Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems Leveraging User Ratings for Resource-Poor Sentiment Classification

This paper presents a general, simple, yet effective method for weakly supervised sentiment classification in resource-poor languages. Given as input weak training signals in forms of textual reviews and associated ratings, which are available in many e-commerce websites, our method computes class distributions for sentences using the statistical information of n-grams in the reviews. These distributions can then be used directly to build sentiment classifiers in unsupervised settings, or they can be used as extra features to boost the classification accuracy in semi-supervised settings. We empirically verified the effectiveness of the proposed method on two datasets in Japanese and Vietnamese languages. The results are promising, showing that the method is able to make relatively accurate predictions even when no labeled data are given. In the semi-supervised settings, the method achieved from 1.8% to 4.7% relative improvement over the pure supervised baseline method, depending on the amount of labeled data. c © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of KES International.
Impact of tumour size on recurrence and progression in Ta/T1 carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Abstract Objective. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of tumour size on recurrence and progression in a population-based series of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers. Material and methods. Clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with primary Ta/T1 bladder cancer were registered. The patients' tumours were categorized by size into five size groups (1–10, 11–20, 21–30, 31–40 and >40 mm) or three size groups (1–15, 16–30 and >30 mm). Results. The analysis included 768 evaluable patients with a mean follow-up of 60 months. Recurrence was observed in 478 patients (62%) and progression in 71 (9%). Tumour size was associated with recurrence for tumours sized 21–30, 31–40 and >40 mm (p = 0.03, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively) in the five size group and for tumours sized 16–30 and >30 mm (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001) in the three size group. Other factors affecting recurrence were T1 tumour category, multiplicity and surgery performed by residents (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively). Considering progression, there was no significant association with tumour size, and T1 category and local recurrence were the only significant risk factors (both p < 0.001). Conclusion. Tumour size ≤15 mm is associated with a lower risk of recurrence but not progression. Dividing tumour size into three size groups gives additional information compared with two size groups with cut-off at 30 mm.
A tool for systematic assessment of customer needs in industrial markets

Industrial companies have to be able to understand the real needs of their various customers thoroughly, to react quickly to customers' changing needs, and to assess emerging customer needs proactively to succeed in the toughening business environment. We have developed a systematic tool based on the utilisation of diagonal matrices, originating from systems analysis, to extend the analysis of customer needs to customers' and further up towards the end user, and to support the proactive assessment of customer needs in long and complex industrial customer and business chains. We will describe the developed tool and study its usefulness in the need assessment of industrial products based on realised real-world applications in different industries. Several benefits related to the extension of customer needs analysis were experienced in the different phases of utilising the tool, and new customer needs and business opportunities were recognised.
Knowledge distribution among market experts: a closer look into the efficiency of information gathering for innovation projects

Information gathering from sources outside the company plays a critical role in most innovation projects. Particularly, it seems promising to approach external market experts to develop an in-depth understanding of current use problems, changing customer needs and trends for new product solutions. When planning expert interviews, firms are confronted with the question of whether knowledge is distributed rather homogeneously or heterogeneously ("scattered") among a pool of experts. This issue strongly determines how many experts need to be interviewed in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of a given search field for innovation. In the present paper, we analyse expert interviews that were conducted in the context of an innovation project in the field of surgical hygiene products. We find high heterogeneity of expert knowledge: market experts in our sample vary in terms of the market information they provide for the particular product field. We argue that this finding is in alignment with the concept of "bounded rationality" and the theory of "contextual development of knowledge". Our findings have implications for the management of external information gathering and the identification of market experts.
Development of a regression equation for estimating the weight of male black South African adults with paraplegia using anthropometric measurements

Introduction: The objective of this study was to develop a regression equation to estimate weight of black male paraplegic South African subjects. Very few institutions in South Africa have wheel chair scales and very few paraplegic persons know what their weight is. People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are reported to have an increased risk to develop obesity and diseases of lifestyle. It is therefore important to monitor the nutritional status of these patients to prevent and treat the above diseases effectively. The aim was to develop an equation that incorporates variables or measurements that do not require a high level of skill and experience to be determined. The equipment needed for the determination of the measurements should also be easily accessible, for example a tape measure rather than a skin-fold caliper. Method: The study design was cross-sectional. A convenience sample was selected from a population of black adult male paraplegics at the outpatient clinic of Kalafong Hospital, Tshwane. The following measurements were obtained from the subjects when they came for follow-up: waist circumference, calf circumference, chest circumference, neck circumference, mid upper-arm circumference, supine length, upperarm length and wrist circumference. The age of the subject, time elapsed since injury, level of injury and level of spasticity were also recorded. This made up the 12 possible independent variables that could be used in the regression equation with body weight as the dependent variable. The subjects were weighed in their wheel chairs on a wheel chair scale. The wheel chair was then weighed separately and subtracted from the subject-plus-chair weight in order to determine the weight of the subject.
Mechanism-based inhibition of human cytochrome P4503A4 by domperidone

Domperidone was evaluated in direct and time-dependent cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A inhibition assays in human liver microsomes with midazolam and testosterone as probe substrates. Domperidone was found to be a modest mechanism-based inhibitor of human and rat CYP3A. For human CYP3A, the inactivation constant (KI) is 12 μM, and the maximum inactivation rate (kinact) is 0.037 min−1. A rat interaction study was conducted between midazolam and either a single dose or five daily doses of domperidone. Although a single oral dose of 10 mg kg−1 domperidone did not affect the pharmacokinetics of 10 mg kg−1 oral midazolam, five daily oral doses of domperidone almost doubled the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of midazolam, and increased the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of midazolam by 72%. Based on the simulation and rat in vitro–in vivo extrapolation, it is predicted that co-administration of domperidone in humans could modestly increase (approximately 50%) the exposure of drugs that are primarily cleared by CYP3A.
Heavy Metals in Contaminated Soils: A Review of Sources, Chemistry, Risks and Best Available Strategies for Remediation

Scattered literature is harnessed to critically review the possible sources, chemistry, potential biohazards and best available remedial strategies for a number of heavy metals (lead, chromium, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, copper, mercury and nickel) commonly found in contaminated soils. The principles, advantages and disadvantages of immobilization, soil washing and phytoremediation techniques which are frequently listed among the best demonstrated available technologies for cleaning up heavy metal contaminated sites are presented. Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils is necessary to reduce the associated risks, make the land resource available for agricultural production, enhance food security and scale down land tenure problems arising from changes in the land use pattern.
Interpretation and prediction of inhaled drug particle accumulation in the lung and its associated toxicity

The increasing use of poorly-soluble inhaled dry powder pharmaceuticals means that animal toxicology studies of these drugs frequently produce lung changes related to the physical presence of undissolved particulate material within the alveolar spaces. These changes are independent of any chemically- or pharmacologically-mediated toxicity and present a challenge to drug developers and regulators in that risk depends on the retained lung burden of undissolved drug material, rather than the delivered dose, systemic exposure or duration of dosing as traditionally used in risk assessment for inhaled compounds. The methodology presented uses basic pharmacokinetic principles to estimate lung particulate burdens achieved in rat inhalation toxicity studies for four inhaled compounds which have reached clinical evaluation. The estimated lung particulate burdens and associated histopathological findings were compared with published thresholds for similar effects caused by inert particulates such as titanium dioxide. Results of the analysis illustrate that regardless of the duration of the study, estimated lung burdens in excess of ∼1 mg drug per g lung were associated with adverse changes consistent with those described in the literature for inert insoluble particles. For all low solubility inhaled pharmaceuticals so far examined, the calculated steady-state retained lung burden of drug in humans is several orders of magnitude lower than that associated with adverse effects in human or animals.
Deficiency in Hematopoietic Phosphatase Ptpn6/Shp1 Hyperactivates the Innate Immune System and Impairs Control of Bacterial Infections in Zebrafish Embryos

Deficiency in Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1/protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 6 (SHP1/PTPN6) is linked with chronic inflammatory diseases and hematological malignancies in humans. In this study, we exploited the embryonic and larval stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an animal model to study ptpn6 function in the sole context of innate immunity. We show that ptpn6 knockdown induces a spontaneous inflammation-associated phenotype at the late larval stage. Surprisingly, glucocorticoid treatment did not suppress inflammation under ptpn6 knockdown conditions but further enhanced leukocyte infiltration and proinflammatory gene expression. Experiments in a germ-free environment showed that the late larval phenotype was microbe independent. When ptpn6 knockdown embryos were challenged with Salmonella typhimurium or Mycobacterium marinum at earlier stages of development, the innate immune system was hyperactivated to a contraproductive level that impaired the control of these pathogenic bacteria. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways related to pathogen recognition and cytokine signaling were significantly enriched under these conditions, suggesting that ptpn6 functions as a negative regulator that imposes a tight control over the level of innate immune response activation during infection. In contrast to the hyperinduction of proinflammatory cytokine genes under ptpn6 knockdown conditions, anti-inflammatory il10 expression was not hyperinduced. These results support that ptpn6 has a crucial regulatory function in preventing host-detrimental effects of inflammation and is essential for a successful defense mechanism against invading microbes.
Pharmacokinetics of lansoprazole and its main metabolites after single intravenous doses in healthy Chinese subjects

The aim of the study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of lansoprazole (LPZ) and its main metabolites 5′-hydroxy lansoprazole (HLPZ) and lansoprazole sulphone (LPZS) after single intravenous (i.v.) doses of LPZ in healthy Chinese subjects, and the relationship between the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 phenotypes and the plasma concentrations of LPZS at the time-points in the elimination phase of LPZ. Twelve subjects were given lansoprazole by i.v. infusion. Blood samples were collected at designated time points up to 24 h. Plasma concentrations of LPZ, HLPZ and LPZS were quantified by a selective and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method. After single i.v. doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg LPZ, Cmax and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-t) of LPZ were 725 ± 151, 1480 ± 190, 3130 ± 480 µg·L−1 and 1690 ± 1210, 3630 ± 2530, 8080 ± 4550 µg·h·L−1, respectively. LPZ was generally well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects, and displayed linear PK in the range of 15–60 mg. There were significant differences in the elimination of LPZ and the formation of LPZS between the single CYP2C19 poor metabolizer (PM) and the CYP2C19 extensive metabolizers (EM). The concentration of LPZS at the time-points in the elimination phase of LPZ could be monitored for CYP2C19 phenotyping. As a probe drug for CYP2C19 phenotyping, LPZ for injection might be more suitable than LPZ oral formulations.
Protective Role of Commensals against Clostridium difficile Infection via an IL-1β–Mediated Positive-Feedback Loop

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive obligate anaerobic pathogen that causes pseudomembranous colitis in antibiotic-treated individuals. Commensal bacteria are known to have a significant role in the intestinal accumulation of C. difficile after antibiotic treatment, but little is known about how they affect host immunity during C. difficile infection. In this article, we report that C. difficile infection results in translocation of commensals across the intestinal epithelial barrier that is critical for neutrophil recruitment through the induction of an IL-1β–mediated positive-feedback loop. Mice lacking ASC, an essential mediator of IL-1β and IL-18 processing and secretion, were highly susceptible to C. difficile infection. ASC−/− mice exhibited enhanced translocation of commensals to multiple organs after C. difficile infection. Notably, ASC−/− mice exhibited impaired CXCL1 production and neutrophil influx into intestinal tissues in response to C. difficile infection. The impairment in neutrophil recruitment resulted in reduced production of IL-1β and CXCL1 but not IL-18. Importantly, translocated commensals were required for ASC/Nlrp3-dependent IL-1β secretion by neutrophils. Mice lacking IL-1β were deficient in inducing CXCL1 secretion, suggesting that IL-1β is the dominant inducer of ASC-mediated CXCL1 production during C. difficile infection. These results indicate that translocated commensals play a crucial role in CXCL1-dependent recruitment of neutrophils to the intestine through an IL-1β/NLRP3/ASC–mediated positive-feedback mechanism that is important for host survival and clearance of translocated commensals during C. difficile infection.
Retinoic Acid Hypersensitivity Promotes Peripheral Tolerance in Recent Thymic Emigrants

Whereas thymic education eliminates most self-reactive T cells, additional mechanisms to promote tolerance in the periphery are critical to prevent excessive immune responses against benign environmental Ags and some self-Ags. In this study we show that murine CD4+ recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) are programmed to facilitate tolerance in the periphery. Both in vitro and in vivo, naive RTEs more readily upregulate Foxp3 than do mature naive cells after stimulation under tolerogenic conditions. In RTEs, a relatively high sensitivity to retinoic acid contributes to decreased IFN-γ production, permitting the expression of Foxp3. Conversely, mature naive CD4 cells have a lower sensitivity to retinoic acid, resulting in increased IFN-γ production and subsequent IFN-γ–mediated silencing of Foxp3 expression. Enhanced retinoic acid signaling and Foxp3 induction in RTEs upon Ag encounter in the periphery may serve as form of secondary education that complements thymic education and helps avoid inappropriate immune responses. This mechanism for tolerance may be particularly important in settings where RTEs comprise a large fraction of the peripheral T cell pool, such as in newborns or after umbilical cord blood transplant.
Rho-Family GTPase Cdc42 Controls Migration of Langerhans Cells In Vivo

Epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs) of the skin represent the prototype migratory dendritic cell (DC) subtype. In the skin, they take up Ag, migrate to the draining lymph nodes, and contribute to Ag transport and immunity. Different depletion models for LCs have revealed contrasting roles and contributions of this cell type. To target the migratory properties of DCs, we generated mice lacking the Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 specifically in DCs. In these animals, the initial seeding of the epidermis with LCs is functional, resulting in slightly reduced Langerhans cell numbers. However, Cdc42-deficient LCs fail to leave the skin in steady state as well as upon stimulation, as they do not enter the skin-draining afferent lymph vessels. Similarly, also other Cdc42-deficient migratory DC subsets fail to home properly to the corresponding draining lymph nodes. We used this novel mouse model, in which LCs are locked out, to demonstrate that these cells contribute substantially to priming of Ag-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses upon epicutaneous immunization, but could not detect a role in the induction of contact hypersensitivity to various doses of hapten.
Rat poorly predicts the combined non-absorbed and presystemically metabolized fractions in the human

Abstract 1. Intestinal loss, 1 − (Fobs/fH), is the missing fraction of the dose that is unexplained by systemic clearance. Here, we investigated whether intestinal loss in rat is predictive for human, and whether intestinal metabolism explained observed differences between rat and human. 2. For 81 marketed drugs, human and rat intestinal loss values were calculated from the literature and in-house sources. To examine the contribution of intestinal cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism to the high observed intestinal loss in the rat, metabolism was determined in rat and human intestinal microsomes for 15 compounds. 3. Oral bioavailability poorly correlated between rat and human. Twenty-two compounds in the human and 47 compounds in the rat showed an intestinal loss of more than 20%. The intestinal availability for many compounds was higher in human than in rat. Selected compounds, however, were more stable in rat than in human intestinal microsomes. 4. The rat poorly predicts the risk for intestinal loss in human; many compounds in rat had lower bioavailability than anticipated based on the hepatic clearance, but demonstrated little intestinal loss in human. This discrepancy appeared not to be caused by a higher cytochrome P450-mediated intestinal metabolism in the rat.
Environmental and T Cell–Intrinsic Factors Limit the Expansion of Neonatal Follicular T Helper Cells but May Be Circumvented by Specific Adjuvants

Follicular Th (TFH) cells have emerged as a new Th subset providing help to B cells and supporting their differentiation into long-lived plasma cells or memory B cells. Their differentiation had not yet been investigated following neonatal immunization, which elicits delayed and limited germinal center (GC) responses. We demonstrate that neonatal immunization induces CXCR5highPD-1high CD4+ TFH cells that exhibit TFH features (including Batf, Bcl6, c-Maf, ICOS, and IL-21 expression) and are able to migrate into the GCs. However, neonatal TFH cells fail to expand and to acquire a full-blown GC TFH phenotype, as reflected by a higher ratio of GC TFH/non-GC CD4+ T cells in immunized adults than neonates (3.8 × 10−3 versus 2.2 × 10−3, p = 0.01). Following the adoptive transfer of naive adult OT-II CD4+ T cells, OT-II TFH cells expand in the vaccine-draining lymph nodes of immunized adult but not infant recipients, whereas naive 2-wk-old CD4+ OT-II cells failed to expand in adult hosts, reflecting the influence of both environmental and T cell–intrinsic factors. Postponing immunization to later in life increases the number of TFH cells in a stepwise manner, in direct correlation with the numbers of GC B cells and plasma cells elicited. Remarkably, adjuvantation with CpG oligonucleotides markedly increased GC TFH and GC B cell neonatal responses, up to adult levels. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the TFH cell development limits early life GC responses and that adjuvants/delivery systems supporting TFH differentiation may restore adultlike early life GC B cell responses.
Mouse Tumor Vasculature Expresses NKG2D Ligands and Can Be Targeted by Chimeric NKG2D-Modified T Cells

Tumor angiogenesis plays an important role in the development of solid tumors, and targeting the tumor vasculature has emerged as a strategy to prevent growth and progression of solid tumors. In this study, we show that murine tumor vasculature expresses Rae1, a ligand for a stimulatory NK receptor NKG2D. By genetic modification of T cells with an NKG2D-based chimeric Ag receptor, referred to as chNKG2D in which the NKG2D receptor is fused to the signaling domain of CD3ζ-chain, T cells were capable of targeting tumor vasculature leading to reduced tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth. This occurred even in tumors where the tumor cells themselves did not express NKG2D ligands. H5V, an endothelial cell line, expresses Rae1 and was lysed by chNKG2D-bearing T cells in a perforin-dependent manner. In vitro capillary tube formation was inhibited by chNKG2D T cells through IFN-γ and cell–cell contact mechanisms. The in vivo antiangiogenesis effects mediated by chNKG2D-bearing T cells at the tumor site were dependent on IFN-γ and perforin. These results provide a novel mechanism for NKG2D-based targeting of solid tumors.