Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
B‐cell commitment, development and selection

Summary: Here we review three areas in B‐cell development in the mouse, with a focus on relevance to B‐1/CD5+ B cells. Multiparameter flow cytometry has allowed the dissection of intermediate stages of developing B cells, both in fetal liver and bone marrow. In the first area, we present recent work that has delineated a fraction of pre‐pro‐B cells, committed to the B lineage, but lacking any immunoglobulin rearrangements. Next, the role of the pre‐B‐cell receptor in B‐cell repertoire selection has become clear in the past few years, but we present work suggesting that the action of this process during fetal life is different, resulting in selection of a very distinct repertoire compared with adult. Finally, we describe a new VH3609 antithymocyte Ig transgenic mouse model system that has provided the first definitive evidence for the role of self‐antigen in development and maintenance of natural autoreactive B cells.
Probabilistic Modeling Paradigms for Audio Source Separation

Most sound scenes result from the superposition of several sources, which can be separately perceived and analyzed by human listeners. Source separation aims to provide machine listeners with similar skills by extracting the sounds of individual sources from a given scene. Existing separation systems operate either by emulating the human auditory system or by inferring the parameters of probabilistic sound models. In this chapter, we focus on the latter approach and provide a joint overview of established and recent models, including independent component analysis, local time-frequency models and spectral template-based models. We show that most models are instances of one of the following two general paradigms: linear modeling or variance modeling. We compare the merits of either paradigm and report objective performance figures. We conclude by discussing promising combinations of probabilistic priors and inference algorithms that could form the basis of future state-of-the-art systems.
Prevalence of hypersensitivity to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the population of adult asthmatics in Poland based on an epidemiological questionnaire

Wstep: Reakcje nadwrazliwości na leki stanowią okolo 25% dzialan niepoządanych lekow i dotyczą ponad 7% ogolnej populacji. Kwas acetylosalicylowy i inne niesteroidowe leki przeciwzapalne (NLPZ) w jednej czwartej przypadkow odpowiadają za te reakcje. Material i metody: W latach 1998–2000 przeprowadzono wieloośrodkowe badanie epidemiologiczne, mające oszacowac czestośc wystepowania schorzen alergicznych w Polsce. Celem autorow pracy byla proba oceny czestości wystepowania reakcji nadwrazliwości na NLPZ w populacji doroslych cierpiących na astme w Polsce, na podstawie prowadzonych badan epidemiologicznych. Wyniki: Badanie objelo grupe 10 684 doroslych osob w Polsce. Astme oskrzelową rozpoznano u 582 (5,4%) badanej populacji. W grupie tej 75 chorych (12,9%) zglaszalo objawy nadwrazliwości na NLPZ. Czestośc wystepowania astmy aspirynowej wyniosla 1,9% wśrod wszystkich chorych na astme. W grupie z nadwrazliwością na NLPZ astme przewleklą umiarkowaną choi ciezką rozpoznano u 21,3% chorych. W ocenie ciezkości astmy wśrod populacji badanej istotnośc statystyczną uzyskano w tylko w przypadku nietolerancji na aspiryne (p = 0,0003; iloraz szans 28,6 przy zalozonym 95-procentowym przedziale ufności). Wnioski: Czestośc wystepowania astmy aspirynowej w populacji osob doroslych w Polsce wynosi 0,1%, natomiast wśrod doroslych chorych na astme oskrzelową stanowi 1,9%. Reakcje nadwrazliwości na NLPZ wystepują u 12,9% doroslych chorych na astme w Polsce. Chorych na astme aspirynową charakteryzuje statystycznie znamiennie ciezszy przebieg choroby w porownaniu do chorych na astme tolerujących aspiryne. Ryzyko wystąpienia u nich ciezkiego przebiegu astmy jest zwiekszone blisko 30-krotnie.
Mesoscopic modeling of cancer photothermal therapy using single-walled carbon nanotubes and near infrared radiation: insights through an off-lattice Monte Carlo approach

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are promising heating agents in cancer photothermal therapy when under near infrared radiation, yet few efforts have been focused on the quantitative understanding of the photothermal energy conversion in biological systems. In this article, a mesoscopic study that takes into account SWNT morphologies (diameter and aspect ratio) and dispersions (orientation and concentration), as well as thermal boundary resistance, is performed by means of an off-lattice Monte Carlo simulation. Results indicate that SWNTs with orientation perpendicular to the laser, smaller diameter and better dispersion have higher heating efficiency in cancer photothermal therapy. Thermal boundary resistances greatly inhibit thermal energy transfer away from SWNTs, thereby affecting their heating efficiency. Through appropriate interfacial modification around SWNTs, compared to the surrounding healthy tissue, a higher temperature of the cancer cell can be achieved, resulting in more effective cancer photothermal therapy. These findings promise to bridge the gap between macroscopic and microscopic computational studies of cancer photothermal therapy.
EL PAISAJE, PATRIMONIO Y RECURSO PARA EL DESARROLLO TERRITORIAL SOSTENIBLE. CONOCIMIENTO Y ACCIÓN PÚBLICA

The present contribution analyzes, in a first part, the di- fferent institutional conceptualizations of landscape, mainly in Euro- pe, with special reference to European Landscape Agreement, also, study of landscape character, in relation with the British experience. The second part of the paper studies the instruments of urban and territorial planning in Spain referred to the landscape, with a brief reference to two study cases: Menorca Island and the Campo of Criptana landscape mills.
THE EFFECT OF TEST-WISENESS ON SELF-EFFICACY AND MATHEMATIC PERFORMANCE OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

THE EFFECT OF TEST-WISENESS ON SELF-EFFICACY AND MATHEMATIC PERFORMANCE OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES By Phyllis L. M. Haynes, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Co-Directors: John Kregel, Ed.D. , Professor Department of Special Education and Disability Policy School of Education Dr. Colleen A. Thoma, Ph.D., Professor Department of Special Education and Disability Policy School of Education The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Test-Taking Strategy would improve performance on math curriculum-based assessments of students with disabilities, and if students reported an increased sense of math self-efficacy as a result of learning the Test-Taking Strategy. The Test-Taking Strategy uses mnemonics to teach strategies to help students successfully navigate through assessments. This study used an experimental, single-subject, multiple-probe, multiple base-line design (Horner & Baer, 1978). The design featured multiple participants, and followed the design features of quantitative research (Horner & Baer, 1978, McMillan, 2004, & Mitchell & Jolley, 2004). The Test-Taking Strategy did result in improved performance on CBA (math quizzes) for some of the students in this study. However, some students did not increase performance on math CBA (math quizzes). Findings also indicated most students did not report an increased sense of math efficacy. Results of this study and the impact of these findings are discussed.
Social Exchange Under Fire: Direct and Moderated Effects of Job Insecurity on Social Exchange

This study is concerned with the impact of job insecurity on the vital social exchange relationship between employee and employer. Specifically, it explored the relationship between job insecurity and two important social exchange outcomes—organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. Moreover, it assessed the moderating effects of individual factors (communal orientation and powerlessness) and situational factors (trust in management, procedural fairness, and organizational support) on these relationships.
Molecular analysis of oral microflora in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome by using high-throughput sequencing

Background The objective of this study was to characterize the oral microflora profile of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients, thereby revealing the connection between oral bacterial composition and dental caries, and to identify the “core microbiome” in the oral cavities of pSS patients and systemic healthy individuals by using a high-throughput sequencing technique. Methods Twenty-two pSS patients and 23 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Their clinical data and oral rinse samples were collected. The V3–V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene of samples were amplified and analyzed by high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina Miseq PE300 platform. Results Both two groups were age- and sex-matched. There were significantly higher decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed, missing and filled surfaces (DMFS) in the pSS group than in the control group (p < 0.01). Alpha diversity was depleted in pSS patients, compared with healthy controls (p < 0.01), while beta diversity between the two groups was not significantly different. Seven discriminative genera (LDA > 4) were found between the two groups in LEfSe (LDA Effect Size) analysis. The relative abundance of Veillonella in pSS patients was fourfold higher, while Actinomyces, Haemophilus, Neisseria, Rothia, Porphyromonas and Peptostreptococcus were significantly lower in pSS patients than in healthy controls. However, the correlation between Veillonella and DMFT/DMFS was not significant (p > 0.05). In Venn diagram analysis, nine genera shared by all samples of two groups, which comprised 71.88% and 67.64% in pSS patients and controls, respectively. Discussion These findings indicate a microbial dysbiosis in pSS patients; notably, Veillonella might be recognized as a biomarker in pSS patients. The core microbiome in pSS patients was similar to the systemic healthy population. These provide insight regarding advanced microbial prevention and treatment of severe dental caries in pSS patients. This study also provides basic data regarding microbiology in pSS.
Do peripheral nerve extracts protect retinal ganglion cells from axotomy-induced death?

PURPOSE Study the effect of peripheral nerve extracts and BDNF on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) regeneration in adult rats. METHODS Postmicrosomal fractions were obtained from 7-day, predegenerated, as well as non-predegenerated peripheral adult rats nerves. Autologous connective tissue chambers filled with fibrin were implanted into a gap-injury site in the optic nerve. Chambers contained either fibrin, the fractions, or BDNF. RGCs retrogradely labeled with DiI were counted, the distance covered by regrowing fibers traced with rhodamine B was measured, and number of myelinated fibers in the middle part of the chambers was estimated. RESULTS BDNF and predegenerated nerve extracts enhanced RGC fiber outgrowth. The regeneration was significantly weaker in the groups with non-predegenerated nerve extracts, as well as fibrin, and was absent in the control group. CONCLUSION Predegenerated nerve extracts, as well as BDNF, applied to injured optic nerves by means of connective tissue chambers, are able to induce retinal ganglion cell regeneration.
Inhaled antibiotics

Chronic bacterial infection of the lower airways is present in most CF-patients early in life. This chronic bacterial infection results in an exaggerated immune response leading to structural damage in the airways and parenchyma. It is more and more recognized that early and aggressive antibiotic treatment can reduce lung damage and improve life expectancy. The most important route to deliver these antibiotics is orally and intravenously. Since the seventies, aerosolized antibiotics have been used to treat CF related lung disease. An important advantage of aerosolized antibiotics is that the antibiotic is directly targeted to the diseased area in the lung. Theoretically, this can be a huge advantage over systemic antibiotic therapy. Firstly, high concentrations in the lung can be obtained. This is important to get effective inhibition or killing of microorganisms. Secondly, only a small proportion of the inhaled antibiotics are absorbed from the lungs. Therefore, the systemic burden is minimal and systemic sideeffects are reduced. Thirdly, there will be less disturbance of the host microorganisms. Although it is likely that aerosolized antibiotics will have a high efficacy/toxicity ratio, there is a higher risk of pulmonary side-effects. Inhaled substances can act as an irritant or allergen causing inflammation and edema. Whether such local side-effects occur can best be studied in healthy subjects in a phase I dose escalation trial. Next, Phase II and III trials in patients are needed to evaluate the efficacy/ toxicity ratio. In this chapter we will discuss various aspects that influence the efficacy and toxicity of inhaled antibiotics.
Collaboration Is Not Collaboration Is Not Collaboration: Writing Center Tutorials vs. Peer-Response Groups

Collaboration, a process writers engage in and teachers facilitate, is firmly entrenched in our thinking about the teaching of writing. But the term is also used as a blanket tossed over a variety of activities that are not identical, thereby blurring useful distinctions. "I don't use the Writing Lab," a composition teacher told me recently, "because I have peer-response groups in my classroom. " To a degree she is correct in seeing some overlap. Both tutoring and response groups are student-centered approaches that rely on collaboration as a powerful learning tool-to promote interaction between reader and writer, to promote dialogue and negotiation, and to heighten writers' sense of audience. In addition, both move the student from the traditional passive stance of receiving knowledge from an authority to an active involvement which makes talk integral to writing. Yet tutorials and response groups, though collaborative in their approaches, also have different underlying perspectives, assumptions, and goals. Moreover, tutors, unlike peer readers, are trained to use methods that lead to results very different from the outcome of response groups. Clearly, these different forms of collaboration should not be conflated. My purpose here is to examine the differences and, because I work in a writing center, also to help those outside the center appreciate what tutoring can offer. But first, we need to disentangle these forms of collaborative learning from what is more appropriately termed collaborative writing. Although there has been some confusion in the use of "collaboration" to refer both to collabo-
Secretory and systemic immunological response in children infected with live attenuated influenza A virus vaccines

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure isotype-specific antibody to purified hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza A virus, using serum and nasal-wash specimens from young children undergoing primary infection with live cold-adapted influenza A/Alaska/77 (H3N2) or A/Hong Kong/77 (H1N1) candidate vaccine virus. The serum antibody response followed the pattern expected for a primary viral infection. Each of 17 vaccinated children had a serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) HA antibody response, 16 had an IgM antibody response, and 13 had an IgA antibody response. Nasal-wash HA antibody was detected in the IgA, IgM, and IgG isotypes. Of the 17 vaccinated children, 14 had an IgA response, 13 had an IgM response, and 9 had an IgG response. Most of the IgA and IgM HA antibody was actively secreted locally, whereas only some of the IgG HA antibody could be shown to be actively secreted into the respiratory tract. There was a good correlation between the level of nasal-wash antibodies measured by the HA-specific IgA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by a plaque neutralization assay. These data indicate that intranasal vaccination of susceptible children with live, attenuated, cold-adapted influenza A viruses efficiently stimulates both systemic and local antibody responses.
Free Will and Punishment: A Mechanistic View of Human Nature Reduces Retribution

If free-will beliefs support attributions of moral responsibility, then reducing these beliefs should make people less retributive in their attitudes about punishment. Four studies tested this prediction using both measured and manipulated free-will beliefs. Study 1 found that people with weaker free-will beliefs endorsed less retributive, but not consequentialist, attitudes regarding punishment of criminals. Subsequent studies showed that learning about the neural bases of human behavior, through either lab-based manipulations or attendance at an undergraduate neuroscience course, reduced people’s support for retributive punishment (Studies 2–4). These results illustrate that exposure to debates about free will and to scientific research on the neural basis of behavior may have consequences for attributions of moral responsibility.
Effect of red blood cell preservation by droplet freezing with non‐permeable cryoprotective agents in blood group antigen reactivity

In the last few decades, various red blood cell (RBC) freezing techniques have been developed and improved to enable the preservation of erythrocytes for future use in pre‐transfusion tests in reference immunohaematology laboratories. However, not all these techniques have been sufficiently evaluated for the preservation of blood group antigens.
Total Mastoid Obliteration in Staged Canal-Up Tympanoplasty for Cholesteatoma Facilitates Tympanic Aeration

Objective: To assess middle ear aeration after total mastoid obliteration using bone pate and hydroxyapatite performed at the second stage of intact-canal-wall (ICW) tympanoplasty. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary referral hospital. Patients: Forty-two ears with cholesteatoma underwent the obliteration. Computed tomography (CT) scan 1 week before the second-stage operation showed disturbance of middle ear aeration. In the 27 ears of these cases, temporal bone CT scans taken 3 years or more after the operation were available. Intervention: We performed second-stage ICW tympanoplasty 1 year after the first-stage canal-up operation. After mastoidectomy and ossiculoplasty, communication between the tympanic cavity and antrum was blocked with cartilage flaps, and the antrum and mastoid cavity were obliterated totally with bone pate alone or combined with hydroxyapatite granules. Main Outcome Measures: Otomicroscopic and otoendoscopic assessment for ear drum retraction was graded. Tympanic aeration assessed with CT when available. Results: After the total mastoid obliteration in the second-stage ICW tympanoplasty, no postoperative complications nor residual cholesteatoma were encountered. The incidence of ear drum retraction was significantly correlated with the grade of tympanic aeration. Conclusion: The total mastoid obliteration done at the second-stage ICW tympanoplasty is a safe procedure that facilitates aeration of the tympanic cavity. In ears with restored tympanic aeration, the probability of a retraction pocket development is low. On the contrary, possibility of retraction pocket development is high in the ears with poor tympanic aeration after the second-stage operation.
Input Generalization in Delayed Reinforcement Learning: An Algorithm and Performance Comparisons

Delayed reinforcement learning is an attractive framework for the unsupervised learning of action policies for autonomous agents. Some existing delayed reinforcement learning techniques have shown promise in simple domains. However, a number of hurdles must be passed before they are applicable to realistic problems. This paper describes one such difficulty, the input generalization problem (whereby the system must generalize to produce similar actions in similar situations) and an implemented solution, the G algorithm. This algorithm is based on recursive splitting of the state space based on statistical measures of differences in reinforcements received. Connectionist backpropagation has previously been used for input generalization in reinforcement learning. We compare the two techniques analytically and empirically. The G algorithm's sound statistical basis makes it easy to predict when it should and should not work, whereas the behavior of back-propagation is unpredictable. We found that a previous successful use of backpropagation can be explained by the linearity of the application domain. We found that in another domain, G reliably found the optimal policy, whereas none of a set of runs of backpropagation with many combinations of parameters did.
Plasma cytokine levels during acute HIV-1 infection predict HIV disease progression

Background:Both T-cell activation during early HIV-1 infection and soluble markers of immune activation during chronic infection are predictive of HIV disease progression. Although the acute phase of HIV infection is associated with increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production, the relationship between cytokine concentrations and HIV pathogenesis is unknown. Objectives:To identify cytokine biomarkers measurable in plasma during acute HIV-1 infection that predict HIV disease progression. Design:Study including 40 South African women who became infected with HIV-1 and were followed longitudinally from the time of infection. Methods:The concentrations of 30 cytokines in plasma from women with acute HIV-1 infection were measured and associations between cytokine levels and both viral load set point 12 months postinfection and time taken for CD4 cell counts to fall below 350 cells/μl were determined using multivariate and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: We found that the concentrations of five plasma cytokines, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IFN-γ, IL-7 and IL-15 in women with acute infection predicted 66% of the variation in viral load set point 12 months postinfection. IL-12p40, IL-12p70 and IFN-γ were significantly associated with lower viral load, whereas IL-7 and IL-15 were associated with higher viral load. Plasma concentrations of IL-12p40 and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor during acute infection were associated with maintenance of CD4 cell counts above 350 cells/μl, whereas IL-1α, eotaxin and IL-7 were associated with more rapid CD4 loss. Conclusion: A small panel of plasma cytokines during acute HIV-1 infection was predictive of long-term HIV disease prognosis in this group of South African women.
Local and global criticality within oscillating networks of spiking neurons

Neuronal avalanches are a local cortical phenomenon characterised by bursts of activity bracketed by periods of quiescence. It has been shown both in vivo and in vitro that these avalanches exhibit features of systems within a critical state. Locally critical system's avalanches conform to power law-like distributions. Globally these systems consist of modules exhibiting long-range temporal correlations identifiable via Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA). Using an eight module oscillatory spiking neural network we analyse the correlation between these local and global criticality markers. Our findings demonstrate that locally critical modules promote long-range temporal correlations. Furthermore, when local modules are no longer critical we find that modules become uncorrelated or noisy. This suggests a strong link between local and global critical behaviour.