Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two complementary sides of bioavailability: Accessibility and chemical activity of organic contaminants in sediments and soils

Research during the last decade has led to several competing concepts of bioavailability and to many more methods to measure bioavailability. One reason for disagreement is the confusion of two fundamentally different parameters, accessible quantity and chemical activity. The accessible quantity describes a mass of contaminants, which can become available to, for example, biodegradation and biouptake. It can be determined with mild extraction schemes or depletive sampling techniques. The chemical activity, on the other hand, quantifies the potential for spontaneous physicochemical processes, such as diffusion, sorption, and partitioning. For instance, the chemical activity of a sediment contaminant determines its equilibrium partitioning concentration in sediment‐dwelling organisms, and differences in chemical activity determine the direction and extent of diffusion between environmental compartments. Chemical activity can be measured with equilibrium sampling devices and, theoretically, is closely linked to fugacity and freely dissolved concentration. The distinction between accessibility and chemical activity is outlined, and the benefits and limitation of both endpoints are provided. Finally, examples of how to measure and apply them are presented.
Occurrence and pathogenic role of Morganella-Proteus-Providencia group bacteria in human feces

A total of 2,693 fecal specimens, with 1,422 from healthy persons and 1,271 from patients suffering from enteric diseases, was investigated to isolate species of the Morganella-Proteus-Providencia group and to evaluate the role of these bacteria in intestinal disorders. Most strains were isolated from two media, i.e., blood agar and tryptophan agar. Two of the species were more frequently found in diarrheal cases than in healthy controls. These species were Morganella morganii and Proteus mirabilis. Two new species of Enterobacteriaceae, i.e., Proteus penneri and Providencia rustigianii, were found in 33 and 5 people, respectively. However, these two species were not found more frequently in the diarrheal cases.
Quad-band PIFA design using folded and parasitic strips

This paper presents a bandwidth-enhancing technique for the design of quad-band PIFAs (Planar inverted F Antenna). By using a simple parasitic metal strip, the bandwidth of a typical PIFA is considerably broadened. With the proposed technique, the bandwidths of all passbands can be easily adjusted without significantly affecting that of the others. In the paper, the proposed quad-band PIFA fabricated in the air substrate for GSM900/DCS1800 handset is first designed. Then a metal strip is placed along the PIFA, and a quad-band (GSM900/DCS1800/PCS1900/UMTS2100) antenna is obtained. The position of the parasitic strip is carefully studied and chosen, so the performance of the PIFA in GSM900 and DCS1800 bands is not affected by the strip. The measured bandwidths of the proposed antenna are 80 MHz (880–960 MHz, |S11| &#60; −6 dB) in the lower band, and 475 MHz (1695–2170 MHz, |S11| &#60; −10 dB) in the upper band. Other results such as the simulated and measured reflection coefficient, simulated current distribution, and measured antenna patterns and gains are also presented.
Representations of the Self

List of illustrations List of contributors Acknowledgements Frontispiece Editor's introduction: purloined letters: searching for the self Part I. Representations of the Self: 1. Representations of the self, singular and collective, from Kleist to Ernst Junger J. P. Stern 2. Not I Michael Edwards 3. The commerce of the self Peter France 4. From persona to the split subject Raman Selden 5. Unlocking the diary Roger Cardinal 6. Rene Girard and the revisionist view of narcissism, with illustrations Stephen Bann 7. Tangled hierarchies: self-reference in philosophy, anthropology and critical theory Jean-Pierre Dupuy 8. Persona and generic conventions in medieval Persian lyric, with illustration Julie Scott Meisami 9. Representations of the self: a phenomenological approach to Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir David James Part II. Literature and Translation: 10. 'Writing (to) One's Self': a selection of Strindberg's letters August Strindberg Translated and with an introduction 'Strindberg the letter-writer' Michael Robinson 11. 'The Graveyard by the Sea' Paul Valery Translated Alistair Elliot 'Palm Tree' and other poems, translated James Greene 12. 'Portrait of the Yellow Apricot Tree': a short story Norman Manea Translated from the Romanian with an introduction note and 'Selected writings' Rosalind Belben 13. On fathers, wet-nurses, and wars 'The Poet and the Angel', from Croquis dans les tenebres, a prose poem Stefan Themerson Translated Barbara Wright Introduction Nicholas Wadley Illustrations Franciszka Themerson and Stefan Themerson Part III. 14. Power dressing: on Greenblatt's Shakespearean Negotiations A. D. Nuttall 15. Holderlin's wager on transcendence: a review of S. Corngold, The Fate of the Self and D. Constantine, Holderlin Mark Ogden 16. The Chinese presence in Europe: a review of Etiemble, L'Europe chinoise I and II Gregory Blue Part IV. Bibliographies: 17. Books and periodicals received Mark Ogden 18. Bibliography of comparative literature in Britain and Ireland 1987 Joseph Th. Leerssen 19. Special bibliography: 'Bibliography is my biography, the rest is irrelevant': A bibliography of Stefan Themerson Joseph Th. Leerssen
Baseball Players With an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear Display Increased Nondominant Arm Humeral Torsion Compared With Healthy Baseball Players

Background: Previous work has suggested that an increase in the amount of developmentally acquired, dominant arm humeral retrotorsion (D HRT) in the thrower’s shoulder may be a potentially protective mechanism. Although the relationship between HRT and shoulder injuries has been reported, the relationship between HRT and ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears in baseball players is not known. Purpose: To determine whether D HRT and nondominant arm HRT (ND HRT) measurements in baseball players with a UCL tear differ statistically from a matched healthy cohort. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: D HRT and ND HRT were measured in 112 male competitive high school and collegiate baseball players seen over an 18-month period from 2013 to 2015. A total of 56 participants with a clinical and magnetic resonance imaging–confirmed diagnosis of a throwing-arm UCL tear (UCLInj group) were compared with 56 healthy baseball players with no history of an elbow injury who were matched for age, experience, and position (NUCLInj group). The mean ages in the UCLInj and NUCLInj groups were 17.9 ± 2.2 and 17.6 ± 2.8 years, respectively. Using a previously validated ultrasound method, D HRT and ND HRT were measured in the supine position, and the HRT side-to-side difference (D HRT – ND HRT) was calculated. A 1-way multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the mean statistical differences between groups (P < .05). Results: Baseball players with a UCL tear displayed significantly more humeral torsion (ie, less retrotorsion) in their nondominant arm compared with healthy baseball players (UCLInj = 33.27° ± 10.27°, NUCLInj = 27.82° ± 10.88°; P = .007). Baseball players with a UCL tear did not display any differences in D HRT compared with healthy baseball players (UCLInj = 18.67° ± 9.41°, NUCLInj = 17.09° ± 9.92°; P = .391). Significant side-to-side differences in HRT existed between groups (UCLInj = −14.60° ± 6.72°, NUCLInj = −10.72° ± 6.88°; P = .003). Conclusion: There was a significant increase in mean nondominant arm humeral torsion (ie, less retrotorsion) in the UCL tear group, but there was no significant difference in the mean D HRT between the injured and uninjured groups. A greater HRT side-to-side difference was displayed in the UCL tear group. The extent to which a thrower has developmentally acquired both D HRT and ND HRT may affect elbow UCL tear risk. Furthermore, it is possible that the extent of genetically predisposed ND HRT may influence the throwing-related increase in D HRT.
The STAR/Maxi-KH domain protein GLD-1 mediates a developmental switch in the translational control of C. elegans PAL-1

Translational control is an essential mechanism of gene control utilized throughout development, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying translational activation and repression are poorly understood. We have investigated the translational control of the C. elegans caudal homolog, pal-1, and found that GLD-1, a member of the evolutionarily conserved STAR/Maxi-KH domain family, acts through a minimal pal-1 3′ UTR element to repress pal-1 translation in the distal germline. We also provide data suggesting that GLD-1 may repress pal-1 translation after initiation. Finally, we show that GLD-1 represses the distal germline expression of the KH domain protein MEX-3, which was previously shown to repress PAL-1 expression in the proximal germline and which appears specialized to control PAL-1 expression patterns in the embryo. Hence, GLD-1 mediates a developmental switch in the control of PAL-1 repression, allowing MEX-3 to accumulate and take over the task of PAL-1 repression in the proximal germline, where GLD-1 protein levels decline.
Multiphoton fluorescence and second harmonic generation imaging of the structural alterations in keratoconus ex vivo.

PURPOSE To demonstrate the application of multiphoton fluorescence (MF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for ex vivo characterization of the structural alterations of human corneas due to keratoconus. METHODS Buttons of keratoconic corneas derived from penetrating keratoplasty were sent for structural analysis with a custom-built multiphoton microscope. Fluorescence detected within the cytoplasm and the SHG signal obtained from collagen were used to demonstrate the morphologic changes in the corneal specimens. RESULTS The fluorescent epithelial cells around the apical area were elongated and were aligned parallel to the adjacent collagen fibers. Parallel and centripetal distribution patterns of stromal collagen bundles were demonstrated at different depths within the keratoconic corneas. CONCLUSIONS MF and SHG microscopy provides three-dimensional structural analysis of keratoconus ex vivo. It may provide important morphologic information for the investigation of the pathogenesis of keratoconus and may have potential in a clinical setting as an in vivo diagnostic and monitoring system for advancing keratoconus.
BRCA1 R1699Q variant displaying ambiguous functional abrogation confers intermediate breast and ovarian cancer risk

Background Clinical classification of rare sequence changes identified in the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 is essential for appropriate genetic counselling of individuals carrying these variants. We previously showed that variant BRCA1 c.5096G>A p.Arg1699Gln in the BRCA1 transcriptional transactivation domain demonstrated equivocal results from a series of functional assays, and proposed that this variant may confer low to moderate risk of cancer. Methods Measures of genetic risk (report of family history, segregation) were assessed for 68 BRCA1 c.5096G>A p.Arg1699Gln (R1699Q) families recruited through family cancer clinics, comparing results with 34 families carrying the previously classified pathogenic BRCA1 c.5095C>T p.Arg1699Trp (R1699W) mutation at the same residue, and to 243 breast cancer families with no BRCA1 pathogenic mutation (BRCA-X). Results Comparison of BRCA1 carrier prediction scores of probands using the BOADICEA risk prediction tool revealed that BRCA1 c.5096G>A p.Arg1699Gln variant carriers had family histories that were less ‘BRCA1-like’ than BRCA1 c.5095C>T p.Arg1699Trp mutation carriers (p<0.00001), but more ‘BRCA1-like’ than BRCA-X families (p=0.0004). Further, modified segregation analysis of the subset of 30 families with additional genotyping showed that BRCA1 c.5096G >A p.Arg1699Gln had reduced penetrance compared with the average truncating BRCA1 mutation penetrance (p=0.0002), with estimated cumulative risks to age 70 of breast or ovarian cancer of 24%. Conclusions Our results provide substantial evidence that the BRCA1 c.5096G>A p.Arg1699Gln (R1699Q) variant, demonstrating ambiguous functional deficiency across multiple assays, is associated with intermediate risk of breast and ovarian cancer, highlighting challenges for risk modelling and clinical management of patients of this and other potential moderate-risk variants.
A national outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium DT 124 caused by contaminated salami sticks

SUMMARY An outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium DT 124 infection which affected 101 people in England in December 1987 and January 1988 was detected through surveillance of laboratory reports from medical microbiology laboratories of the NHS and PHLS. Within 1 week of noting the increase in reports, epidemiological and microbiological investigations identified a small German salami stick as the vehicle of infection and the product was withdrawn from sale. The epidemiological investigation highlighted the occurrence of a long incubation period, bloody diarrhoea. Prompt recognition and investigation of the outbreak prevented further cases of severe infection.
Effects of temperature and outdoor air supply rate on the performance of call center operators in the tropics.

UNLABELLED A study was performed in a call center that provides billing inquiry services using a 2 x 2 balanced experimental plan for nine consecutive weeks. Two independent variables, temperature and outdoor air supply rate, were combined and introduced to the occupants in a blind intervention approach. The temperature set-points were fixed at 22.5 degrees C and 24.5 degrees C, and outdoor air supply rate at 5 l /s/p and 10 l/s/p. Temperature and outdoor air supply rate had significant interaction effects on worker's talk time (P < 0.001), which means that the effects of temperature on talk time performance were not independent of the effects of outdoor air supply rate or the opposite. Talk time was reduced significantly when the outdoor air supply rate was increased from 5 l /s/p to 10 l/s/p at 24.5 degrees C (P < 0.01); this may be associated with the significant reduction in a principal component factor which includes intensity of dryness, aching eyes and nose-related symptoms (P < 0.01). Decreasing the temperature from 24.5 degrees C to 22.5 degrees C at 10 l /s/p significantly increased talk time (P < 0.01). Analysis of the principal component factor based on the neurobehavioral symptoms also revealed that temperature reduction led to an increased mean factor score of these symptoms (P < 0.04). PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS For moderately complex office work which involves manipulation dexterity such as a call center operation where call operators interact with computer-based information systems, tropically acclimatized workers' performance could be improved by increasing the outdoor air supply rate from 5 l/s/p to 10 l/s/p if the temperature is to be maintained at the higher band of the thermal comfort range, around 24.5 degrees C. At a low ventilation rate (5 l/s/p), decreasing the temperature from 24.5 degrees C to 22.5 degrees C (which is a commonly adopted set-point in tropical office buildings) also leads to improvement of talk time performance. The magnitude of talk time improvement was greater by more than four times when the strategy to increase the outdoor air supply rate was implemented at a lower range of outdoor air supply rate (5-10 l /s/p) as compared to the higher range (9.8-22.7 l/s/p).
Assessing Bone Type of Implant Recipient Sites by Stereomicroscopic Observation of Bone Core Specimens: A Comparison With the Assessment Using Dental Radiography

BACKGROUND The aim of the study is to determine if bone quality evaluation of surgically obtained bone core specimens using a stereomicroscope is reliable for determining bone quality at implant recipient sites. METHODS Bone quality was presurgically assessed in 122 edentulous ridges obtained from 62 patients using periapical radiographs and categorized according to the Lekholm and Zarb classification. During surgery, bone specimens were trephined, and bone types were immediately classified using a stereomicroscope. Microarchitectural characteristics of bone cores were evaluated after being scanned using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT). RESULTS Bone types of implant sites categorized from radiography and stereomicroscope had statistically similar distribution but poor interrater agreement. Using micro-CT, maxillae and mandibles showed significant differences in microarchitectural characteristics of bone cores. Bone volume (BV), total volume (TV), and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) increased, whereas bone surface density (BS/BV) and open porosity (Po.[Op]) decreased in mandibular bone cores compared with those in maxillary bone cores. Moreover, micro-CT values of BV/TV and Po. (Op) statistically correlated with bone types assessed by stereomicroscopy, particularly in mandibles (adjusted means of BV/TV of Type 2 to 4 versus Type 1 decreasing from -9.88%, -15.09%, -29.31%; those of Po.(Op) ranged from 9.77%, 15.06%, 29.52% in an upward trend). However, such correlations were not found in maxillae or when bone types were classified using periapical radiographs. CONCLUSIONS Caution is needed when using presurgical periapical radiographs to predict bone quality at implant recipient sites. Surgically preserved bone core specimens, whenever obtainable, might offer additional information to accurately assess bone quality, particularly at mandibular implant sites.
Warfare in antiquity

Hans Delbruck's four-volume History of the Art of War is recognized throughout the world as the definitive work on the subject. Appearing in an English-language paperback edition for the first time, volume 1 analyzes in vivid detail the military tactics and strategies used by the great warriors of antiquity. Delbruck disputes some points in classical history and separates fact from legend in his objective reconstruction of celebrated battles stretching from the Persian Wars to the Peloponnesian War, Alexander's campaign to conquer Asia, the Second Punic War and Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, and the triumph of the Roman legions and Julius Caesar. Walter J. Renfroe Jr. based his much-praised English translation on the third (1920) edition of volume 1.
Monte Carlo simulation of a TOF PET scanner. I. Preliminary report

A Monte Carlo simulation was developed to study scattered radiation in the SP3000 (Scanditronix/PETT) time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. The simulation was based on MCNP, a general-purpose radiation transport code, which was modified for requirements specific to PET and the SP3000: camera wobble, collinear 0.511-MeV annihilation source photons, and coincidence detection. Two detector rings, 640 detectors, of the SP3000 were modeled using MCNP's geometry description language, thus simulating one cross and two straight image planes. For each coincidence, information regarding the scattering of the detected photons was maintained. Good agreement of measured and simulated coincidence sensitivities, energy spectra, and scatter fraction provided strong evidence that the simulation was accurate. Simulation of a distributed source in a 22-cm-diameter water-filled Lucite cylinder indicates that the majority of scattered coincidences originate from photon scattering in the camera. <<ETX>>
Patterns and predictors of medication discrepancies in primary care.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Identifying medication discrepancies across transitions of care is a common patient safety problem. Research examining relations between medication discrepancies and adherence, however, is limited. The objective of this investigation is to explore the relations between adherence and patient-provider medication discrepancies, and to test the hypothesis that non-adherence would be associated with medication discrepancies. METHODS Three hundred twenty-eight outpatients completed a current medication list and measures of health literacy, adherence, perceived physical functioning and subjective well-being. Patient lists were compared with active medications in the electronic medical record. Multivariate analyses identified demographic, clinical and patient-reported variables associated with discrepancies involving prescribed daily medications. RESULTS Despite high rates of self-reported adherence, patients reported taking fewer medications than the number of active medications in their medical record (3.79 vs. 4.83, P < 0.001). We identified one or more discrepancies in most records (294/328 or 89.6%). Identified discrepancies were completely reconciled in only 21.1% of patients with discrepancies. Discrepancies were associated with lower health literacy, poorer physical health status and subjective well-being, and poorer adherence to the regimen patients believed they had been prescribed. Multivariate analysis indicated that the number of medical record-reported medications and subjective well-being independently predicted the presence of discrepancies. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest a complex relation between treatment adherence and medication discrepancies in which patient well-being and regimen complexity work in tandem to create discordance between patient and provider medication plans. Simplifying regimens when possible and attending to patient life satisfaction may improve adherence to a regimen constructed jointly between patient and provider.
Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XVII-XVIII: Papers from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Annual Symposia on Arabic Linguistics

1. Editorial Note 2. Introduction (by Alhawary, Mohammad T.) 3. The Length of Stem-final Vowels in Colloquial Arabic (by McCarthy, John J.) 4. Moraic Syllable Structure and Edge Effects in Arabic (by Mahfoudhi, Abdessatar) 5. The Structure of Arabic Intonation: A preliminary investigation (by Rifaat, Khaled) 6. Phonological Processes in Connected Speech in Colloquial Egyptian Arabic (by Salem, Hanaa) 7. Root Formation and Polysemic Organization in Arabic Lexicon: A probabilistic model (by Zanned, Lazhar) 8. Light Verbs in Standard and Egyptian Arabic (by Ibrahim, Amr Helmy) 9. Rethinking Lexical Aspect in Egyptian Arabic (by Mughazy, Mustafa A.) 10. Building a Computational Lexicon for Arabic: A corpus-based approach (by Al-Ansary, Sameh) 11. Political Transition, Linguistic Shift: How a political communique (bayaan) has come to be what it is (by Boussofara, Naima) 12. Agreement Alternations: How optional patterns of agreement arise (by Lorimor, Heidi) 13. Acquisition of Arabic Word Formation: A multi-path approach (by Badry, Fatima) 14. L2 Acquisition of Arabic Morphosyntactic Features: Temporary or permanent impairment? (by Alhawary, Mohammad T.) 15. Index of Subjects
Events and constraints: a graphical editor for capturing logic requirements of programs

A logic model checker can be an effective tool for debugging software applications. A stumbling block can be that model-checking tools expect the user to supply a formal statement of the correctness requirements to be checked in temporal logic. Expressing non-trivial requirements in logic, however, can be challenging. To address this problem, we developed a graphical tool, called the TimeLine Editor, that simplifies the formalization of certain kinds of requirements. A series of events and required system responses are placed on a timeline. The user converts the timeline specification automatically into a test automaton that can be used directly by a logic model checker or for traditional test-sequence generation. We have used the TimeLine Editor to verify the call processing code for Lucent's PathStar access server against the TelCordia LSSGR [LATA (local access and transport area) Switching Systems Generic Requirements] standards. The TimeLine Editor simplified the task of converting a large body of English prose requirements into formal, yet readable, logic requirements.