Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum antibody decay in adults following natural respiratory syncytial virus infection

Serum antibody decay following RSV infection in adults was examined to evaluate the durability of the immune response. Twenty subjects with RSV infection and 10 subjects who remained RSV uninfected had blood samples obtained over 16–25 months analyzed by microneutralization assay and enzyme immunoassay. The mean titers of infected subjects rose approximately eightfold post‐infection. The mean rate of antibody decline was −0.20 log 2 titer per month which led to a ≥fourfold drop in titer in 75% of subjects at 1 year. In contrast, titers of uninfected subjects were relatively stable. The partial immunity resulting from a boost in serum antibody following natural RSV infection in adults appears to be short lived. J. Med. Virol. 78:1493–1497, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The hypoxic response of neurones within the in vitro mammalian respiratory network

1 The transverse brainstem slice preparation containing the pre‐Bötzinger complex (PBC) was used in mice to study developmental changes of the response of the in vitro respiratory network to hypoxia. This preparation generates at different postnatal stages (postnatal days (P) 0‐22) spontaneous rhythmic activity in hypoglossal (XII) rootlets that occur in synchrony with periodic bursts of neurones in the PBC. 2 In slices from P0‐4 mice, hypoxia did not significantly affect the amplitude of rhythmic synaptic drive potentials in four of five inspiratory neurones. Hypoxia reduced, but did not suppress, the amplitude of synaptic drive potentials in only one inspiratory neurone. Spike discharge and phasic ‘inspiratory’ hyperpolarizations of six expiratory neurones were suppressed during hypoxia revealing a phasic ‘inspiratory’ depolarization. 3 The coupling between rhythmic activity in PBC neurones and XII bursts occurred under control conditions in preparations from P0‐4 mice in a 1:1 manner (n= 11) and from mice older than P5 in a 3:1 manner (n= 9). During hypoxia, PBC and XII activity were linked in a 1:1 manner in all slices. 4 In six of fourteen inspiratory PBC neurones, the amplitude of synaptic drive potentials of slices from mice older than P8 was increased during the period of augmentation, reduced during the period of depression and suppressed during a hypoxic response which we refer to as central apnoea. Augmentation led to a weak‐to‐moderate membrane depolarization which on average was 4.8 ± 3.7 mV. This depolarization was followed by a hyperpolarization of 6.2 ± 4.1 mV only in four inspiratory neurones. In the majority of neurones (n= 9), however, membrane depolarization remained stable and was not followed by hyperpolarization. In expiratory neurones (n= 12) from this age group hypoxia suppressed phasic hyperpolarizations that occurred in synchrony with XII bursts. As similarly seen in inspiratory neurones, membrane potentials were depolarized by 5.1 ± 4.1 mV during the period of hypoxic augmentation. 5 The hypoxic response of respiratory neurones within the pre‐Bötzinger complex resembles the response of neurones that were previously described under in vivo conditions. Thus we conclude that the ‘transverse rhythmic slice’ is a good model for studying the hypoxic response of the respiratory network under in vitro conditions.
Emerging Issues in Fisheries Management: An Intersection of Institutional and Resource Economics

This dissertation investigates contemporary challenges and promising remedies regarding fishery management: aquaculture production, trans-boundary fish movements, and the transition from open access to rights-based management. Aquaculture as a Backstop: Fisheries Management in the Presence of Aquaculture Production investigates aquaculture production in a context of capture fishery management. The study shows the impacts of aquaculture, as a backstop technology, on a capture fishery under optimal and open-access regimes. The study finds that aquaculture production serves as a backstop so long as the aquaculture production cost is smaller than the output price at the steady state. If the marginal user cost with a backstop is greater than without a backstop, aquaculture production contributes to conserving more wild stock compare to the case without aquaculture production. Cooperative Management of Trans-boundary Fish Stocks: Implications for the Tropical Tuna Management in the Pacific Island Region investigates cooperative management of trans-boundary fish stocks. The trans-boundary migration of fish stocks creates spatial externalities, and hence, makes international cooperation beneficial. This study provides a model to examine the relationship between fish migrations and cooperation. The model focuses on non-seasonal fish migration and takes stock leakages from exclusive economic zones into consideration. The study finds that leakages of stocks to international waters reduce the surplus gained from cooperative management. For a given stock leakage level, the surplus gain from cooperation increases with an increase in the gap between the two countries’ fish migration rates. In order for two countries to reach a cooperation agreement, the country with higher migration rates may make side-payments to the other. Institutional Evolution in Fisheries Management: Scarcity and the Intensity of Governance investigates the evolution of fishery management institutions. The study develops a model to show the optimal transition from open access to rights-based management. The study suggests that regulated open access, such as catch quota, can play a role as an intermediary institution before management switches to more efficient but costly rights-based management. The study finds that when there is learning by managing, catch quota may be used as an intermediary institution along the path to an individual transferable quota regime.
Microdialysis study of zidovudine (AZT) transport in rat brain.

The concentration profiles of [14C]3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) emanating from an acutely implanted microdialysis probe were measured in rat caudate putamen by quantitative autoradiography for infusions of 14 min and 1 and 2 h. A mathematical model which simulated diffusive solute transport, unaffected by the processes of microvascular exchange or tissue metabolism, did not fit the observed concentration profiles. Chromatographic analysis of brain homogenates for metabolites of AZT showed that the rate of metabolic transformation was not large enough to affect transport of the drug through the brain tissue. A model simulating the effect of microvascular exchange on the diffusion profiles fit the observed concentration profiles and the transient change in the dialysate extraction fraction. This analysis yielded an estimated tissue elimination rate constant for microvascular exchange of Kel = 0.013 ml/(g.min) and an intra- to extracellular partition coefficient of K pi = 1.04. Inclusion of probenecid in the dialysate, together with an i.p. injection, led to a substantial increase in the diffusion distance of the labeled AZT from the microdialysis probe, suggesting at least a 4-fold decrease in the microvascular exchange rate constant. These results imply that AZT is actively transported out of the brain parenchyma to the microvasculature and that this active transport mechanism is responsible for the limited central nervous system penetration of systemically administered AZT, in spite of its high lipid solubility.
Managerial ability, growth opportunities, and IPO performance

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explain whether the level of managerial quality and growth opportunities influences the operating and return performance between single and dual class IPOs. Design/methodology/approach - The sample includes 281 initial public offerings under a dual class share structure. This paper measures managerial ability using a score method design produced by (Demerjian Findings - Firms with high-quality managers experience more underpricing than low-quality managers. Likewise, dual class firms of all manager and growth types hold less cash and leverage. Using Tobin’s Originality/value - This paper is the first to partition dual and single-class IPOs based on managerial quality and growth opportunities to test long-term differences in operating and return performance.
Focused cardiovascular ultrasound performed by anesthesiologists in the perioperative period: feasible and alters patient management.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and effects on perioperative management of a focused transthoracic echocardiogram performed by anesthesiologists. DESIGN A prospective observational study of all patients having a focused cardiovascular ultrasound (FoCUS). SETTING A single tertiary referral university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Fifty consecutive perioperative patients who had a clinical indication for a FoCUS. INTERVENTIONS After performing a FoCUS, relevant clinical information was communicated to the anesthesiologist in charge of the case, who then decided on the appropriate management of the patient including the choice of anesthesia, invasive monitoring, fluids, vasoactive drugs, and postoperative care. If indicated, patients were referred for a formal cardiology-based transthoracic echocardiogram. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Anesthesiologists were able to obtain diagnostic-quality images during a FoCUS in 98% of patients. The most common indication for a FoCUS was an undifferentiated ejection systolic murmur in 50% of cases, with 38% of all patients having aortic stenosis. In 84% of patients, some change in their perioperative care occurred as a result of the FoCUS study. Major findings correlated with a formal cardiology-based transthoracic echocardiogram in 87% of cases. CONCLUSION Anesthesiologists with a cardiac and echocardiography background can successfully perform a FoCUS in almost all patients when indicated, which provides valuable new diagnostic information guiding changes in perioperative management in the majority of patients.
Hiving off the non-essential: analysing which public organizations outsource administrative overhead

This study contributes to our understanding of the characteristics of public organizations that are more likely to outsource administrative overhead. Despite the climate of ongoing crisis that urges public organizations to focus their resources on core tasks, little is known about the characteristics of organizations that hive off the delivery of non-essential administrative overhead processes to the private sector. This study runs a panel data Tobit model to test whether different effect sizes of structural, institutional and political characteristics are found regarding the probability of outsourcing and the degree of outsourcing of administrative overhead. We find that organizational size, formal autonomy, inertia and time matter for understanding the outsourcing of public organizations. Points for practitioners Across the globe, governments have turned to a rationalization of administrative overhead in response to austerity demands posed by the global financial crisis. The present study shows that large differences exist between organizations in terms of their propensity to turn to the private sector – one of the classic recipes for achieving efficiency gains – for the delivery of administrative overhead, and helps practitioners gain insight into the determinants of administrative overhead outsourcing.
Closing the Infrastructure Gap? The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Water Sector Development and the Economic, Political, and Social Factors that Determine Project Success

Author(s): Nizkorodov, Evgenia | Advisor(s): Matthew, Richard | Abstract: Given the success of the Private Finance Initiative in the United Kingdom and the large-scale ideological shift to neoliberalism, supporters of public-private partnerships (PPPs) argue that the theoretical benefits of the management approach (innovative financial mechanisms, budgetary relief, increased economic and technical efficiency, and transfer of risk to the private partner) can allow governments in low-income nations to close the infrastructure gap in the water sector. Utilizing a Social Ecological framework, this Master’s Thesis examines these claims by identifying the sources of supply and demand for Water, Sanitation, and Health (WASH) PPPs. Drawing from the World Bank Private Participation in Infrastructure database, the research discovers that the majority of projects are found in middle-income economies, with investment stemming primarily from public – rather than private – partners. The data also reveals that despite being touted as a panacea for development and growth, since the 1990s PPPs are responsible for only 11.12 percent of gained water access. Given the high cost of project cancellation and distress in the water sector (20 percent of total investment), the thesis also explores the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that determine project success. A thorough literature review based on both outcome- and output-based project metrics revealed a total 13 CSFs. The thesis concludes that given the high economic, political, and social requirements of these partnerships, in its present form, the management approach is not an appropriate solution for promoting WASH infrastructural growth in developing economies.
How Do Student Teachers' Beliefs Change When the New Ecological Paradigm Is Grounded into a Local Context Related to the Balinese Subak Landscape Heritage?.

The objective of this research is to assess global and local environmental views of student teachers using the new ecological paradigm (NEP) and the local ecological paradigm (LEP) scales. Ninety-two undergraduate students from Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, Indonesia were requested to rate and write individual arguments to each item of the NEP and LEP scales. Students’ environmental endorsements were present, but they were not strong. Further results and suggestion for future studies are provided.
Graph Convolution: A High-Order and Adaptive Approach

In this paper, we presented a novel convolutional neural network framework for graph modeling, with the introduction of two new modules specially designed for graph-structured data: the $k$-th order convolution operator and the adaptive filtering module. Importantly, our framework of High-order and Adaptive Graph Convolutional Network (HA-GCN) is a general-purposed architecture that fits various applications on both node and graph centrics, as well as graph generative models. We conducted extensive experiments on demonstrating the advantages of our framework. Particularly, our HA-GCN outperforms the state-of-the-art models on node classification and molecule property prediction tasks. It also generates 32% more real molecules on the molecule generation task, both of which will significantly benefit real-world applications such as material design and drug screening.
1997 guidelines for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with unexplained fever. Infectious Diseases Society of America.

This is the first in a series of practice guidelines commissioned by the Infectious Diseases Society of America through its Practice Guidelines Committee. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide assistance to clinicians when making decisions on treating the conditions specified in each guideline. The targeted providers are internists, pediatricians, and family practitioners. The targeted patients and setting for the fever and neutropenia guideline are hospitalized individuals with neutropenia secondary to cancer chemotherapy. Panel members represented experts in adult and pediatric infectious diseases and oncology. The guidelines are evidence-based. A standard ranking system was used for the strength of the recommendations and the quality of the evidence cited in the literature reviewed. The document has been subjected to external review by peer reviewers as well as by the Practice Guidelines Committee and was approved by the IDSA Council. An executive summary, algorithms, and tables highlight the major recommendations. The guideline will be listed on the IDSA home page at http://www.idsociety. org.
Light Effects on Behavioural Performance Depend on the Individual State of Vigilance

Research has shown that exposure to bright white light or blue-enriched light enhances alertness, but this effect is not consistently observed in tasks demanding high-level cognition (e.g., Sustained Attention to Response Task—SART, which measures inhibitory control). Individual differences in sensitivity to light effects might be mediated by variations in the basal level of arousal. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the participants’ behavioural state of vigilance before light exposure, through the Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Then we compared the effects of a blue-enriched vs. dim light at nighttime on the performance of the auditory SART, by controlling for individual differences in basal arousal. The results replicated the alerting effects of blue-enriched light, as indexed by lower values of both proximal temperature and distal-proximal gradient. The main finding was that lighting effects on SART performance were highly variable across individuals and depended on their prior state of vigilance. Specifically, participants with higher levels of basal vigilance before light exposure benefited most from blue-enriched lighting, responding faster in the SART. These results highlight the importance of considering basal vigilance to define the boundary conditions of light effects on cognitive performance. Our study adds to current research delineating the complex and reciprocal interactions between lighting effects, arousal, cognitive task demands and behavioural performance.
Autoantibody heritability in thyroiditis: IgG subclass contributions

Using a simple screening technique called regression of offspring on mid-parent (ROMP) to examine the role of IgG subclasses in affected and unaffected siblings of children and adolescents with autoimmune thyroid disease and their parents, both total-restricted and subclass-restricted autoantibodies to thyroglobulin (Tg) were assayed quantitatively for each of the IgG subclasses. There was a significant correlation of anti-Tg titer of probands with parental titers in thyrotoxicosis (TT), (R2 = 0.569, p = 0.001), but not in chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. The most striking correlation was in TT patients of African-American ancestry, (R2 = 0.9863, p = 0.0007). Additional insight is provided by examining the contributions of the IgG subclasses individually, particularly those whose concentrations appear not to have direct influence on the total IgG titers. Thus, using small numbers of patients, and assaying the IgG subclass distributions, as well as any other immunoglobulin isotypes that are significantly altered in autoantibody assays, ROMP can be performed rapidly to ascertain which quantifiable parameters may be usefully extended to predict disease onset and progression.
In vitro effects and in vivo efficacy of a novel cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor in dogs with experimentally induced synovitis.

OBJECTIVE To determine cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) selectivity, pharmacokinetic properties, and in vivo efficacy of ML-1,785,713 in dogs. ANIMALS 21 healthy male and female mixed-breed dogs and 24 healthy male Beagles. PROCEDURE Selectivity of ML-1,785,713 for inhibiting COX-2 was determined by comparing the potency for inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) with that of COX-2 in canine blood. Pharmacokinetic properties were determined after i.v. (2 mg/kg) and oral (8 mg/kg) administration in female mixed-breed dogs. In vivo efficacy was evaluated in male mixed-breed dogs with urate crystal-induced synovitis. Prophylactic efficacy was evaluated by administering ML-1,785,713 two hours before induction of synovitis whereas therapeutic efficacy was determined by administering ML-1,785,713 one hour after induction of synovitis. RESULTS Blood concentrations that resulted in 50% inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 activity in vitro were 119.1 microM and 0.31 microM, respectively, and selectivity ratio for inhibiting COX-2 relative to COX-1 was 384. ML-1,785,713 had high oral bioavailability (101%), low systemic clearance (77 mL/min/kg), and an elimination half-life of 5.9 hours. ML-1,785,713 was efficacious when administered prophylactically and therapeutically to dogs with urate crystal-induced synovitis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE ML-1,785,713 is a novel, potent COX-2 inhibitor that is the most selective COX-2 inhibitor described for use in dogs to date. ML-1,785,713 has oral bioavailability and low systemic clearance that is comparable to other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is effective after prophylactic and therapeutic administration in attenuating lameness in dogs with urate crystal-induced synovitis. Drugs that specifically inhibit COX-2 and not COX-1 at therapeutic doses may have an improved tolerability profile, compared with nonselective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Impact of intra-abdominal pressure on retrohepatic vena cava shape and flow in mechanically ventilated pigs

Conflicting results have been found regarding correlations between right atrial pressure (RAP) and inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter in mechanically ventilated patients. This finding could be related to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). This study was designed to clarify whether variations in IVC flow rate caused by positive pressure ventilation are associated with changes in the retrohepatic IVC cross-section (ΔIVC) during major changes in volume status and IAP. Nine pigs were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated and equipped. IAP was set at 0, 15 and 30 mmHg during two conditions, i.e. normovolemia and hypovolemia, generated by blood removal to obtain a mean arterial pressure value lower than 60 mmHg. At each IAP increment, cardiac output, IVC flow and surface area were respectively assessed by flowmeters and transesophageal echocardiography. At normal IAP, even in presence of respiratory changes in IVC flows, no ΔIVC were observed during the two conditions. At high IAP, neither ΔIVC nor modulations of IVC flow were observed whatever the volemic status. The majority of animals with an IVC area of less than 0.65 cm2 showed evidence of IAP greater than RAP values. Negative RAP–IAP pressure gradients were found to occur with an IVC area of less than 0.65 cm2, suggesting that IVC dimensions determined using standard ultrasound techniques may indicate the direction of the RAP–IAP gradient. The clinical relevance of the present findings is that volume status should not be estimated from retrohepatic IVC dimensions in cases of high IAP.
Folic acid-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for tumor-targeting MR imaging

Abstract Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been the subject of extensive research due to their potential biomedical applications. In the present investigation, superparamagnetic FA-PEI-Fe3O4 were successfully prepared and evaluated as a targeted MRI contrast agent. FTIR characteristics, TGA, VSM, and MR imaging confirmed the composition and magnetic properties of the synthesized nanoparticles. TEM showed that FA-PEI-Fe3O4 were spherical in shape and well dispersed. The nanoparticles were superparamagnetic at room temperature with a saturation magnetization value of 67.1 emu/g. The nanoparticles showed higher uptake efficiency due to receptor-mediated endocytosis. Moreover, specificity of FA-PEI-Fe3O4 to target tumor cells was demonstrated by the increased nanoparticle uptake and significant contrast enhancement of KB cells over MCF7 cells. The competitive inhibition of FA-PEI-Fe3O4 by free FA further confirmed the specific interaction of this conjugate with FA receptors. In vivo MR imaging studies showed a decreased signal intensity and enhanced tumor contrast post-injection of FA-PEI-Fe3O4. These results indicate that FA-PEI-Fe3O4 can be used as a promising tumor-targeting agent as well as a T2 negative-contrast agent in MR imaging applications.