Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virus transport and survival after land application of sewage sludge

The survival and transport patterns of poliovirus 1 and echovirus 1 were studied in undisturbed soil cores which were treated with digested sludge and exposed to natural weather conditions prevailing in north central Florida. It was shown that, under those experimental conditions, enteroviruses are relatively rapidly inactivated in the soil. A more rapid virus decline was observed during the warm and dry fall season than during the warm and wet summer season. The monitoring of soil core leachates has shown that both viruses were effectively retained by the sludge-treated soil.
RNA polymerase II and TBP occupy the repressed CYC1 promoter

Saccharomyces cerevisiae CYC1 gene expression has been studied in great detail with regard to the response to oxygen availability and carbon source. In the absence of oxygen and the presence of glucose, the CYC1 gene is completely repressed. Chromatin structure is thought to play an important role in CYC1 gene regulation, as nucleosome depletion results in 94‐fold derepression. In addition, the CYC1 core promoter has been used extensively in hybrid constructs to study activation by heterologous transcription factors. Therefore, we set out to map the chromatin structure of the CYC1 promoter and determine its role in CYC1 gene regulation. We report here that the repressed CYC1 promoter contains no positioned nucleosomes over the core promoter. However, we did find TFIID and RNA polymerase II bound in a complex on the repressed promoter. These results indicate that recruitment of TFIID and RNA polymerase II are not rate‐limiting steps in CYC1 activation.
Anaphase Topsy-Turvy: Cdk1 a Securin, Separase a CKI

Chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis is triggered by activation of a large protease, separase. While it has been known for some time that the anaphase inhibitor securin regulates separase activity recent work shows that this is only half the story. In vertebrates Cdk1-dependent inhibition of separase represents a second, securin-independent branch of anaphase regulation. Furthermore, an unanticipated ability of separase to inhibit Cdk1 suggests additional, non-proteolytic functions of separase.
H∞ fault tolerant control for Networked Control Systems with packet loss

In this paper, a fault tolerant control strategy for a class of Networked Control Systems (NCS) with data packet loss between sensor and controller is addressed, in which actuator continuous gain fault is considered. By assuming the packet loss bounded, we model the NCS as a switched system and the control gain can be obtained by solving a linear matrix inequality optimization problem. Furthermore, we consider the controlled plant with external energy-bounded disturbance and design a robust H∞ fault tolerant controller. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.
Changes in physical activity and health outcomes in a population–based cohort of mid–life Australian–born women

Abstract: Cross–sectional studies and intervention programs have suggested that physical activity is a potential contributor to the health and wellbeing of mid–life and older women. This prospective longitudinal study investigates whether natural changes in physical activity are associated with changes in health outcomes in a population–based cohort of Australian–born women aged 45–55 years living in Melbourne. Of the 352 women from the Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project who filled in a base–line physical activity questionnaire, 292 (83 per cent) were evaluated around three years later with regard to physical activity, psychological wellbeing, self–rated health, symptoms experienced, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and serum lipids. Mean (SD) physical activity measured at base–line was 5.9 (5.7) hours/week, or 1496 (1449) kcal/week; mean (SD) change in physical activity per week was 0.05 (5.24) hours, or 44 (1347) kcal, indicating that although mean change was small there was substantial variation in change. There were significant increases in BMI (P < 0.001), wellbeing (P <0.05), the number of reported menopause–related symptoms, and high–density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL–C) levels (P < 0.001), and a decrease in low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL–C) levels (P < 0.05). Change in level of physical activity was positively associated with change in HDL–C (P < 0.01) and change in wellbeing (P= 0.08) and negatively associated with change in coronary heart disease risk score. By increasing physical activity in mid–life, women may reduce at least one risk factor (HDL–C) associated with coronary heart disease.
Designs of 60 GHz front-ends in SiGe BiCMOS technology

This paper reports a newly fabricated 60 GHz front-end (FE) in a 0.25 um SiGe BiCMOS technology. The TX and RX FE chips have been mounted onto application boards through wire-bonding. Maximum error-free transmission is 5 meter in a typical indoor environment with an OFDM modulation. A differential Colpitts VCO has been designed to improve the phase noise performance. Its tuning range is from 55 to 57.9 GHz. The measured phase noise is 100.5 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset.
Cosmological perturbations in the bulk and on the brane

We study cosmological perturbations in a brane-world scenario where the matter fields live on a four-dimensional brane and gravity propagates in the five-dimensional bulk. We present the equations of motion in an arbitrary gauge for metric perturbations in the bulk and matter perturbations on the brane. Gauge-invariant perturbations are then constructed corresponding to perturbations in longitudinal and Gaussian normal gauges. Longitudinal gauge metric perturbations may be directly derived from three master variables (separately describing scalar, vector and tensor metric perturbations) which obey five-dimensional wave-equations. Gaussian normal gauge perturbations are directly related to the induced metric perturbations on the brane with the additional bulk degrees of freedom interpreted as an effective Weyl energy-momentum tensor on the brane. We construct gauge-invariant perturbations describing the effective density, momentum and pressures of this Weyl fluid at the brane and throughout the bulk. We show that there exist gauge-invariant curvature perturbations on the brane and in the bulk that are conserved on large-scales when three-dimensional spatial gradients are negligible.
THE MAGNETOCALORIC EFFECT AND ITS APPLICATION IN SUSTAINABLE REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS

This paper explores the use of the magnetocaloric effect in the development of commercial refrigeration in order to create more cost effective and energy efficient sustainable systems. It initially emphasizes the environmental problems with traditional refrigeration systems, explaining that refrigeration accounts for 17% of global electrical consumption. Then, it explains how recent developments in magnetocaloric technologies provide a solution to these issues. After that, it provides a detailed look into the technology itself, starting with an explanation of the magnetocaloric effect, then discussing how this technology is applied to create sustainable refrigeration, and finally a look at the commercialization of magnetic refrigeration systems. These sections focus on both the technology and the steps being taken by companies to make this product a reality. This paper continues by identifying the economic and environmental considerations that make magnetic refrigeration a sustainable solution, specifically long term energy savings and the elimination of harmful refrigerant gases. It then discusses the ethics surrounding this technology, since it is new and still in development, using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers code of ethics to explain why the benefits of magnetic refrigeration outweigh the risks. The paper concludes with a brief excerpt about what obstacles are to be overcome and how the technology looks towards the future. Key WordsCommercialization, Ecofriendly, Efficient, Magnetocaloric, Refrigerant-Free, Sustainable
Peripheral Blood CCR4+CCR6+ and CXCR3+CCR6+ CD4+ T Cells Are Highly Permissive to HIV-1 Infection

There is limited knowledge on the identity of primary CD4+ T cell subsets selectively targeted by HIV-1 in vivo. In this study, we established a link between HIV permissiveness, phenotype/homing potential, and lineage commitment in primary CD4+ T cells. CCR4+CCR6+, CCR4+CCR6−, CXCR3+CCR6+, and CXCR3+CCR6− T cells expressed cytokines and transcription factors specific for Th17, Th2, Th1Th17, and Th1 lineages, respectively. CCR4+CCR6+ and CXCR3+CCR6+ T cells expressed the HIV coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4 and were permissive to R5 and X4 HIV replication. CCR4+CCR6− T cells expressed CXCR4 but not CCR5 and were permissive to X4 HIV only. CXCR3+CCR6− T cells expressed CCR5 and CXCR4 but were relatively resistant to R5 and X4 HIV in vitro. Total CCR6+ T cells compared with CCR6− T cells harbored higher levels of integrated HIV DNA in treatment-naive HIV-infected subjects. The frequency of total CCR6+ T cells and those of CCR4+CCR6+ and CXCR3+CCR6+ T cells were diminished in chronically infected HIV-positive subjects, despite viral-suppressive therapy. A high-throughput analysis of cytokine profiles identified CXCR3+CCR6+ T cells as a major source of TNF-α and CCL20 and demonstrated a decreased TNF-α/IL-10 ratio in CXCR3+CCR6− T cells. Finally, CCR4+CCR6+ and CXCR3+CCR6+ T cells exhibited gut- and lymph node-homing potential. Thus, we identified CCR4+CCR6+ and CXCR3+CCR6+ T cells as highly permissive to HIV replication, with potential to infiltrate and recruit more CCR6+ T cells into anatomic sites of viral replication. It is necessary that new therapeutic strategies against HIV interfere with viral replication/persistence in discrete CCR6+ T cell subsets.
Influence of the linac design on intensity-modulated radiotherapy of head-and-neck plans

In this study, we quantify the impact of linac/MLC design parameters on IMRT treatment plans. The investigated parameters were leaf width in the MLC, leaf transmission, related to the thickness of the leaves, and penumbra related primarily to the source size. Seven head-and-neck patients with stage T1-T3N0-N2cM0 oropharyngeal cancer were studied. For each patient nine plans were made with a different set of linac/MLC parameters. The plans were optimized in Pinnacle3 v7.6c and PLATO RTS v2.6. 4, ITP v1.1. 8. A hypothetical ideal linac/MLC was introduced to investigate the influence of one parameter at a time without interaction of other parameters. When any of the three parameters was increased from the ideal set-up values (leaf width 2.5 mm, transmission 0%, penumbra 3 mm), the mean dose to the parotid glands increased, given the same tumour coverage. The largest increase was found for increasing leaf transmission. The investigation showed that by changing more than one parameter of the ideal linac/MLC set-up, the increase in the mean dose was smaller than the sum of dose increments for each parameter separately. As a reference to clinical practice, we also optimized the plans of the seven patients with the clinically used Elekta SLi 15, equipped with a standard MLC with a leaf width of 10 mm. As compared to the ideal linac, this resulted in an increase of the average dose to the parotid glands of 5.8 Gy.
MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX WITH A DISTINCT CLINICAL AND ICONOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION: THE LADY WINDERMERE SYNDROME

Abstract Clinically significant pulmonary disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC) usually occurs upon preexisting lung diseases or immune-deficiency. In 1992, a particular presentation of pulmonary MAC, occuring in otherwise healthy middle-aged women, was described with pulmonary consolidations localized in lingula and middle lobe. For this specific, rare condition, the term Lady Windermere syndrome was introduced. We report a particular case of this syndrome, in which an otherwise healthy individual developed clinically significant disease upon MAC (subtype: Mycobacterium avium) infection of the right middle lobe of the lung. The patient did not have the classical risk factors for developing this syndrome (e.g. habitual cough suppression, long and narrow bronchi) indicating their modest contribution in the pathogenesis. In our case, guideline based therapy was found to be inadequate because of multi-drug resistance, so an alternative treatment regime was given with good clinical result.
Recent advances in the discovery of flavonoids and analogs with high‐affinity binding to P‐glycoprotein responsible for cancer cell multidrug resistance

P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) is a plasma membrane glycoprotein that confers multidrug resistance on cells by virtue of its ability to exclude cytotoxic drugs in an ATP‐dependent manner. The most commonly considered hypothesis is that P‐gp acts as an ATP‐driven drug‐export pump, the mechanism of which is not understood in detail. Therefore, a tremendous effort is being made to find out modulator molecules to inhibit P‐gp. We have been developing flavonoid derivatives as a new class of promising modulators using a new in vitro rational‐screening assay based on measurements of the binding‐affinity toward the C‐terminal nucleotide‐binding domain (NBD2) of P‐gp. This review is focused on our results obtained with a variety of flavonoids. Structure–activity relationships of flavonoids as potential MDR modulators are reported. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 22, No. 5, 512–529, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/med.10015
Bacteriological study of diabetic foot ulcers.

Bacteriological study of 61 patients with diabetic gangrene or non-gangrenous foot ulcers was undertaken to determine the pattern of infection and antimicrobial susceptibility with a view to suggest optimal antibiotic therapy for these patients. Gangrenous ulcers showed a higher frequency of mixed infection; the predominant organisms being enterococci, Proteus sp. , Pseudomonas sp. and Klebsiella sp. Infected non-gangrenous ulcers showed Staph. pyogenes, and beta haemolytic Streptococcus as single organism in 12 patients. Anaerobes were more frequently isolated in gangrenous lesions than in non-gangrenous ulcers. Antimicrobial susceptibility showed that gram positive organisms were sensitive to co-trimoxazole, cephaloridine, ampicillin and penicillin. Gram negative aerobic bacilli were sensitive to gentamycin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole and streptomycin. Anaerobes were sensitive to chloramphenicol, clindamycin and metronidazole. Antibiotics of choice for gangrenous lesions with spreading infection and septicaemia are a combination of gentamycin, ampicillin and metronidazole as an adjuvant to surgical treatment.
A microcontroller based system to measure and analyse SSVEP in humans

The objective of this work is to design an embedded system to test and analyze the visual response of a person to different optical frequencies at different blinking rate. The Steady State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) of a subject can be induced in the subject by using different colored LEDs flickering at different frequencies. The subjects were made to view this stimulus, and the EEG signals were acquired using electrodes placed on the scalp of the subject that was in turn connected to a microcontroller. The signals were then analyzed in the LabVIEW environment. The energy of the signals were then calculated and plotted. It was conclude that green LED flickering at a frequency of 20Hz generated a larger SSVEP in the subjects. This concept can be further extended to the road sign applications, in order to develop road signs that are attractive and catches the attention of the driver (indicated by the large SSVEP).
Finite-time stability and stabilization of LPV systems

This paper deals with the finite-time stability analysis and design problems for Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) systems. First, we extend the concept of the finite-time stability to LPV systems. Then, sufficient conditions for finite-time stability are presented by using Lyapunov-like functions. Moreover, based on the previous finite-time stability analysis, we explore to find the sufficient conditions of the finite-time stabilization problem via designing parameter-dependent state feedback controllers. Further, these synthesis conditions are formulated in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) that can be solved via efficient interior-point algorithms. Simulation studies illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
The Biotin Domain Peptide from the Biotin Carboxyl Carrier Protein of Escherichia coli Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Causes a Marked Increase in the Catalytic Efficiency of Biotin Carboxylase and Carboxyltransferase Relative to Free Biotin*

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase catalyzes the first committed step in the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids. TheEscherichia coli form of the enzyme consists of a biotin carboxylase activity, a biotin carboxyl carrier protein, and a carboxyltransferase activity. The C-terminal 87 amino acids of the biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP87) form a domain that can be independently expressed, biotinylated, and purified (Chapman-Smith, A., Turner, D. L., Cronan, J. E., Morris, T. W., and Wallace, J. C. (1994) Biochem. J. 302, 881–887). The ability of the biotinylated form of this 87-residue protein (holoBCCP87) to act as a substrate for biotin carboxylase and carboxyltransferase was assessed and compared with the results with free biotin. In the case of biotin carboxylase holoBCCP87 was an excellent substrate with a K m of 0.16 ± 0.05 mm and V max of 1000.8 ± 182.0 min−1. The V/K or catalytic efficiency of biotin carboxylase with holoBCCP87 as substrate was 8000-fold greater than with biotin as substrate. Stimulation of the ATP synthesis reaction of biotin carboxylase where carbamyl phosphate reacted with ADP by holoBCCP87 was 5-fold greater than with an equivalent amount of biotin. The interaction of holoBCCP87 with carboxyltransferase was characterized in the reverse direction where malonyl-CoA reacted with holoBCCP87 to form acetyl-CoA and carboxyholoBCCP87. The K m for holoBCCP87 was 0.45 ± 0.07 mm while the V maxwas 2031.8 ± 231.0 min−1. TheV/K or catalytic efficiency of carboxyltransferase with holoBCCP87 as substrate is 2000-fold greater than with biotin as substrate.
Incidence of adverse drug events and potential adverse drug events. Implications for prevention. ADE Prevention Study Group.

OBJECTIVES To assess incidence and preventability of adverse drug events (ADEs) and potential ADEs. To analyze preventable events to develop prevention strategies. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS All 4031 adult admissions to a stratified random sample of 11 medical and surgical units in two tertiary care hospitals over a 6-month period. Units included two medical and three surgical intensive care units and four medical and two surgical general care units. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Adverse drug events and potential ADEs. METHODS Incidents were detected by stimulated self-report by nurses and pharmacists and by daily review of all charts by nurse investigators. Incidents were subsequently classified by two independent reviewers as to whether they represented ADEs or potential ADEs and as to severity and preventability. RESULTS Over 6 months, 247 ADEs and 194 potential ADEs were identified. Extrapolated event rates were 6.5 ADEs and 5.5 potential ADEs per 100 nonobstetrical admissions, for mean numbers per hospital per year of approximately 1900 ADEs and 1600 potential ADEs. Of all ADEs, 1% were fatal (none preventable), 12% life-threatening, 30% serious, and 57% significant. Twenty-eight percent were judged preventable. Of the life-threatening and serious ADEs, 42% were preventable, compared with 18% of significant ADEs. Errors resulting in preventable ADEs occurred most often at the stages of ordering (56%) and administration (34%); transcription (6%) and dispensing errors (4%) were less common. Errors were much more likely to be intercepted if the error occurred earlier in the process: 48% at the ordering stage vs 0% at the administration stage. CONCLUSION Adverse drug events were common and often preventable; serious ADEs were more likely to be preventable. Most resulted from errors at the ordering stage, but many also occurred at the administration stage. Prevention strategies should target both stages of the drug delivery process.
The abandonment of assistive technology in Italy: a survey of National Health Service users.

BACKGROUND This study was an extension of research which began in the Umbria region in 2009. AIM To investigate the extent to which assistive technology (AT) has been abandoned by users of the Italian National Health Service (ULHS) and the reasons for this. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING Users who received a hearing device (HD) or mobility device (MD) by ULHS between 2010 and 2013. POPULATION 749 out of 3,791 ULHS users contacted via telephone completed the interview: 330 (44.06%) had a HD and 419 (55.94%) a MD. METHODS Data were collected using a specially developed telephone interview questionnaire including the Italian version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with AT (QUEST 2.0) and Assistive Technology Use Follow-up Survey (ATUFS). RESULTS 134 users (17.9%) were no longer using their assigned AT device within seven months of issue and 40% of this group reported that they had never used the device. Duration of use (for how long the AT device was used before abandonment) and satisfaction with service delivery did not predict AT abandonment. People who received a HD where more likely to abandon their device (22.4%) than those who received a MD (14.4%). CONCLUSIONS Abandonment may be due to assignment of inappropriate devices or failure to meet user needs and expectations. These findings are consistent with previous data collected by Federici and Borsci in 2009. Utility of AT in use, reasons of abandonment, and importance of device and service satisfaction for the use or non-use of an AT are presented and discussed. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT AT abandonment surveys provide useful information for modelling AT assessment and delivery process. The study confirms the relevance of person centredness approach for a successful AT assessment and delivery process.
Commercializing Science: Is There a University "Brain Drain" from Academic Entrepreneurship?

When academic researchers participate in commercialization using for-profit firms, there is a potentially costly trade-off---their time and effort are diverted away from academic knowledge production. This is a form of brain drain on the not-for-profit research sector that may reduce knowledge accumulation and adversely impact long-run economic growth. In this paper, we examine the economic significance of the brain drain phenomenon using scientist-level panel data. We identify life scientists who start or join for-profit firms using information from the Small Business Innovation Research program and analyze the research performance of these scientists relative to a control group of randomly selected research peers. Combining our statistical results with data on the number of university spin-offs in the United States from 1994 to 2004, we find the academic brain drain has a nontrivial impact on knowledge production in the not-for-profit research sector.
Fungal Speciation Using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR) in Patients With and Without Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Objectives/Hypothesis: The objectives of this study were to determine the mycology of the middle meatus using an endoscopically guided brush sampling technique and polymerase chain reaction laboratory processing of nasal mucous; to compare the mycology of the middle meatus in patients with sinus disease with subjects without sinus disease; to compare the responses on two standardized quality‐of‐life survey forms between patients with and without sinusitis; and to determine whether the presence of fungi in the middle meatus correlates with responses on these data sets.