Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Th-17 regulatory cytokines IL-21, IL-23, and IL-6 enhance neutrophil production of IL-17 cytokines during asthma

ABSTRACT Background: In a subset of severe asthma patients, chronic airway inflammation is associated with infiltration of neutrophils, Th-17 cells and elevated expression of Th-17-derived cytokines (e.g., interleukin [IL]-17, IL-21, IL-22). Peripheral neutrophils from allergic asthmatics are known to express higher IL-17 cytokine levels than those from healthy subjects, but the regulatory mechanisms involved are not well understood. We hypothesize that Th-17 regulatory cytokines could modulate IL-17 expression in neutrophils. Methods: Peripheral blood neutrophils isolated from asthmatics were stimulated with IL-21, IL-23, and IL-6 cytokines and their ability to produce IL-17A and IL-17F was determined relative to healthy controls. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation levels were measured in stimulated neutrophil using flow cytometry. The requirement for STAT3 phosphorylation was determined by blocking its activation using a specific chemical inhibitor. Results: Stimulating asthmatic neutrophils with IL-21, 23, and 6 enhanced the production of IL-17A and IL-17F at significantly higher levels comparatively to healthy controls. Stimulating neutrophils with IL-21, IL-23, and IL-6 cytokines enhanced STAT3 phosphorylation, in all cases. Interestingly, inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation using a specific chemical inhibitor dramatically blocked the ability of neutrophils to produce IL-17, demonstrating that STAT3 activation is the major factor mediating IL-17 gene expression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that neutrophil infiltration in lungs of severe asthmatics may represent an important source of pro-inflammatory IL-17A and -F cytokines, a production enhanced by Th-17 regulatory cytokines, and thus providing a feedback mechanism that sustains inflammation. Our results suggest that STAT3 pathway could be a potential target for regulating neutrophilic inflammation during severe asthma.
Time‐delayed dynamic output feedback ℋ︁∞ controller design for civil structures: A decentralized approach through homotopic transformation

For the control of large‐scale complex systems, it has been widely recognized that decentralized approaches may offer a number of advantages compared with centralized approaches. Primarily, these advantages include less feedback latency and lower demand on communication range, which may result in better control performance and lower system cost. This paper presents a decentralized approach for the control of large‐scale civil structures. The approach provides decentralized dynamic output feedback controllers that minimize the ℋ︁∞ norm of the closed‐loop system. The effect of feedback time delay is considered in the problem formulation, and therefore, compensated during the controller design. The control decentralization is achieved using a homotopy method that gradually transforms a typical centralized controller into multiple uncoupled decentralized controllers. At each homotopy step, linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraints are satisfied to guarantee the performance requirement for the closed‐loop ℋ︁∞ norm. The proposed algorithm is validated through numerical simulations with a five‐story example structure. Performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with a time‐delayed decentralized control algorithm that is based upon the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) criteria. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prostaglandin E release from dog skeletal muscle during restricted flow exercise.

Prostaglandin E (PGE) release from the anterior calf muscles of anesthetized dogs was measured during and following exercise. Blood flow was held constant at 15.5 +/- 1.6 (SEM) ml.min-1. 100 g-1 and the muscles were stimulated for 20 min at a frequency of 4 Hz. PGE release dropped from a resting level of 11.4 +/- 3.8 ng.min-1.100 g-1 to 6.5 +/- 2.0 ng.min-1.100 g-1 during exercise (P less than 0.05). Following exercise, PGE release slowly returned to and eventually exceeded the resting level over a 60-min period. Return of vascular resistance to control was even more prolonged. Indomethacin (5 mg/kg) caused 1) an increase in resting resistance (40%), 2) a drop in PGE release (48% at rest), and 3) a more rapid return of vascular resistance to control following exercise. PGE release does not appear to contribute to the vasodilation during exercise, but can account for the portion of vascular resistance recovery not blocked by indomethacin. The remaining prolonged vasodilation could be explained by another as yet unidentified vasodilator(s). This preparation exhibits tonic prostaglandin release that causes a vasodilation at rest.
A Single-Stage High-Power-Factor Electronic Ballast With ZVS Buck–Boost Conversion

This paper proposes a novel single-stage high-power-factor electronic ballast via the integration of a derivative buck-boost converter and a half-bridge resonant inverter. The derivative buck-boost converter employs two coupled inductors with an appropriate turn ratio to conduct the current from the input line source into the designated power switches. With the tactful topology and delicately designed circuit parameters, both the active power switches of the resonant inverter can retain the zero voltage switching, resulting in a high circuit efficiency. A prototype circuit designed for a T8-36W rapid-start fluorescent lamp was built and tested to verify the analytical predictions, and satisfactory results were obtained experimentally.
A dynamic DUO of regulatory proteins coordinates gamete specification and germ cell mitosis in the angiosperm male germline

The production of two functional sperm cells within each male gametophyte is essential for double fertilization in flowering plants and involves a single mitotic division of the male germ cell and cell specification to produce functional gametes. Several proteins that are important regulators of male germ cell division have been identified as well as the R2R3 MYB protein DUO1 that has a dual role in cell division and cell specification. We recently identified a novel regulatory protein DUO3, that has overlapping roles with DUO1 in cell division and specification and shows similarity to GON4 related cell lineage regulators in animals. DUO3 also has important roles outside the germline and is required for embryo patterning and meristem function. We outline the regulatory roles of DUO3 in male germline development and its possible mechanisms of action as a lineage regulator in current models that link germ cell cycle control and gamete specification.
Patterns of failure after prophylactic cranial irradiation in small-cell lung cancer: analysis of 505 randomized patients.

BACKGROUND Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) has a beneficial effect on overall survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in complete remission as shown in a worldwide meta-analysis. The current analysis aimed to evaluate PCI effects on patterns of failure in this patient category. PATIENTS AND METHODS The Institut Gustave-Roussy coordinated two parallel randomized studies including a total of 511 patients with SCLC. Patients were randomly assigned to either PCI (24 Gy in eight fractions and 12 days) or no PCI. Patterns of failure were analyzed according to (i) total event rates and (ii) isolated first site of relapse using a competing risk approach. RESULTS Five hundred and five patients were analyzed. The 5-year cumulative rate of brain metastasis as an isolated first site of relapse was 37% in the control group and 20% in the PCI group (P < 0.001). The overall 5-year rates of brain metastasis were 59% and 43%, respectively [relative risk (RR) 0.50; P < 0.001]. The 5-year overall survival rates were 15% in the control group and 18% in the PCI group (RR 0.84; P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS PCI decreased significantly the risk of brain metastasis. Other events were not influenced. The relative death risk reduction was of borderline significance. Results reported as isolated first cause of failure and subsequent competing events may explain why a major treatment effect on brain metastases rate has a rather moderate effect on survival.
Multiple‐mouse MRI with multiple arrays of receive coils

Compared to traditional single‐animal imaging methods, multiple‐mouse MRI has been shown to dramatically improve imaging throughput and reduce the potentially prohibitive cost for instrument access. To date, up to a single radiofrequency coil has been dedicated to each animal being simultaneously scanned, thus limiting the sensitivity, flexibility, and ultimate throughput. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of multiple‐mouse MRI with a phased‐array coil dedicated to each animal. A dual‐mouse imaging system, consisting of a pair of two‐element phased‐array coils, was developed and used to achieve acceleration factors greater than the number of animals scanned at once. By simultaneously scanning two mice with a retrospectively gated cardiac cine MRI sequence, a 3‐fold acceleration was achieved with signal‐to‐noise ratio in the heart that is equivalent to that achieved with an unaccelerated scan using a commercial mouse birdcage coil. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cache Miss-Aware Dynamic Stack Allocation

Reducing cache misses without increasing cache associativity is critical for reducing the power consumption and cache access time. This paper has focused on the stack of a program which often occupies more than half of total memory accesses (Calder, et. al., 1998). This paper, as a result, proposes so-called dynamic stack allocation where the stack pointer is shifted at run time to a memory location which is expected to cause least number of cache misses. We implemented the proposed scheme using so-called dynamic stack allocator (DSA) which consists of cache miss predictor (CMP) to compute cache miss probability based on least recently used (LRU) policy and stack pointer manager (SPM) to manage multiple stack locations. We also verified the proposed scheme with both FPGA and ASIC by using iNCITE and Dong-Bu electronics 0.18mum process, respectively. Experimental results show that dynamic stack allocation significantly reduces cache misses from 4% to 42% in various benchmarks with relatively small power consumption and no extra delay.
Diagnosis and Immunophenotype of 188 Pediatric Lymphoblastic Lymphomas Treated Within a Randomized Prospective Trial: Experiences and Preliminary Recommendations From the European Childhood Lymphoma Pathology Panel

The majority of lymphoblastic (precursor cell) neoplasms presents as leukemias. Consequently, the guidelines for lineage determination and subtyping of precursor cell neoplasms were primarily established for flow cytometry methods. Large-scale studies of nonleukemic lymphoblastic lymphomas are lacking so far. We analyzed a large series of pediatric patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma treated within a prospective randomized trial (the Euro-LB 02 study). Among 193 lymphomas, in which a detailed immunohistochemical analysis was carried out, there were several unusual and diagnostically challenging morphologic and immunophenotypical variants. These included 11 lymphomas with mixed phenotypes expressing markers of at least 2 hematopoietic lineages, 7 terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-negative lymphoblastic lymphomas, and 3 undifferentiated hematopoietic neoplasms that could not be assigned to any lineage with certainty. Our data indicate that World Health Organzation guidelines for lineage determination and subtyping of precursor cell leukemia need to be adapted before they can be applied to immunohistochemical diagnosis of lymphoma. Using the experience from this cohort we suggest a resource-saving diagnostic staining panel for the immunohistochemical analysis of precursor cell neoplasms in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.
Identified Olfactory Ensheathing Cells Transplanted into the Transected Dorsal Funiculus Bridge the Lesion and Form Myelin

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) prepared from the olfactory bulbs of adult transgenic Sprague Dawley (SD) rats expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) were transplanted into a dorsal spinal cord transection lesion of SD rats. Five weeks after transplantation, the cells survived within the lesion zone and oriented longitudinally along axons that bridged the transection site. Although the highest density of GFP cells was within the lesion zone, some cells distributed longitudinally outside of the lesion area. Myelinated axons spanning the lesion were observed in discrete bundles encapsulated by a cellular element. Electron micrographs of spinal cords immunostained with an anti-GFP antibody indicated that a majority of the peripheral-like myelinated axons were derived from donor OECs. Open-field locomotor behavior was significantly improved in the OEC transplantation group. Thus, transplanted OECs derived from the adult olfactory bulb can survive and orient longitudinally across a spinal cord transection site and form myelin. This pattern of repair is associated with improved locomotion.
Destabilization of AT1 Receptor mRNA by Calreticulin

AT1 receptor activation leads to vasoconstriction, blood pressure increase, free radical release, and cell growth. AT1 receptor regulation contributes to the adaptation of the renin-angiotensin system to long-term stimulation and serves as explanation for the involvement of the AT1 receptor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. The molecular mechanisms involved in AT1 receptor regulation are poorly understood. Here, we report that angiotensin II accelerates AT1 receptor mRNA decay in vascular smooth muscle cells. A cognate mRNA region within the 3′ untranslated region at bases 2175 to 2195 governs the inducible decay of the AT1 receptor mRNA. Sequential protein purifications led to the discovery of a novel mRNA binding protein, calreticulin, which mediates destabilization of the AT1 receptor mRNA. Angiotensin II–caused phosphorylation of calreticulin enables binding of calreticulin to the AT1 receptor mRNA at bases 2175 to 2195 and propagates calreticulin-induced acceleration of AT1 receptor mRNA decay. Thus, a novel mRNA binding protein, calreticulin, is discovered, which causes AT1 receptor mRNA degradation via binding to a distinct mRNA region in the 3′ untranslated region. These findings display a novel mechanism of posttranscriptional mRNA processing.
Prototipo de liderazgo en mandos intermedios españoles

This paper deals with the most significant results of a research on a pattern of leadership in a sample of 153 Spanish middle managers, 91 from the financial branch and 62 from the food branch. This pattern is set by culture prescriptions and proscriptions, both socially and organizationally. The research is part of an international project called GLOBE -Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness- led by Dr. Robert House in the Wharton School of Management of Pennsylvania University, USA. The research team consists of 170 researchers across 61 countries. The authors of this article are the Spanish researchers of this team. Alpha and Beta Questionnaires were used for data collection. Both questionnaires were designed by an International Committe. The Spanish scientists adapted the questionnaires to the Spanish population using groups of discussion and structured interviews. Data analysis techniques were selected with regard to main hypothesis, split into six predictions. Accordingly, it can be stated that regardless of the organizational leadership style, implicit assumptions on organizational leadership hold a linear relationship with the features of the social and organizational culture that are measured by the nine 'Culture Dimensions'.
Phosphorylation of S 1505 in the Cardiac Na + Channel Inactivation Gate Is Required for Modulation by Protein Kinase C

Inactivation of both brain and cardiac Na + channels is modulated by activation of protein kinase C (PKC) but in different ways. Previous experiments had shown that phosphorylat ion of serine 1506 in the highly conserved loop connect ing homologous domains III and IV (Lm/rv) of the brain Na + channel tx subunit is necessal T for all effects of PKC. Here we examine the importance of the analogous serine for the different modulat ion of the r i l l cardiac Na + channel. Serine 1505 of r i l l was mutated to alanine to prevent its phosphorylation, and the resulting mutant channel was expressed in 1610 cells. Electrophysiological properties of these mutant channels were indistinguishable f rom those of wild-type (WT) r i l l channels. Activation o f PKC with 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-snglycerol (OAG) reduced WT Na + current by 49.3-+ 4.2% ( P < 0.01) but S1505A mutant current was reduced by only 8.5 -+ 5.4% (P = 0.29) when the holding potential was 9 4 mV. PKC activation also caused a 17-mV shift in the voltage dependence of steady-state inactivation of the WT channel which was abolished in the mutant. Thus, phosphorylat ion of serine 1505 is required for both the negative shift in the inactivation curve and the reduction in Na + current by PKC. Phosphorylation of S1505/1506 has c o m m o n and divergent effects in brain and cardiac Na § channels. In both brain and cardiac Na + channels, phosphorylat ion of this site by PKC is required for reduction of peak Na + current. However, phosphorylat ion of S1506 in brain Na + channels slows and destabilizes inactivation of the open channel. Phosphorylation of S1505 in cardiac, but not S1506 in brain, Na + channels causes a negative shift in the inactivation curve, indicating that it stabilizes inactivation from closed states. Since Lin/i v containing S1505/S1506 is completely conserved, interaction of the phosphorylated serine with other regions of the channel must differ in the two channel types.
Conservation of biodiversity as a strategy for improving human health and well-being

The Earth's ecosystems have been altered by anthropogenic processes, including land use, harvesting populations, species introductions and climate change. These anthropogenic processes greatly alter plant and animal communities, thereby changing transmission of the zoonotic pathogens they carry. Biodiversity conservation may be a potential win–win strategy for maintaining ecosystem health and protecting public health, yet the causal evidence to support this strategy is limited. Evaluating conservation as a viable public health intervention requires answering four questions: (i) Is there a general and causal relationship between biodiversity and pathogen transmission, and if so, which direction is it in? (ii) Does increased pathogen diversity with increased host biodiversity result in an increase in total disease burden? (iii) Do the net benefits of biodiversity conservation to human well-being outweigh the benefits that biodiversity-degrading activities, such as agriculture and resource utilization, provide? (iv) Are biodiversity conservation interventions cost-effective when compared to other options employed in standard public health approaches? Here, we summarize current knowledge on biodiversity–zoonotic disease relationships and outline a research plan to address the gaps in our understanding for each of these four questions. Developing practical and self-sustaining biodiversity conservation interventions will require significant investment in disease ecology research to determine when and where they will be effective. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications’.
Techniques of event history analysis.

Given the development of new techniques of event history analysis or failure time models this paper explains the logic behind these models in terms familiar to historical demographers. It provides practical guidance on the strengths and weaknesses of alternative models and standard statistical software. Event history analysis is 1st introduced followed by consideration for the generalization of life-table methodology to accommodate covariates. Next alternative specifications of failure time models are described followed by discussion of the analysis of concurrent process noninformative censoring unobserved heterogeneity and goodness of fit. An analysis of remarriage in Germany is presented which demonstrates the strength of these analytical techniques to deepen the understanding of past demographic behavior.
The SDL Language Weaver Systems in the WMT12 Quality Estimation Shared Task

We present in this paper the system submissions of the SDL Language Weaver team in the WMT 2012 Quality Estimation shared-task. Our MT quality-prediction systems use machine learning techniques (M5P regression-tree and SVM-regression models) and a feature-selection algorithm that has been designed to directly optimize towards the official metrics used in this shared-task. The resulting submissions placed 1st (the M5P model) and 2nd (the SVM model), respectively, on both the Ranking task and the Scoring task, out of 11 participating teams.
Spinal motor axons and neural crest cells use different molecular guides for segmental migration through the rostral half-somite.

The peripheral nervous system in vertebrates is composed of repeating metameric units of spinal nerves. During development, factors differentially expressed in a rostrocaudal pattern in the somites confine the movement of spinal motor axons and neural crest cells to the rostral half of the somitic sclerotome. The expression patterns of transmembrane ephrin-B ligands and interacting EphB receptors suggest that these proteins are likely candidates for coordinating the segmentation of spinal motor axons and neural crest cells. In vitro, ephrin-B1 has indeed been shown to repel axons extending from the rodent neural tube (Wang & Anderson, 1997). In avians, blocking interactions between EphB3 expressed by neural crest cells and ephrin-B1 localized to the caudal half of the somite in vivo resulted in loss of the rostrocaudal patterning of trunk neural crest migration (Krull et al., 1997). The role of ephrin-B1 in patterning spinal motor axon outgrowth in avian embryos was investigated. Ephrin-B1 protein was found to be expressed in the caudal half-sclerotome and in the dermomyotome at the appropriate time to interact with the EphB2 receptor expressed on spinal motor axons. Treatment of avian embryo explants with soluble ephrin-B1, however, did not perturb the segmental outgrowth of spinal motor axons through the rostral half-somite. In contrast, under the same treatment conditions with soluble ephrin-B1, neural crest cells migrated aberrantly through both rostral and caudal somite halves. These results indicate that the interaction between ephrin-B1 and EphB2 is not required for patterning spinal motor axon segmentation. Even though spinal motor axons traverse the same somitic pathway as neural crest cells, different molecular guidance mechanisms appear to influence their movement.
Defeasible Laws, Parallel Actions, and Reasoning about Resources

We introduce a new action language, CARD, which allows defeasible dynamic causal laws, default fluents, concurrent and non-deterministic actions, and actions which use resources. We give syntax and semantics of the language and several simple examples of its use. Comparison with some other languages is also given though limited by space requirements.