Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Erythropoietin-Induced Activation of the JAK2/STAT5, PI3K/Akt, and Ras/ERK Pathways Promotes Malignant Cell Behavior in a Modified Breast Cancer Cell Line

Erythropoietin (Epo), the major regulator of erythropoiesis, and its cognate receptor (EpoR) are also expressed in nonerythroid tissues, including tumors. Clinical studies have highlighted the potential adverse effects of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents when used to treat cancer-related anemia. We assessed the ability of EpoR to enhance tumor growth and invasiveness following Epo stimulation. A benign noninvasive rat mammary cell line, Rama 37, was used as a model system. Cell signaling and malignant cell behavior were compared between parental Rama 37 cells, which express few or no endogenous EpoRs, and a modified cell line stably transfected with human EpoR (Rama 37-28). The incubation of Rama 37-28 cells with pharmacologic levels of Epo led to the rapid and sustained increases in phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 5, Akt, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase. The activation of these signaling pathways significantly increased invasion, migration, adhesion, and colony formation. The Epo-induced invasion capacity of Rama 37-28 cells was reduced by the small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown of EpoR mRNA levels and by inhibitors of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt and Ras/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathways with adhesion also reduced by Janus-activated kinase 2/signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 inhibition. These data show that Epo induces phenotypic changes in the behavior of breast cancer cell lines and establishes links between individual cell signaling pathways and the potential for cancer spread. Mol Cancer Res; 8(4); 615–26. ©2010 AACR.
Impact of convectively lofted ice on the seasonal cycle of tropical 
lower stratospheric water vapor

Abstract. We use a forward Lagrangian trajectory model to diagnose mechanisms that produce the tropical lower stratospheric (LS) water vapor seasonal cycle observed by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and reproduced by the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOSCCM) in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). We confirm in both the MLS and GEOSCCM that the seasonal cycle of water vapor is primarily determined by the seasonal cycle of TTL temperatures. However, we find that the seasonal cycle of temperature predicts a smaller seasonal cycle of LS water vapor between 10° N–40° N than observed by MLS. We show that including evaporation of convectively lofted ice in the trajectory model increases the simulated maximum value in the 10° N–40° N water vapor seasonal cycle by 1.9 ppmv (47 %) and increases the seasonal amplitude by 1.26 ppmv (123 %), which improves the prediction of LS water vapor annual cycle. We conclude that the moistening effect from convective ice evaporation in the TTL plays a key role regulating and maintaining the tropical LS water vapor seasonal cycle. Most of the convective moistening in the 10° N–40° N range comes from convective ice evaporation occurring at the same latitudes. A small contribution to the moistening comes from convective ice evaporation occurring between 10° S–10° N. Within 10° N–40° N, the Asian monsoon region is the most important region for convective ice evaporation and convective moistening during boreal summer and autumn.
Knowledge Sources for Evidence-Based Practice in Rheumatology Nursing

As rheumatology nursing develops and extends, knowledge about current use of knowledge in rheumatology nursing practice may guide discussions about future knowledge needs. To explore what perceptions rheumatology nurses have about their knowledge sources and about what knowledge they use in their practice, 12 nurses working in specialist rheumatology were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. The analysis yielded four types of knowledge sources in clinical practice: interaction with others in the workplace, contacts outside the workplace, written materials, and previous knowledge and experience. Colleagues, and physicians in particular, were important for informal learning in daily rheumatology practice. Evidence from the medical arena was accessed through medical specialists, while nursing research was used less. Facilitating informal learning and continuing formal education is proposed as a way toward a more evidence-based practice in extended roles.
Cascaded DC-DC converter for a reliable standalone PV fed DC load

To extract maximum available power from the PV system many maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms with DC-DC converter have been proposed in the literature. However, due to change in load or environmental conditions, the output voltage from the DC-DC converter varies. The variable output voltages are not suitable for many applications requiring constant voltage. To overcome this difficultly, a cascaded DC-DC converter with battery storage system for standalone application is proposed in this paper. The proposed system comprises of a PV system connected with a boost DC-DC converter to deliver the available maximum power to the DC bus. A Single-ended primary inductor converter (SEPIC) is connected to the DC bus to provide regulated DC voltage to the load. A battery with charge controller is connected to the DC bus to improve the reliability of the system. The efficacy of the proposed topology is verified through the experimental studies pursued on a prototype PV connected converter system developed in the laboratory. Robustness studies with regard to variation in environmental parameters such as solar insolation and load variation were made. MPPT and voltage regulation algorithms were implemented in LABVIEW platform using data acquisition boards.
Prolonged administration of secoisolariciresinol diglycoside increases lignan excretion and alters lignan tissue distribution in adult male and female rats

Limited information is available on lignan metabolism and tissue distribution between sexes and the effects of prolonged lignan exposure on tissue concentrations. In the present study, excretion and tissue distribution of lignans were compared after 1 d and 7 d administration of flaxseed lignan secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG) in male and female rats. Sprague–Dawley rats were daily gavaged per os with 3H-SDG (3·7 kBq/g body weight (bwt)) and unlabelled SDG (5·3 μg/g bwt). Urine, faeces, serum and tissues (liver, kidneys, bladder, spleen, lungs, brain, thymus, heart, muscle, adipose, mammary gland, ovaries, vagina, uterus, testis, seminal vesicles, coagulating glands and ventral prostate) were collected at 0, 12 and 24 h after a single lignan dose or after the last dose of 7 d exposure. The sample total lignan content was measured as radioactivity by liquid scintillation counting. In both sexes, majority of radioactivity was excreted in faeces (40–83 %) and urine (1·2–5·2 %). 3H-SDG administration increased radioactivity in all tissues at all time points, and the levels were further increased after prolonged SDG exposure. Liver contained majority of the tissue lignans (48–56 %) in both sexes after both exposure regimens. After prolonged SDG exposure, the serum lignan concentrations had reached a plateau which was approximately 4-fold of that of acute exposure, whereas in both sexes, concentrations in skin and kidneys still increased, indicating tissue accumulation. After prolonged exposure, females had higher lignan concentrations in heart and thymus at all time points, demonstrating sex-related differences in lignan tissue distribution and the possibility for sex-specific treatment responses. These findings facilitate identification of target tissues for local lignan actions in vivo.
Post‐stroke cognitive decline: an update and perspectives for clinical research

The close relationship between stroke and dementia is an important health issue. Ischaemic stroke can facilitate the onset of vascular dementia as well as aggravate pre‐existing cognitive decline. The onset of cognitive decline may become manifest immediately following the onset of ischaemic stroke, but often there is a delay in the development of cognitive decline after a stroke. This delay can be seen as a therapeutic time window allowing interventions to be applied to preserve cognition following stroke. Both neurodegenerative and vascular mechanisms are activated and probably result in overlapping processes within the neurovascular unit. This review focuses on the incidence and prevalence of cognitive decline following stroke, predisposing stroke aetiologies, pre‐stroke decline, imaging factors and biomarkers. Outcomes are discussed in relation to timing of assessment and neuropsychological tests used for evaluation of cognitive decline in ischaemic stroke patients. Including such tests in routine evaluations of stroke patients after some weeks or months is recommended. Finally, an outlook on ongoing and planned intervention trials is added and some recommendations for future research are proposed.
Dopamine D3 receptor selective ligands with varying intrinsic efficacies at adenylyl cyclase inhibition and mitogenic signaling pathways

A panel of structurally related substituted 4‐phenylpiperazines with nanomolar affinity and selectivity at D3 dopamine receptors has been synthesized. Compounds in which a heterocyclic (2‐phenyl pyridyl, 3‐phenyl pyridyl, benzothiophene, or benzofuran) moiety is adjacent to the amide was varied and/or a double bond (trans‐butenyl) replaced the four‐carbon aliphatic chain linking the arylamide with the 4‐phenylpiperazine moiety were compared for (a) affinity at human D2 and D3 dopamine receptors, (b) intrinsic efficacy using an adenylyl cyclase inhibition assay, and (c) intrinsic efficacy using a mitogenic assay. All 16 compounds were (a) more efficacious for the D3 receptor cyclase inhibition assay than for the D3 receptor mitogenic assay and (b) exhibited the same or greater efficacy at D3 compared to D2 receptor (with the exception of one compound). Although the heterocyclic amide moiety appears to be the pivotal structural element determining the intrinsic efficacy of our D3 receptor selective compounds, the magnitude of the efficacy is modulated by the (a) substituent(s) on the phenyl piperazine and (b) the saturation of the four‐carbon chain that links the arylamide and the phenylpiperazine. In addition, our ligands are functionally selective, because they can have differing intrinsic efficacies for the cyclase inhibition and the mitogenic activation signaling pathways. Compounds that are essentially full agonists at the cyclase assay appear to be only partial agonists in the mitogenic assay and compounds that are partial agonists in our cyclase assay are partial agonists or antagonists in the mitogenic assay. Synapse 64:251–266, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On estimating the instantaneous frequency of a Gaussian random signal by use of the Wigner-Ville distribution

The form of the one-dimensional probability distribution function for the Wigner-Ville, or evolutive spectrum, and the instantaneous frequency of a Gaussian random process is derived by use of an orthogonal decomposition of the process covariance matrix. No narrowband assumptions are made. Natural estimators for the evolution spectrum and the instantaneous frequency are defined, and the form of the distribution functions is derived. The properties of these estimators are examined with particular reference to the effects of windowing operations used in the calculation. The usefulness of the results is indicated, and examples are presented. >
Changes in the Public Accounts Committee of a Less Developed Democratic Country: A Field Study

This paper complements prior studies on the public accounts committees (PACs) by considering the notions of ‘agency’ and ‘structure’ of institutional theory in tandem in understanding the changes in structures and activities of the PAC of a less‐developed democratic country – Bangladesh. While prior studies examined ‘external’ institutional pressures on the development and operation of the PAC in various settings, the role of internal and external institutional agents in this context has not been their primary focus. Our empirical evidence from a qualitative field study indicates that over the past two decades, Bangladesh's PAC underwent significant changes to its internal governance structures and administrative processes. While these changes were indirectly driven by pressures from international donor agencies, PAC members and the national audit office played a key role as institutional agents in initiating and institutionalising the changes in PAC governance and operation.
Fusion of iris and periocular user authentication by AdaBoost for mobile devices

Today's mobile devices are likely to store various kinds of personal information, making it important to authenticate mobile device users. Since various types of mobile devices now have cameras, there has been growing interest in authentication based on images of the areas surrounding the eye due to the case of combing with iris and periocular from an image. We propose a method for authenticating mobile device users that uses AdaBoost to derive a fusion score from iris and periocular authentication scores. The use of AdaBoost provides better performance than the use of the weighted sum of the two authentication scores.
The Nature of Psychotherapy.

PSYCHOT? SYCHOTHERAPY is as old as medicine: indeed, it is nearly as old as religion; and a history of psychotherapy would L p | be a history of human culture. Yet it is only the last half century that has brought scientific knowledge of its W2525 scope and limitations; and it is only in the last half century that anything new has been added to its techniques. In the perspective of history, the term itself is young. Yet it has already acquired a meaning so vague and general as to be difficult to use with precision. It can include the mystical healing rites of a priestphysician of ancient Greece, or the drum-beating and the voodoo practices of a modern primitive, David strumming his lyre against Saul's melancholy or classes in rhythmic dancing in a modem psychiatric clinic, forced labor in an old prison asylum or the rhythm of a modem occupational class in basket weaving. As one witty patient described it, "under one, and over two, rest in a neutral environment. " In this loose sense, psychotherapy embraces any effort to influence human thought or feeling or conduct, by precept or by example, by wit or humor, by exhortation or appeals to reason, by distraction or diversion, by rewards or punishments, by charity or social service, by education, or by the contagion of another's spirit. This broadest possible use of the term would also include the temporary lift of spirit through music, art, or literature. Such methods as these depend upon an artful blend of imagination, feeling, intuition, firmness and common sense; but it will be our thesis that as a science psychotherapy begins only where these leave off. It happens that it usually will be good common sense to give water to a thirsty man; but this is not science until we know the role of water both in the normal body and in its pathology. So too with all such simple psychotherapeutic sips of water as sympathy or advice or rewards and punishments: we use these with scientific precision only when we
Fused Hierarchical Neural Networks for Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis

A fused hierarchical neural networks (FHNNs) is proposed for applications mainly related to diagnosis and fault detection. The benefit of such a model is well demonstrated by applying FHNNs for cardiovascular disease (CVD) diagnosis hierarchically using hemodynamic parameters (HDPs) derived from non-invasive sphygmogram (SPG). Patients' medical records with diagnostic results confirmed by doctors obtained from two hospitals in China are used to test and verify FHNNs. Variance analysis is used to categorize HDPs according to the importance/relevance based on their influence on discriminating diseases. Different neural networks structures are tested in diagnosing CVD so as to choose the optimal sub neural networks (sub-NNs) for the proposed FHNNs. Finally FHNNs with fused sub-NNs for CVD diagnosis is presented. The validity and effectiveness in the improvement of accuracy is witnessed clearly from the testing results.
Determination of Unbound Antiretroviral Drug Concentrations by a Modified Ultrafiltration Method Reveals High Variability in the Free Fraction

Total plasma concentrations are used for therapeutic drug monitoring of antiretroviral drugs, whereas antiviral activity is expected to depend on unbound concentrations. The determination of free (unbound) concentrations by ultrafiltration may be flawed by the irreversible adsorption of many drugs onto the membrane filters and plastic components of the device. The authors describe a modified ultrafiltration method enabling the accurate measurement of unbound concentrations of 10 antiretroviral drugs by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy, which circumvents the problem of loss by adsorption in the early ultrafiltration fractions. The method was applied to assess the variability of free fractions of antiretroviral drugs during routine therapeutic drug monitoring in 144 patients with HIV. In in vitro experiments, ultrafiltrate collected in four fractions (0-8, 8-16, 16-24, and 24-30 minutes) gave much lower and more variable free drug concentrations in the first ultrafiltrate fraction than in the last three fractions for lopinavir, nelfinavir, saquinavir, tipranavir, and efavirenz. In the last two fractions, free concentrations remained constant, indicating saturable adsorption. The adsorption was modest for indinavir, amprenavir, and ritonavir, and unnoticeable for atazanavir and nevirapine. Free fraction values obtained with this modified ultrafiltration method reveal substantial interindividual variability, suggesting that monitoring unbound antiretroviral drug concentrations may increase its clinical usefulness, especially for lopinavir, saquinavir, and efavirenz.
PD-L1 co-stimulation, ligand-induced TCR down-modulation and anti-tumor immunotherapy

PD-1 engagement on the surface of effector T cells strongly suppresses their cytotoxic function, which constitutes a major obstacle for T cell-mediated anti-tumor activities. Surprisingly, PD-1 is strongly upregulated in T cells, engaging its ligand PD-L1 during antigen presentation. However, our recent published data may provide an explanation for this apparent contradiction.
Role of Environmental Consciousness in Golfers’ Decision Formation in the Traditional and Screen-Golf Industries

ABSTRACT Despite its criticality, little is known about the role of ecological consciousness in the decision-making process. In addition, effort to integrate screen and real golf together in one conceptual framework that explicate golfers’ decision formation has not been made. The study tested a conceptual framework involving ecological consciousness and, for both real and screen golf, overall image, behavior frequency of play, desire to play, intention to play, and word-of-mouth intention in the golf industry. The dataset was developed by distributing surveys both in person and over the Internet. The findings from the structural modeling, using the data from both online and field surveys, demonstrated the predictive ability of the proposed model in golfers’ intentions for real and screen golf. In addition, the significant impact of ecological consciousness on decision formation for screen golf was identified, but this variable was not a contributor in predicting decision formation for traditional outdoor golf. Further, the mediating impacts of study variables were identified. Filling the existing research gaps, the present study empirically verified the essential role of ecological consciousness in golfers’ decision formation for screen golf, and a contrastingly inconsequential impact of it on their intentions for real golf.
Evaluation of MDM2 and CDK4 amplification by real‐time PCR on paraffin wax‐embedded material: a potential tool for the diagnosis of atypical lipomatous tumours/well‐differentiated liposarcomas

Atypical lipomatous tumours/well‐differentiated liposarcomas and dedifferentiated liposarcomas are characterized by 12q13–15 region amplification. In contrast, this molecular event has not been reported in benign lipomas. Within the 12q13–15 chromosomal region, the MDM2, SAS, HMGA2, and CDK4 genes are the most frequent targets of amplification. A series of lipomas (36 cases) and liposarcomas (48 cases) was analysed for MDM2 and CDK4 gene amplification by real‐time PCR. MDM2 and CDK4 gene amplification was detected in 2.8% and 5.6% of lipomas and 98.2% and 82.4% of liposarcomas, respectively. Moreover, co‐amplification of the two genes as well as a higher‐level amplification was observed more frequently in dedifferentiated liposarcomas than in atypical lipomatous tumours/well‐differentiated liposarcomas. Real‐time PCR proved to be a fast and reliable method to characterize lipomas and liposarcomas by quantification of MDM2 and CDK4 gene amplification. It is applicable to paraffin wax‐embedded tissues and could be useful when histological diagnosis is difficult. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stimulant Medication and Reading Performance

The study examined the sustained effects of methylphenidate on reading performance in a sample of 42 boys, ages 8 to 11, with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Two subgroups were formed based on the presence or absence of co-occurring conduct disorders. Subjects were selected on the basis of their positive response to methylphenidate as determined in a series of original medication trials (Forness, Cantwell, Swanson, Hanna, & Youpa, 1991). For the purpose of this study, subjects were placed on their optimal dose of medication for a 6-week period and then tested on measures of oral reading and reading comprehension equivalent to those used in the original trials, retested after a week without medication (placebo), then tested again the following week after return to medication. Only the subgroup with conduct disorders responded, and this response was limited to reading comprehension improvement in only those subjects who also demonstrated improvement in oral reading on original trials. No response differences were found between subjects with or without learning disabilities.
Quantitative keratinocyte assay detects two biological activities of human papillomavirus DNA and identifies viral types associated with cervical carcinoma.

Keratinocytes electroporated with human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA (HPV‐6, 11, 16 and 18) exhibited an increased cellular proliferation which was quantitated as microcolony and macrocolony formation. However, only macrocolonies induced by HPV‐16 or HPV‐18 DNA (the two viral types most commonly found in human cervical carcinomas) gave rise to proliferating, poorly‐stratified colonies when grown in the presence of serum and calcium. Hydrocortisone increased the frequency of these differentiation‐resistant colonies, and studies showed that they were immortalized, contained one copy of viral DNA per cell, expressed three discrete species of viral RNA and synthesized the viral E7 protein. HPV‐induced cellular proliferation and altered differentiation are therefore separable events and may represent the activity of different viral genes.
The Impact of Energy Consumption on Exports: The Turkish Case

This paper aims to determine the impact of domestic energy consumption on exports in Turkey by using annual data from 1970 to 2006. For this purpose cointegration and Granger causality tests and impulse-response functions are applied. According to obtained results there is a significant relationship between domestic energy consumption and exports in long term. Granger causality test shows there is a unidirectional causality running from energy consumption to exports. Impulse-response functions indicate that shocks to the energy consumption have a positive impact on exports. Therefore energy is an important factor for economic growth in Turkish economy.