Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deletions in the hepatitis B virus core gene may influence the clinical outcome in hepatitis B e antigen–positive asymptomatic healthy carriers

To address the significance of mutations within the hepatitis B virus (HBV) core gene in chronic HBV infection, we followed prospectively HBe‐antigen–positive asymptomatic healthy carriers, documented the onset of their disease based on serum alanine transaminase (ALT) concentrations, and analyzed sequentially serum samples from a quiescent phase through to an active phase of the chronic infection. In three female carriers, the first flare‐up was documented during the follow‐up period. Serial analysis by polymerase chain reaction, cloning, and sequencing of the HBV precore/core open reading frame genome demonstrated that clones with core gene deletions emerged during the quiescent phase and persisted subsequently during the active phase in two patients, who failed to seroconvert to anti‐HBe and had persistently increased ALT levels despite interferon (IFN) therapy. The deletions were various, overlapping, and located in the mid‐core region ranging from amino acid (aa) position 64 to 128. The remaining patient, who seroconverted with IFN therapy, did not have a core‐gene‐deletion HBV variant during follow‐up, but had aa substitutions clustered in some restricted core regions. Two control asymptomatic carriers, who had no change in biochemical or virologic markers over a 15‐ to 19‐year period, had no core‐gene‐deletion variants and few aa changes. These findings indicate that the mid‐portion of the core gene is subject to deletion even during the quiescent phase. Thus, the immunologic interaction between the host and virus may occur insidiously, and the emergence of a core‐gene‐deletion HBV variant during the quiescent phase may be involved in the onset of hepatitis and the subsequent outcome of chronic infection. J. Med. Virol. 56:287–293, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inverse Association between T‐Cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin Domain‐1 and T‐bet in a Mouse Model of Allergic Rhinitis

Background: It has been suggested that human hepatitis A virus cellular receptor, also known as T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain‐1 (TIM‐1), plays an important role in the development of allergic diseases on the basis of epidemiologic data, but the molecular mechanism has been unclear. In a murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)‐sensitized allergic rhinitis (AR), we examined the expression of TIM‐1 and its correlation with T helper1‐associated transcription factor, T‐bet, as a potential mediator of T‐cell immunoglobulin expression.
Neurochemical analyses in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy.

OBJECTIVE To investigate neurochemical changes in the caudate nucleus of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients before and after cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and to examine corresponding changes in symptom severity. METHOD Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic (1H-MRS) examination of the left caudate was conducted in 21 treatment-naïve children, aged 6 to 16 years, before and after 12 weeks of CBT. Subjects were measured at baseline and posttreatment by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Children, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. RESULTS No significant changes in caudate neurochemistry were observed in OCD patients before and after CBT despite unambiguous improvement in OCD symptoms, depression, and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that reduction in caudate Glx may be specific to SSRI treatment and not due to a more generalized treatment response or spontaneous improvement of symptoms. Differential sets of pathophysiologic and treatment response markers may moderate/mediate the effects of particular treatments on outcome.
Screening of Cushing's syndrome in adult patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus

Objective Recent studies have shown that a relatively high number of diabetic patients may have unsuspected Cushing's syndrome (CS). The aim of the present study was to screen for CS in adult patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus who were not selected for clinical characteristics, such as poor control and obesity, which may increase the pre‐test probability of CS.
Optimization of diversity antenna directivities based on spherical mode expansion

This paper proposes a new approach for designing diversity antenna directivities based on spherical mode expansion. The antenna directivity is expanded by spherical wave functions and spherical mode coefficients. Spherical mode coefficients, which specify the antenna directivity, can be estimated from a given antenna volume and an angular profile of incident waves. In this paper, we derive the optimal antenna directivities for diversity system in order to minimize outage probability of combined channel gain in the given environment. The optimal antenna matched to a given propagation environment can be designed by using this approach.
An Anthropological Perspective on Some Unexpected Consequences of Protected Areas

One of the remarkable transformations of the conservation community in recent years has been the proliferation of sociocultural anthropologists in and around protected areas and in conservation meetings and organizations. Anthropologists have been increasingly involved in institutions such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Society for Conservation Biology’s Social Science Working Group. This change reflects an increase in the extent of protected areas, their tendency to be located in remote rural areas where anthropologists have traditionally conducted long-term ethnographic field research, and academic and theoretical changes within anthropology, with its increasing interest on globalization, environmentalism, and political ecology. This proliferation has had a mixed reception. Some believe it results in work that is eccentric at best or that dangerously diverts resources (and journal space); others believe it is an essential move. Anthropologists’ interests may seem tangential (or opaque) to the practical work of saving nature. But we see protected areas not just as sites rich in biological diversity but also as rich sites of social interactions and social reproduction. By social reproduction we mean the maintenance and replication of social practices, beliefs, and institutions that would have been considered “culture” in anthropology in the past. We also see protected areas as sites that work to both meet conservation goals and restructure how people understand, use, and interact with their surroundings (P.W., J. Igoe, & D.B., unpublished). As such, protected areas affect people living within and adjacent to them and people displaced by them. They also affect the lives of people working for the agencies, governmental and nongovernmental, who create them and manage them.
Nomogram for Predicting Symptom Severity during Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

Objectives Radiation therapy (RT), with or without chemotherapy, can cause significant acute toxicity among patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC), but predicting, before treatment, who will experience a particular toxicity or symptom is difficult. We created and evaluated 2 multivariate models and generated a nomogram to predict symptom severity during RT based on a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument, the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory–Head and Neck Module (MDASI-HN). Study Design This was a prospective, longitudinal, questionnaire-based study. Setting Tertiary cancer care center. Subjects and Methods Subjects were 264 patients with HNC (mostly oropharyngeal) who had completed the MDASI-HN before and during therapy. Pretreatment variables were correlated with MDASI-HN symptom scores during therapy with multivariate modeling and then were correlated with the composite MDASI-HN score during week 5 of therapy. Results A multivariate model incorporating pretreatment PROs better predicted MDASI-HN symptom scores during treatment than did a model based on clinical variables and physician-rated patient performance status alone (Akaike information criterion = 1442.5 vs 1459.9). In the most parsimonious model, pretreatment MDASI-HN symptom severity (P < .001), concurrent chemotherapy (P = .006), primary tumor site (P = .016), and receipt of definitive (rather than adjuvant) RT (P = .044) correlated with MDASI-HN symptom scores during week 5. That model was used to construct a nomogram. Conclusion Our model demonstrates the value of incorporating baseline PROs, in addition to disease and treatment characteristics, to predict patient symptom burden during therapy. Although additional investigation and validation are required, PRO-inclusive prediction tools can be useful for improving symptom interventions and expectations for patients being treated for HNC.
Embryonic Development and Hatching Rate of Blue Swimming Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) under Different Water Salinities

Blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most commercially important species (Azra and Ikhwanuddin, 2015; Ravi and Manisseri, 2013) and enjoys high market demand for their delicacy. New market chances and increasing price of P. pelagicus have contributed to higher number of P. pelagicus being harvested (Ikhwanuddin et al., 2009). The crab fishery and culture operations are expected to continue to grow in the future (Ikhwanuddin et al., 2012a). The study of embryonic development is important since this is the most sensitive stage to environmental changes (GarciaGuerrero and Hendricks, 2006). Study of salinity affected the reproduction were mostly done in juveniles stages, and little on embryonic stages (Romano and Zeng, 2006; Romano and Zeng, 2010). The study on embryology of Portunid crabs on embryonic development are such as on Scylla spp. (De Haan, 1833) (Churchill, 2003; Ates et al., 2012), P. pelagicus (Ikhwanuddin et al., 2012b), Scylla olivacea (Herbst, 1796) (Ikhwanuddin et al., 2015), Cyrtograptus angulatus (Dana, 1851)and Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851) (Bas and Spivak, 2000), Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851) (Gimenez and Anger, 2001), Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Pinheiro and Hattori, 2003), Eurypanopeus canalensis (Abele & Kim, 1989)and Panopeus chilensis (H. Milne Edwards & Lucas, 1843)(Garcia-Guerrero and Hendrickx, 2006) and Perisesarma bidens (De Haan, 1835) (Sarker et al., 2009) have also been done. There is still, however lack of information and the study on the effect of salinity on embryonic development on P. pelagicus. Even though P. pelagicus is a marine organism, a study on the effect of different salinity regimes can traditionally explain the process of osmosis during embryonic development and its effect on hatching rate and mechanisms. This study is also important to expand the knowledge of embryology in P. pelagicus. From this study, the suitable salinity for rearing mated and berried female of P. pelagicus in hatchery can be determine so the maximum yield can be obtained. The objectives of the study are i) to describe the embryonic development of P. pelagicus and ii) to determine the effect of different salinities (5, 15, 25, 30, 35 and 45 ppt) on the spawning success, egg sizes Mhd Ikhwanuddin, Mohamad N. Azra, Nor Faizah Noorulhudha, Abdullah Siti-Aishah, Ambok Bolong Abol-Munafi
Hyperactivity and Diet Treatment

This paper is a review of primary research investigating the Feingold hypothesis which suggests diet modification as an efficacious treatment for hyperactivity. The techniques of meta-analysis were used to integrate statistically the findings from 23 studies. The primary finding indicates that diet modification is not an effective intervention for hyperactivity as evidenced by the negligible treatment effects which are only slightly greater than those expected by chance. When the data were refined into groupings related to outcome and design variables, support was rendered for the primary finding. It is concluded that extant research has not validated the Feingold hypothesis and that diet modification should be questioned as an efficacious treatment for hyperactivity.
Branch-and-Bound Optimization of a Multiagent System for Flow Production using Model Checking

In this paper we propose the application of a model checker to evaluate a multiagent system that controls the industrial production of autonomous products. As the flow of material is asynchronous at each station, queuing effects arise as long as buffers provide waiting room. Besides validating the design of the system, the core objective of this work is to find plans that optimize the throughput of the system. Instead of mapping the multiagent system directly to the model checker, we model the production line as a set of communicating processes, with the movement of items modeled as communication channels. Experiments shows that the model checker is able to analyze the movements of autonomous products for the model, subject to the partial ordering of the product parts. It derives valid and optimized plans with several thousands of steps using constraint branch-and-bound.
Association of Expression of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products and Invasive Activity of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objectives: The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a newly recognized factor regulating cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Nevertheless, the involvement of RAGE in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinomas has not been elucidated. This study investigated the expression of RAGE in ten oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines including primary and metastatic cell lines and its association with invasion and metastasis. Methods: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, antisense phosphorothioate (S)-oligodeoxynucleotide assay, preparation of antibody, immunohistochemical staining, immunoblot analysis, migration assay, in vitro invasion assay, and wound-healing assay were used. Results: RAGE protein expression of metastatic cancer cells treated with RAGE antisense S-oligodeoxynucleotide was significantly reduced compared to that of sense S-oligodeoxynucleotide-treated cells. The migration assay showed that invasive activity was significantly reduced in metastatic cancer cells treated with RAGE antisense S-oligodeoxynucleotide. Similarly, during invasion assays, numbers of invading cells were also reduced with the addition of RAGE antisense S-oligodeoxynucleotide-treated cells. A wound-healing assay showed that only a few RAGE antisense S-oligodeoxynucleotide-treated cancer cells migrated into the scraped area, whereas sense S-oligodeoxynucleotide-treated cells showed many budding nests in the scraped area of the metastatic cell lines. Immunohistochemically, oral squamous cell carcinoma cells in the tumour mesenchymal border were often immunopositive, whereas basal cells in the normal mucosa were scarcely positive. Conclusions: These results suggest that RAGE expression appears to be closely associated with the invasiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma and represents a promising candidate for assessing the future therapeutic potential in treating patients with oral carcinoma.
Delineation of a minimal region of deletion at 6q16.3 in follicular lymphoma and construction of a bacterial artificial chromosome contig spanning a 6‐megabase region of 6q16–q21

Regional deletions of 6q are frequent karyotypic alterations in malignant lymphoma and are associated with an adverse clinical outcome. One such region of recurrent deletion is 6q16−q21; however, the specific genes affected have not been identified. Our objective in this study was to identify cases with deletion of 6q16−q21 in follicular lymphoma and to define a minimal region of deletion. A physical map of 6q16.2−q21 was constructed using map information from both sequence‐based and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) fingerprint–based maps. Forty‐three BAC clones spanning a 6‐Mb region of 6q16.2–q21 were identified and obtained from the RP‐11 library. Selected BACs were fluorescence‐labeled and hybridized to a series of 34 follicular lymphomas with a regional 6q deletion detected by G banding. Twenty‐four cases with deletion of the 6q16.3 region were detected. A minimal deletion of 2.3 Mb was defined. Our study has identified a limited region of deletion of 6q16.3 that may implicate four known genes in follicular lymphoma and possibly in other cancers. A BAC contig spanning a 6‐Mb region has been anchored to the 6q16.2–q21 region. This map represents a useful resource for gene identification in this region, not only in lymphoma but also in other neoplasms with 6q alterations. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bacillus sporulation gene spo0H codes for sigma 30 (sigma H)

The DNA sequences of the spo0H genes from Bacillus licheniformis and B. subtilis are described, and the predicted open reading frames code for proteins of 26,097 and 25,447 daltons, respectively. The two spo0H gene products are 91% identical to one another and about 25% identical to most of the procaryotic sigma factors. The predicted proteins have a conserved 14-amino-acid sequence at their amino terminal end, typical of sigma factors. Antibodies raised against the spo0H gene product of B. licheniformis specifically react with RNA polymerase sigma factor protein, sigma 30, purified from B. subtilis. We conclude that the spo0H genes of B. licheniformis and B. subtilis code for sigma 30, now known as sigma H.
Advancing simulation-based driver training: lessons learned and future perspectives

This paper aims to provide recommendations for improving the effectiveness of automatic, student-adaptive, simulation-based driver training. Using experiments and recorded data in driving simulators, three distinct issues are discussed: 1) the student, 2) the virtual driving instructor (VDI), and 3) the student-profile. We found that: first, students seek task-relevant information themselves; not providing them with feedback can be beneficial. Second, an intelligent VDI that emulates a human driving instructor is not favored. To the contrary, regressive instruction -- a relatively simple principle -- was effective in letting students drive away autonomously. Third, constructing a student-profile based on individual characteristics, such as a strength-weakness report, is viable for providing student-adaptive feedback.
Echocardiography Alone Allows the Determination of Heart Failure Stages in Rats with Pressure Overload

Abstract Background There is currently no standard for the assessment of contractile function in animals. We aimed to determine whether transthoracic echocardiography in rats with chronic pressure overload allows determining the stage of hypertrophy and heart failure (HF). Methods Pressure overload was created by placement of a metal clip around the thoracic aorta at a weight of 40 to 50 g. After 1, 2, 6, 10, and 20 weeks, we performed echocardiography according to the American Heart Association guidelines (n = 26, four to six rats for each time point). We also obtained heart, lung, and body weights and regularly evaluated clinical signs of HF. Results Pressure overload caused significant hypertrophy within 1 week. Contractile function was normal until 6 weeks when diastolic dysfunction appeared. After 10 weeks of pressure overload, systolic function decreased. At 20 weeks, hearts were dilated and cardiac index was decreased. These findings correlated with increased lung-to-body weight ratio after 6 weeks and clinical signs of HF after 20 weeks. Conclusion Echocardiography alone allows the reproducible determination of HF stages after aortic constriction in rats.
Maturational Patterns of Sigma Frequency Power Across Childhood and Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To further evaluate adolescent brain maturation by determining the longitudinal trajectories of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sigma (11-15 Hz) power across childhood-adolescence. METHODS The maturational trend for sigma (11-15 Hz) power was evaluated in an accelerated longitudinal study of three overlapping age cohorts (n = 92) covering ages 6 to 18 y. Semiannually, sleep electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from participants sleeping at home in their normal sleep environment while keeping their current school night schedules. RESULTS Sigma frequencies became faster with age. The frequency of the 11-15 Hz spectral peak increased linearly. Sigma frequency power (SFP) declined with age, but its trajectory was complex (cubic). Power in a group of low sigma subfrequencies declined with age. Power in a group of high sigma frequencies increased with age. Power in subfrequencies within 11-15 Hz also showed different trends across the night, with lower frequencies increasing across NREM periods and higher frequencies decreasing across NREM periods. The upper and lower boundaries for the sigma frequencies that changed across NREMPs shifted upward with age. CONCLUSIONS We hypothesize that these maturational brain changes result from synaptic elimination which decreases sleep depth and streamlines circuits. SFP displays a maturational trajectory different from both delta and theta power. Theories on the function of sigma must be reconciled with its maturational trajectory. These findings further demonstrate the value of sleep EEG for studying noninvasively the complex developmental brain changes of adolescence.
Projected Barzilai-Borwein Methods Applied to Distributed Compressive Spectrum Sensing

Cognitive radio allows unlicensed (cognitive) users to use licensed frequency bands by exploiting spectrum sensing techniques to detect whether or not the licensed (primary) users are present. In this paper, we present a compressed sensing applied to spectrum-occupancy detection in wide-band applications. The collected analog signals from each cognitive radio (CR) receiver at a fusion center are transformed to discrete-time signals by using analog-to-information converter (AIC) and then employed to calculate the autocorrelation. For signal reconstruction, we exploit a novel approach to solve the optimization problem consisting of minimizing both a quadratic ($l_2$) error term and an $l_1$-regularization term. In specific, we propose the Basic gradient projection (GP) and projected Barzilai-Borwein (PBB) algorithm to offer a better performance in terms of the mean squared error of the power spectrum density estimate and the detection probability of licensed signal occupancy.
Hormonal regulation of the annual pelage color cycle in the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus. I. Role of the gonads and pituitary.

The Djungarian hamster exhibits an agouti pelage in the summer and a predominantly white pelage in the winter. This pelage color cycle is known to be regulated by the length of the daily photoperiod probably acting through the pineal gland, as is the seasonal cycle of reproductive function with which it is closely correlated ( Figala et al., '73; Hoffmann, ' 78b ). The possibility of a causal relationship between the decline in gonadal hormone secretion and the coat color change occurring in short photoperiod was examined. Gonadectomized and intact male and female hamsters were exposed to either long (16L:8D) or short ( 10L : 14D ) photoperiod for several months. Gonadectomy neither induced the change to the winter pelage color in long photoperiod-housed animals, nor prevented either the change to the winter pelage or the spontaneous return to summer pelage color in short photoperiod-housed animals. Chronic implants of testosterone in castrated males delayed and attenuated the short photoperiod-induced coat color change. Administration of ovine prolactin (100 micrograms/day) stimulated pigmentation in hamsters with the winter pelage, whereas administration of a alpha MSH (30 micrograms/day) was without effect. These results suggest that changes in pelage color may be regulated largely by changes in pituitary prolactin secretion and modified to some extent by changes in gonadal steroid hormone secretion.