Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic advances in non-small cell lung cancer

Despite decades of research, therapeutic advances in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have progressed at a painstaking slow rate with few improvements in standard surgical resection for early stage disease and chemotherapy or radiotherapy for patients with advanced disease. In the past 18 months, however, we seemed to have reached an inflexion point: therapeutic advances that are centred on improvements in the understanding of patient selection, surgery that is undertaken through smaller incisions, identification of candidate mutations accompanied by the development of targeted anticancer treatments with a focus on personalised medicine, improvements to radiotherapy technology, emergence of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and last but by no means least, the recognition of palliative care as a therapeutic modality in its own right. The contributors to this review are a distinguished international panel of experts who highlight recent advances in each of the major disciplines.
A novel control method for the compensation voltages in dynamic voltage restorers

This paper discusses the control of the compensation voltages in dynamic voltage restorers (DVR). On analyzing the power circuit of a DVR system, control limitations and control targets are presented for the compensation voltage control. Based on the preceded power stage analysis, a novel controller for the compensation voltages in DVRs is proposed by a feedforward control scheme. This paper also discusses the time delay problems in the control system of DVRs. Digital control systems inevitably have control delay due to its the sampling of signal, the switching frequency of an inverter, and the signal delay due to sensor itself. The total signal delay is considerable in real implementation and it endanger the system stability. This paper analyzes the relationship among the control delay, closed loop damping factor, and the output filter parameters of DVR inverters. Based on the control system analysis, a guideline is proposed to design the appropriate output filter parameters and the inverter switching frequency for DVRs. The proposed theory is verified by an experimental DVR system, which is controlled in full digital manner.
Assessment of highly angiogenic and disseminated in the peripheral blood disease in breast cancer patients predicts for resistance to adjuvant chemotherapy and early relapse

The assessment of tumor molecular features in combination with the detection of occult malignant cells may provide important clinical information, beyond the standard staging of breast cancer. Using a nested RT‐PCR technique, we assessed prospectively the presence of cytokeratin‐19 (CK19) mRNA positive cells in the blood of 100 operated patients with breast cancer before the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy and local radiotherapy. Tissue samples were prospectively collected and analyzed for estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptor, c‐erbB‐2 overexpression, mutant‐p53 and bcl‐2 protein accumulation, proliferation index and microvessel density (MVD). CK‐19 mRNA‐positive cells were detected in the peripheral blood of 33% of patients. Simultaneous display of high intratumoral MVD and of CK‐19 mRNA‐positive cells, which characterized highly angiogenic and disseminated in the peripheral blood (HAD) disease was noted in 25% of patients. Detection of CK‐19 positive cells was significantly associated with increased MVD (p = 0.002). In univariate analysis (median follow‐up 30 months) CK19 mRNA detection and MVD were the most significant factors related to a short relapse‐free survival (RFS), (p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, CK19 positivity, high MVD and c‐erbB‐2 overexpression were the only significant and independent variables associated with relapse (p = 0.0005, 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). Patients with HAD had an expected relapse rate close to 70% vs. <5% in the remaining patients irrespectively of the used chemotherapy regimen. The simultaneous presence of high MVD and CK19‐positive cells in the blood of patients with early breast is linked with poor prognosis, which cannot be improved with standard chemotherapy regimens. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The preferred learning modes of online graduate students

This paper reports on a research project aimed at identifying the preferred approaches to learning of mature students in an online graduate programme. Interest in this issue was generated by the positions taken by certain theorists who argue for less focus on interaction and collaboration as the basis for learning in the online environment. They contend that the learner as an individual should be acknowledged. A questionnaire, operationalizing four learning modes, was used to solicit responses from graduate students. The modes were independent learning, instrumental learning, interactive learning, and collaborative learning. Factor analysis confirmed the four as student preferred learning modes. In addition it allowed for the emergence of specific attributes of each. While instrumental learning emerged as a strong factor, the most dominant construct emerging was a dimension of collaborative learning. It is envisaged that the findings of the study can inform the design of online teaching-learning strategies for this category of students.
Alteration of courtship behavior because of water acidification and minor effect of ammonium nitrate in the Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai)

Although many studies have assessed the effects of water pollution on amphibians, few have focused on the alteration of vital behaviors. Newt species usually display complex courtship behavior that may be altered by sublethal levels of contaminants. We analyzed the effects of ammonium nitrate and water acidification on courtship behavior of the Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai). We exposed newt couples to three treatments (control, nominal 90 mg N‐NO3NH4/L, and nominal pH 4) and recorded the occurrence of each of the three courtship phases (orientation, static display, and spermatophore transfer) as well as the latency to initiate courtship, overall courtship time, male perseverance, and female responsiveness. Major effects were observed in the acid treatment. Low pH inhibited orientation. None of the control couples failed to court, whereas 17% of couples from the low‐pH treatment did not perform any courtship movement. Latency to initiate courting was twice as high in couples exposed to acidification as in controls. Low pH also affected the overall time of courtship and perseverance time of males in unsuccessful encounters. Ammonium nitrate did not cause any significant effect. Only the female response index and the duration of the tail‐fanning movement (the major display during L. boscai courtship) were slightly reduced by the fertilizer. We report a pollution‐mediated alteration of courtship behavior, to our knowledge for the first time, in amphibians. This kind of sublethal effect should be considered when estimating potential impacts of water pollution on natural populations.
Revisiting the multifunctionality of the adverbials of ACT and FACT in a cross-linguistic perspective

The last two decades have seen a great rise of interest in the corpus-based contrastive studies on the multifunctional nature of modal adverbials and discourse markers. Most of the attention has been devoted to the multifunctionality of the “actuality and reality” (Biber et al . 1999) adverbs actually, in fact, really, indeed and truly and their meanings have been proved to be very much discourse, syntactic and social context-dependent both diachronically and synchronically (Schwenter and Traugott 2000; Aijmer 2003; Paradis 2003; Aijmer and Simon-Vandenbergen 2004; Lewis 2006; Aijmer 2007; Mortier and Degand 2009; Defour et al. 2010; Simon-Vandenbergen 2013). The description of the complex and dynamic relief of their functional and semantic-pragmatic potential has been mainly based on the translation paradigm analysis. The languages dealt with are either Germanic (English, Dutch, Swedish) or Romance (French, Spanish). The present paper aims to check how the semantic pragmatic meanings of the two English adverbials ( actually and in fact ) are expressed in Lithuanian, a Baltic language. With the focus on the scope of multifunctionality of the adverbials under study an attempt will be made to find out how Lithuanian translation correspondences (TCs) ‘mirror’ the English actuality adverbials, i.e. how much language-specific or resembling the English adverbials the Lithuanian TCs are in terms of form and meaning. The study will also look at the pragmatic functions Lithuanian TCs perform in academic discourse thus attempting to arrive at the description of their functional potential.
Prospective Teachers' Beliefs and Perceptions about Teaching as a Profession.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how of a group of prospective teachers' beliefs and perceptions about teaching (as a profession) change as they complete a teacher education program offered by the Curriculum and Instruction Department at an Eastern U.S. University. Considering the fact that there is quite a difference between prospective teachers' entering and exiting perceptions and beliefs about teaching as a profession, there exists a need to provide new insight into the reasons causing this difference. The findings indicate that field experiences gave the prospective teachers the opportunity to modify their self-perceptions about teaching careers.
Alcohol Advertising: Orientations and Influence

The paper presents an analysis of the effects of televised alcohol beverage advertising on the consumption of alcohol among a sample of US teenagers. While no effects of exposure on total consumption are demonstrated for the total sample, consistent with other research on alcohol advertising effects, the present analysis reveals the importance of ‘orientations towards advertising’ as linkages between exposure and consumption behaviour. Specifically, a social utility orientation, involving learning of normative expectations about drinking, and a vicarious utility orientation, involving identification with models in alcohol beverage commercials, are shown to be mediating factors which condition the effects of advertising exposure. ‘Alcohol Advertising: Content and Controversy’, by the same author, appeared in the last issue of this journal.
Transitive inference in healthy humans and implications for schizophrenia

Transitive inference (TI) refers to inferences on relations between items based on other known relations of those items. Using a paradigm where participants first learn a series of four overlapping pairs that constitute the ordered sequence A>B>C>D>E and are then tested on the novel TI pair BD and non-TI pair AE, animal experiments demonstrated that intact function of the hippocampus is necessary for TI but not for non-TI. We performed three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments to identify neural correlates of TI in healthy humans. First, we show hippocampal activation in learning overlapping pairs that constitute an ordered sequence but not non-overlapping individual pairs. Second, we demonstrate hippocampal recruitment in inferences on the ordered sequence of overlapping pairs (TI) but not on non-overlapping pairs (non-TI, e.g., if a>b and c>d then a>d). We then demonstrate the specificity of hippocampal activation to TI on pairs that are devoid of sequence end-items (e.g., B>D vs. A>C). The results support the relational flexibility account of hippocampal function. Under this account, the hippocampus plays a special role in declarative memory in that it acts to rapidly bind common features into a unified representation that supports flexible inferential memory expression. Other brain areas that were activated in TI included prefrontal cortex, pre-supplementary and supplementary motor areas, insula, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, lateral temporal cortex, precuneus, posterior parietal cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, ventral striaturn and midbrain (the TI network). In schizophrenia, TI performance is impaired. Could this deficit be linked to hippocampal abnormalities in SZ? We used the findings from studies of TI in healthy participants to interpret an fMRI study of TI in SZ. In SZ, we confirmed the deficit in TI on pairs devoid of end-items (e.g., B>D) but not on pairs including an end-item (e.g., A>C) and linked it to reduced hippocampal activation. Further, we uncovered aberrant function in two points of the TI network anterior cingulate and inferior parietal cortices in SZ. Thesis Supervisor: Stephan Heckers Title: Professor of Psychiatry
The Comparison of Hypertonic Saline (7.5%) and Normal Saline (0.9%) for Initial Fluid Administration Before Spinal Anesthesia

Hypertonic saline can be used for initial fluid administration before spinal anesthesia. It is effective in small-volume fluid resuscitation. This randomized double-blinded study compared the effects of 7.5% hypertonic saline (HS) and 0.9% normal saline (NS) in doses containing 2 mmol/kg of sodium in 40 ASA physical status I–II patients undergoing arthroscopy or other lower limb surgery under spinal anesthesia. We infused 1.6 mL/kg of HS or 13 mL/kg of NS for initial fluid administration before spinal anesthesia induced with a 10-mg dose of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. Etilefrine was administered to maintain mean arterial pressure at ≥80% of its control value. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac index did not differ between the groups, and the amount of etilefrine administered was similar in the treatment groups. In all our patients, the plasma sodium concentrations were within the normal range after surgery and serum osmolality was within the normal range after spinal anesthesia. The time and the volume of the first micturition were similar in both groups, despite the much smaller amount of infused free water in the HS group. We conclude that 7.5% HS was as good as NS for the initial fluid administration before spinal anesthesia when the amount of sodium was kept unchanged. Implications Initial fluid administration with isotonic fluids is often used for the prevention of hypotension before spinal anesthesia. We infused 1.6 mL/kg of hypertonic saline 7.5% or 13 mL/kg of normal saline for the initial fluid administration and found that, by using hypertonic saline solution, effective initial fluid administration can be achieved without excess free water administration.
Cancer-related risk indicators and preventive screening behaviors among lesbians and bisexual women.

OBJECTIVES This study examined whether lesbians are at increased risk for certain cancers as a result of an accumulation of behavioral risk factors and difficulties in accessing health care. METHODS Prevalence estimates of behavioral risk factors (nulliparity, obesity, smoking, and alcohol use), cancer screening behaviors, and self-reported breast cancer histories derived from 7 independently conducted surveys of lesbians/bisexual women (n = 11,876) were compared with national estimates for women. RESULTS In comparison with adjusted estimates for the US female population, lesbians/bisexual women exhibited greater prevalence rates of obesity, alcohol use, and tobacco use and lower rates of parity and birth control pill use. These women were also less likely to have health insurance coverage or to have had a recent pelvic examination or mammogram. Self-reported histories of breast cancer, however, did not differ from adjusted US female population estimates. CONCLUSIONS Lesbians and bisexual women differ from heterosexual women in patterns of health risk. These women would be expected to be at especially greater risk for chronic diseases linked to smoking and obesity.
Condicionamiento evaluativo con presentaciones subliminales del estímulo incondicionado. Un estudio experimental

Investigamos la posibilidad de establecer respuestas evaluativas condicionadas con presentaciones subliminales de los EIs. Para ello, llevamos a cabo un experimento en el que se utilizaron pseudopalabras neutras como ECs y palabras agradables y desagradables como EIs. Las parejas EC-EI fueron presentadas en tres ocasiones, siendo el EI expuesto durante 28,57 mseg. y enmascarado retroactivamente. Los resultados evidencian un claro efecto de la mera exposicion pero no de condicionamiento evaluativo.
The meaning of race : race, history and culture in Western society

Today, race seems to be both everywhere and nowhere. There still exists a general abhorrence about discriminating between people according to their race. And yet, people are continually categorized according to their race--Afro- Caribbean, white, Jewish--though we often have difficulty in defining just what race is. Everything from criminality to the entrepreneurial spirit is given a racial connotation--witness stereotypes of black muggers or Asian shopkeepers. The Meaning of Race argues that the social meaning of race in modern society emerges from the contradiction between an ideological commitment to equality and the persistence of inequality as a practical reality. Kenan Malik here follows the development of racial ideology over the past two hundred years, tracing the different forms it has taken, from biological theories of race to the relationship between race and culture. Specific attention is focused on the impact of the break up of the postwar order and the end of the Cold War and the concomitant repoliticisation of the notion of racial difference. Malik goes on to critique the poststructuralist and postmodern theories of difference which have become the backbone of contemporary antiracist discourse, and to examine the possibility of transcending the discourse of race.
Advantage of Hole Stimulus in Rivalry Competition

Mounting psychophysical evidence suggests that early visual computations are sensitive to the topological properties of stimuli, such as the determination of whether the object has a hole or not. Previous studies have demonstrated that the hole feature took some advantages during conscious perception. In this study, we investigate whether there exists a privileged processing for hole stimuli during unconscious perception. By applying a continuous flash suppression paradigm, the target was gradually introduced to one eye to compete against a flashed full contrast Mondrian pattern which was presented to the other eye. This method ensured that the target image was suppressed during the initial perceptual period. We compared the initial suppressed duration between the stimuli with and without the hole feature and found that hole stimuli required less time than no-hole stimuli to gain dominance against the identical suppression noise. These results suggest the hole feature could be processed in the absence of awareness, and there exists a privileged detection of hole stimuli during suppressed phase in the interocular rivalry.
Response to nebulized salbutamol versus combination with ipratropium bromide in children with acute severe asthma.

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of nebulised salbutamol alone and in combination with ipratropium bromide in acute severe asthma in children. METHODS The randomised controlled trial was conducted at the National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, from October 2012 to March 2013, and comprised patients with acute severe asthma who were randomised into two equal groups. Group A patients received 3 doses of nebulised salbutamol alone (0.03 ml/kg/dose) at 15-minute intervals and Group B received 3 similar doses of salbutamol along with ipratropium (250 ug/dose). Acute severe asthma was categorised as serve exacerbation (clinical score >10) and moderate (5-10 score) based on Bentur Modification. Efficacy was measured after 5minutes of the last dose by change in severity score from severe exacerbation (baseline) to low score. SPSS 10 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS There were two groups of 100(50%) patients each. The mean age in Group A was 9.1±3 years and 9.3±2.8 years in Group B. Male-Female ratio in Group A was 1.5:1 and in Group B it was 1.2:1. In Group B, 93(93%) children showed improvement in clinical score (<10 score) while it was 84(84%) in Group A. There was better response in clinical score in Group A than Group B, but it was not significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The combination of nebulised salbutamol along with ipratropium bromide in the treatment of acute asthma exacerbation was not superior to salbutamol alone.
Measurement of Calcium Dissociation Rates from Troponin C in Rigor Skeletal Myofibrils

Ca2+ dissociation from the regulatory domain of troponin C may influence the rate of striated muscle relaxation. However, Ca2+ dissociation from troponin C has not been measured within the geometric and stoichiometric constraints of the muscle fiber. Here we report the rates of Ca2+ dissociation from the N-terminal regulatory and C-terminal structural domains of fluorescent troponin C constructs reconstituted into rabbit rigor psoas myofibrils using stopped-flow technology. Chicken skeletal troponin C fluorescently labeled at Cys 101, troponin CIAEDANS, reported Ca2+ dissociation exclusively from the structural domain of troponin C at ∼0.37, 0.06, and 0.07/s in isolation, in the presence of troponin I and in myofibrils at 15°C, respectively. Ca2+ dissociation from the regulatory domain was observed utilizing fluorescently labeled troponin C containing the T54C and C101S mutations. Troponin CMIANST54C,C101S reported Ca2+ dissociation exclusively from the regulatory domain of troponin C at >1000, 8.8, and 15/s in isolation, in the presence of troponin I and in myofibrils at 15°C, respectively. Interestingly, troponin CIAANST54C,C101S reported a biphasic fluorescence change upon Ca2+ dissociation from the N- and C-terminal domains of troponin C with rates that were similar to those reported by troponin CMIANST54C,C101S and troponin CIAEDANS at all levels of the troponin C systems. Furthermore, the rate of Ca2+ dissociation from troponin C in the myofibrils was similar to the rate of Ca2+ dissociation measured from the troponin C-troponin I complexes. Since the rate of Ca2+ dissociation from the regulatory domain of TnC in myofibrils is similar to the rate of skeletal muscle relaxation, Ca2+ dissociation from troponin C may influence relaxation.
Training Social Workers in Personal Finance: An Exploratory Study

Social workers have opportunities to help individuals and families with their financial problems in a variety of practice settings, yet receive no formal training to do so. Using data from an online survey of social workers and other human service professionals (N = 56) who completed or expressed interest in a financial social work certification program, we found that respondents were able to apply what they learned to help their clients and valued the practical and interactive nature of program content. We also found that respondents were not immune from experiencing some of the same financial problems that confront their clients. Implications for educating BSW and MSW students about household finance are presented and discussed.