Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Activity and Resistance Profile of Dasabuvir, a Nonnucleoside Hepatitis C Virus Polymerase Inhibitor

ABSTRACT Dasabuvir (ABT-333) is a nonnucleoside inhibitor of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B gene. Dasabuvir inhibited recombinant NS5B polymerases derived from HCV genotype 1a and 1b clinical isolates, with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values between 2.2 and 10.7 nM, and was at least 7,000-fold selective for the inhibition of HCV genotype 1 polymerases over human/mammalian polymerases. In the HCV subgenomic replicon system, dasabuvir inhibited genotype 1a (strain H77) and 1b (strain Con1) replicons with 50% effective concentration (EC50) values of 7.7 and 1.8 nM, respectively, with a 13-fold decrease in inhibitory activity in the presence of 40% human plasma. This level of activity was retained against a panel of chimeric subgenomic replicons that contained HCV NS5B genes from 22 genotype 1 clinical isolates from treatment-naive patients, with EC50s ranging between 0.15 and 8.57 nM. Maintenance of replicon-containing cells in medium containing dasabuvir at concentrations 10-fold or 100-fold greater than the EC50 resulted in selection of resistant replicon clones. Sequencing of the NS5B coding regions from these clones revealed the presence of variants, including C316Y, M414T, Y448C, Y448H, and S556G, that are consistent with binding to the palm I site of HCV polymerase. Consequently, dasabuvir retained full activity against replicons known to confer resistance to other polymerase inhibitors, including the S282T variant in the nucleoside binding site and the M423T, P495A, P495S, and V499A single variants in the thumb domain. The use of dasabuvir in combination with inhibitors targeting HCV NS3/NS4A protease (ABT-450 with ritonavir) and NS5A (ombitasvir) is in development for the treatment of HCV genotype 1 infections.
The Impact of Agile Manufacturing on Supply Chain Dynamics

Traditional supply chains can greatly amplify changes in end‐customer demand and thereby produce their own internally generated boom‐and‐bust scenarios. Improvement in supply chain performance is often greatly separated by time (many months) and distance (many miles) from the action taken to trigger better customer service coupled with lower stockholdings. A global long‐term view must therefore be taken if we are to be sure that enhancement is real and permanent. This paper outlines the problem areas associated with supply chain dynamics and reviews a set of Supply Chain Material Flow Principles originally based on established results from simulation models and observation of good industrial practice. The paper further shows that these Principles were embedded in an Agile Manufacturing Program undertaken in order to re‐engineer a real‐world mechanical precision products global supply chain. Subsequent improvements in supply chain dynamics recorded include a 45 per cent reduction in global inventory and the damping of supply chain amplification patterns by up to 58 per cent.
Negotiations: Background and Issues for the U.S. Beef Sector

New negotiations on trade in agriculture were recently initiated by the World Trade Organization (WTO). These negotiations are focusing on extending the gains to world trade achieved in the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA). Gains to world trade have occurred under the URAA as a result of limits placed on the use of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade, export subsidies, and the type and level of spending for domestic support programs by WTO member countries. For the beef sector, the URAA, continuing a process of increasing market access begun in the 1970s, has further increased U.S. and world beef trade. While export subsidies and non-tariff trade barriers may continue to limit the market for U.S. beef exports, additional increases in market access in these negotiations may increase U.S. beef exports. The extent will largely depend upon the degree of reductions in tariffs.
Propagation Analysis for Automated Switching of Embedded RFID with GPS in Wireless Sensor Network Platform

A 2.45 GHz active integrated ZigBee RFID system embedded with GPS is developed with an automated switching protocol algorithm utilizing wireless sensor network (WSN) platform to track the physical belongings or people in indoor and outdoor environments within a control area. In addition, to make the system contactless when the tag is not joining the network, the function of global system for mobile (GSM) communication is added to the integration. The communication between RFID reader and RFID tags is via WSN platform that supports mesh network and self-healing mechanism. Energy efficiency, robustness, and reliability are key factors in the design algorithm of the system. Comparisons are made between the existing active RFID system and the proposed active RFID system to study the performance of the proposed RFID system with an automated switching algorithm implemented on it. Based on the experimental study and statistical analysis done for all situations, a conclusion has been made where the proposed embedded RFID tag provided better signal propagation compared to the existing RFID tag and the battery lifetime for embedded RFID tag with switching mechanism is better than without switching mechanism.
Adaptive Neural Network Control of a Robotic Manipulator With Time-Varying Output Constraints

The control problem of an uncertain ${n}$ -degrees of freedom robotic manipulator subjected to time-varying output constraints is investigated in this paper. We describe the rigid robotic manipulator system as a multi-input and multi-output nonlinear system. We devise a disturbance observer to estimate the unknown disturbance from humans and environment. To solve the uncertain problem, a neural network which utilizes a radial basis function is used to estimate the unknown dynamics of the robotic manipulator. An asymmetric barrier Lyapunov function is employed in the process of control design to avert the contravention of the time-varying output constraints. Simulation results validate the validity of the presented control scheme.
Supporting Discovery in Virtual Libraries

It is well known that selectivity leaves a lot to be desired in searching for information resources on the Internet with existing search systems (Desai, 1995c). This has prompted a number of researchers to turn their attention to the development and implementation of models for indexing and searching information resources on the Internet. In this article, 1 we examine briefly the results of a simple query on a number of existing search systems and then discuss two proposed index metadata structures for indexing and supporting search and discovery: The Dublin Core Elements List and the Semantic Header. We also present an indexing and discovery system based on the Semantic Header.
The effects of survey timing on perceptions of service quality

Disconfirmation models of service quality have attracted a lot of discussion about how consumers’ expectations are formed, but relatively little about the nature of their perceptions of service performance. This paper seeks to redress the absence of literature on the psychological underpinnings of perceptions in disconfirmation models of service quality. It argues that an individual’s perceptions may not be stable over time and that suppliers should be particularly interested in consumers’ perceptions at the time that the next repurchase decision is made. A model of the time elapsed effects of service quality perception is presented and research reported on a longitudinal survey of hotel customers’ perceptions.
Complementary/alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Malaysia

5 Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer patients in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among cancer patients at two Malaysian referral hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of 28 items includes patients' socio-demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and questions about CAM use. A total number of 200 cancer patients participated in this study. The majority were female, Malay, married, with tertiary education and working (54.5%, 36.5%, 53.5%, 46.5%, 45.0%; respectively). The majority were in stage 2 and diagnosed with cancer 1 to 2 years ago (47.5%, 37.5%; respectively). The prevalence of CAM used among the study participants was found to be 14%. The majority of them used the CAM during the treatment (72.7%), used the CAM less than six months (37.0%). The majority of cancer patients reported that CAM is beneficial for them and there is no side effect of CAM and they were satisfied with CAM (65.5%, 92.0%; 80.0%; respectively). Only few patients stopped conventional treatment while using CAM (14.5%). Relieve pain (19.5%) and relieve the symptoms (16.5%) were the reasons for CAM used. The most popular CAM used among cancer patients was sea cucumber (22%) and homeopathy (10.5%). The least popular CAM used reported by the study participants was green tea (0.5%). Level of education found to be significantly influence the use of CAM among cancer patients in this study. In light of the growing interest in CAM, health-care professionals need to be educated about the most common CAM therapies used among cancer patients. This study reported a new finding that 16.4% of cancer patients stopped the standard treatment while using CAM. This is a serious problem and should be addressed and further intervention studies needed.
Patients homozygous for the 17p 11.2 duplication in charcot‐marie‐tooth type 1A Disease

Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth type 1A disease is an inherited sensorimotor neuropathy that is most often associated with a duplication of chromosome 17p11.2. This region contains the gene of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), which is responsible by a gene dosage effect for the Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth type 1A phenotype with 17p11.2 duplication. We performed a clinical, electrophysiological, and genetic study of a consanguinous Charcot‐marie‐Tooth type 1A family with 4 affected siblings, 3 of whom were homozygous for the 17p11.2 duplication, the other a heterozygote. Comparison of phenotypes showed that the severity of the disease was more severely affected than the heterozygous sibling who was pausiymptomatic. These results suggest that the severity of the disease is not determined solely by the number of copies of the PMP22 gene.
Alternative Approaches for Educating Future Global Marketing Professionals

Using an experiential learning model as a conceptual background, this article discusses characteristics and learning objectives for well-known foreign study programs such as study tours, study abroad, and internships and compares them with a less common overseas program called the Global Marketing Program (GMP). GMP involves interdisciplinary student–faculty team travel abroad to conduct marketing research on behalf of U.S. companies. International business foreign study program professionals were surveyed and rated the importance of key student learning objectives for these programs. The study abroad program and study tour are well suited for cultural immersion; the international internship provides development of international business skills as well as cultural immersion at levels higher than the other three programs. The GMP outperforms the study tour and study abroad in the development of international business skills and surpasses the study tour in providing cultural immersion for students. The GMP and international internships are identified as the more appropriate foreign study experiences for development of future global marketing professionals.
Topographic inventories of vagal afferents in gastrointestinal muscle

To inventory and characterize the two types of vagal afferents (both putative mechanoreceptors) in the muscle of the gastrointestinal tract, the authors injected wheat germ agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase into the nodose ganglia of rats that had received unilateral ventral rhizotomies to eliminate efferents. The gut, from the oral esophagus to the distal colon, was divided into wholemounts, processed with tetramethylbenzidine, and surveyed to establish normative topographic maps of afferents. Vagal intraganglionic laminar endings (IGLEs) were ubiquitous, with concentrations varying on a longitudinal gradient (higher rostrally). This overall gradient was punctuated by denser condensations of endings in the oral esophagus, gastric corpus, and distal ileum. In regional specializations, IGLEs were fused into conspicuous, dense networks in the laryngeal esophagus and the antrum. Intramuscular arrays (IMAs) had restricted distributions, including the walls of the stomach and the sphincters throughout the gut. In the forestomach, a singular concentration of orthogonally crossed IMAs was organized into a lattice or “fovea. ” IMAs displayed variations in morphology, with one specialization consisting of short, terminal processes associated with sphincters and a more widespread form consisting of long, rectilinear processes in the forestomach, along the greater curvature, and in limited intestinal regions. On the basis of their topographic patterns and structural specializations, the two putative mechanoreceptors may have different functions: IGLEs appear situated to integrate intramural tension, and perhaps myenteric neuronal activity, into rhythmical, propagated motor programs, such as swallowing, peristalsis, and emptying. IMAs are distributed strategically and appear to satisfy structural requirements for stretch receptors tuned to tonic or more aperiodic events that may affect central nervous system processing as well as local gastrointestinal coordination. J. Comp. Neurol. 421:302–324, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Resources for Service Quality Improvement as Competitive Advantages: A Conceptual Model for Services Firms in Vietnam

The main aim of the research paper is to develop a conceptual model for services firms in Vietnam. This model will helps to achieve our research objectives by assessing the resources necessary for service quality improvement as a competitive advantage strategy inside the company, the role of soft factors (human resources factors) for service quality improvement, and critical solutions relating to business operating and management strategy of the company. The arguments are based on the resource based view theory and review of literatures in regional countries. This coming research will be an in-depth qualitative study using content analytic approach.
Reporting Surgical Resection Margin Status for Osteosarcoma: Comparison of the AJCC, MSTS, and Margin Distance Methods

Multiple different schemes are used to assess surgical resection margins in orthopedic pathology, but which is optimal for reporting resection margin status of osteosarcoma is uncertain. Moreover, the minimum tumor clearance (metric width of resection margin) necessary for local control is not well defined. In this investigation, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) R system, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) system, and margin distance method for reporting resection margin status were compared in a series of 186 high-grade osteosarcomas. Hazard ratios for local recurrence for each resection margin category were compared with other categories within each margin assessment scheme to assess discriminatory ability. Cross-model comparisons of regression coefficients from parametric survival and logistic regression models were also performed. Predictive accuracy of each margin assessment scheme for determining 2-year local recurrence-free survival was evaluated by comparing the areas under receiver-operating characteristic curves generated from logistic regression analyses. Concordance with clinical outcomes was also calculated. Both the MSTS and margin distance schemes showed significantly greater predictive accuracy and concordance with observed outcomes than the AJCC R system. A margin distance of ≥2 mm significantly decreased the risk of local recurrence. Results were similar after adjustment for confounding prognostic factors (anatomic site, macroscopic lymphovascular invasion, and chemotherapy status). Therefore, surgical resection margins for osteosarcoma should be reported using either the MSTS or margin distance method instead of the AJCC R system.
Modification on a simple soft switched boost converter

In switch-mode converter high switching frequencies are contemplated to reduce the size and the weight of the filter component and, consequently to reduce the cost as well as the size of converter. But at high switching frequencies the switches are subjected to high switching stresses and high switching loss and, also the converter is engaged with the EMI caused by the large dv/dt and di/dt due to hard switching. The combination of proper topologies and switching strategies that are well-known as soft switching techniques can reduce the switching-related problems. This paper presents a simple and cost efficient soft switched boost converter which has two switches with common reference voltage. Since the zero-current turning-off of main switch the proposed technique is suited for insolated-gate-bipolar-transistor. The snubber inductor, which is connected in series with the main switch, reduces the reverse-recovery current and di/dt rate of main diode. This inductor contributes with the other inductor during some modes of operation. This contribution minimizes the total size of the converter. The performance of the proposed soft-switching converter is evaluated by means of simulation.
Chromatin , Gene , and RNA Regulation AKR 1 B 10 , a Transcriptional Target of p 53 , Is Downregulated in Colorectal Cancers Associated with Poor Prognosis

p53 is one of the most important tumor suppressor genes, and it is frequently inactivated in various cancers. p53 modulates various cellular functions, such as apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest via transcriptional regulation. Recently, p53 has been reported to be involved in a wide range of cellular metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, glutaminolysis, and the antioxidant response. To understand the functional mechanism of p53, it is important to find out the direct transcriptional targets of p53. In this study, aldo-keto reductase family 1, member B10 (AKR1B10)was identified as a direct target of the p53 family by cDNAmicroarray analysis after comparing themRNA expression of control and H1299 cells that overexpressed with p53 family members. In addition, we found that the expression of AKR1B10 was significantly decreased in colorectal cancers and adenomas as compared with normal colon tissues. Knockdown of AKR1B10 significantly inhibited p53-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells, whereas the overexpression of AKR1B10 enhanced p53-induced apoptosis and inhibited tumor proliferation in vivo. Furthermore, low expression of AKR1B10 in colon cancer patients was correlated with decreased survival and poor prognosis.These results suggest that decreased expressionofAKR1B10 coulddisrupt the tumor suppressive functionof p53, which result in decreased survival in colorectal cancer patients. In summary, AKR1B10may be a novel prognostic predictor and a novel therapeutic target for colorectal cancer. Implications: AKR1B10, a transcriptional target of p53, is also a novel prognostic and therapeutic molecule in colorectal cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 11(12); 1554–63. 2013 AACR.
Are the metabolic syndrome, blood pressure pattern, and their interaction responsible for the right ventricular remodeling?

ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to define the relationship between the metabolic syndrome (MS), nondipping pattern, and their interaction on right ventricular (RV) structural and functional changes in untreated hypertensive patients. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 318 recently diagnosed hypertensive patients. MS was defined by the presence of at least 3 National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. All patients underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and a complete two-dimensional echocardiography examination. ResultsMS was found in 144 (45%) hypertensive patients and the nondipping pattern was detected in 147 (46%) patients. Hypertensive patients with MS had higher 24-h and night-time blood pressure levels in comparison with non-MS patients with the same nocturnal blood pressure pattern. RV wall thickness was significantly increased and RV diastolic function was significantly deteriorated in nondippers (with and without MS), but still more impaired in MS patients. MS, nondipping pattern, and their interaction had a huge impact on RV wall thickness, parameters of RV diastolic function (E/At, E/e′t, e′/a′t), as well as RV global function estimated by the myocardial performance index. Among the MS criteria, only fasting glucose level and abdominal obesity were associated independently with RV hypertrophy, diastolic, and global dysfunction. ConclusionMS, nondipping pattern, and their interaction significantly impact RV structure, diastolic, and global function. Fasting glucose level and abdominal obesity are the most important MS criteria for RV remodeling in arterial hypertension.
Consumer Choice Model for Forecasting Demand and Designing Incentives for Solar Technology

In this paper, we develop a model for the adoption of solar photovoltaic technology by residential consumers. In particular, we assume consumers purchase these solar panels according to a discrete choice model. The technology adoption process is reinforced by network externalities such as imitating customer behavior and cost improvements through learning-by-doing. Using this model, we develop a framework for policy makers to find optimal subsidies in order to achieve a desired adoption target with minimum cost for the system. We discuss the structure of the optimal subsidy policy and how the overall system cost changes with the adoption target. Furthermore, we validate the model through an empirical study of the German solar market, where we estimate the model parameters, generate adoption forecasts and demonstrate how to solve the policy design problem. We use this framework to show that the current policies in Germany are not efficient. In particular, our study suggests that their subsidies should be higher in the near future and the gradual phase-out of the subsidies should occur faster.
On the Thoughts of "Three Immortalities" and Its Significance on Enterprises' Incentive

Enterprises' incentive consists of material incentive and spiritual incentive.It is favorable to inspire employees' positivity,enhance enterprises' cohesion,and realize enterprises' plans.The excellent resources in Chinese traditional culture should be fully exploited when constructing incentive of modern enterprises,especially the "Three Immortalities" of traditional Confucian,which must be modernized,including its contents,the sequence of the three,and its combination with the construction of regulations.
Evaluation of the TCP TS-Prio protocol using Markovian models

The quality of service (QoS) perceived by end users in their access to communication services is mainly driven by transport level protocols, like TCP. Recently a protocol that implements service differentiation by appropriate modification of the sliding window size considering the data transfer priority, called TCP TS-Prio (Transient & Static Priority) protocol, was proposed. In this paper, we propose a methodology that can be used to estimate key performance parameters, such as packet loss, queueing delays, window sizes, and throughputs. Our approach models a single TCP TS-Prio source using a Markovian chain. The superposition and interaction of several TCP sources, with service differentiation, is then analyzed. The analysis shows that TCP TS-Prio is able to offer service differentiation depending on the network congestion.