Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT IN HYPOGONADAL MEN: EFFECTS ON OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA, RESPIRATORY DRIVES, AND SLEEP

The obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome occurs predominantly in men. To determine the effect of testosterone on ventilatory function and whether testosterone may play a role in the development of obstructive apnoea, we performed waking ventilatory drive studies and sleep studies in five hypogonadal men. These androgen‐deficient subjects were studied both while receiving no treatment and after six weeks of testosterone replacement therapy (testosterone oenanthate 200 mg i.m. every 2 weeks). Hypoxic ventilatory drive decreased significantly, from 158 · 39 (mean · SEM) off testosterone to 88 · 19 on testosterone therapy (P < 0.05). Hypercapnoeic ventilatory drive did not change significantly on testosterone. Obstructive sleep apnoea developed in one man and markedly worsened in another man in association with testosterone administration. Both of these subjects also exhibited marked decreases in oxygen saturation with the development of cardiac dysrhythmias during sleep and large increases in haematocrit. The remaining three hypogonadal men did not demonstrate significant sleep apnoea either on or off testosterone. The percentage of sleep time spent in REM sleep increased from 14 · 3% to 22 · 2% when the men were receiving testosterone (P < 0.01), but the episodes of sleep apnoea tended to occur during non‐REM sleep. We conclude that in some hypogonadal men, replacement dosages of testosterone may affect ventilatory drives and induce or worsen obstructive sleep apnoea. The obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a potential complication of testosterone therapy. These results suggest that androgen levels present in normal man may play an important role in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnoea.
Effective query expansion for federated search

While query expansion techniques have been shown to improve retrieval performance in a centralized setting, they have not been well studied in a federated setting. In this paper, we consider how query expansion may be adapted to federated environments and propose several new methods: where focused expansions are used in a selective fashion to produce specific queries for each source (or a set of sources). On a number of different testbeds, we show that focused query expansion can significantly outperform the previously proposed global expansion method, and---contrary to earlier work---show that query expansion can improve performance over standard federated retrieval. These findings motivate further research examining the different methods for query expansion, and other forms of system and user interaction, in order to continue improving the performance of interactive federated search systems.
Microwave ablation of ex vivo human liver and colorectal liver metastases with a novel 14.5 GHz generator

Purpose: This study assessed the relationship between time, power and ablation size using a novel high-frequency 14.5 GHz microwave applicator in ex vivo human hepatic parenchyma and colorectal liver metastases. Previous examination has demonstrated structurally normal but non-viable cells within the ablation zone. This study aimed to further investigate how ablation affects these cells, and to confirm non-viability. Materials and methods: Ablations were performed in ex vivo human hepatic parenchyma and tumour for a variety of time (10–180 s) and power (10–50 W) settings. Histological examination was performed to assess cellular anatomy, whilst enzyme histochemistry was used to confirm cellular non-viability. Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the subcellular structural effects of ablation within these fixed cells. Preliminary proteomic analysis was also performed to explore the mechanism of microwave cell death. Results: Increasing time and power settings led to a predictable and reproducible increase in size of ablation. At 50 W and 180 s application, a maximum ablation diameter of 38.8 mm (±1.3) was produced. Ablations were produced rapidly, and at all time and power settings ablations remained spherical (longest:shortest diameter <1.2). Routine histological analysis using haematoxylin-eosin (H&E) confirmed well preserved cellular anatomy despite ablation. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated marked subcellular damage. Enzyme histochemistry showed complete absence of viability in ablated tissue. Conclusions: Large spherical ablation zones can be rapidly and reproducibly achieved in ex vivo human hepatic parenchyma and colorectal liver metastases using a 14.5 GHz microwave generator. Despite well preserved cellular appearance, ablated tissue is non-viable.
Gene expression profiling of alpha‐radiation‐induced rat osteosarcomas: Identification of dysregulated genes involved in radiation‐induced tumorigenesis of bone

To better understand the molecular basis of radiation‐induced osteosarcoma (OS), we performed global gene expression profiling of rat OS tumors induced by the bone‐seeking alpha emitter 238Pu, and the expression profiles were compared with those of normal osteoblasts (OB). The expressions of 72 genes were significantly differentially expressed in the tumors related to OB. These included genes involved in the cell adhesion (e.g., Podxl, Col18a1, Cd93, Emcn and Vcl), differentiation, developmental processes (e.g., Hhex, Gata2, P2ry6, P2rx5, Cited2, Osmr and Igsf10), tumor‐suppressor function (e.g., Nme3, Blcap and Rrm1), Src tyrosine kinase signaling (e.g., Hck, Shf, Arhgap29, Cttn and Akap12), and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling (e.g., Fzd6, Lzic, Dkk3 and Ctnna1) pathways. Expression changes of several genes were validated by quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR analysis. Notably, all of the identified genes involved in the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway were known or proposed to be negative regulators of this pathway and were downregulated in the tumors, suggesting the activation of β‐catenin in radiation‐induced OS. By using immunohistochemical and immunoblot analyses, constitutive activation of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in the tumors was confirmed by observing nuclear and/or cytoplasmic localization of β‐catenin and a decrease in its inactive (phosphorylated) form. Furthermore, we found a significant reduction in the levels of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK‐3β) protein in the tumors relative to OB. Taken together, these findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of radiation‐induced OS. © 2009 UICC
Tunable copper microstructures in blanket films and trenches using pulsed electrodeposition

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iii LIST OF TABLES . viii LIST OF FIGURES . x LIST OF ACRONYMS . xvii CHAPTER ONE: MOTIVATION AND OBJECTIVES . 1 1.1 Motivation . 1 1.2 Objectives . 4 1.3 Thesis Scope . 6 CHAPTER TWO: BACKGROUND . 8 2.1 Integrated Circuits (IC) . 8 2.1.1 What are integrated circuits? 8 2.1.2 How are 3D-ICs fabricated? (middle of the line) . 10 2.2 Thermo-Mechanical Reliability Concerns . 11 2.2.1 Void Nucleation . 12 2.2.2 Void Growth . 15 2.2.3 Void-Induced Material Property Changes . 18 2.3 Electrodeposition . 19 2.3.1 Electrodeposition Basics . 19 2.3.2 Pulsed Electrodeposition . 20 2.3. 3 Advanced Geometry Filling . 21 2.4 Copper Microstructure . 26 2.4. 1 Desired Microstructure for Microelectronics . 26 2.4. 2 Electrodeposition Parameters and the Effect on Cu film Microstructure . 34 2.4. 3 Microstructural Impact from Organic Bath Additives. 36 CHAPTER THREE: PULSED ELECTRODEPOSITION OF COPPER FILMS . 38 3.1 Motivation and Goals . 38 3.2 Experimental Procedure . 39 3.2.1 Sample Preparation . 39 3.2.2 Pulsed Electrodeposition (PED) . 40
Constructing narrative using a generative model and continuous action policies

This paper proposes a method for learning how to generate narrative by recombining sentences from a previous collection. Given a corpus of story events categorised into 9 topics, we approximate a deep reinforcement learning agent policy to recombine them in order to satisfy narrative structure. We also propose an evaluation of such a system. The evaluation is based on coherence, interest, and topic, in order to ﬁgure how much sense the generated stories make, how interesting they are, and examine whether new narrative topics can emerge.
G-factors and diamagnetic coefficients of electrons, holes, and excitons in InAs/InP quantum dots

The electron, hole, and exciton g factors and diamagnetic coefficients have been calculated using envelope-function theory for cylindrical InAs/InP quantum dots in the presence of a magnetic field parallel to the dot symmetry axis. A clear connection is established between the electron g factor and the amplitude of those valence-state envelope functions that possess nonzero orbital momentum associated with the envelope function. The dependence of the exciton diamagnetic coefficients on the quantum dot height is found to correlate with the energy dependence of the effective mass. Calculated exciton g factor and diamagnetic coefficients, constructed from the values associated with the electron and hole constituents of the exciton, match experimental data well, however including the Coulomb interaction between the electron and hole states improves the agreement. Remote-band contributions to the valence-band electronic structure, included perturbatively, reduce the agreement between theory and experiment.
Expression of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1) is a transcription factor that plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis by regulating energy metabolism and inducing angiogenesis. Elevated levels of HIF‐1α, a subunit of HIF‐1, are noted in various malignant tumors, but it is unclear whether this is so in esophageal carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implications of HIF‐1α expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In 215 patients with esophageal carcinoma, we examined immunoreactivity for HIF‐1α protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein and p53 protein. In 38 patients, we examined the expression of HIF‐1α messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) (using the semiquantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction [RT‐PCR]). A positive HIF‐1α protein expression was recognized in 95% of the patients, and was strongly apparent within both the nuclei and/or cytoplasm of tumor cells. The proportion of patients in the ‘high score’ group for HIF‐1α protein expression increased significantly with increasing VEGF protein expression. Immunoreactivity for HIF‐1α protein was found to have a significant effect on disease‐free survival rate in our univariate analysis, but no effect on overall survival rate. In RT‐PCR, HIF‐1α mRNA scores correlated significantly with scores for HIF‐1α protein expression, but not with any clinicopathologic factor or either of the survival rates. The detection of HIF‐1α protein and mRNA would appear to offer limited information as to progression and prognosis in esophageal carcinoma. (Cancer Sci 2005; 96: 176–182)
TGF‐β1 Suppresses Plasmin and MMP Activity in Flexor Tendon Cells via PAI‐1: Implications for Scarless Flexor Tendon Repair

Flexor tendon injuries caused by deep lacerations to the hands are a challenging problem as they often result in debilitating adhesions that prevent the movement of the afflicted fingers. Evidence exists that tendon adhesions as well as scarring throughout the body are largely precipitated by the pleiotropic growth factor, Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1(TGF‐β1), but the effects of TGF‐β1 are poorly understood in tendon healing. Using an in vitro model of tendon healing, we previously found that TGF‐β1 causes gene expression changes in tenocytes that are consistent with scar tissue and adhesion formation, including upregulation of the anti‐fibrinolytic protein, PAI‐1. Therefore, we hypothesized that TGF‐β1 contributes to scarring and adhesions by reducing the activity of proteases responsible for ECM degradation and remodeling, such as plasmin and MMPs, via upregulation of PAI‐1. To test our hypothesis, we examined the effects of TGF‐β1 on the protease activity of tendon cells. We found that flexor tendon tenocytes treated with TGF‐β1 had significantly reduced levels of active MMP‐2 and plasmin. Interestingly, the effects of TGF‐β1 on protease activity were completely abolished in tendon cells from homozygous plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI‐1) knockout (KO) mice, which are unable to express PAI‐1. Our findings support the hypothesis that TGF‐β1 induces PAI‐1, which suppresses plasmin and plasmin‐mediated MMP activity, and provide evidence that PAI‐1 may be a novel therapeutic target for preventing adhesions and promoting a scarless, regenerative repair of flexor tendon injuries. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 318–326, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Metabolomic Profiling Reveals a Role for Androgen in Activating Amino Acid Metabolism and Methylation in Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in American men. Development and progression of clinically localized prostate cancer is highly dependent on androgen signaling. Metastatic tumors are initially responsive to anti-androgen therapy, however become resistant to this regimen upon progression. Genomic and proteomic studies have implicated a role for androgen in regulating metabolic processes in prostate cancer. However, there have been no metabolomic profiling studies conducted thus far that have examined androgen-regulated biochemical processes in prostate cancer. Here, we have used unbiased metabolomic profiling coupled with enrichment-based bioprocess mapping to obtain insights into the biochemical alterations mediated by androgen in prostate cancer cell lines. Our findings indicate that androgen exposure results in elevation of amino acid metabolism and alteration of methylation potential in prostate cancer cells. Further, metabolic phenotyping studies confirm higher flux through pathways associated with amino acid metabolism in prostate cancer cells treated with androgen. These findings provide insight into the potential biochemical processes regulated by androgen signaling in prostate cancer. Clinically, if validated, these pathways could be exploited to develop therapeutic strategies that supplement current androgen ablative treatments while the observed androgen-regulated metabolic signatures could be employed as biomarkers that presage the development of castrate-resistant prostate cancer.
A method for separating drum objects from polyphonic musical signals

An additional coding of auditory objects for packet loss concealment has been proven to be effective in music streaming applications. This paper describes a new extension to our previous method in separating drum objects from polyphonic music signals with improved performance. After a simple time domain separation method employed in our early system, we propose in this paper a novel frequency domain technique, a tonal-components tracking and attenuation (TTA), to suppress quasi-stationary auditory objects such as singing voice in the separated drum objects. Experimental results show that the new method is an effective pre-processing step to separate drum objects from polyphonic music signals. This method helps to improve accuracy of drum clustering and to mitigate the pitch and harmonic structure mismatch problem when applied in packet loss recovery in music streaming.
Measuring Team Cohesion

Objective: The aim of this study was to review literature relevant to cohesion measurement, explore developing measurement approaches, and provide theoretical and practical recommendations for optimizing cohesion measurement. Background: Cohesion is essential for team effectiveness and performance, leading researchers to focus attention on understanding how to enhance it. However, cohesion is inconsistently defined and measured, making it difficult to compare findings across studies and limiting the ability to advance science and practice. Method: We reviewed empirical research through which we uncovered specific information about cohesion’s conceptualization, measurement, and relationships with performance, culminating in a set of current trends from which we provide suggestions and possible solutions to guide future efforts and help the field converge toward greater consistency. Results: Cohesion demonstrates more significant relationships with performance when conceptualized using social and task (but not other) dimensions and when analyses are performed at the team level. Cohesion is inherently temporal, yet researchers rarely measure cohesion at multiple points during the life of a team. Finally, cohesion matters in large, dynamic collectives, complicating measurement. However, innovative and unobtrusive methodologies are being used, which we highlight. Conclusion: Practitioners and researchers are encouraged to define cohesion with task and social subdimensions and to measure with behavioral and attitudinal operationalizations. Individual and team-oriented items are recommended, though team-level analyses are most effective. Innovative/unobtrusive methods should be further researched to enable cohesion measurement longitudinally and in large, dynamic collectives. Application: By applying our findings and conclusions, researchers and practitioners will be more likely to find consistent, reliable, and significant cohesion-to-performance relationships.
DNase I Hypersensitive Site II of the Human Growth Hormone Locus Control Region Mediates an Essential and Distinct Long-range Enhancer Function*

Background: A series of distal DNA elements regulates the human growth hormone gene. Results: Deletion of one of these elements, HSII, results in reduced growth hormone expression and changes in several activating phenomena at the locus. Conclusion: HSII is a unique regulator of growth hormone expression. Significance: Elucidating complex regulation determinants is imperative to the understanding of metazoan gene expression. Locus control regions (LCRs) comprise sets of DNA elements capable of establishing autonomous chromatin domains that support robust and physiologically appropriate expression of target genes, often working over extensive distances. Human growth hormone (hGH-N) expression in the pituitary is under the regulation of a well characterized LCR containing four DNase I hypersensitive sites (HSs). The two pituitary-specific HS, HSI and HSII, are located 14.5 and 15.5 kb 5′ to the hGH-N promoter. HSI is essential for activation of hGH-N during pituitary development and for sustaining robust activity in the adult. To determine whether the closely linked HSII has a role in hGH-N expression, it was deleted from a previously validated hGH/P1 transgene. Analysis of three independent hGH/P1(ΔHSII) transgenic mouse lines revealed that this deletion had no adverse effect on the formation of HSI, yet resulted in a substantial loss (70%) in hGH-N mRNA expression. This loss of expression was accompanied by a corresponding reduction in recruitment of the pituitary-specific transcription factor Pit-1 to the hGH-N promoter and a selective decrease in promoter occupancy of the elongation-linked isoform of RNA polymerase II. Sufficiency of HSI and HSII in LCR activity was explored by establishing two additional sets of mouse transgenic lines in which DNA segments containing these HS were positioned within the λ phage genome. In this “neutral” DNA context, HSII was required for the recruitment of HAT activity. These data establish HSII as a nonredundant component of the hGH LCR essential for establishment of robust levels of hGH-N gene expression.
Evidence for high inter-generational individual quality in yellow-eyed penguins

Longitudinal studies focusing on lifetime reproductive success (LRS) have been used to measure individual breeding performance and identify commonalities among successful breeders. By extending the focus to subsequent generations we identify a proportion of high-quality individuals that contribute disproportionately to the population over multiple generations. We used 23 years of yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) breeding data from one breeding area to identify the proportion of individual birds that raised successful breeders, which in turn raised offspring. We explored which life-history components influenced LRS, as this knowledge would enable conservation resources to be focused on high-performing individuals in this endangered population. From 2,147 birds marked as chicks, 370 (17.2%) survived to adulthood and recruited to their natal location, of which 219 (10.2%) fledged offspring: 124 (56.6%) of the 219 birds produced offspring that recruited as breeders. Only 102 birds (4.8% of 2,147) fledged first-generation offspring that in turn fledged offspring (second-generation offspring, or grand-offspring). We found that ∼25% of the birds that survived to breed had above-average LRS as well as above-average numbers of grand-offspring, and were more likely to have produced first-generation chicks that recruited and also produced above-average numbers of second-generation chicks. Our findings suggest that there is a core of “super-breeders” that contribute disproportionately to the population over successive generations. Lifespan and age-at-first-breeding were correlated with LRS. We suggest that traits of birds relating to longevity, health (e.g., immunocompetence) and fitness could be examined to identify potential links with high LRS and inter-generational fecundity. “Super-breeders” appear to consistently achieve high LRS and long lifespans in a stochastic environment, demonstrating greater resilience in the face of extreme events.
Story and Text Generation through Computational Analogy in the Riu System

A key challenge in computational narrative is story generation. In this paper we focus on analogy-based story generation, and, specifically, on how to generate both story and text using analogy. We present a dual representation formalism where a human-understandable representation (composed of English sentences) and a computer-understandable representation (consisting in a graph) are linked together in order to generate both story and natural language text by analogy. We have implemented our technique in the Riu interactive narrative system.
Feasibility of using the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Antiemesis Tool for assessment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre

Introduction Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) has been shown to adversely impact patient anxiety, quality of life, treatment adherence, and use of health care resources. CINV control still remains a challenge, and lack of effective communication between the patient and clinician has been highlighted in the literature as the main barrier to optimal control. The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) has developed a tool (MASCC Antiemesis Tool (MAT)) to improve assessment and subsequent management of CINV by enhancing communication between patients and their clinicians. This study assessed the feasibility of using the MAT in patients at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. The secondary objective was to describe the incidence of CINV as identified by the tool. Methods and materials This study involved a prospective survey using the MAT in patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy. Subjects completed the MAT twice post-chemotherapy regarding CINV symptoms and returned it at their next clinic appointment. Participants were also surveyed to evaluate feasibility with regard to using the MAT. Results Of the 50 patients recruited, 56% returned surveys. The majority of patients reported that the MAT facilitated communication with their clinician, particularly those who had experienced CINV. Fifty-four percent of patients who returned the MAT reported CINV; however, less than half of them had received American Society of Clinical Oncology-recommended antiemetic regimens. Only four patients with CINV had antiemetic changes made for subsequent cycles. Conclusion The MAT is a feasible tool which can improve communication of CINV symptoms between patients and clinicians, a foundational step toward improving CINV management.