Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SiglecF+Gr1hi eosinophils are a distinct subpopulation within the lungs of allergen‐challenged mice

Although eosinophils as a group are readily identified by their unique morphology and staining properties, flow cytometry provides an important means for identification of subgroups based on differential expression of distinct surface Ags. Here, we characterize an eosinophil subpopulation defined by high levels of expression of the neutrophil Ag Gr1 (CD45+CD11c−SiglecF+Gr1hi). SiglecF+Gr1hi eosinophils, distinct from the canonical SiglecF+Gr1− eosinophil population, were detected in allergen‐challenged wild‐type and granule protein‐deficient (EPX−/− and MBP‐1−/−) mice, but not in the eosinophil‐deficient ΔdblGATA strain. In contrast to Gr1+ neutrophils, which express both cross‐reacting Ags Ly6C and Ly6G, SiglecF+Gr1hi eosinophils from allergen‐challenged lung tissue are uniquely Ly6G+. Although indistinguishable from the more‐numerous SiglecF+Gr1− eosinophils under light microscopy, FACS‐isolated populations revealed prominent differences in cytokine contents. The lymphocyte‐targeting cytokines CXCL13 and IL‐27 were identified only in the SiglecF+Gr1hi eosinophil population (at 3.9 and 4.8 pg/106 cells, respectively), as was the prominent proinflammatory mediator IL‐13 (72 pg/106 cells). Interestingly, bone marrow‐derived (SiglecF+), cultured eosinophils include a more substantial Gr1+ subpopulation (∼50%); Gr1+ bmEos includes primarily a single Ly6C+ and a smaller, double‐positive (Ly6C+Ly6G+) population. Taken together, our findings characterize a distinct SiglecF+Gr1hi eosinophil subset in lungs of allergen‐challenged, wild‐type and granule protein‐deficient mice. SiglecF+Gr1hi eosinophils from wild‐type mice maintain a distinct subset of cytokines, including those active on B and T lymphocytes. These cytokines may facilitate eosinophil‐mediated immunomodulatory responses in the allergen‐challenged lung as well as in other distinct microenvironments.
CMOS-compatible waveguide-integrated Ge metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors

We demonstrate Ge metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors monolithically integrated with silicon-oxynitride (SiOxNy) waveguides. Ge photodetector layer was epitaxially grown by an UHVCVD system and the waveguide was formed on top of the Ge photodetector by PECVD. The entire process is found to be completely compatible with the standard CMOS process. Light is evanescently coupled from silicon-oxynitride (SiOxNy) waveguide to the underlying Ge photodetector, achieving at 2 V a responsivity of 0.33 A/W at 1.55 μm wavelength and a dark current of 1 μA for a 10 μm long photodetector.
Acid-induced death in neurons and glia

Lactic acidosis has been proposed to be one factor promoting cell death following cerebral ischemia. We have previously demonstrated that cultured neurons and glial are killed by relatively brief (10 min) exposure to acidic solutions of pH less than 5 (Goldman et al., 1989). In the present series of experiments, we investigated the relationship between changes in intracellular pH (pHi) and cellular viability. pHi was measured using fluorescent pH probes and was manipulated by changing extracellular pH (pHe). Homeostatic mechanisms regulating pHi in neurons and glia were quickly overwhelmed: neither neurons nor glial cells were able to maintain baseline pHi when incubated at pHe below 6.8. Neuronal and glial death was a function of both the degree and the duration of intracellular acidification, such that the LD50 following timed exposure to HCl increased from pH, 3.5 for 10-min acid incubations to pHi 5.9 for 2-hr exposures and pHi 6.5 for 6-hr exposures. Replacement of HCl with lactic acid raised the LD50 to pHi 4.5 for 10-min acid exposures, but did not change the LD50 for longer exposures: pHi measurements concurrent with extracellular acidification suggested that the greater cytotoxicity of lactic acid relative to that of HCl was caused by the more rapid intracellular acidification associated with lactic acid. The onset of death after exposure to moderately acidic solutions was delayed in some cells, such that death of the entire cell population became evident only 48 hr after acid exposure. During this latency period, cellular viability indices and ATP levels fell in parallel.
Prototyping coronagraphs for exoplanet characterization with SPHERE

The detection and characterization of extrasolar planets with SPHERE (Spectro Polarimetric High contrast Exoplanet REsearch) is challenging and in particular relies on the ability of a coronagraph to attenuate the diffracted starlight. SPHERE includes 3 instruments, 2 of which can be operated simultaneously in the near IR from 0.95 to 1.8 microns. This requirements is extremely critical for coronagraphy. This paper briefly introduces the concepts of 2 coronagraphs, the Half-Wave Plate Four Quadrant Phase Masks and the Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph, prototyped within the SPHERE consortium by LESIA (Observatory of Paris) and FIZEAU (University of Nice) respectively. Then, we present the measurements of contrast and sensitivity analysis. The comparison with technical specifications allows to validate the technology for manufacturing these coronagraphs.
Artificial Fishes: Autonomous Locomotion, Perception, Behavior, and Learning in a Simulated Physical World

This article develops artificial life patterned after animals as evolved as those in the superclass Pisces. It demonstrates a virtual marine world inhabited by realistic artificial fishes. Our algorithms emulate not only the appearance, movement, and behavior of individual animals, but also the complex group behaviors evident in many aquatic ecosystems. We model each animal holistically. An artificial fish is an autonomous agent situated in a simulated physical world. The agent has (a) a three-dimensional body with internal muscle actuators and functional fins that deforms and locomotes in accordance with biomechanic and hydrodynamic principles; (b) sensors, including eyes that can image the environment; and (c) a brain with motor, perception, behavior, and learning centers. Artificial fishes exhibit a repertoire of piscatorial behaviors that rely on their perceptual awareness of their dynamic habitat. Individual and emergent collective behaviors include caudal and pectoral locomotion, collision avoidance, foraging, preying, schooling, and mating. Furthermore, artificial fishes can learn how to locomote through practice and sensory reinforcement. Their motor learning algorithms discover muscle controllers that produce efficient hydrodynamic locomotion. The learning algorithms also enable artificial fishes to train themselves to accomplish higher level, perceptually guided motor tasks, such as maneuvering to reach a visible target.
Improving the Quality of Care in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Step in the Right Direction

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is heterogeneous in both its clinical presentation and etiology1,2. JIA can result in permanent physical disability due to joint damage, while additional morbidity can be related to its treatment and to effects on growth and development. Children with inadequately treated or recalcitrant JIA may have chronic pain, mood disturbances, and difficulty with peer relationships, school performance, and attainment of educational and vocational goals3,4,5,6,7,8. Improved health related quality of life (HRQOL) and physical function are increasingly recognized as key treatment goals because of the influence of this illness on all aspects of a child’s life9. Accurate evaluation of this multidimensional and heterogeneous disease is challenging, but crucial to improve the quality of care and outcomes in JIA. Over the last decade there has been an increasing commitment to the assessment and improvement of quality of care following the report of The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Quality of Healthcare in America, “To Err is Human”10. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and American Board of Pediatrics have charged … Address correspondence to Dr. Laxer. E-mail: ronald.laxer{at}sickkids.ca
Constant-Time Admission Control for Partitioned EDF

An admission control test is responsible for deciding whether a new task may be accepted by a set of running tasks, such that the already admitted and the new task are all schedulable. Admission control decisions have to betaken on-line and, hence, there is a strong interest in developing efficient algorithms for different setups. In this paper, we propose a novel constant-time admission control test for tasks scheduled on identical processors under partitioned Earliest Deadline First (EDF), i.e., once tasks have been assigned to a processor they remain on that processor. In particular, to model demanding real-time systems, we consider the case where relative deadlines may be less than the minimum separation between two consecutive task activations or jobs. The main advantage of the proposed test is that the time it takes is independent of the number of tasks currently admitted in the system. While it is possible to adapt polynomial-time schedulability tests from the literature to design a linear or even constant-time admission control for this setup, the test we propose provides a better accuracy/complexity ratio. We evaluate this test through a set of detailed experiments based on synthetic tasks and a realistic case study consisting of a real-time multimedia server.
Application of genetic algorithm to a parallel path selection problem

Optimal selection of multiple parallel paths connecting the starting and arrival nodes is considered. The objective is to minimize the length of the longest path among multiple paths. The constraint is that duplication of the nodes belonging to each path is not allowed. The basic idea of the proposed method is to decompose the network into several subnetworks and to obtain the shortest path for each subnetwork. The genetic algorithm is applied for the decomposition procedure. It is observed from numerical results that the proposed method is efficient from the viewpoints of the accuracy of the solution and the computation time
Effects of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection on Ligands for the Activating NKG2D Receptor of NK Cells: Up-Regulation of UL16-Binding Protein (ULBP)1 and ULBP2 Is Counteracted by the Viral UL16 Protein1

Human CMV (HCMV) interferes with NK cell functions at various levels. The HCMV glycoprotein UL16 binds some of the ligands recognized by the NK-activating receptor NKG2D, namely UL16-binding proteins (ULBP) 1 and 2 and MHC class I-related chain B, possibly representing another mechanism of viral immune escape. This study addressed the expression and function of these proteins in infected cells. HCMV induced the expression of all three ULBPs, which were predominantly localized in the endoplasmic reticulum of infected fibroblasts together with UL16. However, while at a lower viral dose ULBP1 and 2 surface expression was completely inhibited compared to ULBP3, at a higher viral dose cell surface expression of ULBP1 and ULBP2 was delayed. The induction of ULBPs correlated with an increased dependency on NKG2D for recognition; however, the overall NK sensitivity did not change (suggesting that additional viral mechanisms interfere with NKG2D-independent pathways for recognition). Infection with a UL16 deletion mutant virus resulted in a different pattern compared to the wild type: all three ULBP molecules were induced with similar kinetics at the cell surface, accompanied by a pronounced, entirely NKG2D-dependent increase in NK sensitivity. Together our findings show that upon infection with HCMV, the host cell responds by expression of ULBPs and increased susceptibility to the NKG2D-mediated component of NK cell recognition, but UL16 limits these effects by interfering with the surface expression of ULBP1 and ULBP2.
Hypersexual Desire in Males: Are Males with Paraphilias Different from Males with Paraphilia-Related Disorders?

The assessment of current sexual behavior (fantasies, urges, and activities) and sexual preoccupation (measured in min/day) associated with both conventional (i.e., adult relationship-associated) or unconventional (paraphilia and paraphilia-related) sexual behavior were ascertained from a sample of 120 consecutively evaluated males with paraphilias (PA; n = 88, including sex offender paraphiliacs; n = 60) and paraphilia-related disorders (PRD; n = 32). In addition, an assessment of hypersexual desire, defined as the highest sustained period (at least 6 months minimum duration) of persistently enacted sexual behavior (total sexual outlet/week [TSO] after age 15) was assessed. In almost all measures, the PA and PRD groups were not statistically significantly different. The average PA or PRD reported a mean hypersexual TSO of 11.7 ± 7.3, a mean age of 21.6 ± 7.1 years at onset of peak hypersexual behavior, and a mean duration of 6.2± 7.6 years of hypersexual TSO. When the sample was stratified into three subgroups on the basis of the lifetime number of PAs + PRDs as a proxy measure of the severity of sexual impulsivity, the “high” group, with at least 5 lifetime PAs and PRDs, consisted of all paraphilic males, predominantly sex offenders, who self-reported the highest hypersexual desire (14.3 ± 7.9), the highest current TSO/week (9.9 ± 8.1), the most current sexual preoccupation (2–4 hr/day), and the highest likelihood of incarceration secondary to paraphilic sex-offending behavior. Although hypersexual desire, a quantitative measure of enacted sexual behaviors, may be a meaningful construct for clinically derived samples, the incidence and prevalence of hypersexual desire in community samples of males with paraphilias and paraphilia-related disorders is unknown.
An Experimental Comparison of a Document Deception Detection Policy using Real and Artificial Deception

Developing policies to screen documents for deception is often hampered by the cost of data collection and the inability to evaluate policy alternatives due to lack of data. To lower data collection costs and increase the amount of data, artificially generated deception data can be used, but the impact of using artificially generated deception data is not well understood. This article studies the impact of artificially generated deception on document screening policies. The deception and truth data were collected from financial aid applications, a document-centric area with limited resources for screening. Real deception was augmented with artificial data generated by noise and deception generation models. Using the real data and artificially generated data, we designed an innovative experiment with deception type and deception rate as factors, and harmonic mean and cost as outcome variables. We used two budget models (fixed and variable) typically employed by financial aid offices to measure the cost of noncompliance in financial aid applications. The analysis included an evaluation of a common policy for deception screening using both fixed and varying screening rates. The results of the experiment provided evidence of similar performance of screening policy with real and artificial deception, suggesting the possibility of using artificially generated deception to reduce the costs associated with obtaining training data.
Association of nicotine addiction and nicotine's actions with separate cingulate cortex functional circuits.

CONTEXT Understanding the mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction to develop more effective treatment is a public health priority. Research consistently shows that nicotine transiently improves multiple cognitive functions. However, using nicotine replacement to treat nicotine addiction yields generally inconsistent results. Although this dichotomy is well known, the reasons are unclear. Imaging studies showed that nicotine challenges almost always involve the cingulate cortex, suggesting that this locus may be a key region associated with nicotine addiction and its treatment. OBJECTIVE To identify cingulate functional circuits that are associated with the severity of nicotine addiction and study how nicotine affects them by means of region-specific resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. DESIGN Double-blind, placebo-controlled study. SETTING Outpatient clinics. PARTICIPANTS Nineteen healthy smokers. INTERVENTION Single-dose (21- or 35-mg) nicotine patch. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Correlation of nicotine addiction severity and cingulate resting-state functional connectivity, and effects of short-term nicotine administration on connectivity strength. RESULTS Clearly separated pathways that correlated with nicotine addiction vs nicotine's action were found. The severity of nicotine addiction was associated with the strength of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC)-striatal circuits, which were not modified by nicotine patch administration. In contrast, short-term nicotine administration enhanced cingulate-neocortical functional connectivity patterns, which may play a role in nicotine's cognition-enhancing properties. CONCLUSIONS Resting-state dACC-striatum functional connectivity may serve as a circuit-level biomarker for nicotine addiction, and the development of new therapeutic agents aiming to enhance the dACC-striatum functional pathways may be effective for nicotine addiction treatment.
APPLICATION OF AN AUGMENTED REALITY SYSTEM FOR DISASTER RELIEF

The goal of an augmented reality system (ARS) is to superimpose in real time a real world scenery with a virtual extended version of itself. Such an ARS is, also developed as part of a disaster management tool of the collaborative research centre 461 (CRC461): "Strong Earthquakes". Rescue units are supposed to use the ARS as a tool to plan their actions on site using the possibilities offered by virtual reality. Regarding the reconnaissance strategy of the CRC461 there will be airborne laser scanning data collected of the whole affected area after an earthquake. This in turn means that the geometrical shape of the buildings is known. This threedimensional data can be fused with other information available, e.g., digital elevation model, building structure and so on. This information can now be used as planning information for rescue units. The construction, of such a system, is a challenge in many ways. Firstly, the proposed work shows how digital surface models can be used in different ways for the on site calibration of an SeeThrough Head-Mounted Display (STHMD) and the connected head tracking devices. Next to this the paper will introduce special possibilities offered by such a technology to analyse possible rescue plans for collapsed buildings in the context of disaster relief. On the other hand there is a set of primitive analysis techniques like measuring distances without touching the object directly.
Methylmercury Exposure and Health Effects

Methylmercury is a hazardous substance that is of interest with regard to environmental health, as inorganic mercury circulating in the general environment is dissolved into freshwater and seawater, condensed through the food chain, ingested by humans, and consequently affects human health. Recently, there has been much interest and discussion regarding the toxicity of methylmercury, the correlation with fish and shellfish intake, and methods of long-term management of the human health effects of methylmercury. What effects chronic exposure to a low concentration of methylmercury has on human health remains controversial. Although the possibility of methylmercury poisoning the heart and blood vessel system, the reproductive system, and the immune system is continuously raised and discussed, and the carcinogenicity of methylmercury is also under discussion, a clear conclusion regarding the human health effects according to exposure level has not yet been drawn. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives proposed to prepare additional fish and shellfish intake recommendations for consumers based on the quantified evaluation of the hazardousness of methylmercury contained in fish and shellfish, methylmercury management in the Korea has not yet caught up with this international trend. Currently, the methylmercury exposure level of Koreans is known to be very high. The starting point of methylmercury exposure management is inorganic mercury in the general environment, but food intake through methylation is the main exposure source. Along with efforts to reduce mercury in the general environment, food intake management should be undertaken to reduce the human exposure to methylmercury in Korea.
Built-in User Satisfaction - Feature Appraisal and Prioritization with AMUSE

In today's world, the users of software-based products demand a lot. They want the systems to offer the needed functionality, show high performance and, at the same time, be usable and trustworthy. Especially consumer products should also offer joy to the user. The success of a software-based product strongly depends on how well the product fulfills these user expectations. Therefore, considering the users' expectations should be an integral part of modern system engineering activities. This paper shows an approach that was designed to appraise and measure the users' (future) satisfaction in an early phase of system development: the requirements engineering phase. In this phase little systematic guidance exists on how to evaluate the effects of features on user satisfaction early on, and on how to contribute the results to the development process. AMUSE (appraisal and measurement of user satisfaction), the approach presented in this paper, closes this gap. It helps requirements engineers and product managers to select the most promising features, i.e., the ones that will satisfy the user the most, already in the requirements phase. The approach uses a standardized user satisfaction measurement device (questionnaire), a feature appraisal and prioritization methodology, and tool support. This approach was developed and piloted in cooperation with Siemens AG, Germany.
Draco: bringing life to illustrations with kinetic textures

We present Draco, a sketch-based interface that allows artists and casual users alike to add a rich set of animation effects to their drawings, seemingly bringing illustrations to life. While previous systems have introduced sketch-based animations for individual objects, our contribution is a unified framework of motion controls that allows users to seamlessly add coordinated motions to object collections. We propose a framework built around kinetic textures, which provide continuous animation effects while preserving the unique timeless nature of still illustrations. This enables many dynamic effects difficult or not possible with previous sketch-based tools, such as a school of fish swimming, tree leaves blowing in the wind, or water rippling in a pond. We describe our implementation and illustrate the repertoire of animation effects it supports. A user study with professional animators and casual users demonstrates the variety of animations, applications and creative possibilities our tool provides.