Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genomes of the Parapoxviruses Orf Virus and Bovine Papular Stomatitis Virus

ABSTRACT Bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV) and orf virus (ORFV), members of the genus Parapoxvirus of the Poxviridae, are etiologic agents of worldwide diseases affecting cattle and small ruminants, respectively. Here we report the genomic sequences and comparative analysis of BPSV strain BV-AR02 and ORFV strains OV-SA00, isolated from a goat, and OV-IA82, isolated from a sheep. Parapoxvirus (PPV) BV-AR02, OV-SA00, and OV-IA82 genomes range in size from 134 to 139 kbp, with an average nucleotide composition of 64% G+C. BPSV and ORFV genomes contain 131 and 130 putative genes, respectively, and share colinearity over 127 genes, 88 of which are conserved in all characterized chordopoxviruses. BPSV and ORFV contain 15 and 16 open reading frames (ORFs), respectively, which lack similarity to other poxvirus or cellular proteins. All genes with putative roles in pathogenesis, including a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-like gene, are present in both viruses; however, BPSV contains two extra ankyrin repeat genes absent in ORFV. Interspecies sequence variability is observed in all functional classes of genes but is highest in putative virulence/host range genes, including genes unique to PPV. At the amino acid level, OV-SA00 is 94% identical to OV-IA82 and 71% identical to BV-AR02. Notably, ORFV 006/132, 103, 109, 110, and 116 genes (VEGF, homologues of vaccinia virus A26L, A33R, and A34R, and a novel PPV ORF) show an unusual degree of intraspecies variability. These genomic differences are consistent with the classification of BPSV and ORFV as two PPV species. Compared to other mammalian chordopoxviruses, PPV shares unique genomic features with molluscum contagiosum virus, including a G+C-rich nucleotide composition, three orthologous genes, and a paucity of nucleotide metabolism genes. Together, these data provide a comparative view of PPV genomics.
Effect of piperitenone oxide on ileum Effects of piperitenone oxide on the intestinal smooth muscle of the guinea pig

We investigated the effects of piperitenone oxide (PO), a major constituent of the essential oil of Mentha x villosa, on the guinea pig ileum. PO (30 to 740 μg/ml) relaxed basal tonus without significantly alterating the resting membrane potential. In addition, PO relaxed preparations precontracted with either 60 mM K + or 5 mM tetraethylammonium in a concentration-dependent manner. At concentrations from 0.1 to 10 μg/ml PO potentiated acetylcholine-induced contractions, while higher concentrations (>30 μg/ml) blocked this response. These higher PO concentrations also inhibited contractions induced by 60 mM K+. PO also blocked the components of acetylcholine contraction which are not sensitive to nifedipine or to solutions with nominal zero Ca 2+ and EGTA. These results show that PO is a relaxant of intestinal smooth muscle and suggest that this activity may be mediated at least in part by an intracellular effect. Correspondence
Urheberrecht und Digitalisierung - Eine Zwischenbilanz

Das Internet und die Digitalisierung haben die Film-, Musik-, und Literaturbranche wesentlich verandert. Zum einen produktionsseitig, wo vor allem bei technisch aufwandigen Projekten der Zugang zu Produktionsmitteln wesentlich erleichtert und verbilligt wurde, zum anderen auf der Verwertungsseite. Die Veranderungen auf der Produktionsseite zusammenzufassen, ist wenig zielfuhrend, da sie branchenspezifisch und regional grosen Unterschieden unterliegen. Die Veranderungen und Probleme auf der Verwertungsseite ahneln einander quer durch die Branchen und Regionen, wenngleich sie auch nicht ident sind. In dem vorliegenden Artikel werden diese Probleme, die sich aus dem fur analoge Zwecke konzipierten Urheberrecht in der digitalen Welt ergeben, unter okonomischen Gesichtspunkten umrissen und Losungsansatze diskutiert.
Hunter MT: A Course for Young Researchers in WMT17

This paper documents an undergraduate course at Hunter College, in which one instructor, six undergraduates, and one high school student built 17 machine translation systems in six months from scratch. The team successfully participated in the second Conference on Machine Translation (WMT17) evaluation on the news task in Finnish-English and Latvian-English and on the bio-medical task in French-English, English-French, English-German, English-Romanian, and English-Polish.
Antecedents and Consequences of Social Media Adoption in Travel and Tourism: Evidence from Customers and Industry

This study extends technology acceptance model (TAM) to investigate the antecedents and consequences of social media adoption by tourists and travel agents. It compares their perceptions on social media adoption and its consequences. Online survey was addressed to tourists and travel agents for data collection purposes. Structural equation modelling was employed for analysis purposes. The findings revealed that the majority of tourists and travel agents involved in the study believe in the usefulness of social media adoption for travel planning and marketing purposes. They agree that adopting social media could change the attitude of tourists towards specific destination or attraction and influence their purchasing decisions. This study contributes to knowledge by extending TAM and provides some managerial implication to marketers.
Theory of Exceptional Points of Degeneracy in Uniform Coupled Waveguides and Balance of Gain and Loss

We present a transmission line theory of exceptional points of degeneracy (EPD) in coupled-mode guiding structures, i.e., a theory that illustrates the characteristics of coupled electromagnetic modes under a special dispersion degeneracy condition, yet unexplored in the contest of gain and loss. We show that coupled transmission lines (CTLs) at radio frequencies having gain (active devices) and loss (e.g., material, radiation) balance exhibit EPDs. We demonstrate the concept of parity-time (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal {PT}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>)-symmetry in uniform CTLs that involve symmetric gain and loss and how this condition is associated with a second-order EPD. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal {PT}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-symmetry is not a necessary condition for realizing EPDs, and indeed, we show that EPD is also obtained with asymmetric distributions of gain and loss in uniform CTLs. We further propose potential applications of the EPDs in designing leaky-wave antennas with the capability of beam and directivity control as well as enhanced sensitivity. Operating near such special degeneracy conditions leads to potential performance enhancement in a variety of microwave and optical resonators, antennas, and devices such as distributed oscillators, including lasers, amplifiers, radiating oscillators, pulse compressors, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$Q$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-switching sensors.
Functional Dissection of P-glycoprotein Nucleotide-binding Domains in Chimeric and Mutant Proteins

We wished to determine if the two nucleotide-binding domains (NBD) of P-glycoprotein are functionally equivalent and interchangeable, and if not, which segments and amino acids are important for proper function of each NBD within the context of the C- or N-terminal P-glycoprotein halves. For this, we constructed and tested the biological activity in yeast and mammalian cells of a series of chimeric mdr3 cDNAs in which discrete domains of the N-terminal NBD (NBD1) were replaced by the homologous segments of the C-terminal NBD (NBD2). Although most NBD1 segments could be replaced without loss of P-glycoprotein function, exchange of small segments near the Walker B motif caused a dramatic reduction in Adriamycin, actinomycin D, and colchicine resistance in LR73 cells, as well as in FK506 resistance and STE6 complementation in yeast. Site-directed mutagenesis identified amino acid positions 522-525 (ERGA DKGT) and 578 (Thr Cys) as essential for proper function of NBD1 in the context of the N-terminal half P-glycoprotein. In addition, the observed phenotype of the mutants (altered drug resistance profile) suggests that these residues may participate directly or indirectly in substrate interactions and are possibly implicated in signal transduction from NBDs to transmembrane domains, the primary sites of drug binding in P-glycoprotein.
Text compression by context tree weighting

The results of an experimental study of different modifications of the context tree weighting algorithm are described. In particular, the combination of this algorithm with the well-known PPM approach is studied. For one of the considered modifications the decrease of the average (for the Calgary Corpus) coding rate is 0.091 bits compared with PPMD.
Introduction to Regression Analysis

in a proportional font in a way that often results in ugly syntax like a < -sum(x) instead of a <sum(x). Also, compound statements such as function definitions are mostly not indented, and the output although properly formatted in a fixed width (“typewriter”) font, shows an extraneous space in lines like [1 ] 0.158. All the graphics—it is nice that there are many—have been imported as bitmaps (rather than “vector”) graphics, giving rise to unnecessary staircase effects (p. 30 and many more) or blurring (p. 264) with inferior quality. In summary, the book contains some very good concepts, but there are aspects which could have been elaborated more effectively as has been done in the given references carrying very similar titles.
The complex nature of the sperm DNA damage process

Dr. Menezo and colleagues (1), in their commentary regarding the practice recommendations for sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) testing based on clinical scenarios by Agarwal et al . (2), pointed to the importance of distinguishing between SDF and sperm nucleus decondensation (SND) as these are independent processes. The authors reasoned that while the oocyte has a limited capacity to repair DNA strand breaks, it is poorly equipped to repair nucleus decondensation. They go further by listing conditions more likely to be associated with one (e.g., lifestyle factors and SDF) or the other (e.g., IVF/ICSI failure due to early embryo arrest and nucleus decondensation) and the tests best suited to measure SND.
Le début de l'adolescence : une période propice à l’éclosion des différentes configurations de la conduite déviante et délinquante des adolescentes

Le present article vise a decrire le processus par lequel se developpe la conduite deviante et delinquante des adolescentes. Les analyses ont ete effectuees aupres d'un echantillon de 123 adolescentes ayant fait l'objet d'une ordonnance a la Chambre de la jeunesse de Montreal entre 1992 et 1993. Les resultats demontrent que les activites deviantes et delinquantes des adolescentes s'integrent davantage, de l'enfance au debut de l'âge adulte, dans une sequence ordonnee et hierarchique que dans un mode de developpement aleatoire. Les analyses suggerent egalement que le debut de l'adolescence, specialement entre 12 et 14 ans, represente une periode particulierement critique au cours de laquelle plusieurs formes d'activites deviantes et delinquantes risquent de se manifester.
Wearable Seismocardiography

Seismocardiogram (SCG) is the recording of body vibrations induced by the heart beat. SCG contains information on cardiac mechanics, in particular heart sounds and cardiac output. In this paper we present a new wearable device for SCG recordings during long term monitorings, and the results of a validation test in 4 subjects. The system is based on the integration of the MagIC smart shirt (i.e., a textile-based wearable system for the assessment of ECG and respiratory movements), and an external triaxial MEMS accelerometer positioned on the left clavicle. SCG was estimated as the average of accelerations occurred in each heart beat. The SCG components due to the valve closure and to recoil forces following the heart contraction (ballistocardiogram) were extracted by high-pass (>18 Hz) and band-pass (0.6-20 Hz) filters respectively. Then the difference between the I and J waves of the ballistocardiogram ( lI-Jl index, possibly related to the cardiac output) was identified by an ad-hoc procedure and compared with the model flow indirect estimation of cardiac output. Validation on 4 volunteers showed that: 1) our wearable system provides statistically consistent estimates of both heart- sound related vibrations and recoil movements; 2) reliable estimates of the II-Jl index can be obtained by considering about 1 minute of SCG recording in stationary conditions; and 3) changes of the II-Jl index during exercise correlate well with changes of cardiac output estimated by the model flow.
Structure of the human APO‐1 gene

APO‐1/Fas (CD95) is a type 1 transmembrane protein that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor family characterized by cysteine‐rich extracellular domains. Cross‐linking of APO‐1 mediates apoptosis in a variety of cells. In the present study we report the isolation and characterization of the human APO‐1 gene spanning approximately 25 kb of human chromosome 10. The gene consists of nine exons (25 bp to > 1.44 kb) separated by eight introns (152 bp to ∼ 12 kb). The boundaries of exon 2 to 5 encoding the extracellular region do not match the boundaries of the three APO‐1 protein subdomains. Exon structure and functional protein domains correspond for exon 6 encoding the transmembrane region and for exon 9 encoding the „death domain”︁. By a polymerase chain reaction‐based approach we localized major transcriptional start sites in human spleen cells 77 and 73 nucleotides upstream of the translation initiation codon of the human APO‐1 gene. Minor initiation sites were found at positions −128, −111, −91, and −74. The 5′ flanking sequence of the human APO‐1 gene is GC rich, contains a high number of CpG dinucleotides and lacks a consensus TATA box. Consensus binding sites for the transcription factors Sp1, AP‐1, AP‐2, GAF, NF‐χB, and NF‐AT were found. The elucidation of the human APO‐1 gene structure will facilitate the study of its involvement in various diseases such as in autoimmunity.
Optimal gestational weight gain ranges for the avoidance of adverse birth weight outcomes: a novel approach.

BACKGROUND Gestational weight gain (GWG) has been shown to be directly associated with birth weight. OBJECTIVE We aimed to define ranges for optimal GWG with respect to the risk of either small- or large-for-gestational-age offspring by using a new statistical approach. DESIGN For the purpose of an observational study, data on n = 177,079 mature singleton deliveries in Bavaria between 2004 and 2006 were extracted from a standard data set that is regularly collected for national benchmarking of obstetric units in terms of clinical performance. Joint predicted risks of either small- or large-for-gestational-age births in relation to GWG (continuous measurement) were estimated by logistic regression models with adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS The estimated optimal GWG ranges as defined by a joint predicted risk of <or=20% were substantially wider than those recommended by the Institute of Medicine for underweight (8-25 compared with 12.5-18.0 kg) and normal-weight (2-18 compared with 11.5-16.0 kg) women. Overweight and obese women's optimal GWG ranged from -7 to 12 and -15 to 2 kg, respectively (Institute of Medicine recommendations: 7.0-11.5 and 5.0-9.0 kg, respectively). We observed considerable effect modifications by parity and smoking in pregnancy. In normal-weight primiparae, for example, the optimal GWG range was 10-26 kg for nonsmokers compared with 23-27 kg for smokers. CONCLUSIONS Considerably wider optimal GWG ranges than recommended by the Institute of Medicine might be tolerated with respect to avoidance of adverse birth weight outcome. Stratification by maternal body mass index category alone might not be sufficient.
Addiction and Engagement: An Explorative Study Toward Classification Criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder

The DSM-5 introduced Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a condition needing more research. Proposed criteria include tolerance, preoccupation, deceiving, or continued excess despite psychosocial problems. However, studies suggest differences between addicted and engaged players. Therefore, this study investigated differences between engagement and addiction in a German-speaking sample of expert World of Warcraft players. Using an online-based questionnaire, 682 participants were surveyed (Mage=23.26 years; 84.9% male) from German-speaking areas. An adapted version of the "Asheron's call" questionnaire (which covers six addiction criteria, including salience, euphoria, and tolerance), the WHOQOL-BREF, the Gaming Motivation Scale, the BDI, the SPIN, and a brief version of the personality questionnaire BFI-10 were used. The average gamer in the sample played on level 87.93 and had been playing for 5.42 years. Addicted players had higher scores on the BDI and SPIN and significantly lower scores in all dimensions of quality of life. Addicted gamers played for 39.25 hours per week (engaged players: 11.93 hours per week) with significantly higher scores in items tapping achievement and immersion. There were differences regarding the BFI-10 in terms of "agreeableness," "conscientiousness," and "neuroticism. " The results suggest that factors such as achievement and immersion set engaged and addicted users apart. Addiction seems to be significantly more connected to other psychopathologies such as depression and social anxiety. The results suggest that euphoria, tolerance, and cognitive salience should be handled with caution when it comes to a classification of IGD similar to (behavioral) addiction.
Association between cervical shedding of herpes simplex virus and HIV-1

Objective: To investigate the association between the cervical shedding of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HIV-1. Design: A cross-sectional study on 200 women seropositive for both HSV-2 and HIV-1 was conducted in a family planning clinic at the Coast Provincial General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya. Main outcome measures: Quantities of HSV DNA (types 1 and 2) and HIV-1 RNA as well as the presence or absence of HIV-1 proviral DNA in cervical secretions were determined and compared. Results: There was a significant correlation between the quantities of HSV DNA and HIV-1 RNA in the cervical secretions of HSV-shedding women (Pearson's r = 0.24, P = 0.05). A 10-fold increase in the quantity of cervical HSV DNA was associated with 1.35-fold higher cervical HIV-1-RNA levels (95% CI 1.00–1.81; P = 0.05), and with 1.36-fold greater odds of detection of HIV-1 proviral DNA (95% CI 1.05–1.75; P = 0.02). Conclusion: Higher levels of cervical HSV were associated with higher levels of expressed HIV-1 and with the more frequent detection of HIV-1-infected cells in cervical secretions. Prospective studies are needed to explore further the association between non-ulcerative cervical HSV reactivation and HIV-1 shedding. Such a relationship may have important implications for interventions designed to slow the spread of HIV-1.
Storage Capacity Configuration to Improve Prediction Accuracy of Photovoltaic Output

The short-term prediction accuracy of Photovoltaic(PV) output may not meet power scheduling requirements, the combined use of photovoltaic generator and energy storage device can improve the prediction accuracy. Storage capacity configuration is an important issue for the economy of PV plant and PV prediction accuracy.In this paper, the distribution character of PV prediction error is analyzed based on the probability density function evolution method. A storage capacity configuration model is built to consider economic prediction accuracy and capacity . A storage device controlling strategy was bulit.Last, a tracking - economic factor is defined which can be used for economic evaluation of the energy storage device. An example is shown that PV prediction error is in normal distribution and the proposed method can improve the prediction accuracy of PV output while increasing the level of economic use of energy storage devices. DOI : http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/telkomnika.v12i3. 3838 Full Text: PDF
Association of IL28B variants with response to pegylated‐interferon alpha plus ribavirin combination therapy reveals intersubgenotypic differences between genotypes 2a and 2b

Genetic polymorphisms of the interleukin 28B (IL28B) locus are associated closely with outcomes of pegylated‐interferon (PEG‐IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between IL28B polymorphism and responses to therapy in patients infected with genotype 2. One hundred twenty‐nine chronic hepatitis C patients infected with genotype 2, 77 patients with genotype 2a and 52 patients with genotype 2b, were analyzed. Clinical and laboratory parameters, including genetic variation near the IL28B gene (rs8099917), were assessed. Drug adherence was monitored in each patient. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses of these parameters and clinical responses were carried out. Univariate analyses showed that a sustained virological response was correlated significantly with IL28B polymorphism, as well as age, white blood cell and neutrophil counts, adherence to RBV, and rapid virological response. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients infected with genotype 2b achieved significantly lower rapid virological response rates than those with genotype 2a. Patients with the IL28B‐major allele showed higher virus clearance rates at each time point than those with the IL28B‐minor allele, and the differences were more profound in patients infected with genotype 2b than those with genotype 2a. Furthermore, both rapid and sustained virological responses were associated significantly with IL28B alleles in patients with genotype 2b. IL28B polymorphism was predictive of PEG‐IFN plus RBV combination treatment outcomes in patients infected with genotype 2 and, especially, with genotype 2b. In conclusion, IL‐28B polymorphism affects responses to PEG‐IFN‐based treatment in difficult‐to‐treat HCV patients. J. Med. Virol. 83:871–878, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel synthetic ceramide derivatives increase intracellular calcium levels and promote epidermal keratinocyte differentiation Published, JLR Papers in Press, June 6, 2007.

Ceramide is an important constituent of stratum corneum lipids, which act as both physical barriers and signal modulators. We synthesized several ceramide derivatives and investigated their effects on keratinocyte differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that the novel synthetic ceramide derivatives K6PC-4 (N-ethanol-2-hexyl-3-hydroxy-decanamide), K6PC-5, (N-ethanol-3-oxo-2-tetradecyl/hexadecyl-octadecanamide/eicosanamide)and K6PC-9 [N-(1,3-dihydroxypropyl)-2-hexyl-3-oxo-decanamide] markedly increased keratin 1 and involucrin expression in normal human epidermal keratinocytes cultured in vitro. These ceramide derivatives elicited a rapid transient increase in intracellular calcium levels, which were measured using laser scanning confocal microscopy. In addition, K6PC-4, K6PC-5, and K6PC-9 stimulated the phosphorylation of p42/44 extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. In a reconstituted epidermis model, K6PC-4, K6PC-5, and K6PC-9 significantly increased keratin 1 expression in the suprabasal layer. These results indicate that these novel synthetic ceramide derivatives have the potential to promote keratinocyte differentiation, suggesting that the lipid molecules are applicable for treating skin diseases involving abnormal keratinocyte differentiation.