Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute alcohol consumption inhibits accessory cell function of monocytes and dendritic cells.

BACKGROUND Alcohol affects both innate and acquired immune responses. Chronic alcoholics have reduced delayed-type hypersensitivity response and increased susceptibility to infections. In contrast, recent studies suggest that acute, moderate alcohol consumption has protective effects on mortality. Monocytes and dendritic cells (DC) play a central role in coordination of innate and adaptive immune responses and are pivotal in activation of T lymphocytes in an antigen-specific manner. In this study, we investigated the effects of acute, moderate alcohol consumption on antigen presenting cell function of blood monocytes and monocyte-derived myeloid dendritic cells. METHODS Accessory cell function of human blood monocytes was tested before and after acute alcohol intake (2 ml vodka/kg body weight) by measuring T cell activation with alloantigen (mixed lymphocyte reaction, MLR), superantigen (staphylococcal enterotoxin B) and recall antigen (tetanus toxoid). Myeloid DCs were generated in vitro from monocytes obtained from these individuals using IL-4 and GM-CSF and their allostimulatory function was tested in an MLR. RESULTS We found significantly reduced T cell proliferation in the presence of monocytes obtained 2 or 18 hr after alcohol consumption whether alloantigen, superantigen, or recall antigen was the stimuli (p < 0.01). The reduced T cell proliferation was due to the effects of acute alcohol on monocytes rather than on T cells as we found decreased proliferation only in the presence of alcohol-exposed accessory cells but not when T cells were exposed to alcohol. In addition, monocyte-derived dendritic cells showed significantly reduced allostimulatory capacity after alcohol consumption (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION Acute alcohol consumption inhibits accessory cell function of both monocytes and myeloid dendritic cells. Impaired function of these key antigen-presenting cells may contribute to reduced adaptive immune responses and increased susceptibility to infections when acute alcohol intake coincides with exposure to pathogens.
Diversity Dynamics of Marine Bacteria Studied by Immunofluorescent Staining on Membrane Filters

Of 34 strains of marine bacteria isolated on a general seawater medium, 5 were selected for detailed studies of their population dynamics in the plankton. The isolates were characterized as Aeromonas sp. , Chromobacterium cf. lividum, Vibrio sp. , and two Pseudomonas spp. Specific antibodies were produced by immunization of rabbits, and bacterial cells were stained on black Uni-Pore membrane filters by an indirect immunofluorescent staining procedure. The method proved to be very specific and practical for use in a large-scale field sampling program. Growth of all five isolates was stimulated by high values for net primary production, chlorophyll a, and dissolved organic carbon. Calculation of a diversity index based on specific and total counts is proposed as a way of characterizing the dynamics of organotrophic bacterial populations in the sea.
A linear regression model for estimating facial image quality

The quality of biometrie data has a strong relationship with the performance of a face recognition system. The accuracy of automated face recognition systems is greatly affected by various quality factors, such as illumination, contrast, brightness, and blur. Therefore, an effective method is needed, which can characterize the quality of the facial image by fusing different quality measures into a single quality score. In this paper, we propose a novel quality estimation method based on linear regression analysis, to model the relationship between different quality factors and corresponding face recognition performance. A practical set of quality measures is used to estimate the quality scores. The linear regression model adjusts the weight of different quality factors according to their impact on recognition performance. The facial features are extracted using Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier is used for the classification purpose. The prediction scores generated from the model is a strong indicator of the overall quality of a facial image. This model has many applications, for example, saving the processing time and improving the face recognition accuracy during enrollment processes by discarding poor quality images. The residual error of the regression model is 4.29%, and considering 0 and ±1 error between original response value and the prediction value results in a very high accuracy of 94.06%.
Patterns and a generator of social networks: From the perspective of non-giant connected components

What patterns do non-giant connected components in a graph or network have? How do the non-giant connected components behave during their evolution over time? How can we model the time-evolving patterns of non-giant connected components? These questions are important for understanding the evolution of social networks, but they were seldom studied in previous work, which focused mainly on the giant connected component. In this paper, we study three real-world networks, and analyze some patterns of non-giant connected components. The main contributions of our work include the following aspects. First, we find that many non-giant connected components cannot stay in the networks for a long time. Most of them merge with one another or with the giant connected component. Second, we find that when those non-giant connected components die, the distribution of their node number follows a power law. Third, we design a graph generator to reproduce the observed patterns.
Multiobjective Optimization Method Based on Adaptive Parameter Harmony Search Algorithm

The present trend in industries is to improve the techniques currently used in design and manufacture of products in order to meet the challenges of the competitive market. The crucial task nowadays is to find the optimal design and machining parameters so as to minimize the production costs. Design optimization involves more numbers of design variables with multiple and conflicting objectives, subjected to complex nonlinear constraints. The complexity of optimal design of machine elements creates the requirement for increasingly effective algorithms. Solving a nonlinear multiobjective optimization problem requires significant computing effort. From the literature it is evident that metaheuristic algorithms are performing better in dealing with multiobjective optimization. In this paper, we extend the recently developed parameter adaptive harmony search algorithm to solve multiobjective design optimization problems using the weighted sum approach. To determine the best weightage set for this analysis, a performance index based on least average error is used to determine the index of each weightage set. The proposed approach is applied to solve a biobjective design optimization of disc brake problem and a newly formulated biobjective design optimization of helical spring problem. The results reveal that the proposed approach is performing better than other algorithms.
Regression of carotid and femoral artery intima-media thickness in familial hypercholesterolemia: treatment with simvastatin.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether high-dose simvastatin therapy could reduce carotid and femoral artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) to prevent cardiovascular disease. BACKGROUND Imaging of arterial walls with B-mode ultrasonography is increasingly used as a noninvasive surrogate marker of cardiovascular disease. Intervention trials using this modality have shown that by reducing risk factors, progression of atherosclerosis was inhibited. METHODS After a washout period of 6 weeks, all patients with FH started monotherapy with simvastatin, 80 mg/d, for 2 years. The primary end point was the change (in millimeters) of the mean combined far-wall IMT of predefined carotid and femoral arterial segments at 2 years. RESULTS We included a total of 153 patients with FH. Mean +/- SD combined baseline IMT was 1.07 +/- 0.23 mm. After treatment with simvastatin for 2 years, this IMT decreased by a mean of 0.081 mm (95% confidence interval, -0.109 to -0.053; P<.001), with its largest reduction in the femoral artery (-0.283 mm; P<.001). An actual decrease of combined IMT was seen in 69.8% of all patients. CONCLUSIONS High-dose simvastatin therapy reduces arterial wall IMT in more than two thirds of the patients, with its largest effect on the femoral artery. Furthermore, patients with FH who were treated with both statin and antihypertensive medication experienced a significantly greater benefit in terms of IMT reduction.
Characterization of the CtsR Stress Response Regulon in Lactobacillus plantarum

ABSTRACT Lactobacillus plantarum ctsR was characterized. ctsR was found to be cotranscribed with clpC and induced in response to various abiotic stresses. ctsR deletion conferred a heat-sensitive phenotype with peculiar cell morphological features. The transcriptional pattern of putative CtsR regulon genes was examined in the ΔctsR mutant. Direct CtsR-dependent regulation was demonstrated by DNA-binding assays using recombinant CtsR and the promoters of the ctsR-clpC operon and hsp1.
Substrate integrated waveguide cavity backed slot antenna for dual-frequency application

In this paper, a dual-frequency substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity backed slot antenna has been presented. The unique slot structure includes a pair of slot stubs connected at the center of the radiating slot which helps to create an additional hybrid mode resonance at the higher frequency end. As a result, the antenna resonates at two different frequencies 8.96 GHz and 15.84 GHz with a bandwidth of 240 MHz (2.67 %) and 300 MHz (1.89 %) and gain of 4.47 dBi and 5.4 dBi respectively. The proposed design has been fabricated and measured results are also presented. The measured front-to-back ratio (FTBR) of the radiation pattern is 12 dB and 10 dB respectively and cross polarization level is 20 dB below at both frequencies in the broadside direction.
Pharyngitis and sore throat: A review

Pharyngitis is a sore throat caused by inflammation of the back of the throat. It is one of the most common reasons for visits to family physicians. Throat may be scratchy and swallowing can be painful. Usually, a sore throat is the sign of another illness, such as a cold or the flu. In this review article, epidemiology, national perspective, regional perspective, pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, clinical presentation and causes of pharyngitis was described.
Beyond risk: Prospective effects of GABA Receptor Subunit Alpha-2 (GABRA2) × Positive Peer Involvement on adolescent behavior

Abstract Research on Gene × Environment interactions typically focuses on maladaptive contexts and outcomes. However, the same genetic factors may also impact susceptibility to positive social contexts, leading to adaptive behavior. This paper examines whether the GABA receptor subunit alpha-2 (GABRA2) single nucleotide polymorphism rs279858 moderates the influence of positive peer affiliation on externalizing behavior and various forms of competence. Regions of significance were calculated to determine whether the form of the interaction supported differential susceptibility (increased sensitivity to both low and high positive peer affiliation) or vantage sensitivity (increased sensitivity to high positive peer affiliation). It was hypothesized that those carrying the homozygous minor allele (GG) would be more susceptible to peer effects. A sample (n = 300) of primarily male (69.7%) and White (93.0%) adolescents from the Michigan Longitudinal Study was assessed from ages 12 to 17. There was evidence for prospective Gene × Environment interactions in three of the four models. At low levels of positive peer involvement, those with the GG genotype were rated as having fewer adaptive outcomes, while at high levels they were rated as having greater adaptive outcomes. This supports differential susceptibility. Conceptualizing GABRA2 variants as purely risk factors may be inaccurate. Genetic differences in susceptibility to adaptive environmental exposures warrants further investigation.
vBlades: Optimized Paravirtualization for the Itanium Processor Family

Virtualization of an "uncooperative" architecture often has severe performance consequences. Paravirtualization has recently been suggested as a solution to performance issues, but it introduces unacceptable supportability problems. The HP Labs vBlades project has identified a novel hybrid approach - which we call optimized paravirtualization. We examine methods for both virtualizing and paravirtualizing the Itanium processor, and then demonstrate optimized paravirtualization to maximize performance while simultaneously minimizing supportability concerns.
Performance Optimization for Interference Alignment Based on MMSE Prediction to Time-Variant Channels

—Interference Alignment (IA) is a precoding technique that achieves the maximum multiplexing gain over an interference channel when perfect Channel State Information (CSI) is available at transmitters. Most of IA researches assume channels remain static for a period but vary independently from block to block, which neglects the temporal correlation of timevariant channels. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme that transmitters utilize a number of samples to predict CSI instead of obtaining CSI through feedback all the time. By making full use of the correlation of time-variant channels, our proposed scheme is able to reduce overhead and compensate for the feedback error due to low feedback Signal-Noise Ratio (SNR). Furthermore, we find an optimized prediction horizon achieving the maximum sum rate of our system, which is the best tradeoff between prediction error and overhead length. Simulation results verify that our scheme outperforms the traditional nonpredictive feedback scheme.
First isolation of Clostridium difficile 027 in Japan.

We report the first isolation of a variant strain of Clostridium difficile from a patient with pseudomembranous colitis in Japan. The strain was chararacterised as North American pulsed field gel electrophoresis type 1 (NAP1), PCR ribotype 027, toxinotype III.
The Amyl Nitrite Expectancy Questionnaire for Men who have Sex with Men (AEQ-MSM): A Measure of Substance-Related Beliefs

A measure of perceived reinforcement associated with amyl nitrite was developed and evaluated among gay and bisexual men. This is the first known expectancy measure to date for this drug class. The Amyl Nitrite Expectancy Questionnaire for Men who have Sex with Men (AEQ-MSM) was completed online by 102 gay and bisexual men, between 2006 and 2008 in Queensland, Australia. The AEQ-MSM demonstrated good psychometric properties and was associated with consumption patterns. Factor analysis revealed three distinct reinforcement domains: “Enhanced sexual desire and pleasure,” “Disorientation,” and “Sexual negotiation. ” Limitations include sampling via self-selection, recruitment through health centers and self-report data. Implications for sexual activity and risk-taking, including reducing associated harm (e.g., HIV transmission), and future directions are discussed.
Confidence in Imitation: Niche-Width Strategy in the UK Automobile Industry

Our study examines the imitation behavior of UK automobile manufacturers from 1894 to 1981 and supports previous studies on interorganizational imitation by showing that manufacturers tend to imitate other manufacturers that are similar. We also find that the degree of confidence manufacturers have in their imitating behavior affects the intensity of that behavior, where an organizations confidence is determined by the variance of the routines used by its reference group and the number of firms in the reference group. Our results show that (1) manufacturers whose reference groups showed large variance in niche-width changes during the previous year are less likely to imitate (the mean of) those changes, (2) manufacturers who have large reference groups are more likely to imitate the changes, and (3) the negative effect of variance on the imitating behavior is strengthened as the number of reference organizations increases.
Textual Analysis of Tobacco Editorials: How are Key Media Gatekeepers Framing the Issues?

Purpose. The news media's potential to promote awareness of health issues is established, and media advocacy is now an important tool in combating tobacco use. This study examines newspaper editors' perspectives of tobacco-related issues. Design. This study presents a textual analysis of tobacco-related editorials. The data consist of editorials on tobacco from a sample of 310 U.S. daily newspapers over the course of 1 year (2001). Data were sampled from a random one-third of the days per month, yielding 162 editorials for analysis. A qualitative textual analysis was conducted. Each editorial was coded for theme, position, and frame. We analyzed the topics gaining editorial attention and the arguments made to support various perspectives. Results. Editorials discussed a variety of both positive and negative news events, largely conveying support for tobacco-control objectives. Various organizing frames were used—supporting policy interventions, condemning the industry, highlighting individual rights, and expressing general cynicism were most prevalent. Conclusion. Editors largely promoted tobacco-control efforts, particularly policy advances. There was, however, little coverage of key issues such as health effects and addiction—perhaps because they are no longer perceived to be contentious. Advocates should seek to address this area and minimize the cynicism of key media gatekeepers to avoid undermining policy and individual change efforts.
Iron Chelator Triggers Inflammatory Signals in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells: Involvement of p38 and Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Signaling Pathways1

Competition for cellular iron (Fe) is a vital component of the interaction between host and pathogen. Most bacteria have an obligate requirement for Fe to sustain infection, growth, and survival in host. To obtain iron required for growth, many bacteria secrete iron chelators (siderophores). This study was undertaken to test whether a bacterial siderophore, deferoxamine (DFO), could trigger inflammatory signals in human intestinal epithelial cells as a single stimulus. Incubation of human intestinal epithelial HT-29 cells with DFO increased the expression of IL-8 mRNA, as well as the release of IL-8 protein. The signal transduction study revealed that both p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 were significantly activated in response to DFO. Accordingly, the selective inhibitors for both kinases, either alone or in combination, completely abolished DFO-induced IL-8 secretion, indicating an importance of mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway. These proinflammatory effects of DFO were, in large part, mediated by activation of Na+/H+ exchangers, because selective blockade of Na+/H+ exchangers prevented the DFO-induced IL-8 production. Interestingly, however, DFO neither induced NF-κB activation by itself nor affected IL-1β- or TNF-α-mediated NF-κB activation, suggesting a NF-κB-independent mechanism in DFO-induced IL-8 production. Global gene expression profiling revealed that DFO significantly up-regulates inflammation-related genes including proinflammatory genes, and that many of those genes are down-modulated by the selective mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors. Collectively, these results demonstrate that, in addition to bacterial products or cell wall components, direct chelation of host Fe by infected bacteria may also contribute to the evocation of host inflammatory responses.
A new delayless subband adaptive filter structure

Adaptive subband techniques have been developed to reduce complexity and slow convergence problems of the traditional fullband high-order adaptive filters. In this paper, we present a new, delayless maximally decimated structure where the optimal subband filters are related to the wideband system in a closed form, and it is based on the analysis carried out for the delayless scheme previously proposed by the authors. The proposed structure makes use of a special DFT analysis filter bank where the polyphase components of the prototype filter represent fractional delays so that there is no need for adaptive cross-filters and the unknown system can modeled perfectly in a closed loop scheme. Some computer simulations are presented in order to verify the good features of the proposed structure.
Quantitative characterization of the trapped charge profile in GaN HEMTs by sense nodes in the drain-extension region

A new methodology is presented that directly extracts the location and amount of trapped charge in GaN HEMTs by making use of a special test structure with an additional sense node in-between the gate and drain. The technique is validated on three wafer types: one for which trapping predominantly occurs in the GaN epitaxy, one with both epitaxy trapping and surface charge injection, and one for our optimized 650-V GaN technology, for which charge trapping is almost completely eliminated.
CUX1: target of Akt signalling and mediator of resistance to apoptosis in pancreatic cancer

Background and aims The transcription factor CUX1 is known as a regulator of cell differentiation and cell cycle progression. Previously, CUX1 was identified as a modulator of invasiveness in various cancers. Based on expression profiles suggesting a role for CUX1 in mediating chemoresistance, the aim of this study was to characterise the effect of CUX1 on apoptosis as well as its regulation by signalling pathways modulating drug resistance in pancreatic cancer. Methods The effect of CUX1 on TRAIL- (tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) and drug-induced apoptosis was analysed using overexpression and knock-down strategies. Regulation of CUX1 by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling was examined at the mRNA and protein level. The effect of CUX1 knock-down by nanoparticle-complexed small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vivo was analysed in a murine xenograft model. Furthermore, CUX1 RNA and protein expression was evaluated in human pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissues. Results Knock-down of CUX1 resulted in significantly enhanced TRAIL- and drug-induced apoptosis, associated with increased PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) cleavage and caspase activity. Vice versa, overexpression of CUX1 inhibited apoptosis. CUX1 expression was induced by activation of Akt/protein kinase B signalling, and decreased by PI3K inhibitors. The antiapoptotic effect of CUX1 was associated with upregulation of BCL2 and downregulation of tumour necrosis factor α. CUX1 was significantly overexpressed in pancreatic cancers, as analysed by in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry. In vivo, silencing of CUX1 by intratumourally administered polyethylenimine-complexed siRNA led to reduced tumour growth and increased apoptosis in pancreatic cancer xenografts. Conclusion CUX1 was identified as an important mediator of tumour cell survival in pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo.