Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation of the pattern of kidney injury in HIV-positive persons exposed to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate: an examination of a large population database (MHRA database)

The potential for tenofovir to cause a range of kidney syndromes has been established from mechanistic and randomised clinical trials. However, the exact pattern of kidney involvement is still uncertain. We undertook a descriptive analysis of Yellow Card records of 407 HIV-positive persons taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) as part of their antiretroviral therapy regimen and submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with suspected kidney adverse effects. Reports that satisfy defined criteria were classified as acute kidney injury, kidney tubular dysfunction and Fanconi syndrome. Of the 407 Yellow Card records analysed, 106 satisfied criteria for TDF-related kidney disease, of which 53 (50%) had features of kidney tubular dysfunction, 35 (33%) were found to have features of glomerular dysfunction and 18 (17%) had Fanconi syndrome. The median TDF exposure was 316 days (interquartile range 120–740). The incidence of hospitalisation for TDF kidney adverse effects was high, particularly amongst patients with features of Fanconi syndrome. The pattern of kidney syndromes in this population series mirrors that reported in randomised clinical trials. Cessation of TDF was associated with complete restoration of kidney function in up half of the patients in this report.
Catching the flu: Syndromic surveillance, algorithmic governmentality and global health security

How do algorithms shape the imaginary and practice of security? Does their proliferation point to a shift in the political rationality of security? If so, what is the nature and extent of that shift? This article argues that efforts to strengthen global health security are major drivers in the development and proliferation of new algorithmic security technologies. In response to a seeming epidemic of potentially lethal infectious disease outbreaks – including HIV/AIDS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), pandemic flu, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola and Zika – governments and international organizations are now using several next-generation syndromic surveillance systems to rapidly detect new outbreaks globally. This article analyses the origins, design and function of three such internet-based surveillance systems: (1) the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, (2) the Global Public Health Intelligence Network and (3) HealthMap. The article shows how each newly introduced system became progressively more reliant upon algorithms to mine an ever-growing volume of indirect data sources for the earliest signs of a possible new outbreak – gradually propelling algorithms into the heart of global outbreak detection. That turn to the algorithm marks a significant shift in the underlying problem, nature and role of knowledge in contemporary security policy.
Threshold shift by polymeric cover layer containing phthalocyanine pigment on printed CNT transistors

Possibility of controlling the threshold voltage of printed carbon nanotube (CNT) transistor is shown. Printed CNT transistors are fabricated by mask-less printing and coating process on plastic film, and polymeric cover layer which contains phthalocyanine pigment is printed on the CNT channel. Forming the cover layer, threshold voltage shifts by 30 V to negative direction. It successfully reduces drain current when gate voltage is turned off, and an effective on/off ratio is increased. This device also shows photoresponsivity. Photo response device with simple structure is also much attractive for the printed electronics applications.
Mapping the Landscape of Shared Leadership: A Review and Synthesis

As can be seen from the substantial increase in the volume and scope of leadership publications over the last ten to fifteen years, leadership is a construct with important social and relational properties. Shared leadership in particular has attracted considerable attention from organization and management scholars, although there has been surprisingly little focus on the key structuring processes and mechanisms that enable shared leadership. The aim of this paper is to rectify this by identifying the critical factors and mechanisms which enable shared leadership and its antecedents and outcomes, and to develop a synthesized framework of shared leadership. The paper closes with a brief discussion of avenues for future research and implications for managers.
ATE hardware independent TPS development using a reconfigurable test executive

A Test Executive software is the main software part of an Automatic Test System (ATS) and its main function is to execute test steps sequentially. Other software that builds the ATS can be listed as; TPSs which perform the Device Under Test (DUT) specific functional tests, Operator Interface which is the part Test Operator interacts with, Instrument Libraries which are responsible for communicating with the ATE Hardware and Database for recording the test results. General approach for software development in ATS is to use an ATE hardware independent test executive and developing ATE hardware dependent, DUT specific TPSs. According to this perspective, TPS developers shall consider ATE hardware configuration such as test instrument communication interface type or addresses while developing their codes. Using well-prepared instrument library and reconfigurable test executives, it is possible to reduce the ATE hardware dependency of TPSs This paper discusses the architecture of a cost-effective, reconfigurable test executive software named “ARTS”, which stands for “ASELSAN Reconfigurable Test executive Software”. ARTS was designed during the development of an I-Level test set for a Helicopter Electronic Warfare System to eliminate the hardware dependency of the TPSs.
Activation of CD38 by Interleukin-8 Signaling Regulates Intracellular Ca2+ Level and Motility of Lymphokine-activated Killer Cells*

CD38 is an ADP-ribosyl cyclase, producing a potent Ca2+ mobilizer cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR). In this study, we have investigated a role of CD38 and its regulation through interleukin-8 (IL8) signaling in lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. Incubation of LAK cells with IL8 resulted in an increase of cellular cADPR level and a rapid rise of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which was sustained for a long period of time (>10 min). Preincubation of an antagonistic cADPR analog, 8-Br-cADPR (8-bromo-cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose), abolished the sustained Ca2+ signal only but not the initial Ca2+ rise. An inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor antagonist blocked both Ca2+ signals. Interestingly, the sustained Ca2+ rise was not observed in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Functional CD38-null (CD38-) LAK cells showed the initial rapid increase of [Ca2+]i but not the sustained Ca2+ rise in response to IL8 treatment. An increase of cellular cADPR level by cGMP analog, 8-pCPT-cGMP (8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate), but not cAMP analog or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was observed. IL8 treatment resulted in the increase of cGMP level that was inhibited by the IP3 receptor blocker but not a protein kinase C inhibitor. cGMP-mediated Ca2+ rise was blocked by 8-Br-cADPR. In addition, IL8-mediated LAK cell migration was inhibited by 8-Br-cADPR and a protein kinase G inhibitor. Consistent with these observations, IL8-induced migration of CD38- LAK cells was not observed. However, direct application of cADPR or 8-pCPT-cGMP stimulated migration of CD38- cells. These results demonstrate that CD38 is stimulated by sequential activation of IL8 receptor, IP3-mediated Ca2+ rise, and cGMP/protein kinase G and that CD38 plays an essential role in IL8-induced migration of LAK cells.
Policy expectations and reality of telemedicine – a critical analysis of health care outcomes, costs and acceptance for congestive heart failure

A critical review of evidence was carried out to discover whether the actual performance of telemedicine fulfils the expectations of German policy-makers. The analysis was conducted using the example of telemedicine for congestive heart failure (CHF). It was based on both German and international evidence. The PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library databases were searched, as well as public sources from the German Federal Ministry of Health. Forty-five studies reporting patient outcomes, costs or acceptance of telemedicine for CHF were included in the review, of which 28 were interventional. The policy expectations of telemedicine generally are: high technology acceptance and improved patient outcomes at lower costs. However, in the field of CHF, policy-makers underestimate the complexity of telemedicine and the technology has not yet lived up to its expectations. Although some studies show improvements in all-cause mortality and CHF-related hospitalisations, there is excessive study heterogeneity and vagueness in the areas of costs and acceptance. Methodological insufficiencies as well as the scarcity of evidence in the German context do not allow definite conclusions to be drawn. Policy-makers and other stakeholders should increase their efforts to consolidate isolated telemedicine projects, establish guidelines for clinical treatment procedures and economic evaluations, and define industry/technical device standards to enhance the comparability of interventions. Imposing the use of telemedicine on patients and physicians is not likely to be fruitful. A successful adaptation requires an analysis of needs and continuous education on both sides.
Modèle de gestion intégrée des compétences et connaissances

Résumé. La compétence et la connaissance sont deux concepts qui nous semblent fortement conjoints, cependant, ils sont rarement étudiés et gérés ensemble. Nous cherchons donc à identifier les liens et frontières qui peuvent exister entre eux. Ceci a pour objectif de développer un modèle de représentation et de gestion, intégré aux connaissances et aux compétences. Dans cet article, est tout d’abord présentée, une synthèse sur les concepts de compétence et de connaissance. Ensuite, les modèles et outils de gestion de ces concepts sont exposés. Puis, le modèle CKIM (Competency and Knowledge Integrated Model) développé, est défini. Les utilités de ce modèle et son exploitation sont discutées en quatrième partie. La dernière partie représente un prototype d’implantation du modèle CKIM réalisé sur le serveur de connaissances ATHANOR.
An iterative progressive numerical method for computations of electromagnetic multiple scattering from perfectly electric conducting objects

We treat EM wave scattering problem with PEC objects, and numerically analyze it by BEM with IPNM. The IPNM is based on a time transition of multiple scattering and its outline and theoretical convergence are represented. Numerical experiments are done for four PEC objects on vertices of a regular tetrahedron by changing the edge length of it. The convergence of the IPNM is independent of object's shape and improved as the edge length becomes larger. The relation between the convergence of IPNM and the spectrum norm does not agree with the theoretical description. We are now investigating the reasons for it. The similar experiments for dielectric objects will be done as a future work.
An Empirical Study to Compare the Accuracy of AHP and CBRanking Techniques for Requirements Prioritization

Requirements prioritization aims at identifying the most important requirements for a system (or a release). A large number of approaches have been proposed so far, to help decision makers in performing this activity. Some of them provide supporting tools. Questions on when a prioritization technique should be preferred to another one as well as on how to characterize and measure their properties arise. Several empirical studies have been conducted to analyze characteristics of the available approaches, but their results are often difficult to compare. In this paper we discuss an empirical study aiming at evaluating two state-of-the art, tool-supported requirements prioritization techniques, AHP and CBRanking. The experiment has been conducted with 18 experienced subjects on a set of 20 requirements from a real project. We focus on a crucial variable, namely the ranking accuracy. We discuss different ways to measure it and analyze the data collected in the experimental study with reference to this variable. Results indicate that AHP gives more accurate rankings than CBRanking, but the ranks produced by the two methods are similar for all the involved subjects.
Effects of old age on human skeletal muscle energetics during fatiguing contractions with and without blood flow

We recently reported lower glycolytic flux (ATPGLY) and increased reliance on oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPOX) in contracting muscle of older compared to young humans. To further investigate this age‐related difference in the pathways of ATP synthesis, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the rates of ATPOX, ATPGLY and net phosphocreatine hydrolysis in vivo during maximal muscle contractions under free‐flow (FF) and ischaemic (ISC) conditions in the ankle dorsiflexors of 20 young (27 ± 3 years; 10 male, 10 female) and 18 older (70 ± 5 years; 10 male, 8 female) adults. We hypothesized that ATPGLY would be higher in young compared to old during FF contractions, but that old would be unable to increase ATPGLY during ISC to match that of the young, which would suggest impaired glycolytic ATP synthesis with old age. Peak glycolytic flux during FF was lower in older (0.8 ± 0.1 mm ATP s−1) compared to young (1.4 ± 0.1 mm ATP s−1, P < 0.001) subjects. During ISC, peak ATPGLY increased in old to a level similar to that of young (1.4 ± 0.2 mm ATP s−1, 1.3 ± 0.2 mm ATP s−1, respectively; P= 0.86), suggesting that glycolytic function remains intact in aged muscle in vivo. Notably, older adults fatigued less than young during both FF and ISC (P≤ 0.004). These results provide novel evidence of unimpaired in vivo glycolytic function in the skeletal muscle of older adults during maximal isometric dorsiflexion, and suggest a potential role for differences in metabolic economy and as a result, metabolite accumulation, in the fatigue resistance of the old.
Poliovirus protease 3C(pro) kills cells by apoptosis.

The tetracycline-based Tet-Off expression system has been used to analyze the effects of poliovirus protease 3C(pro) on human cells. Stable HeLa cell clones that express this poliovirus protease under the control of an inducible, tightly regulated promoter were obtained. Tetracycline removal induces synthesis of 3C protease, followed by drastic morphological alterations and cellular death. Degradation of cellular DNA in nucleosomes and generation of apoptotic bodies are observed from the second day after 3C(pro) induction. The cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, an enzyme involved in DNA repair, occurs after induction of 3C(pro), indicating caspase activation by this poliovirus protease. The 3C(pro)-induced apoptosis is blocked by the caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Our findings suggest that the protease 3C is responsible for triggering apoptosis in poliovirus-infected cells by a mechanism that involves caspase activation.
A Cross-National Analysis of Mental Toughness and Hardiness in Elite University Rugby League Teams

The relation between nationality and selected indicators of psychological performance in rugby league football was examined. Mental toughness was assessed using the alternative Psychological Performance Inventory (PPI–A) and hardiness using the Personal Views Survey III–R (PVS III–R). Participants (N = 49, M age = 21.7 yr., SD = 2.3) were male elite-level university rugby league footballers representing Australia and Great Britain. Participants completed the questionnaires in training camp in Sydney, Australia, one week prior to the commencement of an international tournament there in 2006. Multivariate analyses revealed that the Australian Universities players had significantly higher mean scores on Positive Cognition, Visualization, Total Mental Toughness, and Challenge than their opponents from Great Britain. The Australian Universities players were also the tournament winners. The findings concur with previous research indicating superior mental toughness and hardiness are related to successful sport performance. Practical implications focus on the potentiality of ameliorative cultural environments.
The Acquisition of Odour Qualities

Odours can evoke a large range of qualities. Some of these qualities (e.g., sweetness) appear to be acquired through simultaneously experiencing odours mixed with tastes. Acquisition might also occur when two odours are experienced as a mixture. In this case mixture components might acquire each other's qualities. This was tested in two experiments. In the first, subjects repeatedly sniffed two odour mixtures (either AX, BY or AY, BX). Odours mixed with A acquired A's properties and were judged more similar to A than to B. Odours mixed with B were not clearly discriminable. The second experiment used a similar approach except that Odour B was replaced. Subjects now smelled either AX, CY or AY, CX. All components were discriminable. Odours mixed with A acquired A's properties and were judged more similar to A than to C. Although odours mixed with C did not acquire C's qualities due to a confusion of quality terms, odours previously mixed with C were judged as more similar to C than to A. Evidence of other quality exchanges were also obtained. These results suggest that pure odour qualities can be learnt and lend support to William James's (1890) notion of the acquired equivalence/distinctiveness of cues.
Phospholipid determination in platelets, plasma and red cells of patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorders

Abstract: Red cell phospholipids (PLs) were assessed in 11 patients with essential thrombocythemia and 5 patients with polycythemia vera. Platelet and plasma PLs were also determined in 10 of these patients, and the results were compared with studies performed in 16 healthy volunteers. The amount of platelet PLs in patients was similar to controls (556 ± 90 nmol/109cells, versus 481 ± 91 nmol/109cells), as was the percentage of the main specimens of these compounds, including phosphatidylserine (11.1 ± 0.8%), which is relevant for platelet procoagulant activity. We did not find differences between red cell PLs of patients (300 ± 60 nmol/109cells), versus controls (289 ± 71 nmol/109cells), and the sphingomyelin/phosphatidylcholine ratio in these cells was the same in both groups (0.75 ± 0.1). Finally, we did not detect any alteration in the amount of plasma PLs specimens.
Driving Simulators for Occupational Therapy Screening, Assessment, and Intervention

ABSTRACT Simulation technology provides safe, objective, and repeatable performance measures pertaining to operational (e.g., avoiding a collision) or tactical (e.g., lane maintenance) driver behaviors. Many occupational therapy researchers and others are using driving simulators to test a variety of applications across diverse populations. A growing body of literature provides support for associations between simulated driving and actual on-road driving. One limitation of simulator technology is the occurrence of simulator sickness, but management strategies exist to curtail or mitigate its onset. Based on the literature review and a consensus process, five consensus statements are presented to support the use of driving simulation technology among occupational therapy practitioners. The evidence suggests that by using driving simulators occupational therapy practitioners may detect underlying impairments in driving performance, identify driving errors in at-risk drivers; differentiate between driving performance of impaired and healthy controls groups; show driving errors with absolute and relative validity compared to on-road studies; and mitigate the onset of simulator sickness. Much progress has been made among occupational therapy researchers and practitioners in the use of driving simulation technology; however, empirical support is needed to further justify the use of driving simulators in clinical practice settings as a valid, reliable, clinical useful, and cost effective tool for driving assessment and intervention.
Transmembrane segment enhanced labeling as a tool for the backbone assignment of α-helical membrane proteins

Recent advances in cell-free expression protocols have opened a new avenue toward high-resolution structural investigations of membrane proteins by x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. One of the biggest challenges for liquid-state NMR-based structural investigations of membrane proteins is the significant peak overlap in the spectra caused by large line widths and limited chemical shift dispersion of α-helical proteins. Contributing to the limited chemical shift dispersion is the fact that ≈60% of the amino acids in transmembrane regions consist of only six different amino acid types. This principle disadvantage, however, can be exploited to aid in the assignment of the backbone resonances of membrane proteins; by 15N/13C-double-labeling of these six amino acid types, sequential connectivities can be obtained for large stretches of the transmembrane segments where number and length of stretches consisting exclusively of these six amino acid types are enhanced compared with the remainder of the protein. We show by experiment as well as by statistical analysis that this labeling scheme provides a large number of sequential connectivities in transmembrane regions and thus constitutes a tool for the efficient assignment of membrane protein backbone resonances.
Plasmacytoma of bone, extramedullary plasmacytoma, and multiple myeloma: incidence and survival in the United States, 1992–2004

Population‐based plasmacytoma incidence and survival data are sparse. We analyzed incidence rates (IRs), IR ratios (IRRs), and 5‐year relative survival for plasmacytoma overall and by site – bone (P‐bone) and extramedullary (P‐extramedullary) – in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program (1992–2004). For comparison, we included cases of multiple myeloma (MM) diagnosed over the same time period in SEER. Incidence of MM (n = 23 544; IR 5·35/100 000 person‐years) was 16‐times higher than plasmacytoma overall (n = 1543; IR = 0·34), and incidence of P‐bone was 40% higher than P‐extramedullary (P < 0·0001). The male‐to‐female IRRs for P‐bone, P‐extramedullary, and MM were 2·0, 2·6, and 1·5, respectively. For plasmacytoma and MM, IRs were highest in Blacks, intermediate in Whites, and lowest in Asian/Pacific Islanders. Compared with Whites, the Black IR was ∼30% higher for P‐extramedullary and P‐bone and 120% higher for MM. IRs for all neoplasms increased exponentially with advancing age, less prominently at older ages for plasmacytoma than MM. Distinct age, gender, and race incidence patterns of plasma cell disorders suggest underlying differences in clinical detection, susceptibility, disease biology and/or aetiological heterogeneity. Five‐year relative survival for P‐bone, P‐extramedullary, and MM varied significantly by age (<60/60+ years), supporting age‐related differences in disease burden at presentation, disease biology, and/or treatment approaches.