Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of internal controls for probe-based nucleic acid diagnostic assays.

A method is described for the design, evaluation, and application of internal control targets and probes for use in probe-based nucleic acid diagnostic assays (i.e., PCR-ELISA). The technique is a modified version of oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis in conjunction with PCR amplification to develop a novel probe-annealing sequence in a cloned IS1111a gene fragment of Coxiella burnetii. The internal control probe-recognition site with its complementary probe was identical to the wild-type-specific probe in length, base composition, location, and annealing temperature. Neither the internal control nor the wild-type probes annealed to the recognition sequence of the other. As both of the amplified nucleic acid fragments, internal control and wild type, were identical in length and base composition, the amplification conditions for the diagnostic assay were not affected. This allowed small copy numbers of the internal control clone to be loaded into a diagnostic assay without negatively affecting it. In a single reaction we were able to differentiate between an assay reporting a true or false-negative signal. A negative signal is defined as the absence of detectable pathogen genetic material (true) or inhibition/failure of the reaction (false).
Two connectionist schemes for selecting groups of features (sensors)

Suppose for a given classification or function approximation (FA) problem data are collected using l sensors. From the output of the i/sup th/ sensor n/sub i/ features are extracted, thereby generating p = /spl Sigma//sub i=1//sup l/ n/sub i/ features. So for the task at hand we have X /spl sub/ R/sup p/ as input data along with their corresponding outputs or class labels. Here we propose two novel connectionist schemes that can select the sensors that yield redundant or bad features online and also do the required task, say, FA or classification. One of the schemes is based on the Radial Basis Function network and the other uses the Multilayered Perceptron network. Simulations show that the methods can detect the bad groups of features online and can also eliminate the effect of these bad features while doing the task.
Diseño y estandarización de una prueba de PCR para la detección específica de Trypanosoma Cruzi.

Objetivo: Trypanosoma Cruzi, agente causal de la enfermedad de Changas prsenta 2 tipos de unidades H"A: 1,2 y 0,76 kb. Dada la ausencia de la unidad de 1,2 kb en T.Rangeli, en este trabajo se desarrollo una prueba de PCR para la deteccion de T.Cruzi, usando como blanco este gen.
Aalborg Universitet Shaping EXIT Functions of Turbo Codes

This paper investigates the shaping of the extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) functions of parallel turbo codes, when the turbo code is used as an outer code in a serially concatenated scheme. As opposed to other work, we consider the overall EXIT function of the turbo decoder and not the EXIT chart for the component codes. Three methods for shaping are investigated: (i) individual puncturing of the systematic part and the two parity parts of the turbo codes, (ii) puncturing of the overall turbo code, and (iii) repetition of the overall turbo code. For each case, the EXIT function of the resulting turbo code is computed from the EXIT function of its component codes. Exact results are obtained for the binary erasure channel.
Elevated liver enzymes in inflammatory bowel disease: the role and safety of infliximab

Background Abnormal liver enzymes are frequently encountered in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Infliximab has been implicated in inducing drug-induced liver injury, autoimmune hepatitis or reactivation of hepatitis B virus. We aimed to clarify the role of infliximab in liver impairment in an IBD cohort. Study A total of 305 patients with IBD, without evidence of chronic liver disease, were included in the study and retrospectively evaluated. Laboratory and clinical data were retrieved from a prospectively acquired database. In all, 176 consecutive patients treated with infliximab during the last 5 years were compared with a matched population of 129 patients who did not receive any antitumour necrosis factor treatment. Results Elevation of alanine transaminase (ALT) was frequent in the entire population (36.4%) and it was not significantly associated with the use of infliximab (P=0.284). Elevations more than 3 upper limit of normal were observed in 7.9% and these resolved spontaneously in 83%. The use of immunomodulators was the only factor that was significantly associated with liver enzyme abnormalities in multivariate analysis [odds ratio (OR) 2.666, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.576–4.511, P<0.005]. Overall, 39% of patients on infliximab had elevated liver enzymes and this was associated with increased ALT before starting infliximab (OR 3.854, 95% CI 1.800–8.251, P=0.001) and with longer duration of infliximab treatment (OR 1.030, 95% CI 1.013–1.047, P=0.001). Conclusion Elevated liver enzymes are frequently found in IBD patients and they usually resolve spontaneously. The use of immunomodulators was independently associated with increased ALT. Infliximab is relatively safe in terms of liver impairment and discontinuation of treatment is rarely required in the setting of modest elevations of ALT.
Patient handovers within the hospital: translating knowledge from motor racing to healthcare

Introduction This paper expands the analogy between motor racing team pit stops and patient handovers. Previous studies demonstrated how the handover of patients following surgery could be improved by learning from a motor racing team. This has been extended to include contributions from several motor racing teams, and by examining transfers at several different interfaces at a non-specialist UK teaching hospital. Methods Letters of invitation were sent to the technical managers of nine Formula 1 motor racing teams. Semistructured interviews were carried out at a UK teaching hospital with 10 clinical staff involved in the handover of patients from surgery to recovery and intensive care. Results Three themes emerged from the motor racing responses; (1) proactive learning with briefings and checklists to prevent errors; (2) active management using technology to transfer information, and (3) post hoc learning from the storage and analysis of electronic data records. The eight healthcare themes were: historical working practice; problems during transfer; poor awareness of handover protocols; poor team coordination; time pressure; lack of consistency in handover practice; poor communication of important information; and awareness that handover was a potential threat to patient safety. Conclusions The lessons from motor racing can be applied to healthcare for proactive planning, active management and post hoc learning. Other high-risk industries see standardisation of working practices, interpersonal communication, consistency and continuous development as fundamental for success. The application of these concepts would result in improvements in the quality and safety of the patient handover process.
Cationic Surfactants from Arginine: Synthesis and Physicochemical Properties

The present invention concerns the preparation of cationic surfactants derived from the condensation of an acid chloride, preferably a fatty acid with a number of carbon atoms 8, 9 and 14 with esterified amino acids, preferably basic-type amino acids, like (L)-arginine. The method comprises a first step in which the esterification of the amino acid with an alcohol is performed and a second step for the condensation with a chloride of fatty acid, using Schotten Baumann conditions. These surfactants constitute a novel class of chemicals of low toxicity with excellent surface properties and considerable antimicrobial activity. As in a conventional series of surfactants with different chain lengths, changes in the chain result in changes in the physicochemical properties. Excellent antimicrobial activity is observed for the homologue of 14 carbon atoms.
Podocyte-Associated Molecules in Puromycin Aminonucleoside Nephrosis of the Rat

Molecules of central functional significance for the glomerular podocytes are rapidly emerging and have been shown to be distinctly involved in diseases with altered glomerular filtration barrier. Here we used the puromycin aminonucleoside (PA) nephrosis model in the rat to study some key proteins associated with the maintenance of the functional glomerular filtration barrier in vivo. The molecules studied included the filtration slit component nephrin, the hairpin-like membrane protein podocin, the basolateral adhesion molecules β1 integrin and α-dystroglycan, and the cytoskeleton-linking intermediary β-catenin and the actin-associated α-actinin-4. The results showed diminished protein levels of podocin and nephrin in the PA-treated group. β-catenin showed distinct down-regulation at 3 days of induction, and the control level was reached at 10 days. β1 integrin was markedly up-regulated during induction. α-actinin-4 was not changed at the studied time points. The results show distinct differences in the different domains of podocytes during PA-induced proteinuria.
Facts, Processes and Common Understandings: The Management of Knowledge in Project Based Organisations

During the last couple of decades, project based organisations (PBOs) have been on a strong increase (e.g. Prencipe and Tell, 2001; Whitley, 2006) as the fast changing environment and conditions for conducting business call for more flexible, innovative organisational designs. Project teams are one way to organise for these changes. PBOs are especially suited to react to changes and initiate team learning, and they are also said to be the key learning unit in organisations (Senge, 1990). In this way PBOs can be seen as small knowledge intensive factories where knowledge is created, adapted, and re-framed. However, PBOs face a number of challenges. One of these is not to “reinvent the wheel” as organisational knowledge can be fragmented and very team specific. In such organisations it may be difficult to know what knowledge is available in the organisation if there are no formal mechanisms or established department responsible for capturing, storing and sharing knowledge in and between project teams. More specifically one has to assess whether the organisation is able to capitalise on knowledge gained in one project and transfer it to other projects. Will team members with diverse skills – who work together for at limited period of time, who might not know each other, and who may not expect to collaborate again – be able and willing to share knowledge? Do team members even have to handle multi-teaming? All these issues, and more, aim at an effective understanding of knowledge management. Paying attention to the role of knowledge management as well as the role of social processes, practises and patterns is relatively new in relation to knowledge management in projects and PBOs as Bresnen et al. (2003) have pointed out. According to Ajmal and Koskinen (2008) the benefits of knowledge transfer have long been recognized in PBOs, but the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer varies considerably. Effective knowledge management is complex, but essential. Therefore, this paper focuses on how the alignment between an organisation’s strategy, products, and knowledge management strategy can help clarify which knowledge management initiatives will be most effective. The aim is to discuss how different types of knowledge enable various ways of managing knowledge, i.e., how they create, share and transfer knowledge in and between projects. Therefore, we study how more views on knowledge management and related initiatives in
Equilibrium and Kinetic Studies on Biosorption of Iron (II) and Iron (III) Ions onto Eggshell Powder from Aqueous Solution

As a consequence of modernization, industry is spread in the whole world, one of the industries that producing a wastewater as a by-product, iron and steel industry. The result is a huge amount of wastewater that contaminated with iron and steel. Biosorption techniques especially with a natural low cost adsorbent material, namely chicken eggshell is gaining an important goal for treating with a cost efficient material. This present investigation, eggshell (untreated natural eggshell and the treated one which is burned to 500°C) was applied for two types of iron removal from wastewater (Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ ). The adsorption capacity of Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ verified 105.4 and 165.6 mg/g, respectively within 120 minutes for the unmodified eggshell, which enhanced to 129.7 and 181.3 mg/g, respectively, for the modified eggshell. Different parameters were studied such as initial iron concentration in wastewater, agitation speed and the mass of the biosorbent. The isotherm study revealed that the data well fitted for linearized forms of Langmuir. The kinetic study followed the pseudo-second order reaction rate.
Further understanding of cerebral autoregulation at the bedside: possible implications for future therapy

Cerebral autoregulation reflects the ability of the brain to keep the cerebral blood flow (CBF) relatively constant despite changes in cerebral perfusion pressure. It is an intrinsic neuroprotective physiological phenomenon often suggested as part of pathophysiological pathways in brain research. However, despite increasing knowledge of this phenomenon for over 50 years, harnessing cerebral autoregulation as a basis for therapy remains an elegant concept rather than a practical reality. This raises the question is it useful to measure at the bedside or is it merely a scientific curiosity that is too complex and has little pragmatic relevance. In this article, we attempt to answer this question by demonstrating how cerebral autoregulation assessment can have prognostic value, indicate pathological states, and potentially even influence therapy with the use of the ‘optimal cerebral perfusion pressure’ paradigm. Evidence from the literature is combined with bedside clinical examples to address the following fundamental questions about cerebral autoregulation: What is it? How do we measure it? Why is it important? Can we use it as a basis for therapy?
Consentimento médico informado em hérnia discal lombar

Resumo Analisamos os resultados e as complicações do tratamento cirúrgico da hérnia discal lombar em nossas casuísticas anteriormente apresentadas e realizamos uma revisão da literatura sobre esse assunto. Comparando os dados obtidos, esquematizamos informações a serem transmitidas aos pacientes sobre a enfermidade. Realizamos a microdiscectomia (1980-1982), em 46 pacientes: confirmaram-se bons resultados em 85% deles; reoperações ocorreram em 8,7%. Em outra casuística (1990-1991) com 160 pacientes, reoperações ocorreram em 21 casos (13%). Desses 21 pacientes, em apenas 8 realizamos a primeira cirurgia. Encontramos recidiva em 9 (5,6%), operação no espaço errado em 6 (3,7%), fibrose em 3 (1,9%) e hérnia nova (pseudo-recorrência) em 3 (1,9%). Para 27 pacientes submetidos à discectomia a laser (1996-1999), o índice de bons resultados foi de 66,7%. Para se indicar cirurgia, deve haver uma perfeita correlação entre as queixas do paciente, o compromentimento neurológico e o diagnóstico por neuroimagem. Atualmente, há uma tendência a se realizar o tratamento clínico por três meses antes de indicação cirúrgica. A cirurgia é segura e eficaz e, quando os resultados são analisados em longo prazo, são semelhantes aos do tratamento conservador. As complicações mais freqüentes da cirurgia, citadas na literatura, são: recidiva da hérnia, operação no espaço errado, descompressão radicular inadequada, lesão radicular e fibrose. Há casos registrados de óbitos relacionados a discite e lesões vasculares. O nosso propósito ao rever os dados apontados é o de propor que o médico, antes de realizar a cirurgia, peça que se assine um termo de consentimento médico em que consta que o paciente foi informado sobre a enfermidade, sobre a necessidade da cirurgia e quais são os objetivos, as possibilidades de sucesso, complicações e reoperações. Os pacientes orientados com tratamento conservador devem ser informados sobre a natureza da enfermidade e o planejamento do tratamento.
A Block Ordering Method for Sparse Matrices

Block iterative methods used for the solution of linear systems of algebraic equations can perform better when the diagonal blocks of the corresponding matrix are carefully chosen. A method is presented based on combinatorial considerations which permutes the rows and columns of a general matrix in such a way that relatively dense blocks of various sizes appear along the diagonal. The method is particularly useful when no natural partitioning of the matrix is available. Two parameters govern the method which is $O(n + \nu )$ in time and space, where n is the order of the matrix and $\nu $ is the number of nonzeros in the matrix. Numerical test results are presented which illustrate the performance of both the ordering algorithm and the block iterative methods with the resulting orderings.
Intercellular cement and capillary permeability.

vs. osmotic pressure in maintaining normal fluid exchange between the blood and the tissues. Their findings may be explained either by the assumption that the permeability of the capillary wall is so affected as to cause the loss of whole plasma, or that the loss of non-protein fluid in one region, e.g., the abdomi-nal cavity or dependent parts of the extremities, is counterbalanced by an uptake of similar fluid from another region, e.g., skeletal muscle.
Reliable RF beamforming for millimeter wave MIMO-OFDM systems

In this paper, we propose a novel spatial diversity scheme for the radio-frequency (RF) beamforming in millimeter wave (mmWave) MIMO-OFDM systems under the assumption of partial channel knowledge at the transmitter and full channel knowledge at the receiver. We formulate the spatial diversity problem as maximizing the geometric mean of the projections of the RF precoder on the transmit steering vectors and the geometric mean of the projections of the RF combiner on the receive steering vectors. To solve the optimization problem of the RF beamformers, we propose a simple gradient ascent algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed spatial diversity scheme outperforms the other spatial diversity schemes in literature in case of no blockage and in case of blockage to any propagation path regardless of the number of propagation paths.
Roadmap to Flexible Service Processes - A Project Portfolio Selection and Scheduling Approach

Process flexibility has evolved into a desired corporate capability as it promises to cope with demand uncertainty and variety. Particularly service processes have a high intrinsic need for flexibility. Many approaches have been proposed to determine the business value and an appropriate level of flexibility for service processes. Most of these approaches focus on a distinct flexibility type and on single projects for implementing flexible service processes. The question how to reasonably combine flexibility projects has not been addressed yet. Moreover, most approaches do not conduct a full-fledged economic analysis of process flexibility. We therefore propose a decision model that helps determine an optimal flexibility roadmap, i.e., a scheduled portfolio of flexibility projects with different effects on service processes. The decision model accounts for different request types (i.e., runners, repeaters, and strangers), different capacity types (i.e., internal, external, dedicated, and flexible), different flexibility types (i.e., volume and functional), and related project archetypes. The decision model was evaluated using feature com- parison, prototype construction, and a demonstration example including an extensive scenario analysis.
Diabetes and Hypertension: A Position Statement by the American Diabetes Association

Hypertension is common among patients with diabetes, with the prevalence depending on type and duration of diabetes, age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, history of glycemic control, and the presence of kidney disease, among other factors (1–3). Furthermore, hypertension is a strong risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), heart failure, and microvascular complications. ASCVD—defined as acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction (MI), angina, coronary or other arterial revascularization, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or peripheral arterial disease presumed to be of atherosclerotic origin—is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for individuals with diabetes and is the largest contributor to the direct and indirect costs of diabetes. Numerous studies have shown that antihypertensive therapy reduces ASCVD events, heart failure, and microvascular complications in people with diabetes (4–8). Large benefits are seen when multiple risk factors are addressed simultaneously (9). There is evidence that ASCVD morbidity and mortality have decreased for people with diabetes since 1990 (10,11) likely due in large part to improvements in blood pressure control (12–14). This Position Statement is intended to update the assessment and treatment of hypertension among people with diabetes, including advances in care since the American Diabetes Association (ADA) last published a Position Statement on this topic in 2003 (3). #### Recommendations
Performance of Third Harmonic Ground Fault Protection Schemes for Generator Stator Windings

The paper shows how the normally generated third-harmonic voltage can be used to protect the lower ten to twenty percent of generator stator windings against ground faults. A method of determining the applicability of the scheme to a given machine is described which takes into account the design of the generator and its externally connected apparatus. The effects of finite resistence ground faults are also investigated and other advantages of the scheme, such as protection of the neutral, are also highlighted.
PAHs and Astrobiology

In dense molecular clouds, the birthplace of stars and planets, interstellar atoms and molecules freeze onto extremely cold dust and ice particles. These ices are processed by ultraviolet light and cosmic rays forming hundreds of far more complex species, some of astrobiological interest. Eventually, these rain down on primordial planets where they take part in the young chemistry on these new worlds. Although the IR spectroscopy and energetic processing of interstellar ice analogs have been studied for nearly 30 years, similar studies of PAH containing ices have only just begun. This paper presents recent results from laboratory studies on the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photochemistry of PAHs in water ice at low temperatures to assess the roles they play in the photochemical evolution of interstellar ices and their relevance to astrobiology. A number of “surprises” were found in these studies on PAH containing water-rich ices, indicating that PAHs likely play very important, unexpected roles in cosmic ice chemistry, physics and astrobiology.
Play the learning game: Developing training for teachers and trainers

Game based-learning exploits the potential of ICT and games engage learners. The objectives of the European project “Play the Learning Game” are to spread and update the results of the “Learning Game Portal” to vocational education teachers and trainers. The 10 partners develop and execute trainings and intend to disseminate the project contents as broadly as possible.