Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcriptional activity of blood- and cerebrospinal fluid-derived nef/long-terminal repeat sequences isolated from a slow progressor infected with nef-deleted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) who developed HIV-associated dementia

The authors studied the transcriptional activity of blood- and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-derived nef/long-terminal repeat (LTR) sequences isolated from a slow progressor infected with nef-deleted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) who developed HIV-associated dementia (HIVD). The transcriptional activity of CSF-derived nef/LTR clones isolated during HIVD was up to 4.5-fold higher than blood-derived clones isolated before and during HIVD when tested under basal, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-(PMA−), and Tat-activated conditions, and was associated with the presence of duplicated nuclear factor (NF)-κB and specificity factor-1 (Sp-1) binding sites coupled with a truncated nef sequence, increased replication capacity, and high CSF viral load. Thus, nef and LTR mutations that augment transcription may contribute to neuropathogenesis of nef-deleted HIV-1.
Microvasculature of the buffalo epididymis

The microvasculature of the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) epididymis was investigated using light (LM), scanning electron (SEM), and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy techniques. SEM analysis of the buffalo epididymis showed fenestrations that occupied ovoid inside the endothelium of the postcapillary venules located in the caput, corpus, and cauda. They varied in shape and dimension, but more importantly, they connected the venules of the blood vascular system to the capillaries of the peripheral lymphatic vascular system. Morphofunctional analysis of these connections suggests that the microvasculature of the buffalo epididymis plays a role in facilitating the circulation of biologically active substances, and the absorption and secretion processes necessary for the survival and maturation of spermatozoa. The lymphatic capillaries at the connection points formed a network of variously sized polygonal links. These capillaries then converged to form the precollector lymphatic vessels, which in turn converged with the larger vessels originating from the testis. It was further noted that in the capillary endothelium there were no fenestrations, and in the large veins there were many diverticula. These diverticula appear to play a role in the regulation of the seasonal variations of the blood reflux. In general, the microvascular architecture of the buffalo epididymis, particularly its connection to the lymphatic vascular system, appears to play an important role in the absorption and secretion processes of the epididymal epithelium. Anat Rec 266:58–68, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acupuncture for insomnia.

BACKGROUND Although conventional non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments for insomnia are effective in many people, alternative therapies such as acupuncture are widely practised. However, it remains unclear whether current evidence is rigorous enough to support acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Dissertation Abstracts International, CINAHL, AMED, the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS), the World Health Organization (WHO) Trials Portal (ICTRP) and relevant specialised registers of the Cochrane Collaboration in October 2011. We screened reference lists of all eligible reports and contacted trial authors and experts in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials evaluating any form of acupuncture for insomnia. They compared acupuncture with/without additional treatment against placebo or sham or no treatment or same additional treatment. We excluded trials that compared different acupuncture methods or acupuncture against other treatments. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We used odds ratio (OR) and mean difference for binary and continuous outcomes respectively. We combined data in meta-analyses where appropriate. MAIN RESULTS Thirty-three trials were included. They recruited 2293 participants with insomnia, aged 15 to 98 years, some with medical conditions contributing to insomnia (stroke, end-stage renal disease, perimenopause, pregnancy, psychiatric diseases). They evaluated needle acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupressure or magnetic acupressure.Compared with no treatment (two studies, 280 participants) or sham/placebo (two studies, 112 participants), acupressure resulted in more people with improvement in sleep quality (compared to no treatment: OR 13.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.79 to 95.59; compared to sham/placebo: OR 6.62, 95% CI 1.78 to 24.55). However, when assuming that dropouts had a worse outcome in sensitivity analysis the beneficial effect of acupuncture was inconclusive. Compared with other treatment alone, acupuncture as an adjunct to other treatment might marginally increase the proportion of people with improved sleep quality (13 studies, 883 participants, OR 3.08, 95% CI 1.93 to 4.90). On subgroup analysis, only needle acupuncture but not electroacupuncture showed benefits. All trials had high risk of bias and were heterogeneous in the definition of insomnia, participant characteristics, acupoints and treatment regimen. The effect sizes were generally small with wide confidence intervals. Publication bias was likely present. Adverse effects were rarely reported and they were minor. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Due to poor methodological quality, high levels of heterogeneity and publication bias, the current evidence is not sufficiently rigorous to support or refute acupuncture for treating insomnia. Larger high-quality clinical trials are required.
[Early electroretinografic changes in elderly RA patients treated with hydroxychloroquine].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of fundoscopy, electrooculography, electroretinogram and visually evoked potentials in early detection of hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity in RA patients and to evaluate the influence of patients' age, drug dosage, concomitant therapy (prednisone and methotrexate) and serum creatinine levels in the development of this side effect. METHODS From september to december 1999, we have enrolled 32 RA patients (13 males, 19 females) starting hydroxychloroquine treatment. The patients underwent regular ophthalmological examination (fundoscopy, electro-oculography, electroretinogram and visually evoked potentials) every 4 months. Disease activity was evaluated every two months by clinical and routine serological examination. RESULTS No patients developed retinopathy during 1 year's follow-up; fundoscopy, electrooculography, and visually evoked potentials did not vary from the baseline. On the other hand, electroretinogram showed early alterations of scotopic and photopic response; moreover a significant statistical correlation between patients' age (more than 65 years) and b1 photopic wave increase (p < 0,05) was observed. No correlation was found between the development of electro-retinographic alterations and hydroxychloroquine dosage, concomitant therapy and serum creatinine levels CONCLUSION Our data show the inefficacy of fundoscopy, electrooculography and visually evoked potentials in early detection of hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. On the other hand electroretinogram allows early detection of retinal alterations during hydroxychloroquine treatment, in patients older than 65 years.
Pilot-scale synthesis of metal nanoparticles by high-speed pulsed laser ablation in liquids

The synthesis of catalysis-relevant nanoparticles such as platinum and gold is demonstrated with productivities of 4 g h−1 for pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL). The major drawback of low productivity of PLAL is overcome by utilizing a novel ultrafast high-repetition rate laser system combined with a polygon scanner that reaches scanning speeds up to 500 m s−1. This high scanning speed is exploited to spatially bypass the laser-induced cavitation bubbles at MHz-repetition rates resulting in an increase of the applicable, ablation-effective, repetition rate for PLAL by two orders of magnitude. The particle size, morphology and oxidation state of fully automated synthesized colloids are analyzed while the ablation mechanisms are studied for different laser fluences, repetition rates, interpulse distances, ablation times, volumetric flow rates and focus positions. It is found that at high scanning speeds and high repetition rate PLAL the ablation process is stable in crystallite size and decoupled from shielding and liquid effects that conventionally occur during low-speed PLAL.
Extracranial Carotid Atherosclerosis and Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Tertiary Hospital in Burkina Faso

Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of carotid atherosclerosis among ischemic stroke patients in a tertiary hospital in Burkina Faso. Methodology: This was a descriptive and analytical retrospective study of patients admitted at neurology department of Yalgado Ouedraogo University Teaching Hospital with ischemic stroke and cerebral large vessel atherosclerosis in the period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016. Results: The prevalence of extracranial carotid atherosclerosis was 23.9%. The mean age of patients was 63.5 years (Range 31 - 90 years). The study population included 65% of men and 35% of women. Hypertension was the most common vascular risk factor (75.6%). Stroke was mostly located in the anterior circulation in 23.9%. Low HDL-C was present in 52% of patients. The majority of plaque was homogeneous (85.2%). Plaque were located in carotid bulbar artery (38.5%) followed by common carotid artery (28.2%) and extracranial internal carotid artery (18.6%). According to cerebral lesion, plaque was bilateral in 45.5%, ipsilateral in 42.3% and contralateral in 12.1% of cases. Tight stenosis was found in 30.1% of patients. There was a significant link between male gender and tight stenosis (p = 0.004). Aspirin was the most antiplatelet therapy used (95.5%). Statin therapy was used in 91% of patients. The mean duration of hospitalization was 12.5 days with a mortality rate of 7.1%. Conclusions: Our study showed that extra carotid atherosclerosis was the most common cause of ischemic stroke in Burkina Faso. Man gender was most represented than women.
A competing risk analysis for hospital length of stay in patients with burns.

IMPORTANCE Current outcome predictors for illness and injury are measured at a single time point-admission. However, patient prognosis often changes during hospitalization, limiting the usefulness of those predictions. Accurate depiction of the dynamic interaction between competing events during hospitalization may enable real-time outcome assessment. OBJECTIVE To determine how the effects of burn outcome predictors (ie, age, total body surface area burn, and inhalation injury) and the outcomes of interest (ie, mortality and length of stay) vary as a function of time throughout hospitalization. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this retrospective study, we used the American Burn Association's National Burn Repository, containing outcomes and patient and injury characteristics, to identify 95 579 patients admitted with an acute burn injury to 80 tertiary American Burn Association burn centers from 2000 through 2009. We applied competing risk statistical methods to analyze patient outcomes. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES We estimated the cause-specific hazard rates for death and discharge to assess how the instantaneous risk of these events changed across time. We further evaluated the varying effects of patient age, total body surface area burn, and inhalation injury on the probability of discharge and death across time. RESULTS Maximum length of stay among patients who died was 270 days and 731 days among those discharged. Total body surface area, age, and inhalation injury had significant effects on the subdistribution hazard for discharge (P < .001); these effects varied across time (P < .002). Burn size (coefficient -0.046) determined early outcomes, while age (coefficient -0.034) determined outcomes later in the hospitalization. Inhalation injury (coefficient -0.622) played a variable role in survival and hospital length of stay. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Real-time measurement of dynamic interrelationships among burn outcome predictors using competing risk analysis demonstrated that the key factors influencing outcomes differed throughout hospitalization. Further application of this analytic technique to other injury or illness types may improve assessment of outcomes.
The Evaluation of Nutrition Information System Using Combined Method of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Usage of Technology (UTAUT) and Task Technology Fit (TTF)

After more than five years of SIGIZI application implementation, problems arise from hardware, software, brainware to sociotechnical components. Evaluation is needed to find out if the information system remains reasonable to be used, requires improvement or update. This research aims at evaluating the information system SIGIZI based on combined method of UTAUT and TTF. This is a quantitative research with a survey approach, located at all Public Health Centers that implement SIGIZI in the working areas of Banyumas health office. The object is SIGIZI application and the subject is nutrition officers who use SIGIZI. It uses purposive sampling technique. The data are collected using questionnaire. The analysis results indicate that there is relationship of task characteristic and technology characteristic with task-technology fit; there is performance relationship expected from SIGIZI with user acceptance; task-technology fit, ease level of SIGIZI, social influence and condition of SIGIZI facility are not related to user acceptance; there is relationship of task-technology fit with performance expected from SIGIZI; ease level of SIGIZI is not related to performance expected from SIGIZI; there is relationship of technology characteristic and performance expected from SIGIZI.
FIXATION DISPARITY IN BINOCULAR STRESS

Abstract—Fixation disparity has been taken as a sign of stress on binocular vision because it is established that prism stress creates fixation disparity. This paper looks at the effect on fixation disparity of the stress caused by requiring subjects to read in inadequate illumination. It is found that the reduction in illumination does not in itself immediately change the magnitude of the fixation disparity. There is, however, an increase in the mean slope of the central part of the fixation disparity curve which suggests that when the effect of reduced illumination is added to prism stress, fixation disparity is increased. The stress created by asking subjects to read in reduced illumination for half an hour resulted in the mean associated heterophoria being increased, and over half the subjects reported symptoms of stress. It is concluded that fixation disparity is changed by this type of visual stress in some subjects, and in near vision is increased to a more marked degree of exo‐disparity. Most of this increase occurs in the first ten minutes.
Investigation of hit-and-run crash occurrence and severity using real-time loop detector data and hierarchical Bayesian binary logit model with random effects

ABSTRACT Objective: Most of the extensive research dedicated to identifying the influential factors of hit-and-run (HR) crashes has utilized typical maximum likelihood estimation binary logit models, and none have employed real-time traffic data. To fill this gap, this study focused on investigating factors contributing to HR crashes, as well as the severity levels of HR. Methods: This study analyzed 4-year crash and real-time loop detector data by employing hierarchical Bayesian models with random effects within a sequential logit structure. In addition to evaluation of the impact of random effects on model fitness and complexity, the prediction capability of the models was examined. Stepwise incremental sensitivity and specificity were calculated and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to graphically illustrate the predictive performance of the model. Results: Among the real-time flow variables, the average occupancy and speed from the upstream detector were observed to be positively correlated with HR crash possibility. The average upstream speed and speed difference between upstream and downstream speeds were correlated with the occurrence of severe HR crashes. In addition to real-time factors, other variables found influential for HR and severe HR crashes were length of segment, adverse weather conditions, dark lighting conditions with malfunctioning street lights, driving under the influence of alcohol, width of inner shoulder, and nighttime. Conclusions: This study suggests the potential traffic conditions of HR and severe HR occurrence, which refer to relatively congested upstream traffic conditions with high upstream speed and significant speed deviations on long segments. The above findings suggest that traffic enforcement should be directed toward mitigating risky driving under the aforementioned traffic conditions. Moreover, enforcement agencies may employ alcohol checkpoints to counter driving under the influence (DUI) at night. With regard to engineering improvements, wider inner shoulders may be constructed to potentially reduce HR cases and street lights should be installed and maintained in working condition to make roads less prone to such crashes.
γ‐Aminobutyric acidB receptors and the development of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus

γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a highly abundant neurotransmitter in the brain and the ligand for GABAA, GABAB, and GABAC receptors. Unlike GABAA and GABAC receptors, which are chloride channels, GABAB receptors are G‐protein linked and alter cell‐signaling pathways. Electrophysiological studies have found GABAB receptors in cultured embryonic hypothalamus, but the distribution of these receptors remains unknown. In the present study, we examined the expression of GABAB receptors in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) during embryonic mouse development. GABAB receptors were present in the VMH at all ages examined, from embryonic day 13 to postnatal day 6. Using a brain slice preparation, we examined the effect of GABAB receptor activation on cell movement in the embryonic VMH as the nucleus forms in vitro. The GABAB receptor agonist baclofen decreased the rate of cell movement in a dose‐dependent manner. Baclofen reduced cell movement by up to 56% compared with vehicle‐treated controls. The percentage of cells moving per field and the angles of cell movement were not affected. With our previous findings of GABAA receptor activation, it is likely that GABA influences VMH development via multiple mechanisms. J. Comp. Neurol. 449:270–280, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PmrA–PmrB‐regulated genes necessary for 4‐aminoarabinose lipid A modification and polymyxin resistance

Antimicrobial peptides are distributed throughout the animal kingdom and are a key component of innate immunity. Salmonella typhimurium regulates mechanisms of resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides through the two‐component systems PhoP–PhoQ and PmrA–PmrB. Polymyxin resistance is encoded by the PmrA–PmrB regulon, whose products modify the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core and lipid A regions with ethanolamine and add aminoarabinose to the 4′ phosphate of lipid A. Two PmrA–PmrB‐regulated S. typhimurium loci (pmrE and pmrF ) have been identified that are necessary for resistance to polymyxin and for the addition of aminoarabinose to lipid A. One locus, pmrE, contains a single gene previously identified as pagA (or ugd ) that is predicted to encode a UDP‐glucose dehydrogenase. The second locus, pmrF, is the second gene of a putative operon predicted to encode seven proteins, some with similarity to glycosyltransferases and other complex carbohydrate biosynthetic enzymes. Genes immediately flanking this putative operon are also regulated by PmrA–PmrB and/or have been associated with S. typhimurium polymyxin resistance. This work represents the first identification of non‐regulatory genes necessary for modification of lipid A and subsequent antimicrobial peptide resistance, and provides support for the hypothesis that lipid A aminoarabinose modification promotes resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides.
MicroRNA‐217 suppresses homocysteine‐induced proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells via N‐methyl‐D‐aspartic acid receptor inhibition

Hyperhomocysteine has become a critical risk for atherosclerosis and can stimulate proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). N‐methyl‐D‐aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) is a receptor of homocysteine and mediates the effects of homocysteine on VSMCs. Bioinformatics analysis has shown NMDAR is a potential target of microRNA‐217 (miR‐217), which exerts multiple functions in cancer tumorigenesis and carotid plaque progression. In this study, we sought to investigate the role of miR‐217 in VSMCs phenotype transition under homocysteine exposure and elucidate its effect on atherosclerotic plaque formation. After treating with several doses of homocysteine (0–8 × 10−4 mol/L) for 24 hours, the expression of miR‐217 in HA‐VSMCs and rat aortic VSMCs was not altered. Intriguingly, the expression of NMDAR mRNA and protein was reduced by homocysteine in a dose‐dependent manner. Transfection of miR‐217 mimic significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of VSMCs with homocysteine treatment, while transfection of miR‐217 inhibitor promoted VSMCs migration. Moreover, miR‐217 mimic down‐regulated while miR‐217 inhibitor up‐regulated NMDAR protein expression but not NMDAR mRNA expression. Through luciferase reporter assay, we showed that miR‐217 could directly bind to the 3′‐UTR of NMDAR. MiR‐217 mimic transfection also released the inhibition of cAMP‐response element‐binding protein (CREB)‐PGC‐1α signalling induced by homocysteine. Additionally, restoration of PGC‐1α expression via AdPGC‐1α infection markedly suppressed VSMCs proliferation through the degradation of NADPH oxidase (NOX1) and reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Collectively, our study identified the role of miR‐217 in regulating VSMCs proliferation and migration, which might serve as a target for atherosclerosis therapy.
Solvability and control design for dynamic synchronization of Boolean networks

In this paper, the synchronization of two Boolean networks is investigated via logic control design. Solvability conditions of the synchronization between the Boolean networks of the same dimension are given by means of semi-tensor product of matrices. Furthermore, both open-loop control and feedback control are proposed to make the slave network synchronized with the master Boolean network.
Coefficients and Indices in Generalizability Theory

Generalizability theory offers an extensive conceptual framework and a powerful set of statistical procedures for addressing numerous measurement issues. Although the statistical aspects of generalizability theory are undeniably important, perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the theory is its conceptual framework, which permits a multifaceted perspective on measurement error and its components. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide discussions and interpretations of the various coefficients and indices that have been proposed for use in generalizability theory, including generalizability coefficients, dependability coefficients, signal-noise ratios, error-tolerance ratios, and various multivariate indices. These coefficients and indices can be very useful if they are interpreted correctly, but almost always they need to be buttressed with additional information—especially information about error variances.