Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic and Pathotypic Characterization of Newcastle Disease Viruses Circulating in West Africa and Efficacy of a Current Vaccine

ABSTRACT Newcastle disease (ND) is a deadly avian disease worldwide. In Africa, ND is enzootic and causes large economic losses, but little is known about the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains circulating in African countries. In this study, 27 NDV isolates collected from apparently healthy chickens in live-bird markets of the West African countries Benin and Togo in 2009 were characterized. All isolates had polybasic fusion (F)-protein cleavage sites and were shown to be highly virulent in standard pathogenicity assays. Infection of 2-week-old chickens with two of the isolates resulted in 100% mortality within 4 days. Phylogenetic analysis of the 27 isolates based on a partial F-protein gene sequence identified three clusters: one containing all the isolates from Togo and one from Benin (cluster 2), one containing most isolates from Benin (cluster 3), and an outlier isolate from Benin (cluster 1). All the three clusters are related to genotype VII strains of NDV. In addition, the cluster of viruses from Togo contained a recently identified 6-nucleotide insert between the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and large polymerase (L) genes in a complete genome of an NDV isolate from this geographical region. Multiple strains that include this novel element suggest local emergence of a new genome length class. These results reveal genetic diversity within and among local NDV populations in Africa. Sequence analysis showed that the F and HN proteins of six West African isolates share 83.2 to 86.6% and 86.5 to 87.9% identities, respectively, with vaccine strain LaSota, indicative of considerable diversity. A vaccine efficacy study showed that the LaSota vaccine protected birds from morbidity and mortality but did not prevent shedding of West African challenge viruses.
Lorcaserin, a 5-HT(2C) receptor agonist, reduces body weight by decreasing energy intake without influencing energy expenditure.

CONTEXT Lorcaserin, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(2C) receptor agonist, reduces body weight. It is unclear whether weight loss is due to reduced energy intake (EI) or also to enhanced energy expenditure (EE). OBJECTIVE This study tested the effect of lorcaserin on EI and EE. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 57 (39 women) overweight and obese (body mass index, 27-45 kg/m(2)) adults were randomized to placebo (n = 28) or 10 mg twice daily lorcaserin (n = 29) for 56 d. Weight maintenance was imposed during d 1-7. Beginning on d 8, participants followed a diet and exercise plan targeting a 600 kcal/d deficit. OUTCOMES At baseline and after 7 and 56 d of treatment, we measured body weight, body composition (dual x-ray absorptiometry), blood pressure, heart rate, EI at lunch and dinner, subjective appetite ratings, and 24-h EE and 24-h-respiratory quotient (RQ), measured by indirect calorimetry in a respiratory chamber. RESULTS After 7 d of weight maintenance, EI was significantly (P < 0.01) reduced with lorcaserin but not placebo (mean ± sem for lorcaserin, -286 ± 86 kcal; placebo, -147 ± 89 kcal). After 56 d, lorcaserin resulted in significantly larger reductions in body weight (lorcaserin, -3.8 ± 0.4 kg; placebo, -2.2 ± 0.5 kg; P < 0.01), EI (lorcaserin, -470 ± 87 kcal; placebo, -205 ± 91 kcal; P < .05), and appetite ratings than in placebo. Changes in 24-h EE and 24-h RQ did not differ between groups, even after 24-h EE was adjusted for body weight and composition. Compared with placebo, lorcaserin had no effect on systolic or diastolic blood pressure or heart rate after 56 d. CONCLUSIONS Lorcaserin reduces body weight through reduced EI, not altered EE or RQ.
Validated extraction of gait events from 3D accelerometer recordings

This work is part of a project that deals with the three-dimensional (3D) analysis of normal and pathological gaits based on a newly developed system for clinical applications, using low-cost wireless accelerometers and a signal processing algorithm. This system automatically extracts relevant gait events such as the heel strikes (HS) and the toe-offs (TO), which characterize the stance and the swing phases of walking. The performances of the low-cost accelerometer hardware and related algorithm have been compared to those obtained by a kinematic 3D analysis system and a force plate, used as gold standard methods. The HS and TO times obtained from the gait data of 7 healthy volunteers (147 trials) have been found to be (mean ± standard deviation) 0.42±7.92 ms and 3.11±10.08 ms later than those determined by the force plate, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the new hardware and associated algorithm constitute an effective low-cost gait analysis system, which could thus be used for the assessment of mobility in routine clinical practice.
Taurocholate transport by basolateral plasma membrane vesicles isolated from developing rat liver.

Taurocholate transport was characterized in basolateral plasma membrane vesicles prepared from the livers of 14-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats using a self-generating Percoll gradient method. Liver plasma membrane protein yield, intravesicular volume, and enrichments of various marker enzymes were similar to those obtained for vesicles from adult rat liver. The basolateral marker enzyme Na+-K+-ATPase was enriched 26-fold in the suckling rat basolateral membrane fraction while the bile canalicular marker enzymes alkaline phosphatase and Mg2+-ATPase were enriched only 3- and 5-fold, respectively. The activities of marker enzymes for endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, or lysosomes were not enriched compared with homogenate. In the presence of an inwardly directed 100 mM Na+ gradient, vesicle accumulation of taurocholate transiently reached a concentration 1.5- to 2-fold higher than that at equilibrium ("overshoot") in suckling and adult membrane vesicles, but the initial rate of taurocholate entry and peak intravesicular accumulation were markedly decreased in suckling compared with adult membrane vesicles. In the presence of an inwardly directed 100 mM K+ gradient, the rate of uptake was slower, and no overshoot occurred in either suckling or adult rat vesicles. The decreased rate of Na+-coupled taurocholate uptake by membrane vesicles from suckling rat liver could not be explained on the basis of more rapid dissipation of the transmembrane Na+ gradient. Kinetic studies demonstrated saturable, Na+-dependent taurocholate uptake for both suckling and adult vesicles. However, the Vmax for taurocholate uptake in suckling rat vesicles was less than half of the adult rate (2.46 +/- 0.13 vs. 5.25 +/- 0.22 nmol X mg prot-1 X min-1, respectively, P less than 0.001). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Breast segmentation using Fuzzy C-Means and anatomical priors in DCE-MRI

Dynamic Contrast Enhanced - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) is gaining popularity as complementary diagnostic tool for breast cancer. In a typical Computer Aided Detection (CAD) processing, the identification and segmentation of the breast parenchyma is a crucial stage aimed to reduce computational effort and increase reliability, by reducing the number of voxels to analyse and removing foreign tissues and air. The aim of this work is to propose a fully-automated geometrical-based breast-mask extraction method in DCE-MRI, that combines three 2D Fuzzy C-Means clustering and geometrical breast anatomy characterization. In particular, seven well defined key-points have been considered in order to accurately segment breast parenchyma from air and chest-wall. The proposed approach has been validated on 30 DCE-MRI studies. The median segmentation accuracy and Dice similarity index were 97.86 (±0.49) and 92.66 (±1.48) respectively with p < 0.05, and 100% of neoplastic lesion coverage.
Magnetic source imaging and brain surgery: presurgical and intraoperative planning in 26 patients.

OBJECT The availability of large-array biomagnetometers has led to advances in magnetoencephalography that permit scientists and clinicians to map selected brain functions onto magnetic resonance images. This merging of technologies is termed magnetic source (MS) imaging. The present study was undertaken to assess the role of MS imaging for the guidance of presurgical planning and intraoperative neurosurgical technique used in patients with intracranial mass lesions. METHODS Twenty-six patients with intracranial mass lesions underwent a medical evaluation consisting of MS imaging, a clinical history, a neurological examination, and assessment with the Karnofsky Performance Scale. Magnetic source imaging was used to locate the somatosensory cortex in 25 patients, the visual cortex in six, and the auditory cortex in four. The distance between the lesion and the functional cortex was determined for each patient. Twenty-one patients underwent a neurosurgical procedure. As a surgical adjunct, a frameless stereotactic navigational system was used in 17 cases and a standard stereotactic apparatus in four cases. Because of the results of their MS imaging examination, two patients were not offered surgery, four underwent a stereotactic biopsy procedure, 10 were treated with a subtotal surgical resection, and seven were treated with complete surgical resection. One patient deteriorated before a procedure could be scheduled and, therefore, was not offered surgery, and two patients were offered surgery but declined. Three patients experienced surgery-related complications. CONCLUSIONS Magnetic source imaging is an important noninvasive neurodiagnostic tool that provides critical information regarding the spatial relationship of a brain lesion to functional cortex. By providing this information, MS imaging facilitates a minimum-risk management strategy and helps guide operative neurosurgical technique in patients with intracranial mass lesions.
Intelligent frequency control using optimal tuning and demand response in an AC microgrid

Future smart microgrids need increased flexibility and intelligence in control and optimization to maintain a generation-load balance. This concern becomes more significant today because of lack of conventional Automatic Generation Control (AGC) and spinning reserves which introduce new issues for providing ancillary services. Moreover, due to increasing renewable energy penetration in power systems, conventional controllers may be unable to maintain the system stability. In response to this issue, this paper presents an intelligent control algorithm using fuzzy logic and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Furthermore, the effect of Demand Response (DR) in continuously balancing generation and demand, when the output from wind and photovoltaic (PV) varies naturally, is proposed. Simulation results are examined on an islanded microgrid case study. The performance of the proposed controller is compared with conventional control design and the effect of DR in fast power compensation is proved.
A discourse analysis technique for charting the flow of micro-information behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to describe a discourse analysis technique which can be used to analyze text or speech that is produced by people when discussing their information practices.Design/methodology/approach – The method involves coding the phrases and sentences of this interpretive discourse into the three domains of behavior investigated in psychology and education, namely, the affective domain of evaluating and intending, the cognitive domain of appraising and planning, and the sensorimotor domain of noticing, perceiving, and executing or acting.Findings – Samples of discourse from independent published sources were categorized and coded. In every case people's self‐descriptions of their information practices are shown to contain references to their activities in these three domains. A model is presented to depict how information behavior can be represented as a continuous processing flow of satisficing and optimizing behavior. These mental behavioral procedures are practiced by ind.
Construction of a Dose–Illness Relationship via Modeling Morbidity and Application to Risk Assessment of Wastewater Reuse

A disease burden (DB) evaluation for environmental pathogens is generally performed using disability‐adjusted life years with the aim of providing a quantitative assessment of the health hazard caused by pathogens. A critical step in the preparation for this evaluation is the estimation of morbidity between exposure and disease occurrence. In this study, the method of a traditional dose–response analysis was first reviewed, and then a combination of the theoretical basis of a “single‐hit” and an “infection‐illness” model was performed by incorporating two critical factors: the “infective coefficient” and “infection duration. ” This allowed a dose–morbidity model to be built for direct use in DB calculations. In addition, human experimental data for typical intestinal pathogens were obtained for model validation, and the results indicated that the model was well fitted and could be further used for morbidity estimation. On this basis, a real case of a water reuse project was selected for model application, and the morbidity as well as the DB caused by intestinal pathogens during water reuse was evaluated. The results show that the DB attributed to Enteroviruses was significant, while that for enteric bacteria was negligible. Therefore, water treatment technology should be further improved to reduce the exposure risk of Enteroviruses. Since road flushing was identified as the major exposure route, human contact with reclaimed water through this pathway should be limited. The methodology proposed for model construction not only makes up for missing data of morbidity during risk evaluation, but is also necessary to quantify the maximum possible DB.
ANTITHROMBIN III DEFICIENCY IN A CHINESE FAMILY

Familial antithrombin Ill deficiency, which is inherited by autosomal dominant transmission, is now well recognized as a cause of recurrent venous thromboembolism. Many such families have now been described, but few came from Asia. This report details a Chinese kindred with three members living in Sydney, two of whom are affected.
Coordinated Robust Control of DFIG Wind Turbine and PSS for Stabilization of Power Oscillations Considering System Uncertainties

Uncertainties in power systems, such as intermittent wind power, generating and loading conditions may cause the malfunction of power system stabilizing controllers, which are designed without considering such uncertainties. To enhance the robustness of stabilizing controllers against system uncertainties, this paper proposes a new coordinated robust control of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbine equipped with power oscillation damper (POD) and synchronous generator installed with power system stabilizer (PSS) for stabilization of power system oscillations. Without the difficulty of mathematical representation, the inverse output multiplicative perturbation is used to model system uncertainties. The structure of POD and PSS is specified as a practical second-order lead/lag compensator with single input. The parameters optimization of POD and PSS is conducted so that the stabilizing performance and robustness of POD and PSS are augmented. The improved firefly algorithm is applied to solve the optimization problem and achieve the POD and PSS parameters automatically. Simulation study in the modified IEEE-39 bus New England system included with DFIG wind turbines ensures that the robustness and stabilizing performance of the proposed coordinated DFIG with POD and PSS are much superior to those of the conventional DFIG with POD and PSS under various severe disturbances and system uncertainties.
State formation in community spaces? Decentralization of control over forests in the Kumaon Himalaya, India

In the early part of this century, 1916 and 1921 were especially dry years in the Kumaon region of the Indian Himalaya. In each of these years, forest fires racked the countryside, burning beyond the power of the colonial British government to control or extinguish. It was not just the dry weather that was to blame. Villagers in Kumaon set the forest on fire; the dry weather merely helped their efforts along. The containment of this "planned incendiarism" was one of the main planks of the scientific forestry that the colonial state' had begun to introduce in the hills in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and especially from around 1910.2 For the hill residents who relied on a mixture of livestock rearing and agriculture, and for many of whom fire encouraged the production of fresh grasses, government attempts to prevent firing were always to remain a "source of complaint" (Smythies
Novel Campylobacter-like organism resembling Helicobacter fennelliae isolated from a boy with gastroenteritis and from dogs

We isolated a Campylobacter-like organism resembling Helicobacter fennelliae from a 5 1/2-year-old boy with gastroenteritis. Similar strains had been found previously in fecal specimens from healthy and diarrheic dogs. These isolates could be differentiated from H. fennelliae by a lack of catalase and arylsulfatase activities. This group of organisms seems to be homogeneous by a nonradioactive dot blot DNA hybridization assay.
Obesity and altered glucose metabolism impact HDL composition in CETP transgenic mice: a role for ovarian hormones[S]

Mechanisms underlying changes in HDL composition caused by obesity are poorly defined, partly because mice lack expression of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), which shuttles triglyceride and cholesteryl ester between lipoproteins. Because menopause is associated with weight gain, altered glucose metabolism, and changes in HDL, we tested the effect of feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) and ovariectomy (OVX) on glucose metabolism and HDL composition in CETP transgenic mice. After OVX, female CETP-expressing mice had accelerated weight gain with HFD-feeding and impaired glucose tolerance by hyperglycemic clamp techniques, compared with OVX mice fed a low-fat diet (LFD). Sham-operated mice (SHAM) did not show HFD-induced weight gain and had less glucose intolerance than OVX mice. Using shotgun HDL proteomics, HFD-feeding in OVX mice had a large effect on HDL composition, including increased levels of apoA2, apoA4, apoC2, and apoC3, proteins involved in TG metabolism. These changes were associated with decreased hepatic expression of SR-B1, ABCA1, and LDL receptor, proteins involved in modulating the lipid content of HDL. In SHAM mice, there were minimal changes in HDL composition with HFD feeding. These studies suggest that the absence of ovarian hormones negatively influences the response to high-fat feeding in terms of glucose tolerance and HDL composition. CETP-expressing mice may represent a useful model to define how metabolic changes affect HDL composition and function.
The Effect of Cu:Ag Atomic Ratio on the Properties of Sputtered Cu–Ag Alloy Thin Films

Cu–Ag thin films with various atomic ratios were prepared using a co-sputtering technique, followed by rapid thermal annealing at various temperatures. The films’ structural, mechanical, and electrical properties were then characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FESEM, nano-indentation, and TEM as functions of compositions and annealing conditions. In the as-deposited condition, the structure of these films transformed from a one-phase to a dual-phase state, and the resistivity shows a twin-peak pattern, which can be explained in part by Nordheim’s Rule and the miscibility gap of Cu–Ag alloy. After being annealed, the films’ resistivity followed the mixture rule in general, mainly due to the formation of a dual-phase structure containing Ag-rich and Cu-rich phases. The surface morphology and structure also varied as compositions and annealing conditions changed. The recrystallization of these films varied depending on Ag–Cu compositions. The annealed films composed of 40 at % to 60 at % Cu had higher hardness and lower roughness than those with other compositions. Particularly, the Cu50Ag50 film had the highest hardness after being annealed. From the dissolution testing, it was found that the Cu-ion concentration was about 40 times higher than that of Ag. The galvanic effect and over-saturated state could be the cause of the accelerated Cu dissolution and the reduced dissolution of the Ag.
Semisupervised Spectral–Spatial Classification of Hyperspectral Imagery With Affinity Scoring

Semi supervised classification has become popular, since it can make use of a limited amount of prior knowledge in hyperspectral images. However, spectral internal-class variability adds a great challenge to the task. To address these issues, we propose a novel semi supervised spectral-spatial classification method based on affinity scoring (AS) (SCAS). Adapted from fuzzy logic, AS exploits spectral and spatial features with their fuzzy contributions to classification by weighing on three factors: local class consistency, spectral similarity, and prior knowledge. SCAS consists of three main steps: oversegmentation, semi supervised classification, and modification. The first step generates super pixels and uses them to maintain local class consistency. The second and third steps employ AS to classify the super pixels and refine the classified map, respectively. Experiments show that the proposed method can outperform some classic methods and state-of-the-art classifiers.
Secret Sharing Schemes over MANET to Avoid Cheater Participation

Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANET) has become the most important means of communication in our day to day life. A rapid advance in technology and proliferation of wireless devices in the recent times has attracted huge attention towards research on MANET. Secret sharing is an important phenomenon in order to secure the data transmission over MANET. There are number of approaches have been proposed in the current scenario. Recently various algorithms have been proposed in this regards. But there is problem of wrong reconstruction due to fake player participation. To overcome this problem this work presents an optimal approach for secret sharing. There is some problem that may occur while reconstructing the data at the reconstruction site. In this manner this dissertation has been proposing an optimal approach in order to perform secret sharing. In this paper initially proposed methodology use secret building phase, initially data packet MP can be divided into number of neighbor node and attach CRC value of rest with each phase for authentication at destination. Proposed Methodology used to calculate combine CRC for N-1 phase for any random phase. Whereas at destination end for each datagram CRC value is use to verify cheater participation. If CRC is not match then destination node send retransmission request to sender and whole process freshly repeated.
Improved Delay-Dependent Globally Asymptotic Stability Criteria for Neural Networks With a Constant Delay

This paper considers the stability analysis problem for neural networks with a constant delay. Based on the dividing of the delay, a new Lyapunov functional is constructed, and a novel delay-dependent stability criterion is derived to guarantee the globally asymptotic stability of the neural network. It is established theoretically that the criterion is less conservative than recently reported ones. Expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), the stability condition can be checked using the numerically efficient Matlab LMI control toolbox. An example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and the reduced conservatism of the analysis result.