Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Programming for CD8 T Cell Memory Development Requires IL-12 or Type I IFN1

Inflammation can have both positive and negative effects on development of CD8 T cell memory, but the relative contributions and cellular targets of the cytokines involved are unclear. Using CD8 T cells lacking receptors for IL-12, type I IFN, or both, we show that these cytokines act directly on CD8 T cells to support memory formation in response to vaccinia virus and Listeria monocytogenes infections. Development of memory to vaccinia is supported predominantly by IL-12, whereas both IL-12 and type I IFN contribute to memory formation in response to Listeria. In contrast to memory formation, the inability to respond to IL-12 or type I IFN had a relatively small impact on the level of primary expansion, with at most a 3-fold reduction in the case of responses to Listeria. We further show that programming for memory development by IL-12 is complete within 3 days of the initial naive CD8 T cell response to Ag. This programming does not result in formation of a population that expresses killer cell lectin-like receptor G1, and the majority of the resulting memory cells have a CD62Lhigh phenotype characteristic of central memory cells. Consistent with this, the cells undergo strong expansion upon rechallenge and provide protective immunity. These data demonstrate that IL-12 and type I IFN play an essential early role in determining whether Ag encounter by naive CD8 T cells results in formation of a protective memory population.
Measuring Women's Disempowerment in Agriculture in Pakistan

This paper calculates a Womenâ€™s Disempowerment Index to examine womenâ€™s control over production, resources, income, household decisions, and time burden. The index is based on a slightly modified methodology than that used for WEAI calculation by Alkire et al. (2012). The analysis is based on a sample of 2,090 households in the rural areas of Pakistan. Data used for the study were collected in three rounds of the Pakistan Rural Household Panel Survey from 2012â€“2014 by International Food Policy Research Institute/ Innovative Development Strategies for its Pakistan Strategy Support Program.
Epithelia-mesenchyme interaction plays an essential role in transdifferentiation of retinal pigment epithelium of silver mutant quail: localization of FGF and related molecules and aberrant migration pattern of neural crest cells during eye rudiment formation.

Homozygotes of the quail silver mutation, which have plumage color changes, also display a unique phenotype in the eye: during early embryonic development, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) spontaneously transdifferentiates into neural retinal tissue. Mitf is considered to be the responsible gene and to function similarly to the mouse microphthalmia mutation, and tissue interaction between RPE and surrounding mesenchymal tissue in organ culture has been shown to be essential for the initiation of the transdifferentiation process in which fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is involved. The immunohistochemical results of the present study show that laminin and heparan sulfate proteoglycan, both acting as cofactors for FGF binding, are localized in the area of transdifferentiation of silver embryos much more abundantly than in wild-type embryos. More intense immunohistochemical staining with FGF-1 antibody, but not with FGF-2 antibody, is also found in the neural retina, RPE, and choroidal tissue of silver embryos than in wild-type embryos. HNK-1 immunohistochemistry revealed that clusters of HNK-1-positive cells (presumptive migrating neural crest cells) are frequently located around the developing eyes and in the posterior region of the silver embryonic eye. Finally, chick-quail chimerical eyes were made by grafting silver quail optic vesicles to chicken host embryos: in most cases, no transdifferentiation occurs in the silver RPE, but in a few cases, transdifferentiation occurs where silver quail cells predominate in the choroid tissue. These observations together with our previous in vitro study indicate that the silver mutation affects not only RPE cells but also cephalic neural crest cells, which migrate to the eye rudiment, and that these crest cells play an essential role in the transdifferentiation of RPE, possibly by modifying the FGF signaling pathway. The precise molecular mechanism involved in RPE-neural crest cell interaction is still unknown, and the quail silver mutation is considered to be a good experimental model for studying the role of neural crest cells in vertebrate eye development.
Anti-rheumatic drug use and risk of serious infections in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To assess the risk of severe infections associated with the use of traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and glucocorticoid agents in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Our study was a case-control design nested within a cohort of 23 733 RA patients studied between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 2003. Matching on age and gender, and adjusting for comorbidity and physician use, conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of specific drugs on the rate ratio (RR) for infections requiring hospitalization. RESULTS The risk for all infections requiring hospitalization appeared to be most elevated with current exposures to cyclophosphamide [RR: 3.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.28-4.67] and systemic glucocorticoid agents (RR: 2.56, 95% CI: 2.29-2.85); azathioprine was associated with a moderate increased risk (RR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.18-1.97). There was a suggestion of increased risk of pneumonia due to methotrexate (RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02-1.33). The results were similar for the period before and after the introduction of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents. The RR point estimate for anti-TNF agents suggested about a 2-fold increased risk for all infections, but the estimate was imprecise. CONCLUSIONS In this large cohort of RA patients, the most heightened risk of serious infections was seen with the use of glucocorticoid agents and immunosuppressive DMARDs. Assessments of infection risk related to newer and emerging therapies should carefully consider concomitant medication exposures, including traditional DMARDs and glucocorticoid therapy.
Population Genetics of Commercial and Feral Honey Bees in Western Australia

Abstract Due to the introduction of exotic honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) diseases in the eastern states, the borders of the state of Western Australia were closed to the import of bees for breeding and other purposes >25 yr ago. To provide genetically improved stock for the industry, a closed population breeding program was established that now provides stock for the majority of Western Australian beekeepers. Given concerns that inbreeding may have resulted from the closed population breeding structure, we assessed the genetic diversity within and between the breeding lines by using microsatellite and mitochondrial markers. We found that the breeding population still maintains considerable genetic diversity, despite 25 yr of selective breeding. We also investigated the genetic distance of the closed population breeding program to that of beekeepers outside of the program, and the feral Western Australian honey bee population. The feral population is genetically distinct from the closed population, but not from the genetic stock maintained by beekeepers outside of the program. The honey bees of Western Australia show three mitotypes, originating from two subspecies: Apis mellifera ligustica (mitotypes C1 and M7b) and Apis mellifera iberica (mitotype M6). Only mitotypes C1 and M6 are present in the commercial populations. The feral population contains all three mitotypes.
Serum Endotoxin Activity Measured with Endotoxin Activity Assay Is Associated with Serum Interleukin-6 Levels in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis

Background: This study aims to evaluate, in patients on chronic hemodialysis (PHD), the levels of endotoxin through a chemiluminescent bioassay based on the oxidative burst reaction of activated neutrophils to complement coated LPS-IgM immune complexes and define the variables possibly correlated. Methods: In 61 PHD, we measured serum endotoxin activity (EA) with the Endotoxin Activity Assay (EAA™) and we defined the possible association with demographic, clinical and laboratory variables. Results: Mean serum EA was 0.43 ± 0.26 UI. EA was low (<0.40) in 29 patients (47.5%), intermediate (0.40-0.60) in 14 (23%) and high (>0.60) in 18 (29.5%). A significant exponential relationship was detected between EA and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels (r = 0.871). At the multiple regression analysis, intermediate-high EA was directly associated only with serum IL-6 levels. In a second model of multiple regression analysis without the variable serum IL-6 levels, intermediate-high EA was directly associated with constipation and serum troponin levels and inversely associated with serum albumin and the monthly number of sevelamer tablets. Conclusions: A high percentage of PHD has intermediate or high EA. Intermediate-high EA is significantly associated with serum IL-6 levels.
Paradoxical effects of alcohol information on alcohol outcome expectancies.

BACKGROUND Cognitive associations with alcohol predict both current and future use in youth and young adults. Much cognitive and social cognitive research suggests that exposure to information may have unconscious influences on thinking and behavior. The present study assessed the impact of information statements on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. METHODS The 2 studies reported here investigated the effects of exposure to alcohol statements typical of informational approaches to prevention on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. High school and university students were presented with information statements about the effects of alcohol and other commercial products. The alcohol statements were taken from expectancy questionnaires. Some of these statements were presented as facts and others as myths. The retention of detailed information about these statements was manipulated by (i) divided attention versus focused attention or (ii) immediate versus delayed testing. Accessibility of personal alcohol outcome expectancies was subsequently measured using an open-ended question about the expected effects of alcohol. RESULTS Participants reported more alcohol outcomes seen during the information task as personal expectations about the effects of alcohol use than similar unseen items. Paradoxically, myth statements were also more likely to be reported as expectancies than unseen items in all conditions. Additionally, myth statements were generated less often than fact statements only under the condition of immediate testing with strong content processing instructions. CONCLUSIONS These observations are consistent with findings from cognitive research where familiarity in the absence of explicit memory can have an unconscious influence on performance. In particular, the exposure to these items in an informational format increases accessibility of the seen items even when the participants were told that they were myths. The findings have implications for the development of effective prevention materials.
A Comparative Study of Heterogeneous Processor Simulators

In 1970’s, Gordon Moore perceived that the number of transistors in a processor would double after every 18 months. With the addition of more transistors on a single-chip, a processor’s energy consumption increases exponentially. The solution to this problem is heterogeneous processors and machines. Heterogeneous machine is the combination of CPU and GPU platforms. Computer architecture is shifting from multi-core to heterogeneous era. Generally, computer architects practice of software simulation to model and analyze their ideas. Today, computer architects are using cycle-level simulators to discover and analyze new processor designs. To search the heterogeneous system design-space, we review and practically analyze heterogeneous simulators and their performance. In this study, we present a detailed comparative analysis of gem5-gpu, gem5, and multi2sim simulators.
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in new‐born infants.

1. Ventilation was measured in eleven healthy term infants during both quiet and active sleep, using the trunk plethysmograph, and instantaneous heart rate was derived from the electrocardiogram. Variations in individual respiratory and cardiac cycles were compared in each sleep state, and cross‐correlations between ventilation and heart rate were used in the analysis of the data. 2. It was found that heart rate and respiratory rate were higher and more variable during active than during quiet sleep, with a small reduction in tidal volume. 3. Cross‐correlations showed that respiratory sinus arrhythmia was present in both sleep states, but was more marked during quiet sleep. 4. Running cross‐correlations using a 5 s window showed that phase relationships between ventilation and heart rate, were, on the whole, stable during quiet sleep, but markedly unstable during active sleep. 5. It is concluded that in the investigation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the new‐born, it is important to take account of sleep state, the methods of measuring ventilation and heart rate, and to use analytical techniques suited to the specific purpose of the study. 6. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia is considered to be due to an interaction between systems controlling breathing and those controlling the cardiovascular system, and that this interaction is affected by sleep state.
Biomarkers of Stroke Recovery: Consensus-Based Core Recommendations from the Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable*

The most difficult clinical questions in stroke rehabilitation are “What is this patient’s potential for recovery? ” and “What is the best rehabilitation strategy for this person, given her/his clinical profile? ” Without answers to these questions, clinicians struggle to make decisions regarding the content and focus of therapy, and researchers design studies that inadvertently mix participants who have a high likelihood of responding with those who do not. Developing and implementing biomarkers that distinguish patient subgroups will help address these issues and unravel the factors important to the recovery process. The goal of the present paper is to provide a consensus statement regarding the current state of the evidence for stroke recovery biomarkers. Biomarkers of motor, somatosensory, cognitive and language domains across the recovery timeline post-stroke are considered; with focus on brain structure and function, and exclusion of blood markers and genetics. We provide evidence for biomarkers that are considered ready to be included in clinical trials, as well as others that are promising but not ready and so represent a developmental priority. We conclude with an example that illustrates the utility of biomarkers in recovery and rehabilitation research, demonstrating how the inclusion of a biomarker may enhance future clinical trials. In this way, we propose a way forward for when and where we can include biomarkers to advance the efficacy of the practice of, and research into, rehabilitation and recovery after stroke.
Online Time Series Forecasting Based on Biorthogonal Wavelet Kernel Support Vector Machine

As a Special wavelet, biorthogonal wavelet has many advantages in signal processing. This paper constructs a new biorthogonal wavelet based on CDF method and constructs the biorthogonal wavelet kernel function. Then we study the update of incremental model and propose online forecasting algorithm. We research the algorithm based on biorthogonal wavelet kernel support vector machine (SVM) and use this algorithm to forecast the Chinese Csi 300 stock index futures at last. The experiment result shows the algorithm has ideal prediction effect.
Thalamic integrity underlies executive dysfunction in traumatic brain injury

Objective: To quantify the effects of traumatic brain injury on integrity of thalamocortical projection fibers and to evaluate whether damage to these fibers accounts for impairments in executive function in chronic traumatic brain injury. Methods: High-resolution (voxel size: 0.78 mm × 0.78 mm × 3 mm3) diffusion tensor MRI of the thalamus was conducted on 24 patients with a history of single, closed-head traumatic brain injury (TBI) (12 each of mild TBI and moderate to severe TBI) and 12 age- and education-matched controls. Detailed neuropsychological testing with an emphasis on executive function was also conducted. Fractional anisotropy was extracted from 12 regions of interest in cortical and corpus callosum structures and 7 subcortical regions of interest (anterior, ventral anterior, ventral lateral, dorsomedial, ventral posterior lateral, ventral posterior medial, and pulvinar thalamic nuclei). Results: Relative to controls, patients with a history of brain injury showed reductions in fractional anisotropy in both the anterior and posterior corona radiata, forceps major, the body of the corpus callosum, and fibers identified from seed voxels in the anterior and ventral anterior thalamic nuclei. Fractional anisotropy from cortico-cortico and corpus callosum regions of interest did not account for significant variance in neuropsychological function. However, fractional anisotropy from the thalamic seed voxels did account for variance in executive function, attention, and memory. Conclusions: The data provide preliminary evidence that traumatic brain injury and resulting diffuse axonal injury results in damage to the thalamic projection fibers and is of clinical relevance to cognition.
Legal and ethical issues of using brain imaging to diagnose pain

Abstract Pain, by definition, is a subjective experience, and as such its presence has usually been based on a self-report. However, limitations of self-reports for pain diagnostics, particularly for legal and insurance purposes, has led some to consider a brain-imaging–based objective measure of pain. This review will provide an overview of (1) differences between pain and nociception, (2) intersubject variability in pain perception and the associated brain structures and functional circuits, and (3) capabilities and limitations of current brain-imaging technologies. I then discuss how these factors impact objective proxies of pain. Finally, the ethical, privacy, and legal implications of a brain-imaging–based objective measure of pain are considered as potential future technological developments necessary to create a so-called “painometer test. ”
Denoising of lightning electric field signals using fractional Fourier transform

In recent years, several activities have been carried out by EMC-UNC (research group) to measure, study and classify the parameters of lightning electric fields signals in Bogotá, Colombia. However, measurements are distorted and exhibit significant noise levels caused by undesired signals from the electromagnetic environment together with other types of disturbances produced by the measuring system, which inevitably introduces noise in signal measurements. This paper shows the results of applying the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) as an alternative technique to reduce the presence of noise and also of undesired signal components within a set of electric field signatures. Basic conditions to carry out the filtering process in the fractional Fourier domain (FRFd) are presented. Afterwards, some lightning electric field temporal characteristics are analyzed by using the processed signatures. Important differences between processed and measured waveforms are observed.
Rapid detection of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsy material by polymerase chain reaction

By using primers based on the sequence of a species-specific antigen of Helicobacter pylori (P. O'Toole, S.M. Logan, M. Kostrzynska. T. Wadström, and T.J. Trust, J. Bacteriol. 173:505-513, 1991), a protocol was established for detection of this microorganism in gastric biopsy samples by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A single primer pair was used to specifically amplify a 298-bp sequence in a rapid two-step PCR. The primers exhibited the same specificity in PCR as that which we reported for the species-specific gene probe on which they were based. The sensitivity of the method was 20 copies of the target sequence, or 70 bacterial cells, under the lysis conditions used for patient-derived material. When amplification was performed for a saturating number of cycles, visual examination of ethidium bromide-stained gels successfully detected all samples subsequently judged to be positive by Southern hybridization of the gel with a probe specific for the PCR product. The bacterium could be detected in gastric biopsy samples from patients with various gastric diseases, including samples from which the bacterium could not be cultured. Only 9 of 19 patients who tested positive by PCR of gastric biopsy material were positive when a saliva sample was analyzed. Protocols for sample handling which minimized the risk of contamination while maximizing the sensitivity of the reaction were established. The results support a role for PCR in the rapid identification of H. pylori in clinical samples.
An islanding detection method based on adaptive reactive power disturbance

Islanding detection is an essential function of distributed grid-connected power generation systems, and an islanding detection method based on adaptive reactive power disturbance is proposed in this article. Importing the reactive power disturbance can make RLC loads generate the frequency shift when the power grid is disconnected for fault and the islanding will be detected. The reactive power disturbance is combined with reactive power change and frequency variation, and reactive power change and frequency variation are closely nearby zero when the energy router is connected with the grid. So the total harmonic distortion (THD) of connected current will be very low and the great power quality will be assured in the proposed islanding detection method. In addition, the relation between new energy capacity and load capacity is established in this method. The quantitative analysis of reactive power disturbance is carried out and verified in MATLAB/Simulink simulation. The simulation results show that the islanding detection method based on reactive power disturbance can detect the isolated island phenomenon within the 0.1s under the setting parameters. It can not only satisfy the speed and accuracy, but also reduce the disturbance of power grid.
HOST POPULATION STRUCTURE AND THE EVOLUTION OF VIRULENCE: A “LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS”

Structure in a population of host individuals, whether spatial or temporal, can have important effects on the transmission and evolutionary dynamics of its pathogens. One of these is to limit dispersal of pathogens and thus increase the amount of contact between a given pair or within a small group of host individuals. We introduce a “law of diminishing returns” that predicts an evolutionary decline of pathogen virulence whenever there are on average more possibilities of pathogen transmission between the same pair of hosts. Thus, the effect of repeated contact between hosts will be to shift the balance of any trade‐off between virulence and transmissibility toward lower virulence.