Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neonatal Basophils Stifle the Function of Early-Life Dendritic Cells To Curtail Th1 Immunity in Newborn Mice

Neonatal immunity exhibits weak Th1 but excessive Th2 responses, and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this article, we show that neonatal basophils readily produce IL-4, a cytokine that proved to be pivotal in shaping the programs of both lymphocyte subsets. Besides promoting Th2 programs, IL-4 is captured by the IL-4 heteroreceptor (IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1) expressed on dendritic cells and instigates IL-12 downregulation. Under these circumstances, differentiating Th1 cells upregulate IL-13Rα1, leading to an unusual expression of the heteroreceptor, which will serve as a death marker for these Th1 cells during rechallenge with Ag. The resulting Th1/Th2 imbalance impacts childhood immunity culminating in sensitivity to allergic reactions, susceptibility to microbial infection and perhaps poor efficacy of pediatric vaccines.
Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia following hip and knee arthroplasty

Until recently, both the British Society for Haematology and American College of Chest Physicians recommended platelet monitoring in all surgical patients receiving prophylactic low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for the early diagnosis of heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). These guidelines were reversed in 2012 based upon an analysis considering resource expenditure, assay result timeframes, and complications relating to HIT treatment. However, there are no large studies reviewing lower limb arthroplasty patients on an individual basis to determine the incidence of HIT in this patient group. This study investigated 10 797 patients who underwent primary hip or knee arthroplasty with LMWH prophylaxis over a 5 years period. 32·6% of patients (n = 3515) had platelet counts recorded up to 14 d postoperatively with 13 patients (0·37%) developing thrombocytopenia. Platelet counts recovered spontaneously in five patients, and two patients had other identifiable causes. Only one of the remaining six patients developed thrombosis indicating an incidence of HIT‐related thrombosis of 0·03%. The potential for identifying HIT with platelet monitoring in patients receiving LMWH prophylaxis is low and therefore routine monitoring for HIT is not justified.
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Relax Mouse Aorta Partly through Their Inhibitory Action on L-Type Ca 2 1 Channels s

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors modulate acetylation/ deacetylation of histone and nonhistone proteins. They have been widely used for cancer treatment. However, there have been only a few studies investigating the effect of HDAC inhibitors on vascular tone regulation, most of which employed chronic treatment with HDAC inhibitors. In the present study, we found that two hydroxamate-based pan-HDAC inhibitors, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and trichostatin A (TSA), could partially but acutely relax high extracellular K-contracted mouse aortas. SAHA and TSA also attenuated the high extracellular K-induced cytosolic Ca rise and inhibited L-type Ca channel current in whole-cell patch-clamp. These data demonstrate that SAHA could inhibit L-type Ca channels to cause vascular relaxation. In addition, SAHA and TSA dose dependently relaxed the arteries precontracted with phenylephrine. The relaxant effect of SAHA and TSA was greater in phenylephrine-precontracted arteries than in high K-contracted arteries. Although part of the relaxant effect of SAHA and TSA on phenylephrine-precontracted arteries was related to L-type Ca channels, both agents could also induce relaxation via a mechanism independent of L-type Ca channels. Taken together, HDAC inhibitors SAHA and TSA can acutely relax blood vessels via their inhibitory action on L-type Ca channels and via another L-type Ca channel-independent mechanism.
Electrically Small Eighth-Mode Substrate-Integrated Waveguide (EMSIW) Antenna With Different Resonant Frequencies Depending on Rotation of Complementary Split Ring Resonator

Electrically small antennas are proposed, based on a substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) and a complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR). The antenna's electrical size is reduced by introducing both CSRR and the eight-mode substrate-integrated wave guide (EMSIW). A forward electromagnetic wave can be achieved with frequency below the characteristic waveguide cuff-off frequency due to the CSRR. The EMSIW occupies only 12.5% of the conventional SIW with the same dominant resonant frequency. In addition, by rotating the CSRR on the EMSIW, the resonant frequency of the antenna is varied, while maintaining the same radiation pattern and performance. The S-parameters and radiation patterns are investigated by a full-wave simulation and measurement. The resonant frequency is changed from 4.74 GHz to 5.07 GHz by varying the orientation of the CSRR from 0 to 360 degrees. Omnidirectional radiation patterns are observed, and the measured peak gains are 4.5-5.9 dBi.
Supplementation-dependent differences in the rates of embryonic stem cell self-renewal, differentiation, and apoptosis.

Although it is known that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) supports the derivation and expansion of murine embryonic stem (ES) cells, it is unclear whether this is due to inhibitory effects of LIF on ES cell differentiation or stimulatory effects on ES cell survival and proliferation. Using an ES cell line transgenic for green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression under control of the Oct4 promoter, we were able to simultaneously track the responses of live Oct4-GFP-positive (ES) and -negative (differentiated) fractions to LIF, serum, and other growth factors. Our findings show that, in addition to inhibiting differentiation of undifferentiated cells, the administration of LIF resulted in a distinct dose-dependent survival and proliferation advantage, thus enabling the long-term propagation of undifferentiated cells. Competitive responses from the differentiated cell fraction could only be elicited upon addition of serum, fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4), or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). The growth factors did not induce additional differentiation of ES cells, but rather they significantly improved the proliferation of already differentiated cells. Our analyses show that, by adjusting culture conditions, including the type and amount of growth factors or cytokines present, the frequency of media exchange, and the presence or absence of serum, we could selectively and specifically alter the survival, proliferation, and differentiation dynamics of the two subpopulations, and thus effectively control population outputs. Our findings therefore have important applications in engineering stem cell culture systems to predictably generate desired stem cells or their derivatives for various regenerative therapies.
Formation of ripples in atomically thin MoS2 and local strain engineering of electrostatic properties

Ripple is a common deformation in two-dimensional materials due to localized strain, which is expected to greatly influence the physical properties. The effects of the ripple deformation in the MoS2 layer on their physics, however, are rarely addressed experimentally. We here grow atomically thin MoS2 nanostructures by employing a vapor phase deposition method without any catalyst and observed the ripples in MoS2 nanostructures. The MoS2 ripples exhibit quasi-periodical ripple structures in the MoS2 surface. The heights of the ripples vary from several angstroms to tens of nanometers and the wavelength is in the range of several hundred nanometers. The growth mechanism of rippled MoS2 nanostructures is elucidated. We have also simultaneously investigated the electrostatic properties of MoS2 ripples by using Kelvin probe force microscopy, which shows inhomogeneous surface potential and charge distributions for MoS2 ripple nanostructures with different local strains.
GFR α2/neurturin signalling regulates noxious heat transduction in isolectin B4‐binding mouse sensory neurons

The GFR α2 receptor is the cognate co‐receptor for the neurotrophic factor neurturin and GFR α2 is selectively expressed by isolectin B4 (IB4)‐binding nociceptive sensory neurons. Here, we used two physiological approaches in combination with mice that have a targeted deletion of the GFR α2 gene (GFR α2 ‐/‐ mice) in order to determine whether GFR α2/neurturin signalling regulates the functional properties or the survival of IB4‐binding nociceptors. Because 50 % of IB4‐binding neurons respond to noxious heat and because patch clamp recordings of isolated dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons allow one to neurochemically identify subpopulations of neurons, we analysed the noxious heat responsiveness of IB4‐positive and ‐negative small‐diameter neurons isolated from adult GFR α2 ‐/‐ and littermate control mice. The percentage of IB4‐positive neurons that had large (> 100 pA) heat‐evoked inward currents was severely reduced in GFR α2 ‐/‐ mice (12 %) compared to wild‐type littermates (47 %), and this loss in large‐magnitude heat currents was accounted for by an increase in neurons with very small (< 100 pA) heat‐evoked currents as well as an increase in neurons with no detectable heat current. Counts of IB4‐positive and ‐negative neurons, as well as counts of unmyelinated axons in the saphenous nerve, confirmed that the loss in neurons with large‐amplitude heat currents was due to a deficit in heat transduction and not a decrease in cell survival. The effect was modality specific for heat because mechanical transduction of all fibre types, including IB4‐positive C fibres, was normal. Our data are the first to indicate a transduction‐function role for GFR α2/neurturin signalling in a specific class of sensory neurons.
The hand of the DLR Hand Arm System: Designed for interaction

Physical human–robot interaction implies the intersection of human and robot workspaces and intrinsically favors collision. The robustness of the most exposed parts, such as the hands, is crucial for effective and complete task execution of a robot. Considering the scales, we think that the robustness can only be achieved by the use of energy storage mechanisms, e.g. in elastic elements. The use of variable stiffness drives provides a low-pass filtering of impacts and allows stiffness adjustments depending on the task. However, using these drive principles does not guarantee the safety of the human due to the dramatically increased dynamics of such system. The design methodology of an antagonistically tendon-driven hand is explained. The resulting hand, very close to its human archetype in terms of size, weight, and, in particular, grasping performance, robustness, and dynamics, is presented. The hyper-actuated hand is a research platform that will also be used to investigate the importance of mechanical couplings and, in future projects, be the basis of a simplified hand that would still perform daily manipulation tasks.
Robust VLSI circuit simulation techniques based on overlapped waveform relaxation

High-performance mainframe computers are commonly implemented using bipolar VLSI technologies. The simulation of such circuits is very time-consuming using traditional direct methods, as in SPICE. Relaxation-based methods such as waveform relaxation (WR) have been used to speed up the simulation of MOS circuits, but they have not been as effective for bipolar circuits because of the strong coupling between logic gates. In this paper, a fast, robust overlapped waveform relaxation (OWR) algorithm is presented. OWR is effective for bipolar circuits because it uses an overlapped partitioning strategy to overcome the effect of strong coupling on convergence speed. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this algorithm, simulation results are presented for combinational and sequential digital bipolar circuits as well as analog bipolar circuits. From the simulation results, it can be concluded that the speed advantage of OWR compared to the direct method increases with circuit size. The OWR algorithm is more robust than standard WR; it converges in cases where WR diverges or converges too slowly. OWR is about two times faster than WR for tightly coupled bipolar circuits. >
SRTR Center‐Specific Reporting Tools: Posttransplant Outcomes

Measuring and monitoring performance—be it waiting list and posttransplant outcomes by a transplant center, or organ donation success by an organ procurement organization and its partnering hospitals—is an important component of ensuring good care for people with end‐stage organ failure. Many parties have an interest in examining these outcomes, from patients and their families to payers such as insurance companies or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; from primary caregivers providing patient counseling to government agencies charged with protecting patients.
Effects of Compounding on Pharmacokinetics of Itraconazole in Black-Footed Penguins (Spheniscus demersus)

Abstract Itraconazole is used to treat and prevent aspergillosis in captive penguin colonies. Although commercial formulations of itraconazole are available, compounding is sometimes performed to decrease cost or to provide a different concentration of the drug. Using a two-way crossover design, the pharmacokinetics of both a commercially available oral itraconazole solution and a compounded oral itraconazole solution were compared in six black-footed penguins (Spheniscus demersus). Each itraconazole formulation was administered orally in frozen–thawed capelin at 7 mg/kg. Plasma itraconazole concentrations at time 0 (pretreatment), 20 and 40 min post–drug administration, and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hr post–drug administration were determined using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Drug concentrations were analyzed using standard pharmacokinetic methods. Plasma clearance of the commercial itraconazole solution was more rapid than the clearance published for other species, possibly warranting more frequent dosing in black-footed penguins. Absorption of itraconazole, as determined by peak concentration and area under the curve, was significantly higher for the commercial formulation when compared to the compounded formulation, likely as a result of the presence of cyclodextrin, a carrier compound shown to improve oral absorption, in the commercial formulation. Extrapolating dosing regimens for compounded itraconazole formulations from regimens determined for commercial formulations warrants caution as a result of the significant differences in pharmacokinetics.
Analysis of Asynchronous Polynomial Root Finding Methods on a Distributed Memory Multicomputer

We have studied various implementations of iterative polynomial root finding methods on a distributed memory multicomputer. These methods are based on the construction of a sequence of approximations that converge to the set of zeros. The synchronous version consists in sharing the computation of the next iterate among the processors and updating their data through a total exchange of their results. In order to decrease the communication cost, we introduce asynchronous versions. The computation of the next iterate is still shared among the processor, but the updating is done by using only nearest neighbor communications. We prove that under weak conditions, these asynchronous versions are still locally convergent, even if their convergence orders are reduced. We analyze the behavior of the asynchronous methods in function of their delay, the topology of the interconnection network, and the elementary computation and communication times. We have implemented and compared these methods on a hypercube multicomputer. >
Children's responses to cognitive challenge and links to self-reported rumination

We tested the hypothesis that less effective responses during a cognitive challenge would relate to higher levels of self-reported rumination in children. The sample was 100 children (55 boys, 45 girls), aged 7 to 14 years. A portion (n=65) was at high risk for depression due to having a parent with a childhood-onset mood disorder, and 35 were a low-risk comparison group. Using an impossible puzzle task, we assessed children's responses following failure across several domains: emotions (expressed anger, sadness, and negative self-statements), performance (being off-task, the time to solve subsequent puzzles, and the number solved), and physiology (heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia). Results indicated that making negative self-blaming statements during the solvable puzzles and taking more time to solve the puzzles were associated with higher levels of self-reported rumination. Our findings advance the understanding of potential correlates of children's tendency to ruminate and may have implications for children's performance on cognitive tasks.
Paradoxical Anti-Inflammatory Actions of TNF-α: Inhibition of IL-12 and IL-23 via TNF Receptor 1 in Macrophages and Dendritic Cells1

IL-12 and TNF-α are central proinflammatory cytokines produced by macrophages and dendritic cells. Disregulation of TNF-α is associated with sepsis and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. However, new evidence suggests an anti-inflammatory role for TNF-α. TNF-α-treated murine macrophages produced less IL-12p70 and IL-23, after stimulation with IFN-γ and LPS. Frequency of IL-12p40-producing macrophages correspondingly decreased as measured by intracellular cytokine staining. IL-12p40 production was also inhibited in dendritic cells. TNFR1 was established as the main receptor involved in IL-12p40 regulation, because IL-12p40 levels were not affected by TNF-α in TNFR1−/−-derived macrophages. Macrophages activated during Listeria monocytogenes infection were more susceptible to inhibition by TNF-α than cells from naive animals, which suggests a regulatory role for TNF-α in later stages of infection. This nonapoptotic anti-inflammatory regulation of IL-12 and IL-23 is an important addition to the multitude of TNF-α-induced responses determined by cell-specific receptor signaling.
TREE SPECIES DIVERSITY IN THE STANDS OF BEECH AND VALUABLE BROADLEAVES IN THE AREA OF THE NP `DJERDAP`

The tree species diversity in mixed stands of beech and valuable broadleaves was researched in the area of the National Park `Djerdap` on fifteen sample plots (total study area of about 5 ha). For this purpose, the following diversity measures were applied: (1) Shannon`s index H', (2) Simpson`s index (Simpson 1949), (3) McIntosh`s diversity index D' (McIntosh 1967), (4) Hill’s N1 diversity number, (5) Hill’s N2 diversity number and (6) Hill’s E5 index. The results showed that the tree species diversity in the study forest stands didn’t depend significantly on the type of the index applied to measure diversity.
Bone Lead Level Prediction Models and Their Application to Examine the Relationship of Lead Exposure and Hypertension in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objective: We developed prediction models for bone lead using blood lead levels and other standard covariates in a community-based cohort of older men. Methods: Participants having bone lead levels measured by K X-ray fluorescence were included in the model selection process (n = 825). Predictors of each tibia and patella lead were identified in three quarters of the population and then predicted the bone lead levels in the remaining one quarter and in the Community Lead Study. Results: Eighteen predictors were selected for tibia (blood lead, age, education, occupation, smoking status, pack-years of cigarette, serum levels of phosphorus, uric acid, calcium, creatinine and total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, hematocrit, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and diagnoses of cancer and diabetes; R2 = 0.32) and 16 for patella lead (among the predictors included in the tibia model diagnosis of cancer, serum levels of calcium, and total cholesterol were not included in patella lead model, but diagnosis of hypertension was included; R2 = 0.34), respectively. The correlation coefficients between the observed and predicted values were 0.43 to 0.50 for tibia and 0.52 to 0.58 for patella lead in internal and external validation. We applied these predicted bone lead models to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III) to examine associations with hypertension and found relatively more significant associations compared with blood lead. Conclusions: This study suggests that the prediction equations may be used to predict bone lead levels in other community-based cohorts with reasonable accuracy.
Detection of 881 A →881 G Mutation in Tyrosinase Gene and Associations with the Black Ear Coat Color in Rabbits

The tyrosinase gene was selected as a candidate for uncovering genetic mechanism causing "black ear" coat color in rabbits. A PCR-SSCP detection method was established for the 881 A →881 G mutation located in the central region of the tyrosinase gene between the CuA and CuB binding region signatures, and this was confirmed by sequencing and alignment. Fully consistent associations between the SNP and "black ear" coat color were observed by analysis in a "black ear" pedigree and on 61 unrelated individuals. This SNP can serve as a molecular marker for use in "back ear" wool rabbit breeding. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 10 : 1395-1397)
Human Activity Recognition Using Deep Recurrent Neural Networks and Complexity-based Motion Features

Microsoft Kinect can be used for computationally inexpensive acquisition of skeleton tracking in real time. For human activity recognition, it appears to provide an opportunity for researchers to achieve good performance at low cost. However, two issues still remain. Firstly, the Kinect skeleton tracker often captures unnatural skeleton poses, such as discontinuous and vibrated motions, in the presence of self-occlusion. Secondly, there is still a requirement for anyone wishing to understand human behavior to develop high-level features instead of making direct use of a 3D skeleton pose. To this end, we propose a method that is composed of two parts. The ﬁrst part is to improve the Kinect skeleton under self-occlusion by using deep recurrent neural networks. The second part is to extract features by evaluating the importance of each sub-sequence of trajectories using a complexity-based measure.
Comparison of Whole Body and Segmental Bioimpedance Methodologies for Estimating Total Body Water

Abstract: We compared the whole body (WB) and segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) methodologies in a group of healthy adults (n= 25). It has been suggested that the segmental methodology may overcome the difficulty in generating a single algorithm to predict total body water (TBW) in all groups whether healthy or not. We measured TBW, using D2O dilution, and WB and segmental BIA parameters. Cole‐Cole analysis was used to determine the impedance at the characteristic frequency (Zc). The correlation between TBW (by D2O dilution) and segmental BIA measures (multiple regression, r= 0.90, p < 0.001, SEE = 3.1 L) was not significantly higher than the correlation between TBW (D2O dilution) and WB BIA measures (simple regression, r= 0.85, p < 0.001, SEE = 3.6 L). Others have observed this “lack of improvement” in a group of healthy subjects. The true value of the segmental BIA methodology may lie in applications involving groups with altered distributions of segmental and compartmental fluid.