Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generation of novel, secreted epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1) isoforms via metalloprotease‐dependent ectodomain shedding and exosome secretion

Exosomes are small membrane vesicles derived from intracellular multivescicular bodies (MVBs) that can undergo constitutive and regulated secretion from cells. Exosomes can also secrete soluble proteins through metalloprotease‐dependent ectodomain shedding. In this study, we sought to determine whether ErbB1 receptors are present within exosomes isolated from the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, and whether exosome‐associated ErbB1 receptors can undergo further proteolytic processing. We show that full‐length transmembrane ErbB1 is secreted in HaCaT exosomes. EGF treatment and calcium flux stimulated the release of phosphorylated ErbB1 in exosomes but only ligand‐stimulated release was blocked by the ErbB1 kinase inhibitor, AG1478, indicating that ligand‐dependent ErbB1 receptor activation can initiate ErbB1 secretion into exosomes. In addition, other immunoreactive but truncated ErbB1 isoforms were detected in exosomes suggestive of additional proteolytic processing. We demonstrate that cellular and exosomal ErbB1 receptors can undergo ectodomain shedding to generate soluble N‐terminal ectodomains and membrane‐associated C‐terminal remnant fragments (CTFs). ErbB1 shedding was activated by calcium flux and the metalloprotease activator APMA (4‐aminophenylmercuric acetate) and was blocked by a metalloprotease inhibitor (GM6001). Soluble ErbB1 ectodomains shed into conditioned medium retained the ability to bind exogenous ligand. Our results provide new insights into the proteolysis, trafficking and fate of ErbB1 receptors and suggest that the novel ErbB1 isoforms may have functions distinct from the plasma membrane receptor. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 1783–1797, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A unified analysis for coded DS-CDMA with equal-gain chip combining in the downlink of OFDM systems

This paper presents a novel unified analysis for the bit-error rate in the downlink of convolutionally coded and single-user detected multicarrier code-division multiple access (CDMA), multicarrier direct-sequence CDMA, time and frequency-domain spreading CDMA, and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access. Performance is analyzed under the assumption of Hadamard spreading codes, equal-gain chip combining, and a highly correlated frequency-selective Rayleigh-fading channel. Closed-form expressions are presented for the cumulative distribution function, probability distribution function, and moment-generating function for the signal-to-noise plus interference ratio after despreading. The presented results assume error-free channel estimates, a perfectly synchronized receiver, and are found to reasonably well agree with simulation results.
Gear Fault Feature Extraction Based on OMP and K-SVD

In mechanical transmission systems, gears are the most widely used transmission component. Once the gear fails, it will cause huge economic losses. Therefore, it is extremely important to perform gear fault diagnosis. In the process of gear fault diagnosis, the key is to extract the fault impact characteristics. In order to separate and extract the fault impact characteristics of the gear, a method for separation and extraction of gear fault impact characteristics based on Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithm and K-SVD is proposed. First, the OMP algorithm and the Fourier dictionary are used to separate the modulated signal from the impact signal in the gear signal. Then, the separated impact signal is divided into Hankel matrices. Finally, the Hankel matrix is denoised and restored using the K-SVD algorithm. The results show that this method can well extract the fault impact characteristics of gears.
Empirical gradient threshold technique for automated segmentation across image modalities and cell lines

New microscopy technologies are enabling image acquisition of terabyte‐sized data sets consisting of hundreds of thousands of images. In order to retrieve and analyze the biological information in these large data sets, segmentation is needed to detect the regions containing cells or cell colonies. Our work with hundreds of large images (each 21 000×21 000 pixels) requires a segmentation method that: (1) yields high segmentation accuracy, (2) is applicable to multiple cell lines with various densities of cells and cell colonies, and several imaging modalities, (3) can process large data sets in a timely manner, (4) has a low memory footprint and (5) has a small number of user‐set parameters that do not require adjustment during the segmentation of large image sets. None of the currently available segmentation methods meet all these requirements. Segmentation based on image gradient thresholding is fast and has a low memory footprint. However, existing techniques that automate the selection of the gradient image threshold do not work across image modalities, multiple cell lines, and a wide range of foreground/background densities (requirement 2) and all failed the requirement for robust parameters that do not require re‐adjustment with time (requirement 5).
Processing of the Results of the Planned Mathematical Experiment in Solving Problems of Research of Dynamics Machines and Mechanisms

Discusses the use for research of problems of multicriteria synthesis of dynamic systems method of planning experiments, which not only allows on the basis of the simulation model experiments to revise the parameter space within specified ranges of their change, but also through special randomized nature of the planning of these experiments is to apply a quantitative statistical evaluation of influence of change of varied parameters and their pairwise combinations to analyze properties of the dynamic system
Importance of CD44 on umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for expansion of hematopoietic cells.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have important functions on the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) through providing the essential microenvironment for hematopoiesis. In order to test whether CD44 on hUCMSCs could have a key function for the ability of hUCMSCs to expand human HSCs, the soluble anti—CD44 antibody was added to the co—cultures of hUCMSCs and cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells, which blocked the ability of hUCMSCs to expand CB CD34+ cells significantly. Long—term culture initiating cell (LTC—IC) assay revealed that the ability of multipotent differentiation of CB CD34+ cells co—cultured with CD44 knockdown hUCMSCs could only retain lasting at most for 5 weeks in vitro. In vivo assay, based on non—obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient disease (NOD/SCID) mice, revealed that the hematopoietic reconstitution potential of CB CD34+ cells co—cultured with CD44 knockdown hUCMSCs is significantly reduced. The hematopoietic supporting ability of hUCMSCs in vivo and in vitro is reduced upon the knockdown of CD44. CD44 has important functions on the ability of hUCMSCs to expand human HSCs in the cell— extrinsic control.
Development and evaluation of orally disintegrating tablets of cilostazol-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

Abstract Context: The clinical applications of cilostazol (CLZ) are limited by its low aqueous solubility (<5 µg/ml) and high biovariability. Objective: The aim of this study was to enhance the solubility of CLZ by forming inclusion complexes (ICs) with beta cyclodextrin (β-CD) and formulating them into oral disintegrating tablets. Methods: Phase solubility study of CLZ with β-CD was performed in water. Job’s plot was constructed to determine the stoichiometry of ICs. ICs, prepared by spray-drying technique, were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, hot stage microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. Molecular modeling studies were performed to understand the mode of interaction of CLZ with β-CD. The formulation process was undertaken using a reproducible design of experiment generated model, attained by variation of diluents and disintegrants at three levels. Tablets were evaluated for drug content, hardness, friability, disintegration time (DT), wetting time (WT) and dissolution profiles. Results and discussion: Phase solubility studies suggested an AL type curve with stability constant (Ks) of 922.52 M−1. Job’s plot revealed 1:2 stoichiometry. All analytical techniques confirmed inclusion complexation. Molecular modeling revealed dispersive van der Waals interaction energy as a major contributor for stabilization of complex. The spray-dried complexes showed higher solubility and faster dissolution compared to plain CLZ. The optimized formulation showed DT of 11.1 ± 0.8 s, WT of 8.7 ± 0.9 s and almost complete dissolution of CLZ in 15 min. Conclusion: The prepared tablets with low DT and fast dissolution will prove to be a promising drug delivery system with improved bioavailability and better patient compliance.
Doping of III-Nitride Nanowires Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

III-nitride nanowires (NWs) were grown on Si(111) without catalyst by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy under N-rich conditions. The influence of doping on the morphology and electrical properties was investigated. The morphology as well as the density of GaN NWs changes with Si amount. For high Si fluxes, the wire density is reduced, in addition, the NWs broaden from bottom to top. By doping with Mg, the NW shape does not significantly change although the wires tend to coalesce. The photoelectric transport in GaN NWs is extremely sensitive to the NW diameter. This effect is used to determine the doping level. The free carrier concentration and mobility were also estimated using Raman measurements. For Si-doped InN NWs, a reduced NW density is observed, in comparison to the undoped counterpart. At high Si doping, the InN NW morphology is improved leading to more uniform diameter NWs. InN NWs have metallic conductance because of a high background bulk concentration and the surface electron accumulation layer. The broadening of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra as a function of Fermi level was used to determine the electron concentration in different InN NW samples. A comparison of Raman scattering and electrical measurements is also presented.
Imitation, Inspiration, and Creation: Cognitive Process of Creative Drawing by Copying Others' Artworks

To investigate the cognitive processes underlying creative inspiration, we tested the extent to which viewing or copying prior examples impacted creative output in art. In Experiment 1, undergraduates made drawings under three conditions: (a) copying an artist's drawing, then producing an original drawing; (b) producing an original drawing without having seen another's work; and (c) copying another artist's work, then reproducing that artist's style independently. We discovered that through copying unfamiliar abstract drawings, participants were able to produce creative drawings qualitatively different from the model drawings. Process analyses suggested that participants' cognitive constraints became relaxed, and new perspectives were formed from copying another's artwork. Experiment 2 showed that exposure to styles of artwork considered unfamiliar facilitated creativity in drawing, while styles considered familiar did not do so. Experiment 3 showed that both copying and thoroughly viewing artwork executed using an unfamiliar style facilitated creativity in drawing, whereas merely thinking about alternative styles of artistic representation did not do so. These experiments revealed that deep encounters with unfamiliar artworks-whether through copying or prolonged observation-change people's cognitive representations of the act of drawing to produce novel artwork.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DESCRIPTIONS AND VALUES OF GEOGRAPHIC, OCEANOGRAPHIC AND METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN PILOTS OF THE EASTERN ADRIATIC COAST (PUBLISHED BY VARIOUS OFFICIAL PUBLISHERS)

Together with the nautical chart a pilot is a navigational tool which the navigator uses in solving a navigational task. The pilot contains complex data obtained during long multidisciplinary researches in the sea. A special section of the pilot contains descriptions of geographic, oceanographic and weather data for the area covered by the pilot. The accuracy of the data and their optimal presentation in the pilot has a great significance for the safety of navigation. The approach to processing the data important for navigation and the description of an aquatorium may be various. Therefore the contents of the pilots in various countries may be different in some sections. In this paper the authors analysed, by means of method of comparison, the exactness of the description of data published in existing official national and foreign pilots, and differences in contents and values of certain parameters for the same areas are presented. Possible solutions have been presented which may reduce to minimum the observed differences and discrepancies in descriptions of certain parameters used by various publishers of official maritime publications.
A revised Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire: factor structure confirmation, and invariance in a general population sample.

OBJECTIVE The alcohol expectancy construct has become prominent in contemporary psychosocial approaches to understanding alcohol use and abuse. In 1980 Brown and colleagues developed the 90-item Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ) to assess experiences. Rohsenow modified this instrument to create the 40-item Alcohol Effects Questionnaire (AEQ-2). In the present study, we replaced the dichotomous response format of the AEQ-2 with a six-point scale to create the AEQ-3. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the AEQ-3 for factor structure confirmation and invariance across gender and race subgroups. METHOD We administered the AEQ-3 to a large general population sample (N = 1,260). The instrument was self-administered during a structured interview. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test a correlated eight-factor model consisting of six positive expectancies and two negative expectancies. Fit indices revealed that the eight-factor model fit the data moderately well. Furthermore, the fit of the eight-factor model was largely invariant across race and gender subgroups. Nonetheless, factor intercorrelations and modification indices revealed inadequate discriminant validity. CONCLUSIONS Based on these findings, we cautiously recommend the AEQ-3 as a measure of alcohol expectancies. Specific recommendations and limitations are discussed regarding future use of the AEQ-3.
Dermoscopy of Subcorneal Hematoma

BACKGROUND Subcorneal hematoma is a pigmented skin lesion usually occurring on palms or soles after a trauma or sport activity. Clinically, it may exhibit overlapping features with acral melanoma or acral melanocytic nevi, leading to unnecessary excision of this otherwise harmless skin lesion. OBJECTIVE The objective was to describe the dermoscopic features in a series of subcorneal hematomas. METHODS Dermoscopic images of 15 subcorneal hematomas were evaluated for the presence of different colors and dermoscopic structures. RESULTS In our series, a red-black hue was the most frequent color seen by dermoscopy (40% of the lesions) and a homogeneous pattern of pigmentation was the most frequent dermoscopic structure (53.3%). Remarkably, 40% of the lesions exhibited a parallel-ridge pattern that is usually found in early melanoma of palms and soles. In 46.7% of the lesions, red-black globules were additionally seen at the periphery as satellites disconnected from the lesion's body. Only two lesions showed either parallel-furrow or fibrillar pattern. A scratch test performed in four lesions, allowed complete or partial removal of the pigmentation. CONCLUSION Dermoscopic features of subcorneal hematomas may be similar to those observed in acral melanocytic lesions. Nevertheless, in most cases the correct diagnosis can be facilitated by the presence of a red-black homogeneous pigmentation, often combined with satellite globules. A positive scratch test may be considered as an additional diagnostic clue.
Early Surge in Circulatory Adiponectin Is Associated With Improved Growth at Near Term in Very Preterm Infants.

CONTEXT Adiponectin enhances insulin sensitivity and may play a role in fetal and postnatal growth. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine whether early postnatal adiponectin concentration change is related to postnatal growth in very preterm infants. SETTING, DESIGN, AND PATIENTS This was an in-hospital, prospective, longitudinal cohort study of 52 preterm infants with a gestational age (GA) of 26.0 ± 1.9 (SD) weeks and birth weight (BW) of 889 ± 284 g. INTERVENTIONS An analysis of adiponectin was performed on cord blood at birth and peripheral blood at 72 hours, day 7, and then weekly until postmenstrual age (PMA) 40 weeks. Weight, length, and head circumference (HC) measurement was performed weekly and SD scores (SDS) calculated. Energy and protein intake was calculated daily from birth until PMA 35 weeks. RESULTS Mean adiponectin concentration increased from 6.8 ± 4.4 μg/mL at 72 hours to 37.4 ± 22.2 μg/mL at 3 weeks; during days 3-21, it was 21.4 ± 12 μg/mL and correlated with GA at birth (r = 0.46, P = .001; BW: r = 0.71, P < .001; BW(SDS): r = 0.42, P = . 003). Furthermore, mean adiponectin during days 3-21 correlated with weight(SDS), length(SDS), and HC(SDS) (r = 0.62, 0.65, and 0.62, respectively; all P < .001) at PMA 35 wk). Energy intake (kcal/kg/d) correlated with mean adiponectin during days 3-21 (r = 0.35, P < .013). CONCLUSIONS In very preterm infants, adiponectin concentrations increased markedly in the first 3 weeks, and a greater increase was associated with improved postnatal growth.
The pattern of cartilage damage in antero‐medial osteoarthritis of the knee and its relationship to the anterior cruciate ligament

Within antero‐medial gonarthrosis (AMG) of the knee, there is a spectrum of damage seen in the functionally intact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Our aim was to correlate the degree of ACL damage to the geographical extent and degree of cartilage loss on the tibial plateau. Ninety tibial plateaus resected during unicompartmental arthroplasty were photographed and digitally mapped. The ACL damage was graded (0: normal, 1: synovium loss, 2: longitudinal splits), and dimensions of full thickness cartilage loss and damage recorded. The percentage of full thickness loss in patients with a normal ACL was compared to those with a damaged, but functionally intact ligament. All specimens showed similar elliptical loss of cartilage in the antero‐medial part of the tibial plateau. A total of 45(50%) patients had a macroscopically normal ACL, 21(23%) had synovial loss, and 24(27%) had longitudinal splits. An increase in the area of cartilage damage was seen with progressive ACL damage (p < 0.001). The area of macroscopically normal cartilage found posteriorly did not change. This study demonstrates that phenotypic distribution of cartilage damage in AMG is highly reproducible with a pattern of increasing cartilage erosion associated with increasing ACL damage. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 908–913, 2013
Risperidone-Induced Inactivation and Clozapine-Induced Reactivation of Rat Cortical Astrocyte 5-Hydroxytryptamine7 Receptors: Evidence for In Situ G Protein-Coupled Receptor Homodimer Protomer Cross-Talk

We have reported previously novel drug-induced inactivation and reactivation of human 5-hydroxytryptamine7 (5-HT7) receptors in a recombinant cell line. To explain these novel observations, a homodimer structure displaying protomer-protomer cross-talk was proposed. To determine whether these novel observations and interpretations are due to an artifactual G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) mechanism unique to the recombinant cell line, we explored the properties of r5-HT7 receptors expressed by cortical astrocytes in primary culture. As in the recombinant cell line, risperidone, 9-OH-risperidone, methiothepin, and bromocriptine were found to potently inactivate r5-HT7 receptors. As in the recombinant cell line, exposure of risperidone-inactivated astrocyte r5-HT7 receptors to competitive antagonists resulted in the reactivation of r5-HT7 receptors. The potencies of the reactivating drugs closely correlated with their affinities for h5-HT7 receptors. These results indicate the novel inactivating and reactivating property of drugs is not due to an artifact of the recombinant cell line expressing h5-HT7 receptors but is an intrinsic property of 5-HT7 receptors in vitro and ex vivo. This evidence suggests that a native (nonmutated) GPCR, in its native membrane environment (cortical astrocyte primary culture), can function as a homodimer with protomer-protomer cross-talk. Homodimers may be a common GPCR structure. The experimental design used in our studies can be used to explore the properties of other GPCRs in their native forms in recombinant cells, primary cultures expressing the endogenous GPCRs, and possibly in vivo. The homodimer structure and protomer-protomer cross-talk offer new avenues of research into receptor dysfunction in disease states and the development of novel drugs.
Diagnostic accuracy of faecal occult blood tests used in screening for colorectal cancer: a systematic review

Objective: To determine the accuracy of guaiac and immunochemical faecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) for the detection of colorectal cancer in an average-risk screening population. Methods: Fifteen electronic databases, the internet, key journals and reference lists of included studies were searched. We included diagnostic accuracy studies that compared guaiac or immunochemical FOBTs with any reference standard, for the detection of colorectal cancer in an average-risk adult population, with sufficient data to construct a 2 × 2 table. Results: Fifty-nine studies were included. Thirty-three evaluated guaiac FOBTs, 35 immunochemical FOBTs and one evaluated sequential FOBTs. Sensitivities for the detection of all neoplasms ranged from 6.2% (specificity 98.0%) to 83.3% (specificity 98.4%) for guaiac FOBTs, and 5.4% (specificity 98.5%) to 62.6% (specificity 94.3%) for immunochemical FOBTs. Specificity ranged from 65.0% (sensitivity 44.1%) to 99.0% (sensitivity 19.3%) for guaiac FOBTs, and 89.4% (sensitivity 30.3%) to 98.5% (sensitivity 5.4%) for immunochemical FOBTs. Diagnostic case–control studies generally reported higher sensitivities. Sensitivities were higher for the detection of CRC, and lower for adenomas, in both the diagnostic cohort and diagnostic case–control studies for both guaiac and immunochemical FOBTs. Conclusions Immudia HemSp appeared to be the most accurate immunochemical FOBT, however, there was no clear evidence to suggest whether guaiac or immunochemical FOBTs performed better, either from direct or indirect comparisons. Poor reporting of data limited the scope of this review, and the use the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy guidelines is recommended for reporting future diagnostic accuracy studies.