Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sentinel node biopsy has no benefit for patients whose primary cutaneous melanoma has metastasized to a lymph node and therefore should be abandoned now

In 1992, Morton et al. published the results of their study, the first ever undertaken, about the utility of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for patients with primary cutaneous melanoma (PCM) whose regional lymph nodes were not palpable clinically. The collaborators defined the sentinel node (SN) as ‘the lymph node nearest the site of the primary melanoma, on the direct drainage pathway’. They averred that metastasis from a PCM nearly always is found in the SN. Conversely, they opined that if the SN did not harbour a metastasis of melanoma, then nodes other than the sentinel one almost always were negative for metastases. The purpose of SNB, as it was expressed then by Morton et al., was as follows: ‘. this technique [SNB] identifies with a high degree of accuracy, patients with early stage melanoma who have nodal metastases and are likely to benefit from radical lymphadenectomy’. The authors declared that SNB followed by dissection of regional nodes would benefit patients by curing them of melanoma. Does it really? Let readers decide by critical analysis of the ‘points’ and anticipated ‘counterpoints’ that follow. Point 1. Elective node dissection and sentinel node biopsy followed by dissection of regional nodes are one and the same procedure fundamentally, and, therefore, results of studies that pertain to elective node dissection are applicable equally to sentinel node biopsy In 2003, McMasters and Swetter stated that elective node dissection (END) and regional node dissection (RND) performed because of a positive SN are two different procedures and, that being the case, advised that any comparison between them would be fraught with inaccuracy. They reasoned that because 80% of patients who undergo END did not have metastases of melanoma, only 20%, at most, of patients could benefit from it and, moreover, statistical analysis was unlikely to detect that benefit. The supposition of McMasters and Swetter is wrong: the function of statistical analysis is to determine any possible benefit to survival, and there is no such benefit. In the same paragraph of the same article, having pronounced that studies of END are not applicable to SNB, McMasters and Swetter drew, inexplicably, on findings in a study by Balch et al. in order to lend support to the notion that SNB with subsequent RND may benefit certain sets of patients with metastases of melanoma, the rationale for that being that END appears to benefit those patients. But it is both illogical and disingenuous to introduce studies of END that are biased with regard to selectivity and the results of which are contradictory. Correspondence: A.B. Ackerman. E-mail: amanda.ryan@ameripath.com British Journal of Dermatology 2004; 151: 298–307. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2004. 06132.x
[miRNA-144 in the saliva is a genetic marker for early diagnosis of esophageal cancer].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the presence of miRNA-144 in the saliva of patients with esophageal cancer and its value for early diagnosis of esophageal cancer. METHODS Saliva samples were collected form patients with esophageal cancer admitted in the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College between January, 2011 and May, 2013, with saliva samples from 50 middle-aged healthy volunteers matched for age and gender ratio as the control group. The contents of miRNA-144 in the samples were detected with RT-PCR. RESULTS The levels of miRNA-144 in both the whole saliva and saliva supernatant were significantly higher in esophageal cancer group than in the control group (P<0.05). In the whole saliva, the cut-off point of miRNA-144 was ≥100, with a sensitivity of 74.6% and a specificity of 92.0% for esophageal cancer diagnosis (Az=0.865); in saliva supernatant, the cut-off point was ≥20 with a sensitivity of 53.7% and a specificity of 94.0% (Az=0.754), suggesting a moderate diagnostic value of miRNA-144 in whole saliva and saliva supernatant. CONCLUSION miRNA-144 is highly expressed in the saliva of patients with esophageal cancer and can be used as a genetic marker for early diagnosis of esophageal cancer.
'The overall quality of my life as a sibling is all right, but of course, it could always be better'. Quality of life of siblings of children with intellectual disability: the siblings' perspectives.

BACKGROUND The concept of family quality of life is becoming increasingly important in family support programmes. This concept describes the quality of life of all family members and the family system as a whole, but only the opinion of the parents has been included. The opinion of the siblings has been incorporated in the opinions of the parents, although research has shown that there is discordance between parents' and siblings' reports. The principal goal of this study is to investigate how young siblings of children with intellectual disability define their quality of life as a sibling. METHOD As we were more concerned with understanding the experience of being a sibling from the siblings' own frame of reference, we opted for a qualitative research design and more specifically used in-depth, phenomenology-based interviews. Data were sorted by means of a process of continuously comparing the codes according to the principles of grounded theory. RESULTS Siblings described the following nine domains as domains of sibling quality of life: joint activities, mutual understanding, private time, acceptance, forbearance, trust in well-being, exchanging experiences, social support and dealing with the outside world. CONCLUSIONS This study shows not only that siblings can define their quality of life, but also that this definition of sibling quality of life differs from the family quality of life concept. Therefore, it may be not only a valuable addition to the family quality of life concept but also an appropriate concept to describe siblings' experience.
Trust and Expected Trustworthiness: Experimental Evidence from Zimbabwean Villages

An economic experiment involving 24 small, tightly knit communities allows us to distinguish between trusting or trust-like behaviour based on expectational and non-expectational motivations. A model linking trusting behaviour to expectations of trustworthiness explains over half of the variation across communities. However, the estimated parameters are different (while being similarly well defined) for traditional and resettled communities. This is taken as evidence that non-expectational motivations are at work and vary with community type. Both the data and certain stylised facts suggest that altruistic motivations matter less and motivations relating to a desire to 'community-build' matter more in resettled communities. Copyright 2003 Royal Economic Society.
Probiotic bacteria: selective enumeration and survival in dairy foods.

A number of health benefits have been claimed for probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp. , and Lactobacillus casei. Because of the potential health benefits, these organisms are increasingly incorporated into dairy foods. However, studies have shown low viability of probiotics in market preparations. In order to assess viability of probiotic bacteria, it is important to have a working method for selective enumeration of these probiotic bacteria. Viability of probiotic bacteria is important in order to provide health benefits. Viability of probiotic bacteria can be improved by appropriate selection of acid and bile resistant strains, use of oxygen impermeable containers, two-step fermentation, micro-encapsulation, stress adaptation, incorporation of micronutrients such as peptides and amino acids and by sonication of yogurt bacteria. This review will cover selective enumeration and survival of probiotic bacteria in dairy foods.
Effect of frequency-altered feedback on stuttering frequency at normal and fast speech rates.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the magnitude and direction of the frequency shift of frequency-altered auditory feedback (FAF) on stuttering frequency at both normal and fast speech rates. Twelve adult male and 2 adult female subjects who stutter read 10 different passages at either a normal or fast speech rate under nonaltered auditory feedback (NAF) and each of four FAF conditions in which the feedback signal was shifted: up one-half octave; up one octave; down one-half octave; and down one octave. Mean stuttering frequency for NAF was significantly higher than mean stuttering frequencies for all FAF conditions (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the FAF conditions (p > 0.05). Subjects exhibited significantly more disfluencies under the fast speech rate condition relative to the normal speech rate condition. Future research should examine the relationship between frequency shifts of less than one-half octave and stuttering amelioration.
Posttranslational Modifications of Nuclear Proteins in Rat Cerebral Hemispheres During Postnatal Development

Abstract: The processes of acetylation, phosphorylation, and methylation of nuclear proteins in cerebral hemispheres of 10‐ and 30‐day‐old rats were investigated. The experiments were carried out in vitro by measuring the incorporation of labeled precursors into histones and nonhistone chromosomal proteins (NHP) extracted from nuclei and separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results obtained indicate that there are age‐specific differences in the processes of phosphorylation and methylation of chromosomal proteins, whereas the acetylation process did not change significantly between 10 and 30 days of age. Electrophoretic analysis of histones indicated that the histone H3 was labeled to a greater degree than the other fractions and showed major changes in the processes of phosphorylation and methylation during postnatal development. The electrophoretic analysis of NHP showed considerable changes between 10 and 30 days of age. Certain components of NHP became increasingly evident as the brain developed. The methylation of an as yet unidentified protein with a molecular weight of approximately 118,000 daltons occurred at both ages.
Antenna Designer's Notebook-design curves for reducing the number of phase shifters in-phased arrays by subarraying

A major obstacle in the realization of large-aperture phased array antennas is the associated large number of phase shifters. The number of phase shifters can be reduced by assigning several radiating elements to one phase shifter. Each such group is called a subarray. As the subarray size increases, the FOV (field of view, or beam-steering range) generally decreases. A set of design curves that can be used to optimize the tradeoff between field of view and subarray area is presented. <<ETX>>
A Switchable Erbium Doped Fiber Ring Laser System for Temperature Sensors Multiplexing

In this paper, a proof of concept of a switchable erbium-doped fiber ring laser (EDFRL) system that demonstrates temperature sensors multiplexing is carried out showing a high linearity and a sensitivity of 1.55 ${\rm GHz}/^{\circ}{\rm C}$. The system is based on the detection in the electrical domain of the resulting beat signal of two different laser lines generated by an EDFRL that operates in single longitudinal mode regime (SLM). The SLM operation is achieved by the use of phase shift fiber Bragg gratings with ultranarrow bandwidths of 6 pm. Two independent cavities for the reference signal and sensor signal generation are used to avoid the wavelength competition and to improve the stability. This configuration allows the control of the temperature operation point of the system by adjusting the temperature in the reference side.
Central venous catheter care for the patient with cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline.

PURPOSE To develop an evidence-based guideline on central venous catheter (CVC) care for patients with cancer that addresses catheter type, insertion site, and placement as well as prophylaxis and management of both catheter-related infection and thrombosis. METHODS A systematic search of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library (1980 to July 2012) identified relevant articles published in English. RESULTS The overall quality of the randomized controlled trial evidence was rated as good. There is consistency among meta-analyses and guidelines compiled by other groups as well. RECOMMENDATIONS There is insufficient evidence to recommend one CVC type or insertion site; femoral catheterization should be avoided. CVC should be placed by well-trained providers, and the use of a CVC clinical care bundle is recommended. The use of antimicrobial/antiseptic-impregnated and/or heparin-impregnated CVCs is recommended to decrease the risk of catheter-related infections for short-term CVCs, particularly in high-risk groups; more research is needed. The prophylactic use of systemic antibiotics is not recommended before insertion. Data are not sufficient to recommend for or against routine use of antibiotic flush/lock therapy; more research is needed. Before starting antibiotic therapy, cultures should be obtained. Some life-threatening infections require immediate catheter removal, but most can be treated with antimicrobial therapy while the CVC remains in place. Routine flushing with saline is recommended. Prophylactic use of warfarin or low-molecular weight heparin is not recommended, although a tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is recommended to restore patency to occluded catheters. CVC removal is recommended when the catheter is no longer needed or if there is a radiologically confirmed thrombosis that worsens despite anticoagulation therapy.
Remote Firmware Execution Control in Computational RFID Systems

Computational RFID (CRFID) tags are an emerging class of UHF RFID tags, which are capable of communication, sensing, and computation. However, their computational units are pre-programmed to execute a specific task and cannot change their execution flow during runtime. They require a wired interface to reinstall a new firmware, which strictly limits their use. We address this issue by remotely changing the behavior of CRFIDs by switching their firmware during runtime through commercial RFID reader, without any modification to either CRFID tags or EPC protocol. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of FirmSwitch-a wireless scheme that equips CRFIDs with the capability of switching amongst pre-installed firmwares during runtime. To achieve this goal, we wirelessly pass the encoded instructions to CRFID tag through RFID reader, which leverages the CRFID tags to switch among firmwares and execute them for intended cycles. For concept validation, three prototype tags belonging to two CRFID categories are evaluated. The results show that FirmSwitch incurs an overall switching delay of 5–35.7 ms, and a minimal energy overhead of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$48.7~n\text{J}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>–<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$69.3~\mu \text{J}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The success rate of 95% is achieved at the interrogation range of a half meter with no retransmission.
Comprehensive timeline of mesodermal development in the quail small intestine

Background: To generate the mature intestine, splanchnic mesoderm diversifies into six different tissue layers each with multiple cell types through concurrent and complex morphogenetic events. Hindering the progress of research in the field is the lack of a detailed description of the fundamental morphological changes that constitute development of the intestinal mesoderm. Results: We used immunofluorescence and morphometric analyses of wild‐type and Tg(tie1:H2B‐eYFP) quail embryos to establish a comprehensive timeline of mesodermal development in the avian intestine. The following landmark features were analyzed from appearance of the intestinal primordium through generation of the definitive structure: radial compartment formation, basement membrane dynamics, mesothelial differentiation, mesenchymal expansion and growth patterns, smooth muscle differentiation, and maturation of the vasculature. In this way, structural relationships between mesodermal components were identified over time. Conclusions: This integrated analysis presents a roadmap for investigators and clinicians to evaluate diverse experimental data obtained at individual stages of intestinal development within the longitudinal context of intestinal morphogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 241:1678–1694, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals,Inc.
Security evaluation of certain broadcast encryption schemes employing a generalized time-memory-data trade-off

In this letter a weakness of certain broadcast encryption schemes in which the protected delivery of a session key (SEK) is based on XOR-ing this SEK with the IDs of the keys employed for its encryption is addressed. The weakness can be effectively explored assuming passive attacking which in the cases corresponding to a malicious legitimate user being the attacker, is a ciphertext only attack. A dedicated algorithm for cryptanalysis is proposed based on a generalized time-memory-data trade-off approach and its main characteristics are derived. The developed algorithm points out a security weakness of employing a block cipher with block length shorter than the key length in the considered BE schemes.
An Information-Sharing Based Anti-Phishing System

This paper presents the design of an information- sharing based or server-assisted anti-phishing system. The system follows a client-server architecture and makes decision based on not only client side heuristics but also collective information from multiple clients. When visiting a web site, a client side proxy, installed as a plug-in to a browser, decides on the legitimacy of the web site based on a combination of white list, black list and heuristics. In case the client side proxy does not have sufficient information to make a clear judgment, it reports the suspicious site to a central server which has access to more complete and up to date information and is in a much better position than individual clients to make informed decisions. Our system is designed to counter against deceptive phishing as well as DNS-hijack attack.
Mechanisms of control of acute Friend virus infection by CD4+ T helper cells and their functional impairment by regulatory T cells.

The role of cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells is well defined in retroviral immunity but the role of CD4(+) T helper (Th) cells is poorly understood. The Friend retrovirus (FV) murine infection model is a good model to study immune responses in retroviral infections and hence was used to characterize the role of Th cells during acute infection. In vivo depletion of Th cells in acutely infected mice demonstrated that Th cells were vital in controlling viral spread and onset of erythroleukaemia and for the maintenance of FV-specific CD8(+) T-cell and neutralizing antibody responses. Kinetic analysis of FV-specific Th-cell responses using class-II tetramers showed that the magnitude of the Th-cell response correlated with the level of resistance to FV-induced leukaemia in different mouse strains. FV-specific CD4(+) T-cell receptor beta-transgenic (TCRbeta-tg) T cells were adoptively transferred into mice infected for different time periods [1, 2 and 3 weeks post-infection (p.i.)] to investigate the direct antiviral effect of CD4(+) T cells in FV infection. Results indicated that FV-specific CD4(+) TCRbeta-tg T cells were functionally active until 2 weeks p.i. , retaining their ability to produce gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and reduce viral loads. However, the donor cells lost their antiviral activity starting from 3 weeks p.i. Interestingly, in vivo depletion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) at this time point restored IFN-gamma production by transferred CD4(+) T cells. The current study reveals that Th cells were critical for recovery from acute FV infection but were functionally impaired during the late phase of acute infection due to induced Tregs.
Opening up innovation processes through contests in the food sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how an adequate mix of technological, organisational and managerial tools might support Open Innovation (OI) processes achieved by contests in the food sector. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of this paper is exploratory in nature. Data have been gathered about the 140 innovation contests launched by the best global food brands (2013 BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brands) over the last decade. Findings The research highlights the main changes that have occurred over the last decade, showing that the choice of platform type for contest launches is often neglected or considered as an ancillary element. Indeed, it is a choice that embeds another set of technological, organisational and managerial tools that strongly influence the collaborative behaviour (and the participation itself) of partners throughout the innovation process. Research limitations/implications Companies investigated in this paper consist exclusively of top brands in the sector. Future research should strive to obtain larger samples, develop a set of fine-grained hypotheses, and test them by using appropriate statistical techniques. Originality/value This paper fills an inexplicable gap in academic literature due to the fact that food companies are those that mainly use contests in order to implement OI but they are scarcely researched regarding this issue.
GM‐CSF increases the ability of cultured macrophages to support autologous CD4+ T‐cell proliferation in response to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and PPD antigen

Previous studies have demonstrated an infiltration of monocytes and increased levels of granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) in the asthmatic lung. To study the possible effects of this cytokine upon the differentiation and function of these newly recruited monocytes, we have developed a model in which monocytes isolated from human peripheral blood were differentiated into macrophages in serum in the presence or absence of GM‐CSF. After 7 days, the macrophages increased in size and granularity, had increased phagocytic activity, and expressed various adhesion molecules, CD14 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II. The effects of GM‐CSF on antigen presentation by cultured macrophages on the antigen‐ specific proliferative response of CD4+ T cells to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or purified protein derivative of tuberculin and the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin was determined. CD4+ T‐cell proliferation was reduced when either antigen was presented by macrophages cultured in serum alone, compared with the values obtained with freshly isolated monocytes. However, CD4+ cell proliferation was comparable to that observed with monocytes when antigen was presented by macrophages which had been pre‐cultured with 50 U/ml GM‐CSF. CD4+ T‐cell proliferation to phytohaemagglutinin was similar when all three populations were used as accessory cells. High numbers of macrophages partially suppressed CD4+ T‐cell proliferation in response to antigen presented by monocytes, but there was no significant difference between macrophages cultured in the presence or absence of GM‐CSF. This data suggests that GM‐CSF directs monocyte differentiation into macrophages with an antigen‐presenting, rather than a suppressive, phenotype. Elevated levels of GM‐CSF in the asthmatic lung may therefore maintain recently recruited monocytes in an inflammatory and T‐cell activating state.