Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutations Occur in Aggressive Breast Cancer 1

Using a polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation poly morphism approach we analyzed 96 human primary breast tumors for the presence of mutations in exons 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the p53 gene. These exons have been shown to comprise highly conserved sequences and the portion including exons 5 through 9 is believed to be the target for over 90% of the acquired mutations in human cancer. Eighteen tumors of the 96 (18.7%) tested showed reproducibly a variant band indicative of a mutation. Most (15 tumors) of the mutations were single nucleotide substitutions and G:C to A:T transitions were prevalent (6 tumors), G:C to 1:A transversions came next (4 tumors), and guanines were always on the nontranscribed strand. Concomitant loss of the wild type alÃ-eleand mutation of the other copy was observed in only 3 of 18 mutated cases; this is consistent with the heterogeneous cellular composition of breast tumors. Furthermore p53 mutations were corre lated to estrogen and/or progesterone receptor negative tumors, thus indicating their relationships to aggressive breast cancer. No associa tion could be observed with DNA amplification events in these tumors.
Accessibility 2.0: people, policies and processes

The work of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is described in a set of technical guidelines designed to maximise accessibility to digital resources. Further activities continue to focus on technical developments, with current discussions exploring the potential merits of use of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 approaches. In this paper we argue that the focus on technologies can be counter-productive. Rather than seeking to enhance accessibility through technical innovations, the authors argue that the priority should be for a user-focussed approach, which embeds best practices through the development of achievable policies and processes and which includes all stakeholders in the process of maximising accessibility. The paper reviews previous work in this area and summarises criticisms of WAI's approach. The paper further develops a tangram model which describes a pluralistic, as opposed to a universal, approach to Web accessibility, which encourages creativity and diversity in developing accessible services. Such diversity will need to reflect the context of usage, including the aims of a service (informational, educational, cultural, etc.), the users' and the services providers' environment. The paper describes a stakeholder approach to embedding best practices, which recognises that organisations will encounter difficulties in developing sustainable approaches by addressing only the needs of the end user and the Web developer. The paper describes work which has informed the ideas in this paper and plan for further work, including an approach to advocacy and education which coins the "Accessibility 2.0" term to describe a renewed approach to accessibility, which builds on previous work but prioritises the importance of the user. The paper concludes by describing the implications of the ideas described in this paper for WAI and for accessibility practitioner stakeholders.
Silencing the Critics: Understanding the Effects of Cocaine Sensitization on Dorsolateral and Ventral Striatum in the Context of an Actor/Critic Model

A critical problem in daily decision making is how to choose actions now in order to bring about rewards later. Indeed, many of our actions have long-term consequences, and it is important to not be myopic in balancing the pros and cons of different options, but rather to take into account both immediate and delayed consequences of actions. Failures to do so may be manifest as persistent, maladaptive decision-making, one example of which is addiction where behavior seems to be driven by the immediate positive experiences with drugs, despite the delayed adverse consequences. A recent study by Takahashi et al. (2007) investigated the effects of cocaine sensitization on decision making in rats and showed that drug use resulted in altered representations in the ventral striatum and the dorsolateral striatum, areas that have been implicated in the neural instantiation of a computational solution to optimal long-term actions selection called the Actor/Critic framework. In this Focus article we discuss their results and offer a computational interpretation in terms of drug-induced impairments in the Critic. We first survey the different lines of evidence linking the subparts of the striatum to the Actor/Critic framework, and then suggest two possible scenarios of breakdown that are suggested by Takahashi et al.'s (2007) data. As both are compatible with the current data, we discuss their different predictions and how these could be empirically tested in order to further elucidate (and hopefully inch towards curing) the neural basis of drug addiction.
Modeling and Identification of Asymmetric Hysteresis in Smart Actuators: A Modified MS Model Approach

This paper proposes a modified Maxwell-slip (MS) model to capture convex and/or concave asymmetric hysteresis in smart actuators. The original MS model can only capture antisymmetric hysteresis. To overcome this limitation, generalized elasto-slide operators (ESOs) are constructed to replace MS elements. Each ESO is characterized by its spring extension stiffness constant, maximum extension, compression stiffness constant, and maximum compression. A procedure is also proposed to identify the model parameters. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed model is capable of reproducing convex and/or concave asymmetric hysteresis and improving the fit between the modeling and experimental results.
Characterization of pulmonary arterial hypertension patients walking more than 450 m in 6 min at diagnosis.

BACKGROUND At diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), some patients are considered to have a "near-normal" 6-min walk distance (6MWD) (ie, > 450 m). Because they are generally excluded from randomized controlled trials, little is known about these patients. METHODS We analyzed the baseline characteristics and treatment responses of 49 consecutive patients with a 6MWD > 450 m at the time of newly diagnosed PAH. Data from this cohort were then compared with data from hemodynamically matched patients with a 6MWD < or = 450 m. RESULTS Patients with a 6MWD > 450 m were either in World Health Organization (WHO) functional class (FC) II (n = 23) or III (n = 26) at baseline. Compared with patients in FC II, those in FC III had more severe hemodynamic impairment (ie, a lower cardiac index and higher pulmonary vascular pressures and resistance) but similar 6MWD. At first evaluation after initiation of PAH-specific treatment (3-6 months), FC improved (FC I-II: n = 38; FC III: n = 11, P < .005) and cardiac index increased. However, 6MWD remained unchanged. Compared with matched patients with a 6MWD < or = 450 m (n = 98), individuals with a 6MWD > 450 m were approximately 9 years younger (P = .0006) and had a lower BMI (P = .0009). CONCLUSIONS Anthropometric characteristics such as younger age and lower BMI may explain higher 6MWD in some PAH patients. In the cohort of patients with a 6MWD > 450 m, hemodynamic indices and WHO FC were more sensitive than 6MWD in detecting changes secondary to PAH-specific treatments.
Whiplash associated disorders: a review of the literature to guide patient information and advice

Objectives: To review the literature and provide an evidence based framework for patient centred information and advice on whiplash associated disorders. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, which included both clinical and non-clinical articles to encompass the wide range of patients' informational needs. From the studies and previous reviews retrieved, 163 were selected for detailed review. The review process considered the quantity, consistency, and relevance of all selected articles. These were categorised under a grading system to reflect the quality of the evidence, and then linked to derived evidence statements. Results: The main messages that emerged were: physical serious injury is rare; reassurance about good prognosis is important; over-medicalisation is detrimental; recovery is improved by early return to normal pre-accident activities, self exercise, and manual therapy; positive attitudes and beliefs are helpful in regaining activity levels; collars, rest, and negative attitudes and beliefs delay recovery and contribute to chronicity. These findings were synthesised into patient centred messages with the potential to reduce the risk of chronicity. Conclusions: The scientific evidence on whiplash associated disorders is of variable quality, but sufficiently robust and consistent for the purpose of guiding patient information and advice. While the delivery of appropriate messages can be both oral and written, consistency is imperative, so an innovative patient educational booklet, The Whiplash Book, has been developed and published.
Elastic Constants of Layered Media

A three-dimensional laminated medium is studied by an approach which replaces the heterogeneous medium by an equivalent homogeneous material. A set of macroscopic elastic constants is developed in terms of the properties of the constituent layers by considering a representative small element of the laminated medium and imposing the condition of continuity of stress and displacement at the layer interfaces. An example boundary value problem is also considered. Based on the solution of the boundary value problem for the homogeneous material, stress and strain fields corresponding to each layer are then calculated. This individual layer solution contains certain dis continuous stresses and strains as does the exact solution for the layered material.
Security and Game Theory: IRIS – A Tool for Strategic Security Allocation in Transportation Networks

Security is a concern of major importance to governments and companies throughout the world. With limited resources, complete coverage of potential points of attack is not possible. Deterministic allocation of available law enforcement agents introduces predictable vulnerabilities that can be exploited by adversaries. Strategic randomization is a game theoretic alternative that we implement in Intelligent Randomization In Scheduling (IRIS) system, a software scheduling assistant for the Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) that provide law enforcement aboard U.S. commercial flights. In IRIS, we model the problem as a Stackelberg game, with FAMS as leaders that commit to a flight coverage schedule and terrorists as followers that attempt to attack a flight. The FAMS domain presents three challenges unique to transportation network security that we address in the implementation of IRIS. First, with tens of thousands of commercial flights per day, the size of the Stackelberg game we need to solve is tremendous. We use ERASERC, the fastest known algorithm for solving this class of Stackelberg games. Second, creating the game itself becomes a challenge due to number of payoffs we must enter for these large games. To address this, we create an attribute-based preference elicitation system to determine reward values. Third, the complex scheduling constraints in transportation networks make it computationally prohibitive to model the game by explicitly modeling all combinations of valid schedules. Instead, we model the leader’s strategy space by incorporating a representation of the underlying scheduling constraints. The scheduling assistant has been delivered to the FAMS and is currently undergoing testing and review for possible incorporation into their scheduling practices. In this paper, we discuss the design choices and challenges encountered during the implementation of IRIS.
Named Entity Chunking Techniques in Supervised Learning for Japanese Named Entity Recognition

This paper focuses on the issue of named entity chunking in Japanese named entity recognition. We apply the supervised decision list learning method to Japanese named entity recognition. We also investigate and incorporate several named-entity noun phrase chunking techniques and experimentally evaluate and compare their performance. In addition, we propose a method for incorporating richer contextual information as well as patterns of constituent morphemes within a named entity, which have not been considered in previous research, and show that the proposed method outperforms these previous approaches.
Multimodal treatment with ALL-like chemotherapy, Auto-SCT and radiotherapy for lymphoblastic lymphoma

Abstract Background. Recommended treatment for lymphoblastic lymphomas, a highly aggressive, relatively rare lymphoma entity predominantly seen in teenagers and young adults, includes acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)-like induction chemotherapy. Whether these patients should be consolidated with maintenance chemotherapy or autologous stem cell transplantation (Auto-SCT) and the use of radiotherapy are matters of debate. Methods. We reviewed treatment and outcome for 25 consecutive patients above the age of 15 years with lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-lineage; T-LBL, n = 19; B-lineage; B-LBL, n = 6) seen at a single center during a 12-year period (1999–2011). Patients were given an ALL-like chemotherapy induction regimen, and responding patients were consolidated with Auto-SCT and local radiotherapy when applicable. Results. Median age at diagnosis was 33 years (range 15–65). Seventeen of the T-LBL patients had a mediastinal mass, three patients had central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Chemotherapy with intensified CNS prophylaxis induced an overall response rate of 92% (CR 84%, PR 8%). In total 23/25 (92%) patients underwent Auto-SCT in first remission while 13 of 14 eligible patients with mediastinal involvement received local radiotherapy. Twenty percent of the patients had hepatotoxicity grade 3–4 and 32% thromboembolic events (TE). Two patients (8%) died of treatment-related toxicity. One patient had progressive disease and died of lymphoma. Three patients have relapsed, but two of these (both B-LBL) are currently alive in second CR after Allo-SCT. With a median follow-up of 98 months (range 1–163) the 5- and 8-year PFS and OS are 76% and 84%, respectively. Conclusions. Combined intensive ALL-like induction and early consolidation chemotherapy followed by Auto-SCT and local radiation therapy resulted in high sustained cure rates.
Enhancing the Activity of the DLPFC with tDCS Alters Risk Preference without Changing Interpersonal Trust

Interpersonal trust plays an essential role in economic interactions and social development. Extensive behavioral experiments have examined the nature of trust, particularly the question of whether trusting decisions are connected to risk preferences or risk attitudes. Various laboratory observations have been reported regarding the difference between trust and risk, and neural imaging studies have demonstrated that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) is more activated when individuals decide to trust other human beings compared with individuals decide to invest in a non-social risk condition. Moreover, the rDLPFC has been found to exhibit an intimate relationship with risk preference in previous neuroscience studies. However, the causal relationship between the rDLPFC and trust has rarely been revealed. Whether modulating the excitability of the rDLPFC, which shares roles in both trust and risk decisions, alters the trust or risk preference of participants remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to provide evidence of a direct link between the neural and behavioral results through the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the rDLPFC. We found that activating the rDLPFC altered the risk preferences of our participants, whereas no such significant effect over interpersonal trust was observed. Our findings indicate that enhancing the excitability of the rDLPFC using tDCS leads to more conservative decision-makings in a risk game, and this effect is specific to non-social risk rather than social-related trust.
Behavioral Asset Pricing Model Based on Regret Theory

Regret theory is a behavioral approach to decision making under uncertain environment. We assume there are only two representative investors, a representative passive investor and a representative active investor in a frictionless market. This paper considers the equilibrium effects of the representative active investor who selects his own optimal portfolio based on regret theory and the representative passive investor only invests on benchmark portfolio. In a partial equilibrium setting, the objective of the representative active is modeled as the minimization of regret of final wealth to benchmark portfolio. In equilibrium this optimal strategy gives rise to a behavioral asset pricing model. There are two betas in the asset pricing model, the market beta and a new risk-factor. This new beta is defined as the normalized (to the benchmark’s variance) covariance between the asset excess return and excess return of the market over the benchmark portfolio. Also the coefficient of absolute risk aversion and regret aversion of representative investor are the pricing variable under regret theory. We extend our model to multibenchmark portfolio. Unfortunately the empirical test do not supports the model’s predictions with the stock data of China. Keywordsregret theory; behavioral asset pricing model; benchmark portfolio; portfolio selection.
Breaking out of the box of recommendations: from items to packages

Classical recommender systems provide users with a list of recommendations where each recommendation consists of a single item, e.g., a book or DVD. However, several applications can benefit from a system capable of recommending packages of items, in the form of sets. Sample applications include travel planning with a limited budget (price or time) and twitter users wanting to select worthwhile tweeters to follow given that they can deal with only a bounded number of tweets. In these contexts, there is a need for a system that can recommend top-k packages for the user to choose from. Motivated by these applications, we consider composite recommendations, where each recommendation comprises a set of items. Each item has both a value (rating) and a cost associated with it, and the user specifies a maximum total cost (budget) for any recommended set of items. Our composite recommender system has access to one or more component recommender system, focusing on different domains, as well as to information sources which can provide the cost associated with each item. Because the problem of generating the top recommendation (package) is NP-complete, we devise several approximation algorithms for generating top-k packages as recommendations. We analyze their efficiency as well as approximation quality. Finally, using two real and two synthetic data sets, we subject our algorithms to thorough experimentation and empirical analysis. Our findings attest to the efficiency and quality of our approximation algorithms for top-k packages compared to exact algorithms.
Human natural killer (NK) cells present staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) to T lymphocytes

Superantigen‐mediated T cell activation requires the participation of antigen‐presenting cells (APC). Once superantigen has bound class II MHC molecules on the surface of APC, it then can interact with the T cell receptor to induce T cell activation. Superantigen‐mediated T lymphocyte activation, along with its consequent cytokine production is thought to be the basis for the pathophysiology of conditions such as toxic shock syndrome, Kawasaki's disease and possibly rheumatoid arthritis. We examined the role of CD56+ NK lymphocytes in the interaction between superantigens and T lymphocytes. First, we found that a subpopulation of CD56+ cells freshly isolated from human peripheral blood expressed class II MHC molecules. The amount of HLA‐DR expression varied between individuals, ranging from 9.3% to 37.7%. CD56+ (NK) cells were purified from the peripheral blood by cell sorting and were tested for their ability to support SEB‐mediated T cell activation as assessed by surface expression of IL‐2 receptor α‐chain (CD25) on CD3+ lymphocytes. We observed that when enriched T cells were incubated with SEB in the presence of NK cells, there was a significant up‐regulation of CD25 expression on the T cells. When HLA‐DR+ cells were removed from sorted CD56+ populations, the remaining HLA‐DR− NK cells were unable to support SEB‐mediated T cell activation. Also, SEB up‐regulated the expression of HLA‐DR on CD56+ cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) populations after 24 h of incubation, implying that the ability of NK cells to function as superantigen‐presenting cells is up‐regulated by superantigens themselves. Together, these data demonstrate for the first time that human CD56+HLA‐DR+ NK cells can function as superantigen‐presenting cells, and imply that NK cells may be involved in the activation of non‐specific T cell reactivity during early host defences against superantigen‐elaborating microorganisms in vivo. Furthermore, the physical linkage of NK cells and T cells by the interaction of superantigen with HLA class II molecules and T cell receptors, respectively, may lead to NK cell activation and augmented lytic potential, helping to clear the body of superantigen‐elaborating microorganisms.
Radially polarized high-power lasers

In the recent years high-power laser beams with radial polarization have attracted an increasing interest because of their interesting properties in material processing. We present an overview of the current activities and different techniques to generate such beams in CO2 and solid-state lasers. With a polarising end-mirror which comprises a resonant grating on a dielectric multilayer Bragg-structure we recently demonstrated a 3-kW radially polarised CO2 laser. Current investigations are also focused especially on the application of this technology to thin-disk lasers. The specific requirements and the whole development from the design and fabrication to the characterization and test are illustrated with the example of a multilayer polarizing grating mirror developed to generate a radially polarised beam in an Yb:YAG thin-disc laser resonator. The potential of this kind of beams are discussed with a number of first application results, which largely confirm the predictions presented by Niziev et al1.
Fixed points and stability of neutral stochastic nonlinear systems with some variable delays

In this paper, the stability of neutral stochastic nonlinear systems with some variable delays is considered. By means of fixed point theory and Ito differential formula, the necessary and sufficient condition of asymptotic mean square stability theorem is derived. It is shown that the approaches developed here extend and improve the ideas presented in recent literatures
Bile pigment pharmacokinetics and absorption in the rat: therapeutic potential for enteral administration

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Bilirubin and biliverdin possess antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties and their exogenous administration protects against the effects of inflammation and trauma in experimental models. Despite the therapeutic potential of bile pigments, little is known about their in vivo parenteral or enteral absorption after exogenous administration. This study investigated the absorption and pharmacokinetics of bile pigments after i.v. , i.p. and intraduodenal (i.d.) administration in addition to their metabolism and routes of excretion.