Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterisation of dendritic cell subsets in lung cancer micro-environments

The aim of the current study was to seek evidence for a correlation between mediators present in lung cancer micro-environments and subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) infiltrating these tumours. Immunohistochemistry and recently available antibodies were used to define the phenotype of DCs present in surgical biopsies from 12 patients with lung carcinomas, and the local expression of chemokines potentially involved in the recruitment of these cells was evaluated, both at mRNA and protein levels. Real-time PCR was used to analyse the expression of mRNA coding for cytokines known to influence the maturation of DCs in vitro. Different subsets of myeloid DCs were present in lung cancers, but no plasmocytoid DCs were identified. Both Langerhans cells and CD1a+/Langerin cells were interspersed among tumour cells, in numbers that were correlated to the amounts of CC chemokine ligand 20 produced in these tumours. In most specimens, DC-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-grabbing nonintegrin-postive DCs were also present at the periphery of the tumour beds. No DC-lysosomal associated membrane protein-positive DCs were identified and CD83+ DCs were rarely present in the tumour stroma. All tumours expressed interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor-β and vascular endothelial growth factor, whereas IL-12 was virtually absent. Thus, various types of dendritic cells infiltrate lung carcinomas and display an immature phenotype, presumably because of the inhibitory cytokine micro-environment.
Calcium Profiling in Hemodiafiltration: A New Way to Reduce the Calcium Overload Risk without Compromising Cardiovascular Stability

Background Low and high dialysate calcium (Ca2+) content may have positive and harmful effects depending on the considered pathological aspect: hemodynamic instability, cardiac arrhythmias, parathormone release, adynamic bone disease, cardio-vascular calcifications. We hypothesized that a time-profiled Ca2+ concentration would keep the cardiovascular advantages of high Ca2+ but would reduce the risk of calcium overload. Methods A prospective, multicenter study using a particular hemodiafiltration technique that allows the profiling of electrolytes was designed. Patients (n = 22) underwent randomly a 3-week dialysis session with low and high constant dialysate Ca2+ (LdCa, 1.25 mM and HdCa, 2 mM) and profiled Ca2+ (PdCa), respectively. Plasma and spent dialysate Ca2+, systolic and diastolic arterial pressure (SAP, DAP) and QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) were analyzed. Results Plasma Ca2+ concentration decreased in LdCa, whereas it increased in HdCa and to a lesser extent, in PdCa. Total amount of Ca2+ given to the patient in PdCa (15.5 ± 1.0 mmol) was higher than in LdCa (4.3 ± 1.6 mmol) but lower than in HdCa (21.9 ± 3.3 mmol). SAP and DAP decreased in LdCa, whereas it was almost constant in both HdCa and PdCa. QTc significantly increased, up to critical values (>460 msec), only during LdCa. Conclusions PdCa seems to retain the advantages of high Ca2+ in terms of hemodynamic stability and modification of QTc while reducing the excessive positive calcium balance typical of dialysis with high Ca2+ content.
A Sociohistorical Study of the Development of Entrepreneurship Among the Ijebu of Western Nigeria

Lagos, at present the political capital of Nigeria and the nerve centre of the country's economy, has been the meeting point for the commercial talent of Yorubaland since the opening of the port to trade with Western Europe. From the start, that trade had inspired and depended upon the activities of a large number of middlemen who linked the expatriate merchant firms in the principal coastal market towns with the young but promising Nigerian market in the hinterland. These indigenous traders, the first generation to take advantage of the, new economic opportunities, came from all the main Yoruba subcultural groups. But, as several historical accounts have shown (see among others Johnson 1921, Forde 1951, Bauer 1954), the Ijebu have turned out more prominently in the process and have distinguished themselves as commercial entrepreneurs above other Yoruba subcultural groups.
Distributed Synchronization of Coupled Neural Networks via Randomly Occurring Control

In this paper, we study the distributed synchronization and pinning distributed synchronization of stochastic coupled neural networks via randomly occurring control. Two Bernoulli stochastic variables are used to describe the occurrences of distributed adaptive control and updating law according to certain probabilities. Both distributed adaptive control and updating law for each vertex in a network depend on state information on each vertex's neighborhood. By constructing appropriate Lyapunov functions and employing stochastic analysis techniques, we prove that the distributed synchronization and the distributed pinning synchronization of stochastic complex networks can be achieved in mean square. Additionally, randomly occurring distributed control is compared with periodically intermittent control. It is revealed that, although randomly occurring control is an intermediate method among the three types of control in terms of control costs and convergence rates, it has fewer restrictions to implement and can be more easily applied in practice than periodically intermittent control.
Speed-invariant terrain roughness classification and control based on inertial sensors

Nowadays, it is notorious the increasing use of autonomous vehicles in different outdoor field applications such as agriculture, the mining industry, environmental monitoring, among others. In this context, the determination of the traversability level of a terrain is a fundamental task for safe and efficient navigation of Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs) in unstructured unknown outdoor environments. Information like roughness of the ground is important when velocity control and other dynamic issues are concerned. However, most of the techniques in the literature use camera or lidar sensors to evaluate the ground around the robot, leading to complex and high cost systems. More simpler methods use only inertial sensors to estimate the roughness properties of the terrain, however they can be very sensitive to the robot's speed. In this paper, we propose a novel classifier capable of cluster different terrains based only on acceleration data provided by an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). We demonstrate with real-world experiments that, for different forward velocities, the mean accuracy of the classification exceeds 80 %. Our method also incorporates a controller to regulate the speed according to the terrain identified by the robot in order to avoid abrupt movements over terrain changes.
A Personal History of Digital Libraries

Purpose – This paper aims to present a personal view of the development of digital libraries, starting with the original vision of 1945 and describing how it came to the dominance of online searching and reading that it has today.Design/methodology/approach – Progress in digital libraries is described in four areas: technical, economic, legal and social issues. Originally technological obstacles were dominant, but they have generally been overcome by progress in computers, networks, and algorithms. Economic issues have also faded, although “open access” questions still bedevil us. Surprisingly, libraries are now faced with more serious legal obstacles than first expected; no one today can start a digital library effort without thinking about copyright. Social issues are likely to be the next set of challenges.Findings – The transformation of searching and reading has been almost complete. Scholars in scientific disciplines, in particular, often function quite well with only rare visits to a library to rea.
Path planning for coherent and persistent groups

This paper addresses the problem of group path planning while maintaining group coherence and persistence. Group coherence ensures that a group minimizes both longitudinal and lateral dispersion, and is achieved with the introduction of a deformation penalty to the cost formulation. When the deformation penalty is significantly high, a group may split and later merge. Group persistence is modeled by introducing split and merge actions in the action space, and adding a split penalty to the cost measure. We formulate the problem domain (state, action space, and cost formulation), present our path planning approach for coherent and persistent groups, and provide empirical results demonstrating the capabilities of our method on a variety of challenging scenarios.
Organizational Strategies

What strategies’ do non-U.S. executives use in deciding the organizational structure’ of their foreign operations? What criteria seem most to influence the strategies chosen? Do people at headquarters really make all the choices for people in the field? Or, does successful choice in the field really determine the accommodation that will be necessary at headquarters? Are new forms of organization being developed by multinational companies to cope more effectively with taxation and cartel arrangements? Can one talk usefully of evolution from one kind of organizational strategy to another to meet changing international and multinational demands? ’ Is it possible to conduct comparative studies on questions of this sort across industry and national boundaries ? Can access, insight, and candor be secured?
Use Your Brain: A Neurologically Driven Application of REBT With Children

A large body of research has indicated that rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) is highly effective for treating many chief complaints. Because of the neurological and developmental limitations of young children, a counselor is required to use concrete and stimulating ways to treat young children. By incorporating art, color, and texture to teaching a child client the concept that thoughts cause feelings, a counselor can introduce an evidence-based framework to aid the young client.
Assessment of Sexual and Reproductive Health Status of Street Children in Addis Ababa

Street children worldwide do not have the information, skills, health services, and support they need to go through sexual development during adolescence. This study is undertaken to systematically investigate the fit between street children's sexual and reproductive health needs and the existing services. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 street children and four service providers. About 72.5% of the respondents were sexually active during data collection and 84.3% of males and 85.7% of females tended to have multiple sexual partners. More than two-thirds (67.3%) of the participants had used at least one type of substance. History of substance use (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.42–4.56) and being on the street for the first one to three years (OR = 5.9; 95% CI = 1.41–7.22) increased the likelihood of having sexual activity. More than half (64.9%) of the street children did not attend any kind of sexual or reproductive health education programs. Lack of information on available services (26.5%) was the biggest barrier for utilization of local sexual and reproductive health services. From the individual interview with coordinator, the financial and networking problems were hindering the service delivery for street children. In conclusion, street children who are special high risk group have not been targeted and hence continue to remain vulnerable and lacking in sexual and reproductive health services and sexual health services are poorly advertised and delivered to them.
Vibrotactile thresholds during background vibration of long duration

Thresholds for vibrotactile stimuli of low and high frequency (20 and 150 Hz) were determined during a long-lasting (15 min) background stimulus of low or high frequency (40 or 240 Hz). Thresholds for high frequency were markedly elevated during both low and high frequency background stimulation, whereas thresholds for low frequency were elevated only at the beginning of high-frequency background stimulation. The present results indicate that during activation of the high-frequency vibrotactile channel it is possible to find both a cross-channel and a channel specific inhibition depending on the temporal parameters of the background stimulus. The effects of the present low-frequency background stimulus can be explained on the basis of a minor co-activation of the high-frequency channel.
Development and validation of a patient-reported outcome instrument in partial responders to proton pump inhibitors

Abstract Objective. The Reflux Symptom Questionnaire 7-day recall (RESQ-7) was developed, in line with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, to address the need for a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument assessing symptoms specifically in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are only partially responsive to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. Materials and methods. The RESQ-7 was constructed using patient interviews and expert consensus. The instrument was psychometrically validated in a clinical trial setting in patients with persistent GERD symptoms despite PPI therapy. Results. Evaluation of content validity yielded a 13-item structure for the RESQ-7, incorporating symptoms overlooked by existing GERD questionnaires, such as hoarseness, cough, difficulty swallowing and burping. Principal component analysis suggested a four-domain structure. All domains had a high inter-item correlation (Cronbach's α lower 95% confidence limits: 0.77–0.87 for intensity; 0.72–0.82 for frequency). Test–retest reliability was fair-to-good or excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient lower 95% confidence limits: 0.70–0.78 for intensity; 0.65–0.75 for frequency). Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed by correlation comparisons with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale. Discussion. The RESQ-7 demonstrated good content validity and psychometric properties in patients with GERD and a partial response to PPIs. The weekly recall makes the RESQ-7 appropriate for use in routine clinical care. The authors believe that it is the first instrument to be developed specifically for patients with a partial response to PPI therapy in line with FDA guidelines on PROs (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00703534).
Premenopausal Ovariectomy‐Related Bone Loss: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, One‐Year Trial of Conjugated Estrogen or Medroxyprogesterone Acetate

The purpose of this study was to contrast the effects of conventional estrogen treatment with medroxyprogesterone on cancellous and cortical bone change in the first year following premenopausal ovariectomy. This 1‐year double‐blind randomized therapy trial was stratified by osteoporosis family history and performed in an academic medical center and community hospitals. Premenopausal women 45 ± 5 years old, postovariectomy for benign diseases were provided 600 mg/day of calcium and randomized to daily therapy with conjugated equine estrogen (CEE, 0.6 mg) or medroxyprogesterone (MPA, 10 mg). The primary outcome variable was spinal quantitative computed tomography (QCT) bone density change over 1 year with additional outcomes of dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) of proximal femur (FN), whole body (WB), and spine segment (WBS) and N‐telopeptide, bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase, and other bone marker, hormonal, and weight changes. Results in the 33 women completing the study, whose initial bone densities were normal (QCT 133 mg/cm3, femoral neck 0.94 g/cm2, whole body DXA 1.13 g/cm2), showed annual QCT loss during CEE therapy of −11.5 mg/cm3 (p < 0.0007) and MPA bone loss of −19.7 mg/cm3 (p < 0.0001). Losses were marginally greater on MPA than CEE (p = 0.04). Extremely high postovariectomy (5 days) and pretreatment resorption markers (>3 SD above premenopausal normal levels) were significantly related to bone loss. Across the year, resorption decreased during CEE but increased on MPA treatment. Significant DXA bone losses were prevented by CEE treatment (−1.4% FN, −.4% WB, and −1.5% WBS, all NS). However, DXA bone loss was not prevented by MPA treatment (−5% FN, −2.8% WB, and −6.1% WBS, all p < 0.03). Average weight gain was significant (+3.2 ± 4.0 kg) and greater on CEE than MPA (+4.7 vs. +2.0 kg, p = 0.049). In conclusion, CEE therapy did not prevent significant 8% cancellous spinal bone loss in the first year following premenopausal ovariectomy, despite supplementation with 600 mg/day of calcium, good control of vasomotor symptoms, and nearly 5 kg of gain in weight. Significant DXA bone loss, however, was prevented by CEE, but not by MPA therapy. These unexpected results were statistically related to high bone resorption following ovariectomy, which CEE suppressed but MPA did not. Bone formation markers increased during MPA therapy but were unchanged during CEE therapy.
Geometry of Pediatric Implantable Axial Pump Impeller (DON-3) Optimization

In developed model of pediatric axial pump (DON-3) we search the best geometry pump straightener and impeller. Optimization included methods of computational hydrodynamics (CFD). Changing of geometric parameters lead to changing in output pump parameters. The choice of best geometry was to obtain the position with maximum effective flow-dynamic pressure characteristics under pump operating mode. The calculations were performed for the optimal pump mode 15,000 rpm. Evaluating results of the simulation for each parameter, which is satisfies the condition of maximum differential efficiency, got a new flow pressure characteristics of axial pump with new geometry. Simulations took into account output parameters such as shear stress and vorticity. The aim of this work is to increase the hydraulic efficiency of DON-3 and to reduce the risk of hemolysis and thrombosis.
Two‐Year Outcome after Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background Several trials involving patients with acute ischemic stroke have shown better functional outcomes with endovascular treatment than with conventional treatment at 90 days after initiation of treatment. However, results on long‐term clinical outcomes are lacking. Methods We assessed clinical outcomes 2 years after patients were randomly assigned to receive either endovascular treatment (intervention group) or conventional treatment (control group) for acute ischemic stroke. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin scale at 2 years; this scale measures functional outcome, with scores ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Secondary outcomes included all‐cause mortality and the quality of life at 2 years, as measured by means of a health utility index that is based on the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions questionnaire (scores range from ‐0.329 to 1, with higher scores indicating better health). Results Of the 500 patients who underwent randomization in the original trial, 2‐year data for this extended follow‐up trial were available for 391 patients (78.2%) and information on death was available for 459 patients (91.8%). The distribution of outcomes on the modified Rankin scale favored endovascular treatment over conventional treatment (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 2.45; P=0.007). There was no significant difference between the treatment groups in the percentage of patients who had an excellent outcome (i.e., a modified Rankin scale score of 0 or 1). The mean quality‐of‐life score was 0.48 among patients randomly assigned to endovascular treatment as compared with 0.38 among patients randomly assigned to conventional treatment (mean difference, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.16; P=0.006). The cumulative 2‐year mortality rate was 26.0% in the intervention group and 31.0% in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.2; P=0.46). Conclusions In this extended follow‐up trial, the beneficial effect of endovascular treatment on functional outcome at 2 years in patients with acute ischemic stroke was similar to that reported at 90 days in the original trial. (Funded by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development and others; MR CLEAN Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN10888758, and Netherlands Trial Register number, NTR1804, and MR CLEAN extended follow‐up trial Netherlands Trial Register number, NTR5073.)
Antimicrobial peptides in the female reproductive tract: a critical component of the mucosal immune barrier with physiological and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND At the interface of the external environment and the mucosal surface of the female reproductive tract (FRT) lies a first-line defense against pathogen invasion that includes antimicrobial peptides (AMP). Comprised of a unique class of multifunctional, amphipathic molecules, AMP employ a wide range of functions to limit microbial invasion and replication within host cells as well as independently modulate the immune system, dampen inflammation and maintain tissue homeostasis. The role of AMP in barrier defense at the level of the skin and gut has received much attention as of late. Given the far reaching implications for women's health, maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, and sexually transmissible and polymicrobial diseases, we herein review the distribution and function of key AMP throughout the female reproductive mucosa and assess their role as an essential immunological barrier to microbial invasion throughout the reproductive cycle of a woman's lifetime. METHODS A comprehensive search in PubMed/Medline was conducted related to AMP general structure, function, signaling, expression, distribution and barrier function of AMP in the FRT, hormone regulation of AMP, the microbiome of the FRT, and AMP in relation to implantation, pregnancy, fertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, complications of pregnancy and assisted reproductive technology. RESULTS AMP are amphipathic peptides that target microbes for destruction and have been conserved throughout all living organisms. In the FRT, several major classes of AMP are expressed constitutively and others are inducible at the mucosal epithelium and by immune cells. AMP expression is also under the influence of sex hormones, varying throughout the menstrual cycle, and dependent on the vaginal microbiome. AMP can prevent infection with sexually transmissible and opportunistic pathogens of the female reproductive tissues, although emerging understanding of vaginal dysbiosis suggests induction of a unique AMP profile with increased susceptibility to these pathogens. During pregnancy, AMP are key immune effectors of the fetal membranes and placenta and are dysregulated in states of intrauterine infection and other complications of pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS At the level of the FRT, AMP serve to inhibit infection by sexually and vertically transmissible as well as by opportunistic bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa and must do so throughout the hormone flux of menses and pregnancy. Guarding the exclusive site of reproduction, AMP modulate the vaginal microbiome of the lower FRT to aid in preventing ascending microbes into the upper FRT. Evolving in parallel with, and in response to, pathogenic insults, AMP are relatively immune to the resistance mechanisms employed by rapidly evolving pathogens and play a key role in barrier function and host defense throughout the FRT.