Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beginning of the End of (Understanding) the Immune Response

The algorithm about the workings of the immune system should incorporate in its basic form the ability to explain several basic features: the ability to reject pathogens, to respond differently to invasions by class switching, to retain memory of rejecting past infections, the regulatory T‐cell formation and the acquisition of a life‐long antigen tolerance in adults. The Danger and the two self–non‐self theories – Pathogenicity (Janeway) and the Associated Antigen Recognition (Langman and Cohn) – cannot explain satisfactorily one or more of these issues. By failing to find appropriate solutions to help their corresponding basic algorithms to be operative, these theories negate, instead of finding explanations (no matter how complicated) for interpretations of certain results, one of them being the existence of a regulatory cell as a physiological component of the immune system. On the other hand, the integrity model can incorporate regulatory T cells in a basic algorithm of the workings of the immune system, explaining it as a downregulation of the immune response provided advantageous commensalism prevails over disadvantages of parasitism.
Auxin-Dependent Patterning and Gamete Specification in the Arabidopsis Female Gametophyte

Flower Functionalization The development of the specialized cells that make up the female reproductive unit in flowering plants, the gametophyte, requires the hormone auxin. However, auxin's function and movement to and within these cells are unclear. Pagnussat et al. (p. 1684, published online 4 June; see the Perspective Friedman) provide evidence that auxin is synthesized at specific positions within the female gametophyte and exerts a positional effect and that a gradient of auxin controls patterning of these specialized cells. An auxin gradient is involved in cell fate specification of the female sex cells in flowering plants. The female reproductive unit of flowering plants, the haploid female gametophyte, is highly reduced relative to other land plants. We show that patterning of the Arabidopsis female gametophyte depends on an asymmetric distribution of the hormone auxin during its syncitial development. Furthermore, this auxin gradient is correlated with location-specific auxin biosynthesis, rather than auxin efflux that directs patterning in the diploid sporophytic tissues comprising the rest of the plant. Manipulation of auxin responses or synthesis induces switching of gametic and nongametic cell identities and specialized nonreproductive cells to exhibit attributes presumptively lost during angiosperm evolution. These findings may account for the unique egg cell specification characteristic of angiosperms and the formation of seeds with single diploid embryos while containing endosperm that can have variable numbers of parental haploid genomes.
Serialization for Ubiquitous Systems: An Evaluation of High Performance Techniques on Java Micro Edition

Object marshaling, called serialization in Java, offers a high level of abstraction for information interchange in object oriented systems. It thus reduces the source lines of code required to transmit objects across a network. This abstraction often comes with a runtime and data penalty. In this paper we present an efficient implementation of object marshaling for the Java platform originally used for high performance computing environments. We demonstrate that the same technique is effective on ubiquitous resource constrained platforms, such as Java micro edition. We show that by adopting high performance techniques we are able to bring object marshaling to a platform where it is not otherwise possible due to the lack of runtime type inspection. We also demonstrate that performance of this system is better for array oriented data and acceptable for typical application data when compared with a hand coded protocol. This demonstrates the value of bringing techniques from high performance computing to ubiquitous resource constrained devices.
Bathymetric Capabilities of the HISAS Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar

Multibeam echo-sounders have until now been the leading technology in seabed mapping, but typically have resolutions of around half a metre. Recently, synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) technology has matured to a commercial level, delivering sidelooking imagery with a resolution of a few centimetres to a range of several hundred metres. High resolution sidelooking imagery makes interferometry an extremely interesting technique for bathymetric processing. In this paper we discuss the theoretical accuracy in relative height mapping of the new HISAS interferometric SAS and compare the results with processing of simulated data. We also demonstrate SAS interferometry on real data collected with a prototype SAS mounted on a HUGIN AUV. Different filtering techniques are applied to the data, illustrating the trade-off between resolution, robustness and smoothness.
The Anaemia of P. falciparum Malaria

The haematological changes in a group of young Gambian children with P. falciparum malaria have been analysed. In children with acute infection anaemia was most marked during the period after treatment. Although many of these patients developed a positive direct Coombs test during this period of the illness it is not clear whether the anaemia which occurs after treatment has an immune basis. A second group of children showed quite different haematological findings. They appear to have a more chronic form of P. falciparum malaria infection, were profoundly anaemic at presentation, showed gross dyserythropoietic changes in their bone marrows, and had a full reticulocyte response and rise in haemoglobin after treatment. A third group of children were encountered whose haematological abnormalities were intermediate to those of the acute and chronic groups. These findings indicate that the patho‐physiological mechanisms responsible for the anaemia ofP. falciparum malaria are different at different stages of the illness.
Part 8: Post–Cardiac Arrest Care

Introduction The recommendations in this 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines Update for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care are based on an extensive evidence review process that was begun by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) after the publication of the 2010 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations and was completed in February 2015. In this in-depth evidence review process, ILCOR examined topics and then generated a prioritized list of questions for systematic review. Questions were first formulated in PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) format, and then search strategies and inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and a search for relevant articles was performed. The evidence was evaluated by the ILCOR task forces by using the standardized methodological approach proposed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group. The quality of the evidence was categorized based on the study methodologies and the 5 core GRADE domains of risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and other considerations (including publication bias). Then, where possible, consensus-based treatment recommendations were created. To create this 2015 Guidelines Update, the AHA formed 15 writing groups, with careful attention to manage conflicts of interest, to assess the ILCOR treatment recommendations and to write AHA treatment recommendations by using the AHA Class of Recommendation (COR) and Level of Evidence (LOE) system. The recommendations made in the Guidelines are informed by the ILCOR recommendations and GRADE classification, in the context of the delivery of medical care in North America. The AHA writing group made new recommendations only on topics specifically reviewed by ILCOR in 2015. This chapter delineates instances where the AHA writing group developed recommendations that are significantly stronger or weaker than the ILCOR statements. In the online version of this publication, live links are provided so the reader can connect directly to the systematic reviews on the Scientific Evidence Evaluation and Review System (SEERS) website. These links are indicated by a combination of letters and numbers (eg, ALS 790). We encourage readers to use the links and review the evidence and appendixes, including the GRADE tables. This update uses the newest AHA COR and LOE classification system, which contains modifications of the Class III recommendation and introduces LOE B-R (randomized studies) and B-NR (nonrandomized studies) as well as LOE C-LD (limited data) and LOE C-EO (consensus of expert opinion). All recommendations made in this 2015 Guidelines Update, as well as in the 2010 Guidelines for post‒cardiac arrest care, are listed in the Appendix. For further information, see “Part 2: Evidence Evaluation and Management of Conflicts of Interest” in this 2015 Guidelines Update.
Purification and Characterization of a Keratinase from a Feather-Degrading Bacillus licheniformis Strain

A keratinase was isolated from the culture medium of feather-degrading Bacillus licheniformis PWD-1 by use of an assay of the hydrolysis of azokeratin. Membrane ultrafiltration and carboxymethyl cellulose ion-exchange and Sephadex G-75 gel chromatographies were used to purify the enzyme. The specific activity of the purified keratinase relative to that in the original medium was approximately 70-fold. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and Sephadex G-75 chromatography indicated that the purified keratinase is monomeric and has a molecular mass of 33 kDa. The optimum pH and the pI were determined to be 7.5 and 7.25, respectively. Under standard assay conditions, the apparent temperature optimum was 50°C. The enzyme is stable when stored at −20°C. The purified keratinase hydrolyzes a broad range of substrates and displays higher proteolytic activity than most proteases. In practical applications, keratinase is a useful enzyme for promoting the hydrolysis of feather keratin and improving the digestibility of feather meal.
A 57-Nucleotide Upstream Early Polyadenylation Element in Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Interacts with hFip1, CstF-64, hnRNP C1/C2, and Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein

ABSTRACT We have investigated the role of the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) early untranslated region (3′ UTR) in HPV-16 gene expression. We found that deletion of the early 3′ UTR reduced the utilization of the early polyadenylation signal and, as a consequence, resulted in read-through into the late region and production of late L1 and L2 mRNAs. Deletion of the U-rich 3′ half of the early 3′ UTR had a similar effect, demonstrating that the 57-nucleotide U-rich region acted as an enhancing upstream element on the early polyadenylation signal. In accordance with this, the newly identified hFip1 protein, which has been shown to enhance polyadenylation through U-rich upstream elements, interacted specifically with the HPV-16 upstream element. This upstream element also interacted specifically with CstF-64, hnRNP C1/C2, and polypyrimidine tract binding protein, suggesting that these factors were either enhancing or regulating polyadenylation at the HPV-16 early polyadenylation signal. Mutational inactivation of the early polyadenylation signal also resulted in increased late mRNA production. However, the effect was reduced by the activation of upstream cryptic polyadenylation signals, demonstrating the presence of additional strong RNA elements downstream of the early polyadenylation signal that direct cleavage and polyadenylation to this region of the HPV-16 genome. In addition, we identified a 3′ splice site at genomic position 742 in the early region with the potential to produce E1 and E4 mRNAs on which the E1 and E4 open reading frames are preceded only by the suboptimal E6 AUG. These mRNAs would therefore be more efficiently translated into E1 and E4 than previously described HPV-16 E1 and E4 mRNAs on which E1 and E4 are preceded by both E6 and E7 AUGs.
Role of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation according to the NPM1/FLT3‐ITD molecular status for cytogenetically normal AML patients: A GOELAMS study

The choice of postremission therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients is now based on the blasts' cytogenetic and molecular profile. However, the potential benefit of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto‐HSCT) according to the NPM1/FLT3‐ITD status has been poorly studied in AML patients with a normal karyotype (NK). Therefore, we evaluated the NPM1/FLT3‐ITD molecular status in 135 NK‐AML patients treated by allogeneic HSCT (allo‐HSCT), auto‐HSCT, or chemotherapy as consolidation therapy within the GOELAMS LAM‐2001 trial. In univariate analyzes, 4‐year leukemia‐free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher for NPM1+/FLT3‐ITD− patients compared with patients presenting another molecular profile (61 vs. 43% and 72 vs. 48%, P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). In the NPM1+/FLT3‐ITD− subgroup, there was no benefit for allo‐HSCT or auto‐HSCT vs. chemotherapy (4‐year LFS: 71, 56, and 60%; 4‐year OS: 73, 71, and 60%, respectively; P = NS). For patients with other NPM1/FLT3‐ITD molecular profiles, allo‐HSCT was found to be the best consolidation therapy, whereas auto‐HSCT was associated with a better outcome when compared with chemotherapy (allo‐HSCT‐, auto‐HSCT‐, and chemotherapy‐related 4‐year LFS: 68, 44, and 36%, P = 0.004; 4‐year OS: 68, 52, and 29%, respectively, P = 0.02). Our study indicates that allo‐HSCT and auto‐HSCT provide similar outcomes compared with chemotherapy as consolidation for NPM1+/FLT3‐ITD− NK‐AML patients. For NK‐AML patients with an adverse molecular profile, auto‐HSCT could represent an alternative therapeutic approach when no human leukocyte antigen–matched allogeneic donor is available. Am. J. Hematol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abnormal karyotypic clones in human acute leukemia: Their nature and clinical significance

Forty‐four per cent of 110 unselected patients presenting with acute myeloid, lymphatic, or stem cell leukemia had a karyotypically abnormal, clonal cell line in the bone marrow, and about 60% of these patients also had apparently normal, diploid cells coexisting with the abnormal cells. The karyotypic changes were diverse and distinctive for each patient, but acute lymphatic leukemia tended to hyperdiploidy. The karyotypic changes showed low involvement of F chromosomes, and some excess involvement of C and G chromosomes. There was little evidence of karyotypic evolution. Where therapy induced full remission, abnormal cell lines tended to be replaced by diploid cells. The incidence of karyotypic abnormality at diagnosis was not related to patient age, sex, or type of leukemia. Significantly, the presence of karyotypic abnormality did not influence the chance of leukemic remission or patient survival, except that male patients with C chromosome deficiency survived on average three times longer than those with additional C chromosomes. This study and a review of five other major studies led to the conclusion that karyotypic abnormalities of acute leukemia have little or no etiological, clinical or hematological significance, and do not influence patient survival. It would appear that cell lines characterized by karyotypic abnormality rarely determine leukemic progression, but develop within limits set by a prescribed and individual cell environment.
Gyroscopic stabilization of the armature in a travelling wave induction launcher

This paper presents an analytical model for the investigation of the gyroscopic stabilization of the launch package in induction type coilguns. By a proper arrangement of coils and of their feeding currents, a traveling wave of flux density is produced, which is characterized by axial and azimuth components of velocity. The resulting action exerted on a conductive cylinder has components in the same directions as the travelling wave. This produces an helical motion of the armature. Since the governing vector field equation is not separable in the cylindrical coordinate, an approach based on the Second Order Vector Potential (SOVP) formulation has been here adopted.
Regulation of Adhesion Molecules: A New Target for the Treatment of Chronic Venous Insufficiency

As more insight into the mechanisms leading to chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is gained, novel targets for drug treatment of the disease, or of its complications, become available. Studies using chemical entities capable of inhibiting leukocyte adhesion in postcapillary venules have led to the discovery of selective inhibitors of cell adhesion mechanisms. The aim of the current review is to describe the pharmacology, biochemistry, and molecular biology studies performed with some new inhibitors of adhesion molecule expression. Compounds such as hydroxy triallyl farnisine (S 17834) may offer new and efficient treatment of the microcirculatory complications that accompany chronic venous disease.
Iterative learning control design on nonlinear time-delay systems

A robust iterative learning control algorithm is proposed based on T-S model for a kind of nonlinear time-delay systems with repetitive actions. Firstly, the proposed algorithm uses fuzzy T-S model to build the model for nonlinear time-delay system, secondly, the global fuzzy system model could be described as the form of uncertain systems, finally, the robust iterative learning controller is designed through resolving Riccati equation. The sufficient and essential condition of the algorithm is deduced based on Lyapunov theories for nonlinear time-delay system.
Concordancia entre el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio sobre pobreza, con los Planes Nacionales de Desarrollo de Colombia

En el 2000, el Gobierno Nacional de Colombia se comprometio con la Organizacion de Naciones Unidas (ONU), con el Banco Mundial (BM), con el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y con la organizacion para la Cooperacion y el Desarrollo Economicos (OCDE) a cumplir hacia el 2015 con un marco de ocho objetivos, dieciocho metas y cuarenta y ocho indicadores, con el fin de medir los progresos hacia el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM). El presente trabajo se concentro en examinar los objetivos referidos a la pobreza. Al analizar el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo (PND) 2002-2006 Hacia un Estado comunitario", no se observo un enlace directo con la consecucion de los logros de los ODM sobre pobreza, ya que esta no aparece como un objetivo explicito en tal plan. Posteriormente, al analizar el PND 2006-2010 "Estado Concordancia entre el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio sobre pobreza, con los Planes Nacionales de Desarrollo de Colombia 2002-2010: evaluacion con un modelo de cointegracion comunitario: desarrollo para todos", se encontro que hay una mejora sustancial en el tema de pobreza con respecto al PND anterior. Quizas esto se debe a que -como se anoto antes- en el PND 2002-2006 no se presento el tema de la pobreza explicitamente, y a que esta seguia siendo muy alta en el 2003. En dicho plan se presenta el tema de la pobreza como un objetivo general con proyecciones de metas anuales y con un plan de inversiones explicito sobre la reduccion de la pobreza. A partir del modelo de cointegracion estimado, se infiere que los gastos del gobierno colombiano dedicados al tema de la pobreza en el periodo que abarca los dos ultimos PND no han sido suficientes para obtener las metas de ODM que el pais se fijo cumplir en el 2015. "
Genetic Services in the New Era: Native American Perspectives

American Indians have arrived at a critical point in their more than 500-year history with the United States Government. With the advent of the new bio-revolution, a number of tribes have voiced vehement opposition to genetic patenting, creation of cell lines, transgenic experimentation and cloning. While many are opposed to the Human Genome Diversity Project, Human Genome Project and diversity research currently being conducted by the Indian Health Service, a few embrace the beneficial aspects of biomedical/biogenetic research. Moreover, an increasing number of Indians see the need for and are seeking genetic counseling and other services. This paper briefly describes some of the issues associated with developing and implementing effective genetic services within Native American communities. Problems of access, perception of services, previous experience with genetics and cultural and other barriers are discussed. Recommendations also are rendered to assist health professionals in the development of services.
Physical-layer security enhancement via power allocation between pilot and data jamming

In this paper, we consider the multiple-input single-output (MISO) wiretap channel with a cooperative jammer (CJ). Motivated by the fact that corrupting pilot signals can effectively degrade the channel estimation at the eavesdropper (Eve), we emphasize that the physical-layer security can be enhanced by introducing jamming signals in pilot phase. Therefore, we propose a cooperative jamming scheme which delivers artificial noise (AN) both in pilot and data phases, unlike the conventional schemes that transmit AN only in data phase. More specifically, we optimize the jamming power allocation between pilot phase and data phase, along with designing the beamforming vector at the CJ. Furthermore, considering the limitation of energy budget at the CJ, the energy efficiency of the proposed scheme is investigated based on the circuit power consumption model. Finally, numerical results verify the performance of the proposed scheme, in terms of secrecy rate and energy efficiency.
Parents' management of children's pain at home after surgery.

PURPOSE We tested home pain management for children for effects on pain intensity, analgesics administered, satisfaction, and use of healthcare services over 3 post-discharge days. DESIGN AND METHODS In this quasi-experimental study with 108 children and their parents, we used the numeric rating scale or the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, calculated percentages of analgesics administered, and asked questions about expectations, satisfaction, and services. Between-group differences were tested with t-tests and analysis of variance. RESULTS After home pain management for children, children reported moderate pain, and parents administered more analgesics on study days. Parents and children were satisfied; parents used few services. Written instructions and a brief interactive session were not sufficient to change parents' analgesic administration practices to relieve their children's pain. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Further research is needed to develop and test effective education interventions to facilitate relief of children's postoperative pain.
Sports Injury Prevention

The book covers all Olympic sports, plus additional sport activities with international competition, such as rugby. Focusing on reducing the potential for injuries, the book is organised by regions of the body. There are also chapters on the importance of injury prevention and developing an injury prevention program within a team. The authors identify the risk factors for specific injuries in each sport, typical injury mechanisms and risks associated with training.
Electrowetting on Arrayed Carbon Nanofibers

Electrowetting on arrayed carbon nanofibers has been demonstrated. The testing structure consists of Si/carbon nanofibers/dielectric/fluoropolymer/liquid. Nanofibers were patterned on 5×5 μm pitch which resulted in superhydrophobic behavior for water (θ>150°). Via electrowetting, liquid contact angle was shown to be irreversibly reducible to θ∼100°. Electrowetting using a competitive two-liquid (oil/water) system was shown to be reversible. The nanofibers terminate in a <25 nm radius tip. This small tip size results in effectively zero capacitance for water in the dewetted state. As electrowetting increased with applied voltage, the wetting state was confirmed by measuring the capacitance and stored energy density for the liquid/nanofiber system.