Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A phase II trial of bendamustine in combination with rituximab in older patients with previously untreated diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma

Bendamustine in combination with rituximab (BR) has been associated with high response rates and acceptable toxicity in older patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Evaluation of BR is warranted in the front‐line setting for DLBCL patients not eligible for anthracyclines or for the elderly. In this phase II study, we enrolled DLBCL patients aged ≥65 years who were poor candidates for R‐CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) to determine the efficacy and safety of BR in previously untreated stage II–IV DLBCL. Twenty‐three patients were enrolled with a median age of 80 years. 52% of patients presented with poor functional status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score of ≥2). The overall response rate was 78% with 12 complete responses (52%). At a median follow up of 29 months, the median overall survival was 10·2 months and the median progression‐free survival was 5·4 months. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were haematological. Combination therapy with BR demonstrates high response rates as front‐line therapy in frail older patients with DLBCL, but survival rates were low. BR should be used with caution in future clinical trials involving older DLBCL patients with poor functional status.
On MMSE vector-perturbation precoding for MIMO broadcast channels with per-antenna-group power constraints

Recently, studies on sub-optimal precoding techniques for multiple-input multiple-output broadcast channels (MIMO-BC), which achieve performance near to that of the dirty paper coding (DPC), have drawn attention to vector perturbation (VP). In practice, each antenna or more generally each antenna group has its own limit on the transmitted power, which makes per-antenna-group (per-AG) power constraints more meaningful than the sum power constraint. In this paper, we assume the per-antenna-group constraints and first investigate antenna-group power-constrained VP inspired by the p-sphere encoder for the case when channel inversion is used by the front-end linear precoder. Furthermore, we consider joint optimization of the front-end precoder and the perturbing vector subject to per-AG power constraints and propose precoding based on a minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion. The results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional VP and the p-sphere encoding in the case of per-AG power constraints.
The Community Reinvestment Act and Targeted Mortgage Lending

We analyze residential mortgage lending by banks in periods surrounding upgrades or downgrades in their ratings under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Empirical results indicate that upgraded banks had higher relative levels of lending than did downgraded banks prior to ratings changes. Additionally, both downgraded and upgraded banks increased lending following implementation of reforms to the CRA in the 1990s, which were intended to more closely align rating assessment with lending outcomes. Little support is provided, on the other hand, for a hypothesis that banks respond to downgrades by increasing lending (despite apparent incentives for them to do so). Copyright (c) 2010 The Ohio State University.
A class-J power amplifier for 5G applications in 28nm CMOS FD-SOI technology

In this work1 we present the design of a fully integrated wideband high efficiency power amplifier for 5G applications. The amplifier consists of two single ended common source stages, with a class-J power stage in the 28nm CMOS FD-SOI technology. Post-layout simulation results show a broadband behavior of the amplifier over 12 GHz of bandwidth with a saturated power of 16.2 dBm and a peak power added efficiency of 39 % at 28 GHz.
Customer‐related proactiveness in the radical innovation development process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the degree of customer‐related proactiveness in the process of developing radical innovations.Design/methodology/approach – The initial framework for this study is first created on the basis of the theory and then modified in the light of multiple retrospective case studies.Findings – The results show that the stage of the innovation development process seems to influence the degree of proactiveness. Contrary to many earlier studies, this research indicates that anticipation plays an important role already at the idea generation stage.Research limitations/implications – The study introduces a way of describing a firm's proactiveness as a dynamic pattern. Thus, the process approach adopted in this research may encourage further longitudinal studies on the phenomenon. Given the explorative nature of the study, the propositions arising from the modified framework should be evaluated according to additional data.Practical implications – The results of this stu.
A Theory of Path Dependence in Corporate Ownership and Governance

Corporate structures differ among the advanced economies of the world. We contribute to an understanding of these differences by developing a theory of the path dependence of corporate structure. The corporate structures that an economy has at any point in time depend in part on those that it had at earlier times. Two sources of path dependence--structure driven and rule driven--are identified and analyzed. First, the corporate structures of an economy depend on the structures with which the economy started. Initial ownership structures have such an effect because they affect the identity of the structure that would be efficient for any given company and because they can give some parties both incentives and power to impede changes in them. Second, corporate rules, which affect ownership structures, will themselves depend on the corporate structures with which the economy started. Initial ownership structures can affect both the identity of the rules that would be efficient and the interest group politics that can determine which rules would actually be chosen. Our theory of path dependence sheds light on why the advanced economies, despite pressures to converge, vary in their ownership structures. It also provides a basis for why some important differences might persist.
New Formulas for Immunizing Durations

The concept of duration has long been established as a standard tool for measuring and managing the interest sensitivity of a fixed-income instrument or portfolio. One important use of duration is in setting up an immunization strategy, such that the risk attached to a given future cash flow is immunized against a shift in the term structure by an offsetting hedge position that has the same duration. Earlier models in the literature developed duration-based strategies for immunizing against specific types of yield curve shifts, for example, an additive shift of a fixed number of basis points at every maturity. This article offers several new duration formulas that greatly extend the range of allowable yield curve shifts. Three theorems develop duration-based immunization techniques that cover, in the most general case, a portfolio of instruments exposed to any sum of a finite number of piecewise continuous functions. The results of previous duration models are shown to be special cases of this general formulation.
Methodology to Assess Air Pollution Impact on Human Health Using the Generalized Linear Model with Poisson Regression

The growth of urban areas increased the access to many facilities such as transportation, energy, education, water supply, etc. As a consequence, there was a vehicular and industrial growth that combined with unfavorable meteorological conditions caused several worldwide episodes of excessive air pollution with life losses and health damage. Some examples were the well known Donora disaster in October, 1948 and fog episodes occurred after December, 1952 in London (Lipfert, 1993).
The evolution of agri-food trade patterns in Central European countries

This article describes the evolving pattern of Central European countries' agri-food trade using recently developed empirical procedures based around the classic Balassa index. The extent of trade specialisation exhibits a mixed trend. The results suggest that the trade pattern has converged in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia, while it polarised in Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia over the period. For particular product groups, the indices display greater variation. They are stable for product groups with comparative disadvantage, but product groups with weak to strong comparative advantage show significant variation. In addition, in the Baltic countries many specialisation improvements occurred in those product groups for which world demand expanded at the fastest rates during the period analysed.
Foveated instant preview for progressive rendering

Progressive rendering, for example Monte Carlo rendering of 360° content for virtual reality headsets, is a time-consuming task. If the 3D artist notices an error while previewing the rendering, he or she must return to editing mode, do the required changes, and restart rendering. Restart is required because the rendering system cannot know which pixels are affected by the change. We propose the use of eye-tracking-based optimization to significantly speed up previewing the artist's points of interest. Moreover, we derive an optimized version of the visual acuity model, which follows the original model more accurately than previous work. The proposed optimization was tested with a comprehensive user study. The participants felt that preview with the proposed method converged instantly, and the recorded split times show that the preview is 10 times faster than conventional preview. In addition, the system does not have measurable drawbacks on computational performance.
Unintegrated Lentivirus DNA Persistence and Accessibility to Expression in Nondividing Cells: Analysis with Class I Integrase Mutants

ABSTRACT The circumstances under which unintegrated lentivirus DNA can persist and be a functional template for transcription and protein expression are not clear. We constructed and validated the first class I (nonpleiotropic) integrase (IN) mutants for a non-human lentivirus (feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV]) and analyzed both these and known class I human immunodeficiency virus type 1 IN mutants. The FIV IN mutants (D66V and D66V/D118A) had class I properties: Gag/Pol precursor expression, proteolytic processing, particle formation, and reverse transcriptase (RT) production were normal, while the transduction of dividing fibroblasts was prevented and integration was blocked. When injected into rat retinas, the wild-type (WT) vector produced extensive, persistent transgene expression, compared with only rare positive neuronal cells for the IN mutant vector. In contrast, both WT and mutant vectors produced entirely equivalent, effective transduction levels of primary rat neurons (retinal ganglion cells). By testing the hypothesis that the unexpected retinal neuron transduction was related to cell cycle status, we found that when fibroblasts were growth arrested, transduction and internally promoted transgene expression were not inhibited at all by the class I FIV or HIV-1 IN mutations. Cells were then transduced under aphidicolin arrest and were released from the block 48 h later. Vector expression was stable and durable during repeated passaging in WT vector-transduced cells, while the release of cells transduced with equivalent RT units of class I IN mutant FIV or HIV vector resulted in a steady decline of expression, from 97 to 0% of cells by day 10. Southern blot and PCR analyses showed a lack of integration, irrespective of cell cycle, for the class I mutants and an increase in one- and two-long terminal repeat circular and linear unintegrated DNAs in growth-arrested cells. We conclude that if cell division is prevented, unintegrated FIV and HIV-1 vector DNAs can produce high-level internally promoted transgene expression equivalent to WT vectors. The expression correlates with the unintegrated DNA levels. These observations may facilitate the study of the roles of IN and other preintegration complex components in preintegration phases of infection by (i) providing an alternative way to monitor unintegrated nuclear cDNA forms, (ii) restricting ascertainment to the transcriptionally functional subset of unintegrated DNA, (iii) enabling analysis in individual, nondividing cells, and (iv) uncoupling other potential functions of IN from integration.
Green space relations with residential values in downtown Tokyo – implications for urban biodiversity conservation

Abstract This study examines the relationship between biodiversity and the housing value of residential areas in downtown Tokyo, and reviews the history of green space planning and surveys of present residential attitudes towards green space in the metropolitan area. Throughout the research, biodiversity is operationally represented by a “green coverage ratio”, while standardised data on land and rent prices are used to assess the value of residential areas. The results confirm that the green coverage ratio and housing value are correlated. The study concludes that there is a need for development of a more accurate and integrated policy database that will provide explicit definitions of management targets, locations and clients for promotion of green space in Tokyo.
Procedural approach to generate real time motions of cloth

The deformation of cloth is one of the essential aspects to increase the sense of reality in the area of VR (Virtual Reality) or game programming. In contrast, when a character wearing clothes or hanging a flag moves abruptly and rapidly, it is not easy to express the natural movement of the cloth in a limited time. In this paper, the position-based approximation method that considers the nonlinearity which is a vital feature in the realistic deformation of cloth and responds to the abrupt and frequent external forces as well is proposed. Our method that processes the non-linear deformation properties geometrically can produce a fast and stable cloth animation. In addition, it reflects the physical attributes to the geometrical relation so that the visibly-plausible movement of cloth can be generated. As a result, cloth animation that is stable despite the fast movement of a car and realistic to the external environmental change such as the driving direction of the car or the surface of the road, can be created.
On acceptance criterion for efficient successive errors-and-erasures decoding of Reed-Solomon and BCH codes

We describe an efficient algorithm for successive errors-and-erasures decoding of BCH codes. The decoding algorithm consists of finding all necessary error locator polynomials and errata evaluator polynomials, choosing the most appropriate error locator polynomial and errata evaluator polynomial, using these two polynomials to compute a candidate codeword for the decoder output, and testing the candidate for optimality via an originally developed acceptance criterion. Even in the most stringent case possible, the acceptance criterion is only a little more stringent than Forney's (1966) criterion for generalised minimum distance (GMD) decoding. We present simulation results on the error performance of our decoding algorithm for binary antipodal signals over an AWGN channel and a Rayleigh fading channel. The number of calculations of elements in a finite field that are required by our algorithm is only slightly greater than that required by hard-decision decoding, while the error performance is almost as good as that achieved with GMD decoding. The presented algorithm is also applicable to efficient decoding of product RS codes.
Marine Product Exports of Kerala in the ASEAN India Free Trade Area: Possibilities and Challenges

In the backdrop of issues encountered by the marine product exports from Kerala in the traditional strongholds of the European Union and the United States, there is a need to target newer markets. The ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (TIGA) though proposes to liberalize trade between India and the ASEAN member nations, fails to deliver greater market access for our marine products in the markets of the ASEAN nations. This can be attributed to factors such as the lower prevailing MFN base rate in the ASEAN nations, tariff reduction commitments reciprocated by them being lesser than India’s offers, inclusion of our prominent items of export in the restrictive lists of most of the ASEAN nations etc. Export forecast suggests that this is a market to be reckoned, which in turn stipulates the need to secure greater concessions and preferential treatment for our marine product exports in the ASEAN nations to capitalize on the gains that have been made. Keywords: food safety standards, marine products export, tariff, preferential treatment, s easonality
The numbers game: the role of yield management in the tour operations industry

Courtline/Clarksons Holidays‘ collapse in 1974 was directly due to overoptimistic volume targets, which failed to take account of capacity or demand. Despite the availability of techniques such as yield management, tour operators continue to rely too heavily upon tactical pricing in their marketing. This paper outlines the critical relationship between yield management, the management of capacity, impact of price, and stability of tour operators. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The feasibility of early physical activity in intensive care unit patients: a prospective observational one-center study.

BACKGROUND Prolonged immobilization may harm intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and early mobilization has been proposed to counteract that process. We describe our experience in early rehabilitation of ICU patients, and its effects on physiologic outcomes. METHODS We included all patients who stayed in our 14-bed medical ICU for > or = 7 days and received invasive mechanical ventilation for > or = 2 days. The rehabilitation program included chair-sitting, tilting-up (with arms supported or unsupported), and walking. We collected vital signs before and after each intervention. RESULTS Over a 5-month period we studied 20 patients, after a median ICU stay of 5 days. A contraindication to the intervention was present on 230 days (43%). Sedation (15%), shock (11%), and renal support (9%) were the most frequent contraindications. We obtained complete data from 275 of 424 interventions, 33% of which were performed during mechanical ventilation. The chair-sitting intervention was the most frequent (56%), followed by the tilting-up-with-arms-unsupported intervention (25%), the walking intervention (11%), and the tilting-up arms-supported intervention (8%). The chair-sitting intervention was associated with a significant (P = .03) decline in both heart rate (mean -3.5 beats/min, 95% confidence interval [CI] -6.5 to -0.4 beats/min) and respiratory rate (-1.4 breaths/min, 95% CI -2.6 to 0.1 breaths/min), whereas blood oxygen saturation (measured via pulse oximetry [S(pO(2))]) and mean arterial blood pressure did not change significantly. Heart rate and respiratory rate similarly increased with tilting-up: 14.6 beats/min, 95% CI 10.8 to 18.4 beats/min, and 5.5 breaths/min, 95% CI 3.6 to 7.3 breaths/min with arms unsupported, and 12.4 beats/min, 95% CI 7.0 to 17.9 beats/min and 2.6 breaths/min, 95% CI -0.4 to 5.7 breaths/min with arms supported). Heart rate and respiratory rate also increased with the walking intervention: 6.9 beats/min, 95% CI 2.6 to 11.1 beats/min, and 5.9 breaths/min, 95% CI 3.8 to 8.0 breaths/min. The walking intervention significantly decreased S(pO(2)). An adverse event occurred in 13 (3%) of 424 interventions, but none had harmful consequences. CONCLUSIONS Early rehabilitation is feasible and safe in patients in the ICU for longer than 1 week. The chair-sitting intervention was associated with nonsignificant oxygenation improvement. The tilting-up intervention was an effort as intense as walking.
Space of Creative Industries: A Case Study of Spatial Characteristics of Creative Clusters in Shanghai

The rapid rise of creative or cultural industries not only contributes to regional economic growth, but also to a revised spatial model of urban structure, helping in the redevelopment of old town spaces. However, the spatial characteristics of creative clusters, especially at the micro-city level, are not fully understood. This study attempts to characterize the spatiality of creative clusters on the basis of a literature review and empirical study of Shanghai. By using Geographical Information System (GIS) spatial analysis and interviews, this paper examines the spatial features of creative clusters in Shanghai and their connection with urban historical, social, cultural and political aspects. It finds that creative clusters are primarily distributed in particular locations of Shanghai, namely in the inner-city, old industrial districts, places close to universities, Central Business Districts (CBDs), and entertainment and tourist zones. The old colonial zones in Shanghai play an important role in fostering the agglomeration of creative industries because of the special image of these spaces, in particular due to the abundant workshop spaces remaining from the industrial heritage. Great intimacy between creative industries and urban spaces becomes apparent in the case of Shanghai, demonstrating that the creative economy has become an important instrument in regenerating cities. Moreover, a differentiation in space among various categories of creative clusters in Shanghai was also noticed in this study.
[Osamu Shimomura].

Le prix Nobel de Chimie 2008 a ete attribue a trois chercheurs, Osamu Shimomura, Roger Tsien et Martin Chalfie, pour leurs travaux sur une proteine fluorescente la GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein) extraite d’une meduse. Il n’est plus besoin de presenter cette proteine et ses utilisations. Dans cet article, nous rendons hommage au premier d’entre eux : Osamu Shimomura qui est a l’origine et represente le socle de tous ces travaux. O. Shimomura a apporte une contribution majeure dans le domaine de la biologie cellulaire avec la GFP (la vedette de ce Nobel), mais aussi dans le domaine de la chimie de la bioluminescence et surtout ne l’oublions pas dans la mesure du calcium avec l’aequorine. Il faut aussi souligner l’exemplarite de son parcours de recherche devoue exclusivement a la recherche fondamentale, a une epoque ou la rentabilite, la rapidite et la production en masse deviennent un critere « d’excellence ». Le tout allie a une rigueur implacable, une honnetete et une ethique sans faille.
Quantization effect on the discrete-time sliding-mode control systems

This paper studies the quantization effect on the discrete-time equivalent control-based sliding-mode control systems. Upper bounds of the system steady states are established. Some inherent dynamical behavior properties of the systems are explored. The analysis for second-order systems is then extended to higher-order systems. The dynamic behaviors of discrete-time equivalent control-based sliding-mode control systems with and without quantized state feedback are compared. Simulations are presented to verify the theoretical results.
Continuity and change: A review of english regeneration policy in the 1990s

In this issue of the Policy Review Section , Stephen Hall and Brendan Nevin of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham, review the experiences of the first three rounds of the Single Regeneration Budget and against that background consider the next steps in the development of regeneration policy. In the second article, Peter Lee also of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, examines the policy implications of the recent changes in the methods for identifying deprived areas following the introduction of the Index for Local Deprivation. In the third article, Peter Newman of the School of Built Environment, University of Westminster, and Gilles Verpraet of the Centre d'Analyses et d'Interventions Sociologiques, Paris, set out the findings of a comparative European research network which examined the nature and experience of public-private partnerships in urban governance.