Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A role for plasmacytoid dendritic cells in the rapid IL-18-dependent activation of NK cells following HSV-1 infection

Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in the initial response to viral infections but the mechanisms controlling their activation are unclear. We show a rapid and transient activation of NK cells that results in the production of IFN‐γ immediately following infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1). Activation of NK cells leading to synthesis of IFN‐γ was not mediated by a direct interaction with virus but required the presence of additional cell types and was largely dependent on the cytokine IL‐18, but not IL‐12. HSV‐1‐induced IFN‐γ expression by NK cells in vitro was impaired in spleen cultures depleted of CD11c+ cells. Conversely, coculture of NK cells with virus‐exposed conventional DC or plasmacytoid (p)DC restored the production of IFN‐γ, indicating that multiple DC subsets could mediate NK cell activation. While conventional DC populations stimulated NK cells independently of IL‐18, they were less effective than pDC in promoting NK cell IFN‐γ expression. In contrast, the potent stimulation of NK cells by pDC was dependent on IL‐18 as pDC from IL‐18‐deficient mice only activated a similar proportion of NK cells as conventional DC. These data identify IL‐18 as a crucial factor for pDC‐mediated NK cell regulation.
The Transcriptomic and Proteomic Landscapes of Bone Marrow and Secondary Lymphoid Tissues

Background The sequencing of the human genome has opened doors for global gene expression profiling, and the immense amount of data will lay an important ground for future studies of normal and diseased tissues. The Human Protein Atlas project aims to systematically map the human gene and protein expression landscape in a multitude of normal healthy tissues as well as cancers, enabling the characterization of both housekeeping genes and genes that display a tissue-specific expression pattern. This article focuses on identifying and describing genes with an elevated expression in four lymphohematopoietic tissue types (bone marrow, lymph node, spleen and appendix), based on the Human Protein Atlas-strategy that combines high throughput transcriptomics with affinity-based proteomics. Results An enriched or enhanced expression in one or more of the lymphohematopoietic tissues, compared to other tissue-types, was seen for 693 out of 20,050 genes, and the highest levels of expression were found in bone marrow for neutrophilic and erythrocytic genes. A majority of these genes were found to constitute well-characterized genes with known functions in lymphatic or hematopoietic cells, while others are not previously studied, as exemplified by C19ORF59. Conclusions In this paper we present a strategy of combining next generation RNA-sequencing with in situ affinity-based proteomics in order to identify and describe new gene targets for further research on lymphatic or hematopoietic cells and tissues. The results constitute lists of genes with enriched or enhanced expression in the four lymphohematopoietic tissues, exemplified also on protein level with immunohistochemical images.
Generalized Snapshot Isolation and a Prefix-Consistent Implementation

snapshot isolation extends snapshot isolation as used in Oracle and other databases in a manner suitable for replicated databases. While (conventional) snapshot isolation requires that transactions observe the "latest" snapshot of the database, gener- alized snapshot isolation allows the use of "older" snapshots, fa- cilitating a replicated implementation. We show that many of the desirable properties of snapshot isolation remain. In particular, un- der certain assumptions on the transaction workload the execution is serializable. An implementation of generalized snapshot isolation can choose which past snapshot it uses. An interesting choice for a replicated database is prefix-consistent snapshot isolation, in which the snap- shot contains at least all the writes of locally committed transac- tions. As an instance of generalized snapshot isolation, it inherits all of its properties. In addition, read-only transactions never block, and consecutive transactions submitted in a single workflow on a particular replica observe the updates of their predecessors in the workflow. We present two implementation strategies of prefix-consistent snap- shot isolation. We conclude with an analytical performance model of one of the implementations, bringing out the benefits, in particu- lar reduced latency for read-only transactions, and showing that the potential downsides, in particular the change in abort rate of update transactions, are limited.
In search of a Lebesgue density theorem for Rinfinity

We look at a measure, $\lambda^\infty$, on the infinite-dimensional space, ${\mathbb R}^\infty$, for which we attempt to put forth an analogue of the Lebesgue density theorem. Although this measure allows us to find partial results, for example for continuous functions, we prove that it is impossible to give an analogous theorem in full generality. In particular, we proved that the Lebesgue density of probability density functions on ${\mathbb R}^\infty$ is zero almost everywhere.
Importance and Properties of Roles in MAS Organization: A review of methodologies and systems

Roles have been used both as an intuitive concept in order to analyze multi-agent systems and as a formal structure in order to implement coherent and robust teams. The extensive use of roles in implemented systems evidences their importance in multiagent systems design and implementation. In this paper we emphasize the importance of roles for multiagent systems to act in complex domains, identify some of their properties and we review work done concerning specification and exploitation of roles in agent-oriented system engineering methodologies and in multi-agent systems that are deployed in dynamic and unpredictable domains.
A scatter search based approach for the quadratic assignment problem

Scatter search is an evolutionary heuristic, proposed two decades ago, that uses linear combinations of a population subset to create new solutions. A special operator is used to ensure their feasibility and to improve their quality. The authors propose a scatter search approach to the QAP problem. The basic method is extended with intensification and diversification stages and they present a procedure to generate good scattered initial solutions.
Security in the EDI Context

This paper presents a survey of the literature relating to security in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems. The importance of EDI risk and control categories are examined. We address both the theory and current industrial practice. Perhaps the major contribution of this paper is as a starting point for future researchers in Security for EDI.
On the impact of congestion control for Concurrent Multipath Transfer on the transport layer

Due to the resilience requirements of a steadily growing number of critical Internet services (like emergency call handling or e-commerce transactions), the deployment of multi-homed network sites becomes more and more common. Having multiple Internet access paths, it seems straightforward to utilise them simultaneously in order to improve payload throughput by so-called Concurrent Multipath Transfer (CMT). Currently, CMT extensions for the two important Internet Transport Layer protocols — Multipath-TCP (MPTCP) for TCP and CMT-SCTP for SCTP — are in the focus of IETF standardisation. A challenge — which is currently very actively discussed in the IETF context — is congestion control for these CMT protocols. Based on the idea of Resource Pooling (RP), two approaches are currently discussed in the IETF: our own approach CMT/RP for CMT-SCTP as well as the MPTCP congestion control for MPTCP. Both approaches only have been roughly tested yet — mostly in similar path setups, i.e. paths having almost the same QoS characteristics, using “their” protocol. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to compare the existing approaches. Particularly, we also analyse more challenging scenarios containing dissimilar paths, i.e. paths having differing characteristics. Our goal is to provide insight into the different approaches, to support the IETF standardisation activities on CMT.123
Quality Evaluation of Economic Decision-Making Support Systems: Oil Industry Case

There is a wide variety of Economic Evaluation-based Decision Support Systems (EEDSS) on the market which are highly complex. Thus, evaluating and/or selecting one that meets the requirements of a particular organization is not an easy task. Additionally the Oil Industry demands Economic Evaluation Tools (EET) that approach its processes as integrated activities: exploration, production and refinement. Based on this need, the objective of this article is to propose a model that helps estimate the quality of the EET using the ISO/IEC 9126 standard as a reference. The proposed model quantifies the quality of the EET's examining three characteristics: Functionality, Maintainability, and Usability, with their corresponding metrics. We have applied the model to three EET's of the oil industry and have evaluated its effectiveness. The model enhances cross-organizational management, since it allows organizations to look at two perspectives: 1) The estimation of quality of EET's already in place in the company and 2) Based on that estimation, establish a criteria for EET selection that meets the company's needs.
IL-4 Diminishes Perforin-Mediated and Increases Fas Ligand-Mediated Cytotoxicity In Vivo1

CTL have evolved two major mechanisms for target cell killing: one mediated by perforin/granzyme secretion and the other by Fas/Fas ligand (L) interaction. Although cytokines are integral to the development of naive CTL into cytolytic effectors, the role of cytokines on mechanisms of CTL killing is just emerging. In this study, we evaluate the effects of IL-4 in Fas(CD95)/FasL(CD95L)-mediated killing of Fas-overexpressing target cells. Recombinant vaccinia viruses (vv) were constructed to express respiratory syncytial virus M2 Ag alone (vvM2) or coexpress M2 and IL-4 (vvM2/IL-4). MHC-matched Fas-overexpressing target cells (L1210Fas+) were used to measure both perforin- and FasL-mediated killing pathways. In contrast to Fas-deficient (L1210Fas−) target cells, effectors from vvM2/IL-4-immunized mice were able to lyse L1210Fas+ target cells with similar magnitude as vvM2-infected mice. Addition of EGTA/Mg2+ revealed that effectors from vvM2/IL-4-infected mice primarily lyse targets by a Ca2+-independent Fas/FasL pathway. Analysis of FasL expression by flow cytometry showed that IL-4 increased cell surface FasL expression on CD4+ and CD8+ splenocytes, with peak expression on day 4 after infection. These data demonstrate that IL-4 increases FasL expression on T cells, resulting in a shift of the mechanism of CTL killing from a dominant perforin-mediated cytolytic pathway to a dominant FasL-mediated cytolytic pathway.
Studies on Properties of Rice Straw/Polymer Nanocomposites Based on Polycaprolactone and Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity

Modified rice straw/Fe3O4/polycaprolactone nanocomposites (ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NCs) have been prepared for the first time using a solution casting method. The RS/Fe3O4-NCs were modified with octadecylamine (ODA) as an organic modifier. The prepared NCs were characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The XRD results showed that as the intensity of the peaks decreased with the increase of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs content in comparison with PCL peaks, the Fe3O4-NPs peaks increased from 1.0 to 60.0 wt. %. The TEM and SEM results showed a good dispersion of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs in the PCL matrix and the spherical shape of the NPs. The TGA analysis indicated thermal stability of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs increased after incorporation with PCL but the thermal stability of ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NCs decreased with the increase of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs content. Tensile strength was improved with the addition of 5.0 wt. % of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs. The antibacterial activities of the ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NC films were examined against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) by diffusion method using nutrient agar. The results indicated that ORS/Fe3O4/PCL-NC films possessed a strong antibacterial activity with the increase in the percentage of ORS/Fe3O4-NCs in the PCL.
Mitigation of Cascading Failures with Link Weight Control

Cascading failures are crucial issues for the study of survivability and resilience of our infrastructures and have attracted much interest in complex networks research. In this paper, we study the overload-based cascading failure model and propose a soft defense strategy to mitigate the damage from such cascading failures. In particular, we assign adjustable weights to individual links of a network and control the weight parameter. The information flow and the routing patterns in a network are then controlled based on the assigned weights. The main idea of this work is to control the traffics on the network and we verify the effectiveness of the load redistribution for mitigating cascading failure. Numerical results imply that network robustness can be enhanced significantly using the relevant smart routing strategy, in which loads in the network are properly redistributed.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone effects on luteinizing hormone and cortisol secretion in intact female rhesus macaques.

It is generally accepted that corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is the central mediator of stress-activated changes in the pituitary-adrenal axis because it results in the release of ACTH and ultimately increases the systemic levels of cortisol. And, because in some situations CRH also inhibits the hypothalamic release of GnRH, it has been presumed that it plays the central role in stress-related reduction in pituitary-gonadal function as well. We previously have shown that 6 h of restraint stress in intact female rhesus macaques suppresses plasma levels of LH in the follicular but not the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and that this effect lasts beyond the period of restraint. Since CRH inhibits both the GnRH pulse generator and LH release in ovariectomized macaques and is generally thought to be the central mediator of stress-induced inhibition of gonadotropin release, we investigated the influence of CRH administration on LH in undisturbed intact female rhesus macaques. Blood samples were collected at 15-min intervals for 15 h from a remote site from female macaques in both the follicular and luteal phase. During this time, each animal received a 4-h infusion of CRH (100-micrograms bolus followed by 100 micrograms/h for 4 h) through an indwelling jugular catheter. Blood samples were collected for an additional 8 h after cessation of the CRH infusion. Cortisol levels were significantly elevated during and after the CRH infusion and were comparable to levels observed in animals that experienced restraint. However, CRH did not suppress LH levels in either the follicular or the luteal phase. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gender-Sensitive Language in German Annual Reports

Gender equality in business has gained worldwide attention recently. This study examines whether firms address female individuals (e.g., in salutations) in annual reports and if so, whether this kind of gender-sensitive language is related to the firms’ market value. The study is based on the German setting, as the German language has separate nouns for female and male individuals that do not exist in other languages (e.g., English, Chinese). Using a sample of HDAX listed firms between 2007 and 2015, we find, surprisingly, that few firms address women throughout their annual reports and the more frequently women are addressed, the lower the firms’ market value. Results remain robust using three different proxies for the firms’ market value. The findings may be interesting for German firms that wish to forge a positive relationship with (female) board members and also male and female investors. The findings are more generally important for the international market and firms in other countries, because giving greater visibility to gender policies and gender equality in business language may help to increase the number of women in higher management positions.
A quantitative study on the relationship between grasp and handwriting legibility: does grasp really matter?

ABSTRACT Literature has indicated conflicting results regarding the relationship between grasp patterns and legible handwriting. Historically, the dynamic tripod grasp was viewed as the gold standard, but more recent literature indicates that grasp may not have as much of an effect on handwriting legibility as once thought. The purpose of this study is to contribute to this evidence regarding the relationship between grasp and handwriting legibility. The Print Tool, Test of Handwriting Skills-Revised, and a researcher-developed grasp checklist were administered to first- and second-grade students (N = 46). The inference between immature versus mature grasps in relation to legibility remains undetermined. However, there were no statistically significant differences between legibility scores on these two assessments for first- and second-grade students when grouped by pencil grasp. Further research is necessary regarding the relationship of mature versus immature grasps and handwriting legibility.
Rapid Linguistic Ambiguity Resolution in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Eye Tracking Evidence for the Limits of Weak Central Coherence

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have often been reported to have difficulty integrating information into its broader context, which has motivated the Weak Central Coherence theory of ASD. In the linguistic domain, evidence for this difficulty comes from reports of impaired use of linguistic context to resolve ambiguous words. However, recent work has suggested that impaired use of linguistic context may not be characteristic of ASD, and is instead better explained by co‐occurring language impairments. Here, we provide a strong test of these claims, using the visual world eye tracking paradigm to examine the online mechanisms by which children with autism resolve linguistic ambiguity. To address concerns about both language impairments and compensatory strategies, we used a sample whose verbal skills were strong and whose average age (7; 6) was lower than previous work on lexical ambiguity resolution in ASD. Participants (40 with autism and 40 controls) heard sentences with ambiguous words in contexts that either strongly supported one reading or were consistent with both (John fed/saw the bat). We measured activation of the unintended meaning through implicit semantic priming of an associate (looks to a depicted baseball glove). Contrary to the predictions of weak central coherence, children with ASD, like controls, quickly used context to resolve ambiguity, selecting appropriate meanings within a second. We discuss how these results constrain the generality of weak central coherence. Autism Res 2015, 8: 717–726. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
From Service Clouds to User-Centric Personal Clouds

We present the Personal Cloud Platform (PCP) for the management of service clouds providing the user with a unified environment for handling her/his activities and collaborations. Within a personal cloud, the PCP enables the definition of global collaboration groups and a holistic management of the workspace awareness, concerning all the integrated services. Moreover, being based on an open architecture, the PCP supports the integration of external applications, selected by the enterprise user.
Can a large‐scale structure probe cosmic microwave background‐constrained non‐Gaussianity?

The first-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) set quantitative constraints on the amplitude of any primordial non-Gaussianity. We run a series of dark matter-only (DM-only) N-body simulations with the WMAP constraints to investigate the effect of the presence of primordial non-Gaussianity on large-scale structures. The model parameters can be constrained using the observations of protoclusters associated with Lyα emitters at high redshift (2 ≤z≤ 4), assuming that the galaxy velocity bias can be modelled properly. High-redshift structure formation potentially provides a more powerful test of possible primordial non-Gaussianity than does the cosmic microwave background, albeit on smaller scales. Another constraint is given by the local galaxy density probability distribution function (PDF), as mapped by the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS). The PDF of 2dFGRS galaxies is substantially higher than the standard model predictions and requires either a non-negligible bias between galaxy and DM on ∼12 h−1 Mpc scales and a stronger non-Gaussianity than that allowed by the WMAP first-year data. The latter interpretation is preferred since second-order bias corrections are negative. With a lower normalization of the power spectrum fluctuations, σ8= 0.74, as favoured by the WMAP three-year data, the discrepancy between the Gaussian model and the data is even larger.
Deep MMT Transit Survey of the Open Cluster M37. II. Variable Stars

We have conducted a deep (15≲ r≲ 23), 20 night survey for transiting planets in the intermediate-age (~550 Myr) open cluster M37 (NGC 2099) using the Megacam wide-field mosaic CCD camera on the 6.5 m MMT. In this paper we present a catalog and light curves for 1445 variable stars; 1430 (99%) of these are new discoveries. We have discovered 20 new eclipsing binaries and 31 new short-period (P < 1 day ) pulsating stars. The bulk of the variables are most likely rapidly rotating young low-mass stars, including a substantial number (≳500) that are members of the cluster. We identify and analyze five particularly interesting individual variables, including a previously identified variable that we suggest is probably a hybrid γ Doradus/δ Scuti pulsator, two possible quiescent cataclysmic variables, a detached eclipsing binary (DEB) with at least one γ Doradus pulsating component (only the second such variable found in an eclipsing binary), and a low-mass (MP ∼ MS ∼ 0.6 M☉) DEB that is a possible cluster member. A preliminary determination of the physical parameters for the DEB+γ Doradus system yields MP = 1.58 ± 0.04 M☉, MS = 1.58 ± 0.04 M☉, RP = 1.39 ± 0.07 R☉, and RS = 1.38 ± 0.07 R☉.
Multilayered Analyses of the Experiences of Undocumented Latinx College Students

Being the target of constant discrimination and marginalization can often cause intense negative psychological reactions and shame for undocumented students. The following qualitative study describes past and current undocumented Latinx students’ experiences of educational inequality in higher education influenced by labels associated with “being undocumented. ” In this study we used a constructivist theoretical perspective which enabled us to focus on undocumented participants’ perspectives, experiences, meaning-making processes, values, and beliefs. Data was collected through hour-long, semi-structured interviews with five undocumented students. Student narratives were analyzed using a multi-layered analysis approach: (1) narrative, (2) thematic, and (3) critical incident analysis. Findings for this study provided insight on the narratives of carrying labels, themes associated with various labels, and critical incidents in the narratives and lives of undocumented students. Through our findings, we are able to contribute to existing literature and provide directions for future research.