Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression Is Required to Control Chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Mice1

Endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria bound to CD14 signals through Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, while components of Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.) preferentially use TLR2 signaling. We asked whether TLR4 plays any role in host resistance to M.tb. infection in vivo. Therefore, we infected the TLR4 mutant C3H/HeJ mice and their controls, C3H/HeN mice, with M.tb. by aerosol. TLR4 mutant mice had a reduced capacity to eliminate mycobacteria from the lungs, spread the infection to spleen and liver, with 10–100 times higher CFU organ levels than the wild-type mice and succumbed within 5–7 mo, whereas most of the wild-type mice controlled infection and survived the duration of the experiment. The lungs of TLR4 mutant mice showed chronic pneumonia with increased neutrophil infiltration, reduced macrophages recruitment, and abundant acid-fast bacilli. Furthermore, the pulmonary expression of TNF-α, IL-12p40, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 was significantly lower in C3H/HeJ mice when compared with the wild-type controls. C3H/HeJ-derived macrophages infected in vitro with M.tb. produced lower levels of TNF-α. Finally, the purified mycobacterial glycolipid, phosphatidylinositol mannosides, induced signaling in both a TLR2- and TLR4-dependent manner, thus suggesting that recognition of phosphatidylinositol mannosides in vivo may influence the development of protective immunity. In summary, macrophage recruitment and the proinflammatory response to M.tb. are impaired in TLR4 mutant mice, resulting in chronic infection with impaired elimination of mycobacteria. Therefore, TLR4 signaling is required to mount a protective response during chronic M.tb. infection.
The evolution of black plumage from blue in Australian fairy-wrens (Maluridae): genetic and structural evidence

Genetic variation in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) locus is responsible for color variation, particularly melanism, in many groups of vertebrates. Fairy-wrens, Maluridae, are a family of Australian and New Guinean passerines with several instances of dramatic shifts in plumage coloration, both intra- and inter-specifically. A number of these color changes are from bright blue to black plumage. In this study, we examined sequence variation at the MC1R locus in most genera and species of fairy-wrens. Our primary focus was subspecies of the white-winged fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus in which two subspecies, each endemic to islands off the western Australian coast, are black while the mainland subspecies is blue. We found fourteen variable amino acid residues within M. leucopterus, but at only one position were alleles perfectly correlated with plumage color. Comparison with other fairy-wren species showed that the blue mainland subspecies, not the black island subspecies, had a unique genotype. Examination of MC1R protein sequence variation across our sample of fairy-wrens revealed no correlation between plumage color and sequence in this group. We thus conclude that amino acid changes in the MC1R locus are not directly responsible for the black plumage of the island subspecies of M. leucopterus. Our examination of the nanostructure of feathers from both black and blue subspecies of M. leucopterus and other black and blue fairy-wren species clarifies the evolution of black plumage in this family. Our data indicate that the black white-winged fairy-wrens evolved from blue ancestors because vestiges of the nanostructure required for the production of blue coloration exist within their black feathers. Based on our phylogeographic analysis of M. leucopterus, in which the two black subspecies do not appear to be each other's closest relatives, we infer that there have been two independent evolutionary transitions from blue to black plumage. A third potential transition from blue to black appears to have occurred in a sister clade.
Preterm Birth Prevention: Effects of Vaginal Progesterone Administration on Blood Flow Impedance in Uterine-Fetal Circulation by Doppler Sonography

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of vaginal progesterone administration on maternal and fetal circulation to prevent preterm birth. Methods: The present prospective study was conducted on 35 women with singleton pregnancy at 18–33 weeks of gestation, who presented with at least one episode of preterm labor or asymptomatic short cervix, or past medical history of preterm birth. Doppler flow and Pulsatility Index (PI) assessment of the umbilical artery, fetal middle cerebral artery, uterine arteries, and ductusvenosus were performed before and 72 h after vaginal progesterone administration. Results: Results showed a significant reduction in the PI of the uterine artery following progesterone administration. Nevertheless, no significant changes were observed in the PI of other vessels. No significant difference was found in Doppler flow parameters in any of the examined vessels before or after progesterone treatment in women with Preterm Labor Pain (PLP). Yet, a statistically significant association was observed between short cervix complication in the current pregnancy and medical history of PLP in the previous pregnancy. Conclusion: Treatment with vaginal progesterone reduced the PI in the uterine arteries in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Thus, this medication may have useful vasodilatory effects on uterine-fetal vessels.
Effect of alkylating agents on meningeal leukemia L1210 arising in methotrexate-treated mice.

The current studies show that by extending the survival time of leukemia L1210-inoculated mice by methotrexate (MTX) therapy, the animals develop and succumb with meningeal leukemia. Continuous therapy with MTX retarded the disease in blood and spleen but did not retard the infiltration and progressive growth occurring in the brain. Enhanced therapeutic response was achieved by combining MTX therapy with either of 2 alkylating agents, Cytoxan and 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU). Combined MTX and Cytoxan therapy was capable of managing the leukemia of blood and spleen but was ineffective in eradicating or decreasing the leukemia that became established in the brain. Combined MTX and BCNU therapy suppressed the leukemia of blood, spleen, and brain, resulting in greater increases in survival time and a significant number of survivors. The better therapeutic response achieved with BCNU treatment is attributable to its capacity to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. The experimental results achieved with this model system provide evidence to explain the apparent increase during the last 15 years of the meningeal leukemia syndrome that has occurred in humans with acute leukemia and who have been treated with chemotherapeutic agents.
T Cell–dependent Immune Response in C1q-deficient Mice: Defective Interferon γ Production by Antigen-specific T Cells

The role of the classical complement pathway in humoral immune responses was investigated in gene-targeted C1q-deficient mice (C1qA− /−). Production of antigen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)G2a and IgG3 in primary and secondary responses to T cell–dependent antigen was significantly reduced, whereas IgM, IgG1, and IgG2b responses were similar in control and C1qA− /− mice. Despite abnormal humoral responses, B cells from C1qA− /− mice proliferated normally to a number of stimuli in vitro. Immune complex localization to follicular dendritic cells within splenic follicles was lacking in C1qA− /− mice. The precursor frequency of antigen-specific T cells was similar in C1qA− /− and wild-type mice. However, analysis of cytokine production by primed T cells in response to keyhole limpet hemocyanin revealed a significant reduction in interferon-γ production in C1qA− /− mice compared with control mice, whereas interleukin 4 secretion was equivalent. These data suggest that the classical pathway of complement may influence the cytokine profile of antigen-specific T lymphocytes and the subsequent immune response.
Early or Late IL-10 Blockade Enhances Th1 and Th17 Effector Responses and Promotes Fungal Clearance in Mice with Cryptococcal Lung Infection

The potent immunoregulatory properties of IL-10 can counteract protective immune responses and, thereby, promote persistent infections, as evidenced by studies of cryptococcal lung infection in IL-10–deficient mice. To further investigate how IL-10 impairs fungal clearance, the current study used an established murine model of C57BL/6J mice infected with Cryptococcus neoformans strain 52D. Our results demonstrate that fungal persistence is associated with an early and sustained expression of IL-10 by lung leukocytes. To examine whether IL-10–mediated immune modulation occurs during the early or late phase of infection, assessments of fungal burden and immunophenotyping were performed on mice treated with anti–IL-10R–blocking Ab at 3, 6, and 9 d postinfection (dpi) (early phase) or at 15, 18, and 21 dpi (late phase). We found that both early and late IL-10 blockade significantly improved fungal clearance within the lung compared with isotype control treatment when assessed 35 dpi. Immunophenotyping identified that IL-10 blockade enhanced several critical effector mechanisms, including increased accumulation of CD4+ T cells and B cells, but not CD8+ T cells; specific increases in the total numbers of Th1 and Th17 cells; and increased accumulation and activation of CD11b+ dendritic cells and exudate macrophages. Importantly, IL-10 blockade effectively abrogated dissemination of C. neoformans to the brain. Collectively, this study identifies early and late cellular and molecular mechanisms through which IL-10 impairs fungal clearance and highlights the therapeutic potential of IL-10 blockade in the treatment of fungal lung infections.
A Simplicial Approach to the Determination of an Integer Point of a Simplex

We propose an algorithm to find an integer point of a simplex. The algorithm is based on an integer labeling rule and a triangulation of the space. Starting at an integer point, the algorithm leaves it along one of n rays and generates a sequence of adjacent simplices of varying dimension. Within a finite number of iterations, the algorithm either yields an integer point of the simplex or proves that no such point exists.
The Promise of Strategic Customer Behavior: On the Value of Click Tracking

Click tracking is gaining in popularity, and the practice of web analytics is growing fast. Whether strategic customers are willing to visit a website when they know their clicks may be tracked is an important yet complex problem, which depends on various factors. Using a newsvendor framework, we examine this problem by focusing on the operational factor: how product availability induces strategic customers to voluntarily provide advance demand information. We find that a strong Nash equilibrium exists where every customer is willing to click, and customer incentives to click are robust to noise. Hence, we demonstrate the promise of strategic customer behavior in the context of click tracking, contrary to the conventional wisdom that it is typically a peril for the firm. Notably, click tracking is typically advantageous to both the firm and its customers, compared with other strategies such as advance selling, quantity commitment, availability guarantees, and quick response. Lastly, we extend to two settings by including marketing decisions, price-sensitive demand and markdown pricing, and discuss how operations and marketing decisions interact in influencing the value of click tracking.
A practical approach to, diagnosis, assessment and management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Adult patients who present with papilloedema and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure need urgent multidisciplinary assessment including neuroimaging, to exclude life-threatening causes. Where there is no apparent underlying cause for the raised intracranial pressure, patients are considered to have idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The incidence of IIH is increasing in line with the global epidemic of obesity. There are controversial issues in its diagnosis and management. This paper gives a practical approach to assessing patients with papilloedema, its investigation and the subsequent management of patients with IIH.
Targeted Clinical Education for Staff Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm in Borderline Personality Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of attending targeted clinical education on borderline personality disorder on the attitudes of health clinicians towards working with deliberate self-harm behaviours commonly exhibited by patients diagnosed with this complex disorder. Comparisons of clinicians across service settings, occupational fields, and other demographic areas were also made. Method: A purpose-designed demographic questionnaire and the Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire were used to collect the demographic information and assess the attitudes of 99 mental health and emergency medicine practitioners across two Australian health services and a New Zealand health service, both before and after education attendance. Results: Statistically significant improvements in attitude ratings were found for both emergency medicine clinicians and mental health clinicians in working with deliberate self-harm behaviours in borderline personality disorder, following attendance at the education program with a medium affect size (t(32)=−3.45, p=0.002, d=0.43 and t(65)=−5.12, p=0.000, d=0.42, respectively). Clinicians across occupational areas of nursing, allied health, and medical fields demonstrated equivocal levels of improvement in their attitude ratings. Conclusions: Results are discussed in terms of the necessity of providing regular access to targeted clinical education for health professionals working with patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
Confronting Bias: How Targets and Allies Can Address Prejudice Against Gay Men in the Workplace

Confronting Bias: How Targets and Allies Can Address Prejudice Against Gay Men in the Workplace by Larry Ross Martinez While many organizations have taken steps to protect minority individuals from the negative effects of prejudice and discrimination, such initiatives may be met with limited success. That is, prejudice and discrimination may remain major problems even within organizations that adopt organizational policies to enhance equity and reduce workplace discrimination. This dissertation examines the use of an individual-level strategy that individuals can enact in response to prejudice and/or discrimination: the strategy of directly confronting the prejudice of their coworkers. This study examines the utility of confronting coworkers in the workplace with particular emphasis on the beliefs, affective reactions, and behavioral intentions of third-party bystanders following witnessing a confrontation. I anticipated that the identity of the confronter (a member of the target group or an ally) and the level of conflict (high or low conflict) as well as the type of conflict (aggressive vs. calm, and personalized to the individual vs. generalized to society as a whole) in the confrontation would differentially impact outcome variables. Indeed, the results suggest that allies (versus targets) who confront elicit more positive behavioral intentions from observers to enact such strategies in the future; that high conflict (either aggressive or personalized) confrontations elicit more negative cognitions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions than do low conflict confrontations; and that targets and allies who confront have the most impact on third-party individuals if they utilize different strategies. Specifically, allies received particularly negative ratings when they confronted in an aggressive and personalized manner (compared to the other three strategies) and targets received relatively negative ratings only when confronting in an aggressive manner. These results held true in data obtained several weeks later. This research assesses the practicality of using confrontation as a prejudice-reduction tool and potentially informs future diversity management initiatives in organizations.
Early Biliteracy Development: Exploring Young Learners' Use of Their Linguistic Resources.

Preface 1 Introduction, Mileidis Gort & Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer Part I Emergence of Biliteracy: The Preschool Years Vignette 2 Supporting the Early Development of Biliteracy: The Role of Parents and Caregivers, Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer & Dumisile Mkhize 3 Literacy Practices and Language Use among Latino Emergent Bilingual Children in Preschool Contexts, Lucinda Soltero-Gonzalez & Iliana Reyes 4 Learning How to Write in English and Chinese: Young Bilingual Kindergarten and First Grade Children Explore the Similarities and Differences between Writing Systems, David Yaden, Jr. & Tina Tsai Part II Biliteracy Development in Early Elementary School Vignette 5 Evaluation and Revision Processes of Young Bilinguals in a Dual Language Program Mileidis Gort 6 Zehra's Story: Becoming Biliterate in Turkish and English, Zeynep Camlibel & Georgia Garcia 7 Traveling on the Biliteracy Highway: Framing Biliteracy from Students' Writings, Maria Franquiz 8 The Evolution of Biliterate Writing Development through Simultaneous Bilingual Literacy Instruction, Wendy Sparrow, Sandra Butvilofsky & Kathy Escamilla Part III Reflections and Future Directions 9 Reflections and Directions for Biliteracy Research, Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer & Mileidis Gort Glossary About the Authors
Early-Blind Subjects' Spatial Abilities in the Locomotor Space: Exploratory Strategies and Reaction-to-Change Performance

The present study was aimed at analysing the effect of the lack of visual experience in the human subject in detecting the rearrangement of objects after a free exploration in the locomotor space. Exploratory patterns and performance levels were recorded. Distance processing was affected by early blindness. The early-blind group's patterns of exploration differed significantly from those of the visually experienced groups. Significant correlations were found between the performance level and the use of systematic patterns of exploration but not with individual features. These data are discussed in the light of the importance of early vision on the development of spatial cognition.
Change in Vitamin D Levels and Risk of Severe Vitamin D Deficiency over 48 Weeks among HIV-1-Infected, Treatment-Naive Adults Receiving Rilpivirine or Efavirenz in a Phase III Trial (Echo)

Background This analysis assessed changes in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D; the precursor form of active vitamin D) in antiretroviral-naive adults receiving rilpivirine or efavirenz over 48 weeks in a randomized, double-blind, Phase III trial (ECHO). Methods ECHO included 690 patients randomized 1:1 to receive rilpivirine 25 mg once daily (n=346) or efavirenz 600 mg once daily (n=344), plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine. 25(OH)D was measured in stored serum samples collected at baseline, and weeks 24 and 48. Proportions of patients with optimal/sufficient (≥30 ng/ml), insufficient (21–29 ng/ml), deficient (10–20 ng/ml) and severely deficient (<10 ng/ml) 25(OH) D levels were determined. Data are presented for patients with paired baseline and week 48 25(OH)D data (rilpivirine, n=292; efavirenz, n=290). Results After 48 weeks, mean 25(OH)D levels remained largely unchanged from baseline with rilpivirine (-0.2 ng/ml; P=0.57 versus no change), but were significantly reduced with efavirenz (-2.5 ng/ml; P<0.0001 versus no change). When adjusting for season of randomization and the combined variable of race (Black/African American, White/Caucasian, Asian, other race) and ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino and not Hispanic or not Latino), the conclusion about the treatment difference between the rilpivirine and efavirenz treatment groups remained valid. At baseline the proportion of patients with severe 25(OH)D deficiency was similar in both groups (5%) but was significantly lower with rilpivirine than efavirenz at week 48 (5% versus 9%, respectively; P=0.032). Furthermore, of the patients with 25(OH)D insufficiency/deficiency at baseline, the proportion who developed severe 25(OH)D deficiency at week 48 was significantly lower with rilpivirine than efavirenz (2% versus 8%, respectively; P=0.0079). Conclusions Rilpivirine had little effect on 25(OH)D, whereas efavirenz resulted in a significant reduction in 25(OH)D levels and an increase in the risk of severe 25(OH)D deficiency.
Chopper Capacitively Coupled Instrumentation Amplifier Capable of Handling Large Electrode Offset for Biopotential Recordings

This brief presents the design of a low-noise chopper capacitively coupled instrumentation amplifier (CCIA). To accommodate the input with large electrode offset (EOS), the amplifier includes a coarse digital dc-servo loop (DSL) in addition to a fine analog DSL that strikes a balance among noise, EOS handling range and circuit complexity. The chip is fabricated in a standard 0.13-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {\mu }\text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS process. The supply voltage is 1.2 V and the quiescent current is 2.9 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {\mu }\text{A}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Measurement result shows that the chopper CCIA achieves a noise spectrum of 47 nV/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sqrt {{\text {H}}z}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and is capable of handling EOS of ±50 mV.