Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Positively Charged Termini of L2 Minor Capsid Protein Required for Bovine Papillomavirus Infection Function Separately in Nuclear Import and DNA Binding

ABSTRACT During the papillomavirus (PV) life cycle, the L2 minor capsid protein enters the nucleus twice: in the initial phase after entry of virions into cells and in the productive phase to mediate encapsidation of the newly replicated viral genome. Therefore, we investigated the interactions of the L2 protein of bovine PV type 1 (BPV1) with the nuclear import machinery and the viral DNA. We found that BPV1 L2 bound to the karyopherin α2 (Kap α2) adapter and formed a complex with Kap α2β1 heterodimers. Previous data have shown that the positively charged termini of BPV1 L2 are required for BPV1 infection after the binding of the virions to the cell surface. We determined that these BPV1 L2 termini function as nuclear localization signals (NLSs). Both the N-terminal NLS (nNLS) and the C-terminal NLS (cNLS) interacted with Kap α2, formed a complex with Kap α2β1 heterodimers, and mediated nuclear import via a Kap α2β1 pathway. Interestingly, the cNLS was also the major DNA binding site of BPV1 L2. Consistent with the promiscuous DNA encapsidation by BPV1 pseudovirions, this DNA binding occurred without nucleotide sequence specificity. Moreover, an L2 mutant encoding a scrambled version of the cNLS, which supports production of virions, rescued the DNA binding but not the Kap α2 interaction. These data support a model in which BPV1 L2 functions as an adapter between the viral DNA via the cNLS and the Kaps via the nNLS and facilitates nuclear import of the DNA during infection.
Formal Home Health Care, Informal Care, and Family Decision Making

We use the 1993 wave of the Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) data set to estimate a game-theoretic model of families' decisions concerning the provision of informal and formal care for elderly individuals. The outcome is the Nash equilibrium where each family member jointly determines her consumption, transfers for formal care, and allocation of time to informal care, market work, and leisure. We use the estimates to decompose the effects of adult children's opportunity costs, quality of care, and caregiving burden on their propensities to provide informal care. We also simulate the effects of a broad range of policies of current interest. © (2009) by the Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
Bioremediation of phenol by alkaliphilic bacteria isolated from alkaline lake of Lonar, India

Phenol is an industrially important compound which has a wide range of applications. Being highly soluble in water, it appears as the major pollutant in waste waters arising from both phenol manufacturing and from industrial units that utilise phenol. Because of its toxicity, bioremediation of phenol is necessary. Since some of the phenol‐bearing industrial waste waters are alkaline in nature, use of alkaliphilic bacteria for bioremediation of phenol was investigated. Alkaliphilic bacteria were isolated from sediments of an alkaline lake in Lonar, Dist. Buldhana, Maharashtra State, India, by phenol enrichment at pH 10·0 and phenol concentration of 500 mg/l. The lake (lat. 19°58′45”, long. 76°34’) is known to be a unique inland saline lake in Asia. It has a circular periphery and diameter of 2 km around the top of the banks and 1·2 km at the bottom. The lake has a high saline level (∼ 2649 mg/l sodium chloride) and a high level of alkalinity (∼ 2605 mg/l calcium carbonate). Alkaliphilic strains of Arthrobacter spp. , Bacillus cereus, Citrobacter freundii, Micrococcus agilis and Pseudomonas putida biovar B were capable of removing phenol from waste waters arising from industries manufacturing methyl violet (using phenol as one of the major raw materials) and cumene‐phenol. The waste waters from both these units were alkaline in nature (pH ∼ 9·95–10·1) and had a high phenol content (368–660 mg/l). The alkaliphilic bacteria being studied removed 100% of the phenol from the industrial waste waters within 48 h of incubation under shake culture conditions and at an ambient temperature of 28 ± 2 °C. Bioremediation of phenol by alkaliphilic strains of Arthrobacter spp. , B. cereus, C. freundii and M. agilis seems to be the first report.
A wireless activity monitoring system for monkey behavioural study

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) for monitoring of animal behaviours has been proposed. Preliminary results are presented here in order to demonstrate the potential of the system, which is aimed to investigate wild life of two species of monkeys in their natural habitat in the Mexican jungle. The novel platform comprises sensing nodes capable of measuring and recording the position, posture and activity level of animals. Each node is provided with wireless communication capabilities and the network topology includes a base station connected to a personal computer, in which the graphical user interface (GUI) and the proposed algorithm allow the visualization and processing of the collected data. Special care is giving to power-saving issues by applying power-aware techniques aimed to prolong the lifespan of the deployed sensors and devices. Results show high consistency and accuracy in the system response, with data being transmitted and recorded efficiently. Further improvements are envisaged and proposed for the intelligent monitoring system.
Functional Performance and Balance in the Oldest-Old

Background and Purpose: The group of individuals 85 years and over (termed oldest-old) is the fastest-growing population in the Western world. Although daily functional abilities and balance capabilities are known to decrease as an individual grows older, little is known about the balance and functional characteristics of the oldest-old population. The aims of this study were to characterize balance control, functional abilities, and balance self-efficacy in the oldest-old, to test the correlations between these constructs, and to explore differences between fallers and nonfallers in this age group. Methods: Forty-five individuals living in an assisted living facility who ambulated independently participated in the study. The mean age was 90.3 (3.7) years. Function was tested using the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI). Balance was tested with the mini-Balance Evaluation System Test (mini-BESTest) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Balance self-efficacy was tested with the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale. Results: The mean total function LLFDI score was 63.2 (11.4). The mean mini-BESTest score was 69.8% (18.6%) and the mean TUG time was 12.6 (6.9) seconds. The mean ABC score was 80.2% (14.2%). Good correlation (r > 0.7) was observed between the ABC and the function component of the LLFDI, as well as with the lower extremity domains. Correlations between the mini-BESTest scores and the LLFDI were fair to moderate (r's range: 0.38-0.62). Age and ABC scores were significant independent explanators of LLFDI score (P = .0141 and P = .0009, respectively). Fallers and nonfallers differed significantly across all outcome measures scores, except for TUG and for the “Reactive Postural Control” and “Sensory Orientation” domains of the mini-BESTest. Discussion and Conclusions: The results of this study provide normative data regarding the balance and functional abilities of the oldest-old, and indicate a strong association between self-efficacy and function. These results emphasize the importance of incorporating strategies that maintain and improve balance self-efficacy in interventions aimed at enhancing the functional level of this cohort.
Design of a low-cost level-triggered Zigbee network multi-application sensor in smart homes

In this paper, we propose a low-cost Zigbee network based multi-application sensor, which is capable of door open/close and water leakage detection for smart homes. The proposed multi-application sensor consists of a MCU, a tamper switch for anti-theft, and a water-leak switch for detecting water leakage or a reed switch for opening/closing door. We design a unique firmware program executing on the MCU, which can be achieved multi-application by sharing the same program. Moreover, three level-triggered signals are encoded to different endpoints and zone type, respectively. Thus, the designed firmware can judge these three level-triggered signals to map their responding application. As a result, the proposed multi-application can reduce 41.67% code density in firmware program to achieve a low-cost purpose.
[Periodontal condition in diabetics in Belgrade].

BACKGROUND/AIM Diabetes mellitus (DM) as a complex metabolic disease influences functioning of numerous organs. Therefore, frequent diabetic complication is chronic periodontitis. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of various risk factors, like age, sex, duration of DM, oral hygiene, on oral manifestations of diabetes. METHODS The group of diabetics included 52 adult patients, 18-79-year of age, both sexes (33 females, 19 males) out of which 35 patients were with diabetes mellitus type I and 17 with type II. Mean age of the patients was 54.6 years and the mean duration of diabetes was 11.1 years. The controls consited of 67 volunteers from the city of Belgrade, 19-24-year of age, both sexes (47 females, 20 males) with no paradonthopathy and non-systemic diseases. Estimation of periodontal status of the patients was performed by measuring dental plaque index, gingival index and periodontal pockets' depth. RESULTS The results suggest an increased incidence and severity of periodontitis in diabetic patients. It was established that duration of diabetes, patients' age and bad oral hygiene had a negative influence on status of remained teeth in diabetics, while the sex had no influence on parameters monitored. CONCLUSION Indices of oral hygiene level and periodontal status (dental plaque index, gingival index and periodontal pockets' depth) were significantly worsened in patients with diabetes. Negative influence on remained teeth had patients' age (> 50 years), duration of diabetes (> 20 years) and bad oral hygiene. About half of the patients had a total or partial bridge suggesting that periodontitis is significant complication of diabetes mellitus.
Activation of Syk by Protein Kinase C-δ Regulates Thrombin-induced Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Expression in Endothelial Cells via Tyrosine Phosphorylation of RelA/p65*

Protein kinase C-δ (PKC-δ) plays a pivotal role in mediating thrombin-induced NF-κB activation and ICAM-1 expression in endothelial cells. However, the downstream mechanisms mediating its function are unclear. In this study, we show that PKC-δ-mediated activation of protein-tyrosine kinase Syk plays an important role in thrombin signaling of NF-κB activation and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in endothelial cells. Stimulation of human vascular endothelial cells with thrombin resulted in a time-dependent phosphorylation of Syk on tyrosine 525 and 526, an indication of Syk activation. Inhibition of PKC-δ by pharmacological and genetic approaches prevented Syk activation by thrombin. These results place Syk downstream of PKC-δ in transmitting thrombin-activated signaling in endothelial cells. Consistent with this, thrombin-induced NF-κB activity and ICAM-1 expression were prevented by the expression of a kinase-defective mutant or RNA interference knockdown of Syk. Similarly, inhibiting Syk also impaired NF-κB activity and ICAM-1 expression induced by a constitutively active mutant of PKC-δ. Analysis of the NF-κB pathway showed that Syk contributes to thrombin-induced NF-κB activation by controlling its transactivation potential and that this response is associated with tyrosine phosphorylation of RelA/p65. Thus, these data unveil a novel pathway in which Syk signals downstream of PKC-δ to mediate thrombininduced ICAM-1 expression in endothelial cells by increasing transcriptional capacity of NF-κB via a mechanism that relies on tyrosine phosphorylation of RelA/p65.
Implementation of Medical Image Enhancement Technique using Gabor F ilter

Significant improvement in contrast of masses along with the suppression of background tissues is obtained by tuning the parameters of the proposed transformation function in the specified range. The early detection of the cancer is a challenging problem, due to the structure of the cancer cells. The manual analysis of the sputum samples is time consuming, inaccurate and requires intensive trained person to avoid diagnostic errors. The segmentation results will be used as a base for a Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system for early detection of cancer, which improves the chances of survival for the patient. In this paper, we proposed gabor filter for enhancement of medical images. It is a very good enhancement tool for medical images.
Indoor Scene Reconstruction Using Near-light Photometric Stereo.

We propose a novel framework for photometric stereo (PS) under low-light conditions using uncalibrated nearlight illumination. It operates on free-form video sequences captured with a minimalistic and affordable setup. We address issues such as albedo variations, shadowing, perspective projections and camera noise. Our method uses specular spheres detected with a perspective-correcting Hough transform to robustly triangulate light positions in the presence of outliers via a least-squares approach. Furthermore, we propose an iterative reweighting scheme in combination with an `p-norm minimizer to robustly solve the calibrated near-light PS problem. In contrast to other approaches, our framework reconstructs depth, albedo (relative to light source intensity) and normals simultaneously and is demonstrated on synthetic and real-world scenes.
Vonoprazan for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux: pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic considerations

ABSTRACT Introduction: About 30–40% of GERD patients report an inadequate response to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) due to their suboptimal pharmacological profiles. Recently, a new synthesized P-CABs, vonoprazan, showed higher suppression of gastric acid secretion as compared to lansoprazole. Areas covered: This review provides an update on the pharmacokinetic properties of vonoprazan and their correlates with pharmacodynamics; preliminary data on the therapeutic efficacy of vonoprazan as compared to lansoprazole in GERD patients Expert opinion: At variance from all available PPIs, vonoprazan acts directly on H+,K+-ATPase irrespectively of its activity, providing a fast onset of action without requiring acid activation and specific administration timing. Clinical and pharmacological investigations have confirmed a more rapid, potent and prolonged inhibition of acid secretion, including a better nighttime acid control, and a less antisecretory variability, as compared with PPIs. Preliminary data in patients with erosive esophagitis (EE) have shown the non-inferiority of vonoprazan to lansoprazole in terms of symptom relief and healing rate. Since these pharmacokinetic advantages, it is expected that it will have a significant favorable impact on GERD management. However, the clinical use of vonoprazan raises also some issues about its efficacy and safety in the long-term that deserve verification and careful investigation.
Maternal levels of plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA and the risk of perinatal transmission. Women and Infants Transmission Study Group.

BACKGROUND The importance of plasma levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA in pregnant women in relation to the other factors known to influence the risk of transmission of infection to their infants is incompletely defined. We studied the relation of maternal plasma HIV-1 RNA levels to the risk of perinatal transmission and the timing of transmission. METHODS We measured plasma HIV-1 RNA serially in 552 women with HIV-1 infection who had singleton pregnancies. The status of infection in their infants was assessed by culture of blood and further classified as early (if a culture of blood obtained within the first two days of life was positive) or late (if a culture of blood obtained in the first seven days of life was negative but subsequent cultures were positive). The rates of transmission at various levels of maternal plasma HIV-1 RNA were analyzed by tests for trend, with adjustment for covariates by stratification and logistic regression. RESULTS Increasing geometric mean levels of plasma HIV-1 RNA were associated with increasing rates of transmission: the rate was 0 percent among women with less than 1000 copies per milliliter (0 of 57), 16.6 percent among women with 1000 to 10,000 copies per milliliter (32 of 193), 21.3 percent among women with 10,001 to 50,000 copies per milliliter (39 of 183), 30.9 percent among women with 50,001 to 100,000 copies per milliliter (17 of 55), and 40.6 percent among women with more than 100,000 copies per milliliter (26 of 64) (P<0.001). The treatment status of one woman was unknown. The highest rate of transmission was among women whose plasma HIV-1 RNA levels exceeded 100,000 copies per milliliter and who had not received zidovudine (19 of 30 women, 63.3 percent). Neither higher HIV-1 RNA levels early in pregnancy nor higher levels late in pregnancy were associated with the timing of infection in the infants. CONCLUSIONS In pregnant women with HIV-1 infection the level of plasma HIV-1 RNA predicts the risk but not the timing of transmission of HIV-1 to their infants.
Alcohol and Drug Prevention in Nightlife Settings: A Review of Experimental Studies

This study examines the evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions aimed at the prevention of harmful alcohol and drug use in nightlife settings. A literature search was conducted in 2009. Of 161 studies, 17 experimental studies were included in the review, 15 alcohol-related and two drug-related studies. The results show that preventive substance abuse interventions in nightlife settings can effectively reduce high-risk alcohol consumption, alcohol-related injury, violent crimes, access to alcohol by underage youth, and alcohol service to intoxicated people. A combination of approaches such as enforcement activities seem to be facilitating factors. However, results should be considered cautiously as more gold standard (cost-) effectiveness research is required, in particular directed at drug prevention and educational interventions in nightlife settings.
Induction of both membrane-bound and soluble HLA-G expression in active human cytomegalovirus infection.

BACKGROUND Alteration of HLA expression or cytokine production plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. HLA-G has been suggested to be involved in HCMV infection, and modulation of HLA-G expression by interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-10 has been reported. However, the clinical relevance of HLA-G in HCMV infection remains unknown. METHODS The study included 75 patients with active HCMV infection (age range, 1-4.5 years) and 150 sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects (age range, 1-5 years). HLA-G expression in peripheral monocytes from patients (n=38) and control subjects (n=20) was analyzed using flow cytometry. Plasma levels of soluble HLA-G (in 75 patients and 150 control subjects), IL-10 (in 75 patients and 40 control subjects), and IFN-gamma (in 75 patients and 40 control subjects) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS The mean percentage of HLA-G-positive monocytes among patients with active HCMV infection was dramatically increased, compared with that among healthy control subjects (6.33% vs 1.64%; P<.001). Similarly, significant increases were observed in soluble HLA-G level (median, 54.91 vs 21.32 U/mL; P<.001) and IL-10 level (median, 9.24 vs 1.82 ng/mL; P<.001). Although the expression of IFN-gamma was higher in patients with active HCMV infection than in healthy control subjects, the difference was not statistically significant (median, 1254.46 vs 887.05 ng/mL; P=.070). Furthermore, no correlation was established between HLA-G expression and levels of IL-10 or IFN-gamma. CONCLUSIONS HLA-G expression in monocytes and plasma soluble HLA-G and IL-10 levels were increased during active HCMV infection.
Effect of herpesvirus type 2 and hormonal imbalance on the uterine cervix of the mouse.

BALB/c mice were treated with different combinations of hormones (estrogens, progesterone, and Enovid) and herpesvirus type 2 (HSV-2). Characteristic cytological changes of herpesvirus infection were observed in 40% of 140 mice treated with the virus; these mice had previously been immunized with HSV-2 inactivated with ultraviolet light. No significant differences were observed in the frequency of precancerous and cancerous lesions of the cervix and/or vagina between the group treated with estrogens plus HSV-2 (47.2%) and that treated with estrogens alone (41.2%), or between the group treated with Enovid plus HSV-2 (22.6%) and that treated with Enovid alone (31.2%). No carcinomas were observed in either the group treated with progesterone alone or the two control groups, but one carcinoma was found in the group treated with progesterone and HSV-2, and two carcinomas were found in the group treated with HSV-2 alone. These three carcinomas are of special interest since spontaneous cervical carcinoma in mice has not been described, and progesterone has been found to exert a protective effect against chemical carcinogens in the mouse cervix. These results suggest that, at least in these three animals, HSV-2 may have a role in tumor induction.
Fan filters, the 3-D Radon transform, and image sequence analysis

This paper develops a theory for the application of fan filters to moving objects. In contrast to previous treatments of the subject based on the 3-D Fourier transform, simplicity and insight are achieved by using the 3-D Radon transform. With this point of view, the Radon transform decomposes the image sequence into a set of plane waves that are parameterized by a two-component slowness vector. Fan filtering is equivalent to a multiplication in the Radon transform domain by a slowness response function, followed by an inverse Radon transform. The plane wave representation of a moving object involves only a restricted set of slownesses such that the inner product of the plane wave slowness vector and the moving object velocity vector is equal to one. All of the complexity in the application of fan filters to image sequences results from the velocity-slowness mapping not being one-to-one; therefore, the filter response cannot be independently specified at all velocities. A key contribution of this paper is to elucidate both the power and the limitations of fan filtering in this new application. A potential application of 3-D fan filters is in the detection of moving targets in clutter and noise. For example, an appropriately designed fan filter can reject perfectly all moving objects whose speed, irrespective of heading, is less than a specified cut-off speed, with only minor attenuation of significantly faster objects. A simple geometric construction determines the response of the filter for speeds greater than the cut-off speed.