Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cord blood transplantation for acute myelogenous leukemia using a conditioning regimen consisting of granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor‐combined high‐dose cytarabine, fludarabine, and total body irradiation

Abstract: The cytotoxic effect of cytarabine (Ara‐C) on myeloid leukemic cells is enhanced by concomitant use of granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) in vitro. The feasibility of a conditioning regimen consisting of G‐CSF‐combined 24 g/m2 Ara‐C, 90 mg/m2 fludarabine, and 12 Gy total body irradiation was studied for five patients with acute myelogenous leukemia in cord blood transplantation (CBT). Graft vs. host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and methotrexate. After the conditioning regimen, 2.48 × 107/kg (2.28–3.53) of cord blood nucleated cells was infused. Neutrophil counts consistently >0.5 × 109/L was achieved 24 d (22–32) after CBT. Grade I stomatitis and gastrointestinal toxicities occurred in all patients. Grades I and II acute GVHD occurred in one and four patients, respectively, which resolved without steroid therapy. Sepsis and aspergillosis occurred in two and one patients, respectively. All patients were alive without leukemia relapse at a follow up of 15 months (12–43) after CBT. This conditioning regimen could avoid the toxicities of high‐dose cyclophosphamide but might enhance the cytotoxic effect of Ara‐C. Large‐scale studies will be needed to determine the efficacy and safety of the conditioning regimen in CBT.
Characterization of a Group of Anaerobically Induced, fnr-Dependent Genes of Salmonella typhimurium

ABSTRACT We have previously reported the isolation of a group of anaerobically regulated, fnr-dependent lacfusions in Salmonella typhimurium and have grouped theseoxd genes into classes based on map position. In order to identify these genes, we have replaced the original Mud-lacfusion in a member of each oxd class with the much smaller Mud-cam element, cloned the fusion, and determined DNA sequence sufficient to define the oxd gene. Several of the fusions correspond to previously known genes from S. typhimurium or Escherichia coli: oxd-4 = cbiA and oxd-11 = cbiK, oxd-5 = hybB, oxd-7 = dcuB, oxd-8 = moaB, oxd-12 = dmsA, and oxd-14 = napB (aeg-46.5). Two other fusions correspond to previously unknown loci: oxd-2 encodes an acetate/propionate kinase, and oxd-6 encodes a putative ABC transporter present in S. typhimurium but not in E. coli.
Illness awareness in terminal cancer patients: an Italian study

The amount and quality of information and awareness in cancer patients’ is a topic frequently debated, but few studies have focussed on terminal patients. This is the objective of the present study that involved two different palliative home-care units in Italy, which recruited 550 terminal cancer patients. Data from patients and their caregivers was prospectively collected with special attention to information patients were provided with when their cancer was diagnosed and patients’ awareness of their current health condition. In the case of the information, 67.0% of patients reported they were previously informed about their diagnosis, but only 58.0% seemed to be aware of their terminal condition. The comparison between the caregivers opinions about the level of information provided to the patients and their present awareness and what the patients really know about their own disease shows a high degree of correspondence. Some variables such as age and education level of patients were associated with patient’s awareness.
An Intra-Peyer’s Patch Gene Transfer Model for Studying Mucosal Tolerance: Distinct Roles of B7 and IL-12 in Mucosal T Cell Tolerance1

Development of mucosal immunity and tolerance requires coordinated expression of a number of genes within the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). To study the roles of these genes in the MALT, we have established a MALT-specific gene transfer model using replication-defective adenovirus as vector. In this model, the target gene of interest is directly delivered into the Peyer’s patch by intra-Peyer’s patch injection of the recombinant virus. Using this gene transfer model, we investigated the roles of B7-1 and IL-12 in the development of mucosal tolerance. We found that intra-Peyer’s patch injection of OVA induced Ag-specific T cell hyporesponsiveness, as manifested by decreased T cell proliferation and IL-2/IFN-γ production upon subsequent immune challenge. Intra-Peyer’s patch B7-1 gene transfer at the time of OVA administration partially reversed the inhibition of T cell proliferation and IL-2 secretion, but had no effect on IFN-γ production. By contrast, intra-Peyer’s patch IL-12 gene transfer completely restored T cell proliferation and IFN-γ secretion and partially reversed IL-2 inhibition. Using an adoptive TCR transgenic model, we further demonstrated that B7 and IL-12 played distinct roles during the inductive phase of mucosal tolerance. B7 selectively increased T cell proliferation and IL-2 secretion without affecting IFN-γ production, whereas IL-12 increased both IL-2 and IFN-γ production. These results indicate that B7 alone may not be sufficient to abrogate mucosal tolerance, and that cytokines such as IL-12 may also be required. Based on these findings, we propose a new model to explain the paradoxical roles of B7 in mucosal immunity and tolerance.
Low cost error tolerant motion estimation for H.264/AVC standard

Motion estimation is the most important module in any video encoder from quality point of view. Although in the presence of faults the final generated bit-stream is compatible with the standard but the quality degradation and decreasing of compression ratio is considerable. In this paper a low cost error tolerant structure for motion estimation is proposed. Simulation results show that our proposed method imposes smaller area and power overhead with small effect on quality.
Ratings Lead You to the Product, Reviews Help You Clinch It: The Dynamics and the Impact of Online Review Sentiments on Product Sales

It is generally assumed that ratings are a numeric representation of text sentiments and their valences are consistent. This however may not always be true. Using a panel of data on over 4,000 books from Amazon.com, we develop a multiple equation model to examine the inter-relationships between ratings, sentiments, and sales. We find that ratings do not have a significant direct impact on sales but have an indirect impact through sentiments. Sentiments, however, have a direct significant impact on sales. Our findings also indicate that the two most accessible types of reviews – most helpful and most recent play a significant role in determining sales. This suggests that information that is easily accessible and cognitive effort-reducing heuristics play a role in online purchase decisions. This study advances our understanding on the inter-relationship between ratings, sentiments, and sales and sheds insight on the relevance of ratings and sentiments over a sequential decision making process.
Long-term Mortality Risk After Spinal Cord Injury

We studied long-term mortality in a sample of 19,226 persons with spinal cord injury. Subjects were grouped into 4 categories on the basis of neurological lesion (which depends on how high the injury is on the spinal column) and on the severity of impact (Frankel grade). Excess death rates tended to increase with age in each category, while mortality ratios tended to decrease. Addresses: Department of Statistics (Drs Strauss and Shavelle), University of California, Riverside, CA 92521; Spain Rehabilitation Center (Dr DeVivo), University of Alabama, University Station, Birmingham, AL 35294.
Interaction of dietary magnesium level on the feeding value of supplemental fat in finishing diets for feedlot steers.

A feeding trial involving 160 crossbred steers (357 kg) and a metabolism trial involving eight Holstein steers (189 kg) cannulated in the rumen and proximal duodenum were conducted to evaluate the interaction of dietary Mg level (.18 vs .32%, DM basis) and supplemental fat (0% supplemental fat vs 4% tallow [T], yellow grease [YG], or griddle grease [GG]) on growth performance and NE value of the diet. Dietary Mg level did not influence (P > .10) growth performance. Daily weight gain was lower (11%, P < .05) for steers fed GG than for those fed YG. Supplemental fat decreased (5%, P < .10) DMI and increased (P < .05) gain efficiency (7%). There was a fat x Mg level interaction (P < .01) for dietary NE. The increase in dietary NEg with T and YG supplementation was similar (8.6 vs 8.0%) for diets containing . 18 and . 32% Mg. In contrast, the increase in dietary NEg with GG supplementation was 8.9% with . 18% dietary Mg, but the NEg value of the diet did not increase when GG was added to diets with . 32% dietary Mg. Dressing percentage was lower (1.5%, P < .1) and retail yield was greater (2.2%, P < .05) for steers fed GG- than for steers fed YG-supplemented diets. Increasing dietary Mg level increased kidney, pelvic, and heart fat (5.5%, P < .05). There was a fat x Mg level interaction (P < .1) for marbling score. With diets containing no supplemental fat, increasing dietary Mg decreased (15.2%) the marbling score, and with diets containing supplemental fat, increasing dietary Mg increased (7.2%) the marbling score. Fat supplementation decreased (P < .01) ruminal and total tract digestion of OM (10 and 3.5%, respectively) and NDF (37 and 17%, respectively). Supplemental fat did not affect (P > .10) Ca digestion but decreased (41.7%, P < .01) apparent Mg digestion. Increasing dietary Mg level increased (77.7%, P < .05) apparent Mg digestion. There were no treatment effects (P > .10) on postruminal fatty acid digestion. Fat supplementation decreased (17.3%, P < .01) the acetate:propionate molar ratio. Total ruminal protozoal counts were increased (12.7%, P < .05) by increasing dietary Mg level and decreased (12.9%, P < .05) by fat supplementation. We conclude that supplemental fats may depress Mg absorption. Increasing dietary magnesium levels beyond current recommendations may increase marbling scores in cattle fed fat-supplemented diets but may not affect growth performance or dietary NE. The NE value of fat is a predictable function of level of fat intake.
Influence of Microelements on the Morphology of the Teeth

In the past few years, attention has been given to a few observations that the morphology of the teeth might be influenced by nutritional or environmental factors in addition to genetic factors. The differentiation of cells, the formation of enamel and dentin matrixes, and their consecutive mineralization are biologic processes in need of nutritive energy, specific molecular tissue constituents, and catalysts. Disturbances in energy transfer and deviations in the supply of nutrients during these stages of development may influence the gross morphology of the teeth (size of teeth, width and depth of occlusal fissures and pits), the micromorphology of the teeth (surface roughness, perikymata, enamel hypoplasia, and so forth), and finally the ultrastructure of the teeth (crystallinity and prism harmony, molecular arrangement, organic and inorganic composition of both enamel and dentin). Figure 1 diagrams the energy transfer.
Exponential stabilisation for time-varying delay system with actuator faults: an average dwell time method

The issue of exponential stabilisation for a class of special time-varying delay switched systems resulting from actuator faults is considered in this article. The time-varying delay is assumed to belong to an interval and can be a slow or fast time-varying function. A hybrid state feedback strategy is redesigned to guarantee the system stable since the original controller is unavailable for some actuators failures. A class of switching laws incorporating the average dwell time method is proposed so that the special switched system with interval time-varying delay is exponentially stable. New delay-range-dependent stabilisation conditions using state feedback controllers are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) by choosing appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional without neglecting some useful knowledge on system states. Parameterised characterisations of the controllers are given in terms of the feasibility solutions to the LMIs. Two numeral examples are given to demonstrate the applicability and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A study of the use of simulated work task situations in interactive information retrieval evaluations: A meta-evaluation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report a study of how the test instrument of a simulated work task situation is used in empirical evaluations of interactive information retrieval (IIR) and reported in the research literature. In particular, the author is interested to learn whether the requirements of how to employ simulated work task situations are followed, and whether these requirements call for further highlighting and refinement. Design/methodology/approach – In order to study how simulated work task situations are used, the research literature in question is identified. This is done partly via citation analysis by use of Web of Science®, and partly by systematic search of online repositories. On this basis, 67 individual publications were identified and they constitute the sample of analysis. Findings – The analysis reveals a need for clarifications of how to use simulated work task situations in IIR evaluations. In particular, with respect to the design and creation of realistic simulated.
Induction of antioxidant enzymes in murine podocytes precedes injury by puromycin aminonucleoside.

BACKGROUND An imbalance between the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense mechanisms has been suggested to play an important role in podocyte injury in nephrotic syndrome. Experimental nephrotic syndrome induced by injection of puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) into rats is a well-established model of nephrotic syndrome, and can be largely prevented by pretreatment with antioxidant enzymes (AOE), suggesting that podocyte injury may be mediated by ROS. METHODS To test the hypothesis that PAN-induced podocyte injury is modulated in part by podocyte antioxidant defenses, we analyzed AOE activities, lipid peroxidation products, and relative ROS levels in podocytes using our recently reported in vitro model of PAN-induced podocyte injury. RESULTS PAN treatment induced early increases in both podocyte hydrogen peroxide and superoxide and later increases in lipid peroxidation products. Compared to baseline activities, PAN also induced significant changes in the major cellular AOE activities (maximum increases of 151% for catalase, 134% for superoxide dismutase, and 220% for glutathione peroxidase vs. time-matched controls). These changes largely preceded the development of extensive podocyte process retraction and actin filament disruption, which was maximal at 7 days. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that (1) PAN treatment induces significant early changes in podocyte ROS, (2) podocytes can mount an antioxidant defense against oxidant stress, and (3) this protective response is initiated prior to the development of extensive oxidant-induced podocyte structural injury. These findings suggest that enhancement of podocyte AOE activities represent a potential therapeutic target to protect from or ameliorate podocyte injury during nephrotic syndrome.
Annealing Effects on Resistivity Properties of Vacuum Evaporated Cu 2 S Thin Films

Cu2S thin films have been prepared by vacuum evaporation method from CuS powder. Cu2S was deposited onto precleaned flat glass substrates coated under a pressure of 10 torr at an evaporation rate of 3Å /sec. The resistivity of the vacuum evaporated Cu2S thin films was measured in the temperature range 303K-453K and was found between 10 to 10 ohm cm. This low resistivity is due to degenerate nature of the film. Resistivity of the films was analyzed using four probe method. Low thickness Cu2S film exhibit copper-rich phases whereas the film exhibit sulphur –rich phases towards the higher thickness. Annealing effect shows that the resistivity increases when the films are annealed at 100C and with further increase in annealing temperature, the Cu2S films shows slight decrease in resistivity. Variation in transition temperature, sheet resistance and activation energy were determined for the Cu2S films.
PINEAL SEROTONIN N‐ACETYLTRANSFERASE ACTIVITY: PROTECTION OF STIMULATED ACTIVITY BY ACETYL‐CoA AND RELATED COMPOUNDS

—Rat pineal serotonin N—acetyltransferase activity increases 30–70‐fold at night in the dark and then decreases rapidly when animals are exposed to light. Activity of the enzyme is also stimulated by l‐norepinephrine in organ culture. When homogenates of glands stimulated by dark in vivo or NE in vitro are incubated at 37°C, enzyme activity will also rapidly decrease. This decrease can be prevented by one of the cosubstrates of the enzyme, acetyl–CoA. Protection can also be conferred by cysteamine (β‐mercaptoethylamine, HS–CH2–CH2–NH2) which is the terminal portion of the CoA molecule. This protection mechanism could be involved in the physiological control of enzyme activity.
Development of a Questionnaire to Examine Confidence of Occupational Therapy Students during Fieldwork Experiences

This paper describes the development of an instrument designed to examine the level of confidence of occupational therapy students during their fieldwork experiences. Confidence in this context refers to Bandura's concept of self-efficacy in Social Cognitive Theory. As this subject has received little formal study, no appropriate tool was found to measure confidence in students. The purpose of this study was to design a measure to provide students with an opportunity to self-assess their levels of confidence both within a placement and throughout their entire fieldwork experiences. The instrument was constructed in three phases: I - Instrument Development; II - Instrument Testing; 111 - Instrument Implementation. In Phase III, the instrument was distributed to all students entering the first year of occupational therapy studies at the University of Alberta. Data was collected from these students during their four fieldwork placements to address the questions of whether confidence increases during a fieldwork placement regardless of placement level, whether confidence increases by placement level, and whether student or placement characteristics affect levels of confidence. Results of the study support the hypotheses that confidence levels increase both during a fieldwork placement and with successive placements. Reliability and validity analyses indicated that the measure may be a useful tool to assess confidence in students during fieldwork placements. Cet article décrit l'élaboration d'un instrument conçu pour évaluer le degré de confiance des étudiants en ergothérapie pendant leurs stages en milieu clinique. Dans ce contexte, le concept de la confiance est utilisé en référence au concept d'efficacité personnelle présenté dans la théorie sociale cognitive de Bandura. Comme ce sujet a fait l'objet de peu d'études formelles, on n'a trouvé aucun instrument pouvant mesurer adéquatement la confiance des étudiants. Le but de cette étude était de concevoir une mesure qui permettrait aux étudiants d'autoévaluer leur degré de confiance au cours d'un stage et pour l'ensemble de leur formation clinique. L'instrument a été construit en trois étapes: I - Conception de l'instrument; II - Mise à l'essai de l'instrument; 111 - Mise en oeuvre de l'instrument. À l'étape III, l'instrument a été distribué à tous les étudiants de première année de l'Université d'Alberta. Des données ont été recueillies auprès de ces étudiants pendant leur quatre stages, pour déterminer: si la confiance augmente au cours d'un stage, peu importe le niveau du stage; si la confiance augmente en fonction du niveau de stage et si les caractéristiques de l'étudiant ou du stage ont un effet sur le degré de confiance. Les résultats de l'étude appuient les hypothèses selon lesquelles le degré de confiance augmente à la fois pendant un stage et d'un stage à l'autre. Les analyses de la sensibilité et de la validité indiquent que la mesure peut être un outil utile pour évaluer le degré de confiance des étudiants pendant les stages.
SYNCHRONIZATION OF OVULATION IN REPEAT BREEDING CROSSBRED JERSEY COWS USING GnRH AND PGF 2

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Ovsynch protocol in repeat breeding crossbred Jersey cows. A total of thirty four repeat breeding cross bred Jersey cows were subjected to Ovsynch protocol with timed artificial insemination. The pregnancy rate in Ovsynch protocol was 58.82 per cent where as it was 29.41 per cent in control group. Thus, the Ovsynch protocol can be effectively used to improve the pregnancy rate in repeat breeder cows.
Comparison of clinicoradiologic manifestation of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia and usual interstitial pneumonia/idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Ever since Katzenstein and Fiorelli introduced the term nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) to denote those cases of interstitial pneumonia that cannot be categorized as any of the other types of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP), there has been continuing debate on whether it is a real clinical entity or not. The American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Symposium task group tried to identify idiopathic NSIP as a separate disease and exclude it from the category of IIP. However, it appears that the clinical presentation of NSIP and usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) are the same. OBJECTIVE: To show that the radiologic features of NSIP and UIP should be relied upon, instead of clinical presentation and pathologic findings, to differentiate between the two. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients who had received a diagnosis of either NSIP or UIP on the basis of open lung biopsy between January 2001 and December 2007 were identified for inclusion in this retrospective review. The study included 61 subjects: 32 men and 29 women with a mean age of 59.39 ± 14.5 years. Chest computed tomography images of all the cases were collected for a review. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and all pathologic specimens were also evaluated. A weighted kappa coefficient was used to evaluate whether radiology can be used instead of biopsy for the diagnosis of NSIP and UIP. Comparison of the mean ages and the time intervals (i.e., interval between symptom onset and the time of diagnosis) in the UIP and NSIP groups was done using the Mann-Whitney U test. Association between gender and biopsy result was evaluated by the Fisher exact test. Data were evaluated using SPSS, v.13. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were included in this study, 32 were male and 29 were female. On the basis of biopsy findings, 50 (82%) patients had UIP and 11 (18%) had NSIP. Thirty (60%) of the 50 patients who had UIP were male and 20 (40%) were female; 2 (18.2%) of the 11 patients who suffered from NSIP were male and 9 (81.8%) were female. Based on HRCT findings, 36 (60%) patients were diagnosed to have UIP and 24 (40%) were diagnosed with NSIP. When diagnosis was based on biopsy findings, the time interval in the UIP group was 13.59 ± 8.29 months and in the NSIP group it was 7.90 ± 4.18 months. When diagnosed on the basis of HRCT findings, the time interval in the UIP group was 14.22 ± 8.94 months and in the NSIP group it was 10.54 ± 5.78 months. When diagnosis was on the basis of biopsy, the mean age in the UIP group was 61.30 ± 14.18 years and in the NSIP group it was 50.73 ± 13.14 years. CONCLUSION: HRCT can be used instead of invasive methods like lung biopsy to differentiate between UIP and NSIP.