Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of IL-17 in human memory CD45RO+ T lymphocytes and its regulation by protein kinase A pathway.

In the present study, the authors compared the interleukin 17 (IL-17 expression of human naive and phenotypically defined memory T cells as well as its regulation by cAMP pathway. Our data showed that IL-17 mRNA was highly expressed in memory human peripheral CD8(+)45RO+T cells and CD4(+)45RO+T cells when peripheral blood mononuclear cells were first stimulated with ionomycin/PMA. IL-17 expression in memory CD8(+)T cells required accessory signals since culture of ionomycin/PMA-activated CD8(+)45RO+T cells alone did not result to IL-17 expression. In contrast, memory CD4(+)T cell population seems to be more independent. IL-17 and interferon gamma(IFN-gamma) mRNA were both inhibited in the presence of PGE2 or the cAMP analogue (dibutyryl-cAMP), while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was highly increased. In contrast, naive CD45RA+T cells were unable to express IL-17 whatever the culture conditions. Naive CD4(+)and CD8(+)T cells were sensitive to the PKA regulatory pathway since they represent a significant source of IL-10 when PBMC were first cultured with ionomycin/PMA in the presence of either PGE2 or db-cAMP. The authors showed that naive cells are highly dependent to their microenvironment, since culture of ionomycin/PMA-activated CD45RA+T cells alone did not result in detectable levels of cytokines even in the presence of PGE2. Results also showed that PGE2 induced quite the same levels of intracellular cAMP in naive and memory cells suggesting that these cell populations are equally sensitive to PGE2. However, we suggest that PGE2 may be more efficient in blocking both IL-17 and IFN-gamma expression in already primed memory T cells, rather than in suppressing naive T cells that could represent a significant source of IL-10. Data suggest that PKA activation pathway plays a critical role in the regulation of cytokine profiles and consequently the functional properties of both human naive and memory CD4(+) and CD8(+)T cells during the immune and inflammatory processes.
Cultural influences on gifted gender achievement

In Britain, and reflected in other countries, the academic achievements of gifted girls in school are surpassing those of gifted boys in almost all areas of study and at all ages. This is not true in every country. The British evidence suggests two major reasons for this surge by the gifted girls. Emotionally, British girls are now showing greater confidence in their abilities. Educationally, changes in the style and content of the British curriculum and assessment may encourage female study patterns, along with a national system of inspection which checks for equal gender opportunities in the classroom. Although this managed change in gender equality of opportunity in schools is seen to be highly effective, female school advantage has yet to make a significant difference in the workplace.
A Velocity‐Related Means of Determining Resistance Load for the Wingate Test of Anaerobic Power

This study compared power output during a 30-second maximal cycle ergometry test using a resistance that was determined to yield maximal 10-second power output (Windsor method) with power output generated using the more traditional methods of resistance-setting determination (0.735 N·kg−1 body mass [Wingate method] or 30-second power output at 49 N [Alberta method]). Sixteen men (mean ± SD: 21.6 ± 1.0 years of age, Vo2 = 48.7 ± 2.3 ml·kg−1·min−1) volunteered as subjects. Peak 1-second and best consecutive 5-second power outputs were not significantly greater across the 3 methods. Mean power output was significantly (p < 0.05) greater using the Windsor (621.0 ± 18.2 W) or Wingate (588.8 ± 23.5 W) resistance as compared with the Alberta (464.7 ± 44.3 W) resistance. Fatigue index (FI) was greater using the Alberta method (42.67 ± 4.21%) than when using either the Windsor (27.16 ± 1.63%) or Wingate (28.98 ± 3.05%) methods. These results indicate that the Alberta method fails to produce a resistance that yields maximal power output. Furthermore, the lack of significant difference between the Windsor and Wingate methods suggests that although the Windsor method results in a more “individualized” resistance, the Wingate method is equivalent with respect to maximal power output attainment and surpasses the Windsor method when one takes into consideration the time and effort involved in determining the Windsor resistance.
Strength and Power Development in Professional Rugby Union Players Over a Training and Playing Season.

PURPOSE To investigate strength and power development in elite rugby players during the different phases of a professional season. METHODS Sixteen professional rugby union athletes from an English premiership team were monitored for measures of lower-body peak force, force at 50 ms, force at 100 ms (all isometric squat), and power (explosive hack squat). Athletes were assessed at the start of preseason (T1), postpreseason (T2), midway through the competitive season (T3), and at the end of the competitive season (T4). Effect-size (ES) statistics with magnitude-based inferences were calculated to interpret differences in physical performance between the different stages of the season. RESULTS Very likely beneficial increases in force at 50 ms (+16%, ES = 0.75 ± 0.4) and 100 ms (+14%, ES = 0.63 ± 0.4) were observed between T1 and T2. A likely beneficial increase in power was observed between T2 and T3 (+4%, ES = 0.31 ± 0.2). Between T3 and T4, decreases in force at 50 ms (-6%, ES = -0.39 ± 0.3) and 100 ms (-9%, ES = -0.52 ± 0.4) occurred, while peak force and power were maintained. Over the full season (T1-T4) clear beneficial increases in all measures of strength and power were identified. CONCLUSIONS Meaningful increases in strength and power can be achieved in professional English premiership rugby players over a full playing season. The greatest opportunity for strength and power development occurs during pre- to midseason phases, while these measures are maintained or decrease slightly during the latter stages of a season.
7. Very Local Structure in Social Networks

Triadic configurations are fundamental to many social structural processes and provide the basis for a variety of social network theories and methodologies. This paper addresses the question of how much of the patterning of triads is accounted for by lower-order properties pertaining to nodes and dyads. The empirical base is a collection of 82 social networks representing a number of different species (humans, baboons, macaques, bison, cattle, goats, sparrows, caribou, and more) and an assortment of social relations (friendship, negative sentiments, choice of work partners, advice seeking, reported social interactions, victories in agonistic encounters, dominance, and co-observation). Methodology uses low dimensional representations of triad censuses for these social networks, as compared to censuses expected given four lower-order social network properties. Results show that triadic structure is largely accounted for by properties more local than triads: network density, nodal indegree and outdegree distributions, and the dyad census. These findings reinforce the observation that structural configurations that can be realized in empirical social networks are severely constrained by very local network properties, making some configurations extremely improbable.
Reinforcement of adherence to prescription recommendations in Asian Indian diabetes patients using short message service (SMS)--a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the acceptability and feasibility of using short message services (SMS) via cell phones to ensure adherence to management prescriptions by diabetic patients. METHODS Type 2 diabetic patients with 5 or more years of diabetes and having HbA1c between 7.0% to 10% were randomized to the control arm (n = 105) to receive standard care and to the intervention arm (SMS, n = 110). Messages in English on principles of diabetes management were sent once in 3 days, the contents and frequencies varied as per the patients' preferences. The study duration was 1 year. All participants were advised to report for quarterly clinic visits. A comparative assessment of the clinical, biochemical and anthropometric outcomes was made among the groups at the annual visit. RESULTS Annual review was possible in 71% of intervention group and 63% of control group. SMS was acceptable to the patients and the median number requested was 2 per week. HbA1c and plasma lipids improved significantly in the SMS group. CONCLUSIONS The pilot study showed that frequent communication via SMS was acceptable to diabetic patients and it helped to improve the health outcomes.
Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. L. Ixodid ticks infesting horses and donkeys

The aim of the study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks that infest horses and donkeys in South Africa and to identify those species that act as vectors of disease to domestic livestock. Ticks were collected opportunistically from 391 horses countrywide by their owners or grooms, or by veterinary students and staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Ticks were also collected from 76 donkeys in Limpopo Province, 2 in Gauteng Province and 1 in North West province. All the ticks were identified by means of a stereoscopic microscope. Horses were infested with 17 tick species, 72.1% with Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, 19.4% with Amblyomma hebraeum and 15.6% with Rhipicephalus decoloratus. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi was recovered from horses in all nine provinces of South Africa and R. decoloratus in eight provinces. Donkeys were infested with eight tick species, and 81.6% were infested with R. evertsi evertsi, 23.7% with A. hebraeum and 10.5% with R. decoloratus. Several tick species collected from the horses and donkeys are the vectors of economically important diseases of livestock. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi is the vector of Theileria equi, the causative organism of equine piroplasmosis. It also transmits Anaplasma marginale, the causative organism of anaplasmosis in cattle. Amblyomma hebraeum is the vector of Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative organism of heartwater in cattle, sheep and goats, whereas R. decoloratus transmits Babesia bigemina, the causative organism of babesiosis in cattle.
OPTIMAL INSPECTION SCHEDULE IN AN IMPERFECT EMQ MODEL WITH FREE REPAIR WARRANTY POLICY( Advanced Planning and Scheduling for Supply Chain Management)

Abstract The paper considers a sequential inspection policy in an imperfect production process which shifts randomly from an ‘in-control’ state to an ‘out-of-control’ state following a general probability distribution. Two different inspection policies are adopted in the proposed model: (i) no action is taken in the intermediate of a production run unless the process is found in an ‘out-of-control’ state by inspection and (ii) preventive repair action is undertaken once the ‘in-control’ state of the process is detected by inspection. The manufacturer is in a contractual agreement with the customer to provide free minimal repair service until a certain (warranty) period from the time of initial purchase. The objective is to determine the optimal number of inspections and inspection time sequence during a production run which minimize the manufacturer’s future expected costs in present term or average cost in distant future. The proposed model is formulated under discounted as well as long-run average cost criteria and some structural properties on the optimal inspection policy are derived analytically. For a numerical example, the optimal inspection policy is determined and several managerial insights are investigated.
Exploring the Role of Work Volition Within Social Cognitive Career Theory

The current study examined the role of work volition within social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) with a sample of 292 undergraduate students in science-related majors. Students with higher levels of volition endorsed higher levels of science self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and goals. Analyses revealed that work volition was a significant moderator in the link of self-efficacy and outcomes expectations and self-efficacy and goals; stronger links were found in students with lower levels of volition. A structural model was tested with all hypothesized SCCT paths and examined whether work volition continued to moderate these two paths. The model was an excellent fit to the data, and all theorized direct and indirect effects were significant. However, in the full model, work volition was no longer a significant moderator, suggesting that the direction and strength of the relations within the SCCT model are equivalent for students at varying levels of work volition. Practical implications are discussed.
Comparison of Two Techniques for Hastening Extinction of Avoidance-Responding in Rats

Response prevention (forced detention of the animal in the situation which it fears) and the shortening of the intertrial interval (massing of trials) are two techniques for hastening the extinction of avoidance responding in rats. Experiments wert conducted to compare the two techniques on two types of avoidance behavior: (1) a response which had been trained to a criterion of 10 consecutive avoidances (Exp. 1) and (2) a response which had been trained, extinguished, and then re-trained (Exp. 2). For both types of avoidance responding, shortening the Intertrial interval produced extinction in less time than did response prevention. A long period of response prevention was also effective in producing extinction.
Graph Modeling for Quadratic Assignment Problems Associated with the Hypercube

In the paper we consider the quadratic assignment problem arising from channel coding in communications where one coefficient matrix is the adjacency matrix of a hypercube in a finite dimensional space. By using the geometric structure of the hypercube, we first show that there exist at least n different optimal solutions to the underlying QAPs. Moreover, the inherent symmetries in the associated hypercube allow us to obtain partial information regarding the optimal solutions and thus shrink the search space and improve all the existing QAP solvers for the underlying QAPs.Secondly, we use graph modeling technique to derive a new integer linear program (ILP) models for the underlying QAPs. The new ILP model has n(n−1) binary variables and O(n3 log(n)) linear constraints. This yields the smallest known number of binary variables for the ILP reformulation of QAPs. Various relaxations of the new ILP model are obtained based on the graphical characterization of the hypercube, and the lower bounds provided by t.
Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with 39 Gamma-Ray Bursts Using Data from the Second, Third, and Fourth LIGO Runs

We present the results of a search for short-duration gravitational-wave bursts associated with 39 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by gamma-ray satellite experiments during LIGO's S2, S3, and S4 science runs. The search involves calculating the crosscorrelation between two interferometer data streams surrounding the GRB trigger time. We search for associated gravitational radiation from single GRBs, and also apply statistical tests to search for a gravitational-wave signature associated with the whole sample. For the sample examined, we find no evidence for the association of gravitational radiation with GRBs, either on a single-GRB basis or on a statistical basis. Simulating gravitational-wave bursts with sine-gaussian waveforms, we set upper limits on the root-sum-square of the gravitational-wave strain amplitude of such waveforms at the times of the GRB triggers. We also demonstrate how a sample of several GRBs can be used collectively to set constraints on population models. The small number of GRBs and the significant change in sensitivity of the detectors over the three runs, however, limits the usefulness of a population study for the S2, S3, and S4 runs. Finally, we discuss prospects for the search sensitivity for the ongoing S5 run, and beyond for the next generation of detectors.
In Vitro Assessment of Methylene Blue on Chloroquine-Sensitive and -Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Strains Reveals Synergistic Action with Artemisinins

ABSTRACT Methylene blue (MB) represents a promising antimalarial drug candidate for combination therapies against drug-resistant parasite strains. To support and facilitate the application of MB in future field trials, we studied its antiparasitic effects in vitro. MB is active against all blood stages of both chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive and CQ-resistant P. falciparum strains with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the lower nanomolar range. Ring stages showed the highest susceptibility. As demonstrated by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry on different cell culture compartments, MB is accumulated in malarial parasites. In drug combination assays, MB was found to be antagonistic with CQ and other quinoline antimalarials like piperaquine and amodiaquine; with mefloquine and quinine, MB showed additive effects. In contrast, we observed synergistic effects of MB with artemisinin, artesunate, and artemether for all tested parasite strains. Artemisinin/MB combination concentration ratios of 3:1 were found to be advantageous, demonstrating that the combination of artemisinin with a smaller amount of MB can be recommended for reaching maximal therapeutic effects. Our in vitro data indicate that combinations of MB with artemisinin and related endoperoxides might be a promising option for treating drug-resistant malaria and should be studied in future field trials. Resistance development under this drug combination is unlikely to occur.
Topical immunotherapy with contact sensitizers: a model to study the natural history of delayed hypersensitivity

So‐called ‘topical immunotherapy’ (TI) is a well‐established treatment modality based on the use of potent contact sensitizers, such as squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE), that are not found in the general or occupational environment of man, and do not induce cross‐sensitization to other substances. Thus, unlike patients with sensitivity to other more or less commonplace allergens, subjects submitted to this treatment modality might provide useful data for the study of the natural course of contact sensitivity. On the basis of these premises, we have retrospectively reviewed 40 patients who had consecutively received TI with SADBE for severe alopecia areata and viral warts in the period 1993–2001, and returned to visit after a 1–7‐year period since the last therapeutic challenge with the sensitizer. The chronological profile of loss of contact sensitization of this case cohort has been evaluated and compared to that of other series available in the literature. Provided more standardized TI application procedures are established, aim‐oriented studies of the outcome of this treatment modality may bring useful data to be employed in construction of predictive models of decay of contact sensitization under conditions of antigen avoidance.
Tolerability of Curcumin in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Forced-Dose Titration Study

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation in the absence of a recognized etiology. The primary therapies are medications that possess anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive effects. Given the high use of complementary alternative medicines in pediatric IBD, a prospective tolerability study of curcumin, an herbal therapy with known anti-inflammatory effects, was conducted to assess possible dosage in children with IBD. Methods: Prospectively, patients with Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis in remission or with mild disease (Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index [PCDAI] <30 or Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index [PUCAI] score <34) were enrolled in a tolerability study. All patients received curcumin in addition to their standard therapy. Patients initially received 500 mg twice per day for 3 weeks. Using the forced-dose titration design, doses were increased up to 1 g twice per day at week 3 for a total of 3 weeks and then titrated again to 2 g twice per day at week 6 for 3 weeks. Validated measures of disease activity, using the PUCAI and PCDAI, and the Monitoring of Side Effect System score were obtained at weeks 3, 6, and 9. Results: All patients tolerated curcumin well, with the only symptom that was consistently reported during all 3 visits being an increase in gassiness, which occurred in only 2 patients. Three patients saw improvement in PUCAI/PCDAI score. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that curcumin may be used as an adjunctive therapy for individuals seeking a combination of conventional medicine and alternative medicine.
Teachers’ Perceptions of their use of Humour in the Primary Classroom

Minimal qualitative research exists on primary teachers’ perceptions of their use of humour in the UK. This research is a contribution towards redressing this imbalance. Method: Semi structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers who taught in the upper primary age range (ages seven to eleven years) in London. Analysis: Thematic analysis of the results identified five key themes which represented the ways in which teachers reported using humour in the classroom. Findings: Teachers reported using humour 1) to engage students in their learning, 2) facilitate relationships with their students and 3) as a coping mechanism. The ways in which teachers reported 4) varying their use of humour with their students were also discussed as well as their views on students’ age and ability to understand abstract forms of humour. Some teachers also discussed 5) caveats. The teachers defined and developed their own view of humour from their own perspectives. Implications: Implications for educational psychologists (EPs) included recommendations for EPs to disseminate the findings to schools, teachers in training and to other EPs who are advocates of the development of students’ well-being. Further implications included the use of humour to facilitate rapport between EPs and parents and as a communication skill in therapeutic relationships. Suggestions for future research were also presented. Conclusion: Humour should be part of the existing repertoire of human strengths already identified in positive psychology. This area should appeal to educational psychologists whose focus is on students’ ability to flourish in spite of adversities in school, relationships and in other areas of life.