Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Animal models of external traumatic wound infections

Background: Despite advances in traumatic wound care and management, infections remain a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and economic disruption in millions of wound patients around the world. Animal models have become standard tools for studying a wide array of external traumatic wound infections and testing new antimicrobial strategies. Methods: This review covers experimental infections in animal models of surgical wounds, skin abrasions, burns, lacerations, excisional wounds, and open fractures. Results: Animal models of external traumatic wound infections reported by different investigators vary in animal species used, microorganism strains, the number of microorganisms applied, the size of the wounds, and, for burn infections, the length of time the heated object or liquid is in contact with the skin. Conclusions: As antibiotic resistance continues to increase, more new antimicrobial approaches are urgently needed. These should be tested using standard protocols for infections in external traumatic wounds in animal models.
Internal Bandwidth Equalization in a CMOS-Compatible Si-Ring Modulator

Bandwidth equalization using a simple complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible tunable silicon-ring modulator is shown. We demonstrate >35-GHz small signal bandwidth and use the resonator to mitigate bandwidth limitations from other measurement system components. Configuring the optical carrier to be off resonance within the ring free-spectral range allows high-frequency enhancement and low-frequency suppression of the S21 parameter to achieve system response equalization. Our results suggest that the carrier and modulation sidebands can have very different transient characteristics within the ring modulator.
Suppression of murine SLE by oral anti-CD3: inducible CD4+CD25-LAP+ regulatory T cells control the expansion of IL-17+ follicular helper T cells

Lupus is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease. The production of pathogenic, class switched and affinity maturated autoantibodies in lupus is dependent on T cell help. A potential mechanism of disease pathogenesis is a lack of control of pathogenic T helper cells by regulatory T cells in lupus. It has been repeatedly shown that the naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in lupus prone mice and patients with SLE are defective both in frequency and function. Thus, the generation of inducible regulatory T cells that can control T cell help for autoantibody production is a potential avenue for the treatment of SLE. We have found that oral administration of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody attenuated lupus development and arrested on-going disease in lupus prone SNF1 mice. Oral anti-CD3 induces a CD4+CD25-LAP+ regulatory T cell that secrets high levels of TGF-β and suppresses in vitro in TFG-β-dependent fashion. Animals treated with oral anti-CD3 had less glomerulonephritis and diminished levels of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies. Oral anti-CD3 led to a downregulation of IL-17+CD4+ICOS-CXCR5+ follicular helper T cells, CD138+ plasma cells and CD73+ mature memory B cells. Our results show that oral anti-CD3 induces CD4+CD25-LAP+ regulatory T cells that suppress lupus in mice and is associated with downregulation of T cell help for autoantibody production.
Extranodal malignant lymphoma arising from mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue

Four cases of extranodal malignant lymphoma, one each arising in the stomach, salivary gland, lung, and thyroid, are described. These cases have many clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical features in common, and it is proposed that this is because they share a common pattern of histogenesis from mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Clinical features of MALT‐derived lymphomas include a tendency to remain localized for prolonged periods, and, thus, to be responsive to locally directed therapy. Histologically, this group of tumors is characterized by a noninvasive lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate within which foci of follicle center cells (FCC) can be seen invading epithelial structures, forming lymphoepithelial lesions. Immunohistochemistry reveals monotypic cytoplasmic immunoglobulin (CIg) in the plasma cells serving to highlight the CIg‐negative lymphoepithelial lesions. The clinical and histopathologic features of these lymphomas can be understood in the context of the behavioral characteristics and morphology of MALT.
Honeybee drones are attracted by groups of consexuals in a walking simulator

During the mating season, honeybee males, the drones, gather in congregation areas 10–40 m above ground. When a receptive female, a queen, enters the congregation, drones are attracted to her by queen-produced pheromones and visual cues and attempt to mate with the queen in mid-air. It is still unclear how drones and queens find the congregations. Visual cues on the horizon are most probably used for long-range orientation. For shorter-range orientation, however, attraction by a drone-produced aggregation pheromone has been proposed, yet so far its existence has not been confirmed conclusively. The low accessibility of congregation areas high up in the air is a major hurdle and precise control of experimental conditions often remains unsatisfactory in field studies. Here, we used a locomotion compensator-based walking simulator to investigate drones' innate odor preferences under controlled laboratory conditions. We tested behavioral responses of drones to 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid (9-ODA), the major queen-produced sexual attractant, and to queen mandibular pheromone (QMP), an artificial blend of 9-ODA and several other queen-derived components. While 9-ODA strongly dominates the odor bouquet of virgin queens, QMP rather resembles the bouquet of mated queens. In our assay, drones were attracted by 9-ODA, but not by QMP. We also investigated the potential attractiveness of male-derived odors by testing drones' orientation responses to the odor bouquet of groups of 10 living drones or workers. Our results demonstrate that honeybee drones are attracted by groups of other drones (but not by workers), which may indicate a role of drone-emitted cues for the formation of congregations.
SF2 and SRp55 regulation of CD45 exon 4 skipping during T cell activation

CD45 is an alternatively spliced membrane phosphatase required for T cell activation. Exons 4, 5 and 6 can be included or skipped from spliced mRNA resulting in several protein isoforms that include or exclude epitopes referred to as RA, RB or RC, respectively. T cells reciprocally express CD45RA or CD45RO (lacking all three exons), corresponding to naive versus memory T cells. Overexpression of the alternative splicing regulators, SF2 or SWAP, induces skipping of CD45 exon 4 in transfected COS cells. We show here that the arginine/serine‐rich domain of SWAP and the RNA recognition motifs of SF2 are required for skipping of CD45 exon 4. Unlike SWAP, SF2 specifically regulated alternative splicing of CD45 exon 4, having no effect on a non‐regulated exon of CD45 (exon 9). Like SF2 and SWAP, the SR proteins SC35, SRp40 and SRp75, but not SRp55 also induced CD45 exon 4 skipping. In contrast, antisense inhibition of SRp55 induced exon 4 skipping. SF2 and SRp55 proteins were not detectable or expressed at a very low level in freshly isolated CD45RA+ and CD45RO+ T cells. Activation of CD45RA+ T cells shifted CD45 expression from CD45RA to CD45RO, and induced a large increase in expression of both SF2 and SRp55. Thus, SF2 at least in part determines splicing of CD45 exon 4 during T cell activation. SRp55, SR protein phosphorylation, or other splicing factors likely regulate CD45 splicing in CD45RO+ memory T cells. The different SR proteins expressed by memory and activated T cells emphasize the different phenotypes of these cell types that both express CD45RO.
Detecting Gathering Incident of Video Surveillance Based on Plane Geometry

Gathering is an important incident of video surveillance, possibly reflecting the properties of mass disturbances. However, the incident is more difficult to detect than single-object incidents since it always has multiple detected objects. This paper proposes a plane geometry model to describe the position, trajectory and outline of the detected objects. Gathering incident is checked by a circle in which there are multiple objects. A brief detection algorithm is designed to draw a circle and check whether gathering happens. Finally, several public surveillance videos are tested, and the results indicate the proposed model is efficient, high-detection-rate and robust.
Prevention efforts to reduce undergraduates' high-risk alcohol use at a small, private, urban research university in the northeast: A 20-year case study

High-risk alcohol use by U.S. undergraduates has been a widely studied topic over the past 25 years, and there are numerous individualand environmental-level strategies being implemented at colleges and universities nationwide. Nonetheless, highrisk alcohol use by college students remains a pervasive and seemingly intractable challenge for health practitioners employed at institutions of higher education, one that they have made a priority due to the severe consequences that undergraduates can experience during a sensitive time in their physical, cognitive, and emotional
Information‐Hedging Disclosures and Insider Trading

I model the effect of disclosure on the trade-off between information risk, liquidity risk, and price risk for a well-informed, risk-averse insider. Revealing some information before trading decreases the variability of the insider's information advantage and thus reduces his information risk. Disclosure also lowers adverse selection costs for market makers, which reduces the insider's liquidity risk by increasing his trading flexibility. However, disclosure increases price risk for the insider because the price fully reflects the revealed information. The reduction in information and liquidity risks outweigh the rise in price risk when the insider is less risk averse because a less risk-averse insider's information-based motive for trading is stronger than his hedging motive. The opposite relation holds when the insider is more risk averse. Therefore, a less (more) risk-averse insider experiences an increase (decrease) in welfare when he discloses some information before trading. Cost of capital and policy implications are identified.
Designing a Social Media Strategy to Fulfill Your Agency's Mission

Social Media Use in the Public Sector Social media applications have become the newest wave of e-government and are making government websites more interactive and engaging. Tools such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and photoand video-sharing sites have become accepted communication channels in the public sector. Most government agencies have added a sharing button to their official website. These buttons encourage citizens to share government content on social networking sites and to engage directly with agency representatives via comment functions. Some even happen in close to real time. Much of this trend was driven by the Obama administration’s 2009 call to “harness new technologies” to increase government’s participation, transparency, and collaboration, and “open new forms of communication between government and the people. ” However, every social networking site has its own goals, interaction routines, and culture. Government therefore is in a constantly reactive mode to provide guidance, best practices, and accepted information technology (IT) standards and regulations. Third-party commercial social media services, such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, are hosted outside of government servers by companies who frequently change technological features. Agency IT professionals must keep up with those application changes so that citizen interaction is maintained and upgraded when possible. Changes to the agency’s social media policies often happen after major mishaps trigger the necessity for updated standards and policies to safely use social media services again. Other substantial concerns include security and privacy issues, as well as open questions regarding records management, according to a Government Accountability Office report issued in 2011. While these concerns need to be addressed, many government organizations are still in the early stages of social media use and are concerned about much more basic questions, such as: 1. Why should an agency use social media applications outside its existing IT infrastructure? 2. Who is the local (or global) audience? 3. How does the use of social media support the agency’s mission? 4. Who should be responsible to provide and verify content on a daily basis? 5. What are the policies and rules that guide the agency’s online interactions? 6. What is acceptable citizen behavior on governmentrun social media accounts? 7. Who is responsible for content accuracy and corrections when invoking public discussion online? 8. How can agencies measure the impact of their online engagement and justify the resources needed to support social media activities with constricting budgets?
Nearly work-efficient parallel algorithm for digraph reachability

One of the simplest problems on directed graphs is that of identifying the set of vertices reachable from a designated source vertex. This problem can be solved easily sequentially by performing a graph search, but efficient parallel algorithms have eluded researchers for decades. For sparse high-diameter graphs in particular, there is no known work-efficient parallel algorithm with nontrivial parallelism. This amounts to one of the most fundamental open questions in parallel graph algorithms: Is there a parallel algorithm for digraph reachability with nearly linear work? This paper shows that the answer is yes. This paper presents a randomized parallel algorithm for digraph reachability and related problems with expected work Õ(m) and span Õ(n2/3), and hence parallelism Ω(m/n2/3) = Ω(n1/3), on any graph with n vertices and m arcs. This is the first parallel algorithm having both nearly linear work and strongly sublinear span, i.e., span Õ(n1−є) for any constant є>0. The algorithm can be extended to produce a directed spanning tree, determine whether the graph is acyclic, topologically sort the strongly connected components of the graph, or produce a directed ear decomposition, all with work Õ(m) and span Õ(n2/3). The main technical contribution is an efficient Monte Carlo algorithm that, through the addition of Õ(n) shortcuts, reduces the diameter of the graph to Õ(n2/3) with high probability. While both sequential and parallel algorithms are known with those combinatorial properties, even the sequential algorithms are not efficient, having sequential runtime Ω(mnΩ(1)). This paper presents a surprisingly simple sequential algorithm that achieves the stated diameter reduction and runs in Õ(m) time. Parallelizing that algorithm yields the main result, but doing so involves overcoming several other challenges.
Thirty-Year Survey on Airborne Pollen Concentrations in Genoa, Italy: Relationship with Sensitizations, Meteorological Data, and Air Pollution

Background Pollen allergy represents a relevant health issue. Betulaceae sensitization significantly increased in Genoa, Italy, in the last decades. This study investigated possible relationships among pollen count, meteorological changes, air pollution, and sensitizations in this city during a 30-year period. Methods Betulaceae, Urticaceae, Gramineae, and Oleaceae pollen counts were measured from 1981 to 2010 in Genoa. Sensitization to these pollens was also considered in large populations of allergic patients. Meteorological parameters and pollutants were also measured in the same area. Results Betulaceae sensitization increased over time. All pollen species significantly increased over this time. Pollen season advanced for Betulaceae and Urticaceae. Only Urticaceae season significantly increased. Temperature increased while rainfall decreased over the time. Pollutants significantly decreased. There were some relationships between pollen changes and climatic and air pollution parameters. Conclusion This 30-year study conducted in an urbanized area provided evidence that Betulaceae sensitization significantly increased, pollen load significantly augmented, and climate and air pollution changed with a possible influence on pollen release.
Loss of Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Protein Expression Is an Independent Poor Prognostic Marker in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Introduction: Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) has been established as a tumor suppressor gene with an important role in regulating the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/AKT antiapoptotic and survival pathway. The prognostic role of PTEN in non–small-cell lung carcinoma has not been evaluated completely in the context of other molecular information. Methods: Tissue microarrays containing 152 resected non–small-cell lung cancer specimens were used to investigate PTEN and p53 by immunohistochemistry and PTEN by fluorescence in situ hybridization. DNA was isolated and subjected to mutational profiling using the Sequenom Oncocarta v1.0 panel. Clinicopathological features were correlated with PTEN expression, gene copy number, and mutation status. Results: PTEN staining was absent in 63 (41.4%) of the cases. Significantly more squamous cell carcinomas compared with adenocarcinomas demonstrated loss of (negative) PTEN staining (26 of 44 [59%] versus 32 of 94 [34%]; p = 0.009). PTEN gene copy deletion was present in only seven of 124 evaluable cases (5.6%); all deleted cases were immunohistochemistry negative. In univariate and multivariate (MV) analyses adjusted for sex, age, histology, and stage, loss of PTEN protein expression was associated with significantly shorter disease-free survival (MV hazard ratio: 1.78, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–3.14, p = 0.048), whereas no significant associations were seen with p53 or KRAS and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status. Importantly, the prognostic value of absent PTEN staining was limited to adenocarcinomas, with MV disease-free survival hazard ratio of 2.68 (95% confidence interval: 1.35–5.32, p = 0.005), whereas no such association was seen in squamous cell carcinomas. Conclusion: Absence of PTEN protein expression is an independent prognostic marker in early-stage resected lung adenocarcinoma.
Minimally Invasive and Open Distal Chevron Osteotomy for Mild to Moderate Hallux Valgus

Background: Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques are increasingly being used in foot and ankle surgery but it is important that they are adopted only once they have been shown to be equivalent or superior to open techniques. We believe that the main advantages of MIS are found in the early postoperative period, but in order to adopt it as a technique longer-term studies are required. The aim of this study was to compare the 2-year outcomes of a third-generation MIS distal chevron osteotomy with a comparable traditional open distal chevron osteotomy for mild-moderate hallux valgus. Our null hypothesis was that the 2 techniques would yield equivalent clinical and radiographic results at 2 years. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Eighty-one consecutive feet (49 MIS and 32 open distal chevron osteotomies) were followed up for a minimum 24 months (range 24-58). All patients were clinically assessed using the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire. Radiographic measures included hallux valgus angle, the intermetatarsal angle, hallux interphalangeal angle, metatarsal phalangeal joint angle, distal metatarsal articular angle, tibial sesamoid position, shape of the first metatarsal head, and plantar offset. Statistical analysis was done using Student t test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous data and Pearson chi-square test for categorical data. Results: Clinical and radiologic postoperative scores in all domains were substantially improved in both groups (P < .001), but there was no statistically significant difference in improvement of any domain between open and MIS groups (P > .05). There were no significant differences in complications between the 2 groups ( > .5). Conclusion: The midterm results of this third-generation technique show that it was a safe procedure with good clinical outcomes and comparable to traditional open techniques for symptomatic mild-moderate hallux valgus. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.
Molecular Cloning of a Novel Variant of the Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-activating Polypeptide (PACAP) Receptor That Stimulates Calcium Influx by Activation of L-type Calcium Channels*

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a novel neuropeptide that produces its biological effects by interacting with G protein-coupled receptors. Molecular cloning of the PACAP receptor revealed the existence of five splice variant receptor forms differing in the third intracellular loop region, with four variants activating both adenylyl cyclase and phosphoinositide phospholipase C and one variant activating only adenylyl cyclase (Spengler, D., Waeber, C., Pantaloni, C., Holsboer, F., Bockaert, J., Seeburg, P. H., and Journot, L. (1993) Nature365, 170-175). Here, we report cloning of a novel PACAP receptor variant, designated PACAPR TM4 (transmembrane domain IV), that differs from the previously cloned short form of the PACAP receptor (PACAPR) primarily by discrete sequences located in transmembrane domains II and IV. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and primer extension analyses demonstrated tissue-specific differential expression of mRNAs encoding PACAPR TM4 and splice variant forms of the PACAP receptor. PACAPR TM4 and PACAPR possess identical intracellular domains, implicated as primary determinants of G protein recognition by rhodopsin-like receptors. However, unlike the PACAPR, PACAPR TM4 does not activate either adenylyl cyclase or phosphoinositide phospholipase C in response to PACAP in either transient or stable expression systems. However, PACAP stimulates increases in [Ca2+]i in cells expressing PACAPR TM4 by activating L-type Ca2+ channels, a response not elicited by stimulation with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. The signaling phenotype of PACAPR TM4 is characteristic of the PACAP receptor involved in regulation of insulin secretion from pancreatic β islets, a tissue expressing transcripts for PACAPR TM4 but not for PACAPR or its longer splice variant forms. These findings are consistent with a role of PACAPR TM4 in the physiological control of insulin release by PACAP in β-islet cells. The finding that PACAPR TM4 has a unique signaling phenotype, although it possesses intracellular domains identical to those of the PACAPR, suggests that receptor-G protein recognition by rhodopsin-like receptors can be determined by sequences other than those located in intracellular receptor domains.
Developing reciprocal exchanges for tourism investors

This article is based on a unique sample of 111 tourism investors in Tanzania. Investors have a significant role in establishing services and supporting continuance in local tourism networks. As important as investors are, many of them overlook relationships they may find abundant but not meaningful. Many investors shift relationships when meaningful ideas or other outcomes no longer feed into the relationship. Relationships could thus be seen as gradual processes in which meaningful exchanges cement the relationships together. At the entry stage, investors select partners they trust or focus on identifying a specific style characterized by partner-related criteria. These expectations typically depend on the motives or reasons investors enter relationships. We suggest that investors’ relationships develop from motives toward defined selection criteria as the basis for a continued exchange defined by their reciprocal orientation. Thus, a theoretical model is presented with constructs such as hard and soft motives, trust and network awareness, partner selection criteria, and reciprocal orientations. We hope these findings may illustrate how policymakers in Tanzania can support investor relationships and nurture them toward a long-term exchange.