Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in the frequencies of K‐ras c12–13 genotypes by gender and pathologic phenotypes in colorectal tumors measured using the allele discrimination method

The frequencies of different genotypes of the K‐ras oncogene in colorectal cancer (CRC) reveal complex relationships among gender, age, and tumor aggression, however, differences among these studies could also be attributed to a lack of standardization of the detection methods used. We developed the allele discrimination assay, which uses dual‐color real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a fast K‐ras genotyping method, and demonstrated higher sensitivity and specificity than DNA sequencing with formalin‐fixed paraffin tissues. The assay detected K‐ras mutations among 83 of 204 patients with CRC (40.7%); 20.6% of these mutations were G12D (GAT) mutations, 7.4% were G13D (GAC) and G12V (GTT), and 5.3% were other types. A higher proportion of females was observed overall in tumors with K‐ras mutations (60.2%, P = 0.01), codon 12 mutations (63.2%, P = 0.005), and transversions (69.6%, P = 0.02), which reflected the higher prevalence of females among the well‐ to moderately differentiated tumors (29% in males vs. 53% in females; interaction P = 0.03). The opposite was observed for poorly differentiated tumors (47% in males vs. 35% in females). No significant influence of age was found on the prevalence of K‐ras mutation. Males with pathological changes and females with poorly differentiated tumors displayed GAT as a less common genotype compared with most other prevalence studies. In conclusion, allele discrimination, with no additional amplification step, is a fast and reliable genotyping method for detecting K‐ras c12–13 mutations. Using this method, we demonstrate differences in the frequencies of K‐ras genotypes by gender and pathologic phenotypes of CRC. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2012. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss,Inc.
Low ER+ breast cancer: Is this a distinct group?

OBJECTIVES Estrogen receptor (ER) level can be semiquantified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the H-score. The score, given as the sum of the percent staining multiplied by the intensity level, ranges from 0 to 300. METHODS Forty-nine ER+/HER2- invasive tumors with low ER expression (H-scores of 1-100, representing approximately 5% of all tumors) were studied for various morphologic parameters, progesterone receptor (PR), and Ki-67 IHC. RESULTS Eighteen of 49 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The morphologic analysis showed that these tumors are often grade 3 and frequently demonstrate a sheet-like growth pattern, an intratumoral lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate, and necrosis. Eighty percent of tumors showed a Ki-67 proliferation index of more than 50%, and 94% were PR-. Of the 18 patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, six (33%) achieved pathologic complete response. CONCLUSIONS The low ER+/HER2- cases have morphologic features and a response to the chemotherapy rate that are more similar to triple-negative tumors than the usual type of ER+ tumors.
Small RNA Regulation of TolC, the Outer Membrane Component of Bacterial Multidrug Transporters

ABSTRACT Bacteria use multidrug efflux pumps to export drugs and toxic compounds out of the cell. One of the most important efflux pumps in Escherichia coli is the AcrAB-TolC system. Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are known to be major posttranscriptional regulators that can enhance or repress translation by binding to the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA targets with the help of a chaperone protein, Hfq. In this study, we investigated the expression of acrA, acrB, and tolC translational fusions using 27 Hfq-dependent sRNAs overexpressed from plasmids. No significant sRNA regulation of acrA or acrB was detected. SdsR (also known as RyeB), an abundant and well-conserved stationary-phase sRNA, was found to repress the expression of tolC, the gene encoding the outer membrane protein of many multidrug resistance efflux pumps. This repression was shown to be by direct base pairing occurring upstream from the ribosomal binding site. SdsR overexpression and its regulation of tolC were found to reduce resistance to novobiocin and crystal violet. Our results suggest that additional targets for SdsR exist that contribute to increased antibiotic sensitivity and reduced biofilm formation. In an effort to identify phenotypes associated with single-copy SdsR and its regulation of tolC, the effect of a deletion of sdsR or mutations in tolC that should block SdsR pairing were investigated using a Biolog phenotypic microarray. However, no significant phenotypes were identified. Therefore, SdsR appears to modulate rather than act as a major regulator of its targets. IMPORTANCE AcrAB-TolC is a major efflux pump present in E. coli and Gram-negative bacteria used to export toxic compounds; the pump confers resistance to many antibiotics of unrelated classes. In this study, we found that SdsR, a small RNA expressed in stationary phase, repressed the expression of tolC, resulting in increased sensitivity to some antibiotics. This extends the findings of previous studies showing that sRNAs contribute to the regulation of many outer membrane proteins; manipulating or enhancing their action might help in sensitizing bacteria to antibiotics.
Bandwidth-adaptive application partitioning for execution time and energy optimization

Partitioning and offloading some parts of mobile applications onto remote servers is a promising approach to extend the battery life of mobile devices. However, since available network bandwidths vary in a wireless environment, static partitionings proposed by previous works with a fixed bandwidth assumption are unsuitable for mobile platforms, while dynamic partitionings result in high overhead due to continuously partitioning. Targeting this problem, we propose a novel partitioning scheme taking the bandwidth as a variable to improve static partitioning and avoid high costs of dynamical partitioning. Based on the application Object Relation Graph, we propose a partitioning optimization model and two bandwidth-adaptive partitioning algorithms: Branch-and-Bound based Application Partitioning (BBAP) and Min-Cut based Greedy Application Partitioning (MCGAP). BBAP is suitable for obtaining the optimal partitionings for small applications, while MCGAP is applicable to large-scale applications by quickly obtaining suboptimal solutions. Experimental results demonstrate that both algorithms can adapt to bandwidth fluctuations well, and significantly reduce the execution time and energy consumption by optimally distributing components between mobile devices and servers.
Meiotic condensin is required for proper chromosome compaction, SC assembly, and resolution of recombination-dependent chromosome linkages

Condensin is an evolutionarily conserved protein complex that helps mediate chromosome condensation and segregation in mitotic cells. Here, we show that condensin has two activities that contribute to meiotic chromosome condensation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One activity, common to mitosis, helps mediate axial length compaction. A second activity promotes chromosome individualization with the help of Red1 and Hop1, two meiotic specific components of axial elements. Like Red1 and Hop1, condensin is also required for efficient homologue pairing and proper processing of double strand breaks. Consistent with these functional links condensin is necessary for proper chromosomal localization of Red1 and Hop1 and the subsequent assembly of the synaptonemal complex. Finally, condensin has a Red1/Hop1-independent role in the resolution of recombination-dependent linkages between homologues in meiosis I. The existence of distinct meiotic activities of condensin (axial compaction, individualization, and resolution of recombination-dependent links) provides an important framework to understand condensin's role in both meiotic and mitotic chromosome structure and function.
The Philosopher in the Theater 1

The moral principles found in philosophy and embodied in law are often strikingly complex, peculiar, and yet resolutely persistent. For instance, it was long held in Britain that a person could be tried for murder only if the victim died within a year and a day of the crime. And in the United States, if a robber gets into a shootout with a cop and the cop’s bullet hits a bystander, the robber can be charged with murdering the bystander. Naively, one might have assumed that murder could be defined simply as “intentionally causing another person to die. ” In fact, the American Law Institute’s Model Penal Code requires pages of fine print. Our goal in this chapter is to present a model of the origins of moral principles that explain these properties: complexity, peculiarity, and persistence. According to this model, abstract, general moral principles are constructed from the raw material of intuitive responses to particular cases, as explained in the next section of the chapter. Those intuitive responses depend, in turn, on many psychological capacities that are not specific to morality at all. These include attributions of causation (“John harmed Jane.”) and intent (“. on purpose.”). Consequently, explicit moral principles reflect the complexity of our psychological processes of causal and intentional attribution. That complexity can seem peculiar because our intuitive, automatic attributions of causation and intent are often at odds with our more considered, explicit theories of causation and intention. Despite their complexity and peculiarity, these principles persist because they are supported by compelling emotions that are particularly difficult to revise or reject, an issue considered in the final major section of this chapter.
4-Acetamidoanilinium nitrate monohydrate

In the title hydrated salt, C8H11N2O+·NO3 −·H2O, the N—C bond distances [1.349 (2) and 1.413 (2) Å] along with the sum of the angles (359.88°) around the acetamide N atom clearly indicate that the heteroatom has an sp 2 character. The ammonium group is involved in a total of three N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, two of these are with a water molecule, which forms two O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. All these hydrogen bonds link the ionic units and the water molecule into infinite planar layers parallel to (100). The remaining two N—H⋯O interactions in which the ammoniun group is involved link these layers into an infinite three-dimensional network.
Carbetocin vs. Syntometrine in Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage: a Double Blind Randomized Control Trial

Background Postpartum hemorrhage is a signiﬁcant cause of maternal mortality and morbidity, worldwide. Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy between carbetocin and syntometrine in prevention of postpartum hemorrhage. Materials and Methods This study was a double blind randomized clinical trial that carried out on 200 pregnant women referred to Shabiehkhani maternity center of Kashan, during 2011. The first group received intramuscular syntometrine and the second group received intramuscular carbetocin after placental delivery. All of the participants were followed for 24 hours and blood pressure, pulse rate, uterine tone, hemoglobin concentration at first and 24 hours after delivery, and the need for additional uterotonic drugs and drug side effects were evaluated. Finally all data were analyzed using t-test, chi square tests and logistic regression. Results The mean fall in hemoglobin level in the carbetocin group was significantly lower than the syntometrine group (P < 0.001). Also there were significant differences between the two groups, regarding additional uterotonic drug requirements (P = 0.002). Moreover systolic blood pressure and uterine tone immediately and 30 minutes after drug administration were significantly different (P < 0.001). Incidence rate of tachycardia in the carbetocin group was 13%, in contrast to 5% in the syntometrine group (P = 0.04). Conclusions This study revealed that carbetocin is more effective than syntometrine in prevention of postpartum hemorrhages. Thus it can be used as a good alternative of syntometrine for low-risk women.
On the Effectiveness of Pattern Lock Strength Meters: Measuring the Strength of Real World Pattern Locks

We propose an effective pattern lock strength meter to help users choose stronger pattern locks on Android devices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed meter with a real world dataset (i.e., with complete ecological validity), we created an Android application called EnCloud that allows users to encrypt their Dropbox files. 101 pattern locks generated by real EnCloud users were collected and analyzed, where some portion of the users were provided with the meter support. Our statistical analysis indicates that about 10% of the pattern locks that were generated without the meter support could be compromised through just 16 guessing attempts. As for the pattern locks that were generated with the meter support, that number goes up to 48 guessing attempts, showing significant improvement in security. Our recommendation is to implement a strength meter in the next version of Android.
The Effect of Lexical Tones on Voice Onset Time

This study aims to examine the influence of lexical tone upon voice onset time (VOT) in Mandarin and Hakka. Examination of VOT values for Mandarin and Hakka word-initial stops in different lexical tones revealed a significant influence. In Mandarin, stops’ VOTs, ordering from the longest to the shortest, are in Tone 2, 3, 1, and 4, which conforms to Liu et al.’s (2008) results. However, it was found that the sequence results from the existence of non-words. Participants tended to pronounce non-words at a lower speed in order to produce them correctly. Therefore, data without non-words were further examined, in which no clear sequence had been found. For Hakka, Post-hoc tests show that aspirated stops in Tones 4 and 8 have significantly shorter VOT values than they have in other tones. The result suggests that future studies should consider the effect of lexical tone when studying in tonal languages.
Thermal analysis of twin-disc machine for traction tests and scuffing experiments

Literature agrees that thermal effects have a great influence on friction. However, the heat flows and the thermal behaviour of test rigs used to characterize friction coefficient are largely dependent on their architecture. As a consequence, some discrepancies can be noted between the frictional responses measured by different test benches. Therefore, a thermal model of a twin-disc machine has been developed using the thermal network methodology. This model allows thermal analyses of the traction tests performed with this twin-disc machine. The results reveal that the disc bulk temperature has a significant impact on friction coefficient. Some scuffing experiments are also studied thanks to this numerical model, and a thermal interpretation of classical scuffing criteria is proposed.
An instrumentation 128dB-SNR 750μA SDM

One of the largest SDM DR is achieved at low power consumption by means of several SC design solutions, like multi-bit topology, large OSR, improved switching scheme, chopper & NMOS input pair, accurate opamp design. In a 3.3V 0. 35μm CMOS technology, 128dB-DR in a 250Hz bandwidth is achieved with 0.75mA current from a single 2.4mW supply for high-performance instrumentation application.
A mixed-mode polynomial cellular array processor hardware realization

A mixed-mode cellular array processor is presented in which the processing units (PUs) are coupled with programmable polynomial (linear, quadratic, and cubic) first neighborhood feedback terms. It combines analog and digital processing so that the couplings and the polynomial terms are implemented with analog blocks whereas the integrator is digital, and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters are used to interface between them. A 10-mm/sup 2/, 1.027 million transistor cellular array processor with 2/spl times/72 PUs and 36 layers of memory in each was manufactured using a 0.25-/spl mu/m digital CMOS process. The array processor can perform gray scale Heun's integration of spatial convolutions with linear, quadratic, and cubic activation functions for a 72/spl times/72 data while keeping all input-output operations during processing local. One complete Heun's iteration round takes 166.4 /spl mu/s and the power consumption during processing is 192 mW. Experimental results of statistical variations in the multipliers and polynomial circuits are shown.
Compliance With National Nutrition Recommendations Among Breast Cancer Survivors in “Stepping Stone”

Introduction. Compared with White breast cancer survivors, African American survivors are more likely to be overweight and obese. Differences in weight status may be attributed to differences in dietary intake; however, there is limited research pertaining to the dietary habits of African American breast cancer survivors. Methods. We compared baseline dietary intakes of 31 overweight and obese African American breast cancer survivors enrolled in a healthy lifestyle intervention to national dietary guidelines and also examined beverage intake habits. Dietary intake was assessed using the National Cancer Institute’s Diet History Questionnaire and beverage intake was assessed using 3-day food intake records. Results. Overall, the majority of survivors consumed the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables (71.0%) and red meat (83.9%); however, survivors exceeded national recommendations for energy intake from fat (64.5%), saturated fat (87.1%), and added sugars (77.4%). Few women met the guidelines for whole grain and fiber intake (6.5% and 35.5%, respectively). Additionally, survivors consumed ~10% of total energy intake from beverages alone and drank only ~3.5 cups of water daily. Conclusions. Current dietary guidelines for cancer survivors recommend consuming >5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables and broad guidelines regarding limiting discretionary fat and added sugars but do not specify beverage intake recommendations. Future dietary interventions in African American breast cancer survivors should focus on reducing intake from dietary fat and added sugar, as well as increasing whole grain consumption as a means for increasing daily fiber intake. Furthermore, substituting caloric beverages with water or noncaloric beverages may be a strategy to decrease caloric intake in African American breast cancer survivors. Nutrition information targeting these nutrients could be administered during treatments or doctor’s visits as a means to prevent weight gain that often occurs following diagnosis.
Metal ion-oxytetracycline pharmacokinetic interactions after oral co-administration in broiler chickens.

The influence of the composition of calcium (Ca(2+)), magnesium (Mg(2+)), and iron (Fe(3+)) ions in two concentration levels (low-500 mg/L of CaCl2, 125 mg/L of MgCl2, and 10 mg/L of FeCl3 and high-2,500 mg/L of CaCl2, 625 mg/L of MgCl2, and 50 mg/L of FeCl3) contained in water on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of oxytetracycline (OTC) was determined. OTC hydrochloride was administered at a dose of 25 mg/kg of body weight to broiler chickens divided into four groups of nine birds each, including 3 oral groups (in deionized water -control, in water with low ion concentration, and in water with high ion concentration) and 1 intravenous group. OTC concentrations in plasma were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, after which non-compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted.The absolute bioavailability of OTC in the group of birds exposed to higher ions concentration was reduced (8.68% ± 2.56) as compared to the control (13.71% ± 2.60). Additionally, in this group, decrease in PK parameters such as: area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to infinity (15.36 μg × h/mL ± 4.36), from 0 to t (14.78 μg × h/mL ± 4.37), area under the first moment of curve from 0 to t (107.54 μg × h/mL ± 36.48), and maximum plasma concentration (2.13 μg/mL ± 0.32) were also observed. It is noteworthy, all mentioned parameters demonstrated a downward trend with high correlation coefficient (P = 0.004, P = 0.002, P = 0.005, P = 0.004, P = 0.011, respectively), reflecting the influence of increasing concentrations of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Fe(3+) ions on the decreasing absorption rate of OTC.Based on the current research results, it can be assumed that high concentrations of several ions applied concomitantly are able to decrease the absorption of OTC from gastrointestinal tract in broiler chickens. This occurrence might impair the drug's clinical efficacy toward some pathogenic microorganisms. It implies that using OTC on a farm may require administration of higher doses than the routine one when infections are caused by less sensitive pathogens.
Novel morphology in Enteromorpha (Ulvophyceae) forming green tides.

"Green tides" are vast accumulations of unattached green macroalgae associated with eutrophicated marine environments. They have major ecological and economic impacts globally, so an understanding of their origin and persistence is required in order to make management decisions. Blooms predominantly consist of two common fouling genera of the Ulvales, Ulva (distromatic sheets) and Enteromorpha (monostromatic tubes). In the Baltic Sea and elsewhere green tides have increased over the last few decades. On the west coast of Finland, summer blooms consist of monostromatic sheets resembling Monostroma (Codiolales). We identified these as Enteromorpha intestinalis by comparative analyses of rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S, and ITS2 sequences, the first time monostromatic sheets have been found in the genus Enteromorpha. Ordinary attached E. intestinalis sporulated freely in culture, but the sheets reproduced only by cell regeneration into typical tubular thalli. The ITS sequences were identical to those of attached E. intestinalis populations in southwestern Finland, but differed by two substitutions from other Baltic sequences. We infer that this bloom originated from local attached populations and now reproduces clonally by fragmentation. This study provides further evidence of radical changes in gross morphology of green algae under eutrophicated conditions and the need for molecular identification.