Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Induction and Maintenance of Env-Specific T-Helper Cells following Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

ABSTRACT Mounting evidence points to a role for CD4+ T-helper (Th) cell activities in controlling human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. To determine the induction and evolution of Th responses following acute infection, we prospectively analyzed Env- and Gag-specific Th responses longitudinally for 92 patients with acute (n = 28) or early (n = 64) HIV-1 infection (median, 55 days postinfection [DPI]). The probability of detecting HIV-1-specific lymphoproliferative responses was remarkably low, and when present, the responses were more likely to be Gag specific than Env specific (16 versus 5%). Env-specific responses were significantly more common in patients presenting at <30 DPI than in those presenting at 30 to 365 DPI (21 versus 0.5%, P = 0.001). By contrast, Gag-specific responses occurred with similar frequencies among subjects presenting at <30 DPI and 30 to 365 DPI (13 versus 17%, P = 0.6). After treatment, and regardless of the duration of infection before therapy, Gag-specific Th responses predominated. Furthermore, some acutely infected subjects lost detectable Env-specific Th proliferative responses, which failed to reemerge upon treatment. Detailed analysis for one such subject revealed Env-specific lymphoproliferation at 11 DPI but no detectable Env-specific lymphoproliferation or ex vivo gamma interferon (IFN-γ) secretion at multiple subsequent time points. Env-specific CD4+ T-cell clones from 11 DPI recognized six epitopes in both conserved and variable regions within gp120 and gp41, exhibited major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxicity, and secreted high levels of antiviral cytokines. T-cell receptor clonal transcript analyses and autologous virus sequencing revealed that Th cells induced during acute infection were maintained and there were no Th escape mutations. Subsequent analysis for this subject and six of seven others revealed detectable IFN-γ-secreting cells, but only following in vitro gp160 stimulation. In summary, we conclude that Env-specific Th responses are elicited very early in acute infection and may precede Gag-specific responses. The inability to detect Env-specific Th responses over time and despite antiretroviral therapy may reflect low frequencies and impaired proliferative capacity, and viral escape is not necessary for this to occur.
Cerebral Blood Flow Change before and after Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting (CAS) in Cases with Contralateral Carotid Artery Occlusion

Contralateral carotid artery occlusion is thought to represent a significant risk factor in carotid endarterectomy (CEA). There is also evidence that intraoperative and postoperative hypotention may cause contralateral hemodynamic ischemia. As such, contralateral carotid artery occlusion is regarded as a risk factor for carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS). In this paper, we report on five cases of severe ICA stenosis with contralateral carotid artery occlusions. Cerebral blood flow(CBF) and cerebral vasore-activity(CVR) of the contralateral carotid artery occlusions were measured before and after CAS. Additionally, the influence that ipsilateral CAS exerted on the occluded side was examined. 123I-IMP SPECT was performed before and after CAS, both at rest and at the time of acetazoramide administration. The CBF was evaluated quantitatively using the ARG method. The mean CBF of the treated side rose from 30.0 ± 7.1 ml/100g/min to 34.4 ± 8.3 ml/100g/min (p<0.05), and the mean CBF of the occluded side similarly rose from 28.3 ± 6.1 ml/100g/min to 31.7 ± 6.4 ml/100g/min (p<0.05). Correspondingly, the regional CVR (rCVR) increased from 5.9% ± 16.3% to 35.0% ± 16.4%(p<0.05) on the treated side, and from 3.7% ± 14.7% to 10.7% ± 16.9% (p<0.05) on the occluded side. This demonstrates that ipsilateral CAS seems to improve both CBF and CVR on the contralateral occluded side. The fact that some cases developed cross flow from the anterior communicating artery was both remarkable and significant. Where there was poor cross flow from the anterior communicating artery, improvement in cerebral vaso reactivity was limited.
Energy and Nutrient Intake From Pizza in the United States

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pizza consumption is a top contributor to children’s and adolescents’ caloric intake. The objective of this study was to examine children’s and adolescents’ pizza consumption patterns and its impact on their energy and nutrient intake. METHODS: Twenty-four–hour dietary recall data for children aged 2 to 11 and adolescents aged 12 to 19 were drawn from the 2003–2004, 2005–2006, 2007–2008, and 2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We tested changes in consumption patterns, including by race/ethnicity, income, meal occasion, and source. Individual-level fixed effects regression models estimated the impact of pizza consumption on total energy intake (TEI) and intakes of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. RESULTS: From 2003–2004 to 2009–2010, overall energy intake from pizza declined 25% among children (110 to 83 kcal, P ≤ .05). Among adolescents, although caloric intake from pizza among those who consumed pizza fell (801 to 624 kcal, P ≤ .05), overall pizza intake remained unchanged due to slightly higher pizza consumption prevalence. For children and adolescents, pizza intake fell (P ≤ .05) at dinner time and from fast food. For children and adolescents, respectively, pizza consumption was significantly associated with higher net daily TEI (84 kcal and 230 kcal) and higher intakes of saturated fat (3 g and 5 g) and sodium (134 mg and 484 mg) but not sugar intake, and such affects generally did not differ by sociodemographic characteristics. Pizza consumption as a snack or from fast-food restaurants had the greatest adverse impact on TEI. CONCLUSIONS: The adverse dietary effects of pizza consumption found in this study suggest that its consumption should be curbed and its nutrient content improved.
G‐CSF is not necessary to maintain over 99% dose–intensity with ABVD in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma: low toxicity and excellent outcomes in a 10‐year analysis

Dose–intensity of chemotherapy is important in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF) is commonly used to maintain it. We reviewed all newly diagnosed HL patients who were treated at our institution between 1996 and 2005. Fifty‐nine patients received adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy with no dose reductions, treatment delays, and without G‐CSF, regardless of absolute neutrophil count (ANC). The median ANC on all ABVD treatment days (n = 658) was 0·925 × 109/l, and was <0·5 × 109/l on 26% of treatment days. Median normalised ABVD dose–intensity was 99·1% (range, 93–100%) and median cycle duration was 28·2 d. Incidence of bleomycin lung toxicity was 1·6%, 0·44% treatments were complicated by febrile neutropenia, and no secondary malignancies have occurred (median follow‐up 48 months; range, 11–130 months). Five‐year event‐free (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 92·9% and 97·4% respectively. Furthermore, the 5‐year EFS and OS (87·4% and 94·1% respectively) for advanced stage patients compared favourably with a similar ABVD patient group who received routine prophylactic G‐CSF (n = 23) with EFS 80·0% and OS 91·3% (P = 0·46 and 0·67 respectively). Our experience suggests that ABVD may be safely and effectively administered at >99% dose–intensity without G‐CSF support, regardless of the ANC.
Role of Conserved Asn-Tyr-Asp-Tyr Sequence in Bacterial Copper/2,4,5-Trihydroxyphenylalanyl Quinone-containing Histamine Oxidase*

Copper amine oxidase contains a covalently bound quinonoid cofactor, 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanyl quinone (TPQ), which is synthesized by post-translational modification of a specific tyrosyl residue occurring in the highly conserved sequence, Asn-Tyr-(Asp/Glu)-Tyr. To elucidate the role(s) of the conserved sequence in the biogenesis of TPQ, each of the corresponding residues at positions 401-404 in the recombinant histamine oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis has been replaced with other amino acids by site-directed mutagenesis. When Asn-401 was changed to Asp or Gln, the rate of TPQ formation by copper-dependent self-processing was 103- to 104-fold slower than in the wild-type enzyme. When Tyr-402 was replaced by Phe, TPQ was not formed at all, showing that Tyr-402 is essential as the precursor to TPQ. In contrast, Asp-403 could be replaced by Glu without changes in the rate of TPQ formation, whereas its replacement by Asn led to a marked decrease. Furthermore, when Tyr-404 was changed to Phe, TPQ was formed swiftly on incubation with copper ions, but the TPQ enzyme exhibited very low activity with altered substrate specificity. These results collectively indicate that a very rigorous structural motif is required for efficient formation of TPQ and for the catalytic activity in the active site of copper amine oxidases.
Identity, Commitment, and Change Agency: Bedrock for Bridging Theory and Practice in Doctoral Education

It is becoming almost cliché to assert that doctoral scholars should integrate theory and practice and address critical problems of practice. Less charted territory, however, moves beyond integration of theory and practice to the cultivation of scholars’ as committed people who possess a compass of values and vision as they act as catalysts for change in the world of practice. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the kind of cultivation needed to effect the transformation required for doctoral scholars to move beyond translation of theory to practice to the next step of catalyzing change. This chapter explores the intersection of core constructs or strands for creating scholars as change agents – identity, commitment and civic agency. These elements are examined from a theoretical framework, and in context of a case example of a doctoral program that bridges the academy and the community.
A low voltage high current EV drive using inverter low side switches as current sensors

In this paper, first, an equivalent scalar dynamic model for the three-phase brushless dc (BLDC) motor is derived to simplify the control of the electric vehicle (EV) drive. Then, an equivalent armature current sensing technique is proposed for synthesizing the three-phase line current by using the low-side switches of the inverter as current sensors. No additional current sensors are required and no extra power loss is generated. Third, the proposed equivalent current sensing technique is dedicatedly integrated with the PWM control for convenient closed-loop torque control implementation. Finally, a prototype EV drive system is constructed by using a 36V, 100A, 8-poles BLDC motor and a CPLD. Experimental results show that the proposed EV drive can indeed achieve the desired performance. Moreover, it is seen that with the above simplification and integration, the proposed EV drive controller circuit can be easily integrated into a single chip.
Effects of Caspofungin against Candida guilliermondii and Candida parapsilosis

ABSTRACT The in vitro activity of caspofungin (CAS) was investigated against 28 yeast isolates belonging to Candida albicans (n = 5), Candida guilliermondii (n = 10), and Candida parapsilosis (n = 13). CAS MICs obtained by broth dilution and Etest methods clearly showed a rank order of susceptibility to the echinocandin compound with C. albicans > C. parapsilosis > C. guilliermondii. Similarly, time-kill assays performed on selected isolates showed that CAS was fungistatic against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis, while it did not exert any activity against C. guilliermondii. In a murine model of systemic candidiasis, CAS given at doses as low as 1 mg/kg of body weight/day was effective at reducing the kidney burden of mice infected with either C. albicans or C. guilliermondii isolates. Depending on the isolate tested, mice infected with C. parapsilosis responded to CAS given at 1 and/or 5 mg/kg/day. However, the overall CFU reduction for C. guilliermondii and C. parapsilosis was approximately 100-fold less than that for C. albicans. Our study shows that CAS was active in experimental systemic candidiasis due to C. guilliermondii and C. parapsilosis, but this activity required relatively high drug dosages.
Customizable Strokes for Localized Stylization of View-Dependent Lines Extracted from 3D Models

We propose a method to stylize individual lines and preserve their properties as the viewpoint is modified. As the camera position changes and view-dependent lines move across the surface, we track each line in order to extract and store the areas of the surface in which they appear. Each line has an unique reference that we use to check an indexed table from which we can recover its stylization after arbitrary camera movements. We call this region the tracked area of the line. Additionally, we provide a method for line segmentation of occluding contours. In our algorithm, we divide the contour lines at inflection points in order to segment them in a way that is suited for localized stylization as well as to better approximate artist strokes. We also optimize the line tracking process by making use of the Gaussian curvature to separate the elliptic and hyperbolic areas of the surface. In this paper we show how each line only appears in a limited area of the surface corresponding to its tracked area. We also discuss how to eliminate the over-segmentation caused by numerical instability of the approximations in polygonal surfaces as well as how smoothing can be used in order to deal with highly detailed models. Finally, we highlight the achievements of our system for localized stylization of the contour lines of 3D models.
Linc00511 acts as a competing endogenous RNA to regulate VEGFA expression through sponging hsa‐miR‐29b‐3p in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators in pathological processes, yet their potential roles in PDAC are poorly understood. Here, we identify a fundamental role for a novel lincRNA, linc00511, in the progression of PDAC. Linc00511 levels in PDAC tissue specimens and cell lines were examined by quantitative real‐time PCR. Corresponding adjacent non‐neoplastic tissues were used as controls. The function of linc00511 in PDAC cell lines was determined by RNA interference approach in vitro and in vivo. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to characterize linc00511 expression in PDAC cells. Insights of the mechanism of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were obtained from bioinformatic analysis, luciferase assays and RIP assays. The association between the linc00511/hsa‐miR29b‐3p axis and VEGFA was verified by Western blotting assay. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression of VEGFA in PDAC samples. The aberrant up‐regulation of linc00511 was detected in PDAC cell lines and patient specimens compared with controls. An increase in linc00511 expression indicates the adverse clinical pathological characteristics and poor prognosis. Functionally, linc00511 depletion in PDAC cells decreased proliferation, migration, invasion and endothelial tube formation. Mechanistically, linc00511 could up‐regulate VEGFA via its competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) activity on hsa‐miR‐29b‐3p. In summary, our results define an important axis controlling proliferation, invasion and tumour angiogenesis in PDAC. Linc00511 is a novel lncRNA that plays a significant regulatory role in the pathogenesis and progression of PDAC. Thus, Linc00511 represents a new prognostic biomarker to predict clinical outcome of PDAC patients after surgery and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for PDAC treatment.
Human Elastin-derived Biomimetic Coating Surface to Support Cell Growth

A new sythetic gene coding for a Human Elastin-Like Polypeptide was constructed and expressed. The recombinant product was tested as coating agent to realize a surface suitable for cell growth. Coatings showed peculiar features and different human cell lines were seeded and cultured. All cell lines tested showed to adhere and proliferate on this substrate that has been shown also to exert a specific effect on cells, depending on cell type. Keywords—elastin, recombinant protein, coating, cell adhesion.
A new hardware embedded current control PWM based on current deviation vector

This paper presents a new hardware embedded current control PWM named ldquoiPWMrdquo, which was developed based on current hysteresis PWM. iPWM generates PWM signals to the inverter using current deviation vector derived from current feedback and current reference. It is expected that the iPWM can improve performance of inverter. This paper explains the outline of iPWM and experimental results of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive.
Multiphase coupled converter models dedicated to transient response and output voltage regulation studies

In order to study transient response and output voltage regulation in multiphase coupled buck converter, it is proposed two models of interleaved coupled buck converter. These two models provide accurate current and voltage waveforms for any value of duty cycle. In the first part, the two proposed models are described in details. In the second part, it is shown the interest of this approach to study dynamic behaviour and determine compensation filters for voltage regulation in a multiphase coupled buck converter.
Induction of TNF‐sensitive cellular phenotype by c‐Myc involves p53 and impaired NF‐κB activation

Normal fibroblasts are resistant to the cytotoxic action of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), but are rendered TNF‐sensitive upon deregulation of c‐Myc. To assess if oncoproteins induce the cytotoxic TNF activity by modulating TNF signaling, we investigated the TNF‐elicited signaling responses in fibroblasts containing a conditionally active c‐Myc protein. In association with cell death, c‐Myc impaired TNF‐induced activation of phospholipase A2, JNK protein kinase and cell survival‐signaling‐associated NF‐κB transcription factor complex. The TNF‐induced death of mouse primary fibroblasts expressing deregulated c‐Myc was inhibited by transient overexpression of the p65 subunit of NF‐κB, which increased NF‐κB activity in the cells. Unlike other TNF‐induced signals, TNF‐induced accumulation of the wild‐type p53 mRNA and protein was not inhibited by c‐Myc. TNF, with c‐Myc, induced apoptosis in mouse primary fibroblasts but only weakly in p53‐deficient primary fibroblasts. The C‐terminal domain of p53, which is a transacting dominant inhibitor of wild‐type p53, failed to inhibit apoptosis by c–Myc and TNF, suggesting that the cell death was not dependent on the transcription‐activating function of p53. Taken together, the present findings show that the cytotoxic activity of TNF towards oncoprotein‐expressing cells involves p53 and an impaired signaling for survival in such cells.
Inferring the history of the polyploid Silene aegaea (Caryophyllaceae) using plastid and homoeologous nuclear DNA sequences.

The origin of the rare allotetraploid Silene aegaea was inferred from plastid rps16 intron sequences, homoeologous copies of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, and an intron from the nuclear gene coding for the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2). The nuclear DNA regions support the S. sedoides and S. pentelica lineages as most closely related to the two S. aegaea paralogues. A few recombinant ITS sequences were found, but as PCR recombination could be demonstrated, no true recombination could be demonstrated. No recombination was found in the RPB2 sequences. Plastid rps16 intron sequences strongly support S. pentelica as the maternal lineage. The strength of the approach of using homoeologous sequences of several loci is demonstrated, and its usefulness for the study of phylogenies of groups including polyploids is emphasized.
Mitochondrial DNA study in domestic chicken

Abstract Mitochondrial DNA has the characteristic of quick evolution, matrilineal inheritance, and simple molecular structure, and it serves as the most used marker for molecular study. As an important role of genomics, studying it can help understand the origins, history, and adaptation of domestication. Because of its wide spread popularity, chicken is one of the important domestic animals, which provides humans with a stable source of protein, including both meat and eggs. This article reviews recent studies of chicken mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial D-loop and mitochondrial genomics pinpoint the geographic origins of the domestic chicken which was multiple origins; moreover, the mitochondria gene mutation has an association with high-altitude adaptation and the mitochondria-associated diseases’ study in poultry is not performed.
A Cooperative Operation of Novel PV Inverter Control Scheme and Storage Energy Management System Based on ANFIS for Voltage Regulation of Grid-Tied PV System

In this paper, the voltage regulation problem in low-voltage power distribution networks integrated with increased amount of solar photovoltaics (PV) has been addressed. This paper proposes and evaluates the cooperative performance of a novel proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control scheme for PV interfacing inverter based on intelligent adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and an ANFIS-based supervisory storage energy management system (EMS) for regulating the voltage of three-phase grid-connected solar PV system under any nonlinear and fluctuating operating conditions. The proposed ANFIS-based PID control scheme (ANFISPID) dynamically controls the PV inverter to inject/ absorb appropriate reactive power to regulate the voltage at point of common coupling (PCC) and provides robust response at any system worst case scenarios and grid faults. And the proposed ANFIS-based supervisory EMS controls the charge/discharge of the energy storage system when there is voltage deviation to cooperate with ANFISPID in PCC voltage regulation. The proposed ANFISPID-based PV inverter control scheme and ANFIS-based supervisory EMS are developed and simulated in MATLAB/ Simulink environment and their dynamic cooperative performances are compared with cooperative performances of conventional PID-based PV inverter control scheme and state-based EMS.