Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new cross-streamline particle migration mechanism in a dilute suspension of spheres in shear flow confined by planar walls

The effects of confinement on the dynamics of binary encounters between spherical particles in shear flow are studied for a system bounded by a single planar wall or two parallel planar walls under creeping flow conditions. We show that wall proximity gives rise to a new class of binary trajectories resulting in cross-streamline migration of the particles. In contrast, in unbounded space spherical particles on open trajectories return to their original streamlines after a binary encounter is completed (when there are no non-hydrodynamic forces). Thus, the new type of trajectories constitutes the dominant cross-streamline migration mechanism in dilute wall-bounded suspensions. The physical origin of the new trajectories is explained in terms of counter-rotation of particle pairs that is driven by the dynamic pressure distribution. The effect of the new migration mechanism in dilute suspensions is illustrated using a Boltzmann–Monte Carlo simulation technique. Some other implications of our findings are indicated.
CTLA-4 ligation blocks CD28-dependent T cell activation [published erratum appears in J Exp Med 1996 Jul 1;184(1):301]

CTLA-4 is a CD28 homologue believed to be a negative regulator of T cell function. However, the mechanism of this downregulatory activity is not well understood. The present study was designed to examine the effect of CTLA-4 ligation on cytokine production, cell survival, and cell cycle progression. The results demonstrate that the primary effect of CTLA-4 ligation is not the induction of apoptosis. Instead, CTLA-4 signaling blocks IL-2 production, IL-2 receptor expression, and cell cycle progression of activated T cells. Moreover, the effect of CTLA-4 signaling was manifested after initial T cell activation. Inhibition of IL-2 receptor expression and cell cycle progression was more pronounced at late (72 h) time points after initial activation. The effects of anti-CTLA-4 mAbs were most apparent in the presence of optimal CD28- mediated costimulation consistent with the finding that CTLA-4 upregulation was CD28-dependent. Finally, the addition of exogenous IL- 2 to the cultures restored IL-2 receptor expression and T cell proliferation. These results suggest that CTLA-4 signaling does not regulate cell survival or responsiveness to IL-2, but does inhibit CD28- dependent IL-2 production.
Consumer experiences in a consumer-driven health plan.

OBJECTIVE To assess the experience of enrollees in a consumer-driven health plan (CDHP). DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Survey of University of Minnesota employees regarding their 2002 health benefits. STUDY DESIGN Comparison of regression-adjusted mean values for CDHP and other plan enrollees: customer service, plan paperwork, overall satisfaction, and plan switching. For CDHP enrollees only, use of plan features, willingness to recommend the plan to others, and reports of particularly negative or positive experiences. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS There were significant differences in experiences of CDHP enrollees versus enrollees in other plans with customer service and paperwork, but similar levels of satisfaction (on a 10-point scale) with health plans. Eight percent of CDHP enrollees left their plan after one year, compared to 5 percent of enrollees leaving other plans. A minority of CDHP enrollees used online plan features, but enrollees generally were satisfied with the amount and quality of the information provided by the CDHP. Almost half reported a particularly positive experience, compared to a quarter reporting a particularly negative experience. Thirty percent said they would recommend the plan to others, while an additional 57 percent said they would recommend it depending on the situation. CONCLUSIONS Much more work is needed to determine how consumer experience varies with the number and type of plan options available, the design of the CDHP, and the length of time in the CDHP. Research also is needed on the factors that affect consumer decisions to leave CDHPs.
Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Leukocyte Lipid Body Formation In Vivo: Innate Immunity Elicited Intracellular Loci Involved in Eicosanoid Metabolism1

Lipid bodies are rapidly inducible, specialized cytoplasmic domains for eicosanoid-forming enzyme localization, which we hypothesize to have specific roles in enhanced inflammatory mediator production during pathological conditions, including sepsis. However, little is known about the origins, composition, or functions of lipid bodies in vivo. We show that lipid body numbers were increased in leukocytes from septic patients in comparison with healthy subjects. Analogously, the intrathoracic administration of LPS into mice induced a dose- and time-dependent increase in lipid body numbers. Pretreatment with anti-CD14 or anti-CD11b/CD18 mAb drastically inhibited LPS-induced lipid body formation. Moreover, LPS failed to form lipid bodies in C3H/HeJ (TLR4 mutated) mice, demonstrating a requisite role for LPS receptors in lipid body formation. LPS-induced lipid body formation was also inhibited by the platelet-activating factor-receptor antagonists, suggesting a role for endogenous platelet-activating factor. The eicosanoid-forming enzymes, 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase-2, were immunolocalized within experimentally induced (LPS in mice) or naturally occurring (septic patients) lipid bodies. The proinflammatory cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis, TNF-α, was also shown to colocalize within lipid bodies. Prior stimulation of leukocytes to form lipid bodies enhanced the capacity of leukocytes to produce leukotriene B4 and PGE2. In conclusion, our studies indicate that lipid bodies formed after LPS stimulation and sepsis are sites for eicosanoid-forming enzymes and cytokine localization and may develop and function as structurally distinct, intracellular sites for paracrine eicosanoid synthesis during inflammatory conditions.
Oncogenic Ras Sensitizes Normal Human Cells to Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand-Induced Apoptosis

Tumor necrosis factor-α-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a cytotoxic cytokine that induces apoptosis in tumor cells but rarely kills normal ones. To determine how normal human cells acquire TRAIL-sensitive phenotype during the process of malignant transformation, we used an experimental system that allows for controlled conversion of human cells from normal to cancerous by introduction of several genes. Human embryonic kidney cells and foreskin fibroblasts were first immortalized by combination of the early region of simian virus 40 and telomerase and then were transformed with oncogenic Ras. Both normal and immortalized cells were resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, whereas Ras-transformed cells were susceptible. Ras transformation enhanced TRAIL-induced activation of caspase 8 by increasing its recruitment to TRAIL receptors. The proapoptotic effects of Ras could be reversed by mutations in its effector loop or by inhibitors of either farnesyl transferase or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. The expression of constitutively activated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 enhanced caspase 8 recruitment and sensitized immortalized human embryonic kidney cells to TRAIL-induced death. These results indicate that in normal human cells the TRAIL-induced apoptotic signal is blocked at the level of caspase 8 recruitment and that this block can be eliminated by Ras transformation, involving activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
Stability of an Asynchronous Swarm With Time-Dependent Communication Links

In this correspondence, we consider a simple model of interacting agents with fixed or time-dependent communication links. We allow for asynchronous operation and time delays in the information flow. We show that the convergence of the states of the agents to a common value will be achieved, provided that old information is uniformly purged from the system. The considered model finds an application not only in swarming but also in other fields, including synchronization and distributed decision making or consensus seeking.
Probabilistic quantitative precipitation field forecasting using a two-stage spatial model

Abstract : Short-range forecasts of precipitation fields are required in a wealth of agricultural, hydrological, ecological and other applications. Forecasts from numerical weather prediction models are often biased and do not provide uncertainty information. Here we present a postprocessing technique for such numerical forecasts that produces correlated probabilistic forecasts of precipitation accumulation at multiple sites simultaneously. The statistical model is a spatial version of a two-stage model that describes the distribution of precipitation with a mixture of a point mass at zero and a Gamma density for the continuous distribution of precipitation accumulation. Spatial correlation is captured by assuming that two Gaussian processes drive precipitation occurrence and precipitation amount, respectively. The first process is latent and governs precipitation occurrence via a truncation. The second process explains the spatial correlation in precipitation accumulation. It is related to precipitation via a site-specific transformation function, so to retain the marginal right-skewed distribution of precipitation while modeling spatial dependence. Both processes take into account the information contained in the numerical weather forecast and are modeled as stationary, isotropic spatial processes with an exponential correlation function. The two-stage spatial model was applied to forecasts of daily precipitation accumulation over the Pacific Northwest in 2004, at a prediction horizon of 48 hours. The predictive distributions from the two-stage spatial model were calibrated and sharp, and out-performed reference forecasts for spatially composite and areally averaged quantities.
Cognitive Addition : A Short Longitudinal Study of Strategy Choice and Speed-of-Processing Differences in Normal and Mathematically Disabled Children

This study provided a longitudinal assessment of skill development in addition for 26 normal and 12 mathematically disabled firstor second-grade children. At the first time of measurement, the children solved 40 simple addition problems. Ten months later, all subjects were readministered the addition task and a measure of working memory resources. Across times of measurement, the normal group showed increased reliance on memory retrieval and decreased reliance on counting to solve the addition problems, as well as an increase in speed of counting and of retrieving addition facts from long-term memory. The math-disabled group showed no reliable change in the mix of problem-solving strategies or in the rate of executing the counting or memory retrieval strategies. Finally, reliable differences, favoring the normal group, were found for the index of working memory resources.
Crp Induces Switching of the CsrB and CsrC RNAs in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Links Nutritional Status to Virulence

Colonization of the intestinal tract and dissemination into deeper tissues by the enteric pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis demands expression of a special set of virulence factors important for the initiation and the persistence of the infection. In this study we demonstrate that many virulence-associated functions are coregulated with the carbohydrate metabolism. This link is mediated by the carbon storage regulator (Csr) system, including the regulatory RNAs CsrB and CsrC, and the cAMP receptor protein (Crp), which both control virulence gene expression in response to the nutrient composition of the medium. Here, we show that Crp regulates the synthesis of both Csr RNAs in an opposite manner. A loss of the crp gene resulted in a strong upregulation of CsrB synthesis, whereas CsrC levels were strongly reduced leading to downregulation of the virulence regulator RovA. Switching of the Csr RNA involves Crp-mediated repression of the response regulator UvrY which activates csrB transcription. To elucidate the regulatory links between virulence and carbon metabolism, we performed comparative metabolome, transcriptome, and phenotypic microarray analyses and found that Crp promotes oxidative catabolism of many different carbon sources, whereas fermentative patterns of metabolism are favored when crp is deleted. Mouse infection experiments further demonstrated that Crp is pivotal for a successful Y. pseudotuberculosis infection. In summary, placement of the Csr system and important virulence factors under control of Crp enables this pathogen to link its nutritional status to virulence in order to optimize biological fitness and infection efficiency through the infectious life cycle.
Effect of the G375C and G346E Achondroplasia Mutations on FGFR3 Activation

Two mutations in FGFR3, G380R and G375C are known to cause achondroplasia, the most common form of human dwarfism. The G380R mutation accounts for 98% of the achondroplasia cases, and thus has been studied extensively. Here we study the effect of the G375C mutation on the phosphorylation and the cross-linking propensity of full-length FGFR3 in HEK 293 cells, and we compare the results to previously published results for the G380R mutant. We observe identical behavior of the two achondroplasia mutants in these experiments, a finding which supports a direct link between the severity of dwarfism phenotypes and the level and mechanism of FGFR3 over-activation. The mutations do not increase the cross-linking propensity of FGFR3, contrary to previous expectations that the achondroplasia mutations stabilize the FGFR3 dimers. Instead, the phosphorylation efficiency within un-liganded FGFR3 dimers is increased, and this increase is likely the underlying cause for pathogenesis in achondroplasia. We further investigate the G346E mutation, which has been reported to cause achondroplasia in one case. We find that this mutation does not increase FGFR3 phosphorylation and decreases FGFR3 cross-linking propensity, a finding which raises questions whether this mutation is indeed a genetic cause for human dwarfism.
Vermicomposting of olive oil mill wastewaters

The disposal of olive oil mill wastewaters (OMW) represents a substantial environmental problem in Italy. A vermicompost process could be an alternative and valid method for the management of OMW. In a laboratory experiment, the OMW were absorbed onto a ligno-cellulosic solid matrix and 30 adult earthworms of Eisenia fetida specie were added. The experiment was carried out for 13 weeks. The number of earthworms increased throughout the experimental period and after 2 weeks about 90% of the earthworms had become sexually mature. The decrease in total organic carbon (about 35%), C : N ratio (from 31.2 to 12.3) and biochemical parameters (hydrolytic enzymes averagely 40% and dehydrogenase 23%), and the increase in humification rate (pyrophosphate extractable carbon (PEC) from 17.6 to 33.3 mg g—1, and PEC : water-soluble carbon from 1.76 to 2.97) indicated the mineralization and the stabilization of organic matter at the end of the vermicomposting process. At the end of the experiment, the extracellular β-glucosidase, phosphatase, urease and protease activities, measured in the pyrophosphate extract of the vermicompost, were found to be always higher or equal to that measured at the beginning of the vermicomposting process, suggesting that the enzymes bound to humic matter resisted biological attack and environmental stress. Moreover, the results obtained from the phyto-test showed that the OMW lose their toxicity and stimulate plant germination and growth.
Cervical cancer screening and HPV genotype distribution among asymptomatic patients of Karachi Pakistan

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in females worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a sexually transmitted infection. However, in addition to HPV infection, other factors exist that influence the risk of developing cervical cancer. In Pakistan most women who developed cervical cancer have been infrequently or never screened. Objective: To determine the prevalence of HPV infection and its subtype profile among asymptomatic patients with pre cancerous cervical intraepithelial lesion. Methods: In this hospital-based descriptive study, 160 asymptomatic females attending gynecology clinics were subjected to HPV screening after obtaining informed consent. Cervical Scrapings were examined by cytopathology and colposcopic directed biopsies taken. High-grade intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) CIN-2, and Low-grade intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) CIN-1 were selected. Samples were analyzed for the presence of HPV-DNA general and type specific genotype 16 and 18. HPV- DNA was extracted by QIA amp DNA kit protocol and amplification was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyped by type specific primers. Results: Out of 160, 17 Pap smear tests were positive, 6 (35.3%) with abnormal results (HSIL) CIN-2 were HPV-DNA positive. Among them, 5 (83.3%) had subtype 16 and in 1 (16.7%) case the genotype was undetectable. The remaining 11(6.9%) with pre cancer minimal abnormal (LSIL) CIN-1 presented. Out of them 3 (27.3%) were HPV-DNA positive with subtype 16. Five (45.4%) were followed by repeated pap smear every six months for two years, and the rest of 3 (27.3%) patients refused for the test. Conclusion: A high incidence of Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is found in women with pre cancerous lesion of cervix in Pakistani women.
Superoxide does not mediate the acute vasoconstrictor effects of angiotensin II: a study in human and porcine arteries

Objective To investigate whether superoxide mediates angiotensin (Ang) II-induced vasoconstriction. Methods Human coronary arteries (HCAs), porcine femoral arteries (PFA) and porcine coronary arteries (PCAs) were mounted in organ baths and concentration–response curves to Ang II, the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and the NAD(P)H oxidase substrate NADH were constructed in the absence and presence of superoxide inhibiting and activating drugs. Extracellular superoxide was measured using cytochrome c reduction. Results Ang II constricted both HCAs and PFAs. In HCAs, the NAD(P)H inhibitors diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) and apocynin, and the xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitor allopurinol, but not the superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic tempol or the SOD inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate (DETCA), reduced this constriction. Catalase potentiated Ang II in HCAs, indicating a vasodilator role for H2O2. DPI, tempol and SOD did not affect Ang II in PFAs. DPI, apocynin and allopurinol relaxed preconstricted HCAs. Although the relaxant effects of the NO donor SNAP in PCAs was reduced by DETCA, indicating that superoxide-induced constrictions depend on NO inactivation, the apocynin-induced relaxations were NO independent. Moreover, NADH relaxed all vessels, and this effect was blocked by KCl but not DPI or NO removal. Xanthine plus XO also relaxed HCAs and PCAs. Incubation of human or porcine arteries with Ang II or NADH did not result in detectable increases of extracellular superoxide within 1 h. Conclusions Acute vasoconstriction by Ang II is not mediated via superoxide generated through NAD(P)H oxidase and/or XO activation. Such activation, if occurring, rather results in the generation of the vasodilator H2O2.
Web-based Sales: Defining the Cognitive Buyer

Marketing on the Web represents a radical departure from the traditional thinking. Traditional mass marketing channels broadcast information from as single source to mass audience. The relationship represents a one-to-many communications model where the entire audience is treated the same way. This article explores the forces contributing to the transformation of buyer behavior when buyers use the Web for making purchase decisions. These forces include trends in the marketplace, where products are becoming more complex and plentiful.
Listen, Attend, and Walk: Neural Mapping of Navigational Instructions to Action Sequences

We propose a neural sequence-to-sequence model for direction following, a task that is essential to realizing effective autonomous agents. Our alignment-based encoder-decoder model with long short-term memory recurrent neural networks (LSTM-RNN) translates natural language instructions to action sequences based upon a representation of the observable world state. We introduce a multi-level aligner that empowers our model to focus on sentence "regions" salient to the current world state by using multiple abstractions of the input sentence. In contrast to existing methods, our model uses no specialized linguistic resources (e.g., parsers) or task-specific annotations (e.g., seed lexicons). It is therefore generalizable, yet still achieves the best results reported to-date on a benchmark single-sentence dataset and competitive results for the limited-training multi-sentence setting. We analyze our model through a series of ablations that elucidate the contributions of the primary components of our model.
Spatiotemporal Annotation: Interaction between Standards and other Formats

Standards and the need for standards, for example for annotation purposes, only emerge after a period of time. Before, people just did what they thought was right. This may have resulted in large amounts of data in a format that in the end did not turn out to be on speaking terms with the (new) standard. This format may even have become a de facto standard for a particular language or in a particular domain. In this paper we discuss an approach for situations in which ISOcat is used to mediate between such formats. Another task for ISOcat is to indicate the possible re-use of the output of semantic annotation X using format Y for a new annotation Z. These possibilities are to a large extent determined by the compatibility of the (definitions of the) data categories used in both. The spatiotemporal annotation schema STEx, as used in the SoNaR-corpus, is central to this paper. Its input consists of other (semantic) annotations. In the TTNWW-project1 STEx is related to relevant standards, like ISO-Time ML, and state-of-the-art formats, like Spatial ML. We describe which conditions should be met and how ISOcat can offer a helping hand.
Tagging thinking types in asynchronous discussion groups: effects on critical thinking

The present study focuses on the use of thinking types as a possible way to structure university students' discourse in asynchronous discussion groups and consequently promote their learning. More specifically, the aim of the study is to determine how requiring students to label their contributions by means of De Bono's (1991) thinking hats affects the ongoing critical thinking processes reflected in the discussion. The results suggest that tagging thinking types significantly promotes critical thinking in general and the critical thinking processes during problem identification and problem exploration, in particular. More specifically, it appears that requiring students to reflect on the type of thinking in their contributions stimulates more indepth and focused contributions and, more frequent input of new problem-related information and new ideas for discussion.