Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Interleukin-6 in the Expression of PD-1 and PDL-1 on Central Nervous System Cells following Infection with Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus

ABSTRACT Infection with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) in the central nervous system (CNS) of susceptible mice results in an immune-mediated demyelinating disease which is considered a relevant viral model of human multiple sclerosis. We previously demonstrated that the expression of positive costimulatory molecules (CD40, CD80, and CD86) is higher on the microglia of TMEV-resistant C57BL/6 (B6) mice than the microglia of TMEV-susceptible SJL/J (SJL) mice. In this study, we analyzed the expression levels of the negative costimulatory molecules PD-1 and PDL-1 in the CNS of TMEV-infected SJL mice and B6 mice. Our results indicated that TMEV infection induces the expression of both PD-1 and PDL-1 on microglia and macrophages in the CNS but not in the periphery. The expression of PD-1 only on CNS-infiltrating macrophages and not on resident microglia was considerably higher (>4-fold) in TMEV-infected SJL mice than TMEV-infected B6 mice. We further demonstrated that interleukn-6 (IL-6) is necessary to induce the maximal expression of PDL-1 but not PD-1 after TMEV infection using IL-6-deficient mice and IL-6-transgenic mice in conjunction with recombinant IL-6. In addition, cells from type I interferon (IFN) receptor knockout mice failed to upregulate PD-1 and PDL-1 expression after TMEV infection in vitro, indicating that type I IFN signaling is associated with the upregulation. However, other IFN signaling may also participate in the upregulation. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the expression of PD-1 and PDL-1 in the CNS is primarily upregulated following TMEV infection via type I IFN signaling and the maximal expression of PDL-1 additionally requires IL-6 signaling.
The effects of soil flooding on the establishment of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), a nonindigenous invader of the Southeastern United States

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), an invasive perennial introduced from Southeast Asia, is currently spreading throughout the southeastern United States from Florida to Louisiana. In the U.S., cogongrass is generally not considered a wetland species, although it’s range is expanding in regions with high wetland abundance. The objective of this study was to determine if excessive soil moisture might prevent cogongrass from establishing in areas with seasonaly flooded soils. In one greenhouse experiment, we examined cogongrass germination and seedling growth in soils that were freely drained, saturated, and inundated. We performed a second greenhouse experiment to evaluate growth and survival of cogongrass seedlings of four different size classes in five soil moisture treatments ranging from dry to inundated. Cogongrass germination was lowest when seeds were overtopped with water. There were no differences in germination between saturated and freely drained treatments; however, seedlings grew larget in freely drained soil and were smallest when immersed. In our second experiment, most cogongrass plantswsurvived except when given no water, but growth differed by watering treatment depending on seedling size. Increasing moisture was more detrimental to the growth of small seedlings compared to the growth of larger cogongrass plants. Overall, cogongrass was most sensitive to soil inundation in the earliest stages of establishment; thus, excessive moisture conditions in the spring, during early seedling development, could restrict invasion of cogongrass by seed. Once cogongrass is established, however, it tolerance of flooding appears to increase.
Computing Bounds of Estimator Time-lag for Homing PN Guidance Loop Considering Autopilot and Airframe Dynamics

Stability analysis of a realistic linearized PN homing loop has been presented in this paper with an objective to compute the allowable time constant of the guidance estimator. Bounds of estimator time constant over the flight time have been computed for a PN guidance loop comprising of a first order seeker, third order autopilot and airframe. Incorporating a third-order autopilot and airframe, the current paper yields a more practical bound of allowable bandwidth of a first-order LOS rate estimator for successful intercept of a ballistic target. It has been established that the state dependent Lipschitz nonlinearity of the nominal plant in the loop is bounded for estimator time constant within the computed stability bounds. Finally it has been shown by numerical simulation that beyond the specified bound of the estimator time constant the deviation of the homing trajectory from that obtained using ideal kinematic feedback exhibits divergence.
Complete remission of a metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumour with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib (STI 571): effect of low dosage in an advanced tumour with exon 11 mutation

We report a 51-year-old man with an advanced malignant metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumour, who showed a complete response after 5 months of treatment with imatinib at a dose of 400 mg per day. An early treatment response was demonstrated in an 18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan after 1 month of therapy. Complete remission was documented histologically by negative serial biopsies of residual tumour nodes after 5 months of therapy. No serious side effects were seen with imatinib. A 21 bp, exon 11, in-frame mutation of the c-kit gene was found by DNA sequence analysis of tumour tissue.
Opinions and preferences of British Columbia pharmacists and physicians on medication management services

Background: Medication management (MM) services are being provided by pharmacists across Canada in various forms, but pharmacist-physician collaboration is still not a routine practice in most jurisdictions. This survey aimed to gather pharmacists’ and physicians’ opinions and preferences for MM provision. Methods: Two parallel, cross-sectional online surveys, including best-worst scaling tasks, were designed for pharmacists and physicians in British Columbia to capture and compare their preferences for a number of attributes of MM. Results: Surveys were completed by 119 pharmacists and 146 physicians. Results indicate that pharmacists and physicians had similar opinions on many aspects of MM. Ninety-five percent of pharmacists and 69% of physicians believed that additional health services are needed to help patients optimize the use of their medications. However, the majority of each group felt that they were the most important health care professional in providing this service. Most pharmacists (79%) and some physicians (25%) thought that optimizing use of medications would result in both decreased costs and utilization to the health care system. Both pharmacists and physicians felt that the best attribute of an MM service would be if the services resulted in improved health and medication use for patients. Both groups were motivated by increased remuneration for MM; however, the relative strength of preference for this was higher among physicians. Interestingly, physicians valued improved medication adherence as a result of MM more highly than pharmacists did. Discussion and Conclusion: Most pharmacists and physicians agreed that improving patients’ health and medication use would be the best attribute of MM and that there is a need for such services. However, physicians also had strong preferences for being remunerated for participating in MM provision.
Post-Election Violence in Kenya: Place-Based Explanations of Con ict

When and where do contentious politics become violent politics? How does election violence emerge from, and operate through, formal and informal social institutions? What are the impacts of this electoral violence for the people and places it affects? Focusing on the conflict that followed Kenya's December 27th 2007 national election, I use a geographical conceptual framework and mixed quantitative-qualitative methods to understand a phenomenon that plagues many African societies. I find evidence that local level social circumstances - contextual effects - influence the observed rate of conflict. These settings are measured in terms of ethnic community relations, socioeconomic status, and the institutional legacy of post-independence settlement schemes, among other influences. Overall, I find that local demographic patterns, in terms of prior-incumbency in the national executive and ethnic community polarization (especially in a context of poverty) increase the risk of exposure to electoral violence. There is also evidence that a political economy of insecure land tenure influences the rate of conflict among Kenyan districts, but this relationship holds true mainly in the presence of other contemporary social circumstances. In trying to understand the cyclical nature of political violence, I find that experiences with individual-level election violence reduce several forms of inter-personal and institutional trust, and also affects other social attitudes. There is only mixed evidence that indirect exposure to political violence at a locality scale has additive effects upon individual attitudes. I conclude this research - as I also introduced it - by relating the Kenyan case to other African countries, and in reiterating the important role that localized and place-based social influences have upon electoral political violence.
Practice nurses and clinical guidelines in a changing primary care context: an empirical study.

BACKGROUND Practice Nurses form an increasingly large proportion of the English National Health Service primary care workforce and the delegation to them of clinical work from General Practitioners has attracted some academic attention. Central to this process are clinical guidelines, which provide the interface between the movement towards 'evidence-based practice' and a range of government-driven policy developments in primary care. AIMS To identify the attitudes of practice nurses to clinical guidelines; to investigate the impact of guidelines on nurse/physician relationships; and to describe the impact of the changing primary care context on nurses. METHODS We interviewed a sample of 29 Practice Nurses three times during a 16-month period to clarify their attitudes towards guidelines, their use of guidelines in practice and their assessment of guidelines' importance. We gathered further data on organizational culture and perceptions of national reforms of primary care structures. RESULTS We found that practice nurses are generally supportive of clinical guidelines. Moreover, nurses' role and influence within primary care is in a process of transition to one in which they may undertake responsibility for influencing General Practitioners' clinical behaviour so as to adhere to guidelines. Practice nurses themselves recognize and welcome this, though with some reservations. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the proposal that explicit codification of the scientific basis of the work of lower paid groups may enhance their relative professional status.
Frühe alltagsintegrierte Sprachförderung – die Fachperson-Kind-Interaktionen unter der Lupe

Der Beitrag stellt ein Ergebnis einer videographischen Teilstudie zur Sprachforderung mit mehrsprachigen Kindern in Spielgruppen bzw. Kindertagesstatten vor: Die Autorinnen interpretieren ihre empirischen Befunde dahingehend, dass das Steuerungsverhalten der Fachperson sich auf Sprachfordermoglichkeiten auswirkt. Der Beitrag kann zugleich mit forschungsmethodologischem Interesse gelesen werden: Die Autorinnen arbeiten in der Studie in einem doppelten Sinne materialgeleitet.
The Relationship Between Trust and Political Participation: A Comparison of Four Nations

Gecmis calismalar guven ve politik katilim arasinda guclu bir iliski oldugunu gozlemlemistir. Ancak, bu arastirmalar guven ve politik katilimin cok boyutlu esasini nadiren goz onunde bulundurur ve genelde Bati toplumlari ile kisitlidir. Bu makale European Social Survey 2. Tur'unu (2004) kullanarak, farkli unsurlar iceren guven (dikey ve yatay) ve politik katilim (geleneksel ve gelenek-disi) arasindaki baglantiyi, birbirinden politik istikrar ve ekonomik gu- venlik acisindan ayrilan dort topluma (Cek Cumhuriyeti, Almanya, Norvec ve Turkiye) odaklanarak incelemektedir. Sonuclar farkli guven unsur boyutlarinin (dikey ve yatay) politik katilim bicimine bagli olarak degisik etkilerinin oldugunu ve bir kac istisna disinda guven ve politik katilim arasindaki iliskinin politik istikrar ve ekonomik guven arasinda degisen ulkelerde birbirine benzer oldugunu aciga cikarmistir.
Skin conductance variations compared to ABC scale for pain evaluation in newborns

Abstract Objectives: To validate spontaneous skin conductance variations as a specific reliable mean to measure pain in full-term healthy newborns during heel stick, comparing it with the ABC scale. To compare oral sucrose to wrapping effectiveness for non-pharmacological analgesia during the same procedure. Method: All recruited newborns (n = 158) underwent a heel stick for metabolic screening at 48 h of life with non-pharmacological analgesia by oral sucrose (group A) or wrapping (group B) according to randomization. Their pain was estimated by ABC scale score (standard method) and measured by skin conductance variations. Results: A positive correlation was founded between peaks per sec measure and ABC score (rs = 0.303, p < 0.005). ABC score in group A was lower than in group B (p < 0.001). Difference in mean ABC score among newborn subgroups treated by different nurses was not statistically significant for wrapping while it was significant for sucrose (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Skin conductance measurement device is a reliable method to evaluate pain. Novel technological devices may be a useful support to clinical observation in this field. Oral sucrose is more effective than wrapping in reducing pain. Operators should be well periodically re-trained in performing non pharmacological analgesia during minor procedure on newborns.
Efficacy of Simultaneous Administration of Nimodipine, Progesterone, and Magnesium Sulfate in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of simultaneous administration of nimodipine, progesterone, magnesium sulfate in patients suffering from severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Overall, 90 patients with blunt head trauma who were admitted to the Besat hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran through the Emergency Department in 2017 to 2018 were randomly assigned to the study or control groups each containing 45 patients. In the study group, intravenous nimodipine 60 mg every 12 hours for 5 days, intramuscular progesterone 1 mg/kg daily for 5 days, and magnesium sulfate 5 grams stat followed by 2.5 grams every 4 hours for 21 days were administered. Daily GCS and jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2) of the patients were measured on admission day (day 0) through hospitalization day 4 at the intensive care unit. Then, all patients were visited at three months after discharge. Results: The mean age of the patients was 31.4 ± 12.8 years including 59 (65.6%) men with no significant difference between the groups. The baseline GCS and SjvO2 of the patients were comparable in both groups, however, GCS of the patients in the study group were significantly higher in the next 4 hospitalization days compared to the controls. Whereas, the SjvO2 of the patients were not significantly different between the groups during these days. Three-month mortality rate of the patients in the study group was significantly lower than the three-month mortality rate of the patients in the control groups (22.2% vs. 42.2%, p=0.042). Conclusion: Administration of combined protocol of magnesium sulfide, progesterone and nimodipine may be safe and effective in patients suffering from severe TBI. Clinical Trial Registry: IRCT201210229534N2
Injuries in female football players in top-level international tournaments

Background: Despite the growing popularity of women’s football and the increasing number of female players, there has been little research on injuries sustained by female football players. Purpose: Analysis of the incidence, characteristics and circumstances of injury in elite female football players in top-level international tournaments. Study design: Prospective survey. Methods: Injuries incurred in seven international football tournaments were analysed using an established injury report system. Doctors of all participating teams reported all injuries after each match on a standardised injury reporting form. The mean response rate was 95%. Results: 387 injuries were reported from 174 matches, equivalent to an incidence of 67.4 injuries/1000 player hours (95% CI 60.7 to 74.1) or 2.2 injuries/match (95% CI 2.0 to 2.4). Most injuries (84%; 317/378) were caused by contact with another player. The injuries most commonly involved the lower extremity (n = 248; 65%), followed by injuries of the head and neck (n = 67, 18%), trunk (n = 33, 9%) and upper extremity (n = 32, 8%). Contusions (n = 166; 45%) were the most frequent type of injury, followed by sprains or ligament rupture (n = 96; 26%) and strains or muscle fibre ruptures (n = 31; 8%). The most common diagnosis was an ankle sprain. There were 7 ligament ruptures and 15 sprains of the knee. On average 1 injury/match (95% CI 0.8 to 1.2) was expected to result in absence from a match or training. Conclusion: The injury rate in women’s top-level tournaments was within the range reported previously for match injuries in elite male and female players. However, the diagnoses and mechanisms of injury among the female players differed substantially from those previously reported in male football players.
IL-17A in the tumor microenvironment of the human colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence

Abstract Objectives. Interleukin (IL)-17A is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine and involved in the colorectal carcinogenesis. In this study, the authors evaluated the dynamic change of IL-17A expression in the tumor microenvironment throughout the colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence. Materials & methods. Using quantitative real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry, the authors examined the expression level of IL-17A in 50 of human colorectal adenoma tissues, 50 of colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and 15 controls. The relationship between IL-17A expression and clinicopathological parameters throughout the sequence was also evaluated. Results. The results revealed a step-up increased IL-17A mRNA level throughout the colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence, which began to increase in the adenomas and became even higher in the CRCs; notably, the increase of IL-17A mRNA level in the adenomatous tissues was associated with the severity of dysplasia. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the real-time PCR results and revealed gradually increasing IL-17A cells in both the stroma and adenomatous/cancerous epithelium. In addition, the quantitative real-time PCR result has also revealed an increased expression of TH17-stimulating factors throughout the sequence. Conclusions. IL-17A and TH17 are highly activated throughout the colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence.
An aVLSI programmable axonal delay circuit with spike timing dependent delay adaptation

We present measurements from an aVLSI programmable axonal propagation delay circuit. It is intended to be used in the implementation of polychronous spiking neural networks. The delay can be programmed by presenting an input spike followed by a training spike at the desired delay. To fine tune and maintain the delay using an analogue memory, we use continuous spike timing dependent delay adaptation. Measurements presented here show that the axon circuit is capable of learning and retaining delays in the 2.5-20 ms range, as long as the neuron is stimulated at least once every few seconds.
Continental-Scale Partitioning of Fire Emissions During the 1997 to 2001 El Niño/La Niña Period

During the 1997 to 1998 El Niño, drought conditions triggered widespread increases in fire activity, releasing CH4 and CO2 to the atmosphere. We evaluated the contribution of fires from different continents to variability in these greenhouse gases from 1997 to 2001, using satellite-based estimates of fire activity, biogeochemical modeling, and an inverse analysis of atmospheric CO anomalies. During the 1997 to 1998 El Niño, the fire emissions anomaly was 2.1 ± 0.8 petagrams of carbon, or 66 ± 24% of the CO2 growth rate anomaly. The main contributors were Southeast Asia (60%), Central and South America (30%), and boreal regions of Eurasia and North America (10%).
Leighton-Micali Hash-Based Signatures

This note describes a digital signature system based on cryptographic hash functions, following the seminal work in this area of Lamport, Diffie, Winternitz, and Merkle, as adapted by Leighton and Micali in 1995. It specifies a one-time signature scheme and a general signature scheme. These systems provide asymmetric authentication without using large integer mathematics and can achieve a high security level. They are suitable for compact implementations, are relatively simple to implement, and naturally resist side-channel attacks. Unlike most other signature systems, hash-based signatures would still be secure even if it proves feasible for an attacker to build a quantum computer. This document is a product of the Crypto Forum Research Group (CFRG) in the IRTF.
An Empirical-Investigation Of The Speed Of The Market Reaction To Earnings Announcements

Although substantial evidence exists on the association between earnings reports and the sign and magnitude of security price changes, relatively little evidence has been provided on the dynamics of the process of price adjustments to earnings announcements. Some exceptions are Pincus [1983], who showed that the duration of price adjustments was affected by the predictability of earnings, and Jennings and Starks [1985], who found that the duration of price adjustments (to interim reports) increased with the magnitude of analysts' revisions of forecasts and annual earnings. In this study I investigated the duration (speed) of price adjustments to earnings announcements relative to other potential sources of variation across firms/time: firm size, reporting lag, and report type. Selection of the first two variables is consistent with research which has shown that the information content of an earnings announcement is associated with the size of the firm (Atiase [1985]) and the length of the reporting lag (Foster [1981], Givoly and Palmon [1982], Chambers and Penman [1984], and Kross and Schroeder [1984]). The third variable was selected on the assumption that various differences between annual and interim reports should affect the information
Bmp6 and Bmp7 are required for cushion formation and septation in the developing mouse heart.

The mature heart valves and septa are derived from the cardiac cushions which initially form as local outgrowths of mesenchymal cells within the outflow tract and atrioventricular regions. Endocardial cells respond to signals from the overlying myocardium and undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation to invade the intervening extracellular matrix. The molecules that can induce and maintain these cell populations are not known, but many candidates, including several TGFbetas and BMPs, have been proposed based on their expression patterns and activities in other systems. In the present study, we describe the expression of Bmp6 and Bmp7 in overlapping and adjacent sites, including the cardiac cushions during mouse embryonic development. Previous analyses demonstrate that neither of these BMPs is required during cardiogenesis, but analysis of Bmp6;Bmp7 double mutants uncovers a marked delay in the formation of the outflow tract endocardial cushions. A proportion of Bmp6;Bmp7 mutants also display defects in valve morphogenesis and chamber septation, and the embryos die between 10.5 and 15.5 dpc due to cardiac insufficiency. These data provide the first genetic evidence that BMPs are involved in the formation of the cardiac cushions.