Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MALP-2, a Mycoplasma lipopeptide with classical endotoxic properties: end of an era of LPS monopoly?

Although some activities of LPS are shared by other bacterial components, for half a century LPS has been regarded as unique in displaying many pathophysiological activities. Here we report on a synthetic lipopeptide, MALP-2 from Mycoplasma fermentans , which expresses potent endotoxin-like activity and whose lethal toxicity is comparable to that of LPS. With the exception of the Limulus lysate gelation test, in which MALP-2 was approximately 1000-fold less active than LPS, the synthetic lipopeptide induced all activities tested for, and in most cases to an extent comparable to that of LPS. Unlike LPS, the biological activities of MALP-2 were expressed both in LPSresponder and in LPS-non-responder mice (BALB/c/l, C57BL10/ScCr), indicating that MALP-2 signaling, unlike that of LPS, is not transduced via the Toll-like receptor (Tlr) 4 protein. MALP-2 expressed no toxicity in normal or sensitized Tlr2 knockout (Tlr2— /—) mice indicating that its toxic activity is induced via Tlr2 signaling. The phenomenology of the lethal shock induced by MALP-2 in normal or sensitized mice, i.e. the kinetics of its development and symptoms of illness exhibited by the treated animals, was very reminiscent of the lethal shock induced by LPS.
Effects of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds on the survival and reproduction of the springtail Folsomia fimetaria L. (collembola, isotomidae)

The effects of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds on the survival and reproduction of the collembolan Folsomia fimetaria L. were investigated in a well‐characterized Danish agricultural soil. With the exception of acridine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and neutral N‐, S‐, and O‐monosubstituted analogues showed similar toxicities to soil collembolans when the results were expressed in relation to total soil concentrations (mg/kg). The estimated concentrations resulting in a 10% reduction of reproductive output (EC10 values) were based on measured initial concentrations and were for acridine 290 mg/kg, carbazole 10 mg/kg, dibenzofuran 19 mg/kg, dibenzothiophene 7.8 mg/kg, fluoranthene 37 mg/kg, fluorene 7.7 mg/kg, phenantrene 23 mg/kg, and pyrene 10 mg/kg. When the EC10 values were converted to soil pore‐water concentrations, they showed a highly significant correlation (r2 = 0.71, p < 0.01) to no‐observed‐effect concentrations for the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna, as estimated by a quantitative structure activity relation (QSAR) for baseline toxicity (nonpolar narcosis). Only carbazole and acridine were more than two times more toxic (4.9 and 3.1, respectively) than expected from the Daphnia QSAR data. The latter result indicates that the toxicity of the tested substances is close to that expected for compounds with nonpolar narcosis as the mode of action. However, the relatively large uncertainties in the extrapolation method prevent final conclusions from being drawn.
Interference Mitigation for Femtocell Networks Via Adaptive Frequency Reuse

The dense deployment of femtocells has brought new challenges for interference management. Flexible and efficient frequency reuse is one of promising approaches to tackling interference among femtocells. In this paper, we propose a semistatic intercell interference coordination (ICIC) scheme called adaptive frequency reuse (AFR). The proposed AFR scheme involves two algorithms, namely, primary subchannel self-configuration (PSC-SC), that served as ICIC, and interference-aware resource allocation, that served as intracell resource allocation. Compared with the no-ICIC scheme (i.e., Reuse 1), the proposed AFR scheme can achieve around 100% gain in terms of spectrum efficiency of cell-edge users with a minimal impact on the spectrum efficiency of cell-center users. Furthermore, the proposed PSC-SC algorithm is characteristic of low signaling overhead and fast convergence, which is very suitable for femtocell networks with constrained-capacity backhaul.
Fault Detection and Prognosis of Time Series Data with Random Projection Filter Bank

We introduce Random Projection Filter Bank (RPFB) as a general framework for feature extraction from time series data. RPFB is a set of randomly generated stable autoregressive filters that are convolved with the input time series. Filters in RPFB extract different aspects of the time series, and together they provide a reasonably good summary of the time series. These features can then be used by any conventional machine learning algorithm for solving tasks such as time series prediction, and fault detection and prognosis with time series data. RPFB is easy to implement, fast tocompute, and parallelizable. Through a series of experiments we show that RPFB alongside conventional machine learning algorithms can be effective in solving data-driven fault detection and prognosis problems.
Antiangiogenic Properties of Fibstatin, an Extracellular FGF-2–Binding Polypeptide

By using the two-hybrid system with basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) as bait, we isolated and characterized fibstatin, an endogenous Mr 29,000 human basement membrane-derived inhibitor of angiogenesis and tumor growth. Fibstatin, a fragment containing the type III domains 12–14 of fibronectin, was produced as a recombinant protein and was shown to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of endothelial cells in vitro. Antiangiogenic activity of fibstatin was confirmed in a Matrigel angiogenesis assay in vivo, and electrotransfer of the fibstatin gene into muscle tissue resulted in reduced B16F10 tumor growth. Taken together, these results suggest that fibstatin could act as a powerful molecule for antiangiogenic therapy.
EMG-based human-robot interface for rehabilitation aid

This paper proposes the concept of a human-robot interface as rehabilitation aid and develops the prototype system. The prototype system aims to be used as a controller for the robotic manipulator and as rehabilitation system for the handicapped person. In order to adapt the system to the characteristics of the operator's electromyogram (EMG) signal, the EMG pattern discrimination method using the neural network is utilized as an essential technique of our system. In the experiments, it can be seen that the robotic manipulator can be controlled with high accuracy using the operator's EMG signal, and that the adaptive learning of the neural network improves the discrimination ability of the EMG signal. The rehabilitation program and biofeedback are also discussed.
Interview with the drone: experimenting with post-anthropocentric art practice

ABSTRACT The main idea behind the development of the art project discussed in this artistic contribution, called MNEMODRONE, is to have people share private memories with a drone and then use those memories to create an artificial intelligence. Is it possible for a machine to act based on collective memories? Although there is not a definitive answer, I discuss the ideas behind the project: the problem of quantifying nonhuman forms of consciousness, a model for the drone's artificial intelligence and the advantages of a post-anthropocentric artistic investigation. The second half of my contribution discusses the limits of post-anthropocentric creativity and proceeds more speculatively, proposing a theoretical model of metamorphosis that could be useful for understanding technology and also for artificial intelligent systems to understand humans. My contribution advocates for a creative analysis of future scenarios, both technological and cultural, beyond the boundaries of traditional methodologies. I conclude with a fictional interview that could eventually take place between an interviewer and MNEMODRONE. This fictional interview allows the artwork to speak for itself, and is based on the data collected by the drone in its first year of activities, mimicking its discursive capabilities once the artificial intelligence is fully developed.
Zanvil Alexander Cohn 1926-1993

Zanvil Alexander Cohn, an editor of this Journal since 1973, died suddenly on June 28, 1993. Cohn is best known as the father of the current era of macrophage biology. Many of his scientific accomplishments are recounted here, beginning with seminal studies on the granules of phagocytes that were performed with his close colleague and former editor of this Journal, James Hirsch. Cohn and Hirsch identified the granules as lysosomes that discharged their contents of digestive enzymes into vacuoles containing phagocytosed microbes. These findings were part of the formative era of cell biology and initiated the modern study of endocytosis and cell-mediated resistance to infection. Cohn further explored the endocytic apparatus in pioneering studies of the mouse peritoneal macrophage in culture. He described vesicular inputs from the cell surface and Golgi apparatus and documented the thoroughness of substrate digestion within lysosomal vacuoles that would only permit the egress of monosaccharides and amino acids. These discoveries created a vigorous environment for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior and visiting faculty. Some of the major findings that emerged from Cohn's collaborations included the radioiodination of the plasma membrane for studies of composition and turnover; membrane recycling during endocytosis; the origin of the mononuclear phagocyte system in situ; the discovery of the dendritic cell system of antigen-presenting cells; the macrophage as a secretory cell, including the release of proteases and large amounts of prostaglandins and leukotrienes; several defined parameters of macrophage activation, especially the ability of T cell-derived lymphokines to enhance killing of tumor cells and intracellular protozoa; the granule discharge mechanism whereby cytotoxic lymphocytes release the pore-forming protein perforin; the signaling of macrophages via myristoylated substrates of protein kinase C; and a tissue culture model in which monocytes emigrate across tight endothelial junctions. In 1983, Cohn turned to a long-standing goal of exploring host resistance directly in humans. He studied leprosy, focusing on the disease site, the parasitized macrophages of the skin. He injected recombinant lymphokines into the skin and found that these molecules elicited several cell-mediated responses. Seeing this potential to enhance host defense in patients, Cohn was extending his clinical studies to AIDS and tuberculosis. Zanvil Cohn was a consummate physician-scientist who nurtured the relationship between cell biology and infectious disease. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Smart XSS Attack Surveillance System for OSN in Virtualized Intelligence Network of Nodes of Fog Computing

This article introduces a distributed intelligence network of Fog computing nodes and Cloud data centres for smart devices against XSS vulnerabilities in Online Social Network OSN. The cloud data centres compute the features of JavaScript, injects them in the form of comments and saved them in the script nodes of Document Object Model DOM tree. The network of Fog devices re-executes the feature computation and comment injection process in the HTTP response message and compares such comments with those calculated in the cloud data centres. Any divergence observed will simply alarm the signal of injection of XSS worms on the nodes of fog located at the edge of the network. The mitigation of such worms is done by executing the nested context-sensitive sanitization on the malicious variables of JavaScript code embedded in such worms. The prototype of the authors' work was developed in Java development framework and installed on the virtual machines of Cloud data centres typically located at the core of network and the nodes of Fog devices exclusively positioned at the edge of network. Vulnerable OSN-based web applications were utilized for evaluating the XSS worm detection capability of the authors' framework and evaluation results revealed that their work detects the injection of XSS worms with high precision rate and less rate of false positives and false negatives.
EVOLUTION OF FLORAL TRAITS IN A HERMAPHRODITIC PLANT: FIELD MEASUREMENTS OF HERITABILITIES AND GENETIC CORRELATIONS

Genetic variances, heritabilities, and genetic correlations of floral traits were measured in the monocarpic perennial Ipomopsis aggregata (Polemoniaceae). A paternal half‐sib design was employed to generate seeds in each of four years, and seeds were planted back in the field near the parental site. The progeny were followed for up to eight years to estimate quantitative genetic parameters subject to natural levels of environmental variation over the entire life cycle. Narrow‐sense heritabilities of 0.2–0.8 were detected for the morphometric traits of corolla length, corolla width, stigma position, and anther position. The proportion of time spent by the protandrous flowers in the pistillate phase (“proportion pistillate”) also exhibited detectable heritability of near 0.3. In contrast, heritability estimates for nectar reward traits were low and not significantly different from zero, due to high environmental variance between and within flowering years. The estimates of genetic parameters were combined with phenotypic selection gradients to predict evolutionary responses to selection mediated by the hummingbird pollinators. One trait, corolla width, showed the potential for a rapid response to ongoing selection through male function, as it experienced both direct selection, by influencing pollen export, and relatively high heritability. Predicted responses were lower for proportion pistillate and corolla length, even though these traits also experienced direct selection. Stigma position was expected to respond positively to indirect selection of proportion pistillate but negatively to selection of corolla length, with the net effect sensitive to variation in the selection estimates. Anther position also was not directly selected but could respond to indirect selection of genetically correlated traits.
Bacillus anthracis Spores Stimulate Cytokine and Chemokine Innate Immune Responses in Human Alveolar Macrophages through Multiple Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathways

ABSTRACT Contact with the human alveolar macrophage plays a key role in the innate immune response to Bacillus anthracis spores. Because there is a significant delay between the initial contact of the spore with the host and clinical evidence of disease, there appears to be temporary containment of the pathogen by the innate immune system. Therefore, the early macrophage response to Bacillus anthracis exposure is important in understanding the pathogenesis of this disease. In this paper, we studied the initial events after exposure to spores, beginning with the rapid internalization of spores by the macrophages. Spore exposure rapidly activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase, and p38. This was followed by the transcriptional activation of cytokine and primarily monocyte chemokine genes as determined by RNase protection assays. Transcriptional induction is reflected at the translational level, as interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) cytokine protein levels were markedly elevated as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Induction of IL-6 and TNF-α, and, to a lesser extent, IL-1α and IL-1β, was partially inhibited by the blockade of individual mitogen-activated protein kinases, while the complete inhibition of cytokine induction was achieved when multiple signaling pathway inhibitors were used. Taken together, these data clearly show activation of the innate immune system in human alveolar macrophages by Bacillus anthracis spores. The data also show that multiple signaling pathways are involved in this cytokine response. This report is the first comprehensive examination of this process in primary human alveolar macrophages.
Correlation between channel mobility improvements and negative Vth shifts in III–V MISFETs: Dipole fluctuation as new scattering mechanism

Channel mobility µ<inf>eff</inf> for InGaAs MISFETs is improved by using the (111)A surface orientation and (NH<inf>4</inf>)<inf>2</inf>S treatment. These µ<inf>eff</inf> improvements are associated with negative shifts in V<inf>th</inf> and V<inf>fb</inf>. We propose that carrier scattering by fluctuated dipoles at the MIS interfaces contributes to µ<inf>eff</inf> for the III–V MISFETs. For the InP MISFETs, the effects of the interface dipoles are not apparent due to their inferior interface quality.
Impact of verification media and resuscitation on accuracy of the membrane filter total coliform enumeration technique

Verification of membrane filter total coliform colonies was compared in lauryl tryptose broth, and m-LAC broth primary media and brilliant green-lactose-bile broth and EC broth secondary media. Verification in m-LAC broth yielded the greatest number of aerogenic isolates for both untreated surface water and drinking water samples. Verification in brilliant green-lactose-bile broth increased the number of false-negative reactions. At least 90% of the isolates aerogenic in primary verification media and anaerogenic in brilliant green-lactose-bile broth were representative of the coliform genera. The addition of a resuscitation step in the membrane filter technique did not yield greater numbers of verified coliforms per sample. Verification of both typical and atypical colonies in m-LAC broth resulted in a 10-fold increase in coliform numbers from untreated surface water. With drinking water, verification of both colony types resulted in an increase from less than 1 coliform per 100 ml to greater than 1/100 ml. A single-step verification in m-LAC broth is proposed as a more rapid and sensitive coliform verification procedure than the standard technique.
The FrameNet model and its applications†

Abstract The FrameNet database comprises an English lexicon, organized in terms of semantic frames. Frames describe situations or entities, along with their participants and props, termed frame elements. The frames are organized in an ontology-like network. For the lexical units, corpus annotations illustrate which frame elements are typically realized, and how they behave syntactically. Texts where all content words are annotated with FrameNet information offer a detailed, structured semantic representation with a variety of uses in Natural Language Processing applications, in particular in retrieving and meaningfully organizing texts written by humans, or in making human–computer interaction more natural. Also, the FrameNet English lexicon can be replaced by lexical data from other languages, while maintaining frame information, so the model is attractive for cross-lingual resources and applications. Manual annotation produced by FrameNet and similar projects for other languages is used to train automatic frame semantic annotation systems, which add rich semantic information to any type of text, and are important components for more sophisticated semantic processing applications.
Neonatal pain response to heel stick vs venepuncture for routine blood sampling

Neonatal pain response and adverse effects and maternal anxiety were assessed in 27 infants who were randomly allocated to venepuncture or heel stick. Pain was assessed by nurses using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and a three point scale for the mothers. NIPS scores were higher in the heel stick group compared with the venepuncture group. Maternal anxiety was higher before the procedure while perception of an infant’s pain was lower in the venepuncture group compared with the heel stick group. Venepuncture is less painful than heel stick in newborn infants undergoing routine blood sampling.
Rab11a regulates syntaxin 3 localization and microvillus assembly in enterocytes

Rab11a is a key component of the apical recycling endosome that aids in the trafficking of proteins to the luminal surface in polarized epithelial cells. Utilizing conditional Rab11a‐knockout specific to intestinal epithelial cells, and human colonic epithelial CaCo2‐BBE cells with stable Rab11a knockdown, we examined the molecular and pathological impact of Rab11a deficiency on the establishment of apical cell polarity and microvillus morphogenesis. We demonstrate that loss of Rab11a induced alterations in enterocyte polarity, shortened microvillar length and affected the formation of microvilli along the lateral membranes. Rab11a deficiency in enterocytes altered the apical localization of syntaxin 3. These data affirm the role of Rab11a in apical membrane trafficking and the maintenance of apical microvilli in enterocytes.
The effects of exercise modality on the incidence of plateau at V·O2max

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of exercise modality on the incidence of plateau at V·O2max . Twelve recreationally active men (age, 21·7 ± 2·3 year; mass, 74·8 ± 6·5 kg; height, 177·6 ± 5·6 cm) completed four incremental tests to volitional exhaustion, of which two were completed on a treadmill (TRE) and two were completed using a cycle ergometer (CYC). The work rate employed for CYC was 1 W·2 s−1 from an initial loading of 100 W with cadence being maintained at 60 rpm. For TRE, the workload (gradient) increased at a rate of 0·5% · 30 s−1while maintaining a constant running speed of 10 kph. Throughout all the trials, V·O2 was determined on a breath‐by‐breath basis using a precalibrated metabolic cart. The criteria adopted for determination of a plateau was a Δ V·O2 over the final two consecutive 30‐s sampling periods of ≤50 ml · min−1. Averaging across the two trials per each exercise modality showed a significant difference for plateau incidence between CYC (8%) and TRE (58%) (P = 0·017). This was aligned with a significant difference in the slope of the regression line during the final 60 s of the V·O2max test, CYC (99·9 ± 49·7 ml · min−1) and TRE (49·6 ± 42·6 ml · min−1) (P = 0·017). Repeat measures ANOVA of these data suggests that plateau incidence rates at V·O2max differ between treadmill‐ and cycle ergometry‐based exercises. Future studies need to address whether these response rates are replicated in well‐trained athletes.
Studies of small DNA viruses found in various adenovirus preparations: physical, biological, and immunological characteristics.

Electron mnicroscopic studies of adenovirus preparations hla-ve revealed tlle presence of smnall "virus-like" partieles approximately 22 mn, in diameter in a runumber of hum-an and simiarn adenovirus types. ' Some workers have irlterpreted these particles as being adenovirus subunits,4e while others' 1 have indicated that they represent a contaminating virus. Our early studies' suggested that lthe 22-m,u particles were viruses which replicated poorly, if at all, in human cells in the absence of adenovirus replication. Atchison et al.2 also presented evidence that the small particles were infectious, that they were defective, and that they were immunologically distinct from any knowii adenovirus antigen. They tentatively referred to this virus as adeno-associated virus (AAV) and we shall continue to use this name. The purpose of the present report is to describe some of the physical, biological, aind immunological characteristics of the small particles found in various adenovirus preparations with further evidenice that they are defective viruses and not adenovirus subunits.