Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunogenetic and immunologic studies of differentiated thyroid cancer

The authors have studied in detail human leukocyte antigen (HLA) association in 87 Hungarian patients with thyroid epithelial carcinoma. The authors also examined in a small group of patients, five parameters of cell‐mediated immunity and related them to HLA as well as to lymphocytic infiltration of the tumor/ normal tissue interface. HLA‐DR1 was significantly associated with thyroid carcinoma; the strongest association was in patients with follicular histologic features and DRI homozygotes were not at greater risk for thyroid cancer. The HLA‐DR3 was nonsignificantly increased in patients with papillary or mixed histologic features. The HLA‐DR1, 3 heterozygotes were highly associated with follicular carcinoma, carried no risk for papillary carcinoma, and an intermediate risk for tumors with mixed histologic features. Because of the small proportion of DR1, 3 heterozygotes in the follicular and mixed histologic group, its predictive value at the population level was low. Better predictive potential was shown for the phenotype DR1 and/or DR3. Neither metastatic disease nor age at diagnosis (<45 years) could be related to HLA phenotypes. Patients in all histologic variants showed some measure of cell‐mediated immunity compared to controls. Patients with papillary carcinoma showed an overall better response than those with tumors with follicular or mixed histology. The HLA‐DR could not be related to cell‐mediated immune response. Patients with papillary carcinoma with a good cell‐mediated immune response occurred with much lower infiltration of the tumor boundary with lymphocyte whereas the follicular carcinoma less cell‐mediated immunity was associated with dense lymphocytic infiltration, suggesting the biological relevance of lymphocytic infiltration may be different for the two histologic variants.
The Group of Dyadic Unitary Matrices

We introduce the group DU(m) of m × m dyadic unitary matrices, i.e. unitary matrices with all entries having a real and an imaginary part that are both rational numbers with denominator of the form 2p (with p a non-negative integer). We investigate in detail the finite groups DU(1) and DU(2) and the discrete, but infinite groups DU(3) and DU(4). We further introduce the subgroup XDU(m) of DU(m), consisting of those members of DU(m) that have constant line sum 1. The study of XDU(2) and XDU(4) leads to conclusions concerning the synthesis of quantum computers acting on one and two qubits, respectively.
Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant as Adjunctive Therapy to Ranibizumab in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone intravitreal implant 0.7 mg (DEX) as adjunctive therapy to ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD). Procedures: This was a 6-month, single-masked, multicenter study. Patients were randomized to DEX implant (n = 123) or sham procedure (n = 120) and received 2 protocol-mandated intravitreal ranibizumab injections. The main outcome measure was injection-free interval to first as-needed ranibizumab injection. Results: DEX increased the injection-free interval versus sham (50th percentile, 34 vs. 29 days; 75th percentile, 85 vs. 56 days; p = 0.016). 8.3% of DEX versus 2.5% of sham-treated patients did not require rescue ranibizumab (p = 0.048). Visual acuity and retinal thickness outcomes were similar in DEX and sham-treated patients. Only reports of conjunctival hemorrhage (18.2 vs. 8.5%) and intraocular pressure elevation (13.2 vs. 4.2%) were significantly different in the DEX versus the sham treatment groups. Conclusion: DEX reduced the need for adjunctive ranibizumab treatment and showed acceptable tolerability in nvAMD patients.
The domains of human fibronectin mediating the binding of alpha antigen, the most immunopotent antigen of mycobacteria that induces protective immunity against mycobacterial infection.

We have recently shown that alpha antigen (alpha-Ag), the immunodominant antigen of mycobacteria, has a novel fibronectin (FN)-binding motif that is unique among mycobacteria [Naito, Ohara, Matsumoto and Yamada (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 2905-2909]. In this study, we examined the domains of human FN that interacted with alpha-Ag. Fragments of FN generated by either proteolysis or recombinant DNA techniques were compared for their ability to bind to alpha-Ag. Fragments containing either the C-terminal heparin-binding domain or the central cell-binding domain consistently bound to alpha-Ag. The fragment of the C-terminal heparin-binding domain, upon mutation that resulted in the loss of its heparin-binding activity, could not bind with alpha-Ag. These findings suggested that the mutated site, i.e. the main heparin-binding site of FN, was also the principal site for binding to alpha-Ag. The alpha-Ag-binding domains of FN could bind whole mycobacterial bacilli, suggesting that these two domains are important contributors to mycobacterial infection.
MR-compatible RF ablation system for online treatment monitoring using MR thermometry

RF ablation (RFA) is used for thermal ablation of tumors in which the RF electrode is placed in the tissue under image-guidance. Because of the good tumor visibility and the lack of ionizing radiation, MR-guided RFA is the method of choice. Additionally, with the help of MR thermometry the RF ablation can be monitored during the intervention. Unfortunately, the imaging of an MR scanner is highly sensitive to interferences caused by external electrical signals. In this paper the high-power RF ablation signal of a commercially available medical therapy device is made MR-compatible. A design of a low-pass filter with high-power compatibility is presented. The filter performance is demonstrated by means of simulations and measurements.
Urocanic Acid Concentration and Photoisomerization in Caucasian Skin Phototypes

Abstract— To investigate the relationship between erythemal sensitivity of the skin to U V radiation and epidermal urocanic acid (UCA) concentration, 45 healthy volunteers of anamnestic skin phototypes (ASP) I‐IV were studied. In 16 of the subjects, we analyzed UCA photoisomerization after graded UVB exposures. The median and mean total UCA concentration in unirradiated skin was 22.4 and 35.3 nmol/cm2, and no statistically significant difference in total UCA concentrations was detectable either between ASP I through II and III through IV or between the phototested skin type (PSP) groups 1 through 2 and 3 through 4. The relative amount of the cis‐isomer varied between 3 and 35%, with median and mean values of 7 and 12%, respectively. No statistically significant difference in absolute or relative cis‐UCA concentrations was detectable between ASP I through II and III through IV, but a significantly lower absolute (P < 0.009) and relative (P < 0.002) cis‐UCA concentration in unirradiated skin was recorded in PSP groups 1 through 2, compared to types 3 through 4. In all tested subjects, an erythemally weighted dose of 1 mj/cm2sufficed to cause trans‐ to cis‐UCA isomerization. When comparing photosensitive (skin phototype I) and phototolerant (phototypes III and IV) individuals, who were irradiated with a reference 5 mJ/cm2UV dose or with fractions of 0.1‐1.0 of their individual minimal erythema dose values, no skin phototype‐dependent difference in ability to photoisomerize was discernible.
Prevalence of etravirine-associated mutations in clinical samples with resistance to nevirapine and efavirenz.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the expected activity of etravirine in clinical samples, according to mutational patterns associated with decreased virological response (VR). METHODS We identified 1586 routine clinical samples with resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) to nevirapine and efavirenz (K103N 60%, Y181C 37%, G190A 27%, V108I 13%). Concerning in vitro identified etravirine mutations, samples with F227C, Y181I, M230L or L100I plus K103N plus Y181C were considered highly resistant. Samples with two RAMs plus Y181C or V179D or K101E or Y188L were considered intermediate. The prevalence of 13 RAMs recently associated with decreased VR to etravirine in the DUET clinical trials was also investigated. RESULTS Most samples (69%) harboured more than one IAS-USA RAM to first-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs): 42% harboured two RAMs, 21% three RAMs and 6% four or more RAMs. The prevalence of 13 specific etravirine RAMs was V179F 0.12%, G190S 3.9%, Y181V 0.1%, V106I 2.6%, V179D 1.6%, K101P 2.0%, K101E 10.1%, Y181C 36.9%, A98G 5.9%, V90I 6.9%, Y181I 3.6%, G190A 27% and L100I 9.1%. The five RAMs with the most impact on VR (V179F/D, G190S, Y181V and V106I) occurred less often. Overall, 8.2% of the samples had three or more etravirine RAMs and only 1.1% had four or more. In addition, patterns of RAMs previously associated with intermediate etravirine resistance were present in 26.2% of the samples, whereas 4.85% displayed patterns of high-degree resistance. CONCLUSIONS For RAMs associated with decreased VR, etravirine resistance in routine clinical samples was lower than previously reported. High-degree resistance was uncommon, even in patients with resistance to first-generation NNRTIs, whereas low-to-intermediate etravirine resistance was more common.
The secreted form of a melanocyte membrane‐bound glycoprotein (Pmel17/gp100) is released by ectodomain shedding

Ectodomain shedding is a proteolytic mechanism by which a transmembrane protein is converted into a secreted form. Pmel17/gp100 is a melanocyte‐specific membrane‐bound glycoprotein that has amyloid characteristics and forms fibrillar structures in melanosomes after a complex sequence of post‐translational processing and trafficking events, including cleavage by a furin‐like proprotein convertase (PC). A secreted form of Pmel17 (termed sPmel17) was also thought to be released due to cleavage by a PC. We used multidisciplinary approaches to demonstrate that sPmel17 is released by ectodomain shedding at the juxtamembrane and/or intramembrane motif and to show that this is independent of cleavage by a PC. We further show that sPmel17 consists of 2 fragments linked by disulfide bonds and that the shedding is inhibited at low temperature but not by metalloproteinase inhibitors. Moreover, treatment with a phorbol ester or a calmodulin inhibitor induces Pmel17 shedding. We also refine the reactivity of HMB50 and NKI/beteb, 2 monoclonal antibodies commonly used as melanoma‐specific markers. The fact that those antibodies require physically separated domains of Pmel17 sheds interesting light on its 3‐dimensional conformation. We conclude that sPmel17 is released by regulated proteolytic ectodomain shedding. —Hoashi, T. , Tamaki, K. , Hearing, V. J. The secreted form of a melanocyte membrane‐bound glycoprotein (Pmel17/ gp100) is released by ectodomain shedding. FASEB J. 24, 916–930 (2010). www.fasebj. org
Endotoxin augments myeloid dendritic cell influx into the airways in patients with allergic asthma.

RATIONALE Epidemiologic studies have shown that exacerbation of asthma is modulated by environmental endotoxin. High levels of endotoxin are associated with asthma symptoms and the current use of asthma medication. However, the underlying mechanisms by which endotoxin modulates asthma are not completely understood. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to test whether endotoxin enhances the response of individuals with allergic asthma to allergen, and to determine if this interaction is associated with increased numbers of antigen-presenting cells in the airways. METHODS Seventeen subjects with mild allergic asthma underwent segmental challenge with allergen, endotoxin, and the combination of both in three different lung segments via bronchoscopy. The cellular influx including monocytes, myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs), and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), as well as the level of cytokines, were assessed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained 24 hours after segmental challenge. Monocytes, mDCs, and pDCs were isolated and their capacity to induce T cell proliferation was determined. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Endotoxin enhanced the cellular response to allergen. The combination of allergen and endotoxin resulted in increased numbers of total cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and mDCs, as well as increased levels of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, IL-1alpha, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with allergen alone. Isolated mDCs but not pDCs induced a strong T cell proliferation in vitro. CONCLUSIONS Endotoxin augments the allergic inflammation in the lungs of individuals with asthma, and induces an enhanced influx of monocytes and functionally active antigen-presenting mDCs into the respiratory tract.
Examining the role of perceived value in virtual communities continuance: its antecedents and the influence of experience

Although perceived value has long been recognised as an influential means of affecting continuance intention in information systems (IS), little attention has been devoted to explore its antecedents, which constitutes an important research issue. This study, building on prior literature on continued usage in IS as well as the resource-based view, proposed a model to address this gap. Our model suggests that perceived value, a major driving force for members’ satisfaction and continuance intention, is affected by four kinds of resources embedded in virtual communities, which are relationship resources, technology infrastructure, knowledge resources and human resources. To provide additional insights on the pivotal role of perceived value, we also postulate that experience moderates the link between perceived value and its antecedents. Data collected from 235 members of a professional virtual community provide strong support for the research model. It was found that perceived value exerts a great effect on both satisfaction and continuance intention. In addition, when different levels of experience are taken into consideration, relationship resources, knowledge resources and human resources were found to be more salient to high-experience members, whereas technology infrastructure was found to be more salient to low-experience members. Finally, this study discusses the implications of these findings and offers direction for future research.
Determining a maximum value yield of a log using an optical log scanner

Two pattern recognition algorithms are proposed to detect two types of knots in lumber, lumped and surface knots, using an optical scanner. It is shown that lumped knots can be recognized by a log profile approach and surface knots can be detected by an image processing approach. A mathematical model for describing the geometry of the knots inside the log based on the surface parameters of the knots is presented. By a log breakdown strategy, the log can be cut into a maximum number of boards with prescribed dimensionalities. The mathematical knot model can be used to predict the locations, sizes, orientations, and shapes of the knots on these boards, whereby their lumber grades can be determined. Summing up the value yields of all the boards gives the value yield of the log. By computing all the possible value yields of the log from different log orientations, one can determine a maximum value yield of a log. <<ETX>>
Treatment of vulvar Paget disease with topical imiquimod: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Extramammary Paget's disease is a cutaneous neoplasm that presents as erythematous crusted patches and plaques reminiscent of contact dermatitis or inverse psoriasis that can be a challenge to treat in a tissue-sparing manner. The most commonly involved site for this rare disorder is the anogenital region. Surgery is considered as the gold standard therapy. In the last years, the topical use of imiquimod cream in the treatment of this condition has been reported. MAIN OBSERVATIONS We present a case of a 59-year-old woman with primary extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva, in which a conservative approach to therapy was desired, and who underwent complete and stable remission with imiquimod cream. We also review the previous reports of patients with extramammary Paget's disease treated with imiquimod cream. CONCLUSIONS Imiquimod therapy may be an alternative for primary as well as recurring extramammary Paget's disease. Treatment-associated morbidity is minimal compared with other therapies, such as surgery which may be debilitating.
Evaluating Software for Affective Education: A Case Study of Affective Heuristics

: This paper addresses the use of a proposed heuristic method to evaluate affect in the user interface, educational design, and content of educational multimodal software system. A case study is presented where this method is used to evaluate a Museum Explorer system. This system was designed to support an educational objective of making the users more engaged and reflective, by supporting the use narrative to help the users tell a visual story. We recruited participants to apply the evaluation method to the Museum Explorer system. Our findings were that the evaluation method was effective, but we observed a number of effects that suggested necessary improvements. For example, the emphasis in the method had to be changed to avoid a focus on simple usability issues. Moreover, we found that the evaluators had to be clear on the affective teaching objectives and on how the software design was intended to support them. We conclude with a revised set of heuristics based on these findings.
High Dimensional Sparse Econometric Models: An Introduction

In this chapter we discuss conceptually high dimensional sparse econometric models as well as estimation of these models using l 1-penalization and post- l 1-penalization methods. Focusing on linear and nonparametric regression frameworks, we discuss various econometric examples, present basic theoretical results, and illustrate the concepts and methods with Monte Carlo simulations and an empirical application. In the application, we examine and confirm the empirical validity of the Solow-Swan model for international economic growth.1
Facial Expression Recognition with 3D Deformable Models

We present a fully automated three-dimensional modelbased,real-time capable approach to distinguish six universalfacial expressions from visual images of human faces.The face model is fitted to the images of a publicly availabledata base. From the model parameters two sets of featuresare computed, person-specific and non-person-specific toestimate the facial expression visible in the current imagesequence. We integrate the complex, state-of-the-artCandide-3 face model, which is specifically appropriatefor facial expression recognition [13] and is also publiclyavailable, which further increases the comparability of ourapproach. Our experimental evaluation presents recognitionrates of the six basic facial expressions defined by Ekmanet al [6].
Effects of Strain on Performance, and Age at Slaughter and Duration of Post-chilling Aging on Meat Quality Traits of Broiler

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of strain on broiler performance, and age at slaughter and post- chilling (PC) aging time on meat quality traits. A total of 500 one-day-old chicks (250 Hubbard classic and 250 Lohman) were reared under commercial conditions. Half of the broiler birds from each strain were slaughtered at 32 days and the other half at 42 days old. At each processing day, 168 carcasses were randomly selected (84 Hubbard and 84 Lohman) and divided into groups of 28 carcasses within each strain, and aged for 0, 4 and 24 h after chilling. Average weekly body weight was comparable between strains. Feed conversion ratio was higher (p<0.05) for the Hubbard strain during the second and third week of age. Initial carcass pH was significantly (p<0.05) affected by age where younger birds (32-d-old) had lower pH values than older (41-d-old) birds. Breast temperature was higher (p<0.001) for Lohman than Hubbard at 0, 2 and 4 h of PC. Younger birds had a lower breast temperature (p<0.001) at all measured times of PC. Thaw loss, cook loss and water holding capacity were not significantly affected by strain, age or aging time. Lohman strain had more tender meat (p<0.05) than Hubbard strain, and tenderness was improved with the increase of broiler age and aging time. Meats from Hubbard were lighter and less red than those from Lohman strain where younger birds had darker color. In conclusion, strain, age at slaughter and PC aging duration are critical to breast meat quality characteristics, and 4 h of aging are required before deboning in order to obtain more tender fillets. (Key Words : Broiler Breast Fillets, Age at Slaughter, Strain, Aging Time, Meat Quality)
Is taxane/platinum/5 fluorouracil superior to taxane/platinum alone and does docetaxel trump paclitaxel in induction therapy for locally advanced oral cavity cancers?

BACKGROUND Cisplatin and 5 fluorouracil drug combination is inferior to the combination of taxane with these 2 drugs. However, often in clinical practice at our center giving TPF (docetaxel, cisplatin, 5 fluorouracil) is difficult in view of logistics and tolerance issues. In such a scenario, we prefer to use the 2 drugs combination of platinum and taxane. However, no study has addressed whether a 2 drugs combination, which includes taxane is inferior to the 3 drugs combination and which the taxane of choice is in the 2 drugs combination of taxane and platinum. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of patients undergoing induction chemotherapy (IC) in oral cavity cancers from 2010 to 2012. We chose for analysis those patients who had a baseline scan done within 4 weeks of starting therapy and a follow-up scan done within 2 weeks of completion of the second cycle of IC. Response was scored in accordance with RECIST version 1.1. Chi-square analysis was done to compare response rates (RRs) between regimens. RESULTS Two hundred and forty-five patients were identified. The median age was 45 years (24-70 years), 208 (84.9%) were male patients, and 154 patients (62.9%) had primary in the Buccal mucosa. The regimens received were TPF 22 (9%), docetaxel + cisplatin 97 (39.6%), paclitaxel + cisplatin 89 (36.3%), docetaxel + carboplatin 16 (6.5%) and paclitaxel + carboplatin 21 (8.6%). The overall RRs were complete response, partial response, stable disease and progressive disease in 4 (1.6%), 56 (22.9%), 145 (59.2%) and 40 (16.3%). The 3 drugs regimen (TPF) had 50% RR as compared to 22% RR with 2 drugs regimen (P = 0.004). Docetaxel containing regimens had 30.3% RR as compared to 17.2% RR with paclitaxel containing regimens (P = 0.094). CONCLUSIONS TPF has better RR than a 2 drugs taxane-containing regimen and docetaxel leads to a better RR than paclitaxel for IC in locally advanced oral cavity cancers.