Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interaction of human chorionic gonadotropin with membrane components of rat testes.

Previous studies demonstrating that gangliosides interacted with thyrotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) suggested that gangliosides participate in the transduction of the hormonal message across the target cell membrane. As a continuation of these investigations, we examined the effects of down-regulation of hCG receptors on the interaction of hCG with rat testis membrane components. Rat testes contained a complex ganglioside pattern that did not appear to change qualitatively or quantitatively after the injection of hCG into the animals, although testis membranes from hCG-treated rats lost their capacity to bind (125)I-labeled hCG ((125)I-hCG). Gangliosides extracted from the testes of control and treated animals were equally effective inhibitors of (125)I-hCG binding to testis membranes. However, inhibition of binding was observed only under conditions (pH 6.0, low ionic strength) such that unlabeled hCG (>2500-fold excess) did not block (125)I-hCG binding, and (125)I-hCG bound similarly to testis membranes from control and treated rats. Under conditions such that hCG binding was specific (blocked by 250-fold excess of unlabeled hCG), testis gangliosides were noninhibitory. Liposomes containing gangliosides from the testes of control or hCG-treated rats bound similar small amounts of (125)I-hCG. These same liposomes bound 50 and 1000 times more thyrotropin and cholera toxin, respectively, than hCG. Oligosaccharides derived from gangliosides did not inhibit (125)I-hCG binding to testis membranes nor did they alter the fluorescence of hCG conjugated with fluorescent probes, whereas the gangliosides themselves were inhibitory and enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the hCG derivatives. Exposure of testis membranes from hCG-treated rats to 4 M MgCl(2), which displaces bound hCG [Chen, Y. -D. I. & Payne, A. H. (1977) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 74, 1589-1596], did not restore their ability to bind (125)I-hCG. When membranes were solubilized with Triton X-100, a solubilized receptor was detected from testis membranes of control but not hCG-treated rats. These findings and the absence of demonstrable changes in the composition or quantity of rat testis gangliosides when hCG receptors are down-regulated suggest that gangliosides do not represent the primary binding determinants of hCG receptors.
Optimal distribution of heterogeneous agents under delays

An analytical framework for the study of a generic distribution problem is introduced in which a group of agents with different capabilities intend to maximize total utility by dividing themselves into various subgroups without any form of global information-sharing or centralized decision-making. The marginal utility of belonging to a particular subgroup rests on the well-known concept in economic theory of the law of diminishing returns. For a class of discrete event systems, we identify a set of conditions that define local information and cooperation requirements, and prove that if the proposed conditions are satisfied a stable agent distribution representing a Pareto optimum is achieved even under random but bounded decision and transition delays.
ESTIMATION OF RADIOGRAPHIC DOSES IN A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF ACUTE MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

Abstract— Radiation exposure from dental and medical radiography is inherently difficult to estimate. Because no single resource is available for this type of data, gathering the information needed to estimate exposure in epidemiologic studies is a labor-intensive, imprecise process. For a case-control study of adult-onset acute myelogenous leukemia in Los Angeles County and radiography, a database was created of estimates of dose to the red bone marrow for each radiographic procedure reported by subjects in interviews and recorded in subjects’ medical records. Resources used included the medical literature as well as personal communications with radiology experts. Dose estimates for each procedure based on this database are reported. Methods and complications are contrasted with a past effort to estimate dose from dental radiography for a case-control study of parotid gland tumors. Among the more difficult aspects of medical radiography dose estimation are the wide variety of examinations performed, the continually-changing environment of diagnostic imaging, and the number of variables that contribute to the delivered dose to an individual from a specific imaging procedure.
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2010-0401 Learning and Assessment of Student Communication Skills on Engineering Programs : Some Experiences

In this contribution, the author reports on, reflects on and evaluates case studies in which the ability to communicate effectively was embedded into modules for which the author had academic responsibility, on both Level 8 (Bachelors) and Level 9 (Masters) engineering programs. The generic competency was developed using formal student presentations, mostly done individually, with a minority done in teams. Peer and tutor assessment of the presentations was employed, following a structured guideline agreed with the students; among other advantages, peer assessment assists in the further development of student analytical skills and professional ethics. The contribution discusses the peer assessment experience, including formal student feedback on the process. The author’s experiences are that the learning and assessment method is learner-centered, motivates independent learning, caters to a diverse student background and unlocks previous student work and learning experiences to the benefit of all learners. Keywords-interpersonal and oral communications, peer assessment
Vascularization of skin following implantation of an arteriovenous pedicle: Implications in flap prefabrication

In a rat model, a skin flap was fabricated by implantation of a distally ligated arteriovenous pedicle. The femoral artery and vein were implanted as a unit beneath the abdominal skin, a portion of which was later raised as an island flap, based on these vessels. Percentage area of survival, tissue blood flow, and pattern of vascularity were compared in two groups of flaps. In group I, the pedicle to be implanted was dissected with a cuff of surrounding muscle still attached; in group II, the pedicle was skeletonized to the level of adventitia. Flap survival in the two groups was similar (73% vs.77%), as was skin blood flow (5.4 vs. 5.7 ml/100 g/min). Angiography demonstrated two principal patterns of vascularization: connection between donor and recipient vessels (inosculation), and sprouting and arborization of new vessels. Strengths and limitations of this and other models of flap “prefabrication” are discusssed. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Epidemiological and diagnostic axis I gender differences in dual diagnosis patients].

INTRODUCTION Dual diagnosis is the co-occurrence of a substance abuse disorder and a psychiatric condition. Gender has been found to be associated with differences in prevalence of mental disorders as well as outcome, prognosis and treatment-seeking. MATERIAL AND METHODS Articles published in Medline, Web of Science and Journal Citation Reports up to December 2009 that examined gender, prevalence and clinical characteristics of dual-diagnosis patients aged over 18 were reviewed. CONCLUSIONS The distribution of Axis I disorders by gender is similar for dually diagnosed patients and single-disorder patients. The prevalence of psychotic and bipolar disorders is higher in men, whereas anxiety and affective disorders are more prevalent in women. Dually diagnosed females with psychotic disorders do not show better prognosis than men. Finally, polydrug use among dual-diagnosis individuals is more prevalent in males.
Cognitive abilities of action video game and role-playing video game players: Data from a massive open online course.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that regularly playing action video games (AVGPs) is associated with increased cognitive performance. Individuals who play role-playing video games (RPGs) have usually been excluded from these studies. This is because RPGs traditionally contained no action components and were thus not expected to influence cognitive performance. However, modern RPGs increasingly include numerous action-like components. We therefore examined whether current RPG players (RPGPs) perform similar to action video game players (AVGPs) or nonvideo game players (NVGPs) on two cognitive tasks. Self-identified AVGPs (N = 76), NVGPs (N = 77), and RPGPs (N = 23) completed two online cognitive tasks: A useful field of view (UFOV) task and a multiple-object tracking task (MOT). The UFOV task measures the ability to deploy visuospatial attention over a large field of view while dividing one’s attention between a central and a peripheral task. The MOT task measures the ability to use attentional control to dynamically refresh information in working memory. RPGPs performed similar to AVGPs and better than NVGPs on both tasks. However, patterns of covariation (e.g., gender and age) presented obstacles to interpretation in some cases. Our study is the first to demonstrate that RPGPs show similar cognitive performance to AVGPs. These findings suggest that regularly playing modern RPGs may enhance visuospatial abilities. However, because the current study was purely cross-sectional, intervention studies will be needed to assess causation. We discuss the implications of this finding, as well as considerations for how gamers are classified going forward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Risk Factors in Returns of the South African Stock Market

This paper employs a multifactor model motivated by the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) to describe the time series behaviour of the South African stock market as represented by the JSE All-Share Index. Factors representative of eight risk factor categories are considered, namely inflation, real activity, the money supply, interest rates, commodities, exchange rates, business cycles indicators and international market indices. These categories are then represented in the return generating process. The results indicate that the South African stock market is influenced by movements in international markets, inflation, inflation expectations, real activity, the money supply, oil prices, exchange rates and cyclical variations in the business cycle. Furthermore, the Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (ARCH) and Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) model framework is found to be a more appropriate econometric framework relative to the Least Squares framework (LS) for models of the return generating process of South African stock returns.
Sexual dysfunction in 156 ambulatory HIV-infected men receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy combinations with and without protease inhibitors.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 156 ambulatory HIV-infected homosexual or bisexual men to assess and compare the prevalence and characteristics of sexual dysfunction according to treatment combinations (group A, protease inhibitor [PI] treatment; group B, no PI treatment; and C, PI treatment interrupted >1 month previously). The study was based on a self-administered 163-item questionnaire that included a French translation of the International Index of Erectile Function, five sections of the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory, and open questions. Data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis H nonparametric tests (quantitative values) and chi2 tests (qualitative values) using SPSS software (SPSS, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.). One hundred fifty-six patients completed the study. The median age +/- SD of the patients was 40.5 +/- 7.7 years, and the median CD4+ cell count +/- SD was 415 +/- 236/mm3. One hundred eleven (71%) of 156 patients reported some degree of sexual dysfunction since the beginning of their treatment (65 [71%] of 91 group A patients; 15 [65%] of 23 group B patients; and 31 [74%] of 42 group C patients), with no significant difference among the groups. Of the 111 patients, 99 (89%) reported decrease or loss of libido, 76 (68%) reported orgasmic perturbation, 96 (86%) reported erectile dysfunction, and 65 (59%) reported ejaculation perturbation, with no significant difference among the three groups. There were no significant differences among the three groups regarding the International Index of Erectile Function and Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory scores. These data suggest that PI-based therapy does not seem to increase sexual dysfunction in this patient population.
Racotumomab for treating lung cancer and pediatric refractory malignancies

ABSTRACT Introduction: Racotumomab (originally known as 1E10 mAb) is an anti-idiotype murine IgG1 directed to membrane glycoconjugates expressed in aggressive solid tumors. It was developed as a mirror image of the idiotype of another antibody against N-glycolyl-containing molecules, such as the NeuGcGM3 ganglioside. After a successful phase II/III study, racotumomab formulated in alum was conditionally approved in Latin American countries as maintenance therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Areas covered: This review analyzes the biology of the target antigen, summarizes preclinical studies and discusses clinical trials in adults and the pediatric experience with racotumomab. Expert opinion: Proper patient selection and combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or checkpoint inhibitors appear to be critical issues to maximize the effects of racotumomab vaccination in lung cancer. In a recent phase I clinical trial in children with relapsed or resistant neuroectodermal malignancies, racotumomab was well tolerated and immunogenic, and its evaluation as immunotherapy for high-risk neuroblastoma is warranted.
Classification of Heart Sounds Based on the Wavelet Fractal and Twin Support Vector Machine

Heart is an important organ of human beings. As more and more heart diseases are caused by people’s living pressure or habits, the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases also require technical improvement. In order to assist the heart diseases diagnosis, the heart sound signal is used to carry a large amount of cardiac state information, so that the heart sound signal processing can achieve the purpose of heart diseases diagnosis and treatment. In order to quickly and accurately judge the heart sound signal, the classification method based on Wavelet Fractal and twin support vector machine (TWSVM) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the original heart sound signal is decomposed by wavelet transform, and the wavelet decomposition coefficients of the signal are extracted. Then the two-norm eigenvectors of the heart sound signal are obtained by solving the two-norm values of the decomposition coefficients. In order to express the feature information more abundantly, the energy entropy of the decomposed wavelet coefficients is calculated, and then the energy entropy characteristics of the signal are obtained. In addition, based on the fractal dimension, the complexity of the signal is quantitatively described. The box dimension of the heart sound signal is solved by the binary box dimension method. So its fractal dimension characteristics can be obtained. The above eigenvectors are synthesized as the eigenvectors of the heart sound signal. Finally, the twin support vector machine (TWSVM) is applied to classify the heart sound signals. The proposed algorithm is verified on the PhysioNet/CinC Challenge 2016 heart sound database. The experimental results show that this proposed algorithm based on twin support vector machine (TWSVM) is superior to the algorithm based on support vector machine (SVM) in classification accuracy and speed. The proposed algorithm achieves the best results with classification accuracy 90.4%, sensitivity 94.6%, specificity 85.5% and F1 Score 95.2%.
Phosphate-dependent Substrate Transport into Mitochondria: Oxidative Studies.

The oxidation of malate and citrate by isolated plant mitochondria can be stimulated by the addition of inorganic phosphate. This stimulation (a) is not inhibited by oligomycin or uncouplers; (b) can not be duplicated by addition of adenine nucleotide; (c) is inhibited by 2-n-butylmalonate; and (d) is not evident in detergent-treated mitochondria. Phosphate was required to elicit uncoupler-stimulated respiration. It is concluded that these effects of phosphate are attributable to a stimulated rate of substrate penetration into the mitochondria, and do not involve the oxidative phosphorylation process.Disrupting the mitochondria with detergent removed the requirement for phosphate and showed that butylmalonate did not inhibit the respiratory enzymes.
Impact of Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling on Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling predicts heart failure symptoms and overt LV dysfunction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but its influence on the occurrence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adverse LV remodeling on SCD risk in patients with HCM.
Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in 4–6 age groups in healthy children in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

Aim: Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of disease, particularly for colonized persons. Although methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection has frequently reported, population‐based S. aureus and MRSA colonisation estimates are lacking. Our objective in this report is to present the prevalance of S. aureus carriage among 4–6 age groups healthy children in our region.
THE EFFECTS OF UNCERTAINTY ON THE PERFORMANCE OF DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGIES

In this paper, we explore the impact of uncertainty on the performance of diversification strategies. Uncertainty arises from at least two sources in the decision to diversify: Uncertainty about how a firm s existing resources relate to those required in potential targets: and uncertainty about profit available to the firm from entering potential targets. The costs of uncertainty are examined by comparing performance under optimal diversification to performance under decision heuristics that are likely to be employed by firm actors seeking to manage relatedness and profit uncertainty. We show that sources of uncertainty can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of diversification strategies. Heuristics that give weight to external models for guidance are superior to those that only make sense of the match between internal and external resources.
Measurement of Levels of Heavy Metal Contamination in Vegetables Grown and Sold in Selected Areas in Lebanon

Vegetables sold in the Lebanese markets are likely to adsorb and/or absorb toxic heavy metals from implantation till they reach the consumer. The samples were purchased randomly from four major areas in Lebanon, namely Beirut, Jounieh, Tripoli, and Koura. The levels of four selected toxic heavy metals; lead, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic were determined in a total of 181 vegetable samples of which 66 are leafy vegetables, 84 are over ground vegetables, and 31 are underground grown vegetables. Overall, the levels ranged from non-detectable to 3.0904 µg/g for Pb, 0.0137 to 3.6170 µg/g for Cd, non-detectable to 19.55 µg/g for Cr, and nondetectable to 0.0636 µg/g for As, where µg/g refers to the weight of the metal per gram of dry sample weight. In all samples, the leafy vegetables contained considerably higher levels for all metals as compared to overground or underground vegetables. Washing the samples thoroughly with water before analysis has decreased the concentrations of toxic metals, more significantly so, for As.
Comparison of CA-125 and standard definitions of progression of ovarian cancer in the intergroup trial of cisplatin and paclitaxel versus cisplatin and cyclophosphamide.

PURPOSE A definition for progression of ovarian cancer has been proposed based on either a confirmed doubling of CA-125 levels from the upper limit of normal or from the nadir level if levels are persistently elevated. Retrospectively, we determined whether the use of this CA-125 definition in a randomized trial would have shown the same magnitude of difference between the treatment arms as was shown when the standard progression definition was used. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 680 patients in the Taxol Intergroup Trial with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma, of whom 628 were assessable according to CA-125. The date of progression according to clinical or radiologic criteria was compared with the date of progression according to CA-125. RESULTS Of the 628 patients assessable for both definitions, 556 clinical or radiologic progressions were determined compared with 389 according to the CA-125 definition. There was a highly significant difference in the hazard of progression between the paclitaxel and cisplatin arm (TP) compared with the cyclophosphamide and cisplatin arm (CP) when either standard or CA-125 criteria were used to define progression (standard, P = .002; CA-125, P = .011). The hazard ratio of TP/CP over time was similar when comparing the different methods of defining progression. CONCLUSION The results of this analysis show that the magnitude of the therapeutic benefit was similar whether CA-125 or standard criteria were used to define progression.
TLR4 has a TP53-dependent dual role in regulating breast cancer cell growth

Significance This study fundamentally alters our understanding of how TLR4 drives breast cancer. Although TLR4 was previously considered a tumor promoter, we demonstrate a complex, TP53-dependent role for TLR4 in regulating tumor growth. TP53 is a tumor suppressor commonly inactivated across cancer types. In TP53 wild-type cancer cells, TLR4 activation causes secretion of IFN-γ into the microenvironment, resulting in induction of p21 and inhibition of cell growth. Conversely, TLR4 activation in TP53 mutant cells promotes cancer cell growth by regulating CXCL1 and CD154 secretion. In this paper, we identify a previously unidentified role for TLR4 in modulating tumor cell growth and microenvironment. The TLR4–TP53 association likely extends across cancer types, suggesting the need to determine the TP53 status of any tumor before implementing anti-TLR4 therapy. Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and it is important to understand pathways that drive the disease to devise effective therapeutic strategies. Our results show that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) drives breast cancer cell growth differentially based on the presence of TP53, a tumor suppressor. TP53 is mutationally inactivated in most types of cancer and is mutated in 30–50% of diagnosed breast tumors. We demonstrate that TLR4 activation inhibits growth of TP53 wild-type cells, but promotes growth of TP53 mutant breast cancer cells by regulating proliferation. This differential effect is mediated by changes in tumor cell cytokine secretion. Whereas TLR4 activation in TP53 mutant breast cancer cells increases secretion of progrowth cytokines, TLR4 activation in TP53 wild-type breast cancer cells increases type I IFN (IFN-γ) secretion, which is both necessary and sufficient for mediating TLR4-induced growth inhibition. This study identifies a novel dichotomous role for TLR4 as a growth regulator and a modulator of tumor microenvironment in breast tumors. These results have translational relevance, demonstrating that TP53 mutant breast tumor growth can be suppressed by pharmacologic TLR4 inhibition, whereas TLR4 inhibitors may in fact promote growth of TP53 wild-type tumors. Furthermore, using data generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas consortium, we demonstrate that the effect of TP53 mutational status on TLR4 activity may extend to ovarian, colon, and lung cancers, among others, suggesting that the viability of TLR4 as a therapeutic target depends on TP53 status in many different tumor types.