Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long term load forecasting for Nigeria's electric power grid using ann and fuzzy logic models

This paper presents long term electric load forecasts for the Nigerian Transmission grid using the concepts of Fuzzy Logic (FL) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and forecasting accuracy by comparing the outcomes of these two approaches. The two techniques were developed and trained using econometric data such as gross domestic product and population. Data of monthly electricity supply of the 28-Bus 330kV grid from 2000 to 2014 were obtained and applied to create ANN and FL forecasting algorithm. The forecasting accuracy of these models were evaluated using absolute and mean absolute percentage errors. It was concluded that in long term load forecast, ANN and Fuzzy logic are powerful tools for load forecasting with minimum error rate. The obtained forecasts for Nigeria's 330kV grid in 15 years, using these techniques, were 7853MW for FL and 8189MW for ANN respectively. These values are applicable for transmission expansion planning on a long term.
Steroid hormone effects on NMDA receptor binding and NMDA receptor mRNA levels in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of the adult rat.

Previous work has demonstrated that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) is capable of stimulating luteinizing hormone release in a variety of species. Interestingly, the ability of NMDA to stimulate luteinizing hormone release is significantly compromised in castrated male and female rats as compared to intact animals. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a difference exists in the number or affinity of NMDA receptors in the hypothalamus of intact or castrated adult male and female rats and whether steroid replacement has any effect on NMDA receptor binding. NMDA receptor mRNA levels were also determined in the respective models. The cerebral cortex was used as a control to check for specificity of any observed differences. The number of NMDA binding sites in the hypothalamus was found to be approximately 25% of that found in the cerebral cortex and the equilibrium association constant was similar in both tissues. In the female rat, neither ovariectomy nor ovariectomy with estrogen pellet replacement or estrogen and progesterone injections altered NMDA receptor binding or the equilibrium association constant in the hypothalamus or cerebral cortex as compared to intact controls. Similar to the case in the female, NMDA receptor binding in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of male rats did not change after castration or after treatment with testosterone propionate. Neither ovariectomy nor ovariectomy with estradiol replacement brought about any change in the NMDA receptor mRNA levels in the hypothalamus. However, in the cerebral cortex ovariectomy with estrogen replacement brought about a small but significant increase in NMDA receptor mRNA levels. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
High-Precision Neuromagnetic Study of the Functional Organization of the Human Auditory Cortex

Previous studies have proven that a dipole source analysis of the auditory evoked field is capable of providing evidence of the tonotopic organization of the human auditory cortex. To explore the nature of the estimated dipoles in greater detail, a single subject was extensively studied, and the estimated sources were registered in a three-dimensional reconstruction of the cortical surface derived from magnetic resonance images. The stimuli were 500-ms tone bursts with frequencies of 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz (mean intensity of 60 dB SL). The total number of stimuli presented per condition was about 3,600 (36 independent experiments spread over 4 days). Using special postprocessing techniques, the relative localization accuracy could be enhanced to such an extent that differences in the dipole locations of 1 mm could be clearly distinguished. The results suggest that peak N1m (latency around 100 ms) arises from the planum temporale, whereas peak P2m (latency around 170 ms) appears to correspond to a center of activity in (or close to) Heschl’s gyrus. The tonotopic organization found for the generator of N1m was consistent with earlier studies (‘the higher the frequency the deeper the source’). However, additional findings (time dependence of the estimated sources; slightly different tonotopy obtained for field change; dependence of the estimated sources on the estimation technique) indicate that multiple areas are involved in the generation of N1m. Evidence of a frequency-dependent source location was found also for P2m.
Theoretical Perspective of Job Demands Correlates among Nurses: Systematic Literature Review

Introduction: Nursing is highly demanding and stressful profession. Negative consequences of job demands were widely discussed throughout the literature like; poor quality of care, poor health, burnout, greater intent to leave and lower level of job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction among nurses also has been discussed exhaustively in the literature in regards to its negative outcomes represented by burnout, absenteeism, turnover, greater intent to leave and finally leaving nursing profession. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine literature discussing job demands in nursing profession and its associated factors among nurses, and to provide direction as to where research needs to continue to explore and develop evidence in this area. Results: Results showed that job demands are the most influential stressor in nursing profession that associated strongly with many negative consequences on the profession in general and on the nurses on particular. Conclusion: The results supported that job demand is unavoidable stressor that leads to many negative consequences and connects directly to job dissatisfaction. Therefore, there is a need to search for alleviating factors that decrease nursing stressor, its consequences and buffer the correlation between job demand and job satisfaction.
Clusterin in Neuroendocrine Epithelial Neoplasms: Absence of Expression in a Well-differentiated Tumor Suggests a Jejunoileal Origin

Clusterin, a widely expressed, tissue-specific glycoprotein, is a diagnostic marker of several tumor types, including anaplastic large cell lymphoma, follicular dendritic cell sarcoma, and tenosynovial giant cell tumor. A recent study has suggested it is highly expressed by well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NET) arising at most anatomic sites, with the exception of jejunoileal tumors, and that it is similarly not expressed by poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC). We sought to validate this result in a large cohort of NETs and NECs. Clusterin immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue microarrays of 255 NETs [45 lung, 4 stomach, 8 duodenum, 75 pancreas (62 primary, 13 metastatic), 107 jejunoileum (69 primary, 38 metastatic), 16 appendix] and 88 NECs (43 visceral, 45 Merkel cell). Extent (%) and intensity (0, 1+, 2+, 3+) of staining were assessed and an H-score (extent x intensity) calculated. An average H-score >5 was considered positive. Clusterin expression was noted in 82.4% of 148 nonjejunoileal NETs (average H-score 183) and only 8.4% of 107 jejunoileal NETs (average H-score, 31), as well as 19.3% of NECs (average H-score, 36). Clusterin is frequently, strongly expressed by NETs of diverse anatomic sites, with the exception of jejunoileal tumors, in which it is only rarely, weakly expressed. It is occasionally, weakly expressed by NECs. Most metastatic NETs of occult origin arise in the pancreas or the jejunoileum. For cases in which an initial site of origin immunopanel (eg, islet 1, PAX6, CDX2) is ambiguous, addition of clusterin may be diagnostically useful, with absence of expression suggesting a jejunoileal origin.
Efficiency of Health Care Sector at Sub-State Level in India: A Case of Punjab

In recent years, WHO and other individual researchers have advocated estimation of health system performance through stochastic frontier models. It provides an idealized yardstick to evaluate economic performance of health system. So far attempts in India have remained focused at state level analysis. This paper attempts a sub-state level analysis for an affluent Indian state, namely Punjab, by using stochastic frontier technique. Our results provide pertinent insight into state health system and facilitate health facility planning at the sub-state level. Carried out in two stages of estimation, our results suggest that life expectancy in the Indian state could be enhanced considerably by correcting the factors that are adversely influencing the sub-state level health system efficiency. A higher budgetary allocation for health manpower is recommended by us to improve efficiency in poorly performing districts. This may be supported by policy initiatives outside the health system by empowering women through better education and work participation
Pilot Study Evaluating the Feasibility and Initial Outcomes of a Primary Care Weight Loss Intervention With Peer Coaches

Purpose The purpose of this single-group pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial outcomes of a novel approach to delivering weight loss treatment in primary care using peer coaches and targeting predominantly African American patients with diabetes or prediabetes. Methods Participants (N = 33) were recruited from a family medicine practice for a 6-month lifestyle intervention. Eligible patients were obese adults (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) with ≥1 additional cardiometabolic risk factor(s), including (1) elevated hemoglobin A1C or diagnosed diabetes, (2) elevated blood pressure, (3) elevated triglycerides, and/or (4) low high-density lipoprotein. The intervention included a combination of 12 group-based office visits with health professionals plus 12 individual phone contacts with peer coaches. Outcomes included weight loss, program adherence, and program satisfaction. Results Participants (mean age = 56 ± 10 years; BMI = 42.9 ± 11.0 kg/m2) were predominantly female (88%) and African American (85%). Treatment resulted in a significant mean weight loss of −4.5 ± 7.2 kg, and approximately 27% of participants lost ≥5% of their initial body weight. Participants completed approximately 50% of the group visits and 40% of the telephone calls with peer coaches. Participants rated both components of the intervention favorably. Conclusions Results of this pilot study indicated that a primary care weight management program including group-based visits and peer-delivered telephone contacts achieved significant weight loss among predominantly African American patients with weight-related comorbidities, including diabetes and prediabetes. Additional research is needed to examine the long-term outcomes of this novel approach and to identify program components supporting patients’ success.
Voice conversion based on deep neural networks for time-variant linear transformations

In voice conversion, deep neural networks are now being used as conversion models that map source features to target features. In this framework, it generally needs a larger amount of data to train more accurate conversion models. This condition, however, will reduce usability of voice conversion because a text-to-speech synthesizer can be built when a large amount of training data are available. We argue that we should take advantage of top-down knowledge that we have instead of preparing a large amount of data. This paper proposes a novel architecture using deep neural networks which can achieve superior performance of voice conversion. Our proposal is a network-based conversion that realizes only linear conversion but in even a time-variant way. Experiments show that naturalness improvement was observed in subjective assessments. It is considered that linear constraints at each time step prevent trained models from converting input features to unrealistic features.
Geriatric syndromes: new frontiers in HIV and sarcopenia

&NA; HIV infection, in many circumstances, can now be managed as a chronic disease due to the marked increase in life expectancy since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). As the patients who first had access to combination ART age into their 50s and 60s, the effects of chronic HIV infection on health have become an important research focus in HIV infection. People living with HIV appear to exhibit an earlier occurrence of some aging-related conditions compared to people without HIV, in part due to higher rates of comorbidities, high-risk behaviors (e.g. smoking, substance use), chronic immune activation, inflammation, and ART-specific factors. Some studies have even suggested an earlier-than-expected appearance of the ‘geriatric syndromes,’ which are complex medical syndromes of older adults that are associated with morbidity and mortality. The geriatric syndromes include a wide variety of disease processes ranging from incontinence and dementia to impairments in physical function. This review will focus on one geriatric syndrome, sarcopenia, in older HIV-infected populations, and its relation to other aging syndromes, including frailty and falls. The contribution of HIV itself, ART exposure, and specific comorbidities, and the importance of early recognition and prevention of these aging syndromes will be highlighted.
Modelling the Infundibulum in Acne

The human sebaceous-pilosebaceous infundibulum was isolated and maintained for 7 days. Infundibular viability was maintained over 7 days in this medium. The addition of 1 ng/ml interleukin 1α (IL-1α) caused hypercornification of the infundibulum similar to that seen in comedones which could be blocked by 1,000 ng/ml IL-1 receptor antagonist. However, in contrast to interferon γ1, IL-1α had no effect on the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule or human leucocyte antigen type DR in infundibular keratinocytes. The addition of 5 ng/ml epidermal growth factor or 5 ng/ml transforming growth factor α to the medium caused a disorganization of the keratinocytes of the infundibulum. We are now, therefore, able to model histologically the major infundibular changes in acne. Furthermore, we suggest that IL-1α causes the scaling seen in many inflammatory skin diseases.
Sympathoadrenal system and renal response to endotoxin in the primate.

The primary purpose of the present study was to correlate the activity of the sympathoadrenal system with the hemodynamic response of the primate kidney to endotoxin. Sooty Mangabey and Rhesus monkeys were anesthetized, and the left kidney of each animal was exposed through a retroperitoneal approach. Renal venous blood was drained into a reservoir for blood flow measurement. Plasma catecholamines were determined by a fluorometric trihydroxyindole procedure. Monkeys not given endotoxin showed relatively constant renal hemodynamic parameters for two hours. In monkeys administered endotoxin, mean renal artery pressure decreased from 118 to 49 mm Hg, blood flow fell from 4.6 to 1.6ml/min/g, and renal vascular resistance significantly increased. Renal denervation reduced renal vasoconstriction after endotoxin. Plasma catecholamine levels were not higher than those of the controls. Our data suggest that renal vasoconstriction is not due to circulating catecholamines, but occurs mainly as a result of sympathetic stimulation. Autoregulation was not present prior to endotoxin, and renal pressure-flow relationships were unaltered during the post-endotoxin period.
Graphene-based stretchable and transparent moisture barrier

We propose an alumina-deposited double-layer graphene (2LG) as a transparent, scalable, and stretchable barrier against moisture; this barrier is indispensable for foldable or stretchable organic displays and electronics. Both the barrier property and stretchability were significantly enhanced through the introduction of 2LG between alumina and a polymeric substrate. 2LG with negligible polymeric residues was coated on the polymeric substrate via a scalable dry transfer method in a roll-to-roll manner; an alumina layer was deposited on the graphene via atomic layer deposition. The effect of the graphene layer on crack generation in the alumina layer was systematically studied under external strain using an in situ micro-tensile tester, and correlations between the deformation-induced defects and water vapor transmission rate were quantitatively analyzed. The enhanced stretchability of alumina-deposited 2LG originated from the interlayer sliding between the graphene layers, which resulted in the crack density of the alumina layer being reduced under external strain.
Azithromycin-containing regimens for treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease.

Ninety-two patients were assessable in 3 consecutive, open, noncomparative, prospective, controlled, single-center trials of the use of multidrug regimens that contain azithromycin for treating pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease. Azithromycin was provided at a dose of 300-600 mg per day with oral companion drugs administered daily (regimen A, 29 patients); 600 mg 3 times weekly (t.i.w.), with oral companion drugs administered daily (regimen B, 20 patients); and 600 mg (t.i.w.), with oral companion drugs administered t.i. w. (regimen C, 43 patients). All regimens included rifabutin (or rifampin) and ethambutol as companion drugs as well as initial streptomycin. Treatment success was defined as 12 months of negative cultures while on therapy. Treatment failure was defined as sputum culture positivity after at least 6 months of therapy. Of the patients in each regimen who reached study end points, 17 of 29 (59%) were in regimen A, 11 of 20 (55%) were in regimen B, and 28 of 43 (65%) were in regimen C met the treatment success criterion. There were no statistically significant differences in outcome between the 3 regimens. These studies demonstrate the effectiveness of daily and t.i. w. regimens containing azithromycin for treatment of MAC lung disease.
Regionale Arbeitsmärkte für höherqualifizierte Frauen und Männer in der Schweiz

Arbeitsmärkte sind in verschiedener Hinsicht tiefgrei¬ fend strukturiert. Zwei der augenfälligsten Strukturen sind weltweit gesehen die Geschlechtersegregation und die räumlichen Unterschiede der Arbeitsmärkte. Der Ausdruck Geschlechtersegregation enthält eine ho¬ rizontale und eine vertikale Komponente. Horizontale Geschlechtersegregation bezeichnet das soziale Phäno¬ men, daß Frauen und Männer meist unterschiedliche Be¬ rufe ausüben und damit in hohem Maße auf separierten Arbeitsmärkten agieren. Frauen sind in wenigen Berufen konzentriert, die oft durch geringere Aufstiegschancen und niedrigere Löhne gekennzeichnet sind (eidgenössi¬ sche Kommission für frauenfragen 1995, S. 141). Typi¬ sche Frauenberufe sind zum Beispiel Krankenschwester, Sekretärin, Verkäuferin oder Kindergärtnerin.
Contrast enhancement of night time imagery for traffic activity understanding

Traffic activity understanding is a vital research topic, as it not only tries to understand the changes in the traffic pattern during the different time periods in a day but also assist in the security of passengers. In the present times, the traffic condition in most urban settings is plagued by congestion and the problem of traffic management during night time conditions poses even greater challenges due to the various factors such as poor street light illumination, improper urban planning etc. Under these conditions, the visibility of vehicles and other objects on the streets are quite poor. Hence, image contrast enhancement techniques are required to be applied on such night time traffic imaging datasets for extraction and analysis of information. In this study, we compare the different state-of-the-art image contrast enhancement techniques suitable for the images acquired under low light and the results are compared and presented.
Evaluation of the ability of commercial wine yeasts to form biofilms (mats) and adhere to plastic: implications for the microbiota of the winery environment

ABSTRACT Commercially available active dried wine yeasts are regularly used by winemakers worldwide to achieve reliable fermentations and obtain quality wine. This practice has led to increased evidence of traces of commercial wine yeast in the vineyard, winery and uninoculated musts. The mechanism(s) that enables commercial wine yeast to persist in the winery environment and the influence to native microbial communities on this persistence is poorly understood. This study has investigated the ability of commercial wine yeasts to form biofilms and adhere to plastic. The results indicate that the biofilms formed by commercial yeasts consist of cells with a combination of different lifestyles (replicative and non‐replicative) and growth modes including invasive growth, bud elongation, sporulation and a mat sectoring‐like phenotype. Invasive growth was greatly enhanced on grape pulp regardless of strain, while adhesion on plastic varied between strains. The findings suggest a possible mechanism that allows commercial yeast to colonise and survive in the winery environment, which may have implications for the indigenous microbiota profile as well as the population profile in uninoculated fermentations if their dissemination is not controlled.
Pre-ECMO Coagulopathy does not Increase the Occurrence of Hemorrhage during Extracorporeal Support

Introduction and methods Observational retrospective cohort study to evaluate the association between precannulation coagulopathy and the occurrence of hemorrhage during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in neonatal and pediatric patients at a tertiary children's hospital. Results Of 241 patients supported with ECMO between January 2009 and December 2014, 175 (72.6%) had precannulation coagulation laboratory data and were included in the study. Of the eligible patients, 84 (48%) were identified as coagulopathic and 91 (52%) were noncoagulopathic. In the coagulopathic group, sepsis (27.3%) was the most common diagnosis leading to ECMO. Over half of the patients in both groups (55.9% of the coagulopathic and 52.7% of the noncoagulopathic group) developed hemorrhagic complications during ECMO support. The most frequent bleeding sites for both groups were the cannulation site (24%), the chest tube site (17%), and intracranial (10%). Pre-ECMO coagulopathy was not associated with higher incidence of hemorrhage during extracorporeal support (p = 0.76). Conclusions Pre-ECMO coagulopathy was frequent in our cohort but did not increase the occurrence of hemorrhage during extracorporeal support. Although the identification of factors associated with hemorrhage is key to safely managing ECMO anticoagulation, the implication of precannulation coagulopathy seems to be minimal.