Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the clinical characteristics of hemorrhagic moyamoya disease in the Jilin province of northeastern China: A single-center study of 212 cases

The present study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of hemorrhagic moyamoya disease (MMD) in Jilin province in northeast China. A total of 212 cases of hemorrhagic MMD were consecutively enrolled from the First Hospital of Jilin University in Changchun, China between January 2011 and January 2015. The patients' general clinical data, including age and gender characteristics, history of previous illnesses, hemorrhage type and onset symptoms, Hunt-Hess classification at admission, imaging characteristics, association with aneurysms, treatments and prognosis, were recorded and analyzed using SPSS 19.0. The results demonstrated that i) patients with hemorrhagic MMD in Jilin province were 47.7±11.5 years of age; ii) hemorrhagic MMD was primarily characterized by subarachnoid hemorrhage; iii) a total of 51.9% of the hemorrhagic MMD cases involved a unilateral artery; iv) a total of 24.1% of the hemorrhagic MMD cases were accompanied by anterior choroid artery and/or posterior communicating artery expansion; and v) following conservative or surgical treatment, patients with a prognostic Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 5 accounted for 65.6% of the study population. Therefore, the present study identified characteristics of MMD in Jilin province in northeast China. These results may improve understanding of the epidemiology of MMD in China, which at present remains not well established. Although the results are representative only of Jilin province in China, the study demonstrated high consistency with other studies, and thus may indirectly contribute to general understanding of hemorrhagic MMD etiology.
Closed-Form Arrow-Debreu Pricing for Equity Options with Hull-White Stochastic Rates

We model the joint distribution of equity and rates assuming a Hull-White short rate model for the rates and a simple time-dependent lognormal volatility for the equity. We derive an Arrow-Debreu pricing formula for rates-equity hybrid derivatives using operator formalism combined with an exponential expansion formula. The result is a closed-form expression, comprising essentially of the zero coupon bond price multiplied by the joint probability distribution function of the rates and the zero coupon bond price-discounted equity price. The European equity option prices inferred from the model are seen to be compatible with those inferred using Merton's approach.
Techno-economics of industrial scale beta-ß-D-fructofuranosidase and short-chain fructooligosaccharides production

Techno-economics of Industrial Scale β-D-fructofuranosidase and Short-chain Fructooligosaccharides Production MP Shedlock Department of Industrial Engineering University of Stellenbosch Thesis: MEng (Engineering Management) March 2014 Enzymes are proteins which act as biological catalysts to enhance the rate of biochemical reactions. They function by reducing the activation energy of the reaction. There is currently no company that manufactures enzymes on an industrial scale in South Africa. A substance known as short-chain fructooligosaccharide (scFOS) is a product that has been growing in popularity on the prebiotics market. ScFOS is produced with an enzyme called β-Dfructofuranosidase (FFase) and sucrose. FFase is a speciality enzyme which is specifically manufactured for scFOS production. FFase can be produced with the choice of two different recombinant yeast-based production systems, where both were compared in this study. Regarding sucrose sugar supply, South Africa’s sugar industry has export sugar that would be more beneficial to supply locally because of unattractive international sugar prices, where raw sugar is essentially sold at a loss. This makes for a good opportunity to produce scFOS. iii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Point-of-Care Coagulation Testing for Assessment of the Pharmacodynamic Anticoagulant Effect of Direct Oral Anticoagulant

Background: This investigation was carried out with already available point-of-care testing (POCT) systems for coagulation parameters to evaluate the qualitative and semiquantitative determination of the time- and concentration-dependent anticoagulant effects of the direct oral anticoagulants rivaroxaban and dabigatran. Methods: The whole blood prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and activated clotting time (ACT) were determined using the GEM PCL Plus coagulation system. Whole blood PT was also measured on the CoaguCheck XS instrument. In addition, PT and aPTT values were obtained in citrated plasma using the PT reagent Neoplastin Plus and the STA APTT reagent. Drug concentrations of rivaroxaban and dabigatran were determined with a chromogenic anti-Xa assay and the hemoclot assay, which are reported to have good agreement with liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry measurements. POCT was performed in 27 consecutive patients who received rivaroxaban 10, 15, or 20 mg once daily and in 15 patients receiving dabigatran 110 or 150 mg twice daily. Blood samples were collected predose and 2 hours after observed drug intake at steady state. Results: Two hours after observed rivaroxaban administration, the whole blood PT measured on the GEM PCL Plus was prolonged by an average of 64.5% in comparison with predose levels. Less differentiation was observed for rivaroxaban when the PT was measured on the CoaguCheck XS instrument or in plasma (prolongation of 24.1% and 36.8%, respectively). After 2 hours observed dabigatran administration, the whole blood aPTT was comparable with plasma values and was prolonged by 23.5% in comparison with trough values. Significant concentration-dependent prolongations of the activated clotting time were observed to different extents for both direct anticoagulants. Conclusions: Direct oral anticoagulants display variable ex vivo effects on different POCT-assays. POCT for aPTT is sensitive to increased concentrations of dabigatran, whereas the PT-POCT assessed with test systems such as the GEM PCL Plus may be helpful to measure the pharmacodynamic anticoagulant effects of rivaroxaban in emergency clinical situations.
Overview of different scoring systems in Fournier's Gangrene and assessment of prognostic factors.

OBJECTIVE In this study we aimed to evaluate prognostic factors for the survival of patients with Fournier's gangrene (FG), and overview different validated scoring systems for outcome prediction. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data of 39 patients treated for FG in our clinic. Data were collected on medical history, symptoms, physical examination findings, vital signs, laboratory parameters at admission and at the end of treatment, timing and extent of surgical debridement, and the antibiotic treatment used. The Fournier's Gangrene Severity Index (FGSI) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were used to predict outcome. The data were analyzed in relation with the survival of the patients. Mann-Whitney U test, chi -square test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Cox regression analysis were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS Of 39 patients analyzed, 8 (20.5%) died and 31 (79.5%) survived. The median FGSI score on admission was 2 (0-9) for the survivors and 6 (2-14) for the non-survivors (p=0.004). The median CCI scores of the survivors and non-survivors were 2 (0-10) and 6.5 (5-11), respectively (p=0.001). Except for urea, albumin and hematocrit levels, no significant differences were found between survivors and non-survivors for other laboratory parameters on admission. Lower albumin levels and advanced age were found to be associated with mortality. CONCLUSION High blood urea, low albumin, and low hematocrit levels were associated with poor prognosis. High CCI and FGSI scores could be associated with a poor prognosis in patients with FG.
The Truth about Public Employees in California: They Are neither Overpaid nor Overcompensated

Recently, there has been a great deal of debate and consternation over the compensation of public-sector employees across the U.S. It has been asserted that state and local government employees are overpaid compared to workers in the private sector. In California government workers have been vilified as scandals and anecdotes pass as confirming evidence of exorbitant pay. This research is especially important given the outrage over the pay of municipal officials in Bell, California. The outrage of what happened in Bell is reasonable and just. Many of the players immediately resigned and on September 21, 2010 eight city officials were arrested.1 Those arrested include the former city manager of Bell, Robert Rizzo, who was making nearly $800,000 a year. Rizzo was charged with 53 counts. It is alleged that Rizzo, without approval from the City Council, actually wrote the conditions of his own contract—the case keeps growing in terms of scope and involved officials. It is clear by the arrests and scores of allegations that the scandal in Bell was not in line with usual procedures.
Encapsidation of the Flavivirus Kunjin Replicon RNA by Using a Complementation System Providing Kunjin Virus Structural Proteins in trans

ABSTRACT Kunjin virus (KUN) replicon RNA was encapsidated by a procedure involving two consecutive electroporations of BHK-21 cells, first with KUN replicon RNA C20DXrep (with prME and most of C deleted) and about 24 h later with a recombinant Semliki Forest virus (SFV) replicon RNA(s) expressing KUN structural proteins. The presence of KUN replicon RNA in encapsidated particles was demonstrated by its amplification and expression in newly infected BHK-21 cells, detected by Northern blotting with a KUN-specific probe and by immunofluorescence analysis with anti-NS3 antibodies. No infectious particles were produced when C20DXrep RNA and recombinant SFV RNAs were electroporated simultaneously. When the second electroporation was performed with a single SFV replicon RNA expressing the KUN contiguous prME genes and the KUN C gene together but under control of two separate 26S subgenomic promoters (SFV-prME-C107), a 10-fold-higher titer of infectious particles was achieved than when two different SFV replicon RNAs expressing the KUN C gene (SFV-C107) and prME genes (SFV-prME) separately were used. No SFV replicon RNAs expressing KUN structural proteins were encapsidated in secreted particles. Infectious particles pelleted by ultracentrifugation of the culture fluid from cells sequentially transfected with C20DXrep and SFV-prME-C107 RNAs were neutralized by preincubation with monoclonal antibodies to KUN E protein. Radioimmunoprecipitation analysis with anti-E antibodies of the culture fluid of the doubly transfected cells showed the presence of C, prM/M, and E proteins in the immunoprecipitated particles. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that the immunoprecipitated particles also contained KUN-specific RNA. The encapsidated replicon particles sedimented more slowly than KUN virions in a 5 to 25% sucrose density gradient and were uniformly spherical, with an ∼35-nm diameter, compared with ∼50 nm for KUN virions. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time packaging of flavivirus RNA intrans, and they exclude a role in packaging for virtually all of the structural region. Possible applications of the developed packaging system include the definition of the packaging signal(s) in flavivirus RNA as well as the amino acid motif(s) in the structural proteins involved in RNA encapsidation, virion assembly, and secretion. Furthermore, it could facilitate the development of a noninfectious vaccine delivery system based on encapsidation of a noncytopathic flavivirus replicon expressing heterologous genes.
Effect of the bisphosphonate risedronate on bone metastases in a rat mammary adenocarcinoma model system

Risedronate (NE‐58095) is a third‐generation bisphosphonate with very potent antiresorptive activity but few toxic effects. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of risedronate treatment on bone metastases produced in a rat breast cancer model. Berlin Druckrey IV rats inoculated with ENU1564 mammary adenocarcinoma cells were treated daily with risedronate or a saline placebo. Survival times, dictated by extraskeletal metastases (lung, heart, and brain), were not affected by risedronate treatment. Risedronatetreated animals had skeletal changes associated with decreased remodeling of bones undergoing endochondral ossification, most prominently affecting the appendicular skeleton. Despite the skeletal alterations induced by the treatment, the distribution of bone metastases throughout the surveyed skeletal sites was similar for treated and untreated animals. Bone metastases were enumerated in histologic sections of distal femur, spine, and skull. Tumor size was estimated from area measurements obtained from histologic lesions in distal femoral metaphyses and vertebral bodies. A greater number of treated rats had no bone metastases in any of the examined sections (30 versus 16.1% of untreated rats). Multiple bone metastases were observed less frequently in treated rats (33.3 versus 71% of untreated rats). Treated rats had fewer observed bone metastases in each examined site than untreated rats (p ≤ 0.025). Mean tumor areas in femora and vertebrae were smaller in treated rats (p ≤ 0.05), due to the less frequent presence of very large lesions. In untreated animals, osteoclasts appeared to be active at the tumor/bone interface and osseous structures were often completely replaced by expanding tumors. In contrast, metastases in treated animals caused less disruption of skeletal histoarchitecture. The apparent lack of osteoclastic activity and retention of bone within lesions suggested a decreased contribution of osteoclasts to the bone resorptive process. An in vivo immunohistochemical cell proliferation assay failed to reveal differences in the percentage of dividing tumor cells in bone metastatic sites in treated versus untreated animals. The results demonstrate significant effects of risedronate treatment on the incidence and size of observed skeletal metastases in this model.
Nonconventional Monetary Policy in a Regime-Switching Model with Endogenous Financial Crises

This paper develops a regime-switching newkeynesian model for a small open economy, with an occasionally binding financial friction that allows for endogenous financial crises. The model has two regimes: a regime for normal economic times, in which financial market access is unconstrained, and a crisis regime, characterized by curtailed access to foreign borrowing. The transition probability between regimes depends on the endogenous variables of the model. We employ this framework to analyze the macroeconomic implications of adapting the Inflation Targeting (IT) strategy in a way that takes into account the possibility to prevent the occurrence of financial crises. We calibrate the model using Colombian historical data. The results show that monetary policy has major limitations when it seeks to prevent financial crises. As the central bank gives more importance to the GDP growth gap, the frequency with which crises occur decreases. However, this reduction is quantitatively small. On the other hand, as the monetary authority responds more strongly to increases in the external debt growth rate, the frequency with which the economy goes into crisis is not significantly different from the current IT scheme. However, the volatilities of inflation and consumption are much higher.
Nanotopography-Guided Migration of T Cells

T cells navigate a wide variety of tissues and organs for immune surveillance and effector functions. Although nanoscale topographical structures of extracellular matrices and stromal/endothelial cell surfaces in local tissues may guide the migration of T cells, there has been little opportunity to study how nanoscale topographical features affect T cell migration. In this study, we systematically investigated mechanisms of nanotopography-guided migration of T cells using nanoscale ridge/groove surfaces. The velocity and directionality of T cells on these nanostructured surfaces were quantitatively assessed with and without confinement, which is a key property of three-dimensional interstitial tissue spaces for leukocyte motility. Depending on the confinement, T cells exhibited different mechanisms for nanotopography-guided migration. Without confinement, actin polymerization-driven leading edge protrusion was guided toward the direction of nanogrooves via integrin-mediated adhesion. In contrast, T cells under confinement appeared to migrate along the direction of nanogrooves purely by mechanical effects, and integrin-mediated adhesion was dispensable. Therefore, surface nanotopography may play a prominent role in generating migratory patterns for T cells. Because the majority of cells in periphery migrate along the topography of extracellular matrices with much lower motility than T cells, nanotopography-guided migration of T cells would be an important strategy to efficiently perform cell-mediated immune responses by increasing chances of encountering other cells within a given amount of time.
Earnings Quality and Corporate Social Disclosure: The Moderating Role of State and Foreign Ownership in Vietnamese Listed Firms

ABSTRACT By investigating the effect of earnings quality (EQ) on corporate social disclosure (CSD) in the context of Vietnam, this study tests whether firms uphold managerial opportunism based on the agency theory or social responsibility based on stakeholder theory. It also tests the moderating effect of state and foreign ownership on the relationship between EQ and CSD. This study finds that the long-term perspective argument dominates in the relationship between EQ and CSD, indicating that EQ is positively and significantly associated with CSD. The study also finds that the increasing proportion of shares held by the government in firms weakens the relationship between EQ and CSD.
Influence of the metabolic properties of human cells on the kinetic of formation of the major benzo[a]pyrene DNA adducts

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Some of them, including benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), are tumorigenic due to their ability to generate DNA adducts. In order to define potential biomarkers of B[a]P exposure, the aim of the study was to identify the major stable DNA adducts in B[a]P‐treated human cells. The role played by cellular metabolism on the nature and frequency of the DNA lesions was investigated using keratinocytes (HaCat) and actively metabolizing hepatocytes (HepG2) cell lines. Quantification of DNA damage was carried out by HPLC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, a sensitive method making possible the selective detection of the different potential stable DNA adducts of B[a]P. These include two adducts of the 7,8‐dihydroxy‐9,10‐epoxy‐7,8,9,10‐tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) pathway and three adducts of the radical cation pathway. The results indicate that incubation of cells with B[a]P induces almost exclusively the formation of BPDE DNA adducts on purine bases. The amount of DNA adducts generated in hepatocytes was found to be two orders of magnitude higher than that measured in keratinocytes. Interestingly, the level of the DNA adducts produced in the cells incubated with (±)‐anti‐BPDE was similar in the two cell lines, indicating that the difference observed upon incubation with B[a]P could be attributed to different kinetics of B[a]P metabolism. The repair rate of BPDE DNA adducts was identical in the two cell lines with a half‐life estimated to be around 20 h. These data support the use of the stable BPDE DNA adducts, as relevant biomarkers of exposure to B[a]P. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical features and treatment outcome of primary systemic light‐chain amyloidosis in Korea: Results of multicenter analysis

Primary systemic light‐chain (AL) amyloidosis a disorder characterized by accumulation of monoclonal light chains as aggregated amyloid fibrils in tissues of multiple organs to cause organ dysfunction and death (Kyle and Gertz, Semin Hematol 1995;32:45–59; Merlini and Bellotti, N Engl J Med 2003;349:583–596). Although there are quite a number of data regarding clinical features and treatment outcomes of AL amyloidosis, most of them are from western countries except for a couple of reports from Japan (Kyle and Gertz, Semin Hematol 1995;32:45–59; Yamazaki et al., Clin Exp Nephrol 2009;13:522–525; Goodman et al., Br J Haematol 2006;134:417–425; Michael et al., Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk 2010;10:56–61; Palladini et al., Blood 2004;103:2936–2938). Considering the effect of ethnic difference on the clinical course and outcomes of AL amyloidosis, the analysis of Asian patients may help better understanding of this disease entity. Therefore, we conducted retrospective analysis of clinical features and treatment outcomes of 84 newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis patients in six referral centers in Korea between 1995 and 2010. Am. J. Hematol. 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Running wild: Neurogenesis in the hippocampus across the lifespan in wild and laboratory‐bred Norway rats

The dogmatic view that new neurons are not produced in the adult mammalian brain has been overturned in light of mounting evidence that neurogenesis continues to occur within two neurogenic niches, the subventricular zone and the hippocampus. In mammals, new neurons are incorporated into the hippocampus throughout life and are influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Most studies use captive‐bred animals, and no previous studies have examined neurogenesis in free‐living rats despite the common use of laboratory rats. In particular, exercise upregulates neurogenesis in the hippocampus and exercise levels would certainly differ between wild and captive populations. Therefore, it is unclear whether results from captive populations can be generalized to natural populations or reflect variations from an artificial and inappropriate “baseline” level. To address this, we compared levels of cell proliferation and the number of immature neurons (using the endogenous markers Ki67 and doublecortin, respectively) in captured wild juvenile and adult Norway rats to three captive strains (Sprague‐Dawley, Long‐Evans, and Brown Norway) of the same species. Here, we show that the level of cell proliferation and young immature neuron survival in the dentate gyrus of juvenile wild rats is significantly higher than in Sprague‐Dawley rats, but not Long‐Evans or Brown Norway rats. However, cell proliferation and the number of immature neurons in the hippocampus of adult wild rats are within the normal range of captive‐bred rats at all adult ages examined. This finding is surprising given the dissimilar environments, including stressors and opportunities for exercise, encountered by each population. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.