Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduction of Foxp 3 + Cells by Depletion with the PC 61 mAb Induces Mortality in Resistant BALB / c Mice Infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are CD4+Foxp3+ cells that modulate autoimmune responses. Tregs have been shown to be also involved during the immune response against infectious agents. The aim of this work is to study the role of Tregs during the infection with the intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Resistant BALB/c mice were injected with 200 μg of anti-CD25 mAb (clone PC61) and 2 days later they were infected with 20 cysts of the ME49 strain of T. gondii. We observed that depleted mice showed 50–60% mortality during the acute infection. When FACS analysis was carried out, we observed that although injection of PC61 mAb eliminated 50% of Tregs, infected-depleted mice showed a similar percentage of CD25+Foxp3− (activated T cells, Tact) to those observed in infected nondepleted animals, demonstrating that in our depletion/infection system, injection of PC61 mAb did not hamper T cell activation while percentage of Tregs was reduced by 75% 10 days post infection. We concluded that Tregs are essential during protection in the acute phase of T. gondii infection.
Educational Performance: The Role of Background Variables

In the present time the accounting profession has faced two main challenges. The first challenge is the change and spread of the accounting role which has caused increasing demand for the skilled and professional graduates and the second one is related to existence of a gap between the current skills and the desired skills among the graduates of accounting field. This problem can be assigned to the lack of attention to effective factors of learning and training. Some believe that the educational program of accounting is supposed to bring those graduates in workforces who have the qualifications to meet the primary requirements of their professional job. On the other hand, some believe that the graduates must enjoy the background knowledge and skills in order to be ready for playing their organizational role and to fulfill their personal and group interactions for different jobs and overall tasks in their work life. The goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship between background variables and educational performance of accounting MA students. In this study a kind of survey method is used and a sample of MA students has been questioned and the needed data for achieving the research goals have been gathered using a standard questionnaire which is utilized in international studies. The results of the present study show that there is a significant relationship between prior educational success of students and their educational performance, also student studying in undergraduate accounting degree has a positive impact on their educational performance in the post-graduate studies. This issue is a justification about the relative lack of success of students that their undergraduate field of study is irrelevant. Student's educational performance with their motivation and expectation has a positive and direct relationship, i.e. as much more the motivation and expectation of students their educational performance is better.
Building an Experimental Platform for Cloud and Big Data Education

The mission of Higher Education is to foster specialized talent with innovative spirit and practical ability. As regards the discipline of computer science, hands-on practice plays a very important role in the process of innovative and quality education. However, with the rapid development of computer technology, traditional computing education is unable to adapt to the current cloud-based environments and large data distributed computing technologies. Currently, distributed computing education only emphasizes theoretical knowledge, and never focuses on practical exercise. In this paper, we present an experimental platform to address this urgent problem. Our platform enables users to perform cloud computing and big data processing technology, whether they are campus students or distance learners. Moreover, our experimental platform can improve students' interest in leaning and build a bridge between campus education and industrial application requirements in distributed computing technologies. The experimental results show that students may have high self satisfaction and satisfaction with their company while training on this platform.
Bond strength of resin-modified glass ionomer to dentin: the effect of dentin surface treatment

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of a resin-modified glass ionomer cement to dentin employing different dentin surface treatments. Forty sound and erupted thirds molars were selected and embedded in a ¾ inch diameter PVC ring. The occlusal surfaces were ground until dentin was exposed. The specimens were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10): G1- No dentin treatment; G2 - Dentin treated with 20% polyacrylic acid; G3 – Dentin treated with 37% phosphoric acid and left moist, and G4- Dentin treated with 37% phosphoric acid and dried. After 24 hours, specimens were tested for shear bond strength at 1mm/min crosshead speed. Data was evaluated by ANOVA and Fisher’s test, at a 5% confidence level. The treatment of dentin with 20% polyacrylic acid resulted in significantly higher bond strength values of Fuji II LC resin-modified glass-ionomer cement to dentin when compared to no dentin treatment or 37% phosphoric acid with moist dentin. The treatment of dentin with 20% polyacrylic acid showed a non-significant increase in bond strength values when compared to 37% phosphoric acid with dry dentin. First published in Int Dent S Afric 2008; 10: 40-47.
10 W Broadband Load-Pull for GaN/AlGaN Characterization

In this paper we will discuss different load-pull techniques under two tone excitation with wide bandwidth (10 MHz). In our measurements a two tone signal with 10 MHz separation will be used with different load configurations. Due to the large bandwidth of the excitation signal each tone as well as the IMD (intermodulation distortion) products will have a different load condition. In the following experiments 4 load configurations will be used and the results will be compared also a load configuration which gives identical load condition at each of the two tones and terminates the IMD products with 50 Ω will be demonstrated. I. INTRODUCTION GaN/AlGaN material system is a strong candidate for manufacturing high-power high-efficiency and high-linearity RF power transistors for 3G base stations due to its superior electrical properties. The high saturation electron velocity (1.5 × 10 7 cm/s), wide bandgap (3.4 eV), and high breakdown field strength (35×10 5 V/cm) of the GaN/AlGaN system result in record power densities (1). In 3G networks WCDMA air interface is used with a carrier bandwidth of approximately 5 MHz. The base station can use up to 4 carriers, where they are combined and amplified together by a common power amplifier. Characterizing GaN HEMTs excited with broadband complex modulated signals requires the use of two- tone signals with broad bandwidth. Performing load-pull on high power transistors services two purposes. The first is to find the optimum impedance required to achieve the required performance characteristics such as output power level, effi- ciency and IMD level. The second purpose is creating large signal behavioural models (2). Performing load-pull requires a load whose impedance can be varied in a controllable way. In previous studies (3) two tone load-pull was performed with frequency spacing of 5 MHz but the reflection coefficient was assumed to be same as for the center frequency. In (4) multi tone load-pull was performed with maximum bandwidth of 3.2 MHz. In all of the cases the reflection coefficient was assumed to be identical for all the signal components. In this paper the effect of variation of reflection coefficient in relation to the load configuration will be demonstrated.
Ji, Bing and Song, Xueguan and Sciberras, Edward and Cao, Wenping and Hu, Yihua and Pickert, Volker (2015) Multiobjective design of IGBT power modules considering power cycling and thermal cycling. IEEE Transactions

Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for any profitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.
The ecosystem services approach as an instrument for action : on the experiences in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands

Scientific knowledge about ecosystem services is rapidly being translated into policy objectives, and several EU member states have included ecosystem services in their policy programmes. However, stakeholders are experiencing many problems applying such policies in rural areas. This WOt paper describes early experiences with the ecosystem services approach in terms of opportunities and barriers. It also formulates alternative application pathways that could be supported by the many stakeholders involved.
Tracer correlations in the northern high latitude lowermost stratosphere: Influence of cross‐tropopause mass exchange

We present an analysis of trace gas correlations in the lowermost stratosphere. In‐situ aircraft measurements of CO, N2O, NOy and O3, obtained during the STREAM 1997 winter campaign, have been used to investigate the role of cross‐tropopause mass exchange on tracer‐tracer relations. At altitudes several kilometers above the local tropopause, undisturbed stratospheric air was found with NOy/NOy* ratios close to unity, NOy/O3 about 0.003–0.006 and CO mixing ratios as low as 20 ppbv (NOy* is a proxy for total reactive nitrogen derived from NOy–N2O relations measured in the stratosphere). Mixing of tropospheric air into the lowermost stratosphere has been identified by enhanced ratios of NOy/NOy* and NOy/O3, and from scatter plots of CO versus O3. The enhanced NOy/O3 ratio in the lowermost stratospheric mixing zone points to a reduced efficiency of O3 formation from aircraft NOx emissions.
New evolutionary models for pre-main sequence and main sequence low-mass stars down to the hydrogen-burning limit

We present new models for low-mass stars down to the hydrogen-burning limit that consistently couple atmosphere and interior structures, thereby superseding the widely used BCAH98 models. The new models include updated molecular linelists and solar abundances, as well as atmospheric convection parameters calibrated on 2D/3D radiative hydrodynamics simulations. Comparison of these models with observations in various colour-magnitude diagrams for various ages shows significant improvement over previous generations of models. The new models can solve flaws that are present in the previous ones, such as the prediction of optical colours that are too blue compared to M dwarf observations. They can also reproduce the four components of the young quadruple system LkCa 3 in a colour-magnitude diagram with one single isochrone, in contrast to any presently existing model. In this paper we also highlight the need for consistency when comparing models and observations, with the necessity of using evolutionary models and colours based on the same atmospheric structures.
NEW CHLOROBENZENE PESTCIDES, THEIR IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENT AND FOOD QUALITY

1Oral swabs from 12 students of Novena University, Ogume were collectively analyzed for their total viable bacteria counts and predominant isolates were also identified, with two toothpastes via close up, Aqua fresh. In the mouths of volunteers before toothpastes treatment there were bacteria such as Streptococcus species, klebsiella species. Streptococcus species were the predominant bacteria flora. Encountered also were the staphylococcus, klsebsiella species and proteins species which were also present on all mouth swabs were found to be affected by the paste treatments. The work therefore suggests that these toothpastes effectively reduce the total bacterial load of the mouth.
‘ Primitive ’ , ‘ unsophisticated ’ and ‘ irrelevant ’ : addressing first year students ’ assumptions about the Middle Ages

In this study, I will outline anecdotal experiences and the subsequent reflections on the issues I have encountered this year teaching Maths to undergraduate chemists, and how I addressed them. These issues included low self-confidence in the student body, with a considerable number of students having rather unhelpful feelings about their abilities in Maths, diverse competence levels, and questionably poor attendance related to the non-compulsory attendance requirement. I will reflect on the approaches I took when planning and conducting tutorials in this discipline. I will discuss the importance of taking a student learning perspective when planning my teaching. I will elaborate on the value of seeking feedback on my teaching, and on the ways I have used to obtain such feedback. Finally, I will link selected ideas from the educational literature with my own teaching, and clarify my insights on the nature of academic workplaces, including teaching, both at King’s College London and beyond.
Shock ionization in the extended emission-line region of 3C 305: the last piece of the (optical) puzzle

We present new Gemini spectroscopical data of the Extended Emission-Line Region of 3C~305 radio galaxy in order to achieve the final answer of the long-standing question about the ionizing mechanism. The spectra show strong kinematic disturbances within the most intense line-emitting region. The relative intensities amongst the emission lines agree with the gas being shocked during the interaction of the powerful radio jets with the ambient medium. The emission from the recombination region acts as a very effective cooling mechanism, which is supported by the presence of a neutral outflow. However, the observed intensity is almost an order of magnitude lower than expected in a pure shock model. So auto-ionizing shock models, in low-density and low-abundance regime, are required in order to account for the observed emission within the region. This scenario also supports the hypothesis that the optical emitting gas and the X-ray plasma are in pressure balance.
The Real Consequences of Property Tax Compression for Oregon Public Schools

Since Oregon’s stringent property tax reforms in the mid-1990s, tax limitations have created a complex and somewhat unpredictable levy system for local public service administrators who rely on property taxes to fund their operations. School districts, in particular, have hit the tax limitations and been forced to reckon with expected but uncollected (“compressed”) property tax revenue. This study examines the relationship between property tax compression rates and school production in Oregon, which we measure with the district-wide percentage of eighth grade students who meet or exceed state standards in the mathematics assessment. From the Oregon Departments of Education and Revenue, we’ve compiled a panel data set on 147 school districts over the six academic years from 2006-2007 to 2011-2012. We’ve created an Ordinary Least Squares model designed to control for demographic, financial, and fixed district and year effects that may affect a district or year’s overall level of student achievement, and attempt to isolate the effect that property tax compression has on district production. Our results indicate that there is a significant quadratic relationship between property tax compression rates and student achievement, such that while low levels of compression have positive effects on achievement, compression rates above 17.33 percent will negatively affect production. Simply put, our results indicate that a small amount of tax compression paradoxically benefits school districts, but that high tax compression rates bring down a district’s percentage of students who pass state mathematics exams.
Heterogeneity , Endogeneity , Measurement Error and Identi cation of the Union Wage Impact 1 ; 2

We study union wage e¤ects when membership is non-coercive and employers reserve the right of union recognition. Using the BHPS during 1995-2009 we nd evidence of membership di¤erentials for the lower male and middle female observed skill groups. The coverage di¤erential at the bottom of the observed male skill distribution suggests free riding. While union members are negatively selected, there is evidence of positive selection at the bottom of the observed skill distribution. Using the uni ed measurement error and endogeneity bias expression, we obtain a discernible pattern between uncorrected, endogeneity corrected and xed e¤ects estimates of the union wage e¤ect.
Interacting Selective Pressures in Conifer-Bark Beetle Systems: A Basis for Reciprocal Adaptations?

Conifer-bark beetle interactions provide a useful model system for evaluating potentially reciprocal selective pressures between plants and insects. The phloem-feeding bark beetles that infest living conifer stems are a major source of host mortality, and their successful reproduction is usually contingent on the death of the tree. Trees respond to invasion by producing a series of localized secretions and biochemical alterations that can contain the insect and associated microorganisms. We describe the relative advantages and disadvantages of two beetle reproductive strategies: overwhelming trees with a synchronized mass attack; and selecting weakened trees that cannot offer strong resistance. Differences in the defensive physiology of grand fir, Abies grandis (Douglas) Lindley, and lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann, may be partially responsible for differences in the behavior of the fir engraver beetle, Scolytus ventralis LeConte, and the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, respectively. Both tree species react to controlled inoculation with fungal symbionts of the beetle by producing monoterpenes and other defensive chemicals that may or may not be present in uninjured tissue. Grand fir, however, undergoes a more extensive series of biochemical conversions than does lodgepole pine. The relative extent of these responses appears to have resulted in different optimal behaviors by the two bark beetle species. Because they are not strongly repelled by host monoterpenes, mountain pine beetles enter trees that can be made suitable only by the arrival of additional colonizers. Fir engravers are repelled by cues associated with strong defensive capacity and orient solely to weakened trees. Their aggregation behavior is somewhat cooperative, but it also includes elements of social parasitism. Even though colonization by bark beetles usually leads to tree death, the effect on host fitness varies with age and ecological status. Because of factors affecting both resistance and substrate suitability, most trees are able to produce cones for several decades before attack. Where lodgepole pine is seral, there is probably little selection for resistance once late-successional species have grown into the understory. We examine the theory that a synchronous decline in resistance capacity among old trees in even-aged stands increases the likelihood of beetle epidemics and subsequent fires, thereby favoring reestablishment of lodgepole pine. Later-successional species, like grand fir, are apparently not favored by beetle outbreaks, and all age groups sampled seem physiologically capable of defending themselves against attack. We discuss the interactions between beetle and conifer traits and whether these can affect reproductive rates. We propose a model in which several feedback processes operating among groups of traits, rather than strictly deterministic pathways or single biochemical causes, structure the plant-insect interaction. Finally, we discuss the general implications to coevolutionary theory.
The nonminimality of the differential closure.

The differential closure of a given ordinary differential field k is characterized to within (differential) /^-isomorphism as a differentially closed (differential) extension field k of k which is A>isomorphic to a subfield of any differentially closed extension field of k. It has been conjectured that, in analogy to the cases of the algebraic closure of a field and the real closure of an ordered field, the differential closure of any differential field k is minimal, that is, not /b-isomorphic to a proper subfield of itself. The conjecture is here shown to be false.
Identification of Influencers in eWord-of-Mouth communities using their Online Participation Features

The identification of influencers in any type of online social network is of paramount importance, as they can significantly affect consumers’ purchasing decisions. This paper proposes the utilization of a self-designed web scraper to extract meaningful information for the identification of influencers and the analysis of how this new set of variables can be used to predict them. The experimental results from the Ciao UK website will be used to illustrate the proposed approach and to provide new insights in the identification of influencers. Obtained results show the importance of the trust network, but considering the intensity and the quality of both trustors and trustees.
Occurrence of Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli in free-living and captive wild birds from 2010-2013 in Guarapuava, Paran, Brazil

Birds are increasingly close to men, and many times are raised as pets. However, many times, these animals may carry and spread enterobacteria that are deleterious to human health. Salmonella sp. is considered one of the most common zoonoses in the world, causing important losses to public health. Although, Escherichia coli is an important commensal in the gastrointestinal tract of most animals, it may cause disease both in men and animals, depending on the strain and its pathogenicity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli in free-living and captive wild birds in the city of Guarapuava, PR, Brazil. Animals were divided according to the taxonomic order, as follows: Columbiformes (228), Psittaciformes (128), Passeriformes (63), Piciformes (26), Falconiformes (19), Stringiformes (6), and Accipitriformes (01), in a total of 471 birds. Bacterial isolation was carried out by means of cloacal swabs, with 69.38% birds positive for E. coli and 22.32% for Salmonella sp. From the total of birds, 143 showed co-infection with Salmonella sp. and E. coli. Columbiformes showed the greatest occurrence of E. coli (82.33%). Falconiformes showed the greatest number of negative birds (57.9%). These results demonstrate that birds that were analyzed may carry and spread these enterobacteria, and preventive measures for human exposure should be determined, as these microorganisms are public health concerns. Key words: Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp. , zoonosis.