Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mast Cell Survival and Activation by IgE in the Absence of Antigen: A Consideration of the Biologic Mechanisms and Relevance1

Mast cells are not only major effector cells in allergy and host defense against parasites and bacteria but also important cellular components in other immune responses. Recent studies on the effects of monomeric IgE on mast cell survival and activation have made an impact on our view of the IgE binding to its high-affinity receptors, FcεRI. Traditionally, IgE binding to FcεRI has been considered as a passive action of “sensitization” before receptor aggregation by Ag. However, recent studies indicate that at high concentrations some monoclonal IgEs have effects on mast cells similar to or identical to those induced by IgE+Ag stimulation. These effects may be due to induction of FcεRI aggregation by these IgEs in the absence of Ag. This review will synthesize recent findings of the heterogeneity of IgEs in their ability to induce survival and activation events, their mechanisms, the potential in vivo significance of IgE-FcεRI interactions, and the implications of the mouse studies to human diseases.
Color vision tests for aviation: comparison of the anomaloscope and three lantern types.

INTRODUCTION A comparison of the results obtained with the Nagel anomaloscope and the Holmes-Wright Type A, Spectrolux, and Beyne aviation color vision lanterns was undertaken. The Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) specify pass/fail limits for these four secondary color vision tests and the Ishihara screening test. The results for individuals on all five tests were studied. METHODS The color vision of 55 color-vision deficient and 24 color-vision normal subjects, mostly applicant pilots, was assessed using a battery of tests, including the Ishihara plates, the Nagel anomaloscope, and three lanterns. The testing methods and characteristics of the lanterns and anomaloscope were compared. RESULTS Of the color-deficient applicants, only deuteranomalous trichromats passed more than one of the four secondary JAR tests, but a pass on one test did not reliably predict a pass on another test. Three out of nine protanomalous trichromats passed the Nagel anomaloscope but failed all three lantern tests. Of the normal trichromats, 12 failed the anomaloscope and 12 failed the Beyne lantern. DISCUSSION Variability in pass/fail results can be attributed to many factors apart from loss of chromatic sensitivity. Some normal trichromats can fail both the Ishihara screening and the secondary tests. The approved secondary test varies between countries and the outcome of regulatory assessment depends on the color vision test used. Since the flight safety consequences of the current situation cannot be ignored, the development of a less variable technique for color vision assessment that is accepted internationally, allied with a better understanding of color vision requirements, is needed.
The international workshop on meibomian gland dysfunction: executive summary.

DOI:10.1167/iovs.10-6997a Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Special Issue 2011, Vol. 52, No. 4 Copyright 2011 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc. 1922 ドライアイ疾患の原因としては、マイボーム腺機能不全 (MGD)がおそらく最も多い。 この疾患によって数百万人 もの健康と幸福が損なわれているにもかかわらず、MGD の定 義、分類、診断、治療について世界的なコンセンサスはない。 そうしたコンセンサスに達する目的で、非営利団体である Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society( TFOS; http://www. tearfilm.org)が International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction(国際マイボーム腺機能不全ワークショップ、 www.tearfilm.org/mgdworkshop/index.html)を起ち上げた。 こ のワークショップの目的は以下の通りである:
Dynamique des préférences et valeur morales: une contribution de la theorie des émotions à l'analyse économique

Our analysis is about the role of emotions and moral values in economical analysis. We use the theory of emotions of Livet (2002) in order to understand the behaviour of individuals alternatively in the Akerlof (1991)’s model of undue obedience and in a public good experiment. We argue that the emotional process permits us to reveal to ourselves our true preferences or values. We thus claim that recent economic analysis should take into account the role of emotion not only as a psychic cost or even a rational tool but also as a useful warning process.
Research on semantic relation acquisition and automatic synthesis based on Wikipedia

Semantic relation plays an important role in knowledge acquisition research. This paper proposes a method of semantic relation acquisition and automatic synthesis based on Wikipedia. First of all, we obtain the three kinds of basic semantic relations from Wikipedia and extend the semantic of concept aiming at the problem of semantic fuzziness in the semantic relation. Then, an automatic synthesis method of semantic relations is proposed based on semantic extension. From the experimental results, this method can effectively extend semantic relation knowledge base through the reasoning of semantic relations.
Data fusion—from a logic perspective with a view to implementation

The need to combine data from different sources has become increasingly important and is likely to be so in our increasingly networked world. There are many difficulties that must be overcome to ensure the efficient and, to the es=xtent possible, the automated integration of different data sources. Although different goals and constraints may apply to the problem, not infrequently data sources are combined to achieve data of better quality. The process is generall called 'data fusion', other terms may also be applied to the same problem, including 'data integration' and 'data conflation'. For example, the term fusion is used by the image community to embrace the problem of sensor fusion, or by the database community for parts of the interoperability ^roblem. The logic community uses it for knowledge fusion. This special issue, which takes up a set of papers presented at an international workshop in April 2001 in Quebec City, addresses the problem of data fusion from such a wide perspective, that is, including a range of tributary problems and a range of disciplines. The workshop was supported by both European 5th framework projects and several Canadian GEOIDE projects.
Alienation in Italian cities. Social network fragmentation from collective data

We study the structure of a social network of strong ties (trust network) investigating its property of connectedness versus fragmentation. To this purpose we analyse an extensive set of census data, about marrying or having children with immigrants, collected by Italian national statistical institute for all Italian municipalities from 2001 to 2011. Not using neither obtaining personal local information but only average ones, our method fully complies with privacy and confidentiality. Our findings show that large cities display the behaviour of highly fragmented trust networks where individuals face possible phenomena of alienation. Smaller cities and villages instead behave like fully connected social systems with a rich tie structure, where isolation is rare or completely absent. While confirming classical sociological theories on alienation in large urban areas our approach provides a quantitative method to test them and a predictive tool for policy makers.
GOOD JOURNALISM

Journalism as a genuinely public profession is facing serious economic, cultural, political and professional challenges. There is a growing need for journalism criticism that would help the profession of journalism to retain its relevance in late modern media societies. This article argues that such criticism must be sensitive to the experiences and viewpoints of people and organizations outside the traditional professional community of journalists. The paper presents results from a qualitative interview study aiming to articulate such criticism. The study formulates various evaluative dimensions for journalism criticism, underlines some concrete problems of journalism as production of public discussion, and outlines the changing styles and vocabularies used to articulate journalism's social responsibilities. These empirical results are interpreted in a framework provided by two major contributions to social theory, Pierre Bourdieu's “field theory” and Jürgen Habermas’ theory of communicative action.
Trypanothione-dependent Synthesis of Deoxyribonucleotides by Trypanosoma brucei Ribonucleotide Reductase*

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, synthesizes deoxyribonucleotides via a classical eukaryotic class I ribonucleotide reductase. The unique thiol metabolism of trypanosomatids in which the nearly ubiquitous glutathione reductase is replaced by a trypanothione reductase prompted us to study the nature of thiols providing reducing equivalents for the parasite synthesis of DNA precursors. Here we show that the dithiol trypanothione (bis(glutathionyl)spermidine), in contrast to glutathione, is a direct reductant of T. bruceiribonucleotide reductase with a K m value of 2 mm. This is the first example of a natural low molecular mass thiol directly delivering reducing equivalents for ribonucleotide reduction. At submillimolar concentrations, the reaction is strongly accelerated by tryparedoxin, a 16-kDa parasite protein with a WCPPC active site motif. The K m value of T. brucei ribonucleotide reductase for T. bruceitryparedoxin is about 4 μm. The disulfide form of trypanothione is a powerful inhibitor of the tryparedoxin-mediated reaction that may represent a physiological regulation of deoxyribonucleotide synthesis by the redox state of the cell. The trypanothione/tryparedoxin system is a new system providing electrons for a class I ribonucleotide reductase, in addition to the well known thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems described in other organisms.
An evolutionary K-means algorithm for clustering time series data

It is well known that the K-means clustering algorithm is easy to get stuck at locally optimal points for high dimensional data. Many initialization techniques have been proposed to attack this problem, but with only limited success. We propose an evolutionary K-means algorithm to attack this problem. The proposed algorithm combines genetic algorithms and K-means algorithm together for improving the search ability of the K-means algorithm. We rearrange the clusters in crossover operation based on the distance of clustering centers to avoid generating meaningless offspring. A new genetic operator called swap is proposed to replace the traditional mutation operator for avoiding producing invalid offspring. Experiments performed on some publicly available time series data sets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Application of statistical physics for the identification of important events in visual lifelogs

Dementia is one of the most common diseases in the elderly people. Experience shows that Microsoft's SenseCam can be an effective memory-aid device, as it helps users to improve recollecting an experience by creating visual lifelogs. Given the vast amount of images that are maintained in a visual lifelog, it is a significant challenge to deconstruct a sizeable collection of images into meaningful events for users. In this paper, random matrix theory (RMT) is applied to a cross-correlation matrix C, constructed using SenseCam lifelog data streams to identify such events. The analysis reveals a number of eigenvalues that deviate from the spectrum suggested by RMT. The components of the deviating eigenvectors are found to correspond to “distinct significant events” in the visual lifelogs. Finally, the cross-correlation matrix C is cleaned by separating the noisy part from the non-noisy part. Overall, the RMT technique is shown to be useful to detect major events in SenseCam images.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of recombinant human interferon-beta in healthy male volunteers.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of recombinant human interferon-beta (rHuIFN-beta 1a) were assessed following administration to 12 healthy male volunteers. Each subject received, in a double-blind, balanced, random-order, crossover sequence, single doses of 6 MIU of rHuIFN-beta 1a (Rebif) i.v. , i.m. , and s.c. or matching placebo on four occasions separated by washout periods of 1 week. Blood samples were collected at preset times for the measurement of serum IFN-beta levels and of intracellular 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase levels. Blood pressure, sitting heart rate, respiratory rate, oral body temperature, and tolerance were monitored regularly. All administrations of rHuIFN-beta 1a were well tolerated, although about half of the subjects had a flu-like syndrome, as expected. After i.v. bolus injection, the pharmacokinetics of rHuIFN-beta 1a were well described by a classic two-compartment model. Mean total clearance of rHuIFN-beta 1a was about 100 L.h-1. The distribution half-life was 5 min, and the terminal half-life was approximately 5 h. After i.m. or s.c. injection, serum IFN-beta profiles were rather flat, and about one sixth of the administered dose was available systemically. Extent and duration of clinical and biologic effects were independent of the route of administration and of the IFN-beta serum levels. Biologic pharmacodynamic effects persisted even when IFN-beta serum levels had returned to baseline and were still significantly elevated 3 days after a single dose. Because of the independence of the extent and duration of clinical and biologic pharmacodynamic effects from the route of administration and from the IFN-beta serum levels, the s.c route of administration is preferred in indications in which primarily an immunomodulatory action is sought. Predominantly antiviral and antiproliferative activity is enhanced by the i.v. route to provide adequate drug levels at the site of pathology, although its application is limited on practical grounds.
XAP5 CIRCADIAN TIMEKEEPER Positively Regulates RESISTANCE TO POWDERY MILDEW8.1–Mediated Immunity in Arabidopsis

Ectopic expression of the Arabidopsis RESISTANCE TO POWDERY MILDEW8.1 (RPW8.1) boosts pattern-triggered immunity leading to enhanced resistance to different pathogens in Arabidopsis and rice. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism remains largely elusive. Here, we report that XAP5 CIRCADIAN TIMEKEEPER (XCT, At2g21150) positively regulates RPW8.1-mediated cell death and disease resistance. Forward genetic screen identified the b3-17 mutant that exhibited less cell death and susceptibility to powdery mildew and bacterial pathogens. Map-based cloning identified a G-to-A point mutation at the 3′ splice site of the 8th intron, which resulted in splice shift to 8-bp down-stream of the original splice site of XCT in b3-17, and introduced into a stop codon after two codons leading to a truncated XCT. XCT has previously been identified as a circadian clock gene required for small RNA biogenesis and acting down-stream of ETHYLENE-INSENSITIVE3 (EIN3) in the ethylene-signaling pathway. Here we further showed that mutation or down-regulation of XCT by artificial microRNA reduced RPW8.1-mediated immunity in R1Y4, a transgenic line expressing RPW8.1-YFP from the RPW8.1 native promoter. On the contrary, overexpression of XCT in R1Y4 background enhanced RPW8.1-mediated cell death, H2O2 production and resistance against powdery mildew. Consistently, the expression of RPW8.1 was down- and up-regulated in xct mutant and XCT overexpression lines, respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that XCT positively regulates RPW8.1-mediated cell death and disease resistance, and provide new insight into the regulatory mechanism of RPW8.1-mediated immunity.
Effects of acupuncture treatment on daily life activities and quality of life: a controlled, prospective, and randomized study of acute stroke patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A number of studies have indicated that acupuncture might improve the functional recovery of stroke patients. These studies vary in inclusion criteria, sample size, and evaluation methods. The present study was designed to investigate whether electroacupuncture treatment favorably affects stroke patients' ability to perform daily life activities, their health-related quality of life, and their use of health care and social services. METHODS One hundred four consecutive patients >40 years of age admitted to hospital because of an acute stroke were randomized to 3 groups: deep, superficial, and no acupuncture treatment. The acupuncture treatment given by 4 physiotherapists started 4 to 10 days after randomization and was given twice a week for 10 weeks. All patients underwent conventional stroke rehabilitation as well. Two occupational therapists, blinded regarding the patients' allocation, evaluated the treatment effects. The assessments were performed 4 times during the first year after randomization by means of interviews and observations. RESULTS There were no differences between the groups with reference to changes in the neurological score and the Barthel and Sunnaas activities of daily living index scores after 3 and 12 months. Regarding the Nottingham Health Profile, the no acupuncture group had somewhat fewer mobility problems. No differences in health care and social services were found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS The present study does not give support to the previous studies, which indicates that acupuncture treatment may have a beneficial effect on acute stroke patients' ability to perform daily life activities, their health-related quality of life, and their use of health care and social services.
Correlation of Duration of Hepatitis C Infection with Triglycerides and Total Cholesterol

Objective: To study the correlation of duration of chronic HCV infection with total cholesterol and triglycerides. Patients & Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study we recruited 37 HCV infected patients who were diagnosed at least 6 months ago. Seven patients were excluded due to hyperglycemia. Patients suffering from metabolic disorders affecting total cholesterol and triglycerides were also excluded. Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and plasma glucose were measured by enzymatic method. Data was entered on SPSS version 16. Mean, standard deviation was calculated for numerical data. Pearson correlation was used to find association of duration of HCV with Total Cholesterol and Triglycerides. Results: Mean age of 30 subjects was 39.9±9.5 years, duration of HCV infection was 4.1±3.4 years and mean fasting plasma glucose was 81.7±6.4mg/dl. Total cholesterol and triglycerides were 107±30mg/dl and 72.3±23.5mg/dl respectively. Triglycerides showed a significant correlation with duration of HCV infection (p=0.024) and total cholesterol (p=0.001). Conclusion: There is a significant correlation of triglycerides with duration of HCV infection (p=0.024) and total cholesterol (p=0.001).
Parents supporting learning: a non-intensive intervention supporting literacy and numeracy in the home learning environment

ABSTRACT In Australia, emphasis in early childhood education policy is placed on the importance of the role of the family as a child's first educator, and finding effective ways to raise the effectiveness of parents in supporting children's learning, development and well-being. International studies demonstrate that the home learning environment (HLE) provided by parents is closely associated with children's cognitive outcomes: literacy activities at home are likely to predict children's literacy abilities and numeracy activities at home are likely to predict children's numeracy abilities. However, studies focusing on building the capacity of primary caregivers to increase informal learning opportunities, such as enhancing children's literacy and numeracy learning in the HLE, have rarely been the focus of research. This study uses a sample of 113 four-year-old children to explore the association of specific aspects of the HLE with different child outcomes while controlling for child and family characteristics. In addition, a non-intensive, yet purposeful and systematic intervention to draw parents’ attention to the principles of dialogic reading and the principles of counting was introduced. Study findings suggest that parents responded positively to this approach, and that literacy and numeracy aspects of the HLE were specific predictors for children's numeracy and literacy competencies.
A moving underwater communication system with bio-inspired fish robots

Recently, there has been large interest on short and medium range underwater communication systems for various applications. In this work, we investigate a moving communication system equipped with bio-inspired fish robots. A protocol stack encompassing physical layer, medium access control layer and network layer is designed for a packet-based hierarchical underwater acoustic communication and the related hardware is implemented. The developed components and system prototype are verified and evaluated in the Han River. Since this system provides high mobility and real-time monitoring service, it could be utilized for pollution monitoring and surveillance in rivers and oceans.
Stochastic models for deformation and failure of quasibrittle structures : Recent advances and new directions

The paper presents an apercu of the current problems of probabilistic failure analysis of concrete structures and proposes a new approach to finite element estimation of loads of very small failure probability. The conference presentation begins by brief comments on the problem of interplay of the nonlocal characteristic length, associated with the deterministic models for cohesive fracture or softening damage, with the autocorre-lation length of the random field of local material strength, a problem on which important results were achieved in Delft by de Borst, Carmeliet & Gutiérez. The rest of the paper is focused on the problem of loads of extremely low failure probability (such as 10 −7), which should form the basis of rational design. For quasibrittle structures, this problem can be based on the nonlocal generalization of Weibull statistical theory. A salient aspect of the theory is the statistical-deterministic size effect. In the typical case of failures at crack initiation, the distribution tail can be checked by scaling the structure to a very large size. In the limit, the randomly located fracture process zone becomes infinitely small compared to the structure size (i.e., a point), which means that failure at one point causes the whole structure to fail. In that limit case, the tail of distribution of the failure load cannot be anything but Weibull (which follows from Fisher and Tippett's condition of form stability of the extreme value distributions). The existing stochastic finite element methods fail this fundamental requirement, which means that their far-off probability structure cannot be realistic. A new stochastic finite element formulation which guarantees the probability tail of structural strength and the large-size asymptotic size effect to be of the Weibull type is presented. A numerical example demonstrates a good representation of the statistical data of Koide et al. Furthermore, a simple formula for the mean size effect, recently derived by asymptotic matching, is discussed. Finally, a recent more fundamental derivation of the formulas for the mean size effect and for the standard deviation and entire probability distribution of the failure loads, which has been based on the nonlocal generalization of Weibull theory, is reviewed.