Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Denosumab compared with zoledronic acid for the treatment of bone metastases in patients with advanced breast cancer: a randomized, double-blind study.

PURPOSE This randomized study compared denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody against receptor activator of nuclear factor κ B (RANK) ligand, with zoledronic acid in delaying or preventing skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with breast cancer with bone metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were randomly assigned to receive either subcutaneous denosumab 120 mg and intravenous placebo (n = 1,026) or intravenous zoledronic acid 4 mg adjusted for creatinine clearance and subcutaneous placebo (n = 1,020) every 4 weeks. All patients were strongly recommended to take daily calcium and vitamin D supplements. The primary end point was time to first on-study SRE (defined as pathologic fracture, radiation or surgery to bone, or spinal cord compression). RESULTS Denosumab was superior to zoledronic acid in delaying time to first on-study SRE (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.95; P = .01 superiority) and time to first and subsequent (multiple) on-study SREs (rate ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.89; P = .001). Reduction in bone turnover markers was greater with denosumab. Overall survival, disease progression, and rates of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs were similar between groups. An excess of renal AEs and acute-phase reactions occurred with zoledronic acid; hypocalcemia occurred more frequently with denosumab. Osteonecrosis of the jaw occurred infrequently (2.0%, denosumab; 1.4%, zoledronic acid; P = .39). CONCLUSION Denosumab was superior to zoledronic acid in delaying or preventing SREs in patients with breast cancer metastatic to bone and was generally well tolerated. With the convenience of a subcutaneous injection and no requirement for renal monitoring, denosumab represents a potential treatment option for patients with bone metastases.
Secular Trends of Hospitalization With Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Infection in the United States, 2000–2006

Although the incidence of hospitalizations with infection due to vancomycin-resistant pathogens in the United States remained stable during 2000–2003, it increased from 4.60 to 9.48 hospitalizations per 100,000 population during 2003–2006. Hospitalizations with infection due to vancomycin-resistant pathogens also increased as a proportion of all US hospitalizations, from 3.16 to 6.51 hospitalizations with VRE infection per 10,000 total hospitalizations during 2003–2006. The number of hospitalizations with infection due to vancomycin-resistant pathogens is increasing in the United States. Because infection due to vancomycin-resistant organisms is associated with poor outcomes, the epidemiology of this trend needs further exploration.
Involvement of Histone Phosphorylation in Thymocyte Apoptosis by Protein Phosphatase Inhibitors

Incubation of rat thymocytes with the inhibitors of protein phosphatase such as calyculin A and okadaic acid resulted in an increase in DNA fragmentation. These effects were dependent on the concentration of the inhibitors and the incubation time. Analyses of the fragmented DNA revealed the production of 50 kbp of DNA and a 180 bp DNA ladder. In addition, a laser scanning microscopic analysis showed that these compounds caused nuclear condensation. Thus, these results demonstrated that protein phosphatase inhibitors induced thymocyte apoptosis. The inhibitors of protein phosphatase increased the phosphorylation of proteins of 15 kDa. The phosphorylation of proteins preceded the DNA fragmentation induced by these inhibitors. Judging from acetic acid urea Triton X‐100 gel electrophoresis, the phosphorylated proteins were histone H1 and H2A/H3. Therefore, these results suggest that phosphorylation of histones triggers the DNA fragmentation of thymocytes undergoing apoptosis.
The Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera: Culicidae) in Iran: molecular characterization and recognition of a new species

Abstract Mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis complex were collected in nine provinces of Iran (Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Kohkiluyeh va Boyerahmad, Mazandaran, Tehran, Azarbaijan-e Gharbi and Zanjan) between June 1983 and September 2002. The nuclear rDNA ITS2 sequences of 86 specimens were compared with those of seven species of the complex available in GenBank. Three genetically distinct species of the complex were distinguished: A. maculipennis Meigen, A. sacharovi Favre and a previously unrecognized species. The last species is most similar to, but clearly distinct from, A. martinius Shingarev and A. sacharovi. The taxonomy of A. martinius and A. sacharovi is critically reviewed, and justification is provided for formally recognizing the third species as Anopheles persiensissp.n. The new species is the first culicid to be characterized and named principally on the basis of DNA evidence. Anopheles persiensis was collected only in the northern Caspian Sea littoral provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, and it seems likely that this species could be responsible for malaria transmission in this region that was previously attributed to A. maculipennis. A species-specific RFLP–PCR assay based on ITS2 sequences was developed to facilitate further studies of the three species in Iran.
Epilepsy in the elderly: prognosis

Abstract 251 patients were admitted with seizures after the age of 60 years to the county hospital of Frederiksberg during the period 1979–1983, 163 had not received anti‐epileptic treatment prior to admission, of these 151 had been admitted with their first seizure, 88 had established epilepsy at the time of admission. Of patients not previously treated and observed for at least 12 months, 62% remained seizure‐free throughout the study, while 47% with established epilepsy were seizure‐free. Of those not previously treated, 72% entered remission within the first year with a slight increase during the subsequent years. The first year was crucial in determining the long‐term prognosis. Compared to previous studies on the prognosis of epilepsy it seems that prognosis in the elderly is as good or even better. Measurement of S‐drug‐levels at the time of seizure recurrence suggests that suboptimal treatment and poor compliance are important factors, thus indicating the need for regular control and monitoring of S‐drug‐levels. The presence of paroxysmal activity in the EEG was significantly correlated to seizure recurrence. Thirty‐three patients entered nursing homes during the study period. Deterioration in residence status was correlated to degree of dementia and to the presence of focal neurological signs but not to age or to the severity of epilepsy.
Sleep and Sleep Disorders in Older Adults

Complaints of sleep disturbance increase with age. Objective sleep assessments using polysomnography reveal sleep impairments (increased wakefulness and arousal from sleep; decreased slow wave sleep) even in healthy seniors. Both polysomnographic sleep and subjective sleep worsen in the presence of health impairments related to drug use, pain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, or other emotional disorders. In addition to normal aging and chronic disease, sleep complaints can also result from poor sleep habits, specific occult disorders during sleep, or some combination of these factors. Occult disorders include sleep apnea syndrome, periodic leg movements, and restless legs syndrome during sleep. Diagnosis and treatment of these and other sleep disorders is discussed. Both pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments are considered, with an emphasis on behavioral and educative treatment approaches.
Dexterous micromanipulation supporting cell and tissue engineering

A dexterous micromanipulation system consisting of a two-fingered micro hand, an auto-focusing optical microscope, an image processing system and user interfaces has been developed. The micro hand has 6 DOF: 3 DOF for each of two fingers. These fingers work just like thumb and forefinger. Thus this hand can grasp, move, rotate and release micro objects. A human operator can operate this hand using a joystick or a keyboard, while seeing the microscope image displayed on a TV monitor. The developed system enables automated recognition and handling of micro objects. The microscope focuses on a micro object automatically and detects its position in depth. The image processing system recognizes the object and measures its position on the focal plane. Then, while tracking the micro object in 3D space, the micro hand follows and captures the object automatically. Using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and this micro hand, the mechanical properties of living cells have been measured. A real-time micro VR camera system which generates 3D virtual model of micro environment has been also developed
An efficient point matching algorithm of remote sensing image based on dynamic template

there are some shortages in traditional image matching algorithm based on gray degree, such as a huge quantity of calculation, a little low accuracy, and too many restrictions in application. In order to solve these problems, an optimized Remote Sensing image matching algorithm is introduced in this paper. The main idea includes following several aspects, on the basis of confirming the sub image of target image by understanding prior knowledge of Remote Sensing image, the first step is to search the sub image of target image nonequidistantly with dynamic template, the second step is to locate the target position by two thresholds of gray degree correlation coefficient and conformal transform, the last step is to judge the target position of ground control point not recognized correctly by the spatial location relations of ground control points. Then the work flow is introduced in detail. Moreover, a comparison experiment on traditional and modified image matching algorithm is performed with an ASTER image and a TM image. From the result of experiment, we can conclude that the modified algorithm is superior to the traditional algorithm, it has much higher accuracy and efficiency than the latter, and it should have more adaptability and applicable value. Keywords-Remote Sensing image, Control point matching algorithm, Dynamic template, Non-equidistant searching
Efficient evaluation of the frequency-dependent impedance matrix of full-package structures

The paper deals with the problem of the efficient extraction of the impedance matrix for a complex full-package structure. This result applies to ranges from DC to frequencies for which the skin effect is pronounced but the radiation and other full-wave effects are still negligible. The model identifies the impedance matrix by enforcing a physically consistent behavior to the resistance and reactance of the package in the low and high frequency limits. The identification is made by using only 5 frequency samples of the impedance matrix, which could be either given by measurements or numerical simulations. In this paper we have used a commercial 3D electromagnetic code (FastHenry) to provide the 5 starting points and the reference values to validate the procedure. Benchmark tests and case-studies are carried out, confirming the accuracy of the model.
Steel‐versus‐Concrete Debate Revisited: Global Warming Potential and Embodied Energy Analyses based on Attributional and Consequential Life Cycle Perspectives

In the study of sustainable building materials, the comparison of the life cycle environmental performance of steel and reinforced concrete has been a popular and important topic. Based in Singapore, this is one of the first studies in the literature that applies both attributional and consequential life cycle approaches to compare the global warming potential and embodied energies of these two materials, which are widely used for the structural parts of buildings. It was found that 1 kilogram (kg) of steel can be replaced by 1 or 4.25 kg of reinforced concrete. Two consequential scenarios for each of three combinations of primary and secondary steel were assessed. It was found that reinforced concrete produces less carbon dioxide emissions and incurs less embodied energy in most of these cases, but when different sustainable primary steel‐making technologies were incorporated, these results may be reversed. We applied consequential life cycle assessment and scenario analysis to describe how changes in the demand for structural steel and reinforced concrete in Singapore's building industry give rise to different environmental impacts. Specifically, the consequential life cycle approach revealed that, over the short term, the impact of substituting steel with reinforced concrete depends on the difference in impacts resulting from the transportation of these two materials within Singapore. Based on these lessons, integrated technology policies to improve the overall sustainability of using steel for construction were proposed.
Similarities And Dissimilarities Between The Romanian Public Accounting System And Ipsas 1 – Presentation Of Financial Statements

Nowadays, the accounting harmonization in the public sector has become a key problem in the accounting world. The need for harmonization is generated by the globalization process, both in the private and public sector. This is the reason why the awareness of international bodies for public sector accounting harmonization is significantly raising. The aim of the paper is to compare the information disclosed by the Romanian legal framework to information disclosed by IPSAS 1 – Presentation of Financial Statements, in order to determine the extent to which Romanian laws took the provisions of this standard that is considered by researchers a significant point of modern accounting. The authors try to establish the extent to which the central Romanian regulations have taken the main provisions from IPSAS 1. The purpose is to discover the similarity degree between these two regulations. This study is useful for the authorities empowered to publish regulations because it helps to determine the most important omissions from IPSAS 1 and find the best solutions for improving the future legislation, in order to be as close as possible to IPSAS.
A New Cross-Country Measure of Material Wellbeing and Inequality: Methodology, Construction and Results

This paper advances a new framework for defining a country’s material wellbeing based on the distribution of consumer durables, building on the recent material wellbeing literature that calls for an increased focus on both the level and the distribution of consumption and wealth. Our framework is demonstrated using household-level data from the OECD PISA surveys, from which triennial metrics are constructed consistently for 40 countries since 2000. Comparisons with income-based alternative metrics suggest that our consumption-based measure captures important aspects of material wellbeing at both the micro and the macro level. Differences between the two approaches is shown to be associated with life-cycle smoothing, an important aspect that should be captured in material wellbeing estimates.
L’adaptation en français des critères STOPP/START.v2

IntroductionLes effets indesirables (EI) lies aux medicaments representent actuellement une problematique majeure de sante publique dans la population âgee [1, 2]. Les principaux facteurs de risque des EI sont la polymedication et la prescription medicamenteuse inappropriee [3]. Toutes deux ont des effets negatifs sur la sante et la qualite de vie, et augmentent le risque de iatrogenie et l’utilisation des ressources de sante [4, 5] et ce d’autant plus qu’elles concernent [. ]
Ocular albinism with sensorineural deafness

Ocular albinism (OA) is an inherited disorder characterized by partial or complete absence of pigment in the eyes. Ocular albinism is inherited in two patterns, X‐linked and autosomal pattern. X‐linked OA includes type I OA (Nettership‐Falls type), type II OA (Forsius‐Eriksson type), and OA with late‐onset sensorineural deafness. The other includes type III OA (autosomal recessive OA) and OA with sensorineural deafness. 1 Among the subtypes of ocular albinism, OA with sensorineural deafness has characteristic clinical features: blue eyes, multiple lentigines, and congenital sensorineural deafness. 2 This type of ocular albinism is an inherited autosomal dominant trait 2 and is considered to be very rare. We report a 28‐year‐old female who was diagnosed with OA with sensorineural deafness.
Consumption Smoothing Through Fiscal Policy in OECD and EU Countries

We measure the amount of smoothing achieved through various components of the government deficit in EU and OECD countries. For EU countries, at the 1-year frequency percent of shocks to GDP are smoothed via government consumption, 18 percent via transfers percent via subsidies, while taxes provide no smoothing. The results for OECD countries are similar. Government transfers provide more smoothing of negative than of positive shocks among EU countries. There seems to be no trade-off between high government deficits in a country and the ability to smooth consumption. We find that in countries where there is delegation' of power or where fiscal targets are negotiated effectively by coalition members consumption smoothing via government consumption and government transfers is considerably higher. We interpret this finding as evidence that effective budgetary institutions can accomplish efficient consumption smoothing via government deficit spending and lower average deficits.
The Influence of Social Capital on Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition Behaviour

The role of micro, small and medium enterprises in a developing nation’s economy is indeed significant. An entrepreneur is the lifeline of small enterprises. Opportunity recognition is a central concept in Entrepreneurship literature. Though researchers have tried to explore the influencers of Opportunity Recognition Behaviour, there is no conclusive answer yet. The researchers are interested in understanding the extent of influence of social capital on Opportunity Recognition Behaviour in Indian environment. This study explores individually the three dimensions of social capital and its influence on the five components of Opportunity Recognition Behaviour of an entrepreneur. 117 Indian entrepreneurs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which are engaged in Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services (IT& ITES) and who are members of well known professional organisations, formal or informal business forums are studied to meet the research objectives. The results reveal that the structural dimension of social capital is most important in influencing knowledge acquisition behaviour of opportunity recognition.
Voltage Sensitivity Analysis of a Laboratory Distribution Grid With Incomplete Data

New voltage control algorithms are necessary to cope with the increasing amount of distributed generation and electric vehicles in distribution networks. Many of the newly proposed voltage control algorithms are based on linearized dependencies between the voltage magnitude, and the active and reactive power consumption. These linearized dependencies are normally obtained by algorithms, which rely on accurate grid topology information. Due to the traditionally passive operation of low voltage (LV) distribution networks, this information is typically missing, incomplete, or inaccurate. Therefore, this paper introduces a method to extract these linear dependencies based on historical smart meter data only. No information about the grid topology is required. The model adapts to the changing load conditions in the network. The algorithm has a low complexity and is applied to an unbalanced LV distribution network. Data of a practical laboratory setup is used to validate the proposed method in real-life conditions. With the obtained voltage sensitivity factors a voltage management strategy was implemented for the laboratory grid.
Swissfire: die neue schweizerische Waldbranddatenbank

Fire is a spatially heterogeneous and irregularly occurring phenomenon. Forest fire statistics extending over decades are needed in order to describe comprehensively the fire regime in a given region, to improve preventive measures and to optimize fire-fighting strategies. On commission by the Federal Office for the Environment the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL developed in 2008 the forest fire database Swissfire for the whole of Switzerland. The purpose of Swissfire is to register systematically, centrally and without gaps all data concerning forest fires in Switzerland, according to a standardized protocol. Information on fire outbreaks is organized in various tables reporting fire-specific parameters and other relevant environmental, socioeconomical and organizational characteristics. This database makes it possible for the 26 cantonal forest services to register and manage forest fire data online, and also to produce forest fire statistics and printable charts. Such a comprehensive forest fire database represents a great potential for future research on forest fires in Switzerland.
Comparison of preservation media for storage of stool samples

Transportation of clinical samples and long-term recoverability of pathogens are critical to epidemiological studies, particularly when conditions do not permit immediate processing. This study confirms that Cary-Blair medium (CB) is suitable for the preservation of Salmonella and Shigella isolates for more than 2 weeks at 25, 4, or -70 degrees C. Campylobacter jejuni was not recovered after 2 days of storage in CB at 25 degrees C when an inoculum of 12 x 10(8) cells per ml was used. Lower temperatures supported the recovery of this organism for 6 days. When individual pathogens were preserved with stools in CB and incubated at 25, 4, or -70 degrees C, the Salmonella and Shigella concentrations dropped from 12 x 10(8) cells to 1 x 10(3) or 1 x 10(4) cells per ml within 2 days and then remained stable for the rest of the observation period (15 days). C. jejuni survived preservation with stools for 5 to 9 days. The addition of blood and glycerol to CB improved the recoverability of all enteropathogens, particularly C. jejuni, which was consistently detected for 7 to 9 days at the different preservation temperatures used. When trypticase soy broth-glycerol (freezing medium), with or without blood, was used, there was little or no decrease in the Salmonella and Shigella concentrations during 2 weeks of preservation with stools at -70 degrees C. C. jejuni demonstrated a relatively sustained high concentration in Trypticase soy broth-glycerol with 5% blood. The use of defibrinated, laked sheep blood as a long-term freezing medium supported the recovery of low concentrations of Salmonella and Shigella spp. (10(2) to 10(3) cells per ml) for more than 14 weeks. Recovery of C. jejuni was consistent for 7 weeks when an initial concentration of 10(6) cells per ml present in stools. Laked blood provided a simple, sterile, and inexpensive medium for the preservation of individual isolates and clinical samples.
Mining Heterogeneous Multidimensional Sequential Patterns

All domains of science and technology produce large and heterogeneous data. Although much work has been done in this area, mining such data is still a challenge. No previous research targets the mining of heterogeneous multidimensional sequential data. In this work, we present a new approach to extract heterogeneous multidimensional sequential patterns with different levels of granularity by relying on external taxonomies. We show the efficiency and interest of our approach with the analysis of trajectories of care for colorectal cancer using data from the French casemix information system.