Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic and functional characterization of lymphocytes derived from normal and HIV‐1‐infected human lymph nodes

Lymph nodes are the major site of cell‐to‐cell transmission and replication of HIV‐1. Trafficking of CD4+ T lymphocytes into lymph nodes provides a continual supply of susceptible target lymphocytes, and conversely, recruitment of CD8+ T lymphocytes may be critical for the host response that attempts to control HIV‐1 replication. The present study was undertaken as no detailed assessment of lymphocyte subpopulations in HIV‐1‐infected lymph nodes has previously been reported. Peripheral blood and single‐cell suspensions prepared from lymph nodes of patients with HIV‐1 and control subjects were analysed using three‐colour flow cytometry. Approximately 80% of the lymphocytes in control lymph nodes were CD3+ T lymphocytes, of which over 65% were CD4+. The majority of the CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes obtained from both lymph nodes and blood of control subjects were immunologically naive (CD45RA+). By contrast, in HIV‐1‐infected patients there was a significant reduction in the proportion of CD4+ T lymphocytes and an expansion of the CD8+ T lymphocyte subset in both lymph nodes and peripheral blood. Furthermore, a high proportion of these T lymphocytes displayed a marker for immunological memory (CD45RO+). T lymphocytes derived from HIV‐1‐infected lymph nodes also showed altered expression of the adhesion molecules, l‐selectin and very late antigen‐4 (VLA‐4), but not leucocyte function‐associated antigen‐1 (LFA‐1). In an in vitro adhesion assay, lymphocytes from HIV‐1‐infected nodes were significantly more adhesive than control lymphocytes on fibronectin, as well as recombinant human intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (VCAM‐1) substrates. This combination of altered lymphocyte subpopulations in the HIV‐1‐infected lymph nodes, as well as enhanced adhesion phenotype and function, suggests that T lymphocyte traffic to lymph nodes in HIV disease may be an important determinant of pathogenesis.
Effects of a leisure education program on expressed attitudes of delinquent adolescents.

This study was conducted to measure the effects ofa short term leisure education program (LEP) on delinquent adolescents' attitudes toward recreation and delinquency. An instrument was developed, using the semantic differential technique, to measure the subjects' attitudes toward concepts ofdelinquency (ex. shoplifting, skipping school) and concepts of recreation (ex. video games, sports). It was hypothesized that the LEP would cause a change in ,expressed attitudes toward recreation and delinquency. The procedures included random assignment of subjects into experimental (N = 20) and control (N = 18) groups, a Pre-test measure, implementation of the LEP, and a post-test measure. Reliabilities for the instrument and its subscales ranged from . 67 to . 92. ANCOVAs, using pretest measures as covariates, were used to determine changes in expressed attitudes. Slight changes occurred for attitudes toward recreation, and significant differences were evident between LEP participants and non-participants on attitudes toward delinquent activities.
Review: Autophagy in neurodegeneration: firefighter and/or incendiarist?

Autophagy is an intracellular bulk degradation system that is found ubiquitously in eukaryotes. Autophagy is responsible for the degradation of most long‐lived proteins and some organelles. Cytoplasmic constituents, including organelles, are sequestered into double‐membrane autophagosomes, which subsequently fuse with lysosomes where their contents are degraded. This system has been implicated in various physiological processes including protein and organelle turnover, stress response, cellular differentiation, programmed cell death and pathological conditions. Defects in the autophagy machinery might have several consequences, as they have been associated with neurodegenerative disease and different forms of cancer. Thus, autophagy occupies a crucial position within the cell's metabolism, and its modulation may represent an alternative therapeutic strategy in several pathological settings including stroke, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's diseases and cancer. Recently, research has begun to identify some characteristics of neuronal autophagy. The results suggest that autophagy may provide a neuroprotective mechanism. However, there is evidence showing that dysfunction of autophagy in certain pathological situations can trigger and mediate programmed cell death. Autophagy has also been defined as prime suspect cause of non‐apoptotic cellular demise. However, there is now mounting evidence that autophagy and apoptosis share several common regulatory elements that are crucial in any attempt to understand the dual role of autophagy in cell death and cell survival. It will be of fundamental importance to dissect whether autophagy is primarily a strategy for survival or whether autophagy can also be a part of a cell death programme and thus contribute to cell death. Many questions are open. Is autophagy a direct death execution pathway? Is autophagy an innocent bystander? Is autophagy a defence mechanism or just a scavenger or self‐clearance tool in the cell? A profound understanding of the biological effects and the mechanisms underlying autophagy in neurones might be helpful in seeking effective new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we review the defining characteristics of autophagy with special attention to its role in neurodegenerative disorders, and recent efforts to delineate the pathway of autophagic protein degradation in neurone.
Evaluation of Thumb-Operated Directional Pad Functionalities on a Glove-Based Optical Fiber Sensor

The implementation of directional pad functionalities on a glove-based optical fiber sensor by monitoring the thumb posture is reported. Multimode fiber bending transducers were attached to the glove to measure the flexion/extension and adduction/abduction movements of thumb joints. Then, the optical signals corresponding to each transducer were correlated to the relative finger position during the manipulation of a directional pad by using artificial neural networks. The estimation of thumb stationary location over the pad yielded a maximum absolute error of 4.3 mm, whereas the dynamic evaluation of finger trajectories resulted in errors lower than 5.5 mm. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the glove sensor is able to identify the correct direction with 96.67% accuracy when applied as an eight-direction digital controller.
Influence of in-vehicle displays on driver behaviour

In-Vehicle Displays (IVDs) have the potential to reduce fuel consumption rates (FCR), thus reducing emissions from in-use vehicles. This project is one of the first to simultaneously explore the impact of IVDs and driver training on both fuel consumption and driver behaviour in Canada. To evaluate the effectiveness of IVDs, a field trial was conducted by The Conference Board of Canada and supported by Transport Canada and Natural Resources Canada. It included 100 participants and took place during the months of July through October 2014. Loggers and displays were installed in participants' vehicles and data was collected continuously. Preliminary results of the field trial suggest that IVDs are more effective at reducing FCRs on city roads rather than on highways, and during peak hours rather than off-peak hours. It also revealed that displays showing instantaneous acceleration and deceleration rates were generally more effective at reducing FCRs than displays showing emissions and monetary cost.
Pretreatment Mitochondrial Priming Correlates with Clinical Response to Cytotoxic Chemotherapy

The mitochondrial state of a tumor cell prior to chemotherapy may help determine how well it responds to drug treatment. Cytotoxic chemotherapy targets elements common to all nucleated human cells, such as DNA and microtubules, yet it selectively kills tumor cells. Here we show that clinical response to these drugs correlates with, and may be partially governed by, the pretreatment proximity of tumor cell mitochondria to the apoptotic threshold, a property called mitochondrial priming. We used BH3 profiling to measure priming in tumor cells from patients with multiple myeloma, acute myelogenous and lymphoblastic leukemia, and ovarian cancer. This assay measures mitochondrial response to peptides derived from proapoptotic BH3 domains of proteins critical for death signaling to mitochondria. Patients with highly primed cancers exhibited superior clinical response to chemotherapy. In contrast, chemoresistant cancers and normal tissues were poorly primed. Manipulation of mitochondrial priming might enhance the efficacy of cytotoxic agents.
The Xenbase literature curation process

Xenbase (www.xenbase.org) is the model organism database for Xenopus tropicalis and Xenopus laevis, two frog species used as model systems for developmental and cell biology. Xenbase curation processes centre on associating papers with genes and extracting gene expression patterns. Papers from PubMed with the keyword ‘Xenopus’ are imported into Xenbase and split into two curation tracks. In the first track, papers are automatically associated with genes and anatomy terms, images and captions are semi-automatically imported and gene expression patterns found in those images are manually annotated using controlled vocabularies. In the second track, full text of the same papers are downloaded and indexed by a number of controlled vocabularies and made available to users via the Textpresso search engine and text mining tool.
Computerized attention training - an intervention with older adults

Ageing may have an impact on a variety of physical and health related aspects. In particular cognitive ageing may reflect decline in executive functioning, memory and speed of information processing (Glisky, 2007) as well as fluid intelligence (Salthouse, 2004). The present study assessed whether cognitive training aimed to improve attention in children - Computerised Progressive Attention Training (CPAT; Shalev et al., 2007), can be used to improve symptoms of cognitive ageing (as well as motor control) in older adults. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group. For the experimental group CPAT was used during 3 consecutive weeks for three 1-hour sessions each week. For the control group widely available computer games were used for the same duration and frequency. Both groups were assessed before and immediately after the 3-week intervention on motor and visual attention related tasks. Contrasting the two groups’ performance on these tasks revealed substantial differences following training. Participants in the experimental group were faster and less erratic and showed improved performance in untrained tasks including a general improvement in speed of processing. Increased measures of wellbeing were also apparent. Results provide initial evidence to support the efficacy of attention training in older adults.
Integrated Ca2+ Signaling Between Smooth Muscle and Endothelium of Resistance Vessels

Cell-cell communication in the arteriolar wall was examined using the Ca2+-sensitive indicator fura-2 and the Ca2+ buffer BAPTA as means of measuring and buffering cellular Ca2+. The experiments focused on the role of endothelial cell [Ca2+]i in modulating phenylephrine (PE)-induced contractions in in vitro arterioles of the hamster cremaster. Fura-2-AM and BAPTA-AM were applied intraluminally to accomplish endothelium-specific loading. PE was applied to short segments of arterioles using pressure-pulse ejection from a micropipette. Under control conditions at the site of stimulation, PE elicited a strong vasoconstriction preceded by an increase in endothelial cell [Ca2+]i. A very small biphasic conducted response was observed at sites upstream from the stimulation site. BAPTA sharply reduced the measured Ca2+ response in the endothelium. This was associated with an enhanced local contractile response. In addition, the biphasic conducted response was converted into a strong conducted vasoconstriction. PE caused an initial rise in smooth muscle [Ca2+]i at the stimulated site, which was followed by a rapid decrease below baseline. Endothelial cell loading of BAPTA had minimal effect on the initial [Ca2+]i peak but eliminated the secondary decrease in smooth muscle [Ca2+]i. Intraluminal application of charybdotoxin plus apamin mimicked the change in vasomotor state induced by BAPTA. These data lead us to hypothesize that, after smooth muscle stimulation, intercellular Ca2+ signaling between smooth muscle and endothelium causes a secondary rise in endothelial cell Ca2+, which triggers a hyperpolarizing event and initiates a conducted vasodilation. We conclude that smooth muscle and endothelium operate as a functional unit in these vessels.
An active compliant impact protection system for humanoids: Application to WALK-MAN hands

This paper reports on the development of a new pneumatically actuated impact protection system which can be applied to protect humanoid robots during high impact physical interactions. The proposed device is based on a soft inflating vessel which is integrated and validated on the hands of a humanoid robot WALK-MAN. The system incorporates an active pressure control unit with on-off solenoid valves that permit the regulation of the air pressure of the protection chamber. The impact protection system is smaller and lighter than a rubber-based passive protection previously mounted on the hands, while it offers better impact reduction performance via fast and accurate pressure control. The effectiveness of the system is verified by actual physical interaction experiments with WALK-MAN while the robot is falling against an inclined surface, making contact with its hands to support its body and prevent falling and damage.
Interannual Variations in PM 2 . 5 due to Wildfires in the Western United States

In this study we have evaluated the role of wildfires on concentrations of fine particle (d < 2.5 μm) organic carbon (OC) and particulate mass (PM2.5) in the Western United States for the period 1988–2004. To do this, we examined the relationshipbetweenmeansummerPM2.5andOCconcentrations at 39 IMPROVE sites with a database of fires developed from federal fire reports. The gridded database of area burned was used to generate a database of biomass fuel burned using ecosystem-specific fuel loads. The OC, PM2.5, and fire data were evaluated for five regions: Northern Rocky Mountains (Region 1), Central Rocky Mountains (Region 2), Southwest (Region 3), California (Region 4), and Pacific Northwest (Region 5). In Regions 1, 2, and 5, we found good correlations of seasonal mean PM2.5 concentrations among the sites within eachregion.This indicatesthatacommoninfluencewasimportant in determining the PM concentration at all sites across each region. In Regions 1 and 2, we found a significant correlation betweenPM2.5andboth theareaburnedandbiomassfuelburned in each region. This relationship is statistically significant using either the area burned or fuel burned, but the correlations are stronger using the biomass fuel burned. In all five regions we found a statistically significant relationship between biomass burned and organic carbon. Using these relationships, we can estimate the amount of PM2.5 due to fires in each region during summer. For the Regions 1 through 5, the average summer-long enhancement of PM2.5 due to fires is 1.84, 1.09, 0.61, 0.81, and 1.21 μg/m3, respectively, and approximately twice these values during large fire years.
GNBSL: A new integrative system to predict the subcellular location for Gram‐negative bacteria proteins

This paper proposes a new integrative system (GNBSL – Gram‐negative bacteria subcellular localization) for subcellular localization specifized on the Gram‐negative bacteria proteins. First, the system generates a position‐specific frequency matrix (PSFM) and a position‐specific scoring matrix (PSSM) for each protein sequence by searching the Swiss‐Prot database. Then different features are extracted by four modules from the PSFM and the PSSM. The features include whole‐sequence amino acid composition, N‐ and C‐terminus amino acid composition, dipeptide composition, and segment composition. Four probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifiers are used to classify these modules. To further improve the performance, two modules trained by support vector machine (SVM) are added in this system. One module extracts the residue‐couple distribution from the amino acid sequence and the other module applies a pairwise profile alignment kernel to measure the local similarity between every two sequences. Finally, an additional SVM is used to fuse the outputs from the six modules. Test on a benchmark dataset shows that the overall success rate of GNBSL is higher than those of PSORT‐B, CELLO, and PSLpred. A web server GNBSL can be visited from http://166.111. 24.5/webtools/GNBSL/index.htm.
Parallel Incremental 2D-Discretization on Dynamic Datasets

Most current work in data mining assumes that the database is static, and a database update requires rediscovering all the patterns by scanning the entire old and new database. Such approaches can waste a lot of computational and I/O resources, and result in relatively slow response times, to essentially an interactive process. In this paper we address this issue in the context of 2-dimensional discretization within a multiattribute database. Discretization, an important problem in data mining, is typically used to partition the range of continuous attribute(s) into intervals which highlight the behavior of a related discrete attribute. It can be used to build decision trees and to determine appropriate aggregations for On-Line Analytical Processing. We first propose a time-optimal solution to the problem. We then parallelize and incrementalize the algorithm so that it can dynamically maintain the required information even in the presence of data updates without re-executing the algorithm on the entire dataset. Experimental results confirm that our approach results in execution time improvements of up to several orders of magnitude on large datasets.
CXCR3 expression in human central nervous system diseases

The CXCR3 chemokine receptor, expressed on activated T lymphocytes, is seen within the central nervous system (CNS) in inflammatory conditions where a T‐cell response is prominent. However, the distribution of CXCR3 in parenchymal CNS cells is unknown. Using a monoclonal antibody against CXCR3 and post‐mortem tissue of patients with and without CNS pathology, we have determined its expression pattern. CXCR3 was found in subpopulations of cells morphologically consistent with astrocytes, particularly reactive astrocytes, and in cerebellar Purkinje cells. It was also detected in arterial endothelial and smooth muscle cells, particularly in areas associated with atherosclerotic plaques. CXCR3‐positive astrocytes were particularly prominent in the CNS of HIV‐positive patients, in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), in ischaemic infarcts and in astrocytic neoplasms. Immunofluorescence studies of mixed adult primary glial cultures and fetal glial cultures also showed expression of CXCR3 in astrocytes. CXCR3 mRNA was detected in Purkinje cells by in situ hybridization with a CXCR3‐specific probe. Thus, the predominant expression of CXCR3 in reactive astrocytes may indicate that it plays a role in the development of reactive gliosis in a variety of infectious, inflammatory, vascular and neoplastic processes in the CNS. The relationship between CXCR3 expression in astrocytes to its expression in Purkinje cells, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells is yet to be determined.
A three-port three-phase isolated DC-DC converter feasible to PV connection on a DC distribution system

This paper presents a current-fed three-phase, three-port dc-dc converter with high-frequency isolation and bidirectional capability. Port I is fed by a battery bank, port II employs a set of photovoltaic (PV) modules and port III is connected to a dc link. The topology uses three single-phase full-bridge converters in the primary side and a three-phase full bridge converter in the secondary one. High-frequency isolation is realized by three single-phase transformers connected in open delta-wye configuration. The theoretical analysis is performed considering the fundamental component of the voltage across the transformers. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT), the battery current and power flow between the primary and secondary sides are controlled by the duty cycle variation of the primary-side switches and the phase shift variation between the primary and secondary bridges. In order to validate the study, computer simulations of the proposed system considering a 380-V dc link and rated power of 3.5 kW are carried out.
Trends and advances in the diagnosis and control of paratuberculosis in domestic livestock

ABSTRACT Paratuberculosis (pTB) is a chronic granulomatous enteritis caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in a wide variety of domestic and wild animals. Control of pTB is difficult due to the lack of sensitive, efficacious and cost-effective diagnostics and marker vaccines. Microscopy, culture, and PCR have been used for the screening of MAP infection in animals for quite a long time. Besides, giving variable sensitivity and specificity, these tests have not been considered ideal for large-scale screening of domestic livestock. Serological tests like ELISA easily detects anti-MAP antibodies. However, it cannot differentiate between the vaccinated and infected animals. Nanotechnology-based diagnostic tests are underway to improve the sensitivity and specificity. Newer generation diagnostic tests based on recombinant MAP secretory proteins would open new paradigm for the differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals and for early detection of the infection. Due to higher seroreactivity of secretory proteins vis-à-vis cellular proteins, the secretory proteins may be used as marker vaccine, which may aid in the control of pTB infection in animals. Secretory proteins can be potentially used to develop future diagnostics, surveillance and monitoring of the disease progression in animals and the marker vaccine for the control and eradication of pTB.
A new method to solve the “Boundary Effect” of Adaptive random testing

Compare to random testing, Adaptive random testing generates test cases evenly in the input domain so that it can detect the first failure of the program using fewer test cases. But It is found that adaptive random testing will be more inclined to generate test cases on the boundary in the input domain, which is called “Boundary Effect”. The “Boundary Effect” will affect the performance of the adaptive random testing in certain situations, such as in multi-dimensional input domain. This paper presents an effective way to solve the “Boundary Effect” of adaptive random testing in order to enhance the performance in high-dimensional input domain.
Lactose Electrostatic Charge Generation due to Shear Deform ation of Pharmaceutical Powders

In powder handling operations, such as mixing, conveying, sieving and milling, particles frequently make contact with each other and the walls of the processing equipment. During these interactions, the electrification of particles takes place, commonly known as tribocharging. This paper focuses on investigating the tribocharging characteristics of bulk powders under shear deformation. In particular, the effect of shear strain and shear rate on the charge generation is analysed. An annular shear cell, modified for electrostatic charging, is used for applying a shear strain to a bed of pharmaceutical powders. α-lactose monohydrate particles, widely used as an excipient for pharmaceutical formulations, is used as a model system. It is shown that the charge on the particles increases with the applied shear strain.