Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Farnesoid X receptor inhibits LNcaP cell proliferation via the upregulation of PTEN

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. In the present study, the activation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, was demonstrated to inhibit cell proliferation in LNcaP cells. Using clinical samples, mRNA and protein levels of FXR were found to be significantly decreased by quantitative PCR and western blot analysis in prostate cancer tissues. In vitro studies identified further that activation or overexpression of FXR suppressed prostate cancer cell proliferation as measured by BrdU incorporation assays. At the molecular level, the results further revealed that the expression of the tumor suppressor gene, PTEN, was upregulated by FXR activation. Therefore, the observations indicated that FXR functions as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer, which may provide a novel method for molecular targeting cancer treatment.
Opportunities for electronic commerce in networking

There are numerous opportunities to apply electronic commerce (EC) technologies to networking. These include the assembly, pricing, and payments for complementary infrastructure resources, and the selection of and payment for value-added collaboration and information access services. EC can support the separate provision and coordination of these elements, or allow them to be bundled by a customer care organization. These opportunities and options are discussed.
Fine Structure of the His Bundle

The fine structure of the His bundle is described on the basis of its light and electron microscopic appearance. Electron microscopy was performed on one human and two canine hearts, and light microscopy on over 400 human and 60 canine hearts. The His bundle was identified by its light microscopic appearance. There were no significant differences in the fine structure of human and canine His bundles. In both, the principal cell was a typical Purkinje cell containing few myofibrils and a large perinuclear clear zone; these cells are shorter and broader than working myocardial cells, and their intercellular junctions (which are obliquely rather than transversely oriented) contain a high proportion of nexus formations. Both the human and canine His bundles are partitioned by fine collagen septa, which are longitudinally oriented with comparatively few crossover connections. The general organization of the His bundle is thus into multiple strands of Purkinje cells, and these strands are largely separated from one another by collagen. This longitudinal separation of Purkinje strands by collagen, plus the specialized nature of intercellular junctions within each strand, form an anatomic basis for suspecting longitudinal separation of conduction within the normal His bundle. Some electrophysiologic implications of these findings are discussed.
DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LIFE SPAN

This chapter aims to illustrate the role of culture for development over the life-span. First, theoretical approaches on development in culture are presented, starting from early anthropological to recent eco-cultural approaches. Then culture-specific conceptualisations of development over the life span are discussed, including childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Finally, recent studies on subjective theories, transmissions of values, and intergenerational relations are discussed as aspects of a more extended interpersonal relations approach to development in culture.
Extensive Dissemination of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) between the Hospital and the Community in a Country with a High Prevalence of Nosocomial MRSA

According to the EARS-Net surveillance data, Portugal has the highest prevalence of nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Europe, but the information on MRSA in the community is very scarce and the links between the hospital and community are not known. In this study we aimed to understand the events associated to the recent sharp increase in MRSA frequency in Portugal and to evaluate how this has shaped MRSA epidemiology in the community. With this purpose, 180 nosocomial MRSA isolates recovered from infection in two time periods and 14 MRSA isolates recovered from 89 samples of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) typing, spa typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). All isolates were also screened for the presence of Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) by PCR. The results showed that ST22-IVh, accounting for 72% of the nosocomial isolates, was the major clone circulating in the hospital in 2010, having replaced two previous dominant clones in 1993, the Iberian (ST247-I) and Portuguese (ST239-III variant) clones. Moreover in 2010, three clones belonging to CC5 (ST105-II, ST125-IVc and ST5-IVc) accounted for 20% of the isolates and may represent the beginning of new waves of MRSA in this hospital. Interestingly, more than half of the MRSA isolates (8/14) causing SSTI in people attending healthcare centers in Portugal belonged to the most predominant clones found in the hospital, namely ST22-IVh (n = 4), ST5-IVc (n = 2) and ST105-II (n = 1). Other clones found included ST5-V (n = 6) and ST8-VI (n = 1). None of the MRSA isolates carried PVL and only five isolates (ST5-V-t179) carried ACME type II. The emergence and spread of EMRSA-15 may be associated to the observed increase in MRSA frequency in the hospital and the consequent spillover of MRSA into the community.
Audio Replay Attack Detection with Deep Learning Frameworks

Nowadays spooﬁng detection is one of the priority research areas in the ﬁeld of automatic speaker veriﬁcation. The success of Automatic Speaker Veriﬁcation Spooﬁng and Countermeasures (ASVspoof) Challenge 2015 conﬁrmed the impressive perspective in detection of unforeseen spooﬁng trials based on speech synthesis and voice conversion techniques. However, there is a small number of researches addressed to replay spooﬁng attacks which are more likely to be used by non-professional im-personators. This paper describes the Speech Technology Center (STC) anti-spooﬁng system submitted for ASVspoof 2017 which is focused on replay attacks detection. Here we investigate the efﬁciency of a deep learning approach for solution of the mentioned-above task. Experimental results obtained on the Challenge corpora demonstrate that the selected approach outperforms current state-of-the-art baseline systems in terms of spooﬁng detection quality. Our primary system produced an EER of 6.73% on the evaluation part of the corpora which is 72% relative improvement over the ASVspoof 2017 baseline system.
Three‐dimensional reconstruction from a single‐exposure, random conical tilt series applied to the 50S ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli

We present a new reconstruction method that takes advantage of the fact that many biological macromolecular assemblies show a preferred orientation with respect to the plane of the specimen grid in the electron microscopic preparation. From one micrograph taken of such a specimen tilted by a large angle, a conical tilt series with random azimuthal angles can be extracted and used for a three‐dimensional reconstruction. Our technique allows the determination of the molecular structure under low‐dose conditions, which are not achievable with reconstruction methods that use conventional tilt series. The reconstruction method combines a number of existing image processing techniques with a newly developed weighted back‐projection algorithm designed for three‐dimensional reconstruction from projections taken with arbitrary projecting directions. The method is described as it was applied to the three‐dimensional reconstruction of the structure of the 50S ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Phenotypic and Genetic Diversity of Invasive Pneumococcal Isolates Recovered from French Children

ABSTRACT We investigated the phenotypic and genetic diversity (by ribotyping) of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates recovered from French children, by blood culture from meningitis-free patients (n = 244) and by cerebrospinal fluid culture from patients with meningitis (n = 154). Isolates belonging to serotypes associated with carriage and penicillin-resistant isolates were significantly more frequent in children under 2 years of age than in older children. The seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine covered 68% of strains associated with bacteremia and 61% of strains associated with meningitis in children under 2 years. Although some serotypes were recovered more frequently from children with bacteremia than from those with meningitis, no difference in the genetic backgrounds of the two groups of strains was found.
Millimeter Interferometric Investigations of the Energy Sources of Three Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies, UGC 5101, Markarian 273, and IRAS 17208−0014, Based on HCN-to-HCO+ Ratios

We present interferometric observations of three ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; UGC 5101, Mrk 273, and IRAS 17208-0014) in the 3 mm wavelength range, using the Nobeyama Millimeter Array. Both the HCN (J = 1-0) and HCO+ (J = 1-0) molecular lines were observed simultaneously. HCN emission was clearly detected at the nuclear positions of these ULIRGs, and HCO+ emission was detected at the nuclear positions of UGC 5101 and IRAS 17208-0014. The HCN-to-HCO+ brightness-temperature ratios toward the nuclei of the three ULIRGs were derived and compared with those of lower luminosity galaxies known to be dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or starbursts. In UGC 5101 and Mrk 273, where there is evidence for obscured AGNs from previous observations at other wavelengths, we found high HCN/HCO+ ratios (>1.8) that are in the range found for AGN-dominated galaxies. In IRAS 17208-0014, where the presence of a powerful obscured AGN has been unclear, the ratio (∼1.7) is between the observed values for starburst- and AGN-dominated galaxies. The high HCN/HCO+ brightness-temperature ratios in UGC 5101 and Mrk 273 could be the consequence of an HCN abundance enhancement, which is expected from chemical effects of the central X-ray-emitting AGN on the surrounding dense molecular gas. Our proposed millimeter interferometric method based on HCN/HCO+ ratios may be an effective tool for unveiling elusive buried AGNs at the cores of ULIRGs, especially because of the negligible dust extinction at these wavelengths.
Associations between IL‐1RA polymorphisms and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth among patients with irritable bowel syndrome from India

Low‐grade inflammation (controlled by pro and anti‐inflammatory molecules), induced by gut microbes in patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), may be associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Polymorphisms of IL‐RA gene (anti‐inflammatory) was evaluated in IBS and healthy subjects (HS); small intestinal mucosal IL‐1α and β levels (pro‐inflammatory) in relation to the presence of SIBO were evaluated in a subset of patients.
The Arg451Cys-Neuroligin-3 Mutation Associated with Autism Reveals a Defect in Protein Processing

The neuroligins are a family of postsynaptic transmembrane proteins that associate with presynaptic partners, the β-neurexins. Neurexins and neuroligins play a critical role in initiating formation and differentiation of synaptic junctions. A recent study reported that a mutation of neuroligin-3 (NL3), an X-linked gene, was found in siblings with autistic spectrum disorder in which two affected brothers had a point mutation that substituted a Cys for Arg451. To characterize the mutation at the biochemical level, we analyzed expression and activity of the mutated protein. Mass spectrometry comparison of the disulfide bonding pattern between the native and the mutated proteins indicates the absence of aberrant disulfide bonding, suggesting that the secondary structure of the mutated protein is conserved. However, the mutation separately affects protein expression and activity. The Cys mutation causes defective neuroligin trafficking, leading to retention of the protein in the endoplasmic reticulum. This, in turn, decreases the delivery of NL3 to the cell surface. Also, the small fraction of protein that reaches the cell membrane lacks or has markedly diminished β-neurexin-1 (NX1β) binding activity. Other substitutions for Arg451 allow for normal cellular expression but diminished affinity for NX1β. Our findings reveal a cellular phenotype and loss of function for a congenital mutation associated with autistic spectrum disorders.
Eine integrative Forschungsstrategie zur anwendungsbezogenen Generierung relevanten wissenschaftlichen Wissens in der Lehr-Lern-Forschung

Das Theorie-Praxis-Problem in der Lehr-Lernforschung wird als ein Problem der Distanz zwischen Kontext der Wissensgenerierung und Kontexten der Wissensanwendung und damit als eine besondere Art von Transferproblem rekonstruiert. Dies wird anhand einer Analyse klassischer experimenteller Forschung zum analogen Transfer exemplifiziert. Nach einer Diskussion verschiedener traditioneller Ansatze zur Bestimmung des Theorie-Praxis-Verhaltnisses wird eine integrative Forschungsstrategie im Detail dargestellt und anhand eigener Untersuchungsbeispiele veranschaulicht. (ZPID) The discussion of the gap between theory and practice has a long tradition in educational psychology and especially in research on learning and instruction. In the context of research on learning and instruction, the complex problem of theory and practice can be reconstructed as a problem of the great distance between context of knowledge generation and contexts of knowledge application. Thus, it can be seen as a special kind of transfer problem which is elucidated by analysing the classical experimental research on analogical transfer. After discussing traditional approaches focussing the relation between theory and practice, the integrative research strategy is presented in detail; it is exemplified by using own research examples. (DIPF/Orig.)
Controlled comparison of retention and adherence in home- vs center-initiated exercise interventions in women ages 40-65 years: The S.W.E.A.T. Study (Sedentary Women Exercise Adherence Trial).

BACKGROUND In an 18-month exercise intervention in previously sedentary older women (40-65 years), we examined whether an initial 6 months of supervised exercise leads to greater long-term retention and adherence to regular physical activity than an unsupervised home-based program and whether these outcomes are influenced by the exercise intensity. METHODS Women (N = 126) were recruited from the community and randomly assigned to either center-based or home-based exercise three times/week. The center-based group attended supervised sessions for 6 months, while after 10 initial sessions the home-based group exercised at home. After 6 months both groups were home-based for a further 12 months. Within each arm, subjects were further randomized to exercise at either moderate or vigorous intensity. RESULTS The center-based group had higher retention than the home-based (97, 94, 81 versus 87, 76, and 61%) at 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively (P < 0.05). At 6 months, adherence was higher in the center-based group (84 versus 63%, P < 0.001) and energy expenditure was higher at 6 (P < 0.05) and 12 (P < 0.01) months. At 18 months, retention was higher with moderate exercise (P < 0.05), while adherence was similar with both intensities. CONCLUSION An initial 6 months of center-based exercise enhanced retention in both the short and the long term and promoted short-term adherence and energy expenditure. Long-term, moderate exercise retained more subjects, but had little influence on adherence.
Volume rendering of smoke propagation CFD data

The evacuation of buildings in the event of a fire requires careful planning of ventilation and evacuation routes during early architectural design stages. Different designs are evaluated by simulating smoke propagation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Visibility plays a decisive role in finding the nearest fire exit. This paper presents real-time volume rendering of transient smoke propagation conforming to standardized visibility distances. We visualize time dependent smoke particle concentration on unstructured tetrahedral meshes using a direct volume rendering approach. Due to the linear transfer function of the optical model commonly used in fire protection engineering, accurate pre-integration of diffuse color across tetrahedra can be carried out with a single 2D texture lookup. We reduce rounding errors during frame buffer blending by applying randomized dithering if high accuracy frame buffers are unavailable on the target platform. A simple absorption-based lighting model is evaluated in a preprocessing step using the same rendering approach. Back-illuminated exit signs are commonly used to indicate the escape route. As light emitting objects are visible further than reflective objects, the transfer function in front of illuminated exit signs must be adjusted with a deferred rendering pass.
Boosting Tumor-Specific Immunity Using PDT

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cancer treatment with a long-standing history. It employs the application of nontoxic components, namely a light-sensitive photosensitizer and visible light, to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS lead to tumor cell destruction, which is accompanied by the induction of an acute inflammatory response. This inflammatory process sends a danger signal to the innate immune system, which results in activation of specific cell types and release of additional inflammatory mediators. Activation of the innate immune response is necessary for subsequent induction of the adaptive arm of the immune system. This includes the priming of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that have the capability to directly recognize and kill cells which display an altered self. The past decades have brought increasing appreciation for the importance of the generation of an adaptive immune response for long-term tumor control and induction of immune memory to combat recurrent disease. This has led to considerable effort to elucidate the immune effects PDT treatment elicits. In this review we deal with the progress which has been made during the past 20 years in uncovering the role of PDT in the induction of the tumor-specific immune response, with special emphasis on adaptive immunity.
Investigating the hypothesized factor structure of the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory: A study of the student satisfaction construct.

College student satisfaction is a concept that has become more prevalent in higher education research journals. Little attention has been given to the psychometric properties of previous instrumentation, and few studies have investigated the structure of current satisfaction instrumentation. This dissertation: (a) investigated the tenability of the theoretical dimensional structure of the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), (b) investigated an alternative factor structure using explanatory factor analyses (EFA), and (c) used multiple-group CFA procedures to determine whether an alternative SSI factor structure would be invariant for three demographic variables: gender (men/women), race/ethnicity (Caucasian/Other), and undergraduate classification level (lower level/upper level). For this study, there was little evidence for the multidimensional structure of the SSI. A single factor, termed General Satisfaction with College, was the lone unidimensional construct that emerged from the iterative CFA and EFA procedures. A revised 20-item model was developed, and a series of multigroup CFAs were used to detect measurement invariance for three variables: student gender, race/ethnicity, and class level. No measurement invariance was noted for the revised 20-item model. Results for the invariance tests indicated equivalence across the comparison groups for (a) the number of factors, (b) the pattern of indicator-factor loadings, (c) the factor loadings, and (d) the item error variances. Because little attention has been given to the psychometric properties of the satisfaction instrumentation, it is recommended that further research continue on the SSI and any additional instrumentation developed to measure student satisfaction. It is possible that invariance issues may explain a portion of the inconsistent findings noted in the review of literature. Although measurement analyses are a time-consuming process, they are essential for understanding the psychometrics characterized by a set of scores obtained from a survey, or any other form of assessment instrument.
Treatment Options in Massive and Submassive Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common cardiovascular condition that represents a spectrum of disorders with a gradient of increased risk of adverse outcomes. The U.S. Surgeon General estimated that approximately 100,000 to 180,000 PE-related deaths occur in the United States annually, and that PE is the most preventable cause of death among hospitalized patients. Risk stratification is critical to identify the patients who may benefit from advanced therapy. This review will provide an overview of PE pathophysiology, evidence-based risk stratification strategies for patients with acute PE, a summary of traditional and novel oral anticoagulant options, and an in-depth discussion on the utilization of advanced therapeutic options, including systemic fibrinolysis, catheter-based pharmacomechanical therapy, and surgical embolectomy.
Local activation of cardiac stem cells for post-myocardial infarction cardiac repair

The prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and resultant chronic heart failure remains extremely poor despite continuous advancements in optimal medical therapy and interventional procedures. Animal experiments and clinical trials using adult stem cell therapy following MI have shown a global improvement of myocardial function. The emergence of stem cell transplantation approaches has recently represented promising alternatives to stimulate myocardial regeneration. Regarding their tissue‐specific properties, cardiac stem cells (CSCs) residing within the heart have advantages over other stem cell types to be the best cell source for cell transplantation. However, time‐consuming and costly procedures to expanse cells prior to cell transplantation and the reliability of cell culture and expansion may both be major obstacles in the clinical application of CSC‐based transplantation therapy after MI. The recognition that the adult heart possesses endogenous CSCs that can regenerate cardiomyocytes and vascular cells has raised the unique therapeutic strategy to reconstitute dead myocardium via activating these cells post‐MI. Several strategies, such as growth factors, mircoRNAs and drugs, may be implemented to potentiate endogenous CSCs to repair infarcted heart without cell transplantation. Most molecular and cellular mechanism involved in the process of CSC‐based endogenous regeneration after MI is far from understanding. This article reviews current knowledge opening up the possibilities of cardiac repair through CSCs activation in situ in the setting of MI.