Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Caspase Cascades in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Neurodegeneration

Many patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) develop a syndrome of neurologic deterioration known as HIV-associated dementia (HAD). Neurons are not productively infected by HIV-1; thus, the mechanism of HIV-induced neuronal injury remains incompletely understood. Several investigators have observed evidence of neuronal injury, including dendritic degeneration, and apoptosis in CNS tissue from patients with HAD. Caspase enzymes, proteases associated with the process of apoptosis, are synthesized as inactive proenzymes and are activated in a proteolytic cascade after exposure to apoptotic signals. Here we demonstrate that HAD is associated with active caspase-3-like immunoreactivity that is localized to the soma and dendrites of neurons in affected regions of the human brain. Additionally, the cascade of caspase activation was studied using anin vitro model of HIV-induced neuronal apoptosis. Increased caspase-3 proteolytic activity and mitochondrial release of cytochrome c were observed in cerebrocortical cultures exposed to the HIV coat protein gp120. Specific inhibitors of both the Fas/tumor necrosis factor-α/death receptor pathway and the mitochondrial caspase pathway prevented gp120-induced neuronal apoptosis. Caspase inhibition also prevented the dendrite degeneration observed in vivo in transgenic mice with CNS expression of HIV/gp120. These findings suggest that pharmacologic interventions aimed at the caspase enzyme pathways may be beneficial for the prevention or treatment of HAD.
To Split or to Mix? Tree vs. Mixture Models for Detecting Subgroups

A basic assumption of many statistical models is that the same set of model parameters holds for the entire sample. However, di ↵ erent parameters may hold in subgroups (or clusters) which may or may not be explained by additional covariates. Finite mixture models are a common technique for detecting such clusters and additional covariates (if available) can be included as concomitant variables. Another approach that relies on covariates for detecting the clusters are model-based trees. These recursively partition the data by splits along the covariates and ﬁt one model for each of the resulting subgroups. Both approaches are presented in a unifying framework and their relative (dis)advantages for (a) detecting the presence of clusters and (b) recovering the grouping structure are assessed in a simulation study, varying both the parameter di ↵ erences between the clusters and their association with the covariates.
Effect of Different G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinases on Phosphorylation and Desensitization of the -Adrenergic Receptor (*)

The α-adrenergic receptor (αAR), its truncated mutant T368, different G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRK) and arrestin proteins were transiently expressed in COS-7 or HEK293 cells alone and/or in various combinations. Coexpression of β-adrenergic receptor kinase (βARK) 1 (GRK2) or 2 (GRK3) could increase epinephrine-induced phosphorylation of the wild type αAR above basal as compared to that of the receptor expressed alone. On the other hand, overexpression of the dominant negative βARK (K220R) mutant impaired agonist-induced phosphorylation of the receptor. Overexpression of GRK6 could also increase epinephrine-induced phosphorylation of the receptor, whereas GRK5 enhanced basal but not agonist-induced phosphorylation of the αAR. Increasing coexpression of βARK1 or βARK2 resulted in the progressive attenuation of the αAR-mediated response on polyphosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis. However, coexpression of βARK1 or 2 at low levels did not significantly impair the PI response mediated by the truncated αAR mutant T368, lacking the C terminus, which is involved in agonist-induced desensitization and phosphorylation of the receptor. Similar attenuation of the receptor-mediated PI response was also observed for the wild type αAR, but not for its truncated mutant, when the receptor was coexpressed with β-arrestin 1 or β-arrestin 2. Despite their pronounced effect on phosphorylation of the αAR, overexpression of GRK5 or GRK6 did not affect the receptor-mediated response. In conclusion, our results provide the first evidence that βARK1 and 2 as well as arrestin proteins might be involved in agonist-induced regulation of the αAR. They also identify the αAR as a potential phosphorylation substrate of GRK5 and GRK6. However, the physiological implications of GRK5- and GRK6-mediated phosphorylation of the αAR remain to be elucidated.
Racial Threat, Suspicion, and Police Behavior

Racial bias in traffic enforcement has become a popular line of inquiry, but examinations into explanations for the disparity have been scant. The current research integrates theoretical insights from the racial threat hypothesis with inferences drawn from the empirical analyses of the factors that stimulate officer suspicion. The most intriguing finding from this beat-level examination of the structural predictors of several traffic stop outcome measures concerns the conditional effect of the racial composition of the beat on search rates. The analyses reveal that the search rate increases in areas where the proportion of Black residents is higher; however, this finding is observed only for White motorists. This finding is interpreted as indicating that structural characteristics of an area can provide cues to officers regarding who belongs in that environment. As a result, social control increases among groups whose racial characteristics are inconsistent with the neighborhood racial composition.
A Population-Based Cohort Study on the Ability of Acupuncture to Reduce Post-Stroke Depression

Objective: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is common and has a negative impact on recovery. Although many stroke patients in Taiwan have used acupuncture as a supplementary treatment for reducing stroke comorbidities, little research has been done on the use of acupuncture to prevent PSD. Accordingly, our goal is to investigate whether using acupuncture after a stroke can reduce the risk of PSD. Method: This population-based cohort study examined medical claims data from a random sample of 1 million insured people registered in Taiwan. Newly diagnosed stroke patients in the period 2000–2005 were recruited in our study. All patients were followed through to the end of 2007 to determine whether they had developed symptoms of depression. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the relative risk of depression in patients after being diagnosed as having had a stroke, with a focus on the differences in those with and without acupuncture treatment. Results: A total of 8487 newly-diagnosed stroke patients were included in our study; of these, 1036 patients received acupuncture more than five times following their stroke, 1053 patients received acupuncture 1–5 times following their stroke and 6398 did not receive acupuncture. After we controlled for potential confounders (e.g., age, sex, insurance premium, residential area, type of stroke, length of hospital stay, stroke severity index, rehabilitation and major illness–related depression), we found that acupuncture after stroke significantly reduced the risk of depression, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.475 (95% CI, 0.389–0.580) in frequent acupuncture users and 0.718 (95% CI, 0.612–0.842) in infrequent acupuncture users, indicating that acupuncture may lower the risk of PSD by an estimated 52.5% in frequent users and 28.2% in infrequent users. Conclusions: After we controlled for potential confounders, it appears that using acupuncture after a stroke lowers the risk of depression. Additional strictly-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to better understand the specific mechanisms relating acupuncture to health outcomes.
Burnout and Leisure

The purpose of this study is to determine whether leisure behavior, leisure satisfaction, leisure attitude, and self-determination are associated with decreased burnout. A systematic stratified random sample of 438 clergy (55% return rate) was used to collect the data. In path analysis, results indicate that leisure behavior and leisure satisfaction had an inverse effect on all 3 components of burnout, while leisure attitude had no effect. Self-determination predisposition contributed inversely to 2 components of burnout. Similarly, age and years in ministry had a direct, inverse relationship with the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions of burnout. Number of years employed with the present church was also negatively related to emotional exhaustion. All 3 variables (age, years in ministry, and years with the present church) were positively associated with leisure behavior. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
We've been Framed: Visualising Methodology

This paper explores the reasons why video, and other visual representations have been largely ignored in sociology, whilst the possibilities of video as an empirical source have been sidelined by cultural studies. Discussions of methodology have raised doubts about notions such as objectivity and scientific knowledge, and about the power relationships involved in the research and writing processes, and techniques that one might employ in order to avoid such problems have been suggested. Yet the aims of such techniques are misguided if they serve only to further legitimate the ‘truth’ of the research itself. In this context I explore some of the possibilities of visual methods, such as video and photography, whilst also examining some of the ethical issues raised by them. In this respect, the paper explores the notion of a ‘queer methodology’. This approach is indebted to the legacy of its predecessor, feminist methodology, but departs from this in several important ways. I will explore these differences and examine the possibility that a place for the visual within sociology is an inherently queer conception.
Antipsychotic drug use in pregnancy: high dimensional, propensity matched, population based cohort study

Objective To evaluate maternal medical and perinatal outcomes associated with antipsychotic drug use in pregnancy. Design High dimensional propensity score (HDPS) matched cohort study. Setting Multiple linked population health administrative databases in the entire province of Ontario, Canada. Participants Among women who delivered a singleton infant between 2003 and 2012, and who were eligible for provincially funded drug coverage, those with ≥2 consecutive prescriptions for an antipsychotic medication during pregnancy, at least one of which was filled in the first or second trimester, were selected. Of these antipsychotic drug users, 1021 were matched 1:1 with 1021 non-users by means of a HDPS algorithm. Main outcome measures The main maternal medical outcomes were gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and venous thromboembolism. The main perinatal outcomes were preterm birth (<37 weeks), and a birth weight <3rd or >97th centile. Conditional Poisson regression analysis was used to generate rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for additionally prescribed non-antipsychotic psychotropic medications. Results Compared with non-users, women prescribed an antipsychotic medication in pregnancy did not seem to be at higher risk of gestational diabetes (rate ratio 1.10 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.57)), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (1.12 (0.70 to 1.78)), or venous thromboembolism (0.95 (0.40 to 2.27)). The preterm birth rate, though high among antipsychotic users (14.5%) and matched non-users (14.3%), was not relatively different (rate ratio 0.99 (0.78 to 1.26)). Neither birth weight <3rd centile or >97th centile was associated with antipsychotic drug use in pregnancy (rate ratios 1.21 (0.81 to 1.82) and 1.26 (0.69 to 2.29) respectively). Conclusions Antipsychotic drug use in pregnancy had minimal evident impact on important maternal medical and short term perinatal outcomes. However, the rate of adverse outcomes is high enough to warrant careful assessment of maternal and fetal wellbeing among women prescribed an antipsychotic drug in pregnancy.
Location Management Congestion Problem in Wireless Networks

We propose and study the location management congestion problem arising in the group mobility scenarios. In the hot-spot locations, e.g., supermarket, bus interchange, or public transportation systems, a large number of travelers move into the same area concurrently and trigger the location update (LU) procedure simultaneously to register their new locations. However, due to the limited bandwidth in a base station, only a small part of the LU requests has the opportunity to capture a radio channel and succeeds in refreshing the new information to the corresponding database in the wireless networks. The remaining mobile terminals (MTs) are unable to obtain a radio channel, and consequently, the LU requests are rejected. A significant consequence of a failed LU is the out-of-date location identity in the network databases and, thereafter, the incapability in establishing the valid route for the potential call connection request, which will seriously degrade the network quality-of-service (QoS). We develop a queueing model to characterize the congestion issue and propose a buffer scheme to eliminate this problem. The consequence of the LU failure on the MT's call activity is also investigated. The comparison demonstrates the high efficiency of the proposed approach in decreasing the LU failure as well as the resulting call blocking probability. The analytical model has been validated by the discrete event simulation
The effects of autonomic arousal on speech production in adults who stutter: A preliminary study

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of autonomic system reactivity and response on the speech production of people who stutter. Participants included three adults who stutter (AWS) and three who did not (AWNS). An aversive acoustic stimulus was paired with a set of neutral pictures to condition an autonomic system response as measured by skin conductance response (SCR). Speech production probes were placed in trials where a conditioned autonomic response was expected in order to record fundamental frequency (F0) and temporal acoustic measures of segments of speech from utterances at different levels of autonomic arousal. Analyses of SRC indicated that AWS had a significantly greater autonomic response to the aversive stimulus compared to AWNS. All of the AWS, but none of the AWNS, acquired a conditioned response. In addition, AWS exhibited F0, voice onset time, and frication durations that were positively correlated with SCR. This study provides evidence that AWS show a greater susceptibility to classical conditioning, along with higher autonomic reactivity and related changes in speech production than AWNS. Findings are discussed as they pertain to risk factors in the development of stuttering.
Zero-Safe Nets: Comparing the Collective and Individual Token Approaches

Abstract The main feature of zero-safe nets is a primitive notion of transition synchronization. To this aim, besides ordinary places, called stable places, zero-safe nets are equipped with zero places, which in an observable marking cannot contain any token. This yields the notion of transaction: A basic atomic computation, which may use zero tokens as triggers, but defines an evolution between observable markings only. The abstract counterpart of a generic zero-safe net B consists of an ordinary P/T net whose places are the stable places of B and whose transitions represent the transactions of B. The two nets offer the refined and the abstract models of the same system, respectively, where the former can be much smaller than the latter, because of the transition synchronization mechanism. Depending on the chosen approach—collective vs individual token philosophy—two notions of transaction may be defined, each leading to different operational and abstract models. Their comparison is fully discussed on the basis of a multicasting system example. In the second part of the paper, we make use of category theory to analyze and motivate our framework. More precisely, the two operational semantics of zero-safe nets are characterized as adjunctions, and the derivation of abstract P/T nets as coreflections.
Redefining the EAP Field

The very question of whether EAPs are a business or a profession implies that there is a problem in our field of practice. We would like to believe that EAPs are a profession and can operate and thrive under a business model and be able to turn a profit, or at the very least produce enough revenue to be able to invest back into the EAP to build and ensure its services remain strong and competitive. Unfortunately, this belief is not supported by the actual practices of the EAP field in the United States. The original EAP model originally resided in personnel departments, with a labor-management framework. More recently, however, with more and more EAPs packaging their services based on a business model, the EAP field has suffered. By embracing the business model to the exclusion of professional practice, U.S. EAPs now face the consequences of barebones pricing (and services) and even the popularization of free EAPs through bundling practices by health care providers. This article has been written with the intent of alerting the international EAP community, and of reexamining the practices of EAPs in the United States, so the EAP field can move from a field of study to a professional practice group that successfully uses a for-profit business and professional practice model.
Different Fit Perceptions in an Academic Environment

This study examines whether students perceive three different types of fit in an academic environment (i.e., interest–major [I–M] fit, demands–abilities [D–A] fit, and needs–supplies [N–S] fit) and whether these factors predict important academic and well-being criteria using a Chinese student sample. Results from confirmatory factor analyses support the assumption that students differentiate among the three fit perceptions. Incremental validity analysis and relative importance analysis reveal that the three types of fit each have a unique relationship with situational outcomes. Specifically, I–M fit predicts greater proportions of variance in major change intention; D–A fit predicts greater proportions of variance in academic performance; and N–S fit predicts greater proportions of variance in well-being (e.g., academic satisfaction and depression). Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.
Antithrombin III in Animal Models of Sepsis and Organ Failure

Antithrombin III (AT III) is the physiological inhibitor of thrombin and other serine proteases of the clotting cascade. In the development of sepsis, septic shock and organ failure, the plasma levels of AT III decrease considerably, suggesting the concept of a substitution therapy with the inhibitor. A decrease of AT III plasma levels might also be associated with other pathological disorders like trauma, burns, pancreatitis or preclampsia. Activation of coagulation and consumption of AT III is the consequence of a generalized inflammation called SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome). The clotting cascade is also frequently activated after organ transplantation, especially if organs are grafted between different species (xenotransplantation). During the past years AT III has been investigated in numerous corresponding disease models in different animal species which will be reviewed here. The bulk of evidence suggests, that AT III substitution reduces morbidity and mortality in the diseased animals. While gaining more experience with AT III, the concept of substitution therapy to maximal baseline plasma levels (100%) appears to become insufficient. Evidence from clinical and preclinical studies now suggests to adjust the AT III plasma levels to about 200%, i.e., doubling the normal value. During the last few years several authors proposed that AT III might not only be an anti-thrombotic agent, but to have in addition an anti-inflammatory effect.
A NOVEL BANDPASS WAVEGUIDE FILTER STRUCTURE

Taking the advantage of common waveguide filters and SIW technology, a new filter structure is proposed. This structure can be implemented for various microwave frequencies by choosing appropriate low loss substrates. An example of suggested structure in Ku band is presented in this paper. The filter is designed and simulated on a low loss RT/Duroid 5880 laminate. The resulted filter has a Quality factor around 150. The main advantage of the structure is low size and cost, simplicity in fabrication, and the ability of integration with other elements of the circuit.
Prevalence of Stalking in a Psychiatric Hospital Population

Objective: Study of the lifetime prevalence of stalking and types of stalking in a sample of psychiatric inpatients. Methods: A total of 300 patients consecutively admitted to the psychiatric hospital of the Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit) in Mannheim were studied by means of the Stalking Behaviour Questionnaire (Stalking-Verhaltens-Fragebogen). Results: Of the sample, 21% at some time in their lives had been the victim of stalking. Men were affected as often as women were. The course of stalking was more difficult and more violent in this sample than in a sample taken from the general population in Mannheim. In the majority of the cases the mental disorder had manifested itself before the first stalking incident. In only four out of 64 cases did the responsible physicians know of the previous or ongoing stalking victimization of their patients. Conclusions: Mentally ill individuals are more often affected by stalking than the general population. The topic of stalking should thus be addressed more frequently when taking the case histories of mentally ill patients, in order to provide them with the appropriate type of medical care and support.