Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gefitinib Combined With Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Previously Treated Patients With Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background:Disease progression remains the major challenge in the management of advanced (stage IIIb or IV) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after the failure of first-line or second-line chemotherapy, or even of targeted therapies such as gefitinib. The current study evaluated the tolerability and efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in combined with gefitinib as a second-line or third-line treatment in patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods:Fourteen advanced NSCLC patients showing disease progression after platinum-based chemotherapy regimens were recruited. Eligible patients started taking gefitinib (250 mg/d) 7 days before SBRT and continued for 1 year until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal of consent. SBRT was delivered in median 3 fractions within 3 to 5 days. Treatment-associated toxicity was assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (v.3.0). Local control was assessed according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria and symptom assessments were measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung instrument (V4.0). Results:With an overall median follow-up of 15.5 months (range, 4 to 27 mo), most patients were well tolerated with common side effects from grade 1 to 2. No grade 4 or higher toxicity was encountered. The clinical disease-related symptom improvement rate was reached 57.1% with the median duration of symptom improvement of 8.0 months. The 1-year local control and overall survival (OS) rates were 83.9% and 69.6%, respectively. The median progression-free survival and OS were 7.0 and 19.0 months, respectively. Conclusions:The SBRT combined with gefitinib is a promising treatment strategy for advanced (stage IIIb or IV) NSCLC after the failure of previously chemotherapy. This method improves local control and disease-related symptoms with tolerated toxicity, and even increases the progression-free survival and OS.
Differentiation, proliferation and retinoid receptor status of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

Messenger RNA expression of retinoic acid receptors (RARα, RARβ and RARγ) and retinoid X receptors (RXRα, RXRβ and RXRγ) was examined using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction in 42 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). A loss of mRNA expression was observed in 18 cases of the 42 PTCs, including three cases for RARα, 14 cases for RARβ, six cases for RXRα and five cases for RXRβ. The expressions of RARγ and RXRγ were found in all 42 PTCs. Based on Ki 67/MIB1 labeling index (LI), the 42 PTCs were classified into Group A (20 cases; LI = 0–2%), Group B (17 cases; LI = 2–5%) and Group C (5 cases; LI > 5%). The PTCs of groups B and C showed solid, trabecular or scirrhous arrangements, infiltrative growth, loss of cellular polarity and cohesiveness more frequently, but capsulated growth pattern less frequently, when compared with PTCs of Group A. They also showed more frequent extrathyroidal extension than Group A. However, no significant differences were identified in sex, age, nodal status and tumor size. Loss of expression for one or more retinoid receptors frequently occurred in groups B and C. These results suggest that the loss of retinoid receptors might occur during the loss of differentiation and tumor progression of PTC.
Tax asymmetries, the cost of capital and investment

A measure of the cost of capital is developed that incorporates the dynamic effects of tax changes and tax asymmetries. Estimates of the cost of capital are made using an unbalanced panel of 1987 U.K. quoted companies over the period 1971 to 1984. There is wide cross-sectional variation in the cost of capital. The measure is used in estimating an equation where this cross-sectional variation is found to be a significant determinant of the level of company investment.
Multi-Task Medical Concept Normalization Using Multi-View Convolutional Neural Network

Medical concept normalization is a critical problem in biomedical research and clinical applications. In this paper, we focus on normalizing diagnostic and procedure names in Chinese discharge summaries to standard entities, which is formulated as a semantic matching problem. However, non-standard Chinese expressions, short-text normalization and heterogeneity of tasks pose critical challenges in our problem. This paper presents a general framework which introduces a tensor generator and a novel multi-view convolutional neural network (CNN) with multi-task shared structure to tackle the two tasks simultaneously. We propose that the key to address non-standard expressions and short-text problem is to incorporate a matching tensor with multiple granularities. Then multi-view CNN is adopted to extract semantic matching patterns and learn to synthesize them from different views. Finally, multi-task shared structure allows the model to exploit medical correlations between disease and procedure names to better perform disambiguation tasks. Comprehensive experimental analysis indicates our model outperforms existing baselines which demonstrates the effectiveness of our model.
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Gallstone Disease

Gallstone disease is a main public health problem. The overall prevalence data range from 3.9% in the pre-echographic era to 13.7% when ultrasonography was used as a diagnostic tool. This study is aimed to determine the prevalence of gallstone disease in a medium income level population in Lima, as well as the relationship with some risk factors: age, sex, familiar history and obesity. A total of 534 adult men and women from a medium economic level underwent ultrasonographic examination of abdomen for detection of gallstone disease (July 2003). The echographic evaluation was performed by 10 general surgeons trained in ultrasonography. Likewise, 4 risk factors-age, gender, familial history, and obesity-were analyzed. Pearson χ2 test (2-sided) was used with a probability of <0.05 for statistical significance and logistic regression analyses for assessment of confounding factors. The prevalence founded was 15%. Eighty-one of 534 participants had lithiasis. Compared to the age group under 30, the odds ratio for the 31 to 50 years and >50 years of age group was 0.9 and 1.1, respectively. The female-male ratio was 1.07 and the odds ratio 0.8. The prevalence of gallstone disease in people reporting a first-degree relative with lithiasis was 21%, whereas in participants without such a condition, it was 13%. On the other hand, a familial history was present in 38% of the lithiasis group and in 25% of the nonlithiasis group. The odds ratio for familial history was 1.8 (P = 0.01, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.9). The prevalence of the disease for body mass index <24, 25 to 29, and higher than 30 was 17%, 14% and 13%, respectively. Compared to the reference group (body mass index <24), the other 2 groups (body mass index 25-29 and >30) both had a similar odds ratio, 0.8. Logistic regression analyses showed an odds ratio of 1.9 for familiar history (95% confidence interval 1.1-3.2), whereas the odds ratio of the overweight (body mass index 25-29) and obese group (body mass index >30) when compared to the normal group, BMI <24, was 0.7 and 0.9, respectively. The prevalence data for gallstone disease remain slightly higher than those previously reported. Although the familiar history was the only characteristic with a statistically significant positive relationship with lithiasis, additional studies are needed because few biases could not be completely avoided and some confounding factors were not controlled.
Observability of radiation-pressure shot noise in optomechanical systems

We present a theoretical study of an experiment designed to detect radiation-pressure shot noise in an optomechanical system. Our model consists of a coherently driven optical cavity mode that is coupled to a mechanical oscillator. We examine the cross-correlation between two quadratures of the output field from the cavity. We determine under which circumstances radiation-pressure shot noise can be detected by a measurement of this cross-correlation. This is done in the general case of nonzero detuning between the frequency of the drive and the cavity resonance frequency. We study the qualitative features of the different contributions to the cross-correlator and provide quantitative figures of merit for the relative importance of the radiation-pressure shot noise contribution to other contributions. We also propose a modified setup of this experiment relevant to the 'membrane-in-the-middle' geometry, which potentially can avoid the problems of static bistability and classical noise in the drive.
Monetary Incentives: Usually Neither Necessary Nor Sufficient?

Read (2005), in The Journal of Economic Methodology, took our target article in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Hertwig & Ortmann 2001) as one point of departure to question the usefulness of monetary incentives for experimental work. In making his case, he misrepresents our analysis, and continues the unfortunate ritual of opportunistic sampling of evidence. As in our target article, we call for an empirical analysis of the impact of monetary incentives.
Ghost seats in the Basque Parliament

In elections voters have generally four options: to abstain, to cast a blank vote, to cast a null vote, or to vote for a candidate or party. This last option is a positive expression of support, while the other three options reflect lack of interest, or dissatisfaction with the parties or the political system. However only votes for parties or candidates are taken into account in the apportionment method. In particular the number of seats allocated to parties remains constant even if the number of non votes (i.e. blank votes, null votes or abstention) is very large. This paper proposes to treat the non votes as a party in the apportionment method and to leave empty the corresponding seats. These empty seats are referred to as "ghost seats". How this would affect the decision-making is quantified in terms of power indices. We apply this proposal to a case study:the regional Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) from 1980 till 2012.
Lineages of the Cardiac Conduction System

The cardiac conduction system (CCS) initiates and coordinately propagates the electrical impulse to orchestrate the heartbeat. It consists of a set of interconnected components with shared properties. A better understanding of the origin and specification of CCS lineages has allowed us to better comprehend the etiology of CCS disease and has provided leads for development of therapies. A variety of technologies and approaches have been used to investigate CCS lineages, which will be summarized in this review. The findings imply that there is not a single CCS lineage. In contrast, early cell fate decisions segregate the lineages of the CCS components while they remain connected to each other.
The sustainability of unions' wage coordination in an integrated economy

In a two-country duopoly model with integrated product markets, this paper investigates the incentives for unions to coordinate wage demands in the presence of transaction costs, and the sustainability of unions' wage collusion. Contrary to conventional wisdom that wage collusion is always welfare-detrimental, this work shows that wage coordination in the presence of low minimum wages may lead, from a social point of view, to a Pareto superior outcome with respect to separate wage settings with relatively high minimum wages.
[Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: standardization and norms of the test for a population sample in Spain].

INTRODUCTION The Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST) is a shorter, modified version of the WCST that assesses executive functioning and mental flexibility. The M-WCST presents some differences and advantages compared to other versions of the WCST, as previously described in the scientific literature. AIM To standardize and develop demographically-calibrated norms for the M-WCST in a sample representing of the population of Spain. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This study is part of the multisite Normacog project. Seven hundred participants from 18 to 90 years old were assessed using the M-WCST. The effects of age, sex, and educational level on M-WCST performance were analyzed, and demographically-calibrated percentiles and scaled scores corresponding to each raw score were created. RESULTS The effect of age and level of education on the M-WCST variables analyzed (correct categories, perseverative errors and total errors) was statistically significant, whereas sex was not significant. Age and education explained 5.0-21.2% of the variance in M-WCST performance. Older participants with lower level of formal education completed fewer category sorts and made more errors than younger and more educated participants. CONCLUSION This study reports the first normative data for the M-WCST in a contemporary Spanish sample, taking socio-demographic characteristics of the population into account. The influence of age and level of education on the M-WCST performance was confirmed.
Valuation standards: A comparison of four European countries

Outlines the case for the harmonisation of European investment valuation standards. Specific attention focuses upon the national valuation standards within Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany and France with a view to assessing the prospects for uniformly accepted European investment valuation standards. Current practice and perceptions from interviews with 110 valuers are analysed. Educational background and professional training are shown to be influential in decisions upon whether to use national standards, TEGOVA standards or the RICS Red Book. The advent of property performance index series is shown to be a major factor influencing the harmonisation of valuation methods and standards. Conclusions reflect upon the variation between the four countries and the limited progress on the adoption of harmonised standards in Europe.
Caffeic acid methyl and ethyl esters exert potential antidiabetic effects on glucose and lipid metabolism in cultured murine insulin-sensitive cells through mechanisms implicating activation of AMPK

Abstract Context: Caffeic acid methyl (CAME) and ethyl (CAEE) esters stimulate glucose uptake and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in C2C12 myocytes (ATCC® CRL-1772TM). Objective: Effects of CAME and CAEE were now assessed on myocyte glucose transporter GLUT4 activity and expression, on hepatic gluconeogenesis and on adipogenesis as well as major underlying signaling pathways. Materials and methods: GLUT4 protein translocation was studied in L6 GLUT4myc cells, glucose-6-phospatase (G6Pase) in H4IIE hepatocytes and adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Key modulators were measured using western immunoblot. Cells were treated for 18 h with either CAME or CAEE at various concentrations (12.5–100 μM). Results: Myocyte glucose uptake rose from 10.1 ± 0.5 to 18.7 ± 0.8 and 21.9 ± 1.0 pmol/min/mg protein in DMSO-, CAME- and CAEE-stimulated cells, respectively, similar to insulin (17.7 ± 1.2 pmol/min/mg protein), while GLUT4myc translocation increased significantly by 1.70 ± 0.18, by 1.73 ± 0.18- and by 1.95 ± 0.30-fold (relative to DMSO), following insulin, CAME and CAEE stimulation, respectively. CAME and CAEE suppressed hepatocyte G6Pase by 62.0 ± 6.9% and 62.7 ± 6.0% with IC50 of 45.93 and 22.64 μM, respectively, comparable to insulin (70.7 ± 2.3% inhibition). Finally, CAME and CAEE almost abrogated adipogenesis (83.3 ± 7.2% and 97.3 ± 3.0% at 100 μM; IC50 of 13.8 and 12.9 μM, respectively). The compounds inhibited adipogenic factors C/EBP-β and PPAR-γ and stimulated AMPK activity in the three cell-lines. Discussion and conclusions: CAME and CAEE exerted antidiabetic activities in insulin-responsive cells through insulin-independent mechanisms involving AMPK and adipogenic factors.
Yield of Repeat Wireless Video Capsule Endoscopy in Patients with Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

PURPOSE:Capsule endoscopy (CE) has been shown to have a high diagnostic yield in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). It is not known if repeating CE improves diagnostic yield or changes patient management when the initial CE is negative or nondiagnostic. The aims of this study are (1) to understand the reasons for repeat CE, (2) to determine the diagnostic yield of repeat CE, and (3) to establish if findings on repeat CE resulted in a change in patient management.METHODS:Between August 2001 and October 2003, we performed 391 capsule studies. Of these, 24 were repeat studies in patients with OGIB. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of these 24 patients.RESULTS:The reasons for repeat CE were: recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding (13), limited visualization on first exam due to poor prep or blood (10), complication (1) (capsule impaction at cricopharyngeus). Eighteen of 24 (75%) repeat capsule studies revealed additional findings (7 arteriovenous malformations, 2 gastropathy, 2 erosions, 2 masses, 1 ulcer, 2 red spots, 1 linear streak, 1 erythema). These findings led to changes in patient management in 15 of the 24 (62.5%) cases.CONCLUSIONS:Indications for repeat CE most commonly include recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding and limited visualization on initial study. Repeat CE results in a high yield of new findings that lead to changes in patient management. Repeat CE should be considered in patients with persistent OGIB when the initial study is negative or inconclusive.
Estimation in Semiparametric Partially Linear Models with Parametric and/or Nonparametric Endogeneity

Semiparametric partially linear models are advantageous to use in empirical studies of various economic problems due to a special feature such that both the parametric and nonparametric components can simultaneously exist in the model. However, a systematic estimation procedure and method have not yet been satisfactorily developed to deal effectively with a well-known endogeneity problem which may be present in some empirical applications. In the current paper, we aim to comprehensively address endogeneity, which may take place in either a parametric or a nonparametric component or both, and to provide guidance to an appropriate estimation procedure and method in the presence of such a problem. A significant difficulty we must overcome before such goals can be achieved, is a generated regressor problem which arises due to the fact that a critical part known as the control-regressor is not observable in practice and hence must be nonparametrically estimated. We show theoretically, i.e. through the derivation of some important asymptotic properties, and experimentally, i.e. through the use of some simulation exercises, that our newly introduced method can help overcoming the above - mentioned endogeneity problem. For the sake of completion, we also discuss an adaptive data - driven method of bandwidth selection and show its asymptotic optimality.
Long-Term Refugee Health

Refugees in the United States have high rates of chronic disease. Both long-term effects of the refugee experience and adjustment to the U.S. health environment may contribute. While there is significant research on health outcomes of newly resettled refugees and long-term mental health experiences of established refugees, there is currently little information about how the combined effects of the refugee experience and the U.S. health environment are related to health practices of refugees in the years and decades after resettlement. We examined cross-sectional survey data for Cambodian refugee and immigrant women 35 to 60 years old (n = 160) from an established refugee community in Lowell, Massachusetts, to examine the potential contributors to health behaviors and outcomes among refugees and immigrants postresettlement. In our representative sample, we found that smoking and betel nut use were very low (4% each). Fewer than 50% of respondents walked for at least 10 minutes on 2 or more days/week. Using World Health Organization standards for overweight/obese for Asians, 73% of respondents were overweight/obese and 56% were obese, indicating increased risk of chronic disease. Depression was also high in this sample (41%). In multivariate models, higher acculturation and age were associated with walking more often; lower education and higher acculturation were related to higher weight; and being divorced/separated or widowed and being older were related to higher risk of depression. The interrelated complex of characteristics, health behaviors, and health outcomes of refugees merits a multifaceted approach to health education and health promotion for long-term refugee health.
Building an Argument Search Engine for the Web

Computational argumentation is expected to play a critical role in the future of web search. To make this happen, many search-related questions must be revisited, such as how people query for arguments, how to mine arguments from the web, or how to rank them. In this paper, we develop an argument search framework for studying these and further questions. The framework allows for the composition of approaches to acquiring, mining, assessing, indexing, querying, retrieving, ranking, and presenting arguments while relying on standard infrastructure and interfaces. Based on the framework, we build a prototype search engine, called args, that relies on an initial, freely accessible index of nearly 300k arguments crawled from reliable web resources. The framework and the argument search engine are intended as an environment for collaborative research on computational argumentation and its practical evaluation.
Understanding the Evolution of Industrial Symbiosis Research

This study analyzes the evolution of the research field of industrial symbiosis (IS). We elucidate its embedding in industrial ecology (IE), trace the development of research themes, and reveal the evolution of the research network through analysis of the core literature and journals that appeared from 1997 to 2012 by citation analysis, cocitation analysis, and network analysis.
Riding the Merger Wave: Uncertainty, Reduced Monitoring, and Bad Acquisitions

We show that acquisitions initiated during periods of high merger activity (“merger waves”) are accompanied by poorer quality of analysts' forecasts, greater uncertainty, and weaker CEO turnover-performance sensitivity. These conditions imply reduced monitoring and lower penalties for initiating inefficient mergers. Therefore, merger waves may foster agency-driven behavior, which, along with managerial herding, could lead to worse mergers. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that the average long-term performance of acquisitions initiated during merger waves is significantly worse. We also find that corporate governance of in-wave acquirers is weaker, suggesting that agency problems may be present in merger wave acquisitions.
Tax incentives, individual characteristics and charitable giving in Singapore

Previous studies conducted for developed countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have often found charitable giving by individuals to depend on income, the tax price of giving, and other variables. This article makes use of confidential tax file data to conduct a similar study for Singapore, a rapid‐growing newly‐industrializing country. The results indicate that disposable income, the tax price of giving, donor’s age and educational attainment are important determinants of charitable giving by individuals. Donations are found to be income‐inelastic but highly price‐elastic. Thus, lowering the price of giving through tax incentives can be very effective in encouraging private donations to charity.