Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased expression of the matrix metalloproteinase 2 in differentiating tera 2 human embryonal carcinoma cells

Secretion of proteolytic enzymes by cells has been implicated in tissue remodeling during embryonic development as well as in invasive neoplastic diseases. We studied the regulation of type‐IV‐collagenase activity in Tera 2 human embryonal carcinoma cells, which in the undifferentiated state proliferate rapidly and are tumorigenic. The undifferentiated cells produced relatively low levels of matrix‐metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) activity. This activity was not markedly affected by exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), even though the plasminogen activator activity of the cells was increased by these agents. Tera 2 cells can be induced by retinoic acid to differentiate into quiescent cells, of which many express neuronal characteristics. The type‐IV‐collagenase activity of the cells increased markedly during the differentiation. This increase was mainly due to increased expression of MMP‐2. Expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP‐1 and TIMP‐2) was not markedly affected by the differentiation of Tera 2 cells. The results show that in the Tera 2 cell system, increased expression of MMP‐2 is characteristic of the differentiated derivatives. This is in contrast with many other model systems, where increased type‐IV‐collagenase activity is associated with the malignant phenotype. This pattern of regulation may reflect the facts that Tera 2 cells resemble early embryonic cells and that their differentiation mimics related cell‐differentiation processes in the developing embryo.
The granular mixing in a slurry rotating drum

The mixing dynamics of granular materials immersed in a liquid was experimentally studied in a quasi-2D rotating drum. A DV (SONY DCR-TRV900 NTSC) motion corder analyzer was used to record the motions of granular materials. The effects of interstitial fluid viscosity and filling degree on the mixing index, mixing rate constant, and dynamic repose angle in the rotating drum were investigated and discussed in this paper. The experimental results show that the interstitial fluid viscosity has almost not influence on the final stable mixing index but has significantly effects on the mixing rate constant and dynamic repose angle in slurry granular flows. The results show that the mixing rate and dynamic repose angle increase with increasing the interstitial fluid viscosity. The results also indicate that the filling degree plays an important role in mixing dynamics in slurry granular flows. The mixing rate constant is demonstrated to be decreased with increasing the filling degree. The dynamic repose angle is not altered by the filling degree. Finally, we find that the dynamic repose angle and the mixing rate constant increase slightly at high Stokes number and increase dramatically at low Stokes number with decreasing Stokes number.
Observer-based Integral Sliding Mode Approach for Bilateral Teleoperation with Unknown Time Delay

This paper deals with force-reflecting control design for teleoperation of bilateral robots under unknown constant time delay. The proposed impedance teleoperator control is based on integral sliding mode approaches, avoiding undesirable chattering effect. With the aim of implementing the proposed controller and taking into account that only position measurement is available, a Nonlinear Observer based on Super Twisting Algorithm is proposed to estimate velocity and acceleration in the slave side of the teleoperation system. Furthermore, owing to the finite-time convergence properties of the observer, the proposed control scheme guarantees robust tracking under unknown constant time delay. Experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Mentoring: A Key Strategy to Prepare the Next Generation of Physicians to Care for an Aging America

Mentoring is an important instructional strategy that should be maximally used to develop the next generation of physicians who will care for a growing population of frail older adults. Mentoring can fulfill three specific purposes: (1) help learners choose an area of specialty, (2) help fellows and new faculty navigate advancement in the academic environment, and (3) help new physicians enter a local medical community and develop a high‐quality, professionally rewarding, financially viable practice that meets the needs of older adults. The components and process of mentoring are reviewed. Current and potential mechanisms to promote mentoring for the specific purpose of increasing the quality and quantity of physicians available to care for the older adult population are discussed.
Morphological segmentation approaches of directional structures based on connections

Abstract. The multiscale morphological approaches for segmenting directional structures are proposed. First, the use of the composition of connections to extract the directional structures of the image is investigated. We show that even though the composition of connectivities enables the correct determination of the main directional structures, the requirement of the scales for segmenting the image makes this algorithm more or less complex to apply. Then, a morphological image segmentation approach is proposed based on the concept of connectivity in a viscous lattice sense. Two functions are computed to characterize the directional structures: viscosity and orientation. The viscosity function codifies the different scales of the structure and is computed from the supremum of directional erosions. This function contains the sizes of the longest lines that can be included in the structure. To determine the directions of the line segments, the orientation function is employed. By combining both images—viscosity and orientation functions— an orientation partition function is created. This last function contains information of the maxima of the viscosity function and their orientation. Finally, the elements of the orientation partition function are merged according to some criteria, using a histogram-based segmentation approach to compute an optimal partition.
B‐Mesh: A Modeling System for Base Meshes of 3D Articulated Shapes

This paper presents a novel modeling system, called B‐Mesh, for generating base meshes of 3D articulated shapes. The user only needs to draw a one‐dimensional skeleton and to specify key balls at the skeletal nodes. The system then automatically generates a quad dominant initial mesh. Further subdivision and evolution are performed to refine the initial mesh and generate a quad mesh which has good edge flow along the skeleton directions. The user can also modify and manipulate the shape by editing the skeleton and the key balls and can easily compose new shapes by cutting and pasting existing models in our system. The mesh models generated in our system greatly benefit the sculpting operators for sculpting modeling and skeleton‐based animation.
Generating a power of an operand by a table look-up and a multiplication

An efficient method for generating a power of an operand, i.e., X/sup P/ for an operand X and a given, fixed p, is proposed. The method is applicable to p's in the form of /spl plusmn/2/sup k/ where k is any integer and of /spl plusmn/2/sup k1//spl plusmn/2/sup -(k2)/ where k1 is any integer and k2 is any non negative integer. The reciprocal, the square root, and the reciprocal square root are included as special cases. It is a modification of the piecewise linear approximation based on the first order Taylor expansion. The same accuracy is achieved. A power of an operand is generated through a table lookup and a multiplication with operand modification. No addition is required. The required table size is reduced, because only one coefficient instead of two has to be stored.
Enlarged and prominent nucleoli may be indicative of MYCN amplification

According to the International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification, neuroblastomas exhibiting MYCN amplification (A‐MYCN) have unique histologic features—namely, undifferentiated/poorly differentiated subtype with a high mitosis‐karyorrhexis index (U/PD‐H). Nonetheless, certain tumors possessing these histologic characteristics contain a nonamplified MYCN gene (NA‐MYCN).
Identification of Epigallocatechin-3- Gallate as an Inhibitor of Phosphoglycerate Mutase 1

Targeting metabolic enzymes is believed to provide new therapeutic opportunities for cancer therapy. Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) is a glycolytic enzyme that importantly coordinates glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) flux and serine biosynthesis in cancer cells and hence gains increasing interest of inhibitor discovery. Only few PGAM1 inhibitors have been reported and the molecular potency remains very limited. In an effort to discover new PGAM1 inhibitors, we carried out a biochemical assay-based screen that was focused on natural products derived small molecule compounds. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major natural catechins of green tea extract, was identified as a PGAM1 inhibitor that was tremendously more potent than known PGAM1 inhibitors. Further studies combining molecular docking and site-specific mutagenesis revealed that EGCG inhibited PGAM1 enzymatic activity in a manner independent of substrate competition. EGCG modulated the intracellular level of 2-phosphoglycerate, impaired glycolysis and PPP and inhibited proliferation of cancer cells. This study suggested EGCG as a chemical scaffold for the discovery of potent PGAM1 inhibitors and gained mechanistic insights to understand the previously appreciated anticancer properties of EGCG.
Real-life helping behaviours in North America: A genome-wide association approach

In humans, prosocial behaviour is essential for social functioning. Twin studies suggest this distinct human trait to be partly hardwired. In the last decade research on the genetics of prosocial behaviour focused on neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, such as oxytocin, dopamine, and their respective pathways. Recent trends towards large scale medical studies targeting the genetic basis of complex diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia pave the way for new directions also in behavioural genetics. Based on data from 10,713 participants of the American Health and Retirement Study we estimated heritability of helping behaviour–its total variance explained by 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms–to be 11%. Both, fixed models and mixed linear models identified rs11697300, an intergene variant on chromosome 20, as a candidate variant moderating this particular helping behaviour. We assume that this so far undescribed area is worth further investigation in association with human prosocial behaviour.
Disorder-function relationships for the cell cycle regulatory proteins p21 and p27

Abstract The classic structure-function paradigm has been challenged by a recently identified class of proteins: intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Despite their lack of stable secondary or tertiary structure, IDPs are prevalent in all forms of life and perform myriad cellular functions, including signaling and regulation. Importantly, disruption of IDP homeostasis is associated with numerous human diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Despite wide recognition of IDPs, the molecular mechanisms underlying their functions are not fully understood. Here we review the structural features and disorder-function relationships for p21 and p27, two cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) regulators involved in controlling cell division and fate. Studies of p21 bound to Cdk2/cyclin A revealed that a helix stretching mechanism mediates binding promiscuity. Further, investigations of Tyr88-phosphorylated p27 identified a signaling conduit that controls cell division and is disrupted in certain cancers. These mechanisms rely upon a balance between nascent structure in the free state, induced folding upon binding, and persistent flexibility within functional complexes. Although these disorder-function relationships are likely to be recapitulated in other IDPs, it is also likely that the vocabulary of their mechanisms is much more extensive than is currently understood. Further study of the physical properties of IDPs and elucidation of their links with function are needed to fully understand the mechanistic language of IDPs.
Update in diffuse parenchymal lung disease 2011.

Over the past year, we have witnessed considerable progress in the clinical evaluation/management of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLDs) and in the elucidation of pathobiological mechanisms. Studies in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), sarcoidosis, and other less common DPLDs, published in this journal and elsewhere, have advanced our understanding of these complex lung diseases. Clinical trials have aided in understanding the natural history of the disease, defining clinical (sub)phenotypes, and informing better study design. Several studies explored the pathophysiologic underpinnings in the development of lung inflammation and fibrosis. A joint consensus statement from multiple international medical societies on the diagnosis and management of IPF was published in 2011. In this update article, we highlight important clinical and basic research advances made over the past year, with a primary focus on those published in this journal.
Process level integration of organisational learning, learning organisation and knowledge management

Organisational Learning (OL), Learning Organisation (LO) and Knowledge Management (KM) have evolved as largely separate fields with little effort to integrate them. In this article, an attempt is made to discuss the linkage of OL, LO and KM at the process level. The linkage is perceived to be at the individual, group, and organisational levels of learning. To meaningfully discuss the linkage, the impact of Crossan et al.'s (1999) 4I model (i.e., intuition, interpretation, integration, and institutionalisation) and Senge's (1990) five disciplines (i.e., mental model, personal mastery, team learning, shared vision and systems thinking), on Nonaka's (1994) knowledge creating spiral, is discussed. Specifically, how the learning processes and the five disciplines, impact the knowledge creating spiral, is theorised.
An SVD-aided list demapper for iterative coded-MIMO receivers

The list demapper has been widely implemented in a coded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver, where only a part of total signal vectors are examined in the calculation of likelihood ratio for low complexity. Generally, the list is generated either in the original or the lattice-reduced domain. In the latter, thanks to the operation of lattice reduction (LR), a better-conditioned MIMO channel is obtained, and the adverse effect of noise enhancement is mitigated in the generation of list and thus can achieve a better performance. In this paper, a new singular-value-decomposition (SVD)-aided list demapper is proposed for the iterative coded-MIMO receiver. With SVD, the layer interference incurred in the operation of LR can be avoided, and that renders the SVD-aided list demapper a lower complexity. Computer simulations have confirmed that the proposed demapper has better performance-complexity tradeoffs as compared to the best-performed LR-aided methods in the literature.
Automated identification of postoperative complications within an electronic medical record using natural language processing.

CONTEXT Currently most automated methods to identify patient safety occurrences rely on administrative data codes; however, free-text searches of electronic medical records could represent an additional surveillance approach. OBJECTIVE To evaluate a natural language processing search-approach to identify postoperative surgical complications within a comprehensive electronic medical record. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Cross-sectional study involving 2974 patients undergoing inpatient surgical procedures at 6 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical centers from 1999 to 2006. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Postoperative occurrences of acute renal failure requiring dialysis, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, sepsis, pneumonia, or myocardial infarction identified through medical record review as part of the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program. We determined the sensitivity and specificity of the natural language processing approach to identify these complications and compared its performance with patient safety indicators that use discharge coding information. RESULTS The proportion of postoperative events for each sample was 2% (39 of 1924) for acute renal failure requiring dialysis, 0.7% (18 of 2327) for pulmonary embolism, 1% (29 of 2327) for deep vein thrombosis, 7% (61 of 866) for sepsis, 16% (222 of 1405) for pneumonia, and 2% (35 of 1822) for myocardial infarction. Natural language processing correctly identified 82% (95% confidence interval [CI], 67%-91%) of acute renal failure cases compared with 38% (95% CI, 25%-54%) for patient safety indicators. Similar results were obtained for venous thromboembolism (59%, 95% CI, 44%-72% vs 46%, 95% CI, 32%-60%), pneumonia (64%, 95% CI, 58%-70% vs 5%, 95% CI, 3%-9%), sepsis (89%, 95% CI, 78%-94% vs 34%, 95% CI, 24%-47%), and postoperative myocardial infarction (91%, 95% CI, 78%-97%) vs 89%, 95% CI, 74%-96%). Both natural language processing and patient safety indicators were highly specific for these diagnoses. CONCLUSION Among patients undergoing inpatient surgical procedures at VA medical centers, natural language processing analysis of electronic medical records to identify postoperative complications had higher sensitivity and lower specificity compared with patient safety indicators based on discharge coding.
Short Communication In Vitro Interaction of Codeine and Diclofenac

There is very limited knowledge about possible pharmacokinetic interactions between opioid analgesics and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are commonly used in combination for the treatment of chronic pain. The major metabolic pathway of the weak opioid codeine is glucuronidation to codeine6-glucuronide. Therefore we investigated the influence of the NSAID diclofenac on the formation of codeine-6-glucuronide in vitro, using human liver tissue homogenate. The formation of codeine-6-glucuronide exhibited single enzyme Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an average Vmax of 93.6 6 35.3 pmol/mg/min. A noncompetitive inhibition of codeine-6-glucuronidation by diclofenac was observed with an average Ki of 7.9 mM. These in vitro findings suggest that a pharmacokinetic interaction occurs in vivo, which has to be confirmed by an interaction study in human subjects. It can be speculated that in case of inhibition of glucuronidation, the amount of codeine available for other pathways especially O-demethylation to morphine is increased, resulting in higher morphine serum levels and therefore higher analgesic efficacy.
Flow cytometric analysis of decay‐accelerating factor (CD55) on neutrophils from aplastic anaemia patients

Summary. Using a flow cytometric analysis, CD55 (decay‐accelerating factor), CD59 and CD58 have been measured on neutrophils from 12 aplastic anaemia (AA) patients who were long‐term survivors after immunosuppressive therapy (IS), 17 healthy individuals, four patients with PNH, and six patients with other haematological disorders.
The impact of each of the essential oils of marjoram and lemon grass in conjunction with gamma irradiation against the Greater Wax Moth, Galleria Mellonella

Objective: To evaluate the larvicidal activity of essential oils derived from two essential plants and / or gamma irradiation against early fourth instar larvae of the greater wax moth (GWM), Galleria mellonella L. was investigated. Methods: The oil of two plants were tested namely; Marjoram, Origanum majorana and Lemon Grass, Cymbopogon proximus were tested. To evaluate the relative efficacies of these materials as alternative control agent against GWM. The two essential oils were evaluated further for the determination of their LC10, LC50 and LC90 values based on Probit analysis, five of gamma irradiation doses (100,150,200,250 and 300 Gy) and the combined effect of them and essential oil were tested. Results: Comparing the estimated LC10, LC50, LC90 values of present investigation of mentioned essential oils indicated that essential oils of Origanum majorana is more toxic to G. mellonella than the other essential oil of Cymbopogon proximus, then were selected in combined with the dose of 100 Gy in the shared experience. It also found that the percentage of pupation, emergence and sex ratio decreased with increasing concentration of both extracts The lack of the number of eggs and the percentage of hatched eggs increase with the increase the radiation dose used from 100 Gy to 300 Gy -Also found that the percentage of larval mortality increases in the case of combined treatment of radiation and aromatic oils of the two plants than in the case of both of them solo. The percentages of pupation and emergence less in the case of combined treatment, but increased in the case of sex ratio Conclusion: it can be concluded that the insects varied in their susceptibility to various essential oils that probably referring to insecticidal ability of their active constituents
Effect of Optical Eccentricity of Human Eye on Vision Quality

The purpose of this paper is to give detailed explanations to the eccentricity related errors of human eye. An optical metrology is studied to determine the errors present in the eccentric eye with respect to emmtropic eye. To study optical metrology, the forms of errors that might be present need to be analyzed in the eye design. The possible eccentric errors were considered and produced on the adopted eye optical design. The most interesting optical functions were estimated and evaluated, the results showed a significant effect impacts the optical functions due to the eccentricity. The degradation of vision quality was interpreted according to the behavioral comparison between the estimated functions of the eccentric eye with respect to emmtropic eye. This study offers the chance for the researchers in the eye related topics to dissolve the vagueness concerning with the complexity of human eye design, and introduce a qualitative and quantitative analyses to consider the subject of human eye design and activities.
Repeatability study of magnetic domain wall behaviors for stress characterization

Magnetic domain behaviors directly characterize the macroscopic properties of ferromagnetic material, the understanding of domain wall dynamic is a way to explain the characteristics of magnetization process and performance of material. This paper presents the repeatability study of domain wall behavior for stress characterization. A high grain-oriented (HGO) electric steel is employed for domain textures observation using magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy. Three conditions of different stress load, magnetic disturbance and time are considered for the domain wall repeatability analysis. The experimental results indicate that domain behavior can be applied for strain measurement.
Dense matching quality evaluation - an empirical study

The acquisition and processing techniques of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data have improved rapidly in recent years. Due to the relative high costs of laser scanning, we want to explore the potential of detecting changes and updating Digital Surface Models using point clouds derived from Dense Image Matching (DIM). The prerequisite of this work is to evaluate dense matching quality. In this paper, a workflow is designed to evaluate dense matching quality using planar roof segments. ALS data are taken as reference. The workflow can be divided into two steps: roof detection and quality evaluation. Two types of accuracy plots are depicted based on single DIM points and single segments. The experimental results show the point-to-plane residuals of DIM points are around 3 cm.