Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intra-tumor injection of H101, a recombinant adenovirus, in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancers: a pilot phase II clinical trial.

AIM H101, an E1B 55 kD gene deleted adenovirus, has been shown to possess oncolysis activity experimentally and proved to be safe in preliminary phase I study. The current study was designed to evaluate its anti-tumor activity and toxicity in combination with chemotherapy in patients with late stage cancers. METHODS H101 5.0x10(11) virus particles were given by intra-tumor injection daily for five consecutive days at every three-week cycle, combined with routine chemotherapy, to one of the tumor lesions of 50 patients with different malignant tumors. Tumor lesions without H101 injection in the same individuals were used as controls. The efficacy and toxicity were recorded. RESULTS Forty-six patients were evaluable with a 30.4% response rate. H101 injection in combination with chemotherapy induced three complete response (CR) and 11 partial response (PR), giving an overall response rate of 28.0% (14/50) among intention-to-treat patients. The response rate for the control lesions was 13.0%, including one case with CR and five cases with PR, which was significantly lower than that for the injected lesions (P<0.05). Main side effects were fever (30.2%) and pain at the injected sites (26.9%). Grade 1 hepatic dysfunction was found in four patients, grade 2 in one patient, and grade 4 in one patient. Hematological toxicity (grade 4) was found in four patients. CONCLUSION Intra-tumor injection of the genetically engineered adenovirus H101 exhibits potential anti-tumor activity to refractory malignant tumors in combination with chemotherapy. Low toxicity and good tolerance of patients to H101were observed.
A Numerical Study of Small Parameter Behavior of Some Families of Distributions

Limiting distributions play an important role in approximating the exact distributions, especially when they have a rather cumbersome analytic form, or simply when they do not have a closed from. The question that naturally arises is how good the approximation is. In this article, we propose a procedure for the numerical assessment of the “goodness” of some easy-to-calculate limiting distributions, originally proposed in Bar-Lev and Enis, in various cases of the underlying distributions, some of which are inherently computationally challenging. The details of the procedure are provided in three examples. The first example deals with the gamma distributions; the second deals with Bessel distributions related to a symmetric random walk, and the third example deals with positive stable distributions. The details of two additional variations of these examples are also discussed. These examples illustrate the ease with which the limiting approximations could be applied in the various cases, well-demonstrating their computational simplicity and attractiveness.
Donor‐derived, tolerogenic dendritic cells suppress immune rejection in the indirect allosensitization‐dominant setting of corneal transplantation

Significant interest has been focused on the use of ex vivo‐manipulated DCs to optimally induce transplant tolerance and promote allograft survival. Although it is understood that donor‐derived, tolerogenic DCs suppress the direct pathway of allosensitization, whether such DCs can similarly suppress the indirect pathway remains unclear. We therefore used the murine model of corneal transplantation to address this, as these allografts are rejected in an indirect pathway‐dominant manner. Interestingly, recipients administered with donor bone marrow‐derived DCregs, generated via culturing with GM‐CSF, IL‐10, and TGF‐β1, significantly prolonged survival of corneal allografts. Correspondingly, these recipients demonstrated a potent reduction in the frequency of indirectly allosensitized T cells, as determined by ELISPOT. Examination of DCregs relative to mDCs or iDCs showed a resistance to up‐regulation of MHC‐II and costimulatory molecules, as well as an impaired capacity to stimulate MLRs. In vivo, DCreg administration in corneal‐allografted recipients led to inhibition of CD4+IFN‐γ+ T cell frequencies and an associated increase in Foxp3 expression in the Treg compartment. We conclude that donor‐derived, tolerogenic DCs significantly suppress the indirect pathway, thereby identifying a novel regulatory mechanism for these cells in transplantation.
Parametric Binding Images of the TSPO Ligand 18F-DPA-714

18F-labeled N,N-diethyl-2-(2-[4-(2-fluoroethoxy)phenyl]-5,7-dimethylpyrazolo[1,5-α]pyrimidine-3-yl)acetamide (DPA-714) is a radioligand for the 18-kDa translocator protein. The purpose of the present study was to identify the best method for generating quantitative parametric images of 18F-DPA-714 binding. Methods: Ninety-minute dynamic 18F-DPA-714 PET scans with full arterial sampling from 6 healthy subjects and 9 Alzheimer disease (AD) patients were used. Plasma-input–based Logan graphical analysis and spectral analysis were used to generate parametric volume of distribution (VT) images. Five versions of Ichise, reference Logan, and 2 basis function implementations (receptor parametric mapping and simplified reference tissue model 2 [SRTM2]) of SRTM, all using gray matter cerebellum as the reference region, were applied to generate nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) images. Results: Plasma-input Logan analysis (r2 = 0.99; slope, 0.88) and spectral analysis (r2 = 0.99, slope, 0.93) generated estimates of VT that correlated well with values obtained using nonlinear regression. BPND values generated using SRTM2 (r2 = 0.83; slope, 0.95) and reference Logan analysis (r2 = 0.88; slope, 1.01) correlated well with nonlinear regression–based estimates. Conclusion: Both Logan analysis and spectral analysis can be used to obtain quantitatively accurate VT images of 18F-DPA-714. In addition, SRTM2 and reference Logan analysis can provide accurate BPND images. These parametric images could be used for voxel-based comparisons.
Performance analysis of reactive connectivity restoration algorithms for wireless sensor and actor networks

Preserving inter-actor connectivity is essential in most wireless sensor and actor network (WSAN) applications as nodes have to collaborate and coordinate their actions against the events reported by the sensors. However, failure of a critical (i.e., cut-vertex) node partitions inter-actor network into disjoint segments and thus hinder network operation. The prime objective of this paper is to analyze the performance of reactive connectivity restoration algorithms for delay-tolerant WSAN applications. First, we provide insights to the state-of-the-art reactive connectivity restoration algorithms. Then, we present a Nearest Non-critical Neighbor (NNN) algorithm; a localized and distributed reactive approach for reconnecting network partitions. In NNN, each actor periodically determine its criticality (i.e., cut-vertex or not) based on 2-hop information and exchange with its neighbors. In case of a critical actor failure, the neighbors detect and trigger a connectivity restoration procedure that involves controlled and coordinated node relocation. NNN prefer to displace non-critical nodes during relocation in order to minimize recovery overhead in terms of distance movement and message coordination. We analyze the performance of reactive schemes through theoretical analysis and simulations.
From Climate Change to Conflict? No Consensus Yet

Many scholars, policymakers, and activists have argued that climate change will lead to resource competition, mass migration, and, ultimately, an increase in armed conflict around the world. This article takes issue with the `deterministic' view that climate change and resultant resource scarcities will have a direct impact on political violence. Rather, the effect of climate change on armed conflict is contingent on a number of political and social variables, which, if ignored by analysts, can lead to poor predictions about when and where conflict is likely. This article then discusses ways to improve research on the climate change—conflict connection and outlines broad policy suggestions for dealing with this potential problem. Scholars must communicate their findings with the policy community in order to come up with prudent solutions to this problem, while countering unnecessary rhetoric on both sides of the debate.
A Randomized Clinical Trial of Primary Care Brief Mindfulness Training for Veterans with PTSD.

OBJECTIVES Primary care (PC) patients typically do not receive adequate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. This study tested if a brief mindfulness training (BMT) offered in PC can decrease PTSD severity. METHOD VA PC patients with PTSD (N = 62) were recruited for a randomized clinical trial comparing PCBMT with PC treatment as usual. PCBMT is a 4-session program adapted from mindfulness-based stress reduction. RESULTS PTSD severity decreased in both conditions, although PCBMT completers reported significantly larger decreases in PTSD and depression from pre- to posttreatment and maintained gains at the 8-week follow-up compared with the control group. Exploratory analyses revealed that the describing, nonjudging, and acting with awareness facets of mindfulness may account for decreases in PTSD. CONCLUSION Our data support preliminary efficacy of BMT for Veterans with PTSD. Whether PCBMT facilitates engagement into, or improves outcomes of, full-length empirically supported treatment for PTSD remains to be evaluated.
Cerebrovascular reactivity and white matter integrity

Objective: To compare the diffusion and perfusion MRI metrics of normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) with and without impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR). Methods: Seventy-five participants with moderate to severe leukoaraiosis underwent blood oxygen level–dependent CVR mapping using a 3T MRI system with precise carbon dioxide stimulus manipulation. Several MRI metrics were statistically compared between areas of NAWM with positive and negative CVR using one-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Results: Areas of NAWM with negative CVR showed a significant reduction in fractional anisotropy by a mean (SD) of 3.7% (2.4), cerebral blood flow by 22.1% (8.2), regional cerebral blood volume by 22.2% (7.0), and a significant increase in mean diffusivity by 3.9% (3.1) and time to maximum by 10.9% (13.2) (p < 0.01), compared to areas with positive CVR. Conclusions: Impaired CVR is associated with subtle changes in the tissue integrity of NAWM, as evaluated using several quantitative diffusion and perfusion MRI metrics. These findings suggest that impaired CVR may contribute to the progression of white matter disease.
The Floating Mass Transducer on the Round Window Versus Attachment to an Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis

Hypothesis: The Vibrant Soundbridge floating mass transducer (FMT) is part of a commercially available implantable hearing device in which the FMT can be placed in the round window (RW) niche or attached to a partial (V-PORP) or total ossicular replacement prosthesis (V-TORP) contacting the stapes head or footplate. The goal is to provide efficient transfer of sound vibration into the cochlea. The hypothesis is that the FMT location on the prosthesis is superior to the RW location. Background: No direct comparisons of the 3 FMT sites have been performed using the same measurement location. Methods: A new measurement method called the third window method was used in eleven fresh human temporal bones to compare the sites. A small hole was made into the scala tympani of the temporal bones preserving the endosteum. A reflective target was placed on the third window endosteum and displacement of the cochlear fluid was measured using a Polytec HLV-1000 laser Doppler vibrometer. The input to the FMT at all locations was a constant 316 millivolts (mV); the frequency range was 0.5 to 8.0 kHz. Results: The V-PORP and V-TORP FMT locations both provided statistically significant better performance above 1.0 kHz than the RW site but not below that frequency. The V-PORP and V-TORP responses were similar at all test frequencies. Conclusion: In this temporal bone model, the FMT provided better higher frequency performance when attached to a PORP or TORP than in the RW niche.
Rapid secretion of intracellularly pre‐stored interleukin‐8 from rabbit platelets upon activation

Freshly isolated rabbit platelets contained a substantial amount of intracellular interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) as revealed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis. Thrombin stimulation at room temperature induced platelets to secrete IL‐8 rapidly, and the maximal secretion was observed within 10 min after the activation. Secreted IL‐8 possessed neutrophil chemotactic activity that was neutralised by a specific neutralizing monoclonal antibody to rabbit IL‐8 but not a control one. These results suggest that rabbit platelets store biologically active IL‐8 intracellularly and secrete it rapidly upon activation. This study implies that platelets may be a pivotal participant in inflammatory reactions in rabbits through producing cytokines and chemokines, including IL‐8.
Modèles mathématiques pour la compétition et la coexistence des espèces microbiennes dans un chémostat

Cette these porte sur l'analyse mathematique de modeles de competition de plusieurs especes microbiennes sur un seul nutriment dans un chemostat. L'objectif est de montrer la coexistence des especes par divers mecanismes pour affirmer la biodiversite que l'on trouve dans les ecosystemes aquatiques et terrestres ainsi que dans les bioreacteurs. Nous nous somme interesses principalement a trois mecanismes de coexistence :1- La competition inter-specifique entre les populations de micro-organismes et intra-specifiques entre les individus de la meme espece.2- La floculation ou l'espece la plus competitive inhibe sa propre croissance par la formation des flocs pour pouvoir coexister avec les autres especes. En fait, ces bacteries en flocs consomment moins du substrat que les bacteries isolees puisqu'ils ont un moins bon acces au substrat, etant donne que cet acces au substrat est proportionnel a la surface exterieur du floc.3- La densite-dependance dont le modele peut etre construit a partir du modele de floculation en supposant que la dynamique de floculation est plus rapide que la croissance des especes. Dans ce modele densite-dependant, le taux de croissance et le taux de prelevement dependent non seulement de la densite du substrat mais aussi de la densite de la biomasse.Enfin, nous avons etudie un modele de digestion anaerobie a trois etapes avec degradation enzymatique du substrat (matiere organique) dont une partie peut etre sous forme particulaire. L'analyse mathematique montre que ce modele peut presenter la quadri-stabilite avec lessivage d'aucune, d'une ou de deux especes selon la condition initiale.
Risk Stratification in Brugada Syndrome: Role of Programmed Electrical Stimulation

Brugada syndrome (BS) is an arrhythmogenic disease characterized by a typical electrocardiographic finding (type 1 Brugada electrocardiogram [ECG]) and an increased risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to polymorphic ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation (VF). Risk stratification remains a challenge, especially in cases without documented cardiac arrest or VF. The role of programmed electrical stimulation (PES) for risk stratification remains controversial. Therefore, the present review describes the recent published data on the use of PES in the identification of high-risk patients and discusses the value of PES for risk assessment in BS.
Wind power smoothing using rotor inertia aimed at reducing grid susceptibility

Due to wind speed variations, the output power of wind turbines fluctuates. This power fluctuation makes the wind power undispatchable. Furthermore, it can cause frequency deviations and power outage particularly when wind power penetration is significant. Energy storage devices such as batteries, ultracapacitors, super inductors, and flywheels can be utilized in a hybrid system to solve this problem. These methods, although, are effective but impose a significant additional cost to the system. This paper presents a novel control method to mitigate the power fluctuations using the rotor inertia as an energy storage component. Therefore, the additional energy storage system is not required. The proposed method is also modified to obtain better energy capturing efficiency. The method is analyzed using mathematical and physical characteristics of the system. The efficiency of the algorithm is evaluated based on obtained equations. The energy extracting capability using this method is comparable with other methods such as Maximum Power Extraction (MPE) algorithm. Simulation results for various cases are performed on a permanent magnet synchronous generator that verify theoretical analysis.
Evaluation of Mentoring Skills by Mentees using the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA) Instrument at an Undergraduate Medical School in Lahore

Abstract Background: Mentoring, a committed relationship has established its significance in the field of undergraduate medical education. Mentors invest in their proteges’ personal and professional development, beyond the realm of teaching. The mentors and the organization also gain a multitude of benefits. Formal mentoring is considered to have more advantages. Recruiting mentors should be thoughtful and mentors should be trained for their job. The assessment of mentor’s competence remains a challenge and many instruments have been tried for this purpose. Evaluation can help identify areas for training. The Mentoring Competence Assessment inventory developed by Fleming et al. focused on measuring six main competencies of a mentor-mentee relationship. Since these competencies overlap with the objectives of more general mentoring programs, this tool can be adapted to measure outcomes. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at The University of Lahore. The Mentoring Competence Assessment instrument was used with appropriate modification. Volunteers filled in an online questionnaire. 129 students responded, out of which 97 completed responses were considered. Response scores were added to calculate score for each competency. Correlational analysis was performed for competence and seniority. Cross gender mentoring was also compared to same gender mentoring. Results: The high scoring competencies in the order of ratings they attained are: maintaining effective communication, fostering independence, promoting professional development and aligning expectations, whereas assessing understanding and addressing diversity were rated at less than fifty percent, indicating areas for faculty development training. Almost 80% students rated high on how much they had benefitted from their mentor. They also felt their mentor helped them the most by motivating them, by being a good listener and by guiding them. Mentees believed their mentoring relationship was uncomfortable due to group mentoring, seniority bias, and lack of time. The mentor’s gender had no significant effect on all the six competencies. Conclusion: Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship and is most beneficial when started at an early stage. The mentoring program should be relevant to local perspectives and cultural issues. To prevent misunderstandings, mentors should acknowledge the differences of gender & cultural background. Mentors should be monetarily rewarded for their contribution to medical education. Educating & empowering students, along with faculty education regarding students’ needs may improve mentoring. Keywords: Mentorship, Competence, Assessment, Undergraduate Medical Students
Isolation of the human insulin‐like growth factor I gene using a single synthetic DNA probe.

A single synthetic oligonucleotide was employed as hybridization probe to detect and enable isolation of the human insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I) gene from a human genomic DNA library. The synthetic oligonucleotide probe coded for the B‐chain of IGF‐I and was designed for expression in Escherichia coli. Despite numerous interspersed mismatches, the synthetic probe hybridized specifically with seven recombinant lambda phage containing almost the entire B‐chain region of the human IGF‐I gene. The usefulness of this approach was further demonstrated by the detection of lambda phage containing human preproinsulin, using A and B chain synthetic oligonucleotides, 90 and 63 nucleotides in length, as hybridization probes. The nucleotide sequence of the human IGF‐I exon suggests that IGF‐I is synthesized as a larger precursor molecule.
Innovación y mejora docente en TFG de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales 2016-2017

El objetivo de este proyecto es poner en contacto los intereses de las empresas con los temas a desarrollar en un trabajo fin de grado (TFG) en la Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales de la Universidad de Sevilla. Para ello, se disena una web que facilite la solicitud de los temas que puedan interesar a las empresas. Una vez solicitado el tema, este se puede asignar a los alumnos que este curso van a realizar su TFG. Los resultados obtenidos, ponen de manifiesto un importante interes inicial de las empresas por este proyecto que se manifiesta en el numero de solicitudes que se han formalizado, a pesar del poco tiempo que lleva funcionando la web. Asimismo, los alumnos que estan participando en el proyecto elaborando su TFG para cubrir la demanda de un tema propuesto por una empresa, se muestran ilusionados. Entre las propuestas de cara al futuro destacan la inclusion de otros departamentos en el proyecto y la posibilidad de ofertar estos TFG a todos los alumnos de la facultad en funcion del expediente academico. Gracias a este proyecto se facilita la transferencia de conocimiento entre Universidad-Empresa y se favorece el contacto del alumno con la realidad empresarial.
Holocryphia eucalypti on Tibouchina urvilleana in Australia

Tibouchina spp. (Melastomataceae) are native to South America, but have been planted as ornamentals in many southern hemisphere countries. The Melastomataceae are members of the Myrtales and are close relatives of the Myrtaceae, to which the genus Eucalyptus belongs. The recent discovery of several Chrysoporthe spp. on Tibouchina spp. has prompted a more detailed survey for other Eucalyptus pathogens that might occur on this tree. In this study, the discovery in Australia of Holocryphia eucalypti, a Eucalyptus pathogen, on diseased stems of Tibouchina urvilleana is reported. Characterisation of this fungus was based on morphology and comparisons of β-tubulin gene sequences. Greenhouse pathogenicity tests, including isolates of H. eucalypti from Eucalyptus spp. in Australia and South Africa, showed that the isolates of H. eucalypti from T. urvilleana were significantly more pathogenic on T. urvilleana than isolates from Eucalyptus.