Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fluorescent Cell Barcoding as a Tool to Assess the Age-Related Development of Intracellular Cytokine Production in Small Amounts of Blood from Infants

Fluorescent Cell Barcoding (FCB) is a flow cytometric technique which has been used for assessing signaling proteins. This FCB technique has the potential to be applied in other multiparameter analyses. Since data on antigen (Ag)-specific T-cell immune responses, like intracellular cytokine production, are still lacking in infants because limited blood volumes can be obtained for analysis, the FCB technique could be very useful for this purpose. The objectives of this study were to modify the FCB method to be able to measure multiple Ag-specific cytokine reponses in T-cells upon simultaneous stimulation by various antigens and mitogens in small amounts of blood and to investigate the cytokine pattern of T-cell subsets in healthy infants aged six and twelve months. Blood samples, collected from 20 healthy infants aged six and twelve months, were stimulated in vitro with the antigens: phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA), purified-protein-derivative (PPD), Tetanus-toxoid (TT), Staphylococcal-enterotoxin-B (SEB), and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Each stimulus was barcoded by labelling with different intensities of fluorescent cell barcoding (FCB) markers. Intracellular production of interleukin-2, interferon-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha was measured simultaneously in just one blood sample of 600 µl whole blood. Significant age-related differences in cytokine production were shown for PMA, PHA, and TT in CD4(+) T-cells, and for PMA, PHA, SEB, and TT in CD8(+) T-cells. The intracellular cytokine production by CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells was higher at twelve months compared to six months of age for all antigens, except for PMA, which was lower at the age of twelve months. Based on the consistency in both T-cell subsets, we conclude that the new FCB method is a promising tool to investigate the age-related development of intracellular cytokine production in infants.
Cell-autonomous roles of the ecdysoneless gene in Drosophila development and oogenesis

Steroid signaling underlies developmental processes in animals. Mutations that impair steroidogenesis in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster provide tools to dissect steroid hormone action genetically. The widely used temperature-sensitive mutation ecdysoneless1 (ecd1) disrupts production of the steroid hormone ecdysone, and causes developmental and reproductive defects. These defects cannot be satisfactorily interpreted without analysis of the ecd gene. Here, we show that ecd encodes an as yet functionally undescribed protein that is conserved throughout eukaryotes. The ecd1 conditional allele contains an amino acid substitution, whereas three non-conditional larval lethal mutations result in truncated Ecd proteins. Consistent with its role in steroid synthesis, Ecd is expressed in the ecdysone-producing larval ring gland. However, development of ecd-null early larval lethal mutants cannot be advanced by Ecd expression targeted to the ring gland or by hormone feeding. Cell-autonomous ecd function, suggested by these experiments, is evidenced by the inability of ecd– clones to survive within developing imaginal discs. Ecd is also expressed in the ovary, and is required in both the follicle cells and the germline for oocyte development. These defects, induced by the loss of ecd, provide the first direct evidence for a cell-autonomous function of this evolutionarily conserved protein.
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy With Values

As a scientist with epidemiologic training, it has long been clear to me that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks, both on the individual and on the societal level. Both of my children are fully immunized on the standard schedule. Many of my friends’ children are not. When my 8-year-old was a toddler, I once noted that he was the only child in a playgroup who had received all of his vaccines on time. I felt connected in this group for other reasons; for example, I got helpful advice from other mothers about gently weaning a child at an age when most children have already stopped breastfeeding. Vaccines can be a difficult topic in such circles. When asked, I recommend that my friends and family talk to their child’s doctor or other health care provider about their questions. However, as a parent and a scientist in the field of medical decision-making, I offer my perspective on what I understand about the risks and benefits of different vaccines, the limits of my understanding, and why my husband and I had our children vaccinated without hesitation. Specifically, I talk about my family’s values and how those values have helped determine our decisions to immunize our children. I compare the best estimates of the small risks of vaccines against estimated risks of exposure to a vaccine-preventable disease in an increasingly global world, and the likelihood of complications should such a disease strike an unvaccinated child. I explain how I am willing to accept the very small risks of vaccines because I could never live with myself if my children … Address correspondence to Holly O. Witteman, PhD, Pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry, Local 2881-F, Universite Laval, Quebec City (QC), Canada G1V 0A6. E-mail: holly.witteman{at}fmed.ulaval. ca
Roughness of esterified eastern cottonwood

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of esterification via acetic or propionic anhydride on the surface roughness of eastern cottonwood. Eastern cottonwood (Populous deltoides) was esterified by using acetic or propionic anhydride without using any solvent or catalyst under different conditions. Two different weight percentage gains (WPGs) were obtained for each of the modifying chemicals. Three main surface roughness parameters, namely average roughness (Ra), mean peak to valley height (Rz) and maximum roughess (Rmax) were measured by a stylus method before and after esterification. The surface roughness was significantly increased due to the esterifications. The surface roughness of wood increased with increasing WPG.
Adaptive QoS-Aware Service Process Reconfiguration

During the execution of a QoS-aware service process, Web Services (WSs) may become faulty and cause the whole process to violate the predefined QoS constraints. Service processes need to adapt to the runtime faults so as to support reliable service-based applications. In this paper, we study the problem of runtime service process reconfiguration under end-to-end QoS constraints. An adaptive QoS-aware service process reconfiguration approach is proposed to solve the problem efficiently with low reconfiguration costs. In our approach, supplementary services are selected during service composition and then used as a backup source for efficient recovery, a region-based reconfiguration algorithm is proposed to minimize the reconfiguration cost by identifying a limited reconfiguration region that includes a small number of services. Experimental results show that, by using our approach, a high percentage of faulty service processes can be successfully reconfigured with high efficiency and significant cost savings.
The use of HF radar surface currents for computing Lagrangian trajectories: Benefits and issues

Surface coastal currents mapped by a pair of high frequency ground-wave radars (HFR) have been used to predict Lagrangian trajectories in the proximity of Heron Island (Capricorn Bunker Group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia), and to compare with the current data measured by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) at three mooring stations. Overall the HRF and ADCP absolute current speeds showed a difference less than ±0.15 m s−1 for 68% of the observations. A good agreement between HFR (at a depth of 1.5 m) and ADCP (at a depth of 5.5 m) data were observed for the u-component (cross-shelf) which presented a stronger tidal signal, while a poor comparison was found for the v-component (north-south) more influenced by the south-easterly and northerly winds. The HFR allowed inclusion of not only the temporal, but also the spatial current variability in the tracking computation. This proved to be crucial because the Lagrangian trajectories were very sensitive to the starting position and time in the studied area, where the currents exhibit a large spatial variation imposed by tides, winds, large scale circulation and topography. One challenge in applying HFR data for Lagrangian tracking consists of estimating the missing values and including the effects of small scale fluctuations.
Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intention of Missionaries

Affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover intention were surveyed in 468 missionaries. Tenure in the organization was a stronger predictor of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover intention than was age (i.e., Generation X vs. older generations). Three models relating job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment to turnover intention were tested using structural equation modeling. When balancing model fit, and simplicity, one model was preferred—the model in which job satisfaction predicted affective organizational commitment, which in turn explained turnover intention. Mission agencies are encouraged to give greater attention to tenure than to age and to not ignore the role that job satisfaction plays in members’ commitment to the organization and intention to leave.
Renal Protection From Prolonged Cold Ischemia and Warm Reperfusion in Hibernating Squirrels

Background. We have previously shown that cold ischemia (CI) results in massive increases in caspase-3 activity, tubular apoptosis, and brush border injury (BBI) in mouse kidneys. During hibernation, the 13-lined ground squirrel (GS) cycles through repeated CI during torpor, followed by warm ischemia/reperfusion (WI) during interbout arousal (IBA). We sought to determine whether CI and WI during hibernation caused caspase-3 activation, tubular apoptosis, acute tubular necrosis, or BBI, and reduced renal function. We also determined whether protection was dependent on the stage of hibernation. Methods. Radiotelemeters were implanted in 1-year-old GS, and core body temperature was remotely monitored. GS kidneys at various stages of hibernation were subjected to ex vivo CI. Results. Tubular apoptosis was not detected and caspase-3-like activity was not different between hibernating and summer kidneys. Despite prolonged CI followed by WI and reperfusion, acute tubular necrosis and apoptosis did not occur in hibernating kidneys. BBI was absent in torpid kidneys but significantly increased in IBA kidneys and associated with an increase in caspase-3-like activity, suggesting that IBA kidneys are more susceptible to injury than summer or torpid kidneys. Renal function and urine concentrating ability diminished during torpor but returned during IBA. Conclusions. Despite BBI, IBA kidneys clear serum creatinine and concentrate urine. Kidneys from both summer and hibernating animals tolerated ex vivo CI, confirming that protection from apoptotic and necrotic cell death is independent of the stage of hibernation. An understanding of how renal protection occurs during hibernation may help in understanding the pathophysiology of delayed graft function.
Influence of parental history of hypertension on screen time and physical activity in young offspring

Objective: Epidemiological data on the relationship between parental hypertension and lifestyle factors among children are limited. We assessed the associations between positive parental history of hypertension with a range of indicators of sedentariness (television viewing, computer and videogame usage) and physical activity (outdoor and indoor activity) among prepubertal children. Methods: Six-year-old (1765 of 2238 eligible) students from a random cluster sample of 34 Sydney schools were examined. Parents completed questionnaires about their medical conditions and the child's activities. If the biological mother and/or father had hypertension, then this was classified as positive parental history of hypertension. Results: Parents of 160 (9.2%) children gave a positive family history of hypertension. After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, parental education and employment and exposure to passive smoking, children with, compared with those without, a family history of hypertension were more likely to spend above the median time (hours/day) watching television and playing videogames [odds ratio (OR) 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.96; OR 1.52, CI 1.12–2.06, respectively]. The offspring of hypertensive parents were more likely to spend above the median time in total physical activity (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.23–2.27). Maternal (but not paternal) hypertension was associated with increased time spent watching television (P = 0.03) and in outdoor activity (P = 0.01). Conclusion: Parental hypertension influences the time that prepubertal offspring spend in both active and sedentary pursuits. These findings highlight potential factors that could be addressed in the development of cardiovascular disease-preventive measures starting early in life among the offspring of hypertensive parents.
Sensory cues and shoppers’ touching behaviour: the case of IKEA

Purpose – The presented research aims to depict shoppers' touching behaviour in relation to the introduction of visual and olfactory sensory cues at point‐of‐purchase in a retail setting. In the field of retailing research, there is a paucity of knowledge on how visual and olfactory sensory cues impact on consumers' touch behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – The author presents a review of theoretically relevant work from retailing and consumer psychology, and an original study examining the impact of visual and olfactory sensory cues on consumer touch behaviour. The study was a field experiment in the glass department of the Swedish retailer IKEA. The design was quasi‐experimental with a convenience sample of shoppers assigned to a control group (n=451) and an experimental group (n=435). Findings – In the reported study, the author finds significant differences between shoppers' touching behaviour in a manipulated point‐of‐purchase compared to a conventional one. The findings show that visual and olfac.
A core ontology for requirements

In their seminal paper ACM T. Softw. Eng. Methodol. , 61 1997, 1--30, Zave and Jackson established a core ontology for Requirements Engineering RE and used it to formulate the “requirements problem”, thereby defining what it means to successfully complete RE. Starting from the premise that the stakeholders of the system-to-be communicate to the software engineer the information needed to perform RE, Zave and Jackson's ontology is shown to be incomplete, in that it does not cover all classes of basic concerns --namely, the beliefs, desires, intentions, and evaluations --that the stakeholders communicate. In response, we provide a new core ontology for requirements that covers these classes of basic stakeholder concerns. The proposed new core ontology leads to a new formulation of the requirements problem. We thereby establish a new framework for the information that needs to be elicited over the course of RE and new criteria for determining whether an RE problem has been successfully addressed.
A Framework for the Evaluation of Hotel Websites: The Case of Greece

It is essential for hotel companies to evaluate and improve website performance in order to keep and increase their online presence and competitiveness in the marketplace. This article proposes an evaluation framework for hotel websites, which categorizes web information services into six information dimensions and also uses managers’ and users’ views. Based on the relative literature, the model proposes some improvements, taking into account certain aspects of the evaluation procedure. An application compares the performance of the top 25 hotel brand websites with the Greek hotel websites. Top hotels lead in Facilities, Guest contact, Reservation/prices, and Surrounding area information provision, while Greek hotel websites fall back especially in providing online reservation and prices information.
Cavitation fatigue and its reversal in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

"Cavitation fatigue" is the increased susceptibility of a xylem conduit to cavitation as a result of its prior cavitation. It was investigated whether cavitation fatigue induced in vivo could be repaired in intact plants. Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) were subjected to soil drought in the greenhouse. Native embolism and vulnerability to cavitation was measured in well-watered controls and after 5 d and 10 d of controlled drought. A dramatic cavitation fatigue was observed where droughted xylem that was refilled in the laboratory developed up to 60 PLC (percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity) at -1 MPa versus only 5.2 PLC in non-droughted controls. Rewatered plants showed the complete reversal of cavitation fatigue over 4 d. Reversal of fatigue was correlated with the refilling of embolized vessels in the intact plants (r(2)=0.91, P<0.01), suggesting that xylem transport to fatigued vessels was required for their repair. The in vivo reversal of fatigue was partially duplicated in excised stem segments by perfusing them with root exudates from droughted (DR) and well-watered (WW) plants. The DR exudate had a greater effect, and this was associated with a greater pH in the DR versus WW saps, but there was no difference in total cation concentration. Perfusions with 2 mM CaCl(2) and KCl solutions also partially reversed cavitation fatigue as opposed to no effect with deionized water, suggesting a role of ions in addition to a pH effect. It is suspected that fatigue is caused by stretching and partial disruption of linkages between cellulose microfibrils in inter-conduit pit membranes during air seeding, and that the reversal of fatigue involves restoring these linkages by ingredients in xylem sap.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Functional Anatomy: Use for Small Animal Epilepsy Models

Summary: Neuroimaging has greatly assisted the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Volumetric analysis, diffusion‐weighted imaging, and other magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities provide a clear picture of altered anatomical structures in both focal and nonfocal disease. More recently, advances in novel imaging methodologies have provided unique insights into this disease. Two examples include manganese‐enhanced MRI (MEMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). MEMRI involves injection of MnCl2 to evaluate neuronal activity where it is actively transported. Areas of neuronal hyperactivity are expected to have altered uptake and transport. Mapping of activation along preferential uptake pathways can be confirmed by T1‐weighted imaging. DTI uses the intrinsic preferential mobility of water movement along axonal pathways to map anatomical regions. DTI has been used to investigate white matter disease and is now being applied to clinical and, to a lesser extent, animal investigations of seizure disorders. These two diverse MRI methods can be applied to animal models to provide important information about the functional status of anatomical regions that may be altered by epilepsy.
Elastase Deficiency Phenotype of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Canine Otitis Externa Isolates

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa veterinary isolates were assayed for elastase and total matrix protease activity. The elastase activity of canine ear isolates was much less than that of strain PAO1 and that of all other veterinary isolates (P < 0.0001). The results indicate that canine ear isolates have a distinct elastase phenotype.
Singular and hierarchical vector functions for multiscale problems

A number of new hierarchical and singular (scalar and vector) basis functions for field representation in two- and three-dimensional cells have been recently developed and discussed in a set of different papers, and in a new book. The hierarchical functions are designed for adaptive p-refinement on domain meshed with differently shaped cells. The functions guarantee built-in continuity on the common boundaries of adjacent cells for the tangent and normal vector component in the curl- and in the divergence-conforming case, respectively. The polynomial order of the functions may vary from cell to cell to facilitate application to multiscale problems, and to permit one to use cells of large size. At the oral presentation we will review these functions and their key features, and present new results obtained with their use.
Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function and Fatigability in Older Adults.

BACKGROUND Fatigability increases while the capacity for mitochondrial energy production tends to decrease significantly with age. Thus, diminished mitochondrial function may contribute to higher levels of fatigability in older adults. METHODS The relationship between fatigability and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function was examined in 30 participants aged 78.5 ± 5.0 years (47% female, 93% white), with a body mass index of 25.9 ± 2.7 kg/m(2) and usual gait-speed of 1.2 ± 0.2 m/s. Fatigability was defined using rating of perceived exertion (6-20 point Borg scale) after a 5-minute treadmill walk at 0.72 m/s. Phosphocreatine recovery in the quadriceps was measured using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and images of the quadriceps were captured to calculate quadriceps volume. ATPmax (mM ATP/s) and oxidative capacity of the quadriceps (ATPmax·Quadriceps volume) were calculated. Peak aerobic capacity (VO2peak) was measured using a modified Balke protocol. RESULTS ATPmax·Quadriceps volume was associated with VO2peak and was 162.61mM ATP·mL/s lower (p = .03) in those with high (rating of perceived exertion ≥10) versus low (rating of perceived exertion ≤9) fatigability. Participants with high fatigability required a significantly higher proportion of VO2peak to walk at 0.72 m/s compared with those with low fatigability (58.7 ± 19.4% vs 44.9 ± 13.2%, p < .05). After adjustment for age and sex, higher ATPmax was associated with lower odds of having high fatigability (odds ratio: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.11-1.01, p = .05). CONCLUSIONS Lower capacity for oxidative phosphorylation in the quadriceps, perhaps by contributing to lower VO2peak, is associated with higher fatigability in older adults.
Myosin Heavy Chain Composition of Muscle Spindles in Human Biceps Brachii

Data on the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) composition of human muscle spindles are scarce in spite of the well-known correlation between MyHC composition and functional properties of skeletal muscle fibers. The MyHC composition of intrafusal fibers from 36 spindles of human biceps brachii muscle was studied in detail by immunocytochemistry with a large battery of antibodies. The MyHC content of isolated muscle spindles was assessed with SDS-PAGE and immunoblots. Four major MyHC isoforms (MyHCI, IIa, embryonic, and intrafusal) were detected with SDS-PAGE. Immunocytochemistry revealed very complex staining patterns for each intrafusal fiber type. The bag1 fibers contained slow tonic MyHC along their entire fiber length and MyHCI, α-cardiac, embryonic, and fetal isoforms along a variable part of their length. The bag2 fibers contained MyHC slow tonic, I, α-cardiac, embryonic, and fetal isoforms with regional variations. Chain fibers contained MyHCIIa, embryonic, and fetal isoforms throughout the fiber, and MyHCIIx at least in the juxtaequatorial region. Virtually each muscle spindle had a different allotment of numbers of bag1, bag2 and chain fibers. Taken together, the complexity in intrafusal fiber content and MyHC composition observed indicate that each muscle spindle in the human biceps has a unique identity.