Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malaysia traffic sign recognition with convolutional neural network

Traffic sign recognition system is an important subsystem in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that assisting a driver to detect a critical driving scenario and subsequently making an immediate decision. Recently, deep architecture neural network is popular because it adapts well in various kind of scenarios, even those which were not used during training. Therefore, a deep architecture neural network is implemented to perform traffic sign classification in order to improve the traffic sign recognition rate. A comparative study for a deep and shallow architecture neural network is presented in this paper. Deep and shallow architecture neural network refer to convolutional neural network (CNN) and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) respectively. In the simulation result, two types of training modes had been compared i.e. incremental training and batch training. Experimental results show that incremental training mode trains faster than batch training mode. The performance of the convolutional neural network is evaluated with the Malaysian traffic sign database and achieves 99% of the recognition rate.
Advances in the development of novel analgesics

Background: Chronic pain conditions, whether inflammatory or neuropathic in origin remain a significant unmet medical need. Existing treatments exhibit insufficient efficacy and also produce dose-limiting side effects. As such, research is focused on identifying new drugs with novel mechanisms of action to better serve patient needs. Objectives: This review focuses on the most recent chemical scaffolds that are being investigated towards advancing selective small molecule cannabinoid agonists (CB2), ion channel modulators (sodium channels, calcium channels, potassium channels, transient receptor potential channels, acid-sensing ion channels and purinergic receptors) as well as modulators of the norepinephrine system into the clinic. Methods: We systematically searched, analyzed and summarized the publication and patent literature for small molecule inhibitors of the topic areas within the period January 2007 – February 2008. Information on clinical candidates, when available, was garnered from company websites and commercial databases. Conclusions: Our analysis reveals prolific patenting activity in the pain area associated with the chosen targets. As our targets are only a subset of those under investigation for pain, this therapeutic area seems to be a focus in both academic institutions and industry. Brain penetration and selectivity emerge as likely prerequisites for avoidance of adverse events and to achieve meaningful clinical efficacy.
Molecular Characterization of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Isolates Recovered from Children with Diarrhea during a 4-Year Period (2007 to 2010) in Bolivia

ABSTRACT Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is an important cause of childhood diarrhea. This study aimed to characterize ETEC strains isolated from Bolivian children aged <5 years according to enterotoxin profile, colonization factors (CFs), suggested virulence genes, and severity of disease. A total of 299 ETEC isolates recovered from children with diarrhea and 55 ETEC isolates from children without diarrhea (controls) were isolated over a period of 4 years. Strains expressing heat-labile toxin (LT) or heat-stable toxin (ST) alone were about equally common and twice as common as ETEC producing both toxins (20%). ETEC strains expressing human ST (STh) were more common in children aged <2 years, while ETEC strains expressing LT plus STh (LT/STh) were more frequent in 2- to 5-year-old children. Severity of disease was not related to the toxin profile of the strains. CF-positive isolates were more frequently identified in diarrheal samples than in control samples (P = 0.02). The most common CFs were CFA/I and CS14. CFA/I ETEC strains were more frequent in children aged <2 years than CS1+CS3 isolates and CS14 isolates, which were more prevalent in 2- to 5-year-old children. The presence of suggested ETEC virulence genes (clyA, eatA, tia, tibC, leoA, and east-1) was not associated with disease. However, east-1 was associated with LT/STh strains (P < 0.001), eatA with STh strains (P < 0.001), and tia with LT/STh strains (P < 0.001). A minor seasonal peak of ETEC infections was identified in May during the cold-dry season and coincided with the peak of rotavirus infections; this pattern is unusual for ETEC and may be important for vaccination strategies in Bolivia.
User-Centered Design and Evaluation of WAP-Based Systems

WAP technology has proliferated in the last few years, and due to this fact, many businesses have been compelled to adopt the m-commerce paradigm. However, the usability aspects of the WAP-based m-commerce systems have not yet been thoroughly addressed. In order to get user acceptability, these applications should be designed using user-centred design and evaluation philosophy. In this paper, we describe the design and development of a WAP-based m-commerce system using user-centred design and evaluation techniques. Several usability issues are discussed, and we have developed a set of usability principles that will help to develop more usable WAP-based systems.
Evaluation of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper for Identification of Fastidious Gram-Negative Rods

ABSTRACT Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization−time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has entered clinical laboratories, facilitating identification of bacteria. Here, we evaluated the MALDI Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics) for the identification of fastidious Gram-negative rods (GNR). Three sample preparation methods, direct colony transfer, direct transfer plus on-target formic acid preparation, and ethanol-formic acid extraction, were analyzed for 151 clinical isolates. Direct colony transfer applied with the manufacturer's interpretation criteria resulted in overall species and genus identification rates of 43.0% and 32.5%, respectively; 23.2% of the isolates were not identified, and two misidentifications (1.3%) were observed. The species identification rates increased to 46.4% and 53.7% for direct transfer plus formic acid preparation and ethanol-formic acid extraction, respectively. In addition, we evaluated score value cutoff alterations. The identification rates hardly increased by reducing the genus cutoff, while reducing the 2.0 species cutoff to 1.9 and to 1.8 increased the identification rates to up to 66.2% without increasing the rate of misidentifications. This study shows that fastidious GNR can reliably be identified using the MALDI Biotyper. However, the identification rates do not reach those of nonfastidious GNR such as the Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, two approaches optimizing the identification of fastidious GNR by the MALDI Biotyper were demonstrated: formic acid-based on-target sample treatment and reductions in cutoff scores to increase the species identification rates.
Somatotipo, Masa Grasa y Muscular del Escalador Deportivo Español de Elite

Una adecuada morfologia y composicion corporal es una condicion necesaria para obtener buenos resultados en el deporte de competicion y una variable fundamental en el control del rendimiento deportivo. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue describir la masa grasa, la masa muscular y la morfologia corporal de 11 escaladores deportivos de elite espanoles, en base a metodos antropometricos para la composicion corporal (ecuaciones de Faulkner, Carter y Durnin & Womersley) y el somatotipo (Heath & Carter) y de bioimpedancia electrica para la masa muscular (ecuaciones de Janssen & Kyle). Un analisis de la varianza (ANOVA) fue aplicado para determinar las diferencias entre las diferentes formulas de calculo del porcentaje de grasa. El porcentaje de grasa obtenido a partir de las ecuacion de Durnin & Womersley fue significativamente superior respecto al obtenido con la ecuacion de Carter en hombres (7,51% v/s 5,42%) y al de Faulkner en mujeres (14,40% v/s 12,58%; p<0,05). La masa muscular esqueletica fue superior en los hombres (45,52%) que en las mujeres (34,28%). Del somatotipo destaco el alto componente mesomorfico y la baja endomorfia en varones (1,34 - 5,22 - 3,05) y el morfotipo ectomesomorfo en mujeres (1,65 - 3,35 - 3,71). Los resultados del presente estudio pueden considerarse como valores de referencia en base al alto nivel deportivo de los sujetos estudiados.
A Pilot Evaluation of External Quality Assessment of GenoType MTBDRplus Versions 1 and 2 Using Dried Culture Spot Material

ABSTRACT Dried culture spots (DCS) of inactivated Mycobacteria strains designed as part of an external quality assessment (EQA) program for the GeneXpert system has applications to other molecular tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic platforms. DCS tested on the GenoType MTBDRplus and Mycobacterium CM assays performed well with MTBDRplus version 2 but require increased bacterial concentration for use with version 1.
An Interactive Program Fo Conversational Elicitation of Decision Structures

An interactive computer program has been designed and implemented that elicits a decision tree from a decisionmaker in an English-like conversational mode. It emulates a decision analyst who guides the decisionmaker in structuring and organizing his knowledge about a particular problem domain. The objectives of the research were: 1) to provide the decision analysis industry with a practical automated tool for eliciting decision structures where manual elicitation techniques are either infeasible or uneconomical, 2) to cast the decision analyst's behavior into a formal framework in order to examine the principles governing the elicitation procedure and gain a deeper understanding of the analysis process itself, and 3) to provide experimental psychologists with an automated research tool for coding subjects' perception of problem situations into a standard and formal representation. The approach centers on the realization that the process of conducting an elicitation dialogue is structurally identical to conducting a heuristic search on game trees, as is commonly practiced in artificial intelligence programs. Heuristic search techniques, when applied to tree elicitation, permit real-time rollback and sensitivity analysis as the tree is being formulated. Thus it is possible to concentrate effort on expanding those parts of the tree which are crucial for the resolution of the solution plan. The program requires the decisionmaker to provide provisional values at each intermediate stage in the tree construction, which estimate the promise of future opportunities open to him from that stage.
Effects of olanzapine on LPS-induced inflammation in rat primary glia cells

Olanzapine (OLZ) is an atypical antipsychotic drug that also has mood-stabilizing effects. The mechanism of action of OLZ is not fully understood. Accumulating data suggest that inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of mental disorders and that psychotropic drugs exhibit some anti-inflammatory properties. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of OLZ on LPS-induced inflammation in rat primary glia cells. Glia cells were extracted from newborn rat brains. OLZ (1 or 50 µM) was added to culture medium at 6 or 72 h before addition of LPS for another 18 h, and levels of IL-10, prostaglandin (PG) E2, NO and TNF-α, and expression of cyclo-oxygensase (COX)-2 and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) were determined. Treatment with 50 µM OLZ (but not 1 µM) significantly decreased LPS-induced secretion of IL-10, PGE2 and TNF-α. In contrast, 50 µM OLZ significantly increased NO levels. OLZ did not alter the expression of COX-2 or iNOS in LPS-treated cells. These results suggest that OLZ differently affects the secretion of inflammatory mediators. Most of the significant effects of OLZ were obtained when 50 µM was used, which is a high and probably therapeutically irrelevant concentration. Therefore, under the conditions used in the present study OLZ seemed to lack a potent anti-inflammatory effect.
Evaluation of a Short, On-Plate Formic Acid Extraction Method for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry-Based Identification of Clinically Relevant Yeast Isolates

ABSTRACT This report describes a short, on-plate formic acid (FA) extraction method for the identification of clinical yeast isolates using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A total of 41.1% (78/190) and 63.7% (121/190) of yeasts were identified using species log score thresholds of >2.0 and >1.9, respectively. Overall, 97.4% (185/190) of yeasts were identified in combination with conventional FA extraction.
Ambulante Diagnostik und Therapie der Gonarthrose

AIM OF STUDY: To develop recommendations for appropriate diagnostic procedures and conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis in outpatients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Following a consensus conference and expert reviews basic recommendations were developed. RESULTS: While standardized radiographic assessment is mandatory, MRI investigation should be restricted to problems apart from osteoarthritis. Indications for physical therapy, bracing and pharmaco-treatment depend on the severity of the disease. Guidelines for intraarticular injections are presented. CONCLUSION: Effective treatment of knee osteoarthritis must be based on available recommendations and guidelines.
Prospective Evaluation of Diagnostic Accuracy of Dried Blood Spots from Finger Prick Samples for Determination of HIV-1 Load with the NucliSENS Easy-Q HIV-1 Version 2.0 Assay in Malawi

ABSTRACT HIV-1 viral load (VL) testing is not widely available in resource-limited settings. The use of finger prick dried blood spot (FP-DBS) samples could remove barriers related to sample collection and transport. Measurement of VL using DBS from EDTA venous blood (VB-DBS) in place of plasma has previously been validated using the NucliSENS Easy-Q HIV-1 v2.0 assay, but information on the accuracy of FP-DBS samples for measuring VL is limited. This prospective study, conducted at Thyolo District Hospital in southern Malawi, compared VL levels measured on FP-DBS samples and plasma using the NucliSENS Easy-Q HIV-1 v2.0 assay. Comparability was assessed by means of agreement and correlation (131 patients with VLs of ≥100 copies/ml), sensitivity, and specificity (612 patients on antiretroviral treatment [ART]). Samples of EDTA venous blood and FP-DBS from 1,009 HIV-infected individuals were collected and prepared in the laboratory. Bland-Altman analysis found good agreement between plasma and FP-DBS VL levels, with a mean difference of −0.35 log10, and 95% limits of agreement from −1.26 to 0.55 log10. FP-DBS had a sensitivity of 88.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81.1 to 94.4%) and a specificity of 97.8% (95% CI, 96.1 to 98.9%) using a 1,000-copies/ml cut point and a sensitivity of 83.0% (95% CI, 73.4 to 90.1%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 99.3 to 100%) using a 5,000-copies/ml cut point. This study shows that FP-DBS is an acceptable alternative to plasma for measuring VL using the NucliSENS Easy-Q HIV-1 v2.0. We are conducting a second study to assess the proficiency of health workers at preparing FP-DBS in primary health care clinics.
Serologic Cross-Reactions between Nucleocapsid Proteins of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Human Metapneumovirus

ABSTRACT Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) share virologic and epidemiologic features and cause clinically similar respiratory illness predominantly in young children. In a previous study of acute febrile respiratory illness in Bangladesh, we tested paired serum specimens from 852 children presenting fever and cough for diagnostic increases in titers of antibody to hRSV and hMPV by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Unexpectedly, of 93 serum pairs that showed a ≥4-fold increase in titers of antibody to hRSV, 24 (25.8%) showed a concurrent increase in titers of antibody to hMPV; of 91 pairs showing an increase to hMPV, 13 (14.3%) showed a concurrent increase to hRSV. We speculated that common antigens shared by these viruses explain this finding. Since the nucleocapsid (N) proteins of these viruses show the greatest sequence homology, we tested hyperimmune antisera prepared for each virus against baculovirus-expressed recombinant N (recN) proteins for potential cross-reactivity. The antisera were reciprocally reactive with both proteins. To localize common antigenic regions, we first expressed the carboxy domain of the hMPV N protein that was the most highly conserved region within the hRSV N protein. Although reciprocally reactive with antisera by Western blotting, this truncated protein did not react with hMPV IgG-positive human sera by EIA. Using 5 synthetic peptides that spanned the amino-terminal portion of the hMPV N protein, we identified a single peptide that was cross-reactive with human sera positive for either virus. Antiserum prepared for this peptide was reactive with recN proteins of both viruses, indicating that a common immunoreactive site exists in this region.
Development of Specific Sequence-Characterized Amplified Region Markers for Detecting Histoplasma capsulatum in Clinical and Environmental Samples

ABSTRACT Sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers, generated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR, were developed to detect Histoplasma capsulatum selectively in clinical and environmental samples. A 1,200-bp RAPD-PCR-specific band produced with the 1281-1283 primers was cloned, sequenced, and used to design two SCAR markers, 1281-1283220 and 1281-1283230. The specificity of these markers was confirmed by Southern hybridization. To evaluate the relevance of the SCAR markers for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis, another molecular marker (M antigen probe) was used for comparison. To validate 1281-1283220 and 1281-1283230 as new tools for the identification of H. capsulatum, the specificity and sensitivity of these markers were assessed for the detection of the pathogen in 36 clinical (17 humans, as well as 9 experimentally and 10 naturally infected nonhuman mammals) and 20 environmental (10 contaminated soil and 10 guano) samples. Although the two SCAR markers and the M antigen probe identified H. capsulatum isolates from different geographic origins in America, the 1281-1283220 SCAR marker was the most specific and detected the pathogen in all samples tested. In contrast, the 1281-1283230 SCAR marker and the M antigen probe also amplified DNA from Aspergillus niger and Cryptococcus neoformans, respectively. Both SCAR markers detected as little as 0.001 ng of H. capsulatum DNA, while the M antigen probe detected 0.5 ng of fungal DNA. The SCAR markers revealed the fungal presence better than the M antigen probe in contaminated soil and guano samples. Based on our results, the 1281-1283220 marker can be used to detect and identify H. capsulatum in samples from different sources.
Sendai virus C protein limits NO production in infected RAW264.7 macrophages

To suppress virus multiplication, infected macrophages produce NO. However, it remains unclear how infecting viruses then overcome NO challenge. In the present study, we report the effects of accessory protein C from Sendai virus (SeV), a prototypical paramyxovirus, on NO output. We found that in RAW264.7 murine macrophages, a mutant SeV without C protein (4C(–)) significantly enhanced inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression and subsequent NO production compared to wild type SeV (wtSeV). SeV 4C(-) infection caused marked production of IFN-β, which is involved in induction of iNOS expression via the JAK-STAT pathway. Addition of anti-IFN-β Ab, however, resulted in only marginal suppression of NO production. In contrast, NF-κB, a primarily important factor for transcription of the iNOS gene, was also activated by 4C(–) infection but not wtSeV infection. Induction of NO production and iNOS expression by 4C(–) was significantly suppressed in cells constitutively expressing influenza virus NS1 protein that can sequester double-stranded (ds)RNA, which triggers activation of signaling pathways leading to activation of NF-κB and IRF3. Therefore, C protein appears to suppress NF-κB activation to inhibit iNOS expression and subsequent NO production, possibly by limiting dsRNA generation in the context of viral infection.
Prognostic role of metabolic syndrome in the elderly is not greater than the sum of its components

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, has been acknowledged as a predictor of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease in the general population. This has been particularly observed in middle-aged subjects, raising the question of whether MetS maintains a prognostic role in the elderly as well. In a few recent studies, it has been suggested that MetS is, in the elderly, nothing more than a artificial group term, in which one single risk factor has the same or even a greater prognostic value than the aggregated risk factors. However, the early identification of MetS is important in clinical practice in order to identify those subjects who present with multiple risk factors. Furthermore, the concept of MetS may help clinicians to perform a strategy-based approach aimed at reducing global cardiovascular risk, particularly by recognizing and treating dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes. Clinicians should encourage their sedentary elderly patients to become .
Review: Oxidant—antioxidant imbalance in asthma: scientific evidence, epidemiological data and possible therapeutic options

Prevalence of asthma has increased considerably in recent decades throughout the world especially in developed countries. Airway inflammation is thought to be prime cause for repeated episodes of airway obstruction in asthmatics. Several studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in initiation as well as amplification of inflammation in asthmatic airways. Excessive ROS production in asthma leads to alteration in key enzymatic as well as nonenzymatic antioxidants such as glutathione, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, uric acid, thioredoxin, superoxide dismutases, catalase, and glutathione peroxidases leading to oxidant—antioxidant imbalance in airways. Oxidant—antioxidant imbalance leads to pathophysiological effects associated with asthma such as vascular permeability, mucus hypersecretion, smooth muscle contraction, and epithelial shedding. Epidemiological data also support the scientific evidence of oxidant—antioxidant imbalance in asthmatics. Therefore, the supplementation of antioxidants to boost the endogenous antioxidants or scavenge excessive ROS production could be utilized to dampen/prevent the inflammatory response in asthma by restoring oxidant—antioxidant balance. This review summarizes the scientific and epidemiological evidence linking asthma with oxidant—antioxidant imbalance and possible antioxidant strategies that can be used therapeutically for better management of asthma.
Emergence of a New Swine H3N2 and Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza A Virus Reassortant in Two Canadian Animal Populations, Mink and Swine

ABSTRACT A swine H3N2 (swH3N2) and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (pH1N1) influenza A virus reassortant (swH3N2/pH1N1) was detected in Canadian swine at the end of 2010. Simultaneously, a similar virus was also detected in Canadian mink based on partial viral genome sequencing. The origin of the new swH3N2/pH1N1 viral genes was related to the North American swH3N2 triple-reassortant cluster IV (for hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA] genes) and to pH1N1 for all the other genes (M, NP, NS, PB1, PB2, and PA). Data indicate that the swH3N2/pH1N1 virus can be found in several pigs that are housed at different locations.