Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The study of the ratio and distribution of Th17 cells and Tc17 cells in asthmatic patients and the mouse model.

BACKGROUND Whether CD8+ IL-17-producing T cells, namely Tc17 cells, play a role in asthma has not been determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the frequency of peripheral blood Th17 cells and Tc17 cells in asthmatic patients. In addition, the number, ratio and distribution of Th17 cells and Tc17 cells in the lung tissue and splenocytes of asthmatic mice were also investigated. METHODS Th17 and Tc17 cells in the peripheral blood samples of asthmatic patients and in murine spleens were detected by flow cytometric analysis. Th17 and Tc17 cells in murine lung tissues were detected by double immuno-fluorescence stain. IL-17A levels in murine bronchoalveolar lavage were detected by ELISA. RESULTS The result of the flow cytometric analysis showed the percentage of Th17 cells among CD3+ T cell populations in patients with asthma was higher than that in healthy controls (P < 0.01), The percentage of Tc17 cells was also higher (P < 0.05). The percentages of Th17 and Tc17 cells in asthmatic mice were both much higher than that in control animals (P < 0.01). Frozen sections of lung tissue showed that the number of Th17 cells and Tc17 cells in the asthma group were all significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a functional disequilibrium of Th17 and Tc17 cell subsets in asthma that may contribute to the inflammatory process and provide novel insights into a hypothetical driving role of those cells in disease pathogenesis.
Distribution and production of plankton communities in the subtropical convergence zone of the Sargasso Sea. II. Protozooplankton and copepods

The oligotrophic Sargasso Sea in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean is influ- enced by a complex set of oceanographic features that might introduce nutrients and enhance pro- ductivity in certain areas. To increase our understanding of the variability in plankton communities and to determine the potential reasons why Atlantic eels Anguilla spp. use this area for spawning, we investigated the distribution and productivity of the zooplankton community across the Subtropical Convergence Zone (STCZ) in the Sargasso Sea in March and April 2007. The vertical and horizontal distributions of protozoans and metazooplankton were investigated at 33 stations along 3 north to south transects ranging from 64 to 70° W to a depth of 400 m. Copepods dominated the metazoo- plankton, while heterotrophic athecate dinoflagellates dominated the protozoan biomass. Other im - portant groups were appendicularians, gastropod larvae and ostracods. Most of the recorded meta- zoan groups responded numerically to the frontal features (i.e. the surfacing of the isotherms) with high abundance in the STCZ compared with areas north and south of this. Juvenile copepod growth and egg production peaked in the STCZ, with a weight-specific growth rate of juvenile copepods ranging from 0.09 to 0.21 d -1 , and a much lower specific egg production in the order of 0.01% d -1 . The Sargasso Sea is described as oligotrophic, but the availability of athecate dinoflagellates and ciliates in the STCZ potentially leads to an enhanced mesozooplankton secondary production, which may in turn be available to organisms at higher trophic levels such as larvae of Atlantic eels.
Microsatellite loci are not abundant in all arthropod genomes: analyses in the hard tick, Ixodes scapularis and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Plasmid libraries enriched for microsatellites were generated in the tick, Ixodes scapularis and in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Libraries were enriched for genomic DNA containing (AC)n, (AG)n, (ATG)n, (CAG)n, (TAG)n, (AAT)n, (CTGY)n or (GATA)n motifs. Clones containing each motif were sequenced in both species for PCR primer design. In I. scapularis, most primers amplified a single locus and alleles varied in the number of microsatellite repeats and segregated as codominant markers. In contrast (AC)n, (TAG)n and (GATA)n microsatellite loci extracted from Ae. aegypti appeared to be members of multigene families. A primer pair designed to amplify a particular TAG locus instead amplified many independently segregating loci, some of which did not contain TAG microsatellites. Alleles at the TAG loci segregated as dominant markers and there was limited evidence for length variation among alleles. These results suggest that microsatellite loci are not universally abundant in arthropod genomes nor do alleles always segregate as codominant markers.
Exploring the psychological health of emergency dispatch centre operatives: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Background The study objective was to investigate and synthesize available evidence relating to the psychological health of Emergency Dispatch Centre (EDC) operatives, and to identify key stressors experienced by EDC operatives. Methods Eight electronic databases (Embase, PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, The Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, and Google Scholar) were searched. All study designs were included, and no date limits were set. Studies were included if they were published in English, and explored the psychological health of any EDC operatives, across fire, police, and emergency medical services. Studies were excluded if they related solely to other emergency workers, such as police officers or paramedics. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using checklists adapted from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. A narrative synthesis was conducted, using thematic analysis. Results A total of 16 articles were included in the review. Two overarching themes were identified during the narrative synthesis: ‘Organisational and Operational Factors’ and ‘Interactions with Others’. Stressors identified included being exposed to traumatic calls, lacking control over high workload, and working in under-resourced and pressured environments. Lack of support from management and providing an emotionally demanding service were additional sources of stress. Peer support and social support from friends and family were helpful in managing work-related stress. Discussion EDC operatives experience stress as a result of their work, which appears to be related to negative psychological health outcomes. Future research should explore the long-term effects of this stress, and the potential for workplace interventions to alleviate the negative impacts on psychological health. PROSPERO Registration Number CRD42014010806.
SOX 9 accelerates ESC differentiation to three germ layer lineages by repressing SOX 2 expression through P 21 ( WAF 1 / CIP 1 )

Upon removal of culture conditions that maintain an undifferentiated state, mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiate into various cell types. Differentiation can be facilitated by forced expression of certain transcription factors (TFs), each of which can generally specify a particular developmental lineage. We previously established 137 mouseESC lines, eachof which carried a doxycycline-controllable TF. Among them, Sox9 has unique capacity: its forced expression accelerates differentiation of mouse ESCs into cells of all three germ layers. With the additional use of specific culture conditions, overexpression of Sox9 facilitated the generation of endothelial cells, hepatocytes and neurons from ESCs. Furthermore, Sox9 action increases formation of p21 (WAF1/CIP1), which then binds to the SRR2 enhancer of pluripotency marker Sox2 and inhibits its expression. Knockdown of p21 abolishes inhibition of Sox2 and Sox9-accelerated differentiation, and reduction of Sox2 2 days after the beginning of ESC differentiation can comparably accelerate mouse ESC formation of cells of three germ layers. These data implicate the involvement of the p21-Sox2 pathway in the mechanism of accelerated ESC differentiation by Sox9 overexpression. The molecular cascade could be among the first steps to program ESC
An empirical analysis of algorithms for partially Clairvoyant scheduling

We contrast the performance of three algorithms for the problem of deciding whether a Partially Clairvoyant real-time system with relative timing constraints, as specified in the E-T-C scheduling framework, has a feasible schedule. In the E-T-C scheduling model, real-time scheduling problems are specified through a specialized class of constraint logic programs (CLPs) called Quantified Linear Programs (QLPs) [Subramani, K. , 2003, An analysis of quantified linear programs. In: C.S. Calude (Ed.) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DMTCS), volume 2731 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, July (Springer-Verlag), pp. 265– 277]; thus algorithms for determining the schedulability of instances are procedures to determine the satisfiability of CLPs. Two of these algorithms, viz., the primal algorithm and the dual algorithm have already been discussed in the literature, while a third algorithm called the randomized dual algorithm has been recently proposed [Subramani, K. and Desovski, D. 2005, A new verification procedure for partially Clairvoyant scheduling. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Formal Modelling and Analysis of Timed Systems (FORMATS), October; Subramani, K. and Desovski, D. , 2005, Out of order quantifier elimination for standard quantified linear programs, Journal of Symbolic Computation, 40, 1383–1396]. Our experiments demonstrate that the dual-based algorithms (i.e. the dual and the randomized dual) are more effective from an implementational perspective; this is surprising since all three algorithms have the same worst case asymptotic complexity.
Behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes under combined chilling processes

The behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes under chilling processes was investigated. Growth kinetics were measured at 7 °C in TSBYE culture medium as a function of pH (7·2 and 6·2), pre‐incubation temperatures (4 or 7 °C), cooling (0·05 or 0·1 °C min−1) and freezing (0 and – 5 °C) treatments. Growth curves generated were fitted by Gompertz and Baranyi functions. The Baranyi function gave better parameter estimation values than the Gompertz equation which over‐estimated the specific growth rate values. Listeria monocytogenes grew at 7 °C without a lag phase, except when the sub‐culture was performed at 37 °C, whereas the specific growth rate was affected by the chilling processes. In fact, L. monocytogenes grew slightly faster at 7 °C when a 4 °C pre‐incubation treatment was applied than with a 7 °C pre‐incubation treatment. These results suggest that to mimic the processes of contamination in industry, predictive microbiology studies with L. monocytogenes should be performed with organisms cultured at low temperatures.
Management of Severe Neuropathic Cancer Pain

Neuropathic cancer pain is common, very disabling and difficult to treat. It can be related to tumor invasion of neural structures and neuronal damage by surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Adjuvant analgesics are often used with opioids to control neuropathic pain in cancer patients. Methadone, a synthetic opioid with multiple mechanisms of action, is gaining increasing importance as an effective agent in the treatment of cancer related neuropathic pain. This case illustrates the challenges of managing severe pain in a patient with head and neck cancer while undergoing anti-tumor treatment. A review of the adjuvant analgesics and opioids, particularly methadone, in the management of neuropathic pain is also included.
Transformation of Bacillus cereus vegetative cells by electroporation

Transformation of untreated vegetative cells of Bacillus cereus 569 with plasmid pC194 (1.8 megadaltons) by high-voltage electroporation resulted in a maximum of 2 x 10(-5) transformants per viable cell. Transformation of a 130-megadalton plasmid occurred at a comparable frequency. The method was simple, rapid, and yielded transformant colonies in 14 to 24 h. Transformation was obtained with unpurified total plasmid DNA.
Structural abnormalities of the cricopharyngeus muscle in patients with pharyngeal (Zenker's) diverticulum

Recent manometric and radiological studies suggest that the upper oesophageal sphincter has poor compliance in patients with a pharyngeal (Zenker's) diverticulum. To test the hypothesis that this phenomenon is related to structural changes within the cricopharyngeus muscle we examined, histologically, muscle strips from 14 patients with a Zenker's diverticulum and compared them with control tissue obtained at autopsy from 10 non‐dysphagic individuals. The cricopharyngeus muscle from patients and controls differed from inferior constrictor muscle by virtue of type 1 fibre predominance and greater fibre size variability. Ragged red fibres and nemaline bodies are a normal finding in the cricopharyngeus. Marked differences were observed in the cricopharyngeus muscle of Zenker's patients which demonstrated fibro‐adipose tissue replacement and fibre degeneration. It is concluded that these structural changes may account for the observed diminished upper oesophageal sphincter opening and dysphagia in patients with Zenker's diverticulum.
Cooperation, Cooptation, and Rebellion Under Dictatorships

Dictatorships are not all the same: some are purely autocratic but many exhibit a full panoply of seemingly democratic institutions. To explain these differences, we develop a model in which dictators may need cooperation to generate rents and may face a threat of rebellion. Dictators have two instruments: they can make policy concessions or share rents. We conclude that when they need more cooperation dictators make more extensive policy concessions and share fewer rents. In turn, when the threat of rebellion is greater, they make larger concessions but also distribute more spoils. Assuming that policy concessions require an institutional setting of legislatures and parties, we test this prediction statistically for all dictatorships that existed between 1946 and 1996.
Elbow Biomechanics of Pitching

Background: Elbow pain and elbow injuries are common in youth baseball players. It is not clear whether pitching experience and/or age creates biomechanical differences at the elbow and whether these differences place an athlete at greater risk. Hypotheses: (1) Youth pitchers will have differing elbow kinematics with regard to flexion/extension, internal/external rotation, and pronation/supination when compared with nonbaseball athletes and (2) younger youth pitchers will have differing elbow kinematics when compared with older youth pitchers. Study Design: Case-control study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: Twenty-seven healthy male youths age 10 to 18 years were recruited and divided into an experience group (n = 18 pitchers) and a no experience group (n = 9 nonbaseball athletes). The experience group was subdivided by age into the younger experience subgroup (n = 10 pitchers) and the older experience subgroup (n = 8 pitchers). Biomechanics were recorded using an electromagnetic motion tracking system. Subjects from each group were averaged together, and a Mann-Whitney U test was utilized for statistical analysis. Results: The experience group had greater external rotation during late cocking (−47.8° vs 5.8°) and greater flexion during early cocking (112.8° vs 100.1°). The younger experience subgroup had greater range of motion with supination-pronation during early cocking (21.9° vs 11.2°) and late cocking (5.9° vs 2.0°). Conclusion: Youth athletes with pitching experience had an increase in maximal external rotation in late cocking and maximal flexion in early cocking, which suggests experience may be a factor to these parameters. The age of experienced baseball pitchers may be a factor due to differences observed with supination and pronation. Clinical Relevance: Learning to throw is a skill that leads to changes in elbow motion; however, these changes may be stable once athletes reach grade school age. Minimal differences were noted between the younger and older experience subgroups, which may underscore the importance of teaching proper mechanics at a young age.
Strain-induced thermally tuned long-period fiber gratings fabricated on a periodically corrugated substrate

This paper reports the characteristics of a strain-induced thermally controlled loss-tunable long-period fiber grating (LPFG) fabricated on a prepatterned corrugated substrate. Periodic microbending at the fiber-substrate interface induces mode coupling between the core and asymmetrical cladding modes that yields narrow-band attenuation as large as -25 dB. Several parameters that affect the performance of the tunable LPFG, such as the diameter of the etched fiber, number of grating periods, curing condition, and thermal expansion properties of the bonding materials, are investigated. This paper also demonstrates the integration of an on-chip thin-film microheater that also functions as a temperature sensor for the LPFG.
Modeling of Self-Heating Mechanism in the Design of Superconducting Limiters

We propose a modeling method to simulate how the local temperature rises, due to power dissipation, and how this affects the performance of a high temperature superconductor (HTS) limiter. For given material properties, power, and frequency we determined, by use of both electromagnetic and thermal modeling, the spatial distribution of the temperature rise across an HTS transmission line. This temperature rise in turn affects the local description of the superconductor nonlinearities. To model this effect, we use an iterative technique that combines the Weeks-Sheen method to calculate the current-density distribution with a finite-element method to calculate temperature rise at each point of the transmission line. Simulations of coplanar waveguide HTS limiters on sapphire and quartz are presented.
Alienation and Computer User Attitudes

The social psychological phenomenon of alienation has been used to explain feelings of separation and estrangement with our increasingly technological society since it was first proposed by Marx. The present study represents an application of the theory of alienation to the attitudes of computer users in an attempt to explain their feelings, especially negative feelings, which have heretofore been vaguely referred tO aS "frustration," "dissatisfaction," etc. The result is a systematic decomposition of these attitudes into various components of alienation which are consistent with the already well-established theory of alienation. Several hypotheses are tested, including examination of the effect of education on computer alienation. INTRODUCTION clarity, lack of ethics, lack of intrinsic satisfaction, and social rejection. These "components" The psychological, sociological, and organizaof alienation, which will be more precisely tional factors associated with humans using defined later, can be applied to numerous fields computers are of great importance in the design of study. and use of management information systems. These factors affect the success and the essential Alienation has been treated both formally viability of information systems in organiza(Schraml, 1981; Shepard, 1971; Sheridan, 1980) tions. Because of this, a significant amount of and obliquely (Artandi, 1982; Cartwright, 1980; effort has been expended studying the various Morrison, 1983) by several authors as a means effects of computing in organizations, a survey of explaining users' feelings of frustration with of which appears in Attewell and Rule (1984). computers. Schraml (1981) describes users' perOne of the earliest theories in this area is attributed to Marx ( 1977) and pertains to the feeling technology over which they have no conceptions of computers as representing vast, unpotential feelings of alienation workers feel in trol. She also found a resentment stemming the face of automation. Marx and his followers from the lack of human interaction when dealproposed that the history of mankind is fraught ing with machines. Sheridan (1980) mentions with both increasing development and increasing feelings of separation from the self and the that computers are perceived as making human surrounding social structure. our society to think that hard work is no longer operators remote from their task and causing the path to success. These authors are actually Alienation is used in everyday parlance as a describing feelings of alienation, however no term meaning "to cause resentment" or "to systematic attempt has been made by MIS estrange. " In academic research, the term has researchers to integrate these descriptions of been used to describe a variety of situations frustration with computers to alienation theory which include feelings of lack.of power, lack of as it appears in social psychology.
Recurrent Hemizygous Deletions in Cancers May Optimize Proliferative Potential

Cancer Gene Islands Human tumors are riddled with genomic alterations that rearrange, remove, amplify, or otherwise disrupt a wide spectrum of genes, and a key challenge is identifying which of these alterations are causally involved in tumorigenesis. The role of recurrent hemizygous focal deletions is especially puzzling because these deletions preferentially affect certain chromosomal regions and result in the loss of one copy of a whole cluster of adjacent genes. Solimini et al. (p. 104, published online 24 May; see the Perspective by Greenman) found that these deletions span genomic regions that are enriched in genes that negatively regulate cell proliferation. The cumulative reduction in dosage and tumor suppressive function of the genes within these “cancer gene islands” may represent a critical factor driving tumor growth. The genomes of cancer cells have preferentially lost genes that inhibit cell growth. Tumors exhibit numerous recurrent hemizygous focal deletions that contain no known tumor suppressors and are poorly understood. To investigate whether these regions contribute to tumorigenesis, we searched genetically for genes with cancer-relevant properties within these hemizygous deletions. We identified STOP and GO genes, which negatively and positively regulate proliferation, respectively. STOP genes include many known tumor suppressors, whereas GO genes are enriched for essential genes. Analysis of their chromosomal distribution revealed that recurring deletions preferentially overrepresent STOP genes and underrepresent GO genes. We propose a hypothesis called the cancer gene island model, whereby gene islands encompassing high densities of STOP genes and low densities of GO genes are hemizygously deleted to maximize proliferative fitness through cumulative haploinsufficiencies. Because hundreds to thousands of genes are hemizygously deleted per tumor, this mechanism may help to drive tumorigenesis across many cancer types.
A Review of Preschool Manipulative StorybooksContaining Activities

In this research, it is aimed to determine the status of the preschool manipulative story books containing the activities which are placed before the stories, inside of the stories or after the stories, in terms of date of publications, subject of the stories and kind of the activities in the story. For this purpose, 188 books were investigated for sale in the bookstores of Ankara and Istanbul published between the years of 2005- 2015. Data were analyzed by using a statistical analysis program and findings were presented with frequency tables. The findings of the present study indicated that in the recent years the publication of the manipulative story books has increased. The present study also showed that the place of the activities in the books, the materials of the activities, and durability of the books are appropriate. But it has been determined that the age group of the book, the development area of the activities in the book and directives such as application period of the activites are incomplete in the books.