Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variations of Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 1 in Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Gastric Carcinomas from Guangzhou, Southern China

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) is the only viral protein consistently expressed in all EBV-associated malignancies, and play a critical role in the onset, progression, and/or maintenance of these tumors. Based on the signature changes at amino acid residue 487, EBNA1 is classified into five distinct subtypes: P-ala, P-thr, V-leu, V-val and V-pro. In the present study, the sequence variations of EBNA1 in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) and throat washing (TW) samples of healthy EBV carriers in Guangzhou, southern China, where nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic, were analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing. V-val subtype was the most predominant (53.6%, 15/28) in EBVaGC, followed by P-ala (42.9%, 12/28) and V-leu (32.1%, 9/28) subtypes. In TWs of healthy EBV carriers, V-val subtype was also predominant (85.7%, 18/21). The sequence variations of EBNA1 in EBVaGC were similar to those in TW of healthy EBV carriers (p>0.05), suggesting that the EBV strains in EBVaGC might originate from the viral strains prevalent within the background population. The predominance of V-val subtype in EBVaGC in Guangzhou was similar to that in EBVaGC in northern China and Japan, but was different from that in EBVaGC in America, suggesting that the variations of EBNA1 in EBVaGC represent geographic-associated polymorphisms rather than tumor-specific mutations. In addition, the EBNA1 variations in EBVaGC in gastric remnant carcinoma were also determined. V-leu subtype was detected in all 4 (100%) cases, although 2 cases occurred as mixed infection with P-ala subtype. This is different from the predominant V-val subtype in EBVaGC in conventional gastric carcinoma, suggesting that V-leu might be a subtype that adapts particularly well to the microenvironment within the gastric stump and enters the remnant gastric mucosa epithelia easily. This, to our best knowledge, is the first investigation of EBNA1 polymorphisms in EBVaGC from endemic area of NPC.
Recombinant peripheral myelin protein Po confers both adhesion and neurite outgrowth‐promoting properties

To probe into the functional properties of the major peripheral myelin cell surface glycoprotein Po, its ability to confer adhesion and neurite outgrowth‐promoting properties was studied in cell culture. To this aim, Po was expressed as integral membrane glyco protein at the surface of CV‐1 cells with the help of a recombinant vaccinia virus expression system. Furthermore, the immunoglobulin‐like extracellular domain of Po (Po‐ED) was expressed as soluble protein in a bacterial expression system and used as substrate coated to plastic dishes or as competitor in cell adhesion and neurite outgrowth‐promoting assays. The adhesion of Po‐expressing CV‐1 cells to Po‐ED substrate was specifically inhibitable by polyclonal Po antibodies (54% ± 6%). In addition, the specific interaction between Po molecules could be reduced (49% ± 8%) by adding soluble Po‐ED to the culture medium, demonstrating that the homophilic interaction between recombinant Po molecules can be mediated, at least on one partner of interacting molecules, by the unglycosylated Ig‐like domain. Substrate‐coated Po‐ED also conferred adhesion and neurite outgrowth ability to dorsal root ganglion neurons with neurites of a mean length of about 150 μm. This neurite outgrowth was specifically inhibitable by soluble Po (74% ± 14%) and Po antibodies (65% ± 9%). These observations indicate that Po is capable of displaying two different types of functional roles in the myelination process of peripheral nerves: The heterophilic interaction with neurons may be responsible for the recognition between axon and myelinating Schwann cell at the onset of myelination, whereas the homophilic interaction may indicate its role in the self‐recognition of the apposing loops of Schwann cell surface membranes during the myelination process and in the mature compact myelin sheath.
Ratings Versus Equity-Based Measures of Default Risk in Portfolio Governance

This paper assesses the quality of agency ratings from the perspective of their users. Specifically, I examine whether ratings or an alternative measure of default risk, expected default frequencies (EDFs), are more suitable for formulating governance rules. Such rules, which consist of buy and sell restrictions, are commonly used in investment management. Based on data from 1983 to 2002, I find it difficult to decide whether ratings or EDFs are superior in terms of risk, average return, or risk-return measures. By contrast, EDFs beat ratings in standard statistical tests of one-year default prediction power. The results show that widely used statistical measures of rating quality are not sufficient to judge the economic value of ratings. They also support the agencies' claim that their policy of reducing rating volatility, which builds on the though-the-cycle approach and the avoidance of frequent rating reversals, is beneficial to bond investors.
Early development of turn-taking in vocal interaction between mothers and infants

Infants are known to engage in conversation-like exchanges from the end of the second month after birth. These ‘protoconversations’ involve both turn-taking and overlapping vocalization. Previous research has shown that the temporal organization of adult–infant turn-taking sequences is similar to that of adult verbal conversation. It has also been shown that young infants adjust the quality of their vocalization in response to the quality and timing of adult vocalization. We present new evidence of turn-taking interaction in infants aged between 8 and 21 weeks based on the analysis of 176 samples of naturalistic face-to-face interactions from 51 dyads. We found high levels of latched turns as well as frequent initiation of turn-taking by infants at these ages. Our data do not support the hypothesis that turn-taking ability increases with age between 2 and 5 months but do suggest that infants are active participants in turn-taking from the earliest age and that mothers adjust turn-taking formats to infants.
Clinicoeconomics and Outcomes Research Dovepress Costs Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Italy: Past, Present, and Future

This literature review examines available evidence on the current and past costs associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Italy, together with the future health-economic prospects for the disease. Studies have been conducted to date on the prevalence, or the associated costs, of RA in Italy. Although future changes in the incidence of RA are a matter of debate, the impact of RA on health care costs is expected to grow in coming decades in line with projected increases in life expectancy and in the proportion of elderly people in Italy. It has been estimated that the indirect (productivity loss and informal care) and intangible (deterioration in health-related quality of life) costs of the disease will contribute to an increase in national health service expenditure, which will correspond to 1% of the total health care costs of the nation in the near future. The introduction of biological agents for the treatment of rheumatic diseases has resulted in an increase in the direct costs of RA; however, economic analyses that exclude indirect costs will underestimate the full economic impact of RA. The effectiveness of innovative therapies in preventing disease progression and functional impairment may, over time, attenuate the cost impact of RA in terms of hospitalizations and work absenteeism. Further research is needed to develop estimates of the economic impact of different therapeutic approaches in patients with RA in Italy, in order to provide tools that can drive the choice of the most cost-effective therapeutic option while maintaining high-quality care.
A virtual sensor for needle deflection estimation during soft-tissue needle insertion

A tissue-independent model to estimate needle deflection during insertion in soft tissue is presented in this paper. A force/torque sensor is connected to the needle base in order to measure forces and moments during insertion due to needle deflection. A static mechanical model, which is based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation and the balance of forces applied by the tissue onto the needle takes these force and moment measurements as input. The needle tip deflection can then be calculated based on the beam model undergoing these forces. Three different needle-tissue interaction models are presented. Their estimation performance is evaluated and experimentally compared by carrying out insertion experiments into phantom tissue. The experimental results show a precise estimate of needle tip deflection for a novel virtual sensor introduced in this work. The main advantage of this virtual sensor approach is that measurements obtained from the force/torque sensor are the only necessary model inputs. Furthermore, the approach does not rely on ultrasound or other image-based needle observation techniques. This makes the virtual sensor suitable for real-time feedback of needle tip deflection.
Uncertainty Analysis in Humidity Measurements by the Psychrometer Method

The most common and cheap indirect technique to measure relative humidity is by using psychrometer based on a dry and a wet temperature sensor. In this study, the measurement uncertainty of relative humidity was evaluated by this indirect method with some empirical equations for calculating relative humidity. Among the six equations tested, the Penman equation had the best predictive ability for the dry bulb temperature range of 15–50 °C. At a fixed dry bulb temperature, an increase in the wet bulb depression increased the error. A new equation for the psychrometer constant was established by regression analysis. This equation can be computed by using a calculator. The average predictive error of relative humidity was <0.1% by this new equation. The measurement uncertainty of the relative humidity affected by the accuracy of dry and wet bulb temperature and the numeric values of measurement uncertainty were evaluated for various conditions. The uncertainty of wet bulb temperature was the main factor on the RH measurement uncertainty.
Obstacle Detection using a TOF Range Camera for Indoor AGV Navigation

Abstract : The performance evaluation of an obstacle detection and segmentation algorithm for Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) navigation in factory-like environments using a 3D real-time range camera is the subject of this paper. Our approach has been tested successfully on British safety standard recommended object sizes and materials placed on the vehicle path. The segmented (mapped) obstacles are then verified using absolute measurements obtained using a relatively accurate 2D scanning laser rangefinder.
New Insights Involving the Home Team Advantage

Although the home team advantage is known to exist in many sports, there are nuances of the advantage that are less well understood. In this paper, we investigate various aspects of the home team advantage including changes in the advantage over time, the relationship of the advantage to the overall scoring rate and differential advantages within leagues. The analysis is mainly based on descriptive statistics and is confined to the home team advantage pertaining to the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association.
Controlled propagation in continuous numerical constraint networks

Local consistency is usually enforced on continuous constraints by decomposing them beforehand into so-called primitive constraints. It has long been observed that such a decomposition drastically slows down the computation of solutions. Five years ago, Benhamou et al. introduced an algorithm that avoids formally decomposing constraints, and whose efficiency is often on a par with state-of-the-art methods. It is shown here that this algorithm implements a strategy to enforce on a continuous constraint a consistency akin to directional bounds consistency as introduced by Dechter and Pearl for discrete problems. The actual impact of decomposition is also thoroughly analyzed by means of new experimental results.
Volitional control of single cortical neurons in a brain–machine interface

Volitional control of cortical activity is relevant for optimizing control signals for neuroprosthetic devices. We explored the control of firing rates of single cortical cells in two Macaca nemestrina monkeys by providing visual feedback of neural activity and rewarding changes in cell rates. During ‘brain-control’ sessions, the monkeys modulated the activity of each of 246 cells to acquire targets requiring high or low discharge rates. Cell control improved more than two-fold from the beginning of practice to peak performance. Cell activity was modulated substantially more during brain control than during wrist movements. When recording stability permitted, the monkeys practiced controlling activity of the same cells across multiple days. The performance improved substantially for 27 of 36 cells when practicing brain control across days. The monkeys maintained discharge rates within each target for 1 s, but could maintain rates for up to 3 s for some cells, and performed the brain-control task equally well using cells recorded from the pre-central cortex compared to cells in the post-central cortex, and independently of any directional tuning. These findings demonstrate that arbitrary single cortical neurons, regardless of the strength of directional tuning, are capable of controlling cursor movements in a one-dimensional brain–machine interface. It is possible that direct conversion of activity from single cortical cells to control signals for neuroprosthetic devices may be a useful complementary strategy to population decoding of the intended movement direction.
Urinary chorionic gonadotrophin determination.

Successful laboratory tests for early pregnancy utilize the endogenous production and excretion of chorionic gonadotrophin (CG). There is wide variation in sensitivity and specificity of various biological and commercially available immunochemical methods for determining urinary CG levels. Normal values for immunochemically reactive CG during the first trimester of pregnancy are given. Serial determinations of CG have diagnostic value in assessing various abnormal pregnancy states. An abnormally increased urinary output of CG is observed in some neoplasms—e.g., chorionepithelioma, and a rapidly rising CG level is strongly suggestive of molar pregnancy. Urinary CG levels falling below the normal range mayindicate an ectopic pregnancy or an inevitable, incomplete, or "missed" abortion. The immunochemical CG determination also offers a sensitive, simple, and convenient routine method for following patients who have been treated for hydatidiformmole or chorionepithelioma.
Effectiveness of nursing interventions based on family needs on family satisfaction in the neurosurgery intensive care unit

BACKGROUND Since the family is a social system, the impairment in each of its component members may disrupt the entire family system. One of the stress sources for families is accidents leading to hospitalization particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU). In many cases, the families' needs in patient care are not met that cause dissatisfaction. Since the nurses spend a lot of time with patients and their families, they are in a good position to assess their needs and perform appropriate interventions. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of nursing interventions based on family needs on family satisfaction level of hospitalized patients in the neurosurgery ICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS This clinical trial was conducted in the neurosurgery ICU of Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran in 2010. Sixty four families were selected by simple sampling method and were randomly placed in two groups (test and control) using envelopes. In the test group, some interventions were performed to meet their needs. In the control group, the routine actions were only carried out. The satisfaction questionnaire was completed by both groups two days after admission and again on the fourth day. FINDINGS Both of the intervention and control groups were compared in terms of the mean satisfaction scores before and after intervention. There was no significant difference in mean satisfaction scores between test and control groups before the intervention. The mean satisfaction score significantly increased after the intervention compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS Nursing interventions based on family needs of hospitalized patients in the ICU increase their satisfaction. Attention to family nursing should be planned especially in the ICUs.
Migration, Remittances and Capital Accumulation: Evidence from Rural Mexico

Abstract This article studies the link between migration, remittances and asset accumulation for a panel of poor rural households in Mexico over the period 1997–2006. In a context of financial markets' imperfections, migration may act as a substitute for imperfect credit and insurance provision (through remittances from migrants) and, thus, exert a positive effect on investment. However, it may well be the case that remittances are channelled towards increasing consumption and leisure goods instead. Exploiting within family variation and an instrumental variable strategy, we show that migration indeed accelerates productive assets' accumulation. However, when we look at the effect of migration on non-productive assets (durable goods), we find a negative effect. Our results then suggest that poor rural families resort to migration as a way to mitigate constraints that prevent them from investing in productive assets.
Motor, Psychiatric and Fatigue Features Associated with Nutritional Status and Its Effects on Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Objectives Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients are more likely to develop impaired nutritional status because of the symptoms, medications and complications of the disease. However, little is known about the determinants and consequences of malnutrition in PD. This study aimed to investigate the association of motor, psychiatric and fatigue features with nutritional status as well as the effects of malnutrition on different aspects of quality of life (QoL) in PD patients. Methods One hundred and fifty patients with idiopathic PD (IPD) were recruited in this study. A demographic checklist, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) were completed through face-to-face interviews and clinical examinations. The health-related QoL (HRQoL) was also evaluated by means of the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). For evaluation of nutritional status, the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire was applied together with anthropometric measurements. Results Thirty seven (25.3%) patients were at risk of malnutrition and another 3 (2.1%) were malnourished. The total score of the UPDRS scale (r = −0.613, P<0.001) and PD duration (r = −0.284, P = 0.002) had a significant inverse correlation with the total MNA score. The median score of the Hoehn and Yahr stage was significantly higher in PD patients with abnormal nutritional status [2.5 vs. 2.0; P<0.001]. More severe anxiety [8.8 vs. 5.9; P = 0.002], depression [9.0 vs. 3.6; P<0.001] and fatigue [5.4 vs. 4.2; P<0.001] were observed in PD patients with abnormal nutritional status. Except for stigma, all other domains of the PDQ-39 were significantly correlated with the total score of the MNA. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that disease duration, severity of motor and psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety) and fatigue are associated with nutritional status in PD. Different aspects of the HRQoL were affected by patients’ nutritional status especially the emotional well-being and mobility domains.
Individual Differences in Revising (and Maintaining) Accurate and Inaccurate Beliefs About Childhood Vaccinations

ABSTRACT This study examined relationships between several individual differences measures and belief revision after reading a text refuting common misconceptions about childhood vaccinations. Individual differences included preexisting accurate and inaccurate beliefs on the topic, prior knowledge about how vaccinations work, need for cognition, and flexible thinking. Dependent measures included an essay assessing vaccination support and a readministration of the preexisting topic beliefs inventory immediately after reading and after a 2-day delay. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated belief consistency effects in that preexisting accurate and inaccurate beliefs stably predict their postreading counterparts. Above and beyond these effects, readers higher in need for cognition were more likely to gain accurate beliefs about childhood vaccination at immediate and delayed time points. However, a backfire effect was also observed such that readers higher in flexible thinking were more likely to gain inaccurate beliefs, with concomitant lower values on accurate beliefs; this effect was present immediately and at a delay. The findings confirm that people can display a strong “myside bias” even when reading refutations, but that higher need for cognition affords opportunities for appropriate knowledge revision. At the same time, our findings suggest an alarming, potentially detrimental aspect of refutational texts: They may introduce opportunities for some learners to acquire novel misconceptions, especially if they are more flexible thinkers. Future directions of the current work are discussed.
Online global loop closure detection for large-scale multi-session graph-based SLAM

For large-scale and long-term simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), a robot has to deal with unknown initial positioning caused by either the kidnapped robot problem or multi-session mapping. This paper addresses these problems by tying the SLAM system with a global loop closure detection approach, which intrinsically handles these situations. However, online processing for global loop closure detection approaches is generally influenced by the size of the environment. The proposed graph-based SLAM system uses a memory management approach that only consider portions of the map to satisfy online processing requirements. The approach is tested and demonstrated using five indoor mapping sessions of a building using a robot equipped with a laser rangefinder and a Kinect.