Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural mechanisms underlying the vulnerability to develop compulsive drug-seeking habits and addiction

We hypothesize that drug addiction can be viewed as the endpoint of a series of transitions from initial voluntary drug use through the loss of control over this behaviour, such that it becomes habitual and ultimately compulsive. We describe evidence that the switch from controlled to compulsive drug seeking represents a transition at the neural level from prefrontal cortical to striatal control over drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviours as well as a progression from ventral to more dorsal domains of the striatum, mediated by its serially interconnecting dopaminergic circuitry. These neural transitions depend upon the neuroplasticity induced by chronic self-administration of drugs in both cortical and striatal structures, including long-lasting changes that are the consequence of toxic drug effects. We further summarize evidence showing that impulsivity, a spontaneously occurring behavioural tendency in outbred rats that is associated with low dopamine D2/3 receptors in the nucleus accumbens, predicts both the propensity to escalate cocaine intake and the switch to compulsive drug seeking and addiction.
Designing Planar Deployable Objects via Scissor Structures

Scissor structure is used to generate deployable objects for space-saving in a variety of applications, from architecture to aerospace science. While deployment from a small, regular shape to a larger one is easy to design, we focus on a more challenging task: designing a planar scissor structure that deploys from a given source shape into a specific target shape. We propose a two-step constructive method to generate a scissor structure from a high-dimensional parameter space. Topology construction of the scissor structure is first performed to approximate the two given shapes, as well as to guarantee the deployment. Then the geometry of the scissor structure is optimized in order to minimize the connection deflections and maximize the shape approximation. With the optimized parameters, the deployment can be simulated by controlling an anchor scissor unit. Physical deployable objects are fabricated according to the designed scissor structures by using 3D printing or manual assembly. We show a number of results for different shapes to demonstrate that even with fabrication errors, our designed structures can deform fluently between the source and target shapes.
Improving Detection of Hypertension in Girls with Turner Syndrome Using Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Background/Aims: Turner syndrome (TS) is associated with increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease and a dramatically higher rate of aortic dissection. The recognition and treatment of hypertension in this population is critical. We sought to assess the ability to detect blood pressure (BP) abnormalities comparing ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) with conventional BP measurement methods. We hypothesized that ABPM would improve detection of hypertension and alter management strategies. Methods: Twenty-three girls with TS underwent BP measurements using an automated oscillometric method and a manual mercury sphygmomanometer. Twenty-four-hour ABPM was performed (Spacelabs 90217, Issaquah, Wash., USA). BP values were compared to normative data based on height and sex for ABPM, and for age, height and sex for automated oscillometric and manual measurements. Results: Five (22%) subjects were found to have ambulatory hypertension (3 of these with severe hypertension). Three subjects had prehypertension using ABPM measurements. Only 1 of the 5 patients with ambulatory hypertension was categorized as hypertensive using manual BP measurements. Twelve subjects (52%) had nocturnal hypertension. ABPM data led to a change in medical management of hypertensive patients with initiation of antihypertensive therapy. Conclusions: ABPM is advantageous in TS, as it improves detection of hypertension, identifies those with non-dipping BP patterns, and changes medical management of patients.
Predictive modelling of grain-size distributions from marine electromagnetic profiling data using end-member analysis and a radial basis function network

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of The Royal Astronomical Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Journal International 215 (2018): 460–473, doi:10.1093/gji/ggy152.
Localization and Observability of Aircraft via Doppler Shifts

The linear trajectory of an airplane with constant velocity is obtained from Doppler shifts at stationary sensors, each yielding a corresponding time of closest approach, closest distance, and speed [3, 8]. Based on these inferences and on the sensors' locations, three sensors yield two candidate trajectories, and four sensors yield one - provided that the locations span R2 and R3 respectively: constituting observability for the problem at hand.
Clonal expansion of genome-intact HIV-1 in functionally polarized Th1 CD4+ T cells

HIV-1 causes a chronic, incurable disease due to its persistence in CD4+ T cells that contain replication-competent provirus, but exhibit little or no active viral gene expression and effectively resist combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). These latently infected T cells represent an extremely small proportion of all circulating CD4+ T cells but possess a remarkable long-term stability and typically persist throughout life, for reasons that are not fully understood. Here we performed massive single-genome, near-full-length next-generation sequencing of HIV-1 DNA derived from unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, ex vivo-isolated CD4+ T cells, and subsets of functionally polarized memory CD4+ T cells. This approach identified multiple sets of independent, near-full-length proviral sequences from cART-treated individuals that were completely identical, consistent with clonal expansion of CD4+ T cells harboring intact HIV-1. Intact, near-full-genome HIV-1 DNA sequences that were derived from such clonally expanded CD4+ T cells constituted 62% of all analyzed genome-intact sequences in memory CD4 T cells, were preferentially observed in Th1-polarized cells, were longitudinally detected over a duration of up to 5 years, and were fully replication- and infection-competent. Together, these data suggest that clonal proliferation of Th1-polarized CD4+ T cells encoding for intact HIV-1 represents a driving force for stabilizing the pool of latently infected CD4+ T cells.
Homotaurine (3 aminopropanesulfonic acid; 3APS) protects from the convulsant and cytotoxic effect of systemically administered kainic acid

Pretreatment of rats with homotaurine (3 aminopropanesulfonic acid; 3APS), a synthetic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analog, protected from the convulsant and cytotoxic action of systemically injected kainic acid (KA). Wet dog shaking (WDS) behavior was significantly reduced. Taurine, an inhibitory non-GABA-mimetic amino acid, and muscimol (another direct GABA-agonist) reduced the number of seizures and lesions in the brain but were less effective than homotaurine. Progabide (a GABA-agonist) did not modify kainic acid effects. The neurotoxicity of kainic acid could have been due to repetitive convulsive activity. Activation of GABA-mediated inhibition is an effective, but not the determinant means of preventing KA-induced abnormalities.
Analysis of brushless permanent magnet synchronous motors

A brief design review of permanent magnet synchronous motors has been presented. A procedure has been developed to predict the steady state and dynamic performances of a brushless permanent magnet synchronous motor. Finite element analysis has been combined with a lumped parameter circuit model in order to provide satisfactory engineering information. To this end, two coordinated steps are involved. One is to develop a unified lumped parameter circuit model for both steady state and dynamic analysis. The second step is to extract the individual lumped parameters from finite element solutions based on corresponding equivalent circuits, each with a pre-determined topology. The proposed techniques have been experimentally verified in a laboratory permanent magnet synchronous motor.
Satellite‐retrieved direct radiative forcing of aerosols over North‐East India and adjoining areas: climatology and impact assessment

In order to understand the climatic implications of atmospheric aerosols, top of atmosphere (TOA) shortwave (SW, 0.3–5 µm) fluxes and aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm retrieved simultaneously by clouds and the earth's radiant energy system (CERES) and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments, respectively, are analysed over North‐East India and its adjoining areas for the period July 2002–December 2013. The aerosol‐free TOA flux obtained by establishing the linear regression between CERES SW TOA fluxes and MODIS AODs exhibits strong seasonality with peak values in monsoon and minimum in winter. Same seasonality is captured by the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model, but with difference in absolute values. SBDART code is used to extend instantaneous radiative forcing estimates into 24‐h averages. AOD over the North East India region with complex terrain shows altitudinal variation with maximum value at the lowest elevation site Dhaka and minimum value at the high‐altitude locations Shillong and Aizwal. In general, strong seasonality in AOD is observed with a peak in pre‐monsoon (March–May) and dip in post‐monsoon (October–November) at all the locations. The direct instantaneous TOA shortwave aerosol radiative forcing (SWARF) shows maximum values in pre‐monsoon over all the locations except at Guwahati, Banmauk, Aizawl, and Shillong. The lowest value of instantaneous SWARF is observed in post‐monsoon except at Banmauk and Shillong. Climatologically TOA diurnally averaged SWARF varies between −6.95 W m−2 in Aizawl to −20.39 W m−2 in Shillong. In general, the TOA SW forcing efficiency is highest in monsoon at all the locations. The radiative forcing efficiency is found to be less negative when surface reflectance increases.
Using static analysis to validate the SAML single sign-on protocol

Previous studies have successfully used static analysis to automatically validate authentication and confidentiality properties of classical key distribution protocols. In this paper we show how the very same technique can be used to validate modern web-based protocols, in particular, we study the SAML Single Sign-On protocol. The description of the protocol does not supply any security analysis but only lists various recommendations. One of these is to use versions of the TLS protocol for establishing secure connections between the principals. Using our static analysis tool we illustrate how some instantiations of the Single Sign-On protocol are flawed whereas others are not.
Mediation of chemoattractant-induced changes in [Ca2+]i and cell shape, polarity, and locomotion by InsP3, DAG, and protein kinase C in newt eosinophils

During chemotaxis large eosinophils from newts exhibit a gradient of [Ca2+]i from rear to front. The direction of the gradient changes on relocation of the chemoattractant source, suggesting that the Ca2+ signal may trigger the cytoskeletal reorganization required for cell reorientation during chemotaxis. The initial stimulatory effect of chemoattractant on [Ca2+]i and the opposite orientations of the intracellular Ca2+ gradient and the external stimulus gradient suggest that more than one chemoattractant-sensitive messenger pathway may be responsible for the generation of spatially graded Ca2+ signals. To identify these messengers, Ca2+ changes were measured in single live cells stimulated with spatially uniform chemoattractant. On stimulation spatially averaged [Ca2+]i increased rapidly from < or = 100 nM to > or = 400 nM and was accompanied by formation of lamellipods. Subsequently cells flattened, polarized and crawled, and [Ca2+]i fluctuated around a mean value of approximately 200 nM. The initial Ca2+ spike was insensitive acutely to removal of extracellular Ca2+ but was abolished by treatments expected to deplete internal Ca2+ stores and by blocking receptors for inositol-trisphosphate, indicating that it is produced by discharge of internal stores, at least some of which are sensitive to InsP3. Activators of protein kinase C (PKC) (diacyl glycerol and phorbol ester) induced flattening and lamellipod activity and suppressed the Ca2+ spike, while cells injected with PKC inhibitors (an inhibitory peptide and low concentrations of heparin-like compounds) produced an enhanced Ca2+ spike on stimulation. Although cell flattening and lamellipod activity were induced by chemoattractant when the normal Ca2+ response was blocked, cells failed to polarize and crawl, indicating that Ca2+ homeostasis is required for these processes. We conclude that InsP3 acting on Ca2+ stores and DAG acting via PKC regulate chemoattractant-induced changes in [Ca2+]i, which in turn control polarization and locomotion. We propose that differences in the spatial distributions of InsP3 and DAG resulting from their respective hydrophilic and lipophilic properties may change Ca2+ distribution in response to stimulus reorientation, enabling the cell to follow the stimulus.
Upregulation of Periostin and Reactive Stroma Is Associated with Primary Chemoresistance and Predicts Clinical Outcomes in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Purpose: Up to one third of ovarian cancer patients are intrinsically resistant to platinum-based treatment. However, predictive and therapeutic strategies are lacking due to a poor understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. This study aimed to identify key molecular characteristics that are associated with primary chemoresistance in epithelial ovarian cancers. Experimental Design: Gene expression profiling was performed on a discovery set of 85 ovarian tumors with clinically well-defined response to chemotherapies as well as on an independent validation dataset containing 138 ovarian patients from the chemotreatment arm of the ICON7 trial. Results: We identified a distinct “reactive stroma” gene signature that is specifically associated with primary chemoresistant tumors and was further upregulated in posttreatment recurrent tumors. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RNA in situ hybridization (RNA ISH) analyses on three of the highest-ranked signature genes (POSTN, LOX, and FAP) confirmed that modulation of the reactive stroma signature genes within the peritumoral stromal compartments was specifically associated with the clinical chemoresistance. Consistent with these findings, chemosensitive ovarian cells grown in the presence of recombinant POSTN promoted resistance to carboplatin and paclitaxel treatment in vitro. Finally, we validated the reactive stroma signature in an independent dataset and demonstrated that a high POSTN expression level predicts shorter progression-free survival following first-line chemotherapy. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the important interplay between cancer and the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer biology and treatment. The identified reactive stromal components in this study provide a molecular basis to the further development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for overcoming chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 21(13); 2941–51. ©2015 AACR.
Combination effect of recombinant human interleukin 1 alpha with antitumor drugs on syngeneic tumors in mice.

To investigate the combination effects of recombinant human interleukin 1 alpha (rHu IL-1 alpha) and antitumor drugs, groups of 7 mice bearing syngeneic tumors (Meth A sarcoma in BALB/c mice and colon 26 adenocarcinoma in BALB/c x DBA/2 F1 mice) were treated i.v. with the antitumor drugs according to the early (once daily on days 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13) and/or late (once daily on days 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19) medication schedules in combination with rHu IL-1 alpha administered i.m. at various timings (1 day before, concurrently with, and 1 day after every drug administration). Inhibition rates of the antitumor drugs (mitomycin C, doxorubicin, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil) for both the murine tumors were more or less raised by coadministration of rHu IL-1 alpha irrespective of medication schedules and combination timings. After both early and late treatments with the optimal combinations of rHu IL-1 alpha (0.1-3 micrograms/mouse) and cisplatin (2-4 mg/kg) and by the late treatment with the optimal combinations of rHu IL-1 alpha (0.3-3 micrograms/mouse) and carboplatin (32 mg/kg) or thiotepa (4 mg/kg), many mice were completely cured of colon 26 adenocarcinoma and survived for more than 90 days. Combined use of rHu IL-1 alpha and antitumor drugs seems to be beneficial in antitumor chemotherapy.
SRAM critical yield evaluation based on comprehensive physical / statistical modeling, considering anomalous non-Gaussian intrinsic transistor fluctuations

Critical SRAM yield evaluation/analysis for more robust design optimizations against variation is presented based on comprehensive physical modeling and statistical analysis of transistor intrinsic fluctuations for 65 nm-node and beyond MOSFETs. Predictive atomistic-3D-TCAD simulations reveal the origins of the non-Gaussian Vth-distribution that causes large sigmaVth deviation from the Pelgrom-relationship for specific small gate length devices. By using realistic statistical compact-modeling and fast Monte Carlo circuit simulations, it was demonstrated that the appropriate cell-design recognizing the anomalous sigmaVth enables to rescue significant possible yield loss caused by the particular behaviors of the intrinsic transistor fluctuations.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from China characterized by digestion of total DNA with restriction enzymes

SUMMARY A series of clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from two hospitals in China was examined. Fragment patterns obtained by digestion of total cellular DNA with restriction enzymes were used to characterize the isolates, in combination with phage-typing, antibiotic resistance profile, and plasmid profile. Digestion of total cellular DNA with restriction enzymes was most useful in discriminating between isolates and yielded additional information on the relatedness of non-identical isolates. In one hospital a single strain, resistant to a large number of antibiotics, had apparently become endemic. In the second hospital a number of distinct but related strains were present. The isolates were also related but not identical to the strain of MRSA endemic at the London Hospital.
Comparison of the records by optical fiber DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensor) and geophone using natural earthquakes

Introduction In the civil engineering field, the maintenance of infrastructures such as roads, embankments, highways, bridges, crude oils storage, wastewater storage, and dams are one of the most important matters. Because the above structures have characters of long distances, if we use seismometers for seismic monitoring of the change in the structures, huge number of seismometers are needed. DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensor) technology can give seismic records at a few meters interval along the optical fiber elongation. Because DAS uses backscattering of input laser light at any locations, it might sense the strain at the target location. There are wide applications of DAS (e.g. Hartog et al., 2013). On the other hand, ordinary magnet-coil geophone measures the particle velocity, or displacement rate. This suggests two measurements are not the same. To examine this discrepancy of measurements quantitatively, we carried out a field test using the Schlumberger hDVS system and geophones.
IMCE: integrated media creation environment

We discuss the design and implementation of an integrated media creation environment, and demonstrate its efficacy in the generation of two simple home movies. The significance for the average user seeking to create home movies lies in the flexible and automatic application of film principles to the task, removal of tedious low-level editing by means of well-formed media transformations in terms of high-level film constructs (e.g. tempo), and content repurposing powered by those same transformations added to the rich semantic information maintained at each phase of the process
Herpes simplex encephalitis in Sweden, 1990-2001: incidence, morbidity, and mortality.

BACKGROUND Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a devastating disease. METHODS In Sweden, a nationwide retrospective study of the incidence, morbidity, and mortality associated with HSE during the 12-year period 1990-2001 was conducted. The national inpatient register data were used, and diagnostic data from the virus laboratories were validated. RESULTS In the study period, 638 patients hospitalized in Sweden received a primary diagnosis of HSE. Of these, 236 patients had a confirmed infection of the central nervous system due to herpes simplex virus type 1. This corresponds to an incidence of confirmed HSE due to herpes simplex virus type 1 of 2.2 cases per million population per year. Of the survivors, 87% were readmitted to the hospital. The most frequent diagnosis at readmission was epilepsy, which was found in 49 patients (21% of the 236 total patients; 24% of 203 survivors), with a median onset 9.3 months after the diagnosis of HSE. This corresponds to a 60- to 90-fold increase in risk, compared with that for the general population. Neuropsychiatric sequelae were evident in 45 (22%) of 203 surviving patients. The incidence of venous thromboembolism, including pulmonary embolism, was 5-14 times higher than that in the general population. Among patients with HSE due to herpes simplex virus type 1, the 1-year mortality was 14% (33 of 236 patients died), which was 8 times higher than expected. CONCLUSIONS This is, to our knowledge, the first study to report long-term, nationwide follow-up data for patients with virologically confirmed HSE. There is considerable morbidity after HSE, with epilepsy being the most common diagnosis. This demonstrates the need for expanding our knowledge of the pathogenesis of HSE to direct more effective antiviral and antiinflammatory treatments.
Pathogen manipulation of host metabolism: A common strategy for immune evasion

1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America, 2 Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America, 3 Center for Vaccine and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America, 4 Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
Agent-Based Approach to Handle Business Complexity in U.S. Wholesale Power Trading

This study documents the practicality of an agent-based approach by examining how two groups of agents handle business complexity related to power trading. Three important findings are identified in this research. First, the proposed approach can estimate fluctuations of electricity prices as well as other well-known methods such as neural networks and genetic algorithms. Second, multiple learning capabilities incorporated in adaptive agents do not have an advantage over limited learning capabilities in predicting the market price of electricity. Finally, a theoretical extension of multiple learning capabilities may have potential for developing the agent-based approach for power trading