Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HLA-B*14:02-Restricted Env-Specific CD8+ T-Cell Activity Has Highly Potent Antiviral Efficacy Associated with Immune Control of HIV Infection

ABSTRACT Immune control of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection is typically associated with effective Gag-specific CD8+ T-cell responses. We here focus on HLA-B*14, which protects against HIV disease progression, but the immunodominant HLA-B*14-restricted anti-HIV response is Env specific (ERYLKDQQL, HLA-B*14-EL9). A subdominant HLA-B*14-restricted response targets Gag (DRYFKTLRA, HLA-B*14-DA9). Using HLA-B*14/peptide-saporin-conjugated tetramers, we show that HLA-B*14-EL9 is substantially more potent at inhibiting viral replication than HLA-B*14-DA9. HLA-B*14-EL9 also has significantly higher functional avidity (P < 0.0001) and drives stronger selection pressure on the virus than HLA-B*14-DA9. However, these differences were HLA-B*14 subtype specific, applying only to HLA-B*14:02 and not to HLA-B*14:01. Furthermore, the HLA-B*14-associated protection against HIV disease progression is significantly greater for HLA-B*14:02 than for HLA-B*14:01, consistent with the superior antiviral efficacy of the HLA-B*14-EL9 response. Thus, although Gag-specific CD8+ T-cell responses may usually have greater anti-HIV efficacy, factors independent of protein specificity, including functional avidity of individual responses, are also critically important to immune control of HIV. IMPORTANCE In HIV infection, although cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play a potentially critical role in eradication of viral reservoirs, the features that constitute an effective response remain poorly defined. We focus on HLA-B*14, unique among HLAs associated with control of HIV in that the dominant CTL response is Env specific, not Gag specific. We demonstrate that Env-specific HLA-B*14-restricted activity is substantially more efficacious than the subdominant HLA-B*14-restricted Gag response. Env immunodominance over Gag and strong Env-mediated selection pressure on HIV are observed only in subjects expressing HLA-B*14:02, and not HLA-B*14:01. This reflects the increased functional avidity of the Env response over Gag, substantially more marked for HLA-B*14:02. Finally, we show that HLA-B*14:02 is significantly more strongly associated with viremic control than HLA-B*14:01. These findings indicate that, although Gag-specific CTL may usually have greater anti-HIV efficacy than Env responses, factors independent of protein specificity, including functional avidity, may carry greater weight in mediating effective control of HIV.
Wetland InSAR: A new space-based hydrological monitoring tool of wetlands surface water level changes

Wetland Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a relatively new application of the InSAR technique, which detects water level changes in aquatic environments with emergent vegetation. It provides high spatial resolution hydrological observations of wetland and floodplains that cannot be obtained by any terrestrial-based method. However, InSAR observations are relative both in space and time and, hence, depend on terrestrial (stage) observations for calibration and validation. In this study we explore which SAR data type is most suitable for the wetland application, as well as explore the usage of InSAR for detecting water level changes in various wetland environments around the world. Our analyses indicate that longer wavelength SAR systems (L-band), horizontal (HH) polarization of the radar pulse, and short repeat orbits provide best results. Wetland InSAR applications include high spatial resolution water level monitoring, detection of flow patterns and flow discontinuities, and constraining high resolution flow models.
The influence of human immunodeficiency virus coinfection on chronic hepatitis C in injection drug users: A long‐term retrospective cohort study

In this study we analyzed the influence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the course of chronic hepatitis C through multivariate analysis including age, alcohol consumption, immune status, and hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐related virologic factors. Eighty HIV‐positive and 80 HIV‐negative injection drug users included between 1980 and 1995 were matched according to age, gender, and duration of HCV infection and followed‐up during 52 months. The progression to cirrhosis was the primary outcome measure. The impact of HIV on HCV‐RNA load, histologic activity index, response to interferon therapy, and liver‐related death was also considered. In HIV‐positive patients, chronic hepatitis C was characterized by higher serum HCV‐RNA levels (P = .012), higher total Knodell score (P = .011), and poorer sustained response to interferon therapy (P = .009). High serum HCV‐RNA level was associated with low CD4‐lymphocyte count (P = .001). Necroinflamatory score was higher in HIV‐positive patients (P = .023) independently of the CD4‐lymphocyte count, whereas increased fibrosis was related to decreased CD4‐lymphocyte count (P = .011). The progression to cirrhosis was accelerated in HIV‐positive patients with low CD4 cell count (RR = 4.06, P = .024) and in interferon‐untreated patients (RR = 4.76, P = .001), independently of age at HCV infection (P = .001). Cirrhosis caused death in 5 HIV‐positive patients. The risk of death related to cirrhosis was increased in heavy drinkers (RR = 10.8, P = .001) and in HIV‐positive patients with CD4 cell count less than 200/mm3 (RR = 11.9, P = .007). In this retrospective cohort study, HIV coinfection worsened the outcome of chronic hepatitis C, increasing both serum HCV‐RNA level and liver damage and decreasing sustained response to interferon therapy. Age and alcohol were cofactors associated with cirrhosis and mortality. Interferon therapy had a protective effect against HCV‐related cirrhosis no matter what the patient's HIV status was.
The Level of Self-Esteem and Sexual Functioning in Women with Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Preliminary Study

A person’s image, which is determined through physical appearance, considerably affects self-esteem developed from early childhood. Scoliosis causes multiple trunk deformations that can affect a person’s perception of the body. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of scoliosis dimension and the degree of trunk deformation on the level of self-esteem and sexual functioning in women with idiopathic scoliosis. Thirty-six women diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis were recruited to a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. The subjects were divided into two groups depending on the value of the Cobb angle. The level of self-esteem was determined by means of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), whereas the sexual functioning was assessed via the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The trunk deformations were specified with the Posterior Trunk Symmetry Index (POTSI). A statistically significant correlation was proved between the amount of points received in the Rosenberg scale evaluation and the POTSI index in Group A (R = −0.56, p = 0.04). Subjects with smaller deformations within the coronal plane had a higher level of self-confidence. The trunk asymmetries in the coronal plane may have a negative effect on women with scoliosis and their self-appraisal.
High Gamma Power Is Phase-Locked to Theta Oscillations in Human Neocortex

We observed robust coupling between the high- and low-frequency bands of ongoing electrical activity in the human brain. In particular, the phase of the low-frequency theta (4 to 8 hertz) rhythm modulates power in the high gamma (80 to 150 hertz) band of the electrocorticogram, with stronger modulation occurring at higher theta amplitudes. Furthermore, different behavioral tasks evoke distinct patterns of theta/high gamma coupling across the cortex. The results indicate that transient coupling between low- and high-frequency brain rhythms coordinates activity in distributed cortical areas, providing a mechanism for effective communication during cognitive processing in humans.
Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: incidence, risk factors and outcome

Although acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has become well recognised, the reported incidence and outcomes are highly variable, and risk factors are unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence, risk factors and impact of acute exacerbations, and other known causes of rapid deterioration. This was a retrospective review of 461 patients with IPF (269 cases were biopsy-proven). The median follow-up period was 22.9 months. Rapid deterioration requiring hospitalisation occurred in 163 (35.4%) patients, with multiple episodes in 42 patients. Acute exacerbation was the most frequent cause (55.2%), followed by infection. The 1- and 3-yr incidences of acute exacerbation were 14.2 and 20.7%, respectively. Never having smoked and low forced vital capacity (FVC) were significant risk factors. The in-hospital mortality rate was 50.0%, and the 1- and 5-yr survival rates from the initial diagnosis were 56.2 and 18.4%, respectively. Acute exacerbation was a significant predictor of poor survival after the initial diagnosis, along with increased age, low FVC and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, and steroid use with or without cytotoxic therapy. 1- and 3-yr incidences of acute exacerbation were 14.2 and 20.7%, respectively. Never having smoked and low FVC were risk factors. Acute exacerbation had a serious impact on the overall survival of the patients with IPF.
Supplier Selection Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets Group Decision Making

The selection of suppliers had always been a key point of the supply chain management, directly impact the operation of supply chain. In this context, firstly introduced the study situation of supplier selection, established the evaluation index system based on the research and then puts forward a new method for supplier selection based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Finally, using an example to illustrate the application of indicators and the method provides a new method for supplier selection.
Methods for increasing the rating of overhead lines

At the present time, there is great pressure to increase the power flow in existing right of ways using existing infrastructure as far as possible. In this paper, the diverse options for increasing the rating of overhead lines are presented and analyzed. By means of a comparative study, their advantages and drawbacks are highlighted. In addition, the factors that determine the choice of the method are analyzed.
Ensuring consistency of feature-based decisions with a business rule system

Feature Models are widely used in some domains to represent variabilities and support decisions that configure a specific combination of domain elements. A feature configuration is created by selecting a features set that satisfies constraints imposed by the model. However, especially regarding complex or large models, end users are prone to making inconsistent decisions. In these cases, an automated support to assist users while resolving decision conflicts and restoring the configuration's validity is highly desirable. Thus, this paper proposes a flexible approach to ensure the consistency of feature configurations which is based on a Business Rules Management System (BRMS). Such systems are essential components in the world of business decision support applications due to facilities provided for constraints specification and execution management. The proposed approach shows how existing BRMS can be effectively used in a feature configuration process to resolve decision conflicts and restore the configuration correctness after user's illegal decisions while helping him/her to reason about possibilities that the model offers and to understand the impact of each decision-making. The main advantage of using a BRMS to specify and manage feature model constraints is the facility with which such complex activities can be supported. This paper reports preliminary research results achieved with the proposed approach.
ENDOSCOPIC INNOVATIONS IN DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF COlORECTAl CANCER

Summary Colonoscopy is the gold standard in diagnosis of colorectal cancer that in most instances arises from precursor lesion, adenomatous polyp. However, white ligh forward viewing colonoscopy is not a pefect method, up to a quarter of adenomas are being missed during standard procedures. Therefore, new techniques and technologies are being developed in order to increase adenoma detection rate, either through better resolution and magnification of the image (highdefinition, high-magnification endoscopes) or by augmenting the overview of colonic mucosa (Full Spectrum Endoscopy colonoscope, Third-Eye Retroscope). Besides adenoma detection, new technologies allow better tissue characterisation and in vivo discrimination between nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions (conventional chromoendoscopy, virtual chromoendoscopy, confocal laser endomicroscopy, endocytoscopy). In additon to diagnostic procedures, therapeutic techniques are also evolving. Formerly, all of the flat or depressed colorectal lesions, en countered during colonoscopy, were reffered to surgery. Today, endoscopic mucosal resection is becoming a routine method for the treatment of early gastrointestinal mucosal lesions of less than 2 cm in diameter. For larger lesions, endoscopic submucosal dissection, a state-of-the-art technique, is indicated, but currently carried out only in tertiary centres. Endoscopic innovations are leading into new era of colorectal cancer diagnosis and management, hopefully resulting in decrease of incidence, morbidity and mortality.
Role of Cysteines in the Stability and DNA-Binding Activity of the Hypochlorite-Specific Transcription Factor HypT

Reactive oxygen species are important components of the immune response. Hypochlorite (HOCl) is produced by neutrophils to kill invading microorganisms. The bactericidal activity of HOCl is due to proteome-wide unfolding and oxidation of proteins at cysteine and methionine residues. Escherichia coli cells are protected from HOCl-killing by the previously identified dodecameric transcription factor HypT (YjiE). Here, we aimed to unravel whether HOCl activates HypT directly or via a reaction product of HOCl with a cellular component. Bacterial viability assays and analysis of target gene regulation indicate that HypT is highly specific to activation by HOCl and that no reaction products of HOCl such as monochloramine, hydroxyl radicals, or methionine sulfoxide activate HypT in vivo. Surprisingly, purified HypT lost its DNA-binding activity upon incubation with HOCl or reaction products that oxidize HypT to form a disulfide-linked dimer, and regained DNA-binding activity upon reduction. Thus, we postulate that the cysteines in HypT contribute to control the DNA-binding activity of HypT in vitro. HypT contains five cysteine residues; a HypT mutant with all cysteines substituted by serine is aggregation-prone and forms tetramers in addition to the typical dodecamers. Using single and multiple cysteine-to-serine mutants, we identified Cys150 to be required for stability and Cys4 being important for oligomerization of HypT to dodecamers. Further, oxidation of Cys4 is responsible for the loss of DNA-binding of HypT upon oxidation in vitro. It appears that Cys4 oxidation upon conditions that are insufficient to stimulate the DNA-binding activity of HypT prevents unproductive interactions of HypT with DNA. Thus, Cys4 oxidation may be a check point in the activation process of HypT.
Efficacy comparison of Pueraria mirifica (PM) against conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) with/without medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in the treatment of climacteric symptoms in perimenopausal women: phase III study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy comparison of Pueraria mirifica (PM), name in Thai is Kwao Kruea Khao, against conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) with/without medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in the treatment of perimenopuasal women with climacteric symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHOD Perimenopausal women attending the Menopausal clinic of Hat Yai Regional Hospital were voluntarily recruited. The vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, as well as other unpleasant symptoms, urogenital and psychological symptoms, were also assessed. Patients were voluntarily enrolled and randomly received daily 50 mg raw material of PM, Group A, or daily 0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) with/without 2.5 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), Group B, depend on non-hysterectomized/hysterectomized condition. RESULTS Seventy-one patients were enrolled. Eleven of those were excluded for failing to complete the initial work-up and follow-up. Sixty cases were evaluated, 30 cases in Group A and 30 cases in Group B. After medication, the mean of modified Greene climacteric scale (MGCS) in Group A/Group B had decreased from 29.0/32.26 to 17.86/18.1, 12.56/9.57 and 9.9/8.16 at 1-, 3-, and 6- month respectively. The clinical satisfaction using MGCS was not statistically significant between PM (Group A) and CEE with/without MPA (Group B) in the alleviation of climacteric symptoms (p-value > 0.05). There were no statistically significant changes of three serum markers: estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) between both groups. CONCLUSION PM, containing phytoestrogens, has estrogenic effect as similar as CEE, and can alleviate the climacteric symptoms in perimenopausal women. PM demonstrates great promise in the treatment of climacteric symptoms. However, optimal doses should be clinically assessed to meet appropriate individual responses.
The value of information sharing in a two‐stage supply chain with production capacity constraints

We consider a simple two‐stage supply chain with a single retailer facing i.i. d. demand and a single manufacturer with finite production capacity. We analyze the value of information sharing between the retailer and the manufacturer over a finite time horizon. In our model, the manufacturer receives demand information from the retailer even during time periods in which the retailer does not order. To analyze the impact of information sharing, we consider the following three strategies: (1) the retailer does not share demand information with the manufacturer; (2) the retailer does share demand information with the manufacturer and the manufacturer uses the optimal policy to schedule production; (3) the retailer shares demand information with the manufacturer and the manufacturer uses a greedy policy to schedule production. These strategies allow us to study the impact of information sharing on the manufacturer as a function of the production capacity, and the frequency and timing in which demand information is shared. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2003
Linear approximation of shortest superstrings

We consider the following problem: given a collection of strings s1,…, sm, find the shortest string s such that each si appears as a substring (a consecutive block) of s. Although this problem is known to be NP-hard, a simple greedy procedure appears to do quite well and is routinely used in DNA sequencing and data compression practice, namely: repeatedly merge the pair of (distinct) strings with maximum overlap until only one string remains. Let n denote the length of the optimal superstring. A common conjecture states that the above greedy procedure produces a superstring of length O(n) (in fact, 2n), yet the only previous nontrivial bound known for any polynomial-time algorithm is a recent O(n log n) result.We show that the greedy algorithm does in fact achieve a constant factor approximation, proving an upper bound of 4n. Furthermore, we present a simple modified version of the greedy algorithm that we show produces a superstring of length at most 3n. We also show the superstring problem to be MAXSNP-hard, which implies that a polynomial-time approximation scheme for this problem is unlikely.
Sex moderates circadian chemotherapy effects on survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Molecular circadian clocks can modify cancer chemotherapy effects, with a possible moderation according to sex differences. We investigated whether sex determine the optimal delivery schedule of chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS A meta-analysis was performed using individual data from three international Phase III trials comparing 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin administered in chronomodulated (chronoFLO) or conventional (CONV) infusions. The data from 345 females and 497 males were updated at 9 years. The main end point was survival. RESULTS Overall survival was improved in males on chronoFLO when compared with CONV (P = 0.009), with respective median values of 20.8 (95% CL, 18.7 to 22.9) and 17.5 months (16.1 to 18.8). Conversely, median survival was 16.6 months (13.9 to 19.3) on chronoFLO and 18.4 months (16.6 to 20.2) on CONV in females (P = 0.012). The sex versus schedule interaction was a strong predictive factor of optimal treatment schedule, with a hazard ratio of 1.59 (1.30 to 1.75) for overall survival (P = 0.002) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Males lived significantly longer on chronomodulated chemotherapy rather than on conventional chemotherapy. The current chronoFLO schedule deserves prospective assessment as a safe and more effective first-line treatment option than conventional delivery for male patients.
A CMOS Neural Interface for a Multichannel Vestibular Prosthesis

We present a high-voltage CMOS neural-interface chip for a multichannel vestibular prosthesis (MVP) that measures head motion and modulates vestibular nerve activity to restore vision- and posture-stabilizing reflexes. This application specific integrated circuit neural interface (ASIC-NI) chip was designed to work with a commercially available microcontroller, which controls the ASIC-NI via a fast parallel interface to deliver biphasic stimulation pulses with 9-bit programmable current amplitude via 16 stimulation channels. The chip was fabricated in the ONSemi C5 0.5 micron, high-voltage CMOS process and can accommodate compliance voltages up to 12 V, stimulating vestibular nerve branches using biphasic current pulses up to 1.45±0.06 mA with durations as short as 10 μs/phase. The ASIC-NI includes a dedicated digital-to-analog converter for each channel, enabling it to perform complex multipolar stimulation. The ASIC-NI replaces discrete components that cover nearly half of the 2nd generation MVP (MVP2) printed circuit board, reducing the MVP system size by 48% and power consumption by 17%. Physiological tests of the ASIC-based MVP system (MVP2A) in a rhesus monkey produced reflexive eye movement responses to prosthetic stimulation similar to those observed when using the MVP2. Sinusoidal modulation of stimulus pulse rate from 68-130 pulses per second at frequencies from 0.1 to 5 Hz elicited appropriately-directed slow phase eye velocities ranging in amplitude from 1.9-16.7 °/s for the MVP2 and 2.0-14.2 °/s for the MVP2A. The eye velocities evoked by MVP2 and MVP2A showed no significant difference (t-test, p=0.34), suggesting that the MVP2A achieves performance at least as good as the larger MVP2.