Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene therapy for the treatment of mitochondrial DNA disorders

Despite recent epidemiological studies confirming that mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders due to mutations in either the mitochondrial or nuclear genome are amongst the most common inherited human diseases, realistic therapeutic strategies for these patients remain limited. The disappointing response to various vitamins, cofactors and electron acceptors that have been administered to patients in an attempt to bypass the underlying respiratory chain defect, coupled with the complexities of human mitochondrial genetics, means that novel and innovative means are required to offer realistic treatments. Several ‘gene therapy’ strategies have therefore been proposed to treat patients with pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations, and although these are not without their own inherent problems, several exciting approaches promise much in the near future. This review will provide a basic background to mitochondrial genetics and mitochondrial DNA disorders before introducing the various strategies being tested invitro at present, in cell culture and animal models, and, in the example of therapeutic exercise, in patients themselves.
Use of Amplification Refractory Mutation System PCR assay as a simple and effective 1 tool to detect HIV-1 drug resistance mutations 2 Running title : Use ARMS-PCR to detect HIV drug resistance mutations 3 4

7 1. Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United 8 States 9 2. Department of Immunology and Applied Biotechnology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 10 Rome, Italy 11 3. “Chantal Biya” International Reference Center, Sequencing Unit, Yaounde, Cameroon 12 4. Faculty of Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon 13 5. Serology Unit, Medical Diagnostic Center, Yaounde, Cameroon 14 6. Internal Medicine Unit, Edéa Regional Hospital, Edéa, Cameroon 15 7. UNESCO Chair of Interdisciplinary Biotechnology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, 16 Italy 17 8. Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare Systems, New York, NY, United States. 18 19 # Corresponding author: 20 Phillipe N. Nyambi 21 Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, c/o V.A. Medical Center, 22 423 East 23rd Street, Room 18124N, New York, NY 10010, United States. 23 Tel. : +1 212 263 6769; fax: +1 212 951 6321; E-mail: phillipe.nyambi@nyumc.org 24 JCM Accepted Manuscript Posted Online 18 March 2015 J. Clin. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/JCM.00114-15 Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Anchorless localization with local manifold flattening

We present a new method for anchorless localization of mobile nodes in wireless networks using only measured distances between pairs of nodes. The novelty of the algorithm lies in the method to complete the Euclidean distance matrix by inferring the unknown distances such as to align all nodes on a k-hyperplane, where typically k is 2 or 3. The relative locations of the nodes are then computed using multidimensional scaling. We also present experimental results with data collected using our WASP platform to verify the improvement in localization using our algorithm over previously published techniques.
Treatment of Influenza Infection of Mice by Using Rimantadine Hydrochlorides by the Aerosol and Intraperitoneal Routes

Rimantadine hydrochloride was administered for 4 days in a small-particle (95% < 6.5 μm) aerosol (8.8 mg/kg per day) or intraperitoneally (40 mg/kg per day) to mice previously infected with influenza A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2), mouse adapted. Mean time to death and incidence of survival were significantly increased in all treated groups of mice. The rate of eventual disappearance of virus from lung tissue was also accelerated by therapy. However, maximal mean virus titer per lung, and lung histopathology, did not reveal any difference between control and either group of treated mice. Aerosol therapy initiated at 72 h postinfection was as effective as that initiated at 6 h, even though lung virus titers of these mice had already peaked by 72 h. In contrast, intraperitoneal therapy initiated at 72 h was not effective in all studies.
Invasive measurements of atrioventricular conduction parameters prior to and following ventricular septal defect closure with the amplatzer device.

BACKGROUND Because of anatomical proximity, closure of paramembranous ventricular septal defect (pm-VSD) with an Amplatzer occluder has the potential to affect the atrioventricular (AV) conduction system. PATIENTS AND METHODS Electrophysiology studies (EPS) were performed prior to and following closure of the pm-VSD in 19 children aged 8.9 +/- 4.5 years. Data from electrocardiograms, Holter monitoring and exercise tests before intervention and at follow up (1.9 +/- 0.8 years) were reviewed. RESULTS There were no EPS catheter-induced complications. Incidence of total conduction anomalies was 31.6% with 21% of patients having permanent conduction anomalies. Complete AV block was not recorded in any subject and transitory 1st-degree AV block occurred in 2 patients. Permanent complete right bundle branch block was observed in 2 patients and incomplete right bundle branch block in 2 others. Prolongation in EPS parameters was significant for His ventricle interval (p = 0.017). Otherwise, EPS parameters with increased measurements > 15% were observed in 18 patients (95%). Prolongation of retrograde Wenckebach cycle length was predictive of new onset conduction abnormalities (p = 0.003). Other parameters changes did not correlate with the observed conduction disturbances however. With respect to device implantation characteristics, a large Amplatzer device was the only predictive risk factor for new conduction abnormalities (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION Closure of pm-VSD with an Amplatzer device promotes relative changes of the AV conduction system, mainly with large devices. In our limited series, these changes have no apparent clinical impact in the immediate and intermediate terms.
Relations Between EEG Seizure Morphology, Interhemispheric Spread, and Mesial Temporal Atrophy in Bitemporal Epilepsy

Summary: Purpose: A strong relation exists between lateralization of seizure onset in temporal‐lobe epilepsy and atrophic mesial structures measured by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We examined whether this relation extended to subregions of the mesial temporal lobe and whether the trend for seizures to spread contralaterally could be related to the localization of atrophy.
Some inequalities about univariate polynomials

This paper deals with the two following topics: bounds for the heights of divisors of polynomials, minimal distance between distinct roots of integral univariate polynomials. In each case we recall the best known results, we give some new inequalities and, constructing suitable examples, we show that these inequalities are not “too bad”.
Energy Detection Spectrum Sensing with Discontinuous Primary User Signal

This paper addresses the problem of spectrum sensing for cognitive radio, in the case of a primary signal characterized by a discontinuous channel occupation within the considered sensing window. Under such conditions, the performance of two different energy detectors is investigated. The first one (Energy Average Detector) decides whether the channel is free or busy on the basis of the energy sample average; the second one (Energy Threshold Detector) performs a soft estimation of the channel occupation probability by comparing the energy samples with a proper threshold. For both the detectors, an analytical model is derived and validated through simulation, and the optimal decision threshold is found as a function of the primary signal parameters.
A Generic Competency Framework for Labour Relations Practitioners in the South African Public Service

This article reports on the findings of a qualitative content analysis study that explored the generic competencies required of labour relations practitioners in the South African public service with a view to developing a generic competency framework for these practitioners. Data were gathered through conducting semi-structured interviews with 17 labour relations experts from different institutions. The data were coded and categorised, and themes were identified that characterised the participantsâ€™ experiences, perceptions and views, providing evidence about the competencies of labour relations practitioners. From the data, 44 competencies were identified that could be regarded as essential to labour relations practitionersâ€™ successful and efficient fulfilment of their role, and these competencies were grouped into nine themes. A generic competency framework for labour relations practitioners was developed based on the results obtained. The findings of this study could potentially form the foundation of new theory for the advancement, training and development of labour relations practitioners.
Layer Structures Localization in Optical Coherence Tomography Images

The existence of noise and speckle in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images challenges the extraction of layer structures. As an effort to answer the challenges, an improved coherence enhancing diffusion (CED) algorithm for preprocessing OCT images is presented in this paper. The improved algorithm could keep the locality of layer structures in OCT images better, therefore, locality of layer structures could be detected with good accuracy in preprocessed OCT images. The locality of some specific layer structures found in preprocessed images could be used as the benchmark to optimize OCT images, the application in OCT images of retina is such an example. Experiment results show that the above optimization is clinical helpful.
Poverty, family process, and the mental health of immigrant children in Canada.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the differential effects of poverty on the mental health of foreign-born children, Canadian-born children of immigrant parents, and children of non-immigrant parents. METHODS Secondary analysis of data from a national Canadian study of children between 4 and 11 years of age was conducted. RESULTS Compared with their receiving-society counterparts, foreign-born children were more than twice as likely to live in poor families, but they had lower levels of emotional and behavioral problems. The effect of poverty on children's mental health among long-term immigrant and receiving-society families was indirect and primarily mediated by single-parent status, ineffective parenting, parental depression, and family dysfunction. In comparison, the mental health effect of poverty among foreign-born children could not be explained by the disadvantages that poor families often suffer. CONCLUSIONS Poverty may represent a transient and inevitable part of the resettlement process for new immigrant families. For long-stay immigrant and receiving-society families, however, poverty probably is not part of an unfolding process; instead, it is the nadir of a cycle of disadvantage.
Cord Formation in BACTEC Medium Is a Reliable, Rapid Method for Presumptive Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex

ABSTRACT Serpentine cord formation in BACTEC 12B medium was evaluated as a rapid method for the presumptive identification of M. tuberculosis complex. Kinyoun acid-fast stained smears were prepared from 666 positive BACTEC 12B bottles and examined for the presence or absence of serpentine cording. Cord formation had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 89.2, 99.2, 98.5, and 94.2%, respectively. The evaluation of the presence of cord formation in BACTEC 12B medium is reliable and permits the rapid presumptive reporting of M. tuberculosis.
Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 ORF52 Encodes a Tegument Protein Required for Virion Morphogenesis in the Cytoplasm

ABSTRACT The tegument, a semiordered matrix of proteins overlying the nucleocapsid and underlying the virion envelope, in viruses in the gamma subfamily of Herpesviridae is poorly understood. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is a robust model for studying gammaherpesvirus virion structure, assembly, and composition, as MHV-68 efficiently completes the lytic phase and productively infects cultured cells. We have found that MHV-68 ORF52 encodes an abundant tegument protein conserved among gammaherpesviruses. Detergent sensitivity experiments revealed that the MHV-68 ORF52 protein is more tightly bound to the virion nucleocapsid than the ORF45 tegument protein but could be dissociated from particles that retained the ORF65 small capsomer protein. ORF52, tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein or FLAG epitope, localized to the cytoplasm. A recombinant MHV-68 bacterial artificial chromosome mutant with a nonsense mutation incorporated into ORF52 exhibited viral DNA replication, expression of late lytic genes, and capsid assembly and packaging at levels near those of the wild type. However, the MHV-68 ORF52-null virus was deficient in the assembly and release of infectious virion particles. Instead, partially tegumented capsids produced by the ORF52-null mutant accumulated in the cytoplasm, containing conserved capsid proteins, the ORF64 and ORF67 tegument proteins, but virtually no ORF45 tegument protein. Thus, ORF52 is essential for the tegumentation and egress of infectious MHV-68 particles in the cytoplasm, suggesting an important conserved function in gammaherpesvirus virion morphogenesis.
A wireless sensors network for monitoring environmental variables in a tomato greenhouse

Precision Agriculture is based on detailed information on the status of crops: for example, some of the processes like fertilization and especially crop protection require frequent updates in information. Wireless sensors, continuously acquiring data, could play a role in preserving the environment by reducing pesticide usage and maximizing quality. These benefits need to be tested in the field. The Rinnovando group (Rgroup) is working with agricultural experts on a short-term deployment of a wireless sensors network in a tomato greenhouse in the South of Italy. In this project, Sensicast devices are used in order to apply of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in agriculture and particularly that of microclimate monitoring within a greenhouse incorporating sensor nodes in an agricultural ICT infrastructure.
Strategic Brand Management in Emerging Markets: Consumer Perceptions of Brand Extensions

The purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ perceptions of the parent brand and their attitudes towards the brand extensions by exploratory researching the topic in the new context of one emerging European market. Theoretical part gives a comprehensive description and analysis of the main features of the brand extension strategy. The purpose of the primary research is to explore and understand Croatian consumers’ perceptions about the global parent brand (Coca-Cola) and their attitudes towards its extensions on the Croatian market. Research results support the assumption that managers should introduce brand extension when they are sure of the position of the parent brand and its former extensions in the consumers’ mind. As such, results corroborate previous findings, showing how it is necessary to know the existing level of brand affect, brand loyalty, and brand trust since they have different impacts on consumers’ perceptions of the brand extension. The main contribution of the paper stems from the replication and extension of the previous research in the new context (in terms of the level of the market development and consumer culture). Research findings add to the existing knowledge with insights and results from the new market (Croatia), and as such might help in increasing understanding of the brand extension phenomena in the field of the strategic brand management in emerging markets.
Movement of Eukaryotic mRNAs Between Polysomes and Cytoplasmic Processing Bodies

Eukaryotic cells contain nontranslating messenger RNA concentrated in P-bodies, which are sites where the mRNA can be decapped and degraded. We present evidence that mRNA molecules within yeast P-bodies can also return to translation. First, inhibiting delivery of new mRNAs to P-bodies leads to their disassembly independent of mRNA decay. Second, P-bodies decline in a translation initiation–dependent manner during stress recovery. Third, reporter mRNAs concentrate in P-bodies when translation initiation is blocked and resume translation and exit P-bodies when translation is restored. Fourth, stationary phase yeast have large P-bodies containing mRNAs that reenter translation when growth resumes. The reciprocal movement of mRNAs between polysomes and P-bodies is likely to be important in the control of mRNA translation and degradation. Moreover, the presence of related proteins in P-bodies and maternal mRNA storage granules suggests this mechanism is widely adapted for mRNA storage.
Ondansetron fails to attenuate a scopolamine-induced deficit in a Stone maze task.

The 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron has previously been reported to improve cognition in the mouse, rat and marmoset in a variety of behavioural paradigms. The present study used the Stone maze to test the effect of ondansetron on the deficit caused by scopolamine in the performance of a highly complex spatial memory task in the rat. Ondansetron administered over a large dose range (1.0 ng kg-1-1.0 micrograms kg-1, i.p., b.d.) for a period of 10-15 days failed to attenuate the scopolamine deficit. Indeed at one dose level ondansetron (100 ng kg-1, i.p., b.d.) administered in combination with scopolamine (0.5 mg kg-1, i.p.) significantly potentiated the deficit, compared with the performance of rats receiving scopolamine alone.
Framework for Fusion of Ascending and Descending Pass TanDEM-X Raw DEMs

A novel method for calculating optimum incidence angle for the TanDEM-X system using any available digital elevation model (DEM) for the given area is proposed in this study. This method includes the plotting of slopes and aspect of the test area in a statistical way and applying mathematical approach using acquisition geometry in ascending and descending pass TanDEM-X data to optimize the incidence angle for obtaining precise DEM. Furthermore, the TanDEM-X raw DEMs in ascending and descending pass over Mumbai, India are combined using a simple weighted fusion algorithm and the quality of fused DEM thus generated is enhanced. The method adopted for fusion is just an experimental study. The problem of optimum weight selection for fusion has been addressed using height error map and a robust layover shadow mask calculated in “Integrated TanDEM-X Processor” (ITP) during TanDEM-X DEM generation. The height error map is calculated from the interferometric coherence with geometrical considerations and the robust layover and shadow map is calculated using TanDEM-X DEM and the corresponding slant range. Results show a significant reduction in the number of invalid pixels after fusion. In the fused DEM, invalids are only 2.14%, while ascending and descending pass DEMs have 5.02% and 6.34%, respectively. Statistical analysis shows a slight improvement in standard deviation of the error in fused DEM by 8% in urban area and about 5% for the whole scene. Only slight improvement in accuracy of fused DEM can be attributed to the coarse resolution of the SRTM-X DEM used as reference.
Busy Bankruptcy Courts and the Cost of Credit

What are the costs of congested court systems? This paper studies the 2005 consumer bankruptcy reform, which caused the largest recorded drop in the caseload of bankruptcy courts in the United States. The reform changed the law for individual debtors but left corporate bankruptcies unaffected. This generates plausibly exogenous variation in firms’ exposure to court backlog across bankruptcy districts. Using a difference-in-differences approach, I find that lower court congestion decreases credit spreads and increases loan maturities. Consistent with a shock to credit supply due to higher expected recovery values, less congested courts increase firm leverage but leave default risk unchanged.
How to Reduce Sickness Absences in Sweden: Lessons from International Experience

Sweden’s single biggest economic problem is the high number of people absent from work due to sickness or disability. This paper describes the problem and looks at what other countries have done to reduce absenteeism. It emphasises a mutual obligations approach to sickness insurance. This means placing greater responsibilities on the sick person, the employer and the social insurance office to get that person back to work as soon as possible. Reduire l'incidence des conges de maladie en Suede : Les enseignements de l'experience internationale Le principal probleme economique de la Suede est le taux eleve d’absenteisme pour cause de maladie ou d’invalidite. Cette communication expose le probleme et examine les mesures prises par d’autres pays pour y remedier. Il souligne l’importance de fonder le systeme d’assurance-maladie sur le principe de l’obligation mutuelle. Ceci suppose de responsabiliser davantage le travailleur malade, l’employeur et le bureau d’assurance sociale pour que l’interesse reprenne son activite le plus rapidement possible.
Deliberative Perception for Warehouse Automation Venkatraman

We describe the application of a recently developed deliberative perception framework to the task of multiobject instance recognition in warehouse environments. Traditional object recognition pipelines based exclusively on discriminative feature-matching and/or statistical learners are often sensitive to inter-object occlusions and the training data used. Deliberative approaches such as PERCH treat multi-object pose estimation as a generative global optimization over possible configurations of objects, thereby predicting and accounting for occlusions. Further, D2P—an extension of PERCH, leverages guidance from modern learning-based techniques to combine the efficiency of discriminative approaches with the robustness provided by global reasoning. We conclude with a discussion of how these approaches were used by Carnegie Mellon University’s team in the 2016 Amazon Picking Challenge, and their role in the upcoming 2017 Amazon Robotics Challenge.
A Qualitative Research Approach for Developing a Trust Model of P2P Accommodations for Chinese Travelers

In sharing economy, lodging business with peer-to-peer business model (P2P accommodation) springs up recently. The rapid increase and widespread influence has let this new model of accommodation become a competitor with traditional hotel. Intermediary (app system) trust, personal trust and accommodation trust aspects were established separately for P2P accommodations, which based on the interview results from the samples from international apps (Airbnb) and Chinese local apps (Tujia). A measurement scale is developed for customer experience through extant literature review, in-depth interviews, and panel reviews. Based on the study result, both theoretical and practical implications are provided.