Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of human eosinophil viability, density, and function by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the presence of 3T3 fibroblasts

Normodense human peripheral blood eosinophils were isolated under sterile conditions from the 22/23 and 23/24% interfaces and the cell pellet of metrizamide gradients. After culture for 7 d in RPMI media in the presence of 50 pM biosynthetic (recombinant) human granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rH GM-CSF), 43 +/- 7% (mean +/- SEM, n = 8) of the cells were viable; in the absence of rH GM- CSF, no eosinophils survived. The rH GM-CSF-mediated viability was concentration dependent; increased survival began at a concentration of 1 pM, a 50% maximal response was attained at approximately 3 pM, and a maximal effect was reached at concentrations of greater than or equal to 10 pM rH GM-CSF. In the presence of rH GM-CSF and mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, 67 +/- 6% (mean +/- SEM, n = 8) of the eosinophils survived for 7 d. In a comparative analysis, there was no difference in eosinophil viability after 7 and 14 d (n = 3) in the presence of 50 pM GM-CSF and fibroblasts. Culture with fibroblasts alone did not support eosinophil survival. The addition of fibroblast-conditioned media to rH GM-CSF did not further improve eosinophil viability, indicating a primary role for GM-CSF in supporting these eosinophil cell suspensions ex vivo and a supplementary role for 3T3 fibroblasts. Eosinophils cultured for 7 d localized on density gradient sedimentation at the medium/18, 18/20, and 20/21 interfaces of metrizamide gradients, indicating a change to the hypodense phenotype from their original normodense condition. In addition, the cultured eosinophils generated approximately 2.5-fold more LTC4 than freshly isolated cells when stimulated with the calcium ionophore A23187 and manifested sevenfold greater antibody-dependent killing of S. mansoni larvae than the freshly isolated, normodense cells from the same donor. Thus we demonstrate the rH GM-CSF dependent conversion in vitro of normodense human eosinophils to hypodense cells possessing the augmented biochemical and biological properties characteristic of the hypodense eosinophils associated with a variety of hypereosinophilic syndromes. In addition, these studies provide a culture model of at least 14 d suitable for the further characterization of hypodense eosinophils.
Successful Piglet Production after Transfer of Blastocysts Produced by a Modified In Vitro System

Abstract Porcine in vitro production (IVP) systems, including in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) of oocytes and their subsequent in vitro culture (IVC), have been modified by many researchers, but are still at a low level because of a low developmental rate of embryos to the blastocyst stage and their poor qualities. Our objectives were to establish reliable IVP procedures for porcine blastocysts and to examine the ability of the blastocysts to develop to term after transfer to recipients. Porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes were matured in vitro under 5% O2 or 20% O2, fertilized in vitro under 5% O2, and subsequently cultured under 5% O2 in 1) IVC medium supplemented with glucose (IVC-Glu) from Day 0 (the day of IVF) to Day 6; 2) IVC-Glu from Days 0 to 2, then IVC medium supplemented with pyruvate and lactate (IVC-PyrLac) from Days 2 to 6; 3) IVC-PyrLac from Days 0 to 2, then IVC-Glu from Days 2 to 6; and 4) IVC-PyrLac from Days 0 to 6. There were no significant differences in blastocyst formation rates on Day 6 between the 5% O2 and 20% O2 conditions (19.9% and 14.0%, respectively). However, the quality of blastocysts, as evaluated by the total cell number, was better after IVM under 5% O2 than under 20% O2 (mean cell number, 43.5 and 37.8, respectively). When IVP embryos were cultured in IVC-PyrLac from Days 0 to 2 and subsequently in IVC-Glu from Days 2 to 6, the rate of blastocyst formation (25.3%) and cell number (48.7) were higher than the rates (5.8% to 18.1%) and numbers (35.4 to 37.1) with the IVC-Glu then IVC-Glu, the IVC-Glu then IVC-PyrLac, and the IVC-PyrLac then IVC-PyrLac regimens, respectively. We then prepared conditioned medium (CM) from culture of porcine oviductal epithelial cells for 2 days in IVC-PyrLac and evaluated its effect on development to the blastocyst stage. Cultivation in CM for the first 2 days, followed by IVC-Glu for a further 4 days, had a significantly greater effect in increasing the number of cells in the blastocyst (58.3) than did in IVC-PyrLac (48.4). Finally, we evaluated the ability of blastocysts, generated by IVM under 5% O2 and IVC in CM, to develop to term. When Day 5 expanding blastocysts (mean cell number, 49.7) were transferred to an estrus-synchronized recipient (50 blastocysts per recipient), the recipient remained pregnant and farrowed eight normal piglets. Furthermore, when Day 6 expanded blastocysts (mean cell number, 80.2) were transferred to two estrus-synchronized recipients, both gilts remained pregnant and farrowed a total of 11 piglets. These results suggest that an excellent piglet production system can be established by using this modified IVP system, which produces high-quality porcine blastocysts. This system has advantages for the generation of cloned and transgenic pigs.
Evidence for TP-AGB Stars in High-Redshift Galaxies, and Their Effect on Deriving Stellar Population Parameters

We explore the effects of using different stellar population models on estimates of star formation histories, ages, and masses of high-redshift galaxies by fitting the SEDs with models by Maraston (hereafter M05) and by Bruzual & Charlot (hereafter BC03). We focus on the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) phase of stellar evolution, whose treatment is a source of major discrepancy. In this respect, BC03 models are representative of other models whose treatment of the TP-AGB phase is similar. Moreover, M05 and BC03 models adopt stellar tracks with different assumptions on convective overshooting. For our experiment we use a sample of high-z (1.4 ≲ z ≲ 2.7) galaxies, for which rest-frame UV spectroscopy and spectroscopic redshifts are available, along with Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry from GOODS. The mid-UV spectra of these galaxies exhibit features typical of A- or F-type stars, indicative of ages in the range ~0.2-2 Gyr, when the contribution of TP-AGB stars is expected to be maximum. We find that the TP-AGB phase plays a key role in the interpretation of the Spitzer data, where the rest-frame near-IR is sampled. Generally, M05 models give better fits than BC03 models and indicate systematically lower ages and lower masses (by ~60%, on average). Photometric redshifts derived using M05 models are also in better agreement with the spectroscopic ones, especially when the rest-frame near-IR fluxes from Spitzer IRAC are included in the fit. We argue that the different results are primarily a consequence of the different treatment of the TP-AGB phase, although other differences in the input stellar evolution also contribute. This work provides a first direct evidence for a strong contribution by TP-AGB stars to the SED of galaxies in the high-redshift universe (z ~ 2).
Constrained solution scattering modelling of human antibodies and complement proteins reveals novel biological insights

X-ray and neutron-scattering techniques characterize proteins in solution and complement high-resolution structural studies. They are useful when either a large protein cannot be crystallized, in which case scattering yields a solution structure, or a crystal structure has been determined and requires validation in solution. These solution structures are determined by the application of constrained modelling methods based on known subunit structures. First, an appropriate starting model is generated. Next, its conformation is randomized to generate thousands of models for trial-and-error fits. Comparison with the experimental data identifies a small family of best-fit models. Finally, their significance for biological function is assessed. We illustrate this in application to structure determinations for secretory immunoglobulin A, the most prevalent antibody in the human body and a first line of defence in mucosal immunity. We also discuss the applications to the large multi-domain proteins of the complement system, most notably its major regulator factor H, which is important in age-related macular degeneration and renal diseases. We discuss the importance of complementary data from analytical ultracentrifugation, and structural studies of protein–protein complexes. We conclude that constrained scattering modelling makes useful contributions to our understanding of antibody and complement structure and function.
Low-Dimensional Maps Encoding Dynamics in Entorhinal Cortex and Hippocampus

Cells that produce intrinsic theta oscillations often contain the hyperpolarization-activated current Ih. In this article, we use models and dynamic clamp experiments to investigate the synchronization properties of two such cells (stellate cells of the entorhinal cortex and O-LM cells of the hippocampus) in networks with fast-spiking (FS) interneurons. The model we use for stellate cells and O-LM cells is the same, but the stellate cells are excitatory and the O-LM cells are inhibitory, with inhibitory postsynaptic potential considerably longer than those from FS interneurons. We use spike time response curve methods (STRC), expanding that technique to three-cell networks and giving two different ways in which the analysis of the three-cell network reduces to that of a two-cell network. We show that adding FS cells to a network of stellate cells can desynchronize the stellate cells, while adding them to a network of O-LM cells can synchronize the O-LM cells. These synchronization and desynchronization properties critically depend on Ih. The analysis of the deterministic system allows us to understand some effects of noise on the phase relationships in the stellate networks. The dynamic clamp experiments use biophysical stellate cells and in silico FS cells, with connections that mimic excitation or inhibition, the latter with decay times associated with FS cells or O-LM cells. The results obtained in the dynamic clamp experiments are in a good agreement with the analytical framework.
Learning when to skim and when to read

Many recent advances in deep learning for natural language processing have come at increasing computational cost, but the power of these state-of-the-art models is not needed for every example in a dataset. We demonstrate two approaches to reducing unnecessary computation in cases where a fast but weak baseline classier and a stronger, slower model are both available. Applying an AUC-based metric to the task of sentiment classification, we find significant efficiency gains with both a probability-threshold method for reducing computational cost and one that uses a secondary decision network.
A Comparative Study of CaO-MUZ Composites Elaboration by Plasma Melting and Sintering Techniques

CaO doped zirconia mullite (CaO-MUZ) samples were synthesized through plasma melting, plasma sintering, and conventional sintering using plasma reactor and high temperature furnace as the heating sources. The compositional ratio (wt) of silimanite, alumina, and zircon were taken as 47:38:15, and 4 wt% of CaO was added to the above compositional ratio for the synthesis of CaO-MUZ. A mixture of tetragonal and cubic zirconia phases have been observed in all the processed CaO-MUZ composites. This observation infers that though the available temperature in plasma sintered and conventionally sintered MUZ specimens is not sufficient for the transformation of monoclinic zirconia to cubic zirconia, the addition of CaO favors this transformation. The arrangement of close compacted small and large crystal grains in conventionally sintered specimen increases the bulk density, while the hardness remains lower in comparison to the plasma-sintered CaO-MUZ. The optical bandgap measurements predict that the CaO-MUZ composites can be used as suitable refractory materials for ceramic industrial applications. We report the suitability of heating sources and the impact of melting and sintering techniques on the structural, microstructural, mechanical, and optical properties of CaO-MUZ, so that one can choose appropriate synthesis techniques to achieve the desired product at the industrial scale.
Exploring the Idiographic Dynamics of Mood and Anxiety via Network Analysis

Individual variation is increasingly recognized as important to psychopathology research. Concurrently, new methods of analysis based on network models are bringing new perspectives on mental (dys)function. This current work analyzed idiographic multivariate time series data using a novel network methodology that incorporates contemporaneous and lagged associations in mood and anxiety symptomatology. Data were taken from 40 individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), or comorbid GAD and MDD, who answered questions about 21 descriptors of mood and anxiety symptomatology 4 times a day over a period of approximately 30 days. The model provided an excellent fit to the intraindividual symptom dynamics of all 40 individuals. The most central symptoms in contemporaneous systems were those related to positive and negative mood. The temporal networks highlighted the importance of anger to symptomatology, while also finding that depressed mood and worry—the principal diagnostic criteria for GAD and MDD—were the least influential nodes across the sample. The method’s potential for analysis of individual symptom patterns is demonstrated by 3 exemplar participants. Idiographic network-based analysis may fundamentally alter the way psychopathology is assessed, classified, and treated, allowing researchers and clinicians to better understand individual symptom dynamics.
Combining Phonological and Acoustic ASR-Free Features for Pathological Speech Intelligibility Assessment

Intelligibility is widely used to measure the severity of articulatory problems in pathological speech. Recently, a number of automatic intelligibility assessment tools have been developed. Most of them use automatic speech recognizers (ASR) to compare the patient's utterance with the target text. These methods are bound to one language and tend to be less accurate when speakers hesitate or make reading errors. To circumvent these problems, two different ASR-free methods were developed over the last few years, only making use of the acoustic or phonological properties of the utterance. In this paper, we demonstrate that these ASR-free techniques are also able to predict intelligibility in other languages. Moreover, they show to be complementary, resulting in even better intelligibility predictions when both methods are combined.
CHLORAMPHENICOL First draft prepared

Explanation. 8 Biological data . 9 Biochemical aspects . 9 Toxicological studies . 11 Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity . 11 Haematoxicity . 13 Observations in humans . 15 Problems in trade caused by residues in foods . 18 Analytical methods . 22 Preparation of the primary extract of the sample . 22 Purification of the primary extract . 23 Detection and quantification of residues of chloramphenicol. 23 Production, occurrence and fate of chloramphenicol in the environment . 26 Discovery. 26 Biosynthesis . 26 Production and stability in soil . 26 Environmental fate of chloramphenicol. 28 Results of environmental monitoring for chloramphenicol. 31 Microbial resistance to chloramphenoicol in the environment—is it an argument for the presence of the drug? 32 Feed and soil intakes and growth of some terrestrial farm animals . 33 Pigs . 33 Chicken . 35 Cattle . 35 Hypothetical intake of chloramphenicol from the environment by soil ingestion . 35 Soil ingestion by farm animals. 35 Intake of chloramphenicol and resulting residues in tissues . 36 Pigs . 36 Chickens . 41 Hypothetical exposure to persisting environmental residues. 43
Distribution of Selenium and Oxidative Stress in Breast Tumor-Bearing Mice

The present study investigated the effects of breast tumors on the blood and tissue distribution of essential trace mineral selenium (Se), and oxidative stress status of mice. Female 10-week-old BALB/cByJNarl mice were randomly assigned into control (CNL) and breast tumor-bearing (TB) groups. TB mice were injected subcutaneously into the right hind thigh with 5 × 106 EMT6 mouse mammary tumor cells. After 22 days, we measured Se concentrations, Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) products (indicator of oxidative stress) in plasma, various tissues, and plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations. There were no significant differences in body weights and daily intake between both groups. Compared with the CNL group, TB mice have decreases in plasma Se concentrations and GPx activities, as well as higher plasma VEGF and MDA concentrations. Plasma Se concentrations were also negatively correlated with plasma MDA and VEGF concentrations. Furthermore, tissue Se concentrations and GPx activities in TB animals were lower; whereas the MDA concentrations higher in various tissues including liver, kidney, brain, lung, spleen, and thymic tissues. In conclusion, disruption of Se homeostasis critically reflects oxidative stress in target tissues, thus may increase the risk for progression of breast cancer and metastasis.
Dairy Products and Cancer

Cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases in which cells display uncontrolled growth, invasion, and sometimes metastasis. Milk and dairy products contain micronutrients and several bioactive constituents that may influence cancer risk and progression. Much of the focus of human, population-based studies has been on the effects of intake of milk and total dairy products or of calcium intake. Based on a systematic review of the epidemiologic literature, the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research report concluded there was a probable association between milk intake and lower risk of colorectal cancer, a probable association between diets high in calcium and increased risk of prostate cancer, and limited evidence of an association between milk intake and lower risk of bladder cancer. For other cancers, the evidence was mixed or lacking. Since the 2007 report, several additional, large-cohort studies have been published, including two that show an inverse association between intake of cultured dairy products and bladder cancer. Little is known about the potential effect of various bioactives produced during rumen microbe metabolism on cancer risk. Furthermore, studies support a role of live microbes present in some dairy products in the modulation of the human gut microbial community and gut metabolism. Given the growing appreciation for the role of the gut microbial community in relation to immune function and health and disease, including cancer, the potential role of various dairy products in the modulation of the human gut microbiome warrants further evaluation. Key teaching points: • As a dietary exposure, dairy products are a complex group of foods and composition varies by region, which makes evaluation of their association with disease risk difficult. • For most cancers, associations between cancer risk and intake of milk and dairy products have been examined only in a small number of cohort studies, and data are inconsistent or lacking. • Meta-analyses of cohort data available to date support an inverse association between milk intake and risk of colorectal and bladder cancer and a positive association between diets high in calcium and risk of prostate cancer. • Other constituents of dairy products, such as rumen-derived metabolites, have not been evaluated extensively for cancer-preventive properties. • The influence of live microbes in fermented dairy products and certain cheeses on the human gut microbiome and immune function is a growing area of study.
Dispersal, philopatry and intergroup relatedness: fine‐scale genetic structure in the white‐breasted thrasher, Ramphocinclus brachyurus

Dispersal is a fundamental process influencing evolution, social behaviour, and the long‐term persistence of populations. We use both observational and genetic data to investigate dispersal, kin‐clustering and intergroup relatedness in the white‐breasted thrasher, Ramphocinclus brachyurus, a cooperatively breeding bird that is globally endangered. Mark‐resighting data suggested sex‐biased dispersal, with females dispersing over greater distances while males remained philopatric. Accordingly, spatial autocorrelation analysis showed highly significant fine‐scale genetic structure among males, but not among females. This fine‐scale genetic structuring of the male population resulted in very high levels of relatedness between dominant males at neighbouring nests, similar to that seen within cooperative groups in many species where kin selection is cited as a cause of cooperation. By implication, between‐group as well as within‐group cooperation may be important, potentially creating a feedback loop in which short‐distance dispersal by males leads to the formation of male kin clusters that in turn facilitate nepotistic interactions and favour further local recruitment. The strength of spatial autocorrelation, as measured by the autocorrelation coefficient, r, was approximately two to three times greater than that reported in previous studies of animals. Relatively short dispersal distances by both males and females may have a negative impact on the white‐breasted thrasher's ability to colonize new areas, and may influence the long‐term persistence of isolated populations. This should be taken into account when designating protected areas or selecting sites for habitat restoration.
Various Solvent Systems for Solubility Enhancement of Enrofloxacin

Solubility enhancement of antimicrobial drug enrofloxacin has been studied using a series of co-solvents and surfactants. Aqueous solubility of enrofloxacin could be increased up to 26 times. Co-solvents alone produced only small increase in solubility. However, the combined effect of co-solvents and buffer was synergistic and a large increase in solubility could be attained. Ionic surfactants were found to be much better solubilizing agents than non-ionic surfactant. Amongst ionic surfactants, solubility was found to be very high in anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylsulphate as compared to the cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Up to 3.8 mg/ml of enrofloxacin could be dissolved in sodium dodecylsulphate. Mechanism of solubilization has been proposed and surfactant solubilization parameters have been calculated.
T-Ray Sensing and Imaging

T-ray wavelengths are long enough to pass through dry, nonpolar objects opaque at visible wavelengths, but short enough to be manipulated by optical components to form an image. Sensing in this band potentially provides advantages in a number of areas of interest to security and defense such as screening of personnel for hidden objects and the retection of chemical and biological agents. Several private companies are developing smaller, reliable cheaper systems allowing for commercialization and this motivates us to review a number of promising applications within this paper. While there are a number of challenges to be overcome there is little doubt that T-ray technology will play a significant role in the near future for advancement of security, public health, and defense.