Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of cytokine expression by CD4+ T cells during coxsackievirus B3 infections of BALB/c mice initiated by cells expressing the gamma delta + T-cell receptor

Two variants of coxsackievirus B3 have been used to investigate the pathogenesis of myocarditis in BALB/c mice. H3 virus induces moderate myocarditis and H310A1 virus induces minimal myocarditis, although both viruses infect and replicate in the heart. Cells expressing the gamma delta+ T-cell receptor composed 5 to 13% of the lymphocytes infiltrating the hearts of H3 virus-infected mice and belonged to either the CD4- CD8+ gamma delta+- or CD4- CD8- gamma delta+-cell population. Giving 5,000 gamma delta+ cells isolated from the hearts of H3 virus-infected mice to H310A1 virus-infected recipients restored myocarditis susceptibility in the recipient animals and shifted the pattern of cytokine production in the virus-immune CD4+-cell population from being predominantly interleukin-4 producing to being predominantly gamma interferon producing in the H310A1 virus-infected mice. Apoptosis was evident in the infiltrating lymphocyte population in the myocardia of H3 virus-infected mice by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling assay and in splenic lymphocytes by DNA fragmentation in agarose gel electrophoresis and was confined to the CD4+ population. No apoptosis was observed in H310A1 virus-infected mice, but apoptosis was induced subsequent to gamma delta +-T-cell transfer. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that gamma delta+ T cells may help modulate cytokine responses during virus infections in vivo and that apoptosis might be involved in this modulation.
Across-Language Perspective on Speech Information Rate

This article is a crosslinguistic investigation of the hypothesis that the average information rate conveyed during speech communication results from a trade-off between average information density and speech rate. The study, based on seven languages, shows a negative correlation between density and rate, indicating the existence of several encoding strategies. However, these strategies do not necessarily lead to a constant information rate. These results are further investigated in relation to the notion of syllabic complexity.
The Weirdest People in the World

Joseph Henrich University of British Columbia Department of Psychology Department of Economics joseph.henrich@gmail.com http://www.psych.ubc.ca/~henrich/home.html Steven J. Heine University of British Columbia Department of Psychology heine@psych.ubc.ca http://www.psych.ubc.ca/~heine/ Ara Norenzayan University of British Columbia Department of Psychology ara@psych.ubc.ca http://www.psych.ubc.ca/~ara/
Cloud Resource Orchestration: A Data-Centric Approach

Cloud computing provides users near instant access to seemingly unlimited resources, and provides service providers the opportunity to deploy complex information technology infrastructure, as a service, to their customers. Providers bene t from economies of scale and multiplexing gains a orded by sharing of resources through virtualization of the underlying physical infrastructure. However, the scale and highly dynamic nature of cloud platforms impose signi cant new challenges to cloud service providers. In particular, realizing sophisticated cloud services requires a cloud control framework that can orchestrate cloud resource provisioning, con guration, utilization and decommissioning across a distributed set of physical resources. In this paper we advocate a data-centric approach to cloud orchestration. Following this approach, cloud resources are modeled as structured data that can be queried by a declarative language, and updated with well-de ned transactional semantics. We examine the feasibility, bene ts and challenges of the approach, and present our design and prototype implementation of the Data-centric Management Framework (DMF) as a solution, with data models, query languages and semantics that are speci cally designed for cloud resource orchestration.
The influence of the polyunsaturated fatty acids on body weight and anxiolytic-like behavior in female rats

Abstract Some studies have showed the benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as a complement in weight loss diets, even though the results are hardly conclusive. Additionally, anxiety is another relevant factor that influences not only the appetite but the locomotion of the animals as well. This study evaluated the effect of a diet enriched with PUFAs in relation to body weight in an animal model of anxiety (the elevated plus maze). Female Wistar rats were allocated to one of four groups and were fed different diets for 30 days: control diet (commercial chow (Nuvilab®); diet enriched with fish oil; diet enriched with linseed oil, and diet enriched with soybean oil. The body weight was not influenced by the kind of diet. The group that received food enriched with linseed oil remained in the open arms for longer periods when compared with the control group. This result suggests an anxiolytic-like effect in that group.
Growth Hormone Improves Body Composition and Motor Development in Infants with Prader-Willi Syndrome After Six Months

BACKGROUND Infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) show abnormalities of body composition. Children with PWS treated with growth hormone (GH) demonstrate improved body composition and motor skills. OBJECTIVE To assess body composition and motor changes in infants with PWS following 6 months GH therapy. METHODS Twenty-five infants with PWS (mean age 15.5 mo) underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) assessment of body composition, and motor assessment with the Toddler Infant Motor Evaluation (TIME). Patients were then randomized to treatment (Genotropin, 1 mg/m2/day) or control, with reassessment at 6 months. RESULTS GH treatment significantly increased lean body mass (6.4 +/- 2.4 kg to 8.9 +/- 2.7 kg) and decreased body fat (27.6 +/- 9.9% to 22.4 +/- 10.3%). Age equivalent motor scores improved 4 months in the treated group vs 2 months in controls (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Infants with PWS show significant body composition and motor development improvement following 6 months GH therapy. We are investigating whether this improvement leads to long-term reductions in obesity.
STANDARDIZED CPUE FOR SHARKS AND BLUE SHARKS CAUGHT BY THE CHINESE TAIPEI LONGLINE FISHERY IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

SUMMARY The shark catch data reported by observers in the period 2002-2003 were used to adjust the historical shark catch in Task I and to estimate blue shark catch for Taiwanese longline fishery in the South Atlantic Ocean. The standardized CPUE for sharks and blue shark caught by Taiwanese longline fishery in the South Atlantic Ocean was estimated based on adjusted logbook data. Standardized CPUE and relative CPUE series of all sharks combined caught by Taiwanese longline fishery showed a stable trend although slightly high values were found in 1995 and 1996. Similar trend was also found for the blue shark. The stable trend suggested that the blue shark stock in the South Atlantic Ocean seems at the level of optimum utilization. RESUME
Relationship between periodontal diseases and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases - an overview. Part I.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE An increasing number of studies indicate that the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract are interconnected and that there is a potential causal link between non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and oral diseases. Therefore, following the example of the brain-gut axis, the concept of the gum-gut axis has now been put forward. The aim of the review is to assess the literature confirming the existence of the recently proposed gum-gut axis and the resulting relationships between non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases and oral diseases, especially periodontal diseases. REVIEW METHODS The review sums-up information concerning the relationship between periodontal diseases and non-specific bowel diseases. A literature review was carried out by searching databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE Previously, it was presumed that oral microflora and intestinal microflora remain separate. because it was considered that salivary microbes are killed by stomach and bile acids during translocation through the gastrointestinal tract. Presently, it has been confirmed that oral microorganisms have been found in the faeces of even healthy people. The comparison of oral and intestinal microbiomes of adults does not show full convergence; but pathogenic bacteria such as Klebsiella, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum may act as the microbial bridge between periodontitis and IBD. SUMMARY Dysbiosis of oral microflora may disrupt the normal functioning of the immune system, in this way increasing the development of periodontitis which, in turn, increases the risk of IBD and other complex systemic pathological processes. The gum-gut axis plays a crucial role in these associations. Additional studies are necessary to specify the role of nutritional intervention concerning oral and intestinal microbiome for precise health management.
Large‐scale length and time‐scales for use with stochastic convective parametrization

Many numerical models for weather prediction and climate studies are run at resolutions that are too coarse to resolve convection explicitly, but too fine to justify the local equilibrium assumed by conventional convective parametrizations. The Plant–Craig (PC) stochastic convective parametrization scheme, developed in this paper, solves this problem by removing the assumption that a given grid‐scale situation must always produce the same sub‐grid‐scale convective response. Instead, for each time step and grid point, one of the many possible convective responses consistent with the large‐scale situation is randomly selected. The scheme requires as input the large‐scale state as opposed to the instantaneous grid‐scale state, but must nonetheless be able to account for genuine variations in the large‐scale situation. Here we investigate the behaviour of the PC scheme in three‐dimensional simulations of radiative–convective equilibrium, demonstrating in particular that the necessary space–time averaging required to produce a good representation of the input large‐scale state is not in conflict with the requirement to capture large‐scale variations. The resulting equilibrium profiles agree well with those obtained from established deterministic schemes, and with corresponding cloud‐resolving model simulations. Unlike the conventional schemes, the statistics for mass flux and rainfall variability from the PC scheme also agree well with relevant theory and vary appropriately with spatial scale. The scheme is further shown to adapt automatically to changes in grid length and in forcing strength. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Employee Proactive Personality and Career Growth: The Role of Proactive Behavior and Leader Proactive Personality

Based on social information processing theory, this research examines whether and how an employee’s proactive personality influences intrinsic and extrinsic career growth. It also examines the mediating effects of two types of proactive behaviors (voice behavior and taking charge) and the moderating effect of a leader’s proactive personality. A sample of 307 employee-leader dyads participated in this survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses, and the bootstrap procedure was used to test the indirect effects. Results show that an employee’s proactive personality has significant positive effects on both intrinsic and extrinsic career growth. The mediating effect of taking charge was confirmed, while the mediating effect of voice behavior was not. Leader proactive personality weakens the relationship between employee proactive personality and the two types of proactive behaviors. Employee proactive personality is more positively related to intrinsic and extrinsic career growth via proactive behaviors when a leader’s proactive personality is low. This study extends the literature on proactive personality, proactive behavior, and career development by examining the underlying determination, mediation, and moderation mechanisms.
Tangible and modular input device for character articulation

Articulation of 3D characters requires control over many degrees of freedom: a difficult task with standard 2D interfaces. We present a tangible input device composed of interchangeable, hot-pluggable parts. Embedded sensors measure the device's pose at rates suitable for real-time editing and animation. Splitter parts allow branching to accommodate any skeletal tree. During assembly, the device recognizes topological changes as individual parts or pre-assembled subtrees are plugged and unplugged. A novel semi-automatic registration approach helps the user quickly map the device's degrees of freedom to a virtual skeleton inside the character. User studies report favorable comparisons to mouse and keyboard interfaces for the tasks of target acquisition and pose replication. Our device provides input for character rigging and automatic weight computation, direct skeletal deformation, interaction with physical simulations, and handle-based variational geometric modeling.
Spike-Driven Synaptic Plasticity: Theory, Simulation, VLSI Implementation

We present a model for spike-driven dynamics of a plastic synapse, suited for a VLSI implementation. The synaptic device behaves as a capacitor on short timescales and preserves the memory of two stable states (efficacies) on long timescales. The transitions (LTP/LTD) are stochastic because both the number and the distribution of neural spikes in any finite (stimulation) interval fluctuate, even at fixed pre- and postsynaptic spike rates. The dynamics of the single synapse is studied analytically by extending the solution to a classic problem in queuing theory (Takcs process). The model of the synapse is implemented in a VLSI and consists of only 18 transistors. It is also directly simulated. The simulations indicate that LTP/LTD probabilities versus rates are robust to fluctuations of the electronic parameters in a wide range of rates. The solutions for these probabilities are in very good agreement with both the simulations and measurements. Moreover, the probabilities are readily manipulable by variations of the chip's parameters, even in ranges where they are very small. The tests of the electronic device cover the range from spontaneous activity (34 Hz) to stimulus-driven rates (50 Hz). Low transition probabilities can be maintained in all ranges, even though the intrinsic time constants of the device are short ( 100 ms). Synaptic transitions are triggered by elevated presynaptic rates: for low presynaptic rates, there are essentially no transitions. The synaptic device can preserve its memory for years in the absence of stimulation. Stochasticity of learning is a result of the variability of interspike intervals; noise is a feature of the distributed dynamics of the network. The fact that the synapse is binary on long timescales solves the stability problem of synaptic efficacies in the absence of stimulation. Yet stochastic learning theory ensures that it does not affect the collective behavior of the network, if the transition probabilities are low and LTP is balanced against LTD.
The Cost Effectiveness of Newborn Hearing Screening Program: New Approach of Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education in 2022

Background: In Iran’s newborn hearing screening (NHS) program, OAE and AABR are administered to early identify hearing impairment in the primary health care (PHC) system. Objectives: The aim of this study was to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of this program integrated into Iran's health system. Methods: We examined the cost-effectiveness of AABR and OAE screening procedures in infants less than 1 month old. TreeAge 2022 software was used for cost-effective modeling. In this study, QoL and QALY were considered as the outcome measures. To evaluate the robustness of the modeling results, we used one-way sensitivity analysis. A ± 20% variation was utilized to determine target variables and estimate the costs per identification. Results: In 2022, a total of 1,106,072 babies were born in Iran, of whom 1,006,293 underwent hearing impairment screening (coverage rate: 90.97%). Overall, 3,359 of the newborns screened were diagnosed with hearing problems, indicating a mean prevalence of 3.3 per 1000 births. The ICER was equal to 3297.2 US PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) per QALY. According to our results, the dominant cost-effective strategy for hearing impairment screening was OAE plus AABR. After 1000 iterations, the second cost-effective strategy was found to be OAE alone, according to Monte Carlo simulation modeling. Conclusions: In this study, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the NHS program for detecting hearing impairment in over a million births in Iran. A two-step screening approach, including OAE and AABR, was found to be the dominant cost-effective strategy to identify newborns with hearing impairment.
Further results on periodically time-varying memory state-feedback controller synthesis for discrete-time linear systems

In this paper, we enhance the quality of our preceding results on periodically time-varying memory state-feedback controller (PTVMSFC) synthesis for discrete-time linear periodic/time-invariant systems. We firstly revisit PTVMSFC synthesis for certain systems and derive a necessary and sufficient LMI condition for the existence of the desired H∞-PTVMSFCs. Based on these LMIs, we next consider robust H∞-PTVMSFC synthesis for polytopic-type uncertain systems and demonstrate that we can obtain less conservative results. We finally derive a test to verify that the designed PTVMSFC is “exact” in the sense that it attains the best achievable robust H∞ performance. This exactness verification test works fine in practice, and we show via numerical examples that exact robust control is indeed possible via PTVMSFCs, even for those problems where the standard static state-feedback fails.
Secretion of interleukin‐10 or interleukin‐12 by LPS‐activated dendritic cells is critically dependent on time of stimulus relative to initiation of purified DC culture

Dendritic cells (DC) are key regulators of adaptive immunity with the potential to induce T cell activation/immunity or T cell suppression/tolerance. DC are themselves induced by “maturation” signals such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We demonstrate here that LPS can stimulate DC to display similar maturation phenotypes but to differentiate toward an interleukin (IL)‐10high‐ or IL‐12high‐secretor profile depending on the timing of maturation signal induction. Immediate/early administration of LPS induced purified bone marrow‐derived DC (BMDC) to differentiate as IL‐10highIL‐12low‐secreting cells, termed early DC (eDC). Conversely, delayed administration of LPS altered the DC cytokine profile to IL‐10lowIL‐12high, termed later DC (lDC). The presence of IL‐4 enhanced the yield and maturation of BMDC but inhibited LPS‐induced IL‐10 production by eDC. In contrast, interferon‐γ reduced the yield of DC but promoted the level of LPS‐induced IL‐10 production by lDC. Our data provide new evidence that ex vivo manipulation and the cytokine environment regulate DC maturation status and cytokine‐secretor phenotype with implications for the control of T cell differentiation and function via DC‐based immunotherapeutic strategies.
Open Access Research Article Predictors of Pain and Use of Pain Medications following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (tha): 5,707 Thas at 2-years and 3,289 Thas at 5-years

article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: Study pain and use of pain medications and their predictors after primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). Methods: We examined whether gender, age (reference, < = 60 yrs), body mass index (BMI; reference, <25 kg/m 2)), comorbidity measured by Deyo-Charlson index (5-point increase), anxiety and depression predict moderate-severe hip pain and use of pain medications 2-and 5-years after primary THA. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for these predictors and distance from medical center, operative diagnosis, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and implant type.
An O-tree representation of non-slicing floorplan and its applications

We present an ordered tree, O-tree, structure to represent non-slicing floorplans. The O-tree uses only n(2+[Ig n]) bits for a floorplan of n rectangular blocks. We define an admissible placement as a compacted placement in both x and y direction. For each admissible placement, we can find an O-tree representation. We show that the number of possible O-tree combinations is O(n! 2/sup 2n-2//n/sup 1.5/). This is very concise compared to a sequence pair representation which has O((n! )2) combinations. The approximate ratio of sequence pair and O-tree combinations is O(n/sup 2/(n/4e)/sup n/). The complexity of the O-tree is even smaller than a binary tree structure for slicing floorplan which has O(n! 2/sup 5n-3//n/sup 1.5/) combinations. Given an O-tree, it takes only linear time to construct the placement and its constraint graph. We have developed a deterministic floorplanning algorithm utilizing the structure of O-tree. Empirical results on MCNC benchmarks show promising performance with average 16% improvement in wire length, and 1% less in dead space over previous CPU-intensive cluster refinement method.
Role of Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia Coli in the Swine Production Chain

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) can cause severe clinical diseases in humans, such as haemorrhagic colitis (HC) and haemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Although ruminants, primarily cattle, have been suggested as typical reservoirs of STEC, many food products of other origins, including pork products, have been confirmed as vehicles for STEC transmission. Only in rare cases, pork consumption is associated with severe clinical symptoms caused by high pathogenic STEC strains. However, in these outbreaks, it is unknown whether the contamination of food products occurs during swine processing or via cross-contamination from foodstuffs of different sources. In swine, STEC plays an important role in the pathogenesis of oedema disease. In particular a Shiga toxin subtype, named stx2e, it is considered as a key factor involved in the damage of swine endothelial cells. On the contrary, stx2e-producing Escherichia coli has rarely been isolated in humans, and usually only from asymptomatic carriers or from patients with mild symptoms, such as uncomplicated diarrhoea. In fact, the presence of gene stx2e, encoding for stx2e, has rarely been reported in STEC strains that cause HUS. Moreover, stx2e-producing STEC isolated from humans and pigs were found to differ in serogroup, their virulence profile and interaction with intestinal epithelial cells. Because of the limited epidemiologic data of STEC in swine and the increasing role of non-O157 STEC in human illnesses, the relationship between swine STEC and human disease needs to be further investigated.