Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic index of liver cirrhosis with ascites with and without hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: In Japan, the incidence of liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis viruses is higher, and cirrhosis is more likely to be complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma, than in Western countries. The aim of this study was to predict the outcome in liver cirrhosis with ascites with and without hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: The subjects were 146 patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by ascites. Forty-six factors were evaluated concerning clinical laboratory parameters and extracted prognostic factors using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The mean duration of the follow-up period was 634.9 days, during which 89 (61%) of the patients died, 27 (18.5%) survived, and 30 (20.6%) were lost to follow-up. The cumulative survival rate after the onset of ascites was 59.7% after 1 year, 44.5% after 2 years, and 29.5% after 5 years. Multivariate analysis indicated 9 factors, i.e. age, total bilirubin (T-Bil), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), α-fetoprotein (AFP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT), as independent prognostic factors. The prognostic index (PI) was calculated by the following formula using these 9 factors. PI = 0.045 × age + 0.180 × T-Bil + 0.088 × ALP + 0.020 × BUN + 0.467 × AFP + (−0.022 × MAP) + 0.662 × gastrointestinal bleeding + 0.521 × infections + 0.882 × PVTT. Conclusion: Prediction of the outcome using PI based on the 9 factors provides additional information for the determination of the therapeutic approach in cirrhotic patients with ascites with and without hepatocellular carcinoma.
TREATMENT RESULTS AND PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN EWING SARCOMA

Files of 133 children with Ewing sarcoma (median age 10 years) were reviewed. Frequent primary sites were extremities, trunk, pelvis, and cranium. Half of 43 patients with metastases had disease in the lungs. Ten-year overall and event-free survival rates were 31% and 19%, respectively. Five-year overall survival rates were 42% in localized and 15% in metastatic disease (p <. 0001); 66% in cases with primary tumors < 8 cm and 29% in larger tumors (p =. 013). VAC (vincristine, actinomycine D, and cyclophosphamide) regimens with anthracyclines resulted in better survival. Presence of distant metastases, large primary tumors, and pelvic localization were related to poor prognosis. Novel therapeutic approaches are needed to produce better results, especially in high-risk patients.
SPECT study of regional cerebral perfusion in neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenic patients who responded or did not respond to clozapine.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to find predictive criteria for response to clozapine. METHOD Single photon emission computed tomography studies of cerebral perfusion were done in 24 treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients while they were taking typical neuroleptics and again after they had been treated with clozapine for 6 months. Perfusion ratios of the subjects categorized as responders or nonresponders to clozapine and of the subjects in the two treatment conditions were compared. The ratios with significant between-group differences were compared to those from a normal database. RESULTS Before clozapine, while taking neuroleptics, subjects who became responders to clozapine showed higher thalamic, left basal ganglia, and right prefrontal perfusion. Nonresponders to clozapine had lower prefrontal perfusion and responders had higher subcortical perfusion than subjects in the normal database. The subcortical perfusion of the responders decreased when they received clozapine. CONCLUSIONS The study of cerebral perfusion may contribute to the prediction of response to clozapine.
Crystal structure of a DNA binding protein from the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Methanococcus jannaschii

The Sac10b family consists of a group of highly conserved DNA binding proteins from both the euryarchaeotal and the crenarchaeotal branches of Archaea. The proteins have been suggested to play an architectural role in the chromosomal organization in these organisms. Previous studies have mainly focused on the Sac10b proteins from the crenarchaeota. Here, we report the 2.0 Å resolution crystal structure of Mja10b from the euryarchaeon Methanococcus jannaschii. The model of Mja10b has been refined to an R‐factor of 20.9%. The crystal structure of an Mja10b monomer reveals an α/β structure of four β‐strands and two α‐helices, and Mja10b assembles into a dimer via an extensive hydrophobic interface. Mja10b has a similar topology to that of its crenarchaeota counterpart Sso10b (also known as Alba). Structural comparison between the two proteins suggests that structural features such as hydrophobic inner core, acetylation sites, dimer interface, and DNA binding surface are conserved among Sac10b proteins. Structural differences between the two proteins were found in the loops. To understand the structural basis for the thermostability of Mja10b, the Mja10b structure was compared to other proteins with similar topology. Our data suggest that extensive ion‐pair networks, optimized accessible surface area and the dimerization via hydrophobic interactions may contribute to the enhanced thermostability of Mja10b.
Origin, Splicing, and Expression of Rodent Amelogenin Exon 8

Amelogenin RNA transcripts undergo extensive alternative splicing, and MMP-20 processes the isoforms following their secretion. Since amelogenins have been ascribed cell-signaling activities, we asked if a lack of proteolytic processing by MMP-20 affects amelogenin signaling and consequently alters amelogenin splice site selection. RT-PCR analyses of amelogenin mRNA between control and Mmp20 −/−mice revealed no differences in the splicing pattern. We characterized 3 previously unidentified amelogenin alternatively spliced transcripts and demonstrated that exon-8-encoded amelogenin isoforms are processed by MMP-20. Transcripts with exon 8 were expressed approximately five-fold less than those with exon 7. Analyses of the mouse and rat amelogenin gene structures confirmed that exon 8 arose in a duplication of exons 4 through 5, with translocation of the copy downstream of exon 7. No downstream genomic sequences homologous to exons 4–5 were present in the bovine or human amelogenin genes, suggesting that this translocation occurred only in rodents.
Designing Flow Experience on the Web: A Grounded Theory of Online Shopping Flow

Flow, the psychological state of deep focus while conducting a fluent activity, has been increasingly examined to explain web users' post-adoptive behavior. The practical implications of flow on the web are supposed to result in a win-win situation for both users and website operators. However, to date there is little concrete knowledge or advice on how to design a website for flow. This study develops a grounded theory of flow experiences of the users of a large shopping platform, shedding light on the theoretical relationships between concrete realizable website design options, corresponding latent constructs, and the flow experience.
Evolution of Thermal Physiology in Liolaemus Lizards: Adaptation, Phylogenetic Inertia, and Niche Tracking

Microevolutionary studies often find that complex quantitative characters are highly evolvable and adapted to the local environment, while macroevolutionary studies often show evidence of strong phylogenetic effects and stasis. In this contribution, we show how phylogenetic comparative methods can be used to test hypotheses that may help resolve this paradox. As a test case, we studied the interplay between adaptation and phylogenetic inertia on the thermobiology of 32 species of Liolaemus (Squamata: Liolaemidae), a genus of South American lizards living under diverse climatic conditions. Despite a strong phylogenetic effect in the preferred (selected) body temperature, we found clear evidence that this variable is adapted to local temperature and climate. After controlling for adaptation to the thermal environment, little influence of phylogeny was left. This indicates that the phylogenetic effect was not caused by a lag or slowness in adaptation but primarily by the distribution of the thermal environments on the phylogeny. This can be due to thermal niche tracking. In contrast, we found little or no evidence for adaptation to the thermal environment in either cooling or heating rates, critical thermal minimum, or body size.
Stimulated salivary flow rate and buffer effect in schoolchildren from Greenland and Sweden: A comparative study

Objective. To compare food habits and stimulated salivary flow rate and buffer effect between schoolchildren from Greenland and Sweden and to evaluate whether the change in lifestyle concerning eating habits in Sweden during recent decades has resulted in any obvious alteration in these salivary properties. Material and methods. Fifty healthy schoolchildren from Greenland were included and compared with 50 age-matched and gender-matched Swedish children. Whole saliva stimulated by chewing was collected, and prior to sampling each participant filled in a simple questionnaire regarding their food habits. Results. Salivary flow rate and buffer effect were significantly (p<0.001) higher for the Greenlandic children. The difference in flow rate was on average 0.71 ml/min. Milk, fish/meat and fruit/vegetables were more frequently consumed by the Swedish children, while snacks, soft drinks and sweets had a higher consumption frequency on Greenland. No obvious correlation could be found between consumption frequency of the tested food products and flow rate or buffer effect of saliva. Twenty-nine Swedish children were within the age range±6 months of an age with earlier documented values of stimulated salivary flow rate. Twenty-six of these 29 Swedish children were within the 25–75 percentile range of the old values, while 22 of their Greenlandic “twins” were in or above percentile 75. Conclusions. Obvious differences in salivary flow rate and buffer effect between schoolchildren from Greenland and Sweden illustrated the importance of being cautious when exchanging reference data between different cultures/ethnic groups.
Tunable multi-wavelength thulium-doped fiber laser based on Sagnac ring filter

A thulium-doped fiber laser incorporating with Sagnac ring filter is proposed, in order to realize a tunable multi-wavelength laser output. In designed ring cavity fiber laser, one broadband reflection mirror with metal-coated is selected as wavelength reflector, and Sagnac loop is composed of 4 m long polarization maintaining fiber and one 3 dB coupler, and one polarization controller is used to adjust laser wavelengths. In the expriment, the lasing threshold is 150 mW, a tunable and stable single wavelength laser can be realized, and the minimal tunable laser interval is 2 nm; when 1843 nm laser is obtained, the peak power fluctuation is less than 1 dB within 10 min monitor time. By adjusting polarization controller, a tunable dual-wavelength laser can be realized, when 1845 and 1854 nm lasers are achieved simultaneously, the peak power shift is less than 0.8 dB within 10 min scan time at room temperature, and the power difference value of each dual-wavelength laser is less than 3.81 dB. When a tunable triple-wavelength laser is realized through changing polarization state, the power difference value of each lasing is less than 4.1 dB; when four-wavelength and five-wavelength lasing are obtained, the maximum power difference is less than 2.807 and 2.929 dB. In the experiment, the laser 3 dB linewidth is less than 0.4 nm, and side-mode suppression ratio is greater than 32.4 dB. This electronic document is a “live” template and already defines the components of your paper [title, text, heads, etc.] in its style sheet.
Fabrication of reusable whole PDMS biochip for mesenchymal stem cell separation and enrichment

A novel biochip, which was made from Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and integrated separation and enrichment structures, has been presented. The biochip mainly composes of the spiral microchannel with pillared filtration structures being used to simultaneously and continuously separate cells, and the U-shaped filter being applied to enrich the cells. The protocol of the soft lithographic methods for the whole PDMS biochip is described. The reversible PDMS-PDMS bonding technique is important for the reusable biochip, therefore, the biochip will reuse after separation and enrichment of cells, which can reduce the cost. The simple fabrication processes are attractive for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) or other cell cultivation, which has potential for clinical application.
Assessing the essentiality of the decaprenyl‐phospho‐d‐arabinofuranose pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using conditional mutants

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis the decaprenyl‐phospho‐d‐arabinofuranose (DPA) pathway is a validated target for the drugs ethambutol and benzothiazinones. To identify other potential drug targets in the pathway, we generated conditional knock‐down mutants of each gene involved using the TET‐PIP OFF system. dprE1, dprE2, ubiA, prsA, rv2361c, tkt and rpiB were confirmed to be essential under non‐permissive conditions, whereas rv3807c was not required for survival. In the most vulnerable group, DprE1‐depleted cells died faster in vitro and intracellularly than those lacking UbiA and PrsA. Downregulation of DprE1 and UbiA resulted in similar phenotypes, namely swelling of the bacteria, cell wall damage and lysis as observed at the single cell level, by real time microscopy and electron microscopy. By contrast, depletion of PrsA led to cell elongation and implosion, which was suggestive of a more pleiotropic effect. Drug sensitivity assays with known DPA‐inhibitors supported the use of conditional knock‐down strains for target‐based whole‐cell screens. Together, our work provides strong evidence for the vulnerability of all but one of the enzymes in the DPA pathway and generates valuable tools for the identification of lead compounds targeting the different biosynthetic steps. PrsA, phosphoribosyl‐pyrophosphate synthetase, appears to be a particularly attractive new target for drug discovery.
Phosphorylation Events Catalyzed by Major Cell Signaling Proteins Differ in Response to Thermal and Osmotic Stress among Native (Mytilus californianus and Mytilus trossulus) and Invasive (Mytilus galloprovincialis) Species of Mussels

Sharp environmental gradients encountered within the intertidal zone have driven the evolution of physiological adaptations that allow its inhabitants to maintain cellular function in the presence of fluctuating abiotic factors. These adaptations are mediated by gene-regulatory networks that, despite their inherent complexity, must remain evolvable and capable of responding to different selection pressures associated with specific ecological niches. Phosphorylation events catalyzed by cell-signaling enzymes represent a parsimonious mechanism to integrate new functional or regulatory properties into these gene-regulatory networks. In this study, proteins phosphorylated on consensus sequences for protein kinases A, B, and C; cyclin-dependent kinases; and mitogen-activated protein kinases, as well as the abundance of phosphorylated stress-activated protein kinase (phospho-SAPK/JNK), were quantified in order to ascertain whether phosphorylation events are divergent among native (Mytilus californianus and Mytilus trossulus) and invasive (Mytilus galloprovincialis) species of mussels that differ in their tolerance toward environmental stress. Abundances of phosphorylated substrate proteins for each of the major signaling proteins that were investigated, as well as the abundance of phospho-SAPK/JNK, differed both within and between species during thermal and osmotic stress. These data suggest that modulating protein function via phosphorylation may be an important mechanism to integrate novel properties into stress-regulatory networks. In turn, differential phosphorylation during environmental stress may contribute to species-specific tolerances toward abiotic stress, interspecies dynamics, and biogeographic patterns in Mytilus congeners.
A Study on Maximum Entropy Distribution in Portfolio

The subjectivity,confirming the portfolio return distribution,makes the portfolio theory based on irrationality and influences the practical invest in an incomplete market.This paper builds the maximum entropy distribution of the portfolio return to give a new idea in portfolio.A portfolio system consisted of stocks was researched and a maximum entropy distribution was built under the all information.The solution of the optimization model was also obtained.It indicated that the maximum entropy distribution was more objective and entropy measures the uncertainty of a portfolio system rationally.This could give a reasonable reference to the system risk measure.
Persistent autonomy artificial intelligence or biomimesis?

We seek to develop autonomous robots that can operate and interact unsupervised for extended lengths of time in unknown environments, adapting their purpose in response to events and goals, learning from successes and failures, recovering from errors in execution whilst monitoring and maintaining self health. Such persistent autonomy is a challenging ambition, and the subject of an increasingly intense research effort. Two broad approaches have evolved, one rooted in artificial intelligence research from the 1970s onward, and the other in studies of animals and even plants that nature has evolved over millennia. Both offer opportunities and challenges in implementation. This paper presents a snapshot of recent and ongoing developments from each approach, and offers some perspectives on the potential that each offers.
Breast-Cancer Patients’ Participation Behavior and Coping During Presurgical Consultations: A Pilot Study

In the context of breast-cancer care, there is extremely little research on the association between observed (i.e., taped and coded) communication behaviors and patients’ health outcomes, especially those other than satisfaction. In the context of presurgical consultations between female breast cancer patients and a surgeon, the aim of this exploratory study was to test the association between communication-based participation behaviors and pre–post consultation changes in aspects of patients’ mental adjustment to cancer (i.e., coping). Participants included 51 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and a surgical oncologist from a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center in the northeastern United States. Outcomes were changes in patients’ fighting spirit, helplessness/hopelessness, anxious preoccupation, cognitive avoidance, and fatalism (measured immediately before and after consultations via survey), and the main predictors were three communication-based participation behaviors coded from videotapes of consultations: patient question asking, patient assertion of treatment preferences, and surgeon solicitation of patient question/concern/opinion. Patients who more frequently asserted their treatment preferences experienced increases in their fighting spirit (p = .01) and decreases in their anxious preoccupation (p = .02). When companions (e.g., sister, spouse) asked more questions, patients experienced decreases in their anxious preoccupation (p = .05). These findings suggest that, in the present context, there may be specific, trainable communication behaviors, such as patients asserting their treatment preferences and companions asking questions, that may improve patients’ psychosocial health outcomes.
Enhanced adaptive threshold for cognitive radio

Wireless communication users are increasing day by day which in turn leads to scarcity for spectrum. In order to overcome this problem, cognitive radio is the booming solution. Cognitive radio (CR) is an intelligent radio that can be programmed and configured dynamically. One of the important tasks of cognitive radio is to sense the free spectrum. The availability of the signal is decided by comparing it with a predefined threshold. The threshold value cannot be too high or low as it causes probability of missed detection and probability of false alarm problems. So care should be taken in calculating the threshold value. Hence this paper aims to calculate the proper threshold value for efficient decision making so that efficient spectrum utilization could be achieved.
Low power pattern matching scheme through FSM state transition for next generation NIDS system

The coordinated matching process is a most challenging task in a present NIDS system over the increase in malicious attacks. Many digital systems have been invented to accommodate increased network traffic rate. The overall NIDS efficiency is degraded when the number of intrusions in the database increased. It will lead the demands of concurrent pattern matching scheme in any Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based NIDS system. In this work, a bit based pattern matching algorithm with FSM state transition controller for both parallel processing and assertion based input payload validity check is proposed. Here during the matching process, the Finite State Machine (FSM) state controller will be used in case of early misdetection to optimize overall matching time in case of a longer pattern where the rule is being divided into sub patterns and the successive matches are halted which is done parallel with sub patterns. To avoid synchronization problem over parallel matching process unique controllers are used which is driven with fully integrated page enabled sub groups. The efficiency of FSM state controlled pattern matching process is proved over speed and power metrics. Here in our proposed NIDS system both delay and power are optimized by 5% and 8% accordingly and it is verified using QUARTUS Π EDA tool synthesizer.
DNA Repair Functions That Control Sensitivity to Topoisomerase-Targeting Drugs

ABSTRACT DNA topoisomerases play critical roles in a wide range of cellular processes by altering DNA topology to facilitate replication, transcription, and chromosome segregation. Topoisomerases alter DNA topology by introducing transient DNA strand breaks that involve a covalent protein DNA intermediate. Many agents have been found to prevent the religation of DNA strand breaks induced by the enzymes, thereby converting the enzymes into DNA-damaging agents. Repair of the DNA damage induced by topoisomerases is significant in understanding drug resistance arising following treatment with topoisomerase-targeting drugs. We have used the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to identify DNA repair pathways that are important for cell survival following drug treatment. S. pombe strains carrying mutations in genes required for homologous recombination such as rad22A or rad32 (homologues of RAD52 and MRE11) are hypersensitive to drugs targeting either topoisomerase I or topoisomerase II. In contrast to results observed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. pombe strains defective in nucleotide excision repair are also hypersensitive to topoisomerase-targeting agents. The loss of DNA replication or DNA damage checkpoints also sensitizes cells to both topoisomerase I and topoisomerase II inhibitors. Finally, repair genes (such as the S. pombe rad8+ gene) with no obvious homologs in other systems also play important roles in causing sensitivity to topoisomerase drugs. Since the pattern of sensitivity is distinct from that seen with other systems (such as the S. cerevisiae system), our results highlight the usefulness of S. pombe in understanding how cells deal with the unique DNA damage induced by topoisomerases.