Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of badgers in the epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis infection (tuberculosis) in cattle in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: current perspectives on control strategies

Bovine tuberculosis (TB), caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis, is a persistent problem in cattle herds in Ireland and the United Kingdom, resulting in hardship for affected farmers and substantial ongoing national exchequer expenditure. There is irrefutable scientific evidence that badgers are a reservoir of M. bovis infection and are implicated in the transmission of infection to cattle. A range of options for the control of TB in badgers is currently available or under development including culling of badgers, vaccination of badgers and cattle, and improved biosecurity to limit contact between the two species. It is unlikely that the eradication of TB from cattle will be achieved without the reservoir of M. bovis infection in badgers being controlled. The chances of success will, however, improve with greater knowledge of the disease in both species and an understanding of the epidemiological drivers of the transmission of infection between badgers and cattle.
An in vivo ratio control mechanism for phospholipid homeostasis: evidence from lipidomic studies

While it is widely accepted that the lipid composition of eukaryotic membranes is under homeostatic control, the mechanisms through which cells sense lipid composition are still the subject of debate. It has been postulated that membrane curvature elastic energy is the membrane property that is regulated by cells, and that lipid composition is maintained by a ratio control function derived from the concentrations of type II and type 0 lipids, weighted appropriately. We assess this proposal by seeking a signature of ratio control in quantified lipid composition data obtained by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry from over 40 independent asynchronous cell populations. Our approach revealed the existence of a universal ‘pivot’ lipid, which marks the boundary between type 0 lipids and type II lipids, and which is invariant between different cell types or cells grown under different conditions. The presence of such a pivot species is a distinctive signature of the operation in vivo, in human cell lines, of a control function that is consistent with the hypothesis that membrane elastic energy is homeostatically controlled.
Characterization of the Digestive-Tract Microbiota of Hirudo orientalis, a European Medicinal Leech

ABSTRACT FDA-approved, postoperative use of leeches can lead to bacterial infections. In this study, we used culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches to characterize the digestive-tract microbiota of Hirudo orientalis. Surprisingly, two Aeromonas species, A. veronii and A. jandaei, were cultured. Uncultured Rikenella-like bacteria were most similar to isolates from Hirudo verbana.
Tourists' Images of a Destination-An Alternative Analysis

Tourism research has traditionally tackled the question of destination choice by asking visitors to rank attributes identified by the analyst and to indicate the degree to which they measure up to prior expectations. The current presentation offers an alternative qualitative methodology to the gauging of satisfaction, motivation and experience by focusing on tourists and examining the linguistic content of their mental images. The case study is that of Barbados and winter visitors to that Caribbean island. In supplying details of their own projected images and responses to pictorial stimuli in both pre and on-trip situations, they provide a framework for analysis at three levels. While cognitive appraisal of the destination is explored by means of mental comparison, the affective dimension reveals a vocabulary of motive. Finally, there is a cognitive component of imagery in which tourists project themselves into an imagined scenario as if they had already experienced it. These various layers of subjective.
Anatomical Variations of Celiac Trunk Anatomy and their Clinical Importance

Purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate the spectrum and prevalence of celiac axis (CA) variations and its branches. To study accurately the celiac trunk (CT) morphometry: its diameter, length, distance from superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and it’s topography, as well as the diameter of SMA. Evaluation of the importance of these findings in patients’ (pts) management. Methods and Materials: This prospective-single-center-study included: 133 consecutive pts referred to our clinic for abdominal-CTscans over a 9-month period. They underwent MDCT and MDCT angiography with 120 ml i/v contrast medium at an injection speed of 3.5 and 4ml/s, with 3D-reconstructions. Results: In our series, we identified normal trifurcation of CT (type-1-Michels) – 84 pts(64%); type-2-Michels-3%; type -3-Mischel-1.3%;type 5-Mischel-1%;type6-Mischel-2%,the other anatomical variations of the celiac trunk no included in Michel’s classification where found in 39 of patients (29% of cases). Regarding topography, CT origin was found opposite T12-L1 junction (37%), opposite T12 (31.9%) or L1 vertebra (31.1%). The length range of CT was: 1.17 to 4,5cm, its diameter: 0.4 to 1.13cm; its distance from SMA: 0.4 to 2.15cm; while the diameter ranges of SMA: 0.51 to 1.05cm. Conclusion: Our findings were similar to a certain range to previous studies. Recognition of CA variants requires a detailed description, and as previously noted a hypothetical anatomic model for summarizing the observed CA anatomical variations is needed. Recognition in detail of variations of CA anatomy and its morphometry is important in the accurate interpretation of disease, in diagnostic imaging, while it is indispensable in preventing complications during surgery/interventional radiology procedure.
Expression of the ATM gene is significantly reduced in sporadic breast carcinomas

The gene mutated in ataxia telangiectasia (A‐T) patients (ATM) is located on chromosome 11q22–23, a region frequently altered in mammary tumors. Patients homozygous for ATM mutations are prone to develop a variety of different neoplasms. Female heterozygotes have been reported to carry a 5‐ to 8‐fold increased risk of breast cancer. However, germline mutations in the ATM gene are rare in women with sporadic breast carcinomas. Most of the alterations described in A‐T patients result in a functionally inactive ATM protein. Moreover, it has been suggested that mutations of the ATM gene in A‐T patients influence the amount of ATM mRNA and that this may affect the severity of the disease. In the present study, we have analyzed ATM transcripts in a series of 39 breast carcinomas, 14 benign breast lesions and 12 normal breast tissue samples. ATM mRNA levels were determined by semiquantitative competitive RT‐PCR. Competitor RNA molecules for the ATM gene and the housekeeping gene β‐2‐microglobulin (B2M) were generated by PCR mutagenesis. Low concentrations of ATM transcripts were detected in breast carcinomas, intermediate levels in benign lesions and highest levels in normal breast tissue specimens (F‐test, p = 0.0013). Our results indicate that reduced expression of the ATM gene may contribute to the development and/or malignant progression of breast carcinomas. Int. J. Cancer 78:306–309, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Robust Algorithm for Ratio Estimation in Two-color Microarray Experiments

The reliability of the algorithms for ratio estimation in two-color microarray image analysis is very important, as these ratios build up the primary source of information for the subsequent analytical procedures (normalization, clustering, classification, etc). Although various algorithms already exist, there is still a need to develop procedures having higher levels of accuracy and robustness. We present a statistical procedure for the detection and removal of aberrant pixels in two-color microarray images. It is based on a linear regression approach, assuming reasonably high level of correlation between the two color channels. This procedure ensures more robust ratio estimation for the spots in both linear regression and traditional segmentation algorithms. The developed algorithms have been evaluated using simulated artificial images and experimental images of different designs. A demonstration version of the software can be downloaded from http://bioinfo.curie. fr/projects/maia/.
Correlations Between Live and Stillbirth Outcomes in Twin Pairs

ABSTRACT A relationship has been proposed to exist between individual outcomes (live or stillbirth) of twins in the same set. Here, we analyze this association between live births and stillbirths among individuals in different twin pairs. When national birth registers are analyzed, individuals in opposite-sex twin sets can be identified and the correlation between individual outcomes estimated. However, full information about the individuals in same-sex twin sets is not, as a rule, available, and consequently, correlation coefficients cannot be estimated, but upper and lower limits of the correlation coefficients can be obtained. The methods introduced here were applied to data from Sweden (1869–1967), the Åland Islands (Finland) (1750–1949), the Kingdom of Saxony (1881–1900), and England and Wales (1940–2003). Comparisons between the correlation coefficients among opposite-sex twins and the lower bound (minimum) of correlation coefficients among same-sex twins indicate that in all populations studied a stronger association exists between twins in same-sex rather than opposite-sex twin sets or pairs. For opposite-sex twin sets no general association between the correlation coefficient and the stillbirth rate was identified.
Acute coronary syndrome - a frequent clinical manifestation of bare metal in-stent restenosis.

BACKGROUND In-stent restenosis (ISR) complicates 20-30% of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with bare metal stent (BMS) implantation. Although the widespread use of drug eluting stents (DES) across Europe caused a considerable reduction of BMS implantations, their number is still lower than the number of BMS implantations in several countries. AIM The clinical presentation of ISR has not been well characterissed. Thus, we attempted to analyze this condition and assess the treatment of ISR in everyday clinical practice. METHODS We searched our database for all cases of bare metal ISR between 1999 and 2007. Follow-up angiography after PCI was not a routine procedure but a clinically driven examination. Clinical presentations of ISR were divided into: stable angina, and acute coronary syndromes (ACS), i.e. unstable angina (UA) and myocardial infarction (MI) (further subdivided into NSTEMI and STEMI). Analysis included variables associated with different clinical manifestations, methods of ISR treatment and in-hospital complications of ISR. RESULTS In-stent restenosis was identified in 432 (3%) of 15,910 patients who underwent PCI. The mean age was 61.6 + or - 15.6 (27-86) years, and 295 (68.3%) patients were men. Risk factor distribution was typical for a Caucasian population. Recurrent clinical episode occurred at a mean of 7 (1-108) months after PCI. Exertional angina was present in 245 (56.7%) patients, UA in 128 (29.6%) patients and MI in 59 (13.7%) patients, including STEMI in 28 (6.5%) and NSTEMI in 31 (7.2%) patients. Overall, ACS was diagnosed in 187 patients or 43.3% of all cases of ISR. Multivariate analysis showed a positive correlation between previous MI and younger age and ACS as the clinical manifestation of ISR, and a negative correlation between more severe restenosis and ACS manifestation. The incidence of clinical complications (MI or death) was higher in patients with ACS as the clinical manifestation of ISR (6.9% vs 1.6%). CONCLUSIONS In-stent restenosis after BMS implantation is a serious clinical problem. More than 40% of patients with ISR present with ACS, including 13.7% patients with MI, more frequently among younger patients and patients with previous MI. Most patients with ISR are treated with repeated PCI with high success rate (97.7%), although the risk of clinical complications is considerably higher in patients presenting with ACS.
‘May Piece Be with You’: A Typological Examination of the Fear and Victimization Hypothesis of Adolescent Weapon Carrying

The causes and correlates of adolescent weapon carrying have received considerable scholarly attention. One common explanation of adolescent weapon carrying, the “fear and victimization hypothesis,” identifies the fear of victimization as a motivating force behind this behavior. Empirical studies of this explanation, however, have produced mixed results. One potential source of this ambiguity is the myriad data and measurement issues that have arisen in prior studies of the topic. The current study addresses many of these limitations through the use of panel data from over 1,100 youth across the United States. Through a typological approach, results support a multiple pathways framework for explaining adolescent weapon carrying, as the perceived risk of victimization is positively associated with weapon carrying for those youth who report both victimization and offending experiences. For those youth who are “pure offenders,” fear of victimization is inversely related to weapon carrying, while the perceived risk of victimization is unrelated to carrying weapons. Consistent with prior literature, results indicate that gang members report a disproportionately high level of weapon carrying.
Prédiction structurée pour l’analyse syntaxique en constituants par transitions : modèles denses et modèles creux [Structured Prediction for Transition-based Constituent Parsing: Dense and Sparse Models]

L’article presente une methode d’analyse syntaxique en constituants par transitions qui se fonde sur une methode de ponderation des analyses par apprentissage profond. Celle-ci est comparee a une methode de ponderation par perceptron structure, vue comme plus classique. Nous introduisons tout d’abord un analyseur syntaxique pondere par un reseau de neurones local et glouton qui s’appuie sur des plongements. Ensuite nous presentons son extension vers un modele global et a recherche par faisceau. La comparaison avec un modele d’analyse de la famille perceptron global et en faisceau permet de mettre en evidence les proprietes etonnamment bonnes du modele neuronal a recherche gloutonne.
A literature review of cognitive biases in negotiation processes

Purpose – What is the discipline's current grasp of cognitive biases in negotiation processes? What lessons can be drawn from this body of literature? The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the limited research on cognitive biases in the context of negotiations. Design/methodology/approach – This article reviews research from judgment and decision-making, conflict management, psychology, and management literatures to systematize what we already know about cognitive biases in negotiations. Findings – Decision-making studies have mainly identified 21 biases that may lead to lower quality decisions. Only five of those biases have been studied relating to negotiations: the anchoring, the overconfidence, the framing, the status quo and the self-serving bias. Moreover, negotiation literature has identified five additional biases that affect negotiation processes: the fixed-pie error, the incompatibility error, the intergroup bias, the relationship bias and the toughness bias. Biased behavior differs.
Activated STING in a vascular and pulmonary syndrome.

BACKGROUND The study of autoinflammatory diseases has uncovered mechanisms underlying cytokine dysregulation and inflammation. METHODS We analyzed the DNA of an index patient with early-onset systemic inflammation, cutaneous vasculopathy, and pulmonary inflammation. We sequenced a candidate gene, TMEM173, encoding the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), in this patient and in five unrelated children with similar clinical phenotypes. Four children were evaluated clinically and immunologically. With the STING ligand cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), we stimulated peripheral-blood mononuclear cells and fibroblasts from patients and controls, as well as commercially obtained endothelial cells, and then assayed transcription of IFNB1, the gene encoding interferon-β, in the stimulated cells. We analyzed IFNB1 reporter levels in HEK293T cells cotransfected with mutant or nonmutant STING constructs. Mutant STING leads to increased phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), so we tested the effect of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors on STAT1 phosphorylation in lymphocytes from the affected children and controls. RESULTS We identified three mutations in exon 5 of TMEM173 in the six patients. Elevated transcription of IFNB1 and other gene targets of STING in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells from the patients indicated constitutive activation of the pathway that cannot be further up-regulated with stimulation. On stimulation with cGAMP, fibroblasts from the patients showed increased transcription of IFNB1 but not of the genes encoding interleukin-1 (IL1), interleukin-6 (IL6), or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). HEK293T cells transfected with mutant constructs show elevated IFNB1 reporter levels. STING is expressed in endothelial cells, and exposure of these cells to cGAMP resulted in endothelial activation and apoptosis. Constitutive up-regulation of phosphorylated STAT1 in patients' lymphocytes was reduced by JAK inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is an autoinflammatory disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in TMEM173. (Funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00059748.).
Political Influences in Changes to Setting Australian Accounting Standards

Abstract The process of establishing regulatory arrangements for setting accounting standards in most Western countries has frequently exposed conflict between private-sector bodies, professional accounting organisations, and government bodies, each attempting to dominate the process in order to gain favoured outcomes. Recent changes by the Australian Federal Government in the structure of setting accounting standards show a substantial shift in power from the two professional accounting bodies (ICAA and ASCPA) to the government. The groups who believe they will gain more influence in the new structure have supported the changes and there has been little opposition from groups losing power for fear of ending up with even less. The initial proposal to adopt IASC accounting standards was effectively discarded in the reforming legislation, showing the government’s sensitivity to corporate reactions and reluctance to relinquish power to an international body. Although some activities in the period preceding the change can be categorised within the corporatism and inter-organisational domain conflict models of regulatory processes, the actions of the government in initiating change do not fit with the role of dispassionate arbiter in neo-corporatism and the muted reaction of the professional accounting bodies is inconsistent with predictions of domain defence.
Soft artificial skin with multi-modal sensing capability using embedded liquid conductors

We describe the design, fabrication and calibration of a highly compliant mechanism to be used as an artificial skin sensor. The artificial skin sensor consists of multilayered mircochannels filled with a conductive liquid capable of detecting multi-axis strains and contact pressure. A novel manufacturing method composed of layered molding and casting processes was proposed to fabricate a multilayered soft sensor circuit. Silicone rubber layers with channel patterns, cast with 3D printed molds, were bonded to create embedded microchannels, and a conductive liquid was injected into the microchannels. The channel dimensions are 200µm × 200µm for strain sensing and 500µm (width) × 200µm (height) for pressure sensing. The size of the sensor is 25mm × 25mm, and the thickness is approximately 3.5mm. The prototype was tested with a materials tester and showed linearity in strain sensing and nonlinearity in pressure sensing. The sensor signal was repeatable in both cases.
Advanced systemic mastocytosis: the impact of KIT mutations in diagnosis, treatment, and progression

Apart from indolent systemic mastocytosis (SM), which is associated with a favorable prognosis, other subtypes of SM (SM with associated clonal hematologic non–mast cell lineage disease, aggressive SM, and mast cell leukemia – collectively referred to in this review as advanced SM) can be debilitating. The complexity of SM makes both the diagnosis and design of response criteria challenging for clinical studies. The tyrosine kinase KIT has been shown to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of SM and has been a focal point in the development of targeted therapy. Mutations within various domains of the KIT receptor that lead to constitutive activation have been identified in patients, and those involving the activation loop of the KIT receptor are the mutations most frequently detected in patients with mastocytosis. Aberrant activation of the KIT receptor results in increased production of mast cells in extracutaneous organs that may lead to organ failure or early death. This review discusses the diagnosis and management of patients with advanced SM, including the relevance of KIT in this disease, potential therapies targeting this kinase, and criteria for measuring responses to these therapies.
Grammaticalisation in social context: The emergence of a new English pronoun

The paper documents the early stages of grammaticalisation of a new first person singular pronoun, man, used in multi-ethnic adolescent peer groups in inner cities of the U.K. I argue that the pronoun derives from a plural noun man, which is used in the peer groups to refer to a group of individuals whose precise composition is defined by the linguistic or situational context. The recruitment of man as a pronoun is encouraged by the frequent use of its homonym as a pragmatic marker and address form in the peer groups, and by the locally salient connotations of some uses of the singular noun man. The functions of the plural noun and the pragmatic marker are reflected in the two main rhetorical functions of the new pronoun: adolescent speakers use the man pronoun to position themselves as members of a contextually defined group and thereby provide authority for their opinions or mitigate a potentially face-threatening act, and they also use it to solicit empathy from their interlocutor or construct solidarity. I suggest that a compositional model of the semantics of pronouns can account for the emergence of the new pronoun.
A Mechanism for Neurodegeneration Induced by Group B Streptococci through Activation of the TLR2/MyD88 Pathway in Microglia1

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of bacterial meningitis and neurological morbidity in newborn infants. The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which this common organism causes CNS injury are unknown. We show that both heat-inactivated whole GBS and a secreted proteinaceous factor from GBS (GBS-F) induce neuronal apoptosis via the activation of murine microglia through a TLR2-dependent and MyD88-dependent pathway in vitro. Microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, but not neurons, express TLR2. GBS as well as GBS-F induce the synthesis of NO in microglia derived from wild-type but not TLR2−/− or MyD88−/− mice. Neuronal death in neuronal cultures complemented with wild-type microglia is NO-dependent. We show for the first time a TLR-mediated mechanism of neuronal injury induced by a clinically relevant bacterium. This study demonstrates a causal molecular relationship between infection with GBS, activation of the innate immune system in the CNS through TLR2, and neurodegeneration. We suggest that this process contributes substantially to the serious morbidity associated with neonatal GBS meningitis and may provide a potential therapeutic target.