Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring and exploiting the fundamental role of microRNAs in tumor pathogenesis

miRNAs (miRs) are short RNA molecules that are involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of mRNA. The roles of miRs in tumor pathogenesis have only recently become a focus of research. It is becoming increasingly clear that miRs are important regulators of apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in cancer cells during cancer genesis and progression, furthering our understanding of cancer. In the present review, we summarize and evaluate the recent advances in our understanding of the characteristics of miRs as well as their regulated functions in cancer stem cells (CSCs), the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the tumor microenvironment (TM), describing their roles in tumor pathogenesis and their possible use as new therapeutic targets and biomarkers.
International Market Links and Volatility Transmission

This paper gauges volatility transmission between stock markets by testing conditional independence of their volatility measures. In particular, we check whether the conditional density of the volatility changes if we further condition on the volatility of another market. We employ nonparametric methods to estimate the conditional densities and model-free realized measures of volatility, allowing for both microstructure noise and jumps. We establish the asymptotic normality of the test statistic as well as the first-order validity of the bootstrap analog. Finally, we uncover significant volatility spillovers between the stock markets in China, Japan, UK and US.
B-mode ultrasound scanning in the detection of proximal venous thrombosis after total hip replacement.

A prospective study of the accuracy of real-time B-mode ultrasonography in detecting deep venous thrombosis in the femoral and popliteal veins of the lower extremity was conducted on a consecutive series of patients who had had a total hip replacement. Ascending venography was used as a diagnostic standard. One hundred and forty-three patients had ultrasound studies of both lower extremities and a venographic study of the operatively treated lower extremity at an average of 7.6 days postoperatively. The two tests were done within twenty-four hours of each other. Both ultrasonography and venography were done on 152 extremities. Two paired studies were excluded from the analysis of results because the ultrasound scans could not be interpreted. In 131 extremities, both diagnostic tests were negative for proximal thrombosis. Eight extremities had isolated thrombosis of a vein in the calf that was detected only by venography. In nineteen extremities, old or fresh thrombosis was diagnosed by venography. In four extremities, an old thrombosis of the superficial femoral vein was detected by both studies. In four of the extremities that had a new thrombus in the common femoral vein and in nine that had a new thrombus in the superficial femoral vein, abnormal findings on ultrasound scans correlated with those on venograms. There were two false-negative ultrasound scans and one false-negative venogram. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ultrasonography were 89, 100, and 99 per cent for the diagnosis of thrombosis of the proximal veins of the lower limb and 63, 100, and 93 per cent for the diagnosis of thrombosis when the entire venous system of the limb was included. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Word Recognition Within a Linguistic Context: Effects of Age, Hearing Acuity, Verbal Ability, and Cognitive Function

Objective: Participants in traditional studies of the effects of context on spoken word recognition have been university undergraduates. When older adults have been included, they have typically been matched with these young adults for verbal ability or years of education. Although this may be a good strategy for eliminating confounding variables, it is not clear how results of these studies may extend to the general population of young and older adults. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of adult age, hearing acuity, verbal ability, and cognitive function on the use of linguistic context in spoken word recognition. Design: Fifty-three adults, aged 19 to 89 yr, heard short sentences in which the final word was masked by multitalker babble. The level of babble was progressively reduced in 2 dB steps until the sentence-final word could be correctly identified. Published norms were used to construct sets of sentences in which the same word could be heard with three levels of predictability (low, medium, and high) based on the linguistic context. In a fourth condition (no context), the words were preceded by a neutral carrier phrase. Participants received tests of verbal ability, with an emphasis on vocabulary knowledge, a brief test battery to assess cognitive function, and an assessment of hearing acuity based on puretone thresholds. Participants’ hearing acuity ranged from normal acuity to moderate hearing loss. Results: Results showed that the signal to noise ratio necessary for correct word recognition varied inversely with the probability of that word occurring in the sentence context. Hearing loss had a significant effect on word recognition for words heard in a neutral context, but the effect of hearing acuity diminished progressively with increasing contextual probability of the target word. Hierarchical multiple regressions showed that hearing acuity accounted for a significant amount of the variance at the lowest three levels of contextual probability but not at the highest probability level tested. Cognitive function contributed significantly to the obtained variance in word recognition performance at all levels of contextual probability tested. Moreover, participant age accounted for a significant amount of variance even after hearing acuity and cognitive function were taken into account. Verbal ability in the range represented by the test participants did not contribute significantly to recognition performance in any of the context conditions. Conclusions: Peripheral hearing acuity accounted for only a part of the variance in word recognition accuracy, with significant variance also contributed by individual differences in cognitive function and participant age. Results showed the ability to use linguistic context to aid spoken word recognition is sufficiently robust that a relatively wide range in verbal ability among native English speakers had no effect on recognition performance.
Cardiac assessment in chronic kidney disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease are well recognized to develop a wide range of cardiac structural and functional abnormalities. These changes may be progressive and relate directly to a grossly aggravated risk of cardiovascular events and reduced survival. Although conventional methods of cardiac assessment have been shown to be useful, they are limited by insufficient sensitivity and specificity, to fully appreciate the overall degree of myocardial distress that is common in these patients. This article aims to review the use of established and emerging cardiac imaging tools and, in particular, their application in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Uncovering Large Groups of Active Malicious Accounts in Online Social Networks

The success of online social networks has attracted a constant interest in attacking and exploiting them. Attackers usually control malicious accounts, including both fake and compromised real user accounts, to launch attack campaigns such as social spam, malware distribution, and online rating distortion. To defend against these attacks, we design and implement a malicious account detection system called SynchroTrap. We observe that malicious accounts usually perform loosely synchronized actions in a variety of social network context. Our system clusters user accounts according to the similarity of their actions and uncovers large groups of malicious accounts that act similarly at around the same time for a sustained period of time. We implement SynchroTrap as an incremental processing system on Hadoop and Giraph so that it can process the massive user activity data in a large online social network efficiently. We have deployed our system in five applications at Facebook and Instagram. SynchroTrap was able to unveil more than two million malicious accounts and 1156 large attack campaigns within one month.
Foscarnet used in salvage therapy of HIV-1 patients harbouring multiple nucleotide excision mutations

We used foscarnet as induction therapy or as maintenance therapy in different dosing regimens in seven severely immunocompromised multidrug-resistant HIV-1 patients. During induction the median decrease in viral load was 1.8 log and increases in CD4 cell counts ranging from zero to 136 cells/mm 3 were observed during maintenance therapy, suggesting that foscarnet could be an option in salvage therapy in patients with no treatment options left.
Some observations on the behaviour of liquids between rotating rollers

Direct observations of cavitation in liquid films separating two rotating rollers are reported. The speed of rotation and separation of the rollers at which cavitation sets in is consistent with hydrodynamical theory. The onset of cavitation is sharp at a rarefaction of about 2 atm for castor and paraffin oils.
THE PROPERTIES OF LONG-PERIOD VARIABLES IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD FROM MACHO

We present a new analysis of the long-period variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) from the MACHO Variable Star Catalog. Three-quarters of our sample of evolved, variable stars have periodic light curves. We characterize the stars in our sample using the multiple periods found in their frequency spectra. Additionally, we use single-epoch Two Micron All Sky Survey measurements to construct the average infrared light curves for different groups of these stars. Comparison with evolutionary models shows that stars on the red giant branch (RGB) or the early asymptotic giant branch (AGB) often show non-periodic variability, but begin to pulsate with periods on the two shortest period–luminosity (P–L) sequences (3 & 4) when they brighten to Ks ≈ 13. The stars on the thermally pulsing AGB are more likely to pulsate with longer periods that lie on the next two P–L sequences (1 & 2), including the sequence associated with the Miras in the LMC. The Petersen diagram and its variants show that multi-periodic stars on each pair of these sequences (3 & 4, and 1 & 2) typically pulsate with periods associated only with that pair. The periods in these multi-periodic stars become longer and stronger as the star evolves. We further constrain the mechanism behind the long secondary periods (LSPs) seen in half of our sample, and find that there is a close match between the luminosity functions of the LSP stars and all of the stars in our sample, and that these star's pulsation amplitudes are relatively wavelength independent. Although this is characteristic of stellar multiplicity, the large number of these variables is problematic for that explanation.
Mother-Infant Hearing Status and Intuitive Parenting Behaviors During the First 18 Months

Infants enter the world prepared to learn about their environments and to become effective social partners, while most parents are equally prepared to support these early emergent skills. Through subtle, nonconscious behaviors, parents guide their infants in the regulation of emotions, language acquisition, and participation in social exchanges. For example, Deaf mothers modify their signed communication when it is directed to an infant, in much the same way that hearing adults vary their pitch and melodic contours when speaking to an infant. Both hearing and Deaf parents may also accommodate to an infant's hearing status during play interactions in ways that facilitate the child's attention to both the object and the social world. In the present study, such intuitive parenting behaviors were compared at infant ages 6, 9, 12, and 18 months, based on observations of Deaf and hearing mother-infant dyads.
Complex analytic geometry and analytic-geometric categories

Abstract The notion of an analytic-geometric category was introduced by v. d. Dries and Miller in [Lou van den Dries and Chris Miller, Geometric categories and o-minimal structures, Duke Math. J. 84 (1996), no. 2, 497–540. ]. It is a category of subsets of real analytic manifolds which extends the category of subanalytic sets. This paper discusses connections between the subanalytic category, or more generally analytic-geometric categories, and complex analytic geometry. The questions are of the following nature: We start with a subset A of a complex analytic manifold M and assume that A is an object of an analytic-geometric category (by viewing M as a real analytic manifold of double dimension). We then formulate conditions under which A, its closure or its image under a holomorphic map is a complex analytic set. In the second part of the paper we consider the notion of a complex -manifold, which generalizes that of a compact complex manifold. We discuss uniformity in parameters, in this context, within families of complex manifolds and their high-order holomorphic tangent bundles. We then prove a result on uniform embeddings of analytic subsets of -manifolds into a projective space, which extends theorems of Campana ([F. Campana, Algébricité et compacité dans l'espace des cycles d'un espace analytique complexe, Math. Ann. 251 (1980), no. 1, 7–18. ]) and Fujiki ([Akira Fujiki, On the Douady space of a compact complex space in the category 𝒞, Nagoya Math. J. 85 (1982), 189–211. ]) on compact complex manifolds.
Contesting the dogma of an age-related heat shock response impairment: implications for cardiac-specific age-related disorders

Ageing is associated with the reduced performance of physiological processes and has been proposed as a major risk factor for disease. An age-related decline in stress response pathways has been widely documented in lower organisms. In particular, the heat shock response (HSR) becomes severely compromised with age in Caenorhabditis elegans. However, a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of ageing on the HSR in higher organisms has not been documented. We used both HS and inhibition of HSP90 to induce the HSR in wild-type mice at 3 and 22 months of age to investigate the extent to which different brain regions, and peripheral tissues can sustain HSF1 activity and HS protein (HSP) expression with age. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we were unable to detect a difference in the level or kinetics of HSP expression between young and old mice in all brain regions. In contrast, we did observe an age-related reduction in chaperone levels and HSR-related proteins in the heart. This could result in a decrease in the protein folding capacity of old hearts with implications for age-related cardiac disorders.
Treatment targets in renal fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis is the principal process underlying the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to endstage renal disease (ESRD). It is a relatively uniform response involving glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis and changes in renal vasculature (loss of glomerular and peritubular capillaries) (Figure 1). Of these, tubulointerstitial fibrosis has evolved as the most consistent predictor of an irreversible loss of renal function and progression to ESRD [1]. Mechanisms contributing to tubulointerstitial injury and tubular atrophy include glomerular proteinuria, chronic hypoxia, misdirected glomerular ultrafiltration, tubular protein leakage and direct toxic insults of e.g. drugs (reviewed in detail elsewhere [1–6]) . Direct or indirect tubulointerstitial injury via oxidative stress and various effector molecules trigger cellular responses like (i) tubular epithelial cell (TEC) apoptosis, (ii) activation of fibroblasts and their phenotypic switch to myofibroblasts, (iii) influx and/or proliferation of lymphocytes/macrophages, fibrocytes (the circulating fibroblast precursors), fibroblasts as well as (iv) epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of TECs. Renal fibrosis provides an excellent treatment target, since a large variety of pathophysiologically distinct diseases converge finally into this single process. However, we still do not have effective therapies, nor does such a therapy exist in most other types of organ fibrosis. Why? As part of the vital repair process, the regulation and redundancy in this system must be highly effective. The consequence is an amazingly complicated process that involves many cell types and mediators [1,2,4,5,7]. Not unexpectedly, monotherapeutic approaches, or even a combination of therapies, fail to completely stop the progression of renal fibrosis [8–10]. In addition, not all combination therapies can be additive [11]. When identifying new targets or validating potential therapeutic options, we are confronted with several problems:
Evaluation of the Chemical Integrity of Beta-Lactam Antibiotics by Iodine-Based Assay

One of the major problems associated with the therapeutic application of β-lactam antibiotics is their significant instability [1]-[3]. Analogs from that group are easily degraded in aqueous solutions and in solid state, which happens predominantly as a result of β-lactam ring chemical degradation. Because of this, the chemical integrity of β-lactam antibiotics must be closely monitored to meet FDA requirements. The original iodometric method based on visual detection of the end products of beta-lactamase hydrolysis that has been used to test beta-lactamase activity [4] was modified to quantitatively assess the amount of degraded product in amoxicillin. A UV-visible spectrophotometric method has been used, focusing on the ability of the products from the degradation of β-lactam analogs to absorb iodine from bulk solution, resulting in a significant reduction in the absorption spectra. Amoxicillin trihydrate tablets with different expiration dates and amoxicillin samples pre-loaded with known amounts of degraded amoxicillin have been used to generate a calibration curve and quantify the presence of degraded materials. Results show that the changes in the absorption spectra of iodine reagent directly correlate with the fraction of degraded β-lactam antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, in commercial products. The proposed assay might be as close as one step from simpler and cheaper methods of quantitative analysis of degraded β-lactam analogs, with estimated sensitivity in the range of 1% - 2%, which is better than the current FDA requirements.
Effect of Pin and Shoulder Geometry on Stir Zone and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Spot-Welded Aluminum Alloy 2024-T3 Sheets

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) was performed on 2024-T3 Al alloy to study the effect of pin and shoulder geometry (cylindrical and triangular shapes) on stir zone (SZ) characteristics and mechanical properties of welded samples. The process was conducted at a constant dwell time of 5 s and shoulder plunge depth of 0.3 mm. The rotational speed varied in the range of 630–1600 rpm. Based on the observations, the change in the pin shape led to changes in the SZ area, hook geometry, and mechanical properties of the joints. At low rotational speeds, the strengths of the joints made by the triangular pin were higher than those formed by the cylindrical pin. On the other hand, the change in the shoulder geometry from cylindrical to triangular reduced the joint strengths. However, the effect of pin geometry on the strengths was more than the shoulder geometry. Moreover, the strengths were directly related to the SZ area. Scanning electron microscopy of the welded sections revealed formation of cracks in the SZ as a result of S phase local melting at the tool rotational speed of 1600 rpm. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4030197]
Expression of platelet-derived growth factor receptors in the developing chicken lens.

PURPOSE Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has previously been shown to influence lens growth and transparency. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression of the PDGF receptor and its mRNA during lens development in chicken embryos. METHODS To examine the expression of PDGF receptor mRNAs, the authors used a combination of polymerase chain reaction, Northern blot analyses, and RNase protection assays. Platelet-derived growth factor receptors were studied using Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence-confocal microscopy. The mitogenic effects of PDGF were assayed using immunochemical detection of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation into explanted lens epithelia. RESULTS The authors' studies strongly suggest that the PDGF alpha receptor is the only PDGF receptor present in the embryonic chicken lens during development because they were unable to detect the PDGF beta receptor using two different approaches. Northern blots showed that the chicken lens alpha receptor mRNA is similar in size to the mRNA encoding the human and frog alpha receptor, and Western blots detected a single band with a molecular weight of 170 kDa, close to the reported molecular weight for the human alpha receptor. After staining with specific antibodies, confocal microscopy localized the immunoreactivity to the membranes of the epithelial and annular pad cells. At early stages of development (E6), the PDGF alpha receptor was present throughout the epithelium. At later stages, immunoreactivity was restricted to the peripheral epithelium and the annular pad. The addition of human recombinant PDGF (AA or BB) to tissue cultured E6 chicken lens epithelia sustained cell proliferation significantly better than basal medium alone. CONCLUSIONS The authors' studies provide the first evidence for PDGF alpha receptors in the chicken lens. Localization of these receptors to the peripheral lens epithelium during development and the mitogenic effect of exogenously added PDGF suggest a role for this growth factor in the control of lens growth.
Capacity scaling laws for underwater networks

The underwater acoustic channel is characterized by a path loss that depends not only on the transmission distance, but also on the signal frequency. Signals transmitted from one user to another over a distance l are subject to a power loss of l-alphaa(f)-l. Although a terrestrial radio channel can be modeled similarly, the underwater acoustic channel has different characteristics. The spreading factor alpha, related to the geometry of propagation, has values in the range 1 les alpha les 2. The absorption coefficient a(f) is a rapidly increasing function of frequency: it is three orders of magnitude greater at 100 kHz than at a few Hz. Existing results for capacity of wireless networks correspond to scenarios for which a(f) = 1, or a constant greater than one, and alpha ges 2. These results cannot be applied to underwater acoustic networks in which the attenuation varies over the system bandwidth. We use a water-filling argument to assess the minimum transmission power and optimum transmission band as functions of the link distance and desired data rate, and study the capacity scaling laws under this model.
Virtual vs. Real-World Pointing in Two-User Scenarios

We are investigating the utility of a projection-based stereoscopic two-user system for applications in the automotive industry. In this paper we compare real-world pointing to pointing at virtual objects in a two-user scenario. In our study we investigated the following situation: One user points at an object while the second person has to guess the referenced object. Our results indicate that pointing at objects in a virtual world is much less precise than pointing in the real world even for a well calibrated stereoscopic two-user system. Pointing techniques like outlining an object or pointing from a distance produce more errors than the corresponding real-world techniques, but they are less error prone than interactions requiring to touch a virtual object. Our findings are a first step to qualify direct interaction techniques in a multi-user projection-based system.