Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prior Buprenorphine Experience Is Associated With Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment Outcomes

Objectives:As buprenorphine treatment and illicit buprenorphine use increase, many patients seeking buprenorphine treatment will have had prior experience with buprenorphine. Little evidence is available to guide optimal treatment strategies for patients with prior buprenorphine experience. We examined whether prior buprenorphine experience was associated with treatment retention and opioid use. We also explored whether type of prior buprenorphine use (prescribed or illicit use) was associated with these treatment outcomes. Methods:We analyzed interview and medical record data from a longitudinal cohort study of 87 individuals who initiated office-based buprenorphine treatment. We examined associations between prior buprenorphine experience and 6-month treatment retention using logistic regression models, and prior buprenorphine experience and any self-reported opioid use at 1, 3, and 6 months using nonlinear mixed models. Results:Most (57.4%) participants reported prior buprenorphine experience; of these, 40% used prescribed buprenorphine and 60% illicit buprenorphine only. Compared with buprenorphine-naïve participants, those with prior buprenorphine experience had better treatment retention (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.05-6.70). Similar associations that did not reach significance were found when exploring prescribed and illicit buprenorphine use. There was no difference in opioid use when comparing participants with prior buprenorphine experience with those who were buprenorphine-naive (AOR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.38-4.65). Although not significant, qualitatively different results were found when exploring opioid use by type of prior buprenorphine use (prescribed buprenorphine vs buprenorphine-naïve, AOR = 2.20, 95% CI = 0.58-8.26; illicit buprenorphine vs buprenorphine-naïve, AOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.07-3.46). Conclusions:Prior buprenorphine experience was common and associated with better retention. Understanding how prior buprenorphine experience affects treatment outcomes has important clinical and public health implications.
The Gcs1 and Age2 ArfGAP proteins provide overlapping essential function for transport from the yeast trans-Golgi network

Many intracellular vesicle transport pathways involve GTP hydrolysis by the ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) type of monomeric G proteins, under the control of ArfGAP proteins. Here we show that the structurally related yeast proteins Gcs1 and Age2 form an essential ArfGAP pair that provides overlapping function for TGN transport. Mutant cells lacking the Age2 and Gcs1 proteins cease proliferation, accumulate membranous structures resembling Berkeley bodies, and are unable to properly process and localize the vacuolar hydrolase carboxypeptidase (CPY) and the vacuolar membrane protein alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which are transported from the TGN to the vacuole by distinct transport routes. Immunofluorescence studies localizing the proteins ALP, Kex2 (a TGN resident protein), and Vps10 (the CPY receptor for transport from the TGN to the vacuole) suggest that inadequate function of this ArfGAP pair leads to a fragmentation of TGN, with effects on secretion and endosomal transport. Our results demonstrate that the Gcs1 + Age2 ArfGAP pair provides overlapping function for transport from the TGN, and also indicate that multiple activities at the TGN can be maintained with the aid of a single ArfGAP.
Act local but don’t think too global: The impact of ecological goal level on behavior

ABSTRACT Growing awareness of humanity’s impact on the environment raises the question of how best to encourage pro-environmental actions. Numerous campaigns have been created to convince people to adopt environmentally friendly everyday behaviors, with varying success. The difficulty may be due, at least in part, to the huge gap between these small individual actions and the high-level goals, such as “saving the planet,” often used as incentives. We tested this hypothesis via four experiments. Studies 1 and 2 showed that high-level goals were less effective than low-level goals in promoting paper- and energy-saving behaviors. Study 3 showed that high-level goals engender lower perceived outcome expectancy and higher perception of cumulative effort. Study 4 showed that outcome expectancy mediates the direct effect of goal level on intention.
Brillouin microscopy of collagen crosslinking: noncontact depth-dependent analysis of corneal elastic modulus.

PURPOSE Corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) is designed to halt the progression of keratoconus and corneal ectasia by inducing corneal stiffening. However, it currently is difficult to monitor and evaluate CXL outcome objectively due to the lack of suitable methods to characterize corneal mechanical properties. We validated noncontact Brillouin microscopy to quantify corneal mechanical properties before and after CXL. METHODS CXL was performed on fresh porcine eyes using various presoaking times and light doses, with or without epithelial debridement. From Brillouin maps of corneal elastic modulus, stiffness and average modulus of anterior, middle, and posterior stroma were analyzed. Corneal stiffening index (CSI) was introduced as a metric to compare the mechanical efficacy of a given CXL protocol with respect to the standard protocol (30-minute riboflavin presoak, 3 mW/cm² ultraviolet illumination for 30 minutes). RESULTS Brillouin corneal stiffness increased significantly (P < 0.001) by epi-off and epi-on CXL. The increase of Brillouin modulus was depth-dependent, indicating that anterior stromal stiffening contributes the most to mechanical outcome. The increase of anterior Brillouin modulus was linearly proportional to the light dose (R² > 0.98). Compared to the standard epi-off procedure, a typical epi-on procedure resulted in a third of stiffness increase in porcine corneas (CSI = 33). CONCLUSIONS Brillouin microscopy allowed imaging and quantifying CXL-induced mechanical changes without contact in a depth-dependent manner at high spatial resolution. This technique may be useful to evaluate the mechanical outcomes of CXL procedures, to compare different crosslinking agents, and for real-time monitoring of CXL in clinical and experimental settings.
Impact effect of lycopene and tomato-based products network on cardio-protective biomarkers in vivo

Background : Dietary intake plays an important role as nutritional supplements are known to provide potential health benefits in cardiovascular disease. Recent studies suggest that the dietary intake of tomatoes and tomato products containing lycopene are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. In order to substantiate these facts, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of lycopene from tomato products on the potential effects of oxidative stress and atherosclerosis in vivo , focusing on early atherosclerotic events. Methods : Thirty male albino rats were assigned randomly into 5 groups; group C was the negative control group fed a basal diet, group H was the positive control fed a high-fat diet (HFD), group TS (HFD) was fed a 8% lyophilized tomato paste, group TW (HFD) was fed a 24% lyophilized raw tomato, and group L (HFD) was fed 0.1% mg pure lycopene. The level of serum; total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) was measured after 8 weeks of experimental treatment. Malondialdehyde (MDH) plasma levels were measured in heart tissue homogenate. Furthermore, pathologic changes of the heart and aorta were also assessed. Results : We found that TC, TG, LDL-c and MDH, levels were significantly increased in group H (P < 0.05) compared to the negative control group. Administration of TS, TW and L demonstrated significant changes in these parameters (P < 0.05). The TW group (fed 24% of lyophilized raw tomato components) had more positive effects than the TS & L groups. Furthermore, morphologic changes of heart and aorta revealed that TW and TS had a similar preventive effect against the development of atherosclerosis. Conclusion : Our study indicated that raw tomatoes have a higher potential effect when compared to tomato paste or lycopene alone. This potential effect includes the ability to attenuate and/or reverse oxidative stress and other atherosclerosis related parameters induced by the consumption of a high-fat diet. Key words : Cardioprotective, Lipid profile, Lycopene, Oxidative stress, Tomatoes products
Parallel Streams for the Relay of Vibrissal Information through Thalamic Barreloids

This study investigated the organization of a vibrissal pathway that arises from the interpolar division of the spinal trigeminal complex (SP5i), transits through the ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPM), and innervates the somatosensory cortical areas in the rat. Using Fluoro-Gold and biotinylated dextran amine, respectively, as retrograde and anterograde tracers, the following organization plan was disclosed. The SP5i projection arises from a population of small-sized neurons that selectively innervate the ventral lateral part of VPM. In cytochrome oxidase-stained material, this region does not display any barreloid arrangement, but Fluoro-Gold injections in single barrel columns labeled rods of cells that extend caudally into the ventral lateral division of VPM. Thus, on the basis of retrograde labeling, barreloids were divided into core and tail compartments, which correspond to the rod segments running across the dorsal and ventral lateral parts of VPM, respectively. Double-labeling experiments revealed that SP5i afferents innervate the tail of barreloids. The anterograde labeling of thalamocortical axons show that most “core cells” project to a single barrel column, whereas some “tail cells” give rise to branching axons that innervate the second somatosensory area and the dysgranular zone of the barrel field. Injections that straddled the transition zone between the core and tail regions disclosed cells projecting to a single barrel column and to the surrounding dysgranular zone. These results suggest that the projection of “barreloids cells” to the granular and/or dysgranular zones relates to the class of prethalamic input(s) they receive.
Social Networks and Asset Price Dynamics

In this paper, we investigate how behavioral contagion in terms of mimetic strategy learning within a social network would affect the asset price dynamics. The characteristics of this paper are as follows. First, traders are characterized by bounded rationality and their adaptive learning behavior is represented by the genetic programming algorithm. The use of the genetic programming algorithm allows traders to freely form forecasting strategies with a great potential of variety in functional forms, which are not predetermined but may be fundamental or technical or any mix of these two broad categories, as they need to adapt to the time-varying market environment. The evolutionary nature of the genetic programming algorithm has its merit for modeling mimetic behavior in the context of information transmission in that, other than making duplicates of an entire trading rule as if a mind-reading technique exists, strategy imitation could take place down to the level of building blocks that genetic operators work out or pieces of information that constitute a strategy and are more ready to be transmitted via word-of-mouth communication, which is more intuitive compared to the existing literature. Second, the traders are spatially heterogeneous based on their positions in social networks. Mimetic learning thus takes part in local interactions among traders that are directly tied with each other when they evolve their trading strategies according to the relative performance of their own and their neighbors'. Therefore, specifically, we aim to analyze the effect of network topologies, i.e., a regular lattice, a small-world, a random network, a fully connected network, and a preferential attachment network, on market dynamics regarding price distortion, volatility, and trading volume, as information diffuses across these different social network structures.
Axonal Transport of Microtubules: the Long and Short of It

Recent studies on cultured neurons have demonstrated that microtubules are transported down the axon in the form of short polymers. The transport of these microtubules is bidirectional, intermittent, asynchronous, and occurs at the fast rate of known motors. The majority of the microtubule mass in the axon exists in the form of longer immobile microtubules. We have proposed a model called ‘cut and run’, in which the longer microtubules are mobilized by enzymes that sever them into shorter mobile polymers. In this view, the molecular motors that transport microtubules are not selective for short microtubules but rather impinge upon microtubules irrespective of their length. In the case of the longer microtubules, these motor‐driven forces do not transport the microtubules in a rapid and concerted fashion but presumably affect them nonetheless. Here, we discuss the mechanisms by which the short microtubules are transported and suggest possibilities for how analogous mechanisms may align and organize the longer microtubules and functionally integrate them with each other and with the actin cytoskeleton.
From Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Detection to Cervical Cancer Prevention in Clinical Practice

The newly gained knowledge of the viral etiology in cervical carcinogenesis has prompted industrial interests in developing virology-based tools for cervical cancer prevention. Due to the long incubation period from viral infection to developing an invasive cancer, a process whose outcome is influenced by numerous life-style and genetic factors, the true efficacy of the genotype-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in cervical cancer prevention cannot be determined for another 30 years. Most HPV DNA test kits designed to replace the traditional Papanicolaou (Pap) smears for precancer detection lack the analytical sensitivity and specificity to comprehensively detect all potentially carcinogenic HPVs and to perform reliable genotyping. The authors implemented the classic nested PCR and Sanger DNA-sequencing technology for routine HPV testing. The results showed a true negative HPV PCR invariably indicates the absence of precancerous cells in the cytology samples. However, 80.5% of single positive HPV-16 tests and 97.3% of single positive HPV-18 tests were associated with a negative or a largely self-reversible Pap cytology. Routine sensitive and reliable HPV type-specific or perhaps even variant-specific methods are needed to address the issues of persistence of HPV infection if a virology-based primary cervical screen is used to replace the Pap cytology screening paradigm.
Design of a TV white space converter prototype towards cognitive radio for WLAN routers

We report on the development of a frequency converter frontend that enables 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11 WLAN devices to operate in unused parts of the UHF spectrum, the so-called TV whitespaces. The new frontend features separate TX and RX paths with automatic directionality switching and in-hardware energy detection. Equipped with a standard antenna port at the input side, and a fully configurable transmit chain controlled through a user-accessible microcontroller, this whitespace converter (WSC) with commercial off-the-shelf components is particularly suitable for cognitive radio (CR) research. We discuss the specific challenges in the design of a WSC for 802.11 WLAN routers. The complete architecture is presented, and preliminary performance results from a level plan optimization are discussed.
Functional analysis of MOR‐1 splice variants of the mouse mu opioid receptor gene Oprm

A series of mu opioid receptor gene Oprm splice variants have been reported that differ only at their C‐terminus. These variants all contain exons 1, 2, and 3 of the gene, the exons responsible for coding all seven transmembrane domains. Whereas MOR‐1 also has exon 4 that encodes for an additional 12 amino acids at the tip of the C‐terminus, the other MOR‐1 variants have unique amino acid sequences distinct from those in MOR‐1 due to alternative splicing. All these variants are mu‐selective in binding assays. The current study explored the ability of these variants to stimulate [35S]GTPγS binding to assess them functionally. Only mu opioids stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding. Among the mu opioids we noted marked differences in their maximal stimulation among the clones. This was most prominent with β‐endorphin, which stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding in the MOR‐1E expressing cells to a greater degree than [D‐Ala2,MePhe4,Gly(ol)5]enkephalin (DAMGO; 130%) and was far less effective than DAMGO in MOR‐1C cells (44%). The rank order of maximal stimulation of the drugs varied among the clones as well. Dynorphin A, β‐endorphin and morphine were most effective in stimulating [35S]GTPγS binding in MOR‐1E, while M6G and fentanyl were most effective in MOR‐1 expressing cells. The potency (EC50) of some of the drugs also varied extensively among the clones, with a poor correlation between the potency of the drugs to stimulate [35S]GTPγS binding and their binding affinity. Together, these findings reveal marked functional differences among the variants that only can be explained by their structural differences at the tip of their C‐terminus. Synapse 51:11–18, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determinants of depression in chronic stroke: A prospective cohort study

Purpose. The aim of the study was to identify factors that are significantly related to depression in chronic stroke patients. Methods. Prospective cohort study of stroke patients admitted for rehabilitation. A total of 165 first ever stroke patients over 18 years of age were assessed at one and three years post stroke. Depression was determined by the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Patients with scores ≥16 were classified as depressed. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify prognostic factors for depression. Results. At three years post stroke, 19% of the patients were depressed. Bivariate analysis showed significant associations between post-stroke depression and type of stroke, fatigue, motor function of the leg and arm, activities of daily living (ADL) independency and instrumental ADL. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that depression was predicted by one-year instrumental ADL and fatigue. Sensitivity of the model was 63%, while specificity was 85%. Conclusions. The present prospective cohort study showed that depression three years after stroke can be predicted by instrumental ADL and fatigue one year post stroke. Recognition of prognostic factors in patients at risk may help clinicians to apply interventions aimed at preventing depression in chronic stroke.
Serum uric acid and cholesterol in achievement behavior and motivation. I. The relationship to ability, grades, test performance, and motivation.

This study examined the possible involvement of serum uric acid and serum cholesterol concentrations in the achievement behavior and achievement motivation of male high school students and recent graduates. It attempted to replicate and extend the existing body of data which has suggestively linked serum uric acid and achievement. The cholesterol data were explored as a possible contrast to the correlates of uric acid. The major findings in this part were (1) uric acid showed a positive association with grades and with over-achievement (grades adjusted for intelligence quotient); (2) uric acid was positively related to performance on aptitude (speed) tests; (3) a positive association was obtained between uric acid and the "slope" measure of achievement motivation (steepness of gradient of attractiveness ratings of occupations in relation to their difficulty), and a negative association between uric acid and test anxiety.
A Pilot Survey for the H2O Southern Galactic Plane Survey

Abstract We describe observations with the Mopra radiotelescope designed to assess the feasibility of the H2O Maser Southern Galactic Plane Survey. We mapped two one-square-degree regions along the Galactic plane using the new 12-mm receiver and the UNSW Mopra spectrometer. We covered the entire spectrum between 19.5 and 27.5 GHz using this setup with the main aim of finding out which spectral lines can be detected with a quick mapping survey. We report on detected emission from H2O masers, NH3 inversion transitions (1,1), (2,2) and (3,3), HC3N (3–2), as well as several radio recombination lines.
Luminosity and mass functions of galactic open clusters: II. NGC 4852

We present wide-field deep UBVI photometry for the previously unstudied open cluster NGC 4852 down to a limiting magnitude I ∼ 24, obtained from observations taken with the Wide Field Imager camera on-board the MPG/ESO 2.2 m telescope at La Silla (ESO, Chile). These data are used to obtain the first estimate of the cluster basic parameters, to study the cluster spatial extension by means of star counts, and to derive the Luminosity (LF) and Mass Function (MF). The cluster radius turns out to be 5.0 ± 1.0 arcmin. The cluster emerges clearly from the field down to V = 20 mag. At fainter magnitudes, it is completely confused with the general Galactic disk field. The stars inside this region define a young open cluster (200 million years old) 1.1 kpc far from the Sun (m − M = 11.60, E(B − V) = 0.45). The Present Day Mass Functions (PDMF) from the V photometry is one of the most extended in mass obtained to date, and can be represented as a power-law with a slope α = 2.3 ± 0.3 and (the Salpeter MF in this notation has a slope α = 2.35), in the mass range 3.2 ≤ m m� ≤ 0.6. Below this mass, the MF cannot be considered as representative of the cluster MF, as the cluster merges with the field and therefore the MF is the result of the combined effect of strong irregularities in the stellar background and interaction of the cluster with the dense Galactic field. The cluster total mass at the limiting magnitude results to be 2570 ± 210 M� .
Effectiveness of Music Intervention in Ameliorating Cancer Patients’ Anxiety, Depression, Pain, and Fatigue: A Meta-analysis

Background: This is the first study to use meta-analysis as a scientific technique to provide an integrated analysis of the effectiveness of music intervention in cancer patients. Objectives: The purpose of this study was, using the meta-analysis method, to present a summary of existing research and explore the effectiveness of music intervention in ameliorating anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue in cancer patients. Methods: The present study collected quantitative study designs sought of music intervention for cancer patients published from 2002 to 2012. These studies were then cross-referenced using Medical Subject Headings for topics on music intervention and cancer patients. Outcome indicators were anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue. The quality of the studies was evaluated using Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines. The effect size on outcome indicators used the formula devised by Hedges and Olkin (1985). Results: Results showed that music interventions were significantly effective in ameliorating anxiety (g = −0.553), depression (g = −0.510), pain (g = −0.656), and fatigue (g = −0.422) in cancer patients. Subgroup analyses revealed that age and who selected the music were major factors influencing the effect size on anxiety reduction. Conclusions: Music interventions significantly ameliorate anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue in cancer patients, especially adults. Music interventions were more effective in adults than in children or adolescents and more effective when patients, rather than researchers, chose the music. Implications for Practice: Our findings provide important information for future music-intervention planners to improve the design and processes that will benefit patients in such programs.