Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AIDS Progression Is Associated with the Emergence of IL-17–Producing Cells Early After Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

IL-17 is a potent effector cytokine involved in inflammatory response and antimicrobial defense. We report that SIV infection of rhesus macaques (RMs) results in the emergence of IL-17–expressing cells during the acute phase. This subpopulation appears at day 14 postinfection concomitantly with an increase in TGF-β and IL-18 expression. This subset, which exhibits phenotypic markers of NK T cells (NKT), rather than Th17 CD4 cells, persists during the chronic phase and is higher in noncontrollers SIV-infected RMs compared with controllers SIV-infected RMs. In contrast, in the nonpathogenic model of SIVagm infection of African green monkeys, no change in the level of IL-17–expressing cells is observed in lymphoid organs. Consistent with the emergence of TGF-β and IL-18 during the acute phase in SIV-infected RMs, but not in SIV-infected African green monkeys, we demonstrate that in vitro TGF-β and IL-18 induce the differentiation and expansion of IL-17+NKT+. Altogether, these results demonstrate that IL-17–producing NKT are associated with the pathogenesis of SIV in RMs and suggest that TGF-β and IL-18 play a role in their development.
The effects of design integration mechanism on the maturity levels of a collaborative design team

The front-end design process of product design has been a challenge for both academics and organisations. In order to facilitate the process, a mature integrated design team composed of different disciplines is often encouraged. Based on the concept of maturity level, this study first categorised the team maturity into four levels, such as initial, formative, managed, and optimising. Then, this study proposed four types of design integration mechanism (DIM) in the context of product design, which are 1) design interaction; 2) design collaboration; 3) design integrative tool; 4) design team reward. Furthermore, this study selected an intra-university collaborative design team as the subject of a case study. This study found that each type of DIM plays different roles in different maturity levels. Overall, design collaboration received the most importance at three of four levels, except for the initial level, while design team reward received the least importance at all of four levels.
Appraisal and rewards systems for virtual project management teams and the challenges for human resource management

Virtual teams and virtual project management teams in particular have become more widespread with the rise and distribution of new technology and the increasing use of the internet. As companies deploy virtual teams to guarantee a seamless work on different projects, the question arises how the performance of virtual teams should be measured and how the performance should be rewarded. Using a strategic human resource management framework, the paper develops several propositions on the design of appraisal and rewards systems for virtual project management teams. The aim of the analysis is to shed light on the question what challenges arise by measuring the performance of teams, how to possibly resolve them, how to design an adequate rewards system for virtual project management teams and what are the consequences for company performance.
IL-8 Dictates Glycosaminoglycan Binding and Stability of IL-18 in Cystic Fibrosis

Dysregulation of airway inflammation contributes to lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Inflammation is mediated by inflammatory cytokines, including IL-8, which illustrates an increase in biological half-life and proinflammatory activity when bound to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The aim of this project was to compare IL-8 and IL-18 for their relative stability, activity, and interaction with GAGs, including chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and heparan sulfate, present in high quantities in the lungs of patients with CF. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected from patients with CF (n = 28), non-CF controls (n = 14), and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 12). Increased levels of IL-8 and reduced concentrations of IL-18 were detected in bronchial samples obtained from CF individuals. The low level of IL-18 was not a defect in IL-18 production, as the pro- and mature forms of the molecule were expressed and produced by CF epithelial cells and monocytes. There was, however, a marked competition between IL-8 and IL-18 for binding to GAGs. A pronounced loss of IL-18 binding capacity occurred in the presence of IL-8, which displaced IL-18 from these anionic-matrices, rendering the cytokine susceptible to proteolytic degradation by neutrophil elastase. As a biological consequence of IL-18 degradation, reduced levels of IL-2 were secreted by Jurkat T lymphocytes. In conclusion, a novel mechanism has been identified highlighting the potential of IL-8 to determine the fate of other inflammatory molecules, such as IL-18, within the inflammatory milieu of the CF lung.
Contribution of gestational age and birth weight to perinatal viability in singletons versus twins

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of birth weight and gestational age on twin vs. singleton mortality. Population-based analysis of live births, fetal deaths, and infant deaths by plurality in the United States from 1983 to 1986 was conducted. Seven mortality rates and relative risks (RRs) of twin vs. singleton mortality were calculated by birth weight, gestational age, and combined birth weight and gestational age. The mortality rates included fetal, perinatal, early neonatal, late neonatal, neonatal, postneonatal, and infant. Twins had 3–4 times the RRs of mortality compared to singletons, ranging from a RR of 2.71 for postneonatal mortality to a RR of 3.73 for late neonatal mortality. Generally, for birth weights of 2,800 g or less and gestational ages of 38 weeks or less, twins had lower combined birth weight and gestational age mortality rates and lower RRs. Between 1,900 and 2,799 g, mortality rates decreased then increased with advancing gestation between 31 and 42 weeks both.
Empirical research on relationship of knowledge integration and innovation ability of IT enterprise

Knowledge integration is the process of quickly integrating the knowledge of different sources, different forms and different carriers and constructing the new knowledge system. As typical knowledge intensely enterprise-IT enterprise, knowledge integration is the key to maintain sustained innovation capability in the fiercely competitive market environment. According to the order of knowledge production, knowledge propagation and knowledge application, this paper divides knowledge integration into three stages of knowledge creation, knowledge diffusion and knowledge utilisation. Besides, on the basis of analysing how each stage of knowledge integration influences the innovation capability of IT enterprise, this paper constructs the concept model illustrating the relationship between knowledge integration of IT enterprise and innovation capability of IT enterprise. This paper uses SEM to make empirical study. The result shows that knowledge integration has positive effect on the technological innovation, managerial innovation, organisational innovation, institutional innovation and market innovation of IT enterprise. Knowledge integration is the key and guarantee for improving the innovation capability of IT enterprise and enhancing the core competitiveness of enterprises.
Langerin+CD8α+ Dendritic Cells Are Critical for Cross-Priming and IL-12 Production in Response to Systemic Antigens1

Distinct dendritic cell (DC) subsets differ with respect to pathways of Ag uptake and intracellular routing to MHC class I or MHC class II molecules. Murine studies suggest a specialized role for CD8α+ DC in cross-presentation, where exogenous Ags are presented on MHC class I molecules to CD8+ T cells, while CD8α− DC are more likely to present extracellular Ags on MHC class II molecules to CD4+ T cells. As a proportion of CD8α+ DC have been shown to express langerin (CD207), we investigated the role of langerin+CD8α+ DC in presenting Ag and priming T cell responses to soluble Ags. When splenic DC populations were sorted from animals administered protein i.v. , the ability to cross-present Ag was restricted to the langerin+ compartment of the CD8α+ DC population. The langerin+CD8α+ DC population was also susceptible to depletion following administration of cytochrome c, which is known to trigger apoptosis if diverted to the cytosol. Cross-priming of CTL in the presence of the adjuvant activity of the TLR2 ligand N-palmitoyl-S-[2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2RS)-propyl]-[R]-Cys-[S]-Serl-[S]-Lys4-trihydrochloride or the invariant NKT cell ligand α-galactosylceramide was severely impaired in animals selectively depleted of langerin+ cells in vivo. The production of IL-12p40 in response to these systemic activation stimuli was restricted to langerin+CD8α+ DC, and the release of IL-12p70 into the serum following invariant NKT cell activation was ablated in the absence of langerin+ cells. These data suggest a critical role for the langerin+ compartment of the CD8α+ DC population in cross-priming and IL-12 production.
Identification of an Important Immunological Difference between Virulent Varicella-Zoster Virus and Its Avirulent Vaccine: Viral Disruption of Dendritic Cell Instruction

Virulent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) can spread in immunocompetent humans, resulting in symptoms mostly of the skin. In contrast, vaccine Oka (V-Oka), the attenuated VZV vaccine strain, only rarely causes clinical reactions. The mechanisms underlying these pathogenetic differences are unclear. In this study, we comparatively analyzed the ability of virulent VZV and V-Oka to modulate instruction of dendritic cells (DCs) by innate signals. DCs isolated from normal human skin were susceptible to infection with VZV and V-Oka. Moreover, inflammatory DCs, which play a crucial role in the stimulation of Th1 immune responses, accumulated in herpes zoster lesions. Infection of inflammatory DCs generated in vitro with virulent VZV or V-Oka resulted in upregulation of CD1c. Upon coculture with CD1c-restricted innate cells, DCs developed a mature phenotype whether infected with virulent VZV or V-Oka. Intriguingly, a striking difference was detected on the functional level. The release of IFN-γ and IL-12, the signature cytokines of Th1 responses, was enhanced by V-Oka but blocked by virulent VZV. V-Oka and virulent VZV efficiently synergized with CD40L, eliminating the possibility that CD40 signaling was a target of VZV-associated immune evasion. Instead, virulent VZV selectively interfered with signaling through TLR2, which is known to sense VZV. Thus, virulent VZV subverts Th1-promoting instruction of human DCs by blocking TLR2-mediated innate signals that prime IL-12 production by DCs. Taken together, our results demonstrate a novel immune-evasion mechanism of virulent VZV that has been lost during the attenuation process leading to the VZV vaccine strain.
Evaluation of12-LeadElectrocardiogramReconstruction Methods forPatientMonitoring

textabstractIn clinical practice, continuous recording of all leads of the 12-lead ECG is not always possible. For example, leads may fall off or signals may be noisy. Key information about the patient will then be unavailable, making retrospective assessment difficult. In telemetry or intensive care environments only a subset of leads can be recorded, because of technical and practical limitations. In this thesis methods to address these problems were developed and evaluated using ECG reconstruction methods with reduced lead sets of the 12-lead ECG. Reconstruction was performed with patient-specific and general reconstruction coefficients. Furthermore, methods were developed and evaluated to address continuous ECG registration problems which may occur as a result of changes in body position and differences in standard versus monitoring lead configurations.
Putting the ‘HAT’ back on survival signalling: the promises and challenges of HDAC inhibition in the treatment of neurological conditions

Decreased histone acetyltransferase activity and transcriptional dysfunction have been implicated in almost all neurodegenerative conditions. Increasing net histone acetyltransferase activity through inhibition of the histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been shown to be an effective strategy to delay or halt progression of neurological disease in cellular and rodent models. These findings have provided firm rationale for Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of HDAC inhibitors in Huntington's disease, spinal muscular atrophy, and Freidreich's ataxia. In this review, we discuss the current findings and promise of HDAC inhibition as a strategy for treating neurological disorders. Despite the fact that HDAC inhibitors are in an advanced stage of development, we suggest other approaches to modulating HDAC function that may be less toxic and more efficacious than the canonical agents developed so far.
Transient CD86 Expression on Hepatitis C Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells in Acute Infection Is Linked to Sufficient IL-2 Signaling

Costimulatory signals via B7/CD28 family molecules (signal 2) are critical for effective adaptive CD8+ T cell immune responses. In addition to costimulatory signals, B7/CD28 family coinhibitory receptor/ligands that modulate immune responses have been identified. In acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, programmed death receptor 1, an inhibitory receptor in the CD28 family, is highly expressed on virus-specific CD8+ T cells, yet vigorous immune responses often develop. We hypothesized that other costimulatory signals present during the acute phase of HCV infection would be important to counter this negative signaling. In this study, we found that CD86 was highly expressed on HCV-specific CD8+ T cells early in acute HCV infection and was lost on transition to chronic HCV infection; the expression of CD86 was different from other activation markers, because expression was delayed after in vitro TCR stimulation and required sufficient IL-2 signaling; and HCV-specific CD8+ T cells in the liver of patients with chronic HCV infection were highly activated (CD69, CD38, and HLA-DR expression), but only a minority expressed CD86 or showed evidence of recent IL-2 signaling (low basal phosphorylated STAT5), despite persistent viremia. Our study identified B7 ligand expression on HCV-specific CD8+ T cells as a distinct marker of effective T cell stimulation with IL-2 signaling in acute HCV infection. Expression of costimulatory molecules, such as CD86, early in HCV infection may be essential in overcoming inhibitory signals from the high level of programmed death receptor 1 expression also seen at this phase of infection.
Biogas production from selected crop residues in Nigeria and estimation of its electricity value

The production of biogas from peels of watermelon (WP), banana (BP) and potato (PP) was investigated in the laboratory scale using the simple single–state digesters of 1.5 L working volume. The digester was fed on a batch–basis with the slurry of WP, BP and PP containing average moisture content of 18% and operated at temperature of 35°C for 30 days. Measured biogas yields for WP, BP and PP were 0.46, 0.42 and 0.56 m3 (kg ODM)−1 respectively after 30 days digestion time. Methane production from WP, BP and PP was 0.23 (49.8%), 0.24 (56.55) and 0.30 (53.2%) m3 (kg ODM)−1 respectively. Results of this study suggest that 24,080 million and 38,520 million kWh of electricity can be generated from biogas at a low–end efficiency of 25% and at the high–end conversion efficiency of 40% respectively using only seven prominent energetically available crop residues in Nigeria.
GeorgiaCares Community Outreach Events: An Evaluation

Medicare is vital to the health and well-being of many American seniors. However, due to its complexity, beneficiaries often need assistance navigating the federal health insurance system. GeorgiaCares, Georgia’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), provides free and unbiased Medicare information and counseling. The aims of this thesis were to evaluate GeorgiaCares outreach events to discern the social and demographic characteristics of participants and decipher how to best market the events. Participants of nine GeorgiaCares outreach events (n=81) completed anonymous surveys; mixed-methods data analysis revealed the typical participant to be a 71-year-old African American female. Findings suggest an effective way to assist beneficiaries in Medicare-related decisions is through the formation of community partnerships. Suggestions to market outreach events include partnering with churches and grocery stores to disseminate information and enlisting the support of community leaders to overcome barriers of distrust. INDEX WORDS: Gerontology, Minorities, Medicare, Seniors, Insurance, SHIP, GeorgiaCares, Community outreach, Program evaluation, Senior citizens, Older adults GEORGIACARES COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS: AN EVALUATION
Naturally Occurring CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells Prevent but Do Not Improve Experimental Myasthenia Gravis

In the current study, we investigated whether naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ T cells, separated by immunomagnetic anti-CD4 and anti-CD25 Abs from naive animals, are able to protect from experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) and modify the progression of ongoing disease when administered to Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-immunized Lewis rats. Even though CD4+CD25+ and CD4+CD25high T cell frequencies were similar in the spleens and lymph nodes of EAMG and healthy rats, we observed that CD4+CD25+ T cells isolated from the spleens of naive animals inhibited in vitro the Ag-induced proliferation of T cell lines specific to the self-peptide 97–116 of the anti-AChR subunit (R97-116), an immunodominant and myasthenogenic T cell epitope, whereas CD4+CD25+ T cells purified from the spleens of EAMG rats were less effective. CD4+CD25+ T cells from EAMG rats expressed less forkhead box transcription factor P3 but more CTLA-4 mRNA than healthy rats. Naive CD4+CD25+ T cells, obtained from naive rats and administered to T. californica AChR-immunized animals according to a preventive schedule of treatment, reduced the severity of EAMG, whereas their administration 4 wk postinduction of the disease, corresponding to the onset of clinical symptoms (therapeutic treatment), was not effective. We think that the exogenous administration of CD4+CD25+ naive T cells prevents the early events underlying the induction of EAMG, events linked to the T cell compartment (Ag recognition, epitope spreading, and T cell expansion), but fails to ameliorate ongoing EAMG, when the IgG-mediated complement attack to the AChR at the neuromuscular junction has already taken place.
Haplotype analysis of 8 Y-STR loci in the Antalya population

The haploid and non-recombining nature of most Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) and their relative simplicity make them useful tools for male identification purposes in forensic investigations. STR polymorphisms on the non-recombining part of the Y-chromosome are inherited in the form of compound Y-haplotypes and it is known that they are strongly population specific. To contribute to regional database, we have analysed the Y- chromosome specific STR (Y-STR) loci including DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393 and DYS 385 in a group of Turkish males from Antalya, Turkish Republic. Unrelated healthy 210 males who have been living in this region for at least three generations and who were involved in legal proceedings concerning paternity or identity were included in the study. PCR analysis was performed on genomic DNA obtained from peripheral blood samples. PowerPlex Y kit was used according to the manufacturer's recommendations for the amplification and typing procedures. Capillary electrophoresis was carried out on an ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer. We determined a total of 177 haplotypes and 151 of them were observed only once. Twenty six haplotypes identified in more than one male, 21 of them were shared by two different individuals, three by 3 individuals and 2 by four individuals. The most common haplotypes, "14/12/28/23/10/11/12/13- 18" and "15/13/29/24/10/11/14/13- 14" repeated four times, with a frequency of 1.9%. The determined haplotypes of this study were compared with the datas in the Y-chromosomal STR Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD) and also with some available studies from pubmed results for Turks.
Computer Kiosks to Deliver Medication Information in the Pharmacy

The feasibility of using a computer kiosk to deliver medication information to patients was tested in a community pharmacy environment. Viewers used a computer kiosk to access the National Library of Medicine (NLM) MedlinePlus® website. In four weeks, 198 pharmacy patients viewed the website and completed brief questionnaires about their experiences. The majority of patients (63%) were female and between 46 and 65 years of age (48%). Few (8%) had used the NLM website before. Patient age was associated with access to the Internet, previous use of the NLM website, and other habits regarding medication information sources; however, the differences were not as great as anticipated.
Efficient Lung Recruitment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Specific Th1 Cells Induced by Recombinant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Promotes Virus Clearance and Protects from Infection

Infection by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause extensive inflammation and lung damage in susceptible hosts due to a Th2-biased immune response. Such a deleterious inflammatory response can be enhanced by immunization with formalin- or UV-inactivated RSV, as well as with vaccinia virus expressing the RSV-G protein. Recently, we have shown that vaccination with rBCG-expressing RSV Ags can prevent the disease in the mouse. To further understand the immunological mechanisms responsible for protection against RSV, we have characterized the T cell populations contributing to virus clearance in mice immunized with this BCG-based vaccine. We found that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were recruited significantly earlier to the lungs of infected mice that were previously vaccinated. Furthermore, we observed that simultaneous adoptive transfer of CD8+ and CD4+ RSV-specific T cells from vaccinated mice was required to confer protection against virus infection in naive recipients. In addition, CD4+ T cells induced by vaccination released IFN-γ after RSV challenge, indicating that protection is mediated by a Th1 immune response. These data suggest that vaccination with rBCG-expressing RSV Ags can induce a specific effector/memory Th1 immune response consisting on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, both necessary for a fully protective response against RSV. These results support the notion that an effective induction of Th1 T cell immunity against RSV during childhood could counteract the unbalanced Th2-like immune response triggered by the natural RSV infection.