Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibody response to influenza, tetanus and pneumococcal vaccines in HIV‐seropositive individuals in relation to the number of CD4+ lymphocytes

Objective:To establish when the formation of antibodies against T-lymphocyte-dependent and -independent antigens is impaired during HIV infection. Design:Prospective study on antibody formation before and 30 days and 60 days after vaccination with tetravalent influenza vaccine, tetanus toxoid and pneumococcal vaccine; booster with influenza vaccine was administered 30 days after initial vaccination. Setting:Outpatient clinic of University Hospital Leiden. Participants:Fifty-one HIV-infected individuals and 10 healthy controls. Results:In HIV-infected individuals with <100×106/l CD4+ lymphocytes almost no influenza antibodies were formed; CD4+ counts between 100 and 300 x 106/l correlated with suboptimal antibody formation; CD4+ counts ≤300x106/l yielded more individuals with protective antibody titres. Thirty days after vaccination, protective antibody titres against the four influenza strains had been achieved in 24% of all HIV-infected individuals for A/Beijing (H3N2) (controls, 90%), 59% for A/Taiwan (H1N1) (controls, 80%), 18% for B/Beijing (controls, 30%) and 37% for B/Panama (controls 90%). Booster vaccination after 1 month did not increase antibody levels. Anti-tetanus toxin antibody formation, which is also T-lymphocyte-dependent, was correlated with the number of CD4+ lymphocytes. After pneumococcal vaccination (T-lymphocyte-independent), normal antibody formation was observed in HIV-infected individuals, including those with low CD4+ counts. Conclusions:Influenza vaccination should not be administered to HIV-infected individuals with CD4+ counts <100×106/l; pneumococcal vaccination can be offered to all HIV-infected individuals and a tetanus toxoid booster should be administered when indicated.
Identification of a Burkholderia mallei polysaccharide gene cluster by subtractive hybridization and demonstration that the encoded capsule is an essential virulence determinant.

Little is known about the virulence factors of Burkholderia mallei, the etiologic agent of glanders. We employed subtractive hybridization to identify genetic determinants present in B. mallei but not in Burkholderia thailandensis, a non-pathogenic soil microbe. Three subtractive hybridization products were mapped to a genetic locus encoding proteins involved in the biosynthesis, export and translocation of a capsular polysaccharide. We identified an insertion sequence (IS 407 A) at one end of the capsule gene cluster and demonstrated that it was functional in B. mallei. Mutations were introduced in the B. mallei capsular gene cluster and the corresponding mutants were examined for their reactivity with antibodies raised against Burkholderia pseudomallei surface polysaccharides by immunoblotting and ELISA. Immunogold electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of a capsule on the surface of B. mallei ATCC 23344 (parental strain) but not on B. mallei DD3008 (capsule mutant) or B. thailandensis. Surprisingly, B. thailandensis also harboured a portion of the capsule gene cluster. ATCC 23344 was highly virulent in hamsters and mice, but DD3008 was avirulent in both animal models. The results presented here demonstrate that the capsular polysaccharide of B. mallei is required for production of disease in two animal models of glanders infection and is a major virulence factor.
Dendritic Cells in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) persists as a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease and is characterized by the production of autoantibodies and immune complexes that affect multiple organs. The underlying mechanism that triggers and sustains disease are complex and involve certain susceptibility genes and environmental factors. There have been several immune mediators linked to SLE including cytokines and chemokines that have been reviewed elsewhere [[1], [2], [3]]. A number of articles have reviewed the role of B cells and T cells in SLE [[4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]]. Here, we focus on the role of dendritic cells (DC) and innate immune factors that may regulate autoreactive B cells.
Quantum Confinement Effects in Capacitance Behavior of Multigate Silicon Nanowire MOSFETs

3-D nonequilibrium Green's function simulations reveal the presence of oscillations of gate capacitance in multigate silicon nanowire FETs as the gate voltage is increased. These oscillations are due to the filling of successive energy subbands by electrons. The effect is due to both the 1-D distribution of the density of states and a change of position of the charge centroid location with gate voltage in the confined structure. This paper also proposes a model for the gate capacitance that allows one to better understand the nature of the oscillations and shows that the oscillations are mostly due to the particular shape of the 1-D density of states. The change of position of the charge centroid location contributes to a few percents in the total variation of the gate capacitance. The gate-capacitance to oxide-capacitance ratio remains low even at high gate voltages and worsens when the gate oxide thickness is decreased.
Depth perception enhancement based on chromostereopsis

This study aims to promote the cubic effect by reproducing images with depth perception using chromostereopsis in human visual perception. From psychophysical experiments based on the theory that the cubic effect depends on the lightness of the background in the chromostereoptic effect and the chromostereoptic reversal effect, it was found that the luminous cubic effect differs depending on the lightness of the background and the hue combination of the neighboring colors. Also, the layer of the algorithm-enhancing cubic effect that was drawn from the result of the experiment was classified into the foreground, middle, and background layers according to the depth of the input image. For the respective classified layer, the color factors that were detected through the psychophysical experiments were adaptively controlled to produce an enhanced cubic effect that is appropriate for the properties of human visual perception and the characteristics of the input image.
Allergen specific immunotherapy attenuates early and late phase reactions in lower airways of birch pollen asthmatic patients: a double blind placebo‐controlled study 1

Background: Few placebo‐controlled studies have examined the effect of allergen specific immunotherapy (SIT) on early and late phase asthmatic reactions. In this placebo‐controlled study we have investigated the effect of 1 year of SIT with standardized birch pollen extract on early and late phase asthmatic reactions in adult asthmatic patients.
Validity of clinical color vision tests for air traffic control.

BACKGROUND An experiment on the relationship between aeromedical color vision screening test performance and performance on color-dependent tasks of Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCS) was replicated to expand the database supporting the job-related validity of 13 FAA-accepted screening tests. METHODS The original experiment (10) (n = 108), and the replication (n = 136) involved a total of 121 normal trichromats, 31 simple and 44 extreme anomalous trichromats, and 48 dichromats; both protans and deutans were included. The simulations of ATCS color tasks which served as validation criteria were flight progress strips (en route centers), aircraft lights and the Aviation Signal Light indicator (ATC terminal operations), and color weather radar (flight service station and en route center facilities). RESULTS The validities (Kappa) of aeromedical screening tests ranged from 0.44 to 0.91 for prediction of error-free performance on all color-dependent tasks. CONCLUSIONS The aeromedical screening tests were generally acceptable in terms of selecting individuals who did not make errors on ATCS color tests, but several tests had high false alarm rates. High job-related validity, in the vicinity of 0.90, was confirmed for several aeromedical color vision tests used for ATCS screening.
A second leiomyosarcoma in the urinary bladder of a child with a history of retinoblastoma 12 years following partial cystectomy

This case describes a twin with bilateral retinoblastoma who developed leiomyosarcoma of the bladder at age 17 and again at 39. At 17‐years of age she was diagnosed with a leiomyosarcoma of the bladder after presenting with recurrent urinary tract infections, hematuria, and dysuria. She was treated with partial cystectomy. After a 12‐year disease‐free interval, she was diagnosed with a second leiomyosarcoma of the bladder. This case supports the relationship between the genetic form of retinoblastoma and leiomyosarcoma and illustrates the necessity for extensive follow‐up and well‐defined treatment of secondary neoplasms. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association between glycometabolic status in the acute phase and 2½ years after an acute coronary syndrome

Objectives. To evaluate the association between glycometabolic status in the acute phase and 2½ years later in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods. Non-diabetic patients (n = 762) presenting with ACS were prospectively followed up for 2½ years. Patients were stratified by admission plasma glucose (<6.1 mmol/l, 6.1 – 6.9 mmol/l and ≥7.0 mmol/l) and HbA1c (≤4.5%, 4.6 – 5.4% and ≥5.5%). The predictive value of glucose levels ≥ 7.0 mmol/l and HbA1c ≥ 5.5% for glycometabolic disturbance (i.e. diabetes or impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG)) was analysed. Results. Of 762 patients, 13% had a diagnosis of diabetes and 16% had IFG at follow-up. The prevalence of glycometabolic disturbance at follow-up increased with increasing plasma glucose at admission, from 19% in patients with < 6.1 mmol/l to 42% in patients with ≥ 7.0 mmol/l. Sixty-one percent of patients with HbA1c ≥ 5.5% had glycometabolic disturbance after 2½ years compared to only 25% of those with HbA1c < 5.5%. Conclusion. Non-diabetic patients with ACS and hyperglycaemia are at high risk for developing glycometabolic disturbance. HbA1c may be an even stronger predictor of glycometabolic disturbance than plasma glucose.
Assessing supercritical fluid extraction for the analysis of fipronil, kresoxim-methyl, acrinathrin, and pyridaben residues in melon

An analytical method, using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), was assessed for residue analysis of the insecticides fipronil, acrinathrin and pyridaben and the fungicide kresoxim-methyl in melons. Extraction conditions were optimized on glass beads, as inert material, evaluating different pressures, temperatures, and CO2 volumes. Also, the extractability of pesticides from hydromatrix and anhydrous magnesium sulfate was evaluated. Both adsorbents were evaluated for the preparation of SFE-spiked melon samples. Extractions of fortified samples were done using 20 mL of CO2, 300 atm, and 50°C. Different extraction conditions, including the addition of water and methanol as a static modifier, were used to assess the extractability of these pesticides, and the addition of methanol was demonstrated to improve the extraction of all the studied pesticides.
A new parameters identification of single area power system based LFC using Segmentation Particle Swarm Optimization (SePSO) algorithm

The accuracy of the power system model is important in investigating the transient phenomena of load frequency control (LFC). In this paper, Segmentation Particle Swarm Optimization (SePSO) method is proposed for governor-turbine model identification of single area power plant. The method is acquired based on a combination of segmentation and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithms, in which the segmentation is used to recognize the local and global optimal point problem of PSO. The tests of the investigated governor system performed to obtain the step response to identify all parameters of the governor-turbine model. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed identification, three disturbance cases and three control parameters were implemented by comparing with the common PSO and GA-PSO algorithms. The results show that the proposed method performed better in terms of accuracy and computation time.
Sex-Steroid Receptor Mechanism Related to Neuronal Aromatase and the Stigmoid Body

Recent immunohistochemical analyses of rat brains have established the presence of neuronal aromatase and stigmoid body in interfaces of a sex-steroid/brain axis. Aromatase P450-immunoreactive (AROM-I) neurons, which are present only during embryonic Day 16 to postnatal Day 2 (E16-P2), are found in the anterior medial preoptic nucleus, the periventricular preoptic nucleus, and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. The largest AROM-I cell-group localized in the medial preoptico-amygdaloid neuronal arc (mPO-AM) shows a peak during E18-P2 and gradually diminishes after the perinatal days (but still retains the immunoreactivity in adults). In adults, other groups of AROM-I neurons emerge in the lateral septum, the central amygdaloid nucleus, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Male-predominant sex difference for aromatase expression has been detected at least in the young-to-adult mPO-AM, reflecting sexually distinct endocrine and behavioral responses in the rat reproductive functions. These results suggest the presence of distinct brain-aromatases with different regulatory systems. Neuronal aromatase may modulate development of sexual dimorphism in neonates and activation of reproductive functions in adults. The stigmoid bodies, marked by placental aromatase-associated antigen X-P2 (PAX) antiserum, are also frequent in the sex-steroid targets of rat brains and intimately coexist with estrogen receptors in the mPO-AM of young females. The neuronal inclusion, suspected as a RNA/protein conglomerate, appears to be induced by the decrease of androgen and/or the increase of estrogen, especially as a result of subneuronal aromatic switching into the estrogenous state. The neuronal aromatase and stigmoid body may play important roles in the pre- and post-receptor steps of subneuronal sex-steroids actions for brain sexual differentiation or induction of reproductive functions.
UCRL-PROC-232512 Extending Scalability of the Community Atmosphere Model

The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) is the atmospheric component of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM), and is the largest consumer of computing resources in typical CCSM simulations. The parallel implementation of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) employs a number of different domain decompositions. Currently, each decomposition must utilize the same number of MPI processes, limiting the scalability of CAM to that of the least scalable decomposition. This limitation becomes unacceptably restrictive when including additional physical processes such as atmospheric chemistry or cloud resolving physics. This paper reports on current efforts to improve CAM scalability by allowing the number of active MPI processes to vary between domain decompositions.
Analysis of the carrier-envelope phase noise of passively phase-locked Er:Fiber frequency combs up to the Nyquist frequency

We study the carrier-envelope phase noise of an Er:fiber frequency comb which is passively phase-locked at the full repetition rate of 100 MHz. A novel characterization method determines an out-of-loop phase jitter of only 250 mrad when integrated over 12 orders of magnitude: from 50 μHz up to the Nyquist frequency.
Positively Valenced, Calming Political Ads

We investigated whether political print ads were able to moderate the influence of automatic affective gut reactions (i.e., implicit attitudes) on overtly expressed evaluations (i.e., explicit attitudes) of foreigners. In accordance with the feeling-as-information theory (Schwarz, 2012, In Van Lange et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage), we assumed that political ads containing positive, calming stimuli (e.g., nature pictures) signal a benign environment and thus should lead to less-effortful processing in subsequent situations. Due to the fact that the implicit–explicit correspondence is assumed to be higher under less-effortful processing, we hypothesized that these political print ads are able to increase the implicit–explicit correspondence. We tested this in an experiment in which participants (N = 164) were exposed to three positively valenced, calming ads of a European right-wing party (treatment group 1), or three negatively valenced, arousing ads of th.
Different Effects of the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine, and Sertraline on the Pharmacokinetics of Fexofenadine in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract Although the interaction between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other drugs is important in the treatment of depression, there have been few studies of SSRIs concerning transporter-mediated interactions in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vivo effects of commonly used SSRIs on the pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine, a P-glycoprotein substrate. Twelve healthy volunteers (3 females and 9 males) were enrolled in this study. Each subject received a 60-mg dose of fexofenadine orally at baseline. Afterward, they were randomly assigned to receive 3 treatments with a 60-mg dose of fexofenadine after a 7-day treatment with fluvoxamine (50 mg/d), paroxetine (20 mg/d), or sertraline (50 mg/d), with 2-week intervals between the agents. Fluvoxamine pretreatment significantly increased the maximum plasma concentration, the area under the concentration time curves, and the 24-hour urinary fexofenadine excretion by 66% (P = 0.004), 78% (P = 0.029), and 78% (P < 0.001), respectively, without prolonging its elimination half-life. Paroxetine extended the elimination half-life of fexofenadine by 45% (P = 0.042), and it increased the 24-hour urinary fexofenadine excretion by 55% (P = 0.002). Sertraline did not alter any of the pharmacokinetic parameters of fexofenadine. This is the first report of the different effects of 3 commonly used SSRIs on fexofenadine pharmacokinetics in humans. Our 7-day, repeated-dose clinical study in healthy volunteers indicates that fluvoxamine and paroxetine, but not sertraline, may impact the patient exposure to fexofenadine, which is likely the result of P-glycoprotein inhibition in the small intestine and/or the liver.
Countermeasure of NFC relay attack with jamming

Recently released smartphones is equipped with support for Near Field Communication. Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range contactless technology allowing smart phones to act primarily as either a reader or a token. NFC on mobile phones presents new opportunities and threats. NFC provides convenient and easier payment service. However, it is vulnerable to relay attacks. Some countermeasure are known, but there are drawbacks. In this paper we introduce NFC technology, relay attack, well-known countermeasure and relay attack case. We proposed countermeasure to prevent NFC relay attack.
A Decorrelating Design-for-Digital-Testability Scheme for Sigma-Delta Modulators

This paper presents a novel decorrelating design-for-digital-testability (D3T) scheme for Sigma-Delta modulators to enhance the test accuracy of using digital stimuli. The input switched-capacitor network of the modulator under test is reconfigured as two or more subdigital-to-charge converters in the test mode. By properly designing the digital stimuli, the shaped noise power of the digital stimulus can be effectively attenuated. As a result, the shaped noise correlation as well as the modulator overload issues are alleviated, thus improving the test accuracy. A second-order Sigma-Delta modulator design is used as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. The behavioral simulation results showed that, when the signal level of the stimulus tone is less than -5 dBFS, the signal-to-noise ratios obtained by the digital stimuli are inferior to those obtained by their analog counterparts of no more than 1.8 dB. Circuit-simulation results also demonstrated that the D3T scheme has the potential to test moderate nonlinearity. The proposed D3T scheme has the advantages of achieving high test accuracy, low circuit overhead, high fault observability, and the capability of conducting at-speed tests.
Phylogenetic relationship of Wolverine Gulo gulo in Mustelidae revealed by complete mitochondrial genome

Abstract The Wolverine Gulo gulo is an endangered species in China. We first obtained blood sample, extracted the sample DNA and sequenced the whole mtDNA genome of wolverine in Northeast China. We built the phylogenetic tree of wolverine and 10 other most closely related Mustelidae species. The wolverine's complete mitogenome is 16 575 bp in length, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and one control region. The phylogenetic tree indicates that Wolverine is mostly close to the genus Martes.
High-Frequency Power Transformers With Foil Windings: Maximum Interleaving and Optimal Design

Foil conductors and primary and secondary interleaving are normally used to minimize winding losses in high-frequency (HF) transformers used for high-current power applications. However, winding interleaving complicates the transformer assembly, since taps are required to connect the winding sections, and also complicates the transformer design, since it introduces a new tradeoff between minimizing losses and reducing the construction difficulty. This paper presents a novel interleaving technique, named maximum interleaving, that makes it possible to minimize the winding losses as well as the construction difficulty. An analytical design methodology is also proposed in order to obtain free-cooled transformers with a high efficiency, low volume, and, therefore, a high power density. For the purpose of evaluating the advantages of the proposed maximum interleaving technique, the methodology is applied to design a transformer positioned in the 5 kW-50 kHz intermediate HF resonant stage of a commercial PV inverter. The proposed design achieves a transformer power density of 28 W/cm3 with an efficiency of 99.8%. Finally, a prototype of the maximum-interleaved transformer is assembled and validated satisfactorily through experimental tests.
The Role of Sex and Mating Status in the Expansion Process of Arhopalus rusticus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)—an Exotic Cerambycid in Argentina

Abstract In Córdoba province, central Argentina, there is an area of introduced pine trees, in which an invading Cerambycid, Arhopalus rusticus (L.), was detected in this region for the first time in 2006. The species has since expanded its range until it now occupies the whole area. Arhopalus rusticus is a common species in pine forests of the northern hemisphere. In this paper, we analyze how sex and mating status affects flight performance and the potential distribution of this species. The study was performed with individuals collected from introduced pine forests in the center-west of Córdoba Province (Argentina). The dispersal capability of A. rusticus was determined by measuring flight speed and distance traveled by recently emerged mated and unmated A. rusticus in flight mills. Data of preflight body weight, postflight body weight, body length, and elytron size were obtained from the individuals that were flown in the flight mill. We found that females had a greater body length, weighed more, had longer elytra, and were stronger flyers than males. We also found that mated individuals flew faster and longer distances than unmated individuals, and consumed a smaller fraction of their body weight. A positive ratio was observed between elytra size and flight speed. A map of males' and females' dispersal distances was produced for the study region, using the adjusted dispersal distance distribution of males and females. The flight performance showed that, as females disperse after copulation, they increase the chances of establishing the species in unoccupied areas.