Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In a 'real-world', clinic-based community setting, sorafenib dose of 400 mg/day is as effective as standard dose of 800 mg/day in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcimona, with better tolerance and similar survival.

BACKGROUND Sorafenib, an oral multityrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved for treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). British Columbia (BC) was the first province in Canada to provide drug coverage for sorafenib. OBJECTIVE To review the BC experience with sorafenib to assess its effectiveness and tolerance in a 'real-world' clinical setting. METHODS A retrospective clinic chart review identified 99 patients referred to the BC Cancer Agency from 2008 to 2010 with a diagnosis of HCC who qualified for treatment with sorafenib. RESULTS Therapy with sorafenib was initiated and continued at a reduced dosage of 400 mg⁄day in 66 of 99 patients, with 22 patients requiring further dose reduction. Full- and reduced-dose group patients had similar baseline characteristics, except for a higher proportion of female patients (P=0.02) and individuals with alcoholic liver disease (P=0.04) in the full-dose group. The incidence of any grade of adverse effects was higher in the full-dose group (94% versus 77% in the reduced-dose group; P=0.04). Dose reduction rates were significantly higher in the full-dose group, occurring in 66% versus 24% of reduced-dose group patients (P=0.001). The overall survival rates were similar between the two groups: 7.8 months versus 7.1 months in full- versus reduced-dose groups (P=0.14), as were radiological progression rates and alpha-fetoprotein levels. CONCLUSIONS In a review of 99 patients in a 'real-world' community setting, a sorafenib dose of 400 mg⁄day was better tolerated and had similar efficacy compared with a sorafenib dose of 800 mg⁄day with respect to survival and outcomes.
Mitogenic activity of Sindbis virus and its isolated glycoproteins

Purified preparations of Sindbis virus, a member of the togavirus family, are mitogenic for lymphocytes from a number of different mouse strains. Cell separation techniques, as well as studies using lymphocytes from the congenitally athymic BALB/c nu/nu mouse, showed that Sindbis virus is a T-cell-independent B-cell mitogen. Additionally, the envelope glycoproteins of Sindbis virus, isolated by Triton X-100 extraction and butanol precipitation, stimulated lymphocytes to incorporate five times as much [3H]thymidine into their DNA as did the Sindbis virion. These results are similar to those previously reported for vesicular stomatitis virus and herpes simplex virus types I and II and for the purified glycoproteins of vesicular stomatitis virus and influenza virus.
Determining node sequence in a linear configuration

Many indoor positioning applications focus on determining the location of a device in a particular area, like a room of a building, rather than its metric coordinates. It is common that most buildings are partitioned in more or less a regular way and discovering the relative positions of the nodes can give us an accurate estimate of the space, e.g. a room, they are located in. In this study, we have developed a probabilistic methodology to detect the sequence of wireless sensor nodes placed in an indoor environment. We assume no preliminary training, preconfiguration or infrastructure other than the identity of one reference node at the beginning of the sequence. We trigger the nodes under consideration to transmit a series of packets, and use received signal strength information as observed by the neighbors to infer about the sequence of the nodes. In this paper, a centralized processing of the information is used. The proposed methodology is verified both by simulation and by experiments in a building with regular rooms, high shadowing and multipath distortions. Rarely observed classification errors in the experiments have motivated some extension to the basic methodology.
Dynamic Young's modulus measurement of treated and post-treated tropical wood polymer composites (WPC)

By means of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), selected tropical wood species, namely Eugenia spp. , Artocarpus rigidus, Artocarpus elesticus, Koompassia malaccensis, and Xylopia spp. have been characterized. The woods were treated with sodium metaperiodate to convert them into wood polymer composites (WPC). After two weeks the WPC were chemically treated with phenyl hydrazine to convert them into secondary wood polymer composites, also called post-treated WPC (PTWPC). The chemical treatment and post-treatment are successful in improving the mechanical properties of the final product. The storage modulus (E’) was measured using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), and the dynamic Young’s modulus (Ed) was calculated using free-free vibrational testing. The results reveal that the elastic properties i.e. stiffness (Ed) and storage modulus (E’) of the composite were dependent on the type of wood species. The E’ of WPC and PTWPC were much higher than raw wood, whereas the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of WPC and PTWPC were much lower than those of raw wood. Free-free vibration testing provided rapid information about the quality of the composite material, such as the stiffness (Ed) of the PTWPC compared to the respective WPC and raw woods. The WPC and PTWPC were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR analysis indicated the absorption band of raw wood at 1635 cm-1 due to carbonyl stretching, whereas WPC and PTWPC showed increased absorption bands near 1718 cm-1 and 1604 cm-1, respectively.
T helper subsets & regulatory T cells: rethinking the paradigm in the clinical context of solid organ transplantation

Recent years have witnessed remarkable expansion in the knowledge of how various immune/inflammatory cells and T helper (Th) cell subsets, including Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, Th22, follicular T helper (Tfh) and Treg subpopulations, reciprocally regulate each other. This review highlights current understanding of the Th subsets paradigm, who are the old school players, who are the new kids on the block and how does each come to play in different clinical contexts in solid organ transplantation. The article commences with a brief overview of the development and characteristic cytokine profiles of individual members of the paradigm. However, the main focus of this review is on the current understanding of the Th subset paradigm, and how these unique subpopulations impact host responses towards solid organ allografts. More specifically, it will highlight the recent findings that implicate the paradigm in transplantation. The interplay among different subsets is discussed collectively in the clinical context of pretransplant immunological risk factors such as alloimmunization as well as post‐transplant immunological consequences such as rejection. Accumulating evidence suggests that Th17 cells play a role in the development of chronic allograft injury in transplantation of various organs. In vitro, tacrolimus suppressed Th1 and Th2 cells but not Th17 cells. Animal studies suggest that regulatory T cells (Treg)‐based therapies could be effective as mechanisms of long‐term drug‐free transplant tolerance in humans. Indeed, a dual role for TGF‐β and Foxp3 in induced tolerance has been proposed, in which TGF‐β stimulates Foxp3 expression and is associated with the induction of Treg‐facilitating acquisition of tolerance. Exploiting Th subsets' regulatory functions could potentially offer opportunities for immunological interventions in solid organ transplantation.
EFFECT OF FREQUENCY OF EMISSION ON SEMEN OUTPUT AND AN ESTIMATE OF DAILY SPERM PRODUCTION IN MAN.

one specimen a day for 24 days. During the dso period, specimen volume averaged 59 % and sperm concentration per specimen 27 % of that in the control or pre-depletion period. Sperm output per specimen and per week did not return to the levels of the pre-depletion period during a 156-day period (equal to three complete 52-day cycles ofspermatogenesis and movement of spermatozoa through the duct system) after the completion of dso. At a frequency of fewer than five emissions per week, the greatest single influence on sperm numbers in the specimen is the size of the extra-gonadal sperm reserve. Daily sperm output, after the depletion of the extra-gonadal sperm reserve, may be used to estimate daily sperm production (dsp) by the testes. Changes in dso may be used to measure treatment effects on spermatogenesis. A practical experimental design is proposed for the analysis offactors and treatments affecting dsp in man.
The Price of Patents, Liquidity, and Information: Evidence from Acquisitions of Unlisted European High-Tech Targets Master's Thesis in Finance

This thesis explores the acquisition discounts of unlisted targets reported in US takeovers with a European high-tech focused dataset, and a specific view on the determinants of that discount. More specifically, I study the interrelatedness of patents, target shareholders’ demand for liquidity, and the information asymmetry as explanatory measures of the acquisition discount. To provide a more thorough view of the role of patents, liquidity, and information asymmetry in acquisitions, I also study the determinants of the target having patented its innovations prior to the acquisition announcement, and those of the acquirer abnormal announcement return. In the former, I proceed with a specific focus on dimensions of information asymmetry as reasons for a target having patents. In the latter, my focus is similar to the study of the acquisition discounts. On the one hand, my results should provide validation for those found in the US, and on the other, a more thorough understanding of the listing effect, and the role of patents, liquidity, and information asymmetry in acquisitions of unlisted high-tech targets. Finally, I compliment my empirical findings and applicable parts of theory with results from a questionnaire sent to professionals in venture capital investments, and intellectual property management, both dealing specifically with M&A transactions. My results are consistent with my hypotheses that stem from literature and the survey results. More specifically, I find that decreased availability of liquidity decreases value to both acquirer and target owners. Moreover, both the survey responses and my empirical analyses suggest that patents are valuable to target owners, and their quality dimensions are important as well. Finally, I also find that the market’s perception of the economic rents to patents are attributable to their assignee, or in this case, the target who owns them prior to the acquisition.
Nocturnal enuresis and behavioral problems in adolescence: a 15-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE This study examines the relationships between nocturnal enuresis in childhood and measures of behavioral adjustment in adolescence using data collected during the course of a 15-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of New Zealand children. METHOD Data was collected on patterns of nocturnal bladder control at annual intervals to the age of 13 years. At ages 11, 13, and 15 years measures of conduct problems, attention deficit behaviors, and anxiety/withdrawal were gathered. RESULTS The analysis showed that children who were bed-wetting after the age of 10 years as a result of either primary or secondary enuresis had increased rates of behavioral problems up to the age of 15 years with these children having mean behavior scores that were between . 30 to . 65 standard deviations higher than children who ceased bed-wetting before the age of 5 years. Regression analysis indicated that these associations were largely spurious and arose because the age of cessation of bedwetting was correlated with a series of factors (gender, social maturity, childhood IQ, family social background, family stress, and parental conflict) that were also associated with increased rates of adolescent behavior problems. However, even after adjusting for these factors, children who were bed-wetting after the age of 10 years showed slight increases in rates of conduct problems and attention deficit behaviors up to the age of 13 years and increases rates of anxiety/withdrawal up to the age of 15 years. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that bed-wetting after the age of 10 years is associated with small but detectable increases in risks of conduct problems, attention deficit behaviors, and anxiety/withdrawal in early adolescence. These results show that although it is not the case that children showing nocturnal enuresis are at markedly increased risks of serious psychiatric problems, it may be prudent to determine the extent to which children who are bed-wetting after the age of 10 years show increases in anxious or problem behaviors.
Importance of smoking for Chlamydia pneumoniae seropositivity.

BACKGROUND Population-based studies of the association between smoking and Chlamydia pneumoniae seropositivity do not exist. The role of smoking in the association between C. pneumoniae seropositivity and coronary artery disease (CAD) suggested by several studies has been debated. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between smoking habits and C. pneumoniae IgG antibody titres in a middle-aged population. We also wanted to find out whether the difference in smoking habits between the sexes explains the higher C. pneumoniae antibody prevalence among men compared with women. RESULTS After controlling for the effect of smoking, the risk of C. pneumoniae seropositivity remained 1.4 times higher in men than in women. In men, the estimated risk for C. pneumoniae seropositivity (titre > or = 1:16) was significant only for smokers (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.4). The adjusted OR for high seropositivity (titre > or = 1:128) was 1.5 for smokers and 1.7 for ex-smokers. The risk for women was similar to that for men. CONCLUSIONS The results provide evidence of an association between smoking and C. pneumoniae seropositivity in the general population. The higher prevalence of smoking in men does not explain the C. pneumoniae antibody prevalence in men compared with women.
A Randomized Control Trial Investigating the Effect of Presurgical Orthopedics on Feeding in Infants with Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Objective: To investigate the controversial assertion that presurgical orthopedics (PSO) facilitate feeding in infants with cleft lip and palate. Design: Randomized control trial of 34 infants with nonsyndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate and 16 with cleft of the soft and at least two thirds of the hard palate. Allocation to receive presurgical orthopedics or not used minimization for parity and gender. Other aspects of care were standardized. Setting: The North Thames Regional Cleft Centre. Main Outcome Measures: Measurements were made at 3 months of age (presurgery) and at 12 months of age (postsurgery). Primary outcomes were anthropometry and oral motor skills. Objective measures of sucking also were collected at 3 months using the Great Ormond Street Measure of Infant Feeding. Twenty-one infants also had videofluoroscopic assessment. Results: At 1 year, all infants had normal oral motor skills and no clear pattern of anthropometric differences emerged. For both cleft groups, infants randomized to presurgical orthopedics were, on average, shorter. The presurgical orthopedics infants were, on average, lighter in the unilateral cleft and lip palate group, but heavier in the isolated cleft palate group. Infants with complete unilateral cleft and lip palate randomized to presurgical orthopedics had lower average body mass index (mean difference PSO-No PSO: −0.45 (95% confidence interval [−1.78, 0.88]), this trend was reversed among infants with isolated cleft palates (mean difference PSO-No PSO: 1.98 [−0.95, 4.91]). None of the differences were statistically significant at either age. Conclusions: Presurgical orthopedics did not improve feeding efficiency or general body growth within the first year in either group of infants.
Patient-Controlled Analgesia in Postoperative Cardiac Surgery

The purpose of this study was to assess, in the early postoperative period of cardiac surgery, the efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) versus nurse-administered intravenous morphine followed by oral acetaminophen with or without codeine. Patients undergoing coronary bypass and/or valvular surgery were recruited. All were under 75 years of age and were in stable angina with no ischaemic attacks within the last three months. Visual analog scores (VAS) were used for pain assessment. Pulmonary function tests were done preoperatively and measured every six hours after surgery until discharge from the intensive care unit. Patients allocated to the PCA group received morphine intravenously by a PCA Plus Micro Delivery Device for at least 48 hours. Patients entered into the nurse-administered intravenous morphine group received intravenous morphine followed by oral acetaminophen with or without codeine in 24 to 36 hours according to the clinical assessment of the critical care nurse. The data showed that the quality of pain control and pulmonary function were comparable in both groups. The equipotent morphine dosage requirements were also not statistically different. It was concluded that there was no significant advantage in using PCA routinely in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery. Furthermore, repetition of PCA instructions was often required during the study period.
Genome-wide association study of short-acting β2-agonists. A novel genome-wide significant locus on chromosome 2 near ASB3.

RATIONALE β2-Agonists are the most common form of treatment of asthma, but there is significant variability in response to these medications. A significant proportion of this responsiveness may be heritable. OBJECTIVES To investigate whether a genome-wide association study (GWAS) could identify novel pharmacogenetic loci in asthma. METHODS We performed a GWAS of acute bronchodilator response (BDR) to inhaled β2-agonists. A total of 444,088 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were examined in 724 individuals from the SNP Health Association Resource (SHARe) Asthma Resource Project (SHARP). The top 50 SNPs were carried forward to replication in a population of 444 individuals. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The combined P value for four SNPs reached statistical genome-wide significance aftercorrecting for multiple comparisons. Combined P values for rs350729, rs1840321, rs1384918, and rs1319797 were 2.21 × 10(-10), 5.75 × 10(-8), 9.3 × 10(-8), and 3.95 × 10(-8), respectively. The significant variants all map to a novel genetic region on chromosome 2 near the ASB3 gene, a region associated with smooth muscle proliferation. As compared with the wild type, the presence of the minor alleles reduced the degree of BDR by 20% in the original population and by a similar percentage in the confirmatory population. CONCLUSIONS These GWAS findings for BDR in subjects with asthma suggest that a gene associated with smooth muscle proliferation may influence a proportion of the smooth muscle relaxation that occurs in asthma.
The components of the bid‐ask spread: Evidence from the corn futures market

This article examines whether USDA announcements and commodity index fund rolling activity have an impact on liquidity costs, measured by the bidâ€ ask spread. Using Huang and Stoll's (1997) model of liquidity costs, we estimate whether changes to liquidity costs are driven by its adverse selection, inventory, or order processing components. Commodity index fund roll activity reduces the asymmetric information cost component of liquidity cost due to an increased proportion of noninformationâ€ based trading, but the inventory cost component increases as (mostly long only) commodity index funds sell their nearby positions and buy the first deferred contractâ€”raising liquidity providersâ€™ risk of building a position. The sum of these two effects is that liquidity costs remain low during index fund roll periods, averaging one â€œtickâ€ (0.25 cents). On USDA report release days, we find that informed traders raise the asymmetric information component of liquidity costs in the first hour after release, but the inventory cost component is reduced due to the increase in volume. Similar to index fund roll activity, liquidity costs on USDA report release days remain low, averaging one â€œtickâ€ . Our findings that liquidity costs are minimally changed during USDA report releases and commodity index fund roll periods is consistent with other recent research on liquidity costs, but we show that what drives liquidity costs differs substantially depending on the circumstances surrounding daily trading.
Childhood depressive symptoms and adolescent cigarette use: a six-year longitudinal study controlling for peer relations correlates.

OBJECTIVE To examine potential pathways between childhood depressive symptoms and adolescent cigarette use, controlling for potential "third variable" causes. DESIGN Participants included 250 youth (60% girls) who were in Grades 4 to 6 at study outset and in Grades 10 to 12 (M age = 16.78) at a 6-year follow-up. At Time 1, children completed measures of depressive symptoms, as well as peer nominations of peer acceptance, rejection, and aggressive behavior. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Time 2 measures included adolescents' own and close friends' cigarette use, depressive symptoms, and externalizing behaviors; parents also reported on adolescent behaviors. RESULTS Higher levels of childhood depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior were associated longitudinally with cigarette use in adolescence. After controlling for other associations, higher levels of childhood depressive symptoms also were associated with higher levels of friends' cigarette use in adolescence and higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms; each of these adolescent outcomes was concurrently associated with cigarette use. CONCLUSION Depressive symptoms in childhood may lead to altered developmental trajectories that either directly or indirectly contribute to adolescent outcomes, including cigarette use.
On routing protocols using mobile social networks

A Mobile Social Network MSN is defined as a mobile network that uses social relationships to determine node communication. Many wireless networks including ad hoc networks do not reflect a real world deployment because of routing implementation difficulties. However, with the enormous use of Social Network Sites SNSs including Twitter and Facebook, MSNs can be exploited to make routing easier. Although there has been some research effort devoted to routing using these networks, the MSN routing protocols proposed in the literature suffer from either a low delivery ratio or high memory requirements. This paper presents a new routing protocol status for MSNs which has excellent performance in terms of delivery ratio and memory requirements. It employs the online status of a node to make forwarding decisions. Status has a low overhead ratio, low average delay and low computational complexity at the node level.