Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solid tumours arising from differently pre-oxygenated cells: Comparable growth rates despite dissimilar tissue oxygenation

Purpose: The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-dependent transcriptional response is often very pronounced in hypoxic microregions of solid malignant tumours, leading to secretion of pro-angiogenic factors and activation of a hypoxia-tolerant, glycolytic metabolism. Here, the influence of the microenvironment of tumour-initiating cells as a factor determining intertumoural variations in the relative contributions of both processes has been examined. Material and methods: The oxygenation status was assessed in rat DS-sarcomas using polarographic needle electrodes. Tumours were generated by allografting cells from either normoxic cell culture or severely hypoxic/anoxic ascites. HIF-related marker expression and intercapillary distances were analysed using immunohistochemistry. Results: Cells preconditioned in hypoxic ascites form poorly vascularised, hypoxic tumours in rats, showing strong activation of HIF-1α and glucose transporter (GLUT)- 1. Conversely, tumour-initiating DS-cells derived from normoxic cell culture form highly angiogenic, normoxic tumours with a significantly lower expression of HIF-1α and GLUT-1. Growth rates and the fraction of Ki-67 positive cells for both tumour groups were comparable. Conclusions: The intensity of angiogenesis in this model is primarily determined by the state of metabolic adaptation of tumour-initiating cells, rather than being a function of HIF-activation during solid tumour growth, a finding which is highly relevant for the design of treatment regimens targeting the tumour vasculature.
Current Topics in Developmental Biology

This serial provides a comprehensive survey of the major topics in the field of developmental biology. These volumes are valuable to researchers in animal and plant development, as well as to students and professionals who want an introduction to cellular and molecular mechanisms of development. The series has recently passed its 30-year mark, making it the longest-running forum for contemporary issues in developmental biology. Volume 80 provides seven chapters on the latest research in developmental biology.
Is the Self Always Better than a Friend? Self-Face Recognition in Christians and Atheists

Early behavioral studies found that human adults responded faster to their own faces than faces of familiar others or strangers, a finding referred to as self-face advantage. Recent research suggests that the self-face advantage is mediated by implicit positive association with the self and is influenced by sociocultural experience. The current study investigated whether and how Christian belief and practice affect the processing of self-face in a Chinese population. Christian and Atheist participants were recruited for an implicit association test (IAT) in Experiment 1 and a face-owner identification task in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 found that atheists responded faster to self-face when it shared the same response key with positive compared to negative trait adjectives. This IAT effect, however, was significantly reduced in Christians. Experiment 2 found that atheists responded faster to self-face compared to a friend’s face, but this self-face advantage was significantly reduced in Christians. Hierarchical regression analyses further showed that the IAT effect positively predicted self-face advantage in atheists but not in Christians. Our findings suggest that Christian belief and practice may weaken implicit positive association with the self and thus decrease the advantage of the self over a friend during face recognition in the believers.
Testing microfluidic Fully Programmable Valve Arrays (FPVAs)

Fully Programmable Valve Array (FPVA) has emerged as a new architecture for the next-generation flow-based microfluidic biochips. This 2D-array consists of regularly-arranged valves, which can be dynamically configured by users to realize microfluidic devices of different shapes and sizes as well as interconnections. Additionally, the regularity of the underlying structure renders FPVAs easier to integrate on a tiny chip. However, these arrays may suffer from various manufacturing defects such as blockage and leakage in control and flow channels. Unfortunately, no efficient method is yet known for testing such a general-purpose architecture. In this paper, we present a novel formulation using the concept of flow paths and cut-sets, and describe an ILP-based hierarchical strategy for generating compact test sets that can detect multiple faults in FPVAs. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method in detecting manufacturing faults with only a small number of test vectors.
An approximation theorem for the algebraic Riccati equation

For an infinite-dimensional linear quadratic control problem in Hilbert space, approximation of the solution of the algebraic Riccati operator equation in the strong operator topology is considered under conditions weaker than uniform exponential stability of the approximating systems. As an application, strong onvergence of the approximating Riccati operators in case of a previously developed spline approximation scheme for delay systems is established. Finally, convergence of the transfer-functions of the approximating systems is investigated.
Perceived and Ideal Family Communication Patterns and Family Satisfaction for Parents and their College-Aged Children

A sample of 120 dyads consisting of a parent and their college-aged child provided reports of perceived and ideal family communication patterns (FCP) in addition to indicating their satisfaction with the family. Results indicated high correlations between perceived and ideal FCP dimensions for both parents and their children. Parents reported higher scores than children did on perceived conversation orientation, ideal conversation orientation, and ideal conformity orientation. Children reported a larger gap between perceived and ideal conformity orientation, the result of a perceived excess of conformity orientation in the family. For both parents and children, unmet conversation ideals were largely the result of insufficient conversation orientation to meet desires. After controlling statistically for perceived conversation orientation, parent satisfaction was negatively predicted from the parent-child discrepancy on conversation orientation, and child satisfaction was negatively predicted from the parent-child discrepancy on conformity orientation. Several major substantive and methodological implications are discussed.
Ligand-dependent Conformational Changes in the Clamp Region of the Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor*

Background: Global structural changes occur in the ryanodine receptor (RyR) upon ligand activation. Results: Different ligands induce different conformational changes in the clamp region of RyR. Conclusion: Conformational changes in the clamp region of RyR are ligand-dependent. Significance: RyR possesses multiple, ligand-dependent gating mechanisms associated with distinct structural changes. Global conformational changes in the three-dimensional structure of the Ca2+ release channel/ryanodine receptor (RyR) occur upon ligand activation. A number of ligands are able to activate the RyR channel, but whether these structurally diverse ligands induce the same or different conformational changes in the channel is largely unknown. Here we constructed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based probe by inserting a CFP after residue Ser-2367 and a YFP after residue Tyr-2801 in the cardiac RyR (RyR2) to yield a CFP- and YFP-dual labeled RyR2 (RyR2Ser-2367-CFP/Tyr-2801-YFP). Both of these insertion sites have previously been mapped to the “clamp” region in the four corners of the square-shaped cytoplasmic assembly of the three-dimensional structure of RyR2. Using this novel FRET probe, we monitored the extent of conformational changes in the clamp region of RyR2Ser-2367-CFP/Tyr-2801-YFP induced by various ligands. We also monitored the extent of Ca2+ release induced by the same ligands in HEK293 cells expressing RyR2Ser-2367-CFP/Tyr-2801-YFP. We detected conformational changes in the clamp region for the ligands caffeine, aminophylline, theophylline, ATP, and ryanodine but not for Ca2+ or 4-chloro-m-cresol, although they all induced Ca2+ release. Interestingly, caffeine is able to induce further conformational changes in the clamp region of the ryanodine-modified channel, suggesting that ryanodine does not lock RyR in a fixed conformation. Our data demonstrate that conformational changes in the clamp region of RyR are ligand-dependent and suggest the existence of multiple ligand dependent RyR activation mechanisms associated with distinct conformational changes.
PET imaging of central 5-HT2A receptors with carbon-11-MDL 100,907.

UNLABELLED Serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors are of central interest in the complex pathophysiology of schizophrenia. These receptors have also been proposed as putative targets for atypical antipsychotic drugs. Suitable radioligands for 5-HT2A receptors are required to evaluate this hypothesis in vivo with PET. MDL 100,907 is a highly selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist that is currently being developed as a potential antipsychotic drug. We have previously reported on the preparation of [11C]MDL 100,907 and initial characterization of [11C]MDL 100,907 binding in the monkey brain. In this preliminary PET study, the regional distribution and binding kinetics of [11C]MDL 100,907 were examined in healthy men. METHODS A PET examination was performed in each of three subjects after intravenous injection of [11C]MDL 100,907. The metabolite-corrected arterial input function was used in a kinetic analysis according to the standard three-compartment model. RESULTS The highest radioactivity concentration was observed in the neocortex, whereas radioactivity was lower in the cerebellum, pons, thalamus, striatum and white matter. The binding potential (BP) in the neocortical regions was 4-6 times higher, whereas BP in the striatum was slightly higher than that in the cerebellum, demonstrating a regional distribution in good agreement with 5-HT2A receptor densities measured in vitro. The BP in the cerebellum was small but not negligible. CONCLUSION This preliminary study suggests that [11C]MDL 100,907 is a suitable PET radioligand for studies on 5-HT2A receptors in man. The high selectivity of MDL 100,907 represents a major advantage as compared to presently available radioligands with poor selectivity. Thus, [11C]MDL 100,907 is recommended in the future for PET studies in healthy subjects and schizophrenic patients, including the determination of drug-induced 5-HT2A receptor occupancy.
An error indicator and automatic adaptive meshing for electrostatic boundary element simulations

Accurate electrostatic simulations are required for the analysis of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) and interconnects in very large scale integration (VLSI) design. Typical simulations involve complex three-dimensional (3-D) geometries together with various dielectric materials, conductors, and boundary conditions. The boundary element method is well suited for such computations. For highly accurate solutions, the meshing of the geometry becomes increasingly important. A scheme is presented which allows generating an optimal mesh automatically based on a coarse initial discretization, e.g., a CAD model. An error indicator derived from boundary integral equations monitors the solution accuracy in each boundary element. H-type or p-type mesh refinement is applied to areas which contribute strongly to the overall error. The method applies to both two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D simulations containing elements of various orders and shapes. The generated refined meshes result in significantly higher solution accuracy for a given simulation size.
A critical role for the right fronto-insular cortex in switching between central-executive and default-mode networks

Cognitively demanding tasks that evoke activation in the brain's central-executive network (CEN) have been consistently shown to evoke decreased activation (deactivation) in the default-mode network (DMN). The neural mechanisms underlying this switch between activation and deactivation of large-scale brain networks remain completely unknown. Here, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the mechanisms underlying switching of brain networks in three different experiments. We first examined this switching process in an auditory event segmentation task. We observed significant activation of the CEN and deactivation of the DMN, along with activation of a third network comprising the right fronto-insular cortex (rFIC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), when participants perceived salient auditory event boundaries. Using chronometric techniques and Granger causality analysis, we show that the rFIC-ACC network, and the rFIC, in particular, plays a critical and causal role in switching between the CEN and the DMN. We replicated this causal connectivity pattern in two additional experiments: (i) a visual attention “oddball” task and (ii) a task-free resting state. These results indicate that the rFIC is likely to play a major role in switching between distinct brain networks across task paradigms and stimulus modalities. Our findings have important implications for a unified view of network mechanisms underlying both exogenous and endogenous cognitive control.
Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World

“Eco-Colonialism” at the hands of demanding Fair Trade certifiers who he thinks are out of touch with Mexican realities. A second, yet more serious shortcoming of Fair Trade, according to Jaffee, is that although Fair Trader growers fared better than conventional growers, the difference was small. Both groups were poor; many were abandoning coffee altogether, often leaving the area or emigrating to the United States. Jaffee does not attain his goal of “a case study that would be representative of the situation of Fair Trade coffee producers internationally” (p. 275). Oaxaca, with its strong indigenous heritage, is atypical even for Mexico. And Mexico does not resemble other coffee systems because of its revolutionary heritage, its interventionist state in the 1970s and 1980s, and because it has the highest share of organic coffee in the world. Coffee in the south of Mexico was encouraged by Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) officials to placate the populations, not to develop the areas. But the field method should be adopted by others so broader generalizations can be sustained. Rather than just focusing on the Fair Trade growers, or just on coffee growing, Jaffee looks at the complexity of agricultural and other activities in which farmer families engaged. This allows him to see why only 20 percent of the farmers in his research site join with Fair Trade and shows him that the differences in lifestyle are not great between the two groups. On the other hand, FT growers do learn about the international market, about organic farming, and feel empowered because of their participation in mandated community meetings. The main complaint of the majority who do not join is that FT and organic farming are simply too much work. For them, coffee is just a way of earning a living, not a mission. Ultimately, Jaffee demonstrates the substantial gulf in goals between the Fair Trade activists in the global North and the coffee farmers in southern Mexico. He shows that Fair Trade alone cannot solve the massive problems of rural poverty, but combined with national government support and international pressure, it is a step in the right direction. COGNITIONS, EMOTIONS, AND IDENTITIES
Sparse Linear Regression With Missing Data

This paper proposes a fast and accurate method for sparse regression in the presence of missing data. The underlying statistical model encapsulates the low-dimensional structure of the incomplete data matrix and the sparsity of the regression coefficients, and the proposed algorithm jointly learns the low-dimensional structure of the data and a linear regressor with sparse coefficients. The proposed stochastic optimization method, Sparse Linear Regression with Missing Data (SLRM), performs an alternating minimization procedure and scales well with the problem size. Large deviation inequalities shed light on the impact of the various problem-dependent parameters on the expected squared loss of the learned regressor. Extensive simulations on both synthetic and real datasets show that SLRM performs better than competing algorithms in a variety of contexts.
Quantitative phosphoproteomics by mass spectrometry: Past, present, and future

Protein phosphorylation‐mediated signaling networks regulate much of the cellular response to external stimuli, and dysregulation in these networks has been linked to multiple disease states. Significant advancements have been made over the past decade to enable the analysis and quantification of cellular protein phosphorylation events, but comprehensive analysis of the phosphoproteome is still lacking, as is the ability to monitor signaling at the network level while comprehending the biological implications of each phosphorylation site. In this review we highlight many of the technological advances over the past decade and describe some of the latest applications of these tools to uncover signaling networks in a variety of biological settings. We finish with a concise discussion of the future of the field, including additional advances that are required to link protein phosphorylation analysis with biological insight.
Combinatorial Bandits Revisited

This paper investigates stochastic and adversarial combinatorial multi-armed bandit problems. In the stochastic setting under semi-bandit feedback, we derive a problem-specific regret lower bound, and discuss its scaling with the dimension of the decision space. We propose ESCB, an algorithm that efficiently exploits the structure of the problem and provide a finite-time analysis of its regret. ESCB has better performance guarantees than existing algorithms, and significantly outperforms these algorithms in practice. In the adversarial setting under bandit feedback, we propose \textsc{CombEXP}, an algorithm with the same regret scaling as state-of-the-art algorithms, but with lower computational complexity for some combinatorial problems.
Morphological and Radiological Study of Ossified Superior Transverse Scapular Ligament as Potential Risk Factor of Suprascapular Nerve Entrapment

The suprascapular notch is covered superiorly by the superior transverse scapular ligament. This region is the most common place of suprascapular nerve entrapment formation. The study was performed on 812 specimens: 86 dry scapulae, 104 formalin-fixed cadaveric shoulders, and 622 computer topography scans of scapulae. In the cases with completely ossified superior transverse scapular ligament, the following measurements were performed: proximal and distal width of the bony bridge, middle transverse and vertical diameter of the suprascapular foramen, and area of the suprascapular foramen. An ossified superior transverse scapular ligament was observed more often in men and in the right scapula. The mean age of the subjects with a completely ossified superior transverse scapular ligament was found to be similar than in those without ossification. The ossified band-shaped type of superior transverse scapular ligament was more common than the fan-shaped type and reduced the space below the ligament to a significantly greater degree. The ossified band-shaped type should be taken into consideration as a potential risk factor in the formation of suprascapular nerve entrapment. It could explain the comparable frequency of neuropathy in various populations throughout the world despite the significant differences between them in occurrence of ossified superior transverse scapular ligament.
Audio textures: theory and applications

In this paper, we introduce a new audio medium, called audio texture, as a means of synthesizing long audio stream according to a given short example audio clip. The example clip is first analyzed to extract its basic building patterns. An audio stream of arbitrary length is then synthesized using a sequence of extracted building patterns. The patterns can be varied in the synthesis process to add variations to the generated sound to avoid simple repetition. Audio textures are useful in applications such as background music, lullabies, game music, and screen saver sounds. We also extend this idea to audio texture restoration, or constrained audio texture synthesis for restoring the missing part in an audio clip. It is also useful in many applications such as error concealment for audio/music delivery with packets loss on the Internet. Novel methods are proposed for unconstrained and constrained audio texture synthesis. Preliminary results are provided for evaluation.
Late-breaking abstract: Ventilation inhomogeneities in children with congenital thoracic malformations

Background: Congenital thoracic malformations (CTM) are rare lung lesions that are managed with surgical resection or active surveillance. Aims and objectives: To assess large and small airway function in children with CTM by utilising pulmonary function tests that are better suited for the sensitive measure of disease in children. We hypothesise that more sensitive measures of peripheral airways will more likely demonstrate adverse pulmonary function in post-operative CTM children. Methods: Nitrogen lung clearance index (LCI), reactance and resistance (X5Hz and R5Hz) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were prospectively measured in 10 children with CTM (mean age/SD: 7.6/1.3) who had undergone surgical resection in early life and in 16 healthy children (mean age/SD: 4.8/0.4). Results: Mean LCI was 8.0 (95% CI 7.5 to 8.5) in the CTM group and 7.3 (95% CI 7.0 to 7.8) in healthy children (p=0.02). Mean % predicted X5Hz was 175% (95% CI 122 to 228) in the CTM group and 104% (95% CI 89.4 to 118.3) in healthy children (p=0.001). Mean % predicted FEV1 was 83% (95% CI 74 to 92) in the CTM group and 98% (95% CI 87 to 108) in healthy children (p=0.043). Mean LCI was inversely correlated with height z-scores in the CTM group (rs=-0.88, p=0.002) but not in healthy children (rs=-0.19, p=0.49). Conclusions: Children with CTM appear to have impaired lung function as demonstrated by the significant differences in X5Hz and LCI scores. These findings are of clinical significance as ventilation inhomogeneities are closely correlated with somatic growth.
Enabling educational leaders: qualitatively surveying an organization's culture

Purpose – This article aims to consider the construction and use of a qualitative survey in opening relational aspects of the organisational culture within an educational institution. Rather than a numeric set of metrics, the researcher's intent was to use a survey as a vehicle for thematic and hermeneutic constructions of the data that might show emergent themes that are ontological in nature. The open-ended questions in this survey were constructed in four sections: general practice and comparison, history, relational experiences, and leadership practices. Design/methodology/approach – The context for this research was a department within a faculty of education. In addition to the process of collecting and analysing the survey data, the chairperson of the department was interviewed in terms of the quality of the data and the usefulness of the data. The quality of the data was considered in terms of the insights that might be gained from the participants' data. Findings – The findings of the qualitative .