Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sea Urchin Extracellular Proteins Design a Complex Protein Corona on Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Surface Influencing Immune Cell Behavior

Extensive exploitation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) augments rapid release into the marine environment. When in contact with the body fluids of marine invertebrates, TiO2NPs undergo a transformation and adhere various organic molecules that shape a complex protein corona prior to contacting cells and tissues. To elucidate the potential extracellular signals that may be involved in the particle recognition by immune cells of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, we investigated the behavior of TiO2NPs in contact with extracellular proteins in vitro. Our findings indicate that TiO2NPs are able to interact with sea urchin proteins in both cell-free and cell-conditioned media. The two-dimensional proteome analysis of the protein corona bound to TiO2NP revealed that negatively charged proteins bound preferentially to the particles. The main constituents shaping the sea urchin cell-conditioned TiO2NP protein corona were proteins involved in cellular adhesion (Pl-toposome, Pl-galectin-8, Pl-nectin) and cytoskeletal organization (actin and tubulin). Immune cells (phagocytes) aggregated TiO2NPs on the outer cell surface and within well-organized vesicles without eliciting harmful effects on the biological activities of the cells. Cells showed an active metabolism, no oxidative stress or caspase activation. These results provide a new level of understanding of the extracellular proteins involved in the immune-TiO2NP recognition and interaction in vitro, confirming that primary immune cell cultures from P. lividus can be an optional model for swift and efficient immune-toxicological investigations.
The Quest for Cellular Markers of HIV Reservoirs: Any Color You Like

Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppresses human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication and improves immune function, but is unable to eradicate the virus. Therefore, development of an HIV cure has become one of the main priorities of the HIV research field. The main obstacle for an HIV cure is the formation of latent viral reservoirs, where the virus is able to “hide” despite decades of therapy, just to reignite active replication once therapy is stopped. Revealing HIV hiding places is thus central to HIV cure research, but the absence of markers of these reservoir cells greatly complicates the search for a cure. Identification of one or several marker(s) of latently infected cells would represent a significant step forward toward a better description of the cell types involved and improved understanding of HIV latency. Moreover, it could provide a “handle” for selective therapeutic targeting of the reservoirs. A number of cellular markers of HIV reservoir have recently been proposed, including immune checkpoint molecules, CD2, and CD30. CD32a is perhaps the most promising of HIV reservoir markers as it is reported to be associated with a very prominent enrichment in HIV DNA, although this finding has been challenged. In this review, we provide an update on the current knowledge about HIV reservoir markers. We specifically highlight studies that characterized markers of persistently infected cells in the lymphoid tissues.
The Effect of Positive Working Conditions on Work Engagement and Teaching Classroom Practices: A Large Cross-Sectional Study in Switzerland

Introduction Teaching methods and techniques represent important classroom practices that promote both academic achievement and the efficacy of learning processes: the use of a complex array of teaching practices by educators in the classrooms has been frequently associated with better student academic outcomes (Hattie, 2012, 2009). So far, less is known about the psychological aspects linked to the working endeavors able to promote the adoption of different teaching techniques in educational contexts. Aim The present cross-sectional quantitative research aimed at estimating the cumulative network of associations between psychological resources at work (e.g., social support, sense of autonomy, and job satisfaction) and both work engagement and the use of teaching classroom practices. Sample and Method The sample was composed of in-service teachers (N = 1,370) recruited in primary and lower secondary public schools in urban and suburban areas of Canton Ticino (Switzerland). Self-administered quantitative measures were used to evaluate the following constructs: social support, job satisfaction, teachers’ autonomy, work engagement, and teaching classroom practices. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with decomposition analysis of total effects in direct and indirect effects. Results The hypothesized structural model reported a good fit with the empirical data (normed χ2 (NC) = 2.7; root mean square error of approximation = 0.051, normed fit index (NNFI) = 0.951, non normed fit index = 0.950, comparative fit index = 0.968) and support the interpretation of the structural model. The main results revealed a large positive association between psychological resources at work and teaching classroom practices (β = 0.37). The level of work engagement seemed to be a minor element in promoting the use of teaching classroom practices (β = 0.10). Discussion Overall, the results provide a fresh piece of evidence for the association between working conditions and teaching practices. In fact, teachers who perceive a supportive and satisfying working environment (both in terms of internal and external resources) are more likely to be engaged in their activities, and this in turn leads to a more heterogeneous array of teaching practices with students. The practical implications in terms of professional training and on-field intervention are discussed.
Acupuncture Improves Comorbid Cognitive Impairments Induced by Neuropathic Pain in Mice

Growing evidence indicates that neuropathic pain is frequently accompanied by cognitive impairments, which aggravate the quality of life of chronic pain patients. Here, we investigated whether acupuncture treatments can improve cognitive dysfunction as well as allodynia induced by neuropathic pain in mice. One week after the left partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL), acupuncture treatments on the acupoints GB30-GB34 (AP1), HT7-GV20 (AP2), or control points (CP) were performed for 4 weeks. Notably, the significant attenuations of mechanical allodynia and cognitive impairment were observed in the AP1 group, but not in PSNL, AP2, or CP groups. A random decision forest classifier based on the pain and cognitive functions displayed that the acupuncture group was clearly segregated from the other groups. We also demonstrated that acupuncture restored the reduced field excitatory post-synaptic potentials and was able to elevate the expression levels of glutamate receptors (NR2B and GluR1) in the hippocampus. Moreover, the expressions of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and synaptic proteins (pPSD-95 and pSyn-1) were enhanced by acupuncture treatment. These results suggest that acupuncture can enhance hippocampal long-term action through the regulation of the synaptic efficacy and that acupuncture may provide a viable option for managing both pain and cognitive functions associated with chronic neuropathic pain.
The Dual Role of Surfactant Protein-D in Vascular Inflammation and Development of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 31% of all global deaths. Atherosclerosis is the major cause of cardiovascular disease and is a chronic inflammatory disorder in the arteries. Atherosclerosis is characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol, extracellular matrix, and immune cells in the vascular wall. Recently, the collectin surfactant protein-D (SP-D), an important regulator of the pulmonary immune response, was found to be expressed in the vasculature. Several in vitro studies have examined the role of SP-D in the vascular inflammation leading to atherosclerosis. These studies show that SP-D plays a dual role in the development of atherosclerosis. In general, SP-D shows anti-inflammatory properties, and dampens local inflammation in the vessel, as well as systemic inflammation. However, SP-D can also exert a pro-inflammatory role, as it stimulates C-C chemokine receptor 2 inflammatory blood monocytes to secrete tumor necrosis-factor α and increases secretion of interferon-γ from natural killer cells. In vivo studies examining the role of SP-D in the development of atherosclerosis agree that SP-D plays a proatherogenic role, with SP-D knockout mice having smaller atherosclerotic plaque areas, which might be caused by a decreased systemic inflammation. Clinical studies examining the association between SP-D and cardiovascular disease have reported a positive association between circulatory SP-D level, carotid intima-media thickness, and coronary artery calcification. Other studies have found that circulatory SP-D is correlated with increased risk of both total and cardiovascular disease mortality. Both in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies examining the relationship between SP-D and CVDs will be discussed in this review.
Evaluating the Quality of Multiple Choice Question in Paediatric Dentistry Postgraduate Examinations

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the quality of multiple choice question (MCQ) items in two postgraduate paediatric dentistry (PD) examinations by determining item writing flaws (IWFs), difficulty index (DI) and cognitive level. Methods This study was conducted at Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE. Virtual platform-based summative versions of the general paediatric medicine (GPM) and prevention of oral diseases (POD) examinations administered during the second semester of the 2017–2018 academic year were used. Two PD faculty members independently reviewed each question to assess IWFs, DI and cognitive level. Results A total of 185 single best answer MCQs with 4–5 options were analysed. Most of the questions (81%) required information recall, with the remainder (19%) requiring higher levels of thinking and data explanation. The most common errors among IWFs were the use of “except” or “not” in the lead-in, tricky or unfocussed stems and opportunities for students to use convergence strategies. There were more IWFs in the GPM than the POD examination, but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.105). The MCQs in the GPM and POD examination were considered easy since the mean DIs (89.1% ± 8.9% and 76.5% ± 7.9%, respectively) were more than 70%. Conclusion Training is an essential element of adequate MCQ writing. A general comprehensive review of all programme’s MCQs is needed to emphasise the importance of avoiding IWFs. A faculty development programme is recommended to improve question-writing skills in order to align examinations with programme learning outcomes and enhance the ability to measure student competency through questions requiring higher level thinking.
Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Ion (HCN) Channels Regulate PC12 Cell Differentiation Toward Sympathetic Neuron

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (HCN channels) are widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems and organs, while their functions are not well elucidated especially in the sympathetic nerve. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of HCN channel isoforms in the differentiation of sympathetic neurons using PC12 cell as a model. PC12 cells derived from rat pheochromocytoma were cultured and induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) (25 ng/ml) to differentiate to sympathetic neuron-like cells. Sympathetic directional differentiation of PC12 cells were evaluated by expressions of growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) (a growth cone marker), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) (a sympathetic neuron marker) and neurite outgrowth. Results show that the HCN channel isoforms (HCN1-4) were all expressed in PC12 cells; blocking HCN channels with ivabradine suppressed NGF-induced GAP-43 expression and neurite outgrowth; silencing the expression of HCN2 and HCN4 using silenced using small interfering RNAs (siRNA), rather than HCN1 and HCN3, restrained GAP-43 expression and neurite outgrowth, while overexpression of HCN2 and HCN4 channels with gene transfer promoted GAP-43 expression and neurite outgrowth. Patch clamp experiments show that PC12 cells exhibited resting potentials (RP) of about −65 to −70 mV, and also presented inward HCN channel currents and outward (K+) currents, but no inward voltage-gated Na+ current was induced; NGF did not significantly affect the RP but promoted the establishment of excitability as indicated by the increased ability to depolarize and repolarize in the evoked suspicious action potentials (AP). We conclude that HCN2 and HCN4 channel isoforms, but not HCN1 and HCN3, promote the differentiation of PC12 cells toward sympathetic neurons. NGF potentiates the establishment of excitability during PC12 cell differentiation.
RESEARCH BRIEF Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Young Adults: Prevalence, Perceived Risk, and Risk-Taking Behaviors

Overview. The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States is among the highest in the western industrialized world.14 Nearly 19 million new STDs are diagnosed each year,22 and more than 65 million Americans live with an incurable STD, such as herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV). 3 Young people, in particular, are at a heightened risk of acquiring an STD4 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that those between the ages of 15 and 24 account for about one-half of the new STDs diagnosed every year,4 although this age group represents only one-quarter of the sexually active population.22
Strong Evidence for an Intraspecific Metabolic Scaling Coefficient Near 0.89 in Fish

As an example of applying the evidential approach to statistical inference, we address one of the longest standing controversies in ecology, the evidence for, or against, a universal metabolic scaling relationship between metabolic rate and body mass. Using fish as our study taxa, we curated 25 studies with measurements of standard metabolic rate, temperature, and mass, with 55 independent trials and across 16 fish species and confronted this data with flexible random effects models. To quantify the body mass – metabolic rate relationship, we perform model selection using the Schwarz Information Criteria (ΔSIC), an established evidence function. Further, we formulate and justify the use of ΔSIC intervals to delineate the values of the metabolic scaling relationship that should be retained for further consideration. We found strong evidence for a metabolic scaling coefficient of 0.89 with a ΔSIC interval spanning 0.82 to 0.99, implying that mechanistically derived coefficients of 0.67, 0.75, and 1, are not supported by the data. Model selection supports the use of a random intercepts and random slopes by species, consistent with the idea that other factors, such as taxonomy or ecological or lifestyle characteristics, may be critical for discerning the underlying process giving rise to the data. The evidentialist framework applied here, allows for further refinement given additional data and more complex models.
A new subspecies of Peucedanum officinale L. subsp. album (Apiaceae) from the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract We describe Peucedanum officinale L. subsp. album Martínez-Fort & Donat-Torres subsp. nov., in which we grouped the thermomediterranean populations scattered along the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The characters that differentiate this new subspecies from other infraspecific taxa in Peucedanum officinale are its canaliculated leaflet, the inflorescences much branched and lack of dominant terminal umbels, the umbels are few rayed, sometimes sessile and lateral, the petals are white and the fruit pedicels short, the same or shorter in length than the fruit. We provide here a full description of the new subspecies based on herbarium specimens and field measurements, as well as providing dichotomous keys to the subspecies within P. officinale. In addition, we provide a comparison of the ITS sequences of nrDNA with the most closely related taxons.
Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Juvenile Autoimmune Hepatitis

Juvenile autoimmune hepatitis (JAIH) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory disease of the liver characterized by a complex interaction between genetic, immunological, and environmental factors leading to loss of immunotolerance to hepatic antigens. It affects both children and adolescents, most commonly females, and its clinical manifestations are quite variable. JAIH is progressive in nature and if left untreated may lead to cirrhosis and terminal liver failure. Although JAIH was first described almost 50 years ago, there have been few significant advances in the clinical management of these patients, both in terms of available diagnostic tools and therapeutic options. Aminotransferase activity, class G immunoglobulins and autoantibodies are the biomarkers used to diagnose AIH and monitor treatment response alongside clinical and histological findings. Despite their utility and cost-effectiveness, these biomarkers are neither an accurate expression of AIH pathogenic mechanism nor a precise measure of treatment response. Current standard of care is mainly based on the administration of steroids and azathioprine. This combination of drugs has been proven effective in inducing remission of disease in the majority of patients dramatically improving their survival; however, it not only fails to restore tolerance to hepatic autoantigens, but it also does not halt disease progression in some patients, it is often needed life-long and finally, it has deleterious side-effects. The ideal therapy should be enough selective to contrast immune-mediated live damage while preserving or potentiating the ability to develop permanent tolerance vs. pathogenic autoantigens. By reviewing the state of the art literature, this article highlights novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for managing pediatric AIH with a special focus on new strategies of immunotherapy. These promising tools could improve the diagnostic algorithm, more accurately predict disease prognosis, and provide targeted, individualized treatment.
Interleukin-17 production by CD4+CD45RO+Foxp3+ T cells in peripheral blood of patients with atherosclerosis

Introduction T regulatory cells (Tregs) are known as immunoregulatory cells that are reduced in atherosclerosis. Tregs are a part of crosstalk between the immune system and lipoprotein metabolism, both of which are involved in atherosclerotic processes. Depletion of Tregs leads to impaired clearance of low density lipoprotein (LDL), and intracellular cholesterol homeostasis affects Treg cell development. Furthermore, the atherosclerotic environment affects the Treg cells’ phenotype and plasticity. Plasticity between Tregs and Th17 cells has been a matter of investigation lately. We investigated the frequency of interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing Tregs in the peripheral blood of patients with atherosclerosis. Material and methods We studied 10 non-diabetic patients with significant coronary artery disease (CAD) as the patient group, and seven non-diabetic individuals with normal coronary angiography/insignificant CAD as the control group. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stained with fluorescent antibodies to detect CD4, CD45RO, IL-17, and Foxp3 expression both before and after stimulation with PMA/Ionomycin. Cell enumeration was performed using flowcytometry and analysed using Mann-Whitney test. Results CD4+IL-17+Foxp3+ and CD4+IL-17+Foxp3- subsets showed higher frequencies in patients than in controls both before (p = 0.0031, p = 0.033, respectively) and after stimulation (p = 0.0027 and p = 0.0013, respectively). Interestingly, CD4+IL-17+Foxp3+ cells were almost exclusively CD45RO+ with a much higher frequency in patients than in controls (p = 0.0027, p = 0.0007). After stimulation, the frequency of CD4+CD45RO+IL-17+Foxp3+ lymphocytes increased to a greater extent in patients (p < 0.0001) than in controls. Conclusions Interleukin-17 production by an intermediate population with an activated Treg phenotype in our patients may point to the population heterogeneity or plasticity in Tregs during atherosclerotic inflammation.
Comprehensive Small Signal Stability Analyses for Hybrid Energy Storage System under Novel Transient Power Allocation Strategy

Multiple ESs with different characteristics help to constitute hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs) which should bear desirable power/energy density and dynamic performances. For this purpose, an advanced power allocation strategy combining traditional voltage-power (V-P) droops and integral droops (IDs), could be utilized. With the harmonized integration of V-P and ID, ESs with high energy density but restrained dynamics naturally respond to low frequency components of load power, while ESs with adequate power density but limited stored energy compensate the fast changes of power demand autonomously. Regardless of the merits of presented strategy, comprehensive stability analyses for a HESS with such power management scheme have not been studied. In this paper, the HESS is fully modeled in the small signal sense, with no dynamic state being neglected. The entire system stability is analyzed through comprehensive eigenvalue loci investigations. Tome domain simulations perfectly verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the eigenvalue analyzing results.
Research on Extraction Method of On-line Detection Signal of Transformer Winding Deformation Based on Frequency Response Method

Aiming at the problem of that it is impossible to extract the amplitude of the sinusoidal response signal submerged in the strong noise to analyze the winding deformation fault by online frequency response method for detection of the transformer winding distortion, this paper proposes a new filtering algorithm based on the statistical eigenvalues of the correlation function of random signals, and the target sinusoidal signal is successfully extracted from the noisy signal. The implementation methods in time domain and frequency domain of the algorithm are respectively introduced, and the detection effects under the high-order harmonic and Gaussian white noise interference are simulated by MATLAB. Finally, the field measured data of the transformer winding deformation test is simulated by the online frequency response method. The results validates that the method can extract the sinusoidal signal with very low SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) under strong noise background.
Person Re-Identification With Joint Verification and Identification of Identity-Attribute Labels

One of the major challenges in person Re-Identification (ReID) is the inconsistent visual appearance of a person. Current works on visual feature and distance metric learning have achieved significant achievements, but still suffer from the limited robustness to pose variations, viewpoint changes, etc. This makes person ReID among multiple cameras still challenging. This work is motivated to learn mid-level human attributes which are robust to visual appearance variations and could be used as efficient features for person matching. We propose a supervised multi-task learning framework which considers attribute label information with joint identification-verification network to simultaneously learn an attribute-semantic and identity-discriminative feature representation. Specifically, this framework adopts the part-based deep neural network and learn three different tasks simultaneously: person identification, person verifications and attribute identification, so as to discover and capture concurrently complementary discriminative information about a person image from global and local image features and mid-level attribute features in one deep neural network. With the multi-task learning architecture, we obtain a discriminative model that reaches a synergy in distinguishing different person images, as manifested with the competitive accuracy on three person ReID datasets: Market1501, DukeMTMC-reID and VIPeR.