Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect miR-214-3p on proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells by targeting survivin protein.

OBJECTIVE Studies showed that microRNAs (miRs) play an important role in the development of breast cancer. It has been shown that there were significant differences between the expression levels of serum miR-214-3p in breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Since survivin is involved in cell cycle and apoptosis, this study aims to investigate the effect of miR-214-3p on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dual-Luciferase reporter system was used to validate the cell cycle-related target gene survivin. miRanda and TargetScan were used to predict miR-214-3p target genes. Lipofectamine 2000 was used to transfect the miR-214-3p mimics, miR-NC into the MCF-7 cells. The quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of miR-214-3p and survivin. The 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to examine the cell proliferation of breast cancer cells. The flow cytometry assay was used to evaluate the apoptosis of breast cancer cells. RESULTS Dual-Luciferase reporter assay showed that cells co-transfected with wild-type vector and miR-214-3p mimics had significant lower ratios of hRluc/Luc fluorescence compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). The expression level of miR-214-3p was increased along with the increase of time after transfection, whereas the expression level of survivin mRNA was decreased along with the increase of time post transfection. This result suggests that miR-214-3p regulates the mRNA expression of survivin. Transfection of miR-214-3p inhibitor increased the proliferation of MCF-7 cells and transfection of miR-214-3p mimics decreased the proliferation of MCF-7 cells compared to control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Survivin gene is a downstream target of miR-214-3p in breast cancer cells. The expression of miR-214-3p and survivin is correlated with the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells.
Fast visible and extended near-infrared multispectral fundus camera

Abstract. We present a multispectral fundus camera that performs fast imaging of the ocular posterior pole in the visible and near-infrared (400 to 1300 nm) wavelengths through 15 spectral bands, using a flashlight source made of light-emitting diodes, and CMOS and InGaAs cameras. We investigate the potential of this system for visualizing occult and overlapping structures of the retina in the unexplored wavelength range beyond 900 nm, in which radiation can penetrate deeper into the tissue. Reflectance values at each pixel are also retrieved from the acquired images in the analyzed spectral range. The available spectroscopic information and the visualization of retinal structures, specifically the choroidal vasculature and drusen-induced retinal pigment epithelium degeneration, which are hardly visible in conventional color fundus images, underline the clinical potential of this system as a new tool for ophthalmic diagnosis.
The Effects of Short-Term and Very Short-Term Particulate Matter Exposure on Asthma-Related Hospital Visits: National Health Insurance Data

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term and very short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) exceeding the daily average environmental standards for Korea (≤100 µg/m3 for PM10 and ≤50 µg/m3 for PM2.5) on on asthma-related hospital visits. Materials and Methods This was a population-based, case-crossover study using National Health Insurance and air pollution data between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016. The event day was defined as a day when PM exceeded the daily average environmental standard (short-term exposure) or daily average environmental standard for 2 hours (very short-term exposure). The control day was defined as the same day of the week at 1 week prior to the event day. Results Compared with control days, asthma-related hospital visits on the 24-hr event days and 2-hr event days increased by 4.10% and 3.45% for PM10 and 5.66% and 3.74% for PM2.5, respectively. Asthma-related hospital visits increased from the 24-hr event day for PM10 to 4 days after the event day, peaking on the third day after the event day (1.26, 95% confidence interval, 1.22–1.30). Hospitalizations also increased on the third day after the event. While there was a difference in magnitude, PM2.5 exposure showed similar trends to PM10 exposure. Conclusion We found a significant association between short-term and very short-term PM exposure exceeding the current daily average environmental standards of Korea and asthma-related hospital visits. These results are expected to aid in establishing appropriate environmental standards and relevant policies for PM.
Levels Of Zinc , Copper And Magnesium In Sheep With Toxoplasmosis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Tox plasma gondii infection on the content of essential elements of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and magnesium (Mg) in sheep. Serum Zn, Cu, and Mg levels as well as wool Zn and Cu concentrations were measured in twenty sheep whose antiT gondi antibodies were positive and in seventeen sero-negative healthy sheep. The average Zn concentration in serums from sero-positive sheep was significantly (P<0.05) lower than in their controls. However, compared to the healthy ewes the Cu concentrations in serum of sero-positive objects were recorded significantly (P<0.001) higher. The mean concentration of Mg in serum was higher but not significant (P>0.05) in sero-positive sheep than in their controls. On the other hand, the Zn and Cu concentrations of wool from diseased animals showed no significant elevations.
Title The effects of individual , family and environmental factors on physical activity levels in children : a cross-sectional study

Background: Physical activity plays an important role in optimising physical and mental health during childhood, adolescence, and throughout adult life. This study aims to identify individual, family and environmental factors that determine physical activity levels in a population sample of children in Ireland. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of the first wave (2008) of the nationally representative Growing Up in Ireland study. A two-stage clustered sampling method was used where national schools served as the primary sampling unit (response rate: 82%) and age eligible children from participating schools were the secondary units (response rate: 57%). Parent reported child physical activity levels and potential covariates (parent and child reported) include favourite hobby, total screen time, sports participation and child body mass index (measured by trained researcher). Univariate and multivariate multinomial logistic regression (forward block entry) examined the association between individual, family and environmental level factors and physical activity levels. Results: The children (N = 8,568) were classified as achieving low (25%), moderate (20%) or high (55%) physical activity levels. In the fully adjusted model, male gender (OR 1.64 [95% CI: 1.34-2.01]), having an active favourite hobby (OR 1.65 [95% CI: 1.31-2.08]) and membership of sports or fitness team (OR 1.90 [95% CI: 1.48-2.45]) were significantly associated with being in the high physical activity group. Exceeding two hours total screen time (OR 0.66 [95% CI: 0.52-0.85]), being overweight (OR 0.41 [95%CI: 0.27-0.61]; or obese (OR 0.68 [95%CI: 0.54-0.86]) were significantly associated with decreased odds of being in the high physical activity group. Conclusions: Individual level factors appear to predict PA levels when considered in the multiple domains. Future research should aim to use more robust objective measures to explore the usefulness of the interconnect that exists across these domains. In particular how the family and environmental settings could be useful facilitators for consistent individual level factors such as sports participation.
The Welfare Impacts of a Conservation Easement ∗ May , 2014

The welfare impacts of a conservation easement are examined in a real options model. The size of the easement payment to the landowner largely determines the efficiency of the easement outcome. An inefficiently small payment results in states where rejection of the easement by the landowner reduces welfare. In contrast, an inefficiently large payment results in states where acceptance of the easement reduces welfare. This latter outcome emerges because the easement reduces the flow of municipal property tax payments, and the corresponding reduction in the provision of public goods is large relative to the environmental externality. A higher level of development value uncertainty raises the value of the real option to defer the land development decision, which in turn decreases the range of states for which acceptance of the easement by the landowner is socially desirable.
Numerical Analysis of Axial-Flow Cyclone Separator for Subway Station HVAC System Pre-Filter

In the Korean subway station, three types of pre-filters, which include auto filter, electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and auto cleaning demister, are widely used. However, these devices have some problems such as the difficulty of maintenance and high operating cost. In this study, axial-flow cyclone separator was employed as a pre-filter inside a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 3-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed on a single unit axial-flow cyclone and coupled unit axial-flow cyclone. Calculated and measured pressure drop of the designed axial-flow cyclone were found be comparable to other types of pre-filters and the observed cut-off diameter was less than 10 micron. Considering lower operating and maintenance cost, axial-flow cyclone was proved to be a better solution as a pre-filter.
University of Groningen Role of differentiation in glioblastoma invasion

Molecular signatures in Glioblastoma (GBM) have been described that correlate with clinical outcome and response to therapy. The Proneural (PN) and Mesenchymal (MES) signatures have been identified most consistently, but others including Classical (CLAS) have also been reported. The molecular signatures have been detected by array techniques at RNA and DNA level, but these methods are costly and cannot take into account individual contributions of different cells within a tumor. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether subclasses of primary GBMs could be assessed and assigned by application of standard pathology laboratory procedures. 123 Primary GBMs were analyzed for the tumor cell expression of 23 pre-identified proteins and EGFR amplification, together allowing for the subclassification of 62% of the tumors. Immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based profiling was found to be analogous to transcription-based profiling using a 9-gene transcriptional signature for PN and MES subclasses. Based on these data a novel, minimal IHC-based scheme for subclass assignment for GBMs is proposed. Positive staining for IDH1R132H can be used for PN subclass assignment, high EGFR for the CLAS subtype and a combined high expression of PTEN, VIM and/or YKL40 for the MES subclass. The application of the proposed scheme was evaluated in an independent tumor set, which resulted in similar subclass assignment rates as those observed in the training set. The IHC-based subclassification scheme proposed in this study therefore could provide very useful in future studies for GBM stratification.
L EARNING WHAT AND WHERE TO ATTEND

Most recent gains in visual recognition have originated from the inclusion of attention mechanisms in deep convolutional networks (DCNs). Because these networks are optimized for object recognition, they learn where to attend using only a weak form of supervision derived from image class labels. Here, we demonstrate the benefit of using stronger supervisory signals by teaching DCNs to attend to image regions that humans deem important for object recognition. We first describe a large-scale online experiment (ClickMe) used to supplement ImageNet with nearly half a million human-derived “top-down” attention maps. Using human psychophysics, we confirm that the identified top-down features from ClickMe are more diagnostic than “bottom-up” saliency features for rapid image categorization. As a proof of concept, we extend a state-of-the-art attention network and demonstrate that adding ClickMe supervision significantly improves its accuracy and yields visual features that are more interpretable and more similar to those used by human observers.
Executive Compensation and Strategic Risk-Taking in IT Completed Research Paper

This study examines how the risk-taking incentive of top executives drives the strategic risk-taking in corporate IT implementation. We use the risk incentive provided in executive compensation to capture top executives’ risk-taking incentive, and develop measures of aggressive IT implementation to capture strategic risk-taking in IT implementation. Our analysis provides empirical evidence that the risk incentive of executive compensation drives aggressive IT implementation. We also consider how firm diversification may influence the relationship between the risk incentive of top executives and aggressive IT implementation. Our finding indicates that the relationship between the risk incentive of top executives and aggressive IT implementation is stronger in focal firms’ primary industries than in their secondary industries, which suggests that diversification supports IT risk taking by providing riskseeking executives more opportunities in the areas that are less familiar to them.
Development of Learning Devices Based on Realistic Approach Integrated Context Malay Deli Culture To Improve Ability of Understand Mathematical Concepts and Students ’ Self-Regulated Learning At SMP Negeri 5 Medan

This study aims to: 1) Develop learning devices based on realistic approach integrated Malay Deli cultural context that meets valid, practical, and effective criteria; 2) Describe the enhancement of ability of understand mathematical concepts using the developed PR-TKBMD-based learning devices; and 3) Describe the improvement of students' self-regulated learning using the developed PR-TKBMD-based learning devices. This research is a development research using 4-D model done in two stages, namely: 1) developing the device, and 2) testing the device. The subject of this research is the students of class VII of SMP Negeri 5 Medan. The object of this study is the learning devices based on PR-TKBMD developed, the ability of understand mathematical concepts, and the questionnaire of students’ self-regulated learning. The results showed: 1) Learning devices based on PR-TKBMD developed have met the valid, practical and effective criteria; 2) There is an increased ability to understand mathematical concepts after using the PR-TKBMD-based learning devices; and 3) There is an increase in student self-regulated learning after using the PR-TKBMD-based learning devices.
R EVIEW Mitochondrial DNA and Human Thyroid Diseases

Cells of the thyroid tissue, either diseased or normal, can accumulate altered mitochondrial genomes in primary lesions and in surrounding parenchyma. Depending on the experimental approaches and the extent of the mutational process, it has been possible to demonstrate the occurrence of homoplasmic or heteroplasmic point mutations, presence of a common deletion and random large-scale mtDNA aberrations in various pathological states. Point somatic mutations documented in 5–60% of thyroid tumors do not concentrate in obvious hotspots but tend to cluster in certain regions of the mitochondrial genome and their distribution may differ between carcinomas and controls. Large-scale deletions in mtDNA are quite prevalent in healthy and diseased thyroid; however, the proportion of aberrant mtDNA molecules accounts for a very small part of total mtDNA and does not seem to correlate with pathological characteristics of thyroid tumors. Common deletion is most abundant in Hurthle cell tumors, yet it also occurs in other thyroid diseases as well as in normal tissue. The principal difference between the common deletion and other deletion-type mtDNA molecules is that the former does not depend on the relative mtDNA content in the tissue whereas in a subset of thyroid tumors, such as radiation-associated papillary carcinomas and follicular adenomas, there is a strong correlation between mtDNA levels and prevalence of large-scale deletions. Relative mtDNA levels by themselves are elevated in most thyroid tumors compared to normal tissue. Distinct differential distribution and prevalence of mutational mtDNA burden in normal tissue and thyroid lesions are suggestive of the implication of altered mtDNA in thyroid diseases, especially in cancer.
Root and shoot gas ex hange respond additively to oder e ozo e and e hyl jasmonate without induction of ethylene : ethylene is induced at higher O 3 concentrations

In mammals, cadmium is widely considered as a non-genotoxic carcinogen acting through a methylation-dependent epigenetic mechanism. Here, the effects of Cd treatment on the DNA methylation patten are examined together with its effect on chromatin reconfiguration in Posidonia oceanica. DNA methylation level and pattern were analysed in actively growing organs, under short(6 h) and long(2 d or 4 d) term and low (10 mM) and high (50 mM) doses of Cd, through a Methylation-Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism technique and an immunocytological approach, respectively. The expression of one member of the CHROMOMETHYLASE (CMT) family, a DNA methyltransferase, was also assessed by qRT-PCR. Nuclear chromatin ultrastructure was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Cd treatment induced a DNA hypermethylation, as well as an up-regulation of CMT, indicating that de novo methylation did indeed occur. Moreover, a high dose of Cd led to a progressive heterochromatinization of interphase nuclei and apoptotic figures were also observed after long-term treatment. The data demonstrate that Cd perturbs the DNA methylation status through the involvement of a specific methyltransferase. Such changes are linked to nuclear chromatin reconfiguration likely to establish a new balance of expressed/repressed chromatin. Overall, the data show an epigenetic basis to the mechanism underlying Cd toxicity in plants.
A Theory of Crime and Vigilance

This paper develops a theory of crime in which potential victims elect their vigilance levels. When vigilance expenses are greater than expected property losses, an increase in penalties raises crime, namely, a criminal Laffer curve emerges. This curve is higher and peaks earlier when victims face higher costs. Thus, the government may wish to subsidize vigilance rather than increase penalties. Indeed, an increase in penalties may shift the vigilance levels further away from their socially optimal ones. Finally, the crime rate first rises and then falls in the property value at stake, which is consistent with the empirical evidence. (JEL D91, H76, K42)
THE USE OF DISPERSION STRENGTHENED COPPER IN ACCELERATOR DESIGNS* [%E”GEWEL2

Dispersion strengthened copper, known by the trade name GLIDCOP@[l], has found various applications in accelerator designs. Glidcop has material properties similar to OFE copper, such as thermal and electrical conductivity. Unlike OFE, however, Glidcop has yield and ultimate strengths equivalent to those of mild-carbon steel, making it a good stmctural material. This paper covers some accelerator components fabricated with Glidcop, material properties measured from room to brazing temperatures, and a furnace-brazing process that has produced good, consistent results with Glidcop.
– Domain Based Low-Cost Rate-Control Algorithm for the H . 264 Video Coder

One of the target applications of the H.264/MPEG AVC codec is the transmission of video sequences whenever bandwidth and storage capacity are limited (e.g. video telephony or video conferencing over mobile channels and devices). To comply with this requirements, it is necessary to tune the encoder parameters taking into account the buffer level, channel variations, and the resulting visual quality. This paper describes an accurate rate control algorithm that requires less memory and is less computationally complex than other rate control algorithms. In the proposed approach, the number of coded bits in each frame is accurately predicted from the percentage of null quantized coefficients (called ). Such a quantity can be directly computed from the energy of the quantized signal ( ). Therefore, the coefficient statistics does not need to be stored, and the image parametrization can be performed with reduced hardware requirements. The performance of the proposed solution outperforms the JVT algorithm we used as a comparison in terms of objective and subjective visual quality. Keywords— video coding, transform coding, ITU-T Recommendation H.264, MPEG-4 part 10, rate control, R-D parametrization, bit allocation, rate-distortion analysis.
Expectations and Sensation-Seeking as predictors of Binge Drinking in adolescents

espanolEn la actualidad, se dan diferentes modalidades de consumo de alcohol entre adolescentes, entre ellas destacan los episodios de consumo concentrado o binge drinking. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las variables implicadas en el inicio y mantenimiento de la modalidad de consumo concentrado de alcohol, asi como, el papel predictor de la busqueda de sensaciones y las expectativas sobre el alcohol sobre el consumo excesivo y sobre la intencion de mantener esta practica medio-largo plazo. Se conto con una muestra de 315 alumnos de secundaria, que respondieron a cuestiones relacionadas con el consumo de alcohol. Ademas, se implementaron pruebas estandarizadas como el Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire-Adolescent, Brief y la Escala de Busqueda de Sensaciones, para evaluar las expectativas hacia el alcohol y la tendencia a la busqueda de sensaciones, respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos revelan que la tendencia hacia la busqueda de sensaciones cumple una funcion determinante en la implicacion del adolescente en conductas de riesgo, mientras que las expectativas positivas sobre los resultados del consumo, minimizan los riesgos y facilitan el inicio y/o mantenimiento de habitos de consumo de alcohol. Se destaca la importancia de ampliar el volumen de investigacion sobre las diferentes modalidades de consumo de alcohol en adolescentes, y su aplicacion en el diseno de intervenciones efectivas para su prevencion. EnglishThe different current modalities of alcohol use in adolescents include episodes of binge drinking. The objective of this study was to analyze the variables involved in starting and continuing binge drinking, and the predictor roles of sensation-seeking and expectations about alcohol in excessive drinking and the intention of continuing this practice in the medium-to-long term. A sample of 315 high school students answered a series of questions related to drinking alcohol. They were also given standardized tests including the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire-Adolescent, Brief and the Sensation-Seeking Scale to evaluate their expectations about alcohol and their tendency towards sensation-seeking. The results show that the tendency towards sensation-seeking plays a determining function in the involvement of adolescents in risky behavior, while positive expectations about the results of drinking minimize apparent risks and make it easier to acquire and maintain alcohol drinking habits. We highlight the importance of expanding research into the different types of adolescent drinking and applying the research to the design of effective drinking prevention interventions.