Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SignalingDependent on Glucocorticoid Receptor Alternatively Activated Dendritic Cells Bronchial Epithelial Cells Induce

Airway epithelial cells mount a tolerogenic microenvironment that reduces the proinﬂammatory potential of respiratory dendritic cells (DCs). We recently demonstrated that tracheal epithelial cells continuously secrete soluble mediators that affect the reactivity of local innate immune cells. Using transcriptional proﬁling, we now observed that conditioning of DCs by tracheal epithelial cells regulated 98 genes under homeostatic conditions. Among the most upregulated genes were Ms4a8a and Ym1 , marker genes of alternatively activated myeloid cells. Ex vivo analysis of respiratory DCs from nonchallenged mice conﬁrmed a phenotype of alternative activation. Bioinfor-matic analysis showed an overrepresentation of hormone-nuclear receptors within the regulated genes, among which was the glucocorticoid receptor. In line with a role for glucocorticoids, pharmacological blockade as well as genetic manipulation of the glucocorticoid receptor within DCs inhibited Ms4a8a and Ym1 expression as well as MHC class II and CD86 regulation upon epithelial cell conditioning. Within epithelial cell–conditioned medium, low amounts of glucocorticoids were present. Further analysis showed that airway epithelial cells did not produce glucocorticoids de novo, yet were able to reactivate inactive dehydrocorticosterone enzymatically. The results show that airway epithelial cells regulate local immune responses, and this modulation involves local production of glucocorticoids and induction of an alternative activation phenotype in DCs. The Journal of Immunology , 2014, 193: 000–000.
Examining Trait × Method Interactions Using Mixture Distribution Multitrait–Multimethod Models

Multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analyses are used in psychology to assess convergent and discriminant validity and to study method effects. Most current MTMM approaches assume that measures have equal convergent and discriminant validity across the entire range of trait values and thus do not account for potential trait × method interactions. A novel approach is presented that allows analyzing trait × method interactions using factor mixture modeling. The new MTMM mixture model allows identifying latent classes of individuals who differ with respect to convergent and discriminant validity. The new approach was applied to mother’s and father’s ratings of children’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms (N = 618). Results revealed four latent classes: one with no symptom levels, two with low symptom levels, and one with moderate symptom levels. Three classes showed evidence for convergent and discriminant validity, whereas a low symptom class lacked convergent validity for ratings of inattention. Keywords: mixture distribution, factor mixture model, convergent and discriminant validity, multitrait-multimethod analysis
Complete Characterization of Novel MHMICs for V-Band Communication Systems

This paper presents the characterization results of several new passive millimeter wave circuits integrated on very thin ceramic substrate. The work is focused on the design and characterization of a novel rounded Wilkinson power divider, a 90° hybrid coupler, a rat-race coupler, and a novel six-port (multiport) circuit. Measurements show the wideband characteristics, allowing therefore their use for multi-Gb/s V-band wireless communication systems.
Effectiveness of Fiscal Spending : Crowding out and / or crowding in ?

While the neoclassical school advocates that private investment is dampened by an increase in fiscal spending, an increase in the government spending stimulates private investment in the Keynesian model. The Ricardian Equivalence theorem argues that increases in deficit financed by fiscal spending leave private spending unchanged (Bahmani-Oskooee, 1999: 634). This study analyses the effectiveness of fiscal policy in the context of crowding out hypothesis for Turkey. Johansen cointegration test results verify both the Keynesian and neoclassical views for Turkey. While increases in government spending are found to crowd in private investment, government deficits are found to crowd it out.
Influences of MxA gene –88 G/T and IFN‐gamma +874 A/T on the natural history of hepatitis B virus infection in an endemic area

The influence of human genetics on the natural history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may be diminished in endemic areas because infection at a young age predisposes to chronic HBV infection. The present study aimed to address this issue through the determination of the influences of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of myxovirus resistence‐1 (MxA) –88 G/T and interferon (IFN)‐gamma +874 A/T on the natural history of HBV infection in endemic regions.
The effects of Anemonia sulcata toxin II on vertebrate skeletal muscle

1 Some effects of the sea anemone toxin, ATX‐II, on vertebrate skeletal muscle have been described. 2 At a concentration of 1 × 10−7 ‐ 1 × 10−6 M, ATX‐II caused a sodium‐dependent depolarizaton of the muscle fibres of the rat soleus and extensor digitorum longus, of the mouse soleus and extensor digitorum longus and of the chicken posterior latissimus dorsi. The muscle fibres of the frog sartorius were insensitive to the toxin. 3 Action potentials generated by direct stimulation were prolonged by ATX‐II, but the degree of prolongation was variable. Chicken posterior latissimus dorsi muscle fibres were most sensitive in this regard, and mouse extensor digitorum longus were least sensitive. 4 Both denervated and immature muscle fibres were more sensitive to ATX‐II than mature innervated muscle fibres. The sensitivity to ATX‐II declined rapidly as muscle fibres matured. 5 In some muscles, the prolongation of the action potential was enhanced by repetitive stimulation, but not by the passive depolarization or hyperpolarization of the muscle fibres. 6 The actions of ATX‐II could be reversed by washing in all but the innervated soleus of the mature rat.
31P spectroscopy of the human prostate gland in vivo using a transrectal probe

Using a transrectal probe, good quality 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the human prostate was performed safely, consistently, and in a reasonable amount of time (average of 60 min). Initial results indicate that transrectal 31P MRS has the ability to characterize the phosphorylated metabolites of normal, hyperplastic, and malignant prostates. This study demonstrated that malignant prostates are characterized by significantly decreased levels of phosphocreatine (PCr) and increased levels of phosphomonesters (PME) as compared to healthy prostates. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.
Innate immune responses to mycobacteria and the downregulation of atopic responses

Purpose of reviewExposure to certain environmental microorganisms can promote the induction of T regulatory cells via the innate immune system. This review explores the possibility that reduced exposure to such organisms is leading to increased immunoregulatory disorders in a subset of individuals in whom this regulatory T-cell-inducing pathway is less efficient. We concentrate on mycobacteria and on asthma, because these are well documented. Recent findingsThe blood cells of the children of farmers, who are partly protected from allergies, express increased levels of messenger RNA encoding CD14 and TLR2, and polymorphisms of CD14 are linked to allergic manifestations in some studies. Polymorphisms of TLR2 (which recognizes mycobacterial components in concert with CD14) are involved in the pattern of response to mycobacteria, and in the type of leprosy that develops. Similarly, polymorphisms of Nramp1, which affect the response to mycobacteria, are linked with the diseases of immunodysregulation that are increasing in parallel with allergic disorders. Moreover, congenic mice bearing different variants of Nramp1 differ in their allergic responses. These parallels are suggestive, in view of the observation that a saprophytic environmental mycobacterium is a potent inducer of regulatory T cells, and has shown significant effects in several phase I/II studies in man. SummaryThe components of the innate immune system that are involved in responses to mycobacteria overlap with those implicated in allergic disorders. Polymorphisms might define the subset of individuals who develop immunoregulatory disorders. Understanding the role of the innate immune system will facilitate the design of clinical trials using microbial products.
A COMPARISON OF ASBESTOS AND URBAN PARTICULATE MATTER IN THE IN VITRO MODIFICATION OF HUMAN ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGE ANTIGEN-PRESENTING CELL FUNCTION

The mechanism for how inhaled particles cause or exacerbate human diseases is not known. It is clear, however, that some particles are more bioactive than others. One possible mechanism may involve a modification of antigen-presenting cell function. In this study, 2 forms of asbestos (crocidolite and Libby amphibole) and PM2.5 (an urban particle) were cultured with human alveolar macrophages (HAMs) to determine whether antigen-presenting cell (APC) function was altered. HAMs were exposed to the bioactive particles, asbestos and PM2.5, for 24 hours, then isolated free of extracellular particulates and nonviable cells. Isolated HAMs were then cultured with autologous lymphocytes in an 11-day APC assay using tetanous toxoid as the antigen and the resulting culture supernatants were assayed for lymphocyte-derived cytokines. Asbestos exposure, regardless of type, up-regulated a TH1 lymphocyte–derived cytokine, interferon gamma (IFNγ), and the TH2 lymphocyte–derived cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13). PM2.5 exposure up-regulated all 3 cytokines also. Although cytokine production levels were significantly higher for the treatment compared to control cultures as a group, there was extreme variability in the responses between subjects. In addition, there was no correlation between an individual's cells’ response to asbestos verses PM, suggesting that more than one possible mechanism exists for a particle-induced APC effect and individual differential sensitivities to inhaled bioactive particles. This work supports the hypothesis that some inhaled particles can modify immune function by directly affecting APCs thus up-regulating the normal lymphocyte response to antigens in the lung.
The neural origin of the priming distance effect: Distance‐dependent recovery of parietal activation using symbolic magnitudes

Numerical magnitudes are known to be processed in areas around the intraparietal sulci of the brain. We used an fMRI‐adaptation paradigm to investigate how they are actually coded at the neural level. In a number identification task, we manipulated the numerical distance between prime and target numbers (same, close, and far pairs) and their symbolic notation (Arabic and verbal numerals). We show that bilateral parietal activations present a distance‐dependent recovery of activation positively correlated with the distance between primes and targets: the larger the prime‐target distance, the higher the recovery of activation. Importantly, this effect is only present for trials where an Arabic numeral precedes a verbal numeral and not the reverse. Together, these findings reveal the neural origin of the behavioral priming distance effect and demonstrate that the relative importance of the semantic and nonsemantic pathways in a dual‐route model of number processing is modulated by symbolic notation. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Head and neck cancer in young adults and nonsmokers: Study of cancer susceptibility by genome-wide high-density SNP microarray mapping

Abstract Conclusion. Our results raise the question as to whether specific patterns of ‘germline loss of heterozygosity (LOH)’ could contribute to the genetic susceptibility for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Objectives. HNSCC usually occurs in older individuals with a history of smoking. However, about 5% of HNSCC patients have never used tobacco or develop this disease at an exceptionally young age. Therefore, genetic susceptibility must contribute significantly to HNSCC risk. The objective was to introduce a novel approach that might help to unveil candidate genes contributing to cancer predisposition and to identify individuals at risk for HNSCC, and to present our observations with this method in a specific group of patients. Methods: High-resolution SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) microarray mapping for homozygous stretches in germline DNA was performed in 12 patients who appeared particularly susceptible to develop HNSCC, because they were exceptionally young or never users of tobacco. Results: We could identify strings of consecutive homozygous SNPs that were much longer than would be expected to appear by chance alone, indicating regions of DNA deletions that we named germline LOH.
Using unconstrained elite archives for multiobjective optimization

Multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) have been the subject of numerous studies over the past 20 years. Recent work has highlighted the use of an active archive of elite, nondominated solutions to improve the optimization speed of these algorithms. However, preserving all elite individuals is costly in time (due to the linear comparison with all archived solutions needed before a new solution can be inserted into the archive). Maintaining an elite population of a fixed maximum size (by clustering or other means) alleviates this problem, but can cause retreating (or oscillitory) and shrinking estimated Pareto fronts - which can affect the efficiency of the search process. New data structures are introduced to facilitate the use of an unconstrained elite archive, without the need for a linear comparison to the elite set for every new individual inserted. The general applicability of these data structures is shown by their use in an evolution-strategy-based MOEA and a genetic-algorithm-based MOEA. It is demonstrated that MOEAs using the new data structures run significantly faster than standard, unconstrained archive MOEAs, and result in estimated Pareto fronts significantly ahead of MOEAs using a constrained archive. It is also shown that the use of an unconstrained elite archive permits robust criteria for algorithm termination to be used, and that the use of the data structure can also be used to increase the speed of algorithms using /spl epsi/-dominance methods.
Psychosocial factors in selection for liver transplantation

The findings of an opinion poll commissioned to examine liver transplant selection preferences among the general public, general practitioners, and gastroenterologists were published in the BMJ last year.1 Vignettes of eight potential candidates were given; four livers were available. The constituencies agreed the bottom of the pecking order—a prisoner, preceded by a man with alcoholic liver disease—but if only two candidates were to be chosen, those selected by the specialists (a teenager with an impulsive paracetamol overdose and a woman who had acquired viral hepatitis through drug abuse 20 years before) differed from the public's choices (a baby and a pregnant woman with a cancer that offered little hope of prolonged life). The authors concluded that selection was more emotionally driven for the public, although varying degrees of prejudice is perhaps a more accurate description. In the face of such apparent prejudices not being confined to the public, what can we do to ensure that livers are allocated “fairly”? The scenario may have been artificial, but it did reflect the reality that demand will increasingly outstrip supply of livers: the latest figures show a 23% increase in the waiting list against no change in the number of transplants during the first quarter of 1999 compared with 1998.2 Despite measures to eke out resources such as using living donors and split grafts, …
Congenital sporozoan encephalomyelitis in a calf

Protozoan encephalomyelitis was diagnosed post mortem in a five-day-old Friesian calf which had shown nervous signs from birth. The lesion was a subacute necrotising multifocal encephalomyelitis associated with protozoan bodies (6 X 6 microns to 16 X 30 microns). Ultrastructurally these bodies corresponded to apicomplexan meronts composed of eight to 89 merozoites which reproduced by internal budding to form paired daughter cells (endodyogeny). The merozoites were indistinguishable from Toxoplasma gondii; they reacted weakly with anti-Sarcocystis species serum and did not cross react with anti-T gondii serum. The generic identity of the sporozoan was not established, but it is unlikely to have been either Sarcocystis species or T gondii.
Personal constructs of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse receiving cognitive analytic therapy.

OBJECTIVE This study assessed whether male survivors of sexual abuse identified with their abusers rather than their child- or victim-selves and failed to identify with men in general or with their victims, following abusive 'acting out'. Changes in both identification and symptomatology were assessed following cognitive analytic therapy. DESIGN A patient series within-participants design was used. METHOD A repertory grid methodology examined four male survivors self-construals before and after therapy. Measures of symptomatic distress, depression, self-esteem and distorted beliefs related to childhood sexual abuse were also obtained. RESULTS Before therapy, patients showed little identification with the child-selves, men in general and ideal-selves. Two heterosexual patients identified with their abuser(s) whereas another, homosexual, patient negatively identified with his abuser. Patients did not identify with their victims following aggressive 'acting out'. After therapy, identification with the abuser reduced markedly; identification with victim- and ideal-self increased. Depression and distorted beliefs declined. CONCLUSION Male survivors tend to identify with abusers and disavow their victim-hood. Sexual orientation may predict identification patterns. Cognitive analytic therapy may be a promising method of enabling survivors to integrate their abuse experience and reduce their commitment to the abuser role.
Analysis of effects of three-phase voltage unbalance on induction motors with emphasis on the angle of the complex voltage unbalance factor

Summary form only given as follows. Analysis of the steady-state performance of an induction motor connected to unbalanced three-phase voltages is presented. The index of voltage unbalance used in this paper is the complex voltage unbalance factor (CVUF) that consists of the magnitude and the angle. In addition to formulation and discussion of the motor operating characteristics under voltage unbalance, special emphasis is placed on the effect of the angle of the CVUF on the motor. It is found that the angle of the CVUF is also an important factor that merits particular attention in analyzing voltage unbalance issues.
Role of Natural Killer T Cells in the Mouse Colitis‐Associated Colon Cancer Model

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are considered innate‐like lymphocytes, and regulate the immunity against inflammation and tumorigenesis. However, the impact of iNKT cells in inflammation‐associated tumorigenesis remains unclear. In this study, we examined the physiological role of iNKT cells in a mouse colitis‐associated colorectal cancer model. C57BL/6 (B6) and Jα18 NKT cell‐deficient KO (KO) mice were used. Colitis‐associated colorectal cancer was induced by azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). The resulting inflammation and tumours were examined. The surface markers of mononuclear cells from the liver and the colon were assessed by FACS. The levels of IL‐13 from the colon were measured by ELISA. α‐galactosylceramide (GC), or its close analog OCH, was administered intraperitoneally on the first day of each cycle of DSS‐administration. In the AOM/DSS model, hepatic iNKT cells were significantly decreased. In KO mice there were significantly greater numbers of colon tumours and more severe inflammation than in B6 mice. FACS analysis revealed that the population of NK1.1 + T cells (non‐invariant NKT cells) in the colon was increased when compared to B6 mice. The secretion of IL‐13 was increased in the colon of KO mice after AOM/DSS. The number of colon tumours was significantly decreased in the GC‐treated group compared to the control group. GC‐treatment significantly inhibited IL‐13 secretion from the colonic mononuclear cells and the number of colonic NK1.1 + T cells was significantly decreased. These results suggest that iNKT cells may play a critical role in the prevention of tumour progression and inflammation in the AOM/DSS model.
Sustained antiemetic responses with APF530 (sustained-release granisetron) during multiple cycles of emetogenic chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND A phase 3 trial in patients with cancer who received chemotherapy has shown that subcutaneous (SC) APF530, a sustained-delivery formulation of granisetron, is noninferior to palonosetron in preventing acute (0-24 hours) and delayed (>24-120 hours) chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). OBJECTIVES To investigate the sustainability of APF530 antiemetic responses during multiple chemotherapy cycles. METHODS 1,395 patients receiving moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC and HEC, respectively) were randomized either to APF530 250 or 500 mg SC (containing granisetron 5 or 10 mg, respectively) or palonosetron 0.25 mg intravenously before cycle 1 of chemotherapy. Patients who received palonosetron in cycle 1 were rerandomized in cycles 2-4 to APF530 250 or 500 mg; those who received APF530 in cycle 1 continued their APF530 dose. Between-group response rates were compared using the Fisher exact test. RESULTS Complete response (CR; no emesis, no rescue medication) for APF530 500 mg with HEC increased from 81.3% to 87.8% over 4 cycles in the acute phase of CINV, and from 67.1% to 83.1% in the delayed phase. Rates were slightly lower with MEC. Within-cycle CR rates between APF530 doses showed no significant differences. With HEC, APF530 500 mg provided sustained CRs through 4 cycles of chemotherapy in 68.4% of patients in the acute phase and in 57.9% in the delayed phase; with MEC, corresponding CRs were 56.5% and 41.3%. Nausea prevention was nearly as effective as emesis prevention. LIMITATIONS Chemotherapy emetogenicity was classified according to Hesketh criteria during the time of this study. However, subsequent post hoc analyses indicate that reclassification according to newer ASCO emetogenicity guidelines did not alter the original study noninferiority conclusions. CONCLUSIONS CR rates with APF530 during the acute and delayed phases of CINV in MEC and HEC were maintained over multiple cycles.
Poor Risk Management as One of the Major Reasons Causing Failure of Project Management

Poor risk management is currently a blazing issue in project management, it is counted as a major aspect contributing to project failure. This paper is focused much more on how poor risk management leads to failure of projects, it also examines the major reasons that are associated with failure of project management. In more details of the article is the literature review that supports how poor risk management is linked to the major reasons causing failure of project management as well as the strategic efforts to overcome it.