Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasibility and analysis of thermal parameters for the whole-bodyhyperthermia system IRATHERM-2000

The infrared system IRATHERM-2000, with water-filtered infrared A wavelength underwent 20 treatments of whole body hyperthermia in conjunction with chemotherapy. In all the sessions, the aimed systemic temperature (41.8 C, maximum 42.0 C) could be achieved and maintained for 60 min. Due to increasing clinical experience, the unnegligible local toxicity, exhibited as heat-induced superficial lesions, and neurotoxicity, could be reduced during the course of the study. Data from three other series accomplished at the von Ardenne Clinic, totalling 120 heat sessions, were available and included for a comparative analysis. Analysis of the toxicity shows that a correlation exists between thermal sideeffects and heat-up periods (until steady-state), maximum temperatures, and superficial thermal doses. The time needed to reach the plateau seems to correlate with fluid loss, which, thus, indirectly influences toxicity, and most importantly the initial power level. The typical heat-up time in such a standard set-up amounts to 100-150 min, for a temperature rise from 37.5 to 42.0 C. Evaluation of the energy balance reveals a highly patient-specific range for the reactive evaporation in the IRATHERM system, resulting in a power (heat) loss of up to 1400W via sweat production of 2 l/h. In order to counterbalance this effect, an accordingly high infrared power, ranging from 1200-1500W, needs to be delivered, resulting in a significant thermal skin exposition. Concepts used to reduce the heat loss by reactive evaporation include prevention of convection by appropriate sealing of the heating chamber and increasing the humidity by a nebulizer. For the more trained user, the heat-up time can be considerably shortened, particularly, in the introductory phase of the heating process, by employing higher, but still tolerable, patient-specific power levels. However, such a strategy requires, due to higher risks, close monitoring of skin temperatures together with a considerable amount of clinical experience. The results of the IRATHERM pilot study were compared, not only with previous groups where the IRATHERM was applied, but also with results of various other investigators where the Enthermics Radiant Heat Device was employed. In the authors' opinion, improved understanding of the mechanisms and crucial parameters underlying whole body hyperthermia, will enable a controllable and tolerable therapy through proficient contribution to equipment and methods.
Quantitative proteomic analysis of amastigotes from Leishmania (L.) amazonensis LV79 and PH8 strains reveals molecular traits associated with the virulence phenotype

Background Leishmaniasis is an antropozoonosis caused by Leishmania parasites that affects around 12 million people in 98 different countries. The disease has different clinical forms, which depend mainly on the parasite genetics and on the immunologic status of the host. The promastigote form of the parasite is transmitted by an infected female phlebotomine sand fly, is internalized by phagocytic cells, mainly macrophages, and converts into amastigotes which replicate inside these cells. Macrophages are important cells of the immune system, capable of efficiently killing intracellular pathogens. However, Leishmania can evade these mechanisms due to expression of virulence factors. Different strains of the same Leishmania species may have different infectivity and metastatic phenotypes in vivo, and we have previously shown that analysis of amastigote proteome can give important information on parasite infectivity. Differential abundance of virulence factors probably accounts for the higher virulence of PH8 strain parasites shown in this work. In order to test this hypothesis, we have quantitatively compared the proteomes of PH8 and LV79 lesion-derived amastigotes using a label-free proteomic approach. Methodology/Principal findings In the present work, we have compared lesion development by L. (L.) amazonensis PH8 and LV79 strains in mice, showing that they have different virulence in vivo. Viability and numbers of lesion-derived amastigotes were accordingly significantly different. Proteome profiles can discriminate parasites from the two strains and several proteins were differentially expressed. Conclusions/Significance This work shows that PH8 strain is more virulent in mice, and that lesion-derived parasites from this strain are more viable and more infective in vitro. Amastigote proteome comparison identified GP63 as highly expressed in PH8 strain, and Superoxide Dismutase, Tryparedoxin Peroxidase and Heat Shock Protein 70 as more abundant in LV79 strain. The expression profile of all proteins and of the differential ones precisely classified PH8 and LV79 samples, indicating that the two strains have proteins with different abundances and that proteome profiles correlate with their phenotypes.
Debt and Equity as Derivatives

A structural form asset value model is developed from which the equivalent martingale measure can be computed. This measure is later applied to price different claims on the company's asset value like its shares, bonds, credit default options, and stock options. Thereafter, a reduced form model is introduced that has no asset value model, although the claims on debt capital and the default probabilities can be computed from the market prices. Shares, bonds, and a credit default option are valued with this model. In the last section, a call is priced with the structural model and the results are compared to a pricing with the standard binomial model.
A Fully Distributed Algorithm for Dynamic Channel Adaptation in Canonical Communication Networks

In this letter, a low-complexity, fully distributed algorithm is designed for dynamic channel adaptation in a canonical communication network, where each player can independently update its action without any information exchange. Both the static and dynamic channel environments are studied. The proposed algorithm converges to a set of correlated equilibria with probability one. Moreover, the optimality property of the problem is analyzed. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves a near-optimal performance for interference mitigation.
Implementation of clinical guidelines via a computer charting system: effect on the care of febrile children less than three years of age.

OBJECTIVE The authors have shown that clinical guidelines embedded in an electronic medical record improved the quality, while lowering the cost, of care for health care workers who incurred occupational exposures to body fluid. They seek to determine whether this system has similar effects on the emergency department care of young children with febrile illness. DESIGN Off-on-off, interrupted time series with intent-to-treat analysis. SETTING University hospital emergency department. SUBJECTS 830 febrile children less than 3 years of age and the physicians who treated them. INTERVENTIONS Implementation of an electronic medical record that provides real-time advice regarding the content of the history and physical examination and recommendations regarding laboratory testing, treatment, diagnosis, and disposition. MEASUREMENTS Documentation of essential items in the medical record and after-care instructions; compliance with guidelines regarding testing, treatment, and diagnosis; charges. RESULTS The computer was used in 64 percent of eligible cases. Mean percentage documentation of 21 essential history and physical examination items increased from 80 percent during the baseline period to 92 percent in the intervention phase (13 percent increase; 95 percent CI, 10-15 percent). Mean percentage documentation of ten items in the after-care instructions increased from 48 percent at baseline to 81 percent during the intervention phase (33 percent increase; 95 percent confidence interval, 28-38 percent). All documentation decreased to baseline when the computer system was removed. There were no demonstrable improvements in appropriateness of care, nor was there evidence that appropriateness worsened. Mean charges were not changed by the intervention. CONCLUSION The intervention markedly improved documentation, had little effect on the appropriateness of the process of care, and had no effect on charges. Results for the febrile child module differ from those for the module for occupational blood and body fluid exposure (a more focused and straightforward medical condition), underscoring the need for implementation methods to be tailored to specific clinical complaints.
Analysis of the Role of RsbV, RsbW, and RsbY in Regulating σB Activity in Bacillus cereus

ABSTRACT The alternative sigma factor σB is an important regulator of the stress response of Bacillus cereus. Here, the role of the regulatory proteins RsbV, RsbW, and RsbY in regulating σB activity in B. cereus is analyzed. Functional characterization of RsbV and RsbW showed that they act as an anti-sigma factor antagonist and an anti-sigma factor, respectively. RsbW can also act as a kinase on RsbV. These data are in line with earlier functional characterizations of RsbV and RsbW homologs in B. subtilis. The rsbY gene is unique to B. cereus and its closest relatives and is predicted to encode a protein with an N-terminal CheY domain and a C-terminal PP2C domain. In an rsbY deletion mutant, the σB response upon stress exposure was almost completely abolished, but the response could be restored by complementation with full-length rsbY. Expression analysis showed that rsbY is transcribed from both a σA-dependent promoter and a σB-dependent promoter. The central role of RsbY in regulating the activity of σB indicates that in B. cereus, the σB activation pathway is markedly different from that in other gram-positive bacteria.
Sex-related differences in long-term pulmonary outcomes of neonatal hyperoxia in mice

ABSTRACT Aim: Premature infants are often exposed to hyperoxia to maintain adequate oxygenation, which may lead to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Sex-specific differences exist in the development and severity of BPD. Only a few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying these sex-related differences. The aim of the present study is to examine the sex-related long-term effects of neonatal hyperoxia on the lungs of adult mice. Materials and Methods: Newborn mice were exposed to 95% oxygen (hyperoxia) for 96 hours and were allowed to recover in room air to adulthood (8 weeks of age). Lung tissues were excised at 4 days, 14 days, or 8 weeks of age. Short-term effects of neonatal hyperoxia on the mouse lung and sex-related differences in pulmonary function, airway hyper-responsiveness, and lung structure in adult mice were assessed. Results: Neonatal hyperoxia was found to have no differential effect on body weight, muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene expression, or bronchiolar epithelial thickness in adult mice. Respiratory resistance was increased and sensitivity to methacholine was decreased in male adult mice following exposure to neonatal hyperoxia, whereas delayed alveolarization was observed in female adult mice following exposure to neonatal hyperoxia. Conclusions: The findings of the present study demonstrate that neonatal hyperoxia differentially affects pulmonary outcome in female and male adult mice.
Ties configuration in entrepreneurs’ personal network and economic performances in African urban informal economy

As to explore social networks influence in African informal economy, this paper fits in the conceptual framework of reticular embeddedness. By going into the analyse of ties strength, our purpose is to question the real influence of ties content. We use a recent original dataset to evaluate how entrepreneurs’ networks influence their activities economic outcomes. ‘Multiple name generators’ method provides a vast amount of information about ties content, which can be treated by factor analysis to describe and categorize networks. Finally, we show that not only business ties but the particular configuration of ties strength in networks improve informal earnings.
Effect on [11C]DASB binding after tranylcypromine‐induced increase in serotonin concentration: Positron emission tomography studies in monkeys and rats

Several research groups have demonstrated that under specific conditions, in vivo neuroreceptor binding techniques can be used to measure acute changes in the concentrations of endogenous transmitters in the vicinity of neuroreceptors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether [11C]‐3‐amino‐4‐(2‐dimethylaminomethyl‐phenylsulfanyl)‐benzonitrile ([11C]DASB) binding to the plasma membrane serotonin transporter (SERT) in the rhesus monkey and rat brain decreased after a pharmacologically‐induced increase in the interstitial serotonin (5HT) concentration. Three rhesus monkeys were given repeated single boluses of [11C]DASB in sequential positron emission tomography (PET) experiments. Rats were given the tracer as a bolus dose plus a constant infusion. In vivo binding in both models was studied before and after presumably having increased interstitial 5HT concentrations using tranylcypromine (TCP), which inhibits the enzyme (monoamine oxidase, MAO), that degrades 5HT. The rat brain tissue was analyzed using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the proportion of the PET signal comprising unchanged [11C]DASB. The binding of [11C]DASB in the thalamus decreased in both rhesus monkeys and rats after TCP administration. The possibility of using [11C]DASB as a tool for monitoring changes in endogenous serotonin concentrations merits further investigation. Synapse 61:440‐449, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PUBERTAL FALL INSEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN AND INSULIN‐LIKE GROWTH FACTOR BINDING PROTEIN‐I. A SYNCHRONIZED APPROACH TO PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT?

In a cross‐sectional study of 69 normal adolescents we have found sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) levels to fall in both males and females throughout the pubertal period. Multiple regression analysis revealed a close negative correlation with insulin in both sexes. Weaker correlations were also found between SHBG and circulating androgen concentrations, in both males and females. Similar results were also obtained for a second circulating binding protein of primarily hepatic origin. This low molecular weight insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) binding protein I (IBP‐I) is one of two distinct classes of IGF binding proteins which bind IGF‐I and IGF‐II. IGF‐I in turn mediates, at least in part, the actions of growth hormone. IBP‐I also fell throughout puberty, correlating with the increasing insulin levels. In addition IBP‐I correlated with androgen levels in both sexes. These similarities between SHBG and IBP‐I, together with a strong correlation across puberty between the levels of the two binding proteins themselves (r= 0.737, P < 0.001), suggest common mechanisms of control over the circulating levels of these two binding proteins. The association with insulin raises the possibility of a synchronized modulation of the actions of sex steroids and IGFs by nutritional intake. Thus pubertal growth and sexual development may occur over the same time with both modulated according to nutritional intake, linked through pancreatic insulin release, to hepatic production of SHBG and IBP‐I.
Application-level QoS of Web access and streaming services with AF service on DiffServ

This paper assesses application-level QoS of both web access and voice-video streaming services on the Internet. We investigate how AFCP values in the two services affects their application-level QoS for various network scales, which are represented by the end-to-end delay between the Web server and the client. As a result of the experiment, we see that we can keep higher application-level QoS of the two services if the Web access service is offered as a different class from that of the streaming service or in the same class as that of the video flows with the video-flows' higher drop precedence. Furthermore, as the end-to-end delay increases, the effect of the choice of the AFCP values decreases. This implies that in such a network environment we do not need to give much consideration to AFCP marking.
Socioeconomic Status and Consumption in an Emerging Economy

Despite the central role of social class or socioeconomic status on consumer behavior and the fact that this construct has been utilized in marketing research for more than seven decades, the marketing literature is surprisingly lacking in the conceptualization and measurement of this important construct. In this study, we address these issues and propose a flexible and robust theory-based framework for socioeconomic stratification, which we apply to identify socio-economic strata during a period (2003 and 2009) of substantial economic and social development in one emerging economy (Brazil). We then use this stratification to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and consumption. Our socioeconomic stratification framework shows how the recent economic development observed in Brazil benefited the lower strata, leading to the emergence of the country's “new middle class. ” We also find that despite the high income concentration still prevalent in Brazil, consumption in many product categories is more evenly distributed; therefore, firms would be ill-advised to follow a premium market positioning strategy targeted mostly to the upper classes because this would leave a substantial portion of the market to the competition.
PRICON: self-determined privacy in the connected car motivated by the privacy calculus model

The advent of connected vehicles has increased the relevance of privacy in cars. Thus, a system is required that increases transparency and helps passengers to control their privacy in a self-determined manner. Here, we derive an interface based on the privacy calculus model and prove the validity of the theory-driven design approach in course of a usability test. Based on fourteen participants, we demonstrate an above-average usability of the theory-driven design which incorporates the visual comparison of functional benefits and privacy risks. Interviews reveal that users especially acknowledge this direct comparison and underscore the successful implementation of the privacy calculus model in a vehicular privacy user interface.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title Compiler-based code generation and autotuning for geometric multigrid on GPU-accelerated supercomputers Permalink

GPUs, with their high bandwidths and computational capabilities are an increasingly popular target for scientific computing. Unfortunately, to date, harnessing the power of the GPU has required use of a GPU-specific programming model like CUDA, OpenCL, or OpenACC. As such, in order to deliver portability across CPU-based and GPU-accelerated supercomputers, programmers are forced to write and maintain two versions of their applications or frameworks. In this paper, we explore the use of a compiler-based autotuning framework based on CUDA-CHiLL to deliver not only portability, but also performance portability across CPUand GPU-accelerated platforms for the geometric multigrid linear solvers found in many scientific applications. We show that with autotuning we can attain near Roofline (a performance bound for a computation and target architecture) performance across the key operations in the miniGMG benchmark for both CPUand GPU-based architectures as well as for a multiple stencil discretizations and smoothers. We show that our technology is readily interoperable with MPI resulting in performance at scale equal to that obtained via hand-optimized MPI+CUDA implementation.
Auer rods in the acute myeloid leukemias: Frequency and methods of demonstration

One hundred and twenty‐five cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were reviewed for the presence of Auer rods by two peroxidase methods. The percentage of Auer rods recognized by Wright‐Giemsa (WG) staining was 20·8% but three times higher by peroxidase staining techniques using either benzidine base as a substrate (PO method) or 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine as a substrate (DAB method). Both PO and DAB methods were equally sensitive in identifying Auer rods, the higher percentage being in FAB types M2 and M4 and lower in M1, M3, and MSB, with none in MSA. Cell counts of at least 100 cells were as accurate as counting cells up to a total of 1000 consecutive blasts.
Brand Measurement Scales and Underlying Cognitive Dimensions

The aim of this exploratory research is to compare a well-known scale, the Aaker brand personality scale, with an empirical scale based on individuals' relevant attributes, in order to analyse why they can lead to similar brand positioning maps. We provide empirical evidence of how a bias can overwrite the ability of a measurement scale to actually measure its underlying construct. In order to do so, we first find that the two sets of attributes – one derived from the brand personality scale, the other reflecting attributes obtained through a focus group – span common cognitive representations when translated into perceptual maps. We then prove that this outcome is caused by a bias stemming from a more holistic view of the brand, which forces the two cognitive structures towards a common perceptual representation. We conclude discussing the challenges for current theory implicit in our findings, and the implications for managerial practice.
Inactivation of the Transcription Factor GLI1 Accelerates Pancreatic Cancer Progression*

Background: GLI1 is required for pancreatic tumor initiation; however, its role at later stages of carcinogenesis remains elusive. Results: Genetic inactivation of GLI1 accelerates pancreatic cancer progression. Conclusion: GLI1 can act as both a promoter and suppressor of pancreatic carcinogenesis depending on the tumor stage. Significance: This knowledge increases our understanding of pancreatic carcinogenesis and may help the design of therapies targeting GLI1-related pathways. The role of GLI1 in pancreatic tumor initiation promoting the progression of preneoplastic lesions into tumors is well established. However, its function at later stages of pancreatic carcinogenesis remains poorly understood. To address this issue, we crossed the gli1 knock-out (GKO) animal with cre-dependent pancreatic activation of oncogenic kras concomitant with loss of the tumor suppressor tp53 (KPC). Interestingly, in this model, GLI1 played a tumor-protective function, where survival of GKO/KPC mice was reduced compared with KPC littermates. Both cohorts developed pancreatic cancer without significant histopathological differences in survival studies. However, analysis of mice using ultrasound-based imaging at earlier time points showed increased tumor burden in GKO/KPC mice. These animals have larger tumors, decreased body weight, increased lactate dehydrogenase production, and severe leukopenia. In vivo and in vitro expression studies identified FAS and FAS ligand (FASL) as potential mediators of this phenomenon. The FAS/FASL axis, an apoptotic inducer, plays a role in the progression of pancreatic cancer, where its expression is usually lost or significantly reduced in advanced stages of the disease. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and reporter assays identified FAS and FASL as direct targets of GLI1, whereas GKO/KPC mice showed lower levels of this ligand compared with KPC animals. Finally, decreased levels of apoptosis were detected in tumor tissue in the absence of GLI1 by TUNEL staining. Together, these findings define a novel pathway regulated by GLI1 controlling pancreatic tumor progression and provide a new theoretical framework to help with the design and analysis of trials targeting GLI1-related pathways.