Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The zinc finger of nucleocapsid protein of Friend murine leukemia virus is critical for proviral DNA synthesis in vivo

Nucleocapsid protein NCp10 of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) is encoded by the 3' domain of gag and contains a zinc finger of the form Cys-X2-Cys-X4-His-X4-Cys flanked by basic amino acids. In the course of virus assembly, NCp10 is necessary for core formation, and the zinc finger flanked by the basic residues is required for the packaging of the genomic RNA dimer. In vitro, NCp10 exhibits strong nucleic acid binding and annealing activities that appear to be critical for virus infectivity since NCp10 promotes dimerization of the viral RNA containing the E/DLS packaging-dimerization signal and annealing of replication primer tRNA(Pro) to the initiation site of reverse transcription (PBS). Recent in vitro studies have suggested that NCp10 may also play a role in proviral DNA synthesis. To investigate the function of NCp10 in proviral DNA synthesis in vivo, we developed a simple and convenient genetic packaging system consisting of two DNA constructs expressing the packaging components gag-pol and env of Friend MuLV and a Moloney MuLV-based lacZ vector with either the MuLV E+ or a rat VL30 E packaging signal. This system allowed us to examine the consequences of a set of mutations in NCp10 on a single round of recombinant virus replication. Most mutations in the N- or C-terminal domain of NCp10 do not significantly alter infectivity, while those in the zinc finger drastically impair infectivity. Analysis of the viral RNA content in virions showed that all mutations in the zinc finger decrease but do not abolish packaging of the recombinant genome. Interestingly enough, mutation of Y-28 to S (mutation Y28S) in the zinc finger results in RNA packaging at a level similar to that observed upon deletion of three prolines and three arginines in the C-terminal domain of NCp10 (mutant delta PR3). However, mutant Y28S is noninfectious while mutant delta PR3 is only threefold less infectious than the wild-type virus, which prompted us to examine the role of NCp10 protein in proviral DNA synthesis in vivo using these nucleocapsid mutants. PCR amplification was used to analyze viral DNA synthesized in newly infected cells, and results indicate that the Y28S zinc finger mutation impairs reverse transcription, thus suggesting that the nucleocapsid protein zinc finger plays a key role in proviral DNA synthesis in vivo.
The fitness of drug‐resistant malaria parasites in a rodent model: multiplicity of infection

Malaria infections normally consist of more than one clonally replicating lineage. Within‐host interactions between sensitive and resistant parasites can have profound effects on the evolution of drug resistance. Here, using the Plasmodium chabaudi mouse malaria model, we ask whether the costs and benefits of resistance are affected by the number of co‐infecting strains competing with a resistant clone. We found strong competitive suppression of resistant parasites in untreated infections and marked competitive release following treatment. The magnitude of competitive suppression depended on competitor identity. However, there was no overall effect of the diversity of susceptible parasites on the extent of competitive suppression or release. If these findings generalize, then transmission intensity will impact on resistance evolution because of its effect on the frequency of mixed infections, not because of its effect on the distribution of clones per host. This would greatly simplify the computational problems of adequately capturing within‐host ecology in models of drug resistance evolution in malaria.
Myrmarachnine jumping spiders of the new subtribe Levieina from Papua New Guinea (Araneae, Salticidae, Myrmarachnini)

Abstract A previously unreported radiation of myrmarachnine jumping spiders from New Guinea is described, which, although having few known species, is remarkably diverse in body forms. This clade is the new subtribe Levieina, represented by seven new species in three new genera. Within Levieagen. n. are three new species, L.herbertisp. n. , L.lornaesp. n. , and L.francesaesp. n. , all of which are unusual among the myrmarachnines in appearing as typical salticids, not antlike. Papuamyrgen. n. superficially resembles Ligonipes Karsch, 1878 or Rhombonotus L. Koch, 1879 as a compact antlike spider, but lacks their laterally-compressed palp and bears an ectal spur on the paturon of the chelicera. Two species of Papuamyrgen. n. are described, Papuamyromhifosgasp. n. and P.pandorasp. n.Agorioidesgen. n. , containing A.cherubinosp. n. and A.papagenasp. n. , is antlike, with the carapace sunken inwards (concave) between the posterior lateral and posterior median eyes. Phylogenetic analysis of data from the 28S, 16SND1, and COI gene regions of 29 species of myrmarachnines shows that the three new genera form a clade that is sister to the subtribe Myrmarachnina (Myrmarachne sensu lato), with the subtribe Ligonipedina less closely related.
ULTRAFAST GAS SWITCHING EXPERIMENTS

We describe recent experiments which studied the physics of ultrafast gas breakdown under the extreme overvoltages which occur when a high pressure gas switch is pulse charged to hundreds of kV in 1 ns or less. The highly overvolted peaking gaps produce powerful electromagnetic pulses with risetimes 1 kHz at > 100 kV/m E field.
Doenca de Newcastle

Última atualização: Janeiro 2016 Importância A doença de Newcastle é uma doença viral das aves causada pelo paramyxovirus aviário tipo 1 (APMV-1). Por razões de controle oficial, esta doença é atualmente definida como a forma mais severa da doença, a qual é causada somente por algumas cepas virais. Várias outras cepas menos virulentas de APMV-1 circulam entre aves domésticas e silvestres. Estes vírus geralmente causam sinais clínicos mais brandos ou infectam as aves de forma assintomática. Entretanto, eles podem eventualmente evoluir e tornarem-se cepas altamente virulentas, causando a doença de Newcastle. A doença de Newcastle é considerada como uma das mais importantes doenças aviárias no mundo. Galinhas são particularmente suscetíveis e podem apresentar taxas de mortalidade e morbidade de até 100%. Surtos podem gerar enormes impactos em galinhas “de quintal” em países em desenvolvimento onde essas aves são uma significativa fonte de proteína e a doença é endêmica. Em países desenvolvidos, cepas virulentas de AMPV-1 têm sido geralmente erradicadas em frangos, com embargos e restrições comerciais que causam perdas econômicas importantes durante surtos. A doença de Newcastle pode também afetar outras aves comerciais, aves de caça, ratitas e várias outras aves de estimação e zoológico. Algumas dessas aves podem adoecer, enquanto outras portam e transmitem vírus virulentos de forma assintomática. Aves infectadas subclinicamente, particularmente psitacídeos importados ilegalmente, podem introduzir a doença de Newcastle em países onde esta não existia. Um número de estudos recentes tem examinado a epidemiologia do APMV-1 em aves silvestres. Embora estas aves sejam infectadas principalmente por cepas de baixa patogenicidade de APMV-1, cepas altamente virulentas circulam em algumas populações de cormorões na América do Norte. Surtos ocorrem periodicamente nestes animais, causando doença severa e morte em aves jovens. Vírus de cormorões podem também infectar gaivotas próximas e podem disseminar-se para outras aves domésticas ou silvestres. Cepas de APMV-1 mantidas em Columbiformes silvestres (e domésticos) também podem ser uma preocupação, embora estes vírus em particular geralmente tendam a causar doença severa somente em pombos. Recentemente, vários artigos descreveram infecções esporádicas por APMV-1 virulentos em várias aves silvestres pelo mundo. A significância desses achados é ainda incerta.
Raw Cow’s Milk Prevents the Development of Airway Inflammation in a Murine House Dust Mite-Induced Asthma Model

Epidemiological studies show an inverse relation between raw cow’s milk consumption and the development of asthma. This protective effect seems to be abolished by milk processing. However, evidence for a causal relationship is lacking, and direct comparisons between raw and processed milk are hardly studied. Therefore, this study investigated the preventive capacity of raw and heated raw milk on the development of house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic asthma in mice. Six- to seven-week-old male BALB/c mice were intranasally (i.n.) sensitized with 1 µg HDM or PBS on day 0, followed by an i.n. challenge with 10 µg HDM or PBS on days 7–11. In addition, mice were fed 0.5 mL raw cow’s milk, heated raw cow’s milk, or PBS three times a week throughout the study, starting 1 day before sensitization. On day 14, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in response to increasing doses of methacholine was measured to assess lung function. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs were furthermore collected to study the extent of airway inflammation. Raw milk prevented both HDM-induced AHR and pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation, whereas heated raw milk did not. Both milk types suppressed the Th2-polarizing chemokine CCL17 in lung homogenates and reduced lung Th2 and Th17 cell frequency. IL-4 and IL-13 production after ex vivo restimulation of lung T cells with HDM was also reduced by both milk types. However, local IL-5 and IL-13 concentrations were only suppressed by raw milk. These findings support the asthma-protective capacity of raw cow’s milk and show the importance of reduced local type 2 cytokine levels. Heated raw milk did not show an asthma-protective effect, which indicates the involvement of heat-sensitive components. Besides causal evidence, this study provides the basis for further mechanistic studies.
Validation of a lateropulsion scale for patients recovering from stroke

Objective: To determine the validity and reliability of a clinical scale for assessing lateropulsion following stroke. Design: Serial observational study of Lateropulsion Scale scores. Setting: Inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit. Subjects: A convenience sample of 85 patients examined 19 ± 2 SEM days post stroke. Main outcome measures: An empirically derived 17-point Lateropulsion Scale was used to assess and follow postural responses to rolling, sitting, standing, transferring and walking. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated by having patients evaluated twice by their primary physical therapist (days 1 and 3), and once by an alternate physical therapist (day 2). Concurrent validity was estimated by computing Spearman's rank order correlations between the lateropulsion score and other markers for motor control dysfunction: Fugl-Meyer balance subscore, the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) mobility subscore, and length of rehabilitation hospital stay. Results: Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were r = 0.93 (p < 0.001) and r = 0.94 (p < 0.05), respectively. Concurrent validity estimates showed the initial lateropulsion score to be correlated with the Fugl-Meyer balance subscore (r = -0.57 p < 0.001), with the admission and discharge FIM mobility subscores (r = -0.56, p < 0.0001 and r = -0.58, p < 0.0001), respectively, and with length of rehabilitation hospital stay (r = 0.6, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The Lateropulsion Scale is both a reliable and a valid assessment of lateropulsion following stroke.
c-Jun-Dependent CD95-L Expression Is a Rate-Limiting Step in the Induction of Apoptosis by Alkylating Agents

ABSTRACT Mouse 3T3 fibroblasts derived from fetuses lacking c-Jun were used to define an essential role of c-Jun, a main component of the transcription factor AP-1, in the cellular response to the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). MMS represents the most potent and selective activator of the stress-induced kinases JNK/SAPK and p38, resulting in very efficient induction of c-Jun hyperphosphorylation and c-jun transcription. This agent induced apoptosis with high efficiency in wild-type cells but not in c-jun −/− cells. Resistance to apoptosis was accompanied by impaired expression of CD95 ligand (CD95-L), a well-known inducer of apoptosis. The addition of recombinant CD95-L restored apoptosis sensitivity in c-jun −/− fibroblasts. MMS-induced apoptosis in wild-type fibroblasts or human lymphocytes was strongly reduced by neutralizing CD95-L antibodies or transdominant negative FADD, confirming the importance of CD95 signalling in MMS-induced apoptosis. The loss-of-function approach in fibroblasts allowed the identification and dissection of c-Jun-dependent and -independent processes upstream or downstream of CD95 activation. We have found that c-Jun can act as a proapoptotic regulator in cells exposed to DNA damage via induction of CD95-L. Once activated, CD95-induced death signalling is not affected by the loss of c-Jun, demonstrating that only the initiation and not the execution of stress-induced apoptosis depends on c-Jun.
Quantum phase transitions and phase diagram for a one-dimensional p-wave superconductor with an incommensurate potential

The effect of the incommensurate potential is studied for the one-dimensional p-wave superconductor. It is determined by analyzing various properties, such as the superconducting gap, the long-range order of the correlation function, the inverse participation ratio and the Z2 topological invariant, etc. In particular, two important aspects of the effect are investigated: (1) as disorder, the incommensurate potential destroys the superconductivity and drives the system into the Anderson localized phase; (2) as a quasi-periodic potential, the incommensurate potential causes band splitting and turns the system with certain chemical potential into the band insulator phase. A full phase diagram is also presented in the chemical potential–incommensurate potential strength plane.
The conceptualization and measurement of learning at work

This chapter begins with a consideration of rival conceptions of learning and their relevance or otherwise for understanding learning at work. It is concluded that the most influential conceptualisation of learning, one that has decisively shaped formal education systems, is very problematic when it comes to understanding learning at work. The same difficulties occur for standard approaches to measuring attainment. In fact, it appears that ‘attainment’ is not a very helpful way of thinking about much workplace learning. The chapter then outlines some of the main features that distinguish learning at work from mainstream formal learning. To illustrate these points, a case history of learning at work in a rapidly changing field is presented. This shows how various contextual factors make learning in the workplace difficult to fit into standard ways of conceptualizing learning. It also points to some factors that can contribute to improving learning at work. INTRODUCTION This chapter argues that the most influential conceptualization of learning, one that has decisively shaped formal education systems, is very problematic when it comes to understanding learning and measuring learning at work. In order to develop this argument, the chapter is organized in three main sections: conceptions of learning and
The Equitable Top Trading Cycles Mechanism for School Choice

A particular adaptation of Gale's top trading cycles procedure to school choice, the so-called TTC mechanism, has attracted much attention both in theory and practice due to its superior efficiency and incentive features. We discuss and introduce alternative adaptations of Gale's original procedure that can offer improvements over TTC in terms of equity along with various other distributional considerations. Instead of giving all the trading power to those students with the highest priority for a school, we argue for the distribution of the trading rights of all slots of each school among those who are entitled to a slot at that school, allowing them to trade in a thick market where additional constraints can be accommodated. We propose a particular mechanism of this kind, the Equitable Top Trading Cycles (ETTC) mechanism, which is also Pareto efficient and strategy-proof just like TTC and eliminates justified envy due to pairwise exchanges. Both in simulations and in the lab, ETTC generates significantly fewer number of justified envy situations than TTC.
Economic Reforms and Capacity Realization in Bangladesh: An Empirical Analysis

Using firm level data from Bangladesh food manufacturing, this paper examines the impact of economic reform on productive capacity realization in the eighties. The results suggest that little improvement occurred in realization of productive capacities after the implementation of economic reforms. The analysis indicates that there is, however, sufficient room for further improvement in increasing output by realizing the unrealized capacity.
Patient-Provider Communication Training for Dysarthria: Lessons Learned from Student Trainees

Abstract Patient-provider communication skills training programs rarely include content addressing how health care providers can improve communication with patients exhibiting dysarthria and other communication disorders. Consequently, these patients often struggle to access quality health care services. This article describes a training program focused on giving health care students the opportunity to interact with standardized patients portraying dysarthria and aphasia. A summary of the program's outcome is then provided from the perspective of the students involved as well as lessons students taught us about how to continue improving this type of program and to make it a more universal part of health care education.
Effect of culture methods on cumulus and oocyte morphology and meiotic competence of bovine oocytes from early antral follicles

Abstract. The objective of the present study was to establish a culture system that would maintain the three-dimensional structure of bovine early antral follicles (EAF) or isolated cumulus-oocyte-granulosa complexes (COCGs) and increase the resulting portion of COCs with normal morphology for subsequent IVM. The morphological quality and meiotic competence of oocytes originating from early antral bovine ovarian follicles (0.2 to 0.7 mm and 0.4 to 0.7 mm diameter) were evaluated following culture in vitro for 14 and 7 d, respectively, and subsequent in vitro maturation. Growth culture modifications included culture in the well of the well (WOW) system; a microdroplet of collagen gel (2 x 5 μl vs. 2 x 400 μl; standard system) and culture of EAF in hanging drops of medium (inverted system). Significantly higher (P
Decision Tree Ensemble-Based Wafer Map Failure Pattern Recognition Based on Radon Transform-Based Features

Wafer maps contain information about defects and clustered defects that form failure patterns. Failure patterns exhibit the information related to defect generation mechanisms. The accurate classification of failure patterns in wafer maps can provide crucial information for engineers to recognize the causes of the fabrication problems. In this paper, we proposed a decision tree ensemble learning-based wafer map failure pattern recognition method based on radon transform-based features. Radon transform is applied on raw wafer map data to generate the new features which are exhibiting the geometric information of failure patterns in wafer map. Decision tree algorithm is applied to build decision tree ensemble and the final decision is made by aggregating the prediction results of decision trees. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified by using the real world wafer map data set (WM-811K).
Pharmacological treatment and other predictors of treatment outcomes in previously untreated patients with schizophrenia: results from the European Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study

The present study aimed to compare health outcomes and tolerability according to antipsychotic medication (olanzapine, risperidone or an oral typical antipsychotic) after 6 months of treatment in a group of 919 schizophrenic patients who had never previously been treated with antipsychotics. Demographic and clinical predictors of outcome were also identified. Data were extracted from the Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study, a prospective, observational study of schizophrenia treatment in 10 European countries. Patients who initiated olanzapine were more likely to have a clinical response than those in the risperidone cohort, and had a greater improvement in quality of life than patients in the risperidone or typical antipsychotic cohorts. High negative and depression symptom scores at baseline and the presence of extrapyramidal symptoms at baseline predicted a worse clinical response, whereas hostile behaviour, paid employment and substance abuse predicted a better clinical outcome. The olanzapine cohort gained more weight than patients in the risperidone cohort, but no significant difference in weight gain was observed between olanzapine and the oral typical antipsychotic cohort. The results should be interpreted conservatively due to the observational study design.
The Effects of Graded Levels of Calorie Restriction: XIII. Global Metabolomics Screen Reveals Graded Changes in Circulating Amino Acids, Vitamins, and Bile Acids in the Plasma of C57BL/6 Mice

Abstract Calorie restriction (CR) remains the most robust intervention to extend life span and improve health span. Using a global mass spectrometry–based metabolomics approach, we identified metabolites that were significantly differentially expressed in the plasma of C57BL/6 mice, fed graded levels of calorie restriction (10% CR, 20% CR, 30% CR, and 40% CR) compared with mice fed ad libitum for 12 hours a day. The differential expression of metabolites increased with the severity of CR. Pathway analysis revealed that graded CR had an impact on vitamin E and vitamin B levels, branched chain amino acids, aromatic amino acids, and fatty acid pathways. The majority of amino acids correlated positively with fat-free mass and visceral fat mass, indicating a strong relationship with body composition and vitamin E metabolites correlated with stomach and colon size, which may allude to the beneficial effects of investing in gastrointestinal organs with CR. In addition, metabolites that showed a graded effect, such as the sphinganines, carnitines, and bile acids, match our previous study on liver, which suggests not only that CR remodels the metabolome in a way that promotes energy efficiency, but also that some changes are conserved across tissues.
Ciliary beat frequency in transplanted lungs.

BACKGROUND--Patients with lung transplantation are prone to respiratory infections. Generally this is attributable to the effects of immunosuppressive drugs but mucociliary clearance has been found to be impaired in these subjects. A study was performed to determine whether this finding is accompanied by a reduction in ciliary beat frequency (CBF). METHODS--Six patients who had undergone single lung transplantation for fibrosing lung disease were investigated. CBF was measured in mucosal samples from native and transplanted bronchi by a videophotometry method. RESULTS--The CBF was reduced in the transplanted bronchi in all cases when both fastest and slowest beating cilia were examined. The fastest beating cilia on the native side had a mean (SD) CBF of 12.1 (1.3) Hz compared with 9.6 (2.0) Hz on the transplanted side. The slowest beating cilia also had reduced CBF on the transplanted side. CONCLUSION--In patients with fibrotic lung disease, CBF is reduced in transplanted bronchi in comparison with native bronchi.