Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of the Extracellular Matrix Protein Mindin in Airway Response to Environmental Airways Injury

Background: Our previous work demonstrated that the extracellular matrix protein mindin contributes to allergic airways disease. However, the role of mindin in nonallergic airways disease has not previously been explored. Objectives: We hypothesized that mindin would contribute to airways disease after inhalation of either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or ozone. Methods: We exposed C57BL/6J and mindin-deficient (–/–) mice to aerosolized LPS (0.9 μg/m3 for 2.5 hr), saline, ozone (1 ppm for 3 hr), or filtered air (FA). All mice were evaluated 4 hr after LPS/saline exposure or 24 hr after ozone/FA exposure. We characterized the physiological and biological responses by analysis of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) with a computer-controlled small-animal ventilator (FlexiVent), inflammatory cellular recruitment, total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), proinflammatory cytokine profiling, and ex vivo bronchial ring studies. Results: After inhalation of LPS, mindin–/– mice demonstrated significantly reduced total cell and neutrophil recruitment into the airspace compared with their wild-type counterparts. Mindin–/– mice also exhibited reduced proinflammatory cytokine production and lower AHR to methacholine challenge by FlexiVent. After inhalation of ozone, mice had no detectible differences in cellular inflammation or total BALF protein dependent on mindin. However, mindin–/– mice were protected from increased proinflammatory cytokine production and AHR compared with their C57BL/6J counterparts. After ozone exposure, bronchial rings derived from mindin–/– mice demonstrated reduced constriction in response to carbachol. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the extracellular matrix protein mindin modifies the airway response to both LPS and ozone. Our data support a conserved role of mindin in production of proinflammatory cytokines and the development of AHR in two divergent models of reactive airways disease, as well as a role of mindin in airway smooth muscle contractility after exposure to ozone.
Health-related services on the internet

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate a sample of health-related services available on the internet. In addition, types of new services and service qualities that may be required in the future were estimated. A registered nurse using a questionnaire containing items about usability, quality, and other characteristics related to the subject carried out an evaluation of 100 health-related internet sites, and the results were processed to determine average qualities and graphical presentations for the studied parameters. The services studied differed greatly from each other both in terms of content and quality. A general observation was that sites of larger organizations were, typically, both in terms of presentation and content, more sophisticated than sites of smaller producers. A typical characteristic was the superficiality of the information presented. In conclusion, the internet is an emerging medium for health-related information, and standards for the production and presentation of health content for the internet are still in development. However, even at this early stage, the internet represents a valuable source of information for those in need of health-related information for both health care professionals and consumers.
What Makes or Mars a Knowledge Based Software Process Improvement Initiative? - Prescriptions from the field

Software product quality has always been the most desired thing in the field of software engineering. Software quality is directly related to the software development process. Various models of quality improvement proposed by SEI have been serving as great guides in this direction but recently the whole area of Software Process Improvement has got wide attention of software engineers and researchers alike. Though there are many models proposed in the literature for the implementation of knowledge based SPI, there is dearth of consensus on what makes the SPI effort a success. The present paper explores the critical factors of success as prescribed in literature for the successful implementation of knowledge based SPI.
A statistical fusion for a leg-by-leg bearings-only TMA without observer maneuver

In previous papers, we addressed the problem of bearings-only tracking of targets whose trajectory is composed of several legs from a non-maneuvering observer. We named it bearings-only maneuvering target motion analysis (BOMTMA). We proposed two estimates when the number of legs is equal to two: the classic maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) and an estimate based on a geometric fusion of leg-by-leg tracking. In this paper we introduce an estimate constructed on a statistical fusion whose main advantage, unlike the two previous ones, is that it can be easily extended to the case where the trajectory of the source is composed of three or more legs.
The humoral immune response to influenza vaccination in lung transplant patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the humoral immune response to influenza vaccination in lung transplant recipients. Antibody levels to the three viral antigens included in the 1999–2000 trivalent influenza vaccine (A/Sydney/5/97-like (H3N2), A/Beijing262/95-like (H1N1), and B/Yamanashi/16/98) were measured before and 4 weeks postvaccination in 43 lung transplant recipients and 21 healthy adult controls. The ability to develop protective antibody levels, a serological response, and the magnitude of change in levels were assessed. The humoral immune response to influenza vaccination was significantly lower in the transplant group for all three viral antigens. To A/Sydney, 95% of the control group and 40% of the transplant group developed protective levels (p=0.0009); to A/Beijing, 71% of the control group and 30% of the transplant group developed protective levels (p=0.004); and to B/Yamanashi, 48% of the control group and 19% of the transplant group developed protective levels (p=0.02). Those receiving cyclosporine had lower antibody responses when compared to those receiving tacrolimus (r=−0.3056, p=0.0463). The humoral immune response to influenza vaccination in lung transplant recipients is poor. Lung transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine may have a lower antibody response than those receiving tacrolimus. Alternative prevention strategies may be needed.
Discriminant-Based MRS Banking

We present an approach to discriminant-based MRS banking, i.e. the construction of an annotated corpus where each input item is paired with a logical-form semantics. Semantic annotations are produced by parsing with a broad-coverage precision grammar, followed by manual disambiguation. The selection of the preferred analysis for each item (and hence its semantic form) builds on a notion of semantic discriminants, essentially localized dependencies extracted from a full-fledged, underspecified semantic representation.
Xianfanghuomingyin, a Chinese Compound Medicine, Modulates the Proliferation and Differentiation of T Lymphocyte in a Collagen-Induced Arthritis Mouse Model

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), xianfanghuomingyin (XFHM) is used to treat autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we studied the mechanisms underlying its treatment effects, especially its anti-inflammatory effects in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model. We found that cartilage destruction and pannus formation were alleviated by treatment with XFHM. The abnormal differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells was downregulated significantly by XFHM, and Th2 and Treg cells were upregulated. Moreover, the expression levels of specific cytokines and transcription factors related to Th1 cells (interferon γ [IFNγ], T-bet) and Th17 cells (interleukin- [IL-] 17) and the nuclear receptor retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-gamma (RORγ) were downregulated. Serum IL-4 and GATA-3, which contribute to Th2 cells differentiation, increased significantly after XFHM administration. These results indicate that XFHM can restore the balance of T lymphocytes and reestablish the immunological tolerance to inhibit autoinflammatory disorder of RA. Taken together, XFHM can be used as a complementary or alternative traditional medicine to treat RA.
Combined effects of global climate change and regional ecosystem drivers on an exploited marine food web

Changes in climate, in combination with intensive exploitation of marine resources, have caused large‐scale reorganizations in many of the world's marine ecosystems during the past decades. The Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is one of the systems most affected. In addition to being exposed to persistent eutrophication, intensive fishing, and one of the world's fastest rates of warming in the last two decades of the 20th century, accelerated climate change including atmospheric warming and changes in precipitation is projected for this region during the 21st century. Here, we used a new multimodel approach to project how the interaction of climate, nutrient loads, and cod fishing may affect the future of the open Central Baltic Sea food web. Regionally downscaled global climate scenarios were, in combination with three nutrient load scenarios, used to drive an ensemble of three regional biogeochemical models (BGMs). An Ecopath with Ecosim food web model was then forced with the BGM results from different nutrient‐climate scenarios in combination with two different cod fishing scenarios. The results showed that regional management is likely to play a major role in determining the future of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. By the end of the 21st century, for example, the combination of intensive cod fishing and high nutrient loads projected a strongly eutrophicated and sprat‐dominated ecosystem, whereas low cod fishing in combination with low nutrient loads resulted in a cod‐dominated ecosystem with eutrophication levels close to present. Also, nonlinearities were observed in the sensitivity of different trophic groups to nutrient loads or fishing depending on the combination of the two. Finally, many climate variables and species biomasses were projected to levels unseen in the past. Hence, the risk for ecological surprises needs to be addressed, particularly when the results are discussed in the ecosystem‐based management context.
A Longitudinal Analysis of Age of Onset Effects on Delinquency.

This is a re-analysis of four waves of data from the National Youth Survey collected beginning in 1976 on 1725 adolescents and comprising a representative national sample. Subjects were categorized into three onset groups: early onset (onset 12 or before), late onset (onset after age 12), and no-onset. Analyses were undertaken to determine the impact of age of onset of delinquency on subsequent level, type, and persistence of participation. Results indicate that, with the exception of damaged property and minor assault, no significant differences between early and late onset groups were found as to type of crime. However, early onset subjects were more likely to engage in serious patterned delinquency and to do sc chronically. No significant demographic differences were found, except that males were more likely to be in the early onset group. The early and late onset subjects scored poorly on all psychosocial scales and scored significantly poorer than no-onset subjects. These results, while not as potent as past studies of age of onset, still suggest age of onset as an important ris' rminant in delinquency research.
Eldercare and Employed Caregivers: A Public/Private Responsibility?

ABSTRACT The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP, 2004) have reported that 21% of the U.S. population provides family caregiving services to someone over 18 years old. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of these caregivers provide care for someone aged 50 or older. The majority of caregivers work full or part-time, and nearly two-thirds of employed caregivers make work-related adjustments in order to provide care (NAC & AARP, 2004). This article examines eldercare issues of employed caregivers, identifies current public and private policies addressing caregiver needs, presents a process model to assist organizations in creating family-friendly workplaces, and suggests social work roles that support family caregiving.
A Novel Robot Neurorehabilitation for Upper Limb Motion

Our goal is to apply robotics and automation technology to assist, quantify, enhance, and verify neuro-rehabilitation. In this paper a novel robot neuro-rehabilitation for upper limb, with many merits, is developed. Mechanism and control of the robot are introduced in detail. By a clinical trial involving 30 stroke patients with three months at Rehabilitation Center of China, some results are obtained 1) robot-aided therapy does not have adverse effects, 2) patients can accept the procedure, 3) the therapy may reduce muscular tension, and 4) manipulation of the impaired upper limb may influence brain recovery. Some new ideas are also presented to make rehabilitation therapy more effectively. These ideas will be helpful to further quicken the development of the robot neuro-rehabilitation
Usefulness of surveillance programmes for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in clinical practice

Background/Aims: Surveillance programmes (SPs) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis intend to diagnose the tumour in its early stages when an effective therapy can be applied. The aims of this study have been to compare the survival of patients with HCC being diagnosed or not in SPs, and to establish a more accurate profile of the best target population.
Experimental Analysis of Substrate Noise Effect on PLL Performance

This paper describes experimental approaches to analyze the effect of the substrate noise on phase-locked loop (PLL) performance. Spectral analysis considering noise transfer functions of the PLL is used to identify the substrate-noise sensitive components of the PLL. Analyzing the sidebands seen in a spectrum analyzer confirms the importance of knowing the PLL loop dynamics and noise transfer functions. It also leads to the conclusion that the PLL blocks other than the VCO can be more sensitive to substrate noise coupling, depending on the substrate noise frequency. Furthermore, the result shows that intermodulation near the reference clock frequency could be a dominant source of generating sidebands in fractional-N PLLs.
Centralized Support Distributed Voltage Control by Using End-Users as Reactive Power Support

New generation of loads and the power factor correction devices of these loads provides an opportunity for distribution system operators to use them as reactive power support. In this paper, the integration of these end-user reactive-power-capable devices is investigated to provide voltage support to the grid. Due to the limitation on the number of smart homes, at first, the effective locations for injecting the reactive power into the distribution system is determined (i.e., Q-C buses) and showed how reactive power resources connected at those buses can be controlled. For control purposes, centralized support distributed voltage control (CSDVC) algorithm is proposed and the distribution system is decomposed into different areas by using ε-decomposition. Then Q-C buses, as the candidate buses, for providing reactive power are obtained. Optimum reactive power injection in every candidate bus in each area and tap position of the regulator, if necessary, is calculated by using genetic algorithm. The CSDVC is proposed to cover the inaccuracy of the loads forecasting and the control area centers faults, and also to provide secure reactive power control. The proposed approach is tested on the IEEE 33 and 69 buses distribution test systems.
The Devil is in the Third Year: A Longitudinal Study of Erosion of Empathy in Medical School

Purpose This longitudinal study was designed to examine changes in medical students’ empathy during medical school and to determine when the most significant changes occur. Method Four hundred fifty-six students who entered Jefferson Medical College in 2002 (n = 227) and 2004 (n = 229) completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy at five different times: at entry into medical school on orientation day and subsequently at the end of each academic year. Statistical analyses were performed for the entire cohort, as well as for the “matched” cohort (participants who identified themselves at all five test administrations) and the “unmatched” cohort (participants who did not identify themselves in all five test administrations). Results Statistical analyses showed that empathy scores did not change significantly during the first two years of medical school. However, a significant decline in empathy scores was observed at the end of the third year which persisted until graduation. Findings were similar for the matched cohort (n = 121) and for the rest of the sample (unmatched cohort, n = 335). Patterns of decline in empathy scores were similar for men and women and across specialties. Conclusions It is concluded that a significant decline in empathy occurs during the third year of medical school. It is ironic that the erosion of empathy occurs during a time when the curriculum is shifting toward patient-care activities; this is when empathy is most essential. Implications for retaining and enhancing empathy are discussed.
Alphacodes: Usable, Secure Transactions with Untrusted Providers using Human Computable Puzzles

Many banking and commerce payment systems in developing regions require users to share private or sensitive information in clear-text with untrusted providers, exposing them to different forms of man-in-the-middle attacks. In this paper, we introduce Alphacodes, a new paradigm that enables users to secure transactions with untrusted parties using the notion of human-computable visual puzzles. We describe how Alphacodes can be applied in different use cases and also explain two simple applications that we have built using this framework. We motivate our solution using security vulnerabilities in existing systems, and show how our protocol overcomes them. We demonstrate the ease of use of Alphacodes with minimal training using two simple crowdsourcing studies. Using another simple real world user study involving 10 users who speak Kannada (a regional Indian language), we show that the Alphacodes paradigm can be easily extended to languages beyond English.
Tripartite Organization of the Ventral Stream by Animacy and Object Size

Occipito-temporal cortex is known to house visual object representations, but the organization of the neural activation patterns along this cortex is still being discovered. Here we found a systematic, large-scale structure in the neural responses related to the interaction between two major cognitive dimensions of object representation: animacy and real-world size. Neural responses were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging while human observers viewed images of big and small animals and big and small objects. We found that real-world size drives differential responses only in the object domain, not the animate domain, yielding a tripartite distinction in the space of object representation. Specifically, cortical zones with distinct response preferences for big objects, all animals, and small objects, are arranged in a spoked organization around the occipital pole, along a single ventromedial, to lateral, to dorsomedial axis. The preference zones are duplicated on the ventral and lateral surface of the brain. Such a duplication indicates that a yet unknown higher-order division of labor separates object processing into two substreams of the ventral visual pathway. Broadly, we suggest that these large-scale neural divisions reflect the major joints in the representational structure of objects and thus place informative constraints on the nature of the underlying cognitive architecture.
The development of antisocial behaviour and sudden violent death

ABSTRACT— In order to detect possible relationships between antisocial behaviour and the incidence of “sudden violent death” in young people, information relating to mortality in antisocial Swedish adolescents has been traced and compiled. A register was drawn up covering those young persons (1,056; 832 boys and 224 girls; mean age 16 years) who were admitted to Swedish probationary schools during the period 1 January — 31 December 1967. Using the registers of immigration and emigration, and causes of death kept by SCB (Statistiska Centralbyrån), mortality occurring between 1 January 1967 — 31 December 1985 was tabulated. One hundred and ten boys (13%) and 22 girls (10%) had died. The deaths had occurred at a rate of approximately seven new deaths per observation year, the youngest being still in their teens when they died. For comparison, the criteria set up by insurance companies for life insurance premiums are based on a death expectancy for healthy Swedish boys and girls in the age groups corresponding to the subjects under observation of 1.2‐3.1% for boys and 1.1‐2.6% for girls. Eighty‐eight percent of the dead boys and 77% of the dead girls had died “sudden violent deaths”— accidents, suicides, death from uncertain causes, murder/manslaughter, or alcohol/drug abuse. For both sexes, death from uncertain causes and suicides were the most frequent single causes of death. Death as a direct result of alcohol/drug abuse occurred only in boys. The results give support to the assumption that a link exists between childhood environment, the development of antisocial behaviour/mental insufficiency and a “sudden violent death” at an early age. If further studies can provide proof for this assumption, a broader understanding of the natural course of events leading to “sudden violent death” should make it possible to prevent such deaths, by providing children in the risk zone with more extensive help than has been the case so far and by intervening at a much earlier stage.
Influence of the Tunnel Shape on Shotcrete Lining Stresses

Tunnel excavation is frequently carried out in rock masses by the drill and blast method and the final shape of the tunnel boundary can be irregular due to overbreaks. In order to investigate the effects of overbreaks a study of the effect of tunnel boundary irregularity has been carried out. This is done developing a computational tool able to take into account fuzzy variables (i.e., thickness of the beams of the bedded spring approach used for the model). The obtained results show that irregularity effects should be considered when a shotcrete lining is used as the final tunnel lining (for the case where the tunneling procedure does not permit a smooth surface to be obtained). This is crucial to obtain a durable lining.