Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When to use belimumab in SLE

Belimumab is a monoclonal IgGʎ antibody targeting soluble B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and aimed at lowering available BLyS levels for autoreactive B cells selection and survival. Belimumab was approved in recent years for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treatment and notably it was the only approved drug in the last 60 years, since the time corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were released for SLE. Hence, treatment of lupus until 2011 was only based on corticosteroid and antimalarial use together with traditional immunosuppressants, to whom off-label use of a restricted panel of biologics was added, mainly rituximab. Accordingly, management of such an heterogeneous disease did not benefit from optimized treatment schedules and this may be a reason for the prognosis of SLE patients having remained poor in the long term, with a 4.6fold-increased mortality compared to matched population [1]. Indeed, satisfactory disease control with prolonged remission is still scarcely achieved among different lupus cohorts, and risk of organ deterioration in SLE patients has reached a plateau in the last 10 years, suggesting a balance between therapy-related benefits and harm has been accomplished. Approval of belimumab raised great expectations for SLE despite the size effect in the successful phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCT) being not that great. However, beside the measurable effect obtained in those studies, we should now point out whether belimumab is able to really ameliorate patients’ prognosis. As the follow-up is still short since its approval, we may focus on major predictors of damage in SLE and analyze whether belimumab is able to dampen those predictors.
Transparency, Flexibility, and Inflation Targeting

Inflation targeting central banks have been at the forefront of the movement for greater transparency. In this paper, I explore two dimensions of transparency that are typically ignored in this literature — the quality of the information the central bank provides and how widely it publicizes its information. I show how the quality of the central bank’s forecasts and how widely these forecasts are disseminated can affect the central bank’s policy goals.
Inter-app Communication in Android: Developer Challenges

The Android platform is designed to support mutually un-trusted third-party apps, which run as isolated processes but may interact via platform-controlled mechanisms, called Intents. Interactions among third-party apps are intended and can contribute to a rich user experience, for example, the ability to share pictures from one app with another. The Android platform presents an interesting point in a design space of module systems that is biased toward isolation, extensibility, and untrusted contributions. The Intent mech- anism essentially provides message channels among modules, in which the set of message types is extensible. However, the module system has design limitations including the lack of consistent mechanisms to document message types, very limited checking that a message conforms to its specifica- tions, the inability to explicitly declare dependencies on other modules, and the lack of checks for backward compatibility as message types evolve over time. In order to understand the degree to which these design limitations result in real issues, we studied a broad corpus of apps and cross-validated our results against app documentation and Android support forums. Our findings suggest that design limitations do in- deed cause development problems. Based on our results, we outline further research questions and propose possible mitigation strategies.
Machine learning in ScalOps , a higher order cloud computing language

Machine learning practitioners are increasingly interested in applying their algorithms to Big Data. Unfortunately, current high-level languages for data analytics in the cloud (e.g., [2, 15, 16, 5]) do not fully cover this domain. One key missing ingredient is means to express iteration over the data (e.g., [19]). Zaharia et al., were the first to answer this call from a systems perspective with Spark [20]. Spark is built on a data abstraction called resilient distributed datasets (RDDs) that reference immutable data collections. The Spark domain-specific language (DSL) defines standard relational algebra transformations—selection, join, group by, etc.—and mechanisms to cache RDDs in memory. The Spark runtime is optimized for in-memory computation and has published speedups of 30× over Hadoop MapReduce for many machine learning and graph algorithms, which is in line with the gains found using MPI or even special case implementations (e.g. [18]).
Dances with Chinese Data: Are the Reform Period Chinese Provincial Panel Data Reliable?

There is a debate over the reliability of the Chinese data (e.g., Young, 2003; Holz, 2003, 2006). In this paper we test the Chinese provincial panel data for the period 1978-2002 against the predictions from the technology diffusion model. We find that the estimated coefficient on initial real GDP per worker is negative and significant, showing strong evidence of conditional convergence; the estimated coefficients on secondary school human capital investment rate and labor force growth are positive and negative respectively, significant at the 5% level, in both LSDV (Least squares dummy variables) estimation and system GMM (Generalized method of moments) estimation that overcomes the endogeneity of these variables. The test accepts that the estimate coefficients on physical capital and human capital investment rates are equal, with absolute magnitudes about half of that on labor force growth in LSDV estimation. The estimated coefficient on the FDI to GDP ratio that captures technology diffusion is insignificant in LSDV estimation but becomes significant in system GMM estimation. All these are consistent with the technology diffusion model (and the augmented Solow model). Therefore, the reform period Chinese provincial panel data may be reliable for growth regressions.
Mental toughness and athletes' use of psychological strategies

Abstract In this study, we assessed the relationship between mental toughness and athletes' use of psychological performance strategies. Sixty-seven male (mean age 22.6 years, s=5.0) and 40 female (mean age 21.1 years, s=2.8) athletes, who competed at club/university to national standard in a variety of sports, participated in the study. Participants completed the MTQ48 (Clough et al., 2002) to measure mental toughness, and the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas et al., 1999) to measure the use of psychological strategies in practice and competition. Results of Pearson correlations and linear regression analyses revealed that self-talk, emotional control, and relaxation strategies were significantly and positively (r=0.26 to 0.37, P<0.01) related to mental toughness in both practice and competition. Of the MTQ48 subscales, commitment was found to load most frequently against performance strategies and thus it is possible that the results of this study reflect highly committed performers seeking performance enhancement strategies. Consistent with theoretical predictions, athletes of county standard and above reported significantly higher mental toughness than club/university athletes (t 105=−2.25, P=0.03).
Minority Dynamics in Faultline Groups: A Longitudinal Study

Being a minority group member often means less power and status as well as strong conformity pressure. At the same time, minority influence can be particularly important to a group’s processes and performance. We used the minority influence and faultline literatures as theoretical lenses for an investigation of the dynamics of minority influence for individuals and groups over a two-week period, predicting that minority members would experience more task conflict and less satisfaction in groups with strong faultlines, particularly for faultline-related tasks early in a group’s development. The results from 55 teams supported our hypotheses and helped identify when and how minority subgroups provide positive contributions.
The Factorial Structure of Four Temperament Styles and Measurement Invariance Across Gender and Age Groups

The Polish Temperament Styles Questionnaire (PTSQ), derived from Student Style Questionnaire (SSQ) was developed to measure four bipolar temperament styles: extroverted versus introverted, practical versus imaginative, thinking versus feeling, and organized versus flexible. The study focuses on factorial validity and measurement invariance (configural, metric, and scalar) across gender and age groups using data from 1,022 students ages 8 to19. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supports the four factor model, and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) supports measurement invariance for both age and gender groups.
Revision Total Ankle Replacement

Overview Introduction The technique for revision total ankle replacement described in this article addresses the subsidence and loosening that occur when an Agility total ankle replacement fails. Step 1: Indications and Contraindications The main indications for revision total ankle arthroplasty include loosening and subsidence of the talar component, with no limit to the extent of subsidence or loss of talar bone stock as neither precludes use of a revision system, particularly when a flat cut on the talus can be made. Step 2: Anterior Incision and Joint Exposure Make the incision employing the prior anterior midline incision, create full-thickness flaps of tissue to diminish the risk of wound dehiscence, and completely expose and debride the joint as this is critical to revising the total ankle replacement correctly. Step 3: Remove the Talar Component and Polyethylene Remove the talar component, which is rarely difficult as it is usually loose. Step 4: Remove the Tibial Component When removing the tibial component, it is critical to preserve as much of the anterior tibial cortex as possible to provide support for the revision tibial component. Step 5: Make the Tibial Bone Cut Tibial cuts can be made proximal or distal to tibial osseous defects. Step 6: Make the Talar Bone Cut It is preferable to use a cutting block for the talus that attaches to the tibial guide. Step 7: Managing Loosening and Cavitary Defects If there is substantial bone loss around the tibia after component removal, consider impaction bone-grafting, as better bone quality makes it is easier to obtain a press fit and allow immediate weight-bearing. Step 8: Place Trial Components Size the tibia and talus and subsequently insert the tibial and talar trials and polyethylene simultaneously. Step 9: Cementing Technique In revision settings, manual cement insertion is important because there is no medullary canal to work around. Results We previously reported the outcomes of revision of failed Agility total ankle replacements (DePuy, Warsaw, Indiana) in forty-one patients. Pitfalls & Challenges
A subspace approach to adaptive narrow-band interference suppression in DSSS

We address the problem of suppression of a digital narrow-band interferer in direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) communications. We focus on the adaptive suppression method proposed by Honig, Madhow and Verdti (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.41, p.944-960, 1995) for wide-band interference, applying it to a narrow-band interferer. We identify the eigenspaces of the system dynamics to analyze the convergence of the adaptive version of the minimum mean square error (MMSE) algorithm for this application. Using this subspace approach we are able to: (1) significantly decrease the convergence times via a new constraint on the step size in adaptation; (2) introduce a simple parameterization of the mean output energy (MOE) and signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) to compare performance of various receivers; and (3) identify modes of operation where the algorithm will cease to effectively cancel interference. We propose a new adaptive receiver that avoids the convergence anomalies identified, while capitalizing on the new step size for faster convergence. Simulation results to support theoretical results are presented.
On the modeling of voice sources regulated by dual leaky buckets

Traffic engineering and admission control schemes for QoS support over the Internet share the hypothesis that offered traffic must be policed. Recently, measurement-based techniques have been proposed as effective QoS-guarantee mechanisms. For them, a key element is a thorough understanding of the characteristics of regulated traffic. In this paper, we present an analysis of the traffic output process for a leaky-bucket-regulated voice source with silence suppression, which would be a prime candidate for VoIP service. Specifically, we present a procedure for calculating the mean and the variance of the amount of regulated traffic as a function of the measurement period. We evaluate the quality of our results via simulation.
Vector field path following for small unmanned air vehicles

This paper presents a new method for unmanned aerial vehicle path following using vector fields to represent desired ground track headings to direct the vehicle onto the desired path. The key feature of this approach is that ground track heading error and lateral following error approach zero asymptotically even in the presence of constant wind disturbances. Methods for following straight-line and circular-orbit paths, as well as combinations of straight lines and arcs, are presented. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of this path following approach for small air vehicles flying in high-wind conditions
Adolescents and Young Adults' Understanding of Others' Moral Decisions

Author(s): Martin, Justin Frank | Advisor(s): Turiel, Elliot | Abstract: This study examined adolescents’ and young adults’ understanding of others’ moral decisions in situations involving competing concerns. The study combines the work of theory-of-mind and social domain theory as it pertains to how people develop a social and moral understanding of others, respectively. The participants (N = 102), approximately equally divided by sex and from two age groups (adolescents and young adults), were posed questions about decisions made in hypothetical situations involving conflicts between a moral concern and a nonmoral concern. For each situation, half of the participants responded to the decision consistent with the moral concern and the other half responded to the decision consistent with the nonmoral concern. Participants were asked to attribute intentions to the actor, evaluate the decision, and provide justifications for their evaluations. Findings showed that participants generally endorsed the decisions consistent with the moral concern for two of the three situations. In addition, partial support was found for the hypotheses that their understanding of each situation would include multiple considerations and be related to the actor’s decision. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of construals in understanding and evaluating moral decisions in multifaceted situations, as well as implications for future research.
Symbolizing crime control

The term Zero Tolerance has become a familiar feature of the crime control landscape. In recent times it has been deployed regularly by politicians, police managers, policy-makers and the media. Though it has been used in connection with a number of different policy initiatives, Zero Tolerance is most closely associated with policing and, in particular, with a set of policing strategies adopted by the New York Police Department in the 1990s. This article explores the origins of this most potent of crime control symbols, and examines how it has subsequently been developed, deployed and disseminated. It concludes with an examination of how and why policy actors deploy symbolically powerful terms in the context of contemporary crime politics in the USA and UK.
Collectivism, Interpersonal Affect and Guanxi Chinese Host Country Nationals' Willingness to Support Expatriates : The Role of

The willingness of host country nationals (HCNs) to provide support to the expatriate has received a lot of attention in the literature on international assignments. Surprisingly, though, the number of empirical studies examining this relationship is extremely limited. This study examines the role of HCNs’ collectivistic orientation, interpersonal affect, and guanxi in relation to their willingness to support expatriates. Using data from 212 HCNs in China, it is found that HCNs’ perceived relationship quality with the expatriate has a significant impact on their willingness to provide assistance, both role information and social support, to expatriates. Further, it is found that relationship quality is related to perceived cultural similarity. The results reinforce the importance of paying attention to the perceptions and reactions of HCNs towards expatriates. Implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions are offered for future research. key words • expatriates • host country nationals • role information • social categorization • social support CCM International Journal of Cross Cultural Management In recent years, multinational corporations (MNCs) have significantly increased their operations in Asian countries, specifically in China. Indeed, the increasing interest of MNCs, especially those from the USA and European nations, in setting up shop in Arup Varma School of Business Administration, Loyola University Chicago, USA
TNF-alpha receptor 1 (p55) on islets is necessary for the expression of LIGHT on diabetogenic T cells.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus results from T-cell-mediated destruction of pancreatic islet beta cells. Both CD4 and CD8 T cells have been shown to be independently capable of beta cell destruction. However, the mechanism of beta cell destruction has remained elusive. It has previously been shown that the absence of TNF-alpha receptor 1 (p55) on the islets protected islets from CD4 T-cell-mediated destruction as long as the T cells did not have access to wild-type islets in vivo. Wild-type and TNF-alpha receptor 1 (p55) deficient islets induce similar levels of proliferation of BDC2.5 T cells. In this study, we demonstrate that islet TNF-alpha receptor 1 (p55) influences the expression of LIGHT (TNFSF-14), a TNF family member with both cytolytic and costimulatory properties, on BDC2.5 T cells and the expression of its receptor HVEM (TNFRSF-14) by islets, indicating a role for LIGHT-HVEM interactions in autoimmune diabetes.
Different G protein‐coupled signaling pathways are involved in α granule release from human platelets

Summary. Alpha granule release plays an important role in propagating a hemostatic response upon platelet activation. We evaluated the ability of various agonists to cause α granule release in platelets. Alpha granule release was measured by determining P‐selectin surface expression in aspirin‐treated washed platelets. ADP‐induced P‐selectin expression was inhibited both by MRS 2179 (a P2Y1 selective antagonist) and AR‐C69931MX (a P2Y12 selective antagonist), suggesting a role for both Gαq and Gαi pathways in ADP‐mediated α granule release. Consistent with these observations, the combination of serotonin (a Gαq pathway stimulator) and epinephrine (a Gαz pathway stimulator) also caused α granule release. Furthermore, U46619‐induced P‐selectin expression was unaffected by MRS 2179 but was dramatically inhibited by AR‐C69931, indicating a dominant role for P2Y12 in U46619‐mediated α granule release. Additionally, the Gα12/13‐stimulating peptide YFLLRNP potentiated α granule secretion in combination with either ADP or serotonin/epinephrine costimulation but was unable to induce secretion by itself. Finally, costimulation of the Gαi and Gα12/13 pathways resulted in a significant dose‐dependent increase in α granule release. We conclude that ADP‐induced α granule release in aspirin‐treated platelets occurs through costimulation of Gαq and Gαi signaling pathways. The P2Y12 receptor plays an important role in thromboxane A2‐mediated α granule release, and furthermore activation of Gα12/13 and Gαq signaling pathway can cause α granule release.
The influence of dietary fatty acid composition on N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mammary tumour incidence in the rat and on the composition of inositol-and ethanolamine-phospholipids of normal and tumour mammary tissue

This study has investigated the influence of dietary fatty acid composition on mammary tumour incidence in N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-treated rats and has compared the susceptibility to dietary fatty acid modification of the membrane phospholipids phosphatidyliuositol (PI) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) from normal and tumour tissue of rat mammary gland. The incidence of mammary tumours was significantly lower in fish oil(29%), compared with olive oil(75%; P < 0.04) but not maize oil(63%; P < 0.1) fed animals. No differences in PI fatty acid composition were found in normal or tumour tissue between rats fed on maize oil, olive oil or fish oil in diets from weaning. When normal and tumour tissue PI fatty acids were compared, significantly higher amounts of stearic acid (18:O) were found in tumour than normal tissue in rats given olive oil (P < 0.05). A similar trend was found in animals fed on maize oil, although differences between normal and tumour tissue did not reach a level of statistical significance (P < 0.1). In mammary PE, maize oil-fed control animals had significantly higher levels of linoleic acid (18:2n-6) than either olive oilor fish oil-fed animals (P < 0.05, both cases) and levels of arachidonic acid were also higher in maize oilcompared with fish oil-fed animals (P < 0.05). In tumourbearing animals no differences in P E fatty acid composition were found between the three dietary groups. When normal and tumour tissue PE fatty acids were compared, significantly lower amounts of liuoleic acid (18:2n-6; P < 0.01) and significantly greater amounts of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6; P < 0.05) were found in tumour than normal tissue of rats fed on maize oil. The present study shows that the fatty acid composition of PI from both normal and tumour tissue of the mammary gland is resistant to dietary fatty acid modification. The P E fraction is more susceptible to dietary modification and in this fraction there is evidence of increased conversion of linoleic acid to arachidonic acid in tumour compared with normal tissue. Lower tumour incidence rates in rats given fish oils may in part be due to alteration in prostanoid metabolism secondary to displacement of arachidonic acid by eicosapentaenoic acid, but P E rather than PI would appear to be the most likely locus for diet-induced alteration in prostanoid synthesis in this tissue. Effects of dietary fatty acids other than on the balance of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids, and on prostanoid metabolism, should also be considered. The significance of increased stearic acid content of PI in tumours of olive oil-fed animals and the possible influence of dietary fatty acids on the capacity for stearic acid accumulation requires further study.