Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collateral neuronal apoptosis in CNS gray matter during an oligodendrocyte‐directed CD8+ T cell attack

Demyelination and death of oligodendrocytes accompanied by transection of neurites and neuronal apoptosis are pathological hallmarks of cortical and subcortical gray matter lesions in demyelinating viral and autoimmune inflammatory CNS disorders. In these disorders, leukocortical lesions, containing the perikarya of most efferent neurons, display pronounced infiltration by CD8+ T cells of putative specificity for oligodendrocyte‐ and myelin‐related antigens. Hence, neuronal apoptosis in gray matter lesions may be a collateral effect of an oligodendrocyte‐directed attack by CD8+ T cells. To challenge this hypothesis, we transferred activated antigen‐specific CD8+ T cells (OT‐I T cells) into acute coronal brain slices from mice selectively expressing ovalbumin as a cytosolic neo‐self‐antigen in oligodendrocytes (ODC‐OVA mice). We studied mechanisms and kinetics of oligodendroglial and neuronal apoptosis in the neocortex and hippocampus, using multicolor staining for different cell types and activated caspase‐3. Within the gray matter, a single OT‐I T cell caused simultaneous caspase‐3 activation in about 30 ODCs and 10 neurons within 6 h in a strictly antigen‐dependent manner. Experiments with OT‐I T cells genetically deficient for perforin or the granzyme B‐cluster and with blocking anti‐FasL antibodies as well as proinflammatory cytokines revealed, that collateral apoptosis of neurons was likely due to a spillover of perforin and granzyme(s) from the OT‐I T cell itself or the immunological synapse that it selectively formed with antigen‐presenting oligodendrocytes. Collateral neuronal apoptosis could contribute to substantial neuronal loss in gray matter lesions and cause persistent neurological impairment in both acute and chronic gray matter lesions in various inflammatory CNS disorders. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Learning Control for Robotic Manipulators with Sparse Data

Learning control algorithms have been proposed for error compensation in repetitive robotic manipulator tasks. It is shown that the performance of such control algorithms can be seriously degraded when the feedback data they use is relatively sparse in time, such as might be provided by vision systems. It is also shown that learning control algorithms can be modified to compensate for the effects of sparse data and thereby yield performance which approaches that of systems without limitations on the sensory information available for control.
Comparison of cholin- and carboxylesterase enzyme inhibition and visible effects in the zebra fish embryo bioassay under short-term paraoxon-methyl exposure

Abstract The acute zebra fish embryo test (Danio rerio Hamilton–Buchanan, 1822) is an accepted bioassay to assess the toxicity of waste water that may be used for the replacement of testing with adult fish. It is also suggested for chemical hazard characterization and assessment, although only a few groups of substances have yet been studied. Specifically acting substances such as neurotoxic insecticides pose a potentially hazard for non-target fish. To establish whether the proposed zebra fish embryo test protocol and the inhibition of cholinesterases (acetylcholinesterase EC 3.1.1.7, propionylcholinesterase EC 3.1.1.8) and carboxylesterase (EC 3.1.1.1) enzymes can be used in a similar fashion for hazard characterization and risk assessment of chemicals and environmental samples, two types of experiments were conducted. Visual effects of exposure to the organophosphate metabolite paraoxon-methyl after 24 and 48 h in the zebra fish embryo test system were analysed with the use of an inverse microscope (rate of mortality, developmental disturbances, heart rate and others). The inhibition to cholinesterases and carboxylesterase was also measured. Enzyme inhibition as a biomarker of exposure was about 70 times more sensitive than the effects in the zebra fish embryo test with an IC50 below 1.2 µmol compared with an EC50 of 91 µmol. The dose–response relationships showed different curve characteristics with a linear increase of enzyme inhibition compared with a sigmoidal curve for the overt effects. Significant overt effects could only be seen at concentrations at which already 80% of the activities of the different esterases were inhibited.
Sls1p, an Endoplasmic Reticulum Component, Is Involved in the Protein Translocation Process in the Yeast Yarrowia lipolytica(*)

Signal recognition particle-dependent targeting of secretory proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane is predominant in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. A conditional lethal mutant of the SCR2-encoded 7S RNA provided the first in vivo evidence for involvement of this particle in cotranslational translocation (He, F., Beckerich, J. M., and Gaillardin, C. M.(1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 1932-1937). In order to identify partners of 7S RNA or signal recognition particle in their function, we selected synthetic lethal mutations with the 7S RNA mutation (sls). The SLS1 gene, cloned by complementation of the sls1 mutant growth defect, encodes a 426-amino acid polypeptide containing a NH-terminal signal peptide and a COOH-terminal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention motif. The SLS1 gene product behaves as a lumenal protein of the ER. Sls1p was sedimented with membrane-rich organelles and was resistant to protease degradation without prior membrane solubilization. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed a typical endoplasmic reticulum perinuclear staining. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that Sls1p resides close to the major translocation apparatus component, Sec61p. Deletion of the SLS1 gene led to a temperature-sensitive growth phenotype. Synthesis of several secretory proteins was shown to be specifically reduced in Δsls1 cells. We propose that Sls1p acts in the preprotein translocation process, interacting directly with translocating polypeptides to facilitate their transfer and/or help their folding in the ER.
Exploring the Design of Transitional Hybrid User Interfaces

The idea of hybrid user interfaces (HUI) does not rely only on the use of different devices but also on different interactive environments with the goal of bringing together the advantages of each environment. The main challenge regarding the development of such systems is to know which are the design aspects that should be taken into account in order to promote smooth and continuous interactions. In this way our work reinforces the importance of interactions continuity and dimensional task congruence as design principles to guide the development and interaction analysis within HUI. An example scenario was conceived from splitting a previous single desktop application for 3D volume sculpture into three different interactive environments (Wimp, Augmented Reality and Head-Mounted Immersive Virtual Reality). To achieve such goal we employ the OpenInterface platform to allow the management of several modalities for user interaction within and along the three environments. Finally, we discuss the outcomes of the analysis of interactions within our HUI according to the design principles proposed.
Sunbathing and sunbed use related to self-image in a randomized sample of Swedish adolescents

In 1996 a randomized sample of 4,020 Swedish adolescents from three birth cohorts were sent a questionnaire consisting of 50 items concerning habitual sun-related behaviours and attitudes, knowledge about melanoma, risk perception and self-image. A total of 2,615 questionnaires were returned. Girls sunbathed and used sunbeds more than boys at all ages. Sunbathing and sunbed use increased with age. Boys who were most satisfied and girls least satisfied with themselves sunbathed most. Those who were least satisfied with themselves used sunbeds most frequently. Girls reported a higher perceived susceptibility to melanoma than did boys. The perception of susceptibility increased with age. Those who were least satisfied with themselves reported feeling most susceptible. The overall main reason for sunbathing was appearance, both for own sunbathing, and to an even higher degree, as a supposed reason for other adolescents' behaviour, and was reported most frequently by girls and the older age groups. The second most 'important' reason for sunbathing was 'feeling warm and comfortable'. Preventive programmes aimed at a change of sun related behaviours among Swedish adolescents have to be tailored to the climate and cultural conditions and must take into account that having a tan, and the warmth of the sun, are highly valued by most adolescents.
World of Warcraft as a ludic cyborg

This paper describes World of Warcraft as a ludic cyborg --- an entity that exists for play and depends on both artificial and organic components to survive. We argue that the popularity of the game arose due to the balance between the types of socialization it promotes and in-game literacies acquired by players on PvP servers.
A Similarity Parameter for Capillary Flows of Relevance to Micropropulsion

A similarity parameter for quasi-steady fluid flows advancing into horizontal capillary channels is presented. This parameter, which may be used to scale propellant feeding rates in microthrusters, can be interpreted as the ratio of the average fluid velocity in the capillary channel to a characteristic velocity of quasi-steady capillary flows. It allows collapsing a large data set of previously published and recent measurements spanning five orders of magnitude in the fluid velocity, fourteen different fluids, and four different geometries onto a single curve, and indicates the existence of a universal prescription for such flows. On time scales longer than the characteristic time it takes for the flow to become quasi-steady, the one-dimensional momentum equation leads to a non-dimensional relationship between the similarity parameter and the penetration depth that agrees well with most measurements. Departures from that prescription can be attributed to gravitational effects that are not accounted for in the one-dimensional theory.
The problem of allowing correlated errors in structural equation modeling: concerns and considerations

Results of structural equation models may be negated by inappropriate methodological procedures. Model fit is known to be improved by the addition of pathways. Some pathways are added due to modification indices. These a - theoretical pathways will improve model fit at the expense of theory and reduction in parameter value replication. Furthermore, some additions to the model like correlating measurement errors are usually theoretically unjustifiable. This quantitative review examines the frequency of correlating measurement errors and examines the reasons, if any, for having these pathways in the model. Additionally, this quantitative review examines the consequences of correlating measurement errors in structural equation modeling
Une Approche Méthodologique pour la Modélisation Intentionnelle des Services et leur Opérationnalisation

Le paradigme SOA est devenu un standard pour la conception technique et le developpement d'applications logicielles. Malgre tous les avantages qu'il apporte notamment dans la resolution des problemes d'heterogeneite, les solutions associees a ce paradigme sont dediees aux developpeurs et restent difficiles a transposer au monde de l'entreprise. L'hypothese de cette these est que pour tirer le meilleur profit du paradigme SOA, il est necessaire d'adopter une position dan laquelle les services sont decrits en termes de besoins qu'ils permettent de satisfaire, c'est a dire par les buts organisationnels a satisfaire. Nous qualifions ces services d'intentionnels. La publication, la recherche et la composition de ces services se fait sur la base de ces descriptions intentionnelles. De cette facon, on parle d'un portage de SOA au niveau intentionnel que nous qualifions de ISOA. La solution proposee dans cette these a conduit aux resultats suivants : − Un modele de representation des services intentionnels qui integre la variabilite et la reflexivite : le modele MiS (Modele Intentionnel de Services), − Une demarche pour identifier les services intentionnels a partir des besoins des utilisateurs, − Un modele de representation des services operationnels : le modele MoS (Modele Operationnel de Services), − Une demarche pour deriver les services operationnels a partir des services intentionnels, − Une architecture a agents permettant l'execution intentionnelle des services.
An operational tool for determining the optimum repositioning strategy for leisure service departments

A sample of 331 residents of Grapevine, Texas, responded to an instrument designed to assess their perspectives of the priority issues related to economic development in their community. The instrument also assessed the parks and recreation department's contributions to these issues, and compared them with those of the police department in the area of preventing youth crime. The data were used to suggest a repositioning strategy for the city's parks and recreation department. The instrumentation and processes used in this case study are designed to offer a generalizable operational tool for leisure service agencies to use to determine an optimal repositioning strategy.
Cranial index of symmetry: an objective semiautomated measure of plagiocephaly. Technical note.

OBJECT The prevalence of deformational, or positional, plagiocephaly has increased during the last decade. Treatments vary among centers, ranging from expectant management to orthotic helmet therapy to craniofacial remodeling. This management variability is partially due to a lack of objective methods with which to measure the severity of plagiocephaly, as well as procedures that are not cumbersome or require radiographic studies. A simple and objective method of determining the degree of cranial deformation has been developed. METHODS A headband placed around the head was marked with two adjustable points--one denoting the nasion and the other, the inion. A digital camera was used to image the head from a vertex view. The shape of the headband and the area of each hemisphere were then determined by analyzing the image on a personal computer in a semiautomated fashion. A cranial index of symmetry (CIS) was calculated and, by definition, equaled 100% for a perfectly symmetrical head. In this preliminary study, the authors studied eight children referred for evaluation of their plagiocephaly and eight infants referred for noncraniofacial entities. In the unaffected infants the mean CIS was 96.3 +/- 1.3% (+/- standard deviation). In children with clinical evidence of plagiocephaly, however, the CIS was 81.9 +/- 3.4% (p < 0.001). Although the CIS in healthy children was never less than 95%, that in all infants with plagiocephaly was below 90%. CONCLUSIONS Although preliminary, this objective nonradiographic measurement of cranial symmetry appears to allow grading of the severity of positional plagiocephaly. The aforementioned methodology may potentially be used as an unbiased means of comparing different treatment modalities in longitudinal studies.
MRI-Based Attenuation Correction for PET/MRI Using Multiphase Level-Set Method

Inaccuracy in MR image–based attenuation correction (MR-AC) leads to errors in quantification and the misinterpretation of lesions in brain PET/MRI studies. To resolve this problem, we proposed an improved ultrashort echo time MR-AC method that was based on a multiphase level-set algorithm with main magnetic field (B0) inhomogeneity correction. We also assessed the feasibility of this level-set–based MR-AC method (MR-AClevel), compared with CT-AC and MR-AC provided by the manufacturer of the PET/MRI scanner (MR-ACmMR). Methods: Ten healthy volunteers and 20 Parkinson disease patients underwent 18F-FDG and 18F-fluorinated-N-3-fluoropropyl-2-β-carboxymethoxy-3-β-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane (18F-FP-CIT) PET scans, respectively, using both PET/MRI and PET/CT scanners. The level-set–based segmentation algorithm automatically delimited air, bone, and soft tissue from the ultrashort echo time MR images. For the comparison, MR-AC maps were coregistered to reference CT. PET sinogram data obtained from PET/CT studies were then reconstructed using the CT-AC, MR-ACmMR, and MR-AClevel maps. The accuracies of SUV, SUVr (SUV and its ratio to the cerebellum), and specific–to–nonspecific binding ratios obtained using MR-AClevel and MR-ACmMR were compared with CT-AC using region-of-interest– and voxel-based analyses. Results: There was remarkable improvement in the segmentation of air cavities and bones and the quantitative accuracy of PET measurement using the level set. Although the striatal and cerebellar activities in 18F-FP-CIT PET and frontal activity in 18F-FDG PET were significantly underestimated by the MR-ACmMR, the MR-AClevel provided PET images almost equivalent to the CT-AC images. PET quantification error was reduced by a factor of 3 using MR-AClevel (SUV error < 10% in MR-AClevel and < 30% in MR-ACmMR [version VB18P], and < 5% in MR-AClevel and < 15% in MR-ACmMR [VB20P]). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that our new multiphase level-set–based MR-AC method improves the quantitative accuracy of brain PET in PET/MRI studies.
Altered Monovinyl and Divinyl Protochlorophyllide Pools in bchJ Mutants of Rhodobacter capsulatus

In land plants in particular, it has been well established that chlorophyll intermediates, Mg-protoporphyrin, Mg-protoporphyrin monomethylester, protochlorophyllide, and chlorophyllide occur as monovinyl and divinyl forms. The pool of monovinyl and divinyl intermediates differ according to species, age of tissue, and light regime. In this study, we investigated the monovinyl and divinyl characteristics of protochlorophyllide and chlorophyllide in the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic eubacterium Rhodobactercapsulatus. Our results indicate that mutations in genes known to completely block the reduction of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide (such as bchN, bchB, and bchL mutants), accumulate a pool of monovinyl and divinyl forms of protochlorophyllide just as observed in plants. However, we also observed that directed insertion and deletion mutations in bchJ, a gene located in the photosynthesis gene cluster, affected the ratio of monovinyl and divinyl protochlorophyllide. Specifically, bchJ-disrupted strains accumulate reduced levels of bacteriochlorophyll concomitant with the accumulation of divinyl protochlorophyllide. Mutants of bchJ in combination with a second mutation in bchL still produce a mixed pool of monovinyl and divinyl protochlorophyllide; however, the ratio of monovinyl to divinyl protochlorophyllide is skewed in favor of divinyl protochlorophyllide. These results thus identify bchJ as the first sequenced gene that affects the divinyl to monovinyl ratio of photopigment intermediates in any photosynthetic organism. In addition, the results of our study also suggest that light-independent protochlorophyllide reductase is discriminatory for a monovinyl substrate.
Podcast based m-Learning with Pediaphon - A Web based Text-to-Speech Interface for the free Wikipedia Encyclopedia

This paper presents an approach to generate audio based learning material dynamically from web pages for m-Learning usage. It introduces Pediaphon (an audio interface to the free Wikipedia online encyclopedia) as an example application for microlearning. The effective generation and the deployment of the audio data to the user via podcast or progressive download (pseudo streaming) are covered.
Development of a low-cost fall intervention system for hospitalized dementia patients

The current state of the art approach to preventing falls of hospitalized elderly adults with dementia is to use a video surveillance setup in each of the hospital rooms and have hospital personnel continuously monitor the video feeds. In this research, we are developing a motion monitoring system to reduce the number of accidental falls among patients at acute risk, while preserving their privacy. The prototypical system includes five accelerometer-based wireless sensors that are placed on the wrists, ankles, and chest of a patient. The system senses the movements and postures of the patient and transmits the information wirelessly to a remote base station. The received motion information is processed in real-time and used to animate a 3D avatar that figuratively represents the movements of the patient. The 3D avatar is intended to give care staff early warning of patient wakefulness, agitation, and of patients attempt to arise from the bed without assistance, while preserving the privacy of the patients. This research also aims to develop predicative algorithms to detect fall-antecedent activity and provide an early warning to care personnel. The base station keeps the captured video and the received motion information synchronized in time and stores them together into a database. The stored video and motion information can be played back in time to plot the motion information as real-time signals on a screen that is synchronized with the captured video of the patient. This paper provides background, motivation, and current state of the art approaches to reducing falls in hospitals. Our prototypical system has undergone preliminary testing successfully on several elderly patients at William Beaumont Hospital at Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Examining Fundamental Movement Competency and Closed-Chain Upper-Extremity Dynamic Balance in Swimmers

Abstract Bullock, GS, Brookreson, N, Knab, AM, and Butler, RJ. Examining fundamental movement competency and closed-chain upper-extremity dynamic balance in swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 31(6): 1544–1551, 2017—Abnormal fundamental movement patterns and upper-quarter dynamic balance are proposed mechanisms affecting athletic performance and injury risk. There are few studies investigating functional movement and closed-chain upper-extremity dynamic stability in swimmers. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in fundamental movement competency and closed-chain upper-extremity dynamic balance, using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Upper-Quarter Y Balance Test (YBT-UQ), of high school (HS; n = 70) and collegiate (COL; n = 70) swimmers. Variables included the individual movement tests on the FMS and the average normalized reach (percent limb length [%LL]) for each direction, with the YBT-UQ. Statistical analysis was completed using a chi square for the independent test scores on the FMS while independent samples t-test to examine performance on the YBT-UQ (p ⩽ 0.05). HS swimmers exhibited a statistically significant greater percentage of below average performance (score of 0 or 1) on the following FMS tests: lunge (HS: 22.9%, COL: 4.3%), hurdle step (HS: 31.4%, COL: 7.1%), and push-up (HS: 61.4%, COL: 31.4%). Furthermore, COL males performed worse in the lunge (male: 9%, female: 0%), whereas COL females had poorer efficiency in the push-up (male: 17.6%, female: 44%). Significant effects of competition level and sex were observed in YBT-UQ medial reach (HS: female 92.06, male 101.63; COL: female 101.3, male 101.5% LL). Individual fundamental movement patterns that involved lumbopelvic neuromuscular control differed between HS and COL swimmers. General upper-extremity dynamic balance differed between competition levels. These data may be helpful in understanding injury and performance-based normative data for participation and return to swimming.