Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human PD‐L1‐overexpressing porcine vascular endothelial cells induce functionally suppressive human CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+ Treg cells

In xenotransplantation models, direct activation of hCD4+ T cells by porcine VECs leads to a robust proliferation of T cells. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, human antiporcine MLEC culture was used to investigate cross‐species cell interactions, proliferation of hCD4+ T cells, and induction of human cytokines. We report that xenoantigen presentation by PIEC expands hCD4+ Foxp3+ Tregs and hCD4+ Foxp3– Teffs, and this process is dependent on porcine MHC‐II antigen expression. Stable transfection of hPD‐L1 into PIEC inhibits Teff proliferation, but Treg proliferation is not affected. Surprisingly, IL‐10 production by hCD4+ T cells is augmented significantly by PIEChPD‐L1. Notably, hPD‐L1‐induced Tregs have higher suppressive potency and mediate suppressive function partially through IL‐10 and CD73. This study opens the possibility of using hPD‐L1‐overexpressing porcine VECs as a novel therapeutic to allow tolerance of xenotransplants and also supports the possibility of using hPD‐L1 transgenic pigs as xenotransplant donors.
The Comprehensive Assessment: What lessons can be learned?

ABSTRACT Analysing the database made available by the European Central Bank and by the European Banking Authority, we evaluate the Comprehensive Assessment (CA) (Asset Quality Review and Stress Test (ST)) of banks carried out in 2014. In a nutshell, the main results are: (i) risk-adjusted capital ratios are negatively related to the Asset Quality Review shortfall, but not to the ST shortfall, whereas the leverage ratio plays a significant role in both cases; (ii) the CA predominantly concentrated on traditional credit activity rather than on banks’ financial assets and (iii) the CA seems to be characterized by double standards. The Asset Quality Review was severe with banks operating in non-core countries, while medium-sized banks were either riskier or were treated severely in both exercises. The analysis leads to a puzzle: comparatively, the assessment per se led to significant adjustments for solid banks and large shortfalls for weak banks. The puzzle can be resolved by referring to the legacy of the country’s former supervisory activity and to the low level of capitalization of weak banks mostly in peripheral countries. Abbreviations: ADJ_AQR: adjustment due to the AQR; ADJ_ST: adjustment due to the ST adverse scenario; AQR: asset quality review; bps: basis points (1 bp is equal to 0.01%); bn: billion; CA: comprehensive assessment; CET1: common equity tier 1; CR: coverage ratio; CRD/CRR: capital requirements directive/capital requirements regulation; CVA: credit valuation adjustment; EBA: European Banking Authority; ECB: European Central Bank; LM test: Lagrange-multiplier test; NPE: Non-performing exposure; RWA: risk-weighted asset; SF_AQR: shortfall due to the AQR; SF_ST: shortfall due to the ST adverse scenario; SREP: supervisory review and evaluation process; SSM: single supervisory mechanism; ST: stress test; tr: trillion (one thousand of billions)
The Menace of School Shootings in America

There was a time, not very long ago, when the “three Rs” was a catchy reference to the trilogy of basic skills (i.e., reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic). But over the past quarter century, several major shockwaves involving multiple‐victim school shootings have put the concern for student safety and security on par with scholastics. In the modern‐day climate of fear, the “three Rs” has also become about risk, readiness, and response with regard to gun violence. For many generations of students, schools were seen as a place of safety. Although schoolyard fistfights and bullying had long been commonplace, gun violence was hardly a serious problem. By the early 1990s, however, middle schools and high schools, particularly those in urban locations, confronted the spillover of gang‐related gun violence from the city streets to the school hallways. The spike in gang violence within schools prompted the US Congress to pass legislation establishing schools as “gun‐free zones,” with heavy penalties for possessing a firearm at or within close proximity of a school. The focus of concern and the locus of fear changed suddenly and dramatically in 1996 when a 14‐year‐old student from rural Moses Lake, Washington, who was obsessed with a school shooter in a fictional Stephen King tale, mimicked the actions of his hero by killing his algebra teacher and two classmates during a classroom hostage‐taking. The Moses Lake massacre then set the stage for a series of multiple homicides at the hands of alienated adolescents over the next five years (as reflected in the first eight cases of multiple‐victim school homicides listed in Table 1.1), including the infamous and massive shooting spree at Columbine High. The surge in bloodshed impacting schools across the country impelled the venerable CBS anchorman Dan Rather (2001) to declare school shootings an emerging epidemic. The string of deadly school shootings occurred during the time frame when the now‐ expired federal assault weapons ban was still in force. President Bill Clinton and many Americans had hoped the 1994 prohibition against certain military‐style weapons would reduce the scourge of mass killings that had surfaced at post offices, restaurants, and shopping malls as well as schools. However, with the notable exception of the Columbine High assailants, all of the young school shooters of this era had used The Menace of School Shootings in America
Long-term virological effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on cerebrospinal fluid and relationship with genotypic resistance

The objective of this study was to assess the long-term virological response in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and to compare this response to CSF and plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drug resistance profiles. Paired CSF and plasma specimens were drawn from 18 patients receiving HAART at baseline and after 9 to 70 months of therapy. At baseline, median HIV-1 RNA concentrations were 4.13 log10 copies/ml in CSF and 5.31 log10 copies/ml in plasma. At the time of on-therapy CSF sampling, HIV-1 RNA was undetectable in CSF from 13/18 patients (72%), and in plasma from 9/18 patients (50%). The genotypic analysis at baseline revealed reverse transcriptase (RT) resistance mutations in 7 of 11 (64%) CSF samples and in 8 of 11 (73%) plasma samples. No patient had protease resistance mutations, except for secondary mutations. At the time of virological failure in CSF, new RT and protease resistance mutations were found in both CSF and plasma of the two patients with both baseline and on-treatment paired evaluations. At long-term follow-up, the proportion of patients failing to respond virologically was lower in CSF than in plasma. Virological failure in CSF was associated with failure to respond in plasma and onset of new drug resistance mutations in both compartments.
Polymorphism in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α gene may confer susceptibility to androgen-independent prostate cancer

The hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) plays a major role in cancer progression. The role of this transcription factor in prostate cancer development and its transition to a metastatic and androgen refractory state remains to be elucidated. Previous reports have identified the existence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the oxygen-dependent degradation domain of the HIF-1α gene in renal cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). Studies in prostate cancer, however, are variable and limited in the number of cases assessed. Herein we further investigate these SNPs, specifically C1772T (which results in an amino acid change from proline 582 to serine) and G1790A (alanine 588 to threonine). The frequency of these polymorphisms was evaluated in a population of individuals with metastatic AIPC and compared to a set of healthy control subjects. The distribution of HIF-1α genotypes for C1772T in 196 AIPC patients was 161 C/C (82.1%), 29 C/T (14.8%), and 6 T/T (3.1%). The genotype distribution in 196 controls was 179 C/C (91.3%), 14 C/T (7.1%), and 3 T/T (1.5%). Our results demonstrate a significant difference in genotype distribution between AIPC patients and control subjects only for the C1772T polymorphism (p = 0.024). The association of the incidence of the polymorphism with overall survival was determined to be not statistically significant (p = 0.93) by the Mantel-Haenszel (log-rank) test. These results suggest that the C1772T polymorphism in HIF-1? may confer susceptibility to AIPC and contribute to the progression or metastasis of this disease.
Circadian response of annual weeds to glyphosate and glufosinate

Five field experiments were conducted in 1998 and 1999 in Minnesota to examine the influence of time of day efficacy of glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] and glufosinate [2-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl-phosphinyl)butanoic acid] applications on the control of annual weeds. Each experiment was designed to be a randomized complete block with four replications using plot sizes of 3×9 m. Glyphosate and glufosinate were applied at rates of 0.421 kg ae/ha and 0.292 kg ai/ha, respectively, with and without an additional adjuvant that consisted of 20% nonionic surfactant and 80% ammonium sulfate. All treatments were applied with water at 94 L/ha. Times of day for the application of herbicide were 06:00h, 09:00h, 12:00h, 15:00h, 18:00h, 21:00h, and 24:00h. Efficacy was evaluated 14 d after application by visual ratings. At 14 d, a circadian response to each herbicide was found, with greatest annual weed control observed with an application occurring between 09:00h and 18:00h and significantly less weed control observed with an application at 06:00h, 21:00h, or 24:00h. The addition of an adjuvant to both herbicides increased overall efficacy, but did not overcome the rhythmic time of day effect. Results of the multiple regression analysis showed that after environmental temperature, time of day was the second most important predictor of percent weed kill. Thus, circadian timing of herbicide application significantly influenced weed control with both glyphosate and glufosinate.
Mutual Support and Challenges Among Chinese Couples Living With Colorectal Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Background A diagnosis of cancer and its treatment affect couples as a unit, and they must cope and give each other mutual support as dyads. Few studies have focused explicitly on understanding mutual support among couples coping with colorectal cancer (CRC). Objective The aim of this study was to explore the mutual support of couples in their journey of coping together with CRC. Methods This is a qualitative descriptive study with purposeful sampling. A total of 11 couples in which 1 partner has been diagnosed with CRC were recruited for in-depth interviews. Results Three themes and 8 subthemes emerged from a conventional content analysis. The 3 themes were mutual support and reciprocity, challenges confronted in the provision of support, and experiencing adjustments/outcomes. Conclusion The findings of this study provide insights to healthcare professionals on the process by which couples coping with CRC give each other mutual support and the related challenges. This will aid in the development of an intervention program to support such couples, through enhancing their mutual support, overcoming challenges, and improving their adjustment/outcomes. Implications for Practice Healthcare professionals need to (1) include the spouse of the cancer patients in their care and provide them with support, (2) encourage the couples to share their concerns with each other, (3) encourage spousal caregivers to take good care of themselves while providing support to their loved ones with CRC, and (4) develop a couple-based intervention program in providing support to couples coping with cancer as dyads.
The perspectives of young adults on recovery from repeated suicide-related behavior.

BACKGROUND This qualitative study sought to develop an understanding of how young adults between the ages of 18-25 years, who have a history of two or more suicide attempts, transition away from high-risk suicide-related behaviors. AIMS To understand the transition to safer behaviors and to provide clinical suggestions for those who provide care to this population. METHODS Sixteen young adults under the age of 25 years, who had completed at least one cycle of intervention for people with repeated suicide attempts, participated in this qualitative, grounded theory study. RESULTS The young adults described a pathway that included three major elements: (a) "living to die", (b) ambivalence and tipping/turning points, and (c) a process of recovery that included small steps or phases (pockets of recovery) toward life. The journey was not always experienced as steady movement forward, and the potential for relapse either in the young people's behavior or their wish to engage in their relationship with death could ebb and flow. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians need to be aware that the struggle to live is a process involving a fluid pathway moving between three key elements.
Proxyeconomics, An agent based model of Campbell's law in competitive societal systems

In many areas of society we rely on competition to better achieve societal goals. Ideally, competition motivates effort and efficiently allocates resources. However, due to imperfect information, competition generally depends on quantitative proxy measures in order to assess performance. This leads to an increasing use of such quantitative proxies in modern societies. Examples include: in science, the publication count of an author, in healthcare, the number of patients treated or in business, the profit achieved. Importantly, some practices may optimize proxy performance but not the actual societal goal. In such cases, individual decisions and cultural practices may shift away from the societal goal and toward the proxy. Such processes have been described by a law attributed to Charles Goodhart or Donald T. Campbell, most pithily phrased as: 'When a measure becomes a target it ceases to be a good measure. ' While the original mentions of this law address policy determination or education respectively, we propose it applies to any competitive societal system: Any proxy measure in a competitive societal system becomes a target for the competing individuals (or groups). Here, we construct an agent based model to explore the basic components and dynamics of such a process. The model combines an effort incentivization mechanism from economic multitasking theory and contest theory with a slower process of cultural evolution.
Isolation and characterization of a cloned cell line R3327H-G8-A1 derived from the dunning R3327H rat adenocarcinoma.

A cloned cell line (R3327H-G8-A1) has been isolated from the Dunning R3327H adenocarcinoma. Light and electron microscopic studies showed that the cell line possessed features common to secretory epithelial cells. These cells, which grow in monolayer culture, produced s.c. hind flank tumors when inoculated inoculated into Copenhagen X Fischer F1 rats.l Chromosomal karyotype analysis confirmed that the cell line is distinctly that of the Rattus norvegicus genus and species. The cells specifically bind testosterone and dexamethasone with equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) of 0.49 and 0.8 nM, respectively. The numbers of saturable binding sites per cell are 10,000 for testosterone and 60,000 for dexamethasone. The cells also have 5 alpha-reductase activity. These properties are characteristic of the prostate and of the Dunning tumor from which the cells are derived. Cell growth in vitro was stimulated by androgens and inhibited by glucocorticoids at concentrations of 10(-8) M. An int riguing finding was that estradiol and progestins dramatically stimulated growth in the apparent absence of receptors for these hormones. Finally, comparisons between the G8-A1 cells and the tumor induced by the G8-A1 clone and a second generation of cells from this G8-A1-induced tumor showed that the cloned cells retained their properties following passaging in the animal.
Specific Domains of β-Amyloid from Alzheimer Plaque Elicit Neuron Killing in Human Microglia

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is found to have striking brain inflammation characterized by clusters of reactive microglia that surround senile plaques. A recent study has shown that microglia placed in contact with isolated plaque fragments release neurotoxins. To explore further this process of immunoactivation in AD, we fractionated plaque proteins and tested for the ability to stimulate microglia. Three plaque-derived fractions, each containing full-length native Aβ1-40 or Aβ1-42 peptides, elicited neurotoxin release from microglia. Screening of various synthetic peptides (Aβ1-16, Aβ1-28, Aβ12-28, Aβ25-35, Aβ17-43, Aβ1-40, and Aβ1-42) confirmed that microglia killed neurons only after exposure to nanomolar concentrations of human Aβ1-40 or human Aβ1-42, whereas the rodent Aβ1-40 (5Arg→Gly, 10Tyr→Phe, 13His→Arg) was not active. These findings suggested that specific portions of human Aβ were necessary for microglia–plaque interactions. When coupled to microspheres, N-terminal portions of human Aβ (Aβ1-16, Aβ1-28, Aβ12-28) provided anchoring sites for microglial adherence whereas C-terminal regions did not. Although itself not toxic, the 10–16 domain of human Aβ was necessary for both microglial binding and activation. Peptide blockade of microglia–plaque interactions that occur in AD might prevent the immune-driven injury to neurons.
Multiple descending corticospinal volleys demonstrated by changes of the wrist flexor H‐reflex to magnetic motor cortex stimulation in intact human subjects

To study noninvasively multiple descending volleys on alpha motoneurons, we used a 30–50% maximum H‐reflex in the wrist flexor muscle conditioned by a subthreshold magnetic stimulus of the contralateral motor cortex as a parameter of motoneuronal excitability in seven neurologically healthy subjects. The time interval of the median nerve (test) stimulus and the magnetic (conditioning) stimulus was varied. In all subjects the conditioned H‐reflex significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced at conditioning‐test intervals between ‐1 ms and +10 ms. Superimposed on the overall facilitation there were at least two short duration periods of enhanced facilitation in all but one subject. These periods were separated by 2–4 ms and suggest increased excitability at the alpha motoneuronal pool brought on by the descending volleys. We conclude that with subthreshold magnetic cortical stimuli it is possible to produce multiple descending corticospinal volleys, which probably represent descending I waves. This should be taken into account when analyzing motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in clinical studies. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
RFID Tag Performance: Linking the Laboratory to the Field through Unsupervised Learning

Despite the promise that the technology offers, RFID adoption continues to lag behind initial projections. Industry studies intimate that, in part, this lag is attributable to the RFID performance gap – the difference between desired RFID tag read‐rates and those experienced in the field. To explore this phenomena, we employ a mixed research methodology involving intensive case studies of three major retailers as well as large‐scale laboratory and field data collection and analysis. Our case studies indicate that major retailers are incurring several operational inefficiencies, including slowed processing times, manual counts to verify inventory levels, and use of “safety factors,” to overcome RFID tag read failures. The practical significance of these findings motivates our subsequent investigation of laboratory test criteria that, when passed, result in RFID tags that perform reliably in the field. To facilitate quantitative analyses, we apply unsupervised learning techniques – i.e., the sequential application of cluster analysis and association rules – to a dataset of 45,416 observations that merge RFID tag laboratory test performance data with read‐rate performance data collected from retail supply chains. Our findings identify a pool of RFID tags in which over 99% of the tags have at least a 99% read‐rate. Thus, for academics, our study advances a novel unsupervised learning protocol that can be applied to “big data” to gain insights into meaningful supply chain issues, such as RFID tag performance. For practitioners, we establish laboratory test criteria that can be used to identify RFID tags that operate reliably in real‐world applications.
ANALYSIS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF ‘KABUPATEN APBD’ BUDGET ALLOCATION AGAINST THE POVERTY IN INDONESIA 2006-2009

This research aims to analyze the impact of APBD/counties/ regency/city budget allocation against the poverty in Indonesia for the period of 2006 – 2009. By using the panel data of 172 regencies/cities, this research has found that the allocation of APBD budgeting is not pro-poor oriented, but it could have the possibility to reduce the poverty level. The result of this research has explained that low rate of the inflation could reduce the poverty level itself. Keywords: budgeting allocation, APBD (counties, district, city budgeting), pro-poor, poverty level.
Development of the vomeronasal amygdala in anuran amphibians: Hodological, neurochemical, and gene expression characterization

The organization of the amygdaloid complex in amphibians possesses major features shared with amniotes. Basic subdivisions have been identified and tentatively compared with their counterparts in other tetrapods. However, problems appeared when trying to find homologies for the amphibian vomeronasal amygdala, the medial amygdala (MeA), because of its embryological origin and, therefore, its evolutionary significance could not be established. Thus, in the present study the main characteristics of the MeA in anurans were studied during development by means of tract‐tracing, immunohistochemical, and gene expression techniques. The connectivity of the MeA, mainly related to the accessory olfactory bulb and the hypothalamus, and the localization of neurochemical markers such as substance P, somatostatin, and GABA strongly support its homology with the medial amygdala (subpallial) of mammals. In addition, analysis of the expression patterns of the LIM‐homeodomain genes x‐Lhx5/7/9 in the developing MeA, together with the immunohistochemistry for GABA and the transcription factor NKX2.1, evidence its resemblance to the subpallial component of the vomeronasal amygdala of mammals in terms of embryological origin and, most likely, the presence of migrated cells from other territories. No evidence was found for pallial‐derived territories in the vomeronasal amygdala of anurans that could be comparable to the cortical portions that exist in amniotes, suggesting that these cortical components have emerged in the anamnio‐amniotic transition in the evolution of tetrapods. J. Comp. Neurol. 503:815–831, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.