Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Herpes simplex virus type 1 oriL is not required for virus replication or for the establishment and reactivation of latent infection in mice

During the course of experiments designed to isolate deletion mutants of herpes simplex virus type 1 in the gene encoding the major DNA-binding protein, ICP8, a mutant, d61, that grew efficiently in ICP8-expressing Vero cells but not in normal Vero cells was isolated (P. K. Orberg and P. A. Schaffer, J. Virol. 61:1136-1146, 1987). d61 was derived by cotransfection of ICP8-expressing Vero cells with infectious wild-type viral DNA and a plasmid, pDX, that contains an engineered 780-base-pair (bp) deletion in the ICP8 gene, as well as a spontaneous approximately 55-bp deletion in oriL. Gel electrophoresis and Southern blot analysis indicated that d61 DNA carried both deletions present in pDX. The ability of d61 to replicate despite the deletion in oriL suggested that a functional oriL is not essential for virus replication in vitro. Because d61 harbored two mutations, a second mutant, ts+7, with a deletion in oriL-associated sequences and an intact ICP8 gene was constructed. Both d61 and ts+7 replicated efficiently in their respective permissive host cells, although their yields were slightly lower than those of control viruses with intact oriL sequences. An in vitro test of origin function of isolated oriL sequences from wild-type virus and ts+7 showed that wild-type oriL, but not ts+7 oriL, was functional upon infection with helper virus. In an effort to determine the requirement for oriL in latency, ts+7 was compared with wild-type virus for its ability to establish, maintain, and be reactivated from latent infection in a murine eye model. The mutant was reactivated as efficiently as was wild-type virus from trigeminal ganglia after cocultivation with permissive cells, and each of the seven reactivated isolates was shown to carry the approximately 150-bp deletion characteristic of ts+7. These observations demonstrate that oriL is not required for virus replication in vitro or for the establishment and reactivation of latent infection in vivo.
An efficient self‐diagnosis protocol for hierarchical wireless mesh networks

With the development of wireless mesh networks (WMNs), fault diagnosis in WMNs is becoming a very challenging task. In this paper, a two‐level scheme for fault diagnosis in WMNs is presented. We partition the network into a two‐level topology architecture where level 1 is composed of mesh clients and level 2 consists of mesh routers. A new comparison approach is introduced to diagnose the two levels. On the basis of the new comparison approach, every node in WMNs can be diagnosed either as fault‐free or faulty. Our protocol assumes that the WMN's topology may change during the testing phase and utilize the shortest path spanning tree, which is constructed along with the process of fault diagnosis, to disseminate local messages and global messages in WMNs. The proposed model is only for static fault circumstances. We provide the analysis of correctness, communication complexity, and time complexity of our protocol, and the comparison between our protocol and others through both theoretical proof and practical simulation. The analysis shows that our model has significant advantages over other existing models. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using surface imaging and visual coaching to improve the reproducibility and stability of deep-inspiration breath hold for left-breast-cancer radiotherapy

Late cardiac complications may arise after left-breast radiation therapy. Deep-inspiration breath hold (DIBH) allows reduction of the irradiated heart volume at the same time as it reduces tumor bed motion and increases lung sparing. In the present study, we have evaluated the improvement in reproducibility and stability of the DIBH for left-breast-cancer treatment when visual coaching is provided with the aid of 3D video surface imaging and video goggles. Five left-breast-cancer patients and fifteen healthy volunteers were asked to perform a series of DIBHs without and with visual coaching. Reproducibility and stability of DIBH were measured for each individual with and without visual coaching. The average reproducibility and stability changed from 2.1 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively, without visual feedback to 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm with visual feedback, showing a significant statistical difference (p < 0.001 for reproducibility, p < 0.01 for stability). Significant changes (>2 mm) in reproducibility and stability were observed in 35% and 15% of the subjects, respectively. The average chest wall excursion of the DIBH with respect to the free breathing preceding the DIBH was found to be 11.3 mm. The reproducibility and stability of the DIBH improve significantly from the visual coaching provided to the patient, especially in those patients with poor reproducibility and stability.
Hemolysin-destructive factor of Vibrio cholerae (Vibrio comma)

Feeley and Pittman (Bull. World Health Organ. 28:347, 1963) speculated that a hemolysin (HL) destructive enzyme produced by El Tor vibrio at a late stage of growth lowers the HL titer. We proved the production of an HL-destructive factor (HDF) by strains of classical cholera and El Tor vibrio and established an in vitro method for quantitative titration of HDF. HL was prepared by growing a hemolytic El Tor strain in heart infusion broth (Nihon Eiyo) or Syncase (Finkelstein et al., J. Infect. Diseases 114:203, 1964) at 37 C for 20 hr and by centrifuging the culture in the cold. Filtration of the supernatant liquid through Millipore filters (type PH) decreased the HL titer. Titration of HL was performed by the method of Feeley and Pittman. HDF was prepared by the method used by Finkelstein et al. for preparation of choleragen. An HDF-producing strain was grown in 100 ml of brain heart infusion broth or Syncase in a 500ml flask at 37 C for 18 hr with shaking at 112 strokes per minute. The supernatant fluid (pH 8.0 to 8.6), obtained by centrifugation, was filtered. The Millipore filtrate contained a reduced HDF titer. HL and HDF were kept frozen until ilse. The method for titration of HDF is given in Table 1. HDF was detected at the 4th hour of cultivation, although the titer varied depending upon each strain. No HDF was detected when a rugose single colony was used as the inoculum. A high HDF titer was detected in rice water stools from cholera patients. The foregoing results may be an indication that HDF is the choleragenic factor itself. HDF is thermolabile, is resistant to 0.2% formalin, precipitates at 60% saturation of ammonium sulfate, and is active in a pH range of 6.90 to 8.60. HL of Ubon-type El Tor and that of a strain of NAG (NCTC 4715) was inhibited by HDF from a strain of classical cholera (Ogawa type).
Development of the digestive tract in the ostrich (struthio camelus)

A study was conducted to investigate changes in the development of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in relation to body growth of growing ostriches. There was an 11-fold increase (P < 0.001) in body weight between 3 and 72 days of age. The relative (to body weight) weight of the proventriculus/gizzard, caeca and colon also increased (P < 0.001) with age. The relative weight of the small intestine peaked at 41 days of age and then tended to decline (P < 0.05) subsequently. The relative weight of the pancreas peaked at 27 days of age and remained fairly stable thereafter. The activities of chymotrypsin and lipase declined (P < 0.001) with age between 3 and 72 days. At 3 days of age, the protein content of the duodenal mucosal homogenate was higher (P < 0.001) than that of the jejunum or ileum, but at all subsequent periods the jejunal protein content was the highest. The protein content of the intestinal brush-border membrane was higher (P < 0.001) at the jejunum than at the duodenum or ileum. The specific activity of maltase declined (P < 0.001) with age in all three regions, most especially between 3 and 27 days of age. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (AP) at 41 and 55 days of age was higher (P < 0.001) in the duodenum than in the jejunum or ileum. The activity of AP fluctuated with age in the duodenum but there was a more defined decline (P < 0.001) with age in the jejunum and ileum. The relative protein content of the liver increased (P < 0.001) with age, with two peaks at 27 and 55 days of age. Arginase activity was not detected in the liver of 3-day old chicks and was not significantly affected by age between 27 and 72 days of age. The pattern of development observed is similar to that in growing poultry. There is, however, a need for evaluation at closer intervals in early life as well as an in-depth assessment of the morphometry of the intestinal mucosa.
Mycophenolate mofetil promotes prolonged improvement of renal dysfunction after pediatric liver transplantation: Experience of a single center

Abstract: Few studies have evaluated the long‐term use of MMF in liver transplanted children with renal dysfunction. The aim of this study is to report the experience of a pediatric transplantation center on the efficacy and security of long‐term use of a MMF immunosuppressant protocol with reduced doses of CNIs in stable liver transplanted children with renal dysfunction secondary to prolonged use of CsA or Tac. Between 1988 and 2003, 191 children underwent OLT and 11 patients developed renal dysfunction secondary to CNIs toxicity as evaluated by biochemical renal function parameters. The interval between liver transplantation and the introduction of the protocol varied from one to 12 yr. Renal function was evaluated by biochemical parameters in five phases: immediately prior to MMF administration; 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after the introduction of MMF. Among the patients, nine of them (82%) showed improvement of renal function parameters in comparison with the pretreatment values. The two patients that did not show any improvement were patients in whom the interval of time between OLT and the introduction of MMF was longer. All parameters of liver function remained unchanged. No episodes of acute or chronic rejection or increases in infection rates during the period were detected. Two patients developed transitory diarrhea and leukopenia that were reverted with reduction of MMF dosage. In conclusion, in liver transplanted pediatric patients with CNI‐induced chronic renal dysfunction, the administration of MMF in addition to reduced doses of CNIs promotes long‐term improvement in renal function parameters with no additional risks.
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Is Not Involved in Circadian Rhythm Generation of Blood Pressure: Experiments in Wild‐Type C57 and eNOS Knock‐Out Mice under Light‐Dark and Free‐Run Conditions

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase knock out mice (eNOS‐/‐) are mildly hypertensive in comparison to wild‐type (WT) mice. Hypertension in eNOS‐/‐ mice is partly the result of an increase in peripheral resistance due to the absence of the vasodilatory action of NO. No data are available for these animals regarding the 24 h blood pressure profile under the 12:12 h light‐dark cycle (LD) and constant dark (DD) conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate by radiotelemetry the circadian rhythms in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of six eNOS‐/‐ mice and five wild‐type mice under LD and DD. Data were collected beginning 3 wks after operation (implantation of sensor) for 2 wks under LD and for another 2 wks thereafter under DD. Our results show that eNOS‐/‐ mice were hypertensive under all experimental conditions. SBP and DBP were significantly higher by about 15% in eNOS‐/‐ mice. No differences were found in the pattern of the circadian rhythms, rhythmicity, or period lengths during LD or DD. The genetic deletion of eNOS seems to lead to higher SBP and DBP, but the circadian blood pressure pattern is still preserved with higher values during the night (active phase) and lower values during the daytime (rest phase). Thus, endothelial‐derived NO plays an important role in the regulation of vascular tone and haemodynamics, but it is not important for the circadian organization of SBP and DBP.
Using user behaviour similarity for recommendation computation: the broadway approach

Recommendation systems have gained a lot of attention recently especially in the field of on-line information retrieval (IR) systems (e.g. searching documents on the web). Recommenders are traditionally partitioned into two main families: ones (Resnick et al 1997). Systems of the first type recommend items or actions to the user depending on an evaluation of the user own past actions, while those belonging to the second family recommend to a user items positively evaluated by other  "  q  I  users. In this work we describe a new recommendation approach, called the Broadway approach, where the system recommends to a user what have to that user. Other systems in IR field use user behavior similarity as a basis for recommendation computation (Yan et al 1996). However, the Broadway approach has the particularity to model user behaviors by observation variables rather than matching user actions to a pre-specified behavior model. Following the Broadway approach, the user interactions with the application are saved in a log-like file. This log file contains a set of ¢£  ¤ q ¥ u ¦ " ¥ R § " £¥¨¦ , each holds the evolution with time of a variable that is said to be relevant to describe the user behavior. Obviously the choice of these variables depends on the application field (cf. Section 2). Time series are grouped into that correspond to a user session with the system within a well specified period of time which has a well defined semantic in the application. Now CBR methodology is used (cf. Case-Based reasoning (Kolodner, 1993)): it is a problem solving methodology where, in order to find the solution to a current problem, one looks for a similar problem in an experience base, takes
Role of inflammation in the mechanism of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity

Acetaminophen (AAP) overdose and the resulting hepatotoxicity is an important clinical problem. In addition, AAP is widely used as a prototype hepatotoxin to study mechanisms of chemical-induced cell injury and to test the hepatoprotective potential of new drugs and herbal medicines. Because of its importance, the mechanisms of AAP-induced liver cell injury have been extensively investigated and controversially discussed for > 30 years. This review highlights recent new insight into intracellular events critical for liver cell death. In addition, the relevance of the inflammatory response is addressed, including cytotoxic and inflammatory mediators generated by activated inflammatory cells, that is, resident macrophages and lymphocytes as well as newly recruited blood-derived leukocytes. Inflammation is a critical component of the overall pathophysiology, not only as a potential factor that may aggravate cell damage, but more importantly as a vital response to limit cell injury, remove cell debris and promote regeneration.
DNA repair proficiency in breast cancer patients and their first‐degree relatives

Defective DNA repair capacity as measured by enumerating chromatid aberrations induced in G2 phase by X‐irradiation may explain increased risk of breast cancer among relatives of patients. In the present study, chromatid damage was determined in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) following in vitro exposure to 50R X‐irradiation in G2 phase from 14 breast cancer (BrCa) patients, 19 first‐degree relatives (FDR) of BrCa patients and 17 control women who had no family history of cancer for the last 3 generations. Controls, BrCa patients and their FDR had comparable frequency of gaps and breaks when cells were arrested with Colcemid (30 min) after X‐irradiation. A steep decline in chromatid damage was observed in cells of controls when arrested after 30, 90 and 120 min of X‐irradiation. BrCa patients and their FDR showed higher frequencies of lymphocytic chromatid damage as compared to controls. Chromatid damage (95 gaps + breaks per 100 cells) observed among controls at 90 min post X‐irradiation was considered as the optimal level of efficient DNA repair. Thirty‐five percent of controls, 93% of BrCa patients and 79% of FDR showed sub‐optimal DNA repair. Amongst the FDR, the likelihood of having suboptimal DNA repair was 7 times higher and the risk of developing breast cancer was 2.7 times higher as compared to controls. Moreover, in the BrCa patients, there was frequent involvement of chromosomes 1 and 2, and chromosomes of B, D and E groups, while in FDR, involvement of chromosome 2 and chromosomes of B, D and E groups was more frequent. Int. J. Cancer 73:20–24, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Eye movement dysfunction in schizophrenia: a heritable characteristic for enhancing phenotype definition.

The occurrence of ocular motor dysfunction in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree biological relatives is remarkably consistent, suggesting that abnormal smooth pursuit and saccadic oculomotion are heritable characteristics that can be used to identify gene carriers for schizophrenia. Saccadic system dysfunction probably reflects a generalized deficit in prefrontal cortical functioning, rather than a specific deficit in saccade system functioning. Although abnormal smooth pursuit has also been associated with impaired frontal functioning, it is unclear whether these two types of dysfunction arise from the same neural pathology. Therefore, deviant smooth pursuit and saccadic oculomotion may constitute unrelated factors identifying two different types of genetic risk. Alternatively, they may derive from a single risk factor that causes (a) both types of deficits to be expressed together or (b) each type to be expressed separately as pleiotropic manifestations of the underlying genotype. Although a full complement of pursuit and saccade measures has not been examined together in family studies of schizophrenia, there is obvious value in determining how these measures relate to one another in schizophrenia families and whether they can be used in combination to enhance phenotype definition to facilitate the search for schizophrenia susceptibility genes.
Implantation of neutral atoms into liquid helium by laser sputtering.

We have developed a new method for producing a high density of neutral atoms in liquid helium; laser sputtering within liquid helium. When we irradiate samples immersed in liquid helium with a pulsed laser, a large number of clusters are introduced into the liquid. When we further irradiate these clusters with an additional pulse laser, the clusters are sputtered and decomposed, which results in the creation of a high density of isolated atoms in the liquid. For alkaline earth atoms this method is demonstrated, and the results of laser spectroscopy are given
Knowledge‐based model of a glucosyltransferase from the oral bacterial group of mutans streptococci

Mutans streptococci glucosyltransferases catalyze glucosyl transfer from sucrose to a glucan chain. We previously identified an aspartyl residue that participates in stabilizing the glucosyl transition state. The sequence surrounding the aspartate was found to have substantial sequence similarity with members of α‐amylase family. Because little is known of the protein structure beyond the amino acid sequence, we used a knowledge‐based interactive algorithm, MACAW, which provided significant level of homology with α‐amylases and glucosyltransferase from Streptococcus downei gtfI (GTF). The significance of GTF similarity is underlined by GTF/α‐amylase residues conserved in all but one α‐amylase invariant residues. Site‐directed mutagenesis of the three GTF catalytic residues are homologous with the α‐amylase catalytic triad. The glucosyltransferases are members of the 4/7‐superfamily that have a (β/α)8‐barrel structure and belong to family 13 of the glycohydralases.
Adjusting prospective old-age thresholds by health status: empirical findings and implications. A case study of Italy

While traditional measures of population ageing are bound to the concept of chronological age, new indicators have been proposed that take into account the dramatic changes that have occurred in later life due to increasing longevity. In this paper, we re-evaluate demographic ageing in Italy using prospective oldage thresholds based on both total remaining life expectancy and remaining life expectancy in good health. We show that the proportion of individuals above the prospective thresholds has been increasing much more slowly than the proportion of people aged 65 years and older, and that the increase in the proportion of individuals above the prospective thresholds adjusted for health status has been more or less large depending on trends in health status at older ages. Given these results and the ongoing improvements in health conditions among older people, we think the consequences of population ageing for Italian society could be less severe than expected.
Saliva management options for difficult-to-wean people with tracheostomy following severe acquired brain injury (ABI): A review of the literature

Abstract Primary objective: To evaluate the evidence on saliva management options in those people who have a tracheostomy in situ following an acquired brain injury and to ascertain whether any of these treatments may facilitate tracheostomy decannulation. Methods: The search was conducted on Medline, Embase, Cinahl and Central databases since 1990 and the evidence has been critiqued and summarized. Saliva management options were identified and analysed to see whether they had evidence or clinical support for the population. Main outcomes and results: There is a paucity of evidence in this area and clinical decision-making requires evidence from other populations. Saliva management issues in this population are most likely to be related to dysphagia. Treatment options include behavioural/compensatory therapies which should be tried in all cases, with adjunct pharmaceutical therapies or surgical options to reduce saliva volume as clinically appropriate. Conclusion and future directions: This group of people is complex and requires a multi-disciplinary team to guide decision-making. High quality control studies looking at the effectiveness of dysphagia therapy and guidelines regarding botulinum toxin injections are recommended.
Direct atomic force microscopy visualization of integration host factor-induced DNA bending structure of the promoter regulatory region on the Pseudomonas TOL plasmid.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyze DNA bending induced by integration host factor (IHF). The direct AFM visualization of IHF-DNA complexes on the OP1 promoter regulatory regions on the Pseudomonas TOL plasmid showed that there was no intrinsic DNA bend in the OP1 promoter region, but a sharp DNA bend was induced by binding of IHF to the region between the upstream regulatory sequence and the promoter sequence. The DNA bending angles were distributed with a mean bend angle of 123 degrees. The IHF-DNA complexes were shown to bend at the IHF binding site giving rise to an asymmetric structure. These results provide direct evidence that IHF is required functionally for activation of OP1 transcription and support the DNA-loop model that the sharp DNA bend induced by binding of IHF facilitates the contact between RNA polymerase bound by the promoter sequence and XylR protein attached to the upstream sequence in the OP1 promoter.
Unified model of voltage/current mode control to predict saddle-node bifurcation

A unified model of voltage mode control (VMC) and current mode control (CMC) is proposed to predict the saddle-node bifurcation (SNB). Exact SNB boundary conditions are derived, and can be further simplified in various forms for design purpose. Many approaches, including steady-state, sampled-data, average, harmonic balance, and loop gain analyses are applied to predict SNB. Each approach has its own merits and complement the other approaches.