Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti‐CD11b Monoclonal Antibody Suppresses Brain Dissemination of Cryptococcus neoformans in Mice

To elucidate the role of the β2 integrin family of adhesion molecules in the disseminated infection of Cryptococcus neoformans from the lung to the central nervous system, we examined the effects of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against CD11a, CD11b, CD11c and CD18 on the number of live microorganisms in both the lung and brain of mice three weeks after intratracheal infection. Administration of anti‐CD11b mAb partially, but reproducibly, reduced the fungal loads in the brain in three independent experiments, while the lung loads were not affected. In addition, the same treatment significantly decreased the number of live microorganisms in the blood. In sharp contrast, the brain loads one week after intravenous injection with C. neoformans were not affected by treatment with anti‐CD11b mAb. Finally, administration of mAb against other adhesion molecules (CD11a, CD11c or CD18) failed to affect the fungal loads in the brain as well as in the lung three weeks after intratracheal instillation, except for anti‐CD18 mAb which rather increased the brain loads. Our results suggested that CD11b might be involved at least in part in the process of fungal dissemination from lung to brain, although the significance of other β2 integrin family adhesion molecules remains to be substantiated.
Matrix metalloproteinases, the pros and cons, in liver fibrosis

Residing in the space of Disse within loose extracellular matrix (ECM) resembling that in basement membranes, the hepatic stellate cells (HSC) remain in quiescence as vitamin A storage cells. In response to liver injury HSC undergo morphologic and functional trans‐differentiation, converting from vitamin A‐storing, star‐like cells into contractile myofibroblastic cells, a process called activation. Accompanying cellular activation, the ECM components in the space of Disse switch from matrices rich in type‐IV collagen and laminin, into condensed interstitial ECM, indicating that proteolytic degradation may occur to change the microenvironment in sinusoids as well as the fate of HSC. Indeed, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), a family of ECM degradative enzymes, are promptly expressed by HSC in response to diverse hepatic toxins. In vitro experiments also demonstrated the role of MMP in activation of HSC cultured in 3‐D ECM. Conversely, MMP may also contribute to regression of liver fibrosis through cleavage of the fibrillar ECM and promotion of apoptosis among the activated HSC. Thus, MMP play dual roles both bad and good in liver fibrosis, depending on the timing.
Action Recognition in aWearable Assistance System

Enabling artificial systems to recognize human actions is a requisite to develop intelligent assistance systems that are able to instruct and supervise users in accomplishing tasks. In order to enable an assistance system to be wearable, head-mounted cameras allow to perceive a scene visually from a user's perspective. But realizing action recognition without any static sensors causes special challenges. The movement of the camera is directly related to the user's head motion and not controlled by the system. In this paper we present how a trajectory-based action recognition can be combined with object recognition, visual tracking, and a background motion compensation to be applicable in such a wearable assistance system. The suitability of our approach is proved by user studies in an object manipulation scenario
Association study of seven polymorphisms in four serotonin receptor genes on suicide victims

A number of molecular genetic studies have investigated if serotonin (5‐HT) receptor subtypes are involved in the pathogenesis of depression, suicidal behavior, aggression, and impulsive behavior. Existence of many receptor subtypes for a single transmitter permits a great diversity of signaling raising the possibility that they may serve as genetic markers for suicidal behavior. Most previous studies of suicide have analyzed polymorphisms of the receptors 5‐HT1A, 5‐HT1B, 5‐HT2A, fewer have examined 5‐HT1F. We report a study of possible association between the polymorphisms in the 5‐HT receptor genes (1A, 1B, 1F, and 2A) and suicidal behavior on a sample of 226 suicide victims and 225 healthy control subjects. No significant differences in genotype frequency distributions between the suicide victims and healthy control subjects were observed for four polymorphisms; three were not polymorphic. A single polymorphism, C‐1420T in gene 5‐HT2A, showed a slight association with suicide (χ2 = 4.94, df = 2, P = 0.067), but the correlation was not statistically significant. None of the tested genetic variants of serotonin receptors appears to be associated with suicidal behavior in the Slovenian population which has a relatively high suicide rate. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Does Undernutrition During Infancy Inhibit Brain Growth and Subsequent Intellectual Development?

Experiments atCambridge haveshownthat undernutrition during theearly period ofgrowth of calves will result inareduction insize ofthemature animal evenifahighlevel offeeding issubsequently given, whereas a similar period ofundernutrition inthe2-year-old animal, whichwaswellfedasa calf, hasmuchless effect onthematuresize (Brookes andVincett, 1950). Theslowermaturing zebu (Bosindicus) variety ofcattle, whichisbredin SouthAfrica, appears tobeless affected intheir maturesize byundernutrition whencalves. These findings justify makingafairly obvious hypothesis thatundernutrition mayinfluence thematuresize ofananimal according totheageatwhichitoccurs -thegreatest effect being attheperiod ofmaximum growth-and byitsduration relative tothetotal period ofgrowth. Whenapplied tohumannutrition, this concept suggests thatundernutrition during infancy might result insomereduction intheadult bodysize, but seeing thatgrowth continues for18years, providing subsequent nutrition isgood, theeffect should be limited. Thereis,however, a notable exception, that isthebrain.Thefirst twoyears oflife arenot onlytheperiod ofmaximumgrowth-70% ofthe adult brainweight isreached bytheendofthe first year-but alsotheyconstitute almost theentire period ofbraingrowth (Fig. 1). Theinteresting possibility arises thatundernutrition during infancy mayresult infailure ofthebrain toachieve itsfull potential insize, anditisnotunreasonable to suppose thatthis mayalsopredispose toinhibition ofoptimum intellectual andpersonality development. To testthishypothesis, a groupofinfants was selected who,solely duetoundernutrition, were grossly underweight whenthey werefirst seen.They werematched withanadequately nourished control groupfromanapproximately similar socio-economic background. A comparative longitudinal studyof headcircumference, andphysical andintellectual development ofthetwogroups isreported. Itwas notpossible toassess personalities ofthemothers andchildren. Method
Towards internationalizing the curriculum in a context of globalization: comparing policy processes in two settings

The primary focus of this paper is two case study schools, one in Singapore and one in Australia, which have both been actively pursuing an agenda to build a unique internationally‐oriented curriculum, in a context of globalization, but also within the constraints set by national/State curriculum frameworks, examinations and league tables. Interviews were used to collect data in each school, and then cross‐case analysis was conducted to reveal both similarities and differences in the way the two schools are moving towards internationalizing their curriculum. Emergent meta‐level conceptual themes around policy for ‘internationalization’ of the curriculum are discussed: enablers and constraints; the issue of whether such internationalization fosters a market ideology; changing power relationships; and the relevance of distinctions between internationalization and globalization. The paper concludes by pointing to the contribution of the ‘sociology of knowledge’ and ‘critical policy analysis’ in disrupting th.
Notch 3 is required for arterial identity and maturation of vascular smooth muscle cells

Formation of a fully functional artery proceeds through a multistep process. Here we show that Notch3 is required to generate functional arteries in mice by regulating arterial differentiation and maturation of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMC). In adult Notch3 mice distal arteries exhibit structural defects and arterial myogenic responses are defective. The postnatal maturation stage of vSMC is deficient in Notch3 mice. We further show that Notch3 is required for arterial specification of vSMC but not of endothelial cells. Our data reveal Notch3 to be the first cell-autonomous regulator of arterial differentiation and maturation of vSMC.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm infections: From molecular biofilm biology to new treatment possibilities

Bacteria in natural, industrial and clinical settings predominantly live in biofilms, i.e., sessile structured microbial communities encased in self‐produced extracellular matrix material. One of the most important characteristics of microbial biofilms is that the resident bacteria display a remarkable increased tolerance toward antimicrobial attack. Biofilms formed by opportunistic pathogenic bacteria are involved in devastating persistent medical device‐associated infections, and chronic infections in individuals who are immune‐compromised or otherwise impaired in the host defense. Because the use of conventional antimicrobial compounds in many cases cannot eradicate biofilms, there is an urgent need to develop alternative measures to combat biofilm infections. The present review is focussed on the important opportunistic pathogen and biofilm model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Initially, biofilm infections where P. aeruginosa plays an important role are described. Subsequently, current insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and the associated antimicrobial tolerance are reviewed. And finally, based on our knowledge about molecular biofilm biology, a number of therapeutic strategies for combat of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections are presented.
High-Resolution Multiprojector Display Walls

Meeting the demands of the current tera-scale visualization community requires the use of large- and small-scale tiled displays. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) efforts in this area have led to the creation of one of the largest interactive tiled displays built to date, and a number of new efforts for "personal" tiled displays. Visualization hardware and software now being built will display up to 15 times the number of pixels in a typical desktop display. We outline the system implemented at LLNL for the creation and support of large, tiled, multi-pipe graphics displays. The system builds on a simple, portable, parallel API for tiling OpenGL commands in parallel to multiple contexts on a set of X servers. This API has allowed us to retrofit existing visualization and analysis codes to support these displays with very little effort. While this work represents a first step toward the ultimate goal of scalable visualization in individual office spaces, the result has been the creation of useful new visualization workspaces and tools for our users.
Salient Degradation Features of a 50:50 PLA/PGA Scaffold for Tissue Engineering.

An implant system that undergoes a gradual, time-dependent, nontoxic degradation process may offer an efficacious, safe, and desirable alternative to metallic materials used in the treatment of various musculoskeletal conditions. Such a scaffold may also be a suitable vehicle for growing cells and tissue in the laboratory for tissue engineering applications. We have used a scaffold of this type previously in animal studies for biological resurfacing of large articular cartilage defects. (1) This study examined important in vitro degradation characteristics of a 50:50 polylactic acid/polyglycolic acid (PLG) implant during an 8-week period. It was determined that this particular implant degraded in a biphasic fashion. The initial phase occurred during the first 2 weeks with a decrease in molecular weight and surface axial strain, coupled with an increase in percent porosity. The second phase demonstrated a decline in surface axial strain by 4 weeks and an ongoing decline in molecular weight. Loss of gross structural properties was not evident until the start of the second phase and was complete at 8 weeks. This study demonstrated the potential uses for this implant as a means of providing structural support for cells and tissue ingrowth for up to 8 weeks. Further studies need to be conducted in order to determine the biological effects of the degrading polymer byproducts on host tissues.
Diesel Exhaust Inhalation Causes Vascular Dysfunction and Impaired Endogenous Fibrinolysis

Background— Although the mechanisms are unknown, it has been suggested that transient exposure to traffic-derived air pollution may be a trigger for acute myocardial infarction. The study aim was to investigate the effects of diesel exhaust inhalation on vascular and endothelial function in humans. Methods and Results— In a double-blind, randomized, cross-over study, 30 healthy men were exposed to diluted diesel exhaust (300 &mgr;g/m3 particulate concentration) or air for 1 hour during intermittent exercise. Bilateral forearm blood flow and inflammatory factors were measured before and during unilateral intrabrachial bradykinin (100 to 1000 pmol/min), acetylcholine (5 to 20 &mgr;g/min), sodium nitroprusside (2 to 8 &mgr;g/min), and verapamil (10 to 100 &mgr;g/min) infusions 2 and 6 hours after exposure. There were no differences in resting forearm blood flow or inflammatory markers after exposure to diesel exhaust or air. Although there was a dose-dependent increase in blood flow with each vasodilator (P<0.0001 for all), this response was attenuated with bradykinin (P<0.05), acetylcholine (P<0.05), and sodium nitroprusside (P<0.001) infusions 2 hours after exposure to diesel exhaust, which persisted at 6 hours. Bradykinin caused a dose-dependent increase in plasma tissue plasminogen activator (P<0.0001) that was suppressed 6 hours after exposure to diesel (P<0.001; area under the curve decreased by 34%). Conclusions— At levels encountered in an urban environment, inhalation of dilute diesel exhaust impairs 2 important and complementary aspects of vascular function in humans: the regulation of vascular tone and endogenous fibrinolysis. These important findings provide a potential mechanism that links air pollution to the pathogenesis of atherothrombosis and acute myocardial infarction.
Effect of Genetic Predisposition on Blood Lipid Traits Using Cumulative Risk Assessment in the Korean Population

Dyslipidemia, mainly characterized by high triglyceride (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, is an important etiological factor in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Considering the relationship between childhood obesity and CVD risk, it would be worthwhile to evaluate whether previously identified lipid-related variants in adult subjects are associated with lipid variations in a childhood obesity study (n = 482). In an association analysis for 16 genome-wide association study (GWAS)-based candidate loci, we confirmed significant associations of a genetic predisposition to lipoprotein concentrations in a childhood obesity study. Having two loci (rs10503669 at LPL and rs16940212 at LIPC) that showed the strongest association with blood levels of TG and HDL-C, we calculated a genetic risk score (GRS), representing the sum of the risk alleles. It has been observed that increasing GRS is significantly associated with decreased HDL-C (effect size, -1.13 ± 0.07) compared to single nucleotide polymorphism combinations without two risk variants. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between allelic dosage score and risk allele (rs10503669 at LPL) on high TG levels (effect size, 10.89 ± 0.84). These two loci yielded consistent associations in our previous meta-analysis. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the genetic architecture of circulating lipid levels (TG and HDL-C) overlap to a large extent in childhood as well as in adulthood. Post-GWAS functional characterization of these variants is further required to elucidate their pathophysiological roles and biological mechanisms.
Real-Time Remote-Controlled Wheelchair with Wi-Fi Integration and Obstacle Detection for the Disabled and Elderly People

The most difficult aspect for physically challenged and elderly people is that they must rely on caretakers for movement. Patients who are unable to control the wheelchairs with their arms due to a lack of strength request electric wheelchairs, which are commonly controlled with joysticks. In the proposed work, we have developed a Wi-Fi controlled real-time wheelchair system that is supplemented by a mobile application. The system incorporates sensors designed to detect obstacles in the wheelchair's path, enhancing user safety by preventing collisions. Through the use of a camera, the application allows caregivers to remotely control and monitor the wheelchair, granting them the capability to assist users in navigating their surroundings more effectively. The Wi-Fi module receives signals transmitted from an Android smartphone, and once received, the attached microcontroller extracts and executes the command. The motor driver circuit, in turn, receives control signals from the microcontroller and adjusts the motor currents accordingly, thereby controlling the movement of the wheelchair. Allowing caregivers to use remote applications for control empowers them to assist the patient with ease, in situations where the patient might have difficulty using traditional controls.
A CNN-Based Model for Detecting Malicious URLs

Malicious URLs are one of the major security threats to organizations and end-users on the Internet because they are associated with various types of attacks and misuses, such as spreading malwares and launching phishing attacks. Because of serious threats of malicious URLs, there have been several proposed approaches for detecting and preventing malicious URLs, including backlisting and machine learning-based approaches. Following machine learning-based approaches, this paper proposes a model for detecting malicious URLs based on the CNN deep learning technique. The aim of the proposed CNNbased URL detection model is to increase detection rate as well as to reduce false alarm rate. Experiments on the dataset of 651,191 labelled URLs show that our proposed model produces a high F1score of 98.99%.
Incidence of and Risk Factors for Medical Complications During Stroke Rehabilitation

Background and Purpose — The aims of this study were to examine the frequency, types, and clinical factors associated with medical complications that occur during inpatient rehabilitation and to identify risk factors for complications that require a transfer to an acute care facility. Methods — A cohort of 1029 patients consecutively admitted for inpatient stroke rehabilitation was studied. Demographic and stroke information, impairment, preexisting medical conditions, and admission laboratory abnormalities were recorded. Medical complications, defined as new or exacerbated medical problems, were documented for each patient. Complications that required transfer off rehabilitation were noted. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors that were associated with risk of medical complications and risk of transfer off rehabilitation. Results — Seventy-five percent of patients experienced ≥1 medical complication during rehabilitation. Significant factors for the development of any medical complication included greater neurological deficit (odds ratio [OR], 4.10; confidence interval [CI], 1.88 to 8.91), hypoalbuminemia (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.52), and history of hypertension (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.59). Nineteen percent of patients had a medical complication that required transfer to an acute care facility. Significant factors for transfers were elevated admission white blood cell counts (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.79), low admission hemoglobin levels (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.68), greater neurological deficit (OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.37 to 4.39), and a history of cardiac arrhythmia (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.18 to 2.67). Conclusions — Medical complications are common among patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation. A significant number of these medical complications may require a transfer to an acute facility.
An Exploratory Study on DRD2 and Creative Potential

One critical step toward to a better understanding of creativity is to unveil its underlying genetic architectures. Recently, several studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) related genetic polymorphisms on creativity. Among DA related genes, dopamine D2 receptor gene(DRD2) is one of the most promising candidate genes for creativity. This study systematically explored the associations between DRD2 genetic polymorphisms and creative potential in the Han Chinese population. Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering DRD2 were genotyped in 543 unrelated healthy Chinese undergraduate students whose creative potentials were assessed by divergent thinking (DT) tests. Single SNP analysis showed that, for verbal DT tests, 7 SNPs (rs4648319, rs2283265, rs1076560, rs6276, rs6279, rs6278, and rs1800497) showed significant associations with verbal fluency, and 2 SNPs (rs6277 and rs7122246) showed significant associations with verbal originality. For figural DT tests, 5 SNPs (rs2283265, rs6276, rs6279, rs6278 and rs1800497) showed significant associations with figural fluency, and 2 SNPs (rs6278 and rs1800497) showed significant associations with figural flexibility. Haplotype analysis showed that the 10-SNP haplotype consisting of rs4648319, rs4436578, rs7122246, rs2283265, rs1076560, rs6277, rs6276, rs6279, rs6278, and rs1800497 was significantly associated with verbal fluency. In conclusion, this exploratory study provides preliminary evidence for the involvement of DRD2in creative potential.
The Performance of Space-Time Spread Spectrum LS-CDMA System over Fading Channel

Loosely-synchronized code division multiple access (LS-CDMA) system is able to completely eliminate the inter-symbol interference and multiple access interference because of the good autocorrelation and crosscorrelation property of LS codes, which results in great enhancement of system performance and potential capacity as compared to ordinary CDMA systems. By combining such LS-CDMA technology with the space-time coding technology, space-time spread spectrum LS-CDMA system can get more advantages such as spatial diversity when more than one antennas are installed in the system. Both the transmitter scheme and the receiver structure of such space-time spread spectrum LS-CDMA system using multiple transmitting antennas and only one receiving antenna are put forward in this paper. In case of fading channel, it is possible for the system to achieve both temporal diversity and spatial transmit diversity. Some simulation results, as well as a few conclusions are given.
Animation of Lip Motions and Facial Expressions using 3D Homeomorphic Models

The aim of this study is the simulation and synchronization of human facial expressions and lip motion for Turkish text using homeomorphic 3D facial models using Java Programming Language and JAVA3D API. For this purpose Turkish text is mapped to related homeomorphic 3D facial models, these models are synchronously morphed to form the animation and this animation is combined with facial expressions, again by using morphing but based on empowered emotion model. The motivation behind using empowered models is preventing the effectiveness of emotions and lip motion while combining them. The synchronization and timing of the animation depends on the letters that are being processed.