Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Flux Membranes Are Not Permeable to Hepatitis B Virus-DNA

Dr. G.M. Th. de Jong, Drechtsteden Ziekenhuis, Lokatie Refaja, PO Box 444, NL-3300 AK Dordrecht (The Netherlands) Dear Sir, High-flux membranes have been found to be permeable to HBsAg [1] in contrast to cellulose membranes [2]. Backfiltration from inoculated dialysate has been proposed as a possible route of transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in dialysis patients [1]. As HBV-DNA, rather than HBsAg, is the marker of infectivi-ty, we have investigated whether AN69 membranes are permeable to HBV-DNA. Fifteen HBsAg-positive patients were investigated. Renal replacement therapy consisted of hemodialysis in 9 and hemofiltration in 6 patients. AN69 dialyzers were used. Blood was investigated for HBeAg, anti-HBe (ELISA, Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill.) and HBV-DNA [molecular hybridization according to the method described by Shimizu et al. [3]. Dialysate and ultrafiltrate were tested for HBsAg after 5-fold concentration, while HBVDNA was determined after phenol extraction from 2.5 ml as well as from 25 ml of fluid. All 9 hemodialysis patients were HBeAg-positive; HBV-DNA could be demonstrated in blood of 7 patients. Of the hemofiltration patients, 6 were HBeAg-positive and 1 anti-HBepositive; all were negative for HBV-DNA in blood. HBsAg was not found in the dialysate or ultrafiltrate of any patient, nor could HBV-DNA sequences be demonstrated in these fluids. The difference between cellulose and high-flux membranes is a greater permeability in the latter to larger molecules, notably in the range of 5,000-50,000 daltons [4]. As the molecular weight of HBsAg is 24,000 daltons [5], it is to be expected that it can be demonstrated in the dialysate during treatment with high-flux membranes but not with cellulose membranes. The molecular weight of the fulllength HBV-DNA can be estimated to be about 2,000,000 daltons, while an intact HBV virion (Dane particle) has a diameter of 42 nm. Therefore, it cannot pass into the dialysate. The absence of HBsAg in the dialysate or ultrafiltrate was unexpected, although others also failed to demonstrate this in all seroposi-tive patients [1]. The sieving coefficient for HBsAg must have been lower than was estimated by the molecular weight. In this study we could not demonstrate HBV-DNA sequences in dialysate, making infectivity unlikely. However, overt
Regression of established pulmonary metastases and subcutaneous tumor mediated by the systemic administration of high-dose recombinant interleukin 2

Incubation of resting lymphoid cells with recombinant interleukin 2 (IL- 2) in vitro leads to the generation of lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells capable of lysing fresh tumor cell suspensions in short- term chromium-release assays. Our previous studies (7) have demonstrated that the injection of LAK cells plus low doses of recombinant IL-2 were capable of inhibiting the growth of pulmonary metastases. We have now explored the ability of high doses of recombinant IL-2, administered systemically, to generate LAK cells in vivo, and to mediate antitumor effects directly. Administration of increasing doses of recombinant IL-2 intraperitoneally resulted in the generation of LAK cells in the spleens of recipient mice. Doses of 100,000 U recombinant IL-2 administered intraperitoneally approximately every 8 h for 5 d were capable of dramatically inhibiting established 3- d pulmonary metastases from the MCA-105 and MCA-106 syngeneic sarcomas and the syngeneic B16 melanoma in C57BL/6 mice. Grossly visible metastases present at 10 d after tumor injection also underwent regression following IL-2 therapy. Surprisingly, established 10 d pulmonary metastases were more susceptible to the effects of IL-2 than were the smaller 3 d pulmonary metastases. All antitumor effects of the systemic administration of recombinant IL-2 were eliminated if mice received prior treatment with 500 rad total body irradiation. The administration of high doses of recombinant IL-2 was also capable of inhibiting the growth of 3-d established subcutaneous tumors from the MCA-105 sarcoma, and of mediating the inhibition of growth and regression of established palpable subcutaneous MCA-105 sarcomas. Lymphocytes, which appeared morphologically to be activated, were present at the site of regressing tumor, and it appears that the mechanism of the antitumor effect of recombinant IL-2 administered systemically is via the generation of LAK cells in vivo, although this hypothesis remains to be proven. The ready availability of high doses of recombinant human IL-2, and the demonstration of antitumor effects seen in animal models have led us to the initiation of the clinical trials of recombinant IL-2 in humans.
Investigating the Relative Importance of Design Criteria in the Evaluation of the Usability of Educational Websites from the Viewpoint of Students

The importance of considering usability in the design and development of educational websites is well recognised. However, there is a lack of research which has exposed the design features students prefer on an educational website. This research developed specific criteria for evaluating the usability of educational websites consisting of 25 design issues distributed into five major categories: navigation, organisation / architecture, ease of use and communications, design, and content. Then the relative importance of the categories and subcategories of the developed criteria in the evaluation of the usability of educational websites was investigated from the viewpoint of 237 students. A further step was taken to determine if the relative importance differed based on the gender and major / specialisation of the students involved in the research (where students were selected from two faculties: Information Technology and Administration). The results showed that the order of the criteria from the most to the least important in the evaluation of the usability of educational websites from the viewpoint of students was: content, navigation, ease of use and communications, design, and organisation / architecture. The results also showed that there was a statistically significant difference between males and females regarding only one category: the content. Females considered it as the most important category while males considered it as the second most important category. However, the results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the students of the two selected faculties regarding the relative importance of the criteria.
Are Workers Better Matched in Large Labor Markets?

This paper examines the relationship between labor market size and job search outcomes. Much research and many policy initiatives assume that larger labor markets lead to better job search outcomes because they give workers and firms more choice in potential jobs or employees. The empirical finding that labor market size and job finding rates are uncorrelated, however, has led researchers to question this assumption. I show, theoretically and empirically, that large labor markets may cause workers to find jobs that are better matches given their individual skills and characteristics, even if they do not cause workers to find jobs faster. I construct a unique new data set from Denmark that combines administrative data, an online vacancy database and detailed geographical information. I show that workers in large labor markets find jobs for which they are a better match as measured by both previous industry experience and geographical location. They also find jobs which pay higher wages and result in longer employment spells even after controlling for spatial productivity differences among firms. The estimated effects imply that labor market size explains 6.6% of the spatial variation in wage premia, and also suggest a high rate of return on transport infrastructure projects that increase the effective size of labor markets by increasing workers’ ability to commute to distant jobs. ∗Email: nikolaj.harmon@econ.ku. dk. I am particularly indebted to David S. Lee, Alex Mas, Stephen J. Redding and Richard Rogerson for many helpful discussions and comments. I also thank Raymond Fisman, Tatiana Homonoff and Rasmus Jørgensen as well as seminar participants at Bocconi University, University of Bonn, Copenhagen Business School, University of Copenhagen, Collegio Carlo Alberto, University of Houston, University of Mannheim, Stockhom IIES, Princeton University and Uppsala University for valuable input. Finally, I would like to thank Mette Birk Kjærgaard and Katarina Ritz at the Danish National Survey and Cadastre, Henning Bunzel at the University of Aarhus as well as Anders Gabriel Pedersen and Claus Bech at the National Labour Market Authority in Denmark for their help with data access. All errors are my own.
Level 1 perspective-taking at 24 months of age

The current study sought to determine the age at which children first engage in Level 1 visual perspective-taking, in which they understand that the content of what another person sees in a situation may sometimes differ from what they see. An adult entered the room searching for an object. One candidate object was out in the open, whereas another was visible for the child but behind an occluder from the adult's perspective. When asked to help the adult find the sought-for object, 24-month-old children, but not 18-month-old children, handed him the occluded object (whereas in a control condition they showed no preference for the occluded toy). We argue that the performance of the 24-month-olds requires Level 1 visual perspective-taking skills and that this is the youngest age at which these skills have been demonstrated.
External cueing systems in the rehabilitation of executive impairments of action

The use of a mnemonic cueing system (NeuroPage®) and a paper and pencil checklist in the rehabilitation of executive problems in a 50-year-old woman are described. Following a CVA 7 years earlier, the patient, despite intact general intellectual and memory functioning, had specific executive impairments of attention, planning, realizing intended actions, and also exhibited behavioral routines similar in form to obsessive–compulsive rituals. In a series of ABAB single-case experimental designs, the efficacy of 2 external cueing systems in prompting appropriately timed action is demonstrated. It is argued that the combination of external control and increased sustained attention to action were critical to the success of NeuroPage with this patient. Furthermore it is hypothesized that the checklist was effective in facilitating the patient's ability to foresee and recognize the consequences of her actions, which in turn had an impact on the probability of her changing those same actions. (JINS, 1998, 4, 399–408.)
Pass the iPad: collaborative creating and sharing in family groups

The increasingly cross-generational use of personal technology portrays families each absorbed in individual devices. Tablets potentially support multi-user working but are currently used as personal devices primarily for consumption, or individual or web-based games. Could tablets support creative co-located groupwork in families and how does such creative work differ from the same task on paper? We designed and evaluated an app requiring individual and group co-creation in families. 262 family groups visiting a science fair played the collaborative drawing game on paper and iPads. Group creations were rated significantly more original and cohesive on iPads than paper. Detailed video analysis of seven family groups showed how tablets support embodiment and use of digital traces, and how the different media sustain individual and shared actions at different stages in the creative process. We sketch out implications for ownership and 'scrap computers': going beyond personally-owned devices and developing collaborative apps to support groupwork with tablets.
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF EXTRAMEDULLARY PLASMACYTOMA AND ITS RELATION TO SOLITARY MYELOMA OF BONE AND MYELOMATOSIS

From this study I suggest that extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) shows several important differences from myelomatosis and solitary myeloma of bone (SMB) which can be summarized as follows: 1. A marked preference for the primary tumor to present in a particular site, namely the upper air passages. 2. A high incidence of metastatic spread to soft tissues. 3. Spread to bone occurs frequently but shows no preference for bones containing active hematopoietic tissue and widespread bone-marrow involvement occurs only occasionally. 4. Prolonged survival may be achieved with therapy for local disease. 5. Vigorous treatment for disseminated disease can be given and may result in longer remissions than those usually seen in myelomatosis. Healing of bone lesions has been observed on several occasions. It is concluded also that SMB constitutes a rather unusual presentation of myelomatosis but is essentially the same disease process.
Identification of drugs that restore primary cilium expression in cancer cells

The development of cancer is often accompanied by a loss of the primary cilium, a microtubule-based cellular protrusion that functions as a cellular antenna and that puts a break on cell proliferation. Hence, restoration of the primary cilium in cancer cells may represent a novel promising approach to attenuate tumor growth. Using a high content analysis-based approach we screened a library of clinically evaluated compounds and marketed drugs for their ability to restore primary cilium expression in pancreatic ductal cancer cells. A diverse set of 118 compounds stimulating cilium expression was identified. These included glucocorticoids, fibrates and other nuclear receptor modulators, neurotransmitter regulators, ion channel modulators, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, DNA gyrase/topoisomerase inhibitors, antibacterial compounds, protein inhibitors, microtubule modulators, and COX inhibitors. Certain compounds also dramatically affected the length of the cilium. For a selection of compounds (Clofibrate, Gefitinib, Sirolimus, Imexon and Dexamethasone) their ability to restore ciliogenesis was confirmed in a panel of human cancer cell line models representing different cancer types (pancreas, lung, kidney, breast). Most compounds attenuated cell proliferation, at least in part through induction of the primary cilium, as demonstrated by cilium removal using chloral hydrate. These findings reveal that several commonly used drugs restore ciliogenesis in cancer cells, and warrant further investigation of their antineoplastic properties.
Effect of Dietary Cocoa Tea (Camellia ptilophylla) Supplementation on High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity, Hepatic Steatosis, and Hyperlipidemia in Mice

Recent studies suggested that green tea has the potential to protect against diet-induced obesity. The presence of caffeine within green tea has caused limitations. Cocoa tea (Camellia ptilophylla) is a naturally decaffeinated tea plant. To determine whether cocoa tea supplementation results in an improvement in high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis, and whether such effects would be comparable to those of green tea extract, we studied six groups (n = 10) of C57BL/6 mice that were fed with (1) normal chow (N); (2) high-fat diet (21% butterfat + 0.15% cholesterol, wt/wt) (HF); (3) a high-fat diet supplemented with 2% green tea extract (HFLG); (4) a high-fat diet supplemented with 4% green tea extract (HFHG); (5) a high-fat diet supplemented with 2% cocoa tea extract (HFLC); and (6) a high-fat diet supplemented with 4% cocoa tea extract (HFHC). From the results, 2% and 4% dietary cocoa tea supplementation caused a dose-dependent decrease in (a) body weight, (b) fat pad mass, (c) liver weight, (d) total liver lipid, (e) liver triglyceride and cholesterol, and (f) plasma lipids (triglyceride and cholesterol). These data indicate that dietary cocoa tea, being naturally decaffeinated, has a beneficial effect on high-fat diet-induced obesity, hepatomegaly, hepatic steatosis, and elevated plasma lipid levels in mice, which are comparable to green tea. The present findings have provided the proof of concept that dietary cocoa tea might be of therapeutic value and could therefore provide a safer and cost effective option for patients with diet-induced metabolic syndrome.
Abstract modelling of switching elements for optical networks-on-chip with technology platform awareness

This paper reports the lessons learned in the abstraction process of the behaviour of switching elements for optical networks-on-chip, resulting in technology-annotated abstract models for the SystemC modelling and simulation environment. The paper points out the key physical effects that a designer should be aware of to properly assess effectiveness and feasibility of photonic switching fabrics. Moreover, the sources of inaccuracy are analysed when composing models of basic optical devices into higher order switching structures. Finally, a technique for modelling optical links into the SystemC framework is presented, by leveraging the pre-existing channel constructs. The findings of this paper capitalize on an extensive validation effort of abstract simulation models with FDTD simulations.
Development and validation of a comprehensive assessment questionnaire for Cantonese alaryngeal speakers' speech performance

The study devised and validated the perceptual assessment questionnaire for evaluating the speech performance of Cantonese alaryngeal speakers. Forty-eight male alaryngeal speakers participated in the study: 10 electrolaryngeal, 10 esophageal, 9 tracheoesophageal, 9 pneumatic artificial and 10 normal laryngeal speakers. Five speech therapists also participated in the perceptual rating procedures. Results indicated moderate to strong inter-rater reliability in all parameters that involve only auditory judgment except that of rating electrolarynx noise. Assessment parameters that require both auditory and visual judgment might require further modification. For tone perception, moderate to strong inter-rater reliability was also noted. High intra-rater reliability of the assessment questionnaire was also found. In addition, the parameters adopted were reported to have significant correlation with the acoustic correlates except that for pitch rating. The assessment questionnaire suggested appeared to be valid for evaluating auditory dependent speech characteristics of the four types of alaryngeal speech. 3 DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENTQUESTIONNAIRE FOR CANTONESE ALARYNGEAL SPEECH
A newly identified extrinsic input triggers a distinct gastric mill rhythm via activation of modulatory projection neurons

SUMMARY Neuronal network flexibility enables animals to respond appropriately to changes in their internal and external states. We are using the isolated crab stomatogastric nervous system to determine how extrinsic inputs contribute to network flexibility. The stomatogastric system includes the well-characterized gastric mill (chewing) and pyloric (filtering of chewed food) motor circuits in the stomatogastric ganglion. Projection neurons with somata in the commissural ganglia (CoGs) regulate these rhythms. Previous work characterized a unique gastric mill rhythm that occurred spontaneously in some preparations, but whose origin remained undetermined. This rhythm includes a distinct protractor phase activity pattern, during which a key gastric mill circuit neuron (LG neuron) and the projection neurons MCN1 and CPN2 fire in a pyloric rhythm-timed activity pattern instead of the tonic firing pattern exhibited by these neurons during previously studied gastric mill rhythms. Here we identify a new extrinsic input, the post-oesophageal commissure (POC) neurons, relatively brief stimulation (30 s) of which triggers a long-lasting (tens of minutes) activation of this novel gastric mill rhythm at least in part via its lasting activation of MCN1 and CPN2. Immunocytochemical and electrophysiological data suggest that the POC neurons excite MCN1 and CPN2 by release of the neuropeptide Cancer borealis tachykinin-related peptide Ia (CabTRP Ia). These data further suggest that the CoG arborization of the POC neurons comprises the previously identified anterior commissural organ (ACO), a CabTRP Ia-containing neurohemal organ. This endocrine organ thus appears to also have paracrine actions, including activation of a novel and lasting gastric mill rhythm.
Interaction of Canine Carotid Sinus and Aortic Arch Baroreflexes in the Control of Total Peripheral Resistance

Interaction of carotid sinus and aortic arch reflex control of total peripheral resistance was studied in eight dogs anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital and placed on constant flow cardiac bypass. Carotid sinus and aortic arch baroreceptor areas were isolated and separately perfused at controlled pressures. Combinations of carotid sinus and aortic arch pressures were delivered at random in steps of 25 mm Hg over the 50–225 mm Hg pressure range, and systemic arterial pressure was measured. Changes in arterial pressure reflected changes in total peripheral resistance. A multiple linear regression showed that both carotid sinus and aortic arch pressures exhibited a sigmoidal relationship with arterial pressure. Independent of carotid and aortic baroreceptor pressures, arterial pressure was found to be a periodic function of time (period = 2 hours) in all dogs. The average carotid sinus reflex open loop gain was found to be 0.231 ± 0.092, while average aortic arch open loop gain was 0.141 ± 0.088. The gain of either the carotid sinus or aortic arch reflex was not influenced by the absolute pressure level of the other receptor area. In a separate series of experiments performed in the same dogs, we tested the hypothesis that a nonlinear temporal summation of the reflex control of total peripheral resistance might exist when the inputs to carotid and aortic baroreceptors are changed simultaneously. With both inputs held at the region of maximum gain, 25 mm Hg step changes were imposed first on carotid sinus pressure, then on aortic arch pressure, and then on both simultaneously. A temporal inhibition of the two reflexes showed that simultaneous excitation of both receptors resulted in a smaller reflex response than the sum of individual responses.
On the Homology of GL n and Higher Pre-Bloch Groups

Abstract For every integer $n\,>\,1$ and infinite field $F$ we construct a spectral sequence converging to the homology of $\text{G}{{\text{L}}_{n}}\left( F \right)$ relative to the group of monomial matrices $\text{G}{{\text{M}}_{n}}\left( F \right)$ . Some entries in ${{E}^{2}}$ -terms of these spectral sequences may be interpreted as a natural generalization of the Bloch group to higher dimensions. These groups may be characterized as homology of $\text{G}{{\text{L}}_{n}}$ relatively to $\text{G}{{\text{L}}_{n-1}}$ and $\text{G}{{\text{M}}_{n}}$ . We apply the machinery developed to the investigation of stabilization maps in homology of General Linear Groups.
Novel Approach to Pavement Image Segmentation Based on Neighboring Difference Histogram Method

Conventional human visual pavement distress detection method is very costly, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and is often dangerous due to exposure to traffic. It possesses various drawbacks such as being unable to provide meaningful quantitative information and with a long periodic measurement. In this paper, a novel pavement image-thresholding algorithm based on neighboring difference histogram method (NDHM) is proposed. The main idea of the proposed method is based on the facts that: (1) the distressed pixels in pavement images are darker than their surroundings and continuous; (2) the thresholding value is strongly related with the image standard deviation. In this method an objective function for maximizing the divergence between the two classes is constructed. The paper compares the new method with the classical discriminant analysis method of Otsu and the entropic method of Kapur et al. The experimental results have demonstrated that the distresses are segmented from the background correctly and effectively.