Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utilization of Liposomes for Correction of the Metabolic and Bactericidal Deficiencies in Chronic Granulomatous Disease

Summary: IgG-coated liposomes containing glucose oxidase (GO) in order to provide a means of generating H2O2 were prepared. Leukocytes from patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) which are lacking a means of generating H2O2, ingested the IgG-coated liposomes and metabolic oxidative deficiencies of glucose-1-14C oxidation and iodination were normalized. Both of these activities have been shown to depend upon the availability of H2O2 within polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Improvement in the capacity to kill Staphylococcus aureus by chronic granulomatous disease leukocytes were observed under similar conditions. Thus, it is possible to restore the oxidative metabolic capacities to CGD leukocytes by the introduction of glucose oxidase containing liposomes to these cells.Speculation: It is possible to restore the oxidative metabolic capacities and to obtain moderate improvement in the bactericidal functions in vitro of CGD leukocytes by providing the cells ingestible liposomes containing GO. Further studies might define more efficient methods for introducing oxidase activity into these cells, or employing drugs that generate H2O2.
Impact of the Telecommunications Act 1996 on Local Telephone Service

Through the 1980s and the early 1990s, the U. S. telecommunications industry experienced rapid technological change, which failed to deliver expected cost reductions to users. In 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act 1996, which substantially deregulated the telecommunications industry with the intent of increased competition and increasing benefits to consumers. This paper examines the impact of the Telecommunications Act 1996 on local telephone markets. Key findings are that the Telecommunications Act 1996 reduced local residential and business monthly telephone rates and connection charges, reduced the cross subsidization of residential telephone customers by business telephone customers, increased the number of fixed line telephone connections, improved labour productivity in the fixed line and wireless segments and led to modest increases in entry in local telephone markets.
Effectiveness of relationship marketing bonding tactics in predicting customer share in the public sector school foodservice market

This research investigated the effects of private sector suppliers’ relationship bonding tactics (RBTs) on the behavior of public sector foodservice buyers, within the context of perceived business ethics that affected these relationships. The objectives were to: (a) examine RBTs used by food manufacturers selling to school foodservice administrators, (b) determine RBTs that predicted a larger share of school foodservice customers, (c) develop strategy suggestions for the frozen food manufacturing industry, and (d) contribute to the relationship marketing (RM) literature by proposing a new conceptual model that tested the effects of RBTs and key ethical variables on share of customer. Focus group data were used to identify key constructs and identify RBTs used by food manufacturers in the school foodservice market. Electronic questionnaires were sent to a random sample of school foodservice administrators (N=1,780), stratified by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) region. The online survey was completed by 685 of the 1,780 school administrators for a response rate of 38%. Analysis of a causal model showed that only equity and commitment significantly predicted the percentage of respondents’ total frozen food purchases. These results indicate that social bonding strategies may be the only viable RBTs used in foodservice buyer-seller relationships in the public sector. Considering the prominence of RM, more empirical research is needed to establish RM theory as it relates to marketing in the foodservice industry.
Airway distensibility in adults with asthma and healthy adults, measured by forced oscillation technique.

RATIONALE Reduced airway distensibility in subjects with asthma compared with control subjects may be related to differences in lung elastic recoil and bronchomotor tone. OBJECTIVES To examine the contribution of lung elastic recoil and bronchomotor tone to airway distensibility. METHODS We compared airway distensibility in 18 subjects with asthma with 19 control subjects before and after bronchodilator administration and, in a subgroup of 7 subjects with asthma and 8 control subjects, correlated distensibility with pressure-volume parameters. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Distensibility was measured, using the forced oscillation technique, as the linear slope of conductance versus volume between total lung capacity (TLC) and 75% TLC and between 75% TLC and FRC. Transpulmonary pressure was recorded concurrently with distensibility, using an esophageal balloon. Pressure-conductance data were described using linear regressions and pressure-volume data were described using exponential equations. Subjects with asthma had lower baseline FEV1 (p=0.0003) and conductance (p=0.002) than did control subjects. Distensibility above 75% TLC was less in subjects with asthma than in control subjects (p<0.0001), but there was no difference below 75% TLC. Bronchodilator administration did not alter distensibility despite increases in FEV1 (p=0.0002) and conductance (p<0.0001) in subjects with asthma, and conductance (p=0.0004) in control subjects. After bronchodilator administration, subjects with asthma had reduced lung elastic recoil compared with control subjects (p=0.03) and a reduced pressure-conductance slope (p=0.01), but there were no correlations between pressure-volume characteristics and airway distensibility. CONCLUSIONS Airway distensibility measured by forced oscillation technique is reduced in subjects with asthma compared with subjects without asthma, is not related to lung elastic recoil, and is unchanged by bronchodilator administration. Airway wall remodeling remains the most likely cause of reduced airway distensibility in asthma.
Study of characteristic modes analysis applied for antenna parameters optimizing

To efficiently optimize antenna parameters, we need to know more physical insight of antenna operating principles. The theory of characteristic modes is one of the best methods to help us penetratingly understand the antenna's operating principles. This paper is devoted to apply the theory of characteristic modes to provide an in-depth physical insight into the behavior of some proposed antennas and subsequently get desired input property or radiation property.
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Papulonodular Lesions of Skin: A Study of 50 Cases.

INTRODUCTION Skin is one of the frequent site of disease in human body. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is a safe diagnostic method in these cases. FNAC has some limitation, particularly related to representativity of samples, exact typing of skin adnexal tumours and classifying the nature of metastatic cutaneous nodules. Thus, FNAC alone may not give a confirmative diagnosis regarding few skin lesions. Hence, histopathological study has been the standard technique for the diagnosis of skin lesions. AIM To study the FNAC findings in various papulonodular lesions and to correlate them with histopathological findings wherever possible. MATERIALS AND METHODS In the present study, 50 cases of clinically diagnosed papulonodular lesions were evaluated by FNAC and correlated with histopathology wherever possible. RESULTS There was 100% correlation in cases of epidermal cyst, leprosy, tuberculosis, actinomycosis, acute and chronic inflammatory lesions and 67% accuracy was seen in adnexal tumours. Aspiration cytology along with radiological studies proved very useful in classifying the nature of metastatic cutaneous nodules and suggesting the possible site of unknown primary. Sensitivity of FNAC for epidermal cyst and inflammatory lesions was 100%. In case of adnexal tumours, sensitivity and specificity was 67% and 50% respectively. CONCLUSION FNAC is a rapid, efficient, cost effective, relatively painless procedure and produces a speedy result with high diagnostic accuracy. It has high rates of sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing papulonodular lesions of skin and hence, is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and management of patients with papulonodular skin lesions.
Uncertainty analysis in competitive bidding for service contracts

Sustainable production and consumption have become more important internationally, which has led to the transformation of market structures and competitive situations into the direction of servitisation. This means that manufacturing companies are forced to compete through the supply of services as opposed to products. Particularly the suppliers of long-life products such as submarines and airplanes no longer simply sell these products but provide their capability or availability. Companies such as Rolls-Royce Engines achieve 60% of their revenue through selling a service rather than the engine itself. For a manufacturing company, the shift towards being a service provider means that they usually have to bid for service contracts, sometimes competitively. In the context of competitive bidding, the decision makers face various uncertainties that influence their decision. Ignoring these uncertainties or their influences can result in problems such as the generation of too little profit or even a loss or the exposure to financial risks. Raising the decision maker’s awareness of the uncertainties in the form of e.g. a decision matrix, expressing the trade-off between the probability of winning the contract and the probability of making a profit, aims at integrating these factors in the decision process. The outcome is to enable the bidding company to make a more informed decision. This was the focus of the research presented in this thesis. The aim of this research was to support the pricing decision by defining a process for modelling the influencing uncertainties and including them in a decision matrix depicting the trade-off between the probability of winning the contract and the probability of making a profit. Three empirical studies are described and the associated decision process and influencing uncertainties are discussed. Based on these studies, a conceptual framework was defined which depicts the influencing factors on a pricing decision at the bidding stage and the uncertainties within these. The framework was validated with a case study in contract bidding where the uncertainties were modelled and included in a decision matrix depicting the probability of winning the contract and the probability of making a profit. The main contributions of this research are the identification of the uncertainties influencing a pricing decision, the depiction of these in a conceptual framework, a method for ascertaining how to model these uncertainties and assessing the use of such an approach via an industrial case study.
Mechanics Analyses of Boxer ' s Fracture

Boxer’s fracture is one of the most common sports injuries. It localizes specifically in some positions of the fifth metacarpal bone of the hand. Experimental and analytical studies have been carried out in this project in order to investigate the issue thoroughly. In the experiment phase, a typical fifth metacarpal bone has been tested using a test setup that includes the proper constraints and loads with different orientations. Three-dimensional finite element modeling of the fifth metacarpal bone in the context of the whole hand has been performed to determine the causes of such fracture. In light of results of the experimental and numerical studies, potential reasons that may contribute to the boxer’s fracture will be provided. The outcomes of this work may not only help to avoid this kind of fracture, but also assist surgeons to find more effective ways of treatments.
Federating Diverse Collections of Scientific Literature

The Digital Library Initiative (DLI) project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is developing the information infrastructure to effectively search technical documents on the Internet. The authors are constructing a large testbed of scientific literature, evaluating its effectiveness under significant use, and researching enhanced search technology. They are building repositories (organized collections) of indexed multiple-source collections and federating (merging and mapping) them by searching the material via multiple views of a single virtual collection. Developing widely usable Web technology is also a key goal. Improving Web search beyond full-text retrieval will require using document structure in the short term and document semantics in the long term. Their testbed efforts concentrate on journal articles from the scientific literature, with structure specified by the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). Research efforts extract semantics from documents using the scalable technology of concept spaces based on context frequency. They then merge these efforts with traditional library indexing to provide a single Internet interface to indexes of multiple repositories.
Isolation and characterization of phosphonoacetic acid-resistant mutants of human cytomegalovirus

Mutants of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) that were 6- to 13-fold more resistant to phosphonoacetic acid than the wild-type HCMV (Towne) were isolated. Extracts from mycoplasma-free, mutant-infected cells had phosphonoacetate-resistant DNA polymerase activity in vitro. This strongly suggests that the selected mutations are in the HCMV DNA polymerase genes of these viruses.
The Role of the Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Tankyrase1 in Telomere Length Control by the TRF1 Component of the Shelterin Complex*

Tankyrase1 is a multifunctional poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase that can localize to telomeres through its interaction with the shelterin component TRF1. Tankyrase1 poly(ADP-ribosyl)ates TRF1 in vitro, and its nuclear overexpression leads to loss of TRF1 and telomere elongation, suggesting that tankyrase1 is a positive regulator of telomere length. In agreement with this proposal, we show that tankyrase1 RNA interference results in telomere shortening proportional to the level of knockdown. Furthermore, we show that a tankyrase1-resistant form of TRF1 enforced normal telomere length control, indicating that tankyrase1 is not required downstream of TRF1 in this pathway. Thus, in human cells, tankyrase1 appears to act upstream of TRF1, promoting telomere elongation through the removal of TRF1. This pathway appears absent from mouse cells. We show that murine TRF1, which lacks the canonical tankyrase1-binding site, is not a substrate for tankyrase1 poly(ADP-ribosyl)sylation in vitro. Furthermore, overexpression of tankyrase1 in mouse nuclei did not remove TRF1 from telomeres and had no detectable effect on other components of mouse shelterin. We propose that the tankyrase1-controlled telomere extension is a human-specific elaboration that allows additional control over telomere length in telomerase positive cells.
Antidepressants: too many choices?

Until 1981, the treatment of depression was straightforward. With specific exceptions (1,2) the starting point was always a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). If that was not effective, either an MAOI (second choice in the US) or ECT (second choice in Great Britain) was used. If none of these treatments were effective, the patient might be labelled as "treatment-resistant" and combinations or unconventional remedies might be tried (3,4), none of which were very helpful. However, "treatment-resistance" was probably as much a result of the underuse of existing drugs as it was an actual resistance to treatment (5,6). Trazodone was introduced in Canada in 1982. While it's documentation is positive (7), the initial clinical impression was that it was not particularly potent, but was ideal for use by general practitioners because of its relative safety. In 1990, its clinical profile was still not completely known (8). Fluoxetine became available in Canada in January 1989, and its popular acclaim needs no documentation. Its clinical efficacy is well supported (9); though in specific cases, doses smaller or larger than the recommended 20 mg may be required (10). We will learn much more about fluoxetine's strengths and limitations over the next few years. Buspirone became available in 1990. Its sole approved indication is anxiety (11). However, there is evidence that it is effective for depression as well (12). At the Ontario Medical Association convention in June 1990, Louis Fabre stated, in effect, that various combinations of fluoxetine, trazodone and buspirone either constituted, or soon would constitute, the drugs of choice for the typical depressed patient. He felt that both TCA and MAOI drugs were approaching obsolescence. In addition to new drugs, older drugs are also being used in new ways. Lithium augmentation of tricylics (13) or MAOIs (14) and thyroid augmentation of tricyclics (15) are recommended where the drug alone fails, or where an immediate result is vital. Choosing a drug for the initial treatment of depression is therefore not a simple matter. Indeed, this article argues that there is currently no single drug of choice. To some extent, this assertion is not new. For example, 15 years ago, tricyclic
CD45 specifically modulates binding of Lck to a phosphopeptide encompassing the negative regulatory tyrosine of Lck.

CD45 is a tyrosine phosphatase expressed in all hematopoietic cells which is important for signal transduction through the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). Studies using CD45‐deficient cells have revealed that Lck, a tyrosine kinase thought to be essential for TCR signaling, is hyperphosphorylated on Y505 in the absence of CD45. This site of tyrosine phosphorylation negatively regulates the function of the Src family of kinases. Here we provide evidence that CD45 can modulate the binding of the Lck to an 11 amino acid tyrosine phosphorylated peptide containing the carboxy‐terminus of Lck (lckP). Significantly, CD45 did not influence the binding of Fyn, PLC gamma 1, GAP and Vav to the same phosphopeptide. Lck protein which bound the peptide was dephosphorylated on Y505 and consisted of only 5–10% of the total cellular Lck. Interestingly, there was a marked increase in binding 15–30 min after CD4 or TCR cross‐linking. Taken together, our data suggest that CD45 specifically modulates the conformation of Lck in a manner consistent with the intramolecular model of regulation of Src‐like kinases.
An evaluation of .06 tapered gutta-percha cones for filling of .06 taper prepared curved root canals.

AIM To compare the area occupied by gutta-percha, sealer, or void in standardized . 06 tapered prepared simulated curved canals and in mesio-buccal canals of extracted maxillary first molars filled with a single . 06 gutta-percha point and sealer or lateral condensation of multiple . 02 gutta-percha points and sealer. METHODOLOGY Simulated canals in resin blocks with either a 30 degrees curve and radius of 10.5 mm (n = 20) or a 58 degrees curve and 4.7 mm radius (n = 20) and curved mesio-buccal canals of extracted maxillary first molars (n = 20) were prepared using . 06 ProFiles in a variable tip crown-down sequence to an apical size 35 at 0.5 mm from the canal terminus or apical foramen. Ten 30 degrees and 58 degrees curved resin canals and 10 canals in the extracted teeth group were obturated with . 02 taper gutta-percha cones and AH 26 sealer using lateral condensation. The time required to obturate was recorded. The remaining canals were obturated with a single . 06 taper gutta-percha cone and AH 26 sealer. Excess gutta-percha was removed from the specimens using heat and the warm mass vertically condensed. Horizontal sections were cut at 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 7.5 and 11.5 mm from the canal terminus or apical foramen. Colour photographs were taken using an Olympus 35 mm camera attached to a stereomicroscope set at x40 magnification, and then digitized using a flatbed scanner. The cross-sectional area of the canal contents was analysed using Adobe PhotoShop. The percentage of gutta-percha, sealer or voids to the total root canal area were derived and data analysed using unpaired Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS In the 30 degrees curved canals the levels had between 94 and 100% of the area filled with gutta-percha with no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the lateral condensation and single cone techniques. In the 58 degrees curved canals the levels had 92-99% of the area filled with gutta-percha, with the single cone technique having significantly (P < 0.05) more gutta-percha fill at the 2.5 mm level only. In the mesio-buccal canals of the teeth the levels had between 72 and 96% of the area filled with gutta-percha with no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the lateral condensation and single cone technique. The time for obturation was significantly (P < 0.05) greater for lateral condensation compared with the single cone technique in all groups. CONCLUSIONS The . 06 taper single cone technique was comparable with lateral condensation in the amount of gutta-percha occupying a prepared . 06 tapered canal. The . 06 single cone technique was faster than lateral condensation.
Perspective of tunnel-FET for future low-power technology nodes

Tunnel-FETs (TFETs) promise a subthreshold swing (SS) smaller than 60mV/dec and are considered as interesting candidates to replace MOSFET in future low-power technology nodes. The road ahead is challenging, with large discrepancy between experiment and prediction, the latter showing extremely promising performance for heterostructure TFET at small supply voltage Vdd. This paper starts with a calibration of the band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) models. It then discusses architecture and material optimizations, highlights the differences between n-TFET and p-TFET, and focuses on unexplored material aspects, like the decrease of dielectric constant with confinement. Parasitic effects are briefly touched upon, with trap-assisted tunneling (TAT) being the most challenging TFET parasitic to overcome. A new metric, VTAT, is defined to capture the TAT impact.
Post concussion syndrome

Individuals sustaining mild traumatic brain injuries often report a constellation of physical, cognitive, and emotional/behavioral symptoms referred to as post concussion symptoms (PCS). The most commonly reported post concussion symptoms are headache, dizziness, decreased concentration, memory problems, irritability, fatigue, visual disturbances, sensitivity to noise, judgment problems, depression, and anxiety. Although these PCS often resolve within one month, in some individuals PCS can persist from months to years following injury and may even be permanent and cause disability. When this cluster of PCS is persistent in nature, it is often called the post concussion syndrome or persistent PCS. Both physiological and psychological etiologies have been suggested as causes for persistent post concussion symptoms and this has led to much controversy and debate in the literature. Most investigators now believe that a variety of pre-morbid, injury-related, and post-morbid neuropathological and psychological factors contribute to the development and continuation of these symptoms in those sustaining mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).
Quantity at Expense of Quality? Measuring the Effects of Technological M&A on Innovation and Firm Performance

This study examines the effects of technological mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on post-deal innovation and firm performance. We argue that technological M&A lead to an increase of the innovation output in terms of patent counts while non-technological deals do not. By using the novel matching estimators and propensity score methods in order to take in consideration the endogeneity bias in the sample, we better capture the differences between technological and non-technological M&A. Our empirical results showed that firms engaged in technological M&A had lower innovation performance -- in comparison to firms involved in non-technological deals -- as reflected by a statistically significant decrease of the average quality of the inventive output, captured by citation-based patent analysis.