Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of cytologic and acridine-orange flow-cytometric detection of malignant cells in human body cavity fluids.

Flow cytometrically (FCM) derived DNA and RNA profiles were studied in acridine orange (AO)-stained body cavity fluid (BCF) specimens obtained from 78 patients with various solid tissue and hematologic malignancies. The ploidy (DNA index), RNA content (RNA index), proliferative activity (% S + G2M) and DNA and RNA scattergram patterns were tested "double-blind" against the cytologic scoring of specimens as malignant, benign or reactive. It was determined that expression of an "abnormal" RNA index (greater than or equal to 2.8) and an elevated proliferative activity (% S + G2M greater than or equal to 7.4) was dependent on the presence of malignancy; 21 of 22 specimens having those abnormal indices had DNA aneuploidy and were cytologically scored as positive. The AO FCM sensitivity and specificity for detecting malignant cells (when measured against cytology scoring) were 61% and 90%, respectively, using the "abnormal" RNA index and % S + G2M cut-offs together with the cellular DNA aneuploidy marker. By supplementing the cytologic scoring with AO FCM DNA and RNA features, the sensitivity for detecting malignant cells was 94%, as compared to 72% for cytology alone. Two specimens gave false-positive FCM results: a tuberculous effusion with a tetraploid subpopulation and a reactive mesothelial proliferation that was diploid and negative cytologically. Scoring for malignancy based on the visual pattern of the DNA and RNA FCM scattergrams, while showing good correlation for aneuploid specimens, in some cases failed to identify diploid disease. The results demonstrate the usefulness of FCM DNA and RNA analysis for supplementing cytologic examination of BCF specimens for the purpose of detecting malignant cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Modular and Reconfigurable 3D Micro-Optical Benches: Concept, Validation, and Characterization

In this paper, we present an approach to design MOEMS based on Reconfigurable Free Space Micro-Optical Benches (RFS-MOB). The proposed concept enables to design modular and reconfigurable MOEMS by using a generic structure of silicon holders and non defined position in the substrate. Various micro-optical elements, e.g. microlenses or micromirrors, can be integrated within holders. Their assembly is achieved with an active microgripper, after high precision alignement within guiding rails of silicon substrate. Flexible parts are used to maintain a final position. The concept is validated by successful assembly of holders. A characterization method of assembled holders is proposed and provides an accuracy better than ± 0.04° for an angle measurement.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
A Potential Biofilm Metabolite Signature for Caries Activity - A Pilot Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND This study's aim was to compare the dental biofilm metabolite-profile of caries-active (N=11) or caries-free (N=4) children by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses. METHODS Samples collected after overnight fasting, with or without a previous glucose rinse, were combined for each child based on the caries status of the site, re-suspended in ethanol and analyzed by GC/MS. RESULTS Biofilm from caries-active sites exhibited a different chromatographic profile compared to caries-free sites. Qualitative and quantitative analysis suggested a special cluster of branched alcohols and esters present at substantially higher intensity in biofilms of caries-active sites. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study indicates that there are metabolites present in the biofilm which have the potential to provide a characteristic metabolomics signature for caries activity.
Selective and Compartmentalised Myelin Expression of HspB 5

(a) Centre for Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Building 85, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK; (b) Centre for Biological Sciences, Mailpoint 840 (room LD80b), Level D Laboratories and Pathology Block, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK; (c) Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK.
Dual‐specificity tyrosine phosphorylation‐regulated kinase 2 regulates osteoclast fusion in a cell heterotypic manner

Monocyte fusion into osteoclasts, bone resorbing cells, plays a key role in bone remodeling and homeostasis; therefore, aberrant cell fusion may be involved in a variety of debilitating bone diseases. Research in the last decade has led to the discovery of genes that regulate osteoclast fusion, but the basic molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms underlying the fusion process are not completely understood. Here, we reveal a role for Dyrk2 in osteoclast fusion. We demonstrate that Dyrk2 down regulation promotes osteoclast fusion, whereas its overexpression inhibits fusion. Moreover, Dyrk2 also promotes the fusion of foreign‐body giant cells, indicating that Dyrk2 plays a more general role in cell fusion. In an earlier study, we showed that fusion is a cell heterotypic process initiated by fusion‐founder cells that fuse to fusion‐follower cells, the latter of which are unable to initiate fusion. Here, we show that Dyrk2 limits the expansion of multinucleated founder cells through the suppression of the fusion competency of follower cells.
Mathematics Teacher Professional Development as the Development of Communities of Practice.

In this research report we share results of a study of an adaptation of Lesson Study, a form of professional development typically used in Japanese elementary schools, with secondary mathematics teachers in the United States. We draw on Wenger’s (1998) concept of “communities of practice” and Grossman, Wineberg, and Woolworth’s (2001) discussion of “pseudocommunity” to present our analysis of two types of activities: a cycle of lesson development, implementation, and revision as it occurred in one lesson study group (LSG), and book discussions that occurred in large group meetings all LSGs. Our analysis suggests that activities such as these can support community of practice development and that “community development” is useful as a concept for structuring and studying mathematics teacher professional development.
Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs): An Overview and Challenges

Vehicu lar ad-hoc networks (VANETs) technology has emerged as an important research area over the last few years. Being ad-hoc in nature, VA NET is a type of networks that is created from the concept of establishing a network of cars for a specific need or situation. VA NETs have now been established as reliable networks that vehicles use for co mmunication purpose on highways or urban environments. Along with the benefits, there arise a large number of challenges in VANET such as provisioning of QoS, h igh connectivity and bandwidth and security to vehicle and individual privacy. This article presents state-of-the-art of VANET and discusses the related issues. Network architecture, signal modeling and propagation mechanis m, mobility modeling, routing protocols and network security are discussed in detail. Main findings of this paper are that an efficient and robust VANET is one wh ich satisfies all design parameters such as QoS, minimu m latency, low BER and high PDR. So me key research areas and challenges in VANET are presented at the end of the paper.
Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of isolated myeloid sarcoma without bone marrow involvement: a single-institution experience

Background Isolated myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare extramedullary tumor mass composed of malignant myeloid precursor cells without any evidence of leukemia in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients diagnosed with isolated MS at our institution. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 9 of 497 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients (1.8%) with isolated MS. Isolated MS patients were divided into 2 groups according to the first-line treatment strategy: systemic treatment only (S) or local treatment with or without systemic treatment (LS). Results The most common site of MS occurrence was the head and neck area (N=4, 44.4%), followed by the anterior mediastinum (N=2, 22.2%) and the gastrointestinal tract (N=2, 22.2%). The tumors of 4 patients (44.4%) eventually evolved to AML, in a median time of 13.4 months (range, 2.4–20.1 mo). The number of patients achieving complete remission after first-line treatment was higher in the LS group (N=5, 83.3%) than in the S group (N=1, 33.3%) (P =0.226). All patients in the LS group survived, but those in the S group died (P=0.012). Conclusion Accurate and rapid diagnosis using various modalities and the early initiation of intensive combined treatment may be the optimal strategies to reduce the risk of isolated MS subsequently evolving to AML. To fully understand the characteristics of isolated MS, a larger number of patients from a multinational study is necessary.
Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate: erratum.

Goldin LR, Weeks DE (1993) Two-locus models of disease: comparison of likelihood and nonparametric linkage methods. Am J Hum Genet 53:908-915 Murray JC (1995) Face facts: genes, environment, and clefts. Am J Hum Genet 57:227-232 Ott J (1991) Analysis of linkage. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore Stein J, Mulliken JB, Stal S, Gasser DL, Malcom S, Winter R, Blanton SH, et al (1995) Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate: evidence for linkage to BCL3 in 17 multigenerational families. Am J Hum Genet 57:257-272 Weeks DE, Lange K (1988) The affected-pedigree-member method of linkage analysis. Am J Hum Genet 42:315-326 (1992) A multilocus extension of the affected-pedigreemember method of linkage analysis. Am J Hum Genet 50: 859-868
The KDEL Receptor Modulates the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response through Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Signaling Cascades*

The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) evokes the ER stress response. The resultant outcomes are cytoprotective but also proapoptotic. ER chaperones and misfolded proteins exit to the secretory pathway and are retrieved to the ER, during which process the KDEL receptor plays a significant role. Using an expression of a mutant KDEL receptor that lacks the ability for ligand recognition, we show that the impairment of retrieval by the KDEL receptor led to a mis-sorting of the immunoglobulin-binding protein BiP, an ER chaperone that has a retrieval signal from the early secretory pathway, which induced intense ER stress response and an increase in susceptibility to ER stress in HeLa cells. Furthermore, we show that the ER stress response accompanied the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNKs) and that the expression of the mutant KDEL receptor suppressed the activation of p38 and JNK1 but not JNK2. The effect of the expression of the mutant KDEL receptor was consistent with the effect of a specific inhibitor for p38 MAP kinases, because the inhibitor sensitized HeLa cells to ER stress. We also found that activation of the KDEL receptor by the ligand induced the phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinases. These results indicate that the KDEL receptor participates in the ER stress response not only by its retrieval ability but also by modulating MAP kinase signaling, which may affect the outcomes of the mammalian ER stress response.
Rofecoxib and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Clinical and Pathologic Observations

Objectives: To describe clinical and pathologic findings in patients noted to develop lower gastrointestinal symptoms when exposed to rofecoxib. Methods: Case reports and associated biopsy findings. Results: Three patients who developed symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during rofecoxib exposure are described along with pathology findings. Two episodes were incident cases (no prior IBD); one episode was recurrent colitis or a nonincident case (flare of prior IBD). All symptoms resolved with drug withdrawal. Conclusions: Symptoms and pathologic changes of colitis are associated with exposure to rofecoxib. Abnormalities resolve with drug withdrawal.
Contact dermatitis in the atopic child.

T he two major forms of contact dermatitis are irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis. Irritant contact dermati-tis is seen in roughly 80% of contact dermatitis cases. 1 Irritant contact der-matitis is an inflammatory, but nonim-munologic dose-and time-dependent skin response to direct cellular injury caused by a skin irritant, and it does not require prior sensitization. 2,3 Common irritants in the pediatric age group include excessive bathing, urine and feces in the diaper area, bubble baths, cleansers, or wipes. 4 Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a delayed-type, T-cell mediated hy-persensitivity reaction (type IV immune response) wherein the allergens are small haptens that bind to epider-mal carrier proteins to form complete antigens. Dermal dendritic cells in the skin process these antigens and present them to naive T cells in the lymph nodes, stimulating an immune response that results in T-cell activation and memory T-cell clonal expansion. Upon re-exposure to the same allergen, the sensitized T cells, primarily T helper 1 (Th1) type, hone to the skin and release inflammatory mediators, producing in-tercellular edema of the epidermis and the clinical manifestations of ACD. 2,3 Susceptibility to ACD varies according to age, frequency, type, and duration of allergen exposure. 1 The pathogenesis of allergic dermatitis (AD) is complex and multifactorial. Traditionally, AD has been categorized as an immune-mediated condition driven primarily by Th2 cells, 5 yet many now believe that the primary defect in AD is a disrupted skin barrier. 6 AD patients often have insufficient amounts of filaggrin, which is critical for the skin to absorb atmospheric water and, thus, maintain moisturization. In addition, decreased amounts of ceramides, fatty molecules that promote water retention within the epidermis and prevent the ingress of foreign harmful substances, have also been demonstrated in the skin of atopics. The resulting compromised epidermal barrier facilitates the passage of pathogens, allergens, and irritants through the skin, leading to a cascade of events that initiates a Th2 response and the clinical manifestations of AD. Figure. Classically, allergic contact dermatitis presents as a pruritic, eczematous dermatitis typified by edematous vesicles and papules coalescing into plaques. Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the United States Government .
Time to hospital arrival, use of thrombolytics, and in-hospital outcomes in ischemic stroke

Objective: To determine the interval between symptom onset and hospital arrival and its relationship to baseline clinical characteristics, use of thrombolysis, and in-hospital outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the 11 hospitals in the Buffalo metropolitan area and Erie County. Methods: The medical records of 1,590 patients were reviewed to determine the severity of the neurologic deficits (NIH Stroke Scale [NIHSS]), in-hospital mortality, favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of ≤2 at discharge), and strata of time interval between symptom onset and hospital arrival. Results: The time interval between symptom onset and hospital arrival was 0 to 3 hours in 337 (21%) patients, 3 to 6 hours in 177 (11%) patients, 6 to 24 hours in 301 (19%) patients, >24 hours in 420 (26%) patients, and undetermined in 355 (22%) patients. IV (n = 23) and intra-arterial (n = 4) thrombolysis was used in 27 (8%) of the 337 patients that presented within 3 hours of symptom onset. In 1,235 patients with known time interval between symptom onset and hospital arrival, an association (p = 0.008) was observed between strata of increasing time interval and higher proportion of favorable outcomes at discharge. The initial NIHSS score was higher with decreasing interval between symptom onset and hospital arrival (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: A small proportion of patients who present within 3 hours of symptom onset receive thrombolytic therapy. The observation that patients with more severe neurologic deficits and subsequently worse in-hospital outcomes appear to present early after symptom onset to the hospital may have implications for clinical studies.
Rab3a Binding and Secretion-enhancing Domains in Rim1 Are Separate and Unique

Rim1 was identified in brain by its ability to bind Rab3a-GTP and has been postulated to be a Rab3a effector protein. Like Rabphilin3, it modulates secretion and contains a zinc finger and two C2 domains. We have investigated the structural basis for the ability of Rim1 to bind Rab3a-GTP and to stimulate exocytosis in chromaffin cells. Both full-length and N-terminal Rim1 enhance secretion 40–50% in both intact and permeabilized cells. The abilities of Rim1 to enhance secretion and to bind Rab3a-GTP reside on distinct and relatively small domains that act independently. A ∼30-amino acid sequence immediately N-terminal of the zinc finger constitutes the minimal Rab3a-GTP binding domain. This short sequence is not found in Rabphilin3 and is entirely different from the zinc finger and flanking regions of Rabphilin3 that bind Rab3a-GTP. The zinc finger domain in Rim1 is unnecessary for Rab3a-GTP binding but, alone, enhances secretion. An analysis of the characteristics of the enhancement of secretion in permeabilized chromaffin cells indicates that N-terminal Rim1 does not alter the sensitivity of secretion to Ca2+ but, instead, increases the rate of ATP-dependent priming of secretion.
Genome scan in the mosquito Aedes rusticus: population structure and detection of positive selection after insecticide treatment

Identification of genes involved in local adaptation is particularly challenging for species functioning as a network of interconnected populations undergoing frequent extinctions–recolonizations, because populations are submitted to contrasted evolutionary pressures. Using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers, population genetic structure of the mosquito Aedes rusticus was analysed in five geographical areas of the French Rhône‐Alpes region. We included a number of sites that were treated with the bio‐insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) for more than 15 years. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that most of the genetic variability was found within populations (96%), with no significant variation among geographical areas, although variation among populations within areas (4%) was significant. The global genetic differentiation index FST was low (0.0366 ± 0.167). However, pairwise FST values were significant and no isolation‐by‐distance at the regional level was observed, suggesting a metapopulation structure in this species. Bti‐treatment had no effect on genetic structure and on within‐population genetic diversity. Potential signatures of positive selection associated with Bti‐treatment were detected for five loci, even though toxicological bioassays performed on field‐collected larvae showed no significant difference in mortality between Bti‐treated and nontreated sites. The difficulty of detecting moderate resistance in field‐collected larvae together with possible differential persistence of toxins in the environment may explain our inability to detect a toxicological response to Bti in treated sites. The evidence for positive selection occurring at several genomic regions suggests a first step towards Bti resistance in natural mosquito populations treated with this bio‐insecticide. Furthermore, this signal was detectable using genomic tools before any toxicological evidence for resistance could be identified.
Income Reliably Predicts Daily Sadness, but Not Happiness

Kushlev, Dunn, and Lucas (2015) found that income predicts less daily sadness—but not greater happiness—among Americans. The present study used longitudinal data from an approximately representative German sample to replicate and extend these findings. Our results largely replicated Kushlev et al.’s results: Income predicted less daily sadness (albeit with a smaller effect size) but was unrelated to happiness. Moreover, the association between income and sadness could not be explained by demographics, stress, or daily time use. Extending Kushlev et al.’s findings, new analyses indicated that only between-persons variance in income (but not within-persons variance) predicted daily sadness—perhaps because there was relatively little within-persons variance in income. Finally, income predicted less daily sadness and worry, but not less anger or frustration—potentially suggesting that income predicts less “internalizing” but not less “externalizing” negative emotions. Together, our study and Kushlev et al.’s study provide evidence that income robustly predicts select daily negative emotions—but not positive ones.
Effects of Functional Decline on Quality of Life among the Japanese Elderly

The effects of functional decline upon social networks, life satisfaction, and depression were observed and statistically tested in a longitudinal prospective design. Subjects were 692 Japanese elderly, aged sixty-five years or older, with high functional capacity at baseline. During a two-year period of follow-up, 12.3 percent of the subjects experienced functional decline. Repeated-measure analyses of covariance with statistical tests for simple main effects revealed that changes in the criterion variables significantly differed along with changes in functional health status when the effects of age, gender, and socioeconomic status were controlled. The subjects who experienced functional decline showed a larger decrease in the number of relatives, friends, and neighbors having frequent contacts, a larger decline in life satisfaction, and a larger increase in depression than those without functional decline. The results seem to confirm further the importance of functional health status as a prerequisite for higher quality of life in old age.
Approximate Performance Analysis of Production Lines with Continuous Material Flows and Finite Buffers

In this paper, we analyze production lines consisting of a number of machines in series with a finite buffer between each pair of machines. The flow of products through the machines is continuous. Each machine suffers from breakdowns, because of, for example, failures, cleaning and changeover. The up- and downtimes are independent and generally distributed. We develop a novel method to efficiently and accurately estimate the throughput and the mean buffer content of the production line. This method relies on decomposition of the production line into two-stage, one-buffer subsystems aggregating the up- and downstream part of the line. It is the use of aggregation of machine speeds, starvation times and blocking times, in combination with numerically stable matrix-analytic techniques for the steady-state subsystem analysis, that renders an efficient iterative method, capable of evaluating long production lines. We demonstrate that the proposed method performs well on a large test set consisting of over 49,000 cases, including production lines of up to 16 machines. Remarkably, the performance of the method does not deteriorate in case of highly unpredictable up- and downtimes, as often seen in practice. We apply the method to a bottling line at brewery Heineken Den Bosch and an assembly line at NXP Semiconductors.