Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Origin of Synergistic Symbiosis

A dominant theme in the history of life has been the evolutionary innovations of cooperative symbioses: the first genomes near the origin of life, integrated prokaryotic cells, the complex symbiotic communities that evolved into modern eukaryotic cells, lichens, mycorrhizae, and so on. In this paper, a model of cooperative symbiosis that shows a threshold condition for the evolution of cooperation is analyzed. The threshold is not easily passed, but cooperative evolution proceeds rapidly once a symbiosis overcomes the threshold. In the model presented here, each species has genetic variability for a symbiotic trait. The trait imposes a reproductive cost on its bearer but enhances the reproduction of its partner species. For example, in the origin of genetic systems, the trait may cause biochemical synergism for the rate of replication of primitive RNA strands as in Eigen and Schuster’s hypercycle model. Models of growth synergism, which are most appropriate for the evolution of genetic systems and for mutualisms such as lichens, with the strategic and psychological applications of the Prisoner’s Dilemma model. 7 1995 Academic Press Limited
Immunization of Turkeys with a DNA Vaccine Expressing Either the F or N Gene of Avian Metapneumovirus

Abstract SUMMARY. In this study we compared protection by DNA vaccination with the F (pCMV-F) or N (pCMV-N) gene from avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) in turkeys. One-week-old turkey poults received two intramuscular injections 2 wk apart. Birds were challenged with a turkey-embryo-adapted aMPV at 5 wk of age. Birds vaccinated with pCMV-F had decreased clinical signs of disease as well as significantly reduced virus load in tracheal swabs compared with birds vaccinated with pCMV-N or unvaccinated control birds. Serum neutralizing antibodies were significantly higher in birds receiving pCMV-F compared with all other groups. These results indicate that DNA vaccination with the F, but not N, gene of aMPV can induce significant protection against aMPV infection.
Steps to the clinic with ELF EMF

There have been many models to identify and analyze low-frequency motions in protein and DNA molecules. It has been successfully used to simulate various low-frequency collective motions in protein and DNA molecules. Low- frequency motions in biomacromolecules origi- nate from two common and intrinsic character-istics; i.e., they contain 1) a series of weak bonds, such as hydrogen bonds, and 2) a sub-stantial mass distributed over the region of these weak bonds. Many biological functions and dynamic mechanisms, including coopera-tive effects have been reported. In this regard, some phenomenological theories were estab-lished. However, differences in experimental outcomes are expected since many factors could influence the outcome of experiments in EMF research. Any effect of EMF has to depend on the energy absorbed by a biological organ-ism and on how the energy is delivered in space and time. Frequency, intensity, exposure dura-tion, and the number of exposure episodes can affect the response, and these factors can inter- act with each other to produce different effects. In addition, in order to understand the biologi- cal consequence of EMF exposure, one must know whether the effect is cumulative, whether compensatory responses result, and when ho-meostasis will break down. Such findings will have great potential for use in translation medi-cine at the clinical level without being invasive.
Serological investigation into the association between Streptococcus bovis and colonic cancer.

AIMS--To determine if there was an increase in antibody titre to Streptococcus bovis in patients with colonic cancer, and if this might be a useful marker of the presence for colonic cancer. METHODS--Serum samples from 16 patients and 16 age matched controls were tested by immunoblot and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against antigen preparations from two strains of S bovis and one strain of Enterococcus faecalis. RESULTS--No distinction between cancer patients and controls could be made using immunoblots. ELISA did show an increase in antibodies to S bovis, but there was a greater increase in antibodies to E faecalis. The increase in antibody titres was greatest with antigens which had been treated with periodate, and was therefore thought not to be caused by antibody to the shared group D carbohydrate antigen. CONCLUSION--It may be possible to construct a test for the detection of colonic cancer based on the detection of antibody to S bovis or E faecalis, though considerable further development of this concept is required.
Monoclonal-antibody therapy in systemic vasculitis.

MONOCLONAL antibodies are potentially useful therapeutic agents in a variety of immunologically mediated diseases, offering the theoretical advantage of selective attack on cells implicated in the immunopathogenesis of these disorders. Antibodies to surface markers on lymphocytes, particularly T cells, have already demonstrated efficacy both in animal models and in clinical allograft rejection.1 2 3 For this purpose, monoclonal antibodies can be used either to block vital receptors for antigen, adhesion, or growth factors or to block target cells by harnessing the various natural effector systems (complement and accessory cells) that are activated by the Fc regions of cell-bound antibodies. The optimal use .
VALFORTA: a randomised trial to validate the FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) classification.

TRIAL DESIGN to further validate the FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) concept, a bicentric randomised, controlled trial was run in two geriatric clinics. METHODS patients (≥65 years, ≥3 drugs or ≥60 years, ≥6 drugs) with three relevant diseases and hospitalisation for ≥5 days were randomised. In the intervention, but not the control group, a FORTA team instructed ward physicians on FORTA. FORTA is the first positive/negative listing approach labelling medications used to treat chronic illnesses in older patients from A (indispensable), B (beneficial), C (questionable) to D (avoid). The primary end point was the FORTA score: sum of medication errors classified as over-, under- and mistreatment. Consecutive patients were randomised to the intervention and control ward; outcome assessment was blinded. RESULTS four hundred and nine patients (age 81.5 years, 64% female, hospitalisation 17.4 days) were included. The primary end point was significantly (P < 0.0001) more reduced in the intervention versus control groups (2.7 ± 2.25 versus 1 ± 1.8, mean ± SD, intergroup comparison of admission/discharge differences). Over- and under-treatment scores and use of A (increase) and D (decrease) drugs were significantly improved (P < 0.01). The total number of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was significantly reduced by FORTA (P < 0.05, number needed to treat is 5). Activities of daily living and renal failure improved significantly (P < 0.05). Blood pressure remained constant in the intervention, but decreased significantly in the control group. CONCLUSION applying FORTA to hospitalised geriatric patients leads to improvement of medication quality and may improve secondary clinical end points (e.g. ADRs). The concept is amenable to successful communication and implementation. Registration (DRKS-ID): DRKS00000531. FUNDING DFG-German Research Foundation (WE 1184/15-1).
Modeling Spinal Sensorimotor Control for Reach Task

The spinal sensorimotor control system executes movement instructions from the central controller in the brain that plans the task in terms of global requirements. Spinal circuits serve as a local regulator that tunes the neuromuscular apparatus to an optimal state for task execution. We hypothesize that reach tasks are controlled by a set of feedforward and feedback descending commands for trajectory and final posture, respectively. This paper presents the use of physiologically realistic models of the spinal sensorimotor system to demonstrate the feasibility of such dual control for reaching movements
Clinical presentation of postnatal and non-postnatal depressive episodes

ABSTRACT Background The relationship of postnatal (postpartum) depression (PND) to episodes of depression occurring at other times is not well understood. Despite a number of studies of clinical presentation, there is little consistency in the literature. We have undertaken within- and between-individual comparisons of the clinical presentation of postnatal (PN) and non-postnatal (NPN) depressive episodes in women with recurrent depression. Method In a sample of well-characterized, parous women meeting DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for recurrent major depressive disorder, the clinical presentation of episodes of major depression with onset within 4 weeks of giving birth (PND group, n=50) were compared with (i) the non-postnatal episodes of women with PND, and (ii) episodes of major depression in parous women who had not experienced episodes of mood disorder in relation to childbirth (NPND group, n=132). In addition, the non-postnatal episodes of the PND group of women were compared with the depressive episodes of the NPND group. Results The small number of differences found between PN and NPN depressive episodes, such as reduced early morning wakening in postnatal episodes, are likely to be explicable by the context of having a new baby rather than by any difference in the nature of the underlying depression. Conclusions The results do not point to substantial differences in clinical presentation between episodes of major depression occurring in relation to childbirth and at other times. Other avenues of research are therefore required to demonstrate a specific relationship between childbirth and depression.
Incest, Incestuous Fantasy & Indecency

This systematic study of 112 consecutive referrals of normal-weight bulimic women from a circumscribed urban catchment area found that eight patients (7%) reported sexual abuse involving physical contact. Four (3.6%) of these described incest, but only in two cases (1.8%) did the incest occur in childhood. Just over 5% of the sample reported unlawful sexual intercourse in childhood or gross indecency. Eighteen additional patients reported incestuous fantasies and two of these were partly acted out. The study indicates that incest and sexual abuse reported by bulimics is usually in those multi-impulsive patients who also abuse alcohol or drugs as well as food. The reported prevalences of incest and indecency in normal-weight bulimic women are only slightly higher than figures derived from general population surveys.
Las facetas de la psicopatía según la hare psychopathy checklist-revised y su confiabilidad

Summary Introduction: The 2nd edition of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (Hare 2003) describes facets that allow a more accurate measure of interpersonal, affective, lifestyle and antisocial aspects. Objective: The aim of this research is to assess the reliability of the Argentinean version of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised on a penitentiary population, taking into consideration the new factor and facet structure. Method: Thirty-four subjects were simultaneously assessed by two raters yielding two independent scores. Results: The results show that the Argentinean version of the scale with its new structure has an excellent interrater relia- bility and internal consistency (Crombach's Alpha was 0.99 for total score; 0.98 for Factor 1 and 0.99 for Factor 2;the single mea- sure of the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.99; 0.97 y 0.97 respectively).
Stored object knowledge and the production of referring expressions: the case of color typicality

When speakers describe objects with atypical properties, do they include these properties in their referring expressions, even when that is not strictly required for unique referent identification? Based on previous work, we predict that speakers mention the color of a target object more often when the object is atypically colored, compared to when it is typical. Taking literature from object recognition and visual attention into account, we further hypothesize that this behavior is proportional to the degree to which a color is atypical, and whether color is a highly diagnostic feature in the referred-to object’s identity. We investigate these expectations in two language production experiments, in which participants referred to target objects in visual contexts. In Experiment 1, we find a strong effect of color typicality: less typical colors for target objects predict higher proportions of referring expressions that include color. In Experiment 2 we manipulated objects with more complex shapes, for which color is less diagnostic, and we find that the color typicality effect is moderated by color diagnosticity: it is strongest for high-color-diagnostic objects (i.e., objects with a simple shape). These results suggest that the production of atypical color attributes results from a contrast with stored knowledge, an effect which is stronger when color is more central to object identification. Our findings offer evidence for models of reference production that incorporate general object knowledge, in order to be able to capture these effects of typicality on determining the content of referring expressions.
Channel State Tracking for Large-Scale Distributed MIMO Communication Systems

This paper considers the problem of estimating and tracking channels in a distributed transmission system with Nt transmit nodes and Nr receive nodes. Since each node in the distributed transmission system has an independent local oscillator, the effective channel between each transmit node and each receive node has time-varying phase and frequency offsets which must be tracked and predicted to facilitate coherent transmission. A linear time-invariant state-space model is developed and is shown to be observable but nonstabilizable. To quantify the steady-state performance of a Kalman filter channel tracker, two methods are developed to efficiently compute the steady-state prediction covariance. The first method requires the solution of a 2(Nt + Nr-1)-dimensional discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation, but allows for nonhomogenous oscillator parameters. The second method requires the solution of four two-dimensional discrete-time algebraic Riccati equations but requires homogenous oscillator parameters for all nodes in the system. An asymptotic analysis is also presented for the homogenous oscillator case for systems with a large number of transmit and receive nodes with closed-form results for all of the elements in the asymptotic prediction covariance as a function of the carrier frequency, oscillator parameters, and channel measurement period. Numeric results confirm the analysis and demonstrate the effect of the oscillator parameters on the ability of the distributed transmission system to achieve coherent transmission.
Discourses of Difference? Examining Gender Differences in Linguistic Characteristics of Writing

Set in the context of international concerns about boys’ achievements in writing, this article presents research that explores gender differences or similarities in linguistic competence in writing. Drawing on the results of a large ‐ scale analysis of the linguistic characteristics of secondary ‐ aged writers, we outline gender difference in the sample. The article explains the limited differences revealed through this analysis but highlights the repeated pattern of differences in boys’ writing, mirroring parallel patterns in able writers. The findings are discussed light of the prevalent discourse of difference that permeates academic, professional, and political consideration of gender and writing. Keywords: linguistic development, writing processes, identity Dans le droit fil des inquietudes que suscite le rendement scolaire des garcons en ecriture, cet article presente une recherche sur les differences et les similitudes selon le sexe quant a l’aptitude a ecrire. Analysant les resultats d’une vaste etude portant sur les caracteristiques linguistiques d’eleves du secondaire, les auteurs tiennent compte des differences selon le sexe dans l’echantillon. Ils expliquent les differences limitees qu’a revelees cette analyse tout en soulignant le profil repetitif des differences dans les ecrits des garcons, faisant en cela echo a des caracteristiques paralleles chez les eleves ayant une aptitude a ecrire. Les auteurs discutent des conclusions a la lumiere du discours sur la difference partout present dans les considerations pedagogiques, professionnelles et politiques sur le genre et l’ecriture. Mots cles : developpement linguistique, processus d’ecriture, identite
Impaired Decision Making in Opiate Addiction Correlates With Anxiety and Self-directedness but Not Substance Use Parameters

Background:Despite a large number of empirical reports of impaired decision making in substance use disorders, the underlying factors contributing to such deficits remain to be elucidated. This study examined the potential influences of personality traits, affective symptoms, and pharmacological variables on decision making, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in a sample of opioid-dependent patients. Methods:A total of 46 opioid-dependent patients taking part in an opiate maintenance outpatient program and 46 healthy control subjects performed the IGT. Personality traits and affective symptoms were examined by using Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. In addition, Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory was administered in the patient group. Information on current and life-time substance use was acquired with a standardized interview. Results:Opioid-dependent patients performed significantly worse on the IGT than controls. This difference disappeared after statistically controlling for trait anxiety, state anxiety, disinhibition, depressive symptoms, and lifetime alcohol consumption. Trait and state anxiety and self-directedness were significantly associated with the IGT final score. Hierarchical regression analyses suggested that self-directedness differentially moderated the relationships between the anxiety variables and IGT performance. Conclusions:The decision-making impairments observed in opioid-dependent patients are influenced by current levels of anxiety and the personality markers trait anxiety and self-directedness. Differences in decision making between opioid-dependent and healthy individuals may also be due to differences in other personality facets, affective symptoms, and alcohol consumption. Amount of opioid and other substance intake did not show any effects. These results indicate that psychological characteristics may have a higher impact on decision-making performance than drug-induced pharmacological effects.
Prevalence of adenovirus and rotavirus infection in immunocompromised patients with acute gastroenteritis in Portugal.

AIM To characterize the prevalence of rotavirus (RV) and adenovirus (AdV) infections in immunocompromised patients with acute gastroenteritis. METHODS The presence of RV and AdV (serotypes 40 and 41) was evaluated in 509 stool samples obtained between January 2009 and December 2010 from 200 immunocompromised patients (83 females and 117 males; median age 21 years old, range 0-72. The diagnosis of infection was performed as a routine procedure and the presence of RV and AdV (serotypes 40 and 41) was determined by immunochromatography using the RIDA(®) Quick Rota-Adeno-Kombi kit (r-Biopharm, Darmstadt, Germany). The data analysis and description of seasonal frequencies were performed using computer software IBM(®) SPSS(®) (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Statistics version 20.0 for Mac. The frequencies of infection were compared into different age and gender groups by χ(2) test. RESULTS The study revealed 12.4% AdV positive samples and 0.8% RV positive samples, which correspond to a prevalence of 6.5% and 1.5%, respectively. AdV was more frequent between October 2009 and April 2010, while RV was identified in April 2010 and July 2010. The stool analysis revealed that from the 509 samples, 63 (12.4%) were positive for AdV and 4 (0.8%) positive for RV, which by resuming the information of each patient, lead to an overall prevalence of AdV and RV of 6.5% (13/200 patients) and 1.5% (3/200 patients), respectively. The stratification of the analysis regarding age groups showed a tendency to an increased prevalence of infection in paediatric patients between 0-10 years old. Considering the seasonal distribution of these infections, our study revealed that AdV infection was more frequent between October 2009 and April 2010, while RV infection was characterized by two distinct peaks (April 2010 and July 2010). CONCLUSION The overall prevalence of AdV and RV infection in immunocompromised patients with acute gastroenteritis was 8% and AdV was the most prevalent agent.
Drug Addiction and the Memory Systems of the Brain

We review drug addiction from the perspective of the hypothesis that drugs of abuse interact with distinct brain memory systems. We focus on emotional and procedural forms of memory, encompassing Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, both for action–outcome and for stimulus–response associations. Neural structures encompassed by these systems include the amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal striatum. Additional influences emanate from the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex, which are implicated in the encoding and retrieval of drug‐related memories that lead to drug craving and drug use. Finally, we consider the ancillary point that chronic abuse of many drugs may impact directly on neural memory systems via neuroadaptive and neurotoxic effects that lead to cognitive impairments in which memory dysfunction is prominent.
Clinical and epidemiological research

Ann Rheum Dis 2012;71:198–205. doi:10.1136/ard.2010. 148700 198 ABSTRACT Objectives To evaluate effi cacy of tocilizumab in US patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inadequate clinical response to diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). Safety-related outcomes were also analysed. Methods The rapid onset and systemic effi cacy study was a 24-week, randomised, double-blind trial. Patients were randomly assigned 2:1 to tocilizumab 8 mg/kg (n=412) or placebo (n=207) every 4 weeks while continuing background DMARD in both groups. Results The primary effi cacy endpoint, percentage of patients achieving ACR50 response at week 24, was higher with tocilizumab versus placebo (30.1% vs 11.2%; p<0.0001). Percentages of ACR20 and ACR50 responders were signifi cantly higher with tocilizumab versus placebo as early as week 4 and continued to week 24; more patients in the tocilizumab versus placebo group also achieved ACR70 responses beginning at week 8 (p<0.01). Signifi cant improvements associated with tocilizumab versus placebo were seen in routine assessment of patient index data responses, EULAR good response, DAS28 and percentages of patients achieving low disease activity and clinical remission (based on DAS28). A substudy examining early response to therapy showed improved patient global assessment of disease activity (p=0.005) and pain (p=0.01) and DAS28 (p=0.007) with tocilizumab versus placebo at day 7. Safety fi ndings were consistent with the known tocilizumab safety profi le; rates of serious infections (per 100 patient-years) were 7.87 (95% CI 4.30 to 13.2) and 1.20 (95% CI 0.03 to 6.66) in the tocilizumab and placebo groups, respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrated the effi cacy of tocilizumab in improving measures of disease activity in patients with RA who failed to respond adequately to DMARD therapy. Rapid improvement in clinical outcomes was demonstrated in a substudy as early as week 1 as shown by DAS28 scores, patient measures and C-reactive protein. Trial Registry no NCT00531817