Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assembly of functional Sindbis virus RNA replication complexes: requirement for coexpression of P123 and P34

A vaccinia virus transient expression system was used to determine which of the Sindbis virus (SIN) proteins and/or polyproteins are necessary for the formation of active replication complexes and, in particular, to analyze the role of nsP4, the putative polymerase, versus P34 in RNA replication. We generated vaccinia virus recombinants in which the cDNA for the entire SIN nonstructural coding region as well as cDNA copies of the individual nonstructural proteins (nsPs) and several intermediate polyproteins were placed downstream of the promoter for T7 RNA polymerase and the encephalomyocarditis virus 5' untranslated region. The proteins expressed by the vaccinia virus recombinants comigrate with authentic proteins synthesized in SIN-infected cells, and the polyproteins appear to be processed to the individual proteins of the correct size. To examine the replication efficiencies of different protein combinations, a vaccinia virus recombinant was designed to express an engineered substrate RNA which could serve as a template for replication and subgenomic mRNA transcription by the SIN nsPs. Expression of the entire SIN nonstructural coding region resulted in the synthesis of high levels of both genomic and subgenomic RNAs derived from the engineered template. No RNA replication could be detected during coexpression of the four individual nsPs, although the proteins were indistinguishable, in terms of electrophoretic mobility, from those synthesized in SIN-infected cells. Coexpression of polyproteins P12, P23, and/or P34 with the individual nsPs also did not result in detectable levels of RNA replication. However, when P123 and P34 were coexpressed, efficient RNA replication and subgenomic mRNA transcription of the substrate RNA was observed. Coexpression of nsP4 with P123 resulted in the synthesis of only minus-strand RNAs. These studies show that expression of both P123 and P34 is necessary for establishment of functional RNA replication and transcription complexes and raise the possibility that the polyproteins themselves may be functional components of these complexes. In addition, these data indicate that an nsP4 moiety expressed independently with an additional N-terminal methionine is capable of functioning in minus-strand but not plus-strand RNA synthesis.
Thoracic paravertebral spread using two different ultrasound‐guided intercostal injection techniques in human cadavers

The continuity between the intercostal and paravertebral space has been established by several studies. In this study, the paravertebral spread of a colored dye was attempted with two different ultrasound‐guided techniques. The posterior area of the trunk was scanned with a linear probe between the level of the fifth and the seventh thoracic vertebrae in eleven embalmed human cadavers. In the first technique, the probe was placed transversely below the inferior margin of the rib, and a needle was inserted between the internal intercostal membrane and the pleura. In the second technique, the probe was placed longitudinally at the intercostal space 5 cm lateral to the spinous processes, and the needle was inserted between the internal intercostal membrane and the pleura. In both techniques, 1 ml of methylene blue was injected, and both the intercostal and paravertebral spaces were prepared. In total, 33 injections were performed: 19 with the transverse technique and 14 with the longitudinal technique. Successful spread of the dye to the thoracic paravertebral space was recorded in 89.5% cases using the transverse technique and 92.8% cases using the longitudinal technique. No intrapleural spread of the dye was recorded in either technique. Ultrasound‐guided injection into the intercostal space may offer an alternative approach to the thoracic paravertebral space. Clin. Anat. 23:840–847, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Toward assessing family outcomes of service delivery: validation of a family quality of life survey.

BACKGROUND The concept of family quality of life (QoL) has emerged as an important outcome of service delivery for individuals with disabilities and their families. The present study describes the process of developing a tool to measure family QoL. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 1197 respondents participated in a national field test. Through factor analysis, the survey was refined in several ways: (1) the preliminary 10-domain structure was reduced to a five-domain structure; (2) a total of 41 items were selected for the revised survey; and (3) wordings were clarified. CONCLUSIONS The implications for future research and practice are discussed.
An event-related potential analysis of incongruity in music and other non-linguistic contexts.

This study was designed to determine whether the N400 component, described by Kutas and Hillyard as an index of semantic expectancy, would he elicited by deviations involving non-linguistic expectancies. The stimuli within the four experimental conditions included: 1) sentences, 2) geometric patterns of increasing or decreasing size, 3) scale-notes of increasing or decreasing frequency, and 4) well-known French melodies. An N400 appeared only following semantic incongruities within sentences. Non-linguistic deviations were followed by a late positivity whose amplitude varied across conditions. These results are consistent with an interpretation of N400 as an index of the further processing required by linguistic incongruities rather than by violations of arbitrary or over learned rules in general. However, alternative interpretations exist and are discussed.
Indicators of the quality of general practice care of patients with chronic illness: a step towards the real involvement of patients in the assessment of the quality of care.

OBJECTIVE--To develop a list of indicators of the general practice care of people with chronic illnesses considered important by both patients and practitioners and to identify the indicators that are considered relevant for patient assessment of health care quality. DESIGN--Qualitative study with focus group interviews and a written consensus procedure. SETTING--General practice in the Netherlands in 1993. SUBJECTS--34 patients with chronic illness, mostly members of patient organisations, and 19 general practitioners with expertise in either chronic disease management or experience with patient surveys. MAIN MEASURES--Aspects of general practice care considered important for the delivery of good quality care that emerged from focus group interviews; the relevance of evaluations of 41 aspects of care for patients explored through the written consensus procedure. Those aspects of general practice care agreed to be both important and relevant by patients and general practitioners were considered to be suitable indicators for patient assessment of the quality of care. RESULTS--Patients and general practitioners differed to some extent in their assessment of the aspects of care that they considered important for quality. They agreed that most indicators of care that related to the ¿doctor-patient relation¿ and to ¿information and support¿ were relevant and therefore suitable as indicators for patient assessment of health care quality. There was less agreement about the relevance of indicators of ¿medical and technical care,¿ ¿availability and accessibility,¿ and ¿organisation of services. ¿ CONCLUSIONS--Several indicators of the quality of general practice care of patients with chronic illness were thought to be suitable for the patient assessment of healthcare quality, but other indicators were not, mainly because of reservations by general practitioners. IMPLICATIONS-- Qualitative methods can contribute to the selection of indicators for assessment of the quality of health care in areas where scientific evidence is limited or where patients' and providers' preferences are particularly important.
A comparison of measures of preferred processing style: method or trait variance?

[Abstract]: Paivio's (1971) 'dual code' theory proposes that there are two basic ways of encoding data. The first is a symbolic form, the second an imaginal or pictorial form. Individuals are said to differ in their preference for these basic encoding forms. A number of tests have been used to measure individual differences in preference. The aim of the present study was to check for agreement among three of these measures and to see whether or not processing preference was linked to spatial and verbal abilities. Richardson's (1977) Verbaliser-Visualiser Questionnaire, Aylwin's (1985) Modes of Thought Questionnaire, and Clark and Chase's (1972) sentence-verification task were used to assess processing preferences, and the Space Relations and Verbal Reasoning scales of the Differential Aptitude Battery (Bennett, Seashore, & Wesman, 1989) were used to assess spatial and verbal abilities. This battery was administered to 154 adults. The results indicated that there was little commonality among the measures of processing preference with method variance far outweighing trait variance in LISREL multitrait-multimethod analyses. Relations with spatial and verbal ability measures were also quite weak. It is suggested that processing preferences are not captured adequately by any of these measures and that further effort be devoted to operationalising this construct. It is also suggested that a twocode model may not accurately describe the richness of the encoding process and that models such as Ahsen's (1984) Triple Code Model be considered as a basis for measuring styles.
Mating system divergence affects the distribution of sequence diversity within and among populations of recently diverged subspecies of Clarkia xantiana (Onagraceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY The population biology of outcrossing and self-fertilizing taxa is thought to differ because of the advantage that selfers have in colonizing unoccupied sites where mates and pollinators may be limiting (Baker's Law). This reduced tendency for outcrossers to colonize new sites, along with their greater dependence on pollinators to disperse pollen, has the potential to differently influence the genetic diversity and structure of outcrossing and selfing populations. METHODS We conducted a comparative population genetic study of two sister outcrossing and selfing subspecies of Clarkia xantiana that have very recently diverged. We used DNA sequence variation (>40 kb from eight nuclear loci) from large samples of individuals from 14 populations to assess geographic patterns of genetic diversity and make inferences about the demographic and colonization histories of each subspecies. KEY RESULTS We show that sequence variation is strongly reduced across all selfing populations. The demographic history of selfing populations exhibits recent colonization bottlenecks, whereas such bottlenecks are rarely observed for the outcrosser. The greater effect of genetic drift in the selfer has resulted in strong population genetic structure, but with no pattern of isolation by distance. By contrast, the stronger effect of gene flow in the outcrosser has resulted in considerably less structure, but a significant pattern of isolation by distance. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our results suggest that selfing populations are not at migration-drift equilibrium, are affected by strong episodes of genetic drift during colonization, and experience little or no subsequent gene flow from other populations after those founder events.
Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parental Beliefs Scale

Background:Parental perception of their infants and confidence/beliefs about their parenting are among the most salient factors influencing outcomes of preterm infants. Objectives:The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of scores on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parental Beliefs Scale (NICU PBS) in a sample of mothers and fathers of preterm infants receiving intensive care. The NICU PBS is a rating instrument designed to assess parental beliefs about their premature infant and their role during hospitalization. Methods:The sample consisted of 245 mothers and 143 fathers. As part of the Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment trial, participants completed the NICU PBS 4–8 days after NICU admission and again approximately 4 days before discharge. Validation data were obtained at various times throughout the study. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the NICU PBS factor structure. Results:A three-factor solution was accepted (Parental Role Confidence, Parent–Baby Interaction, and Knowledge of the NICU). Reliability of scores on the total scale and subscales was high; Cronbach’s alpha ranged from . 75 to . 91. Test–retest correlations ranged from . 84 to . 92. Younger maternal age; birth of another child; return to work within the past 12 months; and lower stress, depression, and anxiety were all significantly associated with higher scores on all subscales and the total score. Lower education, lower household income, receipt of Medicaid, and non-White race were associated with higher scores on the parent role confidence subscale and total. Lower household income and receipt of Medicaid were associated with higher Parent–Baby Interaction scores. Discussion:The NICU PBS can be used reliably with mothers and fathers of premature infants who are hospitalized in the NICU, and it may be a useful scale in predicting parental stress, depression, and anxiety.
Evolution of AF ablation strategies-Role of PVI?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinical arrhythmia and its prevalence in the United States is expected to reach 6-12 million by the year 2050 [1]. A few decades ago, it was believed that AF was caused by a set of random and disorganized activations in the atria. Moe et al. [2,3] in 1964 first proposed his ‘multiple wavelet hypothesis’ according to which, new wavelets form after the initial wave break resulting in the multiple wavelet fibrillation. These wavelets are short lived and can either disintegrate after colliding with another wavelet or a non-conducting boundary, or fractionate in to multiple daughter wavelets. The second hypothesis put forward by Lewis in 1925 [4] and then by Gurvich in 1975 was the ‘mother rotor hypothesis,’ in which AF is maintained by a single rapid reentrant circuit of excitation [5]. This theory has been studied in detail by Jalife’s group in large animal models and simulations, as the predominant mechanism for AF [6,7]. These two proposed mechanisms have been shown to appear in isolation and also simultaneously, resulting in a much more complex pattern of AF [8]. More recently in 2010, Allessie proposed ‘the double layer hypothesis’ adding a third dimension to the complexity of AF in which endo-epicardial dissociation plays a major role in maintaining AF [9,10].
Human Metapneumovirus as a Major Cause of Human Respiratory Tract Disease

Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a newly identified paramyxovirus that appears to be one of the most significant and common viral infections in humans. The virus, first isolated in 2001, is a clear cause of lower respiratory tract disease in both the very young and the frail elderly. The virus causes acute wheezing in children or, less commonly, croup or pneumonia. Methods/Results: Molecular epidemiology studies have shown that field strains exhibit sufficient sequence diversity to designate 2 subgroups of circulating viruses. Small animal and nonhuman primate models of infection have been described, which will allow studies of pathogenesis and immunity. Recombinant viruses have already been generated by several groups using reverse genetics, which facilitates the study of the biology of the virus and the generation of live attenuated vaccine candidates. Conclusions: Ongoing research promises to elucidate the molecular basis for pathogenesis and immunity of human metapneumovirus infections and to pave the way for rapid vaccine development.
[Study on effect of combination of Epimedii Folium and Ligustri Lucidi Fructus on osteoporosis rats induced by retinoic acid].

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of combination of Epimedii Folium and Ligustri Lucidi Fructus on osteoporosis rats induced by retinoic acid. METHOD Sixty three-month-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, the model group, the Epimedii Folium group, the Ligustri Lucidi Fructus group, the combination group of Epimedii Folium and Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and the raloxifene group. The osteoporosis model was established through oral administration with retinoic acid for two weeks. Meanwhile, all of treatment groups were administered with corresponding drugs for three weeks. The contents of serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (StrACP) were detected, and the pathomorphological changes of femurs were observed. RESULT The model control group showed much lower contents of serum Ca and P than the normal control group, but with significantly higher AKP and StrACP activity than the normal control group. The femoral head area showed reduced, narrow and sparse trabecular bones, with typical osteoporosis-like changes. Compared with the model control group, all of treated groups showed significant increase in Ca and P contents in serum, and down-regulate AKP and StrACP levels, while trabecular bones became more and wider, and densely interweaved as a reticular formation. Among them, the combination group showed the most significant effect. CONCLUSION Epimedii Folium and Ligustri Lucidi Fructus could effectively correct the abnormal bone metabolism and improve pathological conditions of bone tissues, so as to show the anti-osteoporosis effect. The combined application of the two drugs showed a better efficacy.
Oxidative DNA Damage Induced by Toluene is Involved in its Male Reproductive Toxicity

Toluene is widely used as an organic solvent in various industries and commercial products. Recent investigations have shown that toluene may induce male reproductive dysfunctions and carcinogenicity. To clarify whether the toxicity results from the interference of endocrine systems or direct damage to reproductive organs, we examined the effects of toluene on the male reproductive system in rats, comparing to those of diethylstilbestrol (DES), a potent synthetic estrogen. Toluene (50, 500 mg/kg) or DES (2 mg/kg) injected subcutaneously to male Sprague-Dawley rats once a day for 10 days decreased the epididymal sperm counts and the serum concentrations of testosterone. The mRNA level for gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in the pituitary was decreased by DES, but not by toluene. On the contrary, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) formation in testes, the biological marker for oxidative DNA damage, was increased by toluene but not by DES. These results suggest that toluene induces reproductive toxicity via direct oxidative damage of spermatozoa, whereas DES affects endocrine systems via the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Morphological findings supported the idea. To determine the mechanism of 8-oxodG formation in vivo, we examined DNA damage induced by toluene metabolic products in vitro. Minor toluene metabolites, methylhydroquinone and methylcatechols, induced oxidative DNA damage, and the methylcatechols induced NADH-mediated 8-oxodG formation more efficiently than methylhydroquinone did. We propose that oxidative DNA damage in the testis plays a role in reproductive toxicity induced by toluene.
Optical Properties of Modified Nanorod Particles for Biomedical Sensing

In this paper, an analytical and numerical investigation for modified gold nanorod particles, operating in the visible and in the infrared regime is proposed. The modified particles consist in a core/shell structure (dielectric core/metallic shell) embedded in a dielectric environment. Their electromagnetic properties, in terms of extinction cross section (absorption and scattering) for both longitudinal and transverse modes excitation, are evaluated. In particular, new analytical models are developed, describing their resonant behavior. Good agreement among the analytical, numerical, and experimental results was achieved. Exploiting the obtained models, the nanoparticle sensitivity was studied. Analytical and full wave results validate the high sensitivity performances and the potential role of such structures to be used for sensing applications.
Measurement of carotenoids, retinoids, and tocopherols in human lenses.

PURPOSE To determine the levels of carotenoids, retinoids, and tocopherols in normal and cataractous human lenses. METHODS Concentrations of carotenoids, retinoids, and tocopherols were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 12 American normal lenses, 9 American cataractous lenses, and 10 Indian cataractous lenses. RESULTS On a per gram wet weight of tissue basis, human lenses contained 11 to 25 ng xanthophylls (lutein and zeaxanthin), 31 to 50 ng retinol, 21 to 25 ng retinyl palmitate, 1573 to 2550 ng alpha-tocopherol, and 257 to 501 ng gamma-tocopherol. Concentrations of lutein, zeaxanthin, and retinol were significantly higher in Indian cataractous lenses than in American normal or cataractous lenses. There were no differences in the lutein-zeaxanthin, retinoid, or alpha-tocopherol contents between American normal lenses and American cataractous lenses. The range of ratios of lutein to zeaxanthin in human lenses was 1.6 to 2.2. The mean age of the Indian lens donors was 20 years younger than the American lens donors. Comparisons using contralateral lenses indicated that there was significant interindividual variance in human lens concentrations of xanthophylls, retinoids, and tocopherols. beta-carotene and lycopene, major carotenoids in human serum and other tissues, were not detected in human lenses. CONCLUSIONS Xanthophylls (lutein and zeaxanthin) are the only carotenoids detected in human lens. Retinol, retinyl palmitate, and alpha- and gamma-tocopherols also are present in human lens. Determinants of lens concentration of nutrients are not defined, but dietary factors are likely to be important.
Study on a Evaluation Index System of High-Tech Development Zone Brand Competitiveness

Based on the analysis of relevant literature on brand competitiveness, the paper focuses on the design ideas of hi-tech zone brand competitiveness evaluating indicator system, the selection approach and principle of evaluating indicators, and establishes a hi-tech zone brand competitiveness evaluating indicator system containing hi-tech zone brand strength, hi-tech zone brand vigor and hi-tech zone brand charm indexes, from the entry point of the source of hi-tech brand competitiveness. The hi-tech zone brand strength thereof is the basis of the hi-tech zone brand competitiveness, the hi-tech zone brand vigor is the source of the hi-tech zone brand competitiveness, and the hi-tech zone brand charm is the value realization of the hi-tech zone brand competitiveness.
Expression of CYP 11 B 2 in Aldosterone-Producing Adrenocortical Adenoma : Regulatory Mechanisms and Clinical Significance

183 Received August 24, 2016; revised and accepted October 19, 2016. Published online November 16, 2016; doi: 10.1620/tjem.240. 183. Correspondence: Yasuhiro Nakamura, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 9818558, Japan. e-mail: yasu-naka@patholo2.med.tohoku.ac. jp Dr. Yasuhiro Nakamura is a recipient of the 2015 Gold Prize, Tohoku University School of Medicine. Invited Review