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Previous herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) vaccines have not prevented genital herpes. Concerns have been raised about the choice of antigen, the type of antibody induced by the vaccine, and whether antibody is present in the genital tract where infection occurs. We reported results of a trial of an HSV-2 replication-defective vaccine, HSV529, that induced serum neutralizing antibody responses in 78% of HSV-1-/HSV-2- vaccine recipients. Here we show that HSV-1-/HSV-2- vaccine recipients developed antibodies to epitopes of several viral proteins; however, fewer antibody epitopes were detected in vaccine recipients compared with naturally infected persons. HSV529 induced antibodies that mediated HSV-2-specific natural killer (NK) cell activation. Depletion of glycoprotein D (gD)-binding antibody from sera reduced neutralizing titers by 62% and NK cell activation by 81%. HSV-2 gD antibody was detected in cervicovaginal fluid at about one-third the level of that in serum. A vaccine that induces potent serum antibodies transported to the genital tract might reduce HSV genital infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RV144 HIV vaccine trial included a recombinant HIV glycoprotein 120 (gp120) construct fused to a small portion of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein D (gD) so that the first 40 amino acids of gp120 were replaced by the signal sequence and the first 27 amino acids of the mature form of gD. This region of gD contains most of the binding site for HVEM, an HSV receptor important for virus infection of epithelial cells and lymphocytes. RV144 induced antibodies to HIV that were partially protective against infection, as well as antibodies to HSV. We derived monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) from peripheral blood B cells of recipients of the RV144 HIV vaccine and showed that these antibodies neutralized HSV-1 infection in cells expressing HVEM, but not the other major virus receptor, nectin-1. The MAbs mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and mice that received the MAbs and were then challenged by corneal inoculation with HSV-1 had reduced eye disease, shedding, and latent infection. To our knowledge, this is the first description of MAbs derived from human recipients of a vaccine that specifically target the HVEM binding site of gD. In summary, we found that monoclonal antibodies derived from humans vaccinated with the HVEM binding domain of HSV-1 gD (i) neutralized HSV-1 infection in a cell receptor-specific manner, (ii) mediated ADCC, and (iii) reduced ocular disease in virus-infected mice. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes cold sores and neonatal herpes and is a leading cause of blindness. Despite many trials, no HSV vaccine has been approved. Nectin-1 and HVEM are the two major cellular receptors for HSV. These receptors are expressed at different levels in various tissues, and the role of each re-ceptor in HSV pathogenesis is not well understood. We derived human monoclonal antibodies from persons who received the HIV RV144 vaccine that contained the HVEM binding domain of HSV-1 gD fused to HIV gp120. These antibodies were able to specifically neutralize HSV-1 infection in vitro via HVEM. Furthermore, we showed for the first time that HVEM-specific HSV-1 neutralizing antibodies protect mice from HSV-1 eye disease, indicating the critical role of HVEM in HSV-1 ocular infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent phase 3 trial with soluble herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein D (gD2t) in adjuvant failed to show protection against genital herpes. We postulated that live attenuated HSV-2 would provide more HSV antigens for induction of virus-specific antibodies and cellular immunity than would gD2t. We previously reported an HSV-2 mutant, HSV2-gD27, in which the nectin-1 binding domain of gD2 is altered so that the virus is impaired for infecting neural cells, but not epithelial cells, in vitro and is impaired for infecting dorsal root ganglia in mice (K. Wang, J. D. Kappel, C. Canders, W. F. Davila, D. Sayre, M. Chavez, L. Pesnicak, and J. I. Cohen, J Virol 86:12891-12902, 2012, doi:10.1128/JVI.01055-12). Here we report that the mutations in HSV2gD27 were stable when the virus was passaged in cell culture and during acute infection of mice. HSV2-gD27 was attenuated in mice when it was inoculated onto the cornea, intramuscularly (i.m.), intravaginally, and intracranially. Vaccination of mice i.m. with HSV2-gD27 provided better inhibition of challenge virus replication in the vagina than when the virus was used to vaccinate mice intranasally or subcutaneously. Comparison of i.m. vaccinations with HSV2-gD27 versus gD2t in adjuvant showed that HSV2-gD27 induced larger reductions of challenge virus replication in the vagina and reduced latent viral loads in dorsal root ganglia but induced lower serum neutralizing antibody titers than those obtained with gD2t in adjuvant. Taken together, our data indicate that a live attenuated HSV-2 vaccine impaired for infection of neurons provides better protection from vaginal challenge with HSV-2 than that obtained with a subunit vaccine, despite inducing lower titers of HSV-2 neutralizing antibodies in the serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Most studies of immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) measure antibody or cellular responses in blood; however, the virus infects mucosal surfaces in the nose and conjunctivae and infectious virus is rarely if ever present in the blood. Methods We used luciferase immunoprecipitation assays to measure SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in the plasma, nose, and saliva of infected persons and vaccine recipients. These assays measure antibody that can precipitate the SAR-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins. Results Levels of plasma anti-spike antibody declined less rapidly than levels of anti-nucleocapsid antibody in infected persons. SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody levels in the nose declined more rapidly than antibody levels in the blood after vaccination of infected persons. Vaccination of previously infected persons boosted anti-spike antibody in plasma more than in the nose or saliva. Nasal and saliva anti-spike antibody levels were significantly correlated with plasma antibody in infected persons who had not been vaccinated and after vaccination of uninfected persons. Conclusions Persistently elevated SARS-CoV-2 antibody in plasma may not indicate persistence of antibody at mucosal sites such as the nose. The strong correlation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody in the nose and saliva with that in the blood suggests that mucosal antibodies are derived primarily from transudation from the blood rather than local production. While SARS-CoV-2 vaccine given peripherally boosted mucosal immune responses in infected persons, the increase in antibody titers was higher in plasma than at mucosal sites. Taken together, these observations indicate the need for development of mucosal vaccines to induce potent immune responses at sites where SARS-CoV-2 infection occurs. Clinical Trials Registration NCT01306084. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We performed in situ hybridization to determine the cell type specific accumulation of the intron of the latency-associated transcript (LAT) in tissues in HSV-2 LAT transgenic mice in which LAT expression is driven by its native promoter. We identified LAT in multiple cell types in most tissues analyzed from HSV-2 LAT transgenic mice. While weak to moderate signals were seen in brain and spinal cord neurons, epithelial cells, and muscle cells, the strongest signals were detected in neurons from dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia. About 70–86% of neurons in these ganglia were LAT-positive with varying signal intensities, while cells surrounding the neurons were LAT-negative. The frequency of A5 or KH10-positive neurons was similar in LAT-positive and total neurons. These data indicate that HSV-2 LAT promoter activity is not restricted to neurons and that LAT accumulation in ganglionic neurons is likely regulated by cell-specific factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Effective exploration of spatially referenced educational achievement data can help educational researchers and policy analysts accelerate interpretation of datasets to gain valuable insights. This paper illustrates the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze educational achievement gaps in Arkansas. The Geographic Academic Policy Series (GAPS), developed in the National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems, provides a visual ‘snapshot’ of achievement relative to important policy issues. The GAPS series displays maps in conjunction with state-wide summaries of educational statistics, but does not require complicated understanding of statistics or methodology by the user. Currently, the GAPS series examines the relationships between school district academic performance and other district level variables including percent of students participating in Free and Reduced Lunch Programs (a proxy measure for poverty), school district size, and per pupil spending. In addition, district performance on the ACT exam, which is completed by students intending to attend college, is presented and examined in relation to district size. The GAPS series also includes state maps identifying the academic performance status of all districts and schools in Arkansas relative to NCLB. Policy makers have been particularly interested in the GAPS series, noting that it provides them with an effective method for examining academic achievement statewide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reniform nematode. Rotylenchulus reniforinis, is a serious threat to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production in the United States, causing an annual loss of about $80 million. The objective of this study was to isolate fungi from eggs of R. reniformis and select potential biocontrol agents for R. reniformis on cotton, We focused on the fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia because it suppresses root-knot and cyst nematodes and because preliminary data indicated that it was present in Arkansas cotton fields. Soil samples were collected from six cotton fields in Jefferson County, Arkansas. A total of 117 isolates of the nematophagous fungus P. chlamydosporia were obtained. In an in vitro test, 105 of the 117 isolates parasitized fewer than 15% of R. reniformis eggs, but 12 isolates parasitized between 16 and 35% of the eggs. These 12 isolates produced from 6.8 x 104 to 6.9 x 105 chlamydospores per gram of medium in vitro, and chlamydospore production was similar on rice grain and corn grain media. In two greenhouse experiments, a single application of isolate 37 (5,000 chlamydospores per gram of soil) significantly reduced the numbers of R. reniformis on cotton roots and in soil. The three isolates (37, 26, and 14) that parasitized the most eggs in vitro were also the most effective in suppressing numbers of R. reniformis and in increasing cotton growth in the greenhouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poincaré-Friedrichs inequalities are derived for piecewise H² functions on two dimensional domains. These inequalities can be applied to classical nonconforming finite element methods, mortar methods and discontinuous Galerfcin methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sterile nematophagous fungus ARF (Arkansas fungus) had been separated into two phenotypes based on morphological differences: those with compact sclerotium-like-structures (SLS) (ARF-C), and those with loose SLS (ARF-L). The ARF-L isolate TN14 had been more effective than the ARF-C isolate BG2 in suppressing nematode numbers in glasshouse studies, and the BG2 isolate had been more virulent in in vitro tests. No tests had been conducted on the effect of depth in the soil on the level of parasitism by ARF. The objectives of this study were to determine: i) which isolate is more competitive in field microplots by comparing isolation frequency of the two fungal strains from parasitised eggs of Heterodera glycines; and ii) whether parasitism by ARF varies with soil depth (0-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm deep). TN14 was isolated more frequently than BG2, irrespective of whether the original mixture of BG2 and TN14 was 50% TN14 + 50% BG2, 75% TN14 + 25% BG2, or 25% TN14 + 75% BG2. The percentage of parasitised eggs of H. glycines by ARF was different for the 0-10 cm soil layer vs the 10-20 cm soil layer, or the 0-10 cm soil layer vs the 20-30 cm soil layer. Parasitism by ARF was greatest at a soil depth of 10-20 cm. This would correspond with the level where the root concentration and numbers of cysts should be greatest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrete variational inequalities resulting from C0 interior penalty methods for the obstacle problem of clamped Kirchhoff plates can be solved by the primal‐dual active set algorithm. We develop and analyze additive Schwarz preconditioners for the auxiliary systems that appear in each iteration of the primal‐dual active set algorithm. Numerical results corroborate our theoretical estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a P1 finite element method for a two-dimensional weighted optimal control problem arising from a three-dimensional (3D) axisymmetric elliptic state-constrained optimal control problem with Dirichlet boundary conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Stochasticity predominated bacterial assembly during the whole study period. • Overall networks became closer and more complex at the middle and end stages. • Rare species presented a high diversity across five networks. • Negative interactions between AnAOB and heterotrophs could keep functional stability. • Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria alternately play important roles in networks. Understanding the relationship between dynamic microbial networks and functional stability is critical for the stable operation of anammox systems. Here, by operating an anammox reactor under constant condition over 250 days, it was found that the relative abundance of Planctomycetota gradually decreased while Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria increased, with stochasticity predominating the bacterial assembly as the reactor operation. Network analysis revealed a successional dynamic pattern of microbial interaction despite stable performance. The variation of subnetworks indicated Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria alternately played important role in anammox microbial network, and the negative relationship between anammox bacteria and heterotrophs could achieve a balance to keep functional stability under long-term operation. Furthermore, the identified keystone species mainly belonged to heterotrophs that were critical in maintaining network structure and system function. The results of this study revealed clear changing patterns of microbial community and network succession, which could provide valuable reference for other stably operated bioreactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the thymidine kinase gene (tk) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) explain most cases of virus resistance to acyclovir (ACV) treatment. Mucocutaneous lesions of patients with ACV resistance contain mixed populations of tk mutant and wild-type virus. However, it is unknown whether human ganglia also contain mixed populations since the replication of HSV tk mutants in animal neurons is impaired. Here we report the detection of mutated HSV tk sequences in human ganglia. Trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia were obtained at autopsy from an immunocompromised woman with chronic mucocutaneous infection with ACV-resistant HSV-1. The HSV-1 tk open reading frames from ganglia were amplified by PCR, cloned, and sequenced. tk mutations were detected in a seven-G homopolymer region in 11 of 12 ganglia tested, with clonal frequencies ranging from 4.2 to 76% HSV-1 tk mutants per ganglion. In 8 of 11 ganglia, the mutations were heterogeneous, varying from a deletion of one G to an insertion of one to three G residues, with the two-G insertion being the most common. Each ganglion had its own pattern of mutant populations. When individual neurons from one ganglion were analyzed by laser capture microdissection and PCR, 6 of 14 HSV-1-positive neurons were coinfected with HSV tk mutants and wild-type virus, 4 of 14 were infected with wild-type virus alone, and 4 of 14 were infected with tk mutant virus alone. These data suggest that diverse tk mutants arise independently under drug selection and establish latency in human sensory ganglia alone or together with wild-type virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of China's economy, applied research on hydropower engineering has received an increasing amount of attention. However, since hydraulic electromechanical devices often work in actual industrial manufacturing environments at high loads for a long time, their health status is hardly predicted. By introducing digital twins technique, this paper proposed a predictive maintenance model for electromechanical devices to solve the problems. Firstly, multiple sensors are implemented on critical parts of the hydraulic electromechanical devices to collect devices' physical and spatial signals. Secondly, constructing the digital twins model of electromechanical devices with the sensing data and the devices' structural characteristics. Finally, by transfer learning, a comprehensive and reliable fault diagnosis method is designed to predict the remaining life of the devices and make decisions for facilities maintenance. Experiments show that the proposed model performs the best accuracy rate compared with the other methods. [Display omitted] • Use edge devices to integrate heterogeneous data in smart water conservancy. • Build four kinds of models with digital twins for qualitative analysis. • Train neural networks with digital twins' real-time data to make fault diagnoses. • Make safety assessment criteria for smart water devices with diagnosis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein E (gE) is essential for virus infectivity and binds to a cellular receptor, insulindegrading enzyme (IDE), through its unique amino terminal extracellular domain. Previous work has shown IDE plays an important role in VZV infection and virus cell-to-cell spread, which is the sole route for VZV spread in vitro. Here we report that a recombinant soluble IDE (rIDE) enhances VZV infectivity at an early step of infection associated with an increase in virus internalization, and increases cell-to-cell spread. VZV mutants lacking the IDE binding domain of gE were impaired for syncytia formation and membrane fusion. Pre-treatment of cell-free VZV with rIDE markedly enhanced the stability of the virus over a range of conditions. rIDE interacted with gE to elicit a conformational change in gE and rendered it more susceptible to proteolysis. Co-incubation of rIDE with gE modified the size of gE. We propose that the conformational change in gE elicited by IDE enhances infectivity and stability of the virus and leads to increased fusogenicity during VZV infection. The ability of rIDE to enhance infectivity of cell-free VZV over a wide range of incubation times and temperatures suggests that rIDE may be useful for increasing the stability of varicella or zoster vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) causes genital herpes in >400 million persons worldwide.Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of a replication-defective HSV2 vaccine, HSV529. Twenty adults were enrolled in each of 3 serogroups of individuals: those negative for both HSV1 and HSV2 (HSV1-/HSV2-), those positive or negative for HSV1 and positive for HSV2 (HSV1±/HSV2+), and those positive for HSV1 and negative for HSV2 (HSV1+/HSV2-). Sixty participants received vaccine or placebo at 0, 1, and 6 months. The primary end point was the frequency of solicited local and systemic reactions to vaccination.Results: Eighty-nine percent of vaccinees experienced mild-to-moderate solicited injection site reactions, compared with 47% of placebo recipients (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.9%-67.6%; P = .006). Sixty-four percent of vaccinees experienced systemic reactions, compared with 53% of placebo recipients (95% CI, -17.9% to 40.2%; P = .44). Seventy-eight percent of HSV1-/HSV2- vaccine recipients had a ≥4-fold increase in neutralizing antibody titer after 3 doses of vaccine, whereas none of the participants in the other serogroups had such responses. HSV2-specific CD4+ T-cell responses were detected in 36%, 46%, and 27% of HSV1-/HSV2-, HSV1±/HSV2+, and HSV1+/HSV2- participants, respectively, 1 month after the third dose of vaccine, and CD8+ T-cell responses were detected in 14%, 8%, and 18% of participants, respectively.Conclusions: HSV529 vaccine was safe and elicited neutralizing antibody and modest CD4+ T-cell responses in HSV-seronegative vaccinees.Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01915212. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic viral infections are difficult to treat, and new approaches are needed, particularly those aimed at reducing reactivation by enhancing immune responses. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) establishes latency and reactivates frequently, and breakthrough reactivation can occur despite suppressive antiviral therapy. Virus-specific T cells are important to control HSV, and proliferation of activated T cells requires increased metabolism of glutamine. Here, we found that supplementation with oral glutamine reduced virus reactivation in latently HSV-1-infected mice and HSV-2-infected guinea pigs. Transcriptome analysis of trigeminal ganglia from latently HSV-1-infected, glutamine-treated WT mice showed upregulation of several IFN-γ-inducible genes. In contrast to WT mice, supplemental glutamine was ineffective in reducing the rate of HSV-1 reactivation in latently HSV-1-infected IFN-γ-KO mice. Mice treated with glutamine also had higher numbers of HSV-specific IFN-γ-producing CD8 T cells in latently infected ganglia. Thus, glutamine may enhance the IFN-γ-associated immune response and reduce the rate of reactivation of latent virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is the basic means of spectrum analysis in the field of digital signal processing, and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) has become the most popular algorithm which decreases the computational complexity from quadratical to linearithmic. However, engineers are often challenged to detect a single or just a few of the frequency components. For this kind of sparse spectrum analysis, the FFT no longer has advantage because it always computes all the frequency components. This paper proposes a recursive single-bin DFT (RSB-DFT) algorithm to compute one specific frequency spectrum, whose theoretical derivation is elaborated and implementation steps are given as a flow diagram. A 16-point RSB-DFT calculation example is also given to exhibit computation process of the algorithm. An application example for bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) measurement demonstrates that the proposed RSB-DFT algorithm can compute specific single spectral lines accurately. The computation efficiency of the proposed RSB-DFT algorithm is demonstrated as the highest compared with the DFT, FFT, Goertzel algorithm, which means that the RSB-DFT algorithm has the potential to become an alternative and efficient tool for sparse spectrum analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives There is currently no licensed prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine for HSV-2 infection. Methods We developed a novel preclinical vaccine candidate, G103, consisting of three recombinantly expressed HSV-2 proteins (gD and the UL19 and UL25 gene products) adjuvanted with the potent synthetic TLR4 agonist glucopyranosyl lipid A (GLA) formulated in stable emulsion. The vaccine was tested for immunogenicity and efficacy in pre-clinical models for preventative and therapeutic vaccination. Results Vaccination of mice with G103 elicited antigen-specific binding and neutralizing antibody responses, as well as robust CD4 and CD8 effector and memory T cells. The T cell responses were further boosted by subsequent challenge with live virus. Prophylactic immunization completely protected against lethal intravaginal HSV-2 infection in mice, with only transient replication of virus in the genital mucosa and sterilizing immunity in dorsal root ganglia. Supporting the use of G103 therapeutically, the vaccine expanded both CD4 and CD8 T cells induced in mice by previous infection with HSV-2. In the guinea pig model of recurrent HSV-2 infection, therapeutic immunization with G103 was approximately 50% effective in reducing the number of lesions per animal as well as the overall lesions score. Conclusions Taken together, the data show that G103 is a viable candidate for development of a novel prophylactic and therapeutic HSV-2 vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the global exponential stability of uncertain delayed complex-valued neural networks (CVNNs) under an impulsive controller. Both discrete and distributed time-varying delays are considered, which makes our model more general than previous works. Unlike most existing research methods of decomposing CVNNs into real and imaginary parts, some stability criteria in terms of complex-valued linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are obtained by employing the complex Lyapunov function method, which is valid regardless of whether the activation functions can be decomposed. Moreover, a new impulsive differential inequality is applied to resolve the difficulties caused by the mixed time delays and delayed impulse effects. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to back up our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After HSV infection, some trigeminal ganglion neurons support productive cycle gene expression, while in other neurons the virus establishes a latent infection. We previously demonstrated that HSV-1 and HSV-2 preferentially establish latent infection in A5+ and KH10+ sensory neurons, respectively, and that exchanging the latency-associated transcript (LAT) between HSV-1 and HSV-2 also exchanges the neuronal preference. Since many viral genes besides the LAT are functionally interchangeable between HSV-1 and HSV-2, we co-infected HSV-1 and HSV-2, both in vivo and in vitro, to determine if transacting viral factors regulate whether HSV infection follows a productive or latent pattern of gene expression in sensory neurons. The pattern of HSV-1 and HSV-2 latent infection in trigeminal neurons was no different following co-infection than with either virus alone, consistent with the hypothesis that a trans-acting viral factor is not responsible for the different patterns of latent infection of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in A5+ and KH10+ neurons. Since exchanging the LAT regions between the viruses also exchanges neuronal preferences, we infected transgenic mice that constitutively express 2.8 kb of the LAT region with the heterologous viral serotype. Endogenous expression of LAT did not alter the pattern of latent infection after inoculation with the heterologous serotype virus, demonstrating that the LAT region does not act in trans to direct preferential establishment of latency of HSV-1 and HSV-2. Using HSV1-RFP and HSV2-GFP in adult trigeminal ganglion neurons in vitro, we determined that HSV-1 and HSV-2 do not exert trans-acting effects during acute infection to regulate neuron specificity. Although some neurons were productively infected with both HSV-1 and HSV-2, no A5+ or KH10+ neurons were productively infected with both viruses. Thus, trans-acting viral factors do not regulate preferential permissiveness of A5+ and KH10+ neurons for productive HSV infection and preferential establishment of latent infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) is a poxvirus that causes localized papules in healthy persons. We evaluated a woman with severe immunodeficiency and disseminated MCV. During treatment with CMX-001, an antiviral with activity against other poxviruses, MCV DNA was detected in 20% of plasma samples. When the patient was not receiving CMX-001, MCV DNA was detected in 50% of samples. We also noted improvement in warts on her fingers during CMX-001 therapy. Although MCV is caused by direct inoculation of virus into skin in healthy persons, in a severely immunocompromised person MCV DNA was present in blood and may spread by viremia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latency-associated transcript (LAT) sequences regulate herpes simplex virus (HSV) latency and reactivation from sensory neurons. We found a HSV-2 LAT-related microRNA (miRNA) designated miR-I in transfected and infected cells in vitro and in acutely and latently infected ganglia of guinea pigs in vivo. miR-I is also expressed in human sacral dorsal root ganglia latently infected with HSV-2. miR-l is expressed under the LAT promoter in vivo in infected sensory ganglia. We also predicted and identified a HSV-1 LAT exon-2 viral miRNA in a location similar to miR-l, implying a conserved mechanism in these closely related viruses. In transfected and infected cells, miR-l reduces expression of ICP34.5, a key viral neurovirulence factor. We hypothesize that miR-l may modulate the outcome of viral infection in the peripheral nervous system by functioning as a molecular switch for ICP34.5 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the cavity interrogation problem of short cavity fiber Fabry–Perot sensors in white light spectral interrogation with amplified spontaneous emissions (ASEs) as the white light sources, a data processing method, using an improved elliptical fitting equation with only two undetermined coefficients, is proposed. Based on the method, the cavity length of a fiber Fabry–Perot sensor without a complete reflection spectrum period in the frequency domain can be interrogated with relatively high resolution. Extrinsic fiber Fabry–Perot air-gap sensors with cavity lengths less than 30 μm are used to experimentally verify the method, and are successfully interrogated with an accuracy better than 0.55%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]