Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incidence of Extended-Spectrum Be-ta-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae among Patients and in the Environment of Hassan II Hospital, Settat, Morocco

Aim: The aim of the current study is to determine: (1) the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae (ESBL-Kp) isolated from clinical samples and a hospital environment in Hassan II Hospital (Settat, Morocco); (2) the associated risk factors of ESBL-Kp infections; (3) the link between clinical and environmental isolates. Methods: During the study period (April 2010 to March 2011), all patients infected and hospital environment sites contaminated by K. pneumoniae were considered as the potential study population and environmental site. The clinical data were collected to identify risk factors for ESBL carriage of K. pneumoniae infection. Screening of ESBL-and carbapenemase-producing isolates was performed by using a double-disk synergy test and the modified Hodge test, respectively. ESBL-Kp isolates were tested for the presence of genes encoding β-lactamases and were investigated by PCR. The clonal relationship between ESBL-producing isolates was analysed by ERIC- and REP-PCR method. Results: The overall prevalence of ESBL-Kp among clinical and environmental K. pneumoniae isolates was 35.13% (13/37) and 4.04% (4/99), respectively. The main risk factors for carrying ESBL-Kp were renal disease (46.15%), recent surgery (53.84%), previous hospitalisation (76.92%), and the presence of many invasive devices (53.84%). All ESBL isolates were multidrug resistant. The blaCTX-M group1and blaSHV (70.58% for each) were the most prevalent followed by blaTEM (52.94%). Thirteen strains expressed at least two bla genes. One isolate was positive in the modified Hodge test and was a blaOXA-48 producer. ERIC and Rep-PCR methods revealed an epidemic clonal dissemination of these isolates. Conclusion: The emergence of OXA-48 carbapenemase, endemic clonal dissemination and multi-drug resistance of ESBL-Kp isolates in our institution is highly alarming.
CORDIC-based parallel architecture for one dimensional discrete Mellin transform

Since decades, it has been studied that Mellin transform has potential applications due to its scale invariant property in the domain of signal and image processing where these applications demand the real time hardware implementation of Mellin transform. In this context, authors in this paper have proposed a new parallel architecture for ASIC implementation of discrete Mellin tranasform using pipelined CORDIC (CO-ordinate Rotational DIgital Computer) modules and fast prefix adder i.e. Han-Carlson adder to ensure high throughput which shall be suitable for real time applications. The proposed architecture is designed using verilogHDL and synthesized using commercially available 0.18 µm CMOS technology which results the maximum operating frequency of 400 MHz. The computation throughput in case of 128 sample (window) size and 16 desired Mellin spectra is found to be 50 Mega outputs per second. Finally, the simulation and observation on discrete Mellin transform is highlighted with its drawback and possible solution is suggested to circumvent its inherent problem.
Analysis of Nonlinear Phase Noise in Coherent Fiber-Optic Systems Based on Phase Shift Keying

Analytical expressions for the phase variance in a nonlinear fiber optic system based on phase-shift keying are developed. The Gauss-Hermite functions are used as the orthogonal basis to represent the noise field. Number of degrees of freedom (DOF) to accurately model the phase variance is estimated. The amplifier noise excites higher order Gauss-Hermite noise modes and the nonlinear mixing of a signal pulse and higher order Gauss-Hermite noise mode leads to new noise fields which enhance the nonlinear phase noise. The higher order noise modes propagate linearly and enhance the linear phase noise if the matched filter is not used at the receiver. Analytical expression for the optimum launch power is developed taking into account the linear and nonlinear phase noise.
Laser Safety in Isotretinoin Use: A Survey of Expert Opinion and Practice

BACKGROUND Reports of poor wound healing in the setting of isotretinoin treatment have created a conservative standard of care in which laser and phototherapy treatment of patients receiving isotretinoin is relatively contraindicated. OBJECTIVE A survey of 220 nationally recognized experts in cutaneous laser surgery was conducted to evaluate physician experience and opinion pertaining to laser and light procedures in patients treated with isotretinoin, including perceived risk and actual complications. RESULTS There was a 42% response rate. Seventy-six percent of respondents have never seen in their own clinical practices any cases of complications arising in patients treated with laser while receiving isotretinoin or within 6 months of completing a course of therapy. Almost half of respondents have treated patients in this subpopulation with laser, although only a small minority have done so with ablative devices. Common concerns among respondents regarding isotretinoin patients are the risks of poor wound healing and scarring, but the most often reported concern is medicolegal risk (74%). CONCLUSION It would seem that the risk of performing laser procedures on patients receiving isotretinoin or having recently completed a course, as estimated and observed by cutaneous laser experts, is lower than the currently perceived risk among the general medical community.
Stressed Out on Four Continents: Time Crunch or Yuppie Kvetch?

Social commentators have pointed to problems of workers who face time stressan absence of sufficient time to accomplish all their tasks. An economic theory views time stress as reflecting how tightly the time constraint binds households. Time stress will be more prevalent in households with higher full earnings and whose members work longer in the market or on required homework. Evidence from Australia (2001), Germany (2002), the United States (2003), and Korea (1999) corroborates the theory. Adults in households with higher earnings perceive more time stress for the same amount of time spent in market work and household work. The importance of higher full earnings in generating time stress is not small, particularly in the United Statesmuch is yuppie kvetch.
Deep 10 Micron Imaging of M87

We analyze a 10.8 μm image of M87, obtained with the Gemini 8 m telescope + OSCIR. The image has better than 0. ″5 resolution and represents 7 hr of observing time, making it the deepest high-resolution mid-IR image ever. The core is marginally resolved, and we also detect five optically bright knots in the jet. The spectral energy distributions of these features are entirely consistent with synchrotron radiation; we find little evidence of thermal emission from a dusty torus. Four faint jet regions are below the noise level of these observations. We also find evidence for diffuse galactic emission.
Infection of Haemophilus parainfluenzae in tonsils is associated with IgA nephropathy

We investigated the functions of tonsillar mononuclear cells (TMC) regarding whether a Haemophilus parainfluenzae (HP) outer membranes antigen (HPOM) enhances IgA-related cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-10, and TGF-β) production in vitro by TMC in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients. In addition, we examined the effect of synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide and HPOM stimulation by TMC on IgA production, whether the constant region antisense to IgA inhibits the production of IgA in vitro by TMC. Eighteen patients with IgAN and 25 patients with chronic tonsillitis (CT) from 6 to 45 years (mean age of 20.9 years) participated in this study. TMC were obtained from resected tonsils, and total and HP-specific IgA levels, along with the concentration of TGF-β, IL-10 and IFN-γ in the supernatant of stimulated TMC were measured by ELISA. Isolated TMC were cultured with HPOM in the presence of 23 oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), and the induction of total IgA and HP-specific IgA in the supernatant was also measured using ELISA. To investigate the inhibition of IgA production, TMC were cultured with HPOM and antisence to IgA. We found that IgA-related cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-10, and TGF-β) production by unstimulated or stimulated TMC was higher in IgAN patients than CT patients. Two types of synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides produced higher HP-specific IgA than with HPOM stimulation alone. HPOM and antisence IgA inhibited the production of total IgA and HP-specific IgA in dose-depend manner. In conclusion, IFN-γ, TGF-β, and IL-10 influence each other in the pathogenesis of IgAN, and infection by not only HP but other bacteria or viruses which possess specific DNA sequences such as CpG motifs induce the production of HP-specific IgA by TMC.
Esophageal carcinosarcoma and pesudosarcoma.

Pseudosarcomas and many carcinosarcomas of the esophagus share a common morphology as polypoid, intraluminal masses. Carcinosarcoma does not differ from squamous-cell carcinoma in age and sex incidence, location of the primary, frequency of invasion and metastases, or cure rate, supporting the hypothesis that carcinosarcoma results from abnormal differentiation or metaplasia of malignant squamous epithelium; however, this theory does not exclude other possible origins. Pseudosarcoma is a low-grade squamous-cell carcinoma having a nonmalignant, sarcomalike stroma. Because only a few cases are available for study, its relationship to carcinosarcoma is uncertain.
Ultra-low latency service provision in 5G Fog-Radio Access Networks

With the increasing demand for ultra-low latency services in 5G cellular networks, fog with edge computing is one of promising solutions which migrate the computing from the cloud to the edge of the network. Rather than relying on the distant cloud or additional servers, we propose the Fog-Radio Access Network (F-RAN), which leverages the current infrastructures in the radio access network, such as small cells and macro base stations, to pursue the ultra-low latency by joint powerful computing of multiple F-RAN nodes and near-range communications at the edge. The optimization problem is firstly formulated to tackle the tradeoff between communication and computing resources into time domain within distributed computing scenario, and then we propose a cooperative task computing operation algorithm to simultaneously decide how many F-RAN nodes should be selected with proper communication resource allocation and computing task assignment. The numerical results show that the ultra low-latency services can be achieved by F-RAN via cooperative task computing.
Smart irrigation controlling system for green roofs based on predicted evapotranspiration

A green roof is a roof of a building that is covered from a vegetation. Green roofs are beneficial in number of ways for buildings. Crops in green roofs are exposed to direct solar radiation and strong winds. Furthermore, the substrate is shallow and it can hold limited amount of water. Therefore, artificial irrigation methods are required especially for green roofs in tropical countries. This paper proposes a novel irrigation controlling method for green roof based on predicted evapotranspiration. The system is capable of predicting the evapotranspiration and deciding the amount of water to be irrigated based on that. The rationale behind the proposed method is also explained. Particulars on designing and developing a prototype irrigation controller and a laboratory test bed for experimenting with green roofs are presented. Experiments have been carried out and the experimental results are discussed in order to analyze the performance of the proposed system. The experimental results validate the applicability of the proposed system.
In situ hybridization in cutaneous deep fungal infections: a valuable diagnostic adjunct to fungal morphology and tissue cultures

Abstract: Dimorphic fungal infections (histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and cryptococcosis) can occur in immunocompromised and healthy individuals. Cutaneous involvement is often secondary and may be the presenting sign of systemic disease. These ominous infections are frequently clinically indistinct, and patient prognosis is influenced by a timely diagnosis and treatment. Morphologic differentiation between these organisms is not definitive, and tissue cultures represent the diagnostic gold standard in current day practice. However, tissue cultures are rarely obtained and merely represent an afterthought in seemingly unsuspecting cases. Furthermore, when performed, they may take several days or weeks for completion. In situ hybridization (ISH) utilizing oligonucleotide probes directed against fungal ribosomal RNA is a rapid and accurate assay for the identification of dimorphic fungi in paraffin‐embedded tissue sections. We present five patients in whom ISH both prospectively and retrospectively confirmed the presence of a cutaneous infection (histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and cryptococcosis). In all of the skin sections analyzed, dimorphic fungi were morphologically apparent but not diagnostically discernible. In summary, ISH is a valuable tool in the prompt diagnosis of cutaneous deep fungal infections.
Psychophysiological indicators of acute stress disorder.

AIM The aim of the current study was to compare basal psychophysiology and startle reflexes in acute stress disorder (ASD) patients and controls. Stress reactions to traumatic event include acute and chronic reactions like ASD and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They are characterized by prominent psychophysiological symptoms that can give insight into the pathogenesis of PTSD. METHODS We measured heart-rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), electrodermal activity (EDA) and electromyography (EMG) of musculus orbicularis occuli during an acclimation period and during the presentation of startle stimuli in 29 ASD patients with different traumatic experiences and in 33 healthy controls. RESULTS ASD subjects had similar habituation to the startle probe as healthy controls. EDA for individuals with ASD after traffic accident was higher then for healthy controls. There were no differences for heart-rate in two compared groups. CONCLUSION EDA appears to offer the most reliable psychophysiological indices in the ASD following traffic accident.
P58IPK, a Novel Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-inducible Protein and Potential Negative Regulator of eIF2α Signaling*

The unfolded protein response, which is activated in response to the loss of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ homeostasis and/or the accumulation of misfolded, unassembled, or aggregated proteins in the ER lumen, involves both transcriptional and translational regulation. In the current studies we sought to identify novel ER stress-induced genes by conducting microarray analysis on tunicamycin-treated cells. We identified P58IPK, an inhibitor of the interferon-induced double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase, as induced during ER stress. Additional studies suggested that p58 IPK induction was mediated via ATF6 and that P58IPK played a role in down-regulating the activity of the pancreatic eIF2 kinase/eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α)-like ER kinase/activation transcription factor (ATF) 4 pathway. Modulation of P58IPK levels altered the phosphorylation status of eIF2α, and thereby affected expression of its downstream targets, ATF4 and Gadd153. Overexpression of P58IPK inhibited eIF2α phosphorylation and reduced ATF4 and Gadd153 protein accumulation, whereas silencing of P58IPK expression enhanced pancreatic eIF2α-like ER kinase and eIF2α phosphorylation and increased ATF4 and Gadd153 accumulation. These findings implicate P58IPK as an important component of a negative feedback loop used by the cell to inhibit eIF2α signaling, and thus attenuate the unfolded protein response.
Effects of dietary vitamins C and E oral administration on body temperature, body weight and haematological parametres in Wistar Rats infected with T. brucei brucei (Federe strain) during the hot rainy season

Effects of the administration of vitamins C and E on body temperature, body weight and haematological parametres in Wistar Rats infected with T. brucei brucei (Federe strain) were evaluated. Twenty five adult rats were randomly divided into five groups of five rats each. Group A was neither treated nor infected, group B was infected with 1 × 106 of innoculum, groups C, D and E were given the same dose of innoculum and in addition, they were treated orally with vitamins C, E, and the combination of both at a dosage of 150 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Body temperature showed a significant (p 0.05) different. Groups C showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease, while the decrease in groups B and D were highly significant (p<0.01), respectively. Haematological parametres were significantly (p<0.05) higher in all infected and treated groups compared to group B. In conclusion, overall anti-oxidants capacity mitigated the negative effects observed in the measured parametres in the Wistar rats better than single administration.
Hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms in relation to soy product intake in Japanese women.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships between dietary intake of soy products and hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms. METHODS Subjects were 284 women aged 40-59 years who attended a health check-up program provided by a general hospital in Gifu, Japan. They completed a health questionnaire including the Kupperman test of menopausal distress. Diet was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS Fermented soy product intake but not total soy product intake was significantly negatively correlated with hot flush severity (r = -0.16, p = 0.01) after controlling for age and menopausal status. Neither total soy product intake nor fermented soy product intake was significantly correlated with menopausal index score. Estimated isoflavone intake from total and fermented soy products was significantly lower by 15% (p = 0.02) and 19% (p = 0.01), respectively, in women with hot flushes, compared to those without hot flushes after controlling for covariates. CONCLUSION The data support a hypothesis that intake of fermented soy products alleviates the severity of hot flushes.
The Effects of Scene Inversion on Change Blindness

Abstract In two experiments, participants searched for a difference between two views of a scene. In Experiment 1, the authors extended the change-blindness findings from previous work by R. A. Rensink, J. K. O'Regan, and J. J. Clark (1997), which used an experimenter-induced global transient, to a less artificial situation in which participants searched for a difference in a pair of photographic images presented simultaneously. To examine the idea that meaning-driven endogenous orienting was responsible for the previously observed advantage for changes in center-of-interest items, the authors inverted half of the image pairs. The advantage for center-of-interest items was replicated with upright displays, but it was completely eliminated by inversion, strongly supporting the role of meaning-driven endogenous orienting in this task. With flickering displays (Experiment 2), the center-of-interest effect was completely unaffected by inversion. The authors suggest that when change blindness is induced via flicker, scene modifications are typically found by stimulus-driven rather than by meaning-driven processes.
Completely Printed, Flexible, Stable, and Hysteresis‐Free Carbon Nanotube Thin‐Film Transistors via Aerosol Jet Printing

Nanomaterials offer an attractive solution to the challenges faced for low‐cost printed electronics, with applications ranging from additively manufactured sensors to wearables. This study reports hysteresis‐free carbon nanotube thin‐film transistor (CNT‐TFTs) fabricated entirely using an aerosol jet printing technique; this includes the printing of all layers: semiconducting CNTs, metallic electrodes, and insulating gate dielectrics. It is shown that, under appropriate printing conditions, the gate dielectric ink can be reliably printed and yield negligible hysteresis and low threshold voltage in CNT‐TFTs. Flexible CNT‐TFTs on Kapton film demonstrate minimal variations in performance for over 1000 cycles of aggressive bending tests. New insights are also gained concerning the role of charge trapping in Si substrate‐supported devices, where exposure to high substrate fields results in irreversible degradation. This work is a critical step forward as it enables a completely additive, maskless method to fully print CNT‐TFTs of direct relevance for the burgeoning areas of flexible/foldable, wearable, and biointegrated electronics.
Sound change

If new words and lexical usages are the most recognizable aspect of language change, the emergence of novel pronunciation patterns and the existence of distinct accents of the same language are also familiar to casual observers.1 Despite its ubiquity, there is no generally accepted definition of sound change. It certainly includes phonologization, whereby an automatic phonetic property evolves into a language-specific phonological one (Jakobson 1931, Hyman 1977, 2012). For some analysts, the phenomenon of sound change also encompasses phonological change with other origins, such as dialect contact, paradigm regularization, or structural simplification. Defining the object of study is important when different definitions lead to different views of its mechanisms and properties. Nonetheless, in what follows I take a pragmatic approach, highlighting some phenomena, questions, and further literature that seem especially interesting at present, and setting others aside. Students entering the field in 2013 will find a different landscape from that of a generation ago. Inquiry into the causes and pathways of sound change has been transformed by the work of five scholars in particular. Three of them, Paul Kiparsky (1988, 1995), William Labov (e.g. 1981, 1994, 2001, 2010), and Björn Lindblom (Lindblom 1990, Lindblom et al. 1995), have proposed influential structural analyses of changes within their sound systems. Two others, Juliette Blevins (e.g. Blevins and Garrett 1998, 2004, Blevins 2004, 2006a) and John Ohala (e.g. 1974, 1981, 1983, 1993), have also emphasized the role of articulatory detail and perceptual processes in determining the course of sound changes. The last decade has seen valuable synoptic research, including books (Blevins 2004, Solé and Recasens 2012, Yu 2012b), review articles (Bermúdez-Otero 2007, Hansson 2008, Hualde 2011, Garrett and Johnson 2012), and dossiers of sound changes (Blevins 2004, 2008a, Kümmel 2007; still essential are Grammont 1939, Hock 1991). All this work offers a fine array of starting points for new research projects. Despite such work and the new questions that come with it, the theories that defined the field still guide many debates. The classical theory of sound change, due to the Neogrammarians (Osthoff and Brugman 1878, Paul 1880, Sievers 1901) and adopted in American structuralist thinking Many thanks to Claire Bowern, Beth Evans, and Larry Hyman for helpful advice and comments on a draft of this chapter.