Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biting Activity and Host Attractancy of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Manzhouli, China

ABSTRACT The biting activity and host attractancy of vector mosquitoes are important in assessing the risk of arbovirus transmission, especially where migratory and nonmigrating bird species congregate, such as in Hulun Lake, Manzhouli. In 2009, the population distribution, species diversity, biting activity, and host attractancy of mosquitoes were investigated in Hulan Lake and its associated prairie area. The adult mosquitoes were captured either by human volunteers using aspirators in mosquito nets, by CO2-baited light traps, or by animal-baited traps. In total, 27,004 mosquitoes, representing three genera and 10 species, were collected from Manzhouli, China, in July 2009, of which Aedes dorsalis (Meigen) were most predominant species, followed by Ae. vexans (Meigen). Biting activity peaks by Ae. flavescens (Muller), Ae. dorsalis, and Culex modestus (Facalbi) on human subjects were investigated. Four mosquito species were captured from different animal sheds (sheep, cattle, and goose). Ae. flavescens was more abundant in the cattle shed than in the other two sheds. The Ae. dorsalis in the sheep shed was much higher than in the other animal sheds. The Ae. flavescens collected via chicken-baited traps were significantly higher than those collected via rabbit-baited and pigeon-baited traps. There were no significant differences in the number of Ae. dorsalis and Ae. vexans collected using the three different animal traps.
Regulation of Epithelial Sodium Channels by the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (*)

Cystic fibrosis airway epithelia exhibit enhanced Na reabsorption in parallel with diminished Cl secretion. We tested the hypothesis that the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) directly affects epithelial Na channel activity by co-incorporating into planar lipid bilayers immunopurified bovine tracheal CFTR and either heterologously expressed rat epithelial Na channel (α,β,-rENaC) or an immunopurified bovine renal Na channel protein complex. The single channel open probability (P) of rENaC was decreased by 24% in the presence of CFTR. Protein kinase A (PKA) plus ATP activated CFTR, but did not have any effect on rENaC. CFTR also decreased the extent of elevation of the renal Na channel P following PKA-mediated phosphorylation. Moreover, the presence of CFTR prohibited the inward rectification of the gating of this renal Na channel normally induced by PKA-mediated phosphorylation, thus down-regulating inward Na current. This interaction between CFTR and Na channels occurs independently of whether or not wild-type CFTR is conducting anions. However, the nonconductive CFTR mutant, G551D CFTR, cannot substitute for the wild-type molecule. Our results indicate that CFTR can directly down-regulate single Na channel activity, thus accounting, at least in part, for the observed differences in Na transport between normal and cystic fibrosis-affected airway epithelia.
Joint MAC layer relaying and price based resource allocation in multihop wireless networks

Recently, cooperative communication has been used as a cost effective alternative to traditional MIMO systems. Even though cooperative relaying at the physical and/or MAC layer improves the performance of the network, it increases the level of interference in a multihop wireless network. In a multihop wireless adhoc network, the amount of interference created can be reduced by using power control. In this work, we use cooperative MAC layer relaying with explicit power control to reap the benefits of cooperative communication in a multihop wireless network. In addition to this, we also use price based resource allocation in order to fairly allocate resources in a multihop wireless network with multiple flows. The results obtained show that the combined MAC relaying and resource allocation can achieve the benefits of both cooperative communication and fair resource allocation, without severely degrading the network performance.
Coping in relationships: the interplay between individual and dyadic coping and their effects on relationship satisfaction

The main aim of the present study was to determine how individual and dyadic coping efforts are related in the context of relationships. This aim was achieved by studying partners simultaneously and taking into account the interdependent nature of couple data. Specifically tested was whether dyadic coping mediates the influence of individual coping, and whether there is a mutual influence of partners' dyadic coping. Cross-sectional data of 240 German couples were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that dyadic coping is a stronger predictor of relationship satisfaction than individual coping, and that it mediates the individual coping efforts. Mutual influence could be demonstrated for pragmatic coping but not for emotional coping. This research highlights the importance of dyadic coping by focusing on the ways in which couples cope together.
Diversity Combining for Channels with Fading and Partial-Band Interference

Diversity combining techniques that employ a ratiothreshold test (RTT) are suggested for communications with fading and partial-band interference. We consider a system with binary orthogonal signaling and noncoherent demodulation. The fading channel is modeled as a group of independent narrow-band channels, each with nonselective Rician fading. We assume that the partial-band interference is Gaussian, and we include additive white Gaussian quiescent noise in the analysis to account for wide-band noise sources. The performance measures we use to evaluate the diversity combining schemes are the narrow-band interference rejection capability and the signal-to-noise ratio requirement over the entire range of partial-band interference duty factors. The performances of the RTT with square-law combining and the RTT with majority logic decoding are compared to each other and to the performance of the optimum diversity combining technique.
Discovery and characterization of family 39 glycoside hydrolases from rumen anaerobic fungi with polyspecific activity on rare arabinosyl substrates

Enzyme activities that improve digestion of recalcitrant plant cell wall polysaccharides may offer solutions for sustainable industries. To this end, anaerobic fungi in the rumen have been identified as a promising source of novel carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) that modify plant cell wall polysaccharides and other complex glycans. Many CAZymes share insufficient sequence identity to characterized proteins from other microbial ecosystems to infer their function; thus presenting challenges to their identification. In this study, four rumen fungal genes (nf2152, nf2215, nf2523, and pr2455) were identified that encode family 39 glycoside hydrolases (GH39s), and have conserved structural features with GH51s. Two recombinant proteins, NF2152 and NF2523, were characterized using a variety of biochemical and structural techniques, and were determined to have distinct catalytic activities. NF2152 releases a single product, β1,2-arabinobiose (Ara2) from sugar beet arabinan (SBA), and β1,2-Ara2 and α-1,2-galactoarabinose (Gal-Ara) from rye arabinoxylan (RAX). NF2523 exclusively releases α-1,2-Gal-Ara from RAX, which represents the first description of a galacto-(α-1,2)-arabinosidase. Both β-1,2-Ara2 and α-1,2-Gal-Ara are disaccharides not previously described within SBA and RAX. In this regard, the enzymes studied here may represent valuable new biocatalytic tools for investigating the structures of rare arabinosyl-containing glycans, and potentially for facilitating their modification in industrial applications.
Lithium and tamoxifen modulate cellular plasticity cascades in animal model of mania

Lithium (Li) is the main mood stabilizer and acts on multiple biochemical targets, leading to neuronal plasticity. Several clinical studies have shown that tamoxifen (TMX) – a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor – has been effective in treating acute mania. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of TMX on biochemical targets of Li, such as glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), PKC, PKA, CREB, BDNF and NGF, in the brain of rats subjected to an animal model of mania induced by d-amphetamine (d-AMPH). Wistar rats were treated with d-AMPH (2mg/kg, once a day) or saline (Sal; NaCl 0.9%, w/v), Li (47.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.), twice a day) or TMX (1 mg/kg i.p., twice a day) or Sal in protocols of reversion and prevention treatment. Locomotor behavior was assessed using the open-field task, and protein levels were measured by immunoblot. Li and TMX reversed and prevented d-AMPH-induced hyperactivity. Western blot showed that d-AMPH significantly increased GSK-3 and PKC levels, and decreased pGSK-3, PKA, NGF, BDNF and CREB levels in the structures analyzed. Li and TMX were able to prevent and reverse these changes induced by d-AMPH in most structures evaluated. The present study demonstrated that the PKC inhibitor modulates the alterations in the behavior, neurotrophic and apoptosis pathway induced by d-AMPH, reinforcing the need for more studies of PKC as a possible target for treatment of bipolar disorder.
Cluster Headache: A Computerized Analysis of 24 h Holter ECG Recordings and Description of ECG Rhythm Disturbances

Continuous ECG recording has been carried out for at least 24 h in 27 patients suffering from cluster headache. During the study a total of 84 attacks occurred in 25 of the 27 patients who took part. A computerized analysis of the heart rate changes accompanying attacks showed the following: (i) an increase in heart rate at the onset of attacks; the degree of this increase being dependent on the heart rate before attacks, (ii) a relative decrease in heart rate and increased variations in heart rate during attacks, (iii) a relative increase in heart rate at the end of attacks, and (iv) a relative decrease in heart rate after attacks. Five patients (18.5%) showed ECG rhythm disturbances: two frequent premature ventricular beats, one transient attacks of atrial fibrillation, one first degree atrio-ventricular block, and one patient sino-atrial block.
EXCITATION–CONTRACTION COUPLING FROM THE 1950s INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM

1 Excitation–contraction coupling is broadly defined as the process linking the action potential to contraction in striated muscle or, more narrowly, as the process coupling surface membrane depolarization to Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. 2 We now know that excitation–contraction coupling depends on a macromolecular protein complex or ‘calcium release unit’. The complex extends the extracellular space within the transverse tubule invaginations of the surface membrane, across the transverse tubule membrane into the cytoplasm and then across the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane and into the lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. 3 The central element of the macromolecular complex is the ryanodine receptor calcium release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. The ryanodine receptor has recruited a surface membrane L‐type calcium channel as a ‘voltage sensor’ to detect the action potential and the calcium‐binding protein calsequestrin to detect in the environment within the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Consequently, the calcium release channel is able to respond to surface depolarization in a manner that depends on the Ca2+ load within the calcium store. 4 The molecular components of the ‘calcium release unit’ are the same in skeletal and cardiac muscle. However, the mechanism of excitation–contraction coupling is different. The signal from the voltage sensor to ryanodine receptor is chemical in the heart, depending on an influx of external Ca2+ through the surface calcium channel. In contrast, conformational coupling links the voltage sensor and the ryanodine receptor in skeletal muscle. 5 Our current understanding of this amazingly efficient molecular signal transduction machine has evolved over the past 50 years. None of the proteins had been identified in the 1950s; indeed, there was debate about whether the molecules involved were, in fact, protein. Nevertheless, a multitude of questions about the molecular interactions and structures of the proteins and their interaction sites remain to be answered and provide a challenge for the next 50 years.
Disagreement in Parent and Primary Care Provider Reports of Mental Health Counseling

OBJECTIVES. The goals were to examine disagreement in primary care provider and parent reports of mental health counseling and to determine whether disagreement was associated with provider, parent, youth, and visit characteristics. METHODS. Directly after 749 visits to 54 pediatric primary care providers in 16 practices, the parents of youths 5 to 16 years of age and the providers independently reported whether mental health counseling was provided. The parent also reported child mental health symptoms, the reason for the visit, and his or her attitudes about receiving treatment for child mental health problems in primary care. The provider reported confidence in his or her mental health treatment skills, burden and beliefs associated with treating mental health problems, and the accessibility of mental health specialists. RESULTS. Providers reported delivering counseling during 31.9% of visits (n = 239), whereas parents reported receiving counseling during only 11.4% of visits (n = 86). Parents did not report receiving counseling during 74.8% of the visits in which the provider reported delivering counseling; this was more common when the parent was seeking help for a mental health problem, when the provider reported greater burden associated with treating mental health problems, and when the youth had more mental health symptoms or was of other race/Hispanic. Provider report of counseling in the absence of parent report of counseling was less common when the provider had greater access to mental health specialists. CONCLUSIONS. Parents often did not report that the counseling delivered in primary care was mental health treatment. Counseling that is not perceived as mental health treatment may fail to meet parent expectations for care or fail to help parents identify mental health problems.
A Restructuring Technique of Legacy Software Systems for Unit Testing

ABSTRACT The maintenance of legacy software systems is very important in the field of a software engineering. In the maintenance, a regression test confirms the behavior‐preserving of the software which has been changed but most of regression tests are done in a system level and rarely done in a unit test level because there is no test case. This paper proposes how to modify legacy software systems and make unit test cases as an asset. It uses a technique with a specific module of a real software development project and analyzes test coverage results. After this, if a study about automatic restructuring techniques and a test case generation proceeds continuously, we can expect the big advance of legacy software systems maintenance.Key Words:Legacy Software, Unit Test, Software Maintenance, Regression Test, Restructuring 1. 서 론 1) 20세기 중반 이후부터 최근까지 많은 소프트웨어들이 개발되었다. 이와 함께 개발된 소프트웨어를 유지하고 관리하는 방법도 중요한 문제로 대두되고 있다. 소프트웨어 유지보수[1]란 소프트웨어 시스템이 완성된 이후에 행해지는 모든 활동을 가리키며 소스코드에 변화가 생길 때에는 수행해야 할 기능적인 동작들이 올바르게 작동하는지(semantic-preserving)[2] 항시 확인할 수 있어야 한다. 이에 대한 방안으로 회귀 테스트[9]를 수행할 수 있을 것이다. 회귀 테스트는 두 가지 방법으로 접근할 수 있다. 첫째는 소프트웨어 시스템 레벨에서의 테스트이다. 두 번째는 소프트웨어 단위 모듈 레벨에서의 테스트이다. 본 논문에서는 후자의 경우에 대해서 연구를 진행하였다. 단위테스트[3]란 개발단계 중에 개발자 개개인이 직접 만든 모듈의 기능적인 동작을 확인하
Robust frequency offset estimation for OFDM systems in SFN channel

In this paper, we propose two robust frequency offset estimation methods for OFDM systems in single frequency network (SFN) with large delay spread. Conventional guard-interval-based (GIB) estimation method is very sensitive to intersymbol interference (ISI) caused by long and strong echoes of the SFN channel. In order to minimize ISI-dependent performance degradation, we first introduce a suboptimal minimum variance unbiased (MVU) estimation method based on best linear unbiased estimation (BLUE) principle, and then we modify it to reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results verify that the proposed methods improve the root mean square error (RMSE) performance without error floor due to ISI in contrast with the conventional method. Also, the reduced-complexity method can achieve suboptimal performance in typical multi-path channel as well as the SFN channel.
Call for change in prenatal counseling for Down syndrome

The American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A is to be congratulated for taking a leadership role by publishing a number of papers challenging the status quo of prenatal counseling for Down syndrome and of care for children and adults with Down syndrome. Parents want to know about the future abilities and potential of their fetus with Down syndrome, not simply negative medical information that may be outdated. Those providing counseling and those providing medical care could benefit from contact with individuals with Down syndrome outside the medical context. It is imperative that each person with Down syndrome be viewed as a unique individual with particular talents. Medical care providers should work with parents to help the child or adult with Down syndrome reach his/her goals. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stability of Glutathione in Induced Sputum: Impact of Freezing

Background: Oxidative stress has repeatedly been linked to the pathogenesis of pulmonary disorders like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Measuring glutathione (GSH) in induced sputum (IS) offers a noninvasive tool to study oxidative stress in airway diseases. Objectives: This study assessed the stability of GSH in sputum supernatant under varying conditions. Methods: GSH in IS of 14 (7 healthy, 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 3 allergic rhinitis) nonsmoking subjects was quantified spectrophotometrically. The stability of GSH in supernatant was analyzed over 24 h under different ambient conditions (room temperature and cooling at 4°C). Reproducibility of GSH measurements in immediately processed and frozen supernatant (+72 h) was expressed by intraclass correlation coefficient (Ri) and coefficient of repeatability (CR). Results: GSH recovery in supernatant decreased in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. Samples stored at 4°C and room temperature showed a rapid decline of stability after 2 h. Mean GSH concentrations in IS after freezing (–20°C) and thawing after 72 h were not significantly different from GSH values measured immediately after processing of the samples (immediate processing: 17.9 ± 13.9 µM; 72 h freezing: 16.4 ± 12.9 µM, p = 0.2). The reproducibility between immediately processed and frozen samples was excellent (Ri = 0.97; CR = 5.7 µM). Conclusions: Storage of sputum supernatant at room temperature or 4°C leads to a rapid decline of GSH recovery compared with baseline values. Immediate freezing of samples is a suitable and valid alternative to rapid processing and allows collection and shipment of samples for subsequent analysis.
Selective Depletion of Dopamine, Octopamine, and 5‐Hydroxytryptamine in the Nervous Tissue of the Cockroach (Periplaneta americana)

Abstract: High‐performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was used to measure the concentrations of 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine), 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), p‐hydroxyphenylethanolamine (octopamine), α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine, and tryptophan in the cerebral ganglia of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) after peripheral administration of α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine and α‐methyltryptophan. In addition, the levels of dopamine, 5‐HT, octopamine, α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine, and tryptophan were determined after injection of α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine, 6‐hydroxydopamine, or 5,7‐dihydroxytryptamine directly into the cerebral ganglia by means of microinjection needles. Peripheral administration of α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine (400–1,600 μg/insect) caused a reduction in dopamine and 5‐HT concentrations in cockroach cerebral ganglia, although the reduction in dopamine concentrations was more pronounced. Peripheral injections of α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine also reduced octopamine levels in the cerebral ganglia. Peripheral injection of α‐methyltryptophan (400–1,600 μg/insect) caused a marked reduction in 5‐HT and tryptophan concentrations in cockroach cerebral ganglia without altering dopamine or octopamine concentrations. Central injections of α‐methyl‐p‐tyrosine (80 μg/insect) reduced dopamine concentrations in the cerebral ganglia. However, neither 6‐hydroxydopamine (20 μg/insect) nor 5,7‐dihydroxytryptamine (20 μg/insect) caused reductions in amine levels when applied near or directly into the cerebral ganglia. The results suggest that specific lesions of aminergic neurons in insects by either 6‐hydroxydopamine or 5,7‐dihydroxytryptamine are impractical. The specific, long‐lasting depletion of 5‐HT by α‐methyltryptophan suggests that this chemical may be useful in elucidating the functions of 5‐HT in insects.
Trends in the Epidemiology of Pediatric Severe Sepsis*

Objectives: In the past decade, guidelines have been developed for the early detection and management of severe sepsis in children and neonates. However, severe sepsis continues to be a significant U.S. healthcare problem, accounting for over 720,000 annual hospitalizations. Large-scale epidemiologic studies of severe sepsis continue to be limited, particularly in children. We present data from 1995, 2000, and 2005 in seven U.S. states, examining how case mix, outcome, and resource use for pediatric severe sepsis have changed over time. Design: We constructed a database including all acute-care hospitalizations for children in the seven states. For each case, we extracted data on demographic characteristics; the principal diagnosis, up to six secondary diagnoses, and six procedures as classified by the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes; and in-hospital fatality. We identified patients with severe sepsis using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes for both infection and acute organ failure. Setting: Retrospective observational cohort dataset from seven U.S. states from 1995, 2000, and 2005. Subjects: Children in the U.S. 0–19 years old. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: In 2005, 17,542 children were hospitalized with severe sepsis in the seven states; there was an 81% increase in pediatric severe sepsis cases since 1995 and a 45% increase since 2000. This corresponded to an increase in prevalence from 0.56 to 0.89 cases per 1,000 pediatric population. Between 1995 and 2005, the prevalence of severe sepsis in newborns more than doubled, from 4.5 to 9.7 cases per 1,000 births. The most common infecting organisms in all 3 years were Staphylococcus species. From 1995 to 2005, the case-fatality rate decreased from 10.3% to 8.9%. Case fatality associated with Staphylococcus aureus increased, whereas fatality associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae decreased by 75%. Nationally, there were 75,255 pediatric hospitalizations in 2005 involving severe sepsis, with an associated cost of $4.8 billion. Conclusions: Between 1995 and 2005, the prevalence of severe sepsis in U.S. children steadily rose, due to a significant increase in the prevalence of severe sepsis in newborns.
Cell Discard and TDMA Synchronization Using FEC in Wireless ATM Systems

The asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) employs header-error control (HEC) to protect the ATM cell header from bit error and/or avoid the misforwarding of ATM cells. However, wireless ATM systems require a more powerful forward-error correction (FEC) scheme to offer acceptable bit-error rate (BER) performance. This paper proposes the utilization of FEC, which makes it possible to discard ATM cells more reliably. Time-division multiple-access (TDMA) is very suitable for wireless ATM systems. In the TDMA scheme, synchronization is very important. This paper also proposes to combine FEC with unique word (UW) detection for improving TDMA synchronization characteristics.