Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Model of Bromodeoxyuridine or Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Uptake by Activated Macrophages from Labeled Stem Cells: Implications for Cellular Therapy

There is increasing interest in using exogenous labels such as bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) or superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) to label cells to identify transplanted cells and monitor their migration by fluorescent microscopy or in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), respectively. Direct implantation of cells into target tissue can result in >80% cell death due to trauma or apoptosis. Bystander uptake of labeled cells by activated macrophages (AM) can confound the interpretation of results. This study investigated the frequency of BrdU or SPION uptake by AM using the Boyden chamber model of inflammation. SPION/BrdU‐labeled bone marrow stromal cells or HeLa cells, AM, and mouse fibroblasts (MF) or human fibroblasts (HF) were mixed in various ratios in Matrigel in the upper chamber and incubated for up to 96 hours. The AM were chemotactically induced to migrate to the lower chamber. Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis of AM from lower and upper chambers, in the presence of either MF or HF using anti‐CD68, anti‐BrdU, anti‐dextran antibodies, revealed 10%–20% dextran‐positive or 10% BrdU‐positive AM after 96 hours of incubation. Transfer of iron to AM accounted for <10% of the total iron in labeled cells. The uptake of BrdU and SPION was dependent on the ratio of labeled cells to inflammatory cells and microenvironmental conditions. Direct implantation of BrdU/SPION‐labeled cells into target tissue can result in uptake of label by AM; therefore, care should be taken to validate by histology transplanted cells for bystander cell markers and correlation with MRI results.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation Impairs the Priming but Not the Recall of Influenza Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells in the Lung1

The response of CD8+ T cells to influenza virus is very sensitive to modulation by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists; however, the mechanism underlying AhR-mediated alterations in CD8+ T cell function remains unclear. Moreover, very little is known regarding how AhR activation affects anamnestic CD8+ T cell responses. In this study, we analyzed how AhR activation by the pollutant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) alters the in vivo distribution and frequency of CD8+ T cells specific for three different influenza A virus epitopes during and after the resolution of a primary infection. We then determined the effects of TCDD on the expansion of virus-specific memory CD8+ T cells during recall challenge. Adoptive transfer of AhR-null CD8+ T cells into congenic AhR+/+ recipients, and the generation of CD45.2AhR−/−→CD45.1AhR+/+ chimeric mice demonstrate that AhR-regulated events within hemopoietic cells, but not directly within CD8+ T cells, underlie suppressed expansion of virus-specific CD8+ T cells during primary infection. Using a dual-adoptive transfer approach, we directly compared the responsiveness of virus-specific memory CD8+ T cells created in the presence or absence of TCDD, which revealed that despite profound suppression of the primary response to influenza virus, the recall response of virus-specific CD8+ T cells that form in the presence of TCDD is only mildly impaired. Thus, the delayed kinetics of the recall response in TCDD-treated mice reflects the fact that there are fewer memory cells at the time of reinfection rather than an inherent defect in the responsive capacity of virus-specific memory CD8+ cells.
Prevention of airborne contamination and cross-contamination in germ-free mice by laminar flow

SUMMARY The efficacy of horizontal and vertical laminar flow units (equipped with high-efficiency air niters) in the prevention of cross-contamination between cages and of contamination from outside has been demonstrated. With germ-free mice and using germ-free standard techniques for sterilization and for the transfer of germ-free mice into the cabinets via a standard entry lock, it was found that during an observation period of 2 weeks the animals remain ‘negative’. Other experiments were performed with equally good results in cabinets equipped with a hinged flap, closing 95 % of the open front side. When the flap was closed the air flow could be reduced accordingly, thus reducing the noise level and the risk of dehydration. Experiments made with germ-free mice in a ‘down-flow unit’ were also invariably good. In another type of experiment, cages with conventional mice were placed in the cabinets between cages with germ-free animals at varying distances. If all animals were maintained on wire mesh (to minimize the aerosol production of dust) and if the ‘conventional’ cages were at a distance of 10 cm. from ‘germ-free cages’ the latter remained bacteria-free during test periods of one week. The use of ‘laminar flow isolators’ for the isolation of human patients is mentioned.
Highly Strained Si pFinFET on SiC With Good Control of Sub-Fin Leakage and Self-Heating

Investigating of ON-current boosting, short channel effect (SCE), and self-heating effect in Si pFinFET on a SiC stress relaxed buffer (SRB) layer is presented compared with SiGe pFinFET on a SiGe-SRB. Both SiC-SRB-based device and SiGe-SRB-based device show mobility boosting due to high compressive channel stress as well as enhanced SCE due to significant suppressing of subfin leakage. However, if self-heating is considered, SiGe-based devices exhibit non-negligible current degradation compared to SiC-SRB-based devices. Even though SiGe channel devices on a SiGe-SRB show better performance compared with SiC-SRB-based device, it is shown that the impact of BEOL reliability should be considered carefully.
Classification des réponses d'un moteur de recherche et évaluation de leur pertinence

RÉSUMÉ Dans cet article, nous proposons une méthode d’évaluation de la pertinence des pages Web. Ce travail s’inscrit dans le cadre général de la recherche d’information et plus précisément dans le but de la construction d’un résumé automatique de type encyclopédique à partir des réponses d’un moteur de recherche. Ce type de résumé offre une nouvelle approche de classification des réponses d’un moteur de recherche. Dans cet article, nous présentons globalement notre approche de classification et nous détaillons notre méthode d’évaluation de la pertinence des pages Web. Cette méthode se base sur des critères de forme permettant d’évaluer la forme globale de la page, des critères statistiques vérifiant la correspondance entre les termes de la requête et le thème général des pages et des critères linguistiques assurant la bonne forme linguistique des pages. ABSTRACT . In this paper, we propose a method for evaluation of relevance in Web pages. This work joins in the general framework of Information Retrieval (IR) and more precisely, with the aim of constructing an automatic summary in encyclopaedic style. This summary type allows a new approach of Web page classification. In this paper, we present our classification approach and we detail our method for Web page relevance evaluation. This method is based on form criteria allowing to estimate the global form of the page and its capacity to produce a summary, statistical criteria verifying the correspondence between the request and the general topic of pages and linguistic criteria that guarantee a good linguistic form of pages.
EFFECTS OF SPERM ACROSOMAL INTEGRITY AND PROTAMINE DEFICIENCY ON IN VITRO FERTILIZATION AND PREGNANCY RATE

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between protamine deficiency, and acrosomal integrity with fertilization and pregnancy rate in patients undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF). Material M P=0.058). Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that, even though sperm morphology, sperm protamine content and acrosome formation are events related to spermiogenesis, sperm acrosomal integrity assessed by percentage of halo formation has more profound effect on fertilization rate and pregnancy outcome during IVF procedure.
UWB Vivaldi antenna based on a spline geometry with frequency band-notch

A printed UWB Vivaldi antenna is presented in this paper. Its geometry is based on a novel spline shape and optimised by an efficient global optimisation algorithm. A U-shaped slot is introduced into the geometry to notch out the 5.1 GHz to 5.8 GHz WLAN band. This can be used to mitigate interference between WLAN and UWB systems.
Visual object perception in unstructured environments

We present a method for real-time 3D object instance detection that does not require a time consuming training stage, and can handle untextured objects. At its core, our approach is a novel image representation for template matching designed to be robust to small image transformations. This robustness is based on spread image gradient orientations and allows us to test only a small subset of all possible pixel locations when parsing the image, and to represent a 3D object with a limited set of templates. In addition, we demonstrate that if a dense depth sensor is available w can extend our approac for an even better performance taking also 3D surface normal orientations into account. We show how to take advantage of the architecture of modern computers to build an efficient but very discriminant representation of the input images that can be used to consider thousands of templates in real-time. We demonstrate in many experiments on real data that our method is much faster and more robust with respect to background clutter than current state-of-the-art methods.
Working Productively with Indigenous Communities: Mungullah Best Start Playgroup

Abstract In this paper, we discuss and analyse the development of a resource documenting an Indigenous early childhood playgroup programme. The resource, known as the “Best Start DVD” was developed through a partnership between community and government support agencies to support engagement of parents as educators of their children. Through analysis of the development process and the product, we provide commentary on our learning regarding working successfully in partnerships with Indigenous communities. Additionally, we discuss what we learned about influences on Indigenous parents’ engagement as educators of their children.
ROLE OF ALLERGIC SENSITIZATION, FILAGGRIN VARIANTS, AND DNA

Background: Allergic disorders, including eczema, asthma, and rhinitis, have emerged as a global public health concern due to their elevated prevalence and the associated clinical morbidity. Environmental, immunologic, and genetic factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders. Allergic sensitization (representing deviated immune responses) and filaggrin gene (FLG) variants (leading to dysfunctional epidermal barrier) have shown to be common predisposing factors in the development of allergic disorders. However, there is a lack of knowledge on their joint effects on the development of single and multiple (coexistence) allergic disorders. More recently, epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, have emerged as potentially important factors in the development of such complex diseases; however, the extent to which DNA methylation associates with allergic disorders is unclear. Objectives: This dissertation sought to (i) determine whether eczema and/or allergic sensitization is an effect modifier of the association between ‘FLG variants and asthma’ and ‘FLG variants and rhinitis’, (ii) test whether FLG variants and allergic sensitization jointly predispose to the comorbidity of eczema, asthma and rhinitis, and (iii) examine associations between DNA methylation across the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) genomic region with eczema status. Methods: The Isle of Wight (IOW) birth cohort, a population-based sample of 1,456 infants born between January 1989 and February 1990, was prospectively assessed at
Exercise as a Management Strategy for the Overweight and Obese: Where Does Resistance Exercise Fit in?

SUMMARY EXCESS BODYWEIGHT, SPECIFICALLY EXCESS FAT WEIGHT, INCREASES THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE AND PREMATURE DEATH. INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY/EXERCISE IS A RECOMMENDED STRATEGY FOR THOSE SEEKING TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE AND MANAGE BODYWEIGHT. TRADITIONALLY, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT EXERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE FOCUSED ON AEROBIC-TYPE ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS WALKING, BIKING, SWIMMING, AND THE LIKE, WHICH TEND TO RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT CALORIC EXPENDITURE DURING THE EXERCISE SESSION. STUDIES SUGGEST THAT RESISTANCE EXERCISE CAN ALSO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN A LONG-TERM WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, ALBEIT THROUGH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES CURRENT ACTIVITY/EXERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WEIGHT LOSS/MANAGEMENT AND DISCUSSES THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF RESISTANCE EXERCISE.
Optimization of Decentralized Task Assignment for Heterogeneous UAVs

Abstract In this paper, the optimization of a decentralized task assignment strategy for heterogeneous UAVs in a probabilistic engagement scenario is investigated. In the engagement scenario, each UAV selects its targets by employing the consensus-based bundle algorithm (CBBA). This paper uses a scoring matrix to reflect heterogeneity among the UAVs and targets with different capabilities. Therefore, a performance improvement of CBBA is closely connected with the scoring matrix and it should be optimally selected. The values of scoring matrix can be obtained by employing an episodic parameter optimization (EPO). The EPO algorithm is performed during the numerous repeated simulation runs of the engagement and the reward of each episode is updated using reinforcement learning. The candidate scoring matrices are selected by using particle swarm optimization. The optimization results show that the team survivability of the UAVs is increased after performing the EPO algorithm and the values of the optimized score matrix are also optimally selected.
Representing the Richness of Linguistic Structure in Models of Episodic Memory

The principal aim of a cognitive model is to infer the process by which the human mind acts on some select set of environmental inputs such that it produces the observed set of behavioral outputs. In this endeavor, one of the central requirements is that the input to the model be represented as faithfully and accurately as possible. However, this is often easier said than done. In the study of recognition memory, for instance, words are the environmental input of choice—yet because words vary on many different dimensions, and because the problem of quantifying this variation has long been out of reach, modelers have tended to rely on idealized, randomly generated representations of their experimental stimuli. In this paper, we introduce new resources from largescale text mining that may improve upon this practice, illustrating a simple method for deriving feature information directly from word pools and lists.
Induction of Adrenomedullin During Hypoxia in Cultured Human Glioblastoma Cells

Abstract: Adrenomedullin is a potent vasodilator peptide originally isolated from pheochromocytoma. Adrenomedullin is produced by various types of cells including neurons and astrocytes. To explore possible pathophysiological roles of adrenomedullin in hypoxic brain, we studied the effects of hypoxia on the expression of adrenomedullin in T98G human glioblastoma cells by radioimmunoassay and northern blot analysis. Expression levels of adrenomedullin mRNA and immunoreactive adrenomedullin levels in the culture medium were increased by hypoxia about six‐ and about threefold, respectively. Treatment with cobalt chloride increased expression levels of adrenomedullin mRNA about threefold and immunoreactive adrenomedullin levels in the culture medium about threefold in T98G cells. Using actinomycin D, we showed that hypoxia did not cause the stabilization of the adrenomedullin mRNA, suggesting that the increased adrenomedullin mRNA levels in response to hypoxia are caused mainly by increased transcription. Treatment with cycloheximide caused increases in adrenomedullin mRNA levels in both normoxic and hypoxic states, raising the possibility that some protein(s) may act as a suppressor of adrenomedullin gene expression in T98G cells. These findings indicate that adrenomedullin is highly induced during hypoxia in T98G glioblastoma cells and suggest that increased expression of adrenomedullin during hypoxia may be important in the defense against hypoxia or ischemia in the brain.
Poster : Atoms of Style : Identifying the Authors of Program Binaries

Being able to identify the author of a program has many applications in both academic and commercial environments. In most use cases, the source code is readily available, and this is reflected in the literature, as previous work has mostly focused on source code analyses. In contrast, scant research has been carried out on identifying the authors of executable program binaries. This would be most applicable to the analysis of malware, but it also has applications in other areas, such as the evaluation of code obfuscators. Our research builds on and extends the work of previous studies on source code analysis to the realm of executable binaries. We take the approach of initially reverse engineering the executable code to extract a source code representation, before applying deanonymization techniques and analyzing the results. Our reasons for reverse engineering are to use the results to better understand whether elements of style are preserved through compilation, and of those, which are instrumental in identifying authors. Our preliminary results suggest that some logical stylistic features remain after compilation, however there is far less variety in these features due in part to the loss of information after compiling, which goes beyond loss of indentation, comments and naming conventions. However, the results provide some encouragement that accuracy can be improved given a more detailed investigation and experimentation with different feature sets.
Regression Following Immunotherapy From a Patient With a Durable Complete MHC Class II Region Using Lymphocytes Reading Frame of a Gene in the Extended Translated From an Alternative Open Identification of BING-4 Cancer Antigen

Multiple human cancer Ags have been identiﬁed, although little is known concerning which would be most effectively used in cancer immunotherapy. To gain insight into the selection of appropriate Ags, the immunologic reactivity of a patient who had a durable complete regression of melanoma metastases was measured. PBMCs were directly cloned using the monoclonal anti-CD3 Ab OKT3 and IL-2 without any bias introduced by previous culture. A lymphocyte clone recognized a previously unknown shared melanoma Ag that was identiﬁed as the BING-4 protein encoded in a gene-rich region of the extended class II MHC. The HLA-A2-restricted BING-4 immunodominant peptide was translated from a 10-aa-long alternative open reading frame. In vitro sensitization against this peptide generated lymphocytes reactive against HLA-A2 (cid:1) melanomas. Real-time semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that 8 of 15 melanoma cell lines overexpressed BING-4, and this correlated with recognition by lymphocytes. Overexpression was not found in normal tissues or other tumor types. Thus, BING-4 represents another candidate Ag for possible use in the immunotherapy of patients with melanoma. The Journal of Immunology, 2002, 168: 2402–2407.
Glucocorticoid sparing effect of tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis in real life practice.

OBJECTIVE To determine, in real life practice, the impact of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha on glucocorticoid (GC) use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS This systematic monocenter retrospective before-after study enrolled all RA patients who started their first anti-TNF-alpha treatment between January 2004 and December 2006 and were followed more than 3 months after anti-TNF-alpha initiation. Paired comparisons were performed to compare GC intake during the year before anti-TNF-alpha initiation and during the first year of treatment; each patient was his/her own control. Comparisons between patients who reduced their oral prednisone intake and those who did not, were also performed to identify variables associated with prednisone decrease. RESULTS 110 patients were included (90 females/20 males, age: 42.1+/-14.4 years, disease duration: 10.6+/-10.2 years). Etanercept was prescribed in 70 (63.6%) patients, adalimumab in 35 (31.8%) and infliximab in 5 (4.6%). At anti-TNF-alpha initiation, 79 patients (71.8%) were taking oral prednisone (mean dose 7.3+/-2.6 mg/d). Of the 82 prednisone-users (74.5% of patients), 62 (75.6%) had lowered prednisone doses, whereas 12 (14.6%) and 10 (12.2%) patients had stable or increased doses, respectively. Twelve patients (15.2%) discontinued oral prednisone. Overall, a significant decrease of 28% of oral prednisone use was observed. The only factors associated with oral prednisone decrease were higher initial prednisone daily doses (p=0.04) and female sex (p=0.04). CONCLUSION This study showed a significant GC sparing-effect of anti-TNF-alpha in RA patients in real life practice that was observed for oral, parenteral and intra-articular administration, as early as the first 3 months of treatment.
Are the Local Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent (BOLD) Signals Caused by Neural Stimulation Response Dependent on Global BOLD Signals Induced by Hypercapnia in the Functional MR Imaging Experiment? Experiments of Long-Duration Hypercapnia and Multilevel Carbon Dioxide Concentration

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between the local blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) signals caused by neural stimulation (fBOLD) and the global BOLD signals induced by hypercapnia (hBOLD) has not been fully investigated. In this study, we examine whether fBOLD is modulated by hBOLD signals, by means of experiments using a relatively wide range of inhaled carbon dioxide (CO2) for a long duration of 5 minutes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten healthy volunteers were recruited, each undergoing 6 separate experiments by inhaling gas mixtures with different fractions of CO2 (room air, 3%–7%). Each experiment contained 3 phases, prehypercapnic, hypercapnic, and posthypercapnic, during which boxcar visual stimulus was given. The local fBOLD signals were measured from areas showing activation patterns highly correlated with the visual stimulus paradigm, whereas the global hBOLD signals were measured from areas showing no visual activations. Percentage changes in fBOLD during transient-state hypercapnia and steady-state hypercapnia were both investigated in response to varying degrees of hypercapnic perturbations. RESULTS: The hBOLD signals increased with increase of inhaled CO2 fractions. The duration for the hBOLD signals to reach steady state prolonged with increase of inhaled CO2 fractions. Normalized fBOLD ratio was inversely related to the inhaled CO2 during steady-state hypercapnia but showed positive association with hBOLD during transient-state hypercapnia. CONCLUSION: Our study concludes that the steady-state fBOLD signal intensity is dependent on and inversely related to the hBOLD signals. Previous reports documenting independent and additive relationships between hBOLD and fBOLD may likely be due to transient-state observations.