Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multigene antiviral vectors inhibit diverse human immunodeficiency virus type 1 clades

The chronicity of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) calls for therapeutic regimens that offer sustained antiviral effects, such as gene therapy. Recent studies have demonstrated that expression of HIV mutant transdominant proteins, RNA decoys, and ribozymes efficiently inhibited HIV replication. We have previously shown that an RNA decoy (stem-loop II of the Rev response element of HIV type 1 [HIV-1], named SL2) and a ribozyme (Rz) targeting the U5 region of the HIV-1 5' long terminal repeat (LTR), combined in a fusion molecule, was more efficient in inhibiting HIV-1 replication than the ribozyme or the decoy alone. In this study, we expressed this fusion molecule in a retrovirus-based double-copy vector to obtain higher expression of this molecule. Furthermore, we inserted a sequence internally to drive expression of another fusion molecule with a ribozyme targeting the env/rev region linked to SL2 to obtain a triple-copy vector. These multigene antiviral vectors were subsequently transduced or transfected into human CD4+ T cells (Molt-4). Results showed that the translocation of the SL2-Rz cassette from the 3' to the 5' LTR occurred in 80% of the transduced cells. The numbers of ribozyme RNA transcripts, estimated by competitive-quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, were 1.2 x 10(5), 1.2 x 10(4), and 1.5 x 10(3) copies per cell for the triple-copy, double-copy, and single-copy vectors, respectively. Cell challenge with multiple subtypes of HIV-1 (clades A to E) showed commensurate levels of virus inhibition for the three vectors. This study suggests that the combination of multiple anti-HIV genes, such as ribozymes and decoys, targeting multiple sites of HIV RNA and expressed at high levels are promising for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.
Murine hepatitis caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. II. Cells involved in pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND Human virus hepatitides are often assumed to result from pathogenic immune responses rather than from direct viral cytopathic effects, but the details are largely unknown. Hepatitis of the mouse undergoing infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus is an immunopathologic phenomenon, and its analysis may help us to understand some of the events leading to the human illnesses. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Mice were infected with LCM virus and were depleted of T cells or their subsets by inoculation of monoclonal antibodies; other infected mice lacked all T lymphocytes or the CD8+ subset because of genetic defects. Also, mice were infected and transfused with unsorted or CD(4+)-enriched LCM-immune spleen cells. Subsequently, the infectious titers were determined, the cytolytic activities of mononuclear cells isolated from the livers were measured, and the disease process was studied. RESULTS In LCM virus-infected mice devoid of all T lymphocytes, pathologic alterations remained undetectable. In contrast, immunocompetent animals responded with a severe hepatitis, at the height of which the liver contained large numbers of cytolytic mononuclear leukocytes. Experiments with mice depleted of subset T lymphocytes revealed a predominantly CD8+ T lymphocyte-mediated phase, which was characterized by panlobular inflammation, whereas later there was a periportal inflammatory reaction, in which mainly CD4+ T lymphocytes were involved. Infusion of syngeneic immune spleen cells from immunocompetent donor mice into infected thymus-less mice resulted in virus elimination and damage to liver cells. With a similar protocol and the use of congenic mice, CD8+ T lymphocytes were observed to rapidly enter the recipients' livers, where they were present at the time liver cell injury was apparent. In mice genetically deficient in CD8+ T lymphocytes due to disruption of the gene for beta 2-microglobulin, a somewhat different type of LCM hepatitis developed that was largely dependent on CD4+ T lymphocytes. Liver cells were also damaged in infected nude mice that had been infused with positively selected CD4+ spleen cells from infected +/+ mice. CONCLUSIONS Our findings published previously (Löhler J, Gossmann J, Kratzberg T, Lehmann-Grube F. Lab Invest 1994; 70:263-78) and related here suggest that the hepatitis in mice undergoing infection with LCM virus consists of three consecutive phases, which are mediated predominantly by NK cells, CD8+ T lymphocytes, and CD4+ T lymphocytes, respectively. Presumably, other elements of the immune system, such as mononuclear phagocytes and B lymphocytes, contribute to the pathogenesis.
Which Foods May Be Addictive? The Roles of Processing, Fat Content, and Glycemic Load

Objectives We propose that highly processed foods share pharmacokinetic properties (e.g. concentrated dose, rapid rate of absorption) with drugs of abuse, due to the addition of fat and/or refined carbohydrates and the rapid rate the refined carbohydrates are absorbed into the system, indicated by glycemic load (GL). The current study provides preliminary evidence for the foods and food attributes implicated in addictive-like eating. Design Cross-sectional. Setting University (Study One) and community (Study Two). Participants 120 undergraduates participated in Study One and 384 participants recruited through Amazon MTurk participated in Study Two. Measurements In Study One, participants (n = 120) completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) followed by a forced-choice task to indicate which foods, out of 35 foods varying in nutritional composition, were most associated with addictive-like eating behaviors. Using the same 35 foods, Study Two utilized hierarchical linear modeling to investigate which food attributes (e.g., fat grams) were related to addictive-like eating behavior (at level one) and explored the influence of individual differences for this association (at level two). Results In Study One, processed foods, higher in fat and GL, were most frequently associated with addictive-like eating behaviors. In Study Two, processing was a large, positive predictor for whether a food was associated with problematic, addictive-like eating behaviors. BMI and YFAS symptom count were small-to-moderate, positive predictors for this association. In a separate model, fat and GL were large, positive predictors of problematic food ratings. YFAS symptom count was a small, positive predictor of the relationship between GL and food ratings. Conclusion The current study provides preliminary evidence that not all foods are equally implicated in addictive-like eating behavior, and highly processed foods, which may share characteristics with drugs of abuse (e.g. high dose, rapid rate of absorption) appear to be particularly associated with “food addiction. ”
The 2.5 mm PushLock suture anchor system versus a traditional suture anchor for ulnar collateral ligament injuries of the thumb: a biomechanical study

We compared the biomechanical strength of the 2.5 mm PushLock suture anchor with a traditional Bio-SutureTak suture anchor in repair of ulnar collateral ligament injuries. Iatrogenic ulnar collateral ligament injuries in 18 cadaveric thumbs were repaired and used to test for load to failure and cyclic loading. The average force required to generate a 2 mm gap was 7.7 N for the 2.5 mm PushLock and 6.3 N for the Bio-SutureTak (p = 0.04). The ultimate load to failure was 28.0 N for the 2.5 mm PushLock and 18.8 N for the Bio-SutureTak (p = 0.16). There were no statistical differences between the two suture anchors under cyclic loading. The 2.5 mm PushLock suture anchor provides significantly stronger resistance to 2 mm gap formation at the repair site and is less likely to fail at the suture–ligament interface. However, there was no difference in the load to failure between the two suture anchors.
Coordinated reset neuromodulation for Parkinson's disease: Proof-of-concept study

The discovery of abnormal synchronization of neuronal activity in the basal ganglia in Parkinson's disease (PD) has prompted the development of novel neuromodulation paradigms. Coordinated reset neuromodulation intends to specifically counteract excessive synchronization and to induce cumulative unlearning of pathological synaptic connectivity and neuronal synchrony.
Addressing uncertainty in stackelberg games for security: models and algorithms

Recently, there has been significant research interest in using game-theoretic approaches to allocate limited security resources to protect physical infrastructure including ports, airports, transit systems, and other critical national infrastructure as well as natural resources such as forests, tigers, fish, and so on. Indeed, the leader-follower Stackelberg game model is at the heart of many deployed applications. In these applications, the game model provides a randomized strategy for the leader (security forces), under the assumption that the adversary will conduct surveillance before launching an attack. Inevitably, the security forces are faced with the problem of uncertainty. For example, a security officer may execute a patrol strategy differently from the planned one due to unexpected events. Also the adversaries may have different types in terms of their preferences, objectives, and capabilities. While Bayesian Stackelberg games for modeling discrete uncertainty have been successfully used in deployed applications, they are NP-hard problems and existing methods perform poorly in scaling up the number of types: inadequate for complex real world problems. Furthermore, Bayesian Stackelberg games have not been applied to model execution and observation uncertainty and finally, they require the availability of full distributional information of the uncertainty. To overcome these difficulties, my thesis presents four major contributions. First, I provide a novel algorithm HUNTER for Bayesian Stackelberg games to scale up the number of types. Exploiting the efficiency of H UNTER, I show preference, execution and observation uncertainty can be addressed in a unified framework. Second, addressing execution and observation uncertainty whose distribution is difficult to estimate, I provide a robust optimization formulation to compute the optimal risk-averse leader strategy for security problems motivated by the \ARMOR application. Third, addressing the uncertainty of the adversary's capability of conducting surveillance, I show that for a class of Stackelberg games motivated by real security applications, the leader is always best-responding with a Stackelberg equilibrium strategy regardless of whether the adversary conducts surveillance or not. As the final contribution, I provide TRUSTS, a novel game-theoretic formulation for scheduling randomized patrols in public transit domains where timing is a crucial component. TRUSTS addresses dynamic execution uncertainty in such spatiotemporal domains by integrating Markov Decision Processes into the game-theoretic model. Simulation results as well as real-world trials of TRUSTS in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system provide validations of the approach.
Chemical response of lithiated graphite with deuterium irradiation

Lithium wall conditioning has been found to enhance plasma performance for graphite walled fusion devices such as TFTR, CDX-U, T-11M, TJ-II and NSTX. Among observed plasma enhancements is a reduction in edge density and reduced deuterium recycling. The mechanism by which lithiated graphite retains deuterium is largely unknown. Under controlled laboratory conditions, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to observe the chemical changes that occur on ATJ graphite after lithium deposition. The chemical state of lithiated graphite is found to change upon deuterium irradiation indicating the formation Li-O-D, manifest at 532.9 ± 0.6 eV. Lithium-deuterium interactions are also manifest in the C 1s photoelectron energy range and show Li-C-D interactions at 291.2 ± 0.6 eV. Post-mortem NSTX tiles that have been exposed to air upon extraction are cleaned and examined, revealing the chemical archaeology that formed during NSTX operations. XPS spectra show strong correlation (± 0.3 eV) in Li-O-D and Li-O pea.
Serum Cotinine Level as Predictor of Lung Cancer Risk

Background: No prospective studies are available on serum cotinine level as a marker of lung cancer risk. Methods: We analyzed serum cotinine level among 1,741 individuals enrolled since the 1970s in a prospective study of Norwegian volunteers who developed lung cancer during the follow-up and 1,741 matched controls free from lung cancer. Serum cotinine was measured with a competitive immunoassay. Regression dilution was corrected for based on repeated measures on samples from 747 subjects. Results: Mean serum cotinine level was higher in cases than in controls. Compared with subjects with a cotinine level of ≤5 ng/mL, the odds ratio of lung cancer was increasing linearly, reaching 55.1 (95% confidence interval, 35.7-85.0) among individuals with a serum cotinine level of >378 ng/mL. There was no clear suggestion of a plateau in risk at high exposure levels. Odds ratios were very similar in men and women. We found no association between serum cotinine level (range, 0.1-9.9 ng/mL) and lung cancer risk among self-reported nonsmokers and long-term quitters (79 cases and 350 controls). Discussion: The association between tobacco smoking and lung cancer risk might be stronger than is estimated from questionnaire-based studies. Serum cotinine level is a predictor of risk of lung cancer among smokers. The reported plateau in risk at high doses is likely due mainly to artifacts. There is no difference between men and women in the carcinogenicity of tobacco smoking. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(6):1184–8)
Body shape and psychiatric diagnosis revisited

Abstract Introduction. Body shape has been aim of study by Medicine throughout centuries to find connections between shapes and illnesses. Methods. The objective of this systematic review was to understand the origin, as well as update empirical research, of body constitution. Results. The study of body constitution and of some other groups of physical signs (such as minor physical anomalies or joint hypermobility) provides insights into the biology of mental disorders that may result in a greater understanding of its aetiology, treatment, and prevention. Discussion. We discuss the role of body constitution in order to support psychiatric nosology, especially in differential diagnosis, through an overall or holistic “body and mind” perception.
Evaluation of the clinical relevance of hrgA gene in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Patients with gastric cancer in some Asian populations were infected more frequently with hrgA-positive H. pylori. The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of hrgA to predict the clinical outcome of H. pylori infection. METHODOLOGY Forty four patients with gastric cancer (35 intestinal and 9 diffuse type cancer) and 51 control subjects were studied. Presence of hrgA gene in H. pylori strains isolated from biopsy specimens was examined by PCR. Biopsy specimens were also obtained for histological assessment of gastritis. RESULTS Nine of 44 patients with gastric cancer (20.4%) and 11 of 51 control subjects (21.6%) were infected with hrgA-positive strain (NS). In patients with gastric cancer, prevalence of hrgA-positive strain was 20.0% in patients with intestinal type cancer (7/35) and 22.2% with diffuse type cancer (2/9) (NS). In control subjects, the prevalence of hrgA-positive infection was not associated with gastric mucosal inflammatory infiltration and glandular atrophy. CONCLUSIONS Infection with hrgA-positive strain was not frequent among patients with gastric cancer. Presence of hrgA gene would not be a useful marker to predict clinical outcome of patients infected with H. pylori in this series of Japanese patients.
Ieee Transactions on Software Engineering, Manuscript Id 1 Does Software Process Improvement Reduce the Severity of Defects? a Longitudinal Field Study

— As firms increasingly rely on information systems to perform critical functions the consequences of software defects can be catastrophic. Although the software engineering literature suggests that software process improvement can help to reduce software defects, the actual evidence is equivocal. For example, improved development processes may only remove the " easier " syntactical defects, while the more critical defects remain. Rigorous empirical analyses of these relationships have been very difficult to conduct due to the difficulties in collecting the appropriate data on real systems from industrial organizations. This field study analyzes a detailed data set consisting of 7,545 software defects that were collected on software projects completed at a major software firm. Our analyses reveal that higher levels of software process improvement significantly reduce the likelihood of high severity defects. In addition, we find that higher levels of process improvement are even more beneficial in reducing severe defects when the system developed is large or complex, but are less beneficial when requirements are ambiguous, unclear or incomplete. Our findings reveal the benefits and limitations of software process improvement for the removal of severe defects and suggest where investments in improving development processes may have their greatest effects.
The Healing Effect of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Full-thickness Femoral Articular Cartilage Defects of Rabbit

Background: Articular cartilage defect can lead to degradation of subchondral bone and osteoarthritis (OA). Objective: To determine the healing effect of transplantation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs) in full-thickness femoral articular cartilage defects in rabbit. Methods: 12 rabbits were equally divided into cell-treated and control groups. In cell-treated group, 2×106 cells of third passage suspended in 1 mL of DMEM was injected into articular defect. The control group just received 1 mL of DMEM. Dulbecco’s modified Eagles medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% penicillin and streptomycin and 2 mM L-glutamine were used for cell culture. To induce cartilage defect, 4 mm articular cartilage full-thickness defect was created in the knee. For histological evaluation in each group (H&E, safranin-O and toluidine blue), 3 rabbits were sacrificed 4 weeks and 3 animals, 8 weeks after cell transplantation. Results: In cell therapy group post-transplantation, no abnormal gross findings were noticed. Neo-formed tissues in cell-treated groups were translucent with a smooth and intact surface and less irregularity. In cell-treated group after 8 weeks post-transplantation, the overall healing score of experimental knees were superior when compared to other groups. Conclusion: We showed that Ad-MSCs, as an available and non-invasive produced source of cells, could be safely administered in knee osteochondral defects.
Incidental motor sequence learning : investigations into its cognitive basis and the effects of neurological impairment and treatment

2 Acknowledgments . 3 Table of contents . 4 List of figures: . 9 List of tables: . 12 I. An investigation of behavioural and neurological implications using the probabilistic Serial Reaction Time task to explore its specific contribution to our understanding of cognition . 13 1.1. General introduction . 13 1.1.1 Sequence Learning Tasks . 14 1.1.2 Intentional vs. Incidental . 15 1.1.3 Standardisation of sequence structures . 19 1.1.4 Deterministic vs. probabilistic sequence presentation . 20 1.1.5 Incidental learning and awareness . 22 1.2. Developments in sequence learning . 24 1.2. 1 Multiple Effectors . 25 1.2. 2 Tone counting implications for sequence learning . 25 1.2. 3 Attention and load . 26 1.2. 4 Spatial and perceptual implications . 29 1.2. 5 Spatial compatibility . 31 1.3. Task based learning . 32 1.3. 1 Dual module learning system . 32 1.3. 1.1 Evaluation of the dual model learning system . 34 1.3. 1.2 Revised stimulus to response based learning system . 34 1.3. 2 Problems with S-R rule hypothesis . 36 1.4. Imaging studies . 37 1.4. 1 SRT imaging studies . 38 1.5. Patient Studies . 41 1.5. 1. Effects of Basal ganglia impairment on sequence learning . 41 1.5. 2 Evidence from Parkinson’s disease . 42 1.5. 3 Evidence from dystonia . 44 1.5. 4 Evidence from Huntington’s disease . 45
Task-dependent Activation of Face-sensitive Cortex: An fMRI Adaptation Study

Face processing in the human brain recruits a widespread cortical network based mainly in the ventral and lateral temporal and occipital lobes. However, the extent to which activity within this network is driven by different face properties versus being determined by the manner in which faces are processed (as determined by task requirements) remains unclear. We combined a functional magnetic resonance adaptation paradigm with three target detection tasks, where participants had to detect a specific identity, emotional expression, or direction of gaze, while the task-irrelevant face properties varied independently. Our analysis focused on differentiating the influence of task demands and the processing of stimulus changes within the neural network underlying face processing. Results indicated that the fusiform and inferior occipital gyrus do not respond as a function of stimulus change (such as identity), but rather their activity depends on the task demands. Specifically, we hypothesize that, whether the task encourages a configural- or a featural-processing strategy determines activation. Our results for the superior temporal sulcus were even more specific in that we only found greater responses to stimulus changes that may engage featural processing. These results contribute to our understanding of the functional anatomy of face processing and provide insights into possible compensatory mechanisms in face processing.
Private vs. Public Consumption: The Impact of Impression Management on Variety Seeking

Four empirical studies demonstrate that people sometimes perceive social pressure to choose variety in hedonic choice contexts when more than one item is to be consumed. Studies 1 and 2 indicate that consumers choose more variety in public than in private, even when choosing variety requires them to include some less-preferred items. The results of Study 3 demonstrate that both high and low self-monitors choose more variety in public than in private, although they do so for different reasons. Whereas high selfmonitors choose more variety when instructed to make a decision that appears interesting, low self-monitors choose more variety when instructed to make a decision that will appear rational. The final study replicates the finding that consumers choose more variety when public scrutiny of their behavior is heightened and demonstrates that this public/private difference is eliminated when a social cue licenses sticking with one’s favorites.
Similarity-Aware Patchwork Assembly for Depth Image Super-resolution

This paper describes a patchwork assembly algorithm for depth image super-resolution. An input low resolution depth image is disassembled into parts by matching similar regions on a set of high resolution training images, and a super-resolution image is then assembled using these corresponding matched counterparts. We convert the super resolution problem into a Markov Random Field (MRF) labeling problem, and propose a unified formulation embedding (1) the consistency between the resolution enhanced image and the original input, (2) the similarity of disassembled parts with the corresponding regions on training images, (3) the depth smoothness in local neighborhoods, (4) the additional geometric constraints from self-similar structures in the scene, and (5) the boundary coincidence between the resolution enhanced depth image and an optional aligned high resolution intensity image. Experimental results on both synthetic and real-world data demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of recovering high quality depth images with X4 resolution enhancement along each coordinate direction, and that it outperforms state-of-the-arts [14] in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations.