Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mast cells mediate neutrophil recruitment and vascular leakage through the NLRP3 inflammasome in histamine-independent urticaria

Urticarial rash observed in cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) caused by nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain–leucine-rich repeats containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) mutations is effectively suppressed by anti–interleukin (IL)-1 treatment, suggesting a pathophysiological role of IL-1β in the skin. However, the cellular mechanisms regulating IL-1β production in the skin of CAPS patients remain unclear. We identified mast cells (MCs) as the main cell population responsible for IL-1β production in the skin of CAPS patients. Unlike normal MCs that required stimulation with proinflammatory stimuli for IL-1β production, resident MCs from CAPS patients constitutively produced IL-1β. Primary MCs expressed inflammasome components and secreted IL-1β via NLRP3 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain when stimulated with microbial stimuli known to activate caspase-1. Furthermore, MCs expressing disease-associated but not wild-type NLRP3 secreted IL-1β and induced neutrophil migration and vascular leakage, the histological hallmarks of urticarial rash, when transplanted into mouse skin. Our findings implicate MCs as IL-1β producers in the skin and mediators of histamine-independent urticaria through the NLRP3 inflammasome.
Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis among asymptomatic HIV+ patients in Guangxi, China.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among asymptomatic Chinese patients with HIV infection has not been investigated despite high tuberculosis burden in China. This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of PTB among asymptomatic patients with HIV/AIDS in Guangxi to facilitate the development of diagnostic and treatment strategies. METHODS All asymptomatic adult HIV-infected patients with CD4 < 350 cells/µl who attended four HIV clinics in Guangxi between August 2006 and March 2008 were evaluated for active PTB with physical examination, chest X-ray (CXR), sputum smear and/or sputum liquid culture. Data were described using median (interquartile range, IQR) and frequencies. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with PTB. RESULTS Among 340 asymptomatic subjects, 15 (4%) were diagnosed with PTB, with 4 (27%) sputum smear positive and 8 (53%) sputum culture positive. CXR has higher diagnostic sensitivity (87%) than sputum smear (25%) and sputum culture (67%), but lower specificity (56%) compared with sputum smear (99%) and culture (100%). In univariate analysis, injection drug user, body mass index (BMI) < 18 kg/m(2), CD4 < 50 cells/µl and presence of peripheral lymphadenopathy were associated with an increased risk of asymptomatic PTB, while in multivariate analysis only peripheral lymphadenopathy maintained statistical significance (OR = 7.6, 95%CI 1.4 - 40). Patients with negative smear and minor or no abnormalities on CXR had longer interval between screening and TB treatment. CONCLUSIONS PTB was relatively common in this group of HIV(+) asymptomatic Chinese patients. Diagnosis is challenging especially where sputum culture is unavailable. These findings suggest that an enhanced evaluation for PTB needs to be integrated with HIV care in China and transmission prevention in China to control at both households and health care facilities, especially for patients with factors associated with a higher risk of PTB.
Modelling and control of optical manipulation for cell rotation

Optical tweezers has become a powerful tool in automated cell transportation control and has been used in a variety of biological applications. The use of optical tweezers for cell surgery has great potential for various biomedical applications such as microinjection, organelle extraction and modification, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). In these cell surgical manipulation tasks, the cell of interest must be oriented properly such that the desired component, e.g., the polar-body or organelles, can be visualized by optical microscopy; thus cell rotation becomes a necessary procedure. Currently, cell rotational control can be carried out by laser tools that are usually handled by skilled people. The open-loop manual operation cannot be readily used for applications requiring precise and high throughput cell rotational control. This highlights the need of developing an automated controlled robot manipulator to rotate biological cells more accurately and efficiently. In this paper, we propose a cell surgery system that utilizes two optical traps, generated by robotically controlled holographic optical tweezers (HOT), to manipulate the cell for rotation, where the optical tweezers functions as special robot manipulators. Through dynamic modeling using T-matrix approach, the relationship between the applied torques and the spherical coordinates of the optical tweezers is characterized. A rotational controller is further developed to rotate the cell to the pre-desired orientation accurately. Experiments are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
SH3BP2 Gain-Of-Function Mutation Exacerbates Inflammation and Bone Loss in a Murine Collagen-Induced Arthritis Model

Objective SH3BP2 is a signaling adapter protein which regulates immune and skeletal systems. Gain-of-function mutations in SH3BP2 cause cherubism, characterized by jawbone destruction. This study was aimed to examine the role of SH3BP2 in inflammatory bone loss using a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. Methods CIA was induced in wild-type (Sh3bp2+/+) and heterozygous P416R SH3BP2 cherubism mutant knock-in (Sh3bp2KI/+) mice, an SH3BP2 gain-of-function model. Severity of the arthritis was determined by assessing the paw swelling and histological analyses of the joints. Micro-CT analysis was used to determine the levels of bone loss. Inflammation and osteoclastogenesis in the joints were evaluated by quantitating the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and osteoclast markers. Furthermore, involvement of the T- and B-cell responses was determined by draining lymph node cell culture and measurement of the serum anti-mouse type II collagen antibody levels, respectively. Finally, roles of the SH3BP2 mutation in macrophage activation and osteoclastogenesis were determined by evaluating the TNF-α production levels and osteoclast formation in bone marrow-derived M-CSF-dependent macrophage (BMM) cultures. Results Sh3bp2KI/+ mice exhibited more severe inflammation and bone loss, accompanying an increased number of osteoclasts. The mRNA levels for TNF-α and osteoclast marker genes were higher in the joints of Sh3bp2KI/+ mice. Lymph node cell culture showed that lymphocyte proliferation and IFN-γ and IL-17 production were comparable between Sh3bp2+/+ and Sh3bp2KI/+ cells. Serum anti-type II collagen antibody levels were comparable between Sh3bp2+/+ and Sh3bp2KI/+ mice. In vitro experiments showed that TNF-α production in Sh3bp2KI/+ BMMs is elevated compared with Sh3bp2+/+ BMMs and that RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis is enhanced in Sh3bp2KI/+ BMMs associated with increased NFATc1 nuclear localization. Conclusion Gain-of-function of SH3BP2 augments inflammation and bone loss in the CIA model through increased macrophage activation and osteoclast formation. Therefore, modulation of the SH3BP2 expression may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Neuroprotective Activity of Hypericum perforatum and Its Major Components

Hypericum perforatum is a perennial plant, with worldwide distribution, commonly known as St. John’s wort. It has been used for centuries in traditional medicine for the treatment of several disorders, such as minor burns, anxiety, and mild to moderate depression. In the past years, its antidepressant properties have been extensively studied. Despite that, other H. perforatum biological activities, as its neuroprotective properties have also been evaluated. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the main biologically active compounds of H. perforatum, as for its chemistry, pharmacological activities, drug interactions and adverse reactions and gather scattered information about its neuroprotective abilities. As for this, it has been demonstrated that H. perforatum extracts and several of its major molecular components have the ability to protect against toxic insults, either directly, through neuroprotective mechanisms, or indirectly, through is antioxidant properties. H. perforatum has therefore the potential to become an effective neuroprotective therapeutic agent, despite further studies that need to be carried out.
Characterization of the New Amylopectin Long-chain Rice Cultivar Chou 2418 and Its Boiled Rice Grains

Food Research Center, Niigata Agricultural Research Institute, 2-25, Shin-ei-cho, Kamo City, Niigata Prefecture, 959-1381, Japan Crop Research Center, Niigata Agricultural Research Institute, 857, Nagakura-machi, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, 940-0826, Japan Faculty of Applied Life Sciences, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, 265-1, Higashijima, Akiha-ku, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Niigata Prefectural Government, 4-1, Shinko-cho, Chuo-ku, Niigata, 950-8570, Japan
Fast cosmological parameter estimation using neural networks

We present a method for accelerating the calculation of CMB power spectra, matter power spectra and likelihood functions for use in cosmological parameter estimation. The algorithm, called COSMONET, is based on training a multilayer perceptron neural network and shares all the advantages of the recently released P ICO algorithm of Fendt & Wandelt, but has several additional benefits in terms of simplicity, computatio nal speed, memory requirements and ease of training. We demonstrate the capabilities of C OSMONET by computing CMB power spectra over a box in the parameter space of flat ΛCDM models containing the 3σ WMAP1 confidence region. We also use C OSMONET to compute the WMAP3 likelihood for flat ΛCDM models and show that marginalised posteriors on parameters derived are very similar to those obtained using CAMB and the WMAP3 code. We find that the average error in the power spectra is typically 2 − 3% of cosmic variance, and that COSMONET is ∼ 7 × 10 4 faster than CAMB (for flat models) and ∼ 6 × 10 6 times faster than the official WMAP3 likelihood code. COSMONET and an interface to COSMOMC are publically available at www.mrao. cam.ac. uk/software/cosmonet.
Phylogenetic diversity (PD) and biodiversity conservation: some bioinformatics challenges

Biodiversity conservation addresses information challenges through estimations encapsulated in measures of diversity. A quantitative measure of phylogenetic diversity, “PD”, has been defined as the minimum total length of all the phylogenetic branches required to span a given set of taxa on the phylogenetic tree (Faith 1992a). While a recent paper incorrectly characterizes PD as not including information about deeper phylogenetic branches, PD applications over the past decade document the proper incorporation of shared deep branches when assessing the total PD of a set of taxa. Current PD applications to macroinvertebrate taxa in streams of New South Wales, Australia illustrate the practical importance of this definition. Phylogenetic lineages, often corresponding to new, “cryptic”, taxa, are restricted to a small number of stream localities. A recent case of human impact causing loss of taxa in one locality implies a higher PD value for another locality, because it now uniquely represents a deeper branch. This molecular-based phylogenetic pattern supports the use of DNA barcoding programs for biodiversity conservation planning. Here, PD assessments side-step the contentious use of barcoding-based “species” designations. Bioinformatics challenges include combining different phylogenetic evidence, optimization problems for conservation planning, and effective integration of phylogenetic information with environmental and socioeconomic data.
Genes and Conditions Controlling Mammalian Pre- and Post-implantation Embryo Development

Embryo quality during the in vitro developmental period is of great clinical importance. Experimental genetic studies during this period have demonstrated the association between specific gene expression profiles and the production of healthy blastocysts. Although the quality of the oocyte may play a major role in embryo development, it has been well established that the post – fertilization period also has an important and crucial role in the determination of blastocyst quality. A variety of genes (such as OCT, SOX2, NANOG) and their related signaling pathways as well as transcription molecules (such as TGF-β, BMP) have been implicated in the pre- and post-implantation period. Furthermore, DNA methylation has been lately characterized as an epigenetic mark since it is one of the most important processes involved in the maintenance of genome stability. Physiological embryo development appears to depend upon the correct DNA methylation pattern. Due to the fact that soon after fertilization the zygote undergoes several morphogenetic and developmental events including activation of embryonic genome through the transition of the maternal genome, a diverse gene expression pattern may lead to clinically important conditions, such as apoptosis or the production of a chromosomically abnormal embryo. The present review focused on genes and their role during pre-implantation embryo development, giving emphasis on the various parameters that may alter gene expression or DNA methylation patterns. The pre-implantation embryos derived from in vitro culture systems (in vitro fertilization) and the possible effects on gene expression after the prolonged culture conditions are also discussed.
The family room: a multi-camera, multi-display family media space

The Family Room is a multi-camera, multi-display media space for families. It allows family members to easily share audio and video connections between multiple devices across different households. This is ideal for connecting grandchildren and grandparents for talking, viewing, and sharing activities. The common model used for video chat systems involves people calling one another and accepting or declining invitations. As an alternative, the Family Room uses a room metaphor where each device or location simply needs to join or enter a persistent virtual 'room' in order to share video and audio between locations.
Mapping the association between back pain and type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study of adult Spanish twins

Background Back pain and type 2 diabetes often co-occur, resulting in greater impact on people’s health and complexity in their care. Plausible causal mechanisms for this association have been proposed, yet the nature of the link remains unclear. We therefore explored the direction of the association between type 2 diabetes and chronic back pain in twins, controlling for genetics and early environmental confounding. Methods 2,096 and 1,098 twins were included in the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively. Any or severe (≥ 9) low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NP), and spinal pain (concurrent LBP and NP) and type 2 diabetes were investigated. Sequential analyses were performed using logistic regression. Firstly, twins were analysed unpaired (adjusted age and gender): total sample analyses. Then, to control for genetic and shared environmental factors, a co-twin case-control analysis was performed including monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs discordant for back pain (cross-sectional only). Results In the cross-sectional total sample analyses, type 2 diabetes was associated with chronic spinal pain (OR 1.61; 95%CI 1.12 to 2.31), severe chronic spinal pain (OR 3.33; 95%CI 1.47 to 7.53), chronic NP (OR 1.37; 95%CI 1.01 to 1.85), severe chronic NP (OR 2.28; 95%CI 1.24 to 4.21), and severe chronic LBP (OR 1.63; 95%CI 1.00 to 2.64). After further adjustment for genetic and shared environmental factors, none of the associations remained significant. The longitudinal analyses indicated that the presence of type 2 diabetes did not increase the risk of future back pain, or vice-versa, after two to four years. Conclusions Chronic back pain (spinal pain, NP, or LBP) was associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Associations are stronger for severe cases of pain. Future research should investigate the temporal relationships between these conditions with longer follow up in twins.
A comparison between pro-anorexia and non-suicidal self-injury blogs: From symptom-based identity to sharing of emotions

From a psychodynamic perspective, this paper presents a comparison between pro-anorexia (pro-Ana) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) blogs, which are all built on the basis of a shared, symptom-based identity. A cluster analysis was performed on 40 Italian blogs through T-Lab software to find dimensions of meaning. Four thematic clusters emerged, which, using factorial mapping, fall onto three axes: from closure on the symptom to recounting the malaise; the pain: from psychic to social; from failure of primary relationships to patterns of relational dysfunction. The two types of blog differ both in terms of content and function. The proAna blogs tend to reinforce a portrayal of anorexia as a lifestyle choice that leaves little space for anything or anyone else. The NSSI blogs reveal aspects of relational support and an ambivalent attitude to pain and discomfort. The different dimensions provide a springboard for discussion on clinical implications.
Differential Nucleosome Occupancies across Oct4-Sox2 Binding Sites in Murine Embryonic Stem Cells

The binding sequence for any transcription factor can be found millions of times within a genome, yet only a small fraction of these sequences encode functional transcription factor binding sites. One of the reasons for this dichotomy is that many other factors, such as nucleosomes, compete for binding. To study how the competition between nucleosomes and transcription factors helps determine a functional transcription factor site from a predicted transcription factor site, we compared experimentally-generated in vitro nucleosome occupancy with in vivo nucleosome occupancy and transcription factor binding in murine embryonic stem cells. Using a solution hybridization enrichment technique, we generated a high-resolution nucleosome map from targeted regions of the genome containing predicted sites and functional sites of Oct4/Sox2 regulation. We found that at Pax6 and Nes, which are bivalently poised in stem cells, functional Oct4 and Sox2 sites show high amounts of in vivo nucleosome displacement compared to in vitro. Oct4 and Sox2, which are active, show no significant displacement of in vivo nucleosomes at functional sites, similar to nonfunctional Oct4/Sox2 binding. This study highlights a complex interplay between Oct4 and Sox2 transcription factors and nucleosomes among different target genes, which may result in distinct patterns of stem cell gene regulation.
Innovation as a Knowledge-based Outcome Innovation as a Knowledge-based Outcome

Purpose – We aim to provide clarity to the concept of innovation and its various definitions. Design/methodology/approach – We review the innovation literature and propose that innovation has been conceptualized either from a process or from an outcome perspective. Also, we show that there is a substantive difference between innovation seen in the traditional innovation literature and innovation as conceived in the knowledge management literature. Findings – We propose a general framework to categorize the existing views of innovation and show that innovation as an outcome has not been clearly defined from a knowledge perspective. To address this gap, we develop a new definition of an innovation outcome based on knowledge elements. Research limitations/implications – We lay the groundwork for more comprehensive methods of measuring innovation and innovativeness, which is particularly useful for the study of service innovation. Practical implications – Our framework and definition expand the ability of managers to measure and understand the key factors of innovation. Originality/value – We contribute to the literature by developing a comprehensive knowledge-based, outcome-oriented definition of innovation.
Multi-objective planning for workflow execution on Grids

Utility grids create an infrastructure for enabling users to consume services transparently over a global network. When optimizing workflow execution on utility grids, we need to consider multiple quality of service (QoS) parameters including service prices and execution time. These optimization objectives may be in conflict. In this paper, we have proposed a workflow execution planning approach using multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). Our goal was to generate a set of trade-off scheduling solutions according to the users QoS requirements. The alternative trade-off solutions offer more flexibility to users when estimating their QoS requirements of workflow executions. Simulation results show that MOEAs are able to find a range of compromise solutions in a short computational time.
STUDY HARD TO ACHIEVE HAPPINESS

Dynamic Relationships Management Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, May 2018 47 Abstract This article examines the relationship between education and happiness in the EU countries. The results show that tertiary education and an individual's happiness are positively correlated. Furthermore, young individuals who are not employed, in education, or in training (NEET) tend to show lower levels of happiness. This means that, on average, countries with a lower rate of NEET individuals show higher perceived happiness. Additionally, the link between student-to-teacher ratio and happiness is shown to be negative, but statistically not significant.
Doppler and modulation tomography of XTE J1118+480 in quiescence

We present Doppler and modulation tomography of the X-ray nova XTE J1118+480 with data obtained during quiescence using the 10-m Keck II telescope. The hotspot where the gas stream hits the accretion disc is seen in H alpha, H beta, He i lambda 5876 and Ca ii lambda 8662, thus verifying the presence of continued mass transfer within the system. The disc is clearly seen in H alpha and Ca ii lambda 8662. We image the mass-donor star in narrow absorption lines of Na i lambda lambda 5890, 5896, 8183, 8195 and Ca ii lambda 8662, implying an origin from the secondary itself rather than the interstellar medium. We also detect deviations in the centroid of the double peak of H alpha akin to those found by Zurita et al. suggesting disc eccentricity.
Software fault tolerance of distributed programs using computation slicing

Writing correct distributed programs is hard. In spite of extensive testing and debugging, software faults persist even in commercial grade software. Many distributed systems, especially those employed in safety-critical environments, should be able to operate properly even in the presence of software faults. Monitoring the execution of a distributed system, and, on detecting a fault, initiating the appropriate corrective action is an important way to tolerate such faults. This gives rise to the predicate detection problem which involves finding a consistent cut of a distributed computation, if it exists, that satisfies the given global predicate. Detecting a predicate in a computation is, however, an NP-complete problem. To ameliorate the associated combinatorial explosion problem, we introduce the notion of computation slice in our earlier papers [5, 10]. Intuitively, slice is a concise representation of those consistent cuts that satisfy a certain condition. To detect a predicate, rather than searching the state-space of the computation, it is much more efficient to search the state-space of the slice. In this paper we provide efficient algorithms to compute the slice for several classes of predicates. Our experimental results demonstrate that slicing can lead to an exponential improvement over existing techniques in terms of lime and space.