Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[A molecular epidemiological study of respiratory syncytial virus circulating in southern Zhejiang Province, China, from 2009 to 2014].

OBJECTIVE To find out the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genotypes in southern Zhejiang Province, China, and to study the genetic characteristics of G protein from subtype A of RSV. METHODS The lower respiratory tract secretions of children under 5 years of age who were hospitalized for pneumonia and bronchiolitis in three hospitals in southern Zhejiang Province from July 2009 to June 2014 were collected. Direct immunofluorescence assay was used to detect RSV antigens from the collected secretions. A total of 200 samples were randomly selected from RSV-positive specimens in each prevailing year (from July of a specific year to June of the next year). RT-PCR was used to determine RSV subtypes, and the near-full length gene sequence of G protein from subtype A was amplified and sequenced to identify the genotype. RESULTS A total of 25 449 samples of lower respiratory tract secretions were collected from 2009 to 2014, among which 6 416 (25.21%) samples were RSV-positive. Among the 1 000 RSV-positive specimens randomly sampled, 462 strains (46.2%) were subtype A, and 538 strains (53.8%) were subtype B. Subtype A accounted for 22.5%, 74.5%, 84.5%, 19.0%, and 30.5% of the total strains in each year from 2009 to 2014. A total of 25 RSV subtype A strains were randomly sampled and sent out for bidirectional sequencing in each year, which confirmed 52 positive subtype A strains. Four genotypes of subtype A strains were obtained from the above strains, including NA1 (39 strains), NA4 (1 strain), ON1 (10 strains), and GA2 (2 strains). NA1 was the dominant genotype between 2009 and 2012, and ON1 was the only genotype of subtype A during 2013-2014. The nucleotide homology and amino acid homology between the G protein of subtype A and the prototype strain A2 were 80.7%-89.3% and 74.4%-82.6%, respectively. The nucleotide homology and amino acid homology between the isolates of subtype A were 81.5%-100% and 80.2%-100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In southern Zhejiang Province from 2009 to 2014, there was a co-circulation of RSV subtypes A and B, as well as a co-circulation of several different genotypes of RSV subtype A, which had highly variable G protein genes.
Xenopus Models of Cancer: Expanding the Oncologist’s Toolbox

The use of the Xenopus model system has provided diverse contributions to cancer research, not least because of the striking parallels between tumour pathogenesis and early embryo development. Cell cycle regulation, signalling pathways, and cell behaviours such as migration are frequently perturbed in cancers; all have been investigated using Xenopus, and these developmental events can additionally act as an assay for drug development studies. In this mini-review, we focus our discussion primarily on whole embryo Xenopus models informing cancer biology; the contributions to date and future potential. Insights into tumour immunity, oncogene function, and visualisation of vascular responses during tumour formation have all been achieved with naturally occurring tumours and induced-tumour-like-structures in Xenopus. Finally, as we are now entering the era of genetically modified Xenopus models, we can harness genome editing techniques to recapitulate human disease through creating embryos with analogous genetic abnormalities. With the speed, versatility and accessibility that epitomise the Xenopus system, this new range of pre-clinical Xenopus models has great potential to advance our mechanistic understanding of oncogenesis and provide an early in vivo model for chemotherapeutic development.
Remote sensing of plant species using airborne hyperspectral visible-shortwave infrared and thermal infrared imagery

Author(s): Meerdink, Susan Kay | Advisor(s): Roberts, Dar A | Abstract: In California, natural vegetation is experiencing an increasing amount of stress due to prolonged droughts, wildfires, insect infestation, and disease. Remote sensing technologies provide a means for monitoring plant species presence and function temporally across landscapes. In this his dissertation, I used hyperspectral visible shortwave infrared (VSWIR), hyperspectral thermal (TIR), and hyperspectral VSWIR + broadband TIR imagery to derive key observations of plant species across a gradient of environmental conditions and time frames. In Chapter 2, I classified plant species using hyperspectral VSWIR imagery from 2013 - 2015 spring, summer, and fall. Plant species maps had the highest classification accuracy using spectra from a single date (mean kappa 0.80 – 0.86). The inclusion of spectra from other dates decreased accuracy (mean kappa 0.78 - 0.83). Leave-one-out analysis emphasized the need to have spectra from the image date in the classification training, otherwise classification accuracy dropped significantly (mean kappa 0.31 – 0.73). In Chapter 3, I used hyperspectral TIR imagery to determine the extent that high precision spectral emissivity and canopy temperature can be exploited for vegetation research at the canopy level. I found that plant species show distinct spectral separation at the leaf level, but separability among species is lost at the canopy level. However, species’ canopy temperatures exhibited different distributions among dates and species. Variability in canopy temperatures was largely explained by LiDAR derived canopy structural attributes (e.g. canopy density) and the surrounding environment (e.g. presence of pavement). In Chapter 4, I used combined hyperspectral VSWIR and broadband TIR imagery to monitor plant stress during California’s 2013 – 2015 severe drought. The temperature condition index (TCI) was calculated to measure plant stress by using plant species’ surface minus air temperature distributions across dates. Plant stress was not evenly distributed across the landscape or time with lower elevation open shrub/meadows, showing the largest amount of stress in June 2014, and August 2015 imagery. Plant stress spatial variability across the study area was related to a slope’s aspect with highly stressed plants located on south or south-southwest facing slopes. Overall, this dissertation quantifies the ability to temporally study plant species using hyperspectral VSWIR, hyperspectral TIR, and combined VSWIR+TIR imagery. This analysis supports a range of current and planned missions including Surface Biology and Geology (SBG), Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP), National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES), and ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS).
FRAGMENTAÇÃO E DIMINUIÇÃO DOS ESPAÇOS NATURAIS NAS CIDADES: TENDÊNCIAS GERAIS E ESPECIFICIDADES LOCAIS

Nas ultimas decadas numerosas cidades tem vindo a adotar politicas que visam a preservacao e reintroducao da natureza na cidade, enformando politicas no sentido de robustecer o contacto das cidades e suas populacoes com a natureza. Estas incorporam uma resposta aos afeitos adversos da expansao urbana das ultimas decadas que, entre outros impactes e de forma generica, tem vindo a provocar a diminuicao e a fragmentacao dos territorios. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo fazer uma analise comparada dos processos de transformacao dos espacos naturais do Porto (Portugal) e Recife (Brasil). Pretende-se designadamente perceber se as tendencias de “diminuicao”, “fragmentacao” e “homogeneizacao funcional” ja detetados para o Porto sao passiveis de serem identificadas em Recife (Brasil). Tendo em vista esse objetivo, foram identificadas e vetorizadas as diferentes categorias de espacos naturais em Recife utilizando coberturas aereas fotograficas georreferenciadas em dois diferentes momentos temporais, 1950 e 2014. Os resultados obtidos permitem-nos contribuir para a discussao sobre as tendencias gerais da fragmentacao dos espacos naturais nas cidades, mas tambem as especificidades locais, dos processos de transformacao destes espacos em contextos urbanos.
Evolutionary changes of the novel Influenza D virus hemagglutinin-esterase fusion gene revealed by the codon usage pattern

ABSTRACT The codon usage pattern can reveal the adaptive changes that allow virus survival and fitness adaptation to their particular host, as well as the external environment. Although still considered a novel influenza virus, there is an increasing number of influenza D viruses (IDVs) reported. Considering the vital role of the hemagglutinin-esterase fusion (HEF) gene in receptor binding, receptor degradation, and membrane fusion, we investigated the codon usage pattern of the IDV HEF gene to better understand its adaptive changes during evolution. Based on the HEF gene, three groups including, D/OK, D/660, and D/Japan were identified. We found a low codon usage bias, which allowed IDV to replicate in the corresponding hosts by reducing competition during evolution, that was mainly driven by natural selection and mutation pressure, with a profound role of natural selection. Furthermore, the interaction between the codon adaption index (CAI) and the relative codon deoptimization index (RCDI) revealed the adaption of IDV to multiple hosts, especially cattle which is currently considered its reservoir. Additionally, similarity index (SiD) analysis revealed that the swine exerted a stronger evolutionary pressure on IDV than cattle, though cattle is considered the primary reservoir. In addition, the conserved PB1 gene showed a similar pattern of codon usage compared to HEF. Therefore, we hypothesized that IDV has a preference to maintain infection in multiple hosts. The study aids the understanding of the evolutionary changes of IDV, which could assist this novel virus prevention and control.
Alternations of interhemispheric functional connectivity in corneal ulcer patients using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity: a resting state fMRI study

Background Corneal ulcer (CU) is the second ocular disease leading to blindness. Millions of people around the world suffer from CU. However, the relationship between CU and altered functional connectivity in the brain is still unknown. Purpose The aim of the present study was to investigate the alterations of the brain interhemispheric functional connectivity (FC) in patients with CU using the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method and their relationship with clinical manifestations. Material and Methods The present study involved 24 patients with CU (12 men, 12 women) and 24 healthy controls (HCs) with their age, sex, and weight closely matched. Independent sample t-test, VMHC method, and Pearson’s correlation analysis were applied. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to estimate the effect in distinguishing CU patients from HCs. Results The CU patients showed decreased VMHC values in bilateral lingual/calcarine, precentral/postcentral gyrus, and medial frontal gyrus compared with HCs. There were positive correlations between Visual Analogue Score (VAS) and VMHC values of bilateral media frontal gyrus (r = 0.654, p = 0.001), the best-corrected VA of the affected eye and VMHC values of the bilateral lingual/calcarine region (r = 0.960, p < 0.001). ROC curve also showed high diagnostic values in those regions. Conclusion Our study was the first to explore FC changes in CU patients’ brains using VMHC methods. We demonstrated that ocular pain of CU patients had a close relationship with altered VMHC values. Decreased VMHC values in the brain of CU patients may be useful markers to reflect the condition of progress in patients with CU.
Tunicamycin enhances the suppressive effects of cisplatin on lung cancer growth through PTX3 glycosylation via AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway

Long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is an inflammatory molecule related to cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Many studies have highlighted the significance of glycosylated molecules in immune modulation, inflammation and cancer progression. Moreover, aberrant glycosylation of cancer cells is linked to chemoresistance. This study aimed to develop effective therapeutic strategies for deglycosylation of PTX3 (dePTX3) in order to enhance chemosensitivity to cisplatin (Cis) in lung cancer treatment. The A549 and SPCA1 cells were used to determine the role of PTX3 glycosylation in lung cancer growth. Our results revealed that PTX3 was higher in both human lung cancer tissues and serum in comparison with control. Furthermore, we found that deglycosylated PTX3 (dePTX3) by tunicamycin (TM), which is N-glycan precursor biosynthesis blocker, and PNGase F significantly reduced the survival and migration of lung cancer cells. To further confirm this, we also generated glycosylation-site mutant of PTX3 (mPTX3) to characterize the loss of glyco-function. dePTX3 and TM enhanced the suppressive effects of Cis on lung cancer cell growth, migration and invasion compared to individual treatment. Treatment with a combination of TM and Cis significantly inactivated AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway and induced apoptosis. In conclusion, these findings suggest that PTX3 is an important mediator of lung cancer progression, and dePTX3 by TM enhances the anticancer effects of Cis. The deglycosylation in chemotherapy may represent a potential novel therapeutic strategy against lung cancer.
Annotating Web Tables with the Crowd

The Web contains a large amount of structured tables, most of which lacks header rows. Algorithmic approaches have been proposed to recover semantics for web tables by annotating column labels and identifying subject columns. However, state-of-the-art technology is not yet able to provide satisfactory accuracy and recall. In this paper, we present a hybrid machine-crowdsourcing framework that leverages human intelligence to improve the performance of web table annotation. In this framework, machine-based algorithms are used to prompt human workers with candidate lists of concepts, while an improved K-means algorithm based on novel integrative distance is proposed to minimize the number of tuples posed to the crowd. In order to recommend the most related tasks for human workers and determine the final answers more accurately, an evaluation mechanism is also implemented based on Answer Credibility which measures the probability of a worker’s intuitive answer being the final answer for a task. The results of extensive experiments conducted on real-world datasets show that our framework can significantly improve annotation accuracy and time efficiency for web tables, and our task reduction and answer evaluation mechanism is effective and efficient for improving answer quality.
Risk factors associated with diabesity in primary school students in the Amazon region of Brazil

Objective. This study sought to describe how the use of technology intervenes in the nurse-patient relationship, from the nurse’s point of view. Methodology. This was a qualitative research with tools from grounded theory. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses working in emergency services in three municipalities of Colombia. Results. Four categories emerged: 1) direct care, the maximum interaction or being in front of the patient; 2) fairly direct care; 3) indirect care, institutional management; and 4) minimum interaction; technology as facilitator of the interaction and awareness of the necessity for interaction. Conclusion. This study shows the irreplaceable nature of the nurse and the fundamental necessity of technology. The dual mediations of technology constitute a paradoxical matter that reveals the importance of placing it as a means; warning on the danger of converting it an end in and of itself.
The Relationship Between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) Levels and Cyberloafing Behaviors of Teacher Candidates

Bu calismanin amaci; ogretmen adaylarinin gelismeleri kacirma korkusu (FoMO) duzeyleri ile bilgisayar laboratuvarinda gerceklestirdikleri siberaylaklik davranislarinin belirlenmesi ve aralarindaki iliskinin incelenmesidir. Calisma betimsel tarama modeline dayali olarak gerceklestirilen, nicel bir arastirmadir. Bu kapsamda veri toplama araci olarak kisisel bilgi formu, Gokler, Aydin, Unal ve Metintas (2016)’in Turkceye uyarlamis oldugu “Gelismeleri Kacirma Korkusu Olcegi (GKKO)” ve Yasar (2013)’in guncelleme calismasini yaptigi “Siberaylaklik Etkinlikleri Olcegi (SEO)” kullanilmistir. Arastirmanin evrenini Anadolu Universitesi, Firat Universitesi ve Necmettin Erbakan Universitesi Egitim Fakultelerinde ogrenim goren ogretmen adaylari olusturmaktadir. Orneklemin seciminde uygun ornekleme yontemi kullanilmis olup, bu universitelerden kendilerine cevrimici ortamda gonderilen formu gonullu olarak dolduran 79 kadin 62 erkek toplam 141 ogretmen adayi calismanin orneklemini olusturmaktadir. Elde edilen veriler uzerinde bagimsiz orneklemler t-testi, bagimsiz orneklemler icin tek faktorlu anova, basit korelasyon ve basit dogrusal regresyon testleri gerceklestirilmistir. Calismanin sonuclarina gore ogretmen adaylarinin gelismeleri kacirma korkusu duzeyleri orta seviyededir ve cinsiyete gore farklilasmamaktadir. Ayrica ogretmen adaylarinin siberaylaklik seviyeleri ortalamanin uzerindedir ve cinsiyete gore farklilasmaktadir. Ogretmen adaylarinin siberaylaklik ve gelismeleri kacirma korkusu duzeyleri ogrenim gordukleri universiteye gore farklilasmamaktadir. Ek olarak ogretmen adaylarinin gelismeleri kacirma korkusu duzeyleri ile sosyal siberaylaklik davranislari arasinda anlamli bir iliski vardir. Gelismeleri kacirma korkusu, sosyal siberaylaklik davranisinin anlamli bir yordayicisidir.
Impact of "test and treat" recommendations on eligibility for antiretroviral treatment: Cross sectional population survey data from three high HIV prevalence countries

Background Latest WHO guidelines recommend starting HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy treatment (ART) regardless of CD4 count. We assessed additional impact of adopting new WHO guidelines. Methods We used data of individuals aged 15–59 years from three HIV population surveys conducted in 2012 (Kenya) and 2013 (Malawi and South Africa). Individuals were interviewed at home followed by rapid HIV and CD4 testing if tested HIV-positive. HIV-positive individuals were classified as “eligible for ART” if (i) had ever been initiated on ART or (ii) were not yet on ART but met the criteria for starting ART based on country’s guidelines at the time of the survey (Kenya–CD4< = 350 cells/μl and WHO Stage 3 or 4 disease, Malawi as for Kenya plus lifelong ART for all pregnant and breastfeeding women, South Africa as for Kenya plus ART for pregnant and breastfeeding women until cessation of breastfeeding). Findings Of 18,991 individuals who tested, 4,113 (21.7%) were HIV-positive. Using country’s ART eligibility guidelines at the time of the survey, the proportion of HIV-infected individuals eligible for ART was 60.0% (95% CI: 57.2–62.7) (Kenya), 73.4% (70.8–75.8) (South Africa) and 80.1% (77.3–82.6) (Malawi). Applying WHO 2013 guidelines (eligibility at CD4< = 500 and Option B+ for pregnant and breastfeeding women), the proportions eligible were 82.0% (79.8–84.1) (Kenya), 83.7% (81.5–85.6) (South Africa) and 87.6% (85.0–89.8) (Malawi). Adopting “test and treat” would mean a further 18.0% HIV-positive individuals (Kenya), 16.3% (South Africa) and 12.4% (Malawi) would become eligible. In all countries, about 20% of adolescents (aged 15–19 years), became eligible for ART moving from WHO 2013 to “test and treat” while no differences by sex were observed. Conclusion Countries that have already implemented 2013 WHO recommendations, the burden of implementing “test and treat” would be small. Youth friendly programmes to help adolescents access and adhere to treatment will be needed.
Numerical Methods For Mathematics, Science, and Engineering

The book (paperback edition) is the second edition of the work published under the title ``Numerical methods for computer science, engineering, and mathematics'' (1987). The intention of the author is to give an introduction to numerical methods for undergraduate students in computer science, engineering, and mathematics. On more than 600 pages, the book provides an ample material in different fields of numerical analysis such as the solution of nonlinear equations and linear systems of equations, interpolation and polynomial approximation, curve fitting, numerical differentiation, numerical integration, numerical optimization, solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, and calculation of eigenvalues as well as eigenvectors. \par It is assumed that the reader is familiar with calculus and basic aspects of structured programming languages. The book contains a well-balanced minimum of the theory of numerical analysis and takes care to provide a good understanding of the essential ideas of numerical methods. Otherwise, special emphasis is placed on the presentation of algorithms for various numerical processes. Some algorithms are described by pseudo-code and are easy to translate into BASIC, C, FORTRAN, or Pascal. Computer calculations given in the form of tables and graphs, and many examples as well as figures improve the readability of the text. Numerous exercises and the computer-oriented presentation of numerical methods are special features of this book.
Three-Path SiGe BiCMOS LNA on Thinned Silicon Substrate for IoT Applications

This paper reports on a design methodology and measurement results of a fully integrated low noise amplifier (LNA) on a thinned substrate for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Several key RF performance parameters of the LNA with different substrate thickness are evaluated through full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations. The proposed LNA operating at 5.5 GHz is fabricated in a cost-effective 0.25 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology (IHP process SGB25V; ft = 75 GHz). The Si chip is thinned to ~38 μm in order to be embedded seamlessly into a flexible foil system. The small-signal gain of the LNA, measured on the chuck is 14.32 dB before thinning. The measured center frequency on the thin silicon (thickness of 38 μm) is shifted about 700 MHz towards higher frequencies compared to the thick silicon due to the image mirror currents within the conducting material at the backside of the chip. The measured noise figure (NF) with the thick and thin substrate on the conducting material is around 3.36 dB at 5.5 GHz and 3.74 dB at 6.3 GHz, respectively.
Monitoring of new-ice in Greenland waters

In the sea ice covered waters of Greenland the active polarisation ratio (APR) of QuikSCAT SeaWinds Ku-band (13 GHz) scatterometer measurements and the passive polarisation ratio (PPR) of DMSP-SSM/I 19 GHz radiometer measurements are used in combination to classify new-ice and older ice from 1999 to 2001. In particular, the two regions where new-ice is covering large areas: (1) Baffin Bay (64/spl deg/W, 72/spl deg/N) during the yearly freeze-up in autumn, and (2) the formation of the 'Odden' in the Greenland Sea (8/spl deg/W, 75/spl deg/N) in late winter, were used in the study. The results of the surface cover classification in the Greenland Sea and in Baffin Bay were validated against 19 Radarsat ScanSAR wide scenes from the same period. In our study new-ice is defined according to its backscatter and radiative properties and our results show that the transformation to older ice usually occurs within one week. Further, the formation of new-ice and its transformation to older ice or the destruction of an ice cover occur on a daily time scale. The detection of new-ice using the above method is consistent with Radarsat data for areas >50 km both in Baffin Bay and the Greenland Sea. Furthermore, it was found that large areas are covered by new-ice during the freeze up of the Baffin Bay in October and November. In the Greenland Sea the new-ice appears in March as an ice peninsula appended to the belt of older ice drifting along the east coast of Greenland. These results have been confirmed by Radarsat observations. However the algorithm was found to mis-classify the surface cover in the following cases: (1) open water into sea ice at high surface wind speeds (>15 m/s), and (2) regions of grease ice into open water or other ice types.