Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gonadotropin and Estradiol Levels During Ovarian Stimulation in Women Treated With Leuprolide Acetate

&NA; Levels of FSH, LH, and estradiol (E2) were measured in the serum of 209 gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue‐treated women and in 202 control subjects during the final 5 days of ovarian stimulation in our in vitro fertilization program. Levels of FSH and E2 in serum of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue‐treated subjects significantly exceeded control values during the sampling period, whereas LH levels were significantly lower. Concentrations of E2 in serum of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue‐treated and control subjects were similar when corrected for differences in numbers of follicles aspirated at oocyte retrieval (mean of 8.9 and 7.2 follicles per subject, respectively). Pregnancy rates by diagnostic ultrasound were 18 and 11%, respectively, a statistically significant difference. (Obstet Gynecol 73:990, 1989)
A survey of critical success factors for attracting private sector participation in water supply projects in developing countries

Purpose Public-private partnerships (PPPs) offer governments an opportunity to access private capital and skills to build or upgrade, operate and manage public water infrastructure services hitherto provided and run by the public sector. Access to private finance speeds up the provision of public water services in developing countries, where many governments face budgetary constraints. However, the water sector attracts the least investment flows in developing countries, well below other infrastructure sectors. This paper aims to present the results of an investigation of critical success factors (CSFs) required for attracting the private sector in water supply projects. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire survey of international PPP expert opinions was conducted. Findings Analysis results show that the CSFs for attracting the private sector to water PPPs include political commitment from elected leaders toward PPPs for water supply; existence of a dedicated PPP unit; strong and competent public water authority; adequate fiscal capacity of a national/subnational authority; public acceptance and support of involvement of the private sector in water services; a well-designed PPP contract; existence of enabling policy and legal frameworks to support water PPPs; and profitability of water supply project(s) to attract investors and lenders. Agreement analysis also indicates a strong to very strong agreement on the significance and rankings of the CSFs. Originality/value The research findings provide an insight into a number of important issues to enable greater private participation in water supply projects, most of which aim at reminding governments of some key areas that need reform and enabling greater commitment among them to undertake such reforms. Given the limited empirical research on CSFs for attracting private participation, this research makes a contribution to the body of knowledge about private involvement in the water sector of developing countries.
Evaluation of the COBAS AmpliPrep-Total Nucleic Acid Isolation-COBAS TaqMan Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Quantitative Test and Comparison to the VERSANT HBV DNA 3.0 Assay

ABSTRACT Quantitative detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in serum or plasma has become the most direct and reliable method for monitoring chronic hepatitis B. Here, we report the performance characteristics of a real-time PCR hepatitis B DNA quantitative assay, the COBAS TaqMan (CTM) HBV test (Roche Diagnostics, Meylan, France), in combination with an automated DNA extraction on the COBAS AmpliPrep (CAP) instrument using the total nucleic acid isolation kit (TNAI kit), a generic reagent for nucleic acid isolation (both from Roche Diagnostics). The linearity, accuracy, and specificity of the CAP-TNAI-CTM HBV test were evaluated using various reference panels and standards (HBV panel 2004 from Quality Control for Molecular Diagnostics, OptiQuant HBV panel from AcroMetrix, WHO International Standard for HBV, and Teragenix hepatitis B genotype panel). Quantitative results show that the CAP-TNAI-CTM HBV test performed well with respect to linearity, accuracy, and reproducibility from at least 100 to 500,000 HBV DNA IU/ml. Based on the log10 IU of HBV DNA/ml measured, the intra-assay variation ranged from 2.49% to 8.46% and the interassay variation ranged from 1.88% to 7.83%. The test was extremely sensitive and could detect samples containing HBV DNA below the reported quantification threshold (<30 IU/ml). All HBV genotypes were correctly amplified, and no cross-contamination occurred during the automated sample preparation. In addition, 402 human serum samples were tested comparatively to the VERSANT HBV DNA 3.0 assay (bDNA; Bayer Diagnostics, Puteaux, France). The viral load results of the CAP-TNAI-CTM test and bDNA were significantly correlated, but the agreement between the two tests was poor, with large differences between results for individual samples. The hands-on time was estimated to be reduced from 2.30 h with bDNA to 45 min with the CAP-TNAI-CTM test, and up to 84 samples were completely processed within a working day. Overall, the performance characteristics of the CAP-TNAI-CTM test demonstrated that it provides a high-throughput sensitive and reliable method for quantitation of HBV DNA levels in the routine molecular laboratory.
Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia: Public and Producer Perceptions of the Political Public Sphere

About the book In Australia, as in many comparable democracies, the role of the media in the political process is high on the public agenda. There is a perception of widespread disillusionment with and disengagement from politics amongst voters, and criticism of the media for failing to fulfil their democratic responsibilities adequately. This book evaluates public perceptions of the performance of the political media in the context of the declared aims and objectives of media producers. From there the authors present findings for improving the capacity of political media to engage and inform their audiences in ways which enhance the quality and popular legitimacy of the democratic process. These conclusions are of import not only to Australians, but to observers of mediated politics in the UK, the US and other countries where similar debates around the ‘crisis of public communication’ are on-going. Table of Contents Part I: Theories and Frameworks 1. Introduction to Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia 2. The Politics-Media Relationship in Australia: Spin, Political Communication and the Mediatization of Politics 3. Insiders and Their Critics. Part II: Mapping the Australian Political Public Sphere 4. Mapping the Australian Political Public Sphere: The Press 5. The Audio-Visual Public Sphere 6. What the People Think - A Qualitative Evaluation of the Australian Public Sphere 7. More Questions than Answers: Public Participation Programming in Australia 8. Outsiders: Infotainment and Hybridisation in the Australian Political Public Sphere - The Project, Kitchen Cabinet, Gruen Nation 9. Key Findings and Conclusions
Assessment of weight‐based versus standard dosing of heparin in patients with unstable angina

Objective: To assess whether a weight‐based dosing regimen (80 u/kg + 18 u/kg/h) or a standard‐fixed dose regimen (5000 u + 1000 u/h) of heparin is more appropriate in patients with unstable angina (UA).
Adaptable TCR Avidity Thresholds for Negative Selection1

Central tolerance plays a significant role in preventing autoimmune diseases by eliminating T cells with high and intermediate avidity for self. To determine the manner of setting the threshold for deletion, we created a unique transgenic mouse strain with a diverse T cell population and globally increased TCR avidity for self-peptide/MHC complexes. Despite the adaptations aimed at reducing T cell reactivity (reduced TCR levels and increased levels of TCR signaling inhibitor CD5), transgenic mice displayed more severe experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and lupus. The numbers and activity of natural (CD4+CD25+) regulatory T cells were not altered. These findings demonstrate that the threshold for deletion is adaptable, allowing survival of T cells with higher avidity when TCR avidity is globally increased.
Utilizing a personalization-enabled access node in support of converged cross-domain scoring and advertising

Personalization of Internet Protocol (IP) and Internet services is a topic that is attracting significant interest. This paper suggests a novel network-centric method of extracting demographic and psychographic individual profiles from Internet Protocol television (IPTV) activities and correlating these profiles with unauthenticated behavioral profiles mined from Internet traffic in order to create converged cross-domain (IPTV, Internet, and IP Multimedia Subsystem [IMS]) scoring. The method is based on extending the access network with behavioral mining engines and utilizes a novel approach to mapping between authenticated and unauthenticated profiles extracted from different domains. The advantage of the suggested method is that it can offer superior accuracy in targeting individual users, adapts quickly to temporal changes in interests, can work with or without user authentication (addressing security concerns on the Internet), and expands traditional Internet advertising beyond the Internet context. A full end-to-end architecture and call flows are introduced and use cases analyzed, showing the benefits that the new method can offer in terms of improved service personalization and minimization of time required for the system to adapt to new user interests and behaviors.
Isotypes and IgG Subclasses of Anti‐Fab Antibodies in Human Immunodeficiency Virus‐Infected Hemophilia Patients

We reported recently that anti‐Fab autoantibodies of the IgG isotype are associated with the decrease of helper/inducer (CD4+) lymphocytes in human immunodeficiency virus‐infected (HIV+) hemophilia patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS‐related complex (ARC). In the present study we investigated the subclass distribution of IgG‐anti‐Fab autoantibodies, and whether anti‐Fab antibodies of the IgA and IgM isotypes also are associated with the development of AIDS. Sera of HIV+ patients with AIDS had significantly higher IgA‐anti‐Fab activity than HIV+ patients with ARC (p<0.02), HIV+ patients without AIDS/ARC (p<0.0001), HIV‐negative (HIV‐) patients (p<0.001), or healthy controls (p<0.0001). An inverse association was found between IgA‐anti‐Fab activity and CD4+ cell counts (r = ‐0.396, p<10‐6). In contrast, no association of CD4+ cell counts was observed with IgM‐anti‐Fab. However, IgM‐anti‐Fab was significantly increased in patients with thrombocytopenia. We found a significant association between IgA‐anti‐Fab activity and serum neopterin concentrations (r = 0.310, p<10‐5). IgG‐anti‐Fab activity was detected mainly in the IgG3 fraction, although in HIV+ patients with AIDS/ARC various IgG subclasses were present. Affinity‐purified anti‐Fab antibodies isolated from sera of AIDS patients bound to rgp120‐preincubated CD4+ cells of a healthy individual, supporting our hypothesis that anti‐Fab antibodies and free circulating gp120 molecules are involved in the elimination of uninfected CD4+ cells. Removal of anti‐Fab autoantibodies from the circulation by immune adsorbance might be a useful approach in the treatment of AIDS.
Noncanonical NOTCH Signaling Limits Self-Renewal of Human Epithelial and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells through ROCK Activation

ABSTRACT NOTCH plays essential roles in cell fate specification during embryonic development and in adult tissue maintenance. In keratinocytes, it is a key inducer of differentiation. ROCK, an effector of the small GTPase Rho, is also implicated in keratinocyte differentiation, and its inhibition efficiently potentiates immortalization of human keratinocytes and greatly improves survival of dissociated human pluripotent stem cells. However, the molecular basis for ROCK activation is not fully established in these contexts. Here we provide evidence that intracellular forms of NOTCH1 trigger the immediate activation of ROCK1 independent of its transcriptional activity, promoting differentiation and resulting in decreased clonogenicity of normal human keratinocytes. Knockdown of NOTCH1 abrogated ROCK1 activation and conferred sustained clonogenicity upon differentiation stimuli. Treatment with a ROCK inhibitor, Y-27632, or ROCK1 silencing substantially rescued the growth defect induced by activated NOTCH1. Furthermore, we revealed that impaired self-renewal of human induced pluripotent stem cells upon dissociation is, at least in part, attributable to NOTCH-dependent ROCK activation. Thus, the present study unveils a novel NOTCH-ROCK pathway critical for cellular differentiation and loss of self-renewal capacity in a subset of immature cells.
The Maximum‐Likelihood‐Binomial method revisited: a robust approach for model‐free linkage analysis of quantitative traits in large sibships

Model‐free linkage analysis methods, based on identity‐by‐descent allele sharing, are commonly used for complex trait analysis. The Maximum‐Likelihood‐Binomial (MLB) approach, which is based on the hypothesis that parental alleles are binomially distributed among affected sibs, is particularly popular. An extension of this method to quantitative traits (QT) has been proposed (MLB‐QTL), based on the introduction of a latent binary variable capturing information about the linkage between the QT and the marker. Interestingly, the MLB‐QTL method does not require the decomposition of sibships into constituent sibpairs and requires no prior assumption about the distribution of the QT. We propose a new formulation of the MLB method for quantitative traits (nMLB‐QTL) that explicitly takes advantage of the independence of paternal and maternal allele transmission under the null hypothesis of no linkage. Simulation studies under H0 showed that the nMLB‐QTL method generated very consistent type I errors. Furthermore, simulations under the alternative hypothesis showed that the nMLB‐QTL method was slightly, but systematically more powerful than the MLB‐QTL method, whatever the genetic model, residual correlation, ascertainment strategy and sibship size considered. Finally, the power of the nMLB‐QTL method is illustrated by a chromosome‐wide linkage scan for a quantitative endophenotype of leprosy infection. Overall, the nMLB‐QTL method is a robust, powerful, and flexible approach for detecting linkage with quantitative phenotypes, particularly in studies of non Gaussian phenotypes in large sibships. Genet. Epidemiol. 35:46–56, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The phosphorylated C‐terminal domain of Xenopus Cut5 directly mediates ATR‐dependent activation of Chk1

ATR‐dependent activation of the kinase Chk1 is the initial step in signal transduction in the DNA replication checkpoint, which allows a cell to enter mitosis only after the completion of DNA replication. TopBP1‐related proteins in higher eukaryotes are implicated in the replication checkpoint, but their exact role remains elusive because of their requirements for replication initiation. Here we report that the initiation function of Xenopus Cut5/TopBP1 could be entirely separated from its checkpoint function: the N‐terminal half fragment, a region of Cut5 conserved through evolution, is sufficient for initiation, but is incapable of activating the checkpoint; the C‐terminal half fragment, which is unique in metazoan species, is by itself capable of activating the checkpoint response without initiating replication. Upon the activation of Chk1, the Ser1131 within the C‐terminal region of Cut5 is phosphorylated, and this phosphorylation is critical for the checkpoint response. Furthermore, Cut5 directly stimulated Chk1 phosphorylation in the in vitro kinase assay reconstituted with recombinant proteins and ATR immunoprecipitated from extracts. On the basis of replication protein A (RPA)‐dependent loading of Cut5 on to replicating and replication‐arrested chromatin, we propose that Cut5 plays a crucial role in the initial amplification step of the ATR‐Chk1 signaling pathway at the stalled replication fork.
Stress-induced alteration of T-lymphocyte subsets and humoral immunity in mice.

Effects of acute rotational stress on the tissue distribution of lymphocyte subpopulations, and the capacity to mount a humoral immune response were examined in normal and adrenalectomized mice. The splenic lymphocyte population showed a significant alteration in its content of T lymphocytes in normal, but not adrenalectomized animals subjected to rotational stress. Thus adrenal steroids may influence lymphocyte subpopulations in animals responding to stress. Humoral immune responsiveness of splenic lymphocytes was assessed by a direct lymphocyte plaque forming cell assay following immunization with sheep erythrocytes. The peak number of lymphocytes forming antibody to sheep erythrocytes found in spleens of animals subjected to stress begun 24 hours after antigen inoculation was 50% of the number observed in animals immunized and stressed simultaneously (p less than .001). No effect of adrenalectomy on the reduction in the numbers of antibody forming lymphocytes was observed. We conclude that stress can modify immune responsiveness by a number of mechanisms, some of which are independent of adrenal corticosteroid action.
Significance of Thymidylate Synthase and Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 Expression in Patients with Nonsquamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Pemetrexed-Based Chemotherapy

Introduction: This study is to evaluate whether thymidylate synthase (TS) or thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1) protein expression can predict clinical outcomes for pemetrexed-based chemotherapy in patients with nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Two hundred eighty-five consecutive patients with nonsquamous NSCLC treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy were immunohistochemically analyzed for the expressions of TS and TTF1. Results: TS and TTF1 expression were successfully analyzed in 193 and 284 cases, respectively. Tumors with TS-negativity or TTF1-positivity were more frequent in patients who were female, younger, had adenocarcinoma, or had never smoked. Higher response rates for pemetrexed-based chemotherapy were associated with TS-negativity (33.7% versus 14.1%, p = 0.002) and TTF1-positivity (28.1% versus 9.8%, p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, progression-free survival for pemetrexed-based chemotherapy was significantly longer in groups with adenocarcinoma (2.9 versus 1.4 months, p = 0.001), TS-negativity (4.1 versus 2.0 months, p = 0.001), and TTF1-positivity (3.8 versus 1.3 months, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, TS-negativity (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51–0.97) and TTF1-positivity (HR = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.35–0.73) were associated with longer progression-free survival. Patients with TTF1-positive tumors also had significantly longer overall survival times than patients with TTF1-negative tumors (25.4 versus 14.2 months, HR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.39–0.77). Conclusions: Low TS or high TTF1 protein expression was significantly associated with better clinical outcomes in nonsquamous NSCLC patients who were treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. The predictive role of TS or TTF1 expression should be further validated in a prospective randomized study.
Aberrant methylation and reduced expression of RASSF1A in Ewing sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most common solid bone and soft tissue malignancy in children and young adults with low cure rates indicating the need to identify further prognostic markers. The importance of methylation in the inactivation of key tumor suppressor genes including RASSF1A has begun to be appreciated in context of cancer development, prognosis and therapy. However there is lack of similar broad based studies in ES. The objective of this study was to analyze RASSF1A methylation and assess its clinical significance in ES.
Point seroprevalence of canine influenza virus H3N8 in dogs participating in a flyball tournament in Pennsylvania.

OBJECTIVE To determine the seroprevalence of antibody against canine influenza virus H3N8 in a group of pet dogs that participate in flyball in Pennsylvania. DESIGN-SEROLOGIC SURVEY: Animals-Dogs attending a flyball tournament in Downingtown, Pa, from November 13 to 14, 2009. Procedures-Blood samples were collected from dogs following owner consent. Medical, travel, and activity history of the dogs for the previous 10.5 months was obtained from owners. Serum was harvested and submitted to Cornell University Diagnostic Laboratory for measurement of antibody against canine influenza virus H3N8 via hemagglutination inhibition testing. RESULTS Serum samples were obtained from 100 of 256 dogs participating in the flyball event. Although 3 of the 100 (3%) samples had positive results for antibody against canine influenza, none of the associated dogs had respiratory signs of infection (eg, coughing, sneezing, or nasal or ocular discharge) in the 10.5 months prior to testing. Eleven dogs had a history of respiratory signs, but none of those dogs had antibody against canine influenza H3N8. In addition, none of the study dogs had been vaccinated against canine influenza H3N8. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Although canine influenza is considered enzootic in certain areas of the country (eg, Pennsylvania or New York), this study identified a low seroprevalence in dogs considered at high risk for infection given their life conditions and geographic origins. More research is warranted to elucidate the prevalence of exposure to the H3N8 virus in competitive sporting dogs and determine whether vaccination is warranted in such dogs.
Irish GDP between the Famine and the First World War: Estimates Based on a Dynamic Factor Model

A major issue in Irish economic history is the lack of national accounts before the interwar period. This paper constructs new annual estimates of real GDP between 1842 and 1913 based on a novel two-stage econometric approach. Our results show that while living standards approximately tripled in this period, development was uneven with contractions in economic activity not only during the Great Famine but also between the late 1890s and the First World War. As a proof of concept, we also apply our methodology to Swedish data. The resulting estimates closely match existing historical national accounts.
Thermodynamic and kinetic stability of intermolecular triple helices containing different proportions of C+*GC and T*AT triplets.

We have used oligonucleotides containing appropriately placed fluorophores and quenchers to measure the stability of 15mer intermolecular triplexes with third strands consisting of repeats of TTT, TTC, TCC and TCTC. In the presence of 200 mM sodium (pH 5.0) triplexes that contain only T.AT triplets are unstable and melt below 30 degrees C. In contrast, triplets with repeats of TTC, TCC and CTCT melt at 67, 72 and 76 degrees C, respectively. The most stable complex is generated by the sequence containing alternating C+*GC and T*AT triplets. All four triplexes are stabilised by increasing the ionic strength or by the addition of magnesium, although triplexes with a higher proportion of C+*GC triplets are much less sensitive to changes in the ionic conditions. The enthalpies of formation of these triplexes were estimated by examining the concentration dependence of the melting profiles and show that, in the presence of 200 mM sodium at pH 5.0, each C+*GC triplet contributes about 30 kJ x mol(-1), while each T*AT contributes only 11 kJ x mol(-1). Kinetic experiments with these oligonucleotides show that in 200 mM sodium (pH 5.0) repeats of TCC and TTC have half-lives of approximately 20 min, while the triplex with alternating C+*GC and T.AT triplets has a half-life of approximately 3 days. In contrast, the dissociation kinetics of the triplex containing only T*AT are too fast to measure.