Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing epidemiology of genital herpes simplex virus infection in Melbourne, Australia, between 1980 and 2003

Objective: To investigate changes in the proportions of patients infected with genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 from 1980 to 2003 in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: A total of 25 372 patients were studied retrospectively. The proportions of HSV-1 and HSV-2 detected in these individuals were analysed by age, sex, and genital site. Results: In 1980 only 15.8% of HSV positive genital specimens were HSV-1 compared to 34.9% in 2003. In 2003 HSV-1 was detected in 77% of patients aged less than 20 years. Females were more likely to be infected with HSV-1, although the rate of increased detection was more pronounced in males. Except for females over the age of 40, the trend for the increase in HSV-1 was detected in all age groups. No specific genital site in either sex was associated with the increase. Conclusions: The proportion of genital HSV-1 has increased in Australian patients, although HSV-2 is still the most common cause of genital infection. Confirmation of HSV type is necessary for optimal patient management.
The Impact Of Earnings Announcements On The Permanent Price Effects Of Block Trades

This study examines the permanent price effects that accompany block trades before and after earnings announcements. Permanent price effhcts are determined by comparing prices on either side of block trades. This price change may be interpreted as a measure of the information asymmetry between privately informed traders and market makers. ' We examine permanent price effects in the period surrounding earnings announcements to test the prediction that anticipated public announcements give rise to private information acquisition. Permanent price effects of block trades are analogous to bid/ask spreads in prices quoted for small trades. In testing for information asymmetries, confounding effects may occur due to expected increases in price volatility at the time of an earnings release. Block trade data are less
Involuntariness in Hypnotic Responding and Dissociative Symptoms

Clark Hull's (1933) research on dissociation was based on a ‘straw man’ formulation of dissociation; he claimed that dissociation requires noninterference. Hull completely ignored the then-current paradigm of dissociation—dissociation as automatism—and claimed that he had refuted the validity of the phenomenon of dissociation. Hull's view of dissociation held sway in the hypnosis field for 60 years. This essay seeks to retrieve the Janetian paradigm of dissociation as automatism. Automatisms are unexpected, uninitiated, involuntary behaviors that just ‘happen. ’ The author argues that human sensitivity to the experience of involuntariness (a) is quite important, (b) was selected by evolution, and (c) is central to both hypnotic responses and dissociative symptoms. This editorial urges the hypnosis field and the dissociation field to jointly undertake a renewed investigation of the experience of involuntariness and to follow recent neuroimaging studies which indicate that the parietal cortex underlies the experience of involuntariness.
Conduction and synaptic transmission in the optic nerve and the superior colliculus during development of the retinocollicular projection in the wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

When do the developing connections between mammalian retinal ganglion cells and the superior colliculus become functional? Evoked potentials elicited by optic nerve stimulation in the pouch young of the wallaby were used to answer the question. Up to 42 days after birth, the evoked potentials in the colliculus appeared to be generated by axon conduction. Synaptic activity was first recorded from the rostral colliculus at 45 days, and was found to be progressively more caudal, spreading to cover the colliculus, by 65 days. From the earliest indication of synaptic activity until eye opening at 140 days, current source density (CSD) analysis consistently showed the same basic pattern: an initial deep sink from synaptic activity of fast (Y type) fibres, and a more superficial longer‐latency sink from slower (W type) fibres. All features became more clearly delineated with age. The indirect retinocorticocollicular connection appeared between 134 days and 146 days. The ability of optic nerve fibres to sustain action potentials precedes their formation of functional synapses with collicular neurons, which happens abruptly at three months before eye opening. CSD analysis showed that the relationship between the conduction velocity of optic nerve fibres and their depth of termination is evident from the first signs of synapse formation. J. Comp. Neurol. 380:472–484, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Certification Analysis on the Relationship Between Economic Growth and Environmental Quality in Ningxia Province

The Ningxia's EKC curve is formulated on the basis of the economic and environmental datas from 1990 to 2004 in Ningxia,and the measure model between the GDP and per capita three industrial waste emissons.Results show: According to the diagram of Ningxia's EKC curve,the cycle economy will contribute to abate the pressure to environment.So try to avoid the harness after pollution and make efforts to set up uhe cycle economy are beneficial for the harmonious environmental and economic development.
Functional and anatomical memory indices in patients with or at risk for Alzheimer's disease

We investigated the sensitivity of the P300 event-related brain potential (ERP) recorded during a memory-demanding task to memory function in subjects with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT), those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and normal elderly controls. We also explored the ability of neuropsychological (delayed verbal memory), neuroanatomical (MRI-based hippocampal volume), and electrophysiological (memory search P300 amplitude) memory measures to distinguish between the three subject groups using discriminant function analyses. Fourteen patients with DAT, 16 with MCI, and 15 age- and education-matched controls were tested. P300 amplitude was reduced in DAT subjects at all levels of memory load; however, it did not differ between MCI and control subjects. Delayed verbal memory performance best discriminated DAT from MCI and control subjects, while delayed verbal memory and hippocampal volume best discriminated MCI subjects from controls. These results support the utility of neuropsychological and neuroanatomical measures in diagnosing dementia and do not support the notion that P300 amplitude is sensitive to mild memory dysfunction when measured using the current task. (JINS, 2004, 10, 200–210.)
A comparison between the Dutch and American-English digits-in-noise (DIN) tests in normal-hearing listeners

Abstract Objective: The Dutch digits-in-noise test (NL DIN) and the American-English version (US DIN) are speech-in-noise tests for diagnostic and clinical usage. The present study investigated differences between NL DIN and US DIN speech reception thresholds (SRTs) for a group of native Dutch-speaking listeners. Design: In experiment 1, a repeated-measures design was used to compare SRTs for the NL DIN and US DIN in steady-state noise and interrupted noise for monaural, diotic, and dichotic listening conditions. In experiment 2, a subset of these conditions with additional speech material (i.e. US DIN triplets without inter-digit coarticulation/prosody) was used. Study sample: Experiment 1 was conducted with 16 normal-hearing Dutch students. Experiment 2 was conducted with nine different students. Results: No significant differences between SRTs measured with the NL DIN and US DIN were found in steady-state noise. In interrupted noise the US DIN SRTs were significantly better in monaural and diotic listening conditions. Experiment 2 demonstrated that these better SRTs cannot be explained by the combined effect of inter-digit coarticulation and prosody in the American-English triplets. Conclusions: The NL DIN and US DIN are highly comparable and valuable tests for measuring auditory speech recognition abilities. These tests promote across-language comparisons of results.
Effect of adhesive systems and surface treatment of methacrylate resin-based fiber posts on post-resin-dentin bonds.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of different fiber post surface treatments on bond strength. METHODS Extracted endodontically-treated premolars were prepared for the cementation of a methacrylate resin-based fiber post (FRC Postec). The posts received one of the three surface pre-treatments: silane application; hydrofluoric acid-etching and silane application or no treatment. A light-cured composite was used with one of the three dentin adhesives for luting: Single Bond; Clearfil Photo Bond and Clearfil New Bond, followed by a light-cured composite core build-up. Specimens were serially sliced into 0.8 x 0.8 mm-thick beams and loaded in tension until failure. RESULTS Significant differences in bond strengths were recorded among the dentin adhesives (P< 0.05). However, post pre-treatment did not affect the bonding efficacy of the adhesives except for Clearfil New Bond.
Characterizing the Genetic Influences on Risk Aversion

Risk aversion has long been cited as an important factor in retirement decisions, investment behavior, and health. Some of the heterogeneity in individual risk tolerance is well understood, reflecting age gradients, wealth gradients, and similar effects, but much remains unexplained. This study explores genetic contributions to heterogeneity in risk aversion among older Americans. Using over 2 million genetic markers per individual from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study, I report results from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on risk preferences using a sample of 10,455 adults. None of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are found to be statistically significant determinants of risk preferences at levels stricter than 5 × 10−8. These results suggest that risk aversion is a complex trait that is highly polygenic. The analysis leads to upper bounds on the number of genetic effects that could exceed certain thresholds of significance and still remain undetected at the current sample size. The findings suggest that the known heritability in risk aversion is likely to be driven by large numbers of genetic variants, each with a small effect size.
Importance of the cysteine-rich carboxyl-terminal half of V protein for Sendai virus pathogenesis

The Sendai virus V protein is a nonstructural trans-frame protein whose cysteine-rich C-terminal half is fused to the acidic N-terminal half of the P protein via mRNA editing. We recently created a mutant by disrupting the editing motif, which is devoid of mRNA editing and hence unable to produce the V protein, and demonstrated that this V(-) virus replicated normally or even faster with augmented gene expression and cytopathogenicity in cells in vitro, but was strongly attenuated in pathogenicity for mice (A. Kato, K. Kiyotani, Y. Sakai, T. Yoshida, and Y. Nagai, EMBO J. 16:578-587, 1997). Thus, although categorized as a nonessential protein, the V protein appeared to encode a luxury function required for the viral in vivo pathogenesis. Here, we created another version of a V-deficient mutant, VdeltaC, encoding only the N-terminal half but not the V-specific C-terminal half, by introducing a stop codon in the trans-V frame, and then we compared its in vitro and in vivo phenotypes with those of the V(-) and wild-type viruses. The VdeltaC virus was found to be similar to the wild-type virus in vitro with no augmented gene expression and cytopathogenicity, but in vivo, it resembled the V(-) virus, displaying a similarly attenuated phenotype. Thus, the pathogenicity determinant in the V protein was mapped to the C-terminal half. The N-terminal half was likely sufficient to confer normal (wild-type) in vitro phenotypes.
Power allocation for multi-target multi-fusion-rule sensor networks

In this paper we study a wireless passive sensor network. The sensors are deployed to estimate the true values of multiple active target signals. The sensors forward their observation to a fusion center, which processes the observation of each sensor by a set of fusion rules. One achievement of this paper is proposing an unbiased estimator with minimized variance of errors. To do so, we optimize both the power allocation to the sensor nodes and the fusion rules. The optimal solution to the fusion rules are attained analytically, while the power allocation is solved sub-optimally. Finally, our results are reinforced by numerical simulations.
Ultra‐rapid microwave‐stimulated tissue processing with a modified protocol incorporating microwave fixation

Aims: To develop an ultra‐rapid microwave (MW)‐stimulated histoprocessing protocol that incorporates MW fixation and produces consistent, high quality sections. Methods: A range of fresh autopsy tissues was divided into three groups composed of equal numbers of small and large tissue blocks. Group 1 tissues were fixed for 8 hours in 4% buffered formaldehyde and processed in a conventional tissue processor through a 15‐hour cycle. Group 2 tissues were processed in a MW histoprocessor according to the manufacturer's recommended protocol of irradiation in a proprietary reagent before embedding in paraffin. Group 3 tissues were processed with our protocol that incorporated the addition of MW fixation in 4% buffered formaldehyde and MW irradiation in isopropyl alcohol after irradiation in the proprietary reagent. Results: The manufacturer's protocol resulted in ‘grey’ and ‘wet look’ artefacts in large tissue blocks. These artefacts did not occur in our protocol which produced sections that were indistinguishable from those obtained with conventional 23‐hour processing. Histochemical and immunohistochemical stains were also indistinguishable and the tissue blocks cut very smoothly. Conclusions: The incorporation of an additional step to ensure adequate tissue fixation and one to ensure optimal dehydration and clearing resulted in a MW histoprocessing protocol that produced consistent results for both large and small tissue blocks. Paraffin‐impregnated blocks can be produced very rapidly from fresh small and large tissue blocks in 45 and 100 minutes, respectively.
Regulated Apical Secretion of Zymogens in Rat Pancreas

We examined the role of glycosphingolipid- and cholesterol-enriched microdomains, or rafts, in the sorting of digestive enzymes into zymogen granules destined for apical secretion and in granule formation. Isolated membranes of zymogen granules from pancreatic acinar cells showed an enrichment in cholesterol and sphingomyelin and formed detergent-insoluble glycolipid-enriched complexes. These complexes floated to the lighter fractions of sucrose density gradients and contained the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein GP-2, the lectin ZG16p, and sulfated matrix proteoglycans. Morphological and pulse-chase studies with isolated pancreatic lobules revealed that after inhibition of GPI-anchor biosynthesis by mannosamine or the fungal metabolite YW 3548, granule formation was impaired leading to an accumulation of newly synthesized proteins in the Golgi apparatus and the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, the membrane attachment of matrix proteoglycans was diminished. After cholesterol depletion or inhibition of glycosphingolipid synthesis by fumonisin B1, the formation of zymogen granules as well as the formation of detergent-insoluble complexes was reduced. In addition, cholesterol depletion led to constitutive secretion of newly synthesized proteins,e.g. amylase, indicating that zymogens were missorted. Together, these data provide first evidence that in polarized acinar cells of the exocrine pancreas GPI-anchored proteins, e.g.GP-2, and cholesterol-sphingolipid-enriched microdomains are required for granule formation as well as for regulated secretion of zymogens and may function as sorting platforms for secretory proteins destined for apical delivery.
A Reliable and Inexpensive EasyCD4 Assay for Monitoring HIV-Infected Individuals in Resource-Limited Settings

Summary: Serial measurements of absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts are required to initiate and gauge response to therapy and monitor disease progression. Hence, there is an urgent need to evaluate the accuracy and validity of low-cost CD4+ T-cell count assays. Tripotassium EDTA blood specimens from HIV-infected individuals were studied using a novel flow cytometric assay (EasyCD4 assay; Guava Technologies, Hayward, CA) in comparison with standard flow cytometry (FACSCount; Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems, San Jose, CA). The sensitivity, specificity value by EasyCD4 assay in enumerating absolute CD4+ T-cell counts of less than 200 cells/&mgr;L were 95% and 100%, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis showed close agreement, with the EasyCD4 assay yielding CD4+ T-cell counts a mean difference of −26 cells/&mgr;L (95% confidence interval, −96 to 44 cells/&mgr;L) higher than by flow cytometry. Our data suggest that EasyCD4 assay could be a useful alternative assay to conventional flow cytometry, may be appropriate for use in resource-limited settings.
The link between financial performance and loan repayment management in Tanzanian SACCOS

The Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) which are co-operative financial models are flourishing in most of the developing economies recently. However, loan repayment capacity remains a challenge that threatens their future. Using financial statements data for the year 2012, from 36 SACCOS in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, and using descriptive statistics and regression models in the analysis, this study examines the relationship between financial performance and loan repayment capacity. It thus examines the extent by which SACCOS are capable of recovering the loan issued and also the financial ratios that explain loan repayment capacity in SACCOS. The study depicts that there is a severe financial risk management problem among Tanzanian SACCOS. Focusing on sustainability is significant for improvements of loan repayment, but focusing on profitability in SACCOS results to an adverse loan repayment. The study asserts that the primary focus of SACCOS should not be profit but member’s wealth maximization and sustainability of the institution. Moreover, we suggest that in addition the traditional means of dealing with financial risk, the uses of a modern risk management tool like credit scoring should be considered in evaluating borrowers. Key words: SACCOS, loan repayment, Tanzania.
Sphingosine-1-phosphate Lyase Deficiency Produces a Pro-inflammatory Response While Impairing Neutrophil Trafficking*

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) lyase catalyzes the degradation of S1P, a potent signaling lysosphingolipid. Mice with an inactive S1P lyase gene are impaired in the capacity to degrade S1P, resulting in highly elevated S1P levels. These S1P lyase-deficient mice have low numbers of lymphocytes and high numbers of neutrophils in their blood. We found that the S1P lyase-deficient mice exhibited features of an inflammatory response including elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and an increased expression of genes in liver associated with an acute-phase response. However, the recruitment of their neutrophils into inflamed tissues was impaired and their neutrophils were defective in migration to chemotactic stimulus. The IL-23/IL-17/granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) cytokine-controlled loop regulating neutrophil homeostasis, which is dependent on neutrophil trafficking to tissues, was disturbed in S1P lyase-deficient mice. Deletion of the S1P4 receptor partially decreased the neutrophilia and inflammation in S1P lyase-deficient mice, implicating S1P receptor signaling in the phenotype. Thus, a genetic block in S1P degradation elicits a pro-inflammatory response but impairs neutrophil migration from blood into tissues.
Reduced Rates of Gene Loss, Gene Silencing, and Gene Mutation in Dnmt1-Deficient Embryonic Stem Cells

ABSTRACT Tumor suppressor gene inactivation is a crucial event in oncogenesis. Gene inactivation mechanisms include events resulting in loss of heterozygosity (LOH), gene mutation, and transcriptional silencing. The contribution of each of these different pathways varies among tumor suppressor genes and by cancer type. The factors that influence the relative utilization of gene inactivation pathways are poorly understood. In this study, we describe a detailed quantitative analysis of the three major gene inactivation mechanisms for a model gene at two different genomic integration sites in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. In addition, we targeted the major DNA methyltransferase gene, Dnmt1, to investigate the relative contribution of DNA methylation to these various competing gene inactivation pathways. Our data show that gene loss is the predominant mode of inactivation of a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase neomycin phosphotransferase reporter gene (HSV-TKNeo) at the two integration sites tested and that this event is significantly reduced in Dnmt1-deficient cells. Gene silencing by promoter methylation requires Dnmt1, suggesting that the expression of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b alone in ES cells is insufficient to achieve effective gene silencing. We used a novel assay to show that missense mutation rates are also substantially reduced in Dnmt1-deficient cells. This is the first direct demonstration that DNA methylation affects point mutation rates in mammalian cells. Surprisingly, the fraction of CpG transition mutations was not reduced in Dnmt1-deficient cells. Finally, we show that methyl group-deficient growth conditions do not cause an increase in missense mutation rates in Dnmt1-proficient cells, as predicted by methyltransferase-mediated mutagenesis models. We conclude that Dnmt1 deficiency and the accompanying genomic DNA hypomethylation result in a reduction of three major pathways of gene inactivation in our model system.
Skin Mucus of Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata L.). Protein Mapping and Regulation in Chronically Stressed Fish

The skin mucus of gilthead sea bream was mapped by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry using a quadrupole time-of-flight mass analyzer. More than 2,000 proteins were identified with a protein score filter of 30. The identified proteins were represented in 418 canonical pathways of the Ingenuity Pathway software. After filtering by canonical pathway overlapping, the retained proteins were clustered in three groups. The mitochondrial cluster contained 59 proteins related to oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial dysfunction. The second cluster contained 79 proteins related to antigen presentation and protein ubiquitination pathways. The third cluster contained 257 proteins where proteins related to protein synthesis, cellular assembly, and epithelial integrity were over-represented. The latter group also included acute phase response signaling. In parallel, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis methodology identified six proteins spots of different protein abundance when comparing unstressed fish with chronically stressed fish in an experimental model that mimicked daily farming activities. The major changes were associated with a higher abundance of cytokeratin 8 in the skin mucus proteome of stressed fish, which was confirmed by immunoblotting. Thus, the increased abundance of markers of skin epithelial turnover results in a promising indicator of chronic stress in fish.