Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detailed mapping of the antigenicity of the surface unit glycoprotein of equine infectious anemia virus by using synthetic peptide strategies

We describe here a detailed analysis of the antigenic determinants of the surface unit glycoprotein (gp90) of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), using a comprehensive panel of synthetic peptides in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with immune serum from naturally and experimentally infected horses and with a panel of gp90-specific neutralizing and nonneutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The results of these studies identify immunoreactive segments throughout the conserved and variable domains of gp90 but localize immunodominant (100% reactivity) determinants to the amino and carboxyl termini of the glycoprotein molecule. Analysis of peptide reactivities with longitudinal serum samples taken from experimentally infected ponies revealed that antibody responses to conserved B-cell determinants appeared earlier and at higher titers than do antibodies specific for determinants contained in the variable domain of gp90. These observations suggest an evolution of antibody responses in EIAV-infected ponies that may correspond to the establishment of immunological control of virus replication and disease routinely observed in EIAV infections. In addition, the mapping of monoclonal antibody epitopes to peptides of 9 to 12 amino acids demonstrated that all of the neutralizing epitopes are located in the variable domain of gp90. The arrangement of neutralizing epitopes and critical structural considerations suggest that EIAV gp90 contains a principal neutralizing domain similar to the V3 loop of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. These antigenic analyses provide an important foundation for further analyzing the protective immune response generated during persistent EIAV infections and also provide potential peptide substrates for diagnostic assays and for vaccine strategies.
THE EFFECTS OF OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE ON BANK PROFITABILITY IN KENYA

Recent years have seen increased research into the relationship between ownership structure and bank profitability. It has been widely accepted that organizational form influences operating behavior, as it defines the nature of residual claims and, thus, the motivations of the firm’s owners. This study sought to investigate the effects of ownership structure on bank profitability in Kenya. Primary data was obtained through a questionnaire that was structured to meet the objectives of the study. The study used annual reports that are available from their websites and in the Central bank of Kenya website. The study found that ownership concentration and state ownership had negative and significant effects on bank profitability while foreign ownership and domestic ownership had positive and significant effects on bank profitability. The study concludes that higher ownership concentration and state ownership lead to lower profitability in commercial banks while higher foreign and domestic ownership lead to higher profitability in commercial banks.
Noisy and Bursty Opinion Streams: Methods for Analyzing Dynamics of Aggregate Opinion Change

This paper introduces statistical methods for analyzing the dynamics of aggregate opinion change. Under the reasonable assumption that information flow is driving these changes, these statistical results can lead to inferences about the information processes behind public opinion. Using data from the 2004 National Annenberg Election Study, I construct a set of twenty opinion streams and compare them with respect to estimated real opinion change and burstiness.
Cosmic strings and black holes.

The metric for a Schwarzschild black hole with a cosmic string passing through it is discussed. The thermodynamics of such an object is considered, and it is shown that S=(1/4)A, where S is the entropy and A is the horizon area. It is noted that the Schwarzschild mass parameter M, which is the gravitational mass of the system, is no longer identical to its energy. A solution representing a pair of black holes held apart by strings is discussed. It is nearly identical to a static, axially symmetric solution given long ago by Bach and Weyl. It is shown how these solutions, which were formerly a mathematical curiosity, may be given a more physical interpretation in terms of cosmic strings.
The Role of Television Viewing in the Development of Reading Comprehension 1

Television occupies a large portion of American children's time. Starting in preschool, children spend more time watching television than participating in any other activity except sleeping (D. Anderson, Field, P. Collins, Lorch, & Nathan, 1985; Huston, Wright, Rice, Kerkman, & St. Peters, 1987). Children also have extensive experience with television before they are exposed to many socializing agents, such as schools, peers, and religious institutions (Huston, Watkins, & Kunkel, 1989). Given the central role of this medium in most children's lives, it is important to understand its potential positive and negative effects on a variety of cognitive, academic, social, behavioral, and attitudinal outcomes.
Recombinant Coagulation Factor VIIa in Major Liver Resection: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind Clinical Trial

Background:Prevention of bleeding episodes in noncirrhotic patients undergoing partial hepatectomy remains unsatisfactory in spite of improved surgical techniques. The authors conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial to evaluate the hemostatic effect and safety of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in major partial hepatectomy. Methods:Two hundred four noncirrhotic patients were equally randomized to receive either 20 or 80 &mgr;g/kg rFVIIa or placebo. Partial hepatectomy was performed according to local practice at the participating centers. Patients were monitored for 7 days after surgery. Key efficacy parameters were perioperative erythrocyte requirements (using hematocrit as the transfusion trigger) and blood loss. Safety assessments included monitoring of coagulation-related parameters and Doppler examination of hepatic vessels and lower extremities. Results:The proportion of patients who required perioperative red blood cell transfusion (the primary endpoint) was 37% (23 of 63) in the placebo group, 41% (26of 63) in the 20-&mgr;g/kg group, and 25% (15 of 59) in the 80-&mgr;g/kg dose group (logistic regression model; P = 0.09). Mean erythrocyte requirements for patients receiving erythrocytes were 1,024 ml with placebo, 1,354 ml with 20 &mgr;g/kg rFVIIa, and 1,036 ml with 80 &mgr;g/kg rFVIIa (P = 0.78). Mean intraoperative blood loss was 1,422 ml with placebo, 1,372 ml with 20 &mgr;g/kg rFVIIa, and 1,073 ml with 80 &mgr;g/kg rFVIIa (P = 0.07). The reduction in hematocrit during surgery was smallest in the 80-&mgr;g/kg group, with a significant overall effect of treatment (P = 0.04). Conclusions:Recombinant factor VIIa dosing did not result in a statistically significant reduction in either the number of patients transfused or the volume of blood products administered. No safety issues were identified.
Biochemical Abnormalities of the Serum in Anorexia Nervosa

Biochemical analyses of sera from 27 patients with anorexia nervosa were performed and compared with those of normal female volunteers and other anorectic groups including patients who had undergone digestive tract surgery and patients with malignancies. There were significant increases in γ -glutamyltranspeptidase, lactate dehydrogenase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, cholesterol, and amylase activity and significant decreases in total serum protein, blood sugar, albumin, globulins, and cholinesterase in anorexia nervosa patients compared with normal control subjects. At discharge, these values slightly improved. Similar alterations were also observed in two other anorectic groups. Compared with anorexia nervosa patients, the two other anorectic groups showed a severe reduction in the albumin level and increase in the globulin level. In two other anorectic groups cholesterol levels were lower, and in the malignancy group cholinesterase level was lower than in the anorexia nervosa patients. In anorexia nervosa patients, biochemical abnormalities in the serum were more frequent in total serum protein (93%), blood sugar (85%), and globulins (78%) than in other serum factors, such as blood urea nitrogen (15%), uric acid (15%), and alkaline phosphatase (7%). These results suggest that detection of biochemical abnormalities in the above-mentioned serum factors in routine analyses would be valuable in making an early diagnosis of anorexia nervosa from various anorectic disorders.
Automated volumetry and regional thickness analysis of hippocampal subfields and medial temporal cortical structures in mild cognitive impairment

We evaluate a fully automatic technique for labeling hippocampal subfields and cortical subregions in the medial temporal lobe in in vivo 3 Tesla MRI. The method performs segmentation on a T2‐weighted MRI scan with 0.4 × 0.4 × 2.0 mm3 resolution, partial brain coverage, and oblique orientation. Hippocampal subfields, entorhinal cortex, and perirhinal cortex are labeled using a pipeline that combines multi‐atlas label fusion and learning‐based error correction. In contrast to earlier work on automatic subfield segmentation in T2‐weighted MRI [Yushkevich et al., 2010], our approach requires no manual initialization, labels hippocampal subfields over a greater anterior‐posterior extent, and labels the perirhinal cortex, which is further subdivided into Brodmann areas 35 and 36. The accuracy of the automatic segmentation relative to manual segmentation is measured using cross‐validation in 29 subjects from a study of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and is highest for the dentate gyrus (Dice coefficient is 0.823), CA1 (0.803), perirhinal cortex (0.797), and entorhinal cortex (0.786) labels. A larger cohort of 83 subjects is used to examine the effects of aMCI in the hippocampal region using both subfield volume and regional subfield thickness maps. Most significant differences between aMCI and healthy aging are observed bilaterally in the CA1 subfield and in the left Brodmann area 35. Thickness analysis results are consistent with volumetry, but provide additional regional specificity and suggest nonuniformity in the effects of aMCI on hippocampal subfields and MTL cortical subregions. Hum Brain Mapp, 36:258–287, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Communicative Interactions, Knowledge of a Second Language, and Theory of Mind in Young Children

In this study, the authors explored the effect that particular patterns of communicative interactions may have on young children's understanding of representations and the link between knowledge of a 2nd language and theory of mind. The authors tested 140 single language users and 57 dual language users (aged 3-4 years old) on a deceptive task with 3 experimental conditions. In the deceptive-context condition, an experimenter made a reference to the deceptive object. In the older peer condition, an experimenter made a reference to an older child who was actively participating in the experimental manipulations. In the deceptive-interaction condition, the experimenter made reference to his or her own deceptive interventions. The most significant finding was that knowledge of a 2nd language significantly improved young children's understanding of both mental and nonmental representations. Moreover, the results indicated that an experimenter's reference to a deceptive interaction greatly facilitated 3-year-old children's understanding of false belief.
Properties of the current if in the sino‐atrial node of the rabbit compared with those of the current iK, in Purkinje fibres.

1. Properties of the ‘pace‐maker’ current if in rabbit sino‐atrial node have been investigated by voltage clamp of small preparations and compared with those of the iK2 current in the Purkinje fibre. Besides having a similar voltage range of activation and responding in a similar way to adrenaline, if resembles iK2 in other respects. 2. When external Na is reduced, if decreases proportionally. In 25% Na the time‐dependent current change due to if disappears. 3. 20 mM‐Cs completely abolishes it. 4. The time constant of if during a hyperpolarizing voltage‐clamp pulse displays a relatively high temperature dependence. 5. In spite of the similarities between the two current systems, experiments in high K solutions (48 mM) rule out the possibility that the current change seen on a hyperpolarization reflects the decay of a pure K current. 6. From conductance measurements during onset of if it is deduced that if behaves as an inward current activated by hyperpolarizations.
The changing uses of accuracy in science communication

Tracing its historical trajectories, this article explores the preoccupation with accuracy in science communication research and explores the resurgence in the present century of concerns about accuracy, balance and impartiality in public communication of science. It is argued that many of the original insights from news and journalism research are still relevant and important if re-formulated in constructionist terms about voice, access and claims-making, and asking, in whose interest? Key to this is also the recognition of a radically changing – technologically, economically and professionally – media and communications environment, with implications for science journalism and a very different dynamic regarding the range and type of actors involved in discursively constructing opinions and information about controversial science and expertise. The article concludes with proposals for future emphases and directions in research broadly concerned with accuracy in science communication.
Lipid levels in serum and cancerous tissues of colorectal cancer patients.

AIM To investigate the correlations between lipid metabolism disorder and the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer by monitoring the alterations in lipid levels in cancerous tissue and serum in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS The levels of total and free cholesterol (TCH and FCH), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA-1) and ApoB in serum of 206 patients with colorectal cancer, 70 patients with benign colorectal disease and 300 healthy participants, and in the cancerous tissue and paracancerous tissue of 152 patients with colorectal cancer were measured with an Olympus 600 auto-biochemical analyzer. The obtained data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS Serum FCH level was significantly higher (1.9 ± 0.4 mmol/L vs 1.3 ± 0.3 mmol/L, 1.9 ± 0.4 mmol/L vs 1.2 ± 0.4 mmol/L, P < 0.05), whereas serum levels of TCH, LDL-C, ApoA-I and ApoB were significantly lower in patients with colorectal cancer than in patients with benign colorectal disease and healthy controls. The levels of FCH and TG in cancerous tissue were significantly lower (14.5 ± 9.6 μmol/g vs 19.3 ± 13.9 μmol/g, P < 0.05; 16.3 ± 19.8 μmol/g vs 44.1 ± 38.1 μmol/g, P < 0.05), whereas HDL-C level was significantly higher (7.9 ± 4.5 μmol/g vs 5.7 ± 3.9 μmol/g, P < 0.01) in cancerous tissue than in paracancerous tissue. The levels of TCH and TG in serum and the levels of TCH and HDL-C in cancerous tissue in patients with colorectal cancer were significantly correlated with TNM stage. The levels of TCH and LDL-C in serum were significantly lower, whereas HDL-C level in cancerous tissue was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than in patients without lymph node metastasis. The levels of TCH, FCH, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C in cancerous tissue were not significantly different from those in paracancerous tissue. The serum levels of FCH and TG were significantly higher, whereas serum HDL-C levels were significantly lower in patients with rectum cancer than in patients with colon cancer. CONCLUSION The disordered and abnormally altered levels of lipids in cancerous tissue and serum of patients with colorectal cancer may be correlated with the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer.
Molecular fingerprinting of Legionella species by repetitive element PCR

Repetitive element PCR (rep-PCR) uses outward-facing primers to amplify multiple segments of DNA located between conserved repeated sequences interspersed along the bacterial chromosome. Polymorphisms of rep-PCR amplification products can serve as strain-specific molecular fingerprints. Primers directed at the repetitive extragenic palindromic element were used to characterize isolates of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species. Substantial variation was seen among the rep-PCR fingerprints of different Legionella species and serogroups. More limited, but distinct, polymorphisms of the rep-PCR fingerprint were evident among epidemiologically unrelated isolates of L. pneumophila serogroup 1. Previously characterized Legionella isolates from nosocomial outbreaks were correctly clustered by this method. These results suggest the presence of repetitive extragenic palindromic-like elements within the genomes of members of the family Legionellaceae that can be used to discriminate between strains within a serogroup of L. pneumophila and between different Legionella species. rep-PCR appears to be a useful technique for the molecular fingerprinting of Legionella species.
Spatio‐temporal distribution of tsetse and other biting flies in the Mouhoun River basin, Burkina Faso

In the Mouhoun River basin, Burkina Faso, the main vectors of African animal trypanosomoses are Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank and Glossina tachinoides Westwood (Diptera: Glossinidae), both of which are riverine tsetse species. The aim of our study was to understand the impact of landscape anthropogenic changes on the seasonal dynamics of vectors and associated trypanosomosis risk. Three sites were selected on the basis of the level of disturbance of tsetse habitats and predominant tsetse species: disturbed (Boromo, for G. tachinoides) and half‐disturbed (Douroula for G. tachinoides and Kadomba for G. p. gambiensis). At each of these sites, seasonal variations in the apparent densities of tsetse and mechanical vectors and tsetse infection rates were monitored over 17 months. Tsetse densities differed significantly between sites and seasons. Of 5613 captured tsetse, 1897 were dissected; 34 of these were found to be infected with trypanosomes. The most frequent infection was Trypanosoma vivax (1.4%), followed by Trypanosoma congolense (0.3%) and Trypanosoma brucei (0.05%). The mean physiological age of 703 tsetse females was investigated to better characterize the transmission risk. Despite the environmental changes, it appeared that tsetse lived long enough to transmit trypanosomes, especially in half‐disturbed landscapes. A total of 3021 other biting flies from 15 species (mainly Tabanidae and Stomoxyinae) were also caught: their densities also differed significantly among sites and seasons. Their relative importance regarding trypanosome transmission is discussed; the trypanosomosis risk in cattle was similar at all sites despite very low tsetse densities (but high mechanical vector densities) in one of them.
Differential Regulation of Short- and Long-Tract Gene Conversion between Sister Chromatids by Rad51C

ABSTRACT The Rad51 paralog Rad51C has been implicated in the control of homologous recombination. To study the role of Rad51C in vivo in mammalian cells, we analyzed short-tract and long-tract gene conversion between sister chromatids in hamster Rad51C−/− CL-V4B cells in response to a site-specific chromosomal double-strand break. Gene conversion was inefficient in these cells and was specifically restored by expression of wild-type Rad51C. Surprisingly, gene conversions in CL-V4B cells were biased in favor of long-tract gene conversion, in comparison to controls expressing wild-type Rad51C. These long-tract events were not associated with crossing over between sister chromatids. Analysis of gene conversion tract lengths in CL-V4B cells lacking Rad51C revealed a bimodal frequency distribution, with almost all gene conversions being either less than 1 kb or greater than 3.2 kb in length. These results indicate that Rad51C plays a pivotal role in determining the “choice” between short- and long-tract gene conversion and in suppressing gene amplifications associated with sister chromatid recombination.
Particle Swarm Optimization with Diversive Curiosity - An Endeavor to Enhance Swarm Intelligence

How to manage trade-o between ex- ploitation and exploration in Particle Swarm Opti- mization (PSO) for eciently solving various opti- mization problems is an important issue. In order to prevent premature convergence in PSO search, this paper proposes a new method, Particle Swarm Optimization with Diversive Curiosity (PSO/DC). A key idea of the proposed method is to introduce a mechanism of diversive curiosity into PSO for pre- venting premature convergence and for managing the exploration-exploitation trade-o. Diversive curios- ity is represented by an internal indicator that detects marginal improvement of a swarm of particles for cer- tain number of iterations, and forces them to contin- ually explore an optimal solution to a given optimiza- tion problem. Applications of the proposed method to a 2-dimensional optimization problem well demon- strate its eectiveness. Our experimental results in- dicate that the performance (100%) by the proposed method is superior in terms of success ratio to that (60%) by the PSO model optimized by EPSO, and basically accord with the finding called "the zone of curiosity" in psychology.
Executive Functions and Their Differential Contribution to Sustained Attention in 5- to 8-Year-Old Children

Everyday routine in general and school settings in particular make high demands on children’s abilities to sustain their focus of attention over longer time periods. School tasks thus require the child to accomplish the task on an appropriate level of performance while maintaining the focus of attention even under repetitious or distracting conditions. However, sustained attention (SA) may be a more heterogeneous construct than commonly assumed as it requires the individual not only to sustain attentional capacities but also to store and maintain the task rule (working memory), to inhibit inappropriate responses (inhibition), and to switch according to requirements (switching). It might thus involve processes counted among executive functions (EF). In the present study, performance in EF tasks (covering the core components inhibition, switching, and working memory) and in a SA task was assessed in 118 children, aged between 5;0 and 8;11 years. Similar age-dependent performance trajectories were found in EF components and SA, indicating ongoing performance improvements between 5 until at least 8 years of age in SA and in EF. Interrelations between single EF components and SA showed to be small to moderate. Finally, different patterns of SA performance predictions were found in age-homogeneous subgroups with inhibition being crucial for SA performance in the youngest and switching in the oldest age group. Taken as a whole, even though similarities in assumed developmental trajectories and substantial interrelations point to common underlying processes in EF and SA, age-dependent patterns of explained variance indicate clear discriminability.