Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disseminated Mycosis in Veiled Chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) Caused by Chamaeleomyces granulomatis, a New Fungus Related to Paecilomyces viridis

ABSTRACT An outbreak of disseminated granulomatous disease occurred in a group of veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) in a zoo collection. An adult female and six offspring developed large granulomas in multiple organs and were euthanized. At necropsy, roughly spherical yellow-to-white nodules 1 to 3 mm in diameter were grossly visible in the liver and other organs. Histopathology revealed fungal elements that were spherical to ovoid in shape, fragments of slender to irregularly swollen hyphae, and occasional conidia produced on phialides. Fungal isolates were initially suspected on the basis of morphology results to represent Paecilomyces viridis, a species known only from one outbreak of fatal mycosis in carpet chameleons (Furcifer lateralis). Data obtained from morphological studies and from phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal rRNA (rDNA) sequence data revealed the Danish chameleon isolates to be a related undescribed anamorphic species within the family Clavicipitaceae that includes many insect pathogens. Chamaeleomyces granulomatis gen. et sp. nov. is given as the name for the newly described fungus, and P. viridis is transferred to the new genus as Chamaeleomyces viridis comb. nov. Chamaeleomyces species are distinguished by having basally swollen phialides tapering to a narrow neck, conidia in fragile chains, and pale green to greenish-gray colonies. Both species are dimorphic, producing a transitory yeast stage characterized by ovoid-to-subglobose or subcylindrical yeast-like cells. Chamaeleomyces species appear to be rare but aggressive pathogens of chameleons.
The excitation and detection of Lamb waves with planar coil electromagnetic acoustic transducers

Planar coil electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) are investigated for the excitation and detection of Lamb waves in nonferromagnetic metallic waveguides. Such EMATs are attractive for certain applications due to their omni-directional sensitivity to wave modes with predominantly in-plane surface displacement, such as the S/sub o/ Lamb wave mode. A model is developed that enables the modal content of the radiated Lamb wave field from a transmitting EMAT to be calculated, and the output voltage from a receiving EMAT to be predicted when a Lamb wave mode is incident on it. The predictions from this model are compared with experimental data obtained from 12 different EMATs tested on a 5-mm thick aluminum plate, and good agreement is obtained. The model then is used to analyze the different effects that contribute to the overall Lamb wave modal sensitivity of an EMAT. The relationship between coil geometry and wavelength is examined.
PENERAPAN METODE DIAGRAM SEBAB AKIBAT (FISH BONE DIAGRAM) DAN FMEA (FAILURE MODE AND EFFECT) DALAM MENGANALISA RESIKO KECELAKAN KERJA DI PT. PERTAMINA TALISMAN JAMBI MERANG

Kecelakaan kerja adalah sesuatu yang tidak pernah diharapkan dalam setiap pekerjaan, namun kemungkinan dapat terjadi dan dapat menimbulkan kerugian. Untuk mengurangi dampak atau resiko kecelakaan di PT. Talisman Jambi Merang tersebut digunakan suatu manajemen resiko yang menggabungkan dua tools, yaitu metode metode diagram sebeb akibat ( diagram fishbone ) dan FMEA. Metode FMEA digunakan untuk mengidentifikasi semua aktivitas yang berisiko menimbulkan kecelakaan dan menganaalisis tingat keperahannya, sedangkan metode fishbone digunakaan untuk menganalisis penyebab terjadinya kecelaakaan. Dari perhitungan didapaatkan bahwa resiko paling parah terjadi pada bagian produksi, dimana tingkat RPN melebihi titik kritis yaitu sebesar 7,7. Sedangkan penyebab kcelakaan ada empat faktor, yaitu faktor manusia, lingkungan, alat dan manajemen
Effect of Glucose Deprivation and Acute Glutamate Exposure in Cultured Retinal Cells

The relationship between bioenergetics and the glutamate system was analyzed in a neuronal model of retinal cells in culture, submitted to glucose deprivation and exposed to glutamate for 2 h, and compared with exposure to glutamate in the presence of glucose. Under glucose deprivation, a reduction (about 1.1-fold) in the energy charge of the cells occurred, probably as a result of a decrement (by about 75%) in the cellular redox efficacy, as determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. In the absence of glucose, exposure of retinal cells to 10 microM glutamate potentiated the reduction in the energy charge (by about 1.2-fold) and induced a significant increase in the uptake of 45Ca2+ by the cells (1.3-fold), although no significant changes were observed in the presence of glucose. Under glucose deprivation, 100 microM glutamate caused an irreversible cell membrane damage, as shown by the significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage (about 1.8-fold). A significant increase in membrane depolarization, measured by the reduction of [3H]tetraphenylphosphonium+ ([3H]TPP+) uptake, was also observed after glutamate exposure in the absence of glucose. In the presence of glucose, high glutamate concentrations (10 mM) induced a major increase in Ca2+ entry into the cells and membrane depolarization, without affecting the energy charge or cell survival. In contrast, in the absence of glucose, 10 mM glutamate did not alter Ca2+ accumulation by the cells and a smaller decrease in membrane potential occurred, as compared to 100 microM glutamate exposure. Data shown in this study suggest that during a prolonged (2 h) and acute exposure to high glutamate (10 mM), under glucose deprivation conditions, the neuronal systems have "adaptive" mechanisms that allow the survival of cells. These findings may have implications in neuronal degeneration occurring during brain ischemia.
Wild Devs’ at SemEval-2017 Task 2: Using Neural Networks to Discover Word Similarity

This paper presents Wild Devs’ participation in the SemEval-2017 Task 2 “Multi-lingual and Cross-lingual Semantic Word Similarity”, which tries to automatically measure the semantic similarity between two words. The system was build using neural networks, having as input a collection of word pairs, whereas the output consists of a list of scores, from 0 to 4, corresponding to the degree of similarity between the word pairs.
High voltage SOI MESFETs at the 45nm technology node

Enhanced voltage SOI MESFETs have been demonstrated on a highly scaled CMOS process. Their DC and RF performance along with reproducibility suggests that they would be ideal in a variety of analog and PA applications. Also, since they can be fabricated alongside the 45nm CMOS [4], they appear suitable for system-on-chip applications as an interface between high voltage external devices and the low voltage CMOS. While these initial results are encouraging, new MESFET geometries and structures have been taped out to further enhance the breakdown voltage. Lastly, with continued layout optimization it is expected that the variance between devices will be reduced.
PAV1, the First Virus-Like Particle Isolated from a Hyperthermophilic Euryarchaeote, “Pyrococcus abyssi”

ABSTRACT We describe the first virus-like particle of a hyperthermophilic euryarchaeote which was discovered in a strain of “Pyrococcus abyssi” previously characterized in our laboratory. This particle, named PAV1, is lemon-shaped (120 nm × 80 nm), with a short tail terminated by fibers, and resembles the virus SSV1, the type member of the Fuselloviridae, isolated from Sulfolobus shibatae. Sensitivity of the virus-like particle to organic solvents and detergents suggested that the envelope of PAV1 may contain lipids in addition to proteins. It contains a double-stranded circular DNA of 18 kb which is also present in high copy number in a free form in the host cytoplasm. No integrated form of the PAV1 genome could be detected in the host chromosome. Under standard growth conditions, the host cells continuously release PAV1 particles into the culture supernatant without spontaneous lysis, with a maximum reached in the late stationary phase. UV, gamma irradiation, treatment with mitomycin C, and various physiological stresses had no effect on PAV1 production. Screening of a large number of Thermococcales isolates did not permit to find a sensitive host. These results suggest that PAV1 persists in the host strain in a stable carrier state rather than a prophage.
Adaptive frequency weighting for fine-granularity-scalability

To compensate for the unpredictability and variability in bandwidth between sender and receiver(s) over the Internet, a new scalable coding tool has recently been introduced in MPEG-4: Fine-Granularity-Scalability (FGS). The FGS framework is very flexible and can adapt in real-time to the Internet bandwidth variations by supporting both SNR and temporal scalability through a single pre-encoded fine-granular stream. However, while FGS is very flexible, it has a lower coding efficiency than non-scalable MPEG-4 coding. To reduce this visual quality penalty at low and medium bit-rates, a subjective quality improvement tool has been introduced in MPEG-4, allowing the prioritized transmission of low frequency DCT coefficients that contribute more to the visual quality. This tool is termed Frequency Weighting (FW). In this paper, we propose a novel scene-characteristic-dependent adaptive FW method that considerably improves the visual quality of FGS at low bit-rates. First, a thorough analysis of the FGS enhancement layer is performed at various bit-rates. Based on this analysis, we concluded that for improved visual quality, different FW methods should be used depending on the video sequence characteristics. Subsequently, we developed an automatic FW matrix adaptation mechanism that measures the brightness, motion and texture activity of each sequence and selects an appropriate FW method for that sequence from a set of a priori determined FW classes. This adaptive FW method has been subjectively evaluated and showed a clear improvement in visual quality compared with non-frequency weighted or non-adaptive frequency weighted sequences.
Variations in immunohistochemical preservation of proteins in a mummification model

Immunohistochemistry is an important tool in the investigation of ancient mummified remains because of its ability not only to detect proteins but also to isolate their location to specific tissues and thereby improve confidence that the results are genuine. A mouse model of Egyptian mummification has been used to demonstrate that the survival of proteins, judged by the retention of immunohistochemical staining, varies markedly. Some survive the process well, whereas others become barely detectable despite the morphology of the tissue being excellently preserved. The results obtained show that protein preservation is multi‐factorial, with tissue type and degradation, and the properties of the protein itself all having significant effects. Proteins forming large, multi‐subunit complexes such as collagen IV appear to be more resistant to degradation than those that do not, such as S‐100. Although modern modelling studies cannot replicate the full extent of degradative processes and taphonomic changes experienced by real mummies, the results obtained can be useful for guiding research that requires ancient tissues.
Smart cities: System and tools used for the digital modelling of physical urban systems

Since several years, the concept of the “Smart City” has been meeting a large concern throughout the world. Through smart city implementation, cities aim at improving the efficiency and security of their urban infrastructures as well as the quality of life of citizens. The Smart City concept is based on collection and analysis of data concerning the urban built environment (buildings and infrastructures) as well as the natural environment and urban services. Since built environment plays a major role in the city functioning and the quality of services, a smart city project should integrate this environment in the heart of its strategy. This integration requires first the development of digital modelling for the City, urban infrastructures and buildings. The digital modeling should include the asset data, the operating data and the environmental data all over the lifecycle of concerned systems. It should also guarantee the interoperability between the different modelling tools. This paper presents a synthesis of min tools used for modelling the City, urban infrastructures and buildings and discusses their interoperability.
SL(2,R) model with two Hamiltonian constraints

We describe a simple dynamical model characterized by the presence of two noncommuting Hamiltonian constraints. This feature mimics the constraint structure of general relativity, where there is one Hamiltonian constraint associated with each space point. We solve the classical and quantum dynamics of the model, which turns out to be governed by an SL(2,R) gauge symmetry, local in time. In classical theory, we solve the equations of motion, find a SO(2,2) algebra of Dirac observables, find the gauge transformations for the Lagrangian and canonical variables and for the Lagrange multipliers. In quantum theory, we find the physical states, the quantum observables, and the physical inner product, which is determined by the reality conditions. In addition, we construct the classical and quantum evolving constants of the system. The model illustrates how to describe physical gauge-invariant relative evolution when coordinate time evolution is a gauge.
Nonlinear Vibration of a Cantilever Beam

The vibration of a highly flexible cantilever beam is investigated. The order three equations of motion, developed by Crespo da Silva and Glyn (1978), for the nonlinear flexural-flexural-torsional vibration of inextensional beams, are used to investigate the time response of the beam subjected to harmonic excitation at the base. The equation for the planar flexural vibration of the beam is solved using the finite element method. The finite element model developed in this work employs Galerkin's weighted residuals method, combined with the Newmark technique, and an iterative process. This finite element model is implemented in the program NLB1, which is used to calculate the steady state and transient responses of the beam. The steady state response obtained with NLB is compared to the experimental response obtained by Malatkar (2003). Some disagreement is observed between the numerical and experimental steady state responses, due to the presence of numerical error in the calculation of the nonlinear inertia term in the former. The transient response obtained with NLB reasonably agrees with the response calculated with ANSYS®.
Waveform performance for asynchronous wireless 5G uplink communications

Machine type communications (MTC) could play a significant role in fifth generation (5G) wireless communications systems. In terms of reducing the side-lobes of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) to support large numbers of asynchronous MTC devices, several waveform designs could be used. This paper provides closed form signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and capacity results for this asynchronous scenario. We compare three candidate multi-carrier waveforms, which are OFDM, universal filtered multi-carrier (UFMC) and polynomial cancellation coded (PCC-OFDM). Our results indicate that both PCC and UFMC can provide better frequency roll-off than OFDM. PCC is more easier to implement and performs strongly against inter carrier interference (ICI) with cost of losing spectral efficiency and a higher peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). UFMC is more robust to very dispersive multipath channels but with cost of increasing computational complexity.
Molecular Characterization and Expression Pattern of Zona Pellucida Proteins in Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata)1

Abstract The developing oocyte is surrounded by an acellular envelope that is composed of 2–4 isoforms of zona pellucida (ZP) proteins. The ZP proteins comprise the ZP1, ZP2, ZP3, and ZPX isoforms. While ZP1 (ZPB) and ZP3 (ZPC) are present in all species, ZP2 (ZPA) is not found in teleost fish and ZPX is not found in mammals. In the present study, we identify and characterize the ZP1, ZP3 and ZPX isoforms of gilthead seabream. Furthermore, by analyzing the conserved domains, which include the external hydrophobic patch and the internal hydrophobic patch, we show that ZP2 and ZPX are closely related isoforms. ZP proteins are synthesized in either the liver or ovary of most teleosts. Only in rainbow trout has it been shown that zp3 has dual transcription sites. In gilthead seabream, all four mRNA isoforms are transcribed in both the liver and ovary, with zp1a, zp1b, and zp3 being highly expressed in the liver, and zpx being primarily expressed in the ovary. However, determination of the ZP proteins in plasma showed high levels of ZP1b, ZP3, and ZPX, with low or non-detectable levels of ZP1a. In similarity to other teleost ZPs, the hepatic transcription of all four ZP isoforms is under estrogenic control. Previously, we have shown that cortisol can potentiate estrogen-induced ZP synthesis in salmonids, and now we show that this is not the case in the gilthead seabream. The present study shows for the first time the endocrine regulation of a teleost ZPX isoform, and demonstrates the dual-organ transcriptional activities of all the ZP proteins in one species.
HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: antiretroviral regimen, central nervous system penetration effectiveness, and cognitive outcomes.

BACKGROUND The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can give rise to a spectrum of neuropsychological impairments known collectively as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced the incidence of HIV dementia, the prevalence of milder forms of HAND has increased. It has been postulated that incomplete central nervous system (CNS) viral suppression or potential drug toxicity, both of which could be related to the CNS penetration effectiveness (CPE) of ART regimens, may contribute to this phenomenon. OBJECTIVE This study compared cognitive outcomes in clade C-infected HIV patients in South Africa treated for 1 year with ART regimens with differing CPE scores. METHODS We assessed 111 HIV-positive patients with varying levels of cognitive function at baseline (pre-ART) and then a year later. A neuropsychological battery was administered at both visits to derive global deficit scores. ART regimen data were collected at the follow-up visit. Some participants remained ART-naïve during this period, thus providing a non-treatment control group. RESULTS Significantly more ART recipients maintained or improved cognitive function compared with patients not on ART (p=0.017). There was no significant difference in cognitive outcomes between higher and lower CPE regimen groups (p=0.473). CONCLUSIONS ART preserves or improves cognition in HIV-infected patients after 1 year, irrespective of the regimen's CPE. South Africa's current low CPE-scored first-line regimen performed as well as higher CPE-scored regimens. These findings are reassuring for South Africa, but larger, longer-term studies would be more definitive.
Heterocyclic amines: Mutagens/carcinogens produced during cooking of meat and fish

Research leading to the discovery of a series of mutagenic and carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) was inspired by the idea that smoke produced during cooking of food, especially meat or fish, might be carcinogenic. More than ten kinds of HCAs, actually produced by cooking or heating of meat or fish, have now been isolated and their structures determined, most being previously unregistered compounds. They are highly mutagenic towards Salmonella typhimurium in the presence of S9 mix and are also mutagenic in vitro and in vivo toward mammalian cells. HCAs have now been chemically synthesized in quantity and subjected to long‐term animal testing. When HCAs were fed in the diet, rodents developed cancers in many organs, including the colon, breast and prostate, and one HCA produced hepatomas in monkeys. The lesions exhibited alteration in genes including Apc, β‐catenin and Ha‐ras, and these changes provide clues to the induction mechanisms. The HCAs are oxidized to hydroxyamino derivatives by cytochrome P450s, and further converted to ester forms by acetyltransferase and sulfotransferase. Eventually, they produce DNA adducts through the formation of N‐C bonds at guanine bases. There are HCA‐sensitive and resistant strains of rodents and a search for the responsible genes is now under way. While the content of HCAs in dishes consumed in ordinary life is low and not sufficient in itself to explain human cancer, the coexistence of many other mutagens/carcinogens of either autobiotic or xenobiotic type and the possibility that HCAs induce genomic instability and heightened sensitivity to tumor promoters suggest that avoidance of exposure to HCAs or reduction of HCAs’biological effects as far as possible are to be highly recommended. Usage of microwave ovens for cooking and supplementation of the diet, for example with soy‐isoflavones, which have been found to suppress the occurrence of HCA‐induced breast cancers, should be encouraged. Advice to the general public about how to reduce the carcinogenic load imposed by HCAs would be an important contribution to cancer prevention.
Characterization of a Membrane-active Peptide from the Bordetella pertussis CyaA Toxin*

Background: The translocation of the Bordetella pertussis CyaA toxin across membrane is still poorly understood. Results: A membrane-active peptide isolated from the CyaA toxin is characterized by biophysical approaches. Conclusion: The α-helical peptide is inserted in plane and induces membrane permeabilization. Significance: The membrane-destabilizing activity of this peptide may assist the initial steps of the CyaA translocation process. Bordetella pertussis, the pathogenic bacteria responsible for whooping cough, secretes several virulence factors, among which is the adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) that plays a crucial role in the early stages of human respiratory tract colonization. CyaA invades target cells by translocating its catalytic domain directly across the plasma membrane and overproduces cAMP, leading to cell death. The molecular process leading to the translocation of the catalytic domain remains largely unknown. We have previously shown that the catalytic domain per se, AC384, encompassing residues 1–384 of CyaA, did not interact with lipid bilayer, whereas a longer polypeptide, AC489, spanning residues 1–489, binds to membranes and permeabilizes vesicles. Moreover, deletion of residues 375–485 within CyaA abrogated the translocation of the catalytic domain into target cells. Here, we further identified within this region a peptidic segment that exhibits membrane interaction properties. A synthetic peptide, P454, corresponding to this sequence (residues 454–485 of CyaA) was characterized by various biophysical approaches. We found that P454 (i) binds to membranes containing anionic lipids, (ii) adopts an α-helical structure oriented in plane with respect to the lipid bilayer, and (iii) permeabilizes vesicles. We propose that the region encompassing the helix 454–485 of CyaA may insert into target cell membrane and induce a local destabilization of the lipid bilayer, thus favoring the translocation of the catalytic domain across the plasma membrane.