Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Stability of Urea in Dried Blood Spots Collected and Stored on Filter Paper

The ability to use dry blood spots (DBSs) on filter paper for the analysis of urea levels could be an important diagnostic tool for areas that have limited access to laboratory facilities. We developed a method for the extraction and quantification of urea from DBSs that were stored on 3M Whatman filter paper and investigated the effect of long-term storage on the level of urea in DBSs. DBSs of 4.5 mm in diameter were used for our assay, and we determined the urea levels in blood using a commercially available enzymatic kit (UV GLDH-method; Randox laboratories Ltd., UK). The DBSs on filter discs were stored at 4℃ or at 37℃ for 120 days. The mean intra- and inter-assay coefficient of variance for our method of urea extraction from dried blood was 4.2% and 6.3%, respectively. We collected 75 fresh blood samples and compared the urea content of each fresh sample with the urea content of DBSs taken from corresponding fresh blood samples. Regression analysis reported a regression coefficient (r) value of 0.97 and a recovery of urea from dried spots was 102.2%. Urea concentrations in DBSs were stable for up to 120 and 90 days when stored at 4℃ and 37℃, respectively. Our results show that urea can be stored and quantitatively recovered from small volumes of blood that was collected on filter paper.
Latent HIV-1 Can Be Reactivated by Cellular Superinfection in a Tat-Dependent Manner, Which Can Lead to the Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant Recombinant Viruses

ABSTRACT The HIV-1 latent reservoir represents an important source of genetic diversity that could contribute to viral evolution and multidrug resistance following latent virus reactivation. This could occur by superinfection of a latently infected cell. We asked whether latent viruses might be reactivated when their host cells are superinfected, and if so, whether they could contribute to the generation of recombinant viruses. Using populations of latently infected Jurkat cells, we found that latent viruses were efficiently reactivated upon superinfection. Pathways leading to latent virus reactivation via superinfection might include gp120-CD4/CXCR4-induced signaling, modulation of the cellular environment by Nef, and/or the activity of Tat produced upon superinfection. Using a range of antiviral compounds and genetic approaches, we show that gp120 and Nef are not required for latent virus reactivation by superinfection, but this process depends on production of functional Tat by the superinfecting virus. In a primary cell model of latency in unstimulated CD4 T cells, superinfection also led to latent virus reactivation. Drug-resistant latent viruses were also reactivated following superinfection in Jurkat cells and were able to undergo recombination with the superinfecting virus. Under drug-selective pressure, this generated multidrug-resistant recombinants that were identified by unique restriction digestion band patterns and by population-level sequencing. During conditions of poor drug adherence, treatment interruption or treatment failure, or in drug-impermeable sanctuary sites, reactivation of latent viruses by superinfection or other means could provide for the emergence or spread of replicatively fit viruses in the face of strong selective pressures.
Switching Frequency Reduction Using Model Predictive Direct Current Control for High-Power Voltage Source Inverters

In this paper, a novel current control approach called model predictive direct current control (MPDCC) is presented. The controller takes into account the discrete states of the voltage source inverter (VSI), and the current errors are predicted for each sampling period. Voltage vectors are selected by a graph algorithm, whereby the most appropriate vector is chosen based on an optimization criterion. However, this depends on whether the state of the system is transient or steady. In the first case, the current error should be minimized as fast as possible in order to obtain fast dynamics. In the latter one, the VSI switching behavior is optimized since the switching losses account for a large amount of the total converter losses in high-power drive systems. MPDCC has been developed for a general neutral-point isolated resistive-inductive load with an internal voltage source. For demonstration, the presented control strategy has been implemented on a small-scale permanent-magnet synchronous machine drive system with a two-level VSI. This new approach has several advantages. The most important one is that the switching frequency is reduced up to 70% compared to linear control combined with pulsewidth modulation. Second, MPDCC obtains fast dynamic responses, which are already known from, e.g., direct torque control.
A comparison of co-energy and lorenz force based simulations of rail guns

Rail guns are serious contenders for future naval weapon systems because of their ability to overcome the speed limitations of chemically propelled shells. Muzzle velocities in excess of 2km/s are achievable by rail guns and this provides ranges far in excess of current capability. In addition this speed allows the kinetic energy of around 60 MJ alone to provide the destructive effect. The absence of high energy explosive in the warhead also simplifies ship design by the removal of the need for magazines. However such performance requires, for a 20 kg projectile, very large amounts of stored electrical power, perhaps in excess of 200 MJ, together with an allocation of up to 20 MW steady power generation to sustain a firing rate of 6 rounds per minute. A previous paper used a co-energy analysis to explore the ship integration issues such as heat management and rail stresses arising from the operation of a rail gun. This paper extends the granularity of the physical simulation of the rail gun's operation by using a finite element approach based on Ampere's law of magnetic induction and compares its results to those of the original co-energy analysis.
Targeting and Processing of Pro‐Opiomelanocortin in Neuronal Cell Lines

Abstract Pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC) is the precursor to several pituitary hormones including adrenocorticotropic hormone and β‐endorphin (β‐END). POMC is also expressed in the brain, predominantly in discrete neuronal cell populations of the hypothalamus. In the pituitary and brain, POMC undergoes tissue‐specific proteolysis to release different bioactive peptides. POMC processing in neuronal cell lines was studied after infection of PC 12 and Neuro2A cells with a recombinant retrovirus carrying the porcine POMC cDNA. Our results indicate that both cell lines synthesize and target POMC to the regulated secretory pathway. Only the Neuro2A cells, however, can achieve proteolytic processing of POMC. Chromatographic and immunological characterization of the POMC‐related material showed that β‐lipotropin (β‐LPH) and nonacetylated β‐END(1‐31) are major maturation products of POMC in these cells. Release of both β‐LPH and β‐END(1‐31) from infected Neuro2A cells can be stimulated by secretagogues in a calcium‐dependent manner. Taken together, our results suggest that the cellular machinery of Neuro2A cells can recognize a foreign prohormone, target it to neurosecretory vesicles, process it into biologically active peptides, and secrete it in a manner characteristic to peptidergic neurons.
Greenhouse and Field Evaluations of an Autoselective System Based on an Essential Thymidylate Synthase Gene for Improved Maintenance of Plasmid Vectors in Modified Rhizobium meliloti

The stability of the thy autoselective system, based on an essential thymidylate synthase gene, for enhanced maintenance of plasmid vectors in Rhizobium meliloti was evaluated in the greenhouse and with field-grown alfalfa. The thy autoselective system consists of a free-replicating, broad-host-range plasmid vector containing a copy of the thyA gene from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and a spontaneous mutant of R. meliloti deficient in thymidylate synthase (Thy(sup-)). Under greenhouse conditions, Thy(sup-) rhizobia did not persist in rooting solution alone unless supplemented with thymidine but survived in the presence of the host plant. Nodules formed on alfalfa plants grown in thymidine-free rooting solution and inoculated with Thy(sup-) rhizobia contained only Thy(sup+) revertants. In soil, Thy(sup-) rhizobia were compromised and failed to nodulate alfalfa. Thy(sup-) mutants containing a thy plasmid survived in the rhizosphere and nodulated alfalfa like the wild-type strain. The thy autoselective system was tested in the field with Thy(sup-) strain Rm24T and pPR602, a thy plasmid vector devoid of antibiotic resistance genes and marked with constitutively expressed lacZY. At 80 days after sowing, most rhizobia isolated from the nodules of field-grown alfalfa inoculated with Rm42T(pPR602) contained pPR602. The thy autoselective system proved useful to ensure maintenance of the plasmid vector under greenhouse and field conditions in R. meliloti.
Match-to-match variability in high-speed running activity in a professional soccer team

ABSTRACT This study investigated variability in competitive high-speed running performance in an elite soccer team. A semi-automated tracking system quantified running performance in 12 players over a season (median 17 matches per player, 207 observations). Variability [coefficient of variation (CV)] was compared for total sprint distance (TSD, >25.2 km/h), high-speed running (HSR, 19.8–25.2 km/h), total high-speed running (THSR, ≥19.8 km/h); THSR when the team was in and out of ball possession, in individual ball possession, in the peak 5 min activity period; and distance run according to individual maximal aerobic speed (MAS). Variability for % declines in THSR and distance covered at ≥80% MAS across halves, at the end of play (final 15 min vs. mean for all 15 min periods) and transiently (5 min period following peak 5 min activity period), was analysed. Collectively, variability was higher for TSD versus HSR and THSR and lowest for distance run at ≥80% MAS (CVs: 37.1%, 18.1%, 19.8% and 11.8%). THSR CVs when the team was in/out of ball possession, in individual ball possession and during the peak 5 min period were 31.5%, 26.1%, 60.1% and 23.9%. Variability in THSR declines across halves, at the end of play and transiently, ranged from 37.1% to 142.6%, while lower CVs were observed in these metrics for running at ≥80% MAS (20.9–53.3%). These results cast doubt on the appropriateness of general measures of high-speed activity for determining variability in an elite soccer team, although individualisation of HSR thresholds according to fitness characteristics might provide more stable indicators of running performance and fatigue occurrence.
Size, Value, and Momentum in Indian Equities

Traditionally, investment management consisted of (a) asset allocation (how much to invest in stocks and how much in safer assets like bonds) and (b) security selection (which stocks to buy and sell). The asset allocation decision can be implemented in a passive way: it is possible to buy an indexed fund that provides exposure to equity market without worrying about individual stock picking decisions at all. The second decision (security selection) is inherently a process of active management which involves taking a view on the prospects of individual companies. In recent decades, considerable attention has been focused on factor investing,1 which is an intermediate between asset allocation and security selection. It takes a more disaggregated view than stocks versus bonds, but it does not go all the way down to individual stocks. It is not quite as passive as buying an indexed fund, but neither is it as active as picking individual stocks. Factor investing is about tilting the portfolio towards (or away from) a large group of stocks (for example, towards small capitalization stocks and away from large capitalization stocks). For institutional investors, this perspective often turns out to be the most important one: in a portfolio of hundreds of stocks, individual stock picks tend to become unimportant (they get diversified), while the systematic tilts in the portfolio (the factor exposures) dominate performance.
Arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation increases coronary flow velocity reserve in Japanese elderly individuals

Background: Arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are important components of phospholipids and cell membranes. There has, however, been no clinical report on the direct effects of ARA and DHA on coronary circulation. Objective: To evaluate the effects of ARA and DHA on coronary circulation using the measurement of coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE). Methods: A double-blind, placebo-matched study of 28 Japanese elderly individuals (19 men, mean age 65 years) conducted to compare the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; ARA 240 mg/day, DHA 240 mg/day) and placebo on CFVR. Coronary flow velocity (CFV) of the left anterior descending coronary artery was measured at rest and during hyperaemia by TTDE to determine CFVR. Results: There were no significant differences in CFV at rest or during hyperaemia in CFVR at baseline in the two groups (PUFA versus placebo 17 (7 SD) versus 16 (6), 62 (20) versus 59 (12), and 3.85 (1.04) versus 3.98 (0.83) cm/s, respectively). After three months’ supplementation, CFV during hyperaemia was significantly higher in the PUFA than in the placebo group (73 (19) versus 64 (12) cm/s, p<0.01) although no significant difference was found between the two groups in CFV at rest (17 (7) versus 16 (4) cm/s). CFVR thus significantly increased after PUFA consumption (3.85 (1.04) versus 4.46 (0.95), p = 0.0023). Conclusion: Three months’ supplementation of PUFA increased CFVR in Japanese elderly individuals, which suggests beneficial effects of PUFA on the coronary microcirculation.
Perceptions of children and their parents about the pain experienced during their hospitalization and its impact on parents' quality of life.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to assess pain levels and perceptions concerning pain by both children and their parents during hospitalization, as well as the impact of that pain upon parents' quality of life. METHODS The sample of the study consisted of 92 pediatric cancer patients, 159 pediatric patients with musculoskeletal problems and one of their parents. The study was performed between November 2010 and May 2011. The Pediatric Pain Questionnaire (Parent Version) and the PedsQL-Family Impact Module were used for pain assessment and the quality of life by the parents. Young patients completed the pediatric version of the Pediatric Pain Questionnaire for the evaluation of pediatric pain. Pain was measured by using the Wong-Baker facial pain scale, included in both parent and child version of the Pediatric Pain Questionnaire. This rating scale is recommended for children 3 years and older. RESULTS Young patients reported higher acute pain scores than their parents (z = -2.5, P = 0.011; 99% confidence interval: 0.008-0.013). Young patients with orthopedic disorders had higher acute and chronic pain scores in comparison to their parents' reports (z = -3.4, P = 0.001; 99% confidence interval: 0.000-0.001 and z = -2.3, P = 0.021; 99% confidence interval: 0.017-0.025, respectively). Girls reported higher pain scores than boys (z = -2.0, P = 0.047; 99% CI: 0.041-0.052). CONCLUSIONS Parental reports tended to underestimated children's pain, especially acute pain. The sex of children, the age and the marital status affect the perceptions of both children and their parents about pain. The parental quality of life is affected especially when the pain is caused by life-threatening diseases such as cancer. However, it improves as the treatment of their children is completed with no complications.
Networks of Swiss Water Governance Issues. Studying Fit between Media Attention and Organizational Activity

Abstract This study analyzes Swiss water governance as a network of interrelated issues. It compares how organizations reflect relations between governance issues in their activity with the way issue relations are depicted by the media (issue attention-activity fit). To do so, a media data analysis, supported by machine learning, is combined with a nation-wide survey. Prominent areas of misfit relate to the coordination between water saving measures and drought risks; the exploitation of subterranean resources and drinking water protection; and issues of micropollutants. The study demonstrates that comparing organizational activity with media attention is particularly well suited to recognize newly emerging, currently neglected areas of governance.
Short-term load forecasting using semi-parametric additive models

Short-term load forecasting is an essential instrument in power system planning, operation and control. Many operating decisions are based on load forecasts, such as dispatch scheduling of generating capacity, reliability analysis, and maintenance planning for the generators. Overestimation of electricity demand will cause a conservative operation, which leads to the start-up of too many units or excessive energy purchase, thereby supplying an unnecessary level of reserve. On the contrary, underestimation may result in a risky operation, with insufficient preparation of spinning reserve, causing the system to operate in a vulnerable region to the disturbance. In this paper, semi-parametric additive models are proposed to estimate the relationships between demand and the driver variables. Specifically, the inputs for these models are calendar variables, lagged actual demand observations and historical and forecast temperature traces for one or more sites in the target power system. In addition to point forecasts, prediction intervals are also estimated using a modified bootstrap method suitable for the complex seasonality seen in electricity demand data. The proposed methodology has been used to forecast the half-hourly electricity demand for up to seven days ahead for power systems in the Australian National Electricity Market. The performance of the methodology is validated via out-of-sample experiments with real data from the power system, as well as through on-site implementation by the system operator.
Clinical and immunological characteristics of patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection after vaccination.

BACKGROUND We followed a cohort of 773 individuals who received a monovalent vaccine against 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1). Approximately 6 weeks after vaccination, 12 persons developed the disease. METHODS Three groups of subjects were studied (12 patients who had or had not received previous monovalent vaccine and 1 group of 49 control subjects who had previously been immunized with the same vaccine). For all patients, clinical features were characterized and the causative viruses sequenced for possible mutations. Nasopharyngeal swabs, serum specimens, and peripheral blood monocyte cells (PBMCs) were collected at different time points up to 11 weeks after symptom onset to measure the virus load and humoral and cellular immune responses. Serum samples and PBMCs were also collected from 49 and 16 vaccinated control subjects, respectively. RESULTS Both patient groups had similar clinical manifestations. No substantial viral mutations were detected. Compared with unvaccinated patients, viral loads in vaccinated patients were initially higher, but the levels decreased faster to undetectable levels. However, the virus became detectable again for 6 of them. Two weeks after infection, vaccinated and unvaccinated patients had similar neutralizing antibody levels as the vaccinated control subjects. Thereafter, the neutralizing antibody levels decreased markedly in vaccinated patients. During the acute phase, memory T cell counts and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were significantly higher in vaccinated than in unvaccinated patients. CONCLUSIONS Although the clinical consequences of infection are comparable between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients, humoral and cellular immune responses in vaccinated patients are boosted for some weeks, indicating an additional benefit of vaccination against 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus.
Gestational Diabetes—Infant Malformations and Subsequent Maternal Glucose Tolerance

Summary: The frequency of abnormal glucose tolerance in the first 12 months after gestational diabetes was found to be 33.3%, which is much higher than previously accepted. Women with gestational diabetes (Group 1 = 54 requiring insulin, Group 2 = 32 treated with diet alone) attending a metropolitan teaching hospital over a 3 1/2 year period were followed‐up after delivery to determine their subsequent glucose tolerance. Of 86 seen 3 months after delivery, 2 had developed insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 2 noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), diagnosed by glucose tolerance testing. Another 38 returned for follow‐up glucose tolerance testing at 12 months; of these 3 had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 7 had NIDDM, and one who had had NIDDM at 3 months now showed IGT after 9 months dietary treatment. Thus, 12 months after delivery, the cumulative prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance was 14/42 (33.3%), 10 of the 42 being frankly diabetic (26%). Of the remaining 44 patients, 21 have not yet reached 12 months or were pregnant again, and 23 did not attend for glucose tolerance testing.
Transcriptional Profiling of Hydrogen Production Metabolism of Rhodobacter capsulatus under Temperature Stress by Microarray Analysis

Biohydrogen is a clean and renewable form of hydrogen, which can be produced by photosynthetic bacteria in outdoor large-scale photobioreactors using sunlight. In this study, the transcriptional response of Rhodobacter capsulatus to cold (4 °C) and heat (42 °C) stress was studied using microarrays. Bacteria were grown in 30/2 acetate/glutamate medium at 30 °C for 48 h under continuous illumination. Then, cold and heat stresses were applied for two and six hours. Growth and hydrogen production were impaired under both stress conditions. Microarray chips for R. capsulatus were custom designed by Affymetrix (GeneChip®. TR_RCH2a520699F). The numbers of significantly changed genes were 328 and 293 out of 3685 genes under cold and heat stress, respectively. Our results indicate that temperature stress greatly affects the hydrogen production metabolisms of R. capsulatus. Specifically, the expression of genes that participate in nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis and the electron transport system were induced by cold stress, while decreased by heat stress. Heat stress also resulted in down regulation of genes related to cell envelope, transporter and binding proteins. Transcriptome analysis and physiological results were consistent with each other. The results presented here may aid clarification of the genetic mechanisms for hydrogen production in purple non-sulfur (PNS) bacteria under temperature stress.
Path planning for mobile robot using the particle swarm optimization with mutation operator

Path planning is one of the most important technologies in the navigation of the mobile robot, which should meet the optimization and real-time requests. This paper presents a novel approach of path planning. First the MAKLINK graph is built to describe the working space of the mobile robot; then the Dijkstra algorithm is used to obtain the shortest path from the start point to the goal point in the graph, finally the particle swarm optimization algorithm is adopted to get the optimal path. Aiming at the shortcoming of the PSO algorithm, that is, easily plunging into the local minimum, this paper puts forward an advanced PSO algorithm with the mutation operator. By adding a mutation operator to the algorithm, it can not only escape the attraction of the local minimum in the later convergence phase, but also maintain the characteristic of fast speed in the early phase. The results of the simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can meet the real-time requests of the mobile robot's navigation.