Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of a patient-derived xenograft model in cytolytic viral activation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an Epstein Barr virus (EBV)-related malignancy in which the tumor microenvironment plays a pivotal role in tumor progression. Here, we developed two patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse lines from engrafted NPC metastatic tumors. Positive staining for EBV-encoded small RNAs confirmed that these tumors harbored EBV, and gene expression profile analyses further showed that the PDX was highly similar to the primary parent tumor. In vivo drug screening using the PDX system demonstrated that gemcitabine had the best antitumor effect among the tested drugs. The donor of this PDX also showed excellent responsiveness to gemcitabine treatment. The combination of gemcitabine and valproic acid exerted synergistic antitumor effects. Further addition of ganciclovir to this two-drug combination regimen enhanced cytolytic viral activation, yielding the best antitumor response among tested regimens. Treatment with this three-drug combination regimen decreased plasma EBV-DNA load, tumor viral concentration, and the number of viable tumor cells to a greater extent than the two-drug gemcitabine and valproic acid combination. These results highlight the value of PDX models in the development of EBV-targeted strategies to treat NPC.
A Mutation in the STN1 Gene Triggers an Alternative Lengthening of Telomere-Like Runaway Recombinational Telomere Elongation and Rapid Deletion in Yeast

ABSTRACT Some human cancer cells achieve immortalization by using a recombinational mechanism termed ALT (alternative lengthening of telomeres). A characteristic feature of ALT cells is the presence of extremely long and heterogeneous telomeres. The molecular mechanism triggering and maintaining this pathway is currently unknown. In Kluyveromyces lactis, we have identified a novel allele of the STN1 gene that produces a runaway ALT-like telomeric phenotype by recombination despite the presence of an active telomerase pathway. Additionally, stn1-M1 cells are synthetically lethal in combination with rad52 and display chronic growth and telomere capping defects including extensive 3′ single-stranded telomere DNA and highly elevated subtelomere gene conversion. Strikingly, stn1-M1 cells undergo a very high rate of telomere rapid deletion (TRD) upon reintroduction of STN1. Our results suggest that the protein encoded by STN1, which protects the terminal 3′ telomere DNA, can regulate both ALT and TRD.
Dynamic voltage and frequency management for a low-power embedded microprocessor

A dynamic voltage and frequency management scheme that autonomously controls the clock frequency (8 to 123 MHz at 0.5 MHz step) and adaptively controls the voltage (0.9 to 1.6 V at 5 mV step) with a leakage power compensation effect is developed for a low-power embedded microprocessor. It achieves 82% power reduction in personal information manager (PIM) application.
Federated text retrieval from uncooperative overlapped collections

In federated text retrieval systems, the query is sent to multiple collections at the same time. The results returned by collections are gathered and ranked by a central broker that presents them to the user. It is usually assumed that the collections have little overlap. However, in practice collections may share many common documents as either exact or near duplicates, potentially leading to high numbers of duplicates in the final results. Considering the natural band width restrictions and efficiency issues of federated search, sendingqueries to redundant collections leads to unnecessary costs. We propose a novel method for estimating the rate of over-lap among collections based on sampling. Then, using theestimated overlap statistics, we propose two collection selection methods that aim to maximize the number of unique relevant documents in the final results. We show experimentally that, although our estimates of overlap are not in exact, our suggested techniques can significantly improve the search effectiveness when collections overlap.
CLINICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SCALING AND ROOT PLANING IN PERIODONTAL DISEASE 203

203 Correspondence to: M. Boariu, Department of Odontotherapy-Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine Timisoara Clinica de Odontologie Parodontologie Bul. Revoluþiei 1989 nr.9, Timiooara, email: boarium@yahoo.com SUMMARY Background/aims: With this study we tried to evaluate the microbial and clinical effects of SRP in 30 (mean age 40±10) subjects over a 12-month period. Method: Clinical assessments of plaque, gingival redness, suppuration, bleeding on probing, pocket depth and attachment level were made prior to SRP and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-therapy. Subgingival plaque samples were taken at each visit and analyzed. Each subject also received maintenance scaling at each of the subsequent monitoring visits. Differences in clinical parameters and prevalence and levels of bacterial species were analyzed preand post-therapy. Results: Mean pocket depth (mm±SEM) decreased from 3.2±0.3 at baseline to 2.9±0.3 at 12 months (p<0.01). Mean attachment level showed significant reduction at 6 months, but did not diminish further. Bleeding on probing and plaque were significantly reduced at 12 months (p<0.001, p<0.05, respectively). P. gingivalis, B. forsythus and T. denticola decreased in prevalence and levels up to the 6-month visit and remained at these lower levels at 9 and 12 months. Significant increases in levels and prevalence were noted at 12 months for Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 2, Actinomyces odontolyticus, Fusobacterium nucleatum sspolymorphum, Streptococcus mitis, Capnocytophaga sp, and Veillonella parvula. Conclusions: The data suggest that the maintenance phase of therapy may be essential in consolidating clinical and microbiological improvements achieved as a result of initial therapy.
On the Employment Effect of Technology: Evidence from Us Manufacturing for 1958-1996

Recently, Gali and others find that technological progress may be contractionary: a favorable technology shock reduces hours worked in the short run. We ask whether this observation is robust in disaggregate data. According to our VAR analysis of 458 four-digit U.S. manufacturing industries for 1958-1996, some industries do exhibit temporary reduction in hours in response to a permanent increase in TFP. However, there are far more industries in which technological progress significantly increases hours. Using micro data on average price duration, we ask whether the difference across industries is related to the stickiness of industry-output prices. Among 87 manufacturing goods, we do not find such a relation.
Conversion of Twice‐Daily Tacrolimus to Once‐Daily Tacrolimus Formulation in Stable Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients: Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy

The pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of once‐daily tacrolimus formulation (Tac‐OD) were assessed in 34 stable pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Enrolled patients received their dose of twice‐daily tacrolimus formulation (Tac‐BID) on study Days 0 through 7. On the morning of study Day 8, the total daily doses for patients were converted to Tac‐OD on a 1:1 basis and maintained on a once‐daily morning dosing regimen. Tacrolimus pharmacokinetic profiles were obtained on study Days 7, 14 and 28 (after dose adjustment). Although the mean C0 concentrations (4.10 ± 1.16–3.53 ± 1.10 ng/mL, p = 0.004), and AUC0–24 (151.8 ± 41.6–129.8 ± 39.3 ng h/mL, p < 0.001) were decreased significantly after a 1:1 based conversion, there was high interindividual variability. The dose of Tac‐OD was decreased in 26.5% and increased in 44.1% of patients. The resultant tacrolimus dose and pharmacokinetic profiles on study Day 28 were comparable to those on Day 7. There were no serious adverse events. In conclusion, Tac‐BID can be safely converted to Tac‐OD in stable pediatric kidney transplant patients with the heightened therapeutic drug monitoring. Effects of drug conversion on the cardiovascular risk factors, neurological side effects and adherence should be further evaluated.
[p53 gene polymorphism with susceptibility to esophageal cancer and lung cancer in Chinese population].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of p53 codon 72 polymorphism with susceptibility to esophageal cancer and lung cancer in the northern Chinese population. METHODS p53 codon 72 genotyping was performed by amplifying DNA fragments with sequence specific primers among 173 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 98 with non-small cell lung carcinoma as well as 136 healthy controls. RESULTS No significant difference of p53 allelotype and genotype distribution was observed between esophageal cancer and lung cancer patients. The Pro allele frequency was significantly higher among esophageal cancer and lung cancer patients than among healthy controls (P value was 0.024 and 0.027 respectively). There were no significant differences in Pro/Arg and Arg/Arg genotype frequency among cancer patients and healthy controls (P > 0.05). However, the Pro/Pro genotype frequency was significantly higher among esophageal cancer and lung cancer patients than among healthy controls (P value was 0.041 and 0.026 respectively). The risk of Pro homozygotes for both esophageal cancer and lung cancer was about 2 times against Arg homozygotes with adjusted odds ratio of 2.12 (95% CI = 1.13 - 4.01) and 2.30 (95% CI = 1.13 - 4.93), respectively. There was no interaction between p53 Pro/Pro genotype and smoking status to the risk for esophageal cancer and lung cancer. CONCLUSION In the northern Chinese population, p53 Pro/Pro genotype is an independent risk factor for both esophageal cancer and lung cancer. The possible common genetic basis of the development of these two cancers is suggested by this study.
Sleep Duration Associated with the Lowest Risk of Depression/Anxiety in Adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate sleep duration associated with the least depression/anxiety in adolescence. METHODS Grades 7-12 Japanese students (n = 18,250, aged 12-18 y) from public junior high/high schools were studied in a cross-sectional design. Due to missing/implausible data, 15,637 out of the 18,250 students were statistically analyzed. Relationship between sleep duration on school nights and depression/anxiety, measured using self-report questionnaires, including the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), were studied by sex and grade, controlling for bedtime regularity. RESULTS When sleep duration was classified by 1-h intervals, rate of adolescents with a GHQ-12 score ≥ 4 was the lowest in males and females who slept 8.5-9.5 h and 7.5-8.5 h, respectively, (designated "references") in both grades 7-9 and 10-12. The rate was significantly higher than the references in both males and females who slept < 7.5 h, regardless of grade (P < 0.05, logistic regression). GHQ-12 tended to be worse in adolescents (2.0%-13.5%) who slept longer than the references. Sleep duration for the minimum GHQ-12 score was estimated to be 8.8 and 8.5 h in males, and 8.0 and 7.5 h in females, in grades 7-9 and 10-12, respectively, using the General Additive Model. CONCLUSIONS Sleep duration of ≥ 8.5 h on school nights may be associated with the lowest risk of depression/anxiety on average in male adolescents. Although the duration was estimated to be shorter in females (≥ 7.5 h) than males, this should be interpreted carefully. Most adolescents may currently be sleeping less than the optimal duration. COMMENTARY A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 1491.
Correlating cone beam CT results with temporomandibular joint pain of osteoarthritic origin.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine whether bony changes in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) is correlated with pain and other clinical signs and symptoms. METHODS Clinical data and cone beam CT (CBCT) images of 30 patients with TMJ OA were analysed. The criteria of Koyama et al (Koyama J, Nishiyama H, Hayashi T. Follow-up study of condylar bony changes using helical computed tomography in patients with temporomandibular disorder. Dentomaxillofac Radiol 2007; 36: 472-477.) and Ahmad et al [Ahmad M, Hollender L, Anderson Q, Kartha K, Ohrbach R, Truelove EL, et al. Research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD): development of image analysis criteria and examiner reliability for image analysis. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009; 107: 844-860. ] were used to classify the condyles observed on the CBCT. Clinical measures included self-reported pain, mandibular range of motion, TMJ sound, pain on palpation of the TMJ and masticatory muscles, and pain on jaw function. Generalized linear modelling was used to correlate the clinical and radiographic findings and Spearman's rho was used to correlate the two classification systems. RESULTS There was poor correlation between the maximum condyle change and pain rating (Koyama: r² = 0.1443, p = 0.3995; Ahmad: r² = 0.0273, p = 0.9490), maximum mouth opening (Koyama: r² = 0.2910, p = 0.0629; Ahmad: r² = 0.2626, p = 0.0951), protrusion (Koyama: r² = 0.0875, p = 0.7001; Ahmad: r² = 0.1658, p = 0.3612), right lateral motion (Koyama: r² = 0.0394, p = 0.9093; Ahmad: r² = 0.0866, p = 0.6877) and left lateral motion (Koyama: r² = 0.0943, p = 0.6494; Ahmad: r² = 0.1704, p = 0.3236). Strong correlation was observed between Koyama et al's and Ahmad et al's classifications for average (r = 0.9216, p < 0.001) and maximum (r = 0.7694; p < 0.0001) bony change. CONCLUSIONS There was poor correlation between condylar changes (as observed on CBCT images), pain and other clinical signs and symptoms in TMJ OA.
Use of Video Modeling and Video Prompting Interventions for Teaching Daily Living Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review

Identifying methods to increase the independent functioning of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is vital in enhancing their quality of life; teaching students with ASD daily living skills can foster independent functioning. This review examines interventions that implement video modeling and/or prompting to teach individuals with ASD daily living skills. The findings suggest that daily living skills can effectively be taught through technology-enhanced methods, with video prompting reported as being an effective intervention method and video modeling being somewhat effective at increasing skill acquisition for students with ASD. Future research must address the effect that various components of the interventions (e.g., model type, perspective, length of video, error correction procedures, prompting fading, voiceover, method of viewing the video) have on student performance.
Tumor Blood Flow Measured by Perfusion Computed Tomography and 15O-Labeled Water Positron Emission Tomography: A Comparison Study

Objectives: To compare blood flow measurements of tumors assessed by perfusion computed tomography (pCT) and the clinical gold standard of 15O-labeled water positron emission tomography (15O-PET). Methods: Blood flows were estimated by pCT (4-row multidetector, CT Perfusion 3.1) and 15O-PET (Posicam, first-pass model) in 14 patients with solid tumors, totaling 22 index tumors and 57 matched pairs of examinations. Blood flow estimates were compared using t test, Bland-Altman, and linear mixed regression analyses. Results: There was no significant difference between the mean (SD) blood flow values measured by pCT and 15O-PET: 25.9 ± 15.4 and 27.8 ± 14.0 mL/min per 100 g, respectively. Conclusions: The demonstration of a good correlation between pCT and 15O-PET potentially enables the use of pCT, which is more widely available than 15O-PET, when tumor blood flow estimates are required, particularly in the context of clinical studies.
GLOBAL CLIMATE MODEL FOR PROJECTING FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGES OVER UPPER INDUS RIVER BASIN

Evaluation of scenarios has become a critical component of climate change research. The performance of various GCMs in simulating observed climate at several stations in the Upper Indus River Basin was evaluated using different statistical indicators. The HadCM3, SRNIES, ECHAM4, and NCAR models simulated the spatial variability of mean temperature well, but the precipitation simulation was found to be inadequate. The results indicate that all the models substantially underestimated the magnitude of temperature on a monthly basis. The projected precipitation, however, showed much higher inter-model variability compared to mean temperature at all stations. Overall, a considerable inter-model variability in the simulation of observed climate was found at all stations. Owing to its ability to simulate the observed climate well, the HadCM3 model was selected for projection of future climate in the Upper Indus River Basin under several emission scenarios. Using the HadCM3 model, the temperature and precipitation changes across the UIRB were determined for two time periods; 2021-2050 (F1), and 2061-2090 (F2), relative to 1961-1990. The projected mean annual temperature across the study area varied from 1.7 to 4.3°C (for F1 and F2). The HadCM3 model predicted higher increase in mean winter temperature (from 2.1 to 4.5°C) compared to other seasons, whereas the increase in precipitation was observed in all seasons except winter. The increase in annual precipitation of 16 to 28% was projected for the two future periods considered in the present study.
Your child is dead.

OBJECTIVE--To determine parent's views on how death of their children should have been handled. DESIGN--Retrospective questionnaire survey of parents who had experienced death of their child. SETTING--Charitable organisation of bereaved parents. SUBJECTS--150 bereaved parents, all members of the organisation, of whom 120 (80%) participated voluntarily in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Child's age; date and cause of death; details of person breaking the news and handling of the interview; time parents spent with dead child, their attitude to requests for organ donation, and follow up support received. RESULTS--122 children's deaths were described; the largest single group was due to road traffic accidents, 16 were suicides, and eight were murders. Twice as many interviews were rated as sympathetically or reasonably handled as badly or offensively handled (68 v 34). The interview ratings depended on the sensitivity and personal skills of the interviewers rather than on their previous contact or professional position; police were rated as more sympathetic than doctors and nurses. Of 109 respondents, 81 had seen their child's body, 44 of whom thought that sufficient time had been denied. Of the 28 parents who did not see the body, 17 subsequently stated their regret. In 82 parents organ donation had not been discussed. Only 16 parents recorded any follow up support from hospital staff and very few support at the time. CONCLUSIONS--The consistency of the responses suggests a serious need to revise the in service training and education of the police and health professionals in their approach to informing of death; organ donation should be discussed sensitively and parents allowed time with their dead child with fewer restrictions.
Bacteriophage Resistance Plasmid pTR2030 Inhibits Lytic Infection of r1t Temperate Bacteriophage but Not Induction of r1t Prophage in Streptococcus cremoris R1

The effects of pTR2030 on the replication of four small isometric bacteriophages were examined in Streptococcus cremoris R1. Three lytic phages (652, 720, and 751), which were isolated independently over a 29-year period, were unable to form plaques on a pTR2030 transconjugant of S. cremoris R1. The fourth phage evaluated, phage r1t, was a temperate phage induced from S. cremoris R1 by treatment with mitomycin C. A prophage-cured derivative of S. cremoris R1, designated R1Cs, was isolated and served as a lytic indicator for phage r1t. Strain R1Cs and a derivative of this strain that was relysogenized with r1t, designated R1Cs(r1t), were used as conjugal recipients for transfer of the phage resistance plasmid pTR2030. pTR2030 transconjugants of strains R1Cs and R1Cs(r1t) were evaluated for sensitivity to r1t phage and induction of r1t prophage, respectively. The temperate phage r1t adsorbed eficiently but did not form plaques on the prophage-cured, pTR2030 transconjugant strain T-R1Cs. However, in the r1t lysogen [T-R1Cs(r1t)], pTR2030 did not inhibit prophage induction with mitomycin C, cell lysis, or production of infective r1t phage particles. The data demonstrated that pTR2030-induced resistance inhibited lytic infection by r1t phage from without but did not retard lytic development after prophage induction within the cell. It was suggested that pTR2030-encoded phage resistance to small isometric phages may, therefore, act at the cell surface or membrane to prevent phage DNA passage into the host cell or inhibit early events required for lytic replication of externally infecting phage.
Minimum volume bounding box decomposition for shape approximation in robot grasping

Thinking about intelligent robots involves consideration of how such systems can be enabled to perceive, interpret and act in arbitrary and dynamic environments. While sensor perception and model interpretation focus on the robot's internal representation of the world rather passively, robot grasping capabilities are needed to actively execute tasks, modify scenarios and thereby reach versatile goals. These capabilities should also include the generation of stable grasps to safely handle even objects unknown to the robot. We believe that the key to this ability is not to select a good grasp depending on the identification of an object (e.g. as a cup), but on its shape (e.g. as a composition of shape primitives). In this paper, we envelop given 3D data points into primitive box shapes by a fit-and-split algorithm that is based on an efficient Minimum Volume Bounding Box implementation. Though box shapes are not able to approximate arbitrary data in a precise manner, they give efficient clues for planning grasps on arbitrary objects. We present the algorithm and experiments using the 3D grasping simulator Grasplt!
Convergence of gambling and gaming in digital media

This study explores the convergence between gambling and gaming and the implications it has for young people. The study reports gambling and gaming are converging. Gambling products are increasingly incorporating gaming themes and elements, such as elements of skill. Video games may imitate gambling (as in the case of social casino games) and gambling may be permitted on gaming outcomes (such as with eSports). The report highlights the growing similarities between gambling and gaming, and identifies that social casino games are highly similar to gambling. However, the report argues that a conceptual distinction can still be drawn between the two activities, although they are closely interrelated.
The nature of obscuration in AGN – I. Insights from host galaxies

We analyze a sample of 30,000 nearby obscured AGNs with optical spectra from SDSS and mid-IR photometry from WISE. Our aim is to investigate the AGN host galaxy properties with mid-IR luminosities as AGN activity indicator, and to compare with previous studies based on [OIII] emission lines. First we find that the [3.4] - [4.6] colour ha s weak dependence on host stellar age, but strong dependence on AGN activity. We then use a “pair-matching” technique to subtract the host 4.6 micron contribution. By combining Seyferts with a sample of SDSS quasars at z < 0.7, we show that the [OIII] and the intrinsic AGN 4.6 micron luminosities correlate roughly linearly over 4 orders of magnitude, but with substantial scatter. We also compare the partition functions of the total integrated 4.6 micron and [OIII] line luminosities from Seyferts and a sub-population of LINERs with significan t nuclear 4.6 micron emission, as function of a variety of host galaxy properties, finding th at they are identical. We conclude, therefore, that [OIII] as an AGN indicator shows no particular biases as compared to the 4.6 micron luminosity. Our results also demonstrate that some LINERs do fit in with the expectations of the simple Unified Model.