Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I and Binding Protein-3 and Risk of Prostate Cancer

Some recent epidemiologic studies have failed to confirm positive associations between insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the risk of prostate cancer observed in earlier studies but have reported suggestive evidence for a positive association between IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and prostate cancer risk, a result contradicting the earlier assumption that high levels of IGFBP-3 would be protective against prostate cancer. We tested the association between IGF-I and IGFBP-3 and prostate cancer risk by measuring the two peptides in plasma samples collected at baseline in a prospective cohort study of 17,049 men. We used a case-cohort design, including 524 cases diagnosed during a mean of 8.7 years follow-up and a randomly sampled subcohort of 1,826 men. The association between each peptide level and prostate cancer risk was tested using Cox models adjusted for country of birth and alcohol consumption. The risk of prostate cancer was not associated with baseline levels of IGF-I or the molar ratio IGF-I/IGFBP-3 (all odds ratios are between 0.82 and 1.08; Ptrend ≥ 0.2), whereas the risk increased with baseline levels of IGFBP-3 (Ptrend = 0.008), the hazard ratio (HR) associated with a doubling of the concentration of IGFBP-3 being 1.70 (95% confidence interval, 1.15-2.52). The HR for quartile 4 relative to quartile 1 of IGFBP-3 was 1.49 (95% confidence interval, 1.11-2.00). The HRs did not differ by tumor aggressiveness or age at onset (all Ps ≥ 0.4). In our study, high levels of IGFBP-3 but not IGF-I were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(6):1137–41)
A Software Assurance Evidence Approach to Cloud Security

Cloud computing is increasingly established as a successor technology to data centers in outsourced IT infrastructures and managed operations environments. A key enabler for adoption of cloud services is reliable cloud security. We present an approach to cloud security assurance using model-driven architecture. This approach integrates several current software assurance modelling frameworks as well as standardization efforts for cloud security based on IT governance, risk and compliance management modelling and reporting languages.
Science, Facts, and Feminism

Feminists acknowledge that making science is a social process and that scientific laws and the “facts” of science reflect the interests of the university-educated, economically privileged, predominantly white men who have produced them. We also recognize that knowledge about nature is created by an interplay between objectivity and subjectivity, but we often do not credit sufficiently the ways women's traditional activities in home, garden, and sickroom have contributed to understanding nature.
A selective molecularly imprinted polymer for immobilization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE): an active enzyme targeted and efficient method

In the present study, we immobilized acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme onto acetylcholine removed imprinted polymer and acetylcholine containing polymer. First, the polymers were produced with acetylcholine, substrate of AChE, by dispersion polymerization. Then, the enzyme was immobilized onto the polymers by using two different methods: In the first method (method A), acetylcholine was removed from the polymer, and then AChE was immobilized onto this polymer (acetylcholine removed imprinted polymer). In the second method (method B), AChE was immobilized onto acetylcholine containing polymer by affinity. In method A, enzyme‐specific species (binding sites) occurred by removing acetylcholine from the polymer. The immobilized AChE reached 240% relative specific activity comparison with free AChE because the active enzyme molecules bounded onto the polymer. Transmission electron microscopy results were taken before and after immobilization of AChE for the assessment of morphological structure of polymer. Also, the experiments, which include optimum temperature (25–65°C), optimum pH (3–10), thermal stability (4–70°C), kinetic parameters, operational stability and reusability, were performed to determine the characteristic of the immobilized AChE. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MEASURING AUDITORY DISCRIMINATION OF SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES IN SPANISH

David M. Feldman » »> t On connait depuis longtemps l'importance de la discrimination auditive, dans le domaine *· · des elements segmentaux, pour une performance satisfaisante des langues etrangeres. Dans cet article, on examine, a l'aide d'exemples espagnols, la relation entre la capacite discriminative auditive au niveau des elements suprasegmentaux et la maitrise de la langue etrangere. Dans ce but, on isole, avec des methodes electro-mecaniques, les traits suprasegmentaux des elements segmentaux. II s'est montre, d'apres ces experiences, que les traits suprasegmentaux produits mecaniquement se per$oivent plus facilejnent que les memes traits produits dans le meme contexte dans la parole naturelle. En plus, Pentrainement de la capacite discriminative auditive a la base de traits produits electro-mecaniquement aboutit a une meilleure identification des memes traits dans un contexte linguistique naturel. C'est seulement apres que l'eleve a pris connaissance des contextes naturels qu'il arrive a developper, dans sä production orale, une maitrise plus satisfaisante des traits suprasegmentaux. On tire de ccs resultats la conclusion que l'entrainement de la capacite discriminative sur la base de traits suprasegmentaux mecaniquement produits doit etre un element constant dans le premier enseignement des langues etrangeres.
A digitally modulated 2.4GHz WLAN transmitter with integrated phase path and dynamic load modulation in 65nm CMOS

In order to support higher throughputs, the power consumption of 2-to-5GHz Wi-Fi transmitters (TXs) has been continuously rising, and has hence become increasingly problematic for mobile devices. To extend battery life, the TX must be efficient not only at peak power but also at backoff, due to the use of high Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR) OFDM modulation. Many recent works have aimed to enhance PA efficiency at back-off powers [1-4], but relatively few have integrated these techniques into a complete TX system. For example, previous designs employing digital polar or outphasing architectures often realized phase modulation with off-chip instruments. Similarly, while good close-in spectral performance has been shown, far-out spectral images remain problematic for TXs where the PA itself is digitally modulated. Moreover, previous works often do not include overhead from components such as extra DC-DC converters (for multiple PA supplies) or did not implement on-chip matching networks (MN) and/or output baluns, all of which directly affect the overall efficiency of integrated CMOS PAs.
Intermittency of Visual Information and the Frequency of Rhythmical Force Production

The authors examined the influence of intermittent (40-5,000 ms) visual information on the control of rhythmical isometric force output (0.5, 2.0, and 4.0 Hz) in 10 participants. Force variability decreased as a function of less intermittent visual information only in the 0.5- and 2.0-Hz tasks. Vision influenced the frequency structure of force output through 0-12 Hz in the 0.5-Hz task, but in only the 10.0- to 12.0-Hz range in the 2.0-Hz task and not in the 4.0-Hz task. The effective use of intermittent visual information in force output was mediated by task frequency, and that mediation was reflected in the differential emphasis of feedback and feedforward processes over multiple timescales of control.
An Analysis of Compliance-Gaining Instrumentation in the Organizational Communication Literature

This article reviews five compliance-gaining instruments reported in the literature, specifically used in research conducted in the organizational context. As part of this analysis, the article examines studies from the literature using the compliance-gaining construct, assesses the reliability estimates for these instruments through a meta-analysis of psychometric data associated with them, discusses the implications of deductively and inductively derived compliance-gaining typologies, and offers directions for future research.
Slice-to-volume registration and its potential application to interventional MRI-guided radio-frequency thermal ablation of prostate cancer

In this study, we registered live-time interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) slices with a previously obtained high-resolution MRI volume that in turn can be registered with a variety of functional images, e.g., PET, SPECT, for tumor targeting. We created and evaluated a slice-to-volume (SV) registration algorithm with special features for its potential use in iMRI-guided radio-frequency (RF) thermal ablation of prostate cancer. The algorithm features included a multiresolution approach, two similarity measures, and automatic restarting to avoid local minima. Imaging experiments were performed on volunteers using a conventional 1.5-T MR scanner and a clinical 0.2-T C-arm iMRI system under realistic conditions. Both high-resolution MR volumes and actual iMRI image slices were acquired from the same volunteers. Actual and simulated iMRI images were used to test the dependence of SV registration on image noise, receive coil inhomogeneity, and RF needle artifacts. To quantitatively assess registration, we calculated the mean voxel displacement over a volume of interest between SV registration and volume-to-volume registration, which was previously shown to be quite accurate. More than 800 registration experiments were performed. For transverse image slices covering the prostate, the SV registration algorithm was 100% successful with an error of <2 mm, and the average and standard deviation was only 0.4 mm /spl plusmn/ 0.2 mm. Visualizations such as combined sector display and contour overlay showed excellent registration of the prostate and other organs throughout the pelvis. Error was greater when an image slice was obtained at other orientations and positions, mostly because of inconsistent image content such as that from variable rectal and bladder filling. These preliminary experiments indicate that MR SV registration is sufficiently accurate to aid image-guided therapy.
Transformational change in organisations: a self‐regulation approach

Purpose – The purpose of the present paper is to advance a testable model, rooted on well‐established control and self‐regulation theory principles, explaining the causal links between change‐related sensemaking, interpretation, readiness and subsequent behavioural action.Design/methodology/approach – Following a review of the two motivation theories and clarification of change‐related sensemaking, interpretation, and readiness concepts, the paper proposes a series of research propositions (illustrated by a conceptual model) clarifying how these concepts interact with self‐regulating mechanisms. In addition, the feedback model exemplifies how cognitive processes triggered by new knowledge structures relate to behavioural action.Findings – The model expands upon other existing frameworks by allowing the examination of multi‐level factors that account for, and moderate causal links between, change‐related sensemaking, interpretation, readiness, and behavioural action. Suggestions for future research and gui.
Intergenerational Play within Family: The Case for Occupational Consciousness

This study of changes in children's play across three generations of one South African family challenges assumptions about the agency adults and children hold in orchestrating what becomes of play from one generation to the next, in the context of mainly exogenous and rapid social change. The portrayal of adults and children as dialectically opposed to each other in relation to play is also addressed. By tracking children's play across time, the study examines ways in which children and adults negotiate a shared notion of valued play. The family was approached as a case, with data drawn from multiple sources while situating the family within its geographical, socio-political, historical and economic contexts. An ethnographic lens was used to explore the third generation's everyday culture, with specific attention to its play engagements. While the findings point to both persistence and change, the critical role of technology, particularly television, in shifting power from the family to external forces, as the rhetoric of play becomes complex over time, is exposed. Recognition of this shift reveals the need for increased consciousness of the things people do every day.
Fault tolerant kinematic control of platoons of autonomous vehicles

In this paper the fault tolerance capabilities of a kinematic control technique for platoons of autonomous vehicles are investigated. The proposed technique is based on the definition of suitable task functions that are handled in the framework of singularity-robust task-priority inverse kinematics algorithms. The control scheme is tested in simulation in a mission requiring 8 vehicles to entrap a moving target in presence of obstacles to be avoided; the mission is accomplished despite the failure of one vehicle that, once stopped, becomes an obstacle to be avoided itself.
SILAC‐based quantitative proteomic analysis of secretome between activated and reverted hepatic stellate cells

Activated hepatic stellate cell (HSC) is the main myofibroblast cell in the liver fibrosis (LF). An important characteristic of the recovery of LF is not only the apoptosis of activated HSCs but also reversal of myofibroblast‐like phenotype to a quiescent‐like phenotype. Understanding the changes of secreted proteins in the reversion of activated HSCs may provide the broader view of cellular regulatory networks and discover candidate markers or targets for therapeutic strategies of LF. In this study, stable isotope labeling with amino acids (SILAC) combined with linear ion trap‐Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (LTQ‐FT MS) was performed on in vitro activated HSCs and reverted HSCs to obtain a proteomic view of secretory proteins. In total, 330 proteins showed significant differences in reverted HSCs. Among these, 109 upregulated proteins were mainly involved in amino acid metabolism pathway and glucose metabolism pathway using GeneGO/MetaCore software, while 221 downregulated proteins are closely associated with HSCs activation, such as cytoskeleton remodeling, chemokines, and cell adhesion. Additionally, a set of novel proteins associated with HSCs activation and reversion were validated by Western blotting in the cell secretion and in the sera of LF, including vitronectin, laminin beta 1, and ubiquitin conjugation factor E4B. Our study provided the valuable insight into the mechanisms in the reversion of activated HSCs and identified some potential biomarkers of LF in clinical studies. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000773 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD000773).
Hepatitis C Virus Is Primed by CD81 Protein for Low pH-dependent Fusion*

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry into permissive cells is a complex process that involves interactions with at least four co-factors followed by endocytosis and low pH-dependent fusion with endosomes. The precise sequence of receptor engagement and their roles in promoting HCV E1E2 glycoprotein-mediated fusion are poorly characterized. Because cell-free HCV tolerates an acidic environment, we hypothesized that binding to one or more receptors on the cell surface renders E1E2 competent to undergo low pH-induced conformational changes and promote fusion with endosomes. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of low pH and of the second extracellular loop (ECL2) of CD81, one of the four entry factors, on HCV infectivity. Pretreatment with an acidic buffer or with ECL2 enhanced infection through changing the E1E2 conformation, as evidenced by the altered reactivity of these proteins with conformation-specific antibodies and stable association with liposomes. However, neither of the two treatments alone permitted direct fusion with the cell plasma membrane. Sequential HCV preincubation with ECL2 and acidic buffer in the absence of target cells resulted in a marked loss of infectivity, implying that the receptor-bound HCV is primed for low pH-dependent conformational changes. Indeed, soluble receptor-pretreated HCV fused with the cell plasma membrane at low pH under conditions blocking an endocytic entry pathway. These findings suggest that CD81 primes HCV for low pH-dependent fusion early in the entry process. The simple triggering paradigm and intermediate conformations of E1E2 identified in this study could help guide future vaccine and therapeutic efforts to block HCV infection.
Interfering MIMO links with stream control and optimal antenna selection

Recent work has shown that multiple-input an multiple-output (MIMO) systems hold great promise to help achieve the high data rates required for next generation wireless local area networks (WLANs). This paper analyzes the advantages of using optimal antenna selection to aid the stream control process for the open-loop MIMO link with a limited-feedback channel. It is observed that stream control with optimal antenna selection renders significant throughput gain relative to stream control with deterministic selection for both simulated data and measured data. In high-interference zones, the gap between the open- and closed-loop MIMO throughput is significantly reduced if optimal antenna selection is used. Lastly, open-loop MIMO with optimal antenna selection provides better protection against correlated interference than open-loop MIMO with deterministic antenna selection.
Dilated cardiomyopathy in dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa

BACKGROUND Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is an uncommon genetic disorder of the skin and mucosae. In 1996, we reported the occurrence of lethal dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in two affected children. METHODS In the past seven years we have routinely screened patients with severe DEB who have been under the care of this hospital by yearly clinical review, echocardiography, and quantification of plasma selenium and carnitine concentrations, as deficiency of these micronutrients is known to be associated with the development of DCM. RESULTS Six of 61 children have developed DCM over the seven year period of this study, four of whom have not been previously reported, and three of whom have since died. We compared the concentrations of selenium and free and total carnitine in the children who developed DCM to concentrations in those with severe DEB who did not. The concentrations of free and total carnitine when first measured were significantly lower in the children with DCM, but the selenium concentrations were not. CONCLUSIONS We now believe that DCM is a not infrequent complication of severe recessive DEB, and may be related in part to carnitine concentrations, though the exact mechanism remains unclear. We therefore recommend that patients with this condition should undergo regular cardiac review including echocardiography.
Pastoral Abandonment, Shrub Proliferation and Landscape Changes: A Case Study from Gorkha, Nepal

Abstract Seminatural grasslands have long been shaped and maintained by human-induced fire and grazing regimes in order to utilise extensive land areas, not suitable for intensive cultivation, for the production of protein for human consumption. Changes in either management regimes have great implications for vegetation cover and composition. In this context, we qualitatively examined 18 grasslands used by transhumance agro-pastoralists in western Gorkha, Nepal, to 1) show that the pastoral landscape is undergoing change due to shrub and tree encroachment; 2) understand the role of change in grazing and fire regimes in shrub encroachment dynamics; and 3) discuss management practices and policy implications of shrub control. In this region, grassland abandonment and livestock population decline have been the overriding land-use change trend over the last four decades brought on by out-migration of local people from these marginal areas. Our results revealed that Berberis shrub encroachment started approximately three decades ago and attained a problematic cover approximately 15 to 20 years ago. The shrub encroachment drivers are discussed in the context of changed fire and grazing practices. We underscore the necessity of management intervention to maintain the services provided by these seminatural systems; and suggest synergistic application of burning, weeding and grazing, rather than sporadic single treatment.
Substance P N-terminal metabolites and nitric oxide mediate capsaicin-induced antinociception in the adult mouse.

The present investigation describes the antinociceptive effect of capsaicin in the acetic acid-induced abdominal stretch assay and its mediation by substance P(1-7) fragment [SP(1-7)] and nitric oxide (NO). When injected intrathecally 24 hr before testing, SP(1-7) produced a dose-related decrease in the number of abdominal stretches induced by an i.p. injection of acetic acid. The antinociceptive effect of SP(1-7) (10 nmol) persisted for 62 hr after its injection, a time course that was similar to that produced by a dose of capsaicin (2.6 nmol) that produced an effect of similar magnitude. Antinociception induced by 10 nmol of SP(1-7) was completely reversed by coadministration of 10 nmol of D-SP(1-7); the equivalent antinociception produced by capsaicin was reversed by as small a dose as 1 nmol of D-SP(1-7). The guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue, at a dose of 10 nmol, prevented both SP(1-7)- and capsaicin-induced antinociception. Capsaicin-induced, but not SP(1-7)-induced, antinociception was prevented by Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, an NO synthase inhibitor. This inhibition of capsaicin was reversed by coadministration of 120 nmol of L-arginine. Reduced hemoglobin did not prevent capsaicin-induced antinociception. These findings suggest NO is produced and acts within capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent fibers in the dorsal spinal cord to mobilize substance P, resulting in N-terminal induced-antinociception.
Random Caching in Backhaul-Limited Multi-Antenna Networks: Analysis and Area Spectrum Efficiency Optimization

Caching at base stations is a promising technology to satisfy the increasing capacity requirements and reduce the backhaul loads in future wireless networks. Careful design of random caching can fully exploit the file popularity and achieve good performance. However, previous works on random caching scheme usually assumed single antenna at BSs and users, which is not the case in practical multi-antenna networks. In this paper, we consider the analysis and optimization in the cache-enabled multi-antenna networks with limited backhaul. We first derive a closed-form expression and a simple tight upper bound of the successful transmission probability, using tools from stochastic geometry and a gamma approximation. Based on the analytic results, we then consider the area spectrum efficiency maximization by optimizing design parameters, which is a complicated mixed-integer optimization problem. After analyzing the optimal properties, we obtain a local optimal solution with lower complexity. To further simplify the optimization, we then solve an asymptotic optimization problem in the high user density region, using the upper bound as the objective function. Numerical simulations show that the asymptotic optimal caching scheme achieves better performance over existing caching schemes. The analysis and optimization results provide insightful design guidelines for random caching in practical networks.