Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrical and mechanical characterization of high-density polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate/organoclay nanocomposite

A ternary dielectric is made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and organoclay (OC) nanocomposites, through mixing granuls of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). The morphological properties of nanocomposites are examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which intercalate/exfoliate morphology of clay particles. It is shown that the electrical and mechanical properties of HDPE/EVA binary blend will be enhanced significantly when OC was treated with EVA compound. The insulation material which is developed in this work can be employed to insulate the adjacent core steel sheets of a high voltage transformer.
Information Aggregation for Stock Return Predictability

The literature on stock return predictability has identified macroeconomic and technical predictors that when combined, leads to out-of-sample outperformance relative to the historical mean null. This paper investigates a new method for aggregating information beyond using forecast combination or principal components. By sequentially layering groups of information, the predictive performance of this new approach outperforms that of prior methods. Applying layering to volatility forecasting yields more mixed results. In all, a mean-variance investor investing in monthly stock returns gains from this new method as much as 4.5% per year.
Clinical comparison of isolator and thiol broth with ESP aerobic and anaerobic bottles for recovery of pathogens from blood

The recovery of pathogens and the speed of their detection were determined for our conventional blood culture system (an Isolator [Wampole] and a 100-ml Thiol bottle [Difco]) compared with automated ESP aerobic and anaerobic bottles (80 ml each; Difco). Each of the four culture devices was inoculated with approximately 10 ml of blood from symptomatic patients weighing more than 80 lb (ca. 36 kg). From 7,070 sets of cultures for 2,841 patients, 607 clinically significant isolates were recovered: 456 (75.1%) from the Isolator, 353 (58.2%) from Thiol, 377 (62.1%) from ESP aerobic bottles, and 346 (57.0%) from ESP anaerobic bottles. Of the 607 isolates, 149 (24.5%) were detected only with the conventional system (Isolator and/or Thiol), and 65 (10.7%) were detected only with the ESP two-bottle system (P < 0.001). Our conventional system allowed for detection of significantly more isolates of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.001), Staphylococcus aureus (P < 0.01), Staphylococcus spp. (coagulase-negative) (P < 0.01), and Enterococcus spp. (P < 0.05), and ESP facilitated detection of significantly more isolates of S. pneumoniae (P < 0.01). When all four devices in a culture set were positive for the same isolate, no microbial species or group was detected significantly earlier ( > or = 24 h) by either blood culture system. The Isolator contamination rate (4.8%) was > or = 6 times the rate for any of the bottles. Of pathogens detected by the Isolator, 50% were recovered in counts of < or = 1.0 CFU/ml and 18% were recovered only as a single colony. The ESP system offered an automated, less labor-intensive blood culture system for which routine subcultures were not required, but the important considerations of culturing large volumes of blood and of obtaining at least two sets from each patient in our population were reemphasized.
The Mayak Worker Dosimetry System (Mwds-2013): Plutonium Dissolution in The Lungs—An Analysis of Mayak Workers

Lung doses resulting from inhalation of plutonium aerosols are highly dependent on the assumed rate of particle clearance, which occurs by two competing processes: (1) particle transport clearance to the alimentary tract and to the thoracic lymph nodes and (2) clearance to systemic tissues, which occurs by dissolution of particles in lung fluid followed by uptake to blood, which is a process collectively known as absorption. Unbiased and accurate estimates of the values of lung absorption parameters are required to obtain reliable estimates of lung dose, particularly those inferred from urine bioassay. Parameter values governing the rate of absorption are best estimated from data, such as autopsy measurements of plutonium in the lungs and systemic tissues, which directly relate to the exposed workers of interest. However, because the mathematical models that determine clearance from the lungs and systemic tissues are complex and consist of many parameters, estimates of model parameter values are subject to significant uncertainties. With this in mind, this paper uses a Bayesian approach to estimate one of the most important dissolution parameters: the slow rate of dissolution. This is estimated for both plutonium nitrate and plutonium oxide bearing aerosols in the lungs of former workers of the Mayak Production Association. A value of 2.6 × 10-4 d-1 is estimated for plutonium nitrates, and 4.7 × 10-5 d-1 for plutonium oxides.
Molecular Determinants of the Interaction of Mad with the PAH2 Domain of mSin3*

The Sin3 co-repressor acts as a protein scaffold to recruit transcription factors via its four highly homologous paired amphipathic helix (PAH) domains. PAH2 has been shown to interact strongly with the Sin3 interacting domain (SID) of the tumor suppressor Mad. This PAH2/Mad complex has been studied extensively by NMR, but the molecular determinants that dictate the specificity of interaction remain to be elucidated. To uncover residues that convey the specificity of interaction between PAH2 and Mad, PAH2 residues contacted by the Mad-SID were introduced into the PAH1 domain of mSin3b and tested for gain-of-interaction in vivo in a yeast two-hybrid setting and further confirmed in a cell-free system. This approach led to the identification of PAH2-Phe-7 as a critical residue. Stabilization of the interaction between PAH1-Phe-7 and the Mad-SID was achieved by introducing Val-14 and Gln-39 into PAH1. Substitution of PAH2 residues contacted by the Mad-SID with their respective residues in PAH1 corroborated and extended the critical role of Phe-7 and the stabilizing role of Val-14 and Gln-39. We conclude that Phe-7 is the critical determinant and provides the molecular specificity for the association between Sin3 and Mad in regulating cell growth and differentiation.
Constitutively activated FLT3 phosphorylates BAD partially through Pim‐1

Constitutively activating internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 (Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3) play an important role in leukaemogenesis and their presence is associated with a poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Examining the anti‐ and pro‐apoptotic proteins in constitutively activated FLT3 signalling in BaF3/ITD and MV4‐11 cells, we found that the level of Bcl‐2 antagonist of cell death (BAD) phosphorylation was greatly decreased in response to FLT3 inhibition. Both Ser‐112 and Ser‐136 of BAD are rapidly dephosphorylated after treatment with the FLT3 inhibitor CEP‐701 in BaF3/ITD and MV4‐11 cells. In confirmation of the cell line data, BAD was highly phosphorylated in both constitutively activated wild‐type and mutant FLT3 primary AML samples, and rapidly dephosphorylated after treatment of the primary samples with CEP‐701. Upstream proteins known to phosphorylate BAD include Akt, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (Erk/MAPK), Pim‐1 and Pim‐2. We and other groups have shown that constitutively activated FLT3 induces multiple signalling pathways, including phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt, Erk/MAPK and Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (Jak/STAT). Thus, BAD may be a nexus point upon which these multiple signalling pathways converge in FLT3‐mediated cell survival. In support of this, siRNA knockdown of BAD expression in MV4‐11 cells conferred resistance to CEP‐701‐mediated apoptosis. Our data suggests that Pim‐1 is one of the principal kinases mediating the anti‐apoptotic function of FLT3/ITD signalling via the phosphorylation of BAD.
Meat quality of broiler breast fillets with white striping and woody breast muscle myopathies.

The global poultry industry has been faced with emerging broiler breast meat quality issues including conditions known as white striping (WS, white striations parallel to muscle fibers) and woody breast (WB, hardness of raw fillet). Experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of WS and WB hardness on meat quality traits in broiler breast fillets. In Exp. 1, birds were processed at approximately 9 wk of age and deboned at 4 h postmortem (PM); in Exp. 2, birds were processed at approximately 6 and 9 wk of age and deboned at 2 h PM. Fillets were categorized as: normal for both white striping and woody breast (NORM); moderate for white striping and mild for woody breast (MILD); severe for white striping and mild for woody breast (WS); severe for woody breast and moderate for white striping (WB); or severe for both white striping and woody breast (BOTH). Sarcomere length, gravimetric fragmentation index, marination uptake, cook loss, and Meullenet-Owens razor shear energy (MORSE) values on non-marinated and marinated fillets were assessed. Sarcomeres tended to be longer (P = 0.07) with increasing severity of WS and WB in both experiments and gravimetric fragmentation index did not differ (P > 0.05) among categories. Marinade uptake decreased (P < 0.05) with increasing severity of WS and WB. Cook losses of non-marinated and marinated fillets were greatest (P < 0.05) in the BOTH category. Even though MORSE values did not differ (P > 0.05) in non-marinated fillets, the marinated BOTH fillets had greater MORSE values (P < 0.05) than other categories of fillets in Exp. 1. Non-marinated NORM fillets had greater (P < 0.05) MORSE values than the other categories at 6 wk age; however, MORSE values did not differ (P > 0.05) among categories of marinated breasts. At 9 wk, WS and BOTH were higher (P < 0.05) in MORSE compared to NORM for non-marinated fillets, but similar to NORM marinated fillets. Results suggest that severe degrees of white striping and woody breast, individually or in combination, negatively impact meat quality, especially water holding capacity attributes such as marinade uptake and cook loss.
Personality change disorder in children and adolescents following traumatic brain injury

The occurrence of personality change due to traumatic brain injury (PC), and its clinical and neuroimaging correlates were investigated. Ninety-four children, ages 5 through 14 at the time of hospitalization following traumatic brain injury (TBI; severe TBI N = 37; mild–moderate TBI N = 57), were assessed. Standardized psychiatric, adaptive functioning, cognitive functioning, family functioning, family psychiatric history, severity of injury, and neuroimaging assessments were conducted. The Neuropsychiatric Rating Schedule (NPRS) was used to establish a diagnosis of PC. Approximately 40% of consecutively hospitalized severe TBI participants had ongoing persistent PC an average of 2 years postinjury. An additional approximately 20% had a history of a remitted and more transient PC. PC occurred in 5% of mild–moderate TBI but was always transient. Interrater reliability for the diagnosis of PC was good (Kappa = .70). In severe TBI participants, persistent PC was significantly associated with severity of injury, particularly impaired consciousness over 100 hr, adaptive and intellectual functioning decrements, and concurrent diagnosis of secondary attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but was not significantly related to any psychosocial adversity variables. These findings suggest that PC is a frequent diagnosis following severe TBI in children and adolescents, but is much less common following mild–moderate TBI. (JINS, 2000, 6, 279–289.)
FINANCIAL DEREGULATION AND DEMAND FOR MONEY IN INDONESIA

A stable money demand plays important role to conduct monetary policy as it enables a policy-driven change monetary aggregates to have predictable influences on output, interest rate and price. However, financial deregulation and financial innovation lead to break relationship between money demand, income and interest rate. This paper examines the factors underlying financial deregulation and investigates the implications of such deregulation to money demand stability in Indonesia. The findings show that the relationship between money demand and income is still stable, even though the relationship tends to be lessened. Money demand instability resulted from financial deregulation was transitory and did not have permanent effect.
Everolimus in postmenopausal hormone-receptor-positive advanced breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer is associated with activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) intracellular signaling pathway. In early studies, the mTOR inhibitor everolimus added to endocrine therapy showed antitumor activity. METHODS In this phase 3, randomized trial, we compared everolimus and exemestane versus exemestane and placebo (randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio) in 724 patients with hormone-receptor-positive advanced breast cancer who had recurrence or progression while receiving previous therapy with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor in the adjuvant setting or to treat advanced disease (or both). The primary end point was progression-free survival. Secondary end points included survival, response rate, and safety. A preplanned interim analysis was performed by an independent data and safety monitoring committee after 359 progression-free survival events were observed. RESULTS Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the two study groups. The median age was 62 years, 56% had visceral involvement, and 84% had hormone-sensitive disease. Previous therapy included letrozole or anastrozole (100%), tamoxifen (48%), fulvestrant (16%), and chemotherapy (68%). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were stomatitis (8% in the everolimus-plus-exemestane group vs. 1% in the placebo-plus-exemestane group), anemia (6% vs. <1%), dyspnea (4% vs. 1%), hyperglycemia (4% vs. <1%), fatigue (4% vs. 1%), and pneumonitis (3% vs. 0%). At the interim analysis, median progression-free survival was 6.9 months with everolimus plus exemestane and 2.8 months with placebo plus exemestane, according to assessments by local investigators (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35 to 0.54; P<0.001). Median progression-free survival was 10.6 months and 4.1 months, respectively, according to central assessment (hazard ratio, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.47; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Everolimus combined with an aromatase inhibitor improved progression-free survival in patients with hormone-receptor-positive advanced breast cancer previously treated with nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors. (Funded by Novartis; BOLERO-2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00863655.).
Efficient scalable hardware architecture for highly performant encoded neural networks

Different neural network models have been proposed to design efficient associative memories like Hopfield networks, Boltzmann machines or Cogent confabulation. Compared to the classical models, Encoded Neural Network (ENN) is a recently introduced formalism with a proven higher efficiency. This model has been improved through different contributions like Clone-based ENN (CbNNs) or Sparse ENNs (S-ENNs) which enhance either the capacity of the original ENN or its retrieving performances. However, only very few works explored its hardware implementation for embedded applications. In this paper, we introduce a clone-based sparse neural network model (SC-ENN), that gathers the enhancements of the existing approaches in a single formal model. In addition, we present a dedicated scalable hardware architecture to implement SC-ENN. This work leads to significant complexity and area reduction without affecting neither memorizing nor retrieving performances. By only handling the most relevant information provided by the model, our proposed approach is far less expensive compared to state of the art solutions.
Linking genotypes to phenotypes and fitness: how mechanistic biology can inform molecular ecology

The accessibility of new genomic resources, high‐throughput molecular technologies and analytical approaches such as genome scans have made finding genes contributing to fitness variation in natural populations an increasingly feasible task. Once candidate genes are identified, we argue that it is necessary to take a mechanistic approach and work up through the levels of biological organization to fully understand the impacts of genetic variation at these candidate genes. We demonstrate how this approach provides testable hypotheses about the causal links among levels of biological organization, and assists in designing relevant experiments to test the effects of genetic variation on phenotype, whole‐organism performance capabilities and fitness. We review some of the research programs that have incorporated mechanistic approaches when examining naturally occurring genetic and phenotypic variation and use these examples to highlight the value of developing a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between genotype and fitness. We give suggestions to guide future research aimed at uncovering and understanding the genetic basis of adaptation and argue that further integration of mechanistic approaches will help molecular ecologists better understand the evolution of natural populations.
Does cohesin regulate developmental gene expression in Drosophila?

Cohesin is a conserved protein complex with a well documented role in providing stable but reversible connections between sister chromatids during both mitosis and meiosis. Cohesin consists of two long coiled-coil proteins (SMC1 and SMC3) and two non-SMC subunits (SCC1/Rad21 and SCC3/SA) that combine to form a ring-like structure. Establishment, maintenance, and timely removal of cohesin-mediated cohesion is critical to ensure regular chromosome segregation (1–3). However, recent findings indicate that in higher eukaryotes chromosome segregation may not be the only major function of cohesin. Several studies have shown an effect of reduction in dose or expression of genes encoding cohesin subunits and of the cohesin loading factor Nipped-B/SCC2 on expression of the cut locus in Drosophila (4–6). Two articles published earlier this year demonstrated that cohesin mutations in Drosophila disrupt axon pruning at a postmitotic stage in development of the Drosophila nervous system by inhibiting expression of the Ecdysone-Receptor (EcR) gene (7, 8). In this issue of PNAS, Hallson et al. (9) suggest a considerably broader role of cohesin in gene regulation in Drosophila. Their findings indicate that mutations in the gene encoding the Rad21 cohesin subunit interact with mutations in hedgehog (hh), a signal-transduction gene with multiple developmental roles (10), and in Polycomb (Pc), which encodes a component of a chromatin complex responsible for silencing expression of multiple homeotic genes during development. These phenotypes are characteristic of mutations in trithorax-group (trxG) genes, which encode a diverse group of chromatin proteins required to counteract Polycomb group (PcG)-mediated silencing and maintain appropriate expression of several genes important for proper identity of Drosophila segments and other developmental processes (11–13). Thus, the findings of Hallson et al. (9) suggest that cohesin may play a fundamental role in developmental gene regulation in addition to its established role in chromosome segregation.
Morphological and Pathogenic Variability in French Bean Isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Studies conducted on morphological and pathogenic variability among 30 isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib) de Bary, derived from infected French bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) plants showing typical symptoms of white mold, collected from different geographical locations of NE India. All the isolates showed variation in morphological characters based on their mycelial growth, colony character and sclerotial formations when grown on PDA. Out of 30 isolates, 14 isolates showed highly virulent reaction, each 8 isolate revealed moderately and less virulent reaction respectively on French bean under pot condition.
Intermediate frequency magnetic fields generated by an induction heating (IH) cooktop do not affect genotoxicities and expression of heat shock proteins

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of intermediate frequency (IF) fields generated by induction heating (IH) cooktops from the perspective of cellular genotoxicity and stress responses. Materials and methods: We evaluated the effects of exposure to 23 kHz magnetic fields at 6.05 mTrms for 2 h on cellular genotoxicity and stress responses in vitro. The maximum output power in most IH cooktops is at this frequency. The magnetic flux density is approximately 1000 times higher than the reference level in the International Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. For assessment of genotoxicity, we studied cell growth, comet assay, micronucleus formation and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene mutation. Heat shock protein (Hsp) 27, 70, 105 and phosphorylated Hsp27 were evaluated as indicators of the stress responses. Results: We did not detect any effects of the IF magnetic fields on cell growth, comet assay, micronucleus formation, HPRT gene mutation, expression of phosphorylated Hsp27, or nuclear translocation of Hsp27, 70 or 105. Conclusions: Our results indicate that exposure to an IF magnetic field at 6.05 mTrms for 2 h does not cause detectable cellular genotoxicity, and does not induce detectable cellular stress.
Prehospital Sepsis Project (PSP): Knowledge and Attitudes of United States Advanced Out-of-Hospital Care Providers

Abstract Introduction Severe sepsis and septic shock are common and often fatal medical problems. The Prehospital Sepsis Project is a multifaceted study that aims to improve the out-of-hospital care of patients with sepsis by means of education and enhancement of skills. The objective of this Project was to assess the knowledge and attitudes in the principles of diagnosis and management of sepsis in a cohort of United States out-of-hospital care providers. Methods This was cross-sectional study. A 15-item survey was administered via the Web and e-mailed to multiple emergency medical services list-servers. The evaluation consisted of four clinical scenarios as well as questions on the basics of sepsis. For intra-rater reliability, the first and the fourth scenarios were identical. Chi-square and Fisher's Exact testing were used to assess associations. Relative risk (RR) was used for strength of association. Statistical significance was set at . 05. Results A total of 226 advanced EMS providers participated with a 85.4% (n = 193) completion rate, consisting of a 30.7% rural, 32.3% urban, and 37.0% suburban mix; 82.4% were paramedics and 72.5% had worked in EMS >10 years. Only 57 (29.5%) participants scored both of the duplicate scenarios correctly, and only 19 of the 193 (9.8%) responded to all scenarios correctly. Level of training was not a predictor of correctly scoring scenarios (P = .71, RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.39-4.01), nor was years of service (P = .11, RR = 1.64, 95% CI = 0.16-1.21). Conclusions Poor understanding of the principles of diagnosis and management of sepsis was observed in this cohort, suggesting the need for enhancement of education. Survey items will be used to develop a focused, interactive Web-based learning program. Limitations include potential for self-selection and data accuracy. Báez AA, Hanudel P, Perez MT, Giraldez EM, Wilcox SR. Prehospital sepsis project (PSP): knowledge and attitudes of United States advanced out-of-hospital care providers. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(2):1-3.