Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The HIV-1 Tat Nuclear Localization Sequence Confers Novel Nuclear Import Properties*

The different classes of conventional nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) resemble one another in that NLS-dependent nuclear protein import is energy-dependent and mediated by the cytosolic NLS-binding importin/karyopherin subunits and monomeric GTP-binding protein Ran/TC4. Based on analysis of the nuclear import kinetics mediated by the NLS of the human immunodeficiency virus accessory protein Tat usingin vivo and in vitro nuclear transport assays and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we report a novel nuclear import pathway. We demonstrate that the Tat-NLS, not recognized by importin 58/97 subunits as shown using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based binding assay, is sufficient to target the 476-kDa heterologous β-galactosidase protein to the nucleus in ATP-dependent but cytosolic factor-independent fashion. Excess SV40 large tumor antigen (T-ag) NLS-containing peptide had no significant effect on the nuclear import kinetics implying that the Tat-NLS was able to confer nuclear accumulation through a pathway distinct from conventional NLS-dependent pathways. Nucleoplasmic accumulation of the Tat-NLS-β-galactosidase fusion protein, in contrast to that of a T-ag-NLS-containing fusion protein, also occurred in the absence of an intact nuclear envelope, implying that the Tat-NLS conferred binding to nuclear components. This is in stark contrast to known NLSs such as those of T-ag which confer nuclear entry rather than retention. Significantly, the ability to accumulate in the nucleus in the absence of an intact nuclear envelope was blocked in the absence of ATP, as well as by nonhydrolyzable ATP and GTP analogs, demonstrating that ATP is required to effect release from a complex with insoluble cytoplasmic components. Taken together, the results demonstrate that, dependent on ATP for release from cytoplasmic retention, the Tat-NLS is able to confer nuclear entry and binding to nuclear components. These unique properties indicate that Tat accumulates in the nucleus through a novel import pathway.
Alpha-Particle, Carbon-Ion and Proton- Induced Flip-Flop Single-Event-Upsets in 65 nm Bulk Technology

This paper presents upset rates of flip-flops in 65 nm commercial bulk technology predicted through modeling, and compares the predictions to upset rates measured with thorium foil, 15 MeV carbon ions, and 148 MeV protons. This paper demonstrates that 15 MeV carbon ions can be used to emulate the daughter products of neutron spallation reactions.
Inferences about infants’ visual brain mechanisms

Abstract We discuss hypotheses that link the measurements we can make with infants to inferences about their developing neural mechanisms. First, we examine evidence from the sensitivity to visual stimulus properties seen in infants’ responses, using both electrophysiological measures (transient and steady-state recordings of visual evoked potentials/visual event-related potentials) and behavioral measures and compare this with the sensitivity of brain processes, known from data on mammalian neurophysiology and human neuroimaging. The evidence for multiple behavioral systems with different patterns of visual sensitivity is discussed. Second, we consider the analogies which can be made between infants’ behavior and that of adults with identified brain damage, and extend these links to hypothesize about the brain basis of visual deficits in infants and children with developmental disorders. Last, we consider how these lines of data might allow us to form “inverse linking hypotheses” about infants’ visual experience.
Vagal Rebound and Recovery From Psychological Stress

Objective To characterize cardiovascular recovery and examine the possible relationship of vagal activity and reflexes to risk for heart disease. Methods Subjects performed cold pressor and mental arithmetic tasks. Heart rate, heart period variability, and pre-ejection period were obtained for 1 minute before, during, and after each task (Experiment 1). In the second experiment, subjects performed a Stroop color-word task and a mental arithmetic task. Heart rate, heart period variability, blood pressure, and baroreflex sensitivity were obtained during the 5-minute baseline, task, and recovery periods (Experiment 2). Results In Experiment 1, heart rate during recovery was lower than baseline despite continued pre-ejection period shortening, whereas recovery heart period variability was higher than baseline. In Experiment 2, blood pressure increased throughout the session. However, recovery heart rate after mental arithmetic was lower than baseline heart rate, and heart period variability was higher during both recovery periods than during baseline. Vagal rebound, a sharp increase in variability in the first minute of recovery, was reduced in men in Experiment 1 and in individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease in Experiment 2 and was associated with degree of change in baroreflex sensitivity between task and rest. Conclusions Cardiovascular recovery from stress is associated with increased vagal modulation despite residual sympathetic activation. Vagal rebound may be involved in mechanisms resetting the baroreflex sensitivity at the onset and offset of stress. Diminished vagal rebound during recovery from stress is associated with standard risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The results support an association between attenuated vagal reflexes and risk for cardiovascular disease.
In Search of a New Imperial History

SUMMARY: Настоящая публикация является англоязычной версией введения к сборнику “Новая имперская история постсоветского пространства” (Казань, 2004). Авторы предлагают историческую генеалогию термина “империя” и анализируют современные историографические направления в области изучения империй. Один из основных тезисов статьи состоит в том, что современная нам семантика концепта империи, со всеми присущими ей негативными коннотациями, сформировалась в эпоху национального государства и отражала представления о политико-социальной норме и прогрессе, характерные для “эпохи наций и национализма”. Современная актуализация интереса к империи (в связи с процессами европейского расширения, проявлением империализма во внешней политике США, с распадом СССР и советского блока в целом) не приводит к переосмыслению языка научного анализа. В статье ставится вопрос о том, как происходит этот процесс в рамках общественных и гуманитарных наук – от сравнительной “империологии” до постколониальных исследований. Выявляя ограничения разных исследовательских парадигм, авторы приходят к выводу, что концепт империи должен перейти из категории исторического термина, эмпирически фиксирующего ускользнувшую от внимания модерного знания реальность прошлого (многонациональные династические империи), в статус современной аналитической модели, позволяющей осмыслить исторический опыт в эпоху кризиса модерных категорий анализа и политики. Исходя из этого, формулируется идея Новой Имперской Истории, где империя предстает как исследовательская ситуация, а не структура, проблема, а не диагноз. “Помыслить как империю” можно любое общество, точно так же как в номинальной “империи” можно обнаружить черты – или целые эпохи – национального. Новая Имперская История выступает в роли “археологии” знания об империи, понимаемой в духе постструктуралистской фуколдианской парадигмы, подвергающей деконструкции базовые и нормативные идеи социальных наук. Археология знания об империи позволяет наглядно увидеть, как происходит национальная апроприация “общего” прошлого в полиэтничных регионах и имперских городах. Именно археология знания об империи позволяет восстановить палимпсест социальных идентичностей (региональных, конфессиональных, сословных), которые обычно встраивают в телеологическую и монологическую парадигму строительства нации или класса/конфессии. Она же делает возможным контекстуализацию современного процесса конструирования национального прошлого через историографию как целенаправленное действие и инструмент политической борьбы.
Midgap Defect Modes in Dielectric and Acoustic Media

We consider three dimensional lossless periodic dielectric (photonic crystals) and acoustic media having a gap in the spectrum. If such a periodic medium is perturbed by a strong enough defect, defect eigenmodes arise, localized exponentially around the defect, with the corre- sponding eigenvalues in the gap. We use a modied Birman-Schwinger method to derive equations for these eigenmodes and corresponding eigenvalues in the gap, in terms of the spectral attributes of an auxiliary Hilbert-Schmidt operator. We prove that in three dimensions, under some natural conditions on the periodic background, the number of eigenvalues generated in a gap of the periodic operator is nite, and give an estimate on the number of these midgap eigenvalues. In particular, we show that if the defect is weak there are no midgap eigenvalues.
Association between impairments, self-care ability and social activities 1 year after stroke.

PURPOSE To explore how motor and cognitive impairments relate to physical activities of daily living (PADL) and social activities after stroke. METHOD The data related to 65 patients (mean age 74.4 years, 43% females), assessed 1 year after stroke by means of the Sødring Motor Evaluation of Stroke patients and the Assessment of Stroke and other Brain damage instruments. The self-care and social activities scales applied were the Barthel ADL Index and the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI). The association between impairment variables on the one hand and PADL and FAI scores on the other was estimated using Kendall rank correlations. RESULTS Arm motor function correlated most strongly with the Barthel score (tau = 0.76), and visuospatial function came second (tau = 0.58). Factor analysis of the FAI produced three subscales: a 'domestic' factor most strongly related to arm motor function (tau = 0.49); 'outdoor' related to visuospatial ability (tau = 0.48); and 'hobby' which had no significant correlates. CONCLUSION In the chronic phase of stroke, self-care and involvement in social activities relate most strongly to arm motor function and visuospatial ability. Outdoor activities depend mainly on visuospatial function.
Silica-based fiber Raman laser at > 2.4  μm.

Raman laser generation at the long wavelength transmission edge of silica fiber is explored. Numerical simulation reveals that high efficiency 2nd Stokes Raman laser operation around 2.5 μm is feasible with highly Ge-doped silica fiber as the gain medium and pulsed 2-μm fiber laser as the pump source. Based on the spontaneous cascaded Raman amplification process, 0.30-W laser at 2.43 μm is obtained with an optical efficiency of 16.5% pumped at 2008 nm. And 0.15-W laser at 2.48 μm is achieved with an optical efficiency of 7.9% pumped at 2040 nm. To the best of our knowledge, the results represent the longest wavelength operation of silica-based fiber laser.
Genotypic and phenotypic relationships among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from three multicentre bacteraemia studies

Background At a time when the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was changing, we sought to characterize several genotypic markers and glycopeptide susceptibility features of clinical isolates from patients with bacteraemia. Methods One hundred and sixty-eight MRSA bloodstream isolates obtained from three multicentre clinical trials were microbiologically and genotypically characterized. Results All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin (MIC ≤ 2 mg/L); 38% belonged to accessory gene regulator (agr) group I, 52% belonged to group II and 10% belonged to group III. Typing of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) showed that 67% were type II and 33% were type IV. The agr group II polymorphism was associated with SCCmec II (P < 0.001). Fifty-three percent of SCCmec II and 27% of SCCmec IV isolates had vancomycin MICs ≥1 mg/L (P = 0.001). One hundred percent of agr II strains were predicted to be members of clonal complex 5. SCCmec II was the genetic marker most predictive of vancomycin MICs of ≥1 mg/L. SCCmec IV isolates were more likely to have vancomycin MICs ≤0.5 mg/L. Conclusions Given that SCCmec IV is a marker for a community-based organism for which less prior vancomycin exposure is predicted, we conclude that prior antibiotic exposure in agr group II organisms may account for their increased vancomycin MICs.
Virulence factors of Francisella tularensis

SUMMARY The mechanism causing viable Francisella tularensis to lose virulence in aerosols has been investigated. Fully virulent organisms were found to be encapsulated and avirulent organisms from aged aerosols, decapsulated. Capsules were also removed by suspension of F. tularensis in hypertonic sodium chloride. The resulting naked, but viable, organisms were predominantly avirulent for guinea-pigs challenged intraperitoneally. Capsular material and cell walls were found to contain large amounts of lipid, about 50 and 70% (w/w) respectively, and to differ in lipid and sugar composition. Isolated capsular material was not found to contain a lethal toxin for mice or guinea-pigs, or to induce an immunological response in these animals to fully virulent F. tularensis.
Characterization of female germ‐like cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells through expression of GFP under the control of Figla promoter

Previous studies have demonstrated that germ cells can be derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). However, there is still no efficient system, which can visualize the stage of germ cell specification in vitro, and further to identify and enrich germ cells derived from ESCs. Figla (factor in the germline, alpha) gene encodes a germ cell specific transcription factor that coordinates the expression of the oocyte‐specific zona pellucida (Zp) genes and is essential for folliculogenesis in mouse. Here, we first constructed a pFigla‐EGFP recombinant plasmid that expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of Figla promoter, and generated and characterized an ESC line stably carrying this pFigla‐EGFP reporter construct. Then the ESCs were induced to differentiate into female germ‐like cells by culturing adherent embryoid bodies (EBs) in retinoic acid (RA) induction medium or transplanting ESCs under the kidney capsule with ovarian cells. A population of differentiated ESCs expressed GFP, and these cells were analyzed by RT‐PCR and immunofluorescence. The GFP positive cells showed the expression of germ cell markers Vasa, meiotic specific gene Stra8, Scp3, oocyte markers Gdf9, Zp3 and Figla, indicating that this method could be used for the purification and selection of female germ cells. Our study establishes a new selective system of female germ‐like cell derivation and offers an approach for further research on the development and the differentiation of germ cells derived from stem cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 1111–1121, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Positron emission tomographic studies in restless legs syndrome

We studied six restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients with [F18]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). We also studied four of these same patients with [F18]fluorodopa (FDOPA) PET. The patients' FDG and FDOPA PET scans were compared with those from age‐matched healthy control subjects. No significant differences between the two groups were found for any regional blood flow values derived from the FDG scans or for any binding constants derived from the FDOPA scans. These results suggest that any abnormal resting brain metabolic activity or putative presynaptic dopaminergic defect in RLS is likely either to be so subtle that it is below the threshold for ready detection by PET or that it is located in an area of neural tissue inaccessible to the current scanner. No substantial defect is likely to involve the dopaminergic nigrostriatal axis.
Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome and the 4p‐related syndromes

The Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a well-established chromosome disorder due to monosomy of at least the distal short arm of chromosome 4 within 4p16.3. The syndrome was originally described by Wolf and Hirschhorn in separate articles (see article by Dr. Kurt Hirschhorn, this issue), and since the mid-1960s, over 200 persons have been described in the medical literature. The essential manifestations of the condition include preand postnatal growth deficiency, developmental disability of a variable degree, characteristic craniofacial features, and a seizure disorder [Battaglia et al., 2008 this issue]. Individuals with WHS are at risk for a number of congenital malformations and significant feeding difficulties in infancy. The critical region that— when deleted—causes the recognizable syndrome, has been narrowed to a 200 kb region, about 1.9 Mb from the telomere of 4p, and comprises two purported regions, called WHSCR1 and WHSCR2. Two other discrete non-WHS syndromes caused by deletions of the 4 short arm have been recognized: the proximal interstitial deletion syndrome due to monosomy proximal to the WHSCRs, and a recently described entity due to monosomy of 4p16.3 distal to the critical regions (see South et al., this issue). There are many unanswered questions concerning the medical aspects and genetic basis of WHS and the related conditions due to deletions of adjoining regions 4p segments. Because of the gaps in knowledge, the 4pSupport Group (www.4p-supportgroup.org) sponsored a workshop entitled ‘‘WHS and Related 4pConditions: Defining a Research Agenda,’’ near Washington, DC, on July 17, 2008. The Workshop was organized and cosponsored by the Division of Medical Genetics and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. The Workshop was attended by over 20 clinicians, researchers, and parent representatives interested in these important syndromes. The stated purpose of the Workshop was to define a research agenda for WHS and the related 4pconditions. The organizers and participants attempted to accomplish this by documenting the current state of knowledge of the syndromes and identifying the gaps in the existing knowledge base. The plan for the Workshop included formulating the key questions surrounding existing knowledge, identifying resources needed to address these questions to close the research gaps, and prioritize items for future research. The attempts to ‘‘document the current state of knowledge’’ led to this current issue of the Seminars in Medical Genetics. The questions raised by the organizers prior to the workshop included the following:
Good's syndrome: the association of thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia.

Sir—We appreciate Dr. Jenny-Avital’s thoughtful comments on and shared experience with the use of rifabutin (RBT) in HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis (TB) receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) including protease inhibitors (PIs) [1], and we also appreciate Dr. Slain’s interest in and comments on [2] our article [3]. As Dr. Jenny-Avital points out, one of the reasons for virologic failure associated with the use of PIs is that PI trough levels fall short of the inhibitory concentration. Although it has now become our practice to measure peak and trough levels of PIs, at the time our study was designed, it was decided to measure the drug levels of PIs at the time of “standard” monitoring of TB drug levels (i.e., at 2 and 6 h after dosing). Nonetheless, 20 (80%) of 25 patients achieved a virus load of ! 500 copies/ mL prior to discharge, which was comparable to the results of previous studies, in which 45%–85% of zidovudine-experienced subjects attained virus loads of ! 500 copies/mL at 24 weeks [4, 5]. Once again, 500 copies/mL was used as the lower limit of detection because of the sensitivity of the tests available at the time. We share Dr. Jenny-Avital’s concerns regarding why, in subanalysis, only 4 of 8 antiretroviral therapy (ART)–naı̈ve patients achieved a virus load of ! 500 copies/mL while receiving a PI and rifabutin, and why the patients who were not ARTnaı̈ve fared better (7 of 9 achieved a virus load of ! 500 copies/mL). However, this may be due to the small number of patients in subanalysis. Findings of a comparison of 3 groups (ART-naı̈ve patients, nucleoside reverse transcriptase–experienced patients, and PI-experienced patients) were not statistically significant ( ). P 1 . 3 We reiterate that the purpose of our original study was to evaluate the utilization of PIs and rifabutin, with regard to a patient’s clinical response, drug side effects, and pharmacokinetics. Although deferring HAART may be a consideration, there has been no study to compare aggressive HAART with deferred HAART with regard to the clinical outcome of patients dually infected with HIV and TB. Because TB may accelerate the natural progression of HIV disease, further studies are necessary to delineate the best approach for treatment of individuals with this increasingly more prevalent combination of deadly diseases. With regard to Dr. Slain’s comment, we received the same questions by e-mail soon after the electronic publication of our article. We asked Clinical Infectious Diseases to print an erratum, which appeared on page 992 of the June 2000 issue (volume 30, number 6).
Does hope buffer the impacts of stress and exhaustion on frontline hotel employees' turnover intentions?

Th is study investigates the eff ects of challenge and hindrance stressors and exhaustion on frontline hotel employees’ turnover intentions and whether hope, as a personal resource, can moderate the deleterious eff ects of these antecedents on turnover intentions. Data were collected from a sample of 183 full-time frontline employees working in 5-star and 4-star hotels in Northern Cyprus. To ensure the temporal separation of measures, data pertaining to the independent and dependent variables were measured via two questionnaires administered with a time lag of two weeks. Results of the study reveal that hindrance stressors and exhaustion heighten frontline employees’ turnover intentions and that hope is a potential antidote to the deleterious impacts of these antecedents on turnover intentions. Th us, managers should consider the candidates’ hope levels during employee selection and hiring. Candidates high in hope should be given priority in hiring since such employees can better cope with stress and exhaustion. Management should also consider devising proactive strategies to keep employees high in hope in the organization since such employees can help create a positive work environment, may serve as role models to their colleagues and generate a demonstration eff ect among current employees with lower levels of hope.