Mutual Pairs Research Articles

Circulation and Codetections of Influenza Virus, SARS-CoV-2, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Rhinovirus, Adenovirus, Bocavirus, and Other Respiratory Viruses During 2022–2023 Season in Latvia

This retrospective study analysed the routine data obtained by multiplex real-time RT-qPCR methods for respiratory virus detection. A total of 4814 respiratory specimens collected during 1 September 2022–31 August 2023 were included in the study. A total of 38% of the specimens were positive for at least one target, with the incidence maximum (82%) for the small children (age group 0–4 years). The five dominant virus groups were rhinovirus (RV, 12%), influenza virus A (IAV, 7%), adenovirus (AdV, 6%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, 5%), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, 5%). The specimens with multi-detections represented 19% of the positives, unevenly distributed (n = 225, 56, 43, 24) among the age groups 0–4, 5–14, 15–64, and 65< years, respectively. The dominant virus groups in multi-positive specimens were RV (53%), AdV (43%), and bocavirus (BoV, 35%)—in mutual pairs as well as all three together—followed by RSV (21%), and IAV (15%). Our study focused on the specimens with codetections and provides an insight into the variety of the respiratory virus interactions in Latvia during the first year since pandemic-related social restriction measures were eased. The observations also emphasise the need to consider the differentiation between rhinoviruses and enteroviruses, especially for the youngest patients in the age group 0–4.

A method for estimating of integral roundness index for a detrital zircons set: a case of the sequences from the Cimmerides of the Mountainous Crimea

A technique that allows to evaluate the degree of roundness of detrital zircon grains on a five-point scale according to the degree of preservation of the vertices, edges and faces of the crystals is presented. Based on the results of the degree of roundness of individual grains, the integral index SOs is calculated for a sample from various stratigraphic units. The obtained data makes it possible to determine the proportion of grains of different classes in different strata, to assess the degree of similarity/difference of samples, which can be an additional criterion when dividing sedimentary sections. The proposed method is used to compare the roundness characteristics of detrital zircons from a number of sedimentary sequences of the Cimmerides of the Crimean Mountains. It is shown that the sandstones of the Chenka sequence, relative to the sandstones of the flysch sequences, are characterized by a higher proportion of unrounded and weakly rounded zircon grains and a virtual absence of completely rounded grains. The values of the integral roundness index SOs for zircons from sandstones of the Tauride Groupe have showed values of 3.41 and 3.95, and for the Chenka sequence – 2.55. Thus, a significant difference in SOs was recorded between the studied strata, which is also confirmed by the values of the mutual pair coefficients p, calculated using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.

Leaf shape, planting density, and nitrogen application affect soybean yield by changing direct and diffuse light distribution in the canopy

When attempting to maximize the crop yield from field-grown soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) by means of improving the light conditions for photosynthesis in the canopy, it is crucial to find the optimal planting density and nitrogen application rate. The soybean plants that were the subject of our experiment were cultivated in N-dense mutual pairs, and included two cultivars with different leaf shapes; one cultivar sported ovate leaves (O-type) and the other lanceolate leaves (L-type). We analyzed the results quantitatively to determine the amount of spatial variation in light distribution and photosynthetic efficiency across the canopy, and to gauge the effect of the experimental parameters on the yield as well as the photosynthetic light and nitrogen use efficiency of the crop. Results indicate that the different leaf shapes were responsible for significant disparities between the photosynthetic utilization of direct and diffuse light. As the nitrogen fertilizer rate and the planting density increased, the soybean plants responded by adjusting leaf morphology in order to maximize the canopy apparent photosynthetic light use efficiency, which in turn affected the leaf nitrogen distribution in the canopy. Despite the fact that the light interception rate of the canopy of the L-type cultivar was lower than that of the canopy of the O-type cultivar, we found its canopy apparent photosynthetic nitrogen and light use efficiency were higher. It was interesting to note, however, that the nitrogen and light use efficiency contributions associated with exposure to diffuse light were greater for the latter than for the former.

Is current system of direct payments suitable for farmers in Slovakia?

Current system of direct payments in Slovakia can be described as per hectare payment. It is based on the logical assumption that the more land farmers cultivates, the more support they need. However, it seems like this principle works differently among EU member states. Historically, Slovakia is a country with the largest farms in EU 28. This extreme big physical farm size is here connected with the lowest output among EU 28 and simultaneously Slovak farms display also lowest efficiency. Paper examine generally accepted assumption that the more hectares farms utilize, the more subsidies they should receive, to help achieve more output. Research is based on the mutual pair combined correlation analysis, which examined relationship between utilized agricultural area, total output and total subsidies. Surprisingly just the relationship between total subsidies and total output was proved to be positive and in a moderate manner. Relation of total subsidies and utilised agricultural area, respectively total output and utilised agricultural area show the inverse relationship. In spite of the development in most European countries, Slovak outcomes indicates that the more subsidies farmers receive, the less output they achieve. This paradox can be caused by the actual Common Agricultural Policy system of subsidies remuneration which is not necessary suitable for whole EU 28 on the same level.

Abstract LB-022: Synthetic lethal pairs for cancer treatment by agnostic exploration of mutually exclusive genomics

Abstract Human cancers are highly heterogeneous diseases that rely on the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations for initiation and maintenance. The increasing knowledge emerging from large sequencing efforts, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) or the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) can be used to identify new targets for treatment by applying the concept of synthetic lethality (SL), with new synthetic lethal pairs identified through mutual exclusivity analysis of patient-derived tumor data. However several confounding factors, such as sample purity or sequencing platform, prevent the systematic explorations of the full spectrum of synthetic lethal (SL) pairs. Here, we present a two-step approach to handle large SL studies: i) SPICE (Synthetic Lethal Phenotype Identification through Cancer Evolution analysis) pipeline to process in a uniform environment thousands of samples; (ii) FaMe (Fast Mutual Exclusivity algorithm) to explore millions of aberration pairs and then nominate mutual exclusive pairs, which will be validated in vitro. The SPICE pipeline handles DNA sequencing data (whole genome, whole exome, and targeted sequencing) and generates purity- and ploidy-adjusted somatic copy number profiles. Then, it assesses allele specific copy number, a strong confounding factor in mutual exclusivity analysis. For instance, a copy number neutral LOH gene is interpreted as “wild type” in classic log2 ratio-based copy number analysis, potentially impairing SL analysis. Moreover, SPICE pipeline distinguishes between clonal and subclonal copy number events and processes single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and structural rearrangements. Afterwards, FaMe models each type of aberration in a dataset as a binary matrix reporting whether a gene in a sample is aberrant or not. The approach is quite general and searches for any combination of aberration types (SNVs, deletions and amplifications). Fast matrix multiplication, logarithm-based implementation of Fisher's exact test and massive parallelization allow testing for mutual exclusivity of hundreds of millions of aberration pairs in few minutes. Filters based on expression data, interaction databases, and drug responses resources are integrated to shortlist nominated pairs for in vitro validation.We processed 8,397 samples belonging to 29 tumor types from TCGA. Preliminary results identify known SL pairs as for example the mutual exclusivity of SNVs and combination of homozygous deletion and SNVs of the EGFR and K-RAS genes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) (p= 0.005 and p= 0.0029, respectively). Details on the general features of these analyses and on the newly identified mutually exclusive pairs will be presented. Citation Format: Francesca Lorenzin, Davide Prandi, Paola Gasperini, Tarcisio Fedrizzi, Francesca Demichelis. Synthetic lethal pairs for cancer treatment by agnostic exploration of mutually exclusive genomics [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-022.

Crystal structure of (3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)di-phenyl-phosphine oxide.

The title compound, C18H18NOP, was obtained during a search for new P,N-containing ligands with the potential to generate precatalysts with chromium(III) for selective ethyl-ene oligomerization. In the crystal, mutual pairs of N-H⋯O=P hydrogen bonds link two mol-ecules into a dimer with individual mol-ecules related by a twofold rotation axis. The P=O bond length of 1.4740 (15) Å is not elongated although the O atom is involved in hydrogen bonding. The crystal structure is further stabilized by van der Waals inter-actions between the dimers, linking the mol-ecules into a three-dimensional network structure.

Some New Results on Integral-Type Backstepping Method for a Control Problem Governed by a Linear Heat Equation

It is well known in the literature that the design of stabilization controllers for control systems governed by linear heat equations can be achieved by applying the integral-type backstepping transformation. In this paper, its focus is to establish three new results. First, by controllability theory, we show that the choice of kernels is unique in the context of integral-type backstepping transformation. Next, we show that the forward transformation and inverse transformation in the integral-type backstepping method are mutual transformation pair via solving an easily solvable PDE. With this result, the need of finding explicit solutions of kernel equations can be avoided. Finally, by constructing a corresponding LQ problem, we show that the optimal control of the LQ problem is exactly the stabilization control of the heat equation obtained by the integral-type backstepping method.

Mutual aid program among adults with mental health illness as part of the treatment in a day hospital

Introduction/objectivesTo supervise agents in a mutual aid experience in Motril Mental Health Day Hospital. To perform a supporting role among the agents involved in a mutual aid program to consolidate its operations autonomously.MethodsA multidisciplinary working group, which met every two weeks for 4 months was set. Group sessions were planned. We selected mutual aid pairs individually and addressed the difficulties in the process. The experiment was performed with 4 agents setting a maximum of 5 interviews. A success criterion of 80% of the meetings planned was established. In between mutual aid group, success criterion was to maintain a 3-month experience held by 5 members. A qualitative analysis of most important issues amongst coordination meetings were also held.ResultsThree out of 4 pairs reached 80% of the interviews successfully. The support group was developed weekly during 3 months with an average of 8 participants. The trending topics during coordination meetings were toxic consumption, acute crisis, drug intake and issues to be addressed with the psychiatrist.ConclusionsMutual aid among users is a way of intervention that needs to be further consolidated. The establishment is still unpretentious and has low weight amongst coordination objectives. The results addressed in number of sessions and satisfaction are favorable, but it is necessary to assess the experience widely and to begin developing specific objectives [1,2].Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

User pairing in cooperative wireless network coding with network performance optimization

In this paper, we consider a network-coded cooperative wireless network, where users mutually pair among themselves to realize network coding. We assume a multi-user environment, where users transmit to a common destination in the absence of dedicated relaying nodes. We address the important problem of the mutual pairing of users, which directly governs the overall network performance. An optimal user pairing algorithm is proposed and tailored to maximize the network capacity. Next, we develop heuristic user pairing schemes, which demonstrate near-optimal performance at significantly reduced computational complexity. In particular, we propose max-max pairing to maximize the network capacity and max-min pairing to minimize the outage probability. We then consider power minimization for energy-constrained networks. A joint optimization problem is formulated and solved to find the pairing which maximizes the network capacity and minimizes the transmission power, while meeting certain network performance constraint, such as in terms of the minimum average capacity per user or maximum average outage probability per user.

Higher-order structure of nucleic acids in the gas phase: Top-down analysis of base-pairing interactions

Non-ergodic as well as ergodic activation methods are capable of maintaining the integrity of base pairs during the top-down analysis of nucleic acids. Here, we investigate the significance of this characteristic in the investigation of higher-order structures of increasing complexity. We show that cognate fragments produced by typical backbone cleavages may not be always detected as separate sequence ions, but rather as individual products that remain associated through mutual pairing contacts. This effect translates into unintended masking of cleavage events that take place in double-stranded regions, thus leading to the preferential detection of fragments originating from unpaired regions. Such effect is determined by the stability of the weak non-covalent association between complementary stretches, which is affected by base composition, length of the double-stranded structure, and charge of the precursor ion selected for analysis. Although such effect may prevent the achievement of full sequence coverage for primary structure determination, it may provide the key to correctly differentiate double- versus single-stranded regions, in what could be defined as gas-phase footprinting experiments. In light of the critical role played by base pairs in defining the higher-order structure of nucleic acids, these approaches will be expected to support an increased utilization of mass spectrometry for the investigation of nucleic acid structure and dynamics.

Lattice model of a polar liquid

The molecular model of a polar liquid based on the lattice gas theory was used to study the liquid—gas phase equilibrium. In this theory, the key unknown variables are the probabilities of various mutual pair positions of the molecules. The molecules are considered as non-polarizable point dipoles. The intermolecular interaction potential includes a dipole—dipole component depending on the molecular orientation and the Lennard-Jones contribution stabilizing the system with dipole interactions. The theory provides qualitative agreement with experimental data on the water—vapor equilibrium.

An interlocked dimeric parallel-stranded DNA quadruplex: A potent inhibitor of HIV-1 integrase

We report on the NMR-based solution structure of the 93del d(GGGGTGGGAGGAGGGT) aptamer, a potent nanomolar inhibitor of HIV-1 integrase. This guanine-rich DNA sequence adopts an unusually stable dimeric quadruplex architecture in K+ solution. Within each 16-nt monomer subunit, which contains one A.(G.G.G.G) pentad sandwiched between two G.G.G.G tetrads, all G-stretches are parallel, and all guanines are anti with the exception of G1, which is syn. Dimer formation is achieved through mutual pairing of G1 of one monomer, with G2, G6, and G13 of the other monomer, to complete G.G.G.G tetrad formation. There are three single-nucleotide double-chain-reversal loops within each monomer fold, such that the first (T5) and third (A12) loops bridge three G-tetrad layers, whereas the second (A9) loop bridges two G-tetrad layers and participates in A.(G.G.G.G) pentad formation. Results of NMR and of integrase inhibition assays on loop-modified sequences allowed us to propose a strategy toward the potential design of improved HIV-1 integrase inhibitors. Finally, we propose a model, based on molecular docking approaches, for positioning the 93del dimeric DNA quadruplex within a basic channel/canyon formed between subunits of a dimer of dimers of HIV-1 integrase.

Social Norms and the Paradox of Elections? Turnout

People vote although their marginal gain from voting is zero.We contribute to the resolution of this paradox by presentinga model for equilibrium configuration of attitudes regardingthe decision to vote. Each individual is seen as an element ofa social network, within which pairs of individuals expressideas and attitudes, exerting mutual influence. We model therole of such networks in propagating the mutual influenceacross pairs of individuals. We show that it may suffice thata small set of individuals have a strong feeling about showingup to vote to generate a significant turnout in elections.

Differential chromosome pairing affinities at meiosis in polyploid sugarcane revealed by molecular markers.

Chromosome pairing at meiosis is an essential feature in cell biology, which determines trait inheritance and species evolution. Complex polyploids may display diverse pairing affinities and offer favorable situations for studying meiosis. The genus Saccharum encompasses diverse forms of polyploids with predominantly bivalent pairing. We have focused on a modern cultivar of sugarcane, R570, and taken advantage of a particular single copy probe (BNL 12.06) revealing 11 alleles by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). As for other cultivars, R570 is highly polyploid (2n=ca. 115) and indirectly derived from interspecific hybridization between Saccharum officinarum (2n=80, x=10) and S. spontaneum (2n=40-128, x=8). Here we determined the doses of the various BNL12.06 RFLP alleles among 282 progeny of R570 and estimated the mutual pairing frequencies among the corresponding homo- or homoeologous chromosomes using a maximum likelihood method. The result is an atypical picture, with pairing frequencies ranging from 0 to 40% and differential affinities leading to the identification of several chromosome subsets. This example illustrates the unsystematic meiotic behavior in a complex polyploid. It highlights a continuous range of pairing affinities between chromosomes and pinpoints a strong role of individual chromosome features, partly related to their ancestral origin, in the determination of these affinities.

Clustering of symbolic objects using gravitational approach

Most of the techniques used in the literature in clustering symbolic data are based on the hierarchical methodology, which uses the concept of agglomeration or division as the core of the algorithm. The main contribution of this paper is to formulate a clustering algorithm for symbolic objects based on the gravitational approach. The proposed procedure is based on the physical phenomenon in which a system of particles in space converge to the centroid of the system due to gravitational attraction between the particles. Some pairs of samples called mutual pairs, which have a tendency to gravitate toward each other, are discerned at each stage of this multistage scheme. The notions of cluster coglomerate strength and global coglomerate strength are used for accomplishing or abandoning the process of merging a mutual pair. The methodology forms composite symbolic objects whenever two symbolic objects are merged. The process of merging at each stage, reduces the number of samples that are available for consideration. The procedure terminates at some stage where there are no more mutual pairs available for merging. The efficacy of the proposed methodology is examined by applying it on numeric data and also on data sets drawn from the domain of fat oil, microcomputers, microprocessors, and botany. A detailed comparative study is carried out with other methods and the results are presented.

Computer Modeling of the Optical Properties of Transition-Metal Ions in Solids

ABSTRACTComputational methods for modeling the optical properties of substitutional transition-metal impurities in insulating solids, potentially applicable to some scintillator and phosphor materials, are reviewed. Methods considered include crystal-field and semi-empirical ligand-field models; SCF-Xα-SW, SCF-RHF-LCAO, SCF-UHF-LCAO and CI ab initio methods: and ICECAP and HADESR embedded cluster methods with lattice relaxation. A detailed example of the application of the HADESR method to crystal-field spectra of Cr3+ in halide elpasolites is described. In this method, ab initio molecular-orbital calculations with effective core potentials are performed for selected ionic configurations. Simultaneous relaxation of the cluster and surrounding lattice, with mutual pair. potential interactions, is accomplished by a modified lattice statics program. Calculated properties include pressure-dependent optical transition energies, vibration frequencies and radiationless transition rates.

Symbolic clustering using a new dissimilarity measure

A new dissimilarity measure, based on “position”, “span” and “content” of symbolic objects is proposed for symbolic clustering. The dissimilarity measure is new in the sense that it is not just another aspect of a similarity measure. In the proposed hierarchical agglomerative clustering methodology, composite symbolic objects are formed using a Cartesian join operator whenever a mutual pair of symbolic objects is selected for agglomeration based on minimum dissimilarity. The minimum dissimilarity values of different merging levels are used to compute the cluster indicator values and hence to determine the number of clusters in the data. The results of the application of the algorithm on numeric data of known number of classes are described first so as to show the efficacy of the method. Subsequently, the results of the experiments on two data sets of Assertion type of symbolic objects drawn from the domains of fat-oil and microcomputers are presented.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-PERCEPTIONS AND THE EVALUATIONS OF PERSONALITY PERCEIVED BY PARTNER

The effects of dyad relations on the degree of agreement (congruency) between self-perception and the evaluations of personality perceived by partner were explored using seventh graders as subjects. In study 1, 42 mutual (MP) and 47 unilateral (UP) friendship pairs were selected. Each partner in each pair was asked to choose 5 personality traits from 30 traits which deemed to describe properly (a) the self and (b) the self perceived by the partner. The congruency between (a) and (b), and content of the both agreement and/or disagreement characteristics were analized. MP, opposed to the chooser in UP, showed high congruency between (a) and (b), and perceived more positive evaluations by partner. In study 2, conducted four-months after study 1 (using the same subjects group), 20 maintained mutual (MM), 6 growing mutual (GM), and 11 decayed mutual (DM) pairs were selected. The congruency didn't show significant difference between those 3 types of mutual pairs and no difference was found between 1st and 2nd investi gations. Analysis of the contents of the agreement and/or disagreement, however, indicated that MM consistently perceived positive evaluations by partner and DM became to assume that partner was becoming aware of the subjects' negative personality traits.

Seasonal changes of sexual and territorial behaviour and plasma testosterone levels in male lesser sheathbills (Chionis minor).

Lesser Sheathbills Chionis minor (Aves: Charadriiformes) have a brief annual breeding season but under certain circumstances territoriality persists outside the breeding season. Seasonal increases in plasma testosterone levels in free-living adult males coincided with increases in the mass of tests, the seasonal peak in mutual pair displays and the occurrence of nest-building and copulation. Territorial aggression outsids the breeding season was not dependent on high testosterone levels.

Learning with a mutualistic teacher

The concept of a “mutualistic teacher” is introduced for unsupervised learning of the mean vectors of the components of a mixture of multivariate normal densities, when the number of classes is also unknown. The unsupervised learning problem is formulated here as a multi-stage quasi-supervised problem incorporating a cluster approach. The mutualistic teacher creates a quasi-supervised environment at each stage by picking out “mutual pairs” of samples and assigning identical (but unknown) labels to the individuals of each mutual pair. The number of classes, if not specified, can be determined at an intermediate stage. The risk in assigning identical labels to the individuals of mutual pairs is estimated. Results of some simulation studies are presented.