Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
B Cells Present Antigen to CD4+ T Cells, but Fail to Produce IL‐12 Selective APC for Th2 Cell Development?

The activation of CD4+ T cells is initiated by the recognition of peptide-class I1 MHC complexes on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APC). '+* Among the different APC populations capable of presenting peptide-class I1 MHC complexes, dendritic cells (DC) and B cells have been studied extensively, but their relative role in the presentation of protein antigen and CD4+ T cell priming in vivo is still controversial. Using mice lacking B cells, presentation to CD4+ T cells of antigenic complexes derived from processing of protein antigen administered in adjuvant was found in some studies to require B cells,3 whereas in others B cells were found not critical! Similarly, administration of soluble protein to normal mice was found to lead to selective expression of antigenic complexes either by antigen-specific B cells3 or by DC5 To address this point, we have compared the relative capacity of DC and B cells recruited in lymph nodes during the inflammatory response induced by adjuvant administration to present protein antigen administered in different forms. We have previously shown that immune lymph node cells (LNC) from mice immunized with hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) in adjuvant display HEL peptide-MHC class I1 complexes able to stimulate, in the absence of any further antigen addition, specific T hybridoma Here, we compare expression by DC and B cells of antigenic complexes derived from processing of native HEL, either given subcutaneously in adjuvant or in soluble form intravenously. Following subcutaneous administration of HEL in adjuvant, DC are the only APC expressing detectable HEL peptide-class I1 complexes.8 Conversely, when HEL is administered in soluble form iv to mice previously injected with adjuvant only, lymph node B cells are much more efficient than DC in the presentation of HEL peptides. These results demonstrate that protein antigen injected in soluble form is presented best by B cells, whereas the same protein is presented only by lymph node DC when administered in adjuvant. Therefore, different protocols of protein
Cache sémantique pour grilles pervasives

Pervasive grids present a new trend to distributed computing, for coordinating large-scale resources enabling access to small and smart devices. In this paper, we propose a caching approach for improving querying on pervasive grids. The proposed solution, called semantic pervasive dual cache, follows a semantic oriented approach. It is based on the one hand on a clear separation between the analysis and the evaluation process, and on the other hand on the cooperation between client caches considering light analysis and proxy caches including evaluation capabilities. Such an approach helps load balancing, making the system more scalable. Our proposal has been validated thanks to analytic models and simulations and seems promising as showed by the results obtained.
Modular invariance of characters of vertex operator algebras

In contrast with the finite dimensional case, one of the distinguished features in the theory of infinite dimensional Lie algebras is the modular invariance of the characters of certain representations. It is known [Fr], [KP] that for a given affine Lie algebra, the linear space spanned by the characters of the integrable highest weight modules with a fixed level is invariant under the usual action of the modular group SL2(Z). The similar result for the minimal series of the Virasoro algebra is observed in [Ca] and [IZ]. In both cases one uses the explicit character formulas to prove the modular invariance. The character formula for the affine Lie algebra is computed in [K], and the character formula for the Virasoro algebra is essentially contained in [FF]; see [R] for an explicit computation. This mysterious connection between the infinite dimensional Lie algebras and the modular group can be explained by the two dimensional conformal field theory. The highest weight modules of affine Lie algebras and the Virasoro algebra give rise to conformal field theories. In particular, the conformal field theories associated to the integrable highest modules and minimal series are rational. The characters of these modules are understood to be the holomorphic parts of the partition functions on the torus for the corresponding conformal field theories. From this point of view, the role of the modular group SL2(Z) is manifest. In the study of conformal field theory, physicists arrived at the notion of chiral algebras (see e.g. [MS]). Independently, in the attempt to realize the Monster sporadic group as a symmetry group of certain algebraic structure, an infinite dimensional graded representation of the Monster sporadic group, the so called Moonshine module, was constructed in [FLM1]. This algebraic structure was later found in [Bo] and called the vertex algebra; the first axioms of vertex operator algebras were formulated in that paper. The proof that the Moonshine module is a vertex operator algebra and the Monster group acts as its automorphism group was given in [FLM2]. Notably the character of the Moonshine module is also a modular function, namely j(τ) − 744. It turns out that the vertex operator algebra can be regarded as a rigorous mathematical definition of the chiral algebras in the physical literature. And it is expected that a pair of isomorphic vertex operator algebras and their representations (corresponding to the holomorphic and antiholomorphic sectors) are the basic objects needed to build a conformal field theory of a certain type.
Benthic perspective on Earth’s oldest evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis

Significance The history of oxygen at Earth’s surface is intimately tied to its production by oxygenic photosynthesis, whereby plants, algae, and cyanobacteria release O2 as a waste product. Despite this metabolism’s profound importance, its evolutionary timing is poorly understood. Studies have increasingly revealed a temporal disconnect between evidence for the presence of O2 during weathering as early as 3.0 billion years ago and its atmospheric accumulation 500 million years later. We review this problem and numerically demonstrate that local O2 production and immediate consumption in surface-bound (benthic) microbial ecosystems at profound disequilibrium conditions is the most parsimonious explanation for this delay. Thus, emergence of continental landmass was likely a crucial factor in the earliest oxygenation of Earth’s surface environment. The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) is currently viewed as a protracted process during which atmospheric oxygen increased above ∼10−5 times the present atmospheric level (PAL). This threshold represents an estimated upper limit for sulfur isotope mass-independent fractionation (S-MIF), an Archean signature of atmospheric anoxia that begins to disappear from the rock record at 2.45 Ga. However, an increasing number of papers have suggested that the timing for oxidative continental weathering, and by conventional thinking the onset of atmospheric oxygenation, was hundreds of million years earlier than previously thought despite the presence of S-MIF. We suggest that this apparent discrepancy can be resolved by the earliest oxidative-weathering reactions occurring in benthic and soil environments at profound redox disequilibrium with the atmosphere, such as biological soil crusts and freshwater microbial mats covering riverbed, lacustrine, and estuarine sediments. We calculate that oxygenic photosynthesis in these millimeter-thick ecosystems provides sufficient oxidizing equivalents to mobilize sulfate and redox-sensitive trace metals from land to the oceans while the atmosphere itself remained anoxic with its attendant S-MIF signature. As continental freeboard increased significantly between 3.0 and 2.5 Ga, the chemical and isotopic signatures of benthic oxidative weathering would have become more globally significant from a mass-balance perspective. These observations help reconcile evidence for pre-GOE oxidative weathering with the history of atmospheric chemistry, and support the plausible antiquity of a terrestrial biosphere populated by cyanobacteria well before the GOE.
The State of the Art Versus the State of the Science: The Diffusion of New Medical Technologies into Practice

Abstract This paper offers a theory to explain the diffusion of new medical technologies into local practice. Based on several hundred interviews with community hospital physicians, it anchors technology decisions in the norms and relationships of local practice. Physician descriptions of their use of different types of assessment information provide insight into the way in which local consenses on appropriate practice are formed, guide behavior, and change. To understand new technology adoption, it is necessary to (a) differentiate “formed” (complete) and “dynamic” (still developing) technologies, and (b) appreciate the extent to which medical practice is locally organized. Concepts from organizational literature, then, become useful in explaining the penetration of these medical communities and the circumstances under which a new modality takes hold in them. Within the framework presented, previously puzzling findings regarding variations in local practice and the poor relationship between practice behavior and the published literature become understandable.
Early Detection of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Apparently Healthy Attendants of Tertiary Care Hospital and Assessment of its Severity.

OBJECTIVE Early detection of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in apparently healthy attendants of tertiary care hospital and assessment of its severity. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional, observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Study was conducted from January 2015 to July 2015 at Dow University Hospital, Ojha campus. METHODOLOGY Ascreening method was designed for apparently healthy individuals including attendants of patients, hospital staff, faculty and students, belonging to age group 18-60 years after excluding severe obesity and already diagnosed respiratory and cardiovascular diseases by means of history. Each participant performed pulmonary function tests via spirometer after filling a questionnaire based on various risk factors and symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Data was entered and analysed by SPSS-20. RESULTS Out of the 517 participants, 122 (23.6%) were found to have COPD diagnosed by means of spirometry. Out of these, 23 (4.4%) had COPD stage I, 42 (8.1%) had COPD II, 34 (6.6%) had COPD III, and 23 (4.4%) had COPD IV. Exposure to smoking, wooden stoves, pesticides, biomass fuel, aerosol sprays, gas grill and vehicle exhaust were found to be statistically significant factors in relation to development of COPD. CONCLUSION Apparently healthy individuals may have underlying COPD and active screening by means of spirometry plays vital role in early detection of COPD. Smoking and exposure to certain hazardous environmental pollutants are responsible for the development and progression of COPD.
Teaching and Betrayal [ 1 ]

Increasing attention is being paid to the importance of trust in organizations generally, and schools in particular, as an essential ingredient of improvement and effectiveness. The role of trust in leadership and in leaders’ interactions with subordinates has been especially emphasized. In a study of the emotions of teaching that included data concerning teachers’ recollections of emotionally positive and negative interactions with their colleagues, teachers made almost no explicit references to trust as a source of positive emotion among their colleagues. In other words, in their lateral relations with colleagues, trust was absent or taken for granted. However, what teachers did report as one of the strongest sources of negative emotion with their colleagues was evidence of the opposite of trustÐ betrayal. The present paper draws on this interview-based study with 50 Canadian teachers in 15 elementary and secondary schools to examine the nature and effects of betrayal among colleagues in teaching. It documents three forms of betrayal: competence, contract, and communication betrayal. Betrayal in teaching is signi® cant not only in a moral sense, but also because its consequence is to lead to teachers to avoid con ̄ ict and interaction with each other, and thereby insulate themselves from the opportunities for learning and constructive disagreement. The paper concludes by arguing that if schools are going to become stronger professional learning communities, they must seek not only to establish trust in teaching, but also to avoid the causes of pervasive betrayal.
An emerging technology: orthogonal time division multiplexing (OTDM)

This paper introduces a new technique that uses Golay complementary sequences in a highly efficient communication system. OTDM is a proprietary modulation technology offering a similar behavior than multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) channels. Nevertheless, OTDM does not need spatial diversity, offering significant capacity gain over a traditional single-input/single-output (SISO) channel. This technique allows high-speed transmission in aggressive environments.
Commentary on effect of radiosurgery alone vs radiosurgery with whole brain radiation therapy on cognitive function in patients with 1-3 brain metastases by Brown et al. JAMA 2016;316:401-9

The team of Brown et al. are to be congratulated for the recent publication of a prospective randomized trial that evaluated cognitive function and tumor control in patients with 1–3 brain metastases (primarily lung). [1] This level 1 evidence provided additional confirmatory support regarding the role of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a primary management option for patients whose cancer has spread to the brain. The confirmation that SRS reduces the early cognitive function decline in cancer patients compared to the use of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) provides additional data that has gradually led to the displacement of reflex WBRT as the usual strategy for brain metastatic disease.
Loss of lumbar lordosis. A complication of spinal fusion for scoliosis.

Symptomatic loss of lumbar lordosis is a disabling complication of scoliosis surgery. This so-called "flat-back syndrome" is characterized by an inability to stand erect and by upper back pain. Distraction instrumentation extending into the lower lumbar spine or sacrum is the most frequently identified etiologic factor responsible for loss of lordosis. The more distal the level of instrumentation, the severer the loss of lumbar lordosis. Other factors that may aggravate the loss of lordosis include thoracolumbar kyphosis, fixed thoracic kyphosis, hip flexion contractures, and pseudoarthrosis. Because of the wide range of values for kyphosis and lordosis in normal individuals, there is no absolute value that can be considered "normal. " It is the overall sagittal plane balance that is most important. The most useful radiographic measurement to evaluate this sagittal plane balance is the full-length standing lateral radiograph with the knees extended. On this view, the C7-S1 measurement should fall within 2 cm of the anterior aspect of the sacrum. Surgical treatment for symptomatic loss of lumbar lordosis consists of closing wedge osteotomies through the fusion mass. This should generally be preceded by an anterior release and interbody fusion. Correction should be obtained at the site of the deformity with particular attention paid to the thoracolumbar junction. The surgery is difficult and the risk of complication is high. The most important aspect of this postural disorder is prevention. Avoid distraction instrumentation that extends into the lumbar spine if possible. When distraction instrumentation is used, the techniques described will help preserve lumbar lordosis. When performing a fusion to the sacrum, distraction instrumentation should not be used.
Total Quality Management in a Resource-Starved Nation

Total quality management (TQM) is defined as management approach, which empowers employees to adequately satisfy the customer needs. For efficient TQM, management is required to be fully committed, focused and goal-driven. The needs of employees such as tools and resources required for efficiency, self-improvement and corresponding recognition to reward for hard work are paramount in TQM; to achieve this in a resource starved nation such as Nigeria is a huge challenge. In 2016, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) decided that it was adopting TQM in its research and development activities. The challenge, however, was lack of infrastructure and trained personnel in this highly specialized and sensitive area. Respite came when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the United States Pharmacopoeia Convention Promotion of Quality Medicines (USP/PQM) agreed to provide support. Two years later (2018), NIPRD laboratory has been accredited by the American National Accreditation Board (ANAB) as the only academic institution and probably the only academic-based research institute in West Africa. We discuss herein TQM in a resource starved nation like Nigeria and propose that developing countries should collaborate in all areas of TQM with a view to upgrading institutions to international standards.
Conception et caractérisation de microgénérateurs piézoélectriques pour microsystèmes autonomes

Le contexte de cette these est la recuperation d'energie afin de rendre des capteurs autonomes. L'objectif de ce travail est de repondre a la problematique du couplage des microgenerateurs piezoelectriques resonants a la source de vibration mecanique. Cela necessite de travailler a plus basse frequence et sur des gammes de frequences plus importantes. Pour travailler a plus basses frequences, des poutres encastrees libres utilisant l'AlN comme materiau piezoelectrique ont ete concues, fabriquees et caracterisees. La possibilite de recuperer 0. 6µW a 214Hz pour un volume de moins de 3mm3 a ete prouvee. Comparees a la litterature, de tres bonnes figures de merite ont ete demontrees. Pour travailler sur des gammes de frequences plus importantes, une methode innovante de raidissement non lineaire de la structure a ete proposee et prouvee experimentalement, avec une adaptation de la frequence de resonance de plus de 50% en dessous de 500Hz
Phenomenology Study of Corporate Social Responsibility: Perspective of PT. Petrokimia Gresik Management

This research approach is qualitative research based on phenomenology. The essence of phenomenological study is to describe the views, knowledge, as well as the interpretation of a concept or phenomenon of subjects with a particular phenomenon, therefore, this study aims to understand the meaning of the concept of corporate social responsibility from the perspective of PT. Petrokimia Gresik management. The results showed that PT. Petrokimia Gresik management interprets the concept of corporate social responsibility (1). as accountability to the government; (2). as accountability to shareholders; (3). as accountability to the public; (4). as accountability to the environment; (5). as accountability to employees; and (6). as accountability to customers.
Hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus infection in street youths in Toronto, Canada

Hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus are transmitted by veneral contact or by the sharing of used needles during drug use. A questionnaire was administered to street youths admitting to prostitution and to a group denying prostitution, as well as to sexually active adolescents who lived with their family and were attending an adolescent medical clinic. The age, gender, race, number of sexual partners, condom use, illicit drug use, anal intercourse and admission to prostitution were recorded for each of the subjects. Serology was obtained for hepatitis B markers and human immunodeficiency virus antibody. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the factors which might predict hepatitis B serologic status. A single subject, who admitted to prostitution, was found to be human immunodeficiency virus.
Online banking adoption among academicians at MTUN universities in Malaysia

The advancement of technology especially the invention of the internet has changed the way organizations conduct their businesses today including banks especially in offering online banking services. Online banking services had been introduced in Malaysia in the year 2000. However, bank customers including academicians in Malaysia are influenced by issues of trust of online banking which also affects their level of adoption. In addition, there were only few studies which have combined Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Perceived Risk Theory (PRT) in understanding the adoption of online banking services in Malaysia. Therefore, this study intended to determine the factors influencing the adoption of online banking based on TAM (Perceived Usefulness, PU; Perceived Ease of Use, PEOU) as the base model, with Government Support (GS) being included as the additional variable. Furthermore, based on PRT, Trust is also included in this study. Variables influencing Trust (Perceived Security, PS; Perceived Risk, PR; Perceived Privacy, PP) are also assessed as well as the moderating influence of Trust on the relationship between PU, PEOU and GS, with the adoption of online banking in Malaysia. Respondents of this study were selected among academicians at Malaysian Technical Universities Network (MTUN) based on simple random sampling approach. Data was collected through the use of survey questionnaires. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed while 253 of them were retrieved and usable for data analysis. Data analysis was carried out with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The main results of this study revealed that PU and PEOU have significant influence on the adoption of online banking while GS was found not to be significant. Besides, PS and PR were also found to be significant in influencing Trust, while PP was found to be non-significant. Finally, Trust is also found to have a moderating influence on the relationship between PU and GS with the adoption of online banking and not significant in moderating the relationship between PEOU with the adoption of online banking. These findings sheds some valuable information to be considered by banks in offering online banking services to their customers as well as additional new practical and informational understanding to current literature on the adoption of online banking services.
Quadrature error estimation for MoM matrix entries

This paper is concerned with the method of moments (MoM) for electric field integral equation (EFIE) based numerical electromagnetic analysis of conducting surface structures. Inner (source) and outer (testing) integrals are encountered, when evaluating matrix entries. The well-known Radial-Angular-R1-Sqrt (RA-R1-Sqrt) weak near singularity cancellation transformation quadrature scheme for the inner integrals and standard Gaussian numerical integration for the outer integrals, are considered. It is shown that the quadrature error in the matrix entries, due to inner integral evaluation, can be accurately estimated under certain circumstances. A closed-form quadrature error estimate for the RA-R1-Sqrt scheme is employed.