Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase III study comparing gemcitabine plus cetuximab versus gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Southwest Oncology Group-directed intergroup trial S0205.

PURPOSE Patients with advanced pancreas cancer present with disease that is poorly responsive to conventional therapies. Preclinical and early clinical evidence has supported targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway in patients with pancreas cancer. This trial was conducted to evaluate the contribution of an EGFR-targeted agent to standard gemcitabine therapy. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody against the ligand-binding domain of the receptor. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus cetuximab. The primary end point was overall survival. Secondary end points included progression-free survival, time to treatment failure, objective response, and toxicity. RESULTS A total of 745 eligible patients were accrued. No significant difference was seen between the two arms of the study with respect to the median survival time (6.3 months for the gemcitabine plus cetuximab arm v 5.9 months for the gemcitabine alone arm; hazard ratio = 1.06; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.23; P = .23, one-sided). Objective responses and progression-free survival were similar in both arms of the study. Although time to treatment failure was longer in patients on gemcitabine plus cetuximab (P = .006), the difference in length of treatment was only 2 weeks longer in the combination arm. Among patients who were studied for tumoral EGFR expression, 90% were positive, with no treatment benefit detected in this patient subset. CONCLUSION In patients with advanced pancreas cancer, the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody cetuximab did not improve the outcome compared with patients treated with gemcitabine alone. Alternate targets other than EGFR should be evaluated for new drug development.
Adaptation Finance: Setting the Ground for Post-Paris Action

Adaptation finance has been recognized as a pivotal element of the international response to climate change in light of the climate vulnerability of natural and human systems to climate-related risks in an increasingly warm world. At present, however, relevant data on adaptation financing are not systematically and consistently collected across investors, and there is not yet an internally agreed methodology for comprehensive and consistent measurement. The resulting information gap on adaptation finance flows is an impediment to accountability and the provision of quantitative-based evidence supporting adaptation policy and investment decision-making.This study sought to provide an updated picture on how much, how, where, and from whom finance is flowing toward climate-resilient actions with the overarching aim of providing a pre-Paris Agreement baseline against which measuring progress and on which building to further improve tracking systems. Drowning from a variety of primary and secondary sources, the study finds that in 2013/2014 public institutions invested US$25 billion, on average, for adaptation actions. The study highlights that this estimate remains uncertain and partial due to lack of harmonized accounting methods and data gaps, particularly on private investment. The study points to improvement in current tracking systems and highlights opportunities for scaling up adaptation finance given that more efforts would be needed to enable societies and economies to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The Will to Use Social Media in Crisis Communication in the European Union Area

In this study we asked how people who are moving can get information about crises by mobile technology and whether there could be some solution(s) to improve the sharing of information via social media during crises. We also conducted a case analysis about how the Munich Police Department did their crisis communication via Twitter during the Munich shooting crisis. The crisis communication progress work in the EU is getting better by projects which are improving for example common information sharing environments and making the protocols for cooperating authorities in the EU. There are no common guidelines for social media environments in the EU for how to make crisis communication in social media uniform and of good quality between authorities and the public. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become widely used in crisis situations, where authorities and public people have gotten and given information worldwide. Our conclusion was that there should be minimum guidelines between EU authorities for crisis communication on social media platforms. In the future, the most used social media platforms should be developed for better crisis communication possibilities and this could be started by challenging authorities to sit down to discuss with social media actors.
Failure of naltrexone hydrochloride to reduce self-injurious and autistic behavior in mentally retarded adults. Double-blind placebo-controlled studies.

BACKGROUND It is hypothesized that self-injurious behavior (SIB) and symptoms of autism may be due to overactivity in some opioid systems in the brain. We examined the efficacy and safety of naltrexone hydrochloride, an opioid antagonist, in the treatment of SIB and autism in mentally retarded adults. METHOD Thirty-three mentally retarded adults with autism and/or SIB participated in double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies. Active treatment was first a single 100-mg dose of naltrexone hydrochloride. Subsequently, 19 subjects were treated with 50 mg/d and 14 with 150 mg/d of naltrexone hydrochloride for 4 weeks. The outcome was assessed by means of direct observations (n = 11) and on the basis of scores on a list of target behaviors, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the Clinical Global Impression Scale. RESULTS Thirty-two subjects (seven with autism, 16 with autism and SIB, and nine with SIB) completed the trial. Naltrexone treatment failed to have therapeutic effects on SIB and autism. On the contrary, naltrexone increased the incidence of stereotypic behavior on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the care staff evaluated the effect of the 50-mg/d treatment as being significantly worse than that of the placebo treatment as measured by the Clinical Global Impression Scale. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that naltrexone has no clinical value for a broad group of mentally retarded subjects with SIB and/or autism.
Sharing Recovery Stories

This mixed-method study assessed the relationship between the content in news articles about mental health and illness and the reading and sharing of this content by the news audience. It used Web analytics from three major Canadian news sites. Regression analysis indicated a tendency for social media users to share news about mental health and illness that was neutral in tone and that contained recovery and intervention as themes. Stories on mental health that had themes of violence and criminality, however, did not increase the article’s readership or online sharing. This research is considered in the context of the sociological process of making news, network gatekeeping, and uses and gratifications theory.
Screening for colorectal neoplasia with CT colonography: initial experience from the 1st year of coverage by third-party payers.

PURPOSE To evaluate our experience in the 1st year of computed tomographic (CT) colonography screening since the initiation of local third-party payer coverage. MATERIALS AND METHODS This HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was waived. Over a 1-year period that ended on April 27, 2005, 1110 consecutive adults (585 women, 525 men; mean age, 58.1 years) underwent primary CT colonography screening. More than 99% were covered by managed care agreements. CT colonographic interpretation was performed with primary three-dimensional polyp detection, and the final results were issued within 2 hours. Patients with large (> or =10-mm) polyps were referred for same-day optical colonoscopy, and patients with medium-sized (6-9-mm) lesions had the option of immediate optical colonoscopy or short-term CT colonography surveillance. RESULTS Large colorectal polyps were identified at CT colonography in 43 (3.9%) of 1110 patients. Medium-sized lesions were identified in 77 (6.9%) patients, 31 (40%) of whom chose optical colonoscopy and 46 (60%) of whom chose CT colonography surveillance. Concordant lesions were identified in 65 of 71 patients who underwent subsequent optical colonoscopy (positive predictive value, 91.5%). Sixty-one (86%) of 71 optical colonoscopic procedures were performed on the same day as CT colonography, thereby avoiding the need for repeat bowel preparation. The actual endoscopic referral rate for positive findings at CT colonography was 6.4% (71 of 1110 patients). The demand for CT colonography screening from primary care physicians and their patients increased throughout the study period. CONCLUSION As a primary colorectal screening tool, CT colonography covered by third-party payers has an acceptably low endoscopic referral rate and a high concordance of positive findings at optical colonoscopy.
Three-level driving method for GaN power transistor in synchronous buck converter

The emerging Gallium-Nitride (GaN) based power transistors offers the potential to achieve higher efficiency and higher switching frequencies than possible with Silicon MOSFET's. This paper will discuss the GaN device characteristics, and based on this, the driving method will be discussed. Then a three-level driving method is proposed to overcome the high reverse conduction loss issue of the GaN power transistor. Finally, a 12V to 1.2V Synchronous Buck converter with a full load current of 20A is built to verify the proposed method. The experimental results show that the proposed method is necessary and effective for efficiency improvement in high switching applications of GaN power transistor.
The stimulation of capsaicin‐sensitive neurones in a vanilloid receptor‐mediated fashion by pungent terpenoids possessing an unsaturated 1,4‐dialdehyde moiety

1 The irritant fungal terpenoid isovelleral caused protective eye‐wiping movements in the rat upon intraocular instillation and showed cross‐tachyphylaxis with capsaicin, the pungent principle in hot pepper. 2 Isovelleral induced a dose‐dependent calcium uptake by rat dorsal root ganglion neurones cultured in vitro with an EC50 of 95 nM, which was fully inhibited by the competitive vanilloid receptor antagonist capsazepine. 3 Isovelleral inhibited specific binding of [3H]‐resiniferatoxin (RTX), an ultrapotent capsaicin analogue, to rat trigeminal ganglion or spinal cord preparations with an IC50 of 5.2 μm; in experiments in which the concentration of [3H]‐RTX was varied, isovelleral changed both the apparent affinity (from 16 pM to 37 pM) and the co‐operativity index (from 2.1 to 1.5), but not the Bmax. 4 The affinity of isovelleral for inducing calcium uptake or inhibiting RTX binding was in very good agreement with the threshold dose (2.2. nmol) at which it provoked pungency on the human tongue. 5 For a series of 14 terpenoids with an unsaturated 1,4‐dialdehyde, a good correlation was found between pungency on the human tongue and affinity for vanilloid receptors on the rat spinal cord. 6 The results suggest that isovelleral‐like compounds produce their irritant effect by interacting with vanilloid receptors on capsaicin‐sensitive sensory neurones. Since these pungent diterpenes are structurally distinct from the known classes of vanilloids, these data provide new insights into structure‐activity relations and may afford new opportunities for the development of drugs targeting capsaicin‐sensitive pathways.
Italian family with cranial cervical dystonia: Clinical and genetic study

A white Italian family affected by primary torsion dystonia (PTD) is described. The family phenotype most commonly presented with adult onset, cranial cervical involvement, and focal or segmental distribution without progression to generalization. Thirty‐nine family members and nine spouses were studied. Five subjects received a diagnosis of definite PTD, three of probable PTD. Age at onset was in adulthood for all. In four definitely affected subjects, dystonia started in the cranial or cervical districts; in one it presented as writer's cramp. Familial writer's cramp also occurred in the family of the unrelated parent of the latter patient. The mean age at time of examination was 61.8 years in the individuals with a definite diagnosis; 60 in those with a probable diagnosis. At the time of examination, in most of the affected subjects, dystonia was focal; in three cases (two definitely and one probably affected), it was segmental. DNA linkage analysis, although limited by the size of the family, suggested exclusion of linkage between the disease and known PTD loci (DYT6 and DYT7). The GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene was excluded in the proband and in the family member affected by writer's cramp.
Bias in Hotelling observer performance computed from finite data

An observer performing a detection task analyzes an image and produces a single number, a test statistic, for that image. This test statistic represents the observers "confidence" that a signal (e.g., a tumor) is present. The linear observer that maximizes the test-statistic SNR is known as the Hotelling observer. Generally, computation of the Hotelling SNR, or Hotelling trace, requires the inverse of a large covariance matrix. Recent developments have resulted in methods for the estimation and inversion of these large covariance matrices with relatively small numbers of images. The estimation and inversion of these matrices is made possible by a covariance matrix decomposition that splits the full covariance matrix into an average detector-noise component and a background-variability component. Because the average detector-noise component is often diagonal and/or easily estimated, a full-rank, invertible covariance matrix can be produced with few images. We have studied the bias of estimates of the Hotelling trace using this decomposition for high-detector-noise and low-detector noise situations. In extremely low-noise situations, this covariance decomposition may result in a significant bias. We will present a theoretical evaluation of the Hotelling-trace bias, as well as extensive simulation studies.
A moving target: The geographic evolution of Silicon Valley, 1953–1990

Abstract This article provides an empirical examination of high-tech firm location data from 1953 to 1990 to show a dramatic shift in geographic centre of what is now called Silicon Valley. Universities (most notably Stanford), venture capital and law firms acted as magnets for divisions of established firms and local start-ups. These institutions combined with the Santa Clara County’s available land to pull the high-tech region’s epicentre south-eastwards from San Francisco, an early source of investment capital and legal expertise. These findings add another element (spatial change) for consideration in explaining the evolution of industry clusters.
In vivo function of the craniofacial haft: the interorbital "pillar".

The craniofacial haft resists forces generated in the face during feeding, but the importance of these forces for the form of the craniofacial haft remains to be determined. In vivo bone strain data were recorded from the medial orbital wall in an owl monkey (Aotus), rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and a galago (Otolemur) during feeding. These data were used to determine whether: the interorbital region can be modeled as a simple beam under bending or shear; the face is twisting on the brain case during unilateral biting or mastication; the interorbital "pillar" is being axially compressed during incisor loading and both axially compressed and laterally bent during mastication; and the interorbital "pillar" transmits axial compressive forces from the toothrow to the braincase. The strain data reveal that the interorbital region cannot be modeled as a anteroposteriorly oriented beam bent superiorly in the sagittal plane during incision or mastication. The strain orientations recorded in the majority of experiments are concordant with those predicted for a short beam under shear, although the anthropoids displayed evidence of multiple loading regimes in the medial orbital wall. Strain orientation data corroborate the hypothesis that the strepsirrhine face is twisted during mastication. The hypothesis that the interorbital region is a member in a rigid frame subjected to axial compression during mastication receives some support. The hypothesis that the interorbital region is a member in a rigid frame subjected to lateral bending during mastication is supported by the epsilon1/absolute value epsilon2 ratio data but not by the strain orientation data. The timing of peak shear strains in the medial orbital wall of anthropoids does not bear a consistent relationship to the timing of peak shear strain in the mandibular corpus, suggesting that bite force is not the only external force influencing the medial orbital wall. Strain orientation data suggest the existence of two distinct loading regimes, possibly associated with masseter or medial pterygoid contraction. Regardless of the loading regime, all taxa showed low strain magnitudes in the medial orbital wall relative to the anterior root of the zygoma and the mandibular corpus. The strain gradients documented here and elsewhere suggest that, in anthropoids at least, local effects of external forces are more important than a single global loading regime. The low strain magnitudes in the medial orbital wall and in other thin bony plates around the orbit suggest that these structures are not optimally designed for resisting feeding forces. It is hypothesized that their function is to provide rigid support and protection for soft-tissue structures such as the nasal epithelium, the brain, meninges, and the eye and its adnexa. In contrast with the face of Otolemur, which appears to be subjected to a single predominant loading regime, anthropoids may experience different loading regimes in different parts of the face. This implies that the anthropoid and strepsirrhine facial skulls might be optimized for different functions.
Clinical features and diagnostic evaluation of biopsy-proven ocular sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVES To compare the clinical characteristics of uveitic sarcoidosis in African American and non-African American patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis and to determine which diagnostic test results were most often suggestive of sarcoidosis in patients who were ultimately diagnosed as having the disease. METHOD Retrospective review of consecutive patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis evaluated by the uveitis service between 1989 and 2009. RESULTS A total of 63 patients with uveitic sarcoidosis were identified: 39 (62%) were African American (P <.001) and 43 (68%) were female. African American patients presented at an earlier age (P <.001) and were more likely to have granulomatous anterior segment inflammation (P <.001). The levels of serum markers angiotensin-converting enzyme and lysozyme were elevated in 40% and 42% of patients tested, respectively. The levels of at least 1 marker were elevated in 18 patients (58%). Imaging study results were reported as consistent with sarcoidosis in 25 patients (69%) who underwent chest radiography and in 19 patients (100%) who underwent computed tomography. CONCLUSIONS In this series, African American patients were more likely to be diagnosed as having uveitic sarcoidosis and to present with uveitis if they were younger than 50 years. White patients were more likely to present when they were older than 50 years. A clinical picture that included granulomatous anterior segment inflammation was more common in African American patients. The use of serum markers (angiotensin-converting enzyme and lysozyme) positively identified more patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis when used in combination with appropriate chest imaging.
On decoding of single parity product codes using modified chase algorithm

This paper deals with iterative decoding algorithm for two and more dimensional turbo product codes, built using single parity block codes. Decoding algorithm used in this paper is modified version of Soft-Chase algorithm. Decoding is based on soft-input / soft-output decoders ( SlSO ) for decoding components codes. The soft inputs of decoder include two values, the soft channel value and a priori value. The soft output of the component¿s decoder is an estimation of the log-likelihood ratio (LLR ) of binary decisions given by Chase decoder. These extrinsic values are used in feedback as a priori information for next iteration. The performance of different single parity codes are given for Gaussian channel.
New results in development of MW output power gyrotrons for fusion systems

Gyrotrons are widely used in electron-cyclotron-wave systems of fusion installations. Modern and future installations require microwave sources with power of at least 1 MW. There are two main directions in the development of megawatt gyrotrons at IAP/GYCOM. The first line is an enhancement of parameters for conventional gyrotrons. The main efforts are applied now to implementing of CVD diamond windows into the gyrotrons and providing gyrotron operation in CW (or very long pulses of tens seconds) regime. The second direction aims at the development of frequency tunable megawatt gyrotrons.
CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW RAT MODEL OF EXPERIMENTAL COMBINED NEUROTRAUMA

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is present in two-thirds of patients with multiple injuries and in one-third combined with injuries of the extremities. Studies on interactive effects between central and peripheral injuries are scarce due to the absence of clinically relevant models. To meet the demand for “more-hit” models, an experimental model of combined neurotrauma (CNT) incorporating a standardized TBI via lateral fluid percussion (LFP) together with a peripheral bone fracture, i.e., tibia fracture, is introduced. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to four experimental groups: controls (n = 10), animals with TBI (n = 30), animals with tibia fracture (n = 30), and animals with CNT (n = 30). Morphological aspects of brain and bone injury were analyzed via standard histopathological procedures and x-ray. Trauma-induced neuromotor dysfunction was assessed using a standardized neuroscore. For interactive effects between injuries, we studied the extent and temporal pattern of circulating interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels via immunoassay and callus formation at fracture sites by means of microradiography. LFP produced an ipsilateral lesion with cortical contusion, hemorrhage, mass shift, and neuronal cell loss (adjacent cortex and hippocampus CA-2/-3), along with contralateral neuromotor dysfunction. X-rays confirmed complete fractures in the middle of the bone shaft. The type of injury (P < 0.001) and time (P = 0.022) were significantly associated with increased IL-6 levels. CNT produced the highest IL-6 plasma levels with a maximum peak at 6 h after trauma (P < 0.001). Similarly, callus formation at fracture sites in CNT was significantly increased versus fracture only (P < 0,01). The CNT model mimics a variety of clinically relevant features known from human multiple injury, including TBI, and offers novel approaches for investigation of interactive mechanisms and therapeutic approaches.