Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Primary, nonsyndromic vesicoureteric reflux and its nephropathy is genetically heterogeneous, with a locus on chromosome 1.

Primary vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) affects 1%-2% of whites, and reflux nephropathy (RN) causes up to 15% of end-stage renal failure in children and adults. There is a 30-50-fold increased incidence of VUR in first-degree relatives of probands, compared with the general population. We report the results of the first genomewide search of VUR and RN; we studied seven European families whose members exhibit apparently dominant inheritance. We initially typed 387 polymorphic markers spaced, on average, at 10 cM throughout the genome; we used the GENEHUNTER program to provide parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses of affected individuals. The most positive locus spanned 20 cM on 1p13 between GATA176C01 and D1S1653 and had a nonparametric LOD score (NPL) of 5.76 (P=.0002) and a parametric LOD score of 3.16. Saturation with markers at 1-cM intervals increased the NPL to 5.94 (P=.00009). Hence, VUR maps to a locus on chromosome 1. There was evidence of genetic heterogeneity at the chromosome 1 locus, and 12 additional loci were identified genomewide, with P<. 05. No significant linkage was found to 6p, where a renal and ureteric malformation locus has been reported, or to PAX2, mutations of which cause VUR in renal-coloboma syndrome. Our results support the hypothesis that VUR is a genetic disorder.
Markowitz's model with intractable liabilities

This thesis studies robust Markowitz’s models with unhedgeable liabilities involved in the final decision. The term “unhedgeable liabilities” refers to the liabilities about which the only things we know are their distributions or a few moments. With the robust idea, the target of the investor is set to minimize the variance of her portfolio in the worst scenario over all possible unhedgeable liabilities that could happen. Because of the time-inconsistent nature of the problem, the classical dynamic programming and stochastic control approaches cannot be directly applied to solve it. Instead, the quantile optimization method is adopted to tackle the problem. Using relaxation method, the optimal solutions to this specific kind of problem are derived in closed-form, and the properties of the mean-variance frontier are fully discussed too. As we know, this thesis is the first to introduce unhedgeable liabilities into meanvariance formulation, which further generalizes the original mean-variance field and also to some extent draws the model to the real financial world. Since the components of the terminal wealth in our model are based on different markets, a new risk measure is also put forward to avoid the ill-posedness of the problem.
Bucrates lanista Rehn 1918 (Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae): The First Record from the Brazilian Pantanal, the First Description of the Male, the First Karyotypic Report for the Genus, and the First Telomeric Hybridization of the Subfamily

Bucrates lanista, the most southerly distributed species in the genus Bucrates Burmeister, was originally described from Brazil based on a female collected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, but the species has not been recorded since 1918. In this work, we report that B. lanista inhabits the Pantanal Wetland in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and, for the first time, describe the male. Individuals of B. lanista are gregarious and present a brown/green color dimorphism; this behavior and color variation are also observed in species of closely related genera. Individuals from the Pantanal vary slightly from those of Rio Grande do Sul. The karyotype was determined to be 2n♂ = 21 = 20 + X0 and 2n♀ = 22 = 20 + XX. The X chromosome is metacentric and the largest of the complement, and all of the autosomes are submetacentrics. All chromosomes solely present telomeric (TTAGG)n repeats at their ends, and some chromosomes present positive and negative DAPI bands.
Similarities and differences between selective and nonselective BAFF blockade in murine SLE.

B cells have multiple roles in immune activation and inflammation separate from their capacity to produce antibodies. B cell depletion is currently under intense investigation as a therapeutic strategy for autoimmune diseases. The TNF family members B cell-activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) and its homolog A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) are B cell survival and differentiation factors and are therefore rational therapeutic targets. We compared the effects of BAFF receptor-Ig, which blocks only BAFF, with those of transmembrane activator and calcium modulator ligand interactor-Ig, which blocks both BAFF and APRIL, in a murine SLE model. Both reagents prolonged the life of NZB/W F1 mice when given either before or after disease onset. Many immunologic effects of the 2 reagents were similar, including B cell and B cell subset depletion and prevention of the progressive T cell activation and dendritic cell accumulation that occurs with age in NZB/W mice without substantial effects on the emergence of the IgG anti-double-stranded DNA response. Furthermore, both reagents inhibited the T cell-independent marginal zone B cell response to particulate antigen delivered i.v. , but not the B1 B cell response to the same antigen delivered i.p. In contrast, blockade of both BAFF and APRIL, but not blockade of BAFF alone, reduced the serum levels of IgM antibodies, decreased the frequency of plasma cells in the spleen, and inhibited the IgM response to a T cell-dependent antigen. The differences between selective and nonselective BAFF blockade are relevant to the choice of a BAFF blocking agent for the treatment of autoimmune and malignant diseases.
Proteasome Activity Is Required for Anthrax Lethal Toxin To Kill Macrophages

ABSTRACT Anthrax lethal toxin (LeTx), consisting of protective antigen (PA) and lethal factor (LF), rapidly kills primary mouse macrophages and macrophage-like cell lines such as RAW 264.7. LF is translocated by PA into the cytosol of target cells, where it acts as a metalloprotease to cleave mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1) and possibly other proteins. In this study, we show that proteasome inhibitors such as acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal, MG132, and lactacystin efficiently block LeTx cytotoxicity, whereas other protease inhibitors do not. The inhibitor concentrations that block LF cytotoxicity are similar to those that inhibit the proteasome-dependent IκB-α degradation induced by lipopolysaccharide. The inhibitors did not interfere with the proteolytic cleavage of MEK1 in LeTx-treated cells, indicating that they do not directly block the proteolytic activity of LF. However, the proteasome inhibitors did prevent ATP depletion, an early effect of LeTx. No overall activation of the proteasome by LeTx was detected, as shown by the cleavage of fluorogenic substrates of the proteasome. All of these results suggest that the proteasome mediates a toxic process initiated by LF in the cell cytosol. This process probably involves degradation of unidentified molecules that are essential for macrophage homeostasis. Moreover, this proteasome-dependent process is an early step in LeTx intoxication, but it is downstream of the cleavage by LF of MEK1 or other putative substrates.
Social protection programs for Africa’s drylands

Social Protection Programs for Africa’s Drylands explores the role of social protection in promoting the well-being and prosperity of people living in dryland regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, with a specific focus on the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Based on a review of recent experience, it argues that social protection policies and programs have an important role in promoting the resilience of the people residing in these areas. Social protection programs, when well designed and carefully implemented at scale, can reduce vulnerability to droughts and other shocks and promote coping capacity. If present trends continue, by 2030 dryland regions of East and West Africa will be home to an estimated 429 million people, up to 24 percent of whom will be living in chronic poverty. Many others will depend on livelihood strategies that are sensitive to the shocks that will hit the region with increasing frequency and severity, making them vulnerable to falling into transient poverty. Social protection programs will be needed in the drylands to provide support to those unable to meet their basic needs. Some of these people will require long-term support, while others will require periodic short-term support because of income losses due to shocks (for example, crop failure following a drought) or as a result of lifecycle changes (for example, loss of a breadwinner). Safety net programs can increase resilience in the short term by improving coping capacity of vulnerable households. Rapidly scalable safety nets that provide cash, food, or other resources to shock-affected households can allow them to recover from unexpected shocks. Scaling up an existing safety net program can be far less expensive than relying on appeals for humanitarian assistance to meet urgent needs. Social protection programs can increase resilience over the longer term by reducing sensitivity to shocks of vulnerable households especially if combined with other development programs. Providing predictable support to chronically poor households and enabling them to invest in productive assets and access basic social services can effectively reduce these households’ sensitivity to future shocks, help them participate in the growth process, and take advantage of the investments made in agricultural and pastoralist activities proposed in the drylands.
Privatization of Public Hospitals in the U.S

The article analyses the issues involved in the privatization of public hospitals in the U. S. Faced with increasing costs, many public hospitals are bleeding red ink and thus encounter difficulties when making investments necessary to cut costs and increase performance. Hospital expenditures accounted for almost a third of the $1.6 trillion the United States spent on health care in 2000. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over the ten-year period from 1990 to 2000 the average cost of an inpatient stay at a public hospital increased by nearly 50 percent, compared to only 20 per cent at private for-profit hospitals. By 2001 the $7,400 cost of a stay at a public hospital was 24 per cent greater than at a private for-profit ($5,972). In the case of public hospitals, a conflicting mix of social, political, and business objectives results in weak incentives to control costs. Cost burdens come from inefficient accounting, restrictive government personnel and procurement regulations, a tangled web of bureaucracy, and a general lack of accountability. Most public hospitals lack the strategic advantages enjoyed by private hospitals including: a marketing orientation, volume purchasing systems, state-of-the-art information systems, standardization of supplies, outcome management systems, computerized case management systems with cost-per-procedure variables among physicians performing the same procedures, physician practice management, and technologically advanced patient care.
Regulatory reform and corporate control in European energy industries

The deregulation process in the EU electricity sector triggered strategic decisions that led to industry restructuring. This paper presents preliminary evidence of the impact of this process on investors, using event studies and estimation techniques such as least squares and GARCH. Our findings suggest three stylized facts: 1) regulatory reform in Europe was certainly accompanied by a takeover wave, as predicted by Mitchell and Mulherin (1996); 2) mergers and acquisitions had a positive impact on the stock price of target firms, and a much lower and sometimes even a negative impact for the bidding firms; 3) the effect of takeover announcements on the returns of competitors of the merging firms depends on the degree of market power. In countries with high market power (like Spain) competitors significantly increase share returns upon takeover announcements, whereas in countries with lower market power (like England and Wales) returns do not change significantly.
Accurate flip‐angle calibration for 13C MRI

13C imaging and spectroscopy in the presence of injected labeled compounds can vastly extend the capability of MRI to perform metabolic imaging. The details of imaging in the presence of injected compounds, however, pose new technological challenges. Pulse sequences, in general, rely on precise flip‐angle (FA) calibration to create high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), artifact‐free images. Signal quantification also requires precise knowledge of the excitation FA. In MRI scans that rely on signal acquisitions from injected compounds, however, such FA calibration is challenged by low natural‐abundance 13C signal levels before injection, and by time‐varying signal following injection. A method to precisely set the FA at the 13C frequency based on FA calibration at the 23Na frequency is presented here. A practical implementation of a coil (a dual‐tuned, 23Na/13C low‐pass birdcage coil) suitable for this calibration in vivo is also documented. Accurate FA calibration is demonstrated at the 13C frequency for in vivo rat experiments using this approach. Magn Reson Med 58:128–133, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Power Doppler sonography in the assessment of synovial tissue of the knee joint in rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary experience

Objective: To investigate the intra-articular vascularisation of the synovial pannus in the knee of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with power Doppler ultrasonography (PDS) and an echo contrast agent and correlate the area under the time-intensity curves with the clinical findings and laboratory measures of disease activity. Method: Forty two patients with RA (31 women, 11 men) with history and signs of knee arthritis, classified according to a modified index of synovitis activity (active, moderately active, and inactive), were studied. Clinical and functional assessment (number of swollen joints, intensity of pain, general health—visual analogue scale, disability index—Health Assessment Questionnaire, Ritchie articular index) and a laboratory evaluation were made on all patients. Disease activity was evaluated using the disease activity score (DAS) and the chronic arthritis systemic index (CASI) for each patient. All patients were examined with conventional ultrasonography and PDS before injection of intravenous ultrasound contrast agent (Levovist). The quantitative estimation of the vascularisation of the synovial membrane was performed with time-intensity curves and calculation of the area under the curves. Results: The mean (SD) value of the area underlying time-intensity curves was 216.2 (33.4) in patients with active synovitis, 186.8 (25.8) in patients with moderately active synovitis, and 169.6 (20.6) in those with inactive synovitis. The mean value of the areas differed significantly between the patients with active and those with inactive synovitis (p<0.01). The mean value of the area under the curve of the entire group was weakly correlated with the number of swollen joints (p=0.038), but a strong correlation was found with composite indexes of disease activity such as the DAS (p=0.006) and CASI (p=0.01). No correlation was found with age, disease duration, and other laboratory and clinical variables. Conclusion: PDS may be a valuable tool to detect fractional vascular volume and to assist clinicians in distinguishing between inflammatory and non-inflammatory pannus. The transit of microbubbles of ultrasound contrast across a tissue can be used to estimate haemodynamic alterations and may have a role in assessing synovial activity and the therapeutic response to treatment of synovitis of the knee joint.
Treatment of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Tomsk, Russia : a retrospective cohort study. Commentary

Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains that cause untreatable drug-resistant disease are a threat worldwide. We describe the treatment, management, and outcomes of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Tomsk, Russia. Methods We undertook a retrospective cohort study of 608 patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis who had treatment in civilian or prison services, between Sept 10, 2000, and Nov 1, 2004, according to the treatment strategy recommended by WHO. Clinical characteristics, management practices, and treatment outcomes of patients with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis and non-extensively drug-resistant (non-XDR) tuberculosis are described. The main outcome was the frequency of poor and favourable outcomes at the end of treatment. Findings Of 608 patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis, 29 (4-8%) patients had baseline XDR tuberculosis. Treatment failure was more common in patients with XDR tuberculosis than in those with non-XDR tuberculosis (31% vs 8·5%, p=0·0008). 48·3% of patients with XDR tuberculosis and 66-7% of patients with non-XDR tuberculosis had treatment cure or completion (p=0·04). The frequency and management of adverse events did not differ between patients with XDR and non-XDR tuberculosis. Interpretation The chronic features of tuberculosis in these patients suggest that extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis may be acquired through previous treatments that include second-line drugs. Aggressive management of this infectious disease is feasible and can prevent high mortality rates and further transmission of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Eli Lilly Foundation, The Open Society Institute, Frank Hatch Fellowships in Global Health Equity at the Brigham & Women's Hospital, Infectious Disease Society of America, the Heiser Foundation, the United States National Institutes of Health, and the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation.
Biologic activity of irradiated, autologous, GM-CSF-secreting leukemia cell vaccines early after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Through an immune-mediated graft-versus-leukemia effect, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) affords durable clinical benefits for many patients with hematologic malignancies. Nonetheless, subjects with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or advanced myelodysplasia often relapse, underscoring the need to intensify tumor immunity within this cohort. In preclinical models, allogeneic HSCT followed by vaccination with irradiated tumor cells engineered to secrete GM-CSF generates a potent antitumor effect without exacerbating the toxicities of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). To test whether this strategy might be similarly active in humans, we conducted a Phase I clinical trial in which high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplasia patients were immunized with irradiated, autologous, GM-CSF-secreting tumor cells early after allogeneic, nonmyeloablative HSCT. Despite the administration of a calcineurin inhibitor as prophylaxis against GVHD, vaccination elicited local and systemic reactions that were qualitatively similar to those previously observed in nontransplanted, immunized solid-tumor patients. While the frequencies of acute and chronic GVHD were not increased, 9 of 10 subjects who completed vaccination achieved durable complete remissions, with a median follow-up of 26 months (range 12–43 months). Six long-term responders showed marked decreases in the levels of soluble NKG2D ligands, and 3 demonstrated normalization of cytotoxic lymphocyte NKG2D expression as a function of treatment. Together, these results establish the safety and immunogenicity of irradiated, autologous, GM-CSF-secreting leukemia cell vaccines early after allogeneic HSCT, and raise the possibility that this combinatorial immunotherapy might potentiate graft-versus-leukemia in patients.
Non-cooperative target identification of battlefield targets - classification results based on SAR images

Non-cooperative target identification (NCTI) has become more and more important during the last years. So it is essential to develop robust classification schemes, which can be applied reliably in military operations. The major problems are the clutter (which is not present in air), the unknown target orientation (aspect and elevation angle), the high variability of the target scatterers and the possible multiple variants of the target. In this paper we concentrate on analysis and comparison of classification rates for target identification, the former detection process of the targets in the observed SAR scene will not be discussed. We focus on SAR images of single separated stationary and moving ground targets. To be able to compare our classification results with results published in literature we start our evaluation with the public MSTAR dataset, which is used since many years for ATR evaluation and identification. In addition to this we worked with a second dataset from another field measurement campaign which was performed by QinetiQ, UK. We quantify the influence of some fundamental key aspects on the classification rate. These subjects are target centering (using center of mass algorithms), image segmentation (target, clutter, target shadow), different applied classifiers (nearest neighbour classifier, support vector machines, SVM), the image resolution and the target orientation (knowledge of the aspect angle). Additionally we analyse the influence of clutter and target shadow on the classification rate when using again the MSTAR and QinetiQ datasets. For this purpose the data were segmented in a part containing the target (or target shadow) and another part containing only the surrounding clutter. For the QinetiQ dataset the classification rates drop from 79% to 70% when only the target (separated from the clutter) was used as a feature. The MSTAR dataset shows similar results. Thus obviously the identical background of each of the targets in the test and reference database contributed a lot to the reported high classification rates. That again shows that realistic expressions on the capabilities of target classification can only be based on independent test and training data. By introducing the image clutter content, ICC, we quantify the influence of the separated clutter on the classification rate. Furthermore the target shadow can be used for additional information dependent on the depression angle. Finally we come to the conclusion that the main work is not only choosing and applying the classifier, but concentrate on the data collection (that means good data quality), preprocessing and feature extraction processes.
USE OF FACEBOOK FOR ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN A HIGHER EDUCATION BLENDED ENGINEERING COURSE

In spite of the fact that many universities include blended learning in offering their programmes, student engagement in courses remains a challenge. This research started off as an investigation into the use of the Learning Management System (LMS) by students of an engineering course and into ways to improve student engagement. The heavy usage of social media by the students prompted us to find how Facebook could be used in a course in conjunction with an LMS. A closed Facebook group was created by the lecturer and used to interact with the class. Data collection was done through an online survey of the students at the end of the class. A social media analytics software was also used to analyse the interactions on the Facebook group. A journal was also kept for the lecturer’s thoughts throughout the class. To avoid bias, the second author, an educational technologist whose conference paper on Social Media inspired this one, was involved in the analysis and interpretation of the data.The results were very encouraging. A majority of students were actively engaged by the Facebook group. However, this research put into perspective a series of potential issues with the use of Facebook or any other social media in higher education which would warrant further research.