Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reversing Tumor Immune Suppression with Intratumoral IL-12: Activation of Tumor-Associated T Effector/Memory Cells, Induction of T Suppressor Apoptosis, and Infiltration of CD8+ T Effectors1

A single intratumoral injection of IL-12 and GM-CSF-loaded slow-release microspheres induces T cell-dependent eradication of established primary and metastatic tumors in a murine lung tumor model. To determine how the delivery of cytokines directly to the microenvironment of a tumor nodule induces local and systemic antitumor T cell activity, we characterized therapy-induced phenotypic and functional changes in tumor-infiltrating T cell populations. Analysis of pretherapy tumors demonstrated that advanced primary tumors were infiltrated by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with an effector/memory phenotype and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T suppressor cells. Tumor-associated effector memory CD8+ T cells displayed impaired cytotoxic function, whereas CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells effectively inhibited T cell proliferation demonstrating functional integrity. IL-12/GM-CSF treatment promoted a rapid up-regulation of CD43 and CD69 on CD8+ effector/memory T cells, augmented their ability to produce IFN-γ, and restored granzyme B expression. Importantly, treatment also induced a concomitant and progressive loss of T suppressors from the tumor. Further analysis established that activation of pre-existing effector memory T cells was short-lived and that both the effector/memory and the suppressor T cells became apoptotic within 4 days of treatment. Apoptotic death of pre-existing effector/memory and suppressor T cells was followed by infiltration of the tumor with activated, nonapoptotic CD8+ effector T lymphocytes on day 7 posttherapy. Both CD8+ T cell activation and T suppressor cell purge were mediated primarily by IL-12 and required IFN-γ. This study provides important insight into how local IL-12 therapy alters the immunosuppressive tumor milieu to one that is immunologically active, ultimately resulting in tumor regression.
Overweight in Boys With ADHD Is Related to Candidate Genes and Not to Deficits in Cognitive Functions

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship of overweight, the polymorphisms of selected candidate genes, and deficits in the executive functions among children with ADHD. Method: We examined 109 boys with ADHD aged between 7 and 17 years. The study indicated variants of 14 polymorphisms in eight candidate genes. We applied seven neuropsychological tests to evaluate the executive functions. Overweight was diagnosed on the basis of the guidelines of the International Obesity Task Force. Results: Analyses revealed significant association between DRD4 rs1800955, SNAP25 rs363039 and rs363043, 5HTR2A rs17288723, and overweight in boys with ADHD. There were no significant differences in the level of neuropsychological test results between patients with overweight and without overweight. Conclusion: Overweight in boys with ADHD is associated with polymorphisms in three candidate genes: DRD4, SNAP25, and 5HTR2A, but not through conditioning deficits in cognitive functions.
An approach of uav flight state estimation and prediction based on telemetry data

Flight state estimation and prediction of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are essential for safe operation, and they are primary bases of prognostics and health management (PHM). Telemetry data of UAV are the most significant resource for flight state tracking. However, telemetry data has the characters of high-dimension, non-linearity, uncertainty, and associated with noise, and it's hard to get accurate complex system model needed by classical filtering algorithms in many cases. Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) has the feature of adaptive parameter estimation and nonlinear regression, and Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) relies on unscented transform for high tracking accuracy. In this article, a hybrid method based on Gaussian Process-Unscented Kalman Filter (GP-UKF) is proposed. The GP recursive model is constructed based on real-time telemetry data, which can be used as the state transition equation in UKF. The proposed method which combines the advantages of these two algorithms can achieve effective estimation and prediction of UAV flight state. Experiments based on real telemetry data of UAV verified the effectiveness of the method, and fast accurate UAV flight state tracking is achieved.
Efficient and precise points-to analysis: modeling the heap by merging equivalent automata

Mainstream points-to analysis techniques for object-oriented languages rely predominantly on the allocation-site abstraction to model heap objects. We present MAHJONG, a novel heap abstraction that is specifically developed to address the needs of an important class of type-dependent clients, such as call graph construction, devirtualization and may-fail casting. By merging equivalent automata representing type-consistent objects that are created by the allocation-site abstraction, MAHJONG enables an allocation-site-based points-to analysis to run significantly faster while achieving nearly the same precision for type-dependent clients. MAHJONG is simple conceptually, efficient, and drops easily on any allocation-site-based points-to analysis. We demonstrate its effectiveness by discussing some insights on why it is a better alternative of the allocation-site abstraction for type-dependent clients and evaluating it extensively on 12 large real-world Java programs with five context-sensitive points-to analyses and three widely used type-dependent clients. MAHJONG is expected to provide significant benefits for many program analyses where call graphs are required.
Expression Profiling of Crystal-Induced Injury in Human Kidney Epithelial Cells

Background: Deposition of crystals within tubular lumens is a feature of many kidney stone diseases, including crystals of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) in primary hyperoxaluria and of 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (DHA) in adenine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency. Crystals are injurious to renal epithelial cells, but the molecular bases of cell injury have not been well characterized. Methods: We used a cDNA microarray to identify the time-dependent changes in gene expression associated with the interaction of COM or DHA crystals with primary cultures of normal human kidney cortical epithelial cells. Results: We observed gene expression changes that were common to both crystal types, as well as a number of crystal-specific responses. A subset of genes known to be aberrantly expressed in kidney tissue from stone formers also showed an altered expression in COM- or DHA-treated normal human kidney cortical epithelial cells. Conclusions: Our results show that cultured epithelial cells exposed to COM or DHA crystals demonstrate cellular responses that may be physiologically relevant, thus suggesting that this experimental system may be useful for elucidating the mechanisms of crystal-induced renal cell injury.
Source Anonymization Using Modified New Variant ElGamal Signature Scheme

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) have distinct features: like dynamic nodes, changing topologies, nodes cooperation and open communication media. Anonymity of message contents and participants is the most concerned task in MANET communication. Most of the existing methods face a challenge due to heavy cryptographic computation with high communication overheads. In this paper we propose an unconditionally secure privacy preserving message authentication scheme (PPMAS), which uses Modified New variant ElGamal signature Scheme (MNES). This scheme enables a sender to transmit messages, providing authentication along with anonymity, without relying on any trusted third parties. It also allows the untraceability of the link between the identifier of a node and its location. The experimental analysis of the proposed system is presented. Key-Words: Network security, Anonymity, Privacy, Mobile ad hoc networks, PPMAS, MNES.
Silanization with APTES for Controlling the Interactions Between Stainless Steel and Biocomponents: Reality vs Expectation

Jessem Landoulsi1, Michel J. Genet2, Karim El Kirat3, Caroline Richard4, Sylviane Pulvin5 and Paul G. Rouxhet2 1Laboratoire de Reactivite de Surface, Universite Pierre & Marie Curie -Paris VI, 2Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences – Bio & Soft Matter, Universite Catholique de Louvain, 3Laboratoire de Biomecanique et Bioingenierie, 4Laboratoire Roberval, 5Genie Enzymatique et Cellulaire, Universite de Technologie de Compiegne, 1,3,4,5France 2Belgium
Face detection based on skin color segmentation and AdaBoost algorithm

In practical applications, face detection based on AdaBoost algorithm usually has high false positive rate and missing rate due to the interference of complex background in color images. To address these problems, this paper proposes a face detection method combined skin color segmentation with the AdaBoost algorithm. Firstly, in order to avoid the influence of poor lighting conditions, we use the Reference White algorithm to compensate the illumination of the input image. Then we convert the color space from RGB to YCgCr and segment the image into skin regions and non-skin regions. The AdaBoost algorithm is applied to train classifiers. After the skin color segmentation, the trained classifiers are used to detect faces. The experimental results show that this combined method can effectively reduce the rate of both false and miss detection.
Cooperative manipulations based on genetic algorithms using contact information

This paper presents a new method for cooperative manipulations based on genetic algorithms using contact information. In order to apply genetic algorithms, each robot arm generates new information about object postures using its own contact information without using of any vision systems. The object postures are derived by calculating normal vectors of object surfaces. The system proposed on the basis of genetic algorithms determines forces which robot arms should apply to the objects by solving an optimization problem utilizing the generated and obtained information. Owing to genetic algorithms, the system has not only the adaptation to the change of the working environment, but also can determine the forces for robot arms without physical inconsistency.
The identification of a new family of sugar efflux pumps in Escherichia coli

Using a functional cloning strategy with an Escherichia coli genomic plasmid library, we have identified a new family of sugar efflux proteins with three highly homologous members in the E. coli genome. In addition, two open reading frames, one present in Yersinia pestis and the other in Deinococcus radioduransappear to encode closely related proteins. An in vitro transport assay using inside‐out membrane vesicles prepared from overproducing strains was used to demonstrate that members of this new family can efflux [14C]‐lactose. As sugar efflux phenomena have been reported previously in several bacterial species including E. coli, the identification of a new family of sugar efflux proteins may help to reveal the physiological role of sugar efflux in metabolism. It is proposed that the E. coli members of this family, whose functions were previously unknown, be given the gene family designation SET for sugar efflux transporter.
Reliability of Short Gravitational Insecurity (SGI) Assessment among Indian children

The purpose of this study was to examine reliability of Short Gravitational Insecurity (SGI) assessment among Indian Children. Short Gravitational Insecurity assessment consists of 5 items with two behavioural categories. Interrater reliability and test-retest reliability of SGI was examined. Fifty Gravitational Insecurity children participated in the study. Two raters were trained to administer the SGI Assessment by the first author, using demonstration and verbal instruction. Fifty gravitational insecurity children were tested by two raters for interrater reliability. The primary rater re-administered the SGI Assessment to the same 50 gravitationally insecure children after 2 weeks interval to establish test- retest reliability. ICC was used to analyze the interrater reliability and test-retest reilaibility. The results were 0.90, p<0.001 for Emotional Response; 0.93, p<0.001 for Postural Response; 0.96, p<0.001 for Total Score indicating acceptable level of reliability for emotional response, postural response and total score of the SGI assessment. The results were 0.95 for Emotional Response, 0.90 for Postural Response and 0.97 for Total Score indicating good test - retest reliability. Hence, it provides supportive evidence to the stability of SGI assessment over different period of intervals. The result of this study was concluded that SGI assessment has excellent interrater and test-retest reliability. It can be used as assessment tool as well as outcome measure to evaluate effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention program.
Sexuality, Pornography, and Method: "Pleasure under Patriarchy

I had always been fond of her in the most innocent, asexual way. It was as if her body was always entirely hidden behind her radiant mind, the modesty of her behavior, and her taste in dress. She had never offered me the slightest chink through which to view the glow of her nakedness. And now suddenly the butcher knife of fear had slit her open. She was as open to me as the carcass of a heifer slit down the middle and hanging on a hook. There we were . and suddenly I felt a violent desire to make love to her. Or to be more exact, a violent desire to rape her. [MILAN KUNDERA, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting]
A Role for the Putative Tumor Suppressor Bin1 in Muscle Cell Differentiation

ABSTRACT Bin1 is a Myc-interacting protein with features of a tumor suppressor. The high level of Bin1 expression in skeletal muscle prompted us to investigate its role in muscle differentiation. Significant levels of Bin1 were observed in undifferentiated C2C12 myoblasts, a murine in vitro model system. Induction of differentiation by growth factor withdrawal led to an upregulation of Bin1 mRNA and to the generation of higher-molecular-weight forms of Bin1 protein by alternate splicing. While Bin1 in undifferentiated cells was localized exclusively in the nucleus, differentiation-associated isoforms of Bin1 were found in the cytoplasm as well. To examine the function of Bin1 during differentiation, we generated stable cell lines that express exogenous human Bin1 cDNA in the sense or antisense orientation. Cells overexpressing Bin1 grew more slowly than control cells and differentiated more rapidly when deprived of growth factors. In contrast, C2C12 cells expressing antisense Bin1 showed an impaired ability to undergo differentiation. Taken together, the results indicated that Bin1 expression, structure, and localization are tightly regulated during muscle differentiation and suggested that Bin1 plays a functional role in the differentiation process.
HOW DO MATERIALS OBTAIN THEIR MEANINGS

Product designers are expected to create products transferring certain ‘meanings’. Materials of products are used for supporting the intended meanings in product design; one material may convey luxury, another material can be associated with a particular culture. Designers who aim to select a material that will contribute to the meaning they intend to convey in a product are confronted with the difficulty that the materials universe is immense. Moreover, traditional sayings such as ‘wood is cozy’, ‘metal is aloof’ or ‘plastic is cheap’ are less relevant and strict in today’s design practice. Without a doubt, having insights into the role of materials for creating particular meanings has become more and more relevant in the domain of design.
Programed elution and peak profiles in electric field gradient focusing

Electric field gradient focusing (EFGF) methods have received increased attention in recent years, with potential applications demonstrated by several research groups. In order to move EFGF from the research stage to routine use in application areas, a more detailed understanding of practical aspects of device performance is required. Useful theoretical models for EFGF are available but have not been verified through systematic checks under a variety of conditions. In this paper, we compare modeled and experimental results for an EFGF device with the goal of optimizing the time sequence of voltages applied to the device for maximum resolution of analytes with close electrophoretic mobilities. Measured peak profiles depend strongly on the sequence of voltages applied to the device. We investigate the characteristic behavior of the elution profile under various voltage programs. Rapid voltage drops lead to fast elution of closely spaced protein peaks with narrow widths, whereas a carefully designed voltage program can be used to increase the separation between analytes and achieve higher resolution. Simulated and experimental results demonstrate that the behavior of analyte diffusion at an electric field singularity associated with the transition from the EFGF device to elution capillary can be used to separate analyte peaks which may not be resolved within the EFGF device itself, thereby increasing the achievable resolution of the EFGF technique.
Pluralistic ignorance and Hooking up

“Hooking up “—when two people agree to engage in sexual behavior for which there is no future commitment—has become popular on college campuses. In this study we examined the extent to which pluralistic ignorance affects hooking up. One hundred thirty‐six female and 128 male college students answered questions regarding their own comfort and their perceived peers'comfort in engaging in a variety of sexual behaviors while hooking up. We hypothesized and found that both women and men rated their peers as being more comfortable engaging in these behaviors than they rated themselves. Men expressed more comfort than did women in engaging in these behaviors, and both sexes overestimated the other gender's comfort with hooking up behaviors. Pluralistic ignorance appears to apply to hooking up on college campuses, and we explore some potential consequences of pluralistic ignorance in this context.
Evaluation of DNA damage induced by Auger electrons from 137Cs

Abstract Purpose: To understand the biological effect of external and internal exposure from 137Cs, DNA damage spectrum induced by directly emitted electrons (γ-rays, internal conversion electrons, Auger electrons) from 137Cs was compared with that induced by 137Cs γ-rays. Methods: Monte Carlo track simulation method was used to calculate the microscopic energy deposition pattern in liquid water. Simulation was performed for the two simple target systems in microscale. Radiation sources were placed inside for one system and outside for another system. To simulate the energy deposition by directly emitted electrons from 137Cs placed inside the system, the multiple ejections of electrons after internal conversion were considered. In the target systems, induction process of DNA damage was modeled and simulated for both direct energy deposition and the water radical reaction on the DNA. The yield and spatial distribution of simple and complex DNA damage including strand breaks and base lesions were calculated for irradiation by electrons and γ-rays from 137Cs. Results: The simulation showed that the significant difference in DNA damage spectrum was not caused by directly ejected electrons and γ-rays from 137Cs. Conclusions: The result supports the existing perception that the biological effects by internal and external exposure by 137Cs are equivalent.
Liver angiogenesis as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma development in hepatitis C virus cirrhotic patients.

AIM To evaluate the predictive value of hepatocyte proliferation and hepatic angiogenesis for the occurrence of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhotic patients. METHODS One hundred-five patients (69 males, 36 females; age range, 51-90 year; median 66 year) with biopsy proven HCV cirrhosis were prospectively monitored for HCC occurrence for a median time of 64 mo. Angiogenesis was assessed by using microvessel density (MVD), hepatocyte turnover by MIB1 and PCNA indexes at inclusion in liver biopsies. RESULTS Forty six patients (43.8%) developed HCC after a median time of 55 (6-120) mo while 59 (56.2%) did not. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median value of each index. The difference between patients with low (median MVD = 3; range 0-20) and high (median MVD = 7; range 1-24) MVD was statistically significant (chi(2) = 22.06; P < 0.0001) which was not the case for MIB1 or PCNA (MIB-1: chi(2) = 1.41; P = 0.2351; PCNA: chi(2) = 1.27; P = 0.2589). The median MVD was higher in patients who developed HCC than in those who did not. HCC-free interval was significantly longer in patients with the MVD < or = 4 (P = 0.0006). No relationship was found between MIB1 or PCNA and MVD (MIB-1 r(2) = 0.00007116, P = 0.9281; PCNA: r(2) = 0.001950; P = 0.6692). MVD only was able to predict the occurrence of HCC in these patients. Among other known risk factors for HCC, only male sex was statistically associated with an increased risk. CONCLUSION Liver angiogenesis has a role for in HCV-related liver carcinogenesis and for defining patients at higher risk.
The function of sub‐synaptic vesicles during T‐cell activation

The immune synapse is central to the regulation of T‐cell activation and effector functions. Vesicular compartments dynamically interact with the immune synapse. Here they take part in the trafficking of signaling components to and from the synaptic cleft, as well as in the directed delivery and release of T‐cell effector compounds. In addition to ferrying cargo, emerging evidence indicates that vesicular compartments at the immune synapse are actively involved in the signaling processes which underlie T‐cell activation, specifically that they productively interact with signaling microclusters at the synapse, or become sites of signaling themselves. How different classes of sub‐synaptic vesicular compartments associate with the immune synapse and to what extent they influence the processes there remains only partially understood. I here discuss the mechanisms underlying the interactions between vesicular compartments and the immune synapse and the contributions such interactions have on T‐cell activity, with particular focus on the advantages to the regulation of T‐cell signaling.
MULTIVARIATE AND MULTICRITERIAL FOREIGN DEBT ANALYSIS OF THE SELECTED TRANSITION ECONOMIES

There is a constant evidence of the growth of the foreign indebtedness in all the countries in transition, both EU member states and (pre)accession countries. Status and trends of external debt are important indicators of potential macroeconomic problems, which determines that the management of foreign debt should be a task for all governments. Thus, methodology and measurement of foreign indebtedness is crucial for these countries. The aim of the paper is to classify, using multivariate cluster analysis, ten chosen countries in transition (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Latvia, Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia) according to the key indicators of the state and trends of foreign indebtedness. In addition, ranking of those countries will be done in relation to the indebtedness indicators by the multicriteria analysis method. Comparative analysis of the results will be done. The advantage of these approaches is reflected in the fact that the analysis, classification and ranking can be done for all countries, based on all indicators of external indebtedness at the same time.