Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Has Evolved Gamma Interferon and Stat1-Repressible Promoters for the Lytic Switch Gene 50

ABSTRACT Cytokines regulate viral gene expression with important consequences for viral replication and pathogenesis. Gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is a key regulator of chronic murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68) infection and a potent inhibitor of γHV68 reactivation from latency. Macrophages are the cell type that is responsive to the IFN-γ-mediated control of γHV68 reactivation; however, the molecular mechanism of this IFN-γ action is undefined. Here we report that IFN-γ inhibits lytic replication of γHV68 in primary bone marrow-derived macrophages and decreases transcript levels for the essential lytic switch gene 50. Interestingly, IFN-γ suppresses the activity of the two known gene 50 promoters, demonstrating that an inflammatory cytokine can directly regulate the promoters for the γHV68 lytic switch gene. Stat1, but not IFN-α/β signaling, is required for IFN-γ action. Moreover, Stat1 deficiency increases basal γHV68 replication, gene 50 expression, and promoter activity. Together, these data identify IFN-γ and Stat1 as being negative regulators of the γHV68 lytic cycle and raise the possibility that γHV68 maintains IFN-γ/Stat1-responsive gene 50 promoters to facilitate cell-extrinsic control over the interchange between the lytic and latent cycles.
Insomnia and depression impair oral health‐related quality of life in the old‐old

A previous study reported that the oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) of Japanese individuals dropped sharply as they reached old‐old age. The aim of present study was to explore the risk factors of OHRQoL by investigating the association of OHRQoL with oral indices, lifestyle and psychological distress.
Increase in incidence rates of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer in New Hampshire, USA

We conducted a study to estimate the current incidence rates of basal‐cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous‐cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin in the population of New Hampshire (NH), USA, and to quantify recent changes in the incidence rates of these malignancies. BCCs and SCCs diagnosed among NH residents were identified through physician practices and central pathology laboratories in NH and bordering regions from June 1979 through May 1980 and from July 1993 through June 1994. For each diagnosis period, we estimated the age‐adjusted incidence rates for both BCC and SCC among both men and women and for separate anatomic sites. Between 1979–1980 and 1993–1994, incidence rates of SCC increased by 235% in men and by 350% in women. Incidence rates of BCC increased by more than 80% in both men and women. While the absolute increase was greatest for tumors of the head and neck, the relative change was most pronounced for tumors on the trunk in men and on the lower limb in women. Thus, there has been a marked rise in the incidence rates of BCC and SCC skin cancers in NH in recent years. The anatomic pattern of increase in BCC and SCC incidence is consistent with an effect of greater sunlight exposure. Studies of BCC and SCC occurrence are needed to identify possible behavioral and environmental factors and to assess possible changes in diagnostic practices that might account for the rise in incidence of these common malignancies. Int. J. Cancer 81:555–559, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Natural history and current concepts for the treatment of small ureteral calculi.

Six studies providing information on 2,704 patients were included into a retrospective analysis. The incidence of spontaneous passage relating both stone size and location was determined from these collated studies. The rate of spontaneous passage for stones smaller than 4 mm was 38% compared to 1.2% for those larger than 6 mm, irrespective of their position in the ureter at the time of presentation. Calculi discovered in the distal third of the ureter had a spontaneous passage rate of 45%, compared with the mid third of 22%, and the proximal third of 12%. Two thirds of all stones which passed did so within 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms. These data from the literature were compared to the treatment modalities applied for the last 100 consecutive patients treated with the diagnosis of ureteral stone at UCSF. 42% of the stones were found in the proximal, 13% in the mid and 45% in the distal third of the ureter. Treatment modalities included ureteroscopic stone extraction (36), ESWL (31) and watchful waiting for stone passage (30). Oral litholysis was performed in 2 cases and percutaneous removal of a proximal stone in 1. No calculus larger than 6 mm passed spontaneously. The passage rate from the proximal ureter was 18%, from the mid ureter 15%, and 38% from the distal ureter disregarding the size of the stones. The rate of complications reached 20% when symptoms exceeded 4 weeks in duration compared to 7% in patients with symptoms lasting less than 4 weeks. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Facets of Job Satisfaction and Its Association with Performance

The study was conducted to investigate the relationship of overall job satisfaction with task and contextual performance as well as the factors of JDI (Job Descriptive Index). Banking sector staff and managers was the participants to the research, where the responses were analyzed and processed. The study found that among bank employees, different factors of JDI, work, coworkers, supervision, Pay and promotion are significant and have strong impact on overall job satisfaction level. The task and contextual performance were found to be weak predictor of job satisfaction, where overall job satisfaction is comparatively less affected by these two types of performances.
Drawn into the vortex: The facing-past encounter and combat in lekking male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

Lekking male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) compete with neighbours not only by strutting to attract females but also by directly challenging other males. These challenges include approaching another male and adopting an anti-parallel orientation at close quarters (‘facing past encounter’) and fighting, in which the birds strike one another with their wings. Facing past encounters and facing past encounters that led to fights in free-living sage-grouse were videotaped and analysed to test predictions arising from two sets of hypotheses to account for the features of such encounters. They could be used to assess or threaten opponents (index signal or threat signal hypotheses) or they may be the result of a stalemate in which one bird’s attempts to gain an vantage point for attack are neutralised by counter moves by the other bird (combat hypothesis). Frame-by-frame analyses of both facing past encounters and fights were used to extract data to test specific predictions arising from the three hypotheses. The results, overall, support the hypothesis that the facing past orientation arises from combat. However, the results also suggest that, once in the anti-parallel orientation, opportunities emerge for communication to take place.
Precontoured locking plate fixation for displaced lateral clavicle fractures.

Displaced fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle are associated with an increased risk of nonunion with conservative treatment; therefore, operative treatment is recommended. Various operative treatments have been suggested, but no consensus exists regarding a gold standard for the surgical treatment of this type of fracture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical and radiological outcomes using a precontoured locking compressive distal clavicular plate for Neer type II distal clavicle fractures. Thirty-five patients with Neer type II distal clavicle fractures underwent surgery between March 2009 and January 2012. All patients were evaluated for function using the Constant-Murley Shoulder Outcome Score and University of California, Los Angeles shoulder rating scale, active shoulder range of motion, time to bone union, and coracoclavicular distance. Mean follow-up was 24.2 months (range, 12-35 months). No significant difference existed between the injured and contralateral sides in mean Constant-Murley scores (P=.13) or mean University of California, Los Angeles shoulder rating (P=.27). All patients obtained bony union over a mean of 4.1 months (range, 3.5-6.0 months). The coracoclavicular distance was not significantly different between the injured and contralateral shoulders in the immediate postoperative period (P=.28) or at final follow-up (P=.35). One superficial wound infection occurred, but no major complications, such as nonunion, plate failure, secondary fracture, or deep infection, occurred. Precontoured locking compressive distal clavicular plate fixation for the treatment of displaced fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle is an acceptable surgical method with good results.
Conceptions of Narcissism and the DSM-5 Pathological Personality Traits

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (DSM-5) features two conceptions of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), one based on the retained DSM-IV’s categorical diagnosis and the other based on a model that blends impairments in personality functioning with a specific trait profile intended to recapture DSM-IV NPD. Nevertheless, the broader literature contains a richer array of potential conceptualizations of narcissism, including distinguishable perspectives from psychiatric nosology, clinical observation and theory, and social/personality psychology. This raises questions about the most advantageous pattern of traits to use to reflect various conceptions of narcissistic pathology via the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5). In this study, we examine the associations of the Personality Disorder Questionnaire–Narcissistic Personality Disorder scale, Narcissistic Personality Inventory–16, and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory and the PID-5 dimensions and facets in a large sample (N = 1,653) of undergraduate student participants. Results point to strong associations with PID-5 Antagonism scales across narcissism measures, consistent with the DSM-5’s proposed representation of NPD. However, additional notable associations emerged with PID-5 Negative Affectivity and Psychoticism scales when considering more clinically relevant narcissism measures.
Automatic Processing of Psychological Distance: Evidence From

A picture–word version of the Stroop task was used to test the automatic activation of psychological distance by words carrying various senses of psychological distance: temporal (tomorrow, in a year), social (friend, enemy), and hypotheticality (sure, maybe). The pictures implied depth, with the words appearing relatively close to or distant from the observer. The participants classified the spatial distance of words faster when the word’s implicit psychological distance matched its spatial distance (e.g., a geographically close word was classified faster when it was “friend” than when it was “enemy”). The findings are consistent with the idea that psychological distance is accessed automatically, even when it is not directly related to people’s current goals, and suggest that psychological distance is an important dimension of meaning, common to spatial distance, temporal distance, social distance, and hypotheticality.
Absolute and Relative Resources as Determinants of International Acquisitions

We analyze the impact of absolute and relative levels of a foreign investing firm's resources on the choice of foreign entry mode. Specifically, we study the relationship between the fungibility of a firm's capabilities and the propensity of foreign investors to acquire domestic firms. On one hand, we argue that technology is fungible across national borders, and the relative technical capabilities of foreign investing firms, as compared to domestic firms, determine the entry mode. On the other hand, we argue that marketing capabilities are less fungible. Hence, the marketing capabilities of host country firms receives greater prominence in the entry mode decision. Our empirical tests, which are based on 2,175 foreign entries made into the US in the 1974-1991 period, largely support our predictions. From the analysis, we derive implications for the study of capabilities and entry mode choice.
Nursing Challenges for the 21st Century

It is estimated that millions of patients suffer mental and physical disabilities, injuries and death due to adverse events. The human and economic burden of these events has also been a challenge for health care institutions, especially for nurses. In this regard, efforts are impounded to form health care professionals for safety and rehabilitation, able to manage the current health needs of people, to identify the risks associated with unsafe care, and with systemic focus. This short commentary discusses the nursing challenges for the 21st century and gives the reader some suggestions of how to solve some of these challenges towards a safer self-care in rehabilitation, especially at home.
DNA Vaccines against Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in the Past Decade

SUMMARY This article reviews advances in the field of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and AIDS vaccine development over the last decade, with an emphasis on the DNA vaccination approach. Despite the discovery of HIV-1 and AIDS in humans nearly 20 years ago, there is no vaccine yet that can prevent HIV-1 infection. The focus has shifted toward developing vaccines that can control virus replication and disease progression by eliciting broadly cross-reactive T-cell responses. Among several approaches evaluated, the DNA-based modality has shown considerable promise in terms of its ability to elicit cellular immune responses in primate studies. Of great importance are efforts aimed at improvement of the potency of this modality in the clinic. The review discusses principles of DNA vaccine design and the various mechanisms of plasmid-encoded antigen presentation. The review also outlines current DNA-based vaccine strategies and vectors that have successfully been shown to control virus replication and slow disease progression in animal models. Finally, it lists recent strategies that have been developed as well as novel approaches under consideration to enhance the immunogenicity of plasmid-encoded HIV-1 antigen in various animal models.
The Cdc42p effector Gic2p is targeted for ubiquitin‐dependent degradation by the SCFGrr1 complex

Cdc42p, a Rho‐related GTP‐binding protein, regulates cytoskeletal polarization and rearrangements in eukaryotic cells. In yeast, Gic1p and Gic2p are effectors of Cdc42p involved in actin polarization at bud emergence. Gic2p is expressed in a cell cycle‐dependent manner and rapidly disappears shortly after bud emergence concomitant with the activation of the G1 cyclin‐dependent kinase Cdc28p–Clnp. Here we have shown that the rapid disappearance of Gic2p results from ubiquitin‐dependent proteolysis. Biochemical and genetic evidence demonstrates that degradation of Gic2p required the Skp1–cullin–F‐box protein complex (SCF) components Cdc34p, Cdc53p, Skp1p and Grr1p, but not Cdc4p. Phosphorylation of several C‐terminal sites of Gic2p served as part of the recognition signal for ubiquitination. In addition, binding of Gic2p to Cdc42p was a prerequisite for degradation, suggesting that specifically the active form of Gic2p is targeted for destruction. Finally, our data indicate that degradation of Gic2p may be part of a mechanism which restricts cytoskeletal polarization in the G1 phase of the cell cycle.
Encouraging Students to Consider Music Education as a Future Profession

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes, communication, and opportunities provided by music teachers to encourage consideration of the music teaching profession. Survey participants (N = 436) were music educators from the Southeast (235), Midwest (51), and Southwest (149) National Association for Music Education regions of the United States. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported encouraging students to explore the music teaching profession, one third reported uncertainty about their encouragement of a music education career, and 21% indicated active discouragement. Personal job satisfaction, student music abilities, and constraints/forces outside the profession were factors for respondents who discourage students from the profession. A majority reported providing opportunities to explore the profession as a viable career option and those experiences reflected the authentic practices of the teaching profession. Professional development opportunities for in-service teachers in the encouragement of students toward music teaching should be strongly considered.
Ex vivo activation of CD4+ T-cells from donors on suppressive ART can lead to sustained production of infectious HIV-1 from a subset of infected cells

The fate of HIV-infected cells after reversal of proviral latency is not well characterized. Simonetti, et al. recently showed that CD4+ T-cells containing intact proviruses can clonally expand in vivo and produce low-level infectious viremia. We hypothesized that reversal of HIV latency by activation of CD4+ T-cells can lead to the expansion of a subset of virus-producing cells rather than their elimination. We established an ex vivo cell culture system involving stimulation of CD4+ T-cells from donors on suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) with PMA/ionomycin (day 1–7), followed by rest (day 7–21), and then repeat stimulation (day 21–28), always in the presence of high concentrations of raltegravir and efavirenz to effectively block new cycles of viral replication. HIV DNA and virion RNA in the supernatant were quantified by qPCR. Single genome sequencing (SGS) of p6-PR-RT was performed to genetically characterize proviruses and virion-associated genomic RNA. The replication-competence of the virions produced was determined by the viral outgrowth assay (VOA) and SGS of co-culture supernatants from multiple time points. Experiments were performed with purified CD4+ T-cells from five consecutively recruited donors who had been on suppressive ART for > 2 years. In all experiments, HIV RNA levels in supernatant increased following initial stimulation, decreased or remained stable during the rest period, and increased again with repeat stimulation. HIV DNA levels did not show a consistent pattern of change. SGS of proviruses revealed diverse outcomes of infected cell populations, ranging from their apparent elimination to persistence and expansion. Importantly, a subset of infected cells expanded and produced infectious virus continuously after stimulation. These findings underscore the complexity of eliminating reservoirs of HIV-infected cells and highlight the need for new strategies to kill HIV-infected cells before they can proliferate.
Sliding-block decodable encoders between (d,k) runlength-limited constraints of equal capacity

We determine the pairs of (d,k)-constrained systems, S(d,k) and S(d/spl circ/,k/spl circ/), of equal capacity, for which there exists a rate 1:1 sliding-block-decodable encoder from S(d,k) to S(d/spl circ/,k/spl circ/). In all cases where there exists such an encoder, we explicitly describe the encoder and its corresponding sliding-block decoder.
Nigeria's Fourth Republic and the challenge of a faltering democratization

Nigeria’s present democratization, which culminated in the country’s Fourth Republic on May 29, 1999, started amidst great hope and expectations. Although the military regime that mid-wived the process could not significantly convince the generality of the citizens on its success, a huge section of the populace still believed it could herald the dawn of good governance in the country. Disturbingly, twelve years after the commencement of democratization in Nigeria the political landscape is yet to show clear evidences of good governance. The rule of law is merely pronounced, elections and electoral processes are subverted, and political parties and other important public institutions are manipulated in favor of the privileged few. This essay critically examines the probable sources and dimensions of the impediments confronting the democratic desires of Nigeria and its people who often proclaim their preference for democracy. The research methodology is both descriptive and analytical, while the framework of analysis is eclectic. It combines the explanations offered in Max Weber’s (1975) concept of patrimonialism with such others as Ekeh’s “two publics” (1975), the prebendalist perspective of Joseph (1991) and the World Bank’s “state capture” (2000). In conclusion, it suggests that the state and its institutions in Nigeria need to be strengthened for democracy to thrive in this country. In the light of this, it is noted that although the role of leaders or “who” is in charge cannot be underestimated, the “how” should be emphasized more. Introduction Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, which has witnessed four general elections (1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011), is yet to show profound evidence of a growing democracy. All of these elections were marked with controversies, just as their processes and end products encountered credibility and legitimacy crises. Obviously, all of these account for the lack of appropriate policy formulation and effective implementation that are needed for the improvement of the standard of living of the people and development of the country as a whole. The net effect is that the ordinary citizens seem to have gradually lost hope in the system that replaced the military regime, while the rulers and supposed representatives of the people—who live in opulence that does not conform to the current economic realities in the country—seem less bothered. Apparently, it
Infertility in women and moderate alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between moderate alcohol intake and fertility. METHODS Interviews were conducted with 3833 women who recently gave birth and 1050 women from seven infertility clinics. The case subjects were categorized based on the infertility specialist's assignment of the most likely cause of infertility: ovulatory factor, tubal disease, cervical factor, endometriosis, or idiopathy. Separate logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between alcohol use and each type of infertility, adjusted for age, infertility center, cigarette smoking, caffeine use, number of sexual partners, use of an intrauterine device (for tubal disease), and body mass index and exercise (for ovulatory factor). RESULTS We found an increase in infertility, due to ovulatory factor or endometriosis, with alcohol use. The odds ratio for ovulatory factor was 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0, 1.7) for moderate drinkers and 1.6 (95% CI = 1.1, 2.3) for heavier drinkers, compared with nondrinkers. The risk of endometriosis was roughly 50% higher in case subjects with any alcohol intake than in control subjects (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1, 2.3, at moderate levels; OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 0.8, 2.7, at heavier levels). CONCLUSIONS Moderate alcohol use may contribute to the risk of specific types of infertility.