Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toxicity of combined treatment of adjuvant irradiation and interferon &agr;2b in high-risk melanoma patients

Surgically resected stage III melanoma patients commonly receive adjuvant therapy with interferon (IFN) &agr;2b. For those patients with high-risk features of draining node recurrence, radiation therapy can also be considered as a treatment option. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy and radiation-related toxicity of this combined therapy. Eighteen patients receiving adjuvant IFN&agr;2b therapy during radiation therapy, or within 1 month of its completion, were reviewed retrospectively and analysed for outcome. Radiation was delivered at 600 cGy dose per fraction, in 16 out of 18 patients, twice a week, and at 200 cGy dose per fraction in two patients five times a week. Total radiation dose and number of fractions were as follows: 30 Gy/5 fr (n=8), 36 Gy/6 fr (n=8) and 50 Gy/25 fr (n=2). The percentage of disease-free patients, with no local recurrence, at 3 years was 88%. In 10 patients, IFN&agr;2b was administered concurrently with radiotherapy; in three, within 30 days before or after radiation; and in five, more than 30 days after radiation. All the patients experienced acute skin reactions, grade I on the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) scale. Late radiation-related toxicity was seen in one patient with grade III (RTOG) skin reaction and two with grade IV (RTOG) radiation-induced myelitis. Concurrent use of adjuvant radiotherapy and IFN&agr;2b might enhance radiation-induced toxicity, and special care should be taken when the spinal cord is included in the radiation field.
The genetic relationship of the North American Indian languages

All studies of the Indian languages of North. America go back properly to J. W. Powell's paper in the Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology. Unfortunately his preliminary study was interpreted by most Americanists as demonstrating that genetic relationships between the stocks he postulated had been disproved, or at least were to be presumed as disproved, whereas all he in reality claimed was that the relationship had not been determined. This attitude toward Powell's classification was strengthened by the results of Boas 's investigations. The task Professor Boas and his school set themselves was the analytical presentation of the various Indian languages according to the specific genius of each, and interest thus shifted entirely from what were deemed futile genetic problems to monographic studies of special languages. As might have been anticipated, however, hints and suggestions as to possible relationships were made many years ago. The grouping of Nahuatl with Shonshonean, first discussed by Buschmann, was pressed by Brinton, and the latter likewise first postulated the relationship of Yuman and Tequistlatecan (Chontal). Boas himself pointed out resemblances between Athapaskan, *Haida, and Tlingit, for which genetic unity was subsequently proved by Sapir. He also showed definite structural. similarities between Kwakiutl, Salish, and Ch.emakum. The first serious reduction of the number of stocks was, however, that proposed by Kroeber and Dixon, who, subsequently
Distinction between Perceptual and Attentional Processing in Working Memory Tasks: A Study of Phase-locked and Induced Oscillatory Brain Dynamics

Working memory involves the short-term storage and manipulation of information necessary for cognitive performance, including comprehension, learning, reasoning and planning. Although electroencephalogram (EEG) rhythms are modulated during working memory, the temporal relationship of EEG oscillations with the eliciting event has not been well studied. In particular, the dynamics of the neural network supporting memory processes may be best captured in induced oscillations, characterized by a loose temporal link with the stimulus. In order to differentiate induced from evoked functional processes, the present study proposes a time-frequency analysis of the 3 to 30 Hz EEG oscillatory activity in a verbal n-back working memory paradigm. Control tasks were designed to identify oscillatory activity related to stimulus presentation (passive task) and focused attention to the stimulus (detection task). Evoked theta activity (48 Hz) phase-locked to the visual stimulus was evidenced in the parieto-occipital region for all tasks. In parallel, induced theta activity was recorded in the frontal region for detection and n-back memory tasks, but not for the passive task, suggesting its dependency on focused attention to the stimulus. Sustained induced oscillatory activity was identified in relation to working memory in the theta and beta (1525 Hz) frequency bands, larger for the highest memory load. Its late occurrence limited to nonmatched items suggests that it could be related to item retention and active maintenance for further task requirements. Induced theta and beta activities displayed respectively a frontal and parietal topographical distribution, providing further functional information on the fronto-posterior network supporting working memory.
Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan: Divergent Political Trajectories in Adjacent Maya Polities

In this article we present a synthetic overview and preliminary analysis of the data collected by members of the Sierra del Lacandón Regional Archaeology Project (SLRAP) during four field seasons of research from 2003 to 2007. We examine the growth, development, and transformation of the Classic Maya polities of Piedras Negras, Guatemala, and Yaxchilan, Mexico, located in the Middle Usumacinta Basin. This analysis uses a conjunctive approach, incorporating analyses of iconography, epigraphy, settlement patterns, ceramics, mortuary patterns, and architectural styles. During the Late Preclassic period (c. 250 B.C.-A.D. 350) settlement was scattered widely across the study region and Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan were only two of a number of other equally powerful Preclassic communities. In the Early Classic period (c. A.D. 350-600) royal dynasties were established at both Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan and the population of the region became concentrated at these two sites. During the Late Classic period (c. A.D. 600-810) the political frontier between Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan was repopulated and transformed into a contested border zone surrounding a political boundary. This territorial expansion culminated in endemic warfare by the eighth century A.D., which may have ultimately led to the demise of these two Maya polities.
Heat transfer in a microvascular network: the effect of heart rate on heating and cooling in reptiles (Pogona barbata and Varanus varius).

Thermally-induced changes in heart rate and blood flow in reptiles are believed to be of selective advantage by allowing animal to exert some control over rates of heating and cooling. This notion has become one of the principal paradigms in reptilian thermal physiology. However, the functional significance of changes in heart rate is unclear, because the effect of heart rate and blood flow on total animal heat transfer is not known. I used heat transfer theory to determine the importance of heat transfer by blood flow relative to conduction. I validated theoretical predictions by comparing them with field data from two species of lizard, bearded dragons (Pogona barbata) and lace monitors (Varanus varius). Heart rates measured in free-ranging lizards in the field were significantly higher during heating than during cooling, and heart rates decreased with body mass. Convective heat transfer by blood flow increased with heart rate. Rates of heat transfer by both blood flow and conduction decreased with mass, but the mass scaling exponents were different. Hence, rate of conductive heat transfer decreased more rapidly with increasing mass than did heat transfer by blood flow, so that the relative importance of blood flow in total animal heat transfer increased with mass. The functional significance of changes in heart rate and, hence, rates of heat transfer, in response to heating and cooling in lizards was quantified. For example, by increasing heart rate when entering a heating environment in the morning, and decreasing heart rate when the environment cools in the evening a Pogona can spend up to 44 min longer per day with body temperature within its preferred range. It was concluded that changes in heart rate in response to heating and cooling confer a selective advantage at least on reptiles of mass similar to that of the study animals (0. 21-5.6 kg).
Involvement of DAD1-like lipases in response to salt and osmotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Acyl hydrolases remodel biological membranes and release signaling molecules in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. After wounding or pathogen treatment lipases are necessary to release fatty acids as substrate for jasmonate biosynthesis. In osmotic stressed tissue they maintain integrity and functionality of membranes and during senescence lipases destroy and recycle membranes. Recently the role of several acyl hydrolases including DEFECTIVE IN ANTHER DEHISCENCE (DAD1) and DAD1-like lipase, e.g. DONGLE (DGL) and the phospholipase A (PLA) PLA-Iγ1 in jasmonate biosynthesis after wounding were investigated and functional redundancy within this family has been stated. Here we report necessity of diverse DAD1-like lipases in response to salt and sorbitol treatment. The lipase PLA-Iγ1 and PLA-Iβ2, which were both impaired in wound response, were also affected in response to osmotic stress in seed germination assays. Based on our observations and interpretations of transcription analyses generated by AtGenExpress project we speculate about more general roles of the DAD1-like lipase in diverse biological processes.
Pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepines induce apoptosis in HL-60, Jurkat, and Hut-78 cells: a new class of apoptotic agents.

Some, but not all, of a series of novel pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepines (PBOXs) induce apoptosis as shown by cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation in three human cell lines, HL-60 promyelocytic, Jurkat T lymphoma, and Hut-78 s.c. lymphoma cells. This chemical selectivity, together with the lack of apoptotic activity against rat Leydig cells, argues against a general cell poisoning effect. PBOX-6, a potent member of the series, caused activation of a member of the caspase-3 family of proteases. In addition, the caspase-3-like inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk, but not the caspase-1-like inhibitor z-YVAD-fmk prevented PBOX-6-induced apoptosis, suggesting that caspase 3-like proteases are involved in the mechanism by which PBOX compounds induce apoptosis. The release of cytochrome c into the cytosol in HL-60 cells in response to PBOX-6 suggests that this cellular response may be important in the mechanism by which PBOX-6 induces apoptosis. However, reactive oxygen intermediates do not play a key role in PBOX-6-induced apoptosis because neither the free radical scavenger TEMPO nor the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine had any effect on PBOX-6-induced apoptosis. The apoptotic induction seems independent of the mitochondrial peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) that binds these pyrrolobenzoxazepines with high affinity, due to the lack of correlation between their affinities for the receptor and their apoptotic potencies, their high apoptotic activity in PBR-deficient cells such as Jurkats, and their lack of apoptotic induction in PBR-rich rat Leydig cells. These PBOXs also can overcome nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated resistance to apoptosis. This suggests an important potential use of these compounds in drug-resistant cancers.
Relationship between Activities of Daily Living and Readmission within 90 Days in Hospitalized Elderly Patients with Heart Failure

Aims To examine the relationship between activities of daily living (ADL) and readmission within 90 days and assess the cutoff value of ADL to predict readmission in hospitalized elderly patients with heart failure (HF). Methods This cohort study comprised 589 consecutive patients with HF aged ≥65 years, who underwent cardiac rehabilitation from May 2012 to May 2016 and were discharged home. We investigated patients' characteristics, basic attributes, and ADL (motor and cognitive Functional Independence Measure [FIM]). We analyzed the data using the unpaired t-test, χ2 test, Cox proportional hazard model, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Kaplan-Meier method. Results Of 589 patients, 113 met the criteria, and they were divided into the nonreadmission (n = 90) and readmission groups (n = 23). Age, body mass index, New York Heart Association class, hemoglobin level, and motor FIM score were significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05). The body mass index (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.87; p < 0.05) and motor FIM score (HR: 0.94; p < 0.01) remained statistically significant. The cutoff value for the motor FIM score determined by ROC curve analysis was 74.5 points (area under the curve = 0.78; p < 0.001). Conclusion The motor FIM score in elderly patients with HF was an independent predictor of rehospitalization within 90 days.
HIV type 2 proviral load measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction correlates with CD4+ lymphopenia in HIV type 2-infected individuals.

The efficiency of detection of 2 sets of primer pairs from putatively conserved regions of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) genome were assessed in 86 seropositive individuals from The Gambia by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HIV-2 long terminal repeat (LTR) target sequences were detected in DNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in 84 of 86 (97%) individuals whereas HIV-2 integrase (pol) gene sequences were detected in 39 of 41 (95%) individuals. The use of LTR target sequences and recombinant Pfu DNA polymerase, rather than Taq polymerase, in a modified secondary amplification reaction mediated the incorporation of 35S-labeled nucleotides in a quantitative radiometric assay. This sensitive assay was used to quantify HIV-2 proviral DNA in clinical samples and compared well with estimations by limiting end-point dilution of target molecules. A linear response between counts and the number of copies amplified from serial dilutions of pROD10 plasmid DNA (3-2000 copies) yielded a standard curve to allow extrapolation to clinical data. Increased levels of HIV-2 proviral DNA, expressed as copies per 10(5) CD4-positive lymphocytes, were associated with declining CD4 count in 63 adult patients (Spearman rank correlation, r = -0.71, n = 63, p < 0.001) and with the occurrence of HIV-related clinical disease. Kruskall-Wallis analysis of variance analysis showed the mean proviral copy number (log10) to be significantly different between groups (p < 0.001) where CD4 counts were grouped as < 200/mm3 (3.4 +/- 1.05 copies), 200-500/mm3 (2.84 +/- 0.93 copies), and > 500/mm3 (1.88 +/- 0.43 copies). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Uncertainty Quantification in MD Simulations. Part II: Bayesian Inference of Force-Field Parameters

This paper explores the inference of small-scale, atomistic parameters, based on the specification of large, or macroscale, observables. Specifically, we focus on estimating a set of force-field parameters for the four-site, TIP4P, water model, based on a synthetic problem involving isothermal, isobaric molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of water at ambient conditions. We exploit the polynomial chaos (PC) expansions developed in Part I as surrogate representations of three macroscale observables, namely density, self-diffusion, and enthalpy, as a function of the force-field parameters. We analyze and discuss the use of two different PC representations in a Bayesian framework for the inference of atomistic parameters, based on synthetic observations of three macroscale observables. The first surrogate is a deterministic PC representation, constructed in Part I using nonintrusive spectral projection (NISP). An alternative strategy exploits a nondeterministic PC representation obtained using Bayesian infere.
Phenotypic consequences of variation across the aldosterone synthase and 11‐beta hydroxylase locus in a hypertensive cohort: data from the MRC BRIGHT Study

Background Aldosterone is an important cardiovascular hormone; 15% of hypertensive subjects have alteration in aldosterone regulation, defined by a raised ratio of aldosterone to renin (ARR). Studies of the aldosterone synthase gene (CYP11B2) have focused on a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5′promoter region (–344 C/T). In normotensive subjects, the T allele associates with raised levels of the 11‐deoxysteroids, deoxycorticosterone and 11‐deoxycortisol which are substrates for 11β‐hydroxylase, encoded by the adjacent and homologous gene, CYP11B1. We have speculated that this altered 11β‐hydroxylase efficiency leads to increased ACTH drive to the adrenal gland to maintain cortisol production and reported herein the association between the –344 C/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and adrenal steroid production in subjects with essential hypertension.
Unruh effect in quantum information beyond the single-mode approximation

We address the validity of the single-mode approximation that is commonly invoked in the analysis of entanglement in noninertial frames and in other relativistic quantum-information scenarios. We show that the single-mode approximation is not valid for arbitrary states, finding corrections to previous studies beyond such approximations in the bosonic and fermionic cases. We also exhibit a class of wave packets for which the single-mode approximation is justified subject to the peaking constraints set by an appropriate Fourier transform.
Does Low-dose Droperidol Administration Increase the Risk of Drug-induced QT Prolongation and Torsade de Pointes in the General Surgical Population?

Background:The US Food and Drug Administration issued a black box warning regarding the use of droperidol and the potential for torsade de pointes (TdP). Methods:The primary objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether low-dose droperidol administration increased the incidence of TdP in the general surgical population during a 3-yr time period before and after the Food and Drug Administration black box warning. A random sample of 150 surgical patients during each time interval was selected to estimate the droperidol use for each time period. Results:During the time period before the black box warning (July 1, 1998 to June 30, 2001), 2,321/139,932 patients (1.66%) had QT prolongation, TdP, or death within 48 h after surgery. We could identify no patients who clearly developed TdP before the black box warning. There was one patient for whom the cause of death could not positively be ruled out as due to TdP. In the time period after the black box warning (July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005), 2,207 patients (1.46%) had documented QT prolongation, TdP, or death within 48 h after surgery, including only two cases (<0.1%) of TdP. The incidence of droperidol exposure was approximately 12% (exact 95% confidence interval, 7.3–18.3%) before the black box warning and 0% after placement of the black box warning on droperidol. Therefore, we estimate that approximately 16,791 patients (95% confidence interval, 10,173–25,607) were exposed to droperidol, none of whom experienced documented TdP. Conclusions:This indicates that the Food and Drug Administration black box warning for low dose droperidol is excessive and unnecessary.
Error probability analysis for V-BLAST in correlated Rayleigh channels

The paper derives the analytical upper bound of the average probability of error (APE) for a V-BLAST zero-forcing receiver (ZFR) in correlated Rayleigh channels. The APE is presented as a function of the diagonal element of the inverse transmit correlation matrix. The correlation at the receive antennas is converted to that at the transmit antennas, and the analogous impact is obtained. The bound demonstrates that the diversity order is determined by the difference between the numbers of transmit and receive antennas, and it shows that the correlation results in a decrease in effective SNR as well as a degeneration in APE. Simulations validate the analytical results.
Bimanual coordination in Parkinson's disease: Deficits in movement frequency, amplitude, and pattern switching

Six patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and six age‐matched controls participated in a variety of rhythmic bimanual coordination tasks. The main goal of the task was to perform inphase or antiphase patterns of pronation and supination of the forearms at a specified tempo, and to switch from one pattern to the other upon presentation of a visual cue. The availability of advance information was varied to examine whether deficits would emerge under choice versus pre‐cue constraints. In pre‐cue conditions, the subjects knew in advance which hand would be cued to initiate pattern change. In choice conditions, the cued hand was not known until the imperative stimulus was presented. Overall, the PD patients made movements with significantly lower frequencies and smaller amplitudes relative to controls. Patients exhibited spontaneous pattern switching from antiphase to inphase at significantly lower movement frequencies than controls. During intentional switching trials, the control group was significantly faster at initiating pattern change. PD and control groups differed in the time to initiate pattern switching to a greater extent under choice conditions, suggesting that patients used advance information to increase the speed of their response. The control group exhibited a preference for spontaneous switching and intentional switching through the subdominant hand. Patients exhibited a switching preference using the impaired limb (whether or not it was subdominant). The control group made more correct responses when the subdominant side was either pre‐cued or presented in choice conditions. The patients maintained the subdominant/impaired side advantage under pre‐cue conditions but not choice. In the maintenance of rhythmic movement, individuals with PD were able to use advance information in terms of both speed and accuracy. © 2001 Movement Disorder Society.