Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A multicentre study comparing two methods for serum free light chain analysis

Background Serum free light chain analysis is now well established in the investigation of monoclonal gammopathies. In the UK there has, until recently, been a single supplier of kits for such analysis. Recently, a second method using monoclonal antisera was introduced. We have compared the performance of these two kits in four routine laboratories. Method Samples submitted for routine analysis (327 samples, 258 [79%] from patients with B-cell lymphoproliferative disease) for serum free light chains were tested by both technologies (Freelite, Binding Site and N Latex FLC, Siemens), according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Results Qualitative data were available by both methods on 313 samples for serum free kappa chains and 324 samples for lambda free light chains. We found poor correspondence of 81% for kappa and 74% for lambda. Five percent of samples were significantly discordant in these assays. Conclusions These assays perform very differently in clinical practice. They cannot be used interchangeably, especially if monitoring patient responses to therapy.
The Arabidopsis Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport III Regulates Internal Vesicle Formation of the Prevacuolar Compartment and Is Required for Plant Development1[C][W][OPEN]

An Arabidopsis trafficking protein complex is required in the scission of internal vesicles and membrane cargo degradation from both secretory and endocytic pathways. We have established an efficient transient expression system with several vacuolar reporters to study the roles of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III subunits in regulating the formation of intraluminal vesicles of prevacuolar compartments (PVCs)/multivesicular bodies (MVBs) in plant cells. By measuring the distributions of reporters on/within the membrane of PVC/MVB or tonoplast, we have identified dominant negative mutants of ESCRT-III subunits that affect membrane protein degradation from both secretory and endocytic pathways. In addition, induced expression of these mutants resulted in reduction in luminal vesicles of PVC/MVB, along with increased detection of membrane-attaching vesicles inside the PVC/MVB. Transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants with induced expression of ESCRT-III dominant negative mutants also displayed severe cotyledon developmental defects with reduced cell size, loss of the central vacuole, and abnormal chloroplast development in mesophyll cells, pointing out an essential role of the ESCRT-III complex in postembryonic development in plants. Finally, membrane dissociation of ESCRT-III components is important for their biological functions and is regulated by direct interaction among Vacuolar Protein Sorting-Associated Protein20-1 (VPS20.1), Sucrose Nonfermenting7-1, VPS2.1, and the adenosine triphosphatase VPS4/SUPPRESSOR OF K+ TRANSPORT GROWTH DEFECT1.
Genetic heritability and shared environmental factors among twin pairs with autism.

CONTEXT Autism is considered the most heritable of neurodevelopmental disorders, mainly because of the large difference in concordance rates between monozygotic and dizygotic twins. OBJECTIVE To provide rigorous quantitative estimates of genetic heritability of autism and the effects of shared environment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Twin pairs with at least 1 twin with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) born between 1987 and 2004 were identified through the California Department of Developmental Services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Structured diagnostic assessments (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) were completed on 192 twin pairs. Concordance rates were calculated and parametric models were fitted for 2 definitions, 1 narrow (strict autism) and 1 broad (ASD). RESULTS For strict autism, probandwise concordance for male twins was 0.58 for 40 monozygotic pairs (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.74) and 0.21 for 31 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.09-0.43); for female twins, the concordance was 0.60 for 7 monozygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.28-0.90) and 0.27 for 10 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.09-0.69). For ASD, the probandwise concordance for male twins was 0.77 for 45 monozygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.65-0.86) and 0.31 for 45 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.16-0.46); for female twins, the concordance was 0.50 for 9 monozygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.16-0.84) and 0.36 for 13 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.11-0.60). A large proportion of the variance in liability can be explained by shared environmental factors (55%; 95% CI, 9%-81% for autism and 58%; 95% CI, 30%-80% for ASD) in addition to moderate genetic heritability (37%; 95% CI, 8%-84% for autism and 38%; 95% CI, 14%-67% for ASD). CONCLUSION Susceptibility to ASD has moderate genetic heritability and a substantial shared twin environmental component.
A 79GHz variable gain low-noise amplifier and power amplifier in 28nm CMOS operating up to 125°C

This paper presents a 79GHz variable gain low-noise amplifier (LNA) and power amplifier (PA), both implemented in 28nm CMOS, and measured at temperatures from 27°C to 125°C. The 4-gain steps LNA and the 17dB gain PA are based on a multistage common source neutralized push-pull topology. The LNA achieves a gain of 23.8dB and a noise figure (NF) of 4.9dB, and the PA achieves a maximum power added efficiency (PAE) of 13.8% and a saturated output power (Psat) of 12.3dBm. At 125°C both the LNA and the PA are functional with NF <; 7dB and Psat >11dBm. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using scaled CMOS technology (28nm) for automotive radars.
PENGEMBANGAN TES KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR TINGKAT TINGGI FISIKA (PysTHOTS) PESERTA DIDIK SMA

Penelitian dilakukan untuk mengembangkan instrumen kemampuan berpikir tingkat tinggi fisika (PhysTHOTS) peserta didik SMA dan mendapatkan karakteristik PhysTHOTS. Kisi-kisi instrumen disusun berdasarkan aspek dan subaspek kemampuan berpikir tingkat tinggi, yang selanjutnya digunakan untuk menyusun item - item . Instrumen terdiri atas dua perangkat tes yang masing-masing memiliki 26 item termasuk delapan anchor item dan telah divalidasi oleh ahli pengukuran, ahli pendidikan fisika, ahli fisika, dan praktisi. Instrumen yang telah divalidasi diujicobakan pada 1.001 siswa dari sepuluh SMAN di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Data politomus dianalisis menggunakan Partial Credit Model (PCM). Hasil uji coba menunjukkan bahwa semua item sebanyak 44 dan instrumen PhysTHOTS terbukti fit dengan PCM, reliabilitas instrumen sebesar 0,95, indeks kesukaran item mulai -0,86 sampai 1,06 yang berarti semua item dalam kategori baik. Dengan demikian, PhysTHOTS memenuhi syarat digunakan untuk mengukur kemampuan berpikir tingkat tinggi fisika peserta didik SMA. Kata kunci: pengembangan instrumen, tes kemampuan berpikir tingkat tinggi, fisika, politomus, dan PCM ______________________________________________________________ DEVELOPING HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILL TEST OF PHYSICS (PhysTHOTS) FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Abstrak The objectives of this research were to develop an instrument for measuring senior high school students’ physics higher order thinking skills (PhysTHOTS) and to obtain the characteristics of the PhysHOTS. The instrument blue print was developed based on the aspects and sub-aspects of high order thinking skills, then it was used to develop the items. Two sets of instrument consisting of 26 items and each, including eight anchor items were then validated by promotors, measurement experts, physics specialists, physics education experts, and practitioners. The validated instruments were then tried out on 1,001 students of ten senior high schools throughout Special Province of Yogyakarta. The polytomous data were analyzed according to the Partial Credit Model (PCM). The results show that the 44 items and PhysTHOTS were fit to the PCM, the reliability of the test was 0.95, the items’ difficulty indexes were between -0.86 and 1.06. Therefore, the PhysTHOTS are qualified to measure senior high school students’ physics higher order thinking skills. Keywords: instrument development, physics test of higher order thinking skills, polytomous, and PCM
Long-Term Outcomes of Pegged and Unpegged Bioceramic Orbital Implants

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of pegged and unpegged bioceramic orbital implants. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 101 cases of evisceration, enucleation, or secondary implant surgery with placement of a bioceramic porous implant was conducted. Type of surgery, existence of a peg, peg system used, time of pegging, problems encountered before and after pegging, treatment methods, and final status were recorded. Results: Evisceration was performed on 74, enucleation on 16, and secondary implant surgery on 11 patients. The patients were observed for a mean of 68.4 months (3 months–12 years). Fifty-three of the 101 patients were pegged. Patients were pegged at a mean of 9.3 months (6–23 months). Hydroxyapatite-coated, titanium-sleeved, titanium pegs were used in 43 patients, and titanium peg and sleeve system was used in 10 patients. Major complications were exposure and infection. Three patients presented with early exposure and late exposure developed in 14 of pegged and 4 of unpegged patients. The difference in late-exposure rates between pegged and unpegged group was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Implant infection developed in 9 of the pegged and in 1 of the unpegged patients. Implant exposure was noted in 6 of these 10 patients with infection. The difference in infection rates between the pegged and unpegged patients was statistically significant (p < 0.05). In 2 of the pegged patients, removal of bioceramic implant was required and after resolution of infection, another type of porous implant was implanted and repegged. The peg system was removed in 6 patients for the management of either exposure, infection, extrusion, hypermobility of sleeve, or peg falling out. Four patients were repegged. The time period between peg insertion and development of complications ranged from 15 days to 10 years. 86.8% of pegged patients were free of major complications and satisfied with the result at the last follow-up visit. Conclusion: Despite potential complications that can occur as late as 10 years, bioceramic porous implants yield satisfactory long-term results. Existence of a peg system appears to play a role in the increased rate of late-onset complications. Further investigations on new and safer pegging systems should be conducted.
Extracellular High Mobility Group Box 1 Plays a Role in the Effect of Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cell Transplantation for Heart Failure

Transplantation of unfractionated bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMCs) repairs and/or regenerates the damaged myocardium allegedly due to secretion from surviving BMCs (paracrine effect). However, donor cell survival after transplantation is known to be markedly poor. This discrepancy led us to hypothesize that dead donor BMCs might also contribute to the therapeutic benefits from BMC transplantation. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear protein that stabilizes nucleosomes, and also acts as a multi-functional cytokine when released from damaged cells. We thus studied the role of extracellular HMGB1 in the effect of BMC transplantation for heart failure. Four weeks after coronary artery ligation in female rats, syngeneic male BMCs (or PBS only as control) were intramyocardially injected with/without anti-HMGB1 antibody or control IgG. One hour after injection, ELISA showed that circulating extracellular HMGB1 levels were elevated after BMC transplantation compared to the PBS injection. Quantitative donor cell survival assessed by PCR for male-specific sry gene at days 3 and 28 was similarly poor. Echocardiography and catheterization showed enhanced cardiac function after BMC transplantation compared to PBS injection at day 28, while this effect was abolished by antibody-neutralization of HMGB1. BMC transplantation reduced post-infarction fibrosis, improved neovascularization, and increased proliferation, while all these effects in repairing the failing myocardium were eliminated by HMGB1-inhibition. Furthermore, BMC transplantation drove the macrophage polarization towards alternatively-activated, anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages in the heart at day 3, while this was abolished by HMGB1-inhibition. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that BMC transplantation upregulated expression of an anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the heart at day 3 compared to PBS injection. In contrast, neutralizing HMGB1 by antibody-treatment suppressed this anti-inflammatory expression. These data suggest that extracellular HMGB1 contributes to the effect of BMC transplantation to recover the damaged myocardium by favorably modulating innate immunity in heart failure.
Lift-Based Bidding in Ad Selection

Real-time bidding has become one of the largest online advertising markets in the world. Today the bid price per ad impression is typically decided by the expected value of how it can lead to a desired action event to the advertiser. However, this industry standard approach to decide the bid price does not consider the actual effect of the ad shown to the user, which should be measured based on the performance lift among users who have been or have not been exposed to a certain treatment of ads. In this paper, we propose a new bidding strategy and prove that if the bid price is decided based on the performance lift rather than absolute performance value, advertisers can actually gain more action events. We describe the modeling methodology to predict the performance lift and demonstrate the actual performance gain through blind A/B test with real ad campaigns. We also show that to move the demand-side platforms to bid based on performance lift, they should be rewarded based on the relative performance lift they contribute.
Robust MRI brain image segmentation method: A hybrid approach using level set and Fuzzy C-means clustering

— Advances in medical imaging technologies have given rise for effective diagnostic procedures. The acquisition promptness and resolution enhancements of imaging modalities have given physicians more information, less invasively about their patients. Active contours are used to segment, match and track images of an atomic structure by manipulating constraints derived from the image data together with prior knowledge about the location, size, and shape of these structures. The level set method is referred as a part of active contour family. The major disadvantages of level set method are initialization of controlling parameters and time complexity. The proposed method adopts Robust Spatial Kernel Fuzzy C-Means (RSKFCM) and Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) to overcome these drawbacks. RSKFCM is based on standard Fuzzy C-Means algorithm which uses Gaussian RBF kernel function as distance metric and incorporates spatial information. The LBM uses the energy function to determine and reduce the actual processing time which addresses the time complexity. The proposed system combines both RSKFCM and LBM to form a hybrid approach, and the system is tested on a large set of MRI brain images and the experimental results are found to be improved with respect to time complexity.
Mixed-Reality Robotics – A Coherent Teaching Framework

Robotics evolved as a central issue in teaching for scientific and engineering disciplines. Robotics inherently encompasses a spectrum of sciences and technologies and qualification levels. However, most current teaching approaches, related to robotics, concentrate on individual aspects or small student groups. In this paper we present the mixed-reality robotics educational approach. With our mixed-reality robotics teaching system we reached a true interdisciplinary setup, addressing different qualification levels. The system allows for aspects like peer education, learning-by-teaching, problem-based learning and competition-based (self-) assessment. It consists of the mixed-reality robotics platform and a teaching concept. The overall approach has been used in teaching robotics at secondary school, undergraduate and graduate level. Student and instructor feedback is very positive. Keywords—Robotics education, Mixed-Reality, problem-based learning, learning-by-teaching, robotic platform, European qualification framework, robotic programming tools, artificial intelligence, swarm robotics
Dual angiopoietin-2 and VEGFA inhibition elicits antitumor immunity that is enhanced by PD-1 checkpoint blockade

Combination of antiangiogenic treatment and immune checkpoint inhibition improves antitumor immunity. Antitumor attack on two fronts The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer is continuing to expand as these drugs demonstrate effectiveness in progressively more cancer types and therapeutic contexts. At the same time, the drugs are not perfect, and not all patients respond to them, so a key subject of research in this field is determining optimal ways to combine immune checkpoint therapies with other cancer treatments. Schmittnaegel et al. and Allen et al. focused their studies on the combination of antiangiogenic treatments with checkpoint inhibitors. The authors demonstrated how inhibition of tumor angiogenesis can facilitate the access of cytotoxic T cells to tumors, while the checkpoint inhibitors protect these T cells from exhaustion, enhancing their antitumor effects. Pathological angiogenesis is a hallmark of cancer and a therapeutic target. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2; also known as ANG2) are proangiogenic cytokines that sustain tumor angiogenesis and limit antitumor immunity. We show that combined ANGPT2 and VEGFA blockade by a bispecific antibody (A2V) provided superior therapeutic benefits, as compared to the single agents, in both genetically engineered and transplant tumor models, including metastatic breast cancer (MMTV-PyMT), pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (RIP1-Tag2), and melanoma. Mechanistically, A2V promoted vascular regression, tumor necrosis, and antigen presentation by intratumoral phagocytes. A2V also normalized the remaining blood vessels and facilitated the extravasation and perivascular accumulation of activated, interferon-γ (IFNγ)–expressing CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Whereas the antitumoral activity of A2V was, at least partly, CTL-dependent, perivascular T cells concurrently up-regulated the expression of the immune checkpoint ligand programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumor endothelial cells. IFNγ neutralization blunted this adaptive response, and PD-1 blockade improved tumor control by A2V in different cancer models. These findings position immune cells as key effectors of antiangiogenic therapy and support the rationale for cotargeting angiogenesis and immune checkpoints in cancer therapy.
Helicobacter pylori DNA in gallbladder tissue of patients with cholelithiasis and cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND Earlier reports on the detection of H. pylori DNA in gallbladder tissue of patients with cholelithiasis and cholecystitis gave discordant results. Our aim was to detect the presence of H. pylori DNA and to determine whether a correlation can be established with the biliary diseases. METHODOLOGY The study included a total of 68 patients 20 to 79 years of age. Fifty-three of the participants were females, of whom 33 had cholelithiasis and 20 did not. Out of the 15 male patients, 8 were had cholelithiasis and 7 did not. Gallbladder tissue specimens were taken from all patients undergoing cholecystectomy and processed immediately for histology, culture and PCR. RESULTS Histological examination revealed that 36 (68%) of 53 females and 9 (60%) of 15 males had cholecystitis. PCR results detected H. pylori DNA in 15 (22%) of 68 samples but no bacteria were isolated in culture. The presence of few bacteria, the geographic distribution of H. pylori strains, and the bile milieu inhibitory effect might be some of the reasons for growth failure. CONCLUSIONS In this study although H. pylori DNA was detected by PCR in gallbladder tissue of patients with cholecystitis, a clinical correlation with biliary disease could not be established because several conditions were difficult to meet as discussed in the text.
Former Child Soldiers’ Problems and Needs

With this article, we explore how staff working at transit centers and vocational training centers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced the problems and needs of former child soldiers. We argued that the staff’s experience of the children’s daily lives and their understanding of the sociocultural context of the conflict make their perspective a valuable source of information when trying to understand the phenomenon of child soldiering. Additionally, we reasoned that how the staff frame these children’s problems influences how they attempt to aid the children. We conducted 11 semistructured interviews and analyzed these using a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach. We clustered our findings around six themes: unfavorable contextual factors, acting as if still in the army, addiction, symptoms of psychopathology, social rejection, and reintegration needs. The overarching message we observed was that the informants experienced that former child soldiers require help to be transformed into civilians who participate proactively in their society.
Functional analysis of human MT and related visual cortical areas using magnetic resonance imaging

Using noninvasive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique, we analyzed the responses in human area MT with regard to visual motion, color, and luminance contrast sensitivity, and retinotopy. As in previous PET studies, we found that area MT responded selectively to moving (compared to stationary) stimuli. The location of human MT in the present fMRI results is consistent with that of MT in earlier PET and anatomical studies. In addition we found that area MT has a much higher contrast sensitivity than that in several other areas, including primary visual cortex (V1). Functional MRI half- amplitudes in V1 and MT occurred at approximately 15% and 1% luminance contrast, respectively. High sensitivity to contrast and motion in MT have been closely associated with magnocellular stream specialization in nonhuman primates. Human psychophysics indicates that visual motion appears to diminish when moving color-varying stimuli are equated in luminance. Electrophysiological results from macaque MT suggest that the human percept could be due to decreases in firing of area MT cells at equiluminance. We show here that fMRI activity in human MT does in fact decrease at and near individually measured equiluminance. Tests with visuotopically restricted stimuli in each hemifield produced spatial variations in fMRI activity consistent with retinotopy in human homologs of macaque areas V1, V2, V3, and VP. Such activity in area MT appeared much less retinotopic, as in macaque. However, it was possible to measure the interhemispheric spread of fMRI activity in human MT (half amplitude activation across the vertical meridian = approximately 15 degrees).