Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of human cytomegalovirus by combined acyclovir and vidarabine

The inhibition of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) isolates by acyclovir (ACV) and vidarabine (ara-A) was assessed by using an infectious-center plaque-reduction assay. When fixed concentrations of 4.5 micrograms of ACV and 250 ng of ara-A per ml were compared singly and in combination, the viral inhibition resulting from the ACV-ara-A combination was synergistic for three of four HCMV clinical isolates studied and additive for one HCMV isolate. An additional four HCMV strains obtained at postmortem examination from the lungs of bone marrow transplant patients were assessed for sensitivity to ACV-ara-A by using the dose required for 50% viral inhibition (ID50) as the endpoint. The mean ID50 of ACV for the four HCMV isolates was 12.3 micrograms/ml, whereas the mean ID50 of ara-A was 3.4 micrograms/ml. When 1 microgram of ara-A per ml (which yielded a mean plaque reduction of 23.6%) was combined with ACV, a mean of 5.2 micrograms of ACV per ml was required for 50% viral inhibition. The sum of the fractional inhibitory concentrations for each of the four HCMV isolates was less than 1, indicating synergy by the ACV-ara-A combination. Although DNA synthesis in growing human embryonic lung fibroblast (HEL) cells, as determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation, was diminished to 61% of that in untreated control cells when 22.5 micrograms of ACV and 1 microgram of ara-A per ml were used, there was no additive inhibition of DNA synthesis when the two-drug combination was used. HEL cell growth remained at 97% of control cell growth at 72 h when concentrations as high as 45 micrograms of ACV combined with 1 microgram of ara-A per ml were used.
Optimal Aging and Death

This study introduces physiological aging into a simple model of optimal in- tertemporal consumption. In this endeavor we draw on the natural science literature on aging. According to the purposed theory, the speed of the aging process and the time of death are endogenously determined by optimal health investments. At the same time, physiological aspects of the aging process influence optimal savings and health investment. We calibrate the model for the average US male in 2000 and proceed to show that the calibrated model accounts well for the cross-country link between labor productivity and life expectancy in the same year (\the Preston curve"); cross-country income di erences can explain di erences in life expectancy at age 20 of up to a decade. Moreover, techno- logical change in health care of about 1.1% per year can account for the observed shift in the Preston curve between 1980 and 2000.K
Effectiveness of rack-level containment in removing data center hot-spots

Concerted efforts are being made by data center professionals to ensure that data centers are made more sustainable by reducing energy consumption. The combination of increasing IT workloads and packaging densities place stringent requirements on data center cooling systems. Various traditional airflow management technologies have been implemented that propose significant energy savings as well as reduce net annual cost involved in running data centers. In this work, the concept of using rack-level containment has been explored as an alternative airflow management strategy and may prove to be appropriate for specific data center configurations and applications. A parametric study of a 1008 ft2 baseline data center with 161 kW of IT load is used as an example for CFD analysis, comparing the effectiveness of using individual rack containment, snorkels to remove hotspots by directing and aiming cool air from the sub-floor plenum to the inlet of cabinets, hence minimizing inlet temperatures. Over 40 CFD cases have been analyzed in this paper and the relative magnitudes of inlet temperature reduction and cooling improvements with this procedure have been quantified. Test cases involving simulations run for comparisons with traditional hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment systems, different combinations of containment strategies as well as for varying rack density distributions in the data center model have also been included. The results present the feasibility of this strategy as a preliminary review and give an initial guideline on when this concept can be implemented, depending on the respective data center layout and design.
Conservatism and consensus‐seeking among economic forecasters

This paper uses the track records of a panel of US economic forecasters participating in a consensus forecasting service to test for conservatism and consensus-seeking behaviour. The tests are based on a particular method-of-moments estimator, designed to allow for the heteroscedasticity and serial correlation which is inevitably present in errors from repeated forecasts for fixed target dates. Most forecasters prove to be conservative. When revising forecasts they give too much weight to their own past forecasts. Surprisingly, forecasters are not consensus-seeking but ‘variety-seeking’. When revising forecasts, they give too little weight to the known forecasts of other forecasters.
Dynamic model of milk production responses to grass-based diet variations during grazing and indoor housing

SUMMARY Dairy cow systems based on grassland utilization are characterized by a variation of harvested forage quality from 1 year to another and a fluctuation of grass availability and quality during the pasture season. Consequently, the energy supplied by the diet – i.e., concentrates plus hay or silage in winter and grazing in summer, may not always match animal requirements. A modelling approach enables a representation of the complex relationships between the cow and pasture as they interact. A dynamic model of intake and milk production, focused on grassland utilization by the dairy cow, has been developed. The model operates in a deterministic fashion with a daily time step and is capable of dealing with a day-to-day variation in grass availability and quality at grazing as well as a constant feeding regime during the winter. The model has been built based on the theory that milk production is a result of (i) the energy requirements defined by the potential milk production and physiological status of dairy cows; (ii) the variation of energy supply by the diet; (iii) the ability of dairy cows to mobilize or store body reserves. The model was validated by comparing milk production predictions with experimental data (two groups of dairy cows in the winter time and one group at grazing). The model demonstrates a satisfactory range of accuracy (root-mean-square deviation equal to 1·8, 2·1 and 1·4 kg/cow/day). Model validations indicate that milk production predictions are sensitive to the diet offered (forage, grass and concentrate supply) and depend on dairy cow characteristics and their requirements (pMP). This model can be connected to a grass growth model in order to develop whole farm simulations.
China's macroeconomic stability – an empirical study based on survey data

A complete financial stability analysis should include investigation on macroeconomic stability since macroeconomic development and potential imbalance can increase the financial instability and trigger a financial crisis. Survey data of rating on China's macroeconomic stability is analyzed by estimating an ordered logit model with random effect. Among the candidate macroeconomic indicators, we found that inflation is the key variable that determines China's macroeconomic stability, followed by the change in budget balance and GDP growth gap.
ROS signaling in the hypersensitive response

Plants generally react to the attack of non-host and incompatible host microorganisms by inducing pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and localised cell death (LCD) at the site of infection, a process collectively known as the hypersensitive response (HR). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in various sub-cellular compartments shortly after pathogen recognition, and proposed to cue subsequent orchestration of the HR. Although apoplast-associated ROS production by plasma membrane NADPH oxidases have been most thoroughly studied, recent observations suggest that ROS are generated in chloroplasts earlier in the response and play a key role in execution of LCD. A model is presented in which the initial outcome of successful pathogen detection is ROS accumulation in plastids, likely mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinases and caused by dysfunction of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. ROS signaling is proposed to spread from plastids to the apoplast, through the activation of NADPH oxidases, and from there to adjacent cells, leading to suicidal death in the region of attempted infection.
Alcohol skin preparation causes surgical fires.

INTRODUCTION Surgical fires are a rare but serious preventable safety risk in modern hospitals. Data from the US show that up to 650 surgical fires occur each year, with up to 5% causing death or serious harm. This study used the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS) database at the National Patient Safety Agency to explore whether spirit-based surgical skin preparation fluid contributes to the cause of surgical fires. METHODS The NRLS database was interrogated for all incidents of surgical fires reported between 1 March 2004 and 1 March 2011. Each report was scrutinised manually to discover the cause of the fire. RESULTS Thirteen surgical fires were reported during the study period. Of these, 11 were found to be directly related to spirit-based surgical skin preparation or preparation soaked swabs and drapes. CONCLUSIONS Despite manufacturer's instructions and warnings, surgical fires continue to occur. Guidance published in the UK and US states that spirit-based skin preparation solutions should continue to be used but sets out some precautions. It may be that fire risk should be included in pre-surgical World Health Organization checklists or in the surgical training curriculum. Surgical staff should be aware of the risk that spirit-based skin preparation fluids pose and should take action to minimise the chance of fire occurring.
Disposition of Hexobarbitone and Antipyrine in DOCA‐hypertensive Rats

Abstract— The disposition of antipyrine and hexobarbitone, and their effects on drug metabolizing hepatic enzymes have been investigated in DOCA‐hypertensive rats. Antipyrine pharmacokinetic parameters were the same in hypertensive and control animals. Hexobarbitone sleeping time was longer in hypertensive rats compared with controls, while the activity of hepatic hexobarbitone hydroxylase was the same in both groups. Hepatic aminopyrine‐N‐demethylase activity was elevated in hypertensive rats while aniline hydroxylase and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase were lower. Glucuronyl transferase was the same in both groups. The sensitivity of the central nervous system of hypertensive rats to hexobarbitone was not altered, as determined by hexobarbitone concentration in blood and in brain. The total hepatic blood flow (arterial and portal) was significantly increased. Thus it is suggested that the difference in the disposition of the two drugs is probably not due to drug metabolizing enzyme activity. It is likely that the increase in total hepatic blood flow and rapid saturation of hepatic hexobarbitone metabolizing enzymes have significant roles in the slower metabolism and increased activity of hexobarbitone in hypertensive rats as compared with control rats.
Improving cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems

The vulnerability of industrial control systems (ICS) to electronic intrusion and malware has recently been well documented in both the technical and popular press. Despite significant attention and much progress over the past 15 years, threats continue to evolve about as fast as preventive solutions. This paper reviews the root causes of ICS cybersecurity vulnerabilities, looks at some common defensive measures and then discusses a new approach to ICS field device cybersecurity, the security preprocessor. This device offers advanced communications security and role-based access control for legacy ICS installations, and utilizes a verified microkernel, with proven security properties.
[Laser capture microdissection: a new tool for the study of cerebral ischemia].

AIM To review studies using microscopy techniques of laser capture microdissection on cerebral tissue and the possible applications of this methodology for the study of cerebral ischemia. DEVELOPMENT Since ischemic stroke induces neuronal death following the occlusion of a brain artery, reperfusion and neuroprotective treatments are the only therapeutic strategies used so far. However, the relevant role of other brain cells such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglial and endothelial cells, or even the extracellular matrix itself, in several steps of the ischemic cascade, adds a huge complexity to stroke. In this scenario lesser simplistic approaches will be required. Therefore, the individual study of all cellular populations involved in cerebral ischemia seems mandatory to determine the cellular source of all participant molecules. Laser capture microdissection appears as a rapid, efficient and precise technique to isolate cell populations for further analysis of gene expression or proteomics. CONCLUSIONS Laser capture microdissection is a useful and reliable technique to obtain specific cell groups that might guide us to distinguish the cellular origin of the main molecules that are involved in the different steps of the ischemic cascade.
Selective Inhibition of Pressor and Haemodynamic Effects of NG-Nitro‐L-Arginine by Halothane

Summary We investigated the characteristics of inhibition by halothane of the pressor responses to NG-substituted L-arginine derivatives, nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitors. Intravenous (i.v.) bolus injections of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 1–32 mg/kg), NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 0.4–12.8 mg/kg), norepinephrine (NE, 0.25–8 (μg/kg) and angiotensin II (AH, 0.02–0.64 μg/kg) each caused dose-dependent pressor responses in conscious rats. Halothane attenuated responses to the highest dose of NE and AH by ~18% but completely abolished responses to L-NNA and L-NAME. The haemodynamic effects of L-NNA were further examined by the microsphere technique in two groups of conscious rats and two groups of halothane-anaesthetized rats. An i.v. bolus injection of L-NNA (16 mg/kg) in conscious rats increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and total peripheral resistance (TPR) and reduced heart rate (HR) and cardiac output (CO). These changes were associated with reduced conductance in all vascular beds, with the greatest reduction in the lungs and the least in the liver. In halothane-anaesthetized rats, L-NNA caused significant but markedly less change in MAP, HR, TPR, and CO as compared with those in conscious rats. The vasoconstrictor effects of L-NNA were attenuated by halothane in all beds except liver and spleen, with the greatest inhibition in heart. Our results suggest that NO plays a role in maintenance of peripheral vascular resistance and that halothane selectively and “noncompetitively” inhibits the vasoconstrictor effects of NO synthase inhibitors.
The Riskiness of Corporate Bonds

When the riskiness of an asset increases, then, arguably, some risk-averse agents that were previously willing to hold on to the asset are no longer willing to do so. Aumann and Serrano (2008) have recently proposed an index of riskiness that helps to make this intuition rigorous. We use their index to analyze the riskiness of corporate bonds and how this can change over time and across rating classes and how it compares to the riskiness of other financial instruments. We find statistically significant evidence that a number of financial and macroeconomic variables can predict time-variation in the riskiness of corporate bonds, including in ways one might not expect. For example, a higher yield-to-maturity lowers riskiness by reducing the frequency and the magnitude of negative holding-period returns.
International Human Rights and the Challenge of Legitimacy

International human rights regimes as they exist today are perplexing. On the one hand, international human rights emerged virtually out of the blue at the end of the second world war and had their political breakthrough in international affairs only by the mid-1970s. By now, they have become institutionalized as a set of elaborate international practices, almost universally recognized, if not always respected, by key international actors. And yet, on the other hand, international human rights practices increasingly face potentially disabling skepticism and critique, resentment and even resistance from many of the agents involved. Across the world, governments call into question the authority of the international institutions and instruments they themselves have agreed to create or join. Are governments justified in their criticism and resistance towards international human rights norms and institutions? What grounds the legitimacy of the continuously developing global architecture of international human rights law and the international courts and treaty bodies established by human rights conventions? These are the topics that this volume addresses. It contributes to an increasingly lively research literature spanning the disciplines of law, philosophy, political science and international relations. This introductory chapter serves, first, to give some examples of the type of political controversies over international human rights regimes that motivate this volume; second, to place the volume in current academic debates about international human rights and about the legitimate authority of international institutions; and thirdly, to outline the topics covered in the individual contributions.
Cognitive behavioral and behavioral interventions help young children cope during a voiding cystourethrogram.

OBJECTIVE To reduce young children's distress and increase coping behavior among children undergoing a voiding cystourethrogram (VCU). METHODS Three- to seven-year-old children were stratified based on prior VCU experience and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 20) or a standard care (n = 20) condition. The intervention included provision of information, coping skills training, and parent coaching. We hypothesized that the intervention would reduce children's distress as assessed by child report, parent and technician ratings, and behavioral observations. RESULTS Children in the intervention displayed fewer distress behaviors and greater coping behaviors and were rated as more cooperative than children receiving standard care. Children's fear and pain ratings did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS A cognitive-behavioral treatment package effectively reduced children's distress, increased coping, and increased cooperation during voiding cystourethrogram procedures. This type of an intervention should be integrated into routine pediatric radiological procedures.
HTRA1, an age‐related macular degeneration protease, processes extracellular matrix proteins EFEMP1 and TSP1

High‐temperature requirement protein A1 (HTRA1) is a serine protease secreted by a number of tissues including retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). A promoter variant of the gene encoding HTRA1 is part of a mutant allele that causes increased HTRA1 expression and contributed to age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) in genomewide association studies. AMD is characterized by pathological development of drusen, extracellular deposits of proteins and lipids on the basal side of RPE. The molecular pathogenesis of AMD is not well understood, and understanding dysregulation of the extracellular matrix may be key. We assess the high‐risk genotype at 10q26 by proteomic comparison of protein levels of RPE cells with and without the mutation. We show HTRA1 protein level is increased in high‐risk RPE cells along with several extracellular matrix proteins, including known HTRA1 cleavage targets LTBP‐1 and clusterin. In addition, two novel targets of HTRA1 have been identified: EFEMP1, an extracellular matrix protein mutated in Doyne honeycomb retinal dystrophy, a genetic eye disease similar to AMD, and thrombospondin 1 (TSP1), an inhibitor of angiogenesis. Our data support the role of RPE extracellular deposition with potential effects in compromised barrier to neovascularization in exudative AMD.
The Role of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Alzheimer's Disease

ABSTRACT The distinction between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, the two most common types of dementia, has been undermined by recent advances in epidemiologic, clinical, imaging, and neuropathological studies. Cardiovascular risk factors, traditionally regarded as distinguishing criteria between the two entities, have been shown to be associated with both AD and vascular dementia. In this article, we propose mechanisms of action of cardiovascular risk factors in AD, suggest possible explanations for the overlap with vascular dementia and discuss the implications this might have on future differential diagnosis, research, and treatment strategies.
Institutional Investors’ Reaction to SEC Concerns About IFRS and US GAAP Reporting

For the period of 2006 to 2008, we collect Comment Letters issued by the SEC that question the application of US GAAP by US firms or the application of IFRS by European firms registered with the SEC. We investigate whether institutional investors react to the letters by changing their holdings and whether their responses vary for US registrants and European registrants. We do this via a treatment-effects model in which we test the hypothesis that institutional investors rebalance their portfolio holdings because they view Comment Letters as informative public signals. We find that institutional investors reduce their equity holdings when firms receive SEC Comment Letters, and their negative reactions are most marked for low turnover institutional investors, who we use to represent those informed investors most prepared to incur costs to closely monitor firms. Next, while noting that the number of Letters questioning application of IFRS are smaller in number relative to those questioning application of US GAAP, we investigate whether there are different reactions to Comment Letters questioning different standards. We show that there is a higher probability of the SEC questioning the application of IFRS as compared to US GAAP. After controlling for firm-specific conditions that impact the issuance of a Comment Letter, we show that this higher probability has economic significance because institutional investors� react more negatively to Comment Letters that question the application of IFRS as compared to US GAAP. A content analysis confirms the economic importance of the Comment Letters. We find that in almost half of all IFRS cases the Comment Letters request amendments to financial statements.
A Novel Charger Architecture for Resonant Wireless Power Transfer

Conventional wireless chargers typically utilize a traditional architecture in the receiver to convert RF signals to dc power, which includes rectification of the resonant current, a dc–dc conversion, and finally a battery charging stage by either a linear or switching regulator. Such implementation requires multiple stages and associated components, while in many new applications, both size and efficiency are critical, and a new solution is required. In this paper, the newly proposed architecture aims at improving both parameters by directly controlling the reactive impedance of the receiver and thus eliminating the dc–dc converter with its associated losses. The whole system can be integrated in a standard 180-nm CMOS process.