Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Does Thymus Infection by Coxsackievirus Contribute to the Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes?

Through synthesis and presentation of neuroendocrine self-antigens by major histocompatibility complex proteins, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) play a crucial role in programing central immune self-tolerance to neuroendocrine functions. Insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2) is the dominant gene/polypeptide of the insulin family that is expressed in TECs from different animal species and humans. Igf2 transcription is defective in the thymus of diabetes-prone bio-breeding rats, and tolerance to insulin is severely decreased in Igf2−/− mice. For more than 15 years now, our group is investigating the hypothesis that, besides a pancreotropic action, infection by coxsackievirus B4 (CV-B4) could implicate the thymus as well, and interfere with the intrathymic programing of central tolerance to the insulin family and secondarily to insulin-secreting islet β cells. In this perspective, we have demonstrated that a productive infection of the thymus occurs after oral CV-B4 inoculation of mice. Moreover, our most recent data have demonstrated that CV-B4 infection of a murine medullary (m) TEC line induces a significant decrease in Igf2 expression and IGF-2 production. In these conditions, Igf1 expression was much less affected by CV-B4 infection, while Ins2 transcription was not detected in this cell line. Through the inhibition of Igf2 expression in TECs, CV-B4 infection could lead to a breakdown of central immune tolerance to the insulin family and promote an autoimmune response against insulin-secreting islet β cells. Our major research objective now is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which CV-B4 infection of TECs leads to a major decrease in Igf2 expression in these cells.
Dietary protein quality and malnutrition in Africa

The WHO (2007) Technical Report on protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition states that the best estimate for a population average requirement is 105 mg nitrogen/kg body weight per day, or 0·66 g protein/kg body weight per day. In many developing countries protein intake falls significantly short of these values. Apart from protein quantity, protein quality including bioavailability and digestibility, from different food sources, are currently on the global agenda. The 1st International Symposium on Dietary Protein for Human Health held in Auckland, in March 2011, and the consecutive Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Expert Consultation on Dietary Protein Quality, both highlighted the importance of assessing the quality of protein from different food sources through determination of amino acid content. Throughout the developed world, animal products and cereals are the two most important sources of protein; in developing countries this order is reversed. In low income countries only 3 % of total dietary energy, as an indicator of diet composition, is derived from meat and offal, 11 % from roots and tubers and 6 % from pulses, nuts and oilseeds. The remainder of the dietary energy is mainly derived from cereal-based staple food. Although the production of livestock has increased in developing countries, the consumption of protein in these countries with people consuming the most limited amounts of protein are continually decreasing. Undernutrition, including insufficient consumption of protein, remains a persistent problem in the developing world, and although many diets within these developing countries are deficient in the quantity of protein compared to recommendations, the quality of the protein also strongly comes into focus.
Wall fire close to an horizontal surface: Numerical modelling and experimental validation

In order to contribute to a better understanding of natural fire configurations, three different experimental arrangements were considered. They simulated, at laboratory scale, three simple room fire situations.1–3 First, we tested a gas-fueled porous burner simulating a wall fire. Then an insulated floor was placed close to it. Finally the wall and the floor burnt simultaneously. Velocity and turbulence measurements were performed using a two-component laser-doppler velocimetry (LDV) system operating in the forward-scatter mode. Mean gas temperatures were obtained with a 200 μm butt-welded chromel-alumel thermocouple, located 2 mm downstream of the velocity measurement control volume. Simultaneous measurements of two velocity components proved to be very useful, especially in the characterization of the flame structure and of the entertainment process. A simple field model describing strongly buoyant diffusion flames is proposed in search of computational economy and a basic understanding of the phenomena involved. Our aim is to analyse the suitability of such a simple model for the description of the mean properties of the flow. This work showed the interaction between the burning wall, the floor and the pool fire, and especially the role played by the large-scale structures characteristic of entertainment and mixing processes in free fires.
Expression of adrenomedullin in human ovaries, ovarian sex cord–stromal tumors and cultured granulosa–luteal cells

The aim of the present study was to characterise the expression pattern of the multifunctional vasoactive peptide adrenomedullin (ADM) in human ovarian tumors, and to find hormonal regulators of ADM expression in human ovaries. The expression of ADM messenger RNA (mRNA) was higher in granulosa cell tumors than in fibrothecomas and normal ovaries, as analysed by Northern blots. In normal ovaries, ADM immunoreactivity was localised in both granulosa and thecal cells. Eight of the 90 granulosa cell tumors (9%) showed moderate and 53 (59%) weak ADM immunoreactivity, whereas 27% (11/41) of the fibrothecomas displayed weak ADM staining. FSH, protein kinase A activator (Bu)2cAMP, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), activin A and the broad protein kinase regulator staurosporine decreased ADM mRNA accumulation in cultured granulosa–luteal cells time- and dose-dependently. FSH, (Bu)2cAMP and PGE2 increased progesterone secretion and the accumulation of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein mRNA in these cells. In conclusion, ADM is expressed in normal human ovaries and sex cord–stromal tumors, particularly in those of granulosa cell origin. FSH, PGE2, (Bu)2cAMP and activin A suppress ADM gene expression in granulosa–luteal cells. Expression of ADM in human ovaries and its hormonal regulation in granulosa cells suggests a paracrine role for ADM in ovarian function.
Awareness of deficits in Alzheimer's disease patients: Analysis of performance prediction discrepancies

Unawareness has been operationalized in terms of a discrepancy between the patient's self‐reports and three main categories of standards: judgment of a relative, clinical assessment, and objective test performance. The purpose of this study was to develop a new measure of deficit unawareness based on multidimensional, isomorphic, simple tasks and to examine the relationship between this measure and neuropsychological tests.
Short and long fatigue crack growth: A unified model

Abstract In this model the growth of a crack is analysed in terms of the successive blocking of the plastic zone by slip barriers (e.g. grain boundaries) and the subsequent initiation of the slip in the next grain. The discontinuous character of the slip process (slip jumps) plays a fundamental role in the model. The factor governing the transfer of slip across a grain boundary is considered to be the stress concentration ahead of the plastic zone which, for a constant applied stress τ, is found to be dependent only on a parameter n = a/c defining the position of the crack tip relative to the grain boundary. The discrete behaviour of the slip has a strong influence in the short-crack period and hence cannot be neglected in the analysis of the crack growth rate. This period is characterized by large variations in the parameter n. In the long-crack period the slip jumps do not influence the overall description of the growth and the parameter n is almost constant. By making the crack extension per cycle prop.
NOS1-derived nitric oxide promotes NF-κB transcriptional activity through inhibition of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1

NOS1−/− mice show reduced inflammatory responses and tissue damage in experimental sepsis models. Baig et al show that NOS1-derived NO production in macrophages leads to proteolysis of SOCS1 to alleviate its repression of NFkB transcriptional activity in response to TLR4-mediated responses.
Quantification of Radiation-Induced Single-Strand Breaks in Plasmid DNA using a TUNEL/ELISA-Based Assay

Abstract To accurately quantify the number of single-strand breaks (SSBs) induced in plasmid DNA molecules after irradiation, a new type of assay methodology has been explored. The new method is based on the TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotide transferase dUTP nick end-labeling) assay that was adopted for use under ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) conditions. The assay was found to both improve the quantification and reduce the uncertainties in measurement of SSBs compared with the commonly used agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) method. Together with AGE, the new method can provide the additional data necessary for an accurate analysis of both SSB and double-strand break (DSB) formation in DNA molecules after irradiation. Furthermore, since only small amounts of DNA are required, the ELISA method can be used to quantify the damage in samples of DNA that are smaller than those required for AGE analysis. As an example of the data obtainable using the new method, plasmid DNA samples were irradiated with vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) light in an aqueous solution at 170 nm and subsequently analyzed by ELISA. The results were compared directly with those from AGE analysis. The ELISA gave results for SSBs that were an order of magnitude higher than those from AGE and suggested that DSBs are more likely to be the result of two SSBs rather than a single event and that a damaged molecule is more likely to be susceptible to VUV light than an undamaged one.
Assessing the Relative Effectiveness of Three Teaching Methods in the Measurement of Student' Achievement in Mathematics

The purpose of this research work was to assess the relative effectiveness of three teaching methods on students' achievement in secondary school Mathematics. The design of the study was a quasi-experimental pretest post-test research design using intact classes. A sample of 150 students randomly selected from three secondary schools in Ogbadibo Local Government Area was used in this study. The instrument for data collection was a 25-item achievement test in mathematics (ATM) developed by the researcher for the purpose of measuring students' achievement in mathematics. The reliability coefficient for the instrument using Cronbach coefficient alpha was 0.95. In the study, two research questions were answered and two hypotheses were tested. The results indicated that students taught using activity method performed better than those taught using discussion and lecture methods; there was no significant difference in mean achievement between boys and girls when they are taught using activity method. Moreover, a significant difference exists in mean achievement scores of male and female students when they are taught mathematics using lecture method. The paper recommends among others that mathematics teachers should employ appropriate pedagogical methods in order to obviate cognitive dissonance and frustration associated with learning failures in mathematics.
Measuring Transformational Use of ICTs at Regional Level

The experience of recent years has shown that take-up of ICT, for example within strategies to implement online public services, is a necessary but not sufficient condition for making progress towards regional development goals. What is of interest is not ICT use per se, but applications of technology which exert a transformational impact on users, that is which support people, firms, and the public sector by open - ing up new, more effective ways for achievement of goals rather than simply making existing structures and processes more efficient. This chapter focuses on use of ICT by individuals in their roles as citizens, workers, learners, patients, consumers, and so forth. We argue that here, the transformational potential of ICTs is rooted in its effect in terms of empowerment of users, that is, “the process of granting people the power to take responsible initiatives to shape their own life and that of their community or society in economic, social, and political terms. ” The chapter presents a conceptual framework for analysing ICT-enabled empowerment. It also presents some results of an Internet user survey conducted in early 2008 in 12 selected regions in the EU.
On the advantage of haplotype analysis in the presence of multiple disease susceptibility alleles

We investigated the effect of multiple susceptibility alleles at a single disease locus on the statistical power of a likelihood ratio test to detect association between alleles at a marker locus and a disease phenotype in a case‐control design. Using simplifying assumptions to obtain the joint frequency distribution of marker and disease locus alleles, we present numerical results that illustrate the impact of historical variation of initial associations between marker alleles and susceptibility alleles on the power of a likelihood ratio test for association. Our results show that an increase in the number of susceptibility alleles produces a decrease in power of the likelihood ratio test. The decrease in power in the presence of multiple susceptibility alleles, however, is less for markers with multiple alleles than for markers with two alleles. We investigate the implications of this observation for tests of association based on haplotypes made up of tightly linked single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our results suggest that an analysis based on haplotypes can be advantageous over an analysis based on individual SNPs in the presence of multiple susceptibility alleles, particularly when linkage disequilibria between SNPs is weak. The results provide motivation for further development of statistical methods based on haplotypes for assessing the potential for association methods to identify and locate complex disease genes. Genet. Epidemiol. 23:221–233, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Spatial and temporal characteristics of warm season convection over Pearl River Delta region, China, based on 3 years of operational radar data

This study examines the temporal and spatial characteristics and distributions of convection over the Pearl River Delta region of Guangzhou, China, during the May–September warm season, using, for the first time for such a purpose, 3 years of operational Doppler radar data in the region. Results show that convective features occur most frequently along the southern coast and the windward slope of the eastern mountainous area of Pearl River Delta, with the highest frequency occurring in June and the lowest in September among the 5 months. The spatial frequency distribution pattern also roughly matches the accumulated precipitation pattern. The occurrence of convection in this region also exhibits strong diurnal cycles. During May and June, the diurnal distribution is bimodal, with the maximum frequency occurring in the early afternoon and a secondary peak occurring between midnight and early morning. The secondary peak is much weaker in July, August, and September. Convection near the coast is found to occur preferentially on days when a southerly low‐level jet (LLJ) exists, especially during the Meiyu season. Warm, moist, and unstable air is transported from the ocean to land by LLJs on these days, and the lifting along the coast by convergence induced by differential surface friction between the land and ocean is believed to be the primary cause for the high frequency along the coast. In contrast, the high frequency over mountainous area is believed to be due to orographic lifting of generally southerly flows during the warm season.
On Locally Linear Classification by Pairwise Coupling

Locally linear classification by pairwise coupling addresses a nonlinear classification problem by three basic phases: decompose the classes of complex concepts into linearly separable subclasses, learn a linear classifier for each pair, and combine pairwise classifiers into a single classifier. A number of methods have been proposed in this framework. However, these methods have two major deficiencies: 1) lack of systematic evaluation of this framework; 2) naive application of clustering algorithms to generate subclasses. This paper proves the equivalence between three popular combination schemas under general settings, defines several global criterion functions for measuring the goodness of subclasses, and presents a supervised greedy clustering algorithm to optimize the proposed criterion functions. Extensive experiments were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Evaluation of Hyperintense Vessels on FLAIR MRI for the Diagnosis of Multiple Intracerebral Arterial Stenoses

Background and Purpose— Hyperintense vessel sign (HVS) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) has been described in hyperacute stroke patients with arterial occlusion. We sought to determine whether HVS was more frequent in patients with intracerebral arterial stenoses than in those without stenosis regardless of the presence of a brain infarct. Methods— In this case-control study (19 symptomatic patients with multiple intracerebral arterial stenoses compared with 19 age-matched asymptomatic patients without stenosis), we looked for HVS (ie, focal or tubular hyperintensities in the subarachnoid space) on FLAIR images. We compared the proportion of HVS-positive patients in the 2 groups and evaluated the concordance between the arterial distribution of stenoses on angiogram and that of HVS on FLAIR. Results— HVS was found in 13 of 19 patients (68%) in the study group and 1 of 19 control patients (5.2%) (P <0.0001). The concordance between the territorial distribution of stenoses on angiogram and HVS on FLAIR was higher for the right and left middle cerebral artery (&kgr;=0.6 and 0.63, respectively) compared with the right and left anterior cerebral artery (&kgr;=0.35 and 0.2, respectively). HVSs were observed in 1 of 7 patients with posterior cerebral artery stenoses on angiogram. HVSs were seen equally in patients with acute focal (7 of 10) or diffuse (6 of 9) cerebral involvement. In the 6 HVS-positive patients with acute stroke confirmed by MRI, additional HVSs were observed in a different arterial territory than that of the stroke lesion. Conclusions— Although their significance remains unclear, multiple HVSs are more frequently observed in symptomatic patients with multiple intracerebral stenoses than in asymptomatic patients without stenosis.
Behaviour of reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) under combined external pressure and tension

The problem of reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) buckling or collapse as a result of combined tension and external pressure is investigated in this paper. Based on the theory initially proposed by Kyriakides and his co-workers, a two-dimensional (2D) theoretical model, which takes into account transverse shear deformation, the mean radius change, the wall thickness change and pre-buckling deformation, is developed. By means of numerical calculation, pressure–ovalisation and pressure–axial strain curve are presented for T→P loading. Two failure modes were investigated during the loading path. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was further established in ABAQUS to confirm the accuracy of the theoretical model, and the results were found to be in good agreement in the small strain stage. Finally, additional parametric studies were conducted, including the effects of initial ovality, tension, pressure, loading path and pressure-to-tension ratio. Predicted T→P and P→T collapse interaction envelopes are presented and useful conclusions are drawn for RTP's marine engineering application.
Novel Nanoparticle‐Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites with Enhanced Mechanical Properties

This paper summarizes and reviews the state‐of‐the‐art processing methods, structures and mechanical properties of the metal matrix composites reinforced with ceramic nanoparticles. The metal matrices of nanocomposites involved include aluminum and magnesium. The processing approaches for nanocomposites can be classified into ex‐situ and in‐situ synthesis routes. The ex‐situ ceramic nanoparticles are prone to cluster during composite processing and the properties of materials are lower than the theoretical values. Despite the fact of clustering, ex‐situ nanocomposites reinforced with very low loading levels of nanoparticles exhibit higher yield strength and creep resistance than their microcomposite counterparts filled with much higher particulate content. Better dispersion of ceramic nanoparticles in metal matrix can be achieved by using appropriate processing techniques. Consequently, improvements in both the mechanical strength and ductility can be obtained readily in aluminum or magnesium by adding ceramic nanoparticles. Similar beneficial enhancements in mechanical properties are observed for the nanocomposites reinforced with in‐situ nanoparticles.
The Relevance of Emotional Intelligence in Personnel Selection for High Emotional Labor Jobs

Although a large number of studies have pointed to the potential of emotional intelligence (EI) in the context of personnel selection, research in real-life selection contexts is still scarce. The aim of the present study was to examine whether EI would predict Assessment Center (AC) ratings of job-relevant competencies in a sample of applicants for the position of a flight attendant. Applicants’ ability to regulate emotions predicted performance in group exercises. However, there were inconsistent effects of applicants’ ability to understand emotions: Whereas the ability to understand emotions had a positive effect on performance in interview and role play, the effect on performance in group exercises was negative. We suppose that the effect depends on task type and conclude that tests of emotional abilities should be used judiciously in personnel selection procedures.
Gene Expression Signature–Based Prognostic Risk Score in Gastric Cancer

Purpose: Despite continual efforts to develop a prognostic model of gastric cancer by using clinical and pathologic parameters, a clinical test that can discriminate patients with good outcomes from those with poor outcomes after gastric cancer surgery has not been established. We aim to develop practical biomarker-based risk score that can predict relapse of gastric cancer after surgical treatment. Experimental Design: Microarray technologies were used to generate and analyze gene expression profiling data from 65 gastric cancer patients to identify biomarker genes associated with relapse. The association of expression patterns of identified genes with relapse and overall survival was validated in independent gastric cancer patients. Results: We uncovered two subgroups of gastric cancer that were strongly associated with the prognosis. For the easy translation of our findings into practice, we developed a scoring system based on the expression of six genes that predicted the likelihood of relapse after curative resection. In multivariate analysis, the risk score was an independent predictor of relapse in a cohort of 96 patients. We were able to validate the robustness of the six-gene signature in an additional independent cohort. Conclusions: The risk score derived from the six-gene set successfully prognosticated the relapse of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy. Clin Cancer Res; 17(7); 1850–7. ©2011 AACR.