Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Spinoculation Enhances Infection through Virus Binding

ABSTRACT The study of early events in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) life cycle can be limited by the relatively low numbers of cells that can be infected synchronously in vitro. Although the efficiency of HIV-1 infection can be substantially improved by centrifugal inoculation (spinoculation or shell vial methods), the underlying mechanism of enhancement has not been defined. To understand spinoculation in greater detail, we have used real-time PCR to quantitate viral particles in suspension, virions that associate with cells, and the ability of those virions to give rise to reverse transcripts. We report that centrifugation of HIV-1IIIBvirions at 1,200 × g for 2 h at 25°C increases the number of particles that bind to CEM-SS T-cell targets by ∼40-fold relative to inoculation by simple virus-cell mixing. Following subsequent incubation at 37°C for 5 h to allow membrane fusion and uncoating to occur, the number of reverse transcripts per target cell was similarly enhanced. Indeed, by culturing spinoculated samples for 24 h, ∼100% of the target cells were reproducibly shown to be productively infected, as judged by the expression of p24 gag . Because the modestg forces employed in this procedure were found to be capable of sedimenting viral particles and because CD4-specific antibodies were effective at blocking virus binding, we propose that spinoculation works by depositing virions on the surfaces of target cells and that diffusion is the major rate-limiting step for viral adsorption under routine in vitro pulsing conditions. Thus, techniques that accelerate the binding of viruses to target cells not only promise to facilitate the experimental investigation of postentry steps of HIV-1 infection but should also help to enhance the efficacy of virus-based genetic therapies.
Beyond the Oozone Layer

Despite occasional pockets of climate change scepticism, the days when journalists would report on climate change by balancing "pro" and "sceptic" voices, or by knocking the human-induced climate change argument with prominent coverage of an alternative theory, already seem a distant memory in the UK, claim the authors. This marked change in the treatment of climate change in the British media has helped lay the ground for a dramatic shift in the quality of public debate around the issue. Numerous specialists credit UK journalism of the last 18 months with being leagues ahead of their U.S. colleagues in the depth and regularity of coverage. Yet, why did it take the media 10 years to understand where the centre of gravity of informed opinion on climate change lay? - "the story didn't break, it oozed," they write. "The basics of the science have, after all, changed little since the mid 1990s. There are worrying signs that some of the reasons for this delay - above all a well-intentioned deep affection for sceptical opinion - could impede public debate on the next and vital stage in the climate change debate as we work out what political and economic steps to take. "
Patient preferences for psychological counsellors: Evidence of a similarity effect

This study sought to examine the individual difference variables that affect potential patient preferences for hypothetical psychological counsellors. A representative British sample of 257 adults indicated their preferences for eight psychological counsellors differentiated by sex, age, and training location. A five-way mixed analysis of variance (participant sex and age as within variables, and counsellor sex, age, ethnicity as between variables) indicated a significant main effect for only counsellors’ ethnicity. There were also sex and age interactions showing evidence of a matching hypothesis: participants preferred counsellors of their own sex and age. The implications of these findings are considered.
A novel current tracking method for active filters based on a sinusoidal internal model

A new current control method based on the internal model principle in control theory is proposed. It introduces a sinusoidal internal model into the control system. It does not use any coordinate transformations. The method can be used for tracking an arbitrary number of harmonics; a DC component or a fundamental frequency component signal. It is applied to a single-phase PWM inverter and active filter. The validity is confirmed by simulation and experimental results.
Taiwanese International Students: Acculturation Level and Vocational Identity

This study explored the relationship between acculturation level and vocational identity among 112 graduate and undergraduate Taiwanese international students attending two midwestern universities. The results revealed that Taiwanese international students who were older and who had a shorter length of U.S. residency were more likely to identify themselves as Asian. The results also indicated that Taiwanese international students who were older and who had a lower acculturation level had higher vocational identity.
The Differential Effects of Abuse Characteristics and Attachment in the Prediction of Long-Term Effects of Sexual Abuse

It was hypothesized that sexual abuse severity and adult attachment (reflective of the more pervasive experience of growing up in a family) would each have significant but distinct effects on the long-term functioning of incest survivors. A sample of 112 incest survivors completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Symptom Checklist-10, the Impact of Event Scale, the MCMI-II, and the Relationship Questionnaire (a measure of adult attachment). Hierachical regression analyses indicated that sexual abuse characteristics (particularly early age of onset) predicted depression, intrusive thoughts, and, to a lesser degree, avoidance of memories of the abuse (symptoms consistent with a traditional PTSD conceptualization). Adult attachment (in particular, a lack of secure attachment) predicted avoidance of memories of the abuse. In addition, adult attachment predicted avoidant, dependent, self-defeating, and borderline personality disorders. Implications for the focus of therapy with the sexual abuse survivor are discussed.
Nuclear calcium transients: Hermes Propylaios in the heart.

> O cunning guide, son of Maia, I fear that you might steal my lyre and my curved bow. For you hold the office from Zeus to establish deeds of exchange among men throughout the fertile earth. But if you would suffer to swear the great oath of the gods for me, either by nodding your head or by the mighty water of the Styx, you would accomplish everything pleasing to my own heart. > > —Homeric Hymnes1 In Greek Mythology, Hermes (Greek: ρμ ς), son of Zeus and the pleiad Maia, was perhaps the most complex deity of transitions and boundaries, contemporarily simplified as a messenger god that moved freely between the higher worlds at Olympus, our world with human mortals, and the grim underworld of the deceased. As the second youngest of the Olympian gods and symbolizing Hermes’ function as divine messenger, he is often sculptured as a youngster with winged sandals and winged cap and holding his symbolic herald’s staff, the Greek kerykeion , consisting of 2 snakes wrapped around a winged staff. Hermes received multiple epithets including Propylaios , freely translated as “at the gateway,” reflecting a deeper philosophical significance of Hermes. Article see p 244 As with all imaginary Greek deities, Hermes’ actions do not describe a uniformly positive character. Tales rather tell of a complex, 3-layered personality, ranging from a truly uplifting spirit, as would be expected from his divine roots, to a character with an innocent yet cunning nature, but at times he also displayed unexpected evil. With these 3 faces, Hermes likely symbolized how our Greek ancestors segmented the universe, consisting of a noble and divine upper world physically located at Mount Olympus; planet Earth with all its living creatures including mankind; and finally, the dark side of disease, suffering, and death, represented by …
Convergent Evolution of Reverse Transcriptase (RT) Genes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Subtypes E and B following Nucleoside Analogue RT Inhibitor Therapies

ABSTRACT Changes in the drug susceptibility, gene lineage, and deduced amino acid sequences of the reverse transcriptase (RT) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype E following 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT) monotherapy or AZT–2′,3′-dideoxyinosine combination therapy were examined with sequential virus isolates from a single family. The changes were compared to those reported for HIV-1 subtype B, revealing striking similarities in selected phenotype and amino acids independent of differences in the RT backbone sequences that constantly distinguish the two subtypes. Particularly, identical amino acid substitutions were present simultaneously at four different positions (D67N, K70R, T215F, and K219Q) for high-level AZT resistance. These data suggest that HIV-1 subtypes E and B evolve convergently at the phenotypic and amino acid levels when the nucleoside analogue RT inhibitors act as selective forces.
Rebuilding the body through violence and control

In this article, I examine the bodily changes that soldiers undergo in an intensive counter-terrorism military training course. I argue that military draftees develop control and violent capabilities through Violent Reflexive Bodily Practices (VRBPs), a concept I introduce here. VRBPs, which form the core of training in this elite military unit, are simultaneously recursive, reflexive and reconstructive: they are expressed by the soldier’s body and inflicted upon his body, by using them more violence is created, and their aim is not breaking the body apart, but rebuilding it into a new entity. VRBPs are concrete body techniques that are not discussed through a broad theoretical or cultural approach but as a material and concrete experience that reconstructs individuals’ bodies. This article shows how ‘techniques of the body’ (Mauss, 1973) can be changed in a short period and reveals possible dynamics of habitually instilled capabilities.
The Clinical Course of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Inflammation Is Controlled by the Expression of Cd40 within the Central Nervous System

Although it is clear that the function of CD40 on peripheral hematopoietic cells is pivotal to the development of autoimmunity, the function of CD40 in autoimmune disease outside this compartment is unresolved. In a model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), evidence is presented that CD40–CD154 interactions within the central nervous system (CNS) are critical determinants of disease development and progression. Using bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice, the data suggest that the lack of expression of CD40 by CNS-resident cells diminishes the intensity and duration of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced EAE and also reduces the degree of inflammatory cell infiltrates into the CNS. Although CNS inflammation is compromised in the CD40+/+→CD40−/− BM chimeric mice, the restricted CD40 expression had no impact on peripheral T cell priming or recall responses. Analysis of RNA expression levels within the CNS demonstrated that encephalitogenic T cells, which entered a CNS environment in which CD40 was absent from parenchymal microglia, could not elicit the expression of chemokines within the CNS. These data provide evidence that CD40 functions outside of the systemic immune compartment to amplify organ-specific autoimmunity.
Reduced mRNA Expression of PTGDS in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder Patients Compared with Healthy Control Subjects

Background: Disturbances related to the arachidonic acid cascade and prostaglandin metabolism may be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, as supported by a recent genome-wide association study meta-analysis; however, evidence from clinical studies on a transcriptional level is lacking. Two enzymes in the arachidonic acid cascade are the prostaglandin D synthase (PTGDS), which catalyzes the conversion of prostaglandin H2 to prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), and the aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3), which catalyzes the reduction of PGD2. We aimed to test the hypothesis that mRNA expression of PTGDS and AKR1C3 is deregulated in rapid-cycling disorder patients in a euthymic or current affective state compared with healthy control subjects, and that expression alters with affective states. Methods: PTGDS and AKR1C3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured in 37 rapid-cycling bipolar disorder patients and 40 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Repeated measurements of PTGDS and AKR1C3 mRNA expression were obtained in various affective states during 6–12 months and compared with repeated measurements in healthy control subjects. Results: Adjusted for age and gender, PTGDS mRNA expression was down-regulated in rapid-cycling bipolar disorder patients in a euthymic, depressive, and manic/hypomanic state compared with healthy control subjects. No difference in PTGDS mRNA expression was observed between affective states. AKR1C3 mRNA expression did not differ between bipolar disorder patients in any affective state or in comparison with healthy control subjects. Conclusions: The results suggest a role for aberrantly-regulated PTGDS mRNA expression in rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. The sample size was limited; replication of the findings in larger, independent samples is warranted to further explore the role of the arachidonic acid cascade and prostaglandin metabolism as a potential therapeutic target in bipolar disorder.
Career Goals in Young Adults

We tested a model based on the dual-process framework that assessed the relationships among personal resources, career goal appraisals, career attitudes, and career goal management, which have not been previously assessed together. The model (tested on a sample of 486 young adults: 74% female, Mage = 22 years) proposed that personal resources (assimilation and accommodation) were associated with career goal management strategies (goal engagement and disengagement) and that these relationships were mediated by career goal appraisals (perceived attainability, importance, and substitutability) and career attitudes (career optimism and locus of control). Career optimism mediated between assimilation and goal engagement, and importance mediated between accommodation and goal disengagement. The results contribute to a better understanding of goal management processes in the career domain and have implications for the application of the dual-process framework to career development in young adulthood.
Characteristics of Atrioventricular Conduction and the Spectrum of Arrhythmias in Lown-Ganong-Levine Syndrome

SUMMARYElectrophysiological characteristics of atrioventricular (A-V) conduction and refractoriness were examined in 12 patients with Lown-Ganong-Levine (LGL) syndrome referred for assessment of the following arrhythmias: (group I) regular narrow QRS tachycardia 6/12 (50%), (group II) atrial fibrillation (AF) 2/12 (17%), (group III) ventricular tachycardia (VT) 4/12 (33%). A-V node refractory periods were shorter, and enhanced A-V conduction more frequent (7/12, 58% vs 7/28, 25%) in LGL patients compared to similar studies in 28 normal controls. During laboratory study reciprocating tachycardia (RT) due to re-entry within the A-V node occurred in 4/12 (33%) LGL patients, and exhibited a shorter cycle length (294± 60.4 msec) than did the same arrhythmia in 11/28 (39%) controls (372± 51.8 msec, P < 0.05). Similarly, RT utilizing a concealed accessory pathway had a shorter cycle length (228± 3.5 msec) in 2/12 (17%) LGL patients than in 11/28 (39%) controls (314± 24.3 msec, P < 0.001). In AF, the shortest R-R intervals in 4/12 (33%) LGL patients (2 group I, 2 group II) were shorter than in 15/28 (54%) control patients (254± 42.2 msec vs 325± 64.2 msec, P < 0.05). The mean R-R intervals did not differ significantly (LGL 372± 89 msec vs control 428± 82.6 msec). This study suggests that the characteristics of A-V conduction and refractoriness may permit development of more rapid heart rates during certain arrhythmias in LGL patients compared to normal controls. Furthermore, the occurrence of VT in patients with LGL syndrome indicates that symptomatic arrhythmias require specific diagnosis.
A multidimensional approach for evaluating variables in organizational research and practice

One of the most difficult tasks facing industrial-organizational psychologists is evaluating the importance of variables, especially new variables, to be included in the prediction of some outcome. When multiple regression is used, common practices suggest evaluating the usefulness of new variables by showing incremental validity beyond the set of existing variables. This approach assures that the new variables are not statistically redundant with this existing set, but this approach attributes any shared criterion-related validity to the existing set of variables and none to the new variables. More importantly, incremental validity alone fails to answer the question directly about the importance of variables included in a regression model—arguably the more important statistical concern for practitioners. To that end, the current article reviews 2 indices of relative importance, general dominance weights and relative weights, which may be used to complement incremental validity evidence and permit organizational decision makers to make more precise and informed decisions concerning the usefulness of predictor variables. We illustrate our approach by reanalyzing the correlation matrices from 2 published studies.
Developing the Causal Model of Online Store Success

This article introduces an Online Store Success Model (OSM) that reflects the characteristics of information systems, marketing, and e-commerce, and then empirically test the model. The OSM has five dimensions: system quality, information quality, service quality, trust, and customer loyalty. The model posits the causal relationships between the dimensions. In order to empirically test the model, a research model is developed and empirically analyzed by structural equation modeling using data from 244 customers on 69 online store websites. The results show that system quality significantly influences service quality and trust; information quality significantly influences service quality and customer loyalty; service quality also significantly influences trust and customer loyalty; and trust has a significant influence on customer loyalty.
Globalisation and International Higher Education: Contested Positionings

This article stems from recent policy research involving participants in an international higher education program. Story lines of the program from Thai and Australian policy makers and policy actors are interpreted from a poststructural stance. Through the multiple and shifting positionings of the participants, agency and identity within this globalised space is constructed and reconstructed. The study contributes constructions of the relationship between globalisation and international higher education previously obscured by the apparent domination of the neoliberal discourse. Possibilities for international higher education as constructive of globalisation are encountered in these policy readings.
Effectiveness of Oral Appliances in Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Respiratory Arousals.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To compare adherence and treatment effects with an oral appliance (OA) in patients with different types of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): those with mainly respiratory arousals ("arousers"), and those with oxygen desaturations ("desaturaters") at polysomnography (PSG). METHODS A prospective intervention study on 72 "tired snorers" with "normal" home sleep study (HSS), but later diagnosed as OSA with PSG, who accepted OA treatment. They were offered evaluation with a follow-up PSG and questionnaires, including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), general health (GH), satisfaction, and side effects. RESULTS Sixty-six patients, 33 arousers and 33 desaturaters, were adapted to OA. The 1-year adherence rate was significantly higher among arousers (85%) than desaturaters (55%) (p = 0.034). Thirty-six of 66 patients underwent follow-up PSG; the apnea-hypopnea index was significantly reduced in 22 arousers from a median of 14 to 3 (p < 0.001), and in 14 desaturaters from 18 to 7 (p = 0.002; no significant group difference). ESS and GH showed no significant improvements in either group, although sleepy "arousers" (ESS ≥ 10) significantly improved their ESS. In total, 77% reported side effects, while 63% were still satisfied with the OA treatment. Gender analysis showed a significant dominance of females classified as "arousers" (p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS OSA patients with mainly arousals at PSG showed higher adherence to OA treatment, compared to patients with desaturations. Both groups responded similarly to treatment: improved nocturnal respiration, but only a small reduction of symptoms. We suggest that "tired snorers" with "normal HSS" should be offered PSG, and if OSA, also OA treatment.
Situational Stability and Variability in African American Racial Identity

Using the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity as a conceptual framework, the present research investigated the stable and situational properties of African American racial identity. Study 1 illustrated that although individuals’ racial identity remains the same across situations relative to other individuals, the situation can influence certain dimensions of one’s racial identity in a sample of African American undergraduate students. Study 2 demonstrated that racial identity can influence perceptions of ambiguous events. The findings are discussed with respect to how the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity is a racial identity model for African Americans that addresses the structural processes of racial identity without disregard for the qualitative meaning of what it means to be African American in this society. Implications for research on identity in general and African American racial identity are also discussed.
Influences of individual-level characteristics on risk perceptions to various categories of environmental health and safety risks

Over the last five decades, social science researchers have examined how the public perceives the risks associated with a variety of environmental health and safety (EHS) hazards. The body of literature that has been emerged diverse both in the methodology employed to collect and analyze data and in the subject of study. The findings have confirmed that risk perceptions vary between groups of individuals as well as between categories of EHS risks. However, the extant literature on EHS risk perceptions has failed to provide empirical insights into how risk perceptions can be best explained according to the interplay of both (1) the category of EHS hazard appraised and (2) the prominent individual-level characteristics that best explain observed risk perception differences. This study addresses this deficiency in the literature by providing insights into the individual and cumulative roles that various individual-level variables play in characterizing risk perceptions to various categories of EHS risks including ‘agentic risks’ like street drug use and cigarette smoking, ‘emerging technological risks’ like nanoparticles and cloning, and ‘manufacturing risks’ like air and chemical pollution. Our data are drawn from the 2009 Citizens, Science, and Emerging Technologies national study of United States households that investigated public perceptions of EHS risks, traditional and emerging media use, and various individual characteristics like personal demographics, socioeconomic factors, and perceptual filters. The findings show that some categories of EHS risks like those associated with emerging technologies may be more easily predicted than other categories of risks and that individual-level characteristics vary in their explanative power between risk categories even among a single sample of respondents.