Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequent deletions and down-regulation of micro- RNA genes miR15 and miR16 at 13q14 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Micro-RNAs (miR genes) are a large family of highly conserved noncoding genes thought to be involved in temporal and tissue-specific gene regulation. MiRs are transcribed as short hairpin precursors (≈70 nt) and are processed into active 21- to 22-nt RNAs by Dicer, a ribonuclease that recognizes target mRNAs via base-pairing interactions. Here we show that miR15 and miR16 are located at chromosome 13q14, a region deleted in more than half of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemias (B-CLL). Detailed deletion and expression analysis shows that miR15 and miR16 are located within a 30-kb region of loss in CLL, and that both genes are deleted or down-regulated in the majority (≈68%) of CLL cases.
Balanced semisimple filtrations for tilting modules

Let $U_l$ be a quantum group at an $l$th root of unity. Many tilting modules for $U_l$ have been shown to have what we call a balanced semisimple filtration, or a Loewy series whose semisimple layers are symmetric about some middle layer. The existence of such filtrations suggests a remarkably straightforward algorithm for calculating these characters if the irreducible characters are already known. We first show that the results of this algorithm agree with Soergel's character formula for the regular tilting modules. We then show that these balanced semisimple filtrations really do exist for these tilting modules.
Corneal epitheliotrophic capacity of three different blood-derived preparations.

PURPOSE Serum eye drops have been successfully used in the treatment of severe ocular surface disorders. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and platelet concentrates have not yet been tested for use as eye drops, although they are easily available as quality-controlled products from blood banks and are routinely used for transfusion. To test whether FFP or platelet-derived growth factor solutions could be used for ocular surface diseases, we compared the epitheliotrophic capacity of platelet releasate and FFP with that of serum in cell culture models. METHODS The concentrations of EGF, TGF-beta1, PDGF-AB, fibronectin, vitamin A and vitamin E in serum, FFP, and platelet releasate were evaluated with ELISA and HPLC. Corneal epithelial cells were incubated with the various preparations and cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation were evaluated by means of a luminescence-based adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay, a colony dispersion assay, and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS Growth factor concentrations were significantly higher in platelet releasate than in serum and were lowest in FFP. Fibronectin and vitamins were found in higher concentrations in serum than in FFP and were lowest in platelet releasate. Cell proliferation was best supported by platelet releasate followed by serum and FFP; however, cell migration and differentiation were better supported by serum than by platelet releasate and FFP. The reduced nutrient capacity of FFP was in part found to be due to an antiproliferative effect of citrate used as an anticoagulant in the production process. CONCLUSIONS Platelet releasate but not FFP may offer additional potential for the treatment of severe ocular surface disease. Platelet releasate may be suitable as a novel treatment option for ocular surface disease with a superior effect on cell growth.
Multispectral Joint Image Restoration via Optimizing a Scale Map

Color, infrared and flash images captured in different fields can be employed to effectively eliminate noise and other visual artifacts. We propose a two-image restoration framework considering input images from different fields, for example, one noisy color image and one dark-flashed near-infrared image. The major issue in such a framework is to handle all structure divergence and find commonly usable edges and smooth transitions for visually plausible image reconstruction. We introduce a novel scale map as a competent representation to explicitly model derivative-level confidence and propose new functions and a numerical solver to effectively infer it following our important structural observations. Multispectral shadow detection is also used to make our system more robust. Our method is general and shows a principled way to solve multispectral restoration problems.
Exploring environmental consciousness in South Africa

This paper explores the relationships between perceptions, behaviors and awareness regarding four environmental conditions in South Africa: water pollution, land degradation, air pollution and littering. Data from the 2004 General Household Survey are used. First, the extent to which these perceptions, behaviors and levels of awareness correspond to those found in other parts of the world is assessed. Secondly, the importance of race and ethnicity and of socioeconomic status in differences and similarities in environmental perceptions, behaviors and awareness are analysed. African households are much more likely to perceive environmental problems than non-African households, but non-African households are more likely to take action in response to environmental problems and to be aware of environmental initiatives. Logistic regression analyses reveal that the particular circumstances of households are important in response to environmental issues. For example, households with access to land for agriculture are more likely to perceive land degradation as a problem than are households without access to land for agriculture. Education of household head is rarely important for perception of environmental problems, but education is usually important for whether the household takes action in response to an environmental problem and for awareness of environmental initiatives. Exploring Environmental Consciousness in South Africa 1
Healing simulation for bond strength prediction of FDM

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a diffusion-controlled healing model for predicting fused deposition modeling (FDM) bond strength between layers (z-axis strength). Design/methodology/approach Diffusion across layers of an FDM part was predicted based on a one-dimensional transient heat analysis of the interlayer interface using a temperature-dependent diffusion model determined from rheological data. Integrating the diffusion coefficient across the temperature history with respect to time provided the total diffusion used to predict the bond strength, which was compared to the measured bond strength of hollow acrylonitrile butadiene styr (ABS) boxes printed at various processing conditions. Findings The simulated bond strengths predicted the measured bond strengths with a coefficient of determination of 0.795. The total diffusion between FDM layers was shown to be a strong determinant of bond strength and can be similarly applied for other materials. Research limitations/implications Results and analysis from this paper should be used to accurately model and predict bond strength. Such models are useful for FDM part design and process control. Originality/value This paper is the first work that has predicted the amount of polymer diffusion that occurs across FDM layers during the printing process, using only rheological material properties and processing parameters.
Morphemes and POS tags for n-gram based evaluation metrics

We propose the use of morphemes for automatic evaluation of machine translation output, and systematically investigate a set of F score and bleu score based metrics calculated on words, morphemes and pos tags along with all corresponding combinations. Correlations between the new metrics and human judgments are calculated on the data of the third, fourth and fifth shared tasks of the Statistical Machine Translation Workshop. Machine translation outputs in five different European languages are used: English, Spanish, French, German and Czech. The results show that the F scores which take into account morphemes and POS tags are the most promising metrics.
Social Belonging Motivates Categorization of Racially Ambiguous Faces

Categorizing racially ambiguous individuals is multifaceted, and the current work proposes social-motivational factors also exert considerable influence on how racial ambiguity is perceived, directing the resolution of ambiguity in a manner that is functionally beneficial to the perceiver. Four studies tested two motivations related to social belonging: belonging needs and racial identification. Greater need to belong and racial identification (Study 1), and two types of social belonging threats—social exclusion (Studies 2a and 2b) and racial identity threat (Study 3)—predicted more categorizations of racially ambiguous Black/White faces as Black, with White participants more likely to categorize ambiguous faces as outgroup members (i.e., Black; Studies 1, 2a, 2b, and 3) and Black participants more likely to categorize ambiguous faces as ingroup members (Study 2b). Results also demonstrated that self-affirmation mitigated this motivated categorization for Whites (Study 3), illustrating the malleability of.
Aperture Studies of the SPS to LHC Transfer Lines

The SPS to LHC transfer lines TI 2 and TI 8 are each several km in length and use magnets with small apertures. An aperture model for the lines has been developed in MADX format, with a full description of all installed vacuum elements and the possibility to interpolate at any length interval. This model has been used with tolerances and errors to simulate the expected line aperture available for the beam. The model features and simulation results are presented, with derived aperture limits. The results from aperture measurements made during the TI 8 beam commissioning in 2004 are presented and compared to expectations.
Versatility of the vertical designed deep inferior epigastric perforator flap

The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap is one of the most commonly used perforator flaps. However, when horizontally oriented, it has certain pitfalls such as sacrifice of the contralateral donor site, the need to discard soft tissue that will not be adequately perfused, and long operating times. To overcome these handicaps, the flap in a vertical orientation was designed and demonstrated the versatility of this technique in a number of different anatomical tissue restorations in this study. The vertical DIEP flaps were used in 8 patients (7 males and 1 female) in 3 years. Defects were located in the lower limb (4 cases), face (3 cases), and hip (1 cases). All flaps were transferred as free, except one in the hip that was pedicled. Flap sizes varied from 7 × 5 cm to 13 × 9 cm. All donor defects were closed primarily. The mean follow‐up time was 13.6 months. All flaps survived totally, but one which had partial necrosis. A hematoma developed postoperatively in the donor site of the pedicled DIEP flap. Cosmetic outcomes were satisfactory in all patients. All donor site scars were acceptable with minimal contour irregularities. The vertical DIEP flap offers diverse opportunities in various soft tissue reconstructions and is candidate to be an important choice of free flap repertoire. The method can be proposed particularly for restoration of moderate sized defects rather than that of large defects as in postmastectomy breast reconstruction. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2009.
Measuring Serum Melatonin in Epidemiologic Studies

Background: Epidemiologic data on serum melatonin, a marker of circadian rhythms, and cancer are sparse due largely to the lack of reliable assays with high sensitivity to detect relatively low melatonin levels in serum collected during daylight, as commonly available in most epidemiologic studies. Methods: To help expand epidemiologic research on melatonin, we assessed the reproducibility and refined a currently available melatonin RIA, and evaluated its application to epidemiologic investigations by characterizing melatonin levels in serum, urine, and/or plasma in 135 men from several ethnic groups. Results: Reproducibility was high for the standard 1.0-mL serum [mean coefficient of variation (CV), 6.9%; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 97.4%; n = 2 serum pools in triplicate] and urine-based (mean CV, 3.5%; ICC, 99.9%) assays. Reproducibility for the 0.5-mL refined-serum assay was equally good (mean CV, 6.6%; ICC, 99.0%). There was a positive correlation between morning serum melatonin and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in 24-hour urine (r = 0.46; P = 0.008; n = 49 subjects). Melatonin levels in serum-plasma pairs had a high correlation (r = 0.97; P < 1×10−4; n = 20 pairs). Morning serum melatonin levels were five times higher than those from the afternoon (before 9 a.m. mean, 11.0 pg/mL, versus after 11 a.m. mean, 2.0 pg/mL). Chinese men had lower melatonin levels (mean, 3.4 pg/mL), whereas Caucasian, African-American, and Ghanaian men had similar levels (mean, 6.7-8.6 pg/mL). Conclusions: These results suggest that melatonin can be detected reliably in serum samples collected in epidemiologic studies in various racial groups. Impact: With improved assays, it may be possible to investigate the role of melatonin and the emerging circadian rhythm hypothesis in cancer etiology in epidemiologic studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(4); 932–7. ©2010 AACR.
Trafficking of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein during Virus Particle Assembly

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is directed to the surface of lipid droplets (LD), a step that is essential for infectious virus production. However, the process by which core is recruited from LD into nascent virus particles is not well understood. To investigate the kinetics of core trafficking, we developed methods to image functional core protein in live, virus-producing cells. During the peak of virus assembly, core formed polarized caps on large, immotile LDs, adjacent to putative sites of assembly. In addition, LD-independent, motile puncta of core were found to traffic along microtubules. Importantly, core was recruited from LDs into these puncta, and interaction between the viral NS2 and NS3-4A proteins was essential for this recruitment process. These data reveal new aspects of core trafficking and identify a novel role for viral nonstructural proteins in virus particle assembly.
Results of rosiglitazone therapy in patients with thyroglobulin-positive and radioiodine-negative advanced differentiated thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND Rosiglitazone is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma agonist that has shown promise as both an antiproliferative and redifferentiating agent for the treatment of thyroid cancer in preclinical studies. We investigated the efficacy and side effects of rosiglitazone therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer of follicular cell origin that fails to take up radioiodine or is unresectable. METHODS Twenty patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were enrolled in an open-label, phase II trial of oral rosiglitazone treatment (4 mg daily for 1 week, then 8 mg daily for 7 weeks). RESULTS Five of 20 patients had a positive radioiodine scan after rosiglitazone treatment. Four patients had radioiodine uptake in the neck and one patient had uptake in the pelvis. Unstimulated thyroglobulin levels after rosiglitazone treatment increased in five patients, remained stable in 12 patients, and decreased in three patients. Seven patients had progressive disease on follow-up cross-sectional imaging; six patients in the size and number of lung metastasis and two patients in the size of the neck tumors. Overall, five patients had a partial response (decreased thyroglobulin or positive radioiodine uptake), three patients had stable disease (no change in thyroglobulin and radioiodine uptake status), and 12 patients had disease progression (increased thyroglobulin). By RECIST criteria, no patient had a complete or partial response to rosiglitazone treatment at 3 months follow-up. The mean follow-up time after protocol treatment was 12 months (median 12 months). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that rosiglitazone therapy may induce radioiodine uptake and reduce serum thyroglobulin levels in some patients with differentiated thyroid cancer but this did not result in clinically significant response on long-term follow-up. Moreover, no patients had response to rosiglitazone therapy by anatomic imaging studies.
I-Space: The Effects of Emotional Valence and Source of Music on Interpersonal Distance

Background The ubiquitous use of personal music players in over-crowded public transport alludes to the hypothesis that apart from making the journey more pleasant, listening to music through headphones may also affect representations of our personal space, that is, the emotionally-tinged zone around the human body that people feel is “their space”. We evaluated the effects of emotional valence (positive versus negative) and source (external, i.e. loudspeakers, versus embedded, i.e. headphones) of music on the participant's interpersonal distance when interacting with others. Methodology/Principal Findings Personal space was evaluated as the comfort interpersonal distance between participant and experimenter during both active and passive approach tasks. Our results show that, during passive approach tasks, listening to positive versus negative emotion-inducing music reduces the representation of personal space, allowing others to come closer to us. With respect to a no-music condition, an embedded source of positive emotion-inducing music reduced personal space, while an external source of negative emotion-inducing music expanded personal space. Conclusions/Significance The results provide the first empirical evidence of the relation between induced emotional state, as a result of listening to positive music through headphones, and personal space when interacting with others. This research might help to understand the benefit that people find in using personal music players in crowded situations, such as when using the public transport in urban settings.
Tributyltin Impairs the Reproductive Cycle in Female Rats

Triorganotins are environmental contaminants, commonly used in antifouling agents for boats, that bioaccumulate and thus are found in mammals and humans due to ingestion of contaminated seafood diets. The importance of triorganotins as environmental endocrine disruptors and consequent reproductive toxicity in different animal models is well known; however, the adverse effects on reproductive cycle are less well understood. The potential reproductive toxicity of tributyltin (TBT) on regular reproductive cycling of female rats was examined. Wistar female rats (12 wk old, weighing approximately 230 g) were divided into two groups: control (vehicle, ethanol 0.4%) and tributyltin (100 ng/kg/d, 7 d/wk, for 16 d by gavage). Tributyltin significantly decreased the cycle regularity (%), duration of the reproductive cycle, the proestrus and diestrus phases, and number of epithelial cell in proestrus phase. TBT also increased the duration of metestrus and the number of cornified cells in this phase. Ovary weight and serum 17β-estradiol levels decreased markedly, accompanied by a significant increase in progesterone levels. Histological analysis showed apoptotic cells in corpus luteum and granulosa cells layer, with cystic follicles after TBT exposure. Tributyltin also elevated number of atretic follicles and corpoa lutea. The micronucleus (MN) test, using Chinese hamster ovary cells, demonstrated a concentration-dependent mutagenic effect of TBT, and at 2.0 × 10−2ng/ml most of the cells were nonviable. The toxic potential of TBT over the reproductive cycle may be attributed to changes found in the ovarian weight, unbalanced levels of sexual female hormones, and number of ovarian follicles and corpora lutea.
Symptom Differences and Pretreatment Asymptomatic Interval Affect Outcomes of Stenting for Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Different types of symptomatic intracranial stenosis may respond differently to interventional therapy. We investigated symptomatic and pathophysiologic factors that may influence clinical outcomes of patients with intracranial atherosclerotic disease who were treated with stents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of patients treated with stents for intracranial atherosclerosis at 4 centers. Patient demographics and comorbidities, lesion features, treatment features, and preprocedural and postprocedural functional status were noted. χ2 univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess technical results and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: One hundred forty-two lesions in 131 patients were analyzed. Lesions causing hypoperfusion ischemic symptoms were associated with fewer strokes by last contact [χ2 (1, n = 63) = 5.41, P = . 019]. Nonhypoperfusion lesions causing symptoms during the 14 days before treatment had more strokes by last contact [χ2 (1, n = 136), 4.21, P = . 047]. Patients treated with stents designed for intracranial deployment were more likely to have had a stroke by last contact (OR, 4.63; P = .032), and patients treated with percutaneous balloon angioplasty in addition to deployment of a self-expanding stent were less likely to be stroke free at point of last contact (OR, 0.60; P = .034). CONCLUSIONS: More favorable outcomes may occur after stent placement for lesions causing hypoperfusion symptoms and when delaying stent placement 7–14 days after most recent symptoms for lesions suspected to cause embolic disease or perforator ischemia. Angioplasty performed in addition to self-expanding stent deployment may lead to worse outcomes, as may use of self-expanding stents rather than balloon-mounted stents.
Effect of N-Acetyl Cysteine on Helicobacter pylori

Background: Use of mucolytic agents that result in reduced mucous viscosity of the gastric mucous has been suggested to have an additive effect in curing Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods: Seventy H pylori–positive patients were given either eradication treatment consisting of 500 mg clarithromycin bid and 30 mg lansoprazole bid for 10 days plus 10 mL (400 mg) N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) liquid tid (AC group) or eradication treatment only (control group). The results were compared 1 month after the completion of the treatment. Results: Fifty-eight patients were available for statistical analysis. Of the 28 patients in the AC group, 14 (50.0%) eradicated the infection after treatment, whereas only 7 of 30 (23.3%) patients in the control group had negative results. The difference between the AC group and the control group was statistically significant (P = 0.034). In both groups, there was no difference in the number of smokers and in the eradication rates between smokers and nonsmokers. Eradication treatment with or without NAC caused no significant side effects in either group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that NAC has an additive effect on the eradication rates of H pylori obtained with dual therapy with lansoprazole and clarithromycin. NAC does not have any known activity against H pylori, but it may improve the delivery of antibiotics at the site of infection due to its ability to reduce the thickness of the mucus.