Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Experience with Antilymphocyte Serum

Many different antilymphocytic antisera have been used clinically, and the properties of any particular type of ALS are not necessarily identical to those of any other type. Nevertheless, it is possible to draw certain general conclusions about the effects of ALS in human subjects. ALS administration has often been shown to reduce the number of circulating E-rosette-positive lymphocytes, although the precise mechanisms by which this reduction occurs are not known. Using a combined technique of E-rosette formation and immunofluorescence, heterologous immunoglobulin has been demonstrated on T and non-T lymphocytes from patients receiving non-selective ALS. Fifteen years' experience has failed to provide convincing support for the view that ALS (including immunoglobulin prepared from the whole antiserum) prolongs human renal allograft survival. It is not yet known whether ALS is a useful immunosuppressive agent in cardiac transplantation. One observation of possible clinical interest is that bone marrow regeneration has occurred in a number of patients with aplastic anemia who have been treated with ALS. No satisfactory method has been developed for monitoring the dose of ALS in human subjects. Appropriate studies may determine whether monoclonal antilymphocytic antibodies are clinically useful, for example in prolonging the survival of transplanted organs, in preventing or treating graft-versus-host disease, or in treating lymphoma, leukemia, or aplastic anemia.
Mixed mmWave RF/FSO Relaying Systems Over Generalized Fading Channels With Pointing Errors

This paper studies the performance of mixed millimeter-wave radio-frequency (mmWave RF), free-space optics (FSO) systems in a highly scalable and cost-effective solution for fifth-generation (5G) mobile backhaul networks. The mmWave RF and FSO fading channels are, respectively, modeled by the Rician and the generalized Malaga (M) distributions. The effect of pointing errors due to the misalignment between the transmitter and the receiver in the FSO link is also included. Novel accurate closed-form expressions for the cumulative distribution function, the probability density function, and the moment generating function (MGF) in terms of Meijer's G functions are derived. Capitalizing on these new results, we analytically derive precise closed-form expressions for various performance metrics of the proposed system, including the outage probability, the average bit error rate (ABER), and the average capacity. Additionally, new asymptotic results are provided for the outage probability, the MGF, and the ABER in terms of simple elementary functions by applying the asymptotic expansion of the Meijer's G function at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Numerical results further validate the mathematical analysis by Monte-Carlo simulations.
Knowledge, attitude and beliefs of people in North India regarding blood donation.

BACKGROUND To develop targeted interventions in the field of donor recruitment, an understanding of existing knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding blood donation is required. Recruiters should be aware of variability in different demographic strata when implementing interventions. MATERIAL AND METHODS A self-administered questionnaire along with a face-to-face interview was conducted in 400 each of voluntary donors, replacement donors and non-donors to assess their knowledge, attitude and beliefs regarding blood donation and their motivations for giving blood. Data were analysed using ANOVA and the c2 test. RESULTS The most common reason given by non-donors (40.75%) for not donating blood was "no one asked them to give blood". Voluntary donors had a more pleasant blood donation experience compared to replacement donors and, therefore, more of them were willing to donate again (89.5%). The knowledge scores of non-donors were lower than those of donors and, among the latter, voluntary donors had better scores compared to replacement donors. Expectedly, the frequency of false beliefs was highest among non-donors (22.75%), with the most prevalent misbelief being that blood donation is associated with infertility. Television was found to be the most effective medium of communication for raising awareness about blood donation. CONCLUSION It is recommended that extensive blood donation campaigning should be initiated, targeting the campaigns to eliminate specific misbeliefs and reinforce motivational perceptions. Blood centres should implement strategies to improve donor retention and should aim to provide a pleasant donation experience, regardless of the donor type. The idea of voluntary blood donation needs to be intensively promoted.
Analytical reservation of aircraft measuring systems via disturbances and state observers

The paper deals with the problem of tracking program trajectory for the aircraft in the landing phase. Basic control law, synthesized according to the assumption that required state variables and external disturbances are known, is assumed as a basis for solving the problem of tracking in case of incomplete measurements. As a system of analytical reservation of board instruments, cascade system of state observers with corrective actions in the form of sat-functions was built. The system allows assessing both some of the variables of the state vector, and evaluation of external disturbances acting on the aircraft. For these procedures the simulation results are presented.
A Global Value Chain Analysis of the ‘Regional Strategy’ Perspective

In this counterpoint paper we argue that the findings presented by the ‘regional strategy’ literature do not capture the full array of global activities of the multinational enterprise (MNE). While this literature makes an important contribution to the field by showing that sales and production activities in the MNE are regionally structured, we argue that this assessment is biased for two reasons. First, this approach overly focuses on geographical location of downstream activities, while disregarding that of knowledge creation and other relevant upstream activities in the MNE. Second, the approach associates the firm's value creation only with its internalized activities and does not capture the value created through any activities that are externalized. Many MNEs rely to a significant extent on value creation outside the firm’s legal boundaries. We argue that such omissions are likely to lead to biased interpretations using different theoretical lenses, such as the knowledge‐/resource‐based view, internalization theory and more general transaction cost economics. Based on our reasoning, we provide recommendations for future research both within and beyond the ‘regional strategy’ literature.
Src Family Kinases Promote Silencing of ATR-Chk1 Signaling in Termination of DNA Damage Checkpoint*

Background: Once DNA repair is completed, the DNA damage checkpoint is terminated, and the cell cycle is resumed. Results: Src inhibition induced a delay in G2 checkpoint recovery and persistent ATR-Chk1 activation. Conclusion: Src inhibits ATR signaling to promote recovery from G2 checkpoint arrest. Significance: Src sends a termination signal between the completion of DNA repair and the initiation of checkpoint termination. The DNA damage checkpoint arrests cell cycle progression to allow time for repair. Once DNA repair is completed, checkpoint signaling is terminated. Currently little is known about the mechanism by which checkpoint signaling is terminated, and the disappearance of DNA lesions is considered to induce the end of checkpoint signaling; however, here we show that the termination of checkpoint signaling is an active process promoted by Src family tyrosine kinases. Inhibition of Src activity delays recovery from the G2 phase DNA damage checkpoint following DNA repair. Src activity is required for the termination of checkpoint signaling, and inhibition of Src activity induces persistent activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)- and Rad3-related (ATR) and Chk1 kinases. Src-dependent nuclear protein tyrosine phosphorylation and v-Src expression suppress the ATR-mediated Chk1 and Rad17 phosphorylation induced by DNA double strand breaks or DNA replication stress. Thus, Src family kinases promote checkpoint recovery through termination of ATR- and Chk1-dependent G2 DNA damage checkpoint. These results suggest a model according to which Src family kinases send a termination signal between the completion of DNA repair and the initiation of checkpoint termination.
A new calibration test and a reappraisal of the calibration belt for the assessment of prediction models based on dichotomous outcomes

Calibration is one of the main properties that must be accomplished by any predictive model. Overcoming the limitations of many approaches developed so far, a study has recently proposed the calibration belt as a graphical tool to identify ranges of probability where a model based on dichotomous outcomes miscalibrates. In this new approach, the relation between the logits of the probability predicted by a model and of the event rates observed in a sample is represented by a polynomial function, whose coefficients are fitted and its degree is fixed by a series of likelihood‐ratio tests. We propose here a test associated with the calibration belt and show how the algorithm to select the polynomial degree affects the distribution of the test statistic. We calculate its exact distribution and confirm its validity via a numerical simulation. Starting from this distribution, we finally reappraise the procedure to construct the calibration belt and illustrate an application in the medical context. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants

ABSTRACT Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they prove to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest. At this point, waste particles removed from the fungus garden are likely to contain cues originating from both the unsuitable plant and the damaged fungus. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ant foragers learn to avoid unsuitable plants solely through the colony waste. We fed subcolonies of Acromymex ambiguus privet leaves treated with a fungicide undetectable to the ants, then collected the produced waste, and placed it into the fungus chamber of naive subcolonies. In individual choice tests, naive foragers preferred privet leaves before waste was put into the fungus chamber, but avoided them afterwards. Evidence on the influence of olfactory cues from the waste on decision making by foragers was obtained by scenting and transferring waste particles from subcolonies that had been fed either fungicide-treated or untreated leaves. In choice experiments, foragers from subcolonies given scented waste originating from fungicide-treated leaves collected fewer sugared paper discs with that scent compared with foragers from subcolonies given scented waste from untreated leaves. The results indicate that foragers learn to avoid plants unsuitable for the fungus by associating plant odours and cues from the damaged fungus that are present in waste particles. It is argued that waste particles may contribute to spread information about noxious plants for the fungus within the colony. Summary: Olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants.
Effects of a single-dose hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch on cerebral blood flow, long-term outcome, neurogenesis, and neuronal survival after cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in rats*

Objective:The beneficial effects of hypertonic saline on neuronal survival and on cerebral blood flow have been shown in several animal models of global and focal brain ischemia. Because of the potential benefits of hypertonic solutions, it is hypothesized that hydroxyethyl starch enhances cerebral blood flow and improves long-term outcome after cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an animal model. Design:Laboratory animal study. Setting:University animal research laboratory. Subjects:Fifty-nine male Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions:Rats were randomized to receive either 7.2% saline/6% hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch (4 mL/kg) or vehicle (NaCl 0.9 %) after 9 mins of asphyxic cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Local cerebral blood flow and physiologic parameters were evaluated during arrest and early restoration of spontaneous circulation. Survival and neurologic assessment were evaluated over a 7-day observation period. Animals received 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine for 6 days. Neuronal injury and neurogeneration (5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine positive neurons) were quantified on day 7 after cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Measurements and Main Results:Hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch treatment resulted in an accentuated local cerebral blood flow during early reperfusion, compared to the vehicle group. Animal survival and neurologic outcome were not altered between groups. Neurohistopathological injury was present in hippocampal CA1 and neocortex with no effects of hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch on neuronal survival. Increased neurogeneration was found in the dentate gyrus after cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which was not influenced by hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch administration. Conclusions:Despite promising results in other models of brain injury, hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch failed to improve the outcome when administered after asphyxic cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation in rats. One major difference between the cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation model and other models of brain ischemia is that the effects of asphyxic cardiac arrest involve the whole organism (post-cardiac arrest syndrome) and not exclusively the brain leading to a more severe injury. This might explain why hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch has failed to improve outcome in the present model.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS AND PROXY VOTING ON COMPENSATION PLANS: THE IMPACT OF THE 2003 MUTUAL FUND VOTING DISCLOSURE REGULATION

This paper examines the impact on shareholder voting of the mutual fund voting disclosure regulation adopted by the SEC in 2003, using a paired sample of management proposals on executive equity incentive compensation plans submitted before and after the rule change. While voting support for management has decreased over time, we find no evidence that mutual funds’ support for management declined after the rule change, as expected by advocates of disclosure. In fact, we find evidence of increased support for management by mutual funds after the change. There is some evidence that firms sponsoring such proposals both before and after the rule change differ from those sponsoring a proposal only before the change. For example, firms are more likely to sponsor a proposal both before and after the rule change if they have higher mutual fund ownership. Such endogeneity could partly explain our findings of increased support after the rule. Martijn Cremers Yale School of Management 135 Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06520-8200 martijn.cremers@yale.edu Roberta Romano Yale Law School P.O. Box 208215 Yale Station New Haven, CT 06520-8215 and NBER roberta.romano@yale.edu
A State-independent Interaction between Ligand and a Conserved Arginine Residue in Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Channels Reveals a Functional Polarity of the Cyclic Nucleotide Binding Site*

Activation of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels is thought to involve two distinct steps: a recognition event in which a ligand binds to the channel and a conformational change that both opens the channel and increases the affinity of the channel for an agonist. Sequence similarity with the cyclic nucleotide-binding sites of cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases and the bacterial catabolite activating protein (CAP) suggests that the channel ligand binding site consists of a β-roll and three α-helices. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the third (or C) α-helix moves relative to the agonist upon channel activation, forming additional favorable contacts with the purine ring. Here we ask if channel activation also involves structural changes in the β-roll by investigating the contribution of a conserved arginine residue that, in CAP and the kinases, forms an important ionic interaction with the cyclized phosphate of the bound ligand. Mutations that conserve, neutralize, or reverse the charge on this arginine decreased the apparent affinity for ligand over four orders of magnitude but had little effect on the ability of bound ligand to open the channel. These data indicate that the cyclized phosphate of the nucleotide approaches to within 2–4 Å of the arginine, forming a favorable ionic bond that is largely unaltered upon activation. Thus, the binding site appears to be polarized into two distinct structural and functional domains: the β-roll stabilizes the ligand in a state-independent manner, whereas the C-helix selectively stabilizes the ligand in the open state of the channel. It is likely that these distinct contributions of the nucleotide/C-helix and nucleotide/β-roll interactions may also be a general feature of the mechanism of activation of other cyclic nucleotide-binding proteins.
Trends and ethnic differences in hospital admissions and mortality for congestive heart failure in the elderly in Singapore, 1991 to 1998

Objectives: To describe trends in hospital admissions and mortality from congestive heart failure in the elderly population aged 65 years and over in Singapore, 1991 to 1998. Design: Analysis of trends and population subgroup differences in rates of hospital admission and mortality for a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure, classified as ICD-9, codes 428, 402.0, 402.11, and 402.91. Setting: The state of Singapore (multiethnic population of three million: Chinese 77%, Malay 14%, Indian 8%). Results: Congestive heart failure accounted for 4.5% of all hospital admissions and 2.5% of overall mortality in this age group. Age adjusted hospital admission rates for congestive heart failure increased by 38% (from 85.4 per 10 000 in 1991 to 110.3 per 10 000 in 1998), while mortality decreased by 20% (from 7.3 per 10 000 in 1991 to 6.1 per 10 000 in 1998). The decline in mortality was greater in women than in men. There were no sex differences in the rates of hospital admission, but there were significant ethnic differences in admissions and mortality. Thus hospital admissions for congestive heart failure were about 35% higher in both Malays and Indians than in Chinese; and mortality was 3.5 times higher in Malays, but was about the same in Indians and Chinese. Over the period studied, mortality from congestive heart failure declined in both Chinese and Indians, but rose in Malays. The increases in hospital admissions were similar in both sexes and all ethnic groups. Conclusions: An increasing rate of hospital admission accompanied by declining mortality from congestive heart failure is occurring in elderly people in this Asian multiethnic population. However, there are pronounced ethnic differences, with both Malays and Indians showing higher hospital admission rates than Chinese, and Malays showing a rising mortality as opposed to the falling mortality in the other ethnic groups.
SURVEILLANCE OF AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS IN WILD BIRD FECAL SAMPLES FROM SOUTH KOREA, 2003–2008

We analyzed the results from nationwide surveillance of avian influenza (AI) from birds in South Korea's major wild bird habitats and the demilitarized zone of South Korea, 2003–2008. Of 28,214 fecal samples analyzed, 225 yielded influenza viruses, for a prevalence of 0.8%. Hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes H1–H12 and all nine neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were detected. The dominant HA subtypes were H6, H1, and H4, and the most common NA subtypes were N2, N1, and N6. Among the 38 HA/NA subtype combinations, the most common were H4N6, H6N1, and H5N2. Thirty-seven low-pathogenic AI (LPAI) viruses of the H5 and H7 subtype were detected. Among them, we identified bird species for 16 H5- and H7-positive fecal samples using a DNA bar-coding system instituted in 2007; all birds were identified as Anseriformes. The HA gene of the H5 wild bird isolates belonged to the Eurasian avian lineage, and could be clearly distinguished from the sublineage H5N1 highly pathogenic AI (HPAI) of the Eurasian and American avian lineages. Whereas H7 LPAI viruses did not group as a separate sublineage with H7 HPAI viruses, H7 isolates were closely related with the Eurasian avian lineage.
Barriers to Care in an Ethnically Diverse Publicly Insured Population: Is Health Care Reform Enough?

Background:The Affordable Care Act provides for the expansion of Medicaid, which may result in as many as 16 million people gaining health insurance coverage. Yet it is unclear to what extent this coverage expansion will meaningfully increase access to health care. Objective:The objective of the study was to identify barriers that may persist even after individuals are moved to insurance and to explore racial/ethnic variation in problems accessing health care services. Research Design:Data are from a 2008 cross-sectional mixed-mode survey (mail with telephone follow-up in 4 languages), which is unique in measuring a comprehensive set of barriers and in focusing on several select understudied ethnic groups. We examine racial/ethnic variation in cost and coverage, access, and provider-related barriers. The study adhered to a community-based participatory research process. Subjects:Surveys were obtained from a stratified random sample of adults enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs who self-report ethnicity as white, African American, American Indian, Hispanic, Hmong, or Somali (n=1731). Results:All enrollees reported barriers to getting needed care; enrollees from minority cultural groups (Hmong and American Indian in particular) were more likely to experience problems than whites. Barriers associated with cost and coverage were the most prevalent, with 72% of enrollees reporting 1 or more of these problems. Approximately 63% of enrollees reported 1 or more access barriers. Provider-related barriers were the least prevalent (about 29%) yet revealed the most pervasive disparities. Conclusions:Many challenges to care persist for publicly insured adults, particularly minority racial and ethnic groups. The ACA expansion of Medicaid, although necessary, is not sufficient for achieving improved and equitable access to care.