Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Three Different Radiographic Techniques to Evaluate Their Reproducibility Concerning Periapical Structures – An Experimental Pilot

The assessment of periapical structures, inflammation and healing process state many questions concerning diagnostic, characteristics of healing and bone repair in apical stricture. The reproducibility of different x-ray techniques is very important from clinical point of view. Contemporary endodontic treatment requires precise and reliable measurement of periapical lesion and their suspectable healing. Intra-oral bisecting angle technique is no longer a method of choice. The purpose of this study is to compare three different techniques – intra-oral bisecting angle, intra-oral parallel and intra-oral parallel with bite registration. Bite registration is of great importance for taking reproducible periapical xrays in studying the dynamic processes in apical periodontal zone.
The controller-and-stopper game for a linear diffusion

Consider a process X(·) = {X(t), 0 t < 1} with values in the interval I = (0,1), absorption at the boundary-points of I, and dynamics dX(t) = (t)dt + (t)dW(t), X(0) = x. The values ( (t), (t)) are selected by a controller from a subset of < ◊(0,1) that depends on the current position X(t), for every t 0. At any stopping rule of his choice, a second player, called stopper, can halt the evolution of the process X(·), upon which he receives from the controller the amount e u(X( )); here 2 [0,1) is a discount factor, and u : [0,1] ! < is a continuous “reward function”. Under appropriate conditions on this function and on the contoller’s set of choices, it is shown that the two players have a saddle-point of “optimal strategies”. These can be described fairly explicitly by reduction to a suitable problem of optimal stopping, whose maximal expected reward V coincides with the value of the game: V = sup inf X(·) E e u(X( )) = inf X(·) sup E e u(X( )) .
Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists for liver transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled studies

Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists (IL‐2Ra) are frequently used as induction therapy in liver transplant recipients to decrease the risk of acute rejection while allowing the reduction of concomitant immunosuppression. We conducted a systematic review of prospective, controlled studies to test the hypothesis that the use of IL‐2Ra is associated with a decrease in acute rejection and/or a decrease in the side effects of concomitant medication. We performed a search of all major databases and secondary sources from inception to December 2010. Random effects models were used to assess the incidence of acute rejection, graft loss, patient death, and adverse side effects, with or without IL‐2Ra. Subgroup analysis and meta‐regression were used to explore differences in effect and sources of heterogeneity. Eighteen studies (13 randomized and 5 nonrandomized) met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Acute rejection at 12 months or later favored the use of IL‐2Ra (relative risk [RR] 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76‐0.94) and steroid‐resistant rejection was also less frequent in patients receiving IL‐2Ra (RR 0.66; CI 0.48‐0.91). Graft loss and patient death did not differ significantly between treatments. Patients who received IL‐2Ra in addition to reduced or delayed calcineurin inhibitors had better renal function (mean difference of estimated glomerular filtration rate: 6.29 mL/min; CI 1.66‐10.91) and a lower incidence of renal dysfunction (RR 0.46; CI 0.27‐0.78). The use of IL‐2Ra was also associated with a lower incidence of posttransplant diabetes mellitus, whereas the incidence of other adverse events was similar. Conclusion: The use of IL‐2Ra is associated with a lower incidence of acute rejection after transplantation. Concomitant immunosuppression can be reduced, avoiding long‐term side effects of immunosuppression. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;).
Expanded Polyglutamine Domain Proteins Bind Neurofilament and Alter the Neurofilament Network

Eight inherited neurodegenerative diseases are caused by genes with expanded CAG repeats coding for polyglutamine domains in the disease-producing proteins. The mechanism by which this expanded polyglutamine domain causes neurodegenerative disease is unknown, but nuclear and cytoplasmic polyglutamine protein aggregation is a common feature. In transfected COS7 cells, expanded polyglutamine proteins aggregate and disrupt the vimentin intermediate filament network. Since neurons have an intermediate filament network composed of neurofilament (NF) and NF abnormalities occur in neurodegenerative diseases, we examined whether pathologic-length polyglutamine domain proteins also interact with NF. We expressed varying lengths polyglutamine-green fluorescent protein fusion proteins in a neuroblast cell line, TR1. Pathologic-length polyglutamine-GFP fusion proteins formed large cytoplasmic aggregates surrounded by neurofilament. Immunoisolation of pathologic-length polyglutamine proteins coisolated 68-kDa NF protein demonstrating molecular interaction. These observations suggest that polyglutamine interaction with NF is important in the pathogenesis of the polyglutamine repeat diseases.
Tolerance induction in B lymphocytes but thymus-dependent antigens. T cells may abrogate B-cell tolerance induction by prevent an antibody response

Thymus-dependent protein antigens such as fowl gamma globulin (FGG) and dinitrophenylated-human gamma globulin (DNP-HGG), readily induced tolerance of the B cell in the absence of T cells even when these antigens were not deaggregated. However, when the same doses of antigen were given in the presence of T cells, the B-cell population was shown to be protected from tolerance induction, especially when the antigen was not in a deaggregated form. In this case, there was in fact evidence of a priming effect, manifest in both the B-cell and T-cell populations. The priming effect on the B-cell population was demonstrated by an increased response of mice pretreated with DNP-HGG, upon challenge with DNP conjugated to a heterologous carrier. The priming effect on the T-cell population was evident in a helper effect demonstrated in vitro. However, when euthymic mice which had been pretreated with large doses of FGG or DNP-HGG were challenged with the homologous carrier, the results were different. In this case, there was a profound suppression of the response against the carrier or the hapten on that carrier. Suppressor activity was also demonstrated in vitro and was shown to be sensitive to treatment with anti-theta-serum plus complement. Additionally it was shown that the effector phase of the suppression had a definite nonantigen-specific component. Thus, in pretreated euthymic mice, provided the homologous carrier was present, the response to a heterologous carrier was also suppressed. To account for the observation that nondeaggregated antigens can induce B-cell tolerance in athymic mice, but B-cell priming and T-cell-mediated suppression in euthymic mice, it is proposed that B-cell tolerance occurs when antigen at some critical dose interacts with the B cell in the absence of some second signal. This second signal is normally provided by the macrophage, probably with the assistance of the T cell, and its effect is to divert the result of the interaction of the B cell with antigen towards immunization and away from tolerance induction. When a large dose of an antigen that tends to form aggregates is given to an animal possessing functional T cells, both T-dependent helper and T-dependent suppressor activities are generated, thus accounting for a situation where the B-cell population is immunized, but B-cell activation is suppressed in the presence of the original carrier.
Hepatic drug targeting: phase I evaluation of polymer-bound doxorubicin.

PURPOSE Preclinical studies have shown good anticancer activity following targeting of a polymer bearing doxorubicin with galactosamine (PK2) to the liver. The present phase I study was devised to determine the toxicity, pharmacokinetic profile, and targeting capability of PK2. PATIENTS AND METHODS Doxorubicin was linked via a lysosomally degradable tetrapeptide sequence to N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymers bearing galactosamine. Targeting, toxicity, and efficacy were evaluated in 31 patients with primary (n = 25) or metastatic (n = 6) liver cancer. Body distribution of the radiolabelled polymer conjugate was assessed using gamma-camera imaging and single-photon emission computed tomography. RESULTS The polymer was administered by intravenous (i.v.) infusion over 1 hour, repeated every 3 weeks. Dose escalation proceeded from 20 to 160 mg/m(2) (doxorubicin equivalents), the maximum-tolerated dose, which was associated with severe fatigue, grade 4 neutropenia, and grade 3 mucositis. Twenty-four hours after administration, 16.9% +/- 3.9% of the administered dose of doxorubicin targeted to the liver and 3.3% +/- 5.6% of dose was delivered to tumor. Doxorubicin-polymer conjugate without galactosamine showed no targeting. Three hepatoma patients showed partial responses, with one in continuing partial remission 47 months after therapy. CONCLUSION The recommended PK2 dose is 120 mg/m(2), administered every 3 weeks by IV infusion. Liver-specific doxorubicin delivery is achievable using galactosamine-modified polymers, and targeting is also seen in primary hepatocellular tumors.
Reactive and proactive strategies for content update in content-centric and multi-users WSNs

Unlike other networks, WSNs have the particular characteristic of collecting sensed data and forwarding it to the gateway through a one-way communication protocol. In such data-driven networks, it may seem spontaneous to argue to content-centric networking communication architecture. Through exploiting DFCCN-WSNs implemented previously, we focus on two approaches concerning content update in CCN for Wireless Sensor Networks. Techniques used for content update are either reactive or proactive. In addition, our approaches support multi-user scenarios in order to decrease the propagation of the content object in the network. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate that the two approaches outperforms traditional CCN in terms of end-to-end delay and energy consumption.
Association of MUC-1 and SPGL-1 with low-density microdomain in T-lymphocytes: a preliminary note.

Two mucin-type glycoproteins, MUC-1 and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), and glycosphingolipids (GSLs), expressed in human T-cell line HUT78, were highly enriched in low-density buoyant fraction (termed "GEM"), together with CD45, Yes, Fyn, and lck(56). Enrichment of MUC-1, PSGL-1 and GSLs, together with these signal transducer molecules in low-density membrane fraction was observable when fraction was prepared from cells either in nonionic detergent Brij 58 or in hypertonic alkaline conditions (500 mM Na(2)CO(3)). On pretreatment of cells with cholesterol-binding reagent methyl beta-cyclodextrin, levels of MUC-1 and PSGL-1 together with the above signal transducers in GEM was greatly reduced, and they were translocated into high-density membrane fraction. Similar association of lck(56), Yes, Fyn, and cSrc together with MUC-1 was also found in GEM fraction of mouse T-cell lymphoma EL4 cells expressing MUC-1 through transfection of its gene. These findings indicate the presence of another glycosyl cluster ("glycocluster"), in addition to the previously well-established GSL cluster organized with signal transducer molecules in GEM fraction, and its possible functional role in T-cells.
PEGylation of a Factor VIII–Phosphatidylinositol Complex: Pharmacokinetics and Immunogenicity in Hemophilia A Mice

Hemophilia A is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by the deficiency of factor VIII (FVIII). Exogenous FVIII is administered therapeutically, and due to a short half-life, frequent infusions are often required. Fifteen to thirty-five percent of severe hemophilia A patients develop inhibitory antibodies toward FVIII that complicate clinical management of the disease. Previously, we used phosphatidylinositol (PI) containing lipidic nanoparticles to improve the therapeutic efficacy of recombinant FVIII by reducing immunogenicity and prolonging the circulating half-life. The objective of this study is to investigate further improvements in the FVIII–PI formulation resulting from the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the particle. PEGylation was achieved by passive transfer of PEG conjugated lipid into the FVIII–PI complex. PEGylated FVIII–PI (FVIII–PI/PEG) was generated with high association efficiency. Reduced activity in vitro and improved retention of activity in the presence of antibodies suggested strong shielding of FVIII by the particle; thus, in vivo studies were conducted in hemophilia A mice. Following intravenous administration, the apparent terminal half-life was improved versus both free FVIII and FVIII–PI, but exposure determined by area under the curve was reduced. The formation of inhibitory antibodies after subcutaneous immunization with FVIII–PI/PEG was lower than free FVIII but resulted in a significant increase in inhibitors following intravenous administration. Passive transfer of PEG onto the FVIII–PI complex does not provide any therapeutic benefit.
The Routinization of Creativity

Summary The aim of this contribution is to proceed to an in-depth exploration of the micro-context of the origin of routines and of their intimate link with organizational creativity. Our view is that organizational creativity orchestrates continuous interactions between different types of routines, operating at different levels of the organization. More precisely we propose distinguishing three types of routines: - First, the routines issued from formal structures or hierarchical working groups in the firm (functional groups, project teams, task force, etc.), for which the context of work and coordination of specialized tasks is defined ex ante by the hierarchy of the firm - Second, the routines emerging from informal structures, the “knowing communities” which is a “generic term that defines different types of autonomous learning groups of individuals (communities of practice, epistemic communities, and other more or less informal learning groups) united by common beliefs and interests who voluntarily share their resources on a long term basis in order to create and diffuse knowledge”; - Third, the routines that are inherently related to the organizational creativity of the firm, which are essentially corporate routines as expression of patterns of thinking, feeling and acting in the corporate culture. In essence they are the genes of collective identity, and take the shape of project management staging and gating principles and practices, framing collective divergent exploration and convergent production toward a creative goal. The contribution is based on an in-depth analysis of the organizational creativity in the worldleading videogame company, Ubisoft, with a special focus on the studio located in Montréal. To some extent, Ubisoft is one of the flagships of the “creative industries”, in which the clear imperative is to sustain creativity on a permanent basis. These reasons explain the choice we made to test our approach of organizational creativity and routines in this firm.
End-of-life Care and Rituals in Contexts of Post-migration Diversity in Europe: An Introduction

This special issue on migrant dying and death showcases the work of a number of authors exploring a newly emerging field of study within European research and policy contexts. Indeed before the 2000s the question of dying and death in migratory contexts received very little attention from researchers, be it in the social sciences or beyond. At first sight this is puzzling, given that when treated separately these fields have constituted a rich terrain for scholarly inquiry, not least in the discipline of sociology where studies of dying and death (Durkheim 1897) and migration (Thomas and Znaniecki 1918, Park 1928) have been foundational. Even social demographers, who by vocation are attentive to mortality as well as population mobility, seemed reluctant to enter this field of study. In the period before 2000, population health was the only scientific domain in which a substantial body of knowledge accumulated, focussing on the apparent paradox of lower than average mortality rates among migrants in industrialised countries (Markides and Coreil 1986, Abraido-Lanza et al. 1999). Migration scholarship in the social sciences, by contrast, was oriented to younger people, of working age. In following this orientation, migration studies have arguably internalised the priorities of governmental actors and employers, for whom the costs and benefits of migration have long been measured in economic terms (Sayad 2006). This is particularly the case in Europe since the 1960s, which constitutes the geographical and temporal frame of reference for this special issue. As Berger and Mohr’s parody of the prevailing logic of European guestworker capitalism put it: ‘So far as the economy of the metropolitan country is concerned, migrant workers are immortal [. ] they do not age: they do not get tired: they do not die’ (Berger and Mohr 1975: 64). This short-sighted approach began to lose credibility in the late 1980s, as the first generation of post-WWII labour migrants to Europe began to retire from (or were forced out of) the labour market. The first studies on migrant ageing, focusing on countries which recruited migrants early such as Britain, France and Switzerland, were intended to sound the alarm on the poverty and ill-health which touched the ex-migrant workers, many of whom had worked in physically wearing and poorly paid manual jobs (Samaoli 1989, Blakemore and Boneham 1994, Bolzman et al. 1996). The first studies on death and dying amongst this pioneer migrant generation would follow shortly, with a number of research monographs (Firth 1997, Tan 1998, Chaïb 2000, Gardner 2002)
Nonpharmacological Treatment of Tics in Tourette Syndrome Adding Videotape Training to Self-Hypnosis

Objective: This case series examines the practicality of using a standardized method of training children in self-hypnosis (SH) methods to explore its efficiency and short-term efficacy in treating tics in patients with Tourette syndrome. Methods: The files of 37 children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome referred for SH training were reviewed, yielding 33 patients for analysis. As part of a protocol for SH training, all viewed a videotape series of a boy undergoing SH training for tic control. Improvement in tic control was abstracted from subjective patient report. Results: Seventy-nine percent of the patients trained in this technique experienced short-term clinical response, defined as control over the average 6-week follow-up period. Of the responders, 46% achieved tic control with SH after only 2 sessions and 96% after 3 visits. One patient required 4 visits. Conclusions: Instruction in SH, aided by the use of videotape training, augments a protocol and probably shortens the time of training in this technique. If SH is made more accessible in this way, it will be a valuable addition to multi-disciplinary management of tic disorders in Tourette syndrome.
On the possibility to design intelligent sensor systems after excitable media models: An agent-based simulation

The present paper discusses the possibility to design sensor systems based on models of complex coherent action, more specifically, based on excitable media. Excitable media is a phenomenon seen in nature where, once the media reaches certain level of excitement, it propagates such level of energy to its neighbors. It is believed that such phenomenon can be used to design intelligent sensor systems since sensors have the job to receive an input reading and convert it to an output value or task; in other words, sensors are excited and, then, behave according to the level of excitation; which is similar to the way excitable media works. Moreover, given the fact that the signal is propagated across the media, a distributed application is possible where self-organization can be achieved, allowing the making of more intelligent decisions by the system. In order to show this, an agent-based simulation of this approach has been built where there is the presence of two types of agents; ones that act as sensors, and others that could represent tasks to be performed, other sensors, or robots that need to be controlled, etc. All these live in the excitable media and behave according to the excited sensor and to the level of energy that is read as the signal is propagated. The next lines of this document, thus, describe the steps that were taken in order to show the possibility to design sensors after models of excitable media.
Multi-objectivization of reinforcement learning problems by reward shaping

Multi-objectivization is the process of transforming a single objective problem into a multi-objective problem. Research in evolutionary optimization has demonstrated that the addition of objectives that are correlated with the original objective can make the resulting problem easier to solve compared to the original single-objective problem. In this paper we investigate the multi-objectivization of reinforcement learning problems. We propose a novel method for the multi-objectivization of Markov Decision problems through the use of multiple reward shaping functions. Reward shaping is a technique to speed up reinforcement learning by including additional heuristic knowledge in the reward signal. The resulting composite reward signal is expected to be more informative during learning, leading the learner to identify good actions more quickly. Good reward shaping functions are by definition correlated with the target value function for the base reward signal, and we show in this paper that adding several correlated signals can help to solve the basic single objective problem faster and better. We prove that the total ordering of solutions, and by consequence the optimality of solutions, is preserved in this process, and empirically demonstrate the usefulness of this approach on two reinforcement learning tasks: a pathfinding problem and the Mario domain.
Control of microvascular oxygen pressures in rat muscles comprised of different fibre types

In response to an elevated metabolic rate , increased microvascular blood–muscle O2 flux is the product of both augmented O2 delivery and fractional O2 extraction. Whole body and exercising limb measurements demonstrate that and fractional O2 extraction increase as linear and hyperbolic functions, respectively, of . Given the presence of disparate vascular control mechanisms among different muscle fibre types, we tested the hypothesis that, in response to muscle contractions, would be lower and fractional O2 extraction (as assessed via microvascular O2 pressure, P mvO 2) higher in fast‐ versus slow‐twitch muscles. Radiolabelled microsphere and phosphorescence quenching techniques were used to measure and P mvO 2, respectively at rest and across the transition to 1 Hz twitch contractions at low (Lo, 2.5 V) and high intensities (Hi, 4.5 V) in rat (n= 20) soleus (Sol, slow‐twitch, type I), mixed gastrocnemius (MG, fast‐twitch, type IIa) and white gastrocnemius (WG, fast‐twitch, type IIb) muscle. At rest and for Lo and Hi (steady‐state values) transitions, P mvO 2 was lower (all P < 0.05) in MG (mmHg: rest, 22.5 ± 1.0; Lo, 15.3 ± 1.3; Hi, 10.2 ± 1.6) and WG (mmHg: rest, 19.0 ± 1.3; Lo, 12.2 ± 1.1; Hi, 9.9 ± 1.1) than in Sol (rest, 33.1 ± 3.2 mmHg; Lo, 19.0 ± 2.3 mmHg; Hi, 18.7 ± 1.8 mmHg), despite lower and in MG and WG under each set of conditions. These data suggest that during submaximal metabolic rates, the relationship between and O2 extraction is dependent on fibre type (at least in the muscles studied herein), such that muscles comprised of fast‐twitch fibres display a greater fractional O2 extraction (i.e. lower P mvO 2) than their slow‐twitch counterparts. These results also indicate that the greater sustained P mvO 2 in Sol may be important for ensuring high blood–myocyte O2 flux and therefore a greater oxidative contribution to energetic requirements.