Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in smoking and lung cancer mortality in Japan, by birth cohort, 1949-2010.

OBJECTIVE To determine smoking trends in Japan in comparison with lung cancer mortality. METHODS Age-specific smoking prevalence among cohorts born between 1897 and 1985 were determined for the period 1949-2010. The percentages of the cohorts born between 1893 and 1979 who initiated smoking early (e.g. before the age of 20 years) were determined. The results were compared against lung cancer mortality rates in people aged 40-84 years belonging to cohorts born between 1868 and 1968. FINDINGS In males, smoking prevalence was generally high, particularly among those born before the late 1950s, and early initiation was fairly uncommon. Early initiation was most common among recent birth cohorts of males, who showed relatively low prevalences of smoking. In females, the prevalence of smoking was generally low and early initiation was very uncommon, particularly among those born in the late 1930s and before the late 1940s, respectively. Recent cohorts of females showed relatively high prevalences of smoking and relatively high percentages of early initiation. In both sexes, lung cancer mortality was generally low but increased over the study period. CONCLUSION Lung cancer mortality in Japanese males was relatively low given the high prevalence of smoking, perhaps because early initiation was fairly uncommon. Over the last four decades, however, early initiation of smoking has become more common in both sexes. The adverse effect this is likely to have on lung cancer mortality rates has probably not been observed because of the long time lag between smoking initiation and death from lung cancer.
Secondary bladder cancer after anticancer therapy for prostate cancer: reduced comorbidity after androgen-deprivation therapy

Radiotherapy for prostate cancer is associated with an increased incidence of secondary bladder cancer (BC). We investigated the incidence, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognosis of BC after radiotherapy, surgical therapy, and primary androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer. This study included 1,334 Japanese patients with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy (n=631), surgical therapy (n=437), and primary ADT (n=266). During the median follow-up period of 51.2, 44.8, and 45.5 months, secondary BC occurred in 14 (2.2%), 5 (1.1%), and 0 (0%) of patients with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy, surgical therapy, and primary ADT, respectively. The 10-year BC-free survival rate was 91.3% in the radiotherapy group, 97.4% in the surgical therapy group, and 100% in the primary ADT group. The rates of intravesical recurrence, progression to muscle-invasive BC, and BC-specific death might be higher in secondary BC after radiotherapy compared with after surgical therapy. There was a significant difference in the incidence of secondary BC among different therapeutic modalities for prostate cancer in Japanese men, indicating significantly lower comorbidity rates of secondary BC after primary ADT for prostate cancer compared with radiotherapy.
Recruitment and training for home hemodialysis: experience and lessons from the Nocturnal Dialysis Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES We assessed perceived barriers and incentives to home hemodialysis and evaluated potential correlates with the duration of home hemodialysis training. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Surveys were sent to the principal investigator and study coordinator for each clinical center in the Frequent Hemodialysis Network Nocturnal Trial. Baseline data were obtained on medical comorbidities, cognitive and physical functioning, sessions required for home hemodialysis training, and costs of home renovations. RESULTS The most commonly perceived barriers included lack of patient motivation, unwillingness to change from in-center modality, and fear of self-cannulation. The most common incentives were greater scheduling flexibility and reduced travel time. The median costs for home renovations varied between $1191 and $4018. The mean number of home hemodialysis training sessions was 27.7 +/- 10.4 (11-59 days). Average training time was less for patients with experience in either self-care or both self-care and cannulation. The number of training sessions was unrelated to the score on the Modified Mini Mental Status or Trailmaking B tests or patient's education level. Training time also did not correlate with the SF-36 Physical Function subscale but did with the modified Charlson comorbidity score and older patient age. CONCLUSIONS Lack of patient or family motivation and fear of the dialysis process are surmountable barriers for accepting home hemodialysis as a modality for renal replacement therapy. Formal education and scores on cognitive function tests are not predictors of training time.
Time‐dependent effects of theophylline on myocardial reactive hyperaemias in the anaesthetized dog

1 The effects of a loading dose of theophylline (5 mg kg−1 i.v.) on the hyperaemias resulting from short‐term (15 and 30 s) interruptions in coronary blood flow and intracoronary adenosine were studied at given intervals over a 2 h period in the anaesthetized dog. 2 These hyperaemic responses were affected differently by theophylline and each effect was time‐dependent. The reactive hyperaemic response progressively decreased after drug delivery, reaching 46% of control at 2 h. In contrast, after a maximal attenuation to 23% of control 5 min after theophylline, the hyperaemia resulting from intracoronary adenosine progressively increased over the same period, reaching 64% of control 2 h after the loading dose. 3 Two‐compartment model results based on plasma theophylline measurements and the time course of theophylline accumulation in pericardial infusates, suggested that complete drug distribution throughout the heart may require at least 20 min following a single intravenous dose. 4 If it is assumed that theophylline blocks coronary vascular adenosine receptors, these pharmacokinetics are consistent with the time‐dependent pattern of response attenuation we observed for the adenosine‐induced hyperaemias, but they cannot entirely explain the pattern of response attenuation observed for the occlusion‐induced hyperaemias. The continued increase in attenuation of this response after complete drug distribution suggests an additional pharmacodynamic action of theophylline. 5 We conclude that a single therapeutic dose of theophylline results in distinct time‐dependent pharmacological effects with respect to the ability of the coronary vasculature to dilate in response to temporary interruptions in oxygen supply and in response to exogenously administered adenosine. These effects deserve consideration in both experimental studies in which adenosine antagonists are used to assess adenosine action in vivo, and in clinical practice where theophylline pharmacotherapy for pulmonary disorders is commonplace.
Artichoke Leaf Extract Inhibits AKR1B1 and Reduces NF‐κB Activity in Human Leukemic Cells

The human intracellular enzyme AKR1B1 belongs to the aldo‐keto reductase superfamily. The AKR1B1‐catalyzed reduction of aldehydes is part of the intracellular inflammatory pathway leading to the activation of NF‐κB and the expression of pro‐inflammatory genes. The present study is aimed at determining the inhibition of AKR1B1 brought about by an extract of artichoke leaves (bracts), and the effects of this extract and three participating compounds on the expression of AKR1B1, COX‐2, and MMP‐2 proteins in THP‐1 cells. It seeks to identify the ability of the test substances to modulate the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced activation of NF‐κB in cells and the intracellular oxidant effect of test substances after incubation with LPS. Low concentrations of the extract inhibit the enzyme AKR1B1. After stimulation by LPS, the extract attenuated the activity of NF‐κB in THP‐1 cells, but no changes in the expression of AKR1B1 were recorded. The extract diminished the expression of the inflammation‐related enzymes COX‐2 and MMP‐2, probably by inhibiting the activity of NF‐κB. The extract significantly diminished the intracellular reactive oxygen species after a brief LPS incubation, which may also have reduced intracellular inflammation. The diminished activity of NF‐κB in the cells could be linked to the inhibition of the activity of AKR1B1. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Real-Time Quality Control and Infilling of Precipitation Data Using Neural Networks

Abstract. Due to advancements in instrumentation and communication technologies, monitoring of water infrastructure is experiencing a significant growth worldwide and water managers are increasingly deploying monitoring equipment for decision-making purposes. Hydrological events and relevant datasets including rainfall data are of a complex nature and are potentially susceptible to errors from various sources. Hence, it is essential to develop efficient methods for the quality control of the acquired data. The present work introduces an artificial neural network-based approach for real-time quality control and infilling of rain gauge data. Available rainfall measurements from neighboring rain gauges are employed to train and develop the neural network model. Trained artificial neural network model was able to validate up to about 97% of the data using 95% confidence intervals. This finding suggests that artificial neural networks can be successfully implemented for erroneous data identification/correction and reconstruction of missing data points. Given its short processing time and reportedly superior performance to traditional quality control strategies, neural network methodology can be deployed as an efficient tool for the processing and control of large sets of timeseries with complex natures including precipitation data.
DECENTRALIZATION OF GOVERNANCE: A SYNTHESIS OF EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

Decentralization whereby local governments are empowered to make all policy and program decisions on behalf of their resident-voters represents a complex system of political, administrative and fiscal autonomy and associated accountability mechanisms to ensure responsiveness and accountability to voters. The purpose of this study is to determine the social conditions, benefits and privileges and the extent of performance along the legislative agenda undertaken in the area of: revenue raising, environmental protection, minimum basic needs, disadvantaged sector, peace and order, agriculture and fisheries and Livelihood program by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) members of the 14 barangay, in the municipality of Anahawan, province of Southern Leyte. This research utilized descriptive survey method. The findings reveal that the performance of the SK was very good as per assessed by the barangay elected officials and the identified representative of the locality.
A Sub-1V CMOS 2.5Gb/s Serial Link Transceiver Using 2X Oversampling

This paper presents the design of a 2.5Gb/s serial link transceiver with a power consumption of 70mW. With IV supply voltage, the transceiver achieves the bit error rate of 10-14. A supply regulated PLL is shared by the transmitter and the receiver to facilitate the low-power and low-voltage design. The output jitter of the transmitter is 53.9ps peak-to-peak and the chip area is approximately 0.54 mm2
Control of the superheated steam temperature: A comparison study between PID and fractional order PID controller

Fractional order PID (FOPID) controller has two more parameters than PID controller: integral order λ and differential order μ, and this enhances difficulty to parameters tuning. In this paper, FOPID controller and PID controller are designed by using improved particle swarm optimization algorithm and they are applied to the cascade double loop control system of superheated steam temperature. For integer order object, the optimization results show that FOPID controller is close to PID controller and simulation results show that the cascade double loop control system of FOPID controller has a slight advantage in disturbance rejection ability and robustness and have the same control effect in tracking.
Perceptions of drinking water quality from private wells in Alberta: A qualitative study

Abstract Water wells are important in providing water for rural populations that are far removed from municipal water supplies. Over 400,000 rural Albertans use water wells for domestic purposes. The responsibility of well water management lies with well owners. Perceptions of well water quality become important in influencing the adoption of well water management practices such as testing, treatment, and well maintenance. This study sought to understand perceptions of well water quality among rural Albertans living on acreages and farms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with well owners. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Overall, well water owners were satisfied with the organoleptic properties of their well water. Activities perceived as a hazard to well water contamination were mainly agricultural or oil and gas related. Most well water owners reported using some form of mitigation strategy. Well water owners reported knowledge of well water contamination events and the main illnesses associated with well water contamination were gastrointestinal illnesses. Perceptions of well water quality were influenced by several factors. Identification of these factors is useful in the development of well stewardship policy and could help inform well stewardship programs in the province.
Dietary Methyl Deficiency, microRNA Expression and Susceptibility to Liver Carcinogenesis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small 21–25 nucleotide-long non-coding RNAs that have emerged as key negative post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression [1, 2]. Currently there are more than 700 mammalian miRNAs that can potentially target up to one-third of protein-coding human genes [1] involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes, including cancer [3, 4]. Indeed, aberrant levels of miRNAs have been reported in all major human malignancies [5, 6]. In tumors, altered expression of miRNAs has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor suppressor genes or inappropriately activate oncogenes and has been associated with every aspect of tumor biology, including tumor progression, invasiveness, metastasis, and acquisition of resistance by malignant cells to chemotherapeutic agents [3, 4, 7, 8]. These observations lead to the suggestion that aberrant expression of miRNAs may contribute to tumorigenesis [9]. However, most of the tumor-miRNA-related studies are based on expression analysis of miRNAs in tumors in comparison with corresponding adjacent normal tissues [4–6]. The altered expression of any given miRNA in neoplastic cells is not sufficient to address conclusively the role of these changes in tumorigenesis [10]. Additionally, despite the established biological significance of miRNA dysregulation in neoplastic cells, there is a lack of knowledge on the role of miRNAs during early stages of tumor development, especially if variations in the expression of specific miRNAs are associated with differences in the susceptibility to tumorigenesis.
Multiple Myeloma in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Myasthenia Gravis and Non-Familial Diffuse Palmoplantar Keratoderma

The coexistence of autoimmune diseases and malignancies including lymphoproliferative diseases is often reported in the literature. Here we report an unusual case with two autoimmune diseases--myasthenia gravis (MG) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with unique palmoplantar keratoderma (PK) which preceded the development of multiple myeloma (MM) for twenty and seven years respectively. MG associated with non-malignant thymoma developed in 1981 and was successfully treated with thymectomy and physostigmine. Thirteen years later SLE was diagnosed and until now it is also accompanied by skin lesions corresponding to non-familial, diffuse palmoplantar keratoderma which is resistant to treatment. In 2001 the patient revealed inguinal and abdominal lymphadenopathy first diagnosed as extramedullary plasmacytoma and then as multiple myeloma on the basis of bone marrow infiltration and monoclonal gammopathy. Therapy with VAD regimen achieved complete remission of the MM and significant improvement of the skin changes lasting for six months. We failed to collect sufficient numbers of CD 34+ cells for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Now the malignancy is in partial remission after CHOP therapy and the skin lesions have returned to their initial status. To our knowledge, this is the first case to be reported with coexistence of these four diseases.
Russian Nationalist Movement Restructuring in Light of the Ukrainian Events Which Took Place in 2013-14

The events in Ukraine in 2013-2014 attracted the Russian society’s attention and affected the Russian political agenda. One of the most affected sectors of the Russian domestic policy was Russian nationalist organizations. The issue of radical nationalism has become essential for European countries and for Russia in particular. But this object is rather difficult to be empirical studied. This paper provides such a study based on some methodical ideas. One of the ideas was to combine qualitative and quantitive sociological methods. As the result of applying such a quantitive method as Latent Class Analysis, it was argued that Russian nationalist movement undergone a profound crisis because of the Ukrainian events and was split alike Russian society was. Then, the article provides the arguments of those nationalist organizations which position contradicted the predominating Russian public opinion on the Ukrainian issue. These arguments were gained by means of interviews with the organizations representatives.
Random derivative-free algorithm for solving unconstrained or bound constrained continuously differentiable non-linear problems

Derivative-free optimization is an area of long history which has so many applications in different fields. It has lately received considerable attention within the engineering community. This paper describes a random derivative-free algorithm for solving unconstrained or bound constrained continuously differentiable non-linear problems. This method is a combination of particle swarm and directional direct search algorithms. The key difference in direct search methods is in the way of generating positive bases. At first glance, a simple way of generating positive bases has been introduced for solving continuously differentiable problems. Then, it has been shown that using the particle swarm algorithm with a direct search algorithm can solve non-linear optimization problems efficiently. Some standard examples have been presented to demonstrate the ability and effectiveness of this approach.
A Method for Calculating Iron Loss of a Switched Reluctance Motor Based on Reluctance Network Analysis

This paper presents a method for calculating iron loss of a switched reluctance (SR) motor based on a reluctance network analysis (RNA). The RNA model of the SR motor consists of a multiple number of nonlinear reluctances and magnetic inductances which express magnetic hysteresis. The RNA model is combined with a motor drive circuit and motion calculation circuits in a general purpose circuit simulator "SPICE. " By using the electromagnetic and motion coupled analysis model, dynamic characteristics including the iron loss can be calculated quickly and accurately. The validity of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing with measured values.
Adaptive one-way and two-way relaying for MIMO relay networks

This paper proposes a modified full-duplex one-way (FD-OW) relaying and discusses an adaptive relaying based on modified FD-OW relaying and half-duplex two-way (HD-TW) relaying. The modified FD-OW relaying applies cooperative relaying scheme to conventional FD-OW relaying to achieve diversity gain. The optimal relaying transformation matrices that maximize the capacity for each relaying scheme are derived to estimate the ability of adaptive relaying. The result of performance evaluation demonstrates the ability of adaptive relaying to improve the outage capacity.
Relating Personal, Firm-based and Environmental Factors to the Monetary and Temporal Engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility in German Gazelles

Abstract Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to voluntary actions of firms to address the needs of societal stakeholders. Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) are important agents of CSR, and information about the antecedents to their engagement in CSR activities is needed to inform practitioners, researchers and policy makers. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relative impact of personal, firm-based and environmental factors on the monetary and temporal engagement in CSR activities of these firms. Based on a quantitative analysis of 62 rapidly growing owner-managed small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany, we found that the personal involvement of the entrepreneur and slack resources contribute about equally to the monetary and temporal engagement in CSR, while market-based factors only seem to have a small influence. Also, we find that monetary spending is related to firm profits, while the time spent on CSR is related to its number of employees.
European Union Agricultural Policy and Practice: The New Challenge of Climate Change

Climate change has been identified as a new challenge for EU agricultural policy which must be addressed as a matter of priority. The importance of climate-friendly agricultural practices in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions already receives some recognition under the current legislative framework; and the proposed regulations for the period 2014–2020, issued in October 2011, indicate that this importance will be considerably enhanced. Such practices will be examined with specific reference to: cross-compliance obligations attached to direct payments to farmers (under Pillar I of the CAP); more targeted rural development measures (under Pillar II of the CAP); and sustainability criteria in respect of feedstock for biofuels and bioliquids, as laid down by the Renewable Energy Directive. In addition, the article will consider two broader issues which each present an obstacle to any regulation in this area. The first issue is the inherent difficulty in creating a regime that is sensitive to the complexities and uncertainties which pervade the climate change debate, yet, at the same time, can be effective in practice. A second issue is the further inherent difficulty of finding in this context the appropriate balance between measures implemented under respectively Pillar I and Pillar II of the CAP, both Pillars having their apparent strengths and weaknesses.