Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Immature Myeloid/Myeloid-Suppressor Cell Response Associated with Necrotizing Inflammation Mediates Lethal Pulmonary Tularemia

Inhalation of Francisella tularensis (Ft) causes acute and fatal pneumonia. The lung cytokine milieu favors exponential Ft replication, but the mechanisms underlying acute pathogenesis and death remain unknown. Evaluation of the sequential and systemic host immune response in pulmonary tularemia reveals that in contrast to overwhelming bacterial burden or cytokine production, an overt innate cellular response to Ft drives tissue pathology and host mortality. Lethal infection with Ft elicits medullary and extra-medullary myelopoiesis supporting recruitment of large numbers of immature myeloid cells and MDSC to the lungs. These cells fail to mature and die, leading to subsequent necrotic lung damage, loss of pulmonary function, and host death that is partially dependent upon immature Ly6G+ cells. Acceleration of this process may account for the rapid lethality seen with Ft SchuS4. In contrast, during sub-lethal infection with Ft LVS the pulmonary cellular response is characterized by a predominance of mature neutrophils and monocytes required for protection, suggesting a required threshold for lethal bacterial infection. Further, eliciting a mature phagocyte response provides transient, but dramatic, innate protection against Ft SchuS4. This study reveals that the nature of the myeloid cell response may be the primary determinant of host mortality versus survival following Francisella infection.
Illumination-reflectance based novel approach for level set evolution

Image segmentation is a major task in many real time applications such as medical imaging, pattern recognition, artificial intelligence etc. Performing segmentation using conventional level set methods on images which are captured under various lighting conditions and shadows lead to improper results. The profoundness and accuracy of segmentation greatly depends on the amount of the illumination and reflectance components present in the images. Here in this paper we present a novel segmentation method by introducing a new force function on the level sets evolution based on reflectance & illumination present in the image. This method is successfully implemented on images suffering from above mentioned problems.
Synthesis of Arylamino-1,3,5-triazines Functionalized with Alkylatin 2-chloroethylamine Fragments and Studies of their Cytotoxicity on the Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cell Line.

Dual action alkyl(aryl)amino-1,3,5-triazines functionalized with nitrogen mustards were obtained by treating 2-alkyl(aryl) amino-4-chloro-6-methoxy-1,3,5-triazines with amines or amino acid methyl esters, followed by reactions with 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2. 2]octane (DABCO) and rearrangement with an opening diazabicyclic fragment, leading to the formation of 2-chloroethylamino moiety. In vitro antitumor activity was tested in the standard human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231cell lines using flow cytometry, based on the detection of apoptosis through qualitative analysis of morphological changes, DNA fragmentation, DNA loss and membrane changes. For all the compounds studied, induced apoptosis was substantially stronger than necrosis at concentrations of both 5 μM and 50 μM, and in some cases there was no increase in necrotic cell death for the estrogen dependent MCF-7 cell line. The most active compounds were derivatives of triazine substituted with phenylamine (IC50 = 12.30 μM) and/or p-tolylamine fragments (IC50 = 7.40 μM).
Observation of the complex propagation of a femtosecond laser pulse in a dispersive transparent bulk material

Pulse shapes in a dispersive transparent material modulated by group-velocity dispersion, self-phase modulation, and self-focusing induced by a femtosecond laser light were observed directly with femtosecond time-resolved optical polarigraphy probing the induced instantaneous birefringence. The first observation of the state of femtosecond laser pulses about the interaction region inside the transparent bulk material indicated that the pulse propagation was accomplished with a multiple conelike structure that was hypothesized from a numerical simulation with an extended nonlinear Schrodinger equation.
Rheinheimera marina sp. nov., isolated from a deep-sea seamount.

A bacterial strain designated TP462T, isolated from a seamount near the Yap Trench in the tropical western Pacific, was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain TP462T was found to be Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. Growth occurred at 4-37 °C (optimum, 25-30 °C) and with 0-4.0 % NaCl (optimum, 2-3 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain TP462T was related to the genus Rheinheimera and had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the type strain Rheinheimera tangshanensis JA3-B52T (96.8 %). The predominant cellular fatty acids were C17 : 1ω8c, summed feature 3 (composed of iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c) and C16 : 0. The polar lipid profile contained phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and two unidentified lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain TP462T was 48.7 mol%. On the basis of the evidence presented in this study, strain TP462T represents a novel species of the genus Rheinheimera, for which we propose the name Rheinheimera marina sp. nov. (type strain TP462T=KACC 18560T=CGMCC 1.15399T).
Mechanisms of enhancement of human motor cortex excitability induced by interventional paired associative stimulation

Associative stimulation has been shown to enhance excitability in the human motor cortex ( Stefan et al. 2000 ); however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. An interventional paired associative stimulation (IPAS) was employed consisting of repetitive application of single afferent electric stimuli, delivered to the right median nerve, paired with single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the optimal site for activation of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle (APB) to generate approximately synchronous events in the primary motor cortex. Compared to baseline, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by unconditioned, single TMS pulses increased after IPAS. By contrast, intracortical inhibition, assessed using (i) a suprathreshold test TMS pulse conditioned by a subthreshold TMS pulse delivered 3 ms before the test pulse, and (ii) a suprathreshold test TMS pulse conditioned by afferent median nerve stimulation delivered 25 ms before the TMS pulse, remained unchanged when assessed with appropriately matching test stimulus intensities. The increase of single‐pulse TMS‐evoked MEP amplitudes was blocked when IPAS was performed under the influence of dextromethorphan, an N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist known to block long‐term potentiation (LTP). Further experiments employing the double‐shock TMS protocol suggested that the afferent pulse, as one component of the IPAS protocol, induced disinhibition of the primary motor cortex at the time when the TMS pulse, as the other component of IPAS, was delivered. Together, these findings support the view that LTP‐like mechanisms may underlie the cortical plasticity induced by IPAS.
Primary care physicians and avoidable hospitalizations.

BACKGROUND The rate of admission for avoidable hospital conditions (AHCs) has been proposed as a measure of the ability of a population to access health care. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the availability of primary care physicians and the rate of avoidable hospitalizations. METHODS Statewide hospital discharge data for general acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania were used to determine age- and sex-adjusted AHC rates in the 26 health service areas (HSAs) in Pennsylvania. The number and type of primary care physician as well as the per capita income for each HSA were obtained from the Area Resource File. Correlations of number and type of physician with AHC rates were obtained. RESULTS Only the number of family and general practice physicians (FPs/GPs) per population was significantly correlated with adult and pediatric AHC rates. As the number of FPs/GPs in each HSA increased, the AHC rate decreased. The significant relationship between FPs/GPs and the AHC rate remained after controlling for the effect of per capita income. No significant correlation was found between either the number of general internists and the adult AHC rate or the number of general pediatricians and the pediatric AHC rate. CONCLUSIONS The availability of FPs/GPs is related to lower rates of hospitalization for certain conditions. Family physicians may provide more effective first-contact access to health care than is provided by either general internists or pediatricians in Pennsylvania. Future studies should address whether care by family physicians is more cost-effective as a result of this reduction in avoidable hospitalizations.
Consensus criteria for the diagnosis of frontotemporal cognitive and behavioural syndromes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is increasingly recognized to be a multisystem disorder which includes both clinical and neuropathological features of a frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). In order to provide a common framework within which to discuss the characteristics of the cognitive and behavioural syndromes of ALS, and with which to conduct clinical and neuropathological research, an international research workshop on frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and ALS was held in London, Canada in June 2007. The recommendations arising from this research workshop address the requirement for a concise clinical diagnosis of the underlying motor neuron disease (Axis I), defining the cognitive and behavioural dysfunction (Axis II), describing additional non-motor manifestations (Axis III) and identifying the presence of disease modifiers (Axis IV).
Demonstration of Virtualizeable and Software-Defined Optical Transceiver

In order to serve the future high-performance network-based Internet applications, optical network virtualization is proposed to offer each application type a dedicated virtual optical network (VON). Virtualizeable bandwidth variable transceiver (V-BVT) is a key enabler in supporting the creation of multiple VONs. In this paper, we present a feasible V-BVT architecture that can be a part of a software-defined optical network. The proposed V-BVT has a novelty to offer independent operation, control, and management abilities to the clients or higher level network controllers. In addition, a specific V-BVT virtualization algorithm is proposed, in order to enable the efficient creation of multiple coexisting, but independent virtual transceivers that share the same V-BVT physical resources. The virtual transceiver can provide specific bit rate, subcarrier, modulation format, and a corresponding baud rate to each VON, based on the requirement of the VON demand, V-BVT resources availability, and optical network status. We further realize the proposed V-VBT architecture on an experimental platform with a software-defined network controller. The V-BVT resource allocation through the proposed virtualization algorithm is also performed using the extended OpenFlow protocol. The proposed and experimentally demonstrated V-BVT achieves independence in virtual transceivers control and management in the control plane, while maintaining the coexisting and isolation features in the physical layer.
A Folded Waveguide Coupler for Plasma Heating in the Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies

A new type of waveguide coupler for plasma heating experiments in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) is introduced. The coupler consists of a series of interleaved metallic vanes within a rectangular enclosure analogous to a very wide simple rectangular waveguide that has been "folded" several times. At the mouth of the coupler a plate is attached which contains coupling apertures in each "fold" or every other "fold" depending upon the application. This plate serves primarily as a wave field polarizer that converts coupler fields to the polarization of the fast magnetosonic wave within a plasma. Theoretical estimates indicate that the folded waveguide coupler is capable of high-efficiency multimegawatt operation into a plasma.
Big Five Personality in Online Learning and Games: Analysis of Student Activity

Online learning gives promise of effective learning for masses. Personalized learning experiences tailored for individual needs and preferences of each student are key ingredients in making online learning successful. Current approaches to adaptive and personalized online learning use student's personality profile and preferred learning style to adapt learning content and activities in order to provide the best possible experience to each individual student. Research has shown that effects on different types of learning activities in various settings may be different. This study analyses how personality affects student's performance in an online learning environment for programming exercises and how the student's personality can be estimated unobtrusively using a casual online game. The data used to evaluate were collected from an online learning environment used in university programming courses over the course of several years. The activity indicators show significant correlations with overall academic results of students and particularly with personality traits.
Isolation and characterization of genes that promote the expression of inositol transporter gene ITR1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The expression of many genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, such as ITR1, is regulated by inositol and choline. In this work, a yeast strain has been constructed in which HIS3 expression is controlled by the ITR1 promoter. Using this strain, three genes were isolated which, when Introduced as multicopies, abolish the repression caused by inositol via the ITR1 promoter. Northern blot analysis revealed that two of these three genes, designated as DIE1 and DIE2, clearly increased the expression of ITR1. DIE2 is more effective for ITR1 expression than DIE1. Gene‐disruption experiments revealed that DIE1 was essential for the expression of ITR1 but that DIE2 was not. The sequence of the DIE1 gene was shown to be identical to that of INO2 (also called SCS1), which encodes a protein required for the expression of INO1. DIE2 is a new gene and is capable of encoding 525 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 61 789. Experiments involving lacZfusion genes showed that multicopy DIE2 resulted in an increase in the expression of both ITR1 and INO1. These results strongly suggest that the DIE1 and DIE2 gene products have an important regulatory function for gene expression of not only ITR1 but also INO1.
The eastern boundary of the Gulf Stream recirculation

A meridionally aligned thermocline front near 60W in the subtropical North Atlantic is revealed by the 1992 Trident data set. The front separates saltier thermocline water to the east from less salty water to the west. The eastern water is subjected to excess evaporation of the subtropics, while the western water is fed by lower salinity Gulf Stream water, which derives water from the wet tropical Atlantic. It is suggested that the front marks the eastern edge of the Gulf Stream recirculation cell, hence refer to it as the recirculation front. The surface layer displays a fan-like T/S scatter above the 18°C Subtropical Mode Water, with the fresher surface water located west of the recirculation front, and a subsurface salinity maximum to the east. In the lower thermocline (8 to 12°C) there is a step-like salinity increase of about 0.04 toward the east as measured along isotherms, producing two modes in the T/S scatter. At the intermediate water level (approximately in the 4 to 8°C range) the extent of the low salinity Antarctic Intermediate Water and salty Mediterranean outflow water are also reflected in the position of the recirculation front. That the front marks the easternmost extent of the Gulf Stream recirculation is supported by the potential vorticity, which reveals a region of high homogeneous values within the recirculation cell. East of the front, the potential vorticity field is sloped along isopycnals indicating the meridional flow of the Sverdrup interior. Mapping of the recirculation front using archived data reveals that it extends deep into the subtropical convergence zone (STCZ), a region whose fronts have all been previously attributed to Ekman convergence.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-&agr; Augments Tumor Effects in Isolated Hepatic Perfusion With Melphalan in a Rat Sarcoma Model

Isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) is an attractive approach to treating nonresectable liver tumors, because the effects of systemic chemotherapy are poor and its application is hampered by severe general toxicity. In clinical and experimental settings, the efficacy of isolated limb perfusion (ILP) with tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (TNF&agr;) in combination with melphalan to treat melanoma in transit and soft-tissue sarcoma has been well established. In an ILP model in rats, the authors previously observed synergistic anti-tumor effects of TNF and melphalan on BN 175 soft-tissue sarcoma extremity tumors. The aim of the current study was to determine whether similar synergy in anti-tumor effects could be achieved by treating experimental BN 175 soft-tissue sarcoma liver tumors by IHP using these agents. The authors found that IHP with TNF and melphalan resulted in a dramatic increase in regional concentrations of perfused agents with virtually no concomitant systemic leakage. Isolated hepatic perfusion with only carrier solution resulted in a significantly diminished growth rate of BN 175 liver tumors compared with the growth rate of tumors in nonperfused rats. Perfusion with melphalan alone resulted in minimal anti-tumor effects. Perfusion with only TNF had a slight growth-stimulatory effect on the BN 175 liver tumors, but no negative effects on tumor growth were observed. When TNF was added to melphalan, a dramatic anti-tumor effect was observed. Thus, as in the rat ILP setting, the anti-tumor effect is augmented when TNF is added to IHP with melphalan to treat BN 175 soft-tissue sarcoma tumor-bearing rats. Strikingly, the tumor response was potentiated at relatively low concentrations of TNF compared with concentrations that elicited synergy with melphalan in ILP.
RBC Aggregation: More Important than RBC Adhesion to Endothelial Cells as a Determinant of In Vivo Blood Flow in Health and Disease

Although the shear‐dependent and reversible phenomenon of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation has been studied for decades, its role as a determinant of in vivo blood flow in both health and disease has not yet been fully documented. In this brief review, we present compelling arguments, supported by literature evidence, that in vivo flow dynamics are more affected by RBC aggregation than by RBC adhesion to endothelial cells (ECs). A companion article (i.e., a “counter‐point”) published in this issue of the journal argues that in disease states, RBC‐EC adhesion is the more important determinant.
Association of the HTRA1 -625G>A promoter gene polymorphism with exudative age-related macular degeneration in a Central European population.

PURPOSE Exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common causes of severe visual loss. Both environmental and genetic factors, such as the complement factor H (CFH) 402H allele, have been associated with AMD. Recently, the HTRA1 -625A allele was identified as a novel risk marker in both a North American and a Chinese population. The present study was performed to evaluate the association of the HTRA1 -625A allele with exudative AMD in a Central European population. METHODS The present case-control study included 242 patients with exudative AMD and 157 control subjects. Genotypes of the HTRA1 -625G>A polymorphism were determined by a 5'-exonuclease assay (TaqMan). Determination of CFH Y402H genotypes was done by allele specific digestion of polymerase chain products. RESULTS Carriers of the HTRA1 -625AA genotype were found significantly more often in AMD patients than among control subjects (27.7% versus 5.1%; p<0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis binary logistic regression analysis revealed an odds ratio (OR) of 2.7 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-6.8) for AMD among subjects heterozygous for the HTRA1 -625A allele compared to those with the wildtype genotype, when adjusted for CFH Y402H genotypes (p=0.034). The OR increased to 10.2 (95% CI: 3.0-34.5) among subjects homozygous for the HTRA1 -625A allele (p<0.001). The OR for AMD among heterozygous carriers of the CFH 402H variant was 3.6 (95% CI: 1.6-7.8) compared to those with the wildtype genotype, when adjusted for HTRA1 -625G>A genotypes (p=0.001). The OR increased to 9.8 (95% CI: 3.7-25.9) among subjects homozygous for the CFH 402HH genotype (p<0.001). Interaction terms between CFH and HTRA1 genotypes were not significantly associated with AMD. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that both the HTRA1 -625A allele and the CFH 402H allele are independently associated with exudative AMD in a Central European population.
Genotype and risk of major bleeding during warfarin treatment.

AIM To determine whether genetic variants associated with warfarin dose variability were associated with increased risk of major bleeding during warfarin therapy. MATERIALS & METHODS Using Vanderbilt's DNA biobank we compared the prevalence of CYP2C9, VKORC1 and CYP4F2 variants in 250 cases with major bleeding and 259 controls during warfarin therapy. RESULTS CYP2C9*3 was the only allele that differed significantly among cases (14.2%) and controls (7.8%; p = 0.022). In the 214 (85.6%) cases with a major bleed 30 or more days after warfarin initiation, CYP2C9*3 was the only variant associated with bleeding (adjusted odds ratio: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.04, 4.04). CONCLUSION The CYP2C9*3 allele may double the risk of major bleeding among patients taking warfarin for 30 or more days.
Semantic processing through distributed representation of Chinese words

In this paper, by learning the origin of the word distributed representation, knowing the distributed representation is one of the bridges of natural language processing mapping to mathematical calculations. Through the learning distributed representation model: neural network language model, CBOW model and Skip-gram model, the advantages and disadvantages of each model are clarified. Through the experiment, we can understand the mapping relationship between distributed representation calculation and natural language processing, and also clarify the research direction of the next step, that is, the use of distributed representation to sentence, paragraph, article modeling.