Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CX3CR1 and vascular adhesion protein‐1‐dependent recruitment of CD16+ monocytes across human liver sinusoidal endothelium

The liver contains macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) that are critical for the regulation of hepatic inflammation. Most hepatic macrophages and mDCs are derived from monocytes recruited from the blood through poorly understood interactions with hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSECs). Human CD16+ monocytes are thought to contain the precursor populations for tissue macrophages and mDCs. We report that CD16+ cells localize to areas of active inflammation and fibrosis in chronic inflammatory liver disease and that a unique combination of cell surface receptors promotes the transendothelial migration of CD16+ monocytes through human HSECs under physiological flow. CX3CR1 activation was the dominant pertussis‐sensitive mechanism controlling transendothelial migration under flow, and expression of the CX3CR1 ligand CX3CL1 is increased on hepatic sinusoids in chronic inflammatory liver disease. Exposure of CD16+ monocytes to immobilized purified CX3CL1 triggered β1‐integrin‐mediated adhesion to vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 and induced the development of a migratory phenotype. Following transmigration or exposure to soluble CX3CL1, CD16+ monocytes rapidly but transiently lost expression of CX3CR1. Adhesion and transmigration across HSECs under flow was also dependent on vascular adhesion protein‐1 (VAP‐1) on the HSECs. Conclusion: Our data suggest that CD16+ monocytes are recruited by a combination of adhesive signals involving VAP‐1 and CX3CR1 mediated integrin‐activation. Thus a novel combination of surface molecules, including VAP‐1 and CX3CL1 promotes the recruitment of CD16+ monocytes to the liver, allowing them to localize at sites of chronic inflammation and fibrosis. (Hepatology 2010)
Contraction in voltage-clamped, internally perfused single heart cells

We studied contraction in single voltage-clamped, internally perfused myocytes isolated from guinea pig ventricles. The microscopic appearance of the cell was observed and recorded with a television system, while contractile shortening was measured 1,000 times/s using a linear photodiode array. Uniform, synchronous sarcomere shortening occurred in response to depolarizations that triggered a slow inward current (Isi). Changes in Isi caused by altering the amplitude of the voltage step, the extracellular [Ca2+], or the holding potential were accompanied by immediate parallel changes in the extent and velocity of shortening. In particular, twitch shortening during depolarization was immediately decreased when large voltage steps decreased Isi, and was eliminated by depolarizations that exceeded +75 mV, the apparent reversal potential for Ca2+. In these cases, shortening was associated with the tail current during repolarization. Increases in the amplitude, duration, and the rate of the depolarizing step increased the extent and speed of sarcomere shortening over the course of four to five contractions without a simultaneous parallel increase of Isi. Large prolonged depolarizations caused an asynchronous, nonuniform, oscillatory shortening of the cell and potentiated future twitch contractions. Increases in the duration of the depolarizing step immediately prolonged contraction; otherwise, interventions that altered the extent, velocity, and time course of shortening in intact, nonperfused cells did not affect the time course of the contraction in the internally perfused single cells. Our results provide direct support for the hypothesis that Isi both induces and grades the size of the Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of intact cardiac muscle. In addition, a separate, depolarization-dependent process unrelated to Isi grades the size of contraction, presumably by modulating Ca2+ accumulation in the intracellular stores, and affects its time course.
Challenges for the revitalisation of peri-urban agriculture in Spain: Territorial analysis of the Madrid and Oviedo metropolitan areas

Contemporary urban sprawl and urban functional centrality at the regional scale have made the classical urban-rural dichotomy no longer valid. Instead, urban development generates a range of peri-urban transitional areas in which urban and rural uses are mixed in a fragmented land mosaic. The main objective of this paper is to detect opportunitites for the revitalisation of peri-urban agriculture based on an analysis and comparison of its evolution in two different regional contexts in Spain. The peri-urban space is delimited according to density, topography and perceptual criteria. Aerial images and cartographic bases are used to identify land quality and land use changes in the areas, concluding that peri-urban agriculture has suffered both urban occupation and internal changes in crops and agricultural uses, experiencing a process of decline. Innovative initiatives performed in these spaces are also explored as opportunities for revitalisation from a multifunctional approach, linking urban population to peri-urban agriculture, organic farming or landscape management. This analysis serves as a prerequisite to develop new policies for the planning of peri-urban agriculture at local and regional scales, based on a deep understanding of the territory and its evolution.
An overview of economic applications of David Schmeidler's models of decision making under uncertainty

This paper surveys some economic applications of the decision theoretic framework pioneered by David Schmeidler. We have organized the discussion around three themes: financial markets, contractual arrangements and game theory. The first section discusses papers that have contributed to a better understanding of financial market outcomes based on ambiguity aversion. The second section focusses on contractual arrangements and is divided into two sub-sections. The first sub-section reports research on optimal risk sharing arrangements, while in the second sub-section, discusses research on incentive contracts. The third section concentrates on strategic interaction and reviews several papers that have extended different game theoretic solution concepts to settings with ambiguity averse players. A final section deals with several contributions that are linked only at a formal level, in terms of the pure mathematical structures involved, with Schmeidler`s models of decision making under ambiguity. The contributions involve issues such as, inequality measurement, intertemporal decision making and multi-attribute choice.
Identification of BERP (brain-expressed RING finger protein) as a p53 target gene that modulates seizure susceptibility through interacting with GABAA receptors

p53 is a central player in responses to cellular stresses and a major tumor suppressor. The identification of unique molecules within the p53 signaling network can reveal functions of this important transcription factor. Here, we show that brain-expressed RING finger protein (BERP) is a gene whose expression is up-regulated in a p53-dependent manner in human cells and in mice. We generated BERP-deficient mice by gene targeting and demonstrated that they exhibit increased resistance to pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures. Electrophysiological and biochemical studies of cultured cortical neurons of BERP-deficient mice showed a decrease in the amplitude of GABAA receptor (GABAAR)-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents as well as reduced surface protein expression of GABAARs containing the γ2-subunit. However, BERP deficiency did not decrease GABAARγ2 mRNA levels, raising the possibility that BERP may act at a posttranscriptional level to regulate the intracellular trafficking of GABAARs. Our results indicate that BERP is a unique p53-regulated gene and suggest a role for p53 within the central nervous system.
Experimental maturation of feathers: implications for reconstructions of fossil feather colour

Fossil feathers often preserve evidence of melanosomes—micrometre-scale melanin-bearing organelles that have been used to infer original colours and patterns of the plumage of dinosaurs. Such reconstructions acknowledge that evidence from other colour-producing mechanisms is presently elusive and assume that melanosome geometry is not altered during fossilization. Here, we provide the first test of this assumption, using high pressure–high temperature autoclave experiments on modern feathers to simulate the effects of burial on feather colour. Our experiments show that melanosomes are retained despite loss of visual evidence of colour and complete degradation of other colour-producing structures (e.g. quasi-ordered arrays in barbs and the keratin cortex in barbules). Significantly, however, melanosome geometry and spatial distribution are altered by the effects of pressure and temperature. These results demonstrate that reconstructions of original plumage coloration in fossils where preserved features of melanosomes are affected by diagenesis should be treated with caution. Reconstructions of fossil feather colour require assessment of the extent of preservation of various colour-producing mechanisms, and, critically, the extent of alteration of melanosome geometry.
A Study of the Relationship between Parental Alcohol Problems and Alcohol Use among Adolescent Females in Republic of Korea.

OBJECTIVES The study was designed to test if alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among adolescent females are related to their parents' level of alcohol problems. METHODS In 2001, a stratified sample of 2077 adolescent females, grades 10-11, from twelve female-only high schools located in a large metropolitan city in the Republic of Korea completed a questionnaire about alcohol use, parental attention, and parental alcohol consumption, and other risk and protective factors. Data were analyzed with chi-square and regression analyses. RESULTS Nearly 63% of the student drinkers had experienced at least one to two alcohol-related problems in their lives. Two-thirds of all 2077 students indicated that at least one of their parents had an alcohol-related problem and that approximately 29% had experienced several problems. Results of random effects ordinal logistic regression analyses suggest a dose-response relationship between parental and youth alcohol-related problems. Youth who report having parents with some and many alcohol problems were 30% (Odds Ratios [OR] = 1.30; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.10 - 1.53) and 55% (OR = 1.55; 95%CI = 1.23 - 1.95) more likely to experience alcoholrelated problems than youth whose parents do not have alcohol problems, respectively, after statistically adjusting for important covariates. CONCLUSIONS This study presents evidence that alcoholrelated problems among adolescent female students is highly prevalent. Also, the study findings reveal a high percentage of parents with alcohol problems, as reported by students. This study presents evidence of what might be a hidden problem among adults and youths in the Republic of Korea that merits serious attention.
Efficient and Effective Single-Document Summarizations and a Word-Embedding Measurement of Quality

Our task is to generate an effective summary for a given document with specific realtime requirements. We use the softplus function to enhance keyword rankings to favor important sentences, based on which we present a number of summarization algorithms using various keyword extraction and topic clustering methods. We show that our algorithms meet the realtime requirements and yield the best ROUGE recall scores on DUC-02 over all previously-known algorithms. We show that our algorithms meet the realtime requirements and yield the best ROUGE recall scores on DUC-02 over all previously-known algorithms. To evaluate the quality of summaries without human-generated benchmarks, we define a measure called WESM based on word-embedding using Word Mover's Distance. We show that the orderings of the ROUGE and WESM scores of our algorithms are highly comparable, suggesting that WESM may serve as a viable alternative for measuring the quality of a summary.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: tracking the true occurrence is challenging

Tracking patterns of disease incidence and mortality is fundamental to disease control. The story of lung cancer is exemplary; the 20th century epidemic of lung cancer was first detected in western countries as mortality rates rose; initially it affected males more than females; and rates were not uniform across regions and between countries [1]. The epidemiological studies, motivated by the changing patterns of lung cancer occurrence, identified smoking, and occupational and environmental agents as causes of this highly fatal malignancy. Lung cancer mortality rates, which are very close to incidence rates because of the high case-fatality rate of lung cancer, and incidence rates, tracked through cancer registries, have now fallen in the USA and much of Europe in response to successful tobacco control and reduction of exposures to occupational and environmental carcinogens. In the example of lung cancer, tracking of occurrence is facilitated by the close correspondence of mortality with incidence, such that mortality is a reasonable index of occurrence, by the long standing surveillance of cancer through population-based cancer registries in many countries of Europe and much of the USA [2], and by improved diagnosis of lung cancer by increasingly accurate diagnostic methods. IPF is not “just” a rare disease: better diagnosis and reporting by clinicians of this fatal disease is needed http://ow.ly/P284a
Two-stage response to endotoxin infusion into normal human subjects: Correlation of blood phagocyte luminescence with clinical and laboratory markers of the inflammatory, hemostatic response

ObjectiveTo characterize a two-stage response of normal human subjects to an intravenous bolus infusion of endotoxin by using phagocyte luminescence and molecular markers of hemostatic and inflammatory system, phagocyte, and endothelial cell perturbation. DesignProspective evaluation of the response of normal subjects to endotoxin. SettingMedical intensive care unit, university laboratories. SubjectsNormal healthy male subjects ranging in age from 24 to 37 yrs. MeasurementsLuminescence measurements of phagocyte oxidase, oxidase-myeloperoxidase, opsonin receptor expression, clinical chemical and molecular markers of hemostatic and inflammatory system activation, phagocyte activation, and endothelial cell injury. ResultsResponse to intravenous bolus endotoxin includes two stages. The symptomatic first stage (time [T]-0 to T + 8 hrs) included sharp rises in phagocyte oxidase, oxidase-myeloperoxidase, and opsonin receptor expression with the appearance of morphologic and molecular markers of hemostatic and inflammatory system activation, phagocyte activation, and endothelial cell injury. All variables with the exception of soluble thrombomodulin, soluble fibrin monomer, lactate, white cell count, and opsonin receptor expression returned to baseline by T + 8 hrs, by which time all acute clinical symptoms had disappeared. The asymptomatic second stage (T + 8–48 hrs) included a second peak of oxidase activity at T + 24 hrs with an elevated but declining lactate and opsonin receptor expression. This coincided with a second high peak of soluble fibrin monomer, sustained elevated concentrations of soluble thrombomodulin and plasma soluble tissue factor antigen, a decrease in factor VIIa concentration to 50% of baseline at T + 12–24 hrs, and an increase in C-reactive protein/C3d and C4d complexes, which peaked at T + 24 hrs. ConclusionsThe results suggest that the human response to endotoxin consists of a previously well-characterized, symptomatic, first stage acute inflammatory response followed by an asymptomatic second stage that is marked by a second peak of oxidase activity, a continued increase and sustained elevation of markers of hemostatic and complement system activation, and endothelial cell injury. We conclude that this second stage represents a recovery or reperfusion phase of a compensated response to endotoxin in which contact of the microvasculature perturbed during the first stage is reestablished with blood in a second asymptomatic stage.
Emergence of multilingual representations by independent component analysis using parallel corpora

This paper reports the first results on extracting a meaningful representation for words from multilingual parallel corpora. Independent component analysis is used to extract a number of components from statistics calculated for words in contexts. Individual components are meaningful and multilingual and words are represented as a bag of concepts model. The component space created by the extracted components is also multilingual. Words that are related in different languages appear close to each other in the component space, which makes it possible to find translations for words between languages.
A framework for WSN-based opportunistic networks

How to shorten time delay and enhance delivery ratio is still an open problem in the study of opportunistic networks. Most proposals are trying to deal with this issue by introducing infrastructures. Although related research has been proven to be useful in improving the routing performance of the network, there is still room for further improvement. In this article, inspired by the powerful message synchronization capability of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), we propose a new opportunistic network framework called WON that introduces WSNs into opportunistic network. With the support of WSNs, fast message delivery and high success ratio can be achieved. We specifically present the layered architecture of WON and compare WON to existing architectures in opportunistic networking. The simulation results concerning delivery delay and success ratio are highly encouraging. Finally, open issues are outlined.
Examination on the State of Health Regarding a Protected Sessile Oak Stock

It can be observed in more and more fields of science that the results of other disciplines are utilised in order to achieve new results; it is true for nature conservation as well. Global climate change is to be considered as one of the most thoroughly studied topic; scientists pay special attention to the responses given by species and communities to climate change. In case of field examinations the accuracy of samplings and measurements is of key importance. Often solely estimated data is available which deteriorates the accuracy of the assessment. The health status of forests is usually determined by visual observations that imply errors due to human subjectivity. In this examination we surveyed the health status of a protected sessile oak stock within the Botanical Garden of Szent Istvan University in Godollő by using not only conventional methods but also instrumental measurements. We have used FAKOPP 3D Acoustic Tomograph. It is an instrument developed in Hungary that is able to determine – in percentage – the extent of deterioration in tree trunks. The method of measurement is the following: this instrument measures the speed of sound propagation in the tree matter, since rotten and healthy tissues conduct sound differently. Prior to the examination we surmised that a predominantly healthy stock would be examined. Nevertheless, instrumental measurements proved that the trees of this stock are considerably decayed; therefore constant instrumental monitoring is required. We found that the extent of decomposition was the most significant in the lowest measurement level (i.e. 40 cm – Layer 1) and it steadily decreased in the higher regions.
Ascent and eruption of a lunar high‐titanium magma as inferred from the petrology of the 74001/2 drill core

Abstract— An analysis of the orange glasses and crystallized beads from the 68 cm deep 74001/2 core has been conducted to understand the processes occurring during ascent and eruption of the Apollo 17 orange glass magma. Equilibrium between melt and metal blebs (Fe85Ni14Co1) within the core, along with Cr contents in olivine phenocrysts, suggest there was an oxidation of C and a reduction of the melt at an O fugacity of IW‐1.3 and 1320 °C to form CO gas at 200 bars or ∼4 km depth. This was followed by development of more oxidized conditions during ascent. Also during ascent, there was formation of euhedral, homogeneous Fo81 olivine crystals and spinel crystals with higher Al and Mg contents than the smaller spinels in the crystallized beads. Both the metal blebs and Al‐rich spinels were trapped inside the Fo81 olivine phenocrysts as they grew prior to eruption. The composition of the orange glasses are homogeneous throughout the core, except for a few distinct glasses at the top that appear to have been mixed in by micrometeorite reworking. A few glassy melt inclusions of orange glass composition trapped in the Fo81 phenocrysts contain 600 ± 100 ppm S and ∼50 ppm Cl compared to the 200 ppm S and 50 ppm Cl in the orange glass melt when quenched. These inclusions therefore document the addition of 400 ppm S to the CO‐rich volcanic gas during the eruption.
Selection experiments: an under-utilized tool in biomechanics and organismal biology

Questions in ‘evolutionary biomechanics’ range along a continuum that is bounded by the purely evolutionary (e.g. How have morphological features changed over time? ) and the purely mechanistic (e.g. How do organisms work? ). In between are questions that call for rigorous analyses and deep understanding of both evolution and mechanism. For example, does efficiency tend to increase within a lineage over evolutionary time (Lauder, 1991a)? Related to this question, many biologists wish to know how well adapted are the functions of organisms. Are functional abilities very well suited to the ecological conditions in which organisms live and to support the normal behaviours that they exhibit? Are organisms generally close to optimal? Or are they merely adequate and certainly far from perfect most of the time (Gans, 1993; Garland, 1998; Garland and Huey, 1987; Ward, 1992)? Some workers hold that ‘evolution by natural selection is a process of optimization’ (Alexander, 1996, p. 2). George Bartholomew (1987, p. 14), on the other hand, argues that ‘Natural selection increases fitness but it produces systems that function no better than they must. It yields adequacy of adaptation rather than perfection’. Or, to quote Lewontin (1987, p. 158): ‘The most that can be said for organisms is that they make the best of a bad situation. But do they even do that? ’ The latter view is also held by Carl Gans (Gans, 1983, pp. 101–102; see also Gans, 1991), who wrote: ‘In spite of occasional statements to the contrary, there can be little argument that natural selection is unlikely to be a mechanism for generating perfection in individual animals. that the structure of an animal allows [it] to perform particular actions, highly advantageous under a particular set of circumstances, does not require perfect matching, but only adequacy’. 3
WLCp2-10: Configurable Acknowledgment Delay (CAD) Mechanism for Asymmetric Space-Internet Links

The default acknowledgment (ACK) strategy of TCP easily overruns the constrained ACK channel capacity of the asymmetric network links. There is no effective ACK mechanism to address the asymmetric channel problem for space-Internet. A configurable ACK delay (CAD) mechanism has been developed to delay the ACKs for a configurable period of time to improve the TCP throughput performance over asymmetric space-Internet links. This paper introduces the CAD mechanism and presents a performance evaluation of it in an experimental manner. The experimental results show that the CAD mechanism has significant performance advantages in asymmetric space links with a channel ratio higher than 50/1. The higher the asymmetric channel ratio is, the more advantageous the CAD is over the default ACK strategy.