Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on the Mechanism of the GABA-Mediated Inhibition of Prolactin Secretion 1

Summary GABA has a direct inhibiting effect on prolactin release by the pituitary in vitro and this effect is not blocked by coin-cubation with the specific GABA-receptor antagonist picrotoxin. GABA appears to be at least 100-fold less potent than dopamine as an inhibitor of prolactin secretion. Systemic administration of GABA did not affect basal serum prolactin levels, but inhibited the 5-hydroxytryptophan-induced secretion of prolactin. It is concluded that the direct effect of GABA on prolactin secretion by the pituitary is not mediated by well-defined neurotransmitter mechanisms.
A controlled trial of two acellular vaccines and one whole-cell vaccine against pertussis. Progetto Pertosse Working Group.

BACKGROUND Concern about both safety and efficacy has made the use of whole-cell pertussis vaccines controversial. In some European countries, including Italy, the rate of vaccination against pertussis is low. METHODS We conducted a double-blind trial in Italy in which infants were randomly assigned to vaccination at two, four, and six months of age with an acellular pertussis vaccine together with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DTP); a DTP vaccine containing whole-cell pertussis (manufactured by Connaught Laboratories); or diphtheria and tetanus toxoids without pertussis (DT). The acellular DTP vaccine was either one containing filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and pertussis toxin inactivated with formalin and glutaraldehyde (SmithKline Beecham) or one with filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and genetically detoxified pertussis toxin (Chiron Biocine). Pertussis was defined as 21 days or more of paroxysmal cough, with infection confirmed by culture or serologic testing. RESULTS The efficacy of each vaccine, given in three doses, against pertussis was determined for 14,751 children over an average of 17 months, with cases included in the analysis if cough began 30 days or more after the completion of immunization. For both of the acellular DTP vaccines, the efficacy was 84 percent (95 percent confidence intervals, 76 to 89 percent for Biocine DTP and 76 to 90 percent for SmithKline DTP), whereas the efficacy of the whole-cell DTP vaccine was only 36 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 14 to 52 percent). The antibody responses were greater to the acellular vaccines than to the whole-cell vaccine. Local and systemic adverse events were significantly more frequent after the administration of the whole-cell vaccine. For the acellular vaccines, the frequency of adverse events was similar to that in the control (DT) group. CONCLUSIONS The two acellular DTP vaccines we studied were safe, immunogenic, and efficacious against pertussis, whereas the efficacy of the whole-cell DTP vaccine was unexpectedly low.
NET Institute* www.NETinst.org

The stock market is a complex system that aﬀects economic and ﬁnancial activities around the world. Analysis of stock price data can improve our understanding of the past price movements of stocks. In this work, we develop a method to determine the highly interconnected subsystems of the stock market. Our method relies on a k -core decomposition scheme to analyze large networks. Our approach illustrates that the stock market is a nearly decomposable system which comprises hierarchic subsystems. This work also presents results from the analysis of a network derived from a large data set of stock prices. This network analysis technique is a new promising approach to analyze and classify stocks based on price interactions and to decompose the complex system embodied in the stock market.
The Anti-rheumatic Gold Salt Aurothiomalate Suppresses Interleukin-1β-induced Hyaluronan Accumulation by Blocking HAS1 Transcription and by Acting as a COX-2 Transcriptional Repressor*

Gold compounds are among the oldest disease-modifying drugs and are still widely used today for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Despite decades of use, little is known about the mode of action of this class of drugs. Here we have demonstrated that aurothiomalate (AuTM) suppresses hyaluronan accumulation by blocking interleukin (IL)-1β-induced hyaluronan synthase-1 transcription. We have further demonstrated that, in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), AuTM acts as a specific COX-2 transcriptional repressor in that IL-1β-induced COX-2 transcription is blocked, whereas COX-1 transcription and translation is unaffected. As a consequence, PGE2 levels released by FLS are dose-dependently reduced in cells exposed to AuTM. Of similar importance is the demonstration that AuTM does block NFκB-DNA interaction. In addition, two other transcription factors implicated in inflammatory events, namely AP-1 and STAT3, are blocked as well. The effect on NFκB likely explains the inhibition of COX-2 as well as that of HAS1, as both are genes that depend on the activation of NFκB. Interestingly, AuTM does not interfere with IL-1β-induced IκBα degradation, in most cases a prerequisite for subsequent NFκB activation. Furthermore, evidence is presented that, in FLS, AuTM blocks NFκB-DNA interaction neither by binding to NFκB binding sites nor by interacting with activated NFκB proteins. Taken together, AuTM treatment of FLS blocks two of the most important proinflammatory events that are associated with rheumatoid arthritis. AuTM blocks the release of PGE2 and prevents the activation of NFκB, therefore blocking IL-1β-induced hyaluronan accumulation and likely a series of other pro-inflammatory NFκB-dependent genes.
Comparison of plasma and peritoneal indices of fibrinolysis between foals and adult horses with and without colic.

OBJECTIVE To identify hemostatic imbalances indicative of an increased risk of intra-abdominal adhesion formation in foals versus adult horses. ANIMALS Horses with colic undergoing exploratory laparotomy or abdominocentesis as part of a clinical examination (n = 16 foals ≤ 6 months of age and 19 adults ≥ 5 years of age) and horses without colic undergoing herniorrhaphy (15 foals) or euthanasia for noninflammatory and nongastrointestinal disease (10 foals and 20 adults). PROCEDURES Paired abdominal fluid and blood samples were collected from each horse into buffered sodium citrate and centrifuged immediately after collection. Supernatants were stored at -80°C, then thawed for measurement of fibrinogen concentration, plasminogen activity, antiplasmin activity, and D-dimer concentration. Supernatant analyte concentrations or activities were compared within age group (foals with and without colic vs adults with and without colic) and within disease status (foals and adults without colic vs foals and adults with colic). RESULTS All analyte concentrations or activities in abdominal fluid samples were significantly lower in the noncolic groups than in the colic groups, and none differed between foal and adult groups. Several plasma analyte values differed by disease status and age. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The risk of intra-abdominal adhesion formation in the foals in this study did not appear to be attributable to differences in intra-abdominal hemostasis between adult horses and foals. Strategies for initial medical and surgical management of colic in adult horses may be applicable to foals with similar disorders.
EWS, but Not EWS-FLI-1, Is Associated with Both TFIID and RNA Polymerase II: Interactions between Two Members of the TET Family, EWS and hTAFII68, and Subunits of TFIID and RNA Polymerase II Complexes

ABSTRACT The t(11;22) chromosomal translocation specifically linked to Ewing sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor results in a chimeric molecule fusing the amino-terminus-encoding region of theEWS gene to the carboxyl-terminal DNA-binding domain encoded by the FLI-1 gene. As the function of the protein encoded by the EWS gene remains unknown, we investigated the putative role of EWS in RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription by comparing its activity with that of its structural homolog, hTAFII68. We demonstrate that a portion of EWS is able to associate with the basal transcription factor TFIID, which is composed of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TBP-associated factors (TAFIIs). In vitro binding studies revealed that both EWS and hTAFII68 interact with the same TFIID subunits, suggesting that the presence of EWS and that of hTAFII68 in the same TFIID complex may be mutually exclusive. Moreover, EWS is not exclusively associated with TFIID but, similarly to hTAFII68, is also associated with the Pol II complex. The subunits of Pol II that interact with EWS and hTAFII68 have been identified, confirming the association with the polymerase. In contrast to EWS, the tumorigenic EWS–FLI-1 fusion protein is not associated with either TFIID or Pol II in Ewing cell nuclear extracts. These observations suggest that EWS and EWS–FLI-1 may play different roles in Pol II transcription.
Is full bilateral retroperitoneal lymph node dissection always necessary for postchemotherapy residual tumor?

Traditionally, postchemotherapy (PC) surgery for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) has used a full bilateral retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) from the crus of the diaphragm to the bifurcation of the common iliac arteries, from ureter to ureter. With the primary landing zone well defined in low‐volume retroperitoneal disease, the authors performed modified dissections in the PC setting in a select population; and, herein, they report disease outcome.
A role for adeno-associated viral vectors in gene therapy

Gene therapy constitutes a therapeutic intervention based on modification of the genetic material of living cells, by correcting genetic defects or overexpressing therapeutic proteins. The success of gene therapy protocols depends on the availability of therapeutically suitable genes, appropriate gene delivery systems and proof of safety and efficacy. Recent advances on the development of gene delivery systems, particularly on viral vectors engineering and improved gene regulatory systems, have led to marked progress in this field. Although the available vector systems can successfully transfer genes into cells, the ideal delivery vehicle has not been found. In this context, adeno-associated virus vectors (AAV) are arising as a promising tool for a wide range of applications, due to a combination of characteristics such as lack of pathogenicity and immunogenicity, wide range of cell tropism and long-term gene expression. Since its isolation, the biological properties of the adeno-associated virus have been increasingly understood, improving our ability to manipulate and use it as a safe and efficient gene therapy vector of wide spectrum. In this work, we review the bases of gene therapy, main types of gene transfer systems and basic properties and use of AAV vectors.
A novel pattern reconfigurable antenna

A novel pattern reconfigurable (PR) antenna is proposed. The PR antenna is composed of a pair of dipole elements. Each dipole element consists of a folded dipole, a short dipole and a parasitic element. A broadband balun with two pin-diode switches is utilized to feed the antenna. By changing the states of the switches, the radiation patterns can be reconfigured in two opposite directions. The PR antenna features a single-layer planar configuration and good directivities. It is shown that the PR antenna achieves an impedance bandwidth of 30.6% (2.022.75 GHz) for return loss (RL) >10 dB and its radiation pattern bandwidth is about 16.3% (2.25-2.65 GHz) for front-to-back ratio >15 dB. The antenna gain is ~5 dBi.
Anatomy of a crash repository

4 This work investigates the properties of crash reports collected from Ubuntu Linux users. Understanding crash reports is important to better store, categorize, prioritize, parse, triage, assign bugs to, and potentially synthesize them. Understanding what is in a crash report, and how the metadata and stack traces in crash reports vary will help solve, debug, and prevent the causes of crashes. 10 diﬀerent aspects of 40,592 crash reports about 1,921 pieces of software submitted by users and developers to the Ubuntu project were analyzed, plotted, and statistical distributions were ﬁtted to some of them. We investigated the structure and properties of crash reports. Crashes have many properties that seem to have distributions similar to standard statistical distributions, but with even longer tails than expected. These aspects of crash reports have not been analyzed statistically before. We found that many applications only had a single crash, while a few applications had a large number of crashes reported. Crash bucket size (clusters of similar crashes) also followed a Zipf-like distribution. The lifespan of buckets ranged from less than an hour to over four years. Some stack traces were short, and some were so long they were truncated by the tool that produced them. Many crash reports had no recursion, some contained recursion, and some displayed evidence of unbounded recursion. Linguistics literature hinted that sentence length follows a gamma distribution; this is not the case for function name length. Additionally, only two hardware architectures, and a few signals are reported for almost all of the crashes in the Ubuntu dataset. Many crashes were similar but there were also many unique crashes. This study of crashes from 1,921 projects will be valuable for anyone who wishes to: cluster or deduplicate crash reports, synthesize or simulate crash reports, store or triage crash reports, or data-mine crash reports.
MEASURING A TRUNCATED DISK IN AQUILA X-1

We present NuSTAR and Swift observations of the neutron star Aquila X-1 during the peak of its 2014 July outburst. The spectrum is soft with strong evidence for a broad Fe Kα line. Modeled with a relativistically broadened reflection model, we find that the inner disk is truncated with an inner radius of 15 ± 3 R G ? > . The disk is likely truncated by either the boundary layer and/or a magnetic field. Associating the truncated inner disk with pressure from a magnetic field gives an upper limit of B < 5 ± 2 × 10 8 ? > G. Although the radius is truncated far from the stellar surface, material is still reaching the neutron star surface as evidenced by the X-ray burst present in the NuSTAR observation.
Development and Piloting of an Instrument That Measures Company Support for Breastfeeding

Background: Maternal employment has been cited as a barrier to continued breastfeeding, yet there have been few studies identifying company breastfeeding support. Objectives: The study objectives were to develop and pilot an instrument that measures formal breastfeeding support in companies. Methods: A survey of company breastfeeding supports was developed, based on the literature and expert review, and the survey piloted with Michigan-based companies. Results: Completion of the surveys and open-ended comments indicated survey items were generally well understood. In the study sample (N = 151), significantly more support was offered in companies having more employees as compared to fewer, and in companies from the health care versus all other sectors (P < .01). More support was also found in companies reporting requests for support, upper management combining breastfeeding and work, and a population that they felt likely to require breastfeeding support (P < .01). Few companies (3%) had written policies on breastfeeding or pumping at work. However, the majority of companies allow women to pump milk at the worksite (94%), and provide time (73%) and nonrestroom space to pump (78%). Fewer companies allow breastfeeding at the company (22%) or designate a room solely for breastfeeding or pumping (32%). Conclusions: The survey instrument is appropriate to determine breastfeeding supports in companies. In Michigan, larger companies and those in the health care sector provide more supports, most companies provide some type of space and time to pump, but other supports are limited.
Inhibition of SNF1-Related Protein Kinase1 Activity and Regulation of Metabolic Pathways by Trehalose-6-Phosphate1[W][OA]

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is a proposed signaling molecule in plants, yet how it signals was not clear. Here, we provide evidence that T6P functions as an inhibitor of SNF1-related protein kinase1 (SnRK1; AKIN10/AKIN11) of the SNF1-related group of protein kinases. T6P, but not other sugars and sugar phosphates, inhibited SnRK1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling extracts strongly (50%) at low concentrations (1–20 μm). Inhibition was noncompetitive with respect to ATP. In immunoprecipitation studies using antibodies to AKIN10 and AKIN11, SnRK1 catalytic activity and T6P inhibition were physically separable, with T6P inhibition of SnRK1 dependent on an intermediary factor. In subsequent analysis, T6P inhibited SnRK1 in extracts of all tissues analyzed except those of mature leaves, which did not contain the intermediary factor. To assess the impact of T6P inhibition of SnRK1 in vivo, gene expression was determined in seedlings expressing Escherichia coli otsA encoding T6P synthase to elevate T6P or otsB encoding T6P phosphatase to decrease T6P. SnRK1 target genes showed opposite regulation, consistent with the regulation of SnRK1 by T6P in vivo. Analysis of microarray data showed up-regulation by T6P of genes involved in biosynthetic reactions, such as genes for amino acid, protein, and nucleotide synthesis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and mitochondrial electron transport, which are normally down-regulated by SnRK1. In contrast, genes involved in photosynthesis and degradation processes, which are normally up-regulated by SnRK1, were down-regulated by T6P. These experiments provide strong evidence that T6P inhibits SnRK1 to activate biosynthetic processes in growing tissues.
Various Predictors of Sustained Virologic Response in Different Age Groups of Patients With Genotype-1 Chronic Hepatitis C

Background: Age is one of the sustained virologic response (SVR) predictors for genotype-1 chronic hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon-&agr;/ribavirin. However, variation of SVR predictors in different age groups was not explored before. We therefore conducted this study for investigating this issue. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 265 genotype-1 chronic hepatitis C patients who received pegylated interferon-&agr;/ribavirin treatment. These patients were divided into 3 age groups. Clinical parameters including the genotype of rs12979860 were analyzed. Results: SVR rate was highest in patients younger than 45 years and lowest in patients older than 65 years even through propensity score matching analysis. As for rapid virologic response (RVR) predictors, genotype of rs12979860 was the predictor for the patients younger than 45 years and patients aged between 45 and 65 years, but no RVR predictor was found for patients older than 65 years. As for the SVR predictors, HbA1c, baseline viral load, and RVR but not genotype of rs12979860 were the predictors in patients younger than 45 years. For patients between 45 and 65 years, the predictors for SVR were liver fibrosis, genotype of rs12979860, and RVR. For patients older than 65 years, RVR was the only predictor for SVR. Conclusions: SVR predictors are various in different age groups. RVR is the SVR predictor for all age groups, but the genotype of rs12979860 is the SVR predictor only for patients with age between 45 and 65 years but not younger or older patients.
Management of kidney cancer: Canadian Kidney Cancer Forum Consensus Statement.

• History and physical examination • Laboratory tests: CBC, LDH, metabolic panel (creatinine, electrolytes, AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, INR, PTT, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, albumin), urinalysis and urine cytology • Imaging • Primary tumour i. Abdominal/pelvic CT with and without intravenous contrast ii. Abdominal MRI if CT suggests caval thrombus or because of a contrast allergy or renal insufficiency • Metastatic evaluation i. Chest radiograph, consider CT chest if ≥ stage T2 ii. Bone scan, if clinically indicated or elevated alkaline phosphatase iii. Brain MRI, if clinically indicated A suspicious renal mass that enhances by Management of kidney cancer: Canadian Kidney Cancer Forum Consensus Statement CONSENSUS GUIDELINE
On entity resolution in probabilistic data. (Résolution d'entités dans des données probabilistes)

Entity resolution (ER) is the problem of identifying duplicate tuples, which are the tuples that represent the same real-world entity. There are many real-life applications in which the ER problem arises. These applications range from news aggregation websites, identifying the news that cover the same story, in order to avoid presenting one story several times to the user, to the integration of two companies' customer databases in the case of a merger, where identifying the tuples that refer to the same customer is crucial. Due to its diverse applications, the ER problem has been formulated in different ways in the literature. The two main ER's related problem formulations include: 1) identity resolution, and 2) deduplication. In identity resolution, the aim is to find duplicate(s) of a given tuple in a given database, while in deduplication, the aim is to find groups of duplicate tuples in a given database, and merge them in order to increase the quality of the database itself. The ER problem is however not limited to deterministic (ordinary) databases, rather it also arises in applications that deal with probabilistic databases, i.e. databases in which each tuple or attribute value is associated with a probability value to, for instance, indicate its confidence level. In this thesis, we study the ER problem in probabilistic databases. More specifically, we study the following problems: 1) identity resolution in probabilistic data, 2) identity resolution in distributed probabilistic data, 3) deduplication in probabilistic data, and 4) schema matching in a fully automated setting.