nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Suppression of IL 10 production by activated B cells via a cell contact dependent cyclooxygenase 2 pathway upregulated in IFN g treated mesenchymal stem cells.
Venue: Immunobiology

The immunoregulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been well documented in various models in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, a population of regulatory B cells (Bregs) that produce relatively high concentrations of IL 10 has been recently described. To study the relationship between MSCs and Bregs, we analyzed the effects of MSCs on IL 10 production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activated mouse B cells. The production of IL 10 by B cells remained preserved in the presence of MSCs and was even significantly enhanced by IFN g. However, the production of IL 10 was strongly suppressed in cultures containing MSCs and IFN g. Preincubation of MSCs, but not of B cells, with IFN g induced the suppression of IL 10 secretion in cultures containing MSCs and B cells. The supernatants from IFN g treated MSCs had no inhibitory effect, and the suppression of IL 10 production was abrogated if the MSCs and B cells were separated in a transwell system. Analysis of the gene expression of IFN g or IFN g and LPS treated MSCs revealed a strong upregulation of genes for indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox 2) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD L1) While the inhibition of IDO activity or the inclusion of the neutralization monoclonal antibody anti PD L1 did not abrogate the suppression, indomethacin, an inhibitor of Cox 2, completely inhibited the MSC mediated suppression of IL 10 production. Accordingly, the production of IL 10 by B cells was inhibited by exogenous prostaglandin E2. The results thus suggest that IFN g treated MSCs strongly inhibit IL 10 production by activated B cells by a mechanism requiring cell contact and involving the Cox 2 pathway.
Mussel inspired fabrication of novel superhydrophobic and superoleophilic sponge modified using a high density of nanoaggregates at low concentration of dopamine

PDA nanoaggregates can be formed at ultra high concentrations of dopamine (DA, 8 mg mL 1) promoting application of DA/PDA chemistry in material modification; however, polydopamine (PDA) film also is formed at such concentrations. To achieve a high density of PDA nanoaggregates on the material surface at low concentrations of DA, here, a simple strategy was developed and a novel superhydrophobic/superoleophilic sponge with outstanding adsorbency and flame retardancy was fabricated. Two step DA oxidative self polymerization in different media was applied. After the raw melamine sponge (ME) was first coated with PDA film at 0.5 mg mL 1 of DA in mild buffer (Tris HCl, pH 8.5) the resulting PDA film was then applied as "solid reagent" and contributed to formation of a high density of PDA nanoaggregates at 3.0 mg mL 1 of DA in a harsh medium (water/ethanol/ammonium) Covalent grafting of n dodecylthiol (DT, low surface energy molecular) onto PDA nanoaggregates was combined in the second step using the reactivity of PDA. As investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the as prepared ME/PDA/DT sponge has a 3D hierarchical structure with a high density of nanoaggregates on an interconnected porous sponge network. The size and density of PDA nanoaggregates on the sponge could be easily controlled by adjusting the concentration of ammonia in the second step. The ME/PDA/DT sponge was superhydrophobic (water contact angle of 161.5deg) and superoleophilic (oil contact angle of 0deg) Owing to the high loading of nanoaggregates, highly porous structure, and superhydrophobic property, the ME/PDA/DT sponge possessed outstanding adsorption properties towards oil and organic solvents, including high adsorption capacity (weight gains ranged from 6632% to 15112% fast adsorption kinetics (reaching adsorption capacity in 30 seconds) and good reusability (no obvious decrease of adsorption capacity after ten adsorption/distillation cycles) The ME/PDA/DT sponge exhibited improved flame retardancy compared with the raw melamine sponge, indicating significant potential for oil adsorption and organic solvent clean up with low risk of fire and explosion.
Inflammation in AKI: Current Understanding, Key Questions, and Knowledge Gaps.
Venue: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology JASN

Inflammation is a complex biologic response that is essential for eliminating microbial pathogens and repairing tissue after injury. AKI associates with intrarenal and systemic inflammation; thus, improved understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response has high potential for identifying effective therapies to prevent or ameliorate AKI. In the past decade, much knowledge has been generated about the fundamental mechanisms of inflammation. Experimental work in small animal models has revealed many details of the inflammatory response that occurs within the kidney after typical causes of AKI, including insights into the molecular signals released by dying cells, the role of pattern recognition receptors, the diverse subtypes of resident and recruited immune cells, and the phased transition from destructive to reparative inflammation. Although this expansion of the basic knowledge base has increased the number of mechanistically relevant targets of intervention, progress in developing therapies that improve AKI outcomes by modulation of inflammation remains slow. In this article, we summarize the most important recent developments in understanding the inflammatory mechanisms of AKI, highlight key limitations of the commonly used animal models and clinical trial designs that may prevent successful clinical application, and suggest priority approaches for research toward clinical translation in this area.
Natural History of Congenital Generalized Lipodystrophy: A Nationwide Study From Turkey.
Venue: The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by near total lack of body fat.  We aimed to study natural history and disease burden of various subtypes of CGL.  We attempted to ascertain nearly all patients with CGL in Turkey.  This was a nationwide study.  Participants included 33 patients (22 families) with CGL and 30 healthy controls.  We wanted to ascertain genotypes by sequencing of the known genes. Whole body magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the extent of fat loss. Metabolic abnormalities and end organ complications were measured on prospective follow up.  Analysis of the AGPAT2 gene revealed four previously reported and four novel mutations (CGL1; c.144C>A, c.667_705delinsCTGCG, c.268delC, and c.316+1G>T) Analysis of the BSCL2 gene revealed four different homozygous and one compound heterozygous possible disease causing mutations (CGL2) including four novel mutations (c.280C>T, c.631delG, c.62A>T, and c.465 468delGACT) Two homozygous PTRF mutations (c.481 482insGTGA and c.259C>T) were identified (CGL4) Patients with CGL1 had preservation of adipose tissue in the palms, soles, scalp, and orbital region, and had relatively lower serum adiponectin levels as compared to CGL2 patients. CGL4 patients had myopathy and other distinct clinical features. All patients developed various metabolic abnormalities associated with insulin resistance. Hepatic involvement was more severe in CGL2. End organ complications were observed at young ages. Two patients died at age 62 years from cardiovascular events.  CGL patients from Turkey had both previously reported and novel mutations of the AGPAT2, BSCL2, and PTRF genes. Our study highlights the early onset of severe metabolic abnormalities and increased risk of end organ complications in patients with CGL.
Thermal energy storage and retrieval characteristics of a molten salt latent heat thermal energy storage system

In the present study, a shell and tube latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system is built using the eutectic molten salt as the phase change material (PCM) to make an efficient use of solar energy at medium temperature of around 200.0degC. The nickel foam is embedded in pure PCM (molten salt) to form composite PCM to improve the performance of the LHTES system through enhancing the effective thermal conductivity of the PCM. The performances of the systems using pure molten salt and composite PCM are investigated both experimentally and numerically. The oil is used as the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and the influence of mass flow rate of the HTF on the thermal energy storage and retrieval is investigated in the experiments. The charging and discharging time durations, mean power and energy efficiency are estimated to evaluate the performance of the LHTES system. Meanwhile, a three dimensional (3D) numerical model is developed based on the enthalpy porosity model and two temperature energy equations to investigate the thermal energy storage and retrieval of the LHTES system, and the detailed heat transfer characteristics during the melting/solidification of the PCM are understood. The results indicate that encapsulating molten salt with nickel foam to enhance the effective thermal conductivity of the PCM can improve the performance of the LHTES system. The information provided in the present study will be helpful for the LHTES system design, construction and application using molten salt for solar energy storage.
SLC11A1 polymorphisms and host susceptibility to cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan
Venue: Parasites Vectors

BackgroundThe vector borne cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in several regions of Pakistan mainly affecting poor populations. Host genetic factors, particularly SLC11A1 (solute carrier transmembrane protein) within macrophages, play a crucial role in disease pathology and susceptibility. Association of SLC11A1 with cutaneous leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, is not well established. Inconsistencies have been observed within different populations worldwide with respect to genetic susceptibility. This study was designed to investigate genetic variation(s) in SLC11A1 and to assess possible association with cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan.ResultsEight polymorphisms (rs2276631, rs3731864, rs2290708, rs2695342, rs201565523, rs17215556, rs17235409, rs17235416) were genotyped across SLC11A1 in 274 patients and 119 healthy controls. Six polymorphisms were studied by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR RFLP) and sequencing. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed with newly designed semi nested PCR assays. Case control analysis showed no association between selected polymorphisms in SLC11A1 and cutaneous leishmaniasis. No significant difference was observed in the distribution of alleles between leishmaniasis patients and healthy individuals. Strong pairwise linkage disequilibrium was observed between rs2276631 and rs2290708 (r2 64) and rs17235409 and rs17235416 (r2 78).ConclusionsThis study shows that genetic variations in the candidate gene SLC11A1 do not affect susceptibility to cutaneous leishmaniasis in the sample population from Pakistan.
New endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan and future epidemics threats

To get a clear epidemiological picture of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a new endemic focus, in order to address the most probable epidemic threats and its spread to the neighboring regions.  A total of 870 clinically diagnosed patients were included in the study after taking consent and filling questionnaires from each individual. The field Giemsa stained slides and cultures were examined microscopically. The data was organized in tables and graphs and analyzed using statistical package SPSS V 21.  The ratio of male was higher than females (499:371) cutaneous and mucocutaneous cases were 96.00% and 4.00% and only 25.20% patient's used bed nets. A total of 57.10% had dirty places near their homes. Similar cases in the neighborhood and in families were 48.50% and 67.10% respectively. Only 87.35 of Patients in the age range of 1 20 years received treatment. Up to five lesions per individual were noticed and 72.20% of them had symptomatic secondary infections. The lesions were observed on different sites of the body.  Leishmaniasis is neglected in Landi Kotal Khyber Agency, the reasons being prevailing security situations and political sensitivity. North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Afghanistan are in contact with Afghanis and with local people of Landi Kotal for logistic purposes. They may act as carriers in co spreading of the species. There are potential risks of cross border transmission, with the probability of future epidemics in the surrounding regions.
A Modif ied Adaptive DBP for DP 16 QAM Coherent Optical System
Venue: IEEE Photonics Technology Letters

A modified adaptive digital backpropagation (A DBP) algorithm based on intensity variance is proposed in this letter. In the simulation, a 25 GBd dual polarization 16 quadrature amplitude modulation transmission system with a transmission distance of 2000 km is established to investigate the performance of the proposed A DBP. The simulation results show that the proposed A DBP can dynamically estimate the optimal fiber nonlinear coefficient gopt and achieve comparable or even better performance than the DBP with full knowledge of fiber. Moreover, the proposed A DBP can achieve better performance compared with the previous A DBP based on intensity variance. Moreover, the proposed A DBP requires fewer iterations to determine gopt compared with the previous A DBP based on intensity or phase variance.
Cardiac cachexia: hic et nunc
Venue: Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle

Cardiac cachexia (CC) is the clinical entity at the end of the chronic natural course of heart failure (HF) Despite the efforts, even the most recent definition of cardiac cachexia has been challenged, more precisely, the addition of new criteria on top of obligatory weight loss. The pathophysiology of CC is complex and multifactorial. A better understanding of pathophysiological pathways in body wasting will contribute to establish potentially novel treatment strategies. The complex biochemical network related with CC and HF pathophysiology underlines that a single biomarker cannot reflect all of the features of the disease. Biomarkers that could pick up the changes in body composition before they convey into clinical manifestations of CC would be of great importance. The development of preventive and therapeutic strategies against cachexia, sarcopenia, and wasting disorders is perceived as an urgent need by healthcare professionals. The treatment of body wasting remains an unresolved challenge to this day. As CC is a multifactorial disorder, it is unlikely that any single agent will be completely effective in treating this condition. Among all investigated therapeutic strategies, aerobic exercise training in HF patients is the most proved to counteract skeletal muscle wasting and is recommended by treatment guidelines for HF.
Cognitive biases associated with medical decisions: a systematic review
Venue: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

BackgroundCognitive biases and personality traits (aversion to risk or ambiguity) may lead to diagnostic inaccuracies and medical errors resulting in mismanagement or inadequate utilization of resources. We conducted a systematic review with four objectives: 1) to identify the most common cognitive biases, 2) to evaluate the influence of cognitive biases on diagnostic accuracy or management errors, 3) to determine their impact on patient outcomes, and 4) to identify literature gaps.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles on cognitive biases from 1980 to May 2015. We included studies conducted in physicians that evaluated at least one cognitive factor using case vignettes or real scenarios and reported an associated outcome written in English. Data quality was assessed by the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Among 114 publications, 20 studies comprising 6810 physicians met the inclusion criteria. Nineteen cognitive biases were identified.ResultsAll studies found at least one cognitive bias or personality trait to affect physicians. Overconfidence, lower tolerance to risk, the anchoring effect, and information and availability biases were associated with diagnostic inaccuracies in 36.5 to 77 of case scenarios. Five out of seven (71.4 studies showed an association between cognitive biases and therapeutic or management errors. Of two (10 studies evaluating the impact of cognitive biases or personality traits on patient outcomes, only one showed that higher tolerance to ambiguity was associated with increased medical complications (9.7 vs 6.5 p .004) Most studies (60 targeted cognitive biases in diagnostic tasks, fewer focused on treatment or management (35 and on prognosis (10 Literature gaps include potentially relevant biases (e.g. aggregate bias, feedback sanction, hindsight bias) not investigated in the included studies. Moreover, only five (25 studies used clinical guidelines as the framework to determine diagnostic or treatment errors. Most studies (n 12, 60 were classified as low quality.ConclusionsOverconfidence, the anchoring effect, information and availability bias, and tolerance to risk may be associated with diagnostic inaccuracies or suboptimal management. More comprehensive studies are needed to determine the prevalence of cognitive biases and personality traits and their potential impact on physicians' decisions, medical errors, and patient outcomes.
Changing beginning teachers' content knowledge and its effects on student learning

Lack of content knowledge (CK) is problematic in teaching in classroom subject areas and in physical education. There is a dearth of data based research on interventions aimed at helping teachers acquire CK and, in turn, on the effects of CK on student learning.  To investigate the effect of professional development, in the form of a CK workshop, on the quality of instruction and student learning.  Two beginning middle school physical education teachers of both genders who had no experience in playing or teaching badminton were purposefully selected. A total of 48 students (2 teachers x 4 classes x 6 students) participated in this study.  Descriptive statistics for students' and teachers' data were reported. General linear models with a nested design structure were used to examine the statistical differences of the mean percentage of students' correct or incorrect performances between the comparison and experimental classes.  Most students rarely performed the skills correctly in the comparison classes, whereas the students tended to perform the skills correctly in the experimental classes. Both teachers used more correct task representations and more mature tasks by using more diverse forms of visual and verbal representations in teaching after the badminton CK workshop.  The results of this study indicate that a relatively short, 4 hour CK workshop was effective in changing teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) behaviors. More importantly, the results also demonstrate that these changes in teacher PCK behaviors produced better student learning. However, levels of procedural fidelity of workshop in teaching need to be further investigated.
Einfluss der periduralen Infiltrationstherapie auf die posturale Kontrolle bei chronischem Schmerz der unteren Lendenwirbelsaule eine prospektive klinische Untersuchung

Die peridurale Infiltrationstherapie (PDI) ist ein bewahrtes Verfahren zur konservativen Behandlung des unteren Ruckenschmerzes. In vorhergehenden Studien konnte gezeigt werden, dass bei Patienten mit chronischen Schmerzen der unteren Lendenwirbelsaule die posturale Stabilitat, die fur den aufrechten Stand und Gang essenziell ist, schmerzbedingt vermindert ist. Ziel unserer Studie war es, mithilfe computergestutzter dynamischer Posturografie (CDP) herauszufinden, ob die Schmerzlinderung durch PDI zur Verbesserung der posturalen Kontrolle fuhrt. Patienten und Methoden: Es nahmen 32 Patienten mit chronischem Schmerzsyndrom der unteren Lendenwirbelsaule teil. Die CDP erfolgte jeweils vor Therapiebeginn und in definierten Zeitabstanden wahrend und nach der PDI Serie von insgesamt 3 Injektionen. Hauptzielgrose war der Gesamtstabilitatsindex (OSI) im pra und postinterventionellen Vergleich. Ergebnisse: Es zeigte sich, dass die Schmerzintensitat auf der visuellen Analogskala von 4,3 2,5 Punkten auf 1,6 1,9 Punkte abnahm. Dies entspricht einer relativen Schmerzreduktion um 62,8 Der OSI verbesserte sich ebenfalls signifikant um 21,6 von 3,7 1,7deg auf 2,9 1,4deg (Tag 5; p 0,019)  Wir konnten zeigen, dass eine Schmerzlinderung durch eine PDI Serie zu einer Verbesserung der posturalen Kontrolle fuhrt. Damit geht die PDI Therapie nicht nur mit einer nachweislichen Schmerzreduktion einher, sondern erhoht auch die Standstabilitat des Achsenskeletts. Dies ist im Rahmen der anschliesenden physiotherapeutischen Beubung und Rehabilitation von groser Bedeutung.
Gender, Power and Political Speech: Women and Language in the 2015 UK General Election

Gender, Power and Political Speech explores the influence of gender on political speech by analyzing the performances of three female party leaders who took part in televised debates during the 2015 UK General Election campaign. The analysis considers similarities and differences between the women and their male colleagues, as well as between the women themselves; it also discusses the way gender and its relationship to language was taken up as an issue in media coverage of the campaign.
Political Speech Generation
Venue: ArXiv

In this report we present a system that can generate political speeches for a desired political party. Furthermore, the system allows to specify whether a speech should hold a supportive or opposing opinion. The system relies on a combination of several state of the art NLP methods which are discussed in this report. These include n grams, Justeson Katz POS tag filter, recurrent neural networks, and latent Dirichlet allocation. Sequences of words are generated based on probabilities obtained from two underlying models: A language model takes care of the grammatical correctness while a topic model aims for textual consistency. Both models were trained on the Convote dataset which contains transcripts from US congressional floor debates. Furthermore, we present a manual and an automated approach to evaluate the quality of generated speeches. In an experimental evaluation generated speeches have shown very high quality in terms of grammatical correctness and sentence transitions.