Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunogenicity of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Residential Homes for Elderly People

Abstract One hundred and seventy residents of 11 Leicester City Council homes for the elderly, with a total of 515 beds, were studied during a 30-week period from September 1988 to March 1989 to determine the use of influenza vaccine, the levels of influenza antibody, the incidence of influenza, and the protection afforded by vaccination. The study group of 133 women and 37 men had a mean age of 85 years and 59% had one or more chronic medical conditions. The immunization rates by home for the 170 symptomatic residents ranged from 8% to 90% (mean 45%). Seventy-one sera, 36 from vaccinated and 35 from non-vaccinated residents were collected between 1 December 1988 and 24 March 1989 and were assayed for antibody to A/Taiwan/1/86 (H1N1), A Sichuan/2/87 (H3N2) and B/Beijing/1/87. Analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between the antibody profiles of vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects. Six influenza A and 6 influenza B infections were confirmed among the 170 subjects with upper respiratory tract infections. Influenza vaccination was not associated with significant levels of protection against influenza A or B. Studies of the haemagglutinins of the vaccine strains and influenza isolates during 1988/89 showed that they were closely related.
Cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis in the analysis of urinary proteins in patients with tubulointerstitial nephritis

Urinary proteins from 14 patients with tubulointerstitial nephritis were analyzed by cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis. Urinary total protein concentrations were measured, and urinary 15 proteins (prealbumin, albumin, α1‐microglobulin, α1‐antitrypsin, α2‐macroglobulin, haptoglobin, retinol binding protein, transferrin, β2‐microglobulin, IgA, IgG, κ‐ and λ‐light chains, cystatin C, and lysozyme) were identified by the use of a rapid and highly sensitive colloidal silver staining reagent suited for use with cellulose acetate membranes, as reported previously by Matsuda et al. (J Clin Lab Anal 15:171–174, 2001; Clin Chem47:763–766, 2001) and Hiratsuka et al. (J Clin Lab Anal 10:403–406, 1996). We also analyzed urinary total protein concentration and urinary protein fractions according to the presence of acute or nonacute interstitial nephritis. In addition, the relationship between urinary protein fraction and complications of interstitial nephritis was analyzed. The goal of this work was to find a useful index for the diagnosis of tubulointerstitial nephritis. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 17:44–51, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of residues in the human DNA repair enzyme HAP1 (Ref-1) that are essential for redox regulation of Jun DNA binding

The DNA binding activity of the c-jun proto-oncogene product is inhibited by oxidation of a specific cysteine residue (Cys-252) in the DNA binding domain. Jun protein inactivated by oxidation of this residue can be efficiently reactivated by a factor from human cell nuclei, recently identified as a DNA repair enzyme (termed HAP1 or Ref-1). The HAP1 protein consists of a core domain, which is highly conserved in a family of prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA repair enzymes, and a 61-amino-acid N-terminal domain absent from bacterial homologs such as Escherichia coli exonuclease III. The eukaryote-specific N-terminal domain was dispensable for the DNA repair functions of the HAP1 protein but was essential for reactivation of the DNA binding activity of oxidized Jun protein. Consistent with this finding, exonuclease III protein could not reactive Jun. A minimal 26-residue region of the N-terminal domain proximal to the core of the HAP1 enzyme was required for redox activity. By site-directed mutagenesis, cysteine 65 was identified as the redox active site in the HAP1 enzyme. In addition, it is proposed that cysteine 93 interacts with the redox active site, probably via disulfide bridge formation. It is concluded that the HAP1 protein has evolved a novel redox activation domain capable of regulating the DNA binding activity of a proto-oncogene product which is not essential for its DNA repair functions. Identification of a putative active site cysteine residue should facilitate analysis of the mechanism by which the HAP1 protein may alter the redox state of a wide range of transcription factors.
Pathway and Evolutionary Implications of Diphenylamine Biodegradation by Burkholderia sp. Strain JS667

ABSTRACT Diphenylamine (DPA) is a common contaminant at munitions-contaminated sites as well as at aniline manufacturing sites. Little is known about the biodegradation of the compound, and bacteria able to use DPA as the growth substrate have not been reported. Burkholderia sp. strain JS667 and Ralstonia sp. strain JS668 were isolated by selective enrichment from DPA-contaminated sediment. The isolates grew aerobically with DPA as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. During induction of DPA degradation, stoichiometric amounts of aniline accumulated and then disappeared, which suggested that aniline is on the DPA degradation pathway. Genes encoding the enzymes that catalyze the initial steps in DPA degradation were cloned from the genomic DNA of strain JS667. The Escherichia coli clone catalyzed stoichiometric transformation of DPA to aniline and catechol. Transposon mutagenesis, the sequence similarity of putative open reading frames to those of well-characterized dioxygenases, and 18O2 experiments support the conclusion that the initial reaction in DPA degradation is catalyzed by a multicomponent ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase. DPA is converted to aniline and catechol via dioxygenation at the 1,2 position of the aromatic ring and spontaneous rearomatization. Aniline and catechol are further biodegraded by the well-established aniline degradation pathway. Genes that encode the complete aniline degradation pathway were found 12 kb downstream of the genes that encode the initial dioxygenase. Expression of the relevant dioxygenases was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR analysis. Both the sequence similarity and the gene organization suggest that the DPA degradation pathway evolved recently by the recruitment of two gene clusters that encode the DPA dioxygenase and aniline degradation pathway.
Bexxar: novel radioimmunotherapy for the treatment of low-grade and transformed low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE Immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies to specifically target B cells has provided new hope to many patients with indolent lymphomas, particularly those with chemotherapy-refractory disease. Lymphomas are extremely sensitive to radiation, and significant progress has been made over the last decade in the development of radioimmunotherapy with anti-CD20 antibodies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Herein we review clinical experience with tositumomab and iodine I 131 tositumomab (Bexxar; Corixa Corporation; South San Francisco, CA; and GlaxoSmithKline; Philadelphia, PA) in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. RESULTS Therapy with Bexxar has demonstrated high response rates and long durations of response compared with unconjugated anti-CD20 antibodies in patients with relapsed low-grade and transformed low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Iodine-131 (I-131) has a long history of clinical experience, an excellent safety record, and favorable nuclear and pharmacologic properties. Importantly, the gamma emissions of iodine-131 facilitate accurate dosimetry to calculate the appropriate patient-specific therapeutic activity to deliver a predetermined total-body dose of radiation, thereby minimizing hematologic toxicity. In clinical trials of Bexxar, objective response rates ranged from 54%-71% in heavily pretreated patients. In the pivotal trial, the number of patients with a longer duration of response after treatment with Bexxar was significantly greater than the number of patients with a longer duration of response after their last qualifying chemotherapy regimen. In 76 newly diagnosed patients, the objective response rate was 97%, and 63% of patients achieved complete responses. CONCLUSION These data suggest that Bexxar will become an important new option in the treatment of indolent lymphoma.
F-18 FP-CIT PET in Multiple System Atrophy of the Cerebellar Type: Additional Role in Treatment

We evaluated the difference in the status of dopamine transporters (DATs) depending on Parkinsonism, cerebellar, and autonomic features using F-18 FP-CIT positron emission tomography (PET) in multiple system atrophy with cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C). We also assessed whether the DAT PET could be useful in the management of MSA-C. Forty-nine patients who were clinically diagnosed as possible to probable MSA-C were included. Based on the F-18 FP-CIT PET results, patients were classified into normal (n = 25) and abnormal (n = 24) scan groups. There were statistically significant differences in rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability, asymmetry, and specific uptake ratio (SUR) between the two groups but no significant differences in tremor and cerebellar/autonomic symptoms. Dopaminergic medications were administered to 22 patients. All seven patients with normal scans showed no change, while 10 of the 15 patients with abnormal scans showed clinical improvement. There was a trend of a negative correlation between levodopa equivalent dose and SUR, but it was not statistically significant. DAT imaging, such as F-18 FP-CIT PET, may be useful in predicting the response to dopaminergic medication regardless of cerebellar/autonomic symptoms in MSA-C. In addition to being used for the diagnosis of the disease, it may be used as a treatment decision index.
The demand for fee-paying secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland

Ireland’s fee-paying schools consistently rank highly in Ireland’s secondary school league tables. Evidence also notes that the alumni of fee-paying schools represent a large proportion of those in leadership positions in business, politics and the legal professions. This paper examines the factors that affect the decision of Irish households to enrol their children in fee-paying secondary schools in Ireland. The paper uses Irish Household Budget Survey data that cover three waves from the period 2004–2016. We examine the head of household’s education, occupation, income, marital status, the location of the household and temporal factors on the school choice decision. The main results indicate that fee-paying students are more likely to come from higher income, better educated and Dublin located households. This research highlights the significant driver that affluence may have in determining secondary school enrolment in Ireland. This self-selected affluent group effect may explain the performance disparities between fee-paying and non-fee-paying schools. The results enlighten any discussion around whether or not the Government should consider a transition to a fee-paying market or eliminate fee-paying schools altogether.
Transcription factor co‐expression patterns indicate heterogeneity of oligodendroglial subpopulations in adult spinal cord

Oligodendrocytes and their precursors serve critical roles in the maintenance of neurological function. Although activity of the transcription factors (TFs) Olig1, Olig2, Sox10, and Nkx2.2 is required during early oligodendrocyte development, their later expression in adult central nervous system is rather poorly characterized. Here we have analyzed co‐expression patterns of these transcriptional proteins in the mouse cervical spinal cord. Our findings indicate that TF co‐expression patterns describe heterogeneity in adult oligodendroglial populations (1) in distinct sub‐regions of grey and white matter and (2) with respect to level of maturation from proliferating precursors to myelinating oligodendrocytes. Our findings suggest that TF co‐expression patterns identify and might regulate distinct functional classes of grey and white matter oligodendroglia. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Crystal Structure of the Human Natural Killer Cell Activating Receptor KIR 2 DS 2 ( CD 158 j )

Killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIRs) regulate the function of human natural killer and T cell subsets. A feature of the KIR locus is the clustering of homologous genes encoding for inhibitory and activating KIR. Inhibitory and activating KIR differ for ligand specificities and/or affinities. In particular, we show here with KIR tetramers that activating KIR2DS2 does not bind HLA-Cw3 molecules recognized by inhibitory KIR2DL2, despite 99% extracellular amino acid identity. We also report the 2.3-Å structure of KIR2DS2, which reveals subtle displacements of two residues (Tyr 45 and Gln 71 ) involved in the interaction of KIR2DL2 with HLA-Cw3. These results show that KIR molecules cannot tolerate any variability in their three-dimensional structure without altering their MHC class I recognition capacities. Therefore, the mode of recognition used by KIR largely differs from the conformational changes that characterize T cell receptor or NKG2D interaction with their respective ligands.
The bacterial etiology of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis.

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) is an uncommon condition of unknown cause characterized by the presence of gas-filled cysts within the walls of some portion of the gastrointestinal tract. In this investigation, gas-filled cysts were produced in the omentum, wound, mesentery, and intestine of the germ-free rat by injecting a pure culture ofClostridium perfringensinto either the wall of the distal part of the small intestine and cecum, or into the peritoneal cavity. The disorder appeared to be self-limited in time, to be related to the amount of contamination, and to occur after minimal trauma to the intestines. These experiments prove that PCI can be caused by bacteria alone. Attempts to produce the lesion by monocontaminating germ-free rats in a similar manner with pure cultures of any one of nine other common intestinal bacteria were unsuccessful.
In vitro and in vivo effects of the antimycotic drug ketoconazole on sterol synthesis

Ketoconazole, an orally active antimycotic drug, is a potent inhibitor of ergosterol biosynthesis in Candida albicans when added to culture media which support yeast or mycelial growth or to cultures containing outgrown mycelium. This inhibition coincides with accumulation of sterols with a methyl group at C-14 and can thus be attributed to an interference with one of the reactions involved in the removal of the 14 alpha-methyl group of lanosterol. When administered to rats infected with C. albicans, ketocanazole also inhibits fungal synthesis of ergosterol. A six-times-higher dose is required to effect cholesterol synthesis by rat liver.
Cost modeling for SDN/NFV based mobile 5G networks

This paper presents a techno-economic analysis on the integration of new technologies in 5G mobile networks, in order to fulfil the requirements provided by ETSI organization. Therefore “softwarization” of 5G networks is imperative and becomes a reality through new technologies, such as Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Cloud Computing. In this context, this paper provides a cost model in order to estimate the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), the Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for the proposed architecture. Furthermore, the proposed techno-economic model is used in order to estimate the above-mentioned network costs for the proposed network architecture and these costs are compared with the corresponding costs of a traditional network architecture. The experimental results verify and even exceed the ambitious predictions for cost reduction, due to the integration of those state of the art technologies in next-generation architectures.
Growth and the Optimal Carbon Tax: When to Switch from Exhaustible Resources to Renewables?

Optimal climate policy is studied in a Ramsey growth model. A developing economy weighs global warming less, hence is more likely to exhaust fossil fuel and exacerbate global warming. The optimal carbon tax is higher for a developed economy. We analyze the optimal time of transition from fossil fuel to renewables, amount of fossil fuel to leave in situ, and carbon tax. Subsidizing a backstop without an optimal carbon tax induces more fossil fuel to be left in situ and a quicker phasing in of renewables, but fossil fuel is depleted more quickly. Global warming need thus not be alleviated.
Minimally invasive navigated liver intervention : ultrasound-guided surgery and ablation validation

Navigated surgery is becoming widely used in applications such as neurosurgery and orthopedics, however it is still in the research phase for soft organs such as the liver. This is mainly because of the organ’s deformability which leads to substantial intraoperative anatomical changes. Particularly in minimally invasive interventions, where the surgeon has no direct access to the organ, image guided navigation can play a crucial role to guide the surgical instrument to the target tumor. In case of radiofrequency ablation, accurately targeting the tumor is not enough: the lack of quantitative feedback during the procedure is another problem which may lead to inefficient treatment. To maintain high navigation accuracy during minimally invasive liver interventions, we propose two new approaches based on tracked 2D ultrasound and focused on the tumor region. The aim is to compensate for intraoperative tumor shift, which can happen due to surgical manipulation or repositioning of the patient. The developed techniques combine segmentation and registration algorithms to estimate the actual tumor position during the surgical procedure. We tested the approaches in a needle navigation experiment on ex-vivo porcine liver. The results indicate that the methods can quickly and accurately compensate for changes in the tumor position, providing a mean needle insertion error of 1.4 ±0.8 mm using the first approach and 2.1 ±0.8 mm using the second. The developed techniques have the advantages of being radiationfree, based on the widely available 2D ultrasound, and repeatable throughout the surgery. So they present a practical solution to maintain high tumor targeting accuracy in navigated laparoscopic and radiofrequency ablation procedures. The second point we investigated is the ablation feedback. To enable quantitative assessment of ablated lesions based on monitoring images, we developed techniques to correlate ablation outcomes on different images (MRI and ultrasound) to actual necroses. Two approaches were developed: one is based on a geometrical phantom and was applied ex-vivo, the other is based on electromagnetic tracking and was tested in-vivo. Results of the experiments showed that the feedback given to the surgeon, upon which the extent of the ablation is determined, varies depending on the imaging modality. This emphasizes the importance of such validation schemes and the need to apply them systematically to obtain a larger dataset. The ultimate goal is to standardize the ablation monitoring procedure and eventually improve the radiofrequency ablation recurrence rate.
Women’s Luteal-Phase Sexual Proceptivity and the Functions of Extended Sexuality

Women’s sexuality, unlike that of most mammals, is not solely defined by sexual receptivity during the short window of fertility. Women demonstrate extended sexuality (in which they initiate and accept sexual advances outside of the fertile phase) more than any other mammalian female. In this light, surprisingly little research has addressed the functions of women’s luteal-phase sexuality. On the basis of theory and comparative evidence, we propose that women’s initiation of sex during nonfertile phases evolved in part to garner investment from male partners. If so, women should be particularly prone to initiate luteal-phase sex when the potential marginal gains are greatest. Results from a study of 50 heterosexual couples showed that women increasingly initiate sex in the luteal phase (but not the fertile phase) when they perceive their partners’ investment to lag behind their own. These findings provide evidence for the distinct nature of women’s extended sexuality and may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of women’s sexuality.
The impact of mutual support on Iranian parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder: a longitudinal study

Purpose: In less affluent countries with scarce professional resources, the mutual support from family and other parents may form the main assistance available to parents of children with developmental disabilities. However, few studies have attempted to promote mutual support among parents. Method: 28 mothers and fathers who attended a group-based training course on autism spectrum disorders were followed up after 12 months. Qualitative and quantitative data on parental well-being were gathered at three time points: before, 3 months after the course and then again 12 months later. Results: Eight parents (@ 30%) maintained contact with one another over the year and this grouping provided a natural experiment with those who had no further contact. All parents maintained improvements on self-rated health and family functioning but these tended to be greater for those who had maintained contact with one another. The post-training gains on parental stress had reverted to baseline levels for both groups. Conclusions: Despite opportunities to do so, most of these Iranian parents chose not to seek support from other families which may reflect cultural dispositions. Those that did so, found the contact beneficial although further training may assist with daily stresses of parenting a child with autism spectrum disorders. Implications for Rehabilitation As in many developing countries, Iranian parents have few opportunities to access personal support. A group-based course on ASD resulted in improved ratings of parental health and family functioning which were maintained up to 12 months later. Parents who remained in contact with one another tended to have higher gains Parents may need encouragement from professionals to develop informal support networks. Further parental training and guidance is required to help families cope with the stresses experienced in caring for a child with ASD.
Rapid sexing of selected Galliformes by polymerase chain reaction

Vent sexing of one-day-old chicks in commercial hatcheries has long been common practice and can be highly accurate. However, there are circumstances when this technique is not applicable such as smaller breeds, non-domestic birds, or where is the necessity of precise sexing. In this study we present a simple and reliable method for fast gender determination in selected Galliformes for which phenotypic determination of sex is difficult until maturity. Four species were tested: two commercial species - chicken (Gallus gallus) and turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), and two game birds - common pheasant (Phasianus col- chicus) and wood grouse (Tetraro urogallus). DNA was tested with universal single-pair primers polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detecting W chromosome specific sequence yielding a single band of length specific for each species. The method was developed with regards to time consumption and cost-effectiveness giving results in less than two hours. The method may also be used for early sexing in commercial chicken and turkey flocks as well as sexing of smaller game birds flocks or for research laboratories when rapid sexing of selected Galliformes cells is required.