Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of active acne with an Er:Glass (1.54 µm) laser: A 2‐year follow‐up study

Background: To investigate the effects of the 1.54 µm wavelength on active lesions of the face and of the back at the 2‐year follow‐up. Methods: A 1.54 µm erbium:glass laser (Aramis, Quantel Medical, France) was used in combination with contact cooling set at +5°C to treat acne on the face with the following parameters (3 ms, four pulses, 10 J/cm2, 2 Hz, cumulative fluence: 40 J/cm2). The laser spots were adjacent (maximum overlap: 20%) and delivered in rows in order to cover the entire area. Four treatments were performed at 4‐week intervals in 25 patients with acne severity greater than 3 on the Burton scale. Acne lesion counts (papules, pustules, nodules, comedones) were performed prior to each treatment, and at 2, 4, 12, 18 and 24 months after the final treatment. Results: Among the 25 patients, three were lost to follow‐up, four were retreated. So, 18 patients had acne lesions counts 2 years after the fourth treatment. The mean percent reduction was 71% at the 6‐month follow‐up, 79% at the 1‐year follow‐up and 73% at the 2‐year follow‐up. No side effects were reported. All patients commented that their skin was less prone to oiliness. Biopsies taken after treatment showed progressive rarefaction and miniaturization of sebaceous glands and pilosebaceous follicles without morphologic damage to epidermal and dermal structures. Conclusion: Active acne can be successfully treated by selective dermal heating with a 1.54 µm erbium:glass laser coupled to contact cooling, with no related side effects. Furthermore, this longer follow‐up study demonstrates long‐term acne clearing. Combined treatments with medications (oral or topical) or light (targeting Propionibacterium acnes) may also improve acne clearance.
The cultural embeddedness of regional innovation: A Bourdieuian perspective

Researchers have long acknowledged the importance of culture in the innovation process. However, while culture is well integrated into frameworks such as Regional Innovation Systems (RIS), the actual processes through which cultural outlooks influence innovative activities is still poorly understood. Beyond this, culture is frequently viewed in an overly simplified way in which only one cultural attribute (such as ethnicity or geography) is seen as a deterministic force in the innovation process. The chapter provides a sympathetic critique of the ways in which culture is employed in RIS research and suggests that the work of Pierre Bourdieu is useful as an alternative to understand the role of overlapping and often confluent cultural outlooks within regions. This framework views innovation as a bundle of practices that actors employ based on their position within multiple, overlapping ‘fields’ of power relations and norms. The framework allows for a more nuanced appreciation for the role of culture that acknowledges the role of multiple sources of cultural influence.
Rehabilitation and achieved health quality after stroke. A population‐based study of 258 hospitalized cases followed for one year

Abstract In a prospective population‐based study rehabilitation outcome and achieved health quality was followed in consecutive hospitalized stroke patients after 3, 6 and 12 months. The study group comprised 258 patients (125 men and 133 women) admitted during the period February 1st 1986 — January 31st 1987. Most (76%) had major stroke and 24% had minor stroke. Stroke occurred predominantly among the elderly; 74% were 70 years and 38%80 years. The case‐fatality rate was 11% during the acute phase and 27% after one year. Of all patients 49% returned to their own homes, 2% moved into an old people's home and 38% were referred to institutions. Age of the patient and severity of the stroke influenced on the survival rates and on the discharge pattern. The amount of patients living in their own homes increased steadily with time. At discharge and after 3, 6 and 12 months 49, 54, 58, 56% of all patients and 54, 66, 73 and 77% of the survivors respectively were living at home, whereas 38, 22, 15 and 10% of all patients and 43, 27, 19 and 14% of the survivors were in institutions at the corresponding time periods. The remaining survivors were living in an old people's home. The major recovery of functional ability occurred within the first 3–6 months. At 3, 6 and 12 months 80, 82 and 81% of the surviving patients were able to walk indoors independently.
Recombinase Polymerase Amplification for Diagnostic Applications

Abstract BACKGROUND First introduced in 2006, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) has stirred great interest, as evidenced by 75 publications as of October 2015, with 56 of them just in the last 2 years. The widespread adoption of this isothermal molecular tool in many diagnostic fields represents an affordable (approximately 4.3 USD per test), simple (few and easy hands-on steps), fast (results within 5–20 min), and sensitive (single target copy number detected) method for the identification of pathogens and the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms in human cancers and genetically modified organisms. CONTENT This review summarizes the current knowledge on RPA. The molecular diagnostics of various RNA/DNA pathogens is discussed while highlighting recent applications in clinical settings with focus on point-of-care (POC) bioassays and on automated fluidic platforms. The strengths and limitations of this isothermal method are also addressed. SUMMARY RPA is becoming a molecular tool of choice for the rapid, specific, and cost-effective identification of pathogens. Owing to minimal sample-preparation requirements, low operation temperature (25–42 °C), and commercial availability of freeze-dried reagents, this method has been applied outside laboratory settings, in remote areas, and interestingly, onboard automated sample-to-answer microfluidic devices. RPA is undoubtedly a promising isothermal molecular technique for clinical microbiology laboratories and emergence response in clinical settings.
The Leukocyte Chemotactic Receptor FPR1 Is Functionally Expressed on Human Lens Epithelial Cells*

Background: Lens degeneration in Fpr1−/− mice prompted us to search for functional FPR1 expression directly on lens epithelial cells. Results: FPR1 is functionally expressed on human lens epithelial cells but has atypical properties compared with hematopoietic cell FPR1. Conclusion: Lens epithelial cell FPR1 may be involved in development and maintenance of the lens. Significance: This is the first link between non-hematopoietic expression of FPR1 and an ophthalmologic phenotype. Formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) is a G protein-coupled chemoattractant receptor expressed mainly on leukocytes. Surprisingly, aging Fpr1−/− mice develop spontaneous lens degeneration without inflammation or infection (J.-L. Gao et al., manuscript in preparation). Therefore, we hypothesized that FPR1 is functionally expressed directly on lens epithelial cells, the only cell type in the lens. Consistent with this, the human fetal lens epithelial cell line FHL 124 expressed FPR1 mRNA and was strongly FPR1 protein-positive by Western blot and FACS. Competition binding using FPR1 ligands N-formyl-Nle-Leu-Phe-Nle-Tyr-Lys (Nle = Norleucine), formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine, and peptide W revealed the same profile for FHL 124 cells, neutrophils, and FPR1-transfected HEK 293 cells. Saturation binding with fluorescein-labeled N-formyl-Nle-Leu-Phe-Nle-Tyr-Lys revealed ∼2500 specific binding sites on FHL-124 cells (KD ∼ 0.5 nm) versus ∼40,000 sites on neutrophils (KD = 3.2 nm). Moreover, formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine induced pertussis toxin-sensitive Ca2+ flux in FHL 124 cells, consistent with classic Gi-mediated FPR1 signaling. FHL 124 cell FPR1 was atypical in that it resisted agonist-induced internalization. Expression of FPR1 was additionally supported by detection of the intact full-length open reading frame in sequenced cDNA from FHL 124 cells. Thus, FHL-124 cells express functional FPR1, which is consistent with a direct functional role for FPR1 in the lens, as suggested by the phenotype of Fpr1 knock-out mice.
Increasing frame rate in ultrasound imaging by temporal morphing using tissue Doppler [human heart imaging]

The diagnostic value of ultrasound B-mode sequences of the human heart seems to diminish when the frame rate is low. In this work, we used morphing based on velocity information to improve the quality of interpolated B-mode frames in sequences with low frame rate. Two different sources of information about tissue velocity were investigated: speckle tracking and Doppler signal processing. Based on a priori knowledge of the image, we calculated the velocity field in certain image locations throughout a cardiac cycle. Secondly, we extended the velocity information to the rest of each image frame to produce a velocity estimate for the entire data set. The velocity information was then used to create intermediate, morphed frames, where the frame rate could be chosen arbitrarily. We applied this technique to data previously used in diagnosis. The decimated and morphed sequences were compared to the original ones, and we conclude that much of the diagnostic value is retained in recordings with frame rates in the range of 12-18 frames per second.
A New Nested MIMO Array With Increased Degrees of Freedom and Hole-Free Difference Coarray

We propose a new antenna array design approach for a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) radar, which has closed-form expressions for the sensor locations and the number of achievable degrees of freedom (DOFs). This new approach utilizes the nested array as transmitting and receiving arrays. We employ the difference coarray of the sum coarray (DCSC) of the MIMO radar to obtain more DOFs for direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation. Via properly designing the interelement spacings of the transmitting and receiving arrays, we can obtain a hole-free DCSC. The characteristics of array geometries are analyzed and the optimal numbers of sensors in transmitting/receiving antenna array are derived when given the total number of physical sensors. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed array in terms of the number of DOFs, the number of resolvable sources, and the DOA estimation performance over the coprime MIMO array.
Crystal Structure and Carbohydrate Analysis of Nipah Virus Attachment Glycoprotein: a Template for Antiviral and Vaccine Design

ABSTRACT Two members of the paramyxovirus family, Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV), are recent additions to a growing number of agents of emergent diseases which use bats as a natural host. Identification of ephrin-B2 and ephrin-B3 as cellular receptors for these viruses has enabled the development of immunotherapeutic reagents which prevent virus attachment and subsequent fusion. Here we present the structural analysis of the protein and carbohydrate components of the unbound viral attachment glycoprotein of NiV glycoprotein (NiV-G) at a 2.2-Å resolution. Comparison with its ephrin-B2-bound form reveals that conformational changes within the envelope glycoprotein are required to achieve viral attachment. Structural differences are particularly pronounced in the 579-590 loop, a major component of the ephrin binding surface. In addition, the 236-245 loop is rather disordered in the unbound structure. We extend our structural characterization of NiV-G with mass spectrometric analysis of the carbohydrate moieties. We demonstrate that NiV-G is largely devoid of the oligomannose-type glycans that in viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and Ebola virus influence viral tropism and the host immune response. Nevertheless, we find putative ligands for the endothelial cell lectin, LSECtin. Finally, by mapping structural conservation and glycosylation site positions from other members of the paramyxovirus family, we suggest the molecular surface involved in oligomerization. These results suggest possible pathways of virus-host interaction and strategies for the optimization of recombinant vaccines.
Activities of Daily Living Are Associated With Older Adult Cognitive Status

We compared the extent to which subjective report of activities of daily living (ADLs) by caregivers and older adults were associated with objective measures of older adults’ cognition. In independent studies (Study 1 N = 238; Study 2 N = 295), bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses examined the association of caregiver and self-rated reports of older adult basic, instrumental, and total ADLs and older adult cognition. We examined the magnitude of the caregiver/self-report discrepancy and older adult cognition. In both studies, caregiver reports more accurately accounted for older adult cognitive differences. Older adult visuospatial/constructional deficits were uniquely related to caregiver basic ADL reports. Results indicate that caregiver reports of older adult ADLs are more reliable indicators of older adult cognition than self-reports, and this difference grows as older adult cognition decreases. Thus, older adult ADL assessment may be useful in providing information on potential cognitive decline.
A multilocus sequence typing scheme for Streptococcus pneumoniae: identification of clones associated with serious invasive disease.

The population biology of Streptococcus pneumoniae is poorly understood. Most of the important issues could be addressed by the molecular characterization of large, well sampled populations from carriage and from the different manifestations of pneumococcal disease. The authors have therefore developed a pneumococcal multilocus sequence typing scheme and database by sequencing approximately 450 bp fragments of seven housekeeping loci from 295 isolates. The combination of alleles at the seven loci provided an allelic profile, or sequence type (ST), and the relatedness between isolates was obtained by constructing a dendrogram from the matrix of pairwise differences between STs. The typing scheme was validated using pneumococci of known genetic relatedness and could resolve >6 billion STs. Among 274 isolates from recent cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in eight countries, 143 STs were resolved, but 12 STs contained at least five isolates (range 5-21 isolates). The repeated recovery of indistinguishable isolates from invasive disease in different countries implies that these STs define strains with an increased capacity to cause invasive disease. The relationship between STs and serotypes suggested that, in the longer term, capsular genes have been distributed horizontally within the pneumococcal population, but in the short term, expansion of clones occurs with only occasional changes of serotype. The multilocus sequence typing scheme provides a powerful new approach to the characterization of pneumococci, since it provides molecular typing data that are electronically portable between laboratories, and which can be used to probe aspects of the population and evolutionary biology of these organisms. A Web site for the molecular characterization of pneumococci by MLST is available (http ://mlst.zoo.ox.ac.uk).
Multipolarization Through-Wall Radar Imaging Using Low-Rank and Jointly-Sparse Representations

Compressed sensing techniques have been applied to through-the-wall radar imaging (TWRI) and multipolarization TWRI for fast data acquisition and enhanced target localization. The studies so far in this area have either assumed effective wall clutter removal prior to image formation or performed signal estimation, wall clutter mitigation, and image formation independently. This paper proposes a low-rank and sparse imaging model for jointly addressing the problem of wall clutter mitigation and image formation in multichannel TWRI. The proposed model exploits two important structures of through-wall radar signals: low-rank structure of the wall reflections and jointly-sparse structure among the different polarization images. The task of removing wall clutter and reconstructing multichannel images of the same scene behind-the-wall is formulated as a regularized least squares problem, where low-rank regularization is enforced for the wall components, and joint-sparsity penalty is imposed on channel images. To solve the optimization problem, an iterative algorithm based on the proximal gradient technique is introduced, which simultaneously estimates the wall interferences and yields multichannel images of the indoor targets. Experiments on real and simulated radar data are conducted under full measurements and compressive sensing scenarios. The results show that the proposed model is very effective at removing unwanted wall clutter and enhancing the stationary targets, even under considerable reduction in measurements.
Fluorescent genetic barcoding in mammalian cells for enhanced multiplexing capabilities in flow cytometry

The discovery of the green fluorescent protein from Aequorea victoria has revolutionized the field of cell and molecular biology. Since its discovery a growing panel of fluorescent proteins, fluorophores and fluorescent‐coupled staining methodologies, have expanded the analytical capabilities of flow cytometry. Here, we exploit the power of genetic engineering to barcode individual cells with genes encoding fluorescent proteins. For genetic engineering, we utilize retroviral technology, which allows for the expression of ectopic genetic information in a stable manner in mammalian cells. We have genetically barcoded both adherent and nonadherent cells with different fluorescent proteins. Multiplexing power was increased by combining both the number of distinct fluorescent proteins, and the fluorescence intensity in each channel. Moreover, retroviral expression has proven to be stable for at least a 6‐month period, which is critical for applications such as biological screens. We have shown the applicability of fluorescent barcoded multiplexing to cell‐based assays that rely themselves on genetic barcoding, or on classical staining protocols. Fluorescent genetic barcoding gives the cell an inherited characteristic that distinguishes it from its counterpart. Once cell lines are developed, no further manipulation or staining is required, decreasing time, nonspecific background associated with staining protocols, and cost. The increasing number of discovered and/or engineered fluorescent proteins with unique absorbance/emission spectra, combined with the growing number of detection devices and lasers, increases multiplexing versatility, making fluorescent genetic barcoding a powerful tool for flow cytometry‐based analysis. © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
The Best Laid Plans: Pay for Performance Incentive Programs for School Leaders

In an era of heightened accountability and limited fiscal resources, school districts have sought novel ways to increase the effectiveness of their principals in an effort to increase student proficiency. To address these needs, some districts have turned to pay-for-performance programs, aligning leadership goals with financial incentives to motivate and direct leadership efforts. Pay-for-performance strategies have been applied to schools for decades (Barraclough, 1973; Educational Research Service, 1979; Kienapfel, 1984) but have expanded in scope and scale to now operate through public and private channels at the national, state, and district levels. These incentive programs have historically focused on teachers, but in recent years they have expanded to include principals as well. The research presented here examines pay-for-performance plans for school principals, presenting the plans’ central features and defining programmatic elements within a framework that focuses on the key decisions that need to be made while designing incentive systems. In so doing, this analysis provides a descriptive overview of how pay-for-performance programs for school principals are conceptualized and developed while illustrating novel approaches, common shortcomings, and creative solutions to challenging dilemmas. We base our analyses on the prevailing literature on teacher performance pay and related work from the business and public sectors to develop a framework of essential components that we apply, via document analysis, to 34 funded proposals from the federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF). This framework does not dictate the form of performance pay systems; rather it identifies the requisite considerations with which system designers must grapple as they construct the
Differential responses of the photoperiodic clock in two passerine birds possessing a strongly self‐sustained circadian system

To investigate whether the photoperiodic clocks of species possessing strongly self‐sustaining circadian clocks share identical features, we compared the full response cycle (initiation and termination of the response) in body mass and testes of the non‐migratory house sparrow (Passer domesticus) with that of the migratory redheaded bunting (Emberiza bruniceps) under Nanda‐Hamner experiments. Birds were exposed to a 36 h day (L∶D=6∶30 h), controls exposed to a 24 h day (L∶D=6∶18 h), for a period of 31 weeks. By week 18 of L∶D=6∶18 h, there was a small increase in body mass among sparrows, but not among buntings, and the testes of bunting did not grow, while those of sparrow grew slightly. The response to L∶D=6∶30 h is of particular interest. There was a rapid gain and subsequent loss in the body mass of bunting, but not of sparrows. Further, both species underwent a testicular cycle as if they were exposed to long days, but the response of sparrows was slower and hence delayed the attainment of peak testicular size. Such a differential response to exotic light cycles between these two photosensitive species, despite their similar circadian oscillatory properties (strong self‐sustainment), could suggest a species‐specific adaptation of the endogenous clock involved in photoperiodic regulation of avian seasonality.
Response evaluation and monitoring of multiple myeloma

Monitoring multiple myeloma (MM) is essential during the evaluation of response to each therapy line, after transplantation and at the time of relapse or progression in all patients. An initial complete workup, including appropriate protein studies in serum and urine is mandatory. The use of uniform criteria is particularly important in the context of clinical trials. Complete remission (CR) definition, the goal for the majority of patients, is now in constant evolution, with immunophenotypic and molecular minimal residual disease measurement in bone marrow as well as imaging techniques. Identification of relapse/progression with traditional and novel techniques for eventual prompt intervention with rescue treatment is a current issue of debate.
The isodendritic core of the brain stem

According to their degree of morphological specialization, the cell populations of the brain stem may be classified into three groups: isodendritic, allodendritic and idiodendritic. The isodendritic neurons, or generalized neurons, are the most frequently encountered. If one discards those isodendritic centers that by common definition are sensory or motor, an isodendritic core is left which displays very little histological variation throughout the whole extent of the brain stem. This core corresponds, with certain restrictions, to the regions that are usually regarded as reticular formation. It constitutes a continuum of overlapping dendritic fields that extends from the spinal cord to the diencephalon. In view of the similarities that exist between the histology of the isodendritic core and the relatively disorganized nervous system of the lower vertebrates, it is postulated that it represents a pool of pluripotential neurons which in the course of phylogeny have remained relatively undifferentiated and in charge of processing afferent signals of very heterogeneous origin. By contrast, the allodendritic and idiodendritic centers can be regarded as relatively specialized centers from the point of view of their dendritic morphology, connections and functions. Attention is paid to the fact that the diffuse characteristics of the isodendritic core do not necessarily entail ill‐defined physiological properties.