Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CD1a, HAM56, CD68 AND S-100 ARE PRESENT IN LESIONAL SKIN BIOPSIES FROM PATIENTS AFFECTED BY AUTOIMMUNE BLISTERING DISEASES

Introduction: Previous research on autoimmune skin blistering diseases (ABD) has primarily focused on the humoral immune response; moreover, little attention has been given to the potential role of the antigen presenting cells (APCs) in lesional skin. Aim: The purpose of our study was to immunophenotype selected APC in the lesional skin of ABDs, utilizing immunohistochemistry (IHC) stains. Materials and Methods: We utilized IHC to stain for dendritic cells (DC), staining with CD1a, CD68, HAM56, and S-100 in lesional skin from 30 patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF), 15 controls from the EPF endemic area, and 15 healthy controls from the USA. We also tested archival biopsies from patients with selected ABD, including 30 patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP), 20 with pemphigus vulgaris (PV), 8 with pemphigus foliaceus (PF) and 14 with dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) and 2 with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA). Results: Cells stained by CD68, HAM56 and S-100 were present in the majority of the ABD skin biopsies; these cells were located primarily in perivascular infiltrates surrounding dermal vessels subjacent to the blisters. However, these cells were also noted within the blisters, in vessels supplying dermal eccrine glands and ducts, and in areas of dermal endothelial-mesenchymal cell junction-like structures, especially in BP cases. In our CD1a staining, the number and location of positive staining cells varied with each disease, being abundant in most ABD in the epidermis suprajacent to the blisters, or in the epidermis surrounding the blister site if the blister site epidermis was missing. In the control biopsies, most did not display positive IHC staining, with the exception of a few CD1a positive cells in the epidermis Conclusion: Our findings confirm positive IHC staining for APCs in areas of the skin besides the disease blisters. Our findings suggest that the antigen presentation in ABD proceeds in areas distant from the blister site. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings, and to explore their full significance.
Identification of p60 antibodies in human sera and presentation of this listerial antigen on the surface of attenuated salmonellae by the HlyB-HlyD secretion system

Antibodies directed against the major secreted protein of Listeria monocytogenes, termed p60, were found more frequently than antilisteriolysin antibodies in sera of listeriosis patients. Anti-p60 antibodies were also identified in all tested sera from healthy individuals. To test whether p60 provides protection against L. monocytogenes, we constructed an attenuated Salmonella typhimurium aroA strain which secretes p60 via the Escherichia coli hemolysin secretion pathway. Application of this Salmonella strain to BALB/c mice prior to an L. monocytogenes infection induced p60 antibodies in these mice and led to a significantly reduced number of viable bacteria in the spleen compared with that in control animals which were primed with the S. typhimurium aroA strain alone.
Spanish complex onsets and the phonetics–phonology interface

This study analyzes cross-dialectal phonetic variation in Spanish complex onsets in light of recent work on the phonetics–phonology interface. Two basic patterns of obstruent-rhotic cluster realization, vowel intrusion and coarticulation-induced rhotic assibilation, receive a phonetically-motivated explanation in terms of the temporal coordination of consonantal gestures, within the framework of Articulatory Phonology (Browman and Goldstein 1989, 1990, 1991, et seq.). Drawing upon recent developments in gestural Optimality Theory (Davidson 2003, Gafos 2002, Hall 2003), I propose an account in which the interaction among gestural alignment constraints generates the range of attested patterns. On the basis of stress restrictions, non-concatenative morphology, the universal non-contrastiveness of intersegmental gestural coordination, and sonority conditions on complex onsets, I show that vowel intrusion and rhotic assibilation are invisible to phonological processes that operate over segments and syllables. In contrast to theories which relegate gestural timing to a low-level phonetic implementation component, this study argues for a unified model in which gestural and non-gestural constraints are present in the same level of the phonology (Hall 2003). Once a representational distinction is made between segments and gestures in the phonological representation, a derivational mapping between phonology and phonetics becomes unnecessary to account for the invisibility of gestural percepts.
Effect of Board’s Skills on Stakeholder Value

The aim of this paper is to discuss the effect of the board’s capital on the firm value by the intermediation of the board’s functions. We took a sample of 73 Tunisian public limited companies and we tested the direct impact of the board’s functions on the firm value and its mediator role on the relationship between board’s capital and firm’s value by using structural equations. Our results show that only the board’s cognitive function has an impact on shareholder and stakeholder value. In fact, the board’s disciplinary function loses its signification by integrating the skills and competencies of directors. Moreover, the board’s cognitive function plays a mediator role between the board’s capital and the firm’s value. Our study aims to stress the new role of the board of directors as a provider of skills and expertise that can ameliorate the value of the firm by assisting the manager in making adequate decisions.
Effect of Risk Ladder Format on Risk Perception in High‐ and Low‐Numerate Individuals

Utilizing a random sample from the general population (N= 257), we examined the effect of the radon risk ladder on risk perception, as qualified by respondents’ numeracy. The radon risk ladder provides comparative risk information about the radon equivalent of smoking risk. We compared a risk ladder providing smoking risk information with a risk ladder not providing this information. A 2 (numeracy; high, low) × 3 (risk level; high, medium, low) × 2 (smoking risk comparison: with/without) between subjects experimental design was used. A significant (p < 0.045) three‐way interaction between format, risk level, and numeracy was identified. Participants with low numeracy skills, as well as participants with high numeracy skills, generally distinguished between low, medium, and high risk levels when the risk ladder with comparative smoking risk information was presented. When the risk ladder without the comparative information about the smoking risk was presented, low‐numerate individuals differentiated between risk levels to a much lesser extent than high‐numerate individuals did. These results provide empirical evidence that the risk ladder can be a useful tool in enabling people to interpret various risk levels. Additionally, these results allow us to conclude that providing comparative information within a risk ladder is particularly helpful to the understanding of different risk levels by people with low numeracy skills.
Convergent and Discriminant Validity of Psychopathy Factors Assessed Via Self-Report

Psychopathy has been conceptualized as a personality disorder with distinctive interpersonal-affective and behavioral deviance features. The authors examine correlates of the factors of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), Self-Report Psychopathy-II (SRP-II) scale, and Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) to understand similarities and differences among the constructs embodied in these instruments. PPI Fearless Dominance and SRP-II Factor 1 were negatively related to most personality disorder symptoms and were both predicted by high Dominance and low Neuroticism. In addition, PPI Fearless Dominance correlated positively with antisocial personality features, although SRP-II Factor 1 did not. In contrast, PPI Impulsive Antisociality, SRP-II Factor 2, and both APSD factors correlated with antisocial personality features and symptoms of nearly all personality disorders, and were predicted by low Love. Results suggest ways in which the measurement of the constructs in each instrument may be improved.
What do Analysts ’ Forecasts Reveal about Analysts ’ ‘ Other ’ Information ?

Analysts often provide forecasts of one-year ahead earnings, earnings two-year ahead, as well as long-term earnings growth rates. In our attempts to understand the properties of these contemporaneous multi-period earnings forecasts, we begin by examining whether analysts’ earnings forecasts can be described using the linear information dynamics (LID). We find that LID is an appropriate description of analysts’ information processing for 77% of our firm year observations. For firm-year observations that exhibit LID, we develop a theoretical procedure to infer the persistence of abnormal earnings, analysts’ other information about future abnormal earnings (not in current abnormal earnings), and the persistence of other information at individual firm year level. Demonstrating that the two symmetrical combinations of the persistence parameters derived from our estimation procedure lead to the same price estimate, we then calculate the predicted firm value (incorporating analysts’ private information). Our results show that the predicted firm value is statistically associated with the observed market value. In addition, when forecasted abnormal earnings are expressed as an ARMA (2,1) the median persistence in current forecasted abnormal earnings into one period ahead forecasted abnormal earnings is 0.95 and the median persistence in lagged forecasted abnormal earnings into one period ahead forecasted abnormal earnings is 0.16. Since our procedure allows us to infer analysts’ other/private information, we find that the main information incorporated in returns originate mostly from innovations in other information rather than innovations in abnormal earnings. Disclaimer: The Securities and Exchange Commission, as a matter of policy, disclaims responsibility for any private publication or statement by any of its employees. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or of the author’s colleagues upon the staff of the Commission. † VERY PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE. * Currently visiting the Securities and Exchange Commission. E-mail: bnj2101@columbia.edu. ** E-mail: jy2176@columbia.edu.
Nephrotoxicity of aminoglycosides and gentamicin.

Gentamicin is a new antibiotic in a category with the aminoglycoside antibiotics kanamycin and neomycin as well as streptomycin, colistimethate and polymyxin B. For this reason its potential toxicity must frequently be evaluated relative to that of the other agents mentioned when choosing the most appropriate therapeutic regimen. Like most other antibiotics and their metabolites, gentamicin is excreted mainly in the urine. For that reason, and because it is an aminoglycoside, alterations in renal function were specifically sought in the early high-dose studies.
Evaluating innovative multimedia customer handling systems

The subject of this thesis is tripartite communication between two human participants and a computer, where one human has access to the computer but the other does not. Its goal is to show that there is an intricate, triadic, relationship between the three. Previous investigations of such communication which have indicated that there are triadic relationships have concentrated on in depth study of the dialogues between the two human participants but have been informal and typically ethnomethodological. Formal or controlled experimental investigations have not taken account of the human-human dialogue, and as a consequence have not recognised the communications’ triadic nature. This thesis redresses this dichotomy through extensive analysis of controlled experimental studies of simulated tripartite customer service situations. These analyses cover the three measures of perception, performance and process which have been used in the study of mediated human-human communication to build a complete model of the interactions. Particular attention was paid to the process of the human-human dialogues, using an adaptation of the Conversational Games Analysis (Kowtko, Isard and Doherty-Sneddon, 1992) coding scheme to gather in depth information about the ways in which participants used their utterances. The analyses of these measures provided empirical evidence that the informal studies were correct in proposing the relationship between the three participants in these communications were triadic. It was shown that not only broad differences in the computer’s interaction style but also apparently small variations could have major impact on the human-human dialogue, and that the conditions of visibility between the three participants interacted strongly with these variations effects.
The Effect of Aging on Bone Formation in Porous Hydroxyapatite: Biochemical and Histological Analysis

The effect of aging on osteoblastic differentiation of marrow stromal stem cells was examined. Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) disks were soaked in cells suspensions of bone marrow cells from young (8 weeks) and old rats (60 weeks) and then implanted subcutaneously in syngeneic young and old rats. The bone marrow/HA composites were harvested 8 weeks later, and the contents of bone Gla protein (BGP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in them were determined. Histologically, bone formation could be detected in all the composites in young recipient rats; however, some old bone marrow/HA composites in old recipients did not show bone formation and the bone volume in the young bone marrow/HA composites was greater than in the old bone marrow/HA composites. The ratios of ALP activities of young bone marrow/HA composites to old bone marrow/HA composites in young and old recipients were about five times and four times, respectively. The ratios of BGP contents of young bone marrow/HA to old bone marrow/HA composite in young and old recipients were about nine and eight times, respectively. The results suggest that the decreased bone formation observed in old bone marrow cells was due to a smaller population of stromal cells and/or decreased capacity of differentiation of stromal stem cells into osteogenic cells.
The cat's vestibulo‐ocular reflex.

1. The conscious cat's vestibulo‐ocular reflex (v.o.r.) has been studied using the electro‐oculogram to measure eye movements. A servomotor was used to rotate the head horizontally while the body remained stationary. 2. The frequency content of natural head movements in the cat has been determined by Fourier analysis. The fastest and most kinked head movement profiles contain frequency components of significant power extending up to 7‐10 Hz. 3. The transfer function of the v.o. r. slow‐phase response was measured in the frequency range 0.2‐7 Hz. At 1 Hz the average gain is 0.94 with a phase lead of 3 deg. At 7 Hz the gain has only fallen to 0.81 and the phase lag is 10 deg. This indicates that the v.o. r. can compensate to a considerable degree for the high‐frequency components of natural head movements. 4. Rotation of the body around a stationary head in the absence of vision does not produce a measurable neck‐ocular reflex. 5. The presence or absence of fast phases has no effect on the phase lead of the v.o. r. slow‐phase response at 0.2 Hz. 6. V.o. r. fast phases never occur more frequently than 4/sec. 7. Fast phases do not function merely to recentre the eyes once a slow phase has driven them to extreme orbital eccentricities. Instead, fast phases occur early on and serve to offset gaze in the same direction as the head movement.
The evaluate and compare the effects of the Tacrolimus and Sirolimus on the intestinal system using an intestinal cell culture model

Abstract Tacrolimus (TAC) and Sirolimus (SRL) are produced by Streptomyces sp and effective immunosuppressive drugs commonly used in organ transplantation. Therefore, strategies for minimizing the toxicity of immunosuppressant molecules are our interest. This study was conducted to evaluate the interactive effects and the possible underlying mechanism of TAC and SRL on HCT116 cells. It was found that TAC and SRL alone inhibited cell viability. Also, it induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), and able to increase DNA fragmentation in a concentration-dependent manner. The use of combined SRL and TAC showed a reservation in all toxicity observed with the two immunosuppressive drugs separately. Our result demonstrated that the mechanisms of TAC and SRL at high concentration are closely connected with oxidative stress. Furthermore, SRL at low concentration plays a protective effect against TAC (IC50) which induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. However, using the combination of the SRL/TAC at high concentrations (IC30) appears as an antagonist response.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Capsid Mutation N74D Alters Cyclophilin A Dependence and Impairs Macrophage Infection

ABSTRACT The antiviral factor CPSF6-358 interferes with the nuclear entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). HIV-1 acquires resistance to CPSF6-358 through the N74D mutation of the capsid (CA), which alters its nuclear entry pathway. Here we show that compared to wild-type (WT) HIV-1, N74D HIV-1 is more sensitive to cyclosporine, has increased sensitivity to nevirapine, and is impaired in macrophage infection prior to reverse transcription. These phenotypes suggest a difference in the N74D reverse transcription complex that manifests early after infection and prior to interaction with the nuclear pore. Overall, our data indicate that N74D HIV-1 replication in transformed cells requires cyclophilin A but is dependent on other interactions in macrophages.
High-Rate Communication for Underwater Acoustic Channels Using Multiple Transmitters and Space–Time Coding: Receiver Structures and Experimental Results

In this paper, we consider the use of multiple antennas and space-time coding for high data rate underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. Recent advances in information theory have shown that significant capacity gains can be achieved by using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems and space-time coding techniques for rich scattering environments. This is especially significant for the UWA channel where the usable bandwidth is severely limited due to frequency-dependent attenuation. In this paper, we propose to use space-time coding and iterative decoding techniques to obtain high data rates and reliability over shallow-water, medium-range UWA channels. In particular, we propose to use space-time trellis codes (STTCs), layered space-time codes (LSTCs) and their combinations along with three low-complexity adaptive equalizer structures at the receiver. We consider multiband transmissions where the available bandwidth is divided into several subbands with guard bands in between them. We describe the theoretical basis of the proposed receivers along with a comprehensive set of experimental results obtained by processing data collected from real UWA communications experiments carried out in the Pacific Ocean. We demonstrate that by using space-time coding at the transmitter and sophisticated iterative processing at the receiver, we can obtain data rates and spectral efficiencies that are not possible with single transmitter systems at similar ranges and depths. In particular, we have demonstrated reliable transmission at a data rate of 48 kb/s in 23 kHz of bandwidth, and 12 kb/s in 3 kHz of bandwidth (a spectral efficiency of 4 bs-1Hz-1) at a 2-km range.
The nature and impact of collaboration and integrated service delivery for pregnant women, children and families.

AIM This paper explores the impact of models of integrated services for pregnant women, children and families and the nature of collaboration between midwives, child and family health nurses and general practitioners. BACKGROUND Increasingly, maternity and child health services are establishing integrated service models to meet the needs of pregnant women, children and families particularly those vulnerable to poor outcomes. Little is known about the nature of collaboration between professionals or the impact of service integration across universal health services. DESIGN Discursive paper. METHODS A literature search was conducted using a range of databases and combinations of relevant keywords to identify papers reporting the process, and/or outcomes of collaboration and integrated models of care. RESULTS There is limited literature describing models of collaboration or reporting outcomes. Several whole-of-government and community-based integrated service models have been trialled with varying success. Effective communication mechanisms and professional relationships and boundaries are key concerns. Liaison positions, multidisciplinary teams and service co-location have been adopted to communicate information, facilitate transition of care from one service or professional to another and to build working relationships. CONCLUSIONS Currently, collaboration between universal health services predominantly reflects initiatives to move services from the level of coexistence to models of cooperation and coordination. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Integrated service models are changing the way professionals are working. Collaboration requires knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of colleagues and skill in communicating effectively with a diverse range of professionals to establish care pathways with referral and feedback mechanisms that generate collegial respect and trust.
Surveying the use of antimicrobials by pastoralists in Narok County , Kenya

In alignment with the One Health Initiative, as recently spotlighted in the eleventh G20 summit, efforts to contain antimicrobial resistance (AMR) must acknowledge the major agricultural contribution. The great economic and cultural significance of livestock in rural Kenya warrants investigation into agricultural antimicrobial use, with the view of supporting global efforts to combat AMR, and also to advance livestock disease control and animal welfare. Presently, surveillance of antimicrobial distribution and usage is scarce, though amongst available publications suggestions of misuse are present. Twenty pastoralists across Narok County were interviewed using a survey template to obtain primary intelligence; qualitative data was assessed for convergence suggesting antimicrobial practices in use. Eight ‘Agrovet’ stores were visited to collect antimicrobial sales records. Seven antimicrobial classes were available in veterinary pharmacies, five of which were included in regimes used by interviewees. Indications for administering antimicrobials included viral diseases, protozoal diseases, specific or generalised clinical disease syndromes, and non-disease events. In the event of treatment failure; the majority of pastoralists would switch drugs, fewer would continue the first drug choice until effect or death, and the minority would consult a veterinarian. The majority of users of Oxytetracycline, Penicillin/Streptomycin and Amoxicillin described using a dose lower than licensed. Overall there is a sufficient degree of consistency amongst qualitative data alluding to misuse to suggest Narok pastoralists do not comply with international standards for responsible antimicrobial use. Suggestions for future research to improve surveillance, implement evidence based advice and promote integrated health programmes are made. List of abbreviations AMR – Antimicrobial Resistance CCPP – Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia FAO – Food and Agricultural Organisation [of the United Nations] G20 – Group of Twenty GDP – Gross Domestic Product GPS – Global Positioning System ILCA – International Livestock Centre for Africa NGO – Non-Governmental Organisation OIE – Office International des Epizooties (World Organisation for Animal Health) TMPS – Trimethoprim/Sulfonamide WHO – World Health Organisation