Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus infection in haematological malignancies and liver injury following chemotherapy

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the carrier rate of hepatitis virus in patients with haematological malignancies and the incidence of liver injury in these patients following chemotherapy. From January 1996 to September 2002, we studied 601 consecutive, unselected series of patients with haematological malignancies admitted in our hospital unit (Japan). They consisted of 246 cases of acute leukaemia, 218 non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 13 adult T‐cell leukaemia, and 124 multiple myeloma. Of these 601 patients, 373 were men and 228 were women; their mean age was 61 yr, with a range from 18 to 89 yr. The prevalences of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were 7.3% and 10.1%, respectively, in NHL, both higher than those in acute leukaemia (1.7% and 2.9%, P < 0.005) and in general Japanese population (1.2% and 2.6%). The incidence of post‐chemotherapy liver injury in 25 HBV carriers (36.0%) was significantly higher than that in 539 non‐hepatitis virus carriers (12.6%, P = 0.003) and 37 HCV carriers (10.8%, P = 0.026). Liver injury in HBV carriers was more often present in patients who had been treated with steroids than in those without steroids (72.7% and 0%, P = 0.013). After lamivudine became available in our institution, the incidence of liver injury in HBV carriers was reduced from 53.3% to 10.0% (P = 0.041). The therapeutic strategy for haematological malignancies in hepatitis virus carriers should be further investigated.
Resource allocation optimization for device-to-device communications in cellular networks

An optimization method is proposed for the BS to manage the radio resources in device-to-device (D2D) communications when cellular users share their resources with D2D links. We first derive the outage probability at the D2D receivers. Based on the derivation, we formulate an optimization problem for the resource allocation in the form of a linear assignment problem and explain how to solve it. Simulation results show that performance of the proposed method is better than that of the conventional one in term of the average outage probability of the D2D links.
Union pay premium in China: an individual-level analysis

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the union-nonunion pay gap impact separately for wages and bonuses as well as total compensation to include both wages and bonuses in China. The way in which the impact varies as control variables are added is illustrated as is how the impact varies by the type of firm ownership. The overall pay gap is also decomposed into a component due to differences in their pay determining characteristics as well as a component due to differences in their returns to those characteristics. These separate components are also calculated throughout the pay distribution. Design/methodology/approach - – Using the 2010 China Family Panel Studies Survey, a nationally representative survey in China, the methodology involves different estimation procedures as appropriate for the nature of the data and the dependent variables. First the authors estimate a single equation to determine the union-nonunion pay gap. Then the authors estimate the union impact on the various components of compensation (wages and bonuses). Next the authors decompose the relative contribution of each factor in explaining the wage gap. Finally, quantile regressions are used to examine the union impact across various levels of the pay distribution. Findings - – The authors find a gross union-nonunion pay gap (wages + bonuses) of 42 percent, dropping to 12 percent after controlling for the effect of other pay determining factors. The union impact on wages is only 8 percent, but bonuses are about twice as high for union workers. The union impact is essentially zero for (state-owned firms) SOEs and for foreign-owned firms but it is large at 16 percent for private firms and even larger at 22 percent for government agencies. Of the overall pay gap of 42 percent, about three-quarters is attributable to differences in their endowments of pay determining characteristics and about one-quarter to differences in the returns for the same endowments of characteristics. Quantile regressions reveal that the pure or adjusted union wage premium exhibits a u-shaped pattern being highest in the bottom and to a lesser extent the top of the pay distribution. Originality/value - – There are a dearth of studies examining the union-nonunion pay gap in China. Of the studies that examine this issue, all of them are at the enterprise level with no studies at the individual level. Taking a nationally representative dataset at the individual level, the authors are able to estimate the union-nonunion pay gap in China. The authors identify the portion of the gap that reflects differences in endowments of pay determining characteristics and the portion that reflects different returns to those characteristics, and the relative contribution of the different variables to those components; and how these components change over the pay distribution. The authors also offer explanations for many of these patterns.
Regulation of Histone Acetylation in the Nucleus by Sphingosine-1-Phosphate

Epigenetic Signals The lipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a signaling molecule that binds to receptors on the cell surface to initiate biochemical changes that control a range of biological processes from growth and survival to immune reactions. Hait et al. (p. 1254) report that S1P can also function by direct binding to the nuclear enzymes, histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1 and 2. The enzyme that generates S1P, sphingosine kinase 2 (ShpK2) is present in the nucleus in complexes with HDAC1 and HDAC2. Generation of S1P and its binding to HDACs inhibited deacetylation of histone. Such histone modification is an epigenetic mechanism that controls gene transcription. Thus, generation of S1P in the nucleus appears to be a signaling mechanism by which cells can control gene expression in response to various stimuli. A phospholipid that binds to nuclear enzymes modifies gene transcription in response to external stimuli. The pleiotropic lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) can act intracellularly independently of its cell surface receptors through unknown mechanisms. Sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2), one of the isoenzymes that generates S1P, was associated with histone H3 and produced S1P that regulated histone acetylation. S1P specifically bound to the histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC2 and inhibited their enzymatic activity, preventing the removal of acetyl groups from lysine residues within histone tails. SphK2 associated with HDAC1 and HDAC2 in repressor complexes and was selectively enriched at the promoters of the genes encoding the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 or the transcriptional regulator c-fos, where it enhanced local histone H3 acetylation and transcription. Thus, HDACs are direct intracellular targets of S1P and link nuclear S1P to epigenetic regulation of gene expression.
Blood flow occlusion-related O2 extraction "reserve" is present in different muscles of the quadriceps but greater in deeper regions after ramp-incremental test.

It was recently demonstrated that an O2 extraction reserve, as assessed by the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-derived deoxygenation signal ([HHb]), exists in the superficial region of vastus lateralis (VL) muscle during an occlusion performed at the end of a ramp-incremental test. However, it is unknown whether this reserve is present and/or different in magnitude in other portions and depths of the quadriceps muscles. We tested the hypothesis that an O2 extraction reserve would exist in other regions of this muscle but is greater in deep compared with more superficial portions. Superficial (VL-s) and deep VL (VL-d) as well as superficial rectus femoris (RF-s) were monitored by a combination of low- and high-power time-resolved (TRS) NIRS. During the occlusion immediately post-ramp-incremental test there was a significant overshoot in the [HHb] signal ( P < 0.05). However, the magnitude of this increase was greater in VL-d (93.2 ± 42.9%) compared with VL-s (55.0 ± 19.6%) and RF-s (47.8 ± 14.0%) ( P < 0.05). The present study demonstrated that an O2 extraction reserve exists in different pools of active muscle fibers of the quadriceps at the end of a ramp exercise to exhaustion. The greater magnitude in the reserve observed in the deeper portion of VL, however, suggests that this portion of muscle may present a greater surplus of oxygenated blood, which is likely due to a greater population of slow-twitch fibers. These findings add to the notion that the plateau in the [HHb] signal toward the end of a ramp-incremental exercise does not indicate the upper limit of O2 extraction. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Different portions of the quadriceps muscles exhibited an untapped O2 extraction reserve during a blood flow occlusion performed at the end of a ramp-incremental exercise. In the deeper portion of the vastus lateralis muscle, this reserve was greater compared with superficial vastus lateralis and rectus femoris. These data suggest that the O2 extraction reserve may be dependent on the vascular and/or oxidative capacities of the muscles.
Large Scaled Relation Extraction With Reinforcement Learning

Sentence relation extraction aims to extract relational facts from sentences, which is an important task in natural language processing field. Previous models rely on the manually labeled supervised dataset. However, the human annotation is costly and limits to the number of relation and data size, which is difficult to scale to large domains. In order to conduct largely scaled relation extraction, we utilize an existing knowledge base to heuristically align with texts, which not rely on human annotation and easy to scale. However, using distant supervised data for relation extraction is facing a new challenge: sentences in the distant supervised dataset are not directly labeled and not all sentences that mentioned an entity pair can represent the relation between them. To solve this problem, we propose a novel model with reinforcement learning. The relation of the entity pair is used as distant supervision and guide the training of relation extractor with the help of reinforcement learning method. We conduct two types of experiments on a publicly released dataset. Experiment results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method compared with baseline models, which achieves 13.36\% improvement.
Low Somatic Sodium Conductance Enhances Action Potential Precision in Time-Coding Auditory Neurons

Auditory nerve fibers encode sounds in the precise timing of action potentials (APs), which is used for such computations as sound localization. Timing information is relayed through several cell types in the auditory brainstem that share an unusual property: their APs are not overshooting, suggesting that the cells have very low somatic sodium conductance (gNa). However, it is not clear how gNa influences temporal precision. We addressed this by comparing bushy cells (BCs) in the mouse cochlear nucleus with T-stellate cells (SCs), which do have normal overshooting APs. BCs play a central role in both relaying and refining precise timing information from the auditory nerve, whereas SCs discard precise timing information and encode the envelope of sound amplitude. Nucleated-patch recording at near-physiological temperature indicated that the Na current density was 62% lower in BCs, and the voltage dependence of gNa inactivation was 13 mV hyperpolarized compared with SCs. We endowed BCs with SC-like gNa using two-electrode dynamic clamp and found that synaptic activity at physiologically relevant rates elicited APs with significantly lower probability, through increased activation of delayed rectifier channels. In addition, for two near-simultaneous synaptic inputs, the window of coincidence detection widened significantly with increasing gNa, indicating that refinement of temporal information by BCs is degraded by gNa. Thus, reduced somatic gNa appears to be an adaption for enhancing fidelity and precision in time-coding neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Proper hearing depends on analyzing temporal aspects of sounds with high precision. Auditory neurons that specialize in precise temporal information have a suite of unusual intrinsic properties, including nonovershooting action potentials and few sodium channels in the soma. However, it was not clear how low sodium channel availability in the soma influenced the temporal precision of action potentials initiated in the axon initial segment. We studied this using dynamic clamp to mimic sodium channels in the soma, which yielded normal, overshooting action potentials. Increasing somatic sodium conductance had major negative consequences: synaptic activity evoked action potentials with lower fidelity, and the precision of coincidence detection was degraded. Thus, low somatic sodium channel availability appears to enhance fidelity and temporal precision.
Microbiological performance of a food safety management system in a food service operation.

The microbiological performance of a food safety management system in a food service operation was measured using a microbiological assessment scheme as a vertical sampling plan throughout the production process, from raw materials to final product. The assessment scheme can give insight into the microbiological contamination and the variability of a production process and pinpoint bottlenecks in the food safety management system. Three production processes were evaluated: a high-risk sandwich production process (involving raw meat preparation), a medium-risk hot meal production process (starting from undercooked raw materials), and a low-risk hot meal production process (reheating in a bag). Microbial quality parameters, hygiene indicators, and relevant pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli O157) were in accordance with legal criteria and/or microbiological guidelines, suggesting that the food safety management system was effective. High levels of total aerobic bacteria (>3.9 log CFU/50 cm(2)) were noted occasionally on gloves of food handlers and on food contact surfaces, especially in high contamination areas (e.g., during handling of raw material, preparation room). Core control activities such as hand hygiene of personnel and cleaning and disinfection (especially in highly contaminated areas) were considered points of attention. The present sampling plan was used to produce an overall microbiological profile (snapshot) to validate the food safety management system in place.
Scaling trends and bias dependence of the soft error rate of 16 nm and 7 nm FinFET SRAMs

SRAM SER measurements across technology nodes indicate that while scaling from planar to the first FinFET process provided a large reduction in per-bit SER, the subsequent scaling within FinFET process nodes results in SER reduction comparable to per-bit cell area reduction. Extensive SER measurements over a range of voltages show a strong exponential increase in the SER of FinFET processes with reduction in bias, compared to a linear bias dependence for the planar process.
A Study of Dynamic Interaction between FDI and Provincial Economic Development in China:Empirical Analysis Based on 1988-2008 Provincial Data

The announcement of State Council Document No.9 indicates that China has begun to gradually adjust the policy to attract foreign investment.Government officials,scholars and foreign enterprises have different views to this document.This paper uses the panel VAR model to analyze the Chinese provincial data 1988-2008. From the empirical results,this paper has four conclusions.First,viewed as a whole,the high economic growth rates of China significantly attracted the FDI,but the positive impacts from FDI on our economic growth were not significant.Second,the dynamic relationship between Chinese economic growth rate and FDI had structural changes in 1997.Third,the relationships in China's central and eastern region were more significant than in western region. Last but not less important,the FDI ratio is stable in China at present,and the announcement of State Council Document No.9 will not have the negative impacts on the FDI and Chinese economic growth rate.
Superior antimetastatic effect of pemetrexed-loaded gelatinase-responsive nanoparticles in a mouse metastasis model

Novel pemetrexed-loaded gelatinase-responsive nanoparticles were prepared as a targeted delivery system to determine its potential for clinical therapy of malignant melanoma. The pemetrexed-loaded poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)–peptide–poly(&egr;-caprolactone) (PCL) nanoparticles included a gelatinase-cleavage peptide and a PEG–PCL-based structure. The pemetrexed-loaded PEG–peptide–PCL nanoparticles have shown the best antimetastatic effect in experimental lung metastasis models. The expressions of CD133 and thymidylate synthetase of metastatic tumors were also evaluated in our studies. Our results showed that pemetrexed-loaded gelatinase-responsive nanoparticles may represent a potent drug delivery system for inhibiting pulmonary metastasis and our preclinical results can provide new avenues for clinical therapy of malignant melanoma.
Title CD 8 + Cell Anti-HIV Activity Rapidly Increases Upon Discontinuation of Early Antiretroviral Therapy

Introduction CD8+ lymphocytes can suppress HIV replication without killing the infected cells. This CD8+ cell noncytotoxic anti-HIV response (CNAR) is associated with a beneficial clinical course. Materials and Methods In this longitudinal study of 16 participants in the Options Project at UCSF, we measured the ability of CD8+ lymphocytes to suppress HIV replication in CD4+ cells during primary HIV infection, early antiretroviral therapy, and after treatment. Results and Discussion CD8+ lymphocytes from subjects with untreated primary HIV-1 infection strongly suppressed HIV replication. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy during primary HIV-1 infection caused a marked decline in this CNAR. CD8+ cells from these subjects regained anti-HIV activity when early therapy was discontinued. The timing of the appearance of CD8+ cell anti-HIV activity directly correlated with the emergence of detectable virus levels. Maximal CNAR activity coincided with a decay in the kinetics of HIV replication. In addition, peak viral loads during treatment interruption were lower than pre-treatment virus levels (median reduction=0.8 logs, p=0.005) and CD4+ T cell counts were maintained for a 24-week period of follow-up. Conclusion These results suggest that CNAR plays an important role in suppressing HIV replication in the setting of antiretroviral treatment interruption in HIV-infected individuals.
The Outcome of Colorectal Surgery in Cirrhotic Patients: A Case Match Report.

Background: Colorectal surgery in cirrhotic patients has had limited indications, but as the study aims to show, careful evaluation of risk factors can extend boundaries. Methods: From January 2011 to January 2016, using a case match cohort, 68 patients with colorectal malignancy and cirrhosis were compared against 136 persons with no liver disease. Significant risk criteria, morbidity and mortality were evaluated. Results: When analyzing specific risk factors age, etiology and severity of liver disease (MELD, Child-Pugh score, ascites and hypoalbuminemia) were found to be significant to surgical outcome. Approach and type of intervention as well as emergency status reflected upon reintervention rates with 10.2% in the cirrhotic population vs 5.1% in the non-cirrhotic one (p=0.3). Postoperative morbidity was higher in the chronic liver disease patients - 47.1% vs 27.9% in the case-match group (p=0.035). Mortality rate in the cirrhotic population was 5.9% while in the non-cirrhotic one was 2.2% (p=0.2). Child C patients had a morbidity and a mortality rate of 75% and 50% respectively. CONCLUSION Child A patients can be treated no different than the general population; Child B group needs proper assessment and care while in Child C population surgery should at all costs be avoided.
Choroid plexus tumors; management, outcome, and association with the Li–Fraumeni syndrome: The Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) experience, 1991–2010

Choroid plexus tumors (CPT) are rare, and predominate in early childhood. An association with the Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) has been reported, but the biological and clinical implications of this association remain poorly defined. We have investigated the clinical features and overall survival of all CPT patients treated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) over a 20‐year period, with particular attention to the association of CPT with LFS.
Quasi-steady aerodynamic model of clap-and-fling flapping MAV and validation using free-flight data

Flapping-wing aerodynamic models that are accurate, computationally efficient and physically meaningful, are challenging to obtain. Such models are essential to design flapping-wing micro air vehicles and to develop advanced controllers enhancing the autonomy of such vehicles. In this work, a phenomenological model is developed for the time-resolved aerodynamic forces on clap-and-fling ornithopters. The model is based on quasi-steady theory and accounts for inertial, circulatory, added mass and viscous forces. It extends existing quasi-steady approaches by: including a fling circulation factor to account for unsteady wing–wing interaction, considering real platform-specific wing kinematics and different flight regimes. The model parameters are estimated from wind tunnel measurements conducted on a real test platform. Comparison to wind tunnel data shows that the model predicts the lift forces on the test platform accurately, and accounts for wing–wing interaction effectively. Additionally, validation tests with real free-flight data show that lift forces can be predicted with considerable accuracy in different flight regimes. The complete parameter-varying model represents a wide range of flight conditions, is computationally simple, physically meaningful and requires few measurements. It is therefore potentially useful for both control design and preliminary conceptual studies for developing new platforms.
Genetic polymorphisms associated with the risk of concussion in 1056 college athletes: a multicentre prospective cohort study

Background/aim To evaluate the association of genetic polymorphisms APOE, APOE G-219T promoter, microtubule associated protein(MAPT)/tau exon 6 Ser53Pro, MAPT/tau Hist47Tyr, IL-6572 G/C and IL-6R Asp358Ala with the risk of concussion in college athletes. Methods A 23-centre prospective cohort study of 1056 college athletes with genotyping was completed between August 2003 and December 2012. All athletes completed baseline medical and concussion questionnaires, and post-concussion data were collected for athletes with a documented concussion. Results The study cohort consisted of 1056 athletes of mean±SD age 19.7±1.5 years, 89.3% male, 59.4% Caucasian, 35.0% African-American, 5.6% other race. The athletes participated in American football, soccer, basketball, softball, men’s wrestling and club rugby. A total of 133 (12.1% prevalence) concussions occurred during an average surveillance of 3 years per athlete. We observed a significant positive association between IL-6R CC (p=0.001) and a negative association between APOE4 (p=0.03) and the risk of concussion. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between IL-6R CC and concussion (OR 3.48; 95% CI 1.58 to 7.65; p=0.002) and between the APOE4 allele and concussion (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.96; p=0.04), which persisted after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions IL-6R CC was associated with a three times greater concussion risk and APOE4 with a 40% lower risk.