Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation of flavivirus infections of cattle in Zimbabwe Rhodesia with particular reference to Wesselsbron virus

Summary A three-part epidemiological investigation was made on flaviviruses: 1. As a preliminary to tests on cattle sera from the field, the antigenic cross-reactivity of Wesselsbron, Spondweni, Usutu, Banzi, West Nile and yellow fever flaviviruses was studied in antisera prepared in guinea pigs. As described earlier for flaviviruses, sera were found to be highly cross-reactive in haemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) tests, less cross-reactive in complement-fixation (CF) tests and were virtually monospecific in microneutralization (NT) tests in Vero cell cultures. 2. Infection with Wesselsbron (WSL) virus produced mild febrile illness and viraemia in 5 out of 6 newborn calves, 3 out of 4 pregnant heifers and 3 out of 4 ewes. One heifer produced a weak calf which died soon after birth with WSL antibodies in its serum, indicating that infection had occurred in utero. The 3 other heifers produced healthy calves which lacked antibody in pre-colostral serum. Pathological changes occurred in the foetus in 2 out of 3 pregnant ewes and the ewe produced a healthy lamb which had antibodies to WSL virus in pre-colostral serum. Unlike the situation in guinea pigs, cattle sera were monospecific for WSL virus in CF tests, but sheep sera cross-reacted with Banzi and yellow fever viruses. Re-infection of the cattle with Banzi, West Nile, Spondweni and Usutu viruses failed to induce marked antibody responses. The results suggest that antibodies to WSL virus in cattle sera from the field can be distinguished from those induced by other flaviviruses by quantitative serologial tests. 3. HAI antibodies to WSL virus were detected in 2648/14395 cattle sera tested over 11 years from 1967 to 1978 in the course of investigation of abortion, infertility and other diseases. Results of quantitative HAI, CF and NT tests with six flaviviruses on 409 selected sera confirmed that infection was due to WSL virus. Serological evidence failed to implicate WSL virus as a cause of abortion in cattle. In a prospective study, abortion occurred in only one out of 21 heifers observed to gain WSL infection during pregnancy in the field, but abortion also occurred in five out of 207 heifers which did not become infected with WSL. No histopathological lesions diagnostic of WSL disease were observed in 1998 specimens from cattle, sheep and goats examined over 44 months prior to October 1972, and WSL virus was isolated once, from the organs of a cow, out of 2106 specimens from cattle sheep and goats tested virologically over six years from October 1972 to September 1978. HAI antibodies to WSL virus were detected in one out of 374 sera from aborted cattle foetuses. It was concluded that WSL virus is not an important cause of disease in cattle, despite widespread occurrence of infection.
The effects of substrate and fluid provision on thermoregulatory and metabolic responses to prolonged exercise in a hot environment

A high ambient temperature reduces the capacity to perform prolonged exercise. Total carbohydrate oxidation is less, and thus glycogen depletion is not limiting. Fluid ingestion in the heat should, therefore, focus on maintenance of hydration status rather than on substrate provision. Six healthy males cycled to exhaustion at 60% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2max ) with no drink, ingestion of a 15% carbohydrate-electrolyte drink (1.45 - 0.29 litres) or ingestion of a 2% carbohydrate-electrolyte drink (3.12 - 0.47 litres). The ambient temperature was 30.2 - 0.6°C (mean - s ), with a relative humidity of 71 - 1% and an air speed of approximately 0.7 m.s -1 on all trials. Weighted mean skin temperature, rectal temperature and heart rate were recorded and venous samples drawn for determination of plasma volume changes, blood metabolites, serum electrolytes and osmolality. Expired gas was collected to estimate rates of fuel oxidation. Exercise capacity was significantly ( P ≪ 0.05) different in all trials. The median (range) time to exhaustion was 70.9 min (39.4-97.4 min) in the no-drink trial, 84.0 min (62.7-145 min) in the 15% carbohydrate trial and 118 min (82.6-168 min) in the 2% carbohydrate trial. The 15% carbohydrate drink resulted in significantly ( P ≪ 0.05) elevated blood glucose and total carbohydrate oxidation compared with the no-drink trial. The 2% carbohydrate drink restored plasma volume to pre-exercise values by the end of exercise. No differences were observed in other thermoregulatory or cardiorespiratory responses between trials. These results suggest that fluid replacement with a large volume of a dilute carbohydrate drink is beneficial during exercise in the heat, but the precise mechanisms for the improved exercise capacity are unclear.
Expression of multiple CD44 isoforms in the apical ectodermal ridge of the embryonic mouse limb

Previous immunohistochemical studies have shown that CD44 is highly enriched within the apical ectodermal ridge of the developing limb (Wheatley et al. [1993] Development 119: 295–306), but the particular isoforms of CD44 were not identified. We show here that CD44s (standard or “hemopoietic” isoform) and several CD44 variants, especially V3–V10, V4–V10, and V6–V10, are concentrated in the apical ectodermal ridge in the early mouse limb. Since CD44s is a major cell surface receptor for hyaluronan, we compared its localization with that of hyaluronan. In the early limb bud, hyaluronan is distributed throughout the mesoderm but is absent from all regions of the ectoderm. Hyaluronan is especially enriched in the basement membrane separating ectoderm and mesoderm, except beneath the apical ectodermal ridge where it is absent. Since CD44s is a known endocytic receptor for hyaluronan, its presence in ridge ectoderm could lead to degradation of hyaluronan destined for the neighboring region of basement membrane, thus facilitating interaction of the ridge with underlying mesoderm. The CD44 (V3–V10) isoform found in the ridge is expressed elsewhere as a proteoglycan with heparan sulfate chains that bind fibroblast growth factors. Since fibroblast growth factors are present in the ridge and are essential for limb morphogenesis, CD44 (V3–V10) is likely to act as a cofactor or modulator in the growth‐promoting action or maintenance of the ridge. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Approach for Assessing the Long-Term Reliability of Lead-Free Electronics Under In-Field Conditions

For many microelectronic products, the long-term in-field life may be limited by thermal-mismatch-induced fatigue, a factor generally assessed by accelerated thermal cycling and extrapolation of the test results to in-field use conditions. For this purpose, thermal cycling tests are accelerated strongly by the use of larger temperature ranges, shorter dwell times at the maximum and minimum temperatures, and often, higher ramp rates than encountered in-field. The sensitivities of common lead-free solder joints to these factors and their interactions with a range of designs, materials, and process parameters are very different from those of the Sn-Pb joints that have been in use for decades. Systematic research efforts are currently aimed at the establishment of new test protocols and acceleration factors; such work has already shown lead-free solder joints to be much more sensitive to the dwell times in testing, but extrapolations of this dependence to in-field conditions remain complicated by interactions with design parameters, as well as with the more obvious effects of cycling parameters. Neural network analysis offers important advantages for the recognition of patterns, correlations, and trends among empirical accelerated test results, but it usually does not lead to the kind of mechanistic understanding required for extrapolations. Nevertheless, as part of a larger effort to develop tools for the ongoing analysis and generalization of major databases, we identified a systematic trend that should be useful in life assessment. This is particularly important because it contradicts predictions, based on widely used models, of a more problematic behavior. In short, we shall suggest a practical approach to the assessment of the effect of time at operating temperature on the life of lead-free solder joints in-field.
Modeling Distribution and Abundance of Soybean Aphid in Soybean Fields Using Measurements from the Surrounding Landscape

ABSTRACT Soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) is a severe pest of soybean in central North America. Outbreaks of the aphid in Ontario are often spotty in distribution, with some geographical areas affected severely and others with few or no aphid populations occurring in soybean for the duration of the season. A. glycines spend summers on soybean and overwinter on buckthorn, a shrub that is widespread in southern Ontario and is commonly found in agricultural hedgerows and at the margins of woodlots. A. glycines likely use both short distance migratory flights from buckthorn and longer distance dispersal flights in the search for acceptable summer hosts. This study aims to model colonization of soybean fields by A. glycines engaged in early-season migration from overwintering hosts. Akaike's information criterion (AIC) was used to rank numerous competing linear and probit models using field parameters to predict aphid presence, colonization, and density. The variable that best modeled aphid density in soybean fields in the early season was the ratio of buckthorn density to field area, although dramatic differences in relationships between the parameters were observed between study years. This study has important applications in predicting areas that are at elevated risk of developing economically damaging populations of soybean aphid and which may act as sources for further infestation.
DSM–IV and ICSD–90 insomnia symptoms and sleep dissatisfaction

Background The complex nature of insomnia and its relationship with organic and mental disorders render diagnosis problematic for epidemiologists and physicians. Method A representative UK sample (non-institutionalised, > 14 years old) was interviewed by telephone (n=4972; 79.6% participation rate) with the Sleep-EVAL system. Subjects fell into three groups according to presence of insomnia symptom (s) and/or sleep dissatisfaction. Results Insomnia symptoms occurred in 36.2% of subjects. Most of these (75.9%), however, reported no sleep dissatisfaction. In comparison, those also with sleep dissatisfaction had higher prevalence of sleep and mental disorders and longer duration of insomnia symptoms, and were more likely to take sleep-promoting medication, dread bedtime, and complain of light sleep, poor night-time sleep and daytime sleepiness. Conclusions Insomnia sufferers differ as to whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with sleep. Although insomnia symptoms are common in the general population, sleep disturbances among sleep-dissatisfied individuals are more severe. Sleep dissatisfaction seems a better indicator of sleep pathology than insomnia symptoms.
Egr1: a novel target for ameliorating acute allograft rejection in an experimental lung transplant model.

OBJECTIVES Acute allograft rejection is one of the significant complications occurring in lung transplant recipients. Early growth response-1 (Egr-1), zinc-finger-type transcription factor, is known as a master switch regulator of diverse chemical mediators. We used an orthotopic mouse model of left lung transplant to elucidate the function of Egr-1 in acute pulmonary rejection. METHODS Left lung grafts retrieved from C57BL/6 wild mice or C57BL/6 Egr-1-null mice were orthotopically transplanted into BALB/c mice; the lungs were harvested at day 1, 3, 5 or 7 after lung transplantation. The grade of acute rejection was histopathologically evaluated. The intragraft gene expression levels of Egr-1 and downstream target mediators were quantitatively measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine the location and distribution of the Egr-1 protein in the pulmonary graft. RESULTS Severe acute rejection was observed in allografts from wild-type mice at 5 days after transplantation. Only minimal rejection was seen in the lung graft from Egr-1-null donor mice at 5 days after transplantation. Strong upregulation of Egr-1 mRNA transcripts was observed at day 1, which then decreased during the next 5 days. The mRNA of Egr-1 target mediators [interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1] reached maximal levels at day 5. Egr-1-null allografts exhibited significantly lower expressions of IL-1β and MCP-1 mRNA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that deletion of Egr-1 in lung allografts ameliorates severe acute rejection with the reduction of expression levels of chemical mediators, implying a new possible strategy for treating acute pulmonary allograft rejection.
The Effect of Electricity Prices on Residential Solar Photovoltaic Panel Adoption: Fukushima as a Natural Experiment

There are a range of private financial benefits of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installation, such as a reduced electricity bill, tax incentives and a feed-in tariff for generated electricity. To empirically analyze how rising electricity prices affect household adoption decisions, we use the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster as a natural experiment. The shutdown of nuclear power plants across Japan led to a sizable increase in electricity prices that varied by region, allowing us to identify the effect of electricity prices on household PV system adoption. We find that higher electricity prices are significantly more influential on PV adoption on existing homes than on newly-built homes. Our estimated electricity price elasticity of PV systems ranges from 0.9 to 1.2 for existing homes and is much smaller and statistically insignificant for newly-built homes. We discuss behavioral mechanisms explaining this difference and implications for policies stimulating residential adoption of renewables.
Analysis of mutant DNA polymerase γ in patients with mitochondrial DNA depletion

We studied six unrelated children with depletion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). They presented with Leigh syndrome, infantile hepatocerebral mtDNA depletion syndrome, or Alpers‐Huttenlocher syndrome. Several genes have been implicated in mtDNA depletion. Screening of candidate genes indicated that all six patients were compound heterozygous for missense mutations in the gene for the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase γ (POLG). Three of the identified mutations, c.3328C>T (p.H1110Y), c.3401A>G (p.H1134R), and c.3406G>A (p.E1136K), have not been reported earlier. To investigate the functional consequences of the mutations, we carried out a series of biochemical assays in cultured fibroblasts. These studies revealed that fibroblast cultures from the patients with infantile hepatocerebral mtDNA depletion syndrome progressively lost their mtDNA during culturing, whereas fibroblast cultures from patients presenting with Leigh syndrome or Alpers‐Huttenlocher syndrome had reduced but stable levels of mtDNA. DNA polymerase γ activity was below the normal range in all patient cultures, except for one; however, this culture showed low levels of the heterodimeric enzyme and poor DNA polymerase γ processivity. Parental fibroblast cultures had normal catalytic efficiency of DNA polymerase γ, consistent with the observation that all carriers are asymptomatic. Thus, we report the first patient with Leigh syndrome caused by POLG mutations. The cell culture experiments established the pathogenicity of the identified POLG mutations and helped to define the molecular mechanisms responsible for mtDNA depletion in the patients' tissues. The assays may facilitate the identification of those patients in whom screening for POLG mutations would be most appropriate. Hum Mutat 0, 1–8, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Location System of Autonomous Vehicle Based on Data Fusion

Data fusion techniques are widely used in intelligent Vehicles, modern industry, as well as in applications where accuracy is of a main concern. In this paper, location system of an autonomous land vehicle is studied. The location system of autonomous land vehicle is a key to the autonomous land vehicle. With contrast of relative location methods and absolute location methods, location system of an autonomous land vehicle is designed. With the analysis of general data fusion, a fusion location algorithm based on Kalman filter is advanced in this paper. The fusion location algorithm is simulated. The simulation results show that it can efficiently reduce the location error. Furthermore, the fusion location can increase the reliability of the an autonomous land vehicle.
Exercise prevents development of autonomic dysregulation and hyperalgesia in a mouse model of chronic muscle pain

Abstract Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) conditions, like fibromyalgia, are associated with widespread pain and alterations in autonomic functions. Regular physical activity prevents the development of CMP and can reduce autonomic dysfunction. We tested if there were alterations in autonomic function of sedentary mice with CMP, and whether exercise reduced the autonomic dysfunction and pain induced by CMP. Chronic musculoskeletal pain was induced by 2 intramuscular injections of pH 5.0 in combination with a single fatiguing exercise task. A running wheel was placed into cages so that the mouse had free access to it for either 5 days or 8 weeks (exercise groups) and these animals were compared to sedentary mice without running wheels. Autonomic function and nociceptive withdrawal thresholds of the paw and muscle were assessed before and after induction of CMP in exercised and sedentary mice. In sedentary mice, we show decreased baroreflex sensitivity, increased blood pressure variability, decreased heart rate variability, and decreased withdrawal thresholds of the paw and muscle 24 hours after induction of CMP. There were no sex differences after induction of the CMP in any outcome measure. We further show that both 5 days and 8 weeks of physical activity prevent the development of autonomic dysfunction and decreases in withdrawal threshold induced by CMP. Thus, this study uniquely shows the development of autonomic dysfunction in animals with chronic muscle hyperalgesia, which can be prevented with as little as 5 days of physical activity, and suggest that physical activity may prevent the development of pain and autonomic dysfunction in people with CMP.
A 15-kV class intelligent universal transformer for utility applications

This paper discloses the development of 15-kV class intelligent universal transformer (IUT) to show system level design, circuit topology, and prototype test results. The complete system is split into two stages: (1) high-voltage ac to low-voltage dc and (2) low-voltage dc to low-voltage ac. With the adoption of silicon carbide (SiC) devices, the high-voltage front-end ac to low voltage dc conversion stage achieves 98.4% efficiency, and the complete power stage can be naturally cooled. With the adoption of auxiliary resonant soft-switching inverter, the second stage achieves 99.2% efficiency. Overall the system has been demonstrated at 97.5% efficiency without forced-air cooling. Extended 8-hour testing was conducted to ensure long-term operation reliability. Overall efficiency and voltage regulation were compared with that of a conventional transformer for justification of IUT adoption.
Pathogenesis of Yersinia‐Triggered Reactive Arthritis: Immunological, Microbiological and Clinical Aspects

When a patient develops reactive arthritis after Yersinia enteritis, the following conditions are often fulfilled: the patient is HLA-B27-positive; however, some B27-negative individuals develop severe arthritis and some positives do not, in the initial phase, the diarrhea is milder, the anti-Yersinia antibody response of IgG class is more vigorous and persists longer, the anti-Yersinia antibody response of IgA class is more vigorous and persists much longer, the anti-Yersinia antibodies of IgA1 and IgA2 subclass, those with J-chain and, especially, those with secretory piece are produced more vigorously, indicating local immunostimulation close to the intestinal epithelium, in the early phase, Yersinia-IgM immune complexes are found in the circulation, and the lymphocyte transformation response against not only Yersinia but also against other gram-negative enteric bacteria is weaker. When all these aspects are considered together a strong suspicion arises that the patients who are destined to develop reactive arthritis fail in their first line of defense against the invading organism when contracting a Yersinia enteritis. This may lead to persistence of the microorganism within the body, e.g., in the intestinal epithelium or in the mesenteric lymphoid tissues, maintaining a stimulus for a prolonged--apparently futile and perhaps harmful--antibody production. Finally, the initiating and decisive factor should not be forgotten: the Yersinia. Why and how it triggers the process is at present one of the enigmas of the pathogenesis of reactive arthritis.
Speed of Price Adjustment towards Market Efficiency: Evidence from Emerging Countries

The speed with which stock markets adjust to information and news flow into asset prices is of importance to investors, regulators and policymakers. In this article, we provide a simple and uniform empirical framework involving the use of a volatility measure to compare the speeds of adjustment in index prices in response to all available market information. The stock indices of 23 major emerging economies are compared with 10 mature stock indices from developed countries with reference to the speed of their price adjustments. We find that the index prices of developed countries adjust faster when compared to those of emerging countries. Our findings are independent of any GARCH specification and are also robust to potential mistakes in the model specification because we make use of a fully empirical bootstrap procedure to compute the standard errors. We also rank the countries in terms of the speed of index price adjustment. The results show that the random walk effect is generic and exists in all price indices.
Blood donors and factors impacting the blood donation decision.

The aging of the US population and the evidence that only about 5% of individuals in the United States donate blood each year raise concerns about the assurance of an adequate, safe supply of blood in the future. Blood donation decision making has been investigated worldwide for decades to understand the process better to increase donation efficiency, safety, retention, collection numbers, and diversity of the donor pool. This review focuses on the characteristics of allogeneic blood donors, the motivational sources in donor decision making, and the research concepts and techniques used to examine these factors. Some historic studies considered pivotal, as well as more recent surveys, may not be pertinent to or representative of the current national donor pool. Interpretation of data related to donor characteristics should examine whether demographics mirror the donor pool to assist in targeted recruitment or if targeted recruitment actually leads to the reported demographics. Few recent studies of donor motivation have been published. Modern sources of positive and negative motivation are worth exploring through scientifically sound investigations involving representative cohorts using multifactorial approaches. Strategies that focus on retaining return donors and transforming first-time donors into repeaters would be beneficial. Investigations are needed also to assess research questions and to develop well-designed interventions to test hypotheses and to produce generalizable findings applicable to future donor decision making.