Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibody based immunotherapy for multiple myeloma: it’s about time

Abstract Monoclonal antibodies have made an indelible impact on cancer practice. Historically multiple myeloma (MM) has lagged behind in benefitting from this treatment modality. Recent years have seen a tremendous increase in the number of therapeutic antibodies being developed for treatment of MM. Unconjugated anti-CD 38 antibody Daratumumab and the anti-SLAMF7 antibody elotuzumab are in advanced stages of development and are expected to have a major impact in the management of MM. The immunotoxin Indatuximab Ravtansine is in early stages of development and the results appear encouraging. The role of monoclonal antibodies in myeloma will continue to evolve and, like other lymphoid malignancies, they are likely to have the greatest impact when combined with other anti-myeloma agents.
Comparison of Long-Term Variability of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Measurements Made with the RTVue OCT and Scanning Laser Polarimetry

Purpose. To compare long-term variability of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) measurements made with the RTVue-100 Fourier-domain optical coherence tomograph (RTVue-OCT) and scanning laser polarimetry with variable (GDx-VCC) and enhanced (GDx-ECC) corneal compensation. Methods. One eye each of 110 Caucasian patients (17 healthy, 20 ocular hypertensive, 22 preperimetric, and 51 perimetric glaucoma eyes, of which 10 showed visual field progression) were imaged prospectively at 6-month intervals for 1.5 to 3 years. Results. Median change of Octopus visual field mean defect was −0.300 dB/y for the controls, −0.120 dB/y for perimetric glaucoma group, and 1.231 dB/y for the 10 functionally progressing perimetric glaucoma eyes. Relative (%) variance of all RNFLT parameters measured with RTVue-OCT was significantly (p<<0.001) smaller than that with both of the GDx methods. Relative RNFLT progression slopes (% change/y) did not differ significantly between the methods. Relative variance of the RNFLT parameters did not differ between the control and perimetric glaucoma group with RTVue-OCT, but for most parameters it was consistently higher for perimetric glaucoma with both GDx methods (p≤0.01). Relative RNFLT progression slopes, however, did not separate the control and perimetric glaucoma eyes with either method. Conclusions. Long-term RNFLT measurements are less variable with the RTVue-OCT than with GDx-VCC and GDx-ECC. Long-term measurement variability is higher in perimetric glaucoma than in healthy eyes with both GDx methods, but no similar between-group difference is seen with RTvue-OCT. None of the tested methods separated the rate of progression between healthy and well-controlled perimetric glaucoma eyes in 1.5 to 3 years follow-up.
The synaptic vesicle proteome: A comparative study in membrane protein identification

A proteomic analysis of the synaptic vesicle was undertaken to obtain a better understanding of vesicle regulation. Synaptic vesicles primarily consist of integral membrane proteins that are not well resolved on traditional isoelectric focusing/two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (IEF/2‐DE) gels and are resistant to in‐gel digestion with trypsin thereby reducing the number of peptides available for mass spectrometric analysis. To address these limitations, two complementary 2‐DE methods were investigated in the proteome analysis: (a) IEF/sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (IEF/SDS‐PAGE) for resolution of soluble proteins and, (b) Benzyl hexadecyl ammonium chloride/SDS‐PAGE (16‐BAC/SDS‐PAGE) for resolution of integral membrane proteins. The IEF/SDS‐PAGE method provided superior resolution of soluble proteins, but could only resolve membrane proteins with a single transmembrane domain. The 16‐BAC/SDS‐PAGE method improved separation, resolution and identification of integral membrane proteins with up to 12 transmembrane domains. Trypsin digestion of the integral membrane proteins was poor and fewer peptides were identified from these proteins. Analysis of both the peptide mass fingerprint and the tandem mass spectra using electrospray ionization quadrupole‐time of flight mass spectrometry led to the positive identification of integral membrane proteins. Using both 2‐DE separation methods, a total of 36 proteins were identified including seven integral membrane proteins, 17 vesicle regulatory proteins and four proteins whose function in vesicles is not yet known.
Classmate peer-coaching: "A Study Buddy Support scheme"

This study had two aims: firstly, to determine whether participation in a peer support scheme called Study Buddy Support (SBS) improves pass rates of “at risk” students, and secondly, to examine the advantages of this model over hierarchical models where senior students tutor junior years. Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery students in a first year Bioscience course completed an assessment early in the semester. Based on their performance, “at risk” students (Buddies) and high achievers (Buddy Leaders) were identified to participate in this scheme, either on campus (internal) or via Virtual Classrooms (VC) (external). Quantitative percentage failure rates for those “not at risk” and those “at risk” utilising and not utilising SBS were compared. Qualitative comments were also examined. Of those in the SBS scheme, 72% passed, while only 49% of those not participating passed. Buddies identified the reassurance of not being alone, as well as a friendly, non-intimidating learning environment, as SBS positives. For Buddy Leaders, consolidation of learning, developing networks, and improved team and leadership skills were positives. The current SBS scheme increased percentage pass rates and Buddies and Buddy Leaders alike suggested personal benefits for the initiative. The networks developed in this SBS scheme can progress throughout the entire degree but are lost in a hierarchical model as senior mentors graduate. This suggests that the advantages of the SBS scheme may persist beyond first year and may further strengthen retention in later years.
A comparative study on the health care and medical service consumption of urban and rural households in China

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a nonparametric comparative study on the HCMS consumption of urban and rural households in China. Design/methodology/approach - This paper applies the panel data for China's thirty provinces in 1991-2007 as a sample and presents a local linear estimation to the nonparametric Working-Leser panel data models on the HCMS consumption of the rural and urban households in China. The nonparametric Hausman test is applied to test the random effects specification against the fixed effects. Findings - Both the parametric and nonparametric estimation of the Working-Leser panel data models give us a similar result: that the HCMS commodity is quite elastic in both the rural and urban China. Nonparametric estimate also shows that the urban-rural difference of the HCMS expenditure share in the total expenditure is mainly due to the large urban-rural difference of total expenditure. Under the same total expenditure, the HCMS is more elastic in the urban than in the rural regions. Practical implications - To decrease the urban-rural difference in the HCMS consumption, the government should enhance the income or total expenditure level of the rural households, especially in the impoverished and remote areas in China. Urbanization plays a critical role in access to health care and can help make substantial changes in rural health care in China. Originality/value - Compared to the parametric estimation, the nonparametric estimation gives us the added information that the expenditure elasticity of the HCMS consumption in China gradually declines as one moves up the per capita total expenditure distribution. The paper could make a contribution to the relatively thin literature on the Chinese medical and health consumption market.
Noninvasive Imaging, Treatment, and Microscopic Confirmation of Clearance of Basal Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is generally established by skin biopsy followed by tissue preparation and microscopic analysis. Treatment of BCC is often accomplished by surgical excision. OBJECTIVE To confirm the presence of BCC with a noninvasive imaging technique, to treat the patient with a topical immune response modifier, and to confirm the clearance of BCC noninvasively. METHODS Confocal microscopy (CM) is a noninvasive technique for real-time imaging of skin in vivo. Imiquimod, an immune response modifier, is applied topically by the patient to the skin lesion. RESULTS The presence of BCC was confirmed with CM. Posttreatment CM imaging confirmed the clearance of BCC from the entire treatment field. Both the pretreatment and the posttreatment CM findings were confirmed by invasive biopsy. CONCLUSION The ability to use CM to image in real time without discomfort to the patient makes it a powerful tool to assist in the diagnosis of skin disease.
An image segmentation method based on Simple Linear Iterative Clustering and graph-based semi-supervised learning

Image segmentation is one of the most popular applications in contemporary computer vision and image processing field. In this paper, a novel segmentation framework is proposed based on Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) and graph-based semi-supervised learning (graph-based SSL). With the SLIC approach utilized in the first stage, we get the anchor points which are SLIC clustering centers. Graph-based SSL method using anchor points and labeled samples are used to calculate category of anchor points, through which, the category of sample points is further determined. Experimental results show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
Are Biofuels Economically Competitive with Their Petroleum Counterparts?Production Cost Analysis for Zambia

With increased global interest in biofuels, Zambia, a Sub-Saharan African country that entirely depends on imports for its petroleum supply, is planning to implement blending mandates for biofuels. But, a large number of issues -- including production costs of biofuels, land requirements to meet the mandates, and environmental benefits -- have not yet been explored. This study aims to contribute in filling this gap. It finds that depending on feedstock type, costs of ethanol production range from US$0.360 a liter to US$0.680 a liter while the costs for biodiesel production range from US$0.612 a liter to US$0.952 a liter. Even if lower energy contents of biofuels are taken into account, the analysis shows that biofuels are cheaper than their petroleum counterparts. Considering the cost advantage of these biofuels over petroleum products and the availability of surplus agricultural land, Zambia is likely to benefit from the development of a biofuel industry. Biofuels is expected to reduce Zambia's petroleum import bill, which currently stands at more than US$700 million, enhance food security by providing incentives to increase yields, and increase affordability and accessibility to modern energy in the country where 77 percent of the population still lacks access to modern energy. It could also stimulate rural employment and development.
Microplate Fluorescence Assay for Measurement of the Ability of Strains of Listeria monocytogenes from Meat and Meat-Processing Plants To Adhere to Abiotic Surfaces

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a significant food-borne pathogen that is capable of adhering to and producing biofilms on processing equipment, making it difficult to eliminate from meat-processing environments and allowing potential contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) products. We devised a fluorescence-based microplate method for screening isolates of L. monocytogenes for the ability to adhere to abiotic surfaces. Strains of L. monocytogenes were incubated for 2 days at 30°C in 96-well microplates, and the plates were washed in a plate washer. The retained cells were incubated for 15 min at 25°C with 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate and washed again, and then the fluorescence was read with a plate reader. Several enzymatic treatments (protease, lipase, and cellulase) were effective in releasing adherent cells from the microplates, and this process was used for quantitation on microbiological media. Strongly adherent strains of L. monocytogenes were identified that had 15,000-fold-higher levels of fluorescence and 100,000-fold-higher plate counts in attachment assays than weakly adherent strains. Strongly adherent strains of L. monocytogenes adhered equally well to four different substrates (glass, plastic, rubber, and stainless steel); showed high-level attachment on microplates at 10, 20, 30, and 40°C; and showed significant differences from weakly adherent strains when examined by scanning electron microscopy. A greater incidence of strong adherence was observed for strains isolated from RTE meats than for those isolated from environmental surfaces. Analysis of surface adherence among Listeria isolates from processing environments may provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in attachment and suggest solutions to eliminate them from food-processing environments.
Vinculin Phosphorylation at Tyr1065 Regulates Vinculin Conformation and Tension Development in Airway Smooth Muscle Tissues*

Background: Vinculin assumes a closed inactive or an open talin/actin-binding conformation. During airway smooth muscle contraction, vinculin undergoes Tyr1065 phosphorylation. Results: Tyr1065 phosphorylation is required for vinculin conformation-sensitive FRET probes in smooth muscle to assume an open conformation and for tension generation. Conclusion: Tyr1065 phosphorylation regulates the ligand-binding function of vinculin in airway smooth muscle. Significance: Tyr1065 phosphorylation enables regulation of vinculin conformation by external stimuli. Vinculin localizes to membrane adhesion junctions in smooth muscle tissues, where its head domain binds to talin and its tail domain binds to filamentous actin, thus linking actin filaments to the extracellular matrix. Vinculin can assume a closed conformation, in which the head and tail domains bind to each other and mask the binding sites for actin and talin, and an open activated conformation that exposes the binding sites for talin and actin. Acetylcholine stimulation of tracheal smooth muscle tissues induces the recruitment of vinculin to the cell membrane and its interaction with talin and actin, which is required for active tension development. Vinculin phosphorylation at Tyr1065 on its C terminus increases concurrently with tension development in tracheal smooth muscle tissues. In the present study, the role of vinculin phosphorylation at Tyr1065 in regulating the conformation and function of vinculin during airway smooth muscle contraction was evaluated. Vinculin constructs with point mutations at Tyr1065 (vinculin Y1065F and vinculin Y1065E) and vinculin conformation-sensitive FRET probes were expressed in smooth muscle tissues to determine how Tyr1065 phosphorylation affects smooth muscle contraction and the conformation and cellular functions of vinculin. The results show that vinculin phosphorylation at tyrosine 1065 is required for normal tension generation in airway smooth muscle during contractile stimulation and that Tyr1065 phosphorylation regulates the conformation and scaffolding activity of the vinculin molecule. We conclude that the phosphorylation of vinculin at tyrosine 1065 provides a mechanism for regulating the function of vinculin in airway smooth muscle in response to contractile stimulation.
Preference Formation and the Axioms of Choice

Standard economic arguments assume that individual preferences satisfy particular axioms of choice (e.g. transitivity or acyclicity). At the same time, preferences are taken as given for purposes of analysis. However, since preferences are formed, the process of formation will affect the preferences created. This article argues that the process of preference formation will not generally result in preferences satisfying the axioms of choice. This result follows from considering preference formation as an intrapersonal version of Sen's Paretian Liberal paradox. This result requires a number of conditions, which are re-interpreted in the setting of individual preference formation and are shown to be reasonable. Several plausible examples show that the impossibility arises in uncontrived and natural situations. The article then outlines the relation of these arguments to other concerns about preference rankings. It concludes that the burden carried in economics and in other disciplines by standard preference rankings or utility functions is misplaced: such rankings are likely to be available to individuals in straightforward circumstances. On the other hand, these conclusions buttress arguments for a conception of preferences that is richer than is possible in standard economics.
Shaping human-robot interaction: understanding the social aspects of intelligent robotic products

The field of robotics is changing at an unprecedented pace. Robotic technologies that integrate information technology with physical embodiment are now robust enough to be deployed in industrial, institutional, and domestic settings. They have the potential to be greatly beneficial to humankind. However, how these products should behave and interact with humans — act socially — remains largely unclear. When designing these products, we will need to make judgments about what technologies to pursue, what systems to make, and how to consider context when designing artifacts and services. Researchers and designers have only just begun to understand these critical issues.
Bipolar obsessive-compulsive disorder and personality disorders.

OBJECTIVES Relatively few systematic data exist on the clinical impact of bipolar comorbidity in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and no studies have investigated the influence of such a comorbidity on the prevalence and pattern of Axis II comorbidity. The aim of the present study was to explore the comorbidity of personality disorders in a group of patients with OCD and comorbid bipolar disorder (BD). METHODS The sample consisted of 204 subjects with a principal diagnosis of OCD (DSM-IV) and a Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score>or=16 recruited from all patients consecutively referred to the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin over a period of 5 years (January 1998-December 2002). Diagnostic evaluation and Axis I comorbidities were collected by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Personality status was assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II). Socio-demographic and clinical features (including Axis II comorbidities) were compared between OCD patients with and without a lifetime comorbidity of BD. RESULTS A total of 21 patients with OCD (10.3%) met DSM-IV criteria for a lifetime BD diagnosis: 4 (2.0%) with BD type I and 17 (8.3%) with BD type II. Those without a BD diagnosis showed significantly higher rates of male gender, sexual and hoarding obsessions, repeating compulsions and lifetime comorbid substance use disorders, when compared with patients with BD/OCD. With regard to personality disorders, those with BD/OCD showed higher prevalence rates of Cluster A (42.9% versus 21.3%; p=0.027) and Cluster B (57.1% versus 29.0%; p=0.009) personality disorders. Narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders were more frequent in BD/OCD. CONCLUSIONS Our results point towards clinically relevant effects of comorbid BD on the personality profiles of OCD patients, with higher rates of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders in BD/OCD patients.
Molecular pathways of cyclic nucleotide‐induced inhibition of arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation

Cyclic adenosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cGMP) are second messengers involved in the intracellular signal transduction of a wide variety of extracellular stimuli. These signals regulate many biological processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. Recently, significant progress has been achieved in the molecular basis underlying cyclic nucleotide regulation of cell proliferation. This review summarizes our knowledge of the signaling pathways regulated by cyclic nucleotides in arterial smooth muscle cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 186:1–10, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mutual insurance as an elusive concept in traditional rural communities

During the last two decades, economists have paid increasing attention to the role of informal risk-sharing arrangements as a privileged way through which traditional rural communities can achieve a significant degree of protection against income fluctuations and other hazards beyond their control. This article however argues that when they enter into such arrangements members of these communities are guided by a principle of balanced reciprocity (they expect a return from any contribution or payment they make) rather than by a true logic of mutual insurance. More precisely, they do not conceive of insurance as a game where there are winners and losers and where income is redistributed between lucky and unlucky individuals. None the less, traditional agrarian societies have proven able to develop a restricted range of sustainable forms of mutual insurance that avoid the aforementioned problem.
The collapse of a cavitation bubble in shear flows—A numerical study

The collapse of a cavitation bubble is examined by direct numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations, using a finite difference/front tracking technique. Bubbles in both a quiescent fluid as well as shear flows are examined. For quiescent fluid, the results are compared with theoretical and previous computational results. For bubbles in a shear flow it is shown that large shear can increase the rate of collapse, and for bubbles near boundaries shear can eliminate the re‐entrant jet seen for bubbles in a quiescent flow.
‘British Columbia Is Open for Business’: Environmental Justice and Working Forest News in the Vancouver Sun

Abstract This paper analyses the Vancouver Sun's coverage of the Working Forest Initiative, which the provincial government of British Columbia (BC), Canada, introduced in 2002. The Working Forest originally defined forestry as the primary use of all forested Crown land in BC that was not within protected areas. By 2003, this policy initiative was transformed into a largely symbolic recognition of the importance of the forest industry. Through the Sun, the debate over the Working Forest is simplified into a conflict between a discourse of ‘certainty and stability’ for the forest industry and an oppositional discourse that challenges the conflation of the interests of forestry corporations with a reified ‘general interest’. In the Sun, debate over the Working Forest is dominated by sources from government, environmental organizations and the forest industry. Other important news sources are rendered silent, including First Nations and forestry labour voices.