Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Costimulatory blockade with mTor inhibition abrogates effector T‐cell responses allowing regulatory T‐cell survival in renal transplantation

The advent of novel immunosuppressive strategies in renal transplantation, with immunomodulatory properties, might facilitate long‐term allograft survival. T‐cell depletion, costimulation‐blockade and mTor inhibition have been shown to favour anti‐donor hyporesponsiveness. Recently, the combination of rATG, belatacept (Bela) and sirolimus (SRL) has been used in kidney transplantation, showing very low incidence of acute rejection and excellent 12‐month graft and patient survival. Herein, we have analysed the 1‐year evolution of memory/effector and regulatory T cells and assessed the donor‐specific T‐cell alloimmune response in a group of these patients and compared with others treated with a calcineurin‐inhibitor(CNI)‐based (rATG/tacrolimus/MMF), and two other Bela‐based regimens (rATG/Bela/MMF and basiliximab/Bela/MMF/steroids). During the first year after transplantation, patients receiving rATG/Bela/SRL had significantly higher percentage of Tregs upon the memory T‐cell compartment and showed a potent anti‐donor suppressive activity. In an in vitro naive and memory/effector T‐cell co‐culture, the combination of costimulation‐blockade and SRL could abrogate both antigen‐specific T‐cell responses as efficiently as using a CNI drug. The combination of T‐cell depletion, costimulation‐blockade and mTor inhibition seems to be able to allow Treg survival and inhibit donor‐specific alloreactive effector immune responses after kidney transplantation in humans.
Intermolecular interactions in pi-stacked conjugated molecules. Synthesis, structure, and spectral characterization of alkyl bithiazole oligomers.

Syntheses are reported of new 4,4'-dialkyl-2,2'-bithiazole oligomers that have alkenoxy side chains that are capable of easy conversion to oligomers with functionalized side chains, e.g., terminally substituted hydroxy chains. The crystal structures of two representative oligomers (4,4',4' ',4' "-tetra-(2-propenoxymethyl)-2,2',5',5' ',2' ',2' "-quaterthiazole (3P2) and 4,4',4' ',4' "-tetra-(3-hydroxypropyloxymethyl)-2,2',5',5' ',2' ',2' "-quaterthiazole (3H2)) were determined; 3P2 crystallizes in a pi-stacked motif with two molecules per unit cell, whereas 3H2 forms pi-stacks that are linked with hydrogen bonds to form infinite two-dimensional sheets with one molecule per unit cell. A comparison of the UV-vis spectra of the compounds in solution and in the solid state provides unequivocal evidence for the presence of a Davydov splitting, W(D) approximately 0.2 eV, in solid 3P2. The spectra are interpreted in the framework of molecular exciton theory to extract a value of the intermolecular transfer integral, J approximately 0.2 eV, for a total exciton bandwidth of ca. 0.8 eV. Monte Carlo calculations were used to determine the density of states of the exciton band and the absorption and emission line shapes of the 0 <-- 0 transition. It is suggested that the "three-humped" absorption profile typical of partially crystalline, regioregular polymers is the "optical signature" of pi-stacking.
Antibacterial and antiviral activity of camel milk protective proteins

Summary Lysozyme (LZ), lactoferrin (LF), lactoperoxidase (LP), immunoglobulin G and secretory immunoglobulin A were extracted from camel milk. The activity of these protective proteins was assayed against Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and rotavirus. Comparative activities of egg white LZ, bovine LZ and bovine LF are also presented. The antibacterial activity spectrum of camel milk LZ was similar to that of egg white LZ, and differed from bovine milk LZ. Bovine and camel milk LF antibacterial activity spectra were similar. The camel milk LP was bacteriostatic against the Gram-positive strains and was bactericidal against Gram-negative cultures. The immunoglobulins had little effect against the bacteria but high titres of antibodies against rotavirus were found in camel milk. The LP system was ineffective against rotavirus.
Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation ( Sip ) in Term Newborn , its Possible Association with Toxoplasma Gondii Infection a Case Report

Spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) is common presentation in preterm very low birth weight newborn, but is said to be rare in term newborn which usually is sudden in presentation and rapid progression with poor outcome if not detected in time. The predisposing risk factors are prematurity, post natal steroids, use of indomethacin in Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and of recent, others have suggested infection by T. gondii. The main aim of the case report is to highlight the fact that spontaneous intestinal perforation even though rare do occur in term neonate and to remind the clinician to be on watch out for (SIP) because it is often misdiagnosed. It often mimick varied conditions in newborn including neonatal sepsis presenting as ileus. The common presentation is abdominal distension which usually corroborated by abdominal x-ray which shows pneumoperitoneum as evidence of intestinal perforation, usually following commencement of feed in a sick usually preterm very low birth weight newborn. The main stay of treatment in addition to broad spectrum antibiotics is surgery by laparotomy and primary closure of the perforation, even though others have suggested placement of primary peritoneal drainage (PPD).
Tumor markers in metastatic disease from cancer of unknown primary origin.

BACKGROUND About 5-10% of cancer patients suffer from cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Sophisticated diagnostic techniques have not improved diagnostic efficacy for these patients. The aim of our analysis was to evaluate serum levels of four tumor markers and to relate them to the histology, number, and sites of metastases, the response to chemotherapy, and survival. MATERIAL/METHODS Blood samples from 46 patients with CUP were assayed for CEA, CA 19-9, CA 15-3 and CA 125. Specific IMx tumor marker assays (Abbott) were used to measure tumor marker quantities. RESULTS No significant differences were detected between the mean levels of all markers for the two histological types (adenocarcinoma vs. undifferentiated carcinoma). The comparison of tumor marker values in patients with one metastatic location to those with two or more showed no significant differences. We found no differences in marker values between patients with disease sites in the thorax vs. those with abdominal metastases. The comparison of marker negative, CEA positive and non-CEA positive patients failed to reveal significant differences in response rate. The comparison of CEA positive and marker negative patients showed significant differences in survival (log-rank, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that patients with CUP have a nonspecific overexpression of serum tumor markers and that routine use of these markers does not offer diagnostic assistance. Nevertheless, the pattern of expression of some biological markers, such as CEA, could have prognostic significance for survival.
Method to improve the performance of the adaboost algorithm by combining weak classifiers

The weak classifier of AdaBoost algorithm is a central classification element that uses a single criterion separating positive and negative learning candidates. Finding the best criterion to separate two feature distributions influences learning capacity of the algorithm. A common way to classify the distributions is to use the mean value of the features. However, positive and negative distributions of Haar-like feature as an image descriptor are hard to classify by a single threshold. The poor classification ability of the single threshold also increases the number of boosting operations, and finally results in a poor classifier. This paper proposes a weak classifier that uses multiple criterions by adding the standard deviation (STD) of the positive candidate distribution with the conventional mean classifier: the positive distribution has low variation and the values are closer to the mean while the negative distribution has large variation and values are widely spread. The difference in the STD for the positive and negative distributions is used as an additional criterion. In the learning procedure, we use a new classifier that provides a better classifier between them by selective switching between the mean and standard deviation. We call this new type of combined classifier the ldquoMixed Weak Classifierrdquo. The proposed weak classifier is more robust than the mean classifier alone and decreases the number of boosting operations to be converged.
A Hybrid Approach for Efficient Unique Column Combination Discovery

: Unique column combinations (UCCs) are groups of attributes in relational datasets that contain no value-entry more than once. Hence, they indicate keys and serve data management tasks, such as schema normalization, data integration, and data cleansing. Because the unique column combinations of a particular dataset are usually unknown, UCC discovery algorithms have been proposed to ﬁnd them. All previous such discovery algorithms are, however, inapplicable to datasets of typical real-world size, e.g., datasets with more than 50 attributes and a million records. We present the hybrid discovery algorithm H Y UCC, which uses the same discovery techniques as the recently proposed functional dependency discovery algorithm H Y FD: A hybrid combination of fast approximation techniques and efﬁcient validation techniques. With it, the algorithm discovers all minimal unique column combinations in a given dataset. H Y UCC does not only outperform all existing approaches, it also scales to much larger datasets.
Nanocompuestos obtenidos mediante la polimerización radical controlada por trasferencia de átomo (ATRP)

Los nanocompuestos presentan caracteristicas idoneas en muchas areas de la ciencia y la industria, estas pueden ser modificadas utilizando polimeros sinteticos, en los Estados Unidos se producen cada ano por encima de 100 millones de libras de polimeros sinteticos, por lo que es de gran interes lograr obtener polimero controlados que puedan ser incorporados a naonocompuestos, se presenta en este trabajo la tecnica de polimerizacion radicalica controlada por transferencia de atomo ATRP, la cual sirve para la obtencion de polimeros bien definidos, ademas nos sirve para la incorporacion de nanoparticulas como los nanotubos de carbono, ha surgido gran interes por el estudio de estos naonocompuestos por sus aplicaciones en varias ramas de la ciencia como la medicina, la electronica y los biomateriales.
Phosphorus Management in End‐Stage Renal Disease

Chronic kidney disease is an important public health problem, with an increasing number of patients worldwide. One important outcome of renal failure is disordered mineral metabolism, most notably involving calcium and phosphorus balance. Of importance is that increased serum phosphorus levels are associated with increased mortality rates. Despite dietary restrictions, patients receiving dialysis invariably experience hyperphosphatemia and require treatment with phosphate binders. Existing phosphate binders are effective in reducing serum phosphorus levels, but are associated with a number of important disadvantages. Lanthanum carbonate, a new noncalcium, nonaluminum phosphate binder, represents a promising treatment for hyperphosphatemia.
Plasma 99th percentile reference limits for cardiac troponin and creatine kinase MB mass for use with European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology consensus recommendations.

BACKGROUND The European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology (ESC/ACC) consensus document for definition of myocardial infarction (MI) is predicated on increased cardiac troponin or creatine kinase (CK) MB mass above the 99th percentile reference limit. The purpose of this study was to determine the plasma (heparin) 99th percentile reference limits for the leading in vitro diagnostic cardiac troponin and CKMB mass assays. METHODS Blood (heparin plasma) was obtained from healthy adults (n = 696; age range, 18-84 years) stratified by gender and ethnicity. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and T (cTnT) and CKMB mass concentrations were measured by eight assays. Reference limits were determined by nonparametric statistical analysis. RESULTS Two cTnI assays demonstrated at least a 1.2- to 2.5-fold higher 99th percentile for males vs females, with the mean concentrations significantly higher for males (P <0.05). Two cTnI assays also demonstrated a 1.1- to 2.8-fold higher 99th percentile for blacks vs Caucasians, with the mean concentrations significantly higher for blacks (P = 0.05). There was a 13-fold variance between the lowest measured 99th percentile (0.06 microg/L) and the highest (0.8 microg/L). All CKMB assays demonstrated a 1.2- to 2.6-fold higher 99th percentile for males vs females, with mean concentrations significantly higher for males (P <0.0001). Four CKMB assays also showed significantly higher (1.2- to 2.7-fold) mean concentrations for blacks (P <0.02) vs Caucasians. CONCLUSIONS The heparin-plasma 99th percentile reference limits for cardiac troponin and CKMB mass provide an evidence base in support of the ESC, ACC, and American Heart Association guidelines for detection of myocardial injury. Selective gender and ethnic differences were demonstrated. These data allow clinicians, trialists, and epidemiologists a common point for operational use.
MAGNETIC FIELD ANALYSIS ON A NOVEL ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTUATOR FOR FLUID HANDLING APPLICATIONS

Abstract: This work presents a novel electromagnetic actuation concept that aims at the conversion of electromagnetic force into fluid power to enable gentle handling of biomedical fluids through circular microchannel. This concept is tested successfully on a mesoscale model and showed attractive concept suitable for microfluidic applications. In microtechnology, planar microcoils that offer enough magnetic forces suitable for actuation purposes are required. For this purpose, simple analytical expressions that estimate for the magnetic field intensity at different parameters (current, number of turns and gap between two neighbouring turns) in a planar spiral curved microcoil are developed.
Heterogeneous Data Fusion Algorithm for Pedestrian Navigation via Foot-Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit and Complementary Filter

This paper proposes a foot-mounted zero velocity update (ZVU) aided inertial measurement unit (IMU) filtering algorithm for pedestrian tracking in indoor environment. The algorithm outputs are the foot kinematic parameters that include foot orientation, position, velocity, acceleration, and gait phase. The foot motion filtering algorithm incorporates methods for orientation estimation, gait detection, and position estimation. A novel complementary filter is introduced to better preprocess the sensor data from a foot-mounted IMU containing triaxial angular rate sensors, accelerometers, and magnetometers and to estimate the foot orientation without resorting to global positioning system data. A gait detection is accomplished using a simple states detector that transitions between states based on acceleration and angular rate measurements. Once foot orientation is computed, position estimates are obtained using integrating acceleration and velocity data, which has been corrected at step stance phase for drift using an implemented ZVU algorithm, leading to a position accuracy improvement. We show our findings experimentally by using of a commercial IMU during regular human walking trials in a typical public building. Experiment results show that the positioning approach achieves approximately a position accuracy around 0.4% and improves the performance regarding recent works of literature.
Towards a New Challenge in TB Control: Development of Antibody-Based Protection

Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG), the only licensed vaccine against TB, has been shown to be effective in preventing meningeal and miliary TB in children. However, the efficacy of this vaccine in preventing adult pulmonary TB is questionable. Despite widespread vaccination with BCG, nearly 2 million people die each year from TB. Furthermore, the World Health Organization no longer recommends BCG vaccination of children with HIV or HIV-positive mothers due to safety concerns, leaving many infants without any protection against this disease. While drug therapies exist to combat TB infection, the implentation of suitable treatment is often difficult in the countries hardest hit by the disease and a fact complicated by the limited effectiveness of the current therapeutic schemes at treating drug resistant strains of TB [2-4].
Fatal false‐negative transfusion infection involving a buffy coat platelet pool contaminated with biofilm‐positive Staphylococcus epidermidis: a case report

Bacterial contamination of platelet concentrates (PCs) poses the major posttransfusion infectious risk in developed countries. The aerobic microorganism most frequently isolated from PCs is coagulase‐negative Staphylococcus epidermidis, a normal inhabitant of the human skin, which has been involved in fatal transfusion reactions worldwide.
Single-phase three-level transformer-less inverter for residential distributed generation

Single-phase voltage source inverters are commonly used for interfacing small distributed generation units to the grid. Requirement in terms of THD, reliability and power factor correction is getting tightening day by day, so it is necessary to implement efficient and reliable algorithms that are capable to adapt control parameters to the varying grid operating conditions, in order to assure low current distortion, as well high efficiency and reliability. This paper deals with the investigation of both configuration topology and control algorithm with the purpose of achieving high performance in terms of efficiency as well THD of the output current, despite the nonideal grid characteristics. The proposed inverter uses a second order generalized integrator based phase-locked loop, a single loop current control based on a grid frequency tuned proportional-resonant controller, and a damped output LC filter in cascade with a switching frequency tuned LC-series trap-filter.
Characterization of indoor sources of fine and ultrafine particles: a study conducted in a full-scale chamber.

UNLABELLED Humans and their activities are known to generate considerable amounts of particulate matter indoors. Some of the activities are cooking, smoking and cleaning. In this study 13 different particle sources were for the first time examined in a 32 m3 full-scale chamber with an air change rate of 1.7 +/- 0.1/h. Two different instruments, a condensation particle counter (CPC) and an optical particle counter (OPC) were used to quantitatively determine ultrafine and fine particle emissions, respectively. The CPC measures particles from 0.02 microm to larger than 1.0 microm. The OPC was adjusted to measure particle concentrations in eight fractions between 0.3 and 1.0 microm. The sources were cigarette side-stream smoke, pure wax candles, scented candles, a vacuum cleaner, an air-freshener spray, a flat iron (with and without steam) on a cotton sheet, electric radiators, an electric stove, a gas stove, and frying meat. The cigarette burning, frying meat, air freshener spray and gas stove showed a particle size distribution that changed over time towards larger particles. In most of the experiments the maximum concentration was reached within a few minutes. Typically, the increase of the particle concentration immediately after activation of the source was more rapid than the decay of the concentration observed after deactivation of the source. The highest observed concentration of ultrafine particles was approximately 241,000 particles/cm3 and originated from the combustion of pure wax candles. The weakest generation of ultrafine particles (1.17 x 10(7) particles per second) was observed when ironing without steam on a cotton sheet, which resulted in a concentration of 550 particles/cm3 in the chamber air. The highest generation rate (1.47 x 10(10) particles per second) was observed in the radiator test. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Humans and their activities are known to generate substantial amounts of particulate matter indoors and potentially they can have a strong influence on short-term exposure. In this study a quantitative determination of the emissions of fine and ultrafine particles from different indoor sources was performed. The aim is a better understanding of the origin and fate of indoor particles. The results may be useful for Indoor Air Quality models.
Beauveria bassiana as a Pathogen of the Mexican Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract Bioassays were carried out under controlled conditions (27 ± 2°C, 80 ± 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 12:12 [L:D] h) to evaluate the effect of eight strains of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana upon larvae, pupae, and adult females of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew). Mortality of the immature stages was low, 2–8% in larvae and 0% in pupae. However, very high levels of mortality were obtained for adult flies, with values of 100, 98, and 98% for the strains Bb16, Bb24, and Bb 26, respectively. LC50 values for these three strains ranged from 3.12 × 106 to 9.07 × 106 conidia/ml. Lethal time 50 (LT50) was 2.8, 3.7, and 4.2 d for Bb16, Bb26, and Bb24 strains, respectively, with an average LT50 of 4.4 d across all strains. The fungal mycelium emerged through the soft parts of the exoskeleton, such as the wing bases, mouth, intersegmental regions of the legs, and membranous regions of the abdomen, coxae, and neck. Maximum percentage sporulation ranged from 66.4 to 74.7% for the three most virulent strains.
Two epochs in the development of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic neurons in the ferret thalamus.

These studies chart the development of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic neurons in the three divisions of the thalamus (ventral thalamus, dorsal thalamus, and epithalamus). GABAergic neurons were identified by in situ hybridization to localize mRNA for 67-kDa glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD(67)) and related to the morphological maturation of the thalamus in fetal and postnatal brains and to expression of transcription factors Gbx-2 and Tbr-1. Origins of GABAergic neurons were sought in in vitro slice preparations incubated in bromodeoxyuridine or injected with a carbocyanine dye. GABA neurons of ventral thalamus (reticular nucleus, ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, zona incerta, and nucleus of the fields of Forel) and of epithalamus appear at least 14 days before those intrinsic to dorsal thalamus. Ventral thalamus GABA cells are derived from a region connecting the ventricular zone of the third ventricle to the caudal ganglionic eminence. This region is delimited ventrally by the Tbr-1-expressing prethalamic eminence and dorsally by the Gbx-2-expressing part of the dorsal thalamus. GABA neurons of epithalamus are derived from the embryonic pretectum. Neurons continue to be added to the ventral thalamus, perireticular nucleus, entopeduncular nucleus, and substantia nigra from the ganglionic eminence as development proceeds. GAD(67)-expressing cells of dorsal thalamus become detectable only at birth and populate the thalamus from posterior to anterior over the first week of life. Although a very small number reaches the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus from the caudal ganglionic eminence, there is no obvious new source of proliferating neurons at this stage. Intrinsic GABA cells of dorsal thalamus may, therefore, derive from an early generated population of cells that turns on a GABAergic phenotype only late in development.