Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antigen-Specific Tolerance by Autologous Myelin Peptide–Coupled Cells: A Phase 1 Trial in Multiple Sclerosis

Antigen-coupled cells result in antigen-specific tolerization for treatment of multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Attached at the Hip In multiple sclerosis (MS), a patient’s own immune cells are thought to attack antigens in the brain and spinal cord. One approach to prevent this attack is through tolerization: harnessing one way the body itself attempts to prevent autoimmunity. Ideally, this would happen in an antigen-specific way so that autoimmunity is blocked, while the protective functions of the immune system remain intact. There has been considerable success inducing antigen-specific tolerance in mouse models of MS by chemically coupling the antigen of choice to carrier cells. Now, Lutterotti et al. take this approach into human patients. The authors coupled peripheral blood mononuclear cells from MS patients with seven different myelin peptides thought to be potentially antigenic in MS. Patients who had T cell responses restricted to at least one of the peptides tested were selected. Indeed, patients who received the highest doses of antigen-coupled cells demonstrated decreases in antigen-specific T cell responses after therapy. Although the patient numbers are small in this first-in-human study, the safety, feasibility, and early results suggest that this approach may provide a promising avenue for future trials. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord that is thought to result from an autoimmune attack directed against antigens in the central nervous system. The aim of this first-in-man trial was to assess the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of a tolerization regimen in MS patients that uses a single infusion of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells chemically coupled with seven myelin peptides (MOG1–20, MOG35–55, MBP13–32, MBP83–99, MBP111–129, MBP146–170, and PLP139–154). An open-label, single-center, dose-escalation study was performed in seven relapsing-remitting and two secondary progressive MS patients who were off-treatment for standard therapies. All patients had to show T cell reactivity against at least one of the myelin peptides used in the trial. Neurological, magnetic resonance imaging, laboratory, and immunological examinations were performed to assess the safety, tolerability, and in vivo mechanisms of action of this regimen. Administration of antigen-coupled cells was feasible, had a favorable safety profile, and was well tolerated in MS patients. Patients receiving the higher doses (>1 × 109) of peptide-coupled cells had a decrease in antigen-specific T cell responses after peptide-coupled cell therapy. In summary, this first-in-man clinical trial of autologous peptide-coupled cells in MS patients establishes the feasibility and indicates good tolerability and safety of this therapeutic approach.
Melt rate of ice cliffs on the Lirung Glacier, Nepal Himalayas, 1996

There are many ice cliffs exposed at the surface of debris covered glaciers. Melt rates of ice cliffs, in relation with their directions, on the Lirung Glacier were observed from May to October, 1996. Heat budget at ice cliffs was examined with the meteorological data during the observation period. Special attention was paid for the dependence of incoming shortwave radiation upon the direction of ice cliff surfaces. Incoming shortwave radiation to a slope was estimated, taking into account the cloud intervene, from observed shortwave radiation to a horizontal surface. The calculated incoming shortwave radiation was largest at surfaces with a direction of south-east and lowest of the north-west during the monsoon season. This is because the weather is fine in the morning and the sun shines slopes which direct to the east, and it is cloudy and rainy in the afternoon and slopes which directs to the west receive relatively small solar radiation. Observed melt rate of ice cliffs coincided approximately with the calculation based on the heat balance consideration. It was 7.2 cm day-' on average for cliffs with various directions during the monsoon season. The ice cliff melt amount reaches 69 % of the total ablation at debris covered area, although the area of ice cliffs occupies less than 2 % of the debris covered area.
Topics in Statistical Methods for Human Gene Mapping

Statistical approaches used for gene mapping can be divided into two types: linkage and association analysis. This dissertation work addresses statistical methods in both areas.In the area of linkage analysis, I consider the problem of QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus) linkage analysis. Linkage analysis requires family data, and if the families are selected according to phenotype or if the trait of interest has a non-Gaussian distribution, standard analysis methods may be inappropriate. The score statistic, derived by taking the first derivative of the likelihood with respect to the linkage parameter, maintains the power of likelihood-based methods and with the use of an empirical variance estimator is robust against non-normal traits and selected samples. I investigate a number of empirical variance estimators that can be used for general pedigrees and evaluate the effects of different variance estimators and trait parameter estimates on the power of the score statistic.In the area of association analysis, I consider the question of what is the best model for a simple genome-scan analysis of a case-control study. In a case-control genome-wide association study, hundreds of thousands of SNPs are genotyped and statistical analysis usually starts with 1 or 2 df chi-squared test or logistic regression model. Power comparisons among subsets of these methods have been done but none of these papers have comprehensively tackled the question of which method is best for univariate scanning in a genome scan. I compare different test procedures and regression models for case-control studies starting from single-locus analysis followed by scanning with covariates and then genome-wide analysis. Based on the simulation results, I offer guidelines for choosing robust test procedures or regression models for testing the genetic effect.The methods proposed here can be used to improve the efficiency of gene mapping studies. This will lead to quicker and more reliable discoveries of genetic risk factors for many different diseases with great public health importance, which should in turn lead to improved prevention and treatment strategies.
Flour quality, the rheological properties of dough and the quality of bread made from the grain of winter wheat grown in a continuous cropping system

The aim of this study was to determine the quality of flour, dough and bread made from the grain of winter wheat grown in a continuous cropping system or after oil plants (winter rapeseed, spring rapeseed, white mustard, brown mustard) in production systems of different intensity. The above products, obtained from wheat grain harvested in three growing seasons (2006/2007, 2007/2008, 2008/2009), were analyzed to determine the whiteness, ash content and water absorption capacity of flour, the development time, stability, softening, resistance, extensibility and energy of dough, and the baking volume and yield of bread. The grain of winter wheat grown in a continuous cropping system produced whiter flour with a lower ash content than the grain of winter wheat plants grown after oil plants. The intensification of wheat grain production contributed to flour darkening and a decrease in flour ash content. Monoculture had no adverse effects on the water absorption capacity of flour, the development time, stability or softening of dough. Intensification of production improved water absorption of flour, the development time, stability and softening of dough. The extensibility and energy of dough made from flour obtained from wheat grown in a continuous cropping system were substantially lower, compared with wheat grown after winter rapeseed. Intensification of production also improved dough extensibility and energy. The resistance of dough made from wheat grain produced under medium-input technology was significantly lower, compared with grain produced under low-input technology. Intensification of wheat grain production contributed to a greater increase in the yield of bread made from winter wheat grown after oil plants (primarily winter rapeseed and brown mustard), compared with monoculture.
Opioid-induced hyperalgesia: where are we now?

Purpose of reviewPatients receiving chronic opioid treatment who develop paradoxical pain sensations, as well as worsening existing pain, can be diagnosed as suffering from opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). As the worldwide population expands so too does the proportion of patients who experience pain that requires a strong opioid. Recognizing the symptoms of OIH and optimizing the use of morphine in the hospital setting is imperative. This review focuses on clinical data relating to evidence of OIH at the bedside and the novel techniques employed by healthcare providers in order to improve the heightened pain sensations experienced by susceptible patients. Recent findingsAn increasing number of randomized prospective controlled trials report worsening patient pain following high-dose opioid treatment. Patient case reports support the premise that OIH is a clinical reality. According to recent literature, for those individuals who develop paradoxical pain sensations upon chronic opioid therapy, the most successful course of action involves a multidisciplinary attack that usually comprises early diagnosis, opioid switching and adjunct therapies. SummaryLooking to the future, improved clinician–patient communication, advanced diagnostic techniques and a refinement of prescribed adjunct pharmacotherapies will offer the most successful multimodal pain management approach to the problem of OIH.
Future methane, hydroxyl, and their uncertainties: key climate and emission parameters for future predictions

Accurate prediction of future methane abundances following a climate scenario requires understanding the life- time changes driven by anthropogenic emissions, meteo- rological factors, and chemistry-climate feedbacks. Uncer- tainty in any of these influences or the underlying processes implies uncertainty in future abundance and radiative forc- ing. We simulate methane lifetime in three chemical trans- port models (CTMs) - UCI CTM, GEOS-Chem, and Oslo CTM3 - over the period 1997-2009 and compare the mod- els' year-to-year variability against constraints from global methyl chloroform observations. Using sensitivity tests, we find that temperature, water vapor, stratospheric ozone col- umn, biomass burning and lightning NOx are the dominant sources of interannual changes in methane lifetime in all three models. We also evaluate each model's response to forcings that have impacts on decadal time scales, such as methane feedback, and anthropogenic emissions. In general, these different CTMs show similar sensitivities to the driving variables. We construct a parametric model that reproduces most of the interannual variability of each CTM and use it to predict methane lifetime from 1980 through 2100 follow- ing a specified emissions and climate scenario (RCP 8.5). The parametric model propagates uncertainties through all steps and provides a foundation for predicting methane abun- dances in any climate scenario. Our sensitivity tests also en- able a new estimate of the methane global warming potential (GWP), accounting for stratospheric ozone effects, including those mediated by water vapor. We estimate the 100-yr GWP to be 32, which is 25 % larger than past assessments.
The Effect of Digitalization on Penalty Payments: An Experimental Investigation

The method of payment for penalties such as traffic tickets or library fines has become increasingly digitalized, with possible implications on the future effectiveness of deterring opportunistic behavior. Several recent experimental studies have suggested that people treat digital cash equivalents differently from physical cash. This paper is the first to compare the efficacy of punishment between cash and electronic cash-exchangeable penalties in a laboratory setting. Our results indicate that while both forms of punishment increase cooperation, cash penalties are significantly more effective. Interestingly, this difference gradually disappears over time.
Melting Pot Suburbs: A Census 2000 Study of Suburban Diversity

■Minorities were responsible for the bulk of suburban population gains in a majority of the metro areas studied. Minority population gains were most pronounced in the 35 diverse melting pot metros, and in areas in the South where black and Hispanic populations increased. Many of the melting pot metros had drops in the white suburban population in the 1990s. ■Asians are more likely to live in major metropolitan suburbs than in cities. Almost half of Hispanics and 39 percent of blacks in the metropolitan areas surveyed live in the suburbs.
Statistical Explorations In Terra Incognita: How Reliable Are North Korean Survey Data?

In fall 2008, the UN co-conducted a census in North Korea. Even before its implementation, doubts were being cast on the reliability of the data it would gather. This chapter makes use of a 2002 UN household survey to investigate the extent of manipulation by the government at that time. It checks the quality of North Korean survey data, which might have implications for the interpretation of the quality of the data collected in the 2008 national census as well. This chapter addresses methodological issues, and briefly discusses the 2002 UN-assisted household survey in the context of the 2008 UN - assisted census. The main part of the chapter describes the manipulation hypothesis, where the author differentiates between possible manipulation occurring after, during and before the survey. It also describes the reliability and consistency of North Korean survey data. Finally, the author explains the self-censorship hypothesis. Keywords: 2002 UN household survey; 2008 UN - assisted census; manipulation hypothesis; North Korean survey data; self-censorship hypothesis
The archaeology of Chaco Canyon : an eleventh-century Pueblo regional center

The site of a great Ancestral Pueblo center in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, the ruins in Chaco Canyon look like a city to some archaeologists, a ceremonial center to others. Chaco and the people who created its monumental great houses, extensive roads, and network of outlying settlements remain an enigma in American archaeology.Two decades after the latest and largest program of field research at Chaco, the National Park Service's Chaco Project from 1971 to 1982, the original researchers and other leading Chaco scholars convened to evaluate what they now know about Chaco in light of new theories and new data. Those meetings culminated in an advanced seminar at the School of American Research, where the Chaco Project itself was born in 1968. In this capstone volume, the contributors address central archaeological themes, including environment, organization of production, architecture, regional issues, and society and polity. They place Chaco in its time and in its region, considering what came before and after its heyday and its neighbors to the north and south, including Mesoamerica.
Whale watching 2001: worldwide tourism numbers, expenditures, and expanding socioeconomic benefits

The designations employed and the presentation of the materials in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. The document contains the views expressed by the authors acting in their individual capacity and may not necessarily reflect the views of UNEP.
Key Topics in Landscape Ecology: Scale and scaling: a cross-disciplinary perspective

Scale and heterogeneity are two key concepts in landscape ecology which are inherently related. Scale would matter little in a world where entities and relationships remain invariant across space or time, or in a landscape that is spatially or temporally homogeneous (i.e., uniform or random). However, real landscapes are heterogeneous biophysically and socioeconomically, and they must be treated as such for most questions and problems that interest us as scientists or citizens. Spatial heterogeneity – the diversity of entities and their spatial arrangement – is one of the most essential and unifying features of all natural and anthropogenic systems. Landscape heterogeneity is the manifestation of patchiness (discrete patterns) and gradients (continuous variations) that are intertwined across multiple spatial scales. Thus, scale is indispensable for describing and understanding landscape pattern. It is not surprising, therefore, that scale has become one of the most fundamental concepts in landscape ecology, a field that focuses prominently on spatial heterogeneity and its ecological consequences (Risser et al. 1984, Forman and Godron 1986, Forman 1995, Turner et al. 2001). In fact, landscape ecology has been widely recognized by biologists, geographers, and even social scientists for its leading role in studying scale issues (McBratney 1998, Marceau 1999, Withers and Meentemeyer 1999, Meadowcroft 2002, Sayre 2005). However, it was not until the 1980s that the notion of scale began to gain its prominence in landscape ecology (and in ecology in general). Also, landscape ecology is not the only discipline that deals with scale and spatial pattern. The goal of geographical research is to describe and explain the spatial patterns of natural and anthropogenic features on the Earth’s surface (Harvey 1968), and scale as a
Structure spatio-temporelle du zooplancton et du suprabenthos de l'estuaire de la seine. Dynamique et rôle des principales espèces dans la chaine trophique pélagique

Cette etude, realisee dans le cadre du programme seine-aval, a pour but de dresser un inventaire de la faune suprabenthique et mesozooplanctonique de l'estuaire de la Seine et de connaitre la structure spatio-temporelle des deux communautes. Elle fournit un premier apercu aussi exhaustif que possible de la faune pelagique estuarienne. Les compositions qualitatives et quantitatives des differentes categories d'organismes (mesozooplancton et suprabenthos) ont ete decrites le long du gradient de salinite ; la zone oligohaline (salinite de surface inferieure a 5,0 p. S. U. ) est caracterisee par les plus fortes abondances mesozooplanctoniques et suprabenthiques. Le mesozooplancton est domine par le copepode calanoide eurytemora affinis dont la periode de densite maximale est enregistree entre mars et juin. Le suprabenthos est domine par trois especes : le mysidace neomysis integer presentant une periode de reproduction de mars a septembre avec trois generations annuelles ; le decapode palaemon longirostris et le gobiide pomatoschistus microps qui ont une reproduction estivale et une seule generation annuelle. La structure spatiale des deux communautes etudiees est essentiellement influencee par le gradient longitudinal de salinite. Le bouchon vaseux n'intervient qu'indirectement en jouant le role de barriere, limitant les deplacements vers l'aval ou vers l'amont des differentes especes. En revanche, bien que le deficit en oxygene soit une caracteristique de l'estuaire de la seine, le gradient longitudinal d'oxygene dissous ne semble pas intervenir dans la structuration des communautes sans doute en relation avec le caractere temporaire de ce deficit lie aux periodes de morte eau dans cette partie de l'estuaire. Le reseau trophique de la zone oligohaline est pelagique et essentiellement centre sur le copepode dominant e. Affinis qui est la principale source de nourriture des especes de cette partie de l'estuaire
Modernizing Songs of the Forest: Indigenous Communities Negotiate Tensions of Change in Malaysia

This chapter illustrates that world music has had a positive effect of validating musicians and musics of the indigenous communities in Malaysia. Despite the contradictions arising from commodification, appropriation, and detachment from social contexts, modernizing and concertizing music of the indigenous people as well as commercial recordings have generated a new interest and cultural revitalization among the younger generation. World music has helped to raise the self-esteem and dignity of the indigenous people as others become more aware of and show an interest in their music and lives. Through the new music, the indigenous people are able to articulate the anxieties they face as aggressive development agendas impact on their survival in the forest. As case studies, the chapter looks at the music of Akar Umbi, a musical group comprising indigenous and non-indigenous people based in Pertak, Selangor, and the musical resentations/workshops at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak. Keywords: Akar Umbi; cultural revitalization; indigenous communities; Malaysia; Rainforest World Music Festival; world music; younger generation
Nuclear astrophysics lessons from INTEGRAL

Measurements of high-energy photons from cosmic sources of nuclear radiation through ESA's INTEGRAL mission have advanced our knowledge: new data with high spectral resolution showed that characteristic gamma-ray lines from radioactive decays occur throughout the Galaxy in its interstellar medium. Although the number of detected sources and often the significance of the astrophysical results remain modest, conclusions derived from this unique astronomical window of radiation originating from nuclear processes are important, complementing the widely-employed atomic-line based spectroscopy. We review the results and insights obtained in the past decade from gamma-ray line measurements of cosmic sources in the context of their astrophysical questions.
Flow pattern near Massif A in the Yamato bare ice field estimated from the structures and the mechanical properties of a shallow ice core

A shallow ice core, 30 m long, was collected at the Yamato bare ice field in East Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. From the uniaxial compression tests with the core, the flow law of the ice was obtained, which was different considerably from that obtained for the artificial polycrystalline ice with the random orientation fabric. Additional structural analyses (fabric, stratigraphy, etc.) of the core al­ lowed estimation of the stress configuration and the flow field around the nunataks. As a result, a longitudinal stress of 0.15 MPa was obtained at the drilling site. Also, the variation of surface velocities, internal flow lines and isochrones upstream of Massif A were calculated. The results showed that the origin of the ice emerg­ ing near the nunataks is not far from its present position and the catchment area is rather small. The ice is considered nearly stagnant in the adjacent region of the nunataks.
An evaluation of attenuation relationships for seismic hazard assessment in the UK

Seismic safety considerations are required in the UK for those industries where the risk of failure is unacceptable. In the 1980s a series of studies were performed by Principia Mechanica Ltd (PML) that developed attenuation equations for PGA and spectral ordinates, suitable for use in the UK, which have since been widely used in hazard assessments. The increase in the numbers of strong-motion records and the major advances in strong-motion modelling, made it appropriate for the PML relations to be reviewed and, if necessary, updated. This paper presents an overview of a study carried out for this purpose.