Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus 1 in ganglionic organ cultures by p300/CBP and STAT3

Significance HSVs initiate human infections with the aid of viral tegument proteins brought along with viral DNA into cells. These viruses then enter and establish latent, silent infection in sensory ganglia. Periodically, HSV reactivates from a latent state. A key unresolved question is the mechanism by which the virus reactivates in the absence of the tegument proteins. Studies of murine trigeminal ganglia harboring latent virus and maintained in organ cultures suggest that viral DNA is maintained in a dynamic equilibrium favoring gene repression. The equilibrium shifts toward gene expression on inactivation of histone deacetylases, inhibition of STAT3, or activation of p300/CBP. A key property of herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) is their ability to establish latent infection in sensory or autonomic ganglia and to reactivate on physical, hormonal, or emotional stress. In latently infected ganglia, HSV expresses a long noncoding RNA and a set of microRNAs, but viral proteins are not expressed. The mechanism by which latent HSV reactivates is unknown. A key question is, what is the mechanism of reactivation in the absence of tegument proteins that enable gene expression in productive infection? Elsewhere we have reported the use of ganglionic organ cultures that enable rapid reactivation in medium containing antibody to NGF or delayed reactivation in medium containing NGF and EGF. We also reported that in the ganglionic organ cultures incubated in medium containing antibody to NGF, all viral genes are derepressed at once without requiring de novo protein synthesis within the time frame of a single replicative cycle. Here we report that latent HSV in ganglia immersed in medium containing NGF and EGF is reactivated by (i) broad spectrum as well as specific histone deacetylase 1 or histone deacetylase 4 inhibitors, (ii) activation of p300/CBP, and (iii) either STAT3 carrying the substitution of tyrosine 705 to phenylalanine or an inhibitor of STAT3. Conversely, reactivation of latent HSV was blocked by p300/CBP inhibitor in medium containing antibody to NGF. The results suggest that (i) STAT3 is required for the maintenance of the latent state and interference with its functions leads to reactivation and (ii) p300/CBP is essential for HSV reactivation.
State-space switching model of modular multilevel converters

This paper presents a comprehensive summary and detailed analysis on the modeling of modular multilevel converters for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission, and develops a state-space switching model for the now well-known Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC), and also for the more recently developed Alternate Arm Converter (AAC). Various models used for the MMC are firstly discussed, followed by the complete derivation procedure of the state-space switching models of both MMC and AAC. The modeling approach used is based on the premise that only state variable transformations and simple voltage and current equations could be formulated, allowing it to capture all circuital information. The only assumption in the derivation is the ideal nature of the switching devices. The paper presents as well an in-depth analysis of the models developed, comparing the MMC and AAC at their most fundamental level of operation.
Daily Sedentary Time and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: The National FINRISK 2002 Study.

BACKGROUND Daily sitting time may be a risk factor for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, this has not yet been extensively studied. Our aim was to study the association of total sitting time with the risk of CVD. METHODS Participants (n = 4516, free of CVD at baseline) from the National FINRISK 2002 Study were followed for fatal and nonfatal CVD using national registers. Participants underwent a health examination and completed questionnaires, including total daily sitting time. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 8.6 years, 183 incident CVD cases occurred. Sitting on a typical weekday, at baseline, was statistically significantly associated with fatal and nonfatal incident CVD. The hazard ratios (with 95% confidence intervals, CI) for the total amount of sitting were 1.05 (95% CI, 1.00-1.10) in the age and gender adjusted model and 1.06 (95% CI, 1.01-1.11) in the fully adjusted model, including age, gender, employment status, education, BMI, smoking status, leisure time physical activity, use of vegetables and fruit, alcohol use, blood pressure or its medication, and cholesterol or its medication. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that total amount of daily sitting is a risk factor for incident CVD. More research is needed to understand the etiology of sedentary behavior and CVD.
UNTERSUCHUNG DER VERKEHRSQUALITAET AUF ZWEI- UND DREISPURIGEN BAB-RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN

ZIEL DER UNTERSUCHUNGEN WAR FESTZUSTELLEN, WELCHE VERKEHRSQUALITAET AUF AUTOBAHNEN MIT 3 UND MEHR FAHRSTREIFEN JE RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHN ZU ERWARTEN IST, WELCHE VERKEHRLICHEN VORTEILE DEM KRAFTFAHRER GEGENUEBER ZWEISPURIGEN RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN ERWACHSEN UND INWIEWEIT DAS AMERIKANISCHE BEWERTUNGSVERFAHREN MIT DEM "LEVEL OF SERVICE" ANWENDBAR IST. AUF 7 VERSUCHSABSCHNITTEN MIT ZWEISPURIGEN RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN, ZWEISPURIGEN RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN MIT UEBERHOLVERBOT UND DREISPURIGEN RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN WURDEN GEMESSEN: KFZ/H, LKW-ANTEIL, LEISTUNGSFAEHIGKEIT, GESCHWINDIGKEITEN, UEBERHOLUNGEN. DIE MESSUNGEN WURDEN VOR EINFUEHRUNG DER RICHTGESCHWINDIGKEIT BEI UNEINGESCHRAENKTER GESCHWINDIGKEIT DURCHGEFUEHRT. DIE AUSWERTUNG ERGAB, DASS DIE VERKEHRSQUALITAET (LEVEL OF SERVICE) AUF DREISPURIGEN RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN SICH VON DER AUF ZWEISPURIGEN RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHNEN NICHT POSITIV ABHEBT. DIE MITTLERE REISEGESCHWINDIGKEIT UND DIE UEBERHOLHAEUFIGKEIT WEISEN EBENFALLS BEI GLEICHER VERKEHRSSTAERKE KEINEN UNTERSCHIED AUF. GEGENUEBER DEM FREIZUEGIGEN VERKEHRSABLAUF KONNTE BEI LKW-UEBERHOLVERBOT FUER DIE ZWEISPURIGE RICHTUNGSFAHRBAHN BEI WACHSENDEN VERKEHRSSTAERKEN EINE SCHNELLERE ABNAHME DER MITTLEREN REISEGESCHWINDIGKEIT UND EIN STARKES ANWACHSEN DER UEBERHOLHAEUFIGKEIT OBERHALB EINER VERKEHRSSTAERKE VON CA. 1500 KFZ/H FESTGESTELLT WERDEN.
Mutagenesis of Burkholderia pseudomallei with Tn5-OT182: isolation of motility mutants and molecular characterization of the flagellin structural gene

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a human and animal pathogen in tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Currently little is known about the genetics and molecular biology of this organism. In this report, we describe the mutagenesis of B. pseudomallei with the transposon Tn5-OT182. B. pseudomallei 1026b transposon mutants were obtained at a frequency of 4.6 x 10(-4) per initial donor cell, and the transposon inserted randomly into the chromosome. We used Tn5-OT182 to identify the flagellin structural gene, fliC. We screened 3,500 transposon mutants and identified 28 motility mutants. Tn5-OT182 integrated into 19 unique genetic loci encoding proteins with homology to Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium flagellar and chemotaxis proteins. Two mutants, MM35 and MM36, contained Tn5-OT182 integrations in fliC. We cloned and sequenced fliC and used it to complement MM35 and MM36 in trans. The fliC transcriptional start site and a sigmaF-like promoter were identified by primer extension analysis. We observed a significant difference in the expression of two distinct fliC-lacZ transcriptional fusions during bacterial growth, suggesting the presence of a latent intragenic transcriptional terminator in fliC. There was no significant difference in the virulence of 1026b compared to that of MM36 in diabetic rats or Syrian hamsters, suggesting that flagella and/or motility are probably not virulence determinants in these animal models of B. pseudomallei infection. A phylogenetic analysis based on the flagellins from a variety of bacterial species supported the recent transfer of B. pseudomallei from the genus Pseudomonas to Burkholderia.
Spatial Analysis of the 1999–2000 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H7N1) Epidemic in Northern Italy

Abstract The effect of proximity on infected premises was evaluated during the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) epidemic that struck northern Italy in 1999–2000 by quantifying the spatial and temporal clustering of cases. The epidemic was caused by an H7N1 subtype of type A influenza virus that originated from a low-pathogenic AI virus that spread among poultry farms in northeastern Italy in 1999 and eventually became virulent by mutation. More than 90% of 413 infected premises were located in Lombardy and Veneto regions; of 382 outbreaks, 60% occurred in the Lombardy region and 40% in the Veneto region. Global and local spatial statistics were used to estimate the location and degree of clustering of cases with respect to the population at risk. Outbreaks were spatially clustered primarily in Lombardy, with a large cluster in Brescia province and another in Mantua province, on the border of Veneto. Time series analysis was used to assess the temporal clustering of outbreaks. Temporal aggregation increased during the first 5 wk and decreased thereafter (probably as a result of eradication measures enforced in the Veneto region). Spatio-temporal clustering was assessed considering the Temporal Risk Window (TRW), the time period during which premises remain infectious and infection can spread to neighboring premises. The clustering pattern was similar to the one detected when considering spatial clustering (i.e., the larger clusters were identified in the Brescia and Mantua provinces of Lombardy). These results highlight the role of proximity in the spread of AI virus and, when considering the TRW, indicate the possible direction of virus spread.
Distributed Fluorescence Sensing Using Exposed Core Microstructured Optical Fiber

Fluorescence-based distributed sensing using exposed core microstructured optical fiber has been demonstrated. The optical fiber consists of a suspended optical micro-wire surrounded by a solid jacket, a portion of which is absent to allow access to the evanescent field from the external environment. We demonstrate time-domain distributed sensing by immersing different sections of the fiber in a fluorescent liquid.
Development of an automatic procedure for the characterization of silicon photomultipliers

In this paper, we show the analysis software we created for a fast and reliable automatic characterization of a silicon photomultiplier. The program can be used both in dark and under continuous low-level light illumination. It grabs 1ms-long waveforms, each containing many single cell pulses, from an oscilloscope connected to the PC via Ethernet. On-line data analysis is done both on the raw waveform as well as on a filtered (with DLED technique) version in order to facilitate the pulse identification and the extraction of some parameters also in cases of high count rates or cross-talk. The main outcomes of the program are: single-cell signal shape, gain, primary dark count rate, after-pulse probability, direct and delayed cross-talk probability and excess charge factor. It can be used also to determine the actual photo-detection efficiency with the proper hardware set-up.
Oesophageal and gastric endoscopic foreign body removal: complications and follow-up of 102 dogs.

OBJECTIVES To assess complication rate, risk factors for complications and outcome in dogs with oesophageal and gastric endoscopic foreign body (FB) removal. METHODS Medical records of 102 dogs undergoing endoscopic removal of oesophageal and/or gastric FBs from March 2001 to November 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. All owners were contacted by telephone to provide follow-up information. RESULTS West Highland white terriers, Yorkshire terriers and Bernese mountain dogs were over-represented compared to the hospital population. Endoscopy alone was successful in 92/102 dogs (90.2 per cent), whereas gastrotomy (but no oesophagotomy) was required in 10 dogs (9.8 per cent). Complications in 13/102 dogs (12.7 per cent) were perforation (8), oesophageal stricture (1), oesophageal diverticula (1), perioesophageal abscess (1), pneumothorax and pleural effusion (1) and respiratory arrest (1). Six dogs (all weighing <10 kg) had complications resulting in death or euthanasia. Bone FBs, bodyweight of less than 10 kg, and oesophageal or gastric FB in place for more than three days were significant risk factors for complications. Of the dogs available for follow-up (75/96), 92 per cent had no complications after discharge. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Endoscopic FB removal is associated with a low overall complication rate with bone FBs and bodyweight of less than 10 kg as significant risk factors.
Development of rivalry and dichoptic masking in human infants.

PURPOSE To examine the development of rivalry, dichoptic masking, and binocular interactions in infants more than 5 months of age using the visual evoked potential (VEP). METHODS VEPs were recorded in 35 infants between 5 and 15 months of age and 23 adults between 13 and 59 years of age. Counterphasing, sinusoidal, 1 cycle/deg gratings were presented dichoptically. Responses from each eye were isolated by "tagging" each half-image with a different temporal frequency (5 or 7.5 Hz). Observers were presented with fixed 80% contrast gratings in each eye in experiment 1. Rivalry was detected on the basis of a negative correlation between the simultaneously measured response amplitudes at the second harmonics of the two eye-tagging frequencies. In a second analysis of the same data, response amplitudes recorded under dichoptic viewing conditions were compared to those obtained in a monocular control condition (dichoptic masking). In experiment 2, a 40% fixed-contrast grating was presented to one eye, whereas the other eye viewed a grating that was swept in contrast from 1% to 67%. Dichoptic masking was measured as the reduction in the fixed-grating response caused by the variable contrast grating. RESULTS Experiment 1: although adults showed evidence of VEP amplitude alternations between the eyes for cross-oriented half-images (physiological rivalry), infants did not. This immature response to rivalrous stimuli occurred despite the presence of responses at nonlinear combination frequencies recorded with gratings of the same orientation in each eye, a definitive indication of binocular interaction. In addition, both iso- and cross-oriented half-images produced less dichoptic masking in infants than in adults in this experiment. Experiment 2: dichoptic masking in the infants was equivalent to that seen in adults with parallel gratings in the two eyes; however, masking with cross-oriented configurations was approximately five times weaker in the infants relative to the adults. CONCLUSIONS The authors have identified a set of stimulus conditions under which infants between 5 and 15 months of age fail to demonstrate physiological rivalry despite the presence of binocular interactions. The observed lack of binocular rivalry may be the result of a specific immaturity in dichoptic, cross-orientation suppression.
Proline utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: analysis of the cloned PUT2 gene

The PUT2 gene was isolated on a 6.5-kilobase insert of a recombinant DNA plasmid by functional complementation of a put2 (delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase-deficient) mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Its identity was confirmed by a gene disruption technique in which the chromosomal PUT2+ gene was replaced by plasmid DNA carrying the put2 gene into which the S. cerevisiae HIS3+ gene had been inserted. The cloned PUT2 gene was used to probe specific mRNA levels: full induction of the PUT2 gene resulted in a 15-fold increase over the uninduced level. The PUT2-specific mRNA was approximately 2 kilobases in length and was used in S1 nuclease protection experiments to locate the gene to a 3-kilobase HindIII fragment. When delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activity levels were measured in strains carrying the original plasmid, as well as in subclones, similar induction ratios were found as compared with enzyme levels in haploid yeast strains. Effects due to increased copy number or position were also seen. The cloned gene on a 2 mu-containing vector was used to map the PUT2 gene to chromosome VIII.
Control of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Quang Tri province, Vietnam: voices from the human-animal interface.

INTRODUCTION Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is caused by the haemagglutinin 5, neuraminidase 1 (H5N1) influenza A virus. Around 80% of households in rural Vietnam raise poultry, which provides food security and nutrition to their households and beyond. Of these, around 15-20% are semi-commercial producers, producing at least 28% of the country's chicken. Through learning the experiences of these semi-commercial farmers, this study aimed to explore the local understandings and sociocultural aspects of HPAI's impact, particularly the aetiology, diagnosis, and the prevention and control methods in one Vietnamese rural province. METHODS This study was conducted in Quang Tri province, Vietnam. Quang Tri province has eight districts. Five of these districts were at high risk of HPAI during the study period, of which three were selected for the present study. Within these three districts, six communes were randomly selected for the study from the list of intervention communes in Quang Tri province. Six out of the 26 intervention communes in Quang Tri were therefore selected. Participants were randomly selected and recruited from lists of semi-commercial farmers, village animal health workers, village human health workers and local authorities so that the study population (representative population) included an amount of variability similar to that of the wider population. RESULTS A key benefit of this village-level control program was the residential proximity of animal and human health professionals. Participants were well aware of the typical clinical signs for avian influenza and of the reporting process for suspect cases. However there was extensive room for improvement in Quang Tri province regarding access to the HPAI vaccine, essential medical equipment for animal use, and available financial support. CONCLUSIONS This qualitative research study provided an important insight for in-country policy makers and international stakeholders. It is vital that there are continued efforts to prevent and control highly pathogenic avian influenza through support programs that provide locally appropriate information and resources to those at the human-animal interface.
Expression and regulation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene (NAG-1) in human and mouse tissue.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce NSAID-activated gene 1 (NAG-1), which has proapoptotic and antitumorigenic activities. However, NAG-1 expression and its relationship with apoptosis in human and mouse intestinal tract have not been determined. METHODS NAG-1 expression in human and mouse tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis was estimated by in situ apoptosis detection. Apoptosis in NAG-1 overexpressing HCT-116 cells was examined with flow cytometry after cell sorting by green fluorescence protein. NAG-1 regulation in mouse cells was examined by Northern blot analysis, comparing sulindac-treated and nontreated mice. RESULTS Apoptosis was higher in NAG-1 overexpressing cells compared with controls. Human NAG-1 protein was localized to the colonic surface epithelium where cells undergo apoptosis, and higher expression was observed in the normal surface epithelium than in most of the tumors. This localization and lower expression in tumors was similar to that in the Min mouse, in which NSAIDs were also shown to regulate the expression of NAG-1 in mouse cells. Sulindac treatment of mice increased the NAG-1 expression in the colon and liver. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, we propose that NAG-1 acts as a mediator of apoptosis in intestinal cells and may contribute to cancer chemoprevention by NSAIDs.
How Accurate Is the Eyeball Test?: A Comparison of Physician’s Subjective Assessment Versus Statistical Methods in Estimating Mortality Risk After Cardiac Surgery

Background—In the era of increasing percutaneous treatment options for heart disease, the estimation of surgical risk has become a key factor in selecting optimal treatment strategies. Surgical risk has historically been estimated by physician’s subjective assessment and more recently by statistical risk estimates. Methods and Results—We studied 5099 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery at Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center between 1993 and 2010. Operative mortality risk was estimated statistically by the Veterans Affairs mortality risk estimate and subjectively by cardiac surgeons before surgery. Observed mortality rate was 3.3% (168 deaths) at 1 month, 7.1% (360 deaths) at 1 year, and 18.5% (942 deaths) at 5 years after surgery. Physician’s risk estimate (mean [SD], 5.6% [4.4]) and statistical risk estimate (4.3% [5.1]) had modest correlation (c-index, 0.56; P<0.001). Both methods modestly overestimated operative mortality risk. Statistical risk estimate was significantly better than physician’s risk estimate in separating patients who died from those who survived at 30 days (c-index, 0.78 versus 0.73; P=0.003), at 1 year (c-index, 0.72 versus 0.61; P<0.001), and at 5 years (c-index, 0.72 versus 0.64; P<0.001) after surgery. Physician’s risk estimate was higher than statistical risk estimate in all subgroups except high-risk patients. Conclusions—In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, statistical risk estimate is a better method to predict operative and long-term mortality compared with physician’s subjective risk estimate. However, both methods modestly overestimate actual operative mortality risk.
Optimization of Battery–Supercapacitor Hybrid Energy Storage Station in Wind/Solar Generation System

In capacity optimization of hybrid energy storage station (HESS) in wind/solar generation system, how to make full use of wind and solar energy by effectively reducing the investment and operation costs based on the load demand through allocating suitable capacity of HESS is an optimization problem. The optimization objective is to minimize one-time investment and operation costs in the whole life cycle, the constraints are utilization rate, and reliability of power supply. In this paper, mathematical models of wind/solar generation systems, battery, and supercapacitor are built, the objective optimization function of HESS is proposed, and various constraints are considered. To solve the optimization problem, improved simulated annealing particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed by introducing the simulated annealing idea into particle swarm algorithm. The new algorithm enhance the ability to escape from local optimum and improve the diversity of particle swarm, then help to avoid prematurity and enhance the global searching ability of the algorithm. With the example system, the optimization results show that the convergence of new algorithm is faster than the traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm and its cost optimization is better, which demonstrated the correctness and validity of the proposed models and algorithms. This method can provide a reference for the capacity optimization of HESS in wind/solar generation system.