Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An automatic segmentation method for multispectral microscopic cervical cell images

We have been developing a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for automatically recognizing cervical cancer cells from Papanicolaou smear. Considering that pathological changes of cervix can be indicated by the abnormity of the nucleus of intermediate cell, the key task of this system is to find the intermediate cells and segment the nucleus precisely. This paper presents a novel approach for automatic segmentation of microscopic cervical cell images using multispectral imaging techniques. In order to capture images at different wavelengths, a Liquid Crystal Tunable Filter (LCTF) device is used to provide wavelength selection from 400nm to 720nm with an increment of 10nm. Considering the spectral variances of background, nucleus and cytoplasm, background is extracted firstly from the microscopic images by calculating pixel intensity variance at 470nm, 530nm, 570nm, 580nm and 650nm. Then superficial cells are extracted apart from intermediate cells easily at 530nm 650nm because of the different pixel intensity distribution of the two kinds of cells at these two wavelengths. To segment the nucleus from intermediate cells, we adopt two procedures. Firstly, the nuclei are roughly segmented apart by using an iterative maximum deviation between-cluster algorithm. Secondly, a novel rigorous algorithm based on active contour model is adopted to achieve more exact nuclei segmentation. Using the method proposed in this paper, we did experiments on over 300 cervical smears, and the results show that this method is more robust and precise.
Inducible knockdown of pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A gene expression in adult female mice extends life span

Pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A) knockout (KO) mice, generated through homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells, have a significantly increased lifespan compared to wild‐type littermates. However, it is unknown whether this longevity advantage would pertain to PAPP‐A gene deletion in adult animals. In the present study, we used tamoxifen (Tam)‐inducible Cre recombinase‐mediated excision of the floxed PAPP‐A (fPAPP‐A) gene in mice at 5 months of age. fPAPP‐A mice, which were either positive (pos) or negative (neg) for Tam‐Cre, received Tam treatment with quarterly boosters. Only female mice could be used with this experimental design. fPAPP‐A/neg and fPAPP‐A/pos mice had similar weights at the start of the experiment and showed equivalent weight gain. We found that fPAPP‐A/pos mice had a significant extension of life span (P = 0.005). The median life span was increased by 21% for fPAPP‐A/pos compared to fPAPP‐A/neg mice. Analysis of mortality in life span quartiles indicated that the proportion of deaths of fPAPP‐A/pos mice were lower than fPAPP‐A/neg mice at young adult ages (P = 0.002 for 601–800 days) and higher than fPAPP‐A/neg mice at older ages (P = 0.004 for >1000 days). Thus, survival curves and age‐specific mortality indicate that female mice with knockdown of PAPP‐A gene expression as adults have an extended healthy life span.
sTLR4/MD-2 complex inhibits colorectal cancer migration and invasiveness in vitro and in vivo by lncRNA H19 down-regulation

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have multiple functions in gene regulation and during cellular processes. However, the functional roles of lncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not yet been well understood. In our previous study, we demonstrated that sTLR4/MD-2 complex can inhibit CRC in vitro and in vivo by targeting LPS. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the expression of lncRNA H19 in CRC and to evaluate its effect on the inhibition of sTLR4/MD-2 complex. The expression of H19 is measured in 63 CRC tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The effects of H19 on migration and invasiveness are evaluated by wound healing assay, migration and invasion assays. Results showed that H19 is significantly overexpressed in cancerous tissues and CRC cell lines compared with adjacent normal tissues and a normal human intestinal epithelial cell line. Moreover, H19 overexpression is closely associated with CRC patients. Our in vitro data indicated that knockdown of H19 inhibits the migration and invasiveness of CRC cells. And in vivo sTLR4/MD-2 complex inhibits tumor growth in mice and the expression of H19 is down-regulated. These results suggest that sTLR4/MD-2 complex inhibits CRC migration and invasiveness in vitro and in vivo by lncRNA H19 down-regulation.
An Economic Model of Bystanders' Behaviour

In this paper, we deal with a classroom where bullying is occurring and assume that if a number of bystanders who tattle bullying exceeds a threshold, then bullying is stopped. Bystanders’ behaviour is formulated as a non-cooperative game, with negative externality, retaliation cost and reporting cost. Our research shows that to stop bullying, it is useful to raise the cost of negative externality and to reduce the retaliation cost and or the reporting cost. Additionally, it is shown that small class is effective in preventing bullying.
Targeting IL-5Rα with antibody-conjugates reveals a strategy for imaging and therapy for invasive bladder cancer

ABSTRACT Despite the high interest and concern due to an increasing incidence and death rate, patients who develop muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) have few options available. However, the past decade has produced many candidate bladder tumor-specific markers but further development of these markers is still needed for creating effective targeted medications to solve this urgent need. Interleukin-5 receptor α-subunit (IL-5Rα) has recently been reported to be involved in MIBC progression. Thus, we aimed to validate IL-5Rα as a target for antibody-conjugates to better manage patients with MIBC. Patients were recruited and their tumors were processed for IL-5Rα immunohistochemical analysis. NOD/SCID mice were also heterotopically implanted with the human MIBC HT-1376 and HT-B9 cell lines and established xenografts immunohistochemically evaluated for IL-5Rα and compared against patient tumors. Using the mAb A14, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and a radiolabeled immunoconjugate (RIC) were developed by conjugating to vinblastine and to the positron emitter copper-64 (64Cu), respectively. As a proof-of-concept for ADC and RIC efficacy, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in tumor-bearing mice were performed, respectively. In addition, as rapid internalization and accumulation are important components for effective antibody-conjugates, we evaluated these aspects in response to IL-5 and 64Cu-A14 treatments. Our findings suggest that although IL-5Rα protein expression is preferentially increased in MIBC, it is rapid IL-5Rα-mediated internalization allowing vinblastine-A14 to have cytotoxic activity and 64Cu-A14 to detect MIBC tumors in vivo. This is the first report to elucidate the potential of IL-5Rα as an attractive MIBC target for antibody-conjugate applications.
Performance and anthropometric characteristics of Elite Rugby Players

Background and aim of the study: Physical performance is the result of a complex combination of several factors such as genetic and anthropometric aspects, nutrition and hormonal status. In the past few years many studies have considered the impact of vitamin D on muscular strength and athletic performance. The aim of the present study was to assess the anthropometric measures impacting on physical performance in a group of professional rugby athletes. As a secondary aim we investigated a possible relationship between baseline vitamin D status and athletic performance status in these subjects. Methods: All rugby players completed a test–retest reliability study on performance measures, as 70kg jump squat and body weight (BW) jump squat to assess musculoskeletal performance. Additionally at the time point we collected a blood sample of every athletes for the assessment of serum vitamin D. Results: We found that lean mass was an important independent predictor of performance score in 70kg jump squat (p=0.007, R2=0.74) and BW jump squat (p=0.010, R2=0.66) in these well trained athletes. No statistically significant association was present between performance score and serum vitamin D in this specific setting. Conclusions: We demonstrate a positive interaction between lower limb lean mass and performance score, but we have not been able to identify any statistically significant association between worsening in performance measures and decrease of serum 25 OH Vitamin D. (www.actabiomedica.it)
Late-onset Sepsis in Extremely Premature Infants: 2000–2011

Background: Late-onset sepsis (LOS) is an important cause of death and neurodevelopmental impairment in premature infants. The purpose of this study was to assess overall incidence of LOS, distribution of LOS-causative organisms and center variation in incidence of LOS for extremely premature infants over time. Methods: In a retrospective analysis of infants 401–1000 g birth weight and 22–28 6/7 weeks of gestational age born at 12 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centers in the years 2000–2005 (era 1) or 2006–2011 (era 2) who survived >72 hours, we compared the incidence of LOS and pathogen distribution in the 2 eras using the &khgr;2 test. We also examined the effect of birth year on the incidence of LOS using multivariable regression to adjust for nonmodifiable risk factors and for center. To assess whether the incidence of LOS was different among centers in era 2, we used a multivariable regression model to adjust for nonmodifiable risk factors. Results: Ten-thousand one-hundred thirty-one infants were studied. LOS occurred in 2083 of 5031 (41%) infants in era 1 and 1728 of 5100 (34%) infants in era 2 (P < 0.001). Birth year was a significant predictor of LOS on adjusted analysis, with birth years 2000–2009 having a significantly higher odds of LOS than the reference year 2011. Pathogens did not differ, with the exception of decreased fungal infection (P < 0.001). In era 2, 9 centers had significantly higher odds of LOS compared with the center with the lowest incidence. Conclusions: The incidence of LOS decreased over time. Further investigation is warranted to determine which interventions have the greatest impact on infection rates.
Decrease in the Growth of Domestic Demand in Korea

This paper investigates a link between the significant decline in the growth of domestic demand and the dampened ripple effects from the export sector in Korea since the East Asian financial crisis. The dampened ripple effects are closely linked to the changed investment behaviors of the Korean large-sized exporting firms since the crisis: they do not invest in their export earnings any more to create new industries; they tend to use more foreign value added contents for their exports and to increase outward direct investment by actively participating in global value chains. The paper also examines a link between the growth of domestic demand and the growth of household disposable income and presents reasons for the decline in the growth of household disposable income since the East Asian financial crisis.
Trends in disability of instrumental activities of daily living among older Chinese adults, 1997-2006: population based study

Background Data on trends for disability in instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) are sparse in older Chinese adults. Objectives To assess trends in prevalence and incidence of IADL disability among older Chinese adults and to explore contributing factors. Design Population based study. Setting 15 provinces and municipalities in China. Subjects Participants (age ≥60) were from four waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey, conducted in 1997 (n=1533), 2000 (n=1581), 2004 (n=2028) and 2006 (n=2256), and from two cohorts constructed within the national survey: cohort 1997–2004 (n=712) and cohort 2000–2006 (n=823). Measurements IADL disability was defined as inability to perform one or more of the following: shopping, cooking, using transportation, financing and telephoning. Data were analysed with logistic regression and generalised estimating equation models. Results The prevalence of IADL disability significantly decreased from 1997 to 2006 in the total sample and in all of the subgroups by age, sex, living region and IADL items (all ptrend <0.05). The incidence of IADL disability remained stable from cohort 1997-2004 to cohort 2000-2006 in the total sample and in all of the subgroups (all p>0.10). The recovery rate from IADL disability significantly increased over time in those aged 60–69 years (p=0.03). Living in a rural area or access to local clinics for healthcare was less disabling over time (ptrend <0.02). Conclusions The prevalence of IADL disability decreased among older Chinese adults during 1997–2006, whereas the incidence remained stable. The declining prevalence of IADL disability might be partly due to the decreased duration of IADL disability, and to improvements in living conditions and healthcare facilities over time.
Oxygen uptake at aerobic threshold is inversely associated with fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events

Abstract Purpose: We aimed to assess the associations of oxygen uptake at aerobic threshold (VO2 at AT) with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Design: VO2 at AT was assessed in 1663 middle-aged men in a cohort study. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for sudden cardiac death (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. Results: During a median follow-up of 25.6 years, 138 SCDs, 209 fatal CHDs, 333 fatal CVDs and 719 all-cause mortality events occurred. On adjustment for established risk factors, the HRs (95% CIs) for SCD, fatal CHD, fatal CVD and all-cause mortality were 0.48 (0.28–0.82), 0.48 (0.31–0.74), 0.57 (0.41–0.79) and 0.66 (0.53–0.82), respectively comparing extreme quartiles of VO2 at AT. On further adjustment for peak VO2, the HRs were 0.87 (0.48–1.56), 0.83 (0.52–1.34), 0.91 (0.63–1.30) and 0.88 (0.69–1.12), respectively. Addition of VO2 at AT to a standard CVD mortality risk prediction model was associated with a C-index change of 0.0085 (95% CI: −0.0002–0.0172; p = .05) at 25 years. Conclusions: VO2 at AT is inversely associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events, but the associations are partly dependent on peak VO2. VO2 at AT may improve the prediction of the long-term risk for CVD mortality. KEY MESSAGES Oxygen uptake at aerobic threshold (VO2 at AT), a cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameter, may be a useful prognostic tool for adverse clinical outcomes in the general population. In a population-based prospective cohort study of men, VO2 at AT was inversely associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events and improved the prediction of cardiovascular mortality. In populations who cannot achieve maximal VO2, VO2 at AT may serve as a useful prognostic tool; however, further studies are warranted.
NMR-based metabolomic analysis for the effects of creatine supplementation on mouse myoblast cell line C2C12

Creatine (Cr) supplementation has drawn much attention from researchers owing to its widespread efficacy in sports, and more recently, in therapeutic fields. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we performed nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic analysis to address the metabolic profile of aqueous extracts from the mouse myoblast cell line C2C12 exposed to 2 mM Cr for 24 h (the Cr-treated group). Results showed that Cr supplementation facilitated the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts. Both pattern recognition and hierarchical cluster analyses demonstrated that the metabolic profiles of the Cr-treated and control groups were distinctly different. We identified 13 characteristic metabolites significantly responsible for the discrimination of metabolic profiles between the two groups, through orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis and independent samples t-test. We further verified the discrimination performances of these metabolites by conducting univariate receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Compared with the control group, the Cr-treated group exhibited increased levels of Cr, phosphocreatine (PCr), glutathione (GSH), and glucose, but decreased levels of leucine, valine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, choline, O-phosphocholine, sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and glycerol. Our results demonstrated that Cr supplementation upregulated PCr and glucose, promoted trichloroacetic acid cycle anaplerotic flux and GSH-mediated antioxidant capacity, and stabilized lipid membranes through suppressing glycerophospholipid metabolism. Our work provides new clues to the molecular mechanisms underlying the pleiotropic effects of Cr in muscle cells.
Channel Tracking and Transmission Design in 5G Large-Scale MIMO System

The 5G wireless channel in the high-speed rail scene has the characteristics of fast time-varying and double selection, that is, frequency selectivity and time selectivity. The change in the instantaneous channel parameters is much faster than that in the cellular cell scene, so it is more difficult to obtain and track the instantaneous channel. This paper first researches the time and spatial correlation of the channel in 5G large-scale MIMO system and proposes a channel tracking scheme to conduct wave velocity training. Based on the predicted channel information, this paper proposes a complete downlink transmission scheme, which effectively balances 5G system resource overhead and channel tracking performance.
A comparison of school effectiveness factors for socially advantaged and disadvantaged students in ten European countries in TIMSS-2011

Over the last decades, Educational Effectiveness Research (EER) has made considerable achievements in terms of identifying the school characteristics that are consistently associated with academic achievement (Murillo et al., 2007). Nowadays it is difficult to find public policy aiming at improving the quality of education that is not impregnated by the knowledge generated by EER (Sandoval-Hernandez, 2010). However, EER has also received important criticisms that have fuelled a prolific debate about its boundaries and potentials. One of them concerns the implicit claim of the EER movement that implies a general applicability of its models. Critics have argued that, while purporting to be inclusive and comprehensive, EER models often exclude the needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds (Slee et al., 1998). As Thrupp (1999) puts it, dominant groups establish diagnostics about how schools should be according to their own cultural references, but these diagnoses might not apply to all societal groups. Students from socially disadvantaged families live and study in different contexts, and therefore it can be assumed that they have specific and different educational needs than their more socially advantaged peers. In this sense, the use of EER models without explicitly taking into consideration the specific needs of socially disadvantaged children could lead to the reproduction of educational inequalities. In order to contribute to this debate, we selected a recently developed EER theoretical model (the one proposed by Martin et al., 2013) and tested it with two samples: one of socially disadvantaged students, and one of non-disadvantaged students. We used data from the latest cycle of the IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2011) to operationalize our selected EER model. Then, we divided the TIMSS 2011 samA Comparison of School Effectiveness Factors for Socially Advantaged and Disadvantaged Students in ten European Countries in TIMSS-2011
Role of LRP-1 in cancer cell migration in 3-dimensional collagen matrix

ABSTRACT The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1) is a member of Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR) family, which is ubiquitously expressed and which is described as a multifunctional endocytic receptor which mediates the clearance of various extracellular matrix molecules including serine proteinases, proteinase-inhibitor complexes, and matricellular proteins. Several studies showed that high LRP-1 expression promotes breast cancer cell invasiveness, and LRP-1 invalidation leads to cell motility abrogation in both tumor and non-tumor cells. Furthermore, our group has reported that LRP-1 silencing prevents the invasion of a follicular thyroid carcinoma despite increased pericellular proteolytic activities from MMP2 and uPA using a 2D-cell culture model. As the use of 3D culture systems is becoming more and more popular due to their promise as enhanced models of tissue physiology, the aim of the present work is to characterize for the first time how the 3D collagen type I matrix may impact the ability of LRP-1 to regulate the migratory properties of thyroid carcinoma using as a model FTC-133 cells. Our results show that inhibition of LRP-1 activity or expression leads to morphological changes affecting cell-matrix interactions, reorganizations of the actin-cytoskeleton especially by inhibiting FAK activation and increasing RhoA activity and MLC-2 phosphorylation, thus preventing cell migration. Taken together, our results suggest that LRP-1 silencing leads to a decrease of cell migratory capacity in a 3D configuration.
White matter compromise in autism? Differentiating motion confounds from true differences in diffusion tensor imaging

Common findings from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include reduced fractional anisotropy (FA), and increased mean and radial diffusivity (MD, RD) of white matter tracts. However, findings may be confounded by head motion. We examined how group‐level motion matching affects DTI comparisons between ASD and typically developing (TD) groups. We included 57 ASD and 50 TD participants, comparing three subsets at increasing levels of motion‐matching stringency: full sample (FS); quality‐controlled (QC); and quantitatively‐matched (QM). Groups were compared on diffusivity measures using Tract‐Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and probabilistic tractography. Two methods for estimating diffusivity were compared: dti‐fit and restore. TBSS: In set FS, FA was reduced in the ASD compared to the TD group throughout the right hemisphere. This effect was less extensive in set QC and absent in set QM. However, effect sizes remained stable or increased with better quality‐control in some regions. Tractography: In set QM, MD was significantly higher in ASD overall and RD was higher in bilateral ILF. Effects were more robust in QM than in FS or QC sets. Effect sizes in several tracts increased with stringent quality matching. Restore improved tensor estimates, with some increases in effect sizes, but did not fully compensate for reduced quality. Findings suggest that some previously reported DTI findings for ASD may have been confounded by motion. However, effects in the tightly matched subset indicate that tract‐specific anomalies probably do exist in ASD. Our results highlight the need for careful quality‐control and motion‐matching. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1606–1620. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.