Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Localization of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is Associated with a Better Prognosis

Purpose: A high frequency of head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC) contain constitutively activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). To further elucidate the prognostic role of STAT3 in HNSCC, the expression pattern of STAT3 was correlated with outcome in two independent data sets. Experimental Design: STAT3 protein expression analysis was done on a test cohort of 102 patients with HNSCC recruited between 1992 and 2005. Automated quantitative analysis was used to assess STAT3 protein expression. We evaluated associations with clinicopathologic parameters and survival prognosis. Associations were validated in a second, independent cohort of 58 patients with confirmed HNSCC enrolled in the Early Detection Research Network–sponsored study who underwent surgical resection with curative intent at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center between 2000 and 2004. Results: STAT3 displayed mixed nuclear and cytoplasmic staining. Survival analysis showed that high nuclear STAT3 expression (top tertile versus the rest) was associated with longer progression-free survival (n = 70, mean survival of 88.9 versus 46.7 months, P = 0.012 for the first cohort; n = 37, mean survival of 60.3 versus 33.0 months, P = 0.009 for the second cohort). After best model selection in the multivariable analysis context, only STAT3 was significant, revealing a lower risk of progression and death for patients with high nuclear STAT3-expressing tumors (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.82; P = 0.019; and hazard ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.76; P = 0.016, respectively). Conclusions: Our results indicate that high nuclear STAT3 expression levels by automated quantitative analysis are associated with favorable outcome in HNSCC. Clin Cancer Res; 16(8); 2427–34. ©2010 AACR.
Product Strategies and Startups' Survival in Turbulent Industries: Evidence from the Security Software Industry

This paper seeks to explore the drivers of startups' survival in turbulent industries, characterized by high rates of entry and exit, fragmented market shares, and a rapid pace of product innovation. Specifically, the paper aims to underscore the role played by post-entry product strategies, along with their interaction, beyond that of pre-entry conditions. Based on a sample of 270 startups that entered the Security Software Industry from 1989 till 1998, we find evidence that surviving entities are those that more aggressively adopt versioning and product portfolio strategies. Interesting enough, strategic learning seems to play a major role: Focusing on one of the two product strategies commands a higher survival probability than adopting a mixed strategy.
Paradoxical resistance of multiple myeloma to proteasome inhibitors by decreased levels of 19S proteasomal subunits

Hallmarks of cancer, including rapid growth and aneuploidy, can result in non-oncogene addiction to the proteostasis network that can be exploited clinically. The defining example is the exquisite sensitivity of multiple myeloma (MM) to 20S proteasome inhibitors, such as carfilzomib. However, MM patients invariably acquire resistance to these drugs. Using a next-generation shRNA platform, we found that proteostasis factors, including chaperones and stress-response regulators, controlled the response to carfilzomib. Paradoxically, 19S proteasome regulator knockdown induced resistance to carfilzomib in MM and non-MM cells. 19S subunit knockdown did not affect the activity of the 20S subunits targeted by carfilzomib nor their inhibition by the drug, suggesting an alternative mechanism, such as the selective accumulation of protective factors. In MM patients, lower 19S levels predicted a diminished response to carfilzomib-based therapies. Together, our findings suggest that an understanding of network rewiring can inform development of new combination therapies to overcome drug resistance. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.08153. 001
Parent and child reporting of negative life events: discrepancy and agreement across pediatric samples.

OBJECTIVE To examine the consistency in child and parent reporting of child's negative life events across child/pediatric samples. METHODS A total of 613 child-parent dyads provided independent reports of negative life events. The pairs included three groups consisting of children who were healthy (n = 362), diagnosed with cancer (n = 130), and diagnosed with a chronic illness (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, or cystic fibrosis; n = 121). RESULTS Children reported significantly more negative life events than their parents reported for them. Additionally, children in the chronically ill group self-reported significantly fewer negative life events than the other groups. However, parents of children with cancer reported significantly more negative life events than the other groups. Although discrepancies exist in all three samples, parents and children in the healthy group were significantly more discrepant than the other groups. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that communication of children's life events between parent and child may increase during children's experience of cancer or a chronic illness. However, significant discrepancies remain in child and parent report of negative life events. Because of this, clinicians are encouraged to recognize the strengths and limitations of using multiple reporters in assessing negative life events in children.
Critical Realism: The required philosophical compass for inclusion?

Although during recent years in the field of special education there has been much debate regarding inclusion and people’s beliefs around disability, it is suggested that what has been lacking in many of the discussions is any coherent guiding philosophy that helps direct research in this area. The paper proposes that critical realism, developed by philosopher Roy Bhaskar, may provide such a framework and offers a philosophical 'compass' (Egbo, 2005) to researchers who want to be engaged in critical social scientific inquiry. The paper will briefly outline the main ontological and epistemological tenets of critical realism before exploring these in relation to the literature in the fields of disability, inclusion and special education. Finally it suggests that critical realism avoids many of the fallacies associated with educational research and could be seen as useful way forward in the debate around inclusion and propose where further research is required.
Odor response features of projection neurons and local interneurons in the honeybee antennal lobe

Local computation in microcircuits is an essential feature of distributed information processing in vertebrate and invertebrate brains. The insect antennal lobe represents a spatially confined local network that processes high-dimensional and redundant peripheral input to compute an efficient odor code. Social insects can rely on a particularly rich olfactory receptor repertoire and they exhibit complex odor-guided behaviors. This corresponds with a high anatomical complexity of their AL network. In the honeybee, a large number of glomeruli that receive sensory input are interconnected by a dense network of local interneurons (LNs). Uniglomerular projection neurons (PNs) integrate sensory and recurrent network input into an efficient spatio-temporal odor code. To investigate the specific computational roles of LNs and PNs we measured eleven features of sub- and suprathreshold single cell responses to in vivo odor stimulation. Using a semi-supervised cluster analysis we identified a combination of five characteristic features that enabled the accurate separation of morphologically identified LNs and PNs. The two clusters differed significantly in all five features. In the absence of stimulation PNs showed a higher subthreshold activation, assumed higher peak response rates and more regular spiking pattern. LNs reacted considerably faster to the onset of a stimulus and their responses were more reliable across stimulus repetitions. We discuss possible mechanisms that can explain our results, and we interpret cell-type specific characteristics with respect to their functional relevance.
Review: Information Technology and Organizational Performance: An Integrative Model of IT Business Value

Despite the importance to researchers, managers, and policy makers of how information technology (IT) contributes to organizational performance, there is uncertainty and debate about what we know and don't know. A review of the literature reveals that studies examining the association between information technology and organizational performance are divergent in how they conceptualize key constructs and their interrelationships. We develop a model of IT business value based on the resource-based view of the firm that integrates the various strands of research into a single framework. We apply the integrative model to synthesize what is known about IT business value and guide future research by developing propositions and suggesting a research agenda. A principal finding is that IT is valuable, but the extent and dimensions are dependent upon internal and external factors, including complementary organizational resources of the firm and its trading partners, as well as the competitive and macro environment. Our analysis provides a blueprint to guide future research and facilitate knowledge accumulation and creation concerning the organizational performance impacts of information technology.
A Generic Framework: From Clinical Notes to Electronic Medical Records

Electronic medical records are important to manage health data and save lives to improve the quality of service in hospitals. Clinical medical records contain a wealth of information, largely in free-text form. This paper proposes a generic framework to semi-automatically extract and mine data from clinical note, automatically learn patterns for each physician's clinical notes, and automatically populate EMR databases for multi users. In this paper, we also develop a Web-based system with a relational database to automatically store data from medical information extraction (MedIE) system that extracts and mines a variety of patient information with breast complaints from semi-structured clinical records
Relaying over multiple slots with causal CSI: Optimal power allocation for energy minimization

In this paper, we employ a relay to assist in transmission from a source to a destination over a fixed number of time slots. We seek to minimize the expected sum transmission energy used by the source and relay, by choosing the transmission power of each node dynamically slot by slot. We assume that both receivers, namely the relay and the destination, can accumulate mutual information across previous and present slots by using earlier received packets for joint decoding. Assuming availability of causal channel state information (CSI) at all transmitters, we obtain the structure of the optimal solutions by dynamic programming. A key insight is that relaying is necessary for the expected sum energy to be bounded in Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results show that the reduction in the expected sum energy is significant.
Direct Electrolysis of Molten Lunar Regolith for the Production of Oxygen and Metals on the Moon

The feasibility of producing oxygen by direct electrolysis of molten lunar regolith at 1600 oC was investigated. Oxygen gas at the anode was generated concomitantly with production of iron and silicon at the cathode from the tightly bound oxide mix. Current efficiencies for oxygen evolution from different melt compositions were determined during the course of electrolysis by on-stream analysis of oxygen gas. Scale-up from thin wire (ca. 0.3 cm 2 ) electrodes to plate and disc electrodes (ca. 10 cm 2 ) was achieved.
The Utility of In‐Depth Interviews for Studying the Meaning of Environmental Risk

This paper explores the utility of in-depth interviews for understanding how individuals and communities socially construct the risks (degree of threat) from environmental hazards (phenomena which threaten), and describes some challenges for guarding against threats to trustworthiness (qualitative rigor). The paper involves the interface between a case study of the social construction of environmental risk (Baxter 1997), and a critical appraisal of criteria for establishing trustworthiness in qualitative research (Baxter and Eyles 1997). The review highlights challenges for the application of the criteria and the use of popular design and analysis strategies such as member checking and researcher triangulation. While such practices are problematic, this need not undermine the utility of these practices and the criteria they are meant to address. A critical appraisal of qualitative work must go beyond the mere mention of various strategies that are used to guard against threats to rigor.
Activation of tumoricidal properties in macrophages by lipopolysaccharide requires protein‐tyrosine kinase activity

The purpose of these studies was to determine whether triggering murine peritoneal macrophages to a tumoricidal state by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) requires protein‐tyrosine phosphorylation. The LPS‐triggered activation of mouse macrophages to lyse syngeneic B16 melanoma cells was significantly inhibited in a dose‐ dependent manner by the protein‐tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors genistein, herbimycin A, and tyrphostin. Genistein was effective only when added to macrophages prior to or simultaneously with LPS. Genistein potently inhibited the productive interaction of macrophages with LPS but had only a minor effect on the action of interferon‐ γ. The effects of genistein on LPS‐triggered macrophage activation were not due to nonspecific changes in macrophage metabolism or toxicity because genistein did not prevent lysis of tumor cells by activated macrophages, nor did it reduce the capacity of macrophages to phagocytose antibody‐opsonized sheep erythrocytes. Western blot analysis with antiphosphotyrosine monoclonal antibody revealed that incubation of macrophages with LPS produced a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins and that the induced phosphorylation could be inhibited by effective concentrations of genistein, herbimycin A, or tyrphostin. Taken together, these data indicate that protein‐tyrosine phosphorylation plays an important role in LPS‐induced tumoricidal activation of macrophages.
Cold and Hot Extremozymes: Industrial Relevance and Current Trends

The development of enzymes for industrial applications relies heavily on the use of microorganisms. The intrinsic properties of microbial enzymes, e.g., consistency, reproducibility, and high yields along with many others, have pushed their introduction into a wide range of products and industrial processes. Extremophilic microorganisms represent an underutilized and innovative source of novel enzymes. These microorganisms have developed unique mechanisms and molecular means to cope with extreme temperatures, acidic and basic pH, high salinity, high radiation, low water activity, and high metal concentrations among other environmental conditions. Extremophile-derived enzymes, or extremozymes, are able to catalyze chemical reactions under harsh conditions, like those found in industrial processes, which were previously not thought to be conducive for enzymatic activity. Due to their optimal activity and stability under extreme conditions, extremozymes offer new catalytic alternatives for current industrial applications. These extremozymes also represent the cornerstone for the development of environmentally friendly, efficient, and sustainable industrial technologies. Many advances in industrial biocatalysis have been achieved in recent years; however, the potential of biocatalysis through the use of extremozymes is far from being fully realized. In this article, the adaptations and significance of psychrophilic, thermophilic, and hyperthermophilic enzymes, and their applications in selected industrial markets will be reviewed. Also, the current challenges in the development and mass production of extremozymes as well as future prospects and trends for their biotechnological application will be discussed.
Nanoheating without Artificial Nanoparticles Part II. Experimental Support of the Nanoheating Concept of the Modulated Electro-HyperthermiaMethod, Using U937 Cell Suspension Model

There are intensive debates about the effects and mechanisms of radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia in oncology. We theoretically modelled the mechanism of the nanoheating effect of the RF current at the cellular and subcellular level. Then, we experimentally investigated the mechanism of heating in comparison with selective modulated electrohyperthermia and water-bath heating conventional hyperthermia (WHT) using the U937 suspension cell line model. The two heating-processes resulted in different distributions of energy-absorption, causing different mechanisms of the thermal processes. Both of the mechanisms are thermal (fit to Arrhenius plot) but the selectively absorbed energy by the plasma membrane rafts and the cell-cell contacts of the cells results in earlier cell-destruction than in case of unselective homogeneous heating. This thermal effect is used for the characterisation of selective heating. The experimental results clearly support the previous theoretical considerations; the cell killing effect can be realised at lower temperature ranges in the case of the modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT, trade-name: oncothermia) method than with WHT.
Self-organizing formation algorithm for active elements

We propose a novel method of self-organizing formation. It is assumed that elements are not connected to each other and they can move in continuous space. The objective is to arrange elements in a certain spatial pattern like a crystal, and to make the outline of the group in the desired shape. For this purpose, we propose a method by using virtual springs among the elements. In this algorithm, an element generates virtual springs between the neighbor element based on information of how many other elements exist in the neighborhood with a certain radius. Although the elements interact locally, only by virtual springs, and they do not have global information at all, they form a shape much larger than the sensory radius. By a simulation study, we confirmed convergence to a target shape from a random state in very high probability. This kind of algorithm gives a new principle of self-organizing formation, and its simplicity will be useful for the design of self-assembling nano machines in future.
Visual Motor and Perceptual Task Performance in Astigmatic Students

Purpose. To determine if spectacle corrected and uncorrected astigmats show reduced performance on visual motor and perceptual tasks. Methods. Third through 8th grade students were assigned to the low refractive error control group (astigmatism < 1.00 D, myopia < 0.75 D, hyperopia < 2.50 D, and anisometropia < 1.50 D) or bilateral astigmatism group (right and left eye ≥ 1.00 D) based on cycloplegic refraction. Students completed the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI) and Visual Perception (VMIp). Astigmats were randomly assigned to testing with/without correction and control group was tested uncorrected. Analyses compared VMI and VMIp scores for corrected and uncorrected astigmats to the control group. Results. The sample included 333 students (control group 170, astigmats tested with correction 75, and astigmats tested uncorrected 88). Mean VMI score in corrected astigmats did not differ from the control group (p = 0.829). Uncorrected astigmats had lower VMI scores than the control group (p = 0.038) and corrected astigmats (p = 0.007). Mean VMIp scores for uncorrected (p = 0.209) and corrected astigmats (p = 0.124) did not differ from the control group. Uncorrected astigmats had lower mean scores than the corrected astigmats (p = 0.003). Conclusions. Uncorrected astigmatism influences visual motor and perceptual task performance. Previously spectacle treated astigmats do not show developmental deficits on visual motor or perceptual tasks when tested with correction.
Selective Knockdown of the Long Variant of Cellular FLICE Inhibitory Protein Augments Death Receptor-mediated Caspase-8 Activation and Apoptosis*

Death receptors trigger apoptosis by activating the apical cysteine proteases caspase-8 and -10 within a death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). c-FLIP (cellular FLICE inhibitory protein) is an enzymatically inactive relative of caspase-8 and -10 that binds to the DISC. Two major c-FLIP variants result from alternative mRNA splicing: a short, 26-kDa protein (c-FLIPS) and a long, 55-kDa form (c-FLIPL). The role of c-FLIPS as an inhibitor of death receptor-mediated apoptosis is well established; however, the function of c-FLIPL remains controversial. Although overexpression of transfected c-FLIPL inhibits apoptosis, ectopic expression at lower levels supports caspase-8 activation and cell death. Simultaneous ablation of both c-FLIP variants augments death receptor-mediated apoptosis, but the impact of selective depletion of c-FLIPL on caspase-8 activation and subsequent apoptosis is not well defined. To investigate this, we developed small interfering RNAs that specifically knock down expression of c-FLIPL in several cancer cell lines and studied their effect on apoptosis initiation by Apo2L/TRAIL (Apo2 ligand/tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand). Knockdown of c-FLIPL augmented DISC recruitment, activation, processing, and release of caspase-8, thereby enhancing effector-caspase stimulation and apoptosis. Thus, endogenous c-FLIPL functions primarily as an inhibitor of death receptor-mediated apoptosis.
Improving participation and learning with gamification

In this paper we explore how gamification can be applied to education in order to improve student engagement. We present a study in which a college course was gamified, by including experience points, levels, badges, challenges and leaderboards. The study was five years long, where the first three were non-gamified years, and the last two regarded two successive experiments of our gamified approach. To assess how gamification impacted the learning experience, we compared data from both gamified and non-gamified years, using different performance measures. Results show significant improvements in terms of attention to reference materials, online participation and proactivity. They also suggest that our approach can reduce grade discrepancies among students and help them score better. Modeling course activities with game challenges and properly distributing those over the term seem to enhance this effect.