Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Virus Envelope Features That Determine Antiviral Response Assessed through Optimal Covariance Networks

The poor response to the combined antiviral therapy of pegylated alfa-interferon and ribavarin for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be linked to mutations in the viral envelope gene E1E2 (env), which can result in escape from the immune response and higher efficacy of viral entry. Mutations that result in failure of therapy most likely require compensatory mutations to achieve sufficient change in envelope structure and function. Compensatory mutations were investigated by determining positions in the E1E2 gene where amino acids (aa) covaried across groups of individuals. We assessed networks of covarying positions in E1E2 sequences that differentiated sustained virological response (SVR) from non-response (NR) in 43 genotype 1a (17 SVR), and 49 genotype 1b (25 SVR) chronically HCV-infected individuals. Binary integer programming over covariance networks was used to extract aa combinations that differed between response groups. Genotype 1a E1E2 sequences exhibited higher degrees of covariance and clustered into 3 main groups while 1b sequences exhibited no clustering. Between 5 and 9 aa pairs were required to separate SVR from NR in each genotype. aa in hypervariable region 1 were 6 times more likely than chance to occur in the optimal networks. The pair 531–626 (EI) appeared frequently in the optimal networks and was present in 6 of 9 NR in one of the 1a clusters. The most frequent pairs representing SVR were 431–481 (EE), 500–522 (QA) in 1a, and 407–434 (AQ) in 1b. Optimal networks based on covarying aa pairs in HCV envelope can indicate features that are associated with failure or success to antiviral therapy.
The cognitive and affective structure of paranoid delusions: a transdiagnostic investigation of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and depression.

CONTEXT Paranoid delusions are a common symptom of a range of psychotic disorders. A variety of psychological mechanisms have been implicated in their cause, including a tendency to jump to conclusions, an impairment in the ability to understand the mental states of other people (theory of mind), an abnormal anticipation of threat, and an abnormal explanatory style coupled with low self-esteem. OBJECTIVE To determine the structure of the relationships among psychological mechanisms contributing to paranoia in a transdiagnostic sample. DESIGN Cross-sectional design, with relationships between predictor variables and paranoia examined by structural equation models with latent variables. SETTING Publicly funded psychiatric services in London and the North West of England. PARTICIPANTS One hundred seventy-three patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, major depression, or late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis, subdivided according to whether they were currently experiencing paranoid delusions. Sixty-four healthy control participants matched for appropriate demographic variables were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Assessments of theory of mind, jumping to conclusions bias, and general intellectual functioning, with measures of threat anticipation, emotion, self-esteem, and explanatory style. RESULTS The best fitting (chi(2)(96) = 131.69, P = . 01; comparative fit index = 0.95; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.96; root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.04) and most parsimonious model of the data indicated that paranoid delusions are associated with a combination of pessimistic thinking style (low self-esteem, pessimistic explanatory style, and negative emotion) and impaired cognitive performance (executive functioning, tendency to jump to conclusions, and ability to reason about the mental states of others). Pessimistic thinking correlated highly with paranoia even when controlling for cognitive performance (r = 0.65, P < .001), and cognitive performance correlated with paranoia when controlling for pessimism (r = -0.34, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Both cognitive and emotion-related processes are involved in paranoid delusions. Treatment for paranoid patients should address both types of processes.
The science of art: A neurological theory of aesthetic experience

art may employ ‘supernormal’ stimuli to excite form areas in the brain more strongly than natural stimuli. Second, we suggest that grouping is a very basic principle. The different extrastriate visual areas may have evolved specifically to extract correlations in different domains (e.g. form, depth, colour), and discovering and linking multiple features (‘grouping’) into unitary clusters — objects — is facilitated and reinforced by direct connections from these areas to limbic structures. In general, when object-like entities are partially discerned at any stage in the visual hierarchy, messages are sent back to earlier stages to alert them to certain locations or features in order to look for additional evidence for the object (and these processes may be facilitated by direct limbic activation). Finally, given constraints on allocation of attentional resources, art is most appealing if it produces heightened activity in a single dimension (e.g. through the peak shift principle or through grouping) rather than redundant activation of multiple modules. This idea may help explain the effectiveness of outline drawings and sketches, the savant syndrome in autists, and the sudden emergence of artistic talent in fronto-temporal dementia. In addition to these three basic principles we propose five others, constituting a total of ‘eight laws of aesthetic experience’ (analogous to the Buddha’s eightfold path to
Closed timelike curves in asymmetrically warped brane universes

In asymmetrically-warped spacetimes different warp factors are assigned to space and to time. We discuss causality properties of these warped brane universes and argue that scenarios with two extra dimensions may allow for timelike curves which can be closed via paths in the extra-dimensional bulk. In particular, necessary and sufficient conditions on the metric for the existence of closed timelike curves are presented. We find a six-dimensional warped metric which satisfies the CTC conditions, and where the null, weak and dominant energy conditions are satisfied on the brane (although only the former remains satisfied in the bulk). Such scenarios are interesting, since they open the possibility of experimentally testing the chronology protection conjecture by manipulating on our brane initial conditions of gravitons or hypothetical gauge-singlet fermions (''sterile neutrinos'') which then propagate in the extra dimensions.
Implementation and performance analysis of active queue management mechanisms

In this paper, we describe active queue management (AQM) mechanisms that are employed in the Internet protocol (IP) routers. We address the functionality and implementation of AQM blocks in IP routers. We also describe the benefits of the AQM mechanisms and justify the need for their implementation. Simulation results illustrate the fairness and the efficient use of resources in networks with the AQM support.
A Research of Consumers' Initial Trust in Online Stores in China

With the development of e-commerce in China, some obstacles, such as poor Internet infrastructure and logistics problems have been gradually removed. Consumers’ distrust of online stores becomes the main problem impeding the acceptance of online shopping. Initial trust is the focus of this study because most Internet users in China have no experience of online shopping. Although the technology acceptance model (TAM) has been extensively studied, it is rarely tested in the context of initial trust or in developing countries such as China. Because China has a very different cultural environment from western countries, the results of existing studies on TAM and trust may not be directly applied to China without actual examination. The study integrates TAM with initial trust to explain online shopping behaviour of Chinese consumers. The results demonstrate that perceived usefulness, consumers’ trust propensity, website security and vendor reputation have significant effect on initial trust. Perceived usefulness fully mediates the relationship between perceived ease of use and initial trust as well as the relationship between perceived ease of use and purchase intention.
The role of attachment styles in team functioning

This research explored the potential influences on team functioning, from the perspective of adult attachment theory. Attachment styles are seen to reflect internal working models of self, others, and relationships, and influence individuals’ motivations, abilities, and perceptions as regards relationships. The research question explored what the role and influence of an individual’s global and team attachment style may have upon an individual’s experience of a work team. It sought to explain engagement with an individual’s work team, what is the subsequent influence of this on performance and how attachment style contributes to this. The key issues of Team Member Exchange and Team Identification were explored as areas of team functioning. These are the variables used to study and understand an individual’s team experiences, their engagement with the team, and the relationship with their performance ratings. The research found that both adult global and team attachment styles were negatively associated with Team Member Exchange (TMX), Team Identification, job satisfaction, performance ratings and Organisational Citizenship Behaviours (OCB). Using mediation analysis, team avoidant attachment was consistently and strongly associated with the study’s dependent variables and emerged as the key explanatory variable in this research. When all the attachment styles were analysed simultaneously to determine the unique effects of each attachment style, team avoidance style was the most useful in understanding both TMX and Team Identification, job satisfaction, OCB and performance measures. Those with avoidant team attachment styles felt that the experience of team was negative with lower TMX and Team Identification reported. The research has added new insights to the team and attachment literature with the important contribution of team avoidance attachment to TMX and Team Identification.
Flexibility in Strategic Decision Making: Informational and Ideological Perspectives

Adaptation is a crucial challenge for organizations, and an important theme in the strategy and organization theory literature. We still have much to learn, however, about the strategic processes by which adaptation is achieved. In this paper we focus on a basic element in the adaptation process, i.e. flexibility within the strategic decision‐making process. We concentrate on strategic decisions because these choices are the most important adaptations the firm makes. We suggest that the core of all organizational adaptation is a decision‐making process. Unless the decision‐making process itself is flexible, it is unlikely the organization can be flexible enough to adapt. We derive hypotheses concerning the factors that lead to flexibility (versus rigidity) from both information processing and ideological perspectives, and test them in a study involving 57 strategic decisions in 25 companies. Our results identify three contextual factors related to both perspectives ‐‐ including competitive threat, slack and uncertainty ‐‐ that are helpful in understanding flexibility in strategy decision making. While managers appear to be more flexible when decisions are uncertain, we found that in the very conditions where managers need the most flexibility (high competitive threat and low slack), they are least likely to be flexible.
Ndel1-derived peptides modulate bidirectional transport of injected beads in the squid giant axon

Summary Bidirectional transport is a key issue in cellular biology. It requires coordination between microtubule-associated molecular motors that work in opposing directions. The major retrograde and anterograde motors involved in bidirectional transport are cytoplasmic dynein and conventional kinesin, respectively. It is clear that failures in molecular motor activity bear severe consequences, especially in the nervous system. Neuronal migration may be impaired during brain development, and impaired molecular motor activity in the adult is one of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases leading to neuronal cell death. The mechanisms that regulate or coordinate kinesin and dynein activity to generate bidirectional transport of the same cargo are of utmost importance. We examined how Ndel1, a cytoplasmic dynein binding protein, may regulate non-vesicular bidirectional transport. Soluble Ndel1 protein, Ndel1-derived peptides or control proteins were mixed with fluorescent beads, injected into the squid giant axon, and the bead movements were recorded using time-lapse microscopy. Automated tracking allowed for extraction and unbiased analysis of a large data set. Beads moved in both directions with a clear bias to the anterograde direction. Velocities were distributed over a broad range and were typically slower than those associated with fast vesicle transport. Ironically, the main effect of Ndel1 and its derived peptides was an enhancement of anterograde motion. We propose that they may function primarily by inhibition of dynein-dependent resistance, which suggests that both dynein and kinesin motors may remain engaged with microtubules during bidirectional transport.
On the lacking visibility of management research from non-Western countries: The influence of Indian researchers’ social identity on their publication strategy

Purpose For a long time, researchers across the world have called for more generalizable frameworks in management research, which can be used to better understand local contexts and to extend established theories in Western countries. However, research from non-Western countries is barely visible in high-impact management journals. Although most researchers have tried to understand this lacking visibility from a more technological perspective, this study aims to analyze the extent to which group psychological processes influence the selection of international publication strategies by non-Western researchers in this study. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were based on social identity theory. In total, 169 management researchers from India were surveyed and their social identities and the international publication strategy were assessed. Findings It could be confirmed that higher identification with non-Western researchers is negatively related to the intention to publish internationally. Social implications The findings suggest that current approaches to increasing the low visibility of non-Western research require a general revision. Originality/value This study adds a new angle to the center–periphery debate by incorporating the influence of social identities on the selection of an international publication strategy. Research socialization in the periphery seems to increase the likelihood of choosing local publication outlets rather than aiming for international publications. Therefore, it is necessary to implement strategies that aim at the psychological inclusion of peripheral researchers to increase their visibility in international journals and on international platforms.
Human tooth germ stem cell response to calcium-silicate based endodontic cements.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxic effects of endodontic cements on human tooth germ stem cells (hTGSCs). MTA Fillapex, a mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA)-based, salicylate resin containing root canal sealer, was compared with iRoot SP, a bioceramic sealer, and AH Plus Jet, an epoxy resin-based root canal sealer. MATERIAL AND METHODS To evaluate cytotoxicity, all materials were packed into Teflon rings (4 mmµ3 mm) and co-cultured with hTGSCs with the aid of 24-well Transwell permeable supports, which had a pore size of 0.4 µm. Coverslips were coated with MTA Fillapex, iRoot SP and AH Plus Jet and each coverslip was placed onto the bottom of one well of a six-well plate for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Before the cytotoxicity and SEM analysis, all samples were stored at 37ºC and at 95% humidity and 5% CO2 for 24 hours to set. The cellular viability was analyzed using MTS test (3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxy-methoxy-phenyl)-2-(4-sulfo-phenyl)-2H-tetrazolium). The cytotoxic effects and SEM visualization of the tested materials were analyzed at 24-hour, 72-hour, one-week and two-week periods. RESULTS On the 1st day, only MTA Fillapex caused cytotoxicity compared to negative control (NC) group (p<0.008). No significant difference was observed between the other tested materials at this period (p>0.05). After 14 days of incubation with the test materials, MTA Fillapex exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity compared with iRoot SP, AH Plus Jet and the NC group (P<0.008). In the SEM analysis, the highest levels of cell attachment were observed for iRoot SP and the control group. After 24 hours, MTA Fillapex reduced the number of cells attached to the surface. CONCLUSIONS Within the limitations of this study, sealers exerted different cytotoxic effects on hTGSCs. Although all materials have exerted cellular toxicity, iRoot SP and AH Plus Jet may promote better attachment to hTGSCs.
Pengaruh Keingintahuan Dan Rasa Percaya Diri Siswa Terhadap Hasil Belajar Matematika Kelas VII Mts Negeri I Kota Cirebon

In the world of education right now, a lot of complex issues occur and need special attention from all parties. One of them is the lack of curiosity and self-confidence of students thus affecting student learning results primarily on mathematical subjects. The better the curiosity and self-confidence of students, then students will be more motivated to learn. So the students will obtain a meaningful learning and get the results of the study are in accordance with the national education goals. The purpose of this research was to review; How big is the curiosity of students, how high the confidence of students, and how great the influence of curiosity and self-confidence of students toward outcome studied mathematics students. The research method used is the quantitative methods. The population in this research is grade VII MTs Negeri 1 Cirebon in the year 2014/2015 Lessons, with the number of students 1127 people. The technique of sampling using purporsive sampling. By using the selected sampling engineering 80 students to become respondents. The dwarf in the collection of data for the variable X is now with the spread against the target of research. As for the variable Y by using the test instrument. Then the data obtained were analyzed by using test normality, test its homogeneity, linierity test regression, autocorrelation test, and test the multikolinieritas as well as a test of the hypothesis. Based on the results of the analysis of the obtained an average score of curiosity is 59,25% by category and average score results of learning math is 69,11% with high category as well a the average score of studen learning outcomes i.e. 67,81% by category enough. The result statistical hypothesis test note that 11,782>2,37 the Ho are received. With equation regresion is 83.866 + 0.128 0.364 x 1 + X 2 which means there are influences between curiosity and self-confidence of students toward outcome studied mathematics. Based on the determination of the magnitude of the influence coefficient is 4,79% meaning that curiosity and self-confidence of students gives only a small influence against the results of the study of mathematics students. While the rest of 95,21% is affected by other factors. Key words: students ' Curiosity, self-confidence of the students, the results of the study
A fast algorithm for learning large scale preference relations

We consider the problem of learning the ranking function that maximizes a generalization of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney statistic on training data. Relying on an 2-exact approximation for the error-function, we reduce the computational complexity of each iteration of a conjugate gradient algorithm for learning ranking functions from O(m2), to O(m), where m is the size of the training data. Experiments on public benchmarks for ordinal regression and collaborative filtering show that the proposed algorithm is as accurate as the best available methods in terms of ranking accuracy, when trained on the same data, and is several orders of magnitude faster.
Cell Death Inducing Microbial Protein Phosphatase Inhibitors—Mechanisms of Action

Okadaic acid (OA) and microcystin (MC) as well as several other microbial toxins like nodularin and calyculinA are known as tumor promoters as well as inducers of apoptotic cell death. Their intracellular targets are the major serine/threonine protein phosphatases. This review summarizes mechanisms believed to be responsible for the death induction and tumor promotion with focus on the interdependent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II (CaM-KII). New data are presented using inhibitors of specific ROS producing enzymes to curb nodularin/MC-induced liver cell (hepatocyte) death. They indicate that enzymes of the arachidonic acid pathway, notably phospholipase A2, 5-lipoxygenase, and cyclooxygenases, may be required for nodularin/MC-induced (and presumably OA-induced) cell death, suggesting new ways to overcome at least some aspects of OA and MC toxicity.
Effects of the oral, direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran on five common coagulation assays

Summary Dabigatran is an oral, reversible thrombin inhibitor that has shown promising results in large clinical trials. Laboratory monitoring is not needed but the effects on common coagulation assays are incompletely known. Dabigatran was added to plasma from healthy subjects in the concentration range 0–1,000 μg/l and analysed using several reagents for activated thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), fibrinogen, antithrombin, and activated protein C resistance. Typical trough concentrations are about 50 μg/l, peak concentrations 100–300 μg/l. At 100 μg/l all APTT-results were prolonged. The concentration required to double APTT ranged between 227 and 286 μg/l, the responses for all five reagents were similar. PT-reagents were much less affected with almost no samples above INR 1.2 at 100 μg/l. The effect was sample dilution dependent with PT Quick type more sensitive than PT Owren type methods. If a patient on dabigatran has prolonged APTT, >90 seconds, and Quick PT INR>2 or Owren PT INR>1.5 over-dosing or accumulation of dabigatran should be considered. Two of four fibrinogen reagents underestimated the fibrinogen concentration considerably at expected peak concentration. Methods based on inhibition of thrombin over-estimated the antithrombin concentration, but not Xa-based. The APC-resistance methods over-estimated the APC-ratio, which may lead to miss-classification of factor V Leiden patients as being normal. Different coagulation assays, and even different reagents within an assay group, display variable effects at therapeutic concentrations of dabigatran. Some of these assay variations are of clinical importance, thus knowledge is needed for a correct interpretation of results.