Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IL‐1 signalling is dispensable for protective immunity in Leishmania‐resistant mice

Abstract: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease affecting ∼12 million people. Control of infection (e.g. in C57BL/6 mice) results from IL‐12‐dependent production of IFNγ by Th1/Tc1 cells. In contrast, BALB/c mice succumb to infection because of preferential Th2‐type cytokine induction. Infected dendritic cells (DC) represent important sources of IL‐12. Genetically determined differences in DC IL‐1α/β production contribute to disease outcome. Whereas the course of disease was not dramatically altered in IL‐1RI−/− mice, local administration of IL‐1α to infected C57BL/6 mice improved disease outcome. To definitively elucidate the involvement of IL‐1 in immunity against leishmaniasis, we now utilized IL‐1α/β‐double‐deficient C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 mice are believed to be a good surrogate model for human, self limited cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Leishmania major‐infected IL‐1α/β−/− mice were resistant to experimental CL comparable to controls. In addition, DC‐based vaccination against leishmaniasis in C57BL/6 mice was independent of IL‐1. Thus, in Leishmania‐resistant C57BL/6 mice, IL‐1 signalling is dispensable for protection.
Electro-Acupuncture at the Zusanli, Yanglingquan, and Kunlun Points Does Not Reduce Anesthetic Requirement

We tested the hypothesis that electro-acupuncture at the Zusanli, Yanglingquan, and Kunlun acupuncture points on the legs decreases anesthetic requirement. Fourteen young, healthy volunteers were anesthetized with desflurane on two separate days. Needle electrodes were positioned at the three acupuncture points thought to produce a generalized sedative and analgesic effect. Needles were percutaneously placed on treatment days; on control days, they were insulated and taped near the insertion points. The electrodes were stimulated on the treatment day. Stimulation consisted of 2-Hz and 100-Hz currents alternated at 2-s intervals. When the end-tidal desflurane concentration of 5.5% was stable for 15 min, noxious electrical stimuli were administered via 25-gauge needles on both thighs (70 mA at 100 Hz for 10 s). Desflurane concentration was increased 0.5% when movement occurred and decreased 0.5% when it did not. An investigator, blinded to treatment, determined movement. These up-and-down sequences were continued until volunteers crossed from movement to no movement four times. A logistic regression determined the partial pressure of desflurane that produced a 50% likelihood of movement in response to noxious stimulation and consequently identified the minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration equivalent for desflurane. There was no significant difference in minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration equivalents between the electro-acupuncture (4.6% ± 0.6%, mean ± sd) and control (4.6% ± 0.8%) days (P = 0.8). These data provided an 80% power for detecting a difference of 0.35 volume-percent between the groups.
What's in two names?

As first pointed out by Saul (1997a), the co-referential names in sentences like (1) and (2) defy substitution salva veritate: (1) 'Clark Kent went into the phone booth, and Superman came out' ; (2) 'I never made it to Karl-Marx-Stadt, but I visited Chemnitz last year'. This paper elaborates and compares two solutions to Saul's substitution problem, both of which turn on an asymmetry between names that share their bearers. According to the first solution there is a semantic distinction between neutral names (like 'Superman' and 'Karl-Marx-Stadt') and restricted names (like 'Clark Kent' and 'Chemnlitz'). According to the second solution, only neutral names are properly used, whereas the use of (what would be) restricted names involves code-switching and pragmatic re-interpretation. As it turns out, the semantic approach deals more easily with changing names as in (2), whereas the pragmatic account is more adequate in explaining hidden identity cases like (1).
The Role of Context Selection in Object Detection

We investigate the reasons why context in object detection has limited utility by isolating and evaluating the predictive power of different context cues under ideal conditions in which context provided by an oracle. Based on this study, we propose a region-based context re-scoring method with dynamic context selection to remove noise and emphasize informative context. We introduce latent indicator variables to select (or ignore) potential contextual regions, and learn the selection strategy with latent-SVM. We conduct experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed context selection method on the SUN RGB-D dataset. The method achieves a significant improvement in terms of mean average precision (mAP), compared with both appearance based detectors and a conventional context model without the selection scheme.
Combination of HSV 1-TK / shTERT by retrovirus vector inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant carcinoma worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer mortality. However, current treatment strategies are not potent enough to combat this disease. Therefore, identification of novel and more effective treatments is crucial. Of the current methods, gene therapy, which targets cancer‐specific expression and limits toxicity, is a new strategy for treating cancers. In this study, we developed a retroviral vector containing herpes simplex virus type‐1‐thymidine kinase (HSV1‐TK) and a short hairpin RNA for the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene and investigated the antitumor effects in an in vitro and in vivo mouse model of liver cancer, monitored by PET image. In vitro experiments on HCC cells in the TK‐shTERT treatment group showed significant accumulation of 18F-FHBG, which preferentially inhibits HCC cell growth with extremely limited toxicity in normal cells. In vivo studies showed a significant reduction of growth in the TK‐shTERT treatment group. In conclusion, these findings showed that combination HSV1‐TK/hTERT gene therapy effectively and safely inhibits HCC cell growth in vitro and in vivo and is worthy of development in clinical trials for the treatment of HCC.
Factors Contributing to Personal Commitment in Chinese Interethnic Couples

Interethnic relationships are increasingly common in many societies, yet interethnic couples have a higher divorce rate compared to intraethnic couples. Given these facts and the dearth of research, this study aimed to identify factors that contribute to couples’ commitment in interethnic relationships. This study investigated the personal commitment of Chinese interethnic couples in the United Kingdom and the United States. Specifically, whether love, dyadic adjustment and “couple cultural identity” (i.e. acculturation to the partner and couple’s similarity on individualism/collectivism) would predict personal commitment and whether each variable would account for unique variance in personal commitment of the participants. Thirty-seven Chinese/non-Chinese heterosexual couples participated in the study and significant relationships between love and personal commitment, dyadic adjustment and personal commitment were found. Also, couple cultural identity was important for women’s personal commitment. Multiple regression and structural equation modelling showed that partners in interethnic relationships defined personal commitment in different ways with men emphasizing love and dyadic adjustment, and women emphasizing love and acculturation to their partner. The discovery of the importance of couple cultural identity in contributing to personal commitment, besides love and dyadic adjustment, helps researchers to gain a greater understanding of such relationships and to extend the research on interethnic relationships.
Kings without crowns? The re-emergence of investigative journalism in China

Over the last 10 years a genre of critical, abrasive journalism has emerged in China, particularly on television. Chinese journalists like to refer to it as 'investigative journalism' and, in doing so, they are consciously likening it to the Anglophone equivalent. This article examines how Chinese journalists describe their work. It also looks at the various possible explanations offered for the emergence and popularity of the genre: as an epiphenomenon of government reforms of the institutional and financing systems of the media; as a function of the irritation felt by professionals with past practices and the unsatisfied urge to participate of many Chinese citizens; because of the social roles ascribed to journalists both by themselves and by the citizenry; a response to new ideas from abroad, or 'westernization'. It is concluded that, while many topics and techniques of investigative journalism are analogous with those of Anglophone countries, the Chinese journalists appear to be striving to realize roles traditional to Chinese culture rather than adopting foreign models. The notion that the re-emergence of investigative journalism is an instance of 'westernization' is rejected. (Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd from de Burgh, Hugo (2003) Kings without crowns? The re-emergence of investigative journalism in China. © 2003 SAGE Publications).
Proteasome inhibitor ameliorates severe acute pancreatitis and associated lung injury of rats.

AIM To observe the effect of proteasome inhibitor MG-132 on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and associated lung injury of rats. METHODS Male adult SD rats were randomly divided into SAP group, sham-operation group, and MG-132 treatment group. A model of SAP was established by injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the biliary-pancreatic duct of rats. The MG-132 group was pretreated with 10 mg/kg MG-132 intraperitoneally (ip) 30 min before the induction of pancreatitis. The changes in serum amylase, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of pancreatic and pulmonary tissue were measured. The TNF-alpha level in pancreatic cytosolic fractions was assayed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Meanwhile, the pathological changes in both pancreatic and pulmonary tissues were also observed. RESULTS MG-132 significantly decreased serum amylase, pancreatic weight/body ratio, pancreatic TNF-alpha level, pancreatic and pulmonary MPO activity (P < 0.05). Histopathological examinations revealed that pancreatic and pulmonary samples from rats pretreated with MG-132 demonstrated milder edema, cellular damage, and inflammatory activity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The proteasome inhibitor MG-132 shows a protective effect on severe acute pancreatitis and associated lung injury of rats.
Establishing and asserting masculinity in Canadian penitentiaries

Prisons housing adult men have been identified as hypermasculine environments. As a gender process, masculinities are influenced by a multitude of factors. Although presentations of masculinities vary across men and over time, researchers have identified some shared masculine ideals many men try to embody. As a subset, the hegemonic or dominant form of masculinity includes elements that ensure a level of domination is held by those who embody certain traits, particularly within the context of gendered social relations. The tools and strategies prisoners use to exert or shape their masculinity within the prison social structure, however, have not yet been examined in the context of Canadian federal prisons housed in Ontario. Within the prison culture, I argue, hegemonic masculinities determine social interactions and enforce a hierarchy among prisoners where power and domination are asserted through physical, psychological and material means. How masculinities are manifested and exerted as well as how they governed social relations with other prisoners were investigated through in-depth face-to-face interviews with 56 Canadian ex-prisoners. Findings suggest ‘prison’ masculinities are contextually influenced and exaggerate traditional constructs of masculinity evident in larger society. The hypermasculine nature of the prison experience, the oppressive and hierarchical nature of masculinities in prison and the limited opportunities for the expression of masculinities by prisoners are discussed.
The celebritisation of Carmen Miranda in New York, 1939–41

This article considers the process of celebritisation that Carmen Miranda rapidly underwent after arriving in the United States for the first time in 1939. It focuses upon the period she spent in New York (1939–41), performing on Broadway, prior to her move to Hollywood, and examines how she negotiated her move from Brazil to North America via a conscious process of auto-exoticisation, knowingly appropriating the self-tropicalising agenda of the regime of Brazilian president, Getúlio Vargas (1930–45), as exemplified in the Brazilian Pavilion at the World's Fair in New York of 1939–40. It analyses her celebrity text by examining intertexts such as press releases, interviews and reviews published in newspapers and magazines, and interrogates the impact of her involvement in product endorsement, chiefly in the area of women's high-street fashion. It aims to show the extent of her agency in the construction of her celebrity text, focusing in particular upon how her ethnic identity shifted in the move from South to North America, and seeks to offer a historical, evolutionary perspective on the concept of the bicultural celebrity. It concludes that she can be seen as one of the earliest examples of the transnational star, not simply famous in more than one national context but actively employing her inter-hemispheric, no-man's-land position in order to carve out a niche for herself in the US imaginary.
Religious Involvement and Mental Disorders in Mainland China

Purpose The present study aims to examine the association between religious involvement and mental disorder (anxiety disorder, mood disorder, alcohol use disorder) in a general Chinese population, and explore connections between religious belief and mental disorders in the Hui and Han ethnic groups. Method Data were examined from a representative sample of 2,770 community-dwelling adults in the province of Ningxia located in western China. Self-reported religious attendance and the importance of religious in daily life were measured. The WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to diagnose mental disorders. Results In the overall sample, the importance of religious affiliation was positively associated with mental disorders (especially anxiety) (p<0.01). No association was found between any religious characteristic and mood disorders or alcohol use disorders. With regard to analyses within different ethnic groups, religious affiliation was positively associated with mental disorder in Han ethnicity (p<0.01), but not in Hui ethnicity. When stratified by age and ethnic group, religious affiliation was associated positively with mental disorder in younger Han (p<0.01); whereas high religiosity was associated positively with mental disorder in older Hui (p<0.05). Among older Hui, however, religious affiliation was inversely associated with mood disorder (p<0.05). Conclusions In contrast to most previous studies in Western populations, religious involvement is less likely to be inversely related to mental disorder in Mainland China, although this association varies by age and ethnic group.
A Novel CCK-8/GLP-1 Hybrid Peptide Exhibiting Prominent Insulinotropic, Glucose-Lowering, and Satiety Actions With Significant Therapeutic Potential in High-Fat–Fed Mice

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and cholecystokinin (CCK) exert important complementary beneficial metabolic effects. This study assessed the biological actions and therapeutic utility of a novel (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8/exendin-4 hybrid peptide compared with the stable GLP-1 and CCK mimetics exendin-4 and (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8, respectively. All peptides significantly enhanced in vitro insulin secretion. Administration of the peptides, except (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8 alone, in combination with glucose significantly lowered plasma glucose and increased plasma insulin in mice. All treatments elicited appetite-suppressive effects. Twice-daily administration of the novel (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8/exendin-4 hybrid, (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8 alone, or (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8 in combination with exendin-4 for 21 days to high-fat–fed mice significantly decreased energy intake, body weight, and circulating plasma glucose. HbA1c was reduced in the (pGlu-Gln)-CCK-8/exendin-4 hybrid and combined parent peptide treatment groups. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity also were improved by all treatment modalities. Interestingly, locomotor activity was decreased in the hybrid peptide group, and these mice also exhibited reductions in circulating triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Pancreatic islet number and area, as well β-cell area and insulinotropic responsiveness, were dramatically improved by all treatments. These studies highlight the clear potential of dual activation of GLP-1 and CCK1 receptors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Prognostic value of highly sensitive C-reactive protein and plaquemorphology in coronary artery disease in China.

Inflammation contributes to the initiation and progression of coronary atherosclerosis. A highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) can be used as a predictor of future coronary events in healthy populations and in patients with angina. However, the relationship between hs-CRP and coronary lesion characteristics as well as their associations with clinical outcomes in Chinese patients with coronary artery diseases has not been well described. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of coronary lesion characteristics and hs-CRP in Chinese patients with coronary artery disease. Coronary lesion characteristics were characterized by intravascular ultrasound. Serum hs-CRP and pro-matrix metalloproteinase-1 (ProMMP-1) concentrations were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 184 patients. Among these patients, 101 suffered from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 83 suffered from stable angina (SA). These patients were followed up for one year to monitor subsequent major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Patients with ACS exhibited an increased external elastic membrane cross-sectional area, plaque burden, lipid pool burden, and remodeling index compared with the patients with SA (P < 0.05). Rupture and vulnerable plaques were more frequently observed in patients with ACS than in patients with SA (40.59% vs. 1.20% and 42.57% vs. 3.61%, respectively; P < 0.001). Serum hs-CRP and proMMP-1 concentrations were higher in patients with ACS (18.17 [6.32, 22.10] mg/L vs. 3.75 [1.86, 4.32] mg/L, P < 0.001 and 1.56 [0.72, 1.82] ng/ml vs. 1.14 [0.75, 1.14] ng/ml, P = 0.012]. Strong associations were found between hs-CRP, proMMP-1 and plaque type. Univariate analysis found that ACS, Troponin I and hs-CRP were associated with MACE, while multivariate logistic regression found that only hs-CRP was independently associated with MACE for one year. An increase in hs-CRP is correlated with rupture and vulnerable plaques. hs-CRP but not plaque morphology is associated with poor prognosis in Chinese patients with coronary artery disease.
Intrinsic versus Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Coronary Atherosclerosis: A Generational Comparison Model for Testing Diagnostic Accuracy‡

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy (IFS) have been used experimentally for diagnosing coronary atherosclerosis. In this study, we demonstrated the diagnostic superiority of IFS at 342-nm excitation (IFS342) versus LIF (LIF342) and described a protocol for head-to-head comparison of old (LIF) versus new (IFS) generations of similar diagnostic methods, labeled as “generational comparison model“. IFS342 and LIF342 were modeled with basis spectra of media, fibrous caps, and superficial foam cells and of their correspondent chemicals (elastin, collagen, and lipoproteins). The average accuracy and receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of IFS342 in single-, double-, and triple-parameter diagnostic algorithm iterations, geared toward identifying 84 atherosclerotic specimens from a group of 117 coronary segments, was 90% ± 1% and 0.87 ± 0.025, superior to LIF342 (84% ± 3% and 0.84 ± 0.016; P = 0.0002 and 0.02, respectively) in a generational comparison model.
Efficacy of leukotriene receptor antagonist in bronchial hyperresponsiveness and hypersensitivity to analgesic in aspirin‐intolerant asthma

Albeit its exact pathogenesis is still ambiguous; aspirin‐intolerant asthma is one of several types of asthma for which antileukotriene therapy is useful, because it is widely accepted that bronchial over‐production of leukotrienes may be involved in its pathogenesis. Pranlukast (8‐[p‐(4‐phenylbutyloxy) benzol] amino‐2‐(tetrazol‐5‐yl)‐4‐oxo‐4H‐1‐benzopyran hemihydrate), a selective cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, is now widely used in the treatment of asthma.
Communication and performance in software development projects

A study of 21 software development (SD) project groups using data from 170 participants holding different positions (engineers, user representatives, project managers) and a quasi-longitudinal design shows that user participation inhibits, and standardization of methods and tools facilitates, effective SD project performance. Over and above these effects, hierarchical regression analysis reveals taskrelated internal communication to predict performance positively. Moderated regression analysis reveals that high communication facilitates project performance more strongly in late stages of the project life-cycle and when standardization of methods and tools is low. Implications for facilitating SD projects' functioning, for future research and theory building, are discussed.
Mind-Body Practice Changes Fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations in Intrinsic Control Networks

Cognitive control impairment is a typical symptom largely reported in populations with neurological disorders. Previous studies have provided evidence about the changes in cognitive control induced by mind-body training. However, the neural correlates underlying the effect of extensive mind-body practice on cognitive control remain largely unknown. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we characterized dynamic fluctuations in large-scale intrinsic connectivity networks associated with mind-body practice, and examined their differences between healthy controls and Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practitioners. Compared with a control group, the TCC group revealed significantly decreased fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (fALFF) in the bilateral frontoparietal network, default mode network and dorsal prefrontal-angular gyri network. Furthermore, we detected a significant association between mind-body practice experience and fALFF in the default mode network, as well as an association between cognitive control performance and fALFF of the frontoparietal network. This provides the first evidence of large-scale functional connectivity in brain networks associated with mind-body practice, shedding light on the neural network changes that accompany intensive mind-body training. It also highlights the functionally plastic role of the frontoparietal network in the context of the “immune system” of mental health recently developed in relation to flexible hub theory.
The Illusion of Morality as Self-Interest: A Reason to Cooperate in Social Dilemmas

One reason for people's voluntary cooperation in social dilemmas, or altruistic behavior in general, may be their belief that altruism pays off in terms of long-run self-interest Although this is often true, it is typically false in large-scale social dilemmas among strangers In three questionnaire studies, subjects endorsed this self-interest illusion frequently for large-scale dilemmas, such as overfishing and pollution, in which the benefits of cooperation are delayed.