Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implantation of dendritic cells in injured adult spinal cord results in activation of endogenous neural stem/progenitor cells leading to de novo neurogenesis and functional recovery

We report a treatment for spinal cord injury involving implantation of dendritic cells (DCs), which act as antigen‐presenting cells in the immune system. The novel mechanisms underlying this treatment produce functional recovery. Among the immune cells tested, DCs showed the strongest activity inducing proliferation and survival of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) in vitro. Furthermore, in DC‐implanted adult mice, endogenous NSPCs in the injured spinal cord were activated for mitotic de novo neurogenesis. These DCs produced neurotrophin‐3 and activated endogenous microglia in the injured spinal cord. Behavioral analysis revealed the locomotor functions of DC‐implanted mice to have recovered significantly as compared to those of control mice. Our results suggest that DC‐implantation exerts trophic effects, including activation of endogenous NSPCs, leading to repair of the injured adult spinal cord. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Periodontal plastic surgery for treatment of localized gingival recessions: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND The evidence for the efficacy of periodontal plastic surgery (PPS) in the treatment of recession defects has not yet been systematically evaluated. The objective of this review was to systematically review the efficacy of PPS in achieving root coverage in the treatment of localized gingival recession. The following surgical procedures have been considered in this review: guided tissue regeneration (GTR), free gingival graft (FGG), connective tissue graft (CTG), and coronally advanced flap (CAF). METHODS Randomized and controlled trials, as well as case series of at least 6 months' follow-up, were searched. Data sources included electronic databases and hand-searched journals. Screening, data abstraction and quality assessment were conducted independently and in duplicate. RESULTS Regarding recession reduction, a limited but statistically significant greater benefit was found for CTG compared with GTR (weighted mean difference: 0.43 mm, 95% CI: 0.62-0.23). No differences were found comparing either GTR with CAF or resorbable versus non-resorbable GTR barriers. Gain in attachment was also similar for each of the three comparisons. Analysis of single arms of trials and case series demonstrated that PPS can have a marked improvement on clinical parameters but heterogeneity was often high and only partly explained by initial defect depth. CONCLUSIONS Overall, PPS was effective in reducing gingival recessions with a concomitant improvement in attachment levels. Even though no single treatment can be considered superior to all the others, CTG was statistically significantly more effective than GTR in recession reduction. Further research is needed to identify the factors most associated with successful outcomes.
Rab9 functions in transport between late endosomes and the trans Golgi network.

Rab proteins represent a large family of ras‐like GTPases that regulate distinct vesicular transport events at the level of membrane targeting and/or fusion. We report here the primary sequence, subcellular localization and functional activity of a new member of the rab protein family, rab9. The majority of rab9 appears to be located on the surface of late endosomes. Rab9, purified from Escherichia coli strains expressing this protein, could be prenylated in vitro in the presence of cytosolic proteins and geranylgeranyl diphosphate. In vitro‐prenylated rab9 protein, but not C‐terminally truncated rab9, stimulated the transport of mannose 6‐phosphate receptors from late endosomes to the trans Golgi network in a cell‐free system that reconstitutes this transport step. Rab7, a related rab protein that is also localized to late endosomes, was inactive in the in vitro transport assay, despite its efficient prenylation and capacity to bind and hydrolyze GTP. These results strongly suggest that rab9 functions in the transport of mannose 6‐phosphate receptors between late endosomes and the trans Golgi network. Moreover, our results confirm the observation that a given organelle may bear multiple rab proteins with different biological functions.
A developmental switch in B lymphopoiesis.

B and T lymphocytes are generated from hematopoietic stem cells during both fetal and adult life. A critical unresolved issue is whether the differentiation pathways in lymphopoiesis are the same in fetal and adult animals or whether they differ, similar to the hemoglobin switch in erythropoiesis. We report here that a developmental switch occurs in B lymphopoiesis. We isolated "pro-B" cells (i.e., cells that have initiated, but not completed, heavy-chain gene rearrangement) from fetal and adult sources and investigated their B-cell progeny generated both in vitro and in vivo. Most of the cells from fetal liver, but few from adult bone marrow, expressed CD5. Further, fetal pro-B cells failed to generate cells expressing high levels of IgD in severe combined immunodeficiency mice, whereas adult pro-B cells gave rise to CD5-B cells bearing IgD at levels comparable to the bulk of cells in the spleen of adult mice. Thus, all committed B progenitors in fetal liver of day 16 gestation mice give rise to phenotypically distinct progeny when compared to cells at a comparable differentiation stage in the bone marrow of adult animals. We conclude that the cohort of B-lineage progenitors in early fetal development is committed to a differentiation pathway distinct from that seen in the adult.
STUDY ON INTERSTITIAL MICROWAVE HYPERTHERMIA WITH MULTI-SLOT COAXIAL ANTENNA

1 This study focuses attention on interstitial microwave hyperthermia, which is a popular medical procedure for treatment of pathological human tissues containing tumors. In the paper, the 2D finite element analysis is used to compare the models of the coaxial antenna with one, two and three air slots. The implemented models are based on the wave equation in the TM mode coupled with the Pennes equation under a transient state condition. Moreover, the model takes into account the thermo-electrical properties of human tissue for the antenna operating frequency of 2.45 GHz. Simulation results for different tissues and various multi-slot antenna configurations have been presented. The comparative analysis for single-, double- and triple-slot coaxial antennas shown in this article does not have equivalents in the current literature in the field of hyperthermia.
Radar cross section of the human heartbeat and respiration in the 500MHz to 3GHz band

Cardiopulmonary motion can be detected from a distance using radar. Which frequencies that are best suited for detecting heartbeats or respiration is connected to the radar cross section (RCS) of the physiological motion. In this paper, we investigate the RCS of human heartbeats and respiration in the frequency range 500MHz to 3GHz through calibrated radar recordings of two persons.
Loss-of-function mutations in APOC3 and risk of ischemic vascular disease.

BACKGROUND High plasma levels of nonfasting triglycerides are associated with an increased risk of ischemic cardiovascular disease. Whether lifelong low levels of nonfasting triglycerides owing to mutations in the gene encoding apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) are associated with a reduced risk of ischemic cardiovascular disease in the general population is unknown. METHODS Using data from 75,725 participants in two general-population studies, we first tested whether low levels of nonfasting triglycerides were associated with reduced risks of ischemic vascular disease and ischemic heart disease. Second, we tested whether loss-of-function mutations in APOC3, which were associated with reduced levels of nonfasting triglycerides, were also associated with reduced risks of ischemic vascular disease and ischemic heart disease. During follow-up, ischemic vascular disease developed in 10,797 participants, and ischemic heart disease developed in 7557 of these 10,797 participants. RESULTS Participants with nonfasting triglyceride levels of less than 1.00 mmol per liter (90 mg per deciliter) had a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than those with levels of 4.00 mmol per liter (350 mg per deciliter) or more (hazard ratio for ischemic vascular disease, 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35 to 0.54; hazard ratio for ischemic heart disease, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.52). Heterozygosity for loss-of-function mutations in APOC3, as compared with no APOC3 mutations, was associated with a mean reduction in nonfasting triglyceride levels of 44% (P<0.001). The cumulative incidences of ischemic vascular disease and ischemic heart disease were reduced in heterozygotes as compared with noncarriers of APOC3 mutations (P=0.009 and P=0.05, respectively), with corresponding risk reductions of 41% (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.86; P=0.007) and 36% (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.99; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS Loss-of-function mutations in APOC3 were associated with low levels of triglycerides and a reduced risk of ischemic cardiovascular disease. (Funded by the European Union and others.).
Coexistence Evaluation of Densely Deployed BLE-Based Body Area Networks

In wireless body area network (BAN) applications such as wearable computing, healthcare and sports, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a new and promising technology, which uses the unlicensed 2.4-GHz spectrum band for data transmission. Since there exist many wireless technologies operating in this frequency band, the issues of cross-technology interference and coexistence present a major challenge. In this work, we develop a testbed to conduct our experimental studies, focusing on BLE and its coexistence capabilities when being deployed in a dense environment, under possible interference from WiFi and ZigBee/IEEE 802.15. 4. One scenario of interest is a network of several co-located BLE-based BANs, each of which is designed in a star topology with one gateway and multiple BLE sensor nodes. The second scenario represents a highly heterogeneous network where each BAN now carries both BLE and ZigBee sensors, while being exposed to interference from external WiFi transmission. Our results show that the performance of BLE is relatively robust to interference from other BLE transmission as well as those from nearby ZigBee and WiFi devices.
Heterogeneity of cycling glial progenitors in the adult mammalian cortex and white matter.

The heterogeneity and differentiation potential of mitotically active cells in the adult brain were studied by labeling adult rats with BrdU, and isolating an enriched population of cycling cells from neocortex and from subcortical white matter. The majority of this population isolated from either brain region labeled with O4, an early oligodendrocyte marker. In tissue culture, these O4(+) progenitors acquired galactocerebroside, a glycolipid of mature oligodendrocytes, but not GFAP, an intermediate filament of astrocytes. A minority population expressed the intermediate filament protein, vimentin, but not O4. This population expressed GFAP after several days in culture. A third population of cycling cells, expressing the gangliosides labeled with the A2B5 antibody, represented a minority population in subcortical white matter, but one of the major cycling populations in cortex, with substantial overlap with O4. Small populations of cycling NG2(+) cells also were observed. Thus, the cycling cells in the adult brain are heterogeneous, and the majority appear to belong to glial lineages.
OR FORUM - The Evolution of Closed-Loop Supply Chain Research

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to the field of closed-loop supply chains with a strong business perspective, i.e., we focus on profitable value recovery from returned products. It recounts the evolution of research in this growing area over the past 15 years, during which it developed from a narrow, technically focused niche area to a fully recognized subfield of supply chain management. We use five phases to paint an encompassing view of this evolutionary process for the reader to understand past achievements and potential future operations research opportunities.
'Non-place jungle': The construction of authenticity in National parks of Malaysia

Introduction For many travellers a jungle is the epitome of adventure, unspoiled but fragile nature and authenticity. Therefore, journeys to pristine tropical rainforests are increasingly popular with foreign tourists from western countries and more and more with domestic tourists too. Countries such as Malaysia that still have vast areas under tree cover are advertizing their natural beauty (cf. Wong and Phillipps, 1996; Hutton, 1998). However, tourists do not visit mere jungles or areas covered with rainforests. They visit them if they are protected, if they carry the label of a conservation area, a forest reserve, a national park, or even of a World Heritage Site. This label serves them as a guarantee for visiting an authentic place (Peet, 1998: 50–52). I want to argue that authenticity is a social construction, which depends primarily on the notions people have about the things they (visit and) see (Stauth, 1999). The images tourists have–or construct–about jungles can therefore contrast with the reality of other actors within the ‘arena’ of the jungle (i.e. park management, local people, and other tourists). Tourists often equate authenticity with ecological balance and many of them want to contribute to sustainable development and ‘do the right thing’ (Backhaus, 1999). Ecotourism has become a widely used and often misused buzzword in the promotion of tourism (see Hitchcock and Jay, 1998), especially in Malaysian Borneo (Cochrane, 1993; Masing, 1999). Many, mostly foreign, travellers regard a destination that is labelled ‘eco’ as a locality where they are guided to highlights without harming the natural and cultural environment. However, this guidance (i.e. by travel agencies, travel books, park administrations etc.) does not always meet the expectations of the visitors. It is the aim of this paper to consider whether it is possible to guide tourists in an eco-friendly way through national parks and at the same time to enable them to experience authenticity. For, if the expectations of tourists can be met in an eco-friendly way, in the end it serves both conservation and the tourist economy. It is my hypothesis that this goal can be better achieved with the help of elements of so-called ‘non-places’ (Augé, 1995), places of globalized ‘understanding’ (albeit with a western bias). These non-places (i.e. airports, shopping malls, turnpikes or theme parks) play an increasingly important role in our everyday life and also while travelling. In the following section, some basic characteristics of tourism will be explained, using an approach of John Urry (1990) and the concept of ecotourism will be highlighted. In the third section, I will introduce Giddens’ (1995) ideas of ‘ontological security’ and ‘critical situations’ and apply them to the context of travelling. In the fourth section, I will explain what tourists expect to see in a national park, presenting results of an ongoing research project. Finally, I will elaborate some ideas about what can be done
Immunoassay Targeting Nonstructural Protein 5 To Differentiate West Nile Virus Infection from Dengue and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus Infections and from Flavivirus Vaccination

ABSTRACT West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging flavivirus that has caused frequent epidemics since 1996. Besides natural transmission by mosquitoes, WNV can also be transmitted through blood transfusion and organ transplantation, thus heightening the urgency of development of a specific and rapid serologic assay of WNV infection. The current immunoassays lack specificity because they are based on detection of antibodies against WNV structural proteins and immune responses to structural proteins among flaviviruses cross-react to each other. Here, we describe microsphere immunoassays that detect antibodies to nonstructural proteins 3 and 5 (NS3 and NS5). In contrast to immunoassays based on viral envelope and NS3 proteins, the NS5-based assay (i) reliably discriminates between WNV infections and dengue virus or St. Louis encephalitis virus infections, (ii) differentiates between flavivirus vaccination and natural WNV infection, and (iii) indicates recent infections. These unique features of the NS5-based immunoassay will be very useful for both clinical and veterinary diagnosis of WNV infection.
Novel blockers of hyperpolarization‐activated current with isoform selectivity in recombinant cells and native tissue

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Selective hyperpolarization activated, cyclic nucleotide‐gated channel (HCN) blockers represent an important therapeutic goal due to the wide distribution and multiple functions of these proteins, representing the molecular correlate of f‐ and h‐current (If or Ih). Recently, new compounds able to block differentially the homomeric HCN isoforms expressed in HEK293 have been synthesized. In the present work, the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of these new HCN blockers were characterized and their activities evaluated on native channels.
Handwritten character recognition using multi-resolution histograms of oriented gradients

In this paper, a novel handwritten character recognition scheme by using multi-resolution histograms of oriented gradients (MHOG) is proposed. Histograms of oriented gradients of multi-resolutions are fused with canonical correlation analysis (CCA). The scheme is evaluated on three handwritten character databases and the result has demonstrated the effectiveness of the presented scheme.
EXPRESSION AND POST‐TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION OF HUMAN 4‐HYDROXY‐PHENYLPYRUVATE DIOXYGENASE

4‐hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPD) (EC 1.13.11.27) is a key enzyme involved in tyrosine catabolism. Congenital HPD deficiency is a rare, relatively benign condition known as hereditary type III tyrosinemia. The severe type I tyrosinemia, caused by a deficiency of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase which functions downstream of HPD in the tyrosine degradation pathway, is often associated with decreased expression of HPD, and interestingly, inhibition of HPD activity seems to ameliorate the clinical symptoms of type I tyrosinemia. The HPD gene was previously mapped to the chromosomal region 12q24→5;qter. In the present study high‐resolution chromosome mapping localized the HPD gene to 12q24.31. DNase I footprinting, revealed that four regions of the HPD promoter were protected by rat liver nuclear proteins. Computer‐assisted analyses suggested that these elements might bind Sp1/AP2, HNF4, HNF3/CREB, and C/EBP, respectively. In transient transfection experiments, the proximal 271bp of the promoter conferred basal transcriptional activation in human Chang cells. Sequences in intron 1 were able to enhance the activity of this basal promoter. Finally, vaccinia virus‐based expression provided evidence that HPD is subject to phosphorylation, and furthermore, allowed mapping of the HPD protein in the human keratinocyte 2D database.
A Fear Index to Predict Oil Futures Returns

This paper evaluates the predictability of WTI light sweet crude oil futures by using the variance risk premium, i.e. the difference between model-free measures of implied and realized volatilities. Additional regressors known for their ability to explain crude oil futures prices are also considered, capturing macroeconomic, financial and oil-specific influences. The results indicate that the explanatory power of the (negative) variance risk premium on oil excess returns is particularly strong (up to 25% for the adjusted Rsquared across our regressions). It complements other financial (e.g. default spread) and oil-specific (e.g. US oil stocks) factors highlighted in previous literature.
Micropuncture study of nephron function in the rhesus monkey.

The function of the proximal and distal tubule was studied in the rhesus monkey during antidiuresis and during the diuresis after furosemide administration (during which extracellular fluid volume was maintained). In the proximal tubule, fluid to plasma ratios for sodium, potassium, and osmolality approximated unity. During antidiuresis, about 30% of the filtered water remained at the end of the accessible portion of this segment (92% of length). Fluid was hypotonic to plasma throughout the distal tubule. 25% of the filtered water was present in the early distal tubule. Small but significant water reabsorption (about 8% of filtered) occurred in remainder of this segment. Tubule fluid to plasma potassium concentration ratios tended to increase along the distal tubule, and the amount of potassium, relative to the amount filtered, increased from 13% in the early portion of this segment to 26% in the late portion.After furosemide was administered animals excreted about one-third of the filtered sodium and water. Despite this diuresis, electrolyte and water reabsorption along the proximal tubule did not differ from values obtained in control animals. Osmolality and sodium concentration of fluid from the distal tubule approached those of plasma. 22% of the filtered sodium (twice the control values) reached the distal tubule, whereas the fraction of filtered water remaining was only slightly increased. These findings indicate that, after the administration of this drug, inhibition of sodium reabsorption occurred in the water-impermeable segment of the nephron, rather than in the proximal tubule. After furosemide administration, all tubule fluid to plasma potassium concentration ratios in the distal tubule were equal to or greater than one, suggesting inhibition of active potassium reabsorption at or prior to this site.Fluid to plasma bicarbonate concentration ratios from the midportion of the proximal tubule were consistently less than one in normal monkeys. After acetazolamide was administered, the bicarbonate concentration of samples of tubule fluid recollected from these same sites was the same as, or higher than in plasma. This fact demonstrates the inhibition of bicarbonate reabsorption in this portion of the tubule.
The Second Tier of Local Government in Europe : Provinces, Counties, Départements and Landkreise in Comparison

1. Introduction Hubert Heinelt and Xavier Bertrana 2. Belgium Tony Valcke, Herwig Reynaert and Kristof Steyvers 3. Denmark Poul Erik Mouritzen 4. France Emmanuel Negrier and Fabien Nicolas 5. The United Kingdom Steve Martin 6. Germany Hubert Heinelt and Bjorn Egner 7. Greece Nikos Hlepas and Panagoitis Getimis 8. Hungary Gabor Soos 9. Italy Carlo Bachetti 10. Poland Pawel Swianiewicz 11. Romania Cristina Stanus and Daniel Pop 12. Spain Xavier Bertrana, Marina Espinosa, Jaume Magre 13. Sweden Henry Back 14. The Netherlands Ger Arendsen 15. Turkey Korel Goymen 16. Conclusions Xavier Bertrana and Hubert Heinelt
Tensor-based ultrasonic signal processing for defect detection in fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) structures

Ultrasonic testing (UT) technique has been widely used in defect detection of composite materials. To better identify the defective regions, a number of one- or two-dimensional signal processing methods have been adopted for defect signal enhancement. However, the application of these methods is limited by their complex operation. Most of the existing methods cannot deal with the entire three-dimensional tensor of UT data in an efficient manner. In order to solve this problem, a third-order tensor decomposition method, Tucker3, is adopted in this paper for UT-based defect detection in fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) structures. After Tucher-3 decomposition, the defect information is extracted by a small number of factors, which is further summarized by the leverages. The candidate defective regions are then identified from the leverages, based on which the locations and the shapes of the defects can be calculated by clustering.