Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RETRACTED ARTICLE: LncRNA CASC11 promoted gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro by regulating cell cycle pathway

Statement of Retraction We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Cell Cycle, have retracted the following article: Li Zhang, Wenquan Kang, Xiaolan Lu, Shiyang Ma, Lei Dong and Baicang Zou. LncRNA CASC11 promoted gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro by regulating cell cycle pathway. Cell Cycle. 2018;17(15):1886-1900. doi: 10.1080/15384101.2018. 1502574 Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. When approached for an explanation, the authors have been unable to address the concerns raised and have not been able to provide their original data. As verifying the validity of published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, we are therefore retracting the article. The corresponding author listed in this publication has been informed. The authors do not agree with the retraction. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.
The Use of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Therapeutic Agents for the in vivo Treatment of Immune-Related Diseases: A Systematic Review

Background: One of the greatest challenges for medicine is to find a safe and effective treatment for immune-related diseases. However, due to the low efficacy of the treatment available and the occurrence of serious adverse effects, many groups are currently searching for alternatives to the traditional therapy. In this regard, the use of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) represents a great promise for the treatment of a variety of immune-related diseases due to their potent immunomodulatory properties. The main objective of this study is, therefore, to present and summarize, through a systematic review of the literature, in vivo studies in which the efficacy of the administration of hMSCs for the treatment of immune-related diseases was evaluated. Methods: The article search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Original research articles assessing the therapeutic potential of hMSCs administration for the in vivo treatment immune-related diseases, published from 1984 to December 2017, were selected and evaluated. Results: A total of 132 manuscripts formed the basis of this systematic review. Most of the studies analyzed reported positive results after hMSCs administration. Clinical effects commonly observed include an increase in the survival rates and a reduction in the severity and incidence of the immune-related diseases studied. In addition, hMSCs administration resulted in an inhibition in the proliferation and activation of CD19+ B cells, CD4+ Th1 and Th17 cells, CD8+ T cells, NK cells, macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils. The clonal expansion of both Bregs and Tregs cells, however, was stimulated. Administration of hMSCs also resulted in a reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2, IL-12, and IL-17 and in an increase in the levels of immunoregulatory cytokines such as IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13. Conclusions: The results obtained in this study open new avenues for the treatment of immune-related diseases through the administration of hMSCs and emphasize the importance of the conduction of further studies in this area.
Impact of Health Status and Lifestyle Modifications on Vascular Structure and Function in Children and Adolescents

Until recently cardiovascular disease is often thought of as a disease that manifests itself during middle age. Researchers and clinicians have begun to realize that the initial signs of cardiovascular disease begin early on in childhood with changes present in both vascular structure and function. This increased recognition has resulted in considerable effort to develop accurate and reliable methods to measure as well as track changes in vascular structure and function applicable to study this process in children and adolescents. Certain genetic abnormalities and chronic diseases, which present or emerge in childhood often result in meaningful changes to vascular structure and function, which aid in our understanding of the vascular disease process. In this review, we will discuss different methods of assessing vascular structure and function, the diseases in childhood associated with decrements and maladaptive changes in the vascular system, and whether modification of lifestyle (ie, weight loss, dietary and/or exercise changes) can affect vascular structure and function in children.
A pilot study comparing the efficacy of two formulations of botulinum toxin type A for muscular calves contouring

Enlarged, hypertrophy calf muscles are common in Asian women and can cause psychological burden. Botulinum toxin A (BTA) has been widely used in treating masseteric muscle hypertrophy and it's efficacious as a noninvasive method for calf‐contouring has been reported. Food and Drug Administration has approved onabotulinumtoxin A (ONA, Botox; Allergan Inc, Irvine, CA, USA) for upper face rejuvenation and it has off‐label uses for calf‐contouring. A recently introduced Prabotulinumtoxin A (NABOTA®, PRA; Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Seoul, Korea) demonstrated a comparable efficacy and safety to ONA for masseter reduction.
Cochlear Implantation With a Novel Long Straight Electrode: the Insertion Results Evaluated by Imaging and Histology in Human Temporal Bones.

HYPOTHESIS To evaluate the insertion results of a novel straight array (EVO) by detailed imaging and subsequent histology in human temporal bones (TB). BACKGROUND The main focuses of modern cochlear implant surgery are to prevent damage to the intracochlear structures and to preserve residual hearing. This is often achievable with new atraumatic electrode arrays in combination with meticulous surgical techniques. METHODS Twenty fresh-frozen TBs were implanted with the EVO. Pre- and postoperative cone beam computed tomography scans were reconstructed and fused for an artifact-free representation of the electrode. The array's vertical position was quantified in relation to the basilar membrane on basis of which trauma was classified (Grades 0-4). The basilar membrane location was modeled from previous histologic data. The TBs underwent subsequent histologic examination. RESULTS The EVOs were successfully inserted in all TBs. Atraumatic insertion (Grades 0-1) were accomplished in 14 of 20 TBs (70%). There were three apical translocations, and two basal translocations due to electrode bulging. One TB had multiple translocations. The sensitivity and specificity of imaging for detecting insertion trauma (Grades 2-4) was 87.5% and 97.3. 0%, respectively. CONCLUSION Comparable insertion results as reported for other arrays were also found for the EVO. Insertion trauma can be mostly avoided with meticulous insertion techniques to prevent bulging and by limiting the insertion depth angle to 360 degrees. The image fusion technique is a reliable tool for evaluating electrode placement and is feasible for trauma grading.
Interaction of 2′R-ochratoxin A with Serum Albumins: Binding Site, Effects of Site Markers, Thermodynamics, Species Differences of Albumin-binding, and Influence of Albumin on Its Toxicity in MDCK Cells

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin. Roasting of OTA-contaminated coffee results in the formation of 2′R-ochratoxin A (2′R-OTA), which appears in the blood of coffee drinkers. Human serum albumin (HSA) binds 2′R-OTA (and OTA) with high affinity; therefore, albumin may influence the tissue uptake and elimination of ochratoxins. We aimed to investigate the binding site of 2′R-OTA (verses OTA) in HSA and the displacing effects of site markers to explore which molecules can interfere with its albumin-binding. Affinity of 2′R-OTA toward albumins from various species (human, bovine, porcine and rat) was tested to evaluate the interspecies differences regarding 2′R-OTA-albumin interaction. Thermodynamic studies were performed to give a deeper insight into the molecular background of the complex formation. Besides fluorescence spectroscopic and modeling studies, effects of HSA, and fetal bovine serum on the cytotoxicity of 2′R-OTA and OTA were tested in MDCK kidney cell line in order to demonstrate the influence of albumin-binding on the cellular uptake of ochratoxins. Site markers displaced more effectively 2′R-OTA than OTA from HSA. Fluorescence and binding constants of 2′R-OTA-albumin and OTA-albumin complexes showed different tendencies. Albumin significantly decreased the cytotoxicity of ochratoxins. 2′R-OTA, even at sub-toxic concentrations, increased the toxic action of OTA.
Mining Software Repositories to Identify Library Experts

Programming is multi-faceted, inherently involving several different skills. With the advent of collaboration platforms like GitHub, developers have the opportunity to contribute to projects from different organizations and collaborate with various developers from around the world. With GitHub data, new opportunities to identify developers abilities become possible. From GitHub, it is possible to infer several skills from a developer, for instance, the user of libraries. In this paper, we propose a method to identify library experts, based on the knowledge they produce on GitHub. We evaluated our method in an experiment to identify possible experts in three Java libraries. Our method ranked the top 100 developers for each technology. Then we compared the selected profiles from GitHub with profiles of these developers on the social network LinkedIn to see if what they report in LinkedIn matches what they produce in GitHub. We also surveyed students to compare the results of our method to the manual analysis. Our results showed that 89% of selected GitHub developers reported their skills in social networking sites as LinkedIn, according to the ranking made by our method and that the ranking produced by our method is related to the classification made by survey participants.
Visual notations for software pattern languages: a mapping study

Reuse has been recognized as an important practice in software engineering. The use of patterns makes it easier to reuse successful solutions, speeds up the development process, and promotes the application of good practices. Related patterns can be organized in a Pattern Language (PL), which represents the patterns and their relations, and provides guidance on how to select, reuse and integrate them. Visual notations are often used to provide a graphical representation to PLs. Aiming to investigate how PLs related to software have been visually represented, we carried out a systematic mapping. We identified and analyzed 64 PLs. As a result, we noticed a lack of consensus on the elements that should be represented in a PL and the symbols used to represent them. Moreover, most PLs have ambiguous or inexpressive visual representations.
Joint Autoregressive and Hierarchical Priors for Learned Image Compression

Recent models for learned image compression are based on autoencoders that learn approximately invertible mappings from pixels to a quantized latent representation. The transforms are combined with an entropy model, which is a prior on the latent representation that can be used with standard arithmetic coding algorithms to generate a compressed bitstream. Recently, hierarchical entropy models were introduced as a way to exploit more structure in the latents than previous fully factorized priors, improving compression performance while maintaining end-to-end optimization. Inspired by the success of autoregressive priors in probabilistic generative models, we examine autoregressive, hierarchical, and combined priors as alternatives, weighing their costs and benefits in the context of image compression. While it is well known that autoregressive models can incur a significant computational penalty, we find that in terms of compression performance, autoregressive and hierarchical priors are complementary and can be combined to exploit the probabilistic structure in the latents better than all previous learned models. The combined model yields state-of-the-art rate–distortion performance and generates smaller files than existing methods: 15.8% rate reductions over the baseline hierarchical model and 59.8%, 35%, and 8.4% savings over JPEG, JPEG2000, and BPG, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, our model is the first learning-based method to outperform the top standard image codec (BPG) on both the PSNR and MS-SSIM distortion metrics.
Whole-cell pertussis vaccine (DTwP) has no influence on allergic diseases and atopic sensitization in children

Introduction Vaccine opponents indicate that the infant’s immune system is inadequately developed to handle multiple vaccines which may overwhelm the immune system, leading to allergic diseases. Aim To verify the association between the vaccine antigen overload derived from DTwP and the development of atopic sensitization and allergic diseases. Material and methods Data from an earlier established birth cohort in Krakow, followed up to the 6th year of life were used. Allergic diseases such as eczema, hay fever and asthma were diagnosed by a physician and reported every half a year from the 1st to 6th year of life by the child’s parent. Skin prick tests (SPT) were performed in children at 5 years of age. The data on infants’ vaccination were extracted from the physician’s records. The status of vaccine antigen exposure was based on different types of vaccines against pertussis (DTwP or DTaP) in a primary course. Results were determined by multiple logistic regression, adjusted to potential confounders. Results The analyzed population consisted of 234 children: 53.4% – boys and 46.6% – girls. Infants up to the age of 8 months were vaccinated with the primary course against pertussis, with DTwP – 60.7%, DTaP – 32.9% and further 6.4% with a mixed course (DTwP + DTaP). There were no significant relationships between any of vaccination groups and allergic disease and allergen sensitivity in the multiple logistic regression model with adjustment to potential confounders. Conclusions The exposure to a large number of vaccine antigens derived from DTwP has no influence on the development of allergic diseases and atopic sensitization in children.
Predicting behavioral intentions to children vaccination among Chinese parents: an extended TPB model

ABSTRACT Parental behavioral intentions play a key role in children vaccination. The present study looks at how parental expectations for the vaccination influence their attitudes and behavioral intentions toward children’s immunization. The theoretical model is developed on TPB model and empirically tested with sample data from 380 children aged 0–7 years in mainland China. The structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis were used in the model to demonstrate the impact of the vaccination services quality, vaccination promotions and public opinions on attitudes and vaccination behavioral intention. Results support the study’s hypotheses and indicate that Vaccination Services Quality (VSQ), Vaccination Promotions (VAP) and Public Opinions (PUO) have positive effects on Attitudes (ATT) and Vaccination Behavioral Intention (VAI), VSQ has the strongest standardized path (.594) while PUO has the least influence (.131), and Attitude is complete mediation in all paths. Attitude is key factor that determine the parental behavioral intentions, and the internal perception comes from the vaccination services quality and the external influence comes from the social environment affect the parental attitude. Governments should implement effective policies and improve vaccination services quantity to eliminate parental misunderstandings.
Criterion Validity of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Second Edition for Diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adults

Background: While the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Second Edition (Y-BOCS-II) is the gold-standard for measurement of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom severity, its factor structure is still a matter of debate and, most importantly, criterion validity for diagnosis of OC disorder (OCD) has not been tested. This study aimed to clarify factor structure and criterion validity of the Y-BOCS-II. Methods: We first validated and quantified the psychometric properties of a culturally adapted Portuguese translation of the Y-BOCS-II (PY-BOCS-II). The PY-BOCS-II and other psychometric instruments, including the OCD subscale of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV, used to define OCD diagnosis, were administered to 187 participants (52 patients with OCD, 18 with other mood and anxiety disorders and 117 healthy subjects). In a subsample of 20 OCD patients and the 18 patients with other diagnoses, PY-BOCS-II was applied by clinicians blinded to diagnosis. Results: PY-BOCS-II had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.96) and very good test-retest reliability (Pearson's r = 0.94). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure with loadings consistent with the Obsessions and Compulsions subscales, and there was good to acceptable convergent and divergent validity. Importantly, the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve suggested elevated accuracy in discriminating between patients with OCD and control subjects (AUC = 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.92–0.99), that was retained in comparisons with age, gender and education matched controls (AUC = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91–0.99), as well as with patients with other mood and anxiety disorders (AUC = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.84–1). Additionally, a cut-off score of 13 had optimal discriminatory ability for the diagnosis of OCD, with sensitivity ranging between 85 and 90%, and specificity between 94 and 97%, respectively when all samples or only the clinical samples were considered. Conclusion: The PY-BOCS-II has excellent psychometric properties to assess the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, reflecting obsessive, and compulsive dimensions, compatible with currently defined subscales. Furthermore, we found that a cut-off of 13 for the Y-BOCS-II total score has good to excellent sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of OCD.
Action potential and calcium dependence of tonic somatodendritic dopamine release in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta

Despite the importance of somatodendritic dopamine (DA) release in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNc), its mechanism remains poorly understood. Using a novel approach combining fast‐scan controlled‐adsorption voltammetry (FSCAV) and single‐unit electrophysiology, we have investigated the mechanism of somatodendritic release by directly correlating basal (non‐stimulated) extracellular DA concentration ([DA]out), with pharmacologically‐induced changes of firing of nigral dopaminergic neurons in rat brain slices. FSCAV measurements indicated that basal [DA]out in the SNc was 40.7 ± 2.0 nM (at 34 ± 0.5°C), which was enhanced by amphetamine, cocaine, and L‐DOPA, and reduced by VMAT2 inhibitor, Ro4‐1284. Complete inhibition of firing by TTX decreased basal [DA]out, but this reduction was smaller than the effect of D2 receptor agonist, quinpirole. Despite similar effects on neuronal firing, the larger decrease in [DA]out evoked by quinpirole was attributed to cell membrane hyperpolarization and greater reduction in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]in). Decreasing extracellular Ca2+ also reduced basal [DA]out, despite increasing firing frequency. Furthermore, inhibiting L‐type Ca2+ channels decreased basal [DA]out, although specific Cav1.3 channel inhibition did not affect firing rate. Inhibition of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA) also decreased [DA]out, demonstrating the importance of intracellular Ca2+ stores for somatodendritic release. Finally, in vivo FSCAV measurements showed that basal [DA]out in the SNc was 79.8 ± 10.9 nM in urethane‐anesthetized rats, which was enhanced by amphetamine. Overall, our findings indicate that although tonic somatodendritic DA release is largely independent of action potentials, basal [DA]out is strongly regulated by voltage‐dependent Ca2+ influx and release of intracellular Ca2+.
Towards a Taxonomy of Software Mediators for Systems-of-Systems

Systems-of-Systems (SoS) refer to alliances of operational and managerial independent software-intensive systems, sometimes distributed and found in critical application domains. The independence of constituent systems brings big challenges to design SoS software architectures. Such architectures must be dynamic, evolve along the time, and allow the execution of, sometimes unknown in design time, emergent behaviours to accomplish SoS missions. Moreover, SoS architectures must connect heterogeneous systems, making possible their communication, coordination, and collaboration in a seamless way. In another perspective, mediators are architectural elements that enable required interactions among heterogeneous software entities. Despite the benefits offered by mediators, mainly at overcoming interoperability issues of software systems, no investigation has been made about which mediators can be used in SoS architectures to address challenges imposed by the nature of such heterogeneous, distributed and complex software-intensive systems. The main contribution of this paper is a taxonomy of software mediators that can be used by software architects as a library of solutions when designing their SoS. Twelve types of mediators in three categories are proposed allowing capabilities of communication and control of constituent systems' interactions, and conversion of heterogeneous messages exchanged through the mediation infrastructure. This taxonomy was established based on knowledge and experience from other types of complex systems that use mediators, and authors previous experience at architecting SoS. Categories in the taxonomy were defined based on the intrinsic characteristics of SoS architectures and well-established architectural patterns and styles. To observe the feasibility of this taxonomy, the software architecture of a Flood Monitoring System-of-Systems (FMSoS) was established using mediators as first-class software entities. Based on FMSoS architecture it was possible to have preliminary evidence to conclude that, architectures containing the proposed mediators are low coupled, support dynamic configurations during the SoS execution, and are able to address quality attributes such as flexibility, scalability, and interoperability.
BotMap

The development of novel shape-changing or actuated tabletop tangible interfaces opens new perspectives for the design of physical and dynamic maps, especially for visually impaired (VI) users. Such maps would allow non-visual haptic exploration with advanced functions, such as panning and zooming. In this study, we designed an actuated tangible tabletop interface, called BotMap, allowing the exploration of geographic data through non-visual panning and zooming. In BotMap, small robots represent landmarks and move to their correct position whenever the map is refreshed. Users can interact with the robots to retrieve the names of the landmarks they represent. We designed two interfaces, named Keyboard and Sliders, which enable users to pan and zoom. Two evaluations were conducted with, respectively, ten blindfolded and eight VI participants. Results show that both interfaces were usable, with a slight advantage for the Keyboard interface in terms of navigation performance and map comprehension, and that, even when many panning and zooming operations were required, VI participants were able to understand the maps. Most participants managed to accurately reconstruct maps after exploration. Finally, we observed three VI people using the system and performing a classical task consisting in finding the more appropriate itinerary for a journey.