Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural motifs involved in human IgG antibody effector functions

A humanized IgG antibody to CAMPATH‐1 antigen (CDw52) is known to be lympholytic both in vitro and in vivo. So as to improve therapeutic potency through protein engineering strategies, we wish to define the structural motifs underlying some of the documented differences in function between human (h) IgG1 and IgG4 forms of the antibody. By the creation of heavy chain domain‐switch and intra‐domain recombinant antibodies we have established an important role for the carboxy‐terminal half of the CH2 domain in determining differential behaviour in antibody‐dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) and in complement lysis. If this same region were necessary for the effector mechanisms that operate in vivo, then it might be possible to improve antibody effector functions by construction of novel antibodies that possess within the one molecule multiple copies of the crucial hinge‐CH2 associated structures. Although our previous work suggested that the hIgG4 CAMPATH‐1 antibody was ineffective at ADCC, we found this to be so only in some individuals. In others, IgG4, and indeed all the IgG subclasses were able to mediate ADCC. Overall, though, hIgG1 remains the best choice isotype for lytic therapy in vivo.
Clinical effectiveness of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine against pneumonia in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases

Background The effectiveness of the 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPV-23) is controversial, especially among people with high-risk conditions. This study assessed the clinical effectiveness of vaccination against pneumonia among patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. Methods We conducted a population-based case-control study including 96 non-immunocompromised patients with clinical diagnosis of chronic pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis, emphysema and/or asthma), aged 50 y or older, with radiographically confirmed pneumococcal pneumonia (19 bacteremic and 77 nonbacteremic cases) and 192 outpatient control subjects with similar chronic pulmonary diseases (matched by primary care center, age, sex and main comorbidity). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for vaccination were calculated using conditional logistic regression, controlling for by underlying conditions. Results Pneumococcal vaccination did not alter significantly the risk of overall pneumococcal pneumonia [adjusted OR: 0.71; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37–1.39]. Point estimates of vaccine effectiveness was the maximum against bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia due to vaccine-serotypes, although neither reached statistical significance (adjusted OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.03–8.19). Vaccination pointed to a smaller benefit against nonbacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (adjusted OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.33–1.34). Pneumococcal vaccination was associated with a non-statistically significant reduction in the risk of all pneumococcal pneumonia among persons 75 y or older (adjusted OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.16–1.27), but no apparent protective effect emerged among people 50–74 y (adjusted OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 0.62–3.56). Conclusions The effectiveness of the PPV-23 in preventing pneumonia among patients with chronic pulmonary disease is uncertain. Our results point to PPV-23 having little or null effect against pneumococcal pneumonia in such patients, but definitive conclusions cannot be established based on our data.
Effect of an electronic nicotine delivery device (e cigarette) on desire to smoke and withdrawal, user preferences and nicotine delivery: randomised cross-over trial

Objectives To measure the short-term effects of an electronic nicotine delivery device (“e cigarette”, ENDD) on desire to smoke, withdrawal symptoms, acceptability, pharmacokinetic properties and adverse effects. Design Single blind randomised repeated measures cross-over trial of the Ruyan V8 ENDD. Setting University research centre in Auckland, New Zealand. Participants 40 adult dependent smokers of 10 or more cigarettes per day. Interventions Participants were randomised to use ENDDs containing 16 mg nicotine or 0 mg capsules, Nicorette nicotine inhalator or their usual cigarette on each of four study days 3 days apart, with overnight smoking abstinence before use of each product. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in desire to smoke, measured as “area under the curve” on an 11-point visual analogue scale before and at intervals over 1 h of use. Secondary outcomes included withdrawal symptoms, acceptability and adverse events. In nine participants, serum nicotine levels were also measured. Results Over 60 min, participants using 16 mg ENDD recorded 0.82 units less desire to smoke than the placebo ENDD (p=0.006). No difference in desire to smoke was found between 16 mg ENDD and inhalator. ENDDs were more pleasant to use than inhalator (p=0.016) and produced less irritation of mouth and throat (p<0.001). On average, the ENDD increased serum nicotine to a peak of 1.3 mg/ml in 19.6 min, the inhalator to 2.1 ng/ml in 32 min and cigarettes to 13.4 ng/ml in 14.3 min. Conclusions The 16 mg Ruyan V8 ENDD alleviated desire to smoke after overnight abstinence, was well tolerated and had a pharmacokinetic profile more like the Nicorette inhalator than a tobacco cigarette. Evaluation of the ENDD for longer-term safety, potential for long-term use and efficacy as a cessation aid is needed. Trial registration No.12607000587404, Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register
Trait-oriented programming in Java 8

Java 8 was released recently. Along with lambda expressions, a new language construct is introduced: default methods in interfaces. The intent of this feature is to allow interfaces to be extended over time preserving backward compatibility. In this paper, we show a possible, different use of these interfaces: we introduce a trait-oriented programming style based on an interface-as-trait idea, with the aim of improving code modularity. Starting from the most common operators on traits, we introduce some programming patterns mimicking such operators and discuss this approach.
Intensify standardized therapy for esophageal and stomach cancer in tumor hospitals.

Cancer treatment situation in tumor hospitals in China has its own unique characteristics which are not found in other parts of the world. Because of the huge population and high incidence rates of esophageal and stomach cancer[1-5], the number of cancer patients waiting for admission is inconceivably large. It is estimated that there are about 1.6-2.0 million new cases per year in China. In 1999, the Hebei Tumor Hospital had 6884 carcinoma patients hospitalized, among them there were 1035 esophageal cancer and 1057 stomach cancer patients. Because of the financial problem and most peasants have not joined the medical care insurance plan. Therefore, they are not benefited by the ideal treatment regimen after being diagnosed with TNM staging. Hebei Tumor Hospital was established in 1958 to provide medical care to cancer patients in the central and southern parts of Hebei Province. It has 621 beds. The southern part of Hebei Province around Chixian is adjacent to Linxian of Henan Province, both Chixian and Linxian counties have the highest incidence rates of esophageal cancer which are 135/100000. Besides, stomach carcinoma is another major cancer in this region. With a view to standardize the therapy of esophagus and stomach cancer, the authors reviewed the national and international standard treatment and recent progress in this field, and the therapeutic modalities given in this hospital from 1981 to 1997, and hope this analysis may benefit the development of standardized therapy for the above two malignances in clinical management.
A new discrete time delay control of hydraulic manipulators

A new discrete time delay control design is presented and investigated for the joint-space control of hydraulic manipulators in this article. Thanks to the time delay estimation technique, our new designed controller no longer needs the detailed system model, which is very fascinating for practical applications. Also, the proposed discrete time delay control method requires no acceleration information to be obtained through quadratic differential, which is usually essential for the continuous-time version time delay control method of hydraulic manipulators. This may result in fewer requirements of computational effort or unavailability of sensors for obtaining the acceleration signal. Furthermore, the newly proposed discrete time delay control requires no future predicted values of the desired trajectory or system states compared with the traditional discrete time delay control method, which is more suitable for practical applications. The corresponding stability is analyzed using the bounded input bounded output stability theory. The easiness for actual applications and robustness against disturbance are verified through some 2-degree-of-freedom experiments.
Childhood obesity-an insight into preventive strategies

Abstract Childhood obesity is now a global problem throughout the world. The major factors affecting weight regulation and the development of obesity in children are the result of a large number of biological, behavioral, social, environmental, and economic factors and the complex interactions between them that promote a positive energy balance. The changes in the dietary habits with the adoption of sedentary life style increases manifold obesity-related diseases and their complications. An obese child later on grows up to become an obese adult. Therefore, the role of primary prevention along with methodical diet control, behavioral changes, and physical activity are the important strategies against the battle of childhood obesity.
The Cytosolic O-Acetylserine(thiol)lyase Gene Is Regulated by Heavy Metals and Can Function in Cadmium Tolerance*

Regulation of the expression of the cytosolic O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase gene (Atcys-3A) from Arabidopsis thalianaunder heavy metal stress conditions has been investigated. Northern blot analysis of Atcys-3A expression shows a 7-fold induction after 18 h of cadmium treatment. Addition of 50 μm CdCl2 to the irrigation medium of matureArabidopsis plants induces a rapid accumulation of the mRNA throughout the leaf lamina, the root and stem cortex, and stem vascular tissues when compared with untreated plants, as observed byin situ hybridization. High pressure liquid chromatography analysis of GSH content shows a transient increase after 18 h of metal treatment. Our results are compatible with a high cysteine biosynthesis rate under heavy metal stress required for the synthesis of GSH and phytochelatins, which are involved in the plant detoxification mechanism.Arabidopsis-transformed plants overexpressing theAtcys-3A gene by up to 9-fold show increased tolerance to cadmium when grown in medium containing 250 μmCdCl2, suggesting that increased cysteine availability is responsible for cadmium tolerance. In agreement with these results, exogenous addition of cystine can, to some extent, also favor the growth of wild-type plants in cadmium-containing medium. Cadmium accumulates to higher levels in leaves of tolerant transformed lines than in wild-type plants.
Heat stress affects oogenesis differently in wild‐type Drosophila virilis and a mutant with altered juvenile hormone and 20‐hydroxyecdysone levels

The link between reproduction and environmental signals is poorly understood at the physiological, genetic and molecular levels. We describe a mutant strain of Drosophila virilis that has altered responses to heat stress. Heat stress in wild‐type females results in oocyte maturation delays, degradation of early vitellogenic egg chambers, inhibition of yolk protein gene expression in follicle cells and accumulation of mature oocytes. The mutant females have increased levels of ecdysteroids and decreased juvenile hormone degradation, and show all of the heat‐stress‐induced reproductive effects observed in wild‐type flies, without exposure to heat stress. During oogenesis in mutant females following heat stress there is an increase in early vitellogenic oocyte degradation and some degradation of late egg chambers. 20‐Hydroxyecdysone levels, but not juvenile hormone degradation, change following heat stress in mutant females.
The constituents and mechanisms of generation of 'endothelial cell--colony forming units'.

AIMS The formation of endothelial cell-colony forming units (EC-CFUs) is increased by vascular injury, although their function in vivo is unclear. We, therefore, examined the constituents of EC-CFUs and the mechanisms of their generation. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed immunohistochemical characterization of EC-CFUs and their mononuclear precursors. Using fluorescent-activated cell sorting, we evaluated the capacity of mononuclear subpopulations to generate EC-CFUs, and monitored their migratory behaviour when co-incubated with EC-CFUs. Time-lapse microscopy was used to observe colony maturation. Cellular proliferation within EC-CFUs was assessed using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and anti-proliferative agents. EC-CFUs exhibited typical endothelial characteristics; however, several endothelial markers were weakly expressed or absent. Macrophage and lymphocyte antigens were intensely expressed. EC-CFUs readily incorporated BrdU, and failed to develop in the presence of anti-proliferative agents (P < 0.01; n = 12). Time-lapse microscopy demonstrated that the characteristic EC-CFU 'spindle cells' are not EC-CFU progeny, but are mononuclear cells migrating towards, and incorporating into colonies. Only CD14(+) monocytes were necessary for EC-CFU formation. CD14 expression was progressively down-regulated during colony maturation (P < 0.001; n = 6). Although unable to generate EC-CFUs directly, CD34(+) cells could differentiate into CD14(+) cells and potentiate EC-CFU formation. CONCLUSIONS EC-CFUs exhibit endothelial characteristics, but are predominantly CD14(+) derived macrophages and are a potent stimulus for lymphocyte migration. Proliferation is necessary for EC-CFU generation; however, colony growth also occurs as a result of leucocyte migration. Although confirmatory in vivo studies are required, EC-CFU formation likely reflects leucocyte activation as a reparatory response to vascular denudation or tissue ischaemia.
The origin of secondary electron gate current: a multiple-stage Monte Carlo study for scaled, low-power flash memory

A multiple-stage simulation procedure identifies, for the first time, the location of secondary electrons that very efficiently produce gate currents in flash EEPROMs. The simulation method incorporates both electron and hole Monte Carlo analysis to calculate this secondary electron gate current without introducing additional fitting parameters. (I/sub g//I/sub d/) continues to increase for smaller channel length (50/spl times/ from L/sub g/-03.39 to 0.12 /spl mu/m) and higher substrate doping (more than 6/spl times/ when doubled) in scaled, low-power flash memory.
Outcomes from ischemic stroke subtypes classified by the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Stroke is a highly heterogeneous disorder with distinct subtypes, each presenting specific clinical aspects. Information on prognosis of ischemic stroke subtypes help to improve clinical management and rehabilitation treatments. AIM Summarize findings of studies on outcome in stroke subtypes categorized by use of the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project (OCSP) classification. DESIGN Systematic review. SETTING Not applicable. POPULATION Adult post-stroke patients. METHODS Systematic literature research of five databases was undertaken to identify relevant studies. Outcomes were examined in terms of impairment, activity restriction and participation restriction. Quality of Life and mortality was also examined for each study. RESULTS Sixteen studies met inclusion criteria. Most studies measure outcome in terms of activity limitations and participation restriction. Only one study measures impairment. TACI group have poor outcomes in comparison with other groups. Outcomes of LACI, PACI and POCI groups are controversial. CONCLUSION Stroke subtype is a factor influencing outcome. However, differences among groups, overall in terms of impairment, should be further investigated. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT Different prognosis of stroke subtypes may imply different rehabilitation managements.
Channel Alignment for Hybrid Beamforming in Millimeter Wave Multi-User Massive MIMO

To assist hybrid beamforming in multi-user massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems at millimeter wave frequencies, we propose Auxiliary Processing Network (APN) based multi-phase channel alignment techniques. The APN, which is realized in parallel to the main beamforming network, have two implementation architectures, namely the hybrid analog-digital APN based on antenna switching as well as the fully digital APN with low-resolution Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs). For different APN architectures, we design various channel estimation algorithms for the channel alignment procedure and evaluate the corresponding performance.
Physician Compensation

Physician motivation and related incentive compensations plans are central to the design and delivery of safe, high-quality, satisfying medical care as well as advancing physician satisfaction and engagement. The underlying premise of this article is that the interests of physicians and patients as well as the community ought to be better aligned to improve clinical and population health outcomes. The Triangle of Patient Centered Compensation is presented as a model to design or redesign compensation programs that seek to achieve better alignment between physicians, patients and the community. After reading this article, practitioners will be able to adopt and adapt the model to fit with the vision, mission and strategies of their organization and academics will be able to empirically test this model and revise this model.
Sparsity and normalization in word similarity systems

Abstract We investigate the problem of improving performance in distributional word similarity systems trained on sparse data, focusing on a family of similarity functions we call Dice-family functions (Dice 1945Ecology26(3): 297–302), including the similarity function introduced in Lin (1998Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Machine Learning, 296–304), and Curran (2004 PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh. College of Science and Engineering. School of Informatics), as well as a generalized version of Dice Coefficient used in data mining applications (Strehl 2000, 55). We propose a generalization of the Dice-family functions which uses a weight parameter α to make the similarity functions asymmetric. We show that this generalized family of functions (α systems) all belong to the class of asymmetric models first proposed in Tversky (1977Psychological Review84: 327–352), and in a multi-task evaluation of ten word similarity systems, we show that α systems have the best performance across word ranks. In particular, we show that α-parameterization substantially improves the correlations of all Dice-family functions with human judgements on three words sets, including the Miller–Charles/Rubenstein Goodenough word set (Miller and Charles 1991Language and Cognitive Processes6(1): 1–28; Rubenstein and Goodenough 1965Communications of the ACM8: 627–633).
Exploring Multi-level Parallelism for Large-Scale Spiking Neural Networks

Several biologically inspired applications have been motivated by Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) such as the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) and Izhikevich models, owing to their high biological accuracy. The inherent massively parallel nature of the SNN simulations makes them a good fit for heterogeneous computing resources such as the General Purpose Graphical Processing Unit (GPGPU) clusters. In this research, we explore multi-level parallelism offered by heterogeneous computing resources for largescale SNN simulations. These simulations were performed using a two-level character recognition network based on the aforementioned SNN models on NCSA’s Forge GPGPU cluster. Our multi-node GPGPU implementation distributes the computations to either CPU or GPGPU based on task classification and utilizes all the available multi-level parallelism offered to ensure maximum heterogeneous resource utilization. Our multinode GPGPU implementation scales up to 200 million neurons for the two-level network and achieves a speedup of 355x over an equivalent MPI-only implementation.
Reforma tributária no Brasil: efeitos alocativos e impactos de bem-estar

Neste artigo realizam-se quantificacoes e qualificacoes dos efeitos alocativos e dos impactos sobre o bem-estar que possiveis reformas tributarias poderiam ocasionar na economia brasileira. Para tanto, recorre-se a experimentos computacionais para simulacao e mensuracao dos resultados. No que se refere aos efeitos alocativos, conclui-se que as reformas tributarias correntemente propostas trariam resultados positivos, com crescimento do produto, emprego e estoque de capital da economia. Ja no que se refere aos impactos de bem-estar, constata-se que o padrao de vida da sociedade poderia melhorar.
Three phase transformer modeling with consideration the core effect

The transformer model described in the present paper belongs to the class of low frequency models. The generation of the core parameters for the model is easy, and it does not require any substantial skills on the part of the user. The transformer model was originally developed as a model for the study of harmonics due to the non-linear effect of the core. This model can also be used for the investigation of magnetizing inrush current.
Position-dependent characterization of bone tissue with electrical impedance spectroscopy

In the present contribution femur (leg bone) tissue excised from calves was investigated in vitro by electrical impedance spectroscopy in a frequency range of 40Hz-40MHz. Three different equivalent electrical circuits were tested for suitable representation of the measured data, where the fitting was performed by a complex nonlinear least-square algorithm. Finally, a depth profile of a bone sample is discussed.
G‐STRATEGY: Optimal Selection of Individuals for Sequencing in Genetic Association Studies

In a large‐scale genetic association study, the number of phenotyped individuals available for sequencing may, in some cases, be greater than the study's sequencing budget will allow. In that case, it can be important to prioritize individuals for sequencing in a way that optimizes power for association with the trait. Suppose a cohort of phenotyped individuals is available, with some subset of them possibly already sequenced, and one wants to choose an additional fixed‐size subset of individuals to sequence in such a way that the power to detect association is maximized. When the phenotyped sample includes related individuals, power for association can be gained by including partial information, such as phenotype data of ungenotyped relatives, in the analysis, and this should be taken into account when assessing whom to sequence. We propose G‐STRATEGY, which uses simulated annealing to choose a subset of individuals for sequencing that maximizes the expected power for association. In simulations, G‐STRATEGY performs extremely well for a range of complex disease models and outperforms other strategies with, in many cases, relative power increases of 20–40% over the next best strategy, while maintaining correct type 1 error. G‐STRATEGY is computationally feasible even for large datasets and complex pedigrees. We apply G‐STRATEGY to data on high‐density lipoprotein and low‐density lipoprotein from the AGES‐Reykjavik and REFINE‐Reykjavik studies, in which G‐STRATEGY is able to closely approximate the power of sequencing the full sample by selecting for sequencing a only small subset of the individuals.