Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adenoviral‐mediated expression of antisense RNA to fibroblast growth factors disrupts murine vascular development

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are expressed in the developing embryo and are postulated to regulate embryonic and vascular growth. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF‐2) in early murine embryonic cardiovascular development in the mouse embryo. Gestation day 7.5 embryos were harvested and placed in culture, and 12 hr later replication‐defective adenovirus (0.5 × 106 plaque forming units) encoding either β‐galactosidase or antisense FGF‐2 RNA was injected into the sinus venosus of the cultured embryos. Embryos receiving only replication‐defective adenovirus expressing the β‐galactosidase gene continued to develop normally over the next 12 hr. In contrast, those receiving adenovirus encoding antisense FGF‐2 RNA displayed marked morphogenetic abnormalities, including cessation of growth and abnormal yolk sac vascular development, even though the embryonic hearts continued to beat. Abnormal development of the yolk sac vasculature was confirmed by microangiography and by histologic examination. Coinjection of virus carrying FGF‐2 cDNA in the sense orientation reversed the effects of antisense FGF‐2 RNA expression. These results confirm the efficacy of the replication‐defective adenovirus for targeting gene expression to the developing vasculature and provide evidence for a critical role of FGF in the normal vascular assembly in the early embryo. Cessation of embryonic growth on expression of antisense FGF‐2 RNA was most likely attributable to failure of efficient circulation of the early embryonic blood cells from the yolk sac into the embryo. Dev. Dyn. 1998;213:421–430. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In Vivo Safety and Persistence of Endoribonuclease Gene-Transduced CD4+ T Cells in Cynomolgus Macaques for HIV-1 Gene Therapy Model

Background MazF is an endoribonuclease encoded by Escherichia coli that specifically cleaves the ACA sequence of mRNA. In our previous report, conditional expression of MazF in the HIV-1 LTR rendered CD4+ T lymphocytes resistant to HIV-1 replication. In this study, we examined the in vivo safety and persistence of MazF-transduced cynomolgus macaque CD4+ T cells infused into autologous monkeys. Methodology/Principal Findings The in vivo persistence of the gene-modified CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood was monitored for more than half a year using quantitative real-time PCR and flow cytometry, followed by experimental autopsy in order to examine the safety and distribution pattern of the infused cells in several organs. Although the levels of the MazF-transduced CD4+ T cells gradually decreased in the peripheral blood, they were clearly detected throughout the experimental period. Moreover, the infused cells were detected in the distal lymphoid tissues, such as several lymph nodes and the spleen. Histopathological analyses of tissues revealed that there were no lesions related to the infused gene modified cells. Antibodies against MazF were not detected. These data suggest the safety and the low immunogenicity of MazF-transduced CD4+ T cells. Finally, gene modified cells harvested from the monkey more than half a year post-infusion suppressed the replication of SHIV 89.6P. Conclusions/Significance The long-term persistence, safety and continuous HIV replication resistance of the mazF gene-modified CD4+ T cells in the non-human primate model suggests that autologous transplantation of mazF gene-modified cells is an attractive strategy for HIV gene therapy.
Designing for social context of mobility: mobile applications for always-on users

The informational and instrumental portabilities of mobile devices have made the devices appropriable in various contexts and for various uses. This, then, leads us to ask---how does the always-on usage impact our day-to-day lives? Extensive investigations were carried out to uncover sociotechnical configurations, appropriations, and negotiations developed to combat perpetual technological availability. Based on the findings, we developed three prototypes, which utilize context-awareness to promote increased sociability, stress relief, and reduced intrusiveness. In this paper, we report on the user investigations, design conception, prototypes, evaluations, and broader learnings.
Stable interaction between α5β1 integrin and Tie2 tyrosine kinase receptor regulates endothelial cell response to Ang-1

During angiogenic remodeling, Ang-1, the ligand of Tie2 tyrosine kinase, is involved in vessel sprouting and stabilization through unclear effects on nascent capillaries and mural cells. In our study, we hypothesized that the Ang-1/Tie2 system could cross-talk with integrins, and be influenced by the dynamic interactions between extracellular matrix and endothelial cells (ECs). Here, we show that α5β1 specifically sensitizes and modulates Tie2 receptor activation and signaling, allowing EC survival at low concentrations of Ang-1 and inducing persistent EC motility. Tie2 and α5β1 interact constitutively; α5β1 binding to fibronectin increases this association, whereas Ang-1 stimulation recruits p85 and FAK to this complex. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Ang-1 is able to mediate selectively α5β1 outside-in FAK phosphorylation. Thus, Ang-1 triggers signaling pathways through Tie2 and α5β1 receptors that could cross-talk when Tie2/α5β1 interaction occurs in ECs plated on fibronectin. By using blocking antibodies, we consistently found that α5β1, but not αvβ3 activation, is essential to Ang-1–dependent angiogenesis in vivo.
Expression and Function of the Trypanosoma brucei Major Surface Protease (GP63) Genes*

The genome of the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei (Tb) contains at least three gene families (TbMSP-A, -B, and -C) encoding homologues of the abundant major surface protease (MSP, previously called GP63), which is found in all Leishmania species. TbMSP-B mRNA occurs in both procyclic and bloodstream trypanosomes, whereas TbMSP-A and -C mRNAs are detected only in bloodstream organisms. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing was used to investigate the function of TbMSP-B protein. RNAi directed against TbMSP-B but not TbMSP-A ablated the steady state TbMSP-B mRNA levels in both procyclic and bloodstream cells but had no effect on the kinetics of cultured trypanosome growth in either stage. Procyclic trypanosomes have been shown previously to have an uncharacterized cell surface metalloprotease activity that can release ectopically expressed surface proteins. To determine whether TbMSP-B is responsible for this release, transgenic variant surface glycoprotein 117 (VSG117) was expressed constitutively in T. brucei procyclic TbMSP-RNAi cell lines, and the amount of surface VSG117 was determined using a surface biotinylation assay. Ablation of TbMSP-B but not TbMSP-A mRNA resulted in a marked decrease in VSG release with a concomitant increase in steady state cell-associated VSG117, indicating that TbMSP-B mediates the surface protease activity of procyclic trypanosomes. This finding is consistent with previous pharmacological studies showing that peptidomimetic collagenase inhibitors block release of transgenic VSG from procyclic trypanosomes and are toxic for bloodstream but not procyclic organisms.
Pourquoi ? Comment faire ? De la nature du comportement prosocial dans l’hypocrisie induite : le cas du gaspillage alimentaire

L’objectif de cette these est de concevoir une demarche d’intervention pour promouvoir la reduction du gaspillage alimentaire reposant sur l’hypocrisie induite semble. Cette procedure d’induction de dissonance articule une phase de saillance normative et une phase de rappel des transgressions. Si l’hypocrisie induite est interpretee a la lumiere de la theorie de la consistance de Soi, nous reprenons a notre compte les propos de Vallacher (1992), selon lesquelles la nature de l’action, c’est-a-dire les significations qu’un individu attribue a ces comportements, est susceptible d’influencer le processus de dissonance. La theorie des niveaux de construit, incluant l’identification de l’action, a ete mobilisee pour apprehender les significations accordees a des conduites pro-sociales. Plus precisement, nous avons examine l’influence des niveaux de construit, sur les comportements de soumission obtenus, selon que la phase de saillance normative sera suivie ou non d’un rappel des transgressions. Dans une premiere experience, nous avons teste l’applicabilite de l’hypocrisie induite pour promouvoir la reduction du gaspillage alimentaire. Les deux experiences suivantes examinent l’influence des niveaux de construits dans l’hypocrisie induite. Enfin, une recherche-action reposant sur des interventions de type face-a-face aupres des menages a ete mise en œuvre et integre des mesures comportementales effectives. Nos resultats suggerent que l’hypocrisie induite est a meme de promouvoir des changements de comportements effectifs de reduction du gaspillage, mais que ces changements dependent des significations accordees a cette conduite pro-sociale
The effect of signal settings on the macroscopic fundamental diagram and its applicability in traffic signal driven perimeter control strategies

It has been proposed that a macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) can be used as input for perimeter control strategies. We consider a network consisting of a perimeter with traffic lights and a subnetwork without traffic lights. The MFDs for the two parts, i.e. the controlled subnetwork and its perimeter, are determined by means of microsimulation. We found that different signal settings change the shape of the MFD for both parts considerably. Also the ratio between the performance of the subnetwork and the corresponding perimeter is often fairly constant regardless of the signal timings. Thus, metering traffic heading towards the subnetwork is not always a good control strategy, as the performance of the subnetwork is eventually affected in the same way as the performance of the perimeter. Furthermore it has been found that the shape of the MFD of the perimeter, including the critical network density, strongly depends on the signal timings. It is therefore concluded that the MFD is difficult to use for control strategies aiming to adapt signal timings, because the changed signal timings themselves will result in a different value for the critical network density.
Ruptured Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm and Coarctation of Aorta in a Woman at Early Postpartum Period

Coarctation of aorta and sinus of Valsalva aneurysm are frequently missed congenital cardiac defects that their diagnosis might be delayed. To our knowledge, coincidence of these cardiac defects is unusual and has not been reported in the literature before. Here, we present a patient with coarctation of aorta and ruptured noncoronary sinus of Valsalva aneurysm leading to aorto-right atrial fistula in the early postpartum period and our management of this unusual case.
Automatic visual speech segmentation

Speech recognition techniques which rely on audio features of speech degrade in performance in noisy environments. Visual Speech Recognition helps this by incorporating a visual signal into the recognition process. The performance of automatic speech recognition (ASR) system can be significantly enhanced with additional information from visual speech elements such as the movement of lips, tongue, and teeth. This paper introduces a combined method for lip region extraction and mouth area estimation, which is then used to develop technique for automatic visual speech segmentation. The accuracy of this method is verified by applying it for syllable boundary separation and the following vowel segmentation in multi syllable words and phrases.
Algorithm and architecture for logarithm, exponential, and powering computation

An architecture for the computation of logarithm, exponential, and powering operations is presented in this paper, based on a high-radix composite algorithm for the computation of the powering function (X/sup Y/). The algorithm consists of a sequence of overlapped operations: 1) digit-recurrence logarithm, 2) left-to-right carry-free (LRCF) multiplication, and 3) online exponential. A redundant number system is used and the selection in 1) and 3) is done by rounding except from the first iteration, when selection by table look-up is necessary to guarantee the convergence of the recurrences. A sequential implementation of the algorithm, with a control unit which allows the independent computation of logarithm and exponential, is proposed and the execution times and hardware requirements are estimated for single and double-precision floating-point computations. These estimates are obtained for radices from r=8 to r=1,024, according to an approximate model for the delay and area of the main logic blocks and help determining the radix values which lead to the most efficient implementations: r=32 and r=128.
Structure and Biological Functions of β-Hairpin Antimicrobial Peptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are evolutionarily ancient factors of the innate immune system that serve as a crucial first line of defense for humans, animals, and plants against infection. This review focuses on the structural organization, biosynthesis, and biological functions of AMPs that possess a β-hairpin spatial structure. Representatives of this class of AMPs are among the most active antibiotic molecules of animal origin. Due to their wide spectrum of activity and resistance to internal environmental factors, natural β-hairpin AMPbased compounds might become the most promising drug candidates.
Sela Role of Treponema Denticola in Periodontal Diseases

Among periodontal anaerobic pathogens, the oral spirochetes, and especially Treponema denticola, have been associated with periodontal diseases such as early-onset periodontitis, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, and acute pericoronitis. Basic research as well as clinical evidence suggest that the prevalence of T. denticola, together with other proteolytic Gram-negative bacteria in high numbers in periodontal pockets, may play an important role in the progression of periodontal disease. The accumulation of these bacteria and their products in the pocket may render the surface lining periodontal cells highly susceptible to lysis and damage. T. denticola has been shown to adhere to fibroblasts and epithelial cells, as well as to extracellular matrix components present in periodontal tissues, and to produce several deleterious factors that may contribute to the virulence of the bacteria. These bacterial components include outer-sheath-associated peptidases, chymotrypsin-like and trypsin-like proteinases, hemolytic and hemagglutinating activities, adhesins that bind to matrix proteins and cells, and an outer-sheath protein with poreforming properties. The effects of T. denticola whole cells and their products on a variety of host mucosal and immunological cells has been studied extensively (Fig. 1). The clinical data regarding the presence of T. denticola in periodontal health and disease, together with the basic research results involving the role of T. denticola factors and products in relation to periodontal diseases, are reviewed and discussed in this article.
Executable acceptance tests for communicating business requirements: customer perspective

Using an experimental method, we found that customers, partnered with an IT professional, are able to use executable acceptance test (storytest)-based specifications to communicate and validate functional business requirements. However, learnability and ease of use analysis indicates that an average customer may experience difficulties learning the technique. Several additional propositions are evaluated and usage observations made
Using the Structure of Subfields in the Construction of Goppa Codes and Extended Goppa Codes

It is shown that for some location sets and some integral multiple power Galois fields that some new general subclasses of Goppa codes may be defined which have improved lower bounds to code dimension and minimum distance compared with ordinary Goppa codes. Some previously published results are shown to be particular cases of these general subclasses of codes. A new subclass of reversible Goppa codes is also presented. Examples of code construction for these subclasses, demonstrating the improved code parameters, are presented for both non binary and binary codes.
Journal of the International Aids Society Open Access Determinants of Treatment Access in a Population-based Cohort of Hiv-positive Men and Women Living in Argentina

Objective: To report emerging data on the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Argentina by assessing patterns of HAART access and late vs early treatment initiation in a population-based cohort of adults infected with HIV type-1. Design: The Prospective Study on the Use and Monitoring of Antiretroviral Therapy (PUMA) is a study of 883 HIV-positive individuals enrolled in the Argentinean drug treatment program. Individuals were 16 years of age and older and were recruited from 10 clinics across Argentina. Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were examined using contingency tables (Pearson chi-square test and Fisher exact test) for categoric variables and Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous variables. To analyze time to initiation of HAART we used Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression. Results: Patients who initiated HAART were more likely to be older, have an AIDS-defining illness, be an injection drug user (IDU), have a lower median CD4 cell count, have a higher median viral load, and be less likely to be men who have sex with men (MSM). In multivariate analysis, AIDS-defining illness and plasma viral load were significantly associated with time to starting therapy. Patients who received late access were more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS and have higher median plasma viral loads than those receiving early access. Conclusion: Our results indicate that despite free availability of treatment, monitoring, and care in Argentina, a significant proportion of men and women are accessing HAART late in the course of HIV disease. Further characterization of the HIV-positive population will allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of the impact of HAART within the Argentinean drug treatment program.
Proposed DSM-5 personality traits and substance use: A multi-faceted study

In this study, the Brief Assessment of Traits 37 (BAT37) was developed to measure the presence of the personality traits initially proposed for inclusion in the personality disorders section of the DSM-5. The structure of the measure was supported by the results of a pilot study and its construct validity was supported by correlations with theoretically-related scales from the PAI, DAPP-BQ, and HEXACO-PI-R. The BAT37 was administered to a sample of undergraduate college students and clients at a residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facility. Several of this study's findings are relevant to the proposed changes to the personality disorders section of the DSM-5. The initially proposed DSM-5 traits were indicated to be measuring independent constructs which need not be reduced in number due to concerns about intercorrelations between traits. However, the changes made to the initial DSM-5 proposal and included in the revised DSM-5 proposal were reasonably wellsupported by this study's findings. The results of an exploratory factor analysis of the BAT37 traits suggested a factor structure that is similar to the factors of the Five Factor Model. Regarding the relationship between personality pathology and substance use, the results of this study indicated that personality traits consistent with both disinhibitionrelated and self-medication theories of SUD etiology were indicated to precede problematic substance use in individuals. Unexpectedly, BAT37 traits related to compulsivity were consistently indicated to have preceded SUDs and to be present in
Safety of Pediatric HIV Elimination: The Growing Population of HIV- and Antiretroviral-Exposed but Uninfected Infants

Lynne Mofenson and Heather Watts discuss the context and implications of the study by J. Sibuide and colleagues, which provides a detailed analysis of birth defects in infants with in utero antiretroviral drug exposure in the French Perinatal Cohort. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Quantum and Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Hydrophobic Hydration Structure around Small Solutes

We present a combination of classical and first principles molecular dynamics simulations of hydrophobic hydration structure. Our results show that water molecules surrounding two small hydrophobic solutes are oriented in a similar fashion, and that the driving force for this orientation is the water−water interaction rather than the water−solute interaction. In contrast, the spatial distribution of water around the hydrophobic solute is strongly influenced by the solute, and the driving force for the observed distribution is largely a steric effect. In addition to the size and structure of the solute, we find that the spatial distribution of water is sensitive to pressure. Using quantum simulations as a benchmark for classical potentials, we evaluate the accuracy of several empirical based models in predicting detailed information regarding the structure of water around small hydrophobic solutes. Our results demonstrate that the radial and spatial distribution of water molecules around different solutes .
Validation of an automated wireless system to monitor sleep in healthy adults

The availability of a reliable system to record sleep stage measures easily and automatically in ambulatory settings could be of utility for research and clinical work. The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel wireless system (WS) that does not require skilled preparation for the automatic collection and scoring of human sleep. Twenty‐nine healthy adults underwent concurrent sleep measurement via the WS, polysomnography (PSG) and an actigraph (ACT) in a sleep laboratory for one assessment night preceded by an acclimation night. The PSG recordings were scored by two experienced trained technicians from separate laboratories. Each recording was scored by both technicians to Rechtschaffen and Kales (R&K) criteria. The WS and ACT were compared with each of the PSG scores and a consensus PSG score, and the PSG scores were compared with each other. Inter‐rater agreement was assessed for each pair over all pooled epochs by percentage agreement, Cohen’s kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient. The WS agreement with each of the two PSG scores for sleep stages was 75.8 and 74.7%, respectively. WS agreement with each of the two PSG scores for sleep/wakefulness was 92.6 and 91.1%, ACT agreement with PSG was 86.3 and 85.7%. The PSG scorers’ agreement with each other for sleep stages was 83.2%, and for sleep/wakefulness was 95.8%. The findings from the current study indicate that the WS may provide an easy to use and accurate complement to other established technologies for measuring sleep in healthy adults.
Esperanza y miedo: una aproximación teórica a las emociones en la comunicación política

The Western philosophy postulates present reason and emotion as antagonistic forces that motivate individuals in their everyday decision making. In the Western culture, reason has had to dominate emotion so as to reach objective decisions. Habermas hypothesis about the rational dimension of the public sphere reaffirms this tendency that states the public domain should find an order based on rational principles. Although rationalism is still predominant among Social Science researchers, a change in the approaches is evident: emotions have begun to be included in studies when the comprehension of contemporary phenomenon is necessary. Particularly, in the political communication field, emotion as a topic of exploration is new. However, new disciplinary perspectives allow innovating in research inquiries. The aim of this article is to examine literature about the main postulates of the Affective Intelligence Theory which, with Neuroscience, offer other perspectives to the political communication field.