Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene transfer of a secretable form of IL‐15 in murine adenocarcinoma cells: Effects on tumorigenicity, metastatic potential and immune response

IL‐15 is an immunostimulatory cytokine with IL‐2‐like activities. To exploit the potential role of IL‐15 in cancer immuno‐/gene therapy, we engineered murine TS/A cells with different IL‐15 cDNA constructs. Significant IL‐15 secretion was achieved only by the use of a modified cDNA encoding for an IL‐15 pre‐protein bearing the IgK light chain signal peptide. Different TS/A clones (TS/A IL‐15 C6, C23, C29) producing 390 to 1,600 pg/ml biologically active IL‐15 showed reduced tumorigenicity when implanted s.c. in syngeneic mice and significantly reduced metastatic potential by i.v. injection. Tumorigenicity of s.c. TS/A IL‐15 was restored in animals depleted of CD8+ lymphocytes or of natural killer cells and partially in CD4+‐depleted mice. TS/A IL‐15 cells displayed a significantly reduced growth rate by s.c. implant in nude mice. Also, >50% syngeneic animals rejecting TS/A IL‐15 were resistant to a subsequent rechallenge with wild‐type tumor (TS/Apc), indicating induction of protective immunity against TS/A tumor‐associated antigens (TAAs). Cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity, specifically inhibited by anti‐CD3 antibodies, was inducible in the splenocytes of TS/A IL‐15‐immunized animals by mixed lymphocyte/tumor culture (MLTC), and IFN‐γ was released in the supernatant of MLTC, mainly by CD8+ cells. Immunohistochemistry of the TS/A IL‐15 tumor area revealed the presence of an inflammatory infiltrate with predominant natural killer, macrophage, and granulocyte components and expression of IFN‐γ as a distinctive secondary cytokine. Use of TS/A IL‐15 mitomycin‐treated cells for therapeutic vaccination in experimental TS/A metastasis was effective in 60% of animals treated; these animals showed no metastatic tumor growth. Int. J. Cancer 87:574–581, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cigarette Smoke Exposure as a Model of Inflammation Associated with COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive airflow limitation resulting from inflammation‐driven pathologies in the lungs that are a consequence of smoking over many years. Given that the disease is increasing globally, understanding the mechanism by which cigarette smoke (CS) causes lung inflammation and exploiting that knowledge to develop effective treatments is urgently required. Animal models of CS exposure are commonly used to examine the inflammatory processes that may be involved in the development of COPD. The protocols described in this unit detail the development of preclinical models of CS‐driven lung inflammation. These systems can be utilized to investigate the role of various biological pathways in CS‐mediated inflammation and to assess the efficacy of new therapeutic strategies for treating COPD. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol. 60:14.24. 1‐14.24. 18. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A weaker Agulhas Current leads to more Agulhas leakage

Time series of transports in the Agulhas region have been constructed by simulating Lagrangian drifter trajectories in a 1/10 degree two‐way nested ocean model. Using these 34 year long time series it is shown that smaller (larger) Agulhas Current transport leads to larger (smaller) Indian‐Atlantic inter‐ocean exchange. When transport is low, the Agulhas Current detaches farther downstream from the African continental slope. Moreover, the lower inertia suppresses generation of anti‐cyclonic vorticity. These two effects cause the Agulhas retroflection to move westward and enhance Agulhas leakage. In the model a 1 Sv decrease in Agulhas Current transport at 32°S results in a 0.7 ± 0.2 Sv increase in Agulhas leakage.
Pulse pressure: a predictor of long-term cardiovascular mortality in a French male population.

Studies on the usefulness of blood pressure as a prognostic factor in cardiovascular disease have more often involved investigations of the levels of diastolic or systolic blood pressure. However, blood pressure may be divided into two other components: steady (mean pressure) and pulsatile (pulse pressure). In this study, the relationship of pulse pressure to cardiovascular mortality was investigated in 19 083 men 40 to 69 years old who were undergoing a routine systematic health examination and were being followed up after a mean period of 19.5 years. Subjects were divided into four groups according to age (40 to 54 and 55 to 69 years) and mean arterial pressure (<107 and > or =107 mm Hg). Each group was further divided into four subgroups according to the pulse pressure level. A wide pulse pressure (evaluated according to the quartile group or as a continuous quantitative variable) was an independent and significant predictor of all-cause, total cardiovascular, and, especially, coronary mortality in all age and mean pressure groups. No significant association between pulse pressure and cerebrovascular mortality was observed. In conclusion, in a large population of men with a relatively low cardiovascular risk, a wide pulse pressure is a significant independent predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular, and, especially, coronary mortality.
Synthesis of Mesoporous Supraparticles on Superamphiphobic Surfaces

A method for mesoporous supraparticle synthesis on superamphiphobic surfaces is designed. Therefore, supraparticles assembled with nanoparticles are synthesized by the evaporation of nanoparticle dispersion drops on the superamphiphobic surface. For synthesis, no further purification is required and no organic solvents are wasted. Moreover, by changing the conditions such as drop size and concentration, supraparticles of different sizes, compositions, and architectures are fabricated.
Modified design of the coil probe for high field MRI

Small RF coils for operating in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 14T systems with Larmor frequency of 600 MHz for imaging seed assembles have been developed with the focus to improve the homogeneity of magnetic field inside the coils for obtaining higher image quality. The performed full-wave simulations have shown that uniformly wrapped coils fail to provide the desired field homogeneity, while non-uniform wrapping can be employed for achieving essentially more congruous field distributions.
Misdiagnosis, the Recent Trend in Thinking about Gifted Children with ADHD

The misdiagnosis issue, of the gifted as having ADHD, has been described as an overseas concern (i.e., predominantly American). However, in New Zealand psychologists and paediatricians, perhaps without knowledge of the gifted, utilise the same diagnosis process outlined within the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-text revision (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) to identify those with ADHD. This article addresses the most significant reasons why misdiagnosis of the gifted as having ADHD could be occurring, such as how the ADHD characteristics within the DSM-IV (APA, 2000) relate very closely to both gifted and creatively gifted characteristics. The purpose of this article is to inform educators, with a brief overview, of such similarities so they can recognise when misdiagnosis has occurred. Teachers can then talk to parents about the possible misdiagnosis and provide education that is appropriate for the gifted rather than that which is fitting for those with ADHD.
Tracing the Influence of Stakeholders of the Nusantara Masjid Architecture

Masjids or mosques were built across the Malay Archipelago or the Nusantara, as a statement on the rise and strengths of the Islamic community since the arrival of Islam in the 1300s. As the latest religion to the South-East Asia after Hindu-Buddhist, the mass often discusses the form and make of the masjid but seldom question who’s who constitutes the design and the rigmarole of masjids. This paper aim at identifying the stakeholders of masjid architecture of Nusantara through analysing the involvement of stakeholders from historical and primary data, covering the process of initiation, through masjid construction including the conceptions and perceptions on the factors influencing the architecture of the masjid. The paper intents to demystify the sole responsibility of the architect in designing masjid of Nusantara region and places the will of Islam as the religion of initiation and stakeholders, whom are the rulers, scholars and common Muslims, as the Ummah, the reason of its make and form it is today.
Performance comparison of fused soft control/hard observer type controller with hard control/hard observer type controller for switched reluctance motors

Both soft computing (SC) and hard computing (HC) techniques are often successful for solving real-world control problems. In cases where problems could be solved by either or both methodologies, an important research problem is to find what are the advantages for fusing SC methods together with HC methods, rather than using the HC method alone. Hence, in this paper, a performance comparison is detailed for a fused soft control/hard observer type controller (where a classical or HC type observer is fused with an adaptive fuzzy or SC type controller) and a hard control/hard observer type controller (where both the observer and feedback linearization controller are classical HC types). The domain in which this comparison is made is for the sensorless speed control of switched reluctance motors (SRMs). This is because this type of motor has highly nonlinear characteristics, and the HC type controller can often be detrimentally affected by modeling inaccuracies, as well as noise. Simulation and experimental results are illustrated to show the performance comparison of the soft control/hard observer type controller and the hard control/hard observer type controller under a wide range of identical operation conditions including transient speed and torque, SRM model parameter variations, and measurement noise. It can be seen from the results that the soft control/hard observer type exhibits a better performance than the hard control/hard observer type controller.
Advances in pharmacotherapy of small cell lung cancer

Introduction: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by early metastatic dissemination and responsiveness to initial therapy. The incidence of SCLC has been declining over the past two decades. Limited-stage SCLC is a potentially curable disease with long-term survival of ∼ 20% when treated with platinum-based chemotherapy plus concurrent thoracic radiation and prophylactic cranial irradiation. For patients with extensive-stage SCLC, survival can be increased with combination platinum-based chemotherapy, but the disease remains incurable. Areas covered: This review looks at the current advances in pharmacotherapy for SCLC. Expert opinion: Many chemotherapeutic strategies and newer cytotoxic agents have been evaluated in SCLC, and some had promising activity in early clinical trials. However, none have demonstrated consistent improvements in outcome over standard platinum-based treatment. Similarly, although many potential molecular targets have been identified in preclinical studies of SCLC, molecularly targeted therapy has yet to demonstrate any substantial activity in clinical trials. Nonetheless, future advances in this disease will undoubtedly depend on improvements in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive the proliferation and survival of SCLC cells.
Phase shifts in circadian peripheral clocks caused by exercise are dependent on the feeding schedule in PER2::LUC mice

ABSTRACT Circadian rhythms are regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) clock, which is the main oscillator and peripheral clock. SCN clock can be entrained by both photic and non-photic stimuli, and an interaction exists between photic and non-photic entrainment. Moreover, peripheral circadian clocks can be entrained not only by scheduled restricted feeding, but also by scheduled exercise. Thus, the entrainment of peripheral circadian clocks may be the result of an interaction between the entrainment caused by feeding and exercise. In this study, we examined the effect of wheel-running exercise on the phase of the peripheral clocks (kidney, liver and submandibular gland) in PER2::LUC mice under various feeding schedules. Phase and waveforms of the peripheral clocks were not affected by voluntary wheel-running exercise. Exercise for a period of 4 h during the early dark period (morning) delayed the peripheral clocks, while exercise for the same duration during the late dark period (evening) advanced the peripheral clocks. The feeding phase was advanced and delayed by evening and morning exercise, respectively, suggesting that the feeding pattern elicited by the scheduled exercise may entrain the peripheral clocks. Exercise did not affect the phase of the peripheral clock under the 1 meal per day schedule. When the phase of the peripheral clocks was advanced by the feeding schedule of 2 or 4 meals per day during light and/or dark periods, wheel-running exercise during the morning period significantly and equally shifted the phase of all organs back to the original positions observed in mice maintained under free-feeding conditions and with no exercise. When the schedule of 2 meals per day during the dark period failed to affect the phase of peripheral clock, morning exercise did not affect the phase. Wheel-running exercise increased the levels of serum corticosterone, and the injection of dexamethasone/corticosterone instead of exercise shifted a phase that had advanced under the feeding schedule of 2 meals per day, back to the normal position. The liver and submandibular glands exhibit higher sensitivity to dexamethasone than the kidneys. In adrenalectomized mice, treadmill-induced normalization of the advanced phase under a feeding schedule of 2 meals per day was not observed. In summary, scheduled exercise-induced phase shifts were weaker compared to scheduled feeding-induced phase shifts. The phase advance caused by the feeding schedule of 2 or 4 meals per day was suppressed by wheel-running, treadmill exercise or dexamethasone/corticosterone injection in the early dark period (morning). Corticosterone release may be involved in exercise-induced phase shift of peripheral clocks. These results suggest that there is an interaction between the phase shifts caused by feeding and exercise schedules in peripheral clocks.
Identification of Candida spp. by phenotypic tests and PCR

The correct identification of Candida species is of great importance, as it presents prognostic and therapeutical significance, allowing an early and appropriate antifungical therapy. The purpose of this study was to identify isolates of Candida spp. from oral mucosa of 38 patients with oral candidosis evaluated in 2004 by phenotypic methods and PCR, discriminating C. albicans from the other Candida species. The tests used for phenotypic analysis were germ-tube and chlamydoconidia production, culture in CHROMAgar™ Candida, carbohydrate assimilation test, growth at 45ºC and culture in Tween 80 agar. Genotypic confirmation was performed by PCR. Phenotypic tests showed that 63.2% strains formed germ-tubes, 73.7% produced chlamydoconidia, and 63.2% showed green colonies in chromogenic medium, presumptively indicating C. albicans or C. dubliniensis. The carbohydrate assimilation test confirmed these results. A total of 21% strains were identified as C. krusei and 13.2% were indicative of C. tropicalis. Of these later strains, three produced chlamydoconidia. The association of other phenotypic tests with culture in Tween 80 agar identified 95.8% of strains as C. albicans and 4.2% as C. dubliniensis. All 24 strains indicative of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis were confirmed by PCR as C. albicans.
Cross-cultural comparison of interactivity and advertising appeals on antismoking web sites in the United States and South Korea

Purpose – This study aims to examine the content of health promotional web sites in two culturally distinct countries, the USA and South Korea, by investigating the level of interactivity and types of advertising appeals presented on antismoking web sites.Design/methodology/approach – Antismoking web sites in the two countries were collected through the three major search engines (msn, Yahoo and Google) using relevant keywords. The final sample contained a total of 89 web sites (USA=67, South Korea=22) that met the condition of promoting antismoking behavior rather than just selling antismoking products. Three bilingual coders were hired for the analysis.Findings – The South Korean antismoking web sites presented significantly higher levels of interactivity than their USA counterparts. By contrast, there is hardly any differentiation between the two countries in the amount of advertising appeals used on the health web sites.Research limitations/implications – Even though antismoking is certainly an import.
International Journal of Engineering Business Management Shaping the E-Commerce Logistics Strategy : a Decision Framework Regular Paper

e‐commerce is expected to radically change customers’ shopping experiences. Market figures show that even though e‐commerce has already taken off, the path to realizing its full potential is still long. In the physical goods segments, the strategic importance of logistics ‐ both as a cost driver and as a service enabler ‐ has been recognised by the majority of companies, but it remains unclear how to adapt the ʺlogistics strategyʺ to possible forms of the ʺlogistics problemʺ. This issue is even more important for those Dotcoms that need to design their logistics strategies from scratch.
Interactive System for Reasoning about Document Age

Recently, many historical texts have become digitized and made accessible for search and browsing. Professionals who work with collections of such texts often need to verify the correctness of documents' key metadata - their creation dates. In this paper, we demonstrate an interactive system for estimating the age of documents. It may be useful not only for tagging a large number of undated documents, but also for verifying already known timestamps. In order to infer probable dates, we rely on a large scale lexical corpora, Google Books Ngrams. Besides estimating the document creation year, the system also outputs evidences to support age detection and reasoning process and allows testing different hypotheses about document's age.
Using Crowdsourcing for Labelling Emotional Speech Assets

The success of supervised learning approaches for the classification of emotion in speech depends highly on the quality of the training data. The manual annotation of emotion speech assets is the primary way of gathering training data for emotional speech recognition. This position paper proposes the use of crowdsourcing for the rating of emotion speech assets. Recent developments in learning from crowdsourcing offer opportunities to determine accurate ratings for assets which have been annotated by large numbers of non-expert individuals. The challenges involved include identifying good annotators, determining consensus ratings and learning the bias of annotators.
An effective defense mechanism against DoS/DDoS attacks in flow-based routers

Due to proliferation of diverse network applications, DoS/DDoS attacks are evolving. Many studies have been performed and implemented in on/off-line network devices such as routers and IDS/IPS. While IDS/IPS is powerful enough to handle deep packet inspection (DPI) tasks, routers are better suited in real-time and line-speed processing requirements. Since the routers are designed to handle IP packet header information, if one can devise an DoS/DDoS detection/prevention methods that utilizes the router specific features it will be best for the in-line and real-time processing. We introduce a Flow based DoS/DDoS detection algorithm(FDDA) that detects Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks by monitoring TTL and ID fields of incoming packet's IP header. As DDoS attacks are based on IP source address spoofing, the TTL and ID fields may have abnormal behavior. The device keeps track of 8-tuple flow table. The behavior of these two fields is monitored to determine DoS/DDoS attack situation. The effectiveness of our method is such that it is implemented flow-based routers and devices.
ColorCrack: Identifying Cracks in Glass

Automatically identifying cracks in glass is an application of machine vision that has not been studied much before. It poses the unique opportunity to incorporate the physics of glass and how it cracks into a detection algorithm. ColorCrack is an automated method of ﬁnding cracks in glass smartphone screens using insights from previous work in object and edge detection.The key to ColorCrack is the ability to automatically detect cracked screens from nearly any angle. This functionality allows the system to take ad-vantage of the fact that cracks are more visible at certain angles to improve the detection accuracy. The algorithm was developed and evaluated using a per-sonally collected dataset. Initial results show that ColorCrack can typically ﬁnd the screen correctly or with little error, as well as identify the main crack structures, efﬁciently enough for most applications. In the future, the ColorCrack algorithm could be extended to other glass types for applications and has uses in ﬁelds such as material and forensic science.
Chemical functionalization of graphene with aromatic molecule

We investigated the doping effects of chemical functionalization on graphene field-effect transistors (G-FETs). A pyrene backbone with an electron-withdrawing group (1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester, PBASE) and DMF acting as a solvent were used. The pyrene derivative was stably immobilized onto the graphene surface via π-π stacking between the two highly conjugated systems, confirmed by electric measurements with different incubation times and linker molecule concentrations. Dimethyl formamide (DMF) can decrease the conductivity of the FET devices and showed an n-doping effect while the pyrene derivative showed a p-doping effect. Because of this, the functionalization with PBASE in DMF could be regarded as a competitive process. This study provides a new insight into chemical functionalization with aromatic molecule, and understanding of doping effects about electron donor and electron acceptor on graphene during the functionalization process.
Evolution of a Tabletop Telepresence System through Art and Technology

New technologies arise in a number of ways. They may come from advances in scientific research, through new combinations of existing technologies, or by simply imagining what might be possible in the future. This video describes the evolution of Tabletop Telepresence, a system for remote collaboration through desktop videoconferencing combined with a digital desk. Tabletop Telepresence began as a collection of camera, projector, videoconferencing and user interaction technologies. Working together; artists and research scientists combined these technologies into a means of sharing paper documents between remote desktops, interacting with those documents, requesting services (such as translation), and communicating through a videoconference.