cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Survey # 2058
Creators: name: Institut Für Demoskopie Allensbach
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2019

description: Hopes and fears (1); satisfaction with previous year (1); greatest German (1); IBM (1); satisfaction with Chancellor Brandt’s policies (1); relations between Germany and Eastern Europe (9); relations between West and East Germany (8); cigarette brands (1); artificial sweeteners (7); chocolate brands (5); most important political issues (1); pensions (1); CDU leadership (2); car brands (3); consumption patterns (6); moon landing (2); nuclear proliferation (2); social policy (2); smoking habits (1); soap brands (7); boredom (1); reading habits (2); typewriters and computers (1); brand names (1); inflation (1); interest in politics (1); Christmas (2).
Survey # 2060(I)(II)(III)
Creators: name: Institut Für Demoskopie Allensbach
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2019

description: Extraterrestrial life (6); terrorism (2); political knowledge (7); radio (3); news consumption (2); magazines (5); satisfaction with Chancellor Brandt’s policies (1); most important political issues (3); satisfaction with Foreign Minister Scheel’s policies (1); European integration (28); personal financial situation (3); Baha’i religion (2); voting reform (1); potential new world war (1); German military (1); German role in world politics (1); censorship (1); migration (1); scientific progress (1); electronic appliances brands (3); sales representatives (1); student demonstrations (1); revolution (1); relations between Germany and Eastern Europe (1); attitudes toward Americans (1); attitudes toward Russians (1); attitudes toward Italians (1); attitudes toward French people (1); attitudes toward Chinese people (1); attitudes toward British people (1); attitudes toward Swiss people (1); travelling abroad (2); environmental protection (3); political ideology (1); interest in politics (1); strength of party identification (2); evolution (5).
Survey # 2061
Creators: name: Institut Für Demoskopie Allensbach
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2019

description: Living preferences (4); newspapers and magazines (10); coffee brands (2); satisfaction with Foreign Minister Scheel’s policies (1); political priorities (1); relations between West and East Germany (6); commercials on TV (6); Olympics (2); age restrictions for members of parliament (1); relations between Germany and Eastern Europe (1); radio (11); toothpaste brands (2); tools brands (2); going to the movies (2); economic policy priorities (1); environmental protection (4); inflation (1); electronic appliances brands (23); attitudes toward Soviet Union (2); luck (2).
Survey # 2063(I)
Creators: name: Institut Für Demoskopie Allensbach
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2019

description: Expectations for economy (1); Olympics (2); attitudes toward Japan (7); attitudes toward Chancellor Brandt (7); satisfaction with Foreign Minister Scheel’s policies (1); attitudes toward Americans (1); coffee brands (2); vacation (2); educational pamphlet about electricity (3); listening to BBC during World War II (1); commercials on TV (6); radio (11); relations between Germany and the USA (2); space travel (1); going to the movies (2); consumption patterns (23); newspapers and magazines (9); advertising (1); killing of German diplomat (2); car ownership (7); women’s clothing (5); personal financial situation (1).
The generalized second law of thermodynamics for interacting $f(R)$ gravity
Creators: name: Herrera, Ramon
name: Videla, Nelson
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We examine the validity of the generalized second law (GSL) of gravitational thermodynamics in the context of interacting $f(R)$ gravity. We take into account that the boundary of the universe to be confined by the dynamical apparent horizon in a flat FRW universe. We study the effective equation of state, deceleration parameter and GSL in this interaction-framework. We find that the evolution of the total entropy increases through the interaction term. As a example, we consider a $f(R)$ gravity with a power-law dependence on the curvature $R$. Here, we find exact solutions for a model in which the interaction term is related to the total energy density of matter.
description: 19 pages, 3 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1401.8283
Structure of the Human Discs Large 1 PDZ2– Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Cytoskeletal Polarity Complex: Insight into Peptide Engagement and PDZ Clustering
Creators: name: Slep, Kevin C.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: The membrane associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family member, human Discs Large 1 (hDlg1) uses a PDZ domain array to interact with the polarity determinant, the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) microtubule plus end binding protein. The hDLG1-APC complex mediates a dynamic attachment between microtubule plus ends and polarized cortical determinants in epithelial cells, stem cells, and neuronal synapses. Using its multi-domain architecture, hDlg1 both scaffolds and regulates the polarity factors it engages. Molecular details underlying the hDlg1-APC interaction and insight into how the hDlg1 PDZ array may cluster and regulate its binding factors remain to be determined. Here, I present the crystal structure of the hDlg1 PDZ2-APC complex and the molecular determinants that mediate APC binding. The hDlg1 PDZ2-APC complex also provides insight into potential modes of ligand-dependent PDZ domain clustering that may parallel Dlg scaffold regulatory mechanisms. The hDlg1 PDZ2-APC complex presented here represents a core biological complex that bridges polarized cortical determinants with the dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton.
STATISTICAL DESIGN OF CONDITIONAL REPETITIVE GROUP SAMPLING PLAN BASED ON TRUNCATED LIFE TEST FOR PERCENTILE LIFETIME USING EXPONENTIATED GENERALIZED FRECHET DISTRIBUTION
Creators: name: S. Jayalakshmi
name: S. Vijilamery
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Conditional Repetitive Group Sampling Plan
Exponentiated Generalized Frechet Distribution
Producer‘s risk
percentile life

description: Reliability Acceptance sampling plan is used to assess whether to accept or reject a product depending on its lifetime. An inspection carried out for the purpose of determining if lifetime inspections are performing properly can be tested by submitting a truncated lifetime test. In this paper describes a new approach on Conditional Repetitive Group Sampling Plan based on Truncated life test is proposed and the lifetime follows an Exponentiated Generalized Frechet Distribution. For each consumer risk, it is determined whether minimum sample sizes are required to assert a percentile life. It is calculated that the operating characteristic function values of the sampling plans as well as the producer’s risk ratio corresponding to the sampling plans. The results are illustrated with numerical examples and a real-world data set is used to demonstrate the impact and performance of the suggested acceptance sampling plans.
STATISTICAL PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF TRANSMUTED SKEW STUDENT t DISTRIBUTION
Creators: name: John, David Ikwuoche
name: Stephen, Mathew
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Transmuted
Skew
Raw moments
Quantile
Reliability function
Hazard function

description: In this study, a modified 2-parameter skew t distribution called the transmuted skew student t distribution (TSStD) was presented. Some statistical and reliability properties of TSStD such as the quantile function, the raw moments, and the moment generating function (among others), were derived. Through the method of maximum likelihood, the two parameters of the model were estimated. The stability of the model was studied via Montecarlo simulations utilizing bias, mean square error, and root mean square error as metrics. The results from the stability study revealed that the TSStD was well-behaved. Four datasets were modeled with the transmuted skewed student t distribution and four other probability density models. On the basis of information criteria, the results revealed that the transmuted skew student t distribution provides a better fit for all the datasets compared to the other competing models.
Seeing Red in M32: Constraints on the Stellar Content from Near- and Mid-Infrared Observations and Applications for Studies of More Distant Galaxies
Creators: name: Davidge, T. J.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The properties of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Local Group galaxy M32 are investigated using ground and space-based observations that span the 1 - 8um wavelength interval, with the goal of demonstrating the utility of infrared observations as probes of stellar content. Comparisons with isochrones indicate that the brightest resolved stars in M32 have ages of a few Gyr, and are younger on average than AGB stars with the same intrinsic brightness in the outer disk of M31. Accounting for stellar variability is shown to be essential for modelling AGB luminosity functions (LFs). Model LFs that assume the star-forming history measured by Monachesi et al. (2012, ApJ, 745, 97) and the variability properties of Galactic AGB stars match both the K and [5.8] LFs of M32. Models also suggest that the slope of the [5.8] LF between M_[5.8] = -8.5 and --10.0 is sensitive to the mix of stellar ages, and a sizeable fraction of the stars in M32 must have an age older than 7 Gyr in order to match the [5.8] LF. The structural properties of M32 in the infrared are also investigated. The effective radii that are computed from near-infrared and mid-infrared isophotes are similar to those measured at visible wavelengths, suggesting that the stellar content of M32 is well-mixed. However, isophotes at radii > 16 arcsec (> 60 parsecs) in the near and mid-infrared are flatter than those at visible wavelengths. The coefficient of the fourth-order cosine term in the fourier expansion of isophotes changes from `boxy' values at r < 16 arcsec to `disky' values at r > 48 arcsec in [3.6] and [4.5]. The mid-infrared colors near the center of M32 do not vary systematically with radius, providing evidence of a well-mixed stellar content in this part of the galaxy.
description: To appear in The Astrophysical Journal
STOCHASTIC ANALYSIS OF A GAS TURBINE SYSTEM WITH PRIORITY AND RANDOM INSPECTION BY SINGLE SERVER UNDER DIFFERENT HUMID CONDITIONS
Creators: name: Pinki
name: Vijeta Kumari
name: Singh, Dalip
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Gas Turbine
Steam Turbine
Reliability
Cost-Benefit
Maintenance

description: In this study, we investigated the impact of two different humid levels on the reliability measures of a stochastic model for a gas turbine system composed of a gas turbine and a steam turbine. To enhance the system’s overall performance, we prioritize gas turbine repair over steam turbine repair in addition to a combined inspection and preventative maintenance approach. To find some reliability measures, such as the mean time to system failure, availability, etc., semi-Markov process and regenerating point technique are utilized. These measures are analysed graphically based on the data obtained from a gas turbine power plant in Delhi, India.
Das Leben Jhesu. Eine mittelhochdeutsche Evangelienharmonie. Untersuchung
Creators: name: Gerhardt, Christoph
Publisher: name: Trier University
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Mittelhochdeutsch
valueUri: http://d-nb.info/gnd/4039687-3
subject: Leben Jesu (Evangelienharmonie)

description: Textkritische Untersuchung der deutschen Überlieferung der mittelniederländischen Evangelienharmonie (die auf Tatians 'Diatessaron' beruht), des heute sog. '(ndl.-dt.) Leben Jesu'. Es handelt sich um die leicht überarbeitete Druckfassung der Einleitung zur Textausgabe der Dissertation Hamburg 1967. Die Textausgabe selbst ist gesondert erschienen: Das Leben Jhesu (Corpus Sacrae Scripturae Neerlandicae Medii Aevi, Ser. Min. I,4), Leiden 1970 (Nr. 2 des Schriftenverzeichnisses von Christoph Gerhardt).
STOCHASTIC MODELING AND PERFORMABILITY ANALYSIS OF REPAIRABLE SYSTEM OF A PLYWOOD INDUSTRY
Creators: name: Singh, Amit Kumar
name: P.C. Tewari
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Performability
Markov Chain
Decision Support System
Particle Swarm Availability Optimization

description: The current paper analyzes the performance behavior concerning the performability of the Veneer layup system in a plywood industry. A Markovian Approach is utilized to develop a process model for the system and enhance to evaluate system performability i.e. the function of system availability. The study investigates the impact of varying failure and repair rates on the availability of system, variation in the availability is also determined by varying available repair facilities, using a licensed software package. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method has been employed to optimize the results. Additionally, a Decision Support System (DSS) has been proposed for making strategic decisions regarding financial investments and maintenance order priorities. The findings of the paper will aid the practitioners in deciding the maintenance order priorities among various subsystems.
STRATEGIES FOR REPLACEMENT IN WORKFORCE SCHEDULING RELIABILITY MODELS
Creators: name: Iyappan. M
name: Balaji., M.
name: R. Saranraj
name: G. Sathya Priyanka
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Degradation problem
Life time
Replacing
Reliability model
Normal Distribution
Hazard Rate

description: It is a typical occurrence to replace some industrial equipment or components, such as electronic chips, bulbs, etc. It deals with the ideas of dependability theory, in which the likelihood of an equipment malfunctioning instantly is calculated assuming that it has operated normally for a given amount of time, 't'. In reliability, it's known as the hazard rate. The rate of hazard may be rising, falling, or staying the same. However, replacement tactics are employed to maintain output. Basically, two distinct approaches are employed. 1. Replacing a broken item; 2. Replacing items on a regular basis. Since it is a preventive measure to maintain production, the effective administration of maintaining system functionality depends on the application of both reliability concepts in addition to replacement theory. One may envision a similar issue with the personnel system as well. To determine the best manpower policies in this situation, replacement methods and dependability theory can also be coupled. This theory's application to labor systems is examined, and appropriate methods for employee replacement and advancement are covered in order to ensure the system's successful upkeep. In order to obtain the best fit, manpower planning is a dynamic process that controls the movement of workers into, through, and out of the organization. In order to determine appropriate manpower replacement policies for promotion and replacement of personnel for the successful maintenance of the system, this study discusses the application of dependability theory and the renewal process.
USIA Survey # 1991-I91095: National Problems
Creators: name: USIA
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2020

description: Economic situation (2); cost of living, living conditions in Guatemala (2); democracy (2); economic crisis (2); President Jorge Serrano Elias job performance (1); favorability of political personalities (5); having Protestant president (1); societal change (1); political parties (2); illegal drugs, drug trafficking (10); most serious problem (3); violence (3); human rights (2); public institutions (2); peace negotiations (1): labor unions (1); newspaper (1); indigenous language (1); relatives in United States (1); Christmas (1); Costa Ricans not joining Central American Parliament (PARCA) (1); Sandinistas in Nicaragua (1); recognizing Belize as independent country (1).
USIA Poll # 2000-I20052: Government/Political Leaders/US
Creators: name: USIA
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2019

description: Alfonso Portillo job performance (4); institutions/organizations job performance (12); politics (8); education (3); Belize (2); political/public leaders job performance (1); people respondent admires (5); problems in the country (9); soccer (1); economy (1); cost of living (1); finances (1); victim of a crime (1); judicial system (4); conditions in Guatemala (1); items respondent owns (8).
THE EXPONENTIATED SKEW LAPLACE DISTRIBUTION: PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS
Creators: name: Samson, Timothy Kayode
name: Onwukwe, Christian Elendu
name: Ekaette Inyang Enang
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Skew Laplace
Exponentiated
Distribution
Reliability function
Maximum Likelihood

description: In this paper, a 4-parameter Exponentiated Skew Laplace distribution is defined and studied. Various statistical properties including its moment generating function, characteristics function, hazard function, and reliability function of the proposed ESLD were derived. The estimation of its parameters was carried out using the maximum likelihood method of estimation. The performance of the proposed ESLD compared with other similar distributions was demonstrated empirically with daily returns of S & P 500 between 2/02/24 and 28/03/2024 and daily returns of Bitcoin between 2/02/24 and 1/04/24 as obtained from Yahoo Finance. The fitness performance of the proposed distribution was evaluated based on log-likelihood, AIC, and BIC. Results obtained show that the proposed ESLD reported the highest log likelihood as well as the lowest AIC and BIC in the two data sets. This study therefore underscores the superiority of the proposed distribution over the some of the similar existing distributions.
Anomalous change of the magnetic moment direction by hole doping in CeRu$_2$Al$_{10}$
Creators: name: Bhattacharyya, A.
name: Khalyavin, D.
name: Adroja, D. T.
name: Strydom, A. M.
name: Hillier, A. D .
name: Manual, P.
name: Takabatake, T.
name: Taylor, J. W.
name: Ritter, C.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a detailed investigation of the hole (3\% Re) doping effect on the polycrystalline CeRu$_{2}$Al$_{10}$ sample by magnetization, heat capacity, resistivity, muon spin rotation ($μ$SR), and neutron scattering (both elastic and inelastic) measurements. CeRu$_2$Al$_{10}$ is an exceptional cerium compound with an unusually high Neel temperature of 27 K. Here we study the stability of the unusual magnetic order by means of controlled doping, and we uncover further surprising attributes of this phase transition. The heat capacity, resistivity and $μ$SR measurements reveal an onset of magnetic ordering below 23 K, while a broad peak at 31 K (i.e. above $T_N$), has been observed in the temperature dependent susceptibility, indicating an opening of a spin gap above $T_N$. Our important finding, from the neutron diffraction, is that the compound orders antiferromagnetically with a propagation vector $\bf k$ = (1 0 0) and the ordered state moment is 0.20(1)$μ_B$ along the $b-$axis. This is in sharp contrast to the undoped compound, which shows AFM ordering at 27 K with the ordered moment of 0.39(3)$μ_B$ along the $c-$axis. Similar to CeRu$_2$Al$_{10}$ our inelastic neutron scattering study on the Re doped shows a sharp spin gap-type excitation near 8 meV at 5 K, but with slightly reduced intensity compared to the undoped compound. Further the excitation broadens and shifts to lower energy ($\le$ 4 meV) near 35 K. These results suggest that the low temperature magnetic properties of the hole doped sample is governed by the competition between the anisotropic hybridization effect and crystal field anisotropy as observed in hole-doped CeOs$_2$Al$_{10}$.
description: 10 pages, 10 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. B
International Affairs Survey (A+B)
Creators: name: Istituto Per Le Ricerche Statistiche E L'Analisi Dell'Opinione Pubblica (Gallup) (DOXA)
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2020

description: How long have you lived in this community; profession; newspaper ideology; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Supreme Commander of Western Military Forces; countries joining NATO; Americans come to defense of Europe after Russian attack; prevention of new war; third world war in next three years; war with Russia; prevention of war with Russia.
Direct measurement of the Wigner function by photon-number-resolving detection
Creators: name: Sridhar, Niranjan
name: Shahrokhshahi, Reihaneh
name: Miller, Aaron J.
name: Calkins, Brice
name: Gerrits, Thomas
name: Lita, Adriana
name: Nam, Sae Woo
name: Pfister, Olivier
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Photon-number-revolving (PNR) detection allows the direct measurement of the Wigner quasiprobability distribution of an optical mode without the need for numerically processing an inverse Radon transform [K. Banaszek and K. Wódkiewicz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4344 (1996)]. In this work, we reproduced the seminal experiment of Banaszek et al. [Phys. Rev. A 60, 674 (1999)] of quantum tomography of a pure coherent state, and of a statistical mixture thereof, and extended it to the more general case of photon fluxes with much more than one photon per detection time. This was made possible by the use of a superconducting transition-edge sensor to perform PNR detection from 0 to 5 photons at 1064 nm, at about 70% system efficiency and with no dead time. We detail signal acquisition and detection efficiency and discuss prospects for applying such quantum tomography to non-Gaussian states.
description: 9 pages, 8 figures. Special issue of JOSA B on Photon-Number-Resolving Detectors for Quantum State Engineering
TOPP-LEONE EXPONENTIATED GOMPERTZ INVERSE RAYLEIGH DISTRIBUTION: PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS
Creators: name: Sule Omeiza Bashiru
name: Khalaf, Alaa Abdulrahman
name: Alhaji Modu Isa
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Toppleone Exponentiated G.
Gompertz Inverse Rayleigh
Quantile Function
Order Statistics
MLE

description: This paper focused on deriving a new lifetime distribution having five parameters by compounding the Gompertz inverse Rayleigh model and the Topp-Leone exponentiated-G family of distributions. The new model is called Topp-Leone exponentiated Gompertz inverse Rayleigh (TLEGoIRa) distribution. The new model is very flexible and the shape of its pdf can be positively or negatively skewed and symmetric. Some statistical characteristics of the new model, such as the moments, incomplete moments, quantile function, rényi entropy and order statistics are derived and investigated. The pdf of the minimum and maximum order statistics of the new model were derived and studied. The model’s parameters are estimated using the maximum likelihood approach. A simulation study was conducted to investigate the consistency of the newly proposed model, using the average bias and root mean square error (RMSE) as metrics. The outcome of the simulation suggested that as sample sizes increase, both the average bias and root mean square error (RMSE) decrease, indicating that the distribution is consistent. Finally, two real-life datasets were used to explore the new model’s importance and adaptability in comparison to other competing models The results of the application revealed that the new distribution outperforms its competitors.
WEIGHTED R-NORM ENTROPY FOR LIFETIME DISTRIBUTIONS: PROPERTIES AND APPLICATION
Creators: name: Bhat, Bilal Ahmad
name: M.A.K Baig
Publisher: name: Reliability: Theory & Applications
Year: 2024
Subjects: Weighted entropy
weighted R-Norm entropy
hazard rate function
mean residual life function and characterization results

description: In the field of information theory, different uncertainty measures have been introduced by various researchers. These measures are widely used in reliability and survival studies. In this article, we introduce two new weighted uncertainty measures which are known as weighted R-Norm entropy (WRNE) and weighted R-Norm residual entropy (WRNRE). WRNE and WRNRE are “length-biased” shift-dependent uncertainty measures in which higher weight is assigned to large values of the observed random variable. Several important properties of these measures are studied. Some significant characterization results and the relationships of WRNRE with other reliability measures are presented. We also show that the survival function is uniquely determined by the WRNRE. Finally, based on a real life data set of bladder cancer patients, we illustrate the importance of WRNE and WRNRE.
Additional file 1 of Transcriptional immunogenomic analysis reveals distinct immunological clusters in paediatric nervous system tumours
Creators: name: Nabbi, Arash
name: Beck, Pengbo
name: Delaidelli, Alberto
name: Oldridge, Derek A.
name: Sudhaman, Sumedha
name: Zhu, Kelsey
name: Yang, S. Y. Cindy
name: Mulder, David T.
name: Bruce, Jeffrey P.
name: Paulson, Joseph N.
name: Raman, Pichai
name: Zhu, Yuankun
name: Resnick, Adam C.
name: Sorensen, Poul H.
name: Sill, Martin
name: Brabetz, Sebastian
name: Lambo, Sander
name: Malkin, David
name: Johann, Pascal D.
name: Kool, Marcel
name: Jones, David T. W.
name: Pfister, Stefan M.
name: Jäger, Natalie
name: Pugh, Trevor J.
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine

description: Additional file 1. Supplementary figures for the manuscript.
Surveillance for Malaria Elimination in Swaziland: A National Cross-Sectional Study Using Pooled PCR and Serology
Creators: name: Kandula, Deepika
name: Angov, Evelina
name: Kemere, Jordan
name: Dutta, Sheetij
name: Ockenhouse, Christian
name: Tong, Marcus
name: Dorsey, Grant
name: Hsiang, Michelle S.
name: Greenhouse, Bryan
name: Novotny, Joseph
name: Moonen, Bruno
name: Dlamini, Sabelo
name: Parizo, Justin
name: Hwang, Jimee
name: Kunene, Simon
name: Jensen, Trevor
name: Drakeley, Chris
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: BackgroundTo guide malaria elimination efforts in Swaziland and other countries, accurate assessments of transmission are critical. Pooled-PCR has potential to efficiently improve sensitivity to detect infections; serology may clarify temporal and spatial trends in exposure.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing a stratified two-stage cluster, cross-sectional design, subjects were recruited from the malaria endemic region of Swaziland. Blood was collected for rapid diagnostic testing (RDT), pooled PCR, and ELISA detecting antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum surface antigens. Of 4330 participants tested, three were RDT-positive yet false positives by PCR. Pooled PCR led to the identification of one P. falciparum and one P. malariae infection among RDT-negative participants. The P. falciparum-infected participant reported recent travel to Mozambique. Compared to performing individual testing on thousands of samples, PCR pooling reduced labor and consumable costs by 95.5%. Seropositivity was associated with age ≥20 years (11·7% vs 1·9%, P<0.001), recent travel to Mozambique (OR 4.4 [95% CI 1.0–19.0]) and residence in southeast Swaziland (RR 3.78, P<0.001).ConclusionsThe prevalence of malaria infection and recent exposure in Swaziland are extremely low, suggesting elimination is feasible. Future efforts should address imported malaria and target remaining foci of transmission. Pooled PCR and ELISA are valuable surveillance tools for guiding elimination efforts.
Wavefront Modulation and Subwavelength Diffractive Acoustics with an Acoustic Metasurface
Creators: name: Xie, Yangbo
name: Wang, Wenqi
name: Chen, Huanyang
name: Konneker, Adam
name: Popa, Bogdan-Ioan
name: Cummer, Steven A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Metasurfaces are a family of novel wavefront shaping devices with planar profile and subwavelength thickness. Acoustic metasurfaces with ultralow profile yet extraordinary wave manipulating properties would be highly desirable for improving the performance of many acoustic wave-based applications. However, designing acoustic metasurfaces with similar functionality as their electromagnetic counterparts remains challenging with traditional metamaterial design approaches. Here we present a design and realization of an acoustic metasurface based on tapered labyrinthine metamaterials. The demonstrated metasurface can not only can steer an acoustic beam as expected from the generalized Snell s law, but also exhibits various unique properties including surface wave conversion, extraordinary beam-steering and apparent negative refraction through higher-order diffraction. Such designer acoustic metasurfaces provide a new design methodology for acoustic signal modulation devices and may be useful for applications such as beam-steering, surface wave manipulation, high efficiency sound absorption, acoustic imaging and ultrasound lens design.
T Cell Receptor-Like Recognition of Tumor In Vivo by Synthetic Antibody Fragment
Creators: name: Leung, Brenda
name: Koide, Akiko
name: Yoder, Bryan
name: Jay, Michael
name: Yuan, Hong
name: Sidhu, Sachdev S.
name: Koide, Shohei
name: Collins, Edward J.
name: Miller, Keith R.
name: Fitzsimmons, Jonathan
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: A major difficulty in treating cancer is the inability to differentiate between normal and tumor cells. The immune system differentiates tumor from normal cells by T cell receptor (TCR) binding of tumor-associated peptides bound to Major Histocompatibility Complex (pMHC) molecules. The peptides, derived from the tumor-specific proteins, are presented by MHC proteins, which then serve as cancer markers. The TCR is a difficult protein to use as a recombinant protein because of production issues and has poor affinity for pMHC; therefore, it is not a good choice for use as a tumor identifier outside of the immune system. We constructed a synthetic antibody-fragment (Fab) library in the phage-display format and isolated antibody-fragments that bind pMHC with high affinity and specificity. One Fab, fE75, recognizes our model cancer marker, the Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2/neu) peptide, E75, bound to the MHC called Human Leukocyte Antigen-A2 (HLA-A2), with nanomolar affinity. The fE75 bound selectively to E75/HLA-A2 positive cancer cell lines in vitro. The fE75 Fab conjugated with 64Cu selectively accumulated in E75/HLA-A2 positive tumors and not in E75/HLA-A2 negative tumors in an HLA-A2 transgenic mouse as probed using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging. Considering that hundreds to thousands of different peptides bound to HLA-A2 are present on the surface of each cell, the fact that fE75 arrives at the tumor at all shows extraordinary specificity. These antibody fragments have great potential for diagnosis and targeted drug delivery in cancer.
On the reliability of protostellar disc mass measurements and the existence of fragmenting discs
Creators: name: Dunham, Michael M.
name: Vorobyov, Eduard I.
name: Arce, Héctor G.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We couple non-magnetic, hydrodynamical simulations of collapsing protostellar cores with radiative transfer evolutionary models to generate synthetic observations. We then use these synthetic observations to investigate the extent to which a simple method for measuring protostellar disc masses used in the literature recovers the intrinsic masses of the discs formed in the simulations. We evaluate the effects of contamination from the surrounding core, partially resolving out the disc, optical depth, fixed assumed dust temperatures, inclination, and the dust opacity law. We show that the combination of these effects can lead to disc mass underestimates by up to factors of 2-3 at millimeter wavelengths and up to an order of magnitude or larger at submillimeter wavelengths. The optically thin portions of protostellar discs are generally cooler in the Class I stage than the Class 0 stage since Class I discs are typically larger and more optically thick, and thus more shielded. The observed disc mass distribution closely resembles the intrinsic distribution if this effect is taken into account, especially at millimeter wavelengths where optical depth effects are minimized. Approximately 50%-70% of protostellar discs observed to date with this method are consistent with the masses of the gravitationally unstable discs formed in the simulations, suggesting that at least some protostellar discs are likely sufficiently massive to fragment. We emphasize key future work needed to confirm these results, including assembling larger, less biased samples, and using molecular line observations to distinguish between rotationally supported, Keplerian discs and magnetically supported pseudodiscs.
description: 17 pages, 10 figures. Accepted by MNRAS
Tat–Dependent Translocation of an F420–Binding Protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Creators: name: Feltcher, Meghan E.
name: Turner, Adrian P.
name: Bashiri, Ghader
name: Braunstein, Miriam
name: Perkowski, Ellen F.
name: Baker, Edward N.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: F420 is a unique cofactor present in a restricted range of microorganisms, including mycobacteria. It has been proposed that F420 has an important role in the oxidoreductive reactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, possibly associated with anaerobic survival and persistence. The protein encoded by Rv0132c has a predicted N–terminal signal sequence and is annotated as an F420–dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Here we show that Rv0132c protein does not have the annotated activity. It does, however, co–purify with F420 during expression experiments in M. smegmatis. We also show that the Rv0132c–F420 complex is a substrate for the Tat pathway, which mediates translocation of the complex across the cytoplasmic membrane, where Rv0132c is anchored to the cell envelope. This is the first report of any F420–binding protein being a substrate for the Tat pathway and of the presence of F420 outside of the cytosol in any F420–producing microorganism. The Rv0132c protein and its Tat export sequence are essentially invariant in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Taken together, these results show that current understanding of F420 biology in mycobacteria should be expanded to include activities occurring in the extra-cytoplasmic cell envelope.
The Adult Cystic Fibrosis Airway Microbiota Is Stable over Time and Infection Type, and Highly Resilient to Antibiotic Treatment of Exacerbations
Creators: name: Wolfgang, Matthew C.
name: Elborn, J. Stuart
name: Gilpin, Deirdre F.
name: Fodor, Anthony A.
name: Klem, Erich R.
name: Tunney, Michael M.
name: Boucher, Richard C.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by defective mucociliary clearance and chronic airway infection by a complex microbiota. Infection, persistent inflammation and periodic episodes of acute pulmonary exacerbation contribute to an irreversible decline in CF lung function. While the factors leading to acute exacerbations are poorly understood, antibiotic treatment can temporarily resolve pulmonary symptoms and partially restore lung function. Previous studies indicated that exacerbations may be associated with changes in microbial densities and the acquisition of new microbial species. Given the complexity of the CF microbiota, we applied massively parallel pyrosequencing to identify changes in airway microbial community structure in 23 adult CF patients during acute pulmonary exacerbation, after antibiotic treatment and during periods of stable disease. Over 350,000 sequences were generated, representing nearly 170 distinct microbial taxa. Approximately 60% of sequences obtained were from the recognized CF pathogens Pseudomonas and Burkholderia, which were detected in largely non-overlapping patient subsets. In contrast, other taxa including Prevotella, Streptococcus, Rothia and Veillonella were abundant in nearly all patient samples. Although antibiotic treatment was associated with a small decrease in species richness, there was minimal change in overall microbial community structure. Furthermore, microbial community composition was highly similar in patients during an exacerbation and when clinically stable, suggesting that exacerbations may represent intrapulmonary spread of infection rather than a change in microbial community composition. Mouthwash samples, obtained from a subset of patients, showed a nearly identical distribution of taxa as expectorated sputum, indicating that aspiration may contribute to colonization of the lower airways. Finally, we observed a strong correlation between low species richness and poor lung function. Taken together, these results indicate that the adult CF lung microbiome is largely stable through periods of exacerbation and antibiotic treatment and that short-term compositional changes in the airway microbiota do not account for CF pulmonary exacerbations.
The BRG1 Chromatin Remodeler Protects Against Ovarian Cysts, Uterine Tumors, and Mammary Tumors in a Lineage-Specific Manner
Creators: name: Godfrey, Virginia
name: Serber, Daniel W.
name: Bultman, Scott J.
name: Simin, Karl
name: Rogala, Allison
name: Rosson, Gary B.
name: Van Dyke, Terry
name: Makarem, Maisam
name: Eaves, Connie J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: The BRG1 catalytic subunit of SWI/SNF-related complexes is required for mammalian development as exemplified by the early embryonic lethality of Brg1 null homozygous mice. BRG1 is also a tumor suppressor and, in mice, 10% of heterozygous (Brg1null/+) females develop mammary tumors. We now demonstrate that BRG1 mRNA and protein are expressed in both the luminal and basal cells of the mammary gland, raising the question of which lineage requires BRG1 to promote mammary homeostasis and prevent oncogenic transformation. To investigate this question, we utilized Wap-Cre to mutate both Brg1 floxed alleles in the luminal cells of the mammary epithelium of pregnant mice where WAP is exclusively expressed within the mammary gland. Interestingly, we found that Brg1Wap-Cre conditional homozygotes lactated normally and did not develop mammary tumors even when they were maintained on a Brm-deficient background. However, Brg1Wap-Cre mutants did develop ovarian cysts and uterine tumors. Analysis of these latter tissues showed that both, like the mammary gland, contain cells that normally express Brg1 and Wap. Thus, tumor formation in Brg1 mutant mice appears to be confined to particular cell types that require BRG1 and also express Wap. Our results now show that such cells exist both in the ovary and the uterus but not in either the luminal or the basal compartments of the mammary gland. Taken together, these findings indicate that SWI/SNF-related complexes are dispensable in the luminal cells of the mammary gland and therefore argue against the notion that SWI/SNF-related complexes are essential for cell survival. These findings also suggest that the tumor-suppressor activity of BRG1 is restricted to the basal cells of the mammary gland and demonstrate that this function extends to other female reproductive organs, consistent with recent observations of recurrent ARID1A/BAF250a mutations in human ovarian and endometrial tumors.
The Colitis-Associated Transcriptional Profile of Commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Enhances Adaptive Immune Responses to a Bacterial Antigen
Creators: name: Chang, Eugene B.
name: Sartor, R. Balfour
name: Goeser, Laura
name: Fan, Ting-Jia
name: Peterson, Daniel A.
name: Huang, Yong
name: Hansen, Jonathan J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: BackgroundInflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may be caused in part by aberrant immune responses to commensal intestinal microbes including the well-characterized anaerobic gut commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta). Healthy, germ-free HLA-B27 transgenic (Tg) rats develop chronic colitis when colonized with complex gut commensal bacteria whereas non-transgenic (nTg) rats remain disease-free. However, the role of B. theta in causing disease in Tg rats is unknown nor is much known about how gut microbes respond to host inflammation.MethodsTg and nTg rats were monoassociated with a human isolate of B. theta. Colonic inflammation was assessed by histologic scoring and tissue pro-inflammatory cytokine measurement. Whole genome transcriptional profiling of B. theta recovered from ceca was performed using custom GeneChips and data analyzed using dChip, Significance Analysis of Microarrays, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) software. Western Blots were used to determine adaptive immune responses to a differentially expressed B. theta gene.ResultsB. theta monoassociated Tg rats, but not nTg or germ-free controls, developed chronic colitis. Transcriptional profiles of cecal B. theta were significantly different in Tg vs. nTg rats. GSEA revealed that genes in KEGG canonical pathways involved in bacterial growth and metabolism were downregulated in B. theta from Tg rats with colitis though luminal bacterial concentrations were unaffected. Bacterial genes in the Gene Ontology molecular function “receptor activity”, most of which encode nutrient binding proteins, were significantly upregulated in B. theta from Tg rats and include a SusC homolog that induces adaptive immune responses in Tg rats.ConclusionsB. theta induces colitis in HLA-B27 Tg rats, which is associated with regulation of bacterial genes in metabolic and nutrient binding pathways that may affect host immune responses. These studies of the host-microbial dialogue may lead to the identification of novel microbial targets for IBD therapies.
The Cotton Centromere Contains a Ty3-gypsy-like LTR Retroelement
Creators: name: Copenhaver, Gregory
name: Abramson, Bradley
name: Mach, Jennifer
name: Schurr, Robert
name: Barone, Pierluigi
name: Luo, Song
name: Folkerts, Otto
name: Ramirez, Rolando
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: The centromere is a repeat-rich structure essential for chromosome segregation; with the long-term aim of understanding centromere structure and function, we set out to identify cotton centromere sequences. To isolate centromere-associated sequences from cotton, (Gossypium hirsutum) we surveyed tandem and dispersed repetitive DNA in the genus. Centromere-associated elements in other plants include tandem repeats and, in some cases, centromere-specific retroelements. Examination of cotton genomic survey sequences for tandem repeats yielded sequences that did not localize to the centromere. However, among the repetitive sequences we also identified a gypsy-like LTR retrotransposon (Centromere Retroelement Gossypium, CRG) that localizes to the centromere region of all chromosomes in domestic upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, the major commercially grown cotton. The location of the functional centromere was confirmed by immunostaining with antiserum to the centromere-specific histone CENH3, which co-localizes with CRG hybridization on metaphase mitotic chromosomes. G. hirsutum is an allotetraploid composed of A and D genomes and CRG is also present in the centromere regions of other AD cotton species. Furthermore, FISH and genomic dot blot hybridization revealed that CRG is found in D-genome diploid cotton species, but not in A-genome diploid species, indicating that this retroelement may have invaded the A-genome centromeres during allopolyploid formation and amplified during evolutionary history. CRG is also found in other diploid Gossypium species, including B and E2 genome species, but not in the C, E1, F, and G genome species tested. Isolation of this centromere-specific retrotransposon from Gossypium provides a probe for further understanding of centromere structure, and a tool for future engineering of centromere mini-chromosomes in this important crop species.
The Effect of Monthly Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine, Alone or with Azithromycin, on PCR-Diagnosed Malaria at Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Creators: name: Cheung, Yin Bun
name: Rantala, Anne-Maria
name: Maleta, Kenneth
name: Meshnick, Steven R.
name: Ashorn, Per
name: Kulmala, Teija
name: Luntamo, Mari
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: BackgroundNew regimens for intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) against malaria are needed as the effectiveness of the standard two-dose sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) regimen is under threat. Previous trials have shown that IPTp with monthly SP benefits HIV-positive primi- and secundigravidae, but there is no conclusive evidence of the possible benefits of this regimen to HIV-negative women, or to a population comprising of both HIV-positive and –negative women of different gravidities.MethodsThis study analyzed 484 samples collected at delivery as part of a randomized, partially placebo controlled clinical trial, conducted in rural Malawi between 2003 and 2007. The study included pregnant women regardless of their gravidity or HIV-infection status. The participants received SP twice (controls), monthly SP, or monthly SP and two doses of azithromycin (AZI-SP). The main outcome was the prevalence of peripheral Plasmodium falciparum malaria at delivery diagnosed with a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.FindingsOverall prevalence of PCR-diagnosed peripheral P. falciparum malaria at delivery was 10.5%. Compared with the controls, participants in the monthly SP group had a risk ratio (95% CI) of 0.33 (0.17 to 0.64, P<0.001) and those in the AZI-SP group 0.23 (0.11 to 0.48, P<0.001) for malaria at delivery. When only HIV-negative participants were analyzed, the corresponding figures were 0.26 (0.12 to 0.57, P<0.001) for women in the monthly SP group, and 0.24 (0.11 to 0.53, P<0.001) for those in the AZI-SP group.ConclusionsOur results suggest that increasing the frequency of SP administration during pregnancy improves the efficacy against malaria at delivery among HIV-negative women, as well as a population consisting of both HIV-positive and –negative pregnant women of all gravidities, in a setting of relatively low but holoendemic malaria transmission, frequent use of bed nets and high SP resistance.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00131235