Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The T‐cell receptor repertoire of regulatory T cells

The CD4+ CD25+ regulatory population of T cells (Treg cells), which expresses the forkhead family transcription factor (Foxp3), is the key component of the peripheral tolerance mechanism that protects us from a variety of autoimmune diseases. Experimental evidence shows that Treg cells recognize a wide range of antigenic specificities with increased reactivity to self antigens, although the affinity of these interactions remains to be further defined. The Treg repertoire is highly diverse with a distinct set of T‐cell receptors (TCRs), and yet is overlapping to some extent with the repertoire of conventional T cells (Tconv cells). The majority of Treg cells are generated in the thymus. However, the role of the TCR specificity in directing thymic precursors to become Treg or Tconv cells remains unclear. On the one hand, the higher self reactivity of Treg cells and utilization of different TCRs in Treg and Tconv repertoires suggest that in TCR interactions an initial decision is made about the ‘suitability’ of a developing thymocyte to become a Treg cell. On the other hand, as Treg cells can recognize a wide range of foreign antigens, have a diverse TCR repertoire, and show some degree of overlap with Tconv cells, the signals through the TCR may be complementary to the TCR‐independent process that generates precursors of Treg cells. In this review, we discuss how different features of the Treg repertoire influence our understanding of Treg specificities and the role of self reactivity in the generation of this population.
Aprendizaje activo enc ursos básicos de Ingeniería: un ejemplo en la enseñanza de Dinámica

Tradicionalmente, la educacion superior en ingenieria no posibilita la participacion activa del estudiante en su proceso de aprendizaje, pues este es un actor pasivo en el proceso, limitado a seguir y tratar de entender lo que el docente desarrolla en el pizarron y posteriormente a aplicar los resultados en problemas que se le asignan. Esta forma de educacion tradicional tambien acostumbra al estudiante a ser dependiente del docente como fuente de conocimiento y poco estimula la autonomia intelectual. Por lo anterior, las estrategias didacticas con enfoque en el aprendizaje activo son las de mayor relevancia para la instruccion con participacion, el desarrollo de competencias y la estimulacion de la autonomia del estudiante. En el presente articulo se propone una estrategia didactica de aprendizaje activo para ser utilizada en los cursos basicos de ingenieria, ejemplificando su aplicacion en el curso de Dinamica del Departamento de Ingenieria Mecanica de la Facultad de Ingenieria de la Universidad de Antioquia. Se propone que dicha estrategia es una alternativa valida para utilizar en la imparticion de cursos basicos de ingenieria, en donde el aprendizaje basado en problemas no es, usualmente, de pertinencia. Palabras clave: Didactica, pedagogia, educacion en ingenieria, aprendizaje activo.
Global risk from extreme geophysical events: threat identification and assessment

In an increasingly interconnected world, any single geophysical hazard is capable of having consequences far beyond the range of immediate physical effects. Most recently, this was demonstrated by the 2004 Asian tsunami, which took the lives of citizens from 57 different nations, and by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, which raised fuel prices worldwide and contributed to a record UK trade deficit in the month following the devastation of New Orleans. On an altogether wider scale, global geophysical events (GGEs) are natural phenomena capable of having wholesale deleterious consequences for the world's environment, economy and society. These may arise (i) due to a global physical effect, such as an episode of severe planetary cooling in response to a volcanic ‘super-eruption’ or large comet or asteroid impact, or (ii) as a result of subsidiary ramifications for the global economy and social fabric of a cataclysmic regional event, such as an Atlantic- or Pacific-wide ‘mega-tsunami’, or a more spatially confined event at a strategically sensitive location, for example the awaited major Tokyo earthquake. While very infrequent, the wide-ranging—and potentially ruinous—consequences of a GGE for the well-being of the international community make it essential that they are seriously considered within any comprehensive assessment of natural threats.
Mechanism of action and therapeutic indication of prosthetic mandibular advancement in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Abstract Prosthetic mandibular advancement (PMA) was applied to nine patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and its therapeutic usefulness, mechanism of action, and clinical indication were discussed based on polysomnographic findings and serial examination of upper airway before and during PMA treatment. Apnea hypopnea index significantly decreased during PMA treatment compared with the value before treatment (P < 0.01) and the rate of the treatment responder counted 78.1%. Cephalometric variables indicated forward and inferior advancement of mandible in our subjects. Magnetic resonance imaging of the upper airway during sleep revealed a marked improvement of velopharyngeal obstruction in most subjects. In addition, intraesophageal negative pressure during sleep decreased significantly. Our results confirmed the high therapeutic efficacy of PMA for OSAS and indicated forward advancement of the mandible and decrease of negative pressure loading on upper airway with PMA might suppress velopharyngeal collapse. Thus, PMA was regarded as one of the treatments of choice for OSAS occurring based on with velopharyngeal narrowing.
Diseño de un Instrumento Virtual para la calibración de Sistemas Electrocardiográficos

El presente trabajo expone los principales elementos de diseno y desarrollo de un sistema para la generacion de las senales de calibracion para electrocardiografia indicadas en las normas de la Comision Electrotecnica Internacional ( IEC , del ingles International Electrotechnical Commission ). Estas senales son necesarias para ensayar, calibrar y ejecutar el mantenimiento y reparacion de equipamiento de ECG. La aplicacion se apoya en el empleo de una herramienta de software basada en Instrumentacion Virtual, que maneja recursos de hardware ( DAQ NI PCI-6229 y circuitos electronicos externos) como interfaz entre la estacion de trabajo y el equipo a comprobar. El costo aproximado inicial de la investigacion y desarrollo de prototipos se reduce significativamente con la produccion seriada de los modulos correspondientes. Ello permite contar con unidades de costos menores a los de simuladores comerciales homologos, que oscilan tipicamente sobre $ 1200 USD. La herramienta es factible de implementar en las actividades de evaluacion y calibracion, y permite su generalizacion en la totalidad de los servicios tecnicos encargados de brindar mantenimiento a Sistemas Electrocardiograficos.
A 10.4 dBm IIP3, 21 GHz LNA for K-band receiver front-end

A fully integrated 21 GHz LNA with 10.4 dBm IIP3 is presented in this paper. The LNA is composed of 2 common-source stages and fabricated through standard 0.18 um CMOS technology. By optimizing the gate-bias voltage of NMOS and interstage matching resistance, the linearity is enhanced. Measurement results show that the LNA can get 13.1 dB voltage gain, 5.9 dB NF, less than −10 dB input return loss and 10.4 dBm IIP3 while its power dissipation is 12 mW at 1 V supply voltage. Compared to those published papers, this LNA get the highest linearity at comparative power dissipation.
Screening for Genital Herpes Simplex : Brief Update for the U . S . Preventive Services Task Force

virus with 2 subtypes: herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). Although each is a distinct virus, they share some antigenic components. HSV causes vesicular and ulcerative lesions in healthy individuals and may cause severe systemic disease in neonates and immunosuppressed hosts. Infection with HSV-1 commonly causes oropharyngeal infection, and transmission is primarily by non-genital personal contact, whereas infection with HSV-2 most often results in genital lesions, and transmission is usually sexual. However, either virus may cause oropharyngeal or genital infection and can produce mucosal lesions that are clinically indistinguishable.
Distribution of lod Scores in Oligogenic Linkage Analysis

In variance component oligogenic linkage analysis it can happen that the residual additive genetic variance bounds to zero when estimating the effect of the ith quantitative trait locus. Using quantitative trait Q1 from the Genetic Analysis Workshop 12 simulated general population data, we compare the observed lod scores from oli‐gogenic linkage analysis with the empirical lod score distribution under a null model of no linkage. We find that zero residual additive genetic variance in the null model alters the usual distribution of the likelihood‐ratio statistic. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C and late-onset familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND Mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C account for approximately 15 percent of cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The spectrum of disease-causing mutations and the associated clinical features of these gene defects are unknown. METHODS DNA sequences encoding cardiac myosin-binding protein C were determined in unrelated patients with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mutations were found in 16 probands, who had 574 family members at risk of inheriting these defects. The genotypes of these family members were determined, and the clinical status of 212 family members with mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C was assessed. RESULTS Twelve novel mutations were identified in probands from 16 families. Four were missense mutations; eight defects (insertions, deletions, and splice mutations) were predicted to truncate cardiac myosin-binding protein C. The clinical expression of either missense or truncation mutations was similar to that observed for other genetic causes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but the age at onset of the disease differed markedly. Only 58 percent of adults under the age of 50 years who had a mutation in the cardiac myosin-binding protein C gene (68 of 117 patients) had cardiac hypertrophy; disease penetrance remained incomplete through the age of 60 years. Survival was generally better than that observed among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy caused by other mutations in the genes for sarcomere proteins. Most deaths due to cardiac causes in these families occurred suddenly. CONCLUSIONS The clinical expression of mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C is often delayed until middle age or old age. Delayed expression of cardiac hypertrophy and a favorable clinical course may hinder recognition of the heritable nature of mutations in the cardiac myosin-binding protein C gene. Clinical screening in adult life may be warranted for members of families characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Physiological bases for parasite-induced alterations of host behaviour

SUMMARY Parasitism is defined in various ways as an intimate relationship in which one partner, the parasite, lives on or in another, the host, generally at the expense of the latter. Parasitism commonly results in a unique array of host physiological responses and adaptations. Most studies of the physiological effects of parasitism have focused on the pathological consequence of infection and disease. While many physiological changes contribute to pathogenesis, it is now recognized that parasitic infections at sub-clinical levels also produce physiological effects that either ameliorate or may not contribute to the disease process. Moreover, these physiological changes are often manifested by altered host behaviour. Behavioural studies have enabled an ecological- and evolutionary-oriented evaluation of host responses. In this fashion, physiological effects may be assessed as to whether they affect fitness and confer benefit or harm to one or both of the symbionts involved. We briefly examine how these physiological responses, specifically neural, endocrine, neuromodulatory, and immunomodulatory components, may interact to modify host behaviours. We consider the adaptiveness of these responses and how the behavioural patterns elicited may simultaneously appear adaptive for the parasite as well as the host. In addition, we address how parasite-host physiological and behavioural interactions may be altered during the course of parasitism.
Effects of de- and rehydration on food-conducting cells in the moss Polytrichum formosum: a cytological study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Moss food-conducting cells (leptoids and specialized parenchyma cells) have a highly distinctive cytology characterized by a polarized cytoplasmic organization and longitudinal alignment of plastids, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and vesicles along endoplasmic microtubules. Previous studies on the desiccation biology of mosses have focused almost exclusively on photosynthetic tissues; the effects of desiccation on food-conducting cells are unknown. Reported here is a cytological study of the effects of de- and rehydration on food-conducting cells in the desiccation-tolerant moss Polytrichum formosum aimed at exploring whether the remarkable subcellular organization of these cells is related to the ability of mosses to survive desiccation. METHODS Shoots of Polytrichum formosum were dehydrated under natural conditions and prepared for transmission and scanning electron microscopy using both standard and anhydrous chemical fixation protocols. Replicate samples were then fixed at intervals over a 24-h period following rehydration in either water or in a 10 microM solution of the microtubule-disrupting drug oryzalin. KEY RESULTS Desiccation causes dramatic changes; the endoplasmic microtubules disappear; the nucleus, mitochondria and plastids become rounded and the longitudinal alignment of the organelles is lost, though cytoplasmic polarity is in part retained. Prominent stacks of endoplasmic reticulum, typical of the hydrated condition, are replaced with membranous tubules arranged at right angles to the main cellular axis. The internal cytoplasm becomes filled with small vacuoles and the plasmalemma forms labyrinthine tubular extensions outlining newly deposited ingrowths of cell wall material. Whereas plasmodesmata in meristematic cells at the shoot apex and in stem parenchyma cells appear to be unaffected by dehydration, those in leptoids become plugged with electron-opaque material. Starch deposits in parenchyma cells adjoining leptoids are depleted in desiccated plants. Rehydration sees complete reestablishment over a 12- to 24-h period of the cytology seen in the control plants. Oryzalin effectively prevents leptoid recovery. CONCLUSIONS The results point to a key role of the microtubular cytoskeleton in the rapid re-establishment of the elaborate cytoplasmic architecture of leptoids during rehydration. The reassembly of the endoplasmic microtubule system appears to dictate the time frame for the recovery process. The failure of leptoids to recover normal cytology in the presence of oryzalin further underlines the key role of the microtubules in the control of leptoid cytological organization.
Modélisation, identification et commande dynamique d’un robot d’architecture parallèle

Le projet "Orthoglide" a pour but de developper une machine-outil 3 axes d'architecture parallele, extensible a 5 axes, ne presentant pas les inconvenients inherents aux mecanismes paralleles. Il a ete mis au point une demarche de conception optimale qui repose sur un critere mathematique : l'isotropie. Ce critere traduit l'homogeneite des performances en tout point et dans toutes les directions de l’espace de travail prescrit. Le prototype construit est operationnel doit etre analyse et ses performances validees. Cet objectif est celui du sujet propose. Des methodes ont ete developpees pour faire l’identification geometrique des offsets moteurs par l’observation des deplacements des parallelogrammes du porteur. Cette phase de calibration est essentielle pour garantir la geometrie des pieces usinees. Avant de calibrer le robot, il est necessaire de mettre en œuvre sa commande dynamique, Le travail realise dans ce memoire est une contribution a l’ensemble des operations necessaires a la modelisation de ce prototype.
Evaluation of the effect of nifedipine upon myocardial perfusion and contractility using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and tissue Doppler echocardiography in systemic sclerosis

Background: Primary myocardial involvement due to microcirculation impairment is common in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) were recently shown to be more sensitive than conventional methods for the respective assessment of myocardial perfusion and contractility. Previous studies have suggested that dihydropyridine-type calcium channel blockers mitigate both myocardial perfusion and function abnormalities. Objective: To investigate the effects of nifedipine on myocardial perfusion by MRI and on contractility by TDE, in patients with SSc. Patients and methods: 18 patients with SSc without clinical heart failure and with normal pulmonary arterial pressure (14 women, 4 men; mean (SD) age 59 (9) years; mean (SD) disease duration 7 (4) years, 10 with diffuse and 8 with limited cutaneous forms) were prospectively evaluated. The MRI perfusion index, determined from time-intensity curves, and systolic and diastolic strain rate determined by TDE were assessed at baseline, after a 72 hour vasodilator washout period, and after 14 days of oral treatment with nifedipine 60 mg/day. Results: Nifedipine treatment led to a significant increase in the MRI perfusion index (mean (SD) 0.26 (0.07) v 0.19 (0.05) at baseline, p = 0.0003) and in systolic and diastolic strain rate (2.3 (0.6) v 1.5 (0.4) s−1 at baseline, p = 0.0002, and 4.2 (1.6) v 3.0 (1.2) at baseline, p = 0.0003, respectively). Conclusion: Fourteen days of treatment with nifedipine simultaneously improves myocardial perfusion and function, as evaluated by highly sensitive and quantitative methods.
Rule-based control of Wiener-type nonlinear processes through self-organizing

This paper considers the application of rule-based fuzzy control techniques to the problem of controlling Wiener type nonlinear systems in general and pH neutralization processes in particular. Instead of relying on human experts or a process model to design the controller, we explore the possibility of constructing a controller automatically by a paradigm referred to as active learning from the environment. To be more specific, a rule-based feedback controller is built with the required control rules being self-organized by means of a self-growing adaptive quantization algorithm with the aid of a learning mechanism which provides necessary control information. To overcome the learning difficulty arising from the presence of strong nonlinearity, we propose two schemes to improve the learning process. The simulation results on the control of a pH process are given.
Effect of health disorders on culling in dairy cows: a review and a critical discussion

La revue porte sur le risque de reforme consecutif a la survenue des principaux troubles de sante dans les systemes de production actuels. Pour estimer ce risque, les modeles d'analyse de survie dans lesquels les troubles de sante sont definis en tant que variables dependantes du temps apparaissent les plus appropries car ils permettent de tenir compte des variations de leurs effets au cours de la carriere des animaux. Pour decider la reforme, les eleveurs tiennent compte preferentiellement des evenements de sante survenant dans la lactation en cours et/ou en debut de lactation. Dans l'ensemble des etudes, le risque de reforme apres survenue d'une dystocie et/ou d'un trouble de la mamelle (mammites, blessures du trayon) est augmente, alors que les travaux divergent quant aux effets des troubles metaboliques et de la reproduction. Les differences de populations d'etude, variables d'etude et methodes utilisees peuvent expliquer ces differences de resultats. Les consequences, en terme d'effets estimes, des choix methodologiques effectues (par exemple, le choix d'inclure ou non dans les modeles des descripteurs des performances de production et de reproduction dans la lactation de reforme) sont discutees. L'effet des troubles metaboliques et de la reproduction sur le risque de reforme serait plutot indirect, via la diminution des performances qu'ils peuvent induire. L'effet des troubles de sante est en moyenne plus faible que celui de faibles performances de production et de reproduction. Pour une vache donnee, le risque de reforme consecutif a la survenue d'un trouble de sante depend fortement des caracteristiques de l'elevage (disponibilite en genisses de remplacement, situation par rapport au quota, …) L'interet de nouveaux travaux (1) pour preciser le sens et analyser la fiabilite de l'information relative aux motifs de reforme, (2) pour evaluer l'impact relatif des troubles de sante et des performances sur la reforme dans les differentes parites, (3) pour identifier et quantifier le role des facteurs d'elevage sur le risque de reforme est souligne.
Optimal measures for characterizing water-rich super-Earths

Abstract The detection and atmospheric characterization of super-Earths is one of the major frontiers of exoplanetary science. Currently, extensive efforts are underway to detect molecules, particularly H2O, in super-Earth atmospheres. In the present work, we develop a systematic set of strategies to identify and observe potentially H2O-rich super-Earths that provide the best prospects for characterizing their atmospheres using existing instruments. First, we provide analytic prescriptions and discuss factors that need to be taken into account while planning and interpreting observations of super-Earth radii and spectra. We discuss how observations in different spectral bandpasses constrain different atmospheric properties of a super-Earth, including radius and temperature of the planetary surface as well as the mean molecular mass, the chemical composition and thermal profile of the atmosphere. In particular, we caution that radii measured in certain bandpasses can induce biases in the interpretation of the interior compositions. Second, we investigate the detectability of H2O-rich super-Earth atmospheres using the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 spectrograph as a function of the planetary properties and stellar brightness. We find that highly irradiated super-Earths orbiting bright stars, such as 55 Cancri e, present better candidates for atmospheric characterization compared to cooler planets such as GJ 1214b even if the latter orbit lower-mass stars. Besides being better candidates for both transmission and emission spectroscopy, hotter planets offer higher likelihood of cloud-free atmospheres which aid tremendously in the observation and interpretation of spectra. Finally, we present case studies of two super-Earths, GJ 1214b and 55 Cancri e, using available data and models of their interiors and atmospheres.