Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrodynamic injection of viral DNA: A mouse model of acute hepatitis B virus infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a prototype for liver-specific pathogens in which the failure of the immune system to mount an effective response leads to chronic infection. Our understanding of the immune response to HBV is incomplete, largely due to the narrow host restriction of this pathogen and the limitations of existing experimental models. We have developed a murine model for studying human HBV replication, immunogenicity, and control. After transfection of hepatocytes in vivo with a replication-competent, over-length, linear HBV genome, viral antigens and replicative intermediates were synthesized and virus was secreted into the blood. Viral antigens disappeared from the blood as early as 7 days after transfection, coincident with the appearance of antiviral antibodies. HBV transcripts and replicative intermediates disappeared from the liver by day 15, after the appearance of antiviral CD8 + T cells. In contrast, the virus persisted for at least 81 days after transfection of NOD/Scid mice, which lack functional T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Thus, the outcome of hydrodynamic transfection of HBV depends on the host immune response, as it is during a natural infection. The methods we describe will allow the examination of viral dynamics in a tightly controlled in vivo system, the application of mutagenesis methods to the study of the HBV life cycle in vivo, and the dissection of the immune response to HBV using genetically modified mice whose immunoregulatory and immune effector functions have been deleted or overexpressed. In addition, this methodology represents a prototype for the study of other known and to-be-discovered liver-specific pathogens.
Movie reviews : do words add up to a sentiment ?

Sentiment analysis, the automatic extraction of opinion from text, has been enjoying some attention in the media during the national elections. In this thesis, we will discuss the classification of movie reviews as ’thumbs up’ or ’thumbs down’. Movie reviews are interesting and difficult because of the wide range of topics in movies. The reviews are HTML web pages, which poses an interesting challenge for preprocessing and noise removal. We describe the reviews as ’bags of words’ and use support vector machines (SVMs) for classification, as well as transductive support vector machines, which require less training data. To model topics in the reviews, a latent semantic analysis (LSA) was done on a large set of movie reviews. The results show that it is hard to improve SVM performance with latent semantic analysis. The discussion of the results provide some insights into why no performance increase was achieved.
Effect of Information Revelation Policies : A Game-Theoretic Analysis

Geographically dispersed sellers in electronic reverse-marketplaces such as those hosted by Freemarkets are uncertain about the number of competitors they face in any given market-session. Over the course of several market-sessions they learn about the competitive nature of the marketplace. How sellers learn to reduce the market-structure uncertainty depends on the market-transparency scheme, or therevelation policyadopted. A revelation policy determines the extent to which information such as the number of sellers in a session, their bidding patterns, etc are revealed to sellers. Since these policies control what sellers learn and how they bid in future sessions, these policies are a determinant of buyer surplus. Before the advent of the Internet, these revelation policies were not feasible, and studying the impact of these policies was irrelevant. Currently, there is little guidance available to buyers in choosing the appropriate information revelation policy. To address this IT-enabled problem, we use game-theory to compare the buyer surplus generated under a set of revelation policies commonly used in electronic reverse marketplaces. We find that the policy that generates the least amount of market structure uncertainty for the sellers maximizes buyer surplus. This contradicts the traditional view that under uncertainty, sellers are worse off and buyers are better off. We investigate this apparent anomaly by comparing the behavior of sellers under market structure uncertainty to that under a framework where sellers are uncertain about their own costs. Based on our analysis, we find that it is the nature of the uncertainty, not the mere presence of uncertainty, that impacts buyer surplus. Acknowledgements: This work was funded in part by NSF CISE/IIS/KDI 9873005 and NSF IIS/0118767.
The Ahmose ‘Tempest Stela’, Thera and Comparative Chronology

In 1994, the Aegeanist Karen Polinger Foster brought to my attention a presentation delivered by Ellen Davis five years previously. Within her lecture, Davis had introduced the evidence of a unique Egyptian stela into the complex discussions regarding the absolute date of the volcanic eruption at Thera (Santorini). 1 Karen’s question to me was fairly simple: was there anything in the wording of the stela that could justify a link with the Thera event? After reviewing the Davis article and the edited text of the stela, I became convinced that the possibility existed, particularly since the text as translated intentionally suppressed its most striking phraseology. Previously published for an Egyptological audience by Claude Vandersleyen, the fragmentary stela recounts the devastations and reconstructions resulting from an extraordinary cataclysm in early Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt.2 While storms can be noted in
Modeling and Analysis of a Spatial Compliant Hexapod

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in legged locomotion, primarily due to the realization that wheeled locomotion has inherent limitations on unstructured environments. The use of legs, adopted by many animals and insects who need to locomote over a wide range of di erent terrain conditions, seems to be the most natural and e ective solution to the problem. In this context, we believe that the analysis and understanding of the principles behind legged locomotion, followed by experimental veri cation of the results is essential.
Synchronization of Line-Start Permanent-Magnet AC Motors

The line-start permanent magnet ac motor has already been demonstrated to have significantly lower losses than comparable high-efficiency induction motors in low integral-horsepower sizes. Studies have shown that high power factors are also obtainable in PM motors, and that for many applications the magnet cost can be recovered in energy cost savings in a relatively short period, particularly when the duty factor is high. This paper complements earlier publications on the PM line-start motor, and describes the starting process in more detail. The synchronizing capability, which is measured by the critical combination of inertia and load torque which the motor will just synchronize, is inherently higher than that of the synchronous reluctance motor. The reasons for this are outlined in the paper.
Ultrawideband (UWB) RF Signal Source

Ultrawideband (UWB) has drawn the interest among the research and wireless communication communities due to its configurability and adaptability, which enables it to coexist with many concurrent services. There are currently various mobile communication standards in use worldwide. The mobile communication industry is under transition phase and experiencing a shift from single system connectivity to multi-system connectivity. The objective is to communicate over varying distances using varying bit rates with a high-speed data and coverage. One of the challenging blocks to design in such transreceiver is the multi-standard low noise ultrawideband (UWB) RF signal source (VCOs) that can provide seamless connectivity among the various standards considered. The VCOs design approach demonstrated in this work can satisfy the present demand of tuning range and noise performance, and reconfigurable for integration in chip form. The measured phase noise is better than -112 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset over the tuning range (0.5-2 GHz/2-8 GHz), and to our knowledge this is the best phase noise and highest tuning band of operation using N-push topology with discrete components so far reported
Diversitäre Programmierung: Kein Allheilmittel

Fehlerfreie Programme sind ein hohes und ab einer bestimmten Komplexität unerreichbares Ziel. Flüchtigkeitsfehler beim Programmieren stören. Noch gefährlicher sind allerdings solche Fehler, die beim Programmieren nahezu zwangsläufig auftreten. Offensichtlich gibt es Fehler, zu denen Programmierer neigen. Es sind Fehler, die auf Verhaltensweisen und Denkgewohnheiten zurückzufuhren sind, die in anderen Zusammenhängen und Situationen durchaus Vorteile bieten. Der Programmierer fällt herein, so wie jedermann zum Beispiel den optischen Täuschungen erliegt. Diese Art von Programmierfehlern ist es, die den Nutzen der diversitären Programmierung begrenzt. Die Diversität ist nur dann wirksam, wenn es gelingt, diese Fehler bereits in der Entwicklungsphase weitgehend auszuschließen.
The Influence of Prophylactic Orthoses on Abdominal Strength and Low Back Injury in the Workplace

This study was designed to determine the effect of multimodal intervention and the prevention of back injury, and to evaluate the adverse side effects of using a lumbosacral corset in the workplace. Subjects were 90 male warehouse workers randomly selected from over 800 employees at a grocery distribution center. Subjects were assigned to three groups: true controls, no back school, no brace orthoses; back school only; and back school plus wearing a custom molded lumbosacral orthosis. Comparisons of pre-testing and 6-month follow-up posttesting for abdominal strength, cognitive data, work injury incidence and productivity and use of health care services were evaluated. Controls and training-only group showed no changes in strength productivity or lost time. Orthoses and training-group showed no changes in strength productivity or accident rate; however, they showed substantially less lost time. This study supports the concept of using education and prophylactic bracing to prevent back injury and reduce time loss. It appears that the use of intermittent prophylactic bracing has no adverse affects on abdominal muscle strength and may contribute to decreased lost time from work injuries.
Intermediate Filaments as a Target of Signaling Mechanisms in Neurotoxicity

In this chapter, we deal with the current knowledge and important results on the cyto‐ skeletal proteins and their differential regulation by kinases/phosphatases and Ca 2+ ‐ mediated mechanisms in developmental rat brain. We focus on the misregulation of the phosphorylating system associated with intermediate filament proteins of neural cells and its relevance to cell and tissue dysfunction. Taking into account our findings, we propose that intermediate‐filament proteins are dynamic structures whose regulation is crucial for proper neural cell function. Given their relevance, they must be regulated in response to extracellular and intracellular signals. The complexity and connection between signaling pathways regulating intermediate‐filament dynamics remain obscure. In this chapter, we get light into some kinase/phosphatase cascades downstream of membrane receptors disrupting the dynamics of intermediate filaments and its associa ‐ tion with neural dysfunction. However, intermediate filaments do not act individually into the neural cells. Our results evidence the importance of misregulated cytoskeletal crosstalk in disrupting cytoskeletal dynamics and cell morphology underlying neural dysfunction in experimental conditions mimicking metabolic diseases and nongenomic actions of thyroid hormones and as an end point in the neurotoxicity of organic tellurium. are only partially as in acute brain slices.
Decreased 5' nucleotidase activity in lymphocytes from asymptomatic sexually active homosexual men and patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

5' Nucleotidase (5'NT) is an ectoenzyme associated with the plasma membrane of most mammalian cells. Low 5'NT activity has been observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with immunodeficiency states. 5'NT activity was measured in null and T-enriched lymphocytes from asymptomatic homosexual men and from 20 men with various degrees of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Asymptomatic homosexuals were self-referred because of their concern about AIDS and were not necessarily representative of homosexuals in the general population. Enzyme activity was significantly decreased in both null (7.0 +/- 2.4 nmol/10(6) cells/h) and T-enriched (12.0 +/- 6.0 nmol/10(6) cells/h) lymphocytes in homosexuals as compared to lymphocytes from aged-matched heterosexual male and female controls (null = 10.8 +/- 6.5 and T = 22.3 +/- 10.6, P less than .0001 and .008, respectively). Decreased activity was present regardless of whether the patients were asymptomatic, had prodromal symptoms such as fever, lymph node enlargement, weight loss and diarrhea, or had opportunistic infections or Kaposi's sarcoma. Homosexuals had a significantly higher fraction of lymphocytes expressing the activation antigens T10 (20% +/- 3.3%) and Ia (13% +/- 2.9%) than controls (11% +/- 1.8% and 5% +/- 0.8%, respectively, P less than .05). They also had a significantly lower fraction of OKT4-positive helper lymphocytes than controls (22% +/- 3.4% v 35% +/- 2.2%, P less than .05). 5'NT activity in lymphocytes enriched for null cells from homosexuals correlated inversely with the percentage of Ia-positive lymphocytes (r = -.655; P less than .02). There was no correlation between 5'NT activity and the percentage of T4- or T8-positive lymphocytes or the T4/T8 ratio. Moreover, 5'NT activity was significantly decreased in both OKT4 (P less than .025) and OKT8 (P less than .05) enriched lymphocytes in homosexuals compared to controls. The data suggest that decreases in 5'NT may be a generalized defect of the peripheral blood T lymphocytes from active homosexuals that is independent of increases or decreases in specific T subpopulations or clinical status. It may contribute to the pathogenesis of AIDS.
Ionotropic glutamate receptors in paraventricular nucleus mediate adipose afferent reflex and regulate sympathetic outflow in rats

Chemical stimulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) induces adipose afferent reflex (AAR) and results in increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). The enhanced AAR contributes to sympathetic activation and hypertension in obesity rats. This study was designed to investigate whether N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors (NMDAR) and non‐NMDAR in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) modulate AAR and sympathetic outflow.
Pressure Induced Isenthalpic Oscillations with Condensation and Evaporation in Saturated Two-Phase Fluids

Saturated two-phase fluid flows are often subject to pressure induced oscillations. Due to compressibility the vapor bubbles act as a spring with an asymmetric non-linear characteristic. The volume of the vapor bubbles increases or decreases differently if the pressure fluctuations are compressing or expanding; consequently, compressing pressure fluctuations in a two-phase pipe flow cause less displacement in the direction of the pipe flow than expanding pressure fluctuations. The displacement depends on the ratio of liquid to vapor, the ratio of pressure fluctuations over average pressure and on the exciting frequency of the pressure fluctuations. In addition, pressure fluctuations in saturated vapor bubbles cause condensation and evaporation within the bubbles and change periodically the ratio between liquid to vapor, and influence the dynamical parameters for the oscillation. The oscillations are conforming to an isenthalpic process at constant enthalpy with no heat transfer and no exchange of work. The paper describes the governing non-linear equation for twophase fluid oscillations with condensation and evaporation, and presents steady state approximate solutions for free and for pressure induced oscillations. Resonance criteria and stability are discussed. Keywords—condensation, evaporation, non-linear oscillations, pressure induced, two-phase flow
Superstability of linear switched systems

This paper applies the concept of superstability to switched linear systems as a particular case of linear time-varying systems. A generalised concept of superstability, applied to complex matrices, and extended superstability, is introduced in order to obtain a new result for guaranteeing the asymptotic stability of a switched system under arbitrary switching. The relation between extended superstable and stable simultaneously triangularizable sets of matrices is also discussed. It is shown that stable triangularizable matrices are a proper subset of extended superstable ones, pointing out that the presented stability result is a generalisation of the previous well-known stability theorems to a broader class of switched dynamical systems.
Obesity--the inevitable penalty of civilisation?

The modern inhabitants of 17th century cottages are reminded of the way in which the human form has changed every time they hit their head on a beam or stoop to pass through a doorway. The secular changes in the height of the Japanese over the past 50 years are an accelerated version of the same phenomenon. These are changes that we accept as being permanent and natural. We talk of 'reaching our genetic potential' in response to better nutrition, and view the changes as beneficial, since height is positively associated with health and social status. Are we now on the verge of another anthropometric transition — this time in weight? The evidence suggests that we are, but that this time the trend will be far from beneficial. Data stretching back to the turn of the century show that the average body mass index (BMI = weight (kg)/height x height (m)2) has increased steadily in the UK (where the best data are available) and other affluent countries. Such changes are graphically illustrated by the fact that Boeing's aeroplane designers have had to increase the assumed weight of each passenger by over 20 pounds since their first airliners took to the skies. Designers of clothes, and beds and chairs and cars, are all acknowledging that this increase in girth is not a temporary deviation in the statistics; it is here to stay and shows every sign of accelerating rapidly. If left unchecked the future effects on society could be profound. In this book, Gill quotes Rose's statistical demonstration that when the mean weight of a population rises there comes a point when there is a sudden and disproportionate rise in the number of people who are seriously obese. The US passed this critical point some years ago and now has subgroups of the population (black, Hispanic and midAmerican women) in whom the prevalence of clinical obesity exceeds 50%. Overseas visitors to the US will have no difficulty in reconciling these statistics with their own personal impressions, and will be struck by the massive, debilitating obesity that afflicts so many. The chapter by Seidell and Flegal shows that other affluent nations are close on the heels of the US, and that developing nations have no room for complacency especially among the urban rich. In these days of political correctness, the gloomy tone of these predictions may appear hostile to the many self-help and self-protective organisations such as NAAFA (the North American Association for Fatness Acceptance) whose view is that the risks of obesity, and the
Bayes statistical analysis of Burr XII distribution in random censoring life test

Bayesian estimation of the parameter reliability and failure rate for Burr XII distribution are discussed based on the random censoring sample in this paper. Based on the parameter for discrete random variable, a continuous random variable for estimation is obtained under squared error loss and LINEX loss function. The estimation results are compared with the results of Monte Carlo simulation.
Measles Virus-Specific CD4 T-Cell Activity Does Not Correlate with Protection against Lung Infection or Viral Clearance

ABSTRACT Acute measles in children can be prevented by immunization with the live attenuated measles vaccine virus. Although immunization is able to induce CD4 and CD8 T cells as well as neutralizing antibodies, only the latter have been correlated with protective immunity. CD8 T cells, however, have been documented to be important in viral clearance in the respiratory tract, whereas CD4 T cells have been shown to be protective in a mouse encephalitis model. In order to investigate the CD4 T-cell response in infection of the respiratory tract, we have defined a T-cell epitope in the hemagglutinin (H) protein for immunization and developed a monoclonal antibody for depletion of CD4 T cells in the cotton rat model. Although the kinetics of CD4 T-cell development correlated with clearance of virus, the depletion of CD4 T cells during the primary infection did not influence viral titers in lung tissue. Immunization with the H epitope induced a CD4 T-cell response but did not protect against infection. Immunization in the presence of maternal antibodies resulted in the development of a CD4 T-cell response which (in the absence of neutralizing antibodies) did not protect against infection. In summary, CD4 T cells do not seem to protect against infection after immunization and do not participate in clearance of virus infection from lung tissue during measles virus infection. We speculate that the major role of CD4 T cells is to control and clear virus infection from other affected organs like the brain.
Evolution, the Key to Understand Life. Recent Research fromLatin America

La vision del mundo en el oscurantismo (Edad Media) no podria ser mas monotona. La version establecida era que el mundo habia sido creado por una entidad divina y las opiniones divergentes se consideraban una herejia y enfrentaban la fuerte oposicion de la Iglesia. Todo cambio con la publicacion, en 1859, de la obra precursora de Charles Darwin, El origen de las especies. La naturaleza no fue creada para servirnos; la especie humana, mas bien, fue solo una mas en una multitud de otras entidades biologicas. A esta revolucion darwiniana le siguieron otras en el siglo subsiguiente y el siguiente medio siglo, las cuales implicaron: a) la sintesis evolutiva moderna, b) la dilucidacion de la estructura del material genetico; c) las tecnicas de manipulacion del adn y d) la bioinformatica y la nanotecnologia. El medio siglo de investigaciones de nuestro grupo continuo con estos cambios, entre los mas recientes se incluyen algunos de los ejemplos que se describen a continuacion: 1. comparaciones entre los genomas arcaicos y modernos, 2. Enfoques genomicos para la historia amerindia y 3. Interacciones entre los genes y la cultura con rasgos especificos. La tecnica molecular y la bioinformatica nos permiten tener una vista detallada de nuestro pasado asi como una mejor comprension de nuestro presente y de las condiciones que predicen mejor nuestro futuro.
Adaptive Friction Compensation in Robot Manipulators: Low Velocities

This article analyzes the problem of modeling and compensation of friction at velocities close to zero. A new model, linear in parameters, which captures the downward bends at low velocity is used to adoptively compensate for friction. The need for this type of model is mainly motivated by instability phenomena that can be caused by overcompensation when simple models (such as Coulomb friction models) are used as a basis for the friction compensation. This model, in combination with an adaptive computed torque method, was tested experimentally in a robot manipulator.