Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of environment and a feline facial pheromone analogue on physiologic and behavioral measures in cats

Objectives This study assessed behavioral and physiologic stress parameters in cats placed in two environments: home and the veterinary hospital. With a widely used scale, several parameters were assessed, including respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), vagosympathetic responses using calculated intervals (heart rate variability [HRV]10, HRV20 and vasovagal tonus index [VVTI]) and ‘stress attitude’, such as struggling, vocalization and agitation during handling. In addition, we evaluated whether a feline facial pheromone analogue (FFPA) had an effect on any of these measures in either environment. Methods Using a placebo and a pheromone substance, we evaluated 30 adult and healthy cats at home and in veterinary hospitals. Statistical analyses were performed using the Shapiro–Wilk, Kruskal–Wallis, and Dunn or ANOVA and Tukey tests, as well as Spearman’s correlation (P <0.05). Results We found that exposure to FFPA did not reduce the effects of stress. Some parameters presented differences with regard to environment: the RR was 45 and 70 breaths/min and stress attitude score was 1.3 and 0.0 for cats evaluated at home and at the hospital, respectively. The HR and two vagosympathetic responses were also different between the two environments, with a HR of 160 and 187 beats/min, HRV10 of 14.24 and 14.00, and HRV20 of 14.89 and 14.65 in cats at home and the hospital, respectively. There was no variation in SBP and VVTI parameters between the environments. Conclusions and relevance Exposure to FFPA does not reduce the physiologic and behavioral changes measured in this study. Furthermore, environmental change, physical restraint and manipulation during the physical examination alter RR, HR, HRV and behavior but not SBP and VVTI. This study is relevant because physiologic and behavioral stress can affect the quality and interpretation of physical examination results. This study presents detailed data that show the effects of environment and manipulation on such parameters. Furthermore, this study shows a lack of effect of FFPA on any of these parameters.
Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels capture inflammatory chemokines and rescue defective wound healing in mice

Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels scavenge proinflammatory chemokines, reduce the influx of immune cells, and improve the healing of chronic wounds. Capturing chemokines in chronic wounds Chronic, poor healing wounds are characterized by the lack of resolution of initial proinflammatory signaling present during acute injury. Lohmann et al. designed a synthetic hydrogel wound dressing based on heparin, a glycosaminoglycan that can bind and sequester chemokines. The hydrogel mopped up inflammatory chemokines such as MCP-1 and IL-8 from fluid from patients’ chronic venous leg ulcers in vitro and inhibited neutrophil and monocyte migration. Applying the hydrogel to skin wounds in diabetic mice improved wound healing and vascularization and reduced inflammation more effectively than the FDA-approved hydrogel Promogran. Capturing chemokines may be an effective strategy to promote tissue regeneration in chronic wounds. Excessive production of inflammatory chemokines can cause chronic inflammation and thus impair cutaneous wound healing. Capturing chemokine signals using wound dressing materials may offer powerful new treatment modalities for chronic wounds. Here, a modular hydrogel based on end-functionalized star-shaped polyethylene glycol (starPEG) and derivatives of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) heparin was customized for maximal chemokine sequestration. The material is shown to effectively scavenge the inflammatory chemokines MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein–1), IL-8 (interleukin-8), and MIP-1α (macrophage inflammatory protein–1α) and MIP-1β (macrophage inflammatory protein-1β) in wound fluids from patients suffering from chronic venous leg ulcers and to reduce the migratory activity of human monocytes and polymorphonuclear neutrophils. In an in vivo model of delayed wound healing (db/db mice), starPEG-GAG hydrogels outperformed the standard-of-care product Promogran with respect to reduction of inflammation, as well as increased granulation tissue formation, vascularization, and wound closure.
A highly potent extended half-life antibody as a potential RSV vaccine surrogate for all infants

Development of a highly potent anti-RSV monoclonal antibody with extended half-life intended to be used as RSV prophylaxis for all infants. Pan-RSV prophylaxis The common respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can progress to a very dangerous lower respiratory infection in some infants. A protective monoclonal antibody is available but is not recommended for general use. Zhu et al. describe the selection and optimization of a human monoclonal antibody able to neutralize a wide array of RSV A and B viruses and protect cotton rats at lower doses than the currently approved antibody. The antibody was optimized to persist in circulation, and data indicate that infants could be given a single dose and be protected for the entirety of the RSV season. If administered widely, this antibody could potentially prevent the hospitalization of thousands of children each year. Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) illness in all infants is a major public health priority. However, no vaccine is currently available to protect this vulnerable population. Palivizumab, the only approved agent for RSV prophylaxis, is limited to high-risk infants, and the cost associated with the requirement for dosing throughout the RSV season makes its use impractical for all infants. We describe the development of a monoclonal antibody as potential RSV prophylaxis for all infants with a single intramuscular dose. MEDI8897*, a highly potent human antibody, was optimized from antibody D25, which targets the prefusion conformation of the RSV fusion (F) protein. Crystallographic analysis of Fab in complex with RSV F from subtypes A and B reveals that MEDI8897* binds a highly conserved epitope. MEDI8897* neutralizes a diverse panel of RSV A and B strains with >50-fold higher activity than palivizumab. At similar serum concentrations, prophylactic administration of MEDI8897* was ninefold more potent than palivizumab at reducing pulmonary viral loads by >3 logs in cotton rats infected with either RSV A or B subtypes. MEDI8897 was generated by the introduction of triple amino acid substitutions (YTE) into the Fc domain of MEDI8897*, which led to more than threefold increased half-life in cynomolgus monkeys compared to non-YTE antibody. Considering the pharmacokinetics of palivizumab in infants, which necessitates five monthly doses for protection during an RSV season, the high potency and extended half-life of MEDI8897 support its development as a cost-effective option to protect all infants from RSV disease with once-per-RSV-season dosing in the clinic.
CD99 is a therapeutic target on disease stem cells in myeloid malignancies

CD99 is a potential therapeutic target enriched on disease stem cells in myeloid malignancies. Stemming the tide of leukemia development Acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes are maintained by specific populations of malignant stem cells, and successful treatment requires the eradication of these disease-causing cells. Chung et al. identified CD99 as a marker expressed on the surface of leukemic stem cells but not normal hematopoietic stem cells, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target. A monoclonal antibody against CD99 had promising preclinical effectiveness in xenograft models and was selective for malignant stem cells, paving the way for further development of this approach. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are initiated and sustained by self-renewing malignant stem cells; thus, eradication of AML and MDS stem cells is required for cure. We identified CD99 as a cell surface protein frequently overexpressed on AML and MDS stem cells. Expression of CD99 allows for prospective separation of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) from functionally normal hematopoietic stem cells in AML, and high CD99 expression on AML blasts enriches for functional LSCs as demonstrated by limiting dilution xenotransplant studies. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting CD99 induce the death of AML and MDS cells in a SARC family kinase–dependent manner in the absence of immune effector cells or complement, and anti-CD99 mAbs exhibit antileukemic activity in AML xenografts. These data establish CD99 as a marker of AML and MDS stem cells, as well as a promising therapeutic target in these disorders.
Broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting the HIV-1 envelope V2 apex confer protection against a clade C SHIV challenge

Neutralizing antibodies to the HIV-1 envelope V2 apex protect macaques against SHIV challenge at very low serum concentrations. Potently protective antibodies HIV is thought to be an elusive virus, but there are multiple epitopes on HIV that can be targeted by neutralizing antibodies, such as the V2 loop of the envelope protein. Julg et al. reasoned that potent anti-V2 HIV antibodies given prophylactically could prevent infection from taking place. They tested this in nonhuman primates with a novel clade C SHIV strain and observed protection at very low concentrations of circulating neutralizing antibody, suggesting that passive immunization with these types of antibodies might be protective in people. Neutralizing antibodies to the V2 apex antigenic region of the HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer are among the most prevalent cross-reactive antibodies elicited by natural infection. Two recently described V2-specific antibodies, PGDM1400 and CAP256-VRC26.25, have demonstrated exquisite potency and neutralization breadth against HIV-1. However, little data exist on the protective efficacy of V2-specific neutralizing antibodies. We created a novel SHIV-325c viral stock that included a clade C HIV-1 envelope and was susceptible to neutralization by both of these antibodies. Rhesus macaques received a single infusion of either antibody at three different concentrations (2, 0.4, and 0.08 mg/kg) before challenge with SHIV-325c. PGDM1400 was fully protective at the 0.4 mg/kg dose, whereas CAP256-VRC26.25-LS was fully protective even at the 0.08 mg/kg dose, which correlated with its greater in vitro neutralization potency against the challenge virus. Serum antibody concentrations required for protection were <0.75 μg/ml for CAP256-VRC26.25-LS. These data demonstrate unprecedented potency and protective efficacy of V2-specific neutralizing antibodies in nonhuman primates and validate V2 as a potential target for the prevention of HIV-1 infection in passive immunization strategies in humans.
Quantification of cerebral lateral ventricular volume in cats by low- and high-field MRI

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate variations in lateral ventricles in the examined feline population with the use of quantitative analysis methods to determine whether sex or body weight influenced the size of the ventricles, and to identify any significant differences in the results of low- and high-field MRI. Methods Twenty healthy European Shorthair cats, aged 1–3 years, with body weights ranging from 2.85–4.35 kg, were studied. MRI of brain structures was performed in a low- and a high-field MRI system. The height of the brain and lateral ventricles at the level of the interthalamic adhesion, and volume of the lateral ventricles were determined in T2-weighted images in the transverse plane. The degree of symmetry of lateral ventricles was analysed based on the ratio of right to left ventricular volume. The measured parameters were processed statistically to determine whether sex and body weight were significantly correlated with variations in ventricular anatomy. The results of low- and high-field MRI were analysed to evaluate for any significant differences. Results The average brain height was determined to be 27.79 mm, and the average height of the left and right ventricles were 2.98 mm and 2.89 mm, respectively. The average ventricle/brain height ratio was 10.61%. The average volume of the left ventricle was 134.12 mm3 and the right ventricle was 130.49 mm3. Moderately enlarged ventricles were observed in two cats. Moderate ventricular asymmetry was described in four cats. Sex and body weight had no significant effect on the evaluated parameters. The differences in the results of low- and high-field MRI were not statistically significant. Conclusions and relevance This study has determined reference intervals for ventricular volume in a population of European Shorthair cats without brain disease, which will facilitate the interpretation of MRI images and the characterisation of brain abnormalities in cats with neurological disease. Further research involving larger animal populations, including other breeds, is required to compare the measured parameters between breeds and to determine reference values for other breeds.
Churn prediction in subscriber management for mobile and wireless communications services

Subscriber churn is a concern of customer care management for most of the mobile and wireless service providers and operators due to its associated costs. This paper explains our work on subscriber churn analysis and prediction for such services. We work on data mining techniques to accurately and efficiently predict subscribers who will change-and-turn (churn) to another provider for the same or similar service. The dataset we use is a public and real dataset compiled by Orange Telecom for the KDD 2009 Competition. Number of teams achieved high scores on this dataset requiring a significant amount of computing resources. We are aiming to find alternative methods that can match or improve the recorded high scores with more efficient and practical use of resources. In this study, we focus on ensemble of meta-classifiers which have been studied individually and chosen according to their performances.
Autonomic Cooperative Behaviour in ETSI AFI scenario for autonomicity enabled Ad-hoc and Mesh Network Architecture

This paper discusses the ETSI AFI (Autonomic network engineering for the self-managing Future Internet) dedicated scenario for the deployment of Autonomic Cooperative Behaviour (ACB) for the needs of the instantiation of Auto-nomicity Enabled Ad-hoc and Mesh Network Architecture. An inherent feature of ACB is the use of cooperative data processing and computing among network devices for the purposes of improving the related system robustness and dependability. In fact, as much as they may be differentiated, both ad-hoc and mesh networks share certain common aspects allowing for the application of the assumed scenario in the case of each of them. This approach aims to guarantee certain level of unification in terms of standardisation and validation, especially that the scenario is very demanding due to the existence of numerous walls impeding the quality of data transmission and, thus, calling for ACB as a remedy.
Performance evaluation of cooperative relay and Particle Swarm Optimization path planning for UAV and wireless sensor network

Energy efficiency is crucial when wireless nodes are deployed in a remote or isolated area. This paper provides an optimal solution for data gathering from a wide area Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is proposed as an optimization method to find the waypoints for a UAV in order to reduce the energy consumption and bit error rate (BER) of the sensor nodes, and the UAV travel time. In our previous work, the sensor nodes were required to transmit data to a Cluster Head (CH) node, which then forwarded the data to the UAV. The waypoints were restricted to be straight above the CH. In this work we employ cooperative relay, to make the data gathering more efficient. In addition, the waypoints of the UAV can be selected freely. To illustrate the effectiveness, we compare our new strategy to the one of our previous paper. Numerical results illustrate that the performance gap between them increases with the number of waypoints, in favor of the new strategy. Furthermore, the optimal number of waypoints for the UAV is also described, based on the size of the sensor network area and the density of the sensor node distribution. These contributions have maximized the network lifetime and communication quality, while minimized the UAV's flying time.
Wide Neighborhoods: A Story of the Frontier Nursing Service

"The autobiography of Mary Breckinridge, the remarkable founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. Riding out on horseback, the FNS nurse-midwives, the first of their profession in this country, proved that high mortality rates and malnutrition need not be the norm in rural areas. By their example and through their graduates, the FNS has exacted a lasting influence on family health care throughout the world. "
In situ bone tissue engineering via ultrasound-mediated gene delivery to endogenous progenitor cells in mini-pigs

Microbubble-enhanced, ultrasound-mediated BMP-6 gene delivery to endogenous progenitor cells induces rapid and efficient repair of critical-sized, nonunion bone fractures in mini-pigs. Bubbles and BMP-6 for bone repair Treatments for bone nonunions (fractures that fail to heal) include surgery and bone grafting. As an alternative to viral gene delivery, Bez et al. developed a two-step therapy. First, endogenous mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells were recruited to the bone nonunion by implanting a collagen sponge in the defect site. Two weeks later, bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP-6) plasmid DNA and microbubbles were injected into nonunions, and ultrasound was applied to oscillate the microbubbles, which helped the recruited progenitors take up the BMP-6. This therapy led to transient BMP-6 secretion, bone regeneration, and fracture healing over 6 weeks in critical-sized tibial nonunions in mini-pigs. More than 2 million bone-grafting procedures are performed each year using autografts or allografts. However, both options carry disadvantages, and there remains a clear medical need for the development of new therapies for massive bone loss and fracture nonunions. We hypothesized that localized ultrasound-mediated, microbubble-enhanced therapeutic gene delivery to endogenous stem cells would induce efficient bone regeneration and fracture repair. To test this hypothesis, we surgically created a critical-sized bone fracture in the tibiae of Yucatán mini-pigs, a clinically relevant large animal model. A collagen scaffold was implanted in the fracture to facilitate recruitment of endogenous mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) into the fracture site. Two weeks later, transcutaneous ultrasound-mediated reporter gene delivery successfully transfected 40% of cells at the fracture site, and flow cytometry showed that 80% of the transfected cells expressed MSC markers. Human bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP-6) plasmid DNA was delivered using ultrasound in the same animal model, leading to transient expression and secretion of BMP-6 localized to the fracture area. Micro–computed tomography and biomechanical analyses showed that ultrasound-mediated BMP-6 gene delivery led to complete radiographic and functional fracture healing in all animals 6 weeks after treatment, whereas nonunion was evident in control animals. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ultrasound-mediated gene delivery to endogenous mesenchymal progenitor cells can effectively treat nonhealing bone fractures in large animals, thereby addressing a major orthopedic unmet need and offering new possibilities for clinical translation.
Physical and Occupational Therapists in Naturalistic Early Childhood Settings

Traditionally trained in a medical model of disability, physical and occupational therapists are now challenged to provide intervention services in naturalistic early childhood settings. These changes in therapeutic milieu have led to new service delivery models for therapists working with young children and their families. This article describes several new approaches and reviews the limited body of literature examining their efficacy. It offers assessment and intervention strategies that support a normalized approach to intervention. We identify limitations in current training for physical and occupational therapists and make suggestions for augmenting preservice and inservice training to support the recommended practices.
Polarimetric SAR Change Detection With the Complex Hotelling–Lawley Trace Statistic

In this paper, we propose a new test statistic for unsupervised change detection in polarimetric radar images. We work with multilook complex covariance matrix data, whose underlying model is assumed to be the scaled complex Wishart distribution. We use the complex-kind Hotelling-Lawley trace (HLT) statistic for measuring the similarity of two covariance matrices. The distribution of the HLT statistic is approximated by a Fisher-Snedecor distribution, which is used to define the significance level of a false alarm rate regulated change detector. Experiments on simulated and real PolSAR data sets demonstrate that the proposed change detection method gives detection rates and error rates that are comparable with the generalized likelihood ratio test.
PD-L1 genetic overexpression or pharmacological restoration in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells reverses autoimmune diabetes

Restoration of a PD-L1 defect in HSPCs reverses diabetes in NOD mice and thus may represent a potential cure for T1D. Stemming attacks on the pancreas In type 1 diabetes, autoreactive CD4 T cells attack and kill pancreatic β cells, disrupting insulin production. Many approaches have been taken to inhibit this process, but few have translated into real benefit for diabetic patients. Ben Nasr et al. demonstrate that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from NOD mice and diabetic patients express less PD-L1, which is a T cell inhibitory molecule. Induction of PD-L1 expression on stem cells reversed diabetes in NOD mice and inhibited human autoimmune responses in vitro. Either gene therapy or pharmacological modulation of PD-L1 on stem cells could be brought into the clinic, providing a new way to interrupt the autoimmune response and help people with diabetes. Immunologically based clinical trials performed thus far have failed to cure type 1 diabetes (T1D), in part because these approaches were nonspecific. Because the disease is driven by autoreactive CD4 T cells, which destroy β cells, transplantation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) has been recently offered as a therapy for T1D. Our transcriptomic profiling of HSPCs revealed that these cells are deficient in programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), an important immune checkpoint, in the T1D nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. Notably, the immunoregulatory molecule PD-L1 plays a determinant role in controlling/inhibiting activated T cells and thus maintains immune tolerance. Furthermore, our genome-wide and bioinformatic analysis revealed the existence of a network of microRNAs (miRNAs) controlling PD-L1 expression, and silencing one of key altered miRNAs restored PD-L1 expression in HSPCs. We therefore sought to determine whether restoration of this defect would cure T1D as an alternative to immunosuppression. Genetically engineered or pharmacologically modulated HSPCs overexpressing PD-L1 inhibited the autoimmune response in vitro, reverted diabetes in newly hyperglycemic NOD mice in vivo, and homed to the pancreas of hyperglycemic NOD mice. The PD-L1 expression defect was confirmed in human HSPCs in T1D patients as well, and pharmacologically modulated human HSPCs also inhibited the autoimmune response in vitro. Targeting a specific immune checkpoint defect in HSPCs thus may contribute to establishing a cure for T1D.