Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VALORACIÓN DE PROYECTOS DE INVERSIÓN EN PLANTAS QUÍMICAS MEDIANTE EL USO DE OPCIONES REALES «SWITCH».APLICACIÓN A UNA INTEGRACIÓN VERTICAL EN UNA UNIDAD DE PRODUCCIÓN DE ÁCIDO SULFÚRICO

Las operaciones industriales que requieren la compra de materias primas con una importante volatilidad de precios, plantean frecuentemente la alternativa de una produccion autonoma de alguna de esas materias primas a un coste menor que el precio de compra. El uso de opciones reales se nos presenta como una alternativa conveniente a la clasica valoracion por descuento de flujos de caja futuros, expresados estos como los ahorros en cada periodo debido a la diferencia entre precio de compra y coste de produccion. En efecto, la volatilidad del precio de algunas materias primas, hace muy poco fiable la estimacion de los ahorros en el futuro a fin de evaluar la rentabilidad de la inversion en una planta de autoabastecimiento. En la practica industrial, ademas, en los periodos en que el precio del mercado vuelve a caer, se dejara la planta parada para abastecer la materia prima desde el mercado, de modo que el uso de opciones reales tiene pleno sentido. Palabras clave : Opciones reales, analisis de inversiones, proyectos de plantas de quimica industrial.
The revised CONSORT statement: honing the cutting edge of the randomized controlled trial.

A revision of the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement is being published this week in major medical journals.1 Although randomized controlled trials provide our best evidence of the relative efficacy of competing treatments, they are not without controversy. Sometimes debate can help further our understanding; however, debate that springs from confusion about what actually took place in a trial constitutes a diversion of intellectual resources that could be better spent elsewhere. Such debates can generate considerable heat to produce relatively little light. The revised CONSORT statement is designed to help minimize such confusion and promote clarity in reporting the methods and results of randomized controlled trials.
Implications of New Colorectal Cancer Screening Technologies for Primary Care Practice

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces the risk of CRC mortality but is currently not well utilized, with adherence only 50% in the eligible U.S. population and rates that lag behind those for breast and cervical cancer. The primary care physician has the pivotal role of facilitating patient adherence to CRC screening by informed choice of the screening tests, follow up of positive tests, and coordination of medical resources when diagnostic intervention is required. Consequently, the primary care setting is where significant improvements can be made in CRC screening adherence. This article provides a summary of the newer CRC screening technologies that can be used by primary care physicians in shared decision making with their patients. There are now multiple CRC screening tests which vary in their ability to detect the different stages in the adenoma to carcinoma sequence. Current guidelines of the Multi-Society (Gastroenterology) Task Force (1997, 2003, 2006, 2008), the American Cancer Society (2001, 2003, 2007, 2008), and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (2002) recommend a menu of CRC screening options, including fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) (Hemoccult II, Hemoccult SENSA, fecal immunochemical tests (FIT)), double contrast barium enema (DCBE), flexible sigmoidoscopy with or without annual FOBT’s, and colonoscopy. In this report, we assess the options of fecal immunochemical tests, colonoscopy, CT-colonography (CTC or virtual colonoscopy), and fecal DNA tests. The tests are discussed with respect to the evidence in support of their use and within the context of how they could be managed and implemented in primary care practice. Primary care physicians will want to understand the tradeoffs among accuracy, costs, and patient preferences for the current and emerging CRC tests.
Muscle glycogen during prolonged severe exercise.

10 well trained and 10 untrained subjects worked to complete exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer with work loads averaging 77 (76–87) per cent of their individual maximal aerobic power. Determinations of glycogen used by working muscles (biopsy of lateral portion of the quadriceps femoris muscles) and of combusted carbohydrate (Vo2 and RQ) were performed at certain intervals from the start of work to exhaustion. At a combustion rate of about 3 g carbohydrate per minute (RQ around 0.9 or higher) and at average values for glycogen in resting muscle of 1.6 (1.1–2.5)g/100 wet muscle, the effective work time was around 85 min for the untrained and 90 min for the trained subjects. At the end of the exhaustive exercise the glycogen content averaged 0.06 g in the untrained and 0.12 g/100 g wet muscle in the trained subjects. A close relationship between utilized glycogen and combusted carbohydrate was found, and it seems highly probable that at high relative workloads primarily the glycogen stores in the exercising muscles will limit the capacity for prolonged strenuous work.
Memory mechanisms of active transcription during cell division

The developmental programs of eukaryotic organisms involve the programmed transcription of genes. A characteristic gene expression pattern is established and preserved in each different cell type. Therefore, gene activation at a particular time and its maintenance during cell division are significant for cellular differentiation and individual development. Although many studies have sought to explain the molecular mechanisms of gene expression regulation, the mechanism through which gene expression states are inherited during cell division has not been fully elucidated yet. This review illustrates the general principles and the complexities involved in the establishment and maintenance of active transcription through cell cycles. It focuses on the most‐recent findings about the ways in which molecular memory marks for active transcription are coordinated with cell cycle events, such as replication, mitosis and nuclear organization, to mediate transcription memory across cell division events, which may establish a unifying memory process of active transcription. BioEssays 27:1239–1245, 2005. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Research of large current from a composited cold cathode with different spacer gaps

Fabrication and testing process is as follows: firstly, Ag electrode is printed on the silicon substrate with a screen-printing method, 4 hours should be taken for barking at 550 °C. In the second step, cold cathode emitter should be prepared by the combination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and ZnO's slurry at a certain proportion. With the same screen-printing method, we print the composite emitter on the Ag electrode; 3 hours should be taken for barking at 300 °C, the shape of this emitter is a circle with a diameter of 4mm. Finally, we put the cold cathode into a vacuum chamber, and the field-emission performance is measured under pressure of 3x10-4 Pa with a simply diode structure. By changing different cathode-anode gaps, we get several sets of data.
In vitro antifungal activities and in vivo efficacies of 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthesis inhibitors L-671,329, L-646,991, tetrahydroechinocandin B, and L-687,781, a papulacandin

The in vivo anti-Candida activities of 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthesis inhibitors L-671,329, L-646,991 (cilofungin), L-687,901 (tetrahydroechinocandin B), and L-687,781 (a papulacandin analog) were evaluated by utilizing a murine model of disseminated candidiasis that has enhanced susceptibility to Candida albicans but increased sensitivity for discriminating antifungal efficacy. DBA/2 mice were challenged intravenously with 1 x 10(4) to 5 x 10(4) CFU of C. albicans MY1055 per mouse. Compounds were administered intraperitoneally at concentrations ranging from 1.25 to 10 mg/kg of body weight twice daily for 4 days. At 6 h and 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 days after challenge, five mice per group were sacrificed and their kidneys were homogenized and plated for enumeration of Candida organisms (CFU per gram). Progressiveness of response trends and no-statistical-significance-of-trend doses were derived to rank compound efficacy. 1,3-beta-D-Glucan synthesis 50% inhibitory concentrations were determined by using a C. albicans (MY1208) membrane glucan assay. Candida and Cryptococcus neoformans MICs and minimal fungicidal concentrations were determined by broth microdilution. L-671,329, L-646,991, L-687,901, and L-687,781 showed similar 1,3-beta-D-glucan activities, with 50% inhibitory concentrations of 0.64, 1.30, 0.85, and 0.16 micrograms/ml, respectively. Data from in vitro antifungal susceptibility studies showed that L-671,329, L-646,991, and L-687,901 had similar MICs ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 micrograms/ml, while L-687,781 showed slightly higher MICs of 1.0 to 2.0 micrograms/ml for C. albicans MY1055. Lipopeptide compounds were ineffective against C. neoformans strains.Results from in vivo experiments comparing significant trend and progressiveness in response analyses indicated that L-671,329 and L-646,991 were equipotent but slightly less active than L-687-901, while L-687,781 was ineffective at 10 mg/kg. Fungicidal activities of L-671,329, L-646,991, and L-687,901 were observed in vivo, with significant reduction in Candida CFU per gram of kidneys compared with those in sham-treated mice at doses of > or = 2.5 mg/kg evident as early as 1 day after challenge.
Épidémiologie des tumeurs neuroendocrines digestives : la situation en France

Il existe peu de donnees disponibles concernant l’incidence et les facteurs pronostiques des tumeurs neuroendocrines (TNE) digestives malignes en France. Les TNE sont rares et representent environ 1 % des cancers digestifs. En France, l’incidence des TNE digestives malignes est estimee dans le registre bourguignon a 1,1/100 000 chez l’homme et 0,9/100 000 chez la femme. L’incidence augmente au cours du temps et depasse probablement les 1 000 nouveaux cas par an en France. Du fait de leur longue survie, les TNE constituent, apres le cancer colorectal, le cancer digestif dont la prevalence est la plus elevee. La plupart des TNE sont bien differenciees ; les carcinomes neuroendocrines peu differencies representent moins de 20 % des TNE digestives. Parmi les TNE bien differenciees, les localisations les plus frequentes sont l’intestin grele et le pancreas. Les TNE fonctionnelles sont rares (< 20 %) ; les plus frequentes sont les tumeurs carcinoides, les insulinomes et les gastrinomes. Plus de la moitie des TNE sont diagnostiquees au stade metastatique, principalement au niveau hepatique. Le degre de differenciation, le grade histologique, la localisation du primitif et le stade sont les principaux facteurs pronostiques. Les taux de survie relative a cinq ans etaient de 4,5 % pour les tumeurs peu differenciees contre plus de 55 % pour les TNE bien differenciees.
Does Reducing CT Artifacts from Dental Implants Influence the PET Interpretation in PET/CT Studies of Oral Cancer and Head and Neck Cancer?

In patients with oral head and neck cancer, the presence of metallic dental implants produces streak artifacts in the CT images. These artifacts negate the utility of CT for the spatial localization of PET findings and may propagate through the CT-based attenuation correction into the PET images. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of an algorithm that reduces metallic artifacts in CT images and the impact of this approach on the quantification of PET images. Methods: Fifty-one patients with and 9 without dental implants underwent a PET/CT study. CT images through the patient's dental implants were reconstructed using both standard CT reconstruction and an algorithm that reduces metallic artifacts. Attenuation correction factors were calculated from both sets of CT images and applied to the PET data. The CT images were evaluated for any reduction of the artifacts. The PET images were assessed for any quantitative change introduced by metallic artifact reduction. Results: For each reconstruction, 2 regions of interest were defined in areas where the standard CT reconstruction overestimated the Hounsfield units (HU), 2 were defined in underestimated areas, and 1 was defined in a region unaffected by the artifacts. The 5 regions of interest were transferred to the other 3 reconstructions. Mean HU or mean Bq/cm3 were obtained for all regions. In the CT reconstructions, metallic artifact reduction decreased the overestimated HUs by approximately 60% and increased the underestimated HUs by approximately 90%. There was no change in quantification in the PET images between the 2 algorithms (Spearman coefficient of rank correlation, 0.99). Although the distribution of attenuation (HU) changed considerably in the CT images, the distribution of activity did not change in the PET images. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the algorithm can enhance the structural and spatial content of CT images in the presence of metallic artifacts. The CT artifacts do not propagate through the CT-based attenuation correction into the PET images, confirming the robustness of CT-based attenuation correction in the presence of metallic artifacts. The study also demonstrated that considerable changes in CT images do not change the PET images.
Developmental and Hormonal Regulation of Transforming Growth Factor-α and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Expression in Isolated Prostatic Epithelial and Stromal Cells.

Androgen has an important role in development of the prostate, and the actions of androgen are mediated, in part, by locally produced growth factors. These growth factors are postulated to mediate stromal-epithelial interaction in the prostate to maintain normal tissue physiology. Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is one of the growth factors that can stimulate prostatic growth. The expression of TGF-alpha is thought to be regulated by androgen. The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is the receptor of TGF-alpha and EGF, also may be regulated by androgen. The hormonal and developmental regulation of TGF-alpha and EGFR messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in isolated epithelial and stromal cells from rat ventral prostate was investigated. The expression of mRNA for TGF-alpha and EGFR was analyzed by a quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) procedure developed. Observations from this assay demonstrated that both epithelial and stromal cells expressed the mRNA for TGF-alpha and EGFR. TGF-alpha mRNA expression was constant during postnatal, pubertal, and adult development of the prostate. EGFR mRNA expression was elevated at the midpubertal period and decreased with age. After castration of 60-day-old adult rats, both TGF-alpha and EGFR mRNA were significantly enhanced. TGF-alpha mRNA expression was stimulated by EGF in stromal cells (4.5-fold increase) but was not changed by any treatment in epithelial cells. EGFR mRNA levels were stimulated by EGF and keratinocyte growth factor treatment and inhibited by testosterone treatment in epithelial cells. Stromal cell EGFR mRNA levels were not affected by any treatment. Both testosterone and EGF stimulated incorporation of 3H-thymidine into prostatic stromal and epithelial cells. Anti-TGF-alpha antibody significantly inhibited testosterone-stimulated 3H-thymidine incorporation into stromal cells and epithelial cells. Immunocytochemical localization of TGF-alpha and EGFR demonstrated expression on the luminal surface of epithelial cells within prostatic ducts, and minimal expression was observed in stromal cells. Results indicate that testosterone does not directly regulate TGF-alpha mRNA levels but does inhibit EGFR mRNA levels. Interestingly, anti TGF-alpha antibody suppressed the effect of testosterone on 3H-thymidine incorporation into prostatic stromal and epithelial cells. This finding suggests that testosterone may act indirectly on prostatic cells to influence TGF-alpha actions. TGF-alpha mRNA levels were influenced by EGF in stromal cells only, and EGFR mRNA levels were influenced by testosterone, EGF, and keratinocyte growth factor in epithelial cells. These observations suggest that regulation of TGF-alpha and EGFR is distinct between the cell types. In conclusion, a network of hormonally controlled growth factor-mediated stromal-epithelial interactions is needed to maintain prostate development and function.
High Rates of Clustering of Strains Causing Tuberculosis in Harare, Zimbabwe: a Molecular Epidemiological Study

ABSTRACT We examined the pattern of tuberculosis (TB) transmission (i.e., reactivation versus recent transmission) and the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Harare, Zimbabwe. Consecutive adult smear-positive pulmonary TB patients presenting to an urban hospital in Harare were enrolled. A detailed epidemiological questionnaire was completed, and tests for HIV type 1 and CD4 cell counts were performed for each patient. Molecular fingerprinting of the genomic DNA recovered from cultures of sputum was performed by two molecular typing methods: spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) and analysis of variable number of tandem DNA repeats (VNTRs). A cluster was defined as isolates from two or more patients that shared the same spoligotype pattern or the same VNTR pattern, or both. DNA suitable for typing was recovered from 224 patients. The prevalence of HIV infection was 79%. Of 187 patient isolates (78.6%) typed by both spoligotyping and analysis of VNTRs, 147 were identified as part of a cluster by both methods. By spoligotyping alone, 84.1% of patient isolates were grouped into 20 clusters. The cluster size was generally <8 patient isolates, although three large clusters comprised 68, 25, and 23 patient isolates. A total of 89.4% of the patient isolates grouped into 12 clusters defined by analysis of VNTRs, with 2 large clusters consisting of 127 and 13 patient isolates, respectively. Thirty-six percent of patient isolates with a shared spoligotype and 17% with a shared VNTR pattern were geographically linked within Harare, but they were not linked on the basis of the patient's home district. In a multivariate analysis, there were no independent predictors of clustering, including HIV infection status. Comparison with the International Spoligotype database (Pasteur Institute, Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe) demonstrated that our three largest spoligotype clusters are well recognized and ubiquitous in Africa. In this epidemiologically well characterized urban population with a high prevalence of HIV infection, we identified a very high level of strain clustering, indicating substantial ongoing recent TB transmission. Geographic linkage could be detected in a proportion of these clusters. A small group of actively circulating strains accounted for most of the cases of TB transmission.
TIL 2.0: More effective and predictive T‐cell products by enrichment for defined antigen specificities

Adoptive transfer of in vitro‐expanded T cells derived from tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in melanoma patients started the era of tumor immunotherapy three decades ago. The approach has demonstrated remarkable clinical responses in several studies since. Reinfusion of TIL‐derived T cells represents a highly personalized form of immunotherapy, taking into account the enormous interindividual tumor heterogeneity. However, despite its successes, TIL therapy does not lead to objective clinical responses in all cases. It is thus crucial to find out which tumor antigens are particularly valuable targets and to develop strategies to enhance the reactivity of T‐cell products toward them. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Kelderman et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2016. 46: 1351–1360] present a platform for the generation of antigen‐specific TIL therapy. Combining recently developed technologies for clinical identification and enrichment of antigen‐specific CD8+ T cells, such as MHC Streptamers and UV‐mediated peptide exchange, the authors could enrich T‐cell populations with defined antigen specificities from melanoma‐derived TILs. This T‐cell product showed higher reactivity against autologous tumor cell lines than bulk TIL‐derived T cells. The novel platform might enable the generation of more effective and predictable TIL‐derived T‐cell products for future clinical applications.
Promoting the Formation of an Active Synthetase/tRNA Complex by a Nonspecific tRNA-binding Domain*

Previous studies showed that valyl-tRNA synthetase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains an N-terminal polypeptide extension of 97 residues, which is absent from its bacterial relatives, but is conserved in its mammalian homologues. We showed herein that this appended domain and its human counterpart are both nonspecific tRNA-binding domains (Kd ∼ 0.5 μm). Deletion of the appended domain from the yeast enzyme severely impaired its tRNA binding, aminoacylation, and complementation activities. This N-domain-deleted yeast valyl-tRNA synthetase mutant could be rescued by fusion of the equivalent domain from its human homologue. Moreover, fusion of the N-domain of the yeast enzyme or its human counterpart to Escherichia coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase enabled the otherwise “inactive” prokaryotic enzyme to function as a yeast enzyme in vivo. Different from the native yeast enzyme, which showed different affinities toward mixed tRNA populations, the fusion enzyme exhibited similar binding affinities for all yeast tRNAs. These results not only underscore the significance of nonspecific tRNA binding in aminoacylation, but also provide insights into the mechanism of the formation of aminoacyl-tRNAs.
Giant granules of neutrophils in Chediak‐Higashi syndrome are derived from azurophil granules but not from specific and gelatinase granules

The abnormal giant granules of Chediak‐Higashi syndrome (CHS) neutrophils in humans are thought to be derived from both azurophil and specific granules, whereas the presence of gelatinase granules and their contribution to giant granule formation has not been investigated previously. We have examined the ultrastructure and mobilization of neutrophil granules from a patient with CHS by immunogold electron microscopy and exocytosis experiments of isolated leukocytes. The giant granules contained the azurophil granule components myeloperoxidase and CD63. We found no evidence of involvement of specific or gelatinase granules in the formation of giant granules because lactoferrin and gelatinase were contained in normal‐appearing peroxidase‐negative granules. On stimulation of leukocytes with N‐formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl‐phenylalanine and the calcium ionophore, ionomycin, there was a diminished exocytosis of myeloperoxidase in CHS compared with a healthy control, indicating a lack of mobilization of the giant granules. On the other hand, there was a normal or augmented release of lactoferrin and gelatinase in CHS neutrophils, with gelatinase granules being the most easily mobilized, as known from normal neutrophils. In conclusion, giant granules from CHS neutrophils originate from azurophil granules but not from the specific and gelatinase granules. J. Leukoc. Biol. 64: 72–77; 1998.