Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationships of TP 53 Codon 72 and HRAS 1 Polymorphisms with Lung Cancer Risk in an Ethnically Diverse Population 1

Tobacco smoking is a strong cause of lung cancer. However, because only a small proportion of smokers develop the disease, other factors, including genetic susceptibility, may be important in determining lung cancer risk. Polymorphisms in theTP53 tumor suppressor gene andHRAS1 proto-oncogene have been associated in some studies with this cancer; we sought to replicate these associations in an ethnically diverse population in Hawaii. We conducted a population-based case-control study among 334 incident lung cancer cases and 446 controls of Caucasian, Japanese, or Native Hawaiian origin. In-person interviews collected detailed information on lifestyle risk factors. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes, and genotyping was performed using a PCR-based assay for theTP53 codon 72 polymorphism and Southern blot analysis and PCR for allelic polymorphisms in the HRAS1 minisatellite. Logistic regression analyses were used to compute odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for smoking and other risk factors. The presence of two rareHRAS1 alleles was associated with a 2.2-fold (95% CI, 1.0–5.0) increased lung cancer risk for all ethnic groups combined. The association was present in Native Hawaiians (OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.1–24.4) and was suggested for Japanese (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 0.6–12.5); no association was observed in Caucasians (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.2–3.6). This association was also observed for each lung cancer cell type. The presence of only one rare allele did not increase risk for any ethnic group or cell type. No significant association was found between theTP53 codon 72 polymorphism and lung cancer [OR, 1.4 (95% CI, 0.8–2.4) for thePro/Pro genotype compared with theArg/ Arg genotype]. This study suggests that the presence of two rare HRAS1 alleles confers an increased lung cancer risk in Native Hawaiians and Japanese but possibly not in Caucasians. The amino acid replacement of arginine by proline at codon 72 ofTP53 appears not to be important in determining lung cancer risk in this population.
Fast Covariant VLAD for Image Search

Vector of locally aggregated descriptor (VLAD) is a popular image encoding approach for its simplicity and better scalability over conventional bag-of-visual-word approach. In order to enhance its distinctiveness and geometric invariance, covariant VLAD (CVLAD) is proposed to pool local features based on their dominant orientations/characteristic scales, which leads to a geometric-aware representation. This representation achieves rotation/scale invariance when being associated with circular matching. However, the circular matching induces several times of computation overhead, which makes CVLAD hardly suitable for large-scale retrieval tasks. In this paper, the issue of computation overhead is alleviated by performing the circular matching in CVLAD's frequency domain. In addition, by operating PCA on CVLAD in its frequency domain, much better scalability is achieved than when it is undertaken in the original feature space. Furthermore, the high-dimensional CVLAD subvectors are converted to dozens of very low-dimensional subvectors, which is possible when transforming the feature into its frequency domain. Nearest neighbor search is therefore undertaken on very low-dimensional subspaces, which becomes easily tractable. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated in the retrieval scenario on popular benchmarks comprising up to 1 million database images.
Evaluation of Salivary Antioxidant Enzymes among Smokers and Nonsmokers

Background: Cigarette smoke contains various oxygen-free radicals which are considered as the main causes of damage to biomolecules when exposed to cigarette smoke. Saliva is the first biological fluid that encounters inhaled cigarette smoke (CS) and has an antioxidant defense system able to counter toxic activities of free radical species. So, the aim of this study was to compare the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in saliva of smokers and nonsmokers. Materials and methods: Unstimulated saliva of 200 males (100 smokers and 100 nonsmokers) was collected. The saliva was centrifuged and the activity of salivary superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase was measured according to a specific assay. Results: The mean value of superoxide dismutase activity was significantly higher in the smoking group than in the nonsmoker group, while the levels of GSH-Px activity was significantly higher in the nonsmoking group than in the smoking group. Conclusion: Cigarette smoke leads to an alteration in salivary antioxidant activity. Evaluating the variations in the level of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GSH-Px) in smoker's saliva might be useful for estimating the level of oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoke. Thus, it may help in patient's education regarding the ill-effects of smoking and determining the evolution and progress of various oral diseases.
PART OF A SPECIAL ISSUE ON HALOPHYTES AND SALINE ADAPTATIONS Growth responses of the mangrove Avicennia marina to salinity: development and function of shoot hydraulic systems require saline conditions

Background and Aims Halophytic eudicots are characterized by enhanced growth under saline conditions. This study combines physiological and anatomical analyses to identify processes underlying growth responses of the mangrove Avicennia marina to salinities ranging from fresh- to seawater conditions. (cid:2) Methods Following pre-exhaustion of cotyledonary reserves under optimal conditions (i.e. 50 % seawater), seedlings of A. marina were grown hydroponically in dilutions of seawater amended with nutrients. Whole-plant growth characteristics were analysed in relation to dry mass accumulation and its allocation to different plant parts. Gas exchange characteristics and stable carbon isotopic composition of leaves were measured to evaluate water use in relation to carbon gain. Stem and leaf hydraulic anatomy were measured in relation to plant water use and growth. (cid:2) Key Results Avicennia marina seedlings failed to grow in 0–5 % seawater, whereas maximal growth occurred in 50–75 % seawater. Relative growth rates were affected by changes in leaf area ratio (LAR) and net assimilation rate (NAR) along the salinity gradient, with NAR generally being more important. Gas exchange characteristics followed the same trends as plant growth, with assimilation rates and stomatal conductance being greatest in leaves grown in 50–75 % seawater. However, water use efﬁciency was maintained nearly constant across all salinities, consistent with carbon isotopic signatures. Anatomical studies revealed variation in rates of development and com- position of hydraulic tissues that were consistent with salinity-dependent patterns in water use and growth, including a structural explanation for low stomatal conductance and growth under low salinity. (cid:2) Conclusions The results identiﬁed stem and leaf transport systems as central to understanding the integrated growth responses to variation in salinity from fresh- to seawater conditions. Avicennia marina was revealed as an obligate halophyte, requiring saline conditions for development of the transport systems needed to sustain water use and carbon gain.
Utilization of Functional Tests Prior to and Adherence to Guidelines on Coronary Angiography

Coronary angiography is one of the most commonly performed investigations in clinical cardiology and remains the “gold standard” in the anatomical diagnosis of coronary artery disease. It is often required to establish the diagnosis of coronary disease and to provide a map of a patient’s coronary artery anatomy prior to percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery. Despite its importance, invasive coronary angiography should not be performed in all patients suspected to have coronary artery disease. Functional tests, such as stress ECG, echo or nuclear perfusion imaging, are often recommended as initial tests for many of these patients. These functional tests are widely available and practised. In addition to their diagnostic value, functional tests provide independent and additional prognostic information (Marwick et al., 1997). Furthermore, functional tests are often required to guide management of patients with intermediate lesions on invasive coronary angiography. According to the Bayesian theorem, the impact of a screening test is most significant in patients with intermediate pre-test probability of disease. Furthermore, cost-effectiveness analyses often reveal that the use of screening tests in these patients is the most favourable approach. Despite the established roles of functional tests and their extensive incorporation in best practice guidelines, there is little data on the extent of their use and on how the results of such tests are utilised prior to referral to coronary angiography in patients with low to intermediate pre-test probabilities of coronary disease. Guidelines have proliferated in cardiology in recent years. Major professional bodies like the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology have published guidelines on a wide range of cardiovascular disorders and cardiovascular investigations. These guidelines incorporate the latest evidence base and provide recommendations, which are intended to improve the quality of patient care and clinical outcomes whilst minimising costs. These recommendations are based on the most effective and evidence-based strategies. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association have published comprehensive guidelines on the use of coronary angiography (Scanlon et al., 1999). The guidelines were initially published in 1987 and were revised in May of 1999. These guidelines provide recommendations for coronary
*SEM 2012: The First Joint Conference on Lexical and Computational Semantics

Linking implicit semantic roles is a challenging problem in discourse processing. Unlike prior work inspired by SRL, we cast this problem as an anaphora resolution task and embed it in an entity-based coreference resolution (CR) architecture. Our experiments clearly show that CR-oriented features yield strongest performance exceeding a strong baseline. We address the problem of data sparsity by applying heuristic labeling techniques, guided by the anaphoric nature of the phenomenon. We achieve performance beyond state-of-the art.
Identification of novel rare mutations of DACT1 in human neural tube defects

Neural tube defects (NTDs) constitute the second most frequent cause of human congenital abnormalities. Complex multigenetic causes have been suggested to contribute to NTDs. The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway plays a critical role in neural tube closure in model organisms and in human. Knockout of Dact1 (Dapper, Frodo) leads to deregulated PCP signaling with defective neural tube in mice. Here, we report that five missense heterozygote mutations of the DACT1 gene are specifically identified in 167 stillborn or miscarried Han Chinese fetuses with neural tube defects. Our biochemical analyses revealed that among the five mutations, N356K and R45W show loss‐of‐function or reduced activities in inducing Dishevelled2 (DVL2) degradation and inhibiting jun‐N‐terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation, implicating mutated DACT1 as a risk factor for human NTDs. Our findings, together with early reports, suggest that rare mutations of the PCP‐related genes may constitute a great contribution to human NTDs. Hum Mutat 33:1450–1455, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Implementation of isoniazid preventive therapy in children aged under 5 years exposed to tuberculosis in Benin.

SETTINGS Two large tuberculosis (TB) centres under a well-functioning National TB Programme (NTP) in Benin, West Africa. OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility and results of integrating a programme of isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in children aged <5 years exposed to TB as part of the existing routine activities of the NTP. METHOD All children aged <5 years living in the household of a patient with smear-positive pulmonary TB were examined by a doctor and received IPT if no evidence of TB was detected. The children were followed clinically by a nurse for 6 months. RESULTS From January 2013 to June 2014, 496 children were examined and prescribed IPT among 499 notified contacts; 86% adhered to IPT for at least 6 months. There were six deaths and three cases of active TB among the children, all during the first 3 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS In an African country with moderate TB incidence and a well-functioning NTP, the integration of IPT into the NTP for children aged <5 years exposed to TB in the family was feasible based on simple tools associated with the follow-up of index cases. The rate of adherence to IPT was high.
Evaluation of antibodies to human papillomavirus as prognostic markers in cervical cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES We wished to evaluate whether the presence of antibodies to HPV or to the HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 or type of HPV DNA is related to prognosis among cervical cancer patients. METHODS Blood samples were drawn from 313 patients with incident, untreated cervical cancer on admission to two hospitals in Sweden. Patients were followed from enrollment in 1984-1991 until death or up to June 1999. Clinical information was obtained from a review of medical records. Survival and cause of death were ascertained from both medical records and population-based cancer registries. The correlation of survival with antibodies to HPV16, to oncoproteins E6 and E7, and to type of HPV DNA was evaluated using multivariate Cox regression analysis, including stage, age, histology, and hospital in the model. RESULTS Stage was the only significant prognostic factor influencing cervical cancer patient survival (OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 2.71-4.83). Age over 50 was associated with increased death rate among stage I-IIa patients (OR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.12-4.68). Presence of antibodies to the oncoproteins E6 and E7 or to the HPV16 capsid or type of HPV DNA did not associate significantly with disease prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Antibodies to HPV16 capsids and to oncoproteins E6 and E7 or type of HPV DNA do not appear to be useful as indicators of cervical cancer prognosis.
Association of reading problems with speech and motor development: results from a British 1946 birth cohort

SIR–We investigated, using data from the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development (the British 1946 birth cohort; n‡3083), whether later attainment of developmental milestones and speech problems (stammering or articulation problem) were associated with reading problems at age 11 years, and whether children with reading difficulty were at increased risk of motor problems in adolescence. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were applied for the analyses. The results showed that reading problems were associated with later age at standing (p=0.006) and walking (p=0.048). Speech problems (articulation problems and stammering) at age 6 and 7 years were associated with reading difficulty. In contrast, we did not find any association between reading problems and fine motor skills at age 15 years. Our study concludes that delayed gross motor development and early evidence of speech problems predict risk of reading impairment; however, reading impairment may not be associated with motor problems. Co-occurrence of reading difficulties and motor coordination problems has been reported in several studies. 1–3 Speech problems are also associated with reading difficulties. 4–7 Mechanisms underlying overlapping problems in domains of reading, speech, and motor function remain poorly characterized. One hypothesis is that these associations reflect common neural substrates for different motor and cognitive functions at varying developmental stages. The neurodevelopmental hypothesis is supported by the observation that developmental milestones may be delayed in children with reading difficulties, 8–10 although relevant studies to date are based on relatively small samples and ⁄ or specific samples, and are not well controlled for potential confounders.
[Burden of influenza virus type B and mismatch with the flu vaccine in Spain].

INTRODUCTION Since the 80s two lineages of type B viruses are co - circulating in the world. Antigenic differences between them are important and it leads to lack of cross-reactivity. The impact on the burden of disease due to influenza B virus, poor foresight in estimating which of the two lineages of B viruses circulate in the season, and the consequent lack of immunity in case of including the wrong strain make that the availability of the quadrivalent vaccine is very useful. The aim of this paper is to analyze the past influenza seasons in Spain to assess the burden of disease, divergence between the vaccine strain and the circulating B and viral characteristics associated with type B in each seasonal epidemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS Review of all reports issued by the Influenza Surveillance System in Spain since the 2003-2004 season to 2012-2013. RESULTS Over the past influenza seasons, although type A was present mostly, circulation of influenza B virus in each season was observed, even being co - dominant in some of them. In a high number of seasons the divergence between the vaccine strain and the circulating strain lineage has been observed CONCLUSIONS The protective effect of influenza vaccine has varied depending on the type / subtype of influenza virus studied. The vaccine effectiveness against influenza infection by influenza B virus has varied greatly depending on the season analyzed.
Social impact assessment on a hydrocarbon proyect using triangular whitenization weight functions

Social impact assessment (SIA) has become an important factor for social conflicts prevention. In this study, we conducted SIA using the center-point triangular whitenization weight functions (CTWF) method, which is based on grey systems theory. A case study was conducted on a hydrocarbon exploration project located in the Gulf of Valencia, Spain. Two stakeholder groups and four evaluation criteria were identified. The results revealed that for the group of the directly linked population, the project would have very negative social impact; and for the group of indirectly linked citizens, the project would have negative social impact. The results could help central and community governments to make the best decision on the project. The method showed interesting results and could be apply to SIA of other projects or programs.
Photoacoustic optical properties at UV, VIS, and near IR wavelengths for laboratory generated and winter time ambient urban aerosols

We present the laboratory and ambient photoa- coustic (PA) measurement of aerosol light absorption coef- ficients at ultraviolet wavelength (i.e., 355 nm) and compare with measurements at 405, 532, 870, and 1047 nm. Simulta- neous measurements of aerosol light scattering coefficients were achieved by the integrating reciprocal nephelometer within the PA's acoustic resonator. Absorption and scatter- ing measurements were carried out for various laboratory- generated aerosols, including salt, incense, and kerosene soot to evaluate the instrument calibration and gain insight on the spectral dependence of aerosol light absorption and scatter- ing. Ambient measurements were obtained in Reno, Nevada, between 18 December 2009 and 18 January 2010. The measurement period included days with and without strong ground level temperature inversions, corresponding to highly polluted (freshly emitted aerosols) and relatively clean (aged aerosols) conditions. Particulate matter (PM) concentrations were measured and analyzed with other tracers of traffic emissions. The temperature inversion episodes caused very high concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 µm and 10 µm, re- spectively) and gaseous pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The diurnal change of absorption and scattering coefficients during the polluted (inversion) days increased approximately by a fac- tor of two for all wavelengths compared to the clean days. The spectral variation in aerosol absorption coefficients indi- cated a significant amount of absorbing aerosol from traffic emissions and residential wood burning. The analysis of sin- gle scattering albedo (SSA), ˚ Angstrexponent of absorp-
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL USING THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODE STEINERNEMA FELTIAE AGAINST THE SOUTH AMERICAN LEAFMINER

Routine measures used to control the larval stages of non-statutory leafminer species in the United Kingdom rely largely on either the use of the braconid parasitoid Dacnusa sibirica Telenga and the eulophid wasp Diglyphus isaea Walker as, for example, in tomato crops, or on chemical insecticides for control in leafy salad and ornamental plants (Garthwaite and Thomas, 2001). The availability of effective chemical insecticides for use against leafminers is severely limited, and the introduction of parasitoids alone to control leafminer populations requires repetitive releases of large numbers (Sher et al., 2000), which would be prohibitively expensive. Therefore to reliably achieve eradication a new approach was required. A non-chemical control method using the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) as a foliar treatment against larval instars was developed (Williams and Macdonald, 1994; Williams and Walters, 1995, 2000). However, before nematodes could be integrated into pest management programs, information on their compatibility with chemical insecticides was required. Earlier studies addressed the consequences of direct exposure to solutions of insecticides on the behavior and infectivity of selected entomopathogenic nematode species; however, combinations of insecticides and nematode species available for use in the United Kingdom were not included. Additionally, the effect of dry pesticide residue on subsequent nematode applications had not previously been investigated.
Spinal cord segmentation and disability prediction in multiple sclerosis using novel optimization and machine learning methods

Multiple sclerosis studies show a correlation between spinal cord atrophy and physical disability, indicating the potential use of atrophy as a biomarker to monitor disease progression. To quantify spinal cord atrophy, clinicians need to accurately measure the cord and determine which cord properties consistently capture tissue loss. We address these needs by making three contributions: (i) a novel algorithm to segment the spinal cord by finding the globally optimal minimal path in six dimensions; (ii) a machine learning spinal cord segmentation approach where we introduce the concept of global geometric features into decision forests to address the first algorithm's limitations; and (iii) novel morphological and appearance features extracted from magnetic resonance images (MRI) and corresponding spinal cord segmentations that are combined to predict the physical disability of patients with multiple sclerosis. Our results demonstrate improvements over state-of-the-art spinal cord segmentation methods and improved prediction of clinical disability from MRI data.