Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postthymic T‐Cell Development

T cell development and renewal operates through three integrated stages defmed by the anatomical location of the cell populations involved (Stutman 1978): prethymic (hemopoietic tissues), intrathymic (thymus) and postthymic (peripheral lymphoid tissues). These three topographical phases also imply complex traffic patterns of hemopoietic cells to the thymus and export of the thymus-processed cells to the periphery (Stutman 1972a, 1977, 1978). The three stages, especially the intrathymic, also involve the development of differentiative changes related to T-cell function, such as rearrangements of Tcell receptor genes and receptor expression (Acuto et al. 1983, Roehm et al. 1984, Born et al. 1985, Raulet et al. 1985, Samelson et al. 1985, Snodgrass et al. 1985), expression of T3 (Reinherz et al. 1980, 1982, Samelson et al. 1985), expression of Ly 2/L3T4 in mice (Mathieson et al. 1981, Van Ewijk et al. 1982, Scollay & Shortman 1983, Scollay et al. 1984a, Ceredig et al. 1983a, Ceredig & MacDonald 1985, Mathieson & Fowlkes 1984) and T4/T8 in humans (Reinherz & Schlossman 1980) and expression of IL-2 receptors (Ceredig et al. 1985, Raulet 1985), among the most actively studied at present. These three stages are certainly involved in the development of the first cohort of T cells during ontogeny and most probably in the continuous production of new T lymphocytes throughout life (Stutman 1978, 1985). However, the magnitude of the contribution of each stage to the maintenance of the peripheral Tcell pool may be different during the exponential growth of early ontogeny, the adult life steady state and the age-related decline (Stutman 1985, 1986). Although it is still debatable whether commitment to become a T cell really precedes commitment to function, it appears that the intrathymic stage provides the definitive drive towards functional T cells as part of a speculated irreversible commitment to T lineage (Stutman 1978). Thus, the immediate ancestors of each T cell in the periphery have been selected at least twice for entry into and for exit out of the thymus, in addition to or as part of the "selective" process which
Extending the p-cycle concept to path segment protection for span and node failure recovery

The paper introduces an extension to the method of p-cycles for network protection. The p-cycle concept is generalized to protect path segments of contiguous working flow, not only spans that lie on the cycle or directly straddle the p-cycle. The original span protecting use of the p-cycle technique is extend to include path protection or protection of any flow segment along a path. It also gives an inherent means of protecting working flows that transit a failed node. We use integer linear programming to study the new concept and determine its inherent capacity requirements relative to prior p-cycle designs and other types of efficient mesh-survivable networks. Results show that path-segment-protecting p-cycles ("flow p-cycles") have capacity efficiency near that of the shared backup path-protection (SBPP) scheme currently favored for optical networking. Because its protection paths are fully preconnected and because it protects path segments (not entire paths), it has the potential for both higher speed and higher availability than SBPP. We also develop capacity optimization models to support 100% restoration of transiting flows through failed nodes. Only a very small additional spare capacity is needed to achieve both 100% span and intermediate node-failure restorabilities, and a very high transiting traffic restorability can be accomplished for node failure restorability given spare capacity only for span-failure protection. An immediate practical application is to suggest the use of flow p-cycles to protect transparent optical express flows through a regional network.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS GF-120 FRUIT FLY BAIT SPRAY APPLIED TO BORDER AREA SORGHUM PLANTS FOR CONTROL OF MELON FLIES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE)?

Abstract Application of bait spray to non-host sorghum plants bordering host plants of melon flies, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillet, is a common practice for melon fly control in Hawaii. In a field study conducted in 2003 in Hawaii, we first asked whether GF-120 Fruit Fly bait spray applied to sorghum plants that bordered only two (opposite) sides of a patch of cucumbers was as effective in protecting cucumbers against melon flies as similar spray applied to sorghum plants that bordered all four sides of a cucumber patch. Second, we asked whether mature melon fly females carrying a high egg load but deprived of protein during the previous 24 h were more responsive to bait spray than mature females having continuous access to protein. Color-marked melon fly females were released outside of patches of sorghum-bordered cucumbers. We found no significant differences between two-sided and four-sided patches of sorghum or between protein-deprived (for 24 h) and protein-fed (continuously) mature females in percentages of released females that found cucumbers in bait-sprayed plots. Moreover, none of these percentages was significantly less than percentages of released females that found cucumbers in unsprayed plots, indicating an overall ineffectiveness of bait spray application. During the 24 h after alighting on cucumbers, released females that were captured alive on cucumbers and placed in cups with cucumbers laid on average almost as many eggs (insignificantly fewer) when taken from bait-sprayed plots as when taken from unsprayed plots. An overriding factor may have been the presence of just a narrow swath of sorghum (arising from a single row of plants), which may have permitted females easy access to cucumbers and masked potential differences among treatments. Bait spray applied to broader swaths of sorghum may be more effective.
Role of protein kinase C in the deficient gap junctional intercellular communication of K-ras-transformed murine lung epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND Protein kinase C (PKC) activity is increased and gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is decreased frequently in Ras-transformed cells. We investigated the roles of Ras and PKC in the deficient gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) of K-ras-transformed E9 mouse lung carcinoma cells. METHODS GJIC was measured by fluorescent dye microinjection. Ras activity was blocked with lovastatin or a K-ras antisense oligonucleotide. PKC activity was inhibited with GF 109203X or apigenin or was downregulated by overnight treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. The content and phosphorylation of the gap junction protein, connexin43 (Cx43), was assessed by Western blot. RESULTS E9 cell GJIC was increased two-three fold by lovastatin, the K-ras antisense oligonucleotide, and PKC inhibition/downregulation. Cx43 content and phosphorylation were unchanged, however. CONCLUSIONS Oncogenic Ras blocks GJIC in E9 cells through a PKC-dependent mechanism, but this does not directly involve Cx43 expression or phosphorylation.
Perceptual spectrum quantization

We propose two new quantization schemes, based on a novel speech spectrum distortion measure with interframe memory, to illustrate and exploit the perceptual importance of the time evolution of spectrum vectors. The proposed methods punish quick changes in the time evolution of the spectrum error. This leads to a slowly evolving quantized spectrum, with a maintained ability to track quick transitions in the unquantized spectrum. We found both the methods to give an increased subjective performance, compared to standard systems operating at the same rate. Listening tests point at possible gains of around 2 bits per frame.
The protective effect of alpha-tocopherol and GdCl3 against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury.

PURPOSE To evaluate the combined effect of alpha-tocopherol and gadolinium chloride (GdCl3) in reducing lipid peroxidation after severe hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. METHODS Sixty male Wistar rats, 200-250 g, were randomly divided into six equal groups. There were two sham operation (SHAM) groups, two untreated IR groups, and two IR groups treated with GdCl3 and alpha-tocopherol (IRGT). After 60 min of total hepatic ischemia and 120 min reperfusion, one of each group was killed, liver samples were taken for malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) analysis and light microscopy examination, and blood samples were analyzed for aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT) transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alpha-tocopherol content. The remaining groups were monitored for survival rate determination. RESULTS The mean MDA and MPO values in the SHAM, IR, and IRGT groups, respectively, were 1.117, 1.476, and 0.978 nmol/g wet tissue and 1.49, 6.26, and 1.78 (U/g). The mean alpha-tocopherol values in the SHAM, IR, and IRGT groups, respectively, were 10.4, 1.9, and 12 micromol/l. The mean serum AST, ALT, and LDH values were significantly higher in the IR group than in the SHAM group (P < 0.001), and significantly lower in the IRGT group than in the IR group (P < 0.001). Light microscopy examination revealed more severe congestion and vacuolization in the IR group than in the SHAM group, and minimal congestion and vacuolization in the IRGT group. Survival was significantly higher in the IRGT group than in the IR group. CONCLUSION The administration of GdCl3 and alpha-tocopherol is likely to protect the liver against lipid peroxidation by suppressing Kupffer cell and polymorphonuclear leukocyte activation and enhancing endogenous antioxidant activity.
Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in rural and urban communities in high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

IMPORTANCE Hypertension is the most important preventable cause of morbidity and mortality globally, yet there are relatively few data collected using standardized methods. OBJECTIVE To examine hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in participants at baseline in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study of 153,996 adults (complete data for this analysis on 142,042) aged 35 to 70 years, recruited between January 2003 and December 2009. Participants were from 628 communities in 3 high-income countries (HIC), 10 upper-middle-income and low-middle-income countries (UMIC and LMIC), and 4 low-income countries (LIC). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Hypertension was defined as individuals with self-reported treated hypertension or with an average of 2 blood pressure measurements of at least 140/90 mm Hg using an automated digital device. Awareness was based on self-reports, treatment was based on the regular use of blood pressure-lowering medications, and control was defined as individuals with blood pressure lower than 140/90 mm Hg. RESULTS Among the 142,042 participants, 57,840 (40.8%; 95% CI, 40.5%-41.0%) had hypertension and 26,877 (46.5%; 95% CI, 46.1%-46.9%) were aware of the diagnosis. Of those who were aware of the diagnosis, the majority (23,510 [87.5%; 95% CI, 87.1%-87.9%] of those who were aware) were receiving pharmacological treatments, but only a minority of those receiving treatment were controlled (7634 [32.5%; 95% CI, 31.9%-33.1%]). Overall, 30.8%, 95% CI, 30.2%-31.4% of treated patients were taking 2 or more types of blood pressure-lowering medications. The percentages aware (49.0% [95% CI, 47.8%-50.3%] in HICs, 52.5% [95% CI, 51.8%-53.2%] in UMICs, 43.6% [95% CI, 42.9%-44.2%] in LMICs, and 40.8% [95% CI, 39.9%-41.8%] in LICs) and treated (46.7% [95% CI, 45.5%-47.9%] in HICs, 48.3%, [95% CI, 47.6%-49.1%] in UMICs, 36.9%, [95% CI, 36.3%-37.6%] in LMICs, and 31.7% [95% CI, 30.8%-32.6%] in LICs) were lower in LICs compared with all other countries for awareness (P <.001) and treatment (P <.001). Awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension were higher in urban communities compared with rural ones in LICs (urban vs rural, P <.001) and LMICs (urban vs rural, P <.001), but similar for other countries. Low education was associated with lower rates of awareness, treatment, and control in LICs, but not in other countries. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among a multinational study population, 46.5% of participants with hypertension were aware of the diagnosis, with blood pressure control among 32.5% of those being treated. These findings suggest substantial room for improvement in hypertension diagnosis and treatment.
Anomaly detection approach using Hidden Markov Model

Anomaly detection is an important problem that has been researched within diverse research areas. Numerous methods and approaches based on Hidden Markov Model regarding the anomaly detection have been proposed and reported in the literature. However, the potential applications using Hidden Markov Model classification based anomaly detection technique have not yet been fully explored and still in its infancy. This paper investigates the capabilities the use of Hidden Markov Model in anomaly detection for discrete sequences.
Point-based nonrigid registration : application to object recognition and medical image registration

Image registration is an important problem in computer vision and has many diverse applications. Registration is the method of aligning two or more images into the same coordinate system to achieve a one-to-one correspondence. While registration of images has been studied in the past, an area that is less explored is nonrigid registration. It turns out that nonrigid registration is very appropriate when complex deformations are involved. In this thesis, we focus on point-based nonrigid registration and develop algorithms for solving nonrigid registration problems. With nonrigid registration as the goal, new point-based shape descriptor for object classification has been developed. The shape descriptor is based on principal curvatures and their directions. High curvature boundary points are first extracted in a multi-scale environment. The shape descriptor is then extracted by taking the k nearest neighborhood boundary points around a point of interest and calculating the central moments of the distribution of different properties of these neighborhood points. The choice of scale and the number of nearest neighbors provides a global as well as a local description of the neighborhood. Compared to previous techniques for shape matching and classification, experiments show that the proposed algorithm is more robust to deformation and invariant to rotation, scaling and translation. We also present a robust registration method based on geometric invariant features using multiscale weighted quaternion sub-division. The geometric invariant features are based on selective crest points which are robust to deformation. The k-nearest neighbor approach combined with multi-scale provides a new adaptive method for collecting features. The size of the neighborhood is increased if fewer features are present and is decreased when features are abundant. A feature of quaternion fitting approach is that it provides a fast method for registering points during sub-division registration, and the associated feature weights help remove any outlier effect on the result of the registration. A rigid body deformable registration scheme is also presented which is robust to noise, intensity variation and missing features. Hausdorff distance has been used as a similarity measure. The registration technique focuses on multi-modal medical images which have significant intensity variations and different levels of SNR. A huge amount of feature mismatch is also present between modalities as different modalities depict different tissues differently. We have analyzed the robustness and sensitivity of our algorithm with respect to various CT and MRI images of different quality.
Simulations of Phytoplankton Species and Carbon Production in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean 2 . Effects of Physical and Biogeochemical Processes

A one-dimensional multi-component lower trophic level ecosystem model that includes detailed algal physiology is used to investigate the response of phytoplankton community and carbon production and export to variations in physical and biochemical processes in the Cold Tongue region of the equatorial Pacific Ocean at 0N, 140W. Results show that high-frequency variability in vertical advection and temperature is an important mechanism driving the carbon export. Filtering out low frequency physical forcing results in a 30% increase in primary production and dominance of high-light adapted Prochlorococcus and autotrophic eukaryotes. Sensitivity studies show that iron availability is the primary control on carbon export and production; whereas, algal biomass concentration is largely regulated by zooplankton grazing. Recycled iron is an important component of the ecosystem dynamics because sustained growth of algal groups depends on remineralized iron which accounts for 40% of the annual primary production in the Cold Tongue region. Sensitivity studies show that although all algal groups have a considerable effect on simulated phytoplankton carbon biomass, not all have a strong effect on primary production and carbon export. Thus, these sensitivity studies indicate that it may not be necessary to represent a broad spectrum of algal groups in carbon cycle models, because a few key groups appear to have a large influence on primary production and export variability. Combining the low-light adapted Prochlorococcus, high-light adapted Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus groups as a single group and using a three algal group model may be sufficient to simulate primary production and export variability in the tropical Pacific waters. The results from this modeling study suggest that the net effect of increased stratification and temperature conditions is a decrease in carbon export in the Cold Tongue region and a shift in the phytoplankton community towards smaller algal forms (e.g., Prochlorococcus spp. and Synechecoccus). Increased stratification can result in decreased iron concentration and reduced vertical velocities, both of which contribute to decreased carbon export. Also, stratified conditions enhance the remineralization rate of nutrients (e.g., iron), which enhances carbon production. Thus, inclusion of iron dynamics in climate models may be needed to fully represent the effect of climate variability on equatorial Pacific ecosystems. 1. Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529, U.S.A. 2. Present address: Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli, Turkey. 3. Corresponding author. email: baris@ims.metu. edu.tr
Lead acetate genotoxicity on human melanoma cells in vitro

In this study, chromosomal damage induced in vitro by lead acetate in human melanoma cells (B-Mel) was evaluated using the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analysis. Lead acetate (10−6, 10−5 and 10−3 mM) induced micronuclei and SCE formation in a dose-dependent manner. Treated cells showed a decrease in cell viability but not concomitant cell death by apoptosis (lead acetate failed to induce internucleosomal DNA fragmentation at any of the doses tested). One important observation emerging from this study was that low-level lead exposure in vitro is able to induce significant cytogenetic damage in human melanoma cells, indicating an increased sensitivity of B-Mel cells to lead acetate.
Excitatory amino acids in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute head injuries.

BACKGROUND The excitatory amino acids (EAAs) glutamate (Glu) and aspartate (Asp) play a role in the pathogenesis of postischemic and posttraumatic brain insult. The changes of EAAs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with traumatic brain injury are incompletely understood. METHODS We used reversed-phase HPLC with precolumn derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and fluorescence detection to measure Glu and Asp in CSF of 42 patients with acute head injury and 9 control adults without neurologic diseases. We assessed the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission, the main lesion patterns on computed tomography (CT) scan within 24 h post trauma, and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 3 months post injury. RESULTS The mean concentrations of Glu and Asp in CSF in the brain-injured group were significantly higher than those of the control group (Glu, P <0.001; Asp, P <0.05). In patients admitted within 24 h after severe injury (n = 13), peak Glu values appeared within 48 h in 11 patients (85%), and the mean value remained higher than control values at day 7 (P <0.02). The concentrations of EAAs were higher in patients with severe injuries (GCS < or =8) than in those with milder injuries (Glu, P <0.001; Asp, P <0.05). GCS and peak EAAs correlated negatively (Glu, rs = -0.5706, P <0.001; Asp, rs = -0.5503, P <0.001). The patients with focal brain contusion on initial CT scan (n = 8) had a significantly lower peak Glu value than the patients with other patterns (n = 8-15; P <0.02 to 0.001). The peak value of EAAs in the poor-outcome group (including severe disability, vegetative state, and death) was significantly higher than in the good-outcome group (good recovery and moderate disability; Glu, P <0.001; Asp, P <0.01); GOS was closely correlated to the EAA values (Glu, rs = 0.5737, P <0.001; Asp, rs = 0.5470, P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS The EAA concentrations in CSF increase after acute head injury and remain higher for at least 1 week post injury in severely injured patients. The more severe the trauma, the more obvious the excitotoxicity induced by EAAs and the worse the outcome.
Management of Lacrimal Gland Carcinoma: Lessons From the Literature in the Past 40 Years

Purpose: To review the published literature on management strategies for lacrimal gland carcinomas. Methods: Review of relevant articles in PubMed published in English from the year of 1970 through September 2014. Results: A review of literature suggests that treatment strategies for adenoid cystic carcinoma of lacrimal gland are varied, but local control does not necessarily prevent future delayed distant relapse. Tumor size and histologic features of lacrimal gland carcinoma seem to be important prognostic features. With improved imaging modalities providing better tumor diagnosis and staging, and availability of more focused radiation delivery techniques, multimodality globe sparing management of lacrimal gland carcinomas may be possible in selected cases. The availability of targeted drugs based on the molecular signature of an individual lacrimal gland carcinoma may offer possible targeted treatments for patients with nonresectable or metastatic disease. Conclusion: Given the rarity of lacrimal gland carcinoma, multi-institutional studies and consistent reporting of size and histologic type of tumors in the literature may be prudent. Particularly, multimodality globe-sparing treatment strategies should be studied further.