Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
gp 120s derived from four syncytium-inducing HIV-1 strains induce different patterns of CD4 association with lymphocyte surface molecules.

This work extends our previous finding that lymphocyte treatment with gp120IIIB specifically induces CD4 association with several surface molecules to other molecules and to three other gp120s from different HIV-1 strains. The ability to induce this association was displayed by the four gp120s employed, i.e. gp120IIIB, gp120SF2, gp120MN and gp120(451), and the association patterns were different, as shown by both co-capping and immunoprecipitation. Co-capping showed that all four gp120s significantly potentiated CD4 association with CD3, CD45RA, CD45RB, CD38, CD26, CD59 and class I MHC molecules. By contrast, CD4 association with CD95 was induced only by gp120(451) and gp120MN; that with CD11a only by gp120SF2 and gp120MN; and that with CD27 and CD45RO only by gp120MN and gp120(451) respectively. All gp120s induced significant CD4 association with CD49d, but gp120SF2 displayed a significantly weaker effect than gp120IIIB. Induction of association was not mediated by inside-out signaling via the CD4-associated tyrosine kinase p58lck, since it was not inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors herbymicin and genistein, nor by CD45 bridging between CD4 and the associating molecule, since similar patterns of association were detected IN cells expressing different CD45 isoform patterns. Moreover, it was not mediated by chemokine receptors interacting with the gp120 V3 loop, since RANTES did not alter the gp120-induced CD4 association pattern. By contrast, the observation that gp120s from four HIV-1 strains induce different CD4 association patterns suggests that gp120 directly interacts with the associating molecules, possibly via their hypervariable regions.
Burnout and its Influencing Factors among Primary Health Care Providers in the North East of Iran

Introduction Burnout is a popular research topics in service providing jobs, including the health care field. This study aimed at assessing the level of job burnout and to consider the important antecedents which might be related to job burnout among primary health care providers in Iran. Methods The participants in this applied cross-sectional study which was conducted in 2013 were 548 primary health care providers who were randomly selected from among those working in Shahroud, Sabzevar, Neishabour, Bojnord (provinces located in the north east of Iran). Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to the participants and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS through chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression model. Results The burnout mean score among the participants was 54.1 ± 27.2 and the mean scores of burnout components i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment were 15.5 ± 13.6, 3.7 ± 5.4 and 35.5 ± 13.5 respectively. In terms of levels of burnout, 64.2% of the participants showed low levels (n = 352), 18.4% average levels (n = 101) and 17.3% high levels (n = 95). A significant relationship was observed between burnout, job resources and interest in job (p ≤ 0.05). However, no significant relationship was observed between burnout and the place (university) of working, age, satisfaction with income, experience, gender, level of education, marital status, housing status, having a second job and place of residence (p ≥0.05). Conclusion Lack of personal accomplishment was highly prevalent among the participating primary health care providers. Lack of career advancement and job transfer opportunities may play a role in the burnout of primary health care providers. Therefore, paying attention to this aspect may help to reduce burnout and even increase job engagement.
Novel Reporter for Faithful Monitoring of ERK2 Dynamics in Living Cells and Model Organisms

Uncoupling of ERK1/2 phosphorylation from subcellular localization is essential towards the understanding of molecular mechanisms that control ERK1/2-mediated cell-fate decision. ERK1/2 non-catalytic functions and discoveries of new specific anchors responsible of the subcellular compartmentalization of ERK1/2 signaling pathway have been proposed as regulation mechanisms for which dynamic monitoring of ERK1/2 localization is necessary. However, studying the spatiotemporal features of ERK2, for instance, in different cellular processes in living cells and tissues requires a tool that can faithfully report on its subcellular distribution. We developed a novel molecular tool, ERK2-LOC, based on the T2A-mediated coexpression of strictly equimolar levels of eGFP-ERK2 and MEK1, to faithfully visualize ERK2 localization patterns. MEK1 and eGFP-ERK2 were expressed reliably and functionally both in vitro and in single living cells. We then assessed the subcellular distribution and mobility of ERK2-LOC using fluorescence microscopy in non-stimulated conditions and after activation/inhibition of the MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Finally, we used our coexpression system in Xenopus laevis embryos during the early stages of development. This is the first report on MEK1/ERK2 T2A-mediated coexpression in living embryos, and we show that there is a strong correlation between the spatiotemporal subcellular distribution of ERK2-LOC and the phosphorylation patterns of ERK1/2. Our approach can be used to study the spatiotemporal localization of ERK2 and its dynamics in a variety of processes in living cells and embryonic tissues.
GINI DP 92: Euroscepticism and education: A longitudinal study of twelve EU member states, 1973-2010

This study examines the relationship between educational attainment and euroscepticism from 1973 to 2010. Existing research has shown that, driven by utilitarian considerations, political cues and questions of collective identity, education and euroscepticism are negatively related. However, as the process of European unification has progressed, all three factors have become more salient, so we expect an increasing effect of education on euroscepticism over time. Using 81 waves of the Eurobarometer survey in 12 EU member states, our results show that the impact of education on euroscepticism has indeed increased, particularly after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty.
Improvement in the Imaging Performance of Atomic Force Microscopy: A Survey

Nanotechnology is the branch of science which deals with the manipulation of matters at an extremely high resolution down to the atomic level. In recent years, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has proven to be extremely versatile as an investigative tool in this field. The imaging performance of AFMs is hindered by: 1) the complex behavior of piezo materials, such as vibrations due to the lightly damped low-frequency resonant modes, inherent hysteresis, and creep nonlinearities; 2) the cross-coupling effect caused by the piezoelectric tube scanner (PTS); 3) the limited bandwidth of the probe; 4) the limitations of the conventional raster scanning method using a triangular reference signal; 5) the limited bandwidth of the proportional-integral controllers used in AFMs; 6) the offset, noise, and limited sensitivity of position sensors and photodetectors; and 7) the limited sampling rate of the AFM's measurement unit. Due to these limitations, an AFM has a high spatial but low temporal resolution, i.e., its imaging is slow, e.g., an image frame of a living cell takes up to 120 s, which means that rapid biological processes that occur in seconds cannot be studied using commercially available AFMs. There is a need to perform fast scans using an AFM with nanoscale accuracy. This paper presents a survey of the literature, presents an overview of a few emerging innovative solutions in AFM imaging, and proposes future research directions.
A histogram based speaker identification technique

Feature extraction has the capability to improve the performance of speaker identification systems. This paper proposes two new techniques for speaker identification based on utilizing a reduced set of the features generated from the Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient method (MFCC). These techniques are based on histograms for the features using pre-defined interval lengths. The first technique builds a histogram for all data in the feature vectors for each speaker while the second technique builds a histogram for each feature column in the feature set of each speaker. Speaker identification is based on the Euclidian distance measure.
Low-Complexity Mode Selection for Rate-Distortion Optimal Video Coding

The primary objective of this thesis is to provide a low-complexity rate-distortion optimal coding mode selection method in digital video encoding. To achieve optimal compression efficiency in the rate-distortion framework with low computational complexity, we first propose a rate-distortion model and then apply it to the coding mode selection problem. The computational complexity of the proposed method is very low compared to overall encoder complexity because the proposed method uses simple image properties such as variance that can be obtained easily. Also, the proposed method gives significant PSNR gains over the mode selection scheme used in TM5 for MPEG-2 because the rate-distortion model considers rate constraints of each mode as well as distortion. We extend the model-based mode selection approach to motion vector selection for further improvement of the coding efficiency. In addition to our theoretical work, we present practical solutions to real-time implementation of encoder modules including our proposed mode selection method on digital signal processors. First, we investigate the features provided by most of the recent digital signal processors, for example, hierarchical memory structure and efficient data transfer between on-chip and off-chip memory, and then present practical approaches for real-time implementation of a video encoder system with efficient use of the features.
The importance of submarine groundwater discharge to the near shore nutrient supply in the Gulf of Aqaba (Israel)

We used two short‐lived radium isotopes (223Ra, 224Ra) and a mass balance approach applied to the radium activities to determine the nutrient contribution of saline submarine groundwater discharge to the coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Israel). Radium isotope activities were measured along transects during two seasons at a site that lacked any obvious surficial water input. An onshore well and an offshore end member were also sampled. For all samples, nutrients and salinity data were collected. Radium isotope activities generally decreased with distance offshore and exhibited significant tidal variability, which is consistent with a shorederived tidally influenced source. Submarine groundwater contributes only 1–2% of the water along this coast, but this groundwater provides 8–46% of the nutrients. This saline groundwater is derived predominately from tidally pumped seawater percolating through the unconfined coastal aquifer and leaching radium and nutrients. This process represents a significant source of nutrients to the oligotrophic nearshore reef.
The CMDS Medical Diagnosis System

The development of efficient agent-based medical diagnosis systems represents a recent research direction. Medical multiagent systems may improve the efficiency of traditionally developed medical computational systems, like the medical expert systems. In this paper, is proposed a novel cooperative hybrid medical diagnosis multiagent system called CMDS. The cooperative problem solving by the proposed medical system combine the physicians and artificial agents advantages in the medical diagnoses elaborations, by using efficiently the medical knowledge distributed between the members of the system. The novelty consists in the use of a novel class of medical agents, called medical expert system agents and a novel cooperative medical problems solving by the system's members. CMDS system can solve flexibly a large variety of medical diagnosis problems.
The Need for an Inclusive Framework for Students' Thinking in School Geometry

This study is the outcome of a research that investigated how students who were assigned varying levels of geometric thinking attempted problems requiring some amount of algebraic thinking in geometry. The study reports that students' thinking in geometry also requires facility with algebra and as such there is a need for a framework that provides a more inclusive view of what constitutes geometric thinking in school mathematics.
International Standard Serial Number (issn): 2319-8141 International Journal of Universal Pharmacy and Bio Sciences Morinda Citrifolia (noni) – a Detailed Review International Standard Serial Number (issn): 2319-8141

Morinda citrifolia Linn Rubiaceae also called as 'noni' is being used for many centuries as traditional medicine by Polynesians for over 2000 years. Morinda citrifolia is an evergreen shrub that originated in Southeast Asia and has been naturalized in many other regions around the world. Various communities throughout the world consume the fruit and leaves of this traditional medicinal plant for its versatile therapeutic nature. The fruit of this plant has a strong butyric acid smell and a cheesy flavor due to the presence of carboxylic acid, where as the leaves and roots are meant for many therapeutic processes and is also used as dyes. Morinda citrifolia is found to have a broad range of therapeutic effects like antiviral, enhancing effect etc.; hence, the juice obtained from ripe and unripe fruit seems to be a more recent innovation that has been commercially exploited to a greater extent in recent times. Therefore this review will briefly investigate on the nutritional and therapeutic values of Morinda citrifolia.
Grammaticality Judgments and Linguistic Methodology

This papers deals with grammaticality judgments and their u se as evidence in linguistic theory. Based on a review of the recent literature on linguistic judg ments and their elicitation, the theoretical significance of judgment data is discussed, and an ov erview of the relevant experimental findings is provided. A number of linguistic and non-linguis tic factors that bias grammaticality judgments are identified, and the the use of experimental methods for eliciting more reliable judgment data is advocated. A shorter version of this paper will appear in the Journal of Logic, Language and Information.
Andreev level qubit.

We investigate the dynamics of a two-level Andreev bound state system in a transmissive quantum point contact embedded in an rf SQUID. Coherent coupling of the Andreev levels to the circulating supercurrent allows manipulation and readout of the level states. The two-level Hamiltonian for the Andreev levels is derived, and the effect of interaction with the quantum fluctuations of the induced flux is studied. We also consider an inductive coupling of qubits and discuss the relevant SQUID parameters for qubit operation and readout.
Distribution and Development in Developing Countries: An Empirical Assessment

This paper examines the effect of income distribution on growth in developing countries. Based on data from the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, we use a sample of twenty-eight developing economies and find that income distribution does not affect growth in these countries, unlike the results of previous studies by Alesina and Rodrik (1994). Neither do we find that the level of democracy in a country has a statistically significant impact on growth. We observe that the coefficient estimate of one independent variable does not have the anticipated sign due to the severe degree of multicollinearity among statistically significant explanatory variables. Regression results show that the total fertility rate, the initial level of per capita GDP, and the ratio of female to male literacy rate, taken together, do linearly influence growth in developing economies. Statistical results of such empirical examination will assist governments in those countries identify areas that need to be improved upon in order to stimulate economic development. Data for all variables are from the 1978 World Development Report, the World in 2007, and the 1999, 2000, and 2007/08 Human Development Reports. We apply the least-squares estimation technique in a multivariate linear regression. We also note that the severe degree of multicollinearity among explanatory variables may have caused their coefficient estimates to have the wrong sign.
The effects of familiarity and semantics on early acquisition of Japanese numeral classifiers

Japanese is one of the languages that has a numeral classifier system (e.g., Aikhenvald, 2000). The use of numeral classifiers is obligatory when enumerating, and numeral classifiers occur as a bound morphemes attached to a number. The selection of numeral classifiers is determined by the semantic properties of the referent being counted. Cross-linguistic studies of numeral classifiers indicate that animacy, shape, and function are often the crucial semantic properties on which the selection of numeral classifiers is based (e.g. Adam & Conklin, 1973). In addition, the primary function of classifiers in general is not referential, unlike nouns that identify referents; rather they denote the membership of referents in different categories based on the ways we perceive and interact with them (Denny, 1976). As such, numeral classifiers are considered a linguistic system that reflects conceptual categorization (e.g., Aikhenvald, 2000; Yamamoto, 2000, 2005). Therefore, investigations into how children acquire numeral classifiers could serve as a window onto the processes by which categorization develops over a period of time. There are about 150 Japanese numeral classifiers, of which approximately 30 are used regularly and daily (Downing, 1996). When selecting appropriate numeral classifiers, Japanese uses the crucial semantic properties observed cross-linguistically. First, the distinction between animate and inanimate referents is respected. For example, when counting people, a numeral classifier -ri for one or two people or -nin for more than two people is used as in (1), whereas counting non-human animates requires another numeral classifier -hiki as in (2).
Plasma Adiponectin Levels Correlate Positively with an Increasing Number of Components of Frailty in Male Elders

Objective Frailty is an important geriatric syndrome. Adiponectin is an important adipokine that regulates energy homeostasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between plasma adiponectin levels and frailty in elders. Methods The demographic data, body weight, metabolic and inflammatory parameters, including plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), c-reactive protein (CRP) and adiponectin levels, were assessed. The frailty score was assessed using the Fried Frailty Index (FFI). Results The mean (SD) age of the 168 participants [83 (49.4%) men and 85 (50.6%) women] was 76.86 (6.10) years. Judged by the FFI score, 42 (25%) elders were robust, 92 (54.7%) were pre-frail, and 34 (20.3%) were frail. The mean body mass index was 25.19 (3.42) kg/m2. The log-transformed mean (SD) plasma adiponectin (µg/mL) level was 1.00 (0.26). The log-transformed mean plasma adiponectin (µg/mL) levels were 0.93 (0.23) in the robust elders, 1.00 (0.27) in the pre-frail elders, and 1.10 (0.22) in the frail elders, and the differences between these values were statistically significant (p = 0.012). Further analysis showed that plasma adiponectin levels rose progressively with an increasing number of components of frailty in all participants as a whole (p for trend = 0.024) and males (p for trend = 0.037), but not in females (p for trend = 0.223). Conclusion Plasma adiponectin levels correlate positively with an increasing number of components of frailty in male elders. The difference between the sexes suggests that certain sex-specific mechanisms may exist to affect the association between adiponectin levels and frailty.
The Generations and Gender Contextual Database: concepts and content

This paper aims at contributing to a proposal for the concept and content of the Contextual Database of the Generations and Gender Program. We develop guidelines for data collection by identifying the main focus, the key dimensions as well as the main data types of the GGP Contextual Database. Based on these theoretical considerations and with a view to support a multilevel approach to GGP data, we propose a list of 200 variables that include statistical norms, legal norms and regulations, the general economic situation, welfare state policies, and culture.
Constant-Frequency Peak-Ripple-Based Control of Buck Converter in CCM: Review, Unification, and Duality

The operation principles of peak current control, V2 control, and enhanced- V2 control of buck converter in continuous conduction mode are reviewed and compared. By the use of weight factors of inductor current and output voltage, they are unified as constant-frequency peak-ripple-based (CF-PR) analog control. It is revealed that conventional peak current control and V2 control are two boundaries of the unified CF-PR control. The duality items between CF-PR control and constant-frequency valley-ripple-based (CF-VR) control are proposed. As the duality of CF-PR analog control, CF-VR analog control is investigated. Unified CF-PR and CF-VR digital control laws with different modulations and their stabilities are investigated in terms of the duality. Experimental results verify the theory analysis.
The X-ray spectrum of RX J1914.4+2456 revisited

It has been proposed that RX J1914.4+2456 is a stellar binary system with an orbital period of 9.5 mins. As such it shares many similar properties with RX J0806.3+1527 (5.4 mins). However, while the X-ray spectrum of RX J0806.3+1527 can be modelled using a simple absorbed blackbody, the X-ray spectrum of RX J1914.4+2456 has proved difficult to fit using a physically plausible model. In t paper we re-examine the available X-ray spectra of RX J1914.4+2456 taken using XMM-Newton. We find that the X-ray spectra can be fitted using a simple blackbody and an absorption component which has a significant enhancement of neon compared to the solar value. We propose that the material in the inter-binary system is significantly enhanced with neon. This makes its intrinsic X-ray spectrum virtually identical to RX J0806.3+1527. We re-access the X-ray luminosity of RX J1914.4+2456 and the implications of these results.
A State-Based Approach to the Representation and Recognition of Gesture

A state-based technique for the representation and recognition of gesture is presented. We define a gesture to be a sequence of states in a measurement or configuration space. For a given gesture, these states are used to capture both the repeatability and variability evidenced in a training set of example trajectories. Using techniques for computing a prototype trajectory of an ensemble of trajectories, we develop methods for defining configuration states along the prototype and for recognizing gestures from an unsegmented, continuous stream of sensor data. The approach is illustrated by application to a range of gesture-related sensory data: the two-dimensional movements of a mouse input device, the movement of the hand measured by a magnetic spatial position and orientation sensor, and, lastly, the changing eigenvector projection coefficients computed from an image sequence.
Simultaneous estimation of image quality and distortion via multi-task convolutional neural networks

In this work we describe a compact multi-task Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for simultaneously estimating image quality and identifying distortions. CNNs are natural choices for multi-task problems because learned convolutional features may be shared by different high level tasks. However, we empirically argue that simply appending additional tasks based on the state of the art structure (e.g., [1]) does not lead to optimal solutions. We design a compact structure with nearly 90% fewer parameters compared to [1], and demonstrate its learning power.