Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tuberculosis and the Tubercle Bacillus

Mycobacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy, are bacterial diseases of global importance. An estimated 2 billion people are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Control of TB is complicated by its ease of transmission, difficulty in administering the long-course chemotherapy regimens, and subsequent appearance of multidrug-resistant strains (MDR-TB). This situation is made even worse by the deadly combination of coinfections of HIV and M. tuberculosis. New approaches to the control of TB are urgently needed, including development of short-term antimicrobial regimens to minimize the appearance of drug resistance, new drugs to treat MDR-TB patients, and new vaccines with greater efficacy than BCG. Tuberculosis and the Tubercle Bacillus has many contributors; chapters are provided by experts in many areas of TB research to bring together a comprehensive update of research development in the past decade. The publication of this book is necessary and timely, considering the current urgencies and growing interests of investigators from various fields. The book is divided into 3 sections, each consisting of multiple chapters on various subjects. The first section focuses on clinical aspects of the disease, including the global impact of TB, clinical and epidemiologic features, as well as diagnosis and treatment. The second section deals with the bacteriology of M. tuberculosis, with chapters devoted to molecular genetics, genomics, cell wall structure and synthesis, and metabolism. The third section details the host-pathogen interaction, covering topics such as the intracellular survival of M. tuberculosis, host immune response, animal models, and vaccine development. The book accurately reflects current knowledge of TB and recent research efforts and progresses to the control of the disease. The book flows smoothly from chapter to chapter. Each chapter is clearly written and appropriately referenced. The book focuses primarily on M. tuberculosis; research performed on other mycobacterial species is not discussed or only briefly mentioned. Nevertheless, at 584 pages, this book is easily read and is a useful reference for clinicians and basic scientists, including students, laboratory supervisors, and senior scientists.
Wireless and batteryless blood pressure sensor

A low-power invasive blood pressure transducer has been designed. It is based on a structure of four high resistive strain gauges in a full Wheatstone bridge configuration. For obtaining the required sensitivity, the gauge was allocated performing a careful mechanical simulation of the membrane behaviour. The electronic conditioning circuit and the ADC were optimized to compensate the noise introduced by the high resistive gauges. A batteryless RFID tag designed to incorporate and to supply the sensor was fabricated and measured. It power supplies the sensor at a distance longer than 50 cm from a standard reader, while the reported ranges —to the best of our knowledge— are shorter than 10 cm. This wireless and batteryless sensor is especially suitable for surgery rooms and intensive care units.
Update on interventions focused on symptom clusters: what has been tried and what have we learned?

Purpose of reviewAlthough clinicians and researchers acknowledge symptom clusters, the focus has been on relieving a single symptom. This review summarizes the recent literature on interventions that focus on relief of symptom clusters in patients with cancer. Recent findingsTwelve intervention studies meeting inclusion criteria were published in 2011–2012. The timeframe was expanded to 2009–2012 and 24 studies met the criteria: 18 in early stage and 6 in advanced-stage cancer patients. Several cognitive behavioral therapy, complementary therapy, and exercise interventions demonstrated positive outcomes in relieving a variety of symptom clusters in several cancer types. Most psychoeducational interventions using traditional formats or those combined with automated clinician alerts demonstrated effectiveness in reducing a variety of clusters. Clusters that included fatigue and anxiety or depression were reduced by exercise in early stage patients and by methylphenidate in advanced-stage patients. Current NIH R01 funded studies verified the trends in the types of interventions being tested. SummaryFew interventions have been tested and found to be effective in relieving the specific symptom clusters in early and advanced-stage cancer patients. Future research needs to expand our understanding of the mechanisms that initiate co-occurring symptoms. Mechanism-targeted interventions need to be identified and tested in homogeneous samples with specific symptom clusters. Interventions need to be replicated before guidelines can be established.
Mammalian Dlx homeobox gene control of craniofacial and inner ear morphogenesis

The Dlx homeobox gene family is of ancient origin, with apparent ancestral developmental functions in both nervous system regionalization and appendage (limb) outgrowth. Additional roles in inner ear and craniofacial development were likely acquired by the Dlx gene family during the course of animal evolution. Loss‐of‐function genetic mutations generated in the mouse have revealed a striking role for Dlx genes in patterning of the mammalian central nervous system, craniofacial structures and inner ear. Interestingly, none of the individual murine Dlx gene mutations to date have resulted in limb defects, suggesting a potentially significant developmental overlap of Dlx activity in this embryonic structure. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppls. 32/33:133–140, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Production of biohydrogen and volatile fatty acids from dephenolized Olive Mill wastewaters in a sequential two-step anaerobic process.

A large variety of agro-wastes are actually investigated for their reliability as renewable sources: the possibility to employ some organic residues for the production of biomolecules, biofuels and biomaterials has fostered the born of the concept of second generation biorefineries, which differ from the first generation processes, since non dedicated crops are used as the feedstock. To this aim, Olive Mill Wastewaters (OMWs) are the most investigated wastes, due to their high organic content and to a high concentration of polyphenols, compounds that are natural antioxidant. If on the one hand OMWs are recalcitrant to biodegradation and their environmental impact can represent a serious issue, on the other hand these wastes show a biochemically interesting composition, rich of sugars, lipids, alcohols and organic acids. Recent studies have demonstrated that a lot of processes can be applied to OMWs, which can be exploited for the recovery of polyphenols, production of biofuels or chemicals such as Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs). The latter can be used as precursors for biopolymers intracellular accumulation (i.e. polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHAs) by mixed microbial consortia (Beccari et al., 2009). In this respect, a continuous Packed Bed Biofilm Reactor (PBBR) performing OMW organic matter bioconversion into VFAs was developed (Bertin et al., 2010); moreover, a preliminary recovery of polyphenolic fraction of OMWs before their feeding to acidogenic digestion was also assessed (Scoma et al., 2011). In this way, a multi-target biorefinery scheme aimed at extensively valorizing OMWs has been designed: its backbone is represented by a two-step process dedicated to the recovery of polyphenols (by a fully eco-compatible procedure) and the anaerobic acidogenic digestion of the dephenolized effluent (OMWdeph). Recent studies have shown the feasibility of an interesting production of biohydrogen together with accumulation of VFAs, obtained by changing the Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) on the developed acidogenic process fed with a dephenolized OMW (Scoma et al., 2013).
Do the extent and direction of arterial remodelling predict subsequent progression of coronary atherosclerosis? A serial intravascular ultrasound study

Objective: Despite the link between positive coronary remodelling and acute ischaemic events, no data exist about the impact of arterial remodelling on subsequent progression of coronary atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to examine whether extent and direction of arterial remodelling are predictors of progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Design, setting and patients: From the Reversal of Atherosclerosis with Aggressive Lipid Lowering (REVERSAL) trial, 210 focal coronary lesions (single lesion per patient) were identified with ⩽50% angiographic diameter stenosis at baseline intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Remodelling was categorised using the remodelling index. Main outcome measures: Lesion sites were matched to the 18-month follow-up IVUS examination and change in atheroma area was calculated. Additionally, change in atheroma volume of the whole imaged artery was calculated. Results: There were no relationships between baseline remodelling index and change in atheroma area at the lesion site (r = 0.004, p = 0.96) or change in atheroma volume in the whole artery (r = 0.06, p = 0.37). Change in atheroma area was not significantly different in lesions with positive, negative or no remodelling at baseline (0.4 (SD 2.1) vs 0.7 (SD 1.7) vs 0.6 (SD 1.8) mm2, p = 0.76). Similarly, change in atheroma volume in the whole artery was not significantly different among the three remodelling categories (2.2 (SD 25.0) vs 1.4 (SD 31.2) vs 2.4 (SD 27.1) mm3, p = 0.98). Conclusions: Extent and direction of arterial remodelling do not predict subsequent progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Although positively remodelled lesions are associated with unstable clinical presentation, they are not associated with accelerated progression of atherosclerosis during lipid lowering therapy.
The Returns to Education for the United Kingdom

This paper uses data from the General Household Survey to examine the economic returns to education between 1985 and 2003 for men and women in the UK. The evidence suggests that the returns to education have increased for men and declined for women. Quantile regression estimates illustrate that younger workers have come to experience more unequal returns to education across the conditional earnings distribution. The evidence suggests that both time spent in education and educational credentials are important in explaining earnings with higher qualifications always conveying higher earnings, holding years of schooling constant.
Classification of motor units in flexor carpi radialis muscle of the cat.

Motor units in the cat flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscle, one of two primary wrist flexors, were classified into three groups: slow twitch, fatigue resistant (S); fast twitch, fatigue resistant (FR); and fast twitch, fatigue sensitive (FF). Classification was based on 1) the ratio of the tension-time area produced by a train of stimuli delivered at 40 pps and the maximum tension-time area (A40/Amax), and 2) the cumulative force index (CFI), calculated from a series of trains (40 pps) delivered intermittently for a period of 4 min. The CFI is defined as the ratio between the force accumulated in the last 2 min of stimulation to the first 2 min of stimulation. Motor units with values for A40/Amax greater than 0.50 were classified as type S units, and less than 0.50 as type F. A40/Amax is essentially equivalent to the "sag" profile of an unfused tetanus in its ability to separate units into "slow" and "fast" contracting units. In general, units with area ratios less than 0.50 had twitch contraction times less than 25 ms, whereas units with area ratios greater than 0.50 had contraction times greater than 25 ms. Separation of type F units into two groups was based on the CFI, with ratios less than or equal to 0.75 corresponding to type FF units and greater than 0.75 as type FR units. Type S units also had CFIs greater than 0.75. Based on this classification scheme, 40.4% of FCR motor units were type S, 37.5% type FR, and 22.1% type FF. The a priori assumption of three motor-unit types based on the distributions of A40/Amax and CFI was evaluated by cluster analysis. The analysis supported the assumption of three primary groups of motor units. Furthermore, when cluster formation proceeded to the point where only three clusters remained in the analysis, each of these clusters consisted exclusively of one type of unit (i.e., S, FR, or FF). The validity of the classification scheme was further tested by stepwise discriminant analysis. Units classified as types S, FR, and FF were predicted to be classified with 100% accuracy. All units had a high probability (a posteriori) of having group membership in their originally classified group (P greater than 0.99 for 129 units; P greater than 0.90 for 7 units). The duration of potentiated twitch contractions for type FR and FF units was found to be less than reported for most populations of hindlimb units. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A frequency response approach to design Buck converter with over current protection

This paper presents frequency response method for design of PI compensators with the voltage and current feedback loop. DC-DC converters have non-minimum phase so the output voltage cannot be directly regulated by the PI control. The average inductor current indirectly regulates the voltage so here the system dynamics are regulated. A detailed design procedure of voltage and current feedback loops are given with a step —by-step procedure of compensator design with stability, steady state accuracy and speed of response assessments on dual loop controller. Here the voltage and current loop dynamic response of a 100 watt Buck converter is reported using PI controller. The experimental result demonstrates that the model can correctly predict the dynamic and steady state behavior of a buck converter.
Understanding Why Contrast Enhancement in Dynamic MRI Is Not Reproducible: Illustration with a Simple Phantom

Abstract: The goal of this work was to verify in a phantom study the necessity of a calibration method for comparison in dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. A perspex phantom with a dilution series of Gd‐DTPA was used to measure the dynamic signal enhancement of a sequence. With nine MRI scanners from Bruker (0.23, 0.5, and 2 Tesla), Philips [0.5 and 1.5 Tesla (ACS‐NT and S15)], and Siemens (0.2, 1.0, and 1.5 Tesla) one 2D FLASH and two 3D FLASH experiments were performed under identical measurement conditions. Under different measurement conditions (2D and 3D FLASH, TR, TE, FA) different characteristics in signal enhancement exist on a scanner. The same measurement conditions at different scanners (same magnetic field strength) also result in different signal enhancement. Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI examinations from different measurement conditions or scanners cannot be compared. To solve this problem a calibration is needed.
Suppression control method for iron loss of MATRIX motor under flux weakening utilizing individual winding current control

An interior permanent magnet synchronous motor experiences large harmonic iron loss in the stator teeth caused by the harmonic magnetomotive forces. In particular, the eddy current loss remarkably increases at high rotational speeds under the flux weakening control. In this paper, a novel suppression control method for the stator iron loss is proposed by utilizing the individual winding current control. Although the proposed method requires multi-phase winding and multiple full-bridge inverters, the individual winding current control can observe and regulate the flux density in each tooth. This paper reveals that the proposed control method can achieve the extensive reduction of the total iron loss.
Asymptotic approximations for stationary distributions of many-server queues with abandonment

A many-server queueing system is considered in which customers arrive according to a renewal process and have service and patience times that are drawn from two independent sequences of independent, identically distributed random variables. Customers enter service in the order of arrival and are assumed to abandon the queue if the waiting time in queue exceeds the patience time. The state of the system with $N$ servers is represented by a four-component process that consists of the forward recurrence time of the arrival process, a pair of measure-valued processes, one that keeps track of the waiting times of customers in queue and the other that keeps track of the amounts of time customers present in the system have been in service and a real-valued process that represents the total number of customers in the system. Under general assumptions, it is shown that the state process is a Feller process, admits a stationary distribution and is ergodic. It is also shown that the associated sequence of scaled stationary distributions is tight, and that any subsequence converges to an invariant state for the fluid limit. In particular, this implies that when the associated fluid limit has a unique invariant state, then the sequence of stationary distributions converges, as $N\rightarrow \infty$, to the invariant state. In addition, a simple example is given to illustrate that, both in the presence and absence of abandonments, the $N\rightarrow \infty$ and $t\rightarrow \infty$ limits cannot always be interchanged.
Shared decision-making – Rhetoric and reality: Women’s experiences and perceptions of adjuvant treatment decision-making for breast cancer

This interview-based study uses phenomenology as a theoretical framework and thematic analysis to challenge existing explanatory frameworks of shared decision-making, in an exploration of women’s experiences and perceptions of shared decision-making for adjuvant treatment in breast cancer. Three themes emerged are as follows: (1) women’s desire to participate in shared decision-making, (2) the degree to which shared decision-making is perceived to be shared and (3) to what extent are women empowered within shared decision-making. Studying breast cancer patients’ subjective experiences of adjuvant treatment decision-making provides a broader perspective on patient participatory role preferences and doctor–patient power dynamics within shared decision-making for breast cancer.
An improved thinning algorithm for human body recognition

This paper introduces a robust and reliable method of human body recognition for visual surveillance systems. The method is developed based on the skeleton of moving object, which can be got by an improved thinning algorithm. In the paper we first describe some thinning algorithms for binary images, including OPTA thinning algorithm, Zhang's thinning algorithm and Rosenfeld's thinning algorithm. Comparing the performance of these thinning algorithms, we found that all the described algorithms have their own disadvantages. For instance, OPTA thinning algorithm produces spurious branches and noise, which may result in misidentification of the pattern, Zhang's and Rosenfeld's thinning algorithm are all time consuming and don't satisfy the one-pixel-width requirement. So we propose an improved thinning algorithm, which is much faster and the skeleton satisfies one-pixel-width requirement. In addition, a human legs-detecting algorithm based on the skeleton of the moving object is presented. Experimental results of the proposed thinning algorithm and the human legs-detecting algorithm on a variety of human images will be shown.
DNA polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein B gene in Chinese coronary artery disease patients

Five restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of the apo B gene and their association with serum lipids and apolipoprotein levels have been studied in 139 Chinese patients with angiographically confirmed CAD (mean age 56.2 ± 0.8 years) and 154 healthy Chinese subjects (mean age 44.0 ± 1.0 years) of both sexes. The patient group had significantly higher levels of serum total and LDL cholesterol; and apo B (P<0.001) and lower HDL cholesterol and apo A‐I (P<0.001 and <0.01, respectively). The frequencies of the rarer alleles of the ins/del, XbaI and EcoRI (but not the PvuII and MspI) polymorphisms were significantly lower in the Chinese compared to those reported in Caucasians. There was no significant difference in allelic frequencies of the signal peptide region (Ins/Del), XbaI, MspI and EcoRI sites of the apo B gene between the patient and control groups. The frequency of the rarer allele of the PvuII RFLP was significantly lower in the CAD patients (P<0.05) compared to that in the control group (0.05 vs 0.10). None of the DNA polymorphisms was associated with a significant influence on serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels in the patients with coronary artery disease.
The Dual BKR Inequality and Rudich's Conjecture

Let be a set of terms over an arbitrary (but finite) number of Boolean variables. Let U() be the set of truth assignments that satisfy exactly one term in . Motivated by questions in computational complexity, Rudich conjectured that there exist ∊, δ > 0 such that, if is any set of terms for which U() contains at least a (1−∊)-fraction of all truth assignments, then there exists a term t ∈ such that at least a δ-fraction of assignments satisfy some term of sharing a variable with t [8]. We prove a stronger version: for any independent assignment of the variables (not necessarily the uniform one), if the measure of U() is at least 1 − ∊, there exists a t ∈ such that the measure of the set of assignments satisfying either t or some term incompatible with t (i.e., having no satisfying assignments in common with t) is at least $\Gd = 1- \Ge - \frac{4\Ge}{1-\Ge}$. (A key part of the proof is a correlation-like inequality on events in a finite product probability space that is in some sense dual to Reimer's inequality [11], a.k.a. the BKR inequality [5], or the van den Berg–Kesten conjecture [3].)
A Bayesian approach for classification of Markov sources

A Bayesian approach for classification of Markov sources whose parameters are not explicitly known is developed and studied. A universal classifier is derived and shown to achieve, within a constant factor, the minimum error probability in a Bayesian sense. The proposed classifier is based on sequential estimation of the parameters of the sources, and it is closely related to earlier proposed universal tests under the Neyman-Pearson criterion. >
Apports des réseaux sociaux pour la gestion de la relation client

Depuis quelques annees, le Web s'est transforme en une plateforme d'echanges. La gestion de relation client doit evoluer pour tirer partie des donnees disponibles sur les reseaux sociaux et mettre l'entreprise au coeur des echanges. Nous proposons dans cet article une approche generique de detection de communautes de clients d'une entreprise, basee sur leur comportement explicite et implicite, integrant des donnees de sources diverses. Nous definissons une mesure de similarite, entre un utilisateur et un tag, prenant en compte la notation et la consultation des ressources et le reseau social de l'utilisateur. Nous validons cette approche sur une base exemple en utilisant deux methodes de detection de communautes pour trois cas d'utilisation.