Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paclitaxel and vinorelbine in anthracycline-pretreated breast cancer: a phase II study.

BACKGROUND Paclitaxel and vinorelbine are active in advanced breast cancer pretreated with anthracyclines We therefore conducted a phase II study to define the toxicity and activity of paclitaxel and vinorelbine administered in combination. PATIENTS AND METHODS Our patient population consisted of 37 patients with metastatic breast cancer, 35 of whom had received prior chemotherapy including anthracyclines. The treatment regimen included vinorelbine (25 mg/m2 i.v.) followed by paclitaxel (135 mg/m2 i.v. as a 3-hour infusion) on day 1; vinorelbine was repeated on day 8 in the first 14 patients and on day 3 in the remaining 23 patients. RESULTS Because of grade 4 neutropenia, the second dose of vinorelbine was reduced or omitted in 88% of the courses on the days 1 and 8 schedule and in 48% of the courses on the days 1 and 3 schedule. As a consequence the administered dose intensity of vinorelbine was significantly higher on the days 1 and 3 schedule (13 mg/m2/wk versus 8.3 mg/m2/ wk, P = 0.005). The overall response rate was 38% (95% CI: 22-55); four responses have been observed in the ten patients with absolute anthracycline resistance. The median duration of response was 6.5 months. CONCLUSIONS The combination of paclitaxel and vinorelbine is a feasible and active salvage regimen in advanced breast cancer patients pretreated with anthracyclines.
Seasonal influences on childhood lead exposure.

We conducted a study to examine seasonal changes in residential dust lead content and its relationship to blood lead in preschool children. We collected blood and dust samples (floors, windowsills, and carpets) to assess lead exposure. The geometric mean blood lead concentrations are 10.77 and 7.66 microg/dL for the defined hot and cold periods, respectively (p < 0.05). Lead loading (milligrams per square meter) is the measure derived from floor and windowsill wipe samples that is most correlated with blood lead concentration, whereas lead concentration (micrograms per gram) is the best variable derived from carpet vacuum samples. The variation of dust lead levels for these three dust variables (floor lead loading, windowsill lead loading, and carpet lead concentration) are consistent with the variation of blood lead levels, showing the highest levels in the hottest months of the year, June, July, and August. The regression analysis, including the three representative dust variables in the equations to predict blood lead concentration, suggests that the seasonality of blood lead levels in children is related to the seasonal distributions of dust lead in the home. In addition, the outdoor activity patterns indicate that children are likely to contact high leaded street dust or soil during longer outdoor play periods in summer. Consequently, our results show that children appear to receive the highest dust lead exposure indoors and outdoors during the summer, when they have the highest blood lead levels. We conclude that at least some of the seasonal variation in blood lead levels in children is probably due to increased exposure to lead in dust and soil. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2
Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Organic Acids on Performance, Intestinal Histomorphology, and Serum Biochemistry of Broiler Chicken

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of organic acids on the performance, intestinal histomorphology, and blood biochemistry of broiler chicken. The birds in the control (T1) group were fed the basal diet whereas in other treatment groups basal diet was supplemented with 2% butyric acid (T2), 3% butyric acid (T4), 2% fumaric acid (T4), 3% fumaric acid (T5), 2% lactic acid (T6), and 3% lactic acid (T7). Broiler chicken fed diets supplemented with organic acids had significantly (P < .05) improved body weight gains and feed conversion ratio. No effect (P < .05) on cumulative feed consumption was observed. The addition of organic increased villus height in the small intestines but the differences were not significant (P < .05) in case of the ileum. Serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations were increased (P < .05) but no effect (P < .05) on the concentration of serum glucose and cholesterol, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), and serum glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) was observed. The results indicated that the organic acid supplementation, irrespective of type and level of acid used, had a beneficial effect on the performance of broiler chicken.
Value of one-view breast tomosynthesis versus two-view mammography in diagnostic workup of women with clinical signs and symptoms and in women recalled from screening.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to compare the diagnostic value of one-view digital breast tomosynthesis versus two-view full-field digital mammography (FFDM) alone, and versus a combined reading of both modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS The datasets of one-view digital breast tomosynthesis and two-view FFDM of abnormal mammograms in 144 consecutive women admitted for diagnostic workup with clinical signs and symptoms (n = 78) or recalled from screening (n = 66) were read alone and in a combined setting. The malignant or benign nature of the lesions was established by histologic analysis of biopsied lesions or by 12-16-month follow-up. RESULTS Eighty-six of the 144 patients were found to have breast cancer. The BI-RADS categories for one-view digital breast tomosynthesis were significantly better than those for two-view FFDM (p < 0.001) and were equal to those of the combined reading in both women admitted for diagnostic workup and women recalled from screening. The sensitivity and negative predictive values of digital breast tomosynthesis were superior to those of FFDM in fatty and dense breasts overall and in women admitted for diagnostic workup and in women recalled from screening. Only 11% of digital breast tomosynthesis examinations required additional imaging, compared with 23% of FFDMs. CONCLUSION In patients with abnormal mammograms, one-view digital breast tomosynthesis had better sensitivity and negative predictive value than did FFDM in patients with fatty and dense breasts. They also suggest that digital breast tomosynthesis would likely increase the predictive values if incorporated in routine screening.
Selective intracellular accumulation of the major metabolite issued from the activation of the prodrug ethionamide in mycobacteria.

BACKGROUND Ethionamide is one of the most widely used drugs for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Like isoniazid, and pyrazinamide, ethionamide is a prodrug that needs to be activated by a mycobacterial enzyme. Activation pathways of prodrugs are generally problematic to uncover as they produce intermediates potentially difficult to characterize, to purify and that might prove unstable outside of their cellular context. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS We have used high resolution magic angle spinning-NMR (HRMAS-NMR) to follow ethionamide activation directly within living mycobacterial cells. RESULTS Data indicated that the intracellular metabolization of ethionamide strictly depends on the presence of the monooxygenase EthA and that EthA-dependent activation of ethionamide is coupled to a precise molecular sorting mechanism of the ethionamide metabolites. We found that the previously identified ethionamide metabolite 2-ethyl-4-hydroxymethylpyridine is produced in substantial amounts by the ethionamide-treated mycobacteria and that it is present exclusively outside of the bacteria. In contrast, the still unidentified ethionamide metabolite ETH* is the only ethionamide derivative detected within the bacterial cell. Moreover, ETH* appears to be unable to cross the bacterial envelope and consequently accumulates within the cytoplasm of the ethionamide-treated mycobacteria. CONCLUSIONS These results strongly suggest that ETH* is the active antimycobacterial ethionamide derivative and open new perspectives for the understanding of the mode of action of prodrugs.
Telomerase inhibition, telomere shortening, and senescence of cancer cells by tea catechins.

Animal in vivo studies and human epidemiological observations indicated potent anticancer effects for tea. Here we demonstrate that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major tea catechin, strongly and directly inhibits telomerase, an enzyme essential for unlocking the proliferative capacity of cancer cells by maintaining the tips of their chromosomes. Telomerase inhibition was elaborated in a cell-free system (cell extract) as well as in living cells. In addition, the continued growth of two representative human cancer cell lines, U937 monoblastoid leukemia cells and HT29 colon adenocarcinoma cells, in the presence of nontoxic concentrations of EGCG showed life span limitations accompanied with telomere shortening, chromosomal abnormalities, and expression of the senescence-associated beta-galactosidase. It is suggested that telomerase inhibition could be one of the major mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects of tea.
Cloning and Characterization of Multiple RNA Splicing Variants of LDH-C Gene in Human and Rat

The expression of LDH-C (Lactate dehydrogenase C) gene is restricted in mature germ cells; however multiple splice variants of LDH-C expressed in human cancers and yak normal testes were reported recently. In order to know if there are any LDH-C splice variants in human normal testes, we set out to clone the putative variants in human and rat. Four splicing variants in human testes, 1 splicing variant in human spermatozoa, 6 splicing variants in rat testes and 1 splicing variant in rat non-testes tissues (liver, heart and muscle) were cloned. The putative polypeptides encoded by these variants were compared with the full-length LDH-C protein, the results showed that these putative polypeptides were truncated LDH-C proteins or truncated LDH-C proteins with a few amino acid residues different at N or C terminal. This suggested that these variants are possibly not used for translation, but targets of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Western blotting did not detect any bands with similar molecular weight as the putative polypeptides. RT-PCR showed that the expression levels of the splicing variants were significant during development of rat testes. The results indicate that LDH-C was not silenced by transcriptional repression in non-mature germ cells, but significantly transcripted and alternatively spliced.
Song year prediction using Apache Spark

In this paper, we aim to predict the year in which a particular song was officially released. Listeners often have particular affection for music from certain periods of their lives (such as high school), thus, the predicted release year of a song could be a useful basis for recommendation. Furthermore, a successful model of the variation in music characteristics, through the years, could throw light on the long-term evolution of popular music. In our study, different machine learning algorithms available in the Apache Spark Machine Learning library (MLlib) are applied on a sample of Million Song Dataset (MSD). Different learning algorithms were applied for training and prediction purpose. Also, the training times are compared for single and multinode cluster environment using Apache Spark.
Embedded contours extraction for high-speed scene dynamics based on a neuromorphic temporal contrast vision sensor

The paper presents a compact vision system for efficient contours extraction in high-speed applications. By exploiting the ultra high temporal resolution and the sparse representation of the sensorpsilas data in reacting to scene dynamics, the system fosters efficient embedded computer vision for ultra high-speed applications. The results reported in this paper show the sensor output quality for a wide range of object velocity (5-40 m/s), and demonstrate the object data volume independence from the velocity as well as the steadiness of the object quality. The influence of object velocity on high-performance embedded computer vision is also discussed.
Cognitive Attributes of Adequate and Inadequate Responders to Reading Intervention in Middle School

Abstract. No studies have investigated the cognitive attributes of middle school students who are adequate and inadequate responders to Tier 2 reading intervention. We compared students in Grades 6 and 7 representing groups of adequate responders (n = 77) and inadequate responders who fell below criteria in (a) comprehension (n = 54); (b) fluency (n = 45); and (c) decoding, fluency, and comprehension (DFC; n = 45). These students received measures of phonological awareness, listening comprehension, rapid naming, processing speed, verbal knowledge, and nonverbal reasoning. Multivariate comparisons showed a significant Group-by-Task interaction: the comprehension-impaired group demonstrated primary difficulties with verbal knowledge and listening comprehension, the DFC group with phonological awareness, and the fluency-impaired group with phonological awareness and rapid naming. A series of regression models investigating whether responder status explained unique variation in cognitive skills yielded largely null results consistent with a continuum of severity associated with level of reading impairment, with no evidence for qualitative differences in the cognitive attributes of adequate and inadequate responders.
Drive for Muscularity and Social Physique Anxiety Mediate the Perceived Ideal Physique Muscle Dysmorphia Relationship

Abstract Thomas, A, Tod, DA, Edwards, CJ, and McGuigan, MR. Drive for muscularity and social physique anxiety mediate the perceived ideal physique muscle dysmorphia relationship. J Strength Cond Res 28(12): 3508–3514, 2014—This study examined the mediating role of drive for muscularity and social physique anxiety (SPA) in the perceived muscular male ideal physique and muscle dysmorphia relationship in weight training men. Men (N = 146, mean ± SD; age, 22.8 ± 5.0 years; weight, 82.0 ± 11.1 kg; height, 1.80 ± 0.07 m; body mass index, 25.1 ± 3.0) who participated in weight training completed validated questionnaires measuring drive for muscularity, SPA, perceived muscular male ideal physique, global muscle dysmorphia, and several characteristics of muscle dysmorphia (exercise dependence, diet manipulation, concerns about size/symmetry, physique protection behavior, and supplementation). Perceived ideal physique was an independent predictor of muscle dysmorphia measures except physique protection (coefficients = 0.113–0.149, p ⩽ 0.05). Perceived ideal physique also predicted muscle dysmorphia characteristics (except physique protection and diet) through the indirect drive for muscularity pathway (coefficients = 0.055–0.116, p ⩽ 0.05). Perceived ideal physique also predicted size/symmetry concerns and physique protection through the indirect drive for muscularity and SPA pathway (coefficients = 0.080–0.025, p ⩽ 0.05). These results extend current research by providing insights into the way correlates of muscle dysmorphia interact to predict the condition. The results also highlight signs (e.g., anxiety about muscularity) that strength and conditioning coaches can use to identify at-risk people who may benefit from being referred for psychological assistance.
Evaluation of 111In-pentetreotide, 131I-MIBG and bone scintigraphy in the detection and clinical management of bone metastases in carcinoid disease

Bone metastases are assumed to be rare in carcinoid disease and to be associated mainly with bronchial primaries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ocurrence of bone metastases in patients with metastatic carcinoid tumours, and the role of various nuclear medicine modalities (bone scintigraphy, 111In-pentetreotide and 131I-MIBG) in its detection and clinical management. Nine (2 women, 7 men, median age 65 years) out of 86 consecutive carcinoid patients treated between 1987 and 1998 developed bone metastases (10%) with a median interval of 37 months between the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoid and bone metastases. Seven of them had non-bronchial primaries. 111In-pentetreotide scintigraphy failed to detect the bone lesions in 50% of the cases, and 131I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine(MIBG) scintigraphy in almost 80% of cases. Standard bone scintigraphy, however, was positive in all. Pain relief of bone metastases by means of radiation therapy was obtained in 5 of 6 patients. In another patient palliation of pain symptoms was obtained with Rhenium-186-hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate. Octreotide, Interferon of MIBG were ineffective for this purpose. It is concluded that bone metastases in carcinoid patients may be missed on 131I-MIBG and 111In-Pentetreotide scintigraphy. Bone scintigraphy is a sensitive imaging technique. Diagnostic nuclear medicine modalities may be helpful in the clinical management of carcinoid disease.
Analysis and design of low power radix-4 FFT processor using pipelined architecture

Fast Fourier Transform is an elevated form of Discrete Fourier Transform which is much simpler, effective, and faster with lesser number of computations has dominated in various fields. As the gate length of CMOS is going deeper and deeper into Ultra Deep Sub-Micron (UDSM) the leakage power which was negligible before is tending towards the dynamic power range, increasing the requirement of low power devices. This paper presents several low power techniques like sign swap, sub expression elimination along with several area reduction techniques like “In Place” addressing, single butterfly element per stage using the pipelined architecture. In this paper pipelined architecture with low power techniques is implemented on both radix-2 and radix-4 FFT processor and compared. Results shows that pipelined Radix-4 FFT consumes 11% less power compared to radix-2 FFT for 16 point implementation.
Risk-sensitive decision making via constrained expected returns

Decision making based on Markov decision processes (MDPs) is an emerging research area as MDPs provide a convenient formalism to learn an optimal behavior in terms of a given reward. In many applications there are critical states that might harm the agent or the environment and should therefore be avoided. In practice, those states are often simply penalized with a negative reward where the penalty is set in a trial-and-error approach. For this reason, we propose a modification of the well-known value iteration algorithm that guarantees that critical states are visited with a pre-set probability only. Since this leads to an infeasible problem, we investigate the effect of nonlinear and linear approximations and discuss the effects. Two examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Linguistic minorities and modernity : a sociolinguistic ethnography

Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Chapter 1: The Transformation of Linguistic Minorities 1. The voyage: language, identity and hyper-modernity 1.1 The 'voyageurs' 1.2 Linguistic minorities 2. Language and nationalism 3. A sociolinguistic ethnography 4. L'Ecole Champlain 5. The structure of the book Chapter 2: 'L'Unite dans la diversite' 1. Introduction 2. 1968: Schooling and minority language rights 3. The consequences of mobilization 4. Champlain and the politics of equity (1991-1994) 5. Champlain's 25th anniversary celebrations Chapter 3: Norms and Contradictions 1. Introduction 2. The social organization of linguistic monitoring 3. The construction and management of a monolingual ideal 4. 'La qualite de la langue' 5. Normativity and strategic ambiguity Chapter 4: Being Bilingual 1. Playing the game 2. Luc, Luke and Sandra 3. Bilingual rule 4. 'Les Quebecois' 5. 'Je ne comprenais rien' 6. Conclusion Chapter 5: Girls and Boys 1. Gender and public space 2. Studs and Juliettes 3. Ways in and ways out 4. The 'Nerds' 5. Conclusion Chapter 6: Periphery to Centre 1. Voices from the margins 2. The phat boy 3. A View from Africa 4. Music and consciousness 5. The Angels 6. A hip-hop school Chapter 7: The Distribution of Linguistic Capital 7.1 L'Ecole Champlain and the politics of identity 7.2 Bilingualism, language norms and social selection 7.3 Discourse at school and other sites Bibliography Author Index Subject Index
Negative Family Food Experiences, Ethnic Identity, and Disordered Eating in African-American Women: Measuring Relevant Risk and Protective Factors

ii Acknowledgements iii List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapter I: Introduction 1 Background 1 Disordered Eating in AA Women 2 Purpose 7 Significance of Research 8 Definitions 9 Research Question 11 Research Hypotheses 12 Chapter II: Literature Review 16 History of Eating Disorders and Current Prevalence 16 Risk Factors for Disordered Eating 18 Family Experiences and Disordered Eating 23 Disordered Eating in African-American Women 27 Ethnic Identity 32 Ethnic Identity and Disordered Eating 39 Summary of the Literature and Future Directions 42
Early Detection of COPD in Primary Care: The Copenhagen COPD Screening Project

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a screening programme for COPD in primary care. Material/Methods: Subjects aged 65 years or older registered with a general practitioner in Copenhagen were asked to complete a questionnaire on smoking status and symptoms of COPD. If they were smokers or former smokers or if morning cough with sputum and/or dyspnoea was present, subjects were defined as “at risk of COPD” and were invited to undergo spirometric examination. Results: Of the 7103 subjects who met the study criteria, 81.2% responded to the questionnaire. Of these, 58.5% were at risk of COPD. Of those at risk, 40% underwent a spirometric examination. COPD was classified as mild in 252 (42.3%), moderate in 258 (43.3%) and severe-very severe in 86 subjects (14.4%). The participation rate was significantly higher among subjects invited for spirometry at a healthcare centre compared to general practice. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a questionnaire can be used as a screening tool to identify subjects at risk of COPD. Furthermore, the study shows that more than half the subjects aged 65 years and above were at risk of COPD and required clinical assessment. Willingness to undergo spirometric examination depends on the location of the screening.
The Ubuntu Dialogue Corpus: A Large Dataset for Research in Unstructured Multi-Turn Dialogue Systems

This paper introduces the Ubuntu Dialogue Corpus, a dataset containing almost 1 million multi-turn dialogues, with a total of over 7 million utterances and 100 million words. This provides a unique resource for research into building dialogue managers based on neural language models that can make use of large amounts of unlabeled data. The dataset has both the multi-turn property of conversations in the Dialog State Tracking Challenge datasets, and the unstructured nature of interactions from microblog services such as Twitter. We also describe two neural learning architectures suitable for analyzing this dataset, and provide benchmark performance on the task of selecting the best next response.