Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malignant melanoma of the toenail apparatus.

BACKGROUND Subungual melanoma is an unpredictable and aggressive tumor with a propensity to metastasize widely. Because it is an uncommon condition, statistical analysis of its behavior patterns is difficult, factors that determine its prognosis are unclear, and optimal management is ill defined. STUDY DESIGN A detailed review was undertaken of the clinical and histologic features of subungual melanomas arising from the toenail apparatus in 25 patients treated at the Sydney Melanoma Unit during a 40-year period. Treatment and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS Most of the lesions were situated on the great toe in elderly patients of Anglo-Celtic extraction. Antecedent trauma to the toe was frequently reported and delayed diagnosis was usual. There was great variation in Breslow thickness and Clark's level, but these indices were found to have less prognostic significance than for other forms of cutaneous melanoma. CONCLUSIONS The treatment of subungual melanoma of the toenail apparatus is primarily surgical, by amputation at or proximal to the metatarsophalangeal joint. Even if there is no clinical evidence of metastatic disease in regional lymph nodes, radical node dissection is desirable. The condition is most appropriately managed at a specialist center.
Electron Microscopy Structural Insights into CPAP Oligomeric Behavior: A Plausible Assembly Process of a Supramolecular Scaffold of the Centrosome

Centrosomal P4.1-associated protein (CPAP) is a cell cycle regulated protein fundamental for centrosome assembly and centriole elongation. In humans, the region between residues 897–1338 of CPAP mediates interactions with other proteins and includes a homodimerization domain. CPAP mutations cause primary autosomal recessive microcephaly and Seckel syndrome. Despite of the biological/clinical relevance of CPAP, its mechanistic behavior remains unclear and its C-terminus (the G-box/TCP domain) is the only part whose structure has been solved. This situation is perhaps due in part to the challenges that represent obtaining the protein in a soluble, homogeneous state for structural studies. Our work constitutes a systematic structural analysis on multiple oligomers of HsCPAP897−1338, using single-particle electron microscopy (EM) of negatively stained (NS) samples. Based on image classification into clearly different regular 3D maps (putatively corresponding to dimers and tetramers) and direct observation of individual images representing other complexes of HsCPAP897−1338 (i.e., putative flexible monomers and higher-order multimers), we report a dynamic oligomeric behavior of this protein, where different homo-oligomers coexist in variable proportions. We propose that dimerization of the putative homodimer forms a putative tetramer which could be the structural unit for the scaffold that either tethers the pericentriolar material to centrioles or promotes procentriole elongation. A coarse fitting of atomic models into the NS 3D maps at resolutions around 20 Å is performed only to complement our experimental data, allowing us to hypothesize on the oligomeric composition of the different complexes. In this way, the current EM work represents an initial step toward the structural characterization of different oligomers of CPAP, suggesting further insights to understand how this protein works, contributing to the elucidation of control mechanisms for centriole biogenesis.
Standard and line‐to‐line cementation of a polished short hip stem: Long‐term in vitro implant stability

The current trend is toward shorter hip stems. While there is a general agreement on the need for a cement mantle thicker than 2 mm, some surgeons prefer line‐to‐line cementation, where the mantle has only the thickness provided by the cement‐bone interdigitation. The aim of this study was to assess if a relatively short, polished hip stem designed for a standard cementation can also be cemented line‐to‐line without increasing the risk of long‐term loosening. Composite femurs with specific open‐cell foam to allow cement‐bone interdigitation were used. A validated in‐vitro biomechanical cyclic test replicating long‐term physiological loading was applied to femurs where the same stem was implanted with the Standard‐mantle (optimal stem size) and Line‐to‐line (same rasp, one‐size larger stem). Implant‐bone motions were measured during the test. Inducible micromotions never exceeded 10 μm for both implant types (differences statistically not‐significant). Permanent migrations ranged 50–300 μm for both implant types (differences statistically not‐significant). While in the standard‐mantle specimens there was a pronounced trend toward stabilization, line‐to‐line had less tendency to stabilize. The cement cracks were observed after the test by means of dye penetrants: The line‐to‐line specimens included the same cracks of the standard‐mantle (but in the line‐to‐line specimens they were longer), and some additional cracks. The micromotions and cement damage were consistent with those observed in‐vitro and clinically for stable stems, confirming that none of the specimens became dramatically loose. However, it seems that for this relatively short polished stem, standard‐mantle cementation is preferable, as it results in less micromotion and less cement cracking. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2736–2744, 2018.
POSFET touch sensor with on-chip electronic module for signal conditioning

This paper presents the design, fabrication and evaluation of the new version of POSFET (Piezoelectric Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) touch sensing device based tactile sensing chip. Implemented using CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology, the chip consists of POSFET device and the integrated bias (a high compliance current sink) circuitry. The high compliance current sink provides the current IDS for the POSFET devices. The performance of tactile sensing chip has been evaluated in the dynamic contact forces range of 0.01–3 N and the sensitivity of POSFET devices (without amplification) is 102.4 mV/N.
Wavelength‐dependent Photoacoustic Calorimetry Study of Melanin

Photoacoustic calorimetry is used to examine the energy dissipation in melanin under physiological conditions (pH 7.2) following irradiation by UV and visible (VIS) light. Four different excitation wavelengths were examined: 264 nm, representative of UVC radiation, 351 nm and 400 nm (UVA‐I radiation) and 527 nm, representative of VIS radiation. Following absorption at 527 nm, essentially all of the photon energy is released nonradiatively on a sub‐nanosecond of excitation. Similar results are observed at 400 nm. At 351 nm, most of the energy was released as heat; a small amount of energy was retained (5 ± 5%). When melanin is excited at 264 nm, 29 ± 7% of the photon energy is retained by the molecule for a time period longer than a few hundred nanoseconds. These results show that a long‐lived excited state or reactive intermediate is generated upon UV irradiation, whereas all of the excitation energy is dissipated nonradiatively in the visible portion of the spectrum. These results establish that the photochemistry of melanin is wavelength dependent.
Collagen type I induces EGFR‐TKI resistance in EGFR‐mutated cancer cells by mTOR activation through Akt‐independent pathway

Primary resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKIs) is a serious problem in lung adenocarcinoma patients harboring EGFR mutations. The aim of this study was to examine whether and how collagen type I (Col I), the most abundantly deposited matrix in tumor stroma, affects EGFR‐TKI sensitivity in EGFR‐mutant cells. We evaluated the EGFR‐TKI sensitivity of EGFR‐mutated cancer cells cultured with Col I. Changes in the activation of downstream signaling molecules of EGFR were analyzed. We also examined the association between the Col I expression in tumor stroma in surgical specimens and EGFR‐TKI response of postoperative recurrence patients with EGFR mutations. Compared to cancer cells without Col I, the survival rate of cancer cells cultured with Col I was significantly higher after EGFR‐TKI treatment. In cancer cells cultured with and without Col I, EGFR‐TKI suppressed the levels of phosphorylated (p‐)EGFR, p‐ERK1/2, and p‐Akt. When compared to cancer cells without Col I, expression of p‐P70S6K, a hallmark of mTOR activation, was dramatically upregulated in cancer cells with Col I. This activation was maintained even after EGFR‐TKI treatment. Simultaneous treatment with EGFR‐TKI and mTOR inhibitor abrogated Col I‐induced resistance to EGFR‐TKI. Patients with Col I‐rich stroma had a significantly shorter progression‐free survival time after EGFR‐TKI therapy (238 days vs 404 days; P < .05). Collagen type I induces mTOR activation through an Akt‐independent pathway, which results in EGFR‐TKI resistance. Combination therapy using EGFR‐TKI and mTOR inhibitor could be a possible strategy to combat this resistance.
CredEye: A Credibility Lens for Analyzing and Explaining Misinformation

Rapid increase of misinformation online has emerged as one of the biggest challenges in this post-truth era. This has given rise to many fact-checking websites that manually assess doubtful claims. However, the speed and scale at which misinformation spreads in online media inherently limits manual verification. Hence, the problem of automatic credibility assessment has attracted great attention. In this work, we present CredEye, a system for automatic credibility assessment. It takes a natural language claim as input from the user and automatically analyzes its credibility by considering relevant articles from the Web. Our system captures joint interaction between language style of articles, their stance towards a claim and the trustworthiness of the sources. In addition, extraction of supporting evidence in the form of enriched snippets makes the verdicts of CredEye transparent and interpretable.
Iteratively improving Hi-C experiments one step at a time

The 3D organization of eukaryotic chromosomes affects key processes such as gene expression, DNA replication, cell division, and response to DNA damage. The genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) approach can characterize the landscape of 3D genome organization by measuring interaction frequencies between all genomic regions. Hi-C protocol improvements and rapid advances in DNA sequencing power have made Hi-C useful to diverse biological systems, not only to elucidate the role of 3D genome structure in proper cellular function, but also to characterize genomic rearrangements, assemble new genomes, and consider chromatin interactions as potential biomarkers for diseases. Yet, the Hi-C protocol is still complex and subject to variations at numerous steps that can affect the resulting data. Thus, there is still a need for better understanding and control of factors that contribute to Hi-C experiment success and data quality. Here, we evaluate recently proposed Hi-C protocol modifications as well as often overlooked variables in sample preparation and examine their effects on Hi-C data quality. We examine artifacts that can occur during Hi-C library preparation, including microhomology-based artificial template copying and chimera formation that can add noise to the downstream data. Exploring the mechanisms underlying Hi-C artifacts pinpoints steps that should be further optimized in the future. To improve the utility of Hi-C in characterizing the 3D genome of specialized populations of cells or small samples of primary tissue, we identify steps prone to DNA loss which should be optimized to adapt Hi-C to lower cell numbers. Highlights 3 to 5 bullet points (maximum 85 characters, including spaces, per bullet point) Variability in Hi-C libraries can arise from early steps of cell preparation Hi-C 2.0 changes to interaction capture steps also benefit 6-cutter libraries Artificial molecule fusions can arise during end repair and PCR, increasing noise Common causes of Hi-C DNA loss identified for future optimization
Air- and Dustborne Mycoflora in Houses Free of Water Damage and Fungal Growth

ABSTRACT Typically, studies on indoor fungal growth in buildings focus on structures with known or suspected water damage, moisture, and/or indoor fungal growth problems. Reference information on types of culturable fungi and total fungal levels are generally not available for buildings without these problems. This study assessed 50 detached single-family homes in metropolitan Atlanta, Ga. , to establish a baseline of “normal and typical” types and concentrations of airborne and dustborne fungi in urban homes which were predetermined not to have noteworthy moisture problems or indoor fungal growth. Each home was visually examined, and samples of indoor and outdoor air and of indoor settled dust were taken in winter and summer. The results showed that rankings by prevalence and abundance of the types of airborne and dustborne fungi did not differ from winter to summer, nor did these rankings differ when air samples taken indoors were compared with those taken outdoors. Water indicator fungi were essentially absent from both air and dust samples. The air and dust data sets were also examined specifically for the proportions of colonies from ecological groupings such as leaf surface fungi and soil fungi. In the analysis of dust for culturable fungal colonies, leaf surface fungi constituted a considerable portion (>20%) of the total colonies in at least 85% of the samples. Thus, replicate dust samples with less than 20% of colonies from leaf surface fungi are unlikely to be from buildings free of moisture or mold growth problems.
Activated ADP-ribosylation Factor Assembles Distinct Pools of Actin on Golgi Membranes*

The small GTP-binding protein ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) has been shown to regulate the interaction of actin and actin-binding proteins with the Golgi apparatus. Here we report that ARF activation stimulates the assembly of distinct pools of actin on Golgi membranes. One pool of actin cofractionates with coatomer (COPI)- coated vesicles and is sensitive to salt extraction and the plus end actin-binding toxin cytochalasin D. A second ARF-dependent actin pool remains on the Golgi membranes following vesicle extraction and is insensitive to cytochalasin D. Isolation of the salt-extractable ARF-dependent actin from the Golgi reveals that it is bound to a distinct repertoire of actin-binding proteins. The two abundant actin-binding proteins of the ARF-dependent actin complex are identified as spectrin and drebrin. We show that drebrin is a specific component of the cytochalasin D-sensitive, ARF-dependent actin pool on the Golgi. Finally, we show that depolymerization of this actin pool with cytochalasin D increases the extent of the salt-dependent release of COPI-coated vesicles from the Golgi following cell-free budding reactions. Together these data suggest that regulation of the actin-based cytoskeleton may play an important role during ARF-mediated transport vesicle assembly or release on the Golgi.
Real‐time studies of the progression of bacterial infections and immediate tissue responses in live animals

By combining intravital multiphoton microscopy and bacterial genetics we have developed a technique enabling real‐time imaging of bacterial proliferation and tissue responses in a live animal. Spatial and temporal control of the infection process was achieved by microinjecting GFP+‐expressing uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) into tubules of exteriorized kidneys in live rats. GFP+ was introduced in the clinical UPEC strain CFT073 as a single‐copy chromosomal gene fusion. Within hours, bacterial colonization was accompanied by marked ischaemic effects, perivascular leakage, loss of tubular integrity and localized recruitment of immune cells. The pathophysiology was altered in response to an isogenic bacterial strain lacking the exotoxin haemolysin, revealing the subtle and temporal roles of bacterial virulence factors in vivo. Microdissection and RNA extraction of the injected nephron allowed molecular analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic gene expression. The techniques described here can be applied to study the integrated cell communication evoked by a variety of bacterial pathogens, assisting in the design of strategies to combat bacterial infections.
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction of Immigrant Korean Nurses

Purpose: An increasing number of foreign-born nurses are working in the United States. Nurses’ job satisfaction is a critical issue for quality patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the job satisfaction of immigrant Korean nurses. Design: We used a cross-sectional mailed survey design. A convenience sample (n = 105) of members of the Greater New York Korean Nurses Association currently working or had previously worked in the United States completed the questionnaires. We used hierarchical regression to test the effects of acculturation and life satisfaction on job satisfaction. Results: Most participants were female (n = 98, 93.3%) aged 27 to 70 years (mean = 52.27 years, SD = 10.67). In the regression model, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived stress predicted job satisfaction (F = 5.127, p < .001) and explained 44.5% of the variance of job satisfaction. Discussion and Conclusion: U.S. nurses need to gain insight into factors influencing job satisfaction in Korean nurses to promote retention and quality care.
Nutrition on match day

Abstract What players should eat on match day is a frequently asked question in sports nutrition. The recommendation from the available evidence is that players should eat a high-carbohydrate meal about 3 h before the match. This may be breakfast when the matches are played around midday, lunch for late afternoon matches, and an early dinner when matches are played late in the evening. The combination of a high-carbohydrate pre-match meal and a sports drink, ingested during the match, results in a greater exercise capacity than a high-carbohydrate meal alone. There is evidence to suggest that there are benefits to a pre-match meal that is composed of low-glycaemic index (GI) carbohydrate foods rather than high-GI foods. A low-GI pre-match meal results in feelings of satiety for longer and produces a more stable blood glucose concentration than after a high-GI meal. There are also some reports of improved endurance capacity after low-GI carbohydrate pre-exercise meals. The physical demands of soccer training and match-play draw heavily on players' carbohydrate stores and so the benefits of good nutritional practices for performance and health should be an essential part of the education of players, coaches, and in particular the parents of young players.
Compact Factorization of Matrices Using Generalized Round-Rank

Author(s): Pezeshkpour, Pouya | Advisor(s): Singh, Sameer | Abstract: Matrix factorization is a popular machine learning technique, with applications in variety of domains, such as recommendation systems [16, 28], natural language processing [26], and computer vision [10]. Due to this widespread use of these models, there has been considerable theoretical analysis of the various properties of low-rank approximations of real-valued matrices, including approximation rank [1, 5] and sample complexity [2]. Rather than assume real-valued data, a number of studies (particularly ones on practical applications) focus on more specific data types, such as binary data [23], integer data [17], and ordinal data [12, 30]. For such matrices, existing approaches have used different link functions, applied in an element-wise manner to the low-rank representation [21], i.e. the output Y is ψ(U^TV) instead of the conventional U^TV. These link functions have been justified from a probabilistic point of view [4, 27], and have provided considerable success in empirical settings. However, theoretical results for linear factorization do not apply here, and thus the expressive power of the factorization models with non-linear link functions is not clear, and neither is the relation of the rank of a matrix to the link function used.In this work, we first define a generalized notion of rank based on the link function ψ, as the rank of a latent matrix before the link function is applied. We focus on a link function that applies to factorization of integer-valued matrices: the generalized round function (GRF), and define the corresponding generalized round-rank (GRR). After providing background on GRR, we show that there are many low-GRR matrices that are full rank [1]. Moreover, we also study the approximation limitations of linear rank, by showing, for example, that low GRR matrices often cannot be approximated by low-rank linear matrices. We define uniqueness for GRR-based matrix completion, and derive its necessary and sufficient conditions. These properties demonstrate that many full linear-rank matrices can be factorized using low-rank matrices if an appropriate link function is used.We also present an empirical evaluation of factorization with different link functions for matrix reconstruction and completion. We show that using link functions is efficient compared to linear rank, in that gradient-based optimization approach learns more accurate reconstructions using a lower rank representation and fewer training samples. We also perform experiments on matrix completion on two recommendation datasets, and demonstrate that appropriate link function outperform linear factorization, thus can play a crucial role in accurate matrix completion.
Brazilian red propolis: unreported substances, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

BACKGROUND Chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of a sample of red propolis from the state of Alagoas (northeast Brazil) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were also obtained. RESULTS The propolis sample contained low content of narigenin-8-C-hexoside, this being the first report of a C-glycoside in propolis. The main constituent found was characterized as 3,4,2',3'-tetrahydroxychalcone. Other important constituents were the chalcone isoliquiritigenin, the isoflavans (3S)-vestitol, (3S)-7-O-methylvestitol, the pterocarpan medicarpin, the phenylpropenes trans-anethol, methyl eugenol, elimicin, methoxyeugenol and cis-asarone, and the triterpenic alcohols lupeol and α- and β- amyrins. The methanol extract exhibited high antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and β-carotene/linoleic acid assay methods, and antimicrobial activity toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. CONCLUSION Structures are suggested for new substances never before seen in any kind of propolis. This is the first report of 3,4,2',3'-tetrahydroxychalcone and a flavone C-glycoside in a propolis sample.