Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Basis of Proteolytic Activation of l-Phenylalanine Oxidase from Pseudomonas sp. P-501*

The mature form of l-phenylalanine oxidase (PAOpt) from Pseudomonas sp. P-501 was generated and activated by the proteolytic cleavage of a noncatalytic proenzyme (proPAO). The crystal structures of proPAO, PAOpt, and the PAOpt-o-amino benzoate (AB) complex were determined at 1.7, 1.25, and 1.35Å resolutions, respectively. The structure of proPAO suggests that the prosequence peptide of proPAO occupies the funnel (pathway) of the substrate amino acid from the outside of the protein to the interior flavin ring, whereas the funnel is closed with the hydrophobic residues at its vestibule in both PAOpt and the PAOpt-AB complex. All three structures have an oxygen channel that is open to the surface of the protein from the flavin ring. These results suggest that structural changes were induced by proteolysis; that is, the proteolysis of proPAO removes the prosequence and closes the funnel to keep the active site hydrophobic but keeps the oxygen channel open. The possibility that an interaction of the hydrophobic side chain of substrate with the residues of the vestibule region may open the funnel as a putative amino acid channel is discussed.
[Clinical practice parameters for hemodynamic support of pediatric and neonatal patients in septic shock].

BACKGROUND The Institute of Medicine has called for the development of clinical guidelines and practice parameters to develop "best practice" and potentially improve patient outcome. OBJECTIVE To provide American College of Critical Care Medicine clinical guidelines for hemodynamic support of neonates and children with septic shock. SETTING Individual members of the Society of Critical Care Medicine with special interest in neonatal and pediatric septic shock were identified from literature review and general solicitation at Society of Critical Care Medicine Educational and Scientific Symposia (1998-2001). METHODS The Medline literature database was searched with the following age specific keywords: sepsis, septicemia, septic shock, endotoxemia, persistent pulmonary hypertension, nitric oxide, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. More than 30 experts graded literature and drafted specific recommendations by using a modified Delphi method. More than 30 more experts then reviewed the compiled recommendations. The task force chairman modified the document until <10% of experts disagreed with the recommendations. RESULTS Only four randomized controlled trials in children with septic shock could be identified. None of these randomized trials led to a change in practice. Clinical practice has been based, for the most part, on physiologic experiments, case series, and cohort studies. Despite relatively low American College of Critical Care Medicine-graded evidence in the pediatric literature, outcomes in children have improved from 97% mortality in the 1960s to 60% in the 1980s and 9% mortality in 1999. U.S. hospital survival was three fold better in children compared with adults (9% vs. 27% mortality) in 1999. Shock pathophysiology and response to therapies is age specific. For example, cardiac failure is a predominant cause of death in neonates and children, but vascular failure is a predominant cause of death in adults. Inotropes, vasodilators (children), inhaled nitric oxide (neonates), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be more important contributors to survival in the pediatric populations, whereas vasopressors can be more important contributors to adult survival. CONCLUSION American College of Critical Care Medicine adult guide lines for hemodynamic support of septic shock have little application to the management of pediatric or neonatal septic shock. Studies are required to determine whether American College of Critical Care Medicine guidelines for hemodynamic support of pediatric and neonatal septic shock will be implemented and associated with improved outcome.
A coarse‐grained protein force field for folding and structure prediction

We have revisited the protein coarse‐grained optimized potential for efficient structure prediction (OPEP). The training and validation sets consist of 13 and 16 protein targets. Because optimization depends on details of how the ensemble of decoys is sampled, trial conformations are generated by molecular dynamics, threading, greedy, and Monte Carlo simulations, or taken from publicly available databases. The OPEP parameters are varied by a genetic algorithm using a scoring function which requires that the native structure has the lowest energy, and the native‐like structures have energy higher than the native structure but lower than the remote conformations. Overall, we find that OPEP correctly identifies 24 native or native‐like states for 29 targets and has very similar capability to the all‐atom discrete optimized protein energy model (DOPE), found recently to outperform five currently used energy models. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Current-Mode Circuits Based on SIMO OTA: Review and New Applications in Filters

The paper deals with design of low-order RC filters working in current mode (CM). As the basic building blocks, transconductors (OTA) with single input and multiple outputs are used. One-loop, two-loop and multi-loop structures are discussed. The adjoint VM-CM transformation is used to obtain new circuits from known VM prototype. The designed structures are verified by Pspice simulations using models of OTAs on transistor level of description.
Molecular Epidemiology of Disease Due to Mycobacterium bovis in Humans in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium bovis is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, with a wide host range. Fifty human M. bovis isolates were typed using spoligotyping and variable number tandem repeats (VNTR). Fifteen of these spoligotypes have not yet been recorded in cattle. The predominant spoligotype in humans and cattle was subdivided by VNTR.
Sustaining Participant Involvement in Crowdsourcing Contests through Collaboration

With the advances in internet technologies and the emergence of crowdsourcing, organizations are now increasingly looking outside their boundaries for solving problems. Yet, the success of crowdsourcing processes depends on the sustained participation of crowdsourcing individuals. Previous studies have mainly focused on understanding individuals’ initial motivation for participation with few focusing on the factors that affect individuals’ sustained participation in crowdsourcing contests. None of these studies examined how collaboration affects individuals’ participation behavior in crowdsourcing contests. This study attempts to understand how individuals’ collaboration (in the form of comments and votes) affects their sustained participation in online problem solving contests. This study uses data from the Kaggle website that holds online data science competitions in which individuals submit their proposed solutions with the best solutions being rewarded. Our results show that individuals who receive more attention from other members tend to come back and maintain their participation in the platform.
Distributed and Coordinated Spectrum Access Methods for Heterogeneous Channel Bonding

Channel bonding (CB) is a technique that enables a wireless link to combine channels and achieve higher data rates. In this paper, competition for efficient spectrum access among autonomous users with heterogeneous CB capabilities is considered. Specifically, we propose distributed and coordinated channel/bonding selection methods under signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and collision-protocol models. In our methods, users utilize only limited feedback to distributively arrive at CB selections that minimize their probability of conflict. The proposed method utilizes a novel channel quality metric, which is based on the ratio of noise power to the sum of interference and noise power. It is shown that CB can lead to higher data rates, and it is most beneficial when users have a high SINR. However, it is also shown that as the ratio of users to available channels increases, CB performance degrades. Our results show that under certain scenarios, the proposed coordinated and distributed channel/bonding selection schemes help users converge fast to conflict-free channel selections as compared to the other channel/bonding selection schemes. Moreover, the proposed schemes result in considerably superior performance to existing CB schemes in terms of network data rate.
Efficient gender classification methodology using DWT and PCA

Recognition of gender from face images has accomplished great popularity and also enlightened some new research problems. In this paper, we presented a new technique for gender classification using DWT and PCA. The technique has shown performance better than existing gender classification techniques. Experiments were carried out on standard face database used in various existing works of literature. Our proposed method provides high accuracy and is resilient to brightness changes comparison to those techniques which are in practice.
The Strategic Value of Public Sector Analytics: A Framework and a Showcase Study

The public value of information technology has received increasing attention in recent years. While most research focuses on mediating e-government technologies, we investigate the strategic value of big data and analytics in public sector decision-making. Using the strategic triangle of value, legitimacy, and operational capacity as a starting point, we derive a framework to assess the strategic value of public sector analytics, along with six guiding questions that structure the assessment process. We apply the framework to an illustrative example of a spatial analytics application developed to optimize strategic investments in urban electric vehicle charging infrastructure. While our results show that analytics helps cities to manage the trade-off between economic and ecological value more efficiently, we also discuss other types of public value, such as health and social equity. We further outline how analytics may improve the legitimacy of public sector decisionmaking through transparency and objective, data-driven criteria. As a final point, we suggest that collaborations with academia to create lightweight analytics applications may aid in strengthening organizational readiness for the use of big data and analytics in public sector organizations.
Optical wireless data transmission with a sensor network integrated in a textile-reinforced composite

In this work a wireless sensor network has been integrated in a textile-reinforced composite. It has been shown that an optical IrDA data transmission between an IrDA transceiver which is part of the sensor network and an external IrDA receiver is possible over a distance of a few ten centimetres. A special IrDA controller was developed to reduce power consumption and the number of components. All sensor data stored in the integrated memory can be transmitted with a high data rate using the optical interface. The power consumption is very low compared with radio systems.
Common mode voltage in case of transformerless PV inverters connected to the grid

For safety reasons grid connected PV systems include galvanic isolation. In case of transformerless inverters, the leakage ground current through the parasitic capacitance of the PV panels, can reach very high values. A common-mode model based on analytical approach is introduced, used to predict the common-mode behavior, at frequencies lower than 50 kHz, of the selected topologies and to explain the influence of system imbalance on the leakage current. It will be demonstrated that the neutral inductance has a crucial influence on the leakage current. Finally experimental results will be shown for the NPC topology, emphasizing the low leakage current for the case of a grid connection without galvanic isolation.
Employee-related Critical Success Factors for Utilization of Digitally-Enabled Supply Chain Management

IT embeddedness has created considerable opportunities for organizations to effectively manage and streamline their supply chain. User involvement acts as an important role in the current e-service era for supply chain management. In this article, we aim to explain the impact of leadership style and knowledge-centred processes on utilization of Digitally-Enabled SCM applications and generated value for employees. We will then discuss potential contributions and implications, and also indicate future research directions. This study is conducted from the employees’ perspective, and it will deepen a foundation for Digitally-Enabled SCM practices and learning, knowledge sharing in knowledge-centred processes as well as leadership style.
Automatic Segmentation of Pulmonary LobeUsing Marker Based Watershed Algorithm

Segmentation is an important process in the field of medical imaging, as it can provide detailed information of an image. In this work, segmentation of pulmonary lobe is carried out which is useful for the clinical interpretation of CT images, to access the early presence and the characterization of several lung diseases. This segmentation process is challenging for severely diseased lung or lung with incomplete fissures. Existing methods highly rely on the detection of fissures whereas, this technique becomes less reliable in cases of abnormalities. In order to overcome this, automatic segmentation of the lung lobe is performed using marker based watershed algorithm. The proposed algorithm consists of five stages. The first stage is the segmentation of blood vessel using thresholding. The second step involves the segmentation of fissures based on the Eigen values of the Hessian matrix. The third stage is the segmentation of bronchial tree through region growing. Fusing these three results to form the cost image is the fourth step. The final stage is the application of watershed algorithm for the cost image. The run time, mean and accuracy calculation were performed and the results showed that the proposed method possess minimum runtime, mean distance when compared with the existing methodology.
Parenting stress in mothers of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) and full-term infants: a function of infant behavioral characteristics and child-rearing attitudes.

OBJECTIVE To examine the moderating effects of child-rearing attitudes on the relation between parenting stress and infant behavioral characteristics for mothers of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) and full-term infants. METHODS Fifty-six 9-month-old infants (23 VLBW and 33 full-term) and their mothers were the participants. Mothers completed measures of parenting stress, child-rearing attitudes, infant temperament, and infant behavioral problems. RESULTS The VLBW infants had a higher frequency of behavioral problems, and their mothers reported more child health concerns than the mothers of the full-term infants. Regression analyses showed that the relation between parenting stress and infant distress was moderated at medium and high levels of parental strictness for only the VLBW infants. CONCLUSIONS The amount of stress the mothers of the VLBW infants experienced was a result of the congruence between their infant's behavioral characteristics and their own child-rearing attitudes.
Potential Barriers to Human Hepatocyte Transplantation in MUP–uPAtg(+/+)Rag2-/-γC-/- Mice

Primary human fetal and adult hepatocytes have been considered feasible donor cell sources for cell transplantation. We compared the engraftment efficiencies between adult human, fetal human, and adult porcine hepatocytes after transplantation into MUP–uPAtg(+/+)Rag2-/-γC-/-mice. Transplantation of adult human hepatocytes yielded a 1,000-fold higher serum albumin level compared to transplantation of fetal human hepatocytes, while transplantation of adult porcine hepatocytes resulted in a 100-fold higher serum albumin level than adult human hepatocytes. These results suggest that adult liver cells are superior to fetal liver cells for transplantation, and caution should be applied if porcine hepatocytes are used for preclinical studies as a proof of concept for human hepatocytes.
Systemic activation of tumoricidal properties in mouse macrophages and inhibition of melanoma metastases by the oral administration of MTP-PE, a lipophilic muramyl dipeptide.

The purpose of these studies was to determine whether the oral administration of a lipophilic analog of muramyl dipeptide, MTP-PE, can produce in situ activation of tumoricidal properties in mouse macrophages. MTP-PE was dissolved in a phosphate-buffered saline to produce micelles. Single or multiple oral administrations of MTP-PE produced tumoricidal activation in both lung and peritoneal macrophages. This was in direct contrast to the i.v. or i.p. administrations of MTP-PE incorporated in liposomes, which produced activation in only lung or only peritoneal macrophages, respectively. The distribution and fate of [3H]-labeled MTP-PE subsequent to oral administration revealed that MTP-PE was found in various organs independent of reticuloendothelial activity. Finally, the repeated twice-weekly oral administrations of MTP-PE inhibited lung and lymph node metastasis in C57BL/6 mice by syngeneic B16 melanoma cells. The oral administration of MTP-PE, however, was not effective in eradicating well-established melanoma metastases. We conclude that the oral administration of a lipophilic muramyl dipeptide produces systemic activation of macrophages. The feasibility of enhancing host defense against infections and cancer by the oral administration of an immunomodulator has obvious clinical advantages.
Applying Diagnostic Cost Groups to Examine the Disease Burden of VA Facilities: Comparing the Six “Evaluating VA Costs” Study Sites With Other VA Sites and Medicare

Objectives. To compare the disease burden of Veterans Health Administration (VA) patients at six study sites with all other VA patients and the Medicare population. Design. A 60% random sample of all VA veteran patients during federal fiscal year 1997 was obtained from administrative databases. A split-sample technique provided a 40% sample (n = 1,046,803) for development and a 20% sample (n = 524,461) for validation. We selected the six study sites from the 40% sample, yielding a total of 50,080 patients in those sites. Methods. We used Diagnostic Cost Groups to classify patients into clinical groupings based on age, gender, and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnoses. The Diagnostic Cost Group model produces relative risk scores that describe patients’ expected resource use normalized to the Medicare population. We compared the severity of the six sites with each other and with all other VA facilities and the severity of VA patients with that of Medicare beneficiaries. Results. There were minor statistically significant differences between the study sites and all other VA facilities. Compared with the Medicare population, VA’s population was younger and had lower expected resource use (relative risk scores were 1.0 and 0.76, respectively). Conclusions. Disease burden of the six study sites is representative of all other VA facilities. Although lower relative risk scores suggest that VA patients are healthier than Medicare beneficiaries, when age is taken into account, scores are more comparable. Interpreting the expected resource utilization of the VA population against other benchmarks should be performed carefully.
Optimizing compiler for a specialized real-time floating point softcore processor

This paper presents the authors' research work in the fields of embedded real-time softcore systems on FPGAs and specialized optimizing assembly language compiler. With this softcore processor, we are targeting a highly specialized field of applications that require a large floating point precision and other unique characteristics. Therefore, a specialized optimizing assembly language compiler is necessary in order to provide the needed machine code and optimize it in a way that an efficient usage of internal parallelism mechanisms is possible. We introduce a compiler that translates a given assembly program into machine code and optimizes the code to maximize the parallel execution of a given problem by maximizing the usage of all internal pipelines. After pointing out major requirements for this objective and analyzing elementary solutions, we develop a specifically designed algorithm that combines all advantages while avoiding most of the disadvantages. As proof of concept, experiments will show the characteristics of the resulting machine code, e.g. level of parallelism and functional correctness.
N-Hance at SemEval-2017 Task 7: A Computational Approach using Word Association for Puns

This paper presents a system developed for SemEval-2017 Task 7, Detection and Interpretation of English Puns consisting of three subtasks; pun detection, pun location, and pun interpretation, respectively. The system stands on recognizing a distinctive word which has a high association with the pun in the given sentence. The intended humorous meaning of pun is identified through the use of this word. Our official results confirm the potential of this approach.
Nurse led shared care for patients on the waiting list for coronary artery bypass surgery: a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse led shared care programme to improve coronary heart disease risk factor levels and general health status and to reduce anxiety and depression in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). DESIGN Randomised controlled trial. SETTING Community, January 1997 to March 1998. STUDY GROUPS 98 (75 male) consecutive patients were recruited to the study within one month of joining the waiting list for elective CABG at Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust. Patients were randomly assigned to usual care (control; n = 49) or a nurse led intervention programme (n = 49). INTERVENTION A shared care programme consisting of health education and motivational interviews, according to individual need, was carried out monthly. Care was provided in the patients' own homes by the community based cardiac liaison nurse alternating with the general practice nurse at the practice clinic. OUTCOME MEASURES Smoking status, obesity, physical activity, anxiety and depression, general health status, and proportion of patients exceeding target values for blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, and alcohol intake. RESULTS Compared with patients who received usual care, those participating in the nurse led programme were more likely to stop smoking (25% v 2%, p = 0.001) and to reduce obesity (body mass index > 30 kg/m2) (16.3% v 8.1%, p = 0.01). Target systolic blood pressure improved by 19.8% compared with a 10.7% decrease in the control group (p = 0.001) and target diastolic blood pressure improved by 21.5% compared with 10.2% in the control group (p = 0.000). However, there was no significant difference between groups in the proportion of patients with cholesterol concentrations exceeding target values. There was a significant improvement in general health status scores across all eight domains of the 36 item short form health survey with changes in difference in mean scores between the groups ranging from 8.1 (p = 0.005) to 36.1 (p < 0.000). Levels of anxiety and depression improved (p < 0.000) and there was improvement in time spent being physically active (p < 0.000). CONCLUSIONS This nurse led shared care intervention was shown to be effective for improving care for patients on the waiting list for CABG.