Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Birth spacing and risk of adverse perinatal outcomes: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Both short and long interpregnancy intervals have been associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. However, whether this possible association is confounded by maternal characteristics or socioeconomic status is uncertain. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between birth spacing and relative risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. DATA SOURCES Studies published in any language were retrieved by searching MEDLINE (1966 through January 2006), EMBASE, ECLA, POPLINE, CINAHL, and LILACS, proceedings of meetings on birth spacing, and bibliographies of retrieved articles, and by contact with relevant researchers in the field. STUDY SELECTION Included studies were cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies with results adjusted for at least maternal age and socioeconomic status, reporting risk estimates and 95% confidence intervals (or data to calculate them) of birth spacing and perinatal outcomes. Of 130 articles identified in the search, 67 (52%) were included. DATA EXTRACTION Information on study design, participant characteristics, measure of birth spacing used, measures of outcome, control for potential confounding factors, and risk estimates was abstracted independently by 2 investigators using a standardized protocol. DATA SYNTHESIS A random-effects model and meta-regression analyses were used to pool data from individual studies. Compared with interpregnancy intervals of 18 to 23 months, interpregnancy intervals shorter than 6 months were associated with increased risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age (pooled adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals]: 1.40 [1.24-1.58], 1.61 [1.39-1.86], and 1.26 [1.18-1.33], respectively). Intervals of 6 to 17 months and longer than 59 months were also associated with a significantly greater risk for the 3 adverse perinatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Interpregnancy intervals shorter than 18 months and longer than 59 months are significantly associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. These data suggest that spacing pregnancies appropriately could help prevent such adverse perinatal outcomes.
MRAM Acceleration Core for Vector Matrix Multiplication and XNOR-Binarized Neural Network Inference

Customized hardware for artificial intelligence (AI) applications has gained significance recently. In this study, acceleration core enabled by STT-MRAM is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, which could support complete bit-wise Boolean logic in the read mode. Specifically, two-variables AND for vector matrix multiplication and XNOR for the binarized neural network inference are successfully demonstrated. Both analog and digital approaches are discussed, and a current-input architecture is also suggested to reduce the power consumption for massively parallel computation.
Human symbionts inject and neutralize antibacterial toxins to persist in the gut

Significance The microbial community in the human gut represents one of the densest known ecosystems. Community composition has broad impacts on health, and metabolic competition and host selection have both been implicated in shaping these communities. Here, we report that contact-dependent bacterial antagonism also determines the ability of human gut symbionts to persist in the microbiome. Simplified microbiomes, assembled in gnotobiotic mice, reveal effector transmission rates exceeding 1 billion events per minute per gram of colonic contents. Together, these results suggest that human gut symbionts define their closest competitors not only metabolically but also spatially. Moreover, strains within a single species can encode diverse effectors that may provide new avenues for shaping the microbiome to improve human health. The human gut microbiome is a dynamic and densely populated microbial community that can provide important benefits to its host. Cooperation and competition for nutrients among its constituents only partially explain community composition and interpersonal variation. Notably, certain human-associated Bacteroidetes—one of two major phyla in the gut—also encode machinery for contact-dependent interbacterial antagonism, but its impact within gut microbial communities remains unknown. Here we report that prominent human gut symbionts persist in the gut through continuous attack on their immediate neighbors. Our analysis of just one of the hundreds of species in these communities reveals 12 candidate antibacterial effector loci that can exist in 32 combinations. Through the use of secretome studies, in vitro bacterial interaction assays and multiple mouse models, we uncover strain-specific effector/immunity repertoires that can predict interbacterial interactions in vitro and in vivo, and find that some of these strains avoid contact-dependent killing by accumulating immunity genes to effectors that they do not encode. Effector transmission rates in live animals can exceed 1 billion events per minute per gram of colonic contents, and multiphylum communities of human gut commensals can partially protect sensitive strains from these attacks. Together, these results suggest that gut microbes can determine their interactions through direct contact. An understanding of the strategies human gut symbionts have evolved to target other members of this community may provide new approaches for microbiome manipulation.
California group arboviruses: immunodiffusion studies.

Differentiation of members of the California group of arboviruses was accomplished using the double diffusion in gel technique of Ouchterlony. Eight antigenic subgroups were defined on the basis of unique antigenicities. These groupings confirmed the individuality of isolates described in the literature and allowed classification of new isolates. Unique, yet identical, patterns of antibody specificity were found in convalescent sera of 11 individuals with central nervous system disease.
Quaternion-based delay time determination for kinematic optical measuring systems

By using kinematic optical measuring systems in spatiotemporal positioning necessarily all involved sensors of the measuring systems have to be synchronized. Otherwise existing delay times in a measuring system will lead to deviations in space-time position. These delay times will be determinated with a developed time-referenced 4D calibration system, which is qualified for tracking optical measuring systems of any kind. The base of this calibration system is built up by a tiltable rotating arm driven by a rotary direct drive. The rotating arm is supplemented by a further rotary direct drive mounted on a freely movable tripod. The developed modeling for determinability of the delay times is based on the theory of quaternions. The fundamental idea of modeling is equivalent to the fact that every measurand of the test item, which is measured at a particular time, could be assigned to an explicit position of the rotating arm.
A 3 MHz/18 MHz dual-layer co-linear array for transrectal acoustic angiography

In this paper, a novel dual layer co-linear array ultrasound transducer was developed for transrectal dual-frequency superharmonic imaging. The KLM model and Field II were used for the acoustic stack design and simulation of the acoustic field of the array, respectively. The newly designed and fabricated probe consists of 50 transmit elements with a center frequency of 3 MHz and 100 receive elements with a center frequency of 18 MHz. The dimensions of the array are 15 mm in azimuth and 9 mm in elevation. The pitch is 270 μm for the transmitting elements and 135 μm for the receiving element. Pulse-echo testing of TX/RX elements corresponded with the simulation results. Real-time contrast imaging was tested using a multi-channel imaging system. The non-linear responses from microbubble contrast agents flowing through a 200 μm cellulose tube at a distance of 30 mm from the probe were clearly observed and displayed in the image. The axial beam width and CNR were calculated to be 200 μm and 18 dB, respectively. These results suggest that the prototyped co-linear array is capable of performing dual-frequency superharmonic imaging of microbubbles (“acoustic angiography”) for prostate cancer assessment.
Migration to the United States and Mexican rural development: a case study.

An analysis of the impact of migration to the United States on the sending community and on the labor market in the receiving country is presented based on a case study of Las Animas, Mexico. "As the community becomes increasingly involved in migration, tendencies can be identified regarding changing migration patterns, class differentiation among villagers, impact of migration on village economy, and the changing role of Mexican workers in California labor markets. Results indicate the importance of social networks in determining the outcome of migration; while migration is individually rational, it is a factor of stagnation for village economy, and it helps reproduce segmented California labor markets. "
The 97.5th and 99.5th Percentile of Vertical Cup Disc Ratio in the United States

Purpose. The International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology (ISGEO) suggests a case definition for the prevalence studies of glaucoma based on the 97.5th and 99.5th percentile of vertical optic cup distribution among the evaluated population. Although multiple studies evaluating the prevalence of glaucoma have been undertaken in the last 20 years, case definitions have varied, and data on the underlying population distribution are sparse. This study evaluates the population distribution of 97.5th and 99.5th percentile of vertical cup disc ratio (VCDR) and VCDR asymmetry (VCDRA) in the US population and its association with demographic characteristics, self-reported glaucoma, and visual field. Methods. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a nationally representative sample of the US population, which during the years 2005 to 2008 collected frequency doubling technology screening fields and digital fundus photography. Accounting for the complex design of the NHANES population, estimates of the 97.5th and 99.5th percentile of VCDR and VCDRA were calculated, and national estimates of glaucoma prevalence were generated. Associations between disc characteristics, demographic variables, and self-reported glaucoma were explored. Results. Approximately 2.11% (95% confidence interval, 1.55 to 2.67) of the US population older than 40 years has glaucoma based on ISGEO criteria. A much larger 5.13% (95% confidence interval, 4.43 to 5.85) of the US population older than 40 years self-reports having glaucoma. Based on the estimates from NHANES, 6.89% of the population has a VCDR or VCDRA >97.5th percentile in either eye or OU. For the at-risk population with VCDR/VCDRA above the 97.5th percentile, <20% reported having glaucoma, whereas for those at the 99.5th percentile, <50% reported having glaucoma. Conclusions. The prevalence of glaucoma from NHANES based on ISGEO criteria produces similar population estimated to other population-based studies. Self-reported glaucoma is ∼2.4 times more common than what the prevalence estimates suggest.
Comparison of excitation signals and methods for a wideband bioimpedance measurement

Various excitation signals are applicable for the wideband impedance spectroscopy. However, in electrical bioimpedance (EBI) measurements, there are several limitations that set specific demands on the properties of the excitation signals. This paper compares the efficiency of different excitation signals in a graspable presentation and gives recommendations for their use. The paper deals with finding the efficient excitation waveforms for the fast spectroscopy of bioimpedance. Nevertheless, the described solutions could be useful also in other implementations of impedance spectroscopy intended for frequency domain characterization of different objects.
Optical sectioning of microbial biofilms

Scanning confocal laser microscopy (SCLM) was used to visualize fully hydrated microbial biofilms. The improved rejection of out-of-focus haze and the increased resolution of SCLM made it preferable to conventional phase microscopy for the analysis of living biofilms. The extent of image improvement was dependent on the characteristics of individual biofilms and was most apparent when films were dispersed in three dimensions, when they were thick, and when they contained a high number of cells. SCLM optical sections were amenable to quantitative computer-enhanced microscopy analyses, with minimal interference originating from overlying or underlying cell material. By using SCLM in conjunction with viable negative fluorescence staining techniques, horizontal (xy) and sagittal (xz) sections of intact biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were obtained. These optical sections were then analyzed by image-processing techniques to assess the distribution of cellular and noncellular areas within the biofilm matrices. The Pseudomonas biofilms were most cell dense at their attachment surfaces and became increasingly diffuse near their outer regions, whereas the Vibrio biofilms exhibited the opposite trend. Biofilms consisting of different species exhibited distinctive arrangements of the major biofilm structural components (cellular and extracellular materials and space). In general, biofilms were found to be highly hydrated, open structures composed of 73 to 98% extracellular materials and space. The use of xz sectioning revealed more detail of biofilm structure, including the presence of large void spaces within the Vibrio biofilms. In addition, three-dimensional reconstructions of biofilms were constructed and were displayed as stereo pairs. Application of the concepts of architectural analysis to mixed- or pure-species biofilms will allow detailed examination of the relationships among biofilm structure, adaptation, and response to stress.
EUDIS-An Encryption Scheme for User-Data Security in Public Networks

(cid:2) Abstract — The method of introducing the proxy interpretation for sending and receiving requests increase the capability of the server and our approach UDIV (User-Data Identity Security) to solve the data and user authentication without extending size of the data makes better than hybrid IDS (Intrusion Detection System). And at the same time all the security stages we have framed have to pass through less through that minimize the response time of the request. Even though an anomaly detected, before rejecting it the proxy extracts its identity to prevent it to enter into system. In case of false anomalies, the request will be reshaped and transformed into legitimate request for further response. Finally we are holding the normal and abnormal requests in two different queues with own priorities.
Treatment needs for dental caries, restorative care index and index of extractions in adolescents 12 and 15 years old.

OBJECTIVE To determine the Treatment Needs Index (TNI) for dental caries, the restorative Care Index (CI), and to introduce a Tooth Extractions Index (TEI) to estimate past and current treatment needs among Mexican adolescents. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 1538 adolescents aged 12 and 15 years in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, to collect decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) data to describe TNI, CI and TEI indices. RESULTS Higher TNI was identified in younger male teenagers who had always lived in the same community, without dental visits in the last year, and who had poorer socio-economic markers. Higher CI was found in older, female subjects who had moved in their lifetimes to a new community in the area, with dental visits in the last year and who had better socio-economic markers. Higher TEI was found in older, female teenagers who had moved in their lifetimes to a new community in the area, without dental visits in the last year, and who had worse socio-economic markers. CONCLUSIONS We observed high rates of treatment needs for dental caries and little experience of restorative treatment. While dental extractions due to advanced caries should ideally be zero, relatively few adolescents had this treatment experience. Despite the fact that the overall background of these adolescents is rather homogeneous, it was still possible to find that treatment needs' indices (past and present needs) appeared to be modified by sociodemographic and socio-economic variables.
CONCEPTS OF NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS

Today, many governments follow a strategy of national competitiveness for fostering economic development. However, there is no accepted theory of national competitiveness but just different concepts behind these policies. This article aims to provide an overview of the different concepts of national competitiveness, starting with a look at firm level competitiveness. The article distinguishes between four special concepts of national competitiveness and approaches of competitive advantage. It is argued that national competitiveness should be seen as a relative rather than an absolute concept that allows for a benchmarking of nations.
A autoria institucional nos editoriais de jornais

Este trabalho resulta de uma discussao em torno das relacoes de implicacao e determinacao entre as nocoes de autoria e de generos do discurso. A discussao e realizada com base num alargamento da nocao de autoria, a qual passa a ser vista como uma categoria constitutiva dos generos do discurso como um todo, e nao somente daqueles em que o estilo individual e concebido como um empreendimento enunciativo de base – caso dos generos literarios. A perspectiva principal do estudo considera que ha uma relacao de mutua determinacao entre genero e autoria de modo que, por um lado, os generos ja contemplam uma dada concepcao de autoria, mas, por outro, e o trabalho da autoria que vai configurando a “relativa estabilidade” formal e funcional dos generos. A analise comparada de editoriais de jornal lanca luz sobre essa discussao e aponta o fato de que, mesmo em generos fortemente institucionais, o estudo da autoria oferece contribuicoes significativas para o estudo dos generos.
Circuit-Level Implementation of Semiconductor Self-Assembled Quantum Dot Laser

In this paper, for the first time, we present a circuit model of InGaAs-GaAs self-assembled quantum dot (QD) lasers (SAQDLs) based on the standard rate equations. By using the presented model, effects of carrier dynamics on QD laser static and dynamic performances are investigated. Simulated results show that retarded carrier relaxation due to phonon bottleneck degrades the threshold current, external quantum efficiency, and modulation response of QD laser, which is in agreement with the results reported by other researchers. The model accurately explains the operating characteristics found in InGaAs-GaAs SAQDLs.
Structure and Complexity of Perched and Flight Songs of the Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)

We analysed 2166 songs of 90 males of the tree pipit (Anthus trivialis; Passeriformes: Motacillidae) from five Czech localities to evaluate variation in song characteristics, the song structure and syntax rules, and differences between songs performed in flight and from perches. We measured temporal and spectral song characteristics; structure analysis was based on the identification of individual syllable units. There was a high among-population variation in the repertoire, suggesting substantial differences in local dialects. Flight and perched songs significantly differed in most analysed quantitative characteristics. While both types of songs are apparently used in territorial defence, trill elements within flight songs may also indicate male quality to potential mates. Characteristic bi-syllable repeats within songs were often unique for individual males and may function in individual recognition. Features of tree pipit songs make it a good species for studying song variation and function in birds with complex repertoires.
DAILY HEMODIALYSIS—SELECTED TOPICS: An International Registry to Compare Quotidian Dialysis Regimens with Conventional Thrice‐Weekly Hemodialysis: Why, How, and Potential Pitfalls

Thrice‐weekly hemodialysis is the most commonly used form of renal replacement therapy, yet it is associated with unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Attempts to improve outcomes for hemodialysis patients by increasing their per‐session dose of dialysis have recently proven unsatisfactory in the multicentered Hemodialysis (HEMO) study. Interest has thus turned to increasing dialysis frequency. Short daily and long nocturnal dialysis, which are typically performed 6 days per week, are gaining acceptance and are associated with significant improvements in secondary outcomes, including nutrition, left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertension, anemia, and calcium‐phosphorus balance. Studies to date have not been adequately powered to detect the survival benefits that these changes may confer. Large‐scale randomized studies are planned, but will likely not answer the survival question for several years. Until this issue is resolved, funding policies are unlikely to change, confining current dialysis patients to potentially suboptimal therapy. By capturing data from current and future daily dialysis patients using an international registry, a survival benefit might be demonstrated more quickly. Such a project will soon be undertaken by the London Daily/Nocturnal Study Group with endorsement from the International Society for Hemodialysis and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This database will also provide useful descriptive data that will help develop methodologies in this growing field. Historically the interpretation of dialysis registry data has been plagued with various methodological problems. These are briefly reviewed, and some potential solutions and necessary precautions are discussed.
Significance of Inducible Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardias After Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Background Noninducibility of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT) postablation does not insure absence of later recurrence in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. This study aims to determine the relation between inducible nonsustained VT postablation and VT recurrences. Methods and Results One hundred sixty-five consecutive patients (156 male; age 68±9 years) underwent ablation for SMVT because of ischemic cardiomyopathy; 44 patients who did not have induction testing or in whom only ventricular fibrillation was induced after ablation were excluded. In 38 patients (23%), SMVT was inducible (group C). Of the 83 patients without inducible SMVT after ablation, nonsustained VT defined as ≥5 beats lasting for <30 s, was induced in 34 patients (group B, 21%), whereas the remaining 49 patients had no VT induced by the induction test (group A, 30%). Over a median follow-up of 18.7 months, freedom from recurrent VT at 24 months was 60% in group A, 45% in group B (P=0.017 versus group A), and 38% in group C (P=0.005 versus group A). In patients without inducible SMVT, inducible nonsustained VT and left ventricular ejection fraction was independently associated with VT recurrence (hazard ratio, 3.66 and 1.07; 95% CI, 1.3–11.1 and 1.01–1.14). Conclusions Inducible nonsustained VT postablation suggests the continued presence of functional arrhythmia substrate. Further trials are needed to assess whether additional ablation would improve outcome in this group.