Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preliminary Results of an Individually Tailored Psychosocial Intervention for Patients with Advanced Hepatobiliary Carcinoma

Abstract Background: A plethora of research now exists documenting the benefits of psychosocial interventions for cancer patients; however, no studies have been conducted with people diagnosed with hepatobiliary carcinoma. Methods: A total of 28 patients agreed to participate in the study in which 14 patients were randomized to the intervention arm of the study and 14 patients to an attention-standard of care arm. Evaluation of the benefits of the intervention was performed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep), the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, the State Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) to assess anxiety, peripheral blood leukocytes to measure immune system modulation, and survival. Results: Results indicate that patients who were randomly assigned to the intervention arm of the study reported clinically, but not statistically, significant improvements on symptoms of depression and anxiety, disease-related symptoms and treatment side effects, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and modest improvements in peripheral blood leukocytes and survival when compared with the standard of care group. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the individually tailored intervention was feasible and preliminary data suggested that the intervention may improve patients' HRQL, mood, and had modest improvements in immune system functioning and survival. Further research is needed with a larger sample size to test the statistical significance and generalizability of the individually tailored intervention.
Functional Rescue of photoreceptors from the damaging effects of constant light by survival-promoting factors in the rat.

PURPOSE To investigate whether and how survival-promoting agents rescue photoreceptor cell function and morphology from constant light damage, the authors recorded electroretinographic (ERG) responses and examined light micrographs of retinas in those rats given intravitreal injection of midkine (MK) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) before constant exposure. METHODS Albino Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with MK, bFGF, or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) 2 days before the onset of 1 week of constant light. ERG responses were recorded using white flash stimuli with the intensity range of 4 log units, followed by histologic examinations of retinas, including quantitative assessment of the outer nuclear layer thickness as an index of photoreceptor cell loss. RESULTS ERG responses were barely detectable in uninjected eyes after 1 week of constant light. On the other hand, distinct responses were recordable in eyes injected intravitreally with MK and bFGF, and the degree of ERG rescue in terms of the amplitude of b-wave was approximately 40% to 60% compared with normal eyes. Intravitreally injected PBS showed slight, but noticeable, preservation of ERG responses as well. Histologic examination revealed that MK and bFGF protected photoreceptors from light damage. A good correlation was found between anatomic rescue of photoreceptors as assessed by outer nuclear layer thickness and the functional rescue as defined by the magnitude of ERG responses. CONCLUSIONS Functional and anatomic rescue of photoreceptors in albino rats from constant light damage is achieved by prior intravitreal injection of MK and bFGF.
A model for methane production in sewers

Most sewers in developing countries are combined sewers which receive stormwater and effluent from septic tanks or cesspools of households and buildings. Although the wastewater strength in these sewers is usually lower than those in developed countries, due to improper construction and maintenance, the hydraulic retention time (HRT) could be relatively long and resulting considerable greenhouse gas (GHG) production. This study proposed an empirical model to predict the quantity of methane production in gravity-flow sewers based on relevant parameters such as surface area to volume ratio (A/V) of sewer, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and wastewater temperature. The model was developed from field survey data of gravity-flow sewers located in a peri-urban area, central Thailand and validated with field data of a sewer system of the Gold Coast area, Queensland, Australia. Application of this model to improve construction and maintenance of gravity-flow sewers to minimize GHG production and reduce global warming is presented.
Activated Rac1, but not the tumorigenic variant Rac1b, is ubiquitinated on Lys 147 through a JNK‐regulated process

Ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation have recently emerged as an additional level of regulation of activated forms of Rho GTPases. To characterize this novel regulatory pathway and to gain insight into its biological significance, we studied the ubiquitination of two constitutively activated forms of Rac1, i.e. the mutationally activated Rac1L61, and the tumorigenic splice variant Rac1b, which is defective for several downstream signaling pathways, including JNK activation. Whereas Rac1L61 undergoes polyubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation in HEK293 cells, Rac1b is poorly ubiquitinated and appears to be much more resistant to proteasomal degradation than Rac1L61. Mutational analysis of all lysine residues in Rac1 revealed that the major target site for Rac1 ubiquitination is Lys147, a solvent‐accessible residue that has a similar conformation in Rac1b. Like Rac1L61, Rac1b was found to be largely associated with plasma membrane, a known prerequisite for Rac1 ubiquitination. Interestingly, Rac1b ubiquitination could be stimulated by coexpression of Rac1L61, suggesting positive regulation of Rac1 ubiquitination by Rac1 downstream signaling. Indeed, ubiquitination of Rac1L61 is critically dependent on JNK activation. In conclusion: (a) Rac1b appears to be more stable than Rac1L61 with regard to the ubiquitin–proteasome system, and this may be of importance for the expression and tumorigenic capacity of Rac1b; and (b) ubiquitination of activated Rac1 occurs through a JNK‐activated process, which may explain the defective ubiquitination of Rac1b. The JNK‐dependent activation of Rac1 ubiquitination would create a regulatory loop allowing the cell to counteract excessive activation of Rac1 GTPase.
Cyber-Search and Cyber-Seizure: Policy Considerations of Cyber Operations and Fourth Amendment Implications

This chapter discusses the nature of cyber threats against government and private computer systems, describing some steps the government has taken and the challenges involved in protecting those systems. The chapter argues that a national security approach for cyber security policy is the most promising option for preventing these cyber threats while operating within the domestic legal framework. After a review of the President’s constitutional authorities to protect the nation from traditional threats, the chapter concludes that the President has some power to monitor Internet communications in transit within the United States when the communications threaten the welfare of the nation. The chapter recommends that this authority be augmented by Congressional action through legislation. The President’s powers in cyber security, even given Congressional support, however, are still restrained by the protections the Fourth Amendment provides for traditional forms of communication and individual privacy. Although there is limited Fourth Amendment precedent in the area of cyber security, the well-established exceptions to the Fourth Amendment requirements, based on consent, special governmental needs and the reasonableness of the search or seizure, provide a legal basis for executive branch action to protect critical infrastructures and their computer systems. As the Courts have long held, these exceptions allow the government to conduct searches or seizures without being bound by all of the requirements of the Fourth Amendment. If the government develops its cyber security policy in line with these exceptions, this chapter argues the government can both protect critical computer systems and operate within Fourth Amendment doctrine that recognizes the legitimacy of privacy in electronic communications. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-831-9.ch012
Formation of new sensory cells in deafferented tuberous organs of the gymnotid fish Eigenmannia virescens

The cutaneous electroreceptor “tuberous organs” of the lateral line system of Eigenmannia virescens were studied at light and electron microscopic levels with immunohistochemical and autoradiographic techniques after sectioning of the posterior branch of the lateral line nerve. After deafferentation total degeneration of the sensory cells was observed. The accessory cells of the basal platform, however, remain intact and undergo a process of differentiation. The cytoplasms and nuclei of these cells increase in volume, and the nuclei incorporate tritiated thymidine. In control tuberous organs with intact innervation, tritiated thymidine is absorbed by the nuclei of the elongated epidermal cells surrounding the sensory cavity. The newly formed sensory cells, but not those of the intact organs, are substance P immunoreactive. They have synaptic bars surrounded by vesicles and their free membrane surface is covered with microvilli. The new sensory cells are fully differentiated 35 days after the lateral line was cut. These results demonstrate that in the tuberous organs of E. virescens new sensory cells are formed in the absence of an innervation. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Presence of Kynurenic Acid in the Mammalian Brain

Kynurenic acid, a tryptophan metabolite able to antagonize the actions of the excitatory amino acids, has been identified and measured for the first time in the brain of mice, rats, guinea pigs, and humans by using an HPLC method. Its content was 5.8 ± 0.9 in mouse brain, 17.8 ± 2.0 in rat brain, 16.2 ± 1.5 in guinea pig brain, 26.8 ± 2.9 in rabbit brain, and 150 ± 30 in human cortex (pmol/g wet wt, mean ± SE). The regional distribution of this molecule was uneven. In rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, the brainstem was the area richest in this compound. Tryptophan administration (100–300 mg/kg, i.p.) to rats resulted in a significant increase of the brain content of kynurenic acid. Similarly, 1 h after probenecid administration (200 mg/kg, i.p.), the brain content of kynurenate increased by fourfold, thus suggesting that its turnover rate is relatively fast.
Using Ada-based robotics to teach computer science

We present an Ada-based interface to Lego Mindstorms TM, a programmable robotics kit that has attracted considerable attention in the computing community. We discuss our motivations for choosing Ada over other high-level languages, and our particular implementation over possible alternatives. Robotics and Ada combine very nicely, for teaching basic computing concepts to both technical and non-technical majors, as shown with several examples.
Impact of rli87 gene deletion on response of Listeria monocytogenes to environmental stress.

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a zoonotic pathogen that widely adapts to various environments. Recent studies have found that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play regulatory roles in LM responses to environmental stress. To understand the role of ncRNA rli87 in the response regulation, a rli87 deletion strain LM-Δrli87 was constructed by homologous recombination and tested for stress responses to high temperature, low temperature, high osmotic pressure, alcohol, acidity, alkaline and oxidative environments, along with LM EGD-e strain (control). The results showed that compared with LM EGD-e, LM-Δrli87 grew faster (P < 0.05) at low temperature (30 °C), high temperature (42 °C), and in alkaline condition (pH = 9), similarly (P > 0.05) in acidic and high osmatic pressure (10% NaCl) conditions. When cultured in medium containing 3.8% ethanol, the growth was not significantly different between the two strains (P > 0.05). When cultured at pH 9, they had similar growth rates in the first 5 h (P > 0.05), but the rates were significantly different after 6 h (P < 0.05). The expression of rsbV, rsbW, hpt, clpP, and ctsR was upregulated in LM-∆rli87 compared with LM EGD-e at pH 9, indicating that the rli87 gene regulated the expression of the five genes in alkaline environment. Our results suggest that the rli87 gene has an important regulatory role in LM's response to temperature (30 and 42 °C), alkaline stresses.
Comparison of segmentation techniques for detection of defects in non-destructive testing images

Steam generator tubes and Obscured pipe lines like sewers, water mains have to be checked for their current condition. Cracks and defects are a strong indicator for the condition of a pipe. Electromagnetic nondestructive tests are important and widely used within the field of nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) has grown into a crucial method for inspection of pipelines and tubing in order to prevent long-term failures. Digital image processing techniques open the opportunity to accelerate the image analysis process, which may ease the operator from a lot of tedious task. An affordable way to detect those cracks is to take images of the pipeline and use image processing techniques to detect defects in these images. The Magnetic flux leakage images obtained from simulation software COMSOL multiphysics 4.3a are used for this work. Automatic segmentation is an important technique in the image processing. The basic idea of segmentation is to automatically select on gray-level values for separating object from the background. In this work, median filter is used to pre process the raw NDT image and three segmentation techniques are performed to segment the defect from the defective steam generator tube images. The performance evaluation of three segmentation algorithms namely region growing, minimum error thresholding and Morphological segmentation method for Non-Destructive testing (NDT) are performed and compared. Region growing technique is performed well for almost all MFL images.
Locating neighbourhood diversity in the American metropolis

Racial and ethnic diversity in the United States is on the rise, as the country is projected to no longer have a racial majority by the mid-2040s. Much of this diversity is found in the United States’ large metropolitan areas, where it manifests itself unevenly. While some metropolitan neighbourhoods are growing highly diverse, others remain segregated by race and ethnicity. This paper introduces a framework for exploring the geography of neighbourhood diversity in US metropolitan areas, and defines the diversity gradient, a visual representation of how diversity varies with distance from the urban core. Analysis of the geography of metropolitan diversity from 1990 to 2010 reveals that the greatest increases in diversity are found in the suburbs and outlying areas, where diversity now peaks in many large metropolitan areas. Additional spatial analyses of neighbourhood diversity in Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth show that clustering of highly diverse neighbourhoods has shifted to the suburbs from close-in urban areas, where many segregated and low-diversity neighbourhoods persist.
Uncertainty , Disagreement and Forecast Dispersion : Empirical Estimates from a Model of Analysts ’ Strategic Conduct

This paper provides empirical estimates of uncertainty and disagreement about future earnings underlying analyst forecast dispersion from a theoretical model where analysts are motivated by strategic incentives. A parsimonious model which assumes that analysts’ payoffs are jointly determined by forecast error and deviation from consensus reproduces many of the descriptive facts observed about forecast dispersion in the data. The strategic behavior that arises from the model distorts both the levels of forecast dispersion and the sensitivity of the measure with respect to cross-sectional variation in uncertainty. The estimated parameters perform better at predicting forecast dispersion out-ofsample than approaches based solely on associations with firm characteristics. Counterfactual simulations indicate that analysts’ strategic incentive together with the sequential forecast setting, plays a first-order role in determining forecast dispersion relative to the firm’s information environment. The modelimplied estimates of earnings uncertainty exhibit a substantially less negative association with future returns relative to the association generated by forecast dispersion and thus partially reconciles previous evidence with theories about the asset pricing implications of uncertainty and disagreement. Doctoral Candidate in Accounting, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. E-mail: youfei.xiao@stanford.edu. I am enormously grateful to Dave Larcker and Peter Reiss for extensive guidance and support. I thank Mary Barth, Bill Beaver, Anna Boisits, Ed deHaan, Lindsey Gallo, Will Gornall, Doron Israeli, Steve Karolyi, Mike Klausner, Charles Lee, Becky Lester, Iván Marinovic, Maureen McNichols, Maria Ogneva, Marlene Plumlee and Durgesh Saraph as well as workshop participants at the AAA Doctoral Consortium and Stanford University for helpful comments and discussions. Financial support from the Chartered Accountants Education Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada is gratefully acknowledged. All errors and omissions are my own.
Prospective evaluation of fecal calprotectin as a screening biomarker for colorectal neoplasia

OBJECTIVES:Stool testing is a well established method of screening for colorectal neoplasia. Emerging data suggest that novel biomarkers may offer performance advantages over fecal occult blood. In this large, prospective study, we assessed fecal calprotectin (a leukocyte-derived protein) as a screening biomarker for colorectal neoplasia. Fecal calprotectin was directly compared to fecal hemoglobin (Hb) and colonoscopy as the existing criterion standards for stool screening and structural evaluation, respectively.METHODS:Subjects included colonoscopy patients with a personal history of colorectal neoplasia, family history of colorectal cancer, or iron deficiency anemia. Stool specimens were collected before purgation, processed appropriately, and quantitatively analyzed for calprotectin (Nycomed Pharma, Oslo, Norway) and for Hb (Mayo Medical Laboratories, Rochester, MN) by masked technicians. Colonoscopies were performed by experienced endoscopists without prior knowledge of the fecal assay results.RESULTS:Among 412 subjects, 97 (24%) subjects had one or more colorectal neoplasms (including three with adenocarcinomas). Fecal calprotectin levels did not differ significantly between subjects with versus subjects without colorectal neoplasms (p= 0.33). Neither tumor number (p= 0.85) nor tumor size (p= 0.86) significantly influenced the observed fecal calprotectin concentrations. Estimates of the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of fecal calprotectin for any colorectal neoplasms were 37%, 63%, 23%, and 76%, respectively. Comparable performance estimates for fecal Hb were 3%, 97%, 27%, and 77%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS:In this cohort of colonoscopy patients at above average risk, fecal calprotectin was a poor screening biomarker for colorectal neoplasia. Further investigation of tumor-derived, rather than blood-based, biomarkers may be a more rewarding approach to stool screening for colorectal neoplasia.
Metabolic adverse effects of thiazide diuretics: the importance of normokalaemia.

It has been suggested that the failure of thiazide therapy, administered to treat high blood pressure, to prevent coronary heart disease is related to the metabolic adverse effects of these drugs. The almost consistent observation of reduced serum potassium and total body potassium associated with diuretics appears to be of clinical importance. It may cause not only an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias but also impaired glucose tolerance and abnormal lipid metabolism, while replacement of potassium has been shown to eliminate the risk of arrhythmias as well as thiazide-induced hyperglycaemia. The effect of the thiazide-induced short-term changes in serum lipids is unclear. Present experience suggests that thiazide-induced impairment of glucose tolerance is due to both reduced glucose-stimulated insulin release and increased peripheral resistance to the action of insulin. The blunted initial response of the pancreatic beta-cells to glucose is clearly dependent on serum potassium, and may cause postprandial hyperglycaemia during most of the day and night. This hypothesis is supported by the observation of enhanced glucose and insulin levels after an overnight fast, as well as 60-120 min after glucose challenges. Increased average levels of insulin may eventually cause down-regulation of cellular insulin receptors, i.e. insulin resistance. It is also conceivable that elevated insulin levels may cause hypertriglyceridaemia and possibly other abnormalities of lipid metabolism. Some recent observations indicate that the prognosis in treated hypertensive patients improves if both blood pressure and cholesterol levels are successfully controlled. We therefore emphasize the importance of normalizing serum potassium when using diuretic-based therapies in the treatment of hypertension.
Population-based study of breast cancer screening in Côte d'Or (France): clinical implications and factors affecting screening round adequacy

Factors affecting the adequacy of breast cancer screening rounds and the clinical implications of screening have been investigated in women aged 50–74 years. Questionnaires were sent to all eligible patients and to the family doctor of those patients who had died or were lost to follow-up at the time of the study. Unlike the tumour characteristics the patients' personal and family characteristics were also collected before the diagnosis. The clinical features of screening-detected tumours and those discovered on clinical signs or on metastasis were compared. On the basis of the time between two mammographies, we created the following four groups according to the recommended screening round: adequate, long, short and patients with no earlier mammography. Univariate and multivariate generalized logit models were obtained to determine factors affecting the adequacy of breast cancer screening rounds. Five hundred and thirty-three patients were included. Two hundred and seventy-seven (52%) had inadequate breast cancer screening rounds (long, short or no earlier mammography). The American Joint Committee on Cancer stage was less advanced (0/1) in screening-detected tumours and among tumours of patients with an adequate screening round (P=0.014). Multivariate analyses showed that patients with an earlier organized screening mammography (P<0.0001) and those with gynaecological follow-up (P=0.03) were more likely to have an adequate rather than an inadequate breast cancer screening round. Screening leads to the detection of early-stage tumours when it is performed according to the recommendations. Organizing mammography rounds as recommended is essential to optimize the benefits of breast cancer screening.