Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal changes in body mass and composition in survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.

PURPOSE To measure longitudinal changes in body mass and composition in survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Body mass index (BMI) was analyzed in 179 survivors by category (underweight, healthy-weight, overweight, and obese) and by z score. Fat and lean body mass measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was analyzed as z scores. RESULTS Over a median 6.6 years of follow-up, BMI z scores diminished significantly (0.32 pre-HSCT v -0.60 at 10 years post-HSCT; P < .001). Mean z scores for fat mass stayed within population norms, but those for lean mass remained below normal levels and diminished significantly over time (P = .018). Pre-HSCT BMI category and/or z score were strongly predictive of post-HSCT BMI (P < .001) and of fat and lean mass z scores (both P < .001). Survivors with extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease were more likely than others to have low BMI (P = .004) and low lean mass (P < .001) post-HSCT. Older age at HSCT (P = .015) and T-cell-depleted graft (P = .018) were predictive of lower post-HSCT BMI. Female patients had higher body fat (P = .002) and lower lean mass (P = .013) z scores than male patients, and black patients had higher fat mass z scores than white patients (P = .026). CONCLUSION BMI declines significantly after allogeneic HSCT for childhood hematologic malignancies, reflecting primarily a substantial decrease in lean mass but not fat mass. Monitoring and preservation of BMI and lean mass are vital, especially in those with the identified risk factors.
Programmed necrosis induced by asbestos in human mesothelial cells causes high-mobility group box 1 protein release and resultant inflammation

Asbestos carcinogenesis has been linked to the release of cytokines and mutagenic reactive oxygen species (ROS) from inflammatory cells. Asbestos is cytotoxic to human mesothelial cells (HM), which appears counterintuitive for a carcinogen. We show that asbestos-induced HM cell death is a regulated form of necrosis that links to carcinogenesis. Asbestos-exposed HM activate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, secrete H2O2, deplete ATP, and translocate high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and into the extracellular space. The release of HMGB1 induces macrophages to secrete TNF-α, which protects HM from asbestos-induced cell death and triggers a chronic inflammatory response; both favor HM transformation. In both mice and hamsters injected with asbestos, HMGB1 was specifically detected in the nuclei, cytoplasm, and extracellular space of mesothelial and inflammatory cells around asbestos deposits. TNF-α was coexpressed in the same areas. HMGB1 levels in asbestos-exposed individuals were significantly higher than in nonexposed controls (P < 0.0001). Our findings identify the release of HMGB1 as a critical initial step in the pathogenesis of asbestos-related disease, and provide mechanistic links between asbestos-induced cell death, chronic inflammation, and carcinogenesis. Chemopreventive approaches aimed at inhibiting the chronic inflammatory response, and especially blocking HMGB1, may decrease the risk of malignant mesothelioma among asbestos-exposed cohorts.
Effect of Resource Variation and Firm Experience on Market Entry Decisions: Evidence from U.S. Telecommunication Firms' International Expansion Decisions

We consider the role that resource variation plays in affecting a firm's market entry decision. Resource variation, represented by amplitude, frequency, and unpredictability of change in market demand, has been shown to affect organizations' decisions and life chances, but there is little evidence of the effect of variation on entry decisions. We hypothesize that resource variation in a market reduces entry but that not all firms are equally deterred by variation. In particular, firm experience with entry in general and with the target market specifically moderate the overall effect of market variation on entry. Our analysis of foreign market entry by U.S. telecommunications firms from 1985 to 2000 indicates that variation does deter entry and that experience moderates this effect, though not all dimensions of variation have significant effects. These results inform our understanding of the effect of uncertainty on firms' behaviors, as well as factors impacting market entry decisions and how these decisions are affected by experience.
Group Work Method in Therapeutic Communities for Drug Addicts

The goal of Therapeutic Communities (TCs) for drug addicts is to help them change their life style. The therapy is often based on small-group settings. In Israel, there are two types of TCs that operate two types of small-group settings: “Confrontation Groups” (CGs), represented by the Syn-ilan therapeutic community; and “Therapeutic Groups” (TGs), represented by the Ther-mal therapeutic community. The paper presents the findings of a study that used the Group Climate Questionnaire [1] to compare the small group climate as perceived by members of CG and TG groups in Israel. Participants included 71 members of two therapeutic communities that operated the two types of small-group settings. The findings revealed significant differences between the two types of groups: More expression of anger, confrontation, and anxiety was found in the Syn-ilan (CG) group than in the Ther-mal (TG) group, which worked more on the “past and childhood”. Similarities were found with regard to the following parameters: Self-disclosure, self-understanding, involvement, and caring. The findings indicate that there are differences between the theoretical approaches guiding the two types of groups. Moreover, it can be concluded that the groups have the potential to effect positive change in the lives of the participants.
Global warming in the public sphere

Although the science of global warming has been in place for several decades if not more, only in the last decade and a half has the issue moved clearly into the public sphere as a public policy issue and a political priority. To understand how and why this has occurred, it is essential to consider the history of the scientific theory of the greenhouse effect, the evidence that supports it and the mechanisms through which science interacts with lay publics and other elite actors, such as politicians, policymakers and business decision makers. This article reviews why and how climate change has moved from the bottom to the top of the international political agenda. It traces the scientific discovery of global warming, political and institutional developments to manage it as well as other socially mediated pathways for understanding and promoting global warming as an issue in the public sphere. The article also places this historical overview of global warming as a public issue into a conceptual framework for understanding relationships between society and nature with emphasis on the co-construction of knowledge.
Fairness-Aware Resource Allocation in OFDMA Cooperative Relaying Network

This paper investigates the resource allocation problem in the downlink of OFDMA cooperative relaying networks with one source (base station) and multiple relay and destination nodes. Assuming that the base station knows all the instantaneous channel gains of all links, we propose a dynamic joint subchannel and power allocation (SPA) scheme whose objective is to maximize the worst user's data rate with the constraint of total transmission power. Since the optimal solution to this combinatorial problem is extremely computationally complex, we propose a low-complexity suboptimal algorithm that allocates subchannel and power separately. In the proposed algorithm, subchannels are firstly paired by relay nodes according to their equivalent channel gains and then assigned to a specific user. Subsequently, an optimal power distribution algorithm is designed for the proposed subchannel allocation (SA) scheme. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed algorithm approaches asymptotically to that of the optimal one, and maximal fairness is guaranteed for all users.
Risk prediction with carotid MRI.

To the Editor: Kurosaki and colleagues recently described the association between intraplaque hemorrhage as detected by hyperintense plaque on black-blood T1-weighted imaging and the risk of subsequent ischemic symptoms. Most important, the authors note no difference between recurrence rates in those with intraplaque hemorrhage with and without severe stenosis. This finding reinforces the conception of carotid atherosclerosis as a nuanced process with effects beyond the hemodynamic impact of narrowing of the vessel lumen. The discernment of the relative importance of plaque size compared with detection of intraplaque hemorrhage would be better examined by measuring plaque volume, as suggested by the finding of greater plaque volume regardless of stenosis grade in patients with previous events. It may be that plaque burden, not simply degree of stenosis, confounded the results seen in this study. The authors interestingly fail to comment on the risk of recurrence for all patients with intraplaque hemorrhage regardless of degree of stenosis compared with those without T1-weighted hyperintense plaques. This particular comparison would most likely reach statistical significance and ultimately inform readers of the utility of looking at intraplaque hemorrhage without considering the degree of stenosis. Recent evidence shows that contrast enhancement of carotid plaque suggestive of neovascularization, inflammation, and intraplaque hemorrhage correlates well with risk of subsequent major clinical events. In the future, these authors should apply the successful approach of this retrospective study of relatively high-risk patients to a prospective evaluation of asymptomatic patients with moderate stenosis with regard to the risk of a first-time ischemic event. Patients with asymptomatic moderate stenosis demonstrate widely varied magnitude of risk, and clinicians lack adequate information about individual risk to provide an informed assessment of the risk-benefit ratio of medical and surgical interventions. Ultimately, prospective correlation of a single factor such as T1-weighted hyperintensity or contrast enhancement with the risk of ischemic events could offer a simple prognostic test of great utility.
Elevations in cytosolic free Ca2+ are not required to trigger apoptosis in human leukaemia cells

Previous studies have indicated that Ca2+ is a trigger Tor apoptosis (programmed cell death) in thymocytes and related cell lines. Recently we have shown that levels of apoptosis in leukacmic cells are diminished in Ca2+‐deficient conditions, indicating that Ca2+ may be important in the mechanism of apoptosis in these cells. In the present study we investigated the possibility that Ca2+ serves as a trigger for apoptosis in the human leukaemic cell line, HL‐60. Using fura‐2 to measure cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations, [Ca2+]i, in cell suspensions, and by using ratio imaging of fura‐2 in single cells, we did not observe an early significant increase in [Ca2+]f, in HL‐60 cells undergoing apoptosis. The latter stages of apoptosis were, however, accompanied by increasing [Ca2+]f, these increases were apparently a result of, rather than a cause of, apoptosis. Furthermore, apoptosis could be induced in HL‐60 cells under conditions of vastly reduced [Ca2+]i achieved by loading these cells with fura‐2 in the presence of EGTA. These results indicate that elevation of [Ca2+]i is not a prerequisite for apoptosis in HL‐60 cells and that apoptosis can occur in these cells in the presence of low[Ca2+]i.
Resources on the Stage: A Firm Level Analysis of the ICT Adoption in Turkey

This study examines the impact of firm resources on ICT adoption by the Turkish business enterprises using firm level data. ICT adoption is measured at three levels: The first level is technology ownership. The second level is the presence of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer resource management (CRM), and the third level is the use of narrowband and broadband technologies. The effects of the three main features of each technology level, which are complementarity, specificity, and the complexity, are analyzed by using firm level data in Turkey. This study has three main conclusions. As for the complementarity, firm’s resources play an important role in the adoption of technology while advancing from single technology to the multiple ones. Further, in the use of specific technologies such as ERP and CRM, firm resources generate differential effects between those technologies. Finally, the use of simple technologies does not require the same amount of firm resources as complex technologies.
Hyperprolactinemia is an indicator of progressive disease and poor prognosis in advanced breast cancer

In a long‐term follow‐up study, prolactin levels were measured in 149 patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer. Control groups included 221 patients with primary operable breast cancer and 150 women with benign breast disease. Hyperprolactinemia (>1,000 mlU/l; HYPRL) occurs in 44% of patients with metastatic breast cancer in the course of the disease (p<0.001 compared to patients with non‐metastatic disease). HYPRL is associated with progressive breast cancer in 88% of cases. In patients experiencing several episodes of disease remission and relapse, incidence of HYPRL increases with each relapse. Prolactin blood levels return to normal if hyperprolactinemic patients experience remission after chemotherapy. Patients expressing HYPRL have a shorter survival time after mastectomy when compared to patients who never developed HYPRL (154/89 months, p= 0.01). It is concluded that HYPRL is of prognostic significance and a reliable indicator of progressive disease in advanced metastatic breast cancer.
Communication Structures for Large Networks of Microcomputers

This paper compares nine network interconnection schemes and introduces "dual-bus hypercubes," a cost-effective method of connecting thousands of dual-port single-chip microcomputers into a room-sized information processing system, a "network computer. " Each network node is a chip containing memory and a pair of processors for tasks and input/output. Nodes are linked by shared communication buses, each conceptually spanning a D-dimensional, W-wide hypercube of N = WD nodes. Each node shares two buses. Each bus is shared by up to W nodes. The number of bus connections per node is fixed to satisfy chip pin limitations.
Diagnosing Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C by Immunohistochemistry

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a group of rare inherited human neurocutaneous diseases, and the group C (XPC) is the major group of patients with XP in Europe, North America, and South America. Current molecular diagnostic methods for XP require specialized, expensive, and time-consuming UV sensitivity and DNA repair assays followed by gene sequencing. To determine whether immunohistochemistry (IHC) would be a robust alternative method to diagnose patients with XPC, we stained sections of paraffin-embedded skin biopsies for XPC by IHC, using 69 archived blocks from confirmed or clinically suspect patients with XPA, XPC, XPD, XPE, and without XP. We found that XPC expression was strong in all skin biopsies from patients without (14 of 14) and other patients with XP (4 of 4), whereas XPC expression was lost in all biopsies from confirmed XPC patients (29 of 29). Patches of strong XPC signal could be detected in sun-damaged skin, squamous and basal cell carcinomas from patients with XPC that colocalized with strong expression of p53 and Ki-67. Patients with XPC can therefore be diagnosed by IHC from paraffin-embedded skin biopsies from regions of skin that are without sun damage or sun-induced tumors. IHC is therefore a robust alternative method to diagnose patients with XPC. This fast and inexpensive method should increase the options for the diagnosis of patients with XPC from paraffin-embedded skin biopsies and could be developed for other complementation groups.
An approach to secure information flow on Object Oriented Role-based Access Control model

In this paper, we conclude that confinement problem may occur on the Object Oriented Role-based Access Control model (ORBAC). In order to solve the problem, a technique called information flow analysis is proposed. Moreover, based on the information flow technique and the principle of mandatory access control principles, a message filtering algorithm and a role set assignment method are developed to deal with the confinement problem on ORBAC.
Hypermetabolic low triiodothyronine syndrome of burn injury

The free tetraiodothyronine index (FT4I) and free triiodothyronine index (FT3I) in burn patients represented the serum levels of free (dialyzable) T4 and free T3, respectively. FT4I and FT3I were lower with greater burn size and were lower in nonsurvivors than expected for the burn size. There was no compensatory elevation of basal or releasing hormone-stimulated thyrotrophin (TSH) concentrations. Reverse T3 was higher with greater burn size. T3 treatment restored FT3I but did not affect mortality or resting metabolic rate (MR) measured in survivors, compared with placebo therapy. Whereas the hypermetabolic response to burn injury appeared to be independent of thyroid hormones, MR was correlated positively with burn size and with elevated plasma nor-epinephrine and epinephrine concentrations for several weeks after injury. Lack of augmented TSH concentrations, absence of low plasma reverse T3, and presence of hypermetabolism suggest that the reduced plasma free T3 does not indicate functional hypothyroidism, but may represent an adaptation to the assumption of metabolic control by the sympathetic nervous system.
Exploring the feasibility of prompting daily task execution using the NAO humanoid robot with children with autism spectrum disorder

Exploring the Feasibility of Prompting Daily Task Execution using the NAO Humanoid Robot with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Di Xue M.A.Sc Graduate Department of IBBME University of Toronto 2016 This thesis seeks to improve the state of the art prompting system, COACH, for the children with ASD population. It investigates the feasibility of using a humanoid robot, NAO, as its prompting agent through a Wizard of Oz (WoZ) pilot study. The WoZ study showed promising results of the robot potentially being used as an assistance to a child with ASD through hand-washing tasks. The study also suggested parent robot joint prompting sessions as a valid method for improving child’s compliance to the robot. The important challenges faced are summarized and possible recommendations for overcoming these challenges are suggested.
Two-year follow-up study to evaluate the reduction of left ventricular mass and diastolic function in mild to moderate diastolic hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of two antihypertensive agents, amlodipine and lisinopril, on left ventricular mass and diastolic filling in patients from primary care centers with mild to moderate diastolic hypertension. STUDY DESIGN A second-year, open follow-up of a prospective, double-blind, randomized, parallel group, comparative study. METHODS Male and female patients between 25 and 75 years-of-age with elevated diastolic blood pressure (four measurements > or = 95 mmHg from multiple measurements taken on three occasions and average diastolic blood pressure < 115 mmHg) were recruited from a population survey. After 4 weeks' placebo run-in, 71 patients were included of whom 60 finished the first study year and 51 finished the second study year. Patients were randomly assigned to receive doses of 5-10 mg amlodipine or 10-20 mg lisinopril, which were titrated on the basis of the effects on blood pressure. Primary endpoints were left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and early to atrial peak filling velocity. Office and ambulatory blood pressure were considered secondary endpoints. RESULTS The decrease in blood pressure was equal for both treatment regimens in the first year. A statistically significant (P< 0.001) decrease in LVMI in both treatment groups was observed in the first year [-11.0 g/m2 (95% Cl -6.0 to -16.1) in the amlodipine group and -12.6 g/m2 (95% Cl -8.2 to -17.0) in the lisinopril group]. Early to atrial peak filling velocity did not change significantly within the treatment groups in the first year [+0.07 (95% CI -0.01 to +0.15) in the amlodipine group and +0.01 (95%9 Cl -0.06 to +0.08) in the lisinopril group. Blood pressure, LVMI and early to atrial peak filling velocity did not change in the second year of treatment. No significant differences in primary and secondary endpoints between treatment groups were found in the first or second year. CONCLUSION The effects of amlodipine and lisinopril on left ventricular mass and early to atrial filling peak velocity after 2 years of treatment were similar and these effects were already observed after 1 year of treatment. Additional studies of longer duration (> or = 4 years) and with a larger sample size are recommended.
Análisis de los factores de rendimiento de las transiciones ofensivas en el fútbol de alto nivel

El presente trabajo de investigacion consiste en un analisis predictivo de las transiciones ofensivas realizadas por los mejores equipos nacionales europeos de futbol. Los principales objetivos planteados en la investigacion son determinar si es posible predecir el resultado de las secuencias ofensivas del juego, y si es asi, identificar que variables permitiran realizar dichas predicciones. Para abordar estos objetivos se ha utilizado el modelo multivariable de regresion logistica. La muestra consiste en 14 partidos, 743 transiciones ofensivas de la fase final de la Eurocopa de Austria-Suiza 2008. La utilizacion de este modelo permite concluir que es posible realizar una prediccion del resultado de las transiciones ofensivas que se suceden en el transcurso del encuentro y tambien, determinar cuales son las variables que posibilitan realizar esta prediccion. Los datos demuestran que se puede predecir el resultado final de las transiciones ofensivas en funcion de la configuracion espacial de interaccion de inicio, asi como tambien de la intencion tactica del equipo y de la duracion. Esta informacion podra ser aprovecha por los entrenadores para crear tareas en el entrenamiento que provoquen la aparicion de estas condiciones en las transiciones ofensivas del equipo, con el objeto de automatizarlas para mejorar el rendimiento de las mismas en el juego.