Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral Maintenance Chemotherapy with 6-Mercaptopurine and Methotrexate in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Ineligible for Transplantation

For decades, maintenance chemotherapy has failed to improve the cure rate or prolong the survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), other than those with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Immediately after the first complete remission following consolidation therapy was obtained, oral maintenance chemotherapy (daily 6-mercaptopurine and weekly methotrexate) was given and continued for two years in transplant-ineligible AML patients. Leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) were studied and compared between these patients and the historical control group who did not receive maintenance therapy. Consecutive 52 transplant-ineligible AML patients were analyzed. Among these patients, 27 received oral maintenance chemotherapy. No significant difference was found in the patients' characteristics between the maintenance and the control groups. The median OS was 43 (95% CI, 19-67) and 19 (95% CI, 8-30) months in the maintenance and the control groups, respectively (P = 0.202). In the multivariate analysis, the presence of maintenance therapy was an independent prognostic factor for better OS (P = 0.021) and LFS (P = 0.024). Clinical benefit from maintenance chemotherapy was remarkable in older patients (≥ 60 yr) (P = 0.035), those with intermediate or unfavorable cytogenetics (P = 0.006), those with initial low blast count in peripheral blood (P = 0.044), and those receiving less than two cycles of consolidation therapy (P = 0.017). Maintenance oral chemotherapy as a post-remission therapy can prolong the survival of patients with AML who are not eligible for transplantation, particularly older patients, those with intermediate or unfavorable cytogenetics, those with initial low blast count, and those receiving less than two cycles of consolidation therapy. Graphical Abstract
Commentary: Modulation of Prepulse Inhibition and Startle Reflex by Emotions: A Comparison between Young and Older Adults

Some findings overturn basic assumptions in the field and make it obvious how little we really understand. In my opinion, findings by Le Duc et al. (2016) regarding age differences in how emotional stimuli influence startle reactivity fit this profile. They found age differences in how viewing pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures modulated a startle response to a loud noise (Figure 1A). While the younger adults (ages 20–29) startled most to loud noises while viewing unpleasant pictures, the older adults (ages 56–69) startled least while viewing the unpleasant pictures. The pattern Le Duc et al. found with younger adults is consistent with many previous studies in which undergraduates startled more to loud noises while viewing unpleasant pictures than while viewing pleasant pictures, with neutral pictures yielding startle levels in between the two valences Five-month-old infants showed the same pattern when viewing emotional faces (Balaban, 1995). Thus, this pattern of greater startle during exposure to negative than positive stimuli is a highly replicated finding. Lang (1995) proposed that startle is a defensive reaction augmented during aversive motivational states and dampened during approach states. This is now the dominant assumption in the field (e.g., Crowell et al., 2015). However, Le Duc et al.'s findings with older adults contradict this dominant assumption and reveal that we lack basic understanding about how emotion influences startle. Importantly, their surprising finding is not just a one-off finding. It replicates findings from another study comparing startle reactivity in younger adults (age 18–23) vs. older adults (ages 65–88) (Feng et al., 2011; Figure 1B). Thus, across two studies, older adults' results contradict the Lang (1995) model. Other than these two studies, I am not aware of any other emotion-startle data with older adults. From the perspective of the aging literature, it is not surprising that older adults would show a different impact of emotional pictures than younger adults. Previous findings indicated that younger and older adults show opposing affective biases in attention and memory, with younger
Curcumin Enhances Neurogenesis and Cognition in Aged Rats: Implications for Transcriptional Interactions Related to Growth and Synaptic Plasticity

Background Curcumin has been demonstrated to have many neuroprotective properties, including improvement of cognition in humans and neurogenesis in animals, yet the mechanism of such effects remains unclear. Methodology We assessed behavioural performance and hippocampal cell proliferation in aged rats after 6- and 12-week curcumin-fortified diets. Curcumin enhanced non-spatial and spatial memory, as well as dentate gyrate cell proliferation as compared to control diet rats. We also investigated underlying mechanistic pathways that might link curcumin treatment to increased cognition and neurogenesis via exon array analysis of cortical and hippocampal mRNA transcription. The results revealed a transcriptional network interaction of genes involved in neurotransmission, neuronal development, signal transduction, and metabolism in response to the curcumin treatment. Conclusions The results suggest a neurogenesis- and cognition-enhancing potential of prolonged curcumin treatment in aged rats, which may be due to its diverse effects on genes related to growth and plasticity.
The Restorative Effects of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver Leaf Extract on Vascular Function in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaf is a traditional Chinese antihypertensive and antidiabetic medicine. We examined the effects of chronic Eucommia leaf extract (ELE) administration on artery function and morphology in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). ELE was orally administered via normal diet ad libitum to six-week-old male SHRs at a concentration of 5% for seven weeks. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation, sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced endothelium-independent relaxation, plasma nitric oxide (NO) levels, and media thickness were assessed. ELE significantly improved ACh-induced aortic endothelium-dependent relaxation but did not affect SNP-induced endothelium-independent relaxation in the SHRs, as compared to the animals receiving normal diet. Plasma NO levels and media thickness were significantly increased and decreased, respectively, in the ELE-treated SHRs. Therefore, long-term ELE administration may effectively improve vascular function by increasing plasma NO levels and bioavailability, and by preventing vascular hypertrophy in the SHR aorta.
Propagation of the main signal in a dispersive Lorentz medium

Evolution of the main signal in a Lorentz dispersive medium is considered. The signal propagating in the medium is excited by a sine-modulated pulse signal, with its envelope described by a hyperbolic tangent function. Both uniform and non-uniform asymptotic representations for the signal are found. It is shown how the uniform representation reduces to the non-uniform one. The results obtained are illustrated with a numerical example.
Evidence for Extrathymic Changes in the T Cell Receptor Y/b Repertoire

Lymphocytes express two types of TCRs, either a/f (1-3) or y/b (4). The genes encoding the TCR y and b chains are composed of V, D, J, and C regions that undergo somatic rearrangement during development (5, 6). There are only eight functional Vy gene segments and perhaps 5-10 functional VS gene segments identified in humans (6). While the specificity ofthe TCR-,y/b is poorly understood, the limited germline diversity suggested that TCR-y/b-bearing lymphocytes might recognize an-tigen in the context of relatively nonpolymorphic antigen-presenting molecules (6). Recently, alloreactive TCR-, y/b cells specific for MHC class I and class II gene products , as well as class I-like gene products (Tla and Qa), have been described (7-9). The distinct nature ofthe TCR-y/b, the fact that lymphocytes that bear it frequently lack CD4 and CD8, and the non-MHC-restricted recognition of tumor targets by some TCR-,y/b cells (10), led us to suggest that these TCRs might recognize cell surface molecules not encoded in the MHC (10). It was recently demonstrated that a human TCR-,y/b clone can recognize non-MHC-encoded CD1 antigens that might serve as novel antigen-presenting molecules for CD4-8-T cells (11). In addition, some of the specific antigens that y/b T cells can recognize have been identified, such as mycobacterial antigens (including heat-shock-proteins) (12-16) and tetanus toxoid (17). TCR-,y/6' lymphocytes expand markedly in number in lymphoid organs and in tissue lesions in response to the mycobacterial antigens (13, 15). TCR-, y/b cells comprise ti5% (0.5-20%) of the CD3+ cells in human peripheral blood and in lymphoid tissues (18-20). However, in mice, TCR-, y/b cells preferen
Sequential Fixed-width Confidence Bands for Kernel Regression Estimation

We consider a random design model based on independent and identically distributed (iid) pairs of observations (Xi,Yi), where the regression function m(x) is given by m(x) = E(Yi|Xi = x) with one independent variable. In a nonparametric setting the aim is to produce a reasonable approximation to the unknown function m(x) when we have no precise information about the form of the true density, f(x) of X. We describe an estimation procedure of non- parametric regression model at a given point by some appropriately constructed fixed-width (2d) confidence interval with the confidence coefficient of at least1 �. Here, d(> 0) and � 2 (0, 1) are two preassigned values. Fixed-width confidence intervals are developed using both Nadaraya-Watson and local linear kernel esti- mators of nonparametric regression with data-driven bandwidths. The sample size was optimized using the purely and two-stage sequential procedure together with asymptotic properties of the Nadaraya-Watson and local linear estimators. A large scale simulation study was performed to compare their coverage accu- racy. The numerical results indicate that the confi- dence bands based on the local linear estimator have the best performance than those constructed by using Nadaraya-Watson estimator. However both estima- tors are shown to have asymptotically correct cover- age properties.
NASARI: a Novel Approach to a Semantically-Aware Representation of Items

The semantic representation of individual word senses and concepts is of fundamental importance to several applications in Natural Language Processing. To date, concept modeling techniques have in the main based their representation either on lexicographic resources, such as WordNet, or on encyclopedic resources, such as Wikipedia. We propose a vector representation technique that combines the complementary knowledge of both these types of resource. Thanks to its use of explicit semantics combined with a novel cluster-based dimensionality reduction and an effective weighting scheme, our representation attains state-of-the-art performance on multiple datasets in two standard benchmarks: word similarity and sense clustering. We are releasing our vector representations at http://lcl.uniroma1. it/nasari/.
Employment Effects of Immigration to Germany: An Analysis Based on Local Labor Markets

We analyze the impact of increased immigration on employment outcomes of natives in Germany using a data set of county-level variables for the late 1980s. In order to construct more unified labor market regions, we aggregate the 328 counties to 167 larger regions. We study two measures of immigration, the change in the share of foreigners between 1985 and 1989 as well as one-year gross and net flows of immigrants to an area. In order to address the potential problem of immigrant selection into local labor markets, we condition on previous labor market outcomes, which may serve as the basis of immigrant selection. This specification allows for mean reversion in the unemployment rate, which is strong in our data set and period of study. We show that this rules out some other approaches of identifying the impact of immigration. Our results indicate no detrimental effect of immigration. We find no support for the hypothesis that the absence of displacement effects is due to a response of native migration patterns.
Gradescope: A Fast, Flexible, and Fair System for Scalable Assessment of Handwritten Work

We present a system for online assessment of handwritten homework assignments and exams. First, either instructors or students scan and upload handwritten work. Instructors then grade the work and distribute the results using a web-based platform. Our system optimizes for three key dimensions: speed, consistency, and flexibility. The primary innovation enabling improvements in all three dimensions is a dynamically evolving rubric for each question on an assessment. We also describe how the system minimizes the overhead incurred in the digitization process. Our system has been in use for four years, with instructors at 200 institutions having graded over 10 million pages of student work. We present results as user-reported data and feedback regarding time saved grading, enjoyment, and student experience. Two-thirds of responders report saving 30% or more time relative to their traditional workflow. We also find that the time spent grading an individual response to a question rapidly decays with the number of responses to that question that the grader has already graded.
Complex Systems Modeling Using Scale-Free Highly-Clustered Echo State Network

Inspired by the universal laws governing different kinds of complex networks, we propose a scale-free highly-clustered echo state network (SHESN). Different from echo state network (ESN), the state reservoir of the SHESN is generated by natural growth rules and eventually forms a complex network with small-world, scale-free properties, and hierarchically distributed structure. We implemented a large-scale SHESN with 3,000 internal neurons and applied it to modeling the pH-neutralization process. Simulation results showed the superior performance of SHESN. Furthermore, we analyzed the natural characteristics of the SHESN and discussed our growth rules and the new state reservoir from a brain functional network perspective.
“Female Preponderance” of Depression in Non-clinical Populations: A Meta-Analytic Study

Clinical observations and research suggest a female preponderance in major depressive disorder. However, it is unclear whether a similar gender difference is found for the reporting of depressive symptoms in non-clinical populations. The present meta-analysis was conducted to address this issue. We searched for published papers targeting non-clinical populations in which the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used. Eighty-four papers (91 studies) published between 1977 and 2014 were included in the final meta-analysis, which comprised 23,579 males and 29,470 females. Females in the general population reported higher level of depressive symptoms than males (d = -0.187, corresponding to 1.159 points in the 21-item BDI). This pattern was not found to influence by years of publication, socioeconomic status, or version of the BDI used. Using age group as a moderator, studies with adolescents and young adults were found to show a smaller effect size than studies with older participants. Our results appear to confirm the “female preponderance” in the level of self-report depressive symptoms in the general population, and support the social gender role theory in explaining gender difference over biological susceptibility theory and evolutionary theory.
Distribution of Connexin43 immunoreactivity in the retinas of different vertebrates

The distribution of Connexin43 (Cx43) was examined by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence microscopy in the retinas of five different vertebrates by using a C‐terminal specific peptide antibody. The specificity of the antibody was proved on immunoblots, in which it showed cross reactivity with a 43‐kDa protein in rat heart homogenates as well as in homogenates of rabbit, rat, chicken, turtle, and fish (carp and zebrafish) retinas.
State Legislative Reactions to No Child Left Behind: Education Leaders in Three States.

State Legislative Reactions to No Child Left Behind: Education Leaders in Three States This dissertation examines the historical background of federal regulations that have expanded over the past thirty years, and their impact on state legislative resistance to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The federal government’s involvement in public education offers an instructive opportunity for inquiry into cooperative federalis m. State resistance to NCLB provides an example for study when considering state r eac ions to federal regulations and ensuing intergovernmental conflicts in regard to public e ducation. This study focuses on legislative responses to NCLB, with reactions from l egislators from Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado. The investigation is drawn from interviews conducted with state legislators from these three states. Some common threads em rged from the interviews and from a review of the related literature. One includes the question of the constitutionality of NCLB and a power struggle that exists in public educa tion between various levels of government. In light of state challenges to NCLB l egislation, a number of consistent factors of resistance were evidenced by the states. T hese state legislative reactions offer significant insight for challenges facin g future public education federal legislation, and may be useful as a model of study for examining s tate reactions in
Localized aliphatic organic material on the surface of Ceres

Organic compounds detected on Ceres Water and organic molecules were delivered to the early Earth by the impacts of comets and asteroids. De Sanctis et al. examined infrared spectra taken by the Dawn spacecraft as it orbited Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt (see the Perspective by Küppers). In some small patches on the surface, they detected absorption bands characteristic of aliphatic organic compounds. The authors ruled out an external origin, such as an impact, suggesting that the material must have formed on Ceres. Together with other compounds detected previously, this supports the existence of a complex prebiotic chemistry at some point in Ceres' history. Science, this issue p. 719; see also p. 692 Aliphatic organic compounds are detected on the asteroid Ceres, signs of a complex prebiotic chemistry. Organic compounds occur in some chondritic meteorites, and their signatures on solar system bodies have been sought for decades. Spectral signatures of organics have not been unambiguously identified on the surfaces of asteroids, whereas they have been detected on cometary nuclei. Data returned by the Visible and InfraRed Mapping Spectrometer on board the Dawn spacecraft show a clear detection of an organic absorption feature at 3.4 micrometers on dwarf planet Ceres. This signature is characteristic of aliphatic organic matter and is mainly localized on a broad region of ~1000 square kilometers close to the ~50-kilometer Ernutet crater. The combined presence on Ceres of ammonia-bearing hydrated minerals, water ice, carbonates, salts, and organic material indicates a very complex chemical environment, suggesting favorable environments to prebiotic chemistry.
Eyeball ASes: from geography to connectivity

This paper presents a new approach to determine the geographical footprint of individual Autonomous Systems that directly provide service to end-users, i.e., eyeball ASes. The key idea is to leverage the geo-location of end-users associated with an eyeball AS to identify its geographical footprint. We leverage the kernel density estimation method to estimate the density of users across individual eyeball ASes. This method enables us to cope with the potential error associated with the location of individual end-users while controlling the level of aggregation among data points to capture a geo-footprint at the desired resolution. We use the resulting geo-footprint of individual eyeball ASes to identify their likely Point-of-Presence (PoP) locations. To demonstrate our proposed technique, we use the inferred geo-locations of 48 million users from three popular P2P applications and assess the geo- and PoP-level footprints of 1233 eyeball ASes. The validation of the identified PoP locations by our technique against online information and prior results by a commonly-used technique based on traceroute shows a very high accuracy. Leveraging the acquired PoP locations, we examine the implications of geo-footprint of eyeball ASes on their connectivity to the rest of the Internet. In particular, we present a case study that reveals a much more complex picture of AS-level connectivity as compared to what the more traditional but geography-agnostic BGP- or traceroute-based approaches depict.
The first year experience : looking back to inform the future

The importance of the first year experience (FYE) to success at university has been a focus of attention in the Australian higher education sector since the 1990s. For students a successful transition into university during their first year is now regarded as crucial for student engagement, success and retention. In this review we summarise a decade of research into FYE in the Australasian context. We draw on the findings arising from this comprehensive review of FYE programs and practices to describe FYE trends through the dual lenses of the first year curriculum principles and the generational approach to FYE initiatives. We contend that the generational approach to conceptualising the FYE and first year student engagement has made a useful but limited contribution to our understanding of the first year experience. Acknowledging the criticality of student engagement in a successful FYE, we propose an alternative— the Student Engagement Success and Retention Maturity Model (SESR-MM)— as a sophisticated vehicle for achieving whole-of-institution approaches to the FYE. The SESR-MM embodies the aspirations and characteristics of the transition pedagogy, highlights the need for institutional level evaluation of the FYE, focuses attention on the capacity of institutions to mobilise for first year student engagement, and importantly builds on the generational approach to allow an assessment of institutional capacity to initiate, plan, manage, evaluate and review institutional FYE practices.
Stratifying modular representations of finite groups

We classify localising subcategories of the stable module category of a finite group that are closed under tensor product with simple (or, equivalently all) modules. One application is a proof of the telescope conjecture in this context. Others include new proofs of the tensor product theorem and of the classification of thick subcategories of the finitely generated modules which avoid the use of cyclic shifted subgroups. Along the way we establish similar classifications for differential graded modules over graded polynomial rings, and over graded exterior algebras.