Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relation of Drug Trafficking Fears and Cultural Identity to Attitudes Toward Mexican Immigrants in Five South Texas Communities

ABSTRACT This paper reports the findings of research investigating the relationship of spill-over fears related to drug trafficking and of cultural identity to Mexican Americans’ attitudes toward recent immigrants from Mexico in five non-metropolitan communities in the US–Mexico borderlands of South Texas. A mixed methods design was used to collect data from 91 participants (30 intact families with two parents and at least one young adult). Quantitative findings showed that the majority of participants expressed the view that most people in their communities believed that newcomers were involved in drug trafficking and in defrauding welfare programs. A significant interaction indicated that Mexican cultural identity buffered the negative effects of drug trafficking fears as related to the view that the newcomers were creating problems in the communities and region. Qualitative data yielded positive and negative themes, with those that were negative being significantly more numerous. The findings have implications for intra-ethnic relations in borderlands communities as well as for immigration policy.
Entwicklung von Testkollektionen für P2P Information Retrieval

Dieser Beitrag stellt laufende Arbeiten an Testkollektionen vor, die für die realistische Simulation semantischer Suche in P2P-Netzwerken verwendet werden können. Er entwickelt eine allgemeine Vorgehensweise für die Erstellung solcher Simulationsdaten. Mithilfe eines probabilistischen Modells wird die semantische Verteilung von Peer-Dokumentenbeständen und Suchanfragen abgedeckt, wobei die verwendeten Dokumente keine Vorklassifizierung benötigen.
Lipid rafts function in Ca2+ signaling responsible for activation of sperm motility and chemotaxis in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis

Lipid rafts are specialized membrane microdomains that function as signaling platforms across plasma membranes of many animal and plant cells. Although there are several studies implicating the role of lipid rafts in capacitation of mammalian sperm, the function of these structures in sperm motility activation and chemotaxis remains unknown. In the ascidian Ciona intestinalis, egg‐derived sperm activating‐ and attracting‐factor (SAAF) induces both activation of sperm motility and sperm chemotaxis to the egg. Here we found that a lipid raft disrupter, methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (MCD), inhibited both SAAF‐induced sperm motility activation and chemotaxis. MCD inhibited both SAAF‐promoted synthesis of intracellular cyclic AMP and sperm motility induced by ionophore‐mediated Ca2+ entry, but not that induced by valinomycin‐mediated hyperpolarization. Ca2+‐imaging revealed that lipid raft disruption inhibited Ca2+ influx upon activation of sperm motility. The Ca2+‐activated adenylyl cyclase was clearly inhibited by MCD in isolated lipid rafts. The results suggest that sperm lipid rafts function in signaling upstream of cAMP synthesis, most likely in SAAF‐induced Ca2+ influx, and are required for Ca2+‐dependent pathways underlying activation and chemotaxis in Ciona sperm. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 78:920–929, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Long term survival in a patient with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease treated with intraventricular pentosan polysulphate

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a neurodegenerative disease that principally affects young people and has a median duration of illness of 13 (range 6–39) months. vCJD is incurable and there are currently no treatments that conclusively slow the rate of disease progression. However, recent animal studies and isolated case reports have suggested that treatment with intraventricular pentosan polysulphate (PPS) may be beneficial in the treatment of patients with vCJD. We report a case of a 22-year-old male with vCJD treated 19 months after the onset of clinical symptoms with continuous intraventricular PPS (32 μg/kg/day) over a period of 31 months. Treatment with PPS appeared to be safe and well tolerated and was associated with prolonged survival (51 months) when compared to natural history studies. However, PPS treatment did not appear to arrest the progression of the disease.
Medical image registration: a review

This paper presents a review of automated image registration methodologies that have been used in the medical field. The aim of this paper is to be an introduction to the field, provide knowledge on the work that has been developed and to be a suitable reference for those who are looking for registration methods for a specific application. The registration methodologies under review are classified into intensity or feature based. The main steps of these methodologies, the common geometric transformations, the similarity measures and accuracy assessment techniques are introduced and described.
Staging Psychic Excess: Parodic Narrative and Transgressive Performance

Over the last two decades, performance has become the prevailing metaphor for discourse on gender, due largely to the influence of Judith Butler’s ground-breaking work on the topic. In texts published throughout the late 80s and early 90s, Butler lays out a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing how gender is constructed, reified, and potentially disrupted. In the field of performance studies, this framework has been consistently and fruitfully illustrated in the many avatars of performance art, a form effective in part because of its independence from an originary text, and in part because of the rise to prominence of that form as a mode for resistant theatre in the last thirty years of the 20th century. And yet when applied to more traditional drama of the same period, the question of gender critique is muddied, since, as Butler argues, gender codes are absorbed into the matrices of power by repetition and reproduction. Therefore, for the playwright—feminist and/or queer—working to enact such a critique on the stage, a peculiar bind arises, since dramatic texts execute these very operations in relation to performance. If the dramatic text serves as the reproducible trace of inherently ephemeral performance, how then can the playwright effect the transgression of gender codes without reifying them in her texts? Many playwrights grappling with this issue in the later years of the
Leptin and its association with polycystic ovary syndrome: a twin study

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy with symptoms such as obesity, insulin resistance and hyperandrogenemia. PCOS might be the result of a genetic disorder. Genetic discrepancy in the production of leptin, a product of the obesity gene, may lead to various endocrinopathies such as PCOS. The objective of this study was first, to ascertain the incidence of PCOS, using the gold standard; second, to ascertain the genetic property of leptin; and third, to evaluate the association between leptin concentration and PCOS. A total of 154 Tehran-resident female–female twins were studied. They included 48 pairs of monozygotic (MZ) and 29 pairs of dyzygotic (DZ) twins, aged 15–45 years. Clinical, ultrasound and biochemical findings were used to diagnose PCOS. The incidence of PCOS using biochemical and clinical features was 16.2%. The correlation coefficient between serum leptin levels of MZ twins was higher than that of the DZ twins. The serum level of leptin was similar between subjects with or without PCOS, irrespective of their zygosity. It was concluded that the incidence of PCOS is high among twins, and that leptin is likely to be genetically determined, although the effect of environmental factors cannot be denied. This study did not find any association between the diagnosis of PCOS and leptin level. However, the link between the two may lie with other entities such as eating disorders and/or obesity.
Use of a supercomputer to advance parameter optimisation using genetic algorithms

Parameter optimisation is a significant but time-consuming process that is inherent in conceptual hydrological models representing rainfall‐runoff processes. This study presents two modifications to achieve optimised results for a Tank Model in less computational time. Firstly, a modified genetic algorithm (GA) is developed to enhance the fitness of the population consisting of possible solutions in each generation. Then the parallel processing capabilities of an IBM 9076 SP2 computer are used to expedite implementation of the GA. A comparison of processing time between a serial IBM RS/6000 390 computer and an IBM 9076 SP2 supercomputer reveals that the latter can be up to 8 times faster. The effectiveness of the modified GA is tested with two Tank Models for a hypothetical catchment and a real catchment. The former showed that the parallel GA reaches a lower overall error in reduced time. The overall RMSE, expressed as a percentage of actual mean flow rate, improves from 31.8% in a serial processing computer to 29.5% on the SP2 supercomputer. The case of the real catchment ‐ Shek-Pi-Tau Catchment in Hong Kong ‐ reveals that the supercomputer enhances the swiftness of the GA and achieves its objective within a couple of hours.
Treating alienated, unmotivated, drug abusing adolescents.

Suggests that the psychotherapist working with families of adolescent drug abuser must work for parental involvement, strengthening of the family group, and increased adolescent responsibility and independence from parents who unwittingly encourage a prolonged symbiotic relationship. (Author/CJ). Descriptors: Adolescents, Antisocial Behavior, Behavior Change, Counselor Role, Drug Abuse, Family Counseling, Parent Child Relationship. Publication Type: N/A. Education Level: N/A. Audience: N/A. Language: N/A. This project is aimed at parents with a teenager who is already starting to use drugs. The study will test a new, innovative version of a brief intervention. Full Title of Study: “Parents as Interventionists for Moderate Drug Abusing Adolescents”. Study Type. Study Type: Interventional. Study Design. Allocation: Non-Randomized. Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment. Primary Purpose: Treatment. Adolescent Drug Abuse Archives National Institute on Drug Abuse. Early in 1988 the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) published a research . Robertson (1989), in a study focused on Hollywood, CA, runaways and Adolescent Drug Abuse Archives National Institute on Drug Abuse. St Louis, Missouri of senior high school students who used cocaine, as well as most . Saint Paul Foundation and the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation are. Drug Resistance Skills The drug resistance skills component in the LST program is similar to that tested in many other studies by researchers at the University of Southern California, the University of Minnesota, Stanford University, and the Oregon Research Institute. Terms of Use Privacy Policy © 2019 American Psychiatric Association    
Global stabilization of a class of time-delay nonlinear systems

This paper is concerned with the problem of global stabilization by state feedback and output feedback for a class of time-delay nonlinear systems that are dominated by a triangular system satisfying linear growth conditions. By solving the Lyapunov equation and constructing the appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals (LKF), the linear and memoryless state feedback controller and output feedback controller making the closed-loop system globally asymptotically stable (GAS) are explicitly constructed respectively. Comparing our design scheme with the backstepping method which has been widely used to deal with strictly feedback nonlinear systems, our design scheme is much simpler and more efficient. An example is given to show that the proposed design procedures are very simple and efficient.
Long-term sterile immunity induced by an adjuvant-containing live-attenuated AIDS virus

Antigen 85B (Ag85B) is one of the most dominant proteins secreted from most mycobacterial species, and it induces Th1-type immune responses as an adjuvant. We genetically constructed a live attenuated simian human immunodeficiency virus to express the adjuvant molecule Ag85B (SHIV-Ag85B). SHIV-Ag85B could not be detected 4 weeks after injection in cynomolgus macaques, and strong SHIV-specific T cell responses were induced in these macaques. When these macaques in which SHIV-Ag85B had become undetectable were challenged with pathogenic SHIV89.6P at 37 weeks after SHIV-Ag85B became undetectable, SHIV89.6P could not be detected after the challenge. Eradication of SHIV89.6P was confirmed by adoptive transfer experiments and CD8-depletion studies. The SHIV-Ag85B-inoculated macaques showed enhancement of Gag-specific monofunctional and polyfunctional CD8+ T cells in the acute phase of pathogenic SHIV challenge. The results suggest that SHIV-Ag85B elicited strong sterile immune responses against pathogenic SHIV and that it may lead to the development of a vaccine for AIDS virus infection. Importance Development of an effective HIV vaccine has been a major priority to control the worldwide AIDS epidemic. The moderately attenuated prototypic vaccine strain SIVmac239Δnef has been used in various studies; however, it does not provide sufficient effects to prevent infection. The use of adjuvant in vaccination is thought to be useful for enhancing the immune responses to various pathogens. In the present study, we constructed a live attenuated SHIV virus expressing adjuvant molecule Ag85B and assessed vaccine effects in cynomolgus macaques. The present study shows that live-attenuated SHIV expressing Ag85B elicits viral antigen-specific polyfunctional CD8+ T cell responses against pathogenic SHIV and provide the possibility of eradicating a pathogenic lentivirus from infected animals.
Detection of methanotrophic bacteria in environmental samples with the PCR

We designed PCR primers by using the DNA sequences of the soluble methane monooxygenase gene clusters of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath), and these primers were found to be specific for four of the five structural genes in the soluble methane monooxygenase gene clusters of several methanotrophs. We also designed primers for the gram-negative methylotroph-specific methanol dehydrogenase gene moxF. The specificity of these primers was confirmed by hybridizing and sequencing the PCR products obtained. The primers were then used to amplify methanotroph DNAs in samples obtained from various aquatic and terrestrial environments. Our sequencing data suggest that a large number of different methanotrophs are present in peat samples and also that there is a high level of variability in the mmoC gene, which codes for the reductase component of the soluble methane monooxygenase, while the mmoX gene, which codes for the alpha subunit of the hydroxylase component of this enzyme complex, appears to be highly conserved in methanotrophs.
Netrin-1 in cancer: Potential biomarker and therapeutic target?

Netrin-1, a laminin-related protein, is known to be involved in the nervous system development. Recently, Netrin-1’s involvement in other processes such as cell adhesion, motility, proliferation, and differentiation that are important for the development of epithelial tissues has been described. In addition, Netrin-1 and its receptors, deleted in colorectal cancer and uncoordinated-5 homolog, have been linked to apoptosis and angiogenesis. Since these properties are essential for tumor development, Netrin-1 and its receptors have been reported to promote tumorigenesis in many types of cancers. Here, we review the Netrin-1 mediated regulation of cancer, its potential use as a biomarker, and the targeting of the Netrin-1 pathway to treat cancers.
A parallel unification machine

A parallel unification machine (PUM) that speeds up the unification algorithm is proposed. The PUM partitions unification into a match step and a consistency-check step, conducts these two steps concurrently, and takes advantage of the match parallelism. The machine architecture, algorithms, data formats, and processor organization are described. The machine has been simulated at the register-transfer level with the ISPS computer description language. The simulated performance is compared with that of two serial unification coprocessors. Significant speedup is observed. <<ETX>>
Efficient cell death induction in human glioblastoma cells by photodynamic treatment with Tetrahydroporphyrin-Tetratosylat (THPTS) and ionizing irradiation

Background So far, glioblastomas cannot be cured by standard therapy and have an extremely poor median survival of about 15 months. The photodynamic therapy (PDT) with next generation photosensitizers, reaching a higher therapeutic depth, might offer a new, adjuvant treatment strategy in brain cancer therapy. Here, we investigated the effect of THPTS-PDT combined with ionizing irradiation (IR) on glioblastoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Results THPTS colocalized to mitochondria and was not found in the nucleus. THPTS (2–20 μg/ml)-PDT significantly reduced the proliferation, metabolic activity and clonogenic survival and induced cell death mainly through apoptosis and autophagy. THPTS-PDT combined with IR decreased the clonogenicity significantly compared to single treatments. THPTS (≤ 300 μg/ml) alone showed no dark toxicity. The maximum therapeutic depth of THPTS-PDT in C6 glioblastomas was 13 mm. Materials and Methods Three human glioblastoma cell lines (U-87 MG, A-172, DBTRG-05MG) were incubated with THPTS (1–300 μg/ml) 3–24 hours before laser treatment (760 nm, 30 J/cm2). THPTS localization and effects on metabolic activity, proliferation, cell death mechanisms and long-term reproductive survival were assessed. IR was conducted on an X-ray unit (0.813 Gy/min). Results were verified in vivo on a subcutaneous C6 glioblastoma model in Wistar rats. Conclusions This study demonstrated efficient THPTS-PDT in glioblastoma cells, in vitro and in vivo. The combinatorial effects of THPTS-PDT and IR are of specific clinical interest as enhanced eradication of infiltrating glioblastoma cells in the tumor surrounding tissue might possibly reduce the commonly occurring local relapses.
Global Reinforcement of Social Networks: The Anchored Coreness Problem

The stability of a social network has been widely studied as an important indicator for both the network holders and the participants. Existing works on reinforcing networks focus on a local view, e.g., the anchored k-core problem aims to enlarge the size of the k-core with a fixed input k. Nevertheless, it is more promising to reinforce a social network in a global manner: considering the engagement of every user (vertex) in the network. Since the coreness of a user has been validated as the "best practice" for capturing user engagement, we propose and study the anchored coreness problem in this paper: anchoring a small number of vertices to maximize the coreness gain (the total increment of coreness) of all the vertices in the network. We prove the problem is NP-hard and show it is more challenging than the existing local-view problems. An efficient heuristic algorithm is proposed with novel techniques on pruning search space and reusing the intermediate results. Extensive experiments on real-life data demonstrate that our model is effective for reinforcing social networks and our algorithm is efficient.
BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER MICRONEEDLES FOR CONTROLLED-RELEASE DRUG DELIVERY

Biopharmaceuticals, which include proteins, DNA, vaccines and other biologically related molecules, make up one of the fastest growing segments of the overall pharmaceutical market. However, there are significant delivery limitations. Specifically, oral delivery is difficult due to Poor absorption and degradation that occurs in the GI tract and liver and more sensitive drugs including proteins must survive the harsh environment of gastro intestinal tract. Transdermal drug delivery is an attractive alternative that involves transport of drugs across skin from a patch. This present review focused to increase the skin permeability different methods like chemical enhancers, electric fields, ultra sound and thermal methods have been approached. However the application of these has been limited because of strong barrier function of the skin. The future of drug delivery is assured to be significantly influenced by micro fabrication technologies. These micro fabricated drug delivery devices can enable efficient drug delivery that was unattainable with conventional drug delivery techniques, resulting in the enhancement of the therapeutic activity of a drug.
Benchmarking sets for molecular docking.

Ligand enrichment among top-ranking hits is a key metric of molecular docking. To avoid bias, decoys should resemble ligands physically, so that enrichment is not simply a separation of gross features, yet be chemically distinct from them, so that they are unlikely to be binders. We have assembled a directory of useful decoys (DUD), with 2950 ligands for 40 different targets. Every ligand has 36 decoy molecules that are physically similar but topologically distinct, leading to a database of 98,266 compounds. For most targets, enrichment was at least half a log better with uncorrected databases such as the MDDR than with DUD, evidence of bias in the former. These calculations also allowed 40x40 cross-docking, where the enrichments of each ligand set could be compared for all 40 targets, enabling a specificity metric for the docking screens. DUD is freely available online as a benchmarking set for docking at http://blaster.docking. org/dud/.
New oligodendrocytes exhibit more abundant and accurate myelin regeneration than those that survive demyelination

Oligodendrocytes that survive demyelination can remyelinate, including in multiple sclerosis (MS), but how they do so is unclear. In this study, using zebrafish, we found that surviving oligodendrocytes make few new sheaths and frequently mistarget new myelin to neuronal cell bodies, a pathology we also found in MS. In contrast, oligodendrocytes generated after demyelination make abundant and correctly targeted sheaths, indicating that they likely also have a better regenerative potential in MS. Neely et al. investigated the regeneration of different oligodendrocytes after demyelination. They found that newly generated cells exhibit much more proficient remyelination than those that survive demyelination, with implications for MS.
A nonlinear control strategy for hybrid active power filter

To improve the harmonic current compensation performance of the active power filter (APF) and reduce its active part ratting, a hybrid active power filter (HAPF) of a lower dc bus voltage is studied, which composes of a passive filter and an active power filter in series. On the basis of mathematical model which includes both the passive filter and an active power filter, a Lyapunov function is constructed, and then an appropriate control law is presented to make its leading function negative definite, so that the steady tracking for harmonic current is realized. The turning range and the optimization goal of the control gain are also given by derivation from the robustness and tracking performance perspective. At last, the simulation analysis and experiment verify the feasibility and the superiority of the proposed control strategy.