Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interplay between Interferon-Mediated Innate Immunity and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against viral infection, and in turn, viruses have evolved to evade host immune surveillance. As a result, viruses may persist in host and develop chronic infections. Type I interferons (IFN-α/β) are among the most potent antiviral cytokines triggered by viral infections. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a disease of pigs that is characterized by negligible induction of type I IFNs and viral persistence for an extended period. For IFN production, RIG-I/MDA5 and JAK-STAT pathways are two major signaling pathways, and recent studies indicate that PRRS virus is armed to modulate type I IFN responses during infection. This review describes the viral strategies for modulation of type I IFN responses. At least three non–structural proteins (Nsp1, Nsp2, and Nsp11) and a structural protein (N nucleocapsid protein) have been identified and characterized to play roles in the IFN suppression and NF-κB pathways. Nsp’s are early proteins while N is a late protein, suggesting that additional signaling pathways may be involved in addition to the IFN pathway. The understanding of molecular bases for virus-mediated modulation of host innate immune signaling will help us design new generation vaccines and control PRRS.
Comparison of premedication with buprenorphine or methadone with meloxicam for postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether methadone, administered before orthopaedic surgery, results in improved postoperative analgesia compared to buprenorphine. METHODS Thirty-eight dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgeries (the majority being tibial tuberosity advancement or elbow arthrotomy) were premedicated with 0 · 03 mg/kg acepromazine and either 20 µg/kg buprenorphine or 0 · 5 mg/kg methadone, intramuscularly, allocated randomly. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol intravenously to effect and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. 0 · 2 mg/kg meloxicam was administered at anaesthetic induction. Sedation was assessed by means of a dynamic interactive visual analogue and simple descriptive scales and pain by dynamic interactive visual analogue and the short form Glasgow composite pain scales, by a single observer blinded to treatment group at intervals for 8 hours following premedication. RESULTS Sedation scores were higher than baseline in both groups following premedication until the end of the assessment period (P = 0 · 0001), with no differences between groups. Pain scores were lower overall in dogs premedicated with methadone (dynamic interactive visual analogue scale P = 0 · 048; short form Glasgow composite pain scale P = 0 · 0045), and these dogs required less additional analgesia (42%, compared to 79% premedicated with buprenorphine, P = 0 · 045). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE At the doses investigated, methadone produced superior analgesia to buprenorphine for 8 hours postoperatively in dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery.
Efficient on-chip communications for data-flow IPs

We explain a systematic way of interfacing data-flow hardware accelerators (IP) for their integration in a system on chip. We abstract the communication behaviour of the data flow IP so as to provide basis for an interface generator. We also explain which parameter this interface generator has to take into account. We validate our interface mechanism by a cycle accurate bit accurate simulation of a SoC integrating a data-flow IP.
Multi-Agent System for Fault Tolerance in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are self-organized networks that typically consist of thousands of low-cost, low-powered sensor nodes. The reliability and availability of WSNs can be affected by faults, including those from radio interference, battery exhaustion, hardware and software failures, communication link errors, malicious attacks, and so on. Thus, we propose a novel multi-agent fault tolerant system for wireless sensor networks. Since a major requirement of WSNs is to reduce energy consumption, we use multi-agent and mobile agent configurations to manage WSNs that provide energy-efficient services. Mobile agent architecture have inherent advantages in that they provide energy awareness, scalability, reliability, and extensibility. Our multi-agent system consists of a resource manager, a fault tolerance manager and a load balancing manager, and we also propose fault-tolerant protocols that use multi-agent and mobile agent setups.
Perceptions of school and future adjustment to life: A longitudinal study between the ages of 18 and 25

A group of senior high school students, 18 years old, answered a questionnaire about their perceptions of their school situation. Around one-third of the group seemed to like school very much and another third seemed to hate or dislike school very much. This group was followed up until they were 25 years old. Of the original sample 82%, 462 persons, answered a new questionnaire about how they had succeeded in life, what kind of further education they had got, what kind of job they had, how they looked upon their future job and life careers, etc. They were also asked about their memories and feelings about their former school experiences. In the analyses we relate the students' school perceptions at age 18 to their memories of school when 25. A substantial number of the respondents remembered school in the same way as they perceived school when in school. Those who hated school seemed to be more vulnerable when they were adult. We also discuss what could be done to change school so that it does not loose one-third of its students. We introduce the concept of the 'learning centre', the aim of which is to teach the joy of learning and stimulate the students' thirst for knowledge.
Coexpression of heat-shock protein 60 and intercellular-adhesion molecule-1 is related to increased adhesion of monocytes and T cells to aortic endothelium of rats in response to endotoxin.

Bacterial cell-wall lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main endotoxin contributing to local inflammation and systemic toxicity during Gram-negative infections and induces aortic endothelial injury with or without cell death and replication followed by increased leukocyte adhesion. Heat-shock protein (hsp) 60 is under study in our laboratory as a potential antigen inducing immunologic attack to endothelial cells in atherogenesis. To investigate the mechanism of LPS-induced endothelial injury and the phenotypes of adhering cells, Lewis rats were treated in vivo or, in aortic organ cultures, with LPS to determine the expression of intercellular-adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and hsp60 on aortic endothelium and to characterize phenotypes of adhering leukocytes. Increased ICAM-1 expression by aortic endothelium was observed as early as 3 hr after LPS injection and persisted up to 72 hr, whereas elevated levels of hsp60 were found between 6 and 48 hr. In vitro application of various types of stress, such as LPS, H2O2, and high temperature, not only stimulated endothelial expression of hsp60 but, concomitantly, that of ICAM-1. The number of adhering leukocytes was significantly increased on aortic endothelium 6 hr after LPS administration, and the predominant leukocytes adhering to stressed endothelium were monocytes (80%) and T lymphocytes (8 to 20%). In organ cultures of rat aortic intimal, LPS, and H2O2 evoked increased leukocyte adhesion, which proved to be selective, because adherent leukocytes were mostly Ia+ monocytes and T cells, i.e., activated. Adhering T cells were gamma/delta antigen-receptor positive in 8 to 16% after LPS stress, whereas these cells amount to only 2 to 4% of peripheral blood T cells. Blocking of adhesion molecules ICAM-1, LFA-1 alpha, and/or LFA-1 beta reduced adhesion up to 34%. Increased coordinated LPS-dependent expression of hsp60 and ICAM-1 correlates with monocyte and T-cell adhesion to aortic endothelium. These observations may be significant for elucidating the mechanism of the initiating events in the development of atherosclerosis.
Reducing food losses by intelligent food logistics

The need to feed an ever-increasing world population makes it obligatory to reduce the millions of tons of avoidable perishable waste along the food supply chain. A considerable share of these losses is caused by non-optimal cold chain processes and management. This Theme Issue focuses on technologies, models and applications to monitor changes in the product shelf life, defined as the time remaining until the quality of a food product drops below an acceptance limit, and to plan successive chain processes and logistics accordingly to uncover and prevent invisible or latent losses in product quality, especially following the first-expired-first-out strategy for optimized matching between the remaining shelf life and the expected transport duration. This introductory article summarizes the key findings of this Theme Issue, which brings together research study results from around the world to promote intelligent food logistics. The articles include three case studies on the cold chain for berries, bananas and meat and an overview of different post-harvest treatments. Further contributions focus on the required technical solutions, such as the wireless sensor and communication system for remote quality supervision, gas sensors to detect ethylene as an indicator of unwanted ripening and volatile components to indicate mould infections. The final section of this introduction discusses how improvements in food quality can be targeted by strategic changes in the food chain.
Levels of Antibodies against Human Heat Shock Protein (HSP) 60 in Patients with Glaucoma in Poland

Background Although elevated intraocular pressure is a major risk factor for the development of glaucoma, there is increasing evidence that the immune system may be involved in the development of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). The aim of this study was to determine if NTG is associated with elevated levels of antibodies against human heat shock protein (HSP) 60. Material/Methods The study was conducted in 139 subjects (35 subjects with NTG [Group 1], 34 subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma/POAG/[Group 2], 24 subjects with autoimmune rheumatic diseases [Group 3], and 36 healthy controls [Group 4]). All subjects had complete ophthalmologic examination (visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, tonometry, gonioscopy; visual-field examination, and optical coherence tomography/OCT/of the optic nerve head and the macula). Blood samples were collected for the measurements of serum levels of antibodies against human HSP60. Results The subjects with rheumatic diseases had the highest median serum level of antibodies against HSP60 – 20.49 ng/mL. The values in the subjects with NTG, POAG, and in controls were 18.79 ng/mL, 18.61 ng/mL and 17.61 ng/mL, respectively (p=0.96). Conclusions This study does not confirm the hypothesis that normal-tension glaucoma is associated with elevated blood levels of antibodies against human heat shock protein (HSP) 60.
Mapping abbreviations to full forms in biomedical articles.

OBJECTIVE To develop methods that automatically map abbreviations to their full forms in biomedical articles. METHODS The authors developed two methods of mapping defined and undefined abbreviations (defined abbreviations are paired with their full forms in the articles, whereas undefined ones are not). For defined abbreviations, they developed a set of pattern-matching rules to map an abbreviation to its full form and implemented the rules into a software program, AbbRE (for "abbreviation recognition and extraction"). Using the opinions of domain experts as a reference standard, they evaluated the recall and precision of AbbRE for defined abbreviations in ten biomedical articles randomly selected from the ten most frequently cited medical and biological journals. They also measured the percentage of undefined abbreviations in the same set of articles, and they investigated whether they could map undefined abbreviations to any of four public abbreviation databases (GenBank LocusLink, SWISSPROT, LRABR of the UMLS Specialist Lexicon, and BioABACUS). RESULTS AbbRE had an average 0.70 recall and 0.95 precision for the defined abbreviations. The authors found that an average of 25 percent of abbreviations were defined in biomedical articles and that of a randomly selected subset of undefined abbreviations, 68 percent could be mapped to any of four abbreviation databases. They also found that many abbreviations are ambiguous (i.e., they map to more than one full form in abbreviation databases). CONCLUSION AbbRE is efficient for mapping defined abbreviations. To couple AbbRE with abbreviation databases for the mapping of undefined abbreviations, not only exhaustive abbreviation databases but also a method to resolve the ambiguity of abbreviations in the databases are needed.
Complexity aspects of the Helly property: graphs and hypergraphs.

In 1923, Eduard Helly published his celebrated theorem, which originated the well known Helly property. A family of subsets has the Helly property when every sub-family thereof, formed by pairwise intersecting subsets, contains a common element. Many generalizations of this property exist which are relevant to some fields of mathematics, and have several applications in computer science. In this work, we survey complexity aspects of the Helly property. The main focus is on characterizations of several classes of graphs and hypergraphs related to the Helly property. We describe algorithms for solving different problems arising from the basic Helly property. We also discuss the complexity of these problems, some of them leading to NP-hardness results.
Physical and biological responses of streams to suburbanization of historically agricultural watersheds

Abstract We investigated whether suburbanization influenced the physical and biological characteristics of ten 3rd-or 4th-order streams that drain historically agricultural watersheds in the southern Appalachians near Asheville, North Carolina. Five watersheds had areas of recent suburban development proximal to stream sites, and 5 watersheds were not currently undergoing suburban development. We estimated 5 hydrological, 10 geomorphological, 6 erosional, and 3 depositional (i.e., substrate) variables, and 13 fish and 8 macroinvertebrate metrics in the study sites. We used Student's t-tests and multivariate analysis of variance to compare the 45 variables between sites in agricultural and suburban watersheds. We used Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) to detect subtle differences in taxonomic composition and abundance among watersheds. Stormflow total suspended solids were significantly lower and substrate inorganic matter content was significantly higher in streams influenced by suburban development. Fish taxa richness and the density of nonguarding fishes were significantly higher in sites in suburban watersheds than in sites in agricultural watersheds. No other fish or macroinvertebrate metric differed with respect to watershed land use, but ordination of sites by fish and macroinvertebrate species abundance suggested that biotic assemblages at sites in suburban watersheds were distinct from those at sites in agricultural watersheds. Therefore, some taxa may have been influenced by suburban development. Our results suggest that watershed hydrology, sediment delivery, and sediment composition might be important factors influencing biota in streams draining agricultural vs suburban watersheds. Biological assemblages in streams differed structurally with respect to watershed land use, but streams did not appear to be otherwise influenced by suburban development. We conclude that suburbanization near historically agricultural southern Appalachian streams induces subtle changes to inorganic sediment dynamics, substrate composition, and fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage structure.
Cultural factors influencing mental health help-seeking attitudes among Black English-Speaking Caribbean immigrants in the United States and Britain

ABSTRACT This review examines factors related to professional mental health help-seeking among Black English-speaking Caribbean immigrants in the United States and Britain. Findings emphasize that attention to cultural context is essential to understanding the ways these populations conceptualize mental illness, and is also key in the development of effective and culturally responsive mental health services. Various groups of Black English-speaking Caribbean immigrants seek out informal help, and utilize spiritual beliefs and ritual practices as social supports and systems of meaning in times of psychological distress, which may affect their utilization of formal mental health systems. Additionally, culturally specific notions of stigma around the concept of “mental illness” are likely to deter help-seeking, or render various forms of treatment ineffective and threatening.
Pharmacological targeting of β-adrenergic receptor functions abrogates NF-κB signaling and MMP-9 secretion in medulloblastoma cells

Targeting of the vascular endothelium compartment explains, in part, the therapeutic efficacy of the nonselective β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol against common endothelial tumors such as hemangiomas. In vitro, the antiangiogenic biological activity of propranolol was shown to inhibit human brain microvascular endothelial cell tubulogenesis. However, possible interference of propranolol with cell signaling associated with the tumoral compartment remains unexplored. We therefore assessed the potency of propranolol against a pediatric brain tumor- derived DAOY medulloblastoma cell model. Gene expression of β1-, β2-, and β3-adrenergic receptors was confirmed in DAOY cells by semiquantitative RT-PCR. We next found that propranolol dose-dependently inhibited induction of the key extracellular matrix-degrading and blood–brain barrier disrupting enzyme matrix metalloproteinase- 9 (MMP-9) by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Propranolol not only inhibited PMA- induced phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk), but also that of IkappaB (IκB), preventing the IκB phosphorylation which is a prerequisite for IκB degradation. Propranolol inhibition of IκB phosphorylation was shown to occur with optimal efficacy at 30 μM. Although propranolol, at up to 100 μM, did not affect cell viability, it potentiated PMA- mediated signaling that ultimately led to diminished phosphorylation of Akt. The anti-Erk and anti-Akt phosphorylation effects are both suggestive of antiproliferative and antisurvival signaling, respectively. Our data are therefore indicative of a pharmacological role for propranolol against β-adrenergic receptor signaling functions involving the nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated regulation of MMP-9.
The e-health literacy framework: A conceptual framework for characterizing e-health users and their interaction with e-health systems

In current e-health research and development there is a need for a broader understanding of the capabilities and resources required for individuals to use and benefit from e-health services, i.e. their e-health literacy. The aim of this study was to develop a new conceptualisation of e-health literacy with consideration of the experiences of a wide range of stakeholders and in alignment with current technologies. Concept mapping was used to generate a comprehensive and grounded model of e-health literacy. Concept mapping workshop participants included patients, health professionals and medical informatics experts. Eight workshops, carried out in Denmark and United Kingdom, generated 450 statements, separated into 128 clusters. Through an inductive structured analysis, seven domains were identified: 1. Ability to process information, 2. Engagement in own health, 3. Ability to engage actively with digital services, 4. Feeling safe and in control, 5. Motivation to engage with digital services, 6. Having access to systems that work, and 7. Digital services that suit individual needs. These empirically derived domains form an e-health literacy framework (eHLF) and provide new insights into the user’s ability to understand, access and use e-health technologies. The eHLF offers a framework for evaluating an individual’s or a population’s capacity to understand, use and benefit from technology to promote and maintain their health. Such a framework also provides a potential checklist for the development and improvement of e-health services. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel. 2015.07. 035
Robotic Assistive Technology for Enhancing Autistic Children Social Life

Autism is a very serious and widely spread neurological disorder that affects millions of children around the world. Since 1990, the number of autistic children has increased in an alarming number, while many other children are still there who are not yet diagnosed. Autism cannot be detected at the birth or early stage of the child development. Unlike other diseases, the symptoms vary from one child to another. In this paper, we try to address this issue and propose a solution, a robotic toy, to improve the social interaction skills of autistic kids. These kids do not usually respond appropriately to human interaction. An effective solution that we are proposing to help solve this issue is to design a less intimidating companion, a toy robot, that can enhance their social interaction capabilities. Studies have shown that autistic kids respond and react to a robot, controlled by a therapist, more effectively than to a human being. It is easier for a therapist to gain the child's attention through the robot and can effectively help him/her learn the basic communication skills and prepare him/her to act as a normal person. The proposed solution can really help autistic children learn more quickly and have them lead a better social life.
Using the fractal dimension to cluster datasets

Clustering is a widely used knowledge discovery technique. It helps uncovering structures in data that were not previously known. The clustering of large data sets has received a lot of atten tion in recen t years, how ever,clustering is a still a challenging task since many published algorithms fail to do well in scaling with the size of the data set and the number of dimensions that describe the points, or in nding arbitrary shapes of clusters, or dealing e ectively with the presence of noise. In this paper, we presen t a new clustering algorithm, based in the fractal properties of the data sets. The new algorithm which w e call F ractal Clustering (F C) places poin ts incrementally in the cluster for whic h the change in the fractal dimension after adding the point is the least. This is a very natural way of clustering points, since points in the same cluster have a great degree of selfsimilarity among them (and m uch lessself-similarity with respect to poin tsin other clusters). F C requires one scan of the data, is suspendable at will, pro viding the best answ er possible at that point, and is incremental. We sho w via experiments that F C e ectively deals with large data sets, high-dimensionality and noise and is capable of recognizing clusters of arbitrary shape.