Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collaboration of cancer‐associated fibroblasts and tumour‐associated macrophages for neuroblastoma development

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children and is histologically classified by its Schwannian stromal cells. Although having fewer Schwannian stromal cells is generally associated with more aggressive phenotypes, the exact roles of other stromal cells (mainly macrophages and fibroblasts) are unclear. Here, we examined 41 cases of neuroblastoma using immunohistochemistry for the tumour‐associated macrophage (TAM) markers CD68, CD163, and CD204, and a cancer‐associated fibroblast (CAF) marker, alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA). Each case was assigned to low/high groups on the basis of the number of TAMs or three groups on the basis of the αSMA‐staining area for CAFs. Both the number of TAMs and the area of CAFs were significantly correlated with clinical stage, MYCN amplification, bone marrow metastasis, histological classification, histological type, and risk classification. Furthermore, TAM settled in the vicinity of the CAF area, suggesting their close interaction within the tumour microenvironment. We next determined the effects of conditioned medium of a neuroblastoma cell line (NBCM) on bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)‐derived macrophages in vitro. The TAM markers CD163 and CD204 were significantly up‐regulated in PBMC‐derived macrophages treated with NBCM. The expression of αSMA by BM‐MSCs was increased in NBCM‐treated cells. Co‐culturing with CAF‐like BM‐MSCs did not enhance the invasive ability but supported the proliferation of tumour cells, whereas tumour cells co‐cultured with TAM‐like macrophages had the opposite effect. Intriguingly, TAM‐like macrophages enhanced not only the invasive abilities of tumour cells and BM‐MSCs but also the proliferation of BM‐MSCs. CXCL2 secreted from TAM‐like macrophages plays an important role in tumour invasiveness. Taken together, these results indicate that PBMC‐derived macrophages and BM‐MSCs are recruited to a tumour site and activated into TAMs and CAFs, respectively, followed by the formation of favourable environments for neuroblastoma progression. © 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Volatility of Mutator Phenotypes at Single Cell Resolution

Mutator phenotypes accelerate the evolutionary process of neoplastic transformation. Historically, the measurement of mutation rates has relied on scoring the occurrence of rare mutations in target genes in large populations of cells. Averaging mutation rates over large cell populations assumes that new mutations arise at a constant rate during each cell division. If the mutation rate is not constant, an expanding mutator population may contain subclones with widely divergent rates of evolution. Here, we report mutation rate measurements of individual cell divisions of mutator yeast deficient in DNA polymerase ε proofreading and base-base mismatch repair. Our data are best fit by a model in which cells can assume one of two distinct mutator states, with mutation rates that differ by an order of magnitude. In error-prone cell divisions, mutations occurred on the same chromosome more frequently than expected by chance, often in DNA with similar predicted replication timing, consistent with a spatiotemporal dimension to the hypermutator state. Mapping of mutations onto predicted replicons revealed that mutations were enriched in the first half of the replicon as well as near termination zones. Taken together, our findings show that individual genome replication events exhibit an unexpected volatility that may deepen our understanding of the evolution of mutator-driven malignancies.
Problem video game playing is related to emotional distress in adolescents.

Problem use of video games is an increasing risk behaviour. High exposure of adolescents to video games has been linked to a variety of disorders, but the relationship between problem video game playing and emotional welfare is unknown. The aim of the study is to analyse problem video game playing in a sample of adolescents and to determine whether there are differences between online and offline players, in addition to examining its relationship with anxiety and depressive symptomatology. A sample of adolescents (N = 380) completed self-reports measuring video game use and symptoms of anxiety and depression. We found that 7.4% of females and 30% of males can be considered as playing at problem levels. Online players were almost 12 times more likely to play at high frequency than offline players (χ2 (1, 267) = 72.72, p < . 001, OR = 11.63, 95% CI [6.31, 21.43]). Males play more frequently, and play more online (χ2 (1, 267) = 50.85, p < . 001, OR = 6.74, 95% CI [3.90, 11.64]), with a clear relationship between problem video game playing and anxiety (r = .24; p < .001). In females, there is a relationship between problem video game playing and depression (r = .19; p < .05). Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the psychological variables involved in problem video game playing. The implementation of strategies is suggested in order to prevent pathological gaming and associated problems.
The imprint of cosmic reionization on galaxy clustering

We consider the effect of reionization on the clustering properties of galaxy samples at intermediate redshifts (z ∼ 0.3-5.5). Current models for the reionization of intergalactic hydrogen predict that overdense regions will be reionized early, thus delaying the build-up of stellar mass in the progenitors of massive lower redshift galaxies. As a result, the stellar populations observed in intermediate-redshift galaxies are somewhat younger and hence brighter in overdense regions of the Universe. Galaxy surveys would therefore be sensitive to galaxies with a somewhat lower dark matter mass in overdense regions. The corresponding increase in the observed number density of galaxies can be parametrized as a galaxy bias due to reionization. We model this process using merger trees combined with a stellar synthesis code. Our model demonstrates that reionization has a significant effect on the clustering properties of galaxy samples that are selected based on their star formation properties. The bias correction in Lyman-break galaxies (including those in proposed baryonic oscillation surveys at z < 1) is at the level of 10-20 per cent for a halo mass of 10 12 M ⊙ , leading to corrections factors of 1.5-2 in the halo mass inferred from measurements of clustering length. The reionization of helium could also lead to a sharp increase in the amplitude of the galaxy correlation function at z ∼ 3. We find that the reionization bias is approximately independent of scale and halo mass. However, since the traditional galaxy bias is mass dependent, the reionization bias becomes relatively more important for lower mass systems. The correction to the bias due to reionization is very small in surveys of luminous red galaxies at z < 1.
A common deletion in the APOBEC3 genes and breast cancer risk.

BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified multiple genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer. However, these loci explain only a small fraction of the heritability. Very few studies have evaluated copy number variation (CNV), another important source of human genetic variation, in relation to breast cancer risk. METHODS We conducted a CNV GWAS in 2623 breast cancer patients and 1946 control subjects using data from Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 (stage 1). We then replicated the most promising CNV using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in an independent set of 4254 case patients and 4387 control subjects (stage 2). All subjects were recruited from population-based studies conducted among Chinese women in Shanghai. RESULTS Of the 268 common CNVs (minor allele frequency ≥ 5%) investigated in stage 1, the strongest association was found for a common deletion in the APOBEC3 genes (P = 1.1×10(-4)) and was replicated in stage 2 (odds ratio =1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27 to 1.44; P = 9.6×10(-22)). Analyses of all samples from both stages using qPCR data produced odds ratios of 1.31 (95% CI = 1.21 to 1.42) for a one-copy deletion and 1.76 (95% CI = 1.57 to 1.97) for a two-copy deletion (P = 2.0×10(-24)). CONCLUSIONS We provide convincing evidence for a novel breast cancer locus at the APOBEC3 genes. This CNV is one of the strongest common genetic risk variants identified so far for breast cancer.
Risk-Based Testing: A Case Study

This paper describes the application of risk-based testing for a software product evaluation in a real case study. Risk-based testing consists of a set of activities regarding risk factors identification related to software requirements. Once identified, the risks are prioritized according to their likelihood and impact and test cases are designed based on the strategies for treatment of the identified risk factors. Thus, test efforts are continuously adjusted according to risk monitoring. The paper also briefly reviews available risk-based approaches, describes the benefits that are likely to accrue from the growing body of work in this area and provides a set of problems, challenges and future work.
Effects of the Sodium Channel Blocker Tetrodotoxin on Acute White Matter Pathology After Experimental Contusive Spinal Cord Injury

Focal microinjection of tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, reduces neurological deficits and tissue loss after spinal cord injury (SCI). Significant sparing of white matter (WM) is seen at 8 weeks after injury and is correlated to a reduction in functional deficits. To determine whether TTX exerts an acute effect on WM pathology, Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to a standardized weight-drop contusion at T8 (10 gm × 2.5 cm). TTX (0.15 nmol) or vehicle solution was injected into the injury site 5 or 15 min later. At 4 and 24 hr, ventromedial WM from the injury epicenter was compared by light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. By 4 hr after SCI, axonal counts revealed reduced numbers of axons and significant loss of large (≥5 μm)-diameter axons. TTX treatment significantly reduced the loss of large-diameter axons. In addition, TTX significantly attenuated axoplasmic pathology at both 4 and 24 hr after injury. In particular, the development of extensive periaxonal spaces in the large-diameter axons was reduced with TTX treatment. In contrast, there was no significant effect of TTX on the loss of WM glia after SCI. Thus, the long-term effects of TTX in reducing WM loss after spinal cord injury appear to be caused by the reduction of acute axonal pathology. These results support the hypothesis that TTX-sensitive sodium channels at axonal nodes of Ranvier play a significant role in the secondary injury of WM after SCI.
Accelerated Connection Establishment (ACE) mechanism for Bluetooth Low Energy

In the paper we focus on the problem of improving the efficiency of the peer-to-peer connection establishment for the recently suggested Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. We suggest a novel Accelerated Connection Establishment (ACE) mechanism which enables to significantly reduce the time and energy consumption for establishing the connection between BLE devices in the multi-node scenarios. We discuss in details the background of the problem, introduce the suggested solution, and present the results of BLE network simulations, which confirm the efficiency of the suggested mechanism.
Identifying Barriers to the Success of a Reporting System

Abstract : Spurred by a controversial report from the Institute of Medicine on the prevalence of medical error, To Err Is Human, the medical profession has seen an increase in event reporting systems at the international, national, and institutional levels. Aviation, with its long history of reporting systems, has shown that these systems can yield previously unknown, but safety-critical information for developing a proactive approach to managing human error. Despite many similarities between health care and aviation, event reporting systems have not been well received in health care. Studies have shown that many physicians are reluctant to participate in programs to report medical errors, and that underreporting of adverse events may be as high as 96 percent. These findings suggest that the success of a reporting system is determined by the attitudes and perceptions of frontline care providers. Therefore, prior to implementing an event reporting system, an assessment of the opinions of care providers should be conducted to identify critical barriers to reporting. The University of Texas Human Factors Research Project has developed a survey instrument designed to assess a wide array of attitudes deemed relevant to the implementation of reporting systems. This paper summarizes preliminary survey findings and recommendations for successful implementation of an event reporting system.
Vanishing resonance and representations of Lie algebras

We explore a relationship between the classical representation theory of a complex, semisimple Lie algebra \g and the resonance varieties R(V,K)\subset V^* attached to irreducible \g-modules V and submodules K\subset V\wedge V. In the process, we give a precise roots-and-weights criterion insuring the vanishing of these varieties, or, equivalently, the finiteness of certain modules W(V,K) over the symmetric algebra on V. In the case when \g=sl_2(C), our approach sheds new light on the modules studied by Weyman and Eisenbud in the context of Green's conjecture on free resolutions of canonical curves. In the case when \g=sl_n(C) or sp_{2g}(C), our approach yields a unified proof of two vanishing results for the resonance varieties of the (outer) Torelli groups of surface groups, results which arose in recent work by Dimca, Hain, and the authors on homological finiteness in the Johnson filtration of mapping class groups and automorphism groups of free groups.
3D Reconstruction for Robot Navigation Based on Projection of Virtual Height Line and its Performance Evaluation

3D reconstruction is a challenging work for the autonomous navigation of robots. This paper proposes a novel 3D reconstruction method based on projection of virtual height line (PVHL). At first partition the scene scope uniformly into grids with a certain size. Then introduce virtual height lines (VHLs) which do not exist in the scene. Each VHL is projected on left image and right image, and two projection lines are generated. Each projection line has a point of intersection with the scene, which is the only existent and visible point on the projection line. So this point has the maximum similarity metric, and the height of the point is that of the corresponding scene. Finding the height of the scene is converted to prove whether the point of intersection has the maximum similarity metric or not. The experiments to reconstruct 3D scene are performed and the results show the proposed method is feasible and effective.
Mobile Agents in Wireless LAN and Cellular Data Networks

Advancing technology in wireless communication offers users anytime, anywhere access to information and network resources without restricting them to the fixed network infrastructure. Mobile computing represents a shift in the distributed systems paradigm. The potential of decoupled and disconnected operation, location-dependent computation and communication and powerful portable computing devices gives rise to opportunities for new patterns of distributed computation that require a revised view of distributed systems. Mobile environment brings different challenges to users and service providers when compared to fixed, wired networks. Mobility brings uncertainties, as well as opportunities to provide new services and supplementary information to users in the locations where they find themselves. A mobile user is one who, on occasion, disconnects from his/her home network to change location and then reconnects, possibly using a different access technology. A necessary feature of mobility management is the ability to continue to provide system and network services to mobile users seamlessly, regardless of their location and the form of their connection. In general, most application software, operating systems and network infrastructures are intended for more conventional environments and so the mobile user has great difficulty in exploiting the computational infrastructure as fully as he/she might. The Internet Roaming solution for corporate wireless data users integrates mobile networking across private wireless local area networks (WLANs), public WLANs and cellular data networks. In this study we have developed an infrastructure using mobile agent for integrating the Wireless LAN and cellular data called Internet Roaming System (IRS). It is implemented on PMADE mobile agent system developed at IIT Roorkee.
CD34-Positive Cells Exhibit Increased Potency and Safety for Therapeutic Neovascularization After Myocardial Infarction Compared With Total Mononuclear Cells

Background— We compared the therapeutic potential of purified mobilized human CD34+ cells with that of mobilized total mononuclear cells (tMNCs) for the preservation/recovery of myocardial tissue integrity and function after myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and Results— CD34+ cells were purified from peripheral blood tMNCs of healthy volunteers by magnetic cell sorting after a 5-day administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), 5×105 CD34+ cells/kg, 5×105 tMNCs/kg (low-dose MNCs [loMNCs]), or a higher dose of tMNCs (hiMNCs) containing 5×105 CD34+ cells/kg was transplanted intramyocardially 10 minutes after the induction of MI in athymic nude rats. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that moderate to severe hemorrhagic MI on day 3 was more frequent in the hiMNC group than in the PBS and CD34+ cell groups. Immunostaining for human-specific CD45 revealed abundant distribution of hematopoietic/inflammatory cells derived from transplanted cells in the ischemic myocardium of the hiMNC group. Capillary density on day 28 was significantly greater in the CD34+ cell group (721.1±19.9 per 1 mm2) than in the PBS, loMNC, and hiMNC groups (384.7±11.0, 372.5±14.1, and 497.5±24.0 per 1 mm2) (P<0.01). Percent fibrosis area on day 28 was less in the CD34+ cell group (15.6±0.9%) than in the PBS, loMNC, and hiMNC groups (26.3±1.2%, 27.5±1.8%, and 22.2±1.8%) (P<0.05). Echocardiographic fractional shortening on day 28 was significantly higher in the CD34+ cell group (30.3±0.9%) than in the PBS, loMNC, and hiMNC groups (22.7±1.5%, 23.4±1.1%, and 24.9±1.7%; P<0.05). Echocardiographic regional wall motion score was better preserved in the CD34+ cell group (21.8±0.5) than in the PBS, loMNC, and hiMNC groups (25.4±0.4, 24.9±0.4, and 24.1±0.6; P<0.05). Conclusions— CD34+ cells exhibit superior efficacy for preserving myocardial integrity and function after MI than unselected circulating MNCs.
Measuring Engagement with Online Forms

Online form-filling and transactions are extremely common, both for industry and government; and it is important to provide a satisfying user experience during these tasks if customers or citizens are to continue using online channels. However, reliable measures of experience in these cases are limited. Other areas of information interaction, e.g., online search, news, and shopping, are increasingly exploring and attempting to measure the concept of user engagement (UE). In this study, we ask whether UE is an appropriate outcome for the utilitarian activities of online form-filling and transactions. We describe work in progress which measures UE using the User Engagement Scale (UES) with utilitarian tasks, and which looks for behaviours which correlate with the UES. Early results suggest that, first, the UES can be adapted to such situations; and second, that readily observable user behaviours including time on site, mouse movements, and keypresses correlate with UES sub-scales and can, to some extent, predict users' responses.
Prevalence of dental anomalies in children with cleft lip and unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate.

AIM To examine the prevalence of different types of dental anomalies in children with nonsyndromic cleft lip, unilateral cleft lip-palate, and bilateral cleft lip-palate. MATERIALS AND METHODS A sample of 90 patients (aged 4-20 years) affected by isolated cleft lip, unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate was examined. Cleft patients were classified into one of three groups according to cleft type: (1) Unilateral Cleft Lip-Palate, (2) Bilateral Cleft Lip-Palate, and (3) Cleft Lip. Intraoral exams, panoramic radiographs and dental casts, were used to analyse the prevalence of the various dental anomalies included in this study. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences between patients with cleft lip, unilateral cleft lip and palate and bilateral cleft lip and palate. The congenital absence of the cleft-side lateral incisor was observed in 40% of the sample, and a total of 30% patients showed supernumerary teeth at the incisors region. Second premolar agenesis was found in 4.4% of patients, whereas in 18.9% of the sample there was an ectopic dental eruption. Lateral or central incisors rotation was noted in 31.1% of the sample, while shape anomaly, lateral incisor microdontia, and enamel hypoplasia were detected respectively in 25.6%, 5.6% and 18.9% of cleft patients. CONCLUSION High prevalence of different dental anomalies in children with cleft lip and unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate has been confirmed. This study, in particular, shows the presence of ectopic and rotated teeth in the cleft area.
A FAST ML-BASED RECEIVER FOR MIMO RICIAN FADING CHANNEL

We derive a fast maximum likelihood based (MLB) decoder for a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) Rician fading channel with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The basic idea is to take profit of the Rician channel structure to significantly reduce the search of the optimum vector of symbols by the ML criterion. When channel diversity is low, we obtain bit error rates (BER) which are very close to the BER of the maximum likelihood (ML) optimum decoder. Comparisons in terms of BER for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) are performed for the MLB, ML and OSIC (Ordered Successive Interference Cancellation) decoders via simulations. Finally, the ratio of computational complexities (depending of the number of transmitters and on the constellation), between the ML and the MLB is presented to show the interest of the proposed approach.
Rate-distortion Optimized Receiver-driven Streaming over Best-effort Networks

This paper addresses the problem of streaming packetized media over a lossy packet network, in a rate-distortion optimized way, where the rate-distortion optimization is performed at the receiver. We show how the receiver should compute which packets, if any, to request from the sender, in order to meet a constraint on the transmission rate from the sender to the receiver while minimizing the average end-to-end distortion. Experimental results show that the receiver-driven system has performance within 1 dB of a sender-driven system, while reducing the computational burden at the sender.