Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ovarian tumors in a cohort of infertile women.

BACKGROUND Case reports and the results of a recent case-control study have raised questions about the potential neoplastic effects of medications used as treatment for infertility. METHODS We examined the risk of ovarian tumors in a cohort of 3837 women evaluated for infertility between 1974 and 1985 in Seattle. Computer linkage with a population-based tumor registry was used to identify women in whom tumors were diagnosed before January 1, 1992. Data on infertility testing and treatment were abstracted from the medical records of women who had ovarian cancer and those of a randomly selected comparison group. The risk of ovarian tumors associated with exposure to ovulation-inducing medications was assessed through an age-standardized comparison with the rate of ovarian tumors in the general population, and Cox regression analysis was used to compare the risk of cancer among women who received these medications with the risk among infertile women who did not receive them. RESULTS There were 11 invasive or borderline malignant ovarian tumors, as compared with an expected number of 4.4 (standardized incidence ratio, 2.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 4.5). Nine of the women in whom ovarian tumors developed had taken clomiphene; the adjusted relative risk among these women, as compared with that among infertile women who had not taken this drug, was 2.3 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.5 to 11.4). Five of the nine women had taken the drug during 12 or more monthly cycles. This period of treatment was associated with an increased risk of ovarian tumors among both women with ovarian abnormalities and those without apparent abnormalities (relative risk, 11.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 82.3), whereas treatment with the drug for less than one year was not associated with an increased risk. CONCLUSIONS Prolonged use of clomiphene may increase the risk of a borderline or invasive ovarian tumor.
Bruk av analgetika og andre medikamenter blant gravide i Oslo - en spørreskjemaundersøkelse

Background: There are few studies on the subject of drug use during pregnancy over the last decades. The aim of this study was to examine the self-reported prevalence of drug use among pregnant women in Oslo, which type of drugs are most frequently used and to describe changes in drug intake during the first 17-18 gestational weeks. Material and method: 1749 pregnant women, 86 % of the invited and 92 % of those who accepted the invitation, answered a self-completion questionnaire at the antenatal visit at Ullevål University Hospital. They were asked to name which drugs, if any, they had used against pregnancy related symptoms and also other drugs used during the last six months prior to pregnancy, during gestational weeks 0-6, 7-12 and after week 13, to specify the name of the drugs used, and to report the number of days of consumption. Results: At least one episode of drug use was reported by 47% of the sample during all four time intervals combined. Those reporting drug use, reported in average 1,4 preparations per woman. During pregnancy 43 % had used drugs. Most frequently used drug groups were analgesics (93 % was paracetamol), systemic antibiotics, antihistamines and asthma/allergymedication. As a whole these four groups constituted 83 % of drugs consumed. During pregnancy, consumption was reported by an increasing proportion of women. During weeks 7-12 of pregnancy, most women reported intake of drugs in these four groups. There is a significant correlation between use of analgesics in weeks 0-6 and both weeks 7-12 and after week 13 (McNemars test p<0,001). Interpretation: The drug use increases after pregnancy recognition. Still the overall use of drugs must be considered low, as only half of the women report any use during the first 17-18 weeks of pregnancy. Of those using analgesics in early pregnancy, many continue to use analgesics also later in pregnancy. Bruk av analgetika og andre medikamenter blant gravide i Oslo – en spørreskjemaundersøkelse
Induction and detoxification of maize 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones by insect herbivores.

In monocotyledonous plants, 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones, also referred to as benzoxazinoids or hydroxamic acids, are one of the most important chemical barriers against herbivores. However, knowledge about their behavior after attack, mode of action and potential detoxification by specialized insects remains limited. We chose an innovative analytical approach to understand the role of maize 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones in plant-insect interactions. By combining unbiased metabolomics screening and simultaneous measurements of living and digested plant tissue, we created a quantitative dynamic map of 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones at the plant-insect interface. Hypotheses derived from this map were tested by specifically developed in vitro assays using purified 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones and active extracts from mutant plants lacking 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones. Our data show that maize plants possess a two-step defensive system that effectively fends off both the generalist Spodoptera littoralis and the specialist Spodoptera frugiperda. In the first step, upon insect attack, large quantities of 2-β-d-glucopyranosyloxy-4,7-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (HDMBOA-Glc) are formed. In the second step, after tissue disruption by the herbivores, highly unstable 2-hydroxy-4,7-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (HDMBOA) is released by plant-derived β-glucosidases. HDMBOA acts as a strong deterrent to both S. littoralis and S. frugiperda. Although constitutively produced 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones such as 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) are detoxified via glycosylation by the insects, no conjugation of HDMBOA in the insect gut was found, which may explain why even the specialist S. frugiperda has not evolved immunity against this plant defense. Taken together, our results show the benefit of using a plant-insect interface approach to elucidate plant defensive processes and unravel a potent resistance mechanism in maize.
Voting over Informal Risk–Sharing Rules

People vote over risk-sharing rules to cope with random revenues. Risk-sharing rules are enforced through peer pressure : those who comply exert a negative externality on those who do not. People are differently affected by this externality. The author determines the elected risk-sharing rules and the level of compliance. It turns out that full risk-sharing is achieved only if everybody complies. Partial risk-sharing is more often achieved with, sometime, some level of non-compliance. In many cases, a majority of people votes over and complies with the risk-sharing rule that maximizes their own expected payoff.
Sequential Changes in the Metabolic Response to Orthotopic Liver Transplantation During the First Year After Surgery

ObjectiveTo quantify the sequential changes in the metabolic response occurring in patients with end-stage liver disease after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Summary Background DataDetailed quantification of the changes in energy expenditure, body composition, and physiologic function that occur in patients after OLT has not been performed. Understanding these changes is essential for the optimal management of these patients. MethodsFourteen patients who underwent OLT for end-stage liver disease had measurements of resting energy expenditure, body composition, and physiologic function immediately before surgery and 5, 10, 15, 30, 90, 180, and 360 days later. ResultsResting energy expenditure was significantly elevated after surgery (24% above predicted), peaking around day 10 after OLT, when it averaged 42% above predicted. A significant degree of hypermetabolism was still present at 6 months, but at 12 months measured resting energy expenditure was close to predicted values. Before surgery, measured total body protein was 82% of estimated preillness total body protein. During the first 10 days after OLT, a further 1.0 kg (10%) of total body protein was lost, mostly from skeletal muscle. Only 54% of this loss was restored by 12 months. Significant overhydration of the fat-free body was seen before OLT, and it was still present 12 months later. Although significant losses of body fat and bone mineral occurred during the early postoperative period, only body fat stores were restored at 12 months. Both subjective fatigue score and voluntary hand grip strength improved rapidly after OLT to exceed preoperative levels at 3 months. At 12 months grip strength was close to values predicted for these patients when well. Respiratory muscle strength improved less markedly and was significantly lower than predicted normal levels at 12 months. ConclusionsBefore surgery, these patients were significantly protein-depleted, overhydrated, and hypermetabolic. After surgery, the period of hypermetabolism was prolonged, restoration of body protein stores was gradual and incomplete, and respiratory muscle strength failed to reach expected normal values. Our measurements indicate that OLT does not normalize body composition and function and imply that a continuing metabolic stress persists for at least 12 months after surgery.
Understanding preservice teachers' technology use through TPACK framework

This study discusses preservice teachers' achievement barriers to technology integration, using principles of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as an evaluative framework. Technology-capable participants each freely chose a content area to comprise project. Data analysis based on interactions among core components of TPACK revealed that participants struggled with developing new knowledge. Lack of pedagogical experience limited development of appropriate technology integration approaches. Creating new knowledge bases based on different teaching components can be difficult for preservice teachers because it requires a deep understanding of core knowledge and interpretation of the teaching context and its dynamics. Developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an important factor in overall technology integration; teachers must make it a priority to acquire PCK before integrating technology. In preservice teacher education, PCK development must be supported with actual teaching experience. We believe that the results of the study may provide valuable insight with respect to proper focus on technology integration and recognizing limitations and challenges within TPACK principles to both those who teach technology integration and those who design TPACK-based activities. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Inherited Variations in AR, ESR1, and ESR2 Genes Are Not Associated With Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness or With Efficacy of Androgen Deprivation Therapy

Background: Sex steroid hormone receptors mediate essential processes in normal prostate growth and contribute to prostate cancer development. Method: In this study, we investigated the association between common inherited variation of the AR, ESR1, and ESR2 genes and two clinically relevant traits: the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer and the response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in a hospital-based cohort. A total of 43 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms covering the loci of AR (n = 4), ESR1 (n = 32), and ESR2 (n = 7) were successfully genotyped in 4,073 prostate cancer cases. Results: None of these single nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with disease aggressiveness as assessed by the D'Amico risk classification, pathologic stage, or the response to ADT. Conclusions: Our results suggest that common genetic variations in AR, ESR1, or ESR2 are not strongly associated with prostate cancer aggressiveness or response to ADT. Impact: Our study did not find convincing evidence of inherited variations in the major receptors for androgens and estrogens and their associations with prostate cancer traits. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(7); 1871–8. ©2010 AACR.
Association between Urinary Sodium Excretion and Bone Health in Male and Female Adults

Background: High salt intake is a well-known risk factor for osteoporosis, but the association between bone mass and urinary sodium excretion has not been studied as yet. This study investigates the hypothesis that urinary sodium excretion is negatively associated with bone mass and the risk of osteoporosis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2011. Participants (n = 16,279) were divided into age groups; men were categorized as younger than 50 years of age or 50 years or greater, women were categorized as pre- or post-menopausal. Results: Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that urinary sodium excretion was negatively associated with bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Sodium excretion was negatively associated with BMC and BMD of the lumbar spine in women with normal bone health, osteopenia and osteoporosis, but there was no association in men. Increased sodium excretion was significantly associated with risk for osteoporosis/osteopenia in premenopausal women. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that urinary sodium excretion is negatively associated with bone health, suggesting that high salt intake could be a possible risk factor for osteoporosis in Korean women, but not in men.
Effect of 1,19-bis(ethylamino)-5,10,15-triazanonadecane on human tumor xenografts.

The polyamine analogue 1,19-bis(ethylamino)-5,10,15-triazanonadecane (BE-4-4-4-4), 5 mg/kg i.p., was given twice daily on days 0-3 and 7-10 (cycle 1) to nude mice with human malignant gliomas (SF-767 and U-87 MG), lung adenocarcinoma (A549), and colon carcinomas (HCT116 and HT29). A second cycle of drug was given to mice with SF-767 and A549 tumors on days 42-45 and 49-52. The maximum animal weight loss varied between 4 and 12%, which was observed 10-15 days following the initiation of treatment, but no overt toxic reactions were noted. The SF-767 brain tumors were extremely responsive to BE-4-4-4-4 alone (3 of 8 complete regressions after 2 cycles); however, the growth of the U-87 MG brain tumor was only slightly inhibited by BE-4-4-4-4 treatment. There was significant inhibition of tumor growth after treatment with one cycle of BE-4-4-4-4 in animals carrying the A549, HCT116, and HT29 tumors. At day 73, the growth of the A549 tumor was inhibited by 78 and 89% following one or two cycles of BE-4-4-4-4, respectively. The mitotic index of A549 tumors was 18 times greater in control mice than in those treated with BE-4-4-4-4 for one or two cycles 99 days after initiation of treatment. 1,3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) was given to mice carrying the U-87 MG or A549 tumors on day 4 (cycle 1) and day 46 (cycle 2) in the maximal tolerated dose of 50 mg/kg for BCNU alone and 40 mg/kg for BCNU plus BE-4-4-4-4. BCNU alone significantly inhibited the growth of U-87 MG tumors but not the growth of A549 tumors. Treatment with the combination of BCNU and BE-4-4-4-4 was significantly better than BCNU alone for A549 tumors and better than BE-4-4-4-4 alone for U87 tumors. However, in both animal groups treated with the combination, there was a significant weight loss, which was not observed for animals treated with either agent alone. These data suggest a role for BE-4-4-4-4 in the treatment of brain, lung, and colon tumors.
Cardiovascular and urological dysfunction in spinal cord injury

Hagen EM, Faerestrand S, Hoff JM, Rekand T, Gronning M. Cardiovascular and urological dysfunction in spinal cord injury. Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 124 (Suppl. 191): 71–78. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Beruf fängt in der Schule an - Schülerbetriebspraktika in der Berufsorientierungsphase

E Viele Schulabgangerinnen und Schulabganger aus der Sekundarstufe I bewerben sich vergebens um Ausbildungsplatze. Die Grunde sind nicht neu: nicht ausreichende Ausbildungsplatze, aber auch von der Wirtschaft beklagte Defizite bei der Ausbildungsreife von Jugendlichen. Untersuchungen des BIBB zeigen allerdings auch, dass sich diejenigen Jugendlichen mit konkreten Vorstellungen von Ausbildung, Beruf, Marktchancen sowie der Fahigkeit zu realistischer Selbsteinschatzung messbar beharrlicher und letztlich erfolgreicher bewerben als diejenigen, die die Schule ohne konkrete Berufswunsche ‐ und das sind fast die Halfte ‐ verlassen. Schulische Berufsorientierung durfte deshalb auch kunftig an Bedeutung noch zunehmen. Dabei stehen Schulerbetriebspraktika wegen ihres besonderen Einflusses auf die Entstehung von Berufswunschen im Mittelpunkt. Das Forschungsprojekt „Beruf fangt in der Schule an ‐ Die Bedeutung von Schulerbetriebspraktika im Rahmen der Berufsorientierungsphase“ des Bundesinstituts fur Berufsbildung geht der Frage nach, inwieweit mit Erwartungshaltungen verbundene Anspruche an Betriebspraktika und die Realitat im Schulalltag ubereinstimmen. Der konkrete Nutzen der Praktika hangt von einer Vielzahl von Faktoren wie im Vorfeld erworbener Kenntnisse, Vorbereitung, Organisation, Durchfuhrung und Nachbereitung ab. Im Projekt werden Moglichkeiten und Grenzen dieser Praktika erkundet und innerhalb bestehender struktureller schulischer und betrieblicher Rahmenbedingungen Optimierungsvorschlage erarbeitet. Ziel ist es, Zufalligkeiten bei der Auswahl von Praktikumsplatzen und der Durchfuhrung entgegenzuwirken sowie effektivitatssteigernde Moglichkeiten aufzuzeigen.
Toward a cost-effective cloud storage service

Base platforms for many data-intensive applications start to move onto cloud computing services. These applications inherently requires very large storage space, and append-only distributed file systems have been developed for this purpose. These distributed file systems are capable of running on commodity hardware and highly scalable. Cloud computing service providers only try to reduce management costs, but not concerning about significant up-front investment costs. Additionally, virtual machine technologies, especially Xen that most of cloud computing services use, have low I/O performance. In this paper, we present a cost-effective cloud storage service model, which are built with old PCs but shows good performance. Our experimental evaluation shows 46% better performance in Postmark benchmark.
How to measure baroreflex sensitivity: from the cardiovascular laboratory to daily life

Arterial baroreflex function in humans is commonly assessed through a number of laboratory tests based on quantification of the reflex responses in heart rate or blood pressure to external stimuli applied to the cardiovascular system. Evidence is available that these laboratory estimates of baroreflex sensitivity have both pathophysiological and clinical relevance. Indeed, a number of studies have shown that the sensitivity of the baroreceptor–heart rate reflex may have a prognostic value in myocardial infarction, heart failure and diabetic patients, where mortality seems to be inversely related to the sensitivity of cardiac baroreflex modulation. A deeper insight into the features of daily-life baroreflex cardiovascular control has been offered more recently by techniques based on computer analysis of spontaneous blood pressure and heart rate fluctuations. This innovative approach allows spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity to be assessed in real life conditions, with no need for external stimulation of the patient as required by the older laboratory techniques. This review will briefly survey the methods most widely used to assess baroreflex function in humans, in the laboratory and in daily life.
GreenCloudTax: A Flexible IaaS Tax Approach as Stimulus for Green Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is underpinned by huge datacenters which are considered as significant consumers of energy. Under the umbrella term GreenCloud the scientific community developed different architectures, algorithms and methods to improve energy efficiency of these datacenters. However, approaches which try to modify existing or applying new economical concepts to improve energy efficiency of datacenters are rare. In this paper we propose the GreenCloudTax model which is a flexible IaaS tax system for calculating taxes of virtual machines by using the energy efficiency of the underlying server infrastructure. Thereby, providers relying on energy efficient servers can sell their virtual machines with lower taxes than those with energy inefficient servers. This results in a competitive advantage and consequently leads to reduced energy consumption in total too. We analyzed the effects of our GreenCloudTax model on Cloud markets by a simulation environment which is based on CloudSim's Bazaar-Extension.
Lung Function and Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollutants in Middle-Aged American Adults

The authors examined the association of long-term exposure to ozone (O3) and ambient particulate matter < 10 μm in diameter (PM10) with pulmonary function by using cross-sectional data of 10,240 middle-aged adults who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Air-pollution data came from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Aerometric Information Retrieval System. After an adjustment for important covariates, the inverse associations with forced vital capacity or forced expiratory volume in 1 second were observed separately for O3 and PM10. These associations were stronger among smokers than among the nonsmokers; among users of respiratory medications than among nonusers; and among participants currently experiencing respiratory symptoms than among those without symptoms. However, an additional adjustment for the study center eliminated the PM10 association. Moreover, center-specific associations between PM10 and pulmonary function were not significant, possibly as a result of the homogeneity of withincenter exposures.
Flexible Software-Defined Packet Processing Using Low-Area Hardware

Computer networks are in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) era. SDN brings a whole new set of flexibility and possibilities into the network. The data plane of forwarding devices can be programmed to provide functionality for any protocol, and to perform novel network testing, diagnostics, and troubleshooting. One of the most dominant hardware architectures for implementing the programmable data plane is the Reconfigurable Match Tables (RMT) architecture. RMT’s innovative programmable architecture enables support of novel networking protocols. However, there are certain shortcomings associated with its architecture that limit its scalability and lead to an unnecessarily complex architecture. In this paper, we present the details of an alternative packet parser and Match-Action pipeline. The parser sustains tenfold throughput at an area increase of only 32 percent. The pipeline supports unlimited combination of tables at minimum possible cost and provides a new level of flexibility to programmable Match-Action packet processing by allowing custom depth for actions. In addition, it has more advanced field-referencing mechanisms. Despite these architectural enhancements, it has 31 percent less area compared to RMT architecture.
Accuracy, Sensitivity and Specificity Measurement of Various Classification Techniques on Healthcare Data

Healthcare industry is a type of industry, where the data is very large and sensitive. The data is required to be handled very carefully without any mismanagement. There are various data mining techniques that have been used in healthcare industry but the research that has to be done now is on the performance of the various classification techniques. So that amongst the all, the best on can be chosen. In this paper, we aim to consider the accuracy percentage, sensitivity percentage and specificity percentage to provide a result.