Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proinflammatory Cytokine Gene Induction by Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2 Tax in Primary Human Glial Cells

ABSTRACT Infection with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) can result in the development of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). HTLV-2 is highly related to HTLV-1 at the genetic level and shares a high degree of sequence homology, but infection with HTLV-2 is relatively nonpathogenic compared to HTLV-1. Although the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP remains to be fully elucidated, previous evidence suggests that elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokines in the CNS are associated with neuropathogenesis. We demonstrate that HTLV-1 infection in astrogliomas results in a robust induction of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-1α, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), TNF-β, and IL-6 expression. HTLV encodes for a viral transcriptional transactivator protein named Tax that also induces the transcription of cellular genes. To investigate and compare the effects of Tax1 and Tax2 expression on the dysregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, lentivirus vectors were used to transduce primary human astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. The expression of Tax1 in primary human astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas resulted in significantly higher levels of proinflammatory cytokine gene expression compared to Tax2. Notably, Tax1 expression uniquely sensitized primary human astrocytomas to apoptosis. A Tax2/Tax1 chimera encoding the C-terminal 53 amino acids of the Tax1 fused to the Tax2 gene (Tax221) demonstrated a phenotype that resembled Tax1, with respect to proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and sensitization to apoptosis. The patterns of differential cytokine induction and sensitization to apoptosis displayed by Tax1 and Tax2 may reflect differences relating to the heightened neuropathogenicity associated with HTLV-1 infection and the development of HAM/TSP.
WSN10-6: An Energy Consumption Study of Wireless Sensor Networks with Delay-Constrained Traffic

Many mission-critical applications of wireless sensor networks generate traffic that have a stringent delay requirement. In this paper, we study the effects of relaying delay- constrained traffic in a wireless sensor network according to two different strategies. The first strategy allows traffic splitting, in which data flow can be split and sent on multiple paths from the source to the destination. The second strategy disallows traffic splitting, in which data flow cannot be split and must be sent on a single path from the source to the destination. We present a model based on linear and integer linear programming for finding an optimal allocation of splittable and unsplittable traffic in a wireless sensor network, in which traffic is subject to soft delay constraints. The objective is to minimize the total energy consumption spent on communication and the penalty incurred from the violation of delay constraints. Based on this model, we perform an empirical analysis to quantify the performance gains and losses of a splittable and unsplittable traffic allocation strategy for wireless sensor networks with delay-constrained traffic. The experiment results show that splitting traffic does not provide a significant advantage in energy consumption, but can afford strategies for relaying data with a lower delay penalty.
Bacteriological contamination of groundwater in relation to septic tanks location in Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract Water is an indispensable resource to mankind and life in general. Over the world, issues of water scarcity and quality are becoming pronounced with increasing global population, industrialization and urbanization. Developmental activities of man can lead to the deterioration of surface and groundwater. As a result, groundwater has become an important source of water supply throughout the world. This research is very necessary in these communities because of associated cost with purchasing of land due to nearness to the KNUST. The communities serve as residence for students, lecturers and the business community as well. As a consequence, the small pieces of land acquired for building virtually does not give room for considering the siting of septic tanks and underground water, which is the most common source of water in these communities. In this study, water samples were taken from eight purposively sampled wells/boreholes at Ayeduase, Kotei and Boadi communities where septic tanks are within 0–39 m to the well/borehole. However, a control well without septic tank within the radius of above 39 m was chosen. Samples taken from wells were analysed in the laboratory for Escherichia coli, salmonella, faecal coliforms, non-faecal coliforms and total coliforms. E. coli was found present in 25% wells and 25% boreholes sampled. Salmonella and faecal coliforms were found in 75% the boreholes/well except the control well and BH2. Non-faecal coliforms count was 100% in all boreholes/wells. The study reveals that, water in the study communities contain some levels of contaminants and raises questions about its suitability for drinking and domestic use.
SAFE TEENS: facilitators of and barriers to adolescent preventive care discussions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study's goal was to describe the topics discussed during adolescent preventive care visits and to identify facilitators and barriers of these discussions among physicians in family medicine residency programs. METHODS Forty-six family physicians in five residency programs used SAFE TEENS study cards to record data during 321 visits with adolescents ages 11--21 years. The study cards included a checklist of 31 potential topics organized under 10 categories. Closed- and open-ended questions were used to explore facilitators and barriers. RESULTS The topics most frequently discussed were under the categories of toxins (tobacco, alcohol, and drugs), environment (school, home, and friends), sexuality, and exercise. Physicians were more likely to conduct preventive care discussions in the clinical context of a physical examination and with a new patient. Parents being present for part of the visit, a reminder system, and the recognition of developmental stage were also significant facilitators. The presence of competing demands was the strongest barrier. CONCLUSIONS To increase the number of adolescent preventive care discussions, family medicine educators should stress that visits with established patients and visits for reasons other than a physical examination are also opportunities to provide preventive care. The development of electronic reminder systems would also be useful.
Interactive on-surface signal deformation

We present an interactive system for the artistic control of visual phenomena visible on surfaces. Our method allows the user to intuitively reposition shadows, caustics, and indirect illumination using a simple click-and-drag user interface working directly on surfaces. In contrast to previous approaches, the positions of the lights or objects in the scene remain unchanged, enabling localized edits of individual shading components. Our method facilitates the editing by computing a mapping from one surface location to another. Based on this mapping, we can not only edit shadows, caustics, and indirect illumination but also other surface properties, such as color or texture, in a unified way. This is achieved using an intuitive user-interface that allows the user to specify position constraints with drag-and-drop or sketching operations directly on the surface. Our approach requires no explicit surface parametrization and handles scenes with arbitrary topology. We demonstrate the applicability of the approach to interactive editing of shadows, reflections, refractions, textures, caustics, and diffuse indirect light. The effectiveness of the system to achieve an artistic goal is evaluated by a user study.
A review of the relationships between drought and forest fire in the United States

The historical and presettlement relationships between drought and wildfire are well documented in North America, with forest fire occurrence and area clearly increasing in response to drought. There is also evidence that drought interacts with other controls (forest productivity, topography, fire weather, management activities) to affect fire intensity, severity, extent, and frequency. Fire regime characteristics arise across many individual fires at a variety of spatial and temporal scales, so both weather and climate – including short‐ and long‐term droughts – are important and influence several, but not all, aspects of fire regimes. We review relationships between drought and fire regimes in United States forests, fire‐related drought metrics and expected changes in fire risk, and implications for fire management under climate change. Collectively, this points to a conceptual model of fire on real landscapes: fire regimes, and how they change through time, are products of fuels and how other factors affect their availability (abundance, arrangement, continuity) and flammability (moisture, chemical composition). Climate, management, and land use all affect availability, flammability, and probability of ignition differently in different parts of North America. From a fire ecology perspective, the concept of drought varies with scale, application, scientific or management objective, and ecosystem.
Sle autoantibodies recognize spermine induced Z‐conformation of native calf thymus DNA

The binding specificity of naturally occurring anti‐DNA antibodies with spermine modified DNA was analyzed by direct binding and competition ELISA. The binding was visualised by band shift assay. The SLE anti‐DNA antibodies appreciably recognized the spermine induced Z‐conformation of native DNA. The degree of binding of these antibodies to the Z‐conformer was almost similar to their binding with native DNA. The spermine‐ DNA complex was found to be thermodynamically more stable than native DNA.
Integrin-Mediated Adhesion Regulates ERK Nuclear Translocation and Phosphorylation of Elk-1

Integrin-mediated adhesion to the extracellular matrix permits efficient growth factor-mediated activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinases (ERKs). Points of regulation have been localized to the level of receptor phosphorylation or to activation of the downstream components, Raf and MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase). However, it is also well established that ERK translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus is required for G1 phase cell cycle progression. Here we show that phosphorylation of the nuclear ERK substrate, Elk-1 at serine 383, is anchorage dependent in response to growth factor treatment of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Furthermore, when we activated ERK in nonadherent cells by expression of active components of the ERK cascade, subsequent phosphorylation of Elk-1 at serine 383 and Elk-1–mediated transactivation were still impaired compared with adherent cells. Elk-1 phosphorylation was dependent on an intact actin cytoskeleton, as discerned by treatment with cytochalasin D (CCD). Finally, expression of active MEK failed to predominantly localize ERK to the nucleus in suspended cells or adherent cells treated with CCD. These data show that integrin-mediated organization of the actin cytoskeleton regulates localization of activated ERK, and in turn the ability of ERK to efficiently phosphorylate nuclear substrates.
Impact of Aggregate Linear Load Modeling on Harmonic Analysis: A Comparison of Common Practice and Analytical Models

This paper reviews the common practice and analytical models for the representation of aggregate linear load in harmonic propagation and distortion studies. Simulation results in the paper demonstrate the high sensitivity of harmonic propagation and distortion to the model type used to represent the load. Comparison of the several load models in the literature shows a significant difference on the system impedance around the dominant resonance. The paper recommends a comprehensive modeling approach that accounts for all major components of the modern load including electronic load and background distortion.
Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 25 Functions in Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Degradation

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) discards abnormal proteins synthesized in the ER. Through coordinated actions of ERAD components, misfolded/anomalous proteins are recognized, ubiquitinated, extracted from the ER and ultimately delivered to the proteasome for degradation. It is not well understood how ubiquitination of ERAD substrates is regulated. Here, we present evidence that the deubiquitinating enzyme Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 25 (USP25) is involved in ERAD. Our data support a model where USP25 counteracts ubiquitination of ERAD substrates by the ubiquitin ligase HRD1, rescuing them from degradation by the proteasome.
Challenging and Preventing Policies That Prohibit Local Civil Rights Protections for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People

Discrimination causes health inequities for stigmatized groups. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, in particular, are at significantly increased risk for disparate health outcomes when they reside in states that fail to extend equal protections to them or that actively deprive equal rights to them. Several states and the federal government have proposed or enacted laws that permit residents to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. One such law, Arkansas's Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act of 2015, preempts or prohibits local governments from enacting civil rights protections for LGBTQ individuals that are also lacking at the state level. State laws such as Arkansas's undermine local control, damage the economy, and create injustices that harm LGBTQ people. I set forth 2 constitutional arguments to challenge such laws, and I provide information to help advocates support evidence-based policymaking and prevent the passage of similar laws in their states.
Mitochondrial DAMPs Induce Endotoxin Tolerance in Human Monocytes: An Observation in Patients with Myocardial Infarction

Monocyte exposure to mitochondrial Danger Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs), including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), induces a transient state in which these cells are refractory to further endotoxin stimulation. In this context, IRAK-M up-regulation and impaired p65 activity were observed. This phenomenon, termed endotoxin tolerance (ET), is characterized by decreased production of cytokines in response to the pro-inflammatory stimulus. We also show that monocytes isolated from patients with myocardial infarction (MI) exhibited high levels of circulating mtDNA, which correlated with ET status. Moreover, a significant incidence of infection was observed in those patients with a strong tolerant phenotype. The present data extend our current understanding of the implications of endotoxin tolerance. Furthermore, our data suggest that the levels of mitochondrial antigens in plasma, such as plasma mtDNA, should be useful as a marker of increased risk of susceptibility to nosocomial infections in MI and in other pathologies involving tissue damage.
Comprehensive Evaluation on Land Supply System Performance: In Terms of System Transformation

This evaluation of land supply system performance in China shall examine the combination of government functions and national goals in order to perform a cost-benefit analysis of system results. From the author's point of view, it is most productive to evaluate land supply system performance at moments of system transformation for the following reasons. The behavior and input-output change of beneficial results at different times can be observed when the system or policy changes and system performance can be evaluated through a cost-benefit analysis during the process of system transformation. Moreover, this evaluation method can avoid the influence of land resource endowment. Different land resource endowment methods and different economy development periods result in different systems. This essay studies the contents, principles and methods of land supply system performance evaluation. Taking Beijing as an example, this essay optimizes and classifies the land supply index, makes a quantitative evaluation of land supply system performance through principal component analysis (PCA), and finally analyzes the factors that influence land supply system performance at times of system transformation. Keywords—Land supply, System performance, System transformation
Test Structure for High Voltage LD-MOSFET Device Mismatch Investigations

A characterization setup for high voltage (HV) LD-MOSFET mismatch and variability determination is presented. Devices are aligned in rows and columns for gate and drain bias multiplexing and special HV-switches for voltages up to 50 V are controlled by externally generated digital signals. Automatic DC measurements can be performed on up to 4992 HV-NMOSFETs. The circuit designs of the HV-switches are described in detail and characterization data gained during functionality evaluation are presented. Variability data are provided for both short and long distance matching characterization.
Phonetic prototypes: influence of place of articulation and speaking rate on the internal structure of voicing categories.

In this investigation, the effects of context on the perception of voicing contrasts specified by voice-onset-time (VOT) in syllable-initial stop consonants were examined. In an earlier paper [J.L. Miller and L.E. Volaitis, Percept. Psychophys. 46, 505-512 (1989)], it was reported that the listener's adjustment for one contextual variable, speaking rate, was not confined to the region of the phonetic category boundary, but extended throughout the phonetic category. The current investigation examines whether this type of perceptual remapping also occurs for another contextual variable, the place of articulation of the syllable-initial consonant. In a preliminary experiment that involved acoustic measurement of natural speech, it was confirmed that as place of articulation moves from labial to velar, VOT increases, and it was established that this occurs across a range of speaking rates (syllable durations). In the main experiments, which focused on the voiceless category, it was found that this acoustic change was reflected in perception not only as a shift in the location of the voiced-voiceless category boundary, but also a change in both the specific range of stimuli identified as members of the voiceless category and the set of stimuli judged to be the best exemplars, or prototypes, of the category. These findings extend earlier research by showing that a change in place of articulation, like a change in speaking rate, systematically alters the internal perceptual structure of voicing categories.
Measuring Spatial Influence of Twitter Users by Interactions

The three ways of interactions in Twitter--retweet, reply, and mention--comprise of a latent dynamic information flow network between users, which can be utilized to determine influential users. This paper focuses on determining which Twitter users have great influence on a query location Q in the sense that they are assumed to provide information that is of sufficient interest to prompt people at Q to interact with them. Note that an influential Twitter user who is of great influence on Q may not be necessarily from Q. Therefore, we first define generalized influential Twitter users regardless of whether their location was known or not, meaning that such generalized influencers on Q can be either from inside Q, or outside Q, or even unknown. A more interesting subset of generalized influencers is the ones whose location is in Q, and termed as local influential Twitter users. One potential application of finding local influencers (e.g., local news media) is to detect local events by tracking their tweets. Using a large amount of data collected from Twitter, we first build a large-scale directed interaction graph of Twitter users and present an analysis of the geographical characteristics of the edges in this interaction graph and make several interesting observations. Based on these findings, we propose two versions of PageRank that measure spatial influence on the interaction graph: Edge-Local PageRank (ELPR), and Source-Vertex-Locality PageRank (SVLPR), which takes into account the spatial locality of edges and the spatial locality of source vertices in edges, respectively. In addition, a Geographical PageRank (GPR) is also proposed trying to incorporate both of these two factors together. In the experimental evaluation, we examine the effectiveness of the proposed methods with regards to 3 different US cities "Boston, MA", "Bristol, CT" and "Seattle, WA", and the results show that our algorithms outperform their baseline approaches including the topological network metrics and the original PageRank. In addition, we also explored the possibility of using local influential Twitter users as potential news seeders and showed that some types of influential users have high credibility in outputting local place-relevant tweets.
Atrial fibrillation as an independent risk factor for stroke: the Framingham Study.

The impact of nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cardiac failure on stroke incidence was examined in 5,070 participants in the Framingham Study after 34 years of follow-up. Compared with subjects free of these conditions, the age-adjusted incidence of stroke was more than doubled in the presence of coronary heart disease (p less than 0.001) and more than trebled in the presence of hypertension (p less than 0.001). There was a more than fourfold excess of stroke in subjects with cardiac failure (p less than 0.001) and a near fivefold excess when atrial fibrillation was present (p less than 0.001). In persons with coronary heart disease or cardiac failure, atrial fibrillation doubled the stroke risk in men and trebled the risk in women. With increasing age the effects of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cardiac failure on the risk of stroke became progressively weaker (p less than 0.05). Advancing age, however, did not reduce the significant impact of atrial fibrillation. For persons aged 80-89 years, atrial fibrillation was the sole cardiovascular condition to exert an independent effect on stroke incidence (p less than 0.001). The attributable risk of stroke for all cardiovascular contributors decreased with age except for atrial fibrillation, for which the attributable risk increased significantly (p less than 0.01), rising from 1.5% for those aged 50-59 years to 23.5% for those aged 80-89 years. While these findings highlight the impact of each cardiovascular condition on the risk of stroke, the data suggest that the elderly are particularly vulnerable to stroke when atrial fibrillation is present. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Percolation in Interdependent and Interconnected Networks: Abrupt Change from Second to First Order Transition

Robustness of two coupled networks systems has been studied separately only for dependency coupling [Buldyrev et al., Nature (London) 464, 1025 (2010)] and only for connectivity coupling [Leicht and D'Souza, e-print arXiv:0907.0894]. Here we study, using a percolation approach, a more realistic coupled networks system where both interdependent and interconnected links exist. We find rich and unusual phase-transition phenomena including hybrid transition of mixed first and second order, i.e., discontinuities like in a first-order transition of the giant component followed by a continuous decrease to zero like in a second-order transition. Moreover, we find unusual discontinuous changes from second-order to first-order transition as a function of the dependency coupling between the two networks.