Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduced Dose Rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin Induction for Prevention of Acute Rejection in High-Risk Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background. Despite the prevalent use of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) as an induction agent in kidney transplantation, the appropriate dose for preventing acute rejection in high-risk patients is not known. Few studies have examined total exposure of rATG less than 6 mg/kg, with fewer studies examining lower dose rATG in patients with increased risk factors for acute rejection. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed outcomes of 83 kidney transplant recipients at increased risk for acute rejection (repeat transplant, African American race, and panel reactive antibody ≥20%) from July 2004 to July 2007 who were treated with rATG 1.5 mg/kg per day for 3 (n=39) or 4 (n=44) doses for induction to determine the impact of reduced-exposure rATG in the prevention of acute rejection. rATG was initiated intraoperatively and continued on consecutive days. All patients received triple maintenance immunosuppression including prednisone and calcineurin inhibitor. Patients requiring dialysis within 48 hr after transplant were excluded from analysis. Results. One-year acute rejection rates were 10% and 11% in the 3- and 4-dose cohorts, respectively, with 100% patient and graft survival at 1 year in both groups. Patients in the 3-dose cohort were discharged from the hospital sooner than the 4-dose cohort (median length of hospital stay, 3 vs. 4 days; P=0.004). Conclusions. Our results suggest that a 3- or 4-dose course of rATG (1.5 mg/kg/dose) provides excellent protection against acute rejection even in patients at increased risk, with the potential for cost savings from a reduction in hospital stay and medication administration.
Neurodegenerative Diseases in Welders and Other Workers Exposed to High Levels of Magnetic Fields

Background Previous work has suggested an increase in risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease among workers exposed to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF). We evaluated the relation between ELF-MF from occupational exposures and mortality from neurodegenerative diseases. Methods The study was based on a cohort of Swedish engineering industry workers, comprising 537,692 men and 180,529 women. The cohort was matched against the 3 most recent censuses and The Causes of Death Registry. Levels of ELF-MF exposure were obtained by linking occupation according to the censuses to a job exposure matrix. We used 4 levels of exposure and considered both the primary and contributing causes of death, 1985-96. Results The risk of Alzheimer’s disease as primary or contributing cause of death increased with increasing exposure to ELF-MF among both men and women, with a relative risk (RR) of 4.0 and a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 1.4-11.7 in the highest exposure group for both sexes combined. There was a RR of 2.2 (95% CI: 1.0-4.7) for ALS in the highest exposure group with the suggestion of an exposure-response relationship. No evidence of increased risk was seen for Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. Conclusions The findings support previous observations of an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and ALS among employees occupationally exposed to ELF-MF. Further studies based on morbidity data are warranted.
Opportunity Cost and Behavior

The decision impact of opportunity costs is of interest to accountants, economists, and behavioral scientists. From an economic point of view these costs are generally considered relevant, and explicitly reporting them for decision making could improve the quality of future decisions. Much of the discussion in the literature concerns the definition or normative use of these costs (Burch and Henry [1970] and McRae [1970]). Recently, however, attention has turned to the descriptive aspects of the use of opportunity costs. Do managers, consumers, and other decision makers use opportunity costs in the way prescribed by standard economic theory? Thaler [1981], for instance, cites the underweighting of opportunity costs as an explanatory variable of consumer choice. Three recent studies in accounting (Becker, Ronen, and Sorter [1974] and Neumann and Friedman [1978; 1980]) investigated the use of opportunity costs in decision making, and although the evidence is somewhat mixed, decision makers seemed to ignore or underweight those costs. If decision makers do ignore or underweight opportunity cost relative to a normative standard, one interesting question is why? While there may be many reasons these costs are underweighted, only two were selected for my study. The main reason considered was the explicit availability of opportunity cost information. Since opportunity cost information is oftentimes unavailable or not collected, decision makers may have difficulties incorporating it when it is available (e.g., see Swieringa,
Recent Updates on Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Hematological Disorders

Over the past decade, enormous progress has been made in the field of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Patients' somatic cells such as skin fibroblasts or blood cells can be used to generate disease-specific pluripotent stem cells, which have unlimited proliferation and can differentiate into all cell types of the body. Human iPSCs offer great promises and opportunities for treatments of degenerative diseases and studying disease pathology and drug screening. So far, many iPSC-derived disease models have led to the discovery of novel pathological mechanisms as well as new drugs in the pipeline that have been tested in the iPSC-derived cells for efficacy and potential toxicities. Furthermore, recent advances in genome editing technology in combination with the iPSC technology have provided a versatile platform for studying stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. In this review, an overview of iPSCs, patient-specific iPSCs for disease modeling and drug screening, applications of iPSCs and genome editing technology in hematological disorders, remaining challenges, and future perspectives of iPSCs in hematological diseases will be discussed.
System on Chip for Closed Loop Neuromodulation Based on Dual Mode Biosignals

Closed loop neuromodulation, where the stimulation is controlled autonomously based on physiological events, has been more effective than open loop techniques. In the few existing closed loop implementations which have a feedback, indirect non-neurophysiological biomarkers have been typically used (e.g. heart rate, stomach distension). Although these biomarkers enable automatic initiation of neural stimulation, they do not enable intelligent control of stimulation dosage. In this paper, we present a novel closed loop neuromodulation System-on-Chip (SoC) based on a dual signal mode that is detecting both electrical and chemical signatures of neural activity. We use vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a design case here. Vagal chemical (pH) signal is detected and used for initiating VNS and vagal compound nerve action potential (CNAP) signals are used to determine the stimulation dosage and pattern. Although we used the paradigm of appetite control and neurometabolic therapies for developing the algorithms for neurostimulation control, the SoC described here can be utilised for other types of closed loop neuromodulation implants.
Reflections of Science Teachers in an In-Service Teacher Education Programme

This instrumental case study was conducted to determine the nature and levels of science teachers' reflections during a year-long in-service postgraduate Diploma in Education programme. Four science teachers comprised the case. The data were analyzed inductively through a process of open coding and categorizing to determine patterns and themes. Van Manen's (1977) framework was used to determine the levels of reflections. The following themes emerged: "Confronting fears/limitations/insecurities;" "Student take centre stage;" "Try something new;" and "Breaking down barriers. " The four teachers reflected at all levels - technical, practical, and emancipatory. However, only two teachers reflected at the emancipatory level. These findings have implications for the manner in which we, as science teacher educators, facilitate the development of the reflective habit.
Differences in State Unemployment Rates: The Role of Labor and Product Market Structural Shifts

State unemployment rates diverged dramatically in the 1980s. Differing unemployment rates across states are an important public policy concern because of equity concerns and the pure human consequences of higher unemployment. Moreover, at the national level, a greater dispersion in state and regional unemployment rates can increase the natural rate of unemployment and shift the Phillips curve out because of an inefficient allocation of the labor force [3; 38]. One possible cause for the divergence in unemployment rates is national industrial restructuring. U.S. industrial restructuring was suggested by Lilien [26] as a cause for the rise in the national unemployment rate. Moreover, national restructuring can have differential impacts across states because states can have dramatically different mixes of industries from each other. One of the difficulties of national restructuring from a regional perspective is that it is difficult to avoid. On the other hand, if regional differences in unemployment are due to state idiosyncratic causes, state and local public policy can potentially play a more active role. For example, the economic problems that plagued the Northeast and California during the early 1990s have been typically attributed to national downsizing in the defense industries. Conversely, economic problems in these states may have been driven by factors that are located within the state, such as the collapse of their real estate markets.
Overview of Peptide and Protein Analysis by Mass Spectrometry

The goals of this unit are to familiarize peptide and protein chemists with the types of mass spectrometers that are appropriate for the majority of their analytical needs, to describe the kinds of experiments that can be performed with these instruments on a routine basis, and to discuss the kinds of information that these experiments provide. The emphasis here is on established tools and techniques that can realistically be used for problem solving. As a result, many useful instruments and techniques employed by the trained mass spectroscopist are not discussed here, because they do not satisfy these criteria or are not yet widely available. A few of these are briefly mentioned at the end of this introductory overview. The overview concludes with a tutorial discussion on the meaning and practical importance of a number of fundamental experimental and performance‐related issues that have important implications for interpretation and use of mass spectral data, such as mass accuracy and resolution.
Stem Cell Factor and FLT3-Ligand Are Strictly Required to Sustain the Long-Term Expansion of Primitive CD34+DR− Dendritic Cell Precursors

We studied cytokine-driven differentiation of primitive human CD34+HLA-DR− cells to myeloid dendritic cells (DC). Hemopoietic cells were grown in long-term cultures in the presence of various combinations of early acting cytokines such as FLT3-ligand (FLT3-L) and stem cell factor (SCF) and the differentiating growth factors GM-CSF and TNF-α. Two weeks of incubation with GM-CSF and TNF-α generated fully functional DC. However, clonogenic assays demonstrated that CFU-DC did not survive beyond 1 wk in liquid culture regardless of whether FLT3-L and/or SCF were added. FLT3-L or SCF alone did not support DC maturation. However, the combination of the two early acting cytokines allowed a 100-fold expansion of CFU-DC for >1 month. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated the differentiation of CD34+DR− cells into CD34−CD33+DR+CD14+ cells, which were intermediate progenitors capable of differentiating into functionally active DC upon further incubation with GM-CSF and TNF-α. As expected, GM-CSF and TNF-α generated DC from committed CD34+DR+ cells. However, only SCF, with or without FLT3-L, induced the expansion of DC precursors for >4 wk, as documented by secondary clonogenic assays. This demonstrates that although GM-CSF and TNF-α do not require additional cytokines to generate DC from primitive human CD34+DR− progenitor cells, they do force terminal differentiation of DC precursors. Conversely, FLT3-L and SCF do not directly affect DC differentiation, but instead sustain the long-term expansion of CFU-DC, which can be induced to produce mature DC by GM-CSF and TNF-α.
A red team blue team approach towards a secure processor design with hardware shadow stack

Software attacks are commonly performed against embedded systems in order to access private data or to run restricted services. In this work, we demonstrate some vulnerabilities of commonly use processor which can be leveraged by hackers to attack a system. The targeted devices are based on open processor architectures OpenRISC and RISC-V. Several software exploits are discussed and demonstrated while a hardware countermeasure is proposed and validated on OpenRISC against Return Oriented Programming attack.
PRESENT STATE OF ENDOSCOPIC HEMOSTASIS FOR NONVARICEAL UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING

The subjects of this study were 208 patients who underwent endoscopic hemostasis at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Iwate University between January 2004 and December 2008. There were 153 men and 55 women with a mean age of 65.3 years. Among them, 181 patients underwent endoscopic hemostasis in the stomach or duodenum and were divided into the peptic ulcer and artificial ulcer groups. The following were retrospectively analyzed: success rates of endoscopic hemostasis, rates of rebleeding, and devices used during treatment. The overall success rate of endoscopic hemostasis was 97.2%. Hemostasis was achieved in 98.2% of the cases with peptic ulcer bleeding and in 88.9% of the cases with artificial ulcer bleeding. Monotherapy (one hemostatic device) was used in 141 cases (77.9%), combination therapy (multiple hemostatic devices) was used in 39 cases (21.5%), and primary hemostasis was used in one case (0.6%) because of blood flow reduction during the observation period. A heat probe was used in 145 cases (80.1%), making it the most frequently used device. Endoscopic hemostasis is very effective for nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
E-field ferroelectric sensors: Modeling and simulation [Instrumentation Notes]

In this article, a novel approach to sensing static electric fields has been presented. The approach is extremely interesting due to the low cost of the technology and the simplicity of the architecture. The purpose of the article is to highlight the strategic role of behavioral models in the development and design of E-field sensors. It is important to observe that simulation results must always be supported by experimental evidence to confirm the predicted behaviors. A good solution to perform a reliable investigation, if allowed, is to model the main blocks of the system separately and at the same time to experimentally assess their real behavior to confirm theoretical expectations.
A scalable modular antenna configuration to extend the detection volume of a near-field UHF-RFID desktop reader

A modular combination of a resonating circular ring slot antenna and a spiral Travelling Wave Antenna (TWA) is proposed in this paper for NF UHF RFID desktop reader applications. The spiral TWA is able to generate strong and uniform fields just above the antenna surface. The circular ring slot antenna is serially-fed by the TWA and it is used to extend the read range up to the radiative near field region. In order to make the overall antenna scalable, the spiral TWA is extended beyond the slot antenna, so allowing to cover a large and arbitrarily shaped area.
Examining the Validity and Reliability of Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence Scale in a Population of Pregnant Australian Women

Antonovsky’s Orientation to Life questionnaires were developed to measure sense of coherence (SOC). Although the SOC 13 instrument is widely used to measure health in general populations, it has not been assessed in pregnant women. If the SOC 13 is to be used to assess women’s childbearing health, it requires further examination. The purpose of the research is to assess the psychometric properties of Antonovsky’s SOC 13 questionnaire in pregnant women. When administered to 718 pregnant Australian women, the construct validity of the SOC 13 was difficult to establish. The SOC 9 was created by removing 4 items and provided best data fit. The SOC 13 and SOC 9 were found to have sound criterion validity, internal reliability, and equivalence between versions. It is hoped that the present study will stimulate additional research on SOC scales to examine their ability to assess women’s childbearing health.
The evolving role of lyophilized plasma in remote damage control resuscitation in the French Armed Forces Health Service

Freeze‐dried plasma was developed by the US Army for the resuscitation of combat casualties during World War II. The French Military Blood Institute began producing French lyophilized plasma (FLYP) in 1949, in accordance with French blood product guidelines. Since 2010, a photochemical pathogen inactivation process has been implemented to reduce the remaining transfusion‐related infectious risk. All quality controls for this procedure verify that the hemostatic properties of FLYP are conserved. FLYP is compatible with all blood types, can be stored at room temperature for 2 years, and its reconstitution requires less than 6 minutes. As a result, FLYP allows quick delivery of all the coagulation proteins and the application of a 1:1 ratio of FLYP and red blood cells in the context of a massive transfusion. Hemovigilance data collected in France since 1994 have included FLYP. Results indicate no reporting of infection related to the use of FLYP. Clinical monitoring with a focus on hemostasis was implemented in 2002 and expanded in 2010. The data, obtained from overseas operations, confirmed the indications, the safety and the clinical efficacy of FLYP. Further research is needed to determine specific indications for FLYP in the therapeutic management of civilian patients with severe hemorrhage.
Joint balanced source and network coding

We introduce a method that combines joint balanced source and network coding in optical packet-switched networks. It is an efficient way to combat packet loss that occurs due to contentions, to recover lost data due to link failures and to provide secure data transmission, i.e., secrecy. By using binary erasure codes and adding redundancy the destination is able to decode the source data when packet loss occurs. Coding at the intermediate node offers protection against single link failure. An eavesdropper cannot reconstruct the source data by eavesdropping a single link, since non-systematic coded packets are sent on disjoint paths.We also show that the proposed method has linear coding complexity, small header overhead and it does not require sending a feedback for each packet.
Incorrect surgical procedures within and outside of the operating room: a follow-up report.

OBJECTIVE To describe incorrect surgical procedures reported from mid-2006 to 2009 from Veterans Health Administration medical centers and build on previously reported events from 2001 to mid-2006. DESIGN Retrospective database review. SETTING Veterans Health Administration medical centers. INTERVENTIONS The Veterans Health Administration implemented Medical Team Training and continues to support their directive for ensuring correct surgery to improve surgical patient safety. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The categories were incorrect procedure types (wrong patient, side, site, procedure, or implant), major or minor surgery, in or out of the operating room (OR), adverse event or close call, specialty, and harm. RESULTS Our review produced 237 reports (101 adverse events, 136 close calls) and found decreased harm compared with the previous report. The rate of reported adverse events decreased from 3.21 to 2.4 per month (P = .02). Reported close calls increased from 1.97 to 3.24 per month (P ≤ .001). Adverse events were evenly split between OR (50) and non-OR (51). When in-OR events were examined as a rate, Neurosurgery had 1.56 and Ophthalmology had 1.06 reported adverse events per 10 000 cases. The most common root cause for adverse events was a lack of standardization of clinical processes (18%). CONCLUSIONS The rate of reported adverse events and harm decreased, while reported close calls increased. Despite improvements, we aim to achieve further gains. Current plans and actions include sharing lessons learned from root cause analyses, policy changes based on root cause analysis review, and additional focused Medical Team Training as needed.
Introducing ADELE: a personalized intelligent companion

This paper introduces ADELE, a Personalized Intelligent Compan- ion designed to engage with users through spoken dialog to help them explore topics of interest. The system will maintain a user model of information consumption habits and preferences in order to (1) personalize the user’s experience for ongoing interactions, and (2) build the user-machine relationship to model that of a friendly companion. The paper details the overall research goal, existing progress, the current focus, and the long term plan for the project.
Detection of inrush current using S-Transform and Probabilistic Neural Network

Transformer inrush currents are high magnitude, harmonic-rich currents generated when transformer cores are driven into saturation during energization. This paper presents an S-Transform based Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) classifier for recognition of inrush current. Using this method inrush current can be discriminate from other transients such as capacitor switching, load switching and single phase to ground fault. S-transform is used for feature extraction and PNN is used for classification. Inrush current data and other transients are obtained by simulation using EMTP program. The simulation results reveal that the combination of S-Transform and PNN can effectively detect inrush current from other events.
Characterization of GFP‐MAL expression and incorporation in rafts

During myelin formation, membrane‐associated proteins have to be sorted and transported in specified membrane regions such as compact and non‐compact myelin membranes. One protein that may be involved in such a process is the Myelin and Lymphocyte protein MAL (VIP17/ MVP17). MAL was identified as a novel myelin membrane component expressed by oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. Since MAL has been shown to be important in the apical sorting machinery of polarized cells, we have started to investigate the possible functional role of MAL in sorting myelin membrane‐associated molecules. In this study, we have generated cDNA constructs with green fluorescent protein (GFP) either at the N‐ or C‐terminus of MAL. Transfection experiments showed that GFP‐MAL expression resembles that of normal MAL, whereas the MAL‐GFP fusion construct was not properly transported within the cell. Furthermore, we could demonstrate that GFP‐MAL is enriched in detergent insoluble glycolipid‐enriched microdomains as already seen for untagged MAL. As a prerequisite for the generation of transgenic mice expressing GFP‐MAL under the control of its own regulatory elements, we have generated a cDNA construct with an 8‐kb MAL promotor fragment fused to GFP‐MAL. Transfection experiments of the Oli‐neu oligodendrocyte cell line showed that GFP‐MAL was expressed, but only in cells, which were stimulated for differentiation with cAMP. In summary, the results confirm that the fusion protein GFP‐MAL is incorporated into detergent‐insoluble complexes and the 8‐kb MAL promotor fragment is sufficient to be activated in oligodendrocytes. Microsc. Res. Tech. 52:645–655, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.