Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cells after Influenza A Virus Infection Cutting Edge: Antigen Presentation to CD8 T

Influenza A virus infection induces massive inflammation and lung damage. Activation of CD8 T cells by dendritic cells (DCs) is necessary to control disease. We un-dertook studies to track directly Ag presentation to CD8 T cells in vivo through the first 72 h after infection with OVA-expressing influenza A virus. We found that Ag presentation by DCs occurs strictly in the draining lymph nodes and not within the lung itself. Surpris-ingly, Ag presentation was found to be mediated by a CD11b (cid:1) DC population. Finally, the expression of antigenic complexes on DCs correlated with the location and timing of CD8 T cell activation. These results have implications for approaches to control influenza A virus infection. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 182: 29–33.
Disruption of cAMP and PGE 2 Transport by Mrp4 Deficiency Alters cAMP-mediated Signaling and Nociceptive Response Fast

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, ABSTRACT Multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4; ABCC4) is a member of the MRP/ATP-binding cassette family serving as a transmembrane transporter involved in energy-dependent efflux of anticancer/antiviral nucleotide agents and of physiological substrates including cyclic nucleotides and prostaglandins (PGs). Phenotypic consequences of mrp4 deficiency were investigated using mrp4-knockout mice and derived immortalized embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells. Mrp4 deficiency caused decreased extracellular and increased intracellular levels of cAMP in MEF cells under normal and forskolin-stimulated conditions. Mrp4 deficiency and RNA interference-mediated mrp4 knockdown led to a pronounced reduction in extracellular PGE 2, but with no accumulation of intracellular PGE 2 in MEF cells. This result was consistent with attenuated cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and reduced cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression in mrp4 deficient MEF cells, suggesting that PG synthesis is restrained along with a lack of PG transport caused by mrp4 deficiency. Mice lacking mrp4 exhibited no outward phenotypes but had a decrease in plasma PGE metabolites and an increase in inflammatory pain threshold compared to wild-type mice. Collectively, these findings imply that mrp4 mediates the efflux of PGE 2 and concomitantly modulates cAMP mediated signaling for balanced PG synthesis in MEF cells. Abrogation of mrp4 impacts the regulation of peripheral PG levels and consequently alters inflammatory nociceptive responses in vivo . Therefore, inhibition of Cox-mediated PG synthesis is broadly accepted as the primary mechanism for the antinociceptive effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In the present study, the functional importance of mrp4, the murine orthologue of MRP4, in the transport of cAMP and PGE 2 was investigated through establishment of mice with a homozygous disruption of the mrp4 gene. The involvement of mrp4 in the efflux transport of PGs and the cAMP-mediated signaling pathway was also explored with immortalized embryonic fibroblast cell lines established from mrp4 deficient mice. Through behavioral analyses of gene knockout animals, a phenotypic consequence of the mrp4 deficiency involving altered inflammatory nociceptive response was also elucidated. The findings demonstrate that mrp4 contributes to the transport of PGs and the regulation of the cAMP-mediated signaling pathway leading to PG synthesis. mrp4. This finding confirms that a persistent increase in intracellular cAMP is accountable for the attenuation of PKA activity and Cox-2 expression in mrp4 deficient cells. Cox-2 expression in mrp4 deficient cells. Similar results are also obtained using the approach of RNA interference-mediated knockdown of mrp4 in wild-type
Significance of C-reactive Protein Levels in Categorizing Upper and Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Adult Patients

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most commonly encountered infections in outpatients. The distinction between upper UTI and lower UTI is significant as it has therapeutic and prognostic importance. The accurate diagnosis of UTI, especially its anatomical location, is essential for administering anti-microbial therapy successfully. Plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) increase 1,000-fold during bacterial infections. Elevated CRP levels are often seen in acute pyelonephritis and rarely in cystitis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic role of serum CRP in upper and lower UTI in adult patients along with correlating its role in UTI patients. Materials and methods: The study included 81 patients who were >18 years old, diagnosed with UTI by microbiological culture and ultrasonography of the pelvis. Demographic data along with findings of the systemic examination, complete blood count, random blood sugar, urine analysis, and CRP levels of all patients were recorded. Data were analyzed using R Studio.3. 5.3 software, and a p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of UTI was higher among females (60.49%). About 53.09% of patients exhibited upper and 46.91% exhibited lower UTI. The prevalence of Escherichia coli was higher among cases of both upper (88.37%) and lower (65.79%) UTI. The most common final diagnosis in upper UTI patients was acute pyelonephritis (90.7%) and that in lower UTI was cystitis (65.79%). The difference in the CRP levels between the upper and lower UTI patients was significant (p=0.02). Thirty-four patients had CRP levels >100 mg/L, all exhibiting upper UTI. Conclusion: About 53.09% of patients exhibited upper UTI and were diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis. A significant increase in the CRP levels in upper UTI can help determine the anatomical location and can help in targeting effective management of the infection by anti-microbial therapy.
The Combination of Forecasts

Aggregating information by combining forecasts from two or more forecasting methods is an alternative to using just a single method. In this paper we provide extensive empirical results showing that combined forecasts obtained through weighted averages can be quite accurate. Five procedures for estimating weights are investigated, and two appear to be superior to the others. These two procedures provide forecasts that are more accurate overall than forecasts from individual methods. Furthermore, they are superior to forecasts found from a simple unweighted average of the same methods.
The E ﬀ ect of Veneer Densiﬁcation Temperature and Wood Species on the Plywood Properties Made from Alternate Layers of Densiﬁed and Non-Densiﬁed Veneers

: In this study the properties of plywood manufactured from densiﬁed and non-densiﬁed veneer sheets and alternate layers of such veneers with and without densiﬁcation using low amount of adhesive as a function of densiﬁcation temperature and wood species were investigated. The plywood panels were made from rotary-cut birch and black alder veneers using urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive. Veneer sheets with thickness of 1.5 mm were subjected to the thermal-compression at three di ﬀ erent temperatures while keeping constant the pressure during a same time span. Five-layers plywood panels were produced using a constant hot-pressing schedule using di ﬀ erent amounts of glue spread as a function of the plywood type; such as plywood made from non-densiﬁed (80 g / m 2 ) and densiﬁed (60 g / m 2 ) veneers only; and combination of them (70 g / m 2 ). The bending strength (MOR) and the modulus of elasticity (MOE) along with the shear strength of the plywood samples for bonding class 1 (dry conditions) have been determined. As expected bending strength of the plywood samples increased with the increasing in density. The increase of veneer densiﬁcation temperature resulted in a gradually decrease of MOR; MOE and shear strength values for the plywood panels made of densiﬁed veneers and mixed panels of both species. The temperature of 150 ◦ C for veneer densiﬁcation seemed to be enough to achieve enhanced bending and bonding properties. All plywood panels in this study were manufactured using reduced glue consumption and they presented satisfactory properties performance for indoor applications.
Sensitivity analysis of pounding pounding between adjacent structures

SUMMARY This article deals with sensitivity of the response of pounding buildings with respect to structural and earthquake excitation parameters. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis is carried out by means of Monte Carlo simulations of adjacent single degree of freedom impacting oscillators. This sensitivity analysis, based on Sobol’’s method, computes sensitivity indexes which provide a consistent measure of the relative importance of parameters such as the dimensionless main excitation frequency, the mass and frequency ratios of the structures and the coefficient of restitution. Moreover, the influence of nonlinear behavior of the impacting structures is also considered. The consequences of pounding on the structures themselves, are analyzed in terms of maximum force and nonlinear demand amplification compared to the case without pounding. As for the influence of pounding on the floor response spectra, the quantity of interest is the maximum impact impulse. The overall conclusions of this analysis are that the frequency ratio is the most important parameter as far as the maximum force and nonlinear demand are concerned. Regarding the maximum impact impulse, the mass and frequency ratios are, in general, the most influential parameters, the mass ratio being predominant for low frequencies of the oscillator of interest.
Computational Buckling Analysis of Wind Loaded Cylindrical Storage Tanks

: This paper intends to present an effective analysis of the buckling phenomenon in wind loaded cylindrical storage tanks in the form of a program package based on general purpose finite element codes. This program, namely TK-INDUSTRIAL, written in ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL), aims to evaluate the buckling response of storage tanks under wind or hurricane. As a major result, the critical buckling wind speed and the influence of using ring stiffeners to increase this critical speed were assessed. The proposed program was shown to provide appropriate results and can be used as a strong tool to simulate the buckling of wind loaded cylindrical storage tanks.
Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal Fate and Transport of Naproxen in a Sandy Aquifer Material: Saturated Column Studies and Model Evaluation

Naproxen-C 14 H 14 O 3 is a nonsteroidal anti-inﬂammatory drug which has been found at detectable concentrations in wastewater, surface water, and groundwater. Naproxen is relatively hydrophilic and is in anionic form at pH between 6 and 8. In this study, column experiments were performed using an unconsolidated aquifer material from an area near Barcelona (Spain) to assess transport and reaction mechanisms of Naproxen in the aquifer matrix under different pore water ﬂuxes. Results were evaluated using HYDRUS-1D, which was used to estimate transport parameters. Batch sorption isotherms for Naproxen conformed with the linear model with a sorption coefﬁcient of 0.42 (cm 3 g − 1 ), suggesting a low sorption afﬁnity. Naproxen breakthrough curves (BTCs) measured in soil columns under steady-state, saturated water ﬂow conditions displayed similar behavior, with no apparent hysteresis in sorption or dependence of retardation (R, 3.85- 4.24) on pore water velocities. Soil sorption did not show any signiﬁcant decrease for increasing ﬂow rates, as observed from Naproxen recovery in the efﬂuent. Sorption parameters estimated by the model suggest that Naproxen has a low sorption afﬁnity to aquifer matrix. Most sorption of Naproxen occurred on the instantaneous sorption sites, with the kinetic sorption sites representing only about 10 to 40% of total sorption. this study, a set of adsorption-desorption, ﬂow-through soil column experiments were performed at different ﬂow velocities in a sandy material from the Llobregat deep aquifer using a miscible-displacement technique. The inﬂuence of different ﬂow velocities on these processes has not been investigated and only limited information has been found on glyphosate sorption and transport mechanisms in columns of sandy soils under ﬂowing conditions (Chefetz et al ., 2008). However, this information is important for the direct injection of treated wastewater into this aquifer. sorption the between the Naproxen soil solution and soil particles,
structure and institutional ownership at the

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of mandatory regulatory provisions on board structure and the influence of such board structure on institutional holdings. Design/Methodology/Approach - The study uses unique hand-collected data set of Indian IPOs during the 2004-2012 period after the corporate governance reforms with the introduction of Clause 49 in the listing agreements in 2001. Using OLS regression, the paper empirically analyses the determinants of board size and board independence at the time of the IPOs and the influence of such a board structure on shareholdings by domestic and foreign institutional investors. Findings - The authors find that complying with mandatory regulatory provisions does not impede firms from structuring their boards to reflect the firms’ advising and monitoring needs. The authors also find that complying with provisions have positive implication for the firm, as firms with greater board independence appear to attract more foreign institutional investors. Originality/Value - To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study to examine the issue in a regime where regulation mandates the composition of the board of directors. The paper also extends the literature on institutional holdings by providing evidence on the impact of board structure on institutional ownership at a critical time in a firm’s life cycle when concerns for endogeneity for empirical investigations are weaker.
OPINION Surrogate end-points or primary outcomes in clinical trials in women with polycystic ovary syndrome?

There are multiple surrogate variables in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including biometric and biochemical parameters. The number of surrogate variables and their poor validity in relationship to primary clinical endpoints pose major problems to conducting a trial in women with PCOS. The aim of this review is to discuss the use of surrogate variables compared with primary clinical end-points in women with PCOS. Arguably the best docu-mented correlation between a surrogate variable and a primary clinical end-point is that between ovulation and pregnancy in women with PCOS. Good correlation has been noted between the increase in ovulation frequency with clomiphene citrate and the chance of pregnancy in women with PCOS. However, ovulation cannot be equated with pregnancy, as a host of other factors may affect the true outcome of interest: a healthy liveborn child. Pregnancy and an improvement in hirsutism are clinical end-points that have been successfully studied in past and ongoing clinical trials in women with PCOS. Many other clinical end-points, such as endometrial cancer and cardiovascular disease, are rare in premenopausal women with PCOS, and may not be suitable as the primary outcome of clinical studies. Future multicentre trials in women with PCOS should focus on primary clinical end-points.
Gemiﬂoxacin once daily for 5 days versus 7 days for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: a randomized, multicentre, double-blind study

Objectives : Short-course therapy has been advocated for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We compared the efﬁcacy and safety of 5 and 7 day courses of gemiﬂoxacin for outpatient treatment of mild–moderate CAP. Patients and methods : In a multicentre, double-blind, parallel group study, patients were randomized to receive 320 mg of oral gemiﬂoxacin once daily for 5 or 7 days. Over 95% of all patients in each cohort had a Fine score of (cid:2) III. The primary efﬁcacy endpoint was clinical cure at follow-up (days 24–30). Secondary outcomes were clinical and bacteriological responses at the end of therapy (days 7–9) and bacteriological and radiological responses at follow-up. Adverse events (AEs) were also monitored. Results : In a total of 469 per protocol (PP) patients, clinical resolution at follow-up was 95% and 92% for 5 and 7 day treatments, respectively [95% conﬁdence interval (CI) 2 1.48, 7.42], indicating non-inferiority of 5 day treatment. Clinical resolution at the end of therapy was 96% for both regimens (95% CI 2 3.85, 3.42). Bacteriological response rates in PP patients at the end of therapy were 94% and 96% for 5 and 7 day groups, respectively (95% CI 2 8.27, 3.25) and 91% for both groups at follow-up (95% CI –6.89, 7.93). Radiological success in PP patients at follow-up was 98% and 93% in 5 and 7 day groups, respectively (95% CI 0.35, 7.91). Pre-therapy pathogens were identiﬁed in 242 (47.3%) patients, most commonly Streptococcus pneumoniae . Frequency of treatment-related AEs was 21% in both cohorts with discontinuation rates of 1.2% and 2% in the 5 and 7 day groups, respectively. A lower incidence of rash was observed in the 5 day cohort (0.4%) versus the 7 day cohort (2.8%) ( P 5 0.04). Conclusions : Gemiﬂoxacin once daily for 5 days is not inferior to 7 days in the PP population with respect to clinical, bacteriological and radiological efﬁcacy. Further work is needed, however, to explore whether fewer treatment days would improve patient compliance and reduce the incidence of AEs.
False discovery proportion estimation by permutations: conﬁdence for SAM

SAM (“Signiﬁcance Analysis of Microarrays”) is a highly popular permutation-based multiple testing method that estimates the false discovery proportion (FDP), the fraction of false positives among all rejected hypotheses. Perhaps surprisingly, until now this method had no known properties. This paper extends SAM by providing (1 − α )-conﬁdence upper bounds for the FDP, so that exact conﬁdence statements can be made. As a special case, an estimate of the FDP is obtained that underestimates the FDP with probability at most 0 . 5. Moreover, using a closed testing procedure, this paper decreases the upper bounds and estimates in such a way that the conﬁdence level is maintained. We base our methods on a general result on exact testing with random permutations.
Magnetars From Magnetized Cores Created by a Strong Interaction Phase Transition

We consider a model where the strong magnetic fields of magnetars arise from a high baryon density, magnetized core. In this framework magnetars are distinguished from pulsars by their higher masses and central density. For magnetars, as core densities exceed a threshold, the strong interaction induces a phase transition to a neutral pion condensate that aligns all magnetic moments. The core magnetic field is initially shielded by the ambient high conductivity plasma. With time the shielding currents dissipate transporting the core field out, first to the crust and then breaking through the crust to the surface of the star. Recent observations provide strong support for this model which accounts for several properties of magnetars and also enables us to identify new magnetars.
Immunity by Anergic Ars/A1 B Cells Antigen-Specific Suppression of Humoral

Autoreactive anergic B lymphocytes are considered to be dangerous because of their potential for activation and recruitment into autoimmune responses. However, they persist for days and constitute ∼ 5% of the B cell pool. We assessed their functional potential in the Ars/A1 transgene model, where anergic B cells express a dual-reactive Ag receptor that binds, in addition to a self-Ag, the hapten p -azophenylarsonate (Ars). When Ars/A1 B cells were transferred into adoptive recipients that were immunized with foreign proteins covalently conjugated with Ars, endogenous IgG immune responses to both were selectively and severely dimin-ished, and the development of T helper cells was impaired. Approximately 95% inhibition of the anti-Ars response was attained with ∼ 4000 transferred Ars/A1 B cells through redundant mechanisms, one of which depended on their expression of MHC class II but not upon secretion of IL-10 or IgM. This Ag-speciﬁc suppressive activity implicates the autoreactive anergic B cell as an enforcer of immunological tolerance to self-Ags. The Journal of Immunology , 2012, 189: 000–000.
Factors Related to the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Diabetic Patients in the Phra Pathom Chedi

Objective: This study was to determine the prevalence and factors related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among diabetic patients in Thailand. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on diabetic patients that had registered in the Phra Pathom Chedi Community Health Centre, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. Systematic random sampling was employed to enroll the participants aged 15 years and older who were able to provide personal information and willing to participate. Of total 3,250 registered diabetic patients, 369 were selected. A questionnaire was developed based on the PRECEDE (Predisposing, Reinforcing, Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis, and Evaluation) model and was modified according to the patients. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of the utilisation of CAM by the respondents and to analyse the variation. A chi-square test determined the relationship between each independent variable and the outcome variable. Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify the predictor of CAM use among the patients. Results: The study revealed that the prevalence of CAM usage among the patients was 56.6%. The most popular type of CAM was natural products; such as, herbal products (74.1%) and dietary supplements (39.2%). The bivariate analysis identified that the variables were significantly related to the use of CAM among diabetic patients. There were nine significant associated variables: gender, age, education, employment status, income, diabetic duration, diabetic complications blood, glucose level, and attitude to CAM use. The multivariate analysis showed that there were six significant variables as predictors of CAM use among the patients: male gender (adjusted OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.18-2.62), primary and lower educational level (adjusted OR: 2.75; 95% CI: 1.22–6.19),private business owner occupation (adjusted OR: 8.82; 95% CI: 4.48-17.37), income >10,000 Baht per month (adjusted OR: 14.24; 95% CI: 7.81-25.97), diabetic complication (adjusted OR: 3.72; 95% CI: 2.26-6.12), and high attitude level to CAM use (adjusted OR: 1.61;95% CI: 1.03-2.52). This study revealed that most respondents had poor knowledge towards CAM use (78%) but a high attitude towards CAM utilisation (52.5%). Conclusion: Due to considerable prevalence of CAM use despite a lack of the knowledge, the diabetic patients should strengthen the knowledge about CAM and skills to use it with awareness. Furthermore, healthcare providers, especially traditional medicine practitioners should cooperate with other healthcare providers in both intra and inter sectoral organisations in order to improve the healthcare services and healthcare system.