Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Amino Acid Substitutions with Compensational Effects in the Attachment Protein of Canine Distemper Virus

ABSTRACT The hemagglutinin (H) gene of canine distemper virus (CDV) encodes the receptor-binding protein. This protein, together with the fusion (F) protein, is pivotal for infectivity since it contributes to the fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane. Of the two receptors currently known for CDV (nectin-4 and the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule [SLAM]), SLAM is considered the most relevant for host susceptibility. To investigate how evolution might have impacted the host-CDV interaction, we examined the functional properties of a series of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) naturally accumulating within the H-gene sequences during the transition between two distinct but related strains. The two strains, a wild-type strain and a consensus strain, were part of a single continental outbreak in European wildlife and occurred in distinct geographical areas 2 years apart. The deduced amino acid sequence of the two H genes differed at 5 residues. A panel of mutants carrying all the combinations of the SNPs was obtained by site-directed mutagenesis. The selected mutant, wild type, and consensus H proteins were functionally evaluated according to their surface expression, SLAM binding, fusion protein interaction, and cell fusion efficiencies. The results highlight that the most detrimental functional effects are associated with specific sets of SNPs. Strikingly, an efficient compensational system driven by additional SNPs appears to come into play, virtually neutralizing the negative functional effects. This system seems to contribute to the maintenance of the tightly regulated function of the H-gene-encoded attachment protein. IMPORTANCE To investigate how evolution might have impacted the host-canine distemper virus (CDV) interaction, we examined the functional properties of naturally occurring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the hemagglutinin gene of two related but distinct strains of CDV. The hemagglutinin gene encodes the attachment protein, which is pivotal for infection. Our results show that few SNPs have a relevant detrimental impact and they generally appear in specific combinations (molecular signatures). These drastic negative changes are neutralized by compensatory mutations, which contribute to maintenance of an overall constant bioactivity of the attachment protein. This compensational mechanism might reflect the reaction of the CDV machinery to the changes occurring in the virus following antigenic variations critical for virulence.
Urgency of caesarean section, grading, alarm chain and intrauterine resuscitation – a survey of Scandinavian practice

About 40,000 women have caesarean section in Scandinavia each year. Organizational factors for emergency caesarean section (CS), classification, anaesthetic practice, alarm chain, intrauterine resuscitation has all been investigated in the United Kingdom, but no information from the Scandinavian countries exists.
A Fine Structure Stimulation Strategy and Related Concepts

The auditory system provides a natural frequency-to-place mapping which is designated as tonotopic organisation of the cochlea. In the normal-hearing system, the acoustic signal causes a fluid pressure wave which propagates into the cochlea. At particular positions within the cochlea, most of the energy of the wave is absorbed causing mechanical oscillations of the basilar membrane. The oscillations are transduced into electrical signals (action potentials) in neurons by the action of the inner hair cells. Waves caused by low input frequencies travel further into the cochlea than those caused by high frequencies. Thus, each position of the basilar membrane can be associated with a particular frequency of the input signal (Greenwood, 1990). This natural form of frequency-to-place mapping, together with the fact that the positioning and fixation of an intrascalar electrode array is comparatively simple, is likely one of the most important factors for the success of cochlear implants as compared to other sensory neural prostheses.
Smart beamforming based wireless backhaul for cost-effective small cells

An advanced wireless backhaul system based on smart beamforming (BF) is proposed. The proposed system consists of commercial Wi-Fi chipset, smart antennas based on phased array, and field programmable gate array (FPGA). The optimal BF direction is found by using optimal path-finding algorithm on the top of FPGA to control smart antennas, where optimal path-finding algorithm is a kind of direction of arrival (DoA) estimation algorithm. Auto alignment by smart BF brings the time reduction of initial installation and stable QoS in non line-of-sight (NLOS) environments. Also, the devices don't need any special tool of alignment at the installation. In addition, SWB supports point to multi-point (P2MP) topology thanks to multi-user scheduler. Field test results demonstrate that SWB not only is enough solution to provide IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi services but also is robust solution in heavy traffic environments.
An unified method for estimating the parameters of non-isolated DC/DC converters using continuous time models

In this paper, a novel online technique used for estimating the parameters of non-isolated buck, boost and buck-boost DC/DC converters is presented. Continuous time models of each converter are used in the estimation procedure, where the derivative calculation problem of needed signals is solved by polynomial interpolation. Least mean squares algorithm is then applied together with other calculations. The knowledge of these parameters may be used in the fault diagnosis of such converters. Results obtained from simulations are presented, followed by experimental results in which the inductance, capacitance, load resistor and ESR of the capacitor are estimated, in order to validate the proposed technique.
Elective single day 3 embryo transfer halves the twinning rate without decrease in the ongoing pregnancy rate of an IVF/ICSI programme.

BACKGROUND Data on the effect of elective single embryo transfer (eSET) on the total and multiple pregnancy rates of an IVF/ICSI programme are reported. METHODS AND RESULTS A retrospective cohort analysis of eSET was carried out over a 4 year period. A total of 1559 cycles resulted in 1464 transfers; 299 transfers of one top quality embryo (20.4%) and 86 of one non-top quality embryo (5.9%) yielded 149 conceptions (49.8%) with 105 ongoing pregnancies (35.1%) and 26 conceptions (30.2%) with 19 ongoing implantations (22.1%) respectively; 1079 transfers of two (n = 853; 58.3%) or more than two (n = 226; 15.4%) embryos yielded 366 ongoing pregnancies (33.9%). The ongoing pregnancy rates for the years between 1998 and 2001 were 35.9, 27.9, 31.9 and 31.0% per oocyte retrieval and 38.5, 29.4, 34.1 and 33.2% per transfer. There were no differences in pregnancy rates between any of the years. The average ongoing pregnancy rate (>12 weeks) over the 4 years was 31.5% per started cycle and 33.5% per transfer; the average number of embryos transferred decreased from 2.26 (1998) to 1.79 (2001); the multiple pregnancy and twinning rates dropped from 33.6 and 29.5% (1998) to 18.6 and 16.3% (2001) respectively. CONCLUSIONS Judicious application of eSET can halve the twinning rate while maintaining the overall pregnancy rate.
Proceso del desarrollo Exportador de las Empresas Industriales Españolas que Participan en un Consorcio de Exportación: Un Estudio de Caso

El proceso de internacionalizacion ha dejado de ser visto como una aventura individual por parte de las empresas, porque cada vez se convierten en parte de una red de acuerdos que trascienden fronteras. Por lo tanto, el camino directo a la proyeccion internacional ha sido reemplazado por nuevos metodos de cooperacion; de tal forma que, la eleccion de los socios, y el ambito de los acuerdos y formulas contractuales se ha convertido en aspectos claves en la estrategia internacional de las empresas. En este ambito, han surgido los denominados consorcios de exportacion los cuales se vienen desarrollando en Espana durante las ultimas decadas a traves de los programas de promocion para la creacion de consorcios de exportacion, a traves del Instituto Espanol de Comercio Exterior (ICEX) y el Consorcio de Promocion Comercial de Cataluna (COPCA). Sin embargo, son pocos los consorcios existentes en Espana y muchos de los que se intentan, no llegan a constituirse. Por otra parte, son pocos los estudios existentes en este area, por lo que se detecta un vacio en el cuerpo de la literatura existente sobre la internacionalizacion de las empresas. Razon por la cual, la presente investigacion esta dirigida al analisis de las fases del proceso del desarrollo de internacionalizacion de algunas empresas industriales espanolas que participan en un prototipo real de consorcio de exportacion, y a la identificacion de los factores que influyen en la eleccion del mismo como una via alternativa para penetrar en los mercados extranjeros, por parte de las empresas.
Criteria document for evaluating the work-relatedness of upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders.

Key terms: carpal tunnel syndrome; case definition; criteria document; cupital tunnel syndrome; De Quervain's disease; definition; elbow; evaluation; flexor-extensor peritendinitis; forearm; forearm-wrist region; guyon canal syndrome; hand; hand-arm vibration; lateral epicondylitis; medial epicondylitis; MSD; musculoskeletal disorder; neck; nonspecific upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorder; osteoarthrosis; peripheral neuropathy; radial nerve compression; radial tunnel syndrome; radiating neck complaint; raynaud's phenomenon; rotator cuff syndrome; shoulder; temporal criterion; tenosynovitis; ulnar nerve compression; upper back; upper extremity; upper-extremity joint; work-related musculoskeletal disorder; work-related upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorder; work-relatedness; wrist
Molecular Genetics of Human Obesity‐Associated MC4R Mutations

Abstract: Heterozygous coding mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) are implicated in 1 to 6% of early onset or severe adult obesity cases. To better address the problem of the genotype:phenotype relationship within this specific form of obesity, we systematically studied the functional characteristics of 50 different obesity‐associated MC4R mutations. Structure modeling of MC4R indicates that obesity‐associated MC4R mutations are not localized in a single domain of the protein. We developed a flow cytometry‐based assay to compare cell membrane expression of obesity‐associated MC4R mutants. Using this assay, we demonstrate that over 54% of the obesity‐associated MC4R mutations impair the membrane expression of MC4R. All other mutations impair the basal constitutive activity and/or the EC50 for the physiological agonist α‐MSH as measured in a cAMP‐ dependent luciferase assay. The extent of the alterations in receptor activity ranges from a total suppression of MC4R activation in response to α‐MSH to a mild alteration of the basal constitutive activity of the receptor. Since most patients are heterozygous for MC4R mutations, these data indicate that a small decrease in overall MC4R activity can cause obesity, strongly supporting the hypothesis that the MC4R is a critical component of the adipostat in humans.
Alternative Metrics for Book Impact Assessment: Can Choice Reviews be a Useful Source?

This article assesses whether academic reviews in Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries could be systematically used for indicators of scholarly impact, uptake or educational value for scholarly books. Based on 451 Choice book reviews from 2011 across the humanities, social sciences and science, there were significant but low correlations between Choice ratings and citation and non-citation impact metrics. The highest correlations found were with Google Books citations (.350) in science and with WorldCat library holdings counts in the humanities (.304). Books recommended by Choice reviewers for undergraduates were mentioned more often in online course syllabi than were other recommended books. Similarly, books recommended for researchers, faculty members and professionals or graduates tended to receive more Google Books citations than did books recommended for undergraduates. In conclusion, metrics derived from Choice academic book reviews can be used as indicators of different aspects of the value of books but more evidence is needed before they could be used as proxies for peer judgements about individual books. Conference Topic Webometrics; Altmetrics
On the linear and nonlinear observability analysis of the SLAM problem

Research in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) has been progressing for almost two decades. Although several researchers attempted recently to investigate its observability (mostly without proofs for the general cases) the established facts have often been left unnoticed or ignored by the research community. In this paper rigorous proofs have been provided as an enlightenment for the observability properties of the general two dimensional SLAM problem incorporating a car like kinematic model in the context of piece-wise constant systems theory and non-linear Lie derivative theory. Observable and Unobservable states of the general n landmark SLAM problem have been established with proofs. A comparison of linear and non-linear techniques to evaluate the observability of SLAM is provided using simulations.
Cancer incidence and mortality in France over the period 1978-2000.

BACKGROUND Monitoring cancer incidence and mortality time trends is essential for cancer research and health-care planning. French cancer registries do not cover the entire population and do not provide a representative sample of the national population. Our study aimed at estimating national cancer incidence and mortality trends over the longest period available. METHODS Incidence and mortality data were collected over the period 1978-1997. Twenty-seven cancer sites were selected and age, sex and site specific incidence and mortality rates were estimated for each year from 1978 up to 2000. Observed incidence and mortality data in the population covered by cancer registries were modelled using age-cohort methods. An estimation of the incidence/mortality ratio was obtained from these models and applied to the mortality rates predicted from an age-cohort model for the entire French population. The person-years of observation were calculated cohort-wise from census data provided by the national institute of statistics RESULTS Cancer incidence increased by 63% throughout the study period, from 170,000 new cases in 1980 to 278,000 in 2000. This evolution was due to demographic changes but also to an increase in the risk of cancer which was estimated to more than 35% during the same period. In men, this change is largely explain by the increase of prostate cancer incidence. Among women, the increase was dominated by the continuing increase in breast cancer incidence. Large increases were also seen for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma, and thyroid cancer in both genders and for lung cancer in women. Cancer mortality increased by 20% from 125,000 deaths in 1980 to 150,000 in 2000. This increase is less than that predicted from changes in demographic factors and corresponds in fact to a decrease in the risk of death estimated to about 8%, slightly greater for women than for men. This decrease is associated with a decreasing incidence for stomach cancers for both sexes, alcohol-related cancer for men and cervical cancer for women. Colo-rectal cancer decreasing mortality contributes to this improvement despite an incidence increase. CONCLUSION Between 1980 and 2000, the study showed a large change in the cancer burden both quantitatively and qualitatively. Decrease in exposure, earlier diagnosis and therapeutic improvement explained part of this change, but overall the distribution of cancer cases shifted toward a distribution including less aggressive cancers. A striking divergence between incidence and mortality trends is observed for a great number of cancers. Prostate cancer shares with breast cancer the same pattern of a severe increasing incidence and a stable mortality. This points to important changes in medical practice and needs further analysis. The trend of lung cancer mortality among women should be emphasised since the situation will inevitably worsen in the coming years. It is already the third cause of cancer death among women.
Lightning Induced Voltages on Power Lines: Theory

Theory is presented which shows that nearby lightning return strokes can induce voltage surges of either positive or negative polarity on an overhead line depending on the location of the lightning relative to the 1 ine. The Telegraphers' Equations are solved with the return stroke vertical and horizontal electric fields as forcing functions. The hori zontal electric fields are calculated from measured or assumed vertical fields and assuned earth conductivities. For a typical return stroke, voltage waveforms are presented for a line of 500 m length and one of 5 km length for the foll2owing conditions' earth conductivities between 10mhos/m and 10mhos/m, earth permittivities between Sr = 15 and e = 3, and lightning ground strike points between od' km and 5.0 km of the line at a variety of positions around the line. Measured voltages on a 460 m test line described in a companion paper are compared with calculated voltage waveforms derived from measured vertical electric fiel ds, in accordance with the developed theory. Calculated waveshapes are found to be in moderately good agreement with the measurements, but calculated magnitudes are about a factor of 4 lower than measured. Possible errors in both theory and measurement are di scussed. Vol tage measurements reported by other investigators are, in general, consistent with the present theory
An improved feature matching method base on gradient constraint

This article presents an improved feature matching method based on gradient constraint. SIFT is regarded as one of the most powerful features because of the conspicuous invariance of image rotation, noise and illumination. However, there will still be many mismatches when SIFT features are matched across images, especially when the amount of features is very large. In order to reduce the number of mismatches, we filter the initial matches based on the so-called gradient constraint, which requires the difference in dominant directors of corresponding features to be smaller than a threshold. The best threshold will be got by experience. Since the gradient of features can be obtained in the SIFT extraction process, no additional computation is involved and much time is saved. We then use RANSAC to remove false matches further based on the homography between two images. Experimental results indicate that our method is able to remove false matches effectively, and it is shown to be robust to noise.
Timing of new black box warnings and withdrawals for prescription medications.

CONTEXT Recently approved drugs may be more likely to have unrecognized adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than established drugs, but no recent studies have examined how frequently postmarketing surveillance identifies important ADRs. OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and timing of discovery of new ADRs described in black box warnings or necessitating withdrawal of the drug from the market. DESIGN AND SETTING Examination of the Physicians' Desk Reference for all new chemical entities approved by the US Food and Drug Administration between 1975 and 1999, and all drugs withdrawn from the market between 1975 and 2000 (with or without a prior black box warning). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Frequency of and time to a new black box warning or drug withdrawal. RESULTS A total of 548 new chemical entities were approved in 1975-1999; 56 (10.2%) acquired a new black box warning or were withdrawn. Forty-five drugs (8.2%) acquired 1 or more black box warnings and 16 (2.9%) were withdrawn from the market. In Kaplan-Meier analyses, the estimated probability of acquiring a new black box warning or being withdrawn from the market over 25 years was 20%. Eighty-one major changes to drug labeling in the Physicians' Desk Reference occurred including the addition of 1 or more black box warnings per drug, or drug withdrawal. In Kaplan-Meier analyses, half of these changes occurred within 7 years of drug introduction; half of the withdrawals occurred within 2 years. CONCLUSIONS Serious ADRs commonly emerge after Food and Drug Administration approval. The safety of new agents cannot be known with certainty until a drug has been on the market for many years.
The Spectral Distribution of Energy Required to Evoke the Gray Sensation

this: Light from a lamp of known spectral distribution is modified by rotatory dispersion in a system of quartz plates and nicol prisms in such a way that by rotating one of the nicols the light emerging from it can be made to assume the spectral distribution of a Planckian radiator at any desired temperatrue between 4000 and 7000° K. Such a system is, in effect, a selective light filter of adjustable spectral
Ndsp: Neighbor Assisted Distributed Self-Healing Protocol for Compromised Node Recovery in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensors network (WSN) is collection of sensors nodes and a base station. All the sensor nodes in the network collect data from the environment and sent this data to the base station (BS). This data is transmitted in hope by hope fashion, i.e. each sensor sent the data to its one hope neighbor in the direction of BS on wireless medium. As themedium is wireless which is already less securedthus more prone to attacks. Therefore security is one of the major issues in WSN. An adversary is a node which steals information stored in the memory of sensor nodes. This paper presentsa neighbor assisted distributed self-healing protocol (NDSP) for compromised node recoveryin wireless sensor networks. Presented NDSP protocol allows a compromised sensor node to continuously and collectively recover from a compromise stage to a normal stage. Detection of compromised node is out of the scope of this research paper. Simulation and analytical results proves that presented scheme to recover a compromised sensor node is both effective and efficient.
In Vitro Proliferation and Expansion of Hematopoietic Progenitors from Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Before and After Chemotherapy

We have previously demonstrated that when cultured in Dexter-type Long-Term Marrow Cultures (LTMC), hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) from patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) show a defective proliferation, as compared to HPC from normal marrow. In that study it was also demonstrated that functional alterations were present in the hematopoietic microenvironment developed in culture; thus, it was not clear whether such a defective proliferation in vitro was due to an intrinsic defect in the HPC compartment of DLBCL patients, or to an altered microenvironment, or both. In order to address this question, in the present study we have assessed the proliferation and expansion potentials of HPC present in bone marrow from patients with DLBCL, in cytokine-supplemented liquid cultures initiated with a cell population enriched for CD34+ Lin- cells, in the absence of stromal cells and in the presence of reduced numbers of accessory cells. Our results demonstrated that bone marrow-derived HPC from patients with DLBCL, both before and right after chemotherapy, possessed reduced proliferation and expansion potentials in vitro, as compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, in patients analyzed 18 months after treatment the proliferation and expansion levels were similar to those of normal HPC, indicating a complete restoration of the hematopoietic function. Although the reason for these observations is not clear, our results suggest the possibility that primitive CD34+ progenitor cells present in bone marrow, which show deficient proliferation and expansion potentials in vitro, are involved in the origin/progression of DLBCL.