Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variabilité du virus de l'hépatite B

Le polymorphisme genetique du virus de l’hepatite B (VHB) a deja ete etudie pourtenter de comprendre les facteurs viraux influencant l'evolution de la maladie, mais les etudessont discordantes. Ceci peut etre lie au fait que les precedents travaux n’ont ete menes quedans des populations avec une faible variete de genotypes et presentant des charges viralesplasmatiques (CVP) elevees.Nous avons donc etudie la variabilite du genome complet du VHB chez 422 individusinfectes chroniquement, naifs de traitements anti-viraux et dont 38% presentaient une CVPinferieure a 103 UI/mL. L’optimisation de l’amplification par PCR du genome complet duVHB nous a permis de sequencer en technique Sanger plus de 90% du genome pour 320echantillons. Le sequencage direct a mis en evidence des co-infections. Ceci a ete confirme ensequencage clonal par pyrosequencage de 27 echantillons qui a montre des proportions departicules defectives variables mais toujours en co-infections avec des sous-populationssauvages. Le genotypage des sequences obtenues par technique Sanger a montre une granderepresentativite des genotypes les plus frequents (A a E) ainsi que 60 potentiels recombinantsinter-genotypiques. Cependant le sequencage clonal par pyrosequencage et clonage vectorielclassique de ces derniers montre la presence de co-infections de plusieurs genotypes ou lapresence de genotypes intermediaires entre genotypes proches. Ceci est en defaveur derecombinaison par echange de materiel genetique comme ce qui a ete suggere dans lalitterature.Cette etude sera completee par l’analyse de correlation entre les polymorphismes et lesmarqueurs de mauvaise evolution de la pathologie.
Functional Study of Transcription Factor MYB305 in Tobacco Flower Development

We isolated and characterized the cDNA encoding the ornamental tobacco (N.langsdorffii X N.sanderae) homolog of the antirrhinum (Antirrhinum majus) MYB305. This cDNA encodes a MYB family transcription factor protein containing a conserved R2R3 MYB DNA binding domain. This myb305 gene is expressed uniquely in floral organs with the highest level in the mature nectary and with lower levels in the ovary, floral tube, petals and flower abscission zone. A GFP-MYB305 fusion protein localizes to nucleus of tobacco protoplasts and yeast one-hybrid assays demonstrates that it functions as a transcription activator. A conserved 23 amino acid C-terminal domain is required to activate gene expression. Functional study discovered that MYB305 is involved in many physiological processes in plants. First, MYB305 regulates expression of the major nectarin genes Nectarin I (nec1) and Nectarin V (nec5) in the nectary of ornamental tobacco plants. Temporally, myb305 gene expression precedes that of nec1 and nec5 genes. The purified GST-MYB305 proteins bind two consensus MYB-binding sites on the ornamental tobacco nec1 promoter as well as bind the single site located on the nec5 promoter. Deletions of either of the binding sites from the nec1 promoter significantly reduce expression in nectary tissues. Ectopic expression of MYB305 in foliage is able to induce the expression of both nec1 and nec5. Further knockdown of MYB305 result in reduced expression of nec1 and nec5. Second, MYB305 plays important roles in floral organ development and maturation by disrupting starch metabolism. In the MYB305 knockdown plants, the nectaries retain juvenile character and secrete reduced levels of nectar, the petals are smaller and do not fully expanded during anthesis. Abnormal starch metabolism has been found to contribute to these phenotypes because reduced starch accumulation was found in both the nectary, before nectar secretion, and in petals, before anthesis. The reduced levels of starch accumulation correlate with the expression of starch metabolic genes in both nectary and petal of MYB305 RNAi plants, suggesting that MYB305 is involved in starch metabolism by controlling the expression of starch metabolic genes.
Eco-geographical determinants of the evolution of ornamentation in vipers

Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the variation of dorsal patterns observed in snakes, but no studies yet have tested them over broad taxonomic and geographical scales. The Viperidae offer a powerful model group to test eco-evolutionary processes that lead to disruptive and cryptic ornaments. We developed a database reporting dorsal ornamentation, ecological habitus, habitat features and climatic parameters for 257 out of 341 recognized species. Three patterns of dorsal ornamentation were considered: “zig-zag”, “blotchy” and “uniform” patterns. Phylogenetic comparative analyses were based on 11 mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Forty-eight species presented a zig-zag pattern type, 224 a blotchy pattern type and 32 a uniform pattern type. All the patterns showed a strong phylogenetic signal. Character phylogenetic reconstruction analyses suggested an ancestral state for blotchy ornamentation, with multiple independent evolutions of the other patterns. The blotchy pattern was more frequent in terrestrial species living in warm climates and sandy habitats, supporting the hypothesis of a disruptive function. The zig-zag pattern evolved independently in several isolated taxa, particularly in species living in cold climates and in dense vegetation or water-related habitats, supporting the hypothesis of disruptive and aposematic functions. Uniform coloration was particularly frequent in arboreal species, supporting the hypothesis of a cryptic function.
Applications of Triple Active Bridge Converter for Future Grid and Integrated Energy Systems

Renewable energy systems and electric vehicles (EVs) are receiving much attention in industrial and scholarly communities owing to their roles in reducing pollutant emissions. Integrated energy systems (IES), which connect different types of renewable energies and storages, have become common in many applications, such as the grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) and battery systems, fuel cells and battery/supercapacitor in EVs. The advantages of all energy sources are maximized by utilizing connection and control strategies. Because many storage systems and household loads are mainly direct current (DC) types, the DC grid has considerable potential for increasing the efficiency of distribution grids in the future. In IES and future DC grid systems, the triple active bridge (TAB) converter is an isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter that has many advantages as a core circuit. Therefore, this paper reviews the characteristics of the TAB converter in current applications and suggests next-generation applications. First, the characteristics and operation modes of the TAB converter are introduced. An overview of all current applications of the TAB converter is then presented. The advantages and challenges of the TAB converter in each application are discussed. Thereafter, the potential future applications of the TAB converter with an adaptable power transmission design are presented.
The persistent challenges and strategies for effective rehabilitation among obstetric fistula patients at Kitovu Mission Hospital, Uganda: a qualitative study

The obstetric fistula poses a great physical, psychosocial and economic burden to girls and women in low and middle-income countries. Obstetric fistula is a traumatic birth injury currently affecting approximately 2 million people globally with about 100,000 new cases per annum. In Uganda, approximately 2 percent of the women of reproductive age are living with untreated fistula, yet with 1900 new cases annually. When women experience prolonged obstructed labor, the blood supply to the soft tissues of the vagina and surrounding tissues is ABSTRACT
International trade and the stability of food supplies in the Global South

Many countries in the Global South depend increasingly on imports to provide food for their rising populations. Trade is a key mechanism to address distributional issues, especially in countries with limited biophysical resources. In theory, by pooling the risk of crop failures via global trade, trade should stabilize food supplies. In practice, however, an over-reliance on imported food may be detrimental to domestic food stability. Here, we disentangle the role of imports from that of domestic production in countries in the Global South for three staple crops: maize, rice, and wheat. First, we use FAO data to differentiate between exposure to production variance in exporting countries, domestic production variance, and total supply variance. Next, we analyze trade relationships and assess the biophysical capacities of countries to investigate why some countries have more unstable supplies than others. We find that food imports have been a source of food supply instability—in particular for maize in Southern Africa, wheat in Central Asia, and rice more generally. But the reason that imports lead to instability is not the same across regions or crops and imports are at times necessary due to limited available water and land resources. Furthermore, the source of imports may be important in the case of co-occurring crop failures in both importing and exporting countries, or exporters with high export variance. Finally, we find that the increasing prevalence of global trade from 1985–2010 has increased exposure to food supply variance in some regions, although it has not increased exposure to supply variance in all regions. These results provide guidance for future analyses to focus on regions that are vulnerable to imported food supply disruptions of important staple crops, and inform debates about the risks associated with food trade in the Global South.
Cytogenetic evaluation of low dose hyper-radiosensitivity in human lymphoblastoid cell lines exposed to Cobalt-60 gamma radiation

CYTOGENETIC ANALYSES OF LOW DOSE HYPER-RADIOSENSITIVITY IN HUMAN LYMPHOBLASTOID CELLS IRRADIATED WITH COBALT-60 GAMMA RADIATION by GNANADA S. JOSHI December 2014 Advisor: Dr. James D. Tucker Major: Biological Science Degree: Doctor or Philosophy Chapter 2: The dose-effect relationships of cells exposed to ionizing radiation are frequently described by linear quadratic (LQ) models over an extended dose range. However, many mammalian cell lines, when acutely irradiated in G2 at doses ≤ 0.3 Gy, show hyper-radiosensitivity (HRS) as measured by reduced clonogenic cell survival, thereby indicating greater cell lethality than is predicted by extrapolation from high-dose responses. We therefore hypothesized that the cytogenetic response in G2 cells to low doses would also be steeper than predicted by LQ extrapolation from high doses. We tested our hypothesis by exposing four normal human lymphoblastoid cell lines to 0 – 400 cGy of Cobalt-60 gamma radiation. The cytokinesis block micronucleus assay was used to determine the frequencies of micronuclei and nucleoplasmic bridges. To characterize the dependence of the cytogenetic damage on dose, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to compare the responses in the low(HRS) and high-dose response regions. Our data indicate that the slope of the response for all
Wie können Widersprüche zwischen Marktdurchdringung und Rebound-Vermeidung gelöst werden?

Politikstrategien zur kohlenstoffarmen Transformation treiben die breite Markteinfuhrung energieeffizienter Technologien voran, ubersehen aber oft die damit verbundenen Reboundeffekte. Der Beitrag illustriert grundlegende Konflikte zwischen Technologieadoption und –nutzung an den Beispielen E-Autos und Gebaudesanierung. Systemmodelle fuhren die Ergebnisse von drei komplementaren Forschungsmethoden zusammen: fuzzy cognitive mapping von Expertenwissen, Haushaltsbefragung und makrookonomische Analyse. Indem Politikimpulse durch das Wirkungsgeflecht verschiedener Einflussfaktoren verfolgt werden, konnen Hebelelemente fur gezielte politische Masnahmen bestimmt werden. Konvergente Einflussfaktoren (z.B. Umweltwerte) begunstigen den Markteintritt der Technologie und schwachen gleichzeitig Reboundeffekte ab. Divergente Einflussfaktoren (z.B. Einkommen) beschleunigen die Technologieadoption, ermoglichen aber auch spateren Rebound. Die Vermeidung von indirektem Rebound ist kritisch fur die Realisierung von CO2-Einsparungen. Anstelle von Einzelmasnahmen sind Masnahmenbundel zu empfehlen, die mehrere Wirkungskanale ansprechen, etwa durch eine Kombination von fiskalpolitischen Instrumenten, bewusstseinsbildenden Kampagnen und Schulungen von Marktakteuren.
Further Optimized Scheduling of Micro Grids via Dispatching Virtual Electricity Storage Offered by Deferrable Power-Driven Demands

Deferrable power-driven demands such as water and thermal ones possess a capability of energy storage which can be exploited to further optimize electric systems. This paper proposes a new optimized scheduling framework for electric grids by simultaneously exploiting the high-inertia thermal dynamics and lossless water storage. Unlike previous ideas in the literature, both water and thermal demands are managed to realize the long-term and short-term load-shifting strategies, respectively. First, distributed water/thermal loads are aggregated where the virtual storage can be represented by battery models. Then, a further optimized scheduling framework is proposed with a mixed-integer nonlinear programing problem. Comparative studies show that the water storage offers outstanding flexibility for electric system via pumps scheduling, especially for the electric load-shifting strategy in a long time-horizon thanks to the lossless water-storage process. Meanwhile, the thermal storage can directly support short-term electric load-shifting to avoid price spikes of electricity. Numerical results show that the proposed method can reduce the total cost of micro-grids by maximizing the usage of renewable energy sources, avoiding price spikes, and reducing dependence on high-cost centralized energy-storage facilities provided that the critical water-energy demands are preserved.
The scale dependency of trait‐based tree neighborhood models

Questions: We asked whether: 1) the strength of conspecific and heterospecific neighborhood crowding effects on focal tree survival and growth vary with neighborhood radii and 2) if the relative 44 strength of the effect of neighborhood interactions on tree growth and survival varies with 45 neighborhood scale? 46 47 48 49 Methods: We used tree survival and growth data and included information on species-mean trait 50 values related to several leaf traits, maximum height, seed mass and wood density. We incorporated a 51 tree neighborhood modeling approach that uses an area around a focal tree with a specified radius, to 52 describe the interactions between a focal tree and its neighbors. We constructed survival and growth 53 models for each functional trait using a Bayesian approach, and varied the size of the radius from 5m 54 to 30m, at 5m intervals. 56 Results: The results suggested that the estimated effects of conspecific and heterospecific neighbors 57 on tree performance do not vary based on the size of the neighborhood (5-30m), suggesting that the effects of conspecific and heterospecific neighbors on the performance of a focal tree likely do not vary substantially beyond a neighborhood radius of 5 meters in the Luquillo forest. In contrast, the estimated strength of the functional neighborhood (effect of neighbors based on their functional trait values) on tree performance was dependent on the neighborhood range. Our results also suggested that the effects of trait distances and trait hierarchies on tree survival and growth are acting simultaneously and at the same spatial scales. Conclusion : Findings from this study highlight the importance of spatial scale in community for when radius community patterns discovered, and affects the conclusions about the drivers that control community assembly.
cDNA microarray-based studies of thermal stress-induced bleaching in the Caribbean corals Montastraea faveolata and Acropora palmata

The reef-building coral species of tropical seas worldwide, together with their algal endosymbionts, drive the productivity of coral reef ecosystems by forming the three-dimensional structure of reefs and by functioning as primary producers. The photosynthetic endosymbionts (of the genus Symbiodinium) are key to the role of primary production. This mutualism is under intense investigation because high temperature anomalies in coastal seas trigger a breakdown in the symbiosis known as coral bleaching. As sea surface temperatures rise due to global climate change, understanding the physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms underlying coral bleaching is imperative to predict whether corals will survive this age of human-induced environmental degradation. Operating under this impetus, genomic approaches to studying the coral-algal symbiosis and its breakdown, such as cDNA microarrays, offer great promise. Microarrays allow for the rapid quantification of gene expression for thousands of genes in a single snapshot. In focusing on thermal stress and bleaching microarray experiments in the Caribbean corals Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata, I have found that the following cellular processes/components are affected during bleaching: oxidative stress, chaperone activity, the glyoxylate cycle, DNA repair, calcium homeostasis, cell death, the extracellular matrix, cell cycle progression, the actin cytoskeleton, nitric oxide signaling, and metabolite transfer between host and symbiont. Specific differentially expressed genes represent subjects of further investigation that are likely involved in coral-specific processes such as calcification, symbiosis maintenance, and bleaching. Furthermore, my experiments have revealed the striking effects that both stress and different symbiont genotypes can have on the host transcriptome. It is hypothesized that the host transcriptome is shaped by the competing effects of stress and the symbionts, and that this balance depends on both technical parameters (e.g. acclimation time, thermal treatment) and biological factors (e.g. species-specific stress sensitivities).
Design, preparation and in vitro characterizations of fluconazole loaded nanostructured lipid carriers

1Department of Pharmaceutics, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, India, 2Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, India, 3Department of Pharmaceutics, NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, NITTE Deemed to be University, Paneer, Deralakatte, Mangalore, India
Strain Partitioning and Exhumation in Oblique Taiwan Collision: Role of Rift Architecture and Plate Kinematics

Taiwan is an archetypal example of continental accretionary wedges. Yet the generally poor knowledge of three‐dimensional strain distribution over time and role of architecture of the rifted margin shed doubt on the cylindrical two‐dimensional kinematic models of Taiwan collision. Here we provide new field‐based constraints on strain distribution, new Raman Spectroscopy on Carbonaceous Materials temperatures and apply mica‐chlorite multiequilibrium approach to determine pressure‐temperature in the Central Range of Taiwan. We identify three distinct structural domains that define zones of orthogonal shortening in the western Backbone Range and left‐lateral ductile shearing overprinted by left‐lateral transtensional brittle deformation in eastern Central Range. Field surveys show the lack of nappe stacking in the Backbone Range. Combining new temperature estimates with existing thermochronological constraints we emphasize that western Taiwan mostly inherited preorogenic thermal history. We show that metamorphic peak conditions of 5–6 kbar and 330–400 °C in the eastern Backbone Range and HP rocks of the Yuli Belt exhumed along the P‐T paths related to transcurrent deformation. We propose a three‐dimensional kinematic model of Taiwan accounting for the oblique motion of the Philippine Sea Plate relative to the plate boundary and the reactivation of a NS striking transform fault in the South China Sea rifted margin. Recent and ongoing strain partitioning in the Taiwan accretionary wedge is reflected by the coexistence of brittle left‐lateral shear, oblique extension, and contraction. Our results have impact on orogen‐based plate kinematic reconstructions that consider two‐dimensional kinematic evolution of orogens.
Nivolumab for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Multiple Lung Metastases after Sorafenib Failure

Over the past decade, standard first-line systemic treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been based on sorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor. Regorafenib, another tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the only second-line therapy that has been globally approved after progression under sorafenib treatment. Recently, immunotherapeutic agents have emerged as promising treatment options in many different malignancies, including advanced HCC. Nivolumab is the first immunotherapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in HCC patients with advanced-stage second-line after sorafenib failure. In this report, a case of advanced HCC with multiple lung metastases in which a complete response and maintained progression-free status was achieved with nivolumab, following the failure of transarterial chemoembolization and sorafenib is presented. We hope this report may help expand the clinical application of second-line treatment.
Metabolic programming of zebrafish, Danio rerio uncovered : Physiological performance as explained by Dynamic Energy Budget Theory and life-cycle consequences of uranium induced perturbations

Nuclear power generation comes with the risk of spilling uranium in the environment. Apart from radiation damage, uranium is known to be chemically toxic. The aim of this dissertation is to characterize the toxicity of depleted uranium (U) on the metabolism of individual zebrafish, Danio rerio. To detect possible deviations from the natural metabolic perfoermance in a sensitive way, I used Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory since it is the only theory which simultaneously specifies ingestion, assimilation, growth, reproduction, maturation, maintenance and ageing over the whole life-cycle at varying food availability. Thus a DEB model was built which quantifies and predicts how the physiological performance of zebrafish relates to food level (and temperature). A module specifying toxico-kinetics of U in a feeding, growing and reproducing individual was incorporated into the DEB model. Our results show that, from 0 nM onwards, U increases costs for growth and either increases somatic maintenance or decreases assimilation. A histological study showed that U alters histology of the gut wall and may perturb host-microbe homeostasis. An important insight of this research is that numerous apparent contradictory results stemmed from differences in initial length, mass and/or amount of ripe oocytes between individual exposed fish. Therefore future experiments might record initial differences between individuals. This research illustrates the importance and feasibility of first understanding and quantifying the physiology of test organisms before interpreting (toxicity) data. A detailed understanding of how unstressed organisms respond to a changing environment entails more precision when detecting effects and so confers higher extrapolation power to understand kinetics of effects in the environment.
Teaching Gratitude for Social and Emotional Learning

There is a growing need to incorporate educational activities and lessons that foster social connectedness, concentration, and resilience in elementary students. Students that are more engaged, motivated, and connected exhibit higher grades, fewer discipline referrals, and progress more effectively through school. Furthermore, there has been an increased emphasis on positive youth development in school settings as that is where elementary students spend most of their time. One area of positive psychology that can be easily and effectively implemented is that of gratitude.