Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Forest Fragmentation on Lyme Disease Risk

Abstract: Forest destruction and fragmentation in the United States recently have been shown to reduce mammalian species diversity and to elevate population densities of white‐footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus ). One potential consequence of reduced species diversity and high mouse density in small fragments is an increase in human exposure to Lyme disease. Increased risk of exposure to this disease is expected because of the role of the white‐footed mouse as the principal natural reservoir of the Lyme bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. Blacklegged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ) feeding on mice have a higher probability of becoming infected with the bacterium than do ticks feeding on any other host species. We hypothesized that small forest patches ( <2 ha ) have a higher density of infected nymphal blacklegged ticks, which is the primary risk factor for Lyme disease, than larger patches ( 2–8 ha ). In the summer of 2000, we sampled tick density and B. burgdorferi infection prevalence in 14 maple‐dominated forest patches, ranging in size from 0.7 to 7.6 ha, in Dutchess County of southeastern New York state. We found a significant linear decline in nymphal infection prevalence with increasing patch area and a significant exponential decline in nymphal density with increasing patch area. The consequence was a dramatic increase in the density of infected nymphs, and therefore in Lyme disease risk, with decreasing forest patch size. We did not observe a similar relationship between the density of larval ticks and patch size. These results suggest that by influencing the community composition of vertebrate hosts for disease‐bearing vectors, habitat fragmentation can influence human health.
Calculation of Jump Flight Time using a Mobile Device

This paper describes the research and implementation and validation method of a smartphone application that calculates a vertical jump flight time, using the data collected from the accelerometry sensors in a smartphone. To validate the algorithm results, a statistical number of experiments were performed. While recording the experimental data with a commodity smartphone, a bioPlux Research device equipped with a pressure sensor and with a tri-axial accelerometer was also used to estimate the time the user was airborne while jumping, as a golden standard. The pressure sensor was placed in a jump platform built in the laboratory, and a tri-axial accelerometer was placed on the userâs waist. The data collected by this device were compared with data obtained by smartphone in order to validate the algorithm and make the necessary corrections. The research data and the developed application are available for download and further research in a free and public repository.
Serum Albumin and Globulin

Hundreds of proteins are dissolved in the plasma. By measuring the concentration of these proteins, the clinician can obtain information regarding disease states in different organ systems. The measurement of protein is done on serum, which is the fluid that remains after plasma has clotted, thus removing fibrinogen and most of the clotting factors. Total protein content provides some information regarding a patient's general status; more clinically useful data are obtained from fractionating the total protein. The normal serum protein level is 6 to 8 g/dl. Albumin makes up 3.5 to 5.0 g/dl, and the remainder is the total globulins. These values may vary according to the individual laboratory.
Using Record Level Encryption for Securing Information in Classified Information Systems

Information technology (IT) systems have great potential to improve the efficiency and methods of operation in each government organization, providing added convenience and flexibility. Currently, most of government law enforcement agencies have digitized their methods of work by advancing their user services. With this new approach, have come new threats, therefore, it is necessary to develop and implement standard policies to enhance information security and privacy on all classified information systems. In this paper a novel solution is presented for protection of information up to the record level encryption by applying the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm using derived symmetric master key. The master key is unique per each record and is calculated in the client application. The uniqueness of the derived master key is assured by applying the exclusive or operation of the key of each record and the unique key of the client. Furthermore, this paper includes a critical approach on existing cryptographic methods and proposes additional methods to protect information, such us authentication, access control, and audit.
Cognitive development: foundational theories of core domains.

DOMAINS AND THEORIES . 338 Framework Theories 341 NAIVE PHySICS. 343 Infants 344 Later Developments . 345 Conclusions 350 NAIVE PSyCHOLOGy . 350 Theory of Mind 351 Earlier Developments 353 Auti sm. 356 Conclusions 357 NAIVE BIOLOGy. 357 Ontology: Living Things 358 Beliefs about Biological Kinds 360 Biologically Specific Causal Processes ". 363 Summary. 365 CONCLUSIONS. 365
Computer sciences and commercial forces: can computer science be considered science?

Computer Sciences (CS) are having a major impact on recent scientific developments. As any other basic science, the CS is publicly perceived as an open and free science that is trying to make progress in any possible direction, resolving scientific problems in its arena and dealing with pure scientific and issues and theoretical questions per se. In this paper I claim that this is not the case. CS is heavily controlled by commercial forces, which dictate its progress, goals and future directions. The new developments in the CS arena are in most cases the result of the market needs. Several research projects at the universities are funded by the industry, dealing with issues with a clear industrial aspect. Public funds, such as the 6th European Framework project allocates a major portion of their funds for industrial research. The IEEE and ACM, the most respectful technology organizations of the CS, are governed by the industry and the universities at about equal share. The industry is holding patent rights for several CS research results, and CS scientists are issuing patents for their research because it may have a significant economic value. The CS is not an open science, in terms of Popper definition.
Acute Kidney Injury and Cardiorenal Syndromes in Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care

Objectives: The objectives of this review are to discuss the definition, diagnosis, and pathophysiology of acute kidney injury and its impact on immediate, short-, and long-term outcomes. In addition, the spectrum of cardiorenal syndromes will be reviewed including the pathophysiology on this interaction and its impact on outcomes. Data Source: MEDLINE and PubMed. Conclusion: The field of cardiac intensive care continues to advance in tandem with congenital heart surgery. As mortality has become a rare occurrence, the focus of cardiac intensive care has shifted to that of morbidity reduction. Acute kidney injury adversely impact outcomes of patients following surgery for congenital heart disease as well as in those with heart failure (cardiorenal syndrome). Patients who become fluid overloaded and/or require dialysis are at a higher risk of mortality, but even minor degrees of acute kidney injury portend a significant increase in mortality and morbidity. Clinicians continue to seek methods of early diagnosis and risk stratification of acute kidney injury to prevent its adverse sequelae.
Comparison of the SET sensitivity of standard logic gates designed in 130 nm CMOS technology

This paper analyzes the sensitivity of five standard logic gates (AND, OR, INV, NAND and NOR) to Single Event Transients (SETs). All gates have been designed in IHP's 130 nm bulk CMOS technology. The analysis was conducted with SPICE simulations, employing the current injection concept to model the SET effects. The SET sensitivity of the investigated logic gates was evaluated in terms of critical charge. For each logic gate, the dependence of the critical charge on the input logic levels, size of target gate and size of load gate was investigated. Obtained results have shown that it is possible to establish a simple linear model for estimating the critical charge as a function of the sizing factors of target and load gates, for all investigated logic gates and all combinations of input logic levels. The model provides very good accuracy compared to the results obtained by SPICE simulations. Integrating the proposed model into a high-level SET evaluation tool would allow to reduce the number of required circuit-level simulations for evaluating the SET robustness of complex digital circuits composed of standard logic gates.
Measurement of plasma lysophosphatidic acid concentration in healthy subjects: strong correlation with lysophospholipase D activity

Abstract Background Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) plays important roles in a variety of biological responses, especially in the area of vascular biology, and the determination of its plasma concentration is believed to be important. Several mechanisms are known to be involved in the metabolism of LPA. Methods To identify factors that may determine the plasma concentrations of this important bioactive lipid, we examined its concentrations using an enzymatic cycling assay and related parameters in 146 healthy subjects. Results The LPA concentration was significantly higher in women (mean ± SD, 0.103 ± 0.032 μmol/L; n = 47) than in men (0.077 ± 0.026 μmol/L; n = 99). A multiple regression analysis showed a strong positive correlation between the plasma LPA concentration and serum lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD) activity, while the LPA concentration was correlated with the plasma lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) concentration only in men. Other lipid-related parameters were only slightly correlated or were not correlated with the LPA concentration. Conclusions Our findings suggested that conversion from LPC by lysoPLD might be the major route for LPA production in plasma.
Location and morphology of parasympathetic preganglionic neurons in the sacral spinal cord of the cat revealed by retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase

The distribution and morphology of preganglionic neurons in the sacral parasympathetic nucleus (SPN) of the cat have been studied with the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) tracing technique. HRP applied to the cut pelvic nerve was identified in cells located ipsilaterally, primarily in the intermediate gray matter. They formed a column approximately 10 mm long, usually contained within two, but occasionally three, sacral segments. S2 contained a majority of cells. In transverse sections the SPN had the appearance of an inverted “L. ” Cells were medium‐sized, oval or spindle‐shaped, and transversely oriented. They were distributed among two major components and one minor one: (1) dorsal band (34%) located mainly in lamina V beneath the dorsal horn (cells and dendrites horizontally oriented), (2) lateral band (64%) along the lateral edge of the gray matter in laminae VII through V (cells oriented dorsoventrally with dendrites extending within the nucleus and into the dorsolateral funiculus), and (3) a small group (2%) of cells at the rostral end of the SPN in lamina VII in the middle of the ventral horn. These data coupled with the results of other investigations indicate that the SPN has a viscerotopic organization wherein the colon is innervated primarily by cells in the dorsal band and the urinary bladder is innervated primarily by cells in the lateral band.
PROGRESS IN UREMIC TOXIN RESEARCH: Endothelium and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in the Context of Uremia

It is obvious that retention of uremic toxins leads to endothelial dysfunction, which in turn initiates proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Yet, the entity of the cascade of pathomechanisms has not sufficiently been elucidated. Endothelial dysfunction inevitably and irreversibly leads to progressive cardiovascular dysfunction and thereby represents the beginning of a life‐limiting cascade. This review highlights important findings in this field.
Self-Management of the Net On-line Associations: Structure-Functional and Organizational Factors

In the article it is considered the net on-line associations, which can be interpreted as a new form of sociality from the point of view of structure-functional characteristics of the net on-line societies, of organizational forms of the net on-line societies as factors of self-organization and self-management of the net on-line societies. The main research goal of this article is to study the self-management of online communities, which, in our opinion, is based on a new type of social subjectness – virtual subjectness on the coordination of network community relations, their horizontal self-organization and fundamental trans-borderness as well as on such specific forms of global information – communication interaction, as matrix-cellular network links between the actors, members of network communities which expresses their decentralization. The main thesis of this article is the following: a lot of networked communities are a form of information society manifestation, i.e. a new kind of sociality, digital, virtual, information and communication sociality, which self-organize and self-manage. One of the conclusions is that a poly-haul structure is typical for multiple networked communities in which each node (cell) is connected by a number of information highways while each information highway includes a multitude of alternative logistic vectors of actual and virtual information interaction.
Cloning and Expression Analysis of a UDP-Galactose/Glucose Pyrophosphorylase from Melon Fruit Provides Evidence for the Major Metabolic Pathway of Galactose Metabolism in Raffinose Oligosaccharide Metabolizing Plants1

The Cucurbitaceae translocate a significant portion of their photosynthate as raffinose and stachyose, which are galactosyl derivatives of sucrose. These are initially hydrolyzed by α-galactosidase to yield free galactose (Gal) and, accordingly, Gal metabolism is an important pathway in Cucurbitaceae sink tissue. We report here on a novel plant-specific enzyme responsible for the nucleotide activation of phosphorylated Gal and the subsequent entry of Gal into sink metabolism. The enzyme was antibody purified, sequenced, and the gene cloned and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. The heterologous protein showed the characteristics of a dual substrate UDP-hexose pyrophosphorylase (PPase) with activity toward both Gal-1-P and glucose (Glc)-1-P in the uridinylation direction and their respective UDP-sugars in the reverse direction. The two other enzymes involved in Glc-P and Gal-P uridinylation are UDP-Glc PPase and uridyltransferase, and these were also cloned, heterologously expressed, and characterized. The gene expression and enzyme activities of all three enzymes in melon (Cucumis melo) fruit were measured. The UDP-Glc PPase was expressed in melon fruit to a similar extent as the novel enzyme, but the expressed protein was specific for Glc-1-P in the UDP-Glc synthesis direction and did not catalyze the nucleotide activation of Gal-1-P. The uridyltransferase gene was only weakly expressed in melon fruit, and activity was not observed in crude extracts. The results indicate that this novel enzyme carries out both the synthesis of UDP-Gal from Gal-1-P as well as the subsequent synthesis of Glc-1-P from the epimerase product, UDP-Glc, and thus plays a key role in melon fruit sink metabolism.
Transport Functions in a Bioartificial Kidney under Uremic Conditions

A bioartifical kidney, a confluent monolayer of renal tubular cells attached to a permselective synthetic membrane, may some day substitute for the failing renal function. In such a device, the cells would have to exhibit transport properties when exposed to uremic plasma. To test the feasibility of a bioartificial kidney, LLC-PK1 cells derived from the proximal tubule were grown to confluence on microporous, cellulose nitrate membranes and transepithelial transport of inulin, glucose and tetraethylammonium (TEA) was investigated with standard tissue culture medium and with the hemofiltrate obtained from a uremic patient. Inulin, which is neither reabsorbed nor secreted by renal epithelial cells, did not diffuse through the LLC-PK1 monolayer in either tissue culture fluid or hemofiltrate. Glucose was preferentially reabsorbed and TEA was preferentially secreted in both media. In hemofiltrate, LLC-PK1 cells reabsorbed glucose at the same rate as in tissue culture fluid but secreted TEA at a significantly higher rate. This difference was related to the pH of the fluids since it was abolished by correction to the same pH value. For both solutes, the passive transepithelial leakage was significantly lower in hemofiltrate. We conclude that LLC-PK1 cells retain their reabsorbtive and secretory transport characteristics under uremic conditions.
Knowledge Analysis on Logistics Cost Trade-Offs: a Study With Portuguese Food Sector’ Professionals

Logistics is an important area in the economic-financial performance of companies, which makes it necessary to analyse their costs, as well as the trade-offs between them. Thus, the present study, with the objective of analysing the Portuguese food sector logistic professionals’ knowledge regarding to logistics costs trade-offs and their impact on the economic-financial performance of the organizations, showed that there are gaps concerning this subject. Throughout the structured interview and by using the SPSS software, the study shows the existence of flaws in the practical application of the trade-offs’ theory, such as the pressure from the managers for individual cuts in costs; and points out trade-offs of logistical costs relevant to the food sector. These results contribute to the expansion of studies on the subject, besides providing a perspective of the compensatory exchanges that can contribute to the decision making in relation to the costs concerning logistics activities.
Effect of fluconazole prophylaxis on candidiasis and mortality in premature infants: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE Invasive candidiasis in premature infants causes death and neurodevelopmental impairment. Fluconazole prophylaxis reduces candidiasis, but its effect on mortality and the safety of fluconazole are unknown. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fluconazole in preventing death or invasive candidiasis in extremely low-birth-weight infants. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS This study was a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial of fluconazole in premature infants. Infants weighing less than 750 g at birth (N = 361) from 32 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the United States were randomly assigned to receive either fluconazole or placebo twice weekly for 42 days. Surviving infants were evaluated at 18 to 22 months corrected age for neurodevelopmental outcomes. The study was conducted between November 2008 and February 2013. INTERVENTIONS Fluconazole (6 mg/kg of body weight) or placebo. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary end point was a composite of death or definite or probable invasive candidiasis prior to study day 49 (1 week after completion of study drug). Secondary and safety outcomes included invasive candidiasis, liver function, bacterial infection, length of stay, intracranial hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, chronic lung disease, patent ductus arteriosus requiring surgery, retinopathy of prematurity requiring surgery, necrotizing enterocolitis, spontaneous intestinal perforation, and neurodevelopmental outcomes-defined as a Bayley-III cognition composite score of less than 70, blindness, deafness, or cerebral palsy at 18 to 22 months corrected age. RESULTS Among infants receiving fluconazole, the composite primary end point of death or invasive candidiasis was 16% (95% CI, 11%-22%) vs 21% in the placebo group (95% CI, 15%-28%; odds ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.43-1.23]; P = .24; treatment difference, -5% [95% CI, -13% to 3%]). Invasive candidiasis occurred less frequently in the fluconazole group (3% [95% CI, 1%-6%]) vs the placebo group (9% [95% CI, 5%-14%]; P = .02; treatment difference, -6% [95% CI, -11% to -1%]). The cumulative incidences of other secondary outcomes were not statistically different between groups. Neurodevelopmental impairment did not differ between the groups (fluconazole, 31% [95% CI, 21%-41%] vs placebo, 27% [95% CI, 18%-37%]; P = .60; treatment difference, 4% [95% CI, -10% to 17%]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among infants with a birth weight of less than 750 g, 42 days of fluconazole prophylaxis compared with placebo did not result in a lower incidence of the composite of death or invasive candidiasis. These findings do not support the universal use of prophylactic fluconazole in extremely low-birth-weight infants. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00734539.
Autonomic nervous control of the urinary bladder

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in the regulation of the urinary bladder function. Under physiological circumstances, noradrenaline, acting mainly on β3‐adrenoceptors in the detrusor and on α1A‐adrenoceptors in the bladder outflow tract, promotes urine storage, whereas neuronally released acetylcholine acting mainly on M3 receptors promotes bladder emptying. Under pathophysiological conditions, however, this system may change in several ways. Firstly, there may be plasticity at the levels of innervation and receptor expression and function. Secondly, non‐neuronal acetylcholine synthesis and release from the urothelium may occur during the storage phase, leading to a concomitant exposure of detrusor smooth muscle, urothelium and afferent nerves to acetylcholine and noradrenaline. This can cause interactions between the adrenergic and cholinergic system, which have been studied mostly at the post‐junctional smooth muscle level until now. The implications of such plasticity are being discussed.
Religiosity, consumerism and halal tourism: A study of seaside tourism organizations in Turkey

Th is study investigates religious (Muslim) consumers' perception of holiday vacations from the perspective of tourism and theology using qualitative data to evaluate and discuss the perception and transformation of devotees involved in halal tourism practices. Th e sample for the study consists of one 5-star and three 4-star hotels and one holiday village, based in seaside locations in Turkey. Th e data gathered from the 50 participants who were interviewed about their halal tourism experience revealed that religious vacationers have a tendency to justify going on holiday, despite the lack of defi nitive support in the Quran or Sunnah. Th is fi nding betrays the infl uence of capitalist consumer culture on the decision-making of religious consumers and reveals that participants' perception of vacations does not diff er from ordinary tourists', which may indicate that religious consumers have embraced a vacation of tourism culture. Th is fi nding may indicate that the prevailing popular culture has transformed religious devotees' lifestyles in terms of perceived modern needs whilst another important fi nding discloses religious vacationer's perception of a holiday as one of the basic needs of our time.