Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetic nanoparticles enhance the anticancer activity of cathelicidin LL-37 peptide against colon cancer cells

The pleiotropic activity of human cathelicidin LL-37 peptide includes an ability to suppress development of colon cancer cells. We hypothesized that the anticancer activity of LL-37 would improve when attached to the surface of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Using colon cancer culture (DLD-1 cells and HT-29 cells), we evaluated the effects of MNPs, LL-37 peptide, its synthetic analog ceragenin CSA-13, and two novel nanosystems, ie, MNP@LL-37 and MNP@CSA-13, on cancer cell viability and apoptosis. Treatment of cancer cells with the LL-37 peptide linked to MNPs (MNP@LL-37) caused a greater decrease in cell viability and a higher rate of apoptosis compared with treatment using free LL-37 peptide. Additionally, we observed a strong ability of ceragenin CSA-13 and MNP@CSA-13 to induce apoptosis of DLD-1 cells. We found that both nanosystems were successfully internalized by HT-29 cells, and cathelicidin LL-37 and ceragenin CSA-13 might play a key role as novel homing molecules. These results indicate that the previously described anticancer activity of LL-37 peptide against colon cancer cells might be significantly improved using a theranostic approach.
An efficient ASIC implementation of SHA-1 engine for TPM

With the development of trusted computing systems, TCG promotes TPM as the core hardware building block. The SHA-1 engine in TPM contributes the performance of the whole platform. In this paper, the data flow latencies of the SHA-1 hardware implementation are analyzed, and the bottlenecks are optimized by special arithmetic structures. As a result, the frequency of the optimized structure has increased by 43%. And the performance of this SHA-1 engine is also compared with other SHA-1 engines by frequency, area and throughput.
Effects of Renal Arterial Infusion of Sodium and Potassium on Renin Secretion in the Dog

The nonfiltering kidney model was used to determine whether sodium or potassium inhibits renin secretion in the absence of a functional macula densa in dogs with thoracic inferior vena caval constriction. The control rate of renin secretion was high, and decreases were readily recognized. After control observations, hypertonic sodium chloride or hypertonic potassium chloride was infused into the renal artery for 1 hour, and renin secretion was measured at 15-minute intervals. An increase in renal venous plasma sodium concentration from 141 to 154−158 mEq/liter caused no change in renin secretion for the first 45 minutes of infusion in dogs with a nonfiltering kidney. In contrast, dogs with thoracic caval constriction but with a filtering kidney showed a striking decrease in renin secretion during intrarenal sodium infusion (3,097 to 1,061 ng angiotensin/min, P <0.02). An increase in renal venous plasma potassium concentration from 3.9 to 6.1 mEq/liter in one group of dogs and from 4.9 to 8.3 mEq/liter in a second group also caused no change in renin secretion in the nonfiltering kidney of dogs with thoracic caval constriction. However, in dogs with thoracic caval constriction and a filtering kidney, potassium infusion decreased renin secretion (1,952 to 984 ng angiotensin/min, P <0.05). In all experiments, infusion of sodium chloride or potassium chloride failed to produce a significant change in renal blood flow, arterial blood pressure, or inferior vena caval pressure. Therefore, no evidence was obtained for a vascular action or a direct effect of sodium or potassium on the juxtaglomerular cells, and the data are consistent with an action mediated by the renal tubular system.
Total choosability of multicircuits II

A multicircuit is a multigraph whose underlying simple graph is a circuit (a connected 2‐regular graph). In this paper, the method of Alon and Tarsi is used to prove that all multicircuits of even order, and some regular and near‐regular multicircuits of odd order have total choosability (i.e., list total chromatic number) equal to their ordinary total chromatic number. This completes the proof that every multicircuit has total choosability equal to its total chromatic number. In the process, the total chromatic numbers of all multicircuits are determined. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 40: 44–67, 2002
Deep Kernel Learning

We introduce scalable deep kernels, which combine the structural properties of deep learning architectures with the non-parametric flexibility of kernel methods. Specifically, we transform the inputs of a spectral mixture base kernel with a deep architecture, using local kernel interpolation, inducing points, and structure exploiting (Kronecker and Toeplitz) algebra for a scalable kernel representation. These closed-form kernels can be used as drop-in replacements for standard kernels, with benefits in expressive power and scalability. We jointly learn the properties of these kernels through the marginal likelihood of a Gaussian process. Inference and learning cost $O(n)$ for $n$ training points, and predictions cost $O(1)$ per test point. On a large and diverse collection of applications, including a dataset with 2 million examples, we show improved performance over scalable Gaussian processes with flexible kernel learning models, and stand-alone deep architectures.
A Terpene Synthase Is Involved in the Synthesis of the Volatile Organic Compound Sodorifen of Serratia plymuthica 4Rx13

Bacteria release a plethora of volatile organic compounds, including compounds with extraordinary structures. Sodorifen (IUPAC name: 1,2,4,5,6,7,8-heptamethyl-3-methylenebicyclo[3.2.1]oct-6-ene) is a recently identified and unusual volatile hydrocarbon that is emitted by the rhizobacterium Serratia plymuthica 4R×13. Sodorifen comprises a bicyclic ring structure solely consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms, where every carbon atom of the skeleton is substituted with either a methyl or a methylene group. This unusual feature of sodorifen made a prediction of its biosynthetic origin very difficult and so far its biosynthesis is unknown. To unravel the biosynthetic pathway we performed genome and transcriptome analyses to identify candidate genes. One knockout mutant (SOD_c20750) showed the desired negative sodorifen phenotype. Here it was shown for the first time that this gene is indispensable for the synthesis of sodorifen and strongly supports the hypothesis that sodorifen descends from the terpene metabolism. SOD_c20750 is the first bacterial terpene cyclase isolated from Serratia spp. and Enterobacteriales. Homology modeling revealed a 3D structure, which exhibits a functional role of amino acids for intermediate cation stabilization (W325) and putative proton acception (Y332). Moreover, the size and hydrophobicity of the active site strongly indicates that indeed the enzyme may catalyze the unusual compound sodorifen.
The Association of Non-polio Enteroviruses with Aseptic Meningitis in Children in Iran

HEV), human parechovirus (HPeV), and enterovirus 71 (EV71). Results: Positive results were obtained for HEV, HPeV, and EV71 in 118 (32.2%), 154 (42%), and 94 (25.7%) patients, respectively. HPeV detection rate was higher in both male and female patients with no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Using molecular methods, such as PCR as routine laboratory diagnostic tests for HEVs will result in better understanding of disease burden of these viruses, especially in central nervous system involvements, and will consequently reduce hospitalization and use of antibiotic, which often lead to other complications. J Med Microbiol Infec Dis, 2014, 2 (2): 56-60.
Redundant Domains Contribute to the Transcriptional Activity of the Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 (*)

The thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) is a homeodomain-containing protein implicated in the activation of thyroid-specific gene expression. Here we report that TTF-1 is capable of activating transcription from thyroglobulin and, to a lesser extent, thyroperoxidase gene promoters in nonthyroid cells. Full transcriptional activation of the thyroglobulin promoter by TTF-1 requires the presence of at least two TTF-1 binding sites. TTF-1 activates transcription via two functionally redundant transcriptional activation domains that as suggested by competition experiments, could use a common intermediary factor.
A Laser-Scanner-Based Approach Toward Driving Safety and Traffic Data Collection

This work is motivated by the following two potential applications: 1) enhancing driving safety and 2) collecting traffic data in a large dynamic urban environment. A laser-scanner-based approach is proposed. The problem is formulated as a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) with object tracking and classification, where the focus is on managing a mixture of data from both dynamic and static objects in a highly dynamic environment. A trajectory-oriented closure is also proposed using the sporadically available global positioning system (GPS) measurements in urban areas to assist for global accuracy, particularly when the vehicle makes a noncyclical measurement in a large outdoor environment. Experiments are conducted using the data that were collected along a course near 4.5 km in a highly dynamic environment. Possibilities of the approaches toward the two potential applications are demonstrated, and avenues for future works are discussed.
The Spot Sign Predicts Hematoma Expansion, Outcome, and Mortality in Patients with Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Objective The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review cases of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) medically treated at our institution to determine if the CT angiography (CTA) 'spot sign' predicts in-hospital mortality and clinical outcome at 3 months in patients with spontaneous ICH. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all consecutive patients who were admitted to the department of neurosurgery. Clinical data of patients with ICH were collected by 2 neurosurgeons blinded to the radiological data and at the 90-day follow-up. Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified predictors of poor outcome; we found that hematoma location, spot sign, and intraventricular hemorrhage were independent predictors of poor outcome. In-hospital mortality was 57.4% (35 of 61) in the CTA spot-sign positive group versus 7.9% (10 of 126) in the CTA spot-sign negative group. In multivariate logistic analysis, we found that presence of spot sign and presence of volume expansion were independent predictors for the in-hospital mortality of ICH. Conclusion The spot sign is a strong independent predictor of hematoma expansion, mortality, and poor clinical outcome in primary ICH. In this study, we emphasized the importance of hematoma expansion as a therapeutic target in both clinical practice and research.
Foundations of Paraconsistent Resolution

An extended first-order predicate sequent calculus PLK with two kinds of negation is introduced as a basis of a new resolution calculus PRC (paraconsistent resolution calculus) for handling the property of paraconsistency. Herbrand theorem, completeness theorem (with respect to a classical-like semantics) and cut-elimination theorem are proved for PLK. The correspondence between PLK and PRC is shown by using a faithful embedding of PLK into the sequent calculus LK for classical logic.
Effects of comorbid and demographic factors on dialysis modality choice and related patient survival in Europe.

BACKGROUND The mean age of patients starting dialysis increased over the years, as has the proportion of patients with diabetes mellitus, ischaemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), cerebrovascular disease (CD) and malignancy. We assessed dialysis modality choice within subgroups of patients with these comorbidities and in different age categories and subsequently evaluated the association between modality choice and patient survival in these subgroups. METHODS Seven European renal registries participating in the ERA-EDTA Registry provided data from 15,828 incident peritoneal dialysis (PD) and haemodialysis (HD) patients (1998-2006) with available comorbidity data. The likelihood to receive PD rather than HD was assessed with logistic regression and 3-year survival on PD versus HD was evaluated using Cox regression. RESULTS Besides large international variations in the likelihood to receive PD, we found that elderly patients and patients with PVD, CD, malignancy and multiple comorbidities were significantly less likely to receive PD than HD. Overall patients starting on PD had survival benefits [adjusted hazard ratio (HR(adj)) 0.82 (0.75-0.90)], especially patients without comorbidity [HR(adj) 0.65 (0.53-0.80)] or those with malignancy [HR(adj) 0.73 (0.56-0.94)]. In males, survival benefits of PD were independent of diabetic status. Conversely, diabetic females tended to have increased mortality risk on PD [HR(adj) 1.16 (0.93-1.44)], especially if they were >70 years [HR(adj) 1.55 (1.15-2.08)]. CONCLUSIONS In general, modality choice was consistent with expected survival. However, elderly patients, non-diabetic patients and those with malignancy were less likely to receive PD, even though they had decreased mortality risk on PD. Also, although a survival benefit of PD was found for male patients without comorbidity, HD was just as likely to be the chosen dialysis modality as was PD for these patients.
Cancer mortality in agricultural regions of Minnesota.

Because of its unique geology, Minnesota can be divided into four agricultural regions: south-central region one (corn, soybeans); west-central region two (wheat, corn, soybeans); northwest region three (wheat, sugar beets, potatoes); and northeast region four (forested and urban in character). Cancer mortality (1980-1989) in agricultural regions one, two, and three was compared to region four. Using data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, cancer mortality was summarized by 5-year age groups, sex, race, and county. Age-standardized mortality rate ratios were calculated for white males and females for all ages combined, and for children aged 0-14. Increased mortality rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were observed for the following cancer sites: region one--lip (men), standardized rate ratio (SRR) = 2.70 (CI, 1.08-6.71); nasopharynx (women), SRR = 3.35 (CI, 1.20-9.31); region two--non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (women), SRR = 1.35 (CI, 1.09-1.66); and region three--prostate (men), SRR = 1.12 (CI, 1.00-1.26); thyroid (men), SRR = 2.95 (CI, 1.35-6.44); bone (men), SRR = 2.09 (CI, 1. 00-4.34); eye (women), SRR = 5.77 (CI, 1.90-17.50). Deficits of smoking-related cancers were noted. Excess cancers reported are consistent with earlier reports of agriculturally related cancers in the midwestern United States. However, reports on thyroid and bone cancer in association with agricultural pesticides are few in number. The highest use of fungicides occurs in region three. Ethylenebisdithiocarbamates, whose metabolite is a known cause of thyroid cancer in rats, are frequently applied. This report provides a rationale for evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of this suspect agent in humans. ImagesFigure 1
A Complete Record from Colonization to Extinction Reveals Density Dependence and the Importance of Winter Conditions for a Population of the Silvery Blue, Glaucopsyche lygdamus

Abstract Butterflies in the family Lycaenidac are often the focus of conservation efforts. However, our understanding of lycaenid population dynamics has been limited to relatively few examples of long-term monitoring data that have been reported. Here, factors associated with population regulation are investigated using a complete record of a single population of the silvery blue, Glaucopsyche lygdamus Doubleday (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Adults of G. lygdamus were first observed in an annual grassland near Davis, California, in 1982 and were last seen in 2003. Relationships between inter-annual variation in abundance and climatic variables were examined, accounting for density dependent effects. Significant effects of both negative density dependence and climatic variation were detected, particularly precipitation and temperature during winter months. Variation in precipitation, the strongest predictor of abundance, was associated directly and positively with butterfly abundance in the same year. Winter temperatures had a negative effect in the same year, but had a lagged, positive effect on abundance in the subsequent year. Mechanistic hypotheses are posed that include climatic effects mediated through both larval and adult plant resources.
CIITA and Its Dual Roles in MHC Gene Transcription

Class II transactivator (CIITA) is a transcriptional coactivator that regulates γ-interferon-activated transcription of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I and II genes. As such, it plays a critical role in immune responses: CIITA deficiency results in aberrant MHC gene expression and consequently in autoimmune diseases such as Type II bare lymphocyte syndrome. Although CIITA does not bind DNA directly, it regulates MHC transcription in two distinct ways – as a transcriptional activator and as a general transcription factor. As an activator, CIITA nucleates an enhanceosome consisting of the DNA binding transcription factors RFX, cyclic AMP response element binding protein, and NF-Y. As a general transcription factor, CIITA functionally replaces the TFIID component, TAF1. Like TAF1, CIITA possesses acetyltransferase (AT) and kinase activities, both of which contribute to proper transcription of MHC class I and II genes. The substrate specificity and regulation of the CIITA AT and kinase activities also parallel those of TAF1. In addition, CIITA is tightly regulated by its various regulatory domains that undergo phosphorylation and influence its targeted localization. Thus, a complex picture of the mechanisms regulating CIITA function is emerging suggesting that CIITA has dual roles in transcriptional regulation which are summarized in this review.
The Growth of Nations

AVERAGE INCOMES in the world's richest countries are more than ten times as high as in the world's poorest countries. It is apparent to anyone who travels the world that these large differences in income lead to large differences in the quality of life. Less apparent are the reasons for these differences. What is it about the United States, Japan, and Germany that makes these countries so much richer than India, Indonesia, and Nigeria? How can the rich countries be sure to maintain their high standard of living? What can the poor countries do to join the club? After many years of neglect, these questions are again at the center of macroeconomic research and teaching. Long-run growth is now widely viewed to be at least as important as short-run fluctuations. Moreover, growth is not just important. It is also a topic about which macroeconomists, with their crude aggregate models, have something useful to say. My goal here is to assess what we now know about economic growth. The scope of this paper is selective and, to some extent, idiosyncratic. The study of growth has itself grown so rapidly in recent years that it would take an entire book to discuss the field thoroughly. ' In this paper, I do not try to lay out the many different views in the large literature on economic growth. Instead, I try to present my own views, as cogently as I can, on what we know about the growth of nations.
Linear Algorithms for Online Multitask Classification

We introduce new Perceptron-based algorithms for the online multitask binary classification problem. Under suitable regularity conditions, our algorithms are shown to improve on their baselines by a factor proportional to the number of tasks. We achieve these improvements using various types of regularization that bias our algorithms towards specific notions of task relatedness. More specifically, similarity among tasks is either measured in terms of the geometric closeness of the task reference vectors or as a function of the dimension of their spanned subspace. In addition to adapting to the online setting a mix of known techniques, such as the multitask kernels of Evgeniou et al., our analysis also introduces a matrix-based multitask extension of the p-norm Perceptron, which is used to implement spectral co-regularization. Experiments on real-world data sets complement and support our theoretical findings.
Single port access laparoscopic surgery for large adnexal tumors: Initial 51 cases of a single institute

Objective Investigation of initial 51 cases of single port access (SPA) laparoscopic surgery for large adnexal tumors and evaluation of safety and feasibility of the surgical technique. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the first 51 patients who received SPA laparoscopic surgery for large adnexal tumors greater than 10 cm, from July 2010 to February 2015. Results SPA adnexal surgeries were successfully completed in 51 patients (100%). The mean age, body mass index of the patients were 43.1 years and 22.83 kg/m2, respectively. The median operative time, median blood loss were 73.5 (range, 20 to 185) minutes, 54 (range, 5 to 500) mL, and the median tumor diameter was 13.6 (range, 10 to 30) cm. The procedures included bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (n=18, 36.0%), unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (n=14, 27.45%), and paratubal cystectomy (n=1, 1.96%). There were no cases of malignancy and none were insertion of additional ports or conversion to laparotomy. The cases with intraoperative spillage were 3 (5.88%) and benign cystic tumors. No other intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed during hospital days and 6-weeks follow-up period after discharge. Conclusion Our results suggest that SPA laparoscopic surgery for large adnexal tumors may be a safe and feasible alternative to conventional laparoscopic surgery.
Larval mesenchyme cell specification in the primitive echinoid occurs independently of the double-negative gate

Echinoids (sea urchins) are divided into two major groups – cidaroids (a ‘primitive’ group) and euechinoids (a ‘derived’ group). The cidaroids are a promising model species for understanding the ancestral developmental mechanisms in echinoids, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms of cidaroid development. In euechinoids, skeletogenic mesenchyme cell specification is regulated by the double-negative gate (DNG), in which hesC represses the transcription of the downstream mesenchyme specification genes (alx1, tbr and ets1), thereby defining the prospective mesenchyme region. To estimate the ancestral mechanism of larval mesenchyme cell specification in echinoids, the expression patterns and roles of mesenchyme specification genes in the cidaroid Prionocidaris baculosa were examined. The present study reveals that the expression pattern and function of hesC in P. baculosa were inconsistent with the DNG model, suggesting that the euechinoid-type DNG is not utilized during cidaroid mesenchyme specification. In contrast with hesC, the expression patterns and functions of alx1, tbr and ets1 were similar between P. baculosa and euechinoids. Based on these results, we propose that the roles of alx1, tbr and ets1 in mesenchyme specification were established in the common ancestor of echinoids, and that the DNG system was acquired in the euechinoid lineage after divergence from the cidaroid ancestor. The evolutionary timing of the establishment of the DNG suggests that the DNG was originally related to micromere and/or primary mesenchyme cell formation but not to skeletogenic cell differentiation.
CONVERGENCE OF A MONTE CARLO METHOD FOR FULLY NON-LINEAR ELLIPTIC AND PARABOLIC PDES IN SOME GENERAL DOMAINS

In this paper, we introduce a probabilistic numerical scheme for a class of parabolic and elliptic fully non-linear PDEs in bounded domains. In the main result, we provide the convergence of a discrete-time approximation to the viscosity solution of a fully non-linear parabolic equation by assuming that comparison principle holds for the PDE.