Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Packaging of Adeno-Associated Virus DNA

ABSTRACT We have developed an in vitro procedure for packaging of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV). By using AAV replicative-form DNA as the substrate, it is possible to synthesize an infectious AAV particle in vitro that can be used to transfer a marker gene to mammalian cells. The packaging procedure requires the presence of both the AAV Rep and capsid proteins. Two kinds of in vitro products can be formed which facilitate DNA transfer. Both are resistant to heat and have a density in cesium chloride gradients that is indistinguishable from that of the in vivo-synthesized wild-type virus. This indicates that the particles formed have the appropriate protein-to-DNA ratio and a structure that shares the heat resistance of mature AAV particles. The two types of particles can be distinguished by their sensitivity to chloroform and DNase I treatment. The chloroform-resistant product is, by several criteria, an authentic AAV particle. In addition to having the correct density and being resistant to treatment with chloroform, DNase I, and heat, this particle is efficiently synthesized only if the AAV genome contains intact terminal repeats, which are known to be required for AAV packaging. It is also precipitated by a monoclonal antibody that recognizes mature virus particles but not bound by an antibody that recognizes monomeric or denatured capsid proteins. The chloroform-resistant species is not made when aphidicolin is present in the reaction mixture, suggesting that active DNA replication is required for in vitro packaging. In contrast, the chloroform-sensitive product has several features that suggest it is an incompletely assembled virus particle. It is sensitive to DNase I, does not require the presence of AAV terminal repeats, and is capable of transferring DNA that is theoretically too large to package. Sucrose gradient centrifugation of the in vitro-synthesized products reveals that the particles have sedimentation values between 60S and 110S, which is consistent with partially assembled and mature AAV particles. The in vitro packaging procedure should be useful for studying the mechanism by which a human icosahedral DNA virus particle is assembled, and it may be useful for producing recombinant AAV for gene therapy. The chloroform-sensitive particle may also be useful for transferring DNA that is too large to be packaged in mature recombinant AAV.
Sensors Lifetime Enhancement Techniques in Wireless Sensor Networks - A Survey

Wireless Sensor Networks are basically used for gathering information needed by smart environments but they are particularly useful in unattended situations where terrain, climate and other environmental constraints may hinder in the deployment of wired/conventional networks. Unlike traditional networks, these sensor networks do not have a continuous power supply at their disposal. Rather the individual sensors are battery operated and the lifetime of the individual sensors and thus the overall network depend heavily on duty cycle of these sensors. Analysis on WSNs shows that communication module is the main part which consumes most of the sensor energy and that is why energy conservation is the major optimization goal. Since routing protocols and MAC protocols directly access the communication module therefore the design of protocols in these two domains should take into account the energy conservation goal. In this paper, we discuss different state-of-the-art protocols both in MAC and routing domains that have been proposed for WSNs to achieve the overall goal of prolonging the network lifetime. The routing protocols in WSNs are generally categorized into three groups - data centric, hierarchical and location-based but we focus on only the first two categories because location-based routing protocols generally require a prior knowledge about sensors location which most of the times is not available due to random deployment of the sensors. We then discuss how schedule-based and contention-based MAC protocols can contribute to achieve optimal utilization of the limited energy resource by avoiding or reducing the chances of collisions and thus the need for retransmission.
The role of psychosocial factors in gastrointestinal disorders

Psychosocial factors play a part in how symptoms are experienced and interpreted, they modify illness behaviour, and can influence treatment. However, they do not have any diagnostic value in functional gastrointestinal disorders; if you have anxiety you can still have an organic disease. It has been shown that there are no greater psychological disturbances in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than in the general population. Even in the 1980s, Sandler et al found that focusing on symptoms was one of the major factors causing patients with bowel dysfunction to seek medical advice.1 Further studies confirmed the finding that psychological factors are associated with patient status more than the bowel disorder itself.2 These findings were not confirmed in an Australian population based study3which was, however, a postal survey using self-administered questionnaires. In a British study, abdominal pain and diarrhoea differentiated consulters from non-consulters with symptoms of IBS.4 Psychological stress or emotional responses to stress can affect gastrointestinal function, and the effects of different emotions on the gastrointestinal tract are well established5 (table1). View this table: Table 1 Effects of different emotions on the gastrointerstinal tract What about functional gastrointestinal disorders—do psychological factors contribute substantially? IBS is the most prevalent of these gastrointestinal disorders. There are many studies from the 1980s and 1990s indicating that patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) or IBS have more anxiety, depression, and “psychosomatic triad” (hysteria, hypochondriasis, and depression) than normal controls. Our own data support these findings in patients with FD; for example, we found a high score for neuroticism and somatisation.6-8 However, no study has found a unique psychological profile or mechanism for symptom …
Supporting patient monitoring using activity recognition with a smartphone

In our work we envision the use of context awareness to complement and improve telemedicine services. One concrete example is the recognition of physical activity (PA) for therapies and treatments. The usage of context can provide newer services by assisting medical professionals and patients to obtain implicit information. We introduce the Context Aware Remote Monitoring Assistant (CARMA), an application implemented on the MATRIX telemedicine middleware platform. It enables activity recognition for patients using non-obtrusive devices. In this paper, a movement recognition approach is investigated using a smartphone with a built-in accelerometer. Experiments were carried out to compare the influences of classification algorithms, features and combinations for feature extraction conditions on the recognition accuracy. The obtained results indicated that the approach is viable and shows much potential.
A Review of Autism and the Immune Response

The autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex developmental disorders that manifest during childhood. By definition, children with ASD are characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction, deficits in verbal and non-verbal communication, and with restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). ASD describes a range of conditions including autism and Asperger’s syndrome that fall within the umbrella term of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The prevalence of ASD has increased substantially over the last decade
Massive titanium sublimation pumping in the CESR interaction region

The residual gas pressure within 30 m of the interaction point (IF) at the e/sup /spl plusmn// collider CESR is maintained in the low nanotorr range, despite the high gas loads produced by the intense flux of synchrotron radiation, in order to minimize the experimental backgrounds due to beam gas scattering. Within 12 m of the IP, the vacuum chambers incorporate large pumping plenums with massive titanium sublimation pumping to provide the necessary pumping speed and capacity. Operating experience over the last two years has shown that this method of pumping is efficient and inexpensive.
System-Driven and Oscillator-Dependent Circadian Transcription in Mice with a Conditionally Active Liver Clock

The mammalian circadian timing system consists of a master pacemaker in neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and clocks of a similar molecular makeup in most peripheral body cells. Peripheral oscillators are self-sustained and cell autonomous, but they have to be synchronized by the SCN to ensure phase coherence within the organism. In principle, the rhythmic expression of genes in peripheral organs could thus be driven not only by local oscillators, but also by circadian systemic signals. To discriminate between these mechanisms, we engineered a mouse strain with a conditionally active liver clock, in which REV-ERBα represses the transcription of the essential core clock gene Bmal1 in a doxycycline-dependent manner. We examined circadian liver gene expression genome-wide in mice in which hepatocyte oscillators were either running or arrested, and found that the rhythmic transcription of most genes depended on functional hepatocyte clocks. However, we discovered 31 genes, including the core clock gene mPer2, whose expression oscillated robustly irrespective of whether the liver clock was running or not. By contrast, in liver explants cultured in vitro, circadian cycles of mPer2::luciferase bioluminescence could only be observed when hepatocyte oscillators were operational. Hence, the circadian cycles observed in the liver of intact animals without functional hepatocyte oscillators were likely generated by systemic signals. The finding that rhythmic mPer2 expression can be driven by both systemic cues and local oscillators suggests a plausible mechanism for the phase entrainment of subsidiary clocks in peripheral organs.
A Leader's Influence on Members' Commitment in Non-Work Related Virtual Communities

Many online retailers allow customers to interact with each other through virtual communities (VCs) to increase stickiness to their websites and eventually profitability. Therefore, there have been some studies on how to nurse VCs, and a leader’s influence on VCs is viewed as one major factor. However, although leadership is a key determinant of group behavior, it has been virtually ignored in IS literature (Fjermestad and Hiltz, 1999). Fjermestad and Hiltz (1999) discover that although most organizational groups typically have some form of assigned leadership, 94% of IS studies have no group leader being mentioned. This research, therefore, investigates a critical role of leaders in VCs. Influence of two leadership styles from the behavioral theory – consideration and initiating structure – is examined in a non-work related VC setting which is very common in E-Commerce (EC) but are not fully investigated yet, based on the contingency theory. In addition, the moderating effects of three sources of power are tested which can facilitate leaders’ influence on members. The results from 92 individuals in various non-work related VCs show that significant influence of both leadership styles on members’ motivation and commitment. Furthermore, expert power exhibits a significant moderating effect while the effects of reward power and legitimate power are negative due to the unstructured and voluntaristic nature of non-work related VCs.
Cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) gene polymorphism and selected parameters of lipid metabolism in children from families with history of cardiovascular system diseases

Background Children from families with a history of cardiovascular system diseases are especially predisposed to early development of atherosclerosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the selected lipid parameters and polymorphisms of G279A located in the cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) gene. Material/Methods This longitudinal study was performed in 3 stages. During stage I the tests were carried out on 137 newborns after birth. Of these, we selected 30 children with a family history of cardiovascular system diseases. During stage II of the study the same children were evaluated at the age of 18–30 months, and during stage III at the age 5–6 years. Gestational age and the birth weight were evaluated in newborns. The older children were examined physically, and nutritional status was assessed. In all of the children examined, we determined the blood concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, apolipoproteins (AI and B), lipoprotein(a) and polymorphisms, and the G279A locus of the CETP gene. Results In children with genotype B1B1 (after birth and aged 5–6 years), a significantly lower cholesterol concentration in the HDL fraction was found compared to those with genotype B1B2 and B2B2. Other biochemical parameters of lipid metabolism were not significantly different between these genetic polymorphisms. Conclusions A lower cholesterol concentration in the HDL fraction in children with a family history of cardiovascular system diseases was determined by polymorphism of the CETP gene. Homozygotes (genotype B1B1) show a tendency towards the phenotype favoring the development of atherosclerosis.
Symbiotic Relationship between Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans Synergizes Virulence of Plaque Biofilms In Vivo

ABSTRACT Streptococcus mutans is often cited as the main bacterial pathogen in dental caries, particularly in early-childhood caries (ECC). S. mutans may not act alone; Candida albicans cells are frequently detected along with heavy infection by S. mutans in plaque biofilms from ECC-affected children. It remains to be elucidated whether this association is involved in the enhancement of biofilm virulence. We showed that the ability of these organisms together to form biofilms is enhanced in vitro and in vivo. The presence of C. albicans augments the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS), such that cospecies biofilms accrue more biomass and harbor more viable S. mutans cells than single-species biofilms. The resulting 3-dimensional biofilm architecture displays sizeable S. mutans microcolonies surrounded by fungal cells, which are enmeshed in a dense EPS-rich matrix. Using a rodent model, we explored the implications of this cross-kingdom interaction for the pathogenesis of dental caries. Coinfected animals displayed higher levels of infection and microbial carriage within plaque biofilms than animals infected with either species alone. Furthermore, coinfection synergistically enhanced biofilm virulence, leading to aggressive onset of the disease with rampant carious lesions. Our in vitro data also revealed that glucosyltransferase-derived EPS is a key mediator of cospecies biofilm development and that coexistence with C. albicans induces the expression of virulence genes in S. mutans (e.g., gtfB, fabM). We also found that Candida-derived β1,3-glucans contribute to the EPS matrix structure, while fungal mannan and β-glucan provide sites for GtfB binding and activity. Altogether, we demonstrate a novel mutualistic bacterium-fungus relationship that occurs at a clinically relevant site to amplify the severity of a ubiquitous infectious disease.
Evaluating the Potential of Differential Privacy Mechanisms for Census Data

Despite its undeniable attractiveness as the only data protection mechanism with formal privacy guarantees, the concept of differential privacy has been repeatedly criticized because of the deteriorating effects of currently available differential privacy mechanisms. Due to the strong assumptions regarding the knowledge of a potential data intruder, the amount of noise that needs to be added to sufficiently protect the data is often so large that any inference based on the perturbed data will basically be considered useless. This is especially true if the micro-data should be released to the public. However, we argue in this paper that the situation might be different for Census data. The large number of available records coupled with a limited set of only a few (often categorical) variables will ensure that most of the cells defined by cross-classifying the different attributes still contain an ample number of records. Thus, the noise that needs to be added to fulfill the differential privacy requirements might have only minor effects on data quality. To enable the release of detailed geographical information we propose a differentially private procedure based on a micro-aggregation algorithm with a fixed minimal cluster size. We evaluate whether meaningful results can be obtained with this approach using administrative data gathered by the German Federal Employment Agency. Detailed geocoding information has been added to this database recently and plans call for making this valuable source of information available to the scientific community. We expect that the proposed micro-aggregation algorithm will enable us to release detailed geocoding information while offering strong differential privacy guarantees.
Lower percentage of allergic sensitization in children with Down syndrome

from increased vascular permeability.5,6 The episodes are variable in terms, severity, location, and frequency, as they may occur spontaneously or may be triggered by curtain stimuli, including trauma, stress, or infections.6 The associated clinical symptoms include noninflammatory swellings of the skin and mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhea, paroxysmal colicky pain, laryngeal edema, and upper airway obstruction, while erythema marginatum may precede the occurrence of edema in 25% of the cases.5 We present a case of acquired ACM type 1 in a 16yearold male patient, with longlasting hereditary angioedema type 1, treated with recombinant C1 esterase inhibitors for 9 years. To the best to our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of such association. Although it has been postulated that ACM could be acquired at later ages, as a result of trauma, injury, or toxic substance exposure,3 the limited literature data on this issue hinder the hypothesis for eventual pathogenetic relationship between this two rare conditions. In the presented case, the impaired cerebrospinal fluid, resulting in clinical manifestation of ACM at later age, could be provoked from by the chronic increased production of bradykinin, formed as insufficient C1 inhibitor activity in patient with HAE, with further fail of the restriction of the action of factor XII and kallikrein. We could not find any literature data, supporting or denying the idea for triggering the acquired malformation by chronic increased vascular permeability or chronic exposure to curtain drugs. The presented case of association of ACM in patient with hereditary angioedema remains this question open for further investigations.
The dynamics of twinning and the interrelation of slip and twinning in zinc crystals

Zinc crystal wires in which the basal plane was nearly parallel to the wire axis were found to twin at abnormally high stresses. No single critical resolved shear stress exists; resolved shear stresses near 3⋅7 Kg/mm2 were common for short crystals, while longer crystals (which often fractured at the instant of twinning) had an average critical stress of 2⋅9 Kg/mm2. All crystals experienced detectable plastic deformation before twinning, by slip on the plane (112¯2) in the direction [1¯1¯23], for which the critical resolved shear stress in tension was 1⋅0 to 1⋅5 Kg/mm2. The existence of this slip system was placed beyond doubt by observations on slip lines and lattice rotations. The twinning stress is determined by the work-hardening accompanying the slip on (112¯2), which continues until the lattice has rotated sufficiently for slip to begin on the (0001) planes, originally impeded by the specimen grips. The observations suggest that, quite generally, slip is the necessary prelude to the nucleation of a twin. A model for twin nucleation is developed in detail; it postulates the creation, by homogeneous lattice shear, of a twin nucleus about 250 Å in diameter, at a site where the applied stress is magnified by an array of dislocations. Twins are nucleated at a stress which depends on the slip characteristics of the particular specimen; hence the great spread in published twinning stresses. Crystals which were indented under stress twinned immediately if the resolved stress exceeded about 2 Kg/mm2, but indentations made before the test were ineffective, probably because of a strain-ageing effect. Ageing also led to a slow reduction of the high stresses needed to produce basal slip in the twinned crystals. Immediately after the twin had been created, a shear stress, resolved in the basal plane, of 550 g/mm2 was required; this fell to 200 g/mm2 two years later, which is still six times the normal basal slip stress. Basal slip in twinned crystals was accompanied by considerable work-softening. Stresses needed to thicken existing twins were very variable but much lower than the stresses for twin creation; thickening of twins always took place smoothly and was never accompanied by stress relaxation.
The lived experience of adults with heart failure: a phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND Although a number of studies have been conducted on patients with Heart Failure (HF), they have not given a rigorous comprehensive description of what it is like to live with HF. The objective of this study was to describe the lived experience of adults with HF. STUDY DESIGN A hermeneutic phenomenological design was used. METHODS Cohen's method was used to conduct the study. Thirty HF patients were enrolled between February and July 2014 from an outpatient cardiovascular clinic in Tuscany, Italy. Phenomenological interviews took place at patients' homes, and the investigators analyzed verbatim transcripts. Once data saturation was achieved, to ensure data trustworthiness, participants were asked to confirm all the extracted themes. Atals.ti vers.7 was used for data analysis. RESULTS The patients were mostly male (67%) with a mean age of 71 (SD 9.15) and an age range of 48-86. Seven themes emerged from the phenomenological analysis: 1) important life changes; 2) social isolation caused by the illness; 3) anger and resignation associated with the disease; 4) relief from spirituality; 5) will to live; 6) uncertainty about the future and 7) the inescapability of disease and death. CONCLUSIONS The meaning that patients attribute to their lived experience helps to create their needs, which are important to direct care. Family support and religious beliefs are an important source for HF patients to better manage their fears and cope with the future. Findings of this study provide nurses with a comprehensive description of what it is like to live with HF, which can be useful in helping to meet patients' needs more effectively and in tailoring interventions.