Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracellular HMGB1 regulates multi-walled carbon nanotube-induced inflammation in vivo

Abstract Endotoxin is often used to activate NF-κB in vitro when assessing NLRP3 inflammasome activation by various exogenous particles including nanoparticles. However, the endogenous source of this signal 1 is unknown. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is known to play a critical role in acute lung injury, however the potential contribution of the alarmin HMGB1 to NLRP3 Inflammasome activation has not been determined in response to nanoparticles in vivo. In this study, the ability of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to cause release of HMGB1 in vitro and in vivo, as well as the potential of HMGB1 to function as signal 1 in vitro and in vivo, was determined. HMGB1 activity in vivo was assessed by administration of HMGB1 neutralization antibodies following MWCNT exposure. Caspase-1−/− mice were utilized to elucidate the dependence of HMGB1 secretion on NLRP3 inflammasome activity. MWCNT exposure increased extracellular HMGB1 levels in primary alveolar macrophages from C57Bl/6 mice and C10 mouse epithelial cell culture supernatants, and in C57Bl/6 mouse lung lavage fluid. MWCNT-induced HMGB1 secretion was dependent upon caspase-1. HMGB1 increased MWCNT-induced IL-1β release from macrophages in vitro, and neutralization of extracellular HMGB1 reduced MWCNT-induced IL-1β secretion in vivo. HMGB1 neutralization was accompanied with overall decreased inflammation. In summary, this study suggests extracellular HMGB1 participates in NLRP3 inflammasome activity and regulates IL-1β associated sterile inflammation induced by MWCNT.
Development of a bead-based suspension array for the detection of pathogens in acute respiratory tract infections

We developed a high-throughput bead-based suspension array for simultaneous detection of 20 respiratory tract pathogens in clinical specimens. Pathogen-specific genes were amplified and hybridized to probes coupled to carboxyl-encoded microspheres. Fluorescence intensities generated via the binding of phycoerythrin-conjugated streptavidin with biotin-labeled targets were measured by the Luminex 100 bead-based suspension array system. The bead-based suspension array detected bacteria in a significantly higher number of samples compared to the conventional culture. There was no significant difference in the detection rate of atypical pathogensatypical pathogens or viruses between the bead-based suspension array and real-time PCR. This technology can play a significant role in screening patients with pneumonia.
Thirty-year follow-up of a TMD case treated based on the neuromuscular concept

Abstract Aim: Occlusal therapy is employed to alleviate the symptoms of a temporomandibular disorder (TMD) at times. However, the long-term effect of occlusal therapy in the masticatory system is not well understood. This case study aims to present a 30-year follow-up of a TMD case. Methodology: The patient developed TMD with intermittent closed lock of the left temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Chief complaints included trismus, pain, and noise of the left TMJ during function. The patient’s occlusal disharmony was assessed with use of electronic instruments and corrected based on the neuromuscular concept. A minimum-invasive and reversible approach using adhesive occlusal restorations was used. Results: The jaw movement and masticatory muscle activity assessed at the 7- and 23-year follow-ups revealed that the established occlusion was well adapted, and re-established the patient’s functional occlusion system. The patient has been free from TMD symptoms with the corrected occlusion for 30 years. Conclusions: Occlusal reconstruction based on the neuromuscular concept can be stably integrated into the patient’s functional occlusion system.
Counterfeiting attacks on oblivious block-wise independent invisible watermarking schemes

In this paper, we describe a class of attacks on certain block-based oblivious watermarking schemes. We show that oblivious watermarking techniques that embed information into a host image in a block-wise independent fashion are vulnerable to a counterfeiting attack. Specifically, given a watermarked image, one can forge the watermark it contains into another image without knowing the secret key used for watermark insertion and in some cases even without explicitly knowing the watermark. We demonstrate successful implementations of this attack on a few watermarking techniques that have been proposed in the literature. We also describe a possible solution to this problem of block-wise independence that makes our attack computationally intractable.
A Chaotic Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm for the jobshop scheduling problem

An improved Chaotic Particle Swarm Optimization (CPSO) algorithm for a jobshop scheduling problem, with minimization of makespan as the criterion, is proposed in this research. A real-valued encoding scheme based on a matrix representation is developed, which converts the continuous position value of particles in PSO to the processing order of job operation. A compound chaotic search strategy that integrates both Tent and Logistic chaotic search process is employed to the global best particle to enhance the local searching ability of PSO. In addition, a gaussian disturbance technology is embedded in the CPSO algorithm to improve the diversity of the particles in the swarm. The performance of CPSO is compared with the standard PSO algorithm on a benchmark instance of jobshop scheduling problems. The results show that the proposed CPSO algorithm has a superior performance to the PSO algorithm.
Tuberculosis and nutrition

Malnutrition and tuberculosis are both problems of considerable magnitude in most of the underdeveloped regions of the world. These two problems tend to interact with each other. Tuberculosis mortality rates in different economic groups in a community tend to vary inversely with their economic levels. Similarly, nutritional status is significantly lower in patients with active tuberculosis compared with healthy controls. Malnutrition can lead to secondary immunodeficiency that increases the host's susceptibility to infection. In patients with tuberculosis, it leads to reduction in appetite, nutrient malabsorption, micronutrient malabsorption, and altered metabolism leading to wasting. Both, protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrients deficiencies increase the risk of tuberculosis. It has been found that malnourished tuberculosis patients have delayed recovery and higher mortality rates than well-nourished patients. Nutritional status of patients improves during tuberculosis chemotherapy. High prevalence of human immunodeficiency (HIV) infection in the underdeveloped countries further aggravates the problem of malnutrition and tuberculosis. Effect of malnutrition on childhood tuberculosis and tuberculin skin test are other important considerations. Nutritional supplementation may represent a novel approach for fast recovery in tuberculosis patients. In addition, raising nutritional status of population may prove to be an effective measure to control tuberculosis in underdeveloped areas of world.
The efficacy of market abuse regulation in the UK

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the efficacy of Financial Services and Markets Act (FMSA) (2000) in deterring illegal insider trading in target companies around the time of a merger and aquisition announcement. Design/methodology/approach The author uses an event study to measure the cumulative average abnormal returns (CAARs) around both the announcement and rumour date for a sample of UK takeovers between 2001 and 2010. Findings Statistically significant CAARs prior to the event date are observed across the sample. Research limitations/implications It is not possible to link unknown instances of illegal insider trading with pre takeover residuals, therefore explaining the residuals remains a deductive process. Practical implications Pre-event abnormal returns may indicate that trading on material nonpublic information is still a contributory factor in the run-up proportion of takeover premiums. Social implications This draws a question over the efficacy of the regulatory system. Originality/value This study provides evidence which points to insider trading activity ahead of Mergers in a post FMSA 200 UK context.
Forecasting Exchange Rates: a Comparative Analysis

This research aims to analyze and to compare the ability of different mathematical models, such as artificial neural networks (ANN) and ARCH and GARCH models, to forecast the daily exchange rates Euro/U.S. dollar (USD), identifying which, among all the models applied, produces more accurate forecasts. By empirically comparing the different mathematical models developed in this research, the traditional indicators for assessing the relevance of the models show that the ARCH and GARCH models, especially in their static formulations, are better than the ANN for analyzing and forecasting the dynamics of the exchange rates.
Design, aerodynamics and autonomy of the DelFly

One of the major challenges in robotics is to develop a fly-like robot that can autonomously fly around in unknown environments. In this paper, we discuss the current state of the DelFly project, in which we follow a top-down approach to ever smaller and more autonomous ornithopters. The presented findings concerning the design, aerodynamics and autonomy of the DelFly illustrate some of the properties of the top-down approach, which allows the identification and resolution of issues that also play a role at smaller scales. A parametric variation of the wing stiffener layout produced a 5% more power-efficient wing. An experimental aerodynamic investigation revealed that this could be associated with an improved stiffness of the wing, while further providing evidence of the vortex development during the flap cycle. The presented experiments resulted in an improvement in the generated lift, allowing the inclusion of a yaw rate gyro, pressure sensor and microcontroller onboard the DelFly. The autonomy of the DelFly is expanded by achieving (1) an improved turning logic to obtain better vision-based obstacle avoidance performance in environments with varying texture and (2) successful onboard height control based on the pressure sensor.
A Platform of Biomedical Literature Mining for Categorization of Cancer Related Abstracts

In this paper, we develop a platform framework for categorization of cancer related abstracts using support vector machines (SVMs) based text categorization techniques with a one-against-all (OAA) learning algorithm for classification decisions. The corpora for the work were selected from the Website of PubMed database. By using information derived from PubMed literature source, including topics of breast cancer, cervical cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, rectum cancer and esophagus cancer, we randomly selected 6,000 medical abstracts for implementing our system and performing experiments. The experimental results show that the platform model has potentials for categorization of multiple cancer related literature texts.
An efficient power flow method for distribution system studies under various load models

This paper presents a robust and direct method for solving the power flow problem of a radial and weakly meshed distribution systems. The proposed method uses the concept of partial network and system parameters to construct the network matrix which remains constant for a given distribution system. A simple matrix multiplication of network matrix and current injection vector offers solution vector for the both radial and meshed distribution networks. A computer coded program is developed in MATLAB environment. The validity of the proposed method is tested on IEEE 33 bus, IEEE 69 bus, Taiwan Power Company (TPC) 84 bus, 136 bus and 874 bus radial and weakly meshed distribution networks. The test results has shown that it is very effective for all case studies. To apprise its credibility, it is compared with Current Injection Method which works for radial and weakly meshed networks, on the basis of iteration count and CPU time. The proposed method is 5 to 6 times faster than the current injection method. This method finds potential applications in network reconfiguration, reactive power compensation studies and incorporation of renewable energy sources.
Critical analysis of biomarkers in the current periodontal practice

Periodontal disease is a chronic microbial infection that triggers inflammation-mediated loss of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone that supports the teeth. Because of the increasing prevalence and associated comorbidities, there is a need for the development of new diagnostic tests that can detect the presence of active disease, predict future disease progression, and evaluate the response to periodontal therapy, thereby improving the clinical management of periodontal patients. The diagnosis of active phases of periodontal disease and the identification of patients at risk for active disease represent challenges for clinical investigators and practitioners. Advances in diagnostic research are moving toward methods whereby the periodontal risk can be identified and quantified by objective measures using biomarkers. Patients with periodontitis may have elevated circulating levels of specific inflammatory markers that can be correlated to the severity of the disease. Advances in the use of oral fluids as possible biological samples for objective measures of the current disease state, treatment monitoring, and prognostic indicators have boosted saliva- and other oral-based fluids to the forefront of technology. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is an inflammatory exudate that can be collected at the gingival margin or within the gingival crevice. This article highlights recent advances in the use of biomarker-based disease diagnostics that focus on the identification of active periodontal disease from plaque biofilms, GCF, and saliva.
Intraoperative gamma probe detection of insulinoma in an elderly patient with pancreatic cystic lesions

Insulinoma is a rare endocrine tumour in the elderly. We report the case of an 81‐year‐old woman suffering from grand mal seizures. Insulinoma was suspected because plasma glucose and insulin levels were 1·5 mmol/l and 80·4 pmol/l, respectively. A pancreatic computerized tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arteriography were normal but 111In‐DTPA‐octreotide scintigraphy detected a hotspot in the pancreatic tail. Intraoperative pancreatic ultrasonography and palpation were non‐contributory due to multiple pancreatic cysts and nodular lesions. However, a gamma‐detecting probe localized a small tumour, labelled preoperatively with 111In‐DTPA‐octreotide. Intraoperative insulin measurements in portal venous blood confirmed the successful removal of an insulinoma that was 6 mm in diameter histologically. Pancreatic cystic lesions increase with age and make the intraoperative localization of the insulinoma difficult. Intraoperative gamma probe detection of the tumour labelled with 111In‐DTPA‐octreotide might therefore constitute a useful surgical tool.
Prior rituximab correlates with less acute graft‐versus‐host disease and better survival in B‐cell lymphoma patients who received allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

Prior therapy with rituximab might attenuate disparate histocompatibility antigen presentation by B cells, thus decreased the risk of acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) and improved survival. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the outcomes of 435 B‐cell lymphoma patients who received allogeneic transplantation from 1999 to 2004 in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database: 179 subjects who received rituximab within 6 months prior to transplantation (RTX cohort) and 256 subjects who did not receive RTX within 6 months prior to transplantation (No‐RTX cohort). The RTX cohort had a significantly lower incidence of treatment‐related mortality (TRM) [relative risk (RR) = 0·68; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0·47–1·0; P = 0·05], lower acute grade II–IV (RR = 0·72; 95% CI, 0·53–0·97; P = 0·03) and III–IV GVHD (RR = 0·55; 95% CI, 0·34–0·91; P = 0·02). There was no difference in the risk of chronic GVHD, disease progression or relapse. Progression‐free survival (PFS) (RR = 0·68; 95% CI 0·50–0·92; P = 0·01) and overall survival (OS) (RR = 0·63; 95% CI, 0·46–0·86; P = 0·004) were significantly better in the RTX cohort. Prior RTX therapy correlated with less acute GVHD, similar chronic GVHD, less TRM, better PFS and OS.
Angiotensin II–Induced Regulation of the Expression and Localization of Iron Metabolism–Related Genes in the Rat Kidney

Due to recent discoveries of novel genes involved in iron metabolism, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying iron metabolism has dramatically increased. We have previously shown that the administration of angiotensin II alters iron homeostasis in the rat kidney, which may in turn aggravate angiotensin II–induced renal damage. Here we have investigated the effect of angiotensin II administration on the localization and expression of transferrin receptor (TfR), divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), ferroportin 1 (FPN), and hepcidin mRNA in the rat kidney. Weak expression of TfR, DMT1, FPN, and hepcidin mRNA was observed in the kidneys of control rats. In contrast, after 7 days of angiotensin II infusion by osmotic minipump, the expression of these mRNAs was more widely distributed. Staining of serial sections revealed that some, but not all, of the renal tubular cells positive for these genes contained iron deposits in the kidney of angiotensin II–infused animals. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed that the mRNA expression of TfR, iron-responsive element–negative DMT1, FPN, and hepcidin mRNA increased ∼1.9-fold, ∼1.7-fold, ∼2.3-fold, and ∼4.7-fold, respectively, after angiotensin II infusion as compared with that of untreated controls, and that these increases could be suppressed by the concomitant administration of losartan. Our data demonstrate that these genes were unequivocally expressed in the kidney and could be regulated by angiotensin II infusion. The relative contribution, if any, of these genes to renal and/or whole-body iron homeostasis in various disorders in which the renin angiotensin system is activated should be investigated in future studies.
A Novel Strain Method for Enhancement of 90-nm Node and Beyond FUSI-Gated CMOS Performance

A novel strain engineering technique for a fully silicided (FUSI) metal gate called contact etch stop layer (CESL)-enveloped FUSI was developed for the first time. A CESL was deposited prior to the FUSI RTP2 (the second rapid thermal process of FUSI gate formation) to confine the NixSi FUSI. Then, the phase transfer and volume change of the enveloped FUSI after RTP2 induced a tensile stress to enhance ION. For example, 500 degC RTP2 induced 1-GPa tensile stress on a blanket wafer test and gained 10% improvement in the ION of the n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor. The mechanisms of the improvement were also nicely supported by transmission-electron-microscope cross-section analysis, X-ray-diffraction spectrum, and simulation confirmation data
Stereo 3D mouse (S3D-Mouse): Measuring ground truth for medical data in a virtual 3D space

We introduce a novel approach of applying stereoscopy principles to simulate a virtual 3D pointing device based on two or more views of an ordinary mouse cursor. The system assists a user point to a desired location inside the virtual 3D space projected by a stereoscopic display. The technique is designed for easy perception, and thus interpretation, of depth information in a 3D context. A target application is the measuring of ground truth for 3D medical data. To illustrate how our virtual stereoscopic cursor works, we have implemented a multi-view stereo visualization software and a simple 3D editing toolset for manipulating 3D objects. Experimental results suggest the effectiveness of using the device in term of detection accuracy and user satisfaction compared to using an ordinary mouse on a conventional 2D screen.
Role of cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans in endothelial cell migration and mechanotransduction

Endothelial cell (EC) migration is critical in wound healing and angiogenesis. Fluid shear stress due to blood flow plays an important role in EC migration. However, the role of EC surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) in EC adhesion, migration, and mechanotransduction is not well understood. Here, we investigated the effects of HSPG disruption on the adhesion, migration, and mechanotransduction of ECs cultured on fibronectin. We showed that disruption of HSPGs with heparinase decreased EC adhesion rate by 40% and adhesion strength by 33%. At the molecular level, HSPG disruption decreased stress fibers and the size of focal adhesions (FAs), increased filopodia formation, and enhanced EC migration. Under flow condition, heparinase treatment increased EC migration speed, but inhibited shear stress‐induced directionality of EC migration and the recruitment of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase in the flow direction, suggesting that HSPGs are important for sensing the direction of shear stress. In addition, decreasing cell adhesion by lowering fibronectin density enhanced EC migration under static and flow condition, but did not affect the directional migration of ECs under flow. Based on our results, we propose that HSPGs play dual roles as mechanotransducer on the EC surface: (1) HSPGs–matrix interaction on the abluminal surface regulates EC migration speed through an adhesion‐dependent manner, and (2) HSPGs without binding to matrix (e.g., on the luminal surface) are involved in sensing the direction of flow through an adhesion‐independent manner. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differences in early childhood risk factors for juvenile-onset and adult-onset depression.

BACKGROUND Family and twin studies suggest that juvenile-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) may be etiologically distinct from adult-onset MDD. This study is the first to distinguish prospectively between juvenile- and adult-onset cases of MDD in a representative birth cohort followed up from childhood into adulthood. METHOD The study followed a representative birth cohort prospectively from birth to age 26 years. Early childhood risk factors covered the period from birth to age 9 years. Diagnoses of MDD were made according to DSM criteria at 3 points prior to adulthood (ages 11, 13, and 15 years) and 3 points during adulthood (ages 18, 21, and 26 years). Four groups were defined as (1) individuals first diagnosed as having MDD in childhood, but not in adulthood (n = 21); (2) individuals first diagnosed as having MDD in adulthood (n = 314); (3) individuals first diagnosed in childhood whose depression recurred in adulthood by age 26 years (n = 34); and (4) never-depressed individuals (n = 629). RESULTS The 2 juvenile-onset groups had similar high-risk profiles on the childhood measures. Compared with the adult-depressed group, the juvenile-onset groups experienced more perinatal insults and motor skill deficits, caretaker instability, criminality, and psychopathology in their family-of-origin, and behavioral and socioemotional problems. The adult-onset group's risk profile was similar to that of the never-depressed group with the exception of elevated childhood sexual abuse. CONCLUSIONS Heterogeneity within groups of psychiatric patients poses problems for theory, research, and treatment. The present study illustrates that the distinction between juvenile vs adult-onset MDD is important for understanding heterogeneity within depression.