Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of Cancer Cell Death by Isoflavone: The Role of Multiple Signaling Pathways

Soy isoflavones have been documented as dietary nutrients broadly classified as “natural agents” which plays important roles in reducing the incidence of hormone-related cancers in Asian countries, and have shown inhibitory effects on cancer development and progression in vitro and in vivo, suggesting the cancer preventive or therapeutic activity of soy isoflavones against cancers. Emerging experimental evidence shows that isoflavones could induce cancer cell death by regulating multiple cellular signaling pathways including Akt, NF-κB, MAPK, Wnt, androgen receptor (AR), p53 and Notch signaling, all of which have been found to be deregulated in cancer cells. Therefore, homeostatic regulation of these important cellular signaling pathways by isoflavones could be useful for the activation of cell death signaling, which could result in the induction of apoptosis of both pre-cancerous and/or cancerous cells without affecting normal cells. In this article, we have attempted to summarize the current state-of-our-knowledge regarding the induction of cancer cell death pathways by isoflavones, which is believed to be mediated through the regulation of multiple cellular signaling pathways. The knowledge gained from this article will provide a comprehensive view on the molecular mechanism(s) by which soy isoflavones may exert their effects on the prevention of tumor progression and/or treatment of human malignancies, which would also aid in stimulating further in-depth mechanistic research and foster the initiation of novel clinical trials.
Anti‐black attitudes, religious orthodoxy, permissiveness, and sexual information: A study of the attitudes of heterosexuals toward homosexuality

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate three sets of predictors of attitudes toward homosexuality: (a) anti‐black and orthodox religious attitudes, (b) sexual permissiveness, and (c) the effect of an introductory human sexuality course. Significantly more positive attitudes were expected for those holding more positive attitudes toward blacks and those who were more sexually permissive. A negative relationship was expected for those holding orthodox religious attitudes. Furthermore, information from a college course in human sexuality was expected to produce positive attitude change toward homosexuality. A survey instrument consisting of several scales and indexes measuring the aforementioned variables, as well as several indexes of sexual behavior, was administered to 194 students in a human sexuality course and 120 students in an introductory psychology course. Results showed significant regression coefficients for anti‐black attitudes and religious orthodoxy, confirming the predictions. Sex.
Relational Aggression, Intimate Partner Violence, and Gender: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract This study explores the effects of romantic relational aggression on intimate partner violence. The concept of relational aggression denotes a type of nonphysical aggression that is specific to relationships and that has only recently been recognized in the psychological literature. Using responses to the Conflict Tactics Scale from adults participating in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, romantic relational aggression is examined with regard to male and female intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization. Results indicate that romantic relational aggression is a predictor of partner violence perpetration and victimization among both males and females.
A TALE OF TWO CLIMATES: DIVERSITY CLIMATE FROM SUBORDINATES’ AND MANAGERS’ PERSPECTIVES AND THEIR ROLE IN STORE UNIT SALES PERFORMANCE

Applying Zohar's (2000) multilevel model of organizational climate, this study assessed the main and interactive effects of subordinates’ and managers’ diversity climate perspectives on store sales performance. Across 654 store units of a large U.S. retail organization, we observed main effects of subordinate and managerial diversity climates on unit sales percentage change and a significant subordinate × manager diversity climate perspective interaction. The greatest sales growth was found in stores wherein subordinates and management perceived highly pro-diversity climates (positive consistency). In contrast, the lowest sales growth was evident for stores in which both subordinates and managers reported less hospitable diversity climates (negative consistency). Our findings underscore the positive financial ramifications of highly consistent perceptions that diversity is valued in a work context.
Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Over a 23-Year Period Among Chinese With Newly Diagnosed Diabetes in the Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study

OBJECTIVE Despite its growing prevalence in China, the extent to which diabetes leads to excess cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality is unclear. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We compared death rates and causes of death among 630 people with newly diagnosed diabetes (NDD) and 519 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) who, in 1986, were identified as a result of screening 110,660 adults aged 25–74 years for diabetes in Da Qing, China. RESULTS During 23 years of follow-up, 338 (56.5%) participants with NDD and 100 (20.3%) with NGT died. CVD was the predominant cause of death in those with diabetes (47.5% in men and 49.7% in women), almost half of which was due to stroke (52.3% in men and 42.3% in women). The age-standardized incidence of all-cause death was three times as high in those with NDD as in those with NGT with incidences (per 1,000 person-years) of 36.9 (95% CI 31.5–42.3) vs. 13.3 (10.2–16.5) in men (P < 0.0001) and 27.1 (22.9–31.4) vs. 9.2 (7.8–10.6) in women (P < 0.0001). The incidence of CVD deaths in men and women with NDD (17.5 [13.8–21.2] vs. 13.5 [10.5–16.5]) did not differ significantly. Significantly higher death rates attributable to renal disease and infection were also found in the NDD group. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is associated with a substantially increased risk of death in Chinese adults, especially from CVD, almost half of which is due to stroke.
A Dual-quaternion Method for Control of Spatial Rigid Body

This paper presents a new formulation for control of spatial rigid bodies. After revealing the geometric structure of dual quaternions, logarithmic feedback are utilized to derive control laws in both kinematic design and dynamic design. The regulation problem and the tracking problem are tackled respectively. Comparison with conventional methods together with simulation results are given to show the effectiveness of the new method.
Early expression of glutamate transporter proteins in ramified microglia after controlled cortical impact injury in the rat

Traumatic brain injury is followed by increased extracellular glutamate concentration. Uptake of glutamate is mainly mediated by the glial glutamate transporters GLAST and GLT‐1. Extent and distribution of GLAST and GLT‐1 were studied in a rat model of controlled cortical impact injury (CCII). Western Blot analysis revealed lowest levels of GLAST and GLT‐1 with a decrease by 40%–54% and 42%–49% between 24 and 72 h posttrauma. By 8 h after CCII, CSF glutamate levels were increased (10.5 μM vs. 2.56 μM in controls; P < 0.001), reaching maximum values by 48 h. A significant increase in de novo GLAST and GLT‐1 expressing ramified microglia was observed within 4 h, reached a stable level by 48 h, and remained high up to 72 h after CCII. Furthermore, ramified microglia de novo expressed the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1 after CCII. Following CCII, GLAST/GLT‐1 and GFAP coexpressing astrocytes were immediately reduced, reaching minimum levels within 8 h. This reduction of expression could be either due to protein downregulation or loss of astrocytes. At 72 h, a marked population of GLAST‐ and GLT‐1–positive reactive astrocytes appeared. These results support the hypothesis that reduced astrocytic GLAST and GLT‐1 protein levels following CCII contribute to evolving secondary injury. Microglia are capable of de novo expressing glutamate transporter proteins, indicating that the expression of glial and neuronal glutamate transporters is not restricted to a specific glial or neuronal lineage. Ramified microglia may play an important compensatory role in the early regulation of extracellular glutamate after CCII. GLIA 35:167–179, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Neuron-Like Cells In Vitro

Study Design. Responses of human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow (hBMSCs) were analyzed under chemical conditions, and then characterization of ion channels was evaluated by whole-cell patch clamp. Objective. To explore the possibility of differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells in vitro under different conditions. Summary of Background Data. The generation of mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells has been studied. However, few of these studies characterized functional properties of the differentiated hBMSCs. Methods. hBMSCs (Passage 2) were expanded and cultured in vitro. After Passage 5 was subcultured, the cells were induced by cytokines and antioxidants. Morphologic observation, immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, and patch-clamp techniques were performed to evaluate properties of treated and control groups. Results. The differentiated neuronal cells from hBMSCs not only expressed neuron phenotype and membrane channel protein including Nav1.6, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Cav1.2 but also exhibited functional ion currents. Both hBMSCs and differentiated cells expressed Nav1.6, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Cav1.2 and voltage-activated potassium currents, including delayed rectifier, noise-like and transient outward currents. However, expression of channel proteins, such as sodium channel Nav1.6 and potassium channels Kv1.2 and Kv1.3, were upregulated. Consistently, their potassium currents were also enhanced in the differentiated cells. Conclusion. hBMSCs possess of great potential to differentiate into functional neurons, indicating that hBMSCs may be an ideal cell source in managing a variety of clinical diseases such as spinal cord injury.
High Voltage Stress in Single-Phase Single-Stage PFC Converters: Analysis and an Alternative Solution

Single-stage power-factor-corrected (S2PFC) power supplies usually suffer from high voltage stress, due to lack of control on the intermediate bus capacitor voltage. In the past, analysis of such voltage stress was mostly based on steady-state condition without providing sufficient explanation during the transient circuit operation. This paper revisits the problem at circuit level and reports that the root cause is due to the inherent negative current feedback property of the output inductor or the transformer operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM). Based on the finding, this paper further proposes a new approach to reducing the voltage stress by adding an auxiliary circuit branch to existing S2PFC converters. The additional circuit branch limits the effect of negative current feedback by suppressing the change of output current slope due to change of load. This assists the pulsewidth modulation controller to track the change of load better such that the bus capacitor voltage range is reduced through duty cycle control. The auxiliary circuit branch also reduces reverse-recovery-related losses of the converter under CCM operation. A laboratory prototype using the popular boost PFC converter combined flyback dc/dc converter was built and tested to confirm the analysis and effectiveness of the approach.
PAPNET-assisted rescreening of cervical smears: cost and accuracy compared with a 100% manual rescreening strategy.

CONTEXT The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved several devices that use computerized image analysis to rescreen Papanicolaou (Pap) smears that have already been examined by cytotechnologists. Physicians and laboratories must decide whether the utility of these devices justifies the cost. OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness and cost of PAPNET-assisted rescreening in identifying cervical abnormalities not identified by manual rescreening. DESIGN PAPNET-assisted rescreening of 5478 Pap smears obtained in 1994 and 1995 previously identified as "within normal limits" or "benign changes" on both initial and random screening. PATIENTS Female service members and dependents aged 12 to 88 years. SETTING Air Force clinics in the United States and Japan. INTERVENTION Rescreening of Pap smears by PAPNET, followed by reevaluation of abnormal smears by the consensus panel, consisting of 3 cytotechnologists and 3 pathologists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of Pap smears initially screened as normal identified as abnormal by both PAPNET and consensus panel; costs of rescreening. RESULTS PAPNET screening identified 1614 (29%) slides requiring additional microscopic review. On further review, 448 (8% of total) had possibly abnormal cells. Ultimately, 11 of these cases were reviewed by the consensus panel for potentially atypical cells. Of these 11 cases, 5 were reclassified as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and 1 as atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance (AGUS). No additional squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (SIL) was identified in these smears; the patient with a diagnosis of AGUS on rescreening was diagnosed as having a low-grade SIL (LSIL) on follow-up. Costs were $5825 to $33781 for each additional ASCUS or AGUS diagnosis. A cost of $17475 to $101343 is expected for each case of LSIL identified by PAPNET-assisted rescreening and not by traditional manual rescreening. CONCLUSIONS PAPNET-assisted rescreening identified a few more cases of ASCUS than did manual rescreening, but at a relatively high cost. The costs of rescreening should be carefully compared with the expected efficacy in reducing cervical cancer mortality.
Clinical Implications of Cardiac-MIBG SPECT in the Differentiation of Parkinsonian Syndromes

Background and Purpose 123I cardiac meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), an analogue of norepinephrine, has been used to estimate myocardial sympathetic nerve function. We investigate whether cardiac-MIBG SPECT is clinically applicable in the differentiation of Parkinson's disease (PD) from parkinsonian syndromes. Methods Cardiac-MIBG scintigraphy was performed in 27 controls, in 40 patients with PD and in 52 patients with other parkinsonian syndromes comprising 23 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 26 with drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP), and 3 with corticobasal degeneration (CBD). The heart to mediastinum (H/M) uptake ratio was calculated for each subjects. Patients who either had medical conditions that confused the MIBG SPECT results or who took medications that interfere with MIBG accumulation were excluded from the study. Results Both early and delayed H/M ratios were in patients with PD significantly lower than in controls (early, 1.34±0.15 vs 1.79±0.19; delayed, 1.29±0.15 vs 2.06±0.29, p<0.001). In patients with PD, both early and delayed H/M ratios were significantly lower than those in patients with MSA (early, 1.68±0.23; delayed, 1.80±0.34, p<0.001), DIP (early, 1.83±0.24; delayed, 2.07±0.4, p<0.001), or CBD (early, 1.85±0.01; delayed, 1.99±0.19, p<0.001). Two patients with DIP, who were within the range of patients with PD, showed clinically similar courses of PD. Conclusions This study demonstrates that cardiac-MIBG is a clinically powerful tools to differentiate PD from other parkinsonian syndromes.
Trends in Scientific Scholarly Journal Publishing in the United States

Scientific scholarly publishing has experienced dramatic economic change over the past few decades. Unfortunately, there has been little documentation concerning details of such change, other than reported price increases. In mid-I995 the University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences/Center for Information Studies was awarded the Special Libraries Association Steven 1. Goldspiel Memorial Research Grant. The purpose of this grantis to produce relevant data and information to examine the scholarly journal publishing system in order to better understand what has happened and to help authors, publishers, librarians, readers, and library funders avoid mistakes of the past when dealing with emerging electronic journals and article distribution. This paper describes current scientific journal publishing in the United States, trends over the past twenty years, and data that help explain the price and demand relationship involving individual and institutional subscriptions.
Does Emotional Intelligence or Self-Efficacy Have Something to Do with High School English Teachers' Critical Thinking, Considering Demographic Information?

The current study examined the associations between critical thinking (CT) with emotional intelligence (EI) and also with self-efficacy at high schools. To this aim, 64 high school EFL teachers participated in the study. The participants were required to complete the "Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale", the "Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire" and the "Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal". Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-Moment correlations and regression analyses were employed to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed that CT was related to EI, but not to self-efficacy. Furthermore, no moderating roles were found for age, gender or teaching experience in the relationship between CT and EI. Taken together, these findings advance the understanding of the interplay between CT and EI.
The psychological adaptation of overseas and migrant students in Australia

This study aimed to examine the psychological adaptation of overseas and migrant students, and Anglo-Australian students, in the light of various individual variables including social self-efficacy, locus of control, loneliness, age, sex, and acculturating group membership. Participants were 382 students attending various universities in Melbourne, Australia. There were 189 Anglo-Australian students, 72 Southern-European second-generation migrant students, 33 Asian migrant students, 33 Chinese migrant students, and 55 Chinese overseas students. The results suggested that there were ethnic differences in loneliness, social self-efficacy, locus of control, and academic satisfaction. For nonmigrant students, a sense of control was important to their psychological and academic adaptation whereas for migrant/overseas students, supportive social relationships were important for their psychological and academic adaptation. The implications of these results for service provisions to students were also discussed.
Job Strain Among Staff of Rural Nursing Homes: A Comparison of Nurses, Aides, and Activity Workers

Caring for growing numbers of residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias increases the potential for stress among nursing home staff. To better understand occupational stress among caregivers in rural nursing homes, the authors studied differences in job strain among registered nurses, nursing aides, and activity workers. The authors discuss data from their survey questionnaires and focus group interviews with staff, providing insight into job strain and possible intervention strategies to improve the work environment.
Time-Varying and Constant Switching Frequency-Based Sliding-Mode Control Methods for Transformerless DVR Employing Half-Bridge VSI

This paper presents time-varying and constant switching frequency based sliding-mode control (SMC) methods for three-phase transformerless dynamic voltage restorers (TDVRs) which employ half-bridge voltage source inverter. An equation is derived for the time-varying switching frequency. However, since the time-varying switching frequency is not desired in practice, a smoothing operation is applied to the sliding surface function within a narrow boundary layer with the aim of eliminating the chattering effect and achieving a constant switching frequency operation. The control signal obtained from the smoothing operation is compared with a triangular carrier signal to produce the pulse width modulation signals. The feasibility of both SMC methods has been validated by experimental results obtained from a TDVR operating under highly distorted grid voltages and voltage sags. The results obtained from both methods show excellent performance in terms of dynamic response and low total harmonic distortion (THD) in the load voltage. However, the constant switching frequency-based SMC method not only offers a constant switching frequency at all times and preserves the inherent advantages of the SMC, but also leads to smaller THD in the load voltage than that of time-varying switching frequency-based SMC method.
A high-sensitivity bi-directional reporter to monitor NF-κB activity in cell culture and zebrafish in real time

ABSTRACT Nuclear factor (NF)-κB transcription factors play major roles in numerous biological processes including development and immunity. Here, we engineered a novel bi-directional NF-κB-responsive reporter, pSGNluc, in which a high-affinity NF-κB promoter fragment simultaneously drives expression of luciferase and GFP. Treatment with TNFα (also known as TNF) induced a strong, dose-dependent luciferase signal in cell culture. The degree of induction over background was comparable to that of other NF-κB-driven luciferase reporters, but the absolute level of expression was at least 20-fold higher. This extends the sensitivity range of otherwise difficult assays mediated exclusively by endogenously expressed receptors, as we show for Nod1 signaling in HEK293 cells. To measure NF-κB activity in the living organism, we established a transgenic zebrafish line carrying the pSGNluc construct. Live in toto imaging of transgenic embryos revealed the activation patterns of NF-κB signaling during embryonic development and as responses to inflammatory stimuli. Taken together, by integrating qualitative and quantitative NF-κB reporter activity, pSGNluc is a valuable tool for studying NF-κB signaling at high spatiotemporal resolution in cultured cells and living animals that goes beyond the possibilities provided by currently available reporters. Summary: We describe a new bi-directional NF-κB reporter that is significantly more sensitive than other available reporters and permits the detection of the endogenous NF-κB activation at high spatiotemporal resolution in vitro and in vivo.