Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melanoma upregulates ICAM‐1 expression on endothelial cells through engagement of tumor CD44 with endothelial E‐selectin and activation of a PKCα–p38‐SP‐1 pathway

Cancer metastasis involves multistep adhesive interactions between tumor cells (TCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), but the molecular mechanisms of intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment remain elusive. Using static and flow coculture systems in conjunction with flow cytometry, we discovered that certain receptors on the ECs are up‐regulated on melanoma cell adhesion. Direct contact but not separate coculture between human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) and a human melanoma cell line (Lu1205) increased intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) and E‐selectin expression on HUVECs by 3‐ and 1.5‐fold, respectively, compared with HUVECs alone. The nonmetastatic cell line WM35 failed to promote ICAM‐1 expression changes in HUVECs on contact. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed that EC‐TC contact has a synergistic effect on the expression of the cytokines interleukin (IL)‐8, IL‐6, and growth‐related oncogene α (Gro‐α). By using E‐selectin cross‐linking and beads coated with CD44 immunopurified from Lu1205 cells, we showed that CD44/selectin ligation was responsible for the ICAM‐1 up‐regulation on HUVECs. Protein kinase Cα (PKC‐α) activation was found to be the downstream target of the CD44/selectin‐initiated signaling, as ICAM‐1 elevation was inhibited by siRNA targeting PKCα or a dominant negative form of PKCα (PKCα DN). Western blot analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) showed that TC‐EC contact mediated p38 phosphorylation and binding of the transcription factor SP‐1 to its regulation site. In conclusion, CD44/selectin binding signals ICAM‐1 up‐regulation on the EC surface through a PKCα–p38‐SP‐1 pathway, which further enhances melanoma cell adhesion to ECs during metastasis. —Zhang, P., Goodrich, C. , Fu, C. , Dong, C. , Melanoma upregulates ICAM‐1 expression on ECs through engagement of tumor CD44 with endothelial E‐selectin and activation of a PKCα–p38‐SP‐1 pathway. FASEB J. 28, 4591–4609 (2014). www.fasebj. org
Design and Analysis of a New Evaluation Circuit for Capacitors Used in a High-Power Three-Phase Inverter

DC-link capacitors in power electronic converters are a major constraint on improvement of power density as well as reliability. Evaluation of the dc-link capacitors in terms of power loss, ageing, and failure rate will play an important role in design stages of the next-generation power converters. This paper proposes a new evaluation circuit for dc-link capacitors used in a high-power three-phase inverter, which is intended for testing power loss, failure rate, ageing, and so on. The evaluation circuit produces a practical ripple current waveform and a dc bias voltage into a capacitor under test, in which the ripple current is equivalent to that generated by the three-phase inverter on the dc link. The evaluation circuit employs a full-scale current-rating and downscaled voltage-rating inverter for producing the ripple current, so that the power rating of the evaluation circuit is much smaller than that of a full-scale current-rating and full-scale voltage-rating inverter. Theoretical analysis and simulated results verify the effectiveness of new evaluation circuit.
A polymorphism in the coding region of interleukin‐13 gene is associated with atopy but not asthma in Chinese children

Background Interleukin (IL)‐13 is an important cytokine secreted from type 2 helper T lymphocytes. It is essential for modulating IgE synthesis by human B cells. Previous studies showed that polymorphisms in the IL‐13 gene were associated with serum total IgE or allergic asthma. The relationship of this marker with sensitization to individual aeroallergens has not been evaluated.
Detection and role of minimal disseminated disease in children with lymphoblastic lymphoma: The AIEOP experience

The use of intensive chemotherapy regimens in children with lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) has significantly improved outcome, but the salvage rate for these patients is still poor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of minimal disseminated disease (MDD), studied by multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC), in pediatric patients with T‐ and B‐lineage LBL.
Undergraduates' Awareness and Perceptions of Globalization: A Comparison of U.S. and Chinese Students

Assessing current awareness of and attitudes toward predominant globalization processes among undergraduate students is helpful for future course design, particularly courses about globalization or those with substantial globalization components. Such assessments also provide research opportunities for understanding changing levels of awareness and attitudes among undergraduate students over time. This paper reports research about the knowledge and perceptions of globalization concepts and trends among undergraduate students. The analysis compares findings among U.S. undergraduates at a Midwestern university (Midwest U.) with those among Chinese undergraduates at a university (China U.) in an east-central province of the country. Findings from two years of research (i.e., 2012 and 2013) are reported.
Optimal Timing of Wind Farm Repowering: A Two-Factor Real Options Analysis

For more than twenty years now, wind power has been one of the main renewable energy sources. Whereas offshore wind utilization still has a high risk profile, the repowering of wind converters offers an interesting alternative to further increase the use of renewable energy. This paper studies the economics and optimal timing of repowering. We use a two-factor real options modeling framework that builds upon McDonald and Siegel’s 1986 approach. It allows consideration of the investment costs as well as revenues, both following a continuous time, stochastic process. In the next step, a Monte Carlo simulation is done to determine the probability of success of repowering for each year. Finally, we discuss the results of increasing repowering activities and highlight the efforts necessary to achieve this. The model is applied to the case of repowering a 4 x 450 kW wind farm in Denmark to one with 3 x 2 MW. We find that until now the high uncertainty in Denmark in terms of revenues has hindered further development of repowering and lowered the probability of success significantly, while the selling price of the used turbines has had only a minor effect on the optimal timing of repowering. Therefore, wind developers should argue for a larger stake of secured parts in revenues, achievable via higher government-guaranteed incentives.
Acinic Cell Carcinoma With High-grade Transformation: A Report of 9 Cases With Immunohistochemical Study and Analysis of TP53 and HER-2/neu Genes

High-grade transformation of acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) (previously referred to as dedifferentiation) is a rare phenomenon characterized by histologic progression of low-grade AciCC to high-grade adenocarcinoma or undifferentiated carcinoma. We report 9 new cases with immunohistochemical analysis and examination of HER-2/neu and p53 genes to further define the profile of this tumor. Histologically, the high-grade component was composed of polymorphic cells with a high mitotic rate arranged in glandular and solid growth patterns with comedonecrosis. The MIB-1 labeling indices were elevated in the high-grade component, as compared with the low grade conventional AciCC. The high-grade component of AciCC was characterized by strong membrane staining for CK18 and β-catenin, and nuclear staining for cyclin-D1. HER-2/neu, androgen receptor, C-kit, and epidermal growth factor receptor were absent from both low-grade and high-grade components. In contrast, S-100 protein, α-1-antitrypsin, and lysozyme were lost only in high-grade foci of transformed AciCC. The median age was 61 years (with range from 43 to 76 y). Lymph node (LN) metastases were found in 5 of 9 cases (56%). Distant metastases to the lungs (n=4), pleura (n=2), brain (n=3), and peritoneum (n=1), and paraaortic, paratracheal, and mediastinal LNs (n=2) were observed. Six of 9 patients (66%) died from tumor dissemination, all with a median overall survival of 4.3 years (range: 1 to 9 y). The high propensity for LN metastases indicates the need for neck dissection at the time of diagnosis.
On Object Perception in Enhanced Reality Environment for Robot Telecontrol

Object recognition is one of the hot topics in computer vision. Existing techniques for object recognition are based on image processing, which tends to be incapable to recover the topological information of the object. In this paper, based on the analysis of human perceptual habit, a novel strategy for object recognition is proposed. The method perceives an object in the scene by means of existing shape knowledge coupling. And a mechanism is designed to grow the system intelligence by depositing the shape knowledge into a repository once a new object is encountered. This makes the system be in a constant way to become more and more intelligent. In addition, the proposed strategy is advantageous in rebuilding the whole object information with the support of the repository. Experiment results carried out in the enhanced reality environment for robot telecontrol shows that the proposed strategy is both valid and effective for the designed application.
Sarcopenia Predicts Prognosis in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Independent of Tumor Stage and Liver Function

Purpose The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the prognostic significance of changes in body composition in patients with newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods Patients (n=178) newly diagnosed with HCC participated in the study between 2007 and 2012. Areas of skeletal muscle and abdominal fat were directly measured using a three-dimensional workstation. Cox proportional-hazards modes were used to estimate the effect of baseline variables on overall survival. The inverse probability of treatmentweighting (IPTW) method was used to minimize confounding bias. Results Cutoff values for sarcopenia, obtained from receiver-operating characteristic curves, were defined as skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra of ≤ 45.8 cm/m2 for males and ≤ 43.0 cm/m2 for females. Sarcopenia patients were older, more likely to be female, and had lower body mass index. Univariable analysis showed that the presence of sarcopenia and visceral to subcutaneous fat area ratio (VSR) were significantly associatedwith prognosis. The multivariable analyses revealed that VSR was predictive of overall survival. However, in the multivariable Cox model adjusted by IPTW, sarcopenia, not VSR, were associated with overall survival. Conclusion The presence of sarcopenia at HCC diagnosis is independently associated with survival.
Nocturnal Cardiovascular Activity in Essential Hypotension: Evidence of Differential Autonomic Regulation

Objective Essential hypotension represents a form of chronic low blood pressure (BP) not explained by medical or orthostatic conditions. The pathogenesis of essential hypotension may involve sympathetic hypoactivation and other forms of autonomic dysregulation. The aim of the current study was to investigate autonomic and cardiovascular activity during sleep in individuals with essential hypotension. Methods A case-control study was conducted in 14 individuals with essential hypotension (mean [standard error] = 23.4 [0.6] years, all women) and 14 controls (mean [standard error] age = 22.2 [0.4] years, all women). The following measures were collected over a night of sleep: BP, heart rate (HR), stroke volume, cardiac output (CO), preejection period (PEP), total peripheral resistance, and time-domain measures of HR variability. Results Hypotensive participants had consistently lower BP, HR, and CO than did normotensives. Cardiac autonomic variables revealed enhanced parasympathetic tone (proportion of adjacent normal-to-normal intervals that differed in length by more than 50 milliseconds = 40.8 [6.3] versus 23.4 [4.5], p = .03) and reduced sympathetic drive in hypotensives (PEP = 99.4 [3.6] versus 86.1 [4.3], p = .02). Analysis of temporal profiles showed that HR, stroke volume, and CO decreased throughout the night in both groups, whereas PEP and HR variability increased. Unlike controls, BP remained essentially unchanged in hypotensives, as the decrease in CO was counterbalanced by a parallel rise in total peripheral resistance. Conclusions These findings suggest that nocturnal cardiac sympathetic withdrawal combined with vagal hyperactivity is a characteristic of the autonomic regulation in essential hypotension.
Validation of membrane vesicle-based breast cancer resistance protein and multidrug resistance protein 2 assays to assess drug transport and the potential for drug–drug interaction to support regulatory submissions

Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) can play a role in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs, impacting on the potential for drug–drug interactions. This study has characterized insect cell– and mammalian cell–derived ABC-transporter–expressing membrane vesicle test systems and validated methodologies for evaluation of candidate drugs as substrates or inhibitors of BCRP or MRP2. Concentration-dependent uptake of BCRP ([3H]oestrone 3-sulfate, [3H]methotrexate, [3H]rosuvastatin) and MRP2 ([3H]oestradiol 17β-glucuronide, [3H]pravastatin, carboxydichlorofluorescein) substrates, and inhibitory potencies (IC50) of BCRP (sulfasalazine, novobiocin, fumitremorgin C) and MRP2 (benzbromarone, MK-571, terfenadine) inhibitors were determined. The apparent Km for probes [3H]oestrone 3-sulfate and [3H]oestradiol 17β-glucuronide was determined in insect cell vesicles to be 7.4 ± 1.7 and 105 ± 8.3 µM, respectively. All other substrates exhibited significant uptake ratios. Positive control inhibitors sulfasalazine and benzbromarone gave IC50 values of 0.74 ± 0.18 and 36 ± 6.1 µM, respectively. All other inhibitors exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition. There was no significant difference in parameters generated between test systems. On the basis of the validation results, acceptance criteria to identify substrates/inhibitors of BCRP and MRP2 were determined for insect cell vesicles. The approach builds on earlier validations to support drug registration and extends from those cell-based systems to encompass assay formats using membrane vesicles.
Screening for rheumatic heart disease: is a paradigm shift required?

This focused review presents a critical appraisal of the World Heart Federation criteria for the echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and its performance in African RHD screening programmes. It identifies various logistical and methodological problems that negatively influence the current guideline’s performance. The authors explore novel RHD screening methodology that could address some of these shortcomings and if proven to be of merit, would require a paradigm shift in the approach to the echocardiographic diagnosis of subclinical RHD.
Influence of Negatively Charged Interfaces on the Ground and Excited State Properties of Methylene Blue¶

Abstract Properties of the ground and excited states of methylene blue (MB) were studied in negatively charged vesicles, normal and reverse micelles and sodium chloride solutions. All these systems induce dimer formation as attested by the appearance of the dimer band in the absorption spectra (λD ∼ 600 nm). In reverse micelles the dimerization constant (KD) corrected for the aqueous pseudophase volume fraction is two–three orders of magnitude smaller than KD of MB in water, and it does not change when W0 is increased from 0.5 to 10. Differences in the fluorescence intensity as a function of dimer–monomer ratio as well as in the resonance light scattering spectra indicate that distinct types of dimers are induced in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles and aerosol-OT (sodium dioctyl sulfoxinate, AOT) reversed micelles. The properties of the photoinduced transient species of MB in these systems were studied by time-resolved near infrared (NIR) emission (efficiency of singlet oxygen generation), by laser flash photolysis (transient spectra, yield and decay rate of triplets) and by thermal lensing (amount of heat deposited in the medium). The competition between electron transfer (dye*–dye) and energy transfer (dye*–O2) reactions was accessed as a function of the dimer–monomer ratio. The lower yield of electron transfer observed for dimers in AOT reverse micelles and intact vesicles compared with SDS micelles and frozen vesicles at similar dimer–monomer ratios is related with the different types of aggregates induced by each interface.
Synchronization of Networks of Heterogeneous Agents With Common Nominal Behavior

This paper deals with the problem of synchronization in networks of heterogeneous agents with common nominal behavior. The agents are modeled as (possibly nonlinear) perturbed versions of a common SISO nominal LTI operator, and they are interconnected via a sparse memoryless interconnection operator, coherent with the communication graph underlying the network. The network is said to synchronize if the outputs of the agents tend to align along given directions, the most important case being consensus, or agreement. The paper provides a general result, based on IQCs, that ensures synchronization of the network with robustness w.r. t. uncertainties in the interconnection and in each agent's dynamics. Scalability issues are discussed in the scenario where the interconnection operator is a constant normal matrix, yielding the generalization of the very popular linear consensus algorithm. The wide range of applicability of the proposed criterion is shown by providing synchronization conditions in some important examples. Whenever possible, graphical criteria are proposed for checking the required conditions.
Single-Channel Speech Separation Based on Gaussian Process Regression

Gaussian process (GP) is a flexible kernel-based learning method which has found widespread applications in signal processing. In this paper, a supervised approach is proposed to handle single-channel speech separation (SCSS) problem. We focus on modeling a nonlinear mapping between mixed and clean speeches based on GP regression, in which reconstructed audio signal is estimated by the predictive mean of GP model. The nonlinear conjugate gradient method was utilized to perform the hyper-parameter optimization. The experiment on a subset of TIMIT speech dataset is carried out to confirm the validity of the proposed approach.
Improving consent procedures and evaluation of treatment success in cosmetic use of incobotulinumtoxinA: an assessment of the treat-to-goal approach.

BACKGROUND Despite the escalating number of patients undergoing aesthetic BoNT-A procedures, a standardized, objective means of setting treatment goals and measuring the success of treatment is lacking. Treat-To-Goal (TTG) is a new approach to consent that utilizes the Merz Aesthetics Scale to set objectively defined start points and treatment goals to better inform the consent process and provide a means of measuring the success of treatment. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the TTG approach vs standard consent procedures in terms of patient understanding of the risks and benefits of treatment. METHODS This study was undertaken in 2 phases among consecutive patients presenting for BoNT-A treatment. Phase 1 consisted of a crossover comparison of patient satisfaction with standard consent vs the TTG approach (n=20). Patient understanding of the likely outcomes and risks associated with treatment following consent and their overall preference were assessed using 10-point visual analog scales (VAS). Phase 2 assigned patients to receive no treatment (n=10) or treatment with BoNT-A (n=54) following consent with the TTG approach. Patients were followed up with 28 days later to assess whether the goals defined during consent had been met. RESULTS The TTG approach significantly improved patient understanding of likely outcomes of BoNT-A treatment compared with standard consent (P=.004 when standard consent assessed first, and P=.002 when TTG assessed first). All patients assessed preferred the TTG approach (median VAS score in favor of TTG: 7.0, P<.0001). Target improvements were successfully met or exceeded in at least one treatment area (forehead, glabellar lines, crow's feet) in all patients treated with BoNT-A. In contrast, none of the untreated patients met their target improvements unless the target was defined as no change. CONCLUSION The TTG approach represents a significant improvement over standard consent in terms of the information it provides to patients. Further investigation of this concept is warranted.
An analysis of wine and food consumption dynamics in Japan using a vector error correction model

ABSTRACT This article provides an analysis of long-term equilibrium relationships between wine and food-related consumptions in Japan through the vector error correction model. Utilizing longitudinal data from 1970 to 2009, the analysis suggests that wine consumptions and food-related consumptions are co-integrated. The investigation of orthogonal impulse response functions suggests that food-related items, such as bread, vegetables and eating out are positive factors for wine consumptions. With the expansion of wine consumption and diversification of food consumption patterns, wine is deemed to have gained its place in Japanese ordinary life, regardless of the general state of economy. The estimated results also provide a supporting evidence for previous cross-sectional study findings by others that wine consumers tend to have healthier diet. Despite the downward forecasts for economic performance and some food items, wine consumption is predicted to grow continuously.
Inflammation and oxidant-stress in β-thalassemia patients treated with iron chelators deferasirox (ICL670) or deferoxamine: an ancillary study of the Novartis CICL670A0107 trial

Background We assessed whether oxidant-stress and inflammation in β-thalassemia could be controlled by the novel oral iron chelator deferasirox as effectively as by deferoxamine. Design and Methods Forty-nine subjects were enrolled from seven sites and studied at baseline, and after 1, 6, and 12 months of therapy. Malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, vitamins E and C, total non-transferrin bound iron, transferrin saturation, C-reactive protein, cytokines, serum ferritin concentration and liver iron concentration were measured. Results Liver iron concentration and ferritin declined significantly in both treatment groups during the study. This paralleled a significant decline in the oxidative-stress marker malondialdehyde (deferasirox −22%/year, deferoxamine −28%/year, average decline p=0.006). The rates of decline did not differ between treatment groups. Malondialdehyde was higher in both treatment groups than in a group of 30 non-thalassemic controls (p<0.001). The inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein decreased significantly only in the group receiving deferasirox (deferasirox −51%/year, deferoxamine +8.5%/year, p=0.02). This result was confounded by a chance difference in the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein between the two groups at baseline, but analyses controlling for this difference suggested an equally large treatment effect. Conclusions Iron chelation therapy with deferoxamine or with deferasirox was equally effective in decreasing iron burden and malondialdehyde. The possible differential effect of the two chelators on inflammation warrants further investigation.