Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VEGF-D expression correlates with colorectal cancer aggressiveness and is downregulated by cetuximab.

AIM To gain mechanistic insights into the role played by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS The impact of high-level expression of the growth factor receptors EGFR and VEGF receptor (VEGFR)3 and the VEGFR3 ligands VEGF-C and VEGF-D on disease progression and prognosis in human CRC was investigated in 108 patients using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the expression of the lymphangiogenic factors in response to the modulation of EGFR signalling by the EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibody cetuximab was investigated at the mRNA and protein level in human SW480 and SW620 CRC cell lines and a mouse xenograft model. RESULTS Human CRC specimens and cell lines displayed EGFR, VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression with varying intensities. VEGF-C expression was associated with histological grade. Strong expression of VEGF-D was significantly associated with lymph node metastases and linked to a trend for decreased survival in lymph node-positive patients. EGFR blockade with cetuximab resulted in a significant decrease of VEGF-D expression in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the expression of VEGF-D in colorectal tumours is significantly associated with lymphatic involvement in CRC patients and such expression might be blocked effectively by cetuximab.
The Pitx2 protein in mouse development

The Rieger syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder involving ocular, dental, and umbilical defects is caused by mutations in PITX2, a Bicoid‐type homeobox protein. Mouse Pitx2 mRNA is expressed in eye, tooth and umbilicus consistent with the human Riegers phenotype. Moreover, Pitx2 is involved in the Nodal/Sonic hedgehog pathway that determines left/right polarity. In this report we demonstrate a 32‐kDa polypeptide on Western blots of nuclear extracts from a rat pituitary cell line, using a Pitx2 specific antibody (designated P2R10). We describe also for the first time expression of the Pitx2 protein in mouse. Pitx2 protein immunostaining was detectable during the development of the eye, tooth, umbilicus, and also in the pituitary, heart, gut, and limb. We demonstrate for the first time directly that Pitx2 is asymmetrically expressed in early heart, gut, and lung development. Dev Dyn;218:195–200. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Voltage between Electrodes as a Key Parameter in Oscillating Field Stimulation of Spinal Cord in Rat

The regeneration of injured spinal cord in applied weak DC electrical field has been demonstrated for years. However, the most suitable stimulating intensity has not been confirmed because the mechanism of axonal regeneration in applied DC electrical field is absent. This paper used finite element method to analyze the distribution of electrical field before and after injury and the uniformity of electrical field induced by different number of stimulating electrodes. Moreover, we improved the implantable oscillating field stimulator (OFS) to make it more reliable, effective and steady. In animal experiment, voltages between stimulating electrodes have been successfully recorded in different conditions such as intact, injured, exposing spinal column and suturing skin. Simulation results showed that the uniformity of electrical field of three pairs of electrodes is better than that of one pair. Experimental results indicated that a stimulating current of 10µA could generate an approximate 500µV/mm electrical field on the exposed spinal cord of rat, but a lower electrical field after suturing. In addition, voltages between stimulating electrodes would increase in deed because of transection of spinal cord.
Tunable active inductor oscillator

In this paper tunable active inductor (TAI) based oscillator topologies are presented. The reported TAI oscillator circuit uses dynamic phase-injection and feed-forward mechanism for improving the phase noise performance and dynamic ranges. The measured phase noise for carrier frequency 11.8 GHz is better than −110dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset with 200 MHz tuning and DC bias of 3V, 30 mA.
Modelling Learning and R&D in Innovative Environments: a Cognitive Multi-Agent Approach

Evolutionary arguments are an appropriate approach to the analysis of industry dynamics in a knowledge-based economy, because they can deal properly with innovation processes, technological change, path-dependence and knowledge. But in order to formalise all of this verbal accounting, researchers need methodological tools which support their theoretical analysis. In this paper we suggest some of the main requirements for computer simulation to have the same standing as the traditional tools used by neoclassical economists. Among others, aggregated behaviour should â€œemergeâ€ from micro-foundations, economic agents should exhibit bounded rational behaviour, learning must be endogenous and human learning should be in agreement with some stylised facts from cognitive science and psychology. We argue that multi-agent systems is a methodology which fulfills some of the requirements above. We also propose an alternative way for modelling cognitive learning in evolutionary environments, which is in agreement with some basic concepts from cognitive science. Agents are endowed with both declarative and procedural knowledge. We have used our approach to build evolutionary models of innovative industries, where firms learn how to change their decisions about R&D budget, production, technology, etc. We refer as well to some applications using the same framework to model behavioural financial markets, economic geography and water resource management.
Multi Objective Simultaneous Assembly Line Balancing and Buffer Sizing

Abstract—Assembly line balancing problem is aimed to divide the tasks among the stations in assembly lines and optimize some objectives. In assembly lines the workload on stations is different from each other due to different tasks times and the difference in workloads between stations can cause blockage or starvation in some stations in assembly lines. Buffers are used to store the semi-finished parts between the stations and can help to smooth the assembly production. The assembly line balancing and buffer sizing problem can affect the throughput of the assembly lines. Assembly line balancing and buffer sizing problems have been studied separately in literature and due to their collective contribution in throughput rate of assembly lines, balancing and buffer sizing problem are desired to study simultaneously and therefore they are considered concurrently in current research. Current research is aimed to maximize throughput, minimize total size of buffers in assembly line and minimize workload variations in assembly line simultaneously. A multi objective optimization objective is designed which can give better Pareto solutions from the Pareto front and a simple example problem is solved for assembly line balancing and buffer sizing simultaneously. Current research is significant for assembly line balancing research and it can be significant to introduce optimization approaches which can optimize current multi objective problem in future.
One Less Painful Procedure: Using Umbilical Cord Blood as Alternative Source to Admission Complete Blood Count

Abstract Objective This study aims to evaluate the use of umbilical cord blood as an alternative to the admission complete blood count (CBC) in the well-appearing late preterm neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Study Design Paired umbilical cord and admission blood CBC samples from well late preterm infants were compared using a two-sample t-test or analysis of variance with an unequal variance for differences in the hemoglobin, platelet counts, white blood cell, and absolute neutrophil counts. Results A total of 100 infants were enrolled in the study. The study included 46 females, 5 Asian, 9 Black, 35 Hispanic, 51 White, with a mean gestational age of 35.3 ± 1 weeks (range: 34–36.5 weeks), and a mean birth weight of 2,347 ± 491 g (range: 1,840–4,260 g). Around 80% were appropriate for gestational age, 5% were large for gestational age, and 15% were small for gestational age. The median difference between the cord and admission blood samples were hemoglobin: 1.1 g/dL, platelet: 7.50 × 103 cells/μL, white blood cell count: 2.3 × 103 cells/μL, and absolute neutrophil count: 0.6 × 103 cells/μL. Conclusion The cord and admission blood testing were not statistically or clinically different when compared. In well late preterm infants, the NICU admission blood CBC may be replaced with an umbilical cord blood CBC.
Arabidopsis pollen extensins LRX are required for cell wall integrity during pollen tube growth

Proper cell wall assembly is crucial during pollen tube growth. Leucine‐rich repeat extensins (LRXs) are extracellular glycoproteins which belong to the hydroxyproline‐rich glycoprotein (HRGP) family. They contain a conserved N‐terminal leucine‐rich repeat (LRR) domain and a highly variable C‐terminal extensin domain. Here, we characterized four LRX proteins (LRX8 through LRX11) from pollen of Arabidopsis thaliana. To investigate the role of LRX8‐LRX11 in pollen germination and pollen tube growth, multiple T‐DNA lrx mutants were obtained. The lrx mutants display abnormal pollen tubes with an irregular deposition of callose and pectin. They also show serious alterations in pollen germination and segregation ratio. Our results suggest that LRXs are involved in ensuring proper cell wall assembly during pollen tube growth.
The relationship between habitual physical activity status and executive function in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease: a longitudinal, cross-lagged panel analysis

Abstract To determine whether habitual physical activity status specifically influences executive function change in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) over 1 year. In this longitudinal cohort study, 45 participants with AD were recruited and provided follow-up data approximately 1 year later. Executive function measures (map search task, digit symbol substitution task, controlled oral word association task, verbal fluency task) and habitual physical activity measures (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) and handgrip strength) were taken at baseline and follow-up. Individual composites were subsequently created. Additional demographic, lifestyle, and neuropsychiatric measures were also taken. In a structural equation model (χ2(26) = 9.84, p = . 998, comparative fit index = 1.00, root mean square error of approximation = . 00), a significant association was found between habitual physical activity and executive function change (β = .27, p = .04). In a cross-lagged panel analysis, a significant path was found between the PASE score and executive change (β = .22, p = .01). As higher habitual physical activity levels were associated with reduced executive function change, the promotion of low-intensity habitual physical activities in individuals with a diagnosis of AD may be warranted. Further research is needed, however, to explore the impact of habitual physical activity on the trajectory of change across cognitive domains, and how this relates to the progression of the underlying pathology associated with this disease.
Learning Impairment is Associated With Recall Ability in Multiple Sclerosis

Recent evidence suggests that persons with multiple sclerosis may experience deficits in verbal and visuospatial acquisition rather than recall. The present study was designed to determine whether this finding generalized to a broader range of neuropsychological tests of learning and memory. To control for group differences in information acquisition, healthy controls (HCs) and persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) were trained to specific learning criteria on both verbal (i.e., paragraph learning and paired associates) and visuospatial (i.e., facial recognition) memory tasks. Persons with MS required significantly more learning trials to meet criteria on the paragraph learning and facial recognition tasks, but not the paired associates test. However, after learning comparable amounts of information, the MS and HC groups recalled statistically similar amounts of information at 30-minutes, 90-minutes, and up to 1-week on the paragraph learning and paired associate tests. This suggests that persons with MS may have deficits in acquisition rather than recall per se. Results are discussed in terms of possible rehabilitation strategies to improve memory functioning in persons with MS.
Function of hippocampus in “insight” of problem solving

Since the work of Wolfgang Köhler, the process of “insight” in problem solving has been the subject of considerable investigation. Yet, the neural correlates of “insight” remain unknown. Theoretically, “insight” means the reorientation of one's thinking, including breaking of the unwarranted “fixation” and forming of novel, task‐related associations among the old nodes of concepts or cognitive skills. Processes closely related to these aspects have been implicated in the hippocampus. In this research, the neural correlates of “insight” were investigated using Japanese riddles, by imaging the answer presentation and comprehension events, just after participants failed to resolve them. The results of event‐related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis demonstrated that the right hippocampus was critically highlighted and that a wide cerebral cortex was also involved in this “insight” event. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first neuroimaging study to have investigated the neural correlates of “insight” in problem solving. Hippocampus 2003;13:316–323. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time-Motion and Biological Responses in Simulated Mixed Martial Arts Sparring Matches

Abstract Coswig, VS, Ramos, SdP, and Del Vecchio, FB. Time-motion and biological responses in simulated mixed martial arts sparring matches. J Strength Cond Res 30(8): 2156–2163, 2016—Simulated matches are a relevant component of training for mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes. This study aimed to characterize time-motion responses and investigate physiological stress and neuromuscular changes related to MMA sparring matches. Thirteen athletes with an average age of 25 ± 5 years, body mass of 81.3 ± 9.5 kg, height of 176.2 ± 5.5 cm, and time of practice in MMA of 39 ± 25 months participated in the study. The fighters executed three 5-minute rounds with 1-minute intervals. Blood and salivary samples were collected and physical tests and psychometric questionnaires administered at 3 time points: before (PRE), immediately after (POST), and 48 hours after the combat (48 h). Statistical analysis applied analysis of variance for repeated measurements. In biochemical analysis, significant changes (p ⩽ 0.05) were identified between PRE and POST (glucose: 80.3 ± 12.7 to 156.5 ± 19.1 mg·ml−1; lactate: 4 ± 1.7 to 15.6 ± 4.8 mmol·dl−1), POST and 48 hours (glucose: 156.5 ± 19.1 to 87.6 ± 15.5 mg·ml−1; lactate: 15.6 ± 4.8 to 2.9 ± 3.5 mmol·dl−1; urea: 44.1 ± 8.9 to 36.3 ± 7.8 mg·ml−1), and PRE and 48 hours (creatine kinase [CK]: 255.8 ± 137.4 to 395.9 ± 188.7 U/L). In addition, time-motion analyses showed a total high:low intensity of 1:2 and an effort:pause ratio of 1:3. In conclusion, simulated MMA sparring matches feature moderate to high intensity and a low degree of musculoskeletal damage, which can be seen by absence of physical performance and decrease in CK. Results of the study indicate that sparring training could be introduced into competitive microcycles to improve technical and tactical aspects of MMA matches, due to the high motor specificity and low muscle damage.
Synthesis, Antifungal Activity and Molecular Docking Studies on N-(Substituted-benzylidineamine)-3- cycloalkylidine-thiosemicarbazide Derivatives

A series of substituted N -(Benzylidineamine)-3-cycloalkylidine-thiosemicarbazide derivatives have been synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their antifungal and antibacterial activities. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, NMR, Mass and elemental analysis. All compounds were tested for antifungal and antibacterial activities. The preliminary results revealed that some of the compounds exhibited promising antifungal activities. Among the tested compounds, compound 14 (MIC 8 µg/mL) and 25 (MIC 8 µg/mL) were the most effective against C. Tropicalis. Important SAR information was also gathered. Molecular modeling investigations showed that the active compounds may interact at the active site of the fungal cytochrome P450-dependent sterol 14α- demethylase (CYP51) in the sterol biosynthesis pathway.
An FPGA-based In-NIC Cache Approach for Lazy Learning Outlier Filtering

As data sets grow rapidly in size and the number, an outlier detection that filters unnecessary normal information becomes important. In this paper, we propose to move the outlier detection from an application layer to a NIC (Network Interface Card). Only anomalous items or events are delivered for a network protocol stack and the other packets are discarded at the NIC. The demands for storage and computation costs at a host are thus drastically reduced. We employ lazy learning algorithms for the outlier detection, because they can be applied to complex reference data including different clusters. However, it is challenging to offload the lazy learning to NIC hardware because of high computational cost and huge reference data. In this paper, we propose to cache only a frequently-accessed portion of reference data in the NIC. This idea can be applied to lazy learning algorithms in general. LOF (Local Outlier Factor) and KNN (K-Nearest Neighbor) are thus implemented on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) based NIC. Simulation results of the proposed system using LOF with 100,000 reference data show that 45% to 90% of queries are hit to the proposed cache and filtered at the NIC. The results are corresponding to 1.82x to 10x throughput improvements on the outlier filtering compared to that of a software-based execution.
Are GARCH innovations independent - a long term assessment for the S&P 500

GARCH specifications have been widely applied in financial literature and practice. For purposes of (Quasi) ML (QML) estimation innovations to GARCH processes are assumed identically and independently distributed (iid) with mean zero and unit variance. In this note GARCH innovations entering daily S\&P 500 quotes are diagnosed to lack independence and to signal ex-ante the directions of stock price changes.
Attitudes Formation by Small but Meaningful Personal Information

Objective People often evaluate others using fragmentary but meaningful personal information in recent days through social media. It is not clear that whether this process is implicit or explicit and what kind of information is more important in such process.We examined the effects of several meaningful fragmentary information onattitude. Methods Thirty three KAIST students were provided four fragmentary information about four virtual people that are meaningful in evaluating people and frequently seen in real life situations, and were asked to imagine that person during four follow-up sessions. Explicit and Implicit attitudes were measured using Likert scale and Implicit Association Test respectively. Also, eye tracking was done to find out the most important information. Results Strong explicit attitudes, were formed toward both men and women, and weak but significant implicit attitudes, were generated toward men only. Eyetracking results showed that people spent more time reading morality information. Conclusion Our results indicate that explicit attitudes are made by propositional learning, which is the main component for evaluating others with several meaningful fragmentary information, and implicit attitudes are formed by top down process. And as well as those of previous studies, morality information was suggested as the most important factor in developing attitudes.
Electrophysiological Study of Femoral Nerve Function After a Continuous Femoral Nerve Block for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Randomized, Controlled Single-Blind Trial

Background: A continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) is an effective analgesic treatment after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction but may result in transient femoral nerve injuries and quadriceps muscle weakness, which in turn contribute to worsened functional outcomes. Purpose: To compare electrophysiological criteria of a femoral nerve injury as well as functional and pain-related outcomes after ACL reconstruction when analgesia was provided by a CFNB or intravenous patient-controlled analgesic of morphine (IV PCA). Study Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: A total of 74 patients scheduled for ACL reconstruction were randomized to receive a CFNB before surgery, followed by a ropivacaine infusion for 2 days and oxycodone, or IV PCA. The primary outcome was the rate of femoral nerve injuries at 4 weeks postoperatively, defined as a reduction of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) area from the vastus medialis muscle after supramaximal femoral nerve stimulation at the groin, associated with an absent H-reflex of the femoral nerve and signs of vastus medialis muscle denervation. Secondary functional outcomes were quadriceps muscle strength, active flexion range, and distance walked, as measured on postoperative days 1 and 2. Secondary pain-related outcomes were IV morphine consumption and pain scores at rest and on movement in phase 1 recovery and on postoperative days 1 and 2. Results: No patients met the electrophysiological criteria of a femoral nerve injury. The mean CMAP area at 4 weeks was equivalent in both the CFNB and IV PCA groups (47 ± 16 mV·ms and 51 ± 13 mV·ms, respectively; P = .50). While no differences were detected in functional outcomes or pain scores, the consumption of an IV morphine equivalent was reduced by the administration of a CFNB in phase 1 recovery (6 ± 5 mg and 13 ± 7 mg, respectively; P = .0003), on postoperative day 1 (6 ± 7 mg and 19 ± 17 mg, respectively; P = .0005), and on postoperative day 2 (11 ± 10 mg and 19 ± 17 mg, respectively; P = .03) compared with an IV PCA. Conclusion: Despite prior contrary reports, a CFNB did not result in femoral nerve injuries or worsened functional outcomes after ACL reconstruction. The improvement of analgesia with a CFNB was only marginal and not clinically relevant beyond 24 hours. Registration: NCT01321138 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
Cramer-Rao Lower Bound Evaluation for Linear Frequency Modulation Based Active Radar Networks Operating in a Rice Fading Environment

This paper investigates the joint target parameter (delay and Doppler) estimation performance of linear frequency modulation (LFM)-based radar networks in a Rice fading environment. The active radar networks are composed of multiple radar transmitters and multichannel receivers placed on moving platforms. First, the log-likelihood function of the received signal for a Rician target is derived, where the received signal scattered off the target comprises of dominant scatterer (DS) component and weak isotropic scatterers (WIS) components. Then, the analytically closed-form expressions of the Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) on the Cartesian coordinates of target position and velocity are calculated, which can be adopted as a performance metric to access the target parameter estimation accuracy for LFM-based radar network systems in a Rice fading environment. It is found that the cumulative Fisher information matrix (FIM) is a linear combination of both DS component and WIS components, and it also demonstrates that the joint CRLB is a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), target’s radar cross section (RCS) and transmitted waveform parameters, as well as the relative geometry between the target and the radar network architectures. Finally, numerical results are provided to indicate that the joint target parameter estimation performance of active radar networks can be significantly improved with the exploitation of DS component.