Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase I study of bevacizumab, sorafenib, and low-dose cyclophosphamide (CYC) in children and young adults with refractory solid tumors.

9500 Background: Angiogenesis is necessary for tumor growth, metastasis, and survival. Endothelial cells and pericytes, key cellular components of blood vessels, are primarily regulated by VEGF and PDGF signaling. We therefore performed a phase I trial to determine the feasibility and toxicity profile of agents combined to inhibit angiogenesis by targeting PDGFR-β and VEGFR2 with sorafenib, VEGF with bevacizumab, and endothelial cells with continuous low-dose CYC. METHODS Cohorts of 3-6 eligible patients with recurrent solid tumors received CYC and escalating dosages of sorafenib and then of bevacizumab (see table). Each course of therapy was 21 days. We used standard physical exams and laboratory tests to assess toxicities. RESULTS 19 patients (11 males; median age, 9.2 years) received a median of 4 courses (range, 1-23). The table summarizes dose levels explored and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) in course 1. With additional 71 courses of therapy, the most common nonhematologic toxicities ≥ grade 3 included rashes (5) and febrile neutropenia (2). Predominant hematologic toxicities were neutropenia and lymphopenia. Five of 17 evaluable patients had partial tumor responses (2 rhabdoid, 1 rhabdomyosarcoma, 1 medulloblastoma, 1 synovial sarcoma), and 9 had disease stabilization. First-dose pharmacokinetics results from 14 patients follow. The median (range) apparent CYC clearance was 2.03 L/hr/m2 (1.8-2.1 L/hr/m2), and the absorption rate constant was 0.12 hr-1 (0.08-0.23 hr-1). Sorafenib at 90 and 110 mg/m2yielded the following respective median (range) values: Cmax, 1.1 (0.37-2.4) and 1.6 (0.91-2.4) mg/L; Tmax, 8.5 (3.9-17.5) and 10.7 (8.2-14.1) h; AUC (0-12h), 10.4 (2.6-23.0) and 13.6 (8.0-20.4) mg*h/L. CONCLUSIONS The recommended phase II doses are sorafenib, 90 mg/m2/dose BID; bevacizumab, 15 mg/kg q3 weeks; and CYC, 50 mg/m2 once daily. This regimen is feasible with promising evidence of anti-tumor activity that warrants further investigation. [Table: see text].
The work-life interface: a critical factor between work stressors and job satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore job satisfaction, and how the work-life interface might affect job satisfaction, among residential aged care staff. The statistical package PROCESS was used to analyse the impacts of workplace stressors (poor safety climate, poor relationships with colleagues and poor relationships with management) and potential mediating variables that measured aspects of the work-life interface, specifically work-family conflict (WFC) and work-life balance. Design/methodology/approach This survey research was carried out through distribution of a paper-based questionnaire to approximately 800 permanent, fixed term and casual employees working in residential aged care. All job roles, including both direct care and support staff, were represented in the sample. Findings WFC and work-life balance act serially to mediate the relationships between workplace stressors and job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Study participants were restricted to residential aged care facilities in the metropolitan Melbourne area, Australia, limiting generalisability of the findings. Practical implications The work-life interface is a legitimate concern for human resources managers. Implications include need for greater understanding of the contribution of work-life fit to job satisfaction. Interventions to improve job satisfaction should take into account how workplace stressors affect the work-life interface, as well as job-related outcomes. Enhanced work-life fit should improve job-related outcomes. Originality/value This paper explores the potential mediating roles of WFC and work-life balance on job satisfaction and demonstrates a pathway through which the work-life interface affects job satisfaction for workers in residential aged care.
The Risks of Amplified Music for Disc-Jockeys Working in Nightclubs

Objectives: Here, we evaluate the risks of amplified music for disc-jockeys (DJs) working in nightclubs. Design: Sound level measurements were performed within the DJ mixing booths. A questionnaire was used to obtain exposure to noise and length of time in the profession. Audiograms and tinnitus pitch matching was also performed. Results: The DJs' audiograms showed the expected noise-induced hearing loss at 6 KHz, but also low frequency losses at 125–500 Hz. Three quarters of them have tinnitus with a frequency corresponding to hearing loss. Conclusions: This study highlights the risk of amplified music on hearing and tinnitus.
Information sharing and collaboration for critical infrastructure resilience - a comprehensive review on barriers and emerging capabilities

Among authors, researchers and governmental agencies, information sharing and collaboration have been recognised as a critical part for improving crisis response effectiveness and efficiency, since no single organisation has all the necessary resources, possesses all the relevant information or owns expertise to cope with all types of extreme events. This work presents a review study on general issues and barriers to information sharing and collaboration during CI crisis response. Emerging concepts and capabilities that are promising for making an improvement in the field, such as NEO, SOA and SOA-based NEO, are also presented and discussed. Possible contribution to CI protection and resilience (CIP/R) is discussed concerning the importance of matching organisational structure characteristics, technological capabilities and sociological influence. The needs and opportunities for future research are also highlighted, emphasising the need for a comprehensive framework of analysis and deployment.
Morphology of the skull of the white‐nosed blindsnake, Liotyphlops albirostris (Scolecophidia: Anomalepididae)

This article presents a detailed description and illustration of the skull of Liotyphlops albirostris in comparison to the skulls of Typhlophis squamosus, Leptotyphlops dulcis, and Typhlops jamaicensis, based on high‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography (HRXCT). The skull of T. squamosus is illustrated and discussed in detail for the first time. A number of uniquely shared derived characters is identified that support the monophyly of the clade Anomalepididae. Anomalepidids retain some features that are plesiomorphic relative to other scolecophidians, such as the presence of a supratemporal (except in Anomalepis) and ectopterygoid. The homology of the element located posteroventral to the eyeball in anomalepidids and variably referred to as a jugal or postorbital (or a fusion of both in Anomalepis) remains unknown. Scolecophidians exhibit a highly derived skull morphology adapted to head‐first burrowing. Both anomalepidids and typhlopids evolved a condition known as an “outer shell design,” but did so in different ways. Leptotyphlopids combine elements of both the anomalepidid and typhlopid snout morphologies. J. Morphol. , 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Intrinsic Vasculature of Developing Vertebral End Plates and Its Nutritive Significance to the Intervertebral Discs

Summary: The structure and anatomical relationships of cartilage canals in the developing vertebral endplates of rabbits and humans are described in this study. In newborn rabbits, we observed a similar morphology and topologic arrangement to that in human fetal spines. Each vascular organ consisted of an arteriole, a glomerular tuft of sinusoidal capillaries, recurrent venules, and supporting loose connective tissue. Because the canals terminate adjacent to the intervertebral discs, they may provide an important source of nutrition to the disc during development when it is sandwiched between two layers of thick hyaline cartilage and contains no intrinsic vascular supply
Use of quantitative pharmacology tools to improve malaria treatments

ABSTRACT The use of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) data to inform antimalarial treatment regimens has accelerated in the past few decades, due in no small part to the stimulus provided by progressive development of parasite resistance to most of the currently available drugs. An understanding of the disposition, interactions, efficacy and toxicity of the mainstay of contemporary antimalarial treatment, artemisinin combination therapy (ACT), has been facilitated by PK/PD studies which have been used to refine treatment regimens across the spectrum of disease, especially in special groups including young children and pregnant women. The present review highlights recent clinically-important examples of the ways in which these quantitative pharmacology tools have been applied to improve ACT, as well as 8-aminoquinoline use and the characterisation of novel antimalarial therapies such as the spiroindolones.
Unified pitch markers generation method for pitch and duration modification

This paper proposes a modified pitch markers generation method that can be used for both pitch and duration modification. Except for changing some input parameters, the method remains common for both. The original pitch markers, modification and scaling factors are the input to the method. The modified pitch markers will be the output, generated according to the given modification and scaling factors. Thus providing simplified and modular approach for pitch and duration modification. The proposed method is illustrated for both static and dynamic pitch and duration modification cases. The experimental results indicate that the method can be used without any modification and with equal ease in both the cases.
Ceramide Induces Cytochrome c Release from Isolated Mitochondria

In the present study we show thatN-acetylsphingosine (C2-ceramide),N-hexanoylsphingosine (C6-ceramide), and, to a much lesser extent, C2-dihydroceramide induce cytochromec (cyto c) release from isolated rat liver mitochondria. Ceramide-induced cyto c release is prevented by preincubation of mitochondria with a low concentration (40 nm) of Bcl-2. The release takes place when cytoc is oxidized but not when it is reduced. Upon cytoc loss, mitochondrial oxygen consumption, mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨ), and Ca2+ retention are diminished. Incubation with Bcl-2 prevents, and addition of cytoc reverses the alteration of these mitochondrial functions. In ATP-energized mitochondria, ceramides do not alter ΔΨ, neither when cyto c is oxidized nor when it is reduced, ruling out a nonspecific disturbance by ceramides of mitochondrial membrane integrity. Furthermore, ceramides decrease the reducibility of cytoc. We conclude that the apoptogenic properties of ceramides are in part mediated via their interaction with mitochondrial cytoc followed by its release and that the redox state of cytoc influences its detachment by ceramide from the inner mitochondrial membrane.
The effect of local and global linkages on the innovativeness in ICT SMEs: does location-specific context matter?

Abstract Countries differ significantly with regard to the location-specific contexts in which they are embedded. The aim of this paper is to extend the discussion on the effects of local and global innovation collaborations on the degree of novelty of innovation by considering this context. Our main question is: Does embeddedness in the developed or emerging country context affect the likelihood of benefiting from local or global linkages for innovations with higher novelty? The paper is based on data gathered through a survey of firms in the ICT sector in an emerging economy (India) context and from two Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Norway). The findings of this study show that global linkages do indeed impact the degree of novelty of innovation. However, country context does have a moderating effect. While the effect of global linkages is highly positive on the innovativeness of Scandinavian firms, for the Indian SMEs, the linkages that give novel innovations are the regional ones.
The risk of coronary heart disease in men with androgenetic alopecia

The meaningful association of androgenetic alopecia and coronary heart disease has been well documented, but few studies have focused on the importance of lipid parameters, such as total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, low density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein Al and apolipoprotein B in patients with androgenetic alopecia.
A metaanalysis of severe upper gastrointestinal complications of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

OBJECTIVE Prior metaanalyses of the risk of upper gastrointestinal (GI) complications associated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) have focused on the published English language epidemiologic literature and/or only a portion of the relevant evidence, restrictions that are now known to be associated with bias in metaanalysis. We synthesized the published and unpublished evidence to determine the least biased estimates of the risks of perforations, ulcers, and bleeds (PUB) associated with NSAID use from all study designs and all languages. METHODS DATA SOURCES Using MEDLINE, EMBASE, HEALTHSTAR, and BIOSIS, we searched for English and non-English language studies of NSAID from 1966-1998 reporting primary data on GI complications. We obtained unpublished data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new drug application (NDA) reviews. NDA were hand searched to identify unpublished studies with inclusion criteria identical to those used for published reports. STUDY SELECTION Studies had to assess the use of oral NSAID for more than 4 days duration in subjects > 18 years of age and report on the clinically relevant upper GI outcomes of PUB. RESULTS Two reviewers evaluated 4881 published titles and identified 13 NSAID versus placebo randomized clinical trials and 3 previously unpublished FDA placebo controlled randomized controlled trials, 9 cohort studies, and 23 case control studies sufficiently clinically homogeneous to pool. Two reviewers extracted data about study characteristics and study quality. DATA SYNTHESIS The majority of clinical trials were of good quality, but observational studies had methodologic limitations. The pooled odds ratio (OR) from 16 NSAID versus placebo clinical trials, comprising 4431 patients, was 5.36 (95% CI: 1.79, 16.1). The pooled relative risk of PUB from 9 cohort studies comprising over 750,000 person-years of exposure was 2.7 (95% CI: 2.1, 3.5). The pooled OR of PUB from 23 case control studies using age and sex matching, representing 25,732 patients, was 3.0 (95% CI: 2.5, 3.7). Data were insufficient to justify subgroup analyses stratified by age, comorbid conditions, drug, or dose. CONCLUSION These data support an association between the use of NSAID and serious upper GI complications, including estimates from different study designs. Prior pooled estimates about the effect of patient and drug variables on increased risk must be viewed with caution.
Mediastinal bronchogenic cyst presenting with dysphagia and back pain

The presentation of the bronchogenic cyst is variable, making pre-operative diagnosis difficult. Majority of them are either asymptomatic or discovered incidentally. The most common presenting symptoms are cough, fever and dyspnea. We discuss the case of a large bronchogenic cyst in the posterior mediastinum causing oesophageal compression and impinging on the left atrium. The patient presented with dysphagia and back pain and was extensively investigated by various physicians before being diagnosed as having bronchogenic cyst. We concluded that the backache was due to stretching of nerves in the parietal pleura. This case demonstrates the need for detailed investigations prior to treatment of patients with such symptom complex as a bronchogenic cyst may be the cause of such symptoms.
A Novel Platinum-based Compound with Preferential Cytotoxic Activity against a Panel of Cancer Cell Lines

PURPOSE Cisplatin as a platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapeutic compound is commonly applied for the treatment of several types of cancer. Nonetheless, drug resistance and severe adverse effects have been observed upon using cisplatin. Here, we have explored the cytotoxicity of novel Pt-based compounds on several cancer cell lines. METHODS Five synthetic Pt compounds as well as cisplatin were investigated by XTT assay to determine their cytotoxicity against cell lines originated from prostate, ovary, and breast cancers at different time periods at various concentrations. Additionally, the apoptosis rate in cell lines was determined using flow cytometry. Binding to DNA was investigated through spectrophotometric and viscometric studies. RESULTS With the exception of one compound, all of the Pt-complexes effectively killed the prostate cancer cell lines (i.e. PC-3 and DU 145). One compound, [Pt(2,2'- dipyridylamine)Cl4]. DMF, was chosen as the most potent compound due to its high selective cytotoxic activity and its cytotoxicity was further tested and compared with that of cisplatin on SKOV-3, Caov-4, MDA-MB-231, and MCF7 cell lines. [Pt(2,2'-dipyridylamine)Cl4]. DMF had a higher selective cytotoxic capacity in comparison with cisplatin at higher concentrations and longer culture periods. Furthermore, as related to apoptosis induction, treatment with [Pt(2,2'-dipyridylamine)Cl4 ]. DMF was significantly more effective than that of cisplatin in five out of six examined cell lines. [Pt(2,2'-dipyridylamine)Cl4]. DMF was shown to intercalate into DNA. CONCLUSIONS The current study introduced a novel Pt-based complex with highly selective and potent in vitro anti-tumor impacts superior to those of cisplatin, a conventional chemotherapeutic agent. [Pt (2,2'-dipyridylamine)Cl4]. DMF could be regarded as a promising anti-tumor agent in future investigations.
Ultra low power application specific instruction-set processor design for a cardiac beat detector algorithm

High efficiency and low power consumption are among the main topics in embedded systems today. For complex applications, off-the-shelf processor cores might not provide the desired goals in terms of power consumption. By optimizing the processor for the application, one can improve the computing power by introducing special purpose hardware units. In this paper, we present a case study with a possible design methodology for an ultra low power application specific instruction-set processor. A cardiac beat detector algorithm based on the Continuous Wavelet Transform is implemented in the C language. This application is further optimized using several software power optimization techniques. The resulting application is mapped on a basic processor architecture provided by Target Compiler Technologies, and the processor is further optimized for ultra low power consumption by applying application specific hardware, and by using several hardware optimization techniques. The optimized processor is compared with the unoptimized version, resulting in a 55% reduction in power consumption. The reduction in the total execution cycle count is 81%. Power gating, and dynamic voltage and frequency scaling, are investigated for further power optimization. For a given case, the reduction in the already optimized power consumption is estimated to be 62% and 35%, respectively.
Piecewise Linear Chaotic Maps in Current Mode CMOS Circuits: Nonlinear Distortion Analysis

This paper considers the current mode CMOS circuit implementation of the Sawtooth Piecewise Linear chaotic map. Starting from circuit analysis, we discuss a theoretical model to investigate the effects on the dynamical system entropy caused by the map shape nonlinear distortion, introduced by the circuit implementation. The results offer the designer an investigation tool to properly manage some relevant trade-offs related to the CMOS circuit design, highlighting the most critical model parameters affecting the deterioration of the achievable system entropy.
Poster: connecting PGAS and traditional HPC languages

Chapel is a high-level parallel programming language that implements a partitioned global address space model (PGAS). Programs written in this programming model have traditionally been self-contained entities written entirely in one language. On our poster, we present BRAID, which enables Chapel programs to call functions and instantiate objects written in C, C++, Fortran 77-2008, Java and Python. Our tool creates language bindings that are binary-compatible with those generated by the Babel language interoperability tool. The scientific community maintains a large amount of code written in traditional languages. With the help of our tool, users will gain access to their existing codebase with minimal effort and through a well-defined interface. The language bindings are designed to provide a good combination of performance and flexibility (including transparent access to distributed arrays). Knowing the demands of the target audience, we support the full Babel array API. A particular contribution is that we expose Chapel's distributed data types through our interface and make them accessible to external functions implemented in traditional serial programming languages. The advantages of our approach are highlighted by benchmarks that compare the performance of pure Chapel programs with that of hybrid versions that call subroutines implemented in Babel-supported languages inside of parallel loops. We also present our vision for interoperability with other PGAS languages such as UPC and X10.
Health Insurance and Diabetes Among Multiracial Men: The Mediation Effects of Usual Source of Care

Background. Health insurance and having a usual source of care is important in diabetes management for multiethnic men. Few studies focus on determining whether usual source of care mediates the association between health insurance and diabetes among men. Methods. Using data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey, responses from 17,472 men were analyzed to examine the extent to which a usual source of health care mediates the relationship between health insurance and diabetes. Results. Sobel—Goodman tests for mediation indicated the largest effects between Latino and White men. For African American and Asian men, usual source of care did not serve as a significant mediation factor between health insurance and diabetes. Discussion. Findings highlight a need for more research on the importance of having a usual source of care along with consistent health insurance type for multiracial men.
Compressive Millimeter-Wave Sector Selection in Off-the-Shelf IEEE 802.11ad Devices

Achieving data-rates of multiple Gbps in 60 GHz millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communication systems requires efficient beam-steering algorithms. To find the optimal steering direction on IEEE 802.11ad compatible devices, state-of-the-art approaches sweep through all predefined antenna sectors. Recently, much more efficient alternatives, such as compressive path tracking, have been proposed, which scale well even with arrays with thousands of antenna elements. However, such have not yet been integrated into consumer devices. In this work, we adapt compressive path tracking for sector selection in off-the-shelf IEEE 802.1 lad devices. In contrast to existing solutions, our compressive sector selection tolerates the imperfections of low-cost hardware, tracks beam directions in 3D and does not rely on pseudo-random beams. We implement our protocol on a commodity router, the TP-Link Talon AD7200, by modifying the sector sweep algorithm in the IEEE 802.11ad chip's firmware. In particular, we modify the firmware to obtain the signal strength of received frames and to select custom sectors. Using this extension, we precisely measure the device's sector patterns. We then select the best sector based on the measured patterns and sweep only through a subset of probing sectors. Our results demonstrate, that our protocol outperforms the existing sector sweep, increases stability, and speeds up the sector selection by factor 2.3.