Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glycolipid‐activated NKT cells support the induction of persistent plasma cell responses and antibody titers

NKT cell activation with CD1d‐binding glycolipid α‐galactosylceramide (α‐GC) enhances antibody responses to co‐administered T‐dependent antigen. The efficacy of α‐GC relative to other CD1d‐binding glycolipids and adjuvants is not known. There is little information on how NKT cells affect antibody production beyond initial booster‐stimulated recall responses. We therefore tested the hypothesis that α‐GC stimulates induction of plasma cells and antibody responses as effectively as Th1‐ and Th2‐skewing variants of α‐GC and several other adjuvants. C57BL/6 and CD1d–/– mice were immunized with nitrophenol‐conjugated keyhole limpet hemocyanin (NP‐KLH) plus α‐GC or NP‐KLH plus adjuvants before administration of an NP‐KLH booster and assessing antibody responses and plasma cell frequency. α‐GC boosted long‐term antibody responses as efficiently as all other agents tested and induced plasma cells that were detected in bone marrow 13 weeks after immunization. We then determined whether NKT cells were required in the presence of other adjuvants. CD1d–/– mice had a reduced induction of plasma cells in response to NP‐KLH/Alum as compared to C57BL/6 mice. However, NKT cells were not required for the continued presence of those cells that were induced. Although NKT cells are capable of inducing persistent plasma cell responses, they may not play a major role in supporting longevity post‐induction.
Passivity and Synchronization of Linearly Coupled Reaction-Diffusion Neural Networks With Adaptive Coupling

In this paper, we study a general array model of coupled reaction-diffusion neural networks (NNs) with adaptive coupling. In order to ensure the passivity of the coupled reaction-diffusion neural networks, some adaptive strategies to tune the coupling strengths among network nodes are designed. By utilizing some inequality techniques and the designed adaptive laws, several sufficient conditions ensuring passivity are obtained. In addition, we reveal the relationship between passivity and synchronization of the coupled reaction-diffusion NNs. Based on the obtained passivity results and the relationship between passivity and synchronization, a global synchronization criterion is established. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed results.
On Critical Service Recovery After Massive Network Failures

This paper addresses the problem of efficiently restoring sufficient resources in a communications network to support the demand of mission critical services after a large-scale disruption. We give a formulation of the problem as a mixed integer linear programming and show that it is NP-hard. We propose a polynomial time heuristic, called iterative split and prune (ISP) that decomposes the original problem recursively into smaller problems, until it determines the set of network components to be restored. ISP’s decisions are guided by the use of a new notion of demand-based centrality of nodes. We performed extensive simulations by varying the topologies, the demand intensity, the number of critical services, and the disruption model. Compared with several greedy approaches, ISP performs better in terms of total cost of repaired components, and does not result in any demand loss. It performs very close to the optimal when the demand is low with respect to the supply network capacities, thanks to the ability of the algorithm to maximize sharing of repaired resources.
CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES IN THE ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC PERFORMANCES 327 SATISFACTION WITH LIFE : COMPARISON BETWEEN SLOVENIA AND RUSSIA

This paper presents research in satisfaction with life in Slovenia and Russia. We analyzed the impact of gender and the amount of salary in the satisfaction with life in Slovenia (citizens in Ljubljana) and Russia (citizens in Moscow). The main goal of the research is to determine whether (and how) the impact of gender and the amount of salary on the satisfaction with life. A written “online” survey (with Google-drive) was conducted from 13/4/2017 to 7/5/2017. We observed that there is a statistically significant difference between Russian and Slovenian people (p-value = 0.000) in the satisfaction with life. We found out that there isn’t statistically significantly different between gender in satisfaction with life in Slovenia (p-value= 0.944) and Russia (p-value=0.876). Based on the linear regression model (data for Slovenia: F = 0.432, p-value = 0.513, R-square = 0.005 and data for Russia, F = 2.543, p-value = 0.114, R-square = 0.026) we found out that there isn’t a statistically significant at 5% significance level relationship between the amount of salary and satisfaction with life in both countries.
The twin faces of public sector design

Design thinking has become a popular approach for governments around the world seeking to address complex governance challenges. It offers novel techniques and speaks to broader questions of who governs, how they govern, and the limits of rational instrumentalism in policy making. Juxta-posing design thinking with an older tradition of policy design, this article offers the first critical analysis of the application of design thinking to policy making. It argues that design thinking does not sufficiently account for the political and organizational contexts of policy work. Design thinking also errs in universally privileging one particular policy style over others, and fails to account for the reality of policy mixes. Despite these deficiencies, it is argued that design thinking can inform and enrich governance by helping policy designers produce more adaptable designs, better appreciate the behavioral dynamics of public sector design, and leverage networked approaches to social problem solving.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Illness Stigma

The present study sought to examine whether racial/ethnic differences exist in stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness among community college students. Multiple regression models were used to investigate racial/ethnic differences in students’ perceived dangerousness and desire for segregation from persons with mental illness both before and after participation in an antistigma intervention. At baseline, African Americans and Asians perceived people with mental illness as more dangerous and wanted more segregation than Caucasians, and Latinos perceived people with mental illness as less dangerous and wanted less segregation than Caucasians. Similar patterns emerged postintervention, except that Asians’ perceptions changed significantly such that they tended to perceive people with mental illness as least dangerous of all the racial/ethnic groups. These findings suggest that racial/ethnic background may help to shape mental illness stigma, and that targeting antistigma interventions to racial/ethnic background of participants may be helpful.
Electromyographic Response of the Abdominal Musculature to Varying Abdominal Exercises

Schoffstall, JE, Titcomb, DA, and Kilbourne, BF. Electromyographic response of the abdominal musculature to varying abdominal exercises. J Strength Cond Res 24(12): 3422-3426, 2010-This study examined the electromyographic (EMG) response of the upper rectus abdominis (URA), lower rectus abdominis (LRA), internal obliques (IOs), external obliques (EOs), and the rectus femoris (RF) during various abdominal exercises (crunch, supine V-up, prone V-up on ball, prone V-up on slide board, prone V-up on TRX, and prone V-up on Power Wheel). The subjects (n = 21) performed an isometric contraction of the abdominal musculature while performing these exercises. Testing revealed no statistically significant differences between any of the exercises with respect to the EOs, the URA, or the LRA. However, when examining the IO muscle, the supine V-up exercise displayed significantly greater muscle activity than did the slide exercise. In addition, EMG activity of the RF during the crunch was significantly less than in any of the other 5 exercises. These results indicate that when performing isometric abdominal exercises, non-equipment-based exercises stressed the abdominal muscles similarly to equipment-based exercises. Based on the findings of the current study, the benefit of training the abdominal musculature in an isometric fashion using commercial equipment could be called into question.
Molecular mechanisms of Tau binding to microtubules and its role in microtubule dynamics in live cells

Summary Despite extensive studies, the molecular mechanisms of Tau binding to microtubules (MTs) and its consequences on MT stability still remain unclear. It is especially true in cells where the spatiotemporal distribution of Tau–MT interactions is unknown. Using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), we showed that the Tau–MT interaction was distributed along MTs in periodic hotspots of high and low FRET intensities. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) revealed a two-phase exchange of Tau with MTs as a rapid diffusion followed by a slower binding phase. A real-time FRET assay showed that high FRET occurred simultaneously with rescue and pause transitions at MT ends. To further explore the functional interaction of Tau with MTs, the binding of paclitaxel (PTX), tubulin acetylation induced by trichostatin A (TSA), and the expression of non-acetylatable tubulin were used. With PTX and TSA, FRAP curves best fitted a single phase with a long time constant, whereas with non-acetylatable &agr;-tubulin, curves best fitted a two phase recovery. Upon incubation with PTX and TSA, the number of high and low FRET hotspots decreased by up to 50% and no hotspot was observed during rescue and pause transitions. In the presence of non-acetylatable &agr;-tubulin, a 34% increase in low FRET hotspots occurred, and our real-time FRET assay revealed that low FRET hotspots appeared with MTs recovering growth. In conclusion, we have identified, by FRET and FRAP, a discrete Tau–MT interaction, in which Tau could induce conformational changes of MTs, favoring recovery of MT self-assembly.
Autocrine signaling involved in cell volume regulation: The role of released transmitters and plasma membrane receptors

Cell volume regulation is a basic homeostatic mechanism transcendental for the normal physiology and function of cells. It is mediated principally by the activation of osmolyte transport pathways that result in net changes in solute concentration that counteract cell volume challenges in its constancy. This process has been described to be regulated by a complex assortment of intracellular signal transduction cascades. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that alterations in cell volume induce the release of a wide variety of transmitters including hormones, ATP and neurotransmitters, which have been proposed to act as extracellular signals that regulate the activation of cell volume regulatory mechanisms. In addition, changes in cell volume have also been reported to activate plasma membrane receptors (including tyrosine kinase receptors, G‐protein coupled receptors and integrins) that have been demonstrated to participate in the regulatory process of cell volume. In this review, we summarize recent studies about the role of changes in cell volume in the regulation of transmitter release as well as in the activation of plasma membrane receptors and their further implications in the regulation of the signaling machinery that regulates the activation of osmolyte flux pathways. We propose that the autocrine regulation of Ca2+‐dependent and tyrosine phosphorylation‐dependent signaling pathways by the activation of plasma membrane receptors and swelling‐induced transmitter release is necessary for the activation/regulation of osmolyte efflux pathways and cell volume recovery. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of studying these extrinsic signals because of their significance in the understanding of the physiology of cell volume regulation and its role in cell biology in vivo, where the constraint of the extracellular space might enhance the autocrine or even paracrine signaling induced by these released transmitters. J. Cell. Physiol. 216: 14–28, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cell origin and differentiation in the repair of full-thickness defects of articular cartilage.

The origin and differentiation of cells in the repair of three-millimeter-diameter, cylindrical, full-thickness drilled defects of articular cartilage were studied histologically in New Zealand White rabbits. The animals were allowed to move freely after the operation. Three hundred and sixty-four individual defects from 122 animals were examined as long as forty-eight weeks postoperatively. In the first few days, fibrinous arcades were established across the defect, from surface edge to surface edge, and this served to orient mesenchymal cell ingrowth along the long axes. The first evidence of synthesis of a cartilage extracellular matrix, as defined by safranin-O staining, appeared at ten days. At two weeks, cartilage was present immediately beneath the surface of collagenous tissue that was rich in flattened fibrocartilaginous cells in virtually all specimens. At three weeks, the sites of almost all of the defects had a well demarcated layer of cartilage containing chondrocytes. An essentially complete repopulation of the defects occurred at six, eight, ten, and twelve weeks, with progressive differentiation of cells to chondroblasts, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts and synthesis of cartilage and bone matrices in their appropriate locations. At twenty-four weeks, both the tidemark and the compact lamellar subchondral bone plate had been re-established. The cancellous woven bone that had formed initially in the depths of the defect was replaced by lamellar, coarse cancellous bone. Autoradiography after labeling with 3H-thymidine and 3H-cytidine demonstrated that chondrocytes from the residual adjacent articular cartilage did not participate in the repopulation of the defect. The repair was mediated wholly by the proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal cells of the marrow. Intra-articular injections of 3H-thymidine seven days after the operation clearly labeled this mesenchymal cell pool. The label, initially taken up by undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, progressively appeared in fibroblasts, osteoblasts, articular chondroblasts, and chondrocytes, indicating their origin from the primitive mesenchymal cells of the marrow. Early traces of degeneration of the cartilage matrix were seen in many defects at twelve to twenty weeks, with the prevalence and intensity of the degeneration increasing at twenty-four, thirty-six, and forty-eight weeks. Polarized light microscopy demonstrated failure of the newly synthesized repair matrix to become adherent to, and integrated with, the cartilage immediately adjacent to the drill-hole, even when light microscopy had shown apparent continuity of the tissue. In many instances, a clear gap was seen between repair and residual cartilage. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Trends in the Rates of Radiography Use and Important Diagnoses in Emergency Department Patients With Abdominal Pain

Background:Computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US) are used in emergency departments (ED) to aid in the diagnosis of patients with abdominal pain. Objectives:To describe trends in CT and US use in United States EDs and determine if higher test use is associated with higher detection rates for intra-abdominal illnesses commonly detected on CT and US and lower hospital admission rates. Research Design:Retrospective study using the 2001 to 2005 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative sample of ED encounters. Subjects:ED patients presenting with abdominal pain. Measures:Annual rates of and trends in CT and US use, rates of intra-abdominal illnesses, hospital admission rate. Results:Abdominal pain visits accounted for 38.8 million encounters; 17.8% received a CT and 11.7% received an US. CT use increased from 10.1% in 2001 to 22.5% in 2005 (P < 0.001). US use increased from 11.1% in 2001 to 13.6% in 2005 (P = 0.002). During the same period, detection rates for appendicitis, diverticulitis, and gall bladder disease did not increase and admission rates did not decrease. Conclusion:Despite a more than doubling in CT use and increases in US use, there was no increase in detection rates for appendicitis, diverticulitis, and gall bladder disease nor was there a reduction in admissions.
Delineation of a Conserved B Cell Epitope on Bonnet Monkey (Macaca radiata) and Human Zona Pellucida Glycoprotein-B by Monoclonal Antibodies Demonstrating Inhibition of Sperm-Egg Binding1

Abstract To circumvent autoimmune oophoritis after immunization with zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins, synthetic peptides encompassing B cell epitope(s) and devoid of oophoritogenic T cell epitopes as immunogens have been proposed. In this study, bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata) ZP glycoprotein-B (bmZPB) was expressed as polyhistidine fusion protein in Escherichia coli. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies against recombinant bmZPB (r-bmZPB) significantly inhibited human sperm-oocyte binding. To map B cell epitopes on ZPB, a panel of 7 murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was generated against r-bmZPB. All 7 mAbs, when tested in an indirect immunofluorescence assay, reacted with bonnet monkey ZP, and only 6 recognized human zonae. Monoclonal antibodies MA-809, -811, -813, and -825 showed significant inhibition in the binding of human spermatozoa to human ZP in a hemizona assay. Epitope-mapping studies using multipin peptide synthesis strategy revealed that these 4 mAbs recognized a common epitope corresponding to amino acids (aa) 136–147 (DAPDTDWCDSIP). Competitive binding studies revealed that the synthetic peptide corresponding to the identified epitope (aa 136–147) inhibited the binding of MA-809, -811, -813, and -825 to r-bmZPB in an ELISA and to bonnet monkey ZP in an indirect immunofluorescence assay. The epitopic domain corresponding to aa 136–147 of bmZPB was completely conserved in human ZPB. These studies will further help in designing ZP-based synthetic peptide immunogens incorporating relevant B cell epitope for fertility regulation in humans.
Isolation and characterization of potential probiotic lactobacilli from pig feces

This study examined four lactobacilli isolated from pig feces. Two hundred lactic acid bacteria strains were obtained from pig feces using selective culture media (with vancomycin and bromocresol green; termed LAMVAB agar). Microscopy, the catalase test, Gram‐staining, and RAPD‐PCR analysis were used to group the bacteria into 20 related clusters. Phenotypic analysis using the API 50 CH test and genotypic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences identified these clusters as representing single strains of each of Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus reuteri. Bacterial survival under the conditions of low pH (2.0) and high concentration (5.0%, w/v) of bile salt was much better than that of the reference strain (Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 33199). The isolated bacteria were quite capable of inhibiting the growth of two pathogens, Escherichia coli K88 and Salmonella typhimurium. The high acid‐resistance, bile resistance and antagonism against pathogens, suggest that the four lactic acid bacteria isolated from pig feces could prove useful as piglet probiotics. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Implementing MapReduce over language and literature data over the UK National Grid Service

Humanities researchers are producing large volumes and heterogeneous varieties of language and literature data collections in digital format. These collections include dictionaries, thesauri, corpora, images, audio and video resources. The increased availability of these datasets brought about by advances and adaptations of the Internet and increased digitisation of humanities data resources, poses new challenges for humanities researchers. Many of these challenges are related to data access and usage and include security, integrity, interoperability, information retrieval, sharing, licensing and copyright. The JISC-funded project Enhancing Repositories for Language and Literature Research (ENROLLER; https://www.enroller.org.uk) is addressing these issues through development of a targeted e-Research environment. A key component of this effort is in supporting large-scale analysis of diverse language and literature data sets. To this end, this paper presents the application of the MapReduce algorithm, that supports information retrieval and linguistic analysis on those datasets. In particular, we describe how MapReduce is used to provide advanced bulk search capabilities exploiting a range of high performance computing resources including the UK National Grid Service (www.ngs.ac.uk) and ScotGrid (www.scotgrid.ac.uk) to offer a step change in the kinds of research that can be undertaken by this community. We also present performance analysis results based on the application of these systems.
Pricing Asian Options: Volatility Forecasting as a Source of Downside Risk

Asian options are a class of derivative securities whose payoffs average movements in the underlying asset as a means of hedging exposure to unexpected market behavior. We find that despite their volatility smoothing properties, the price of an Asian option is sensitive to the choice of volatility model employed to price them from market data. We estimate the errors induced by two common schemes of forecasting volatility and their potential impact upon trading.
Functional Complementation of a Null Mutation of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase by a Plant H+-ATPase Gene (*)

In plants, the proton pump-ATPase (H+-ATPase) of the plasma membrane is encoded by a multigene family. The presence within an organ of several isoforms prevents a detailed enzymatic characterization of individual H+-ATPases. We therefore used the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a heterologous host for the expression of PMA2, an H+-ATPase isoform of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. Yeast transformed by the plant pma2 was still able to grow under conditions where the yeast ATPase gene (PMA1) was either repressed or deleted. The transformed yeast strain was resistant to hygromycin, and its growth was prevented when the medium pH was lowered to 5.0. The N. plumbaginifolia PMA2 expressed in S. cerevisiae has unusual low Km for ATP (23 μM) and high pH optimum (6.8). Electron microscopic examination revealed PMA2 in internal structures of the karmellae type which proliferated when cell growth was arrested, either at a nonpermissive pH or at the stationary phase in a minimal medium. Under the latter conditions, subcellular fractionation on sucrose gradients revealed, in addition to the expected plant PMA2 peak linked to the plasma membrane fraction, a low density peak containing PMA2 and KAR2, an endoplasmic reticulum marker. These observations suggest that the partial internal accumulation of PMA2 occurs in membranes derived from the endoplasmic reticulum and largely depends on growth conditions.