Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interleukin 6, a possible autocrine growth and differentiation factor for the human megakaryocytic cell line, CMK

Summary. CMK is a human cell line derived from a megakaryoblastic leukaemia. It has characteristics of the megakaryocytic lineage, such as the presence of platelet peroxidase, membrane glycoproteins (GP)Ib and GPIIb/IIIa, α‐granules, and demarcation membranes. The cell line proliferates autonomously in serum‐containing medium. Here we report that the cell line expresses the gene for IL‐6 and releases small quantities of the cytokine into the medium. Addition of exogenous IL‐6 to cultures seeded into medium was found to promote growth of the cells. Conversely, addition of a neutralizing anti‐IL‐6 antibody inhibited cell growth. These data support the notion that autocrine IL‐6 is one of the factors accounting for autonomous growth of the cell line.
New Multiple Sclerosis Disease Severity Scale Predicts Future Accumulation of Disability

The search for the genetic foundation of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity remains elusive. It is, in fact, controversial whether MS severity is a stable feature that predicts future disability progression. If MS severity is not stable, it is unlikely that genotype decisively determines disability progression. An alternative explanation tested here is that the apparent instability of MS severity is caused by inaccuracies of its current measurement. We applied statistical learning techniques to a 902 patient-years longitudinal cohort of MS patients, divided into training (n = 133) and validation (n = 68) sub-cohorts, to test four hypotheses: (1) there is intra-individual stability in the rate of accumulation of MS-related disability, which is also influenced by extrinsic factors. (2) Previous results from observational studies are negatively affected by the insensitive nature of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The EDSS-based MS Severity Score (MSSS) is further disadvantaged by the inability to reliably measure MS onset and, consequently, disease duration (DD). (3) Replacing EDSS with a sensitive scale, i.e., Combinatorial Weight-Adjusted Disability Score (CombiWISE), and substituting age for DD will significantly improve predictions of future accumulation of disability. (4) Adjusting measured disability for the efficacy of administered therapies and other relevant external features will further strengthen predictions of future MS course. The result is a MS disease severity scale (MS-DSS) derived by conceptual advancements of MSSS and a statistical learning method called gradient boosting machines (GBM). MS-DSS greatly outperforms MSSS and the recently developed Age Related MS Severity Score in predicting future disability progression. In an independent validation cohort, MS-DSS measured at the first clinic visit correlated significantly with subsequent therapy-adjusted progression slopes (r = 0.5448, p = 1.56e−06) measured by CombiWISE. To facilitate widespread use of MS-DSS, we developed a free, interactive web application that calculates all aspects of MS-DSS and its contributing scales from user-provided raw data. MS-DSS represents a much-needed tool for genotype-phenotype correlations, for identifying biological processes that underlie MS progression, and for aiding therapeutic decisions.
Physical activity and physical activity induced energy expenditure in humans: measurement, determinants, and effects

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. The doubly labeled water method for the measurement of total energy expenditure (TEE), in combination with resting energy expenditure, is the reference for physical activity under free-living conditions. To compare the physical activity level (PAL) within and between species, TEE is divided by resting energy expenditure resulting in a figure without dimension. The PAL for sustainable lifestyles ranges between a minimum of 1.1–1.2 and a maximum of 2.0–2.5. The average PAL increases from 1.4 at age 1 year to 1.7–1.8 at reproductive age and declines again to 1.4 at age 90 year. Exercise training increases PAL in young adults when energy balance is maintained by increasing energy intake. Professional endurance athletes can reach PAL values around 4.0. Most of the variation in PAL between subjects can be ascribed to predisposition. A higher weight implicates higher movement costs and less body movement but not necessarily a lower PAL. Changes in physical activity primarily affect body composition and to a lesser extent body weight. Modern man has a similar PAL as a wild mammal of a similar body size.
Lightness constancy in primary visual cortex

When the illumination of a visual scene changes, the quantity of light reflected from objects is altered. Despite this, the perceived lightness of the objects generally remains constant. This perceptual lightness constancy is thought to be important behaviorally for object recognition. Here we show that interactions from outside the classical receptive fields of neurons in primary visual cortex modulate neural responses in a way that makes them immune to changes in illumination, as is perception. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the responses of neurons in primary visual cortex carry information about surface lightness in addition to information about form. It also suggests that lightness constancy, which is sometimes thought to involve “higher-level” processes, is manifest at the first stage of visual cortical processing.
The e-Government digital credentials

Digital identities, profiles and their management enable online interactions and transactions among people, enterprises, service providers and government institutions. In this paper, after having examined the European identity management policies, we explain the differences between digital identity and digital citizenship and introduce digital credentials. We also discuss how an identity management framework, composed by shared and standardised services supporting authentication procedures, can change within the e-Government domain. The paper concludes by outlining future trends and the potentiality of the extended digital identity in both public and private sectors.
TRPS and Migraine

Abstract: Migraine is a highly prevalent, disabling neurovascular disorder characterized by a combination of headache, nausea and altered sensory processing such as photophobia. Migraine has a strong genetic background but the molecular pathways that result in a migraine attack, and the role of various triggers, are poorly understood. The throbbing and pulsating pain associated with the headache phase of migraine attack implies an important role for the nociceptive activation of trigeminal intracranial afferents that contain calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Neurogenic inflammation triggered by the release of CGRP is now recognized as a significant underlying event in migraine. Indeed, CGRP receptor antagonists, the so-called “gepants”, have already proved effective in clinical trials as novel, migraine-specific drugs. An alternative therapeutic approach is the modulation of CGRP release. As potential targets, the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels expressed by a subpopulation of CGRP-containing nociceptive primary sensory neurons are gaining increasing prominence, principally because of the recent discovery of a variety of endogenous and exogenous TRP agonists known to induce migraine attack as well as their emerging role in neuropeptide release. The present review focuses on the potential role of the different TRP channels, especially TRPV1, in the migraine mechanism.
The structural characteristics and on-line comprehension of experiencer-verb sentences

Theme-experiencer verbs, like 'amuse', for which the experiencer is the object of an active clause (e.g., 'the joke amused the host'), are distinguished theoretically from action verbs, like 'clean', and experiencer-theme verbs, like 'cherish', for which the experiencer is the subject of an active clause. Three experiments are reported in which readers' comprehension of these verbs was examined using a meaning-classification paradigm. Active themeexperiencer sentences were read for longer than actives containing the other verb types. By contrast, passive theme-experiencer sentences resulted in fewer errors and shorter reading times than passives containing experiencertheme verbs, and in terms of errors, theme-experiencer passives resembled adjectival structures. Findings were consistent with a previous account by Belletti and Rizzi of the syntactic differences between verb types, although a semantic explanation was not discounted. A correspondence between the language systems responsible for comprehension and production was implied, given the similarity between these results and those of a 1994 study by Ferreira.
Optimizing the encounter rate in biological interactions: Ballistic versus Lévy versus Brownian strategies.

Bartumeus et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 097901 (2002)] compared the efficiency of a Lévy random walk predator strategy with a Brownian random walk strategy in a periodic one-dimensional domain with nonrevisitable moving targets. Their findings from numerical simulations conclude that "a Lévy search strategy is the best option in some, but not all, cases for a random search process. " Using the same methodology, we show that the simplest random search strategy of all, ballistic motion in a random direction, outperforms a Lévy strategy in almost every case. We further show that, in the small set of cases where the ballistic strategy is not optimal, the periodic model does not capture the more realistic nonperiodic case. In the nonperiodic case, the ballistic strategy again outperforms the Lévy strategy.
Rosiglitazone, a ligand of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-&ggr;, reduces the development of nonseptic shock induced by zymosan in mice*

ObjectivePeroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors that are related to retinoid, steroid, and thyroid hormone receptors. The PPAR-&ggr; receptor subtype appears to play a pivotal role in the regulation of cellular proliferation and inflammation. Rosiglitazone (Avandia) is a PPAR-&ggr; agonist (the most potent PPAR-&ggr; agonist of the thiazolidinedione antidiabetics). In the present study, we investigated the effects of rosiglitazone on the development of nonseptic shock caused by zymosan in mice. DesignExperimental study. SettingUniversity laboratory. SubjectsMale CD mice. InterventionsWe investigated the effects of rosiglitazone (3 mg/kg) on the development of nonseptic shock caused by zymosan (500 mg/kg, administered intraperitoneally as a suspension in saline) in mice. Measurements and Main ResultsOrgan failure and systemic inflammation in rats were assessed 18 hrs after administration of zymosan and/or rosiglitazone and monitored for 12 days (for loss of body weight and mortality rate). Treatment of mice with rosiglitazone (3 mg/kg intraperitoneally, 1 and 6 hrs after zymosan) attenuated the peritoneal exudation and the migration of polymorphonuclear cells caused by zymosan. Rosiglitazone also attenuated the lung, liver, and pancreatic injury and renal dysfunction caused by zymosan as well as the increase in myeloperoxidase activity and malondialdehyde concentrations caused by zymosan in the lung and intestine. Immunohistochemical analysis for inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitrotyrosine, and poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) revealed positive staining in lung and intestine tissues obtained from zymosan-treated mice. The degree of staining for nitrotyrosine, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) was markedly reduced in tissue sections obtained from zymosan-treated mice that received rosiglitazone.To elucidate whether the protective effects of rosiglitazone are related to activation of the PPAR-&ggr; receptor, we also investigated the effect of a PPAR-&ggr; antagonist, GW 9662, on the protective effects of rosiglitazone. GW 9662 (1 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally 30 mins before treatment with rosiglitazone) significantly antagonized the effect of the PPAR-&ggr; agonist and thus abolished the protective effect. ConclusionsThis study provides evidence, for the first time, that rosiglitazone attenuates the degree of zymosan-induced nonseptic shock in mice.
Semantic interoperability through context interchange : representing and reasoning about data conflicts in heterogeneous and autonomous systems

This paper describes a strategy for the construction of large-scale heterogeneous systems which combines the benefits of both tight-coupling systems (insulating users from the complexity of semantic heterogeneity thus promoting greater usability) and loose-coupling systems (allowing changes in individual components to be contained locally thus assuring the long-term viability of the system as a whole). We define a new data model (COIN) based on a deductive and object-oriented language with which knowledge of data semantics is represented in the form of enriched schemas, contexts and underlying domain models. Query mediation in this framework is driven by a top-down evaluation strategy which yields a query plan describing what sources are used and what conversions must be applied in mediating semantic conflicts. The COIN data model induces a novel dichotomy between schemas and contexts thus permitting knowledge of data semantics to be shared and reused across different systems in similar environments. This in turn provides various options for querying disparate sources, with each offering a different level of transparency depending on the needs of the users. The richness of the model offers receivers more flexibility, both in defining what disparities should count as conflicts, and how conflicts should be resolved.
Balancing DRAM locality and parallelism in shared memory CMP systems

Modern memory systems rely on spatial locality to provide high bandwidth while minimizing memory device power and cost. The trend of increasing the number of cores that share memory, however, decreases apparent spatial locality because access streams from independent threads are interleaved. Memory access scheduling recovers only a fraction of the original locality because of buffering limits. We investigate new techniques to reduce inter-thread access interference. We propose to partition the internal memory banks between cores to isolate their access streams and eliminate locality interference. We implement this by extending the physical frame allocation algorithm of the OS such that physical frames mapped to the same DRAM bank can be exclusively allocated to a single thread. We compensate for the reduced bank-level parallelism of each thread by employing memory sub-ranking to effectively increase the number of independent banks. This combined approach, unlike memory bank partitioning or sub-ranking alone, simultaneously increases overall performance and significantly reduces memory power consumption.
New algorithms for multi-class cancer diagnosis using tumor gene expression signatures

MOTIVATION The increasing use of DNA microarray-based tumor gene expression profiles for cancer diagnosis requires mathematical methods with high accuracy for solving clustering, feature selection and classification problems of gene expression data. RESULTS New algorithms are developed for solving clustering, feature selection and classification problems of gene expression data. The clustering algorithm is based on optimization techniques and allows the calculation of clusters step-by-step. This approach allows us to find as many clusters as a data set contains with respect to some tolerance. Feature selection is crucial for a gene expression database. Our feature selection algorithm is based on calculating overlaps of different genes. The database used, contains over 16 000 genes and this number is considerably reduced by feature selection. We propose a classification algorithm where each tissue sample is considered as the center of a cluster which is a ball. The results of numerical experiments confirm that the classification algorithm in combination with the feature selection algorithm perform slightly better than the published results for multi-class classifiers based on support vector machines for this data set. AVAILABILITY Available on request from the authors.
FROM ATLAS IN SILICO

High-throughput science and digital social infrastructures transform nature and culture in to vast and abstract data, yet to reap the benefits of this data requires transcending representational challenges. Atlas in silico is a large scale art-science collaboration that attempts to bridge this gap by placing abstract data in a form and context that can be experienced. In this aesthetically impelled work, we use n-dimensional glyphs to visually personify metagenomics data from the Global Ocean Sampling Expedition. Viewers experience intuitive, open-ended browsing and exploration of this massive abstract dataset. As a reflection upon the digitization of nature and culture, Atlas in silico is purposefully positioned between art/new media and science, but resists definition as either.
Starvation‐induced expression of SspA and SspB: the effects of a null mutation in sspA on Escherichia coli protein synthesis and survival during growth and prolonged starvation

Maxicell labelling and two‐dimensional gel electro‐phoresis (2‐D PAGE) have identified the proteins encoded by sspA and sspB (SspA, SspB) as proteins D27.1 and A25.8, respectively, in the Escherichia coli gene‐protein database. SspA expression increases with decreasing growth rate and is induced by glucose, nitrogen, phosphate or amino acid starvation. The promoter, Pssp, is similar to gearbox promoters. Inactivation of SspA (sspA::neo) blocks sspB expression. [35S]‐methionine‐labelled proteins synthesized during growth and during stationary phase are different in δsspA strains compared to sspA strains. This difference is enhanced during extended stationary phase (24–72 h). Long‐term (10 d) viability of arginine‐starved isogenic strains shows that sspA cultures remain viable significantly longer than δsspA mutants. 2‐D PAGE of proteins expressed during exponential growth shows that expression of at least 11 proteins is altered in δsspA strains. A functional relA gene is required for sspA to affect protein synthesis.
ZNF32 protects against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by modulating C1QBP transcription

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven oxidative stress has been recognized as a critical inducer of cancer cell death in response to therapeutic agents. Our previous studies have demonstrated that zinc finger protein (ZNF)32 is key to cell survival upon oxidant stimulation. However, the mechanisms by which ZNF32 mediates cell death remain unclear. Here, we show that at moderate levels of ROS, Sp1 directly binds to two GC boxes within the ZNF32 promoter to activate ZNF32 transcription. Alternatively, at cytotoxic ROS concentrations, ZNF32 expression is repressed due to decreased binding activity of Sp1. ZNF32 overexpression maintains mitochondrial membrane potential and enhances the antioxidant capacity of cells to detoxify ROS, and these effects promote cell survival upon pro-oxidant agent treatment. Alternatively, ZNF32-deficient cells are more sensitive and vulnerable to oxidative stress-induced cell injury. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that complement 1q-binding protein (C1QBP) is a direct target gene of ZNF32 that inactivates the p38 MAPK pathway, thereby exerting the protective effects of ZNF32 on oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Taken together, our findings indicate a novel mechanism by which the Sp1-ZNF32-C1QBP axis protects against oxidative stress and implicate a promising strategy that ZNF32 inhibition combined with pro-oxidant anticancer agents for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.
Antidiabetic effect of Olea europaea L. in normal and diabetic rats

The antidiabetic effect of an alcohol extract of olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves was investigated in normal and streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats. The oral administration of the olive leaves extract (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 g/kg body wt) for 14 days significantly decreased the serum glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, uric acid, creatinine, aspartate amino transferase (AST) and alanine amino transferase (ALT) while it increased the serum insulin in diabetic rats but not in normal rats (p < 0.05). A comparison was made between the action of olive leaves extract and glibenclamide (600 µg/kg), a known antidiabetic drug. The antidiabetic effect of the extract was more effective than that observed with glibenclamide. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism: exploring the many shades of symbioses

– Symbiotic associations are not only ubiquitous in nature, but they also play fundamental roles in ecology and evolution. This paper discusses symbiosis with regards to the fitness costs and benefits conferred to the organisms involved in such interactions, and how the varying nature of these costs and benefits impinges on the way these associations are labelled. Focusing on recent research as examples, we discuss the influence of environmental factors, ontogenetic and evolutionary time, and the symbionts’ life history traits on the interaction dynamics of symbiotic associations, and argue that symbiotic interactions are highly plastic across circumstances and timescales. We conclude that many symbioses do not fit neatly into the traditional categories of mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism, and urge caution when using such labels to describe biotic interactions. SYMBIOSIS STATE-DEPENDENT STRATEGIES
Looking at my own Face: Visual Processing Strategies in Physical Self-representation

We live in an age of ‘selfies’. Yet, how we look at our own faces has seldom been systematically investigated. In this study we test if visual processing of self-faces is different from other faces, using psychophysics and eye-tracking. Specifically, the association between the psychophysical properties of self-face representation and visual processing strategies involved in self-face recognition was tested. Thirty-three adults performed a self-face recognition task from a series of self-other face morphs with simultaneous eye-tracking. Participants were found to look at lower part of the face for longer duration for self-face compared to other-face. Participants with a reduced overlap between self and other face representations, as indexed by a steeper slope of the psychometric response curve for self-face recognition, spent a greater proportion of time looking at the upper regions of faces identified as self. Additionally, the association of autism-related traits with self-face processing metrics was tested, since autism has previously been associated with atypical self-processing, particularly in the psychological domain. Autistic traits were associated with reduced looking time to both self and other faces. However, no self-face specific association was noted with autistic traits, suggesting that autism-related features may be related to self-processing in a domain specific manner.