Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential formation of disulfide linkages in the core antigen of extracellular and intracellular hepatitis B virus core particles

Our understanding of the assembly of hepatitis B virus is still very limited. We present evidence to demonstrate that the HBc antigen formed oligomers through disulfide linkages in the extracellular hepatitis B virus core (HBc) particles. However, the intracellular HBV core particles did not contain disulfide-linked HBc antigens. Furthermore, the extracellular particles which had disulfide bonds were more stable than intracellular particles at pH 7.5 and 10 and in 3 M NaCl and 4 M urea. These data suggest that the formation of disulfide bonds in the HBc antigen is important for the integrity of the viral core particles.
Sensory Experiences Questionnaire: discriminating sensory features in young children with autism, developmental delays, and typical development.

BACKGROUND This study describes a new caregiver-report assessment, the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ), and explicates the nature of sensory patterns of hyper- and hyporesponsiveness, their prevalence, and developmental correlates in autism relative to comparison groups. METHOD Caregivers of 258 children in five diagnostic groups (Autism, PDD, DD/MR, Other DD, Typical) ages 5-80 months completed the SEQ. RESULTS The SEQ's internal consistency was alpha' = . 80. Prevalence of overall sensory symptoms for the Autism group was 69%. Sensory symptoms were inversely related to mental age. The Autism group had significantly higher symptoms than either the Typical or DD groups and presented with a unique pattern of response to sensory stimuli -hyporesponsiveness in both social and nonsocial contexts. A pattern of hyperresponsiveness was similar in the Autism and DD groups, but significantly greater in both clinical groups than in the Typical group. CONCLUSION The SEQ was able to characterize sensory features in young children with autism, and differentiate their sensory patterns from comparison groups. These unique sensory patterns have etiological implications, as well as relevance for assessment and intervention practices.
The Relationships among Entrepreneurial Characteristics, Entrepreneurial Attitude, and Entrepreneurial Intention

The world has a big concern to entrepreneurship. The Indonesian government has been trying to increase the number of entrepreneurs by changing the way of thinking of college and university graduates from job seekers into job creators. One of the government's efforts to realize that programme is by launching Student Entrepreneur Program. The programme is aimed to facilitate students who have an interest in entrepreneurship and to start their businesses that are based on knowledge, science, and art. This study aims to analyze the role of entrepreneurial attitude as a mediator of entrepreneurial characteristics influence on entrepreneurial intention. The population of this research are students of semester one to the last semester of State Polytechnic of Malang and Brawijaya University who have learned an entrepreneurial education. Judgment sampling is used to choose the sample. The data collection was done through questionnaires. The data were collected from 206 respondents. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical analysis and path analysis. The result shows that entrepreneurial attitude acts as a partial mediation of entrepreneurial characteristics influence on entrepreneurial intention.
Invitro study on the efficacy of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles against Metallo beta-lactamase and Biofilm producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa contributes to a multitude of infections exhibiting intrinsic resistance to numerous antibiotics. Metallo beta-lactamase and biofilm production is the most worrisome resistant mechanisms observed in P. aeruginosa. Emergence of antimicrobial resistance by pathogenic bacteria is a major health problem in recent years. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles comprises of well-known inhibitory and bactericidal effects. Objectives: The present study is designed to determine the efficacy of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles against metallo beta-lactamase and biofilm producing P. aeruginosa. Methodology: A total of 51 non-repetitive P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained from Bioline laboratory, Coimbatore. Biofilm and metallo beta-lactamase production was tested by combined disc test and tissue culture plate method. Commercially available zinc and titanium dioxide nanoparticles were obtained and tested against two metallo beta-lactamase and biofilm producing isolates. Results: Both the nanoparticles showed appreciable activity at all tested concentrations. Conclusion: Thus, it is concluded that ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles may serve as a promising antibacterial agents in coming years.
Si-Nanowire Based Gate-All-Around Nonvolatile SONOS Memory Cell

This letter presents a high-speed silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) nonvolatile memory cell in gate-all-around Si-nanowire (NW) architecture, which is fabricated by using a top-down process technology. The NW cell exhibits faster program and erase (P/E) speed compared to the corresponding planar device; 1 mus for programming and 1 ms for erasing at VGS = plusmn11 V with a threshold voltage shift "DeltaVTH" of 2.6 V using the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism. At these P/E conditions, the planar device does not show appreciable change. The improvement is originated from: 1) increased electric field at the Si-SiO2 interface; 2) reduced effective tunnel barrier width; and 3) low electric field in the blocking oxide, as analyzed through simulation. In addition, good data retention makes the NW-based SONOS cell a potential candidate for future high-speed low-voltage NAND-type nonvolatile Flash memory applications.
Enhanced Channel Mobility at Sub-nm EOT by Integration of a TmSiO Interfacial Layer in HfO2/TiN High-k/Metal Gate MOSFETs

Integration of a high-k interfacial layer (IL) is considered the leading technological solution to extend the scalability of Hf-based high-k/metal gate CMOS technology. We have previously shown that thulium silicate (TmSiO) IL can provide excellent electrical characteristics and enhanced channel mobility at sub-nm EOT. This paper presents a detailed analysis of channel mobility in TmSiO/HfO2/TiN MOSFETs, obtained through measurements at varying temperature and under constant voltage stress. We show experimentally for the first time that integration of a high-k IL can benefit mobility by attenuating remote phonon scattering. Specifically, integration of TmSiO results in attenuated remote phonon scattering compared to reference SiOx/HfO2 dielectric stacks having the same EOT, whereas it has no significant influence on remote Coulomb scattering.
Uncertainty and psychological adjustment in patients with lung cancer

For many patients with lung cancer, disease progression occurs without notice or with vague symptoms, and unfortunately, most treatments are not curative. Given this unpredictability, we hypothesized the following: (1) poorer psychological adjustment (specifically, more depressive symptoms, higher perceptions of stress, and poorer emotional well‐being) would be associated with higher intolerance for uncertainty, higher perceived illness‐related ambiguity, and their interaction; and (2) greater avoidance would mediate associations between higher intolerance of uncertainty and poorer psychological adjustment.
Nonlinear emission mechanism for continuum radiation in Jupiter's magnetosphere

The question of how continuum radiation trapped in Jupiter's magnetosphere might be generated is considered. It is shown that the efficiency of the linear conversion is not sufficient to account for the observed intensity of the emission. We discuss nonlinear processes that can more easily provide the required conversion efficiency. The field strengths of upper hybrid waves required to generate the fundamental harmonic emissions are ∼0.5 ÷ 4 mV m−1. Comparison of the results of the discussed model with electric fields reported in the Jovian magnetosphere shows that the model adequately explains the generation of continuum radiation trapped in the planetary cavity.
Ex vivo study on root canal instrumentation of two rotary nickel-titanium systems in comparison to stainless steel hand instruments.

AIM To investigate instrumentation time, working safety and the shaping ability of two rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) systems (Alpha System and ProTaper Universal) in comparison to stainless steel hand instruments. METHODOLOGY A total of 45 mesial root canals of extracted human mandibular molars were selected. On the basis of the degree of curvature the matched teeth were allocated randomly into three groups of 15 teeth each. In group 1 root canals were prepared to size 30 using a standardized manual preparation technique; in group 2 and 3 rotary NiTi instruments were used following the manufacturers' instructions. Instrumentation time and procedural errors were recorded. With the aid of pre- and postoperative radiographs, apical straightening of the canal curvature was determined. Photographs of the coronal, middle and apical cross-sections of the pre- and postoperative canals were taken, and superimposed using a standard software. Based on these composite images the portion of uninstrumented canal walls was evaluated. RESULTS Active instrumentation time of the Alpha System was significantly reduced compared with ProTaper Universal and hand instrumentation (P < 0.05; anova). No instrument fractures occurred in any of the groups. The Alpha System revealed significantly less apical straightening compared with the other instruments (P < 0.05; Mann-Whitney U test). In the apical cross-sections Alpha System resulted in significantly less uninstrumented canal walls compared with stainless steel files (P < 0.05; chi-squared test). CONCLUSION Despite the demonstrated differences between the systems, an apical straightening effect could not be prevented; areas of uninstrumented root canal wall were left in all regions using the various systems.
Investigation of ReBCO Conductor Tape Joints for Superconducting Applications

Electric joints are an essential part of every current carrying device. In the field of high temperature superconducting applications, quality of a contact between superconducting tapes and electric terminations is crucial for the device performance. When connecting tapes to each other, soldered contacts are commonly used. Recent reports have demonstrated that the resistance of this contact depends on the pressure applied during a soldering process, and the soldering temperature. When superconducting tapes are used in cables or in other applications, they have to be connected to copper terminations, e.g., to a current lead. Thus, tape-to-copper contacts are important. In superconducting cables, tapes are stacked together having a resistive electrical contact from tape to tape. The resistance of this contact depends on the pressure applied on the stack due to, for example, jacketing of the cable or during cool down. In this paper, the dependence of resistance between tapes on the applied pressure is reported. In this contribution two kinds of contacts, soldered ones and mechanical pressed, are presented and discussed. They are realized, respectively, between two superconducting ReBCO tapes from SuperPower, Inc. (SPI) and SuNAM, which were used for manufacturing HTS cable, and between superconducting tapes and copper.
The LEP2 superconducting RF system

The LEP2 superconducting RF system supplies at present about 2600 MV per turn to the electrons and positrons of the LEP beams, giving a beam energy largely above 90 GeV to create the desired massive W/sup /spl plusmn//-pairs for physics. It is by far the largest such system worldwide and a further upgrade is still under way to increase the W/sup /spl plusmn// production rate and cover new physics grounds. More than 10 MW RF power were routinely transmitted to the beam during last year's smooth operation. The authors present the technical parts of this system: the cavities, couplers, tuners, cryostats, the cryogenics and the RF generation and distribution. They also report on operational experience and future plans.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the possibility of ocular complications or contraindications

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases oxygen pressure and the concentration of reactive oxygen species in blood and tissues. Increased oxygen pressure may be beneficial in some diseases, such as in the treatment of diabetic leg ulcers and diabetic retinopathy; however, due to their cytotoxic properties, an excess of reactive oxygen species in tissues and/or deficiencies in antioxidant activity, may contribute to complications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, such as cataract.
Relationship between vascular enhancement, cerebral hemodynamics, and MR angiography in cases of acute stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The use of MR angiography and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging in cases of acute cerebral ischemia may be helpful in the evaluation of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion and leptomeningeal collaterals, respectively. The aim of our work was to investigate the relationship between MCA occlusion, T1-weighted vascular contrast enhancement, hemodynamic alterations, and tissue damage in cases of acute ischemic stroke. METHODS We studied the MCA territory in 15 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 8 hr of symptom onset. The first MR imaging study (<8 hr after onset) comprised diffusion-weighted imaging, MR angiography, perfusion-weighted imaging, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging sequences. Follow-up MR imaging, performed 1 week later, consisted of MR angiography and T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MR imaging. RESULTS Early MR angiography showed MCA stem occlusion in nine of 15 patients. Patients with MCA occlusion had significantly larger areas of abnormality on early diffusion-weighted images, significantly larger areas of altered hemodynamics, larger final lesion volumes, and poorer clinical outcome. Among the nine patients with MCA stem occlusion, vascular enhancement was marked in seven and absent in two who had complete MCA infarcts and poor clinical outcome. Among patients with MCA patency, vascular enhancement was marked in only one, mild in four, and absent in one. Patients with marked vascular enhancement had significantly larger regions of altered hemodynamics and significantly higher asymmetries in both regional cerebral blood volume and mean transit time because of increased values in the affected hemisphere. CONCLUSION Among patients with stroke with MCA occlusion, marked vascular enhancement and increased blood volume indicate efficient leptomeningeal collaterals and compensatory hemodynamic mechanisms.
Prevalence study of concurrent use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients attending primary care services in Scotland.

The increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the general population1–5 reflects a potentially positive involvement with self-care. This report describes the prevalence of CAM use in patients attending 6 different practices in Scotland. The findings indicate that CAM use in primary care attenders is even greater than in the general population.
Venezuelan equine encephalitis in BALB/c mice: kinetic analysis of central nervous system infection following aerosol or subcutaneous inoculation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the routes of entry of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus into the brain, we infected BALB/c mice with a virulent strain (V3000) by aerosol or subcutaneous inoculation. METHODS Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization methods were used to detect VEE virus in tissues taken at daily intervals postinfection. RESULTS In both groups, virus in the brain first appeared in olfactory regions. Aerosol exposure caused early massive infection of olfactory epithelium, which developed into bilaterally symmetrical infection of the olfactory nerves, olfactory bulbs, and lateral olfactory tracts by day 2 postinfection. After subcutaneous inoculation, VEE in the brain also appeared first in olfactory regions, but was not detected until day 3 postinfection. By day 4 postinfection, VEE viral infection had spread throughout the brain in both groups. Vascular endothelium and the choroid plexus remained uninfected during the entire study. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that VEE virus, whether given by aerosol or subcutaneously, first enters the brain through the olfactory tract.
Evaluation of the Q analyzer, a new cap-piercing fully automated coagulometer with clotting, chromogenic, and immunoturbidometric capability

The Q analyzer is a recently launched fully automated photo-optical analyzer equipped with primary tube cap-piercing and capable of clotting, chromogenic, and immunoturbidometric tests. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance characteristics of the Q analyzer with reagents from the instrument manufacturer. We assessed precision and throughput when performing coagulation screening tests, prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and fibrinogen assay by Clauss assay. We compared results with established reagent instrument combinations in widespread use. Precision of PT/INR and APTT was acceptable as indicated by total precision of around 3%. The time to first result was 3 min for an INR and 5 min for PT/APTT. The system produced 115 completed samples per hour when processing only INRs and 60 samples (120 results) per hour for PT/APTT combined. The sensitivity of the DG-APTT Synth/Q method to mild deficiency of factor VIII (FVIII), IX, and XI was excellent (as indicated by APTTs being prolonged above the upper limit of the reference range). The Q analyzer was associated with high precision, acceptable throughput, and good reliability. When used in combination with DG-PT reagent and manufacturer‘s instrument-specific international sensitivity index, the INRs obtained were accurate. The Q analyzer with DG-APTT Synth reagent demonstrated good sensitivity to isolated mild deficiency of FVIII, IX, and XI and had the advantage of relative insensitivity to mild FXII deficiency. Taken together, our data indicate that the Q hemostasis analyzer was suitable for routine use in combination with the reagents evaluated.
Does Background Stress Heighten or Dampen Children's Cardiovascular Responses to Acute Stress?

Objective Does background stress heighten or dampen children's cardiovascular responses to acute stress? Method To address this question, the cardiovascular responses to four acute laboratory stressors of 150 children and adolescents were evaluated according to their self-reported background stress level. Background stress was determined during a standardized interview and was a priori classified according to its importance, frequency, and whether it was ongoing or resolved. Results Results showed that children and adolescents who reported important stressors or stressors that were ongoing and frequent exhibited a larger increase in diastolic blood pressure and total peripheral resistance during all four laboratory stressors than their low stress counterparts. Additional analysis showed that the results could not be accounted for by sociodemographic variables or by the personality traits measured in this study. Conclusions Results suggest the importance of measuring background stress in understanding an individual's acute stress response.
Interleukin-1 gene polymorphisms and long-term stability following guided tissue regeneration therapy.

BACKGROUND Specific interleukin (IL)-1 gene polymorphisms are associated with an increased susceptibility to severe periodontitis, increased inflammation, and increased likelihood of tooth loss during the maintenance phase after conventional periodontal therapy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of genotype on the maintenance of gained clinical attachment obtained after guided tissue regeneration (GTR) surgical therapy in deep intrabony defects. METHODS Forty deep (> or =4 mm) interproximal angular bony defects with presurgical clinical attachment loss of >8 mm were treated by GTR using a non-absorbable expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane. Membranes were surgically removed 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Afterwards patients were placed on monthly recall for the first year and every 3 months for the following 3 years. At the 4-year re-evaluation, a IL-1 genetic susceptibility test was performed on all patients. RESULTS Fourteen (35% of the 40 patients) were genotype-positive (+). At baseline no statistically significant differences were found between patients with different genotypes in full mouth plaque score (FMPS), full mouth bleeding score (FMBS), clinical attachment level (CAL), probing depth (PD), or gingival recession. At year 1 follow up visit, no statistically significant differences were noted between genotype + and genotype - patients in FMPS, FMBS, amount of CAL gain, decrease in PD, or increase in gingival recession. Sixteen patients had membrane exposure after the GTR procedures. In these patients, the amount of CAL gain (P <0.001) and PD reduction (P <0.01) 1 year after surgery was significantly lower than those observed in patients without membrane exposure. At the year 4 follow-up visit, no significant differences were found between genotype negative and positive patients in FMPS or FMBS and both groups showed a significant loss in CAL (P<0.001) and increase in PD (P<0.001) when compared to year 1 visit. No change in gingival recession was noted. Genotype + patients showed significantly more CAL loss (P<0.002) and increase in PD (P<0.001) between the years 1 and 4 when compared to genotype - patients. A significant association between genotype and stability of the regenerated attachment was also demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrate that genotype expression did not effect GTR treatment response at 1 year, but had a great impact on long-term stability (year 4). In a 3-year period, patients with positive IL-1 genotype lost about 50% of the first year gained CAL and were about 10 times more likely of experiencing > or = 2 mm CAL loss when compared to oral hygiene matched genotype-negative patients.
dCUDA: Hardware Supported Overlap of Computation and Communication

Over the last decade, CUDA and the underlying GPU hardware architecture have continuously gained popularity in various high-performance computing application domains such as climate modeling, computational chemistry, or machine learning. Despite this popularity, we lack a single coherent programming model for GPU clusters. We therefore introduce the dCUDA programming model, which implements device-side remote memory access with target notification. To hide instruction pipeline latencies, CUDA programs over-decompose the problem and over-subscribe the device by running many more threads than there are hardware execution units. Whenever a thread stalls, the hardware scheduler immediately proceeds with the execution of another thread ready for execution. This latency hiding technique is key to make best use of the available hardware resources. With dCUDA, we apply latency hiding at cluster scale to automatically overlap computation and communication. Our benchmarks demonstrate perfect overlap for memory bandwidth-bound tasks and good overlap for compute-bound tasks.