Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Software-assisted dosimetry in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with 177Lutetium-DOTATATE for various imaging scenarios

In peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of patients with neuroendocrine neoplasias (NENs), intratherapeutic dosimetry is mandatory for organs at risk (e.g. kidneys) and tumours. We evaluated commercial dosimetry software (Dosimetry Toolkit) using varying imaging scenarios, based on planar and/or tomographic data, regarding the differences in calculated organ/tumour doses and the use for clinical routines. A total of 16 consecutive patients with NENs treated by PRRT with 177Lu-DOTATATE were retrospectively analysed. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/low-dose computed tomography (CT) of the thorax and abdomen and whole body (WB) scintigraphy were acquired up to 7 days p.i. (at a maximum of five imaging time points). Different dosimetric scenarios were evaluated: (1) a multi-SPECT-CT scenario using SPECT/CT only; (2) a planar scenario using WB scintigraphy only; and (3) a hybrid scenario using WB scintigraphy in combination with a single SPECT/low-dose CT. Absorbed doses for the kidneys, liver, spleen, lungs, bladder wall and tumours were calculated and compared for the three different scenarios. The mean absorbed dose for the kidneys estimated by the multi-SPECT-CT, the planar and the hybrid scenario was 0.5 ± 0.2 Sv GBq-1, 0.8 ± 0.4 Sv GBq-1 and 0.6 ± 0.3 Sv GBq-1, respectively. The absorbed dose for the residual organs was estimated higher by the planar scenario compared to the multi-SPECT-CT or hybrid scenario. The mean absorbed tumour doses were 2.6 ± 1.5 Gy GBq-1 for the multi-SPECT-CT, 3.1 ± 2.2 Gy GBq-1 for the hybrid scenario and 5.3 ± 6.3 Gy GBq-1 for the planar scenario. SPECT-based dosimetry methods determined significantly lower kidney doses than the WB scintigraphy-based method. Dosimetry based completely on SPECT data is time-consuming and tedious. Approaches combining SPECT/CT and WB scintigraphy have the potential to ensure compromise between accuracy and user-friendliness.
The emergence of the identity of a fictional expert advice-giver in an American Internet advice column

Abstract This paper is a contribution to research on the expression of expert advice-giving (e.g., Heritage and Sefi 1992; Silverman et al. 1992). We present a linguistic analysis of the ways in which the identity of the fictional expert advisor Lucy emerges in an Internet advice column run by professional health educators as part of a university health service. In discourse-analytical close readings of 280 question–answer records, we identify and discuss seven recurring strategies (the advisor's name, self-reference and use of address terms; expert information-giving; giving options and making readers think; the choice of vocabulary; offering opinions; the use of empathy; the display of humor), which together contribute to Lucy's voice as an expert advice-giver if the readers repeatedly access the question–answer exchanges. This emerging identity is in line with the site's mission to provide information designed to facilitate independent and responsible decision processes and corresponds to an ideal of nondirectiveness, as also identified in the literature on other advisory settings (He 1994; Sarangi and Clarke 2002; Vehviläinen 2003). The constructed identity of Lucy thus makes ‘Lucy Answers’ an attractive site to (re)turn to for advice and complements the other services provided by the health educators.
Changes in Tear Protein Pattern after Photorefractive Keratectomy

Purpose Changes in tear protein composition of patients who underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) were analyzed. Methods Tear samples were obtained from 23 eyes of 23 patients immediately before PRK and on the fourth postoperative day with glass capillaries. Tear proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Digital image analysis and evaluation of the densitometric data of the electrophoretic separations were done with BioDoc-Analyze. Results Analysis of discriminance found a significant difference in the protein patterns (p<0.001). This type of analysis of the electrophoretic densitographs uses all peak information simultaneously. A significant decrease (p<0.005) in three of the main protein peaks – lactoferrin, immunoglobulin A heavy chain, and lysozyme – was also found after PRK. Conclusions Excimer laser ablation of the cornea has an acute effect on lacrimal gland protein secretion. Changes in tear composition may lead to feelings of dryness and to a decrease in tear film stability postoperatively.
Reasons for alcohol use in young adulthood: validation of a three-dimensional measure.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reliability and validity of a measure of reasons for use, which is based on a cognitive mediational view of alcohol use as a means for affect regulation. METHOD Data for this study were obtained from the Rutgers Health and Human Development Project. Self-reports of young men and women aged 25 to 31 years (N = 1,176; 598 women) were used to obtain measures of reasons for use, coping use, sex-enhancing use, use intensity and use problems. Regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to assess a hypothesized model of relationships between these variables. RESULTS Factor analysis of 33 reasons for use yielded three hypothesized dimensions: social reasons, disinhibition reasons and suppression reasons. Although moderately correlated with each other, they exhibited distinct relationships with other use variables. Increases in social reasons were related to decelerating increases in use intensity, but increases in disinhibition and suppression reasons were associated with accelerating increases in use intensity Social reasons did not relate to use problems, whereas suppression reasons were strongly related to use problems even when controlling for use intensity. CONCLUSIONS Suppression reasons not only motivate reactive coping use in response to the appraisal of stressful situations, they are also likely to instigate "prophylactic" or proactive coping use in anticipation of the possible occurrence of stressors, thereby blunting the emotional impact of encounters that would otherwise have been appraised as stressful and aversive.
Attachment of Agrobacteria to Grape Cells

The presence of the Ti plasmid favorably influences the attachment of agrobacteria to grape callus cells, especially during the early stages of a 2-h incubation. Agrobacterium strains attached to a similar extent to both the crown gall-resistant cultivar (Catawba), Vitis labruscana, and the crown gall-susceptible cultivar (Chancellor), Vitis sp. Attachment of the virulent strain to grape callus cells is blocked by the avirulent strain HLB-2 in both the tissue culture cell suspension and the seedling root systems.
Complex version of high performance computing LINPACK benchmark (HPL)

This paper describes our effort to enhance the performance of the AORSA fusion energy simulation program through the use of high‐performance LINPACK (HPL) benchmark, commonly used in ranking the top 500 supercomputers. The algorithm used by HPL, enhanced by a set of tuning options, is more effective than that found in the ScaLAPACK library. Retrofitting these algorithms, such as look‐ahead processing of pivot elements, into ScaLAPACK is considered as a major undertaking. Moreover, HPL is configured as a benchmark, but only for real‐valued coefficients. We therefore developed software to convert HPL for use within an application program that generates complex coefficient linear systems. Although HPL is not normally perceived as a part of an application, our results show that the modified HPL software brings a significant increase in the performance of the solver when simulating the highest resolution experiments thus far configured, achieving 87.5 TFLOPS on over 20 000 processors on the Cray XT4. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lysosomal cholesterol accumulation: driver on the road to inflammation during atherosclerosis and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis

Many studies show an association between the accumulation of cholesterol inside lysosomes and the progression towards inflammatory disease states that are closely related to obesity. While in the past, the knowledge regarding lysosomal cholesterol accumulation was limited to its association with plaque severity during atherosclerosis, recently, a growing body of evidence indicates a causal link between lysosomal cholesterol accumulation and inflammation. These findings make lysosomal cholesterol accumulation an important target for intervention in metabolic diseases that are characterized by the presence of an inflammatory response. In this review, we aim to show the importance of cholesterol trapping inside lysosomes to the development of inflammation by focusing upon cardiovascular disease and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in particular. We summarize current data supporting the hypothesis that lysosomal cholesterol accumulation plays a key role in the development of inflammation during atherosclerosis and NASH. In addition, potential mechanisms by which disturbed lysosomal function can trigger the inflammatory response, the challenges in improving cholesterol trafficking in macrophages and recent successful research directions will be discussed.
[Clinical characteristics and ALB gene mutation analysis of Korean patients with bisalbuminemia].

BACKGROUND Bisalbuminemia is a hereditary or an acquired condition characterized by the presence of 2 albumin variants with different mobilities on serum protein electrophoresis (SPE). The clinical significance of bisalbuminemia has not been clearly established. However, some regions of the albumin variant may affect the biochemical analysis of biomolecules such as steroid or thyroid hormones by altering their albumin-binding affinities. In this study, we analyzed the clinical manifestations, genetic variations, and the albumin-binding characteristics in Korean patients with bisalbuminemia. METHODS We performed SPE for samples from 580 Korean subjects and identified bisalbuminemia on the basis of the results of SPE. The clinical and biochemical characteristics, ALB gene mutations, and the structures of the albumin variants of patients with bisalbuminemia were analyzed. RESULTS SPE showed bisalbuminemia in 2 patients. One patient showed a genetic variation known as Nagasaki-1 (Asp293Gly) and the other showed a hitherto unreported missense mutation (c.593A>T; Lys198Ile). In both cases, the serum concentrations of the substances with binding affinity for albumin were not affected, and the mutation sites of the albumin were not located with the protein-binding loci. CONCLUSIONS The 2 Korean patients with bisalbuminemia showed genetic variations, including a novel missense mutation. The ALB gene analysis with 3D modeling is useful for determining the nature of bisalbuminemia and for predicting the effects on the albumin-binding affinity of other biochemical compounds.
Vino Veritas ” — But what , in Truth , is in the Bottle ? Experience Goods , Fine Wine Ratings , and Wine Knowledge

Fine wines challenge the consumer to know them and form a meaningful willingness to pay (WTP) for them. Recognizing the challenge to the wine consumer’s knowledge of what she is buying, researchers have turned to Nelson’s (1970) idea of “experience goods”—goods that must be “experienced” before they can be accurately evaluated—and measured the relationship between price and measures of quality such as expert opinion as vicarious experience: if unable to know the wine before buying it, consumers use such information to guide their WTP. However, while this information may influence WTP, it does little to improve the consumer’s knowledge: the evidence of correlation is weak. This paper questions whether fine wine is an experience good and whether it can be known vicariously through expert ratings. The idea that one can know a type of fine wine by buying one—like knowing a refrigerator by buying one as suggested by Nelson—seems misplaced, and the experience of others is of limited value. The paper considers and critiques the kinds of information available to the wine consumer, especially experts’ opinions, as well as other factors that complicate the consumer’s knowing what s/he will find in the bottle. The paper closes with a re-characterization of the consumer’s wine purchase decision.
Practical bipartite synchronization on coupled identical linear systems with antagonistic interactions and time-varying topologies

This paper studies synchronization problem of a network of identical linear systems with antagonistic interactions and time-varying topologies. Assume that the communication graph can be switched among a set of signed graphs, and the following cases may occur: (1) the agents of each signed graph can be divided into two hostile camps, but the members of hostile camps are different; (2) some signed graphs cannot be divided into two hostile camps. We use perturbed analysis to obtain some sufficient conditions for practical bipartite synchronization. Finally, we present a numerical example to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Effect of age at seroconversion on the natural AIDS incubation distribution

ObjectiveTo estimate the age-specific relative risk of progression from HIV seroconversion to onset of AIDS in hemophiliacs and homosexual men. DesignProspective follow-up data from HIV seroconversion to AIDS was analyzed for hemophiliacs in the Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study and for homosexual men in the International Registry of Seroconverters. Follow-up was censored at 1 July 1987 to obtain natural history estimates unaffected by therapies that were widely used after this date. The age-specific relative hazard of progression was estimated using nonparametric proportional hazards models and the baseline hazard function was described using spline models. ResultsAmong the 373 children and adults with hemophilia and the 1020 adult homosexual men, each 10-year increment in age at seroconversion was associated with a 1.6− and 1.4-fold increase in the hazard of progression, respectively. The effect of age was highly significant among hemophiliacs. The magnitude of the effect was consistent in different cohorts of homosexual men, although it was not nominally significant. Furthermore, there was a significant increase (1.9-fold higher) in progression rates among homosexual men above rather than below 35 years of age at seroconversion. After adjusting for age, progression rates among hemophiliacs were significantly slower, possibly because Kaposi's sarcoma was rare. In both groups, the annual hazard rate increased during the first 5 years after seroconversion, but broad confidence limits prevented us from establishing hazard trends beyond this time. ConclusionsEstimates of the aggregate incubation time distribution were substantially shorter in older compared with younger individuals. The increasing risk with age was similar in hemophiliacs and homosexual men, suggesting that age is an endogenous host factor. These findings can be incorporated into newly developed backcalculation models to estimate HIV infection incidence by age group from age-specific AIDS surveillance data.
Nurses' Communication of Safety Events to Nursing Home Residents and Families.

Although communication is an essential part of the nursing process, nurses have little to no formal education in how to best communicate patient safety event (PSE) information to nursing home (NH) residents and their family members. The current mixed-methods study tested an intervention aimed at educating nurses on how to communicate a PSE to residents/family members using a structured communication tool. Nurse participants improved their knowledge of PSE communication, especially about the cause of the event, what they would say to the resident/family member, and future prevention of the PSE. Through qualitative subgroup analysis, an increased number of empathic statements were noted post-intervention. The tool tested in this study provides structure to an important care process that is necessary for improving the culture of safety in NH settings. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(2), 25-32. ].
Holistic use of analysis models in model-based system testing

Nowadays software testing techniques have to fulfill the requirements of growing complexity of evolving software systems. To handle the requirements current research is strongly interested in the field of model-based testing (MBT). While MBT is becoming the next generation of testing, using it in practice at the system test level two main problems arise: missing use of analysis models for testing purposes and low internal quality (as completeness, understandability, analysability or traceability) of automatically generated test artefacts. Those problems arise in the context of the model-driven development, when several interrelated modelling viewpoints of an analysis model (e.g. structure, behaviour and interaction) are not used while generating a test model. Such a holistic view on all viewpoints is needed to ensure the testability of the analysis model and to generate highquality test artefacts from it. Therefore, a holistic usage of analysis models in functional model-based system testing is missing. In order to tackle the mentioned problems, we introduce a novel model-based test specification process. It consist of four steps, which result in automatically generated high quality test cases. In the first two steps a test model is automatically generated from a manually annotated analysis model. Afterwards, the test model has to be manually reviewed and extended with test data. In the last step concrete test cases are automatically generated. In our approach we use the meta-models of a representative analysis model from an industry research project and the customized meta-model of the UML Testing Profile. The whole approach is prototypically implemented and an experiment providing empirical evidence for the improvement of the internal test quality and improvement of the modelling effort is conducted.
The influence of VIP and epoprostenol on platelet CD62P expression and primary haemostasis in vitro

Human vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and epoprostenol (prostacyclin) have vasodilatative effects in the pulmonary circulation. Both VIP and epoprostenol are successfully used to treat pulmonary hypertension in humans and experimental animal models. The positive effects of epoprostenol on the course of this disease are achieved through vasodilatation and inhibitory effects on platelet activity. Since VIP also binds specifically to platelets, we compared the in vitro effects of VIP and epoprostenol on platelet P-Selectin (CD62P) expression and primary haemostasis. Anti-aggregative effects of VIP (10−6 mol and 10−8 mol) and epoprostenol (50, 5 and 0.5 ng/ml) on platelets were determined by agonist-induced CD62P expression and in vitro bleeding time (PFA-100™ system). Blood from healthy individuals was either incubated with epoprostenol, VIP or saline control and was analysed by whole blood flow cytometry and the PFA-100™. Prior to flow cytometric analysis, the platelets were stimulated with either arachidonic acid (AA) or adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Whole blood flow cytometry analysis showed that epoprostenol inhibited dose-dependently agonist-induced CD62P expression, whereas VIP did not inhibit CD62P expression. PFA analysis revealed substantial closure time prolongation by epoprostenol and again no effects of VIP. These results indicate that VIP, in contrast to epoprostenol, has no effect on platelet CD62P expression and primary haemostasis.
Structural propensities in the heme binding region of apocytochrome b5. I. Free peptides

The water‐soluble domain of rat microsomal cytochrome b5 is a small globular hemoprotein. Under native conditions, the apoprotein consists of a well‐folded hydrophobic core and a 42‐residue loop, which is substantially disordered in solution. Association with the heme cofactor causes the loop to organize into a second well‐folded hydrophobic core encompassing four short helices, H2‐H5. Of these, H3 and H4 are recognized as intrinsically disordered by algorithms that analyze primary structures for folding propensities. Three peptides, spanning H2‐H5, H2‐H3, and H4‐H5, were designed, synthesized, and characterized to identify local structural preferences in the isolated loop. In addition, two replacements (D60R and N57P, which are known to stabilize holocytochrome b5) were introduced individually in the H4‐H5 peptide. Helical content measured by nuclear magnetic resonance and far‐UV circular dichroism spectroscopy in solutions of 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol revealed that H4 possessed a lower propensity to form the holoprotein structure than H3. Both replacements in H4 resulted in measurable changes in observed overall helical propensities. It was concluded that the prediction of intrinsic disorder was reliable. Furthermore, the stability of the holoprotein did not correlate simply with helical propensities in the disordered regions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 90: 544–555, 2008.
Rapidity-Dependent Jet Vetoes

Jet vetoes are a prominent part of the signal selection in various analyses at the LHC. We discuss jet vetoes for which the transverse momentum of a jet is weighted by a smooth function of the jet rapidity. With a suitable choice of the rapidity-weighting function, such jet-veto variables can be factorized and resummed allowing for precise theory predictions. They thus provide a complementary way to divide phase space into exclusive jet bins. In particular, they provide a natural and theoretically clean way to implement a tight veto on central jets with the veto constraint getting looser for jets at increasingly forward rapidities. We mainly focus our discussion on the 0-jet case in color-singlet processes, using Higgs production through gluon fusion as a concrete example. For one of our jet-veto variables we compare the resummed theory prediction at ${\mathrm{NLL}}^{\ensuremath{'}}+\mathrm{N}\mathrm{L}\mathrm{O}$ order with the recent differential cross-section measurement by the ATLAS experiment in the $H\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ channel, finding good agreement. We also propose that these jet-veto variables can be measured and tested against theory predictions in other Standard Model processes, such as Drell-Yan, diphoton, and weak diboson production.
Importance of host feeding for parasitoids that attack honeydew‐producing hosts

Insect parasitoids lay their eggs in arthropods. Some parasitoid species not only use their arthropod host for oviposition but also for feeding. Host feeding provides nutrients to the adult female parasitoid. However, in many species, host feeding destroys an opportunity to oviposit. For parasitoids that attack Homoptera, honeydew is a nutrient‐rich alternative that can be directly imbibed from the host anus without injuring the host. A recent study showed that feeding on host‐derived honeydew can be an advantageous alternative in terms of egg quantity and longevity. Here we explore the conditions under which destructive host feeding can provide an advantage over feeding on honeydew. For 5 days, Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitoids were allowed daily up to 3 h to oviposit until host feeding was attempted. Host feedings were either prevented or allowed and parasitoids had ad libitum access to honeydew between foraging bouts. Even in the presence of honeydew, parasitoids allowed to host feed laid more eggs per hour of foraging per host‐feeding attempt than parasitoids that were prevented from host feeding. The higher egg‐laying rate was not compromised by survival or by change in egg volume over time. In conclusion, host feeding can provide an advantage over feeding on honeydew. This applies most likely under conditions of high host density or low extrinsic mortality of adult parasitoids, when alternative food sources cannot supply enough nutrients to prevent egg limitation. We discuss how to integrate ecological and physiological studies on host‐feeding behavior