Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Chilean aboriginal populations: implications for the peopling of the southern cone of the continent.

The mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) from individuals belonging to three Chilean tribes, the Mapuche, the Pehuenche, and the Yaghan, were studied both by RFLP analysis and D-loop (control region) sequencing. RFLP analysis showed that 3 individuals (1.3%) belonged to haplogroup A, 19 (8%) to haplogroup B, 102 (43%) to haplogroup C, and 113 (47.7%) to haplogroup D. Among the 73 individuals analyzed by D-loop sequencing, we observed 37 different haplotypes defined by 52 polymorphic sites. Joint analysis of data obtained by RFLP and sequencing methods demonstrated that, regardless of the method of analysis, the mtDNA haplotypes of these three contemporary South American aborigine groups clustered into four main haplogroups, in a way similar to those previously described for other Amerindians. These results further revealed the absence of haplogroup A in both the Mapuche and Yaghan as well as the absence of haplogroup B in the Yaghan. These results suggest that the people of Tierra del Fuego are related to tribes from south-central South America.
APPLICATIONS OF DUALITY THEORY TO AGRICULTURE

The development of the concept of flexible functional forms and its applications in the derivation of plausible functional forms for dual cost and profit functions in the early seventies [Diewert 1971; Christensen, Jorgensen and Lau] was an important step which led to the proliferation of empirical applications of duality. Several of these studies have concerned the agricultural sector. Of these, the study by Binswanger [1974a and 1974b] using U.S.A. data appears to be one of the earliest.
Adeno‐associated virus (AAV) vectors in gene therapy: immune challenges and strategies to circumvent them

AAV‐based gene transfer protocols have shown remarkable success when directed to immune‐privileged sites such as for retinal disorders like Lebers congenital amaurosis. In contrast, AAV‐mediated gene transfer into liver or muscle tissue for diseases such as hemophilia B, α1 anti‐trypsin deficiency and muscular dystrophy has demonstrated a decline in gene transfer efficacy over time. It is now known that in humans, AAV triggers specific pathways that recruit immune sensors. These factors initiate an immediate reaction against either the viral capsid or the vector encoded protein as part of innate immune response or to produce a more specific adaptive response that generates immunological memory. The vector‐transduced cells are then rapidly destroyed due to this immune activation. However, unlike other viral vectors, AAV is not immunogenic in murine models. Its immunogenicity becomes apparent only in large animal models and human subjects. Moreover, humans are natural hosts to AAV and exhibit a high seroprevalence against AAV vectors. This limits the widespread application of AAV vectors into patients with pre‐existing neutralising antibodies or memory T cells. To address these issues, various strategies are being tested. Alternate serotype vectors (AAV1‐10), efficient expression cassettes, specific tissue targeting, immune‐suppression and engineered capsid variants are some approaches proposed to minimise this immune stimulation. In this review, we have summarised the nature of the immune response documented against AAV in various pre‐clinical and clinical settings and have further discussed the strategies to evade them. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive upsampling with shift method for windmill artifact correction in multislice helical CT

Compared to data-domain z-filtering, the proposed “up-sampling with shift” method provides stronger artifact suppression. On the other hand, it has a potential to preserve image z-resolution by incorporating adaptive techniques. The proposed method has some similarities with zFFS techniques described in [6],[7]. The difference of our approach is that it is simple to implement and does not require hardware changes, like FFS, or changes in the backprojection module. It does not require reconstruction of several image slices for each final image, like image-domain z-filtering, so reconstruction speed is not sacrificed. In this work we apply the proposed upsampling method before reconstruction. However, for improved efficiency we suggest applying the proposed method after the convolution, just before the backprojection.
Protective Role of Estrogen-induced miRNA-29 Expression in Carbon Tetrachloride-induced Mouse Liver Injury*

Background: Mechanism underlying the protection of estradiol against CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis remains unclear. Results: miR-29 expression was differentially regulated in male/female mice during CCl4 treatment. Both estradiol and miR-29a/b-expressing adenovirus increased hepatic miR-29a/b levels and attenuated CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis. Conclusion: Estradiol inhibits CCl4-induced hepatic injury via inducing miR-29a/b. Significance: Learning the role/regulation of miR-29 in hepatic fibrosis and providing novel therapeutic target. Previous studies have indicated that female animals are more resistant to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis than male animals, and that estradiol (E2) treatment can inhibit CCl4-induced animal hepatic fibrosis. The underlying mechanism governing these phenomena, however, has not been fully elucidated. Here we reported the role of estrogen-induced miRNA-29 (miR-29) expression in CCl4-induced mouse liver injury. Hepatic miR-29 levels were differentially regulated in female and male mice during CCl4 treatment. Specifically, the levels of miR-29a and miR-29b expression were significantly decreased in the livers of male, but not female, mice following 4 weeks of CCl4 treatment. The down-regulation of miR-29a and miR-29b in male mouse livers correlated with the early development of liver fibrosis, as indicated by increased expressions of fibrotic markers in male mice relative to female mice. In addition, E2 was maintained at a higher level in female mice than in male mice. In contrast to TGF-β1 that decreased miR-29a/b expression in murine hepatoma IAR20 cells and normal hepatocytes, E2 enhanced the expression of miR-29a/b through suppression of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signal pathway, which negatively regulates miR-29 expression. Furthermore, both E2 treatment and intravenous injection of the recombinant adenovirus expressing miR-29a/b markedly increased the miR-29a/b level and attenuated the expression of fibrotic markers in mouse livers during CCl4 treatment, supporting the protective role of E2-induced miR-29 in CCl4-induced hepatic injury. In conclusion, our results collectively demonstrate that estrogen can inhibit CCl4-induced hepatic injury through the induction of hepatic miR-29.
Prospective Surveillance for Surgical Site Infection in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Objective. To assess the risk-adjusted incidence and predictors of surgical site infections (SSIs). Design. Prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study. Setting. Seven surgical departments at 3 urban academic hospitals in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Patients. All patients had surgery performed between January 15 and May 12, 2000. A total of 1,453 surgical procedures were followed up. Medical records were unavailable for less than 3% of all patients; patients were not excluded for any other reason. The mean patient age was 49.3 years, 61% were female, and 34% had an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (hereafter, “ASA classification”) of at least 3. Surgery for 45% of the patients was emergent. Results. In all, 138 patients (9.5%) developed SSI, for a rate that was approximately 3.5 times the risk-stratified rates in the United States. Male sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.54), ASA classifications of 3 (OR, 3.7) or 4 (OR, 5.0), longer duration of surgery (OR, 2.2), and wound classes of 3 (OR, 5.5) or 4 (OR, 14.3) were associated with increased SSI risk in multivariate analysis. Endoscopic surgery was associated with a lower risk of SSI (OR, 0.23). Antibiotic prophylaxis was used in 0%-33% of operations, and 69% of uninfected patients received antibiotics after the operation. Conclusions. The SSI rates are significantly higher than previously reported. Although this finding may be attributable to inadequate antibiotic prophylaxis, local infection control and surgical practices may also be contributors. Use of antibiotic prophylaxis should be encouraged and the effect of local practices further investigated. Active SSI surveillance should be expanded to other parts of the Russian Federation.
mHealth Tool for Alcohol Use Disorders Among Latinos in Emergency Department

Latino drinkers experience a disparate number of negative health and social consequences. Emergency Department Alcohol Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (ED-SBIRT) is viable and effective at reducing harmful and hazardous drinking. However, barriers (e.g. readily available language translators, provider time burden, resources) to broad implementation remain and account for a major lag in adherence to national guidelines. We describe our approach to the design of a patient-centered bilingual Web-based mobile health ED-SBIRT App that could be integrated into a clinically complex ED environment and used regularly to provide ED-SBIRT for Spanish speaking patients.
Treatment of potato farm wastewater with sand filtration

ABSTRACT This study examined sand filtration as a component of a potato farm wastewater treatment system. Two different sand filter designs, saturated flow and unsaturated flow, were evaluated at three different loading rates: 34, 68, and 136 L m−2 d−1. Filter design had a significant effect, with unsaturated flow sand filters having significantly (p < .05) better total suspended solids (TSS) removal (89%) than saturated flow sand filters did (79%). Loading rate also had a significant (p < .05) effect, given that the lowest loading rate had higher mass removal for TSS than the higher loading rates did. Overall, all sand filters removed TSS, 5-d biochemical oxygen demand, and total phosphorus well (62–99%). Total nitrogen removal was twice as high in unsaturated flow filters (53%) than in saturated flow filters (27%), because of the recurring cycle of aerobic and anaerobic conditions during sand saturation and drying in unsaturated flow sand filters.
Serum pharmacokinetics and cerebrospinal fluid concentration analysis of the new IgG4 monoclonal antibody GNbAC1 to treat multiple sclerosis: A Phase 1 study

ABSTRACT GNbAC1 is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody antagonist of Mulitple Sclerosis Retrovirus Envelope (MSRV-Env), a protein that could play a critical role in multiple sclerosis. This randomized placebo-controlled dose-escalation study evaluated the safety and pharmacokinetics of GNbAC1 in 21 healthy volunteers after single intravenous infusion at doses of 6, 18 and 36 mg/kg. Lumbar punctures were performed at days 2, 15 or 29 to measure GNbAC1 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). GNbAC1 was well tolerated. Serum data show a dose-linear pharmacokinetics. A mean CSF/serum ratio of 0.12% was observed at Day 2, increasing to 0.39% at Day 15 and 0.42% at Day 29. Linear regression analysis shows a relationship between GNbAC1 CSF/serum ratio and albumin CSF/serum ratio and a relationship at the limit of statistical significance with the timing of CSF sampling.
Prognostic variability among nonsmall cell lung cancer patients with pathologic N1 lymph node involvement

Patients who have nonsmall cell lung cancer with N1 lymph node status are an intermediate group of patients who have a variable prognosis. Differences in lymph node level (hilar or pulmonary lymph nodes) may influence patient survival. The authors retrospectively analyzed the factors that influenced prognosis, including the level of N1 lymph node involvement.
Rapid prototyping of PVS into FPGA: From model based design to FPGA/ASICs implementation

A wide variety of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms for photovoltaic systems (PVS) have been proposed and developed. These MPPT algorithms vary in many aspects such as the selected criteria and techniques used. In this paper, we propose an effective design methodology for hardware implementation of PVS into FPGA/ASICs. To achieve our goal, we propose the application of the model based design at high level using the Matlab/Simulink which includes the HDL Coder Tool. The approach will assist the designer to develop and prototype in a relatively short time by eliminating time consuming and error prone due to manual coding. The proposed design methodology has been applied to the well know Pertub and Observe (P&O) MPPT controller. The Matlab/Simulink model of the P&O controller is optimized and converted to target, Hardware Description Language (HDL) code for FPGA/ASIC. The whole architecture of the P&O controller has been implemented on a Xilinx Spartan 3E prototyping board. We demonstrate that the generated RTL code can be easily mapped into FPGA/ASICs, which allow the rapid prototyping of PVS with more complex algorithms.
Chronodisruption increases cardiovascular risk in zebrafish via reduced clearance of senescent erythrocytes

The circadian clock and the hypoxic signaling pathway play critical roles in physiological homeostasis as well as in pathogenesis. The bi-directionality of the interaction between both pathways has been shown on physiological and only recently also on molecular level. But the consequences of a disturbed circadian rhythm for the hypoxic response and the cardiovascular system have never been addressed in any organism. Here we show that the hypoxic response of animals subjected to chronodisruption is reduced by approximately 30%, as reflected by decreased expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1 and its down-stream target genes erythropoietin, responsible for the generation of red blood cells (RBC) and vascular endothelial growth factor, which is essential for proper vascularization. Beside malformations of their vascular beds, chronodisrupted animals surprisingly revealed elevated numbers of senescent erythrocytes under normoxic conditions, due to a reduced clearance rate via apoptosis. Over-aged erythrocytes in turn are characterized by decreased oxygen transport capacities and an increased tendency for aggregation, explaining the higher mortality of chronodisrupted animals observed in our study. The present study shows for the first time that chronodisruption strongly interferes with the hypoxic signalling cascade, increasing the cardiovascular risk in zebrafish due to elevated proportions of senescent erythrocytes. The results might shed new light on the etiology of the increased cardiovascular risk observed among shiftworkers.
Nonparametric Estimation of Copulas for Time Series

We consider a nonparametric method to estimate copulas, i.e. functions linking joint distributions to their univariate margins. We derive the asymptotic properties of kernel estimators of copulas and their derivatives in the context of a multivariate stationary process satisfactory strong mixing conditions. Monte Carlo results are reported for a stationary vector autoregressive process of order one with Gaussian innovations. An empirical illustration containing a comparison with the independent, comotonic and Gaussian copulas is given for European and US stock index returns.
An ordinal model of the Mcgurk illusion

Audiovisual information is integrated in speech perception. One manifestation of this is the McGurk illusion in which watching the articulating face alters the auditory phonetic percept. Understanding this phenomenon fully requires a computational model with predictive power. Here, we describe an ordinal model, in which the response categories are ordered cyclically, that can account for the McGurk illusion. We compare this model to the Fuzzy Logical Model of Perception (FLMP), which is not an ordinal model, based on an original data set. While the FLMP fitted the data better than the ordinal model it also employed 30 free parameters where the ordinal model needed only 14. Testing the predictive power of the models using a form of cross-validation we found that, although both models performed rather poorly, the ordinal model performed better than the FLMP. Based on these findings we suggest that ordinal models generally have greater predictive power because they are constrained by a priori information about the adjacency of phonetic categories.
Nonlinear control of associations including synchronous motors and AC/DC/AC converters: A formal analysis of speed regulation and power factor correction

We are considering the problem of controlling synchronous motors driven through AC/DC rectifiers and DC/AC inverters. The control objectives are threefold: (i) forcing the motor speed to track a reference signal, (ii) regulating the DC Link voltage, (iii) enforcing power factor correction (PFC) with respect to the power supply net. First, a nonlinear model of the whole controlled system is developed in the Park-coordinates. Then, a nonlinear multi-loop controller is synthesized using the backstepping design technique. A formal analysis based on Lyapunov stability and average theory is developed to describe the control system performances. In addition to closed-loop global asymptotic stability, it is proved that all control objectives (motor speed tracking, DC link voltage regulation, and unitary power factor) are asymptotically achieved up to small harmonic errors (ripples). The above results are confirmed by simulations which, besides, show that the proposed regulator is quite robust with respect to uncertain changes of load torque.
Towards a model human cochlea: sensory substitution for crossmodal audio-tactile displays

We present a Model Human Cochlea (MHC): a sensory substitution technique for creating a crossmodal audio-touch display. This research is aimed at designing a chair-based interface to support deaf and hard of hearing users in experiencing musical content associated with film, and seeks to develop this multisensory crossmodal display as a framework for supporting research in enhancing sensory entertainment experiences for universal design. The MHC uses audio speakers as vibrotactile devices placed along the body to facilitate the expression of emotional elements that are associated with music. We present the results of our formative study, which compared the MHC to conventional audio speaker displays for communicating basic emotional information through touch. Results suggest that the separation of audio signals onto multiple vibrotactile channels is more effective at expressing emotional content than is possible using a complete audio signal as vibrotactile stimuli.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in palliative care cancer patients.

BACKGROUND The criteria for refraining from cardiopulmonary resuscitation in palliative care cancer patients are based on patients' right to refuse treatment and the duty of the treating personnel not to exacerbate their suffering and not to administer futile treatment. When is cardiopulmonary resuscitation futile in these patients? METHOD Systematic literature searches were conducted in PubMed for the period 1989-2010 on the results of in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation in advanced cancer patients and on factors that affected the results of CPR when special mention was made of cancer. The searches yielded 333 hits and 18 included articles: four meta-analyses, eight retrospective clinical studies, and six review articles. RESULTS Cancer patients had a poorer post-CPR survival than non-cancer patients. Survival declined with increasing extent of the cancer disease. Widespread and therapy-resistant cancer disease coupled with a performance status lower than WHO 2 or a PAM score (Pre-Arrest Morbidity Index) of above 8 was regarded as inconsistent with survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. INTERPRETATION Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is futile for in-hospital cancer patients with widespread incurable disease and poor performance status.
Cellular Proteasome Activity Facilitates Herpes Simplex Virus Entry at a Postpenetration Step

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus (HSV) entry into cells is a multistep process that engages the host cell machinery. The proteasome is a large, ATP-dependent, multisubunit protease that plays a critical role in the maintenance of cell homeostasis. A battery of assays were used to demonstrate that proteasome inhibitors blocked an early step in HSV entry that occurred after capsid penetration into the cytosol but prior to capsid arrival at the nuclear periphery. Proteasome-dependent viral entry was not reliant on host or viral protein synthesis. MG132, a peptide aldehyde that competitively inhibits the degradative activity of the proteasome, had a reversible inhibitory effect on HSV entry. HSV can use endocytic or nonendocytic pathways to enter cells. These distinct entry routes were both dependent on proteasome-mediated proteolysis. In addition, HSV successfully entered cells in the absence of a functional host ubiquitin-activating enzyme, suggesting that viral entry is ubiquitin independent. We propose that proteasomal degradation of virion and/or host proteins is required for efficient delivery of incoming HSV capsids to the nucleus.
Feasability study of piezo jet printed silver ink structures for interconnection and condition monitoring of power electronics components

In the field of power electronics, assembly and interconnection technologies play an important role for the design of modules and systems. The applied packaging technologies largely determine the electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of the final module. In addition to conventional solder technology upcoming technologies like sintering, transient liquid phase soldering, adhesive bonding or even reactive multilayer materials are interesting methods for the realization of the die attach. [1] This paper is about a combination of sintering and adhesive bonding for the interconnection of power electronics components. As interconnection material a highly viscous conductive silver ink is used. Additionally also sensor structures were printed with the same silver ink to test the potentials for condition monitoring applications in the field of power electronics.
Three loci in Escherichia coli K-12 that control the excision of pyrimidine dimers and certain other mutagen products from DNA.

LTRAVIOLET irradiation produces dimers of thymine, thymine-cytosine and cytosine in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (BEUKERS, IJLSTRA and BERENDS 1960; WACKER, DELLWEG and WEINBLUM 1960; SETLOW, CARRIER and BOLLUM 1965). UV light inactivates transforming DNA and induces thymine dimers in a parallel manner, as if the dimers block transforming activity (SETLOW and SETLOW 1962). Thymine dimers and thymine-cytosine dimers are removed and probably monomerized by photoreactivation enzyme ( WULF and RUPERT 1962; SETLOW, CARRIER and BOLLUM 1965). They are excised from DNA during incubation in the dark in wild-type strains of E. coli. However, this excision does not occur in the radiosensitive mutants Bs.l and K-12 uvrA (SETLOW and CARRIER 1964; BOYCE and HOWARD-FLANDERS 1964a). T1 or A bacteriophage irradiated with ultraviolet light (UV) form more plaques when plated on wild-type cells than when plated on these radiosensitive mutants (ELLISON. FEINER and HILL 1960; HOWARD-FLANDERS, BOYCE, SIMSON and THERIOT 1962; RORSCH, EDELMAN and COHEN 1963; HARM 1963). These results may be explained if the irradiated phage DNA is reactivated (host cell reactivation) in wild-type hosts, but not in these UV-sensitive mutants. The reactivation of UV-irradiated T1 bacteriophage is controlled by three genetic loci, designated uLv-A, uvrB and uurC. the approximate map positions of which have been reported (HOWARD-FLANDERS 1964; VAN DE PUTTE, VAN SLUIS, VAN DILLEWIJN and RORSCH 1965). In the present paper, we report the genetic analysis of 23 such mutants, more accurate mapping by cotransduction of the uurA, uurB and the uurC loci with other markers, some properties of the double mutants that carry two uur mutations, and evidence that all three loci control the excision from DNA of UV-induced thymine dimers and thymine-cytosine dimers.