Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ectopic Expression of Testis Germ Cell Proteins in Cancer and Its Potential Role in Genomic Instability

Genomic instability is a hallmark of human cancer and an enabling factor for the genetic alterations that drive cancer development. The processes involved in genomic instability resemble those of meiosis, where genetic material is interchanged between homologous chromosomes. In most types of human cancer, epigenetic changes, including hypomethylation of gene promoters, lead to the ectopic expression of a large number of proteins normally restricted to the germ cells of the testis. Due to the similarities between meiosis and genomic instability, it has been proposed that activation of meiotic programs may drive genomic instability in cancer cells. Some germ cell proteins with ectopic expression in cancer cells indeed seem to promote genomic instability, while others reduce polyploidy and maintain mitotic fidelity. Furthermore, oncogenic germ cell proteins may indirectly contribute to genomic instability through induction of replication stress, similar to classic oncogenes. Thus, current evidence suggests that testis germ cell proteins are implicated in cancer development by regulating genomic instability during tumorigenesis, and these proteins therefore represent promising targets for novel therapeutic strategies.
Single-Chain Antibody Displayed on a Recombinant Measles Virus Confers Entry through the Tumor-Associated Carcinoembryonic Antigen

ABSTRACT To redirect the tropism of the vaccine strain of measles virus (MV), Edmonston B, to a targeted cell population, we displayed on the viral hemagglutinin (H) a single-chain antibody (scAb) specific for the tumor-associated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). We generated H fusion proteins with three forms of the scAb appended, differing in the lengths of the linkers separating the VH and VLdomains and thus in the oligomerization states of the scAbs. All proteins were stable, appeared properly folded, and were transported to the cell surface, but only H displaying the long-linker form of scAb was functional in supporting cell-cell fusion. This protein induced extensive syncytia in cells expressing the normal virus receptor CD46 and also in CD46-negative cells expressing the targeted receptor, human CEA. Replication-competent MV with H replaced by H displaying the long-linker form of scAb was recovered and replicated efficiently in both CD46-positive and CD46-negative, CEA-positive cells. Thus, MV not only tolerates the addition of a scAb on its H protein but also infects cells via a novel interaction between the scAb and its targeted receptor.
Potential Economic Impacts of Chronic Wasting Disease in Colorado

Little direct information on the current and potential economic impacts of chronic wasting disease (CWD) is available. In Colorado, the economic implications of this disease are diverse, complicated, and difficult to measure. For example, free-ranging and captive (farmed) deer and elk populations, as well as private and public lands are affected by CWD. Government agencies incur costs for research, surveillance, and other disease management actions. Interstate and international trade restrictions may cause shifts or declines in economic activities away from CWD infected areas. Consumer demand (e.g., hunting, meat consumption) may suffer due to perceived risks regarding deer and elk meat. Producers of farmed cervidae (i.e., deer, elk) may restrict sales, limit animal movements, and/or have their herds quarantined or depopulated. Finally, businesses and communities may lose revenue from decreased hunting and wildlife viewing, and participants in these activities may lose recreational benefits. This paper reviews some of the potential impacts of CWD on Colorado’s economy. Results are extrapolated from existing data and public information sources from Colorado and other parts of the United States. We conclude with a discussion of specific avenues for future research that are necessary for estimating the impacts of CWD on Colorado’s economy.
Progress and Challenges in Colorectal Cancer Screening

Although faecal and endoscopic tests appear to be effective in reducing colorectal cancer incidence and mortality, further technological and organizational advances are expected to improve the performance and acceptability of these tests. Several attempts to improve endoscopic technology have been made in order to improve the detection rate of neoplasia, especially in the proximal colon. Based on the latest evidence on the long-term efficacy of screening tests, new strategies including endoscopic and faecal modalities have also been proposed in order to improve participation and the diagnostic yield of programmatic screening. Overall, several factors in terms of both efficacy and costs of screening strategies, including the high cost of biological therapy for advanced colorectal cancer, are likely to affect the cost-effectiveness of CRC screening in the future.
Dynamic optimal learning rates of a certain class of fuzzy neural networks and its applications with genetic algorithm

The stability analysis of the learning rate for a two-layer neural network (NN) is discussed first by minimizing the total squared error between the actual and desired outputs for a set of training vectors. The stable and optimal learning rate, in the sense of maximum error reduction, for each iteration in the training (back propagation) process can therefore be found for this two-layer NN. It has also been proven in this paper that the dynamic stable learning rate for this two-layer NN must be greater than zero. Thus it Is guaranteed that the maximum error reduction can be achieved by choosing the optimal learning rate for the next training iteration. A dynamic fuzzy neural network (FNN) that consists of the fuzzy linguistic process as the premise part and the two-layer NN as the consequence part is then illustrated as an immediate application of our approach. Each part of this dynamic FNN has its own learning rate for training purpose. A genetic algorithm is designed to allow a more efficient tuning process of the two learning rates of the FNN. The objective of the genetic algorithm is to reduce the searching time by searching for only one learning rate, which is the learning rate of the premise part, in the FNN. The dynamic optimal learning rates of the two-layer NN can be found directly using our innovative approach. Several examples are fully illustrated and excellent results are obtained for the model car backing up problem and the identification of nonlinear first order and second order systems.
On-going palliative care enhances perceived control and patient activation and reduces symptom distress in patients with symptomatic heart failure: A pilot study

Introduction: There is a paucity of research about the impact of palliative care (PC) on perceived control (i.e. one’s perceived influence over outcomes or events in the environment) and activation (i.e. ability to self-manage) in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF). Likewise, little is known about the association between perceived control, activation, and symptom distress in this patient population. We hypothesized that patients with advanced HF who received ongoing PC services (i.e. ≥2 PC consultations) vs no access or a single PC consultation would have greater improvements in perceived control and activation and greater reductions in symptom distress three months post-discharge for HF exacerbation. Methods: Forty-two patients (average age 53.9±8.0 years; predominantly male (72%), White (61%) and married (69%)) participated in the study. However, only 36 (85.7%) patients completed an outpatient PC consultation of which 29 (69%) patients returned for additional follow-up visits with the PC team. Data on perceived control, activation, and symptom distress were collected at baseline and three months. Parametric statistical models were applied to draw conclusions. Results: Findings showed that the patients who received ≥2 PC consultations had greater improvements in perceived control and activation than their counterparts; these increases were associated with greater reductions in symptom distress. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that on-going PC interventions enhance perceived control and activation in patients with advanced HF and open up the possibility of planning larger studies to assess the effect of PC on these variables as possible mediators to improvements in self-management and clinical outcomes.
Cognitive decline in different delirium subtypes and the associated change in the biomarker S100B serum level

Objectives This study was designed to assess the cognitive decline in different delirium subtypes and the change in the level of serum S100B, with determination of the outcome of delirium. Background Delirium involves a wide range of cognitive disturbances across its different subtypes. The serum S100B level is high in delirious patients and plays a role in the process of learning and memory. The outcome of delirium differs according to delirium subtypes. Participants and methods This study enrolled 35 delirious patients (group A) and two control groups. Group B comprised 10 patients with disease but without delirium. Group C comprised 10 normal healthy individuals. All participants were subjected to the Delirium Symptom Interview scale, the Cognitive Test for Delirium, the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale, and the Trail Making Test parts A and B, and the level of serum S100B was measured. About 17 delirious patients were followed up after 1 month to assess the cognitive decline and the mortality rate. Results The level of cognitive dysfunction in delirious patients was significantly higher than that in the two control groups (group B and group C). The level of cognitive dysfunction was not significantly different among the four delirium subtypes. Attention impairment occurred in 96% of the patients, and the less affected cognitive domain was comprehension, which occurred in 77% of the patients. The level of serum S100B was significantly higher in delirious patients compared with the two control groups, but it was not significantly different among the delirium subtypes. After 1 month, the hypoactive subtype was associated with more cognitive dysfunction and a high mortality rate. Conclusion Cognitive decline occurs in delirious patients, but this decline was not significantly different among the delirium subtypes. The most affected cognitive domain was attention and the least affected one was comprehension. Delirium was associated with a high level of serum S100B, but this level was not significantly different among the delirium subtypes. The hypoactive subtype was associated with a poor outcome.
The Feedback-Related Negativity Signals Salience Prediction Errors, Not Reward Prediction Errors

Modulations of the feedback-related negativity (FRN) event-related potential (ERP) have been suggested as a potential biomarker in psychopathology. A dominant theory about this signal contends that it reflects the operation of the neural system underlying reinforcement learning in humans. The theory suggests that this frontocentral negative deflection in the ERP 230–270 ms after the delivery of a probabilistic reward expresses a prediction error signal derived from midbrain dopaminergic projections to the anterior cingulate cortex. We tested this theory by investigating whether FRN will also be observed for an inherently aversive outcome: physical pain. In another session, the outcome was monetary reward instead of pain. As predicted, unexpected reward omissions (a negative reward prediction error) yielded a more negative deflection relative to unexpected reward delivery. Surprisingly, unexpected pain omission (a positive reward prediction error) also yielded a negative deflection relative to unexpected pain delivery. Our data challenge the theory by showing that the FRN expresses aversive prediction errors with the same sign as reward prediction errors. Both FRNs were spatiotemporally and functionally equivalent. We suggest that FRN expresses salience prediction errors rather than reward prediction errors.
Collective Action and Representation in Autocracies: Evidence from Russia’s Great Reforms

We explore the relationship between capacity for collective action and representation in autocracies with data from Imperial Russia. Our primary empirical exercise relates peasant representation in new institutions of local self-government to the frequency of peasant unrest in the decade prior to reform. To correct for measurement error in the unrest data and other sources of endogeneity, we exploit idiosyncratic variation in two determinants of peasant unrest: the historical incidence of serfdom and religious polarization. We find that peasants were granted less representation in districts with more frequent unrest in preceding years—a relationship consistent with the Acemoglu-Robinson model of political transitions and inconsistent with numerous other theories of institutional change. At the same time, we observe patterns of redistribution in subsequent years that are inconsistent with the commitment mechanism central to the Acemoglu-Robinson model. Building on these results, we discuss possible directions for future theoretical work.
Integrative model of coronary flow in anatomically based vasculature under myogenic, shear, and metabolic regulation

Coronary blood flow is regulated to match the oxygen demand of myocytes in the heart wall. Flow regulation is essential to meet the wide range of cardiac workload. The blood flows through a complex coronary vasculature of elastic vessels having nonlinear wall properties, under transmural heterogeneous myocardial extravascular loading. To date, there is no fully integrative flow analysis that incorporates global and local passive and flow control determinants. Here, we provide an integrative model of coronary flow regulation that considers the realistic asymmetric morphology of the coronary network, the dynamic myocardial loading on the vessels embedded in it, and the combined effects of local myogenic effect, local shear regulation, and conducted metabolic control driven by venous O2 saturation level. The model predicts autoregulation (approximately constant flow over a wide range of coronary perfusion pressures), reduced heterogeneity of regulated flow, and presence of flow reserve, in agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, the model shows that the metabolic and myogenic regulations play a primary role, whereas shear has a secondary one. Regulation was found to have a significant effect on the flow except under extreme (high and low) inlet pressures and metabolic demand. Novel outcomes of the model are that cyclic myocardial loading on coronary vessels enhances the coronary flow reserve except under low inlet perfusion pressure, increases the pressure range of effective autoregulation, and reduces the network flow in the absence of metabolic regulation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the utility of the present biophysical model, which can be used to unravel the underlying mechanisms of coronary physiopathology.
Narcissistic Illusions in Self‐Evaluations of Intelligence and Attractiveness

In this study we compared the ability of narcissism and self-esteem to predict positive illusions in self-evaluations of intelligence and physical attractiveness in a sample of 146 college students. Narcissism predicted both types of illusion for males and females; self-esteem predicted intelligence self-illusion for males. Both males and females overestimated their own intelligence, with males, but not females, also overestimating their attractiveness. Positive illusions for intelligence and attractiveness were correlated. Males showed greater positive illusions than females, with this effect at least partly attributable to observed gender differences in narcissism.
Vibrotactile perception assessment for a rowing training system

This paper presents a vibrotactile methodology for a rowing training system. Since hands' trajectories are fundamental in the rowing gesture, it is completely necessary to search and develop new technologies and techniques that can interact and help the user to perform a better movement. These methodologies must be as natural as possible in order to guarantee the transparency in the feedback of the system. Therefore this paper presents an analysis of visual, visual-tactile and tactile training strategies to understand the importance in the order and the period of time when each one is applied. Data analysis shows the importance of combining visual and tactile feedbacks to obtain the best results in the improvements of the user skills.
Indebtedness and reciprocity in local online exchange

Many existing and emerging online systems allow people to share content and coordinate the exchange of goods and favors in local geographic settings. We present a qualitative case study of user experiences concerning exchange and reciprocity in local online exchange. Findings from eleven in-depth interviews (containing forty-nine separate exchange experiences) reveal an aversion to indebtedness and several user behaviors that lessen these negative feelings: (1) offering small tokens of appreciation to exchange partners, (2) understanding and accepting the indirect nature of generalized exchange, (3) managing expectations by framing offers and requests carefully, (4) minimizing efforts needed in exchange processes, and (5) bartering and exchanging for a third party. The paper contributes to our understanding of emergent behaviors and norms in local online exchange systems. We discuss design implications from these empirical insights that can help alleviate the discomfort of indebtedness and better encourage and sustain participation in systems of indirect reciprocity.
Performance Information for Democracy

This article examines research into the use of performance information by ministers, parliamentarians and citizens. These ‘end users’ are of crucial importance to the claim that performance information is not merely managerially useful, but also contributes to the quality of democratic debate and to the ability of citizens to make choices. A literature review indicates that research into use by these groups has been very patchy, and that much of what we do know suggests that evaluations and performance reports and audits are seldom highly valued by politicians or citizens. Possible reasons and remedies for this apparent state of affairs are discussed, and areas for further research are suggested.
Shyness and Computer-Mediated Communication: A Self-Presentational Theory Perspective

This study compared shy and nonshy Internet users in online and offline contexts on the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBSS; Cheek, 1983) and other measures intended to gauge 4 underlying aspects of shyness: rejection sensitivity, initiating relationships, self-disclosure, and providing emotional support and advice. University students (N = 134; 76% female) participated in a Web-based survey that investigated the impact of computer-mediated communications (CMC) on shyness level. Results show that individuals classified as shy or nonshy on the basis of their scores on the RCBSS in the offline context were also significantly different on offline measures of rejection sensitivity, initiating relationships, and self-disclosure. However, they were not significantly different on these same 3 domains in the online context. The results are interpreted as support for a self-presentation theory account that the absence of visual and auditory cues online reduces shy individuals' experience of detecting negative or inhibitory feedback cues from others. We discuss positive and negative aspects of use of CMC by shy individuals.
Association Study of a Functional Variant on ABCG2 Gene with Sunitinib-Induced Severe Adverse Drug Reaction

Sunitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and used as the first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Nevertheless, inter-individual variability of drug’s toxicity was often observed among patients who received sunitinib treatment. This study is to investigate the association of a functional germline variant on ABCG2 that affects the pharmacokinetics of sunitinib with sunitinib-induced toxicity of RCC patients in the Japanese population. A total of 219 RCC patients were recruited to this pharmacogenetic study. ABCG2 421C>A (Q141K) was genotyped by using PCR-Invader assay. The associations of both clinical and genetic variables were evaluated with logistic regression analysis and subsequently receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted. About 43% (92/216) of RCC patients that received sunitinib treatment developed severe grade 3 or grade 4 thrombocytopenia according to the National Cancer Institute-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0, the most common sunitinib-induced adverse reaction in this study. In the univariate analysis, both age (P = 7.77x10-3, odds ratio (OR) = 1.04, 95%CI = 1.01–1.07) and ABCG2 421C>A (P = 1.87x10-2, OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.09–2.68) showed association with sunitinib-induced severe thrombocytopenia. Multivariate analysis indicated that the variant ABCG2 421C>A is suggestively associated with severe thrombocytopenia (P = 8.41x10-3, OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.17–2.94) after adjustment of age as a confounding factor. The area under curve (AUC) of the risk prediction model that utilized age and ABCG2 421C>A was 0.648 with sensitivity of 0.859 and specificity of 0.415. Severe thrombocytopenia is the most common adverse reaction of sunitinib treatment in Japanese RCC patients. ABCG2 421C>A could explain part of the inter-individual variability of sunitinib-induced severe thrombocytopenia.
Functionalized synchrotron in-line phase-contrast computed tomography: a novel approach for simultaneous quantification of structural alterations and localization of barium-labelled alveolar macrophages within mouse lung samples

This study presents an approach to increase the sensitivity of lung computed tomography (CT) imaging by utilizing in-line phase contrast CT in combination with single-distance phase-retrieval algorithms and a dedicated image-processing regime. As demonstrated here, functional CT imaging can be achieved for the assessment of both structural alterations in asthmatic mouse lung tissue and the accumulation pattern of instilled barium-sulfate-labelled macrophages in comparison with healthy controls.
The effects of exemplar and prototype descriptors on verbal overshadowing

Previous research has found that providing a verbal description for a face impedes later recognition of that face. The current experiment evaluates how the type of information participants are asked to provide about the face affects later recognition. Participants provided attribute, exemplar or prototype information about a person they saw commit a videotaped crime. The verbal overshadowing effect was replicated for participants in the attribute condition. Exemplar participants reproduced this effect, while prototype participants performed nearly as well as controls. Theoretical and practical implications of the type of information witnesses are asked to provide are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structuring the composition process in scientific writing

The basis of the research described in this paper was the concern that many pupils, though able to demonstrate a high level of scientific concept understanding during discussion, were much less able to explain their ideas in writing. Data gathered in this study indicates that scaffolding the writing process, both at the sentence level and the text level, facilitates an improvement in the expression of scientific knowledge and concept understanding in pupils' writing. There is also evidence that some scaffolds can promote the process of 'knowledge transformation'.