Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tissue Distribution of a Coelomic- Epithelium‐Related Antigen Recognized by the Monoclonal Antibody OC125

OC125, a murine monoclonal antibody, recognizes an antigenic determinant (CA125) that is associated with >80% of epithelial ovarian neoplasms of serous, endometrioid, clear cell, and undifferentiated types. In the present report, a sensitive biotin-avidin immunoperoxidase technique was used to determine reactivity of OC125 with normal adult and fetal tissues, as well as with neoplasms of nonovarian origin. In fetal tissues, the antibody reacted with amnion and with derivatives of the coelomic epithelium, i.e., the mül-lerian epithelium and the lining cells of the peritoneum, pleura, and pericardium. Among adult tissues, OC125 reacted with the epithelium of fallopian tubes, endometrium, and endocervix. The CA125 determinant was also detected on mesothelial cells in the adult pleura, pericardium, and peritoneum, particularly in areas of inflammation and adhesion. Curiously, the surface ep-ithelium of normal fetal and adult ovaries, thought to be derived from coelomic epithelium, did not express the determinant, except in inclusion cysts, areas of metaplasia, and papillary excrescences. Of neoplastic tissues of nonovarian origin, OC125 reacted consistently only with adenocarcinomas of the endocervix, endometrium, and fallopian tube, and with mesotheliomas. Only seven of 64 nongynecological tumors tested reacted with OC125. Thus, OC125 detects a differentiation antigen shared by fetal coelomic epithelium and its derivatives in the fetus and the adult. Apparently, this antigen disappears early in the course of formation of the ovarian epithelium and is reexpressed in certain reactive and neoplastic lesions, a process that could be termed “molecular metaplasia. ”
Comparison of six methods for the detection of antibody to cytomegalovirus

Five commercial assays were compared to a standardized complement fixation (CF) test for the detection of antibody to cytomegalovirus. Two hundred and thirty serum specimens were analyzed. In addition, nine pairs of acute- and convalescent-phase sera were tested by two of the commercial assays. The assays were compared as to sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value, as well as incidence of false-positive and -negative results. Samples which did not agree in all the assays were retested and tested with an indirect fluorescent-antibody assay. Of 228 specimens, 103 (45.2%) were positive by CF. Of the 230 samples, 2 (0.9%) were inconclusive by CF and readable in the other assays. Of the 230 specimens, 97 (42.2%) were positive by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA; Litton Bionetics), 100 (43.5%) were positive by a second EIA (Abbott Laboratories), 104 (45.2%) were positive by a third EIA (M. A. Bioproducts). One hundred and eight (47.0%) were positive by indirect hemagglutination (IHA; Cetus Corporation), and 110 (47.8%) were positive by latex agglutination (LA; Hynson, Westcott and Dunning). Sensitivity and specificity were similar with all the assays (93 to 100%). The greater numbers of positive results by IHA and LA were confirmed by repeat CF testing at less than 1:8 dilution, and by indirect fluorescent-antibody assay. Acute- and convalescent-phase serum pairs showed a significant rise in antibody titer when tested by anticomplement immunofluorescence, IHA, and LA. There was good agreement among the assays, with LA having the highest sensitivity.
Effective omnistereo panorama video generation by deformable spheres

We presents an alternative and effective method for omnistereo panorama video generation by using deformable spheres. Deformable spheres use vertex based spherical mesh to represent the depth of a scene. Meanwhile, the spherical mesh was substituted for the original 3D points cloud mesh in the rendering step. In our experiments, this approach reduces the time of omnistereo panorama generation and the result is smooth in both spatial and temporal domain.
Bootstrap Confidence Intervals for the Estimation of Average Treatment Effect on Propensity Score

Causal inferences on the average treatment effect in observational studies are always difficult problems because the distributions of samples in the two treatment groups can not be observed at the same time, and the estimation of the treatment effect is often biased.In this paper, the propensity score and the propensity score subclassification, selected from several methods, are used to assess the treatment effect.The estimation of the average treatment effect give the Bootstrap confidence intervals. Simulation studies are inducted for the continuous samples in normal distribution and the mixed samples of discrete and continuous type.
Chromosomal size variation in Trypanosoma cruzi is mainly progressive and is evolutionarily informative

The evolutionary significance of chromosome size polymorphism was explored in a representative panel of 26 Trypanosoma cruzi stocks. We tested a progressive model (aCSDI) assuming that the larger the size difference between homologous chromosomes, the more divergent the parasites are. This was contrasted with a non-progressive model (Jaccard's distance), in which any chromosome size difference has the same weight. ACSDI-based dendrograms were very similar to those built-up from multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data: structuring in 2 major lineages (T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II) and 5 small subdivisions within T. cruzi II was identical, and branching was very similar. Furthermore, a significant correlation (P<0·001) was observed between aCSDI and phenetic distances calculated from MLEE and RAPD data. In contrast, analysis of chromosome size polymorphism with Jaccard's distance generated dendrograms with relatively long branches, causing most branching points to cluster close together, which generates statistically uncertain branching points. Our results thus support a model of progressive chromosome size-variation and show that despite an extensive polymorphism, chromosomal sizes constitute valuable characters for evolutionary analyses. Furthermore, our data are consistent with the clonal evolution model previously proposed for T. cruzi.
Intensity of Competition and Adoption of Product Innovations: Comparing Incentives for Innovations and Welfare under Cournot and Bertrand Competition

We examine the possible superiority of Cournot versus Bertrand competition in the context of product innovations. We show a nonmonotone relation between the intensity of competition and incentives for innovations, and find conditions under which both consumer surplus and social welfare are higher under Cournot competition, whereas industry profits may be lower. Regarding the forces behind the result that social welfare is higher under Cournot competition, we also present new insights.
Estimation of Organic Carbon Blank Values and Error Structures of the Speciation Trends Network Data for Source Apportionment

Abstract Because the particulate organic carbon (OC) concentrations reported in U.S. Environment Protection Agency Speciation Trends Network (STN) data were not blank corrected, the OC blank concentrations were estimated using the intercept in particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) regression against OC concentrations. The estimated OC blank concentrations ranged from 1 to 2.4 μg/m3 showing higher values in urban areas for the 13 monitoring sites in the northeastern United States. In the STN data, several different samplers and analyzers are used, and various instruments show different method detection limit (MDL) values, as well as errors. A comprehensive set of error structures that would be used for numerous source apportionment studies of STN data was estimated by comparing a limited set of measured concentrations and their associated uncertainties. To examine the estimated error structures and investigate the appropriate MDL values, PM2.5 samples collected at a STN site in Burlington, VT, were analyzed through the application of the positive matrix factorization. A total of 323 samples that were collected between December 2000 and December 2003 and 49 species based on several variable selection criteria were used, and eight sources were successfully identiﬁed in this study with the estimated error structures and min values among different MDL values from the ﬁve instruments: secondary sulfate aerosol (41%), secondary nitrate aerosol (20%), airborne soil (15%), gasoline vehicle emissions (7%), diesel emissions (7%), aged sea salt (4%), copper smelting (3%), and ferrous smelting (2%). Time series plots of contributions from airborne soil indicate that the highly elevated impacts from this source were likely caused primarily by dust storms.
Analysis and implementation of resource efficient probabilistic Gallager B LDPC decoder

Low-Density-Parity-Check (LDPC) codes have gained popularity in communication systems and standards due to their capacity-approaching error-correction performance. In this paper, we first expose the tradeoff between decoding performance and hardware performance across three LDPC hard-decision decoding algorithms: Gallager B (GaB), Gradient Descent Bit Flipping (GDBF), and Probabilistic Gradient Descent Bit Flipping (PGDBF). We show that GaB architecture delivers the best throughput while using fewest Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) resources, however performs the worst in terms of decoding performance. We then modify the GaB architecture, introduce a new Probabilistic stimulation function (PGaB), and achieve dramatic decoding performance improvement over the GaB, exceeding the performance of GDBF, without sacrificing its superior maximum operating frequency.
Ionic liquids as hypergolic fuels.

In propellant systems, fuels of choice continue to be hydrazine and its derivatives, even though they comprise a class of acutely carcinogenic and toxic substances which exhibit rather high vapor pressures and require expensive handling procedures and costly safety precautions. Only recently (2008), ionic liquids (salts with melting points less than 100 °C) with the dicyanamide anion were shown to exhibit hypergolic properties (instantaneous ignition when contacted with oxidizers (100 % nitric acid, WFNA)). Such liquids tend to have low volatilities, and high thermal and chemical stabilities, and often exhibit long liquid ranges which could allow utilization of these substances as bipropellant fuels over a variety of conditions. A new family of dicyanoborates is presented, which can be synthesized in water, with substituted N-acyclic, N-cyclic, and azolium cations has met nearly all of the desired important criteria needed for well-performing fuels.
Pearls, Perils, and Pitfalls in the Use of the Electroencephalogram

Despite advances in neuroimaging techniques over the past three decades that have helped in identifying structural lesions of the central nervous system, electroencephalography (EEG) continues to provide valuable insight into brain function by demonstrating focal or diffuse background abnormalities and epileptiform abnormalities. It is an extremely valuable test in patients suspected of epilepsy and in patients with altered mental status and coma. Patterns in the EEG make it possible to clarify the seizure type; it is indispensable for the diagnosis of nonconvulsive status epilepticus and for separating epileptic from other paroxysmal (nonepileptic) episodes. There are EEG patterns predictive of the cause of the encephalopathy (i.e., triphasic waves in metabolic encephalopathy) or the location of the lesion (i.e., focal polymorphic delta activity in lesions of the subcortical white matter). The various EEG characteristics of infantile, childhood, and adult epilepsies are described as well as the EEG patterns that are morphologically similar to interictal/ictal epileptiform discharges but unrelated to epilepsy. An EEG is most helpful in determining the severity and, hence, the prognosis of cerebral dysfunction. Lastly, EEG is extremely helpful in assessing normal or abnormal brain functioning in a newborn because of the serious limitation in performing an adequate neurologic examination on the neonate who is intubated or paralyzed for ventilatory control. Under such circumstances, the EEG may be the only available tool to detect an encephalopathic process or the occurrence of epileptic seizures.
Parental participation fees in school expenses in Israel

Purpose – Many countries throughout the world provide all children with free education. However, sometimes there are user charges in publically funded schools worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to explore parental participation fees in school expenses in Israel, depicting the current situation and analyzing its implications. Design/methodology/approach – Public documents from Israel were explored, such as guidelines of the CEO of the Ministry of education, laws, court rulings, publications of the Central Bureau of Statistics, reports of State Comptroller and reports of various committees. Document analysis was a three-stage process – condensing, coding and categorizing. The analysis was based on interpretation of the documents collected, attempting to detect explicit and implicit meanings concerning the topic at hand. Findings – Findings show that the Israeli policy in regard to parental payments has three main characteristics: first, high basic payments; second, payments for learning activities; and.
Role of leptin and central nervous system melanocortins in obesity hypertension

Purpose of review Obesity is a major worldwide health problem. Excess weight gain is the most significant preventable cause of increased blood pressure (BP) in patients with essential hypertension and increases the risk for cardiovascular and renal diseases. Our goal is to review the mechanisms that link obesity with hypertension, with special emphasis on the role of leptin and the brain melanocortin system in driving sympathetic activation in obesity. Recent findings Despite increased interest in obesity as a major risk for developing hypertension, the precise mechanisms linking excess weight gain with increases in BP are still elusive. Current evidence suggests that increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity contributes to impaired renal-pressure natriuresis and sodium retention in obesity. Recent findings indicate that the adipocyte-derived hormone, leptin, activates brain centers that regulate SNS activity through a melanocortin-system-dependent pathway. The interaction of leptin and the brain melanocortin system represents an important area of research to further our understanding of the mechanisms leading to sympathetic activation in obesity. Summary Sympathetic overactivity is an important link between excess weight gain and increased BP. Hormones and cytokines secreted by the adipose tissue that interact with neural pathways (e.g. melanocortin system) appear to play a key role in contributing to sympathetic activation in obesity and represent potential new targets for therapies.
Tripod Index

Background: No single radiographic measurement takes into account complete foot alignment. We have created the Tripod Index (TI) to allow assessment of complex foot deformities using a standing anteroposterior (AP) radiograph of the foot. We hypothesized that TI would demonstrate good intraobserver and interobserver reliability and correlate with currently accepted radiographic parameters, in both flatfoot and cavovarus foot deformities. Methods: Three groups of patients were studied: 26 patients (30 feet) with flatfoot, 29 patients (30 feet) with cavovarus foot, and 51 patients (60 feet) without foot deformity as controls. Weight-bearing radiographs were obtained: foot AP with a hemispherical marker around the heel plus standard lateral and hindfoot alignment views. Radiographic measurements were made by 2 blinded investigators. Statistical analysis included intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), correlation of the TI with existing radiographic measurements using Pearson coefficients, and comparison between patient groups using analysis of variance. Results: Intraobserver and interobserver ICCs of TI (0.99 and 0.98, respectively) were excellent. In the flatfoot group, TI significantly correlated with AP talonavicular coverage angle (r = 0.43), medial cuneiform–fifth metatarsal height (r = -0.59), coronal plane hindfoot alignment (r = 0.53), and clinical hindfoot alignment (r = 0.39). In the cavovarus foot group, TI correlated significantly with AP talonavicular coverage angle (r = 0.77), calcaneal pitch angle (r = 0.39), medial cuneiform–fifth metatarsal height (r = -0.65), coronal plane hindfoot alignment (r = 0.55), and clinical hindfoot alignment (r = 0.61). Statistically significant differences between flatfoot-control and cavovarus foot–control were found in TI, AP talonavicular coverage angle, lateral talo–first metatarsal angle, calcaneal pitch angle, medial cuneiform–fifth metatarsal height, coronal plane hindfoot alignment, and clinical assessment of hindfoot alignment (all with P < .001). Conclusion: The TI was demonstrated to be a valid and reliable radiographic measurement to quantify the magnitude of complex foot deformities when evaluating flatfoot and cavovarus foot. Clinical Relevance: The TI may be helpful as an integrated assessment of complex foot deformities. Further clinical studies are recommended. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.
EAACI position statement on asthma exacerbations and severe asthma

Asthma exacerbations and severe asthma are linked with high morbidity, significant mortality and high treatment costs. Recurrent asthma exacerbations cause a decline in lung function and, in childhood, are linked to development of persistent asthma. This position paper, from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, highlights the shortcomings of current treatment guidelines for patients suffering from frequent asthma exacerbations and those with difficult‐to‐treat asthma and severe treatment‐resistant asthma. It reviews current evidence that supports a call for increased awareness of (i) the seriousness of asthma exacerbations and (ii) the need for novel treatment strategies in specific forms of severe treatment‐resistant asthma. There is strong evidence linking asthma exacerbations with viral airway infection and underlying deficiencies in innate immunity and evidence of a synergism between viral infection and allergic mechanisms in increasing risk of exacerbations. Nonadherence to prescribed medication has been identified as a common clinical problem amongst adults and children with difficult‐to‐control asthma. Appropriate diagnosis, assessment of adherence and other potentially modifiable factors (such as passive or active smoking, ongoing allergen exposure, psychosocial factors) have to be a priority in clinical assessment of all patients with difficult‐to‐control asthma. Further studies with improved designs and new diagnostic tools are needed to properly characterize (i) the pathophysiology and risk of asthma exacerbations, and (ii) the clinical and pathophysiological heterogeneity of severe asthma.
The prevalence and adverse associations of stigmatization in people with eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE To date, studies of stigma relating to eating disorders have been largely confined to surveys of the public. We sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of stigma as reported by individuals with eating disorders. METHOD An online survey designed to assess frequency of exposure to potentially stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs as well as the perceived impact of this on health and well-being was completed by a cross-national sample of 317 individuals with anorexia nervosa (n = 165), bulimia nervosa (n = 66), or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS; n = 86). RESULTS Participants rated two beliefs as both particularly common and particularly damaging, namely "I should be able to just pull myself together" and "I am personally responsible for my condition". Participants with bulimia nervosa more commonly experienced the belief that they had "no self-control" and male participants more commonly experienced the belief that they were "less of a man". More frequent stigmatization was associated with higher levels of eating disorder psychopathology, a longer duration of disorder, lower self-esteem, and more self-stigma of seeking psychological help. DISCUSSION Stigma towards individuals with eating disorders, as experienced by sufferers, is common and associated with numerous adverse outcomes. The perceptions that eating disorders are trivial and self-inflicted should be a focus of destigmatization interventions. Efforts to reduce stigma towards individuals with bulimia nervosa may need to focus on perceptions of self-control, whereas efforts to reduce stigma towards males with eating disorders may need to focus on perceptions of masculinity/manhood.
Novel point mutation within intron 10 of FMR‐1 gene causing fragile X syndrome

The majority of cases involving fragile X syndrome are due to expansion of a (CGG)n trinucleotide repeat at the 5′ untranslated region of the FMR‐1 gene. Deletion and intragenic loss of function mutations of the FMR‐1 gene also have been reported. Here, we report a C to T point mutation at the 14th nucleotide in intron 10 of the FMR‐1 gene in three unrelated fragile X patients. However, the (CGG)n repeat of FMR‐1 in those patients does not expand. To determine the effect of this mutation on the patients' FMR‐1 transcripts, total RNA from peripheral blood cells was reverse transcribed and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Direct and subcloned sequencing of the RT‐PCR products revealed that the transcripts from the allele with C to T mutation skip exon 10 entirely, resulting in a joining of exons 9 and 11. Deletion of exon 10 results in frame‐shift and premature termination of translation, which removes the highly conserved region that encoding the KH2 and RGG box domains of FMRP. Interestingly, a male of the three patients has another G to A substitution in exon 15. However, the intron 10 mutation is sufficient for development of fragile X syndrome. Hum Mutat 10:393–399, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Statistical Procedures and the Justification of Knowledge in Psychological Science

Justification, in the vernacular language of philosophy of science, refers to the evaluation, defense, and confirmation of claims of truth. In this article, we examine some aspects of the rhetoric of justification, which in part draws on statistical data analysis to shore up facts and inductive inferences. There are a number of problems of methodological spirit and substance that in the past have been resistant to attempts to correct them. The major problems are discussed, and readers are reminded of ways to clear away these obstacles to justification.
The tyrosine kinase network regulating mast cell activation

Summary: Mast cell mediator release represents a pivotal event in the initiation of inflammatory reactions associated with allergic disorders. These responses follow antigen‐mediated aggregation of immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐occupied high‐affinity receptors for IgE (FcεRI) on the mast cell surface, a response which can be further enhanced following stem cell factor‐induced ligation of the mast cell growth factor receptor KIT (CD117). Activation of tyrosine kinases is central to the ability of both FcεRI and KIT to transmit downstream signaling events required for the regulation of mast cell activation. Whereas KIT possesses inherent tyrosine kinase activity, FcεRI requires the recruitment of Src family tyrosine kinases and Syk to control the early receptor‐proximal signaling events. The signaling pathways propagated by these tyrosine kinases can be further upregulated by the Tec kinase Bruton’s tyrosine kinase and downregulated by the actions of the tyrosine Src homology 2 domain‐containing phosphatase 1 (SHP‐1) and SHP‐2. In this review, we discuss the regulation and role of specific members of this tyrosine kinase network in KIT and FcεRI‐mediated mast cell activation.