Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blog quality model

Breakthroughs in technology are making the internet an ever-growing phenomenon, and we have witnessed an enormous growth of blogs in the blogosphere. However, the blogosphere has been crippled by disorganised and uncontrolled growth, and many blogs are of poor quality. Development domains, such as software engineering, website engineering, and information systems, have provided accepted models for the assessment of the quality of their products. However, to the best of our knowledge, there appears to be no standard model for the assessment of blog quality. In this paper, we propose a blog quality model as a guide for bloggers at large, with a set of 49 criteria grouped into 11 families of features that are relevant to blog quality. This model has been constructed by determining a set of criteria from a review of the relevant literature and blogs and then measuring the acceptability of these criteria by means of questionnaire surveys sent to sample populations of blog readers.
HLA Peptide Length Preferences Control CD8+ T Cell Responses

Class I HLAs generally present peptides of 8–10 aa in length, although it is unclear whether peptide length preferences are affected by HLA polymorphism. In this study, we investigated the CD8+ T cell response to the BZLF1 Ag of EBV, which includes overlapping sequences of different size that nevertheless conform to the binding motif of the large and abundant HLA-B*44 supertype. Whereas HLA-B*18:01+ individuals responded strongly and exclusively to the octamer peptide 173SELEIKRY180, HLA-B*44:03+ individuals responded to the atypically large dodecamer peptide 169EECDSELEIKRY180, which encompasses the octamer peptide. Moreover, the octamer peptide bound more stably to HLA-B*18:01 than did the dodecamer peptide, whereas, conversely, HLA-B*44:03 bound only the longer peptide. Furthermore, crystal structures of these viral peptide–HLA complexes showed that the Ag-binding cleft of HLA-B*18:01 was more ideally suited to bind shorter peptides, whereas HLA-B*44:03 exhibited characteristics that favored the presentation of longer peptides. Mass spectrometric identification of > 1000 naturally presented ligands revealed that HLA-B*18:01 was more biased toward presenting shorter peptides than was HLA-B*44:03. Collectively, these data highlight a mechanism through which polymorphism within an HLA class I supertype can diversify determinant selection and immune responses by varying peptide length preferences.
Resident Renal Mononuclear Phagocytes Comprise Five Discrete Populations with Distinct Phenotypes and Functions

Recent reports have highlighted greater complexity, plasticity, and functional diversity of mononuclear phagocytes (MPCs), including monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs), in our organs than previously understood. The functions and origins of MPCs resident within healthy organs, especially in the kidney, are less well understood, whereas studies suggest they play roles in disease states distinct from recruited monocytes. We developed an unbiased approach using flow cytometry to analyze MPCs residing in the normal mouse kidney, and identified five discrete subpopulations according to CD11b/CD11c expression as well as F4/80, CD103, CD14, CD16, and CD64 expression. In addition to distinct marker profiles, these subpopulations have different lineages and expression of genes involved in tissue homeostasis, including angiogenesis. Among them, the CD11bintCD11cint F4/80high subpopulation notably exhibited high capacity to produce a representative anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. Each subpopulation had different degrees of both macrophage (phagocytosis) and DC (Ag presentation) capacities, with a tendency to promote differentiation of regulatory T cells, whereas two of these showed expression of transcription factors reported to be highly expressed by classical DCs, and proclivity to exit the kidney following stimulation with LPS. In summary, resident kidney MPCs comprise discrete subpopulations, which cannot be simply classified into the conventional entities, and they produce anti-inflammatory and tissue-homeostatic factors to differing degrees.
Perceived usefulness of Facebook for teaching and learning: the student teacher's perspective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived usefulness of Facebook in education and possible ways of using Facebook for teaching and learning from the perspective of student teachers. One hundred seventy-three student teachers participated in this study. They were tasked to explore various components of Facebook and write reflections on the potential usefulness of Facebook for their subject teaching. Their reflections were analysed by following a qualitative research method. Results showed that the most useful components of Facebook for teaching and learning included educational applications, games, and certain features like the wall and group page. The participants also felt that Facebook could be potentially used for learning assessment, self-directed learning, collaborative learning, and as a learning management system. This paper describes the perceived useful components of Facebook and its possible ways for teaching and learning. Issues emerged from this study are discussed at the end of the paper.
Th17 Cells Carrying TCR Recognizing Epidermal Autoantigen Induce Psoriasis-like Skin Inflammation

Psoriasis is considered a Th17-type autoimmune skin inflammatory disease; however, involvement of an autoantigen-specific TCR has not been established. In this study, we show that psoriasis-like skin inflammation can be induced by autoreactive Th17 cells. We previously developed the desmoglein 3–specific TCR-transgenic (Dsg3H1) mouse, in which CD4+ T cells recognize physiological epidermal autoantigen. T cells from Dsg3H1 mice were polarized into Th17 cells in vitro and then adoptively transferred into Rag2−/− mice. Dsg3H1-Th17 cells induced severe psoriasis-like skin inflammation within 2 wk after transfer in the tissues in which desmoglein 3 is expressed. Such pathology was not observed when wild-type Th17 cells or Th1-skewed Dsg3H1 T cells were transferred, and it was strongly suppressed by anti–IL-12/23 and anti–IL-17 Abs. Although IFN-γ+/IL-17+ T cells accumulated in the skin lesions of mice that received Dsg3H1-Th17 cells, IFN-γ–deficient Dsg3H1-Th17 cells were fully pathogenic. These results demonstrate that cutaneous psoriasis-like immunopathology can be developed by epidermis-specific recognition of Th17 cells, which is strictly dependent on IL-17 but not IFN-γ.
From oxidative stress to cardiovascular risk in obstructive sleep apnoea

SummaryCumulative evidence demonstrates that obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular morbidity than in the general population. The hallmark of sleep apnoea—the intermittent hypoxia—facilitates increased formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but antioxidant activity is also diminished. Consequently, oxidant-antioxidant balance is compromised and oxidative stress ensues. ROS are highly chemically reactive molecules, thus initiating and propagating atherosclerotic sequelae by injuring the endothelium and by acting as signalling molecules. Notably, hypoxia-adaptive and inflammatory pathways are activated that affect many cellular and molecular mechanisms. Activation of inflammatory pathways elicits increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules, which activate and facilitate endothelial cells/leucocytes/platelets interactions. These cellular interactions, which promote endothelial dysfunction and constitute a fundamental component of the mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis, may be amplified by the intermittent hypoxia, and therefore may increase cardiovascular events in sleep apnoea patients.ZusammenfassungZahlreiche Studien belegen, dass die obstruktive Schlafapnoe mit einer gesteigerten Inzidenz kardiovaskulärer Erkrankungen in der Allgemeinbevölkerung einhergeht. Das typische Kennzeichen der Schlafapnoe—die intermittierende Hypoxie—fördert die Bildung reaktiver Sauerstoffradikale (ROS), während die Wirksamkeit antioxidativer Faktoren zusätzlich herabgesetzt ist. Folglich ist das Gleichgewicht zwischen oxidativen und antioxidativen Faktoren gestört und oxidativer Stress ist die Folge. ROS sind chemisch hochreaktive Moleküle, welche den Entstehungsmechanismus der Atherosklerose durch eine Verletzung des Endothels und durch ihre Aktion als Botenstoffe in Gang setzen. Im Besonderen werden durch Hypoxie getriggerte Entzündungsmechanismen aktiviert, welche dann viele zelluläre und molekulare Mechanismen beeinflussen. Die Aktivierung von Entzündungsmechanismen löst eine gesteigerte Expression von Entzündungsmediatoren (Zytokine) und Adhäsionsmolekülen aus, welche wiederum Interaktionen zwischen Endothelzellen und Leukozyten/Blutplättchen aktivieren und fördem. Diese zellulären Interaktionen, die eine Dysfunktion des Endothels bedingen und eine fundamentale Komponente der Atherosklerose auslösenden Mechanismen darstellen, können durch intermittierende Hypoxie verstärkt werden und daher kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen bei Schlafapnoe-Patienten auslösen oder verschlimmern.
Bacterial CD1d–Restricted Glycolipids Induce IL-10 Production by Human Regulatory T Cells upon Cross-Talk with Invariant NKT Cells

Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells and CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important immune regulatory T cells with Ag reactivity to glycolipids and peptides, respectively. However, the functional interplay between these cells in humans is poorly understood. We show that Tregs suppress iNKT cell proliferation induced by CD1d-restricted glycolipids, including bacterial-derived diacylglycerols, as well as by innate-like activation. Inhibition was related to the potency of iNKT agonists, making diacylglycerol iNKT responses very prone to suppression. Cytokine production by iNKT cells was differentially modulated by Tregs because IL-4 production was reduced more profoundly compared with IFN-γ. A compelling observation was the significant production of IL-10 by Tregs after cell contact with iNKT cells, in particular in the presence of bacterial diacylglycerols. These iNKT-primed Tregs showed increased FOXP3 expression and superior suppressive function. Suppression of iNKT cell responses, but not conventional T cell responses, was IL-10 dependent, suggesting that there is a clear difference in mechanism between the Treg-mediated inhibition of these cell types. Our data highlight a physiologically relevant interaction between human iNKT and Tregs upon pathogen-derived glycolipid recognition that has a significant impact on the design of iNKT cell–based therapeutics.
Latent class analysis of substance use among adolescents presenting to urban primary care clinics

Abstract Background: Polysubstance use during adolescence is a significant public health concern. However, few studies have investigated patterns of substance use during this developmental window within the primary care setting. Objectives: This study used an empirical method to classify adolescents into substance use groups, and examines correlates of the empirically defined groups. Methods: Data came from patients, ages 12–18 years, presenting to an urban, primary care community health clinics (Federally Qualified Health Centers) in two cities in the Midwestern United States (n = 1664). Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify classes of substance users. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine variables associated with class membership. Results: LCA identified three classes: class 1 (64.5%) exhibited low probabilities of all types of substance use; class 2 (24.6%) was characterized by high probabilities of cannabis use and consequences; and class 3 (10.9%) had the highest probabilities of substance use, including heavy episodic drinking and misuse of prescription drugs. Those in class 2 and class 3 were more likely to be older and have poorer grades, poorer health, higher levels of psychological distress and more sexual partners than those in class 1. Individuals in class 3 were also less likely to be African-American than those in class 1. Conclusion: Findings provide novel insight into the patterns of substance use among adolescents presenting to low-income urban primary care clinics. Future research should examine the efficacy of interventions that address the complex patterns of substance use and concomitant health concerns among adolescents.
An intrinsic connectivity network approach to insula-derived dysfunctions among cocaine users

Abstract Background: Addiction is a complex phenotype, though it consistently includes characteristics of impulsivity. A number of brain regions are suggested to be involved in cocaine addiction, including the insula, which serves diverse functions including interoceptive awareness and integration of neural signals from sensory, subcortical and frontal regions. Malfunction of this integration links impulsive behavior to the insula. Objectives: This study examines intrinsic connectivity of the insula in chronic cocaine users to investigate abnormal insular circuitry, its role in cocaine addiction, and relationships to measure of impulsivity. Methods: Cocaine-dependent individuals (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 32) completed a resting-state fMRI scan. An intrinsic connectivity network (ICN) approach generated metrics of mean network connectivity and inter-network connectivity from fMRI data. Metrics pertaining to ICNs involving insula and other structures repeatedly involved in addiction (e.g. striatum) were selected for analysis, which included the capacity to discriminate groups. Relationships between group discriminating connectivity metrics and behavioral impulsivity were examined. Results: Models demonstrated group prediction accuracy up to 75%. Accuracy of 69% was obtained by a parsimonious model of six inter-network connectivity metrics. The inter-network connectivity between an ICN involving the anterior insula and ACC, and an ICN involving the striatum, was significantly weaker in cocaine users relative to controls. The degree of reduced inter-network connectivity was significantly related to greater non-planning impulsivity in cocaine users. Conclusions: Aberrant insula-derived intrinsic connectivity patterns are observed in cocaine users and include dysfunctions in insula to striatal connectivity, which is furthermore linked to increased impulsivity pertaining to forethought.
IL-21 Enhances the Activity of the TLR–MyD88–STAT3 Pathway but Not the Classical TLR–MyD88–NF-κB Pathway in Human B Cells To Boost Antibody Production

Both IL-21 and TLR agonists are important regulators of B cell responses, and the combination of IL-21 and TLR stimulation results in increased Ab production. However, it is not clear yet how IL-21 interacts with TLR signaling in B cells. In this study, we show that IL-21 enhances TLR-induced IgG production, whereas it has no effect on TLR-induced IL-6 production by human B cell cultures. These observations are explained by the finding that IL-21 augments TLR-induced IgG production via the TLR–MyD88–STAT3 pathway but not the classical TLR-MyD88–NF-κB pathway. We further demonstrate that stimulation of human B cells with IL-21 and TLR7/8 or TLR9 agonists increases the phosphorylation of STAT3, whereas the activation of NF-κB is not affected. Interestingly, like IL-21, IL-10 in combination with TLR signaling also enhances phosphorylation of STAT3, resulting in an increase of IgG production. Hence, IL-21 and IL-10 increase the activity of the TLR–MyD88–STAT3 pathway in human B cells via enhancing the phosphorylation of STAT3 for Ab production.
Exacerbation of Allergen-Induced Eczema in TLR4- and TRIF-Deficient Mice

Despite its presence on resident skin cells, the role of TLR4 in skin diseases remains poorly understood. This is highly significant because the skin biome is rich with potential TLR4 agonists. We aimed to establish the contribution of TLR4 to atopic dermatitis and determine the mechanism by which TLR4 acts in an experimental model of atopic dermatitis. MyD88, TLR4, or Toll–IL-1R domain-containing adapter-inducing IFN-β (TRIF)–deficient and wild-type mice were epicutaneously exposed to Aspergillus fumigatus allergen over 3 wk. Impaired skin barrier function was assessed by measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Skin levels of innate and adaptive genes were quantified. In an experimental model of atopic dermatitis, TEWL, allergic sensitization, and epidermal thickness were increased following cutaneous allergen exposure, and these were further enhanced in the absence of TLR4. Increased allergen-induced skin levels of innate (S100A8/A9, IL-1β, TNF-α, and CXCL2) and Th17 genes (IL-17A and IL-17F) were observed in TLR4-deficient mice compared with wild-type mice. The absence of MyD88 alleviated disease (decreased TEWL, skin thickness, proinflammatory cytokines), whereas TRIF deficiency exacerbated disease. In conclusion, signaling through the TLR4 and TRIF pathways limits skin barrier dysfunction, cutaneous allergic sensitization, and proinflammatory cytokine production.
Determinants and consequences of experienced fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome and neurological conditions

The present study describes demographics, complaint and illness characteristics of a sample of approximately 2000 members of the Dutch ME Foundation. About 75% of the respondents reported severe fatigue and major functional limitations on standardized tests. The survey revealed that the illness had a high impact on work participation and medical consumption. Most of the respondents indicated that they often experienced too little understanding for their complaints from their environment, and a significant proportion (37%) that it was unlikely that CFS could be cured. In agreement with previous studies, the majority of respondents thought that their complaints were caused by physical disturbance. A comparison of 270 patients referred to a CFS clinic and prepared to participate in a scientific investigation showed, that besides the relatively long illness duration of the members of the ME foundation, members of the ME foundation had less positive cognitions concerning their illness. There was however, no indication that patients participating in CFS research were characterised by relatively mild complaints and disability. °S van der Werf, J Prins, T Jansen, J van der Meer, G Bleijenberg A comparison between participants in CFS research and members of the Dutch ME-association: results of a large survey of complaints, disability status and illness cognitions. This chapter is a translation of a manuscript that was published in Gedragstherapie 2002, 35(2):147-155
Technically approaching the semantic web bottleneck

After several years of research, the fundamental semantic web technologies have reached a high maturity level. Nevertheless, the average web user has not yet taken advantage of their full potential. In this paper, we introduce the semantic web bottleneck, analyse the main problems that preserve it and suggest ways to overcome it. In particular, we discuss the issues involved in deploying, maintaining and using semantically rich web applications, decomposing this process into two primal ones: publishing and exploiting semantic content. We analyse the role of key players such as the web industry, the search engines, the academia, the web user, and the web engineers that essentially materialise and use these technologies. A roadmap is provided in order for the semantic web to gain further acceptance, based on three major axes: simplicity, mainly entailed by automation, integration with the existing technologies and practices, and adoption by the web industry driving forces.
Gender differences in the effect of tobacco use on brain phosphocreatine levels in methamphetamine-dependent subjects

Abstract Background: A high prevalence of tobacco smoking has been observed in methamphetamine users, but there have been no in vivo brain neurochemistry studies addressing gender effects of tobacco smoking in methamphetamine users. Methamphetamine addiction is associated with increased risk of depression and anxiety in females. There is increasing evidence that selective analogues of nicotine, a principal active component of tobacco smoking, may ease depression and improve cognitive performance in animals and humans. Objectives: To investigate the effects of tobacco smoking and gender on brain phosphocreatine (PCr) levels, a marker of brain energy metabolism reported to be reduced in methamphetamine-dependent subjects. Methods: Thirty female and 27 male methamphetamine-dependent subjects were evaluated with phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) to measure PCr levels within the pregenual anterior cingulate, which has been implicated in methamphetamine neurotoxicity. Results: Analysis of covariance revealed that there were statistically significant slope (PCr versus lifetime amount of tobacco smoking) differences between female and male methamphetamine-dependent subjects (p = 0.03). In females, there was also a statistically significant interaction between lifetime amounts of tobacco smoking and methamphetamine in regard to PCr levels (p = 0.01), which suggests that tobacco smoking may have a more significant positive impact on brain PCr levels in heavy, as opposed to light to moderate, methamphetamine-dependent females. Conclusion: These results indicate that tobacco smoking has gender-specific effects in terms of increased anterior cingulate high energy PCr levels in methamphetamine-dependent subjects. Cigarette smoking in methamphetamine-dependent women, particularly those with heavy methamphetamine use, may have a potentially protective effect upon neuronal metabolism.
Web 1.0 to Web 2.0: an observational study and empirical evidence for the historical r(evolution) of the social web

Applications such as Twitter, Facebook or Youtube have taken the internet community by storm and have literally initiated a revolution in online communication. These social media applications are also often referred to by the general, somewhat vague but yet eloquent term - Web 2.0. The term implies a perceived second generation of World Wide Web, i.e., Web 1.0 → Web 2.0. Nevertheless the reference to a 'second' version of the web is misleading, since there was not any specific technical update of the World Wide Web. Hence, this paper empirically explores social media in a historical context as it has evolved and driven a revolution in online communication over the last decade. A unique historical dataset, made available by the Wayback Machine Internet Archive project is employed in order to provide an accurate historical record of the primary web design and related elements that drove the evolution towards a more social and interactive web. This study presents a unique contribution to related academic literature.
Semantic web services discovery based on structural ontology matching

In this paper, we present an approach to semantic-based web service discovery and a prototypical tool based on syntactic and structural schema matching. It is based on matching an input ontology, describing a service request, to web services descriptions at the 'syntactic level' through Web Services Description Language (WSDL) or, at the semantic level, through service ontologies described with languages such as Ontology Web Language for Services (OWL-S), Web Services Modelling Ontology (WSMO), Semantic Web Services Framework (SWSF) and Web Services Description Language Semantics (WSDL-S). The different input schemas, WSDL descriptions, Ontology Web Language (OWL) ontologies, OWL-S, WSMO, SWSF and WSDL-S components are represented in a uniform way by means of directed rooted graphs, where nodes represent schema elements, connected by directed links of different types, e.g., for containment and referential relationships. On this uniform internal representation, a number of matching algorithms operate, including structural-based algorithms (Children Matcher, Leaves Matcher, Graph and SubGraph Isomorphism) and syntactical ones (Edit Distance (Levenshtein Distance or LD) and Synonym Matcher (through the WordNet synonyms thesaurus)).