Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Cdc42 in Signal Transduction and Mating of the Budding Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae *

The small G-protein Cdc42 functions in many eukaryotic signal transduction pathways. In the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae, cells with defective Cdc42 fail to induce mating-specific genes in response to mating factor and to adopt the proper morphology for conjugation. Here we show that the failure of mating factor-induced transcription is largely the indirect result of arrest at a specific cell cycle position and/or the accumulation of high levels of the Cln1/2-Cdc28 kinase, a known repressor of mating factor signal transduction. Cdc42-defective cells with restored transcriptional induction have a partially restored mating ability but are still defective in the morphological response to mating factor. These results show that Cdc42 is not required for transduction of the mating factor signal per se but that it is essential for proper mating factor-induced morphogenesis.
Wage and Price Dynamics in China

We study wage‐price dynamics in Mainland China with a novel data set using province‐level data from 1994 to 2010. We find that the growth in labour costs in China is not passed through fully to final prices, neither in the tradable goods sector nor in the economy as a whole. This probably reflects the strong pressure on profit margins from a highly competitive environment, especially in manufactured goods. These findings have potential implications for global price developments, given China's relevance in global supply chains.
High Current Evaluation Of The New Size E Ignitrons With A Ringing Waveform

In recent years there has been much work to increase the energy density of pulsed power equipment. Recently, new ignitrons have been developed for higher current and coulomb ratings. Two ignitrons, the Richardson NL9000 and the EEV BKI002, have been tested with the aim of completing 500 shots at a charge transfer of 400 Coulombs with a peak pulse current of 500 kA and a 32% current reversal. This paper describes the experimental set up and discusses the results of the test programme. These tests have shown that these new designs of ignitron possess a much lower voltage drop than previous versions. They also demonstrate the ability to switch the required duty, although for the required shot life the current had to be derated to 400 kA and the charge transfer to 320 C.
Human CD4+CD25+ thymocytes and peripheral T cells have immune suppressive activity in vitro

CD4+CD25+ T cells in mice and rats are capable of transferring protection against organ‐specific autoimmune disease and colitis and suppressing the proliferation of other T cells after polyclonal stimulation in vitro. Here we describe the existence in humans of CD4+CD25+ T cells with the same in vitro characteristics. CD4+CD8–CD25+ T cells are present in both the thymus and peripheral blood of humans (∼ 10 % of CD4+CD8– T cells), proliferate poorly in response to mitogenic stimulation and suppress the proliferation of CD4+CD25– cells in co‐culture. This suppression requires cell contact and can be overcome by the addition of exogenous IL‐2. CD4+CD25+ cells from thymus and blood were poor producers of IL‐2 and IFN‐γ, and suppressed the levels of these cytokines produced by CD4+CD25– cells. However, CD4+CD25+ PBL produced higher levels of IL‐4 and similar amounts of IL‐10 as CD4+CD25– cells. Regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells have an activated phenotype in the thymus with expression of CTLA‐4 and CD122 (IL‐2Rβ). The fact that CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells are present with a similar frequency in the thymus of humans, ratsand mice, suggests that the role of these cells in the maintenance of immunological tolerance is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism.
Processing and Functions of Hepatitis C Virus Proteins

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has a positive-stranded RNA genome of about 9.5 kb and a large open reading frame encoding a precursor polyprotein of ca. 3,000 amino acids (aa). This polyprotein is cleaved by host cellular signalase(s) and viral proteases into 10 viral proteins in the order of NH2-Core-E1-E2-p7-NS2-NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5A-NS5B-COOH. Core and E1/E2 are considered to be a capsid protein and envelope glycoproteins, respectively. NS2–NS5B are putative nonstructural proteins involved in the replication of HCV. NS2/3 is a metalloprotease which cleaves in cis at the NS2/3 junction. NS3 possesses serine protease and RNA helicase activities and is responsible for the cleavage of the remaining nonstructural proteins. NS4A is suggested to be a cofactor for NS3 protease. Although the function of p7, NS4B and NS5A are still unknown, an association of a mutation in NS5A with a susceptibility to interferon (IFN) has been reported. NS5B possesses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity. Most of the current findings in HCV proteins depend on expression studies of HCV cDNA clones because of the lack of an efficient replication system in cell cultures. Therefore, a final assignment of cleavages and functions of HCV proteins has to await the propagation of HCV in cell cultures.
A piecewise quadratic induced measure approach for approximating the largest divergence rate of switched linear systems

For continuous-time switched linear systems, the largest divergence rate is an important index that characterizes the worst asymptotic performance through switching. The computation of this rate is known to be notoriously difficult. Recently, it has been proven that the largest divergence rate is equal to the least possible common matrix measure of the subsystem matrix set. In this paper, a piecewise quadratic induced measure approach is introduced to approximate the least measure of switched linear systems, which transforms the approximation issue into a series of bilinear matrix inequalities.
A unique binding cavity for divalent cations in the DNA–metal–chromomycin A3 complex

Binding of chromomycin A3 (CRA) to calf thymas DNA was investigated in the presence of divalent cations using visible absorption and 1H‐nmr spectroscopies. An apparent equilibrium binding constant (∼ 1011M−1) was obtained from metal competition experiments using EDTA to remove the metal cation from the DNA–M–CRA (M: metal) complex. The large binding constant of the drug to DNA enabled us to obtain essentially complete complexation of CRA to the short homogeneous d(ATGCAT)2 duplex using stoichiometric amounts of the metal cation. Large induced chemical shifts were observed in the 1H‐nmr spectrum of the above complex using the paramagnetic Co2+ cation indicating that the metal occupies a unique binding site. Since no induced 1H‐nmr chemical shifts were observed for the drug–Co2+ mixture, it was concluded that no metal–drug complex is formed. In addition, it was found that bound CRA is negatively charged at physiological pH and binding to the DNA could be affected only by using metal cations whose ionic radius size (< 0.85 Å) and charge (2+) were simultaneously satisfied. Stringent metal cation selectivity for the DNA–M–CRA complex may be intimately connected with the antitumor selectivity of CRA, since different types of cells generally possess widely differing molar concentrations of metal cations.
Common Sequence Variants in the LOXL1 Gene Confer Susceptibility to Exfoliation Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. A genome-wide search yielded multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 15q24.1 region associated with glaucoma. Further investigation revealed that the association is confined to exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). Two nonsynonymous SNPs in exon 1 of the gene LOXL1 explain the association, and the data suggest that they confer risk of XFG mainly through exfoliation syndrome (XFS). About 25% of the general population is homozygous for the highest-risk haplotype, and their risk of suffering from XFG is more than 100 times that of individuals carrying only low-risk haplotypes. The population-attributable risk is more than 99%. The product of LOXL1 catalyzes the formation of elastin fibers found to be a major component of the lesions in XFG.
Observability Criteria for Bearings-Only Target Motion Analysis

The observability requirements for bearings-only target motion analysis (TMA) are rigorously established by solving a third-order nonlinear differential equation. Closed form expressions are developed and subsequently used to specify necessary and sufficient conditions on own-ship motion that insure a uniquetracking solution. It is shown that for certain types of maneuvers the estimation process remains unobservable, even when the associated bearing rate is nonzero. Such maneuvers are frequently overlooked in heuristic discussions of TMA observability, which may account for some common misconceptions regarding the characteristics of acceptable own-ship motion.
Simulation of large-scale electrical power networks on graphics processing units

In this paper suitability of applying graphics processing unit (GPU) based computing for electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation of large scale power systems is demonstrated. As the network size increases there is a corresponding increase in simulation time with conventional central processing unit (CPU) based simulation tools. The paper shows that with a hybrid environment consisting of CPUs and GPUs, simulation time is much less compared to the CPU-only implementations. In this scheme the GPU is mainly used to do the computationally intensive part of the simulation in parallel on its built-in multiple processing cores, and the CPU is assigned for updating history terms and flow control of the simulation. The GPU-based approach is used to simulate a network with 117 nodes, and it is shown that the CPU-GPU based implementation takes less than half of the time taken by the CPU-only implementation of the simulation.
Teleconferencing using multimedia messaging service (MMS) for long-range consultation of patients with neurosurgical problems in an acute situation.

BACKGROUND : We present our initial experience using a simple and relatively cost effective system using existing mobile phone network services and conventional handphones with built in cameras to capture carefully selected images from hard copies of scan images and transferring these images from a hospital without neurosurgical services to a university hospital with tertiary neurosurgical service for consultation and management plan. METHODS : A total of 14 patients with acute neurosurgical problems admitted to a general hospital in a 6 months period had their images photographed and transferred in JPEG format to a university neurosurgical unit. This was accompanied by a phone conference to discuss the scan and the patients' condition between the neurosurgeon and the referring physician. All images were also reviewed by a second independent neurosurgeon on a separate occasion to asses the agreement on the diagnosis and the management plan. RESULTS : There were nine patients with acute head injury and five patients with acute nontraumatic neurosurgical problems. In all cases both neurosurgeons were in agreement that a diagnosis could be made on the basis of the images that were transferred. With respect to the management advice there were differences in opinion on three of the patients but these were considered to be minor. CONCLUSION : Accurate diagnosis can be made on images of acute neurosurgical problems transferred using a conventional camera phone and meaningful decisions can be made on these images. This method of consultation also proved to be highly convenient and cost effective.
A Quantitative Method to Determine the Orientation of Collagen Fibers in the Dermis

We have developed a quantitative microscopic method to determine changes in the orientation of collagen fibers in the dermis resulting from mechanical stress. The method is based on the use of picrosirius red-stained cryostat sections of piglet skin in which collagen fibers reflect light strongly when epipolarization microscopy is used. Digital images of sections were converted into binary images that were analyzed quantitatively on the basis of the length of the collagen fibers in the plane of the section as a measure for the orientation of the fibers. The length of the fibers was expressed in pixels and the mean length of the 10 longest fibers in the image was taken as the parameter for the orientation of the fibers. To test the procedure in an experimental setting, we used skin after 0 and 30 min of skin stretching. The orientation of the fibers in sections of control skin differed significantly from the orientation of fibers in sections of skin that was stretched mechanically for 30 min [76 ± 15 (n = 5) vs 132 ± 36 (n = 5)]. The method described here is a relatively simple way to determine (changes in) the orientation of individual collagen fibers in connective tissue and can also be applied for analysis of the orientation of any other structural element in tissues so long as a representative binary image can be created.
Stent placement in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis and impaired renal function: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the efficacy and safety of renal artery stenting in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) and impaired renal function. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy and safety of stent placement in patients with ARAS and impaired renal function. DESIGN Randomized clinical trial. Randomization was centralized and computer generated, and allocation was assigned by e-mail. Patients, providers, and persons who assessed outcomes were not blinded to treatment assignment. SETTING 10 European medical centers. PARTICIPANTS 140 patients with creatinine clearance less than 80 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) and ARAS of 50% or greater. INTERVENTION Stent placement and medical treatment (64 patients) or medical treatment only (76 patients). Medical treatment consisted of antihypertensive treatment, a statin, and aspirin. MEASUREMENTS The primary end point was a 20% or greater decrease in creatinine clearance. Secondary end points included safety and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. RESULTS Forty-six of 64 patients assigned to stent placement had the procedure. Ten of the 64 patients (16%) in the stent placement group and 16 patients (22%) in the medication group reached the primary end point (hazard ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.33 to 1.61]). Serious complications occurred in the stent group, including 2 procedure-related deaths (3%), 1 late death secondary to an infected hematoma, and 1 patient who required dialysis secondary to cholesterol embolism. The groups did not differ for other secondary end points. LIMITATION Many patients were falsely identified as having renal artery stenosis greater than 50% by noninvasive imaging and did not ultimately require stenting. CONCLUSION Stent placement with medical treatment had no clear effect on progression of impaired renal function but led to a small number of significant procedure-related complications. The study findings favor a conservative approach to patients with ARAS, focused on cardiovascular risk factor management and avoiding stenting.
Laboratory infection of chicken eggs with Campylobacter jejuni by using temperature or pressure differentials

Fertile chicken eggs were infected in our laboratory with Campylobacter jejuni suspensions by using temperature or pressure differential methods of inoculation. After 2 days of incubation, over 90% of the eggs carried C. jejuni when iron was present in the inoculum. This percentage declined rapidly until by day 8, less than 10% of the eggs were detectably infected. However, up to 11% of hatched, healthy chicks carried C. jejuni in their intestinal tracts. The isolated organisms were of the same serotype as the initial inoculum. C. jejuni was recovered without difficulty when the intestinal tracts of chicks were enriched, but recovery from early dead-in-shell or infertile eggs was poor. This poor recovery and the rapid decline of C. jejuni after 2 days of egg incubation suggest that the vibrio is sensitive to some part of the incubating egg or to the temperature of prolonged incubation. It was impossible to predict which eggs would yield infected chicks on the basis of the number of organisms taken up by each egg, and no correlation existed between the number of organisms taken up and the efficiency of the hatch, i.e., the hatch ratio. If iron was omitted from the inoculum broth, the egg infection rate at day 2 was lower.
Responses to Online Photographs of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Thematic Analysis

There is concern that graphic pictures of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) may detrimentally impact vulnerable viewers—namely those who may self-injure. How individuals (most who have, but some of whom have not, self-injured) respond to photographs of NSSI is currently unknown. Thematic analysis was used to assess testimony regarding NSSI imagery online. Analysis of testimony regarding NSSI photographs revealed a dichotomy. Individuals reporting positive perceptions said the photographs reduced loneliness and NSSI enactment. People reporting negative perceptions argued photographs reinforce and encourage NSSI. Experiences of being triggered by NSSI images were described by several participants. Photographs of NSSI posted online may have several risks for viewers. It is important to achieve a greater understanding of the effects of various forms of online NSSI content and to develop supportive NSSI resources on the Internet.
Factors related to HIV-testing behavior and interest in testing in Namibia

Abstract HIV testing remains an important part of HIV prevention and treatment programs. Interventions to encourage testing may be more effective if they can be tailored to audiences with different readiness for testing. We sought to determine characteristics differentiating people who had tested from those who had not but were interested, and people who were interested from people who had not tested and were not interested in testing. We analyzed survey data from 2671 adults in Namibia, investigating demographic, psychosocial, interpersonal, behavioral, and access to care-related factors that might differentiate the groups. Findings indicated that the interested group differed from the not interested group on factors such as knowledge of testing locations and about HIV medications, higher perceived susceptibility for getting HIV, lower stigma toward people with HIV, and more positive interpersonal factors like more social support and discussion about HIV. The tested group differed from the interested group on factors relating to life stage and socioeconomic status, such as being older, more educated, having more access to amenities, being less likely to be a student, and more likely to be living with a sexual partner, along with access-related factors such as access to counseling resources and testing clinics. Consistent with results from stage-based behavior change studies, interest in HIV testing among the untested may be related more to knowledge, attitudes, and social openness about HIV, while testing behavior among the interested may be related more to socioeconomic and access-related barriers. As such, interventions tailored for these different audiences may be more effective than a single intervention to promote testing.
Application of a LIPCA for the Structural Vibration Suppression of a Flexible Beam with a Tip Mass: Experiments and Simulations

Although piezoelectric materials such as PZT have been widely used as actuators in the field of active vibration suppression, the use of bare PZT as an actuator may cause some drawbacks such as critical breaks in the installation process, short circuits in the host material and low fatigue performance. To alleviate these problems, we developed a new actuator called a lightweight piezocomposite actuator (LIPCA). The LIPCA has five layers: three glass-epoxy layers, a carbon-epoxy layer and a PZT layer. We implemented a LIPCA as an actuator to suppress the vibration of an aluminum cantilever beam with a tip mass. In our test, we used positive position feedback control algorithm. The filter frequency for this type of feedback should be tuned to the frequency of the target mode. The first four experimental natural frequencies of the aluminum cantilever beam agree well with the results of finite element analysis. The effectiveness of using a LIPCA as an actuator in active vibration suppression was investigated with respect to the time and frequency domains, and the experimental results show that LIPCAs can significantly reduce the amplitude of forced vibrations and the settling time of free vibrations
The Pre‐S region determines the intracellular localization and appearance of hepatitis B virus

The functional role of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre‐S region for assembly and appearance of the virus is not completely understood. In this study, 3 natural‐occurring mutants were investigated. Three mutants of the pre‐S region—a point mutation in the CCAAT box (MUT1), a 6‐bp deletion (MUT2) 3′ of the CCAAT box, and a 153‐bp deletion (MUT3) in the preS2 domain—were cloned alone or in combinations in replication‐competent HBV plasmids and transfected in hepatoma cells. The impact on HBV assembly and appearance was studied by Northern Blot, primer extension analysis, immunofluorescence studies, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, and electron microscopy. An inversed ratio of pre‐S/S mRNA transcripts compared with wild‐type (wt) HBV was found when either MUT1 or ‐2 were included into the plasmid. Intracellular localization with both mutants showed retention of large S‐protein in the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear accumulation of core protein. The extracellular amount of S‐protein was reduced with MUT1 and ‐2 or combinations in which 1 of the mutants was included. However, the extracellular appearance of viral products was comparable with wtHBV. In contrast, MUT3 showed major changes. Virion‐like particles had a fried‐egg, and filaments a screw‐like appearance. The S‐promoter mutations MUT1 and MUT2 correlated with viral retention. MUT3 leads to malformed viral particles. Therefore, different regions in the pre‐S domain are essential to determine the intracellular localization and extracellular appearance of HBV, and might contribute to the prognosis of chronic HBV infection.
Solution structure of a truncated anti‐MUC1 DNA aptamer determined by mesoscale modeling and NMR

Mucin 1 is a well‐established target for the early diagnosis of epithelial cancers. The nucleotides of the S1.3/S2.2 DNA aptamer involved in binding to variable number tandem repeat mucin 1 peptides have been identified using footprinting experiments. The majority of these binding nucleotides are located in the 25‐nucleotide variable region of the total aptamer. Imino proton and 2D NMR spectra of truncated and total aptamers in supercooled water reveal common hydrogen‐bonding networks and point to a similar secondary structure for this 25‐mer sequence alone or embedded within the total aptamer. NMR titration experiments confirm that the TTT triloop structure is the primary binding site and show that the initial structure of the truncated aptamers is conserved upon interaction with variable number tandem repeat peptides. The thermal dependence of the NMR chemical shift data shows that the base‐paired nucleotides melt cooperatively at 47 ± 4 °C. The structure of the 25‐mer oligonucleotide was determined using a new combined mesoscale molecular modeling, molecular dynamics and NMR spectroscopy investigation. It contains three Watson–Crick pairs, three consecutive mispairs and four Watson–Crick pairs capped by a TTT triloop motif. The 3D model structures (PDB 2L5K) and biopolymer chain elasticity molecular models are consistent with both NMR and long unconstrained molecular dynamics (10 ns) in explicit water, respectively.