Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemotherapy induces regression of brain metastases in breast carcinoma

This study improves treatment options and ultimately survival by using systemic chemotherapy in brain metastases from breast carcinoma, since most of these patients have disseminated disease and a dismal prognosis when treated by conventional brain irradiation alone. One hundred consecutive patients with symptomatic brain metastases documented by radionuclide and/or computerized tomography scan were treated with systemic chemotherapy. Fifty of 100 patients demonstrated an objective response of brain metastases which was similar for extracranial metastases. There were 10 complete responders (CR), 40 partial responders (PR), 9 stable, and 41 nonresponders. Median duration of remission was 10+ months for CR and 7 months for PR (range, 2–72 months). Primary chemotherapy of brain metastases yielded responses in 27 pf 52 patients (52%) treated with Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) (C), 5‐fluorouracil (F) and prednisone (P); 19 of 35 (54%) receiving CFP‐methotrexate (M) and vincristine (V); 3 of 7 (43%) treated with MVP, and 1 of 6 (17%) receiving Cytoxan plus Adriamycin (doxorubicin) (CA). Thirteen of 35 patients (37%) who subsequently had relapse of brain metastases were retreated successfully with secondary chemotherapy. The median survival for CR and PR was 39.5 months and 10.5 months, respectively, in contrast with nonresponder patients who had a median survival of 1.5 months. Thirty‐one percent of all treated patients survived more than 12 months. These findings suggest that the chemotherapeutic agents used penetrate the blood‐brain barrier inducing regression of brain metastases. This approach offers a significant benefit by simultaneously controlling extracranial disease, improving the response and prolonging survival.
Mucolytic Effectiveness of Tyloxapol in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective Mucoactive drugs should increase the ability to expectorate sputum and, ideally, have anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the mucolytic activity of Tyloxapol compared to saline (0.9%) in COPD. Design A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded crossover, clinical trial was carried out. Patients were randomly assigned to either inhale 5 ml Tyloxapol 1% or saline 0.9% solution three times daily for 3 weeks and vice versa for another 3 weeks. 28 patients (18 male, 10 female, 47 to 73 years old, median age 63.50) were screened, 21 were treated and 19 patients completed the study per protocol. Results A comparison of the two treatment phases showed that the primary endpoint sputum weight was statistically significant higher when patients inhaled Tyloxapol (mean 4.03 g, 95% CI: 2.34–5.73 g at week 3) compared to saline (mean 2.63 g, 95% CI: 1.73–3.53 g at week 3). The p-value at three weeks of treatment was 0.041 between treatment arms. Sputum cells decreased during the Tyloxapol treatment after 3 weeks, indicating that Tyloxapol might have some anti-neutrophilic properties. Lung function parameters (FVC, FEV1, RV, and RV/TLC) remained stable during the study, and no treatment effect was shown. Interestingly, there was a mean increase in all inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8) during the saline treatment from day 1 to week 3, whereas during the Tyloxapol treatment, all cytokines decreased. Due to the small sample size and the large individual variation in sputum cytokines, these differences were not significant. However, analyses confirmed that Tyloxapol has significant anti-inflammatory properties in vitro. Despite the high number of inhalations (more than 1000), only 27 adverse events (20 during the Tyloxapol and seven during saline) were recorded. Eleven patients experienced AEs under Tyloxapol and six under saline treatment, which indicates that inhalation of saline or Tyloxapol is a very safe procedure. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that inhalation of Tyloxapol by patients with COPD is safe and superior to saline and has some anti-inflammatory effects. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02515799
The vertical ground reaction force and the pressure distribution on the claws of dairy cows while walking on a flat substrate.

The pressure distribution under the bovine claw while walking was measured to test the hypotheses that the vertical ground reaction force is unevenly distributed and makes some (regions of the) claws more prone to injuries due to overloading than others. Each limb of nine recently trimmed Holstein Friesian cows was measured five times while walking over a Footscan pressure plate firmly embedded on a Kistler force plate. The pressure plate had a spatial resolution of 2.6 sensors/cm2 and was sampled simultaneously with the force plate with a temporal resolution of 250 measurements/s. Five moments during the stance phase were selected on basis of the force plate recording for the analysis of the pressure distribution: heel strike, maximum braking, midstance, maximum propulsion, and push off. At the forelimbs, the vertical ground reaction force was equally distributed between medial and lateral claw. At the hind limbs at heel strike, the force was exerted almost completely to the lateral claw. During the rest of the stance phase the load shifted towards the medial claw, until, at push off, it was more or less equally divided between both claws. The average pressures determined were 50 to 80 N/cm2. Maximum pressures increased from 90 to 110 N/cm2 at heel strike to 180 to 200 N/cm2 at push off. It was concluded that at the hind limb these pressures constitute a major threat to overloading particularly for the softer parts of the lateral claw, e.g., the sole and bulb area.
Political Economy of Presidential Disaster Declarations and Federal Disaster Assistance

Billions of dollars have been transferred to state governments for disaster recovery. Owing to the discretionary authority of the president in these decisions, moral hazard may influence approval of such requests. We test within a model of recursive choice the hypothesis that the sequential executive decisions to grant disaster declarations and the conditional amount of aid allocated are affected by political incentives. We combine expenditure and approval data from FEMA with state-level census and political data for the period 1969 through 2005. After accounting for the severity of flood damage in the state and the ability of the state to recover, an incumbent president is more likely to grant disaster declarations when facing reelection, particularly in states with a larger number of electoral votes and in states with a governor from the same political party as the president. We also find Democratic presidents award more disaster aid than their Republican counterparts.
Groundwater Situation in India: Problems and Perspective

Overexploitation of groundwater and intensive irrigation in major canal commands has posed serious problems for groundwater managers in India. Depletion of water tables, saltwater encroachment, drying of aquifers, groundwater pollution, water logging and salinity, etc. are major consequences of overexploitation and intensive irrigation. It has been reported that in many parts of the country the water table is declining at the rate of 1-2 m/year. At the same time in some canal commands, the water table rise is as high as 1 m/year. Deterioration in groundwater quality by various causes is another serious issue. Increased arsenic content in shallow aquifers of West Bengal reported recently has created panic among the groundwater users. Summed together, all these issues are expected to reduce the fresh water availability for irrigation, domestic and industrial uses. If this trend continues unchecked, India is going to face a major water crisis in the near future. Realizing this, the Government of India has initiated several protective and legislative measures to overcome the groundwater management-related problems but, due to the lack of awareness and political and administrative will, none of the measures has made any significant impact. This paper highlights the critical issues and examines the various schemes related to groundwater development and management.
The Impact of Gaining an NVQ Level 2: Will the Leitch Review Recommendations Address the Low Returns?

The UK government has identified productivity and skills as key drivers of social inclusion and economic growth. Recent policy initiatives, such as Level 2 Entitlement and Train to Gain, have focused on funding and supporting qualifications at Level 2, although this may change following the Leitch Review, which recommended shifting the focus of intermediate skills to Level 3. This study examines the factors that determine income, and assesses the impact of gaining an NVQ Level 2 on the labour market position of individuals. Data from two waves of the British Household Panel Survey are analysed. The study concludes that there is no significant net benefit from gaining an NVQ Level 2. Achievement of the qualification has a slightly positive but statistically insignificant effect on earnings and on whether or not an individual is a manager. Factors such as gender and qualifications at a higher level than NVQ 2, better explain what determines an individual's income. These findings are considered in light of the Leitch Review.
Do economies stall?

A ‘stalling’ economy has been defined as one that experiences a discrete deterioration in economic performance following a decline in its growth rate to below some threshold level. We examine the international evidence for stalling in a panel of 51 economies using two different definitions of a stall threshold (time-invariant and related to lagged average growth rates). We find that the evidence for stalling is limited: only 7–12 of the economies in our sample experience statistically significant stalls at the 5% level based on any one definition.
The REA Modeling Approach to Teaching Accounting Information Systems

The REA model was first conceptualized in a paper for the 1982 The Accounting Review as a framework for building accounting systems in a shared data environment, both within enterprises and between enterprises. The model's core feature was an object pattern consisting of two mirror‐image constellations that represented semantically the input and output components of a business process. The REA acronym derives from that pattern's structure, which consisted of economic Resources, economic Events, and economic Agents. Simultaneous with its research publication, REA began to be used as a framework for teaching accounting information systems (AIS), originally at Michigan State University and then gradually at other colleges and universities. In its extended form, the REA model integrates the teaching of accounting transaction structures, commitment and business policy specification, business process engineering, and enterprise value chain construction. As of 2003, REA modeling is used in a variety of AIS cours.
Expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in rats with hepatic fibrosis.

AIM To investigate the location and expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the liver of normal and experimental hepatic fibrosis in rats. METHODS The rat models of experimental immunity hepatic fibrosis (n=20) were prepared by the means of immunologic attacking with human serum albumin (HSA), and normal rats (n=10) served as control group. Both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization methods were respectively used to detect the TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA and related antigens in liver. The liver tissue was detected to find out the gene expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 with RT-PCR. RESULTS The TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 related antigens in livers of experimental group were expressed in myofibroblasts and fibroblasts (TIMP-1: 482+/-65 vs 60+/-20; TIMP-2: 336+/-48 vs 50+/-19, P<0.001). This was the most obvious in portal area and fibrous septum. The positive signals were located in cytoplasm, not in nucleus. Such distribution and location were confirmed by situ hybridization (TIMP-1/beta-actin: 1.86+/-0.47 vs 0.36+/-0.08; TIMP-2/beta-actin: 1.06+/-0.22 vs 0.36+/-0.08, P<0.001). The expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 was seen in the liver of normal rats, but the expression level was very low. However, the expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the liver of experimental group was obviously high. CONCLUSION In the process of hepatic fibrosis, fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are the major cells that express TIMPs. The more serious the hepatic fibrosis is in the injured liver, the higher the level of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 gene expression.
Cytokine imbalance in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis: the role of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.

OBJECTIVES To summarize the role of cytokine imbalance in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS The literature on cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis from American and European medical journals was reviewed. RESULTS An important role of interleukin (IL)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the mediation of tissue damage in the rheumatoid joint has been well established over the past 10 years. The IL-1 family consists of 2 agonists, IL-1alpha and IL-1beta, and a specific naturally occurring receptor antagonist, IL-1Ra. Both forms of IL-1 induce intracellular responses through binding to the type 1 IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) on target cells. IL-1Ra binds to IL-1R with an avidity equal to that of IL-1 but fails to stimulate the cells, thus functioning as an inhibitor of IL-1 binding. Endogenous production of IL-1Ra is an important anti-inflammatory mechanism both in animal models of disease and in human disease. In the rheumatoid synovium, an imbalance exists in this system, because the relative levels of production of IL-1Ra are not adequate to effectively block the proinflammatory effects of IL-1. Studies in different animal models of inflammatory arthritis indicate that a deficiency of IL-1Ra relative to IL-1 leads to more severe disease and even to the spontaneous development of arthritis as observed in IL-1Ra knockout mice. A restoration of the balance between IL-1Ra and IL-1 in human disease can theoretically be achieved through the administration of recombinant IL-1ra protein, gene therapy with the IL-1Ra complementary DNA, or stimulation of production of endogenous IL-1Ra. CONCLUSIONS An imbalance between proinflammatory cytokines and cytokine antagonists or inhibitors may be one factor predisposing to initiation or perpetuation of rheumatoid synovitis.
Description of outbreaks of health-care-associated infections related to compounding pharmacies, 2000-12.

PURPOSE Outbreaks of health-care-associated infections related to compounding pharmacies from 2000 through 2012 are described. METHODS PubMed and the websites for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration were searched to identify infectious outbreaks associated with compounding pharmacies outside the hospital setting between January 2000 and November 2012. RESULTS Between January 2000 and before the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, 11 outbreaks were identified, involving 207 infected patients and 17 deaths after exposure to contaminated compounded drugs. The 2012 meningitis outbreak had a similar mortality rate but increased these totals almost fivefold. Half of the outbreaks involved patients in more than one state. Three outbreaks involved ophthalmic drugs. The remaining outbreaks involved corticosteroids, heparin flush solutions, cardioplegia solution, i.v. magnesium sulfate, total parenteral nutrition, and fentanyl. The outbreaks were caused by pathogens commonly associated with health-care-associated infections, common skin commensals, and organisms that rarely cause infection. Morbidity was substantial, including vision loss. Half the outbreaks resulted in recall of all sterile drugs from the pharmacy due to systemic problems with sterile procedures. CONCLUSION Before the nationwide 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, drugs produced by compounding pharmacies were associated with 11 other smaller, but equally serious, outbreaks that occurred sporadically over the past 12 years. Lapses in sterile compounding procedures led to contamination of compounded drugs, exposure to patients, and a threat to public health in these outbreaks. Recognition and subsequent public health investigation were usually triggered by the occurrence of illness among multiple patients in a single health care setting.
Pediatric Tumor Cells Express Erythropoietin and a Functional Erythropoietin Receptor that Promotes Angiogenesis and Tumor Cell Survival

Erythropoietin was traditionally considered an erythroid-restricted cytokine, but recent evidence indicates a broader role for it in nonhematopoietic tissues, specifically in neural development. Pediatric solid tumors are mostly developmental in origin, and more than 50% of the solid tumors are neural in origin. We found erythropoietin receptor and erythropoietin expression in common pediatric tumor cells: neuroblastomas, Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors, pediatric brain tumors (medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, and ependymoma), Wilms tumors, rhabdomyosarcomas, and hepatoblastomas (n = 24), and in cell lines derived from some of these tumors (n = 25). Expression of erythropoietin in tumor cell lines was hypoxia-inducible. Addition of exogenous erythropoietin to tumor cell lines expressing erythropoietin receptor increased nuclear DNA binding activity of nuclear factor kappa B and increased the expression of the antiapoptotic genes bcl-1, bcl-xL, and mcl-1. Additionally, exogenous erythropoietin increased production and secretion of angiogenic growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor, or placenta growth factor from the tumor cell lines, which promoted endothelial cell proliferation and chemotaxis. Erythropoietin receptor expression that promotes tumor cell survival and releases angiogenic growth factors in pediatric tumors has not been previously described. Therefore, a careful evaluation of the impact of erythropoietin is warranted in vivo, in xenograft models of pediatric tumors, followed by evaluation in pediatric patients with cancer.
Implementation of Social Choice Functions via Demanding Equilibria

We consider agents who do not have any information about others' preferences. In this situation they attempt to behave such as to maximize their chances to obtain their most preferred alternative. This defines a solution concept for games symmetrical to Barbera and Dutta's protective equilibrium, the demanding equilibrium. Necessary and sufficient conditions for self implementation in demanding equilibria (side) of social choice functions are provided.
Information Extraction for Counter-Terrorism: A Survey

The awareness of terrorism has increased since the event of the September 11 in the U.S. It has focused the spotlight on the absence of information available about terrorism. The fight against terrorism has trigger new effort to find better approaches to intelligence data gathering and analysis. Generally, a major activity in counter-terrorism is the ability to process high-volumes of data using various Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to identify potential threats. Recently, there has been a huge increase in the amount of intelligence-surveillance data literature. However, it so difficult to gain access to relevant data when the data are scattered in different departments and exist in many forms such as phone tap scripts, internet usage logs, emails, seized hard-drive, CCTV video, images, etc. In this paper, a survey is presented on the technical challenges in extracting terrorism data and sets forth several significant approaches to these technical challenges. The performance by each reviewed approaches in counter terrorism and other domains is evaluated. The potential of using Link Grammar (LG) in information processing is also explored.
Does Technology Policy Matter?

Do technology policies matter? Yes, but their effect overwhelmingly depends on the environment in which they operate. Particularly important is whether this environment promotes the broad diffusions of new ideas and the rapid adoptions of new technologies. If it does, policies aimed at encouraging innovation can yield spinnoffs across a broad range of economic activities. Coversely, in an environment characterized by low mobility of human and technological resources, the results of government-sponsored innovation will remain trapped in their originating sector or firm. The key problem for technology policies, therefore, is not that of generating new ideas, but rather of facilitating their widespread use - and this is equally valid for emerging and mature industries. In this sense, it is less important whether a country's firms operate in activites classed as "high-tech", "mid-tech" or "low-tech" than how effective they are in applying technological skills across the full range of their activites. The adequacy of national education and training systems appears to be a particularly important factor in this respect. The analysis is developed by examining three groups of countries.
Evolutionary trajectories in petroleum firm R&D

Tacit knowledge and cumulative learning underlie an evolutionary theory of business firm development and strategy. As one test case of the theory, this study examines firms' applied research and development activities. Evolutionary theory suggests that firms within an industry will tend both to persist and to differ in the amount of effort they devote to various R&D applications. A test of the hypothesis of presistent differences in R&D, using uniquely detailed data from the petroleum industry, provides support for evolutionary theory.
Placement-Based Nonlinearity Reduction Technique for Differential Current-Steering DAC

This paper presents a switching scheme-based placement method to reduce the effect of various sources of nonlinearity arising due to layout routing parasitic in a current-steering digital-to-analog converter (DAC), thereby providing excellent static and dynamic performance. The proposed technique reduces both the individual and the cumulative effect of different nonidealities. Improvement in both the static and the dynamic performance is observed when compared with that provided by conventional common centroid placement. A 10-bit 500-MHz differential current-steering DAC has been designed and evaluated in 65-nm CMOS process as a case study, which provides a ~72-dB spurious-free dynamic range at a 122-Ms/s input frequency.
Laboratory gait analysis in patients with low back pain before and after a pilates intervention.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the influence of pain on vertical ground-reaction force (VGRF) in patients with low back problems and the effect of the Pilates method on the gait of these patients. DESIGN A single-blind randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS 28 individuals assigned to a control group (n = 11) and a low-back group (n = 17), the latter of which was subdivided into a Pilates group (n = 8) and a no-Pilates group (n = 9). INTERVENTION The Pilates group undertook 15 sessions of Pilates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The VGRF parameters were recorded during preferred and faster walking speeds. The data were collected before and after the intervention. RESULTS The weight-acceptance rate and push-off rate were significantly less in the right lower limb of low-back group than of the control group at preferred speed. Improvements were seen in the Pilates group postintervention, with increased middle-support force for the left lower limb at faster walking speed and decreased pain; this did not occur in the no-Pilates group. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that patients with low back pain use strategies to attenuate the amount of force imposed on their body. The Pilates method can improve weight discharge in gait and reduce pain compared with no intervention.