Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vicriviroc: a CCR5 antagonist for treatment-experienced patients with HIV-1 infection

Background: Despite the availability of 31 antiretroviral agents or fixed-dose combinations in the United States and European Union, there is a continuing need for antiretroviral agents with high genetic barriers to resistance, simple dosing schedules, and favorable tolerability and safety profiles. Vicriviroc is a small-molecule chemokine receptor antagonist that inhibits the binding of R5-tropic HIV-1 to host cells at the CCR5 co-receptor, thus preventing viral entry. Objective: To present an evidence-based assessment of the clinical efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and safety profile of vicriviroc. Method: We discuss available peer-reviewed publications as well as preliminary data presented at relevant scientific meetings. Results/conclusions: Vicriviroc has a favorable pharmacokinetic profile with a half-life that enables once-daily dosing. Minimal drug interactions have been demonstrated with other available antiretrovirals. Early clinical trials have established the safety of vicriviroc in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced R5-tropic HIV-1 infected individuals. A Phase II study in treatment-experienced patients demonstrated early efficacy of 30 mg vicriviroc in a regimen containing a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r). Phase III studies using the 30-mg PI/r dosing paradigm in R5-tropic treatment-experienced patients have completed 48 weeks, but data are not yet available. These results will further elucidate the role of vicriviroc in the treatment of HIV-1 infected individuals.
Optimisation du système de 3DTV basé sur la technique d'imagerie intégrale. (Optimization of 3D TV Based on Integral Imaging Technology)

Cette these vise a lever les verrous freinant l'application de l'Imagerie Integrale aux systemes de 3DTV. L'objectif de cette these est de proposer des solutions pour ameliorer l'experience 3D des spectateurs dans les systemes d'Imagerie Integrale. Contrairement aux systemes traditionnels bases sur la stereoscopie, qui simulent la perception 3D humaine en transmettant des images differentes a chaque oeil, l'Imagerie Integrale permet la generation de vraies images 3D en reproduisant les rayons lumineux de la scene 3D. Cette these porte sur les questions difficiles qui empechent le systeme d'imagerie integrale d'afficher la 3DTV de haute qualite, fournit la formulation des problemes et les solutions correspondantes qui ameliorent l'experience 3D du spectateur selon trois axes. Dans la premiere partie, nous avons propose et demontre une nouvelle methode de CIIG pour controler l'intervalle de profondeur et elargir le champ visuel du systeme CII (imagerie integrale) traditionnel. Deux principales contributions ont ete fournies dans notre systeme de generation. Premierement, le deplacement des cameras virtuelles pour rendre chaque concentration de sous-image dans la meme zone peut enregistrer un objet 3D lointain avec une resolution plus elevee. Deuxiemement, le changement de direction de chaque EI (image element) ameliore le champ visuel pour le spectateur. La seconde partie aborde les questions de compression de l'image integrale. Trois nouvelles methodes de compression sont proposees. La premiere methode est basee sur la technique du codage video multi-vue (MVC). La deuxieme methode de compression est inspiree par la representation Multi-View-plus-Depth (MVD). Outre les approches de compression basees sur MVC et MVD, nous avons egalement considere l'application de la transformee en ondelettes discrete (DWT) pour la compression de l'image integrale. Enfin, nous etudierons le processus de CIIR (reconstruction d'image integrale). Dans cette these, deux nouvelles approches seront proposees et testees pour ameliorer la performance de CIIR. La premiere methode s'appuie sur la technique de projection en groupes paralleles (PGP). La seconde conception vise a augmenter la resolution de l'image elementaire (EI) afin d'ameliorer la qualite de l'image 3D reconstruite.
Activation of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products Triggers a p21 ras -dependent Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway Regulated by Oxidant Stress*

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) exert their cellular effects on cells by interacting with specific cellular receptors, the best characterized of which is the receptor for AGE (RAGE). The transductional processes by which RAGE ligation transmits signals to the nuclei of cells is unknown and was investigated. AGE-albumin, a prototypic ligand, activated p21 ras in rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells that express RAGE, whereas nonglycated albumin was without effect. MAP kinase activity was enhanced at concentrations of AGE-albumin, which activated p21 ras and NF-κB. Depletion of intracellular glutathione rendered cells more sensitive to AGE-mediated activation of this signaling pathway. In contrast, signaling was blocked by preventing p21 ras from associating with the plasma membrane or mutating Cys118 on p21 ras to Ser. Signaling was receptor-dependent, because it was prevented by blocking access to RAGE with either anti-RAGE IgG or by excess soluble RAGE. These data suggest that RAGE-mediated induction of cellular oxidant stress triggers a cascade of intracellular signals involving p21 ras and MAP kinase, culminating in transcription factor activation. The molecular mechanism that triggers this pathway likely involves oxidant modification and activation of p21 ras .
Optically active trans‐2‐aminocyclopentanols: Chemoenzymatic preparation and application as chiral ligands

Optically active trans‐2‐(N,N‐dialkylamino)cyclopentanols and their acetates derivatives were obtained with very good chemical yields and enantiomeric excesses (95–≥99%), through a chemoenzymatic methodology based on the lipase‐catalyzed acylation of the hydroxyl group. The utility of these compounds was shown by the preparation of the cyclopentylic analog of vesamicol and by their use as ligands in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde.
Improvement of transgenic cloning efficiencies by culturing recipient oocytes and donor cells with antioxidant vitamins in cattle

The present study was conducted to investigate effects of antioxidants during maturation culture of recipient oocytes and/or culture of gene‐transfected donor cells on the meiotic competence of recipient oocytes, and the developmental competence and quality of the reconstructed embryos after nuclear transfer (NT) in cattle. Gene‐transfected donor cells had negative effects on the proportions of blastocyst formation, total cell numbers, and DNA fragmentation indices of reconstructed embryos. Supplementation of either vitamin E (α‐tocopherol: 100 µM) or vitamin C (ascorbic acid: 100 µM) during maturation culture significantly enhanced the cytoplasmic maturation of oocytes and subsequent development of embryos reconstructed with the oocytes and gene‐transfected donor cells, but did not have synergistic effects. The supplementation of vitamin E during maturation culture of recipient oocytes increased the proportions of fusion and blastocyst formation of gene‐transfected NT embryos, in which the proportions were similar to those of nontransfected NT embryos. When the gene‐transfected donor cells that had been cultured with 0, 50, or 100 µM of vitamin E were transferred into recipient oocytes matured with vitamin E (100 µM), 50 µM of vitamin E increased the proportion of blastocyst formation and reduced the index of DNA fragmentation of blastocysts. In conclusion, gene‐transfected donor cells have negatively influenced the NT outcome. Supplementation of vitamin E during both recipient oocyte maturation and donor cell culture enhanced the blastocyst formation and efficiently blocked DNA damage in transgenic NT embryos. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 694–702, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Swimming Mammaliaform from the Middle Jurassic and Ecomorphological Diversification of Early Mammals

A docodontan mammaliaform from the Middle Jurassic of China possesses swimming and burrowing skeletal adaptations and some dental features for aquatic feeding. It is the most primitive taxon in the mammalian lineage known to have fur and has a broad, flattened, partly scaly tail analogous to that of modern beavers. We infer that docodontans were semiaquatic, convergent to the modern platypus and many Cenozoic placentals. This fossil demonstrates that some mammaliaforms, or proximal relatives to modern mammals, developed diverse locomotory and feeding adaptations and were ecomorphologically different from the majority of generalized small terrestrial Mesozoic mammalian insectivores.
CSP Search with Responsibility Sets and Kernels

We introduce data structures called responsibility set and kernel. We present an algorithm FCRK, which is a modification of FC that maintains these structures and uses them for pruning of the search space. According to our experimental evaluation, FC-RK outperforms FC-CBJ on constraint networks encoding graph k-coloring instances and on non-dense random binary constraint networks.
Two-Dimensional Tunnel Transistors Based on ${\rm Bi}_{2}{\rm Se}_{3}$ Thin Film

A planar 2-D tunnel field-effect transistor based on Bi2Se3 thin film is proposed and simulated self-consistently via 2-D Poisson equation and a two-band transport model within the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. A 2-quintuple layer Bi2Se3 thin film with a thickness of 1.4 nm and bandgap of 0.252 eV is used as channel material. We show that with high source/drain doping and drain underlap, the proposed device can work for ultralow power applications (supply voltage of 0.2 V), showing an ON/OFF current ratio of 104, and a dynamic power indicator 10 times lower than CMOS technology with comparable dimensions.
Mammalian centromeres: DNA sequence, protein composition, and role in cell cycle progression.

The centromere is a specialized region of the eukaryotic chromosome that is responsible for directing chromosome movements in mitosis and for coordinating the progression of mitotic events at the crucial transition between metaphase and anaphase. In this review, we will focus on recent advances in the understanding of centromere composition at the protein and DNA level and of the role of centromeres in sister-chromatid cohesion and mitotic checkpoint control.
Fibronectin promotes the elongation of microvessels during angiogenesis in vitro

Fibronectin is a component of the extracellular matrix of developing microvessels whose role in angiogensis is poorly understood. This study evaluated the effect of plasma fibronectin on angiogenesis in serum‐free collagen gel culture of rat aorta. Aortic explants embedded in collagen gels generated microvascular outgrowths. Fibronectin incorporated in the collagen gel promoted a selective dose‐dependent elongation of the newly formed microvessels without stimulating vascular proliferation. The fibronectin‐treated microvessels were longer due to a proportional increase in the number of microvascular cells. However, fibronectin had no effect on microvascular DNA synthesis and mitotic activity. Fibronectin stimulated microvascular length also in cultures in which mitotic activity was suppressed and angiogenesis was markedly reduced by pretreating the aortic explants with mitomycin C. The synthetic peptide Gly‐Arg‐Asp‐(GRGDS), which competes for the binding of fibronectin to its cell receptors and inhibits the adhesion of endothelial cells to substrates, arrested the elongation of developing microvessels causing regression and inhibition of angiogenesis. Conversely, Gly‐Arg‐Glu‐(GRGES), which lacks the RGD sequence, had no inhibitory effect. These data support the hypothesis that fibronectin promotes angiogenesis and suggest that developing microvessels elongate in response to fibronectin as a result of an adhesion‐dependent migratory recruitment of endothelial cells that does not require increased cell proliferation. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The influence of tumor volume and the degree of heating on the response of the solid Yoshida sarcoma to hyperthermia (40-42 degrees).

The solid Yoshida sarcoma implanted on the feet of rats was subjected to local hyperthermia by water bath immersion. Tumor response was governed by the temperature and duration of heating (i.e., the degree of heating) and by tumor volume. With small tumors (1.0- to 1.5-ml volume) an intratumor temperature of 42 degrees maintained for 1 hr led to tumor regression in 11 to 13 days, and the tumor volume was halved every 2.6 days. Following 2 hr hyperthermia (42 degrees) the tumors disappeared in 6 to 7 days, and tumor volume was halved every 1.2 days. Tumors of 2 to 3-mol volume had left the exponential phase of the growth curve and required 2 hr at 42 degrees for cure. Following heating at 40 degrees for 1 hr, there was a 50% increase in O2 uptake and anaerobic CO2 production by the tumor, accompanied by enhanced dissemination by lymphatic, vascular, and direct routes, and tumor was found in organs not usually the site of metastases (e.g., testis and stomach). With large tumors (3.0 to 4.5 ml), the survival time of the rats was significantly reduced. These results occurred in the absence of a rise in body temperature of the animals. It is concluded that in this animal-tumor system, hyperthermia at a temperature inadequate for tumor destruction (40 degrees) can result in changes in the tumor that represent a hazard to the host.
Microbial changes associated with advancing periodontitis in STR/N mice.

Subgingival bacteria in STR/N periodontitis-susceptible mice and Swiss-Webster nonperiodontitis-susceptible mice were evaluated. STR/N or Swiss-Webster mice with an age of 3, 8, or 13 months were sacrificed. Cultivable microorganisms and alveolar bone loss were correlated with the age of the mice. The proportion of Veillonella spp. were significantly higher in STR/N mice when compared with Swiss-Webster mice at 3, 8, and 13 months of age. In addition, Haemophilus spp. were found to be significantly higher at 8 and 13 months and Streptococcus spp. at 13 months in STR/N mice. With increasing age, STR/N mice exhibited a progressive increase in bone loss and this correlated with a significant increase in the proportion of Streptococcus spp. , Neisseria spp. , Actinomyces spp. , and Haemophilus species. On the other hand, Swiss-Webster mice did not exhibit significant bone loss over 13 months and only Actinomyces spp. significantly increased between 3 and 13 months. The following microorganisms were not observed in any of the plaque samples; spirochetes, Lactobacillus spp. , Eikenella corrodens, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Actinomyces viscosus, Actinomyces naeslundii, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus mutans, dark-pigmented Bacteroides spp. , Fusobacterium spp. , Capnocytophaga spp. , and Branhamella species.
Association Between HPV Types and Species Groups and Cervical Neoplasia From a High-risk Area for Cervical Cancer, Goiânia, Brazil

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of single or multiple-human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and phylogenetic groups on the prevalence and severity of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in women undergoing colposcopy after an abnormal cervical smear. Colposcopy was performed in 198 cases and biopsy was performed in 193 patients. All specimens were tested for 27 HPV genotypes using the Roche polymerase chain reaction reverse line blot assay. The overall prevalence of HPV infection in women with an abnormal cervical smear was 86% (171 of 198). The prevalence of HPV 16 in high-grade CIN (2/3) was 52% (40 of 76), being detected in 88.8% of cases (8 of 9) of invasive carcinoma. The prevalence of HPV types 31 and 35 in high-grade CIN was 10.5% (8 of 76) and 6.6% (5 of 76), respectively. Single or multiple-type infection involving HPV 16 were significantly associated with a diagnosis of high-grade neoplasia (≥CIN 2) [odds ratio (OR) 6.49; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.88-23.44 and OR: 3.65; 95% CI: 1.13-12.15] even after adjustment for HPV-DNA. A statistically significant association was also found between HPV 16 and the other HPV types belonging to species &agr; 9 and a diagnosis of high-grade neoplasia (OR: 7.62; 95% CI: 1.28-51.58); however, no association was found between HPV 16 and the other HPV types belonging to species &agr; 7. HPV 16 is the most important predictor of high-grade cervical neoplasia. Multiple-type infections are predictors of high-grade cervical neoplasia when type 16 is present.
New cosmological tracker solution for quintessence

In this paper we propose a quintessence model with the potential $V(\ensuremath{\Phi}{)=V}_{0}[\mathrm{sinh}(\ensuremath{\alpha}\sqrt{{\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{0}}\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\Phi}){]}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ with $\ensuremath{\beta}l0,$ whose asymptotic behavior corresponds to an inverse power-law potential at early times and to an exponential one at late times. We demonstrate that this is a tracker solution and that it could have driven the Universe into its current inflationary stage. The exact solutions and the description for a complete evolution of the Universe are also given. We compare such a model with current cosmological observations.
Measuring socioeconomic position in health research.

OBJECTIVE In this article we review different measures of socioeconomic position (SEP) and their uses in health-related research. AREAS OF AGREEMENT Socioeconomic circumstances influence health. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY Generally, poorer socioeconomic circumstances lead to poorer health. This has generated a search for generic mechanisms that could explain such a general association. However, we propose that there is a greater variation in the association between SEP and health than is generally acknowledged when specific health outcomes are investigated. We propose that studying these variations provide a better understanding of the aetiological mechanisms relating specific diseases with specific exposures. AREAS TO DEVELOP RESEARCH: Using different indicators of SEP in health research can better capture these variations and is important when evaluating the full contribution of confounding by socioeconomic conditions. We propose that using an array of SEP indicators within a life course framework also offers considerable opportunity to explore causal pathways in disease aetiology.
Characterization of Long-Period Fiber Gratings Written by CO$_{2}$ Laser in Twisted Single-Mode Fibers

The rejection band of a long-period fiber grating written in a heavily twisted single-mode fiber by a CO2 laser can split into two, when the twist applied to the fiber is removed after the writing of the grating. We attribute the wavelength-splitting effect to the generation of a rotary frozen-in torsion strain along the fiber in the writing process. The wavelength split increases with the twist rate and the effect is independent of the polarization state of light. We present a simple expression to estimate the wavelength split, which agrees reasonably well with the experimental results. We also measure the temperature and torsion characteristics of the grating. Such a grating could find applications as an optical filter or a temperature-insensitive torsion sensor.
Performance Variation of Ferrite Magnet PMBLDC Motor With Temperature

The price fluctuations of rare-earth (RE) metals and the uncertainty in their availability have generated an increased interest in ferrite magnet machines. The influence of temperature on the B-H characteristics of the ferrite magnet differs considerably from that of the RE magnet, and hence, requires a different approach when deciding their operating point. In this paper, the laboratory measured B-H curves of a ferrite magnet are used for estimating the possibility of demagnetization in a segmented axial torus (SAT) permanent magnet brushless dc (PMBLDC) motor. The B-H characteristics for different temperatures have been used to study the performance variation of the ferrite magnet SAT PMBLDC motor with temperature. A detailed analysis is carried out to ensure that the designed ferrite magnet motor is capable of delivering the specified torque throughout the operating speed, without any irreversible demagnetization of magnets. It has been shown that the ferrite magnet PMBLDC motor operation is influenced by the magnet temperature, and the maximum motor speed for a given load torque decreases as the magnet temperature drops.
Effect of timing of cord clamping on the iron status of infants at 3 months.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of timing of cord clamping on iron stores of term infants at 3 months of age. DESIGN Prospective randomized clinical trial. SETTING Tertiary hospital. SUBJECTS 107 term neonates born to mothers with uncomplicated pregnancies and with hemoglobin more than 10 g/dl. METHODS The 107 infants were randomized to either early (n = 48) or late (n = 59) clamping groups at the time of delivery. Outcome measures evaluated were serum ferritin and hemoglobin in the infant at 3 months age. RESULTS The groups were comparable for maternal age, parity, weight, supplemental iron intake in pregnancy, infant's birth weight, gestation and sex. Maternal and cord ferritin and hemoglobin values at birth were comparable. The infant ferritin at 3 months were also similar. CONCLUSIONS Iron stores at 3 months in term infants are not influenced by timing of cord clamping at birth.
RNA Viruses: RNA Roles in Pathogenesis, Coreplication and Viral Load

The review intends to present and recapitulate the current knowledge on the roles and importance of regulatory RNAs, such as microRNAs and small interfering RNAs, RNA binding proteins and enzymes processing RNAs or activated by RNAs, in cells infected by RNA viruses. The review focuses on how non-coding RNAs are involved in RNA virus replication, pathogenesis and host response, especially in retroviruses HIV, with examples of the mechanisms of action, transcriptional regulation, and promotion of increased stability of their targets or their degradation.