Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thalidomide treatment for prurigo nodularis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects: efficacy and risk of neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate safety and efficacy of thalidomide in the treatment of prurigo nodularis in a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients whose condition was recalcitrant to standard treatment. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Outpatient dermatology and neurology clinic, both referral settings. PATIENTS Eight HIV-infected patients with refractory prurigo nodularis; a total of 10 met inclusion criteria, but 2 could not be followed up. INTERVENTIONS Treatment with thalidomide, 100 mg/d. Subjects were randomized after 1 month to receive 100 or 200 mg/d. If side effects were noted, the drug was reduced to a tolerable dose or discontinued. Subjects were monitored at baseline and monthly for degree of pruritus and total area of body involvement of prurigo nodularis. Sequential neurologic assessments were performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Efficacy and toxic effects. RESULTS The dosage of thalidomide ranged from 33 to 200 mg/d. Eight subjects had a greater than 50% response in reduction of itch over 3.4 months (average). Seven subjects had a greater than 50% reduction of skin involvement over 5 months (average). Three subjects developed thalidomide peripheral neuropathy (TPN). There was no correlation between duration of treatment, daily or cumulative dose, and TPN. A change in the Neuropathy Impairment Score of 10 points was a good marker of TPN, as was a greater than 50% decrease in the sural sensory nerve action potential amplitude. CONCLUSIONS Thalidomide reduced the signs and symptoms of prurigo nodularis in HIV-infected subjects. One third of subjects developed TPN, underscoring the importance of careful neurologic assessment.
The Performance of the Faith and Ethical Investment Products: A Comparison before and after the 2008 Meltdown

AbstractThis article explores the risk and return characteristics of socially responsible investment and faith-based mutual funds before and after the market crisis of 2008. Findings show a high level of correlation between the indices studied as well as a higher volatility than the SP G15; Z12Keywords: Mutual funds; Downside risk; Socially responsible investment; Faith based investment(ProQuest: . denotes formulae omitted.)1. IntroductionIn the classical financial theory of Markowitz (1952), the choice of an efficient portfolio of assets, is predicated on the maximization of the investor's maximization of return and minimization of risk, disregarding other rewards of a social nature. Increasingly, planners are faced with client discussions regarding socially, ethically, and religious investment preferences and should be aware of the various implications that each type of investment presents In a pioneering article, Sen (1999) showed the significance of social, moral, or ecological motives on the selection of investment products and that selection on the growth of market economics.The first study used data between 1998 and 2008 whereas this study updated those findings with data taken between 2008 and 2012; continuing to explore the risk and return characteristics of socially responsible investing and faith-based investing by comparing three indices, the MSCI KLD 400 Social Index (KLD 400), the updated FTSE KLD Catholic Values 400 Index (CV400), and the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index (DJIM). This study also compares the performance of the socially responsible investing and faith-based indices with the SP Nantell, Price, and Price, 2009). The authors then calculate the Sortino measure of performance and modify the Treynor measure and the Jensen alpha by using the semi-standard deviation as the measure of risk. Findings show that all of these performance measures generally yield similar inferences. Results also show that socially responsible investment and faith based funds provide above average profit opportunity.Empirical studies about socially responsible investing and faith-based are important and should be pursued even further. Sparkes and Cowton (2004) reported that the socially responsible investing and faith-based industry has grown and matured significantly since the early 2000. They showed that socially responsible investing and faith-based industries are now mainstream investments. Socially responsible investing and faith-based investing have evolved from an activity managed by a small number of specialty retail investment funds into an investment philosophy adopted by a growing proportion of some of the large investment institutions. …
The historical evolution of inequality in Latin America: a comparative analysis, 1870-2000

Current levels of income and asset inequality in Latin American countries are, from a global comparative perspective, extraordinary high. This thesis explores the roots of Latin American economic inequality in the colonial era and, subsequently, focuses on the developments in the period 1870-2000. During the so-called ‘long twentieth century’ the forces of economic modernisation reformed the composition of national income fundamentally. Industrialisation, urbanisation, an increasing pace of technological change and vigorous waves of globalisation and de-globalisation heralded the definitive decay of the rural pre-modern ‘colonial’ society. The crucial question is why Latin American countries nevertheless failed, in spite of these forces, to settle that longstanding account of the colonial past?
Parameter management schemes for cancelable biometrics

Protecting biometric information is a critical issue in biometric systems, since physical characteristics such as fingerprints, irises, face and vein patterns, cannot be changed or revoked like passwords. To address this issue, an authentication scheme called cancelable biometrics has been studied, in which the biometric features are transformed by a kind of encryption or one-way function and matched without restoring the original features. The transformation function is determined by a user-specific parameter, which plays a similar roll as an encryption key. To secure biometric features using the cancelable biometrics, the parameters have to be managed properly. In this paper, we review several naive schemes for parameter management and point out that they reduce the usability of authentication systems. Then we propose a novel parameter management scheme based on server-side parameter management and authentication protocols using one-time parameters and one-time templates. Our scheme makes it possible to realize a cancelable biometric authentication system with high usability and security.
ATP‐induced chemotaxis of microglial processes requires P2Y receptor‐activated initiation of outward potassium currents

Microglial cells are the resident macrophages that are involved in brain injuries and infections. Recent studies using transcranial two‐photon microscopy have shown that ATP and P2Y receptors mediated rapid chemotactic responses of miroglia to local injury. However, the molecular mechanism for microglial chemotaxis toward ATP is still unknown. To address this question, we employed a combination of simultaneous perforated whole‐cell recordings and time‐lapse confocal imaging in GFP‐labeled microglia in acute brain slices from adult mice. We found that ATP‐induced rapid chemotaxis is correlated with P2Y receptor associated‐outward potassium current in microglia. Activation of both P2Y receptor and its associated potassium channels are required for ATP‐induced chemotaxis and baseline motility of microglial cells. The chemotaxis required the activation of phosphoinositide 3‐kinase but not mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway. Our results provide strong evidence that P2Y receptor‐associated outward potassium channels and the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase pathway are important for ATP‐induced microglial motility in acute brain slices. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Resource Allocation Algorithm of Multi-cloud Resources Based on Markov Decision Process

Cloud technologies can nowadays be considered as commodities. The possibility of getting access to storage, computing and networking virtual resources empowers any business that needs dynamic IT capabilities. The Cloud Management Broker (CMB) plays a crucial role to handle heterogeneous virtualized cloud resources in order to offer a unique set of interfaces to the cloud users. Moreover, the CMB is in charge of optimizing the usage of the cloud resources, satisfying the requirements declared by the users. This paper proposes a novel multi-cloud resource allocation algorithm, based on a Markov Decision Process (MDP), capable of dynamically assigning the resources requests to a set of IT resources (storage or computing resources), with the aim of maximizing the expected CMB revenue. Simulation results show the feasibility and the higher performances obtained by the proposed algorithm, compared to a greedy approach.
b-catenin in Epithelial Morphogenesis : Conversion of Part of Avian Foot Scales into Feather Buds with a Mutated b-Catenin

We explored the role of b-catenin in chicken skin morphogenesis. Initially b-catenin mRNA was expressed at homogeneous evels in the epithelia over a skin appendage tract field which became transformed into a periodic pattern corresponding to ndividual primordia. The importance of periodic patterning was shown in scaleless mutants, in which b-catenin was initially expressed normally, but failed to make a punctuated pattern. To test b-catenin function, a truncated armadillo fragment was expressed in developing chicken skin from the RCAS retrovirus. This produced a variety of phenotypic changes during epithelial appendage morphogenesis. In apteric and scale-producing regions, new feather buds with normal-appearing follicle sheaths, dermal papillae, and barb ridges were induced. In feather tracts, short, wide, and curled feather buds with abnormal morphology and random orientation formed. Epidermal invaginations and placode-like structures formed in the scale epidermis. PCNA staining and the distribution of molecular markers (SHH, NCAM, Tenascin-C) were characteristic of feather buds. These results suggest that the b-catenin pathway is involved in modulating epithelial morphogenesis and that increased b-catenin pathway activity can increase the activity of skin appendage henotypes. Analogies between regulated and deregulated new growths are discussed. © 2000 Academic Press
Pharmacodynamics of Voriconazole for Invasive Pulmonary Scedosporiosis

ABSTRACT Scedosporium apiospermum is a medically important fungal pathogen that causes a wide range of infections in humans. There are relatively few antifungal agents that are active against Scedosporium spp. Little is known about the pharmacodynamics of voriconazole against Scedosporium. Both static and dynamic in vitro models of invasive scedosporiosis were developed. Monoclonal antibodies that target a soluble cell wall antigen secreted by Scedosporium apiospermum were used to describe the pharmacodynamics of voriconazole. Mathematical pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic models were fitted to the data to estimate the drug exposure required to suppress the release of fungal antigen. The experimental results were bridged to humans using Monte Carlo simulation. All 3 strains of S. apiospermum tested invaded through the cellular bilayer of the in vitro models and liberated antigen. There was a concentration-dependent decline in the amount of antigen, with near maximal antifungal activity against all 3 strains being achieved with voriconazole at 10 mg/liter. Similarly, there was a drug exposure-dependent decline in the amount of circulating antigen in the dynamic model and complete suppression of antigen, with an area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of approximately 80 mg · h/liter. A regression of the AUC/MIC versus the area under the antigen-time curve showed that a near maximal effect was obtained with an AUC/MIC of approximately 100. Monte Carlo simulation suggested that only isolates with an MIC of 0.5 mg/liter enabled pharmacodynamic targets to be achieved with a standard regimen of voriconazole. Isolates with higher MICs may need drug exposure targets higher than those currently recommended for other fungi.
Preventing Sexual Violence in Adolescence: Comparison of a Scientist-Practitioner Program and a Practitioner Program Using a Cluster-Randomized Design

Numerous school-based prevention programs have been developed by scientists and practitioners to address sexual violence in adolescence. However, such programs struggle with two major challenges. First, the effectiveness of many well-established practitioner programs has not been rigorously evaluated. Second, effective scientific programs may be hard to implement into everyday school practice. Combining the knowledge of scientists and practitioners in a scientist-practitioner program could be a helpful compromise. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of a scientist-practitioner program and a practitioner program using a cluster-randomized experimental design. Twenty-seven school classes were randomly assigned to either one of two programs or a control group. Outcome variables (knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and iatrogenic effects) were assessed at pretest, posttest, and a 6-month follow-up for 453 adolescents (55% female, Mage = 14.18). Short-term effects were found in both programs regarding general knowledge, knowledge of professional help, and victim-blaming attitudes. Long-term effects were found in both programs regarding general knowledge and knowledge of professional help and, in the practitioner program, in a reduction of victimization. No other effects were found on attitudes and behavior. No iatrogenic effects in the form of increased anxiety were found. Both the scientist-practitioner and the practitioner program show promise for the prevention of sexual violence in adolescence; in particular, the practitioner program may be a more cost-effective method.
The value of the hospital-based nurse practitioner role: development of a team perspective framework

Abstract There is a need to understand nurse practitioner (NP) interprofessional practice within hospital teams to inform effective role integration and evolution. To begin this understanding a supplementary analysis of 30 hospital team member focus groups was carried out using constructivist grounded theory methodology. This conceptual rendering of the team members’ shared perspective of NP actions provides insight into the meaning and importance of the NP role. Participants emphasized three hospital-based (HB) NP practice foci as the meaning of role value; easing others’ workload, holding patient care together and evolving practice. Trust emerged as a pre-requisite condition for HB NP role efficacy. A team member perspective framework of HB NP practice is presented as the first stage in developing a model of HB NP interprofessional practice within hospitals. The framework provides multiple perspectives to the meaning and value of the HB NP role beyond basic role description. The framework may be used by healthcare professionals, operational leaders, academia and HB NPs to enhance role respect and understanding.
Macroeconomic Forecasting With Mixed-Frequency Data

Many macroeconomic series, such as U.S. real output growth, are sampled quarterly, although potentially useful predictors are often observed at a higher frequency. We look at whether a mixed data-frequency sampling (MIDAS) approach can improve forecasts of output growth. The MIDAS specification used in the comparison uses a novel way of including an autoregressive term. We find that the use of monthly data on the current quarter leads to significant improvement in forecasting current and next quarter output growth, and that MIDAS is an effective way to exploit monthly data compared with alternative methods.
Dynamic conditional correlation in Latin-American asset markets

In this paper we reviewed the models of volatility for a group of five Latin American countries, mainly motivated by the recent periods of financial turbulence. Our results based on high frequency data suggest that Dynamic multivariate models are more powerful to study the volatilities of asset returns than Constant Conditional Correlation models. For the group of countries included, we identified that domestic volatilities of asset markets have been increasing; but the co-volatility of the region is still moderate.
The influence of visual perspective on the somatosensory steady-state response during pain observation

The observation and evaluation of other’s pain activate part of the neuronal network involved in the actual experience of pain, including those regions subserving the sensori-discriminative dimension of pain. This was largely interpreted as evidence showing that part of the painful experience can be shared vicariously. Here, we investigated the effect of the visual perspective from which other people’s pain is seen on the cortical response to continuous 25 Hz non-painful somatosensory stimulation (somatosensory steady-state response: SSSR). Based on the shared representation framework, we expected first-person visual perspective (1PP) to yield more changes in cortical activity than third-person visual perspective (3PP) during pain observation. Twenty healthy adults were instructed to rate a series of pseudo-dynamic pictures depicting hands in either painful or non-painful scenarios, presented either in 1PP (0–45° angle) or 3PP (180° angle), while changes in brain activity was measured with a 128-electode EEG system. The ratings demonstrated that the same scenarios were rated on average as more painful when observed from the 1PP than from the 3PP. As expected from previous works, the SSSR response was decreased after stimulus onset over the left caudal part of the parieto-central cortex, contralateral to the stimulation side. Moreover, the difference between the SSSR was of greater amplitude when the painful situations were presented from the 1PP compared to the 3PP. Together, these results suggest that a visuospatial congruence between the viewer and the observed scenarios is associated with both a higher subjective evaluation of pain and an increased modulation in the somatosensory representation of observed pain. These findings are discussed with regards to the potential role of visual perspective in pain communication and empathy.
Design Space of Programming Tools on Mobile Touchscreen Devices

While mobile touchscreen devices are ubiquitous and present opportunities for novel applications, they have seen little adoption as tools for computer programming. In this literature survey, we bring together the diverse research work on programming-related tasks supported by mobile touchscreen devices to explore the design space for applying them to programming situations. We used the Grounded theory approach to identify themes and classify previous work. We present these themes and how each paper contributes to the theme, and we outline the remaining challenges in and opportunities for using mobile touchscreen devices in programming applications.
High-affinity single-domain binding proteins with a binary-code interface

High degrees of sequence and conformation complexity found in natural protein interaction interfaces are generally considered essential for achieving tight and specific interactions. However, it has been demonstrated that specific antibodies can be built by using an interface with a binary code consisting of only Tyr and Ser. This surprising result might be attributed to yet undefined properties of the antibody scaffold that uniquely enhance its capacity for target binding. In this work we tested the generality of the binary-code interface by engineering binding proteins based on a single-domain scaffold. We show that Tyr/Ser binary-code interfaces consisting of only 15–20 positions within a fibronectin type III domain (FN3; 95 residues) are capable of producing specific binding proteins (termed “monobodies”) with a low-nanomolar Kd. A 2.35-Å x-ray crystal structure of a monobody in complex with its target, maltose-binding protein, and mutation analysis revealed dominant contributions of Tyr residues to binding as well as striking molecular mimicry of a maltose-binding protein substrate, β-cyclodextrin, by the Tyr/Ser binary interface. This work suggests that an interaction interface with low chemical diversity but with significant conformational diversity is generally sufficient for tight and specific molecular recognition, providing fundamental insights into factors governing protein–protein interactions.
Super low work function of alkali-metal-adsorbed transition metal dichalcogenides

Discovering the materials that have work functions less than 1 eV is essential for efficient thermionic energy converter (TEC). The lowest work function of materials reported so far is in a range of about 1 eV. Here, to design low work function materials, we perform first-principles calculations on selected materials of transition metal dichalcogenide as substrates and alkali metals as adsorbates. The work function of our selected materials has a dip ubiquitously independent of the true binding distances of the adsorbates and exhibits contrasting behavior between empty d-shell elements (K, Rb, and Cs) and the others (Li and Na). We show that the interaction of empty d-orbitals of alkali metals and lone pair electrons of chalcogen is a key to the behavior of the work function. From calculated key parameters that determine the work function, we find that, regardless of the amount of charge transfer, K on WTe2 induces the largest surface dipole moment, which consequently makes the surface work function of as small as 0.8 eV, the smallest reported to date, and that the work function is lowered further to 0.7 eV by lattice strains. We demonstrate that the thermal efficiency of TEC using the low work function material exceeds that of thermoelectric materials with figure of merit of 5–10 in temperature range of 880–1200 K.
Wolbachia‐induced transcription factor GATA4 suppresses ovary‐specific genes blastoderm‐specific protein 25D and imaginal disc growth factor

The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia infects a wide array of insect hosts and has been implicated in a range of biological modifications as a consequence of its infection. Previously, it was shown that the transcription factor GATA4 was significantly induced in Wolbachia wMelPop‐CLA strain infected Aedes aegypti whole mosquitoes and cells. Here, we provide evidence that this induction also occurs in mosquito ovaries where the ovary‐specific genes blastoderm‐specific protein 25D (Bsg25D) and imaginal disc growth factor (Disc) are suppressed by Wolbachia. We further demonstrate that transcriptional depletion of GATA4 results in upregulation of both genes and conversely its overexpression leads to downregulation of the genes, suggesting that Wolbachia‐induced GATA4 plays a suppressive regulatory role with regards to Bsg25D and Disc expression in mosquito ovaries. When the Disc gene was silenced in mosquitoes, we did not observe any difference in the number of mature ovarian follicles developed between treatment groups. However, we did find a significant delay in the hatching of eggs that had been laid by Disc knockdown mosquitoes.