Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening for basiliximab exposure–response relationships in renal allotransplantation

The immunosuppressant basiliximab – a chimeric monoclonal antibody specific to the interleukin‐2 receptor on activated T‐lymphocytes – significantly reduces the incidence of acute cellular rejection following renal transplantation. Screening for exposure–response relationships was performed within a randomized, blinded, placebo‐controlled efficacy trial in which patients received 40 mg basiliximab (20 mg on days 0 and 4) by intravenous infusion in addition to cyclosporine and corticosteroids. In a subset of patients, serum samples were collected pre‐transplant and once in weeks 2, 3 and 4 for determination of basiliximab concentrations. A population pharmacostatistical model was used to derive individual empirical Bayes estimates of each patient’s pharmacokinetic parameters. Biopsy‐confirmed acute rejection episodes were recorded to month 6 post‐transplant. Forty basiliximab‐treated patients were evaluated, 30 men and 10 women, aged 48±12 yr (range, 24–73) and weighing 72.4±12.9 kg (range, 52.5–107.5). The basiliximab distribution volume was 7.5±1.7 L, the half‐life 7.5±2.5 d and the clearance 33±12 mL/h. There was no clinically relevant influence of weight, age, or gender on basiliximab disposition. Receptor‐saturating serum basiliximab concentrations (>0.2 μg/mL) were maintained for 41±23 d. Twenty‐five patients remained rejection‐free over the 6‐month observation period, while a total of 26 biopsy‐confirmed acute rejection episodes occurred in the remaining 14 patients. Of these episodes, 12 occurred during receptor blockade. No apparent relationship to basiliximab concentration on the day of onset was observed (range, 0.1–9.0 μg/mL) nor did the time of suppression offset represent a period of increased risk for rejection episodes. Fourteen rejection episodes occurred after basiliximab had cleared from the serum. The durations of receptor suppression preceding these events did not differ compared with those in patients who remained rejection‐free: 32±11 versus 45±26 d, respectively (p=0.1269). Given the durations of receptor saturation achieved with the chosen basiliximab regimen, this screen for exposure–response relationships did not identify the duration of receptor saturation in peripheral blood as a predictive factor for acute rejection episodes. Further exploration for exposure–effect relationships in a larger population is warranted.
Functional Characterization of an Inositol-sensitive Upstream Activation Sequence in Yeast

A repeated element, the inositol-sensitive upstream activation sequence (UAS), having the consensus sequence, 5′-CATGTGAAAT-3′, is present in the promoters of genes encoding enzymes of phospholipid biosynthesis that are regulated in response to the phospholipid precursors, inositol and choline. None of the naturally occurring variants of the UAS element exactly recapitulates the consensus (for review, see Carman, G. M., and Henry, S. A.(1989) Annu. Rev. Biochem. 58, 635-669 and Paltauf, [Medline] F. , Kolwhein, S. , and Henry, S. A. (1992) in Molecular Biology of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Broach, J., Jones, E., and Pringle, J., eds) Vol. 2, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY). The first six bases of the UAS element are homologous with canonical binding motif for proteins of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family. Two bHLH regulatory proteins, Ino2p and Ino4p from yeast, were previously shown to bind to promoter fragments containing this element. In the present study, an extensive analysis of UAS function has been conducted. We report that any base substitution within the putative bHLH binding site resulted either in a dramatic reduction or in a complete obliteration of UAS function as tested in an expression assay in vivo. Base substitutions in the 5′ region that flanks the 10-base pair repeat, as well as sequences within the repeat itself at its 3′ end outside the bHLH core, were also assessed. The two bases immediately flanking the 5′ end of the element proved to be very important to its function as a UAS element as did the two bases immediately 3′ of the bHLH core motif. Substitutions of the final two bases of the original ten base pair consensus (i.e. 5′-CATGTGAAAT-3′) had less dramatic effects. We also tested a subset of the altered elements for their ability to serve as competitors in an assay of Ino2p•Ino4p binding. The strength of any given sequence as a UAS element, as assayed in vivo, was strongly correlated with its strength as a competitor for Ino2p•Ino4p binding. We also tested a subset of the modified UAS elements for their effects on expression in vivo in a strain carrying an opi1 mutation. The opi1 mutation renders the coregulated enzymes of phospholipid synthesis constitutive in the presence of phospholipid precursors. All elements that retained some residual UAS activity when tested in the wild-type strain were constitutively expressed at a level comparable with the wild-type derepressed level when tested in the opi1 mutant. Thus, UAS appears to be responsible for OPI1 mediated repression, as well as Ino2p•Ino4p binding. Furthermore, each of the identified functions of the UAS element appears to have the same sequence specificity, and all require the presence of the intact bHLH motif, suggesting that transcriptional activation, repression, and Ino2p•Ino4p binding are all components of a single regulatory mechanism.
Hearing a Point-Light Talker: An Auditory Influence on a Visual Motion Detection Task

Parsing of information from the world into objects and events occurs in both the visual and auditory modalities. It has been suggested that visual and auditory scene perceptions involve similar principles of perceptual organisation. We investigated here cross-modal scene perception by determining whether an auditory stimulus could facilitate visual object segregation. Specifically, we examined whether the presentation of matched auditory speech would facilitate the detection of a point-light talking face amid point-light distractors. An adaptive staircase procedure (3-up–1-down rule) was used to estimate the 79% correct threshold in a two-alternative forced-choice procedure. To determine if different degrees of speech motion would show auditory influence of different sizes, two speech modes were tested (in quiet and Lombard speech). A facilitatory auditory effect on talking-face detection was found; the size of this effect did not differ between the different speech modes.
Joint alpha-fairness based DSM and user encoding ordering for zero-forcing nonlinear precoding in G. fast downstream transmission

In the G.fast frequency range with strong levels of crosstalk, nonlinear precoding (NLP) is proposed as a near-optimal technique for crosstalk precompensation in downstream transmission. While existing methods for multi-tone NLP user encoding ordering (UEO) are rather heuristic in how they approach fairness and suffer from substantial suboptimality, we develop a novel algorithm for joint dynamic spectrum management (DSM) and UEO that enforces a generalized alpha-fairness policy. Since finding the optimal UEO is a combinatorial optimization problem with excessive computational complexity, the proposed algorithm uses a low-complexity iterative method which provides near-optimal approximate solutions. Simulations demonstrate that the novel algorithm achieves a trade-off between fairness and performance that outperforms current UEO methods.
Scale and ethnicity in Southeast Poland: tourism in the European periphery

This paper discusses the staging of Ukrainian ethnicity during the celebrations of Kupaly Night, an annual community ritual in Southeast Poland. The argument embarks from an analysis of changing nation state policies in Poland after state socialism and emphasises the growing influence of European Union (EU) policies on the public representation of ethnicity. These policies have moved ethnicity from the level of everyday practice, but also from an arena of political tensions, into an institutionalised and policy dominated form of identification. In the region of Przemy´sl, where the events under scrutiny take place, tourism is another key factor facilitating the establishment of market forces in projects of heritage preservation, multiculturalism and the promotion of ethnic particularities. My analysis of how these factors have impeded on the region shows the emergence of a multicultural development project that does not have a unifying but an ambivalent effect. The paper investigates the way in which the Ukrainian minority in Przemy´sl is subject to wider processes of re-scaling ethnic policies from the national to both the European and the regional level and is in this process turned into a commodifiable group valued by the EU, the state, tourists and locals for its distinctive culture. I thus demonstrate the ambivalent relationship between ritual practice, public representations of authenticity, ethno-tourism and social change influenced by EU policies and discourses.
Clozapine use by state programs: public mental health systems respond to a new medication.

The authors present data from a national survey of state departments of mental health showing that two years after reaching the U.S. market, clozapine is available to only a small fraction of the patients whom it might benefit. The primary continuing hurdle for the public sector, where most schizophrenic patients get their care, is funding. Several arguments support the use of clozapine in state mental health systems: it is the most effective or only effective medication for many patients, it can decrease the enormous costs of schizophrenia and related disorders, and access to the medication has become an important issue for advocacy groups and other mental health activists. Two years of experience with clozapine in the Texas mental health system have shown that availability of clozapine in the community is a vital factor for successful use of the drug in hospitals. The authors discuss ways to encourage outpatient clozapine programs that are critical to successful treatment in both the hospital and the community.
Epicardial‐like cells on the distal arterial end of the cardiac outflow tract do not derive from the proepicardium but are derivatives of the cephalic pericardium

A series of recent studies strongly suggests that the myocardium of the cardiac distal outflow tract (d‐OFT) does not derive from the original precardiac mesoderm but, instead, differentiates from a so‐called anterior heart field. Similar findings were also reported for the endocardium of the d‐OFT. However, very little information is available on the origin of the epicardium of the OFT. To address this issue, we have performed a study in which we have combined experimental in vivo and in vitro techniques (construction of proepicardial chimeras, proepicardial ablation, OFT insertion of eggshell membrane pieces, and culture on collagen gels) with molecular characterization techniques to determine this origin and define the properties of d‐OFT epicardium compared with proepicardially derived epicardium. Our results demonstrate that the coelomic/pericardial epithelium in the vicinity of the aortic sac (and not the proepicardium) is the origin of d‐OFT epicardium. This “pericardially” derived epicardium and the proepicardially derived epicardial tissues differ in their morphologic appearance, gene‐expression profile, and in their ability to undergo epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transformation. We conclude that the heterogeneity in the epicardial cell population of the OFT could be a factor in the complex developmental remodeling events at the arterial pole of the heart. Developmental Dynamics 227:56–68, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modification of thermal conductivity and phonon dispersion relation by means of phononic crystals

Heat conduction in silicon can be effectively reduced by means of periodic patterning of free-standing membranes. In this work we show a straightforward method for fabrication of free-standing phononic crystals based on thin silicon membranes. We use the contactless two-laser Raman thermometry method to measure thermal conductivity of the hexagonal phononic crystals. The aim of the study is to understand and control the behaviour of phonons in phononic crystals, with the target of minimizing the thermal conductivity. In particular, we are interested in the influence of the surface-to-volume ratio on the thermal conductivity.
Identification and characterization of the herpesvirus saimiri oncoprotein STP-C488

The protein encoded by herpesvirus saimiri transforming gene STP-C488 was identified and characterized. Antibodies were produced in rabbits by immunization with keyhole limpet hemocyanin-conjugated synthetic peptides specific for the predicted sequence of STP-C488. STP-C488-encoded protein was detected in recombinant Escherichia coli, transformed Rat-1 cells, transfected COS-1 cells, and in common marmoset T lymphocytes immortalized by herpesvirus saimiri strain 488. STP-C488 protein was sensitive to treatment by bacterial collagenase, consistent with the 18 uninterrupted collagenlike repeats predicted by the DNA sequence. The apparent molecular size of STP-C488 in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels (20 to 22 kDa) was considerably larger than that predicted from the DNA sequence (9.9 kDa). Using indirect immunofluorescence tests and subcellular fractionation, STP-C488 was found to be membrane bound, primarily in perinuclear compartments. The 18 uninterrupted collagenlike repeats, sensitivity to collagenase, location in the cell, and anomalous migration through SDS-polyacrylamide gels suggest an unusual, membrane-associated, fibrous structure for this transforming herpesvirus oncoprotein.
3D modeling of the total electric field induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation using the boundary element method

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) delivers highly localized brain stimulations via non-invasive externally applied magnetic fields. This non-invasive, painless technique provides researchers and clinicians with a unique tool capable of stimulating both the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, a complete analysis of the macroscopic electric fields produced by TMS has not yet been performed. In this paper, we addressed the importance of the secondary E-field created by surface charge accumulation during TMS using the boundary element method (BEM). 3D models were developed using simple head geometries in order to test the model and compare it with measured values. The effects of tissue geometry, size and conductivity were also investigated. Finally, a realistically shaped head model was used to assess the effect of multiple surfaces on the total E-field. Secondary E-fields have the greatest impact at areas in close proximity to each tissue layer. Throughout the head, the secondary E-field magnitudes typically range from 20% to 35% of the primary E-field's magnitude. The direction of the secondary E-field was generally in opposition to the primary E-field; however, for some locations, this was not the case (i.e. going from high to low conductivity tissues). These findings show that realistically shaped head geometries are important for accurate modeling of the total E-field.
Failure to improve cigarette smoking abstinence with transdermal selegiline + cognitive behavior therapy.

AIMS To examine the effectiveness of transdermal selegiline for producing cigarette smoking abstinence. DESIGN Adult smokers were randomly assigned to receive selegiline transdermal system (STS) or placebo given for 8 weeks. All participants received cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Follow-ups were conducted at 25 and 52 weeks. SETTING Community smoking cessation clinic. PARTICIPANTS 243 adult smokers (> or =18 years of age; > or =10 cigarettes/day). MEASURES Expired-air carbon monoxide confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence. FINDINGS STS was not superior to placebo. More women than men were abstinent at 52 week follow-up (28% vs 16%, P < 0.05). Behavioral activation (BAS) moderated treatment response (P = 0.01). The survival rate through week 52 for those with high 'drive' scores on the BAS was 47% if assigned to selegiline and 34% if assigned to placebo. The survival rate for those with low 'drive scores' on the BAS was 35% if assigned to selegiline compared to 53% if assigned to placebo. CONCLUSION Transdermal selegiline does not appear generally effective in aiding smoking cessation though there may be a selective effect in those smokers with low 'behavioral activation'.
Protective immunity to malaria: studies with cloned lines of Plasmodium chabaudi and P. berghei in CBA/Ca mice. I. The effectiveness and inter‐and intra‐species specificity of immunity induced by infection

Summary CBA/Ca mice were immunized by infection with cloned lines of Plasmodium berghei (isolates ANKA, KSP‐11). Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (AS, CB) or Plasmodium chabaudi adami (DS) and then challenged with either homologous or heterologous parasites. Protective responses were assessed in immune mice relative to the controls by their ability to (i) extend the time taken for the mean parasitaemia to reach a predetermined level (1% or 0·1%) (ii) reduce peak parasitaemia (iii) resolve the parasitaemia sooner and/or (iv) control or eliminate recrudescences. At both the inter‐ and intra‐species level, immunity appeared largely specific for the cloned line inducing it. At the interspecies level marginally effective cross‐immunity was sometimes evident, thus P. berghei KSP‐11 immune mice displayed some immunity against P. c. chabaudi AS, although immunity to this parasite was relatively ineffective against P. berghei ANKA or KSP‐11. Cross‐immunity was more apparent between the subspecies P. c. adami and P. c. chabaudi and between cloned lines of the latter parasite derived from the AS and CB isolates. These data reflect considerable inter‐ and intra‐species structural and immunogenic differences in certain antigens of parasitized erythrocytes and merozoites, which have been identified in a number of murine malarias and associated with protective immunity. Similar differences recently identified in the equivalent antigens of the human parasite P. falciparum may therefore have important implications for protective immunity in man.
Degradation Mechanisms of Mid-Power White-Light LEDs Under High-Temperature–Humidity Conditions

More and more mid-power white-light LED (MP LED) solutions have been used in outdoor illumination due to their good performance, cost attractiveness, and low energy consumption as compared with conventional lighting solutions. Hence, there is a need for MP LED manufacturers to develop more robust MP LEDs aimed at outdoor applications but still offer a significant cost benefit as compared with currently widely used high-power LEDs. This implies that MP LEDs would be operated in an environment with high humidity and high temperature. This may lead to serious degradation with different failure modes compared with an indoor operation. However, the combined effect of temperature and humidity on the MP LED reliability has not been extensively studied in literature. In this paper, MP LEDs were studied by the wet high-temperature operation life (WHTOL) test in order to understand their degradation mechanisms due to the combined effect of temperature and humidity. It is found that encapsulant discoloration (yellowing) is the major degradation mechanism in the WHTOL test, which will induce serious lumen degradation and color shift. Furthermore, it has been found that electrical degradation in terms of forward voltage increase will also affect the lumen maintenance. Finally, statistical analysis shows that lumen degradation mechanisms in the WHTOL test are similar to a failure in the LM-80-08 test, demonstrating that the WHTOL test is an efficient accelerated degradation test method, which dramatically reduces the test duration compared with the LM-80-08 test.
COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS

Objective: to assess cognitive function in patients with SLE and to determine its correlation to demographics, quality of life, and disease- related variables. Methodology: Twenty patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who fulfilled the revised criteria for classification of SLE of the American College of Rheumatology and twenty healthy control subjects apparently free from any relevant disease were included in this study . All patients were subjected to full history taking, thorough clinical examination, assessment of disease activity using SLAM index and assessment of quality of life using Beck Questionnaire as well as detection of IgG anticardiolipin antibodies using ELISA. Cognitive function tests were performed by StanfordBinet IV scale which measure verbal ability, visual/ abstract ability, short-term memory, and general intelligence quotient (IQ). Results: the mean scores of all cognitive function tests{ verbal ability, visual ability, short term memory and (I.Q.)} in SLE patients showed a statistically significant decrease (p<0.05) as compared to controls. Cognitive functions of SLE patients correlated positively with quality of life and correlated negatively with disease activity, antiphospholipid antibodies, and CNS manifestations of SLE patients. Conclusion: Cognitive functions of SLE patients showed a significant impairment compared with normal people. Disease
Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn owing to anti-U, successfully treated with repeated intrauterine transfusions

Abstract Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) owing to anti-U has rarely been reported. U is part of the MNS system. M and N glycoproteins are located on glycophorin A (GPA); S and s antigens are on glycophorin B (GPB). Individuals who lack GPB are S– and s– and also lack U. The U– phenotype occurs almost exclusively in the African population and has a very low frequency (0.25%). Anti-U is of immunoglobulin G class and can cause hemolytic transfusion reaction and HDFN. In this report we present the use of a noninvasive method to detect anemia in the fetus and the subsequent use of intrauterine transfusion (IUT) with blood of a very rare phenotype. For the first time, we used deglycerolized and 3-week-old red blood cell units for IUT without signs of adverse reactions and with the expected effect on the hemoglobin value. We conclude that this transfusion strategy could be applied safely. Immunohematology2013;29:51– 54.
Detection of Flavobacterium psychrophilum from fish tissue and water samples by PCR amplification

Rainbow trout fry syndrome and cold‐water disease, caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, are important diseases in farmed salmonids. Some of the presently available techniques for the detection of Fl. psychrophilum are either time consuming or lack sufficient sensitivity. In the present investigation, the possible detection of Fl. psychrophilum from fish tissue and water samples was examined using nested PCR with DNA probes against a sequence of the 16S rRNA genes. The DNA was extracted using Chelex® 100 chelating resin. The primers, which were tested against strains isolated from diseased fish, healthy fish, fish farm environments and reference strains, proved to be specific for Fl. psychrophilum. The obtained detection limit of Fl. psychrophilum seeded into rainbow trout brain tissue was 0·4 cfu in the PCR tube, corresponding to 17 cfu mg−1 brain tissue. The PCR‐assay proved to be more sensitive than agar cultivation of tissue samples from the brain of rainbow trout injected with Fl. psychrophilum. In non‐sterile fresh water seeded with Fl. psychrophilum the detection limit of the PCR‐assay was 1·7 cfu in the PCR tube, corresponding to 110 cfu ml−1 water. The PCR‐assay detected Fl. psychrophilum in water samples taken from a rainbow trout farm, but Fl. psychrophilum could not be isolated using inoculation on selective agar. The method presented here has the potential to detect low levels of Fl. psychrophilum in fish tissue and in water samples, and the technique can be a useful tool for understanding the epidemiology of Fl. psychrophilum.