Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Viral Model for Corneal Scarring and Neovascularization Following Ocular Infection of Rabbits With a Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) Mutant

Purpose: Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) remains a major cause of corneal scarring and visual loss. Although efforts have been made, no reproducible animal model is available to examine recurrent corneal disease. Here we propose a rabbit ocular model to study recurrent corneal disease using an HSV-1 mutant that reactivates with high efficiency. Methods: Rabbits were ocularly infected with 2 × 105 PFU/eye of the parental McKrae, dLAT2903 (a LAT-null virus with a low-reactivation phenotype), or CJLAT (a high-reactivation virus). Acute ocular disease [days 2, 4, 7, and 10 postinfection (pi)], recurrent ocular disease, and neovascularization (days 30 to 58 pi) were monitored. Results: All acute ocular disease symptoms, including conjunctivitis and corneal disease, were similar with all 3 viruses. No corneal scarring was detected in any eyes up to day 30 pi. Between days 35 and 58 pi, corneal scarring was observed in 11/14 (experiment 1) and 18/22 (experiment 2) eyes of CJLAT-infected rabbits. Significantly less corneal scarring was seen in eyes of rabbits infected with McKrae (0/18 and 0/16) or dLAT2903 (0/16 and 3/24) (P < 0.0001). Many of the eyes with corneal scarring developed obvious, measurable neovascularization. Conclusions: Rabbits infected with CJLAT developed corneal scarring and neovascularization similar to that of clinical ocular HSV-1 recurrent disease. Because this occurred well after the acute infection had resolved, the corneal scarring and neovascularization appeared to be recurrent disease. Thus, CJLAT ocular infection of rabbits may provide a good and reproducible animal model to study factors involved in corneal scarring and neovascularization from recurrent ocular HSV-1.
Attribution of mental illness to work: a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND Clinicians may be asked whether mental ill-health has been caused by work but there is no guidance on how this judgement should be made. AIMS To seek a consensus on the factors that should be considered and how they should be sought when attributing mental ill-health to work. METHODS A three-round Delphi study involving expert academics, occupational physicians, psychiatrists and psychologists. We deemed consensus had been reached when 66% or more of the experts were in agreement. RESULTS Of 54 invited experts, 35 (65%) took part in the first round, 30 of these 35 (86%) in the second and 29 of these 30 (97%) in the final round. Consensus was reached for 11 workplace stressors: high job strain; effort-reward imbalance; major trauma; interpersonal conflict; inadequate support; role ambiguity; person-job mismatch; organizational injustice; organizational culture; work scheduling and threats to job security. Seven personal factors were identified as being important: previous mental illness; personality traits of neuroticism; adverse life events or social circumstances; resilience; a family history of mental illness and secondary gain. The worker, manager and co-workers were thought to be the most useful sources of workplace information. Consensus was reached for a definition of occupational mental illness but not for a threshold of work-relatedness. CONCLUSIONS The attribution of mental ill-health to work is complex and involves the consideration of both workplace stressors and personal factors of vulnerability. Clinical consultation with an occupational physician who is familiar with the workplace is central to the process.
Interface-Trap Effects in Inversion-Type Enhancement-Mode $\hbox{InGaAs/ZrO}_{2}$ N-Channel MOSFETs

Interface-trap effects are analyzed in inversion-type enhancement-mode In0.53Ga0. 47/ZrO2 and In0.53Ga0. 47As/In0.2Ga0. 8As/ZrO2 n-channel MOSFETs by comparing the measurements and the numerical device simulations of dc transfer characteristics. Device simulations can reproduce measured threshold voltages under the hypothesis that interface traps are donorlike throughout the InGaAs band gap, allowing for strong inversion operation regardless of the relatively high interface-trap density. The effects induced by the donorlike interface traps in MOSFETs having a thin cap layer interposed between gate dielectric and channel are qualitatively different from those observed in standard MOSFETs (without the cap). Increasing the donorlike trap density decreases the threshold voltage in capped devices, whereas it leaves it unchanged in uncapped ones. As a result, donorlike interface traps can explain the threshold-voltage difference observed in MOSFETs with and without the cap.
Animal models are reliably mimicking human diseases? A morphological study that compares animal with human NAFLD

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinical‐pathological syndrome that includes a wide spectrum of morphological alterations. In research, animal models are crucial in evaluating not only the pathogenesis of NAFLD and its progression, but also the therapeutic effects of various agents. Investigations on the ultrastructural features of NAFLD in humans are not copious, due to the difficulty to obtain human samples and to the long time of NAFLD to evolve. Translational comparative studies on the reliability of animal models in representing the histopathologic picture as seen in humans are missing. To overcome this lack of investigations, we compared the ultrastructural NAFLD features of an animal model versus human. Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed with a high fat diet (HFD) for 1–4 weeks, while control rats were fed with a standard diet. Human specimens were collected from patients with diagnosed fatty liver disease, undergoing liver biopsies or surgery. Rat and human samples were examined by light microscopy and by transmission and high resolution scanning electron microscopy. The present work demonstrated that NAFLD in animal model and in human, share overlapping ultrastructural features. In conclusion, animal HFD represent an appropriate tool in studying the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:790–796, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Recent findings and future directions for interpolar mitotic kinesin inhibitors in cancer therapy

The kinesin class of microtubule-associated motor proteins present attractive anti-cancer targets owing to their roles in key functions in dividing cells. Two interpolar mitotic kinesins Eg5 and HSET have opposing motor functions in mitotic spindle assembly with respect to microtubule movement, but both offer opportunities to develop cancer selective therapeutic agents. Here, we summarize the progress to date in developing inhibitors of Eg5 and HSET, with an emphasis on structural biology insights into the binding modes of allosteric inhibitors, compound selectivity and mechanisms of action of different chemical scaffolds. We discuss translation of preclinical studies to clinical experience with Eg5 inhibitors, recent findings on potential resistance mechanisms, and explore the implications for future anticancer drug development against these targets.
Cloning, disruption, and expression of two endo-beta 1, 4-xylanase genes, XYL2 and XYL3, from Cochliobolus carbonum

In culture, the filamentous fungus Cochliobolus carbonum, a pathogen of maize, makes three cationic xylanases, XYL1, which encodes the major endoxylanase (Xyl1), was earlier cloned and shown by gene disruption to encode the first and second peaks of xylanase activity (P. C. Apel, D. G. Panaccione, F. R. Holden, and J. D. Walton, Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 6:467-473, 1993). Two additional xylanase genes, XYL2 and XYL3, have now been cloned from C. carbonum. XYL2 and XYL3 are predicted to encode 22-kDa family G xylanases similar to Xyl1. Xyl2 and Xyl3 are 60% and 42% identical, respectively, to Xyl1, and Xyl2 and Xyl3 are 39% identical. XYL1 and XYL2 but not XYL3 mRNAs are present in C. carbonum grown in culture, and XYL1 and XYL3 but not XYL2 mRNAs are present in infected plants. Transformation-mediated gene disruption was used to construct strains mutated in XYL1, XYL2, and XYL3. Xyl1 accounts for most of the total xylanase activity in culture, and disruption of XYL2 or XYL3 does not result in the further loss of any xylanase activity. In particular, the third peak of cationic xylanase activity is still present in a xyl1 xyl2 xyl3 triple mutant, and therefore this xylanase must be encoded by yet a fourth xylanase gene. A minor protein of 22 kDa that can be detected immunologically in the xyl1 mutant disappears in the xyl2 mutant and is therefore proposed to be the product of XYL2. The single xylanase mutants were crossed with each other to obtain multiple xylanase disruptions within the same strain. Strains disrupted in combinations of two and in all three xylanases were obtained. The triple mutant grows at the same rate as the wild type on xylan and on maize cell walls. The triple mutant is still fully pathogenic on maize with regard to lesion size, morphology, and rate of lesion development.
The phenomena of academic capitalism - Entrepreneurialism in higher education institutions

1) Introduction 2) Definition of Academic Capitalism and Entrepreneurialism 3) The Hybrid Model of Entrepreneurial Universities 4) Revenue Diversification and New Structures in Universities 5) Philanthropy – A New and Promising Sources of Revenue 6) Financing Higher Education – Changing Patterns 7) American University in Cairo Diversified Sources of Revenues 8) Concluding Remarks
Evidence for the Role of Infectious Disease in Species Extinction and Endangerment

Abstract: Infectious disease is listed among the top five causes of global species extinctions. However, the majority of available data supporting this contention is largely anecdotal. We used the IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species and literature indexed in the ISI Web of Science to assess the role of infectious disease in global species loss. Infectious disease was listed as a contributing factor in <4% of species extinctions known to have occurred since 1500 (833 plants and animals) and as contributing to a species' status as critically endangered in <8% of cases (2852 critically endangered plants and animals). Although infectious diseases appear to play a minor role in global species loss, our findings underscore two important limitations in the available evidence: uncertainty surrounding the threats to species survival and a temporal bias in the data. Several initiatives could help overcome these obstacles, including rigorous scientific tests to determine which infectious diseases present a significant threat at the species level, recognition of the limitations associated with the lack of baseline data for the role of infectious disease in species extinctions, combining data with theory to discern the circumstances under which infectious disease is most likely to serve as an agent of extinction, and improving surveillance programs for the detection of infectious disease. An evidence‐based understanding of the role of infectious disease in species extinction and endangerment will help prioritize conservation initiatives and protect global biodiversity.
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte lines reactive against murine plasmacytoma antigens: Dissociation of cytotoxicity and Lyt‐2 expression

The relationship between cell surface antigen expression and function in cytotoxic T cells directed against a non‐H‐2‐restricted plasmacytoma antigen was examined using Lyt−2− variants of a continuous T cell line. This cytotoxic cell line originally had expressed Lyt‐2 on all the cells as detected by flow microfluorometry, but after several months of culture, Lyt−2− variants spontaneously developed. Using cell sorting and limiting dilution cloning, Lyt−2− and Lyt−2+ cell lines were obtained, cultured and analyzed. These analyses indicated that such cytotoxic cells had similar activity regardless of Lyt‐2 phenotype. This observation supports the concept that the Lyt‐2 molecule is not obligatory for recognition and killing by cytotoxic T cells and emphasizes the need to clarify the precise relationship between cell surface phenotype and T cell function.
Political Sentiment Analysis of Press Freedom

This article applies computer political sentiment analysis to news stories mentioning government officials published by major news portals in Kazakhstan and Poland. Surprisingly, while Kazakhstan is classified in freedom rankings as “not free”, its major media publish more critical views about the government than media in Poland, a country classified as “free” or “mostly free”. The presented methodology also allows to derive the real political power structure. The article shows that international freedom rankings can be improved by political sentiment analysis to local news.
Evaluation of primary malignancies of the liver using contrast-enhanced sonography: correlation with pathology.

OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to investigate the correlation of contrast-enhanced sonographic patterns with the histopathology of primary malignancies of the liver. MATERIAL AND METHODS Of the 318 contrast-enhanced sonographic examinations performed between April and September 2004, 95 patients with 117 lesions confirmed by surgery or biopsy pathology were reviewed in this study. We analyzed the enhancement time and patterns according to the types and degrees of pathologic differentiation. RESULTS All 65 moderately to poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) enhanced in the arterial phase, and 96.9% (63 lesions) of them quickly washed out in the portal venous phase. All 32 well-differentiated HCCs enhanced in the arterial phase, and 50.0% (16 lesions) washed out slowly during the late phase. The washout time of the two differentiated types was significantly different (p < 0.05). Seventy-five percent of the clear cell carcinomas (12/16) enhanced in the arterial phase, 25% (4/16) did not enhance until the portal venous phase, and 31.3% (5/16) of the clear cell carcinomas washed out slowly during the late phase. The enhancement and washout times of clear cell carcinomas were significantly different than those of moderately to poorly differentiated HCCs (p < 0.05). All four intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas presented the same patterns as moderately to poorly differentiated HCCs: enhanced in the arterial phase and quickly washed out in the portal venous phase. Among the 72 lesions enhanced homogeneously, 46 lesions (63.9%) were smaller than 3 cm. Thirty-seven lesions (82.2%) of the 45 lesions that enhanced heterogeneously were larger than 3 cm (including the four cholangiocarcinomas). Larger lesions were mainly less differentiated. There were significant differences in tumor sizes in regard to cellular differentiations and types. CONCLUSION Our study showed that the enhancement manifestations of primary malignancies of the liver are related to pathologic types and grades. Contrast-enhanced sonograms may provide the histopathologic information for malignant tumors of the liver.
ECC-based key exchange protocol for IPTV service

In IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) broadcasting service environments, service providers charge subscription fee by scrambling the program in CAS (Conditional Access System). These techniques avoid unauthorized users to receive or watch the programs. A smart card is widely used to encrypt or decrypt the Control Words (CW) and transfer them back to the STB (Set-Top Box) in order to descramble the scrambled program. Therefore, secure communication between STB and smart card is directly related to the benefit of the service providers and the legal rights of users, while key exchange is the essential part of a secure communication. This paper presents a new secure and efficient key exchange protocol for IPTV service based on a one-way hash function and Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm to minimize the complexity of computational costs between the smart card and the STB and fit low-power IPTV broadcasting service environments. Compared with previous schemes, the newly proposed protocol has the following more practical merits: (1) it provides secure session key agreement function by adopting elliptic curve cryptosystem, (2) it can reduce the total execution time and memory requirement due to the elliptic curve cryptography, and (3) it not only is secure against well-known cryptographical attacks but also provides perfect forward secrecy. As a result, the proposed protocol is extremely suitable for use in IPTV broadcasting service environments since it provides security, reliability, and efficiency.
Sex Differences in Prevalence of Congenital Neural Defects after Periconceptional Famine Exposure

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the sex distribution of deaths from spina bifida in birth cohorts exposed and unexposed to severe periconceptional famine. For this purpose, we compared the risk of deaths from spina bifida between birth cohorts exposed and unexposed to the Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944–1946. In males, the relative risk of death from spina bifida was 2.62 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14–6.01]. In females, the relative risk for spina bifida was 0.59 (95% CI = 0.14–2.37). The sex ratio (male:female) for deaths from spina bifida in the exposed birth cohort was 2.74; a male predominance was not seen in any other birth cohort. Deaths from anencephaly and other central nervous system disorders did not exhibit this male predominance in the exposed birth cohort. These findings indicate that severe periconceptional nutrient deficiency may have a greater effect on the occurrence of spina bifida in males vs females. Other potential explanations include sex‐specific effects of prenatal famine on prenatal or postnatal survival rates of cases.
Induction of toxin-specific neutralizing immunity by molecularly uniform rice-based oral cholera toxin B subunit vaccine without plant-associated sugar modification.

Plants have been used as expression systems for a number of vaccines. However, the expression of vaccines in plants sometimes results in unexpected modification of the vaccines by N-terminal blocking and sugar-chain attachment. Although MucoRice-CTB was thought to be the first cold-chain-free and unpurified oral vaccine, the molecular heterogeneity of MucoRice-CTB, together with plant-based sugar modifications of the CTB protein, has made it difficult to assess immunological activity of vaccine and yield from rice seed. Using a T-DNA vector driven by a prolamin promoter and a signal peptide added to an overexpression vaccine cassette, we established MucoRice-CTB/Q as a new generation oral cholera vaccine for humans use. We confirmed that MucoRice-CTB/Q produces a single CTB monomer with an Asn to Gln substitution at the 4th glycosylation position. The complete amino acid sequence of MucoRice-CTB/Q was determined by MS/MS analysis and the exact amount of expressed CTB was determined by SDS-PAGE densitometric analysis to be an average of 2.35 mg of CTB/g of seed. To compare the immunogenicity of MucoRice-CTB/Q, which has no plant-based glycosylation modifications, with that of the original MucoRice-CTB/N, which is modified with a plant N-glycan, we orally immunized mice and macaques with the two preparations. Similar levels of CTB-specific systemic IgG and mucosal IgA antibodies with toxin-neutralizing activity were induced in mice and macaques orally immunized with MucoRice-CTB/Q or MucoRice-CTB/N. These results show that the molecular uniformed MucoRice-CTB/Q vaccine without plant N-glycan has potential as a safe and efficacious oral vaccine candidate for human use.
Institutions As Multimodal Accomplishments: Towards the Analysis of Visual Registers

In this article, we develop and advance an understanding of institutions as multimodal accomplishments. We draw on social semiotics and the linguistic concept of metafunctions to establish the visual as a specific mode of meaning construction. In addition, we make semiotic modes conducive to institutional inquiry by introducing the notion of distinct “modal registers” – specialized configurations of linguistic signs within a particular mode that are adapted and applied in the reproduction of institutions or institutional domains. At the core of our article, we operationalize metafunctions to develop methodology for the analysis of visual registers. We illustrate our approach with data from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting in Austria.
Tunable Filters? Reality Check Foreseeable Trends in System Architecture for Tunable RF Filters

The perpetual challenge of multiband/multistandard RF solutions for smartphones is to pack additional bands into the same footprint while also improving performance from one generation to the next. Are tunable filters the answer? No, not anytime soon. This article reviews leading trends in the RF front end of smartphones and provides a summary of realistic requirements for a hypothetical tunable RF filter to cover multiple bands and thus displace both switches and regular filters/duplexers. It also reviews the changes in system architecture required to address long-term evolution (LTE) carrier aggregation (CA). Multiple bands in simultaneous operation on a single antenna result in a large number of additional requirements for filters and duplexers. Isolation loss and linearity are among the hardest to meet. With RF front ends about to become more complex than ever, are tunable filters in our future? Maybe, but it depends on how you define “tunable”.
FARMERS’ RISK PERCEPTIONS OF PESTICIDES USED FOR GREENHOUSES VEGETABLES PRODUCTION IN TUNISIAN CENTER-EAST

he excessive use of pesticides has multiple adverse effects on the environment and human health. For a long time this problem was focused on the technical, agronomic, medicinal and pest management’s aspects, while the problem is a behavioral problem and the socio-economic aspect plays an important role. In order to study the Farmers’ risk perceptions of pesticides used in agriculture greenhouses in central-eastern Tunisia (Monastir Governorate), an ordered probit model was tested for 110 farms for greenhouse agriculture. The results showed the significance and positivity of the relationship between independent variables such as extension, use of protective equipment, experience, membership of the public irrigation perimeter, agricultural income, and the variable depending on Farmers’ risk perceptions of pesticides used. On the other hand, absence of the relationship between the level of education and the perception that it seems contradictory, but it can be justified by the age of the farmers who is high. The overall significance of the ordered probit model with a perceived acceptable level of perception can be improved by taking into account the heterogeneity of the farmers in this region in terms of age, education level, membership in a public or private irrigation perimeter and the possibility of access to extension. Developing awareness-raising methods are based on demonstrative and simple techniques accompanied by optimal monitoring and control can reduce the rate of excessive use of pesticides and guarantee greenhouse agriculture sustainable in the central eastern region of Tunisia.