Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rescue of Mumps Virus from cDNA

A complete DNA copy of the genome of a Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps virus (15,384 nucleotides) was assembled from cDNA fragments such that an exact antigenome RNA could be generated following transcription by T7 RNA polymerase and cleavage by hepatitis delta virus ribozyme. The plasmid containing the genome sequence, together with support plasmids which express mumps virus NP, P, and L proteins under control of the T7 RNA polymerase promoter, were transfected into A549 cells previously infected with recombinant vaccinia virus (MVA-T7) that expressed T7 RNA polymerase. Rescue of infectious virus from the genome cDNA was demonstrated by amplification of mumps virus from transfected-cell cultures and by subsequent consensus sequencing of reverse transcription-PCR products generated from infected-cell RNA to verify the presence of specific nucleotide tags introduced into the genome cDNA clone. The only coding change (position 8502, A to G) in the cDNA clone relative to the consensus sequence of the Jeryl Lynn plaque isolate from which it was derived, resulting in a lysine-to-arginine substitution at amino acid 22 of the L protein, did not prevent rescue of mumps virus, even though an amino acid alignment for the L proteins of paramyxoviruses indicates that lysine is highly conserved at that position. This system may provide the basis of a safe and effective virus vector for the in vivo expression of immunologically and biologically active proteins, peptides, and RNAs.
Chapter 22 Dynamic Aspects of Face Processing in Humans

The human face is capable of a wide variety of facial expressions that manifest themselves as usually highly non-rigid deformations of the face. On the one hand, this presents the visual system with a problem: Recognizing someone requires determining what information in the face remains constant despite the various facial deformations. Extraction of such invariant features will allow me, for example, to identify my neighbor regardless of whether he or she is smiling or looking sad. On the other hand, the impressive repertoire of changes can also be seen as a positive: It provides considerable information. The particular way my neighbor smiles or looks sad might well be used for identification, similar to how Jack Nicholson’s and Tom Cruise’s smiles are very specific to them. In addition to potentially providing information about who someone is, facial deformations can help us to infer something about a person’s age, social status, general health, level of fatigue, and focus of attention. Likewise, changes in the facial surface play a central, albeit often ignored, role in communication. Facial deformations that serve this latter role are generally referred to as facial expressions. A distinction should be drawn between the information that is present in a specific image and the information that must be present for that expression or person to be
Dermal Neutrophil, Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Responses to Yersinia pestis Transmitted by Fleas

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is typically transmitted by the bite of an infected flea. Many aspects of mammalian innate immune response early after Y. pestis infection remain poorly understood. A previous study by our lab showed that neutrophils are the most prominent cell type recruited to the injection site after intradermal needle inoculation of Y. pestis, suggesting that neutrophil interactions with Y. pestis may be important in bubonic plague pathogenesis. In the present study, we developed new tools allowing for intravital microscopy of Y. pestis in the dermis of an infected mouse after transmission by its natural route of infection, the bite of an infected flea. We found that uninfected flea bites typically induced minimal neutrophil recruitment. The magnitude of neutrophil response to flea-transmitted Y. pestis varied considerably and appeared to correspond to the number of bacteria deposited at the bite site. Macrophages migrated towards flea bite sites and interacted with small numbers of flea-transmitted bacteria. Consistent with a previous study, we observed minimal interaction between Y. pestis and dendritic cells; however, dendritic cells did consistently migrate towards flea bite sites containing Y. pestis. Interestingly, we often recovered viable Y. pestis from the draining lymph node (dLN) 1 h after flea feeding, indicating that the migration of bacteria from the dermis to the dLN may be more rapid than previously reported. Overall, the innate cellular host responses to flea-transmitted Y. pestis differed from and were more variable than responses to needle-inoculated bacteria. This work highlights the importance of studying the interactions between fleas, Y. pestis and the mammalian host to gain a better understanding of the early events in plague pathogenesis.
Stereoscopic Image Quality Assessment Based on Cyclopean Image

Image quality assessment is an important part inimage processing. With the stereoscopic video technologydevelopment and popularization, quality assessment ofstereoscopic images play an important role in three-dimensional(3D) multimedia applications. But the stereoscopic images qualityassessment (SIQA) is facing many new challenges, such as depthperception, virtual view synthesis and asymmetric stereocompression and so on. In this paper, a new Full-Reference (FR)stereoscopic image quality assessment method is proposed byconsidering the binocular image combining. Firstly, combinestereo pairs to a cyclopean image accounting for binocular rivalryand contrast sensitivity. Secondly, gradient image and luminanceimage are got, and the similarity indexes of them are computed.Finally, the similarity indexes are mixed together to get a singlequality score. The experimental results have demonstrated thatthe proposed metric is highly consistent with the subjective testscores.
An experimental and training platform for uninterrupted power in isolated locations: wind turbine - electric generator - battery bank (TP-WT-UPS)

A new modular platform that can be used to combine different energy sources and power electronics conversion blocks in a training environment is presented. The proposed equipment, called training platform for wind turbine uninterruptible power supply (TP-WT-UPS) models a wind driven uninterruptible power supply feeding a critical load in an isolated location. Two energy sources are emulated (a wind turbine and a combustion engine driven AC generator), the three basic power electronic blocks (DC/DC, DC/AC AC/DC) and control electronics (microprocessor and data gathering subsystems) are provided in a modular architecture that can be modified to suit a particular configuration. Wherever possible, standard off-the-shelf car parts such as alternators and AVR are used. TP-WT-UPS can be used both in the training of engineers, giving them hands-on experience on these topics, and also as a design tool to expedite the development of new projects
Brief adrenomedullin inhalation leads to sustained reduction of pulmonary artery pressure

The effect of aerosolised adrenomedullin (ADM), a potent vasodilator peptide, on pulmonary artery pressure was studied for 24 h in a surfactant-depleted piglet model. Animals received either aerosolised ADM (50 ng·kg−1·min−1, ADM, n=6), or aerosolised normal saline solution (control, n=6). Aerosol therapy was performed for a 2 h treatment period followed by a 22 h observation period. Ventilator settings were adapted to keep arterial oxygen tension and carbon dioxide arterial tension between 13.3–14.6 kPa and 4.9–5.7 kPa, respectively. Aerosolised ADM reduced mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) compared with the control group (end-point median 24 h after therapy start: ΔMPAP −14.0 versus −8.0 mmHg; 23.5 h after therapy start). After therapy start, mean systemic arterial pressure (MAP) was not significantly different between the groups (end-point median: MAP ADM 70 (61/74) versus control 72 (54/81) mmHg). Endothelin-1, a potent pulmonary vasoconstrictor, is regulated by ADM via cAMP. Twenty two hours after inhalation of aerosolised ADM, endothelin-1 mRNA in lung tissue and endothelin-1 protein expression in pulmonary arteries was reduced compared with controls (median semi-quantitative immunhistochemical score: ADM 0.21, control 0.76). Aerosolised adrenomedullin significantly reduced mean pulmonary artery pressure independently of arterial oxygen tension.
A New Keynesian Perspective of Monetary Policy in Australia

We estimate a SVAR for the Australian economy based on an open economy New Keynesian model. Deep structural parameters are identified by placing exclusion restrictions on the VAR residuals and the covariance matrix. Parameter estimates suggest that the New Keynesian specification fits Australian data well. Dynamic responses show no price and exchange rate puzzles and indicate that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has a short-run focus on stabilizing output fluctuations while maintaining a medium-run inflation target since 1984. The RBA responds decisively to aggregate demand and exchange rate shocks while passively allowing the economy to self-correct aggregate supply shock.
Are Consumer Durables Important for Business Cycles

This paper investigates whether consumer durables are important for the generation and propagation of business cycles. The author constructs a two-sector model that succeeds in generating business cycles that mimic empirical patterns of cross-sector volatility and comovement. She finds that half the relatively higher volatility associated with the durable-goods sector is due to higher volatility of shocks hitting this sector, with the other half due to endogenous responses, notably the investment accelerator. Nevertheless, this model does not have stronger internal propagation than the one-sector model. Further, incorporating durable consumer goods has little effect on the behavior of other macroeconomic variables. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.
Tracking Acquired Antibiotic Resistance in Commensal Bacteria of Galápagos Land Iguanas: No Man, No Resistance

Background Antibiotic resistance, evolving and spreading among bacterial pathogens, poses a serious threat to human health. Antibiotic use for clinical, veterinary and agricultural practices provides the major selective pressure for emergence and persistence of acquired resistance determinants. However, resistance has also been found in the absence of antibiotic exposure, such as in bacteria from wildlife, raising a question about the mechanisms of emergence and persistence of resistant strains under similar conditions, and the implications for resistance control strategies. Since previous studies yielded some contrasting results, possibly due to differences in the ecological landscapes of the studied wildlife, we further investigated this issue in wildlife from a remote setting of the Galapagos archipelago. Methodology/Principal Findings Screening for acquired antibiotic resistance was carried out in commensal enterobacteria from Conolophus pallidus, the terrestrial iguana of Isla Santa Fe, where: i) the abiotic conditions ensure to microbes good survival possibilities in the environment; ii) the animal density and their habits favour microbial circulation between individuals; and iii) there is no history of antibiotic exposure and the impact of humans and introduced animal species is minimal except for restricted areas. Results revealed that acquired antibiotic resistance traits were exceedingly rare among bacteria, occurring only as non-dominant strains from an area of minor human impact. Conclusions/Significance Where both the exposure to antibiotics and the anthropic pressure are minimal, acquired antibiotic resistance traits are not normally found in bacteria from wildlife, even if the ecological landscape is highly favourable to bacterial circulation among animals. Monitoring antibiotic resistance in wildlife from remote areas could also be a useful tool to evaluate the impact of anthropic pressure.
Temporal Aspects of Slant and Inclination Perception

Linear transformations (shear or scale transformations) of either horizontal or vertical disparity give rise to the percept of slant or inclination. It has been proposed that the percept of slant induced by vertical size disparity, known as Ogle's induced-size effect, and the analogous induced-shear effect, compensate for scale and shear distortions arising from aniseikonia, eccentric viewing, and cyclodisparity. We hypothesised that these linear transformations of vertical disparity are processed more slowly than equivalent transformations of horizontal disparity (horizontal shear and size disparity). We studied the temporal properties of the stereoscopic slant and inclination percepts that arose when subjects viewed stereograms with various combinations of horizontal and vertical size or shear disparities. We found no evidence to support our hypothesis. There were no clear differences in the build-up of percepts of slant or inclination induced by step changes in horizontal size or shear disparity and those induced by step changes in vertical size or shear disparity. Perceived slant and inclination decreased in a similar manner with increasing temporal frequency for modulations of transformations of both horizontal and vertical disparity. Considerable individual differences were found and several subjects experienced slant reversal, particularly with oscillating stimuli. An interesting finding was that perceived slant induced by modulations of dilation disparity was in the direction of the vertical component. This suggests the vertical size disparity mechanism has a higher temporal bandwidth than the horizontal size disparity mechanism. However, conflicting perspective information may play a dominant role in determining the temporal properties of perceived slant and inclination.
Sharing only parts of me: Selective categorical self-disclosure across internet arenas

Research that has considered how individuals share their personal information in online compared to offline disclosures has often demonstrated heightened and accelerated disclosures in online interactions. Recent work has shown that this acceleration may be more likely to occur for the sharing of superficial self-information in initial general online interactions. This work was extended to explore the reported content of online disclosures in four different Internet arenas, social networking, instant messaging, general communication and online shopping. Using a self-disclosure scale amongst a sample of students to measure the revelation of information pertaining to individuals' beliefs, relationships, personal matters, interests and intimate feelings, the current findings showed that self-disclosure could be more categorical and goal-directed than can be accounted for by existing cue-impoverished and text-based explanations of online self-disclosure. Participants reported self- disclosing significantly less on online shopping sites than in the three communications type arenas. A consistent pattern of significant differences in the sharing of superficial (interests, relationships & personal matters) and more personal or intimate (intimate feelings & beliefs) information in instant messaging, social networking and general communication, along with an absence of significant intra-categorical disclosures is in line with hyperpersonal computer-mediated communication theory in that people selectively choose which information to self-disclose online, a proposal further supported by a significant decrease from relationship to personal matters information in instant messaging. These findings imply that categorical disclosures could be mapped onto the social cognitive self-memory-system model of autobiographical memory in line with the social penetration theory of self-disclosure. The findings along with non-significant differences in reported levels of overall self- disclosure across the Internet arenas are theoretically and empirically discussed, giving particular emphasis to considering future directions for research aiming to elucidate and explain the social cognitive processes associated with self-disclosure online.
Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Incidence of Acute Respiratory Infections in Preschool Inuit Children

Objective We set out to assess whether environmental prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with incidence of acute respiratory infections in preschool Inuit children. Study design We reviewed the medical charts of 343 children from 0 to 5 years of age and evaluated the associations between PCB-153 concentration in umbilical cord plasma and the incidence rates of acute otitis media (AOM) and of upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTIs and LRTIs, respectively). Results The incidence rates of AOM and LRTIs were positively associated with prenatal exposure to PCBs. Compared with children in the first quartile of exposure (least exposed), children in fourth quartile (most exposed) had rate ratios of 1.25 (p < 0.001) and 1.40 (p < 0.001) for AOM and LRTIs, respectively. There was no association between prenatal PCB exposure and incidence rate of URTIs or hospitalization. Conclusion Prenatal exposure to PCBs could be responsible for a significant portion of respiratory infections in children of this population.
Tracing the long bar with red-clump giants

Context. Over the last decade a series of results have lent support to t he hypothesis of the existence of a long thin bar in the Milky Way with a half-length of 4.5 kpc and a position angle of around 45 ◦ . This is apparently a very different structure from the triaxial bulge of the Galaxy. Aims. In this paper, we analyse the stellar distribution in the inn er 4 kpc of the Galaxy to see if there is clear evidence for two triaxial or barlike structures, or whether there is only one. Methods. By using the red-clump population as a tracer of the structure of the inner Galaxy we determine the apparent morphology of the inner Galaxy. Star counts from 2MASS are used to provide additional support for this analysis. Results. We show that there are two very different large-scale triaxial structures coexisting in the in ner Galaxy: a long thin stellar bar constrained to the Galactic plane (|b| < 2 ◦ ) with a position angle of 43. ◦ 0±1. ◦ 8, and a distinct triaxial bulge that extends to at least |b| ≤ 7.5 ◦ with a position angle of 12. ◦ 6±3. ◦ 2. The scale height of the bar source distribution is around 100 pc, whereas for the bulge
Market discipline of bank risk: theory and evidence

ECAUSE of the many failures of banks and thrift institutions in recent years and the high cost of liquidating or reorganizing the bankrupt savings and loan associations, policymakers are now considering major changes in the way they supervise and regulate depository institutions in the United States. The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989, which provides the funds for closing bankrupt savings and loan associations (S&.Ls), calls for several government agencies to study the issues involved.1 The federal budget document for fiscal 1991 discusses the basis for reform of deposit insurance and the advantages of various reforms.2
Brd4 Is Displaced from HPV Replication Factories as They Expand and Amplify Viral DNA

Replication foci are generated by many viruses to concentrate and localize viral DNA synthesis to specific regions of the cell. Expression of the HPV16 E1 and E2 replication proteins in keratinocytes results in nuclear foci that recruit proteins associated with the host DNA damage response. We show that the Brd4 protein localizes to these foci and is essential for their formation. However, when E1 and E2 begin amplifying viral DNA, Brd4 is displaced from the foci and cellular factors associated with DNA synthesis and homologous recombination are recruited. Differentiated HPV-infected keratinocytes form similar nuclear foci that contain amplifying viral DNA. We compare the different foci and show that, while they have many characteristics in common, there is a switch between early Brd4-dependent foci and mature Brd4-independent replication foci. However, HPV genomes encoding mutated E2 proteins that are unable to bind Brd4 can replicate and amplify the viral genome. We propose that, while E1, E2 and Brd4 might bind host chromatin at early stages of infection, there is a temporal and functional switch at later stages and increased E1 and E2 levels promote viral DNA amplification, displacement of Brd4 and growth of a replication factory. The concomitant DNA damage response recruits proteins required for DNA synthesis and repair, which could then be utilized for viral DNA replication. Hence, while Brd4 can enhance replication by concentrating viral processes in specific regions of the host nucleus, this interaction is not absolutely essential for HPV replication.
A Comparison of the Tuition Price and Financial Aid Responsiveness of First-Time Enrollees and Continuing College Students. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

This study examined student price responsiveness by comparing the tuition and financial aid sensitivity of first-time college enrollees with that of continuing college students. Data were obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics Higher Education General Education Information Survey (HEGIS) and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) surveys for 1976 through 1994; Bureau of the Census and intercensile population estimates; annual surveys of tuition prices; surveys of state grant program expenditures; and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cross-sectional and time-series econometric techniques revealed that for most racial groups and at most levels of public institutions, tuition price responsiveness was greater for continuing students than for first-time enrollees, with the largest difference in the community college sector. State grants appeared to help students attend college for the first time but were not as influential in the continuing enrollment of most groups of students. State grants appeared to be most influential in the first-time college attendance of Hispanic students, particularly those in community colleges. (Contains 27 references and 5 data tables.) (MDM) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** A Comparison of the Tuition Price and Financial Aid Responsiveness of First-Time Enrollees and Continuing College Students Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education Miami, FL November, 1998 Donald E. Heller Assistant Professor of Higher Education Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education University of Michigan 610 East University, 2108D SEB Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259 734-647-1984 dheller@umich.edu PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL I-IAS BEEN GRANTED BY