Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Customer for R&D Is Always Wrong!

Effective RD neither is likely to get much good harvest for very long. Applications RD it was much older (1) What he meant, of course, was that knowledge is a cumulative, slowly developing thing; others before us have been tall and seen much, and therefore we can see even farther. If you want to do new things, then you had better know about the old things, and you had better know a broad collection of what is known: what the giants discovered. We stand upon the shoulders of Newton and Gibbs, Bohr and Einstein, Brunel and Steinmetz, the Wright brothers and Watt, and others more recent. Francis Bacon, even earlier, wrote, "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed" (2). This was a profound statement--if you want to develop a technology, if you want to use knowledge, you had better understand how the universe works or you may be trying to create something that cannot be done. Any R&D fad that tries to destroy the connectedness and the deep roots of knowledge that lead to technological capability is going to put the business in trouble. It is the structure of knowledge and the structure of the background of technological creations that forces some of the organizational aspects of R&D. We ignore this at our peril. Think, for a moment, of the kinds of knowledge that we use and take for granted, and the connections of knowledge that are necessary to solve any real industrial or commercial problem. …
The Molecular Epidemiology of Chronic Aflatoxin Driven Impaired Child Growth

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary fungal metabolites that contaminate dietary staples in tropical regions; chronic high levels of exposure are common for many of the poorest populations. Observations in animals indicate that growth and/or food utilization are adversely affected by aflatoxins. This review highlights the development of validated exposure biomarkers and their use here to assess the role of aflatoxins in early life growth retardation. Aflatoxin exposure occurs in utero and continues in early infancy as weaning foods are introduced. Using aflatoxin-albumin exposure biomarkers, five major studies clearly demonstrate strong dose response relationships between exposure in utero and/or early infancy and growth retardation, identified by reduced birth weight and/or low HAZ and WAZ scores. The epidemiological studies include cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, though aflatoxin reduction intervention studies are now required to further support these data and guide sustainable options to reduce the burden of exposure. The use of aflatoxin exposure biomarkers was essential in understanding the observational data reviewed and will likely be a critical monitor of the effectiveness of interventions to restrict aflatoxin exposure. Given that an estimated 4.5 billion individuals live in regions at risk of dietary contamination the public health concern cannot be over stated.
Chronic hypertension and pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To provide an accurate assessment of complications of pregnancy in women with chronic hypertension, including comparison with population pregnancy data (US) to inform pre-pregnancy and antenatal management strategies. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Embase, Medline, and Web of Science were searched without language restrictions, from first publication until June 2013; the bibliographies of relevant articles and reviews were hand searched for additional reports. Study selection Studies involving pregnant women with chronic hypertension, including retrospective and prospective cohorts, population studies, and appropriate arms of randomised controlled trials, were included. Data extraction Pooled incidence for each pregnancy outcome was reported and, for US studies, compared with US general population incidence from the National Vital Statistics Report (2006). Results 55 eligible studies were identified, encompassing 795 221 pregnancies. Women with chronic hypertension had high pooled incidences of superimposed pre-eclampsia (25.9%, 95% confidence interval 21.0% to 31.5 %), caesarean section (41.4%, 35.5% to 47.7%), preterm delivery <37 weeks’ gestation (28.1% (22.6 to 34.4%), birth weight <2500 g (16.9%, 13.1% to 21.5%), neonatal unit admission (20.5%, 15.7% to 26.4%), and perinatal death (4.0%, 2.9% to 5.4%). However, considerable heterogeneity existed in the reported incidence of all outcomes (τ2=0.286-0.766), with a substantial range of incidences in individual studies around these averages; additional meta-regression did not identify any influential demographic factors. The incidences (the meta-analysis average from US studies) of adverse outcomes in women with chronic hypertension were compared with women from the US national population dataset and showed higher risks in those with chronic hypertension: relative risks were 7.7 (95% confidence interval 5.7 to 10.1) for superimposed pre-eclampsia compared with pre-eclampsia, 1.3 (1.1 to 1.5) for caesarean section, 2.7 (1.9 to 3.6) for preterm delivery <37 weeks’ gestation, 2.7 (1.9 to 3.8) for birth weight <2500 g, 3.2 (2.2 to 4.4) for neonatal unit admission, and 4.2 (2.7 to 6.5) for perinatal death. Conclusions This systematic review, reporting meta-analysed data from studies of pregnant women with chronic hypertension, shows that adverse outcomes of pregnancy are common and emphasises a need for heightened antenatal surveillance. A consistent strategy to study women with chronic hypertension is needed, as previous study designs have been diverse. These findings should inform counselling and contribute to optimisation of maternal health, drug treatment, and pre-pregnancy management in women affected by chronic hypertension.
The Genome Sequence of Lone Star Virus, a Highly Divergent Bunyavirus Found in the Amblyomma americanum Tick

Viruses in the family Bunyaviridae infect a wide range of plant, insect, and animal hosts. Tick-borne bunyaviruses in the Phlebovirus genus, including Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome virus (SFTSV) in China, Heartland virus (HRTV) in the United States, and Bhanja virus in Eurasia and Africa have been associated with acute febrile illness in humans. Here we sought to characterize the growth characteristics and genome of Lone Star virus (LSV), an unclassified bunyavirus originally isolated from the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum. LSV was able to infect both human (HeLa) and monkey (Vero) cells. Cytopathic effects were seen within 72 h in both cell lines; vacuolization was observed in infected Vero, but not HeLa, cells. Viral culture supernatants were examined by unbiased deep sequencing and analysis using an in-house developed rapid computational pipeline for viral discovery, which definitively identified LSV as a phlebovirus. De novo assembly of the full genome revealed that LSV is highly divergent, sharing <61% overall amino acid identity with any other bunyavirus. Despite this sequence diversity, LSV was found by phylogenetic analysis to be part of a well-supported clade that includes members of the Bhanja group viruses, which are most closely related to SFSTV/HRTV. The genome sequencing of LSV is a critical first step in developing diagnostic tools to determine the risk of arbovirus transmission by A. americanum, a tick of growing importance given its expanding geographic range and competence as a disease vector. This study also underscores the power of deep sequencing analysis in rapidly identifying and sequencing the genomes of viruses of potential clinical and public health significance.
A Novel High Resolution Spectrum Sensing Algorithm for Cognitive Radio Applications

The spectrum sensing related issues has come up with new aspects with cognitive radio and opportunistic spectrum access concepts. Spectrum sensing by far is the most important component for the establishment of cognitive radio. In this paper, some of the spectrum sensing methodologies for cognitive radio is presented. The Challenges associated with spectrum sensing are given and enabling spectrum sensing methods are reviewed. In this paper, an efficient recursive least square (ERLS) algorithm is proposed for improving the power signal spectral estimation. The proposed ERLS algorithm is the combination of wavelet algorithm and artificial neural network (ANN).
Growth-related order of the retinal fiber layer in goldfish

The retinal fiber layer and the juxtaretinal portion of the optic nerve of goldfish have been studied with light and electron microscopy in order to determine whether the age-related order of fibers in the nerve originates in the retina. In the retina, no patent spaces (channels) were noted. The fibers ran in fascicles and consisted of two classes: nonmyelinated fibers, which ran superficially (close to the vitreal surface), and “myelinated” fibers, which ran more deeply and were loosely wrapped by processes presumed to be glial. The myelinated fibers were larger and presumably older. The nonmyelinated fibers are believed to be the young ones, from the peripheral, more recently generated, ganglion cells, for the following reasons. (1) Their size and cytoskeletal elements were typical of young axons. (2) They were the only axons in peripheral retina. (3) They were continuous with the nonmyelinated fibers in the nerve, previously shown to be the young ones. (4) When retinal axons were cut peripherally, the degenerating axons were in the superficial part of the fiber layer. (5) Growth cones, presumably from the newest ganglion cells, were always observed at the most superficial position in the fiber layer, in direct contact with the basal lamina of the inner limiting membrane superficially and nonmyelinated fibers deeply. The nonmyelinated fibers always clustered together in the retinal fiber layer and occupied the most central portion in the cross-section of the optic nerve head. Thus, the age- related organization of fibers in the nerve is established in the retina. These results are discussed in the context of growth, with the aim of evaluating the relative importance of four factors that might influence the intraretinal course of the growth cone. Its interactions with other fibers and with the basal lamina of the inner limiting membrane seem to be more important than interactions with the glial end feet or guidance into open, preformed channels.
Toxoplasma gondii-Derived Synthetic Peptides Containing B- and T-Cell Epitopes from GRA2 Protein Are Able to Enhance Mice Survival in a Model of Experimental Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis distributed all over the world, which the etiologic agent is an intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. This disease may cause abortions and severe diseases in many warm-blood hosts, including humans, particularly the immunocompromised patients. The parasite specialized secretory organelles, as micronemes, rhoptries and dense granules, are critical for the successful parasitism. The dense granule protein 2 (GRA2) is a parasite immunogenic protein secreted during infections and previous studies have been shown that this parasite component is crucial for the formation of intravacuolar membranous nanotubular network (MNN), as well as for secretion into the vacuole and spatial organization of the parasites within the vacuole. In the present study, we produced a monoclonal antibody to GRA2 (C3C5 mAb, isotype IgG2b), mapped the immunodominant epitope of the protein by phage display and built GRA2 synthetic epitopes to evaluate their ability to protect mice in a model of experimental infection. Our results showed that synthetic peptides for B- and T-cell epitopes are able to improve survival of immunized animals. In contrast with non-immunized animals, the immunized mice with both B- and T-cell epitopes had a better balance of cytokines and demonstrated higher levels of IL-10, IL-4 and IL-17 production, though similar levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were observed. The immunization with both B- and T-cell epitopes resulted in survival rate higher than 85% of the challenged mice. Overall, these results demonstrate that immunization with synthetic epitopes for both B- and T-cells from GRA2 protein can be more effective to protect against infection by T. gondii.
Phosphodiesterase I, A Novel Adhesion Molecule and/or Cytokine Involved in Oligodendrocyte Function

One of the more complex developmental processes occurring postnatally in the CNS is the formation of the myelin sheath by oligodendrocytes. To examine the molecular events that take place during myelination, we isolated oligodendrocyte-derived cDNA clones, one of which (p421.HB) represents a putative alternatively spliced isoform of rat brain-specific phosphodiesterase I (PD-Iα) and a species homolog of the human cytokine autotaxin. Analysis of the structural composition of the p421.HB/PD-Iα protein suggests a transmembrane-bound ectoenzyme, which, in addition to the phosphodiesterase-active site contains presumed cell recognition and Ca2+-binding domains. Consequently, it may be involved in extracellular signaling events. Expression of p421.HB/PD-Iα is enriched in brain and spinal cord, where its mRNA can be detected in oligodendrocytes and in cells of the choroid plexus. Expression in the brain increases during development with an intermediate peak of expression around the time of active myelination and maximal expression in the adult. We have identified four presumably alternatively spliced isoforms, two of which appear to be CNS-specific. Decreased levels of p421.HB/PD-Iα mRNA in the dysmyelinating mouse mutant jimpy, but notshiverer, suggest a role for p421.HB/PD-Iα during active myelination and/or late stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation. Furthermore, p421.HB/PD-Iα mRNA levels were reduced in the CNS at onset of clinical symptoms in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These data together implicate the importance of p421.HB/PD-Iα in oligodendrocyte function, possibly through cell–cell and/or cell–extracellular matrix recognition.
Frequency and isostericity of RNA base pairs

Most of the hairpin, internal and junction loops that appear single-stranded in standard RNA secondary structures form recurrent 3D motifs, where non-Watson–Crick base pairs play a central role. Non-Watson–Crick base pairs also play crucial roles in tertiary contacts in structured RNA molecules. We previously classified RNA base pairs geometrically so as to group together those base pairs that are structurally similar (isosteric) and therefore able to substitute for each other by mutation without disrupting the 3D structure. Here, we introduce a quantitative measure of base pair isostericity, the IsoDiscrepancy Index (IDI), to more accurately determine which base pair substitutions can potentially occur in conserved motifs. We extract and classify base pairs from a reduced-redundancy set of RNA 3D structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and calculate centroids (exemplars) for each base combination and geometric base pair type (family). We use the exemplars and IDI values to update our online Basepair Catalog and the Isostericity Matrices (IM) for each base pair family. From the database of base pairs observed in 3D structures we derive base pair occurrence frequencies for each of the 12 geometric base pair families. In order to improve the statistics from the 3D structures, we also derive base pair occurrence frequencies from rRNA sequence alignments.
Global Survey of Human T Leukemic Cells by Integrating Proteomics and Transcriptomics Profiling*S

A global protein survey is needed to gain systems-level insights into mammalian cell signaling and information flow. Human Jurkat T leukemic cells are one of the most important model systems for T cell signaling study, but no comprehensive proteomics survey has been carried out in this cell type. In the present study we combined subcellular fractionation, multiple protein enrichment methods, and replicate tandem mass spectrometry analyses to determine the protein expression pattern in a single Jurkat cell type. The proteome dataset was evaluated by comparison with the genome-wide mRNA expression pattern in the same cell type. A total of 5381 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry with high confidence. Rigorous comparison of RNA and protein expression afforded removal of the false positive identifications and redundant entries but rescued the proteins identified by a single high scoring peptide, resulting in the final identification of 6471 unique gene products among which 98% of the corresponding transcripts were detected with high probability. Using hierarchical clustering of the protein expression patterns in five subcellular fractions (cytosol, light membrane, heavy membrane, mitochondria, and nuclei), the primary subcellular localization of 2241 proteins was assigned with high confidence including 792 previously uncharacterized proteins. This proteome landscape can serve as a useful platform for systems-level understanding of organelle composition and cellular functions in human T cells.
Social Dialogue as a Means of Enhancing Productivity and Quality of Work Life: A Case Study of the Maha Oya Group of the Bogawantalawa Plantations Company Perspectives on Productivity Improvement

Perspectives on Productivity Improvement The productivity improvement movement has a long history having had its beginnings with the work simplification practices advocated by F.W. Taylor under the famous ‘scientific management principles’. Since then there has been an increasing attention on evolving various approaches and strategies to enhance productivity, and more particularly labour productivity, at the enterprise level. The Asian Productivity Organisation, a regional organisation established in 1961, to support productivity promotion efforts in the Asian countries, has identified two generic approaches to productivity improvement: socio-cultural and technoeconomic. The socio-cultural approach deals with such matters as moral values of a society and work ethics, while the techno-economic approach deals with more enterprise-specific factors such as industrial relations, human resource development, financial analysis and in-house entrepreneurship (APO 1989; 1998). Moving a step further, management writers have identified more specific approaches to productivity improvement planning at the enterprise level. These include work simplification, mechanisation, automation, facilities improvement, better planning and scheduling of work, more efficient use of manpower and employee participation and involvement (Armstrong 1990)
ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC COMPARISON OF A STABILITY BALL CRUNCH WITH A TRADITIONAL CRUNCH

The purpose of this study was to compare abdominal muscle activity while performing a crunch on a stability ball with a traditional crunch. Forty-one healthy adults (23 men and 18 women) participated in the study. The subjects performed the crunch with the ball in 2 positions, 1 with the ball at the level of the inferior angles of the scapula (SB-high) and 1 with the ball at the level of the lower lumbar region of the back (SB-low). Surface electromyography was recorded from the upper and lower portions of the rectus abdominis and the external oblique during each repetition. Electromyography values were analyzed using repeated measures analyses of variance and pair-wise comparisons. Muscle activity for the upper and lower portions of the rectus abdominis and external oblique for a traditional crunch was significantly lower than for the crunch performed in the SB-low position but significantly greater than the SB-high position. Our data also showed that, on average, the abdominal muscle activity doubled when the stability ball was moved from the upper to the lower back position. These results support previous findings that a stability ball is not only effective for training the abdominal musculature, but, with the correct placement, it can also significantly increase muscle activity when compared with a traditional crunch. In addition, our results suggest that ball placement is critical for matching the appropriate overload to the condition level of the user.
Ideas in Dialogue: The Effects of Interaction on Creative Problem Solving

Much problem-solving research has investigated if and why ‘two heads are better than one’, but typically posits that if there is any process gain observed it is because of the exposure to the ideas provided by another person’s attempted solutions. This work fails to acknowledge or investigate what the interaction itself contributes to joint problem solving. Using an online version of the Alternative Uses Task, we compare situations in which people are passively exposed to what is said in a dialogue with situations in which people are actively engaged in the dialogue, thus varying the interactivity independently of the informational content that participants were exposed to. Interacting participants produce more turns overall, but they do not come up with more ideas. Interacting participants were also more likely to build on each other’s ideas and produce more complex ideas when a turn is linked to a previous idea; following leads to elaboration – but only if there is genuine interactivity. These results indicate that conversational mechanisms promote the exploration of a problem space and that merely counting the number of ideas produced would miss the importance of the interaction itself.
Taxes, Risk Aversion, and the Size of the Underground Economy

We use nonparametric regression analysis to investigate the relationship between the effective tax rate and the relative size of the underground economy, using New Zealand data. The theoretical underpinnings of such a relationship are established by extending some of the predictions of the recent model of Trandel and Snow (1999) to allow for the form of the available aggregate data. Time-series evidence indicates that these data are non-stationary and cointegrated, and this is taken into account in our estimation. The theoretical framework produces an ambiguous prediction regarding the sign of the relationship we are studying. However, our nonparametric empirical analysis produces a positive and "S-shaped" relationship, and this supports earlier empirical studies that imposed such functional forms. The estimated model is used to simulate the effects of hypothetical tax changes on the size of the New Zealand underground economy, and to draw policy conclusions.