Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rhinoviruses and Respiratory Enteroviruses: Not as Simple as ABC

Rhinoviruses (RVs) and respiratory enteroviruses (EVs) are leading causes of upper respiratory tract infections and among the most frequent infectious agents in humans worldwide. Both are classified in the Enterovirus genus within the Picornaviridae family and they have been assigned to seven distinct species, RV-A, B, C and EV-A, B, C, D. As viral infections of public health significance, they represent an important financial burden on health systems worldwide. However, the lack of efficient antiviral treatment or vaccines against these highly prevalent pathogens prevents an effective management of RV-related diseases. Current advances in molecular diagnostic techniques have revealed the presence of RV in the lower respiratory tract and its role in lower airway diseases is increasingly reported. In addition to an established etiological role in the common cold, these viruses demonstrate an unexpected capacity to spread to other body sites under certain conditions. Some of these viruses have received particular attention recently, such as EV-D68 that caused a large outbreak of respiratory illness in 2014, respiratory EVs from species C, or viruses within the newly-discovered RV-C species. This review provides an update of the latest findings on clinical and fundamental aspects of RV and respiratory EV, including a summary of basic knowledge of their biology.
Basic processes in reading: On the relation between spatial attention and familiarity

Two experiments combined a spatial cueing manipulation (valid vs. invalid spatial cues) with a stimulus repetition manipulation (repeated vs. nonrepeated) in order to assess the hypothesis that familiar items need less spatial attention than less familiar ones. The magnitude of the effect of cueing on reading aloud time for items that were repeated throughout the experiment was smaller than the magnitude of the cueing effect for items that were not repeated within the experiment. These results are consistent with the idea that familiarity within an experiment modulates the spatial attentional demands of word processing. Implications for understanding spatial attention's role in reading are discussed.
Multiple purpose spin transfer torque operated devices

We summarize our recent work on a non-volatile logic building block required for energy-efficient information processing systems. A sequential logic device, in particular, an alternative non-volatile magnetic flip-flop has been introduced. Its properties are investigated and its extension to a very dense shift register is demonstrated. We show that the flip-flop structure inherently exhibits oscillations and discuss its spin torque nano-oscillator properties.
Evidence for a role for the Dictyostelium Rap1 in cell viability and the response to osmotic stress

The Dictyostelium genome contains a single rapA gene, which encodes a Rap1 monomeric G protein. As attempts at generating rapA-null Dictyostelium cells had been unsuccessful, expression of antisense RNA from the rapA gene under control of the folate repressible discoidin promoter was used to reduce cellular levels of the Rap1 protein. As Rap1 levels gradually decreased following antisense rapA RNA induction, growth rate and cell viability also decreased, a result consistent with the idea that rapA is an essential gene. The Rap1-depleted cells exhibited reduced viability in response to osmotic shock. The accumulation of cGMP in response to 0.4 M sorbitol was reduced after rapA antisense RNA induction and was enhanced in cells expressing the constitutively activated Rap1(G12V) protein, suggesting a role for Rap1 in the generation of cGMP. Dictyostelium Rap1 formed a complex with the Ras-binding domain of RalGDS only when it was in a GTP-bound state. This assay was used to demonstrate that activation of Rap1 in response to 0.4 M sorbitol occurred with initial kinetics similar to those observed for the accumulation of cGMP. Furthermore, the addition of 2 mM EDTA to osmotically shocked cells, a treatment that enhances cGMP accumulation, also enhanced Rap1 activation. These results suggest a direct role for Rap1 in the activation of guanylyl cyclase during the response to hyperosmotic conditions. Rap1 was also activated in response to low temperature but not in response to low osmolarity or high temperature.
The nature of the electrophysiological disorder in adynamia episodica.

In 1934 Biemond and Daniels first showed that the serum potassium level fell during paralytic episodes in patients with familial periodic paralysis. Subsequently a normokalaemic form of the disease was recognized by Tyler, Stevens, Gunn, and Perkoff (1951), while more recently a hyperkalaemic variety was described by Helweg-Larsen, Hauge, and Sagild (1955). This last type of periodic paralysis was given the name adynamia episodica hereditaria by Gamstorp (1956). In view of the functional relationship between electrical potential and potassium conductance across cell membranes (Hodgkin, 1958), it has been widely anticipated that intracellular recording from muscle fibres in these various conditions might prove a valuable analytical approach. Up to the present time such studies have been carried out on patients with hypokalaemic familial periodic paralysis by Shy, Wanko, Rowley, and Engel (1961), Riecker, and Bolte (1966), and Creutzfeldt, Abbott, Fowler, and Pearson (1963), while the last authors have also investigated a single patient with the hyperkalaemic variety. Recently we have had an opportunity to make intracellular recordings, between attacks, in a further four patients with hyperkalaemic paralysis and in one with the normokalaemic syndrome. The results to be described indicate that the hyperand normokalaemic varieties appear to be functionally similar in so far as the resting membrane potential is reduced in both. In addition we have employed intracellular stimulation to investigate the electrical properties of the fibre membranes more fully; the results obtained have been considered in relation to the genesis of the paralytic episodes.
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes in AIDS pathogenesis: lessons to be learned from the macaque model of simian immunodeficiency virus infection.

IP: 54.70. 40.11 On: Sat, 29 Dec 2018 17:07:49 Journal of General Virology (1998), 79, 415–421. Printed in Great Britain .
Rear Seat Safety in Frontal to Side Impacts - Focusing on Occupants from 3yrs to Small Adults

ABSTRACT This study presents a broad comprehensive research effort that combines expertise from industry and academia and uses various methodologies with applied research directed towards countermeasures. The project includes real world crash data analysis, real world driving studies and crash testing and simulations, aiming at enhancing the safety of forward facing child occupants (aged 3y to small adults) in the rear seat during frontal to side impacts. The real world crash data analyses of properly restrained children originate from European as well as US data. Frontal and side impact crash tests are analyzed using different sizes of crash test dummies in different sitting postures. Side impact parameter studies using FE-models are run. The sitting posture and behavior of 12 children are monitored while riding in the rear seat. Also, the body kinematics and belt position during actual braking and turning maneuvers are studied for 16 rear seat child occupants and for various child dummies. Real world crash data indicates that several of the injured children in frontal impacts, despite being properly restrained, impacted the vehicle interior structure with their head/face resulting in serious injury. This was attributed to oblique crashes, pre-crash vehicle maneuvers or high crash severity. Crash tests confirm the importance of proper initial belt-fit for best protection. The crash tests also highlight the difficulty in obtaining the real world kinematics and head impact locations using existing crashtest dummies and test procedures. The side impact parameter studies indicate that the vehicle’s occupant protection systems, such as airbags and seat belt pretensioners, play an important role in protecting children as well. The results from the on-road driving studies illustrate the variation of sitting postures during riding in the rear seat giving valuable input to the effects of the restraint systems and to how representative the standardized dummy seating positioning procedures are. The results from the maneuver driving studies illustrate the importance of understanding the kinematics of a child relative to the seat belt in a real world maneuver situation. Real world safety of rear seat occupants, especially children, involves evaluation of protection beyond standard crash testing scenarios in frontal and side impact conditions. This project explores the complete context of rear seat protection in impact situations ranging from front to side and directions in between highlighting the importance of pre-crash posture and behavior. This research project at SAFER (Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers), where researchers from the industry and universities cooperate with the aim to further improve safety for children (from 3y) to small adults in the rear seat, speeds up the process to safety implementation due to the interaction between academic and industrial researchers.
The effect of video games on the perception of aggression

The relationship between video game violence and aggression has frequently been studied in order to assess whether or not video games that portray violence lead the individuals playing them to become more aggressive (Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007). However, something that has seldom been explored is whether violent video game play affects perceived aggression (i.e., whether those individuals who engage in violent game play perceive situations involving obvious aggression differently). Likewise, there has been very little research assessing differences in the perception of offline versus online gaming and gender differences in perceived aggression. In the present study differences in the perception of males versus females playing online versus offline gaming were explored. One hundred and twenty-nine participants completed a survey that required them to indicate the types of video games they play and how many hours per week they play these games. Participants read 1 of 8 possible scenarios (determined randomly) and answered questions regarding their perception of aggression. A number of significant relationships were found indicating that those who play violent video games perceive aggression as less serious. There were also differences in perception of aggression according to the gender of the perpetrator and the gender of the participant. The implications of such results could be used to implement stricter age restrictions on violent video games, as well as provide a pathway to assess gender differences in cyberbullying.
Structure, serological specificity, and synthesis of artificial glycoconjugates representing the genus-specific lipopolysaccharide epitope of Chlamydia spp

The human bacterial pathogens Chlamydia spp. possess a genus-specific lipopolysaccharide as a major surface antigen, the structure of which has been determined by analytical chemistry as Kdop alpha 2-8-Kdop alpha 2-4-Kdop alpha 2-6GlcNp beta 1-6-GlcNol (Kdo, 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid). Immunochemical studies on this pentasaccharide and the chemically synthesized partial structures Kdop alpha 2-8-Kdop alpha 2-4-Kdop alpha 2-6GlcNp beta, Kdop alpha 2-8-Kdop alpha 2-4-Kdop alpha, Kdop alpha 2-4-Kdop alpha, Kdop alpha 2-8-Kdop alpha, and Kdop alpha using artificial glycoconjugate antigens and monoclonal antibodies showed that fatty acids and phosphoryl groups (as present in native lipopolysaccharide) are dispensable for constitution of the genus-specific epitope and that the minimal structure to exhibit chlamydia specificity is the Kdo trisaccharide moiety.
[Ventricular mechanics and cardiac arrhythmias in patients with chagasic and primary dilated cardiomyopathy. Echo-electrocardiographic follow-up].

PURPOSE To determine the prognostic significance of several parameters of left ventricular mechanics and of complex ventricular arrhythmias. PATIENTS AND METHODS 184 chronic chagasic and 85 primary dilated cardiomyopathy patients were submitted to non-invasive and invasive studies, including Holter monitoring and "M" mode echocardiogram and followed for a maximum of 8 years. RESULTS Finding of a depressed left ventricle (LV) systolic function (% AC) was the most important independent prognostic factor in both groups of patients. The presence of complex ventricular arrhythmias had an additional, but very limited, independent prognostic importance, observed only in chagasic patients with depressed LV systolic function. When patients with similar degrees of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, inadequate hypertrophy or increased afterload were compared, chagasic patients had significantly worse prognosis than those with primary dilated cardiomyopathy. This is partly attributed to higher prevalence of complex ventricular arrhythmias. CONCLUSION The higher prevalence of complex ventricular arrhythmias in patients with chronic Chagas' disease may explain the prognostic differences between the groups.
MELODI: A Supervised Distributional Approach for Free Paraphrasing of Noun Compounds

This paper describes the system submitted by the MELODI team for the SemEval-2013 Task 4 : Free Paraphrases of Noun Compounds (Hendrickx et al., 2013). Our approach combines the strength of an unsupervised distributional word space model with a supervised maximum-entropy classification model; the distributional model yields a feature representation for a particular compound noun, which is subsequently used by the classifier to induce a number of appropriate paraphrases.
Resident and Infiltrating Central Nervous System APCs Regulate the Emergence and Resolution of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis1

During experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), autoreactive Th1 T cells invade the CNS. Before performing their effector functions in the target organ, T cells must recognize Ag presented by CNS APCs. Here, we investigate the nature and activity of the cells that present Ag within the CNS during myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced EAE, with the goal of understanding their role in regulating inflammation. Both infiltrating macrophages (Mac-1+CD45high) and resident microglia (Mac-1+CD45int) expressed MHC-II, B7-1, and B7-2. Macrophages and microglia presented exogenous and endogenous CNS Ags to T cell lines and CNS T cells, resulting in IFN-γ production. In contrast, Mac-1− cells were inefficient APCs during EAE. Late in disease, after mice had partially recovered from clinical signs of disease, there was a reduction in Ag-presenting capability that correlated with decreased MHC-II and B7-1 expression. Interestingly, although CNS APCs induced T cell cytokine production, they did not induce proliferation of either T cell lines or CNS T cells. This was attributable to production by CNS cells (mainly by macrophages) of NO. T cell proliferation was restored with an NO inhibitor, or if the APCs were obtained from inducible NO synthase-deficient mice. Thus, CNS APCs, though essential for the initiation of disease, also play a down-regulatory role. The mechanisms by which CNS APCs limit the expansion of autoreactive T cells in the target organ include their production of NO, which inhibits T cell proliferation, and their decline in Ag presentation late in disease.
Discussion Paper No . 2006 / 01 Aid Allocation and Fragile States

This paper summarises research on aid allocation and effectiveness, highlighting the current findings of recent research on aid allocation to fragile states. Fragile states are defined by the donor community as those with either critically poor policies or poorly performing institutions, or both. The paper examines the research findings in the broader context of research and analysis on how aid should and is being allocated across all developing countries. Various aid allocation models and their implications for aid to fragile states are considered. The paper also looks at types of instruments and their sequencing in fragile states.
The Effect of Creative Dance Movement on Large Muscle Control and Balance in Congenitally Blind Children

An attempt was made to enhance large muscle control and balance in congenitally blind children aged between eight and ten years, by exposing them to a program of creative dance movement. Subjects were tested before and after training, using an evaluative test based on measures designed by Cratty. A sighted control group was also tested without training, for the purpose of seeing their performance on the test. Post-training test results for the blind group revealed improvement on a significant percentage of the evaluative tasks. The scores of this group also came closer to the scores of the sighted control group. Observations of persons involved with the subjects in other areas of their education and daily life, concurred with the test results, in that they overwhelmingly noted overall improvement in movement abilities.
Submitted to: 2007 Industrial Simulation Conference SIMULATION-BASED OPTIMIZATION OF AGENT SCHEDULING IN MULTISKILL CALL CENTERS

We examine and compare simulation-based algorithms for solving the agent scheduling problem in a multiskill call center. This problem consists in minimizing the total costs of agents under constraints on the expected service level per call type, per period, and aggregated. We propose a solution approach that combines simulation with integer or linear programming, with cut generation. In our numerical experiments with realistic problem instances, this approach performs better than all other methods proposed previously for this problem. We also show that the two-step approach, which is the standard method for solving this problem, sometimes yield solutions that are highly suboptimal and inferior to those obtained by our proposed method.
On the Moment-Transfer Approach for Random Variables Satisfying a One-Sided Distributional Recurrence

The moment-transfer approach is a standard tool for deriving limit laws of sequences of random variables satisfying a distributional recurrence. However, so far the approach could not be applied to certain "one-sided" recurrences with slowly varying moments and normal limit law. In this paper, we propose a modified version of the moment-transfer approach which can be applied to such recurrences. Moreover, we demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by re-deriving several recent results in an almost automatic fashion.
Developing a French FrameNet: Methodology and First results

The Asfalda project aims to develop a French corpus with frame-based semantic annotations and automatic tools for shallow semantic analysis. We present the first part of the project: focusing on a set of notional domains, we delimited a subset of English frames, adapted them to French data when necessary, and developed the corresponding French lexicon. We believe that working domain by domain helped us to enforce the coherence of the resulting resource, and also has the advantage that, though the number of frames is limited (around a hundred), we obtain full coverage within a given domain.
Aperture optimization in emission imaging using ideal observers for joint detection and localization

For the familiar 2-class detection problem (signal present/absent), ideal observers have been applied to optimization of pinhole and collimator parameters in planar emission imaging. Given photon noise and background and signal variabilities, such experiments show how to optimize an aperture to maximize detectability of the signal. Here, we consider a fundamentally different, more realistic task in which the observer is required to both detect and localize a signal. The signal is embedded in a variable background and is known except for location. We inquire whether the addition of a localization requirement changes conclusions on aperture optimization. We have previously formulated an ideal observer for this joint detection/localization task, and here apply it to the classic problem of determining an optimal pinhole diameter in a planar emission imaging system. We conclude that as search tolerance on localization decreases, the optimal pinhole diameter shrinks from that required by detection alone, and, in addition, task performance becomes more sensitive to fluctuations about the optimal pinhole diameter. As in the case for detection only, the optimal pinhole diameter shrinks as the amount of background variability grows and, in addition, conspicuity limits can be observed. Unlike the case for detection only, our task leads to a finite aperture size in the absence of background variability. For both tasks, the inclusion of background variability yields a finite aperture size.
Does a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern exert a cardio-protective effect outside the Mediterranean region? A review of current evidence

Abstract Current evidence suggests a beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet (MD) on human health. This has led to a rise in studies investigating the role of the MD in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention outside the region of its origin. We aimed to outline the evolving understanding of the MD and to provide an overview of adherence to MD in non-Mediterranean countries and the modulatory effects of MD on CVD biomarkers. Evidence suggest that MD may exert a protective effect on CVD via ameliorating blood lipid profile and blood pressure. A protective effect of MD was found with regard to left ventricular mass but data on carotid intima media thickness and pulse wave velocity are lacking. The paucity of data does not give a clear picture of the health effects of the MD in non-Mediterranean countries, thus larger and well-designed studies on MD outside the Mediterranean countries are warranted.
Pet Snakes as a Reservoir for Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae (Serogroup IIIb): a Prospective Study

ABSTRACT Reptile-associated Salmonella infections are an increasing problem for humans. We have prospectively screened two breeding groups of 16 pet snakes for colonization with Salmonella species. Various serovars of S. enterica subsp. diarizonae were found in 81% of the snakes. To avoid transmission, strict hygienic precautions should be applied when reptiles are handled.