Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consultation and remediation in the north: meeting international commitments to safeguard health and well-being

Background International commitments exist for the safeguarding of health and the prevention of ill health. One of the earliest commitments is the Declaration of Alma-Ata (1978), which provides 5 principles guiding primary health care: equity, community participation, health promotion, intersectoral collaboration and appropriate technology. These broadly applicable international commitments are premised on the World Health Organization's multifaceted definition of health. The environment is one sector in which these commitments to safeguarding health can be applied. Giant Mine, a contaminated former gold mine in the Northwest Territories, Canada, represents potential threats to all aspects of health. Strategies for managing such threats usually involve an obligation to engage the affected communities through consultation. Objective To examine the remediation and consultation process associated with Giant Mine within the context of commitments to safeguard health and well-being through adapting and applying the principles of primary health care. Methods Semi-structured interviews with purposively selected key informants representing government proponents and community members were conducted. Results In reviewing themes which emerged from a series of interviews exploring the community consultation process for the remediation of Giant Mine, the principles guiding primary health were mapped to consultation in the North: (a) “equity” is the capacity to fairly and meaningfully participate in the consultation; (b) “community participation” is the right to engage in the process through reciprocal dialogue; (c) “health promotion” represents the need for continued information sharing towards awareness; (d) “intersectoral collaboration” signifies the importance of including all stakeholders; and (e) “appropriate technology” is the need to employ the best remediation actions relevant to the site and the community. Conclusions Within the context of mining remediation, these principles form an appropriate framework for viewing consultation as a means of meeting international obligations to safeguard health.
Sirtuins are Unaffected by PARP Inhibitors Containing Planar Nicotinamide Bioisosteres

PARP‐family ADP‐ribosyltransferases (PARPs) and sirtuin deacetylases all use NAD+ as cosubstrate for ADP‐ribosyl transfer. PARP inhibitors are important research tools and several are being evaluated in cancer treatment. With the exception of a few tankyrase inhibitors, all current PARP inhibitors mimic the nicotinamide moiety in NAD+ and block the nicotinamide binding pocket. We report here that while the activities of the four human sirtuin isoforms SIRT1, SIRT2, SIRT3 and SIRT6 are blocked by sirtuin inhibitor Ex527 in vitro, they are unaffected by the seven clinical and commonly used PARP inhibitors niraparib, olaparib, rucaparib, talazoparib, veliparib, PJ34, and XAV939. These findings indicate that PARP inhibitors containing planar nicotinamide mimetics do not bind to sirtuin cofactor sites. In conclusion, a simple commercially available assay can be used to rule out interference of novel PARP inhibitors with sirtuin NAD+ binding.
Remodeling of the Rad51 DNA Strand-Exchange Protein by the Srs2 Helicase

Homologous recombination is associated with the dynamic assembly and disassembly of DNA–protein complexes. Assembly of a nucleoprotein filament comprising ssDNA and the RecA homolog, Rad51, is a key step required for homology search during recombination. The budding yeast Srs2 DNA translocase is known to dismantle Rad51 filament in vitro. However, there is limited evidence to support the dismantling activity of Srs2 in vivo. Here, we show that Srs2 indeed disrupts Rad51-containing complexes from chromosomes during meiosis. Overexpression of Srs2 during the meiotic prophase impairs meiotic recombination and removes Rad51 from meiotic chromosomes. This dismantling activity is specific for Rad51, as Srs2 Overexpression does not remove Dmc1 (a meiosis-specific Rad51 homolog), Rad52 (a Rad51 mediator), or replication protein A (RPA; a single-stranded DNA-binding protein). Rather, RPA replaces Rad51 under these conditions. A mutant Srs2 lacking helicase activity cannot remove Rad51 from meiotic chromosomes. Interestingly, the Rad51-binding domain of Srs2, which is critical for Rad51-dismantling activity in vitro, is not essential for this activity in vivo. Our results suggest that a precise level of Srs2, in the form of the Srs2 translocase, is required to appropriately regulate the Rad51 nucleoprotein filament dynamics during meiosis.
The shift in the robotics paradigm — The Hardware Robot Operating System (H-ROS); an infrastructure to create interoperable robot components

This article introduces the Hardware Robot Operating System (H-ROS), a joint hardware and software infrastructure to create vendor-agnostic reusable and reconfigurable robot hardware components. These robot components dynamically modify and extend the internal representation model of the robot enabling robots to switch on or off components selectively and literally exchange hardware components between them reducing the integration effort of building robots. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of the hypotheses presented, discuss future work and improvements on top of the proposed H-ROS infrastructure.
Phase III Clinical Trial Results with the Vibrant Soundbridge Implantable Middle Ear Hearing Device: A Prospective Controlled Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVES : The goal of the study was to evaluate the performance of a semi-implantable middle ear hearing device (Vibrant Soundbridge System [VSB]; Symphonix Devices, Inc). STUDY DESIGN : A prospective, single-subject, repeated-measures multicenter study was conducted to determine the safety and efficacy of the VSB using analog and digital external processors. Measures included residual hearing, functional gain, speech recognition, acoustic feedback, occlusion, and patient self-assessment to determine satisfaction, perceived performance, and device preference compared with an appropriately fit acoustic hearing aid. Fifty-three adult subjects with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss were evaluated at 4 or more intervals after implantation. RESULTS : Improvements in satisfaction, performance, and preference were statistically significant with the VSB, as was functional gain across all test frequencies (P < 0.001). Occlusion and feedback were virtually eliminated. Aided speech recognition was comparable between VSB and the hearing aid. Residual hearing was unchanged. CONCLUSION : The VSB is a safe and effective treatment option for adults with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss.
Classification with NormalBoost: Case Study Traffic Sign Classification

Abstract. NormalBoost is a new boosting algorithm which is capable of classifying a multi-dimensional binary class dataset. It adaptively combines several weak classifiers to form a strong classifier. Unlike many boosting algorithms which have high computation and memory complexities, NormalBoost is capable of classification with low complexity. The purpose of this paper is to present NormalBoost as a framework which establishes a platform to solve classification problems. The approach was tested with a dataset which was extracted automatically from real-world traffic sign images. The dataset contains both images of traffic sign borders and speed limit pictograms. This framework involves the computation of Haar-like features of these images and then employs the NormalBoost classifier to classify these traffic signs. The total number of images which were classified was 6500 binary images. A -fold validation was invoked to check the validity of the classification which resulted in a classification rate of 98.4% and 98.9% being achieved for these two databases. This framework is distinguished by its invariance to in-plane rotation of the images under consideration. Experiments show that the classification rate remains almost constant when traffic sign images with different angles of rotations were tested.
Ubiquitin-protein ligases

Post-translational covalent tagging of proteins with the 76-residue protein ubiquitin (Ub) serves many functions. Polyubiquitylated proteins are directed to the large multi-component, multi-catalytic protease the 26S proteasome. The ubiquitin-26S proteasome (UPS) pathway is the major mechanism by
Extraosseous Ewing ’ s sarcoma of the leg : A case report

Ewing’s sarcoma (ES) is the second most common malignant bone tumor in children and young adults. Most cases are reported in the bone, and extraosseous Ewing’s sarcoma (ESS) is an extremely rare disease. We present a case of 36 year old female with extraosseous Ewing’s sarcoma developing at the soft tissue in the leg. Their diagnosis was radiological and essentially histological. The Treatment is multidisciplinary consisting in a collaborative approach between (orthopedist, oncologist, radiotherapist and histopathologist), and it requires a radical excision as soon as possible. In the literature, there have been only a few case reports of ESS located in the leg. We conclude that, although this is an unusual location, EES should be contemplated in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue tumors in the limbs.
Identification and characterization of a new zirconium hydride

Zirconium alloys are currently used in nuclear power plants where they are susceptible to hydrogen pick‐up. Hydride precipitation may occur when the hydrogen solubility limit is reached. Various Zr hydride phases, γ, δ and ɛ have been identified since the 1950s. Combining electron precession microdiffraction, electron energy loss spectroscopy and ab initio electronic calculations, a new Zr hydride named ζ has been identified and characterized. It belongs to the trigonal crystal system with space group P3 m1 and it is fully coherent with the αZr matrix.
HCS at SemEval-2017 Task 5: Polarity detection in business news using convolutional neural networks

Task 5 of SemEval-2017 involves fine-grained sentiment analysis on financial microblogs and news. Our solution for determining the sentiment score extends an earlier convolutional neural network for sentiment analysis in several ways. We explicitly encode a focus on a particular company, we apply a data augmentation scheme, and use a larger data collection to complement the small training data provided by the task organizers. The best results were achieved by training a model on an external dataset and then tuning it using the provided training dataset.
An efficient similarity measure (PMM) for color-based image retrieval

Summary Color histogram is an important Technical for color image database indexing and retrieving. However, the main problem with color histogram indexing is that it does not take the color spatial distribution into consideration. Previous researches have proved that the effectiveness of image retrieval increases when spatial feature of colors is included in image retrieval. In this paper, we introduce the local histogram to describe the spatial information of colors, to measure similarity between two images using the local histogram, the traditional approaches use the distance 1 L . To improve performance of the CBIR system, the permuto-metric measure (PMM) is used to measure similarity of images instead of classic distance 1 L .
Making Instruction and Assessment Responsive to Diverse Students’ Progress: Group-Administered Dynamic Assessment in Teaching Mathematics

This study entailed a 3 (instructional intervention) × 2 (assessment-type) between-subjects experimental design employing a pretest—intervention—posttest methodology. The instructional interventions were administered between subjects in three conditions: (a) dynamic instruction, (b) triarchic or theory of successful intelligence-control instruction, and (c) standard-control instruction. The assessment-type consisted between subjects of either (a) a group-administered dynamic posttest or (b) the same group-administered posttest interspersed with a control filler activity. Performance in different mathematics content areas taught in fourth grade was investigated. In total, 1,332 students and 63 classroom teachers in 24 schools across six school districts participated in the study. The results indicate the advantages of using dynamic instruction and assessment in regular classrooms while teaching mathematics, especially when the student body is highly ethnically diverse.
The Critical Role of Nitric Oxide Signaling, via Protein S-Guanylation and Nitrated Cyclic GMP, in the Antioxidant Adaptive Response*

A nitrated guanine nucleotide, 8-nitroguanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (8-nitro-cGMP), is formed via nitric oxide (NO) and causes protein S-guanylation. However, intracellular 8-nitro-cGMP levels and mechanisms of formation of 8-nitro-cGMP and S-guanylation are yet to be identified. In this study, we precisely quantified NO-dependent formation of 8-nitro-cGMP in C6 glioma cells via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Treatment of cells with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine led to a rapid, transient increase in cGMP, after which 8-nitro-cGMP increased linearly up to a peak value comparable with that of cGMP at 24 h and declined thereafter. Markedly high levels (>40 μm) of 8-nitro-cGMP were also evident in C6 cells that had been stimulated to express inducible NO synthase with excessive NO production. The amount of 8-nitro-cGMP generated was comparable with or much higher than that of cGMP, whose production profile slightly preceded 8-nitro-cGMP formation in the activated inducible NO synthase-expressing cells. These unexpectedly large amounts of 8-nitro-cGMP suggest that GTP (a substrate of cGMP biosynthesis), rather than cGMP per se, may undergo guanine nitration. Also, 8-nitro-cGMP caused S-guanylation of KEAP1 in cells, which led to Nrf2 activation and subsequent induction of antioxidant enzymes, including heme oxygenase-1; thus, 8-nitro-cGMP protected cells against cytotoxic effects of hydrogen peroxide. Proteomic analysis for endogenously modified KEAP1 with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometry revealed that 8-nitro-cGMP S-guanylated the Cys434 of KEAP1. The present report is therefore the first substantial corroboration of the biological significance of cellular 8-nitro-cGMP formation and potential roles of 8-nitro-cGMP in the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response.
A Method for Incipient Interturn Fault Detection and Severity Estimation of Induction Motors Under Inherent Asymmetry and Voltage Imbalance

Electrical machines are essential parts of transportation systems. The reliability and availability of transportation systems can be significantly improved by the installation of diagnosis systems for these components. A critical challenge with the diagnosis process of electrical machines is to detect the incipient fault under the effects of inherent asymmetry and voltage imbalance. This paper addresses this problem, under the situation of stator winding interturn fault, by proposing a novel model-based approach. First, a model of asymmetric machines under fault is developed. The model analytically discriminates the effect of voltage imbalance, inherent asymmetry, and fault. Second, exploiting the developed model, a new diagnostic method, compensating the effects of both inherent asymmetry and voltage imbalance, thereby aiding in achieving incipient fault detection, is proposed. Third, as a result of the diagnostic method, a fault-dependent quantity, estimated using the measurements of only stator voltages and currents, is obtained. This quantity is a function of fault parameters, and hence, the method provides a solution to quantify the fault severity under the practical situation of unmeasurable fault parameters. In addition, a method has been envisaged for faulty phase identification. The theoretical development is supported by experimental results, where various fault severity levels and different load and voltage imbalance conditions are taken into account.
Identity-based distributed cloud storage encryption scheme

Realizing the transformation from the storage device to the storage service by the application software is the core of cloud storage which is the combination of the application software and the storage device. However, the single cryptogram system cannot satisfy with the requirement of the privacy-preserving in cloud computing. Based on the assumption that the communication is absolute safe, an identity-based distributed encryption scheme is proposed in this paper to ensure the privacy safety of the cloud storage. The proposed scheme is more suitable for the privacy-preserving of mass users. 1
Heterogeneity of Red Blood Cell Velocity in Skeletal Muscle Decreases with Increased Flow

Objective: Effective material exchange between blood and tissue depends on the heterogeneity of microvascular flow. The objective was to address inconsistencies between intravital studies regarding this dependency. We tested the hypothesis that heterogeneity of red blood cell velocity (VRBC) in capillary beds varies with the strength of metabolic stimulus and with capillary bed geometry.
Niosomal system for delivery of rifampicin to lymphatics

Niosomes (nonionic surfactant-based vesicles) containing rifampicin were prepared using various nonionic surfactants of sorbitan ester class and cholesterol in 50:50 percent mol fraction ratio. The drug-entrapped vesicles were characterized for their shape, size, drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro release rate. On the basis of in vitro characterization, the niosomes showing maximum entrapment and minimum release rate were selected for in vivo performance evaluation. Cumulative percent doses of rifampicin recovered in thoracic lymph following intravenous and intraperitoneal administrations of free rifampicin solution and niosome-encapsulated rifampicin were compared. The study revealed that effective compartmentalisation of the drug took place in the lymphatic system following intraperitoneal administration of niosome-encapsulated rifampicin. Thus rifampicin encapsulated in niosomes could successfully be used for treatment of tuberculosis along lymphatic system.
Seryl‐phosphorylated HPr regulates CcpA‐independent carbon catabolite repression in conjunction with PTS permeases in Streptococcus mutans

Carbohydrate catabolite repression (CCR) in Streptococcus mutans can be independent of catabolite control protein A (CcpA) and requires specific components of phosphoenolpyruvate‐dependent sugar:phosphotransferase system (PTS) permeases. Here, the effects of various ptsH (HPr) and hprK (HPr kinase/phosphatase) mutations on growth and CCR were evaluated. An hprKV265F mutation, which enhanced Ser46 phosphorylation of HPr, inhibited growth on multiple PTS sugars. A ptsHS46A mutation reversed the effects of hprKV265F in most cases. A strain carrying a ptsHS46D mutation, which mimics HPr(Ser‐P), presented with more severe growth defects than the hprKV265F mutant. The hprKV265F mutant enhanced CCR of the fruA and levD operons, a phenotype reversible by the ptsHS46A mutation. The effects of the hprKV265F mutation on fruA and levD expression were independent of CcpA, but dependent on ManL (IIABMan) and, to a lesser extent, on FruI (IIABCFru), in a carbohydrate‐specific fashion. Expression of the Bacillus subtilis ptsG gene in the manL mutant did not restore CCR of the lev or fru operons. The hprKV265F mutation inhibited growth on cellobiose and lactose, but only the transcription of the cel operon was decreased. Thus, in S. mutans, serine‐phosphorylated HPr functions in concert with particular PTS permeases to prioritize carbohydrate utilization by modulating sugar transport and transcription of catabolic operons.
Positional identification of an asthma susceptibility gene on human chromosome 5q33.

RATIONALE Asthma is a common respiratory disease with complex genetic components. We previously reported strong evidence for linkage between mite-sensitive asthma and markers on chromosome 5q33. This area of linkage includes a region homologous to a mouse area that contains a locus involved in regulation of airway hyperreactivity. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study is to identify asthma susceptibility genes on chromosome 5q33. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed mutation screening and association analyses of genes in the 9.4-Mb human linkage region. Transmission disequilibrium test analysis of 105 polymorphisms in 155 families with asthma revealed that six polymorphisms in cytoplasmic fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP)-interacting protein 2 gene were associated significantly with the development of asthma (p = 0.000075; odds ratio, 5.9). These six polymorphisms were in complete linkage disequilibrium. In real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, subjects homozygous for the haplotype overtransmitted to asthma-affected offspring showed significantly increased level of cytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein 2 gene expression in lymphocytes compared with ones heterozygous for the haplotype (p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that cytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein 2 are associated with the development of atopic asthma in humans, and that targeting cytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein 2 could be a novel strategy for treating atopic asthma.
Astrocytes interact intimately with degenerating motor neurons in mouse amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Astrocytic proliferation and hypertrophy (astrogliosis) are associated with neuronal injury. However, neither the temporal nor the spatial relationship between astrocytes and injured neurons is clear, especially in neurodegenerative diseases. We investigated these questions in a mouse amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) model. The initial increase in astrogliosis coincided with the onset of clinical disease and massive mitochondrial vacuolation in motor neurons. After disease onset, astrogliosis increased further in parallel with the number of degenerating motor neurons. Examination of individual astrocytes by three‐dimensional reconstruction revealed that astrocytes extended their processes toward, wrapped around, and sometimes penetrated vacuoles derived from neuronal mitochondria. These results show a close temporal correlation between the onset of neuronal degeneration and the beginning of astrogliosis in this neurodegenerative disease and reveal a novel spatial relationship that is consistent with the view that astrocytes play an active role in the neuronal degeneration process. GLIA 28:215–224, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular typing of MRSA in cystic fibrosis

The prevalence of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in the United States is approximately 25%. Little is known about the relative proportion of hospital‐ versus community‐associated strains or the antimicrobial susceptibility of MRSA in different CF centers. We hypothesized that the majority of MRSA isolates obtained from children with CF are those endemic in the hospital and that those associated with community acquisition (SCCmec IV) would be more resistant than typically seen in non‐CF MRSA isolates.