Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post‐transplant early recurrent proteinuria in patients with focal glomerulosclerosis‐ Angiotensin II immunostaining and treatment outcome

Abstract: We reviewed the transplantation data and results of histopathological studies with additional angiotensin II (AII) immunostaining of renal graft biopsies of nine cases (10 grafts) with recurrent proteinuria and three controls without recurrent proteinuria that received renal transplantation for primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) between 1986 and 2002. Recurrent FSGS was confirmed in six grafts from nine cases by light microscopy. In cases with recurrent proteinuria, loss of graft function was noted in all six renal grafts received between 1986 and early 1992 but in none of four grafts received between late 1992 and 2002. Two of four patients of the late group but none of those of the early group received angiotensin converting enzyme (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) with plasma exchange (PE). In control cases without proteinuria, AII immunostaining was detected in tubules but not in glomeruli in 1‐hour biopsies as well as later on. In cases with recurrent proteinuria, AII immunostaining was detected in both tubules and glomeruli, although glomerular AII staining was not observed in 1‐hour biopsies. Our results suggest that effective treatment of post‐transplantation recurrent FSGS requires ACEI or ARB with PE in the absence of another etiology.
Patent Protection and R&D Subsidy Under Asymmetric Information

We examine a technology licensing under asymmetric information and discuss the effects of R&D policies. In particular, we investigate an innovator's investment strategy and the efficiency of policies from a dynamics perspective. We show that perfect patent protection is optimal under symmetric information, whereas this is not so if the licensor has private information. Furthermore, we show that social welfare under asymmetric information is higher than that under symmetric information for most patent protection levels, yet the latter dominates the former in the presence of an optimal policy for each regime. An R&D subsidy is found suboptimal under symmetric information, whereas it can be optimal given information asymmetry. This allows us to derive a combination of patent protection and R&D subsidy that yields the first-best results under asymmetric information in multiple industries simultaneously.
Genotoxic effects of high dose rate X‐ray and low dose rate gamma radiation in ApcMin/+ mice

Risk estimates for radiation‐induced cancer in humans are based on epidemiological data largely drawn from the Japanese atomic bomb survivor studies, which received an acute high dose rate (HDR) ionising radiation. Limited knowledge exists about the effects of chronic low dose rate (LDR) exposure, particularly with respect to the application of the dose and dose rate effectiveness factor. As part of a study to investigate the development of colon cancer following chronic LDR vs. acute HDR radiation, this study presents the results of genotoxic effects in blood of exposed mice. CBAB6 F1 Apc+/+ (wild type) and ApcMin/+ mice were chronically exposed to estimated whole body absorbed doses of 1.7 or 3.2 Gy 60Co‐γ‐rays at a LDR (2.2 mGy h−1) or acutely exposed to 2.6 Gy HDR X‐rays (1.3 Gy min−1). Genotoxic endpoints assessed in blood included chromosomal damage (flow cytometry based micronuclei (MN) assay), mutation analyses (Pig‐a gene mutation assay), and levels of DNA lesions (Comet assay, single‐strand breaks (ssb), alkali labile sites (als), oxidized DNA bases). Ionising radiation (ca. 3 Gy) induced genotoxic effects dependent on the dose rate. Chromosomal aberrations (MN assay) increased 3‐ and 10‐fold after chronic LDR and acute HDR, respectively. Phenotypic mutation frequencies as well as DNA lesions (ssb/als) were modulated after acute HDR but not after chronic LDR. The ApcMin/+ genotype did not influence the outcome in any of the investigated endpoints. The results herein will add to the scant data available on genotoxic effects following chronic LDR of ionising radiation. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:560–569, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Environmental Mutagen Society
A study of the relative roles of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in the regulation of testicular inhibin secretion in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative roles of FSH and LH in stimulating testicular inhibin secretion in the male rhesus monkey. Recombinant human (rh) FSH and rhCG were used as the gonadotropic stimuli, and juvenile rhesus monkeys, in which the endocrine activity of the pituitary-testicular axis was being driven in an adult manner with an intermittent i.v. GnRH infusion, were studied. Immunoactive inhibin levels were measured by the Monash RIA. Initiation of an intermittent i.v. infusion of rhFSH (10 IU every 3 h) resulted, after a delay of 5-6 h, in a progressive increase in the concentrations of immunoactive inhibin, which achieved, after 48 h of stimulation, a value twice that observed during vehicle treatment. Gel filtration chromatography revealed that the FSH-induced elevation in immunoactive inhibin was the result of an increase in three distinct mol wt fractions: peak I (100 kDa), peak II (50-60 kDa), and peak III (31 kDa). Although peak III accounted for most of the inhibin immunoactivity in vehicle-treated animals, peaks I and II were most responsive to FSH stimulation. Application of recently developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for inhibin B and pro-alpha-C-related peptides provided additional insights into the nature of the FSH-sensitive forms of circulating immunoactive inhibin. Most notably, the 31-kDa fraction (peak III) was comprised of inhibin B and pro-alpha-C. In contrast to FSH stimulation, an intermittent infusion of rhCG (40 IU every 3 h), which markedly elevated testicular testosterone secretion, failed to increase immunoactive inhibin concentrations. These findings indicate that various forms of immunoactive inhibin are present in the circulation of the rhesus monkey, and that in this species, FSH is the principal stimulus of the secretion of testicular inhibins, including inhibin B. Additionally, they further underline the importance of the FSH-inhibin feedback loop in governing testicular function in primates.
Detection of anti-MAG antibodies in polyneuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy

Background: Detection of serum antibodies to myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) by Western blot (WB) is a valuable assay to diagnose a distinct type of demyelinating polyneuropathy with immunoglobulin M (IgM) monoclonal gammopathy. In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of a new and more practical ELISA to detect these antibodies was validated. Methods: Routine WBs from 2 independent laboratories and ELISA were used to detect anti-MAG IgM in serum from 207 patients with neuropathy and controls. The sensitivity and specificity of these assays were compared and related to the patient clinical and electrophysiologic characteristics. Results: In ELISA, anti-MAG antibodies were found in serum from 49 (72%) of 68 patients with demyelinating polyneuropathy and IgM monoclonal gammopathy. However, in this subgroup of patients, only 30 (44%) and 37 (54%) were positive in the 2 WBs. All of the patients positive in the 2 WBs were also positive in ELISA. A high correlation was found for IgM activity in ELISA to MAG and sulfate-3-glucuronyl paragloboside (SGPG) (Spearman ρ = 0.72, p < 0.0001), supporting the notion that the shared sulfated glucuronic acid moiety of MAG and SGPG is preserved. Most patients positive in anti-MAG ELISA had a slowly progressive sensory–motor demyelinating polyneuropathy, even if the WB was negative. In control groups, however, 4 WB-negative patients with a nondemyelinating monoclonal gammopathy–related polyneuropathy were positive in anti-MAG ELISA. The remaining samples were negative in ELISA. Conclusion: ELISA is more sensitive than Western blot to diagnose anti–myelin-associated glycoprotein related polyneuropathy, although a positive serology may be found in other forms of polyneuropathy as well.
An Option Analysis of the European Union Renewable Energy Support Mechanisms

We examine the economic efficiency of incentive mechanisms used to promote Renewable Energy (RE) across the European Union (EU) by looking at returns to investors along with any negative externalities or social costs. Using electricity price data from 2009 to 2013, we evaluate the RE support mechanisms adopted by some of the largest EU economies. We explain the limitations of various metrics used to inform incentives for RE and propose an alternative metric reflecting investor requirements. Our results show that while the EU schemes were effective in delivering RE capacity, the incentives provided were overly generous and economically inefficient. To assess the indirect costs of RE in liberalized electricity markets we employ real option theory to quantify the costs of hedging and pricing the exposure faced by conventional fossil fuel generators required to accept RE under dispatch priority. We find that the cost of hedging against random RE output under dispatch priority is expensive while increasing RE in liberalized markets, by depressing prices and increasing price volatility, may place greater burden on conventional, dispatchable generators. As support for RE is presented as a public good, we argue that economically efficient RE support mechanisms require recognizing both their direct and indirect costs.
Androgen axis in prostate cancer

Endocrine therapy for advanced prostate cancer is based on androgen ablation or blockade of the androgen receptor (AR). AR action in prostate cancer has been investigated in a number of cell lines, their derivatives, and transgenic animals. AR expression is heterogenous in prostate cancer in vivo; it could be detected in most primary tumors and their metastases. However, some cells lack the AR because of epigenetic changes in the gene promoter. AR expression increases after chronic androgen ablation in vitro. In several xenografts, AR upregulation is the most consistent change identified during progression towards therapy resistance. In contrast, the AR pathway may be by‐passed during chronic treatment with a nonsteroidal anti‐androgen. AR sensitivity in prostate cancer increases as a result of activation of the Ras/mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway. One of the major difficulties in endocrine therapy for prostate cancer is acquisition of agonistic properties of AR antagonists observed in the presence of mutated AR. Enhancement of AR function by associated coactivator proteins has been extensively investigated. Cofactors SRC‐1, RAC3, p300/CBP, TIF‐2, and Tip60 are upregulated in advanced prostate cancer. Most studies on ligand‐independent activation of the AR are focused on Her‐2/neu and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6). On the basis of studies that showed overexpression and activation of the AR in advanced prostate cancer, it was suggested that novel therapies that reduce AR expression will provide a benefit to patients. There is experimental evidence showing that prostate tumor growth in vitro and in vivo is inhibited following administration of chemopreventive drugs or antisense oligonucleotides that downregulate AR mRNA and protein expression. J. Cell. Biochem. 99: 373–381, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What about relative corruption? The impact of the relative corruption on the inbound tourism to Turkey

This paper examines the impact of corruption on the number of tourist inflows to Turkey from 70 countries for the period from 1996 to 2014. For this purpose, it is the first paper to examine the effects of not only the absolute corruption but also the relative corruption on the tourist arrivals in the literature. By using the fixed effects, the generalized methods of moments, and the Hausman–Taylor estimations, we find that level of the relative corruption negatively affects the inbound tourism to Turkey.
T-cell determinants and antibody binding sites on the major mycobacterial secretory protein MPB59 of Mycobacterium bovis

Among the first proteins encountered by the host immune system upon infection or vaccination with mycobacteria are those secreted by the bacillus during growth. The antigen 85 complex of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Gúerin (BCG) is composed of three closely related members. The mature 85B protein of M. bovis (MPB59) has a high degree of amino acid identity with the M. bovis 85A protein (76%) and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis 85B (99%) and 85A (76%) proteins. We have examined the regions of MPB59 which stimulate human T- and B-cell responses by use of a set of 28 synthetic peptides, 20 amino acids (aa) in length and overlapping by 10 aa. Initial proliferative assays with recombinant MPB59 demonstrated that peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 95% of BCG vaccinees and 52% of tuberculosis patients responded to the whole mature protein. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from MPB59 responders, but not nonresponders, were stimulated by peptides in a dose-dependent fashion. Five peptides were reactive in more than half of the MPB59 responders. The T-cell-reactive regions were essentially identical in the M. bovis and M. tuberculosis 85B proteins. Subjects with a variety of HLA-DR phenotypes responded to a number of these peptides. The dominant T-cell-reactive regions were distinct from the peptides recognized by sera from tuberculosis patients (aa 71 to 100) and the murine monoclonal antibody HYT27 (aa 61 to 90). The region reactive with antibodies overlapped part of the MPB59 sequence recently shown to participate in the binding of MPB59 to fibronectin.
The Influence of Drinking, Texting, and Eating on Simulated Driving Performance

Objective: Driving is a complex task and distractions such as using a mobile phone for the purpose of text messaging are known to have a significant impact on driving. Eating and drinking are common forms of distraction that have received less attention in relation to their impact on driving. The aim of this study was to further explore and compare the effects of a variety of distraction tasks (i.e., text messaging, eating, drinking) on simulated driving. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy individuals (13 female) participated in a crossover design study involving 3 experimental trials (separated by ≥24 h). In each trial, participants completed a baseline driving task (no distraction) before completing a second driving task involving one of 3 different distraction tasks (drinking 400 mL water, drinking 400 mL water and eating a 6-inch Subway sandwich, drinking 400 mL water and composing 3 text messages). Primary outcome measures of driving consisted of standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP) and reaction time to auditory and visual critical events. Subjective ratings of difficulty in performing the driving tasks were also collected at the end of the study to determine perceptions of distraction difficulty on driving. Results: Driving tasks involving texting and eating were associated with significant impairment in driving performance measures for SDLP compared to baseline driving (46.0 ± 0.08 vs. 41.3 ± 0.06 cm and 44.8 ± 0.10 vs. 41.6 ± 0.07 cm, respectively), number of lane departures compared to baseline driving (10.9 ± 7.8 vs. 7.6 ± 7.1 and 9.4 ± 7.5 vs. 7.1 ± 7.0, respectively), and auditory reaction time compared to baseline driving (922 ± 95 vs. 889 ± 104 ms and 933 ± 101 vs. 901 ± 103 ms, respectively). No difference in SDLP (42.7 ± 0.08 vs. 42.5 ± 0.07 cm), number of lane departures (7.6 ± 7.7 vs. 7.0 ± 6.8), or auditory reaction time (891 ± 98 and 885 ± 89 ms) was observed in the drive involving the drink-only condition compared to the corresponding baseline drive. No difference in reaction time to visual stimuli was observed between baseline and experimental drives for any of the trial conditions. Participants’ subjective ratings indicated that they perceived the texting while driving condition to be the most difficult despite similar magnitudes of impairment observed with the eating while driving condition. Conclusions: Distracting behaviors such as eating and texting while driving appear to negatively impact driving measures of lane position control and reaction time. These findings may have direct implications for motorists that engage in these types of distracting behaviors behind the wheel and for the safety of other road users.
Radiation effects on Williamson nanofluid flow over a heated surface with magnetohydrodynamics

An analysis is performed for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Williamson nanofluid flow over a continuously moving heated surface with thermal radiation and heat source. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into self-similar ordinary differential equations using similarity transformations. The obtained self-similar equations are solved by finite difference method using quasilinearization technique. Mathematical analysis of various physical parameters is presented in graphs. The impact of physical parameters on skin-friction coefficient, reduced Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are shown in tabular and graphical form. Furthermore, comparison of the present analysis is made with the previously existing literature and an appreciable agreement in the values is observed for the limiting case.
Idiopathic Orofacial Pain: A Review

Pain in the orofacial region is both common and distressing. Their complex anatomy and aetiologies make their diagnosis challenging, frequently overlapping various surgical and medical disciplines, which makes their classification complex. Furthermore, there are a group of unclassified idiopathic pains, which frequently remain refractive to treatment. Traditionally, these pains were thought to be psychogenic in origin. Recently, this hypothesis has come under doubt, and for some idiopathic pains putative mechanisms have been proposed. This paper seeks to review the current literature on orofacial pain.
Effect of eccentric muscle training to reduce severity of delayed onset muscle soreness in athletic subjects

Aim: To verify whether “Eccentric muscle training of quadriceps femoris muscle in athletes will be effective in minimizing the incidence and severity of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)”. Long distance runners suffer with delayed onset muscle soreness. Many interventions have been tried and reported. Methods: Forty long distance male runners between 18-25 years of age were included in this study. They were equally categorized in two groups. Control group consisted of the subjects who were given only stretching exercises. The experimental group was given eccentric repetitive low intensity eccentric muscle training of quadriceps femoris muscle along with stretching exercises. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scale and Functional Independence Measure Score (FIMS) were used as prognostic tools. The data collected was analyzed with the help of unpaired “t” test and chi square test. Results: Experimental group showed improvement in pain scale compared to control group (t value= 2.02 at p< 0.05). FIMS showed significant improvement in experimental group (t value= 2.02 at p< 0.05). Conclusion: Eccentric training of quadriceps femoris muscle can be incorporated into warm up program for the long distance runners to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.
The sharing economy as community marketplace? Trust, reciprocity and belonging in peer-to-peer accommodation platforms

What is the role sociality and belonging play within the particular exchange model that the sharing economy embodies? This article presents a theoretical review and a comparative analysis of the main sharing platforms in the accommodation domain in order to outline a conceptual framework on the relations between trust, reciprocity and belonging in the sharing economy. We argue that mobilising a sense of community is not only instrumental to promising a more intense consumption experience; it is crucial to eliciting users’ active participation in the self-regulation of peer-to-peer exchanges and for dealing with relevant trust issues, especially when sharing implies co-presence and/or non-monetary compensation. The drivers and potential outcomes of the decline in social depth of sharing practices are discussed.
Where There is No EMS: Lay Providers in Emergency Medical Services Care - EMS as a Public Health Priority

Abstract By 2030, road traffic accidents are projected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, with 90% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While high-quality, prehospital trauma care is crucial to reduce the number of trauma-related deaths, effective Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) are limited or absent in many LMICs. Although lay providers have long been recognized as the front lines of informal trauma care in countries without formal EMS, few efforts have been made to capitalize on these networks. We suggest that lay providers can become a strong foundation for nascent EMS through a four-fold approach: strengthening and expanding existing lay provider training programs; incentivizing lay providers; strengthening locally available first aid supply chains; and using technology to link lay provider networks. DebenhamS, FullerM, StewartM, PriceRR. Where there is no EMS: lay providers in Emergency Medical Services care - EMS as a public health priority. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):593–595.
A new twist in the collagen story—the type VI segmented supercoil

Collagen occurs in two major forms: fibrillar and non‐fibrillar. Non‐fibrillar collagens are structurally more variable and relatively ill‐understood. In this work we analysed the amino acid sequence of type VI collagen, a non‐fibrillar collagen that forms antiparallel dimers. A sequence motif was discovered that gives rise to systematic molecular coiling. There is a common periodicity (∼23 or 2 × 23 residues) in the charged amino acids, in the prolines and in the discontinuities in the Gly‐X‐Y triplets. In addition, there is a different periodicity (∼21 amino acids) in the apolar groups. The two repeats mean that the only way to simultaneously maximize both the hydrophobic and polar interactions during dimer formation is with the molecules antiparallel, overlapped by 75 nm as observed, and supercoiled. The alternating proline‐rich and charge‐rich patches, often together with discontinuities in the Gly‐X‐Y sequences, coincide with each half‐turn of the supercoil, thus breaking it into segments. We have termed this structure the collagen segmented supercoil. The segmented supercoil and variants may be common aggregation motifs for the non‐fibrillar collagens.
Option-Implied Intra-Horizon Value-at-Risk

We study the intra-horizon value at risk (iVaR) in a general jump diffusion setup and propose a new model of asset returns called displaced mixed-exponential model, which can arbitrarily closely approximate finite-activity jump-diffusions and completely monotone Levy processes. We derive analytical results for the iVaR and disentangle the risk contribution of jumps from diffusion. Estimating the iVaR for several popular jump models using on S&P 100 option data, we find that option-implied estimates are much more responsive to market changes relative to their historical counterparts. Moreover, disentangling jumps from diffusion, jump account for about 90 percent of iVaR on average.