Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Belimumab in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: high disease activity predictors of response

Objectives To identify factors that predict response to belimumab treatment in the phase 3 BLISS trials of autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and further analyse clinical efficacy in various patient subsets. Methods The BLISS trials compared belimumab 1 and 10 mg/kg versus placebo, all plus standard SLE therapy, over 52 or 76 weeks. Pooled subgroup analyses of week 52 SLE responder index rates (the primary endpoint in both trials) were performed based on demographic characteristics and baseline disease activity indicators. Pooled multivariate analysis was performed to determine predictors of response and treatment effect. Results Pooled univariate and multivariate analyses (N=1684) identified baseline factors associated with an increased benefit of belimumab versus placebo. These factors included the Safety Of Estrogens In Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment–Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA–SLEDAI) ≥10, low complement, anti-dsDNA positivity and corticosteroid use. Efficacy outcomes were assessed in the low complement/anti-dsDNA-positive and SELENA–SLEDAI ≥10 subgroups. Week 52 SLE Responder Index rates in the low complement/anti-dsDNA-positive subgroup were 31.7%, 41.5% (p=0.002) and 51.5% (p<0.001) with placebo and belimumab 1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, respectively; corresponding rates in the SELENA–SLEDAI ≥10 subgroup were 44.3%, 58.0% (p<0.001) and 63.2% (p<0.001). Further analysis of secondary endpoints in the low complement/anti-dsDNA-positive subgroup showed that compared with placebo, belimumab produced greater benefits regarding severe flares, corticosteroid use and health-related quality of life. Conclusions These findings suggest that belimumab has greater therapeutic benefit than standard therapy alone in patients with higher disease activity, anti-dsDNA positivity, low complement or corticosteroid treatment at baseline. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers NCT00424476 and NCT00410384
Novel Virus Influenza A (H1N1sw) in South-Eastern France, April-August 2009

Background In April 2009, the first cases of pandemic (H1N1)-2009 influenza [H1N1sw] virus were detected in France. Virological surveillance was undertaken in reference laboratories of the seven French Defence Zones. Methodology/Principal Findings We report results of virological analyses performed in the Public Hospitals of Marseille during the first months of the outbreak. (i) Nasal swabs were tested using rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT) and two RT-PCR assays. Epidemiological characteristics of the 99 first suspected cases were analyzed, including detection of influenza virus and 18 other respiratory viruses. During three months, a total of 1,815 patients were tested (including 236 patients infected H1N1sw virus) and distribution in age groups and results of RIDT were analyzed. (ii) 600 sera received before April 2009 and randomly selected from in-patients were tested by a standard hemagglutination inhibition assay for antibody to the novel H1N1sw virus. (iii) One early (May 2009) and one late (July 2009) viral isolates were characterized by sequencing the complete hemagglutinine and neuraminidase genes. (iiii) Epidemiological characteristics of a cluster of cases that occurred in July 2009 in a summer camp were analyzed. Conclusions/Significance This study presents new virological and epidemiological data regarding infection by the pandemic A/H1N1 virus in Europe. Distribution in age groups was found to be similar to that previously reported for seasonal H1N1. The first seroprevalence data made available for a European population suggest a previous exposure of individuals over 40 years old to influenza viruses antigenically related to the pandemic (H1N1)-2009 virus. Genomic analysis indicates that strains harbouring a new amino-acid pattern in the neuraminidase gene appeared secondarily and tended to supplant the first strains. Finally, in contrast with previous reports, our data support the use of RIDT for the detection of infection in children, especially in the context of the investigation of grouped cases.
Class-dependent LDA for feature extraction and recognition

Motivated by the fact that a class has its own optimal feature vector discriminating itself from the other classes, we propose a new feature extraction algorithm for face recognition. In the scheme of the proposed class-dependent LDA (CDLDA), the evaluation criterion discriminating the samples of one class from those of the other classes is proposed. Different linear transformation spaces are constructed for different classes. It is contrary to the class-common methods that have only one identical space for all classes. A classification method based on the nearest neighbor classifier is used to identify new samples. The proposed method is compared with three algorithms on 4 widely used face databases. The experimental results show that CDLDA outperforms the other methods.
Mismatch Unemployment

We develop a framework where mismatch between vacancies and job seekers across sectors translates into higher unemployment by lowering the aggregate job-finding rate. We use this framework to measure the contribution of mismatch to the recent rise in U.S. unemployment by exploiting two sources of cross-sectional data on vacancies, JOLTS and HWOL, a new database covering the universe of online U.S. job advertisements. Mismatch across industries and occupations explains at most 1/3 of the total observed increase in the unemployment rate, whereas geographical mismatch plays no apparent role. The share of the rise in unemployment explained by occupational mismatch is increasing in the education level.
How did brains evolve ?

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Complex regional pain syndrome related dystonia : exploratory metabolomics and therapeutic studies

Dit proefschrift beschrijft de resultaten van aan aantal studies naar bewegingsstoornissen en pijn bij patienten met complex regionaal pijnsyndroom (CRPS). Ten eerste werd het effect onderzocht van intrathecaal baclofen op verschillende pijnkwaliteiten bij CRPS-patienten, de invloed bestudeerd van verschillende infusiesnelheden op dystonie bij CRPS en het optreden van chorea na baclofen geanalyseerd bij enkele CRPS-patienten. Daarnaast werd het effect bestudeerd van intrathecaal glycine op CRPS-gerelateerde dystonie en pijn. Vervolgens werd aan de hand van een metabolomics benadering het metabole profiel in urine en hersenvocht van CRPS-patienten onderzocht. Tenslotte werd het effect bestudeerd van intramusculair magnesiumsulfaat op CRPS-gerelateerde pijn en dystonie
The Information StructureProsody Language Interface Revisited

Several grammar theories relate information structure and prosody, highlighting a major correspondence between theme and rheme, and intonation patterns. Although these theories have been successfully exploited in some speciﬁc speech synthesis applications, they are mainly based on short default-order sentences, which limits their expressiveness for real discourse with longer sentences and complex structures. This paper re-vises these theories, identifying cases in which they are valid, and providing a new proposal for cases in which a more complex model is needed. Speciﬁcally, our experiments performed on real discourse from the Wall Street Journal corpus show that we need a model that: (1) foresees a hierarchical theme/rheme structure, and (2) introduces, apart from the traditional theme and rheme, a new element—the speciﬁer.
Planning Discourses and Sydney's Recent Metropolitan Strategies

The recent metropolitan strategies for Sydney (1994 and 1999) are analysed. A discourse analysis is used to help identify underlying ideology and assumptions in the strategies. ESD, economic competitiveness and compact cities are central discourses in both strategies. The 1994 strategy uses an integrated urban management approach implemented by a comprehensive action plan and new institutional arrangements, and in which a neo‐liberalist ideology is dominant. The 1999 strategy is less prescriptive, with greater emphasis on justifying existing government policies. Differences between the discourses identified and actual strategic planning actions suggest the limitations of purely textual discourse analysis for understanding strategic planning.
Development and Preliminary Validation of Heart Rate and Breathing Rate Detection Using a Passive, Ballistocardiography-Based Sleep Monitoring System

Techniques such as ballistocardiography (BCG) that can provide noninvasive long-term physiological monitoring have gained interest due to a growing recognition of adverse effects from poor sleep and sleep disorders. The noninvasive analysis of physiological signals (NAPS) system is a BCG-based monitoring system developed to measure heart rate, breathing rate, and musculoskeletal movement that shows promise as a general sleep analysis tool. Overnight sleep studies were conducted on 40 healthy subjects during a clinical trial at the University of Virginia. The NAPS system's measures of heart rate and breathing rate were compared to ECG, pulse oximetry, and respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP). The subjects were split into a training dataset and a validation dataset, maintaining similar demographics in each set. The NAPS system accurately detected heart rate, averaged over the prescribed 30-s epochs, to within less than 2.72 beats per minute of ECG, and accurately detected breathing rate, averaged over the same epochs, to within 2.10 breaths per minute of RIP bands used in polysomnography.
AN ACCEPTANCE MODEL FOR USEFUL AND FUN INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Investigating the factors associated with user acceptance of new software systems has been an important research stream in the field of information systems for many years. The technology acceptance model has long been used to examine the acceptance of utilitarian systems. Recently, it has been used to examine recreational or pleasure-oriented systems. Many examples exist of software that, depending on the context of use, can be used for productive and pleasurable interaction. This paper examines the determinants of use of one such "dual" system. A survey of users of a dual system was conducted. Results show that perceived usefulness is more important in determining intention to use than perceived enjoyment, and that perceived ease of use has no direct impact on intention, but still has a strong indirect effect.
Prognostic values of cathepsin B and carcinoembryonic antigen in sera of patients with colorectal cancer.

The level of cathepsin B (Cat B) was determined in sera obtained preoperatively from 325 patients with colorectal cancer using an ELISA. Control sera from 90 healthy blood donors were analyzed. The levels of Cat B detected included all forms that were present in the sera, i.e., mature enzyme, precursor molecule, and enzyme-inhibitor complexes. The level of Cat B was significantly increased in sera of patients with colorectal cancer. The median level was 10.7 ng/ml versus 2.1 ng/ml in controls (P < 0.0001). A correlation between Cat B serum level and advanced Dukes' stage (P < 0.003) was found, whereas no associations have been found with age, sex, or level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In survival analysis, the patients with high serum Cat B experienced significantly lower survival probability. At the optimal cutoff value of 9.4 ng/ml, the relative hazard ratio was 1.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.8; P = 0.016) in the univariate Cox proportional hazards model. The median observation time was 4.4 years (range, 3.2-5.5 years). In multivariate analysis, Dukes' stage was the strongest prognostic variable, followed by age, whereas serum Cat B and CEA were not significant prognostic factors in this model, in accordance with their association with Dukes' stage. When the data for Cat B and CEA were combined, CEA-positive patients were further separated by Cat B into high- and low-risk groups. Patients with high serum levels of both molecules had significantly shorter survival (relative hazard ratio of 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.2; P < 0.0001), as compared with patients with low levels of both molecules.
INCENTIVE EFFECTS OF WELFARE TRANSFERS ON INDIVIDUAL LABOUR MARKET BEHAVIOUR IN FINLAND

This paper analyses the simultaneous impact of various transfer programs on individual labour market transitions in a local Finnish labour market. The purpose is to study if the disincentive situations that arise in hypothetically constructed household models are of empirical importance for the transitions from unemployment into employment and out of the labour force. Cox proportional hazard models are used. A stock sample and a flow sample are analysed separately. After allowing for time-varying effects of the used replacement rate, one can see that a high pecuniary gain of the transfer system has a negative impact on the transition probability from unemployment. The results also suggest that the effect of the replacement rate on the transition probability is increasing, i.e. positive, in unemployment duration.
Sparse Based Image Classification With Bag-of-Visual-Words Representations

The sparse representation based classification algorithm has been used to solve the problem of human face recognition, but the image database is restricted to human frontal faces with only slight illumination and expression changes. This paper applies the sparse representation based algorithm to the problem of generic image classification, with a certain degree of intra-class variations and background clutter. Experiments are conducted with the sparse representation based algorithm and Support Vector Machine SVM classifiers on 25 object categories selected from the Caltech101 dataset. Experimental results show that without the time-consuming parameter optimization, the sparse representation based algorithm achieves comparable performance with SVM. The experiments also demonstrate that the algorithm is robust to a certain degree of background clutter and intra-class variations with the bag-of-visual-words representations. The sparse representation based algorithm can also be applied to generic image classification task when the appropriate image feature is used.
Professional identity development in higher education: influencing factors

Purpose In the last few years, the interest on professional identity development (PID) and the factors that influence PID has become central in higher education (HE) literature. However, the knowledge developed in this domain has focussed on a factor at a time and on a degree or discipline, thus being difficult to have a general picture of all the factors that influence the development of professional identity in HE. The purpose of this paper is to try to go further by proposing a systematic and integrative conceptual framework on the factors that influence PID of HE students. Design/methodology/approach To identify the influencing factors on PID the authors used primary and secondary data sources. In particular, the authors first conducted a thorough literature review to identify the influencing factors on PID already studied, and second the authors conducted a qualitative pilot study through four Focus Groups to identify new factors not acknowledged before. Findings The resulting integrative conceptual framework considers the following categories of influencing factors on PID: social experience, educational context, perceived congruence with the profession, demographic characteristics, professional image, professional experience, personal development and self-engagement. Research limitations/implications The proposed framework constitutes a roadmap for future research on career development and counselling to develop in order to enhance PID at university. Nonetheless, this proposed conceptual framework needs to be validated with empirical data. Originality/value This paper integrates all the existing knowledge on the influencing factors on PID from different disciplines by constructing a conceptual framework to be validated with further research.
Isolation and Characterization of Multipotent and Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Peripheral Blood

Stem cells are commonly classified based on the developmental stage from which they are isolated, although this has been a source of debate amongst stem cell scientists. A common approach classifies stem cells into three different groupings: Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), Umbilical Cord Stem Cells (UCBSCs) and Adult Stem Cells (ASCs), which include stem cells from bone marrow (BM), fat tissue (FT), engineered induced pluripotent (IP) and peripheral blood (PB). By definition stem cells are progenitor cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation hypothetically “ab infinitum” into more specialized cells and tissue. The main intent of this study was to determine and characterize the different sub-groups of stem cells present within the human PB-SCs that may represent a valid opportunity in the field of clinical regenerative medicine. Stem cells in the isolated mononucleated cells were characterized using a multidisciplinary approach that was based on morphology, the expression of stem cell markers by flowcytometry and fluorescence analysis, RT-PCR and the capacity to self-renew or proliferate and differentiate into specialized cells. This approach was used to identify the expression of hematopoietic, mesenchymal, embryonic and neural stem cell markers. Both isolated adherent and suspension mononucleated cells were able to maintain their stem cell properties during in-vitro culture by holding their capacity for proliferation and differentiation into osteoblast cells, respectively, when exposed to the appropriate induction medium.
Clonal Population of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains Reside within Multiple Lung Cavities

Background Unsuccessful treatment outcomes among patients with multi-/extensively- drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) have hampered efforts involved in eradicating this disease. In order to better understand the etiology of this disease, we aimed to determine whether single or multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) are localized within lung cavities of patients suffering from chronic progressive TB. Methodology/Findings Multiple cavity isolates from lung of 5 patients who had undergone pulmonary resection surgery were analyzed on the basis of their drug susceptibility profile, and genotyped by spoligotyping and 24-loci MIRU-VNTR. The patients past history including treatment was studied. Three of the 5 patients had extensive drug resistant TB. Heteroresistance was also reported within different cavity isolates of the lung. Both genotyping methods reported the presence of clonal population of MTB strain within different cavities of the each patient, even those reporting heteroresistance. Four of the 5 patients were infected with a population of the Beijing genotype. Post-surgery they were prescribed a drug regimen consisting of cycloserine, a fluoroquinolone and an injectable drug. A 6 month post-surgery follow-up reported only 2 patients with positive clinical outcome, showing sputum conversion. Conclusion Identical spoligotype patterns and MIRU-VNTR profiles between multiple cavities of each patient, characterize the presence of clonal population of MTB strains (and absence of multiple MTB infection).
GPR54 Regulates ERK1/2 Activity and Hypothalamic Gene Expression in a Gαq/11 and β-Arrestin-Dependent Manner

G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) is a Gq/11-coupled 7 transmembrane-spanning receptor (7TMR). Activation of GPR54 by kisspeptin (Kp) stimulates PIP2 hydrolysis, Ca2+ mobilization and ERK1/2 MAPK phosphorylation. Kp and GPR54 are established regulators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and loss-of-function mutations in GPR54 are associated with an absence of puberty and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, thus defining an important role of the Kp/GPR54 signaling system in reproductive function. Given the tremendous physiological and clinical importance of the Kp/GPR54 signaling system, we explored the contributions of the GPR54-coupled Gq/11 and β-arrestin pathways on the activation of a major downstream signaling molecule, ERK, using Gq/11 and β-arrestin knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Our study revealed that GPR54 employs the Gq/11 and β-arrestin-2 pathways in a co-dependent and temporally overlapping manner to positively regulate ERK activity and pERK nuclear localization. We also show that while β-arrestin-2 potentiates GPR54 signaling to ERK, β-arrestin-1 inhibits it. Our data also revealed that diminished β-arrestin-1 and -2 expression in the GT1-7 GnRH hypothalamic neuronal cell line triggered distinct patterns of gene expression following Kp-10 treatment. Thus, β-arrestin-1 and -2 also regulate distinct downstream responses in gene expression. Finally, we showed that GPR54, when uncoupled from the Gq/11 pathway, as is the case for several naturally occurring GPR54 mutants associated with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, continues to regulate gene expression in a G protein-independent manner. These new and exciting findings add significantly to our mechanistic understanding of how this important receptor signals intracellularly in response to kisspeptin stimulation.
A subset of SR proteins activates splicing of the cardiac troponin T alternative exon by direct interactions with an exonic enhancer

The cardiac troponin T pre-mRNA contains an exonic splicing enhancer that is required for inclusion of the alternative exon 5. Here we show that enhancer activity is exquisitely sensitive to changes in the sequence of a 9-nucleotide motif (GAGGAAGAA) even when its purine content is preserved. A series of mutations that increased or decreased the level of exon inclusion in vivo were used to correlate enhancer strength with RNA-protein interactions in vitro. Analyses involving UV cross-linking and immunoprecipitation indicated that only four (SRp30a, SRp40, SRp55, and SRp75) of six essential splicing factors known as SR proteins bind to the active enhancer RNA. Moreover, purified SRp40 and SRp55 activate splicing of exon 5 when added to a splicing-deficient S100 extract. Purified SRp30b did not stimulate splicing in S100 extracts, which is consistent with its failure to bind the enhancer RNA. In vitro competition of SR protein splicing activity and UV cross-linking demonstrated that the sequence determinants for SR protein binding were precisely coincident with the sequence determinants of enhancer strength. Thus, a subset of SR proteins interacts directly with the exonic enhancer to promote inclusion of a poorly defined alternative exon. Independent regulation of the levels of SR proteins may, therefore, contribute to the developmental regulation of exon inclusion.