Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional characterization of the 5′ flanking region of human ubiquitin fusion degradation 1 like gene (UFD1L)

UFD1L (Ubiquitin Fusion Degradation 1 Like) gene encodes for a component of a multi‐complex involved in the degradation of ubiquitin fusion proteins. The gene maps on chromosome 22q11, in a region commonly deleted in severe congenital disorders such as DiGeorge (DGS) and velo‐cardio‐facial (VCFS) syndromes. UFD1L is a single copy gene ubiquitously expressed in high levels in the pharyngeal pouches and fourth branchial arch artery during development. To understand the regulation of UFD1L expression we performed a functional analysis of its 5′ regulatory region. 5′‐RACE and primer extension analyses revealed the presence of different transcription start sites in adult and fetal tissues. UFD1L 5′ flanking region contains a TATA‐box motif and is also very GC‐rich with a CpG island encompassing exon 1. Transcriptional activity of this region was examined by transfection experiments of promoter‐GFP reporter gene constructs in a human epithelial cell line. These experiments revealed the importance of the region between −17 and −463 nt which contains the TATA‐box. EMSA assay resulted in the detection of five functional consensus sequences respectively for the transcription complex TFIID and for the transcription factors AP‐1 (one site), AP‐2 (one) and Sp1 (two). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Moral Development and Moral Responsibility

At the end of Section of "Freedom and Resentment,"1 just after he has drawn our attention to the reactive attitudes, P. F. Strawson remarks, "The object of these commonplaces is to try to keep before our minds something it is easy to forget when we are engaged in philosophy, espe cially in our cool, contemporary style, viz., what it is actually like to be involved in ordinary inter-personal relationships, ranging from the most intimate to the most casual (50). " It is striking, then, that the proponent of so thoroughly naturalistic an account of moral responsibility seems himself largely to ignore the fact that moral agents do not spring into existence ab initio. The adult moral agent, who is the central character of normative theory and of accounts of moral responsibility, was once a child. Our juvenile selves get a mention in Strawson's paper, but only as examples of creatures who are paradigmatically not responsible or who inhabit "a borderline, penumbral area (61)" with respect to responsibility.2 Thus it remains a mystery, on Strawson's account, how we become the morally responsible creatures he takes us to be. It is a constraint on any account of moral responsibility that it not attribute to adult moral agents capacities and abilities they could not (and thus do not) acquire in the usual course of human development. This com monplace, true of any interesting adult competence, from language to moral agency, cannot be gainsaid. However, the constraint might have more or less import. Given a description of the relevant adult competence in question, the constraint demands an answer to the following question: how could children in the normal course of development come to acquire the capacities and abilities so described? The 'could' leaves it open to empirical inquiry to determine whether children learn all they need to know from the environment or whether such experience supplements some more or-less rich innate endowment. But whatever the respective contributions of nature and nurture turn out to be with respect to particular competen
Direct Identification of Mycobacteria in Primary Liquid Detection Media by Partial Sequencing of the 65-Kilodalton Heat Shock Protein Gene

ABSTRACT We investigated extending the use of direct partial hsp65 gene sequencing for the identification of mycobacteria to isolates in primary liquid detection media as an economical, feasible, and more rapid means of identification. During the course of the study, the hsp65 sequence-based identifications for isolates from 670 primary liquid detection media determined to be positive for acid-fast bacilli were compared to the identifications derived from Accuprobes, biochemical test panels, or 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Preliminary analysis indicated a 97.6% concordance, with a final agreement of 99.1% between the identification algorithms. hsp65 sequencing costs (US$32.84) were greater than the cost of identification with Accuprobe (US$19) but less than the cost of the biochemical test panel identification (average cost, US$98.90) and equivalent to the cost of 16S rRNA sequencing, although there was a referral cost (US$59.85) for the shipping of isolates to another reference laboratory. Analysis indicated that our laboratory would have recognized a cost savings of approximately $12,000 by using hsp65 sequencing to identify isolates from specimens with a negative fluorescent- smear status and would have achieved further savings by using it as an alternative to biochemical panel testing for fluorescent-smear-positive specimens. The time to identification by hsp65 gene sequencing was slightly longer than that required by the Accuprobe assay (1 versus 2 days), shorter than that required by the biochemical test panels (2 days versus 26 days on average), and more rapid than referral for 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Implementation Aspects of Antenna Selection for MIMO Systems

Antenna selection is a promising technique for reducing complexity of multiple-antenna (MIMO) systems. In antenna selection, more antenna elements than RF transceiver chains are available for up-conversion and down-conversion. A subset of the available antenna elements is selected and connected to the RF chains. The reduction in the number of RF chains helps to reduce the implementation cost of multi-antenna systems. This paper considers a number of "practical" issues in the implementation of such systems. We discuss schemes for the channel estimation for all all antenna elements, and show that antenna selection is robust to channel estimation errors. RF preprocessing can be used to enhance the array gain of antenna selection schemes; the performance is robust to errors in the RF elements used for the preprocessing Finally, we analyze both bulk selection and per-tone selection in MIMO-OFDM systems, and show that the former is usually preferable. Results from simulations with 802.11n-compliant systems, and capacity results in measured channels show that SNR and capacity gains can be achieved with antenna selection in practical situations.
Developing detailed a priori 3D models of large environments to aid in robotic navigation tasks

In order to effectively navigate any environment, a robotic vehicle needs to understand the terrain and obstacles native to that environment. Knowledge of its own location and orientation, and knowledge of the region of operation, can greatly improve the robot’s performance. To this end, we have developed a mobile system for the fast digitization of large-scale environments to develop the a priori information needed for prediction and optimization of the robot’s performance. The system collects ground-level video and laser range information, fusing them together to develop accurate 3D models of the target environment. In addition, the system carries a differential Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as an Inertial Navigation System (INS) for determining the position and orientation of the various scanners as they acquire data. Issues involved in the fusion of these various data modalities include: Integration of the position and orientation (pose) sensors’ data at varying sampling rates and availability; Selection of "best" geometry in overlapping data cases; Efficient representation of large 3D datasets for real-time processing techniques. Once the models have been created, this data can be used to provide a priori information about negative obstacles, obstructed fields of view, navigation constraints, and focused feature detection.
Can you refuse these discounts? An evaluation of the use and price discount impact of price-related promotions among US adult smokers by cigarette manufacturers

Objectives The raising unit price of cigarette has been shown to be one of the most effective ways of reducing cigarette consumption and increasing rates of successful quitting. However, researchers have shown that price-sensitive smokers have used a variety of strategies to mitigate the effect of the rising price of cigarettes on their smoking habits. In particular, 23–34% of adult smokers in the US use cheaper brands, and 18–55% use coupons or promotions. Little is known about the discount use by type of brands. As such, the main purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the uses and price discount effects of these price-related discounts by manufacturers and major brands. Setting An analysis based on the cross-sectional 2009–2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS). Participants 11 766 current smokers aged 18 or above in the USA. Primary outcome measures Price-related discount was defined as smokers who used coupons, rebates, buy-one-get-one-free, two-for-one or any other special promotions for their last cigarettes purchase. Results The use of price-related discounts and associated price impact vary widely by cigarette manufacturer and brand. Approximately one of three Camel, one of four Marlboro and one of eight Newport smokers used price-related discounts on their latest cigarette purchases. The average price reductions of discounts offered by Philip Morris (PM) or R.J. Reynolds (RJR) were around 29 cents per pack while that of Lorillard (Newport only) was 24 cents per pack. Cigarette brands that provided significant per pack price reductions include: PM Marlboro (28 cents), RJR brand Camel (41 cents), Doral (50 cents), Kool (73 cents) and Salem (80 cents), and Lorillard Newport (24 cents). Conclusions Policies that decrease price-minimisation strategies will benefit public health.
Configuration Controllability of Simple Mechanical Control Systems

In this paper we present a definition of ''configuration controllability'' for mechanical systems whose Lagrangian is kinetic energy with respect to a Riemannian metric minus potential energy. A computable test for this new version of controllability is derived. This condition involves an object that we call the symmetric product. Of particular interest is a definition of ''equilibrium controllability'' for which we are able to derive computable sufficient conditions. Examples illustrate the theory.
Cell migration regulates the kinetics of cytokinesis

Cytokinesis is the final stage of cell division in which the daughter cells separate. Although a growing body of evidence suggests that cell migration-induced traction forces may be required to provide physical assistance for daughter cells to dissociate during abscission, the role of cell migration in cytokinesis has not been directly elucidated. Recently, we have demonstrated that Crk and paxillin, which are pivotal components of the cell migration machinery, localize to the midbody and are essential for the abscission. These findings provided an important link between the cell migration and cytokinesis machineries and prompted us to dissect the role of cell migration in cytokinesis. We show that cell migration controls the kinetics of cleavage furrowing, midbody extension and abscission and coordinates proper subcellular redistribution of Crk and syntaxin-2 to the midbody after ingression.
Role of steric interactions in the delta opioid receptor selectivity of [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin.

In order to assess the individual effects of each of the 3-methyl groups in residue 2 of [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin on binding affinity to mu and delta opioid receptors, (2S,3S)methylcysteine ((3S)Me-D-Cys) and (2S,3R)methylcysteine ((3R)Me-D-Cys) were synthesized and incorporated into the analogs, [(3S)Me-D-Cys2, D-Pen5] enkephalin and [(3R)Me-D-Cys2, D-Pen5]enkephalin. Of these analogs, [(3S)Me-D-Cys2, D-Pen5]enkephalin appears from 1H n.m. r. spectra to assume a conformation similar to those of [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin and the less delta receptor-selective, but more potent, [D-Cys2, D-Pen5]enkephalin. Assessment of binding affinity to mu and delta receptors revealed that [(3S)Me-D-Cys2, D-Pen5]enkephalin exhibits delta receptor affinity intermediate between [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin and [D-Cys2, D-Pen5]enkephalin while its mu receptor affinity is similar to that of [D-Cys2, D-Pen5]enkephalin. These results suggest that, for [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin, adverse steric interactions between the D-Pen2 pro-R methyl group and the mu receptor binding site lead to the low mu receptor binding affinity observed for this analog. By contrast, both the pro-R and pro-S D-Pen2 methyl groups lead to minor steric interactions which contribute to the somewhat lower delta receptor affinity of this compound.
Clinical and analytical relevance of NNRTIs minority mutations on viral failure in HIV‐1 infected patients

The objective of this study was to assess the analytical and clinical relevance of minority variants using a new pyrosequencing (PSQ) assay and to detect minor variants with frequencies below the current 20% clinical setting limit. A PSQ approach for detecting and quantifying mutations was developed for the analysis of 14 codons of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) gene below the limit of conventional sequencing. Ten patients who experienced virological failure (VF) after a first‐line regimen of lamivudine, tenofovir, and either efavirenz, nevirapine, or etravirine, as well as 10 controls patients without VF, were included in this retrospective study. Baseline plasma and plasma from the time of VF were assessed using Sanger sequencing and PSQ methods. The analytical sensitivity for the detection of minor sequence variants is 5%. At baseline, no minority variant was detected in 10/10 patient controls using both the Sanger sequencing and PSQ assays, whereas, two patients who failed therapy had baseline non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) mutations that were not detected by the standard genotyping. At the time of VF, standard genotyping detected mutations in four out of the 10 VF patients, whereas, PSQ detected mutations in five out of the 10 VF patients. Clinically, minority mutations at a 10% level of detection can be assessed efficiently by pyrosequencing and used as a suitable predictor of the evolution of viral populations. These traits allow for a better interpretation of data analysis, which can help clinicians in providing a suitable treatment for HIV. J. Med. Virol. 86:394–403, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adaptations to Climate-Mediated Selective Pressures in Sheep

Following domestication, sheep (Ovis aries) have become essential farmed animals across the world through adaptation to a diverse range of environments and varied production systems. Climate-mediated selective pressure has shaped phenotypic variation and has left genetic “footprints” in the genome of breeds raised in different agroecological zones. Unlike numerous studies that have searched for evidence of selection using only population genetics data, here, we conducted an integrated coanalysis of environmental data with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation. By examining 49,034 SNPs from 32 old, autochthonous sheep breeds that are adapted to a spectrum of different regional climates, we identified 230 SNPs with evidence for selection that is likely due to climate-mediated pressure. Among them, 189 (82%) showed significant correlation (P ≤ 0.05) between allele frequency and climatic variables in a larger set of native populations from a worldwide range of geographic areas and climates. Gene ontology analysis of genes colocated with significant SNPs identified 17 candidates related to GTPase regulator and peptide receptor activities in the biological processes of energy metabolism and endocrine and autoimmune regulation. We also observed high linkage disequilibrium and significant extended haplotype homozygosity for the core haplotype TBC1D12-CH1 of TBC1D12. The global frequency distribution of the core haplotype and allele OAR22_18929579-A showed an apparent geographic pattern and significant (P ≤ 0.05) correlations with climatic variation. Our results imply that adaptations to local climates have shaped the spatial distribution of some variants that are candidates to underpin adaptive variation in sheep.
Microbial Regulation of p53 Tumor Suppressor

p53 tumor suppressor has been identified as a protein interacting with the large T antigen produced by simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40). Subsequent research on p53 inhibition by SV40 and other tumor viruses has not only helped to gain a better understanding of viral biology, but also shaped our knowledge of human tumorigenesis. Recent studies have found, however, that inhibition of p53 is not strictly in the realm of viruses. Some bacterial pathogens also actively inhibit p53 protein and induce its degradation, resulting in alteration of cellular stress responses. This phenomenon was initially characterized in gastric epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial pathogen that commonly infects the human stomach and is strongly linked to gastric cancer. Besides H. pylori, a number of other bacterial species were recently discovered to inhibit p53. These findings provide novel insights into host–bacteria interactions and tumorigenesis associated with bacterial infections.
Second-order consensus in multi-agent systems based on second-order neighbours’ information

This paper mainly investigates the consensus of second-order multi-agent systems by using the second-order neighbours’ information. The comparison between the convergence rate of second-order neighbour protocol and the one of general protocol is developed. When multi-agent system achieves maximum speed consensus, the relation between the parameter in general protocol and that in second-order neighbour protocol is analysed. If there exists delay in communication, the delay margins of general protocol and second-order neighbour protocol are derived. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
A smart tone reservation scheme for reducing the high PAPR of the FBMC/OQAM signal

High Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) of the Filter bank Multi-carriers Modulations (FBMC) signal has been extensively addressed in recent research studies. In this paper, we suggest an optimized and novel version of the overlapped Sliding Window Tone Reservation (SW-TR) algorithm in order to reduce the PAPR of the FBMC/OQAM signal. Our PAPR reduction scheme termed Smart Tone Reservation (STR) uses the Smart Gradient Project (SGP) algorithm to accelerate the convergence rate of the SW-TR algorithm. Simulation results indicate that the suggested PAPR reduction scheme for FBMC/OQAM is not only efficient in reducing the PAPR of the FBMC/OQAM signal with only one iteration but also outperforms OFDM with SGP-TR scheme.
Negative and Positive Factors Associated With the Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth

Factors associated with the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth were qualitatively examined to better understand how these factors are experienced from the youths’ perspectives. Largely recruited from LGBTQ youth groups, 68 youth participated in focus groups (n = 63) or individual interviews (n = 5). The sample included 50% male, 47% female, and 3% transgender participants. Researchers used a consensual methods approach to identify negative and positive factors across 8 domains. Negative factors were associated with families, schools, religious institutions, and community or neighborhood; positive factors were associated with the youth’s own identity development, peer networks, and involvement in the LGBTQ community. These findings suggest a pervasiveness of negative experiences in multiple contexts, and the importance of fostering a positive LGBTQ identity and supportive peer/community networks. Efforts should work towards reducing and eliminating the prejudicial sentiments often present in the institutions and situations that LGBTQ youth encounter.
A Traffic Flow Based Clustering Scheme for VANETs

Recently, vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) have attracted great interests from both academia and industry. As an extreme case of mobile ad hoc networks (MANET), VANETs have some unique features, such as high node mobility, frequent topology changes and breakages of wireless links. In this paper, we propose a novel traffic flow based (TFB) clustering scheme, aiming to construct stable clusters for urban scenarios. This scheme takes traffic flow, speed difference and node position into consideration, in order to select the most stable cluster head. In addition, only vehicles within the predefined speed difference with the cluster head is allowed to join the cluster. Simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of this proposed scheme. The results show that the proposed scheme imparts a significant performance improvement in terms of average cluster lifetime and average number of clusters changed per vehicle. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
Safety in home care: a broadened perspective of patient safety.

BACKGROUND Home care is the most rapidly growing segment of the Canadian healthcare system. Overwhelmingly, research on patient safety has been conducted within institutional settings, resulting in a significant knowledge gap about safety in homecare. Given the dramatic increase in the amount, acuity and complexity of health care being provided in the home and community, it is essential to develop our understanding of safety in this sector. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to describe the landscape of safety in home care in Canada. METHOD This pan-Canadian initiative included three phases: a literature review, 20 key informant interviews and an invitational roundtable. Data were synthesized using a content analysis approach. RESULTS Patient safety is a failure of systems rather than of humans; there are many change processes required to create safe environments; organizational culture and workplace factors are critical. Patients have a key role to play in their care and thus must be part of the patient safety discourse. Themes central to safety in home care are: the inextricably linked relationships and communication among clients/families and caregivers/providers; unregulated and uncontrolled settings, autonomy and isolation; the multidimensionality of safety (physical, emotional, social, functional); a diminishing focus on prevention, health promotion and chronic care; challenges of human resources and maintenance of competence. CONCLUSION Addressing safety in home care and mitigating the risks presents unique challenges and requires a major rethink of underlying institutionally oriented assumptions and guiding frameworks.