Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinically tolerable concentrations of arsenic trioxide induce p53‐independent cell death and repress NF‐κB activation in Ewing sarcoma cells

Ewing sarcoma (ES), a highly malignant pediatric tumor, is consistently associated with translocations that fuse the EWS gene with a member of the ETS family gene, most commonly FLI‐1. Despite significant advances with multiagent chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, about 40% of ES patients still die from the disease. It is therefore necessary to explore novel agents for possible treatment of this tumor. Here the authors investigated the sensitivity of ES cells to clinically tolerable concentrations of arsenic trioxide (As2O3), a compound known to induce differentiation and apoptosis of other types of malignant cells. The authors report that As2O3 uniformly induced death of 6 ES‐derived cell lines irrespective of their p53 status. As2O3 resulted in an apoptotic phenotype which was inhibited by the broad‐spectrum caspase inhibitor ZVAD‐fmk. These effects correlated with prolonged c‐jun N‐terminal kinase activation, which is a signal for apoptosis in ES cells. As2O3 also decreased basal and cytokine‐induced NF‐κB activity. Since the authors previously demonstrated that NF‐κB exerts an antiapoptotic action in ES cells, As2O3 treatment may also result in a sensitization of these cells to other drugs used in combination therapy. These effects, combined with its antiangiogenic action, define As2O3 as a good candidate for future protocols to improve treatments of Ewing sarcomas, irrespective of the p53 status of the tumor. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interaction of Simian Virus 40 chromatin with Simian Virus 40 T-antigen

We have studied the binding of the tumor antigen (T-antigen) of simian virus 40 to simian virus 40 chromatin (minichromosomes). The minichromosomes isolated from infected cells by a modification of standard techniques were relatively free of contaminating RNA and cellular DNA and had a ratio (by weight) of protein to DNA of approximately 1; their DNA was 50 to 60% digestible to an acid-soluble form by staphylococcal nuclease. Cleavage of this chromatin with restriction endonucleases indicated that the nuclease-resistant regions were randomly distributed in the population of minichromosomes, but were not randomly distributed within minichromosomes. Only 20 to 35% of these minichromosomes adsorbed nonspecifically to nitrocellulose filters, permitting binding studies between simian virus 40 T-antigen and chromatin to be performed. Approximately two to three times as much T-antigen was required to bind chromatin as to bind an equivalent amount of free DNA. When T-antigen was present in excess, both chromatin and free DNA were quantitatively retained on the filters. On the other hand, when DNA or chromatin was present in excess, only one-third as much chromatin as DNA was retained. We suggest that T-antigen-chromatin complexes may be formed by the cooperative binding of T-antigen to chromatin, whereas T-antigen-DNA complexes may be formed by simple bimolecular interactions.
Sinonasal Mucociliary Clearance in Health and Disease

Although much has been elucidated in the past 170 years concerning the precise mechanism of ciliary function in the healthy or diseased human respiratory system, significant questions remain. The first description of ciliary action is credited to Sharpey in 1835. However, the importance of mucosal function was not apparent until Hilding's investigations of the postsurgical canine sinus demonstrated scar formation and disruption of mucociliary clearance. Subsequently, several techniques for mucosal coverage of exposed bone, most notably by Sewall and Boyden, were reported. The underlying physiology explaining the importance of the mucosa and the concept of mucosal preservation became apparent with the description of the sinonasal mucociliary flow patterns by Messerklinger; and thus the restoration of natural sinus physiology, ie, mucociliary clearance, became the goal of both medical and surgical treatment of sinonasal inflammatory disease. Clearance of benign and pathological substances in the mucus is governed by the propulsive force of the beating cilia and the physical characteristics of the overlying mucus. The respiratory cilia continually beat in a coordinated fashion, and in times of stress (eg, exercise, infection, or fever) ciliary beat frequency increases to accelerate mucus clearance. Thus, upper airway ciliary motility is under dynamic modulation. Multiple investigations incontrovertibly demonstrate a marked decrease in sinonasal mucociliary clearance in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Possible explanations for this finding are 1) a reduced basal ciliary beat frequency, 2) an alteration of the viscoelastic properties of airway secretions, and/or 3) a blunted dynamic response of sinonasal cilia to environmental stimuli. Studies of the first two explanations yield conflicting results, and to date, the third possibility remains uninvestigated. A review of the current understanding of the cellular regulation of respiratory ciliary activity and its contribution to chronic rhinosinusitis is presented.
An assessment of individual foodprints attributed to diets and food waste in the United States

This paper assesses the environmental impacts of the average American’s diet and food loss and waste (FLW) habits through an analysis of energy, water, land, and fertilizer requirements (inputs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (outputs). We synthesized existing datasets to determine the ramifications of the typical American adult’s food habits, as well as the environmental impact associated with shifting diets to meet the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guideline recommendations. In 2010, FLW accounted for 35% of energy use, 34% of blue water use, 34% of GHG emissions, 31% of land use, and 35% of fertilizer use related to an individual’s food-related resource consumption, i.e. their foodprint. A shift in consumption towards a healthier diet, combined with meeting the USDA and Environmental Protection Agency’s 2030 food loss and waste reduction goal could increase per capita food related energy use 12%, decrease blue water consumption 4%, decrease green water use 23%, decrease GHG emissions from food production 11%, decrease GHG emissions from landfills 20%, decrease land use 32%, and increase fertilizer use 12%.
Salience network integrity predicts default mode network function after traumatic brain injury

Efficient behavior involves the coordinated activity of large-scale brain networks, but the way in which these networks interact is uncertain. One theory is that the salience network (SN)—which includes the anterior cingulate cortex, presupplementary motor area, and anterior insulae—regulates dynamic changes in other networks. If this is the case, then damage to the structural connectivity of the SN should disrupt the regulation of associated networks. To investigate this hypothesis, we studied a group of 57 patients with cognitive impairments following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 25 control subjects using the stop-signal task. The pattern of brain activity associated with stop-signal task performance was studied by using functional MRI, and the structural integrity of network connections was quantified by using diffusion tensor imaging. Efficient inhibitory control was associated with rapid deactivation within parts of the default mode network (DMN), including the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex. TBI patients showed a failure of DMN deactivation, which was associated with an impairment of inhibitory control. TBI frequently results in traumatic axonal injury, which can disconnect brain networks by damaging white matter tracts. The abnormality of DMN function was specifically predicted by the amount of white matter damage in the SN tract connecting the right anterior insulae to the presupplementary motor area and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. The results provide evidence that structural integrity of the SN is necessary for the efficient regulation of activity in the DMN, and that a failure of this regulation leads to inefficient cognitive control.
Corporate schooling and decorative metrics: the iconography of academy school chains in England

The continuation of neo-liberalism requires concerted effort. Political consent is constructed through practices of enforced cultural socialisation, the mobilisations of which obfuscate other realities. David Harvey describes this process as the construction of consent. The common sense encouraged by English academy schools is the result of the mobilisation legitimated by teaching and learning practices through a hegemony of attainment metrics. These metrics construct a neo-liberal pupil habitus and contextualise schooling within technological rationalism. The capture of state schooling and its disaggregation by economic elites, it is argued, reflects a continuing project to maintain lifestyles and privilege within a political order that has served it, and the government involved, handsomely. As neo-liberal institutions, academy schools, it is argued, inculcate dispositions favouring corporate and biopolitical economic productivity. Academy schools’ web sites and Freedom of Information request data about academy school meetings are utilised to support the argument of the paper.
Performance Evaluation of Frame Slotted-ALOHA with Intra-Frame and Inter-Frame Successive Interference Cancellation

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) networks allow enddevices to communicate without human intervention. Due to the high density of M2M networks, efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are required to manage the access to the channel. In this paper, we consider an M2M area network composed of hundreds of end-devices that periodically transmit data to a gateway. We evaluate the performance of two Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols based on Frame Slotted-ALOHA (FSA) with Successive Interference Cancellation(SIC): Intra-frame SIC-FSA and Inter-frame SIC-FSA. By means of computer-based simulations, we have compared the delay and energy performance with respect to conventional FSA. Results show that the average delay can be reduced in a 78% and 94% by using Intra-frame SIC-FSA and Inter-frame SIC-FSA, respectively, and the average energy consumed per end-device is reduced in 18% by using Intra-frame SIC-FSA, while Interframe SIC-FSA decreases the energy consumed per end-device in a 22%.
Managing complexity: Simplifying assumptions of foot‐and‐mouth disease models for swine

Compartmental models have often been used to test the effectiveness and efficiency of alternative control strategies to mitigate the spread of infectious animal diseases. A fundamental principle of epidemiological modelling is that models should start as simple as possible and become as complex as needed. The simplest version of a compartmental model assumes that the population is closed, void of births and deaths and that this closed population mixes homogeneously, meaning that each infected individual has an equal probability of coming into contact with each susceptible individual in the population. However, this assumption may oversimplify field conditions, leading to conclusions about disease mitigation strategies that are suboptimal. Here, we assessed the impact of the homogeneous mixing/closed population assumption, which is commonly assumed for within-farm models of highly contagious diseases of swine, such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), on predictions about disease spread. Incorporation of farm structure (different barns or rooms for breeding and gestation, farrowing, nursery and finishing) and demography (piglet births and deaths, and animal movement within and off of the farm) resulted in transmission dynamics that differed in the latter portion of an outbreak. Specifically, farm structure and demography, which were included in the farrow to finish and farrow to wean farms, resulted in FMD virus persistence within the population under certain conditions. Results here demonstrate the impact of incorporating farm structure and demography into models of FMD spread in swine populations and will ultimately contribute to the design and evaluation of effective disease control strategies to mitigate the impact of potential incursions.
Analysis and Classification of Shape-Changing Interfaces for Design and Application-based Research

Shape-changing interfaces are physically tangible, interactive devices, surfaces, or spaces that allow for rich, organic, and novel experiences with computational devices. Over the last 15 years, research has produced functional prototypes over many use applications; reviews have identified themes and possible future directions but have not yet looked at possible design or application-based research. Here, we gather this information together to provide a reference for designers and researchers wishing to build upon existing prototyping work, using synthesis and discussion of existing shape-changing interface reviews and comprehensive analysis and classification of 84 shape-changing interfaces. Eight categories of prototype are identified alongside recommendations for the field.
Functional independence of Taiwanese children with Prader–Willi syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder with obesity, developmental delay, short stature, and behavioral abnormalities. The study aimed to assess the functional independence in children with PWS. The Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) was used to evaluate 81 children with PWS (44 boys and 37 girls) with a median age of 11 years 1 month (range 2 years 8 months to 20 years 2 months) were recruited between January 2013 and December 2016. The mean total WeeFIM score was 103.8 (maximum 126). Sixty‐five patients (80%) had deletion type PWS, 16 (20.0%) had nondeletion type. The scores were 103.6 ± 18.5 for deletion and 104.8 ± 18.3 for nondeletion type (p = .405), 104.8 ± 19.3 in boys and 102.6 ± 17.3 in girls (p = .293). The mean self‐care, mobility, and cognition scores were 47 (maximum 56), 33 (maximum 35), and 24 (maximum 35), respectively. All total scores and 18 subscores in the three functional domains were positively correlated with age (p < .05). Most children required assistance in problem‐solving, comprehension, and expression. The WeeFIM identified the strengths and limitations of children with PWS and confirmed that support and supervision were needed in cognitive and self‐care tasks.
Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms in Ultramarathon Runners Not Related to Immunoglobulin Status

Objective:To determine the association between variation in exercise load, immunoglobulin (Ig) status, and self-reported symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in ultramarathon runners. Design:Longitudinal observational field study. Setting:Four weeks before and 2 weeks after an 86.5-km Comrades Marathon, South Africa. Participants:Fourteen randomly selected, amateur, male, ultramarathon runners. Main Outcome Measures:Daily record of training and URTI symptom incidence. Salivary IgA and IgM at 28 days, 14 days, and 1 day (01PRE) before the race, immediately post race (IPR) and 1 (01 PR), 3, and 14 days post race. Serum cortisol, IgG, IgM, and IgA concentrations at 01PRE, IPR, and 01PR. Results:Mean weekly training distance varied from 89.4 kilometers per week (28.9 kilometers per week) to 4.2 kilometers per week (6.7 kilometers per week). Absolute and relative mucosal IgA and IgM concentrations were unaffected by pre-race taper in training volume (P > 0.05). IgA and IgM secretion rates decreased post race (P = 0.018; 0.008), returning to baseline by 01PR. Blood leukocyte, serum cortisol, and serum IgG concentrations increased at IPR (P < 0.001, <0001) and 01PR (P = 0.009), respectively. Upper respiratory tract infection symptom incidence was highest at 28PRE and 7 to 14 days post race but not related to salivary IgA and IgM secretion rates. Eight subjects (57%) who reported URTI symptoms pre race also reported these during days 7 to 14 post race. Conclusions:Upper respiratory tract infection symptom incidence was not associated with secretory Ig concentrations. Reactivation of pre-race viruses during the 2 weeks post race and exercise-induced inflammatory response are proposed as causes of the elevated URTI incidence at 28PRE and 7 to 14 days post race.
[The effect of overall treatment time on local control in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy].

OBJECTIVE At present, the clinical data about the effect of overall treatment time (OTT) on local control for nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) patients mainly derived from conventional radiotherapy (CRT). The effect of OTT on local control for NPC patients treated with IMRT is still unclear. This study was to explore the effect of OTT on local control in IMRT for NPC patients. METHODS Clinical data of 850 NPC (T1-4N0-3M0) patients that had undergone radical radiotherapy with IMRT from May 2001 to January 2008 in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were divided into two groups, which were group with OTT ≤ 42 and group with OTT > 42 days respectively. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves. The effect of clinical factors and treatment related factors on LCR were studied with univariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression. RESULTS The 5-years local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rate of group with OTT ≤ 42 were 90.7%, and 90.9% in group with OTT > 42, no significant differences were found between these two groups (χ² = 0.028, P = 0.866). Further stratified analysis found that the LRFS rate for early T-stage patients was no significant difference between group with OTT ≤ 42 and group with > 42 days, they were 97.2% and 97.9% (χ² = 0.672, P = 0.412). For advanced T-stage patients, the LRFS rate of OTT ≤ 42 and > 42 days were 86.5% and 87.2% respectively (χ² = 0.151, P = 0.698). The 5-year LRFS rate were 94.4% vs 93.0% (χ² = 0.090, P = 0.764) at OTT > 42 vs ≤ 42 days for patients treated with IMRT alone, and 89.7% vs 87.6% (χ² = 0.060, P = 0.807) for patients in combination chemotherapy with IMRT. We divided all patients into three groups: OTT ≤ 42 d, 43 - 49 d and ≥ 50 d, the 5-years LRFS rate of the three group was 90.7%, 91.7% and 88.4%, respectively, there was no significant difference of LRFS among those three groups (χ² = 0.136, P = 0.934). Univariate analysis showed that T-stage and GTV volume were correlation with local control. In multivariate analysis, GTV volume was confirmed as independent prognostic factors for local control. CONCLUSIONS Within the range of the OTT observed in our study, prolonged OTT did not have adverse effect on local control. GTV volume was independent prognostic factors in local control for NPC patients treated with IMRT.
Chemical Polymorphism of Origanum compactum Grown in All Natural Habitats in Morocco

Origanum compactum L. (Lamiaceae) is one of the most important medicinal species in term of ethnobotany in Morocco. It is considered as a very threatened species as it is heavily exploited. Its domestication remains the most efficient way to safeguard it for future generations. For this purpose, wide evaluation of the existing variability in all over the Moroccan territory is required. The essential oils of 527 individual plants belonging to 88 populations collected from the whole distribution area of the species in Morocco were analyzed by GC/MS. The dominant constituents were carvacrol (0 – 96.3%), thymol (0 – 80.7%), p‐cymene (0.2 – 58.6%), γ‐terpinene (0 – 35.2%), carvacryl methyl ether (0 – 36.2%), and α‐terpineol (0 – 25.8%). While in the Middle Atlas region and the Central Morocco mainly carvacrol type samples were found, much higher chemotypic diversity was encountered within samples from the north part of Morocco (occidental and central Rif regions). The high chemical polymorphism of plants offers a wide range for selection of valuable chemotypes, as a part of breeding and domestication programs of this threatened species.
Exploring value destruction in social marketing services

Purpose This paper seeks to draw from services marketing theory as an alternative and under-used pathway to social and behaviour change for the achievement of societal well-being. Social marketing services are an important part of social change programmes as they contribute towards service users’ health, well-being, and the fulfilment of social marketing goals. However, value destruction can occur in users’ service experiences, leading to a decline rather than improvement of their well-being. The purpose of this paper is to understand the nature of the value destruction process and identify the outcomes in social marketing services from a consumer’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative exploratory study using a focus group (n = 4) and individual depth interview (n = 4) methods was undertaken. The discussions were guided by a semi-structured interview guide and were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Findings Thematic analysis of the data revealed two value destruction processes: incongruent resource application and misuse of firm resources. The value destruction processes suggest three types of outcomes: reduced usage of the service, termination of service and strategic behavioural actions. Originality/value This study is the first to examine value destruction processes and outcomes in social marketing services from a consumer’s perspective. This study contributes towards the small but growing body of research on value destruction in both commercial and social marketing by challenging the assumption that value creation is always positively valenced and responding to critique that there is currently insufficient focus on value destruction in service research and its impact on well-being.
Labour market consequences of a high school diploma

ABSTRACT This article compares the labour market outcomes of high school dropouts to high school graduates who did not enrol into higher education, but immediately entered the labour market. Using parental educational background as an instrument on a rich administrative dataset in the Flemish Region of Belgium, we find no returns to a high school diploma on average. However, these results hide considerable heterogeneity by gender and educational track. While females and individuals in vocational education may benefit from a diploma, male graduates and students holding a general education diploma may even be worse off on the labour market than dropouts. We show that sectoral heterogeneity acts as an underlying mechanism in the returns to a high school diploma.