Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility to duck hepatitis B virus infection is associated with the presence of cell surface receptor sites that efficiently bind viral particles

To test the hypothesis that susceptibility of hepatocytes to duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) infection requires cell surface receptors that bind the virus in a specific manner, we developed an assay for the binding of DHBV particles to monolayers of intact cells, using radiolabeled immunoglobulin G specific for DHBV envelope protein. Both noninfectious DHBV surface antigen particles and infectious virions bound to a susceptible fraction (approximately 60%) of Pekin duck hepatocytes. In contrast, binding did not occur to cells that were not susceptible to DHBV infection, including Pekin duck fibroblasts and chicken hepatocytes, and binding to Muscovy duck hepatocytes, which are only weakly susceptible (approximately 1% of cells) to DHBV infection, was virtually undetectable. Within a monolayer, individual Pekin duck hepatocytes appeared to differ markedly in the capacity to bind DHBV, which may explain difficulties that have been encountered in infecting 100% of cells in culture. We have also found that the loss of susceptibility to infection with DHBV that occurs when Pekin duck hepatocytes are maintained for more than a few days in culture correlates with a decline in the number of cells that bind virus particles efficiently. All of these results support the interpretation that the binding event detected by our assay is associated with the interaction between DHBV and specific cell surface receptors that are required for initiation of infection. Our assay may facilitate isolation and identification of hepatocyte receptors for this virus.
E-Government IT Investment: Insights from a Lens Model

E-government presents great opportunities for governments around the globe to reform their public services. Yet, it can potentially risk wasting resources by failing to deliver promises of improved services and further frustrating the general public with government. In order to make correct decision in IT investment, governments have to find appropriate entry points to execute their business strategy; and the appropriate processes to select and implement suitable IT projects within realistic time and budget. This paper used a lens model approach to first devise a framework for examining the effects of entry points on the organizational scanning processes in support of formulating the right IT strategies and creating a realistic outlook of IT investment; and then to apply the framework for analyzing three cases. The findings indicate that entry points which only emphasized quick deployment of IT were mostly likely to limit the needed scanning processes, and resulted in project overruns. Whereas entry points which emphasized on internal capacity building for learning and knowledge transfer, and/or creation of an enabling environment for strategic partnership were mostly likely to intensify the scanning processes which further enhanced the chances of success for IT investment.
Modelisation de la turbulence atmospherique en vue de l'etude du chargement aerodynamique des structures soumises aux effets du vent

L'objectif de notre travail de these est de modeliser numeriquement la turbulence atmospherique afin d'etudier l'action aerodynamique du vent sur les ouvrages de genie civil. L'analyse developpee est bidimensionnelle et doit permettre d'identifier les principaux mecanismes qui interviennent lorsque le vent aborde transversalement une structure elancee, non profilee. L'approche consiste a assimiler le vent a un ecoulement de fluide incompressible regi, dans la couche limite atmospherique, par les equations de navier-stokes et a representer la turbulence a l'aide d'un modele du premier ordre, de type k-epsilon. Les principaux parametres pris en compte sont la rugosite des sols, la topographie, la presence d'obstacles et le developpement de grosses structures tourbillonnaires. Le probleme est traite avec le code de calcul par elements finis castem 2000, dans lequel des procedures specifiques, telles des fonctions de paroi rugueuse, ont ete implantees. Des calculs de validation montrent que le modele k-epsilon standard est incapable de modeliser des ecoulements instationnaires sur des sites non homogenes, en presence de tourbillons organises, alors que le modele rng k-epsilon, plus elabore, est adapte a ce type d'ecoulements complexes. Ce dernier modele est donc utilise pour etudier les phenomenes rencontres lorsqu'une rafale aborde une structure elancee. Pour cela, les fonctions indicielles de l'effet rafale de differentes sections sont calculees. Plusieurs comportements sont identifies. Une relation est etablie entre la forme de ces fonctions et la creation de poches de decollement ou de grosses structures tourbillonnaires dans le sillage de l'obstacle. Dans le cas des sections non profilees, les limitations de l'approche quasi-statique sont mises en evidence. Dans ce cas, on suggere de prendre en compte les effets de la turbulence generee par la structure elle-meme, au travers de fonctions d'admittance modifiees.
Submolecular Structures in Dipalmytoylphosphatidylethanolamine Langmuir-Blodgett Films Observed by Scanning Force Microscopy.

Dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DDPE) Langmuir films at the air/water interface have been studied. These films exhibit high stability. The resulting films transferred on muscovite have been studied by scanning force microscopy with the contact mode. At the microscopic scale, DDPE Langmuir-Blodgett films appear densely packed with few defects. At molecular resolution the films appear well ordered; the double tail of the lipids has been observed.d Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
3D data compression and encryption for bio-medical health care monitoring and management system

This paper presents a 3D approach towards the implementation of a bio-medical image capture and encryption system that can be implemented as a core of portable medical devices for image capture and secure transmission. The multilayered System-on-System (SoS) architecture comprises CMOS imager, memory, 3D-DWT, 3D-AES and an RF transmitter layer. Chips are fabricated by different processes for optimal performance and are stacked and interconnected using TSV (Through Silicon Via), thus enhancing the performance with reduced power consumption. High level of secrecy extends over the personal medical records by the introduction of the block cipher algorithm.
Composition and molecular weight of pili purified from Pseudomonas aeruginosa K

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K (PAK) bears polar pili that promote infection by at least six bacteriophages. Moreover, a recently isolated mutant of strain K (PAK/2PfS) is many times more piliated than the wild-type strain and facilitates the preparation of large amounts of pure pili for biochemical studies. The present investigation was carried out to establish the structural relatedness of PAK and PAK/2PfS pili and to determine their biochemical composition. A purfication procedure is described for PAK and PAK/2PfS pili that yields about 8 mg of pure pili per 100 g (wet weight) of PAK/2PfS cells and 0.8 mg of pure pili per 100 g (wet weight) of PAK cells. PAK and PAK/2PfS pili were found to be free from phosphate, carbohydrate, and lipid and to contain a single polypeptide subunit of 17,800 daltons. Isopycnic centrifugation studies revealed that PAK and PAK(2PfS pili have the same buoyant density in sucrose (1.221) and CsC1 (1.295). Both types of pili banded at pH 3.9 when subjected to isoelectric focusing. Amino acid analyses showed that PAK and PAK/2PfS pili have identical amino acid compositions, whereas microimmunodiffusion studies revealed that the two types of pili are immunologically indistinguishable. It was concluded that PAK and PAK/2PfS pili are identical and that the mutation responsible for producing the multipiliated state in PAK/2PfS is probably located outside the structural gene for PAK pili.
Stimulation of endogenous L‐dopa biosynthesis — a new principle for the therapy of Parkinson's disease. The clinical effect of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotidephosphate (NADPH)

Abstract– The coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) has been used as a novel medication in 161 Parkinson patients in an open label trial. In all but 18 patients (11.2%) an improvement in their disability was observed. 115 patients (71.4%) showed a very good (better than 30%) response, and 28 patients (17.4%) a moderate response up to 30%. The best results were obtained with a dose of 25 to 50 mg every second day by i.v. administration. Concomitantly with the improvement in disability, the urine HVA level increased significantly, indicating a stimulation of endogenous L‐DOPA biosynthesis. 8 patients have been treated with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotidephosphate (NADPH), 5 of whom exhibited an improvement in their disability from 35 to 55%. The other 3 showed a moderate response of 20 to 25%. In all these patients an increase in the urine level of HVA was detected, reflecting elevated endogenous L‐DOPA production.
Localized Flux Density Distribution Around a Hole in Non-Oriented Electrical Steels

A mechanical strain occurring during the drilling or punching of a hole on electrical sheets will cause deterioration of the magnetic characteristics around the hole. The result is that, when the sheet is magnetized parallel to the edge, the magnetic flux density has changed its orientation around the hole. In this paper, variation of localized flux density distribution around a hole was investigated from the search coils located at 0°, 25°, 45°, and 65° angles corresponding to the center of holes with diameters 10 and 20 mm in non-oriented electrical steel sheet with the dimensions of 300 mm length, 30 mm wide, and 0.50 mm thick standard sample. The localized peak flux density and magnetic field strength were measured over the peak flux density ranges 0.1-0.5 T at 50-400 Hz. A minimum peak flux density was obtained from the search coil, which is located at 65°, whereas maximum flux density was measured from the coil located at 0° angle.
Prognostic Value of β-catenin Expression in Breast Cancer Patients: a Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND β-catenin plays a crucial role in the progression of breast cancer (BC) and a prognostic role of in BC patients has been widely reported. However, controversy still remains. MATERIALS AND METHODS Identical search strategies were used to search relevant literature in electronic databases updated to July 1, 2014. Individual hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled HRs with 95%CIs were used to evaluate the strength of association between positive β-catenin expression in different subcellular locations and survival results of BC patients. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity. Funnel plots of Begg's and Egger's linear regression test were used to investigate publication bias. Heterogeneity and sensitivity were also assessed. All the work was completed using STATA. RESULTS A total of 2,204 patients from 12 evaluative studies were finally included. Pooled HRs and 95%CIs suggested that β-catenin expression in cytoplasm/nucleus had an unfavorable impact on both overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.40-2.65) and disease free survival (DFS)/ recurrent free survival (RFS) (HR: 1.60, 95%CI: 1.20-2.13) in BC patients. However, here was no significant association between β-catenin expression in the membranes with OS (HR: 0.65, 95%CI: 0.42-1.02) or DFS/RFS (HR: 0.66, 95%CI: 0.38-1.13). Publication bias was absent in all of the four outcomes. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the results of this meta-analysis were robust. CONCLUSIONS Positive β-catenin expression in cytoplasm/nucleus rather than in membrane is a significant prognostic factor in patients with BC who have been surgically treated.
Detergent Analysis in Protein Samples Using Mid‐Infrared (MIR) Spectroscopy

Quantitating relative levels of detergent present in protein preparations or samples derived from biological material, such as tissue or body fluids, is important because the presence of detergent may affect downstream analyses as well as protein structure/function. Especially because sample volumes, analysts’ available time, and other resources may be limited, a method that consumes little sample and that is rapid and simple is needed for detergent analysis. It would also be preferable to have a method that is generally applicable across many aliphatic chain‐containing molecules with many different physical properties. In this unit, methods are described for analyzing detergents and proteins in detergent‐protein mixtures using mid‐infrared (MIR) spectroscopy. A protocol is also included for efficient removal of unbound detergents from a protein sample accompanied by MIR‐based monitoring of both detergent and protein content. This rapid monitoring of sample preparation during the workflow enables users to make timely decisions about sample preparation strategies that maximize both analyte purity and yield. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
“Prosumage” and the British Electricity Market

Domestic electricity consumers with PV panels have become known as "prosumers"; some of them also have energy storage and we have named the combination "prosumage". The challenges of renewable intermittency could be offset by storing power, and many engineering studies consider the role and value of storage which is properly integrated into the 'smart grid'. Such a system with holistic optimal control may fail to materialise for regulatory, economic, or behavioural reasons. We therefore model the impact of naive prosumage: households which use storage only to maximise self-consumption of PV, with no consideration of the wider system. We find it is neither economic for arbitrage nor particularly beneficial for shaving peaks and filling troughs in national net demand. The extreme case of renewable self-sufficiency, becoming completely independent of the grid, is still prohibitively expensive in Britain and Germany, and even in a country like Spain with a much better solar resource.
Need for Cognition and Cognitive Performance From a Cross-Cultural Perspective: Examples of Academic Success and Solving Anagrams

Abstract The cross-cultural validity of the Need for Cognition Scale and its relationship with cognitive performance were investigated in two studies. In the first study, the relationships between the scale and university entrance scores, course grades, study skills, and social desirability were examined. Using the short form of the Turkish version of the Need for Cognition Scale (S. Gülgöz & C. J. Sadowski, 1995) no correlation with academic performance was found but there was significant correlation with a study skills scale and a social desirability scale created for this study. When regression analysis was used to predict grade point average, the Need for Cognition Scale was a significant predictor. In the second study, participants low or high in need for cognition solved multiple-solution anagrams. The instructions preceding the task set the participants' expectations regarding task difficulty. An interaction between expectation and need for cognition indicated that participants with low need for cognition performed worse when they expected difficult problems. Results of the two studies showed that need for cognition has cross-cultural validity and that its effect on cognitive performance was mediated by other variables.
Long-term patterns in Iberian hare population dynamics in a protected area (Doñana National Park) in the SW Iberian Peninsula: effects of wheather conditions and plant

The Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis Rosenhauert, 1856) is a widely distributed endemic species in the Iberian Peninsula. In order to improve our knowledge of its population dynamics, the relative abundance and population trends of the Iberian hare were studied in the autumns of 1995–2012 in a protected area (Doñana National Park) by spotlighting in two different habitats: marshland and ecotones.
Movement Variability Increases With Shoulder Pain When Compensatory Strategies of the Upper Body Are Constrained

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study analyzed the influence of chronic shoulder pain (CSP) on movement variability/kinematics during humeral elevation, with the trunk and elbow motions constrained to avoid compensatory strategies. For this purpose, 37 volunteers with CSP as the injured group (IG) and 58 participants with asymptomatic shoulders as the control group (CG) participated in the study. Maximum humeral elevation (Emax), maximum angular velocity (Velmax), variability of the maximum angle (CVEmax), functional variability (Func_var), and approximate entropy (ApEn) were calculated from the kinematic data. Patients' pain was measured on the visual analogue scale (VAS). Compared with the CG, the IG presented lower Emax and Velmax and higher variability (i.e., CVEmax, Func_var, and ApEn). Moderate correlations were achieved for the VAS score and the kinematic variables Emax, Velmax and variability of curve analysis, Func_varm, and ApEn. No significant correlation was found for CVEmax. In conclusion, CSP results in a decrease of angle and velocity and an increased shoulder movement variability when the neuromuscular system cannot use compensatory strategies to avoid painful positions.
A mutated membrane protein of vesicular stomatitis virus has an abnormal distribution within the infected cell and causes defective budding

Two temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the M protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (tsG31 and tsG33) are defective in viral assembly, but the exact nature of this defect is not known. When infected cells are switched from nonpermissive (40 degrees C) to permissive (32 degrees C) temperatures in the presence of cycloheximide, tsG33 virus release increased by 100-fold, whereas tsG31 release increased only by 10-fold. Thus, the tsG33 defect is more reversible than that of tsG31. Therefore, we investigated how the altered synthesis and cellular distribution of tsG33 M protein correlates with the viral assembly defect. At 32 degrees C tsG33 M protein is stained diffusely in the cell cytoplasm and later at the budding sites. In contrast, at 40 degrees C the mutant M protein formed unusual aggregates mostly located in the perinuclear regions of virus-infected cells and partially colocalized with G protein in this region. In temperature shift-down experiments, M can be disaggregated and used to some extent for nucleocapsid coiling and budding, which correlates with the virus titer increase. M aggregates also formed after shift-up from 32 to 40 degrees C, indicating a complete dependence of M aggregation on the temperature. Biochemical analysis with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting revealed that at 40 degrees C M protein is detected exclusively in pellet fractions (nuclear and cytoskeleton components), whereas at 32 degrees C M protein is mainly in the cytoplasmic soluble fractions. Furthermore, when the temperature is raised from 32 to 40 degrees C, the distribution of M protein tends to shift from the soluble to the pellet and cytoskeletal fractions. Electron micrographs of immunoperoxidase-labeled M protein showed that at 40 degrees C M aggregates are often associated with the outer nuclear membranes as well as with vesicular structures. No nucleocapsid coiling was observed in these cells, whereas coiling and budding were seen at 32 degrees C in cells where M protein was partly associated with the plasma membrane. We suggest that the tsG33 M protein mutation may produce a reversible conformational alteration which causes M protein to aggregate at 40 degrees C, therefore inhibiting the proper association of M protein with nucleocapsids and budding membranes.
Performance of maximum likelihood detection using antenna diversity technique

Owing to the forever growing demand for faster data transmission speed in the recent or future telecommunication systems, the multiple antenna systems have been actively investigated and successfully deployed for the emerging broadband wireless access networks (e.g., Mobile WiMAX). Even when a wireless channel with high channel capacity is known, we still require to find superior techniques to achieve high speed data transmission or high reliability. Multiple antenna techniques can be broadly classified into two categories: diversity techniques and spatial-multiplexing techniques. The diversity techniques intend to receive the same information-bearing signals in the multiple antennas or to transmit them from multiple antennas, in so doing improving the transmission consistency. Diversity techniques are used to mitigate degradation in the error performance due to unstable wireless fading channels, for example, subject to the multipath fading etc. A basic idea of the diversity techniques is to convert Rayleigh fading wireless channel into more stable AWGN-like channel without any catastrophic signal fading. When the spatial-multiplexing Techniques are used, the maximum achievable transmission speed can be the same as the capacity of the MIMO channel; however, when the diversity techniques are used, the achievable transmission speed can be much lower than the capacity of the MIMO channel. Spatially multiplexed MIMO (SM-MIMO) systems can transmit data at a higher speed than MIMO systems using antenna diversity. However, spatial demultiplexing or signal detection at the receiver side is a challenging task for SM MIMO systems. This paper addresses the signal detection technique using maximum likelihood detection for SM MIMO systems.
Extended OOBE Comparisons for OFDM, GFDM and WCP-COQAM at Equal Spectral Efficiency

Generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), windowed cyclic prefix circular offset quadrature amplitude modulation (WCP-COQAM) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) are among the candidate 5G modulation formats. In this study, we present additional results for the OOBE comparisons between OFDM, GFDM and WCP-COQAM under equal or unequal spectral efficiency conditions for various simulation scenarios.
Differentiation potential of conditionally immortalized mesenchymal progenitor cells from adult marrow of a H‐2Kb‐tsA58 transgenic mouse

Primary cultures were initiated from marrow, spleen, and bone explants of an adult H‐2Kb‐tsA58 transgenic mouse (immortomouse). All cultures were initiated in immortalizing conditions, and an additional marrow culture was first incubated for 1 week in standard conditions and then switched to immortalizing conditions. Marrow cells immediately immortalized were designated the marrow immediate population (MIP); those immortalized after 1 week were termed the marrow delayed population (MDP). MIP and MDP cells both contained a mixture of fibroblastic or flattened cells, and the MIP cells contained an additional subpopulation of adipocytic (Oil Red‐O positive) cells. Alkaline phosphatase expression was induced by dexamethasone (10−7 M) in MDP cells while MIP, spleen, and bone explant cells had only a low level of expression. MDP and MIP cells differentiated into bone when combined with porous calcium phosphate ceramics and implanted subcutaneously into nude mice while bone‐ and spleen‐derived cells did not. Clones were isolated from the MDP and MIP cell populations and tested for differentiated phenotypes. Some MIP‐derived clones exhibited adipocytic characteristics while MDP‐derived subclones were negative. Histologic examination of porous ceramic implanted clones showed that all of the clones had osteogenic potential. Clones exposed to either dexamethasone, human recombinant bone morphogenetic protein‐2, or horse serum plus hydrocortisone showed differences in expression of adipocytic or osteogenic markers. These immortalized cultures have retained both adipocytic and osteogenic potential even after 1 year of continuous culture, and provide a model system for clonal analysis of the developmental potential of marrow‐derived mesenchymal precursor cells. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.