Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloning and analysis of the sfrB (sex factor repression) gene of Escherichia coli K-12

The sfrB gene of Escherichia coli K-12 and the rfaH gene of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 are homologous, controlling expression of the tra operon of F and the rfa genes for lipopolysaccharide synthesis. We have determined a restriction map of the 19-kilobase ColE1 plasmid pLC14-28 which carries the sfrB gene of E. coli. After partial Sau3A digestion of pLC14-28, we cloned a 2.5-kilobase DNA fragment into the BamHI site of pBR322 to form pKZ17. pKZ17 complemented mutants of the sfrB gene of E. coli and the rfaH gene of S. typhimurium for defects of both the F tra operon and the rfa genes. pKZ17 in minicells determines an 18-kilodalton protein not determined by pBR322. A Tn5 insertion into the sfrB gene causes loss of complementing activity and loss of the 18-kilodalton protein in minicells, indicating that this protein is the sfrB gene product. These data indicate that the sfrB gene product is a regulatory element, since the single gene product elicits the expression of genes for many products for F expression and lipopolysaccharide synthesis.
Competitive recommendation algorithm for E-commerce

Collaborative filtering (CF) is commonly used and successful techniques in recommendation systems (RS) but it has showed some problems like sparsity and cold start. Different techniques are employed to overcome the collaborative problems but there is no one single algorithm which can satisfy the personalized needs of each user. This paper presents a new hybrid recommendation approach to improve the effectiveness through the competition process among a series of algorithms. Experiment has been conducted on MovieLens to verify our proposed approach. The results indicate that our approach enabled more efficient and stable recommendation than single method.
Effective Pedestrian Detection and Counting at Bus Stops

This paper presents two approaches for pedestrian detection and counting at bus stops, whose purpose is to provide accurate demand estimates for an automated fleet scheduling and dispatching system. The approaches are general and can also be applied to people counting in public buildings or pedestrian detection from robotic platforms with minor modifications to account for background motion. The first approach employs a background subtraction scheme combined with the Viola and Jones detector, while the second one uses the foreground pixels count and a linear model involving people density estimates to calculate the total number of people. It is shown that the second approach is more accurate and reliable despite its simplicity, because it is not subject to the detection errors arising in the face or body parts detectors of the first approach. Both approaches are tested using image sequences from a real bus stop.
Effectiveness of steroid therapy in different stages of membranous nephropathy.

The published studies on histological staging and response to steroid therapy of membranous glomerulonephritis are not consistent. We analysed data from 25 adult patients with stage I (group 1, n = 7) and stage II (group 2, n = 18) disease. The interval between clinical onset and admission was similar in the two groups. At admission all patients had normal creatinine clearance; proteinuria averaged 5.4 +/- 4.0 in group 1 and 9.0 +/- 4.0 in group 2 (g/day per 100 ml GFR). All patients received 6 months steroid therapy (months 1-2, 1 mg/kg b.w. per day; month 3-5: 0.65 mg/kg b.w. e.o.d.; month 6, tapering). After this cycle of steroid therapy, proteinuria declined by 84% in group 1 (five patients being in partial remission, i.e. 0.4-2 g/day, and two patients in complete remission, i.e. less than or equal to 0.3 g/day) and by 47% in group 2 (two patients being in complete remission and six in partial remission). Only 1 patient in group 1 relapsed with nephrotic proteinuria after 36 months, and renal function was still normal in all patients at the most recent follow-up (59 +/- 32 months). In contrast, 14 patients in group 2 had nephrotic syndrome and seven renal insufficiency at the most recent follow-up. We conclude that short-term steroid therapy is effective only in patients with early membranous changes.
Mental health stigma and attitudes to psychiatry among Bangladeshi medical students

Background: The shortage of specialized human resources in mental health in Bangladesh requires active recruitment of psychiatric residents. In addition, the involvement of positively inclined health personnel, for example, medical doctors, emerges as an immediate priority. Aim: To explore stigma among medical students toward persons with mental disorders (PMDs) and their attitudes toward psychiatry. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Faridpur Medical College in Bangladesh before (First year) and following psychiatric rotation (Fifth year). Students (N = 200) filled anonymous questionnaires measuring stigma toward PMDs and attitudes to psychiatry. Results: Upper medical school year (p = .028), older age (p = .005), mother’s lower academic level (p = .043), upper and lower socioeconomic level affiliation (p = .008) and self-consultation for mental or neurological complaints (p = .032) were associated with increased stigma toward PMDs. More favorable attitudes toward psychiatry were found in upper medical school year (p = .073) and were significantly associated with female gender (p = .018) and middle socioeconomic level affiliation (p = .013). Conclusion: The relative improvement in attitudes toward psychiatry in the upper medical school year is overshadowed by the increased stigma toward PMDs. Specific anti-stigma program in the curriculum and strategies to improve the attitudes are required.
Pokémon Go and augmented virtual reality games: a cautionary commentary for parents and pediatricians

Purpose of review The recent release of Pokémon Go has ushered in a new set of challenges for parents and pediatricians, highlighting the importance of parents setting guidelines for video game use with their children. Within 1 week of its launch, the game attracted over 65 million users, many of whom are young children. Despite the potential benefits of the game described in our article, this location-based game format poses specific threats to the safety and physical wellbeing of children. Recent findings Reports have discussed both the benefits and adverse effects of this extremely popular video game. Benefits include increased exercise, socialization, and outdoor activity. Negative effects include increased risk of injury, abduction, trespassing, violence, and cost. Summary Pediatricians play a key role in counseling parents and children about safety precautions and setting appropriate limits for impressionable youth. Parents and pediatricians should be aware of this new and remarkably popular game that appeals to a wide variety of individuals. To protect children from injury, predators, and inappropriate situations, parents and pediatricians must regulate children's participation in this game and maintain vigilance for potentially dangerous circumstances.
Leveraging Connected Vehicle Technology and Telematics to Enhance Vehicle Fuel Efficiency in the Vicinity of Signalized Intersections

Driving on highways and arterial roadways involves vehicle acceleration, braking, cruising, coasting, and idling episodes. As the vehicle speed deviates from its “fuel optimum speed,” additional fuel is consumed, thus reducing the vehicle fuel efficiency. The research presented in this article develops a connected vehicle application entitled Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (ECACC) that uses infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication to receive signal phasing and timing (SPaT) data, predict future constraints on a vehicle's trajectory, and optimize its trajectory to minimize the vehicle's fuel consumption level. The trajectory optimization is made using a moving horizon dynamic programming (DP) approach. A modified A-star algorithm is developed to enhance the computational efficiency of the DP for use in real-time implementations. The model is calibrated and tested on 30 top-sold vehicles in the United States and is demonstrated to provide fuel savings within the vicinity of signalized intersections in the range of 5 to 30%.
Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin with and without cetuximab in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE This randomized study assessed whether the best overall response rate (ORR) of cetuximab combined with oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil (FOLFOX-4) was superior to that of FOLFOX-4 alone as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The influence of KRAS mutation status was investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients received cetuximab (400 mg/m(2) initial dose followed by 250 mg/m(2)/wk thereafter) plus FOLFOX-4 (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m(2) on day 1, plus leucovorin 200 mg/m(2) and fluorouracil as a 400 mg/m(2) bolus followed by a 600 mg/m(2) infusion during 22 hours on days 1 and 2; n = 169) or FOLFOX-4 alone (n = 168). Treatment was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. KRAS mutation status was assessed in the subset of patients with assessable tumor samples (n = 233). RESULTS The confirmed ORR for cetuximab plus FOLFOX-4 was higher than with FOLFOX-4 alone (46% v 36%). A statistically significant increase in the odds for a response with the addition of cetuximab to FOLFOX-4 could not be established (odds ratio = 1.52; P = .064). In patients with KRAS wild-type tumors, the addition of cetuximab to FOLFOX-4 was associated with a clinically significant increased chance of response (ORR = 61% v 37%; odds ratio = 2.54; P = .011) and a lower risk of disease progression (hazard ratio = 0.57; P = .0163) compared with FOLFOX-4 alone. Cetuximab plus FOLFOX-4 was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSION KRAS mutational status was shown to be a highly predictive selection criterion in relation to the treatment decision regarding the addition of cetuximab to FOLFOX-4 for previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Charge control and mobility in AlGaN/GaN transistors: Experimental and theoretical studies

In this article we report on two dimensional sheet charge and mobility in GaN/AlGaN heterostructure field effect transistors. Both experimental and theoretical results are presented. Experimental results are reported on samples grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Theoretical studies are done to examine how spontaneous polarization and piezoelectric effect control the sheet charge density. The studies also focus on how interface roughness, aluminum mole fraction in the barrier and phonon scattering influence mobility. We find that interface roughness is a dominant source of scattering in the samples reported. Due to the variation in growth techniques we find that the MBE samples have a smoother interface compared to the MOCVD samples. By carefully fitting the experimental data we present results on interface roughness parameters for MBE and MOCVD samples.
Isolation of a cDNA encoding a murine UDPgalactose:beta-D-galactosyl- 1,4-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminide alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase: expression cloning by gene transfer.

We have developed a genetic approach to isolate cloned cDNA sequences that determine expression of cell surface oligosaccharide structures and their cognate glycosyltransferases. A cDNA library was constructed in a mammalian expression vector by using mRNA from a murine cell line known to express a UDPgalactose:beta-D-galactosyl-1,4-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminide alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase [(alpha 1-3)GT; EC 2.4. 1.151]. This library was transfected into COS-1 cells, which lack expression of (alpha 1-3)GT. Transfected cells containing functional (alpha 1-3)GT cDNAs were detected and isolated with a lectin that recognizes the surface-expressed glycoconjugate product of the (alpha 1-3)GT enzyme. One cloned (alpha 1-3)GT cDNA was rescued from lectin-positive transfected cells. This cDNA contains a single long open reading frame that predicts a 394-amino-acid protein. No significant primary structure similarities were identified between this protein and other known sequences. However, the protein predicts a type II transmembrane topology similar to two other mammalian glycosyltransferases. This topology places the large COOH-terminal domain within the Golgi lumen; this domain was shown to be catalytically active when expressed in COS-1 cells as a portion of a secreted protein A fusion peptide. Biochemical analysis confirmed that this enzyme catalyzes a transglycosylation reaction between UDP-Gal and Gal(beta 1-4)GlcNAc to form Gal(alpha 1-3)Gal(beta 1-4)GlcNAc. This cloning approach may be generally applicable to the isolation of cDNAs encoding other mammalian glycosyltransferases.
PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF Cichorium intybus

Plants have basic nutritional importance by their content of protein, carbohydrate, fats and oils minerals, vitamins and water responsible for growth and development in man and animals. Phytochemical simply means plant chemicals. Phytol is the Greek word for plant. Phytochemicals are classified as primary or secondary constituents, depending on their role in plant metabolism. Primary metabolism is important for growth and development of plants include the common sugars, aminoacids, proteins, purines and pyrimidines of nucleic acids, chlrophyll‘s etc. Secondary metabolism in a plant plays a major role in the survival of the plant in its environment. Attractions of pollinators, natural defense system against predators and diseases, etc., are examples of the roles of secondary metabolites. The secondary metabolites formed also are an important trait for our food plants (taste, colour, scent, etc.) and ornamental plants. Moreover, numerous plant secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroids, anthocyanins, terpenoids, rotenoids etc. have found commercial application as drug, dye, flavour, fragrance, insecticide, etc. Such fine chemicals are extracted and purified from plant materials. Plant produces these chemicals to protect itself but recent research demonstrates that many phytochemicals can protect humans against diseases including cancer, cardiovascular, arthritis, diabetic, etc. (Satyavati, 1982). The aim of the study to investigate the Phytochemical investigation and Antimicrobial activity of Cichorium intybus L. ABSTRACT
Integration of the Finnish National Tax Administration Systems with EU Recapitulative Statement Data

This study examined the European Union recapitulative statement data integration with the Finnish national tax domain. The main challenges identified in realizing international integration were communication, cooperation and distribution of information. In particular, the development of integration faced ontological challenges in terms of specifications and final definition. The results highlight the process model and mechanism for design digital system integration in distributed environments across national borders. The study also offers administrative implications.
On the conjectures of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer and a geometric analog

© Association des collaborateurs de Nicolas Bourbaki, 1964-1966, tous droits reserves. L’acces aux archives du seminaire Bourbaki (http://www.bourbaki. ens.fr/) implique l’accord avec les conditions generales d’utilisation (http://www.numdam.org/legal.php). Toute utilisation commerciale ou impression systematique est constitutive d’une infraction penale. Toute copie ou impression de ce fichier doit contenir la presente mention de copyright.
Contraction‐induced interleukin‐6 transcription in rat slow‐type muscle is partly dependent on calcineurin activation

The present work aimed at determining whether interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) produced by skeletal muscle during exercise is related, at least partly, to calcineurin activity. Rats were treated with two specific calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506, or vehicle (Vhl); they were then subjected to exhaustive treadmill running. Modulatory Calcineurin‐Interacting Protein‐1 (MCIP‐1) mRNA levels, a reliable indicator of calcineurin activity, and IL‐6 mRNA levels were measured by real‐time RT‐PCR in soleus muscles, and IL‐6 protein concentration was measured in the plasma. Because low carbohydrates availability enhances IL‐6 transcription through p38 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway, muscle glycogen content and glycaemia were measured and p38 MAPK phosphorylation was determined in skeletal muscle by western blotting. As expected, exercise induced an increase in IL‐6 (P < 0.01) and MCIP‐1 mRNA (P < 0.01) in soleus muscle of Vhl rats, and enhanced p38 phosphorylation and plasmatic IL‐6 protein (P < 0.05). Calcineurin inhibition did not affect running time, glycemia or soleus glycogen content. CsA administration totally inhibited the exercise‐induced increase in MCIP‐1 mRNA (P < 0.01), blunted the IL‐6 gene transcription related to muscle activity, and suppressed the changes in IL‐6 protein in plasma. In addition to its inhibition of calcineurin activity, FK506 administration totally suppressed the exercise‐induced IL‐6 gene transcription, likely by an inhibition of p38 activation. Taken together, these results demonstrate that in addition to p38 MAPK, increased calcineurin activity is one of the signalling events involved in IL‐6 gene transcription. J. Cell. Physiol. 210: 596–601, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Design of a compact rectangular strip monopole antenna for UWB systems

A rectangular strip monopole antenna for use in portable wireless communication applications is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a rectangular radiating patch and a novel impedance transformer in the ground plane and has a compact dimension of 30×12 mm2 on a substrate with permittivity 4.4. The prototype antenna has wide impedance bandwidth from 2.85–14.25 GHz for −10 dB. Stable and omni directional radiation patterns are observed with appreciable gain. Excellent pulse fidelity is measured indicating the suitability of this antenna in emerging UWB applications.
Drug Resistance Patterns of Recombinant Herpes Simplex Virus DNA Polymerase Mutants Generated with a Set of Overlapping Cosmids and Plasmids

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA polymerase (Pol) mutations can confer resistance to all currently available antiherpetic drugs. However, discrimination between mutations responsible for drug resistance and those that are part of viral polymorphism can be difficult with current methodologies. A new system is reported for rapid generation of recombinant HSV type 1 (HSV-1) DNA Pol mutants based on transfection of a set of overlapping viral cosmids and plasmids. With this approach, twenty HSV-1 recombinants with single or dual mutations within the DNA pol gene were successfully generated and subsequently evaluated for their susceptibilities to acyclovir (ACV), foscarnet (FOS), cidofovir (CDV), and adefovir (ADV). Mutations within DNA Pol conserved regions II (A719T and S724N), VI (L778M, D780N, and L782I), and I (F891C) were shown to induce cross-resistance to ACV, FOS, and ADV, with two of these mutations (S724N and L778M) also conferring significant reduction in CDV susceptibility. Mutant F891C was associated with the highest levels of resistance towards ACV and FOS and was strongly impaired in its replication capacity. One mutation (D907V) lying outside of the conserved regions was also associated with this ACV-, FOS-, and ADV-resistant phenotype. Some mutations (K522E and Y577H) within the δ-region C were lethal, whereas others (P561S and V573M) induced no resistance to any of the drugs tested. Recombinants harboring mutations within conserved regions V (N961K) and VII (Y941H) were resistant to ACV but susceptible to FOS. Finally, mutations within conserved region III were associated with various susceptibility profiles. This new system allows a rapid and accurate evaluation of the functional role of various DNA Pol mutations, which should translate into improved management of drug-resistant HSV infections.
Biosensors for detection of Low-Density Lipoprotein and its modified forms

Cesar A.S. Andrade1, Maria D.L. Oliveira2, Tanize E.S. Faulin3, Vitor R. Hering4 and Dulcineia S.P. Abdalla3 1Centro Academico de Vitoria, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Vitoria de Santo Antao 2Departamento de Bioquimica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife 3Departamento de Analises Clinicas e Toxicologicas, Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Universidade de Sao Paulo 4Departamento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade de Sao Paulo Brazil
A Novel Clustering-Based Sampling Approach for Minimum Sample Set in Big Data Environment

The data are rapidly expanding nowadays, which makes it very difficult to analyze valuable information from big data. Most of the existing data mining algorithms deal with big data problems at large time and space costs. This paper focuses on the sampling problem of big data and puts forward an efficient heuristic Cluster Sampling Arithmetic, called CSA. Many of the former researchers adopted random method to extract early sample set from the original data and then made a variety of different processing of the sample in order to obtain the corresponding minimum sample set, which is regarded as a representation of the original big data set. However, the final processing results of big data will be severely affected by the random sampling process at the beginning, resulting in lower comprehensiveness and quality of the final data results and longer processing time. Based on this view, CSA introduces the idea of clustering to obtain minimum sample set of big data, which is in contrast to the random sampling .
Networked robust stabilization with simultaneous uncertainties in plant, controller and communication channels

In this paper, we study the robust stabilization of a networked control system (NCS) with the communication channels described by cascade two-port networks. Simultaneous uncertainties are assumed to be in the plant, controller and two-port communication channels. The cascade two-port connections apply to the scenario where signals in the NCS are required to pass through bidirectional communication channels separated by several relays. Distortions and interferences are taken into account at each stage during the communication. In terms of robustness, we consider ℋ∞ norm bounded uncertainties in the transmission matrices of the communication channels as well as the gap metric uncertainties in the plant and controller. A necessary and sufficient condition for the robust stability of the NCS is given in the form of an “arcsin” inequality, taking advantages of the properties of the canonical angles between subspaces defined on system graphs. With the analysis result, the synthesis problem can be solved through a tractable ℋ∞ optimization.
The Electroencephalogram in Neonatal Maple Syrup Urine Disease

Untreated maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) leads to encephalopathy in neonates and causes abnormalities on the electroencephalogram (EEG). A case is presented of MSUD with unique features consisting of a comb-like rhythm before the therapy and its disappearance with therapy is presented. This case illustrates the potential use of the EEG in the identification of this specific cause of a neonatal encephalopathy.