Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UL36p Is Required for Efficient Transport of Membrane-Associated Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 along Microtubules

ABSTRACT Microtubule-mediated anterograde transport is essential for the transport of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) along axons, yet little is known regarding the mechanism and the machinery required for this process. Previously, we were able to reconstitute anterograde transport of HSV-1 on microtubules in an in vitro microchamber assay. Here we report that the large tegument protein UL36p is essential for this trafficking. Using a fluorescently labeled UL36 null HSV-1 strain, KΔUL36GFP, we found that it is possible to isolate a membrane-associated population of this virus. Although these viral particles contained normal amounts of tegument proteins VP16, vhs, and VP22, they displayed a 3-log decrease in infectivity and showed a different morphology compared to UL36p-containing virions. Membrane-associated KΔUL36GFP also displayed a slightly decreased binding to microtubules in our microchamber assay and a two-thirds decrease in the frequency of motility. This decrease in binding and motility was restored when UL36p was supplied in trans by a complementing cell line. These findings suggest that UL36p is necessary for HSV-1 anterograde transport.
Acutely Bleeding Aortoduodenal Fistula: Staged Endovascular and Open Surgical Repair

Secondary aortoduodenal fistula is an uncommon but potentially fatal complication that can occur after aortic reconstruction surgery and usually presents with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Taking into account the accompanying multiple comorbidities of those patients, conventional open surgical repair carries with it significant mortality and morbidity rates. The purpose of this case report is to describe the successful combined endovascular and open surgical repair of an acutely ruptured aortoduodenal fistula in a 67-year-old male patient. Four months after the procedure, the patient remains well.
Visual information seeking: tight coupling of dynamic query filters with starfield displays

ABSTRACT This paper offers new principles for visual information seeking (VIS). A key concept is to support browsing, which is distinguished from familiar query composition and information retrieval because of its emphasis on rapid filtering to reduce result sets, progressive refinement of search parameters, continuous reformulation of goals, and visual scanning to identify results. VIS principles developed include: dynamic query filters (query parameters are rapidly adjusted with sliders, buttons, maps, etc.), starfield displays (two-dimensional scatterplots to structure result sets and zooming to reduce clutter), and tight coupling (interrelating query components to preserve display invariants and support progressive refinement combined with an emphasis on using search output to foster search input). A FilmFinder prototype using a movie database demonstrates these principles in a VIS environment.
Friction effects and clogging in a cellular automaton model for pedestrian dynamics.

We investigate the role of conflicts in pedestrian traffic, i.e., situations where two or more people try to enter the same space. Therefore a recently introduced cellular automaton model for pedestrian dynamics is extended by a friction parameter mu. This parameter controls the probability that the movement of all particles involved in a conflict is denied at one time step. It is shown that these conflicts are not an undesirable artifact of the parallel update scheme, but are important for a correct description of the dynamics. The friction parameter mu can be interpreted as a kind of an internal local pressure between the pedestrians which becomes important in regions of high density, occurring, e.g., in panic situations. We present simulations of the evacuation of a large room with one door. It is found that friction has not only quantitative effects, but can also lead to qualitative changes, e.g., of the dependence of the evacuation time on the system parameters. We also observe similarities to the flow of granular materials, e.g., arching effects.
DNA variants at the LPL gene locus associate with angiographically defined severity of atherosclerosis and serum lipoprotein levels in a Welsh population.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (n = 235), comprising minimal (CAD-, n = 124) and severe (CAD+, n = 111) CAD, were recruited on the basis of their angiographic scores. Male control subjects (n = 123) were selected randomly from the Caerphilly Heart Study cohort. Subjects were genotyped for the Ser447-Ter mutation and HindIII/Pvu II restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the lipoprotein lipase gene and investigated for associations with severity and development of CAD and lipid and lipoprotein levels. The Ser447-Ter mutation showed no significant associations with CAD or dyslipidemia but was related to favorable lipid and lipoprotein profiles. The H2H2 genotype (P < .05) and H2 allele (P = .05) were significantly more frequent in CAD+ versus CAD- and control subjects versus CAD-. H2H2 subjects, among the entire male cohort, had significantly higher levels of apolipoprotein B (P = .0002), total cholesterol (P < .004), and triglycerides (P < .04) than alternative genotypes. P2P2 associated with significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P < .01). The H2 allele had most significant associations with raised apolipoprotein B levels compared with other biochemical parameters. Our data suggest that the H2 allele may be a linkage marker for an etiologic mutation for dyslipidemia and the severity and development of atherosclerosis; this is not the Ser447-Ter mutation.
A Sinc that Sank

Abstract We resolve and further study a sinc integral evaluation, first posed in this Monthly in [1967, p. 1015], which was solved in [1968, p. 914] and withdrawn in [1970, p. 657]. After a short introduction to the problem and its history, we give a general evaluation which we make entirely explicit in the case of the product of three sinc functions. Finally, we exhibit some more general structure of the integrals in question.
Evolution of Primary and Compensatory Lamivudine Resistance Mutations in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus-Infected Patients during Long-Term Lamivudine Treatment, Assessed by a Line Probe Assay

ABSTRACT With the availability of more potent nucleotide/nucleoside analogues, the early detection of drug-resistant mutants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is important for the strategic treatment of chronic hepatitis B. We studied 336 serum samples from 80 patients chronically infected with HBV who were receiving lamivudine treatment for the presence of lamivudine resistance mutations at codons 80, 173, 180, and 204 of the HBV polymerase. The sequencing data were compared with the results generated with the INNO-LiPA HBV DR (drug resistance) v2 strip, a line probe assay (LiPA) covering wild-type and mutant motifs, for resistance mutations to lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil. This method provided at least the same information as sequencing for 99.1% of all codons analyzed. On the basis of the LiPA results, 20 of 80 patients developed a lamivudine resistance mutation after 1 year. In all 20 patients, the mutation occurred in the YMDD motif at reverse transcriptase position 204 (rt204; M204V/I) either with or without the compensatory mutation at position rt180 (L180M). A compensatory mutation at position rt80 (L80V/I) was detected in half of these patients. After 36 months, a compensatory mutation was seen at position rt173 (V173L) in 3/15 patients. Time-to-event survival analysis indicated a 2.8 times greater chance for LiPA to detect a given mutation than sequencing at any moment in time (hazard ratio, 2.8, 95% confidence interval, 1.79, 4.41; P < 0.0001). These results demonstrate that a highly sensitive and specific assay such as the INNO-LiPA HBV DR v2 can precociously detect and monitor the emergence of primary and compensatory lamivudine resistance mutations in patients chronically infected with HBV and is more sensitive than sequencing.
Ieee Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 1 Gradient Response Maps for Real-time Detection of Texture-less Objects

—We present a method for real-time 3D object instance detection that does not require a time consuming training stage, and can handle untextured objects. At its core, our approach is a novel image representation for template matching designed to be robust to small image transformations. This robustness is based on spread image gradient orientations and allows us to test only a small subset of all possible pixel locations when parsing the image, and to represent a 3D object with a limited set of templates. In addition, we demonstrate that if a dense depth sensor is available we can extend our approach for an even better performance taking also 3D surface normal orientations into account. We show how to take advantage of the architecture of modern computers to build an efficient but very discriminant representation of the input images that can be used to consider thousands of templates in real-time. We demonstrate in many experiments on real data that our method is much faster and more robust with respect to background clutter than current state-of-the-art methods. ✦ R EAL-TIME object instance detection and learning are two important and challenging tasks in Computer Vision. Among the application fields that drive development in this area, robotics especially has a strong need for computationally efficient approaches, as autonomous systems continuously have to adapt to a changing and unknown environment, and to learn and recognize new objects. For such time-critical applications, real-time template matching is an attractive solution because new objects can be easily learned and matched online, in contrast to statistical-learning techniques that require many training samples and are often too computation-ally intensive for real-time performance [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. The reason for this inefficiency is that those learning approaches aim at detecting unseen objects from certain object classes instead of detecting a priori known object instances from multiple viewpoints. The latter is tried to be achieved in classical template matching where generalization is not performed on the object class but on the viewpoint sampling. While this is considered as an easier task, it does not make the problem trivial, as the data still exhibit significant changes in viewpoint, in illumination and in occlusion between the training and the runtime sequence. When the object is textured enough for keypoints to be found and recognized on the basis of their appear-Fig. 1: Our method can detect texture-less 3D objects in real-time under different poses …
R&D and Productivity: Estimating Production Functions when Productivity is Endogenous

We develop a simple estimator for production functions in the presence of endogenous productivity change that allows us to retrieve productivity and its relationship with R&D at the flrm level. Our dynamic investment model can be viewed as a generalization of the knowledge capital model (Griliches 1979) that has remained a cornerstone of the productivity literature for more than 25 years. We relax the assumptions on the R&D process and examine the impact of the investment in knowledge on the productivity of flrms. We illustrate our approach on an unbalanced panel of more than 1800 Spanish manufacturing flrms in nine industries during the 1990s. Our flndings indicate that the link between R&D and productivity is subject to a high degree of uncertainty, nonlinearity, and heterogeneity across flrms. Abstracting from uncertainty and nonlinearity, as is done in the knowledge capital model, or assuming an exogenous process for productivity, as is done in the recent literature on structural estimation of production functions, overlooks some of its most interesting features.
Interpretation of Trends of PM25 and Reconstructed Visibility from the IMPROVE Network

ABSTRACT Under the IMPROVE visibility monitoring network, federal land managers have monitored visibility and fine particle concentrations at 29 Class I area sites (mostly national parks and wilderness areas) and Washington, DC since 1988. This paper evaluates trends in reconstructed visibility and fine particles for the 10th (best visibility days), 50th (average visibility days), and 90th (worst visibility days) percentiles over the nine-year period from 1988-96. Data from these sites provides an indication of regional trends in air quality and visibility resulting from implementation of various emission reduction strategies.
The connection between purposive information seeking and information encountering: A study of Icelanders' health and lifestyle information seeking

Purpose – This paper aims to explore health and lifestyle information seeking behaviour by examining the connection between purposive information seeking and information encountering.Design/methodology/approach – Data on purposive seeking and information encountering, gathered from postal surveys in 2002 and 2007, were compared. Random samples of 1,000 Icelanders, aged 18 to 80 were used. The response rate was 51 per cent in 2002 and 47 per cent in 2007. Based on the purposive seeking in 22 sources, k‐means cluster analysis was used to draw four clusters of participants: passive, moderately passive, moderately active and active.Findings – The results from 2007 and 2002 revealed the same kind of information seeking. The findings indicate that information encountering is an integral feature of information seeking behaviour. Information is encountered more often than sought on purpose by all clusters. Clusters that were active in purposive information seeking were also active in information encountering and .
Eddy-Current Modeling of a Continous Conductivity Profile Resulting From a Diffusion Process

This paper deals with the modelization of eddy-current measurements over combustion turbine blade coatings affected by depletion of aluminum. First, we model the response of an eddy-current coil over a layered metallic structure with a top over-aluminized coating by extending the analytical Uzal-Rose's model for one hyperbolic tangent conductivity profile to a conductivity profile using two hyperbolic tangents for taking inward and outward depletion of aluminum inside the coating into account. Results obtained with this model are similar to those obtained with a numerical multilayer model but with a reduced computing time.
Strategy to combat obesity and to promote physical activity in Arab countries

Obesity has become a major public health problem in the Arab countries, creating a health and economic burden on these countries’ government services. There is an urgent need to develop a strategy for prevention and control of obesity. The third Arab Conference on Obesity and Physical Activity was held in Bahrain in January 2010, and proposed the Strategy to Combat Obesity and Promote Physical Activity in Arab Countries. This strategy provides useful guidelines for each Arab country to prepare its own strategy or plan of action to prevent and control obesity. The strategy focused on expected outcomes, objectives, indicators to measure the objectives, and action needs for 9 target areas: child-care centers for preschool children, schools, primary health care, secondary care, food companies, food preparation institutes, media, public benefit organizations, and the workplace. Follow-up and future developments of this strategy were also included.
The AxML program family for maximum likelihood‐based phylogenetic tree inference

Inference of phylogenetic (evolutionary) trees comprising hundreds or thousands of organisms based on the maximum likelihood criterion is a computationally extremely intensive task. This paper describes the evolution of the AxML program family which provides novel algorithmic as well as technical solutions for the maximum likelihood‐based inference of huge phylogenetic trees. Algorithmic optimizations and a new tree building algorithm yield runtime improvements of a factor greater than 4 compared with fastDNAml and parallel fastDNAml, returning equally good trees at the same time. Various parallel, distributed, and Grid‐based implementations of AxML give the program the capability to acquire the large amount of required computational resources for the inference of huge high‐quality trees. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The miR-10 microRNA precursor family

The miR-10 microRNA precursor family encodes a group of short non-coding RNAs involved in gene regulation. The miR-10 family is highly conserved and has sparked the interest of many research groups because of the genomic localization in the vicinity of, coexpression with and regulation of the Hox gene developmental regulators. Here, we review the current knowledge of the evolution, physiological function and involvement in cancer of this family of microRNAs.
Disposition of Human Recombinant Lubricin in Naive Rats and in a Rat Model of Post-traumatic Arthritis After Intra-articular or Intravenous Administration

We have recently demonstrated that intra-articular (IA) administration of human recombinant lubricin, LUB:1, significantly inhibited cartilage degeneration and pain in the rat meniscal tear model of post-traumatic arthritis. In this report, we show that after a single IA injection to naïve rats and rats that underwent unilateral meniscal tear, [125I]LUB:1 had a tri-phasic disposition profile, with the alpha, beta, and gamma half-life estimates of 4.5 h, 1.5 days, and 2.1 weeks, respectively. We hypothesize that the terminal phase kinetics was related to [125I]LUB:1 binding to its ligands. [125I]LUB:1 was detected on articular cartilage surfaces as long as 28 days after single IA injection. Micro-autoradiography analysis suggested that [125I]LUB:1 tended to localize to damaged joint surfaces in rats with meniscal tear. After a single intravenous (IV) dose to rats, [125I]LUB:1 was eliminated rapidly from the systemic circulation, with a mean total body clearance of 154 mL/h/kg and a mean elimination half-life (t1/2) of 6.7 h. Overall, LUB:1 has met a desired disposition profile of a potential therapeutic intended for an IA administration: target tissue (knee) retention and fast elimination from the systemic circulation after a single IA or IV dose.
A Framework for Compressive Sensing of Asymmetric Signals Using Normal and Skew-Normal Mixture Prior

In this work, we are interested in the compressive sensing of sparse signals whose significant coefficients are distributed asymmetrically with respect to zero. To properly address this problem, we develop a framework utilizing a two-state normal and skew normal mixture density as the prior distribution of the signal. The significant and insignificant coefficients of the signal are represented by skew normal and normal distributions, respectively. A novel approximate message passing-based algorithm is developed to estimate the signal from its compressed measurements. A fast gradient-based estimator is designed to infer the density of each state. Experiment results on simulated data and two real-world tests, i.e., multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication system and weather sensor network, confirm that our proposed technique is powerful in exploiting asymmetrical feature, and outperforms many sophisticated methods.
Adaptive Classification on Brain-Computer Interfaces Using Reinforcement Signals

We introduce a probabilistic model that combines a classifier with an extra reinforcement signal (RS) encoding the probability of an erroneous feedback being delivered by the classifier. This representation computes the class probabilities given the task related features and the reinforcement signal. Using expectation maximization (EM) to estimate the parameter values under such a model shows that some existing adaptive classifiers are particular cases of such an EM algorithm. Further, we present a new algorithm for adaptive classification, which we call constrained means adaptive classifier, and show using EEG data and simulated RS that this classifier is able to significantly outperform state-of-the-art adaptive classifiers.
Prostaglandins, Masculinization and Its Disorders: Effects of Fetal Exposure of the Rat to the Cyclooxygenase Inhibitor- Indomethacin

Recent studies have established that masculinization of the male reproductive tract is programmed by androgens in a critical fetal ‘masculinization programming window’ (MPW). What is peculiar to androgen action during this period is, however, unknown. Studies from 20 years ago in mice implicated prostaglandin (PG)-mediation of androgen-induced masculinization, but this has never been followed up. We therefore investigated if PGs might mediate androgen effects in the MPW by exposing pregnant rats to indomethacin (which blocks PG production by inhibiting cyclooxygenase activity) during this period and then examining if androgen production or action (masculinization) was affected. Pregnant rats were treated with indomethacin (0.8 mg/kg/day; e15.5–e18.5) to encompass the MPW. Indomethacin exposure decreased fetal bodyweight (e21.5), testis weight (e21.5) and testicular PGE2 (e17.5, e21.5), but had no effect on intratesticular testosterone (ITT; e17.5) or anogenital index (AGI; e21.5). Postnatally, AGI, testis weight and blood testosterone were unaffected by indomethacin exposure and no cryptorchidism or hypospadias occurred. Penis length was normal in indomethacin-exposed animals at Pnd25 but was reduced by 26% (p<0.001) in adulthood, an effect that is unexplained. Our results demonstrate that indomethacin can effectively decrease intra-testicular PGE2 level. However, the resulting male phenotype does not support a role for PGs in mediating androgen-induced masculinization during the MPW in rats. The contrast with previous mouse studies is unexplained but may reflect a species difference.
Learning momentum: online performance enhancement for reactive systems

The authors describe a reactive robotic control system which incorporates aspects of machine learning to improve the system's ability to navigate successfully in unfamiliar environments. This system overcomes limitations of completely reactive systems by exercising online performance enhancement without the need for high-level planning. The goal of the learning system is to give the autonomous robot the ability to adjust the scheme control parameters in an unstructured dynamic environment. The results of a successful implementation that learns to navigate out of a box canyon are presented. This system never resorts to a high-level planner, but instead learns continuously by adjusting gains based on the progress made so far. The system is successful because it is able to improve its performance in reaching a goal in a previously unfamiliar and dynamic world. <<ETX>>
Effects of a branched-chain amino acid drink in mania

Background Administration of a complex tyrosine-free amino acid drink acutely decreases manic symptoms. Although a nutrient-based approach to illness management is attractive, complex amino acid drinks are too unpalatable for repeated administration. Aims To assess whether a simple, branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) drink diminishes manic symptoms acutely and following repeated administration. Method Twenty-five patients with mania were randomly and blindly allocated to treatment with BCAA (60 g) or placebo daily for 7 days. Results Relative to placebo, the BCAA drink lowered mania ratings acutely over the first 6 h of treatment. In protocol completers there was a persistent advantage to the BCAA group 1 week after the end of treatment. Conclusions A nutritional intervention that decreases tyrosine availability to the brain acutely ameliorates manic symptoms. Further studies are required to assess whether this approach has longer-term efficacy.