Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibody-Secreting Cell Responses and Protective Immunity Assessed in Gnotobiotic Pigs Inoculated Orally or Intramuscularly with Inactivated Human Rotavirus

ABSTRACT Newborn gnotobiotic pigs were inoculated twice perorally (p.o.) (group 1) or intramuscularly (i.m.) (group 2) or three times i.m. (group 3) with inactivated Wa strain human rotavirus and challenged with virulent Wa human rotavirus 20 to 24 days later. To assess correlates of protection, antibody-secreting cells (ASC) were enumerated in intestinal and systemic lymphoid tissues from pigs in each group at selected postinoculation days (PID) or postchallenge days. Few virus-specific ASC were detected in any tissues of group 1 pigs prior to challenge. By comparison, groups 2 and 3 had significantly greater numbers of virus-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) ASC in intestinal and splenic tissues at PID 8 and significantly greater numbers of virus-specific IgG ASC and IgG memory B cells in spleen and blood at challenge. However, as for group 1, few virus-specific IgA ASC or IgA memory B cells were detected in any tissues of group 2 and 3 pigs. Neither p.o. nor i.m. inoculation conferred significant protection against virulent Wa rotavirus challenge (0 to 6% protection rate), and all groups showed significant anamnestic virus-specific IgG and IgA ASC responses. Hence, high numbers of IgG ASC or memory IgG ASC in the systemic lymphoid tissues at the time of challenge did not correlate with protection. Further, our findings suggest that inactivated Wa human rotavirus administered either p.o. or parenterally is significantly less effective in inducing intestinal IgA ASC responses and conferring protective immunity than live Wa human rotavirus inoculated orally, as reported earlier (L. Yuan, L. A. Ward, B. I. Rosen, T. L. To, and L. J. Saif, J. Virol. 70:3075–3083, 1996). Thus, more efficient mucosal delivery systems and rotavirus vaccination strategies are needed to induce intestinal IgA ASC responses, identified previously as a correlate of protective immunity to rotavirus.
Effects of Insulin on Brain Glucose Metabolism in Impaired Glucose Tolerance

OBJECTIVE Insulin stimulates brain glucose metabolism, but this effect of insulin is already maximal at fasting concentrations in healthy subjects. It is not known whether insulin is able to stimulate glucose metabolism above fasting concentrations in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied the effects of insulin on brain glucose metabolism and cerebral blood flow in 13 patients with impaired glucose tolerance and nine healthy subjects using positron emission tomography (PET). All subjects underwent PET with both [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (for brain glucose metabolism) and [15O]H2O (for cerebral blood flow) in two separate conditions (in the fasting state and during a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp). Arterial blood samples were acquired during the PET scans to allow fully quantitative modeling. RESULTS The hyperinsulinemic clamp increased brain glucose metabolism only in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (whole brain: +18%, P = 0.001) but not in healthy subjects (whole brain: +3.9%, P = 0.373). The hyperinsulinemic clamp did not alter cerebral blood flow in either group. CONCLUSIONS We found that insulin stimulates brain glucose metabolism at physiological postprandial levels in patients with impaired glucose tolerance but not in healthy subjects. These results suggest that insulin stimulation of brain glucose metabolism is maximal at fasting concentrations in healthy subjects but not in patients with impaired glucose tolerance.
Head-to-head comparison of multislice computed tomography and exercise electrocardiography for diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

AIMS To prospectively compare multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and exercise electrocardiography (ex-ECG) for diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) with conventional coronary angiography as the reference standard. METHODS AND RESULTS A consecutive cohort of 80 patients with suspected CAD was examined with MSCT using 16 x 0.5 mm detector collimation, ex-ECG, and conventional coronary angiography according to standard protocols. Results were compared using the paired McNemar's test, the chi(2) test, and 95%CIs. Both the sensitivity and specificity of MSCT [91% (40 of 44 patients, 95%CI 78-97%) and 83% (30 of 36 patients, 95%CI 67-94%)] were significantly higher (P = 0.039 and P < 0.001) than those for ex-ECG [73% (32 of 44 patients, 95%CI 57-85%) and 31% (11 of 36 patients, 95%CI 16-48%)]. The pairwise McNemar's test showed significant differences between MSCT and ex-ECG in the overall diagnosis in patients with suspected CAD (P = 0.036). The rate of non-diagnostic examinations was not significantly (P = 0.078) different between MSCT and ex-ECG [8% (6 of 80 patients, 95%CI 3-16%) vs. 19% (15 of 80 patients, 95%CI 11-29%)]. CONCLUSION In this consecutive cohort of patients scheduled to undergo conventional coronary angiography, the performance of MSCT for diagnosis of CAD was superior to that of ex-ECG.
Dielectric phenomena in solids : with emphasis on physical concepts of electronic processes

Introduction. Electric Polarization and Relaxation. Optical and Electro-Optic Processes. Ferroelectrics, Piezoelectrics and Pyroelectrics. Electrets. Charge Carrier Injection from Electrical Contacts. Electrical Conduction and Photoconduction. Electrical Aging, Discharge and Breakdown Phenomena.
Addressing polysemy in bilingual lexicon extraction from comparable corpora

This paper presents an approach to extract translation equivalents from comparable corpora for polysemous nouns. As opposed to the standard approaches that build a single context vector for all occurrences of a given headword, we first disambiguate the headword with third-party sense taggers and then build a separate context vector for each sense of the headword. Since state-of-the-art word sense disambiguation tools are still far from perfect, we also tried to improve the results by combining the sense assignments provided by two different sense taggers. Evaluation of the results shows that we outperform the baseline (0.473) in all the settings we experimented with, even when using only one sense tagger, and that the best-performing results are indeed obtained by taking into account the intersection of both sense taggers (0.720).
Cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex while reading a novel on a tablet computer and its effect on sleep: Temporary and remaining changes

We aimed to investigate how reading a book on a tablet computer affects sleep by measuring cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex. Seven students (7 men, age: 21-32 years) participated in this study. Under a controlled illuminance environment, the subjects read a novel in printed form or on a tablet computer from any distance. As the subjects were reading, the cerebral blood flow in their prefrontal cortex was measured using near infrared spectroscopy. The study protocol was as follows: subjects (1) mentally counted a sequence of numbers for 30 s as a pre-test to standardize their thinking, (2) read the novel for 10 min using a printed book or tablet computer as a task, and (3) mentally counted a sequence of numbers for 30 s as a posttest. Step (2) was performed in a random sequence. Subjects rested between the two tasks. The results showed significantly increased cerebral activity (increase in regional cerebral blood flow) both during and after reading a novel on a tablet computer compared with reading a printed book. Furthermore, the region around Broca's area was more active when reading on a tablet computer. Considering the results from this study and from previous studies on physiological characteristics during non-rapid eye movement sleep, we concluded that reading a book on a tablet computer before the onset of sleep leads to potential inhibition of comfortable sleep through mechanisms other than the suppression of melatonin secretion.
The orphan receptor Rev-ErbA alpha activates transcription via a novel response element

Rev-ErbA alpha (Rev-Erb) is a nuclear hormone receptor-related protein encoded on the opposite strand of the alpha-thyroid hormone receptor (TR) gene. This unusual genomic arrangement may have a regulatory role, but the conservation of human and rodent Rev-Erb amino acid sequences suggests that the protein itself has an important function, potentially as a sequence-specific transcriptional regulator. However, despite its relationship to the TR, Rev-Erb bound poorly to TR binding sites. To determine its DNA-binding specificity in an unbiased manner, Rev-Erb was synthesized in Escherichia coli, purified, and used to select specific binding-sites from libraries of random double-stranded DNA sequences. We found that Rev-Erb binds to a unique site consisting of a specific 5-bp A/T-rich sequence adjacent to a TR half-site. Rev-Erb contacts this entire asymmetric 11-bp sequence, which is the longest nonrepetitive element specifically recognized by a member of the thyroid/steroid hormone receptor superfamily, and mutations in either the A/T-rich or TR half-site regions abolished specific binding. The binding specificity of wild-type Rev-Erb was nearly identical to that of C- and N-terminally truncated forms. This binding was not enhanced by retinoid X receptor, TR, or other nuclear proteins, none of which formed heterodimers with Rev-Erb. Rev-Erb also appeared to bind to the selected site as a monomer. Furthermore, Rev-Erb activates transcription through this binding site even in the absence of exogenous ligand. Thus, Rev-Erb is a transcriptional activator whose properties differ dramatically from those of classical nuclear hormone receptors, including the TR encoded on the opposite strand of the same genomic locus.
Use of versican variant V3 and versican antisense expression to engineer cultured human skin containing increased content of insoluble elastin

Skin substitutes for repair of dermal wounds are deficient in functional elastic fibres. We report that the content of insoluble elastin in the dermis of cultured human skin can be increased though the use of two approaches that enhance elastogenesis by dermal fibroblasts, forced expression of versican variant V3, which lacks glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains, and forced expression of versican antisense to decrease levels of versican variant V1 with GAG chains. Human dermal fibroblasts transduced with V3 or anti‐versican were cultured under standard conditions over a period of 4 weeks to produce dermal sheets, with growth enhanced though multiple seedings for the first 3 weeks. Human keratinocytes, cultured in supplemented media, were added to the 4‐week dermal sheets and the skin layer cultured for a further week. At 5 weeks, keratinocytes were multilayered and differentiated, with desmosome junctions thoughout and keratin deposits in the upper squamous layers. The dermal layer was composed of layered fibroblasts surrounded by extracellular matrix of collagen bundles and, in control cultures, small scattered elastin deposits. Forced expression of V3 and versican antisense slowed growth, decreased versican V1 expression, increased tropoelastin expression and/or the deposition of large aggregates of insoluble elastin in the dermal layer, and increased tissue stiffness, as measured by nano‐indentation. Skin sheets were also cultured on Endoform Dermal Template™, the biodegradable wound dressing made from the lamina propria of sheep foregut. Skin structure and the enhanced deposition of elastin by forced expression of V3 and anti‐versican were preserved on this supportive substrate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Price‐discount Distribution in Multi‐unit Price Promotions on Consumers’ Willingness to Pay, Sales Value, and Retailers’ Revenue

ABSTRACT Using multi‐unit auctions, we examined the effect of different distributions of price discount across multiple units of a relatively new product on consumers' Willingness to Pay (WTP), sales value and retailers' revenue. We found that allowing the price discount to be increasing in the number of units increases willingness to pay, sales value and retailers' revenue and that a price discount that is uniformly distributed across units also has the potential to motivate consumers to buy more units of the product. However, multi‐unit price promotions that concentrate all the amount of price discount on the last unit only generate a weak positive effect on sales value. [EconLit Citations: C910, D120, M310].
Cariporide (HOE642), a Selective Na+-H+ Exchange Inhibitor, Inhibits the Mitochondrial Death Pathway

Background—The Na+-H+ exchanger figures prominently in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury. Several experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated a cardioprotective effect of Na+-H+ exchanger inhibition; however, the precise mechanisms have not been established. Methods and Results—We examined the effects of cariporide (HOE642, 10 &mgr;mol/L) on cell death induced by oxidative stress (H2O2, 100 &mgr;mol/L) in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Cariporide significantly suppressed markers of cell death, such as TUNEL positivity and caspase-3 cleavage, at 8 or 16 hours after H2O2. The early phase of cell death, reported by increases in phosphatidylserine exposure and propidium iodide uptake, was also inhibited by cariporide. To explore the mechanisms of cell protection, we examined the effects of cariporide on increases in intracellular Na+ and Ca2+ induced by oxidative stress. Cariporide remarkably suppressed cytosolic Na+ and Ca2+ accumulation. Next, we investigated the effects of cariporide on mitochondria-associated death process. Mitochondrial Ca2+ overload induced by H2O2 was remarkably suppressed by cariporide. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential is a critical step of the death pathway; cariporide prevented mitochondrial membrane potential loss induced by H2O2. Conclusions—Cariporide protects cardiomyocytes against oxidant-induced cell death by preserving intracellular ion homeostasis and mitochondrial integrity.
An In Vitro and In Vivo Analysis of the Correlation between Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging Phase Values and R2* in Cirrhotic Livers

Objective To establish a baseline of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) phase value as a means of detecting iron abnormalities in cirrhotic liver and to analyze its relationship with R2*. Materials and Methods Sixteen MnCl2 phantoms, thirty-seven healthy individuals and 87 cirrhotic patients were performed SWI and multi-echo T2*-weighted imaging, and the signal processing in NMR (SPIN) software was used to measure the radian on SWI phase images and the R2* on T2* maps. The mean minus two times standard deviation (SD) of Siemens Phase Unit (SPU) in healthy individuals was designated as a threshold to separate the regions of interest (ROIs) into high- and low-iron areas in healthy participants and cirrhotic patients. The SWI phase values of high-iron areas were calculated. The R2* values was measured in the same ROI in both healthy participants and patients. Results SWI phase values correlated linearly with R2* values in cases of MnCl2 concentrations lower than 2.3 mM in vitro (r = −0.996, P<0.001). The mean value and SD of 37 healthy participants were 2003 and 15 (SPU), respectively. A threshold of 1973 SPU (−0.115 radians) was determined. The SWI phase value and R2* values had a negative correlation in the cirrhotic patients (r = −0.742, P<0.001). However, no similar relationship was found in the healthy individuals (r = 0.096, P = 0.576). Both SWI phase values and R2* values were found to have significant correlations with serum ferritin concentrations in 42 patients with blood samples (r = −0.512, P = 0.001 and r = 0.641, P<0.001, respectively). Conclusion SWI phase values had significant correlations with R2* after the establishment of a baseline on the phase image. SWI phase images may be used for non-invasive quantitative measurement of mild and moderate iron deposition in hepatic cirrhosis in vivo.
Codeword stabilized quantum codes

We present a unifying approach to quantum error correcting code design that encompasses additive (stabilizer) codes, as well as all known examples of nonadditive codes with good parameters. We use this framework to generate new codes with superior parameters to any previously known. In particular, we find ((10, 18, 3)) and ((10, 20, 3)) codes. We also show how to construct encoding circuits for all codes within our framework.
Timing the Application of Security Patches for Optimal Uptime

Security vulnerabilities are discovered, become publicly known, get exploited by attackers, and patches come out. When should one apply security patches? Patch too soon, and you may suffer from instability induced by bugs in the patches. Patch too late, and you get hacked by attackers exploiting the vulnerability. We explore the factors affecting when it is best to apply security patches, providing both mathematical models of the factors affecting when to patch, and collecting empirical data to give the model practical value. We conclude with a model that we hope will help provide a formal foundation for when the practitioner should apply security updates.
Interference mitigation and error correction method for AIS signals received by satellite

This paper addresses the problem of error correction in a multi-user trellis coded system in the presence of bit stuffing. In particular, one considers the situation in which automatic identification system (AIS) signals are received by a satellite. The proposed receiver uses a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) for error correction. A Viterbi algorithm based on a so-called extended trellis is developed. This trellis is defined by extended states composed of a trellis-code state and a CRC state. Moreover, special conditional transitions are defined in order to take into account the possible presence of bit stuffing. The proposed algorithm was first developed in a single-user context. It is generalized in this paper to a multi-user scenario by designing an interference mitigation method. This method allows one to derive a demodulation algorithm whose complexity is almost identical to that obtained in the single-user context. Some performance results are presented in the context of AIS and compared with results provided by existing techniques.
Dissociation of human prefrontal cortical areas across different speech production tasks and gender groups.

1. Data from a series of positron emission tomography (PET) experiments were analyzed with two goals. The first goal was to determine whether there were reliable differences in prefrontal cortex activation across two different speech production tasks. Such differences are important in determining functional subdivisions within prefrontal cortex. The second goal was to determine whether there were any gender differences across the two speech production tasks. 2. To accomplish these goals, PET subtraction images were generated for each of two speech production tasks (stem completion and verb generation). For the stem completion task, subjects viewed word stems (e.g., "GRE") and said aloud words that could complete the stems (e.g., "green"). For the verb generation task, subjects viewed nouns (e.g., "CHAIR") and said aloud words that were meaningfully related verbs (e.g., "sit"). Different groups of subjects performed the stem completion (N = 29) and verb generation (N = 32) tasks. 3. Data from each task subtraction were further divided by gender group (i.e., verb generation: male group; verb generation: female group, etc.). PET activations were separately identified in prefrontal cortex for each of the four resulting images. Activations were identified primarily in left prefrontal cortex for both tasks and both gender groups. Activations in right prefrontal cortex were small or absent. 4. Across tasks, the subtraction images showed both common activations in prefrontal cortex and one clear difference. Activations in left inferior prefrontal cortex (near Brodmann's areas 44 or 45) were observed in both male and female group images for both task subtractions. Activations in left anterior prefrontal cortex (near Brodmann's areas 10 or 46) were only observed for the verb generation subtraction images, formally demonstrating a functional dissociation between left inferior prefrontal cortex and more anterior prefrontal cortex. 5. This dissociation between prefrontal areas was highly robust and reliable across both gender groups. The left inferior prefrontal area(s) common to all of the subtraction images appears to be activated by tasks that demand high-level word retrieval and production processes. This area is distinct from the more anterior area(s), which is not always activated by such tasks. Dissociations in prefrontal areas are important because current descriptions of human functional anatomy often treat activations within large regions of cortex (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) as single entities. 6. No qualitative differences in activation between gender groups were detected. For both subtractions, all activations identified within one gender group generalized to the other gender group. For the verb generation subtraction image, however, activations in male subjects were larger in magnitude than in female subjects.
Optimization of training sequences for spatially correlated MIMO-OFDM

The optimal training sequence for channel estimation in spatially correlated multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems has not been found for an arbitrary signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Only one class of training sequences was proposed in the literature in which the power allocation is given only for the extreme conditions of low and high SNR. Provided in this paper are (i) a necessary and sufficient condition for the optimal training sequence together with a convex programming to find the solution, and (ii) efficient procedures to find the optimal training sequence. Simulation results confirms the superiority of the proposed design over the existing one.
Transfer of Corpus-Specific Dialogue Act Annotation to ISO Standard: Is it worth it?

Spoken conversation corpora often adapt existing Dialogue Act (DA) annotation specifications, such as DAMSL, DIT++, etc., to task specific needs, yielding incompatible annotations; thus, limiting corpora re-usability. Recently accepted ISO standard for DA annotation – Dialogue Act Markup Language (DiAML) – is designed as domain and application independent. Moreover, the clear separation of dialogue dimensions and communicative functions, coupled with the hierarchical organization of the latter, allows for classification at different levels of granularity. However, re-annotating existing corpora with the new scheme might require significant effort. In this paper we test the utility of the ISO standard through comparative evaluation of the corpus-specific legacy and the semi-automatically transferred DiAML DA annotations on supervised dialogue act classification task. To test the domain independence of the resulting annotations, we perform cross-domain and data aggregation evaluation. Compared to the legacy annotation scheme, on the Italian LUNA Human-Human corpus, the DiAML annotation scheme exhibits better cross-domain and data aggregation classification performance, while maintaining comparable in-domain performance.