Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-term efficacy of infliximab in hidradenitis suppurativa

Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic disease with painful, inflamed lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing areas of the body and unsatisfactory treatment. TNFα blockers have been proposed as promising treatments, but only few randomized, short-term, small controlled trials have been conducted. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term response of HS patients treated with infliximab (IFX). Material and methods: A long-term, prospective study of 10 patients with moderate–severe refractory HS treated with IFX was performed, including assessment of therapy safety, disease severity, and activity. Previous reports on IFX treatment for HS were reviewed. Results: Lack of response was observed in 20% and relapse in 50% of patients, after a median period of 37 weeks. The median number of doses administered was 7.5 during 49 weeks. No life-threatening adverse events were detected. Systematic review of 61 previously published cases showed lack of response was associated with previous surgery, young age at diagnosis, and long time of evolution of the disease. Conclusions: Long-term IFX therapy might be an efficient, well-tolerated, safe option for patients with short-time evolution, severe HS. Relapse is common after 8 months of continuous treatment, especially in patients with more severe disease and in those treated with IFX in monotherapy.
A novel analysis method of deformation accuracy for spaceborne PS-DInSAR

Spaceborne PS-DInSAR is an advanced remote sensing technology for achiving global surface deformation measurement, it has a series of advantages such as all time and weather, low cost, high deformation accuracy and so on. This paper focuses on the deformation accuracy of PS-DInSAR. Based on basic principle of spaceborne DInSAR, this paper introduces the principle of PS-DInSAR, and sets up the mathematical model of PS-DInSAR deformation accuracy, deduces the accuracy model of PS-DInSAR deformation detection by a novel method. Besides, PS-DInSAR deformation accuracy is analyzed by simulation. The research of this paper has guiding significance for the analysis of spaceborne PS-DInSAR overall performance.
Achieving location privacy through CAST in location based services

The widespread usage of location based services (LBS); where obtaining any informational service is entirely based upon the user's current location, have raised a significant concern about location privacy of the user. For the queries like ‘where is my closest ATM? ’, ‘where is my nearest hospital’, or any route assistance in general, it is essential to submit the user's actual location to avail the demanded services. Similar communication holds true for a location based vehicular transportation system. Cloaking and ob-fuscation are the two generalized approaches to deal with location privacy preservation in LBS. These approaches are mainly based on a trusted third party (TTP) and exploits the well established K-anonymity principle in order to make the query issuer indistinguishable with other K − 1 more users. In such approaches all the data (mainly location coordinates and queries) becomes available at the central server, thus complete knowledge of the query (including user id) exists at central node. This is the major limitation of TTP based architecture and makes such frameworks susceptible to different privacy attacks. This paper is a research attempt to extend the realm of collaborative communication among peers belonging to a mobile user group in a decentralized or trusted third party free architecture. We propose a collaborative P2P communication model; called CAST, that employs the series of trust among peers and peers use their cached mobile data to collaborate with each other in order to get the results locally. The scheme provides results locally with low latency and works efficiently when the peers share common inclinations (or data value). The proposed algorithm preserves user's privacy and performs effectively under pull-based sporadic query scenario.
Characterization of a β‐1,3‐glucan recognition protein from the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The β‐1,3‐glucan recognition protein gene from Spodoptera exigua (SeβGRP) was cloned and characterized. The cDNA of this gene is 1 644 nucleotides in length and the predicted polypeptide is 491 amino acids (aa) in length, with a calculated molecular mass of 54.8 kDa. The first 22 aa encode a predicted secretion signal peptide. A BLAST search, multiple sequence alignment, and phylogenetic analysis of the aa sequence of SeβGRP revealed that this protein is most similar to the β‐1,3‐glucan recognition protein (βGRP) family of pattern recognition proteins. Using reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction, we detected the presence of SeβGRP transcripts in the egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages of S. exigua. In addition, the SeβGRP transcript was expressed in all the tissues examined including the brain, hemocytes, fat body, intestine, and cuticle. There were no changes in SeβGRP mRNA levels in larvae infected with ultraviolet (UV)‐killed Escherichia coli DH5α compared with the control larvae inoculated with the water; however, SeβGRP mRNA levels were markedly elevated 4–8 h after infection and slightly induced 12–24 h after infection in larvae injected with UV‐killed Fusarium oxysporum. This may be because β‐1,3‐glucan is the main component of the cell wall of F. oxysporum, but not E. coli DH5α.
Workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behaviour among Nigerian academics: The mediating role of normative organizational commitment

The research reported in this paper examined the mediating role of normative organizational commitment on the relationship that exists between workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behavior amongst academics at some selected Nigerian Universities. A non-experimental research design was adopted utilizing the quantitative and correlational methods. With the aid of the convenience sampling technique, 350 questionnaires were distributed at an equal proportion to academic staffs at two Nigerian public universities. Three hundred and thirty-one questionnaires were retrieved, of which 328 were found usable for analyses in the study. Three hypotheses were proposed and tested using inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS version 20 and the IBM SPSS AMOS version 22. The outcomes of the study brought to the fore that, there exists a statistical significant and positive relationship between workplace spirituality and normative organizational commitment. Correspondingly, a strong and positive relationship was found between normative organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. Finally, a partial mediating influence of normative organizational commitment was established on the workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behavior relationship. Conclusively, this study recommended that, universities management should recognize workplace spirituality for the attainment of normative commitment to foster more organizational citizenship behavior among the academics.
ERV3 Human endogenous provirus mRNAs are expressed in normal and malignant tissues and cells, but not in choriocarcinoma tumor cells

Messenger RNA expression of a human endogenous provirus, ERV3, has been characterized in 170 specimens of normal and malignant human tissues and cells. In contrast to the high expression in first‐trimester and full‐term placental chorionic villi, most other human tissues expressed ERV3 mRNAs at a level of 2–30% of placenta. However, ERV3 mRNAs were not detected in choriocarcinoma tumor cell lines. These studies suggest that the ERV3 provirus may have been preempted for a biological function and disruption of its mRNA expression results in choriocarcinoma.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Alters Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production via Toll-Like Receptor-Dependent Pathways in Alveolar Macrophages and U1 Cells

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons are predisposed to pulmonary infections, even after receiving effective highly active antiretroviral therapy. The reasons for this are unclear but may involve changes in innate immune function. HIV type 1 infection of macrophages impairs effector functions, including cytokine production. We observed decreased constitutive tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) concentrations and increased soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (sTNFRII) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from HIV-positive subjects compared to healthy controls. Moreover, net proinflammatory TNF-α activity, as measured by the TNF-α/sTNFRII ratio, decreased as HIV-related disease progressed, as manifested by decreasing CD4 cell count and increasing HIV RNA (viral load). Since TNF-α is an important component of the innate immune system and is produced upon activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways, we hypothesized that the mechanism associated with deficient TNF-α production in the lung involved altered TLR expression or a deficit in the TLR signaling cascade. We found decreased Toll-like receptor 1 (TLR1) and TLR4 surface expression in HIV-infected U1 monocytic cells compared to the uninfected parental U937 cell line and decreased TLR message in alveolar macrophages (AMs) from HIV-positive subjects. In addition, stimulation with TLR1/2 ligand (Pam3Cys) or TLR4 ligand (lipopolysaccharide) resulted in decreased intracellular phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase and subsequent decreased transcription and expression of TNF-α in U1 cells compared to U937 cells. AMs from HIV-positive subjects also showed decreased TNF-α production in response to these TLR2 and TLR4 ligands. We postulate that HIV infection alters expression of TLRs with subsequent changes in mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and cytokine production that ultimately leads to deficiencies of innate immune responses that predispose HIV-positive subjects to infection.
Pharmacological Profiles of Peptide Drug Candidates for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease*

Amyloid plaques in brain, composed of aggregates of amyloid-β peptide, play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and represent a good target for treatment. We have shown previously that a 5-amino acid β-sheet breaker peptide (iAβ5p), end-protected, has the ability to induce a dramatic reduction in amyloid deposition in two different transgenic Alzheimer's models (Permanne, B., Adessi, C., Saborio, G. P., Fraga, S., Frossard, M.-J., Dewachter, I., Van Dorpe, J., Banks, W. A., Van Leuven, F., and Soto, C. (2002) FASEB J. 16, 860–862). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of chemical modifications of the peptide bonds at the metabolite cleavage sites on the pharmacological properties of iAβ5p derivatives. Using a rational approach, peptide analogs were designed and tested for in vitro activity and enzymatic stability. One peptide analog containing a methyl group introduced at the nitrogen atom of one amide bond showed increased stability in vitro, a 10-fold higherin vivo half-life, and good brain uptake compared with iAβ5p while maintaining a similar activity in vitro. Our results suggest that the pharmacological profile of β-sheet breaker peptides can be improved to produce compounds with drug-like properties that might offer a new promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Neural Specializations for Tonal Processing

Abstract: The processing of pitch, a central aspect of music perception, is neurally dissociable from other perceptual functions. Studies using behavioral‐lesion techniques as well as brain imaging methods demonstrate that tonal processing recruits mechanisms in areas of the right auditory cortex. Specifically, the right primary auditory area appears to be crucial for fine‐grained representation of pitch information. Processing of pitch patterns, such as occurs in melodies, requires higher‐order cortical areas, and interactions with the frontal cortex. The latter are likely related to tonal working memory functions that are necessary for the on‐line maintenance and encoding of tonal patterns. One hypothesis that may explain why right‐hemisphere auditory cortices seem to be so important to tonal processing is that left auditory regions are better suited for rapidly changing broad‐band stimuli, such as speech, whereas the right auditory cortex may be specialized for slower narrow‐band stimuli, such as tonal patterns. Evidence favoring this hypothesis was obtained in a functional imaging study in which spectral and temporal parameters were varied independently. The hypothesis also receives support from structural studies of the auditory cortex, which indicate that spectral and temporal processing may depend on interhemispheric differences in grey/white matter distribution and other anatomical features.
Energy- and Spectral-Efficiency Tradeoff with  $\alpha$-Fairness in Downlink OFDMA Systems

In this letter, we adopt multi-objective optimization to investigate the tradeoff between energy efficiency (EE) and spectral efficiency (SE) in downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems. In the proposed model, α-fair utility function is applied to take account of the rate fairness among users. We then transfer the original multi-objective optimization into a single objective optimization employing the weighted sum method to obtain the solution set characterized as a Pareto set. The obtained Pareto set demonstrates the tradeoff between EE and SE while α-fairness guarantee is in place. We further consider price of fairness, as a metric to quantify the loss of EE due to enforcing fairness requirements. Such a metric enables the network operators to determine an acceptable operation point in terms of EE-SE tradeoff when certain level of fairness is required. Simulation results indicate that higher fairness results in lower system EE, and the price of fairness is significantly raised with the increase of overall SE.
Helicobacter pylori Mutants Defective in RuvC Holliday Junction Resolvase Display Reduced Macrophage Survival and Spontaneous Clearance from the Murine Gastric Mucosa

ABSTRACT Homologous recombination contributes to the extraordinary genetic diversity of Helicobacter pylori and may be critical for surface antigen expression and adaptation to environmental challenges within the stomach. We generated isogenic, nonpolar H. pylori ruvC mutants to investigate the function of RuvC, a Holliday junction endonuclease that resolves recombinant joints into nicked duplex products. Inactivation of ruvC reduced the frequency of homologous recombination of H. pylori between 17- and 45-fold and increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and the antimicrobial agents levofloxacin and metronidazole. The H. pylori ruvC mutants were more susceptible to oxidative stress and exhibited reduced survival within macrophages. Experiments with the H. pylori SS1 mouse model revealed that the 50% infective dose of the ruvC mutant was approximately 100-fold higher than that of the wild-type SS1 strain. Although the ruvC mutant was able to establish colonization with bacterial loads that were initially similar to those of the parental SS1 strain, infection was spontaneously cleared from the murine gastric mucosa over periods that varied from 36 to 67 days. These results demonstrate that, in this infection model, RuvC is essential for continued survival of H. pylori in vivo and raises the possibility that inactivation of ruvC might be of value in an attenuated vaccine strain.
Teff consumption in urban Ethiopia

Following a brief description of the EUSS panel on which this analysis is based, this chapter investigates the role of teff in the total household food consumption basket in urban Ethiopia. Further on, the chapter presents a descriptive analysis of the patterns of teff consumption, disaggregating household teff consumption by time, place of residence, and income group. The chapter then continues to analyze the correlates of teff consumption using alternative linear panel data models. The chapter concludes with a discussion about the importance of interventions that could alter the consumption basket of the average urban Ethiopian household to reduce food poverty.
The location advantages and persistence of the performance for the Taiwan logistic company: A case study

Abstract This study empirically analyzes the persistence of the performance for the Taiwanese logistic company. It is the first study to address the hot hand effect on the performance of logistic stations. Generally, the well-performed stations (Winner) will still have a better performance in the following period; the poor-performed stations (Loser) will stay in the worst group. Moreover, we find there is a strong evidence of location advantage for the business stations which supports the discussion of Hernández and Pedersen. It reveals that a non-metropolitan station is well performed rather than the metropolitan station. Either to increase the number of cargo or to decrease the number of workers will promote the performance of the company. Our empirical results can also be extended to the logistic companies in the emerging markets and transition economies. Policy-makers can provide some incentives to make the logistics industry more vigorous development and create economic prosperity.
Monday Effect in the RMW and the Short‐Term Reversal Factors

We document that the positive (opposite) Monday or early&#8208;in&#8208;the&#8208;week effect in Fama&#8211;French's robust&#8208;minus&#8208;weak (RMW) factor, first reported by &#220;lk&#252; (2017), is pervasive across international markets, ruling out data&#8208;snooping. As in the United States, the pattern has strengthened over time. Monday effect in RMW is linked to a combination of institutional investor trading pattern and the weekend sound&#8208;mind effect. We devise a test of the external validity of the weekend sound&#8208;mind effect hypothesis: the short&#8208;term reversal factor, which is profitable within its holding period but leads to larger losses subsequently, exhibits a significant negative Monday effect, as predicted by this hypothesis. Mondays buck fads.
Internal quantization in FIR filters implemented using Multiple Constant Multiplications

This paper introduces an approach for quantizing intermediate values within an Multiple Constant Multiplication (MCM) [1] implementation of a finite impulse response (FIR) filter. For a fixed-point Digital Signal Processing implementation, finite wordlength behavior in digital filter is very important. We proposed an approach to reduce the quantization noise at the filter output while maintaining performance and keeping space requirements low. This approach is based on calculating the sensitivity of each node. By selectively adding 2 more bits to the high sensitivity nodes to store intermediate information for a 22nd order half-band filter, the final output noise of FIR filter is reduced up to 40%. Considering the error distribution after each operation provides insight into the effects of quantization.
Pumpless extracorporeal CO2 removal restores normocapnia and is associated with less regional perfusion in experimental acute lung injury

Lung protective ventilation may lead to hypoventilation with subsequent hypercapnic acidosis (HA). If HA cannot be tolerated or occurs despite increasing respiratory rate or buffering, extracorporeal CO2‐removal using a percutaneous extracorporeal lung assist (pECLA) is an option. We hypothesised that compensation of HA using pECLA impairs regional perfusion. To test this hypothesis we determined organ blood flows in a lung‐injury model with combined hypercapnic and metabolic acidosis.
Democracy evaluation and its selected determinants in the context of the 2014 local elections in Poland

The local elections that were held in November 2014 stirred up considerable controversy in Po-land. The article is an attempt to describe how Poles evaluated the overall functioning of democ-racy in the context of these elections and what determinants significantly contributed to that evaluation. We examined three levels of democracy evaluation: general beliefs (Jost’s system justification), the current state of democracy (Dahl’s democratic institutions), and specific events connected with the functioning of the democratic system (the quality of the elections and the level of trust in the elected representatives). We also tested the extent to which these levels of democracy evaluation were explained by sociopolitical determinants, such as the general level of trust in people, patriotism and nationalism, or the experience of security. The study was conducted shortly after the second round of the election on a sample of 524 subjects. The obtained results show a low quality of democracy (particularly on the level of general beliefs and trust in the newly elected authorities) and reveal associations between aspects of evaluation and the investigated determinants.
Change in arterial stiffness associated with monthly bisphosphonate treatment in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis

ObjectiveOsteoporosis and atherosclerosis are the two most common diseases in postmenopausal women. In most cases, they are simultaneously present in the same individual and commonly lead to bone fracture or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Bisphosphonates (BPs) are frequently used in the treatment of osteoporosis and have the ability to increase lumbar spine bone mineral density (L-BMD). BPs may also protect against CVD. A single monthly 50-mg dose of minodronate (monthly minodronate) is now common practice and is highly anticipated to reduce the incidence of both bone fracture and CVD. A useful approach to independently predicting CVD is brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Here, we directly compared the effects of monthly minodronate with those of a standard single weekly 35-mg dose of alendronate (weekly alendronate) on L-BMD and baPWV in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis across a 12-month period. MethodsThirty-eight postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were randomized into two treatment groups (group 1, weekly alendronate, n = 19; group 2, monthly minodronate, n = 19). L-BMD and baPWV were assessed at baseline and 12-month follow-up. ResultsAt the end of the 12-month period, increases in L-BMD were similar between group 1 (7.6%) and group 2 (8.5%), but baPWV was significantly reduced in group 2 compared with group 1. The change in baPWV during the study period showed a significant negative correlation with the change in L-BMD. ConclusionsChanges in L-BMD in the monthly minodronate and weekly alendronate groups are generally comparable. Good control of changes in L-BMD in the postmenopausal phase might be associated with regression of CVD. Monthly minodronate is a promising new BP and potential first-line drug for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.