Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
S layer protein A of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM regulates immature dendritic cell and T cell functions

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that play an essential role in mucosal tolerance. They regularly encounter beneficial intestinal bacteria, but the nature of these cellular contacts and the immune responses elicited by the bacteria are not entirely elucidated. Here, we examined the interactions of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and its cell surface compounds with DCs. L. acidophilus NCFM attached to DCs and induced a concentration-dependent production of IL-10, and low IL-12p70. We further demonstrated that the bacterium binds to DC-specific ICAM-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), a DC- specific receptor. To identify the DC-SIGN ligand present on the bacterium, we took advantage of a generated array of L. acidophilus NCFM mutants. A knockout mutant of L. acidophilus NCFM lacking the surface (S) layer A protein (SlpA) was significantly reduced in binding to DC-SIGN. This mutant incurred a chromosomal inversion leading to dominant expression of a second S layer protein, SlpB. In the SlpB-dominant strain, the nature of the interaction of this bacterium with DCs changed dramatically. Higher concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-12p70, TNFα, and IL-1β were produced by DCs interacting with the SlpB-dominant strain compared with the parent NCFM strain. Unlike the SlpA-knockout mutant, T cells primed with L. acidophilus NCFM stimulated DCs produced more IL-4. The SlpA–DC-SIGN interaction was further confirmed as purified SlpA protein ligated directly to the DC-SIGN. In conclusion, the major S layer protein, SlpA, of L. acidophilus NCFM is the first probiotic bacterial DC-SIGN ligand identified that is functionally involved in the modulation of DCs and T cells functions.
A Joint Scheduling and Routing Algorithm for Target Tracking in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper we consider sensor nodes with the capability of measuring the bearings (relative angle to the target). We use geometric methods to select a set of observer nodes which are responsible for collecting data from the target. Considering the characteristics of target tracking applications, it is clear that significant numbers of sensor nodes are usually inactive. Therefore, in order to minimize the total network energy consumption, a set of sensor nodes, called sentinel, is periodically selected for monitoring, controlling the environment and transmitting data through the network. The other nodes are inactive. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm provides a joint scheduling and routing algorithm to transmit data between network nodes and the fusion center (FC) in which not only provides an efficient way to estimate the target position but also provides an efficient target tracking. Performance evaluation confirms the superiority of the proposed algorithm.
Tetracycline Analogs Whose Primary Target Is Not the Bacterial Ribosome

The tetracyclines are a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics which were discovered in 1948 following the isolation of chlortetracycline from Streptomyces aureofaciens (4). Later, other tetracyclines (Table 1) were identified; they were either naturally occurring molecules (tetracycline, demethylchlortetracycline) or products of semisynthetic approaches (doxycycline, minocycline) (4). The tetracyclines listed above prevent bacterial growth by inhibiting protein synthesis (4, 11). They bind to a single high-affinity site on the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit and prevent attachment of aminoacyl-tRNA to the ribosomal acceptor site (4). Nevertheless, the antibiotic interaction is reversible since these agents are bacteriostatic (4, 9). The broad spectrum of activity and relative safety of the tetracyclines have led to their extensive use in the therapy of bacterial infections in humans and animals (4). However, one of the most important limitations to the continued widespread use of tetracyclines has been the emergence of bacterial resistance to these antibiotics (4). Two principal mechanisms of resistance occur (4): (i) energy-dependent removal of antibiotic from the cell mediated by membrane-located efflux proteins, and (ii) ribosomal protection whereby tetracyclines
Diagnostic du cancer de la prostate par imagerie moderne : place de l’IRM dans la sélection des candidats à une surveillance active et dans la caractérisation des zones tumorales intra-prostatiques

L’IRM represente une modalite d’imagerie du cancer de la prostate qui occupe une place de plus en plus importante pour le diagnostic positif. D’autres indications sont en cours de validation pour etablir le pronostique, pour guider le traitement et pour assurer le suivi apres traitement notamment partiel. La premiere partie de ce travail a porte sur les etudes cliniques de l’IRM dans la selection des candidats a une surveillance active. Les performances de l’IRM particulierement dans la detection des cancers anterieurs permettront de reduire le risque de sous-estimation initiale des tumeurs et par consequent le risque de la reclassification au cours des protocoles de surveillance active. La seconde partie de ce travail a porte sur la correlation entre les anomalies de signal a l’IRM et les zones tumorales et non tumorales intra-prostatiques. La validation d’une technique simple et reproductible de recalage a permis ensuite une correlation des anomalies de signal enregistrees sur l’IRM et des parametres histo-pathologiques quantitatifs des pieces operatoires de prostatectomie.
Antiretrovirals and safer conception for HIV-serodiscordant couples

Purpose of reviewMany men and women living with HIV and their uninfected partners attempt to conceive children. HIV-prevention science can be applied to reduce sexual transmission risk while respecting couples’ reproductive goals. Here we discuss antiretrovirals as prevention in the context of safer conception for HIV-serodiscordant couples. Recent findingsAntiretroviral therapy (ART) for the infected partner and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the uninfected partner reduce the risk of heterosexual HIV transmission. Several demonstration projects suggest the feasibility and acceptability of antiretroviral (ARV)s as periconception HIV-prevention for HIV-serodiscordant couples. The application of ARVs to periconception risk reduction may be limited by adherence. SummaryFor male-infected (M+F−) couples who cannot access sperm processing and female-infected (F+M−) couples unwilling to carry out insemination without intercourse, ART for the infected partner, PrEP for the uninfected partner, combined with treatment for sexually transmitted infections, sex limited to peak fertility, and medical male circumcision (for F+M couples) provide excellent, well tolerated options for reducing the risk of periconception HIV sexual transmission.
Intuitive Robot Control Using Surface EMG and Accelerometer Signals

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Nitrate in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores: a detailed description of post-depositional processes

Abstract A compilation of nitrate (NO3 –) data from Greenland has shown that recent NO3 – concentrations reveal a temperature dependence similar to that seen in Antarctica. Except for sites with very low accumulation rates, lower temperatures tend to lead to higher NO3 – concentrations preserved in the ice. Accumulation rate, which is closely linked to temperature, might influence the concentrations preserved in snow as well, but its effect cannot be separated from the temperature imprint. Processes involved in NO3 – deposition are discussed and shown to be temperature- and/or accumulation-rate-dependent. Apart from scavenging of nitric acid (HNO3) during formation of precipitation, uptake of HNO3 onto the ice crystal’s surface during and after precipitation seems to contribute further to the NO3 – concentrations found in surface snow. Post-depositional loss of NO3 – from the top snow layers is caused by release of HNO3 and by photolysis of NO3 –. It is suggested that photolysis accounts for considerable losses at sites with very low accumulation rates. Depending on the site characteristic, and given that the temperature and accumulation-rate dependence is quantified, it should be possible to infer changes in atmospheric HNO3 concentrations.
Uniform Marker Fields: Camera localization by orientable De Bruijn tori

In various applications, a wider area needs to be covered by fiduciary markers but a large marker cannot be used because only a fraction of the area is to be viewed by the camera. Such an area can be covered by a number of small markers with unique identifiers. However, with the camera freely moving in the scene and with occluders present, it is difficult to ensure that at least one of the individual markers is completely visible, unless the markers are small and numerous. In that case, the markers are not recognizable from larger distances. In this paper we introduce the concept of Marker Fields which overcome this limitation. The Marker Field covers a large-scale planar (or non-planar) area and it is composed of mutually overlapping partial markers. We propose a particular arrangement of the Marker Field: a Uniform Checker-Board Marker Field, which is a black- and-white checkerboard whose square modules are defined by aperiodic 4-orientable binary n2-window arrays (De Bruijn tori). We propose a genetic algorithm for construction of 4-orientable n2window arrays. We used a supercomputer to synthesize large 4-orientable 42window arrays and offer them publicly for downloading. We prototyped an algorithm for detection of the checkerboard marker fields and measured its performance. When processing input video from a cellphone camera, the algorithm visits only about 5 % of image pixels for reliable detection and the processing time is about 1 ms on a mid-range PC processor. The Uniform Marker Field increases freedom of camera movement, especially with occluders present in the scene. The detection algorithm is efficient and real-time marker field detection will be feasible on ultramobile devices.
Fatty Acids Modulate Toll-like Receptor 4 Activation through Regulation of Receptor Dimerization and Recruitment into Lipid Rafts in a Reactive Oxygen Species-dependent Manner*

The saturated fatty acids acylated on Lipid A of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or bacterial lipoproteins play critical roles in ligand recognition and receptor activation for Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) and TLR2. The results from our previous studies demonstrated that saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids reciprocally modulate the activation of TLR4. However, the underlying mechanism has not been understood. Here, we report for the first time that the saturated fatty acid lauric acid induced dimerization and recruitment of TLR4 into lipid rafts, however, dimerization was not observed in non-lipid raft fractions. Similarly, LPS and lauric acid enhanced the association of TLR4 with MD-2 and downstream adaptor molecules, TRIF and MyD88, into lipid rafts leading to the activation of downstream signaling pathways and target gene expression. However, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, inhibited LPS- or lauric acid-induced dimerization and recruitment of TLR4 into lipid raft fractions. Together, these results demonstrate that lauric acid and DHA reciprocally modulate TLR4 activation by regulation of the dimerization and recruitment of TLR4 into lipid rafts. In addition, we showed that TLR4 recruitment to lipid rafts and dimerization were coupled events mediated at least in part by NADPH oxidase-dependent reactive oxygen species generation. These results provide a new insight in understanding the mechanism by which fatty acids differentially modulate TLR4-mediated signaling pathway and consequent inflammatory responses which are implicated in the development and progression of many chronic diseases.
Long short-term memory description and its application in text processing

The paper describes the state-of-the-art of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks with fixation to context utilization in text documents. Context in text documents is utilized mainly in the natural language processing, machine reading, but also in other areas, for example in the information retrieval. In the areas where the context is taken into account, the LSTM finds wide appliance because it is able to remember preceding states and on the base of them to evaluate the required task. Preceding states is not needed to place on the input again.
Proteomic analysis of adipose tissue: informing diabetes research

Diabetes, one of the most common endocrine diseases worldwide, results from complex pathophysiological mechanisms that are not fully understood. Adipose tissue is considered a major endocrine organ and plays a central role in the development of diabetes. The identification of the adipose tissue-derived factors that contribute to the onset and progression of diabetes will hopefully lead to the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. Proteomic techniques may be useful tools for this purpose. In the present review, we have summarized the studies conducting adipose tissue proteomics in subjects with diabetes and insulin resistance, and discussed the proteins identified in these studies as candidates to exert important roles in these disorders.
Limits on dark matter annihilation signals from the Fermi LAT 4-year measurement of the isotropic gamma-ray background

We search for evidence of dark matter (DM) annihilation in the isotropic gamma-ray background (IGRB) measured with 50 months of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) observations. An improved theoretical description of the cosmological DM annihilation signal, based on two complementary techniques and assuming generic weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) properties, renders more precise predictions compared to previous work. More specifically, we estimate the cosmologically-induced gamma-ray intensity to have an uncertainty of a factor ~ 20 in canonical setups. We consistently include both the Galactic and extragalactic signals under the same theoretical framework, and study the impact of the former on the IGRB spectrum derivation. We find no evidence for a DM signal and we set limits on the DM-induced isotropic gamma-ray signal. Our limits are competitive for DM particle masses up to tens of TeV and, indeed, are the strongest limits derived from Fermi LAT data at TeV energies. This is possible thanks to the new Fermi LAT IGRB measurement, which now extends up to an energy of 820 GeV. As a result, we quantify uncertainties in detail and show the potential this type of search offers for testing the WIMP paradigm with a complementary and truly cosmological probe ofmore » DM particle signals. « less
[Acceptance of the disease in patients with lung cancer].

UNLABELLED Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in men and the second frequent in women. Cancer is not without consequences on the life and functioning of a patient. The process of adopting the disease is based on restoring the patient's psychological balance, reduction of the emotional discomfort and self-confidence. AIM The aim of the study was to assess the acceptance of lung cancer in patients with this diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 73 patients treated at the Pulmonology Ward of Podkarpackie Center for Lung Diseases, Department of Clinical Oncology of Podkarpackie Oncology Centre in Rzeszów and at the Department of Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Oncological Surgery of Podkarpackie Oncological Center in Brzozów. Author's questionnaire and Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) were used in the study. RESULTS At the time of diagnosis 60.27% of the subjects accepted the disease, while at the time of the study 90.41% reconciled with the cancer diagnosis. The average degree of acceptance was found in 56.16% of the subjects. The respondents up to 60 years of age were characterized by a higher level of acceptance than patients over 60. The effect of age on the degree of being needed was observed, where higher average value was found in people up to 60 (p <0.05). It was demonstrated that age (up to 60) and the time elapsed since the diagnosis (up to 6 months) is significantly associated with less dependence on the others (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS The time elapsed since the diagnosis led to the increased in the acceptance of the disease. The age up to 60 was characterized by higher level of acceptance and a higher degree of being needed.
Cross-coupling and decoupling techniques in the current control of grid-connected voltage source converter

Cross-coupling issue of current control in dq frame will deteriorate the system performance especially for low PWM pulse-ratio applications. The decoupling techniques based on inductor current feed-forward (ICFF) and complex vector PI controllers (VPI) are usually employed to decouple the closedloop system. In this paper, the cross-coupling issue was analyzed and described with complex (coefficient) transfer function. And an intuitive criterion was established to describe how much the closed-loop system was decoupled. The current control structure with reference current feed-forward (RCFF) instead of ICFF was proposed to achieve as fast current performance as that of a decoupled system. The three current control decoupling techniques with ICFF, VPI and RCFF were compared with each other. And their advantages and disadvantages were shown in details. Finally, simulation and experiments results were shown.
Effects of Schwann cell transplantation in a contusion model of rat spinal cord injury

Cultured Schwann cells were transplanted at various delays into a spinal cord contusion injury performed at low thoracic level in adult female rats. The Schwann cells were purified from the dorsal root ganglia of adult syngeneic animals. The transplants were well tolerated, and the transplanted Schwann cells invaded the injured spinal cord. As quantified using video image analysis, the survival and growth of the transplanted cells were poor when the grafting procedure was performed 3–4 days after injury and very good when performed immediately or 10 days after injury, in which cases post‐traumatic micro‐ and macrocavitation were strongly reduced. In animals grafted immediately after injury but not in animals grafted after 10 days, post‐traumatic astrogliosis was much reduced. The Schwann cells transplanted area was invaded by numerous regenerating axons, the vast majority of which were, based on the neurotransmitter (CGRP and SP) profile, originating from dorsal root ganglion. No regeneration of the cortico‐spinal tract as assessed after anterograde tracing or of descending aminergic fibers could be demonstrated. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanisms of resistance to azole antifungals.

Until the late eighties, clinical resistance to azole antifungals was a rare phenomenon. Only a few cases of resistance to ketoconazole were found in patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC). The spread of AIDS and the widespread prophylactic and therapeutic use of the hydrophilic azole compound fluconazole resulted both in the selection and induction of resistant strains and in a shift in the nature of the infecting organisms. Most azole antifungals such as itraconazole, ketoconazole and fluconazole are active against a variety of fungal diseases. However, the concentration needed to inhibit growth is dependent on the nature of the infecting species. Mucor spp. , e.g., are almost insensitive to present available azole compounds and can be regarded as intrinsically resistant to azole treatment. Physiochemical features, such as the hydrophobicity and pKa, of a given azole, define whether or not it will be active or cross-resistant against a given species. Fluconazole is almost inactive against Candida krusei and Aspergillus fumigatus, whereas the lipophilic itraconazole is active against these species. A third type of resistance is acquired or induced resistance. This is the most controversial type because, even within a given species, organisms may differ in their response to the same azole. For these strains, convincing evidence can only be obtained when there is a genotypically related strain, which does not show resistance. In a limited number of biochemical or molecular biological studies the mechanisms of resistance have been investigated at the molecular level. These studies show that resistance can occur when there is an insufficient intracellular content of the azole. This can be due to impermeability problems, inactivated uptake systems or, and more likely, the presence of active multidrug resistance gene products of the P-glycoprotein type. Alteration or overexpression of the target for azole antifungals, the cytochrome P450-dependent 14 alpha-demethylase, also induces resistance. The nature and amount of the accumulating sterols also are of great importance for azole-induced growth inhibition. This may explain why mutations in other enzymes of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, e.g. the delta 5-6 desaturase, can contribute to azole resistance.
Discordance in HIV-Positive Patient and Health Care Provider Perspectives on Death, Dying, and End-of-Life Care

The purpose of this study was to investigate how HIV-positive patients and infectious disease health care providers think about death, dying, and end-of-life care (EOLC) planning. We conducted separate in-depth qualitative interviews with 47 patients and 11 providers. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using a secondary comparative method. Patients and providers demonstrated profound differences in their perspectives on patient empowerment and attributions of control related to disease progression, imminence of death, and EOLC decision making. Notably, patients described fears related to life-extending interventions that generally went unaddressed within the clinical context. We argue for the routinization of EOLC discussions and suggest novel research approaches to improve patient empowerment and medical engagement.
Incorporating instance correlations in multi-label classification via label-space

Multi-label classification is a machine learning task where instances can be classified into two or more labels simultaneously. In this task, there exist correlations between the instances belonging to same or similar sets of labels. This paper proposes the incorporation of instance correlations by modifying the multi-label datasets. We used the label-space to create new features, which represent these correlations. The original and modified datasets were used with different multi-label classification methods. Experiments have shown that better results can be obtained when instance correlations were incorporated in the classification tasks. All methods were evaluated with measures specifically designed for multi-label problems.
Outage Capacity of a Hybrid MIMO Algorithm That Employs Multiple QR Decompositions

We present outage capacity analysis and results for the hybrid MIMO scheme we first proposed in~\cite{ARAR06}. We recently analyzed and demonstrated the FER effectiveness of the proposed algorithm~\cite{ARAR2010}. We also showed that its parallel architecture allows for the tradeoff between complexity, performance and power consumption on a packet-by-packet basis. In this paper we show that despite the fact the Alamouti code (a core component of the proposed algorithm) is capacity-lossy, the overall capacity offered by the proposed scheme is comparable to the one offered by spatial multiplexing algorithms such as MMSE-VBLAST.