Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helminth Vaccines? Recall Response: Potential Adjuvant for Induces an Antigen-Specific Eosinophil PorB, a TLR2 Ligand, Neisseria meningitidis

Efﬁcacious adjuvants are important components of new vaccines. The neisserial outer membrane protein, PorB, is a TLR2 ligand with unique adjuvant activity. We demonstrate that PorB promotes Th2-skewed cellular immune response to the model Ag, OVA, in mice, including Ag-speciﬁc recall eosinophil recruitment to the peritoneum. PorB induces chemokine secretion by myeloid cells using both TLR2-dependent and -independent mechanisms, suggesting that anatomical distribution of TLR2 (cid:1) cells may not be a limiting factor for potential vaccine strategies. The results from this study suggest that PorB, and other TLR2 ligands, may be ideal for use against pathogens where eosinophilia may be protective, such as parasitic helminths. The Journal of Immunology, 2007, 179: 3222–3230. , potent immunostimulatory capacity of PorB and its characterization as a TLR2 ligand suggested that PorB could be effec-tively used as a vaccine adjuvant. We sought to determine the best approach for examining the adjuvanticity of PorB in vivo using model Ags. In this study, we demonstrate a unique feature of PorB-mediated adjuvanticity, the ability to stimulate an eosinophilic recall response. This recall response is similar to the recall of eosinophils seen in a secondary helminth infection (19). Because eosinophils have been shown to be cytotoxic to pathogens, especially to helminths, and are often associated with a Th2 phenotype, these results indicate promise for a PorB-parasite Ag vaccine, which may stimulate protective immunity against helminth parasites. We then examined the possible mechanisms of PorB-mediated recall eosinophilia, ﬁndings that could have implications for PorB’s future adjuvant use.
Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Leukocytes Glucocorticoids Promote Nonphlogistic

Phagocyte recognition, uptake, and nonphlogistic degradation of neutrophils and other leukocytes undergoing apoptosis promote the resolution of inﬂammation. This study assessed the effects of anti-inﬂammatory glucocorticoids on this leukocyte clearance mechanism. Pretreatment of “semimature” 5-day human monocyte-derived macrophages (M f ) for 24 h with methylprednisolone, dexamethasone, and hydrocortisone, but not the nonglucocorticoid steroids aldosterone, estradiol, and progesterone, potentiated phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils. These effects were speciﬁc in that the potentiated phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils was completely blocked by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486, and glucocorticoids did not promote 5-day M f ingestion of opsonized erythrocytes. Similar glucocorticoid-mediated potentiation was observed with 5-day M f uptake of alternative apoptotic “targets” (eosinophils and Jurkat T cells) and in uptake of apoptotic neutrophils by alternative phagocytes (human glomerular mesangial cells and murine M f elicited into the peritoneum or derived from bone marrow). Importantly, methyl-prednisolone-mediated enhancement of the uptake of apoptotic neutrophils did not trigger the release of the chemokines IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Furthermore, longer-term potentiation by methylprednisolone was observed in maturing human monocyte-derived M f , with greater increases in 5-day M f uptake of apoptotic cells being observed the earlier glucocorticoids were added during monocyte maturation into M f . We conclude that potentiation of nonphlogistic clearance of apoptotic leukocytes by phagocytes is a hitherto unrecognized property of glucocorticoids that has potential implications for therapies aimed at promoting the resolution of inﬂammatory diseases. The Journal of Immunology, 1999, 162: 3639–3646.
The effect of fraud on the audit quality of Big 4 audit firms

This thesis looks into the effect of fraud by clients of Big 4 firms on the audit quality and audit credibility of those Big 4 firms. Audit quality is measured by calculating the discretionary accruals following the modified Jones model, and audit credibility by using the ex-ante cost of capital using the PEG method. To measure fraud, AAER reports published by the SEC are used and audit restatements. As results, the AAER reports have a small negative effect on audit quality and a significant negative effect on audit credibility. Audit restatements have no significant effect on audit quality and credibility.
Trends in Human Immunodeﬁciency Virus Incidence and Risk Behavior Among Injection Drug Users in Montreal, Canada: A 16-Year Longitudinal Study

The authors sought to investigate trends in the incidence of human immunodeﬁciency virus (HIV) infection, evaluate changes in risk behavior, and assess associations between syringe access programs and HIV seroconversion among injection drug users (IDUs) in Montreal, Canada, who were recruited and followed for a prospective cohort study between 1992 and 2008. Methods included Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and time-varying Cox regression models. Of 2,137 HIV-seronegative IDUs at enrollment, 148 became HIV-positive within 4 years (in-cidence: 3.3 cases/100 person-years; 95% conﬁdence interval: 2.8, 3.9). An annual HIV incidence decline of 0.06 cases/100 person-years prior to 2000 was followed by a more rapid annual decline of 0.24 cases/100 person-years during and after 2000. Behavioral trends included increasing cocaine and heroin use and decreasing proportions of IDUs reporting any syringe-sharing or sharing a syringe with an HIV-positive person. In multivariate analyses, HIV seroconversion was associated with male gender, unstable housing, intravenous cocaine use, and sharing syringes or having sex with an HIV-positive partner. Always acquiring syringes from safe sources conferred a reduced risk of HIV acquisition among participants recruited after 2004, but this association was not statistically signiﬁcant for participants recruited earlier. In conclusion, HIV incidence has declined in this cohort, with an acceleration of the reduction in HIV transmission after 2000.
Patterning of the midbrain-hindbrain (MHB) anlage depends on an ‘organizer’ activity localized at the MHB junction

Patterning of the midbrain-hindbrain (MHB) anlage depends on an ‘organizer’ activity localized at the MHB junction (Alvarez Otero et al., 1993; Hallonet and Le Douarin, 1993; Hallonet and Alvaradomallart, 1997). Classical transplantation experiments demonstrate that MHB tissue can induce midbrain structures when transplanted into the diencephalon and cerebellar tissue when transplanted to the myelencephalon (Gardner and Barald, 1991; Itasaki et al., 1991; Martinez et al., 1991; Bally-Cuif et al., 1992; Marin and Puelles, 1995). Part of the MHB organizer activity has been attributed to FGF8, which is expressed at the MHB junction and can induce ectopic midbrain and cerebellar tissue formation when applied in the diencephalon or midbrain of chick embryos at early somite stages or when ectopically expressed in the midbrain of the mouse (Crossley et al., 1996; Liu et al., 1999; Martinez et al., 1999). This hypothesis has been further supported by an acerebellar mutant in zebrafish caused by the loss of Fgf8 function (Reifers et al., 1998) and by the loss of midbrain and cerebellar tissue in a mouse carrying a severe hypomorphic allele of Fgf8 (Meyers et al., 1998). Several families of genes are involved in patterning MHB tissue. Wnt1, Engrailed2 (En2) and Pax5 are essential for specifying midbrain and hindbrain fate before embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5). Wnt1 null mice, Pax2/5 double knockout (KO) mice and Engrailed 1/2 double KO mice all have lost both the mesencephalic vesicle and the cerebellar primordium by embryonic day 10 or earlier (McMahon et al., 1992; Joyner, 1996; Schwarz et al., 1999). Understanding the interaction among these families of genes and their relationship with FGF signaling pathways is essential to delineate the complex genetic program that regulates MHB development. During development, implantation of FGF8 beads into the diencephalon can induce ectopic expression of Fgf8, Wnt1, En1, En2, Pax2 and Pax5 (Crossley et al., 1996; Sheikh and Mason, 1996; Liu et al., 1999; Shamim et al., 1999). These data suggest that FGF8 may mediate the organizer activity of the MHB junction through the activation and/or maintenance of Wnt1, En2, Pax2, Pax5 and itself. Recently, FGF8 has been shown to suppress Otx2 expression at an early somite stage of MHB development (Liu et al., 1999; Martinez et al., 1999), suggesting that FGF8 may also be important for enforcing the midbrain-cerebellar boundary. In addition to the patterning activity of FGF8, FGF signaling may also regulate the growth and polarity of the midbrain primordium. Overexpression of an Fgf8 transgene, targeted specifically to the midbrain and MHB junction under the control of a Wnt1 enhancer (WEXPZ2-Fgf8), increased the proliferation of midbrain precursor cells and shifted the high proliferation zone at the caudal part of the midbrain primordium more rostrally (Lee et al., 1997). At the molecular 1833 Development 127, 1833-1843 (2000) Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 2000 DEV4303
DMSO_A_328206 4135..4143

*These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Although fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is involved in the development of metabolic diseases, its association with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) remains unknown. We explored the relationship between serum fibroblast growth factor-23 level, metabolic associated fatty liver disease, and liver fat content. Patients and Methods: Participants were enrolled from communities in Shanghai. Serum fibroblast growth factor-23 level was determined using two-side sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. MAFLD was diagnosed using the international expert consensus (2020) criteria. Liver fat content was assessed using ultrasound. Results: We enrolled 1827 individuals aged 30–80 years (mean age, 59.4±7.3 years). MAFLD was diagnosed in 445/1393 (31.9%) non-diabetic participants and 245/434 (56.5%) diabetic participants. After adjusting for confounders, one standard deviation increase in serum FGF23 was associated with MAFLD in diabetic (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.15–1.49; P<0.001) and non-diabetic (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.07–1.74; P=0.030) groups. In a fully adjusted linear regression model, serum FGF23 emerged as a positive determinant of liver fat content in both diabetic and nondiabetic groups (P=0.039; P=0.034). Conclusion: Participants with MAFLD had higher serum fibroblast growth factor-23 level than those without MAFLD, regardless of diabetes status. Serum fibroblast growth factor-23 was independently related to MAFLD and liver fat content.
STAPHYLOCOCCAL CLUMPING WITH SOLUBLE

Most coagulase-positive staphylococci exhibit an ability to clump in plasma or fibrinogen solution. This phenomenon, discovered by Much (1), is attributed to a factor located on the cell surface and called clumping factor (2). This designation seems to be preferable to the others used before ("plasma agglutination," "bound coagulase"), for the latter terms suggest an immunological or blood-clotting phenomena involvement and this is not the case.
1 Grapheme-to-Phoneme Conversion with 2 Convolutional Neural Networks 3

: Grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) conversion is the process of generating pronunciation for 8 words based on their written form. It has a highly essential role for natural language processing, 9 text-to-speech synthesis and automatic speech recognition systems. In this paper, we investigate 10 convolutional neural networks (CNN) for G2P conversion. We propose a novel CNN-based 11 sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) architecture for G2P conversion. Our approach includes an end-to-12 end CNN G2P conversion with residual connections, furthermore, a model, which utilizes a 13 convolutional neural network (with and without residual connections) as encoder and Bi-LSTM as 14 a decoder. We compare our approach with state-of-the-art methods, including Encoder-Decoder 15 LSTM and Encoder-Decoder Bi-LSTM. Training and inference times, phoneme and word error rates 16 were evaluated on the public CMUDict dataset for US English, and the best performing 17 convolutional neural network based architecture was also evaluated on the NetTalk dataset. Our 18 method approaches the accuracy of previous state-of-the-art results in terms of phoneme error rate.
Human Cardiac Fibroblasts Engage the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived

After multivariable adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, race, eGFR, and hsCRP, Ab40 was independently associated with NT-proBNP, hs-cTnT, left atrial emptying fraction, and VO2 max (Table 1). Finally, full adjustment for traditional risk factors, renal function, hsCRP, education level, yearly income, and microalbuminuria revealed that Ab40 remained significantly associated with NTproBNP and VO2 max (Table 1). Ab40 also correlated with a high CAC score, but significance was lost after adjusting for age and eGFR (Table 1). In summary, plasma Ab40 is associated with a cumulative risk factor profile, with aging, renal dysfunction, non-black race, and the level of triglycerides being the major independent determinants of its variability in the general population without clinically overt CVD. Most importantly, we report here that Ab40 is associated with subclinical cardiac disease as evidenced by the positive association with the cardiac stress and injury markers NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT, irrespective of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, renal function, and systemic inflammation. Increased circulating NT-proBNP is indicative of increased LV stretch and filling pressures, whereas increased hsTnT may reflect subclinical myocardial damage in subjects without overt coronary heart disease (4). Interestingly, Ab40 remained associated with NT-proBNP and VO2 max even after considering an additional multivariable model with full demographic characteristics of the population, arterial blood pressure, blood lipid profile, and urine microalbumin levels as a marker of early renal and vascular dysfunction. Given that the cytotoxic Ab40 peptide accumulates in heart tissues (5) and is independently associated with lower cardiorespiratory fitness in our study, our findings support the notion that plasma Ab40 may reflect both cardiovascular aging and health status in general population. Further prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the prognostic value of plasma Ab40 levels for the development of CVD and cardiovascular events in the general population.
CPAA_A_285585 179..187

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Science, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia Background: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) remains a significant burden especially among patients taking psychotropic medications, and it is associated with adverse effects that can lead to subjective suffering, stigma, poor compliance to medication, and poor quality of life. However, it is unrecognized and overlooked in clinical settings. So, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of tardive dyskinesia and associated factors among mentally ill patients attending follow-up treatment at Jimma University Medical Center Psychiatry clinic, Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted in 417 samples. Participants were selected by systematic random sampling techniques. Data were collected by a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, and the document was reviewed to obtain the patient’s profile. Tardive dyskinesia was assessed by using the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale after informed consent was obtained from respondents. Data entry was done by EpiData version 3.1, and analysis was done by using SPSS 22.0 statistical software. Binary logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to see the association and to identify independent factors at a p-value of <0.05. Results: Prevalence of drug-induced tardive dyskinesia was 15.4% (CI 95%: 12.0, 19.3). Female, age range between 30 and 44 years, having a diagnosis of major depressive disorder with the psychotic feature, taking chlorpromazine equivalent dose ˃600mg, and taking anticholinergic medications were variables positively associated with tardive dyskinesia, whereas cigarette smoking was negatively associated with tardive dyskinesia. Conclusion: The prevalence of drug-induced tardive dyskinesia in this study was high. Prescribing medications less than 600mg equivalent dose of chlorpromazine, giving attention for female patients, patients having a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, and reducing giving anticholinergic medications will be important measures for clinicians to reduce the occurrence of tardive dyskinesia.
Development and Application of Novel Constructs to Score C:G-to-T:A Transitions and Homologous Recombination in Arabidopsis 1[W]

, We report on the development of ﬁve missense mutants and one recombination substrate of the b -glucuronidase (GUS)-encoding gene of Escherichia coli and their use for detecting mutation and recombination events in transgenic Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) plants by reactivation of GUS activity in clonal sectors. The missense mutants were designed to ﬁnd C:G-to-T:A transitions in a symmetrical sequence context and are in that respect complementary to previously published GUS point mutants. Small peptide tags (hemagglutinin tag and Strep tag II) and green ﬂuorescent protein were translationally fused to GUS, which offers possibilities to check for mutant GUS production levels. We show that spontaneous mutation and recombination events took place. Mutagenic treatment of the plants with ethyl methanesulfonate and ultraviolet-C increased the number of mutations, validating the use of these constructs to measure mutation and recombination frequencies in plants exposed to biotic or abiotic stress conditions, or in response to different genetic backgrounds. Plants were also subjected to heavy metals, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and heat stress, for which no effect could be seen. Together with an ethyl methanesulfonate mutation induction level much higher than previously described, the need is illustrated for many available scoring systems in parallel. Because all GUS missense mutants were cloned in a bacterial expression vector, they can also be used to score mutation events in E. coli .
BACHELOR DEGREE PROJECT THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15 hp PROGRAMME OF STUDY: Marketing Management AUTHORS:

Problem: The increasing online operations of the B2B market has led to companies being able to operate all over the world, making them exposed to various markets with different preferences of supplier relationships. For that reason, it is important for companies to consider aspects such as digitalization, culture and buyer-seller relationships when conducting business with foreign companies. One industry that has been reluctant towards this online shift is the display materials industry. However, during recent years display material suppliers operating online have become more successful. Therefore, understanding companies purchasing process when buying display material online is necessary. Purpose: This thesis aims to explain and investigate the online organizational buying behavior of British and Swedish organizations while purchasing display materials and several factors that influence it, such as culture, digitalization and buyer-seller relationships are examined. Method: A qualitative approach with semi-structured interview was used to conduct this research. Eight participants from British and Swedish organizations who are customers of the display material company SignMax were interviewed. The data collected has been analyzed together with literature on online organizational buying behavior and the influencing factors. Results: The findings of this research showed that the level of product involvement and national culture decides and forms the importance of the purchase, the purchasing process and the type of supplier-relationship desired. Additionally, the attitude towards digitalization and the experience of online purchases determine the level of personal contact and support. Based on the empirical analysis the findings showed that for the cases of UK and Sweden, UK was more performance-oriented in their supplier relationships and highly valued ease of use and a smooth purchasing process. Sweden on the other hand, focused more on soft-values such as personal contact and support.
DORMANCY BREAKING OF SOUR ALMOND SEEDS AND EVALUATION OF BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC ELICITORS FOR INDUCING SYSTEMIC RESISTANCE AGAINST ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES ( MELOIDOGYNE SP .) IN RELEASED SEEDLINGS

n a Green –House experiments the effect of gibberellic acid at different concentrations on sour almond ( Prunus amygdalus Batsch.) rootstock concerning percentage of radicle protrusion; stratification period; plant height; number of leaves and plant diameter were determined during 2014 and 2015 seasons. Also, the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Serratia marcescens and the alga Spirulina platensis {as biotic elicitors} compared with, Trafose K (1) and white willow Salix alba extracts {as abiotic elicitors} soil treatments were tested for induction of systemic resistance (SR) in sour almond plants against root knot nematodes. In relation with nematodes population as juveniles in the soil; galls in roots; females; egg masses in roots were counted. Growth parameters plant, such as heights, fresh weight of roots and shoot were recorded . Also, some chemicals components in the plant, such as phenolic; proline ; Salicylic acid and catalase and peroxidase activity were determined. Results indicated that GA 3 at 1000 p.p.m. achieved the best effect on percentage of radicle protrusion. Data revealed that using S. marcescens recorded 40%, 58.3% and 75% reduction in numbers of Meloidogyne juveniles in the soil, number of galls and number of females in root respectively in season 2014. While application of S. platensis caused 55.6 %, 62.5% and 33.3% reduction of
Changes in physical properties of sweet potato due to effects of thermal pre-treatments for puree production

In response to increasing consumer demand for high-quality, easy-to-prepare foods, it is necessary to develop innovative ways to use roots and tubers, such as sweet potatoes, in processed foods. Thus, two thermal processes were evaluated, freezing-cooking (F+C) and blanching-freezing-cooking (B+F+C) on the physical properties of the orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) cultivar, which has a high content of β-carotene, in terms of drip loss (Δm), volume variation (ΔV), color, and texture. Cylindrical samples of OFSP were used. Blanched and unblanched samples were stored by freezing, at -18 °C for 2 months, and subsequently cooked at 95 °C. The blanching process was carried out at 95 °C for 2 min. The results showed that, when blanching was used as a pre-treatment for freezing-cooking, a product with fewer physical changes, with a lighter and more intense color (chroma), and with a lower loss of elasticity (Ed) and firmness (F) was obtained.