Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loss of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 and phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin are associated with progesterone refractory endometrial hyperplasia

The objective of our study was to evaluate the phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), p27, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expressions in women with progesterone-responsive and refractory endometrial hyperplasia (EH) samples and to determine if these markers could be associated with response or used as potential targets for treatment. Thirty-eight matched pre- and posttreatment pairs of paraffin-embedded endometrial biopsies were obtained from patients with EH. Immunohistochemical analysis for PTEN, p27, and phospho-mTOR were performed on all samples. Median age at diagnosis was 49 years (20–79 years). Median treatment interval was 3 months (1–12 months). Sixteen patients (42.1%) had complete resolution of their hyperplasia (responders), and 22 (57.9%) had persistent hyperplasia (nonresponders) after treatment with progesterone. In the pretreatment samples, no markers were found to predict nonresponders. In posttreatment samples, loss of PTEN expression with phospho-mTOR expression was observed in more nonresponders than responders (40.9% vs 6.3%; P= 0.03). Phospho-mTOR overexpression was found in 63.6% of nonresponders. We found that persistent hyperplasia refractory to progesterone therapy was associated both with the loss of PTEN and with the loss of phosphorylation of mTOR. In select cases of non–responsive progesterone refractory EH, a rational target for treatment may involve the mTOR pathway.
Role of satellite RNA in the expression of symptoms caused by plant viruses.

Viral satellites have been defined classically as viruses or nucleic acids that depend on a helper virus for replication, are dispensable for the replication of the helper virus, and lack appreciable sequence homology with the helper virus genome (85). Satellites often interfere with the replication of their helper viruses, and in that way they are similar to another type of replication­ dependent, viral-associated RNA, defective interfering RNAs (DI RNAs)l.
Forum on aging and skeletal health: Summary of the proceedings of an ASBMR workshop

With the aging of the population, the scope of the problem of age‐related bone loss and osteoporosis will continue to increase. As such, it is critical to obtain a better understanding of the factors determining the acquisition and loss of bone mass from childhood to senescence. While there have been significant advances in recent years in our understanding of both the basic biology of aging and a clinical definition of age‐related frailty, few of these concepts in aging research have been evaluated adequately for their relevance and application to skeletal aging or fracture prevention. The March 2011 Forum on Aging and Skeletal Health, sponsored by the NIH and ASBMR, sought to bring together leaders in aging and bone research to enhance communications among diverse fields of study so as to accelerate the pace of scientific advances needed to reduce the burden of osteoporotic fractures. This report summarizes the major concepts presented at that meeting and in each area identifies key questions to help set the agenda for future research in skeletal aging. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
From Ensemble Clustering to Multi-View Clustering

Multi-View Clustering (MVC) aims to find the cluster structure shared by multiple views of a particular dataset. Existing MVC methods mainly integrate the raw data from different views, while ignoring the high-level information. Thus, their performance may degrade due to the conflict between heterogeneous features and the noises existing in each individual view. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel Multi-View Ensemble Clustering (MVEC) framework to solve MVC in an Ensemble Clustering (EC) way, which generates Basic Partitions (BPs) for each view individually and seeks for a consensus partition among all the BPs. By this means, we naturally leverage the complementary information of multi-view data in the same partition space. Instead of directly fusing BPs, we employ the low-rank and sparse decomposition to explicitly consider the connection between different views and detect the noises in each view. Moreover, the spectral ensemble clustering task is also involved by our framework with a carefully designed constraint, making MVEC a unified optimization framework to achieve the final consensus partition. Experimental results on six real-world datasets show the efficacy of our approach compared with both MVC and EC methods.
The impact of baseline intact parathyroid hormone levels on severity of primary hyperparathyroidism and outcomes in patients undergoing surgery.

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) baseline levels on severity of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and outcomes following parathyroidectomy for PHPT. DESIGN Single institution retrospective review. SETTING Academic tertiary care center. PATIENTS A total of 447 consecutive patients undergoing parathyroid surgery for PHPT. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Comparison of patients with high (> or =150 pg/mL) and low (<150 pg/mL) baseline iPTH values; preoperative serum calcium, alkaline phosphatase, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels; and 6-month postoperative serum calcium and iPTH levels. RESULTS A total of 304 patients had baseline iPTH values of at least 150 pg/mL (high baseline group), and 143 patients had baseline iPTH values lower than 150 pg/mL (low baseline group). Patients in the high baseline group had significantly higher levels of preoperative serum calcium, serum alkaline phosphatase, and adenoma weights (P < .001 for all comparisons). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients in the high baseline group (P < .001). Sestamibi scans were more likely to localize an adenoma in the high baseline group (83.7%) than in the low baseline group (68.9%) (P < .01). There were no differences in the serum calcium and iPTH levels between the 2 groups 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Patients in the high baseline group undergoing surgery for PHPT had higher baseline levels of serum calcium, serum alkaline phosphatase, and parathyroid adenoma weights and lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels compared with the lower baseline group. Sestamibi scans were more likely to localize an adenoma in the high baseline group (83.7%) than in the low baseline group (68.9%) (P < .01). Despite an apparently lower rate of positive preoperative sestamibi scans for the low baseline group, patients were able to achieve a similar rate of disease cure as other patients with higher baseline iPTH levels. It seems that baseline iPTH level should not be used as a criterion to perform surgery or not perform surgery for patients with PHPT.
Pulse spreading and correlation loss in shallow water environments with rough sea surfaces and bottoms

Active sonar pulses suffer time-spreading, distortion, and de-correlation due to multipath propagation and reflections from rough boundaries. Correlation of the received distorted pulse with the transmitted pulse leads to degradation in pulse compression gain in comparison to the ideal case of a received pulse being simply a time-shifted, amplitude-scaled replica propagated along a single direct path. We assess the degradation by first simulating the propagation of linear frequency-modulated (LFM) pulses in shallow water through Fourier synthesis of parabolic equation solutions, and then characterising the time spreading of the pulse envelope after correlation. Rough seafloor interfaces are modelled as random statistical realisations of power-law spectra. Doppler-spreading effects from sea surface motion are ignored, and rough sea surfaces are modelled as frozen statistical realisations of Pierson–Moskowitz spectra. The variation of correlation loss with sound speed profile, sensor depth, pulse bandwidth, and pulse time duration is investigated and discussed in terms of propagation physics. For performance prediction of broadband active sonar, the conventional active sonar equation needs to be revised by including time-spreading or correlation-loss terms, or by modifying the transmission loss term.
Biochemical Signaling of PD-1 on T Cells and Its Functional Implications

AbstractMaintenance of peripheral tolerance is essential for homeostasis of the immune system. While central tolerance mechanisms result in deletion of the majority of self-reactive T cells, T lymphocytes specific for self-antigens also escape this process and circulate in the periphery. To control the development of autoimmunity, multiple mechanisms of peripheral tolerance have evolved, including T cell anergy, deletion, and suppression by regulatory T (Treg) cells. The pathway consisting of the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor (CD279) and its ligands PD-L1 (B7-H1, CD274) and PD-L2 (B7-DC; CD273) plays a vital role in the induction and maintenance of peripheral tolerance. This pathway also regulates the balance between stimulatory and inhibitory signals needed for effective immunity and maintenance of T cell homeostasis. In contrast to this important beneficial role in maintaining T cell homeostasis, PD-1 mediates potent inhibitory signals that prevent the expansion and function of T effector cells and have detrimental effects on antiviral and antitumor immunity. Despite the compelling studies on the significant functional role of PD-1 in mediating inhibition of activated T cells, little is known about how PD-1 blocks T cell activation. Here, we will provide a brief overview of the signaling events that are regulated by PD-1 triggering, and we will discuss their implications on cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that determine the fate and function of T effector cells.
Dyslipidemia: Management Using Optimal Lipid-Lowering Therapy

Objective: To evaluate current approaches and explore emerging research related to dyslipidemia management. Data Sources: MEDLINE (2004-April 2012) was searched for randomized controlled trials using the terms dyslipidemia and lipid-lowering therapy or statin (>1000 hits). Separate searches (MEDLINE, Google) identified meta-analyses (2010–2011), disease prevalence statistics, and current consensus guidelines (2004–July 2011). Additional references were identified from the publications reviewed. Study Selection and Data Extraction: English-language articles on large multi-center trials were evaluated. Data Synthesis: National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines for the reduction of cardiovascular risk recommend the attainment of specific low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non–HDL-C) target values, based on an individual's 10-year risk of coronary heart disease or global risk. For most patients unable to achieve recommended lipid level goals with therapeutic lifestyle changes, statins are the first option for treatment. Results of large, well-controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that statins are effective in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diverse populations, including patients with diabetes and the elderly, and that intensive statin therapy provides more effective lipid goal attainment and significantly greater risk reduction in patients with coronary artery disease. Stalin therapy is generally well tolerated but may increase the risk of myopathy. Statin use has been associated with increases in hepatic transaminases and an increased risk of diabetes, although the absolute risk of diabetes is low compared with the risk reduction benefit. Combination therapy including a statin may be appropriate for certain populations, but the risk reduction benefits of combination therapy remain unclear. Ezetimibe is an important treatment option for patients with hypercholesterolemia who do not tolerate intensive statin therapy. Although fibrates or niacin improves overall lipid profiles in patients with hypertriglyceridemia or dyslipidemia who are receiving statin therapy, their efficacy in reducing cardiovascular risk remains questionable and their use raises safety and tolerability concerns. Conclusions: Intensifying lifestyle changes and statin dose should be utilized first in patients not achieving their LDL-C and non-HDL-C goals.
Evolution of shallow, crustal thermal structure from subduction to collision: An example from Taiwan

We study crustal thermal evolution by examining heat flow patterns along a convergent boundary from a young subduction zone to a more structurally mature collision zone. More than 8000 km of seismic profiles covering an offshore region of 45,000 km 2 in southern Taiwan show widespread bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs). We derived 1107 BSR-based heat flows before combining 42 additional, published, offshore thermal probe data and 86 on-land heat flow data to document the shallow forearc thermal structures from the subduction zone to the collision zone. In the subduction zone, the geothermal gradient ranges mostly within 30–80 °C/km, and decreases toward the arc due to slab cooling, intensive dewatering at the toe, sediment blanketing, topographic effects, and other processes. The geothermal gradient ranges mostly from 30 to 90 °C/km in the collision zone, and increases, instead of decreases, toward the arc, possibly caused by exhumation, erosion, topographically induced ground-water circulation, and some upper mantle processes related to collision. Heat flow in the collision zone ranges from 80 to 250 mW/m 2 . The high heat flow in the collision zone correlates with a shallower seismicity zone and high seismic attenuation, while the lower heat flow in the subduction zone might allow the earthquakes to rupture to greater depth. The heat flow increases along the topographic high from subduction to collision zone due to increasing geothermal gradients and higher thermal conductivities of the exhumed basement rocks. This heat flow variation may generate an artificial exhumation rate pattern, if a conventional 30 °C/km geothermal gradient was used in fission-track studies.
Comparative study of the level of awareness of e-waste management in Romania and Republic of Moldova

The paper focuses on the management of the e-waste and, based on a comparative analysis of the level of awareness of the danger of the improper disposal of them, in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The collection of data for the study was based on a distribution of a survey with 19 questions in both countries with 202 and 27 questionnaires in Romania and Republic of Moldova respectively. The results of the study show that the awareness of both countries is critically low, with the problem being more stringent in the Republic of Moldovan.
Inactivation of Giardia lamblia cysts by polychromatic UV

Aims: Giardia lamblia is one of the most important waterborne pathogens in the world. In this study, we determined the effectiveness of a promising alternative UV technology – a polychromatic emission from a medium‐pressure (MP) UV lamp – against G. lamblia cysts in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and a filtered drinking water.
Social and psychological aspects of computer-aided design systems

Abstract A study was performed among design employees in three large companies to investigate the psychosocial effects of computer-aided design (CAD) work. The study included all technical employees of the departments selected, of whom about two-thirds worked with CAD systems. The results demonstrate that 90% of the CAD users have a positive attitude to CAD-work. No significant differences were found between CAD users and non-CAD users in terms of work load, autonomy, social support, job satisfaction, personal development, or degree of co-operation. Within the group of CAD users, those spending a larger number of weekly working hours with the CAD system reported lower work complexity, lower autonomy of work methods, and less job satisfaction. CAD users with a relatively higher number of years of CAD experience reported a greater work load, fewer CAD difficulties, and lower autonomy of work methods. Among draftspersons and designers, there were no significant differences in work activities between CAD user.
Medication Usage in an Elderly Population

One hundred eighty-three independently living elderly residents of two federally subsidized, urban high-rise apartment buildings were interviewed in their homes to determine the numbers and types of medications they used and stored and their utilization of pharmacy services. From these interviews and observations, the frequencies of use of medications and pharmacy services and the prevalence of potential problems were determined. Results showed that 75% of interviewees used a prescription drug regularly, and 82% used a nonprescription drug regularly. Fifty-one percent had stored noncurrent prescription drugs, while 67% had noncurrent nonprescription drugs in their homes. The most common problems encountered were discrepancies between labeled dosage and dosage actually used, potential drug interactions, and underuse of medication. Findings that may contribute to the risk of future medication problems were the prevalence of noncurrent medications stored in homes, the respondents' lack of knowledge about recognition and management of adverse drug reactions, and the underutilization of pharmacists as drug therapy consultants.
On the critical exponents of random k‐SAT

There has been much recent interest in the satisfiability of random Boolean formulas. A random k‐SAT formula is the conjunction of m random clauses, each of which is the disjunction of k literals (a variable or its negation). It is known that when the number of variables n is large, there is a sharp transition from satisfiability to unsatisfiability; in the case of 2‐SAT this happens when m/n → 1, for 3‐SAT the critical ratio is thought to be m/n ≈ 4.2. The sharpness of this transition is characterized by a critical exponent, sometimes called ν = νk (the smaller the value of ν the sharper the transition). Experiments have suggested that ν3 = 1.5 ± 0.1. ν4 = 1.25 ± 0.05, ν5 = 1.1 ± 0.05, ν6 = 1.05 ± 0.05, and heuristics have suggested that νk → 1 as k → ∞. We give here a simple proof that each of these exponents is at least 2 (provided the exponent is well defined). This result holds for each of the three standard ensembles of random k‐SAT formulas: m clauses selected uniformly at random without replacement, m clauses selected uniformly at random with replacement, and each clause selected with probability p independent of the other clauses. We also obtain similar results for q‐colorability and the appearance of a q‐core in a random graph. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 21: 182–195, 2002
Prototypical Type I E-cadherin and Type II Cadherin-7 Mediate Very Distinct Adhesiveness through Their Extracellular Domains*

Using a dual pipette assay that measures the force required to separate adherent cell doublets, we have quantitatively compared intercellular adhesiveness mediated by Type I (E- or N-cadherin) or Type II (cadherin-7 or -11) cadherins. At similar cadherin expression levels, cells expressing Type I cadherins adhered much more rapidly and strongly than cells expressing Type II cadherins. Using chimeric cadherins, we found that the extracellular domain exerts by far the dominant effect on cell adhesivity, that of E-cadherin conferring high adhesivity, and that of cadherin-7 conferring low adhesivity. Type I cadherins were incorporated to a greater extent into detergent-insoluble cytoskeletal complexes, and their cytoplasmic tails were much more effective in disrupting strong adherent junctions, suggesting that Type II cadherins form less stable complexes with β-catenin. The present study demonstrates compellingly, for the first time, that cadherins are dramatically different in their ability to promote intercellular adhesiveness, a finding that has profound implications for the regulation of tissue morphogenesis.
Performance of Trusted Computing in Cloud Infrastructures with Intel SGX

Sensitive personal data is to an increasing degree hosted on third-party cloud providers. This generates strong concerns about data security and privacy as the trusted computing base is expanded to include hardware components not under the direct supervision of the administrative entity responsible for the data. Fortunately, major hardware manufacturers now include mechanisms promoting secure remote execution. This paper studies Intel’s Software Guard eXtensions (SGX), and experimentally quantifies how basic usage of this instruction set extension will affect how cloud hosted services must be constructed. Our experiments show that correct partitioning of a service’s functional components will be critical for performance.
Therapeutic Outcomes of Transplanting Autologous Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor-mobilised Peripheral Mononuclear Cells in Diabetic Patients with Critical Limb Ischaemia

Abstract The efficacy and safety of transplanting autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), from granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilised peripheral blood, was investigated in diabetic patients with critical limb ischaemia (CLI). After 3 months, the transplanted group of patients (n=7) showed a significant improvement in ischaemia manifestations, including pain and neurological signs, wound healing and the rate of lower-limb amputation, compared to the control group of patients (n=14). Pain was significantly reduced in the transplanted group compared to controls (P=0.014). The ankle-brachial index (ABI) and the pulse strength within ischaemic tissues of the transplanted group were significantly improved (P=0.035 and P=0.01, respectively). Importantly, 50% of the control group (7/14 patients) faced major amputation of a limb at the study’s conclusion, compared to none of 7 patients in the transplanted group (P=0.047). The safety of transplantation was confirmed by observing no adverse reactions among the transplanted group, including infection and immunological rejection. Hence, this study provides further evidence that transplantation of autologous peripheral blood MSCs, mobilised by G-CSF, induces angiogenesis and improves the wound healing process in diabetic patients with CLI.
Spatio-temporal analysis of development of basal roots of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Temporal development of roots is key to the understanding of root system architecture of plants which influences nutrient uptake, anchorage and plant competition. Using time lapse imaging we analyzed developmental patterns of length, growth angle, depth and curvature of Phaseolus basal roots from emergence till 48 h in two genotypes, B98311 and TLP19 with contrasting growth angles. In both genotypes all basal roots appeared almost simultaneously, but their growth rates varied which accounted for differences in root length. The growth angles of the basal roots fluctuated rapidly during initial development due to oscillatory root growth causing local bends. Beyond 24 h, as the root curvature stabilized, so did the growth angle. Therefore growth angle of basal roots is not a very reliable quantity for characterizing root architecture, especially during early seedling development. Comparatively, tip depth is a more robust measure of vertical distribution of the basal roots even during early seedling development.