Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Heterologous DNA Prime-Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Replicon Particle Boost Dengue Vaccine Regimen Affords Complete Protection from Virus Challenge in Cynomolgus Macaques

ABSTRACT A candidate vaccine (D1ME-VRP) expressing dengue virus type 1 premembrane and envelope proteins in a Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus replicon particle (VRP) system was constructed and tested in conjunction with a plasmid DNA vaccine (D1ME-DNA) expressing identical dengue virus sequences. Cynomolgus macaques were vaccinated with three doses of DNA (DDD), three doses of VRP (VVV group), or a heterologous DNA prime-VRP boost regimen (DDV) using two doses of DNA vaccine and a third dose of VRP vaccine. Four weeks after the final immunization, the DDV group produced the highest dengue virus type 1-specific immunoglobulin G antibody responses and virus-neutralizing antibody titers. Moderate T-cell responses were demonstrated only in DDD- and DDV-vaccinated animals. When vaccinated animals were challenged with live virus, all vaccination regimens showed significant protection from viremia. DDV-immunized animals were completely protected from viremia (mean time of viremia = 0 days), whereas DDD- and VVV-vaccinated animals had mean times of viremia of 0.66 and 0.75 day, respectively, compared to 6.33 days for the control group of animals.
The OPTLS Protocol and TLS 1.3

We present the OPTLS key-exchange protocol, its design, rationale and cryptographic analysis. OPTLS design has been motivated by the ongoing work in the TLS working group of the IETF for specifying TLS 1.3, the next-generation TLS protocol. The latter effort is intended to revamp the security of TLS that has been shown inadequate in many instances as well as to add new security and functional features. The main additions that influence the cryptographic design of TLS 1.3 (hence also of OPTLS) are a new "0-RTT requirement" (0-RTT stands for "zero round trip time") to allow clients that have previously retrieved or cached the public key of the server to send protected data already in the first flow of the protocol, making perfect forward secrecy (PFS) a mandatory requirement, and moving to elliptic curves as the main cryptographic basis for the protocol (for performance and security reasons). Accommodating these requirements calls for moving away from the RSA-centric design of TLS in favor of a protocol based on Diffie-Hellman techniques. OPTLS offers a simple design framework that supports all the above requirements from the protocol with a uniform and modular logic that helps in the specification, analysis, performance optimization, and future maintenance of the protocol. The current (draft) specification of TLS 1.3 builds upon the OPTLS framework as a basis for the cryptographic core of the handshake protocol adapting the different modes of OPTLS to the TLS 1.3 context.
Noise Suppression and Surplus Synchrony by Coincidence Detection

The functional significance of correlations between action potentials of neurons is still a matter of vivid debate. In particular, it is presently unclear how much synchrony is caused by afferent synchronized events and how much is intrinsic due to the connectivity structure of cortex. The available analytical approaches based on the diffusion approximation do not allow to model spike synchrony, preventing a thorough analysis. Here we theoretically investigate to what extent common synaptic afferents and synchronized inputs each contribute to correlated spiking on a fine temporal scale between pairs of neurons. We employ direct simulation and extend earlier analytical methods based on the diffusion approximation to pulse-coupling, allowing us to introduce precisely timed correlations in the spiking activity of the synaptic afferents. We investigate the transmission of correlated synaptic input currents by pairs of integrate-and-fire model neurons, so that the same input covariance can be realized by common inputs or by spiking synchrony. We identify two distinct regimes: In the limit of low correlation linear perturbation theory accurately determines the correlation transmission coefficient, which is typically smaller than unity, but increases sensitively even for weakly synchronous inputs. In the limit of high input correlation, in the presence of synchrony, a qualitatively new picture arises. As the non-linear neuronal response becomes dominant, the output correlation becomes higher than the total correlation in the input. This transmission coefficient larger unity is a direct consequence of non-linear neural processing in the presence of noise, elucidating how synchrony-coded signals benefit from these generic properties present in cortical networks.
Normal Values of Isokinetic Maximum Strength, the Strength/Velocity Curve, and the Angle at Peak Torque of All Degrees of Freedom in the Shoulder

Many acute and chronic complaints in the shoulder joint are due to a reduced active stabilization capacity. Procedures to measure isokinetic strength are used to objectify the muscle deficits and imbalances of various muscle groups. In this study, standard values and reference ranges were determined for peak torque (PT), strength/velocity curve, and range of motion (ROM) at peak torque in the shoulder in 19 untrained women and 32 men. Differentiation was made by the individual degrees of freedom of the shoulder joint and the various types of work (concentric, isometric, eccentric). Moreover, the influence of height, body weight, and body mass index on isokinetic maximum strength development was investigated. It was found that it is necessary to distinguish between the various movements and types of work in development of peak torque. A decrease in maximum strength is observed in the sequence extension, adduction/flexion, abduction/internal rotation, external rotation. The maximum strength of men was determined to be higher than that in women. ROM shows a wide fluctuation and does not possess high validity. Height, as well as body weight and body mass index have only slight influence on the isokinetic maximum strength in the shoulder of untrained men and women.
Effect of Spinal Cord Injury on Quality of Life of Affected Soldiers in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Study Design A prospective cross-sectional study with convenience sampling approach was done to assess quality of life (QoL) in 100 soldiers and veterans affected by spinal cord injury (SCI). Purpose SCI affects almost every aspect of the life of an affected individual. This study was done to measure the impact of SCI on QoL of affected soldiers and veterans using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Overview of Literature The devastating effect of SCI on QoL is well known. However, this study is unique in that it includes soldiers and veterans, who constitute a large, but excluded, cohort in most demographic studies. Methods A cross-sectional study was done at two SCI rehabilitation centres of the Indian armed forces. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews from 100 patients, which included both sociodemographic data as well as all the questions included in WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results Age and marital status did not have any influence on QoL. Level of injury (paraplegic or quadriplegic), level of education and presence of other medical co-morbidities had the most significant influence on QoL. Presence of other medical co-morbidities had a negative influence on QoL. Conclusions Identification of factors having a positive and negative influence on QoL help in formulating measures and policies that positively influence the QoL following SCI in soldiers. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and assessment of additional variables in addition to WHOQOL-BREF, like presence/absence of secondary complications, are required to bring about policy changes to provide SCI patients with additional support and increased access to equipment or lifestyle interventions.
Post-transcriptional Regulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase mRNA Stability by Rho GTPase*

The mechanism by which 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase inhibitors increase endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression is unknown. To determine whether changes in isoprenoid synthesis affects eNOS expression, human endothelial cells were treated with the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, mevastatin (1–10 μm), in the presence ofl-mevalonate (200 μm), geranylgeranylpyrophosphate (GGPP, 1–10 μm), farnesylpyrophosphate (FPP, 5–10 μm), or low density lipoprotein (LDL, 1 mg/ml). Mevastatin increased eNOS mRNA and protein levels by 305 ± 15% and 180 ± 11%, respectively. Co-treatment with l-mevalonate or GGPP, but not FPP or LDL, reversed mevastatin’s effects. Because Rho GTPases undergo geranylgeranyl modification, we investigated whether Rho regulates eNOS expression. Immunoblot analyses and [35S]GTPγS-binding assays revealed that mevastatin inhibited Rho membrane translocation and GTP binding activity by 60 ± 5% and 78 ± 6%, both of which were reversed by co-treatment with GGPP but not FPP. Furthermore, inhibition of Rho by Clostridium botulinum C3 transferase (50 μg/ml) or by overexpression of a dominant-negative N19RhoA mutant increased eNOS expression. In contrast, activation of Rho byEscherichia coli cytotoxic necrotizing factor-1 (200 ng/ml) decreased eNOS expression. These findings indicate that Rho negatively regulates eNOS expression and that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors up-regulate eNOS expression by blocking Rho geranylgeranylation, which is necessary for its membrane-associated activity.
A Nonlocal Kac-van Moerbeke Equation Admitting N-Soliton Solutions

Abstract Using our previous work on reflectionless analytic difference operators and a nonlocal Toda equation, we introduce analytic versions of the Volterra and Kac-van Moerbeke lattice equations. The real-valued N-soliton solutions to our nonlocal equations correspond to self-adjoint reflectionless analytic difference operators with N bound states. A suitable scaling limit gives rise to the N-soliton solutions of the Korteweg-de Vries equation.
Effects of slaframine and 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4DAMP) on pancreatic exocrine secretion in the bovine.

Three Holstein steers (345 +/- 22 kg) surgically fitted with a pancreatic cannula were used in two 3 x 3 Latin square design experiments to examine the effects of slaframine (SF), a muscarinic agonist, or 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4DAMP), an M3 muscarinic glandular receptor antagonist, on pancreatic exocrine secretion. Pancreatic exocrine secretion was collected for 8 h postdosing at 30-min intervals beginning 1 h postfeeding. In experiment 1, steers were dosed with 0, 25, or 50 micrograms.kg-1 body weight (BW) of SF. Secretion of pancreatic juice and the pH of the secreted juice increased linearly (p < 0.05) with SF; however, secretion rate showed a time by treatment interaction (p < 0.05), as treatments converged 7 h postdosing. Trypsin secretion tended (p < 0.10) to show a quadratic response to SF administration, with the 25 micrograms SF.kg-1 BW dose having the lowest value. In experiment 2, steers received 50 micrograms.kg-1 BW of SF (positive control), 113 micrograms.kg-1 BW of 4DAMP (isosmolar with SF), or both. SF caused a greater pancreatic fluid secretion (p < 0.10) than 4DAMP, with SF plus 4DAMP intermediate. A time by treatment interaction (p < 0.04) was found, since treatments converged 8 h postdosing. Trypsin secretion was higher (p < 0.05) for SF than the other treatments. Chymotrypsin, alpha-amylase, and protein secretion were not affected. SF and 4DAMP alter pancreatic fluid secretion in the steer but have minimal effects on enzyme secretions.
Discrepant Parent-Adolescent Views on Family Functioning: Predictors of Poorer Self-Esteem and Problems of Emotion and Behaviour in British and Canadian Adolescents

Conflict between a parent and an adolescent may be indicative of problems of family cohesion, and may predict poorer self-esteem and problems of emotion and behavior. This ideals explored in high school and junior college populations in Alberta, Canada, and in Britain. in all, 1,796 12 to 19-year-olds completed the summary scale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), which was also completed by a parent Results were generally similar in both cultures, with many more similarities than differences, On all scale items, adolescents were significantly more critical of their family life than were their parents. The degree of difference between parent and child descriptions of family functioning was significantly correlated with the adolescents' Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale scores, as well as self-completed, standardized measures of problems of emotion and behaviour. Differences between parent and child's responses to the FAD were better predictors than FAD scores alone.
Flavonoids: Antioxidants Against Atherosclerosis

Oxidative stress results from an imbalance between excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or reactive nitrogen species and limited antioxidant defences. Endothelium and nitric oxide (NO) are key regulators of vascular health. NO bioavailability is modulated by ROS that degrade NO, uncouple NO synthase, and inhibit synthesis. Cardiovascular risk conditions contribute to oxidative stress, causing an imbalance between NO and ROS, with a relative decrease in NO bioavailability. Dietary flavonoids represent a range of polyphenolic compounds naturally occurring in plant foods. Flavonoids are potentially involved in cardiovascular prevention mainly by decreasing oxidative stress and increasing NO bioavailability.
Evaluation of mediators of oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with acute appendicitis

Abstract Context: This study aims to explore the potential of new inflammatory markers for improving the challenging diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA). Methods: Levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, CRP, INF-γ, and TNF-α in serum were measured in 73 patients with AA. Oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes were analyzed. Results: Serum levels of interleukins, TNF-α, and INF-γ were significantly elevated in patients with appendicitis (p < 0.0001), except for IL-10, which presented decreased levels. There were no significant differences in SOD (p = 0.29), CAT (p = 0.19), or TBARS levels (p = 0.18), whereas protein carbonyls presented significant increase (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Evaluating these biomarkers could aid in diagnosing AA.
The Spin-Kinetic Temperature Coupling and the Heating Rate due to Lyα Scattering before Reionization: Predictions for 21 Centimeter Emission and Absorption

We investigate the interaction of Lyα photons produced by the first stars in the universe with intergalactic hydrogen prior to reionization. The background Lyα spectral profile is obtained by solving a Fokker-Planck equation. We present accurate values of the heating and scattering rates and the spin-kinetic temperature coupling coefficient. We show that the heating rate induced by the Lyα scattering is much lower than found previously and is basically negligible. The dominant heating source is most likely X-rays from the first ionizing sources, which are able to penetrate into the atomic medium. The scattering of Lyα photons couples the hydrogen spin temperature to the kinetic temperature. If the first ionizing sources in the universe did not emit significant X-rays, the spin temperature would be rapidly brought down to the very low gas kinetic temperature, and a 21 cm absorption signal against the cosmic microwave background (CMB) larger than 100 mK would be predicted. However, we argue that sufficient X-rays are likely to have been emitted by the first stellar population, implying that the gas kinetic temperature should rapidly increase, turning a reduced and brief absorption signal into emission, with a smaller amplitude of ~20 mK. The detection of the 21 cm absorption and emission features would be a hallmark in unravelling the history of the "dark age" before reionization.
Salicylic Acid — A Potential Biomarker of Tobacco Bel-W3 Cell Death Developed as a Response to Ground Level Ozone under Ambient Conditions

Salicylic acid content and benzoic acid 2-hydroxylase (BA2H) activity were investigated in tobacco Bel-W3 and Bel-B leaves after exposure to tropospheric ozone in the conditions of ambient air. Plants were exposed in accordance with a standard methodology for ozone biomonitoring, in a three-year experiment. Free salicylic acid (SA), conjugated with glucose (SAG), and as a product of the BA2H activity was quantified with HPLC. In order to evaluate ozone injuries of leaves, an open source image analysis software was employed. Plants exposure to ambient ozone resulted in enhanced BA2H activity and intensified salicylic acid biosynthesis in leaves of Bel-W3 cultivar showing visible ozone injuries. The BA2H activity significantly correlated with SAG for ozone-exposed Bel-W3 plants. Both injuries and salicylic acid biosynthesis rate depended on the growth phase of leaves and nearly linear correlation between SA content and injuries was found for particular leaves of Bel-W3.
First Encounters With Instructors: The Experiences and Perceptions of Nursing Students in Iran.

BACKGROUND: The first encounter between an instructor and his/her student influences the development of their mutual relationship. This phenomenon has received little attention in the literature within the context of nursing education. PURPOSE: This study explores and describes qualitatively the subjective experience and perceptions of nursing students related to their first encounter with instructors in both classroom and clinical settings. METHODS: A purposeful sampling method was utilized to select 15 nursing students from a nursing school in Iran to participate in semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. RESULTS: Data analysis identified three main themes: (a) preexisting expectations, with the four subthemes of socially shared expectations, personal expectations, profession-related expectations, and reputation-directed expectations; (b) student's judgment, with the three subthemes of assessing the instructor, assessing criteria, and good or bad beginning; and (c) future interactions, with the two subthemes of constructive decisions and destructive decisions. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results show that the initial student-instructor encounter is a process in which students rely heavily on preexisting expectations to assess and judge the initial interaction with their instructor. The findings of this study may help nursing instructors in various national and cultural settings increase their awareness of the factors that influence their first encounters with students. Greater awareness may help positively shape student perspectives of the instructor's role and encourage students to collaborate with the instructor in the teaching and learning process in order to create a better outcome for both.
Replication and extension of social research through secondary analysis

Several explanations for this paradox have been suggested including the stigma attached to &dquo;secondary&dquo; analysis as if it were a presumed inferior second cousin to &dquo;primary&dquo; analysis; a corresponding perverse infatuation with novelty and originality; textbooks and professional socialization programs that ignore or denegrate secondary analysis; prejudice of research funding agencies toward collecting &dquo;fresh&dquo; data instead of analyzing existing data, and the reluctance of many researchers to conform their research interests to
Evidence for Persistent Enterovirus Infection of the Central Nervous System in Patients with Previous Paralytic Poliomyelitis

It has been suggested that late onset neurological deterioration after poliomyelitis may be due in some cases to persistent poliovirus infection of the central nervous system. In view of this, we decide to determine whether polioviruses and other enteroviruses can persist in the central nervous system. In a previous study, one of us (M.K.S.) reported serological evidence of persistent poliovirus infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in a proportion of these patients. We have now studied cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from these patients for the presence of enterovirus RNA sequences using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Enteroviral RNA was detected in 3 of 24 patients with a clinical diagnosis of post-polio syndrome, but in none of 36 patients with stable poliomyelitis, and none of 36 patients with other neurological conditions of noninfective origin. All 3 patients in whom viral RNA was detected had high intrathecal levels of poliovirus-specific oligoclonal IgM bands. In a second study we examined formalin-fixed postmortem CNS tissue from 7 patients with a history of paralytic poliomyelitis. Enterovirus RNA was detected in tissue from the spinal cord from 3 patients, but not in the cerebral cortex. We are now conducting a larger prospective, blind study of patients with evidence of late deterioration. Analysis of the first 30 patients studied revealed the presence of enterovirus RNA in CSF of 1 of 4 patients with unexplained late-onset post-polio weakness, 1 of 6 with some evidence of clinical deterioration, but none of 20 without inexplicable signs of post-polio weakness. Enteroviral RNA was also detected in spinal cord from 2 of 3 patients who died from other causes during this study. These studies provide virological evidence that enteroviruses may persist in the CNS of man. Further study is required in order to understand fully the biological and clinical significance of these findings.
Optimal Channel Choice for Collaborative Ad-Hoc Dissemination

Collaborative ad-hoc dissemination of information has been proposed as an efficient means to disseminate information among devices in a wireless ad-hoc network. Devices help in forwarding the information channels to the entire network, by disseminating the channels they subscribe to, plus others. We consider the case where devices have a limited amount of storage that they are willing to devote to the public good, and thus have to decide which channels they are willing to help disseminate. We are interested in finding channel selection strategies which optimize the dissemination time across the channels. We first consider a simple model under the random mixing assumption; we show that channel dissemination time can be characterized in terms of the number of nodes that forward this channel. Then we show that maximizing a social welfare is equivalent to an assignment problem, whose solution can be obtained by a centralized greedy algorithm. We show empirical evidence, based on Zune data, that there is a substantial difference between the utility of the optimal assignment and heuristics that were used in the past. We also show that the optimal assignment can be approximated in a distributed way by a Metropolis-Hastings sampling algorithm. We also give a variant that accounts for battery level. This leads to a practical channel selection and re-selection algorithm that can be implemented without any central control.