SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Neuronal self-renewal by antigen-specific tolerization in multiple sclerosis reinstalling the balance between inflammation and regeneration

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system for which no cure is currently available. It is the leading cause of non-traumatic disabling neurological disease in young adults with more than 500,000 people affected in Europe. As chronic inflammatory processes drive the neurodegeneration, we hypothesize that improved clinical outcome can be achieved by restoring the balance between inflammation and the remaining capacity of neuronal self-renewal. In this context, cell therapy that specifically targets the damaging immune reactions that cause MS, thereby reducing the autoreactive, inflammatory assaults in MS without affecting protective immunity against pathogens and cancer, can be a promising approach to allow for more repair. Recently, we set-up a collaborative network of European centers working in cell therapy (COST Action BM1305). From this, a multidisciplinary team from four different EU countries (B, ES, NL and GER) with two additional partners now aims to safely reach the next level of testing and joins efforts to bring antigen-specific cell therapy for MS to the clinic. Our objectives are to evaluate safety, clinical practicality and demonstrate first proof-of-principle of therapeutic efficacy of antigen-specific tolerance-inducing dendritic cells (tolDC) in MS patients in two single-center clinical trials. All regulatory approvals are already in place. Coordinated patient monitoring and centralized MRI monitoring, including radiological correlates of neurodegeneration, and immunomonitoring will enable us to directly compare results between trials and enable consented biobanking, data safeguarding and accessibility to support future efforts in the field of MS therapy. ReSToRe focuses on the advancement of an innovative cell therapy approach with the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from MS, a currently untreatable disease. This would represent a breakthrough for healthcare in MS.
Activated microglial cells synthesize and secrete AGE-albumin

A holy grail of curing neurodegenerative diseases is to identify the main causes and mechanisms underlying neuronal death. Many studies have sought to identify these targets in a wide variety of ways, but a more important task is to identify critical molecular targets and their origins. Potential molecular targets include advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that can promote neuronal cell death, thereby contributing to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease or Parkinson disease. In this study, we showed that AGE-albumin (glycated albumin) is synthesized in microglial cells and secreted in the human brain. Our results provide new insight into which microglial cells can promote the receptor for AGE-mediated neuronal cell death, eventually leading to neurodegenerative diseases.
Water quality biomonitoring combining ai and environmental genomics

The impact of human activities on the environment is regularly monitored by environmental agencies and by the industry. This trend is growing due to public recognition of environmental threats and pressure for transparency as well as more stringent regulations tackling water pollution. ID-gene goal is to provide environmental agencies and industry that cannot respond to the growing demand for environmental impact assessments with fast, sensitive and reliable eDNA tests/assays for species detection and bio-indication. 
Founded with the idea of applying environmental genetics to environmental impact assessments and developing new technological solutions, ID-Gene is implementing customer-focused approach. Time is spent on listening to customers making sure that their needs are thoroughly understood and brainstorming possible solutions.
A spin-off of the University of Geneva, ID-Gene services are certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for the environmental impact assessment of salmon farms. The company developed & led the €1.3 million SYNAQUA project for the development of eco-genomic tools & is involved in international projects enforcing environmental genomics for biodiversity monitoring. ID-Gene is also involved in the DNAqua.net COST action, being considered an expert in the field of eDNA for water quality monitoring. 
ID-Gene technology on water quality monitoring has been field tested since 2015 onward, with field trials in over 400 sites, with continuous testing taking place as the technology development.
ID-Gene possesses a state-of-the-art laboratory, controlling all steps of the analysis, from eDNA sampling to high-throughput sequencing & sequencing data analysis with well-established and customs tools.
VALORIZZAZIONE DEI GENOTIPI ANIMALI AUTOCTONI

The project VAGAL aims to characterization and to enhance the quality of rural areas and economic resources in the areas of Tuscany, Sardinia and Corsica, through innovative joint between institutions, research centers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The collaboration took place to improve the production and marketing of quality products and excellence.
These territories share a high environmental value, where extensive farming is widespread livestock and local products often reach excellence, VAGAL contribute to innovate the production processes by encouraging the use of genotypes of native animals. Enable SMEs in the sectors of agriculture, tourism, crafts and trade have manual manufacturing highly innovative and scientifically tested, characterized, in order to achieve high-quality traditional products. At the same time VAGAL will enhance fresh and processed food products, both with the recovery of local traditions is encouraging, with the direct involvement of enterprises, the application in production processes and processing innovations made possible by technical and scientific acquisitions in the sector. All experiments, studies, scientific textbooks will feed into a computer database that will give way to all SMEs to benefit from cross-border activity of research and development methodologies tested in the company. VAGAL safeguard the biodiversity that will support all research methodologies, actions and interventions to survey and retrieve breeds of pig, sheep, goat and equine local genetic characterization. Will aim to optimize the supply chain with particular attention to qualitative aspects, defining a system of traceability of products, marketing strategies and communication. All this in an integrated management with the promotion of tourism and regional sustainability for the establishment of a network of "BIOTERRITORI" understood as a consistent geographic topography, soil and climate, cultural and social production in which the animal is indigenous germplasm a distinctive element. VAGAL put up for public awareness initiatives and schools to promote awareness and consumption of local products.
Unlikely refuge? refugees and citizens in east-central europe in the 20th century

The project aims to write refugees back into the history of East-Central Europe in the 20th century. In this “age of refugees”, the region became a destination of large refugee migrations, forcing civil societies and governments to negotiate difficult decisions about protection for those fleeing the war and persecution. Yet, at the same time, East-Central Europe does not enjoy the reputation as a welcoming place for people persecuted for political persuasion, for their “racial”, ethnic identity or any other reason. It would appear that the histories of ethnic conflict and violence, political oppression and economic underdevelopment make it a place to leave behind rather than to search for as a safe harbour.

Studies about specific groups and instances notwithstanding, historical research remains highly unsatisfactory, failing to address refugee protection in a systematic comparative way and transcending national master narratives. Worse than this, historical writing about refugees in the “East” often re-inscribes the very (ethnic, political) categories which lead to the production of refugees in the first place.

Comparative research spanning across a longer period and a wider territory promises therefore not only major insights about the “East” as a refuge, but also a significant contribution to the emerging field of global refugee history. In this project, an international research team led by the PI will, using comparative historical research combined with multi-disciplinary approaches, probe the multifaceted entanglements with refugees in countries created in 1918 on the ruins of the Habsburg Monarchy (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia) over the 20th century. By doing so, it wishes to return the discussion of protection of refugees into the region’s history and to contribute – from a scholarly perspective – to the cultivation of current and future public debate about this divisive subject.
Genomic selection for two traits in a maternal pig breeding scheme1

The objective of this study was to compare different implementations of genomic selection to a conventional maternal pig breeding scheme, when selection was based partly on production traits and partly on maternal traits. A nucleus pig breeding population with size and structure similar to Norwegian Landrace was simulated where equal weight was used for maternal and production traits. To genotype the boars at the boar station and base the final selection of boars on genomic breeding values increased total genetic gain by 13% and reduced the rate of inbreeding by 40%, without significantly affecting the relative contribution of each trait to total genetic gain. To increase the size of the reference population and thereby accuracy of selection, female sibs in the selected litters can also be genotyped to increase genetic gain for maternal traits more than for production traits, thereby resulting in an increased relative contribution of maternal traits to total genetic gain. Genotyping 2,400 females each year increased the relative contribution of maternal traits to total genetic gain from 16 to 32%. Performing preselection of males by allowing genotyping of 2 males per litter and allowing for selection across and within litters before the boar test increased genetic gain by 5 to 11%, compared with genotyping the boars at the boar station, without significant effects on the relative contribution of each trait to total genetic gain. Genotyping more animals consequently increased genetic gain. Genotyping females to build a larger reference base for maternal traits gave similar genetic gain as genotyping the same amount of additional males but with a lower rate of inbreeding and a greater contribution of maternal traits to total genetic gain. In conclusion, genotyping females should be prioritized before genotyping more males than the tested boars if the breeding goal is to increase maternal traits specifically over production traits or genomic selection is used as a tool to reduce the rate of inbreeding.
Stress treatments and in vitro culture conditions influence microspore embryogenesis and growth of callus from anther walls of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Production of doubled haploids (DHs) is a convenient tool to obtain pure lines for breeding purposes. Until now, the easiest and most useful approach to obtain pepper DHs is via anther culture. However, this method has an associated possibility of producing calli from anther wall tissues that would be coexisting in the anther locule with embryos derived from microspores. Using two established protocols for anther culture, Dumas de Vaulx et al. (Agronomie 2:983–988, 1981) and Supena et al. (Sci Hort 107:226–232, 2006a; Plant Cell Rep 25:1–10, 2006b) callus and embryo development was assessed in four sweet pepper cultivars. For all genotypes tested, the protocol of Dumas de Vaulx et al. (Agronomie 2:983–988, 1981) promoted both embryo development and callus growth, whereas the protocol of Supena et al. (Sci Hort 107:226–232, 2006a; Plant Cell Rep 25:1–10, 2006b) produced no callus but only embryos. However, differences in embryo production were observed among these genotypes. In parallel, anthers were exposed to a 35 °C inductive heat shock for 4, 8, 12 and 16 days, prior to culture at 25 °C. The duration of the heat shock had significant effects in embryo production, but also in callus generation. Callus generation increased with prolonged exposures to 35 °C. Embryo and callus origin was analyzed by flow cytometry, light microscopy and molecular markers. Tests conducted demonstrated a gametophytic origin for all of the embryos tested, and a sporophytic origin for all of the calli. Together, our results reveal that culture conditions have a significant influence on the presence of calli derived from anther walls, which could be minimized by reducing heat shock exposure and/or using a shed-microspore approach.
Helical foldamers with tunable channels for transmembrane water and ion transport

The development of synthetic molecules capable of mimicking the modes of action of biological ion and water membrane channels is crucial to understand their mechanism and potentially to cure diseases (channelopathies) associated with their malfunctions. Synthetic transporters and channels that have already been reported so far, suffer from ill-defined structures or complex mechanisms that make it difficult to establish structure-property relationships in order to improve their efficiency and selectivity. This project aims at designing, synthesizing and studying the very first membrane spanning unimolecular synthetic ion or water channels in the form of long helically folded aromatic oligomers with suitably oriented binding sites at the inner rim. It builds upon earlier achievements in aromatic foldamer design concerning both molecular recognition in helical cavities, and the development of efficient solid phase synthetic methods (SPS) to access sequences longer than 40 units. About 40 units are predicted to fold in a 10-turn open-ended helix with a sizeable channel, covering a total height of ~35 Å, which is equivalent to the thickness of a lipid membrane. Such objects would be structurally stable and well-defined, amenable to structural fine-tuning by changing the composition of individual monomers one at a time, to modulate channel diameter and polar/apolar features. Their channeling behavior will be studied in vesicles and planar bilayers and will be correlated to their structure. Such correlation will allow, for the first time in the field, to build predictive design capabilities. This multidisciplinary project will enrich my strong background on artificial membrane channels with foldamer chemistry and should be decisive to help me reaching an independent academic research position.
Easy-to-use paint roller with telescopic handle

The paint roller has a telescopic sleeve with an internal section (200) and an external section (100) sliding together. The inner section has a sprung arm (220) to cooperate with the external section to prevent sliding. The outer section has a longitudinal window oriented outwardly (105) with longitudinal edges having a series of recesses (135) to retain the lugs on the sprung arm against sliding.
Thermodynamic Parameters, NBO Analysis, HOMO-LUMO and MEP Analysis of (5R)-2-Methyl-5-[(2S)-6-Methyl-5-Hepten-2-yl]-1,3-Cyclohexadiene Using HF and DFT Calculations

Ginger plant is a well-known spice and flavoring agent which has also been used in traditional medicine in many countries. Ginger contains essential oils including Gingerol and Zingiberene. Zingiberene is a  monocyclic sesquiterpene  that gives a distinctive flavor to ginger. The quantum theoretical calculations for Zingiberene were performed by using HF/6-31G, HF/6-31G(d), B3LYP/6-31G, B3PW91/6-31G and BLYP/6-31G level. The E HOMO-1 , E LUMO E LUMO+1 , HOMO-LUMO energy gap (Eg), and dipole moment ( µ D ) obtained for Zingiberene. According to the calculated HOMO and LUMO energies, molecular properties such as Ionisation Potential (I), Electron affinity (A), chemical hardness (η), electronic chemical potential (μ) and electrophilicity (ω) obtained and also show that charge transfer occurs in Zingiberene. The frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and molecular electrostatic potentials (MEPs), the chemical shielding tensors (CS), thermodynamic parameters, natural charge and NBO analysis were investigated for title structure by theoretical calculations. Keywords: Ginger, Zingiberene, Energy gap, Natural charge, NBO analysis.
Enhancement of wine as quality product of the cross-border area

Wine is the typical quality agricultural produce that this project is going to focus on, in the framework of trade fairs and through promotional material that can highlight its value and its method of production. Wine as expression of culture will be the object of a suitable marketing campaign to be carried out by means of traditional and highly technological instruments. The current situation meets with several difficulties: consumers do not possess yet the suitable assessment equipment to detect the products available on the market; the market of European wines is suffering severely because of the competition of foreign wines, which sometimes are low-quality products. On the Eastern hills of Friuli and in the Slovenian Collio region of Brda, where the wine sector is made of small and medium size firms, the quality production prevails: low yield per hectar, manual processing, greater attention to the product. The strong point is not the price, but the quality of the product. The main need is that of consolidating the image of quality on the market, whilst introducing, enhancing and strengthening the characteristics of these products. The multilingual promotional material that is going to be prepared in the framework of the project includes also some indications about the itineraries in the wine-making area. Visits to the cellars of the consortium producers will also take place, at Vinoteka and at the cooperative cellar in Brda; an educational tour will be organized with the participation of specialized journalists.
Hybrid multi‐swarm particle swarm optimisation based multi‐objective reactive power dispatch

Most of the real-world optimisation problems are subject to different types of constraints and are known as constrained optimisation problems. Reactive power dispatch (RPD) in electrical power system is also a non-linear, multi-objective or a single objective constrained optimisation problem. In this study, hybrid multi-swarm particle swarm optimisation (HMPSO) algorithm has been proposed to solve the RPD problem. HMPSO is one of the recently proposed population based search algorithm, in which the existing swarm is partitioned into several sub-swarms. Particle swarm optimisation is applied as the search engine for each sub-swarm. In addition, to explore more promising regions of the search space, differential evolution (DE) algorithm is implemented to improve the personal best of each particle. The RPD problem is formulated as non-linear, constrained multi-objective optimisation problem with equality and inequality constraints for minimisation of power losses and improvement of voltage profile simultaneously. To find the Pareto optimal set for RPD problem, weighted sum method has been applied. Afterwards, for finding the preferred solution out of the Pareto-optimal set, fuzzy membership function has been used. Effectiveness of the HMPSO algorithm has been verified on the standard IEEE 30-bus and a practical 75-bus Indian systems.
Next generation framework for global glacier forecasting

Worldwide glacier retreat outside the two large ice sheets is increasingly tangible and the associated ice-loss has dominated the cryospheric contribution to sea-level change for many decades. This retreat has also become symbolic for the effects of the generally warming climate. Despite the anticipated importance for future sea-level rise, continuing glacier retreat will affect seasonal freshwater availability and might add to regional water-stress in this century. Here, I envision a novel self-consistent, ice-dynamic forecasting framework for global glacier evolution that will lift the confidence in forward projections for this century to new heights. For the first time, each glacier on Earth will be treated as a three-dimension body within its surrounding topography without using any form of geometric simplification. The heart of the framework is the systematic utilisation of the rapidly growing body of information from satellite remote sensing. For this purpose, I intend to pass on to ensemble assimilation techniques that transiently consider measurements as they become available. This will streamline and increase the total information flow into glacier models. In terms of climatic forcing, global products will be replaced by regional forecasts with high-resolution climate models. Moreover, a more realistic representation of the local energy balance at the glacier surface is pursued that ensures multi-decadal stability in the melt formulation. The envisaged 3D finite-element modelling framework also allows a direct integration of iceberg calving, which is, on global scales, an often-unconsidered dynamic ice-loss term. To this day, a key limitation of glacier projections is the poorly constrained ice volume and its distribution at present. Here, I put forward a promising remedy that builds on multi-temporal satellite information to calibrate a state-of-the-art reconstruction approach for mapping basin-wide ice thickness on virtually any glacier.
Exploring the contribution of bacteriophages to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in environmental settings

Antibiotic resistance has become a global public health concern. Although this phenomenon has been widely studied in clinical settings, its impact has not been extensively explored in environmental settings. The environment is continually exposed to a wide variety of antimicrobials and their metabolites through wastewater treatment plant discharges, agricultural runoff, and animal feeding operations which may contribute to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. Moreover, the large-scale mixing of environmental bacteria with exogenous bacteria from anthropogenic sources provides the ideal selective and ecological conditions for the emergence of resistant bacteria. As a consequence, aquatic environments may provide ideal settings for the horizontal exchange of antibiotic resistance genes. Our working hypothesis is that bacteriophages (phages) play an important (and overlooked) role in the acquisition, maintenance and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in environmental settings, particularly under anthropogenic disturbances. The specific aims of the ENVIROSTOME project are (i) to determine the contribution of phages to the horizontal transfer of ARGs in aquatic environments, and (ii) to investigate the impact of conventional and novel disinfection approaches in wastewater treatment on the prevalence of ARG-carrying phages in aquatic environments. Dr. Balcazár’s group have demonstrated that environmental phages contain a large diversity of ARGs, which warrants further research to clarify their contribution to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among environmental bacteria, as well as to investigate their control through disinfection. The results of this research are expected to deliver critical insights for tackling the global crisis of antibiotic resistance. The project is also supported by an intersectoral secondment with the world-class water intelligence company BlueTech Research and by its founder and CEO, Paul O'Callaghan.