Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Front-Line Paclitaxel/Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Brain Metastases from Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: Paclitaxel-cisplatin is considered to be a standard therapy for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity and toxicity of this combination with vinorelbine or gemcitabine as front-line therapy in brain metastases from NSCLC. Methods: Twenty-six chemotherapy-naive patients with an ECOG performance status of 0–2 were treated with paclitaxel (135 mg/m2) on day 1, cisplatin (120 mg/m2) on day 1, and either vinorelbine (30 mg/m2) on days 1 and 15 or gemcitabine (800 mg/m2) on days 1 and 8. Whole-brain irradiation was offered early in case of progression and later as consolidation treatment. Results: All patients were evaluated for toxicity and 25 for response. An intracranial response rate was observed in 38% of the patients (95% CI: 22–59%). WHO grade 3–4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 31 and 4% of the patients, respectively. There was one treatment-related death. Non-hematological toxicities were mild. After a median follow-up of 46 months, the median overall survival for all patients was 21.4 weeks and the median time to progression was 12.8 weeks. Conclusions: Paclitaxel and cisplatin combined with vinorelbine or gemcitabine as front-line therapy in brain metastases seem to achieve responses similar to those for extracranial disease, suggesting a meaningful role in this setting.
Ultra low-power monolithically integrated, capacitive pressure sensor for tire pressure monitoring

Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are gaining importance due to improved security standards in the automotive industry. In active systems, the power consumption of the system is of utmost importance for a required lifetime of more than 10 years. The presented integrated circuit comprises high resolution pressure, temperature and voltage monitoring, low-power oscillators, a specialized DSP with RAM/ROM and an EEPROM to store calibration data. The continuously running low-power oscillator for internal wake-up timing is operated with 30 nA. Due to the extremely low-power consumption of all circuit blocks, pressure measurements can be carried out in short intervals (0.5 s). This enables the implementation of a new intelligent dynamic wake-up algorithm to optimize the power-intensive HF-transmission intervals under different driving situations. Thus additional rotation detectors are not needed any more. The charge consumption without HF-transmission results in 48 mAh in 10 years.
A lagged response to the 11 year solar cycle in observed winter Atlantic/European weather patterns

The surface response to 11 year solar cycle variations is investigated by analyzing the long‐term mean sea level pressure and sea surface temperature observations for the period 1870–2010. The analysis reveals a statistically significant 11 year solar signal over Europe, and the North Atlantic provided that the data are lagged by a few years. The delayed signal resembles the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) following a solar maximum. The corresponding sea surface temperature response is consistent with this. A similar analysis is performed on long‐term climate simulations from a coupled ocean‐atmosphere version of the Hadley Centre model that has an extended upper lid so that influences of solar variability via the stratosphere are well resolved. The model reproduces the positive NAO signal over the Atlantic/European sector, but the lag of the surface response is not well reproduced. Possible mechanisms for the lagged nature of the observed response are discussed.
The 2.2 A crystal structure of transducin-alpha complexed with GTP gamma S.

The 2.2 A crystal structure of activated rod transducin, Gt alpha.GTP gamma S, shows the bound GTP gamma S molecule occluded deep in a cleft between a domain structurally homologous to small GTPases and a helical domain unique to heterotrimeric G proteins. The structure, when combined with biochemical and genetic studies, suggests: how an activated receptor might open this cleft to allow nucleotide exchange; a mechanism for GTP-induced changes in effector and receptor binding surfaces; and a mechanism for GTPase activity not evident from previous data.
Controls for Immunocytochemistry

Immunocytochemistry is a highly productive method in biomedical research used to identify proteins and other macromolecules in tissues and cells. Control samples are required to show label localization is correct, but the understanding and use of immunocytochemistry controls have been inconsistent. A new classification of immunocytochemical controls is proposed that will help in understanding this most important component of the experiment. The three types of controls required for immunocytochemistry are primary antibody controls that show the specificity of the primary antibody binding to the antigen, secondary antibody controls that show the label is specific to the primary antibody, and label controls that show the labeling is the result of the label added and not the result of endogenous labeling. Publications containing immunocytochemical results must give details of how these controls were performed.
Stretch-induced Fetal Type II Cell Differentiation Is Mediated via ErbB1-ErbB4 Interactions*

Background: Mechanical forces and ErbB receptors are critical for fetal lung development. Results: Deletion of ErbB1 or down-regulation or ErbB4 prevented stretch-induced type II cell differentiation via ERK. Conclusion: Interactions between ErbB1 and ErbB4 are critical for stretch-induced type II cell differentiation. Significance: Learning how mechanical signal regulate fetal lung development is critical to develop strategies to accelerate lung maturation. Stretch-induced differentiation of lung fetal type II epithelial cells is mediated through EGFR (ErbB1) via release of HB-EGF and TGF-α ligands. Employing an EGFR knock-out mice model, we further investigated the role of the ErbB family of receptors in mechanotranduction during lung development. Deletion of EGFR prevented endogenous and mechanical stretch-induced type II cell differentiation via the ERK pathway, which was rescued by overexpression of a constitutively active MEK. Interestingly, the expression of ErbB4, the only ErbB receptor that EGFR co-precipitates in wild-type cells, was decreased in EGFR-deficient type II cells. Similar to EGFR, ErbB4 was activated by stretch and participated in ERK phosphorylation and type II cell differentiation. However, neuregulin (NRG) or stretch-induced ErbB4 activation were blunted in EGFR-deficient cells and not rescued after ErbB4 overexpression, suggesting that induction of ErbB4 phosphorylation is EGFR-dependent. Finally, we addressed how shedding of ligands is regulated by EGFR. In knock-out cells, TGF-α, a ligand for EGFR, was not released by stretch, while HB-EGF, a ligand for EGFR and ErbB4, was shed by stretch although to a lower magnitude than in normal cells. Release of these ligands was inhibited by blocking EGFR and ERK pathway. In conclusion, our studies show that EGFR and ErbB4 regulate stretch-induced type II cell differentiation via ERK pathway. Interactions between these two receptors are important for mechanical signals in lung fetal type II cells. These studies provide novel insights into the cell signaling mechanisms regulating ErbB family receptors in lung cell differentiation.
Strategic acquisitions and investments in a duopoly patent race under uncertainty

This paper uses a continuous-time real-options patent-race model to study a patent-race game in which a firm with larger research bandwidth competes with a firm with smaller bandwidth. The large firm can make strategic acquisitions or investments in the small firm subject to transactions costs. Acquisitions occur when the small firm is about to make pre-emptive investments or the large firm has set-backs and the two firms are about to enter head-to-head competition. Strategic investments tend to occur when the smaller leader has technological setbacks. Our continuoustime approach shows that some rich strategic play can occur. This paper uses a continuous-time real-options patent-race model to study a patent-race game in which a firm with larger research bandwidth competes with a firm with smaller bandwidth in an environment with multiple sources of uncertainty. The large firm makes take-it-or-leave-it offers to the small firm’s owner for all (acquisitions) or part (strategic investments) of the small firm’s equity, but exogenously imposed transactions costs make such transactions costly. Each firm chooses an investment rate at which it pursues the ∗ Mailing address for both Kyle and Meng is Fuqua School of Business, One Towerview Drive, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708. Email address for Kyle is pk3@duke.edu and email address for Meng is rm8@duke.edu. We thank Itay Goldstein, Campbell R. Harvey, Leslie M. Marx, Richmond Mathews, Hui Ou-yang, Curtis R. Taylor, S. Viswanathan, and seminar participants at Duke, NYU, and the FMA for their helpful comments and discussions. All errors are our own.
Effect of CPP-ACP Paste on Dental Caries in Primary Teeth

This clinical trial tested the effect of daily application of 10% w/v calcium phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) paste for 1 yr when added to regular toothbrushing with fluoridated toothpaste to prevent dental caries in pre-school children. High-caries-risk children aged 2½ to 3½ yrs in a suburban area of central Thailand were assigned to receive either CPP-ACP (n = 150) or a placebo control (n = 146) in addition to fluoridated toothpaste. The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) was recorded at baseline, 6 mos, and 1 yr. At 1 yr, a significant increase in mean numbers of enamel and dentin caries lesions, as well as dmfs, was found in both groups (p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed between groups on these 3 outcome measures (p = 0.23, 0.84, and 0.91, respectively). The odds of enamel caries lesion transitions to a state of regression or stability, compared with progression from baseline, was also not different between groups [OR = 1.00, 95% CI (0.86, 1.17)]. This trial found that daily application of 10% w/v CPP-ACP paste on school days for 1 yr, when added to regular toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste, had no significant added effect in preventing caries in the primary dentition of these pre-school children (ClinicalTrials.gov number CT01 604109).
Social Software in Higher Education: The Diversity of Applications and Their Contributions to Students' Learning Experiences

Higher education institutions are increasingly using social software tools to support teaching and learning. Despite the fact that social software is often used in a social context, these applications can significantly contribute to the educational experience of a student. However, as the social software domain comprises a considerable diversity of tools, the respective tools can be expected to differ in the way they can contribute to teaching and learning. In this review on the educational use of social software, we systematically analyze and compare the diverse social software tools and identify their contributions to teaching and learning. By integrating established learning theory and the extant literature on the individual social software applications we seek to contribute to a theoretical foundation for social software use and the choice of tools. Case vignettes from several UK higher education institutions are used to illustrate the different applications of social software tools in teaching and learning.
Icing detector for overhead power transmission lines

This paper presents a capacitive measurement principle to detect the formation and accumulation of ice on an overhead power transmission line, for the use with an autonomous monitoring system. The proposed scheme can use either a linear or a circular type electrode geometry. Inter-electrode capacitances are measured by a capacitance-to-digital converter for linear as well as circular type electrodes, mounted on the surface of the conductor. The icing and the thickness of the ice layer can be determined by measuring the capacitances formed by the electrodes that are kept in different distances, by exploiting the time signals and differences in the permittivities of air, ice and water. A prototype system has been developed in the laboratory and test results along with finite element simulations results are presented. The test results show good agreement with the finite element analysis and the developed system successfully senses the icing of a transmission line.
Nutrient-Gene Interactions Plasma Homocysteine Concentrations in Greek Children Are Influenced by an Interaction between the Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C 677 T Genotype and Folate Status 1

Risk factors established at young ages may set the stage for later cardiovascular disease (CVD). Elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) in blood is an emerging risk factor for CVD, yet few studies have been conducted in children, especially in the Mediterranean. We described plasma tHcy concentrations in a group of healthy Greek children and examined its relation with physiologic, metabolic, and genetic variables. Fasting blood samples were collected from 186 students, 11.6 0.4 years old, and tHcy, folate, vitamin B-12, and routine biochemistry variables in plasma were measured. The methylenetetrahydrolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genotype was determined and anthropometric and dietary data were obtained. The distribution of tHcy was positively skewed with a median of 7.9 mol/L (mean: 8.2 2.3 mol/L; range: 4.4–22.2 mol/L). tHcy was inversely related to plasma folate (r 0.34, P 0.0001), vitamin B-12 (r 0.20, P 0.008), and glucose (r 0.15, P 0.045). An interaction between the MTHFR genotype and plasma folate on tHcy was detected (P 0.047). Specifically, the homozygous mutant TT genotype was associated with higher tHcy only in children with lower plasma folate ( 19.9 nmol/L), (P 0.012). In our sample of healthy Greek children, plasma tHcy concentrations were higher than values reported in children of Northern European descent and were associated with folate, vitamin B-12, and glucose in plasma. The results also show that, similar to adults, plasma folate concentration is important in determining the contribution of the MTHFR C677T mutation to tHcy concentrations in children. J. Nutr. 135: 383–388, 2005.
Multiple Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes Controlling Cyclic AMP Formation: Comparison of Brain Slices and Primary Neuronal and Glial Cultures

Abstract: The adrenergic receptor subtypes involved in cyclic AMP responses to norepinephrine (NE) were compared between slices of rat cerebral cortex and primary neuronal and glial cultures from rat brain. In neuronal cultures, NE and the β‐adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol (ISO) caused similar increases in cyclic AMP, which were not altered by the α‐adrenergic receptor antagonist phentolamine. In glial cultures, NE caused a much smaller cyclic AMP response than did ISO, and this difference was reversed by α‐adrenergic receptor antagonists (phentolamine > yohimbine > prazosin). α2‐Adrenergic receptor agonists partially inhibited the ISO response in glial cultures to a level similar to that observed with NE alone (clonidine = UK 14,304 > NE > 6‐fluoro‐NE > epinephrine). In slices from cerebral cortex, NE caused a much larger increase in cyclic AMP than did ISO, and this difference was reversed by α‐adrenergic receptor antagonists with a different order of potency (prazosin > phentolamine > yohimbine). α1‐Adrenergic receptor agonists potentiated the response to ISO to a level similar to that observed with NE alone (epinephrine = NE > phenyiephrine > 6‐fluoro‐NE > methoxamine). In all three tissue preparations, large responses to both α1‐receptor activation (increases in inositol phosphate accumulation) and α2‐receptor activation (decreases in forskolin‐stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation) were observed. These data indicate that all of the major adrenergic receptor subtypes (β, α1, α2) are present in each tissue preparation. However, the cyclic AMP response to NE is mediated through β‐adrenergic receptors in neuronal cultures, through combinations of β‐ and α2‐adrenergic receptors in glial cultures, and through combinations of β‐ and α1‐adrenergic receptors in cortical slices.
Ultra small satellite based on KickSat model: FemtoSat feasibility study and service

This paper deals with the Femtosatellite technology and the evolution of the USS (Ultra small satellite) during the last few years. Firstly, we will present a comparison study of some existing USS technologies. Then, we will propose a new architecture based on computer data handling, called KickSat-on-board, which is commercially available and open source [1].
3D-mapping from TERRASAR-X staring spotlight data

Radargrammetry is a well-established technique for deriving digital surface models (DSMs) from synthetic aperture radar images. This work focuses on the novel Staring Spotlight mode of the TerraSAR-X satellite which delivers images with a GSD down to 16 cm. Employing such images, the 2D and 3D geo-location accuracy of the physical sensor models - integrated into SAR range/Doppler equations - is assessed and an automated workflow for DSM extraction is presented. An analysis of the mapping potential completes this study by evaluating the DSM accuracies w.r. t. reference LiDAR data.
Supercontinuum lightwave generation employing a mode-locked laser diode with injection locking for a highly coherent optical multicarrier source

A supercontinuum (SC) lightwave is generated by employing a mode-locked laser diode with injection locking for the first time. The 25-GHz-spaced optical carriers in the generated SC lightwave over seamless S-, C-, and L-bands are locked to an optical frequency of 193.1 THz. The injection of a master light improved both the signal-to-noise ratio and linewidth of the optical carriers.
On identification of input/output extended automata with finite bisimilar quotients

We study the problem of finding a finite bisimilar abstraction for a class of reactive untimed infinite-state systems, modeled as input-output extended finite automata (I/O-EFA). We identify a lower bound abstraction (that is coarser than any finite bisimilar abstraction), and present an iterative refinement algorithm whose termination guarantees the existence of a finite bisimilar abstraction. The termination condition is weaker than the one given in [15] for the existence of a finite bisimilar quotient, and thus, the paper identifies a larger class of I/O-EFAs possessing a finite bisimilar abstraction (than that given in [15]).
Collaborative optimization of energy management strategy and sizing for the hybrid storage system of tram

Energy management strategy and sizing are the key steps of the design of tram's power system and the result has a direct influence on operation characteristics and economic benefit. This paper subscribes an energy management strategy with dynamic power proportion, and makes a collaborative multi-objective optimization of dynamic power proportions and sizing based on the requirement of tram and line data using an improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO). The optimization decreases system weight and cost and prolongs the lifespan of battery.
Design of Multilayer Microwave Absorbers Using Hybrid Binary Lightning Search Algorithm and Simulated Annealing

In this paper, a hybrid algorithm of binary lightning search algorithm and simulated annealing (BLSA-SA) is proposed to optimize the design of multilayer microwave absorbers for normal incidence. The multilayer absorber is designed to find a set of coatings that minimize the reflection coefficient over the desired frequency. The design problem is translated into solving the binary problem. Three different design examples are presented to verify the performance of the BLSA-SA. The results show that the reflection coefficient and thickness of BLSA-SA are better than those of other heuristic algorithms for multilayer absorber design. In the five-layer design, the standard deviation of BLSASA is the smallest among the 20 independent test results of the algorithms, which indicates that the BLSA-SA algorithm, has a strong stability.
Cortical hypoperfusion in the B6.PS2APP mouse model for Alzheimer's disease: Comprehensive phenotyping of vascular and tissular parameters by MRI

Function and morphology of the cerebral vasculature were studied in the amyloid (Aβ) plaque‐containing double‐transgenic (TG) B6.PS2APP Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model with MRI at an age range of 10 to 17 months. Perfusion, blood volume, and average vessel geometry were assessed in the brain and compared to age‐matched controls (wild‐type [WT] C57Bl/6). Additionally, the MR relaxation times T1, T2, and T 2* were measured to detect potential pathological changes that might be associated with Aβ plaque depositions. Both decreased perfusion and decreased blood volume were observed in the occipital cortex in B6.PS2APP mice as compared to controls. A significant decrease in T1 and T2 was found in the frontal cortex and in the subiculum/parasubiculum. Immunohistochemistry confirmed plaque depositions in the cortex and in the subiculum/parasubiculum. In summary, our data indicate a reduced blood supply of B6.PS2APP mice in the occipital cortex that parallels the findings in cortical regions of patients with AD. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Who runs public health? A mixed-methods study combining qualitative and network analyses.

BACKGROUND Persistent health inequalities encourage researchers to identify new ways of understanding the policy process. Informal relationships are implicated in finding evidence and making decisions for public health policy (PHP), but few studies use specialized methods to identify key actors in the policy process. METHODS We combined network and qualitative data to identify the most influential individuals in PHP in a UK conurbation and describe their strategies to influence policy. Network data were collected by asking for nominations of powerful and influential people in PHP (n = 152, response rate 80%), and 23 semi-structured interviews were analysed using a framework approach. RESULTS The most influential PHP makers in this conurbation were mid-level managers in the National Health Service and local government, characterized by managerial skills: controlling policy processes through gate keeping key organizations, providing policy content and managing selected experts and executives to lead on policies. Public health professionals and academics are indirectly connected to policy via managers. CONCLUSIONS The most powerful individuals in public health are managers, not usually considered targets for research. As we show, they are highly influential through all stages of the policy process. This study shows the importance of understanding the daily activities of influential policy individuals.
Low output resistance charge pump for flash memory programming

This paper presents a charge pump voltage multiplier for flash memory programming. Its key feature is a low output resistance. As compared to conventional solutions, the charge pump proposed can either deliver an increased output current to drive the memory bit-lines during programming, or deliver the same amount of current with a decreased area occupation. The output resistance reduction is achieved by using boosting techniques in the phase driver. This approach reduces the time constant of the charge transfer between the pump stages, thereby allowing the use of an adequately high clock frequency to control the pump operation. Simulation results showed the validity of the proposed approach.