Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IL-7 Administration Alters the CD4:CD8 Ratio, Increases T Cell Numbers, and Increases T Cell Function in the Absence of Activation1

IL-7 is vital for the development of the immune system and profoundly enhances the function of mature T cells. Chronic administration of IL-7 to mice markedly increases T cell numbers, especially CD8+ T cells, and enhances T cell functional potential. However, the mechanism by which these effects occur remains unclear. This report demonstrates that only 2 days of IL-7 treatment is needed for maximal enhancement of T cell function, as measured by proliferation, with a 6- to 12-fold increase in the proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in cell cycle by 18 h of ex vivo stimulation. Moreover, a 2-day administration of IL-7 in vivo increases basal proliferation by 4- and 14-fold in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, respectively. These effects occur in the absence of cytokine production, increases in most activation markers, and changes in memory markers. This enhanced basal proliferation is the basis for the increase in T cell numbers in that IL-7 induces an additional 60% and 85% of resting CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, respectively, to enter cell cycle in mice given IL-7 for 7 days. These results demonstrate that in vivo administration of IL-7 increases T cell numbers and functional potential via a homeostatic, nonactivating process. These findings may suggest a unique clinical niche for IL-7 in that IL-7 therapy may increase T cell numbers and enhance responses to specific antigenic targets while avoiding a general, nonspecific activation of the T cell population.
Upper Face: Clinical Anatomy and Regional Approaches with Injectable Fillers

Background: The use of facial fillers has been rapidly increased as the range of injectable products and indications continues to expand. Complications may arise from improper placement or technique. This article highlights the importance of anatomic knowledge when using injectable fillers in the face. Methods: A detailed review of the clinical anatomy of the upper face is performed. Regional approaches are described using the applied anatomy to efficiently and safely augment the different subunits of the upper face. Results: Key aspects of safe and successful injection of fillers in the upper face include a thorough knowledge of the location of fat compartments and neurovascular structures. Awareness of these structures enables the practitioner to maximize injections, while avoiding damage to important nerves and vessels. Conclusion: A detailed knowledge of the anatomy and properties of the product is paramount to maximize the efficacy while minimizing the risk of complications.
An advanced agent-based simulation toolbox for the comprehensive simulation of future energy networks

The conversion of our energy supply systems is practically just at the beginning. Technically distributed, hybrid and individual energy producer and consumer have to be coupled to form individual small(er) smart markets. Thus, it can be expected that the interactions and dependencies between technical and economical systems will increase. A sound understanding of the limits in the interaction between smart grids and smart markets will be a key point for the further development of energy grids. This paper argues that agents, multi-agent system and agent based simulations are a promising approach to deal with many of the new challenges connected to smart grids. For the time being appropriate, standardized simulation tools for the new and maybe hybrid smart energy systems are not yet available. However, their existence would accelerate the development of intelligent energy networks substantially.
On the Performance of Overlay Multicast Networks

The paper reports on a performance study of several Application Layer Multicast (ALM) protocols. Three categories of overlay multicast networks are investigated, namely Application Level Multicast Infrastructure (ALMI), Narada and NICE is the Internet Cooperative Environment (NICE). The performance of the overlay multicast protocols is evaluated with reference to a set of performance metrics that capture both application and network level performance. The study focuses on the control overhead induced by the protocols under study. This further relates to the scalability of the protocol with increasing number of multicast participants. In order to get a better assessment of the operation of these protocols in "real-life"-like conditions, we implemented in our simulations a heavy-tailed delay at the network level and churn behavior of the overlay nodes. Our performance study contributes to a deeper understanding and better assessment of the requirements for such protocols targeted at, e.g., media streaming.
Parametric Study of Charging Inlet Diffuser Performance in Stratified Chilled Water Storage Tanks with Radial Diffusers: Part 1–Model Development and Validation

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been developed to simulate the flow and heat transfer near a lower radial inlet diffuser in a cylindrical stratified chilled water storage tank during charging. The model was used to perform parametric simulations of inlet diffuser performance in full-scale tanks during thermocline formation, from which first-order correlation relating thermal performance to tank and diffuser design parameters were derived. Part 1 describes the development of the CFD model and its validation. Part 2 reports the results of the parametric study. The two-dimensional, transient model was implemented in a commercial finite element code. The model has been validated with field-measured data from two full-scale tanks. Laminar analysis predicted field-measured temperature profiles well, even under ostensibly transitional conditions, provided that variations in inlet temperature during the field tests were accurately modeled. These results suggest that turbulence has a secondary effect on the development of thermoclines within the range of parameters considered and that laminar models may be useful for modeling performance of full-scale tanks over a wide range of inlet parameters. The fully developed temperature profile was found to be insensitive to the velocity distribution assumed at the inlet.
An experience on probabilistic model checking and stochastic simulation to design self-organizing systems

The interest in self-organization as a feasible metaphor for dealing with the growing complexity of today's software systems is constantly rising. In particular, by adopting self-organization, systems can adapt to highly dynamic environments by local interactions among system's components. As a consequence, the global behavior of the system can be regarded as an emergent property since it appears by a process emerging from local interactions among components. The corresponding system dynamics is usually non-linear and complex so that the adoption of simulation and verification techniques in the early design stage becomes essential to carry out an effective design. Accordingly, in this paper we discuss a hybrid approach relying on stochastic simulation and probabilistic model checking. We show also a possible application of the approach on a problem called collective sort, by adopting the PRISM probabilistic model checker as a concrete tool for analyzing emergent properties. A discussion of the corresponding results is provided.
Identifying COPD patients at risk for worse symptoms, HRQoL, and self-efficacy: A cluster analysis

Objectives To identify clusters of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with distinct beliefs about their illness in terms of symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), self-efficacy, and daily life physical activity (DLPA). Methods This cross-sectional study included 150 COPD outpatients. The patients’ illness perceptions, clinical control, HRQoL, self-efficacy, and DLPA (accelerometry) were evaluated. A cluster analysis was conducted using data from the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire - Revised to establish groups of patients with distinct illness perceptions. Differences between clusters were tested using a T-test or a Mann–Whitney U test. Results The cluster analysis revealed two groups: distressed (n = 95) and coping (n = 55). Despite the fact that both clusters presented similar pulmonary function, between-cluster differences were observed in their self-efficacy, dyspnea, HRQoL, clinical control (p < 0.001), and educational level (p = 0.002). The levels of DLPA did not differ between the clusters. Discussion We observed that clinically stable COPD patients who displayed higher emotional representations and less coherence had heightened symptoms, poorer HRQoL, worse self-efficacy, and lower educational levels. These results emphasize the need to routinely evaluate illness perceptions in COPD patients to target and tailor the proper treatment to improve these important health outcomes.
Réflexions générales sur l’éthique professionnelle enseignante

Parler d’une ethique professionnelle enseignante, c’est parler de deux choses : des valeurs fondatrices du « choix d’eduquer » (axiologie), telles l’egalite de traitement des eleves, le postulat d’educabilite, etc., et des normes definissant des obligations concretes (deontologie), tels le devoir de reserve, l’obligation d’informer les parents, etc. Mais c’est aussi inscrire la profession enseignante dans une perspective inedite, celle de l’individualisme democratique contemporain qui l’invit.
The Phosphotyrosine Phosphatase PTP1D, but not PTP1C, Is an Essential Mediator of Fibroblast Proliferation Induced by Tyrosine Kinase and G Protein-coupled Receptors (*)

PTP1C and PTP1D are non-transmembrane protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), which contain two src homology-2 domains. These enzymes are believed to play a role in regulating downstream signaling from receptors with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. The present study describes the tyrosine phosphorylation and the catalytic activity of both PTPs in CCL39 cells, a Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line, upon addition of a variety of growth factors. We demonstrate that PTP1C activity was significantly stimulated by insulin and the phorbol ester 12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate but was not influenced by serum, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), or α-thrombin. However, tyrosine phosphorylation of PTP1C was increased in response to insulin, PDGF, and α-thrombin. PTP1D activity was slightly stimulated by insulin and 12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate but was significantly inhibited by serum, PDGF, and α-thrombin, although tyrosine phosphorylation is increased in response to these agonists. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylated PTP1C and PTP1D in in vitro kinase assays, suggesting that both PTPs are target proteins for mitogen-activated protein kinase. We also show that overexpression of PTP1C or PTP1D had no effect on DNA synthesis stimulated by different growth factors. However, a mutated inactive form of PTP1D strongly inhibited the stimulatory effects of both PDGF and α-thrombin on early gene transcription and DNA synthesis. These results demonstrate for the first time that PTP1C and PTP1D may participate in signal transduction but in different manners and that only PTP1D is a positive mediator of mitogenic signals induced by both tyrosine kinase receptors and G protein-coupled receptors in fibroblasts.
Les polyèdres de Gromov

Cette these etudie des polyedres de dimension 2, 3 ou plus, dont ceux definis par M. Gromov dans son article infinite groups as geometric objects. Un (k-1)-espace est un reunion connexe de k-gones telle que tout sommet est contenu dans 1 arete, et deux aretes distinctes ayant un somme en commun sont contenues dans un et un seul k-gone. Pour 1 et k aussi grands qu'on veut, il existe des (k,1)-espaces simplement connexes deux a deux non isomorphes (premiere partie). Pour k superieur a 6, les (k, 1)-espaces sont a courbure negative ou nulle. Tout (k-1)-espace simplement connexe s'obtient par une suite de decoupages d'un (k, 1)-espace simplement connexe donne, et il y a une infinite non denombrable de (k, 1)-espaces simplement connexes deux a deux non isomorphes (deuxieme partie). A l'appendice c, nous construisons des (k, 4)-espaces reguliers compacts. En troisieme partie, nous imposons des conditions locales a des polyedres de toute dimension, et nous demontrons dans certains cas l'existence et l'unicite de tels polyedres simplement connexes. En particulier, nous prouvons la validite des affirmations de Gromov sur ses polyedres de dimension 3 (l'hyperbolicite de ces polyedres est prouvee grâce a l'appendice d)
SJØGREN'S SYNDROME

References to articles and books should be carefully' checked. In a reference the following information should be given without abbreviation: Initials of author, surname of author, full title of article, name of journal, volume, full date (month, day and year), number of the first page of the article. If a reference is made to an abstract of a paper, the name of the original journal, together with that of the journal in which the abstract has appeared, should be given with full date in each instance.
Expression of hydrogenase in Alcaligenes spp. is altered by interspecific plasmid exchange

Alcaligenes hydrogenophilus was found to contain a soluble and a particulate hydrogenase whose control and structure differed in part from that in Alcaligenes eutrophus. One of at least two plasmids indigenous to A. hydrogenophilus determines hydrogenase genes (Hox). The interspecific exchange of Hox-encoding plasmids generated transconjugants which expressed the structural and regulatory Hox phenotype of the donor.
Protective effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy among persons with HIV and proteinuria.

(E8). ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline. 1997. Available at: http://www.ich. org/products/ guidelines/efficacy/article/efficacy-guidelines.html. Accessed January 7, 2013. 9. ICH. Guideline for good clinical practice E6 (R1). ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline. 1996. Available at: http://www.ich. org/ products/guidelines/efficacy/article/efficacyguidelines.html. Accessed January 7, 2013. 10. WHO. Guidelines on HIV and infant feeding 2010. 2010. Available at: http://www.who. int/maternal_child_adolescent/documents/ 9789241599535/en/index.html. Accessed September 21, 2012. 11. WHO. Use of antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants. 2012. Available at: http://www.who. int/hiv/pub/mtct/programmatic_update2012/en/ index.html. Accessed September 21, 2012. 12. WHO. Technical update on treatment optimization. Use of efavirenz during pregnancy: a public health perspective. 2012. Available at: http:// www.who. int/hiv/pub/treatment2/efavirenz/en/ index.html. Accessed September 21, 2012.
Evidence that branches of evergreen angiosperm and coniferous trees differ in hydraulic conductance but not in Huber values

The hydraulic efficiency conferred by vessels is regarded as one of the key innovations explaining the historical rise of the angiosperms at the expense of the gymnosperms. Few studies, however, have compared the structure and function of xylem and their relationships with foliage traits in evergreen representatives of both groups. We measured sapwood cross-sectional area, conduit diameters, hydraulic conductance, and leaf area of fine branches (2.5–7.5 mm diameter) of five conifers and eight evergreen angiosperm trees in evergreen temperate forests in south-central Chile. Conductance of both lineages was higher at Los Lleuques, a warm temperate site with strong Mediterranean influence, than in a cool temperate rain forest at Puyehue. At a common sapwood cross-sectional area, angiosperm branches at both sites had greater hydraulic conductance (G) than conifers, but similar leaf areas. Branch conductance normalized by subtended leaf area (GL) at both sites was, therefore, higher in angiosperms than in coni.
Speed control of a switched reluctance motor using PID controller for PV based water pumping applications

This manuscript presents a photovoltaic (PV) served water pumping scheme engaging a Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) system drive. The SRM drive generates the electronic based commutation at essential frequency proposes a condensed loss during swapping in a mid-point power converter and expressively improves the efficacy of whole projected scheme. The SRM operates in a speed which is regulated by changing the DC-bus source voltage which belongs to the mid-point power converter section. Pear current (I) and voltage (V) stress on power apparatus containing switching pressure of Cuk mode power converter are similarly decreased in CCM operation. The cuk power converter (CC) enables the constant and even input side and delivery currents towards SRM drive through an infinite section aimed at maximum power point (MPP) tracking condition. The proposed scheme, exposed to actively atmospheric situations is modeled and simulated by utilizing Simulink background.
Una contribución a las técnicas avanzadas de verificación de procesos de negocio y sistemas software abiertos

La busqueda de notaciones y lenguales para la descripcion de Procesos de Negocio (Business Processes, BP) ha sido uno de los objetivos del Modelado de Procesos de Negocio (Business Process Modelling, BPM) en los ultimos tiempos. Como resultado de este esfuerzo, la Notacion para el Modelado de Procesos de Negocio (Business Process Modelling Notation, BPMN) ha surgido como una notacion grafica estandarizada ampliamente aceptada para la documentacion de BP. Sin embargo, por la heterogeneidad de sus construcciones y por la falta de una definicion precisa de la notacion, la especificacion, el modelado y la verificacion formal de BP se ve obstaculizado. En esta tesis doctoral, como parte de los trabajos relacionados con las Herramientas Metodologicas para la Verificacion de Sistemas Abiertos y Procesos de Negocio, se presenta una propuesta para la especificacion, el modelado y la verificacion composicional de requisitos no funcionales y restricciones temporales de modelos de BP realizados con BPMN. Para la especificacion y el modelado se define una semantica formal de los elementos notacionales de tiempo de BPMN, bajo el dominio semantico del calculo de proceso basado en CSP, Communicating Sequential Processes + Time (CSP+T). Para la verificacion formal de los modelos de BP se utiliza el Enfoque Formal de Verificacion Composicional (EFVC), una propuesta que se hace en el ambito de la Ingenieria de Software (IS) para la verificacion composicional de Sistemas con Criticidad en Seguridad (Safety-Critical Systems, SCS), que integra la verificacion composicional con la tecnica de verificacion automatica Model Ckecking (MC). Como resultado, se ha obtenido una herramienta metodologica que incorpora avances de la IS al ambito del BPM para el analisis formal de modelos de BP. Ademas, se presenta el diseno general del conjunto de herramientas de software que permiten automatizar el EFVC y se describe la implementacion de la herramienta BTransformer, la cual soporta la transformacion de modelos BPMN a terminos de proceso CSP+T. Adicionalmente, se discute la aplicacion de los aportes de la presente tesis doctoral a dos casos de interes empresarial e industrial. Uno, relacionado con un BP considerado critico para la estrategia de Gestion de las Relaciones con el Cliente (Customer Relationship Management, CRM). El otro, corresponde al sistema que implementa el proceso critico del protocolo de comunicacion que constituye el corazon de una red de comunicacion de telefonos moviles. La aplicacion del EFVC nos ha permitido corroborar que este puede ser utilizado para verificar tanto el comportamiento de BP con criticidad, como los componentes que conforman el software que implementa BP complejos y con criticidad, conformando asi una contribucion dentro del area de las Tecnicas Avanzadas de Verificacion de BP y Sistemas Software Abiertos.
Changing patterns in the incidence of esophageal and gastric carcinoma in the United States

Incidence rates for esophageal adenocarcinoma previously were reported to be increasing rapidly, especially among white males. Rates for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma also were observed to be rising, although less rapidly. In this article, the authors update the incidence trends through 1994 and further consider the trends by age group.
DNA-binding properties of gene-5 protein encoded by bacteriophage M13. 2. Further characterization of the different binding modes for poly- and oligodeoxynucleic acids.

The binding of gene-5 protein, encoded by bacteriophage M13, to oligodeoxynucleic acids was studied by means of fluorescence binding experiments, fluorescence depolarization measurements and irreversible dissociation kinetics of the protein.nucleotide complexes with salt. The binding properties thus obtained are compared with those of the binding to polynucleotides, especially at very low salt concentration. It appears that the binding to oligonucleotides is always characterized by a stoichiometry (n) of 2-3 nucleotides/protein, and the absence of cooperativity. In contrast the protein can bind to polynucleotides in two different modes, one with a stoichiometry of n = 3 in the absence of salt and another with n = 4 at moderate salt concentrations. Both modes have a high intramode cooperativity (omega about 500) but are non-interacting and mutually exclusive. For deoxynucleic acids with a chain length of 25-30 residues a transition from oligonucleotide to polynucleotide binding is observed at increasing nucleotide/protein ratio in the solution. The n = 3 polynucleotide binding is very sensitive to the ionic strength and is only detectable at very low salt concentrations. The ionic strength dependency per nucleotide of the n = 4 binding is much less and is comparable with the salt dependency of the oligonucleotide binding. Furthermore it appears that the influence of the salt concentration on the oligonucleotide binding constant is to about the same degree determined by the effect of salt on the association and dissociation rate constants. Model calculations indicate that the fluorescence depolarization titration curves can only be explained by a model for oligonucleotide binding in which a protein dimer binds with its two dimer halves to the same strand. In addition it is only possible to explain the observed effect of the chain length of the oligonucleotide on both the apparent binding constant and the dissociation rate by assuming the existence of interactions between protein dimers bound to different strands. This results in the formation of a complex consisting of two nucleotide strands with protein in between and stabilized by the dimer-dimer interactions.
Evaluation of asynchronous average consensus algorithms in pure broadcasting infrastructure-free networks

Distributed and cooperative algorithms are of preponderant importance for the correct operation of multiagent systems. In particular, average consensus algorithms represent an appealing alternative for combining measurements in large-scale networks of low-capable sensors, due to their low computational cost and strong convergence properties. However, the actual performance of average consensus algorithms in real scenarios, where the interaction between agents involves a communication network introducing stochastic delays, sequential transmissions and receptions, and unreliability in the information exchanging process, is yet to be investigated. This work presents an evaluation on a pure broadcasting infrastructure-free sensor network of two popular average consensus strategies: the broadcast gossip algorithm (which can be regarded as an asynchronous version of the discrete-time average consensus algorithm), and the push-sum algorithm (also known as double linear iterations). To understand the operating principles behind the algorithms, a hybrid model is first introduced that is used to conduct numerical simulations. An implementation in microprocessor-based development boards is then presented to evaluate the performance in a real environment. Results of the evaluation show that the push-sum algorithm outperforms the broadcast gossip algorithm for practical values of the reception probability.