Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Defect-induced magnetism in graphene

We study from first principles the magnetism in graphene induced by single carbon atom defects. For two types of defects considered in our study, the hydrogen chemisorption defect and the vacancy defect, the itinerant magnetism due to the defect-induced extended states has been observed. Calculated magnetic moments are equal to 1µB per hydrogen chemisorption defect and 1.12–1. 53µB per vacancy defect depending on the defect concentration. The coupling between the magnetic moments is either ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, depending on whether the defects correspond to the same or to different hexagonal sublattices of the graphene lattice, respectively. The relevance of itinerant magnetism in graphene to the high-TC magnetic ordering is discussed.
O capim-BRS Quênia (Panicum maximum Jacq.) na diversificação e intensificação das pastagens.

A Embrapa mantem um programa de melhoramento e desenvolvimento de cultivares de Panicum maximum com os objetivos de diversificar as pastagens e intensificar a producao animal. Em 2017, esta sendo lancada a cultivar hibrida BRS Quenia, em parceria com a Unipasto (Associacao para o Fomento a Pesquisa de Melhoramento de Forrageiras). Esta cultivar vem para o mercado para suprir uma demanda por uma cultivar de P. maximum de porte intermediario, de alta produtividade e qualidade de forragem, com folhas macias e colmos tenros, alto perfilhamento e de facil manejo. A cv. BRS Quenia tambem apresenta alta resistencia por antibiose as cigarrinhas-das-pastagens. Nos ensaios regionais nos estados do Acre, Rondonia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul e no Distrito Federal, a cv. BRS Quenia apresentou bom desempenho agronomico e produtividade, com alta adaptacao em todos os locais avaliados. Na avaliacao sob pastejo no Acre e em Mato Grosso do Sul, a cultivar apresentou bom estabelecimento, bem como elevada persistencia nos periodos seco e chuvoso do ano. Esta cultivar apresenta arquitetura de planta que resulta em altos niveis de ganho de peso por animal e proporciona facilidade de manejo, por manter baixo alongamento dos colmos, caracteristica que a diferencia entre todas as cultivares comerciais de porte medio a alto.
About sorafenib in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

In the study design of Chi et al. [1] is declared that sorafenib would be considered of interest if three or more prostatespecific antigen (PSA) responses were observed in the 25 patients accrued. In their trial, a PSA response occurred in one patient among 28 patients treated with sorafenib; therefore, sorafenib should be considered ineffective in chemonaive castration-resistant prostate cancer. The authors concluded that further study may be warranted, but needs to consider the limitations of PSA as an indicator of progression and response. In summary, Chi et al. believe that activity of this drug was missed in such a trial, also considering a recent finding about the effect of sorafenib on PSA [2]. Historically, post-therapy PSA decline has been proposed as a surrogate end point to evaluate new cytotoxic agents in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [3]; PSA decline within 3 months of treatment initiation provided the highest degree of surrogacy for overall survival in a retrospective assessment of TAX327 trial [4] and similar results emerged from an analysis of data from SWOG 99-16 [5]. Criteria for PSA response were prospectively validated with taxanes/epothilones [6] and other drugs [7, 8]. At the same time, the necessity to verify the instrumental response after 4 weeks and PSA response after 12 weeks was pointed out [6]. The post-chemotherapy PSA surge syndrome suggests the opportunity of treatment continuation beyond 8 weeks despite an initial PSA elevation, with the obvious exception of a clinical disease progression [9]. Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Working Group recommends, for noncytotoxic drugs, shifting the focus of designs from response to time to event end points, suggesting a phase II trial, possibly randomised, with TTP or TTF and not PSA response as primary end point, and that it will be also important keeping patients on trial until radiographic or symptomatic progression is documented [10]. To date, results of two other phase II trials of sorafenib in castration-resistant prostate cancer have been published [11, 12], both evidencing a limited activity of sorafenib. The first paper, additionally, reported a discrepancy between PSA response and clinical response: in this study, two patients with PSA progressive disease experienced a response on bone scan, and six of 17 with PSA progression presented a spontaneous reduction of PSA after suspension of sorafenib; letters to the editor Annals of Oncology
Evaluation of prognostic value of VEGF-C and VEGF-D in breast cancer--10 years follow-up analysis.

UNLABELLED The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and VEGF-D expression in stage II, grade 2 and 3, ductal breast cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS The immunohistochemical staining of 98 tumor samples and 5- and 10-year overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed. RESULTS A significant relationship between VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression (p=0.000002) was noted. No correlations between protein expression and clinical parameters (tumor size, grade, estrogen receptor status, axillaty lymph node metastases and age) or 5- and 10-year DFS or OS were demonstrated. A close to significant correlation (p=0.084) was observed between high expression of VEGF-C and 5-year OS. CONCLUSION Our study did not reveal any prognostic value of VEGF-C or VEGF-D. Therefore they are not useful as markers for patients with poor prognosis. Unlike in other studies, our patient group was homogenous which might have contributed to the results obtained.
Robust adaptive control of flexible joint robots with joint torque feedback

This paper addresses motion control issues of flexible joint robot manipulators using joint torque feedback. A two-stage control scheme consisting of a motion controller and a joint torque controller is established in a systematic way for the general n-link case. To deal with uncertainties in the robotic system, a robust adaptive control algorithm is developed assuming that all system parameters including the joint flexibility values are unknown except for some of their bounds. The system stability is analyzed via Lyapunov stability theory. The result has the distinct feature that no restriction of joint flexibility, nor exact knowledge of the parameters of rotor subsystem is required. The outcome is a useful framework for generalization of control methods previously developed for rigid robots. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control methods.
Geographic Variation in Antidiabetic Agent Adherence and Glycemic Control Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Medication nonadherence is an imperative public health concern. Among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), poor adherence to antidiabetic agents is strongly associated with suboptimal glycemic control. Poor adherence and hyperglycemia greatly increase diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. At a national level, diabetes drug adherence using average proportion of days covered (PDC) is estimated to range between 36% and 81%, with an estimated range for diabetes control between 38% and 47%. At a state level no such studies exist. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the level of medication adherence to antidiabetic agents and of diabetes control, and their association among patients with T2DM receiving medication treatment at the state and the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) levels among the populations covered by commercial insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. METHODS: The study population included adults with T2DM aged ≥ 18 years who were identified using ICD-9-CM code 250.xx, who received diabetes medication, and who were covered by private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid in each state, the District of Columbia, and the top 50 MSAs. Medication adherence was measured by average PDC and the percentage of population that had a PDC ≥ 80%. Diabetes control was identified using ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. Patients who were not diagnosed with uncontrolled diabetes (250.x2 and 250.x3) were identified as being under control. The administrative claims databases used for this study included the 2012 medical and pharmacy claims from a large U.S. health plan, the complete 2011 Medicare Standard Analytical File linked with Part D claims, and the 2008 Mini-Medicaid Analytic eXtract (Mini-Max). Medication adherence and diabetes control were adjusted for age and sex to allow comparison across insurance coverage, states, and MSAs. RESULTS: For an insured patient population with T2DM that received diabetic drug treatment, average PDC was 79%. However, 35% of patients did not achieve an adherence of at least 80% of PDC. In addition, at least 40% of patients did not have their diabetes under control. Across insurance types, we found that patients insured with Medicare had relatively high average PDC and adherence levels (83% and 71%) in comparison with the commercially insured population (77% and 60%) and Medicaid patients (75% and 57%). In contrast, commercially insured patients had relatively better diabetes control (69%) than those insured with Medicare and Medicaid (54% and 53%, respectively). At a state level, we found that commercially insured and Medicare populations have relatively smaller geographic variation in drug adherence than the Medicaid population. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified gaps in T2DM drug adherence and pinpointed geographic areas that lag in terms of diabetes drug adherence or diabetes control and would benefit from implementing strategies to increase drug adherence.
Evaluation of H3 histone methylation and colony formation in erythroid progenitors treated with thalidomide and sodium butyrate.

OBJECTIVES β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease are hemoglobinopathies with reduced/absent β chains in the former and dysfunctional β chains in the latter. In both conditions, up-regulation of hemoglobin F through demethylation can alleviate the symptoms. This can be attained with drugs such as thalidomide and sodium butyrate. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was performed on erythroid progenitors derived from CD133+ cord blood stem cells. Erythroid progenitors were treated with thalidomide and sodium butyrate in single and combined groups. Colony-formation potential in each group was evaluated by the colony assay. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate the effect of these drugs on histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) methylation patterns. FINDINGS Compared to other treatment groups, CD133+ cells treated with thalidomide alone produced more hematopoietic colonies. Thalidomide alone was also more effective in decreasing H3K27 methylation. CONCLUSIONS Thalidomide shows superiority to sodium butyrate as a hypomethylating agent in this cell culture study, and it has the potential to become conventional treatment for sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
Comparison of the Results from Microscopic Tests Concerning the Quality of Activated Sludge and Effluent

Physicochemical studies on wastewater quality and microscopic analyses of activated sludge are necessary to properly evaluate the condition of activated sludge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of the sludge biotic index to determine when a change in treatment quality is short-lived, caused by, e.g., a change in influent quality or quantity, and when it indicates adverse changes in the biocenosis of activated sludge, which would very likely result in the lower efficiency of wastewater treatment in the near future. The objects of the study were two identical parallel running small wastewater treatment plants. The following indicators of contamination were analyzed: the chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), and total suspended solids (TSS). The authors additionally carried out a microscopic analysis. The study confirmed a correlation between the sludge biotic index and the removal efficiency of COD and BOD5; however, no correlation was found between the sludge biotic index and the removal efficiency of total suspended solids. The presence of metazoan microorganisms coincided in time with a good effluent treatment efficiency. When their quantity declined, a decrease in the efficiency of wastewater treatment was also observed.
Dialogue design in speech-mediated data-entry: the role of syntactic constraints and feedback

Human-computer interfaces which use speech as the medium for interaction present unique problems for human factors research, due to the fact that automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology is still error prone. The experiments described here address the design of ASR interfaces for data-entry tasks. Particular emphasis was placed on human factors, and users' data-entry performance was compared using not only quantitative measures of speed and accuracy but also more qualitative analyses of user-errors. Experiment 1 investigated the merits of using closed word-sets (syntax) to enhance recognition accuracy. Participants used a purely auditory interface (i.e. one with no visual component to it) programmed to exercise Full Syntacticconstraints (FS), Partial Syntacticconstraints (PS) or No Syntacticconstraints (NS) on the set of words available for recognition at any given time in the data-entry dialogue. Comparisons of data-entry performance showed an advantage of syntax in terms of ASR performance, and when errors and their consequences were taken into account PS was shown to accommodate users' attempts at error-correction more readily than FS. Experiment 2 compared design options for visual prompts and feedback: a limited area of the visual display was dedicated to the provision of prompts and feedback supporting the spoken data-entry dialogue. Two styles of visual prompt were contrasted: Options Prompts (OP) which displayed the full set of current options for input, and Fieldname Prompts (FP) which displayed only the current Fieldname but could be expanded on command to include the relevant options. The results showed that overall OP led to more efficient performance than FP. The errors made by users in the absence of visual feedback were compared with those occurring when the visual component was included in the interface. Recommendations for design of ASR systems for data-entry tasks are made based on the experimental results.
Elections And The Theory Of Campaign Contributions: A Survey And Critical Analysis

The formal theory of campaign contributions in elections has expanded in the past decade. The basic assumptions and results of these models are examined and analyzed. The assumptions of the models are often inappropriate for the political actors considered and the results are sometimes not empirically supported. We suggest ways in which these models may be altered to alleviate some of these problems. Copyright 1992 Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Effects of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin on Functional and Injury Endothelial Markers in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Clinical effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) such as thrombosis, convulsions, hyperviscosity, hypertension, and angiogenic effect in culture cells have been described. We studied the rHuEPO effect on endothelial damage markers and endothelial function markers: tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), nitrate (NO3), thrombomodulin (TM), and von Willebrand factor (vWF). Twenty-six peritoneal dialysis patients treated with rHuEPO and 19 controls were included. The study design for rHuEPO patients consisted of four periods: long-term treatment (rHuEPO-1); 2 months of withdrawal (rHuEPO-2); and 4 months on 5000 IU/week rHuEPO subcutaneously, with markers being measured after 2 months (rHuEPO-3) and after 4 months (rHuEPO-4). After 2 months of rHuEPO withdrawal, a decrease in hemoglobin level appeared (11 ± 1.8 g/dL to 9.2 ± 1.5 g/dL, p < 0.01). After rHuEPO reintroduction, this value reached 10.6 ± 1.5 g/dL at two months, and 11.1 ± 1.4 g/dL at four months. A significant increase in t-PA ratio was observed from two months without rHuEPO to two months on rHuEPO, returning to previous values after four months. Similarly, TM increased for patients with creatinine clearances (CrC) < 5 mL/min. No changes in the higher-thannormal plasma vWF levels were found during the various periods. A statistically significant lower value was found in controls compared with rHuEPO-4 patients. A statistically significant increase in NO3 levels was observed in the pre-venous occlusion (VO) test immediately after the re-introduction of rHuEPO. This increment returned to prior values four months after rHuEPO was reintroduced. Our results show that rHuEPO treatment causes an increase in some endothelial damage markers (TM, t-PA) and modifies endothelial function markers (t-PA ratio, NO3). These changes might favor thrombosis and atherosclerosis.
Trends in Walking and Cycling Safety: Recent Evidence From High-Income Countries, With a Focus on the United States and Germany.

OBJECTIVES To examine changes in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities per capita (1990-2014) and per kilometer (2000-2010) in selected high-income countries, and in fatalities and serious injuries per kilometer by age in the United States and Germany (2001-2009). METHODS We used Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development data to estimate 5-year annual averages of per-capita fatalities relative to the 1990-1994 average. To control for exposure, we divided fatalities and serious injuries by kilometers of walking or cycling per year for countries with comparable data from national household travel surveys. RESULTS Most countries have reduced pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates per capita and per kilometer. The serious injuries data show smaller declines or even increases in rates per kilometer. There are large differences by age group in fatality and serious injury rates per kilometer, with seniors having the highest rates. The United States has much higher fatality and serious injury rates per kilometer than the other countries examined, and has made the least progress in reducing per-capita fatality rates. CONCLUSIONS The United States must greatly improve walking and cycling conditions. All countries should focus safety programs on seniors and children.
Establishing and maintaining epithelial cell polarity. Roles of protein sorting, delivery and retention.

Polarized epithelial cells are distinguished from many other cell types by the presence of distinct plasma membrane domains, termed apical and basal-lateral, which face different biological compartments separated by the epithelium (Rodriguez-Boulan and Nelson, 1989). An important problem is to understand the mechanisms involved in the development of the structural and functional organization of these membrane domains. It has been generally thought that membrane domains are generated and maintained by sorting membrane proteins in the trans-Go\gi network (TGN) into different vesicle populations, which are then delivered directly to the appropriate membrane domain (Simons and Wandinger-Ness, 1990). Here, we summarize recent studies on potential signals involved in the sorting of proteins in the TGN, and discuss them in the broader context of how cells generate cell surface polarity during development. We will consider three sequential steps that are part of the protein sorting machinery in these cells, and which together appear to be involved in generating and maintaining polarized distributions of proteins on the epithelial cell surface: (1) sorting of apical and basallateral membrane proteins in the TGN into different populations of transport vesicles; (2) transport to, and capture and docking of the transport vesicle at the appropriate cell surface domain; (3) retention of the protein in the membrane domain.
Is quality of life predictive of the survival of patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma?

Several studies have recently reported on the importance of quality of life (QOL) in predicting the survival of patients with lung carcinoma. To confirm these reports, the relationship between survival and QOL, as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire and Duke‐UNC Social Support Scale, was examined within a group of 206 patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma treated in a randomized clinical trial conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB 8931).
Plant G protein heterotrimers require dual lipidation motifs of Gα and Gγ and do not dissociate upon activation

In plants one bona fide Gα subunit has been identified, as well as a single Gβ and two Gγ subunits. To study the roles of lipidation motifs in the regulation of subcellular location and heterotrimer formation in living plant cells, GFP-tagged versions of the Arabidopsis thaliana heterotrimeric G protein subunits were constructed. Mutational analysis showed that the Arabidopsis Gα subunit, GPα1, contains two lipidation motifs that were essential for plasma membrane localization. The Arabidopsis Gβ subunit, AGβ1, and the Gγ subunit, AGG1, were dependent upon each other for tethering to the plasma membrane. The second Gγ subunit, AGG2, did not require AGβ1 for localization to the plasma membrane. Like AGG1, AGG2 contains two putative lipidation motifs, both of which were necessary for membrane localization. Interaction between the subunits was studied using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging by means of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). The results suggest that AGβ1 and AGG1 or AGβ1 and AGG2 can form heterodimers independent of lipidation. In addition, FLIM-FRET revealed the existence of GPα1-AGβ1-AGG1 heterotrimers at the plasma membrane. Importantly, rendering GPα1 constitutively active did not cause a FRET decrease in the heterotrimer, suggesting no dissociation upon GPα1 activation.
miR‐193b promotes cell proliferation by targeting Smad3 in human glioma

Studies have shown that several miRNAs play important roles in regulating a variety of cellular processes in gliomas. In these reports, upregulation of miR‐193b has been found to be associated with a poor prognosis for glioma, but its functional mechanism in glioma remains unclear. This study investigates the roles of miR‐193b in glioma tumor growth. We first showed that the expression of miR‐193b was elevated in both glioma samples and glioma cells. Furthermore, downregulation of miR‐193b by inhibitors was statistically correlated with a decrease in cell growth and a restored G1 accumulation. Luciferase assay and Western blot analysis revealed that Smad3 is a direct target of miR‐193b. To prove that miR‐193b regulated cell growth through the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) pathway in glioma cells by regulating Smad3, we tested endogenous targets of the TGF‐β pathway by measuring the accumulation of p21 mRNAs after downregulation of miR‐193b. The results confirmed that induction of p21 was promoted by miR‐193b inhibitors in glioma cells, although this induction disappeared when Smad3 was knocked down with siRNA. Moreover, downregulation of Smad3 mitigates the miR‐193b suppression of glioma proliferation. In conclusion, these results suggest that miR‐193b regulated cell growth in glioma through the TGF‐β pathway by regulating Smad3. Thus, our study indicates that miR‐193b promotes cell proliferation by targeting Smad3 in human glioma, which may serve as a potentially useful target for development of miRNA‐based therapies in the future. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.