Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Safety of delayed leucovorin "rescue" following high-dose methotrexate in children.

High-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) with leucovorin (CF) "rescue" is being investigated for treatment of many malignant tumors. CF is usually begun 2 hours after ending the HDMTX infusion. However, since CF and methotrexate compete for the same cellular transport system, at high extracellular methotrexate concentrations it may be impossible to "rescue" cells with CF. A regimen of HDMTX with delayed leucovorin "rescue" was therefore designed. In this program, a 6-hour infusion of methotrexate (7.5 gm/m2) was followed 24 hours later by leucovorin "rescue. " Nine patients with osteogenic sarcoma received 115 courses of this treatment. Toxicity was minimal. Plasma methotrexate values were identical to those following early CF 'rescue" regimens. HDMTX with delayed "rescue" is well tolerated. Although theoretically sound, further studies are needed to determine its efficacy in comparison to standard early "rescue" regimens.
Modelling respiration of vegetation : evidence for a general temperature-dependent

Temperature responses of rates of respiratory CO 2 ef¯ux from plants, soils, and ecosystems are frequently modelled using exponential functions with a constant Q 10 near 2.0 (fractional change in rate with a 10 °C increase in temperature). However, we present evidence that Q 10 declines with short-term increases in temperature in a predictable manner across diverse plant taxa. Thus, models using a constant Q 10 are biased, and use of a temperature-corrected Q 10 may improve the accuracy of modelled respiratory CO 2 ef¯ux in plants and ecosystems in response to temperature and predicted global climate changes.
THIRTY YEARS OF RESEARCH ON RACE DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE ABILITY

The culture-only (0% genetic–100% environmental) and the hereditarian (50% genetic–50% environmental) models of the causes of mean Black–White differences in cognitive ability are compared and contrasted across 10 categories of evidence: the worldwide distribution of test scores, g factor of mental ability, heritability, brain size and cognitive ability, transracial adoption, racial admixture, regression, related life-history traits, human origins research, and hypothesized environmental variables. The new evidence reviewed here points to some genetic component in Black–White differences in mean IQ. The implication for public policy is that the discrimination model (i.e., Black–White differences in socially valued outcomes will be equal barring discrimination) must be tempered by a distributional model (i.e., Black–White outcomes reflect underlying group characteristics).
Towards a unified theoretical model of ocean backscatter for wind speed retrieval from SAR, scatterometer, and altimeter

We discuss the development of a theoretical model of radar backscatter from the ocean surface which is applicable to radar altimeters, synthetic aperture radars (SAR), and scatterometers. The ultimate objective of such a model is to allow the accurate retrieval of wind speed by including all the physically important factors. Our formulation combines alternative models of the interaction between the wind and the sea surface, different descriptions of the ocean wave height spectrum and two alternative scattering theories, namely the composite-surface model and the integral equation method. The effects of swell, limited fetch, air‐sea temperature difference, and rain are included. The model predictions are compared against empirical scatterometer model functions at C band, VV polarisation, where the observational behaviour has been most thoroughly studied. Published results from our model at nadir (see companion paper by Anderson et al. 2002, in this issue) agree well with the empirically observed dependence on wind speed, and the dependence on swell is consistent with recent studies. Here, results at off-nadir incidence angles show a residual discrepancy in the upwind direction which has the dimensional dependence predicted by Phillips for the radar backscatter from breaking waves. However, systematic discrepancies in the upwind to crosswind ratio indicate that the directional spread of waves is still not well understood in the theoretical modelling. Similar behaviour is also observed at Ku band, VV polarisation. The implications for the retrieval of wind speed from individual scatterometer or SAR data-takes are discussed.
Oberon as an Implementation Language for COM Objects

This is a short report on a short project, carried out during a 3-month sabbatical stay at Microsoft Research in the fall of 1998. The motivation for this endeavor was doublefold: (a) verify the degree of language independence of the COM component technology and (b) explore COM as a potential commercial environment and framework for Oberon applications. The project finally converged towards a simple case study, an electronic accounting system implemented in Oberon as a COM server under Windows NT and illustratively used by a Visual Basic client.
Two independent methods for power transformers vibration control

Power transformers' on-line vibration control has its limits in relation to noises influence coming from mechanical components of transformer (pumps, motors); implementation of harmonics analysis helps to increase the control reliability. Implementation of capacitive currents' to ground harmonics analysis allows increasing the reliability of vibration defects location. This becomes possible due to magnet core vibration which gives spectral lines into capacitive current with the same frequency as on-tank vibration measurements. Practical results from two independent methods are given in this paper: - capacitive current to ground harmonics analysis on transformer; - harmonics analysis of vibration velocities registered on tank.
Risks of solid cancers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and after treatment with tumour necrosis factor antagonists

Background: Existing studies of solid cancers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reflect cancer morbidity up until the early 1990s in prevalent cohorts admitted to hospital during the 1980s. Objective: To depict the cancer pattern of contemporary patients with RA, from updated risk data from prevalent and incident RA populations. To understand the risk of solid cancer after tumour necrosis factor (TNF) treatment by obtaining cancer data from cohorts treated in routine care rather than trials. Methods: A population based study of three RA cohorts (one prevalent, admitted to hospital 1990–2003 (n = 53 067), one incident, diagnosed 1995–2003 (n = 3703), and one treated with TNF antagonists 1999–2003 (n = 4160)), which were linked with Swedish nationwide cancer and census registers and followed up for cancer occurrence through 2003. Results: With 3379 observed cancers, the prevalent RA cohort was at marginally increased overall risk of solid cancer, with 20–50% increased risks for smoke related cancers and +70% increased risk for non-melanoma skin cancer, but decreased risk for breast (−20%) and colorectal cancer (−25%). With 138 cancers, the incident RA cohort displayed a similar cancer pattern apart from non-decreased risks for colorectal cancer. TNF antagonist treated patients displayed solid cancer (n = 67) risks largely similar to those of other patients with RA. Conclusion: The cancer pattern in patients treated with TNF antagonists mirrors those of other contemporary as well as historic RA cohorts. The consistent increase in smoking associated cancers in patients with RA emphasises the potential for smoking cessation as a cancer preventive measure in RA.
Performance enhancement in TDD-HSUPA with subarray beamforming

In this paper, we propose a practical strategy that integrates beamforming with MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) technique to both combat fading and diminish interference. By dividing the antenna array into several groups, termed subarray, virtual MIMO system is composed. In this paper, two kinds of antenna configuration are proposed, and both their array gain and diversity gain are analyzed and compared. In addition, to evaluate the performance of the proposed strategy, they are implemented into the TDD-High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) system and simulated. Our simulation results show that the proposed strategy can achieve significantly performance improvement in BLER.
A Test of the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use on Non-Emergent Emergency Department Use

A TEST OF THE BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF HEALTH SERVICES USE ON NONEMERGENT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT USE Moira Crosby McManus Old Dominion University, 2016 Co-Directors: Dr. Robert J. Cramer Dr. Bonnie Van Lunen Even though emergency departments (EDs) were created to treat trauma and emergent cases, there has been an increase in emergency department (ED) utilization for non-emergent reasons over the past half of a century. As non-emergent utilization grows as a result of the ED becoming a prevalent substitute for primary care, overcrowding of the ED and increased wait times will continue. Additionally, unnecessary cost to both the ED and the patient will be incurred. Previous research has examined and determined various reasons and risk factors driving non-emergent ED use, among them the influence of living location and the number of non-emergent care resources within a location. However, living location and the number of nonemergent care sources has not been examined in regards to their influence on other previously established risk factors such as age, race, and having a chronic disease/illness. Examination of this influence will allow policymakers, hospital leadership, and government officials to better determine a solution to non-emergent ED use. This study examines the influence of the constructs of the Aday-Andersen model on nonemergent ED utilization, as well as the influence of patient living location and the number of non-emergent care sources in a living location on the model constructs. Logistic regression was implemented to predict type of ED use in the 2014 New York State Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System outpatient limited dataset. Overall, need for health care and predisposing factors were found to be most influential in driving ED use. This is contradictory to the original hypothesis stating that enabling resources and need would be the strongest predictors. Need remains the main driving factor in ED use for both rural living location and no non-emergent care sources. An increased likelihood for ethnic minorities to utilize the ED was also seen for these two moderators. The findings of this study reveal that not only is need the biggest driver for ED use, but also that the Behavioral Model of Health Services use may not be applicable for this type of health care. Additional health behavior theory analyses could provide further insight on the model’s applicability.
The Evolution of Multiculturalism in Britain and Germany: An Historical Survey

This paper is an introductory survey of the evolution of multiculturalism in Britain and Germany over the past two centuries. The historical approach argues that the main determinants of difference between these nation states lie in their long-term traditional attitudes towards immigrants and ethnic minorities. It focuses upon the patterns of immigration into Britain and Germany as well as the differing imperial traditions, which have both left differing legacies. An equally important historical factor has been the legal position of aliens in the two states, in which, until very recently, Britain adopted a policy of jus solis, whereas Germany pursued one of jus sanguinis. The paper then examines the realities of multiculturalism in the two states. Due primarily to the historical traditions of nationality legislation, immigrants and their descendants in Britain have come to play a more important role in recent British history than their contemporaries in Germany, particularly if we examine their role in the political process and in popular culture. While the conclusion reiterates the differences, it also stresses that we should not view Britain and Germany as the opposite ends of the multicultural spectrum, as both are modern liberal democracies with significant ethnic minority populations.
Helping Students Select a Dissertation Topic: a motivation-based approach

It is not unusual for students to struggle to find a dissertation topic. To address this problem, I designed an exercise that helps students to better connect with their motivations, or the inner drives they have, for wanting to choose one topic or another. The results of student feedback suggest that the exercise is helpful in enabling students to be more aware of their motivations and to have a stronger sense of personal connection - and so be more satisfied - with the topic of their choice. Working in Research Methods module for students taking the MA in International Business and other similar Master’s degrees, this paper describes the methodology, results and conclusions that were drawn to address this problem.
Analysis of Flanking Sequences from Dissociation Insertion Lines: A Database for Reverse Genetics in Arabidopsis

We have generated Dissociation (Ds) element insertions throughout the Arabidopsis genome as a means of random mutagenesis. Here, we present the molecular analysis of genomic sequences that flank the Ds insertions of 931 independent transposant lines. Flanking sequences from 511 lines proved to be identical or homologous to DNA or protein sequences in public databases, and disruptions within known or putative genes were indicated for 354 lines. Because a significant portion (45%) of the insertions occurred within sequences defined by GenBank BAC and P1 clones, we were able to assess the distribution of Ds insertions throughout the genome. We discovered a significant preference for Ds transposition to the regions adjacent to nucleolus organizer regions on chromosomes 2 and 4. Otherwise, the mapped insertions appeared to be evenly dispersed throughout the genome. For any given gene, insertions preferentially occurred at the 5′ end, although disruption was clearly possible at any intragenic position. The insertion sites of >500 lines that could be characterized by reference to public databases are presented in a tabular format at http://www.plantcell. org/cgi/content/full/11/12/2263/DC1. This database should be of value to researchers using reverse genetics approaches to determine gene function.
ReflexCode: Coding with Superposed Reflection Light for LED-Camera Communication

As a popular approach to implementing Visible Light Communication (VLC) on commercial-off-the-shelf devices, LED-Camera VLC has attracted substantial attention recently. While such systems initially used reflected light as the communication media, direct light becomes the dominant media for the purpose of combating interference. Nonetheless, the data rate achievable by direct light LED-Camera VLC systems has hit its bottleneck: the dimension of the transmitters. In order to further improve the performance, we revisit the reflected light approach and we innovate in converting the potentially destructive interferences into collaborative transmissions. Essentially, our ReflexCode system codes information by superposing light emissions from multiple transmitters. It combines traditional amplitude demodulation with slope detection to "decode" the grayscale modulated signal, and it tunes decoding thresholds dynamically depending on the spatial symbol distribution. In addition, ReflexCode re-engineers the balanced codes to avoid flicker from individual transmitters. We implement ReflexCode as two prototypes and demonstrate that it can achieve a throughput up to 3.2kb/s at a distance of 3m.
Financial Narratives of U.S. Biotechnology Companies Before, During, and After the Great Recession

The regulatory environment and associated financial disclosures required of U.S. companies have become increasingly complex as a result of dynamic market conditions and the need to assure stakeholders of the integrity of reported financial results. Advances in technology now provide the opportunity for unique investigation into the narratives included in regulated financial disclosures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether regulated financial disclosure narratives of U.S. biotechnology companies change before, during, and after a financial crisis. The research aimed to characterize financial narratives through textual analysis and the use of predetermined semantics. This is a quantitative study of Management Discussion and Analysis narratives for U.S. biotechnology companies before, during, and after the financial crisis of 2008. The study furthers the understanding of how narratives are used in regulated disclosures. This study demonstrated that financial narratives of U.S. biotechnology companies follow patterns based on predetermined language semantics. In addition, the clustering patterns change before, during, and after a financial crisis, evidence of an association between reporting narratives and earnings per share was not observed. Given the advances in analytical data technology, it is recommended that this study serve as proof of concept for public companies, stakeholders, and regulators to adopt a more efficient review of public company financial disclosures. Further research should also be completed of different reporting narratives and industries. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Guillermo Montes Second Supervisor Peter C. Carpino Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_etd/217 Financial Narratives of U.S. Biotechnology Companies Before, During, and After the Great Recession
Neutralité du Net : une étude en cas de compétition entre fournisseurs d'accès Internet

La neutralite du Net, qui garantit a chacun un acces a tout Internet sans discrimination (de contenu, de diffuseur, de recepteur, de protocole), est un enjeu majeur pour l'avenir. Ce principe, fondateur du net, est aujourd'hui remis en question par les fournisseurs d'acces qui considerent injuste de payer seuls l'entretien et l'investissement des infrastructures pour des diffuseurs gourmands en bande passante, Youtube par exemple. A l'aide d'un modele economique, nous allons etudier l'impact pour l'utilisateur, les diffuseurs de contenu et les fournisseurs d'acces internet, de la neutralite (ou non) du net. Dans ce rapport, nous allons developper un modele economique representant le reseau Internet. En nous appuyant sur la theorie des jeux et ce modele, nous etudierons quels sont les impacts d'un reseau neutre vs un reseau non-neutre.
PRELIMINARY AND INCOMPLETE CRISES : PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES 1 With an Application to the Eurozone Crisis

The euro crisis and the Great Recession which led to it present several puzzles for traditional economic theories. In the last 30 years crises have become more frequent and expensive than ever – at the same time that many economists believe markets are better and there is more widespread understanding of how to manage economies. Moreover, there are seldom changes in the state variables (capital, human capital, etc.) describing an economy that can account for the dramatic changes in outcomes. In this paper, after providing a general theory of crises, in which multiple short run and steady state equilibria and discontinuities in expectations play critical roles, we focus on the role of adjustment, the reasons that requisite adjustments sometimes don’t occur, and why natural decentralized “adjustment” processes may be disequilibrating. The role of excess indebtedness, often associated with crises, poses a particular puzzle, since standard theories argue that whatever the level of indebtedness, there is a full employment equilibrium. We explain why indebtedness may have persistent adverse effects. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for Europe, providing an explanation for why the downturn has been especially persistent there.
Complete mitochondrial genome of the Common redpoll (Carduelis flammea)

Abstract The Common redpoll (Carduelis flammea) is one species of family Fringillidae. In the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of this species. The mitochondrial genome of Common redpoll is a circular molecule of 16 820 bp in size and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and 1 control region. The total base composition is 31.35% for C, 14.14% for G, 30.57% for A and 23.94% for T, respectively. The phylogenetic tree of Common redpoll and 12 other closely related Fringillidae species was built. These data will be useful for studying the genetic diversity within the species of Common redpoll and phylogenetic relationships among different Fringillidae species.
Enhancing the plausibility of law equation discovery through cross check among multiple scale-type-based models

The study in the field of scientific discovery from data has been directed to the discovery of plausible law equations representing the first principles underlying objective systems. In this paper, a novel principle and an algorithm to predictively discover new scientific law equation formulae consisting of newly given quantities are proposed based on the candidate law equations governing the other quantities under current observation. The first principle-based scientific law equation formulae must follow some mathematical admissibility and consistency. These conditions enable efficient reasoning of the law equation formulae in the prediction process. The soundness and the reproducibility of the equation prediction by this approach have been tested through numerical simulations of physical examples, and, moreover, its practicality has been confirmed through a real socio-psychological analysis. The approach can discover a set of scientific law equations representing common first principles under different set of quantities, and enables to capture general scietific features of the objective system under analysis.
Survival in experimental Candida albicans infections depends on inoculum growth conditions as well as animal host.

Evidence is presented that the growth medium used to prepare a Candida albicans challenge inoculum is a significant factor determining the ability of a fungus strain to gain an initial invasive hold immediately after injection into an animal host, and thus determining gross strain lethality. Three C. albicans strains, one known to be attenuated in virulence, were grown in two broth media and injected intravenously at different doses into female NMRI mice and male albino guinea pigs. For each fungus strain and challenge dose, survival was longer from inocula grown in a diluted, buffered peptone-based broth than from inocula grown in Sabouraud glucose broth. When animals were challenged intravenously with yeast doses adjusted to give the same mean survival time regardless of strain or growth medium, the progression of fungus tissue burdens (c. f.u. g(-1)) in kidneys, lungs, liver, spleen and brain samples was broadly similar for all three C. albicans strains but differed between the two animal hosts. The morphological form of C. albicans recovered from infected tissues differed at the level of both the fungus strain and the host tissue. Use of survival-standardized inocula provides a means of distinguishing differences in progression of experimental disseminated Candida infections that are related to the infecting strain from those related to the animal host.