Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined treatment with buserelin and tamoxifen in premenopausal metastatic breast cancer: a randomized study.

BACKGROUND Surgical or medical castration and antiestrogenic treatment with tamoxifen are common endocrine treatments for premenopausal women with breast cancer. However, tamoxifen therapy induces high levels of plasma estradiol, with unknown long-term effects. In this study, we investigated the effect of combining estrogen suppression with the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist buserelin and estradiol receptor blockade with tamoxifen to determine whether the high estradiol levels induced by tamoxifen could be reduced and whether the antitumor effects would be better. METHODS In a three-arm, randomized, prospective trial, from 1988 through 1995, a total of 161 premenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer were randomly assigned to treatment with buserelin, tamoxifen, or both. Patients with steroid receptor-negative tumors or with tumors of unknown receptor status who had a disease-free interval of less than 2 years were excluded. The median follow-up was 7.3 years, during which 76% of the patients died, all of breast cancer. Patient and tumor characteristics were well balanced among treatment groups. All P values are from two-sided tests. RESULTS Combined treatment with buserelin and tamoxifen was superior to treatment with buserelin or tamoxifen alone by objective response rate (48%, 34%, and 28% of patients who could be evaluated, respectively; P =.11 [chi(2) test]), median progression-free survival (9.7 months, 6.3 months, and 5.6 months; P =.03), and overall survival (3.7 years, 2.5 years, and 2.9 years; P =.01). Actuarial 5-year survival percentages were 34.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 20.4%-48.0%), 14.9% (95% CI = 3.9%-25.9%), and 18.4% (95% CI = 7.0%-29.8%), respectively. No differences in antitumor effects were observed between single-agent treatment groups. During combined treatment or treatment with buserelin alone, plasma estradiol levels were suppressed equally; in contrast, during treatment with tamoxifen alone, plasma estradiol levels increased threefold to fourfold over pretreatment levels. CONCLUSION Combined treatment with buserelin and tamoxifen was more effective and resulted in longer overall survival than treatment with either drug alone.
Automatic Diacritics Restoration for Dialectal Arabic Text

In this paper, the problem of missing diacritic marks in most of dialectal Arabic written resources is addressed. Our aim is to implement a scalable and extensible platform for automatically retrieving the diacritic marks for undiacritized dialectal Arabic texts. Different rule-based and statistical techniques are proposed. These include: maximum likelihood estimate, and statistical n-gram models. The proposed platform includes helper tools for text pre-processing and encoding conversion. Diacritization accuracy of each technique is evaluated in terms of Diacritic Error Rate (DER) and Word Error Rate (WER). The approach trains several n-gram models on different lexical units. A data pool of both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) data along with Dialectal Arabic data was used to train the models.
Periodic motion of underactuated mechanical systems self-generated by variable structure controllers: Design and experiments

A new approach in generating a periodic motion for underactuated mechanical systems using variable structure controllers without computing a reference trajectory is proposed in this paper. The design procedure, in order to find explicit expressions of the controller gain parameters in terms of the desired frequency and amplitude, is made through frequency-domain tool, particularly with describing function method. Performance issue of a self-excited system, applied to a double pendulum, is illustrated by experiments.
Effects of a scapula-oriented shoulder exercise programme on upper limb dysfunction in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled pilot trial

Objective: To examine the effects of a scapula-oriented exercise on upper limb dysfunction in breast cancer survivors. Study design: A prospective randomized, controlled pilot trial with historical control. Setting: Rehabilitation department at a university hospital. Subjects: Thirty-two women with breast cancer were randomly assigned to scapula-oriented exercise group (n = 16) and general exercise group (n = 16). An historical control group (n = 18) without exercise was enrolled from breast cancer survivors. Interventions: The scapula-oriented exercises were designed focusing on scapulothoracic movement. The general exercise group performed body conditioning exercise. Exercise therapies were performed for one session per week for eight weeks. Main outcome measures: Pain and physical disabilities related to upper limb dysfunction, quality of life and depression were used as subjective outcomes. Objective outcome measures included shoulder range of motion and strength. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post exercise. Results: At baseline, no significant difference was observed among the three groups. The scapula-oriented exercise group showed improvements in pain, physical function, social function, and global quality of life compared with baseline, whereas the general exercise group showed improved fatigue and range of motion. The change in global quality of life (P = 0.067; effect size, 0.33) and strength of external rotation (P = 0.001; effect size, 0.55) were significantly greater in the scapula-oriented exercise group than in the general exercise and control group. Conclusion: Scapula-oriented exercise had beneficial effects on pain, quality of life and aspects of strength. The sample size required in a larger definitive study is 32 subjects per group.
Optimal Database Access for TV White Space

In TV White Space, the unlicensed users are required to periodically access a database to acquire information on the spectrum usage of the licensed users. In addition, the unlicensed users can access the database on-demand, whenever they believe convenient, to update the spectrum availability information. In this paper, we design the optimal database access strategy, i.e., the strategy allowing the unlicensed users to jointly: (1) maximize the expected overall communication opportunities through on-demand accesses; and (2) respect the regulatory specifications. To this aim, we develop a stochastic analytical framework that allows us to account for: (1) the PU activity dynamics; (2) the quality dynamics among the different channels; and (3) the overhead induced by the database access. Specifically, at first, we prove that the database access problem can be modeled as a Markov decision process, and we show that it cannot be solved through brute-force search. Then, we prove that the optimal strategy exhibits a threshold structure, and we exploit this threshold property to design an algorithm able to efficiently compute the optimal strategy. The analytical results are finally validated through simulations.
Linking Primary Care Information Systems and Public Health Information Networks: Lessons from the Philippines

Community-based primary care information systems are one of the building blocks for national health information systems. In the Philippines, after the devolution of health care to local governments, we observed "health information system islands" connected to national vertical programs being implemented in devolved health units. These structures lead to a huge amount of "information work" in the transformation of health information at the community level. This paper describes work done to develop and implement the open-source Community Based Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) Project, which was implemented to address this information management problem and its outcomes. Several lessons learned from the field as well as software development strategies are highlighted in building community level information systems that link to national level health information systems.
Synthesis of an Escherichia coli protein carrying a signal peptide mutation causes depolarization of the cytoplasmic membrane potential

A deletion mutation (lpp delta 9 delta 13 delta 14) in the signal peptide of the major outer membrane lipoprotein of Escherichia coli (Lpp) was found to cause severe effects on cell physiology, resulting in cessation of growth within 10 min of induction of lpp delta 9 delta 13 delta 14 expression and rapid cell death. Further investigation revealed that lpp delta 9 delta 13 delta 14 expression caused slow processing of several other exported proteins. The origin of this effect was traced to depolarization of the electrochemical potential across the cytoplasmic membrane, which is known to be required for efficient protein export. Analysis of the processing rate of the mutant, either prior to complete depolarization or in a suppressor strain in which depolarization does not occur, indicates that the mutant protein was capable of secretion at a rate which, while less than that of the wild type, was reasonably rapid compared with the rates of other E. coli secreted proteins. The existence of this type of signal peptide mutation suggests that the cell may have a mechanism to avoid membrane damage from secretory proteins carrying membrane-active signal peptides which is bypassed by the lpp delta 9 delta 13 delta 14 mutant.
DETERMINATION OF ASPECT RATIO OF ANISOMETRIC TALC PARTICLES

The final shape of natural minerals as raw materials is determined by its genesis, by its chemistry, its crystal structure and by the grinding processing it has undergone [1]. The mineral rupture involves several different processes occurring together or successively. As an approximation, during the comminution of phyllosilicates, two distinct breakage processes occur: the breakage is parallel to c-axis, i.e., across the platelet; covalent/ionic bonds are broken in this process which is termed fracture; the breakage is perpendicular to the c-axis, i.e., along the flake basal plane and do not theoretically break covalent bonds. This phenomenon is termed delamination, and the energy spent to produce it is exceptionally lower than the fracture energy. In the case of kaolinite the delamination energy (Ed) is only 25% of fracture energy (Ef) [2, 3], as shown in Figure 4.1.
Learning Probabilistic RAM Nets Using VLSI Structures

Hardware-realizable learning probabilistic RAMs (pRAMs) which implement local reinforcement rules utilizing synaptic rather than threshold noise in the stochastic search procedure are described. The design allows for both global and local rewards and penalties (in this latter case implementing a modified version of backpropagation). The architecture allows for serial updating of the weights of a pRAM net according to a reward/penalty learning rule. It is possible to generate a new set of pRAM outputs at least every 100 mu s, which is faster than the response time of biological neurons. >
The sterile insect technique and the Mediterranean fruit fly: assessing the utility of aromatherapy in large field enclosures

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used in integrated programs against tephritid fruit flies, particularly the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae). Unfortunately, the mass‐rearing procedures inherent to the SIT often lead to a reduction in the male mating competitiveness. One potential solution involves the prerelease exposure of males to particular attractants. In particular, male exposure to ginger root oil [Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae); hereafter GRO], has been shown to increase mating success dramatically in field cage trials. To evaluate more rigorously the effectiveness of GRO exposure, we here describe two projects that compared levels of egg sterility or pupal yield, respectively, following the release of wild flies and either GRO‐exposed (treated) sterile males or GRO‐deprived (control) sterile males in large field enclosures. In both projects, sterile males from a genetic sexing strain were exposed as adults to GRO for 24 h while held in large storage boxes. In Hawaii, we dissected eggs from fruits to determine the percentage of egg hatch at four overflooding ratios, ranging from 5 : 1 to 60 : 1 (sterile : wild males), and found that, at all four ratios, the proportion of unhatched (sterile) eggs was significantly greater in enclosures containing GRO‐exposed males than control males. In Guatemala, we allowed larvae to develop in fruits and counted the number of pupae produced. At the only overflooding ratio tested (25 : 1), pupal yield was approximately 25% lower for enclosures containing GRO‐exposed males than control males, although this difference was not statistically significant. An explanation for the differing outcomes is proposed, and the implications of these findings for the SIT are discussed.
Detection of herpes simplex virus by a nonradiometric spin-amplified in situ hybridization assay

An in situ hybridization kit (Diagnostic Hybrids, Inc., Athens, Ohio) was evaluated for use in the detection and identification of herpes simplex virus (HSV) from clinical specimens. For in situ hybridization, a 10-min spin amplification onto monolayers of African green monkey kidney cells (CV-1) in 24-well polystyrene dishes, 24-h culture amplification, and hybridization with an alkaline phosphatase-labeled DNA probe were used. A total of 648 specimens were tested, including 275 specimens from patients with symptomatic diseases sent specifically for HSV detection and 373 specimens from asymptomatic immunocompromised patients sent for detection of HSV shedding. Overall, the sensitivity of the hybridization assay was 97.8% (131 of 134 specimens), with 105 of 105 (100%) specimens from symptomatic patients and 26 of 29 (89.9%) specimens from asymptomatic patients being detected. The three specimens that were false negative by in situ hybridization had low virus titers, as determined by tissue culture. The specificity was 99.6% (512 of 514 specimens). The rapid, accurate results suggest that the in situ hybridization kit may be used as an alternative to conventional tissue culture for the detection of HSV.
Generating Navigable Semantic Maps from Social Sciences Corpora

It is now commonplace to observe that we are facing a deluge of online information. Researchers have of course long acknowledged the potential value of this information since digital traces make it possible to directly observe, describe and analyze social facts, and above all the co-evolution of ideas and communities over time. However, most online information is expressed through text, which means it is not directly usable by machines, since computers require structured, organized and typed information in order to be able to manipulate it. Our goal is thus twofold: 1. Provide new natural language processing techniques aiming at automatically extracting relevant information from texts, especially in the context of social sciences, and connect these pieces of information so as to obtain relevant socio-semantic networks; 2. Provide new ways of exploring these socio-semantic networks, thanks to tools allowing one to dynamically navigate these networks, de-construct and re-construct them interactively, from different points of view following the needs expressed by domain experts.
KMAPPER - An Automated Knowledge Assets Discovery Application in Support of the Armed Forces

Abstract : This paper presents a newly developed knowledge mapping (k-mapping) application called "KMapper" along with its underlying multidimensional approach. The KMapper, as a network science technology, is an automated application allowing the discovery, identification, localization, access and support for the exploitation of KAs by the Commander and the Soldier. Subsequently to presenting the concept of k-mapping in general, we describe the foundations for the KMapper developed by DRDC Valcartier. We then discuss the approach and how knowledge is structured around 4 dimensions that are organised in a KMapper core ontology. The term "knowledge mapping" (k-mapping) has emerged from the growing field of knowledge management, but its foundations can be traced in different fields. The first element noticeable about k-mapping is that researchers or practitioners refer to it indifferently as a term, a methodology, or an approach. For the "knowledge mapping" as a specific term, a closer look reveals the usage of different meanings for it as for instance: "knowledge audit", "concept mapping", or "knowledge modelling". K-mapping can also be perceived as responding to one or the other of the three following approaches: the conceptual, the procedural, and the social one. However, usually, each of these approaches is only encountered from its single perspective. The novelty of this research first resides in the fact that we combine the value of each one of those three approaches into a single one called the "Multidimensional K-mapping Balanced Approach". Then, we also add the value of a fourth approach named "Knowledge Artefacts" (K-Artefacts).
Impact of chloroquine on viral load in breast milk

The anti‐malarial agent chloroquine has activity against HIV. We compared the effect of chloroquine (n = 18) to an anti‐malarial agent without known anti‐HIV‐activity, sulfadoxine‐pyrimethamine (n = 12), on breast milk HIV RNA levels among HIV‐infected breastfeeding women in Zambia. After adjusting for CD4 count and plasma viral load, chloroquine was associated with a trend towards lower levels of HIV RNA in breast milk compared with sulfadoxine‐pyrimethamine (P = 0.05). Higher breastmilk viral load was also observed among women receiving presumptive treatment for symptomatic malaria compared with asymptomatic controls and among controls reporting fever in the prior week. Further research is needed to determine the potential role of chloroquine in prevention of HIV transmission through breastfeeding.
Statistical‐mechanical treatment of violations of the double helix in supercoiled DNA

We consider the problem of making allowance for superhelicity in the statistical‐mechanical calculations of fluctuational violations of the DNA double helix. A simple model is discussed, making it possible in the calculations to use an approach based on the theory of helix–coil transition in DNA. The proposed algorithms allow calculating the effect of superhelicity on the base‐pair fluctuational opening for any given sequence of nucleotides. An algorithm is also proposed allowing for the hairpin and cruciform structures in the palindromic regions of a sequence, as well as the open and helical states. The theory is used to calculate the melting curve for superhelical DNA at temperatures well below the melting point of the linear or nicked forms. The maps of opening probability are calculated for SV40 and ϕX174 DNA using their recently published complete nucleotide sequences. The data explain well the experimental results of probing the secondary structure of these DNA by single strand‐specific endonucleases.
Covert orienting in the split brain: Right hemisphere specialization for object-based attention

ABSTRACT The present paper takes as its starting point Phil Bryden's long-standing interest in human attention and the role it can play in laterality effects. Past split-brain research has suggested that object-based attention is lateralized to the left hemisphere [e.g., Egly, R. , Rafal, R. D. , Driver, J., & Starreveld, Y. (1994). Covert orienting in the split brain reveals hemispheric specialization for object-based attention. Psychological Science, 5(6), 380–382]. The task used to isolate object-based attention in that previous work, however, has been found wanting [Vecera, S. P. (1994). Grouped locations and object-based attention: Comment on Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123(3), 316–320]; and indeed, subsequent research with healthy participants using a different task has suggested that object-based attention is lateralized to the opposite right hemisphere (RH) [Valsangkar-Smyth, M. A. , Donovan, C. L. , Sinnett, S. , Dawson, M. R. , & Kingstone, A. (2004). Hemispheric performance in object-based attention. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 11(1), 84–91]. The present study tested the same split-brain as Egly, Rafal, et al. (1994) but used the object-based attention task introduced by Valsangkar-Smyth et al. (2004). The results confirm that object-based attention is lateralized to the RH. They also suggest that subcortical interhemispheric competition may occur and be dominated by the RH.
Effect of Green Light from Doubled Frequency Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) Laser in the Nanosecond Range on Rabbit’s Lens –In Vitro Study

Introduction: The unprotected eye is extremely sensitive to laser radiation and can be permanently damaged from direct or reflected beams. The area of the eye damaged by laser energy is dependent upon the wavelength of the incident laser beam, duration of exposure and tissue characteristics. This study aims to investigate the effect of intense green light from doubled frequency Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) (532 nm) in the nanosecond range on the protein of rabbits lenses after short and prolonged (6, 18 seconds) exposures. Methods: The fundamental wavelength (1064 nm) was frequency doubled in β- Barium Borate (BBO) crystal for second harmonic generation (SHG). Rabbits’ lenses were irradiated in vitro, and the effect of the laser was evaluated by comparing the protein concentration, structure and conformation by sodium dodecyle sulphate polyacrylamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results: The results indicated a significant change in the soluble protein content, the molecular weights and the backbone structure of different lens crystallin fractions. These effects were more distinct when using laser with prolonged irradiation for 18 seconds than for 6 seconds. Conclusion: Irradiation with frequency doubled Nd-YAG green laser seem to be cataractous if the lens is exposed to laser that is intense enough to warrant thermal protein aggregation,
The physical, insemination, and reproductive quality of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera L.)

Understanding the reproductive potential (“quality”) of queens bees can provide valuable insights into factors that influence colony phenotype. We assayed queens from various commercial sources for various measures of potential queen quality, including their physical characters (such as their degree of parasitism), insemination number (stored sperm counts), and effective paternity frequency (number of drone fathers among their offspring). We found significant variation in the physical, insemination, and mating quality of commercially produced queens, and we detected significant correlations within and among these various measures. Overall, the queens were sufficiently inseminated (3.99 ± 1.504 million sperm) and mated with an appropriate number of drones (effective paternity frequency: 16.0 ± 9.48). Importantly, very few of the queens were parasitized by tracheal mites and none were found with either Nosema species. These findings suggest possible mechanisms for assessing the potential fitness of honey bee queens without the need for destructive sampling.