Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statewide Estimation of Racial/Ethnic Populations of Men Who Have Sex with Men in the U.S.

Objectives. Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear the greatest burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in every state in the U.S., but their populations are poorly defined. We estimated and compared populations of MSM in 2007 by region, state, and race/ethnicity. Methods. We averaged findings from two statistical models we had previously developed to estimate the total state-specific percentage and number of males who were MSM. The models were based, respectively, on state-specific rural/suburban/urban characteristics and an index using state-specific household census data on same-sex male unmarried partners. A third model, based on racial/ethnic ratios from a nationally representative behavioral survey, partitioned these statewide numbers by race/ethnicity. Results. Of an estimated 7.1 million MSM residing in the U.S. in 2007, 71.4% (5.1 million) were white, 15.9% (1.1 million) were Hispanic, 8.9% (635,000) were black, 2.7% (191,000) were Asian, 0.4% (26,000) were American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.1% (6,000) were Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander, and 0.6% (41,000) were of multiple/unknown race/ethnicity. The overall U.S. percentage of males who were MSM (6.4%) varied from 3.3% in South Dakota to 13.2% in the District of Columbia, which we treated as a state. Estimated numbers of MSM ranged from 9,612 in Wyoming to 1,104,805 in California. Conclusions. Plausible estimates of MSM populations by state and race/ethnicity can inform and guide HIV/AIDS surveillance, allocation of resources, and advocacy. They can help in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of HIV prevention programs and other services. Using MSM numbers as denominators, estimates of population-based MSM HIV incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates could help clarify national and state-level epidemic dynamics. Until corroborated by other modeling and/or empirical research, these estimates should be used with caution.
An Ile-568 to Asn Polymorphism Prevents Normal Trafficking and Function of the Human P2X7 Receptor*

The P2X7 receptor is a ligand-gated channel that is highly expressed on mononuclear cells and that mediates ATP-induced apoptosis of these cells. Wide variations in the function of the P2X7 receptor have been observed, in part because of a loss-of-function polymorphism that changes Glu-496 to Ala without affecting the surface expression of the receptor on lymphocytes. In this study a second polymorphism (Ile-568 to Asn) has been found in heterozygous dosage in three of 85 normal subjects and in three of 45 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. P2X7 function was measured by ATP-induced fluxes of Rb+, Ba2+, and ethidium+ into various lymphocyte subsets and was decreased to values of ∼25% of normal. The expression of the P2X7 receptor on lymphocytes was approximately half that of normal values as measured by the binding of fluorescein-conjugated monoclonal antibody. Transfection experiments showed that P2X7 carrying the Ile-568 to Asn mutation was non-functional because of the failure of cell surface expression. The differentiation of monocytes to macrophages with interferon-γ up-regulated P2X7 function in cells heterozygous for the Ile-568 to Asn mutation to a value around 50% of normal. These data identify a second loss-of-function polymorphism within the P2X7 receptor and show that Ile-568 is critical to the trafficking domain, which we have shown to lie between residues 551 and 581.
Mollaret Meningitis may be Caused by Reactivation of Latent Cerebral Toxoplasmosis

Mollaret meningitis (MM) occurs mainly in females and is characterized by recurrent episodes of headache, transient neurological abnormalities, and the cerebrospinal fluid containing mononuclear cells. HSV-2 was usually identified as the causative agent. Recently, we found that recurrent headaches in non-HIV-infected subjects were due to acquired cerebral toxoplasmosis (CT). The aim of the study was therefore to focus on molecular pathomechanisms that may lead to reactivation of latent CT and manifest as MM. Literature data cited in this work were selected to illustrate that various factors may affect latent CNS Toxoplasma gondii infection/inflammation intensity and/or host defense mechanisms, i.e., the production of NO, cytokines, tryptophan degradation by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, mechanisms mediated by an IFN-γ responsive gene family, limiting the availability of intracellular iron to T. gondii, and production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, finally inducing choroid plexitis and/or vasculitis. Examples of triggers revealing MM and accompanying disturbances of IFN-γ-mediated immune responses that control HSV-2 and T. gondii include: female predominance (female mice are more susceptible to T. gondii infection than males); HSV-2 infection (increased IFN-γ, IL-12); metaraminol (increased plasma catecholamine levels, changes in cytokine expression favoring TH2 cells responses); probably cholesterol contained in debris from ruptured epidermoid cysts (decreased NO; increased TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8). These irregularities induced by the triggers may be responsible for reactivation of latent CT and development of MM. Thus, subjects with MM should have test(s) for T. gondii infection performed obligatorily.
Existence of P/Q-type Calcium Channels in Chicken Presynaptic Nerve Terminals?

Transmitter release at fast-transmitting mammalian synapses are predominately gated by CaV2.2 and CaV2.1. This was primarily determined due to pharmacological characterizations of these synapses with high fidelity neurotoxins ω-conotoxin GVIA and ω-agatoxin IVA respectively. Similar pharmacological characterizations of 'lower' vertebrates such as birds led to the assumption that CaV2.2 was the predominant and possibly the sole CaV2. The recent finding that the zebrafish CaV2.1 was also sensitive to ω-conotoxin GVIA brings into question whether avian CaV2.1 and its role in transmitter release requires re-examination. We used both biochemical western blot approaches and immunocytochemistry to characterize recently generated anti-CaV2.1 antibodies and explored CaV2.1 localization to chicken presynaptic nerve terminals. Our results identified CaV2.1 in chicken presynaptic nerve terminals. Therefore, our work furthers our understanding of avian transmitter release and illustrates its conservation throughout vertebrates.
The bHLH142 Transcription Factor Coordinates with TDR1 to Modulate the Expression of EAT1 and Regulate Pollen Development in Rice[C][W][OPEN]

This study shows that rice bHLH142 functions in tapetal programmed cell death and pollen development, finding that bHLH142 and TDR1 form a heterodimer that binds to the EAT1 promoter to activate its expression. Protein modeling also suggests that EAT1 can form a heterodimer with TDR1, presumably serving as a feedback regulator. Male sterility plays an important role in F1 hybrid seed production. We identified a male-sterile rice (Oryza sativa) mutant with impaired pollen development and a single T-DNA insertion in the transcription factor gene bHLH142. Knockout mutants of bHLH142 exhibited retarded meiosis and defects in tapetal programmed cell death. RT-PCR and in situ hybridization analyses showed that bHLH142 is specifically expressed in the anther, in the tapetum, and in meiocytes during early meiosis. Three basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, UDT1 (bHLH164), TDR1 (bHLH5), and EAT1/DTD1 (bHLH141) are known to function in rice pollen development. bHLH142 acts downstream of UDT1 and GAMYB but upstream of TDR1 and EAT1 in pollen development. In vivo and in vitro assays demonstrated that bHLH142 and TDR1 proteins interact. Transient promoter assays demonstrated that regulation of the EAT1 promoter requires bHLH142 and TDR1. Consistent with these results, 3D protein structure modeling predicted that bHLH142 and TDR1 form a heterodimer to bind to the EAT1 promoter. EAT1 positively regulates the expression of AP37 and AP25, which induce tapetal programmed cell death. Thus, in this study, we identified bHLH142 as having a pivotal role in tapetal programmed cell death and pollen development.
Understanding mechanisms of hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that predominately affects women of reproductive age. Hypertension is an important cardiovascular risk factor that is prevalent in this patient population. Despite the high incidence of hypertension in women with SLE, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of hypertension remain poorly understood. This review will focus on disease-related factors, including inflammation, autoantibodies, and sex hormones that may contribute to hypertension in patients with SLE. In addition, we will highlight studies performed by our laboratory using the female NZBWF1 (F1 hybrid of New Zealand Black and New Zealand White strains) mouse model, a spontaneous model of SLE that mimics human disease and develops hypertension and renal injury. Specifically, using female NZBWF1 mice, we have demonstrated that multiple factors contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension, including the inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, oxidative stress, as well as B-cell hyperactivity and autoantibody production.
Discovering Public Transit Riders' Travel Pattern from GPS Data: A Case Study in Harbin

This paper proposes a public transit riders’ travel pattern measuring method based on divided cells and public transit vehicle’s GPS data. The method consists of two parts: detecting urban origin and destination areas and measuring the public transit riders’ travel pattern. Moreover, a series of indicators are proposed to reflect the public transit riders’ travel pattern. A case study is carried out to evaluate the methods, which use the GPS data collected from taxis and buses in Harbin, China. The study is expected to provide a better understanding of public transit riders’ travel patterns.
Social presence and learner participation in a text chat

‘Integrative CALL’ (Warschauer, 1996) refers to developments in language learning in this phase. The learner is placed in authentic situations where learning simultaneously involves listening, seeing, doing, participating and reflecting. This paper shares some insights into this new paradigm in language learning where the online delivery of a course gives learners more control over their own learning. Extracts of text chats from an online lesson illustrate how learner initiatives can influence teaching and learning in a synchronous online environment. It is suggested that learner participation plays an important role in developing an interesting pedagogy in the online classroom.
The asymptotic relative efficiency and the ratio of sample sizes when testing two different null hypotheses

Composite endpoints, consisting of the union of two or more outcomes, are often used as the primary endpoint in time-to-event randomized clinical trials. Previously, Gomez and Lagakos provided a method to guide the decision between using a composite endpoint instead of one of its components when testing the effect of a treatment in a randomized clinical trial. Consider the problem of testing the null hypotheses of no treatment effect by means of either the single component or the composite endpoint. In this paper we prove that the usual interpretation of the asymptotic relative efficiency as the reciprocal ratio of the sample sizes required for two test procedures, for the same null and alternative hypothesis, and attaining the same power at the same significance level, can be extended to the test procedures considered here for two different null and alternative hypotheses. A simulation to study the relationship between asymptotic relative efficiency and finite sample sizes is carried out.
Stemming the flood

The cancer stem cell debate over thelast 10 months has been an excitingtime for melanoma research. At theoutset of 2008, Markus Frank’s labora-tory published evidence that only atiny subpopulation of melanoma cells(approximately one cell in a million) hasthe capacity to maintain tumour pro-gression (Schatton et al., 2008). By thestandards of the day, it was an extre-mely important work, linking togethercancer stem cells, disease progressionand therapeutic resistance, and itseemed that a great leap forward hadbeen made in the ﬁght against meta-static disease. However, at the closeof the year Sean Morrison’s groupraised the standards and presented evi-dence opposing the idea of a tiny sub-population of melanoma cells which arecritical for tumour progression, ﬁndinginstead that as much as a quarter of allmelanoma cells within any given lesionare tumorigenic (Quintana et al., 2008). The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothe-sis rests on the premise that there area small number of specialized cancercells which combine the stem cell-likeproperties of limitless renewal andasymmetric division with the capacityto invade and populate regions distalfrom the original transformative event.The attractions of this hypothesisinclude that these cells may explainboth the cellular heterogeneity oftumours and resistance of metastaticdisease to current therapeuticapproaches. That melanoma metasta-ses are composed of different popula-tions of malignant cells is now wellaccepted; however, the explanation forthis heterogeneity has not yet beenestablished. Asymmetric division ofmelanoma stem cells to yield differentlycommitted progeny is a good model forpersistent heterogeneity throughoutdisease progression. Likewise, resis-tance to therapy may occur becausetumour cells are targeted via character-istics which, although widely expressedin melanoma tissue, may not beexpressed by a truly tumorigenic sub-population. The possibility that mela-noma stem cells underlie heterogeneityand therapeutic failure is plausible andthe seminal work by Schatton andco-workers appeared to bear this out.Challenges to the CSC hypothesis,include concerns about whether or notthe models used to evaluate CSCs arevalid. Xenograft models take advantageof compromised immune mechanismsto provide an essentially ‘black box’environment in which cancer cellproliferation may be experimentallymonitored. A typical CSC experimentseparates cells into fractions character-ized by surface markers known to beexpressed by normal stem cells, subcu-taneously injects them into immuno-compromised mice, and evaluates theircapacity to form tumours. It has beensuggested that xenografting underesti-mates the number of cells truly capableof driving tumourigenesis, because non-human environments may proliferativelyselect, in a non-informative fashion,some cancer cells over others. In theirstudy, Quintana et al. compared xeno-graft viability in the NOD⁄SCID mouseused by Schatton et al. with that of amore severely immunocompromisedmodel lacking natural-killer cell activity(NOD⁄SCID Il2rg
Optimization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw Pretreated by Alkaline Peroxide Using Response Surface Methodology

To optimize the enzymatic conversion of widely available lignocellulosic biomass-wheat straw (WS), pretreatment facilitating the enzymatic saccharification process was first performed by alkaline peroxide, resulting in a substrate consisting of 60.17% cellulose, 29.53% hemicelluloses, and 4.59% lignin. Using response surface methodology, the combined effects of enzyme loading, substrate concentration, surfactant concentration, and reaction time on hydrolysis yield from enzymatic saccharification of WS were further investigated. The results showed that both enzyme loading and substrate concentration had interactions with surfactant concentration. A quadratic polynomial equation for predicting the hydrolysis yield was developed. The experimental results were in good agreement with predicted values. Therefore, the model could be successfully used to identify the effective combinations of the four factors for predicting hydrolysis yield.
Fatty acid recycling in adipocytes: a role for glyceroneogenesis and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.

FA (fatty acid) recycling in adipose tissue appears to be an important pathway for regulating FA release into the blood during fasting. Re-esterification requires G3P (glycerol 3-phosphate), which cannot be synthesized from glucose because glycolysis is much reduced under such circumstances. In addition, G3P can scarcely originate from glycerol since glycerol kinase has a very low activity in white adipose tissue. It was shown about 35 years ago that a metabolic pathway named glyceroneogenesis, which allows G3P synthesis from non-carbohydrate precursors like pyruvate, lactate or amino acids, is activated during fasting. The major enzyme in this pathway was shown to be PEPCK-C [cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP); EC 4.1. 1.32]. The present review analyses the mechanisms by which a series of hormones and nutrients affect PEPCK-C gene transcription and glyceroneogenesis and describes evidence for dysregulation of this pathway in type 2 diabetes.
Advances in automated NMR protein structure determination

Abstract Around half of all protein structures solved nowadays using solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have been because of automated data analysis. The pervasiveness of computational approaches in general hides, however, a more nuanced view in which the full variety and richness of the field appears. This review is structured around a comparison of methods associated with three NMR observables: classical nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) constraint gathering in contrast with more recent chemical shift and residual dipole coupling (RDC) based protocols. In each case, the emphasis is placed on the latest research, covering mainly the past 5 years. By describing both general concepts and representative programs, the objective is to map out a field in which – through the very profusion of approaches – it is all too easy to lose one's bearings.
Telemedicine technology and clinical applications.

TELEMEDICINE can be broadly defined as the use of telecommunications technologies to provide medical information and services. Although this definition includes medical uses of the telephone, facsimile, and distance education,telemedicineis increasingly being used as shorthand for remote electronic clinical consultation. Interest in the field has increased dramatically in the 1990s. State and federal allocations for telemedicine and related technologies are likely to exceed $100 million in fiscal 1994-1995.1At least 13 federal agencies, including the US Department of Commerce, Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), Office of Rural Health Policy, and US Department of Defense, have begun telemedicine research and demonstration programs. Many states are using their own resources to build state-of-the-art telemedicine systems, some with capital investments exceeding $50 million. Faith in this technology is not universal, however. Depending on one's viewpoint, telemedicine may be seen as a valuable tool for providing badly needed specialty care services
Nodular gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood

Helicobacter pylori (HP) associated gastritis and peptic ulcer have been initially reported in adult patients. Recently, this association has also been demonstrated in children. We investigated 18 children (8-14 years old) with recurrent abdominal pain. In 7 patients gastroduodenoscopy revealed gastritis and HP was identified. Giemsa stain was more sensitive than urease testing in identifying the bacteria. In 5 of the 7, a nodular appearance of the antral mucosa was observed. The histological examination suggests lymphoid hyperplasia as the cause of the nodularity. All 7 patients became symptomless after a triple therapy with omeprazole, clarithromycin and amoxycillin for 2 weeks. We conclude that nodular gastritis is a peculiar type of gastritis in children. It is frequently found in association with HP infection. Two weeks triple therapy is an effective treatment in children with HP infection. Key words: Helicobacter pylori, nodular gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, childhood
Aspartame and attention deficit disorder (ADD)

In a recent article Shaywitz et al conclude that aspartame at greater than 10 times usual dose does not affect the behavior and cognition of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Accardo and Lindsay note that the study refutes an effect of aspartame on behavior. This study has a type II statistical error. A study of this size cannot answer the question of whether aspartame affects the behavior of children with ADD. The authors chose a group of children who possibly would be more sensitive to aspartame than the general population, but it is unknown if any of the children were sensitive and likely to respond adversely to the aspartame.
Design and implementation of low power dual edge triggered flip-flop using GDI and TG for high speed FIR filter

In this paper, a technique for implementing low-power Dual Edge Triggered Flip Flop (DETFF) is introduced. Dual edge triggered flip flops has many advantages in low power VLSI compared to SETFF. The Proposed low power DETFF is implemented and compared with conventional DETFF at same simulation conditions. CAD tool based simulation and comparison between the non-conventional DET flip-flop with the conventional DETFF shows that the proposed DETFF reduces power dissipation by 66% reducing the no. of transistors used while keeping the same data rate.
Non-grid based elements positioning for optimal 2D array beams

2D matrix probes present a real capability for three dimensional ultrasound imaging. The main difficulties to implement these probes come from the need of using a huge number of elements and from the grating lobes linked to the element periodical disposition and from the sidelobes arising when this number is reduced. In this study, a new design technique is proposed and shown capable of considerably reducing the probe element number as well as the grating lobes and sidelobes level. The grating lobes, in particular, are reduced by placing the elements without any grid consideration. The sidelobes and the number of active elements are optimized by the simulated annealing. Using the new approach we reduce the element number by 28% (from 235 to 169) and obtain a grating lobe reduction by -10 dB and -20 dB in lateral and elevation direction, respectively.
Is the Rey 15-Item Memory Test II (Rey II) a Valid Symptom Validity Test?: Comparison with the TOMM

The Rey 15-Item Memory Test II (Rey II) is a revised version of the original Rey Memory Test and is used as a measure of test-taking effort. In the present study, the concurrent validity of the Rey II was examined by comparing Rey II test scores to a well-established measure of symptom validity, the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM). Retrospective chart review was conducted using the records of 60 veterans who were referred for outpatient neuropsychological testing and suspected of possible symptom exaggeration. Results of the study suggest that when compared to the TOMM, the Qualitative, as opposed to the Quantitative, scoring method of the Rey II was more discriminative, but showed both positive and negative predictive power that was unacceptably low, falling at . 62 and . 64, respectively. Clinical implications are discussed.