Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of dendritic cell numbers and maturation by lipopolysaccharide in vivo

Dendritic cells (DC) are described as "nature's adjuvant," since they have the capacity to sensitize T cells in vivo upon first encounter with the antigen. The potent accessory properties of DC appear to develop sequentially. In particular, the ability to process antigens and to sensitize native T cells develops in sequence, a process termed "maturation" that is well described in vitro. Here, we obtain evidence for maturation in vivo in response to the bacterial product lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Before LPS treatment, many DC are found at the margin between the red and white pulp. These cells lack the M342 and DEC-205 markers, but process soluble proteins effectively. 6 h after LPS, DC with the M342 and DEC-205 markers are found in increased numbers in the T cell areas. These cells have a reduced capacity to process proteins, but show increases in the B7 costimulator and T cell stimulatory capacity. 48 h after LPS, the number of DC in the spleen is reduced markedly. We interpret these findings to mean that LPS can cause DC in the marginal zone to mature and to migrate into and then out of the T cell areas.
An abnormal threshold voltage variation of the p-type thin-film transistors under DC bias stress

The abnormal turnaround phenomenon of threshold voltage for the p-type low temperature poly-silicon thin film transistors (LTPS TFTs) stressed under a specific negative DC bias condition, which the gate voltage is about one half of the drain voltage, is investigated. There are two turnaround points for the TFT stressed with prolonged time. The sampling current of the TFT under the biasing stress is used to confirm the turnaround phenomenon. We propose the three-staged degradation models to explain the abnormal threshold voltage variation of LTPS TFTs under a specific DC bias stress.
An HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor, Cerivastatin, Suppresses Growth of Macrophages Expressing Matrix Metalloproteinases and Tissue Factor In Vivo and In Vitro

BackgroundUnstable atherosclerotic plaques that cause acute coronary events usually contain abundant macrophages expressing matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue factor (TF), molecules that probably contribute to plaque rupture and subsequent thrombus formation. Lipid lowering with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors reduces acute coronary events. Methods and ResultsTo test whether lipid lowering with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor retards macrophage accumulation in rabbit atheroma, we administered cerivastatin to immature Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits (cerivastatin group, n=10, cerivastatin 0.6 mg · kg−1 · d−1; control group, n=9, saline 0.6 mL · kg−1 · d−1) for 32 weeks and measured macrophage accumulation and expression of MMPs and TF. Serum cholesterol levels after 32 weeks were 809±40 mg/dL (control group) and 481±24 mg/dL (treated group). Cerivastatin diminished accumulation of macrophages in aortic atheroma. Macrophage expression of MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9, and TF also decreased with cerivastatin treatment. Cerivastatin reduced the number of macrophages expressing histone mRNA (a sensitive marker of cell proliferation) detected by in situ hybridization but did not alter macrophages bearing a marker of death (TUNEL staining). Cerivastatin treatment (≥0.01 &mgr;mol/L) also reduced growth, proteolytic activity due to MMP-9, and TF expression in cultured human monocyte/macrophages. ConclusionsThese results suggest that lipid lowering with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors alters plaque biology by reducing proliferation and activation of macrophages, prominent sources of molecules responsible for plaque instability and thrombogenicity.
A brief screening tool for knee pain in primary care (KNEST). 2. Results from a survey in the general population aged 50 and over.

OBJECTIVE To use a brief screening tool to identify knee pain (all knee pain, non-chronic and chronic knee pain) and associated health-care use in the general population aged 50 yr and over. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was mailed to 8995 individuals registered with three general practices in North Staffordshire, UK. The questionnaire included a Knee Pain Screening Tool (KNEST), the Short Form 36 (SF36), demographic questions and, for those who reported knee pain, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). RESULTS The survey achieved a 77% response. The 12-month period prevalence of all knee pain was 46.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 45.6%, 48.0%]. Figures for non-chronic knee pain (pain of less than 3 months duration) and chronic knee pain (pain of more than 3 months duration) were 21.5% (95% CI 20.5%, 22.5%) and 25.3% (95% CI 24.3%, 26.4%) respectively. An estimated 6% of the older population had non-chronic but severe knee pain or disability. Thirty-three per cent of all knee pain sufferers had consulted their general practitioner (GP) about their symptom in the last year. This included 34% of those with non-chronic but severe knee pain or disability and 56% of those with chronic and severe knee pain or disability. The use of private treatments or services for knee pain was minimal. A third of those with chronic and severe knee pain or disability had not used any services (including GP) in the last year. CONCLUSIONS The KNEST is a simple tool for the identification of individuals with knee pain and their health-care use. Focusing only on chronic knee pain will underestimate the total need and demand for health-care in knee pain sufferers in the general older population, as non-chronic as well as chronic knee pain has a significant impact on people's lives and on their use of primary health-care. The KNEST, when combined with the WOMAC, identifies population groups who have potentially diverse health-care needs and who might benefit from effective health-care. These data can be used alongside evidence on effective treatments by service planners when considering needs for the care of older adults in primary care.
Unstable Genetic Transformation in Bacillus subtilis and the Mode of Inheritance in Unstable Clones

Iyer, V. N. (Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ont., Canada). Unstable genetic transformation in Bacillus subtilis and the mode of inheritance in unstable clones. J. Bacteriol. 90:495–503. 1965. —An ultraviolet-induced mutant has been isolated from the double auxotroph of Bacillus subtilis (bearing the linked mutations try2 and his2). This mutant has the property of yielding unstable transformants which, in the case of transformation to prototrophy, can be recognized by reduced colony size on minimal agar. Unstable transformant clones usually become stabilized early during the development of the clone (within 12 generations). Analyses of genotypes emerging from such clones on stabilization indicate that in some of these clones the exogenote is transmitted linearly; its integrity is sufficiently preserved that it can participate in two independent recombination events in two different cells. Genetic markers on the exogenote are expressed in situations where genetic integration has not occurred.
Antimicrobial and Antioxidative Activities of Bioactive Constituents from Hydnophytum formicarum Jack

Hydnophytum formicarum Jack. (Rubiaceae) is a medicinal plant whose tubers possesses cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic effects and have been used for the treatment of hepatitis, rheumatism and diarrhea. Herein we report the isolation of its active constituents and the testing of their antimicrobial activity against 27 strains of microorganisms using an agar dilution method and of their antioxidative activity using the DPPH and SOD assays. The results show that the crude hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts exert such activities. Particularly, the crude ethyl acetate extract exhibits antigrowth activity against many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MIC 256 μg/mL. Shewanella putrefaciens ATCC 8671 is completely inhibited at a lower MIC (128 μg/mL). Interestingly, Corynebacterium diphtheriae NCTC 10356 is inhibited by all the tested extracts. Significantly, the ethyl acetate extract is also the most potent antioxidant, showing 83.31% radical scavenging activity with IC50 8.40 μg/mL in the DPPH assay. The other extracts display weak to moderate antioxidative activities, ranging from 28.60-56.80% radical scavenging. The SOD assay shows that methanol extract exhibits the highest activity (74.19% inhibition of superoxide radical). The dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts display comparable SOD activity. The promising bioactivities of the crude ethyl acetate extract guided the first isolation of bioactive flavonoid and phenolic compounds: isoliquiritigenin (2), protocatechualdehyde (3), butin (4) and butein (5) from this species. Their structures have been fully established by 1D and 2D NMR. In addition, stigmasterol was isolated from the crude hexane and dichloromethane extracts. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of compounds 3-5 were evaluated. The tested compounds were inactive against HuCCA-1 and KB cell lines, showing ED50> 10 μg/mL. Protocatechualdehyde (3) completely inhibits the growth of Plesiomonas shigelloides with MIC ≤60 μg/mL. As a result, we propose that Hydnophytum formicarum Jack. can serve as a new source enriched with potent antioxidative and antimicrobial agents.
Benthic coverage and bottom topography of coral reef environment over Pirotan reef, Gulf of Kachchh region, India

Abstract Remote sensing measurements in coral reef environments commonly confront the problem of overlying atmosphere and modification of spectral signal due to water column over the bottom substrates. In order to correct these problems, hyperspectral observations offer an advantage over multispectral observations. Airborne hyperspectral remote sensing data from Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer- Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) sensor was acquired during low tidal condition on 14 February 2016 at Pirotan reef, Gulf of Kachchh region, India. The objective of this study is to map benthic coverage and bottom topography over Pirotan reef. The methodology involved atmospheric correction, simultaneous retrieval of water parameters, bathymetry, water column correction and mapping. Atmospheric correction was performed by removing path radiance and aerosol contribution and dividing by atmospheric transmittance and incoming solar irradiance to obtain remote sensing reflectance. Model derived error minimization technique was used for simultaneous retrieval of water parameters and bathymetry. Derived water parameters were used to account for water column attenuation and retrieve concomitant true bottom signature.
Iterative learning control for a musculoskeletal arm: Utilizing multiple space variables to improve the robustness

In this paper, a new iterative learning control method which uses multiple space variables for a musculoskeletal-like arm system is proposed to improve the robustness against noises being included in sensory information. In our previous works, the iterative learning control method for the redundant musculoskeletal arm to acquire a desired endpoint trajectory simultaneous with an adequate internal force was proposed. The controller was designed using only muscle space variables, such as a muscle length and contractile velocity. It is known that the movement of the musculoskeletal system can be expressed in a hierarchical three-layered space which is composed of the muscle space, the joint space and the task space. Thus, the new iterative learning control input is composed of multiple space variables to improve its performance and robustness. Numerical simulations are conducted and their result is evaluated from the viewpoint of the robustness to noises of sensory information. An experiment is performed using a prototype of musculoskeletal-like manipulator, and the practical usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated through the result.
Natural Killer T Cells Are Involved in Adipose Tissues Inflammation and Glucose Intolerance in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Background—Macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration in adipose tissue may contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-mediated metabolic disorders. Natural killer T (NKT) cells, which integrate proinflammatory cytokines, have been demonstrated in the atherosclerotic lesions and in visceral adipose tissue. Objective—To determine whether NKT cells are involved in glucose intolerance and adipose tissue inflammation in diet-induced obese mice. Methods and Results—Male &bgr;2-microglobulin knockout (KO) mice lacking NKT cells and C57BL/6J (wild-type) mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 13 weeks. Body weight and visceral obesity were comparable between wild-type and KO mice. However, macrophage infiltration was reduced in adipose tissue and glucose intolerance was significantly ameliorated in KO mice. To further confirm that NKT cells are involved in these abnormalities, &agr;-galactosylceramide, 0.1 &mgr;g/g body weight, which specifically activates NKT cells, was administered after 13 weeks of HFD feeding. &agr;-Galactosylceramide significantly exacerbated glucose intolerance and macrophage infiltration as well as cytokine gene expression in adipose tissue. Conclusion—NKT cells play a crucial role in the development of adipose tissue inflammation and glucose intolerance in diet-induced obesity.
MODEL SELECTION AND ACCOUNTING FOR MODEL UNCERTAINTY IN LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS

We consider the problems of variable selection and accounting for model uncertainty in linear regression models. Conditioning on a single selected model ignores model uncertainty, and thus leads to the underestimation of uncertainty when making inferences about quantities of interest. The complete Bayesian solution to this problem involves averaging over all possible models when making inferences about quantities of interest. This approach is often not practical. In this paper we offer two alternative approaches. First we describe a Bayesian model selection algorithm called "Occam's "Window" which involves averaging over a reduced set of models. Second, we describe a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach which directly approximates the exact solution. Both these model averaging procedures provide better predictive performance than any single model which might reasonably have been selected. In the extreme case where there are many candidate predictors but there is no relationship between any of them and the response, standard variable selection procedures often choose some subset of variables that yields a high R and a highly significant overall F value. vVe refer to this unfortunate phenomenon as "Freedman's Paradox" (Freedman, 1983). In this situation, Occam's vVindow usually indicates the null model as the only one to be considered, or else a small number of models including the null model, thus largely resolving the paradox.
Contractures with special reference in elderly: definition and risk factors – a systematic review with practical implications

Abstract Purpose: Contractures are common problems for the elderly with far reaching functional and medical consequences. The aim of this systematic literature review was to give an overview of contracture and to identify potential risk factors associated with contractures. Methods: A systematic literature search with two objectives limited to the last 10 years was performed to identify studies dealing with definition of contracture (objective 1 = O1) and with risk factors (objective 2 = O2). Predefined information including age, sample size, study design, setting, condition, joint, definition of contracture, mode of measurement, and whether inter- and/or intra-rater reliability were assessed, as well as risk factors of contracture were extracted. Results: One hundred and sixty one and 25 studies were retrieved. After applying exclusion criteria 47 studies (O1) and 3 studies (O2) remained. Only 9 studies (O1) provided a definition of contracture. In 3 studies (O2) several potential risk factors were identified. Conclusions: In most of the studies it seems that the presence of a contracture is equivalent with the presence of restriction in the range of motion (ROM) of a joint. Very little is known about risk factors for contractures. But it seems that immobility may play a pivotal role in the development of this condition. Implication for Rehabilitation The prevalence of contractures in nursing home residents is estimated at 55% with significant functional and medical consequences. In most studies, which were published in the last 10 years, the presence of a contracture is equivalent with the presence of restriction in the range of motion of a joint. Immobility seems to play a role in the development of contractures. Potential avenues to prevention of contractures and subsequent functional limitations are exercise programmes for and maintenance of mobility of the elderly.
Unique and Conserved Features of the Barley Root Meristem

Plant root growth is enabled by root meristems that harbor the stem cell niches as a source of progenitors for the different root tissues. Understanding the root development of diverse plant species is important to be able to control root growth in order to gain better performances of crop plants. In this study, we analyzed the root meristem of the fourth most abundant crop plant, barley (Hordeum vulgare). Cell division studies revealed that the barley stem cell niche comprises a Quiescent Center (QC) of around 30 cells with low mitotic activity. The surrounding stem cells contribute to root growth through the production of new cells that are displaced from the meristem, elongate and differentiate into specialized root tissues. The distal stem cells produce the root cap and lateral root cap cells, while cells lateral to the QC generate the epidermis, as it is typical for monocots. Endodermis and inner cortex are derived from one common initial lateral to the QC, while the outer cortex cell layers are derived from a distinct stem cell. In rice and Arabidopsis, meristem homeostasis is achieved through feedback signaling from differentiated cells involving peptides of the CLE family. Application of synthetic CLE40 orthologous peptide from barley promotes meristem cell differentiation, similar to rice and Arabidopsis. However, in contrast to Arabidopsis, the columella stem cells do not respond to the CLE40 peptide, indicating that distinct mechanisms control columella cell fate in monocot and dicot plants.
A 110 nW Resistive Frequency Locked On-Chip Oscillator with 34.3 ppm/°C Temperature Stability for System-on-Chip Designs

This work presents a sub-μW on-chip oscillator for fully integrated system-on-chip designs. The proposed oscillator introduces a resistive frequency locked loop topology for accurate clock generation. In this topology, a switched-capacitor circuit is controlled by an internal voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and the equivalent resistance of this switched-capacitor is matched to a temperature-compensated on-chip resistor using an ultra-low power amplifier. This design yields a temperature-compensated frequency from the internal VCO. The approach eliminates the traditional comparator from the oscillation loop; this comparator typically consumes a significant portion of the total oscillator power and limits temperature stability in conventional RC relaxation oscillators due to its temperature-dependent delay. A test chip is fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS that exhibits a temperature coefficient of 34.3 ppm/°C with long-term stability of less than 7 ppm (12 second integration time) while consuming 110 nW at 70.4 kHz. A radio transmitter circuit that uses the proposed oscillator as a baseband timing source is also presented to demonstrate a system-on-chip design using this oscillator.
IMAGERY-DERIVED BATHYMETRY IN STRAIT OF JOHOR’S TURBID WATERS USING MULTISPECTRAL IMAGES

Abstract. Although vessel-based acoustic sounding technique is accurate, however it is typically constrained by high operating costs, logistic difficulties and limited spatial coverage. It seems it is necessary to employ an alternative approach that can reduce the aforementioned high operation cost. The development of the imagery-derived bathymetry has brought in the new revolution in hydrography. The paper highlights the application of incorporating satellite remote sensing techniques to extract bathymetry information from the freely downloadable Landsat-8 satellite images. In this study, two different band ratio transform empirical models have been utilised to transform the reflected radiances of green and blue bands into bathymetry depths at the coastal region adjacent to Tanjung Kupang, Strait of Johor, Malaysia. The inland swampy area is vegetated by lavish mangroves while the shoreface is fronted by flat slopes with turbid suspended sediment. In the course of experiment, the results from Stumpf et al.’s model and Dierssen et al.’s model show a reasonable agreement, with similar correlation coefficient (r) of 0.76 between the imagery-derived depths and in-situ bathymetry depths from vessel-based sounding. The Stumpf et al.’s model has achieved root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.885 metres and mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.631 metres; while Dierssen et al.’s model delivers RMSE of 0.878 metres and MAE of 0.629 metres respectively. Although these two algorithms are slightly different, however the end results produced are quite close in this study. The results show that both empirical models represent a promising outcome and can be used to complement data from vessel-based single beam sounding, which is normally obtained at medium to course profiling resolution for the purpose of survey reconnaissance and survey planning.
Prolific Codes with the Identifiable Parent Property

Let $\cal C$ be a code of length $n$ over an alphabet of size $q$. A word $\mathbf{d}$ is a descendant of a pair of codewords $\mathbf{x},\mathbf{y} \in \cal C$ if $d_i \in \{x_i ,y_i \}$ for $1 \leq i \leq n$. A code $\cal C$ is an identifiable parent property (IPP) code if the following property holds. Whenever we are given $\cal C$ and a descendant $\mathbf{d}$ of a pair of codewords in $\cal C$, it is possible to determine at least one of these codewords. The paper introduces the notion of a prolific IPP code. An IPP code is prolific if all $q^n$ words are descendants. It is shown that linear prolific IPP codes fall into three infinite (“trivial”) families, together with a single sporadic example which is ternary of length $4$. There are no known examples of prolific IPP codes which are not equivalent to a linear example: the paper shows that for most parameters there are no prolific IPP codes, leaving a relatively small number of parameters unsolved. In the process the paper obtains upper bounds on the size of a (not necessarily prolific) IPP code which are better than previously known bounds.
Hybrid rule-based - example-based MT: feeding Apertium with sub-sentential translation units

Generalitat Valenciana through grant BEST/2009/057. Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through project TIN2009-14009-C02-01. Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) through ETS Walton Award 07/W.1/I1802. Andy Way acknowledges support from SFI through grants 05/IN/1732 and 06/RF/CMS064.
Physical design of CNTFET-based circuits for yield improvement

Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNTFETs) have superior electrical properties and therefore they are promising candidates to replace silicon-based devices in near future. Despite recent approaches to remove metallic CNTs from the inherent mixture of chiralities, the circuits still suffer from this issue. In consequence, the CNTFET device performance is degraded which in turn impacts the circuit yield. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework to analyze the leakage power, delay, and the manufacturing yield of circuits in the presence of metallic CNTs. With the help of our framework, the effect of different factors such as the probability of metallic tubes and the cell layout on the performance metrics is investigated. Moreover, we propose a new layout structure for standard cells to improve the overall yield of the circuit by around 10%.