Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Acoustic Complexity Index Sensor for Underwater Applications

Underwater communications exploit acoustic signals to interconnect embedded systems deployed for various scientific, environmental, industrial, or security tasks. The engineering of networked devices in underwater environment is today considered a critical research challenge. The propagation of acoustic waves in water is characterized by low, distance-dependent bandwidth with high latency, and multi-path effects, which make it necessary the design of novel system-level solutions, communication protocols, and algorithms specifically tailored for these types of applications. This paper describes a novel hardware-software sensing platform for computing a synthetic index developed for marine ecology studies, called the acoustic complexity index. Computing this index entails performing the fast Fourier transform of signals in the range of audio frequencies. The adoption of a centralized approach/architecture would entail the transmission of the signals toward a sink for their processing, severely impacting communication efficiency. The development of the proposed low-power sensing module enables to carry on the computation on board of remote nodes, which work as virtual sensors. This reduces the communication burden (of about five orders of magnitude) with a negligible energy overhead due to on board computation.
Bivalve Omics: State of the Art and Potential Applications for the Biomonitoring of Harmful Marine Compounds

The extraordinary progress experienced by sequencing technologies and bioinformatics has made the development of omic studies virtually ubiquitous in all fields of life sciences nowadays. However, scientific attention has been quite unevenly distributed throughout the different branches of the tree of life, leaving molluscs, one of the most diverse animal groups, relatively unexplored and without representation within the narrow collection of well established model organisms. Within this Phylum, bivalve molluscs play a fundamental role in the functioning of the marine ecosystem, constitute very valuable commercial resources in aquaculture, and have been widely used as sentinel organisms in the biomonitoring of marine pollution. Yet, it has only been very recently that this complex group of organisms became a preferential subject for omic studies, posing new challenges for their integrative characterization. The present contribution aims to give a detailed insight into the state of the art of the omic studies and functional information analysis of bivalve molluscs, providing a timely perspective on the available data resources and on the current and prospective applications for the biomonitoring of harmful marine compounds.
Defining bacterial meningitis and other infections of the central nervous system

Objective: To define central nervous system infections of infants and children that occur as co-morbid or predisposing conditions of sepsis. Design: Standard pediatric infectious disease references and the pertinent literature in English were reviewed from 1960 to 2002 to ascertain the previous methods and definitions utilized in clinical studies of the epidemiology and treatment of bacterial infections of the central nervous system. An accepted definition of bacterial meningitis defined by the Infectious Disease Society of America was reviewed and adapted to the previous clinical definitions. The information was formulated into a proposed standard for definite, probable, and possible bacterial infections of the central nervous system. Results: The diagnosis of definite bacterial infection of the central nervous system, including bacterial meningitis, requires the isolation of the pathogen from the cerebrospinal fluid or other significant clinical site such as surgical tissue, an implanted device, or blood. Probable bacterial infection is defined by the association of a compatible clinical syndrome or cerebrospinal fluid changes associated with bacterial meningitis or other central nervous system infection, and confirmed as an anatomically defined infection by imaging or surgery, in association with positive blood cultures or bacterial antigen from cerebrospinal fluid. Possible bacterial meningitis may be defined as a compatible clinical syndrome with predefined cerebrospinal fluid changes in the absence of a confirmatory culture or antigen test from any site. Conclusions: Bacterial meningitis and other central nervous system bacterial infections can be defined as definite, probable, and possible with a combination of a defining compatible clinical syndrome and an anatomic definition by surgery or imaging, coupled with isolation of the organism, bacterial antigen, or other defining molecular component of the organism.
Routing protocols for underwater wireless sensor networks

Recently, underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) have emerged as a promising networking technique for various underwater applications. An energy efficient routing protocol plays a vital role in data transmission and practical applications. However, due to the specific characteristics of UWSNs, such as dynamic structure, narrow bandwidth, rapid energy consumption, and high latency, it is difficult to build routing protocols for UWSNs. In this article we focus on surveying existing routing protocols in UWSNs. First, we classify existing routing protocols into two categories based on a route decision maker. Then the performance of existing routing protocols is compared in detail. Furthermore, future research issues of routing protocols in UWSNs are carefully analyzed.
A comparison of seminal vesicle size on CT between autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients and normal subjects

Background: Extrarenal manifestations are common in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Although seminal vesicles can also be involved in patients with ADPKD, little is known about the size differences of the seminal vesicles between ADPKD patients and normal subjects. Purpose: To determine whether the size of seminal vesicles in ADPKD patients is larger than that in normal subjects with the use of three-dimensional (3D) CT. Material and Methods: Using a retrospective case-control study design, we reviewed the findings of 696 male patients with an age range of 20–69 years who underwent contrast enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging of the kidney in our institution from August 2007 to July 2008. A total of 68 male patients with ADPKD comprised the study group. Another 68 age-matched non-ADPKD male patients comprised the control group. The size of bilateral seminal vesicles was assessed by measurement of the short dimension on axial, coronal, and sagittal images by the use of a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). Results: The mean width of seminal vesicles in ADPKD patients was 1.70±0.40 cm (axial images), 1.86±0.45 cm (coronal), and 1.59±0.39 cm (sagittal). For control group subjects, the mean width was 1.53±0.29 cm (axial), 1.68±0.43 cm (coronal), and 1.48±0.31 cm (sagittal). The mean size differences between the ADPKD and control groups for the measured widths on axial and coronal images were statistically significant (P=0.01 and P=0.02, respectively). The width as measured on axial images showed a decrease with age in the control group subjects (linear trend, P=0.005), but no significant decrease was noted in ADPKD patients. Conclusion: The seminal vesicles were demonstrated to be larger in ADPKD patients as compared with normal subjects as determined with the use of 3D CT.
A COMPARATIVE GENETIC STUDY OF CONDITIONAL LETHAL MUTATIONS OF BACTERIOPHAGE T4D.

WO types of conditional lethal mutations have been described for bacteriophage T4D. Amber (am) mutants can propagate in Escherichia coli K-12 (strain CR63) but are unable to complete a successful infective cycle of growth in strain B (EPSTEIN, STEINBERG and BOLLE 1964). Temperature-sensitive ( t s ) mutants can grow in either strain at 25"C, but unlike the wild-type phage from which they are derived, they are unable to complete a successful growth cycle at higher temperatures (37°C to 42°C) (EDGAR and LIELAUSIS 1964). Thus both mutant classes may be defined as conditional lethals since permissive as well as restrictive growth conditions exist. Mutations of both types have been shown to be distributed widely over the genome of T4D. They also affect a variety of different functions of the phage ( EPSTEIN, BOLLE, STEINBERG, KELLENBERGER, BOY DE LA TOUR, CHEVALLEY, EDGAR, SUSMAN, DENHARDT and LIELAUSIS 1963). It would thus appear that the diagnostic phenotypes oi these mutations (temperature sensitive for t s mutations and inability to grow in B for am mutations) are not mutant properties associated with particular gene functions, but rather are properties of specific mutations which occur in many, if not all, of the genes of the organism. In support of this notion, we will show that many am and ts mutations occur in the same genes. A gene may be defined as a segment of a genome which contains the hereditary information determining the primary structure of a polypeptide chain. In the absence of information concerning mutational alterations of specific proteins, the most satisfactory operational definition of a gene is derived from complementation tests. Cells containing two functioning genomes with different recessive mutations in the trans configuration are expected to exhibit a mutant phenotype if the mutations are in the same gene, a wild-type phenotype if the mutations are in different genes. In practice this test is complicated, but not vitiated, by phenomena of intragenic complementation (see, for example, CATCHESIDE and OVERTON 1958) and gene interaction (LEWIS 1963). For conditional lethal mutations in phage, complementation interactions may
Let-7 c Inhibits NSCLC Cell Proliferation by Targeting HOXA 1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of endogenous, single-strand and highly conserved noncoding small RNAs. They post-transcriptionally regulate protein expression by directly binding the 3’-UTR of target genes and thus play critical roles in numerous biological processes, including development, apoptosis, life span and metabolism (Bartel, 2004). Let-7 was the second miRNA to be identified after lin-4 in Caenorhabditis elegans (Pasquinelli et al., 2000). To date, thirteen members of the let-7 family have been identified in the human genome (Pasquinelli et al., 2000; Roush et al., 2008). Previous studies have demonstrated that let-7 is underexpressed in various cancers and is related to the initiation, progression and prognosis of cancer (Takamizawa et al., 2004; Barh et al., 2010). Furthermore, restoration of its expression prevented tumor growth by targeting various oncogenes, including Ras, C-myc and HMGA2 (Johnson et al., 2007; Mayr et al., 2007; Kumar et al., 2008; Kim et al., 2009). Let-7c is one member of the let-7 family and maps to 21q11-21, a region frequently deleted in lung cancer (Yamada et al., 2008). Let-7c is poorly expressed in various cancers, including lung, liver and prostate (Navarro et al., 2009; Shimizu et al., 2010; Nadiminty et al., 2012). Direct evidence for the potential of let-7c as a tumor suppressor
The electrocardiographic leads for telemetering as evaluated from view point of the transfer impedance vector.

(1) From the torso model experiments, the measurements of the transfer impedance vectors were carried out for the conventional 12 leads, Frank's lead system and the following 6 different leads commonly used for the ECG-telemetering such as V5R-V1-V9 leads, EEP leads, C5-M lead, L1-ST1 and L1-TH1 lead, when the current dipole was placed in turn at 27 points within the space occupied by the heart in the human torso model filled with electrolyte solution. The transfer impedance vectors for all leads above-mentioned were compared to each other. (2) V5R-V1-V9 leads can be used for the ECG-telemetering, as the equivalent to the precordial leads V1-V9. C5-M, EEP-C5 and V5R-V5 lead could be equivalent to the precordial lead V5, and L1-ST1 and L1-TH1 lead were equivalent to the augmented unipolar limb lead aVF. (3) Taking into account of the experimental result, the number of electrodes applicable and the possibility to eliminate the interference of muscle potential, C5-M, V5R-V5 and L1-TH1 lead can be considered to be the most sensitive leads for detecting coronary artery disease in latent form.
A 2Gb/s bi-directional inter-chip data transceiver with differential inductors for high density inductive channel array

A 2Gb/s bi-directional inter-chip data transceiver is experimentally demonstrated for the first time in 180 nm CMOS technology. Two orthogonal differential inductor pairs are vertically overlapped to make a bi-directional channel. Using these channels, bi-directional communication system is established without any complex circuit techniques. The crosstalk interference problem in channel array is also considered. Differential inductors, due to their noise immunity can make shorter pitches possible in channel array. Compared with the data link with conventional inductor array, this proposed technique achieves 2 times higher channel density with the same speed.
Community Risk and Resiliency Factors Related to Drug Use of Rural Native Hawaiian Youth: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the community-based risk and resiliency factors related to the drug use of rural Native Hawaiian youth. Forty-seven youth from five middle schools participated in focus groups that examined the ecological context of drug use for rural Hawaiian youth. Findings indicated that youth in the study were part of large extended networks of families and that these networks became a defining characteristic of the rural communities in the study. These familial networks functioned as sources of risk and protection related to drug use for youth participants. Implications for community-based practice are discussed.
Gli approcci al processo del bilancio di genere in Italia nella logica della valutazione delle performance: una mappatura delle esperienze

Il lavoro propone una lettura delle esperienze di b ilancio di genere diffuse in Italia, dando particolare risalto ai modelli ai quali le amminist razioni locali italiane si sono rifatti per la realizzazione del processo di analisi di genere. Ne llo specifico, ritenendo che la logica del raccordo del bilancio di genere con la riforma dell 'amministrazione pubblica richiede di porre mano agli strumenti finora utilizzati per la valuta zione dei risultati raggiunti, obiettivo specifico del percorso e di mettere in evidenza il ruolo svolto dagli indicatori all'interno di ogni modello, con particolare riferimento a quelli diretti a misurare, in chiave di una migliore o peggiore equita di genere, l'operato dell'amminis trazione pubblica, anche nell'ottica di quanto disposto dal Decreto Brunetta. Al termine di tale percorso si intende presentare u na mappatura delle esperienze italiane di bilancio di genere utilizzando quale criterio quell o del modello adottato, che sottende anche un modello definito di indicatori.
Impacto del uso de fitasa en raciones a base de pasta de nabo en la digestibilidad de caninos.

RESUMEN La fitasa producida por el Aspergillus niger ha mostrado mejorar la cantidad de nutrimentos aprovechados en monogastricos, pero no se encontraron articulos sobre el uso de esta en raciones de caninos elaboradas con canola-maiz como fuente de fibra y proteina. Se emplearon 8 perros encastados de la raza Pastor Aleman de un peso promedio de 27 kg y de edad 2-3 anos. Los cuales sirvieron para evaluar cuatro niveles de fitasa (0, 250, 500 y 1,000 U/kg de alimento) sobre consumo y digestibilidad de raciones. El alimento fue peletizado comercialmente y la enzima agregada al momento de la alimentacion. El consumo del alimento tendio a disminuir con la adicion de la enzima ( P < 0.05), en un promedio de 722 g. /dia. Por su parte, el nivel de glucosa en sangre (mg/dL) sufrio una disminucion ( P < 0.05) en todos los niveles. Sin embargo, la digestibilidad de la MS aumento ( P < 0.05) en todos los niveles de adicion de la enzima, conservando un promedio de 83.25%. En conclusion la adicion de fitasas a raciones de caninos aumenta la utilizacion digestiva de los nutrimentos.
Investigation of the Omaha System for Dentistry

Summary Objective: Today, dentists and hygienists have inadequate tools to identify contributing factors to dental disease, diagnosis of disease or to document outcomes in a standardized and machine readable format. Increasing demand to find the most effective care methodologies make the development of further terminologies for dentistry more urgent. Preventive care is the focus of early efforts to define best practices. We reviewed one possibility with a history of public health documentation that might assist in these early efforts at identifying best practices. Methods: This paper examines, through a survey of dentists, the Omaha System Problem Classification Scheme. The survey requested that dentists rate the usefulness of knowing about specific signs and symptoms for each of the 42 problems within the Problem list of the Omaha System. Results: Using a weighted scoring system, 22 of the 42 problems received over 50% of the possible maximum score and 30 of the 42 problems received at least 25% of the possible points. Conclusion: These findings suggests that further evaluation of The Omaha System, may be useful to dentistry. At a minimum, the survey provides additional information about non-physiological problems, signs, and symptoms that may be appropriate for documentation purposes within an electronic health record (EHR) used in dentistry. Citation: Jurkovich MW, Ophaug M, Salberg S, Monsen K. Investigation of the Omaha System for Dentistry. Appl Clin Inf 2014; 5: 491–502 http://dx.doi. org/10.4338/ACI-2014-01-RA-0001
Corporate Governance and Firm Performance in Africa: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

Abstract The study examined the effect of corporate governance on the performance of firms in Africa by using both market and accounting based performance measures. Unique data from 103 firms drawn from Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya covering the five year period 1997-2001 was used and analysis done within the dynamic panel data framework. Results indicate that the direction and the extent of impact of governance is dependent on the performance measure being examined. Specifically, our findings show that large and independent boards enhance firm value and that combining the positions of CEO and board chair has a negative impact on corporate performance. We also find that CEO’s tenure in office enhances a firm’s profitability whiles board activity intensity affects profitability negatively. The size of audit committees and the frequency of their meetings have positive influence on market based performance measures and that institutional shareholding enhances market valuation of firms. For enhanced performance of corporate entities, we recommend a clear separation of the positions of CEO and board chair and also to maintain relatively independent audit committees.
Community-acquired Pneumonia through Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa : Diagnosis , Incidence and Predictors The German Competence Network for Community-acquired pneumonia ( CAPNETZ )

Heike von Baum, Tobias Welte2, Reinhard Marre3, Norbert Suttorp, and Santiago Ewig for THE CAPNETZ STUDY GROUP 1 Inst. for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Ulm, Germany 2 Dep.of Pneumology, Hannover University, Germany 3 Medical Director of Ulm University Hospital, Germany 4 Dep. of Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Medicine, Charité Berlin, Germany 5 Thoraxzentrum Ruhrgebiet, Dep of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases, Herne and Bochum, Germany
Age-related motor slowness: simply strategic?

BACKGROUND While older adults typically exhibit slower hesitant movements, this may simply reflect a preference for a cautious movement strategy, rather than any pathological process. METHOD To separate strategic preferences from any impairment in the coordination of movement, the present experiment trained older adults to move at the preferred speed of younger adults (and vice versa) in a simple zigzag drawing task on a digitizing tablet which sampled pen position at 200 Hz. Twelve older adults (mean age 69 yrs 8 mo) and 12 young adults (mean age 21 yrs) joined 9 targets 125 mm apart, of either 5, 10 or 20 mm diameter. Once the age groups were matched for movement duration, movement kinematics were examined to determine whether there were differences in the quality or accuracy of their movements. RESULTS When strategic differences are controlled for, older adults performed the task with comparable overall accuracy, but exhibited greater hesitancy and more submovements. CONCLUSION The results suggest a decline in motor coordination rather than any simple strategic preference for caution in movement. The hesitancy of movement to some extent parallels that seen in Parkinson's disease.
Research proposal on the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Strategic Human Resource Management

The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework in order to analyse the relationship between corporate social responsibility and strategic human resource (HR) management. Thus far, both disciplines have advanced in isolation. Therefore, this paper aims to examine if a combination of these research lines can provide competitive advantages for enterprises. Specifically, we will analyse how a socially responsible orientation in the HRs practices can contribute to the achievement of these advantages through performance variables, such as work environment and intellectual capital.
Is INR between 2.0 and 3.0 the optimal level for Chinese patients on warfarin therapy for moderate-intensity anticoagulation?

AIM To examine the optimal range of International Normalized Ratio (INR) for Chinese patients receiving warfarin for moderate-intensity anticoagulation. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at the ambulatory setting of a 1400-bed public teaching hospital in Hong Kong. The INR measurements and occurrence of serious or life-threatening haemorrhagic and thromboembolic events among patients newly started on warfarin from 1 January 1999 to 30 June 2001 for indications with target INR 2-3 were analysed. The INR-specific incidence of bleeding and thromboembolism were calculated. RESULTS A total of 491 patients were included, contributing to 453 patient-years of observation period. Forty-seven of the 491 patients experienced 25 haemorrhagic events (5.5 per 100 patient-years) and 27 thromboembolic events (6.0 per 100 patient-years). The percentage of patient-time spent within therapeutic INR range (2-3), INR <2 and INR >3 were 50, 44 and 6%, respectively. The incidence of either haemorrhagic or thromboembolic events was lowest (< or =4 events per 100 patient-years) at INR values between 1.8 and 2.4. CONCLUSIONS An INR of 1.8-2.4 appeared to be associated with the lowest incidence rate of major bleeding or thromboembolic events in a cohort of Hong Kong Chinese patients receiving warfarin therapy for moderate-intensity anticoagulation.