Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CD69 Signaling in Eosinophils Induces IL-10 Production and Apoptosis via the Erk1/2 and JNK Pathways, Respectively

Introduction: Eosinophils contribute to the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. We previously reported that human tissue eosinophils have high CD69 expression compared to blood eosinophils, and its expression is correlated with disease severity and the number of infiltrated eosinophils. However, biological CD69 signaling activity in eosinophils remains unclear. Methods: CD69 expression on lung tissue eosinophils obtained from mice with ovalbumin-induced asthma was measured using flow cytometry. CD69 crosslinking was performed on eosinophils purified from the spleen of IL-5 transgenic mice to investigate CD69 signaling and its function in eosinophils. Then, qPCR, Western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and survival assay results were analyzed. Results: Surface CD69 expression on lung tissue eosinophils in the asthma mice model was 2.91% ± 0.76%, whereas no expression was detected in the healthy group. CD69-expressed eosinophils intrinsically have an upregulation of IL-10 mRNA expression. Moreover, CD69 crosslinking induced further pronounced IL-10 production and apoptosis; these responses were mediated via the Erk1/2 and JNK pathways, respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggested that CD69+ eosinophils play an immunoregulator role in type 2 inflammation, whereas activated tissue eosinophils contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma.
Real time design and animation of fractal plants and trees

The goal of science is to understand why things are the way they are. By emulating the logic of nature, computer simulation programs capture the essence of natural objects, thereby serving as a tool of science. When these programs express this essence visually, they serve as an instrument of art as well.This paper presents a fractal computer model of branching objects. This program generates pictures of simple orderly plants, complex gnarled trees, leaves, vein systems, as well as inorganic structures such as river deltas, snow flakes, etc. The geometry and topology of the model are controlled by numerical parameters which are analogous to the organism's DNA. By manipulating the genetic parameters, one can modify the geometry of the object in real time, using tree based graphics hardware. The random effects of the environment are taken into account, to produce greater diversity and realism. Increasing the number of significant parameters yields more complex and evolved species.The program provides a study in the structure of branching objects that is both scientific and artistic. The results suggest that organisms and computers deal with complexity in similar ways.
Cytotoxic and Antiproliferative Activity of LASSBio-2208 and the Attempts to Determine Its Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics In Vitro Profile

Inappropriate expression of histone deacetylase (HDAC-6) and deregulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling pathway are common aberrations observed in cancers. LASSBio-2208, has been previously described as a dual inhibitor in the nanomolar range of HDAC-6 and PI3Kα and is three times more potent in inhibiting HDAC-6. In this paper we described the cytotoxic and antiproliferative potency of LASSBio-2208 on different tumour cell lines, its possible synergism effect in association with PI3K and HDAC-6 inhibitors, and its drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) in vitro profile. Our studies have demonstrated that LASSBio-2208 has moderate cytotoxic potency on breast cancer cell line MCF-7 (IC50 = 23 µM), human leukaemia cell line CCRF-CEM (IC50 = 8.54 µM) and T lymphoblast cell line MOLT-4 (IC50 = 7.15 µM), with no cytotoxic effect on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC). In addition, it has a good antiproliferative effect on MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 5.44 µM), low absorption by parallel artificial membrane permeability—gastrointestinal tract (PAMPA—GIT) and low permeation by parallel artificial membrane permeability—blood–brain barrier (BBB) (PAMPA—BBB), exhibiting high metabolic stability in rat plasma. Moreover, LASSBio-2208 exhibited synergism when combined with getadolisib and tubastatin A, using the concentrations corresponding to their CC50 values on MOLT-4 and CCRF-CEM cells.
Traffic sign detection for U.S. roads: Remaining challenges and a case for tracking

Traffic sign detection is crucial in intelligent vehicles, no matter if one's objective is to develop Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or autonomous cars. Recent advances in traffic sign detection, especially the great effort put into the competition German Traffic Sign Detection Benchmark, have given rise to very reliable detection systems when tested on European signs. The U.S., however, has a rather different approach to traffic sign design. This paper evaluates whether a current state-of-the-art traffic sign detector is useful for American signs. We find that for colorful, distinctively shaped signs, Integral Channel Features work well, but it fails on the large superclass of speed limit signs and similar designs. We also introduce an extension to the largest public dataset of American signs, the LISA Traffic Sign Dataset, and present an evaluation of tracking in the context of sign detection. We show that tracking essentially suppresses all false positives in our test set, and argue that in order to be useful for higher level analysis, any traffic sign detection system should contain tracking.
Top of worlds: estimating time complexity of calculating rank order in multi-dimensional hierarchical sets

The increasing number of mobile devices, such as smartphones, has brought attention to participatory sensing in which real-world data are collected via personal devices. To collect data via participatory sensing, it is important to motivate participants. Thus, we previously proposed Top of Worlds, a method for encouraging user participation by presenting their rank order. In this paper, we estimate its time complexity in order to understand how often we can present a rank order in planning phase of services.
A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Related to the Effects of Melatonin on Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Parameters of Obese Women

Abstract Obesity, the global epidemic health problem, results in chronic disorders. Melatonin supplementation may prevent the adverse health consequences of obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of melatonin supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters in obese women. In randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 44 obese women were randomly assigned to melatonin (n=22) and placebo (n=22) groups. Subjects were supplemented with a daily dose of 6 mg melatonin or placebo with low calorie diet for 40 days. Serum TNF-α, IL-6, hsCRP, TAC, and MDA levels were assessed before and after intervention. In the melatonin group, mean serum TNF-α, IL-6, hsCRP, and MDA levels decreased significantly (p<0.05) from 3.52±0.72 pg/ml, 27.12±6.32 pg/ml, 2.54±0.49 mg/l, and 3.81±0.29 nmol/l to 1.73±0.07, 16.34±6.32, 1.67±0.27, and 2.79±0.29, respectively. Whilst in the placebo group the decrease in values were not statistically significant. Mean TAC level increased slightly (from 1.11±0.30 to 1.14±0.45 mmol/l) in the melatonin group whereas it decreased slightly (from 1.13±0.15 to 1.08±0.21 nmol/l) in the placebo group. Significant differences were observed only for TNF-α (p=0.02) and IL-6 (p=0.03) between the 2 study groups. Considering the improvements in inflammatory and oxidative stress factors in obese women, it seems that melatonin supplementation may provide beneficial effects in obesity treatment by ameliorating some of its complications. However, further studies are needed to make concise conclusions.
Phosphatidlyinositol-3-kinase C2 beta (PI3KC2β) is a potential new target to treat IgE mediated disease

Cross linking of the IgE receptor (FcεRI) on mast cells plays a critical role in IgE-dependent allergy including allergic rhinitis, asthma, anaphylaxis, and delayed type hypersensitivity reactions. The Ca2+ activated K+ channel, KCa3.1, plays a critical role in IgE-stimulated Ca2+ entry and degranulation in mast cells by helping to maintain a negative membrane potential, which provides an electrochemical gradient to drive Ca2+ influx. Of the 3 classes of PI3K, the class II PI3Ks are the least studied and little is known about the roles for class II PI3Ks in vivo in the context of the whole organism under normal and pathological conditions. Studying bone marrow derived mast cells (BMMC) isolated from PI3KC2β-/- mice, we now show that the class II PI3KC2β is critical for FcεRI stimulated KCa3.1 channel activation and the subsequent activation of mast cells. We found FcεRI-stimulated Ca2+ entry, cytokine production, and degranulation are decreased in BMMC isolated from PI3KC2β-/- mice. In addition, PI3KC2β-/- mice are markedly resistant to both passive cutaneous and passive systemic anaphylaxis. These findings identify PI3KC2β as a new pharmacologic target to treat IgE-mediated disease.
Facilitating communication in software development

ABSTRACT Effective communication is critical to the success of a softwaredevelopment project. It factors into the productivity of individualsand organizations, and has particular impact when change occurs.Yet communication is generally left unsupported by the softwaredevelopment process and by the communication infrastructure. Weaddress this issue in the context of two software developmentprojects at N YNEX through a conceptual framework called DesignIntent. There are three innovations in our approach. Design Intentencourages stakeholders to engage in active listening, enablesstakeholders to collaboratively construct a consistent understand-ing of the development effort, and provides a communicationinfrastructure for stakeholders to share ideas and participate in dis-cussions. INTRODUCTION Effective communication among the stakeholders of a softwaredevelopment project is crucial to its success. The importance ofthis communication has been well documented by Curtis, Krasner,and Iscoe [8], who noted frequent, recurring problems related tothe lack of adequate communication among those involved in thedevelopment effort. In order to improve the communication amongmembers of a software development team, an effective process andthe infrastructure to support it must be provided.As designers, we have a new role of “designing experiences” orways for people within our corporation to appreciate new ideas.This role is “designing the boundary objects that facilitate commu-nication and the interpretative moves [leaping] of overlappingcommunities of practice”[18]. We need to build not only “proto-types of need or use” and “prototype systems” [2] — but also theinfrastructures that support relationships, work practices, andsocial intercourse in communities of learners and knowledgeworkers.We feel that three main activities are essential for producing goodsoftware systems:1. Active listening andinterpretive leaping: understanding theproblem and how to solve it in a signiﬁcant way — offering amodel of transcendence.2. Designing boundary objects that help peopleexperiencethepower and possibilities of new ideas.3. Facilitating the communication of ideas and innovations bybuilding the infrastructures.We refer to them as the three dimensions of Design Intent. We willdiscuss our experiences along these dimensions using two projectsat
A Decentralized Services Choreography Approach for Business Collaboration

In E-service environment, enterprises need to collaborate to achieve a common business goal in loose-coupling manner. Therefore, it is of great necessity to develop a service interoperation technique that is capable of handling the collaboration among distributed business processes. The Web services architecture defines separate specifications for the choreography and orchestration of Web services. This paper proposes a service choreography solution for business collaboration across organizations boundaries while preserving the local autonomy of their own business processes. A centralized service choreography process is built for specification of the global business process, and then it is transformed to decentralized choreography processes amongst the participants for peer-to-peer interaction. For each participant, a data dependency based process mediation model is developed to facilitate the adaptation between the local pre-established business process and its corresponding decentralized choreography process. This mediation means can ensure the privacy and autonomy of local business process and the adaptability of choreography process. A system architecture is implemented to support our solution in ONCE PI project.
The Influence of Psychosocial Stress, Gender, and Personality on Mechanical Loading of the Lumbar Spine

Study Design. The effects of psychosocial stress on muscle activity and spinal loading were evaluated in a laboratory setting. Objective. To evaluate the influence of psychosocial stress, gender, and personality traits on the functioning of the biomechanical system and subsequent spine loading. Summary of Background Data. Physical, psychosocial, and individual factors all have been identified as potential causal factors of low back disorders. How these factors interact to alter the loading of the spine has not been investigated. Methods. Twenty-five subjects performed sagittally symmetric lifts under stressful and nonstressful conditions. Trunk muscle activity, kinematics, and kinetics were used to evaluate three-dimensional spine loading using an electromyographic-assisted biomechanical model. A personality inventory characterized the subject’s personality traits. Anxiety inventories and blood pressure confirmed reactions to stress. Results. Psychosocial stress increased spine compression and lateral shear, but not in all subjects. Differences in muscle coactivation accounted for these stress reactions. Gender also influenced spine loading; Women’s anterior–posterior shear forces increased in response to stress, whereas men’s decreased. Certain personality traits were associated with increased spine loading compared with those with an opposing personality trait and explained loading differences between subjects. Conclusions. A potential pathway between psychosocial stress and spine loading has been identified that may explain how psychosocial stress increases risk of low back disorders. Psychosocially stressful environments solicited more of a coactivity response in people with certain personality traits, making them more susceptible to spine loading increases and suspected low back disorder risk.
The Delay-Friendliness of TCP for Real-Time Traffic

TCP has traditionally been considered inappropriate for real-time applications. Nonetheless, popular applications such as Skype use TCP since UDP packets cannot pass through restrictive network address translators (NATs) and firewalls. Motivated by this observation, we study the delay performance of TCP for real-time media flows. We develop an analytical performance model for the delay of TCP. We use extensive experiments to validate the model and to evaluate the impact of various TCP mechanisms on its delay performance. Based on our results, we derive the working region for VoIP and live video streaming applications and provide guidelines for delay-friendly TCP settings. Our research indicates that simple application-level schemes, such as packet splitting and parallel connections, can reduce the delay of real-time TCP flows by as much as 30% and 90%, respectively.
Pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy in pemphigus.

BACKGROUND Adjuvant therapy is commonly used in pemphigus to mitigate the high morbidity and mortality associated with the use of corticosteroids and improve disease control. However, these adjuvant agents are not without adverse effects of their own, including an increased risk of malignancy with the use of oral immunosuppressives. Intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide, which may be more efficacious and less toxic than oral immunosuppressives, has been used successfully in the treatment of pemphigus. OBJECTIVE To review 9 patients with severe or previously recalcitrant pemphigus who were treated with intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide therapy. RESULTS Six of the 9 patients responded to therapy, with 2 patients achieving remission from skin lesions. Five patients were able to decrease their daily dose of prednisone, and 1 was able to discontinue the use of prednisone completely. Most patients experienced minimal or no adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS Intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide may be an alternative treatment option in patients with pemphigus recalcitrant to standard therapy. The decreased cumulative dose of cyclophosphamide observed with monthly pulse doses may reduce the incidence of secondary malignancies when compared with continuous oral therapy. Controlled trials are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of this mode of therapy.
Acute effect of tetrandrine pulmonary targeting microspheres on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of tetrandrine (Tet) pulmonary targeting microspheres on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and evaluate its selective action on pulmonary circulation. METHODS Twenty rats were exposed to hypoxic conditions for 3 weeks. Ten rats were used as normoxic controls. We administered Tet pulmonary targeting microspheres to 10 hypoxic rats and Tet aqueous solution to 10 hypoxic rats and the 10 control rats. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was measured by a right cardiac catheterization, and mean systemic blood pressure (mSBP) was measured by left femoral catheterization. RESULTS Rats exposed to hypoxia developed pulmonary hypertension. The decrease in mPAP in rats treated with Tet pulmonary targeting microspheres was significantly greater than that in rats receiving Tet aqueous solution (P < 0.05), and the effects were longer with Tet pulmonary targeting microspheres. Moreover, Tet pulmonary targeting microspheres, unlike Tet aqueous solution, did not decrease mSBP. CONCLUSION Tet pulmonary targeting microspheres were more effective than Tet aqueous solution treating hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and acted selectively on the pulmonary circulation.
An Apple Detection and Localization Method for Automated Harvesting under Adverse Light Conditions

The use of automation technology in agriculture has become particularly important as global agriculture is challenged by labor shortages and efficiency gains. The automated process for harvesting apples, an important agricultural product, relies on efficient and accurate detection and localization technology to ensure the quality and quantity of production. Adverse lighting conditions can significantly reduce the accuracy of fruit detection and localization in automated apple harvesting. Based on deep-learning techniques, this study aims to develop an accurate fruit detection and localization method under adverse light conditions. This paper explores the LE-YOLO model for accurate and robust apple detection and localization. The traditional YOLOv5 network was enhanced by adding an image enhancement module and an attention mechanism. Additionally, the loss function was improved to enhance detection performance. Secondly, the enhanced network was integrated with a binocular camera to achieve precise apple localization even under adverse lighting conditions. This was accomplished by calculating the 3D coordinates of feature points using the binocular localization principle. Finally, detection and localization experiments were conducted on the established dataset of apples under adverse lighting conditions. The experimental results indicate that LE-YOLO achieves higher accuracy in detection and localization compared to other target detection models. This demonstrates that LE-YOLO is more competitive in apple detection and localization under adverse light conditions. Compared to traditional manual and general automated harvesting, our method enables automated work under various adverse light conditions, significantly improving harvesting efficiency, reducing labor costs, and providing a feasible solution for automation in the field of apple harvesting.
Notes on the Dynamic Bichromatic All-Nearest-Neighbors Problem

Given a set S of n points in the plane, each point having one of c colors, the bichromatic all-nearestneighbors problem is the task to find (in the set S) a closest point of different color for each of the n points in S. We consider a dynamic variant of this problem where the points are fixed but can change color. More precisely, we consider restricted problem instances, which allow us to improve over the time needed for solving the problem from scratch after each color change. In these variants we maintain, in O(n) time per color change, a data structure of size O(cn) or O(n), with which the closest neighbor of different color of any point in S can be found in time O(log n), and the restrictions allow us to bound the number of look ups that are necessary in each step.
Winning versus losing during gambling and its neural correlates

Humans often make decisions which maximize an internal utility function. For example, humans often maximize their expected reward when gambling and this is considered as a “rational” decision. However, humans tend to change their betting strategies depending on how they “feel”. If someone has experienced a losing streak, they may “feel” that they are more likely to win on the next hand even though the odds of the game have not changed. That is, their decisions are driven by their emotional state. In this paper, we investigate how the human brain responds to wins and losses during gambling. Using a combination of local field potential recordings in human subjects performing a financial decision-making task, spectral analyses, and non-parametric cluster statistics, we investigated whether neural responses in different cognitive and limbic brain areas differ between wins and losses after decisions are made. In eleven subjects, the neural activity modulated significantly between win and loss trials in one brain region: the anterior insula (p = 0.01). In particular, gamma activity (30-70 Hz) increased in the anterior insula when subjects just realized that they won. Modulation of metabolic activity in the anterior insula has been observed previously in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies during decision making and when emotions are elicited. However, our study is able to characterize temporal dynamics of electrical activity in this brain region at the millisecond resolution while decisions are made and after outcomes are revealed.