Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promotion of intestinal tumor formation by inulin is associated with an accumulation of cytosolic β‐catenin in Min mice

Inulin, polydisperse β (2‐1) fructan, has been suggested to protect against colon carcinogenesis and is currently used in a number of food applications. However, the data regarding the role of inulin in intestinal carcinogenesis remains controversial since the results of our previous study suggested that inulin promotes intestinal tumor formation in Min mice, an animal model for intestinal cancer with a mutation in the Apc tumor suppressor gene (Carcinogenesis 2000;21:1167–73). In our present study, we further examined the effects of inulin on intestinal tumor formation in Min mice by carefully analyzing β‐catenin expression and cellular localization at 3 different time points during the tumorigenic process. Min mice were fed a high‐fat inulin‐enriched (10% w/w) diet or the high‐fat diet without any added fiber from the age of 6 weeks to the ages of 9, 12 or 15 weeks. The results showed that inulin significantly increased the number (by 20%) and especially the size (by 44%) of adenomas in the small intestine. At week 15, the promotion of tumor development was accompanied by an accumulation of cytosolic β‐catenin in the adenoma tissue. In the normal appearing mucosa, levels of membrane β‐catenin and PCNA were reduced in the inulin‐fed mice, possibly indicating impaired enterocyte migration. These data do not support the earlier suggestions on the cancer preventive effects of inulin and emphasize the need for further research and evaluation where health claims for inulin are concerned. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Involvement of general control nonderepressible kinase 2 in cancer cell apoptosis by posttranslational mechanisms

GCN2 exerts its proapoptotic function in cancer cell death by posttranslational mechanisms. Modulation of GCN2 expression can be used for molecular targeted cancer therapy and drug development. Na+,K+-ATPase ligands are the first identified small-molecule drugs that can trigger cancer cell death by modulating GCN2 signaling.
Theoretical Foundations for Information Systems Success in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) in order to achieve business goals and obtain net benefits. However, adopting IT/IS into an existing organizational structure is a complex and risky task. Many investments in IT/IS, outsourced as well as in-sourced, never fully reach the intended objectives and are therefore considered as not being successful. In this chapter, the authors focused on IS success in small and medium sized-enterprises (SMEs) in order to find theoretical foundations. They explain four well-known theories, often used in IS research, which constitute the basics of their thinking. These theories are the technology acceptance model (TAM), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the DeLone & McLean IS success model (D&M), and the transaction cost economy (TCE) model. The authors weaved the constructs of these theories into a compound framework that delivers explanatory and predicting power for the successful adoption of IT/IS in SMEs. This framework is also consistent with the nomological IS network established by Benbasat and Zmud (Benbasat & Zmud, 2003). In order to validate the framework, the authors examined the extent to which the theoretical model could provide support for the Cobit framework, often used by practitioners as an IT governance framework, and also suitable for SMEs. Findings show that the framework offers surprising coherence and proposes a strong theoretical foundation for the normative directions of the methods used in Cobit by IT practitioners.
Socio-economic position early in life, cognitive development and cognitive change from young adulthood to middle age.

BACKGROUND We examine the influence of social circumstances early in life on changes in cognitive function from young adulthood to middle age, and we explore the impact of birth characteristics, childhood activities, education and adult social class on the expected relationship. METHODS A cohort of 11 532 men born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1953-7906, 10 246 and 2483 participants-had completed assessments of cognitive function at ages 12, 18 and 57 years, respectively. Linear regression was used to investigate the association of early-life characteristics with cognitive test scores at these ages and with score changes from early to mid-adulthood. RESULTS The cognitive scores at age 57 years had high correlations with scores at ages 12 (r = 0.67) and 18 years (r = 0.70), and these two scores also showed bivariate correlation (r = 0.69). Having a father from the working class at birth was associated with lower cognitive function at ages 12, 18 and 57 years. The latter relation was attenuated when educational status at age 18 years and adult social class were adjusted for, while birth characteristics and childhood activities had minor influence. Having an unskilled father at birth, low education, few intellectual and many social activities in childhood as well as low adult social class were associated with decline in cognitive function. CONCLUSION Adverse social circumstances early in life were associated with lower cognitive function at ages 12, 18 and 57 years, as well as with a decline between these ages. Educational status at age 18 years and adult social class seemed to account for most of the associations, whereas childhood activities were independent predictors that did not explain the social inequality.
The Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score: Impact on Oncologic Decision-Making

Study Design. Systematic literature review. Objective. To address the following questions in a systematic literature review: 1. How is spinal neoplastic instability defined or classified in the literature before and after the introduction of the Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS)? 2. How has SINS affected daily clinical practice? 3. Can SINS be used as a prognostic tool? Summary of Background Data. Spinal neoplastic-related instability was defined in 2010 and simultaneously SINS was introduced as a novel tool with criteria agreed upon by expert consensus to assess the degree of spinal stability. Methods. PubMed, Embase, and clinical trial databases were searched with the key words “spinal neoplasm,” “spinal instability,” “spinal instability neoplastic score,” and synonyms. Studies describing spinal neoplastic-related instability were eligible for inclusion. Primary outcomes included studies describing and/or defining neoplastic-related instability, SINS, and studies using SINS as a prognostic factor. Results. The search identified 1414 articles, of which 51 met the inclusion criteria. No precise definition or validated assessment tool was used specific to spinal neoplastic-related instability prior to the introduction of SINS. Since the publication of SINS in 2010, the vast majority of the literature regarding spinal instability has used SINS to assess or describe instability. Twelve studies specifically investigated the prognostic value of SINS in patients who underwent radiotherapy or surgery. Conclusion. No consensus could be determined regarding the definition, assessment, or reporting of neoplastic-related instability before introduction of SINS. Defining spinal neoplastic-related instability and the introduction of SINS have led to improved uniform reporting within the spinal neoplastic literature. Currently, the prognostic value of SINS is controversial. Level of Evidence: N/A
On Mean Field Convergence and Stationary Regime

Assume that a family of stochastic processes on some Polish space $E$ converges to a deterministic process; the convergence is in distribution (hence in probability) at every fixed point in time. This assumption holds for a large family of processes, among which many mean field interaction models and is weaker than previously assumed. We show that any limit point of an invariant probability of the stochastic process is an invariant probability of the deterministic process. The results are valid in discrete and in continuous time.
Team Localization: A Maximum Likelihood Approach

This paper describes a method for localizing the members of a mobile robot team by using only the robots themselves as landmarks. That is, we describe a method whereby each robot can determine the relative range, bear- ing and orientation of every other robot in the team, without the use of GPS, external landmarks, or instrumentation of the environment. We assume that robots are equipped with proprioceptive motion sensor (such as odometry or inertial measurement units) and some form of sensor that will al- low them to make occasional measurements of the relative pose and identity of nearby robots (such sensors can be con- structed using cameras or scanning laser range-nders). By employing a combination of maximum likelihood estimation and numerical optimization, we can subsequently infer the relative pose of every robot in the team at any given point in time. This paper describes the basic formalism, its practical im- plementation, and presents experimental results obtained using both real and simulated robots in both static and dy- namic environments.
Increased survival of immigrant compared to native dialysis patients in an urban setting in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND Data from the United States and Canada suggest that survival rates of Caucasian dialysis patients are lower compared to those of black patients and patients from Asian regions. Information regarding the survival rate of immigrant dialysis patients in Europe is scarce. METHODS We retrospectively analysed incident haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients who entered an Amsterdam renal service between January 1996 and December 2005. To explore the origin of differences in survival between natives and immigrants, we ran a series of Cox models with adjustment for demographic, clinical and laboratory variables at baseline and initial adequacy variables. RESULTS Of 303 incident dialysis patients, 58% were natives and 42% were immigrants. Fifty-nine percent of natives and 54% of immigrants had HD as initial treatment modality. At initiation of dialysis, native patients were older and had higher rates of vascular and coronary artery diseases and malignancies and a lower prevalence of hypertension. Glomerulonephritis was more common among immigrants as primary kidney disease. Mean haematocrit and calcium levels for natives were higher compared to immigrants. Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed an increased relative mortality risk (RR) of 2.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-3.9] for natives compared to immigrants. Adjustment for age at the start of dialysis attenuated the RR to 1.9 (CI 1.3-2.7). Adjustment for the other variables did not materially influence this RR. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate increased survival for immigrant compared to native dialysis patients in an urban setting in the Netherlands. This survival advantage is only partly explained by younger age of immigrants at the start of dialysis compared to native patients.
A genome-wide analysis of immune responses in Drosophila

Oligonucleotide DNA microarrays were used for a genome-wide analysis of immune-challenged Drosophila infected with Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria, or with fungi. Aside from the expression of an established set of immune defense genes, a significant number of previously unseen immune-induced genes were found. Genes of particular interest include corin- and Stubble-like genes, both of which have a type II transmembrane domain; easter- and snake-like genes, which may fulfil the roles of easter and snake in the Toll pathway; and a masquerade-like gene, potentially involved in enzyme regulation. The microarray data has also helped to greatly reduce the number of target genes in large gene groups, such as the proteases, helping to direct the choices for future mutant studies. Many of the up-regulated genes fit into the current conceptual framework of host defense, whereas others, including the substantial number of genes with unknown functions, offer new avenues for research.
Tungstate Reduces the Expression of Gluconeogenic Enzymes in STZ Rats

Aims Oral administration of sodium tungstate has shown hyperglycemia-reducing activity in several animal models of diabetes. We present new insights into the mechanism of action of tungstate. Methods We studied protein expression and phosphorylation in the liver of STZ rats, a type I diabetes model, treated with sodium tungstate in the drinking water (2 mg/ml) and in primary cultured-hepatocytes, through Western blot and Real Time PCR analysis. Results Tungstate treatment reduces the expression of gluconeogenic enzymes (PEPCK, G6Pase, and FBPase) and also regulates transcription factors accountable for the control of hepatic metabolism (c-jun, c-fos and PGC1α). Moreover, ERK, p90rsk and GSK3, upstream kinases regulating the expression of c-jun and c-fos, are phosphorylated in response to tungstate. Interestingly, PKB/Akt phosphorylation is not altered by the treatment. Several of these observations were reproduced in isolated rat hepatocytes cultured in the absence of insulin, thereby indicating that those effects of tungstate are insulin-independent. Conclusions Here we show that treatment with tungstate restores the phosphorylation state of various signaling proteins and changes the expression pattern of metabolic enzymes.
Proteomic Analysis of Chikungunya Virus Infected Microgial Cells

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a recently re-emerged public health problem in many countries bordering the Indian Ocean and elsewhere. Chikungunya fever is a relatively self limiting febrile disease, but the consequences of chikungunya fever can include a long lasting, debilitating arthralgia, and occasional neurological involvement has been reported. Macrophages have been implicated as an important cell target of CHIKV with regards to both their role as an immune mediator, as well evidence pointing to long term viral persistence in these cells. Microglial cells are the resident brain macrophages, and so this study sought to define the proteomic changes in a human microglial cell line (CHME-5) in response to CHIKV infection. GeLC-MS/MS analysis of CHIKV infected and mock infected cells identified some 1455 individual proteins, of which 90 proteins, belonging to diverse cellular pathways, were significantly down regulated at a significance level of p<0.01. Analysis of the protein profile in response to infection did not support a global inhibition of either normal or IRES-mediated translation, but was consistent with the targeting of specific cellular pathways including those regulating innate antiviral mechanisms.
A new version of the ant-miner algorithm discovering unordered rule sets

The Ant-Miner algorithm, first proposed by Parpinelli and colleagues, applies an ant colony optimization heuristic to the classification task of data mining to discover an ordered list of classification rules. In this paper we present a new version of the Ant-Miner algorithm, which we call Unordered Rule Set Ant-Miner, that produces an unordered set of classification rules. The proposed version was evaluated against the original Ant-Miner algorithm in six public-domain datasets and was found to produce comparable results in terms of predictive accuracy. However, the proposed version has the advantage of discovering more modular rules, i.e., rules that can be interpreted independently from other rules - unlike the rules in an ordered list, where the interpretation of a rule requires knowledge of the previous rules in the list. Hence, the proposed version facilitates the interpretation of discovered knowledge, an important point in data mining.
A Survey on Sub-Nyquist Sampling

This paper gives a survey of sub-Nyquist sampling. Sub-Nyquist sampking is of great interest in the environment that sampling by Nyquist rate is infeasible due to either hardware or software limitation. The survey summarizes a number of recent important researches on sub-Nyquist sampling (compressive sensing). In addition to the basics of sub-Nyquist sampleing, including the fundamental theory and the way it works, numerous compressive sensing recovery algorithms are also presented. Some selected compressive sensing applications are also shown in the survey.
On Geometric Spanners of Euclidean Graphs and their Applications in Wireless Networks

We consider the problem of constructing a bounded-degree planar geometric spanner for a unit disk graph modeling a wir eless network. The related problem of constructing a planar geometric spanner of a Euclidean graph has been extensi vely studied in the literatur e.It is well known that the Delaunaysubgraph is a planar geometricspannerwith stretch factor ; however, its degreemay not be bounded.Significant work has been done on developing algorithms for constructing bounded-degree planar geometric spanners of Euclidean graphs. Our first result presentsa very simple linear time algorithm for constructing a subgraph of the Delaunay graph with stretch factor ! " # $ % and degreeboundedby , for any integer parameter '& ( . This result immediately implies an algorithm for constructing a planar geometric spanner of a Euclidean graph with stretch factor *)+ and degree bounded by , for any integer parameter ,& ( . Our secondcontribution lies in developing the structural results necessaryto transfer our analysisand algorithm fr om Euclidean graphs to unit disk graphs. We obtain a very simple strictly-localized algorithm that, given a unit disk graph embeddedin the plane, constructs a planar geometric spanner with the above stretch factor and degree bound. The two results dramatically impr ove the previous results in all aspects, as shown in the paper.
Archaeal Viruses Multiply: Temporal Screening in a Solar Saltern

Hypersaline environments around the world are dominated by archaea and their viruses. To date, very little is known about these viruses and their interaction with the host strains when compared to bacterial and eukaryotic viruses. We performed the first culture-dependent temporal screening of haloarchaeal viruses and their hosts in the saltern of Samut Sakhon, Thailand, during two subsequent years (2009, 2010). Altogether we obtained 36 haloarchaeal virus isolates and 36 archaeal strains, significantly increasing the number of known archaeal virus isolates. Interestingly, the morphological distribution of our temporal isolates (head-tailed, pleomorphic, and icosahedral membrane-containing viruses) was similar to the outcome of our previous spatial survey supporting the observations of a global resemblance of halophilic microorganisms and their viruses. Myoviruses represented the most abundant virus morphotype with strikingly broad host ranges. The other viral morphotypes (siphoviruses, as well as pleomorphic and icosahedral internal membrane-containing viruses) were more host-specific. We also identified a group of Halorubrum strains highly susceptible to numerous different viruses (up to 26). This high virus sensitivity, the abundance of broad host range viruses, and the maintenance of infectivity over a period of one year suggest constant interplay of halophilic microorganisms and their viruses within an extreme environment.
Quality Management in Systems Development: An Organizational System Perspective

We identify top management leadership, a sophisticated management infrastructure, process management efficacy, and stakeholder participation as important elements of a quality-oriented organizational system for software development. A model interrelating these constructs and quality performance is proposed. Data collected through a national survey of IS executives in Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies was used to test the model using a Partial Least Squares analysis methodology. Our results suggest that software quality goals are best attained when top management creates a management infrastructure that promotes improvements in process design and encourages stakeholders to evolve the design of the development processes. Our results also suggest that all elements of the organizational system need to be developed in order to attain quality goals and that piecemeal adoption of select quality management practices are unlikely to be effective. Implications of this research for IS theory and practice are discussed.
Regulation of MARCKS and MARCKS‐related protein expression in BV‐2 microglial cells in response to lipopolysaccharide

Myristoylated alanine‐rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) and MARCKS‐related protein (MRP) have been implicated in membrane‐cytoskeletal events underlying cell adhesion, migration, secretion, and phagocytosis. In BV‐2 microglial cells, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) elicited a dose‐dependent increase in mRNA of both MRP (sixfold) and MARCKS (threefold) with corresponding increases in [3H]myristoylated and immunoreactive protein levels. LPS also produced significant increases in protein kinase C (PKC)‐β twofold and PKC‐ε (1.5‐fold). Pro‐inflammatory cytokines produced by activated microglia (IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α) did not mimic LPS effects on MARCKS or MRP expression when added individually or in combination. LPS and IFN‐γ produced a synergistic induction of iNOS but not MARCKS or MRP. Induction of MARCKS and MRP by LPS was completely blocked by inhibitors of NF‐κB (PDTC) and protein tyrosine kinases (herbimycin A), partially blocked by the p38 kinase inhibitor SB203580, and unaffected by the MEK inhibitor PD98059. LPS induction of iNOS was considerably more sensitive to all these inhibitors. The Src kinase inhibitor PP2 had no effect, while the closely related inhibitor PP1 actually increased LPS induction of MARCKS and MRP. Our results suggest that MARCKS and MRP may play an important role in LPS‐activated microglia, but are not part of the neuroinflammatory response produced by cytokines.
A semifragile watermark scheme for image authentication

In this paper, a semifragile watermarking scheme for image authentication is proposed, which addresses the issue of protecting images from illegal manipulations and modifications. The scheme extracts a signature (watermark) from the original image and inserts this signature back into the image, avoiding additional signature files. The error correction coding (ECC) is used to encode the signatures that are extracted from the image. To increase the security of this scheme, user's private key is employed for encryption and decryption of the watermark during watermark extraction and insertion procedures. Experimental result shows that if there is no change in the obtained image, the watermark will be correctly extracted, thus will pass through the authentication system. This scheme is tolerant of lossy compression such as JPEG, but malicious changes of the image will result in the breach of the watermark detection. In addition, this scheme can detect the exact locations, which are illegal modified blocks.