Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of B cell development by transcription factors IRF4 and BACH2

Paulina Budzyńska Regulation of B cell development by transcription factors IRF4 and BACH2 The University of Turku, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Turku Doctoral Programme of Molecular Medicine (TuDMM) and, Turku Doctoral Programme of Biomedical Sciences (TuBS) Turku, Finland Annales Universitatis Turkuensis, Medica Odontologica, Turku, Finland 2017 B lymphocytes—major cell types mediating an adaptive immunity—recognize a vast variety of structures by B cell antigen receptors (BCR). Activated B cells can form germinal centers, undergo antigen-induced affinity maturation of their BCRs and differentiate into memory B cells sought upon vaccinations or antibody-secreting plasma cells that eradicate infections. Aberrant BCR signaling or transcriptional regulation of B cell development may cause immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases or lymphoid malignancies. Therefore, deeper knowledge of the transcriptional regulation of B cell development is essential for the understanding of B cell derived diseases. Transcription factors IRF4 and BACH2 are crucial regulators of germinal center formation and high-affinity antibody production. However, the molecular mechanisms how they do these remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IRF4 in B cells and clarify IRF4 function in the regulation of antibody secretion as well as to examine the role of BACH2 in immunoglobulin (Ig) diversification processes. To do this IRF4-, BACH2-, and IRF4/BCL6 double-deficient DT40 B cell lines were generated. In this thesis, I demonstrate a new role for IRF4 as a regulator of BCR signaling, which is crucial for the B cell survival, and activation. IRF4 directly represses IRF8 and upregulates SHIP gene expression that results in stronger BCR-induced calcium flux and changed signaling to ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. In this study, I show nonredundant functions for IRF4 and BLIMP1 in the induction of antibody secretion, as in IRF4or IRF4/BCL6 double-deficient cells enforced expression of BLIMP1 fails to induce antibody secretion. As the most important finding, I reveal a new role for BACH2 in Ig gene conversion that diversifies BCR.
PHYTOMEDIATED SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES AGAINST MICROBIAL PATHOGENS AND CYTOTOXICITY ON HUMAN BREAST CANCER CELLS (MCF-7)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are synthesized from the root extract of the Abutilon indicum plant. Nitrate reductase enzyme and/or other extra cellular proteins released from the extract reduce the silver nitrate to silver ions. These proteins or enzymes serve as a template for the silver nucleation sites in the development of silver nanoparticles, and also act as capping agents, preventing silver ion agglomeration. XRD analysis predicts the phase of the nanoparticles. Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscope analyses have revealed that the synthesized AgNPs are spherical in shape, with an average size of 17 nm. From the data, it is noted that the protein molecules and fatty acids present in the root extract of Abutilon indicum, play a vital role in reducing silver salts and as capping AgNPs at various concentrations. Bactericidal activity acting against the clinical pathogens was performed, and it was observed that NP inhibition is highly dependent on their size and surface. Cytotoxic studies were carried out with these synthesized silver nanoparticles using MTT assay on MCF-7 cells.
Metabolically engineered Caldicellulosiruptor bescii as a platform for producing acetone and hydrogen from lignocellulose

The production of volatile industrial chemicals utilizing metabolically engineered extreme thermophiles offers the potential for processes with simultaneous fermentation and product separation. An excellent target chemical for such a process is acetone (Tb = 56°C), ideally produced from lignocellulosic biomass. Caldicellulosiruptor bescii (Topt 78°C), an extremely thermophilic fermentative bacterium naturally capable of deconstructing and fermenting lignocellulose, was metabolically engineered to produce acetone. When the acetone pathway construct was integrated into a parent strain containing the bifunctional alcohol dehydrogenase from Clostridium thermocellum, acetone was produced at 9.1 mM (0.53 g/L), in addition to minimal ethanol 3.3 mM (0.15 g/L), along with net acetate consumption. This demonstrates that C. bescii can be engineered with balanced pathways in which renewable carbohydrate sources are converted to useful metabolites, primarily acetone and H2, without net production of its native fermentation products, acetate and lactate.
Enhanced mungbean and water productivity under full irrigation and stress using humic acid in arid regions

A field experiment was conducted during 2016 and 2017 seasons at the Agriculture Research Station of King Abdulaziz University at Hada Al-Sham, Saudi Arabia in a split plot design to investigate the response of Mungbean [(Vigna radiate (L.)Wilczek] MN-96 cv. to three irrigation water regimes(100%, 80% and 60% of water requirements)and three humic acid (HA) rates (15, 30 and 45 kg/ha HA) was mixed with the soil surface. Seed yield and yield components were significantly similar under 30 and 45 kg HA/ha. No significantly differences were showed between seed yield/ha, yield components and IWUE under the 80% water regime with45 kg/ha HA and 100% water regime with 15 kg/ha HA.
Genetic evidence of unisexual reproduction in the Moroccan hexaploid barbel Labeobarbus fritschi

Abstract. The hexaploid barbel population of the species Labeobarbus fritschi which lives in the Allal El Fassi dam reservoir in the north of Morocco showed an absence of males among a sample of 597 individuals analyzed in a first survey and among the 39 fish analyzed in this study. A possible explanation is that this population may be composed of females only and that they reproduce either by gynogenesis or hybridogenesis, two processes triggered by hybridization with a sexually incompatible species (possibly the sympatric barbel Luciobarbus setivimensis in this case). We used molecular markers to collect any information that could explain the phenomenon. To do this, numerous nuclear loci were screened (more than 50) in search of polymorphism. Genetic diversity was low as a possible consequence of clonal reproduction: only three allozymic and two intronic loci presented a sufficient level of polymorphism to be exploited. The existence of several copies of the same multilocus genotypes (1/3 of the fish) — with some showing a significant probability of not being derived from sexual reproduction — provided evidence of unisexual reproduction. Deviations from panmixia as well as linkage equilibrium were also observed. Although preliminary, the data supports the hypothesis of the unisexual reproduction of females by way of gynogenesis rather than hybridogenesis.
FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF IVABRADINE HYDROCHLORIDE LOADED TRANSFERSOMAL GEL FOR TRANSDERMAL DELIVERY

Objective: Aim of this study was to develop the topical delivery containing ivabradine hydrochloride (IVH) loaded transpersonal gel for symptomatic treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris in coronary artery disease. Methods: Different hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values of surfactants-tween-80, span-80 and sodium deoxycholate (SDC) were investigated to prepare transfersomes (TFs)respectively, with different concentration of soya phosphatidylcholine and 10% v/v ethanol in phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.8) by conventional rotary evaporation sonication method. The prepared formulations were evaluated for percentage entrapment efficiency (%EE), deformability index (DI), turbidity, vesicle shape and size, in vitro drug release study and stability. SEM was done on selected formulation F8 and liposome formulation (LF). Gel was prepared by using carbopol-940 as a gelling agent with propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol solution as permeation enhancer by 32 factorial design optimization methods. The developed gel was evaluated for pH, viscosity, drug content, ex-vivo permeation studies and stability studies of TFs-gel. This was compared with LF-gel prepared by same procedure. Results: Maximum % EE (78.4±0.94), suitable vesicular size (128.6 nm) and maximum DI (34.9±1.9) was found in TFs-TW-80 and selected for gel development. In vitro drug release data from TFs-TW-80, plain drug solution and liposomal formulation (LF) revealed that % cumulative drug released in TFs-TW-80 was found maximum (89.5±0.12 %) in 20 min than others. It was 2.1 times higher than LF and 3.3 times higher than the plain drug. SEM study showed spherical shape of vesicles. The drug contents in the TFs and LF gels were found to be 92 to 95%w/w. Partition coefficient for TFs-loaded gel was 1.04±0.03. Ex vivo permeation study from hairless rat skin showed that permeation of drug is described by firstly first-order kinetics than zero-order kinetics. The drug released from TFs-gel was found to be 1.7 times higher than LF-gel and about 1.9 times higher than plain drug. Flux from TFs-gel was 2.04 times greater than LF-gel and 3.28 times more than plan drug. Stability studies indicated that suitable storage condition for developed gel was temperature 25 °C or less, where the pH, potency and therapeutic efficacy of formulations remain constant. Conclusion: Thus, transdermal route has become one of the most successful and innovative focus for research in drug delivery of IVH loaded TFs-TW-80 to increase stability and bioavailability.
UJI EFEKTIVITAS EKSTRAK BUNGA KAMBOJA (Plumeria alba) SEBAGAI ANTIBAKTERI TERHADAP Streptococcus pyogenes

Abstract. infeksi adalah salah satu dari isu kesehatan yang disebabkan oleh mikroorganisme patogen dan salah satu mikroorganisme yang tersering adalah Streptococcus. Terdapat 616 kasus faringitis di dunia yang disebabkan oleh Streptococcus. Penyakit tersebut dapat menimbulkan berbgai komplikasi lain bila tidak diterapi dengan baik. Pengobatan menggunakan antibiotik memiliki risiko terjadinya resistensi. Oleh sebab itu, diperlukan pengembangan penelitian pada herbal sebagai pengobatan. Bunga kamboja putih ( Plumeria alba ) diketahui memiliki aktivitas antibakteri melawan berbagai macam mikroorganisme. Dengan latar belakang tersebut, tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menentukan adanya aktivitas antimikroba dari Plumeria alba terhadap Streptococcus pyogenes yang dapat diamati dari Konsentrasi Hambat Minimum (KHM) dan Konsentrasi Bunuh Minimum (KBM). Penelitian ini dikerjakan menggunakan metode eksperimental. Metode dilusi agar digunakan untuk menentukan KHM dan KBM. Konentrasi yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah 250 mg/ml, 125 mg/ml, 62,50 mg/ml, 31.25 mg/ml, 15,63 mg/m, 7,81 mg/ml, 3,91 mg/ml, 1,95 mg/ml, 0,98 mg/ml, kontrol positif (+) dan kontrol negatif (-). Melalui observasi dari penelitian ini, KHM tidak dapat ditentukan. Nilai dari KBM adalah 7,81 mg/ml yang menunjukkan konsentrasi dimana tidak didapatkan pertumbuhan koloni bakteri. Ekstrak etanol dari bunga kamboja putih ( Plumeria alba ) memiliki aktivitas antimikroba terhadapt Streptococcus pyogenes. Dalam studi in vitro ini menggunakan metode dilusi agar, KBM untuk Streptococcus pyogenes adalah 7,81 mg/ml.
Approximation to the K-Means Clustering Algorithm using PCA

Healthcare is an emerging domain that produces data exponentially. These massive data contain a wide variety of fields, which lead to a problem in analyzing the information. Clustering is a popular method for analyzing data. Data is split into smaller clusters having similar properties and is then analyzed. The K-Means algorithm [1] is a well-known technique among clustering methods. In this paper, an efficient approximation to the K-means problem targeted for large data by reducing the number of features to one through Principle Component Analysis(PCA) is introduced. This data is clustered in one dimension using the K - means algorithm. Intra-cluster RMS error in the modified algorithm is compared with the K-means algorithm in m dimensions and is found to be reasonable. The time taken by the modified algorithm is significantly less when compared to the K - means algorithm.
Formulation and Evaluation of Zidovudine Transdermal Patch using Permeation Enhancers

Objective: The objective of this research was to study the permeation of zidovudine using permeation enhancers. Methodology: Transdermal patches were formulated using permeation enhancer namely T-Anethole. Zidovudine patches were prepared by solvent casting method. Results: The prepared patches were evaluated for drug content, thickness and weight variation folding endurance, moisture uptake, water vapor transmission, ex-vivo permeation study and skin irritation study. Fourier Transform Infrared revealed no interaction among the drug, polymers and terpene used in the present study. Different formulations were prepared and variations in drug release profiles were observed. About 67.42% of drug release was observed for TPS control patch (without permeation enhancer) whereas for TPS4 patch containing t-anethole as permeation enhancer, drug release at the end of 8h was found to be 93.21%. The ex vivo permeation studies were performed in 7.4 phosphate buffer saline using a Franz diffusion cell. The skin irritation test was performed on rabbits and these results suggested that both placebo and drug-loaded films produced negligible erythema. Ex vivo studies indicated that formulation TPS4 shown better release of zidovudine for 8 hrs with flux 614. 05μg/cm2/hr. Conclusion: The transdermal patches of zidovudine using permeation enhancers done successfully. Key words: Zidovudine, Permeation, Anethole, Permeation enhancer, Flux.
Differences between Latin American and Spanish men in a batterer intervention programme: proximal and final outcomes

El objetivo de este estudio es comprobar si existen diferencias en la efectividad de un programa de intervención para hombres condenados por violencia de género, en función del lugar de procedencia de los participantes (i.e., españoles e inmigrantes latinoamericanos). Se utilizó una muestra de 425 hombres penados por violencia de género que participaban en un programa estándar de intervención en España. Se consideraron como variables finales la reincidencia oficial y el riesgo de reincidencia y como variables proximales la intención de cambio, la asunción de responsabilidad, la adherencia al tratamiento y el compromiso con la intervención. No se encontraron diferencias entre participantes españoles y latinoamericanos en las variables riesgo de reincidencia, intención de cambio, asunción de responsabilidad al sistema legal y a la víctima. Únicamente se encontraron diferencias significativas entre estos dos grupos en la variable compromiso con la intervención. Los resultados sugieren que, al menos para los inmigrantes latinoamericanos que se encuentran participando en programas de intervención con hombres condenados por violencia de género en España, no parece necesario ajustar la intervención en función de las diferencias culturales, siendo suficiente el uso de estrategias motivacionales para promover el cambio. The aim of this study was to test whether there are differences in the effectiveness of a Batterer Intervention Programme (BIP) for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetrators depending on the participants’ countries of origin (i.e., Spanish or Latin American immigrants). The sample included 425 male offenders who participated in a court-mandated standard BIP in Spain. Official recidivism and risk of recidivism were considered the final outcomes. Intention to change, responsibility attribution, adherence to treatment and treatment compliance were taken as the proximal outcomes. No differences were found in risk of recidivism, intention to change, responsibility attribution to the legal system and to the victim between the Spanish and Latin American participants. Significant differences between both groups were found for the variable treatment compliance. The results suggest that, at least for the Latin American immigrants participating in BIPs in Spain, it is apparently not necessary to adjust BIPs to cultural differences as adopting motivational strategies to promote change suffices.
The Behavioral Immune System Shapes Partisan Preferences in Modern Democracies: Disgust Sensitivity Predicts Voting for Socially Conservative Parties

While there is growing interest in the relationship between pathogen avoidance motivations and partisanship, the extant findings remain contradictory and suffer from a number of methodological limitations related to measurement and internal and external validity. We address these limitations and marshal the most complete test to date of the relationship between the behavioral immune system and partisanship, as indexed by which party people identify with and vote for. Using a unique research design, including multiple well-powered, nationally representative samples from the United States and Denmark collected in election and nonelection contexts, our study is the first to establish in cross-national data a consistent, substantial, and replicable connection between deep-seated pathogen avoidance motivations and socially conservative party preferences across multiple validated measures of individual differences in disgust sensitivity, and using large representative samples. We explore the relative contribution of the pathogen avoidance model and sexual strategies for accounting for this relationship.
Second-Order Statistics-Based Semi-Blind Techniques for Channel Estimation in Millimeter-Wave MIMO Analog and Hybrid Beamforming

Semi-blind (SB) channel estimation is conceived for millimeter wave (mmWave) analog-beamforming (AB) and hybrid-beamforming (HB)-based multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, which also exploits the data symbols for improving the estimation accuracy. A novel aspect of the proposed framework is that it directly estimates the analog beamformer/ combiner weights without necessitating the estimation of the entire mmWave MIMO channel matrix. By involving powerful matrix perturbation theoretic techniques, a closed-form expression is derived for the mean-squared-error (MSE) of the mmWave-AB-SB algorithm. As a further novelty, our mmWave-HB-SB technique relies on the decomposition of the channel matrix as the product of a decorrelating and a unitary matrix. Subsequently, the former is estimated purely relying on the unknown data symbols, whereas the latter is estimated exclusively from the training vectors. A lower bound on the MSE of the proposed mmWave-HB-SB technique is derived using the constrained Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) framework. Furthermore, the performance gain of our mmWave-HB-SB technique over the conventional purely training-based scheme is also quantified analytically. Our simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the techniques advocated over the existing solutions and also verify the accuracy of our analytical findings.
Scalable module detection for attributed networks with applications to breast cancer

The objective of network module detection is to identify groups of nodes within a network structure that are tightly connected. Nodes in a network often have attributes (aka metadata) associated with them. It is often desirable to identify groups of nodes that are tightly connected in the network structure, but also have strong similarity in their attributes. Utilizing attribute information in module detection is a major challenge because it requires bridging the structural network with attribute data. A Weighted Fast Greedy (WFG) algorithm for attribute-based module detection is proposed. WFG utilizes logistic regression to bridge the structural and attribute spaces. The logistic function naturally emphasizes associations between attributes and network structure accordingly, and can be easily interpreted. A breast cancer application is presented that connects a protein–protein interaction network gene expression data and a survival outcome. This application demonstrates the importance of embedding attribute information into the community detection framework on a breast cancer dataset. Five modules were significant for survival and they contained known pathways and markers for cancer, including cell cycle, p53 pathway, BRCA1, BRCA2, and AURKB, among others. Whereas, neither the gene expression data nor the network structure alone gave rise to these cancer biomarkers and signatures.
The female and male mitochondrial genomes of Unio delphinus and the phylogeny of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida)

Abstract We have sequenced the female and male mtDNA of Unio delphinus and inferred the Unionidae phylogeny using 41 complete mtDNA sequences. Additionally, we compared the concatenated mtDNA trees with those using single or combination of two mtDNA genes to identify the best genes to use in the absence of complete mitogenomes. The gender-specific mtDNAs of U. delphinus contain all Unionida mtDNA specific features. The mtDNA phylogeny supports the reciprocal monophyly of the gender-specific clades but it was inconclusive regarding Unionidae subfamilies relationships. The gene trees topologies using ND5 or 16S-rRNA with ND1 were the closest trees to the mtDNA trees.
Determinants and convergence of government effectiveness in Africa and Asia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants and convergence of government effectiveness in African and Asian countries.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes data from 100 countries in Africa and Asia from 2002 to 2018. The panel-corrected standard error regression is used for the regression analysis, while both beta-convergence and sigma-convergence among the countries are tested.FindingsBoth beta-convergence and sigma-convergence exist among African and Asian countries. Asia performs better than Africa across all indicators except for press freedom, and voice and accountability. Corruption perception index, government size, voice and accountability, regulatory quality and economic wealth have a significant positive effect on government effectiveness. Press freedom negatively impacts on government effectiveness, suggesting that freedom is necessary but not sufficient if there are political actors whose actions undermine freedom. Similarly, the political constraint index, as reflected by checks and balances are necessary but not sufficient to enhance government effectiveness, especially in Asia.Practical implicationsThe results reveal that for press freedom and political checks and balances to enhance government effectiveness, there is a need for a different and holistic approach. The results are relevant for policymakers, public sector practitioners and academics.Originality/valueThis study utilizes a new dataset and is premier in exploring the convergence of government effectiveness among African and Asian countries.
A Survey on Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access: From the Perspective of Spectral Efficiency and Energy Efficiency

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a promising technology for next-generation wireless networks with emerging demands on low latency, high throughput, and massive connectivity. Unlike orthogonal multiple access, NOMA allows multiple users to share the same radio resources, which significantly improves spectral efficiency (SE). To achieve green wireless communications for numerous networked devices, NOMA helps reduce energy consumption while satisfying rate fairness and quality-of-experience requirements. The goal of this paper is to introduce the innovative approaches for NOMA in terms of the SE and energy efficiency, and discuss emerging technologies involved with NOMA. Further, its challenges and future research directions are highlighted.