Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Endemicity and Low Molecular Diversity of Hepatitis B Virus Infections in Pregnant Women in a Rural District of North Cameroon

Background A program, supported by the GEMHEP (Groupe d'étude Moléculaire des Hépatites), was established in 2007 in the sanitary district of Tokombéré, to prevent perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). It comprises screening for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in all pregnant women and vaccinating the newborn if tests are positive. Methods/Principal Findings 1276 women were enrolled in the study after providing informed consent. Demographic data and blood samples were available for 1267 of the enrolled patients. HBsAg was determined locally using a rapid test (Vikia HBsAg, Biomerieux). Tests for HBV and HDV virological markers (HBeAg, anti-HDV antibodies (Ab), HBV-DNA, HDV-RNA, HBV and HDV genotypes) were performed on the confirmed HBsAg-positive samples in the virology unit of the Angers University Hospital (France). HBsAg was found in 259 of the 1267 pregnant women (20.4%) between January 2009 and April 2010, of whom 59 were HBeAg-positive (22.7%) with high levels of HBV-DNA. Anti-HDV Ab were found in 19 (7.3%) of the HBsAg-positive women. The prevalence rates of HBsAg and HDV were not age-dependent whereas HBeAg carriers were statistically younger than non carriers. Basal core promoter (BCP) and precore (PC) mutations and genotypes were determined by sequencing. Of 120 amplified sequences, 119 belonged to HBV genotype E (HBV/E) and the 9 HDV strains belonged to HDV clade 1. In the PC region, 83/228 patients (36.4%) harbored a G1896A mutant or mixed phenotype virus. In the BCP region, the double mutation A1762T/G1764A and the G1757A substitution were detected respectively in 26/228 patients (11.4%) and 189/228 patients (82.8%). Conclusions Our results confirm the high prevalence and low molecular diversity of HBV in Far Northern Cameroon; more than 20% of the infected women were highly viremic, suggesting a high rate of HBV perinatal transmission and supporting the WHO recommendation to vaccinate at birth against hepatitis B.
Learner Perspectives on Online Assessments as a Mechanism to Engage in Reflective Practice.

Reflective practice is an important lifelong skill for business professionals. In the work integrated learning (WIL) curriculum, supporting interns’ development of reflective practice is critical to their experience in WIL as well as their transition into professional practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore students’ perceptions on the use of online assessments for engagement in reflective practice as they undertake internships as part of WIL. The findings demonstrate online assessment as commensurate with facilitating reflection-on-action. Students report on the benefits of the online environment for enabling accessible and flexible engagement with assessments. The online assessments are endorsed as critical learning opportunities for students to iteratively look back on their actions to consider or record improvements as well as to ‘practise reflective practice’. Although few students found online reflective assessments constrained social learning, we argue that a balance between face-to-face and online learning is essential to supporting learners in dispersed contexts in WIL. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2014, 15(4), 335-345)
Apolipoprotein E Induces Antiinflammatory Phenotype in Macrophages

Objective—Apolipoprotein E (apoE) exerts potent antiinflammatory effects. Here, we investigated the effect of apoE on the functional phenotype of macrophages. Methods and Results—Human apoE receptors very-low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDL-R) and apoE receptor-2 (apoER2) were stably expressed in RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. In these cells, apoE downregulated markers of the proinflammatory M1 phenotype (inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin [IL]-12, macrophage inflammatory protein-1&agr;) but upregulated markers of the antiinflammatory M2 phenotype (arginase I, SOCS3, IL-1 receptor antagonist [IL-1RA]). In addition, M1 macrophage responses (migration, generation of reactive oxygen species, antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity, phagocytosis), as well as poly(I:C)- or interferon-&ggr;-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines; cyclooxygenase-2 expression; and activation of nuclear factor-&kgr;B, I&kgr;B, and STAT1, were suppressed in VLDL-R- or apoER2-expressing cells. Conversely, the suppression of the M2 phenotype and the enhanced response to poly(I:C) were observed in apoE-producing bone marrow macrophages derived from VLDL-R-deficient mice but not wild-type or low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice. The modulatory effects of apoE on macrophage polarization were inhibited in apoE receptor-expressing RAW264.7 cells exposed to SB220025, a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, and PP1, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Accordingly, apoE induced tyrosine kinase-dependent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in VLDL-R- or apoER2-expressing macrophages. Under in vivo conditions, apoE−/− mice transplanted with apoE-producing wild-type bone marrow showed increased plasma IL-1RA levels, and peritoneal macrophages of transplanted animals were shifted to the M2 phenotype (increased IL-1RA production and CD206 expression). Conclusion—ApoE signaling via VLDL-R or apoER2 promotes macrophage conversion from the proinflammatory M1 to the antiinflammatory M2 phenotype. This effect may represent a novel antiinflammatory activity of apoE.
Update semantics for multilevel relations

A formal operational semantics is given for update operations on multilevel relations, i.e., relations in which individual data elements are classified at different levels. For this purpose, the familiar INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE operations of SQL are suitably generalized to cope with polyinstantiation. The authors conjecture that these operations are consistent (or sound) in that all relations which can be constructed will satisfy the basic integrity properties required of multilevel relations. They also conjecture that the operations are complete in that every multilevel relation can be constructed by some sequence of these operations. <<ETX>>
Functional Analysis of the Amine Substrate Specificity Domain of Pepper Tyramine and Serotonin N-Hydroxycinnamoyltransferases1

Pepper (Capsicum annuum) serotonin N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (SHT) catalyzes the synthesis of N-hydroxycinnamic acid amides of serotonin, including feruloylserotonin and p-coumaroylserotonin. To elucidate the domain or the key amino acid that determines the amine substrate specificity, we isolated a tyramine N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (THT) gene from pepper. Purified recombinant THT protein catalyzed the synthesis of N-hydroxycinnamic acid amides of tyramine, including feruloyltyramine and p-coumaroyltyramine, but did not accept serotonin as a substrate. Both the SHT and THT mRNAs were found to be expressed constitutively in all pepper organs. Pepper SHT and THT, which have primary sequences that are 78% identical, were used as models to investigate the structural determinants responsible for their distinct substrate specificities and other enzymatic properties. A series of chimeric genes was constructed by reciprocal exchange of DNA segments between the SHT and THT cDNAs. Functional characterization of the recombinant chimeric proteins revealed that the amino acid residues 129 to 165 of SHT and the corresponding residues 125 to 160 in THT are critical structural determinants for amine substrate specificity. Several amino acids are strongly implicated in the determination of amine substrate specificity, in which glycine-158 is involved in catalysis and amine substrate binding and tyrosine-149 plays a pivotal role in controlling amine substrate specificity between serotonin and tyramine in SHT. Furthermore, the indisputable role of tyrosine is corroborated by the THT-F145Y mutant that uses serotonin as the acyl acceptor. The results from the chimeras and the kinetic measurements will direct the creation of additional novel N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferases from the various N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferases found in nature.
Natural variations in snow cover do not affect the annual soil CO2 efflux from a mid-elevation temperate forest

Climate change might alter annual snowfall patterns and modify the duration and magnitude of snow cover in temperate regions with resultant impacts on soil microclimate and soil CO2 efflux (Fsoil). We used a 5‐year time series of Fsoil measurements from a mid‐elevation forest to assess the effects of naturally changing snow cover. Snow cover varied considerably in duration (105–154 days) and depth (mean snow depth 19–59 cm). Periodically shallow snow cover (<10 cm) caused soil freezing or increased variation in soil temperature. This was mostly not reflected in Fsoil which tended to decrease gradually throughout winter. Progressively decreasing C substrate availability (identified by substrate induced respiration) likely over‐rid the effects of slowly changing soil temperatures and determined the overall course of Fsoil. Cumulative CO2 efflux from beneath snow cover varied between 0.46 and 0.95 t C ha−1 yr−1 and amounted to between 6 and 12% of the annual efflux. When compared over a fixed interval (the longest period of snow cover during the 5 years), the cumulative CO2 efflux ranged between 0.77 and 1.18 t C ha−1 or between 11 and 15% of the annual soil CO2 efflux. The relative contribution (15%) was highest during the year with the shortest winter. Variations in snow cover were not reflected in the annual CO2 efflux (7.44–8.41 t C ha−1) which did not differ significantly between years and did not correlate with any snow parameter. Regional climate at our site was characterized by relatively high amounts of precipitation. Therefore, snow did not play a role in terms of water supply during the warm season and primarily affected cold season processes. The role of changing snow cover therefore seems rather marginal when compared to potential climate change effects on Fsoil during the warm season.
Evolutionary learning of a laser pointer detection fuzzy system for an environment control system

Recent studies in smart homes have proposed methods to use a laser pointer for interacting with home devices, which represents a more user-friendly and less expensive home device control environment. However, detecting the laser spot on the original non-filtered images, using standard and non expensive cameras, and considering real home environments with varying conditions, is currently an open problem. In this paper we propose a hybrid technique, combining a classic technique used in image detection processes, such as Template Matching, with an evolutionary learning of a Fuzzy Rule Based Systems for the laser spot detection system in real home environments. This proposal improves the success rate in images without laser spot of the previous classical and non-classical algorithms used for detecting the laser spot in previous works, decreasing the detection of the false offs which could lead to dangerous situations. Experimental results on a real home environment show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Sensory impairment and recovery after stroke

Sensory impairment is common after stroke though problems with the assessment of sensation have hindered research into sensation and its recovery. The revised Nottingham Sensory Assessment [NSA] (Lincoln et al, 1998) is a standardised assessment but there have been difficulties interpreting results, as it is not possible to calculate total scores. Therefore the purpose of this study was: - To investigate the extent of sensory impairment and recovery in stroke patients - To investigate if a total score for the NSA can be obtained - To explore the factors that are related to sensory impairment and outcome Method Patients with a first stroke were recruited on admission to two rehabilitation units in Nottingham. The NSA, which measures tactile sensations, proprioception and stereognostic ability, was administered on admission and at two, four and six months after stroke. Rasch analysis was used to examine if total scores of the NSA could be calculated. Results Seventy patients were recruited during a fifteen-month period. Mean age was 71 years (SD 10.00) and 36 were men. Sensory impairment was common in stroke patients and was significantly related to stroke severity. Stereognosis was the most frequently and severely impaired sensation. Rasch analysis enabled total scores of the NSA to be calculated. These totals showed significant recovery at six months post-stroke for upper limb tactile sensations, stereognosis and proprioception. Lower limb tactile sensations did not show significant recovery. The severity of the stroke, initial sensory impairment and activities of daily living ability were significantly related to sensory recovery, however they only accounted for 46-71% of the variance. Conclusion Sensation is a complex ability and a problem in its own right. Sensory impairment was a reflection of stroke severity but low variance indicates other factors were involved. Therefore there is a need to assess sensory impairment after stroke. Sensory outcome could not be accurately predicted, suggesting other potentially treatable factors such as cognitive and perceptual ability are involved. Rasch analysis allowed calculation of total scores, but also importantly allowed the scale to be shortened, making the NSA a more useable outcome measure.
Speed independent terrain classification using Singular Value Decomposition Interpolation

Terrain classification is key to using terrain-dependent control modes to improve performance of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs). One of the most viable forms of terrain classification, reaction-based terrain classification, is subject to the problem of speed and load dependency, which requires collecting large data sets for algorithm training. The research presented here presents a method of interpolating point clouds called Singular Value Decomposition Interpolation or SVDI, which uses singular value decomposition, matrix logarithms and Catmull-Rom splines. The estimated point clouds can then substitute for empirical training data, thereby reducing the need to collect large data sets for algorithm training. Here, SVDI is applied to the problem of speed dependency using a mobile robot. Although it is seen that interpolated point clouds are not as effective as real data, interpolated point clouds are seen to be more effective than known point clouds that do not correspond to the desired vehicle speed. Therefore it is concluded that SVDI can effectively reduce the speed and load dependence of reaction-based terrain classification.
Implementing primary health care-based PMTCT interventions: operational perspectives from Muhima cohort analysis (Rwanda)

Introduction In countries with high burden of HIV, major programmatic challenges have been identified to preventing new infections among children and scaling up of treatment for pregnant mothers. We initiated this study to examine operational approaches that were used to enhance implementation of PMTCT interventions in Muhima health Centre (Kigali/Rwanda) from 2007 to 2010. Methods The prospective cohort study was conducted at Muhima health centre. A sample size of 656 was the minimum number required for the study. The main outcome was cumulative incidence of mother - to - child transmission of HIV-1 measured at 6 weeks of life among live born children. Results Among the 679 live born babies and followed up in this study, the overall cumulative rate of HIV-1 mother - to - child transmission observed was 3.2% at 6 weeks of age after birth. Disclosure of HIV status to partner was significantly associated with HIV-1 status of infants at 6 weeks of age (non-disclosure of HIV status adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.68, CI 1.39 to 15.77, p. Conclusion The Muhima type of decentralized health facility offered an appropriate platform for implementation of PMTCT interventions, with the following operational features: family - centered approach; integrated service delivery for PMTCT/MCH interventions, task shifting; subsidized membership fees for people living with HIV, allowing for access to the community-based health insurance benefits.
Polysaccharides Coatings on Medical-Grade PVC: A Probe into Surface Characteristics and the Extent of Bacterial Adhesion

Medical-grade polyvinyl chloride was coated by polysaccharides through a novel physicochemical approach. An initial surface activation was performed foremost via diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge plasma in air at ambient temperature and pressure. Then, radical graft copolymerization of acrylic acid through grafting-from pathway was directed to render a well-defined brush of high density, and finally a chitosan monolayer and chitosan/pectin alternating multilayer were bound onto the functionalized surfaces. Surface characteristics were systematically investigated using several probe techniques. In vitro bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation assays indicated that a single chitosan layer was incapable of hindering the adhesion of a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strain, while up to 30% reduction was achieved by the chitosan/pectin layered assembly. On the other hand, chitosan and chitosan/pectin multilayer could retard Escherichia coli adhesion by 50% and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, plasma treated and graft copolymerized samples were also found effective to diminish the degree of adherence of Escherichia coli.
Bark Extractives and Suberin Monomers from Arbutus andrachne and Platanus orientalis

Arbutus andrachne and Platanus orientalis grow naturally in Turkey. They do not occur in stands but can be seen as solitary trees. A. andrachne is seen in coastal parts of Anatolia, whereas P. orientalis can be found from west to the east of Turkey, mostly in river banks. Lipophilic extractives, hydrophilic extractives, and suberin monomers from Arbutus andrachne and Platanus orientalis bark was analyzed by chromatography. The total amount of lipophilic extractives was higher in P. orientalis (8.55 mg/g). However, the total amount of hydrophilic extractives had a bigger proportion, 100.86 mg/g, in A. andrachne bark. Dioic and hydroxy acids were the dominant group in the suberin monomers of both species of bark. Acid 1,18-dioic-18:0 and acid 18-hydroxy-18:1 were determined as the main compounds of suberin monomers in both samples. In addition, total amount of suberin monomers was determined to be 11.36 mg/g in A. andrachne and 15.95 mg/g in P. orientalis bark.
P 3 . 16 THE FULL-SPECTRUM CORRELATED K METHOD FOR LONGWAVE ATMOSPHERIC RADIATIVE TRANSFER : TREATMENT OF GASEOUS OVERLAP R

The correlated k-distribution (CKD) method is widely used in the radiative transfer schemes of atmospheric models, and involves dividing the spectrum into a number of bands and then reordering the gaseous absorption coefficients within each one. The fluxes and heating rates for each band may then be computed by discretizing the reordered spectrum into of order 10 quadrature points per major gas, and performing a pseudo-monochromatic radiation calculation for each point. In this paper it is first argued that for clear-sky longwave calculations, sufficient accuracy for most applications can be achieved without the need for bands: reordering may be performed on the entire longwave spectrum. The resulting full-spectrum correlated k (FSCK) method requires significantly fewer pseudo-monochromatic calculations than standard CKD to achieve a given accuracy. The concept is first demonstrated by comparing with line-by-line calculations for an atmosphere containing only water vapor, in which it is shown that the accuracy of heating-rate calculations improves approximately in proportion to the square of the number of quadrature points. For more than around 20 points, the root-mean-squared error flattens out at around 0.015 K d−1 due to the imperfect rank correlation of absorption spectra at different pressures in the profile. The spectral overlap of m different gases is treated by considering an m-dimensional hypercube where each axis corresponds to the reordered spectrum of one of the gases. This hypercube is then divided up into a number of volumes, each approximated by a single quadrature point, such that the total number of quadrature points is slightly fewer than the sum of the number that would be required to treat each of the gases separately. The gaseous absorptions for each quadrature point are optimized such they minimize a cost function expressing the deviation of the heating rates and fluxes calculated by the FSCK method from line-by-line calculations for a number of training profiles. This approach is validated for atmospheres containing water vapor, carbon dioxide and ozone, in which it is found that in the troposphere and most of the stratosphere, heating-rate errors of less than 0.2 K d−1 can be achieved using a total of 23 quadrature points, decreasing to less than 0.1 K d−1 for 32 quadrature points. It would be relatively straightforward to extend the method to include other gases. (See also Hogan, R. J., 2010, J. Atmos. Sci., 67, 2086–2100.)
Multilocus Analysis of Divergence and Introgression in Sympatric and Allopatric Sibling Species of the Lutzomyia longipalpis Complex in Brazil

Background Lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America, is a complex of sibling species. In Brazil, a number of very closely related sibling species have been revealed by the analyses of copulation songs, sex pheromones and molecular markers. However, the level of divergence and gene flow between the sibling species remains unclear. Brazilian populations of this vector can be divided in two main groups: one producing Burst-type songs and the Cembrene-1 pheromone and a second more diverse group producing various Pulse song subtypes and different pheromones. Methodology/Principal Findings We analyzed 21 nuclear loci in two pairs of Brazilian populations: two sympatric populations from the Sobral locality (1S and 2S) in northeastern Brazil and two allopatric populations from the Lapinha and Pancas localities in southeastern Brazil. Pancas and Sobral 2S are populations of the Burst/Cembrene-1 species while Lapinha and Sobral 1S are two putative incipient species producing the same pheromone and similar Pulse song subtypes. The multilocus analysis strongly suggests the occurrence of gene flow during the divergence between the sibling species, with different levels of introgression between loci. Moreover, this differential introgression is asymmetrical, with estimated gene flow being higher in the direction of the Burst/Cembrene-1 species. Conclusions/Significance The results indicate that introgressive hybridization has been a crucial phenomenon in shaping the genome of the L. longipalpis complex. This has possible epidemiological implications and is particularly interesting considering the potential for increased introgression caused by man-made environmental changes and the current trend of leishmaniasis urbanization in Brazil.
Dynamic compact thermal model of a package

This paper presents the generation and verification of a dynamic compact thermal model of electronic packages. The method is demonstrated for ball grid array (BGA) package. The resulting RC network dynamic compact thermal model is optimized to diverse conditions typical to the application-specific environment. The accuracy of the model is found sufficient for thermal design purposes in terms of predicted junction temperature response and heat flux of the desired locations of the package.