Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Complementary Strand of the Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 RNA Genome Encodes a bZIP Transcription Factor That Down-Regulates Viral Transcription

ABSTRACT The RNA genome of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) codes for proteins involved in infectivity, replication, and transformation. We report in this study the characterization of a novel viral protein encoded by the complementary strand of the HTLV-1 RNA genome. This protein, designated HBZ (for HTLV-1 bZIP factor), contains a N-terminal transcriptional activation domain and a leucine zipper motif in its C terminus. We show here that HBZ is able to interact with the bZIP transcription factor CREB-2 (also called ATF-4), known to activate the HTLV-1 transcription by recruiting the viral trans-activator Tax on the Tax-responsive elements (TxREs). However, we demonstrate that the HBZ/CREB-2 heterodimers are no more able to bind to the TxRE and cyclic AMP response element sites. Taking these findings together, the functional inactivation of CREB-2 by HBZ is suggested to contribute to regulation of the HTLV-1 transcription. Moreover, the characterization of a minus-strand gene protein encoded by HTLV-1 has never been reported until now.
A multi-mode WPAN (Bluetooth, BLE, IEEE 802.15.4) SoC for low-power and IoT applications

A multi-mode WPAN transceiver implemented in an SoC is presented. Fabricated in 40-nm CMOS, the chip supports IEEE 802.15. 4 and all modes of Bluetooth. Consuming 7.8 mW from a 1.2-V supply, the receiver has a sensitivity of −104, −98, −95/−94/−88 dBm in 802.15. 4, BLE and Bluetooth BDR/EDR2/EDR3, respectively. The transmitter has a power consumption of 10 mW to deliver 0 dBm output in the constant envelope mode and 14.5 mW in BT EDR.
Screening for thrombophilia: a laboratory perspective

Abstract The worldwide annual incidence of venous thrombosis is estimated at 1 in 1000 individuals, and associated pulmonary embolism represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Thrombophilia may be an inherited or acquired condition, with the former identified in approximately 25-30% of patients with thromboembolic disease. Recently published guidelines on thrombophilia testing recommend assays for protein C, protein S and antithrombin; a modified activated protein C resistance test (with factor V-deficient plasma); polymerase chain reaction for prothrombin G20201A, together with prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin clotting time and assays to detect antiphospholipid antibodies. This review highlights some of the issues that laboratories should consider when employing tests for the diagnosis of thrombophilia.
Mothers' use of fantasy in speech to young children

ABSTRACT This study examined mothers' use of fantasy in speech to young children. Observations of mothers in free-play interactions with their 12-to 27-month-old children formed the basis for an analysis of the frequency and type of fantasy relationships encoded in maternal speech. Results suggested that fantasy speech to roughly year-old children was relatively infrequent and restricted to descriptions of the feelings, actions, and functions of animate and inanimate objects. Speech to 1½-year-olds encoded essentially the same fantasy characteristics, but mothers of children in this age group introduced more distinct instances in their fantasy talk. A more notable change occurred in the fantasy utterances directed to 2-year-olds. Mothers of these children talked about non-existent imaginary objects, and often asked the child to extend a play episode by providing a new fantasy element. These findings were discussed in terms of the nature and function of the dyadic interactions in which mothers' fantasy talk occurred.
Interactions of hemoglobin in live red blood cells measured by the electrophoresis release test

To elucidate the protein–protein interactions of hemoglobin (Hb) variants A and A2, HbA was first shown to bind with HbA2 in live red blood cells (RBCs) by diagonal electrophoresis and then the interaction between HbA and HbA2 outside the RBC was shown by cross electrophoresis. The starch–agarose gel electrophoresis of hemolysate, RBCs, freeze‐thawed RBCs and the supernatant of freeze‐thawed RBCs showed that the interaction between HbA and HbA2 was affected by membrane integrity. To identify the proteins involved in the interaction, protein components located between HbA and HbA2 in RBCs (RBC HbA‐HbA2) and hemolysate (hemolysate HbA‐HbA2) were isolated from the starch–agarose gel and separated by 5–12% SDS‐PAGE. The results showed that there was a ≈22 kDa protein band located in the RBC HbA‐HbA2 but not in hemolysate HbA‐HbA2. Sequencing by LC/MS/MS showed that this band was a protein complex that included mainly thioredoxin peroxidase B, α‐globin, δ‐globin and β‐globin. Thus, using our unique in vivo whole blood cell electrophoresis release test, Hbs were proven for the first time to interact with other proteins in the live RBC.
Political information repertoires and political participation

This study examines the relationship between various forms of media use and political participation. The major argument is that in today’s high-choice media environment, individuals and groups with the highest level of political interest are more likely to develop richer political information repertoires that involve exploiting both digital and traditional ways of searching for political information. Individuals and groups with richer political information repertories can be expected to have higher levels of political knowledge, efficacy, and participation. This article argues further that a clear connection exists between peoples’ informational and participatory repertoires and tests these propositions using a large, heterogeneous sample of the Israeli public during the 2013 election campaign. The analysis supports the claims of this study, with a few intriguing exceptions.
Biometric Recognition of 3 D Faces and Expressions

-Biometric recognition is the research field which pursues the association of a person’s identity with the biological characteristics or the behavioral characteristics of that person. Face recognition is preferred by many researchers in biometrics because of its noninvasiveness and its naturalness. In this paper, face recognition using 3D scans is explored. Comparing with 2D face recognition, which uses intensity images to recognize a person, 3D face recognition has the advantage of being independent of environment illumination and subject orientation. However, expression variations of the subjects will change the corresponding 3D scans and thus have a negative impact on 3D face recognition algorithms which assume that the 3D faces are rigid surfaces. In this paper, this issue is also addressed by a proposed framework which incorporates the expressions variation of incoming faces. To test the proposed method, a database containing 30 subjects and 120 3D scans (60 neutral scans and 60 smiling scans) was built. The results proved that incorporating the 3D expression variation into the previous algorithm which treats the face as a rigid surface yields important improvements in the performance of the system. Key-Words: face recognition, biometrics, 2D, 3D, range image, PCA, subspace, SVM, LDA
Prevalence and factors associated with oral potentially malignant disorders in Brazil's rural workers.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in a population of rural workers in the northeast of Brazil and to investigate the association with sociodemographic, occupational, and health factors. METHODS A total of 1385 workers answered a validated questionnaire and were examined by calibrated dentists. A descriptive analysis, chi-square homogeneity test, and binary logistic regression were performed. RESULTS The prevalence of OPMDs was 29.6%. Actinic cheilitis was the most predominant (28.4%), followed by leukoplakia (2.3%) and erythroplakia (0.3%). Gender, type of skin, and time exposed to the sun explained the presence of OPMD (P < 0.0001). The study found increased prevalence, especially for males over the age of 60 years and being exposed to the sun for more than 45 years. CONCLUSION Rural workers showed high vulnerability to the presence of OPMDs, as estimated prevalence exhibited was high.
Fast Aggregation Scheduling in Wireless Sensor Networks

Data aggregation is a key, yet time-consuming functionality introduced to conserve energy in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, to minimize time latency, we focus on aggregation scheduling problem and propose an efficient distributed algorithm that generates a collision-free schedule with the least number of time slots. In contrast to others, our approach named FAST mainly contributes to both tree construction, where the former studies employ Connected 2-hop Dominating Sets, and aggregation scheduling that was previously addressed through the Competitor Sets computation. We prove that the latency of FAST under the protocol interference model is upper-bounded by 12R + Δ - 2, where R is the network radius and Δ is the maximum node degree in the communication graph of the original network. Both the theoretical analysis and simulation results show that FAST outperforms the state-of-the-art aggregation scheduling algorithms.
Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to pyocyanin: mechanisms of resistance, antioxidant defenses, and demonstration of a manganese-cofactored superoxide dismutase

Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces a blue pigment, pyocyanin. Pyocyanin is a redox-active phenazine compound that kills mammalian and bacterial cells through the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates. We examined the mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa resists pyocyanin. [14C]pyocyanin was taken up by both Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa, though more slowly by the latter. Cyanide-insensitive respiration, used as an indicator of intracellular superoxide and/or hydrogen peroxide production, was 50-fold less in pyocyanin-treated P. aeruginosa than in E. coli. P. aeruginosa showed less cyanide-insensitive respiration than E. coli upon exposure to other redox-active compounds (paraquat, streptonigrin, and plumbagin). Electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry and spin trapping showed that P. aeruginosa generated less pyocyanin radical and superoxide than E. coli. Cell extracts from E. coli contained an NADPH:pyocyanin oxidoreductase which increased the rate of reduction of pyocyanin by NADPH. Conversely, cell extracts from P. aeruginosa contained no NADPH:pyocyanin oxidoreductase activity and actually decreased the rate of pyocyanin-mediated NADPH oxidation. Antioxidant defenses could also reduce the sensitivity of P. aeruginosa to pyocyanin. Under culture conditions of limited phosphate, both pyocyanin production and catalase activity were enhanced. Superoxide dismutase activity was also increased under low-phosphate conditions. When cells were grown in a high-phosphate succinate medium, P. aeruginosa formed a previously described iron-superoxide dismutase as well as a manganese-cofactored superoxide dismutase. These results demonstrate that P. aeruginosa resists pyocyanin because of limited redox cycling of this compound and that under conditions favoring pyocyanin production, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities increase.
Cooperative Community Clouds for Small and Medium Enterprises - Facilitating Cloud Computing for Small and Medium Enterprises with the Cooperative Paradigm

Cloud computing, or more generally cloud services, ought to be particularly attractive for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). According to expert opinion, these enterprises should be able to benefit overproportionally from outsourced IT services due to a variety of reasons. As of today, however, many SMEs still refrain from adopting cloud services because they do not trust the cloud service provider sufficiently and they cannot assess the legal implications of using cloud services. In this paper, we present an argument in favor of a cooperative community cloud that applies the paradigm of a cooperative to cloud operations. We sketch our vision of a “trustworthy” cloud, argue for its viability, and identify areas for future research.
Emotion Assessment Tool for Human-Machine Interfaces - Using EEG Data and Multimedia Stimuli Towards Emotion Classification

The identification and assessment of human being emotional states belongs to one of the primordial objectives of the scientific research in disparate areas such as artificial intelligence, medicine or psychology. The main objective of this project is related to automatic assessment of a subject’s basic emotional states by using electroencephalography as a source for biometric data acquisition. This evaluation is based on predefined mechanisms of emotional induction, as well as specific methods and tools capable of data analysis and processing. From the experimental results attained in several experimental sessions and through the support tools developed, the most pertinent conclusion extracted from this work refers to the capability of effectively performing automatic classification of the subject’s predominant emotional state. The emotional conditions were induced through the presentation of specific visual multimedia contents. The success rate of this tool, compared against the self assessment interviews carried out immediately after the experimental session, was approximately 75%. It was also experimentally concluded that female subjects are emotionally more demonstrative than the male ones.
The Influence of Adverse Conditions upon the Respiratory Metabolism and Growth of Human Tubercle Bacilli

In a previous paper (Loebel, Shorr and Richardson, 1933) a survey was made of the metabolic conditions which favor the survival and development of the tubercle bacillus. In the present study we wish to examine the environmental features which interfere with its survival and development. The factors of "starvation," pH change, and anaerobic exposure will be considered, as well as the interaction of the cells of a tubercle with the invading organism. In general, the methods were the same described in the earlier paper. In order to prevent repetition, only the deviations from our usual technique will be discussed in the experiments to follow.
Non-linear discrete-time observer design by sliding mode

Research into observer design for non-linear discrete-time systems has produced many design methods. There is no general design method however and that provides the motivation to search for a new simple and realizable design method. In this thesis, an observer for non-linear discrete-time systems is designed using the sliding mode technique. The equation of the observer error is split into two parts; the first part being a linearized model of the system and the second part an uncertain vector. The sliding mode technique is introduced to eliminate the uncertainty caused by the uncertain vector in the observer error equation. By choosing the sliding surface and the boundary layer, the observer error is attracted to the sliding surface and stays within the sliding manifold. Therefore, the observer error converges to zero. The proposed technique is applied to two cases of observers for nonlinear discrete-time systems. The second case is chosen to be a particular practical system, namely the non-linear discrete-time ball and beam system. The simulations show that the sliding mode technique guarantees the convergence of the observer error for both systems.
EXPERIMENTAL EXCURSIONS ON ADAPTIVE LANDSCAPES: DENSITY‐DEPENDENT SELECTION ON EGG SIZE

Abstract. Theories of density‐dependent natural selection suggest that intraspecific competition will favor juveniles of high competitive ability. Empirical evidence has been provided from laboratory selection experiments, but field studies are lacking due to the logistical difficulties of experimentally manipulating population densities in natural settings. Here, we present data from a decade‐long experimental field study of side‐blotched lizards, Uta stansburiana that overcomes these difficulties. We tested the hypothesis that density‐dependent natural selection causes egg size to increase from early to late clutches in this and many other species. Using a novel combination of environmental manipulations of hatchling density and phenotypic manipulations of egg size, we demonstrate that the nature of selection on egg size changes dramatically in the absence of older competitors. The strength of selection on egg size among later‐clutch hatchlings released in areas without competitors from early clutches became almost doubled in magnitude, compared to that among hatchlings released in the presence of older competitors. These experimental findings demonstrate density‐dependent natural selection on egg size; however, they contradict the classical idea that egg size increases during the reproductive season because of competition between early and late hatchlings. The results indicate that competitive age or size asymmetries between early and late hatchlings can override within‐cohort asymmetries due to egg size. We suggest that competition could be an important mediator of oscillating selection pressures in this and other systems. Finally, we discuss the utility of “double‐level,” simultaneous experimental manipulation of both phenotypic traits that are targets of selection (e.g., egg size) as well the environmental agents of selection (e.g., population density).
The Effect of Wealth on Retirement (Preliminary )

This paper estimates the effect of wealth on retirement. I use an instrumental variables (IV) estimation approach in which wealth is instrumented with two plausibly exogenous sources of variation. The first is geographic variation in the rate of housing price growth, and the second is unanticipated inheritance receipts. I estimate the model on older men in the Health and Retirement Study between 1996 and 2004. My results indicate that an increase in wealth leads to earlier retirement, but that the effect is small. For instance, a $100k increase in wealth reduces the probability of labor force participation by 10%. I also examine whether the effect of housing wealth on retirement is different than non-housing wealth. The willingness of the elderly to use housing wealth to finance consumption in retirement is an open question. My analysis suggests that older men are equally willing to “spend” housing and non-housing wealth on leisure.
Probiotics in man and animals

I . Introduction, 365 2. Definition, 365 3. The gut microflora and its contribution to resistance, 366 4. Causes of induced changes in gut flora, 366 5. Composition of probiotics, 367 6. Mode of action of probiotics, 368 7. Practical results with probiotics. 370 7.1. Growth promotion of farm animals. 370 7.2. Effects on intestinal infections, 371 7.3. Alleviation of lactose intolerance, 372 7.4. Relief of constipation. 372 7.5. Antitumour activities, 372 7.6. Anticholesterolaemic effects, 372 8. Characteristics of a good probiotic, 373 9. Future developments, 374 10. Summary, 374 11. References, 374
Low-Temperature Luminescence Spectroscopy of Violet Sr-Al-O:Eu2+ Phosphor Particles

: Violet Sr–Al–O:Eu2+ phosphor particles were synthesized from a metal–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution of Sr, Al, Eu, and particulate alumina via spray drying and sintering in a reducing atmosphere. The crystal structures and emission properties at 85–300 K were investigated. The composition of the violet Sr–Al–O:Eu2+ phosphor particles was determined from various Sr–Al–O:Eu2+ phosphors by their emission properties’ dependence on temperature. The highly crystalline SrAl12O19:Eu2+ emission phases were confirmed by their crystallite sizes and the activation energies for the 4f5d–8S7/2 transition of the Eu2+ ion. These results showed that the material identification for the violet Sr–Al–O:Eu2+ phosphor was accomplished by the low-temperature luminescence measurements.
Sophoraflavanone G from Sophora pachycarpa Enhanced the Antibacterial Activity of Gentamycin against Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract In this study the enhancement effect of Sophora pachy- carpa roots’ acetone extract on the antibacterial activity of gentamycin was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus. Disc diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activity of gentamycin in the absence and presence of plant extract and its various fractions separated by TLC. A clinical isolate of S. aureus was used as test strain. The active component of the plant extract involved in enhancement of genta- mycin’s activity had Rf = 0.72 on a TLC plate. The spectral data (1H NMR. 13CNMR) of this compound revealed that this compound was 5,7,2′,4′-tetrahydroxy-8- lavandulylflavanone (sophoraflavanone G), previously isolated from Sophora exigua. In the presence of 0.03 μg/ mL of sophoraflavanone G the MIC value of gentamycin for S. aureus decreased from 32 to 8 μg/mL (a fourfold decrease). These results signify that the ultra-low concentration of sophoraflavanone G potentiates the antimicrobial action of gentamycin suggesting a possible utilization of this compound in combination therapy against Staphylococcus aureus.
Corrector estimates for the homogenization of a locally periodic medium with areas of low and high diffusivity

We prove an upper bound for the convergence rate of the homogenization limit ε → 0 for a linear transmission problem for a advection–diffusion(–reaction) system posed in areas with low and high diffusivity, where ε is a suitable scale parameter. In this way we rigorously justify the formal homogenization asymptotics obtained in [37] (van Noorden, T. and Muntean, A. (2011) Homogenization of a locally-periodic medium with areas of low and high diffusivity. Eur. J. Appl. Math. 22, 493–516). We do this by providing a corrector estimate. The main ingredients for the proof of the correctors include integral estimates for rapidly oscillating functions with prescribed average, properties of the macroscopic reconstruction operators, energy bounds, and extra two-scale regularity estimates. The whole procedure essentially relies on a good understanding of the analysis of the limit two-scale problem.
Transient risk factors for acute traumatic hand injuries: a case-crossover study in Hong Kong

Objectives: To identify the remediable transient risk factors of occupational hand injuries in Hong Kong in order to guide the development of prevention strategies. Methods: The case-crossover study design was adopted. Study subjects were workers with acute hand injuries presenting to the government Occupational Medicine Unit for compensation claims within 90 days from the date of injury. Detailed information on exposures to specific transient factors during the 60 minutes prior to the occurrence of the injury, during the same time interval on the day prior to the injury, as well as the usual exposure during the past work-month was obtained through telephone interviews. Both matched-pair interval approach and usual frequency approach were adopted to assess the associations between transient exposures in the workplace and the short-term risk of sustaining a hand injury. Results: A total of 196 injured workers were interviewed. The results of the matched-pair interval analysis matched well with the results obtained using the usual frequency analysis. Seven significant transient risk factors were identified: using malfunctioning equipment/materials, using a different work method, performing an unusual work task, working overtime, feeling ill, being distracted and rushing, with odds ratios ranging from 10.5 to 26.0 in the matched-pair interval analysis and relative risks ranging between 8.0 and 28.3 with the usual frequency analysis. Wearing gloves was found to have an insignificant protective effect on the occurrence of hand injury in both analyses. Conclusions: Using the case-crossover study design for acute occupational hand injuries, seven transient risk factors that were mostly modifiable were identified. It is suggested that workers and their employers should increase their awareness of these risk factors, and efforts should be made to avoid exposures to these factors by means of engineering and administrative controls supplemented by safety education and training.