Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oligodeoxynucleotides Differentially Modulate Activation of TLR7 and TLR8 by Imidazoquinolines

Among the 11 human TLRs, a subfamily TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9 display similarities in structure and endosomal localization. Natural agonists consisting of nucleic acids, such as ssRNA or DNA with CpG motifs, activate the innate immune cells through these TLRs. Immune response modifiers (IRMs) of imidazoquinoline class compounds 3M-001, 3M-002, and 3M-003 have been shown to activate the innate immune system via TLR7, TLR8, and TLR7/8, respectively. In looking at the effect of the agonists of the TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9 on the activation of NF-κB of transfected HEK cells, we discovered that some oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) could modulate imidazoquinoline effects in a negative or positive manner. In this study we demonstrate that poly(T) ODNs can inhibit TLR7 and enhance TLR8 signaling events involving NF-κB activation in HEK cells and cytokine production (IFN-α, TNF, and IL-12) by human primary PBMC. In contrast, TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) does not affect imidazoquinoline-induced responses. The modulation of TLR7 and TLR8 responses is independent of CpG motifs or the nature of the ODN backbone structure. Furthermore, we show that to be an effective modulator, the ODNs need to be in the cell at the same time with either of the TLR7 or TLR8 agonist. We have also demonstrated that there is a physical interaction between IRMs and ODNs. The cross-talk between ODNs, IRMs, and TLR7 and TLR8 uncovered by this study may have practical implications in the field of microbial infections, vaccination, and tumor therapy.
Deployment of a Prototype Plant GFP Imager at the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse of the Haughton Mars Project

The use of engineered plants as biosensors has made elegant strides in the past decades, providing keen insights into the health of plants in general and particularly in the nature and cellular location of stress responses. However, most of the analytical procedures involve laboratory examination of the biosensor plants. With the advent of the green fluorescence protein (GFP) as a biosensor molecule, it became at least theoretically possible for analyses of gene expression to occur telemetrically, with the gene expression information of the plant delivered to the investigator over large distances simply as properly processed fluorescence images. Spaceflight and other extraterrestrial environments provide unique challenges to plant life, challenges that often require changes at the gene expression level to accommodate adaptation and survival. Having previously deployed transgenic plant biosensors to evaluate responses to orbital spaceflight, we wished to develop the plants and especially the imaging devices required to conduct such experiments robotically, without operator intervention, within extraterrestrial environments. This requires the development of an autonomous and remotely operated plant GFP imaging system and concomitant development of the communications infrastructure to manage dataflow from the imaging device. Here we report the results of deploying a prototype GFP imaging system within the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse (ACMG) an autonomously operated greenhouse located within the Haughton Mars Project in the Canadian High Arctic. Results both demonstrate the applicability of the fundamental GFP biosensor technology and highlight the difficulties in collecting and managing telemetric data from challenging deployment environments.
A 3-D kinematic analysis of gliding in a flying snake, Chrysopelea paradisi

SUMMARY Flying snake species (Chrysopelea) locomote through the air despite a lack of appendages or any obvious external morphological specialization for flight. Here photogrammetric techniques were used to investigate C. paradisi's aerial trajectory in three dimensions. Two videocameras arranged in stereo were used to record head, midpoint and vent landmarks on snakes that jumped from a horizontal branch at a height of 9.62 m and landed in an open field. The coordinates of these landmarks were reconstructed in three dimensions and used to analyze patterns of position, glide angle and speed concurrently with changes in body posture in 14 glide sequences from different individuals. C. paradisi's trajectory was composed of a ballistic dive followed by a shallowing phase in which the path became more horizontal; for most glide trials, no equilibrium phase was observed. In the ballistic dive, the snake changed posture from generally straight to a wide `S' shape in planview and began aerial undulation. Shortly after the ballistic dive, the snake's speed transitioned from an initial acceleration to stable or to a different rate of increase or decrease. Aerial undulation, in which high-amplitude traveling waves pass posteriorly down the body, was a prominent locomotor behavior. In mid-glide, this undulation occurred with the anterior body oriented approximately parallel with the ground and the posterior body cycling up and down in the vertical plane. The body angle of attack for the anterior body for one trial was 20-40°. Snakes traveled a horizontal distance of 10.14±2.69 m (mean ± s.d.) while reaching an airspeed of 10.0±0.9 m s-1, sinking speed of 6.4±0.8 m s-1 and horizontal speed of 8.1±0.9 m s-1. The glide path shallowed at a rate of 20±6° s-1 and reached a minimum glide angle of 28±10°, with a minimum recorded glide angle of 13°. C. paradisi are surprisingly good gliders given their unconventional locomotor style, with performance characteristics that rival or surpass more familiar gliding taxa such as flying squirrels. As in other gliders, C. paradisi is potentially capable of using aerial locomotion to move effectively between trees, chase aerial prey, or avoid predators.
A pilot human pharmacokinetic study and influence of formulation factors on orodispersible tablet incorporating meloxicam solid dispersion using factorial design

Meloxicam (MLX) suffers from poor aqueous solubility leading to slow absorption following oral administration; hence, immediate release MLX tablet is unsuitable in the treatment of acute pain. This study aims to overcome such a drawback by increasing MLX solubility and dissolution using PEG solid dispersion (SD), then, to investigate the feasibility of incorporating the SD into orodispersible tablets (ODTs). A 23 full factorial design was employed to investigate the influence of three formulation variables on MLX ODTs. The selected factors: camphor (X1) as pore-forming material, and croscarmellose sodium (X2) as superdisintegrant, showed significant positive influence, while PEG content (X3) was proved to negatively affect both disintegration and wetting times. In addition, isomalt increased disintegration and wetting times when compared to mannitol as diluents. The pharmacokinetic assessment of the optimum ODT formulation in healthy human subjects proved that the faster MLX dissolution by using PEG solid dispersion at pH 6.8 resulted in more rapid absorption of MLX. The rate of absorption of MLX from ODT was significantly faster (p = 0.030) with a significantly higher peak plasma concentration (P = 0.037) when compared to the marketed immediate release MLX tablet with a mean oral disintegration time of 17 ± 3 s.
Compact dual S shaped slotted multiband patch antenna

A compact patch antenna is designed and presented for the multiband application. The antenna is exclusively developed for multiband application such as Wireless Area Network (WLAN), Global Positioning System (GPS), GSM and WiMAX application. The overall dimension of the proposed antenna is 0.13 × 0.303 × 0.007 λ3 at 1.3 GHz which has an S-shaped patch with an efficient size of 33.5 × 30 mm2 and fed by 50Ω microstrip indication line. Simulated maximum gains, the radiation pattern, transmission return losses and efficiency are introduced in this conventional letter. The prototype is usually designed with the capability of covering multiple bands from 1.352–1.614 GHz for the GPS system, 1.77 GHz to 1.82 GHz for GSM application, 2.148–3.149 GHz for the WLAN programs, 3.522–3.754 GHz for the WiMAX system. The gain of 1.2dBi, 2.2dBi, 1.8dBi and also 4.2dBi are spotted for bands of desire. The detected properties advocate that the proposed antenna can be practiced in a present-day communication system having demands in dimension and weight.
Modulation of Glycerol and Ethanol Yields During Alcoholic Fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains Overexpressed or Disrupted for GPD1 Encoding Glycerol 3‐Phosphate Dehydrogenase

The possibility of the diversion of carbon flux from ethanol towards glycerol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during alcoholic fermentation was investigated. Variations in the glycerol 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) level and similar trends for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), pyruvate decarboxylase and glycerol‐3‐phosphatase were found when low and high glycerol‐forming wine yeast strains were compared. GPDH is thus a limiting enzyme for glycerol production. Wine yeast strains with modulated GPD1 (encoding one of the two GPDH isoenzymes) expression were constructed and characterized during fermentation on glucose‐rich medium. Engineered strains fermented glucose with a strongly modified [glycerol] : [ethanol] ratio. gpd1Δ mutants exhibited a 50% decrease in glycerol production and increased ethanol yield. Overexpression of GPD1 on synthetic must (200 g/l glucose) resulted in a substantial increase in glycerol production (×4) at the expense of ethanol. Acetaldehyde accumulated through the competitive regeneration of NADH via GPDH. Accumulation of by‐products such as pyruvate, acetate, acetoin, 2,3 butane‐diol and succinate was observed, with a marked increase in acetoin production. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Superellipse Fitting for the Recovery and Classification of Mine-Like Shapes in Sidescan Sonar Images

Mine-like object classification from sidescan sonar images is of great interest for mine counter measure (MCM) operations. Because the shadow cast by an object is often the most distinct feature of a sidescan image, a standard procedure is to perform classification based on features extracted from the shadow. The classification can then be performed by extracting features from the shadow and comparing this to training data to determine the object. In this paper, a superellipse fitting approach to classifying mine-like objects in sidescan sonar images is presented. Superellipses provide a compact and efficient way of representing different mine-like shapes. Through variation of a simple parameter of the superellipse function different shapes such as ellipses, rhomboids, and rectangles can be easily generated. This paper proposes a classification of the shape based directly on a parameter of the superellipse known as the squareness parameter. The first step in this procedure extracts the contour of the shadow given by an unsupervised Markovian segmentation algorithm. Afterwards, a superellipse is fitted by minimizing the Euclidean distance between points on the shadow contour and the superellipse. As the term being minimized is nonlinear, a closed-form solution is not available. Hence, the parameters of the superellipse are estimated by the Nelder-Mead simplex technique. The method was then applied to sidescan data to assess its ability to recover and classify objects. This resulted in a recovery rate of 70% (34 of the 48 mine-like objects) and a classification rate of better than 80% (39 of the 48 mine-like objects).
Termite Species Distribution and Flight Periods on Oahu, Hawaii

Termites are economically-important structural pests, costing residents of Hawaii over $100 million annually. On Oahu, the last published termite swarming survey occurred from 1969 to 1971, and the last termite hand-collection survey occurred from 1998 to 2000. To contribute data on termite occurrences on Oahu, a light-trap survey took place from February 2011 to September 2012, and a hand-collection survey occurred from September to November 2012. Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, swarming was compared over the duration of the study, finding peak swarming in May 2011. C. formosanus alate activity density was regressed with environmental factors, finding a negative correlation with average wind speed and a positive correlation with average rainfall. Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) alates were observed in April, June, and July 2011 and in June 2012. Four species of termites were found in the hand-collection survey of 44 sites: Incisitermes immigrans (Snyder) (n = 8/44), C. formosanus (n = 2/44), Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light (n = 1/44), and Neotermes sp. (n = 1/44). This study contributes to distribution data for termite species on Oahu and records alate activity for two important termite pests.
Otologic safety of manuka honey.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the possible ototoxic effects of a 50% concentration of manuka honey in a chinchilla animal model. STUDY DESIGN A prospective, controlled animal study. SETTING The Research Institute of the Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Centre. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eight animals had myringotomy incisions in both ears. One ear was randomly assigned to receive the 50% manuka honey solution. The contralateral ear received saline and served as the control ear. OUTCOME MEASURES Auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABRs) were measured bilaterally for a wide range of frequencies (between 8 and 25 kHz) before and 2 weeks after transtympanic manuka honey and saline application. The animals were sacrificed, and all cochleae were dissected out and processed for light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS The measured ABR thresholds after the application of 50% concentration of manuka honey revealed severe ototoxicity in all honey-exposed ears. This was accompanied by gross physical changes and histologic evidence of hair cell toxicity on SEM and light microscopy. The control ears remained unchanged during the period of the experiment. CONCLUSION Although 50% concentration of manuka honey is the proven concentration to have bactericidal properties against biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, this concentration appeared to have caused severe or intense inflammatory changes that produced facial paralysis, vestibulotoxicity, and hearing loss.
REMOVAL OF ELECTRODE MOTION ARTIFACT IN ECG SIGNALS USING WAVELET BASED THRESHOLD METHODS WITH GREY INCIDENCE DEGREE

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most frequent and dangerous problems in modern society in nowadays. Unfortunately electrocardiograms (ECG) signals, during their acquisition process, are affected by various types of noise and artifacts due to the movement, or breathing of the patient, electrode contact, power-line interferences, etc. The aim of this study was to develop an algorithm to remove electrode motion artifact in ECG signals. Donoho and Johnstone proposed Wavelet thresholding de-noising method based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is suitable for non-stationary signals. The wavelet transform coefficient is processed by using grey relation analysis of the grey theory, and a new wavelet threshold method namely wavelet threshold method with grey incidence degree (GID) (or the GID threshold method) based is introduced. It shows that the signal smoothness and similarity of the two signal criteria have been greatly improved by the GID threshold method compared with existing threshold methods. According to the characteristics of different ECG signals, GID threshold method gets better results than it can adaptively deal with noise separation and details remaining of the two opposing signal problems, so as to provide a better choice for wavelet threshold methods of signal processing. Performance analysis was performed by evaluating Mean Square Error (MSE), Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and visual inspection over the denoised signal from each algorithm. The experimental result shows that GID hard shrinkage method with sub-band or level dependent thresholding gives the best denoising performance on ECG signal. The result shows that soft threshold not always gives better denoising performance; it depends on which wavelet thresholding algorithm was chosen.
Genetic population structure and mobility of two nectar‐feeding bats from Venezuelan deserts: inferences from mitochondrial DNA

Glossophaga longirostris and Leptonycteris curasoae are nectar‐feeding bats associated with arid zones in northern South America. Despite their close phylogenetic relationship, sympatric condition and niche similarities, morphological and ecological evidence suggest that these species differ in dispersal capabilities. Using mitochondrial DNA, we tested the hypothesis that these species exhibit different levels of population structure that are congruent with their particular movement capabilities. We sequenced a section of the control region of mtDNA for 41 G. longirostris and 42 L. curasoae from 11 zones in Venezuela. Population subdivision in G. longirostris (FST = 0.725) was considerably higher than in L. curasoae (FST = 0.167). L. curasoae individuals shared haplotypes at greater distances (812 km) than G. longirostris (592 km). Our results offer preliminary evidence for one of two possible scenarios, either greater mobility in L. curasoae or a higher degree of female philopatry in G. longirostris.
Compartments and appendage development in Drosophila

The appendages of Drosophila develop from the imaginal discs. During the extensive growth of these discs cell lineages are for the most part unfixed, suggesting a strong role for cell‐cell interactions in controlling the final pattern of differentiation. However, during early and middle stages of development, discs are subdivided by strict lineage restrictions into a small number of spatially distinct compartments. These compartments appear to be maintained by stably inheriting states of gene expression; the compartmentspecific expression of two such ‘selector’ ‐ like genes, engrailed and apterous, are critical for anterior‐posterior and dorso‐ventral compartmentalization, respectively. Recent work suggests that one purpose of compartmentalization is to establish regions of specialized cells near compartment boundaries via intercompartmental induction, using molecules like the hedgehog protein. Thus, compartments can act as organizing centers for patterning within compartments. Evidence for non‐compartmental patterning mechanisms will also be discussed.
The Prevalence of Chronic Deciduitis in Cases of Preterm Labor without Clinical Chorioamnionitis

Preterm labor is a major cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity, and in approximately 30% of cases a clinical cause is not identified. Acute chorioamnionitis is found histologically in a significant percentage of placentas from preterm deliveries, and the mother is often asymptomatic. Although such subclinical acute chorioamnionitis is known to play a role in preterm labor, this study explores the hypothesis that chronic deciduitis with plasma cells is seen more frequently in cases of preterm labor than in control placentas. Thirty-nine singleton placentas from patients with idiopathic preterm labor were examined microscopically and compared in a blinded fashion with 39 gestational age-matched control placentas. Cases of clinical acute chorioamnionitis and known chronic maternal diseases were excluded. Thirty-nine control singleton placentas were obtained from patients undergoing induction of labor for fetal structural abnormalities, excluding aneuploidy. The presence or absence of acute chorioamnionitis, acute fetal inflammatory response, chronic deciduitis, chronic villitis, infarction, and decidual vasculopathy was noted. Immunohistochemical staining was undertaken to further define leukocyte subtypes. Forty-one percent of cases and 15% of controls showed chronic deciduitis (P = 0.022). Forty-six percent of cases and 18% of controls showed histologic acute chorioamnionitis (P = 0.015). There were 8 cases demonstrating acute fetal inflammatory response but only 1 control (P = 0.029). Little difference was seen in the distribution of lymphocyte subsets between cases and control placentas. Our findings suggest that chronic deciduitis plays a role in the etiology of some cases of preterm labor.
The Athenian Procedure of Dokimasia of Orators

There were several Athenian procedures which went by the name dokimasia, which is sometimes translated ‘vetting’. Most of them were procedures for checking that a man had the required qualifications for some position which he was about to hold. Either he was about to become an adult Athenian citizen, or he was about to become a member of the Boule, or he had been appointed to hold some office, for instance as an arkhon. Before he actually entered upon the privileges and duties of this position he was required to appear either before the Boule or before a jury in a court, or in some cases both. He had to answer some routine questions about his birth and status; he might also have to make a speech in his own defence if anyone made an accusation against him; and then the Boule or the jury voted to accept or to reject him, so that the proceedings were similar to a trial. If they voted in his favour, he could then enter upon the status of citizen, or arkhon, or whatever it was. The procedure called dokimas¤a =htÒrvn, ‘vetting of orators’, worked rather differently. Any adult male Athenian citizen, unless disfranchised, could attend a meeting of the Ekklesia and make a speech, responding to the herald’s call ‘Who wishes to speak? ’ Anyone who spoke in the Ekklesia could be called a =Ætvr, and that term is not restricted to those who spoke frequently. Provided that he had been accepted as a citizen at his dokimasia when he reached the age of eighteen, he did not normally have to undergo any further vetting before making a speech. But whenever he came forward to speak, even if he had already spoken many times before, it was possible for another citizen to challenge him by asserting that he was in some way disqualified to be a speaker; and then he had to undergo a dokimasia before he could speak again. The only surviving text which gives much information about it is Aiskhines’ speech Against Timarkhos. He quotes some sentences from the relevant statute. The
Management of Knee Arthropathy in Patients With Vascular Malformations

Objective: To describe our experience with surgical intervention for symptomatic intraarticular vascular malformations of the knee in patients with peripheral vascular malformations including Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome (KTS). Methods: Eleven patients underwent surgical intervention for symptomatic intraarticular vascular malformations of the knee between 1987 and 2008. Seven patients had KTS, and 4 patients had venous malformations. Surgical indications, imaging studies, clinical course, surgical procedures, complications, and follow-up visits were reviewed and recorded. Results: A total of 11 patients (8 males; 3 females; mean age, 11.7 years; range, 2.5-23 years) underwent 12 surgical procedures. Five patients had an amputation, and 6 patients had knee synovectomies. One patient had bilateral knee synovectomies. Surgical indications included pain, swelling, limited mobility, and/or loss of knee motion. The average time of follow-up was 54 months (range, 7-109 months). Patient-reported pain scores decreased significantly from a mean of 2.9 ± 1.4 preoperatively to 1.3 ± 0.9 postoperatively (P = 0.01). Conclusions: When necessary, surgical intervention for intraarticular vascular malformations of the knee (amputation or synovectomy) may be effective in decreasing pain and improving mobility in patients with peripheral vascular malformations. It is possible that early synovectomy may slow or prevent the rapid destructive arthritis that occurs in these knees. Surgeons and patients should anticipate complications related to bleeding from vascular malformations. We recommend a multidisciplinary approach to the patient with KTS, particularly when surgical intervention is indicated.