Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization, distribution, and dynamics of hepatitis C virus genotypes in blood donors in Colombia

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a frequent cause of acute and chronic hepatitis and a leading cause for cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV is classified in six major genotypes and more than 70 subtypes. In Colombian blood banks, serum samples were tested for anti‐HCV antibodies using a third‐generation ELISA. The aim of this study was to characterize the viral sequences in plasma of 184 volunteer blood donors who attended the “Banco Nacional de Sangre de la Cruz Roja Colombiana,” Bogotá, Colombia. Three different HCV genomic regions were amplified by nested PCR. The first of these was a segment of 180 bp of the 5′UTR region to confirm the previous diagnosis by ELISA. From those that were positive to the 5′UTR region, two further segments were amplified for genotyping and subtyping by phylogenetic analysis: a segment of 380 bp from the NS5B region; and a segment of 391 bp from the E1 region. The distribution of HCV subtypes was: 1b (82.8%), 1a (5.7%), 2a (5.7%), 2b (2.8%), and 3a (2.8%). By applying Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation, it was estimated that HCV‐1b was introduced into Bogotá around 1950. Also, this subtype spread at an exponential rate between about 1970 to about 1990, after which transmission of HCV was reduced by anti‐HCV testing of this population. Among Colombian blood donors, HCV genotype 1b is the most frequent genotype, especially in large urban conglomerates such as Bogotá, as is the case in other South American countries. J. Med. Virol. 82:1889–1898, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nonlinear optical response of silver nanoparticles and silicon quantum dots

We present a nonlinear optical study using standard Z-scan technique at the picosecond regime, in a nanostructured material containing both quasi-spherical silver nanoparticles and silicon quantum dots, and comparing its response to those from similar systems, one with only silicon quantum dots, and another with only silver nanoparticles. The study was done using different wavelengths, 355 nm and 532 nm, which are localized at both sides of the surface plasmon resonance of the Ag nanoparticles, and 1064 nm, which is localized well far away of it. In general, we have observed that the larger optical nonlinear response came from the sample with silver NPs. However, the combined system showed a positive nonlinear refraction below the plasmon resonance (355 nm), changing to a negative value for wavelengths above resonance (532 nm and 1064 nm). We observed also, for the combined system and for the three wavelengths used, a saturation of the nonlinear refraction index as a function of the incident irradiance.
Distributed Gauss-Newton method for localization in Ad-hoc networks

Energy efficiency, scalability and robustness are key features of Ad-hoc and Wireless Sensor Networks and the use of decentralized algorithms is of practical importance in such scenarios. A method for node localization is proposed by solving a nonlinear least-squares problem in a distributed fashion. For that purpose we propose a Gauss-Newton algorithm with embedded consensus that requires only local communication and converges to the centralized version.
Cosmos: Convenient Image Retrieval System of Flowers for Mobile Computing Situations

There are many image retrieval systems today. These systems, however, are difficult to use in outdoors. In this paper, we propose an image retrieval system of flowers that can be used for mobile computing environment. When we use this system, first we photograph a flower with a digital camera, put the flower image in a personal digital assistant (PDA) and give some simple characteristics of flowers on the PDA. Then we send the flower image and the characteristics to an image retrieval server via Personal Handyphone System (PHS). In the server, images similar to the received image are retrieved and the results are returned to the PDA via PHS. We check the results on the PDA. For the purpose of comparing the images, we use characteristics of shape and color extracted from the images. The result of our experiment shows that the percentage of getting the objective image from the first to the third places was about 92%. The objective flower-data was obtained in satisfactory time.
Role of Multidetector CT in Evaluation of Polytrauma Patients

Trauma is the leading cause of death in age group less than 45 years. In trauma, time is one of the most crucial factors in predicting prognosis. Outcomes are greatly improved when critical interventions are provided within the golden hour following injury. Whole body multidetector computerised tomography (WBMDCT) can decrease this critical time and increase survival. Emergency CT plays a major role in diagnostic workflow in the evaluation of patients with polytrauma. MDCT scanners are widely used because they rapidly produce high-resolution scans of large areas, offering short examination times for multiple body regions under emergency conditions. Such examinations most often include the head, cervical spine, and thorax to pelvis. Role of MDCT in head trauma remains unparalleled for reasons like its widespread availability and capability to reveal skull fractures, primarily because it is a fast and efficient method to triage the patients with treatable conditions mandating urgent surgical intervention such as extra axial hematomas, mass effect, herniations of brain, hydrocephalus, and midline shift and hence preventing secondary brain injury. MDCT angiography is an important tool to screen patients with suspected vascular injury.
Measuring the Effect of the Rules and Regulations on Global Malmquist Index

The circle-type or global Malmquist index, which is based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models, is an important index that is widely used for measuring the relative productivity change of decision-making units (DMUs) in multiple time periods. This index, similar to the standard approach of measuring the productivity change using the standard Malmquist index, breaks down into various components, which can then be used to measure the impact of the efficiency, technology, and scale on productivity changes over time. However, empirical studies show that there are some rules and regulations that can affect the result of the productivity changes. Therefore, this paper presents new insight into the global Malmquist index for measuring the effect of the rules and regulations on productivity changes that come from imposing some trade-offs to the production possibility set of the problem and provides a new decomposition of this index.
Advanced Visualization and Accessibility to Heterogeneous Monitoring Data

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a promising tool for better management of infrastructure. However, failure to manage large amounts of SHM data properly is a big barrier for its widespread application. Data management is especially challenging when heterogeneous data are involved and combined with camera images. Various sensors based on different technologies can measure many parameters such as strain, tilt, weather, etc., whereas live cameras can visualize traffic response. In addition, all the data streams can be registered both statically and dynamically. Data management is even more complex if multiple users access the data and have diverse backgrounds and interests (e.g., the owner/manager of the structure, operator, responsible engineer, and academic). In this article, general principles for SHM data management are researched, established, and proposed by the authors, and an original solution for data management based on these principles is presented. For validation purposes, the proposed principles were implemented in novel data management software and applied to a signature bridge. Feedback from interested groups including the managers, operators, engineers of record, and academics is used for validation. Thus, this article details the researched and proposed accessibility and visualization principles, and conceptual development of novel solution for data management, which combines computer science, internet omnipresence, and structural engineering.
Dynamic properties of the virtual synchronous machine (VISMA)

The increasing integration of decentralized electrical sources is attended by problems with power quality, safe grid operation and grid stability. The concept of the Virtual Synchronous Machine (VISMA) [1] discribes an inverter to particularly connect renewable electrical sources to the grid that provides a wide variety of static an dynamic properties they are also suitable to achieve typical transient and oscillation phenomena in decentralized as well as weak grids. Furthermore in static operation, power plant controlled VISMA systems are capable to cope with critical surplus production of renewable electrical energy without additional communication systems only conducted by the grid frequency. This paper presents the dynamic properties "damping" and "virtual mass" of the VISMA and their contribution to the stabilization of the grid frequency and the attenuation of grid oscillations examined in an experimental grid set.
Distribution of fixed beneficial mutations and the rate of adaptation in asexual populations

When large asexual populations adapt, competition between simultaneously segregating mutations slows the rate of adaptation and restricts the set of mutations that eventually fix. This phenomenon of interference arises from competition between mutations of different strengths as well as competition between mutations that arise on different fitness backgrounds. Previous work has explored each of these effects in isolation, but the way they combine to influence the dynamics of adaptation remains largely unknown. Here, we describe a theoretical model to treat both aspects of interference in large populations. We calculate the rate of adaptation and the distribution of fixed mutational effects accumulated by the population. We focus particular attention on the case when the effects of beneficial mutations are exponentially distributed, as well as on a more general class of exponential-like distributions. In both cases, we show that the rate of adaptation and the influence of genetic background on the fixation of new mutants is equivalent to an effective model with a single selection coefficient and rescaled mutation rate, and we explicitly calculate these effective parameters. We find that the effective selection coefficient exactly coincides with the most common fixed mutational effect. This equivalence leads to an intuitive picture of the relative importance of different types of interference effects, which can shift dramatically as a function of the population size, mutation rate, and the underlying distribution of fitness effects.
Heterogeneous patterns of stress over the four years of college: associations with anxious attachment and ego-resiliency.

OBJECTIVE A growing body of literature suggests that college students display alarming rates of psychological distress. However, studies of responses to significant life stressors in other contexts have found that people respond in heterogeneous ways and that attachment style and ego-resiliency mitigate the effects of stressors on mental health. METHOD Individual differences in distress among a cohort of students (N = 157; Mean age = 18.8 years, 62.6% female) across the four years of college were analyzed using latent class growth analysis. Trajectories were then regressed on levels of anxious and avoidant attachment and ego-resiliency. RESULTS Four discrete patterns emerged characterized by healthy and maladaptive patterns of stress response, indicating that students respond to college in heterogeneous ways. Several patterns showed significant variability in distress by semester. Low levels of anxious but not avoidant attachment predicted membership in the stable-low distress or resilient class while ego-resiliency predicted membership in both the resilient and moderate distress classes. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that low levels of anxious attachment and the ability to flexibly cope with adversity may be associated with better mental health throughout college. Implications from stress response and developmental perspectives are discussed.
The Enzyme-Mediated Direct Reversal of a Dithymine Photoproduct in Germinating Endospores

Spore photoproduct lyase (SPL) repairs a special thymine dimer, 5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine, which is commonly called spore photoproduct, or SP, in germinating endospores. SP is the exclusive DNA photo-damaging product found in endospores; its generation and swift repair by SPL are responsible for the spores’ extremely high UV resistance. Early in vivo studies suggested that SPL utilizes a direct reversal strategy to repair SP in the absence of light. Recently, it has been established that SPL belongs to the radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) superfamily. The enzymes in this superfamily utilize a tri-cysteine CXXXCXXC motif to bind a [4Fe-4S] cluster. The cluster provides an electron to the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to reductively cleave its C5′-S bond, generating a reactive 5′-deoxyadenosyl (5′-dA) radical. This 5′-dA radical abstracts the proR hydrogen atom from the C6 carbon of SP to initiate the repair process; the resulting SP radical subsequently fragments to generate a putative thymine methyl radical, which accepts a back-donated H atom to yield the repaired TpT. The H atom donor is suggested to be a conserved cysteine141 in B. subtilis SPL; the resulting thiyl radical likely interacts with a neighboring tyrosine99 before oxidizing the 5′-dA to 5′-dA radical and, subsequently, regenerating SAM. These findings suggest SPL to be the first enzyme in the large radical SAM superfamily (>44,000 members) to utilize a radical transfer pathway for catalysis; its study should shed light on the mechanistic understanding of the SAM regeneration process in other members of the superfamily.
Circadian Clock and Photoperiodic Response in Arabidopsis: From Seasonal Flowering to Redox Homeostasis

Many of the developmental responses and behaviors in plants that occur throughout the year are controlled by photoperiod; among these, seasonal flowering is the most characterized. Molecular genetic and biochemical analyses have revealed the mechanisms by which plants sense changes in day length to regulate seasonal flowering. In Arabidopsis thaliana, induction of the expression of a florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein, is a major output of the photoperiodic flowering pathway. The circadian clock coordinates the expression profiles and activities of the components in this pathway. Light-dependent control of CONSTANS (CO) transcription factor activity is a crucial part of the induction of the photoperiodic expression of FT. CO protein is stabilized only in the long day afternoon, which is when FT is induced. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the determination of the molecular architecture of the circadian clock and mechanisms underlying photoperiodic flowering. In addition, we introduce the molecular mechanisms of other biological processes, such as hypocotyl growth and reactive oxygen species production, which are also controlled by alterations in photoperiod.
Towards Building a Political Protest Database to Explain Changes in the Welfare State

Despite considerable theoretical work in social sciences, ready to use resources are very limited compared to digitally available mass media resources. Thus, this project creates a political protest database from online news resources in Brazil that will be used to explain Brazilian welfare state policy changes. In this paper we present the preliminary results of a system that automatically crawls digital resources and produces a protest database, which includes events such as strikes, rallies, boycotts, protests, and riots, as well as their attributes such as location, participants, and ideology.
AC Induced Corrosion of Carbon Steel in 3.5wt% NaCl Electrolyte

This paper deals with alternating current (AC) corrosion of low alloy carbon steel in 3.5 wt% NaCl electrolyte. Accelerated corrosion rates have been reported when exposed to AC and the corrosion mechanism is not well understood. Electrical heating of subsea pipelines, applied to avoid hydrate formation and waxing of multiphase hydrocarbon well streams has made this topic increasingly relevant in recent years. To study the effect of AC on corrosion rates, weight loss experiments under a wide range of experimental conditions were performed. Results show that AC strongly influence corrosion kinetics of the system studied. Once AC is applied, a drop in corrosion potential and the formation of a passive iron oxide surface layer is observed. This layer is porous and believed to be the result of a rapid surface alkalization. Pitting corrosion is observed for all applied AC densities at open circuit. Weight loss- and LPR measurements conform well and the use of this technique in the presence of AC is on this basis considered valid. Corrosion rates increase as applied level of AC is increased and an approximately linear relationship has been established between iAC and icorr.
Poultry consumption and prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis

Background. Several kinds of foods are hypothesized to be potential factors contributing to the variation of prostate cancer (PCa) incidence. But the effect of poultry on PCa is still inconsistent and no quantitative assessment has been published up to date. So we conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the association between them. Materials and Methods. We conducted a literature search of PubMed and Embase for studies examining the association between poultry consumption and PCa up to June, 2015. Pooled risk ratio (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) of the highest versus lowest poultry consumption categories were calculated by fixed-effect model or random-effect model. Results. A total of 27 (12 cohort and 15 case-control) studies comprising 23,703 cases and 469,986 noncases were eligible for inclusion. The summary RR of total PCa incidence was 1.03 (95% CI [0.95–1.11]) for the highest versus lowest categories of poultry intake. The heterogeneity between studies was not statistically significant (P = 0.768, I2 = 28.5%). Synthesized analysis of 11 studies on high stage PCa and 8 studies on chicken exposure also demonstrated null association. We also did not obtain significant association in the subgroup of cohort study (RR = 1.04, 95% CI [0.98–1.10]), as well as in the subgroups of population-based case-control study and hospital-based case-control study. Then the studies were divided into three geographic groups: Western countries, Asia and South America. The pooled RRs in these areas did not reveal statistically significant association between poultry and PCa. Conclusions. This meta-analysis suggests no association between poultry consumption and PCa risk. Further well-designed studies are warranted to confirm the result.
Effect of pulse number on the ablation rate of metals in PLA multipulse regime

The pulsed laser ablation of aluminium, copper and titanium irradiated with 4.5 ns pulses at 355 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm wavelengths is investigated in open air at normal atmospheric conditions. The effect of pulse number, which is varied in the range of 5 to 50, on ablation rate in these three wavelength regimes is determined. The results indicate a higher efficiency of the ablation in VIS and UV regimes as compared to IR regime which is characterised by a very small optical absorbtivity. The ablation rate is demonstrated to be approximately constant when increasing the pulse number up to a certain value which strongly depends on the thermal properties of the material. Further increase of pulse number leads to a progressive decrease of ablation rate. The most pronounced decrease was obtained at 355 nm in aluminium where the ablation rate corresponding to the 50th pulse is about 20% of the ablation rate corresponding to of first pulse. The decay of the ablation rate with the pulse number is attributed to the superposition of two phenomena: the enhanced attenuation of the laser beam in the plasma plume which is confined within the crater, and the decay of the effective laser fluence at the target surface due to the gradual increment of the effective irradiated area with pulse number.
Neural crest‐derived stem cells display a wide variety of characteristics

A recent burst of findings has shown that neural crest‐derived stem cells (NCSCs) can be found in diverse mammalian tissues. In addition to their identification in tissues that are known to be derived from the neural crest, recent studies have revealed NCSCs in tissues that are not specifically derived from the neural crest, such as bone marrow. NCSCs can express a wide range of characteristics, and which properties are expressed mainly depends on their tissue sources and the ontogenic stage of the animal. The identification of NCSCs in various tissues opens an entirely new avenue of approach to developing autologous cell replacement therapies for use in regenerative medicine. In this review, we discuss the origin, migration, and lineage potential of NCSCs from various mammalian tissue sources. J. Cell. Biochem. 107: 1046–1052, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamic Mechanical Tests on Magnesium Catalyzed Cast Polyamide 6 Composites Having Different Additives

Due to the effect of graphite and montmorrilonit additives, the impact strenght slightly decreases, but by the influence of softening material, the value of impact strength can be three times more than the pure PA6. It is determined that graphite can be added until 3%, montmorrilonit can be added until 6% and softening material can be added until 15% to the base matrix. These samples give basis for special characteristics examinations.
Temporal MRI Assessment of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

Background and Purpose— MRI was used to evaluate the effects of experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) on brain tissue injury and recovery. Methods— Primary ICH was induced in rats (n=6) by direct infusion of autologous blood into the striatum. The evolution of ICH damage was assessed by MRI estimates of T2 and T1sat relaxation times, cerebral blood flow, vascular permeability, and susceptibility-weighted imaging before surgery (baseline) and at 2 hours and 1, 7, and 14 days post-ICH. Behavioral testing was done before and at 1, 7, and 14 days post-ICH. Animals were euthanized for histology at 14 days. Results— The MRI appearance of the hemorrhage and surrounding regions changed in a consistent manner over time. Two primary regions of interest were identified based on T2 values. These included a core, corresponding to the bulk of the hemorrhage, and an adjacent rim; both varied with time. The core was associated with significantly lower cerebral blood flow values at all post-ICH time points, whereas cerebral blood flow varied in the rim. Increases in vascular permeability were noted at 1, 7, and 14 days. Changes in T1sat were similar to those of T2. MRI and histological estimates of tissue loss were well correlated and showed approximately 9% hemispheric tissue loss. Conclusions— Although the cerebral blood flow changes observed with this ICH model may not exactly mimic the clinical situation, our results suggest that the evolution of ICH injury can be accurately characterized with MRI. These methods may be useful to evaluate therapeutic interventions after experimental ICH and eventually in humans.