Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tracking Climate Change through the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Teletherms, the Statistically Hottest and Coldest Days of the Year

Instabilities and long term shifts in seasons, whether induced by natural drivers or human activities, pose great disruptive threats to ecological, agricultural, and social systems. Here, we propose, measure, and explore two fundamental markers of location-sensitive seasonal variations: the Summer and Winter Teletherms—the on-average annual dates of the hottest and coldest days of the year. We analyse daily temperature extremes recorded at 1218 stations across the contiguous United States from 1853–2012, and observe large regional variation with the Summer Teletherm falling up to 90 days after the Summer Solstice, and 50 days for the Winter Teletherm after the Winter Solstice. We show that Teletherm temporal dynamics are substantive with clear and in some cases dramatic shifts reflective of system bifurcations. We also compare recorded daily temperature extremes with output from two regional climate models finding considerable though relatively unbiased error. Our work demonstrates that Teletherms are an intuitive, powerful, and statistically sound measure of local climate change, and that they pose detailed, stringent challenges for future theoretical and computational models.
A Clp/Hsp100 Chaperone Functions in Myxococcus xanthus Sporulation and Self-Organization

ABSTRACT The Clp/Hsp100 proteins are chaperones that play a role in protein degradation and reactivation. In bacteria, they exhibit a high degree of pleiotropy, affecting both individual and multicellular phenotypes. In this article, we present the first characterization of a Clp/Hsp100 homolog in Myxococcus xanthus (MXAN_4832 gene locus). Deletion of MXAN_4832 causes defects in both swarming and aggregation related to cell motility and the production of fibrils, which are an important component of the extracellular matrix of a swarm. The deletion also affects the formation of myxospores during development, causing them to become sensitive to heat. The protein product of MXAN_4832 can act as a chaperone in vitro, providing biochemical evidence in support of our hypothesis that MXAN_4832 is a functional Clp/Hsp100 homolog. There are a total of 12 Clp/Hsp100 homologs in M. xanthus, including MXAN_4832, and, based on its mutational and biochemical characterization, they may well represent an important group.
Immune responses against Aspergillus fumigatus: what have we learned?

Purpose of review Aspergillus fumigatus causes invasive and allergenic disease. Host defense relies on the ability of the respiratory immune system to restrict spore germination into invasive hyphae and to limit fungus-induced or inflammation-induced damage in infected tissues. This review covers the molecular and cellular events that mediate innate and CD4 T-cell responses to A. fumigatus and fungal attributes that counter hostile microenvironments and, in turn, affect host responses. Recent findings Host recognition of fungal cell wall components is critical for fungal uptake, killing, and the formation of protective innate and CD4 T-cell effector populations. Beyond the known role of neutrophils and macrophages, circulating monocytes, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells contribute to optimal defense against A. fumigatus. Genetic and pharmacologic manipulation of A. fumigatus reveals that hypoxia adaptation, cell wall assembly, and secondary metabolite production in mammalian tissues contribute to fungal pathogenesis and the outcome of infection. Summary Greater understanding of the immune mechanisms that underlie protective responses and fungal pathways that promote microbial adaptation and growth in mammalian tissue provide a conceptual framework for improving current antifungal therapies.
Directional hearing of a harbor seal in air and water.

Minimum audible angles (MAA) of a harbor seal were determined using a click‐train stimulus (left‐right, forced choice) and found to be 9°±4° underwater and 3°±4° in air. After accounting for the sound‐speed differences, the MAAs and the similarities of the psychometric functions suggest that interaural time differences provide the most important clue. The findings indicate that the interaural distance is the same in both media. An implication of this is that nonbony tissues are not sound transparent in water. MAAs in air were determined using other signal types. Click trains and 1/3‐octave noise sources above 3 kHz were localized with greater acuity than sinusoidal or low‐frequency noise stimuli. The findings indicate that signals containing well‐defined time clues are localized more readily than signals containing only intensity and/or phase information.
Characterization of effective bandwidth as a metric of quality of service for wired and wireless ATM networks

The concept of effective bandwidth has been recently introduced to analyze the call admission, congestion control, and resource management in ATM networks. In this paper, the effective bandwidth is proposed as a metric of quality of service for wired and radio ATM. Using traditional and self-similar models of traffic sources, the effective bandwidth for an ideal channel is computed. The results are extended to random error and burst error channels by computing cell loss ratio. Using a modified fluid flow model, analytical approaches are examined using an ATM-simulator with different buffer sizes and Hurst parameters. The results can be used by the ATM system designer when dealing with bandwidth restricted channels, e.g., radio ATM.
Capital Regulation after the Crisis: Business as Usual?

The paper discusses the reform of capital regulation of banks in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007/2009. Whereas the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision seems to go for marginal changes here and there, the paper calls for a thorough overhaul, moving away from risk calibration and raising capital requirements very substantially. The argument is based on the observation that the current system of risk-calibrated capital requirements, in particular under the model-based approach, played a key role in allowing banks to be undercapitalized prior to the crisis, with strong systemic effects for deleveraging multipliers and for the functioning of interbank markets. The argument is also based on the observation that the current system has no theoretical foundation, its objectives are ill-specified, and its effects have not been thought through, either for the individual bank or for the system as a whole. Objections to substantial increases in capital requirements rest on arguments that run counter to economic logic or are themselves evidence of moral hazard and a need for regulation.
Familial mediterranean fever in an Iranian patient with behcet disease.

BACKGROUND Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most prevalent disorder among the hereditary autoinflammatory syndromes. This disorder is characterized by fever and some painful attacks such as abdominal, chest or joint pain and potentially development of AA amyloidosis. Several vasculitis are more common in FMF than general population. There are some reports about association of FMF with Behcet Disease (BD). CASE PRESENTATION In this study, we describe a 27 year old patient with BD who suffered from attacks of fever, arthralgia, abdominal pain and genetic study confirmed the diagnosis of FMF. CONCLUSION FMF should be considered in a patient with Behcet disease who is suffering from attacks of fever, arthralgia and abdominal pain.
The Economic Value of Professional Nursing

Background:Improved understanding of the economic value of registered nurse services can help inform staffing decisions and policies. Objectives:To quantify the economic value of professional nursing. Methods:We synthesize findings from the literature on the relationship between registered nurse staffing levels and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes in acute care hospitals. Using hospital discharge data to estimate incidence and cost of these patient outcomes together with productivity measures, we estimate the economic implications of changes in registered nurse staffing levels. Subjects:Medical and surgical patients in nonfederal acute care hospitals. Data come from a literature review, and hospital discharge data from the 2005 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Measures:Patient nosocomial complications, healthcare expenditures, and national productivity. Results:As nurse staffing levels increase, patient risk of nosocomial complications and hospital length of stay decrease, resulting in medical cost savings, improved national productivity, and lives saved. Conclusions:Only a portion of the services that professional nurses provide can be quantified in pecuniary terms, but the partial estimates of economic value presented illustrate the economic value to society of improved quality of care achieved through higher staffing levels.
The effects of temperature, osmolality and hydrogen ion concentration on the activation and acrosome reaction of golden hamster spermatozoa.

Golden hamster spermatozoa were incubated in a medium consisting of 50% Tyrode's solution and 50% \g=g\-globulin-freehuman serum (gas phase, air). The effects of incubation temperatures of 42 to 16\s=deg\C were studied. Sperm activation, acrosome reaction and survival were impaired at 42\s=deg\C. Below 42\s=deg\C, the time required for activation to occur was inversely proportional to the incubation temperature. Spermatozoa could be activated almost instantly by warming them to 37\s=deg\C following preincubation for `critical' lengths of time at temperature of 31\s=deg\C and below. The acrosome reaction reached a maximum level approximately 1\m=1/2\hr after activation at 33 to 40\s=deg\C. At 31 to 23\s=deg\C, the time increased as lower temperatures were used. Following warming, the acrosome reaction reached its maximum about 3 hr after the critical time. The final percentages of activation and acrosome reaction and the survival rates were not affected between 25 and 40\s=deg\C. The possibility that at least three phases or processes are involved in activation and
Postinjury fibrinolysis shutdown: Rationale for selective tranexamic acid

Postinjury systemic fibrinolysis has been recognized as a biologic process for more than 200 years, but the specific mechanisms of regulation and their clinical implications remain to be elucidated. By the 1950s, the plasminogen-plasmin-antiplasmin system was established as critical in preserving microvascular patency during blood clotting to maintain hemostasis. The challenges in modulating systemic fibrinolysis became evident soon thereafter. In the 1960s systemic fibrinolysis was identified by thrombelastography (TEG) during the anhepatic phase of liver transplantation, prompting the recommendation for intraoperative antifibrinolytics. But the administration of antifibrinolytic was associated with fatal postoperative pulmonary emboli. During the same period, there was experimental evidence that antifibrinolytics prevented irreversible hemorrhagic shock. More recently, a randomized trial indicated that plasmin inhibition during coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with increased mortality. The interest in antifibrinolytic therapy for trauma induced coagulopathy (TIC) is a relatively recent event, largely driven by the increasing use of viscoelastic hemostatic assays. The CRASH-2 trial, published in 2010, stimulated worldwide enthusiasm for tranexamic acid (TXA). However, the limitations of this study were soon acknowledged, raising concern for the unbridled use of TXA. Most recently, the documentation of fibrinolysis shutdown soon after injury has highlighted the potential adverse effects due to the untimely administration of TXA. A recent retrospective analysis in severely injured patients supports this hypothesis. But final clarity of this volatile topic awaits the completion of the current ongoing randomized clinical trials throughout the world.
Normative Data on the Motor Steadiness Battery for Children

Three tests of motor skills for children from 5 to 14 were administered to 184 normal elementary school pupils and 40 children with school problems. The tests were: the maze test of kinetic tremor, the graduated holes test of static tremor and the pegboard test. Means and standard deviations for each CA group and intertest correlations are presented. Reliability estimates for a second group of Ss are also given.
Leukocyte-Derived Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Mediates Murine Postoperative Ileus

Objective:To provide evidence that iNOS expression solely in leukocytes plays a role in postoperative ileus. Summary Background Data:Intestinal handling initiates a molecular and cellular muscularis inflammation that has been associated with iNOS expression and ileus. The specific cellular source of iNOS is a matter of speculation. Methods:Chimeric mice were constructed that selectively express the iNOS gene only in their leukocytes or only in their parenchymal cells by lethal radiation and reconstitution with reciprocal bone marrow. Mild intestinal manipulation was used to induce postoperative ileus. Results:Intestinal manipulation caused a significant leukocyte extravasation into the muscularis of all groups. Postoperative iNOS mRNA expression was evident in iNOS+/+ and transplanted iNOS−/− mice with iNOS+/+ bone marrow but not in iNOS−/− animals. The loss of the iNOS gene in leukocytes of iNOS+/+ mice reduced iNOS mRNA expression by 59%. iNOS-deficient mice and iNOS+/+ animals with iNOS−/− leukocytes presented with a significant improvement in postoperative intestinal transit and in vitro smooth muscle contractility, whereas the replacement with iNOS+/+ bone marrow in iNOS−/− mice completely reversed this improvement. Conclusion:These results clearly show that iNOS expressed in leukocytes within the intestinal muscularis plays a major role in mediating smooth muscle dysfunction and subsequently postoperative ileus.
A translational approach to characterization and measurement of health-promoting school ethos

A health promoting schools (HPS) approach is hypothesized to influence student health and wellbeing by promoting a 'school ethos' that reflects the physical environment, social relations, organisational structure, policies and practices within schools. This complex set of factors makes health promoting school ethos (HPSE) challenging to define and measure. This work sought to theorise, develop and pilot a measure of HPSE as the context for implementation of HPS initiatives. We used a multi-method, iterative process to identify relevant HPSE concepts through triangulation of conceptual literature, existing tools and the tacit knowledge of school stakeholders. The HPSE measurement tool was administered to 18 elementary schools through a principal and teacher survey and an environmental assessment, followed by the development of HPSE scores for each school. Testing for internal consistency of items was used to examine theorized concepts, and scores for each school are summarised. HPSE included eight conceptual dimensions with internal consistency ranging from α = 0.60 to α = 0.87. Total HPSE scores across schools (N = 18) ranged from 1 to 8 (mean = 3.94, SD = 2.1), with 28-65% of schools reporting 'high' on respective HPSE dimensions. Schools included a heterogeneous mixture of HPSE scores, particularly across different dimensions. Our novel approach to tool development allowed us to conceptualize HPSE using a flexible process comprising different types and sources of evidence. The HPSE tool holds potential for identification and measurement of critical components of different school context as it relates to HPS.
Do women read poster displays on breast cancer in waiting rooms?

BACKGROUND This study reports data from a survey carried out in the Iranian Center for Breast Cancer (ICBC) to examine whether women read poster displays in waiting rooms and whether they would have any suggestions to improve posters and thus meet their informational needs. METHODS Five specially designed posters were displayed in waiting rooms in the ICBC. The content of posters was related to risk factors, early detection, signs and symptoms, and prevention of breast cancer. During a 3 month period a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all attendees and they were asked to complete the questionnaire. RESULTS Overall, 850 women were given the questionnaire and 777 completed questionnaires (91 per cent) were returned. The mean age of the women was 37.0 years (SD = 10.7) and they mostly had secondary education (47 per cent). In all, 691 women (86 per cent) reported that they had seen the posters and 620 (80 per cent) said that they had read the displays. The vast majority of the women reported that posters were readable (89 per cent) and understandable (80 per cent). However, 25 per cent of the respondents indicated that materials on the displays created more questions rather than answering their questions and some reported that they became upset (26 per cent) or felt anxiety (42 per cent) while reading the posters. Finally, 218 women (28 per cent) had suggestions to improve posters, of whom 110 (50 per cent) believed that the posters should be simpler. CONCLUSION The study findings suggest that despite the limitations of posters as a means of health communication, their use in public places may be useful but consideration should be given to the content of the poster displays to prevent anxiety.
Two Transcription Products of the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Genome May Control L-Cell Protein Synthesis

When mouse L-cells are infected with vesicular stomatitis virus, there is a decrease in the rate of protein synthesis ranging from 20 to 85% of that in mock-infected cells. Vesicular stomatitis virus, irradiated with increasing doses of UV light, eventually loses this capacity to inhibit protein synthesis. The UV inactivation curve was biphasic, suggesting that transcription of two regions of the viral genome is necessary for the virus to become inactivated in this capacity. The first transcription product corresponded to about 373 nucleotides, and the second corresponded to about 42 nucleotides. Inhibition of transcription of the larger product by irradiating the virus with low doses of UV light left a residual inhibition of protein synthesis consisting of approximately 60 to 65% of the total inhibition. This residual inhibition could be obviated by irradiating the virus with a UV dose of greater than 20,000 ergs/mm2 and was thus considered to represent the effect of the smaller transcription product. In the R1 mutant of C. P. Stanners et al. (Cell 11:273-281, 1977), inhibition of transcription of the larger product sufficed to restore protein synthesis to the mock-infected level, suggesting that the smaller transcription product is nonfunctional with respect to protein synthesis inhibition. It thus appears that the inhibition of protein synthesis by wild-type vesicular stomatitis virus involved at least two separate viral transcription products, and the inhibition by the R1 mutant involved only one. Extracts from cells infected with virus irradiated with low doses of UV light showed a protein synthesis capacity quite similar to that of their in vivo counterparts, indicating that these extracts closely reflect the in vivo effects of virus infection.
Ovarian torsion of mixed epithelial tumor misdiagnosed as a malignancy in postmenopausal woman

Rationale: Adnexal torsion is 1 of the most common emergency gynecological disease. It is more often diagnosed in reproductive age, but rarely in postmenopausal women. The clinical symptoms of adnexal torsion are nonspecific in postmenopausal women. Epithelial ovarian tumors are common in adults, and the risk of malignancy increases with age, especially after menopause. So, it is difficult to diagnose adnexal torsion precisely compared with reproductive women, and most cases of adnexal torsion with postmenopausal women are diagnosed as a malignancy preoperatively. We report a case of ovarian torsion with mixed epithelial tumor misdiagnosed as a malignancy in postmenopausal woman. Patient concerns: A 65-year-old woman presented lower left abdominal pain, and there was slight abdominal distension, but no tenderness or rebound tenderness on abdominal palpation. Diagnoses: Radiologic assessments showed a huge multiseptated cystic mass with solid portion in the left ovary, and malignancy was suspected. The test for serum tumor markers revealed normal levels of cancer antigen 125 (CA-125). Interventions: The patient underwent a laparotomy and there was torsion of the left ovary. We conducted frozen biopsy of left ovary for confirming malignancy before performing staging surgery. Outcomes: The result of a frozen section biopsy confirmed a borderline Brenner tumor associated with a benign mucinous tumor. Subsequently, total hysterectomy and right salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. The operation was completed without addition procedures Lessons: Ovarian torsion is benign in most cases and malignancy is rare. Although very rare, ovarian torsion can occur in postmenopausal women, and it should be taken into consideration that the possibility of malignancy is low in postmenopausal women with normal CA-125 levels. Instead of performing staging surgery, it appears to be appropriate to carry out surgery based on the result of intraoperative frozen section biopsy so that we were able to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures.
Emulating bearing faults — A novel approach

The relation between evolving mechanical faults in rotating electrical machines and their reflection in the machines' electrical parameters still requires a lot of research. This implies serious obstructions in the evolution of e.g. Motor Current Signature Analysis as a complete and reliable condition monitoring technology. This paper presents the translation of common bearing faults into specific rotor-stator movements using finite element modeling. Subsequently, a novel method to elucidate the complex relation between rotor movements and the electrical parameters of an induction machine using an experimental test setup is described, dimensioned and simulated. Replacing one of the induction machine's bearings with an Active Magnetic Bearing will give the opportunity to create specific rotor movements and consequently evaluate different programmable mechanical faults and their reflection in the stator current and/or voltage with high relevance and reproducibility.
BIT*-based path planning for micro aerial vehicles

This paper presents a 3D on-line path planning algorithm for micro sized aerial vehicles (MAVs). The proposed approach adopts a two-layered planning framework. The first layer of the algorithm utilizes a sampling-based planner named Batch Informed Trees (BIT*) to quickly find an geometric obstacle-free passage. The second layer takes into account the dynamic constrains of the vehicle. By adopting a two-point boundary value problems (TPBVPs) approach, dynamically feasible trajectories can be generated efficiently within the previously found passage for lower-level controller. The main contribution of this work is proposing a complete on-line 3D path planning algorithm which can be implemented on the MAV with limited computational power.
Exploiting sparsity to improve the accuracy of Nyström-based large-scale spectral clustering

The Nyström method is a matrix approximation technique that has shown great promise in speeding up spectral clustering. However, when the input matrix is sparse, we show that the traditional Nyström method requires a prohibitively large number of samples to obtain a good approximation. We propose a novel sampling approach to select the landmark points used to compute the Nyström approximation. We show that the proposed sampling approach obeys the same error bound as in Bouneffouf and Birol (2015). To control sample complexity, we propose a selective densification step based on breadth-first traversal. We show that the proposed densification does not change the optimal clustering. Results on real world datasets show that by combining the proposed sampling and densification schemes, we can obtain better accuracy compared to other techniques used for the Nyström method while using significantly fewer samples.