Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure and Sequence Conservation of hao Cluster Genes of Autotrophic Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria: Evidence for Their Evolutionary History

ABSTRACT Comparison of the organization and sequence of the hao (hydroxylamine oxidoreductase) gene clusters from the gammaproteobacterial autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (aAOB) Nitrosococcus oceani and the betaproteobacterial aAOB Nitrosospira multiformis and Nitrosomonas europaea revealed a highly conserved gene cluster encoding the following proteins: hao, hydroxylamine oxidoreductase; orf2, a putative protein; cycA, cytochrome c554; and cycB, cytochrome cm552. The deduced protein sequences of HAO, c554, and cm552 were highly similar in all aAOB despite their differences in species evolution and codon usage. Phylogenetic inference revealed a broad family of multi-c-heme proteins, including HAO, the pentaheme nitrite reductase, and tetrathionate reductase. The c-hemes of this group also have a nearly identical geometry of heme orientation, which has remained conserved during divergent evolution of function. High sequence similarity is also seen within a protein family, including cytochromes cm552, NrfH/B, and NapC/NirT. It is proposed that the hydroxylamine oxidation pathway evolved from a nitrite reduction pathway involved in anaerobic respiration (denitrification) during the radiation of the Proteobacteria. Conservation of the hydroxylamine oxidation module was maintained by functional pressure, and the module expanded into two separate narrow taxa after a lateral gene transfer event between gamma- and betaproteobacterial ancestors of extant aAOB. HAO-encoding genes were also found in six non-aAOB, either singly or tandemly arranged with an orf2 gene, whereas a c554 gene was lacking. The conservation of the hao gene cluster in general and the uniqueness of the c554 gene in particular make it a suitable target for the design of primers and probes useful for molecular ecology approaches to detect aAOB.
Insulin-like effects of vanadate on rat liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase mRNA and protein inductions in diabetic rats.

Effects of vanadate on liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (6PF-2-K/F-2,6-P2ase) mRNA and protein inductions were examined in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In diabetic rats at one week after STZ (60 mg/kg body weight), the liver 6PF-2-K activity was decreased to 22% of the control. The enzyme protein was also decreased to 31% of the control, but the reduction in mRNA was not significant. Treatment of diabetes with vanadate (10 mg/kg BW, i.v., every 8 h), as well as insulin (10 u/kg BW, s.c., every 8 h), increased the 6PF-2-K activity and the enzyme protein content, though it was not completely restored to the control level. 68% of the control was the figure for enzyme activity and 65% of the control for protein content after 24-h of treatment. On the other hand, vanadate, like insulin, increased enzyme mRNA content to a higher level than the control (140% of the control). The present results indicate that vanadate, like insulin, modulates the liver 6PF-2-K/Fru-2,6-P2ase gene expression, and stimulated protein induction contributes to the regulation of its enzyme activity, resulting in amelioration of the deranged carbohydrate metabolism in the diabetic state.
Iterative joint channel estimation and data detection for MIMO-CDMA systems over correlated fading channels

In this paper, we introduce an iterative joint channel estimation and data detection technique based on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems over correlated fading channels. Based on the Kronecker model, we study the effect of channel correlation on the space-time (ST) EM-based joint detection and estimation (JDE) receiver assuming that there is no prior knowledge of channel correlation at the receiver. Then, we derive a new ST EM-based JDE receiver, which adapts the correlation between different MIMO channel coefficients. Different from the uncorrelated MIMO channel, the optimized weight coefficient are derived jointly based on the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) criterion. Considering fixed correlation channel matrix, our results show that our proposed receiver attains the diversity gain of uncorrelated MIMO channels. In addition, the effect of channel correlation is only interpreted as signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) loss, especially in high receive correlation scenarios.
How Does Raising Women’s Full Retirement Age Affect Labor Supply, Income, and Mortality? Evidence from Switzerland

Understanding why and when individuals retire is central to the current debate on pension reform. We study how women change their employment decisions in response to a Swiss reform that increased the full retirement age (FRA) twice, from 62 to 63 years, and from 63 years to 64 years, by date of birth. We find that raising the FRA strongly affects women’s labor supply. A one year increase in the FRA delays labor market exit by 7.9 months and claiming of retirement benefits by 6.6 months. We neither find an effect on labor supply nor on benefit claiming of affected women’s spouses. Mortality increases somewhat but the effect is not precisely estimated. Increasing the FRA has no statistically significant effect on the level of social security benefits but lowers social security wealth. Increasing the FRA by two years reduces the present discounted cost of a retiree by 10%.
An Efficient Decision Tree Classification Method Based on Extended Hash Table for Data Streams Mining

This paper focuses on continuous attributes handling for mining data stream with concept drift. Data stream is an incremental, online and real time model. Domingos and Hulten have presented a one-pass algorithm. Their system VFDT use Hoeffding inequality to achieve a probabilistic bound on the accuracy of the tree constructed. VFDTpsilas extended version CVFDT handles concept drift efficiently. In this paper, we revisit this problem and implemented a system HashCVFDT on top of CVFDT. It is as fast as hash table when inserting, seeking or deleting attribute value, and it also can sort the attribute value.
Improvement of hot carrier reliability with deuterium anneals for manufacturing multilevel metal/dielectric MOS systems

This paper discusses new experimental findings critical for process integration of deuterium post-metal anneals to improve channel hot carrier reliability in manufacturing multilevel metal CMOS integrated circuits. Detailed account of the deuterium process optimization experiments varying temperature, time, and ambient is given. Specifically, the first demonstration of the large hydrogen/deuterium isotope effect for multilevel metal/dielectric MOS systems is reported. Previous accounts of the isotope effect had been limited to CMOS structures with one-level of dielectric/metal and to about a 10 fold improvement in reliability. Deuterium, instead of hydrogen is introduced via an optimized post-metal anneal process to achieve a 50-100 fold improvement in transistor channel hot carrier lifetime. The benefits of the deuterium anneal are still observed even if the post-metal anneal is followed by the final SiN cap wafer passivation process. It is concluded that the deuterium post-metal anneal process is suitable for manufacturing high performance CMOS products and fully compatible with traditional integrated circuit processes.
Depression symptoms in older adults with cancer: A multilevel longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Objective: Data from the Health and Retirement Study were used to test a conceptual model integrating stress and coping, conservation of resources, and life-course theories, to investigate predictors of depression symptoms over 8 years among a nationally representative sample of older adults aged 50–91 years. The main investigative questions were: (1) Do older adults with cancer have a different 8-year symptomatic depression trajectory than those without cancer? (2) Do the differences in life-course factors, internal, external, and health-related resources within and between older adults have a differential effect on 8-year symptomatic depression trajectories for individuals with and without a cancer diagnosis? Methods: We used a two-level longitudinal panel design to test a multilevel growth model. We examined individual differences in depression symptoms between 2000 and 2008, and tested multiple potential predictors. All those with a first diagnosis of cancer in 1998–2000 were included in the study (n = 200) together with a representative subsample of all noncancer cases (n = 1,190). Results: Significant two-way interaction effects were detected between having cancer and the absence of spouse/partner in the home, and cancer and lower life expectancy; each resulted in higher probabilities of depression. A significant three-way interaction effect was detected between cancer, gender, and social support; women with a cancer history and low social support had the highest probability of depression. Conclusion: Assessment and intervention in the “survivorship” phase of cancer should target older adults with higher levels of depression early in the cancer experience, those with no partner present in home, those with lower life expectancy, and women with low social support.
Recruitment of wild-type and recombinant adeno-associated virus into adenovirus replication centers

Replication of a human parvovirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV), is facilitated by coinfection with adeno-virus to provide essential helper functions. We have used the techniques of in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry to characterize the localization of AAV replication within infected cells, Previous studies have shown that adenovirus establishes foci called replication centers within the nucleus, where adenoviral replication and transcription occur. Our studies indicate that AAV is colocalized with the adenovirus replication centers, where it may utilize adenovirus and cellular proteins for its own replication. Expression of the AAV Rep protein inhibits the normal maturation of the adenovirus centers. Similar experiments were performed with recombinant AAV (rAAV) to establish a relationship between intranuclear localization and rAAV transduction. rAAV efficiently entered the cell, and its genome was faintly detectable in a perinuclear distribution and was mobilized to replication centers when the cell was infected with adenovirus. The recruitment of the replication-defective genome into the intranuclear adenovirus domains resulted in enhanced transduction. These studies illustrate the importance of intracellular compartmentalization for such complex interactions as the relationship between AAV and adenovirus.
On pricing barrier options and exotic variations

Barrier options have become increasingly popular financial instruments due to the lower costs and the ability to more closely match speculating or hedging needs. In addition, barrier options play a significant role in modeling and managing risks in insurance and finance as well as in refining insurance products such as variable annuities and equity-indexed annuities. Motivated by these immediate applications arising from actuarial and financial contexts, the thesis studies the pricing of barrier options and some exotic variations, assuming that the underlying asset price follows the Black-Scholes model or jump-diffusion processes. Barrier options have already been well treated in the classical Black-Scholes framework. The first part of the thesis aims to develop a new valuation approach based on the technique of exponential stopping and/or path counting of Brownian motions. We allow the option’s boundaries to vary exponentially in time with different rates, and manage to express our pricing formulas properly as combinations of the prices of certain binary options. These expressions are shown to be extremely convenient in further pricing some exotic variations including sequential barrier options, immediate rebate options, multi-asset barrier options and window barrier options. Many known results will be reproduced and new explicit formulas will also be derived, from which we can better understand the impact on option values of various sophisticated barrier structures. We also consider jump-diffusion models, where it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to obtain the barrier option value in analytical form for exponentially curved boundaries. Our model assumes that the logarithm of the underlying asset price is a Brownian motion plus an independent compound Poisson process. It is quite common to assign a particular distribution (such as normal or double exponential distribution) for the jump size if one wants to pursue closed-form solutions,
Antenna in LTCC Technologies: A Review and the Current State of the Art

This paper presents a chronological review of the research carried out on antennas in low-temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) technology over the last ten years or so. Major breakthroughs in LTCC technologies and its shortcomings are highlighted. The current state of the art of LTCC-technology-based antennas is then evaluated. All realizable features of the LTCC-based antennas, which are compact and of light weight and offer high-speed functionality for portable electronic devices, are illustrated. Different techniques used by researchers for broadbanding, multiband designs, and fabrication of LTCC-based antennas are also presented. This paper ends with some recommendations and concluding remarks.
Times From Symptom Onset to Hospital Arrival in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Program 2002 to 2009: Temporal Trends and Implications

Background and Purpose— Time from symptom onset to hospital arrival is the most important factor in determining eligibility for intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator. We used data from a large contemporary nationwide study to determine temporal trends in the proportions of patients arriving within time windows for potential acute ischemic stroke therapies. Methods— Trends in symptom onset to hospital arrival time (“onset-to-door time”) for patients with acute ischemic stroke in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) program were analyzed between 2003 and 2009. Factors associated with early onset-to-door time (⩽2 hours) were also examined. Results— Between April 2003 and March 2009, 1287 hospitals submitted data on 413 147 patients with acute ischemic stroke of whom 194 352 (47.0%) had a specific onset time documented. Among all 413 147 patients, onset-to-door time was documented as ⩽2 hours in 20.6%, ⩽3 hours in 25.1%, ⩽3.5 hours in 26.8%, and ⩽8 hours in 35.8%. Early arrival within 2 hours was significantly associated with emergency medical services transport (P<0.0001). There was no substantial change in onset-to-door time over the 6-year study period. Expansion of the tissue-type plasminogen activator treatment window from 3 to 4.5 hours (allowing 60 minutes for provision of tissue-type plasminogen activator) increases the pool of potentially eligible patients by 6.3% (30.1% relative increase). Conclusions— More than one fourth of patients with ischemic stroke arrive within the time window for tissue-type plasminogen activator therapy; however, this percentage has remained unchanged over recent years. Further efforts are needed to increase the portion of patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting within the time window for acute interventions.
Microwave Microfluidic Sensor Based on a Microstrip Splitter/Combiner Configuration and Split Ring Resonators (SRRs) for Dielectric Characterization of Liquids

A microwave microfluidic sensor for dielectric characterization of liquids in real time is presented in this paper. The sensor is implemented in microstrip technology and consists of a symmetric splitter/combiner configuration loaded with a pair of identical split ring resonators (SRRs) and microfluidic channels placed on top of them (gap region). The sensor works in differential mode and sensing is based on frequency splitting. Thus, if the structure is unloaded or if it is symmetrically loaded with regard to the axial plane, only one transmission zero (notch) in the frequency response appears. However, if the axial symmetry is disrupted (e.g., by the presence of different liquids in the channels), two transmission zeros arise, and the difference in magnitude (notch depth) and frequency between such transmission zeros is indicative of the difference in the dielectric properties (complex dielectric constant). A circuit schematic, including transmission line sections to describe the distributed components, lumped elements to account for the SRRs and their coupling to the lines and lumped elements to model the liquid properties, is presented and validated. After proper calibration, the functionality of the proposed sensor is demonstrated by measuring the complex permittivity in solutions of deionized water and ethanol as a function of the ethanol content.
Muscular strength of adult Special Olympians by country economic status

There is a strong relationship between economic prosperity and health as well as between muscle strength and health (morbidity and mortality). However, very little research has concomitantly examined economic prosperity and muscular strength in the general population, and no studies have simultaneously examined these factors in a population of adults with intellectual disabilities. This study examined grip strength among adult Special Olympics participants by country economic status. A total of 12,132 (men = 65%) right and left hand grip strength records were available from the Special Olympics International (SOI) FUNFitness database. The 127 countries within the SOI dataset were grouped by economy according to The World Bank’s gross national income per capita as: low-income countries (n = 11), lower middle-income countries (n = 27), upper middle-income countries (n = 38), and high-income countries (n = 51). There was a significant overall effect of country economic status for both males and females for right and left hand grip strength. Although the grip strength of both men and women did not differ between low-income and low-middle income countries, the general trend was to observe greater grip strength with increased economic prosperity among both men and women. However, to advance our knowledge of the importance of muscle strength for persons with intellectual disabilities, research linking grip strength to health outcomes, functional status, and successful participation activities of daily living is needed.
Exposure to Phthalates and Phenols during Pregnancy and Offspring Size at Birth

Background: Data concerning the effects of prenatal exposures to phthalates and phenols on fetal growth are limited in humans. Previous findings suggest possible effects of some phenols on male birth weight. Objective: Our aim was to assess the relationships between prenatal exposures to phthalates and phenols and fetal growth among male newborns. Methods: We conducted a case–control study on male malformations of the genitalia nested in two French mother–child cohorts with recruitment between 2002 and 2006. We measured, in maternal urinary samples collected between 6 and 30 gestational weeks, the concentrations (micrograms per liter) of 9 phenol (n = 191 pregnant women) and 11 phthalate metabolites (n = 287). Weight, length, and head circumference at birth were collected from maternity records. Statistical analyses were corrected for the oversampling of malformation cases. Results: Adjusted birth weight decreased by 77 g [95% confidence interval (CI): –129, –25] and by 49 g (95% CI: –86, –13) in association with a 1-unit increase in ln-transformed 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) and 2,5-DCP urinary concentrations, respectively. Benzophenone-3 (BP3) ln-transformed concentrations were positively associated with weight (26 g; 95% CI: –2, 54) and head circumference at birth (0.1 cm; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.2). Head circumference increased by 0.3 cm (95% CI: 0.0, 0.7) in association with a 1-unit increase in ln-transformed BPA concentration. For phthalate metabolites there was no evidence of monotonic associations with birth weight. Conclusions: Consistent with findings of a previous study, we observed evidence of an inverse association of 2,5-DCP and a positive association of BP3 with male birth weight.
Economic Conditions, Living Conditions and Poverty in Mozambique

Introduction Since the 1990s, Mozambique has been realizing the ben fits the economic policy shifts of the late 1980s, including structural adjustment, privat ization and liberalization, and conservative fiscal and monetary policies. By the late 1990s, M ozambqiue had “recorded some of the highest levels of annual economic growth in Africa, averagi ng 6 to 10 percent per annum”. 1 And with exception of the rapid price rises in the flood yea rs of 2000 and 2001, inflation has been brought down to single digits. These benefits widened in th e first decade of the 21st century, and have generally been considered as critical to poverty re duction by some practitioners and even scholars. But beyond official growth and inflation rates, how have ordinary Mozambicans experienced economic trends? To answer this, we us e the findings of Afrobarometer public opinion surveys from 2002, 2005 and 2008 to analyze wh ther the changes in the country’s economic conditions are consistent with reports on individual living conditions. Are Mozambicans enjoying the benefits of national econo mic growth? How do they evaluate trends in the national economic situation and in their own li ving conditions? And how much poverty do they experience in their daily lives?
Attitudes towards hospitalized older adults.

BACKGROUND A number of studies have explored nurses' attitudes toward older people. However many of those have produced inconclusive results. Moreover dated attitudinal measures have been used to answer a broad range of questions relating to older people. AIM The aim of this paper is to report a study examining whether negative attitudes and beliefs toward older adults persist. METHODS Focus group interviews were used identifying factors which may influence attitudes and beliefs both negatively and positively. Nine Registered Nurses from care of older adult areas, four from acute areas, six nurse teachers, and 17 nursing students participated in the study. Ten themes were identified from the findings. FINDINGS The findings show that the student nurses had varying experiences in older adult settings. Some of which had the effect of turning them away from the specialty. However, nurses who worked with older adults were very positive about their work and the nursing opportunities they had to offer student nurses. They were rather critical of the content of the pre-registration curriculum, which they perceived to over-rely teaching the negative aspects of ageing, and there was also criticism of the currency of teachers' knowledge. Nurses who worked in acute settings also did not escape criticism, in that they were identified as attributing a lack of sense of humour to older adults. The limitations include the small sample size although it is congruent with qualitative research. CONCLUSIONS All nursing staff need to be more aware of their influence on the attitudes of student nurses toward older people. Good practice includes the ability to demonstrate that older people in hospital settings are valued. Nurse teachers need to review the way they prepare students for this specialist work in order to avoid inadvertently conveying negative attitudes.