Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kinetic studies with iodine-123-labeled serum amyloid P component in patients with systemic AA and AL amyloidosis and assessment of clinical value.

UNLABELLED In systemic amyloidosis, widespread amyloid deposition interferes with organ function, frequently with fatal consequences. Diagnosis rests on demonstrating amyloid deposits in the tissues, traditionally with histology although scintigraphic imaging with radiolabeled serum amyloid P component (SAP) has lately been developed as a specific noninvasive alternative. We report a detailed analysis of the abnormal turnover of SAP in patients with systemic amyloidosis and an assessment of its clinical value. METHODS Iodine-123-labeled human SAP (200 MBq) SAP was injected intravenously into 49 patients with histologically proven systemic AA- or AL- amyloidosis and in 7 control subjects. Plasma clearance and whole-body retention of labeled SAP were analyzed over 48 hr using plasma sampling, whole-body gamma camera imaging and measurement of radioactivity in the urine. The rate of SAP synthesis and interstitial exchange were determined, and the size of the amyloid compartment was compared with clinical estimates of whole-body amyloid load and patient survival. RESULTS All plasma time-activity curves were biphasic. In comparison with control subjects, patients with amyloidosis showed significantly faster plasma disappearance [4-hr value: AA 48% +/- 18%, AL 45% +/- 15% versus 65% +/- 8% (p < 0.05)], higher total-body retention 48 hr p.i. [AA 74% +/- 14%, AL 73% +/- 17% versus 46% +/- 15% (p < 0.01)] and especially higher extravascular retention 48 hr p.i. [AA 59% +/- 16%, AL 58% +/- 19% versus 30% +/- 14% (p < 0.01)]. Extravascular retention correlated with clinical estimation of the amyloid load. If extravascular retention values in patients with AL amyloidosis were over 60%, survival was decreased (median 4 versus 23 mo, p < 0.001). Markedly increased interstitial exchange rates were present in amyloidosis (AA 64 +/- 61, AL 50 +/- 37 versus 18 +/- 8 mg/hr), whereas the SAP synthesis rate did not differ from the control values (AA 5.0 +/- 3.0, AL 5.5 +/- 3.2 versus 4.5 +/- 1.4 mg/hr). CONCLUSION The presence of systemic amyloidosis is characterized by accelerated initial clearance of 123I-SAP from the plasma and increased interstitial exchange rate and extravascular retention. These findings reflect reversible binding of radiolabeled SAP to amyloid deposits and provide clinically useful information for diagnosis, monitoring of therapy and prognosis in patients with systemic amyloidosis.
Exponential decay of two-body eigenfunctions: a review.

We review various results on the exponential decay of the eigenfunc- tions of two-body Schrodinger operators. The exponential, isotropic bound results of Slaggie and Wichmann (15) for eigenfunctions of Schrodinger operators corresponding to eigenvalues below the bottom of the essential spectrum are proved. The exponential, isotropic bounds on eigenfunctions for nonthreshold eigenvalues due to Froese and Herbst (5) are reviewed. The exponential, nonisotropic bounds of Agmon (1) for eigenfunctions cor- responding to eigenvalues below the bottom of the essential spectrum are developed, beginning with a discussion of the Agmon metric. The analytic method of Combes and Thomas (4), with improvements due to Barbaroux, Combes, and Hislop (2), for proving exponential decay of the resolvent, at energies outside of the spectrum of the operator and localized between two disjoint regions, is presented in detail. The results are applied to prove the exponential decay of eigenfunctions corresponding to isolated eigenvalues of Schrodinger and Dirac operators.
Parallel Multiscale Autoregressive Density Estimation

PixelCNN achieves state-of-the-art results in density estimation for natural images. Although training is fast, inference is costly, requiring one network evaluation per pixel; O(N) for N pixels. This can be sped up by caching activations, but still involves generating each pixel sequentially. In this work, we propose a parallelized PixelCNN that allows more efficient inference by modeling certain pixel groups as conditionally independent. Our new PixelCNN model achieves competitive density estimation and orders of magnitude speedup - O(log N) sampling instead of O(N) - enabling the practical generation of 512x512 images. We evaluate the model on class-conditional image generation, text-to-image synthesis, and action-conditional video generation, showing that our model achieves the best results among non-pixel-autoregressive density models that allow efficient sampling.
An immunoconjugate of anti-CD24 and Pseudomonas exotoxin selectively kills human colorectal tumors in mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Effective and selective treatment options are needed for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The CD24 mucin-like glycoprotein is overexpressed in CRCs; monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against CD24 inhibit tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Based on the tumor-specific expression of CD24, we investigated the potential of anti-CD24 SWA11 mAb, to deliver a cytotoxic agent into CRC cells. METHODS We conjugated SWA11 to a Pseudomonas exotoxin derivative (PE38) via an Fc-binding ZZ domain from Staphylococcal protein A (which binds the Fc domain of mouse IgG2a immunoglobulins) to generate the immunotoxin SWA11-ZZ-PE38; IgG-ZZ-PE38 was used as control. Human HT-29 and COLO320 (CD24-positive) and HCT116 (CD24-negative) CRC cell lines were assayed for immunotoxin binding, cytotoxicity, viability, and apoptosis. Toxicity and antitumor efficacy were tested in mice. RESULTS The immunotoxin preserved the affinity and specificity of SWA11, bound and selectively killed CD24-expressing CRC cells via apoptosis. IC(50) values ranged from 20 to 50 ng/mL-several orders of magnitude lower than that of the mAb alone. The immunotoxins were not toxic to mice at the maximum dose of 0.75 mg/kg. Growth of HT-29 xenograft tumors was significantly reduced in mice given SWA11-ZZ-PE38 (by 78%) compared to untreated mice. CONCLUSIONS Anti-CD24 SWA11 mAb can deliver a PE exotoxin derivative to CRC cells and cause them to undergo apoptosis, without toxicity to normal tissues. This immunotoxin might be developed as a therapeutic treatment for patients with CRC.
Disruption of Membranes of Extracellular Vesicles Is Necessary for ELISA Determination of Urine AQP2: Proof of Disruption and Epitopes of AQP2 Antibodies

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is present in urine extracellular vesicles (EVs) and is a useful biomarker for water balance disorders. We previously found that pre-treatment of urine with alkali/detergent or storage at −25 °C is required for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measurement. We speculated that disruptions of EVs membranes are necessary to allow for the direct contact of antibodies with their epitopes. Human urine EVs were prepared using an ultracentrifugation method. Urine EV samples were stored at different temperatures for a week. Electron microscopy showed abundant EVs with diameters of 20–100 nm, consistent with those of exosomes, in normal urine, whereas samples from alkali/detergent pre-treated urine showed fewer EVs with large swollen shapes and frequent membrane disruptions. The abundance and structures of EVs were maintained during storage at −80 °C, but were severely damaged at −25 °C. Binding and competitive inhibition assays showed that epitopes of monoclonal antibody and polyclonal antibody were the hydrophilic Loop D and C-terminus of AQP2, respectively, both of which are present on the inner surface of EVs. Thus, urine storage at −25 °C or pre-treatment with alkali/detergent disrupt EVs membranes and allow AQP2 antibodies to bind to their epitopes located inside EVs.
A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction

Chapter 1: What is Small Group Communication? Case Study: The Influence of Peer Groups. Readings: Overview. Motivation for Member Participation in Groups, Gerald L. Wilson. Holism for the Left Brain, Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps. Chapter 2: Communication Processes. Case Study: The Faculty Committee. Case Study: Niggardly Controversy (A). Case Study: Niggardly Controversy (B). Readings: Overview. Team Talk, Anne E. Donnellon. Defensive Commuication, Jack R. Gibb. Chapter 3: Relevant Background Factors. Case Study: Adventures in Kenya. Readings: Overview. Speed Reaching People: How to Communicate with All Types, Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger. Applied Persuasion Theory, Robin N. Widgery and Stewart L. Tubbs. Chapter 4: Group Circumstances and Structure. Case Study: Chempure Pharmaceutical Company. Readings: Overview. Participating in Groups, James W. Gibson and Mihael S. Hanna. Planning A Problem-Solving Meeting, Ronald B. Adler and Jean Marquardt Elmhorst. Chapter 5: Leadership and Social Influence Processes. Case Study: Deparment 8101. Readings: Overview. Application of Situational Leadership, Paul Hersey, Kenneth H. Blanchard, and Dewey F. Johnson. Ten Lessons for Leaders and Leadership Developers, Barry Z. Posner and James M. Kouzes. Chapter 6: Decision-Making Processes. Case Study: Miss America (A), (B), (C). Readings: Overview. Finding What Youre Not Looking For, Michael Mikalko. Team Think, Don Martin. Chapter 7: Conflict Management. Readings: Overview. Conflict Management, Daniel Goleman. World-Class Negotiating Strategies, Frank L. Acuff. Chapter 8: Consequences. Case Study: Changing a Sorority. Readings: Overview. Improving Decisions in an Organisation, Norman R.F. Maier. Organisational Change Strategies and Tactics, Phyllis F. Schlesinger Vijay Sathe, Leonard Schlesinger and John P. Kotter. Chapter 9: Small Group Presentations to an Audience. Case Study. Readings: Overview. Index.
The Escherichia coli SlyD Is a Metal Ion-regulated Peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans-Isomerase*

In Escherichia coli as many as nine different genes coding for proteins with significant homology to peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans-isomerases (PPIases) have been found. However, for three of them, the histidine-rich SlyD, the homologous gene product of ORF149, and parvulin-like SurA, it was not known whether these proteins really possess PPIase activity. To gain access to the full set of PPIases in E. coli, SlyD, the N-terminal fragment of SlyD devoid of the histidine-rich region, as well as the protein product of ORF149 of E. coli named SlpA (SlyD-like protein) were cloned, overexpressed, and purified to apparent homogeneity. On the basis of the amino acid sequences, both proteins proved to be of the FK506-binding protein type of PPIases. Only when using trypsin instead of chymotrypsin as helper enzyme in the PPIase assay, the enzymatic activity of full-length SlyD and its N-terminal fragment can be measured. For Suc-Ala-Phe-Pro-Arg-4-nitroanilide as substrate,k cat/K m of 29,600m −1 s−1 for SlyD and 18,600m −1 s−1 for the N-terminal fragment were obtained. Surprisingly, the PPIase activity of SlyD is reversibly regulated by binding of three Ni2+ ions to the histidine-rich, C-terminal region. Because the PPIase activity of SlpA could be established as well, we now know eight distinct PPIases with proven enzyme activity in E. coli.
Longitudinal study of infectious intestinal disease in the UK (IID2 study): incidence in the community and presenting to general practice

Objectives To estimate, overall and by organism, the incidence of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the community, presenting to general practice (GP) and reported to national surveillance. Design Prospective, community cohort study and prospective study of GP presentation conducted between April 2008 and August 2009. Setting Eighty-eight GPs across the UK recruited from the Medical Research Council General Practice Research Framework and the Primary Care Research Networks. Participants 6836 participants registered with the 88 participating practices in the community study; 991 patients with UK-acquired IID presenting to one of 37 practices taking part in the GP presentation study. Main outcome measures IID rates in the community, presenting to GP and reported to national surveillance, overall and by organism; annual IID cases and GP consultations by organism. Results The overall rate of IID in the community was 274 cases per 1000 person-years (95% CI 254 to 296); the rate of GP consultations was 17.7 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 14.4 to 21.8). There were 147 community cases and 10 GP consultations for every case reported to national surveillance. Norovirus was the most common organism, with incidence rates of 47 community cases per 1000 person-years and 2.1 GP consultations per 1000 person-years. Campylobacter was the most common bacterial pathogen, with a rate of 9.3 cases per 1000 person-years in the community, and 1.3 GP consultations per 1000 person-years. We estimate that there are up to 17 million sporadic, community cases of IID and 1 million GP consultations annually in the UK. Of these, norovirus accounts for 3 million cases and 130 000 GP consultations, and Campylobacter is responsible for 500 000 cases and 80 000 GP consultations. Conclusions IID poses a substantial community and healthcare burden in the UK. Control efforts must focus particularly on reducing the burden due to Campylobacter and enteric viruses.
Topically Administered Janus-Kinase Inhibitors Tofacitinib and Oclacitinib Display Impressive Antipruritic and Anti-Inflammatory Responses in a Model of Allergic Dermatitis

The prevalence of allergic skin disorders has increased rapidly, and development of therapeutic agents to alleviate the symptoms are still needed. In this study, we orally or topically administered the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, tofacitinib and oclacitinib, in a mouse model of dermatitis, and compared the efficacy to reduce the itch and inflammatory response. In vitro effects of JAK inhibitors on bone marrow–derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were analyzed. For the allergic dermatitis model, female BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI). Each JAK inhibitor was orally or topically applied 30 minutes before and 4 hours after TDI challenge. After scratching bouts and ear thickness were measured, cytokines were determined in challenged skin and the cells of the draining lymph node were analyzed by means of flow cytometry. In vitro, both JAK inhibitors significantly inhibited cytokine production, migration, and maturation of BMDCs. Mice treated orally with JAK inhibitors showed a significant decrease in scratching behavior; however, ear thickness was not significantly reduced. In contrast, both scratching behavior and ear thickness in the topical treatment group were significantly reduced compared with the vehicle treatment group. However, cytokine production was differentially regulated by the JAK inhibitors, with some cytokines being significantly decreased and some being significantly increased. In conclusion, oral treatment with JAK inhibitors reduced itch behavior dramatically but had only little effect on the inflammatory response, whereas topical treatment improved both itch and inflammatory response. Although the JAK-inhibitory profile differs between both JAK inhibitors in vitro as well as in vivo, the effects have been comparable.
Music Proficiency and Quantification of Absolute Pitch: A Large-Scale Study among Brazilian Musicians

Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify and name the pitch of a sound without external reference. Often, accuracy and speed at naming isolated musical pitches are correlated with demographic, biological, and acoustical parameters to gain insight into the genesis and evolution of this ability in specific cohorts. However, the majority of those studies were conducted in North America, Europe, or Asia. To fill this gap, here we investigated the pitch-naming performance in a large population of Brazilian conservatory musicians (N = 200). As previously shown, we found that the population performance was rather a continuum than an “all-or-none” ability. By comparing the observed distribution of correct responses to a theoretical binomial distribution, we estimated the prevalence of AP as being 18% amongst regular music students. High accuracy thresholds (e.g., 85% of correct responses) yielded a prevalence of 4%, suggesting that AP might have been underestimated in previous reports. Irrespective of the threshold used, AP prevalence was higher in musicians who started their musical practice and formal musical education early in life. Finally, we compared the performance of those music students (average proficiency group) with another group of students selected to take part in the conservatory orchestra (high proficiency group, N = 30). Interestingly, the prevalence of AP was higher in the latter in comparison to the former group. In addition, even when the response was incorrect, the mean absolute deviation from the correct response was smaller in the high proficiency group compared to the average proficiency group (Glass's Δ: 0.5). Taken together, our results show that the prevalence of AP in Brazilian students is similar to other non-tonal language populations, although this measure is highly dependent on the scoring threshold used. Despite corroborating that early involvement with musical practice and formal education can foster AP ability, the present data suggest that music proficiency may also play an important role in AP expression.
mRNA Expression of MMP-28 (Epilysin) in Gingival Tissues of Chronic and Aggressive Periodontitis Patients: A Reverse Transcriptase PCR Study

Background and Objectives. Matrix metalloproteinases degrade extracellular membrane and also release bioactive fragments and growth factors, thus influencing fundamental biological and pathological processes. Epilysin (MMP-28) differs from most other MMPs as it is expressed in a number of normal tissues, suggestive of functions in tissue homeostasis. The aim of the present study was to quantitatively evaluate and compare the mRNA expression of epilysin (MMP-28) in gingival tissues of healthy patients and of patients affected by chronic or aggressive periodontitis. Methods. A total of 60 subjects, 20 periodontally healthy subjects, 20 with chronic periodontitis, and 20 with aggressive periodontitis, were included in this study. Periodontal status was evaluated by measuring gingival index, probing depth and clinical attachment level. mRNA expression of MMP-28 was determined by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in gingival tissue samples collected. Results. Relative quantification of mRNA expression of MMP-28 was highest in healthy tissues (RQ = 0.97) when compared to subjects with chronic periodontitis (RQ = 0.37) and aggressive periodontitis (RQ = 0.23), but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion. mRNA expression of MMP-28 was highest in healthy tissues when compared to diseased periodontal tissues suggesting that MMP-28 could act as a biomarker for periodontal health.
The family interpreted : feminist theory in clinical practice

Part 1 Re-membering the family. Part 2 A feminist critique of eight approaches to family therapy: Nathan Ackerman - the patriarch's legacy Murray Bowen - the politics of rational man Virginia Satir - the limitations of humanism I Salvador Minuchin - the matter of functionalism Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy - the limitations of humanism II strategic family therapy - perfecting the unexamined life Carl Whitaker - playing with patriarchy Milan systemic therapy - the myth of mythlessness. Part 3 History and insight - toward a feminist theory of psychotherapy with families: the family in history - gender and structure in five types of families from antiquity to the present a critique of the cybernetic epistemology of Gregory Bateson psychoanalytic theory as a conceptual source for feminist psychotherapy with families. Part 4 Care and interpretation - toward a feminist practice of psychotherapy with families: the DeWitts - the case of a therapist in transition the McGinns - "irrational" mom and a method to madness the Johnsons - dreams, introjects, and the black family.
Reevaluation of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Disk Diffusion Breakpoints for Tetracyclines for Testing Enterobacteriaceae

ABSTRACT We reevaluated Enterobacteriaceae disk diffusion breakpoints for the tetracyclines published in the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) document M100-S16, which were (susceptible/resistant) ≥19 mm/≤14 mm for tetracycline, ≥16 mm/≤12 mm for doxycycline, and ≥19 mm/≤14 mm for minocycline. A collection of 504 recent clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were tested against these tetracycline compounds by disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods according to CLSI guidelines. Regression line and scattergram plot analyses determined intermethod accuracy for current disk diffusion breakpoints and showed excellent r values of 0.91 to 0.95. However, error rates (minor/major [false-resistant]/very major [false-susceptible]) were 14.9/0.8/0.0% for tetracycline, 11.5/0.4/0.0% for doxycycline, and 30.6/0.7/0.0% for minocycline and only 4.4/0.0/0.0% for tetracycline, 5.6/0.0/0.2% for doxycycline, and 8.3/0.0/0.3% for minocycline when proposed breakpoints were modified to (susceptible/resistant) ≥15 mm/≤11 mm for tetracycline, ≥14 mm/≤10 mm for doxycycline, and ≥16 mm/≤12 mm for minocycline. Listed modifications were recently approved by the CLSI (M100-S17).
Life To Those Shadows

Noel Burch's singularly perceptive view of film and its origins will interest all who care about film theory and history. "Life to Those Shadows" presents a critique of 'classical' approaches to film: the assumptions that what we call the language of film was a natural, organic development, and that it lay latent from the outset in the basic technology of the camera, waiting for the prescient pioneers to bring it into being. The view that film language was a universal, neutral medium, innocent of any social or historical meaning in itself, is also challenged here. Burch's major thesis is that, on the contrary, film language has a social and economic history, that it evolved in the way it did because of when and where it was constructed - in the capitalist and imperialist West between 1892 and 1929. From this perspective, the book examines the emergence of what it defines as cinema's Institutional Mode of Representation and the sociohistorical circumstances in which it took place. Central to the Institutional Mode are the principles of visualization - camera placement and movement, lighting, editing, mise-en-scene - that filmmakers and audiences came to internalize over the first three decades. Special emphasis is laid on the all-important change that occurred in the placing of the spectator, from a position of exteriority to the film image - implicit in both film-form and viewing conditions during the primitive era (pre-1909) - to the imaginary centering of the spectator-subject - completed only with the generalization of lip-synch sound after 1929. Burch contends that this imaginary centering of a sensorially isolated spectator is the keystone of the cinematic illusion of reality, still achieved today by the same means as it was sixty years ago.