Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactions Between Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Dopamine in the Rabbit Retina: Stimulation of a Common Adenylate Cyclase

Abstract: Although 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine, DA) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) have been reported to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in the rabbit retina, possible interactions between VIP‐sensitive and DA‐sensitive adenylate cyclase systems have not been previously investigated. To elucidate the interactions between these two putative transmitter‐stimulated cyclase systems, the effects of VIP, DA, and VIP + DA on the conversion of [α‐32P]ATP to [32P]cyclic AMP in rabbit retinal homogenates were measured. VIP stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in a biphasic manner, suggesting that two classes of VIP receptors may be involved in the induction of cyclic AMP formation. DA was less potent than VIP, and stimulated cyclase activity with a monophasic dose‐response curve. When assayed together, these stimulations were partially nonadditive, implying the existence of a common adenylate cyclase pool that may be stimulated by both putative neurotransmitters. The dopaminergic antagonist (+)‐butaclamol completely blocked dopaminergic stimulation, but had no significant effect on VIP‐induced stimulation. indicating that VIP interacts with specific VIP receptor sites, which are distinct from the dopaminergic receptor sites. Furthermore, the specific D‐2 dopaminergic receptor agonist LY141865 demonstrated no inhibitory effect on adenylate cyclase activity, suggesting that the interaction between the VIP‐ and DA‐sensitive adenylate cyclase systems does not result from a D‐2 receptor‐mediated cyclase inhibition in the rabbit retina. Finally, at maximally effective concentrations, DA and VIP were less potent than fluoride or forskolin in the stimulation of cyclic AMP formation, suggesting that adenylate cyclase pools that are not sensitive to DA and VIP may also be present in this retina. Our studies demonstrate the existence of several adenylate cyclase pools in the rabbit retina, at least one of which is sensitive to stimulation by both VIP and DA.
“At Risk” Women Who Think That They Have No Chance of Getting HIV: Self-Assessed Perceived Risks

ABSTRACT During the past two decades, a fair amount of inconclusive research has been conducted to examine the relationship between perceived risk of contracting HIV and actual HIV risk behavior practices. The present study examines HIV risk perceptions among a sample of 250 urban, economically-disadvantaged, primarily minority women. In particular, we focus on differences between those saying that they have no chance whatsoever of contracting HIV and those who indicated at least some possibility of becoming HIV-infected. Three research questions are addressed: (1) Are there differences between these groups attributable to their risk behavior practices? (2) To what extent do women who think that they are not at risk for HIV engage in risky behaviors that could expose them to HIV? (3) What are the most salient predictors of the women's perceived risk classification? Results showed that women perceiving themselves to have at least some HIV risk engaged in higher rates of risky behaviors than their counterparts who perceived themselves to have no possibility of contracting HIV. Despite this finding, more than one-half of the “no perceived risk of HIV” sample had engaged in at least one risky practice during the preceding year and more than one-quarter had engaged in at least two such behaviors. Age, childhood maltreatment experiences, self-esteem, number of HIV risk behaviors practiced, amount of illegal drug use reported, and number of times having sex were significant predictors of women's perception of having some HIV risk versus having no HIV risk.
Wasp predation and wasp-induced hatching of red-eyed treefrog eggs

Eggs often suffer high levels of predation and, compared with older animals, embryos have few options available for antipredator defence. None the less, hatchlings can escape from many predators to which eggs are vulnerable. I studied early hatching as an antipredator defence of red-eyed treefrog embryos, Agalychnis callidryas, in response to egg predation by social wasps (Polybia rejecta). Red-eyed treefrogs attach their eggs to vegetation overhanging water, where they are exposed to arboreal and aerial predators. Wasps attacked half the egg clutches and killed almost a quarter of the eggs I monitored at a natural breeding site in Panama. Hatching tadpoles fall into the water, where they face aquatic predators. As predicted from improved survival of older hatchlings with aquatic predators, most undisturbed eggs hatched relatively late. However, many younger embryos directly attacked by wasps hatched immediately. Embryos attacked by wasps hatched as much as a third younger than the peak undisturbed hatching age, and most hatching embryos escaped. Thus hatching is an effective defence against wasp predation, and plasticity in hatching stage allows embryos to balance risks from stage-specific egg and larval predators. Wasp-induced hatching is behaviourally similar to the snake-induced hatching previously described in A. callidryas, but occurs in fewer eggs at a time, congruent with the scale of the risk. Individual embryos hatch in response to wasps, which take single eggs, whereas whole clutches hatch in response to snakes, which consume entire clutches. Embryos of A. callidryas thus respond appropriately to graded variation in mortality risks. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
A review on method of stream data classification through tree based approach

Today, rapid growth in hardware technology has provided a means to generate huge volume of data continuously. Most of the real time data stream application such as network monitoring, stock market and URL filtering we found that the volume of data is so large that it may be impossible to store the data on disk. Furthermore, even if the data can be stored on the disk, the volume of the incoming data may be so large that it may be difficult to process any particular record more than once. These large volumes of data need to be mined for getting interesting patterns and relevant information out of it. Consequently, we need further enhanced technique for, data stream classification while dealing with various challenges which are not solved by traditional data mining methods such as large volume, concept drift, and concept evolution.
Inhibitory Phosphorylation Site for Rho-associated Kinase on Smooth Muscle Myosin Phosphatase*

It is clear from several studies that myosin phosphatase (MP) can be inhibited via a pathway that involves RhoA. However, the mechanism of inhibition is not established. These studies were carried out to test the hypothesis that Rho-kinase (Rho-associated kinase) via phosphorylation of the myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) inhibited MP activity and to identify relevant sites of phosphorylation. Phosphorylation by Rho-kinase inhibited MP activity and this reflected a decrease in V max. Activity of MP with different substrates also was inhibited by phosphorylation. Two major sites of phosphorylation on MYPT1 were Thr695 and Thr850. Various point mutations were designed for these phosphorylation sites. Following thiophosphorylation by Rho-kinase and assays of phosphatase activity it was determined that Thr695 was responsible for inhibition. A site- and phosphorylation-specific antibody was developed for the sequence flanking Thr695 and this recognized only phosphorylated Thr695 in both native and recombinant MYPT1. Using this antibody it was shown that stimulation of serum-starved Swiss 3T3 cells by lysophosphatidic acid, thought to activate RhoA pathways, induced an increase in Thr695 phosphorylation on MYPT1 and this effect was blocked by a Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y-27632. In summary, these results offer strong support for a physiological role of Rho-kinase in regulation of MP activity.
Fabrication of NbTiN/Al–AlNX/NbTiN Josephson Junctions for Superconducting Circuits Operating Around 10 K

We have fabricated NbTiN/Al-AlN<sub>X</sub>/NbTiN Josephson tunnel junctions on thermally oxidized Si substrates for their applications to single-flux-quantum circuits operating around 10 K. NbTiN films with a critical temperature T<sub>c</sub> of 14.2 K and a root-mean-square value of their surface roughness of 0.45 nm were used as junction electrodes. For a junction barrier, radical-nitrided AlN<sub>X</sub> was used to realize high uniformity in the critical current I<sub>c</sub> of the junctions. We obtained NbTiN junctions with a gap voltage Vg of 4.3 mV and an I<sub>c</sub>R<sub>n</sub>. product of 2.6 mV at 4.2 K, where R. is the junction resistance. The critical current density J<sub>c</sub>, at 4.2 K was obtained in the range between 0.2 and 6.2 kA/cm<sup>2</sup> by changing a nitridation time for the AlN<sub>X</sub> barrier formation. A series array of 200 junctions with an area of 10 μm × 10 μm exhibited a small I', spread, and the standard deviation 1-σ in I<sub>c</sub> uniformity was less than 1.6% in the temperature range between 4 K and 10 K.
Results of treatment with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine and highly active antiretroviral therapy in advanced stage, human immunodeficiency virus-related Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD) is considered the standard chemotherapy regimen for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), information on the results of this therapy in human immunodeficiency (HIV)-related HL is scarce. We analyzed the results of the ABVD regimen and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in patients with advanced stage, HIV-related HL. DESIGN AND METHODS From January 1996 to December 2005, 62 HIV-infected patients with newly diagnosed HL were treated in 15 Spanish hospitals. Six to eight cycles of ABVD and HAART were planned. Response to chemotherapy, overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were recorded. RESULTS The median age of the patients was 37 years (range, 24-61) and 29 (47%) had a previously known diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The median CD4 lymphocyte count at diagnosis was 129/muL (range 5-1,209). The histologic subtype of HL was nodular sclerosis in 17 patients (27%), mixed cellularity in 25 (41%), lymphocyte depletion in 10 (16%) and non-specified in the remaining 10 (16%). Twenty-one (34%) patients were in stage III and 41 (66%) in stage IV. The scheduled six to eight ABVD cycles were completed in 82% of cases. Six patients died during induction, 54 (87%) achieved a complete response (CR) and two were resistant. After a median follow-up of 39 and 47 months, 5-year EFS and OS probabilities were 71% (47-95) and 76% (65-87), respectively. An immunological response was observed in 24 out of 43 patients (56%) and a virological response in 27 out of 40 (68%). The immunological response to HAART had a positive impact on OS and EFS (p=0.002 and p=0.001, respectively). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS In patients with advanced stage, HIV-related HL, treatment with ABVD together with HAART is feasible and effective. This supports the concept that patients with HIV-related HL should be treated in the same way as immunocompetent patients if HAART, adequate supportive therapy and anti-infectious prophylaxis are given concomitantly. An immunological response to HAART has a positive impact on OS and EFS.
Relationships between Infectious Titer, Capsid Protein Levels, and Reverse Transcriptase Activities of Diverse Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Isolates

ABSTRACT Most studies on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication kinetics or fitness must rely on a particular assay to initially standardize inocula from virus stocks. The most accurate measure of infectious HIV-1 titers involves a limiting dilution-infection assay and a calculation of the dose required for 50% infectivity of susceptible cells in tissue culture (TCID50). Surrogate assays are now commonly used to measure the amount of p24 capsid, the endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT) activity, or the amount of viral genomic RNA in virus particles. However, a direct comparison of these surrogate assays and actual infectious HIV-1 titers from TCID50 assays has not been performed with even the most conserved laboratory strains, let alone the highly divergent primary HIV-1 isolates of different subtypes. This study indicates that endogenous RT activity, not p24 content or viral RNA load, is the best surrogate measure of infectious HIV-1 titer in both cell-free supernatants and viruses purified on sucrose cushions. Sequence variation between HIV-1 subtypes did not appear to affect the function or activity of the RT enzyme in this endogenous assay but did affect the detection of p24 capsid by both enzyme immunoassays and Western blots. Clear groupings of non-syncytium-inducing (NSI), CCR5-tropic (R5), and SI/CXCR4-tropic (X4) HIV-1 isolates were observed when we compared the slopes derived from correlations of RT activity with infectious titers. Finally, the replication efficiency or fitness of both the NSI/R5 and SI/X4 HIV-1 isolates was not linked to the titers of the virus stocks.
Learning collaborative teamwork: an argument for incorporating the humanities

Abstract A holistic, collaborative interprofessional team approach, which includes patients and families as significant decision-making members, has been proposed to address the increasing burden being placed on the health-care system. This project hypothesized that learning activities related to the humanities during clinical placements could enhance interprofessional teamwork. Through an interprofessional team of faculty, clinical staff, students, and patient representatives, we developed and piloted the self-learning module, “interprofessional education for collaborative person-centred practice through the humanities”. The module was designed to provide learners from different professions and educational levels with a clinical placement/residency experience that would enable them, through a lens of the humanities, to better understand interprofessional collaborative person-centred care without structured interprofessional placement activities. Learners reported the self-paced and self-directed module to be a satisfactory learning experience in all four areas of care at our institution, and certain attitudes and knowledge were significantly and positively affected. The module’s evaluation resulted in a revised edition providing improved structure and instruction for students with no experience in self-directed learning. The module was recently adapted into an interactive bilingual (French and English) online e-learning module to facilitate its integration into the pre-licensure curriculum at colleges and universities.
Repression of the LEAFY COTYLEDON 1/B3 Regulatory Network in Plant Embryo Development by VP1/ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3-LIKE B3 Genes1[C][W]

Plant embryo development is regulated by a network of transcription factors that include LEAFY COTYLEDON 1 (LEC1), LEC1-LIKE (L1L), and B3 domain factors, LEAFY COTYLEDON 2 (LEC2), FUSCA3 (FUS3), and ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Interactions of these genes result in temporal progression of overlapping B3 gene expression culminating in maturation and desiccation of the seed. Three VP1/ABI3-LIKE (VAL) genes encode B3 proteins that include plant homeodomain-like and CW domains associated with chromatin factors. Whereas val monogenic mutants have phenotypes similar to wild type, val1 val2 double-mutant seedlings form no leaves and develop embryo-like proliferations in root and apical meristem regions. In a val1 background, val2 and val3 condition a dominant variegated leaf phenotype revealing a VAL function in vegetative development. Reminiscent of the pickle (pkl) mutant, inhibition of gibberellin biosynthesis during germination induces embryonic phenotypes in val1 seedlings. Consistent with the embryonic seedling phenotype, LEC1, L1L, ABI3, and FUS3 are up-regulated in val1 val2 seedlings in association with a global shift in gene expression to a profile resembling late-torpedo-stage embryogenesis. Hence, VAL factors function as global repressors of the LEC1/B3 gene system. The consensus binding site of the ABI3/FUS3/LEC2 B3 DNA-binding domain (Sph/RY) is strongly enriched in the promoters and first introns of VAL-repressed genes, including the early acting LEC1 and L1L genes. We suggest that VAL targets Sph/RY-containing genes in the network for chromatin-mediated repression in conjunction with the PKL-related CHD3 chromatin-remodeling factors.
Community‐Acquired Meningitis in HIV‐Infected Patients in the United States

&NA; We conducted a retrospective study of 549 adults admitted with community‐acquired meningitis (CAM) to several hospitals in New Orleans, LA and Houston, TX between 1999 and 2014 to characterize the current epidemiology, clinical manifestations, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics, and outcomes of CAM between HIV‐infected and uninfected patients and to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes in CAM. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to identify prognostic factors. A total of 1022 patients with CAM were screened. Only 549 (53.7%) subjects had an HIV test and were included in the study. Of those, 138 (25%) had HIV infection. HIV‐infected patients presented with less meningeal symptoms (headache, neck stiffness, and Kernig sign), but with higher rates of hypoglycorrhachia, elevated CSF protein, and an abnormal cranial imaging (p < 0.05). More than 50% of all the patients had an unknown etiology. Cryptococcal meningitis was the most common identified etiology of CAM in HIV‐infected patients followed by neurosyphilis and varicella‐zoster virus (VZV). Viral and bacterial etiologies were the most frequent etiologies in non‐HIV‐infected patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common bacterial pathogen in both groups, but it was rare overall (2%). Adverse clinical outcomes were similar in both groups (27% vs. 24%). Logistic regression identified hypoglycorrhachia and an abnormal neurological examination as independent predictor factors of worse outcome in all patients with meningitis. Our results demonstrate that the etiology, clinical presentation, and CSF findings differ between HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected adults with CAM, but clinical outcomes are similar.
Use of hormone therapy and risk of breast cancer detected at screening and between mammographic screens

Postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, but in women undergoing breast cancer screening it is not clear whether use of HT is associated with increased risk of breast cancer detected at screening or between screens (interval cancer). Further, it is unclear whether the use of the HTs that have been common in Scandinavia is associated with higher risk of breast cancer than the HTs used in other countries. Our study was based on data from 296,651 women aged 50–69 years, who participated in the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program during 1995–2004. After a mean enrollment time of 3.8 years, 1,512 women were diagnosed with invasive screen detected breast cancer, and 814 with invasive interval breast cancer. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of breast cancer associated with HT use, after adjusting for confounders. Ever users of HT had a 58% increased risk of breast cancer, compared to never users. The HRs associated with HT use were 1.45 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29–1.63) for screen detected and 1.89 (95% CI = 1.61–2.23) for interval cancer. The difference between screen detected and interval cancer was statistically significant (p = 0.011). The HR of breast cancer increased with duration of HT use, but significantly more so for interval than for screen detected cancer (use of HT for 5 or more years compared to never use; HR = 2.91, 95% CI = 2.10–4.04 and HR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.51–2.50, respectively; p = 0.002). The population attributable fraction of breast cancer due to HT use was 19.8% overall. Ever users of HT tended to develop a cancer of lower grade. No other differences in histological tumor characteristics were observed between ever and never users of HT among screen detected or interval cancers. The estimated risks of either breast cancer overall with HT use are higher in Norway than reported in similar studies from the U.S. HT‐use is a stronger risk factor for interval cancer than for screen detected cancer. The increased risk of interval cancer, which may partly be due to decreased sensitivity of mammograms in HT users, remains a challenge in breast cancer screening programs. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Power Oscillations Damping in DC Microgrids

This paper proposes a new control strategy for damping of power oscillations in a multisource dc microgrid. A parallel combination of a fuel cell (FC), a photovoltaic system, and a supercapacitor (SC) is used as a hybrid power conversion system (HPCS). The SC compensates for the slow transient response of the FC stack. The HPCS controller comprises a multiloop voltage controller and a virtual impedance loop for power management. The virtual impedance loop uses a dynamic droop gain to actively damp the low-frequency oscillations of the power sharing control unit. The gain of the virtual impedance loop is determined using a small-signal analysis and the pole placement method. The Mesh analysis is employed to further study the stability of low-frequency modes of the overall dc microgrid. Moreover, based on the guardian map theorem, a robust stability analysis is carried out to determine a robustness margin for the closed-loop system. The main advantage of the proposed method is its robustness against uncertainties imposed by microgrid parameters. This feature provides DG units with plug-and-play capability without needing the exact values of microgrid parameters. The performance of the proposed control scheme is verified using hardware-in-the-loop simulations carried out in OPAL-RT technologies.
Cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoke exposure and pancreatic cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Cigarette smoking is an established risk factor for pancreatic cancer. However, prospective data for most European countries are lacking, and epidemiologic studies on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in relation to pancreatic cancer risk are scarce. We examined the association of cigarette smoking and exposure to ETS with pancreatic cancer risk within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This analysis was based on 465,910 participants, including 524 first incident pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed after a median follow‐up of 8.9 years. Estimates of risk were obtained by Cox proportional hazard models and adjusted for weight, height, and history of diabetes mellitus. An increased risk of pancreatic cancer was found for current cigarette smokers compared with never smokers (HR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.36–2.15), and risk increased with greater intensity and pack‐years. Former cigarette smokers who quit for less than 5 years were at increased risk of pancreatic cancer (HR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.23–2.56), but risk was comparable to never smokers after quitting for 5 years or more. Pancreatic cancer risk was increased among never smokers daily exposed to ETS (for many hours) during childhood (HR = 2.61, 95% CI = 0.96–7.10) and exposed to ETS at home and/or work (HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.00–2.39). These results suggest that both active cigarette smoking, as well as exposure to ETS, is associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer and that risk is reduced to levels of never smokers within 5 years of quitting.