Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
T cell proliferation in lymphopenia conditions : modeling, parameters estimation and mathematical analysis. (Prolifération des cellules T dans des conditions lymphopéniques : modélisation, estimation des paramètres et analyse mathématique)

T lymphocytes are a fundamental component of the immune system that can recognise and respond to foreign antigens by virtue of their clonally expressed T cell antigen receptor (TCR). T cells that have yet to encounter the antigen they recognise are termed 'naive' as they have not been activated to respond. Homeostatic mechanisms maintain the number of T cells at an approximately constant level by controling cell division and death. In normal replete hosts, cell turnover within the naive compartment is very low and naive cells are maintained in a resting state.However, disruption of the homeostatic balance can arise from a wide variety of causes (viral infection (e.g. HIV), or drugs used in peritransplant induction therapy or cancer chemotherapy) and can result in T cell deciency or T lymphopenia. Under conditions of T lymphopenia, naive T cells undergo cell division with a subtle change in the cell surface phenotype (CD44 expression), termed homeostatic proliferation or lymphopenia induced proliferation (LIP). In this thesis, our purpose is to understand the process of T cell homeostatic through mathematical approach. At first, we build a new model that describes the proliferation of T cells in vitro under lymphopenic conditions. Our nonlinear model is composed of ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations structured by age (maturity of cell) and CD44 expression. To better understand the homeostasis of T cells, we identify the parameters that define T cell division by using experimental data. Next, we consider an age-structured model system describing the T cell homeostatic in vivo, and we investigate its asymptotic behaviour. Finally, an optimal strategy is applied in the in vivo model to rebuild immunity under conditions of T lympopenia.
TEAMA: Trust Evaluation Based Authorization Model for Ad Hoc Networks

A wireless Ad Hoc network is an infrastructureless self-organizing network. Access control problem of strangers may happen because of its strong openness. Trust management based on policy can dealt with such problem, which can deliver access control policies to strangers through credential-delegation to give them permissions. But the delegation frameworks are somewhat coarse-grained and subjective. This paper proposes a trust evaluation based authorization model for ad hoc networks (TEAMA), which extends the basic model TBM with trust degree, which is generated by trust evaluation and helps the decisions of credential-grants in trust management based on policy, gives a more objective fine-grained evaluation than usual subjective methods.
Co-operatives as an alternative distribution system for local food and community development

CO-OPERAIVES AS AN ALTNERATIVE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR LOCAL FOOD AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Simon Thomas Berge Advisor: University of Guelph, 2015 Professor W. Caldwell Consolidation within the food system places the needs of the system itself over the needs of communities (Brenner, Peck and Theodore, 2010; Patel, 2010; Gross, 2011; Holt-Gimenez and Shattuck, 2011; Marsden and Franklin, 2013). To ensure the system’s needs are met the current food system curtails information flows creating an asymmetry of information between consumers and retailers (Jaffe and Gertler, 2006; Nestle’, 2007). This lack of information leads to decreased community participation within the food system as seen by the distancing of consumers from food preparation (Jaffe and Gertler, 2006). This research examined how Ontario food co-operatives developed to address a community’s ability to participate within the food system. Three questions were asked within this research project to determine the role of food co-operatives in Ontario: 1) How do Ontario co-operatives define and interact with their communities to bring about community development? 2) What is the current state of Ontario food co-operatives through the examination of governance, finances, and their scale of distribution? 3) How do co-operatives address the consolidation and asymmetry of information within the current food system? To address these questions, nine case studies and key informant interviews with cooperative managers were completed across four regions and one sub-region in Ontario. To be considered a food co-operative, the mission and vision statement for the cooperative had to emphasize a food focus to the business strategy. Co-operatives were segmented within the sample based on average gross sales revenues over three years. Financial analysis of the co-operatives was completed using three years worth of data. Spatial analysis of membership was completed to define scale of distribution using membership postal codes. The results showed that small and medium co-operatives maintained a consolidated membership base with potential for greater interaction between co-operative and membership. This interaction assisted in the development of a community definition as well as programs to address the asymmetry of information in the food system. The programs also acted as a bridge between socio-economic groups within the community, helping to facilitate community development.
Expression of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors during the resorption of schistosome egg‐induced fibrosis in praziquantel‐treated mice

Schistosomiasis mansoni is a tropical helminthic disease characterized by parasite egg‐induced granulomatous inflammation and cumulative fibrosis. Because fibrosis is influenced by the imbalance between degradative matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), we analysed the resorption of fibrous tissue and MMP/TIMP expression in the livers of S. mansoni‐infected and praziquantel‐cured mice. Worm elimination significantly enhanced survival rate, ameliorated the granulomatous pathology and reduced collagen I, III and IV gene expression at 6 and 12 months post‐treatment. Compared to 6 months infected, untreated controls, liver fibrous tissue was resorbed by 71·4% at 12 months after treatment. At 3 months post‐treatment, expression of the MMP‐2, ‐3, ‐8, ‐10, ‐13, ‐14 and ‐16 genes decreased compared with untreated controls. By 6 months, a highly significant increase in MMP‐10 gene expression was manifest. At 12 months, messages for all MMP genes decreased in relation to untreated controls. TIMP‐1, ‐2 and ‐3 gene expression drastically decreased between 3 and 6 months. At 1 year, only TIMP‐1 expression was significantly diminished. Overall, profibrogenic tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression decreased. Antigen‐stimulated splenocytes secreted significantly higher levels of interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐5, IL‐10 and IL‐13 cytokines between 3 and 12 months after treatment. Production of interferon (IFN)‐γ was higher than in untreated controls 3 and 6 months after treatment. In conclusion, praziquantel‐treated mice showed a slow resorption of liver fibrous tissue. Resorption is attributed to the precipitous drop in TIMP‐1 gene expression level, which shifted the balance in favour of MMP message expression and presumed enhanced collagenase activity.
Laboratory evaluation of the inflammatory myopathies

The laboratory plays an important role in the diagnosis, evaluation, and classification of the heterogeneous group of diseases known as the IIM, which are characterized by chronic muscle inflammation. Serial measurements of the levels of muscle-derived enzymes in serum are the traditional laboratory studies used to follow the clinical course of patients with IIM, although other laboratory tests can also be useful in assessing myositis disease activity. Several markers of immune system activation, including cytokines and lymphocyte markers, show promise as possibly more sensitive measures of myositis disease activity. Discovery of a unique group of MSAs over the past decade has provided an immunologic basis for defining relatively homogeneous subsets of patients who share similar clinical features, disease courses, and responses to therapy. Future investigations of novel immunologic activation markers, as well as the cloning and expression of target autoantigens of the MSAs, should allow better diagnostic assays, enhanced prognosis, and a better understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders.
Rapid and sensitive analysis of reduced and oxidized coenzyme Q10 in human plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and application to studies in healthy human subjects

Background Coenzyme Q10 is an endogenous antioxidant as well as a popular dietary supplement. In blood circulation, coenzyme Q10 exists predominantly as its reduced ubiquinol-10 form, which readily oxidizes to ubiquinone-10 ex vivo. Plasma concentrations of coenzyme Q10 reflect net overall metabolic demand, and the ratio of ubiquinol-10:ubiquinone-10 has been established as an important biomarker for oxidative stress. However, the lability of ubiquinol-10 makes accurate determination of both forms of coenzyme Q10 difficult. Ex vivo oxidation of ubiquinol-10 to ubiquinone-10 during sample collection, processing and analysis may obfuscate the in vivo ratio. Methods We developed a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of ubiquinol-10 and ubiquinone-10 in human plasma, using coenzyme Q9 analogues as internal standards. Single-step protein precipitation in 1-propanol, a lipophilic and water-soluble alcohol, allowed for rapid extraction. Results Analysis by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry provided rapid run-time and high sensitivity, with lower limits of quantitation for ubiquinol-10 and ubiquinone-10 of 5 μg/L and 10 μg/L, respectively. Conclusions This method is suitable for clinical studies with coenzyme Q10 supplementation in various disease states where this lipid-antioxidant may be beneficial. We have applied this method to >300 plasma samples from coenzyme Q10 research studies in chronic haemodialysis patients and postsurgical patients.
Decentralised direct adaptive fuzzy control for a class of large-scale nonaffine nonlinear systems and application to AHS

A novel decentralised direct adaptive fuzzy controller design is presented for a class of large-scale nonaffine uncertain nonlinear systems in this article. By integrating a fuzzy logic system and H ∞ tracking technique, the designed controller is able to adaptively compensate for interconnections and disturbances with unknown bounds, but none of the control and adaptation laws contains a sign function so that control chattering can be shunned. The closed-loop large-scale system is guaranteed to be asymptotically stable and obtain good H ∞ tracking performance. The control approach developed is applied to the following control problem of a string of vehicles within an automated highway system (AHS) and simulation results verify its validity.
Design and Development of a Static VAR Compensator for Load Compensation Using Real-Time Digital Simulator and Hardware Simulation

A static VAr compensator (SVC) is designed for compensation of a midsized three-phase unbalanced industrial load. The control system is programmed in the National Instruments LabView programming environment and implemented in an Intel based platform using National Instruments digital to analog conversion and timing hardware. The hardware design is done for a fixed capacitor-thyristor controlled reactor (FC-TCR) configuration of a static VAr compensator (SVC). The SVC controller is tested on both a real-time digital simulator (RTDS) and a physical hardware model.
Job satisfaction and acculturation among Filipino registered nurses.

PURPOSE To determine the (a) levels of acculturation and job satisfaction, (b) relationship between acculturation and job satisfaction, and (c) effects of select sociodemographic variables in predicting job satisfaction among Filipino RNs educated in the Philippines who are working in the US. DESIGN Descriptive correlational. A convenience sample of Filipino RNs (N=96) present during the PNAA Eastern Regional Conference in Baltimore, MD was conducted. METHODS A survey was conducted using A Short Acculturation Scale for Filipino Americans (ASASFA) to measure acculturation, Part B of the Index of Work Satisfaction Scale (IWS) to assess job satisfaction, and a participant demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using A Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. FINDINGS Participants had a moderate level of job satisfaction that was positively correlated to a level of acculturation that was closer to American than to Filipino culture. Furthermore, age, length of U.S. residency, and acculturation significantly predicted perception of job satisfaction among this group of Filipino RNs. CONCLUSIONS Job satisfaction among Filipino nurses is related to acculturation and select sociodemographic variables. Further research to determine how best to improve acculturation may lead to improved retention rates of Filipino nurses in countries to which they have migrated.
Distributed Trust Relationship and Polynomial Key Generation for IEEE 802.16m Networks

Mobile Relay Stations (RSs) provide Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks with additional mobility, which extends network coverage and advances dynamic networking and ubiquitous computing. However, there are many unresolved security vulnerabilities in the current IEEE 802.16 standard, such as BS/RS spoofing. Additional measures are needed to ensure that each component in the network is a trusted entity, verified by a trusted server and accessible through secure private channels. We suggest a Distributed Trust Relationship (DTR) with Polynomial-based Key Generation as a way of mutually validating trustworthiness between network components and preventing compromised components from infecting the entire network.
Pay Few Subjects But Pay Them Well: Cost-Effectiveness of Random Incentive Systems

Most large-scale economic experiments use a between-subjects random incentive system-BRIS-which selects a subset of the participants at random and offers real payment only to the selected participants. We evaluate the relative impact of nominal payoffs and the selection probability on the incentive effectiveness of BRIS. High nominal payoffs and a tiny but unknown selection probability induce the monetary incentives in a large-scale Internet treatment. Two laboratory treatments complement the Internet treatment, one with high nominal payoffs and a moderate selection probability and the other with moderate nominal payoffs and a high selection probability. For the majority of our participants nominal payoffs have a bigger impact on the incentive effectiveness of BRIS than the probability of payment and the latter hardly dilutes the effects of monetary incentives. Our results suggest that cost-effective BRIS consist of high nominal payoffs and a small selection probability.
Speech and music discrimination: Human detection of differences between music and speech based on rhythm

Rhythm in speech and singing forms one of its basic acoustic components. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate the capability of subjects to distinguish between speech and singing when only the rhythm remains as an acoustic cue. For this study we developed a method to eliminate all linguistic components but rhythm from the speech and singing signals. The study was conducted online and participants could listen to the stimuli via loudspeakers or headphones. The analysis of the survey shows that people are able to significantly discriminate between speech and singing after they have been altered. Furthermore, our results reveal specific features, which supported participants in their decision, such as differences in regularity and tempo between singing and speech samples. The hypothesis that music trained people perform more successfully on the task was not proved. The results of the study are important for the understanding of the structure of and differences between speech and singing, for the use in further studies and for future application in the field of speech recognition.
Proteasome assembly defect due to a proteasome subunit beta type 8 (PSMB8) mutation causes the autoinflammatory disorder, Nakajo-Nishimura syndrome

Nakajo-Nishimura syndrome (NNS) is a disorder that segregates in an autosomal recessive fashion. Symptoms include periodic fever, skin rash, partial lipomuscular atrophy, and joint contracture. Here, we report a mutation in the human proteasome subunit beta type 8 gene (PSMB8) that encodes the immunoproteasome subunit β5i in patients with NNS. This G201V mutation disrupts the β-sheet structure, protrudes from the loop that interfaces with the β4 subunit, and is in close proximity to the catalytic threonine residue. The β5i mutant is not efficiently incorporated during immunoproteasome biogenesis, resulting in reduced proteasome activity and accumulation of ubiquitinated and oxidized proteins within cells expressing immunoproteasomes. As a result, the level of interleukin (IL)-6 and IFN-γ inducible protein (IP)-10 in patient sera is markedly increased. Nuclear phosphorylated p38 and the secretion of IL-6 are increased in patient cells both in vitro and in vivo, which may account for the inflammatory response and periodic fever observed in these patients. These results show that a mutation within a proteasome subunit is the direct cause of a human disease and suggest that decreased proteasome activity can cause inflammation.
Alloxenic Distribution of Cystacanths of Two Profilicollis Species in Sympatric Crustacean Hosts in Chile

Abstract The taxonomic status of Profilicollis ( = Falsifilicollis Webster, 1948) species in crustaceans in Chile is examined. Mole crabs, Emerita analoga (Stimpson 1857), living in the splash zone of a sandy beach at Lenga off the coast of central Chile, harbor Polymorphus (Profilicollis) bullocki Mateo, Córdova and Guzmán 1982, while the estuarine crabs, Hemigrapsus crenulatus (Milne-Edwards, 1837), living in an oligohaline inlet at the same site, harbor Profilicollis spp. cystacanths which cannot be distinguished specifically to either Profilicollis antarcticus Zdzitowiecki 1985 or P. chasmagnathi Holcman-Spector, Mañé-Garzón and Dei-Cas 1977. We found no morphological data supporting records of P. altmani along the coast of Chile. Therefore, and after examination of both their morphology and the literature, we consider that P. bullocki must be reinstated as a valid species in the genus. There is a widespread distribution of habitats, such as sandy beaches and inlets, as well as a variety of host taxa involved in the life cycle of Profilicollis spp. Consequently, they provide an interesting scenario for testing hypotheses regarding the coevolution and host specificity of these parasites.
The effect of defaults in an electronic health record on laboratory test ordering practices for pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE Defaults have been shown to impact decision making in a variety of domains. However, no research has applied defaults to medical care decisions utilizing an Electronic Health Record (EHR). This research was designed to examine how providers' inpatient laboratory ordering practices were influenced by default selections in EHR order sets. METHOD Providers were asked to complete inpatient admission orders for six fictitious pediatric patients using three EHR interface designs: opt-in (no laboratory tests preselected), opt-out (all laboratory tests preselected), or recommended (only laboratory tests recommended by pediatric experts preselected). EHR design was manipulated within subjects. Seventy-two providers from a Midwestern pediatric hospital reviewed the six cases and completed admission orders for all cases, entering two cases with each EHR design. Order of the cases and EHR designs were counterbalanced across participants. RESULTS When all laboratory tests were preselected, providers ordered significantly more tests and increased the cost of admission by more than $70 when compared with the opt-in, p < . 01, and recommended EHR designs, p < . 01. Furthermore, providers ordered more tests recommended by the pediatric experts when using the recommended design than when using the opt-in design, p = . 03, although the total number of tests ordered did not differ significantly, p = . 97. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that default selections in an EHR can significantly influence providers' laboratory test ordering practices and that hospital systems could benefit from adding expert-recommended defaults to EHR order sets.
Language profiles in young children with autism spectrum disorder: A community sample using multiple assessment instruments

This study investigated language profiles in a community-based sample of 104 children aged 1–3 years who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) diagnostic criteria. Language was assessed with the Mullen scales, Preschool Language Scale, fifth edition, and Vineland-II parent-report. The study aimed to determine whether the receptive-to-expressive language profile is independent from the assessment instrument used, and whether nonverbal cognition, early communicative behaviors, and autism spectrum disorder symptoms predict language scores. Receptive-to-expressive language profiles differed between assessment instruments and reporters, and Preschool Language Scale, fifth edition profiles were also dependent on developmental level. Nonverbal cognition and joint attention significantly predicted receptive language scores, and nonverbal cognition and frequency of vocalizations predicted expressive language scores. These findings support the administration of multiple direct assessment and parent-report instruments when evaluating language in young children with autism spectrum disorder, for both research and in clinical settings. Results also support that joint attention is a useful intervention target for improving receptive language skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Future research comparing language profiles of young children with autism spectrum disorder to children with non-autism spectrum disorder developmental delays and typical development will add to our knowledge of early language development in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Effect of liposome-mediated macrophage depletion on LPS-induced cytokine gene expression and radioprotection.

Tissue-specific cytokine mRNA expression was examined in mice that received LPS. In the liver, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 (p40), and TNF-alpha were induced by 30 min after injection with LPS. In the spleen, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were induced by 30 min after LPS challenge, while increases in IL-10 and IL-12 (p40) were delayed in onset. GM-CSF, IFN-gamma, and IL-12 (p35) were not induced in the liver or spleen until 60 to 90 min after LPS injection. Mice were depleted of macrophages in their liver and spleen by i.v. injection of liposome-encapsulated dichloromethylene bisphosphonate (Cl2MBP). Induction of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12 (p40) mRNA by LPS was reduced by > 95% in the liver of macrophage-depleted mice, implicating macrophages as the primary producers of these cytokines. Macrophage depletion resulted in a 50 to 75% reduction in TNF-alpha mRNA in the liver. The results from Cl2MBP-liposome-treated mice also suggested that splenic macrophages were the primary producers of LPS-induced IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-12 (p40), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) mRNA, but not IL-10 and TNF-alpha mRNA. Mice treated with Cl2MBP-liposomes were more susceptible to ionizing irradiation than control mice, whether or not they were administered a radioprotective dose of LPS. These findings suggest that depletion of liver and splenic macrophages results in a dysregulation of basal and LPS-induced cytokine responses that can be associated with an altered biologic response.