Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Saturation characteristics of ionization chambers for high-intensity continuous and pulsed x-ray beams

The relation between current and applied voltage of parallel-plate and free-air ionization chambers was investigated for high-intensity X rays from synchrotron radiation. To make pulsed X rays, synchrotron radiation was intercepted at 533 Hz with a rotating disk having slits. For continuous X rays, m decreased with applied voltage at parallel-plate ionization chamber. For pulsed X rays, VI was linear to 1/V at parallel- plate and free-air ionization chambers. At high-intensity, the applied voltage increases the ion velocity, and the transit time became almost comparable to the pulse width. At this condition, the X rays became "continuous" and 1/I approached linearity to 1/V2 rather than 1/V.
Endothelial expression of PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 down‐regulates CD8+ T cell activation and cytolysis

Interactions between CD8+ T cells and endothelial cells are important in both protective and pathologic immune responses. Endothelial cells regulate the recruitment of CD8+ Tcells into tissues, and the activation of CD8+ T cells by antigen presentation and costimulatory signals. PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 are recently described B7‐family molecules which bind to PD‐1 on activated lymphocytes and down‐regulate T cell activation. We found that PD‐L1 is expressed on interferon‐γ stimulated cultured human and mouse endothelial cells, while PD‐L2 was found on stimulated human but not mouse endothelial cells. Expression was further up‐regulated by TNF‐α. Antibody blockade of endothelial cell PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 enhanced endothelial cell costimulation of PHA‐activated human CD8+ T cells. Antibody blockade of mouse endothelial cell PD‐L1 enhanced both IFN‐γ secretion and cytolytic activity of CD8+ T cells in response to endothelial cellantigen presentation. These results show that IFN‐γ activated endothelial cells can inhibit T cell activation via expression of the immunoinhibitory PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 molecules. Endothelial expression of PD‐ligands would allow activation and extravasation of T cells without excessive vessel damage. Our findings highlight a potentially important pathway by which endothelial cells down‐regulate CD8+ T cell‐mediated immune responses.
In vivo somatic mutations in humans: measurement and analysis.

INTROD UCTION . 306 THE CELL S yS TEMS . 306 Red Blood Cells . 306 T-Lymphocytes . 307 THE GENETIC SyS TEMS . 308 Genes Scored in Red Cells . 308 Genes Sco re d in T-lymphoc ytes . 308 THE AS SAyS . 309 HbS 309 GPA . 309 hprt . 310 HLA . 310 QUANTITATIVE MEAS UREMENTS OF Vf OR Mf IN H UMAN SOMATIC CELLS . 3 1 1 HbS 312 GPA . 312 hprt . 313 HLA . 314 RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEAS URED M UTANT FREQUENCIES AND PROB AB LE M UTATION FREQUENCIES . 314 MOLEC ULAR ANALYSES OF IN VIVO SOM ATIC M UTATION S IN H UMANS. 315 hpr t Mutations. 315 HLA Mutations . 319 CONCLUS IONS. 319
Polypharmacy among the elderly: a population-based study.

Objective: To investigate polypharmacy among the elderly living in the urban area of Florianopolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, estimating the prevalence and associated factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional population-based study with a sample of 1,705 individuals aged 60 years old or older, between 2009 and 2010. The dependent variable was polypharmacy (defined as "use of five or more medications"). The following exploratory variables were utilized: sociodemographic data, use of health services and self-rated health status. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated by multivariate analysis using the Poisson regression. Results: The mean for the medications used by the elderly population was 3.8 (ranging from 0 to 28). The prevalence of polypharmacy was 32%, with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 29.8 - 34.3. The characteristics presenting a positive association with polypharmacy were: female gender (PR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.03 - 1.57), increasing age (PR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.08 - 1.77), negative self-rated health status (PR = 1.99; 95% CI 1.59 - 2.48) and medical appointments in the 3 months prior to the interview (PR = 1.89; 95% CI 1.53 - 2.32). The groups of medication most utilized by the elderly individuals in polypharmacy were those indicated for the cardiovascular system, digestive tract and metabolism, as well as the nervous system. Conclusion: The pattern of medication use among this elderly population is within the national average. The prevalence of polypharmacy and the characteristics associated with it were similar to those found in other regions of Brazil.
OPTIMAL CHANGE POINT DETECTION IN STATE SPACE MODELS

Suppose there is a sequence of observations ξ0, ξ1, . from a state space model such that ξ0, ξ1, . , ξω−1 are observations with probability distribution P θ0 , and ξω, ξω+1, . are observations with probability distribution P θ at some unknown time ω. Here we assume the parameter of prechange θ0 is given, while the parameter of after change θ is unknown. The problem is to raise an alarm as soon as possible after the distribution changes from P θ0 to P θ , but to avoid false alarms. Specifically, we seek a stopping rule N which allows us to observe the ξ′s sequentially, such that P θ0 ∞ {N < ∞} is small, and subject to this constraint supkE θ k(N − k|N ≥ k) is, uniformly in θ, as small as possible. Here E k denotes expectation under the parameter is θ and the change point is k, and P θ0 ∞ denotes probability under the hypothesis of no change whatever. In this paper we investigate theoretical properties of a mixture Shiryayev-Roberts-Pollak (SRP) change point detection rule in state space models. By making use of Markov chain representation for the likelihood function, exponential embedding of the induced Markovian transition operator, and sequential hypothesis testing theory for Markov random walks, we show that the mixture SRP procedure is second-order asymptotically optimal. To this end, we present an asymptotic approximation for the expected stopping time of such a stopping scheme when ω = 1. Finally, we apply these results to several types of state space models: general state Markov chains, linear state space models and ARMA models.
Synergy between rapamycin and FLT 3 ligand enhances plasmacytoid dendritic cell – dependent induction of CD 4 1 CD 25 1 FoxP 3 1 Treg

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are critical in central and peripheral tolerance to self-antigens as well as exogenous antigens. Because of their ability to suppress immune responses, ex vivo expanded CD4CD25FoxP3 Treg are used to prevent graft-versus-host disease in bone marrow transplants and are tested in clinical trials for autoimmune diseases. Treg can also be induced in vivo and play important roles in tolerance to cell and organ transplants, oral tolerance, and tolerance to therapeutic proteins in the treatment of genetic diseases. One method of inducing antigen-specific CD4CD25FoxP3 Treg is to introduce the antigen in the presence of rapamycin. The macrolide immunosuppressant rapamycin (sirolimus) can inhibit intracellular signaling through mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR; a serine/threonine kinase) complex 1 by binding to the immunophilin FK506 binding protein-12 (FKBP-12). Thereby, rapamycin inhibits cycle progression of activated T cells, leading to T-cell anergy or deletion, and inhibits the T-cell stimulatory activity of dendritic cells (DCs), resulting in impaired cytokinedriven cellular activation and selective depletion of T helper (Th) 1, Th2, and Th17 cells. This is associated with an increased expansion of CD4CD25FoxP3Treg in response to reducedmTOR signaling. Our previous studies have shown that rapamycin, when coadministered with protein or peptide antigen, can suppress inhibitory antibody formation to factor (F) VIII and FIX in treatment of hemophilia A and B. This approach was further improved by addition of the cytokine interleukin (IL) 10. Treghomeostasis is controlledbyDCs, so that increasednumbers of DCs lead to a corresponding accumulation of Treg.Hence, expansion of DCs, using the ligand for the FMS-like receptor tyrosine kinase Flt3 (CD135) indirectly leads to expansion of existing peripheral Treg. These observations prompted us to hypothesize that Treg induction with antigen/rapamycin combined with Treg expansion via Flt3Linduced DC proliferation should be synergistic and may represent an ideal strategy for effective in vivo Treg induction. FLT3 is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in stem and early hematopoietic precursor cells in the bone marrow, immature thymocytes, and steadystate DCs. Its cognate ligand (Flt3L) is a hematopoietic growth factor with essential functions in early progenitor and DC generation and is involved in the proliferation, differentiation, development, and mobilization of these cells in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and lymphoid organs. Flt3/Flt3L signaling is critical to the generation and steady-state expansion of both the conventional (CD11c, CD8CD11c) and plasmacytoid (CD11cPDCA-1) subsets of DCs. Flt3 or Flt3L mice show deficient hematopoiesis and reduced DC numbers and, consequently, also reduced Treg numbers.
Bosumtwi Impact Crater , Ghana ( West Africa ) : An Updated and Revised Geological Map , with Explanations

1. Zusammenfassung . 32 1. Abstract . 32
Nature of the swarming phenomenon in Proteus.

INTRODUCTION . 101 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SW ARMING . 102 Morphological Variants of Proteus 104 DISSECTION OF SWARMING . \07 Formation of Swarm Cells . 109 Inhibition of swarming . III Current views . 114 Ra:j��! {h�';,u:r':xg! �� . : . ::::: . ::::::::::: . : . : . ::::: . :. II � Energy material 1 1 8 Slime production 1 1 8 Consolidation . 1 19 EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF SWARMING . 1 19 CONCLUSIONS. 1 19
The cost of alternative urban water supply and efficiency options in California

Urban communities, farms, businesses, and natural ecosystems depend upon adequate, reliable, and affordable supplies of clean water. As populations and economies grow and as climatic changes alter both water supply and demand, traditional options for meeting freshwater needs are becoming less available, reliable, and effective. As we approach peak water constraints on traditional water supplies, more efforts needed to reduce water demands through a wide range of conservation and efficiency technologies and policies, and to develop alternative, non-traditional water sources. A key factor in the adoption of these strategies is their economic feasibility; yet, only limited and often confusing data are available on their relative costs. To fill this gap, this analysis evaluates the costs of four groups of alternatives for urban supply and demand based on data and analysis in the California context: stormwater capture; water recycling and reuse; brackish and seawater desalination; and a range of water conservation and efficiency measures. We also describe some important co-benefits or avoided costs, such as reducing water withdrawals from surface water bodies or polluted runoff in coastal waterways. While difficult to quantify, such benefits are economically relevant, and we highlight areas where further research and analysis are needed to improve estimates presented here. All of the water-use efficiency options are far less costly than traditional or alternative supply systems with the exception of some of the most expensive landscape water reduction options. The water treatment and reuse systems and the urban stormwater capture projects are more costly per unit of water produced but still less expensive than seawater desalination—the most expensive option evaluated.
Tolerable Acclimation to the Cross-Coupled Illusion through a 10-day, Incremental, Personalized Protocol.

BACKGROUNDArtificial gravity (AG) has the potential to provide a comprehensive countermeasure mitigating deleterious effects of microgravity. However, the cross-coupled "Coriolis" illusion has prevented using a more feasible and less costly short-radius centrifuge, as compared to large, slowly spinning systems.OBJECTIVEWe assessed tolerability of a personalized, incremental protocol to acclimate humans to the cross-coupled illusion, enabling faster spin rates.METHODSTen subjects were exposed to the illusion by performing roll head tilts while seated upright and spun about an Earth-vertical axis. The spin rate was incremented when head tilts did not subjectively elicit the illusion. Subjects completed one 25-minute session on each of 10 days.RESULTSThe spin rate at which subjects felt no cross-coupled illusion increased in all subjects from an average of 1.8 rotations per minute (RPM) (SD: ±0.9) at the beginning of the protocol to 17.7 RPM (SD: ±9.1) at the end. For off-axis centrifugation producing 1G at the rider's feet, this corresponds to a reduction in the required centrifuge diameter from 552.2 to 5.7 meters. Subjects reported no more than slight motion sickness.CONCLUSIONSAcclimation to the cross-coupled illusion, such as that accomplished here, is critical for feasibility of short-radius centrifugation for AG implementation.
An eye-tracking study of animate objects

This study involved presentation of animate objects under labelling and non-labelling conditions and examination of participants' looking pattern across these conditions. Results revealed a surprisingly consistent way in which adults look at the pictures of animate objects. The head/eyes of the animals were a typical region attracting a number of fixations, but also some other parts of animals (e.g. the tail in cats, or the udder in cows and the body in snakes). Furthermore, not only did participants tend to look at similar regions of the pictures of animate objects, but also the looking order to these regions was consistent across participants. However, contrary to the original predictions, these patterns of fixations were similar across the naming and non-naming conditions ('Look at the ! ', 'Look at the picture! ' and 'What's this? ', respectively), which led to the conclusion that participants' consistency in processing animate objects was not reflecting underlying mental representation evoked by labels, but was rather driven by the structural similarity of animate objects, in particular the presence of a head.
Mesenchymal stem cells for clinical application

Mesenchymal Stem Cells/Multipotent Marrow Stromal Cells (MSC) are multipotent adult stem cells present in all tissues, as part of the perivascular population. As multipotent cells, MSCs can differentiate into different tissues originating from mesoderm ranging from bone and cartilage, to cardiac muscle. Conflicting data show that MSCs could be pluripotent and able to differentiate into tissues and cells of non‐mesodermic origin as neurons or epithelial cells. Moreover, MSCs exhibit non‐HLA restricted immunosuppressive properties. This wide range of properties leads to increasing uses of MSC for immunomodulation or tissue repair. Based on their immunosuppressive properties MSC are used particularly in the treatment of graft versus host disease, For tissue repair, MSCs can work by different ways from cell replacement to paracrine effects through the release of cytokines and to regulation of immune/inflammatory responses. In regenerative medicine, trials are in progress or planed for healing/repair of different tissue or organs as bone, cartilage, vessels, myocardium, or epithelia. Although it has been demonstrated that ex‐vivo expansion processes using fetal bovine serum, recombinant growth factors (e.g. FGF2) or platelet lysate are feasible, definitive standards to produce clinical‐grade MSC are still lacking. MSCs have to be produced according GMP and regulation constraints. For answering to the numerous challenges in this fast developing field of biology and medicine, integrative networks linking together research teams, cell therapy laboratories and clinical teams are needed.
Salivary and plasma inflammatory mediators and secretory status in preterm delivery women with periodontitis - a cross sectional study

Bacground/Aim. Preterm birth is defined as a delivery prior to the completed 37th week of gestation. Literature data suggested that periodontal processes may influence to the feto-placental unit and induce preterm delivery. The degree of the periodontal disease is influenced by secretor status. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are involved in periodontitis as well as in delivery. The combined influence of these factors on the risk of preterm birth has not been explored. The aim of our study was to investigate the associations between periodontal diseases, secretor status, and interleukin- 1-? (IL1-? ) and prostaglandine E2 (PGE2) levels in women delivered preterm. Methods. The study included 56 preterm delivery women and 56 women delivered at term as a control group, aged between 17 and 41 years. Periodontal examination, blood and saliva sampling were performed within 48 hours following delivery. Secretor phenotype was determined by hemagglutination inhibition method. The concentrations of IL1-? and PGE2 were measured by high sensitivity Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results. In the pre-term birth group there were 66.1% of women with periodontitis, while in the control one there were 12.5% (p < 0.01). Concentrations of IL1-? and PGE2 in plasma were significantly higher in the non-secretor group of women who gave birth pre-term and had periodontitis comparing to other groups. There was a significant correlation between salivary and plasma levels of PGE2 and IL1-? in the preterm birth group (R = 0.416, p = 0.017 and R = -0.592, p < 0.001, respectively). There were no such correlations in women who delivered at term. Conclusion. Our results support the hypothesis that non-secretor phenotype and periodontitis are at least in part responsible for pathogenesis of preterm birth. This probability of negative impact of non-secretor status cannot be ignored. These findings support the need for additional research into the biology of human parturition.
Essays on agricultural research investment

This dissertation addresses three questions regarding investments in agricultural research and development (R&D): why, how much, and why not more? The economics literature sees profit as the principal incentive to investing in agricultural R&D. However, this profit motive is constrained by many factors, which makes it quite complicated to detect a direct link between R&D investment and impact. Conceptually, this link could be captured by an R&D opportunity curve , which links the investment in a portfolio of R&D projects with (expected) rates of return to individual R&D projects. While such a link between R&D investment and impact is usually assumed to be implicit, this dissertation attempts to make this link explicit and estimate the shape and position of the agricultural R&D opportunity curve for different sets of countries (developed versus developing) and for different time periods (early 1960s versus early 1980s). This is done by bringing together information on investment levels in agricultural R&D (the how much question) with information obtained from a large number of different studies on rates of return to agricultural R&D. The question of "How much is invested in agricultural R&D? " is addressed in a series of four chapters that have been published previously as articles. They show that in both developed and developing countries, the growth in investment in public agricultural R&D has slowed down steadily during the past 30 years. Nevertheless, between 1961 and 1991 public agricultural research investments in developed countries increased in real terms (i.e., net of inflation) by a factor of 2.7 and in developing countries, by a factor of 5.3. Despite this growth, however, there has not been a notable decline in the average rate of return to investments in agricultural R&D. This finding can only be reconciled by assuming that the R&D opportunity curve is not constant but shifts (and in this case positively) through time. The estimated shape and position of the R&D opportunity curves provides a good starting point for assessing the widely shared perception that there is underinvestment in agricultural R&D. An important finding of this dissertation is that in relative terms, developing countries not only have a considerably more limited portfolio of profitable agricultural R&D projects to choose from than developed countries, but their capacity to select, finance, and implement those opportunities is also substantially weaker. Hence, underinvestment in agricultural R&D tends to be more critical in developing than in developed countries.
The life cycle and morphology of Nematopsis ostrearum, sp. Nov. a gregarine parasite of the mud crab and oyster

CONTENTS Introduction . 39 Acknowledgments . 41 Materials and methods . 41 Classification . 43 Cytology of infected oysters . 44 Outline of life cycle . 47 Development in mud crabs . 47 Development in the oyster . 49 Morphology . 50 Sporozoite and trophozoite . 60 Sporont and gametocyte . 52 Gymnospore and resistant spore . 54 Discussion . 59 Sunimnry . 60
Screening of oral squamous cell carcinoma by serum changes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth common cancer in the world and 90% of oral malignant tumors. The aim of this study was the investigation of changes in some metabolic elements of OSCC patients' serum. Materials and Methods: In this study, international databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and National (Magiran, IranMedex) were searched from 1980 to 2019. To analyze the data, a random-effects model was used to combine the differences in the mean of studies in STATA Software (version 12). Results: A total of 724 articles were found with initial searching that 474 duplicate articles, 228 articles were excluded by reviewing the title and abstracts, and 17 articles were excluded from the study due to lack of inclusion criteria. Finally, five articles entered the meta-analysis phase. The mean difference value for zinc concentration of blood serum was 2.01 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36–3.66) and for copper was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.01–2.07). In both populations, the heterogeneity was found between studies (I2 = 97.4, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Probably higher serum levels of copper and zinc could be one way to help to do a primary screening of OSCC in suspected patients.