Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
20th‐Century Advances in Drug Therapy in Oncology—Part I

Ongoing research in cancer therapy has led to the development of antineoplastic agents which target specific components of the cell cycle. In Part II of this series, we discuss agents which target the mitotic mechanism by inhibiting microtubules. Although many of these agents are being shown to have multiple effects, the Vinca alkaloids and the taxanes are known as antimitotic drugs. They are among the most important anticancer agents currently available, and because of their unique mechanisms, can be combined with a wide variety of other antineoplastic agents in a spectrum of diseases. In addition, in part II, we are discussing agents that target DNA and prevent replication and thus cell growth by inhibiting the enzymes which protect DNA during replication, the topoisomerases. These drugs, too, have unique mechanisms of action and have become major components of combination regimens. The topoisomerase I inhibitors are new drugs derived from an older parent drug, and their full possibilities are still being explored.
Breaking the Nonsmooth Barrier: A Scalable Parallel Method for Composite Optimization

Due to their simplicity and excellent performance, parallel asynchronous variants of stochastic gradient descent have become popular methods to solve a wide range of large-scale optimization problems on multi-core architectures. Yet, despite their practical success, support for nonsmooth objectives is still lacking, making them unsuitable for many problems of interest in machine learning, such as the Lasso, group Lasso or empirical risk minimization with convex constraints. In this work, we propose and analyze ProxASAGA, a fully asynchronous sparse method inspired by SAGA, a variance reduced incremental gradient algorithm. The proposed method is easy to implement and significantly outperforms the state of the art on several nonsmooth, large-scale problems. We prove that our method achieves a theoretical linear speedup with respect to the sequential version under assumptions on the sparsity of gradients and block-separability of the proximal term. Empirical benchmarks on a multi-core architecture illustrate practical speedups of up to 12x on a 20-core machine.
Transbilayer Dynamics of Phospholipids in the Plasma Membrane of the Leishmania Genus

Protozoans of the Leishmania genus are the etiological agents of a wide spectrum of diseases commonly known as leishmaniases. Lipid organization of the plasma membrane of the parasite may mimic the lipid organization of mammalian apoptotic cells and play a role in phagocytosis and parasite survival in the mammal host. Here, we analyzed the phospholipid dynamics in the plasma membrane of both the L. (Leishmania) and the L. (Viannia) subgenera. We found that the activity and substrate specificity of the inward translocation machinery varied between Leishmania species. The differences in activity of inward phospholipid transport correlated with the different sensitivities of the various species towards the alkyl-phospholipid analogue miltefosine. Furthermore, all species exhibited a phospholipid scramblase activity in their plasma membranes upon stimulation with calcium ionophores. However, binding of annexin V to the parasite surface was only detected for a subpopulation of parasites during the stationary growth phase and only marginally enhanced by scramblase activation.
In Utero Ramadan Exposure and Children's Academic Performance

We consider the effects of daytime fasting by pregnant women during the lunar month of Ramadan on their children's test scores at age seven. Using English register data, we find that scores are . 05 to . 08 standard deviations lower for Pakistani and Bangladeshi students exposed to Ramadan in early pregnancy. These estimates are downward biased to the extent that Ramadan is not universally observed. We conclude that the effects of prenatal investments on test scores are comparable to many conventional educational interventions but are likely to be more cost effective and less subject to "fade out". gains.
Cosmological parameters from large scale structure observations

The possibility of determining cosmological param- eters on the basis of a wide set of observational data including the Abell-ACO cluster power spectrum and mass function, pe- culiar velocities of galaxies, the distribution of Ly- clouds and CMB temperature fluctuations is analyzed. Using a 2 mini- mization method, assuming +matter =1 and no con- tribution from gravity waves, we show that this data set deter- mines quite precisely the values of the spectral index n of the primordial power spectrum, baryon, cold dark matter and mas- sive neutrino density b, cdm and respectively, the Hubble constant h H0=(100km/s/Mpc) and the value of the cosmo- logical constant, . Varying all parameters, we found that a tilted MDM model with one sort of massive neutrinos and the parameters n = 1:12 0:10, m =0 :41 0:11 ( =0 :59 0:11), cdm = 0:31 0:15, =0 :059 0:028, b =0 :039 0:014 and h =0 :70 0:12 matches observational data best. is higher for more species of massive neutrinos, 0:1 for two and 0:13 for three species. m raises by 0:08 and 0:15 respectively. The 1 (68.3%) confidence limits on each cosmological parameter, which are obtained by marginalizing over the other parameters, are 0:82 n 1:39, 0:19 m 1 (0 0:81), 0 0:17, 0:021 b 0:13 and 0:38 h
Temperature effects on Ca2+ cycling in scombrid cardiomyocytes: a phylogenetic comparison

SUMMARY Specialisations in excitation–contraction coupling may have played an important role in the evolution of endothermy and high cardiac performance in scombrid fishes. We examined aspects of Ca2+ handling in cardiomyocytes from Pacific bonito (Sarda chiliensis), Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis). The whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to measure the temperature sensitivity of the L-type Ca2+ channel current (ICa), density, and steady-state and maximal sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content (ssSRload and maxSRload). Current–voltage relations, peak ICa density and charge density of ICa were greatest in mackerel and yellowfin at all temperatures tested. ICa density and kinetics were temperature sensitive in all species studied, and the magnitude of this response was not related to the thermal preference of the species. SRload was greater in atrial than in ventricular myocytes in the Pacific bluefin tuna, and in species that are more cold tolerant (bluefin tuna and mackerel). ICa and SRload were particularly small in bonito, suggesting the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger plays a more pivotal role in Ca2+ entry into cardiomyocytes of this species. Our comparative approach reveals that the SR of cold-tolerant scombrid fishes has a greater capacity for Ca2+ storage. This specialisation may contribute to the temperature tolerance and thermal niche expansion of the bluefin tuna and mackerel.
Diel activity of arboreal arthropods associated with a rainforest tree

The diel activity of arboreal arthropods associated with the Australian rainforest tree Argyrodendron actinophyllum was investigated with interception traps during a week in the summer season. When all arthropods were considered, there were no significant differences in flight activity, expressed as either numbers of individuals, numbers of species or biomass, between day-time and night-time. Flights of fungalfeeding species were not restricted to night-time, presumably because scents may also spread well during day-time with the high humidity of the rainforest. However, arthropod activity was high during night-time in comparison with temperate woodlands, and herbivores were generally more active during night-time than during day-time, whereas this was the reverse for predators and parasitoids. These limited data tend to support the hypothesis that some herbivores may feed during night-time in rainforests in order to escape predators and parasitoids.
Low-Power Low-Energy Prime-Field ECC Processor Based on Montgomery Modular Inverse Algorithm

In this paper, we present a fast low-power low- energy standard public-key cryptography processor for use in power/energy-limited applications. The proposed prime-field elliptic-curve cryptography hardware uses a modified Montgomery modular inverse algorithm to minimize the total calculation time and is completely flexible in terms of the field and curve parameters. The power consumption is minimized by simplifying the architecture and circuit implementation. To assess the power/energy and timing efficiency of the design, we have implemented the processor for 192-bit prime fields using a standard 0. 13μm CMOS technology. The simulation results show that the processor consumes only 39.3 μW/MHz which is lower than the power consumption reported for similar designs. Our proposed hardware completes one 192-bit scalar multiplication in 0.525s at a frequency of 1 MHz, consuming only 20. 63μJ. With these specifications, the proposed processor may be used in many applications of wireless sensors and RFID tags.
Building and Using a Lexical Knowledge Base of Near-Synonym Differences

Choosing the wrong word in a machine translation or natural language generation system can convey unwanted connotations, implications, or attitudes. The choice between near-synonyms such as error, mistake, slip, and blunderwords that share the same core meaning, but differ in their nuancescan be made only if knowledge about their differences is available. We present a method to automatically acquire a new type of lexical resource: a knowledge base of near-synonym differences. We develop an unsupervised decision-list algorithm that learns extraction patterns from a special dictionary of synonym differences. The patterns are then used to extract knowledge from the text of the dictionary. The initial knowledge base is later enriched with information from other machine-readable dictionaries. Information about the collocational behavior of the near-synonyms is acquired from free text. The knowledge base is used by Xenon, a natural language generation system that shows how the new lexical resource can be used to choose the best near-synonym in specific situations.
Genes for interleukin 7 are transcribed in leukemic cell subsets of individuals with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Regulation of expression of interleukin 7 (IL-7) mRNA is aberrant in the leukemic subset of cells of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. The entire coding sequence for IL-7 as well as an alternatively spliced IL-7 mRNA are transcribed in these leukemic cells. No IL-7 mRNA expression is detected in fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal individuals. Furthermore, the "normal" nonleukemic subsets of cells isolated from the same CLL patients also do not express IL-7 mRNA. The only subset of cells in which IL-7 mRNA is detected is the one that contains the leukemic cells themselves. The polymerase chain reaction was used to examine cytokine expression, and flow cytometry was used to purify the various subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells examined in these studies, as well as to examine IL-7 receptor expression. A proportion of the cells from the CLL patients express receptors that are capable of binding IL-7, whereas T cell-depleted normal cell preparations do not express receptors for IL-7 that are detectable with IL-7 fluorokines. The IL-7 receptor-bearing cells in CLL patients include a portion of leukemic cells and a fraction of the T cells, as well as some non-T, non-B cells. These findings suggest that IL-7 and IL-7 receptor expression in CLL may be relevant not only to growth regulation of the leukemic cells but to the immunological abnormalities that occur in the disease as well, possibly via the induction of inappropriate immune activity of IL- 7 receptor-bearing cells.
Secretome Analysis of the Pine Wood Nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus Reveals the Tangled Roots of Parasitism and Its Potential for Molecular Mimicry

Since it was first introduced into Asia from North America in the early 20th century, the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus has caused the devastating forest disease called pine wilt. The emerging pathogen spread to parts of Europe and has since been found as the causal agent of pine wilt disease in Portugal and Spain. In 2011, the entire genome sequence of B. xylophilus was determined, and it allowed us to perform a more detailed analysis of B. xylophilus parasitism. Here, we identified 1,515 proteins secreted by B. xylophilus using a highly sensitive proteomics method combined with the available genomic sequence. The catalogue of secreted proteins contained proteins involved in nutrient uptake, migration, and evasion from host defenses. A comparative functional analysis of the secretome profiles among parasitic nematodes revealed a marked expansion of secreted peptidases and peptidase inhibitors in B. xylophilus via gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer from fungi and bacteria. Furthermore, we showed that B. xylophilus secreted the potential host mimicry proteins that closely resemble the host pine’s proteins. These proteins could have been acquired by host–parasite co-evolution and might mimic the host defense systems in susceptible pine trees during infection. This study contributes to an understanding of their unique parasitism and its tangled roots, and provides new perspectives on the evolution of plant parasitism among nematodes.
Identification of the Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV) Proteins Required To Rescue LCMV RNA Analogs into LCMV-Like Particles

ABSTRACT We have used a reverse genetic approach to identify the viral proteins required for packaging and assembly of the prototypic arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Plasmids encoding individual LCMV proteins under the control of an RNA polymerase II promoter were cotransfected with a plasmid containing an LCMV minigenome (MG). Intracellular synthesis of the LCMV MG was driven by T7 RNA polymerase whose expression was also mediated by a Pol II promoter. The supernatant from transfected cells was passaged onto fresh cells that were subsequently infected with LCMV to provide the minimal viral trans-acting factors, NP and L, that are required for LCMV MG RNA replication and expression. Reconstitution of LCMV-specific packaging and passage was detected by expression of the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter gene present in the MG. NP and L did not direct detectable levels of MG passage. Addition of Z and GP resulted in high levels of passage of CAT activity, which could be prevented by LCMV neutralizing antibodies. Passage of LCMV MG was inhibited by omission of either GP or Z.
Algebras Related to Matroids Represented in Characteristic Zero

Let k be a field of characteristic zero. We consider graded subalgebras A ofkx1,? , xm]/ (x12,? , xm2) generated by d linearly independent linear forms. Representations of matroids over k provide a natural description of the structure of these algebras. In return, the numerical properties of the Hilbert function of A yield some information about the Tutte polynomial of the corresponding matroid. Isomorphism classes of these algebras correspond to equivalence classes of hyperplane arrangements under the action of the general linear group.
Crystal structure of a soluble form of human monoglyceride lipase in complex with an inhibitor at 1.35 Å resolution

A high‐resolution structure of a ligand‐bound, soluble form of human monoglyceride lipase (MGL) is presented. The structure highlights a novel conformation of the regulatory lid‐domain present in the lipase family as well as the binding mode of a pharmaceutically relevant reversible inhibitor. Analysis of the structure lacking the inhibitor indicates that the closed conformation can accommodate the native substrate 2‐arachidonoyl glycerol. A model is proposed in which MGL undergoes conformational and electrostatic changes during the catalytic cycle ultimately resulting in its dissociation from the membrane upon completion of the cycle. In addition, the study outlines a successful approach to transform membrane associated proteins, which tend to aggregate upon purification, into a monomeric and soluble form.
The Thai Anesthesia Incidents Study (THAI Study) of difficult intubation: a qualitative analysis.

OBJECTIVES To examine the causes, outcomes and contributing factors including suggested corrective strategies associated with difficult intubation. MATERIAL AND METHOD Difficult intubation and failed intubation incidents were extracted from the Thai Anesthesia Incidents Study (THAI Study) database conducted between February 1, 2003 to January 31, 2004 and analyzed by using descriptive statistics RESULTS Two hundred and thirty-four cases of difficult intubation were recorded. Among those, 50 cases (21%) were failed intubation. The most common cause (95%) of incidents was due to patients difficult anatomy. Prediction of events was derived from physical examination (65%) and history taking (50%). Majority of incidents (44%) occurred in Mallampati II and III. Only 3 cases (1.3%) of morbid obesed and 3 cases (1.3%) of pregnant patients were attributed to the events. Most incidents (119 cases, 50.9%) were successfully managed by conventional techniques. The adverse effects included hypoxemia (54 cases, 23.1%), esophageal/ tracheal injury (40 cases, 17.1%) and prolonged ventilatory support (17 cases, 7.3%). One patient died from sepsis. The reported contributing factors included inadequate experience, lack of knowledge including inadequate preoperative evaluation and preparation. Additional training, quality assurance and protocol/algorithm tended to minimize the incidents. CONCLUSION The majority of difficult intubation could be predicted. Proper preoperative evaluation and equipment preparation, appropriate technique including experienced anesthesia personnel could attenuate the morbidity and mortality.
Mycosphere Essays 4. Mycorrhizal-associated nutrient dynamics in key ecosystems and their response to a changing environment

CITATION: Heng, G. et al. 2016. Mycorrhizal-associated nutrient dynamics in key ecosystems and their response to a changing environment. Mycoshpere, 7(2):190–203, doi:10.5943/mycosphere/7/2/8.
Roentgen chest findings in childhood sickle cell anemia. A new vertebral body finding.

One hundred and twenty-six sets of posteroanterior and lateral chest roentgenograms were reviewed on 98 Negro infants and children with proven hemoglobin SS sickle cell anemia, and the findings were tabulated in reference to 3 age groups of equal number.With advancing age there was an increase in the percentage of cases showing coarsening of bone architecture, vertebral body end-plate deformity (fish vertebra), and pleural reaction. The incidence of splenomegaly decreased slightly. No age difference was evident in the incidence of hepatomegaly, cardiomegaly, pneumonia and hilar congestion.The vascular notch seen normally on the anterior aspect of the lower thoracic vertebral bodies was often larger, persisted longer, and was more readily seen on the lateral chest roentgenogram in children with sickle cell anemia than in other Negro[See figure in the pdf file]children. The prominence of this notch was most noticeable in the age range from 3 years through 6 years, when it was of most diagnostic importance.W.
Notched T Waves on Holter Recordings Enhance Detection of Patients With LQT2 (HERG) Mutations

Background —The 2 genes KCNQ1 (LQT1) and HERG (LQT2), encoding cardiac potassium channels, are the most common cause of the dominant long-QT syndrome (LQTS). In addition to QT-interval prolongation, notched T waves have been proposed as a phenotypic marker of LQTS patients. Methods and Results —The T-wave morphology of carriers of mutations in KCNQ1 (n=133) or HERG (n=57) and of 100 control subjects was analyzed from Holter ECG recordings. Averaged T-wave templates were obtained at different cycle lengths, and potential notched T waves were classified as grade 1 (G1) in case of a bulge at or below the horizontal, whatever the amplitude, and as grade 2 (G2) in case of a protuberance above the horizontal. The highest grade obtained from a template defined the notch category of the subject. T-wave morphology was normal in the majority of LQT1 and control subjects compared with LQT2 (92%, 96%, and 19%, respectively, P <0.001). G1 notches were relatively more frequent in LQT2 (18% versus 8% [LQT1] and 4% [control], P <0.01), and G2 notches were seen exclusively in LQT2 (63%). Predictors for G2 were young age, missense mutations, and core domain mutations in HERG. Conclusions —This study provides novel evidence that Holter recording analysis is superior to the 12-lead ECG in detecting G1 and G2 T-wave notches. These repolarization abnormalities are more indicative of LQT2 versus LQT1, with G2 notches being most specific and often reflecting HERG core domain missense mutations.
Effects of Environmental Conditions on High-Yield Magnetosome Production by Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1

Background: Magnetotactic bacteria are a heterogeneous group of Gram-negative prokaryote cells that produce linear chains of magnetic particles called magnetosomes, intracellular organelles composed of magnetic iron particles. Many important applications have been defined for magnetic nanoparticles in biotechnology, such as cell separation applications, as well as acting as carriers of enzymes, antibodies, or anti-cancer drugs. Since the bacterial growth is difficult and the yield of magnetosome production is low, the application of magnetosome has not been developed on a commercial scale. Methods: Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1 was used in a modified current culture medium supplemented by different concentrations of oxygen, iron, carbon, and nitrogen, to increase the yield of magnetosomes. Results: Our improved MSR-1 culture medium increased magnetosome yield, magnetosome number per bacterial cell, magnetic response, and bacterial cell growth yield significantly. The yield of magnetosome increased approximately four times. The optimized culture medium containing 25 mM of Na-pyruvate, 40 mM of NaNO3, 200 µM of ferrous sulfate, and 5-10 ppm of dissolved oxygen (DO) resulted in 186.67 mg of magnetosome per liter of culture medium. The iron uptake increased significantly, and the magnetic response of the bacteria to the magnetic field was higher than threefold as compared to the previously reported procedures. Conclusion: This technique not only decreases the cultivation time but also reduces the production cost. In this modified method, the iron and DO are the major factors affecting the production of magnetosome by M. gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1. However, refining this technique will enable a further yield of magnetosome and cell density.
Aeolian Vibrations on Power-Line Conductors, Evaluation of Actual Self Damping

Aeolian vibrations of power lines are induced by Von Karman vortex shedding. Without dampers, the amplitude of vibration very much depends on conductor self damping, which may be very low. The purpose of this paper is to show measurements of these vibrations carried out by a new experimental device which is able to perform continuous measurements in the full range of frequencies and amplitudes. In this paper, 550 h of continuous recording on four different conductors placed in similar conditions is detailed. An evaluation of self damping power, based on observations, is proposed.
Safe and effective isokinetic knee extension training in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety of isokinetic knee extensor strength training, and its effectiveness with regard to knee extension, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Nine women with RA, all in functional stage II or III, underwent a low-intensity strengthening protocol with 48 repetitions at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction, 3 times per week for 3 weeks, using an isokinetic dynamometer. RESULTS Five patients had knee synovitis at entry; but neither synovitis nor joint pain increased. The mean gain in strength was 21%. CONCLUSION This training method was effective and safe in patients with RA.