Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIV-1 Vpr function is mediated by interaction with the damage-specific DNA-binding protein DDB1

The Vpr accessory protein of HIV-1 induces a response similar to that of DNA damage. In cells expressing Vpr, the DNA damage sensing kinase, ATR, is activated, resulting in G2 arrest and apoptosis. In addition, Vpr causes rapid degradation of the uracil-DNA glycosylases UNG2 and SMUG1. Although several cellular proteins have been reported to bind to Vpr, the mechanism by which Vpr mediates its biological effects is unknown. Using tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we identified a predominant cellular protein that binds to Vpr as the damage-specific DNA-binding protein 1 (DDB1). In addition to its role in the repair of damaged DNA, DDB1 is a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase that degrades numerous cellular substrates. Interestingly, DDB1 is targeted by specific regulatory proteins of other viruses, including simian virus 5 and hepatitis B. We show that the interaction with DDB1 mediates Vpr-induced apoptosis and UNG2/SMUG1 degradation and impairs the repair of UV-damaged DNA, which could account for G2 arrest and apoptosis. The interaction with DDB1 may explain several of the diverse biological functions of Vpr and suggests potential roles for Vpr in HIV-1 replication.
Dendritic Cells Process and Present Antigens Across A Range of Maturation States1

We isolated dendritic cells (DC) from lymphoid organs of mice bearing a transgene for a membrane-bound form of the model protein hen egg white lysozyme (HEL). DC from the spleen had a lower representation of costimulatory molecules and class II MHC molecules than those isolated from lymph nodes and thymi. Splenic DC were capable of further maturation by in vivo treatment of mice with LPS. The immature DC from spleen processed HEL and displayed the chemically dominant epitope as evidenced by FACS analysis. These immature DC also presented this epitope to CD4+ T cells. Splenic DC from another transgenic mouse (ML-5) containing serum HEL also showed the ability to process and present Ag despite low levels of circulating HEL. In vitro-derived DC from the bone marrow (bone marrow-derived DC) of mHEL mice also displayed immature to mature features and in both cases displayed HEL peptides as well as SDS-stable MHC class II molecules. Immature bone marrow-derived DC also processed exogenous HEL. We conclude that the DC sets normally found in tissue show a scale of maturation features but even the most immature process and present peptides by MHC class II molecules.
Novel Broadband Center-Fed UHF Near-Field RFID Reader Antenna

A broadband center-fed ultra-high frequency (UHF) near-field radio frequency identification (RFID) reader antenna is proposed and investigated in this letter. The design utilizes four tapered double-side parallel stripline (TDSPSL)-fed dipoles to form a circular loop to achieve broadband impedance matching and strong and uniform magnetic field distribution. Parametric studies are carried out to characterize the design concept. The proposed antenna was fabricated and measured. The measured 10-dB impedance bandwidth is 236 MHz (814-1050 MHz), which covers the entire UHF RFID frequency band. The maximum reading distance is 210 mm at 30 dBm input power. Moreover the antenna can achieve a 100% read percentage within the height of 135 mm for multitag detection. The measured results agree well with the simulated ones.
Quantification of membrane properties of trigeminal root ganglion neurons in guinea pigs.

Passive and active (voltage- and time-dependent) membrane properties of trigeminal root ganglion neurons of decerebrate guinea pigs have been determined using frequency-domain analyses of small-amplitude perturbations of membrane voltage. The complex impedance functions of trigeminal ganglion neurons were computed from the ratios of the fast Fourier transforms of the intracellularly recorded voltage response from the neuron and of the input current, which had a defined oscillatory waveform. The impedance magnitude functions and corresponding impedance locus diagrams were fitted with various membrane models such that the passive and active properties were quantified. The complex impedances of less than one-quarter of the 105 neurons which were investigated extensively could be described by the complex impedance function for a simple RC-electrical circuit. In such neurons, the voltage responses to constant-current pulses, using conventional bridge-balance techniques, could be fitted with single exponential curves, also suggesting passive membrane behavior. A nonlinear least-squares fit of the complex impedance function for the simple model to the experimentally observed complex impedance yielded estimates of the resistance of the electrode, and of input capacitance (range, 56 to 490 pF) and input resistance (range, 0.8 to 30 M omega) of the neurons. The majority of trigeminal ganglion neurons were characterized by a resonance in the 50- to 250-Hz bandwidth of their impedance magnitude functions. Such neurons when injected with "large" hyperpolarizing current pulses using bridge-balance techniques showed membrane voltage responses that "sagged" (time-dependent rectification). Also, repetitive firing commonly occurred with depolarizing current pulses; this characteristic of neurons with resonance in their impedance magnitude functions was not observed in neurons with "purely" passive membrane behavior. A nonlinear least-squares fit of a five-parameter impedance fitting function based on a membrane model to the impedance locus diagram of a neuron with resonance yielded estimates of its membrane properties: input capacitance, the time-invariant part of the conductance, the conductance activated by the small oscillatory input current, and the relaxation time constant for this conductance. The ranges of the estimates for input capacitance and input resistance were comparable to the ranges of corresponding properties derived for neurons exhibiting "purely" passive behavior. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Structures of the activator of K. pneumonia biofilm formation, MrkH, indicates PilZ domains involved in c-di-GMP and DNA binding

Significance Klebsiella pneumonia is an important cause of refractory nosocomial infections, the pathogenicity of which is largely a result of the bacteria’s ability to form biofilms on biomedical devices. A 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP)–activated transcription activator, MrkH, drives biofilm formation. Here we describe structures of MrkH in its apo- and c-di-GMP–bound states. MrkH consists of two domains, both of which have PilZ-like folds. PilZ domains are known signaling modules, but, to our knowledge, MrkH is the first PilZ-containing protein to function in DNA binding. MrkH shows no homology to any human protein. Hence, our combined data, which uncovered the mechanism of c-di-GMP activation of MrkH, set the stage for the rational development of novel antimicrobial agents that target biofilm formation by K. pneumonia. The pathogenesis of Klebsiella pneumonia is linked to the bacteria’s ability to form biofilms. Mannose-resistant Klebsiella-like (Mrk) hemagglutinins are critical for K. pneumonia biofilm development, and the expression of the genes encoding these proteins is activated by a 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP)–regulated transcription factor, MrkH. To gain insight into MrkH function, we performed structural and biochemical analyses. Data revealed MrkH to be a monomer with a two-domain architecture consisting of a PilZ C-domain connected to an N domain that unexpectedly also harbors a PilZ-like fold. Comparison of apo- and c-di-GMP–bound MrkH structures reveals a large 138° interdomain rotation that is induced by binding an intercalated c-di-GMP dimer. c-di-GMP interacts with PilZ C-domain motifs 1 and 2 (RxxxR and D/NxSxxG) and a newly described c-di-GMP–binding motif in the MrkH N domain. Strikingly, these c-di-GMP–binding motifs also stabilize an open state conformation in apo MrkH via contacts from the PilZ motif 1 to residues in the C-domain motif 2 and the c-di-GMP–binding N-domain motif. Use of the same regions in apo structure stabilization and c-di-GMP interaction allows distinction between the states. Indeed, domain reorientation by c-di-GMP complexation with MrkH, which leads to a highly compacted structure, suggests a mechanism by which the protein is activated to bind DNA. To our knowledge, MrkH represents the first instance of specific DNA binding mediated by PilZ domains. The MrkH structures also pave the way for the rational design of inhibitors that target K. pneumonia biofilm formation.
How Redistributive Policies Reduce Market Inequality: Education Premiums in 22 OECD Countries

What explains the large cross-country variation in the wage premium for higher education? Economic analyses of wage differentials by education point to technological change and globalisation, but we know little about the impact of different types of public policies. We argue that public education spending and tax-transfer policies contain the spread of “education premiums” through material incentives (decommodification) and attitudinal responses, i.e. changing attitudes towards education premiums and the motivation to request a maximum return on individual investment in education. The empirical analysis relies on a new dataset of education premiums constructed from Luxembourg Income Study microdata, covering 22 OECD countries between 1989 and 2014. We provide evidence that taxation levels and public education spending particularly affect education premium levels and changes within countries. For the literature on income inequality, these findings imply the need to pay attention more systematically to redistributive policies shaping the “market” distribution of incomes.
Neoplastic Transformation-Associated Stimulation of the In Vitro Resolution of Concatemer Junction Fragments from Minute Virus of Mice DNA

ABSTRACT Minute virus of mice (MVM) shows an oncotropic behavior reflected by its ability to amplify its genome more efficiently in a number of transformed versus normal cells. In vivo and in vitro studies revealed that the major effect of cell transformation on MVM DNA replication occurs at the level of double-stranded replicative-form amplification. In particular, resolution of MVM DNA concatemers into monomers was found to be highly sensitive to neoplastic transformation.
Relationship between Data Size, accuracy, Diversity and Clusters in Neural Network Ensembles

This paper presents an approach for analyzing relationships between data size, cluster, accuracy and diversity in neural network ensembles. The main objective of this research is to find out the influence of data size such as number of patterns, number of inputs and number of classes on various parameters such as clusters, accuracy and diversity of a neural network ensemble. The proposed approach is based on splitting data sets into different groups using the data size, clustering data and conducting training and testing of neural network ensembles. The test data is same for all groups and used to test all trained ensembles. The experiments have been conducted on 15 UCI machine learning benchmark datasets and results are presented in this paper.
Auction–Lottery Hybrid Mechanisms: Structural Model and Empirical Analysis

This article studies an auction–lottery hybrid mechanism that is widely adopted in allocating new vehicle licenses in China. We characterize individuals' entry and bidding strategies in a symmetric Bayesian Nash equilibrium, structurally estimate individuals' value distribution from a data set of a Guangzhou program, and evaluate the performance of the mechanism. Based on the estimated distribution and counterfactual analysis, our study suggests that a hybrid mechanism preserves 83% efficiency and 52% of revenue, while it improves equity by 25 times compared to a pure auction. We show that allowing auction losers to participate in the lottery can further enhance the performance.
Drivers of farmers’ cattle insurance decisions: evidence from smallholders in northern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This empirical study investigates drivers of farmers’ hypothetical cattle insurance participation, and their intensity of participation, using the Heckman two-step model to control for selection bias. The data pertains to a survey of 356 cattle farmers from selected villages of Northern Ethiopia. Findings indicate that 94 per cent of the cattle owners were interested in procuring cattle insurance, and 77 per cent of them were willing to pay the benchmark annual premium of 4 per cent of the animal’s value. The average number of cattle that each farmer was willing to insure was nearly three. The findings further indicate that income and education levels of the respondents, among other factors, influence the farmers’ attitude towards participation in cattle insurance and the number of cattle to be insured by them. These findings suggest that educating farmers on the benefits of livestock insurance can stimulate this important risk management strategy. Public action may be required to incentivise insurance companies entering the market for the first time and to address the barriers to participation by poor households. Even though our study was restricted to some areas of northern Ethiopia, the findings can have a wider practical application for governmental and non-governmental institutions wishing to establish cattle insurance in developing countries.
Neuropsychological Findings in Rolandic Epilepsy and Landau‐Kleffner Syndrome

Summary: In an attempt to correlate neuropsychological deficits and various neurophysiological aspects of focal epileptic activity in benign childhood epilepsy, we have reviewed the findings of a longitudinal group study of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) and several case studies of continuous spike‐waves during slow sleep syndrome (CSWS). We first distinguish the temporary neuropsychological impairments often observed in the natural history of BCECTS from the more long‐lasting and more specific neuropsychological deficits associated with CSWS, of which the Landau‐Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is the most studied clinical form. A series of metabolic findings from 18FDG‐PET studies in BCECTS and CSWS children have shown that specific cognitive impairment is related to increased glucose uptake in cortical areas restricted to the associative cortex coincident with the focus of spike‐wave discharges. From recent functional neuroimaging data of three patients recovered from LKS, we address the issue of the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment persisting after complete recovery of epilepsy. Finally, we discuss the reliability of the study of mismatch negativity to address the issue of the early effect of interictal discharges in typical and atypical BCECTS on the auditory cortex and the development of speech processing essential to verbal learning.
Evidence of Evolving Carbaryl Resistance in Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Areawide-Managed Cornfields in North Central Kansas

Abstract Susceptibility of adult populations of the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, to carbaryl was determined by a survey in 1996 before the implementation of an areawide management program near Scandia in north central Kansas. Subsequently, the susceptibility of western corn rootworm adults to carbaryl has been monitored throughout the program from 1997 to 2000 in both control and managed areas. In 1996, adults were highly susceptible to carbaryl with a mean LC50 value of 0.64 μg/vial. This value was comparable to those for adults collected from other regions within Kansas. However, adult susceptibility to carbaryl decreased rapidly within the managed area, where the cucurbitacin-carbaryl-based bait SLAM has been used as the primary tool to control adults in this project since 1997. In 1999, adults collected from the managed area were 9- and 20-fold less susceptible to carbaryl at the LC50 and LC90 levels, respectively, than those evaluated in 1996. In contrast, adults collected from the control area were only 2- and 3-fold less susceptible to carbaryl at the LC50 and LC90 levels, respectively, than adults evaluated in 1996. Although field adult populations of western corn rootworm were relatively low in 2000, evaluations showed trends similar to those in 1999 regarding their carbaryl susceptibility in the managed and control areas. These results provide evidence that western corn rootworm has been evolving carbaryl resistance rapidly in response to the use of SLAM in areawide-managed cornfields near Scandia.
The structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in war veterans

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: The present research examined the underlying factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as conceptualized in the recently published fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Design: Participants were 258 trauma-exposed Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans. Methods: A self-report measure of PTSD symptoms was administered to all participants and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to compare several different models of PTSD. Results: CFA revealed that the best-fitting model was a six-factor model in which symptoms loaded onto the factors of intrusion, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal. Conclusions: These findings have important implications for ongoing conceptualization of PTSD and suggest that additional modifications to the diagnostic criteria for PTSD may still be warranted to more accurately reflect the underlying structure of PTSD symptoms.
Identification of a cis-acting DNA antisilencer element which modulates vimentin gene expression

Vimentin is a tissue-specific, developmentally regulated member of the intermediate filament protein family normally expressed in cells of mesenchymal origin. Transcription factors which recognize specific cis-acting elements of the chicken gene include Sp-1 and the 95-kDa silencer protein which binds to a 40-bp silencer element at -608 (F. X. Farrell, C. M. Sax, and Z. E. Zehner, Mol. Cell. Biol. 10:2349-2358, 1990). In this study, we have identified a region upstream of the silencer element which restores gene activity. This region has been further delineated into two functional subelements of 75 and 260 bp. In transient transfection assays, the 75-bp element overrides the silencer effect of pStkCAT by 100%, while the 260-bp element is about half as active. Neither element affects gene activity when the silencer element is absent. Therefore, these elements do not function as enhancers, but they may serve only to override the silencer element and therefore can be viewed as antisilencers. In addition, the 75-bp element binds a specific 140-kDa protein, as determined by gel mobility shift assays and Southwestern (DNA-protein) blots, the binding site of which has been delineated to a 10- to 17-bp element by DNase I protection experiments. During myogenesis, a direct correlation can be made between the binding efficiency of the 140-kDa protein, the silencer protein, and gene activity in vivo. Genes known to contain a functional silencer element also contain at least one antisilencer element, as determined by sequence identity. Therefore, we have identified an antisilencer element and protein important in the developmental regulation of vimentin gene expression which may be involved in the regulation of other genes.
Retention: Building a Patient-Centered Medical Home in HIV Primary Care through PUFF (Patients Unable to Follow-up Found)

Here, we describe our patient-centered medical home (PCMH) quality improvement retention project conducted by a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White-funded Primary Care HIV clinic. The single urban academic clinic serving 2,776 active HIV positive patients identified 25.8% (716/2,776) patients who had not been retained in care within the prior six months during two separate six-month interval analyses. Multiple modalities including a retention specialist, a secure clinic phone message line, algorithms, flyers, brochures, database, and staff education were built to facilitate re-engagement. The project located 87.7% (628/716) patients who had not been retained. The retention specialist was directly responsible for the return of 16.2% (116/716) patients. Results from the project demonstrated that a formalized approach is a necessary component to effective retention efforts. We believe that this work will provide a strategic framework for the development of randomized control trials to formally evaluate an HIV retention intervention.
The Global Jihadist Movement: A Deadlier Form of Terrorism?

by Matthew T. Suppenbach Counterterrorism is priority for security professionals in the contemporary global security environment. Key government leaders assert that the global jihadist movement is a serious manifestation of global terrorism and that without robust and consistent counterterrorist operations, it is likely that the movement will expand in operational capacity and influence. This study uses a sample of events from 1994-2014, generated from the Global Terrorism Database and assigned affiliation with or without the global jihadist movement based off of group designation. As a whole, terror incidents follow similar arcs in attack, target, and weapon typologies. Furthermore, a majority of terror incidents in the date range are unaffiliated with the global jihadist movement, yet more individuals were killed and wounded by incidents affiliated with the movement. THE GLOBAL JIHADIST MOVEMENT: A DEADLIER FORM OF TERRORISM? by Matthew T. Suppenbach A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Criminal Justice University of Central Missouri
The Contribution of NMR, NIRS and their Combination to the Functional Assessment of Human Muscle

In the last decade the study of the human muscle mechanics and energetics in physiology and pathology underwent a radical change. Indeed, the use of biopsy is being progressively accompanied by non-invasive techniques which allow a more integrative assessment of muscle function in vivo. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a better insight into muscle structure down to the fascicular level, proving to be an essential source of information, particularly for the study of biomechanics. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), besides the study of muscle anaerobic (high energy phosphate compounds by 31P and 1H) and aerobic metabolism as well as of metabolic control, makes it possible to follow the time course of glycogen concentration (13C) as a function of exercise intensity and duration and of its recovery both in healthy trained and untrained subjects and in diabetic patients. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) allows to assess muscle oxidative metabolism, providing changes of total, deoxy- and oxy-hemoglobin in the resting and contracting muscle. The concomitant use of the above techniques is expected to provide a synergic functional picture of the human muscle that is complementary to the structural and ultrastructural microscopic approach.