Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase 2 Multicenter Trial of Gallium Nitrate in Patients with Advanced Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL).

While approved for treatment of cancer-related hypercalcemia, gallium nitrate (Ganite®; GN) has displayed broad antitumor activity as a single agent in Phase 2 trials, particularly in patients (pts) with bladder disease, Hodgkin’s disease, and NHL who received GN by bolus or continuous IV infusion (CIVI). To establish the safety profile and clincial activity in a large cohort of patients with a wide variety of histologies, we conducted a Phase 2 study in pts with both T- and B-cell lymphoma who had relapsed from standard anti-lymphoma therapy. Eligibility criteria included: relapsed NHL; ECOG PS ≤ 2; measurable disease; adequate renal and hepatic function. GN was administered by CIVI daily via ambulatory infusion pump x 7 days every 3 wks at 1 of 2 daily dose levels, 200 or 300 mg/m2/d. Evaluation for efficacy required treatment with ≥ 2 cycles; all treated pts were considered evaluable for safety. A total of 88 pts were accrued to the trial, 44 pts at each dose level. Pt characteristics included: median age, 61 yrs (range 19–83); median prior regimens, 5 (range 1–13); median prior drugs, 9 (range, 1–15); median prior rituximab regimens, 2 (range, 1–6); no. of pts with prior stem cell transplant, 25 (28%); no. of pts with prior radiation therapy, 29 (33%). At the 300 mg/m2 dose level, 30 pts are evaluable for response. The ORR in this dose level was 30% (7% CR or uCR), including 3/12 pts with diffuse LCL (DLCL) (2 post-BMT), 3/11 with follicular lymphomas (1 post-BMT), 2/3 pts with mantle cell NHL (1 CR), 0/2 pts with SLL, and 1/2 pts with peripheral T-cell NHL (1 uCR). The results in the 200 mg/m2 dose level are preliminary and currently under evaluation. Most frequent (> 10%) grade 3/4 adverse reactions (through July 2004) included: anemia (32%); hypocalcemia (19%) (occasionally requiring parenteral replacement with Ca++ and Mg++); dyspnea (15%); and hypotension (11%). Optic neuritis or visual disturbance occurred in 4 pts: 3 pts at the 300 mg/m2 dose level (after 2, 3 and 6 cycles, respectively) and 1 pt at the 200 mg/m2 dose level (after 7 cycles). All patients discontinued therapy as a consequence of this adverse event; two pts were treated with high-dose corticosteroids. All patients improved after discontinuation. These results demonstrate that gallium nitrate is an active and well tolerated agent in a heavily pretreated population of patients with NHL and suggest that it may be particularly useful in patients who cannot tolerate myelosuppressive regimens.
Enhancing breast pectoral muscle segmentation performance by using skip connections in fully convolutional network

The precise detection and segmentation of pectoral muscle areas in mediolateral oblique (MLO) views is an essential step in the development of a computer‐aided diagnosis system to access breast malignant lesions or parenchyma. The goal of this article is to develop a robust and fully automatic algorithm for pectoral muscle segmentation from mammography images. This paper presents an image enhancement approach that improves the quality of mammogram scans and a convolutional neural network‐based fully convolutional network architecture enhanced with residual connections for automatic segmentation of the pectoral muscle from the MLO views of a digital mammogram. For this purpose, the model is tested and trained on three different mammogram datasets named MIAS, INBREAST, and DDSM. The ground truth labels of the pectoral muscle were identified under the supervision of experienced radiologists. For training and testing, 10‐fold cross‐validation was used. The proposed model was compared with baseline U‐Net‐based architecture. Finally, we used a postprocessing step to find the actual boundary of the pectoral muscle. Our presented architecture generated a mean Intersection over Union (IoU) of 97%, dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 96% and 98% accuracy on testing data. The proposed architecture for pectoral muscle segmentation from the MLO views of mammogram images with high accuracy and dice score can be quickly merged with the breast tumor segmentation problem.
Numerical assessment of occupant responses during the bus rollover test: A finite element parametric study

Rollover crashes of buses are usually associated with multiple impacts that can result in complex interactions between passengers and a bus superstructure. Although there have been a few field data studies that provide some insights into occupant injuries (e.g. severity and distribution of injuries) during the real-world bus rollover crash, because they had used post-crash data, the occupant kinematics and injury mechanisms were not completely detailed in their results. Based on a literature review, available numerical and experimental studies on a bus rollover safety have mainly focused on structural integrity rather than considering occupant responses in their assessment. In addition, their results about occupant responses in bus rollover crashes show some discrepancies in terms of the estimated injury distribution, severity, and causes. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to provide a more detailed understanding of the occupant kinematics and associated injury risk during the ECE R66 tilt table bus rollover test using validated finite element (FE) models. The ECE R66 tilt table rollover was simulated using a full finite element model of the bus. A 50th percentile male Hybrid III Anthropomorphic test device (ATD) and EuroSID-2re FE models were selected to simulate the occupant’s motion. Each ATD was seated adjacent to the impacted side wall and restrained with a 2-point seatbelt. Simulation parameters included two impact surface friction values and different side window conditions. The results indicated that both ATD estimated the highest injury risk when the partial ejection occurred. They predicted a similar injury risk for the head and thorax. The ES-2re estimated a very low risk of neck injury in all simulations, whereas the Hybrid III estimated the high risk of a neck injury. Finally, recommendations to potentially reduce the injuries were provided and possible future works were suggested.
The Development of Science Education Pedagogical Content Knowledge Competences in the Early Childhood Teacher Education Program at the Lebanese University, Faculty of Education

This paper investigates to what extetnt the Early Childhood Education (ECE) initial teachers education preperation program at the Lebanese University Faculty of Education, develop pre-service teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowlede competences (PCK) to teach science for early years. For this purpose, an original analysis framework was developed by the researchers after extensive review of the existing literature and theories covering science education for early childhood education teaching program. To assess the development of science education PCK competences over the three years of the program, a questionnaire, developed and validated by the researchers, was completed by 56 graduate ECE pre-service teachers, measuring the content knowledge. In addition, content analysis of the science lesson plans completed by the pre-service teachers during their training sessions and retreived from their portfolios, associated with an interview with their trainers. The findings show that competences related to content knowledge are not developed, whereas the development of other competences varies between not and fairly developed.
Pathway-specific deregulation of striatal excitatory synapses in LRRK2 mutations

LRRK2 is a kinase expressed in striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs), cells which lose dopaminergic input in Parkinson’s disease (PD). R1441C and G2019S are the most common pathogenic mutations of LRRK2. How these mutations alter the structure and function of individual synapses on direct and indirect pathway SPNs is unknown and may reveal pre-clinical changes in dopamine-recipient neurons that predispose towards disease. Here, R1441C and G2019S knock-in mice enabled thorough evaluation of dendritic spines and synapses on pathway-identified SPNs. Biochemical synaptic preparations and super-resolution imaging revealed increased levels and altered organization of glutamatergic AMPA receptors in LRRK2 mutants. Relatedly, decreased frequency of excitatory post-synaptic currents accompanied changes in dendritic spine nano-architecture, and single-synapse currents, evaluated using 2-photon glutamate uncaging. Overall, LRRK2 mutations reshaped synaptic structure and function, an effect exaggerated in R1441C dSPNs. These data open the possibility of new neuroprotective therapies aimed at SPN synapse function, prior to disease onset.
Heart failure in nursing home residents: Prevalence, diagnosis and treatment

This dissertation demonstrated that heart failure in nursing home patients is common. Geriatric medicine specialists (previously known as nursing home doctors) appear to be quite capable of diagnosing heart failure in nursing home patients if they have access to the right resources and if they have been properly trained. An echocardiogram is only necessary if a medical indication so requires, and can be easily performed on location with a mobile device. The current treatment plan for heart failure in nursing home patients does not adhere to the applicable guidelines. Healthcare professionals do not always prescribe the right medications and, if these medications are prescribed, the dose is almost always lower than recommended. We therefore recommend adapting these guidelines for this relatively vulnerable group of elderly patients.
The importance of agriculture in forming gross value added in Serbia in the period of 2008-2017

Тhe subject of the research of this paper is the realized value of agricultural production, which significantly contributes to the formation of gross value added. The share of gross value added of agriculture in total GVA is one of the most important indicators of the importance of agriculture in the economic structure. The goal of the research is to point out the adequacy of the size and contribution of the agricultural sector to the creation of gross value added, as well as the impact of individual branches on the formation of total gross value added, i.e. on overall economic development. The simple linear regression method was applied to examine the impact of GVA in agriculture on total GVA. The results of the analysis show that the movement of agriculture GVA has a statistically significant influence on the movement of total GVA.
Roles of oceanic moisture exports in modulating summer rainfall over the middle‐lower Yangtze River Basin: Inter‐annual variability and decadal transition

Precipitation over the mid‐lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin (YRB), which is a typical East Asian monsoon region in China, is strongly impacted by oceanic moisture exports (OMEs) and features variability at multiple spatial‐temporal scales, resulting in frequent floods and droughts. We focus on two key issues of OME and its relevance to the summer rainfall variability over the YRB: determination of the individual contributions of OME from three specific oceanic sub‐regions: the Arabian Sea (ARS), Bay of Bengal (BOB), and South China Sea (SCS), and their roles in the inter‐annual variability and decadal changes in YRB summer rainfall. Using a Lagrangian forward trajectories tracing approach, we create a catalogue of OME‐based diagnosed precipitation fields for three sub‐regions spanning the summer seasons (May to August) of 1980–2013 with 6‐hourly resolution using ERA‐Interim data. The results show that the pattern of the diagnosed OME‐based precipitation resembles the observed pattern over the YRB in terms of climatology and temporal variation. Climatologically, the SCS region accounts for the largest relative contribution (60.7%), followed by the ARS (30.8%), whereas the contributions of the BOB (8.5%) are almost negligible. On the inter‐annual scale, the variation in OME‐based rainfall originated from the ARS, and the BOB is out of phase with that of the SCS. In contrast to climatology, the inter‐annual changes in rainfall over the YRB are primarily modulated by the variation in the OME from the ARS. However, for the decadal changes, particularly in 1992/1993 over the YRB, the SCS and ARS are equivalent contributors to the summer precipitation over the YRB. These findings thus provide new insights into our understanding of the multi‐scale variability of summer precipitation over the YRB region.
Endoscopic management of foreign bodies from the upper gastrointestinal tract in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, India: A 5-year tertiary care experience

Abstract Background and Aim: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common clinical problem in medical practice. Endoscopy is the therapeutic method of choice for the management of FBs with minimal complications. The aim of this study is to report our experience and outcome in a 5-year period in dealing with FBs in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) using upper endoscopy. Materials and Methods: The records of all the patients who presented to the Department of Gastroenterology and who underwent endoscopic management between January, 2010, and December, 2014, were reviewed with details on age, sex, type of FBs and its anatomical location, treatments, and outcomes. Results: A total of 59 patients were analyzed. Their age ranged from 2 years to 87 years. A male predominance was noticed (59.4%). Coins and chicken bone shared the most commonly encountered FBs. Esophagus was the most common site of trapping (49/59). Upper endoscopy successfully resolved the problem by FB removal in all patients, thus the overall success rate was 100%. No complications or mortalities due to FB ingestion or removal were observed throughout the study. Conclusion: In our experience, endoscopic management of FBs in upper GIT is a safe and highly effective procedure.
Corporate Social Responsibilities of Food Processing Companies in Vietnam from Consumer Perspective

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been receiving increasing attention in the international community since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasise effective corporate partnership. CSR is one of the most critical instruments linking corporate activities to the SDGs. Among various stakeholders, consumers can play an essential role in motivating companies to become socially responsible. However, there is little evidence from developing countries about the linkage between CSR and consumers. This paper, therefore, examines the relationship between consumers’ perception of a company’s CSR practices and their attitudes towards and intentions on purchasing its goods with empirical evidence from the Vietnamese food industry. The primary data was collected from 622 consumers using processed food in a self-administered survey in Northern Vietnam. Based on the structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis, this study shows that perception of CSR toward community has the most substantial influence on consumers’ attitude, followed by the perception of CSR toward employees and perception of fair operating practices responsibility. Although Vietnamese consumers have knowledge of the CSR in the food processing industry, their response to either good or bad CSR practices is still insufficient. Hence, the Vietnamese government and civil society should actively intervene to strengthen CSR regulations and enhance consumers’ CSR awareness.
Die 18. Shell Jugendstudie – Eine Generation meldet sich zu Wort

Leseprobe ----- Bibliographie: Albert, Mathias/Hurrelmann, Klaus/Quenzel, Gudrun/Schneekloth, Ulrich: Die 18. Shell Jugendstudie – Eine Generation meldet sich zu Wort, Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung / Discourse. Journal of Childhood and Adolescence Research, 4-2019, S. 484-490. https://doi.org/10.3224/diskurs.v14i4. 06
The immune response and microbiota profiles during co-infection with P. vivax and soil-transmitted helminths

Co-infection with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and Plasmodium spp. parasites is a common occurrence in tropical low-income countries, but the consequences of this interaction remain poorly understood. Here, we performed a multi-omic analysis on peripheral blood and fecal samples from 130 individuals in Tierralta, Córdoba, Colombia who were infected with P. vivax alone (n = 33), co-infected with P. vivax and STH (n = 27), infected with STH alone (n = 39) or were infected with neither P. vivax nor STH (n = 31). In addition to Complete Blood Count (CBC) with differential, transcriptional profiling of peripheral blood samples was performed by RNA-Seq, fecal microbial communities were determined by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and circulating cytokine levels were measured by bead-based immunoassays. Differences in blood cell counts were driven primarily by P. vivax infection, including an increased percentage of neutrophils that was associated with a transcriptional signature of neutrophil activation in the blood. P. vivax infection was also associated with increased levels of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, and these cytokine levels were not affected by STH co-infection. Surprisingly, P. vivax infection was more strongly associated with changes in the microbiome than STH infection. Children infected with P. vivax exhibited elevated Bacteroides and reduced Prevotella and Clostridiaceae, but these differences were not observed in individuals co-infected with STH. We also observed that P. vivax parasitemia was higher in the STH-infected population. When we used machine learning to identify the most important predictors of P. vivax parasite burden from all measured variables, bacterial taxa were the strongest predictors of parasitemia levels. In contrast, circulating TGF-β was the strongest predictor of T. trichiura egg burden. This study provides unexpected evidence that the gut microbiota may have a stronger link with P. vivax than with STH infection.
Ideology and social cognitionAre liberals and conservatives differentially affected by social cues about group inequality?

Abstract. Research links liberal and conservative ideological orientations with variation on psychological and cognitive characteristics that are important for perceptual processes and decision-making. This study investigates whether this variation can impact the social behaviors of liberals and conservatives. A sample of subjects (n = 1,245) participated in a modified public goods game in which an intragroup inequality was introduced to observe the effect on individuals' tendency toward self-interested versus prosocial behavior. Overall, the contributions of neither liberal- nor conservative-oriented individuals were affected by conditions of a general intragroup inequality. However, in response to the knowledge that group members voted to redress the inequality, levels of contribution among liberals significantly increased in comparison to the control. This was not true for conservatives. The results provide evidence that differences in ideological orientation are associated with individual differences in social cognition.
Screening and improving the safe provision of mesenchymal stem cells in regenerative medicine : an in vitro study

A number of studies have suggested that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may undergo genetic alterations and spontaneous malignant transformation to form tumour cells, or at least can become contaminated with other cell types following extended periods in culture. Possible transformation or contamination of MSCs during cell culture expansion prior to their use in transplantation therapies is a risk, which should be taken into account. There is a continued need for the development of improved tools for monitoring safety and release criteria of cells intended for cell-based therapies. In order to help address these risks, this thesis aimed to develop improved safety measures in MSC-based cell therapies. Initially, this was investigated through the use of microscopic imaging and image analysis platforms to screen, characterise and distinguish between cultures of non-transformed MSCs and MSC-derived tumour cells, i.e. the osteosarcoma cell lines, SAOS2 and MG63, as well as cells derived from a chondrosarcoma. High content screening (HCS) and live-cell imaging and analysis platforms were used to enable these experiments. Phenotypic features that distinguished the normal versus malignant cell types were identified, including immunoreactivity for the proliferation-associated Ki67 antigen and pluripotency marker Oct4, as well as significant differences in nuclear morphology. These findings help inform release criteria for therapeutic MSCs. To further potentially improve the safety of MSC-based therapies, research was also performed to address the possibility that tumour cells in MSC cultures might remain undetected, thereby still providing a risk in MSC transplantations. Novel combinatorial regimes of potential anti-tumour drugs, i.e. bezafibrate, medroxyprogesterone, and valproic acid (termed V-BAP) were tested in vitro for their effects on MSCs versus SAOS2 and MG63 cells. At determined concentrations, these drugs were shown to significantly inhibit the growth of the osteosarcoma cells, but had little effect on MSCs. Thus, this thesis has made inroads into improved safety of MSC-based therapies by (i) demonstrating the application of imaging-based cell screening platforms to help characterise MSC cultures intended for cell transplantation, and (ii) identifying a novel drug regime that selectively targets osteosarcoma cells whilst having little effect on MSCs. The findings on V-BAP also have application in anti-tumour treatments for osteosarcoma.
Brain Injury Association of America

Brain injuries can be particularly serious in children, whose heads are proportionately larger than adults so they tend to land head first. We see them everywhere, children of all ages using them on sidewalks and in streets, and often they’re not wearing helmets. It’s the old made new again, l ightweight, portable scooters. They feature low-friction skate wheels, l ight materials and a collapsible handlebar.
The Influence of End-of-Life Care Education in Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitudes

Purpose: This research was conducted as a quasi-experimental study in order to determine the influence of end of life care education in nursing students' knowledge and attitudes related to caring for dying patients. Methods: This research was conducted between 6 March 24 April 2015 in Gülhane Military Medical Academy School of Nursing. The sample of the study was included total of 59 senior nursing students who accepted to participate the study.
High-throughput laboratory evolution and evolutionary constraints in Escherichia coli

Understanding the constraints that shape the evolution of antibiotic resistance is critical for predicting and controlling drug resistance. Despite its importance, however, a systematic investigation for evolutionary constraints is lacking. Here, we performed a high-throughput laboratory evolution of Escherichia coli under the addition of 95 antibacterial chemicals and quantified the transcriptome, resistance, and genomic profiles for the evolved strains. Using interpretable machine learning techniques, we analyzed the phenotype-genotype data and identified low dimensional phenotypic states among the evolved strains. Further analysis revealed the underlying biological processes responsible for these distinct states, leading to the identification of novel trade-off relationships associated with drug resistance. We also report a novel constraint that leads to decelerated evolution. These findings bridge the genotypic, gene expression, and drug resistance space and lead to a better understanding of evolutionary constraints for antibiotic resistance.