Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

BACKGROUND Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is associated with natalizumab treatment. We quantified the risk of PML in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to the presence or absence of three risk factors: positive status with respect to anti-JC virus antibodies, prior use of immunosuppressants, and increasing duration of natalizumab treatment. METHODS We used data from postmarketing sources, clinical studies, and an independent Swedish registry to estimate the incidence of PML among natalizumab-treated patients with multiple sclerosis, according to positive or negative status with respect to anti-JC virus antibodies, prior or no prior use of immunosuppressants, and duration of treatment (1 to 24 months vs. 25 to 48 months). Blood samples were available for anti-JC virus antibody testing from 5896 patients with multiple sclerosis and from 54 patients with multiple sclerosis who were treated with natalizumab and in whom PML later developed. RESULTS As of February 29, 2012, there were 212 confirmed cases of PML among 99,571 patients treated with natalizumab (2.1 cases per 1000 patients). All 54 patients with PML for whom samples were available before the diagnosis were positive for anti-JC virus antibodies. When the risk of PML was stratified according to three risk factors, the risk of PML was lowest among the patients who were negative for anti-JC virus antibodies, with the incidence estimated to be 0.09 cases or less per 1000 patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 0 to 0.48). Patients who were positive for anti-JC virus antibodies, had taken immunosuppressants before the initiation of natalizumab therapy, and had received 25 to 48 months of natalizumab treatment had the highest estimated risk (incidence, 11.1 cases per 1000 patients [95% CI, 8.3 to 14.5]). CONCLUSIONS Positive status with respect to anti-JC virus antibodies, prior use of immunosuppressants, and increased duration of natalizumab treatment, alone or in combination, were associated with distinct levels of PML risk in natalizumab-treated patients with multiple sclerosis. (Funded by Biogen Idec and Elan Pharmaceuticals.).
Monte Carlo Algorithms for Default Timing Problems

Dynamic, intensity-based point process models are widely used to measure and price the correlated default risk in portfolios of credit-sensitive assets such as loans and corporate bonds. Monte Carlo simulation is an important tool for performing computations in these models. This paper develops, analyzes, and evaluates two simulation algorithms for intensity-based point process models. The algorithms extend the conventional thinning scheme to the case where the event intensity is unbounded, a feature common to many standard model formulations. Numerical results illustrate the performance of the algorithms for a familiar top-down model and a novel bottom-up model of correlated default risk. This paper was accepted by Assaf Zeevi, stochastic models and simulation.
Supervised training based hand gesture recognition system

We have developed a hand gesture recognition system, based on the shape analysis of static gestures, for human computer interaction purposes. Our appearance-based recognition uses modified Fourier descriptors for the classification of hand shapes. As always found in literature, such recognition systems consist of two phases: training and recognition. In our new practical approach, following the chosen appearance-based model, training and recognition is done in an interactive supervised way: the adaptation for untrained gestures is also solved by hand signals. Our experimental results with three different users are reported. Besides describing the recognition itself we demonstrate our interactive training method in a practical application.
ADP-ribosylation Factor-like GTPase ARFRP1 Is Required for Trans-Golgi to Plasma Membrane Trafficking of E-cadherin*

ADP-ribosylation factor-related protein 1 (ARFRP1) plays a specific role in Golgi function controlling recruitment of GRIP domain proteins and ARL1 to the trans-Golgi. Deletion of the mouse Arfrp1 gene causes embryonic lethality during early gastrulation, because epiblast cells detach from the ectodermal cell layer and do not differentiate to mesodermal tissue. Here we show that in Arfrp1-/- embryos E-cadherin is mistargeted to intracellular compartments, whereas in control embryos it is present at the cell surface of trophectodermal and ectodermal cells. In enterocytes of intestine-specific Arfrp1 null mutants (Arfrp1vil-/-), E-cadherin is associated with intracellular membranes, partially colocalizing with the cis-Golgi marker GM130 or with punctae close to the cell surface. In contrast, in control enterocytes E-cadherin is exclusively located in the lateral membranes. In addition, ARL1 is dislocated from Golgi membranes to the cytosol of Arfrp1vil-/- enterocytes. Depletion of endogenous ARFRP1 by RNA interference leads to a dislocation of E-cadherin from the cell surface in HeLa cells and to a reduced cell aggregation in Ltk-Ecad cells. ARFRP1 was coimmunoprecipitated in a complex with E-cadherin, α-catenin, β-catenin, γ-catenin, and p120ctn from lysates of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells stably expressing myc-ARFRP1. These data indicate that knock-out of Arfrp1 disrupts the trafficking of E-cadherin through the Golgi and suggest an essential role of the GTPase in trans-Golgi network function.
Classification of antituberculosis drugs: a new proposal based on the most recent evidence

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) (resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampicin), with >480 000 cases in 2013, 10% of them being affected by extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB (MDR-TB with additional resistance to any fluoroquinolone, and to injectable second-line drugs (SLDs) (capreomycin, kanamycin or amikacin)), continues to represent a real threat to TB control [1–4]. In some high MDR-TB burden countries, the prevalence of MDR-TB among new cases exceeds 20% and among retreatment cases, reaches almost 50% [1, 5]. The classification of the anti-TB drugs should probably be modified to optimise the use old and new compounds http://ow.ly/QbDSP
The One Abutment–One Time Protocol: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

BACKGROUND The use of definitive abutments (DAs) at time of implant placement has been introduced to overcome limitations of dis/reconnection of healing/provisional abutments (PAs). With little and inconsistent information in the literature regarding the effectiveness of using DAs, the aim of this systematic review is to examine marginal bone and soft tissue level changes, technical and biologic complications, and implant failure rate associated with use of DAs and PAs. METHODS This systematic review was prepared according to guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and online trial registers were searched for studies comparing use of DAs and PAs. The Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool was used to assess selected studies, and meta-analyses were performed using statistical software. RESULTS A total of 1,124 citations were identified. Of these, seven trials with 363 dental implants in 262 participants were included in the analysis. Pooled estimates for marginal bone level changes showed significant differences between the two prosthetic techniques in favor of using DAs. No significant differences were found in soft tissue level changes, technical and biologic complications, or implant failure rate. CONCLUSIONS Within the limitations of this review, DAs appear to be a viable alternative to PAs at time of implant placement. However, favorable changes in peri-implant marginal bone level associated with use of DAs should be viewed with caution as its clinical significance is still uncertain.
Identifying Terms by their Family and Friends

Multi-word terms are traditionally identified using statistical techniques or, more recently, using hybrid techniques combining statistics with shallow linguistic information. Approaches to word sense disambiguation and machine translation have taken advantage of contextual information in a more meaningful way, but terminology has rarely followed suit. We present an approach to term recognition which identifies salient parts of the context and measures their strength of association to relevant candidate terms. The resulting list of ranked terms is shown to improve on that produced by traditional methods, in terms of precision and distribution, while the information acquired in the process can also be used for a variety of other applications, such as disambiguation, lexical tuning and term clustering.
Bioprospecting of Marine Invertebrates for New Natural Products — A Chemical and Zoogeographical Perspective

Bioprospecting for new marine natural products (NPs) has increased significantly over the last decades, leading to an unprecedented discovery of new molecules. Marine invertebrates have been the most important source of these NPs, with researchers commonly targeting particular taxonomic groups, marine regions and/or molecules from specific chemical groups. The present review focuses on new NPs identified from marine invertebrates between 2000 and 2009, and performs a detailed analysis on: (1) the chemical groups of these NPs; (2) the association of particular chemical groups to specific marine invertebrate taxa; and (3) the yielding of molecules from the same chemical group from organisms occurring in a particular geographic region. Our survey revealed an increasing number of new terpenoids being discovered between 2000 and 2009, contrasting with the decreasing trend in the discovery of new alkaloids and aliphatic molecules. Overall, no particular association was identified between marine invertebrate taxa and chemical groups of new NPs. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that most NPs recorded from cnidarians and mollusks were terpenoids, while most NPs identified in echinoderms were aliphatic compounds or carbohydrates. The geographical trends observed in our study do not support the idea of particular chemical groups of new NPs being associated with marine invertebrates from any specific geographical region, as NPs from different chemical groups were commonly distributed worldwide.
Comparison of sequential pancreatic duct guidewire placement technique and needle knife precut sphincterotomy for difficult biliary cannulation

Pancreatic duct guidewire placement (PDGP) includes double guidewire technique (DGT) and transpancreatic sphincterotomy (TPS). DGT can be switched to TPS with ease due to the existing guidewire in the pancreatic duct. In this study, we aimed to combine DGT and TPS as a single technique, named sequential PDGP, and to compare its performance with needle knife precut sphincterotomy (NKPS) in treating difficult biliary cannulation (BC).
Elimination of chromosome aberrations from human lymphocytes.

The frequency of chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of 36 hematologically normal women who had received radiation therapy for cervical carcinoma was measured. The decrease with time in the frequency of cells with acentric fragments, of cells with a single dicentric, and of quasidiploid cells can each be represented by a single exponential with an average lifetime, respectively, of 530 ± 64 days, 788 ± 98 days, and 5.55 ± 1.23 x 10 3 days. Aneuploid cells fall into two classes: One contains no chromosomes with structural aberrations and shows a stable frequency of about 5.8 per cent; the other contains chromosomes with structural aberrations and is eliminated at the same rate as cells with acentric chromosome fragments. The distribution of dicentrics among the lymphocytes at the end of the radiation therapy period is similar to that shown by a population of lymphocytes exposed in vitro to a single dose of about 300 rads.
The uninvited guest

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) was first described by Astrom et al. in 1958 as an unusual demyelinating disease of the CNS.1 In 1965, Zu Rhein and Chou saw virus-like particles in electron micrographs from the brain of an affected patient, and suggested that PML was caused by papovavirus infection.2 At the time, the only known human papovavirus infection was warts, and Zu Rhein and Chou’s suggestion was received skeptically by leading virologists.3 In 1971, Padgett et al. recovered a papovavirus, which they christened JC virus (JCV) after the initials of the affected patient, in cultures of human fetal glial cells that had been inoculated with extracts of PML brain tissue.4 PML remains the only significant clinical disease associated with JCV, now classified as a polyomavirus. PML was once an exceedingly rare disease, of importance more as the first example of a direct virus-mediated human demyelinating disease than for its clinical frequency. This changed dramatically in the AIDS era, and PML has now become commonplace.5 HIV …
Surveillance Strategies for a Pursuer with Finite Sensor Range

This paper addresses the pursuit-evasion problem of maintaining surveillance by a pursuer of an evader in a world populated by polygonal obstacles. This requires the pursuer to plan colision-free motions that honor distance constraints imposed by sensor capabilities, while avoiding occlusion of the evader by any obstacle. The paper extends the three-dimensional cellular decomposition of Schwartz and Sharir to represent the four-dimensional configuration space of the pursuer-evader system, and derive necessary conditions for surveillance (equivalently, sufficient conditions for escape) in terms of this new representation A game theoretic formulation of the problem is then given, and this formulation is used to characterize optimal escape trajectories for the evader. A shooting algorithm is proposed that finds these trajectories using the minimun principle. Finally, noting the similarities between this surveillance problem and the problem of cooperative manipulation by two robots, several cooperation strategies are presented that maximize system performance for cooperative motions.
Energy-Efficient Hardware Implementation of an LR-Aided K-Best MIMO Decoder for 5G Networks

Energy efficiency is a primary design goal for future green wireless communication technologies. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) schemes have been proposed in the literature to improve the throughput of communication systems, and they are expected to play a prominent role in the upcoming fifth generation (5G) standard. This paper presents a novel, high-efficiency MIMO decoder based on the K-Best algorithm with lattice reduction. We have designed a novel hardware architecture for this decoder, which was implemented using 32 nm standard CMOS technology. Our results show that the proposed decoder can achieve on average a four-fold reduction in the power costs compared to recently published designs for 5G networks. The throughput of the design is 506 Mbits/s, which is comparable to existing designs.
The discovery of vanadyl and zinc complexes for treating diabetes and metabolic syndromes

The incidence of diabetes mellitus has increased over the decades because of lifestyle changes. The number of people with diabetes mellitus worldwide is expected to increase from 150 million to 220 million by 2010 and to 300 million by 2025. There are two main types of diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is due to the autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, resulting in absolute insulin deficiency; the patients require exogenous insulin injections. Type 2 is characterized by insulin resistance and abnormal insulin secretion and the patients require exercise, diet control and/or oral hypoglycemics. However, each treatment has some adverse effects, including physical burden, formation of self-antibodies for insulin injections, the severe side effects of hypoglycemics and the discontinuation of insulin synthesis in the pancreas. To overcome these adverse effects and replace the use of these agents, the author attempted to develop new antidiabetic agents with novel structures and mechanisms. This review focuses on the authors' recent development of vanadium and zinc complexes for antidiabetic and antimetabolic syndromes.
Unemployment Among Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report From the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

Background:Adult childhood cancer survivors report high levels of unemployment, although it is unknown whether this is because of health or employability limitations. Objectives:We examined 2 employment outcomes from 2003 in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS): (1) health-related unemployment and (2) unemployed but seeking work. We compared survivors with a nearest-age CCSS sibling cohort and examined demographic and treatment-related risk groups for each outcome. Methods:We studied 6339 survivors and 1967 siblings ≥25 years of age excluding those unemployed by choice. Multivariable generalized linear models evaluated whether survivors were more likely to be unemployed than siblings and whether certain survivors were at a higher risk for unemployment. Results:Survivors (10.4%) reported health-related unemployment more often than siblings (1.8%; Relative Risk [RR], 6.07; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 4.32–8.53). Survivors (5.7%) were more likely to report being unemployed but seeking work than siblings (2.7%; RR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.43–2.54). Health-related unemployment was more common in female survivors than males (Odds Ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.43–2.08). Cranial radiotherapy doses ≥25 Gy were associated with higher odds of unemployment (health-related: OR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.54–4.74; seeking work: OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.15–2.71). Unemployed survivors reported higher levels of poor physical functioning than employed survivors, and had lower education and income and were more likely to be publicly insured than unemployed siblings. Conclusions:Childhood cancer survivors have higher levels of unemployment because of health or being between jobs. High-risk survivors may need vocational assistance.
Parameters, Predictions, and Evidence in Computational Modeling: A Statistical View Informed by ACT-R

Model validation in computational cognitive psychology often relies on methods drawn from the testing of theories in experimental physics. However, applications of these methods to computational models in typical cognitive experiments can hide multiple, plausible sources of variation arising from human participants and from stochastic cognitive theories, encouraging a "model fixed, data variable" paradigm that makes it difficult to interpret model predictions and to account for individual differences. This article proposes a likelihood-based, "data fixed, model variable" paradigm in which models are treated as stochastic processes in experiments with participant-to-participant variation that can be applied to a broad range of mechanistic cognitive architectures. This article discusses the implementation and implications of this view in model validation, with a concrete focus on a simple class of ACT-R models of cognition. This article is not intended as a recipe for broad application of these preliminary, proof-of-concept methods, but as a framework for communication between statisticians searching for interesting problems in the cognitive modeling sphere, and cognitive modelers interested in generalizing from deterministic to stochastic model validation, in the face of random variation in human experimental data.
The effect of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs on risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Inflammation may play a role in pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, the role of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as BPH risk factor is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine risk of BPH by NSAID use in a population‐based cohort.
An investigation into fuel cells and flow cytometers optimal design

The aim of the fuel cells part of this project was to investigate the performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and closely related fuel cell types like the Alkaline Fuel Cells and Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells. The investigation involved understanding the performance of fuel cells, addressing the shortcomings of currently used designs, and finding new methods for improving the performance of fuel cells. CFD was used to study flow channels and information learned from the study was used to design a new and improved flow channel. A prototype of the new design was fabricated, tested and found to perform better than conventional designs. Protons mass flow equation and equation for the diffusivity of hydrogen protons in PEM were derived. In addition, the effects of electrodes area ratio on selected fuel cells were studied theoretically and experimentally. The aim of the second part of this work was to model flow cytometers using fluent, which is the same CFD code used in the first part, and use the simulation result to optimize the design. Ren Yang [1, 2] designed the flow cytometers that were simulated. It was observed from the simulation results that blood cells were hydrodynamically focused within a range of sheath flow rate, and it was observed that bigger flow cytometer exit pipe diameter requires higher sheath flow rates for hydrodynamic focusing of blood cells. The simulation results were compared to the result from Ren Yang’s experiments and both results matched under the same flow conditions. Plots of the trajectories of blood cells, animation of the performance of the flow cytometer, and recommended operational flow rates for the given flow cytometer shape configurations were obtained from the simulation result. The simulation result was used to obtain an optimized design by making geometric configuration changes to correct the shortcomings in the original design. The optimized design was modeled and simulated. A comparison of the optimized design simulation results and the original design simulation results showed that the
Neutrophils Are Essential As A Source Of Il-17 In The Effector Phase Of Arthritis

Objective Th17 has been shown to have a pivotal role in the development of arthritis. However, the role of IL-17 in the T cell-independent effector phase has not fully been examined. We investigated whether IL-17 is involved in the effector phase of arthritis by using K/BxN serum-induced arthritis model. Methods K/BxN serum was transferred into IL-17 knockout (KO) mice, SCID mice and their control mice, and arthritis was evaluated over time. In order to clarify the source of IL-17 in the effector phase, neutrophils or CD4+ T cells collected from IL-17 KO or control mice were injected into IL-17 KO recipient mice together with K/BxN serum. To examine if neutrophils secrete IL-17 upon stimulation, neutrophils were stimulated with immune complex in vitro and IL-17 in the supernatant was measured by ELISA. Results K/BxN serum-induced arthritis was much less severe in IL-17 KO mice than in WT mice. Since K/BxN serum-transferred SCID mice developed severe arthritis with high serum IL-17 concentration, we speculated neutrophils are the responsible player as an IL-17 source. When wild type (WT) but not IL-17 KO neutrophils were co-injected with K/BxN serum into IL-17 KO mice, arthritis was exacerbated, whereas co-injection of WT CD4+ T cells had no effect. In vitro, stimulation of neutrophils with immune complexcaused IL-17 secretion. Conclusions Neutrophils are essential as a source of IL-17 in the effector phase of arthritis. The trigger of secreting IL-17 from neutrophils may be immune complex.
Synchronous collaboration in distance education: a case study on a science course

This paper describes our experience with introduction of synchronous collaborative problem solving activities in the frame of a distance learning computer science undergraduate course of the Hellenic Open University (HOU). Groups of students worked collaboratively at a distance in order to build a flowchart of an algorithm to a given problem. The technological and organization issues involved, the first findings of analysis of peer student interaction during this study, as well as some general implications for distance education are discussed.