Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AIRWAY INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES TO OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED BY LOW-DOSE DIESEL EXHAUST PARTICLE EXPOSURE DIFFER BETWEEN MOUSE STRAINS

Low-dose diesel exhaust particle (DEP) exposure induces airway inflammation and exaggerates asthmatic responses in mice, but it is unclear whether strains differ in their susceptibility to adverse effects from low-dose DEP exposure. The authors used BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse strains to search for genetically based differences in response to low-dose DEP (100 µg/m3) exposure in terms of airway inflammatory response. The macrophage count in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid soon after DE exposure began was significantly greater in C57BL/6 mice (P < .05) than that in BALB/c mice. The count did not increase significantly in BALB/c mice until later. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA expression and protein production in lung tissues soon after exposure began were more marked in BALB/c mice than in C57BL/6 mice, but the reverse was true later on. The increases in interleukin (IL)-1β and interferon (IFN)-γ levels in BAL fluid after DE exposure were significant only in BALB/c mice; there were significantly increases in monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, IL-12, IL-10, IL-4, and IL-13 in both strains, but these were more marked in C57BL/6 mice. These interstrain differences in airway inflammatory response after DE exposure were significantly attenuated by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment. Changes in airway hyperresponsiveness were independent of the airway inflammation induced by low-dose DEP. Thus, in BALB/c mice, innate immunity may play a central role in DE exposure response, whereas in C57BL/6 mice Th2-dominant responses play a central role. Low-dose DEP exposure induces airway inflammatory responses that differ among strains, and these differences may be caused by differences in sensitivity to oxidative stress.
Shipping the Good Apples Out? An Empirical Confirmation of the Alchian‐Allen Conjecture

Alchian and Allen show that a per unit transactions cost lowers the relative price of, and raises the relative demand for, high‐quality goods. We extend their theory, deriving a relationship between per unit and ad valorem trade costs and the quality composition of trade. Detailed international trade data for many importers and exporters are used to test these predictions. Within a narrowly defined commodity classification, exporters charge destination‐varying prices that covary positively with shipping costs and negatively with tariffs. These results provide a clear rejection of the iceberg assumption on transportation costs and a strong confirmation of the classical Alchian‐Allen hypothesis. We show that these results cannot be explained by monopoly pricing‐to‐market behavior.
Neural network applications for automatic new topic identification

Purpose – This study aims to propose an artificial neural network to identify automatically topic changes in a user session by using the statistical characteristics of queries, such as time intervals and query reformulation patterns.Design/methodology/approach – A sample data log from the Norwegian search engine FAST (currently owned by Overture) is selected to train the neural network and then the neural network is used to identify topic changes in the data log.Findings – A total of 98.4 percent of topic shifts and 86.6 percent of topic continuations were estimated correctly.Originality/value – Content analysis of search engine user queries is an important task, since successful exploitation of the content of queries can result in the design of efficient information retrieval algorithms for search engines, which can offer custom‐tailored services to the web user. Identification of topic changes within a user search session is a key issue in the content analysis of search engine user queries.
Rumination, depressive symptoms and awareness of illness in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Depressive symptoms are common in schizophrenia. Previous studies have observed that depressive symptoms are associated with both insight and negative appraisals of illness, suggesting that the way in which the person thinks about their illness may influence the occurrence of depressive responses. In affective disorders, one of the most well-established cognitive processes associated with depressive symptoms is rumination, a pattern of perseverative, self-focused negative thinking. AIMS This study examined whether rumination focused on mental illness was predictive of depressive symptoms during the subacute phase of schizophrenia. METHOD Forty participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and in a stable phase of illness completed measures of rumination, depressive symptoms, awareness of illness, and positive and negative symptoms. RESULTS Depressive symptoms were correlated with rumination, including when controlling for positive and negative symptoms. The content of rumination frequently focused on mental illness and its causes and consequences, in particular social disability and disadvantage. Depressive symptoms were predicted by awareness of the social consequences of mental illness, an effect that was mediated by rumination. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that a process of perseveratively dwelling upon mental illness and its social consequences may be a factor contributing to depressive symptoms in people with chronic schizophrenia.
Decreasing Incidences of Gonorrhea‐ and Chlamydia‐Associated Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: A 25‐Year Study From an Urban Area of Central Sweden

Background and Objectives: Acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) affects women in their reproductive years and is often a complication of a sexually transmitted disease (STD), particularly Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic lower abdominal pain are common long‐term sequelae to acute PID. Through different preventive measures, endemic N. gonorrhoeae is almost eliminated, and C. trachomatis has been reduced almost fourfold in Sweden. Goals: To investigate variations in STD‐associated acute PID and the extent to which this influenced the yearly incidences of patients hospitalized for this complication during a 25‐year‐period. Study Design: Hospital records of 2499 patients admitted and treated for acute PID from January 1, 1970 to December 31, 1994 were analyzed for infection with N. gonorrhoeae. Routine laboratory diagnosis for C. trachomatis infection started June 1, 1980. Detailed statistical analysis for chlamydial‐associated PID in this study, therefore, covers the period January 1, 1981 to December 31, 1994 and includes 1030 patients. Results: Gonorrhea occurred in 42% of patients with acute PID in 1970 and decreased continuously to zero in 1988 and beyond. Concomitant urogenital chlamydial infection reduced almost fourfold from 28.4% in 1985 to 7.7% in 1994. Yearly admissions for acute PID fluctuated slightly (≤16%) in the early 1970s and early 1980s but increased greatly (>60%) in the middle and late 1970s; the highest was 180 per year in 1976. This coincided with high incidence rates of gonorrhea in the general population, and probably of genital C. trachomatis infection as well, coupled with an increased use of intrauterine contraceptive device in nulliparous women. The largest increase in admissions for acute PID was in the 15‐ to 29‐year‐old group. A steady decrease started in 1987 and reached the low figure of 26 admissions in 1994. The greatest decrease occurred in the 15‐ to 19‐year‐old group, from the relative age distribution of 28.9% in the period 1970 to 1974 to 12.9% in 1990 to 1994. Yearly admissions for the ≥35‐year‐old group remained almost constant during the study period, but the relative age distribution shifted from second lowest (excluding those 14 years or younger, totaling 15 admissions for the entire study period), 9.1% at the beginning of the study period, to the second largest, 24.9% at the end of it. The study also showed that the total and relative rates of recurrence decreased. Conclusions: Measures aimed at reducing incidences of gonorrhea and genital chlamydial infection will reduce the incidences of one of the most serious complications of these STDs, acute PID, and, in turn, its long‐term sequelae.
Apogossypol derivative BI-97C1 (Sabutoclax) targeting Mcl-1 sensitizes prostate cancer cells to mda-7/IL-24–mediated toxicity

Limited options are available for treating patients with advanced prostate cancer (PC). Melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interleukin-24 (mda-7/IL-24), an IL-10 family cytokine, exhibits pleiotropic anticancer activities without adversely affecting normal cells. We previously demonstrated that suppression of the prosurvival Bcl-2 family member, myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), is required for mda-7/IL-24–mediated apoptosis of prostate carcinomas. Here we demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of Mcl-1 expression with the unique Apogossypol derivative BI-97C1, also called Sabutoclax, is sufficient to sensitize prostate tumors to mda-7/IL-24–induced apoptosis, whereas ABT-737, which lacks efficacy in inhibiting Mcl-1, does not sensitize mda-7/IL-24–mediated cytotoxicity. A combination regimen of tropism-modified adenovirus delivered mda-7/IL-24 (Ad.5/3-mda-7) and BI-97C1 enhances cytotoxicity in human PC cells, including those resistant to mda-7/IL-24 or BI-97C1 alone. The combination regimen causes autophagy that facilitates NOXA- and Bim-induced and Bak/Bax-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Treatment with Ad.5/3-mda-7 and BI-97C1 significantly inhibits the growth of human PC xenografts in nude mice and spontaneously induced PC in Hi-myc transgenic mice. Tumor growth inhibition correlated with increased TUNEL staining and decreased Ki-67 expression in both PC xenografts and prostates of Hi-myc mice. These findings demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of Mcl-1 with the Apogossypol derivative, BI-97C1, sensitizes human PCs to mda-7/IL-24–mediated cytotoxicity, thus potentially augmenting the therapeutic benefit of this combinatorial approach toward PC.
POSTOPERATIVE PAIN FOLLOWING COBLATION TONSILLECTOMY: RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Background: Tonsillectomy is one of the commonest surgical procedures, with postoperative pain being an important source of morbidity. Coblation (cold ablation) is a new technique for tonsillectomy, promoted by claims of reduced postoperative pain levels. This study was designed to compare postoperative pain after tonsillectomy using coblation and tonsillectomy using the standard dissection techniques.
Clinical value of a new fecal elastase test for detection of chronic pancreatitis.

INTRODUCTION Several pancreatic function tests exist, but their role in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis is controversial. Here we analyzed the clinical value of a newly available fecal elastase assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fecal samples from 212 patients treated in our hospital from January to September 2002 were taken. Chronic pancreatitis was assumed when ductal alterations were present in ERCP. The severity of disease was assessed according to the Cambridge classification. Elastase (test from ScheBo, Germany) and chymotrypsin (Roche Diagnostics) were measured. As a new parameter an elastase ELISA from BIOSERV (Rostock, Germany) was employed. Specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of each test as well as the ROC curves were calculated. RESULTS In 45 patients (21.2%) chronic pancreatitis was diagnosed. The sensitivities of elastase from ScheBo, elastase from BIOSERV and chymotrypsin were 68.9%, 77.8%, and 57.8%, respectively. The corresponding specificities were 77.2%, 76.0%, and 52.7%. When a cut-off for the elastase tests of 100 U/ml was used the sensitivities (57.8%) and the specificities (89.2%) for both elastase tests were similar. The areas under the ROC curves for the ScheBo elastase, BIOSERV elastase, and chymotrypsin were 0.805, 0.840, and 0.628, respectively. The higher AUC of the BIOSERV test was maintained when patients with mild-moderate chronic pancreatitis (Cambridge I-II) were analyzed separately. CONCLUSION The new elastase assay could probably replace the older test and was also much better than chymotrypsin.
Catalytic activity and conformation of chemically modified subtilisin Carlsberg in organic media.

Subtilisin Carlsberg, an alkaline protease from Bacillus licheniformis, was modified with polyoxyethylene (PEG) or aerosol-OT (AOT), and the solubility, conformation, and catalytic activity of the modified subtilisins in some organic media were compared under the same conditions. The solubility of modified subtilisins depended on the solubility of the modifier. On the other hand, the conformational changes depended on the solubility, rather than the property, of the modifier. When the modified subtilisin was dissolved in water-miscible polar solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide, acetonitrile, and tetrahydrofuran, significant conformational changes occurred. When modified subtilisin was dissolved in water-immiscible organic solvents, such as isooctane and benzene, the solvent did not induce significant conformational changes. The catalytic activity in the transesterification reaction of the N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine ethylester of the modified subtilisin in organic solvents was higher than that of native subtilisin. The high activity of modified subtilisin was thought to be due to a homogeneous reaction by the dissolved enzymes.
The Structure of Service Quality Perceptions for Multiple-Encounter Services

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine a complex service environment—hospitals—to suggest how service quality could be reframed and measured for multiple-encounter service situations more effectively. Subjects: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 371 patients completed the survey instrument. Service quality measures were guided by the literature but allowed to flow from the respondents at the preliminary stage. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, along with structural equation modeling, was used to test the hypothesized relationships among key actors' performance metrics (KAPMs). Results: Patient satisfaction is significantly influenced by perceived service quality based on KAPMs. For multiple-encounter services, service quality dimensions and measures ought to be tied to KAPMs. Conclusions: Primary actors—ie, doctors—need knowledge and skills about patient psychology, negotiation, handling difficult patients, and, importantly, “putting the customer first. ” Sensitivity training on such matters should be provided. The secondary actors are the nurses who have more frequent contact with the patients. Nurses need to be perceived as “patient advocates. ” Effective advocacy begins with prompt and caring services to build trust. The tertiary actors in their support role also ought to be integrated into becoming vital part of the service provided.
Shaving of a Frova Intubating Catheter

We report a complication that occurred when using a frova intubating introducer to assist placement of a Mallinckrodt double lumen tube (DLT) in a patient undergoing oesphagectomy. The non compatibility of this commonly used airway device with the DLT resulted in plastic shavings from the introducer contaminating the patients bronchial tree. All fragments of plastic were retrieved and the patient suffered no harm as a result.
Thermal convection at high Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers

By C. L I T H G O W-B E R T E L L O N I, M. A. R I C H A R D S, C. P. C O N R A D AND R. W. G R I F F I T H S Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, G.P.O. Box 4, Canberra A.C. T. 0200, Australia
Isolation of endothelial cells from brain, lung, and kidney: expression of the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein isoforms.

Endothelial cells (EC) were isolated from brain, lung, and renal cortex using magnetic microbeads cross-linked to an antibody directed against the platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1). Levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and PECAM-1 were measured by Western blots and both were enriched in the positively selected EC fractions. The multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (P-gp) was strongly enriched (59-fold) in the EC fraction from brain and was absent in the negative fraction, in which the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an astrocyte marker, was present. Lower P-gp levels were detected in EC from renal cortex and lung. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the mdr1a gene was preferentially expressed in EC fraction from the brain. The mdr1b gene was found in EC from renal cortex whereas both mdr1 genes were detected in EC from lung. Our results indicate that EC can be isolated using microbeads and that the isoform of P-gp found in brain is mostly mdr1a, associated with EC.
CCR New Strategies NewStrategies inMelanoma : Molecular Testing in Advanced Disease

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer. The management of melanoma is evolving rapidly due to an improved understanding of the molecular heterogeneity of this disease and the development of effective, personalized, targeted therapy strategies. Although previous classification systems were based predominantly on clinical and histologic criteria, there is now a strong rationale for adding molecular markers to the diagnostic evaluation of these tumors. Research has shown that the types and prevalence of genetic alterations vary among melanoma subtypes. Thus, rational molecular testing should be based on an understanding of the events that are likely to occur in a given tumor and the clinical implications of test results. This review summarizes the existing data that support the rationale formolecular testing in clinically definedmelanoma subtypes. Emerging challenges and controversies regarding the use of variousmolecular testingplatforms, and their implications for clinical testing, are alsodiscussed.ClinCancer Res; 18(5); 1195–200. 2012 AACR.
The Role of Contracting Schemes for the Welfare Costs of Nominal Rigidities Over the Business Cycle

This paper asks the following two questions: First, can a model with nominal rigidities in wage and price setting account for the average welfare costs of business cycle fluctuations identified in Gali, Gertler, and Lopez- Salido (2003)? Second, what is the role of contracting schemes for the welfare costs of business cycle fluctuations? We compute a quadratic approximation to agents expected lifetime utility and evaluate welfare for different modeling schemes of nominal rigidities that all have the same average duration of contracts. Calvo (1983) wage and price contracts can deliver sizeable welfare costs, but other contracts of the same average stickiness cannot. Calvo (1983) contracts can imply welfare costs that are up to 4 times higher than those implied by overlapping contracts in the spirit of Taylor (1980) or Wolman (1999). Furthermore, the sticky information framework of Mankiw and Reis (2002) may generate welfare costs that are even smaller. This paper calls for more research into the origins of wage and price stickiness
The X‐ray Structure of the Adduct between NAMI‐A and Carbonic Anhydrase Provides Insights into the Reactivity of this Metallodrug with Proteins

Heavy metals rock! The reactivity of the antimetastatic metallodrug NAMI-A with human carbonic anhydrase II (hCAII) has been investigated using a number of techniques, including X-ray crystallography. The characterization of the interactions between NAMI-A and hCAII provides valuable information on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the activity of this promising anticancer agent.
On the dynamics of self-sustained one-dimensional detonations: A numerical study in the shock-attached frame

In this work we investigate the dynamics of self-sustained detonation waves that have an embedded information boundary such that the dynamics is influenced only by a finite region adjacent to the lead shock. We introduce the boundary of such a domain, which is shown to be the separatrix of the forward characteristic lines, as a generalization of the concept of a sonic locus to unsteady detonations. The concept plays a fundamental role both in steady detonations and in theories of much more frequently observed unsteady detonations. The definition has a precise mathematical form from which its relationship to known theories of detonation stability and nonlinear dynamics can be clearly identified. With a new numerical algorithm for integration of reactive Euler equations in a shock-attached frame, that we have also developed, we demonstrate the main properties of the unsteady sonic locus, such as its role as an information boundary. In addition, we introduce the so-called “nonreflecting” boundary condition at the far end of the computational domain in order to minimize the influence of the spurious reflected waves. © 2004 American Institute of Physics . [DOI: 10.1063/1.1776531]
Esophageal cancer: chemotherapy as palliative therapy.

50% of patients, who present initially with locoregional tumors, systemic metastatic disease will develop in the large majority of them. This fatal malignant disease is increasing in incidence, with a shift in histological type from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to adenocarcinoma (AC). A variety of single agents and combination regimens have been evaluated in patients with recurrent or metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus since the early 1970 s. The accumulated experience with chemotherapy to date is almost entirely in patients with squamous cell histology, and only recently have trials with new agents included both histologies. The few studies that have been reported in metastatic AC of the esophagus, however, indicate a similar chemosensitivity for AC and SCC. Conventional agents and drug combinations Numerous studies have investigated chemotherapy in metastatic or advanced nonresectable esophageal cancer [1 –3]. When considering only results in untreated patients including modern response evaluation, the largest experience has been gained with cisplatin. Data from six phase II trials resulted in a cumulative response rate of 20% in 161 patients (95% confidence interval 14% to 26%). The duration of responses was short, and median survival generally did not exceed 7 months. A number of other ‘conventional’ anticancer drugs were shown to induce objective tumor remissions in at least 15% of untreated patients with measurable disease. Although the number of treated patients is limited, vindesine, vinorelbine, bleomycin, etoposide and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) ± biochemical modulators such as leucovorin or interferon-a may be regarded as active at least in SCC of the esophagus (since most of the older trials were restricted to this histological subtype).
Experimental and theoretical explanation for the orientation dependence gate-induced drain leakage in scaled MOSFETs

In this work we provide a compelling experimental and theoretical explanation for the low GIDL currents that occur due to band to band (b2b) tunneling in MOSFETs with [100] (45º rotated) channel direction compared to [110] oriented devices. In measurements on bulk Si wafers, we clearly show a factor of ~3x decrease in tunneling current for (001) wafers compared to (011) or (111) wafers supporting the GIDL observations. Rigorous calculations of complex band structure for the three directions reveal that the light hole band dominates the tunneling action integral, supporting our measurements and accounting for the GIDL data.