Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Envelope Protein Mutations L107F and E138K Are Important for Neurovirulence Attenuation for Japanese Encephalitis Virus SA14-14-2 Strain

The attenuated Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) strain SA14-14-2 has been successfully utilized to prevent JEV infection; however, the attenuation determinants have not been fully elucidated. The envelope (E) protein of the attenuated JEV SA14-14-2 strain differs from that of the virulent parental SA14 strain at eight amino acid positions (E107, E138, E176, E177, E264, E279, E315, and E439). Here, we investigated the SA14-14-2-attenuation determinants by mutating E107, E138, E176, E177, and E279 in SA14-14-2 to their status in the parental virulent strain and tested the replication capacity, neurovirulence, neuroinvasiveness, and mortality associated with the mutated viruses in mice, as compared with those of JEV SA14-14-2 and SA14. Our findings indicated that revertant mutations at the E138 or E107 position significantly increased SA14-14-2 virulence, whereas other revertant mutations exhibited significant increases in neurovirulence only when combined with E138, E107, and other mutations. Revertant mutations at all eight positions in the E protein resulted in the highest degree of SA14-14-2 virulence, although this was still lower than that observed in SA14. These results demonstrated the critical role of the viral E protein in controlling JEV virulence and identified the amino acids at the E107 and E138 positions as the key determinants of SA14-14-2 neurovirulence.
Validation of a self-administered FFQ in adults in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay

Abstract Objective To assess the reproducibility and validity among adults in the Southern Cone of Latin America (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) of a self-administered FFQ to be used in the CESCAS I Study, an ongoing observational prospective cohort study to detect and follow up CVD and their risk factors, as well as in other epidemiological studies. Design Relative validity of the FFQ was evaluated by comparing nutrient and selected food group intakes with those from three 24 h recalls (24HR) administered over 6 months. The FFQ was administered at baseline (FFQ1) and again after 3 months (FFQ2). Setting Primary-care centres in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Subjects Adults (n 147) aged 21–74 years. Results Reproducibility (FFQ1 v. FFQ2): the intra-class correlation coefficients for nutrients ranged from 0·52 (potassium) to 0·74 (fat). Validity (FFQ1 v. the average of three 24HR): the Pearson correlations for energy-adjusted nutrients ranged from 0·39 (thiamin and cholesterol) to 0·59 (carbohydrate). Joint classification: overall, 66 % of participants in the lowest 24HR quintile were in the lowest one or two FFQ1 quintiles, and 62 % of those in the highest 24HR quintile were in the highest one or two FFQ1 quintiles. On average, only 4 % were misclassified into extreme quintiles. Conclusions The FFQ version for the Southern Cone seems to present moderate to acceptable relative validity and reliability for its use in the CESCAS I Study to measure dietary exposure.
Significance of Test-based Ratings for Metropolitan Boston Schools

In 1998 Massachusetts began state-sponsored, annual achievement testing of all students in three public school grades. It has created a school and district rating system for which scores on these tests are the sole factor. It proposes to use tenth-grade test scores as a sole criterion for high school graduation, beginning with the class of 2003. The state is treating scores and ratings as though they were precise educational measures of high significance. A review of tenth-grade mathematics test scores from academic high schools in metropolitan Boston showed that statistically they are not. Community income is strongly correlated with test scores and accounted for more than 80 percent of the variance in average scores for a sample of Boston-area communities. Once community income was included in models, other factors--including percentages of students in disadvantaged populations, (Note 1) percentages receiving special education, percentages eligible for free or reduced price lunch, percentages with limited English proficiency, school sizes, school spending levels, and property values--all failed to associate substantial additional variance. Large uncertainties in residuals of school-averaged scores, after subtracting predictions based on community income, tend to make the scores ineffective for rating performance of schools. Large uncertainties in year-to-year score changes tend to make the score changes ineffective for measuring performance trends.
Making string education culturally responsive: The musical lives of African American children

The purpose of this study was to explore the violin experiences of African American students at an Elementary School in northern Florida to consider the potential for culturally-responsive string education. The hermeneutical approach was used to answer the research questions: (1) What are the personal musical worlds of these African American children? and (2) How do these children perceive the violin program at school? These helped to answer the study’s overall research question: how do the individual perceptions of the violin program and the sociocultural musical backgrounds of these students relate? The data revealed that the participants had shared perceptions of music; in particular, that music tells stories and has a distinctive beat. Their perceptions of music were learned and experienced in their cultural environments and social spaces. The data also made it evident that their musical lives and perceptions of playing violin affect each other. For instance, the children discussed playing violin at church, and tried to hear violin music in their favorite songs at home. They also expressed a desire to generate beat on their violins and play familiar songs. They were willing to link their experiences in the school violin classroom with their lives beyond.
Croatian mayflies (Insecta, Ephemeroptera): species diversity and distribution patterns

Abstract Knowledge of the mayfly biodiversity in the Balkan Peninsula is still far from complete. Compared to the neighbouring countries, the mayfly fauna in Croatia is very poorly known. Situated at the crossroads of central and Mediterranean Europe and the Balkan Peninsula, Croatia is divided into two ecoregions: Dinaric western Balkan and Pannonian lowland. Mayflies were sampled between 2003 and 2013 at 171 sites, and a total of 66 species was recorded. Combined with the literature data, the Croatian mayfly fauna reached a total of 79 taxa. Of these, 29 species were recorded for the first time in Croatia while 15 species were not previously recorded in Dinaric western Balkan ecoregion. Based on the mayfly assemblage, sampling sites were first structured by ecoregion and then by habitat type. In comparison with the surrounding countries, the Croatian mayfly fauna is the most similar to the Hungarian and Bosnian fauna. Some morphologically interesting taxa such as Baetis cf. nubecularis Eaton, 1898 and Rhithrogena from the diaphana group were recorded. Ephemera cf. parnassiana Demoulin, 1958, the species previously recorded only from Greece, was also recorded.
Some Remarks on “Student Ratings: Validation”

Frey, P. W. Student ratings of teaching: Validity of several rating factors. Science, 1973, 182, 83-85. Gessner, P. K. Evaluation of instruction. Science, 1973, 180, 566-569. McKeachie, W. J. Student ratings of faculty. American Association of University Professors Bulletin, 1969, 55, 439-444. Menges, R. J. The new reporters: Students rate instruction. In C. R. Pace (Ed.), New directions in higher education: Evaluating learning and teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1973. Rodin, M. & Rodin, B. Student evaluations of teachers. Science, 1972, 177, 1164-1166.
Perceptions of usage and unintended consequences of provision of ready-to-use therapeutic food for management of severe acute child malnutrition. A qualitative study in Southern Ethiopia

Background: Severe acute child malnutrition (SAM) is associated with high risk of mortality. To increase programme effectiveness in management of SAM, community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) programme that treats SAM using ready-to-use-therapeutic foods (RUTF) has been scaled-up and integrated into existing government health systems. The study aimed to examine caregivers’ and health workers perceptions of usages of RUTF in a chronically food insecure area in South Ethiopia. Methods: This qualitative study recorded, transcribed and translated focus group discussions and individual interviews with caregivers of SAM children and community health workers (CHWs). Data were complemented with field notes before qualitative content analysis was applied. Results: RUTF was perceived and used as an effective treatment of SAM; however, caregivers also see it as food to be shared and when necessary a commodity to be sold for collective benefits for the household. Caregivers expected prolonged provision of RUTF to contribute to household resources, while the programme guidelines prescribed RUTF as a short-term treatment to an acute condition in a child. To get prolonged access to RUTF caregivers altered the identities of SAM children and sought multiple admissions to CMAM programme at different health posts that lead to various control measures by the CHWs. Conclusion: Even though health workers provide RUTF as a treatment for SAM children, their caregivers use it also for meeting broader food and economic needs of the household endangering the effectiveness of CMAM programme. In chronically food insecure contexts, interventions that also address economic and food needs of entire household are essential to ensure successful treatment of SAM children. This may need a shift to view SAM as a symptom of broader problems affecting a family rather than a disease in an individual child.
Bilingual Cognitive Development: Addressing Three Gaps in Current Research

DIAZ, RAFAEL M. Bilingual Cognitive Development: Addressing Three Gaps in Current Research. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 1376-1388. 100 Spanish(L1)-English(L2) bilingual children attending kindergarten and first grade bilingual education programs were tested at 2 points in time, 6 months apart. Children in the sample (ages 5-7 years) represented extreme groups of high and low secondlanguage proficiency. At each time of testing, children's proficiency in Spanish and English was assessed and a battery of cognitive tasks measuring visual and verbal abilities was administered. The findings indicate that observed cognitive differences between second-language-proficiency groups can be attributed to group differences in socioeconomic variables. The relationship between degree of bilingualism and cognitive abilities was positive and rather strong for children of low secondlanguage proficiency. This pattern of results questioned the validity of Cummins's threshold hypothesis and suggested a new, alternative hypothesis-namely, that degree of bilingualism is related to variability in cognitive measures only before a certain threshold of proficiency in the second language is attained. In addition, 2 sets of statistical analyses on the longitudinal data gave support to a cause-effect model in which degree of bilingualism appears as the causal factor affecting children's cognitive abilities.
Hot spot trafficking: a theoretical discussion of the potential problems associated with targeted policing and the eradication of sex trafficking in the United States

Throughout the United States, legal professionals and advocates have taken measures to address the access to victims of sex trafficking. A commonly accepted practice has been to advocate for the removal of ‘sex for sale’ advertising in free media such as Craigslist and Backpage. Although this action against the solicitation of prostitution has been celebrated by many advocates and legal professionals, the removal of such advertisements does not directly affect the prevalence of sex trafficking. In fact, displacement theory suggests that the removal of solicitation advertisements and targeted policing forces traffickers to simply advertise elsewhere or become more creative in selling the victims, thereby concealing the act of sex trafficking and making it less identifiable. Although we do not advocate for the maintenance of ‘sex for sale’ advertisements, the process of removing these ads is counterproductive, having little positive impact on the incidence of sex trafficking in the United States. Rather, it forces both traffickers and victims to bury deeper in the already hidden world of sex trafficking. Policy implications derived from criminal displacement theory and research are provided.
Comparing the costs and health benefits of a proposed rail trail

This study estimates the health benefits associated with a proposed rail trail in Nova Scotia, Canada. A survey of households living within 50 km of the proposed trail provided data. A contingent trip method was employed to estimate projected use for the proposed trail. Projections are the trail will attract approximately 430 trips per day or 160,000 trips per year. The total annual value of increased physical activity expected to arise from the proposed trail (gravel surface) is approximately $456,000 ($2.88 per trip). Present value analysis indicates a gravel surface trail would provide direct health benefits nine times greater than the costs. Allowing all-terrain vehicle access will reduce use and the health benefits by almost 50%. The corresponding reduction in health benefits is equivalent to approximately $220,000 per year.
Profiling of histamine H4 receptor agonists in native human monocytes

Since the identification of the histamine H4 receptor, several ligands activating this receptor have been described and more compounds are in development. These ligands are well characterized in pharmacological assays, including radioligand competition binding studies, GTPγS and GTPase assays. In most cases, these experiments are performed in transfected cell lines, expressing unnaturally high levels of target receptors and G‐protein signalling components. In this study we investigated the specific properties of H4 receptor ligands in native cells.
Trafficking and Proteolytic Release of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Ligands Are Modulated by Their Membrane-anchoring Domains*

Ligands that bind to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor are initially synthesized as integral membrane proteins that are released from the cell surface by regulated proteolysis. To study the role of the membrane-anchoring domain in ligand release, we made two artificial ligands. The first possessed the membrane-anchoring domain from EGF whereas the second had the corresponding domain from heparin binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF). Both ligands lacked amino-terminal extensions, and were epitope-tagged at the carboxyl terminus. Following stable expression in human mammary epithelial cells, their cellular localization and rate of proteolytic release were examined. We found that constructs with the membrane-anchoring domain from EGF were found primarily at the cell surface and displayed a relatively high rate of constitutive release. Constructs with the HB-EGF membrane-anchoring domain displayed a higher internalized fraction and a very low rate of constitutive release. The two ligand constructs also displayed different patterns of stimulated release. Proteolysis of the chimera with the HB-EGF membrane-anchoring domain was stimulated by activation of protein kinase C, but release of EGF from constructs with the EGF membrane-anchoring domain was insensitive to this. Calcium ionophores, calmodulin antagonists, and tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors stimulated the release of both ligands. Furthermore, the release of the two constructs showed different sensitivity to metalloprotease inhibitors. Despite a large fold-increase in ligand proteolysis following cell stimulation, only a small fraction of total cell-associated ligand was released per hour. Our results show that the membrane-anchoring domain of EGF-like ligands can specify both their localization and proteolytic processing. The structures of the membrane-anchoring region of this class of ligands can thus regulate their activity.
Risk Assessment of Railway Transportation Systems using Timed Fault Trees

Safety is an essential requirement for railway transportation. There are many methods that have been developed to predict, prevent, and mitigate accidents in this context. All of these methods have their own purpose and limitations. This paper presents a new useful analysis technique: timed fault tree analysis. This method extends traditional fault tree analysis with temporal events and fault characteristics. Timed fault trees (TFTs) can determine which faults need to be eliminated urgently, and it can also provide how much time have been left at least to eliminate the root failure to prevent accidents. They can also be used to determine the time taken for railway maintenance requirements, and thereby improve maintenance efficiency, and reduce risks. In this paper, we present the features and functionality of a railway transportation system, and principles and rules of TFTs. We demonstrate the applicability of our framework by a case study on a simple railway transportation system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Formation and Dissolution of Second Unions: Marriage and Cohabitation in Sweden and Norway.

As a result of high divorce rates and increasing proportions of women in relatively unstable cohabiting relationships, the population of women potentially entering second unions has increased. Using recent survey data from Sweden and Norway and life table techniques, this study examines both the rate at which women form second unions and the type of union they choose to enter (either marriage or cohabitation) as well as how this process has changed over time. In addition, the extent to which women in second premarital cohabitations and postmarital cohabitations marry and separate is addressed. The results show that nonmarital cohabitation is by far the preferred type of second union in both Sweden and Norway, although this type of union became widespread in Sweden earlier than in Norway. The increase in nonmarital cohabitation appears to have contributed to a decline or delay in remarriage among the divorced population, asfew women marry a second time without cohabiting first. The differences between Sweden and Norway with respect to both the prevalence of nonmarital cohabitation and its function in the family formation process are discussed.
Can glycated hemoglobin act as a reliable glycemic indicator in patients with diabetic chronic kidney disease? evidence from the Northeast of Thailand

Background: Chronic kidney diseases (CKD) is a common microvascular complication in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) which requires adequate glycemic control. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a conventional biomarker to estimate glycemic status, but its role in diabetic CKD patients is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether patients with high HbA1c are associated to develop diabetic CKD. Methods: Data were obtained from a clinical registry of diabetic patients who were treated in a district hospital in the Northeast of Thailand. CKD was defined according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR<60mL/min/1.73m2). Anthropometric and biochemical measurements of the patient were taken by review of medical records. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the likelihood of the association between HbA1c and CKD. Results: Among 4,050 participants, 1,027 (25.3%) developed diabetic CKD. Older age (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.71-6.42, p 6.5%) were negatively associated with diabetic CKD (AOR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.51-0.86, p<0.05). Conclusion: This study found patients with higher HbA1c level were not associated with diabetic CKD. Therefore, using the conventional cut-off values of HbA1c in diabetic CKD patients may be problematic in the clinical settings. Enhanced detection of glycemic status in patients with diabetic CKD is warranted to improve the outcome.
A nonlinear PID servo controller for computer hard disk drives

A nonlinear PID scheme is proposed as an efficient hard disk drive servo controller, reducing the settling time and lowering the required control effort. The controller is capable of increasing (decreasing) damping effect when the system output is moving away from (towards) the desired track. This is carried out by utilizing a derivative action tuned by a nonlinear function to provide the system with the needed level of damping. Simulation results, including step function response, control signal history, robustness in terms of the influence of a rate limiter, and a disturbance rejection capability are presented
Anchored clathrate waters bind antifreeze proteins to ice

The mechanism by which antifreeze proteins (AFPs) irreversibly bind to ice has not yet been resolved. The ice-binding site of an AFP is relatively hydrophobic, but also contains many potential hydrogen bond donors/acceptors. The extent to which hydrogen bonding and the hydrophobic effect contribute to ice binding has been debated for over 30 years. Here we have elucidated the ice-binding mechanism through solving the first crystal structure of an Antarctic bacterial AFP. This 34-kDa domain, the largest AFP structure determined to date, folds as a Ca2+-bound parallel beta-helix with an extensive array of ice-like surface waters that are anchored via hydrogen bonds directly to the polypeptide backbone and adjacent side chains. These bound waters make an excellent three-dimensional match to both the primary prism and basal planes of ice and in effect provide an extensive X-ray crystallographic picture of the AFP∶ice interaction. This unobstructed view, free from crystal-packing artefacts, shows the contributions of both the hydrophobic effect and hydrogen bonding during AFP adsorption to ice. We term this mode of binding the “anchored clathrate” mechanism of AFP action.
Online counselling: An initial examination of the process in a synchronous chat environment

Abstract Aims: The present study investigates the dynamics of an initial counselling session held in a synchronous chat environment between counsellors-in-training and a trained confederate posing as a client. Specifically, the study examines (a) the interventions used, (b) the therapeutic alliance, and (c) the ability of the counsellor to accurately diagnose the client. Methods: Transcripts from 54 online sessions were analysed to investigate counsellors’ responses and interventions in an online environment. Results: The use of counselling interventions were similar to those used in face-to-face sessions, but with some differences. Reassurance and open questions were used about twice as often, while interpretation and direct guidance were used less frequently. Most participants (86–90%) reached the correct diagnosis when the symptoms represented a single diagnosis but had more trouble when the symptoms were mixed (36%). Participants reported feeling some distance from the client but reported an increase .