Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technology Issues Facing Corporate Management in the 1990s

This article discusses major issues raised by the authors and several senior information technology executives in large corporations that affect the way technology is introduced and used in major corporations. These issues and "drivers" (primary causes of change) are likely to have the most significant impact on the management of information technology within corporations now and in the future. If these drivers are acknowledge as real (or validated by research as real), then the understanding of their impacts on both corporate organization and technology management would very much benefit by research. This article suggests some of the directions such research could take. The article is essentially a preview from the top of the intertwining of business, industrial operations, and technology management for the next five to ten years. Most of the issues, and their consequences, are subject to continuing research by the President's Council of the Society for Information Management.
Diabetes patient Readmission Prediction using Big Data Analytic tools

As diabetes patient readmission rate is becoming one of the major concerns for many national hospitals in the U.S. It is of great significance to study the possible causes and risks of diabetes patients’ readmission. In this project, the relationship between diabetes and the various patient attributes are examined. Further, several prediction models are built base on different sets of attributes of the patient. They include a set of numerical attributes including number of outpatient visits, number of emergency visits and time spent in hospital etc., a set of categorical attributes including where the patient come from, what type of admission the encounter faced and where the patient is sent to after discharge and finally, a bag of administration drugs that the patient took/did not take. Possible insights of the study will include a ranking of significance of these attributes and certain recommendations based on that for the hospitals to consider.
Non‐pharmacological treatments for COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects roughly 10% of the global population and is growing in prevalence annually. COPD is characterized by progressive non‐reversible narrowing of airways mainly due to cigarette smoking. Therapeutic interventions aimed at altering this progressive disease course can largely be grouped into pharmacological or non‐pharmacological therapies. The focus of this paper is on the non‐pharmacological aspects of COPD management, reviewing the current literature to provide an evidence‐based management approach. Non‐pharmacological therapies reviewed in this article include the implementation of comprehensive care models utilizing a coordinated multidisciplinary team, tele‐monitoring and patient‐centred approach to optimize COPD care and improve compliance. Preventing progression of COPD via smoking cessation remains of paramount importance, and newer therapeutic options including electronic cigarettes show promise in small studies as cessation aids. COPD has systemic manifestations that can be ameliorated with the enrollment in pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, which focus on exercise endurance to improve dyspnoea and quality of life. Advanced therapeutics for COPD includes lung volume reduction surgery for a pre‐specified cohort and minimally invasive bronchoscopic valves that in recent reviews show promise. Lastly, patients on maximal COPD therapy with progressive disease can be referred for lung transplantation; however, this often requires a highly selected and motivated patient and care team. Survival rates for lung transplantation are improving; thus, this procedure remains a viable option as more expertise and experience are gained.
SIRT2 regulates NF-κB-dependent gene expression through deacetylation of p65 Lys310

NF-κB regulates the expression of a large number of target genes involved in the immune and inflammatory response, apoptosis, cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. In this study, we identified SIRT2 as a deacetylase of the transcription factor p65. SIRT2 is a member of the family of sirtuins, which are NAD+-dependent deacetylases involved in several cellular processes. SIRT2 interacts with p65 in the cytoplasm and deacetylates p65 in vitro and in vivo at Lys310. Moreover, p65 is hyperacetylated at Lys310 in Sirt2−/− cells after TNFα stimulation, which results in the increase in expression of a subset of p65 acetylation-dependent target genes. Our work provides evidence that p65 is deacetylated by SIRT2 in the cytoplasm to regulate the expression of specific NF-κB-dependent genes.
In Vivo Generation of Neural Tumors from Neoplastic Pluripotent Stem Cells Models Early Human Pediatric Brain Tumor Formation

Recent studies have identified gene signatures in malignant tumors that are associated with human embryonic stem cells, suggesting a molecular relationship between aggressive cancers and pluripotency. Here, we characterize neural precursors (NPs) derived from transformed human embryonic stem cells (N‐t‐hESCs) that exhibit neoplastic features of human brain tumors. NPs derived from t‐hESCs have enhanced cell proliferation and an inability to mature toward the astrocytic lineage, compared with progeny derived from normal human embryonic stem cells (N‐hESCs) independent of adherent or neurosphere outgrowth. Intracranial transplantation of NPs derived from N‐t‐hESCs and N‐hESCs into NOD SCID mice revealed development of neuroectoderm tumors exclusively from the N‐t‐hESCs NPs and not from normal N‐hESCs. These tumors infiltrated the ventricles and the cerebellum of recipient mice and displayed morphological, phenotypic, and molecular features associated with classic medulloblastoma including retention of a pluripotent signature. Importantly, N‐t‐hESCs did not exhibit cytogenetic changes associated with medulloblastoma, suggesting that aberrant cellular and molecular properties precede the acquisition of karyotypic changes thus underscoring the value of this model system of human medulloblastoma. Our study demonstrates that NPs from a starting population of neoplastic human pluripotent parent cells possess brain tumor‐initiating cell capacity, thereby providing a model system to investigate initiation and progression of primitive human neural cancers that are difficult to assess using somatic sources. STEM CELLS 2012;30:392–404
Very Large Scale Integration Architecture of Finite Impulse Response Filter Implementation Using Retiming Technique

 Abstract — Recursive combination of an algorithm based on Karatsuba multiplication is exploited to design a generalized transpose and parallel Finite Impulse Response (FIR) Filter. Mid-range Karatsuba multiplication and Carry Save adder based on Karatsuba multiplication reduce time complexity for higher order multiplication implemented up to n-bit. As a result, we design modified N-tap Transpose and Parallel Symmetric FIR Filter Structure using Karatsuba algorithm. The mathematical formulation of the FFA Filter is derived. The proposed architecture involves significantly less area delay product (APD) then the existing block implementation. By adopting retiming technique, hardware cost is reduced further. The filter architecture is designed by using 90 nm technology library and is implemented by using cadence EDA Tool. The synthesized result shows better performance for different word length and block size. The design achieves switching activity reduction and low power consumption by applying with and without retiming for different combination of the circuit. The proposed structure achieves more than a half of the power reduction by adopting with and without retiming techniques compared to the earlier design structure. As a proof of the concept for block size 16 and filter length 64 for CKA method, it achieves a 51% as well as 70% less power by applying retiming technique, and for CSA method it achieves a 57% as well as 77% less power by applying retiming technique compared to the previously proposed design.
Evaluation of new platinum-based treatment regimens in advanced-stage ovarian cancer: a Phase III Trial of the Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup.

PURPOSE To determine if incorporation of an additional cytotoxic agent improves overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) and primary peritoneal carcinoma who receive carboplatin and paclitaxel. PATIENTS AND METHODS Women with stages III to IV disease were stratified by coordinating center, maximal diameter of residual tumor, and intent for interval cytoreduction and were then randomly assigned among five arms that incorporated gemcitabine, methoxypolyethylene glycosylated liposomal doxorubicin, or topotecan compared with carboplatin and paclitaxel. The primary end point was OS and was determined by pairwise comparison to the reference arm, with a 90% chance of detecting a true hazard ratio of 1.33 that limited type I error to 5% (two-tail) for the four comparisons. RESULTS Accrual exceeded 1,200 patients per year. An event-triggered interim analysis occurred after 272 events on the reference arm, and the study closed with 4,312 women enrolled. Arms were well balanced for demographic and prognostic factors, and 79% of patients completed eight cycles of therapy. There were no improvements in either PFS or OS associated with any experimental regimen. Survival analyses of groups defined by size of residual disease also failed to show experimental benefit in any subgroup. CONCLUSION Compared with standard paclitaxel and carboplatin, addition of a third cytotoxic agent provided no benefit in PFS or OS after optimal or suboptimal cytoreduction. Dual-stage, multiarm, phase III trials can efficiently evaluate multiple experimental regimens against a single reference arm. The development of new interventions beyond surgery and conventional platinum-based chemotherapy is required to additionally improve outcomes for women with advanced EOC.
Experimental live attenuated rubella virus vaccine. Clinical evaluation of Cendehill strain.

THE congenital rubella syndrome, originally described by Gregg in 1941 1 and amply confirmed and documented since then by extensive studies, represents by far the major problem of rubella as a disease. It is now well established that maternal rubella infection during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with a high incidence of various congenital malformations, stillbirths, and abortions. The rubella epidemic in the United States in 1964, and its toll of many thousand cases of fetal wastage and birth defects, further stressed the urgent need for an effective means of immunization against the disease in order to protect rubella susceptible women before the next epidemic, generally expected in 1970. Prospects for developing a rubella vaccine originated in 1962 with the report of successful rubella virus isolation in tissue cultures by two independent research groups at Walter Reed 2 and at Harvard. 3 Since attempts to develop an inactivated
Examination of HY Response: T Cell Expansion, Immunodominance, and Cross-Priming Revealed by HY Tetramer Analysis

We have applied MHC class I tetramers representing the two H2b MHC class I-restricted epitopes of the mouse male-specific minor transplantation Ag, HY, to directly determine the extent of expansion and immunodominance within the CD8+ T cell compartment following exposure to male tissue. Immunization with male bone marrow (BM), spleen, dendritic cells (DCs) and by skin graft led to rapid expansion of both specificities occupying up to >20% of the CD8+ T cell pool. At a high dose, whole BM or spleen were found to be more effective at stimulating the response than BM-derived DCs. In vivo, immunodominance within the responding cell population was only observed following chronic Ag stimulation, whereas epitope immunodominance was established rapidly following in vitro restimulation. Peptide affinity for the restricting MHC molecule was greater for the immunodominant epitope, suggesting that this might be a factor in the emergence of immunodominance. Using tetramers, we were able to directly visualize the cross-primed CD8+ HY response, but we did not find it to be the principal route for MHC class I presentation. Immunization with female spleen or DCs coated with the full complement of defined HY peptides, including the Ab-restricted CD4+ Th cell determinant, failed to induce tetramer-reactive cells.
An efficient approach for video information retrieval

Today, more and more video information can be accessed through internet, satellite, etc. Retrieving specific video information from large-scale video database has become an important and challenging research topic in the area of multimedia information retrieval. In this paper, we introduce a new and efficient index structure OVA-File, which is a variant of VA-File. In OVA-File, the approximations close to each other in data space are stored in close positions of the approximation file. The benefit is that only a part of approximations close to the query vector need to be visited to get the query result. Both shot query algorithm and video clip algorithm are proposed to support video information retrieval efficiently. The experimental results showed that the queries based on OVA-File were much faster than that based on VA-File with small loss of result quality.
A self-swimming microbial-robot using microfabricated biopolymer

This paper demonstrates a microbial-robot that migrates in low Reynolds number fluidic environments powered by motile flagellated bacteria. To immobilize the flagellated bacteria strongly, we utilized bacterial cellulose (BC), which was produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus. We evaluated the adhesion between the BC and the flagellated bacteria, Aliivibrio fischeri using a microfluidic shear device and confirmed that the superiority of BC over conventional MEMS materials. Conical-shaped BC was produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus in conical microholes with a help of oxygen concentration gradient. A. fischeri were successfully immobilized onto the BC structure to form a microbial-robot, which could swim in culture media at an average speed of 4.8 μm/s.
Flavonoids and risk of squamous cell esophageal cancer

The relation between 5 classes of flavonoids (flavanones, flavan‐3‐ols, flavonols, flavones and anthocyanidines) and esophageal cancer was investigated using data from a case‐control study conducted between 1992 and 1997 in 3 areas of northern Italy. The study included 304 cases (275 men, 29 women) with a first diagnosis of squamous‐cell carcinoma of the esophagus and 743 controls (593 men, 150 women) with no history of cancer, admitted for acute illnesses, unrelated to tobacco and alcohol consumption, to major hospitals of the areas under surveillance. Dietary habits were investigated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed after allowance for age, sex, study centre, years of education, alcohol drinking, tobacco smoking, body mass index and energy intake. An inverse association emerged between flavanone intake and esophageal cancer risk (OR = 0.38 for the highest vs. the lowest quintile, 95% CI = 0.23–0.66). The inverse relation between flavanones and esophageal cancer tended to be stronger in those who drank ≥6 drinks/day. In conclusion, this study suggests that flavanone intake is inversely associated with esophageal cancer risk and may account, with vitamin C, for the protective effect of fruit, especially citrus fruit, on esophageal cancer. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative Detection of Helicobacter pylori by Real Time PCR in Drinking Water—Environmental and Public Health Risk Significance

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is bacteria considered to be present in half of the population and it is a public health problem worldwide. Most patients infected with H. pylori show no clinical symptoms; nonetheless, approximately 10% to 20% of these patients will develop peptic ulcers and 1% will develop gastric cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified H. pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen, recognized as the only bacteria capable of producing cancer. Samples of drinking water (n = 44) from aqueducts with chlorination treatment in selected areas with high prevalence of gastric cancer were analyzed in Costa Rica. Samples of drinking water from Panama (n = 44) from aqueducts supplying untreated water for human consumption in the province of Chiriqui were also analyzed. The molecular marker of H. pylori, glmM, was used, and to optimize the Real Time PCR (qPCR) technique, annealing temperature, concentration of primers and probe were standardized; also, by analyzing different standard curves, the best reaction conditions that allowed detecting and quantifying the gene were determined. The LightCycler® 480 II (LC480II) equipment from Roche Diagnostics GmbH was used, as well as the Absolute Quantification Analysis by means of the Second Derivative Maximum Method. In the case of the samples from Costa Rica, it was determined that 79.5% were positive for H. pylori; removing outlier high average, quantification of bacteria was determined in 3.6 × 103 copies/100 mL. For Panama it was determined that 86% of the samples were found positive for the presence of H. pylori; removing outlier high average quantification of bacteria was determined at 3.3 × 102 copies/100 mL. The difference in values between the aqueducts in both countries revealed an environmental distribution of the bacteria of epidemiological interest in each case.
NCoA-1/SRC-1 Is an Essential Coactivator of STAT5 That Binds to the FDL Motif in the α-Helical Region of the STAT5 Transactivation Domain*

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) is a transcription factor that activates prolactin (PRL)-dependent gene expression in the mammary gland. For the activation of its target genes, STAT5 recruits coactivators like p300 and the CREB-binding protein (CBP). In this study we analyzed the function of p300/CBP-associated members of the p160/SRC/NCoA-family in STAT5-mediated transactivation of β-casein expression. We found that only one of them, NCoA-1, acts as a coactivator for both STAT5a and STAT5b. The two coactivators p300/CBP and NCoA-1 cooperatively enhance STAT5a-mediated transactivation. For NCoA-1-dependent coactivation of STAT5, both the activation domain 1 and the amino-terminal bHLH/PAS domain are required. The amino-terminal region mediates the interaction with STAT5a in cells. A motif of three amino acids in an α-helical region of the STAT5a-transactivation domain is essential for the binding of NCoA-1 and for the transcriptional activity of STAT5a. Moreover we observed that NCoA-1 is involved in the synergistic action of the glucocorticoid receptor and STAT5a on the β-casein promoter. These findings support a model in which STAT5, in concert with the glucocorticoid receptor, recruits a multifunctional coactivator complex to initiate the PRL-dependent transcription.
Active efflux of chloramphenicol in susceptible Escherichia coli strains and in multiple-antibiotic-resistant (Mar) mutants

The multiple-antibiotic resistance (mar) locus (min 34) regulates a resistance to chloramphenicol in Escherichia coli that does not involve acetyltransferase. Transport studies showed that wild-type cells had an apparent endogenous active efflux of chloramphenicol which depended on the proton motive force. This efflux was not altered by a 39-kb chromosomal deletion which included the mar locus. Nevertheless, mutations at the mar locus led to a stronger net chloramphenicol efflux. Therefore, a gene encoding the putative efflux system cannot be at the mar locus but may be positively influenced by that locus.
The Social Media Use Integration Scale: Toward Reliability and Validity

ABSTRACT The growing importance of social media and research interest in the field makes it imperative to consider the measures used to assess social networking site (SNS) use. The Facebook Intensity Scale has seen prolific use since its development; however, it has been criticized by some scholars. Jenkins-Guarnieri, Wright, and Johnson (2013) suggested another scale, the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS), which was developed to be suitable for use across different SNS platforms. They advised further research to confirm its psychometric properties, testing it on a more diverse sample than US college students and on social media other than Facebook. In this study, EFAs and a CFA were conducted to examine the validity of the SMUIS on Facebook and LinkedIn in the African context. The results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the SMUIS for diverse age ranges. Further testing of the scale on LinkedIn is recommended.
Parkinsonism in Elderly Users of Haloperidol: Associated With Dose, Plasma Concentration, and Duration of Use

Abstract Factors that influence the variation in occurrence of antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism (AIP) in the elderly have not been well elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between parkinsonism in elderly users of haloperidol and prescribed dose, plasma concentration, and duration of use of haloperidol in a cross-sectional design. This study included 150 inpatients aged 65 years and older who were treated with haloperidol. Parkinsonism assessed by the Simpson Angus Scale was present in 46% of the included patients. Prescribed haloperidol dose varied from 0.3 to 5 mg/d. Plasma concentration ranged from 0.13 to 4.11 &mgr;g/L, with one outlying measurement (21.43 &mgr;g/L). Dose is moderate but significantly associated with haloperidol plasma concentration (weighted R2 = 0.32; P < 0.001). Variability in the total score on the Simpson Angus Scale could not be explained by the variability in dose, concentration (respectively R2 = 0.003 and 0.001) nor duration of use of haloperidol. Smoking showed to be not significantly protective in the development of AIP (crude odds ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.15–0.997; and adjusted odds ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.17–1.17). In a clinical practice–setting dose, neither plasma concentration nor duration of use of haloperidol is associated with an increased occurrence of AIP. This study does not support the hypothesis of the peripheral pharmacokinetic explanation for the high prevalence of AIP and differences in AIP sensitivity in the elderly during treatment with haloperidol.
Expression and functions of the repressor element 1 (RE‐1)‐silencing transcription factor (REST) in breast cancer

The repressor element 1 (RE‐1)‐silencing transcription factor (REST), also known as the neuron‐restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) or repressor binding to the X2 box (XBR), REST/NRSF/XBR, is originally discovered as a transcriptional repressor of a large number of primarily terminal neuronal differentiation genes in non‐neuronal cells and neural stem cells (NSCs). Recently, the tumor‐suppressor function of REST is finally proved. However, the expression profile and function of REST in breast cancer are not very clear. In this study, the expression of REST was detected in breast cancer tissue by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that REST expression was significantly lower in breast cancer samples compared to normal and benign breast samples (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the shRNA approach was used to investigate the function of REST in human breast cancer cells. Knocking down REST expression by shRNA in the human breast cancer MCF‐7 cells resulted in an increase in cell proliferation, suppression in apoptosis, and reduced sensitivity to anticancer drug with a concurrent significantly up‐regulated expression of Bcl‐2. These data implied a significant role of REST in breast cancer. The reduced expression of REST might contribute to the breast cancer pathogenesis. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 968–974, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.