Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Down-Regulation of FcεRI-Mediated CD63 Basophil Response during Short-Term VIT Determined Venom-Nonspecific Desensitization

Background We recently showed a desensitization of FcεRI-mediated basophil response after short-term VIT. Our aim was to evaluate the allergen specificity of this desensitization. Methods In 11 Hymenoptera-venom double positive subjects, basophil threshold sensitivity (CD-sens) to anti-FcεRI, honeybee, and Vespula venom was assessed at the beginning and just before the first maintenance dose (MD) of single ultra-rush VIT. In some patients we also monitored CD-sens to rApi m 1 and/or rVes v 5 or other co-sensitizations (i.e., grass pollen). In additional 7 patients, basophils were stripped and sensitized with house dust mite (HDM) IgEs at the same time points. Results We demonstrated a marked reduction of CD-sens to anti-FcεRI and VIT-specific venom before the first MD in all 18 subjects included. Furthermore, in 10 out of 11 double positive subjects, a significant and comparable decrease before the first MD was also evident for non-VIT venom; this nonspecific decrease was further supported by the opposite recombinant species-specific major allergen. In one subject with additional grass pollen allergy, a decrease of CD-sens to grass allergen was also demonstrated. Similarly, in 7 cases of patients with passively HDM-sensitized basophils, a significant reduction of CD-sens was also evident to de novo sensitized HDM allergen. Conclusions Short-term VIT induced basophil desensitization to VIT-specific as well as to VIT-nonspecific venom. As opposed to long-term VIT, which induces venom-specific changes, the effect of short-term VIT seems to be venom-nonspecific.
Myocardial Damage Detected by Late Gadolinium Enhancement Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Is Uncommon in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

Background In peripartum cardiomyopathy, the prevalence of focal myocardial damage detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance is important to elucidate mechanisms of myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction. LGE equates irreversible myocardial injury, but LGE prevalence in peripartum cardiomyopathy is uncertain. Methods and Results Among 100 women enrolled within the Investigations of Pregnancy Associated Cardiomyopathy cohort, we recruited 40 women at 13 centers to undergo LGE cardiovascular magnetic resonance, enrolled within the first 13 weeks postpartum. Follow‐up scans occurred at 6 months postpartum, and death/transplant rates at 12 months. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly in the parent cohort according to cardiovascular magnetic resonance enrollment except for mechanical circulatory support. LGE was noted only in 2 women (5%) at baseline. While left ventricular dysfunction with enlargement was prevalent at baseline cardiovascular magnetic resonance scans (eg, ejection fraction 38% [Q1–Q3 31–50%], end diastolic volume index=108 mL/m2 [Q1–Q3 83–134 mL/m2]), most women demonstrated significant improvements at 6 months, consistent with a low prevalence of LGE. LGE was not related to baseline clinical variables, ejection fraction, New York Heart Association heart failure class, or mortality. Neither of the 2 women who died exhibited LGE. LGE was inversely associated with persistent left ventricular ejection fraction at 6 months (P=0.006). Conclusions Factors other than focal myocardial damage detectable by LGE explain the initial transient depressions in baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, yet focal myocardial damage may contribute to persistent myocardial dysfunction and hinder recovery in a small minority. Most women exhibit favorable changes in ventricular function over 6 months. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT01085955.
The measurement of worker relations: the development of a three-component scale

Purpose – Healthy employee relations are important for individual well-being and are likely to contribute towards job satisfaction and other positive work outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of worker relations and proposes a new three-component model of worker relations which embraces the relationships that employees have with their co-workers, supervisor and the organisation. Design/methodology/approach – A 20-item inventory was tested using data collected in a local authority (n=157) and led to the retention of nine items which were embodied in a scale for further evaluation. A second study using data using obtained in an emergency call management service (n=85) were used to further evaluate the factor structure of the scale and assess its predictive validity. A third study (n=70) provided further information on the measure. Findings – The new nine-item measure is a viable instrument with adequate reliability for assessing three levels of worker relations. In line with pred.
Impulsive Facial-Threat Perceptions After Exposure to Stereotypic Crime News

Tests were performed to learn whether exposure to news about crimes committed by dark-skinned criminals increases impulsive facial-threat perceptions of meeting dark-skinned strangers in a subsequent situation (media-priming hypothesis), but only when the facial displays are ambiguous (ambiguity hypothesis). The assumption is that news stereotypes prime the “dark-skinned criminal” stereotype, which, in turn, influences subsequent face processing. An experiment with two groups was used to test this prediction. Participants allocated to the treatment group (n = 53) read about crimes committed by dark-skinned criminals. In contrast, for the control group (n = 52), cues indicating skin color were not mentioned at all. As predicted, the treatment increased the perceived facial threat of dark-skinned strangers, but only when the facial displays were ambiguous. Given the importance of the face in social interaction, I discuss important, real-world implications for recipients as well as for journalists and media organizations.
How Does a High Profile Child Death Impact Child Protective Service Workers

It is widely believed that high profile child death cases and the media fallout surrounding such cases shakes and weakens the Child Protective Services (CPS) organization’s identity and emotionally affects the child protective service workers. However, this issue has not been systematically studied. This study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis utilizing in-depth interviews with Child Protective Services workers to explore how a high profile child death impacts their services and work milieu. Participants were selected through purposive sampling recruited at Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services, a large metropolitan child protective service organization. The narratives of N=10CPSworkers were examined for their lived experiences in their role as protective workers, the circumstances surrounding their crisis, and the nature of their social services world. Results indicate that the intense media and public response following a high profile child death led to overly negative views ofCPSworkers as a whole, contributed to feelings of distress, weakened rather than improved communication with management, and lowered morale. Participants felt the Child Fatality Review process exacerbated many of these problems rather than ameliorated them. However, results also indicate that the overwhelming distress experienced after a high profile child death may have promptedCPSworkers to become more rigorous in their approach to assessing families, which, in turn, may have improved practice. Implications for social work and child welfare policy and practice are provided. Recommendations regarding agency management of public image, worker training, organizational change, social service practice and worker morale are included. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Social Work (DSW) First Advisor Lani Nelson-Zlupko, Ph.D. Second Advisor Richard J. Gelles, Ph.D. Third Advisor Susan Kinnevy, Ph.D. and Roberta Iversen, Ph.D.
A Comparison of the GlideScope Video Laryngoscope and Standard Direct Laryngoscopy in Children With Immobilized Cervical Spine

Objectives Airway management in children with cervical spine may make direct laryngoscopy difficult. Video laryngoscopy is an alternative to direct laryngoscopy. The GlideScope video laryngoscope, successfully used in expected and unexpected difficult pediatric airway situations, has not been studied so far in children with cervical spine immobilization. Methods A total of 23 children underwent laryngoscopy with manual cervical spine immobilization using the GlideScope and a direct laryngoscope (Miller 1 or Macintosh 2 blade). Percentage of glottis opening score, Cormack-Lehane score, and time to best view were recorded. Results Percentage of glottis opening score using the GlideScope was 50% (1%–87%) and 90% (60%–100%) using direct laryngoscopy (P < 0.001). Cormack-Lehane score using the GlideScope was 1 (1–2.7) and 1 (1–1) in direct laryngoscopy (P < 0.001). Time to best view with the GlideScope was 21 seconds (12.2–28 seconds) and 7 seconds (6–8.7 seconds) in direct laryngoscopy (P < 0.05). Data are presented as median and interquartile range and analyzed using paired t test. Conclusions In simulated difficult pediatric airway, using the GlideScope resulted in a significantly declined view to the glottic entrance. This result is in contrast to studies in children with difficult airway anatomy due to an anterior larynx, where the GlideScope resulted in improved views.
Receptor palmitoylation and ubiquitination regulate anthrax toxin endocytosis

The anthrax toxin is composed of three independent polypeptide chains. Successful intoxication only occurs when heptamerization of the receptor-binding polypeptide, the protective antigen (PA), allows binding of the two enzymatic subunits before endocytosis. We show that this tailored behavior is caused by two counteracting posttranslational modifications in the cytoplasmic tail of PA receptors. The receptor is palmitoylated, and this unexpectedly prevents its association with lipid rafts and, thus, its premature ubiquitination. This second modification, which is mediated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl, only occurs in rafts and is required for rapid endocytosis of the receptor. As a consequence, cells expressing palmitoylation-defective mutant receptors are less sensitive to anthrax toxin because of a lower number of surface receptors as well as premature internalization of PA without a requirement for heptamerization.
Days of Prophylactic Filgrastim Use to Reduce Febrile Neutropenia in Patients

BACKGROUND Filgrastim prophylaxis lessens the occurrence of febrile neutropenia in patients with non-Hodgkin.s lymphoma (NHL) treated with chemotherapy, but differences in days of therapy and mode (primary or secondary) of prophylaxis may affect clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE To describe the patterns of use of filgrastim prophylaxis, especially days of therapy and mode, and the possible associated incidence of febrile neutropenia in patients treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy. METHODS Using medical records from the Oncology Practice Pattern Study in patients treated between 1991 and 1999 at 12 sites in the United States, we studied patients with intermediate-grade NHL treated with first-line CHOP chemotherapy and prophylactic filgrastim. The number of days of prophylactic filgrastim use, mode of prophylaxis, and incidence of febrile neutropenia were evaluated. The cycles were stratified into 2 groups based on days of filgrastim prophylaxis (<7 days [Group 1] and > or = 7 days [Group 2]). RESULTS One hundred seventy patients were treated with 652 cycles of CHOP chemotherapy with filgrastim prophylaxis. The mean days of filgrastim prophylaxis was 9.5 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.3-9.7 days) across all cycles, 4.7 days (95% CI, 4.5-5.0 days) across Group 1 cycles (n=73), and 10.1 days (95% CI, 9.9-10.3 days) across Group 2 cycles (n=579). Thirty-seven percent of patients were treated with primary prophylaxis; 94% of these patients. cycles were Group 2 cycles. The incidence of febrile neutropenia was 3.6% and 7.7% across cycles in patients receiving primary versus secondary prophylaxis, respectively. In patients treated with secondary prophylaxis, the incidence was 16.7% and 6.1% in Group 1 and Group 2 cycles, respectively. Multiple logistic regression modeling indicated that a lower risk of febrile neutropenia was associated with primary prophylaxis (mainly Group 2) (odds ratio [OR] 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.6) and secondary prophylaxis in Group 2 (OR 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.8), and lower body surface area was associated with a greater risk of febrile neutropenia (OR 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-3.0). CONCLUSION Primary prophylaxis with filgrastim (mainly Group 2) and secondary prophylaxis in Group 2 (mean 10.1 days) may be associated with a lower incidence of febrile neutropenia than secondary prophylaxis in Group 1.
The Situated Behavior of MUD Back Channels

Back channel responses are normally taken to indicate either comprehension of a speaker’s plans or recognition of a speaker’s ongoing construction of a complex discourse structure. I investigate their use in the discourse of a social MUD ("multi-user dimension") where paralinguistic information is missing, and users create a sense of co-presence through the use of conventional responses that imitate back channels in face-to-face speech. Back channels are found to be present in periods with relatively little interaction, suggesting they function as measures of the attention state of an interlocutor as much as a measure of plan recognition.
Adaptive Resource Management in Multi-Service Mobile Wireless Cellular Networks

This paper proposes a predictive controller based on adaptive resource management techniques for multi-service wireless cellular networks to keep the handoff failure rate (HFR) below a target value regardless of the traffic dynamics and bandwidth requirements of the service types. In this paper, we propose a neural nod feedback algorithm to control the reserved resource. Simulations results indicate that this algorithm can maintain target HFR for any service type even when the traffic load rapidly fluctuates and system parameters vary over a wide range. This algorithm has superior performance in terms of total carried traffic.
Asynchronous Speeds: Disentangling the Discourse of ‘High-Speed Broadband’ in Relation to Australia's National Broadband Network

This article analyses the substantive problems related to the term ‘high-speed broadband’ in relation to the implementation of Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN). It argues that an understanding of speed in relation to broadband must take into account a complex assemblage of infrastructure networks, communication devices, software, location, user subjectivity and political input. Within this assemblage are varied definitions, discourses and materialities of speed that do not necessarily synchronise. Instead, speed is subject to asynchronous perceptions and implementations, which impact on the potential of the NBN. With the aim of contextualising and problematising the understanding of speed in relation to the NBN, this article explores four key points: first, how the perception of speed is dependent not so much on technical performance, but on the subjectivities of internet experience; second, how the term ‘broadband’ is politically shaped, especially in the context of the Coalition government's alternative multi-technology mix plan; third, how the assemblage of different social, technical and political actants that constitute high-speed broadband determines the perception of speed; and finally, how asynchronous speeds of broadband implementation and adoption may impact on the potential benefits of the NBN.
Title : Plasma alkylresorcinol metabolites as biomarkers for whole-grain intake and their association with prostate cancer : a Swedish nested case-control study

1 Research group in nutritional epidemiology, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Sweden 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease – genetic epidemiology, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University, Sweden 3 Department of Urology and Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Urological Cancers Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden 4 Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Oncology and Department of Clinical Sciences in Lund, Lund University, Sweden 5 Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum and Division of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki 6 Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum, Helsinki University and Central Hospital Heart and Lung Center
Unsupervised object learning from dense equivariant image labelling

One of the key challenges of visual perception is to extract abstract models of 3D objects and object categories from visual measurements, which are affected by complex nuisance factors such as viewpoint, occlusion, motion, and deformations. Starting from the recent idea of viewpoint factorization, we propose a new approach that, given a large number of images of an object and no other supervision, can extract a dense object-centric coordinate frame. This coordinate frame is invariant to deformations of the images and comes with a dense equivariant labelling neural network that can map image pixels to their corresponding object coordinates. We demonstrate the applicability of this method to simple articulated objects and deformable objects such as human faces, learning embeddings from random synthetic transformations or optical flow correspondences, all without any manual supervision.
A U-Shaped Relationship between Body Mass Index and Dysmenorrhea: A Longitudinal Study

Background Both obesity and dysmenorrhea are prevalent among women. Few population-based longitudinal studies investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and dysmenorrhea yielding mixed results, especially for obesity. This study aims to investigate the long-term association between BMI and dysmenorrhea. Methods 9,688 women from a prospective population-based cohort study were followed for 13 years. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires. The longitudinal association between dysmenorrhea and BMI or BMI change was investigated by logistic regression analysis using generalized estimating equations to account for the repeated measures. Results When the women were aged 22 to 27 years, approximately 11% were obese, 7% underweight, and 25% reported dysmenorrhea. Compared to women with a normal weight, significantly higher odds of reporting dysmenorrhea were detected for both women who were underweight (odds ratio (OR) 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15, 1.57) and obese (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.11, 1.35). Compared to women who remained at normal weight or overweight over time, significant risk was detected for women who: remained underweight or obese (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.20, 1.48), were underweight despite weight gain (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.12, 1.58), became underweight (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.02, 1.61). However the higher risk among obese women disappeared when they lost weight (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.85, 1.32). Conclusions A U-shaped association was revealed between dysmenorrhea and BMI, revealing a higher risk of dysmenorrhea for both underweight and obese women. Maintaining a healthy weight over time may be important for women to have pain-free periods.
In utero exposure to dioxin causes neocortical dysgenesis through the actions of p27Kip1

Dioxins have been reported to exert various adverse effects, including cell-cycle dysregulation in vitro and impairment of spatial learning and memory after in utero exposure in rodents. Furthermore, children born to mothers who are exposed to dioxin analogs polychlorinated dibenzofurans or polychlorinated biphenyls have developmental impairments in cognitive functions. Here, we show that in utero exposure to dioxins in mice alters differentiation patterns of neural progenitors and leads to decreased numbers of non-GABAergic neurons and thinner deep neocortical layers. This reduction in number of non-GABAergic neurons is assumed to be caused by accumulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 in nuclei of neural progenitors. Lending support to this presumption, mice lacking p27Kip1 are not susceptible to in utero dioxin exposure. These results show that environmental pollutants may affect neocortical histogenesis through alterations of functions of specific gene(s)/protein(s) (in our case, dioxins), exerting adverse effects by altering functions of p27Kip1.
Minimizing Movement in Mobile Facility Location Problems

In the mobile facility location problem, which is a variant of the classical uncapacitated facility location and k-median problems, each facility and client is assigned to a start location in a metric graph and our goal is to find a destination node for each client and facility such that every client is sent to a node which is the destination of some facility. The quality of a solution can be measured either by the total distance clients and facilities travel or by the maximum distance traveled by any client or facility. As we show in this paper (by an approximation preserving reduction), the problem of minimizing the total movement of facilities and clients generalizes the classical k-median problem. The class of movement problems was introduced by Demaine et al. in SODA 2007, where it was observed a simple 2-approximation for the minimum maximum movement mobile facility location while an approximation for the minimum total movement variant and hardness results for both were left as open problems. Our main result here is an 8-approximation algorithm for the minimum total movement mobile facility location problem. Our algorithm is obtained by rounding an LP relaxation in five phases. We also show that this problem generalizes the classical k-median problem using an approximation preserving reduction. For the minimum maximum movement mobile facility location problem, we show that we cannot have a better than a 2-approximation for the problem, unless P = NP; so the simple algorithm observed in is essentially best possible.
Parallel Spectral Clustering in Distributed Systems

Spectral clustering algorithms have been shown to be more effective in finding clusters than some traditional algorithms, such as k-means. However, spectral clustering suffers from a scalability problem in both memory use and computational time when the size of a data set is large. To perform clustering on large data sets, we investigate two representative ways of approximating the dense similarity matrix. We compare one approach by sparsifying the matrix with another by the Nyström method. We then pick the strategy of sparsifying the matrix via retaining nearest neighbors and investigate its parallelization. We parallelize both memory use and computation on distributed computers. Through an empirical study on a document data set of 193,844 instances and a photo data set of 2,121,863, we show that our parallel algorithm can effectively handle large problems.
The Representations Underlying Infants' Choice of More: Object Files Versus Analog Magnitudes

A new choice task was used to explore infants' spontaneous representations of more and less. Ten- and 12-month-old infants saw crackers placed sequentially into two containers, then were allowed to crawl and obtain the crackers from the container they chose. Infants chose the larger quantity with comparisons of 1 versus 2 and 2 versus 3, but failed with comparisons of 3 versus 4, 2 versus 4, and 3 versus 6. Success with visible arrays ruled out a motivational explanation for failure in the occluded 3-versus-6 condition. Control tasks ruled out the possibility that presentation duration guided choice, and showed that presentation complexity was not responsible for the failure with larger numbers. When crackers were different sizes, total surface area or volume determined choice. The infants' pattern of success and failure supports the hypothesis that they relied on object-file representations, comparing mental models via total volume or surface area rather than via one-to-one correspondence between object files.