controller determines the control gains for both the human and the autonomous commands by computing the user's confidence factor. For ease of use, a smartphone/tablet is used to control the robot. Using this approach, the robot allows the user to manipulate its motion from a remote site and compensates for a lack of local human knowledge. Practical experiments validate the proposed design and demonstrate the potential of the proposed shared-control method for home-service tasks.
[Genetic polymorphisms in the promoter region of cyclooxygenase-2 and their association with risk of gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE To examine the genetic polymorphisms in the promoter region of cyclooxygenase-2 ( COX-2) and evaluate their association with the risk of gastric cancer. METHODS Single-strand conformational polymorphism and DNA sequencing were used to screen the genetic variants of the COX-2 promoter region. Total 323 patients with gastric cancer and 646 frequency-matched controls were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by logistic regression. Haplotype frequency was estimated using Haplo. stat software. RESULTS Three single nucleotide polymorphisms, including - 1290A > G, -1195G > A, and -765G > C were identified in the promoter of COX- 2. Case-control analysis showed an increased risk of developing gastric cancer for the -1290AG (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.03-2.61), -1195AA (OR 2.68; 95% CI 1.65-4.33), and -765CG (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.53-4.64) genotype carriers, respectively, compared with noncarriers. A greater risk of developing gastric cancer was observed for the A(-1290) -A(-1195) -C(-765) haplotype compared with the A(-1290) -G(-1195) -G(-765) haplotypes (OR 11.80; 95% CI 2.43-57.25). CONCLUSION Genetic polymorphisms in COX-2 promoter region may play a role in gastric carcinogenesis.
Septin Function in Yeast Model Systems and Pathogenic Fungi

The septins were first discovered in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and were named for their role in cytokinesis and septum formation (69). Septins are now known to be highly conserved in fungi and animals, although absent in plants and many protozoans (e.g., Plasmodium fasciculatum and Dictyostelium discoideum). The septin proteins are characterized by presence of a distinct type of GTPase domain and by their ability to form filaments. The S. cerevisiae septin proteins form a series of 10-nm filaments that assemble into a ring on the inner surface of the plasma membrane at the bud neck. Septin rings are thought to function as a scaffold to recruit proteins to the bud neck and to act as a boundary domain to restrict diffusion during budding and cytokinesis (30, 39, 66, 68). However, septins are now implicated in a broad range of dynamic membrane events. In S. cerevisiae, septins have been found to also play a role in conjugation and sporulation. Moreover, analyses of septin function in other organisms, including fungi that undergo different patterns of growth and differentiation, are revealing new aspects of septin function. Therefore, we will provide an overview of the current understanding of the relatively well-studied roles of septins during S. cerevisiae budding and then use this as a context to review studies of septin function during other developmental pathways in S. cerevisiae and other fungi. The other fungi will include the model fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and two opportunistic fungal pathogens: the multimorphic Candida albicans and the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.
Exploring the IEEE standard C37.118-2005

Summary form only given. IEEE standard 1344-1995 on measurement of synchronized phasors of power system currents and voltages has been revised and published as IEEE standard C37.118-2005. This paper has been prepared by the IEEE Working Group who developed the revised version. The purpose of the paper is to acquaint the power engineering community of the availability and content of this new standard, highlight some of the key differences between the old and new versions, and introduce several applications of this powerful technology.
Adherence of Bacteria to Pediatric Intravenous Catheters and Needles and Its Relation to Phlebitis in Animals

ABSTRACT: The adherence of bacteria to pediatric IV catheters and needles was studied. Scanning electron micrographs showed that bacteria adhered well to the catheters and needles, mainly to non-smooth surface areas. In vitro quantitative determination, with the use of radiolabeled bacteria, revealed differences in the affinity of bacteria for the various IV cannula materials. The adherence per square area was greatest for plastic catheters, less for steel needles, and least for siliconized needles. Mean values for the adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to these cannulae were 37.9-40.3 × 105 bacteria/cm2 for the plastic catheters; 10.2 × 105 bacteria/cm2 for the steel needles, and 7.2-7.6 × 105/cm2 for the siliconized needles. Removal of the glutaraldehyde-fixed bacteria adhered to the cannulae, after their placement in veins of rabbits, was lower for the plastic catheters than the IV needles. The appearance and severity of venous phlebitis produced by the various cannulae was determined in an animal model. The degree of the inflammatory response elicited correlated with the in vitro bacterial adherence, indicating that bacterial adherence plays a role in the appearance of cannulaassociated phlebitis.In view of our results and other previous observations of lower rate of infections with the use of IV needles, it is suggested that needles should be preferred to plastic catheters whenever possible. The described in vitro assay for bacterial adherence can be used to determine the adherent properties of IV cannulae, which should be considered in any future cannula design.
Management of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii epidemic in an intensive care unit using multifaceted intervention strategy

Background/Aims We evaluated the effects of a multifaceted intervention for controlling a carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) epidemic in an intensive care unit (ICU) with no restrictions on carbapenem use. Methods This study was conducted in a medical ICU between April 2012 and June 2016. The baseline infection control programs included surveillance cultures, contact precautions, and environmental cleaning. However, increases in the detection of CRAB isolates beginning in May 2013 led to the implementation of a new protocol, consisting of universal glove and gown use with daily chlorhexidine bathing for all patients in combination with baseline programs. The efficacy of the intervention was subjected to interrupted time series (ITS) analysis. Results The multifaceted intervention led to a decrease in the incidence of CRAB from 17.65 to 0.89 cases per 1,000 patient-days, during the study period (p < 0.001). ITS analysis revealed a significant change in the trend of CRAB incidence (–0.413, p < 0.001). Over this same period, mean monthly use of carbapenems increased from 143.54 ± 95.73 to 204.95 ± 78.43 doses per 1,000 patient-days (p = 0.018). Conclusions Our multifaceted intervention reduced the incidence of CRAB acquisition in an ICU where carbapenem use was not restricted.
Tryptophan 2,3-Dioxygenase in Chick Embryo Hepatocytes: Studies in Ovo and in Culture

Abstract Tryptophan dioxygenase is a hemoprotein in its active form, which has a relatively low affinity for heme. From previous studies in rats, the ratio of holoenzyme/total enzyme activity of tryptophan dioxygenase has been proposed to reflect the size of a “free” heme pool in hepatocytes. Chick embryo hepatocytes in ovo and in culture are other systems that have proven useful for study of hepatic heme metabolism and its control. Heretofore, there have been few studies of tryptophan dioxygenase activity in chick embryo hepatocytes. As part of studies on hepatic heme metabolism, using two different assays, we have measured tryptophan dioxygenase activity and percentage of heme saturation of the enzyme in chick embryo livers cells in ovo and in culture. One method of assay relies on endogenous formamidase to generate the final product, kynurenine, which is measured directly, whereas the other method uses a chemical hydrolysis step to form kynurenine which is further diazotized prior to measurement. The latter method is shown to be preferable for studies with chick embryo hepatocytes. In addition, we show that (i) tryptophan dioxygenase activity is present and can be increased by tryptophan and phenobarbital-like drugs in chick embryo hepatocytes in ovo; (ii) total enzyme activity falls markedly in cultured hepatocytes despite the presence of high concentrations of glucocorticoids in the culture medium; and (iii) under all conditions studied thus far in the cultures, the enzyme is nearly saturated with heme. Results are discussed in relation to regulation of heme metabolism in chick embryo hepatocytes.
A Scalable Architecture for Event-Based Cross-Correlation

We present an architecture for a bio-inspired circuit that implements a wide-range cross-correlation. The circuit implements a stochastic approximation to mathematical cross-correlation. The basic circuit element is a noise-driven oscillator consisting of an integrator, a Schmitt inverter, and a switch which switches between the two signals to be cross-correlated. These elements can be developed into an NxN array which extends the cross-correlation range and improves the speed and accuracy of the approximation.
Linking dental pathologies and cancer via Wnt signalling

Great efforts have been made over the past decades to discover new therapeutic targets for a big variety of human pathologies. Most of the studies dealing with severe pathological conditions such as cancers and tissue malformations are focused on the role of either widely recognized master controlling genes such as ras and myc or pivotal components of key signalling pathways, among which Wnt and Notch [1, 2]. However, these genes and molecules are fundamental for proper embryogenesis as well as for tissue and organ homeostasis and regeneration, where they regulate cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis. The precise timing and localization of their activation are important to ensure the appropriate cellular functions in physiological conditions. Thus, their indiscriminate targeting is not desirable, due to both the high risk of severe side effects and the certainty of broad phenotypic consequences. On the contrary, optimal therapeutic targets should be selected based on their tissue, time and pathology specific roles. Here, we suggest a paradigmatic example of such target molecules that could be represented by the Wnt/β-catenin signalling components Bcl9 and Bcl9l.