Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absence of herpesvirus DNA sequences in the 5T murine model of human multiple myeloma

Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV, also known as HHV‐8) has been found in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and postulated to be aetiologically associated with the development of this common plasma cell malignancy. A murine model of MM was previously established in which intravenous transfer of 5T myeloma cells into C57BL/KaLwRij mice resulted in characteristic features of human MM. In the present study, we sought to identify herpesvirus DNA sequences in this murine model of MM through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis using primers specific for KSHV, murine herpesvirus 68 (MHV68) and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) as well as consensus primers designed from the highly conserved DNA polymerase genes of the Herpesviridae family. None of the DNA samples from whole bone marrow (n = 6) or dendritic cells enriched by long‐term culture (n = 8) of 5T myeloma‐bearing mice as well as the 5T myeloma cell lines (n = 3) maintained in long‐term culture yielded specific amplification products in any of the PCR assays. Two KSHV‐specific serological assays measuring antibodies to KSHV latent and lytic antigens also failed to detect the presence of anti‐KSHV antibodies in mice that developed MM. These results suggest that the development of 5T murine MM is unlikely to be involved with KSHV or a KSHV‐like murine herpesvirus.
T antigen mutations are a human tumor-specific signature for Merkel cell polyomavirus

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is a virus discovered in our laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh that is monoclonally integrated into the genome of ≈80% of human Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs). Transcript mapping was performed to show that MCV expresses transcripts in MCCs similar to large T (LT), small T (ST), and 17kT transcripts of SV40. Nine MCC tumor-derived LT genomic sequences have been examined, and all were found to harbor mutations prematurely truncating the MCV LT helicase. In contrast, four presumed episomal viruses from nontumor sources did not possess this T antigen signature mutation. Using coimmunoprecipitation and origin replication assays, we show that tumor-derived virus mutations do not affect retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (Rb) binding by LT but do eliminate viral DNA replication capacity. Identification of an MCC cell line (MKL-1) having monoclonal MCV integration and the signature LT mutation allowed us to functionally test both tumor-derived and wild type (WT) T antigens. Only WT LT expression activates replication of integrated MCV DNA in MKL-1 cells. Our findings suggest that MCV-positive MCC tumor cells undergo selection for LT mutations to prevent autoactivation of integrated virus replication that would be detrimental to cell survival. Because these mutations render the virus replication-incompetent, MCV is not a “passenger virus” that secondarily infects MCC tumors.
Gabapentin for the Management of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women (GaPP1): A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) affects 2.1–24% of women. Frequently, no underlying pathology is identified, and the pain is difficult to manage. Gabapentin is prescribed for CPP despite no robust evidence of efficacy. We performed a pilot trial in two UK centres to inform the planning of a future multicentre RCT to evaluate gabapentin in CPP management. Our primary objective was to determine levels of participant recruitment and retention. Secondary objectives included estimating potential effectiveness, acceptability to participants of trial methodology, and cost-effectiveness of gabapentin. Women with CPP and no obvious pelvic pathology were assigned to an increasing regimen of gabapentin (300-2700mg daily) or placebo. We calculated the proportion of eligible women randomised, and of randomised participants who were followed up to six months. The analyses by treatment group were by intention-to-treat. Interviews were conducted to evaluate women’s experiences of the trial. A probabilistic decision analytical model was used to estimate cost-effectiveness. Between September 2012–2013, 47 women (34% of those eligible) were randomised (22 to gabapentin, 25 to placebo), and 25 (53%) completed six-month follow-up. Participants on gabapentin had less pain (BPI difference 1.72 points, 95% CI:0.07–3.36), and an improvement in mood (HADS difference 4.35 points, 95% CI:1.97–6.73) at six months than those allocated placebo. The majority of participants described their trial experience favorably. At the UK threshold for willingness-to-pay, the probabilities of gabapentin or no treatment being cost-effective are similar. A pilot trial assessing gabapentin for CPP was feasible, but uncertainty remains, highlighting the need for a large definitive trial. Trial registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN45178534
Ultrawideband spatio-temporal area propagation measurements and modeling

Ultrawideband (UWB) spatio-temporal area propagation measurement and modeling was performed for accurate characterization of spatial UWB channels. The area propagation measurement acquires as much channel data as possible in one specific environment, e.g., in an office room, to characterize the variation of the dominant scattering process against antenna position displacement. The spatio-temporal channel modeling includes propagation path detection, parameter estimation, and path tracking. A simple spatio-temporal beamforming was considered for path detection and parameter estimation. The path tracking is capable of distinguishing meaningful propagation paths from insignificant ones, and also of clustering propagation paths. The modeling results agreed very well with physical scattering processes, and therefore, the method was proven to be reliable.
Multi-task Function-on-function Regression with Co-grouping Structured Sparsity

The growing importance of functional data has fueled the rapid development of functional data analysis, which treats the infinite-dimensional data as continuous functions rather than discrete, finite-dimensional vectors. On the other hand, heterogeneity is an intrinsic property of functional data due to the variety of sources to collect the data. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-task function-on-function regression approach to model both the functionality and heterogeneity of data. The basic idea is to simultaneously model the relatedness among tasks and correlations among basis functions by using the co-grouping structured sparsity to encourage similar tasks to behave similarly in shrinking the basis functions. The resulting optimization problem is challenging due to the non-smoothness and non-separability of the co-grouping structured sparsity. We present an efficient algorithm to solve the problem, and prove its separability, convexity, and global convergence. The proposed algorithm is applicable to a wide spectrum of structured sparsity regularized techniques, such as structured ℓ2,p norm and structured Schatten p-norm. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified on benchmark functional data sets collected from various domains.
Methylovulum miyakonense gen. nov., sp. nov., a type I methanotroph isolated from forest soil.

A novel methanotroph, designated strain HT12(T), was isolated from forest soil in Japan. Cells of strain HT12(T) were Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, non-motile, coccoid and formed pale-brown colonies. The strain grew only with methane and methanol as sole carbon and energy sources. Cells grew at 5-34 °C (optimum 24-32 °C). The strain possessed both particulate and soluble methane monooxygenases and assimilated formaldehyde using the ribulose monophosphate pathway. The major cellular fatty acids were C(16 : 0) (46.9 %) and C(14 : 0) (34.2 %), whereas unsaturated C(16) fatty acids, typical of type I methanotrophs, were absent. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the most closely related strains were Methylosoma difficile LC 2(T) (93.1 % sequence similarity) and Methylobacter tundripaludum SV96(T) (92.6 % similarity). Phylogenetic analysis based on the pmoA gene indicated that strain HT12(T) formed a distinct lineage within the type I methanotrophs and analysis of the deduced pmoA amino acid sequence of strain HT12(T) showed that it had a 7 % divergence from that of its most closely related species. The DNA G+C content was 49.3 mol%. Based on this evidence, strain HT12(T) represents a novel species and genus of the family Methylococcaceae, for which the name Methylovulum miyakonense gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is HT12(T) ( = NBRC 106162(T) = DSM 23269(T) = ATCC BAA-2070(T)).
Offshore Power System Operation Planning Considering Energy Market Schedules

This paper analyzes selected issues concerning operational strategies for multiterminal dc offshore power systems (OPSs). In the first section, the main challenges regarding the operation of such an OPS are discussed, and a proposal is given for a new observer-based management system (OBMS) used for operation coordination using references from the energy market. In the second section, different operational scenarios for the OPS are investigated in order to present the OBMS application. For this purpose, a test system that considers the expected European future wind power development is introduced. Then, using reference power flows from the hourly market, the influence of the OBMS optimization process on the power flows aiming at minimum deviations from the reference energy market signals will be presented. Some exemplary test simulations are performed and recommendations are given.
Dietary Fiber Intake and Endogenous Serum Hormone Levels in Naturally Postmenopausal Mexican American Women: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

Abstract This study investigated dietary fiber intake in association with serum estrogen levels in naturally postmenopausal Latina women with a wide range of fiber intake. Estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in 242 women. Associations between estrogen levels and intake of dietary fiber, including insoluble and soluble fractions, quantified from a food frequency questionnaire, were examined. The biomarker enterolactone was also measured. After adjustment for age, weight, and other nondietary factors, dietary fiber intake was inversely associated with E1 and E2; there was a 22% and 17% decrease (2P trend = 0.023 and 0.045) among subjects in the highest quintile of intake compared with the lowest. Fitting dietary fiber together with soluble and insoluble nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP) showed a much greater decrease in E1 and E2 (47% and 41%, respectively) while increased soluble NSP intake showed increases in E1 and E2 (64% and 69%, respectively). Two foods, avocado and grapefruit, showed significant positive associations with E 1 (2P trend = 0.029 and 0.015, respectively). This study suggests that different components of dietary fiber may have very significant different effects on serum estrogen levels. The suggestive findings relating increased estrogen levels to avocado and grapefruit intakes need confirmation.
Distribution of human leucocyte antigen‐A, ‐B and ‐DR alleles and haplotypes at high resolution in the population from Jiangsu province of China

The frequencies of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 alleles and haplotypes were statistically analysed among 3238 donors from Chinese Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) Jiangsu Branch. All donors were typed using polymerase chain reaction–sequence‐based typing (PCR‐SBT) method or polymerase chain reaction–reverse sequence‐specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR‐rSSOP) method. As a result, a total of 46 A, 85 B and 51 DRB1 alleles were found in Jiangsu population. The first three frequent alleles in HLA‐A, ‐B and ‐DRB1 loci respectively were A*11:01(16.52%), A*24:02(15.10%) and A*02:01(13.02%); B*13:02(11.60%), B*46:01(8.89%) and B*58:01(7.12%); and DRB1*07:01(15.78%), DRB1*09:01(15.26%) and DRB1*15:01(9.76%). The top two frequent A‐B‐DRB1 haplotypes were A*30:01‐B*13:02‐DRB1*07:01(8.87%) and A*02:07‐B*46:01‐DRB1*09:01(2.79%); the top three A‐B haplotypes were A*33:03‐B*58:01‐DRB1*03:01(2.59%), A*30:01‐B*13:02(9.92%) and A*33:03‐B*58:01(5.48%); the top two B‐DRB1 haplotypes were B*13:02‐DRB1*07:01(10.23%) and B*46:01‐DRB1*09:01(4.61%); the top two A‐DRB1 haplotypes were A*30:01‐DRB1*07:01(8.96%) and A*33:03‐DRB1*13:02(3.95%). These findings provided useful information in the study of genetics and anthropology in Chinese Han population. It also served as a basic guide for selection of future donors in CMDP Jiangsu Branch.
A STUDY OF SELECTED CATECHOLAMINE METABOLIZING ENZYMES: A COMPARISON OF DEPRESSIVE SUICIDES AND ALCOHOLIC SUICIDES WITH CONTROLS 1

—The regional distributions of monamine oxidase (MAO) (EC 1.4.3.4), catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) (EC 2.1.1.6), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) (EC 1.14.3.2), and dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase (DBH) (EC 1.14.2.1) have been examined in human brains obtained at autopsy from persons who died of natural causes (controls), and from persons who committed suicide and were further categorized as suffering from affective disorder (depression) or from alcoholism. Post mortem animal studies showed no changes in MAO or COMT activities in rabbit brain or in DBH activity in rat brain when the intact bodies were left at room temperature up to 24 h. TH activity in rabbit brains, however, began to decline immediately after death and after 24 h at room temperature it was approximately 48 per cent of the fresh brain level. There was no significant variation in activity of COMT, TH and DBH in human brain attributable to age or sex. MAO activities in the 60–70 yr decade were 34 per cent higher than in the 30–40 yr decade. MAO activities were highest in the hypothalamus and substantia nigra, TH activities were highest in substantia nigra, putamen and head of caudate, and DBH activities were greatest in tegmentum of pons and hypothalamus. Only minimal regional differences in COMT activities were observed. No significant differences were found between enzyme activities in brain areas of controls and suicides with the possible exception of TH in the substantia nigra, where the depressive suicides (but not the alcoholics) showed greater activity (P < 0·02). These findings appear not to support the catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorder.
A Rapid Method for Simultaneous Detection of Phenotypic Resistance to Inhibitors of Protease and Reverse Transcriptase in Recombinant Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Isolates from Patients Treated with Antiretroviral Drugs

ABSTRACT Combination therapy with protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors can efficiently suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication, but the emergence of drug-resistant variants correlates strongly with therapeutic failure. Here we describe a new method for high-throughput analysis of clinical samples that permits the simultaneous detection of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) phenotypic resistance to both RT and PR inhibitors by means of recombinant virus assay technology. HIV-1 RNA is extracted from plasma samples, and a 2.2-kb fragment containing the entire HIV-1 PR- and RT-coding sequence is amplified by nested reverse transcription-PCR. The pool of PR-RT-coding sequences is then cotransfected into CD4+ T lymphocytes (MT4) with the pGEMT3ΔPRT plasmid from which most of the PR (codons 10 to 99) and RT (codons 1 to 482) sequences are deleted. Homologous recombination leads to the generation of chimeric viruses containing PR- and RT-coding sequences derived from HIV-1 RNA in plasma. The susceptibilities of the chimeric viruses to all currently available RT and/or PR inhibitors is determined by an MT4 cell–3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide-based cell viability assay in an automated system that allows high sample throughput. The profile of resistance to all RT and PR inhibitors is displayed graphically in a single PR-RT-Antivirogram. This assay system facilitates the rapid large-scale phenotypic resistance determinations for all RT and PR inhibitors in one standardized assay.
Performance of Acquisition Oriented Canadian Firms

Industrial concentration in North America has been greatly increased by corporate acquisitions and mergers. As with all important structural changes we are concerned with the economic implications of this behaviour. The impacts of acquisitions and mergers can be divided, conceptually at least, into public and private gains and losses. An example of a public gain would be lower prices caused by improved efficiency which was, in turn, created by a merger or acquisition. An acquisition might also increase a firm's market power and allow it to increase its profits. This would be an instance of private gain. These and a host of other types of effects, any of which might be generated by an acquisition, all act to determine whether aggregate economic welfare is enhanced through acquisition activities. It is difficult, if not impossible, to effectively identify and measure all of the public effects of acquisitions. Consequently, a good deal of attention has focused on private effects which are more easily dealt with. Not only does this measurement permit us to make observations about the success or failure of acquisition programmes, but it also influences our approach to public policy. If acquisitions create private gain, then acquisitions are "bad," in a strict cost/benefit sense, only if public losses are greater than these private gains. Two types of studies of the private effects of acquisitions, which are relevant to our work, have been undertaken. One type, for example, Halpern [5], Ellert [1] and Mandelker [7], had considered the behaviour of the common
Digital implementation of CPG controller in AVR system

This paper focuses on the implementation of AVR based Central Pattern Generator (CPG) controller. CPGs are biological networks that generate rhythmic outputs for the locomotion control of animals. Since previous CPG controllers are too complex to be suitable for microcontrollers, we propose a simple yet powerful linear CPG controller. To implement this controller in AVR system, several implementation techniques are presented which includes discretization, cosine curve approximation and variable overflow handling. Both simulations and experiments are carried out in an AVR-based robotic fish, which validate the effectiveness of our controller and implementation architecture.
Autism severity and temporal lobe functional abnormalities

Two independent studies 1 , 2 have described bilateral temporal hypoperfusion in autistic children. Temporal regions are implicated in social perception, language, and “theory‐of‐mind,” abilities that are impaired in autism. We investigated a putative relationship between cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured at rest and clinical profile of 45 autistic children (Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised [ADI‐R] scores). A whole‐brain covariance analysis was performed. Significant negative correlation was observed between rCBF and ADI‐R score in the left superior temporal gyrus. The more severe the autistic syndrome, the more rCBF is low in this region, suggesting that left superior temporal hypoperfusion is related to autistic behavior severity. Ann Neurol 2005;58:466–469
Functional interaction with filamin A and intracellular Ca2+ enhance the surface membrane expression of a small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK2) channel

Significance The precise subcellular localization of ion channel proteins is necessary for the proper function of excitable cells. The trafficking of several ion channels is dependent on the interaction of the ion channel proteins with cytoskeletal proteins, underpinned by a number of diseases in which the defect lies with the interacting proteins. Here, we demonstrate the role of filamin A, a cytoskeletal protein, in augmenting the membrane expression of small-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channels (KCa2.2 or SK2) in atrial myocytes. We further demonstrate that SK2 channel trafficking is Ca2+-dependent in the presence of another cytoskeletal protein, α-actinin2, thereby establishing the role of filamin A, α-actinin2, and intracellular Ca2+ in trafficking of SK2 channels. The findings may have implications in other excitable cells. For an excitable cell to function properly, a precise number of ion channel proteins need to be trafficked to distinct locations on the cell surface membrane, through a network and anchoring activity of cytoskeletal proteins. Not surprisingly, mutations in anchoring proteins have profound effects on membrane excitability. Ca2+-activated K+ channels (KCa2 or SK) have been shown to play critical roles in shaping the cardiac atrial action potential profile. Here, we demonstrate that filamin A, a cytoskeletal protein, augments the trafficking of SK2 channels in cardiac myocytes. The trafficking of SK2 channel is Ca2+-dependent. Further, the Ca2+ dependence relies on another channel-interacting protein, α-actinin2, revealing a tight, yet intriguing, assembly of cytoskeletal proteins that orchestrate membrane expression of SK2 channels in cardiac myocytes. We assert that changes in SK channel trafficking would significantly alter atrial action potential and consequently atrial excitability. Identification of therapeutic targets to manipulate the subcellular localization of SK channels is likely to be clinically efficacious. The findings here may transcend the area of SK2 channel studies and may have implications not only in cardiac myocytes but in other types of excitable cells.
Stock Market Forecasting Research Based on GA-Elman Neural Network

Based on characteristics of stock prices and the merits of Elman networks,this paper establishes a GA-Elman neural network model, in which Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the weight values.So the model efficiently solves the problems of complexity,uncertainty and dynamic characteristics of stock prices prediction.Simulation results show that the proposed GAElman neural network is feasible and efficient.This paper provides a new method for modeling and forecasting in stock market.
Electric field gradient focusing using a variable width polyaniline electrode

A new approach for electric field gradient focusing (EFGF) based on the use of a variable‐width polyaniline (PANI) electrode is demonstrated. The electrode was created by patterning a PANI nanofibre film using a 635‐nm laser and a computer‐controlled XY stage. The electrode consisted of 16 segments of varying width, ranging from 200 to 5000 μm in 320 μm increments, with the resistance changing approximately 20‐fold from 3881 to 198 kΩ at each extreme, respectively. Application of a voltage across the electrode established a voltage gradient resulting in a non‐linear distribution of electrophoretic velocities along the microchannel. When balanced with a combination of hydrodynamic flow and EOF, the variable‐width PANI electrode could be used for the concentration and separation of two cationic dyes, rhodamine 6G and quinine, which were concentrated by at least threefold within 10 min.