Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CX-072, a PD-L1 Probody therapeutic, as monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors: Preliminary results of PROCLAIM-CX-072.

2513 Background: Anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunotherapies have improved survival in many cancers, but immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been observed, especially in combination therapy. CX-072 is an investigational Probody therapeutic directed against PD-L1, designed to be preferentially activated in the tumor microenvironment and to reduce irAEs. Methods: This is an ongoing phase 1/2a study (PROCLAIM-CX-072; NCT03013491) evaluating CX-072 in patients (pts) with metastatic or unresectable solid tumors with no further standard curative treatment options and with no prior anti-PD1, PD-L1 or anti-CTLA4 treatment. Pts were unselected for PD-L1 expression. We report preliminary results from expansion cohorts in anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA), triple-negative breast cancer with skin lesions (TNBC), or undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS). Pts were treated with CX-072 monotherapy 10 mg/kg intravenously every 14 days. Results: As of 30 Nov 2018, 51 pts received CX-072 10 mg/kg monotherapy: SCCA (n = 9), cSCC (n = 5), SBA (n = 9), TNBC (n = 9), and UPS (n = 19). Median age was 63 y (range, 32-80), 67% were female, and pts had a median of 3 prior regimens (range, 1-12). Median treatment duration was 1.8 mo (range, 0.3-14.7). A grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse event (AE) was observed in 1 pt (2%; gr 3 generalized rash). No grade 3/4 irAEs were observed. Two pts discontinued treatment due to AEs: nausea (pt with SCCA) and sepsis (pt with SBA), neither treatment-related. Partial responses (confirmed and unconfirmed) were observed in cSCC (n = 1), TNBC (n = 2), and UPS (n = 1) (Table). Conclusions: CX-072 10 mg/kg monotherapy demonstrated anticancer activity in heavily pretreated pts with advanced solid tumors, including responses in cSCC, TNBC with skin lesions, and UPS, with a safety profile that compares favorably to historical controls. Clinical trial information: NCT03013491. [Table: see text]
Alcohol Reduction by Physical Methods

Alcohol reduction of wine has gained significance worldwide. There are several technologies available to reduce the alcohol content in a targeted way. This chapter explains the principles of alcohol reduction by physical methods. Different membrane processes such as osmotic distillation and the two-step dealcoholization process of reverse osmosis combined with osmotic distillation are compared with distillation processes such as vacuum rectification and spinning cone column. An alternative approach the membrane coupling of ultraand nanofiltration is described as well. All those technologies appear more or less suitable to reduce the alcohol content in a targeted way. Nevertheless improper handling can cause severe quality losses for the wine. Therefore, enologists should have a thorough understanding of the technologies to avoid negative impact on wine quality through the treatment.
Biodiversity of bulbous and tuberous geophytes from the El Kala National Park (North-Eastern Algeria): checklist, vulnerability and conservation

Treinta estaciones en el Parque Nacional El Kala (Noreste de Argelia) fueron objeto de un inventario florístico que se centró en el estudio de la ecología de geófitos bulbosos y tuberosos. La flora se caracteriza por una alta proporción de taxones raros y/o endémicos, entre ellos, 6 especies son endemismos algero-tunecinos pertenecientes a la familia Orchidaceae. En este trabajo, se da a conocer la presencia de una nueva especie para la flora argelina, Ophrys fusca subsp. lupercalis. Los análisis multivariantes revelaron, ciertas variables ambientales que determinan la distribución de los geófitos. Los lugares de interés son particularmente sensibles a las amenazas, particularmente las de origen antrópico. Thirty stations at the El Kala National Park (North Eastern Algeria) were the subject of a floristic focused on the study of the ecology of bulbous and tuberous geophytes. The floristic analysis was used to draw up a checklist of 67 species belonging to 36 genera and 14 families, among of which 19 species a high proportion of rare and/or endemic taxa; among them six signed taxa are endemic to algerian-tunisian mainly represented by family of Orchidaceae. In this work, we recorded the presence of a new species for the Algerian flora which is Ophrys fusca subsp. lupercalis. Multivariate analyses revealed certain environmental variables determining the distribution of geophytes. The visited sites show an alarming vulnerability and subject to threats, particularly anthropogenic ones.
Growth and Yield Characters of Two Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) Cultivars at Different Ages in Baubau City, South-East Sulawesi Province

Baubau City is one of the cashew (Anarcadium occidentale L.) producer area in Southeast Sulawesi with area of 820 ha. This large area of cashew cultivation was not compensated with the productivity caused of low production. An effort to overcome this problem is identifying the growth and yield characters of cashew to apply the good agricultural practices for cashew plantation. The objective of this research was to determine the growth and yield of two cashew varieties at different tree ages; and to identify the relationship between the characters and the productivity of cashew trees in Baubau City. This research was arranged by oversite design with 2 varieties (the cashew with red pseudo-fruit and the cashew with yellow pseudo-fruit), 4 ages of cashew plant (5 years old, 17 years old, 26 years old, 37 years old) and 5 replications. The results showed that both varieties had no significantly different on growth and yield characters. At 37 years old, cashew trees still demonstrated the increasing of the productivity due to the increasing of growth and yield component i.e. plant biomass, the number of flower, the number of cashew nut per plant and cashew nut weight per kernel.
HIV, HBsAg and HCV prevalences among voluntary blood donors in Mumbai: trends over a decade

Background: With over 93 million donations made every year worldwide, blood transfusion continues to save millions of lives each year and improve the life expectancy and quality of life of patients suffering from life threatening conditions. At the same time, blood transfusion is an important mode of transmission of infection to the recipient. The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV infections in voluntary blood donors at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai over a decade.Methods: All voluntary donors reporting to the blood bank were screened for HIV, HBsAg and HCV by using the appropriate enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The study was designed for duration of ten years between January 2008 to December 2017. Medical reports of the donors were accessed from the blood bank records and analyzed.Results: A total of 8928 voluntary blood donors were screened. Amongst the blood donors, seropositivity of HBV (6% to 1.52 %) was highest followed by HIV (2.5% to 0.15%) then HCV (1.85% to 0.37%). Conclusions: Decreasing trends with low prevalence observed in the study is an encouraging sign supporting the growing awareness of these life-threatening diseases.
A study of the species of Colletotrichum causing ripe fruit rots in Queensland.

The 7 spp. studied [cf. 43, 2976] include a new var. of C. gloeosporioides [Glomerella cingulata] on mango, papaw, apple, etc. designated C. g. var. minor sp. , C. acutatum Simmonds, on papaw, strawberry [cf. 38: 21], and tomato, characterized by small conidia (8.3-14.4 X 2.5-4 μ) with pointed ends. Other CABI sites 
Value of the New Elastography Technique using Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse in Differentiation between Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Graves’ Disease

Background and Aim: This study was performed to evaluate the role and accuracy of shear wave elastography in the differentiation between Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), in comparison with the B-mode ultrasound and color Doppler ultrasound. Materials and Methods: This study was non-randomized prospective study. The study included 30 patients with GD, 65 patients with HT, and 35 patients with normal thyroid glands. Assessment of ultrasonographic criteria, color Doppler flow pattern, and shear patterns differed significantly between the control group and the group of diffuse thyroid disease (P < 0.001). The most specific sign for diagnosing HT was nodularity (97.87%), and the most sensitive sign was coarse echotexture (81.54%). Color Doppler flow (CDF) showed sensitivity of 91.8%, specificity of 56.92%, positive predictive value of 52.54%, negative predictive value of 92.5%, and diagnostic accuracy of 68.69% in the differentiation between GD and HT. The mean shear wave velocity (SWV) was 2.61 ± 0.32 m/s in the GD group (range: 2.1–3.21 m/s), 2.85 ± 0.52 m/s in the HT group (range: 2.31–3.82 m/s), and 1.75 ± 0.37 m/s in the control group (range: 1.24–2.36 m/s). The mean SWVs in the GD and HT groups were significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). The mean SWV in the HT group was higher than that in the GD group (P = 0.03). Conclusion: Quantitative and qualitative SWE is useful for diagnosing diffuse thyroid disease and evaluating the degree of fibrosis in autoimmune thyroiditis. However, acoustic radiation force impulse techniques cannot differentiate between HT and GD reliably.
Impact of age on safety and efficacy of first-line FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab in mCRC: A pooled analysis of TRIBE and TRIBE2 studies.

3536 Background: FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab is a valuable upfront option in mCRC based on results of phase III TRIBE and TRIBE2 studies: 1187 pts aged 18–70 years with ECOG performance status (PS) ≤ 2 or between 71–75 years with an ECOG PS of 0 were randomized to receive first-line FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab or a doublet (FOLFIRI in TRIBE and mFOLFOX6 in TRIBE2)/bevacizumab. Here, we aimed at assessing the effect of the intensification of the upfront chemotherapy (triplet versus doublet) in terms of safety and efficacy in pts aged < 70 versus 70-75. Methods: Subgroup analyses for ORR, PFS, G3/4 overall adverse events (AEs), chemo-related and bevacizumab-related AEs were performed according to baseline age. Results: 182 (15%) out of 1187 pts were 70-75 years old (97 in the FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab and 85 in the doublets/bevacizumab arms). The benefit provided by the intensification of the upfront chemotherapy was independent of the age subgroup in terms of both ORR (p for interaction = 0.684) and PFS (p for interaction = 0.634). The risk of overall and chemo-related G3/4 AEs was increased with the triplet independently of age (p for interaction = 0.736 and 0.790), while no difference in bevacizumab-related AEs was observed in both subgroups (p for interaction = 0.566). In the overall population, as compared to younger pts, those aged 70-75 were more susceptible to overall G3/4 AEs (70% vs 57%, p = 0.001). In the FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab arm a higher incidence of G3/4 diarrhea (27% vs 17%, p = 0.016) and febrile neutropenia (16% vs 6% p = 0.001) and a lower incidence of all grade nausea (51% vs 65%, p = 0.009) and vomiting (26% vs 44% p = 0.001) were reported among elderly pts. Conclusions: The activity and efficacy of FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab are confirmed among selected pts between 70 and 75 years old, with a relative increase in the risk of chemo-related AEs similar to that of younger pts. However, elderly pts are more susceptible to experience AEs independently of the treatment arm. Considering the increased incidence of febrile neutropenia and diarrhea with FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab, the use of G-CSF as primary prophylaxis or an initial dose reduction of irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil might be considered in this population.
Ethosomes-A Priority in Transdermal Drug Delivery

Transdermal drug delivery system was first introduced more than 20 years ago. The technology generated tremendous excitement and interest amongst major pharmaceutical companies in the 1980s and 90s. By the mid to late 1990s, the trend of transdermal drug delivery system merged into larger organizations. Transdermal drug delivery system is a type of convenient drug delivery system where drug goes to the systemic circulation through the protective barrier i.e. Skin. Over the year it has showed promising result in comparison to oral drug delivery system as it eliminates gastrointestinal interferences and first pass metabolism of the drug but the main drawback of TDDS is it encounters the barrier properties of the Stratum Corneum i.e. only the lipophilic drugs having molecular weight < 500 Da can pass through it. Ethosomes have been found to be much more efficient in delivering drug to the skin; Ethosomes are the non invasive drug delivery carriers that enable drugs to reach the deep skin layers finally delivering to the systemic circulation. For optimal skin delivery, drug should be efficiently entrapped within ethosomal vesicles. Ethosomal drug delivery system is a new state of the art technique and easier to prepare in addition to safety and efficacy. Ethosomes have become a area of research interest, because of its enhanced skin permeation, improved drug delivery, increased drug entrapment efficiency etc. Keywords: Ethosomes, Vesicle, Transdermal drug delivery
Support Vector Machines applied to Speech Pattern Classification

Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a new approach to pattern classiication. It promises to give good generalisation and has been applied to various tasks. In this project, pattern recognition using SVMs is evaluated. Speciically, SVMs will be used to classify speech patterns. SVMs have been successfully implemented to carry out vowel recognition and speaker identiication. The theory and concept that form the basis of SVM will be investigated. The claim that SVM gives better generalisation will be critically evaluated. The practical issues in SVM training will be studied. A practical method has been derived to handle the non-convergence problem in SVM training. Various approaches to extend SVM to multi-class classiication are discussed. Two of these methods are implemented and shown to give good results. Lastly, the choice of various user-deened parameters and their implications are discussed. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Dr. M. Niranjan for his guidance and support throughout this project. I owe much to Nathan Smith for his fruitful discussion and advice. Thanks to Patrick Gosling for his help with the computing and being very understanding in stressful situations. My gratitude also goes to Steve Gunn, University of Southampton, and Thorsten Joachims, Lucent Technology, for respectively making available the MATLAB SVM toolbox and SVM Light. \I can do everything through God] who gives me strength. " (Philippians 4:13) Declaration This thesis is less than 15,000 words in length, including footnotes, appendices, and bibliography. This thesis is substantially my own work. Where reference has been made to other research this is acknowledged in the text and bibliography.
Differences between bone mineral density, lean and fat mass of HIV-positive and HIV-negative black women

Objectives: To investigate the differences between bone mineral density (BMD), lean and fat mass of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-) positive and HIV-negative black women and to investigate factors associated with low BMD. Methods: Case-control study of black women (n = 565) aged 29–65 years from Potchefstroom, North West province, South Africa, based on secondary analysis of data. Total BMD, left femur neck of the hip (LFN BMD), spine BMD, total fat, fat-free tissue mass and percentage body fat (%BF) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: HIV-negative women had significantly higher median BMD, %BF, appendicular skeletal mass (ASM), ASM index, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than HIV-positive women. When the groups were matched for age and BMI, only spine BMD was marginally lower in HIV-positive women. In the total group, age, smoking and HIV status were associated with lower BMD, while calcium intake was positively associated with BMD. Similar variables were associated with BMD in HIV-negative women, while age and educational status were associated with BMD in HIV-positive women. Conclusion: Low BMD was more common among HIV-positive than HIV-negative women. Older HIV-positive women with low educational status are particularly at risk.
Issues in Measuring Time to Teach Information Systems Online

During the past decade, the use of online education to deliver information systems courses and even entire degree programs has increased significantly. One result of this growth in distance education is that an increasing number of faculty members are being asked to teach an expanding number and variety of courses in an online format. The time required to teach an online course impacts scheduling, course delivery costs, and faculty incentive to teach online. Therefore, a precise assessment of the time required to teach online is necessary in order to accurately plan and motivate faculty. However, most studies on time to teach online are survey-based or anecdotal in nature. There is little research on faculty effort based on measurement of time, as the quantitative measurement of faculty effort is a difficult task. This paper discusses the issues involved in measuring the time required to teach a course online as compared to traditional, face-to-face delivery. It examines recent reported research results including results of the authors’ work in this area. It then discusses problems in accurately measuring the time to teach and possible solutions to these problems. This discussion is intended to support further studies in this important area of inquiry.
Atrazine Injury: Relationship to Metabolism, Substrate Level, and Secondary Factors

Aseptic cultures of isolated corn (Zea mays L. ‘North Dakota KE47101′) shoots and roots and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ‘Hawkeye’] seedlings absorbed and metabolized atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine] similarly to plants grown and treated in nutrient solution under non-sterile conditions. Atrazine injured susceptible soybean seedlings more rapidly than can be explained on the basis of starvation alone. It is postulated that the herbicidal activity of atrazine is partly due to toxic secondary factor(s) which may be of biochemical or photochemical origin. The effect of the toxic secondary factor(s) was reversed by added sucrose independent of light.
From spikes to intercellular waves: Tuning intercellular calcium signaling dynamics modulates organ size control

Information flow within and between cells depends in part on calcium (Ca2+) signaling dynamics. However, the biophysical mechanisms that govern emergent patterns of Ca2+ signaling dynamics at the organ level remain elusive. Recent experimental studies in developing Drosophila wing imaginal discs demonstrate the emergence of four distinct patterns of Ca2+ activity: Ca2+ spikes, intercellular Ca2+ transients, tissue-level Ca2+ waves, and a global “fluttering” state. Here, we used a combination of computational modeling and experimental approaches to identify two different populations of cells within tissues that are connected by gap junctional proteins. We term these two subpopulations “initiator cells” defined by elevated levels of Phospholipase C (PLC) activity and “standby cells,” which exhibit baseline activity. We found that the strength of hormonal stimulation and extent of gap junctional communication jointly determine the predominate class of Ca2+ signaling activity. Further, single-cell Ca2+ spikes are stimulated by insulin, while intercellular Ca2+ waves depend on Gαq activity. Our computational model successfully recapitulates how the dynamics of Ca2+ transients varies during organ growth. Phenotypic analysis of perturbations to Gαq and insulin signaling support an integrated model of cytoplasmic Ca2+ as a dynamic reporter of overall tissue growth. Further, we show that perturbations to Ca2+signaling tune the final size of organs. This work provides a platform to further study how organ size regulation emerges from the crosstalk between biochemical growth signals and heterogeneous cell signaling states. Author Summary Calcium (Ca2+) is a universal second messenger that regulates a myriad of cellular processes such as cell division, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Multiple patterns of Ca2+ signaling including single cell spikes, multicellular Ca2+ transients, large-scale Ca2+ waves, and global “fluttering” have been observed in epithelial systems during organ development. Key molecular players and biophysical mechanisms involved in formation of these patterns during organ development are not well understood. In this work, we developed a generalized multicellular model of Ca2+ that captures all the key categories of Ca2+ activity as a function of key hormonal signals. Integration of model predictions and experiments reveals two subclasses of cell populations and demonstrates that Ca2+ signaling activity at the organ scale is defined by a general decrease in gap junction communication as organ growth. Our experiments also reveal that a “goldilocks zone” of optimal Ca2+ activity is required to achieve optimal growth at the organ level.
Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools

Mixing remains one of the most illusive arts of recording practice and can take a life time to master. Looking at practices, concepts, tools and mixing instruments the author provides a comprehensive insight to the art and science of mixing. Whether a hobbyist of professional this book covers basic concepts to advanced techniques as well as tips and tricks and is a vital read for anyone wanting to succeed in the field of mixing. This book is accompanied by the website www.mixingaudio. com, featuring a sample chapter, illustrations, audio and a user forum. It is rounded, extensive and offers complete coverage of music mixing. It includes a DVD with over 700 audio samples and 4 sample mixes. It covers new topics and mixing trends such as computer centred mixing.
Vascular leiomyoma in the oral cavity – Report of two cases

Vascular leiomyomas (VL) are benign lesions of perivascular origin. We report two new cases and discuss their clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics, in order to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of such lesions. The patients, both male, presented asymptomatic nodules located in the bottom of the labial sulcus and buccal mucosa. In the second case, color doppler ultrasonography was performed, which showed no change in blood flow. After excisional biopsies, a limited lesion was observed histologically, with multiple tortuous vessels of varying sizes and calibers, and among them, spindle cells bundles, positive for smooth muscle actin. Oral VLs have clinical features similar to those of other more common lesions, making preoperative diagnosis difficult. Imaging examination, such as color doppler ultrasonography, may help in diagnosis. In general, excisional biopsy is performed, due to the ease of removal of the lesion during surgery. The treatment of choice is the complete excision of the lesion, which has an excellent prognosis and a low rate of recurrence. Key words:Vascular leiomyoma, spindle cells, thrombus, Doppler.