Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Partial purification and characterization of the enterotoxin produced by Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni enterotoxin was partially purified from culture supernatant. The purified fraction after gel filtration indicated three bands at 68, 54, and 43 kilodaltons on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). This fraction enhanced the adenylate cyclase activity of HeLa cell membranes by 1.5-fold over that of the control. The study with anti-cholera toxin immunoglobulin G (IgG) and ganglioside affinity column chromatographies revealed that the eluent from the anti-cholera toxin IgG column chromatography exhibited a single band (68 kDa) on SDS-PAGE and native PAGE, whereas the eluent from ganglioside column chromatography exhibited two bands (68 and 54 kDa) on SDS-PAGE. These suggest that the 68-kDa polypeptide should have an immunological relationship with cholera toxin, and the 68- and 54-kDa polypeptides might be responsible for the recognition of ganglioside.
Identifying and characterizing the most significant β-glucosidase of the novel species Aspergillus saccharolyticus.

The newly discovered fungal species Aspergillus saccharolyticus was found to produce a culture broth rich in β-glucosidase activity. In this present work, the main β-glucosidase of A. saccharolyticus responsible for the efficient hydrolytic activity was identified, isolated, and characterized. Ion exchange chromatography was used to fractionate the culture broth, yielding fractions with high β-glucosidase activity and only 1 visible band on an SDS-PAGE gel. Mass spectrometry analysis of this band gave peptide matches to β-glucosidases from aspergilli. Through a polymerase chain reaction approach using degenerate primers and genome walking, a 2919 bp sequence encoding the 860 amino acid BGL1 polypeptide was determined. BGL1 of A. saccharolyticus has 91% and 82% identity with BGL1 from Aspergillus aculeatus and BGL1 from Aspergillus niger , respectively, both belonging to Glycoside Hydrolase family 3. Homology modeling studies suggested β-glucosidase activity with preserved retaining mechanism and a wider catalytic pocket compared with other β-glucosidases. The bgl1 gene was heterologously expressed in Trichoderma reesei QM6a, purified, and characterized by enzyme kinetics studies. The enzyme can hydrolyze cellobiose, p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucoside, and cellodextrins. The enzyme showed good thermostability, was stable at 50 °C, and at 60 °C it had a half-life of approximately 6 h.
Proportional Equity Flow Problem for Terminal Arcs

The proportional equity flow problem extends a class of problems referred to as equity flow problems whose objective is to equitably distribute flow among the arcs in a flow circulation network. The proportionally bounded flow circulation problem places lower and upper bounds on each arc flow that are nondecreasing continuous functions of the flow through one special arc, and the objective is to maximize the flow through the special arc. The proportional equity flow problem for terminal arcs (Problem TA) is then defined as a special case where all the proportional arcs enter a sink vertex. Applications of both the general problem and Problem TA are given. Two optimality conditions for Problem TA are developed, as well as an algorithm that is polynomially bounded for many types of nondecreasing, continuous, proportional bounding functions. Specifically, the algorithm is shown to be polynomially bounded if the largest root of an equation can be found in polynomial time.
A comprehensive guide to the Argentinian case-bearer beetle fauna (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Camptosomata)

Abstract Knowledge of Argentinian Camptosomata has largely remained static for the last 60 years since the last publication by Francisco de Asis Monrós in the 1950’s. One hundred and ninety Camptosomata species (182 Cryptocephalinae and 8 Lamprosomatinae) in 31 genera are recorded herein from Argentina. Illustrated diagnostic keys to the subfamilies, tribes, subtribes and genera of Argentinian Camptosomata, plus species checklists and illustrations for all genera of camptosomatan beetles cited for each political region of Argentina are provided. General notes on the taxonomy and distribution, as well as basic statistics, are also included. This study provides basic information about the Camptosomata fauna in Argentina that will facilitate in the accurate generic-level identification of this group and aid subsequent taxonomic revisions, and phylogenetic, ecological, and biogeographic studies. This information will also facilitate faunistic comparisons between neighboring countries. Two nomenclatural acts are proposed: Temnodachrys (Temnodachrys) argentina (Guérin, 1952), comb. n. , and Metallactus bivitticollis (Jacoby, 1907), comb. n. The following are new records for Argentina: Stegnocephala xanthopyga (Suffrian, 1863) and Lamprosoma azureum Germar, 1824. Currently, the most diverse camptosomate tribe in Argentina is Clytrini, with almost twice the number of species of Cryptocephalini. New records for Argentina are predicted.
Clinical characteristics in patients with anorexia nervosa and obsessive–compulsive disorder

Background. The purpose of this study was to assess clinical characteristics, including co-morbid personality disorders in patients with both anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in comparison with age- and sex-matched patients with OCD. Methods. Fifty-three female patients with AN were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of a current diagnosis of OCD, as assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Patient version (SCID-P). Twenty-one women (40%) who met the DSM-III-R criteria for both AN and OCD were compared with 23 female patients with OCD, using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the SCID Axis II disorders. Results. There were no significant differences on the mean Y-BOCS severity scores between these groups. However, AN patients with OCD were significantly more likely than OCD patients to have obsessions with need for symmetry or exactness and ordering/arranging compulsions, whereas both aggressive obsessions and checking compulsions tended to be more frequently identified in OCD patients compared with AN patients with OCD. AN patients with OCD were significantly more likely than OCD patients to meet the criteria for obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Conclusions. These results suggest that there are some differential characteristics of the OCD symptomatology between these disorders, although many patients with AN manifest significant impairment from primary OCD symptoms with similar magnitude in severity to that found in OCD patients.
Holocene Radiocarbon-Dated Sites in Northeastern Siberia: Issues of Temporal Frequency, Reservoir Age, and Human-Nature Interaction

The existing corpus of data on radiocarbon dates for Holocene sites in Northeastern Siberia was used as proxy to reconstruct the chronology of human occupation of the region. The problem of reservoir age correction in the Bering Sea region complicated this task and this issue needs to be solved in order to obtain more reliable age determinations for coastal archaeological sites. Using a chronology built after excluding the questionable dates from the database, the major patterns of human population dynamics and their possible correlation with climatic fluctuations were examined. No direct relationship appears to exist between these two processes. Additional archaeological and paleo environmental work needs to be carried out in this region of the North.
Ship detection with the fuzzy c-mean clustering algorithm using fully polarimetric SAR

A fuzzy c-mean clustering algorithm to detect ships is proposed using fully polarimetric SAR data. The algorithm is unsupervised. It does not need the statistical decision and the performance is not data specific, as often arises with CFAR methods. A distance measure, based on a complex Wishart distribution, is applied using the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm. The algorithm makes use the statistical properties of polarimetric data, and takes advantage of a clustering algorithm. It is thus expected that the algorithm could include fully polarimetric backscattering information for ship detection. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by applying it to detect the targets in a set of AIRS AR data.
Trends in cancer incidence in the Nordic countries. A collaborative study of the five Nordic Cancer Registries.

Time trends and differentials in cancer incidence in the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, were investigated, using material collected by the cancer registries in each country. The incidence at all sites combined and at 23 anatomical sites was studied by age, birth cohort and time period. The maximum lengths of the trends were used for each country. In Denmark the material comprised all the tumours diagnosed in 1943-1980, in Finland and Norway those diagnosed in 1953-1980, in Iceland those diagnosed in 1955-1980, and in Sweden those diagnosed in 1958-1980. For males the age-adjusted cancer incidence rates at all sites combined were highest in Denmark and Finland, and lowest in Sweden and Norway. In females the incidence was highest in Denmark and Iceland, and lowest in Finland. The rates increased slightly for both sexes. For cancer of the pancreas, Hodgkin's disease, acute leukaemia and childhood cancer (all sites combined) the rates in all the Nordic countries were similar every year. For cancers of the stomach, colon, breast, corpus uteri, ovary, prostate, testis, urinary bladder, melanoma of the skin and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas the trends were similar but on different levels. For cancers of the larynx and lung in males the rates in Finland decreased during the 1970s, whereas the rates were increasing in the other Nordic countries. For cancer of the rectum, the trend showed a decrease in Denmark but an increase in the other Nordic countries. For lip cancer the rate in Sweden was almost constant over time, but in Denmark, Finland and Norway a decrease occurred. For oesophageal cancer in males the rates decreased in Finland and Iceland in the 1970s, whereas in Denmark and Norway there was very little change, and in Sweden there was an increase in the rates. For cancer of the cervix uteri the rates started to decrease in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the mid-1960s, but in Norway not until some ten years later. The differentials between the countries were largest for cancers of the testis and thyroid, in which the highest incidence was five to six times as large as the lowest. For testicular cancer the rate was the highest in Denmark, for thyroid cancer in Iceland. For both of these cancers the rate was the lowest in Finland. Melanoma of the skin was the cancer with the most rapid increase in incidence with time in all the Nordic countries. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Review on Contactless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicle Charging

For the past few years the feasibility of contactless power transfer (CPT) is being explored extensively as a future solution for charging electric vehicles (EVs). Studies report that the main obstacles in CPT are low power efficiency, misalignment tolerance, cost, range and charging time anxiety. This paper presents a review based on existing literature of the CPT systems for EV charging. Different cases of CPT technologies, their principle of operation and equivalent circuit based analysis is carried out. A discussion on compensation strategies and their effectiveness are reviewed and discussed. The design of coil systems for some city electric cars has been referenced in general. At the end recommendations and conclusions are made based on the study and analysis of the information available in literature.
Experimental analysis of wireless data transmission systems in space platforms

This paper presents an experimental analysis of the use of wireless data-transmission systems in manned space platforms. Previous studies have analyzed the general advantages of substituting radio systems for some of the harnesses in the platforms. This paper presents a detailed experimental characterization of the radio channel in the environment of a space platform at frequency bands of 2.5 GHz and 17 GHz. For this purpose, a mockup, based on the Columbus Space Laboratory, was built. The probability distribution functions of the fading have been obtained for narrow-band as well as wideband parameters, such as the mean square delay and the coherence bandwidth of the channel. Moreover, a study of the operating mode of a commercial wireless system, based on the IEEE 802.11b standard, has been performed, by monitoring the bit-error rate. The error rates of the IEEE 802.11b system in the typical environment of a small or medium-sized office are compared with those of a space-platform environment. The results and conclusions can be extended to other environments that present geometrical and structural characteristics similar to those of a space platform, such as ships and submarines.
Stabilization by Artificial Wiener Processes

In this technical note, we restage the positive effects of Gaussian white noises for continuous-time driftless input-affine nonholonomic systems. Compared with previous studies, we found that the positive effects are hidden in the shadows of nonuniqueness of stochastic integrals over multi-dimensional Wiener processes. Furthermore, we found that the positive effects are artificially restaged by numerical calculations with use of Euler scheme for ordinary differential equations. Our results demonstrate that the positive effects act as “hidden independent control inputs” for nonholonomic systems. This implies that our results provide a constructive procedure for designing control inputs such that the origins become $p$-th moment exponentially or finite-time stable.
Case Study of Accreditation Reaffirmation with Emphasis on Survival-Focused Prioritization for Program Assessment.

At the urging of the U.S. Department of Education, regional accrediting organizations have, during the last few years, placed much greater emphasis on implementation of assessment as a requirement for accreditation. Assessment serves two important purposes: institutional survival and improvement of student achievement. Of these two, survival is the most important. When an institution is preparing for a review by an accrediting agency, it may be prudent to minimize or postpone important, but nonessential, and sometimes contentious and divisive discussions about discipline-related assessment theories and pedagogical best practices. This article summarizes and interprets the accreditation experience, and its aftermath, within the professional writing program at the University of Houston-Downtown.
Recruitment of multiple Vβ genes in the TCR repertoire against a single pathogenic thyroglobulin epitope

In autoimmune thyroid disease, the question whether thyroid‐infiltrating, autoreactive T cells are derived from a polyclonal or oligoclonal subset has been the subject of considerable debate. In this report, we have examined the T‐cell receptor (TCR) Vβ profile of mouse clonal T cells responding to a single thyroiditogenic epitope, the As‐restricted, 9mer mouse thyroglobulin (MTg) peptide (2496‐04). In vitro recall assays based on lymph node cell (LNC) proliferation and cytokine release demonstrated that this peptide is a minimal T‐cell epitope inducing a T‐helper 1 (Th1) type of response in SJL hosts. A panel of cloned, interleukin‐2 (IL‐2)‐secreting hybridomas was generated from this Th1 subset and their TCR‐Vβ gene utilization was assessed by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR). Ten clones derived from two independent fusions were found to utilize three Vβ gene families (Vβ 2, 4, and 17). To the extent that Tg or other thyroid autoantigens encompass multiple pathogenic epitopes it appears unlikely from these data that a restricted TCR‐Vβ chain usage will be a general characteristic of thyroiditogenic T cells.
Structure of the Membrane Domain of Subunit b of the Escherichia coli F0F1 ATP Synthase*

The structure of the N-terminal transmembrane domain (residues 1–34) of subunit b of theEscherichia coli F0F1-ATP synthase has been solved by two-dimensional 1H NMR in a membrane mimetic solvent mixture of chloroform/methanol/H2O (4:4:1). Residues 4–22 form an α-helix, which is likely to span the hydrophobic domain of the lipid bilayer to anchor the largely hydrophilic subunit b in the membrane. The helical structure is interrupted by a rigid bend in the region of residues 23–26 with α-helical structure resuming at Pro-27 at an angle offset by 20° from the transmembrane helix. In native subunitb, the hinge region and C-terminal α-helical segment would connect the transmembrane helix to the cytoplasmic domain. The transmembrane domains of the two subunit b in F0 were shown to be close to each other by cross-linking experiments in which single Cys were substituted for residues 2–21 of the native subunit and b-b dimer formation tested after oxidation with Cu(II)(phenanthroline)2. Cys residues that formed disulfide cross-links were found with a periodicity indicative of one face of an α-helix, over the span of residues 2–18, where Cys at positions 2, 6, and 10 formed dimers in highest yield. A model for the dimer is presented based upon the NMR structure and distance constraints from the cross-linking data. The transmembrane α-helices are positioned at a 23° angle to each other with the side chains of Thr-6, Gln-10, Phe-14, and Phe-17 at the interface between subunits. The change in direction of helical packing at the hinge region may be important in the functional interaction of the cytoplasmic domains.
User modeling for adaptive visualization systems

Meaningful scientific visualizations benefit the interpretation of scientific data, concepts and processes. To ensure meaningful visualizations, the visualization system needs to adapt to desires, disabilities and abilities of the user, interpretation aim, resources (hardware, software) available, and the form and content of the data to be visualized. We suggest describing these characteristics with four models: user model, problem domain/task model, resource model and data model. The paper makes suggestions for the generation of a user model as a basis for an adaptive visualization system. We propose to extract information about the user by involving the user in interactive computer tests and games. Relevant abilities tested are color perception, color memory, color ranking, mental rotation, and fine motor coordination. <<ETX>>
Viral Safety of Clotting Factor Concentrates

The efforts to reduce the risk of viral disease due to clotting factor concentrates have been quite successful. However, additional steps need to be taken to protect the users of these products. First, all patients should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. Second, vaccines against other viruses need to be developed. There is a great deal of interest in an HIV vaccine, and a vaccine against hepatitis C would also be a great boon to the "at risk" population. Third, more effective inactivation procedures need to be implemented in the manufacturing of concentrates other than Factor VIII, including Factor IX Complex, Coagulation Factor IX (Human), and Anti-Inhibitor Coagulant Complex. Despite the advances that have been made, it should be remembered that none of these procedures is perfect and the risk will never be reduced to zero. This is because the plasma pools will always contain infectious virus and the manufacturing process, regardless of how carefully controlled, cannot be made fail-safe. Errors will be made that result in contamination or inadequate treatment of products. For this reason, strict adherence to standard operating procedures and good manufacturing practices is essential. The investments of time, money, and hard work that have been made toward improving the safety of clotting factor concentrates have yielded a handsome return thus far. It is hoped that continued efforts in this direction will result in even greater benefits.
DONOR CYTOKINE GENOTYPE INFLUENCES THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACUTE REJECTION AFTER RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

Background. Acute allograft rejection remains an important cause of morbidity after kidney transplantation, and has been shown to be a crucial determinant of long-term graft function. Although rejection is mediated by recipient lymphocytes, both donor and recipient factors contribute to the local environment that influences the nature, severity, and duration of the rejection response. Cytokines are a major determinant of this milieu, and this study sought to explore the impact of donor cytokine and cytokine receptor gene polymorphisms on acute rejection after renal transplantation. Methods. A total of 145 cadaveric renal allograft donors were selected for analysis according to the presence or absence of graft rejection in the first 30 days after transplantation. DNA was genotyped for 20 polymorphisms in 11 cytokine and cytokine receptor genes using the polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers. Associations were assessed using contingency table analysis and the &khgr;2 test, using a two-set design. Results. A polymorphism at position −174 of the donor IL-6 gene was associated with the incidence (P =0.0002) and severity (P =0.000007) of recipient acute rejection. This finding was independent of HLA-DR matching. Acute rejection was not influenced by recipient IL-6 genotype, or by donor-recipient matching of IL-6 genotype. Conclusion. This study identifies donor IL-6 genotype as a major genetic risk factor for the development of acute rejection after renal transplantation. This provides evidence that donor-derived cytokines play a major role in determining outcome after transplantation, and will contribute to the development of therapeutic algorithms to predict individuals at particularly high risk of acute rejection.
Modeling costs and load uncertainties in optimal power flow studies

Modeling uncertainties in power systems has long interested researchers. Nowadays, as in 70psilas, the volatility associated with generation or fuel prices, for one side, and the uncertainties related with load forecasting and generation capacity, for another, places a new emphasis on this kind of problems. As a result of this renewed interest, in this paper we are enlarging the original fuzzy optimal power flow, FOPF, model in order to consider not only load uncertainties, but also uncertainties in generation or fuel prices, specified using trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. This new approach is based on multiparametric linear programming techniques that lead to the identification of a number of critical regions covering all the uncertainty space. This contributes to build more accurate membership functions of all variables, namely generations, branch flows and power not supplied.