Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sipuleucel-T: A Vaccine for Metastatic, Asymptomatic, Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer

Objective: To review the design, efficacy, safety, dosing, therapeutic, and pharmacoeconomic considerations of sipuleucel-T, an investigational, autologous, dendritic, cell-based prostate cancer vaccine. Data Sources: English-language literature searches of MEDLINE (1966–September 2007) and the Cochrane Database (2007, Issue 3) were performed using the terms sipuleucel-T, APC8015, and prostate cancer vaccine. Other data sources were identified from bibliographies of selected articles and from press releases. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All published articles or abstracts on human studies of sipuleucel-T for androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) were reviewed for inclusion. Manufacturer Web sites, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents, and the clinical trials registry were used to obtain information regarding ongoing clinical trials. Data Synthesis: AIPC is an incurable disease with a median survival rate of 18–20 months. Docetaxel-based chemotherapy is currently the only FDA-approved treatment for AIPC with a survival benefit (2.4 mo). Sipuleucel-T is a novel active cellular immunotherapy under investigation for the treatment of metastatic, asymptomatic AIPC. In clinical trials, the primary endpoint of time to disease progression was not met; however, an underpowered analysts of data suggests that sipuleucel-T prolongs survival by a median of 4.5 months compared with placebo. Sipuleucel-T has been relatively well tolerated, although a possible increased risk of cerebrovascular events may exist. In May 2007, the FDA did not approve the biologics license application for sipuleucel-T since the primary endpoint of the Phase 3 trials was not met. However, its approval will be reconsidered by the FDA once interim survival results from an ongoing Phase 3 trial, IMPACT, are determined. These data are anticipated to be released in the fourth quarter of 2008. Conclusions: Metastatic AIPC Is an incurable disease that currently has limited treatment options. Approval of sipuleucel-T hinges on results from the IMPACT trial. If improved survival is shown, sipuleucel-T may become the first approved active cellular immunotherapy for treating metastatic, asymptomatic AIPC.
Temporal changes in carbohydrate digestive capacity and growth rate of piglets in response to glucocorticoid administration and weaning age.

Two experiments were conducted that demonstrated that a single injection of hydrocortisone 21-acetate (HYD, 25 mg/kg BW) administered to 6-d-old nursing piglets resulted in a twofold elevation (P less than .02) of pancreatic amylase within 2 d; activity was unaffected by an injection of 15 IU adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)/kg BW (P greater than .20). Intestinal sucrase and maltase activity tended to be elevated (P less than .20) 2 and 4 d postinjection with HYD but returned to normal (uninjected) levels by 14 d of age. The normal decline of intestinal lactase activity was delayed by at least 4 d in response to both hormones (P less than .10). Organ weights were not affected by either hormone. In a separate experiment, postweaning mortality was reduced (12 vs 27%) and growth rate was substantially improved by administration of HYD to piglets 4 and 2 d prior to weaning at 14 d of age. Hydrocortisone resulted in a faster rate of gain the 1st wk postweaning for pigs weaned at 21 or 28 d. Subsequent gain by control and HYD piglets weaned on d 21 was similar, but HYD subsequently impaired growth rate of piglets weaned at 28 d of age. Growth rates of control and ACTH piglets were similar at each postweaning period regardless of weaning age (weaning age [lin.] x week postweaning [quad.] x treatment, P less than .07). This differential treatment response of daily gain may be due in part to effects on feed intake (weaning age [lin.] x week postweaning [lin.] x treatment, P less than .10). We conclude that a single injection of HYD to 6-d-old piglets precociously induces pancreatic amylase and that the sensitivity of piglets to HYD is age-dependent.
The Role of the Private Sector in the Land Grab: Usurper or Pawn?

This race to supply the world’s population with food has found an ally among the private investors who have been purchasing large tracts of land in the hope that the value of this land and the value of the food that is grown on the land will rise and therefore provide bountiful monetary returns. This paper revolves around this role of the private sector in the land grab and the ensuing extractive projects, a kind of usurpation of the state’s role as ‘Provider of Food Security’. It begins by surveying the interplay of the various actors, the landowner, the state, and the private investor, in these large scale land acquisitions and the challenges and benefits that arise out of this interplay to understand whether this is a ‘win-win’ phenomenon. It then focuses on the politics of the land grab and the role of the private and state investor in the new era of responsibility, questioning the function of the land grab as a risk mitigation strategy pursued by the investors, and whether the degree of risk justifies the relinquishment of responsibility to the host state and then concludes with a survey of the expectations of responsibility and whether the private sector can be held to an equivalent level of responsibility as a state investor.
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Detection and Classification of Biological Aerosols

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is examined as a potential method for detecting airborne biological agents. A spectrally broadband LIBS system was used for laboratory measurements on some common biological agent simulants. These measurements were compared to those of common, naturally occurring biological aerosol components (pollen and fungal spores) to determine the potential of LIBS for discriminating biological agents from natural background aerosols. A principal components analysis illustrates that linear combinations of the detected atomic lines, which are present in different ratios in each of the samples tested, can be used to discriminate biological agent simulants from other biological matter. A more sensitive, narrowband LIBS instrument was used to demonstrate the detection of single simulant (Bg) particles in the size range 1–5 μm. Ca, Mg, and Na, which are present in varying concentrations between 0.3 and 11% (by mass) in the Bg particles, were observed in single particles using LIBS.
ADENOSINE ON MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION

1 A 3 min intracoronary infusion of adenosine (50 μg/min) produced a significant decrease in coronary artery perfusion pressure, left ventricular systolic pressure and myocardial O2 consumption in the isolated supported heart preparation of the dog perfused at a constant coronary blood flow. Heart rate was controlled at 150, 190 or 230 beats/minute. 2 Myocardial contractile force and maximal left ventricular dp/dt were not changed by adenosine infusion. 3 The absolute decrease in myocardial O2 consumption was greater at increasing heart rates whereas the decrease in coronary artery perfusion pressure and peak left ventricular systolic pressure were similar. 4 The results suggest that the reduction in myocardial O2 consumption produced by adenosine is not related to coronary vasodilatation or to a negative chronotropic or inotropic action, but may be due to a functional shunting of blood flow from high O2 extracting regions of the myocardium to low O2 extracting ones and/or to important effects on myocardial substrate utilization.
Localization of leukemia inhibitory factor and interleukin‐6 messenger ribonucleic acids in regenerating rat skeletal muscle

In the present study, we characterized both temporal and spatial expression patterns of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) in injured skeletal muscle using in situ hybridization. LIF and IL‐6 mRNAs were expressed in mononucleated cells and damaged muscle cells. Further, signals for LIF mRNA were also detected in Schwann cell‐like cells of intramuscular nerves. These results suggest that the earliest events involved in the repair of injured muscles and nerves may be triggered by these cytokines. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 21:819–822, 1998.
Absence of Effects of Herbicides Use on Yam Rots: A Case Study in Wulensi, Ghana

Yam farmers in Ghana have, over the years, used herbicides for weed control, particularly glyphosate. Although this has been helpful to them, there are complaints and concerns, among the yam farmers and a section of the public, that the yam tuber rots easily under the use of herbicides. This study, therefore, was set up at the field level to investigate the possibility of herbicides use causing yam rot. Two yam varieties, “laribako” and “olodo”, were grown under the conditions of chemical weed control (use of glyphosate) and manual weed control in three replicate sites in Wulensi in the Nanumba traditional area of northern Ghana. The study revealed that there was no difference in rots between herbicide treated yams and manually weeded yams, but that there was a difference in rots between “laribako” and “olodo” yam varieties. The results also showed that there was no difference in yield between herbicide treated yams and manually weeded yams. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that, there was no difference in yam rot and yield between herbicides treated and manually weeded yams, but “laribako” was more susceptible to rot than “olodo”.
Entry into, and resuscitation from, the viable but nonculturable state by Vibrio vulnificus in an estuarine environment

Using plate counts, total cell counts, and direct viable counts, we examined the fate of cells of Vibrio vulnificus placed into natural estuarine waters during both winter and summer months. Cells inoculated into membrane diffusion chambers and placed into estuarine waters entered into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state in January and February, when the water temperatures were low (average, < 15 degrees C). In contrast, when cells in the VBNC state were placed into the same waters in the warmer months of August through November (average water temperature of ca. 21 degrees C), the cells appeared to undergo a rapid (typically, within 24 h) resuscitation to the fully culturable state. These results were independent of whether the cells were in the logarithmic or stationary phase and whether they were encapsulated or not. This study indicates that the inability to isolate V. vulnificus from cold estuarine sites may be accounted for by entrance of the cells into a VBNC state and that recovery from this state in natural environments may result from a temperature upshift.
Purification and biochemical characterization of pulmonary surfactant protein A of horses.

OBJECTIVE To characterize surfactant protein isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of healthy horses. ANIMALS 10 Thoroughbreds (5 males, 5 females; 26 to 40 months old) that did not have a history or clinical signs of respiratory tract disease. PROCEDURE Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained and centrifuged at 33,000 X g. Lipid was removed from precipitated fractions by means of extraction with 1-butanol, and organic solvent-insoluble protein precipitates were dialyzed against Tris buffer. The suspension was centrifuged, and supernatant was placed in a mannose-Sepharose affinity column, with calcium. The bound protein fraction was analyzed by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western immunoblot analysis, and amino acid sequencing. A liposome-aggregation assay was also performed, using purified proteins. RESULTS Protein isolated by use of mannose-affinity matrices was identified as surfactant protein A (SP-A). It had carbohydrate-binding and phospholipid-aggregation properties characteristic of SP-A isolated from other animal species. The partial primary sequence of the isolated protein had high homology with rat and human SP-A. Furthermore, the equine SP-A reacted with anti-human and anti-rat SP-A specific antibodies. CONCLUSION Analysis of these findings indicated the existence of SP-A in pulmonary tissues of horses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Measurement of SP-A concentrations may be useful for clinicians evaluating pulmonary disease of horses.
Reduced-Precision Redundancy for Reliable FPGA Communications Systems in High-Radiation Environments

Triple modular redundancy (TMR) is the traditional mitigation technique for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) subject to single-event upsets (SEUs) in high-radiation environments. Reduced-precision redundancy (RPR) as an alternative to TMR for communications systems is demonstrated. RPR reduces the number of "catastrophic" SEUs in several simple communications receivers by over 95%, thus increasing the mean time to failure (MTTF) by 25 to 99 times, while consuming less than half of the resources that TMR does in most cases.
Post outage bus voltage calculations for double branch outages

Secure operation of electrical power systems is vital, hence fast and accurate post-outage state calculations are important for contingency analysis. Contingency analysis includes simulations of both the single and double branch outages. This paper presents constrained optimization problem of a recently developed double branch outage model. Harmony search algorithm is used as an optimization tool. IEEE 30 Bus Test system simulation results are given, and compared with those of the AC load flow in terms of computational accuracy. Speed test results of IEEE 14, 30, 57, 118 and 300 Bus Test Systems are illustrated and compared with those of the AC load flow calculations.
Histochemical Detection of Burn‐induced Lipid Peroxidation in Sebaceous Glands of Rat Skin

Increased lipid peroxide levels both in skin and serum have been reported after cutaneous thermal injury. However, it still remains unclear where lipid peroxides are produced at the site of burned skin. In the present study, a histochemical method using cold Schiff's reagent was applied in order to detect the localization of lipid peroxide.
Fusion algorithm for images data by using steerable pyramid transform

Image fusion refers to the techniques that integrate complementary information from multiple image sensor data such that the new images are more suitable for the purpose of human visual perception and the compute-processing tasks. In this paper, a new image fusion algorithm based on steerable pyramid transform to fuse multisensor image data is presented. It has several advantages in comparison with other pyramid transform in image fusion. In this paper, the image fusion is performed at the pixel level, a feature-based fusion rule is used to combine original sub-images and to form a pyramid for the fused image. When images are merged in sub-space, different frequency ranges are processed differently. It can merge information from original images adequately and improve abilities of information analysis and feature extraction. The experiment results show that this fusion algorithm, based on using steerable pyramid transform, can gain a more satisfactory fusion outcome.
The Assessment and Sustainable Management of Sickle Cell Disease in the Indigenous Tharu Population of Nepal

Abstract Sickle cell disease is an inherited hemoglobinopathy associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Reports suggest a high sickle cell disease burden among the indigenous Tharu population of Nepal, who for centuries have inhabited regions where malaria is endemic. Unfortunately, health care resources are limited and often inaccessible for Tharu individuals suffering from sickle cell disease. We conducted a large-scale screening effort to estimate the prevalence of Hb S (HBB: c.20A>T) among the Tharu population and delivered community-based education sessions to increase sickle cell disease awareness. A total of 2899 Tharu individuals aged 6 months to 40 years in the rural district of Dang in Western Nepal were screened using a sickling test, of whom, 271 [9.3%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 8.3–10.4%] screened positive for Hb S. Those who screened positive were offered diagnostic gel electrophoresis testing. Of the 133 individuals who underwent diagnostic testing, 75.9% (n = 101) were confirmed to be Hb AS heterozygotes, 4.5% (n = 6) were confirmed to be Hb SS homozygotes and 19.5% (n = 26) were false positives. These findings support a large burden of sickle cell disease among the Tharu population and highlight the importance of appropriate resource allocation and management. With a positive predictive value of 80.0% (95% CI: 73.0-87.0%), the sickling test in conjunction with raising local sickle cell disease awareness may be a simple and sustainable way to promote access to health resources.
A High-Voltage Cascode-Connected Three-Level Pulse-Generator for Bio-Medical Ultrasound Applications

This paper presents a high-voltage three-level pulse-generator circuit which reduces the driving requirement of the input signals. This is achieved by cascoding making it possible to use low-voltage input transistors. The reduced driving requirement of the input signals makes it possible to use simple two-component capacitive level-shifters. The circuit is implemented in a commercially available 180nm high-voltage CMOS process. Circuit functionality is verified by simulation on schematic and layout using high supply voltages of positive and negative 70V. Simulation results indicate a reduction in input gate-charge by a factor of about 28. Average power consumption of about 0.61mW and 0.44mW is observed for a three-level and a two level 4-period 5MHz pulse using a pulse-repetition frequency of 5kHz.
Description of three new species of Gyrodactylus von Nordmann, 1832 (Monogenea) parasitising Oreochromis niloticus niloticus (L.) and O. mossambicus (Peters) (Cichlidae)

Three new species of Gyrodactylus are described from two species of Oreochromis (Cichlidae): Gyrodactylus hildae sp. nov. from the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus niloticus, and from an unconfirmed cichlid in Ethiopia; Gyrodactylus ulinganisus sp. nov. from a South African population of Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus; and, Gyrodactylus yacatli sp. nov. from O. n. niloticus reared in Mexico. The hamuli and marginal hooks of G. hildae sp. nov. and G. yacatli sp. nov. differ notably from G. cichlidarum, a species commonly found on O. n. niloticus. The hooks of G. ulinganisus sp. nov., however, are morphologically similar to those of G. cichlidarum, but the two species were found to differ by 42 nucleotide substitutions (24 within the 342 bp long ITS1; 18 within the 303 bp long ITS2) and by 1 insertion/deletion. This study confirms that Nile and Mozambique tilapia harbour a number of different species of Gyrodactylus, with G. cichlidarum being the most frequently encountered and being associated with mortalities of juvenile O. n. niloticus. This study discusses the host specificity of gyrodactylids on commercial cichlid species and the potential repercussions of their movement on stocks of fish into new environments where cichlids are already present.
Novel antiviral agents: a medicinal plant perspective

Several hundred plant and herb species that have potential as novel antiviral agents have been studied, with surprisingly little overlap. A wide variety of active phytochemicals, including the flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans, sulphides, polyphenolics, coumarins, saponins, furyl compounds, alkaloids, polyines, thiophenes, proteins and peptides have been identified. Some volatile essential oils of commonly used culinary herbs, spices and herbal teas have also exhibited a high level of antiviral activity. However, given the few classes of compounds investigated, most of the pharmacopoeia of compounds in medicinal plants with antiviral activity is still not known. Several of these phytochemicals have complementary and overlapping mechanisms of action, including antiviral effects by either inhibiting the formation of viral DNA or RNA or inhibiting the activity of viral reproduction. Assay methods to determine antiviral activity include multiple-arm trials, randomized crossover studies, and more compromised designs such as nonrandomized crossovers and pre- and post-treatment analyses. Methods are needed to link antiviral efficacy/potency- and laboratory-based research. Nevertheless, the relative success achieved recently using medicinal plant/herb extracts of various species that are capable of acting therapeutically in various viral infections has raised optimism about the future of phyto-antiviral agents. As this review illustrates, there are innumerable potentially useful medicinal plants and herbs waiting to be evaluated and exploited for therapeutic applications against genetically and functionally diverse viruses families such as Retroviridae, Hepadnaviridae and Herpesviridae
The impact of ischaemic stroke on atrial fibrillation-related healthcare cost: a systematic review

The aim of this study was to summarize healthcare costs incurred by patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who developed ischaemic stroke, explore factors associated with increased cost, and highlight the importance of anticoagulation therapy for stroke prophylaxis. A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the health economic evaluation database was conducted up to December 2015. Studies focused on the cost and/or resource utilization of ischaemic stroke in patients with AF were included. Reported costs were converted to international dollars (I$) and adjusted to 2015 values. Alongside the narrative review of included studies, Spearman's correlation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to explore factors associated with cost differences between studies. Sixteen studies published from nine countries were identified. Based on currency conversion rates in 2015, ischaemic stroke-related healthcare costs were estimated to be I$41 420, I$12 895, and I$8184 for high-income, upper middle-income, and lower middle-income economies, respectively. Local GDP per capita accounted for ∼50% of the healthcare cost variation among countries. Major component of overall cost was from hospitalization. Ischaemic stroke incurring in patients with AF ≥75 years was 2.3 times that of their younger peers (P = 0.049). The economic burden from ischaemic stroke in patients with AF is considerable with positive association to country income. Clinicians and stakeholders should be aware of the importance of anticoagulation therapies in stroke prophylaxis, the occurrence of stroke, and the downstream economic burden on an increasingly ageing population.
The exploitation of dynamic entrepreneurial capabilities by South African security firms

This multi-case study examines how three security firms in South Africa, at different stages in their evolutionary lifecycle, exploit entrepreneurial behavioural capabilities to innovate with technology-mediated services. The Dynamic Entrepreneurial Capabilities conceptual framework, a hybrid organiza0tional capability framework for analysing impacts of complex and discontinuous technology innovation on organizations, is used. Its emphasis on insight and heuristics was found to be highly appropriate for understanding the behavioural reality of the case organizations’ orientations pro and contra entrepreneurial activity.