Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproducibility study of whole‐brain 1H spectroscopic imaging with automated quantification

A reproducibility study of proton MR spectroscopic imaging (1H‐MRSI) of the human brain was conducted to evaluate the reliability of an automated 3D in vivo spectroscopic imaging acquisition and associated quantification algorithm. A PRESS‐based pulse sequence was implemented using dualband spectral‐spatial RF pulses designed to fully excite the singlet resonances of choline (Cho), creatine (Cre), and N‐acetyl aspartate (NAA) while simultaneously suppressing water and lipids; 1% of the water signal was left to be used as a reference signal for robust data processing, and additional lipid suppression was obtained using adiabatic inversion recovery. Spiral k‐space trajectories were used for fast spectral and spatial encoding yielding high‐quality spectra from 1 cc voxels throughout the brain with a 13‐min acquisition time. Data were acquired with an 8‐channel phased‐array coil and optimal signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) for the combined signals was achieved using a weighting based on the residual water signal. Automated quantification of the spectrum of each voxel was performed using LCModel. The complete study consisted of eight healthy adult subjects to assess intersubject variations and two subjects scanned six times each to assess intrasubject variations. The results demonstrate that reproducible whole‐brain 1H‐MRSI data can be robustly obtained with the proposed methods. Magn Reson Med 60:542–547, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[64Cu-NOTA-8-Aoc-BBN(7-14)NH2] targeting vector for positron-emission tomography imaging of gastrin-releasing peptide receptor-expressing tissues

Radiolabeled peptides hold promise as diagnostic/therapeutic targeting vectors for specific human cancers. We report the design and development of a targeting vector, [64Cu-NOTA-8-Aoc-BBN(7-14)NH2] (NOTA = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid, 8-Aoc = 8-aminooctanoic acid, and BBN = bombesin), having very high selectivity and affinity for the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPr). GRPrs are expressed on a variety of human cancers, including breast, lung, pancreatic, and prostate, making this a viable approach toward site-directed localization or therapy of these human diseases. In this study, [NOTA-X-BBN(7-14)NH2] conjugates were synthesized, where X = a specific pharmacokinetic modifier. The IC50 of [NOTA-8-Aoc-BBN(7-14)NH2] was determined by a competitive displacement cell-binding assay in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells using 125I-[Tyr4]-BBN as the displacement ligand. An IC50 of 3.1 ± 0.5 nM was obtained, demonstrating high binding affinity of [NOTA-8-Aoc-BBN] for the GRPr. [64Cu-NOTA-X-BBN] conjugates were prepared by the reaction of 64CuCl2 with peptides in buffered aqueous solution. In vivo studies of [64Cu-NOTA-8-Aoc-BBN(7-14)NH2] in tumor-bearing PC-3 mouse models indicated very high affinity of conjugate for the GRPr. Uptake of conjugate in tumor was 3.58 ± 0.70% injected dose (ID) per g at 1 h postintravenous injection (p.i.). Minimal accumulation of radioactivity in liver tissue (1.58 ± 0.40% ID per g, 1 h p.i.) is indicative of rapid renal-urinary excretion and suggests very high in vivo kinetic stability of [64Cu-NOTA-8-Aoc-BBN(7-14)NH2] with little or no in vivo dissociation of 64Cu2+ from the NOTA chelator. Kidney accumulation at 1 h p.i. was 3.79 ± 1.09% ID per g. Molecular imaging studies in GRPr-expressing tumor models produced high-contrast, high-quality micro-positron-emission tomography images.
Chronic Activation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α with Fenofibrate Prevents Alterations in Cardiac Metabolic Phenotype without Changing the Onset of Decompensation in Pacing-Induced Heart Failure

Severe heart failure (HF) is characterized by profound alterations in cardiac metabolic phenotype, with down-regulation of the free fatty acid (FFA) oxidative pathway and marked increase in glucose oxidation. We tested whether fenofibrate, a pharmacological agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α, the nuclear receptor that activates the expression of enzymes involved in FFA oxidation, can prevent metabolic alterations and modify the progression of HF. We administered 6.5 mg/kg/day p.o. fenofibrate to eight chronically instrumented dogs over the entire period of high-frequency left ventricular pacing (HF + Feno). Eight additional HF dogs were not treated, and eight normal dogs were used as a control. [3H]Oleate and [14C]Glucose were infused intravenously to measure the rate of substrate oxidation. At 21 days of pacing, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was significantly lower in HF + Feno (14.1 ± 1.6 mm Hg) compared with HF (18.7 ± 1.3 mm Hg), but it increased up to 25 ± 2 mm Hg, indicating end-stage failure, in both groups after 29 ± 2 days of pacing. FFA oxidation was reduced by 40%, and glucose oxidation was increased by 150% in HF compared with control, changes that were prevented by fenofibrate. Consistently, the activity of myocardial medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, a marker enzyme of the FFA β-oxidation pathway, was reduced in HF versus control (1.46 ± 0.25 versus 2.42 ± 0.24 μmol/min/gram wet weight (gww); p < 0.05) but not in HF + Feno (1.85 ± 0.18 μmol/min/gww; N.S. versus control). Thus, preventing changes in myocardial substrate metabolism in the failing heart causes a modest improvement of cardiac function during the progression of the disease, with no effects on the onset of decompensation.
Short‐term induction therapy with anti‐thymocyte globulin and delayed use of calcineurin inhibitors in orthotopic liver transplantation

The appropriate time point for starting immunosuppressive treatment with calcineurin inhibitors after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has been a subject of debate. The aim of the study was to analyze the effects of anti‐thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction therapy on rejection, renal function, infection, tumor rate, and survival. We retrospectively analyzed 391 patients after OLT who had either received calcineurin inhibitors immediately after OLT (n = 129) or after an initial short‐term Thymoglobulin induction therapy (n = 262). The 1‐year acute rejection rate was 14.5% vs. 31.8% in favor of ATG (P = 0.0008). Rejection grades and the need for treatment also differed significantly (7.3% vs. 23.3%; P = 0.001). Serum creatinine at transplantation was similar in both groups (1.14 mg/dL vs.1.18 mg/dL; P = NS). Postoperative hemofiltration was less frequently seen after induction therapy (P < 0.05). Reduced renal function at 1 year was commonly observed, but serum creatinine (1.26 mg/dL vs. 1.37mg/dL; P = 0.015) and glomerular filtration rate (81 mL/min vs. 75 mL/min; P = 0.02) were far better in the ATG group. Undesired side effects occurred at a similar rate in both groups. Five‐year patient survival was also similar in the 2 groups (70.1% and 74.3%; P > 0.05). Short‐term ATG induction therapy with delayed administration of calcineurin inhibitors led to a more favorable rejection rate and an improved clinical course in case of a rejection episode. It has beneficial effects on renal function immediately after OLT as well as later, and no additional harmful effects. Liver Transpl 13:1039–1044, 2007. © 2007 AASLD.
Development of the Superior Temporal Neocortex Is Anomalous in Trisomy 21

Abstract. Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) is the most common inherited form of mental retardation in the United States, however, the basis of impaired cognition is unknown. We have used recently developed stereological cell counting techniques to quantitatively examine the pattern of neuronal migration and maturation in one neocortical area during gestation in normal development and in trisomy 21. Normal development of the cerebral cortex occurs in two general sequences: Beginning at approximately 7-8 weeks gestation, migration of cells destined to become neurons results in the accumulation of cells in the cortical mantle. This process is largely complete by 20-21 weeks. Over the next 7-10 weeks an “inside-out” differentiation into lamina of different neuronal densities occurs. Our data suggest that the second phase of cortical development, the emergence of lamination, is both delayed and disorganized in trisomy 21. The observed pattern of cortical maturation may reflect an abnormality in axonal and dendritic arborization that subsequently subserve the connectional and functional units underlying normal cognition.
Crystal Structure of LGR4-Rspo1 Complex

Background: LGR receptors play important roles in many developmental processes. Results: The structure of human LGR4-Rspo1 complex was solved. Conclusion: Diverse mechanisms are utilized by LGRs in ligand recognition. Significance: Our structures are important for potential drug design. Leucine-rich repeat G-protein-coupled receptors (LGRs) are a unique class of G-protein-coupled receptors characterized by a large extracellular domain to recognize ligands and regulate many important developmental processes. Among the three groups of LGRs, group B members (LGR4–6) recognize R-spondin family proteins (Rspo1–4) to stimulate Wnt signaling. In this study, we successfully utilized the “hybrid leucine-rich repeat technique,” which fused LGR4 with the hagfish VLR protein, to obtain two recombinant human LGR4 proteins, LGR415 and LGR49. We determined the crystal structures of ligand-free LGR415 and the LGR49-Rspo1 complex. LGR4 exhibits a twisted horseshoe-like structure. Rspo1 adopts a flat and β-fold architecture and is bound in the concave surface of LGR4 in the complex through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. All the Rspo1-binding residues are conserved in LGR4–6, suggesting that LGR4–6 bind R-spondins through an identical surface. Structural analysis of our LGR4-Rspo1 complex with the previously determined LGR4 and LGR5 structures revealed that the concave surface of LGR4 is the sole binding site for R-spondins, suggesting a one-site binding model of LGR4–6 in ligand recognition. The molecular mechanism of LGR4–6 is distinct from the two-step mechanism of group A receptors LGR1–3 and the multiple-interface binding model of group C receptors LGR7–8, suggesting LGRs utilize the divergent mechanisms for ligand recognition. Our structures, together with previous reports, provide a comprehensive understanding of the ligand recognition by LGRs.
Perceptions of Learning Organization Dimensions among Non-Academic Employees of Top Public Universities in Malaysia

Background: This study explores the practices of the learning organization among non-academic staff in top Malaysian public universities. The paper focuses on three areas of learning organization culture: individual, team, and organizational. Objectives: The current study has four objectives. The first objective is to find out whether the nonacademic employees are applying the practices of the learning organization across the three areas of learning, The second objective is to identify which practices of the learning culture are more prominent in top Malaysian Public Universities. The third objective of the study is to find the significant differences regarding the perceptions of learning practices between non-academics' age levels in top Malaysian Public Universities. The forth objective is to identify the more prominent significant differences regarding the perceptions of learning practices between non-academics' years of working in the current job in top Malaysian Public Universities. The abbreviated form of (DLOQ) Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire as modified by Yang et al. (1998) was used as the instrument to collect data. 21 variables were applied to assess the perceptions of learning organization culture among the non-academic employees of top Malaysian Public Universities (UM, USM, UPM, UTM and UKM). The population of the research was 2472. A total of 227 (68.6%) respondents returned the questionnaires. Results: The study found that the nonacademic employees perceived learning culture existing at individual, team and organizational levels. The results of the comparisons on perceptions towards learning organization practices showed that the more observed prominent differences with regard to the perceptions of collaboration in team learning, and strategic leadership practices based on the levels of working years in the current job and there are no significant differences on the perceptions on learning practices based on the different levels of age. Conclusion: Learning culture provides opportunities to obtain the right knowledge at the right time and in the right location for being competitive in the globalized educational environment. The heads and the deans of the departments should encourage their employees to pass on newly obtained knowledge freely in order to generate a corporate climate of continuous learning in their departments. As knowledge has become the key factor for providing efficient services and achieving higher productivity, the culture of knowledge sharing at the workplace environment essentially enhance team and organizational learning, and eventually leads to desirable organizational success.
Robust bootstrap densities for dynamic conditional correlations: implications for portfolio selection and Value-at-Risk

ABSTRACT Many financial decisions such as portfolio allocation, risk management, option pricing and hedge strategies are based on the forecast of the conditional variances, covariances and correlations of financial returns. Although the decisions depend on the forecasts covariance matrix little is known about effects of outliers on the uncertainty associated with these forecasts. In this paper we analyse these effects on the context of dynamic conditional correlation models when the uncertainty is measured using bootstrap methods. We also propose a bootstrap procedure to obtain forecast densities for return, volatilities, conditional correlation and Value-at-Risk that is robust to outliers. The results are illustrated with simulated and real data.
Effects of Using Heterogeneous Prices on the Allocation of Impacts from Electricity Use: A Mixed‐Unit Input‐Output Approach

Economic input‐output life cycle assessment (IO‐LCA) models allow for quick estimation of economy‐wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with goods and services. IO‐LCA models are usually built using economic accounts and differ from most process‐based models in their use of economic transactions, rather than physical flows, as the drivers of supply‐chain GHG emissions. GHG emissions estimates associated with input supply chains are influenced by the price paid by consumers when the relative prices between individual consumers are different. We investigate the significance of the allocation of GHG emissions based on monetary versus physical units by carrying out a case study of the U.S. electricity sector. We create parallel monetary and mixed‐unit IO‐LCA models using the 2007 Benchmark Accounts of the U.S. economy and sector specific prices for different end users of electricity. This approach is well suited for electricity generation because electricity consumption contributes a significant share of emissions for most processes, and the range of prices paid by electricity consumers allows us to explore the effects of price on allocation of emissions. We find that, in general, monetary input‐output models assign fewer emissions per kilowatt to electricity used by industrial sectors than to electricity used by households and service sectors, attributable to the relatively higher prices paid by households and service sectors. This fact introduces a challenging question of what is the best basis for allocating the emissions from electricity generation given the different uses of electricity by consumers and the wide variability of electricity pricing.
Psychological and occupational predictive factors for back pain among employees of a university hospital in southern Spain.

OBJECTIVES To identify the individual and occupational factors that are predictors for low back pain among the employees of a university hospital in southern Spain. METHODS A transverse study was conducted in which the population used was the hospital employees who volunteered to participate. The information was obtained by using a questionnaire, which included demographic and anthropometric variables, habits, characteristics of the work done, and of any pain experienced. The mental health condition of subjects was measured using the GHQ-28, using a score of > or = 6 as the cut-off point. To study the variables associated with pain, crude odds ratios (ORs) were calculated (+/- 95% CI) and adjusted according to a logistic regression model. RESULTS One thousand one hundred and four subjects participated in the study but only 890 of these completed the questionnaire in full (rate of response, 35.7% of total employees). The population studied was notable for the high proportion of women, for subjects > 41 years of age, and subjects who undertook little or no physical exercise. In addition, according to the GHQ-28 test, 29.9% of the total were 'probable psychiatric cases'. The crude ORs were high in all the occupational categories in comparison with the doctors, with the exception of the maintenance, cleaning, and catering group. They were also higher among women, among subjects with poor mental health, and among women with one or more children. The adjusted ORs showed that having a GHQ-28 score of > or = 6, and belonging to the auxiliary technician category, were independent risk factors for suffering low back pain. Being older than 41 years and in temporary employment were protective variables. CONCLUSIONS The presence of probable mental illness is the variable most strongly associated with the presence of low back pain in the population studied. Its diagnostic confirmation and appropriate treatment could contribute to reducing the prevalence of vertebral pains in this occupational group.
Human Circulating CD4+CD25highFoxp3+ Regulatory T Cells Kill Autologous CD8+ but Not CD4+ Responder Cells by Fas-Mediated Apoptosis1

Mechanisms utilized by human regulatory T cells (Treg) for elimination of effector cells may vary. We investigated the possibility that the mechanism of Treg suppression depends on Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis of responder cells (RC). CD4+CD25highFoxp3+ Treg and autologous CD4+CD25− and CD8+CD25− subsets of RC were isolated from blood of 25 cancer patients and 15 normal controls and cocultured in the presence of OKT3 and IL-2 (150 or 1000 IU/ml). Suppression of RC proliferation was measured in CFSE assays. RC and Treg apoptosis was monitored by 7-aminoactinomycin D staining in flow-based cytotoxicity assays. Treg from all subjects expressed CD95+, but only Treg from cancer patients expressed CD95L. These Treg, when activated via TCR plus IL-2, up-regulated CD95 and CD95L expression (p < 0.001) and suppressed CD8+ RC proliferation (p < 0.001) by inducing Fas-mediated apoptosis. However, Treg cocultured with CD4+ RC suppressed proliferation independently of Fas/FasL. In cocultures, Treg were found to be resistant to apoptosis in the presence of 1000 IU/ml IL-2, but at lower IL-2 concentrations (150 IU/ml) they became susceptible to RC-induced death. Thus, Treg and RC can reciprocally regulate Treg survival, depending on IL-2 concentrations present in cocultures. This divergent IL-2-dependent resistance or sensitivity of Treg and RC to apoptosis is amplified in patients with cancer.
Infant formula: does one size fit all?

DOI:10.1097/MCO.0000000000000277 The natural and universally recommended way of infant nutrition is breastfeeding, along with timely introduction of adequately composed complementary feeding, which has been linked with numerous health benefits [1–3]. Infants that cannot be breastfed or be fully breastfed need infant formula as a breast-milk substitute, with a composition based on current scientific knowledge [4,5]. Infant formula is suitable as a breast-milk substitute for feeding from birth throughout the first year of life and beyond [4,5], as is currently standard practice particularly in the USA [6]. However, infant growth and nutrient needs change markedly during the first year of life, along with major changes in the average composition of human milk with longer duration of lactation [7]. Many of these changes, such as the marked decrease in the breast milk protein content and the protein/energy ratio over time, match the slower rates of growth and the lesser needs of some nutrients with increasing age [8]. In an attempt to create a better match between changing infant needs and substrate supply to infants that are not breastfed, staging of infant formula has been introduced in the 1970s and has since been widely used in Europe and most other parts of the world. Accordingly, infant formulas are provided during about the first 6 months of life, whereas follow-up formula is introduced at about the beginning of the second half of the first year of life [9]. For example, followup formula that is adapted to changing nutrient needs in older infants may provide less protein and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, but more iron than infant formula [10,11]. Recently, Lönnerdal and Hernell [7] proposed further staging of infant formulas, with different types of products for the ages of 0–3 months (stage 1), 3–6 months (stage 2), and 6–12 months (stage 3) (Fig. 1). These authors suggest that such further age-adapted staging could provide additional nutritional and physiological advantages to infants. For example, the protein supply could be better adapted to infant needs, thereby avoiding an excessive protein intake that was linked to excessive weight gain in early childhood and increased obesity prevalence at school age [12,13]. This novel concept was evaluated in a recent randomized clinical trial that enrolled 305 healthy infants of overweight mothers [14]. Formula fed infants were randomized to receive
Analysis of Determinants of Wage Disparity for Labor Sector in Central Sulawesi-Indonesia

The research was purposed to: (1) analyze disparity level of wage labor distribution in the agricultural sector (generally) and non agricultural sector (industry and service sector) in Central Sulawesi; (2) analyze and identifie of wage labor distribution in the agricultural sector (generally) and non agricultural sector (industry and service sector) in Central Sulawesi based on the influence of individual characteristics (age, sex, marital status and numbers of family dependent), the work characteristics (work type, work status, location and number of work time) and the human capital characteristics (the level of education and experience); (3) and analyze the roles of each factors from individual characteristics (age, sex, marital status and numbers of family dependent), the work characteristics (work type, work status, location and number of work time) and the human capital characteristics (the level of education and experience). The result showed that: (1) disparity level of wage labor distribution in the agricultural sector and non agricultural sector (industry and service sector) in Central Sulawesi were included in moderat level which marked by 0,39 poin from Gini Index Value; (2) the most of exogenous variable have significant effect on wage through Mincer Wage Function on agricultural sector and non agricultural sector; (3) real wage based on Blinder-Oaxaca Decompositions result between agricultural sector and non agricultural sector was 0,272835, means that the wage of labor on non agricultural sector was 27,28 persent higher than labor on agricultural sector. Following that the total of wage Disparity, 0,237136 or 86,92 percent was from different characteristics factors (explained/endowment), while the wage disparity from minor factors (unexplained/discriminations) between agricultural sector and non agricultural sector was 0,035699 or 13,08 percent from total of wage disparity. Keywords : wage disparity, sectoral labor, blinder-oaxaca decompositions.