Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CD8+ T cell-mediated delayed rejection of orthotopic guinea pig cornea grafts in mice deficient in CD4+ T cells.

PURPOSE To determine the immunopathogenesis of delayed orthotopic corneal xenograft rejection in mice deficient in the xenoreactive CD4+ T cells that mediate acute rejection. METHODS CB.17 SCID and BALB/c mice were used as recipients of orthotopic cornea grafts obtained from strain 13 guinea pigs. Before transplantation, SCID recipients, which do not normally reject guinea pig cornea grafts, were reconstituted with spleen cells (whole, CD4-depleted, CD4/CD8-depleted) or purified CD8+ T cells from normal BALB/c donors. Graft survival was assessed by clinical examination, and median survival times (MST) were calculated. Lymphocytes from mice that rejected guinea pig cornea grafts were analyzed in vitro for their capacity to respond to guinea pig xenoantigens and to lyse guinea pig target cells. RESULTS SCID mice reconstituted with whole spleen cells from BALB/c donors rejected guinea pig corneas with a vigor identical with that of normal BALB/c mice (MST = 15 and 14 days, respectively), whereas SCID mice reconstituted with CD4-depleted BALB/c spleen cells rejected guinea pig corneas in a delayed fashion (MST = 27 days), as did SCID mice reconstituted with purified CD8+ T cells from BALB/c donors. Although CD8+ T cells from rejector mice failed to lyse guinea pig target cells in vitro, the T cells proliferated and secreted IFN-gamma in response to in vitro stimulation with guinea pig xenoantigens. CONCLUSIONS Guinea pig cornea xenografts that avoid acute rejection in CD4+ T cell-depleted mice are vulnerable to rejection by CD8+ T cells. Effector CD8+ T cells destroy corneal xenografts through release of proinflammatory mediators (IFN-gamma) rather than by cytotoxicity.
Essays on the economics of migration and labour : empirical evidence from the UK

This thesis covers the analysis of current UK economic issues relating to immigration and the labour market. In particular, since the late 1990s, the UK has experienced increasing immigration inflows significantly affecting both the economy and society as a whole. In parallel, over the last two decades the country has undergone other substantial changes in the structure of the labour market, primarily due to an intrinsic rapid educational upgrading and the pervasive effect of technological change. Chapter 1 studies immigrant assimilation by comparing the life satisfaction of immigrants across different generations against that of their native peers. Chapter 2 develops and empircally tests a model to explain the channels through which heterogeneous firms may adjust their product and process innovation activities in response to local labour supply shocks such as immigration inflows. Chapter 3 estimates the causal effect of technological exposure on UK local labour markets while providing suggestive evidence on the role of changes in the composition of the labour force.
Cellular prion protein/laminin receptor: distribution in adult central nervous system and characterization of an isoform associated with a subtype of cortical neurons

The 67‐kDa LR protein was originally discovered as a non‐integrin laminin receptor. Several more recent in vitro studies demonstrated the function of 67‐kDa LR and its related ‘precursor’ form 37‐kDa LRP as receptors of cellular prion protein and their implication in abnormal prion protein propagation in vitro. In addition, expression of both proteins was shown to increase considerably in the brain of scrapie‐infected mice and hamsters. While LRP/LR are thus likely to play important roles in neuronal cell adhesion, survival and homeostasis and during pathological disorders, little is known so far about their fine cellular distribution in adult central nervous system. Using immunocytochemistry and western blotting, we show here that the 67‐kDa LR is the major receptor form in adult rat brain and spinal cord, expressed within the cytoplasm and at the plasma membrane of most neurons and in a subset of glial cells. The overall distribution of LR correlates well with that reported for laminin‐1 but also with brain regions classically associated with prion‐related neurodegeneration. In contrast to LR, the 37‐kDa LRP form is much less abundant in adult than in postnatal central nervous system. Characterization of a novel antibody allowed us to study the distribution across tissues of cell membrane‐associated LRP. Interestingly, this form is almost exclusively found on a subclass of parvalbumin‐immunoreactive cortical interneurons known to degenerate during the early stages of Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease. Our demonstration of local differences in the expression of particular LRP/LR isoforms may be a first step towards unraveling their specific molecular interactions.
Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR to determine glycosaminoglycan concentration in reparative cartilage after autologous chondrocyte implantation: preliminary results.

PURPOSE To prospectively evaluate delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of cartilage for assessment of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentration in reparative cartilage after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was approved by the ethics review committee of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. The study group comprised nine knees of nine patients (six male, three female; mean age at ACI, 21.2 years +/- 7.5 [standard deviation]; age range, 13-35 years) who had undergone ACI and second-look arthroscopy with biopsy. MR imaging was performed at 1.5 T before and after intravenous injection of anionic gadopentetate dimeglumine. The precontrast R1 (R1(pre)), postcontrast R1 (R1(post)), and difference between R1(pre) and R1(post) (DeltaR1) were measured in reparative cartilage and normal cartilage. GAG concentrations in cartilage biopsy specimens were measured by using high-performance liquid chromatography. To evaluate delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage for assessment of GAG concentration, the authors defined the relative R1(pre), relative R1(post), and relative DeltaR1 (ie, R1(pre), R1(post), or DeltaR1, respectively, in reparative cartilage divided by that in normal cartilage) and the relative GAG concentration (ie, GAG concentration in reparative cartilage divided by that in normal cartilage). They then examined the relationships between relative R1(pre), relative R1(post), relative DeltaR1, and relative GAG by using correlation analysis. RESULTS A significant correlation between relative DeltaR1 and relative GAG concentration (r = 0.818, P < .05) was observed. However, no significant correlation between relative R1(pre) and relative GAG concentration (r = 0.010, P = .983) or between relative R1(post) and relative GAG concentration (r = 0.660, P = .106) was observed. CONCLUSION Study results indicate that pre- and postcontrast imaging is necessary for delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging evaluation of reparative cartilage after ACI.
DAOS and Friends: A Proposal for an Exascale Storage System

The DOE Extreme-Scale Technology Acceleration Fast Forward Storage and IO Stack project is going to have significant impact on storage systems design within and beyond the HPC community. With phase two of the project starting, it is an excellent opportunity to explore the complete design and how it will address the needs of extreme scale platforms. This paper examines each layer of the proposed stack in some detail along with cross-cutting topics, such as transactions and metadata management. This paper not only provides a timely summary of important aspects of the design specifications but also captures the underlying reasoning that is not available elsewhere. We encourage the broader community to understand the design, intent, and future directions to foster discussion guiding phase two and the ultimate production storage stack based on this work. An initial performance evaluation of the early prototype implementation is also provided to validate the presented design.
Export initiation by indigenous manufacturers ina small developing economy

The article examines the factors that influence indigenous manufacturers in a developing country to initiate exporting. Export stimuli were classified into proactive and reactive, representing a deliberate or opportunistic attitude towards exporting respectively. Thirty-four Cypriot firms belonging to five industry groups provided the research sample. The results showed that their export decision was motivated, overall, more by proactive rather than reactive factors exemplifying a rational approach to exporting. However, a further examination of the results in conjuction with the small size of the domestic market and certain geopolitical events occured in the region questioned this rational export behaviour and, instead, concluded that their actual approach to exporting was casual, unsystematic, unplanned and non - organized.
A new evaluation of heat distribution on facial skin surface by infrared thermography.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify the facial areas defined by thermal gradient, in individuals compatible with the pattern of normality, and to quantify and describe them anatomically. METHODS The sample consisted of 161 volunteers, of both genders, aged between 26 and 84 years (63 ± 15 years). RESULTS The results demonstrated that the thermal gradient areas suggested for the study were present in at least 95% of the thermograms evaluated and that there is significant difference in temperature between the genders, racial group and variables "odontalgia", "dental prothesis" and "history of migraine" (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in the absolute temperatures between ages, and right and left sides of the face, in individuals compatible with the pattern of normality (ΔT = 0.11°C). CONCLUSIONS The authors concluded that according to the suggested areas of thermal gradients, these were present in at least 95% of all the thermograms evaluated, and the areas of high intensity found in the face were medial palpebral commissure, labial commissure, temporal, supratrochlear and external acoustic meatus, whereas the points of low intensity were inferior labial, lateral palpebral commissure and nasolabial.
Media in the Policy Process: Using Framing and Narratives to Understand Policy Influences

Policy scholarship has long sought to understand the role of knowledge and information in the policy process. Of the actors, institutions, and resources involved in shaping policy processes and outcomes, media and narratives have been incorporated into empirical policy scholarship and theories with varying success. The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) is a framework through which scholars can bring analysis of narratives into studies of policy making. The NPF moves the field forward in understanding the role of narratives, communication, and stakeholder beliefs in the policy process, while at the same time striving for theoretical rigor. We embed the discussion of frames and narratives in the NPF to provide an empirical and theoretical cohesion to our understanding of media and public policy and then provide a brief empirical example of how such an integration may prove fruitful for policy scholars.
Part-time work and advancement: a study of female professional staff in Australian universities

ABSTRACT One focus of gender equity policies in universities has been the creation of ‘retention’ part-time work for professional staff, which allows employees to move between full-time and part-time hours at their request. This paper examines whether such ‘good’ part-time jobs can contribute to or at least not impede women’s career advancement. The paper examines the correlation between job classification and part-time work, and whether a period of part-time work acts as a significant ‘brake’ on a woman’s career trajectory. This study uses data from the 2011 Work and Careers in Australian Universities survey. Part-time work is used extensively by lower-classified women, but rarely by those in higher classifications. Part-time work stalls career advancement compared to working full-time, but this brake is reduced if a woman transitions back to full-time work.
Molecular phylogeny of mangroves II. Intra -and inter-specific variation in Avicennia revealed by RAPD and RFLP markers.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers were used to estimate intra- and inter-specific variation in three species of an exclusive mangrove genus, Avicennia. Intrapopulation polymorphism among the 10 populations of Avicennia marina, as measured by percentage of polymorphic RAPDs, varied between 17.8 and 38.9%, with a standard deviation of 7.28, and the coefficient of variation was 26.5%. Polymorphism in Avicennia officinalis (Pichavaram population, 32.3%) and Avicennia alba (Coringa population, 37.8%) was greater than the intrapopulation variation observed in the populations of A. marina from each of the respective locations. It was greater than the average percentage of polymorphism at the intrapopulation level (27.47%) but far less than the variation measured at the interpopulation level in A. marina. Interpopulation variation in A. marina (76.7% for RAPDs and 66% for RFLPs) was greater than the variation in any individual population of this species, indicating a high degree of divergence between the populations. Interpopulation variation as revealed by RAPD and RFLP markers did not indicate the existence of more than one distinct entity in this species in India. The implications of these observations in genetic sampling and conservation are discussed. Statistical analysis of 109 RAPDs and 84 RFLPs observed in one representative genotype from each species showed that the widely distributed A. marina was more closely related to A. alba (genetic distance (1 − F) = 0.22) than to A. officinalis (genetic distance (1 − F) = 0.37). RAPD analysis of six randomly selected genotypes in each species and principal component analysis of the data also favoured this observation.
The effect of angular and longitudinal tube current modulations on the estimation of organ and effective doses in x-ray computed tomography.

PURPOSE Tube current modulation (TCM) is one of the recent developments in multislice CT that has proven to reduce the patient radiation dose without affecting the image quality. Presently established methods and published coefficients for estimating organ doses from the dose measured free in air on the axis of rotation or in the CT dose index (CTDI) dosimetry phantoms do not take into account this relatively new development in CT scanner design and technology. Based on these organ dose coefficients effective dose estimates can be made. The estimates are not strictly valid for CT scanning protocols utilizing TCM. In this study, the authors investigated the need to take TCM into account when estimating organ and effective dose values. METHODS A whole-body adult anthropomorphic phantom (Alderson Rando) was scanned with a multislice CT scanner (Somatom Definition, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) utilizing TCM (CareDose4D). Tube voltage was 120 kV, beam collimation 19.2 mm, and pitch 1. A voxelized patient model was used to define the tissues and organs in the phantom. Tube current values as a function of tube angle were obtained from the raw data for each individual tube rotation of the scan. These values were used together with the Monte Carlo dosimetry tool IMPACTMC (VAMP GmbH, Erlangen, Germany) to calculate organ dose values both with and without account of TCM. Angular and longitudinal modulations were investigated separately. Finally, corresponding effective dose conversion coefficients were determined for both cases according to the updated 2007 recommendations of the ICRP. RESULTS TCM amplitude was greatest in the shoulder and pelvic regions. Consequently, dose distributions and organ dose values for particular cross sections changed considerably when taking angular modulation into account. The effective dose conversion coefficients were up to 11% lower for a single rotation in the shoulder region and 17% lower in the pelvis when taking angular TCM into account. In the head, neck, thorax, and upper abdominal regions, conversion coefficients changed similarly by only 5% or less. Conversion coefficients for estimating effective doses for scans of complete regions, e.g., chest or abdomen, were approximately 8% lower when taking angular and longitudinal TCMs into account. CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that for accurate organ and effective dose estimates in individual cross sections in the shoulder or pelvic regions, the angular tube current modulation should be taken into account. In general, using the average of the modulated tube current causes an overestimation of the effective dose.
Resilient Coping

Social marginalization is associated with poor health outcomes for affected people. However, in a psychosocial study of treatment for hepatitis C infection conducted in Sydney, Australia, participants living in socially disadvantaged circumstances applied adaptive approaches learned from past experiences of drug dependence, living with symptoms of chronic illness, coping with depression and childhood sexual abuse to enable them to cope with severe treatment-related side-effects. This finding has implications for the clinical management of hepatitis C treatment; the factors and processes that facilitate adaptive coping to adversity associated with social marginalization can be assessed for their clinical contribution to coping with an arduous regimen.
Ectomycorrhizal diversity and community structure in stands of Quercus oleoides in the seasonally dry tropical forests of Costa Rica

Most conservation efforts in seasonally dry tropical forests have overlooked less obvious targets for conservation, such as mycorrhizal fungi, that are critical to plant growth and ecosystem structure. We documented the diversity of ectomycorrhizal (EMF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) fungal communities in Quercus oleoides (Fagaceae) in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica. Soil cores and sporocarps were collected from regenerating Q. oleoides plots differing in stand age (early vs late regeneration) during the wet season. Sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal ITS region in EMF root tips and sporocarps identified 37 taxa in the Basidiomycota; EMF Ascomycota were uncommon. The EMF community was dominated by one species (Thelephora sp. 1; 70% of soil cores), more than half of all EMF species were found only once in an individual soil core, and there were few conspecific taxa. Most EMF taxa were also restricted to either Early or Late plots. Levels of EMF species richness and diversity, and AMF root colonization were similar between plots. Our results highlight the need for comprehensive spatiotemporal samplings of EMF communities in Q. oleoides to identify and prioritize rare EMF for conservation, and document their genetic and functional diversity.
PERCEPTIONS OF FEMALE ATHLETES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGES IN ESPN’S RISE MAGAZINE

A number of different publishers have made attempts to create a magazine for the female athlete (Hardin, Lynn, Walsdorf, 2005). With little success in the past, ESPN is stepping up to the plate with Rise magazine. The girl version of Rise magazine is geared towards the high school female athlete. I engaged in a textual analysis of selected editorial and advertisement images throughout Fall 2009, Fall 2010 and Winter 2010 issues of the girl version of Rise as well as the December 2009 and October 2010 issues of the guy issues of Rise magazine. I examined how female athletes were represented in relationships to sport and male athletes as well as how female athletes were represented in advertisements. I coded each image for body position, sport type, facial expression, movement, context, captions and surrounding text. Results show that ESPN has created something that showcases the female athlete in a way that does have some differences from past stereotypical representations of the female athlete. However, concern about the magazine is the powerful advertisements that starkly contrast with the happy-go-lucky appearance of the editorial images. Thus, I am concerned about the impact that the messages, what it means to be an athlete, may have on the young female readers.
Improving the Delivery of Patient Education about Kidney Transplant in a Transplant Center

Context Kidney transplant is usually the best treatment option for patients with end-stage renal disease; however, transplant rates remain low in the United States. More research is needed about patients' educational needs to ensure that patients are making informed decisions about their treatment options. Objective To examine patients' perceptions of the delivery and format of a kidney transplant education program in a clinical setting, specifically to (1) identify useful aspects of the transplant education process, (2) discuss aspects of the program delivery that need improvement, and (3) provide recommendations to enhance the education delivery and format surrounding kidney transplant. Design A descriptive study using focus group meetings with patients at different stages of the transplantation process (in evaluation, listed, and transplant recipients). Data were analyzed by using thematic content analysis. Results Use of printed materials and handouts, group education format, and patient advocate component as well as bringing a companion were all effective aspects of the education program. Concerns about the education program stemmed from its complexity, technicality, and length. Participants recommended that patients be sent a formal invitation letter, with a detailed agenda and a video on kidney transplant, and that patients be encouraged to bring a companion to the education program. Responses specific to the stage of the transplant process are presented. Conclusion Concentrated attention to the delivery and content of the transplant education programs may significantly assist with patients' outcomes throughout the transplant process.