Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical coordination of innate immune defense against Toxoplasma gondii by dendritic cells responding via their Toll-like receptors

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in host defense against a variety of microbial pathogens. We addressed the mechanism by which TLRs contribute to host defense against the lethal parasite Toxoplasma gondii by using mice with targeted inactivation of the TLR adaptor protein myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) in different innate cell types. Lack of MyD88 in dendritic cells (DCs), but not in macrophages or neutrophils, resulted in high susceptibility to the T. gondii infection. In the mice deficient in MyD88 in DCs, the early IL-12 response by DCs was ablated, the IFN-γ response by natural killer cells was delayed, and the recruited inflammatory monocytes were incapable of killing the T. gondii parasites. The T-cell response, although attenuated in these mice, was sufficient to eradicate the parasite during the chronic stage, provided that defects in DC activation were compensated by IL-12 treatment early after infection. These results demonstrate a central role of DCs in orchestrating the innate immune response to an intracellular pathogen and establish that defects in pathogen recognition by DCs can predetermine sensitivity to infection.
The thermal and vibrational tests of the AGILE silicon tracker

AGILE (Light Imager for Gamma-ray Astrophysics) is a satellite for simultaneous observation of gamma rays in the energy range 30 MeV-50 GeV and X-rays in the range 15-45 keV. The main instrument of the scientific payload is a silicon-tungsten tracker with 37000 readout channels distributed in 12 planes with two views of silicon detectors each. The planes are organized in 13 trays, each of them made by a 14 mm core of Al honeycomb covered on both sides by a 0.5 mm fiber layer. On each side of the tray, 16 single-sided, AC-coupled, 410 /spl mu/m thick, 9.5/spl times/9.5 cm/sup 2/ silicon strip detectors are assembled in 4 ladders of 4 detectors. In the first 10 trays, a tungsten layer 245 /spl mu/m thick (corresponding to 0.07 radiation lengths) is positioned above the silicon layer. The strips of the two sides are orthogonal in order to obtain the x-y information of the passage of the electron-positron pair created by the photon. The validation of the tray mechanical structure has required both thermal, thermo-vacuum and vibrational tests in order to qualify from a space point of view the materials, the adhesives and the assembly procedures. The tests have been performed on single trays mounted with silicon detectors and on the simplified engineering model of the flight payload. The detectors have been tested at each step with cosmic rays and have acquired data throughout the thermal cycles. The assembly procedures and both vibrational and thermal tests will be described in detail.
Results, Targets and Measures to Drive Collaboration: Lessons from the New Zealand Better Public Services reforms

Performance measurement is a hotly contested topic in government (Brignal and Modell 2000) and the not-for-profit (NFP) sector (Kaplan 2001) and in interaction between the two (Macpherson 2001). This chapter presents lessons from the use of impact measures in the New Zealand Government as examples to be applied in other contexts. The use of impact measures is complicated by problems of control and attribution (Smith 2009). Many organisations have instead resorted to output measures, or even input and activity measures, which may promote efficiency but do not address the effectiveness of interventions (de Lancer-Julnes and Holzer 2001).
The impact of centralized cooperative intersection control on traffic flow characteristics

With the development of V2V and V2I technologies, vehicles can cooperate to perform more efficiently and safely in the intelligent transportation systems. Centralized cooperative intersection control (CCIC) uses V2X communication technology to guide automated vehicles passing the intersection more efficiently, sustainably, safely and comfortably. This paper focuses on the impact of CCIC on traffic flow characteristics. It uses VISSIM to study the impacts of intelligent vehicles equipped with On-Board Unit (OBU) for CCIC on traffic flow. The temporal-spatial trajectory diagrams show a significant improvement of traffic flow efficiency compared with the actuated intersection control (AIC) system. Moreover, CCIC can also reduce the emission and enhance the driver comfort level. In addition, the impacts of the penetration rate of OBU for CCIC are emphasized and investigated. The results show that vehicles with penetration rate of OBU for CCIC larger than about 60% shows promising potential in the intersection control systems than AIC.
Apparent diffusion coefficients of breast tumors: clinical application.

PURPOSE To evaluate the usefulness of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for the differential diagnosis of breast tumors and to determine the relation between ADC and tumor cellularity. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and thirty-six female patients (age range, 17-83 years; average age, 51.7 years) with 140 histologically proven breast tumors underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (DWI) using the spin-echo echo-planar technique, and the ADCs of the tumors were calculated using 3 different b values, 0, 500, and 1000 s/mm(2). The diagnoses consisted of fibroadenoma (FA, n=16), invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified (IDC, n=117), medullary carcinoma (ME, n=3) and mucinous carcinoma (MU, n=4). Tumor cellularity was calculated from surgical specimens. The ADCs of breast tumors and cellularity were compared between different histological types by analysis of variance and Scheffe's post hoc test. The correlation between tumor cellularity and ADC was analyzed by Pearson correlation test. RESULTS Significant differences were observed in ADCs between FA and all types of cancers (P<0.05) and between MU and other types of cancers (P<0.01) and in cellularity between FA and cancers except MU (P<0.01) and between MU and other types of cancers (P<0.01). There was an inverse correlation between ADC and tumor cellularity (P<0.01, r(2)=0.451). CONCLUSIONS The ADC may potentially help in differentiating benign and malignant breast tumors. Tumor ADC correlates inversely with tumor cellularity.
Using Journal Impact Factors to Correct for the Publication Bias of Medical Studies

Summary Publication bias of the results of medical studies can invalidate evidence‐based medicine. The existing methodology for modeling this essentially relies upon the symmetry of the funnel plot. We present a new method of modeling publication bias that uses this information plus the impact factors of the publishing journals. A simple model of the publication process enables the estimation of bias‐corrected intervention effects. The procedure is illustrated using a meta‐analysis of the effectiveness of single‐dose oral aspirin for acute pain, and results are also obtained for five other meta‐analyses. The method enables the fitting of a wide range of models and is considered more flexible than other ways of compensating for publication bias. The model also provides the basis of a statistical test for the existence of publication bias. Use of the new methodology to supplement existing methods is recommended, in the context of a sensitivity analysis.
Successful generation of primary virus-specific and anti-tumor T-cell responses from the naïve donor T-cell repertoire is determined by the balance between antigen-specific precursor T cells and regulatory T cells

Background One of the major challenges in allogeneic stem cell transplantation is to find a balance between the harmful induction of graft-versus-host disease and the beneficial graft-versus-leukemia and pathogen-specific immune responses. Adoptive transfer of in-vitro generated donor T cells with specific anti-leukemic or pathogen-specific activity may be effective. However, in many cases this requires the in-vitro priming and expansion of antigen-specific precursor T cells from the naïve donor T-cell repertoire. Design and Methods Antigen-specific CD8 T cells were generated by co-culture of CD45RO-depleted, regulatory T cell-depleted donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells with autologous peptide-loaded dendritic cells, followed by two re-stimulations with peptide-loaded autologous monocytes. Responding T cells were isolated based on CD137 expression and further purified using peptide/major histocompatibility complex tetramers. Results Using this method we were able to reproducibly generate functionally high avidity T cells directed against multiple viral antigens and minor histocompatibility antigens from the naïve T-cell repertoire of seronegative, minor histocompatibility antigen-negative donors. Furthermore, we demonstrated that reduction of the regulatory T-cell frequency by depletion of CD45RO+ responder cells resulted in improved priming and expansion of antigen-specific precursor T cells. Conclusions In conclusion, we present a robust method for the in-vitro induction and isolation of antigen-specific T cells from the naïve repertoire. We demonstrate that the likelihood of successful generation of primary immune responses is determined by a delicate balance between the numbers of antigen-specific precursor T cells and the numbers and activation state of regulatory T cells locally at the site of priming of the immune response.
Sub-500 ps 64 b ALUs in 0.18 /spl mu/m SOI/bulk CMOS: Design & scaling trends

The requirements of high-throughput Internet servers necessitate the use of multiple ALUs in high-performance 64 b execution cores. Consequently, each ALU demands a compact, energy-efficient 64 b adder core with single-cycle latency. The resultant critical path, which is a balanced mix of interconnect, diffusion and gate loads, forms a representative test bed for evaluating competing circuit techniques and process technologies (bulk CMOS/SOI). This paper presents: (i) the design of an energy-efficient 64 b ALU in 0.18 /spl mu/m bulk CMOS technology; (ii) a direct port of this design to a comparable SOI technology and (iii) an SOI-optimal redesign of the adder core. Further, it describes design margining required for the SOI implementations and reports the results of shrinking the two architectures to 0.13 /spl mu/m Bulk/SOI. In both cases, a sophisticated SOI compact model that incorporates features to effectively model the SOI floating body effect is used.
Predicting Mid-term All-cause Mortality in Patients Undergoing Elective Endovascular Repair of a Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

Introduction: All-cause mortality in patients after repair of aortic aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is relatively high at mid-term follow-up. The aim of this study was to derive and validate a system that could predict all-cause mortality after TEVAR to aid with patient selection. Methods: The MOTHER database contained 625 patients that underwent elective surgery for descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. Univariate analysis identified preoperative factors associated with mid-term all-cause mortality, and a Cox proportional hazards model was developed. The model was internally validated using Kaplan-Meier comparison of observed vs predicted mortality. External validation was performed using a data set from the University of Florida College of Medicine. Results: There were 625 patients that underwent TEVAR for descending thoracic aortic aneurysm in the MOTHER database and 231 in the University of Florida College of Medicine validation set. The mid-term mortality rate at 6 years of follow-up was 34.4% and 34%, respectively. The all-cause mortality risk score was calculated using 0.0398 × (age) + 0.516 × (renal insufficiency) + 0.46 × (previous cerebrovascular disease) + 0.352 × (prior tobacco use) + 0.376 × (number of devices >2) + 0.016 × (maximum aneurysm diameter). Using this score, low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were defined, with predicted survival at 5 years of 80%, 60%, and 40%. Patients at high risk of mid-term all-cause death were identified in the validation cohort using the prediction rule. Conclusions: Identifying patients with a limited life expectancy after TEVAR is possible using a preoperative risk-stratification system. This information can be used to inform decision making regarding when and whether to proceed with TEVAR.
Development of a power line inspection robot with hybrid operation modes

In this paper, we design and build a power line inspection robot capable of hybrid operation modes. Specifically, the developed robot is able to land on the overhead ground wire (OGW) and to move as the climbing robot. When to negotiate obstacles, it can vertically take off the wire and fly over the obstacles as the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A customized trumpet-shaped undercarriage is used to guarantee that the robot can land and move safely. With the aid of a swingable 2D Laser Range Finder (LRF), the robot can not only determine whether there are obstacles but also detect the position and orientation of the OGW, making it suitable for automatic inspection of power lines. The outdoor experimental results1 demonstrate the effectiveness of the robot in landing and obstacle negotiation. In addition, the average power consumption of the robot is much lower than that of traditional flying robots for power line inspection.
The Delegate Paradox: Why Polarized Politicians Can Represent Citizens Best

Many advocate for political reforms intended to resolve apparent disjunctures between politicians’ ideologically polarized policy positions and citizens’ less polarized policy preferences. We show these apparent disjunctures can arise even when politicians represent their constituencies well and that resolving them would likely degrade representation. These counterintuitive results arise from a paradox whereby polarized politicians can best represent constituencies composed of citizens with idiosyncratic preferences. We document this paradox among US House members, often criticized for excessive polarization. We show that if House members represented their constituencies’ preferences as closely as possible, they would still appear polarized. Moreover, current members nearly always represent their constituencies better than counterfactual less polarized members. A series of experiments confirms that even “moderate” citizens usually prefer ostensibly polarized representatives to many less polarized alternatives.
Database Encryption Using Asymmetric Keys: A Case Study

Data security has become an issue of increasing importance, especially for Web applications and distributed databases. One solution is using cryptographic algorithms whose improvement has become a constant concern. The increasing complexity of these algorithms involves higher execution times, leading to an application performance decrease. This paper presents a comparison of execution times for three algorithms using asymmetric keys, depending on the size of the encryption/decryption keys: RSA, ElGamal, and ECIES. For this algorithms comparison, a benchmark using Java APIs and an application for testing them on a test database was created.
Policy Decisions and Options-Based Responses to Active Shooters in Public Schools

Policy Decisions and Options-Based Responses to Active Shooters in Public Schools by Vicki M. Abbinante CAS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007 MA, Northern Illinois University, 1984 BS, Northeastern Illinois University, 1978 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education
Visualizing and Manipulating Focal Adhesion Kinase Regulation in Live Cells*

Background: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation is essential for cell migration. Results: A toolbox of FRET sensors demonstrate that a key regulatory interaction in FAK is sensitive to pH. Conclusion: FAK is a pH sensor with maximal activity at cancer cell pH. Significance: This is a broadly applicable approach to studying the effects of modulating individual protein-protein interactions in live cells. Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is essential for cell migration and plays an important role in tumor metastasis. However, the complex intermolecular and intramolecular interactions that regulate FAK activity at the focal adhesion remain unresolved. We have engineered a toolbox of FRET sensors that retain all of the individual FAK domains but modulate a key intramolecular regulatory interaction between the band 4.1/ezrin/radixin/moesin (FERM) and kinase domains of FAK. We demonstrate systematic control and quantitative measurement of the FERM-kinase interaction at focal adhesions, which in turn allows us to control cell migration. Using these sensors, we find that Tyr-397 phosphorylation, rather than kinase activity of FAK, is the key determinant of cell migration. Our sensors directly demonstrate, for the first time, a pH-dependent change in a protein-protein interaction at a macromolecular structure in live cells. The FERM-kinase interaction at focal adhesions is enhanced at acidic pH, with a concomitant decrease in Tyr-397 phosphorylation, providing a potential mechanism for enhanced migration of cancer cells.
Learning Activity-Based E-Learning Material Recommendation System

Along with the increasing development of Internet, it changes the life styles of human being. For example, the traditional learning styles are previously limited with the space and time, but the current learning activity places are shifted from the traditional classrooms to Internet gradually. The e-learning has become one of the important parts in digital life even it cannot substitute for the whole traditional teachings. In recent years, the technologies of data mining, such as the data clustering, decision tree learning and association rule, etc. are widely applied to the information industry. In addition, because that the e- learning gets more popular as well as the Internet technologies become more mature, if adopting the concept of data mining to e-learning system, it will be helpful to make learning more efficient. Thus, we plan to integrate the techniques of LDAP and JAXB to reduce the load of development of search engine and the complexity of content parsing. Additionally, through analyzing the logs of learners' learning behaviors, the likely keywords and the association among the learning course contents will be conducted or figured out. And then, we integrate with the metadata of the learning materials distributed in different platforms, and maintain them in the LDAP server. Based on the experienced behaviors of previous learners, it will be better for learners to efficiently navigate the e-learning course contents with such the assistance of suggestion of relevant contents.
Do doctors agree on doses of antipsychotic medications?

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the concordance in attitudes of psychiatrists towards the doses of antipsychotics given to stable outpatients with schizophrenia and to examine the psychiatrists’ estimates of equally potent doses of haloperidol and olanzapine. Methods: We asked all 22 doctors serving at the psychiatry department of Jönköping County Hospital if they considered the combined dose of antipsychotics for 20 individual patients to be ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’. We also asked each doctor to state the dose of haloperidol that they considered to be clinically equivalent to 20 mg/day of olanzapine. Results: The inter-rater reliability (Krippendorff’s alpha (α)) was 0.50, and the mean estimated dose haloperidol considered clinically equivalent to 20 mg/day of olanzapine was 4.45 mg/day. Conclusions: The inter-rater reliability (Krippendorff’s α) was low, suggesting lack of agreement. The dose of antipsychotics given to a patient might thus be more influenced by which doctor they meet than the severity of the disease. The respondents in this study considered a mean dose of 4.45 mg/day of haloperidol to be clinically equivalent to 20 mg/day of olanzapine. This is a considerably lower dose than was determined by an international consensus study of antipsychotic dosing, and more in line with the available PET studies measuring central dopamine receptor blockage of optimal clinical doses.
Mitochondrial-Nuclear Interactions Mediate Sex-Specific Transcriptional Profiles in Drosophila

The assembly and function of mitochondria require coordinated expression from two distinct genomes, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA). Mutations in either genome can be a source of phenotypic variation, yet their coexpression has been largely overlooked as a source of variation, particularly in the emerging paradigm of mitochondrial replacement therapy. Here we tested how the transcriptome responds to mtDNA and nDNA variation, along with mitonuclear interactions (mtDNA × nDNA) in Drosophila melanogaster. We used two mtDNA haplotypes that differ in a substantial number of single nucleotide polymorphisms, with >100 amino acid differences. We placed each haplotype on each of two D. melanogaster nuclear backgrounds and tested for transcription differences in both sexes. We found that large numbers of transcripts were differentially expressed between nuclear backgrounds, and that mtDNA type altered the expression of nDNA genes, suggesting a retrograde, trans effect of mitochondrial genotype. Females were generally more sensitive to genetic perturbation than males, and males demonstrated an asymmetrical effect of mtDNA in each nuclear background; mtDNA effects were nuclear-background specific. mtDNA-sensitive genes were not enriched in male- or female-limited expression space in either sex. Using a variety of differential expression analyses, we show the responses to mitonuclear covariation to be substantially different between the sexes, yet the mtDNA genes were consistently differentially expressed across nuclear backgrounds and sexes. Our results provide evidence that the main mtDNA effects can be consistent across nuclear backgrounds, but the interactions between mtDNA and nDNA can lead to sex-specific global transcript responses.
Development of cost-effective human motion analysis system for children with movement disorders

This paper describes the design and development of a cost-effective (development cost of USD 300) human motion analysis system for children with movement disorders. Developed system consists of a Microsoft Kinect™ camera system, wearable force insole system, and data acquisition system. The system is capable of datalogging, and analysing kinematics, and kinetics parameters of gait. Real-time kinematics data obtained from normal walking, and kinetics data obtained from the test subjects reported to be within normal references provided in literatures. It is anticipated that the system will be beneficial in providing an alternative gait analysis system for children with movement disorders.