Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Value of Long Non-Coding RNA HOTAIR in Various Cancers

Long non-coding RNA has been involved in cancer progression, and high HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) is thought to be a poor prognostic indicator in tumorigenesis of multiple types of cancer. Hence, the present study further reveals its prognostic value in tumor malignancy. A systematic review of PubMed and Web of Science was carried out to select literatures relevant to the correlation between HOTAIR expression levels and clinical outcome of various tumors. Overall survival (OS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were subsequently analyzed. Data from studies directly reporting a hazard ratio (HR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) or a P value as well as survival curves were pooled in the current meta-analysis. A total of 2255 patients from 19 literatures almost published in 2011 or later were included in the analysis. The results suggest that HOTAIR was highly associated with HR for OS of 2.33 (95%CI = 1.77-3.09, P heterogeneity = 0.016). Stratified analyses indicate that elevated levels of HOTAIR appears to be a powerful prognostic biomarker for patients with colorectal cancer (HR = 3.02, 95CI% = 1.84-4.95, P heterogeneity = 0.699) and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (HR = 2.24, 95CI% = 1.67-3.01, P heterogeneity = 0.711), a similar effect was also observed in analysis method and specimen, except for ethnicity. In addition, Hazard ratios for up-regulation of HOTAIR for MFS, RFS, and DFS were 2.32 (P<0.001), 1.98 (P = 0.369), and 3.29 (P = 0.001), respectively. In summary, the high level of HOTAIR is intimately associated with an adverse OS in numerous cancers, suggesting that HOTAIR may act as a potential biomarker for the development of malignancies.
Potent Immunoregulatory Effects of Salmonella typhi Flagella on Antigenic Stimulation of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

ABSTRACT A key function of monocytes/macrophages (Mφ) is to present antigens to T cells. However, upon interaction with bacteria, Mφ lose their ability to effectively present soluble antigens. This functional loss was associated with alterations in the expression of adhesion molecules and CD14 and a reduction in the uptake of soluble antigen. Recently, we have demonstrated that Salmonella typhiflagella (STF) markedly decrease CD14 expression and are potent inducers of proinflammatory cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC). In order to determine whether S. typhi and soluble STF also alter the ability of Mφ to activate T cells to proliferate to antigens and mitogens, hPBMC were cultured in the presence of tetanus toxoid (TT) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and either killed whole-cell S. typhi or purified STF protein. Both whole-cell S. typhi and STF suppressed proliferation to PHA and TT. This decreased proliferation was not a result of increased Mφ production of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, or oxygen radicals or the release of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, or interleukin-10 following exposure to STF. However, the ability to take up soluble antigen, as determined by fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran uptake, was reduced in cells cultured with STF. Moreover, there was a dramatic reduction in the expression of CD54 on Mφ after exposure to STF. These results indicate that whole-cell S. typhi and STF have the ability to alter in vitro proliferation to soluble antigens and mitogens by affecting Mφ function.
N = 2 boundary conditions for non-linear sigma models and Landau-Ginzburg models

We study N = 2 nonlinear two dimensional sigma models with boundaries and their massive generalizations (the Landau-Ginzburg models). These models are defined over either Kahler or bihermitean target space manifolds. We determine the most general local N = 2 superconformal boundary conditions (D-branes) for these sigma models. In the Kahler case we reproduce the known results in a systematic fashion including interesting results concerning the coisotropic A-type branes. We further analyse the N = 2 superconformal boundary conditions for sigma models defined over a bihermitean manifold with torsion. We interpret the boundary conditions in terms of different types of submanifolds of the target space. We point out how the open sigma models correspond to new types of target space geometry. For the massive Landau-Ginzburg models (both Kahler and bihermitean) we discuss an important class of supersymmetric boundary conditions which admits a nice geometrical interpretation.
Erythropoietin Is Neuroprotective in a Preterm Ovine Model of Endotoxin-Induced Brain Injury

Intrauterine infection and inflammation have been linked to preterm birth and brain damage. We hypothesized that recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) would ameliorate brain damage in anovine model of fetal inflammation. At 107 ± 1 day of gestational age (DGA), chronically catheterized fetal sheep received on 3 consecutive days 1) an intravenous bolus dose of lipopolysaccharide ([LPS] ∼0.9 &mgr;g/kg; n = 8); 2) an intravenous bolus dose of LPS, followed at 1 hour by 5,000 IU/kg of rhEPO (LPS + rhEPO, n = 8); or 3) rhEPO (n = 5). Untreated fetuses (n = 8) served as controls. Fetal physiological parameters were monitored, and fetal brains and optic nerves were histologically examined at 116 ± 1 DGA. Exposure to LPS, but not to rhEPO alone or saline, resulted in fetal hypoxemia, hypotension (p < 0.05), brain damage, including white matter injury, and reductions in numbers of myelinating oligodendrocytes in the corticospinal tract and myelinated axons in the optic nerve (p < 0.05 for both). Treatment of LPS-exposed fetuses with rhEPO did not alter the physiological effects of LPS but reduced brain injury and was beneficial to myelination in the corticospinal tract and the optic nerve. This is the first study in a long-gestation species to demonstrate the neuroprotective potential of rhEPO in reducing fetal brain and optic nerve injury after LPS exposure.
Continuous vocal imitation with self-organized vowel spaces in Recurrent Neural Network

A continuous vocal imitation system was developed using a computational model that explains the process of phoneme acquisition by infants. Human infants perceive speech sounds not as discrete phoneme sequences but as continuous acoustic signals. One of critical problems in phoneme acquisition is the design for segmenting these continuous speech sounds. The key idea to solve this problem is that articulatory mechanisms such as the vocal tract help human beings to perceive speech sound units corresponding to phonemes. To segment acoustic signal with articulatory movement, we apply the segmenting method to our system by Recurrent Neural Network with Parametric Bias (RNNPB). This method determines the multiple segmentation boundaries in a temporal sequence using the prediction error of the RNNPB model, and the PB values obtained by the method can be encoded as kind of phonemes. Our system was implemented by using a physical vocal tract model, called the Maeda model. Experimental results demonstrated that our system can self-organize the same phonemes in different continuous sounds, and can imitate vocal sound involving arbitrary numbers of vowels using the vowel space in the RNNPB. This suggests that our model reflects the process of phoneme acquisition.
Correlation of norovirus variants with epidemics of acute viral gastroenteritis in Hong Kong

Norovirus (NV) (formerly called Norwalk‐like virus) is the most common etiological agent of acute viral gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Recent reports have shown that two new GII.4 variants caused epidemics in Europe. To investigate if it is also the case in Hong Kong, a molecular epidemiological study was undertaken between January 2002 and June 2005. During this period, there was a substantial increase in acute cases of gastroenteritis caused by NV. Phylogenetic analysis showed that GII.2 and GII.4 are the major circulating genotypes. Two new GII.4 variants (variants C and D) were identified in 2002 and 2004, which quickly became the predominant strains. They were almost identical to the variants causing epidemics in Europe recently. Since geographically distinct areas were involved within a short period of time, it is possible that GII.4 has a particular propensity for causing pandemics. J. Med. Virol. 78:1473–1479, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prophylaxis of infection and effects on osseointegration using a tobramycin‐periapatite coating on titanium implants—An experimental study in the rabbit

No options are available for local antibiotic delivery from uncemented implants. By loading a porous titanium implant with a biomimetic HA‐coating (PeriApatite, PA) with antibiotics, we could obtain adequate local antibiotic concentrations and reduce infection susceptibility. This study investigated the efficacy of a tobramycin‐loaded PA‐coated titanium foam implant in preventing infection, as well as the effects on osseointegration. In 72 New Zealand White rabbits, an uncoated (Ti), PA‐coated (PA), or Tobramycin‐PA‐coated (PA‐tobra) titanium foam rod was implanted intramedullary in the left tibiae after contamination of the implant bed with none (control), 103, 104 or 105 CFU Staphylococcus aureus. PA‐tobra implants were loaded with 2.4 mg tobramycin. After 28 days analysis was done by bacteriology, histopathology and histomorphometry. Six percent of the contaminated PA‐tobra rabbits were infected, whereas this was 53 and 67% for PA and Ti, respectively (p < 0.001). Quantitative cultures were also significantly lower in the PA‐tobra group (p = 0.003). None of the control rabbits were infected. Histopathological and histomorphometrical scores were both better for the PA‐tobra group, although only significant compared to Ti. No significant differences were observed between PA and Ti rabbits. We conclude that the application of tobramycin to PA‐coated titanium foam implants appears to be an effective local antibiotic strategy for uncemented implants for infection prophylaxis and has a beneficial effect on implant fixation, which will result in improved long‐term implant survival. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27: 710–716, 2009
Evidence for a Luteotropic Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma: Expression and In Vitro Effects on Enzymatic and Hormonal Activities in Corpora Lutea of Pseudopregnant Rabbits1

ABSTRACT The expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and its role in corpora lutea (CL) function were studied in pseudopregnant rabbits. Corpora lutea were collected at an early stage (Day 4), midstage (Day 9), and late stage (Day 13) of pseudopregnancy. Immunohistochemistry found evidence for the presence of PPARgamma in the perinuclear cytoplasm and nucleus of all the luteal cells; immunoreactivity decreased from the early to the late stage, with immunonegativity of the nuclei of late stage CL. PPARgamma mRNA transcript was expressed in all the luteal stages with the lowest level in the late stage. In CL cultured in vitro, the PPARgamma agonist (15-deoxy delta12,14 prostaglandin J2 [15d-PGJ2], 200 nM) increased and the antagonist (T0070907, 50 nM) decreased progesterone secretion at early and midluteal stages, whereas 15d-PGJ2 reduced and T0070907 increased PGF2alpha at the same stages. Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) activity was reduced by 15d-PGJ2 and increased by T0070907 in CL of early and midluteal stages. Conversely, 15d-PGJ2 increased and T0070907 reduced 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) activity in early and midluteal stage CL. PGE2 in vitro secretion as well as PTGS1 and 20alpha-HSD enzymatic activities were not affected by 15d-PGJ2 and T0070907 in any CL types. These results indicate that PPARgamma plays a luteotropic role in pseudopregnant rabbits, through PTGS2 down-regulation and 3beta-HSD up-regulation, with a consequent PGF2alpha decrease and progesterone increase.
Road and lane edge detection with multisensor fusion methods

This paper treats automated detection of road and lane boundaries by fusing information from forward-looking optical and active W-band radar imaging sensors mounted on a motor vehicle. A deformable template model is used to globally describe the boundary shapes. The optical and radar imaging processes are characterized with random field likelihoods. The multisensor fusion edge detection problem is posed in a Bayesian framework and a joint MAP estimate is employed to locate the road and lane boundaries. Three optimization approaches (multi-resolution pseudo-exhaustive search, Metropolis algorithm, and Metropolis algorithm with pre-tuned curvature) are proposed to implement the joint MAT estimate. Experimental results are shown to demonstrate that the joint MAP algorithm operates robustly and efficiently in a variety of road scenarios.
Performers' responses to stressors encountered in sport organisations

Abstract We investigated athletes' responses to organisational stressors. Ten sport performers (five males and five females) were interviewed with regard to the organisational-related demands they had encountered and their responses to these stressors. The main emotional responses that were revealed were anger, anxiety, disappointment, distress, happiness, hope, relief, reproach and resentment. The main attitudinal responses were beliefs, motivation and satisfaction. The main behavioural responses were categorised as verbal and physical. The data indicate that performers generally respond to organisational stressors with a wide range of emotions, attitudes and behaviours. The findings are discussed in relation to the extant literature and in terms of their implications for applied practice and future research. Consultants should employ reactive strategies alongside proactive approaches to ensure that performers are psychologically prepared to manage and cope with any demands that are not eliminated. Future research should focus on performers' cognitive appraisals of the organisational stressors they encounter.
Patient‐reported outcomes of implant placement performed concomitantly with transcrestal sinus floor elevation or entirely in native bone

AIM Based on the hypothesis that maxillary sinus floor elevation with a transcrestal approach (tSFE) does not increase the morbidity of implant surgery, the study evaluated the patient-reported outcomes as well as the type and incidence of complications when implants are placed either concomitantly with tSFE (performed according to Trombelli et al. 2008, 2010a,b) or entirely in native bone. METHODS Data from the record charts of patients undergone implant placement for single-tooth rehabilitation in the posterior maxilla were retrospectively obtained from four clinical centers. Cases for tSFE group were included if they showed an extent of sinus lift ≥4 mm concomitantly to implant placement. Cases for N group were included when implant placement was performed entirely in native bone. Patient-reported outcomes had been assessed using 100-mm visual analog scales (postoperative pain, VASpain ) and visual rating scales (level of discomfort, VRSdiscomfort ; willingness to undergo the same surgery, VRSwillingness ). The dose of analgesics had been self-recorded. RESULTS A convenience sample of 14 patients and 17 patients (contributing with one implant site each) treated with tSFE and N, respectively, was obtained for this study. Membrane perforation occurred in 1 tSFE case, without compromising the completion of the procedure. VASpain remained low (<12) in both groups. A tendency of VASpain to decrease with time was observed in both groups. The area under the curve for VASpain (AUCpain ), indicating the level of pain experience through the first week following surgery, was 18.0 (IR: 8.5-85.0) and 11.5 (IR: 4.5-18.5) in tSFE and N groups, respectively, with no significant inter-group differences (P = 0.084). The dose of analgesics was similarly low between groups. No significant inter-group difference in VRSdiscomfort and VRSwillingness was observed. CONCLUSIONS Implant placement performed either concomitantly with tSFE (according to Trombelli et al. 2008, 2010a,b) or entirely in native bone is associated with limited incidence of complications, low postoperative pain and medication and are both well tolerated.
Glioma grading using apparent diffusion coefficient map: application of histogram analysis based on automatic segmentation

The accurate diagnosis of glioma subtypes is critical for appropriate treatment, but conventional histopathologic diagnosis often exhibits significant intra‐observer variability and sampling error. The aim of this study was to investigate whether histogram analysis using an automatically segmented region of interest (ROI), excluding cystic or necrotic portions, could improve the differentiation between low‐grade and high‐grade gliomas. Thirty‐two patients (nine low‐grade and 23 high‐grade gliomas) were included in this retrospective investigation. The outer boundaries of the entire tumors were manually drawn in each section of the contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted MR images. We excluded cystic or necrotic portions from the entire tumor volume. The histogram analyses were performed within the ROI on normalized apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. To evaluate the contribution of the proposed method to glioma grading, we compared the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We found that an ROI excluding cystic or necrotic portions was more useful for glioma grading than was an entire tumor ROI. In the case of the fifth percentile values of the normalized ADC histogram, the area under the ROC curve for the tumor ROIs excluding cystic or necrotic portions was significantly higher than that for the entire tumor ROIs (p < 0.005). The automatic segmentation of a cystic or necrotic area probably improves the ability to differentiate between high‐ and low‐grade gliomas on an ADC map. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global Diversification, Industrial Diversification, and Firm Value

Using a sample of 44,288 firm-years between 1984 and 1997, we document an increase in the extent of global diversification over time. This trend does not reflect a substitution of global for industrial diversification. We also find that global diversification results in average valuation discounts of approximately the same magnitude as those for industrial diversification. Analysis of the changes in excess value associated with changes in diversification reveals that increases in global diversification reduce excess value, while reductions in global diversification increase excess value. These findings support the view that the costs of global diversification outweigh the benefits. Copyright The American Finance Association 2002.
Lifting AutoEncoders: Unsupervised Learning of a Fully-Disentangled 3D Morphable Model Using Deep Non-Rigid Structure From Motion

In this work we introduce Lifting Autoencoders, a generative 3D surface-based model of object categories. We bring together ideas from non-rigid structure from motion, image formation, and morphable models to learn a controllable, geometric model of 3D categories in an entirely unsupervised manner from an unstructured set of images. We exploit the 3D geometric nature of our model and use normal information to disentangle appearance into illumination, shading, and albedo. We further use weak supervision to disentangle the non-rigid shape variability of human faces into identity and expression. We combine the 3D representation with a differentiable renderer to generate RGB images and append an adversarially trained refinement network to obtain sharp, photorealistic image reconstruction results. The learned generative model can be controlled in terms of interpretable geometry and appearance factors, allowing us to perform photorealistic image manipulation of identity, expression, 3D pose, and illumination properties.
Acute effects of spinal cord injury on the pituitary-testicular hormone axis and Sertoli cell functions: a time course study.

The present study investigated the time course of the onset of the abnormalities in spermatogenesis following spinal cord injury, and their relationship to changes in the pituitary testicular hormonal axis and Sertoli cell function. Spinal cord injury (SCI) was induced in adult male rats by surgical transection of the spinal cord at the level of T9 and L1 vertebrae. Animals were killed 3, 7, and 14 days after the operation. As early as 3 days following SCI, abnormalities in spermatogenesis, including delayed spermiation and vacuolization of the nucleus of spermatids, were noted in both the T9 and L1 animals. By 14 days, other lesions, including phagocytosis of mature spermatids, incomplete cellular associations, and total regression of seminiferous epithelium, became apparent. Concurrently a transient but significant (P < 0.05) suppression of serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) occurred in the T9 animals, and a suppression of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) occurred in both the T9 and the L1 animals 3 days after the surgery. This was accompanied by a suppression of testicular and serum testosterone levels (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). Most of the hormonal parameters had recovered and were not different from those of sham-operated animals by 14 days (P > 0.10). Northern blot analysis of testicular poly(A)+ RNA revealed a transient but significant reduction in the steady-state level of the 2.7-kilobase (kb) Sertoli cell transferrin mRNA transcript in both the T9 and the L1 animals 3 days after the operation (P < 0.05). On the other hand, the 1.7-kb androgen binding protein (ABP) mRNA remained unaffected during the 2-week study period. The steady-state level of mRNA transcripts for spermatogenic cell-specific hemiferrin and spermatid specific transition protein 2 and protamine 1 also remained unchanged. These results suggest that spinal cord injury will result in a temporary, but profound, effect on the pituitary-testicular hormone axis. These changes may impair certain aspects of Sertoli cell function that could render these cells incapable of supporting normal spermatogenesis. However, the severity of spermatogenic lesions and the disparate responses of the two major Sertoli cell proteins make it unlikely that hormone deficiency is the only mechanism responsible for the impaired spermatogenesis following spinal cord injury.
Robot Etiquette: How to Approach a Pair of People?

Research has been carried out on robots approaching one person [1, 3, 4]. However, further research is needed on robots approaching groups of people. In the study reported in this paper, we studied participants who were paired up for a task and assessed their perception and behaviors as they were approached by a robot from various angles. On an individual level, participants liked the frontal approaches, and they disliked being approached from the back. However, we found that the presence of a task-partner influenced participants’ comfort with a robot approaching (i.e. when the robot approaches and one is standing behind the task-partner). Apart from the positioning of the individuals, the layout of the room, position of furniture and doors, also seemed to influence their experience. This pilot study was performed with a limited number of participants (N=30). However, the study offers preliminary insights into the factors that influence the choice for a robot approach direction when approaching a pair of people that are focused on a task. Categories and Subject DescriptorsH1.2 [Information Systems]: User/Machine systems – Human factorsGeneral TermsHuman Factors, Experimentation