Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surveying teens in school to assess the prevalence of problematic drug use.

BACKGROUND Illicit drug use by school-aged teens can adversely affect their health and academic achievement. This study used a survey administered in schools to assess the prevalence of problematic drug use among teenagers in a Midwestern community. METHODS Self-report data were collected from 11th- and 12th-grade students (N = 3974) in 16 school districts in the Dayton, Ohio, area. Students responded to a drug use survey that also included CRAFFT, a brief substance abuse screening instrument. Binomial and zero-inflated Poisson regressions were used to examine the association between CRAFFT scores and drug use practices, including abstinence. RESULTS More than one third of students had CRAFFT scores suggestive of problematic use. Of these, 14.1% had scores suggesting drug dependence. Although alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco were the drugs most commonly used, an array of other drugs including opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, hallucinogens, and dextromethorphan were also commonly used. Higher CRAFFT scores were associated with a greater number of drugs used (p < .0001). Proportionately more 12th graders than 11th graders had CRAFFT scores indicating problems (p < .0001). Among 12th graders, boys were more likely than girls to have CRAFFT scores indicating dependence (p = .01). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that problematic drug use among high school students is more prevalent than has been recognized previously. CRAFFT can be used easily to assess the prevalence of problematic drug use among teenagers in school settings. CRAFFT results can also inform prevention and intervention activities, particularly if the CRAFFT instrument is paired with a drug use survey.
Isolation of influenza C virus from pigs and experimental infection of pigs with influenza C virus.

Fifteen strains of influenza C virus were isolated from abattoir pigs in China in 1981 and antibody against influenza C virus was found in pig sera. Virus survey also showed seasonal activity of influenza C virus in pigs. Additionally, experimental infection of pigs with influenza C virus demonstrated that Chinese domestic pigs could be infected by influenza C virus and that the virus could be transmitted from pig to pig. These results indicate that, like influenza A, influenza C virus can cause natural infection in pigs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a finding.
ESCORE DE CÉLULAS SOMÁTICAS E SUA RELAÇÃO COM OS COMPONENTES DO LEITE EM AMOSTRAS DE TANQUE NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ

Programas de gerenciamento de rebanhos leiteiros tem utilizado o escore de celulas somaticas (ECS), auxiliando na avaliacao da qualidade do leite, permitindo mensurar a prevalencia da mastite no rebanho. ECS e resultado da transformacao logaritmica da CCS. A presente pesquisa avaliou o comportamento do ECS e suas relacoes com os teores de gordura, proteina, lactose e solidos totais do leite cru de amostras de tanques provenientes de industrias de laticinios do Estado do Parana, analisadas pelo Laboratorio da Qualidade do Leite (LQL) da Associacao Paranaense de Criadores de Bovinos da Raca Holandesa (APCBRH), fruto do convenio com UFPR e McGill University. Foram analisadas 1.950. 034 amostras de leite, obtidas no periodo de janeiro de 2005 a abril de 2012, em dez regioes do Estado. A CCS foi determinada por citometria de fluxo e a composicao centesimal pela absorcao diferencial de ondas infravermelhas. Altas CCS influenciam a composicao do leite, afetando sua qualidade, alterando a permeabilidade dos vasos sanguineos da glândula mamaria e reduzindo a secrecao dos componentes do leite sintetizados (proteina, gordura e lactose) pela acao direta dos patogenos ou de enzimas. As medias estimadas e desvios-padrao para CCST, ECS, % Gordura, % Proteina, % Lactose, % Solidos Totais e Idade da Amostra em dias foram: 553 ± 545 (x 1.000 celulas/mL); 4,83 ± 1,52; 3,74 ± 0,69; 3,22 ± 0,27; 4,40 ± 0,23; 12,29 ± 0,85 e 2,98 ±1,57 respectivamente. Das amostras analisadas, 65,95% apresentaram escore cinco ou menos. As correlacoes de Pearson entre %gordura, %proteina, %lactose e %solidos totais com ECS, mostraram forte evidencia estatistica (P<0,01), encontrando-se os seguintes valores: 0,207; 0,029; -0,420 e 0,039 respectivamente.
Use of the Laryngeal Mask Airway as an Alternative to the Tracheal Tube During Ambulatory Anesthesia

We designed a prospective, randomized, multicenter study to compare anesthetic requirements, recovery times, and postoperative side effects when a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was used as an alternative to the tracheal tube (TT) during ambulatory anesthesia.After induction of anesthesia with midazolam 2 mg, fentanyl 1 micro g/kg, and propofol 2 mg/kg, 381 patients were randomly assigned to receive either an LMA (n = 207) or TT (n = 174) for airway management. In patients assigned to the TT group, succinyl-choline 1 mg/kg or a nondepolarizing muscle relaxant was administered to facilitate tracheal intubation. Anesthesia was maintained with volatile anesthetics in combination with nitrous oxide 60% and oxygen. The average time to placement of the two airway devices (5 min) and the failure rates (1%) were similar in the two groups. Although there was a significant decrease in the intraoperative fentanyl requirement in the LMA group, the difference was of little clinical significance. Furthermore, there were no differences in the volatile anesthetic requirements. The time from end of surgery to removal of the airway device (5 min) was also similar in the two study groups. Although duration of the postanesthesia care unit stay and time to ambulation were significantly shorter in the LMA group, there were no differences in the times to "home readiness. " The incidence of nausea and vomiting and the need for rescue antiemetic treatments in the postoperative period were similar in the two airway management groups. However, the incidence of postoperative sore throat was significantly greater in patients receiving the TT (versus the LMA). In conclusion, this study suggests that the LMA is a useful alternative to the TT for airway management during ambulatory anesthesia. Implications: Use of the laryngeal mask airway can obviate the need for insertion of a tracheal tube for many ambulatory surgery procedures, and thereby decrease the incidence of postoperative sore throats. (Anesth Analg 1997;85:573-7)
A bovine papillomavirus E1-related protein binds specifically to bovine papillomavirus DNA

The E1 open reading frame of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) was expressed as a RecA-E1 fusion protein in Escherichia coli. The bacterially expressed RecA-E1 protein exhibited sequence-specific DNA binding activity; strong binding to the region from nucleotides 7819 to 93 on the BPV genome (designated region A) and weak binding to the adjacent region from nucleotides 7457 to 7818 (region B) were observed. The interaction between the BPV-derived RecA-E1 protein and region A appeared to be highly specific for BPV DNA, as no comparable binding was detected with heterologous papillomavirus DNAs. Binding to region A was eliminated by digestion of region A at the unique HpaI site, which suggests that the RecA-E1 binding site(s) was at or near the HpaI recognition sequence. Binding to region B but not region A was observed when nuclear extracts from ID13 cells were used as a source of E1 proteins. The absence of region A binding by ID13 extracts may reflect a negative regulation of E1 DNA binding activity.
Intégration de métriques de qualité des modèles et des langages dans l'outil ModX

Face au developpement de nombreux langages specifiques, leur qualite et celle des diagrammes qui en sont issus prennent une importance significative. Aussi nous nous posons la question de leur evaluation pour eventuellement les ameliorer. Nous avons choisi une approche basee sur des metriques comme moyen d' evaluation autant des langages que des diagrammes. Nous souhaitons, en particulier, proposer des metriques portant sur la qualite des notations visuelles, aspect souvent neglige en ingenierie dirigee par les modeles. Cet article presente un premier pas vers de telles metriques en presentant les variables necessaires a leur calcul ainsi que l'implementation de l'une d'elles dans un outil de modelisation.
Use of threshold serum and milk ketone concentrations to identify risk for ketosis and endometritis in high-yielding dairy cows.

OBJECTIVE To use threshold concentrations of acetone and beta-hydroxybutyrate in milk and serum, respectively; identify risk for ketosis and endometritis; and assess analyses of blood and milk samples as predictors of risk for ketosis in high-yielding dairy cows. ANIMALS 90 multiparous Holstein cows. PROCEDURE At intervals before and after parturition, blood samples were obtained for determination of glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, leptin, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations. Samples of milk were obtained at similar intervals after parturition for determination of fat content and concentrations of acetone, protein, and lactose. Reproductive examination of each cow was performed weekly. RESULTS For each cow, threshold concentrations of acetone and beta-hydroxybutyrate were calculated as 75th and 90th percentiles of maximum postpartum concentrations of acetone in milk (0.40 and 0.87 mmol/L) and beta-hydroxybutyrate in serum (2.30 and 3.51 mmol/L). Significant decrease in milk production (442 to 654 kg of energy-corrected milk/305-day period per cow) was associated with acetone or beta-hydroxybutyrate in excess of threshold values. Milk acetone concentrations > 0.40 mmol/L were associated with 3.2 times higher risk for endometritis. Low plasma glucose, high serum beta-hydroxybutyrate, and high milk acetone concentrations during week 1 after parturition were indicators of increased risk for ketosis later during lactation. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Determination of milk acetone concentration during the week after parturition may identify cows at risk for ketosis and endometritis; with appropriate interventions, development of disease and production losses may be reduced.
Optimal reactive power compensation in a deregulated distribution network

This paper investigates the optimal reactive power compensation using shunt capacitors, considering reconstruction of distribution power network. This new scenario allows the distribution network operator to consider reactive energy as a service to be sold to the transmission system. So, with considering the two main objectives, i.e. reduction of the real power losses and maximizing the reverse on investment, the distribution network operator obtains location, number and optimum capacitance of capacitor banks. Obtained results are under great influence of “reactive energy price”. Hence, the problem of optimization can be formulated for different values of this parameter and the threshold price belonging to reactive energy sale will be obtained. If the operator of distribution network sells the produced reactive energy in the distribution network at a price above the threshold price to transmission network, it is profitable to invest for installing the capacitor banks. It is also shown that amount of sold reactive power could have upper limit.
Towards exact numerical Voronoi diagrams

Voronoi diagrams are extremely versatile as a data structure for many geometric applications. Computing this diagram “exactly” for a polyhedral set in 3D has been a quest of computational geometers for over two decades; this quest is still unrealized. We will locate the difficulty in this quest, thanks to a recent result of Everett et al (2009). More generally, it points to the need for alternative computational models, and other notions of exactness. In this paper, we consider an alternative approach based on the well-known Subdivision Paradigm. A brief review of such algorithms for Voronoi diagrams is given. Our unique emphasis is the use of purely numerical primitives. We avoid exact (algebraic) primitives because (1) they are hard to implement correctly, and (2) they fail to take full advantage of the resolution-limited properties of subdivision. We encapsulate our numerical approach using the concept of soft primitives that conservatively converge to the exact ones in the limit. We illustrate our approach by designing the first purely numerical algorithm for the Voronoi complex of a nondegenerate polygonal set. We also discuss the critical role of filters in such algorithms. A preliminary version of our algorithm has been implemented.
Silicon interposer with integrated antenna array for millimeter-wave short-range communications

A 60 GHz cavity-backed antenna array integrated on high-resistivity silicon is demonstrated. The antenna design makes use of Through-Silicon-Vias (TSV), silicon micromachining, and wafer-to-wafer bonding to meet the bandwidth and radiation gain requirements for short-range multi-Gbps communications. The fabrication process is presented. Simulated and experimental results show that the antenna element covers easily the 57–66 GHz standard band with good impedance matching and more than 5 dBi of gain. Several fixed-beam four-element antenna arrays demonstrate the capabilities for beam-steering across a range up to ±60°.
Unmet need for family planning among married women of reproductive age group in urban Tamil Nadu

Context: Unmet need for family planning (FP), which refers to the condition in which there is the desire to avoid or post-pone child bearing, without the use of any means of contraception, has been a core concept in the field of international population for more than three decades. Objectives: The very objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of “unmet need for FP” and its socio-demographic determinants among married reproductive age group women in Chidambaram. Materials and Methods: The study was a community-based cross-sectional study of married women of the reproductive age group, between 15 and 49 years. The sample size required was 700. The cluster sampling method was adopted. Unmarried, separated, divorced and widows were excluded. Results: The prevalence of unmet need for FP was 39%, with spacing as 12% and limiting as 27%. The major reason for unmet need for FP among the married group was 18%, for low perceived risk of pregnancy, 9%, feared the side effects of contraception 5% lacked information on contraceptives, 4% had husbands who opposed it and 3% gave medical reasons. Higher education, late marriage, more than the desired family size, poor knowledge of FP, poor informed choice in FP and poor male participation were found to be associated with high unmet need for FP. Conclusion: Unmet need for younger women was spacing of births, whereas for older women, it was a limitation of births. Efforts should be made to identify the issues in a case by case approach. Male participation in reproductive issues should be addressed.
Fast Brain-Wide Search of Highly Discriminative Regions in Medical Images: an Application to Alzheimers Disease

We propose a fast algorithm for the identification of localised brain regions from medical images that discriminate between two groups of individuals. The method is based on a combination of penalised regression and a data resampling procedure. We apply this approach to both MRI and PET images for the classification of subjects with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. We show that the voxels selected by the algorithm form connected brain regions which are well known to be affected by Alzheimer's disease. A linear statistical classifier trained on the selected voxels achieves cross-validated classification results that are comparable to those obtained by current state-of-the-art methodologies.
An Improved Joint Sparse Representation of Array Covariance Matrices Approach in Multi-source Direct Position

The joint sparse representation of array covariance matrices (JSRACM) approach in direct position transforms the source position estimation problem into a spatial sparse signal representation (SSSR) optimization problem. With a novel binary sparse indicative vector (SIV) representing the support of joint SSSR of array covariance matrices, this SIVR-JSRACM algorithm presents high resolution, low computing complexity without knowing the number of sources and initial source positions estimates in advance. However, its performance degrades significantly along with the number of sources increases. To overcome this shortcoming, we proposed an improved joint sparse representation of array covariance matrices (IJSRACM) algorithm. The main contribution of this paper is that we estimate the elements in K-sparse covariance matrix of the potential sources. Thus we could get a new dictionary for SIV. The simulation results demonstrate that the SIVR-IJRSACM algorithm has superior localization accuracy and strong robust to noise under different numbers of sources and also remains the advantages of the SIVR-JSRACM algorithm listed above.
Compositional Distributional Semantic Models for Semantic Relatedness and Entailment

Introduction Distributed semantic models approximate the meanings of words by studying the distribution of the word across different contexts in the given training data. This distribution characterises lexical semantics (Distributional Hypothesis) and is specified for every word in the form of a vector in high dimensional space. Compositional distributional semantic models seek to extend this approach to characterise the semantics of phrases or sentences, which simpler DSMs fail to model as they ignore grammatical structure and logical words, due to their non compositional nature.
ColonCancerCheck primary care invitation pilot project: patient perceptions.

OBJECTIVE To describe the perceptions of those who received invitations to the ColonCancerCheck Primary Care Invitation Pilot (the Pilot) about the mailed invitation, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in general, and their specific screening experiences. DESIGN Qualitative study with 6 focus group sessions, each 1.5 hours in length. SETTING Hamilton, Ont; Ottawa, Ont; and Thunder Bay, Ont. PARTICIPANTS Screening-eligible adults, aged 50 years and older, who received a Pilot invitation for CRC screening. METHODS The focus groups were conducted by a trained moderator and were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed using grounded-theory techniques facilitated by the use of electronic software. MAIN FINDINGS Key themes related to the invitation letter, the role of the family physician, direct mailing of the fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) kit, and alternate CRC screening promotion strategies were identified. Specifically, participants suggested the letter content should use stronger, more powerful language to capture the reader's attention. The importance of the family physician was endorsed, although participants favoured clarification of the physician and program roles in the actual mailed invitation. Participants expressed support for directly mailing FOBT kits to individuals, particularly those with successful previous test completion, and for communication of both negative and positive screening results. CONCLUSION This study yielded a number of important findings including strategies to optimize letter content, support for directly mailed FOBT kits, and strategies to report results that might be highly relevant to other health programs where population-based CRC screening is being considered.
Tat Modifies the Activity of CDK9 To Phosphorylate Serine 5 of the RNA Polymerase II Carboxyl-Terminal Domain during Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Transcription

ABSTRACT Tat stimulates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transcriptional elongation by recruitment of carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) kinases to the HIV-1 promoter. Using an immobilized DNA template assay, we have analyzed the effect of Tat on kinase activity during the initiation and elongation phases of HIV-1 transcription. Our results demonstrate that cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) (TFIIH) and CDK9 (P-TEFb) both associate with the HIV-1 preinitiation complex. Hyperphosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) CTD in the HIV-1 preinitiation complex, in the absence of Tat, takes place at CTD serine 2 and serine 5. Analysis of preinitiation complexes formed in immunodepleted extracts suggests that CDK9 phosphorylates serine 2, while CDK7 phosphorylates serine 5. Remarkably, in the presence of Tat, the substrate specificity of CDK9 is altered, such that the kinase phosphorylates both serine 2 and serine 5. Tat-induced CTD phosphorylation by CDK9 is strongly inhibited by low concentrations of 5,6-dichloro-1-β-d-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, an inhibitor of transcription elongation by RNAP II. Analysis of stalled transcription elongation complexes demonstrates that CDK7 is released from the transcription complex between positions +14 and +36, prior to the synthesis of transactivation response (TAR) RNA. In contrast, CDK9 stays associated with the complex through +79. Analysis of CTD phosphorylation indicates a biphasic modification pattern, one in the preinitiation complex and the other between +36 and +79. The second phase of CTD phosphorylation is Tat-dependent and TAR-dependent. These studies suggest that the ability of Tat to increase transcriptional elongation may be due to its ability to modify the substrate specificity of the CDK9 complex.
Zinc supplementation and amino acid‐nitrogen metabolism in patients with advanced cirrhosis

Zinc deficiency is common in cirrhosis and has been involved in the altered nitrogen metabolism. In this study, we measured the effects of zinc supplementation on the dynamics of amino acid‐derived urea synthesis in cirrhosis with mild or latent encephalopathy. The hepatic conversion of amino acids into urea was studied in eight patients with advanced cirrhosis under controlled conditions of substrate availability (continuous alanine infusion), before and after 3‐month oral zinc sulfate supplementation (600 mg/d). Eight more patients, matched for hepatocellular failure and encephalopathy, served as controls. Plasma zinc levels were reduced in all patients and returned to normal after oral zinc. The alanine‐stimulated urea nitrogen synthesis rate in relation to α‐amino‐N concentration–the functional hepatic nitrogen clearance–increased by 25% after zinc supplementation, i.e., more urea was produced at any α‐amino‐N concentration. Basal and alanine‐induced glucagon decreased by 50%, and the ammonia response to alanine decreased by 30%. Psychometric tests improved, as did routine and dynamic liver function tests and the Child‐ Pugh score. Also, the plasma concentration of lipid peroxides was reduced by zinc. No significant changes were observed in the control group. Our data indicate that long‐term oral zinc speeds up the kinetics of urea formation from amino acids and ammonia. Changes in the hormonal drive and/or the antioxidant activity of zinc might be involved in the general improvement in liver function, whereas the beneficial effects on encephalopathy might stem from decreased ammonia.
Storage analysis for stand-alone wind energy applications

This paper analyzes the operation of a stand-alone wind turbine system with variable speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) and a Lead Acid Battery (LAB) for energy storage, during wind speed variation. The main purpose is to supply 230 V/50 Hz domestic appliances through a single-phase inverter. The required power for the connected loads can be effectively delivered and supplied by the proposed wind turbine and energy storage systems with an appropriate control method. The control method for obtaining maximum power characteristic of wind turbine (MPPT), monitoring voltage and battery state of charge (SOC) to ensure optimum charging conditions for LAB, are presented. Energy storage devices are required for power balance and power quality in stand alone wind energy systems. Simulations and experimental results validate the stability of the supply.