Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Introduction of foreign sequences into the genome of influenza A virus.

The ability to apply reverse genetics technologies to influenza virus now allows us to construct novel viruses containing heterologous sequences. We have engineered two neuraminidase (NA) genes of influenza A/WSN/33 virus containing additional sequences which were inserted downstream of the open reading frame of the NA. These NA genes, NA/EMC and NA/EMC-NS1, possess a 546 and a 917 nucleotide (nt) insertion respectively. Transfectant viruses were rescued following ribonucleoprotein (RNP) transfection of the engineered NA genes into influenza helper-virus-infected cells. The transfectant viruses maintained their artificially introduced sequences stably during three passages. The rescued virus containing the NA/EMC-NS1 gene produced one log fewer infectious virus particles in MDBK cells than did wild type A/WSN/33 virus. The growth characteristics in tissue culture of the virus containing the NA/EMC gene was indistinguishable from that of wild-type influenza virus. Based on these results we conclude that influenza A viruses can tolerate heterologous insertions of at least a kilobase in the NA gene.
Evidence for the presence of the type 2 corticotropin releasing factor receptor in the rodent cerebellum

Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), localized in afferent inputs to the cerebellum, binds to two receptors defined as the Type 1 (CRF‐R1) and the Type 2 (CRF‐R2α). CRF‐R1 has been localized to the cerebellum, as has a truncated isoform of CRF‐R2α. Evidence for the presence of the full length isoform of CRF‐R2α in the cerebellum is conflicting. We used RT‐PCR, immunohistochemical, and physiologic techniques to resolve this conflict. RT‐PCR data show low levels of CRF‐R2α in the vermis and hemisphere of the cerebellum. These observations were confirmed by the Gene Expression Nervous System Atlas (GENSAT) database. A CRF‐R2α antibody was used to determine the cellular distribution of the receptor in the cerebellum. The vast majority of the receptors are localized to Bergmann glial cells located throughout the cerebellum, as well as astrocytes in the granule cell layer. Neuronal labeling is present in sub‐populations of Purkinje cells, Golgi cells, basket cells, and cerebellar nuclear neurons. Physiologic data show that urocortin II, which binds selectively to CRF‐R2α, increases the firing rate of both Purkinje cells and nuclear neurons; this response can be blocked by the CRF‐R2α‐specific antagonist, antisauvagine‐30. The present results confirm that CRF‐R2α is present in the cerebellum and functions in circuits that modulate the firing rate of Purkinje cells and cerebellar nuclear neurons. A comparative analysis showed that the patterns of distribution of CRF‐R1, CRF‐R2α and CRF‐R2α‐tr are distinct. These data indicate that the CRF family of peptides modulates cerebellar output by binding to multiple CRF receptors. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Studies of Gd‐DTPA relaxivity and proton exchange rates in tissue

The image intensity in many contrast agent perfusion studies is designed to be a function of bulk tissue T1, which is, in turn, a function of the compartmental (vascular, interstitial, and cellular) T1s, and the rate of proton exchange between the compartments. The goal of this study was to characterize the compartmental tissue Gd‐DTPA relaxivities and to determine the proton exchange rate between the compartments. Expressing [Gd‐DTPA] as mmol/liter tissue water, the relaxivities at 8.45 T and room temperature were: saline, 3.87 ± 0.06 (mM. s)−1 (mean ± SE; n = 29); plasma, 3.98 ± 0.05 (mM·s)−1 (n = 6); and control cartilage (primarily an interstitium), 4.08 f 0.08 (mM·s)−1 (n = 17), none of which are significantly different. The relexivity of cartilage did not change with compression, trypsinization, or equilibration in plasma, suggesting relaxivity is not influenced by interstitial solid matrix density, charge, or the presence of plasma proteins. T1 relaxation studies on isolated perfused hearts demonstrated that the cellular‐interstitial water exchange rate is between 8 and 27 Hz, while the interstitial‐vascular water exchange rate is less than 7 Hz. Thus, for Gd‐DTPA concentrations, which would be used clinicallly, the T1 relaxation rate behavior of intact hearts can be modeled as being in the fast exchange regime for cellular‐interstitial exchange but slow exchange for interstitial‐vascular exchange. A measured relaxivity of 3.82 ± 0.05 (mM·s)−1 (n = 8) for whole blood (red blood cells and plasma) and 4.16 ± 0.02 (mM·s)−1 (n = 3) for frog heart tissue (cells and interstitium) (with T1 and Gd‐DTPA concentration defined from the total tissue water volume) supports the conclusion of fast cellular‐extracellular exchange. Knowledge of the Gd‐DTPA relaxivity and maintaining Gd‐DTPA concentration in the range so as to maintain fast cellular‐interstitial exchange allows for calculation of bulk Gd‐DTPA concentration from bulk tissue T1 within a calculable error due to slow vascular exchange.
Marketing to Increase Participation in a Web‐Based Continuing Medical Education Cultural Competence Curriculum

Introduction: CME providers may be interested in identifying effective marketing strategies to direct users to specific content. Online advertisements for recruiting participants into activities such as clinical trials, public health programs, and continuing medical education (CME) have been effective in some but not all studies. The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of 2 marketing strategies in the context of an online CME cultural competence curriculum (www.c‐comp.org). Methods: In an interrupted time‐series quasi‐experimental design, 2 marketing strategies were tested: (1) wide dissemination to relevant organizations over a period of approximately 4 months, and (2) Internet paid search using Google Ads (5 consecutive 8‐week periods—control 1, cultural/CME advertisement, control 2, hypertension/content advertisement, control 3). Outcome measures were CME credit requests, Web traffic (visits per day, page views, pages viewed per visit), and cost. Results: Overall, the site was visited 19,156 times and 78,160 pages were viewed. During the wide dissemination phase, the proportion of visits requesting CME credit decreased between the first (5.3%) and second (3.3%) halves of this phase (p = .04). During the Internet paid search phase, the proportion of visits requesting CME credit was highest during the cultural/CME advertisement period (control 1, 1.4%; cultural/CME ad, 4.3%; control 2, 1.5%; hypertension/content ad, 0.6%; control 3, 0.8%; p < .001). All measures of Web traffic changed during the Internet paid search phase (p < .01); however, changes were independent of the advertisement periods. The incremental cost for the cultural advertisement per CME credit requested was US $0.64. Discussion: Internet advertisement focusing on cultural competence and CME was associated with about a threefold increase in requests for CME credit at an incremental cost of under US $1; however, Web traffic changes were independent of the advertisement strategy.
Super thinned concentric ring arrays using iterative L1 optimization

In this paper, the thinning of non-uniform concentric ring arrays for a specific first null beamwidth, a predefined peak sidelobe level, and null control using minimum number of antenna elements by means of convex optimization is investigated. First, array thinning problem is formulated and transformed to a relaxed convex form. The relaxation involves replacing the minimization of the l0-quasi norm by its closest convex function which is the l1-norm. To further reduce the number of antenna elements, an iterative convex optimization scheme that includes a reweighted l1-norm minimization at each iteration is implemented. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been proved using numerical experiments. The results are compared with previous results reported in the literature using global evolutionary optimization techniques such as backtracking search optimization algorithm, and firefly algorithm. Comparisons show that the proposed method is able to achieve the required constraints on beam pattern using a smaller number of antenna elements.
Adrenal axis testing and corticosteroid replacement therapy in septic shock patients – local and national perspectives *

Summary Recently, there has been renewed interest in corticosteroid therapy for patients with septic shock. The cortisol response to a tetracosactide stimulation test, otherwise known as a short synacthen test, may identify which patients are most likely to benefit from corticosteroid replacement. Controversy over interpretation of the cortisol response and the correct tetracosactide dose remains. We retrospectively analysed all septic shock patients who had full cortisol results following a 1‐µg short synacthen test. All cortisol results were re‐evaluated by three common ways of interpreting the cortisol response to a short synacthen test. The thresholds were a cortisol rise ≥ 250 nmol.l−1, a peak cortisol ≥ 550 nmol.l−1 and a peak cortisol ≥ 700 nmol.l−1. We found a significant relationship between the peak cortisol results and haemodynamic improvement in patients given corticosteroids. There was no association between a cortisol rise ≥ 250 nmol.l−1 and haemodynamic improvement after corticosteroids. A postal questionnaire was sent to adult intensive care units in the United Kingdom to assess national practice. Sixty per cent of intensive care units use corticosteroids in septic shock patients, but only 22% use a short synacthen test to guide therapy.
An enhanced adaptive data processing Technique for computing synchrophasor measurements under power system frequency variation

This work proposes a frequency-adaptive data processing technique for reliable synchrophasor measurements estimation under power system frequency variation. The proposed technique consists of four steps in which frequency estimation, filtering process, fast linear interpolation, and Radix-2 decimation-in-time (DIT) fast Fourier transform (FFT) approach are applied in a synergistic manner to provide accurate synchrophasor estimates. The sampling rate remains unchanged and the frequency measurement is estimated from the classical weighted least-squares approach, filtering process is executed by a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter bank, composed by lowpass and bandpass filters, whose goal is to separate all input signal harmonic components. The digital filter bank's size is limited by the desired harmonic component imposed by the 3-dB cut-off frequency, related to the analog anti-aliasing lowpass filter, and an optimized design has been employed to obtain symmetric coefficients and odd length (type 1 FIR filter). Fast linear interpolation based on trigonometric identities, using adaptive-angles related to the estimated frequency, is applied at each filter output data whose outcomes are used by the half-cycle Radix-2 DIT FFT approach to provide raw data in which the corrected synchrophasor measurements are obtained after the filter phase and amplitude compensations. The proposed technique aims also to evaluate the impact of the frequency variation on each harmonic component present in the input signal. Test signals with ±3 Hz offset-nominal corrupted by harmonics components are applied to evaluate the technique's performance and the results demonstrate its capability in dealing efficiently with signals corrupted by spurious frequencies, being envisaged for potential applications involving M-Class PMU model.
A switched actuation and sensing method for a MEMS electrostatic drive

MEMS technology is being investigated to improve the performance, integration and cost of nanopositioning systems. The most basic MEMS fabrication processes produce designs etched into a single layer of silicon and electrostatic transduction is often seen as the most viable actuation and sensing technology. This work provides a method to utilize the same electrostatic drive for both actuation and sensing functions. By combining both functions into the one drive, an effective increase in actuator force and sensor sensitivity can be achieved. The sensor utilizes a sigma-delta type arrangement to create a displacement-to-digital converter. With the actuator composed of a switching amplifier, this allows the nanopositioner to be controlled directly from a DSP platform. This work outlines the design of the nanopositioning system, provides the system modeling and identification and characterizes the open loop performance of the nanopositioner.
Spatially distinct effects of preceding precipitation on heat stress over eastern China

In many terrestrial regions, higher than usual surface temperatures are associated with (or are even induced by) surface moisture deficits. When in the warm season temperatures become anomalously high, their extreme values affect human beings causing heat stress. Besides increased temperature, rising humidity may also have substantial implications for bodily thermal comfort. However, the effects of surface moisture on heat stress, when considering both temperature and humidity, are less known. In this study, the relationship between the number of hot days in July as indicated by the wet-bulb globe temperature and the preceding three months of precipitation was assessed over eastern China. It is found that the probability of occurrence of above the average number of hot days exceeds 0.7 after a preceding precipitation deficit in northeastern China, but is less than 0.3 in southeastern China. Generally, over eastern China, the precipitation in the preceding months is negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with specific humidity in July. The combined effects generate a spatially distinct pattern: precipitation deficits in preceding months enhance heat stress in northeastern China while in southern China these deficits are associated with reduction of heat stress. In the south, abundant preceding precipitation tends to increase atmospheric humidity that is instrumental for the increase of heat stress. These results contribute predictive information about the probability of mid-summer heat stress in eastern China a few weeks ahead of its occurrence.
Simultaneous determination of sulphoraphane and sulphoraphane nitrile in Brassica vegetables using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

INTRODUCTION Several analytical methods exist for the determination of sulphoraphane or sulphoraphane nitrile from biological matrices and plant extracts. However, no UPLC-MS/MS method exists for the simultaneous detection of both. OBJECTIVE To develop and validate an UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous analysis of sulphoraphane and sulphoraphane nitrile from Brassica oleracea L. ssp. italica METHODS This method was developed utilising an Acquity BEH C8 column with gradient elution combined with tandem mass spectrometry, using positive electrospray ionisation in multiple reaction monitoring mode. RESULTS The retention times for sulphoraphane and sulphoraphane nitrile were 0.4 and 0.6 min respectively, and total run time was 3 min. The method was validated for linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, matrix effects and recovery. The method was employed to determine glucoraphanin hydrolysis products in broccoli and the predominant product was found to vary depending on the variety tested. It was also applied to the accurate determination of sulphoraphane and sulphoraphane nitrile in broccoli samples hydrolysed under different conditions. It was observed that the formation of sulphoraphane and sulphoraphane nitrile was influenced by the temperature of the reaction. CONCLUSION The validated UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous detection of sulphoraphane and sulphoraphane nitrile was shown to be applicable to broccoli plants and is expected to be applicable to other cruciferous sources.
Structure alignment of membrane proteins: Accuracy of available tools and a consensus strategy

Protein structure alignment methods are used for the detection of evolutionary and functionally related positions in proteins. A wide array of different methods are available, but the choice of the best method is often not apparent to the user. Several studies have assessed the alignment accuracy and consistency of structure alignment methods, but none of these explicitly considered membrane proteins, which are important targets for drug development and have distinct structural features. Here, we compared 13 widely used pairwise structural alignment methods on a test set of homologous membrane protein structures (called HOMEP3). Each pair of structures was aligned and the corresponding sequence alignment was used to construct homology models. The model accuracy compared to the known structures was assessed using scoring functions not incorporated in the tested structural alignment methods. The analysis shows that fragment‐based approaches such as FR‐TM‐align are the most useful for aligning structures of membrane proteins. Moreover, fragment‐based approaches are more suitable for comparison of protein structures that have undergone large conformational changes. Nevertheless, no method was clearly superior to all other methods. Additionally, all methods lack a measure to rate the reliability of a position within a structure alignment. To solve both of these problems, we propose a consensus‐type approach, combining alignments from four different methods, namely FR‐TM‐align, DaliLite, MATT, and FATCAT. Agreement between the methods is used to assign confidence values to each position of the alignment. Overall, we conclude that there remains scope for the improvement of structural alignment methods for membrane proteins. Proteins 2015; 83:1720–1732. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Challenges in Measuring International Strategic Performance in Professional Team Sports - Two Case Studies from Hungary

We analysed the key strategic challenges in measuring performance of professional sports clubs in international context by using the case study methodology. The analysis of the examined handball and football clubs revealed that domestic success is a weak indicator of international success. Also, the occasional surge in international revenues is challenging to translate into a sustainable flow of revenues. Moreover, through a strategically driven process the social benefits of clubs services can become relevant to international markets. We argue that the findings from the professional sports sector can be transferable to other business fields in terms of the complex relationships between the analysed performance drivers.
Inhibition of Autoimmune Diabetes by Fas Ligand: The Paradox Is Solved1

Previous reports that diabetogenic lymphocytes did not induce diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD)-lpr mice suggested the critical role of Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) interaction in pancreatic β cell apoptosis. However, recent works demonstrated that FasL is not an effector molecule in islet β cell death. We addressed why diabetes cannot be transferred to NOD-lpr mice despite the nonessential role of Fas in β cell apoptosis. Lymphocytes from NOD-lpr mice were constitutively expressing FasL. A decrease in the number of FasL+ lymphocytes by neonatal thymectomy facilitated the development of insulitis. Cotransfer of FasL+ lymphocytes from NOD-lpr mice completely abrogated diabetes after adoptive transfer of lymphocytes from diabetic NOD mice. The inhibition of diabetes by cotransferred lymphocytes was reversed by anti-FasL Ab, indicating that FasL on abnormal lymphocytes from NOD-lpr mice was responsible for the inhibition of diabetes transfer. Pretreatment of lymphocytes with soluble FasL (sFasL) also inhibited diabetes transfer. sFasL treatment decreased the number of CD4+CD45RBlow cells and increased the number of propidium iodide-stained cells among CD4+CD45RBlow cells, suggesting that sFasL induces apoptosis on CD4+CD45RBlow “memory” cells. These results resolve the paradox between previous findings and suggest a new role for FasL in the treatment of autoimmune disorders. Our data also suggest that sFasL is involved in the deletion of potentially hazardous peripheral “memory” cells, contrary to previous reports that Fas on unmanipulated peripheral lymphocytes is nonfunctional.
Denasalisation in the spoken French of Ijebu undergraduate French learners in selected universities in south West of Nigeria

Denasalisation is a lexical phenomenon brought into play during the process of lexicalisation while nasalisation is a natural process which occurs when an oral sound is modified in the environment of an adjacent nasal sound. Little attention is paid to the former because phonologists admit that nasalisation is more natural during speech production. This paper, therefore, examined denasalisation in the spoken French of 50 Ijebu Undergraduate French Learners (IUFLs) in Selected Universities in South West of Nigeria with a view to establishing instances of denasalisation in their spoken French. Data collection for this study was through tape-recording of participants’ production of 30 sentences containing French vowel and consonant sounds. Goldsmith’s Autosegmental phonology blended with distinctive feature theory was used to analyse instances of denasalisation in the data collected. The study revealed instances of denasalisation of nasal sounds at initial and final positions in the spoken French of the IUFLs.Keywords: IUFLs, Denasalisation, Autosegmental Phonology, French as Foreign language
Oil consumption and economic growth: Evidence from Pakistan

ABSTRACT This study attempts to look into the causal relationship between oil consumption and economic growth in Pakistan where oil consumption and real gross domestic product (GDP) have increased rapidly in recent years. To this end, the study employs annual data covering the period 1965–2015. Tests for unit roots, co-integration, and Granger causality based on the error-correction models (ECMs) are presented. The overall results support the existence of bidirectional causality between oil consumption and economic growth in Pakistan. This means that an increase in oil consumption directly affects economic growth. Thus, in order not to cause an adverse effect on economic growth, Pakistan should endeavor to overcome the constraints on oil consumption. Moreover, it appears that economic growth induces increased oil consumption.
A Systematic Review of Current Surgical Interventions for Charcot Neuroarthropathy of the Midfoot

ABSTRACT Charcot neuroarthropathy of the foot, or Charcot foot, is a pathologic entity of the foot, associated with diabetes mellitus. Owing to the increase of diabetes mellitus in developed nations worldwide, the prevalence of Charcot foot has been increasing. The initial treatment of Charcot foot is often conservative, with methods including bracing, casting, and the use of customized orthopedic shoes. However, many cases of Charcot foot eventually require surgery, because the consequent destabilization of the foot associated with bone, joint, and nerve injury due to the pathology eventually leave patients unable to walk independently. The present systematic review analyzed the published data regarding surgical interventions for midfoot Charcot deformities and estimated the rates of common complications occurring with the surgical modalities studied. The main outcomes of interest analyzed in the present study were postoperative amputation and bony fusion. The included cohort of patients with Charcot foot was very heterogeneous in terms of the demographic and comorbid characteristics. However, even with this heterogeneity, the present study should provide useful information to surgeons in terms of the outcomes after some of the common surgical procedures for midfoot Charcot.