Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The emergency response and its impacts assessment in Western China 1

This paper uses an eco-economic classification of western China and a human activity analysis to evaluate policy impacts. Specifically, eco-economic regions were classified and mapped by means of GIS, and a model was developed, concerning environment and socioeconomic inter-linkages. The physical environment of Western China determines the basic pattern of regional socio-economic differentiation, with major cities and developed areas distributed along rivers and suitable traffic corridors in a manner consistent with the pointaxis regional differential law. Three cases studies in the region were examined to evaluate the benefits and impacts of the response and measures taken by western peoples and local governments, which are including the ecologically fra gile and poverty stressing region, Dingxi Prefecture of Gansu Province on Loess Plateau, the integrated model of water and soil preserve in an arid and mountainous watershed named Jiuhua on Loess Plateau, the scenarios analysis of Wuwei city in northwest China’s oasis region, facing the crisis of water shortage . Based on these analyses, a number of emergency response policies are suggested to formulate eco-economic deve lopment model, make ecosystem restored and environment protected in western China. These responses involve: improved industrial and urban planning; restoration of forest and grasslands in some currently cultivated areas, watershed protection, investment for the establishment of high-tech industry, establishment of a regional tourism policy, mechanisms for compensating upstream landowners for watershed protection, use of green GDP and green economic accounting, and changes to property rights.
Nonstructural protein 3 of the hepatitis C virus encodes a serine-type proteinase required for cleavage at the NS3/4 and NS4/5 junctions

We have studied processing of the nonstructural (NS) polyprotein of the hepatitis C virus. A series of cDNAs corresponding to predicted NS2/3/4 or NS3/4 regions were constructed, and processing of the polyproteins was studied in an in vitro transcription-translation system. We report that a catalytically active serine-type proteinase is encoded by the NS3 region. Substitution of the serine residue of the putative catalytic triad (H, D, and S) by alanine blocked cleavage at the NS3/4 junction, while processing between NS2 and NS3 was not affected. Thus, cleavage at the NS2/3 junction is mediated either by cellular enzymes or by an NS-2 inherent proteinase activity. Deletion analysis of an NS3/4 cDNA construct mapped the amino terminus of the enzymatically active proteinase between amino acids 1049 and 1065 of the polyprotein. As internal deletions of variable segments of the presumed helicase domain prevented processing at the NS314 junction, a continuous NS3 region appears to be required for processing at this site. To analyze hepatitis C virus polyprotein cleavage in vivo, recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing NS2/3/4 or NS3/4/5 proteins were generated. In agreement with the in vitro data, cleavage between NS2 and NS3 was independent of a catalytically active NS3 proteinase, whereas substitution of the active-site serine residue by the amino acid alanine completely blocked processing at the NS3/4 and NS4/5 junctions. These results demonstrate that NS3 encodes the viral proteinase essential for generating the amino termini of NS4 and NS5.
Action Dynamics Reveal Parallel Competition in Decision Making

When deciding between two alternatives, such as whether toorder the pasta or the chicken, or whether to pursue a career inacademia or industry, a person may feel torn—as if the optionsliterally pull him or her in two directions. This metaphor mayhavesomesurprisingliteraltruth.Ifasked,forexample,whether‘‘murder is sometimes justiﬁed,’’ individuals may be inclined toboth agree and disagree with the statement. Here, we document,for the ﬁrst time, the pull toward contrasting responses duringevaluative thinking, reporting the results of a study examiningthe trajectory of participants’ reaching movements toward dif-ferent response options.Our results suggest that a decision process is not necessarilycompleted inthe brain’scognitivesubsystems before itissharedwith other subsystems, as has been traditionally assumed.Rather,simultaneous‘‘pull’’frommultipleresponsealternativesseemstoinﬂuencetheexecutionofmovementitself. Thisﬁndingsuggests that a dynamic approach to mental processing—anapproach that has already provided descriptions of perception,attention,andcategorization (e.g.,AbramsBGoldSGratton,Coles,Sirevaag,Eriksen,D Hovland & Sears, 1938; McClelland & Rogers, 2003;Spivey, 2007; Tipper, Howard, & Houghton, 1999)—may shednew light on high-level cognition (Roe, Busemeyer, & Town-send, 2001; Townsend & Busemeyer, 1989).
Validation of point-of-care testing for coeliac disease in children in a tertiary hospital in north India

Objective Some of the conventional serological tests for coeliac disease (CD) are expensive, time-consuming and not readily available in developing countries, leading to a delay in diagnosis. Recently, point-of-care tests (POCT) have been manufactured and tested in Europe but have not been validated in our setting. We therefore aimed to study the diagnostic accuracy of the POCT ‘Biocard’ test in diagnosing CD in Indian children. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Tertiary care centre in north India. Patients Children, aged 2–18 years, with chronic diarrhoea, short stature or refractory anaemia underwent serological testing for CD with antiendomysial antibodies (AEA), antitissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies and Biocard test followed by duodenal biopsy irrespective of serological results. CD was diagnosed with positive AEA and duodenal biopsy showing >grade 2 changes using modified Marsh criteria. Those who were both AEA negative and had normal histology were considered CD negative. Results Of 319 children who underwent the serological testing, 170 agreed for biopsy. Of these, 110 were diagnosed with CD and 30 were found to be CD negative. Remaining 30 had discordant AEA and histology results and were not included in analysis. Biocard test agreed with 92/110 positive and 27/30 negative diagnoses based on reference tests (83.6% sensitivity and 90% specificity). tTG was found to be 93.8% sensitive and 96.4% specific. Conclusions We successfully validated the POCT for CD in our setting. It could be used to increase case detection rates in developing countries with a large undiagnosed CD burden.
Characterization of the insulin-like growth factor axis in term pregnancies complicated by maternal obesity.

STUDY QUESTION Does maternal obesity affect insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis protein expression patterns in maternal and cord blood? SUMMARY ANSWER Maternal obesity attenuates cord blood expression of IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-4. WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS The IGF axis plays a critical role in fetal growth and development. Maternal obesity compromises IGF axis protein expression in fetal circulation, which is consistent with the findings of epidemiological studies suggesting that maternal obesity has an independent effect on fetal growth signals during in utero development. STUDY DESIGN This cross-sectional case-control study involved 12 lean [body mass index (BMI) 18.5-24.9 kg/m2] and 12 obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2) women and their neonates at term. At the completion of the study, IGF axis protein expression and hormone concentrations in both maternal and cord blood were examined. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING We obtained fasting serum samples from cases and controls matched for age, gestation, mode of delivery, parity and glucose tolerance prior to and immediately following elective caesarean section. The corresponding umbilical cord blood was also collected at birth. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Between-group comparisons revealed elevated maternal insulin (P=0.03) and leptin (P<0.01) concentrations in obese gravidas. After adjustment, the maternal homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) score was positively correlated with both maternal BMI and leptin levels (P<0.01). Umbilical cord blood levels of IGFBP-3 showed an inverse trend to maternal HOMA-IR (P=0.03) but were directly related to the fetal-placental weight ratio (P<0.01). In cord serum from obese mothers, IGFBP-4 expression was attenuated compared with the controls (P<0.05). LIMITATIONS The limitations of our study include the cross-sectional design and relatively small sample size. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Our results provide preliminary evidence for the applicability of our findings to other ethnic groups when pregnancy is complicated by obesity. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS This work was supported by the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences/Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Partnership Grant awarded to K.B.A. and Z.M. F. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Large-eddy simulations of decaying turbulence using the stretched-vortex subgrid model with artificial damping

The stretched-vortex subgrid model is used in conjunction with a fourth-order finite-difference method and artificial damping to run large-eddy simulations of decaying turbulence. By tuning the strength of the damping and the overlap between the subgrid model cutoff length-scale and the computational grid spacing, it is possible to obtain results that are independent of the grid spacing and consistent with reference simulations using a high-resolution spectral method. Artificial damping is useful for controlling numerical dispersion in large-eddy simulations of turbulent mixing.
Exploiting domain knowledge and public linked data to extract opinions from reviews

Online opinions play an important role in supporting consumers make decisions about purchasing products or services. In addition, customer reviews allow companies to understand the strengths and limitations of their products and services, which aids in improving their marketing campaigns. Such valuable information can only be obtained via appropriate analysis of the opinions provided by customers who express their satisfaction with the products and shopping experience in the form of on-line textual reviews. This paper presents an approach to extract opinions from online reviews. The proposed approach constructs a knowledgebase of the problem domain, which is bootstrapped with relevant information from public Linked Datasets. The obtained results demonstrate that given a domain knowledgebase that is enriched with ground facts from public Linked Open Data with a combination with Natural Language process engine, the process of opinion extraction from unstructured content can be improved.
Properties of 4 Hz stimulation‐induced parallel fiber–Purkinje cell presynaptic long‐term plasticity in mouse cerebellar cortex in vivo

Cerebellar parallel fiber–Purkinje cell (PF–PC) long‐term synaptic plasticity is important for the formation and stability of cerebellar neuronal circuits, and provides substrates for motor learning and memory. We previously reported both presynaptic long‐term potentiation (LTP) and long‐term depression (LTD) in cerebellar PF–PC synapses in vitro. However, the expression and mechanisms of cerebellar PF–PC synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex in vivo are poorly understood. In the present study, we studied the properties of 4 Hz stimulation‐induced PF–PC presynaptic long‐term plasticity using in vivo the whole‐cell patch‐clamp recording technique and pharmacological methods in urethane‐anesthetised mice. Our results demonstrated that 4 Hz PF stimulation induced presynaptic LTD of PF–PC synaptic transmission in the intact cerebellar cortex in living mice. The PF–PC presynaptic LTD was attenuated by either the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonist, D‐aminophosphonovaleric acid, or the group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist, JNJ16259685, and was abolished by combined D‐aminophosphonovaleric acid and JNJ16259685, but enhanced by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. Blockade of cannabinoid type 1 receptor activity abolished the PF–PC LTD and revealed a presynaptic PF–PC LTP. These data indicate that both endocannabinoids and nitric oxide synthase are involved in the 4 Hz stimulation‐induced PF–PC presynaptic plasticity, but the endocannabinoid‐dependent PF–PC presynaptic LTD masked the nitric oxide‐mediated PF–PC presynaptic LTP in the cerebellar cortex in urethane‐anesthetised mice.
[Nose and throat carriage in "food handlers"].

From December 1991 to February 1992, 450 personnel have been investigated for pathogen microorganisms in their nose and throat. The study was performed in the Infectious Diseases Section of Gülhane Military Medical Academy. Pathogen microorganisms have been isolated from 54 nose culture (12%) and 6 throat culture (1.33%). In one person pathogen microorganisms have been isolated from his nose and throat. The difference between the two groups (The nose and throat cultures) was significant at p = 0.001 by Fisher's exact test (t = 6.414). In the nose cultures the pathogen microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (85.2%), Proteus vulgaris (5.6%), Proteus mirabilis (3.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1.8%), Citrobacter freundii (1.8%), Group C beta-hemolytic streptococcus (1.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.8%). Only one (1.85%) had two different pathogen microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris) in his nasal culture. In the throat cultures the pathogen microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (66.7%) and group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus (50%). Only one (16.6%) had two different pathogen microorganisms (S.aureus and group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus) in his throat culture. The same pathogen microorganisms (S.aureus) has been isolated in an only one person's nasal and throat cultures (0.22%). We treated 60 personnel who were nasal and throat carriers according to the results of antibiograms. After treatment, two still had previous pathogen microorganism (Staphylococcus aureus). These two carriers were eradicated by repeating the treatment.
The conserved genetic background for pluteus arm development in brittle stars and sea urchin

Echinoderm pluteus larvae are considered a classical example of convergent evolution that occurred in sea urchins and brittle stars. Several genes are known to be involved in the development of pluteus arms in sea urchins, including fgfA, pax2/5/8, pea3, otp, wnt5, and tet. To determine whether the convergent evolution of larval arms also involves these genes in brittle stars, their expression patterns were determined in brittle star. We found that all genes showed similar expression in the arms of ophiopluteus to that seen in echinopluteus, suggesting that convergent evolution of pluteus arms occurred by recruitment of a similar set of genes. This may be explained by our observation that some of these genes are also expressed in the spine rudiment of direct‐type development sea urchins. We propose an evolutionary scenario wherein the pluteus arms of both echinopluteus and ophiopluteus were acquired by independent co‐options of the genetic module responsible for the projection of the adult skeleton.
Photovoltaic based power electronic converter systems-Part II

The well known advantages from PV based power generation (PVPG) are pollution free, short-term installation and long life operation. However, disadvantages are also associated, for e.g. dependency of generated power on weather conditions, and researchers are putting efforts to overcome them by application of power electronic based devices and techniques like maximum power point (MPPT) in the systems consisting of PV sources. DC-DC and DC-AC converters are the commonly used power electronic devices to transfer the power from PV source to load with good quality. The output voltage level which can be attained in DC-AC converter cannot be greater than the input voltage or else to attain the higher output voltage greater than the input dc voltage (normally lower) in the case of a DC-DC boost converter high voltage gain is required. To achieve (i) higher AC voltage from a given DC voltage, and (ii) higher DC voltage from a lower DC voltage boost inverter and Transformer Less (TL) boost converter have been proposed in the literature. However, the DC voltage source considered is of fixed type. This paper deals with the above said boost inverter and TL boost converter connected to a PV source/module. The main objective is to supply/transfer the power generated from the PV module to the load, by maintaining higher voltage at the output side of the converter compared to that of the input DC voltage received from the PV module. The control of above said PV based power electronic converters for load voltage regulation is implemented by simple proportional-integral (PI) controllers. Simulation results demonstrate the excellent performance of PI controllers in maintaining the desired voltage at the load.
Molecular structure differences between the antiviral Nucleoside Analogue 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine and the natural nucleoside 2′-deoxythymidine using MP2 and DFT methods: conformational analysis, crystal simulations, DNA pairs and possible behaviour

5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine Nucleoside Analogue (IUdR) was the first selective antiviral nucleoside against herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2, and it was also a meaningful anticancer drug. Within a full study of this drug and its possible behaviour, previously, a comprehensive theoretical conformational analysis by MP2 and B3LYP was carried out, and all the possible stable structures were determined with full relaxation of all geometrical parameters. The search located 45 stable structures, and in all them, the whole conformational parameters ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], P, [Formula: see text]max) were analyzed as well as the NBO natural atomic charges. Comparisons of the conformers with those of the natural Nucleoside 2'-deoxythymidine (dT) were carried out, and the main differences between IUdR and dT were analyzed. The accuracy of the methods used was probed with the simulation of the X-ray crystal data by a tetramer form. Watson-Crick (WC) IUdR/dT···2'-deoxyadenosine pairs were analyzed for the first time using quantum chemical calculations, as well as the mispairing IUdR/dT···2'-deoxyguanosine. As result, it is observed that IUdR give rises to a slightly stronger WC pair and weaker mispairing than those with dT, therefore deforming slightly the DNA axis and difficulting the growth of the DNA virus and consequently, killing it.
RAL-TR-2009-001 A second derivative SQP method : global convergence 1

Sequential quadratic programming (SQP) methods form a class of highly efficient algorithms for solving nonlinearly constrained optimization problems. Although second derivative information may often be calculated, there is little practical theory that justifies exact-Hessian SQP methods. In particular, the resulting quadratic programming (QP) subproblems are often nonconvex, and thus finding their global solutions may be computationally nonviable. This paper presents a second-derivative SQP method based on quadratic subproblems that are either convex, and thus may be solved efficiently, or need not be solved globally. Additionally, an explicit descent-constraint is imposed on certain QP subproblems, which “guides” the iterates through areas in which nonconvexity is a concern. Global convergence of the resulting algorithm is established.
Transplantation of Polymer Encapsulated Pc12 Cells: Use of Chitosan as an Immobilization Matrix

Polymer capsules were fabricated to encapsulate PC12 cells within a semipermeable and immunoprotective barrier. The inclusion of precipitated chitosan as an immobilization matrix within the polymer capsules increased the survival and physiological functioning of the PC12 cells. In an initial study, HPLC analysis revealed that the inclusion of a chitosan matrix resulted in an increased output of catecholamines from the encapsulated PC12 cells under both basal conditions, and following high potassium depolarization at 2 and 4 wk following encapsulation in vitro. Furthermore, implantation of cohort PC12 cell-loaded capsules into guinea pig striata revealed that chitosan enhanced PC 12 cell survival after 6 wk. A second study determined that 12 wk after implantation into guinea pig striatum, abundant tyrosine hydroxylase-positive PC12 cells were evenly distributed within capsules containing chitosan. The long-term biocompatibility of these implants was good as determined by the absence of inflammatory or immune cells, and minimal GFAP reactivity surrounding the implant site. In contrast, implantation of unencapsulated PC12 cells resulted in a marked host tissue reaction, and destruction of the implanted cells within 4 wk. It is concluded that the inclusion of precipitated chitosan as an immobilization matrix enhanced the viability of encapsulated PC12 cells, and that altering the internal milieu of polymeric capsules may represent an effective transplant strategy for ameliorating human diseases characterized by secretory cell dysfunction.
Recombinant soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor proteins protect mice from lipopolysaccharide‐induced lethality

The in vivo efficacy of human recombinant soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor protein to prevent and to treat lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced lethal toxicity in D‐galactosamine‐treated mice was investigated. Chimeric proteins of the receptor extracellular domains fused to the hinge region of human IgG3 were expressed in myeloma cells (rsTNFR‐hγ3). The fusion proteins had a disulfide‐bonded dimeric structure. Upon intravenous injection, their serum concentration decreased relatively slowly after an initial phase of rapid elimination. D‐galactosamine‐sensitized mice were fully protected from the toxic effects of LPS, if the animal were pretreated with rsTNFR‐hγ3 at 20 μg/animal. Partial protection was seen at significantly lower doses and when rsTNFR‐hγ3 was given up to 3 h after LPS.