Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foot-and-mouth disease virus 2A protease mediates cleavage in attenuated Sabin 3 poliovirus vectors engineered for delivery of foreign antigens

Poliovirus vectors are being studied as potential vaccine delivery systems, with foreign genetic sequences incorporated as part of the viral genome. The foreign sequences are expressed as part of the viral polyprotein. Addition of proteolytic cleavage sites at the junction of the foreign polypeptide and the viral proteins results in cleavage during polyprotein processing. The ability of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) 2A to mediate proteolytic cleavage in the context of poliovirus vectors was studied. The results demonstrate that FMDV 2A is able to generate cleavage of the foreign antigen from the viral polyprotein. A second cleavage event between the FMDV 2A peptide and the foreign protein was also observed.
Regulation of p16CDKN2 expression and its implications for cell immortalization and senescence

p16CDKN2 specifically binds to and inhibits the cyclin-dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6, which function as regulators of cell cycle progression in G1 by contributing to the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRB). Human cell lines lacking functional pRB contain high levels of p16 RNA and protein, suggesting a negative feedback loop by which pRB might regulate p16 expression in late G1. By a combination of nuclear run-on assays and promoter analyses in human fibroblasts expressing a temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 T antigen, we show that p16 transcription is affected by the status of pRB and define a region in the p16 promoter that is required for this response. However, the effect is not sufficient to account for the differences in p16 RNA levels between pRB-positive and -negative cells. Moreover, p16 RNA is extremely stable, and the levels do not change appreciably during the cell cycle. Primary human fibroblasts express very low levels of p16, but the RNA and protein accumulate in late-passage, senescent cells. The apparent overexpression of p16 in pRB-negative cell lines is therefore caused by at least two factors: loss of repression by pRB and an increase in the number of population doublings.
Total Learning Architecture ( TLA ) Enables Next-generation Learning via Meta-adaptation

Technology is becoming ever more central to teaching and training. In classrooms, students use intelligent tutors and adaptive tests instead of textbooks and worksheets. In daily life, mobile devices enable blended, on-demand and ubiquitous life-long learning applications. Connected, pervasive media enables compelling transmedia learning (Raybourn, 2014) experiences. However, learning opportunities are still often implemented in “walled gardens” or stand-alone technology systems that must be manually curated and coordinated with all the others through costly, one-off efforts of developers or individual instructors. Next-generation learning refers to a vision for breaking down technical barriers between different learning technologies so that learners and instructors can transition seamlessly between them, increasing usability and impact on learning. The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative proposes an open-source set of specifications together called the Total Learning Architecture (TLA) to achieve this vision. TLA enables technologies to interoperate by sharing data about learners and content, mixing media and delivery methods as context changes, and sequencing recommendations (Regan, Raybourn, & Durlach, 2013). The initial reference implementation demonstrates multiple systems interacting via the TLA in an adaptive training use case for cyber operators. In the present paper, we describe recommendations for achieving new learning opportunities via meta-adaptation, or recommendations for more adaptive learning experiences that cross technical boundaries and connect systems, making each one more effective than it would be alone. Through system interoperability and meta-adaptation, the TLA facilitates an ecosystem of technologies that can work together to enhance their impact on learning.
Fuzzy Based Approach for Privacy Preserving in Data Mining

— Data privacy is the major issue in privacy preserving. It confirms that data of individual publish without disclosing sensitive data of that person. The most popular scheme, is k-anonymity, where data is transformed into equivalence classes, each class having a set of k-records that are indistinguishable from each other. But several authors have pointed out number of issues with k-anonymity and have proposed techniques to counter them or avoid them. The l-diversity and t-closeness are another technique for the same. We studied all possible technique with computational efforts, though they increase privacy, some techniques have too much of information loss, while achieving privacy. In this paper, we propose a novel, holistic approach to achieve maximum privacy with no information loss and minimum overheads. We address the data privacy problem using fuzzy inference system approach by using Gaussian membership transform function, a total paradigm shift and a new perspective of looking at privacy problem in privacy preserving data mining. Our approach is for both numerical and categorical attribute.
AMRITATCS-IITGUWAHATI combined system for the Speakers in the Wild (SITW) speaker recognition challenge

In this work, the details of AMRITA-TCS and IITGUWAHATI speaker recognition systems submitted to the Speakers in the Wild (SITW) speaker recognition challenge are presented. The AMRITA-TCS system is a fusion of i-vector with a backend probabilistic linear discriminant analysis (i-PLDA) system and a cosine distance features (CDF) with backend support vector machine classifier (CDF-SVM) system, developed using the short term cepstral features, mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and power normalized cepstral coefficients (PNCC), respectively. The IITGUWAHATI system is an i-PLDA system using MFCC with a vowel like region (VLR) based feature selection (i-PLDA-VLR). The experimental results reported in this work are based on the core-core condition of the challenge. Finally, a fusion of AMRITA-TCS and IITGUWAHATI speaker recognition systems is carried out that enhances the performance than each of the subsystems.
Effective implementation of edge detection algorithm on FPGA and beagle board

Image processing is a major aspect in transmission of data in compact fashion without loss of information. There are several algorithms defined for image compression, edge detection and noise reduction which form image transformation techniques. The proposed paper focuses on edge detection of given image using kernel matrix using sliding window algorithm. The interface system includes FPGA and beagle board which are connected through I2C.
Study of Etiological and Clinical Profile of Hepatosplenomegaly in Children between 1 Month and 15 Years of Age

Hepatosplenomegaly is the simultaneous enlargement of the liver (Hepatomegaly) and spleen (Splenomegaly). Hepatosplenomegaly is a common finding in infants and children with various etiological factors. It may be very easy to find the diagnosis or it may require extensive evaluation in order to distinguish benign, self limited disease process from serious life threatening conditions involving liver and spleen. The Present study was conducted to evaluate the possible etiology and clinical features of children presented with Hepatosplenomegaly. A total of 150 cases, from One Month to Fifteen years of age with Hepatosplenomegaly admitted in the Pediatric wards of Mamata General Hospital from January 2012 to October 2013 were included in this study. The incidence of Hepatosplenomegaly was 43.3% in age group of 6- 10 years, followed by 42% in age group of 0-5 years and 14.7% in age group of 11-15 years in the present study. Infectious diseases mainly Malaria which is very much prevalent in the surrounding rural agency areas of Khammam and Bhadrachalam is the common cause of hepatosplenomegaly in the present study followed by hematological, storage and congestive disorders.
A randomised controlled trial to evaluate the incremental effectiveness of a prophylactic dressing and fatty acids oil in the prevention of pressure injuries

Background: Pressure injuries lead to lower quality of life and incur substantial health care resources and costs. Pressure injury prevention is reported to be much cheaper than treatment of the condition itself. Aim: To evaluate the incremental effectiveness of silicone foam dressing and fatty acids oil spray, in addition to standard care, in preventing sacral pressure injuries among high-risk patients. Method: A randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted. Using simple random sampling, patients were allocated into one of the three groups: (1) Silicone foam dressing plus standard care; (2) fatty acids oil spray plus standard care; (3) standard care only. Results: Four hundred and sixty-one patients were recruited. Of these, 3.9% (n=5) developed pressure injuries in the silicone foam dressing group, 5.4% (n=7) developed pressure injuries in the fatty acids oil group and 5% (n=10) developed pressure injuries in the standard care group. The difference was not statistically significant. However, significant statistical differences were found between the silicone foam dressing and standard care group (p=0.04) and between the fatty acids oil and standard care group (p=0.048) for patients with Braden score delta 12. Conclusion: Additional preventive measures seem to be clinically beneficial in reducing sacral pressure injuries among very high-risk patients in the general ward acute care setting.
Clinical aqueous outflow.

IN RECENT years considerable knowledge has been added to our understanding of aqueous outflow. Although it had been known for many years that patients with chronic simple glaucoma had a decreased facility (increased resistance) of aqueous outflow,1it is through the recent efforts of Goldmann2and Grant3that these findings have been placed on a more quantitative basis. The facility of outflow is a coefficient representing the outflow in cubic millimeters per minute per millimeter of mercury pressure gradient. It is, therefore, a measure of the ease with which aqueous can leave the eye. Goldmann determined aqueous outflow and facility of outflow in the undisturbed eye by measuring the turnover rate of fluorescein in the anterior chamber (KF),4the volume of the anterior chamber (VA), and the difference between intraocular pressure (PO) and episcleral venous pressure (PV). Grant has calculated the facility
Fuzzy control with relaxed nonquadratic stability conditions for inverted pendulum robot system with multiplicative noise

This paper presents the relaxed nonquadratic stabilization conditions for designing fuzzy controller of inverted pendulum robot system via Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) stochastic fuzzy models. With the movable supportive base, the inverted pendulum robot system is applied to simulate human stance. Besides, the stochastic behavior of concerned system is also considered in this paper for investigating the real environment. As mentioned above, the T-S fuzzy model is used to simulate nonlinear inverted pendulum robot system. And, the multiplicative noise term is introduced in the consequent part of fuzzy system. In order to extend the application of this paper, the nonquadratic relaxed technique is employed to develop the stability conditions for finding the feasible solutions. Finally, simulation results are given to demonstrate the usefulness and applicability of the proposed fuzzy controller design approach.
Disruption of the β‐sheet structure of a protected pentapeptide, related to the β‐amyloid sequence 17–21, induced by a single, helicogenic Cα‐tetrasubstituted α‐amino acid

Fifteen years ago it was shown that an α‐aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residue is significantly more effective than an L‐Pro or a D‐amino acid residue in inducing β‐sheet disruption in short model peptides. As this secondary structure element is known to play a crucial role in the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease, it was decided to check the effect of Aib (and other selected, helix inducer, Cα‐tetrasubstituted α‐amino acids) on the β‐sheet conformation adopted by a protected pentapeptide related to the sequence 17–21 of the β‐amyloid peptide. By use of FT‐IR absorption and 1H NMR techniques it was found that the strong self‐association characterizing the pentapeptide molecules in weakly polar organic solvents is completely abolished by replacing a single residue with Aib or one of its congeners. Copyright © 2003 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Geometric hydrodynamics via Madelung transform

Significance Geometry has always played a fundamental role in theoretical physics via symmetries and conservation laws. We present a geometric framework revealing a closer link between hydrodynamics and quantum mechanics than previously recognized. Newton’s equations, generalized to infinite-dimensional spaces of fluid flow maps (diffeomorphisms), are used to develop a unified setting and uncover new connections between many equations of mathematical physics. These include equations of compressible fluids, motion of particles on spheres in quadratic potentials, and the Klein–Gordon and nonlinear Schrödinger equations, as well as their relation to information geometry and optimal mass transport. This work contributes toward a better understanding of geometric structures arising in hydrodynamics and quantum mechanics. We introduce a geometric framework to study Newton’s equations on infinite-dimensional configuration spaces of diffeomorphisms and smooth probability densities. It turns out that several important partial differential equations of hydrodynamical origin can be described in this framework in a natural way. In particular, the Madelung transform between the Schrödinger equation and Newton’s equations is a symplectomorphism of the corresponding phase spaces. Furthermore, the Madelung transform turns out to be a Kähler map when the space of densities is equipped with the Fisher–Rao information metric. We describe several dynamical applications of these results.
Cocaine‐Induced Behavioral Sensitization and Kindling: Implications for the Emergence of Psychopathology and Seizures

With the increasing recognition of the behavioral and physiological toxicities of the chronic use of cocaine in man, elucidation of potential anatomical, biochemical, and physiological substrates underlying these effects in animals is of considerable importance. In this manuscript, we focus on two interesting characteristics of repeated cocaine administration that of increased behavioral responsivity to the same low to moderate dose over time (behavioral sensitization) and increased electrophysiological and convulsive responsivity to repeated administration of the same high dose over time (pharmacological kindling). Investigations of the biochemical and anatomical basis of these effects in animals may enlarge our understanding of mechanisms involved in the progressive development of the psychiatric and physiologic toxicities (lethal convulsions) in human cocaine users. The phenomenon of behavioral sensitization is pertinent to this conference on mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine systems, since stimulant-induced hyperactivity is thought to be mediated in part through mesolimbic dopamine systems, particularly in the nucleus accumbens. ' In addition, the limbic system is implicated in the pharmacological kindling effect of local anesthetics such as lidocains2 as well as the mixed psychomotor stimulant-local anesthetic ~ o c a i n e . ~ ~ Additionally, a considerable body of data reviewed elsewhere suggests that mesolimbic and mesocortical substrates may be directly involved in the rewarding effects of psychomotor stimulants such as amphetamine and cocaine as assessed by either intravenous self-administration or paradigms involving direct intracerebral self-administration of drugs into these areas6. ' (see also Wise, this conference). Thus, limbic mechanisms may not only be involved in the behavioral sensitization and pharmacological kindling effects of cocaine in animals, but may also be relevant to related effects in man.
Progesterone primes zona pellucida‐induced activation of phospholipase A2 during acrosomal exocytosis in guinea pig spermatozoa

We investigated, using guinea‐pig spermatozoa as a model, whether phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is involved in progesterone or zona pellucida (ZP)‐stimulated acrosomal exocytosis, if progesterone enhances ZP‐induced activation of PLA2, and mechanisms underlying PLA2 regulation. Spermatozoa were capacitated and labeled in low Ca2+ medium with [14C]choline chloride or [14C]arachidonic acid, washed, and then exposed to millimolar Ca2+ and progesterone and/or ZP. Each agonist stimulated decrease of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and release of arachidonic acid and lysoPC, indicative of PLA2 activation. Aristolochic acid (a PLA2 inhibitor) abrogated lipid changes and exocytosis, indicating that these lipid changes are essential for exocytosis. Exposure of spermatozoa to submaximal concentrations of both progesterone and ZP resulted in a synergistic increase of arachidonic acid and lysoPC releases, and exocytosis, suggesting that, under natural conditions, both agonists interact to bring about acrosomal exocytosis. Progesterone‐induced PLA2 activation appears to be mediated by a GABAA‐like receptor, because bicuculline (a GABAA receptor antagonist) blocked arachidonic acid release and exocytosis. In agreement with this, GABA mimicked progesterone actions. ZP‐induced activation of PLA2 seemed to be transduced via Gi proteins because pertussis toxin blocked arachidonic acid release and acrosomal exocytosis. PLA2 may be regulated by PKC because progesterone‐ or ZP‐induced release of arachidonic acid was blocked by the PKC inhibitors staurosporine or chelerythrine chloride. PLA2 could also be regulated by the cAMP‐PKA pathway; inclusion of the PKA inhibitor 14–22 amide or H‐89 led to a reduction in arachidonic acid release or exocytosis after progesterone or ZP. Taken together, these results suggest that PLA2 plays an essential role in progesterone or ZP‐stimulated exocytosis with progesterone priming ZP action. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Minimal Effort Back Propagation for Convolutional Neural Networks

As traditional neural network consumes a significant amount of computing resources during back propagation, \citet{Sun2017mePropSB} propose a simple yet effective technique to alleviate this problem. In this technique, only a small subset of the full gradients are computed to update the model parameters. In this paper we extend this technique into the Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) to reduce calculation in back propagation, and the surprising results verify its validity in CNN: only 5\% of the gradients are passed back but the model still achieves the same effect as the traditional CNN, or even better. We also show that the top-$k$ selection of gradients leads to a sparse calculation in back propagation, which may bring significant computational benefits for high computational complexity of convolution operation in CNN.
Changes in body weight and intestinal absorption during infections with Eimeria acervulina in the chicken

Heavy infections of E. acervulina result in a depression in body weight of the host, but anorexia induced by the disease is not the only factor responsible for this, since normal birds starved to the same extent did not lose as much weight. It was shown that the absorption of l-histidine and glucose from the infected part of the small intestine was depressed and may be a contributory factor to this weight loss; restricted feed intake alone tended to increase, rather than decrease, absorption.
Molecular Typing of Mycobacterium bovis Strains Isolated in Italy from 2000 to 2006 and Evaluation of Variable-Number Tandem Repeats for Geographically Optimized Genotyping

Spoligotyping and exact tandem repeat (ETR) analysis of Mycobacterium bovis and M. caprae isolated strains has been routinely carried out in Italy since 2000 to obtain a database of genetic profiles and support traditional epidemiological investigations. In this study, we characterized 1,503 M. bovis and 57 M. caprae isolates obtained from 2000 to 2006 in 747 cattle herds mainly located in northern Italy. We identified 81 spoligotypes and 113 ETR profiles, while the combination of spoligotyping/ETR analysis differentiated 228 genotypes, with genotypic diversity indices of 0.70 (spoligotyping), 0.94 (ETR-A to -E typing), and 0.97 (spoligotyping/ETR-A to -E typing), respectively. Despite the high degree of resolution obtained, the spoligotyping/ETR methods were not discriminative enough in the case of genotypes characterized by the combination of SB0120, the predominant spoligotype in Italy, with the most common ETR profiles. To obtain a more informative subset of typing loci, 24 mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) markers were evaluated by analyzing a panel of 100 epidemiologically unrelated SB0120 isolates. The panel was differentiated into 89 profiles with an overall genotypic diversity of 0.987 that could be also achieved by using a minimal group of 13 loci: ETR-A, -B, and -E; MIRU 26 and 40; and VNTR 2163a, 2163b, 3155, 1612, 4052, 1895, 3232, and 3336. The allelic diversity index and the stability of single loci was evaluated to provide the most discriminative genotyping method for locally prevalent strains.
What hemodynamic and perfusion variables are we monitoring in post-cardiac arrest patients…and why?.

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