Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production of lentiviral vector with polycistronic transcripts for reprogramming of mouse fibroblast cells

iPS cells were originally generated using monocistronic retroviral vectors carrying the Yamanaka factors 'OSKM'. The development of a polycistronic viral vector with OSKM linked by 2A peptides has simplified reprogramming procedure and reduced the risk of multiple proviral integrations and insertional mutagenesis. In this study, we demonstrated the production of the polycistronic lentiviral vector encoding OSKM in a single cassette without a reporter gene or drug-based selection system. Syncytia formations were clearly seen following the co-transfection of a lentiviral plasmid construct with the structural and packaging plasmids. The virion was collected at 48 hours post-transfection. Afterwards, the viral titers were measured by the expression of Sox2 protein from transduced HT1080 cells. Subsequently, Oct4 expression was successfully detected in mouse fibroblasts in the range of 5, 10 and 20 MOIs with expression of 90.7%, 97.5% and 98%, respectively. The results obtained from this study could be used as a model for the production of OSKM lentiviral vector for newcomers to cellular reprogramming research.
Vaccine antigens modulate the innate response of monocytes to Al(OH)3

Aluminum-based adjuvants have widely been used in human vaccines since 1926. In the absence of antigens, aluminum-based adjuvants can initiate the inflammatory preparedness of innate cells, yet the impact of antigens on this response has not been investigated so far. In this study, we address the modulating effect of vaccine antigens on the monocyte-derived innate response by comparing processes initiated by Al(OH)3 and by Infanrix, an Al(OH)3-adjuvanted trivalent combination vaccine (DTaP), containing diphtheria toxoid (D), tetanus toxoid (T) and acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine antigens. A systems-wide analysis of stimulated monocytes was performed in which full proteome analysis was combined with targeted transcriptome analysis and cytokine analysis. This comprehensive study revealed four major differences in the monocyte response, between plain Al(OH)3 and DTaP stimulation conditions: (I) DTaP increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, whereas Al(OH)3 did not; (II) Al(OH)3 increased the gene expression of IFNγ, IL-2 and IL-17a in contrast to the limited induction or even downregulation by DTaP; (III) increased expression of type I interferons-induced proteins was not observed upon DTaP stimulation, but was observed upon Al(OH)3 stimulation; (IV) opposing regulation of protein localization pathways was observed for Al(OH)3 and DTaP stimulation, related to the induction of exocytosis by Al(OH)3 alone. This study highlights that vaccine antigens can antagonize Al(OH)3-induced programming of the innate immune responses at the monocyte level.
Dietary accumulation and depuration of hydrophobic organochlorines: Bioaccumulation parameters and their relationship with the octanol/water partition coefficient

Dietary accumulation of 23 hydrophobic organochlorines (OCs) by juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was studied with the objective of obtaining relationships between bioaccumulation parameters and the octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow). A wide range of OCs were used including 16 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 18, 28, 44, 52, 66, 101, 105, 118, 128, 138, 153, 187, 189, 195, 206, and 209), hexachlorobenzene, mirex, tris(4‐chlorophenyl)methane (TCPMe), tris(4‐chlorophenyl)methanol (TCPMeOH), and three toxaphene congeners (Cl7‐chlorobornane [CHB] [Hp‐sed], Cl8‐CHB [T2], and Cl9‐CHB [T12]). Tris(4‐chlorophenyl)methane (half‐life [t1/2] = 65 d) was more persistent than TCPMeOH (t1/2 = 20 d), and TCPMe was not biotransformed to TCPMeOH by rainbow trout. Cl7‐chlorobornane (t1/2 = 32 d) was more rapidly eliminated, and appears to be more readily metabolized, than Cl8‐CHB (t1/2 = 43 d) and Cl9‐CHB (t1/2 = 42 d). With the exception of TCPMeOH, Cl7‐CHB, and PCB 18, all of the OCs had biomagnification factors (BMFs) >1, implying a potential to biomagnify. Half‐lives had a significant curvilinear relationship with Kow (R2 = 0.85, p < 0.001), with a maximum t1/2 for OCs with log Kow ∼ 7.0. Decreasing t1/2 for OCs of log Kow > 7.0 may be related to slow kinetics of these super hydrophobic OCs and the short exposure phase, which results in insufficient time for the super hydrophobic OCs to reach slower clearing compartments of the rainbow trout. Assimilation efficiency was not as well described by Kow as by t1/2 and BMF, although a significant curvilinear relationship was observed (R2 = 0.53, p = 0.004). The BMF had a significant curvilinear relationship with log Kow (R2 = 0.84, p < 0.001). Recalcitrant OCs with a log Kow of ∼7.0 would appear to have the greatest potential for food chain biomagnification in fish.
Design of a 400-MHz 1-V 1.4-mW CMOS RF receiver for MICS applications

This paper describes low-voltage and low-power design of a CMOS RF receiver front-end circuit for MICS applications. The direct-conversion RF receiver is composed of a single-ended cascode LNA, single-to-differential converting gm-stage, quadrature passive mixer with 25% LO duty cycle, and transimpedance amplifier. Extensive circuit simulations show that the receiver has the maximum conversion gain of 45 dB, the input-referred P1dB of −34.8 dBm, and the noise figure of 2.6 dB, while dissipating 1.4 mW from a 1-V supply.
On the Spectrum of Random Features Maps of High Dimensional Data

Random feature maps are ubiquitous in modern statistical machine learning, where they generalize random projections by means of powerful, yet often difficult to analyze nonlinear operators. In this paper, we leverage the "concentration" phenomenon induced by random matrix theory to perform a spectral analysis on the Gram matrix of these random feature maps, here for Gaussian mixture models of simultaneously large dimension and size. Our results are instrumental to a deeper understanding on the interplay of the nonlinearity and the statistics of the data, thereby allowing for a better tuning of random feature-based techniques.
When Interviewing Children: A Review and Update

In this chapter, we highlight principles for interviewing children based on the best available science, understanding that such principles keep changing as new evidence accumulates and that gaps exist in the knowledge base where guidance is limited. Interviewers will need to stay abreast of new developments. First, we briefly describe the data base from which the tools derive — studies conducted in the laboratory and in the field. Then we discuss evidence-based interview tools and features of the interview about which there is sufficient empirical evidence and consensus to derive “toolboxes. ” We discuss interview structure, setting, children’s reluctance and suggestibility, rapport development, narrative practice, introducing the topic of abuse, language and phrasing of questions, instructions to children, and evidence-based strategies for eliciting details. We highlight the need for interviewers to have a toolbox of techniques at the ready from which they can select the most appropriate tools for a particular child, context, or jurisdiction — techniques that they can justify based on the best available science.
Activity patterns and torpor in two free-ranging carnivorous marsupials in arid Australia in relation to precipitation, reproduction, and ground cover

It is generally assumed that in unpredictable environments, the use of daily torpor and its interaction with daily activity are largely dependent on environmental thermal conditions and resource availability. Using temperature telemetry, we compared the thermal biology and activity patterns of 2 species of mulgaras (Dasycercus blythi and D. cristicauda) at 3 sites of different habitat types in central Australia. The work compared a dry period with a wet period (resource pulse). The most obvious functional difference among populations was observed in the timing of the onset of activity, which began significantly earlier in dense unburned spinifex (on average 17.7 min before sunset) than in burned spinifex (4.6 min after sunset) or on gibber plains (21.8 min after sunset). However, although the seasonal expression of torpor differed significantly between males and females, torpor use as well as seasonal timing was similar among sites and periods despite differences in rainfall and habitat. It appears that predominantly reproductive activity governed torpor depth and duration in all measured populations and both species. Our data suggest that while the timing of activity is modulated by the amount of vegetation cover and thus protection from diurnal predators, torpor expression and winter reproduction in mulgaras are functionally linked and surprisingly more or less independent of apparent resource availability. Consequently, in mulgaras, daily torpor does not seem to be employed in response to immediate energy shortage but more likely to allow reallocation of energy and nutrients towards reproduction.
No proof of a causal relationship between antiepileptic drug treatment and incidence of dementia. Comment on: Use of antiepileptic drugs and dementia risk—An analysis of Finnish health register and German health insurance data

Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Mario Negri, Milan, Italy Kuopio Epilepsy Center, Neurocenter, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Neuro Healthcare, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden Society for Epilepsy Research, Epilepsy Center Bethel Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany Division of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Clinical Trial Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria Center of Neuroscience, Christian Doppler University Hospital Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria Department of Public Health and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT–University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics, and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
Low Level Laser Therapy for Radial Nerve Palsy Patients : Our Experience.

Background and Aims Peripheral nerve injury is one of the frequent complaints which is seen in the outpatient clinic of our medical institute. In previous studies we have reported on the benefits of low level laser therapy (LLLT) for central nerve system disorders, namely cerebrovascular accidents and cerebral palsy. The present study is a report on our experience of the effects of LLLT for peripheral nerve palsy. Materials and Methods Over the past 5 years, 13 subjects visited the out-patient clinic with the chief complaint of radial nerve palsy caused by compression of the nerve through with abnormal positioning, and sleeping posture at night. The patients were treated with LLLT. A 1000 mW semi-conductor laser device was used, delivering 830 nm in continuous wave at a dose of 20.1 J/cm2 /point, and five points were treated per session (i.e., 1 treatment) twice a week for 3 months (total 24 treatments). In 6 patients LLLT was combined with brace therapy. Results Modified Daniels' manual muscle testing was used to determine the effects of LLLT for the muscle power of the extensor carpi radialis, and on completing the treatment regimen excellent improvement was observed in 9 cases out of 13. Combination treatment (laser therapy with bracing) resulted in 4 excellent cases out of 6 cases. Discussions with the patients clarified that it was important for them to learn how to avoid the particular posture that could cause them radial nerve palsy in daily life in order to have continuous benefits from the treatment. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that LLLT was an effective form of treatment for radial nerve palsy. In addition, patients were advised to avoid any incorrect posture which might induce radial nerve palsy.
Re-examination of the use of seawater δ 7 Li as a weathering proxy : a core-top study

Lithium isotopic ratios (δLi) have historically been used as a proxy for silicate weathering intensity, one of the key surface processes that drive the carbon cycle. Because of lithium’s long residence time in the ocean (~1.2 Ma), it was expected that foraminiferal δLi recorded global seawater values. However, recent research on foraminiferal δLi suggests that as lithium is incorporated into foraminifera, it may be fractionated according to vital effects and variations in environmental parameters like total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This study explores variations in foraminiferal δLi in the modern, finding that δLi varies between species as well as with environmental parameters like temperature, DIC, and carbonate saturation state. These variations lead to a reinterpretation of the foraminiferal δLi record as potentially longterm variation of species assemblage and environmental carbonate system variation rather than strictly following the global weathering signal. This allows for more detailed interpretation of periods of high δLi variability (including the negative K-Pg δLi excursion) in terms of rapid change in carbonate system parameters and species assemblage turnover.
A Semantics of Compile-time Reflection

A new language incorporating both ML style type checking and a limited form of re ec tion is de ned by giving an interpreter and showing how this interpreter may be interpreted as a compositional denotational semantics The resulting language has a partial function as a compiler but if the compiler terminates without a type error there will be no type errors at runtime Typing issues and rst class environments are discussed as well
The importance of waist circumference and body mass index in cross-sectional relationships with risk of cardiovascular disease in Vietnam

Background Waist circumference (WC) is an indicator of intra-abdominal adipose tissue, high levels of which confer an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. Population data on WC should be more informative than data on body mass index (BMI), which is a general indicator of body size. This study aimed to evaluate the importance of WC relative to BMI in cross-sectional relationships with blood pressure (BP), glucose, and total cholesterol (TC) in the adult population of Vietnam. Methods The data were collected in a population-based survey conducted during 2009–10 using the “WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable disease” (STEPS) methodology. The survey participants (n = 14 706 aged 25 to 64 years) were selected by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling from eight provinces representative of the eight geographical regions of Vietnam. All measurements were performed in accordance with the STEPS protocols. All analyses were performed using complex survey methods. Results The measurements of WC and BMI were highly correlated (men r = 0.80, women r = 0.77). For men, the strongest and predominant associations with BP, glucose, and TC were for WC or an index based on WC. For women, this was true for glucose but BMI was more important for BP and TC. WC or an index based on WC provided better discrimination than BMI of hypertension and elevated glucose, and of raised TC for men. Information on four new anthropometric indices did not improve model fit or subject discrimination. Conclusion For BP/hypertension, glucose/elevated glucose, and TC/raised TC, WC was more informative than BMI for Vietnamese men, but both WC and BMI were important for Vietnamese women. Both WC and BMI need to be assessed for estimation of CVD risk in Vietnam.
Parent-Centered Intervention: A Practical Approach for Preventing Drug Abuse in Hispanic Adolescents

Objective: The objective of the present article is to review and discuss Familias Unidas, an empirically supported, family-based, culturally specific drug abuse and HIV prevention intervention for Hispanic immigrant adolescents and their families. Method: The authors focus on engagement and retention as well as on intervention delivery. Conclusions: The present article serves as a guide for social workers and mental health practitioners in carrying out effective family-based adolescent substance use and HIV preventive interventions. Recommendations for and challenges to implementing the intervention in practice-based settings are discussed.
The ZHI-EDL System for Entity Discovery and Linking at TAC KBP 2017

This report gives a detailed description of ZHI(知)-EDL system of team ‘rise_dcd_zju’, which submitted to the TAC KBP 2017 Trilingual Entity Detection and Linking (EDL) track. Our system consists of two cascaded components, one for mention detection, another for entity linking. Our best system has achieved an overall F1 score of 0.685 for trilingual in term of the CEAFmC metric this year.
Performance Evaluation of MPE Rainfall Product at Hourly and Daily Temporal Resolution within a Hydro-Estimator Pixel 1

A rain gauge network (28 rain gauges) was installed in western Puerto Rico (PR) within a 4km x 4km GOES satellite pixel. Located within the pixel is a well monitored sub-watershed of 3.55 km 2 , referred t o here as the "testbed subwatershed" (TBSW). The rain gauge network was established to evaluate rainfall estimates from the GOES-based Hydro-Estimator (HE), NEXRAD radar and the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) radar network, which has a high spatial resolution (≈ 200 m). F urthermore, the rain gauge network will provide a high temporal and spatial resolution rainfall dataset to be input into a distributed hydrologic model in the TBSW. The focus of this work is to evaluate the performance of the Multisensor Precipitation Estimation (MPE) product at 1-hour and 1-day temporal resolution within the 4km x 4km HE pixel for 2007. The MPE product is popular within the hydrologic modeling community due to its resolution and mean field bias correction computations in its coverage. Results for 2007 indicate that the highest rainfall measured by the rain gauges within the HE pixel area were September with an average and standard deviation of 241.75 mm and 73.3 mm, respectively; and August with 223.7 mm and 64.66 mm, respectively. While for the same months the MPE, produced a total monthly rainfall accumulation and standard deviation of 247.36 mm and 64.4 mm for September, respectively, and 233.68 mm and 36.54 mm for August, respectively. The mean and standard deviation daily field bias for these months were 1.08 and 1.5 for September, respectively, and 0.93 and 1.6 for August, respectively. The bias changed, when considering an hourly analysis, to 1.98 average and 5.45 standard deviation for August and 1.49 average and 3.01 standard deviation for September. Nevertheless the month that produced the largest mean bias was November with 2.24, and 2.6 standard deviation for daily rainfall accumulations; and a mean bias of 3.92 and 8.16 standard deviation for an hourly time step. In this study percentages of detection and false alarms were determined at two time scales.
CHEMICAL ECOLOGY OF MARINE CYANOBACTERIAL SECONDARY METABOLITES: A MINI-REVIEW

cyanobacteria. A majority of these compounds are of the polypeptide or mixed polyketide-polypeptide structural class and they are a potential source of novel pharmaceuticals. In spite of the chemical richness of marine cyanobacteria, not much is known regarding their ecological functions. To date only a handful of marine cyanobacterial compounds have been examined for their involvement in predator-prey interactions. This mini-review surveys the various chemical ecology studies conducted on marine cyanobacterial compounds. From these ecological studies, many marine cyanobacterial compounds are known to deter feeding by several species of marine predators. Such chemical defense may be crucial in maintaining the population of marine cyanobacterial bloom in nature. In addition, a series of ecological studies from our laboratory revealed the anti-settlement properties of a number of benthic marine cyanobacterial compounds. These studies suggested marine cyanobacteria as a potential source of natural antifoulants for the control of fouling organisms.
Unsupervised image segementation by stochastic reconstruction

To segment complex and versatile image data from different modalities it is almost impossible to achieve satisfying results without the consideration of contextual information. In this approach, image segmentation is regarded as a high- dimensional optimization task, that can be solved by stochastical methods like evolutionary algorithms (EA). Initially, the iterative algorithm is provided with a set of good-quality sample segmentations. An efficient EA-based learning strategy generates a segmentation for a given target image from the provided samples. This two-level process consists of a global image-based optimization whose convergence is enhanced by locally operating pixel-based Boltzmann processes which restrict the search space to reasonable subsets. The stochastic reconstruction extracts the relevant information from the samples in order to adapt it onto the current segmentation problem, which results in a consistent labeling for the target image. The algorithm works unsupervised, because the range of possible labels and their contextual interpretation is provided implicitly by the sample segmentations. To prove the usefulness of the method experimental results based on both, reproducible phantom images and physiological NMR scans are presented. Moreover, an analysis of the basic segmentation and convergence properties is provided.
Brain Structural and Functional Substrates of Personal Distress in Empathy

Empathy is the capacity to understand and experience the feeling state of others. While individuals attribute negative empathic responses to their own feelings, they would endure personal distress that can be harmful to social interaction. However, the neural mechanism of personal distress remains unclear. Here, we examined the neural substrates of personal distress by combining structural (Voxel-based morphometry (VBM)) and functional (resting-state functional connectivity (FC) analysis) MRI approaches in 53 college students (aged 19–26). A negative correlation was found between a trait measure of personal distress and gray matter (GM) volume in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). FC analyses with the dmPFC as a seed further revealed that the connectivity between the dmPFC and posterior insula was positively correlated with the personal distress, and the connectivities between the dmPFC and the anterior middle cingulate cortex, left lateral frontal cortex, and left inferior parietal gyrus were negatively correlated with the personal distress. Our results suggested that personal distress is underlain by neural substrates associated with both cognitive and affective mechanisms. Taken together, the structural and functional correlates of personal distress revealed in the present findings shed new light into the understanding of empathy.
Evaluation of Trichoderma for Biological Control of Avocado Root Rot in Bark Medium Artificially Infested with Phytophthora cinnamomi

Trichoderma spp. isolated from avocado roots and rhizosphere soil as well as composted pine bark, were previously evaluated in vitro for antagonism against Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc). Eight Trichoderma isolates that overgrew and halted growth of Pc, were subsequently evaluated in the green house for biogical control of Phytophthora root rot of avocado seedlings grown in presterilised pine bark medium. Millet seed inoculum of Trichoderma harzianum (C4 & BB5) and T. hamatum (F56) significantly reduced root rot and stimulated root regeneration of seedlings. T. harzianum (BB5) isolated from pine bark, caused an increase in root mass of avocado seedlings grown in the absence of Pc. Pc populations were significantly reduced by T. harzianum (C4) and T. hamatum (F56), but not by T. harzianum (BB5).