Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic silencing of S100A2 in bladder and head and neck cancers

S100A2, a member of the S100 protein family, is known to be downregulated in a number of human cancers, leading to its designation as a potential tumor suppressor gene. Here, we investigated the expression and methylation status of S100A2 in head&neck and bladder cancer. Reduced mRNA and protein expression was observed in 8 head&neck and bladder cancer cell lines. To explore the mechanism responsible for the downregulation of S100A2, we treated six cell lines with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine. We found S100A2 is silenced in association with aberrant promoter-region methylation and its expression is restored with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatment. Of 31 primary head&neck cancer cases and 31 bladder cancer cases, promoter methylation was detected in 90% and 80% of cases, respectively. Interestingly, only 1/9 of normal head&neck tissues and 2/6 of normal bladder tissues showed promoter methylation. S100A2 promoter methylation can be detected in urine and is more frequent in bladder cancer patients than in healthy subjects (96% vs 48% respectively). Moreover, increased methylation of S100A2 is linked to the progression of the tumor in bladder cancer (p<0.01). Together, this data shows that methylation-associated inactivation of S100A2 is frequent and may be an important event in the tumorigenesis of head&neck and bladder cancer.
Rock Art In Arid Landscapes: Pilbara And Western Desert Petroglyphs

Abstract This paper develops a testable model for understanding rock art within archaeological phases of the arid northwest Pilbara and Western Desert bioregions. It also presents the first multivariate analysis of foundational recording work undertaken almost 50 years ago, and deploys more recently recorded assemblages from the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) and the Western Desert. It establishes a framework for testable hypotheses about how art production in these adjacent bioregions through deep-time reflects information systems, emergent territoriality, group identity and signalling behaviour against a backdrop of climatic oscillations, including the LGM (23–18 ka), Antarctic Cold Reversal (14.5–12.5 ka) and intensification of ENSO (3.8–2 ka). The Pilbara piedmont has clearly defined gorges with major water sources; the Western Desert has uncoordinated drainage punctuated by well-watered but subdued ranges. We argue that rock art has been used to negotiate social identity in both contexts since each was first colonised. The role that art may have played in the formation of social networks in these different landscapes through time is the key focus of this paper. We hypothesise that the episodic use of art as signalling behaviour in the Australian arid zone can be linked to behavioural correlates and major archaeological phases with discrete signatures that can be tested from myriad sites.
A low-power asynchronous ECG acquisition system in CMOS technology

An asynchronous electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition system is presented for wearable ambulatory monitoring. The proposed system consists of a low noise front-end amplifier (AFE) with tunable bandwidth, an asynchronous analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and digital signal processing (DSP). Data compression is achieved by the inherent signal dependent sampling rate of the asynchronous architecture. This makes the system attractive for compact wearable ECG monitoring applications. The AFE and ADC were fabricated in a 0. 18µm CMOS technology and consume a total of 79µW. Measured results demonstrating ECG monitoring are presented.
Inhibition of mitochondrial fission prevents cell cycle progression in lung cancer

Mitochondria exist in dynamic networks that undergo fusion and fission. Mitochondrial fusion and fission are mediated by several GTPases in the outer mitochondrial membrane, notably mitofusin‐2 (Mfn‐2), which promotes fusion, and dynamin‐related protein (Drp‐1), which promotes fission. We report that human lung cancer cell lines exhibit an imbalance of Drp‐1/Mfn‐2 expression, which promotes a state of mitochondrial fission. Lung tumor tissue samples from patients demonstrated a similar increase in Drp‐1 and decrease in Mfn‐2 when compared to adjacent healthy lung. Complementary approaches to restore mitochondrial network formation in lung cancer cells by overexpression of Mfn‐2, Drp‐1 inhibition, or Drp‐1 knockdown resulted in a marked reduction of cancer cell proliferation and an increase in spontaneous apoptosis. The number of cancer cells in S phase decreased from 32.4 ± 0.6 to 6.4 ± 0.3% with Drp‐1 inhibition (P< 0.001). In a xenotransplantation model, Mfn‐2 gene therapy or Drp‐1 inhibition could regress tumor growth. The tumor volume decreased from 205.6 ± 59 to 70.6 ± 15 mm3 (P<0.05) with Mfn‐2 overexpression and from 186.0 ± 19 to 87.0 ± 6 mm3 (P<0.01) with therapeutic Drp‐1 inhibition. Impaired fusion and enhanced fission contribute fundamentally to the proliferation/apoptosis imbalance in cancer and constitute promising novel therapeutic targets. —Rehman, J., Zhang, H. J., Toth, P. T. , Zhang, Y. , Marsboom, G. , Hong, Z. , Salgia, R. , Husain, A. N. , Wietholt, C. , Archer, S. L. Inhibition of mitochondrial fission prevents cell cycle progression in lung cancer. FASEB J. 26, 2175‐2186 (2012). www.fasebj. org
Total and Free Fluoride in Toothpastes from Some Non-Established Market Economy Countries

In 101 fluoride toothpastes, bought in local shops in Burkina Faso (n = 3), China (n = 5), Myanmar (n = 22), Nepal (n = 19), Philippines (n = 13), Syria (n = 22), Togo (n = 7) and Vietnam (n = 10), the total and free ionisable fluoride concentrations were established. The total fluoride concentration of the toothpastes was determined by gas liquid chromatography. The amount of soluble fluoride was measured after dilution in artificial saliva and treatment of the supernatants with acidic phosphatase. The free fluoride concentration in this mixture was measured with a fluoride electrode. Twenty-five percent of all toothpastes contained less than 738 ppm total fluoride, and another 25% contained between 738 and 977 ppm fluoride. Regarding free ionisable fluoride the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile contained ≤275, 780 and 990 ppm fluoride, respectively. Of the 61 toothpastes with declared fluoride concentration, 75% contained a total F concentration of ≧89% of the declared concentration. In 25% of these toothpastes the free ionisable fluoride was ≤55% of the declared fluoride, and in another 25% of the pastes the free ionisable fluoride concentration was ≧89% of the declared fluoride. In conclusion, deficiencies were found regarding the total as well as the free ionisable fluoride concentration of toothpastes bought in non-established market economy countries. Unclear labelling concerning the type and concentration of fluoride was often encountered. A need for quality control of fluoride toothpastes is recommended.
A framework for managing knowledge in strategic alliances in the biotechnology sector

Biotechnology is a rapidly expanding field of science that has led to the formation of a large number of companies that together form a significant sector within the Australian economy. Even though there has been considerable growth in the Australian biotechnology sector as a whole, a large percentage of Australian biotechnology firms are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that suffer from a lack of funding and expertise. The developmentand management of effective strategicalliancesarecritical to thesuccessand development of biotechnology firms as they provide opportunities to share resources and expertise, access funding and develop new ideas. However, developing and managing strategic alliances is fraught with difficulties which are compounded by size and resource asymmetries and the nature of the biotechnology market. In this paper, we identify the difficulties faced by biotechnology firms and examine the importance of knowledge management related to alliance formation and development with special reference to the Australian context. We examine the knowledge and expertise that are required to be effective in developing strategic alliances in the biotechnology sector and provide a framework for managing knowledge related to strategic alliances. We suggest that critical systems approaches, in particular creative holism, are needed to manage the various forms of knowledge associated with strategic alliances. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple sclerosis in rural Norway its geographic and occupational incidence in relation to nutrition.

THE investigation of the distribution of cases of multiple sclerosis in Switzerland between the years 1918 and 1922 seems to have established that the frequency of this disease can vary greatly in different geographic locations.1 The subsequent studies by Gram2 in Denmark and more recent investigations in the United States3 , 4 leave little doubt that these variations may be real and not due to technical errors in diagnosis, methods of collecting the data and so forth. In another study, Swank5 has suggested the possibility that these variations are related directly to the amount (and possibly the nature) of the fat consumption.
MUTUAL INFORMATION BASED REGISTRATION OF RETINAL IMAGES

Registration of multimodal images of retina is essential for correct diagnosis of the optic nerve head and retina. For reliable vessel segmentation, it is also important to use information from both, color photographs and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) scans. Mutual information was tested as a coincidence measure and has proven functional and reliable. This paper proposed a robust method for finding the correct transformation parameters with specificity about 93%.
Regulation of Cellular Protein Phosphatase-1 (PP1) by Phosphorylation of the CPI-17 Family, C-kinase-activated PP1 Inhibitors*

The regulatory circuit controlling cellular protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), an abundant group of Ser/Thr phosphatases, involves phosphorylation of PP1-specific inhibitor proteins. Malfunctions of these inhibitor proteins have been linked to a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Upon phosphorylation at Thr38, the 17-kDa PP1 inhibitor protein, CPI-17, selectively inhibits a specific form of PP1, myosin light chain phosphatase, which transduces multiple kinase signals into the phosphorylation of myosin II and other proteins. Here, the mechanisms underlying PP1 inhibition and the kinase/PP1 cross-talk mediated by CPI-17 and its related proteins, PHI, KEPI, and GBPI, are discussed.
Are (Active) Entrepreneurs a Different Breed

We present data from an incentivized online experiment and responses from a set of validated psychological questionnaires to measure entrepreneurs' risk and time preferences and to identify entrepreneurs' personality characteristics. The analyses of the data suggest that intrinsic motivation positively relates to the likelihood of owning a business (i.e., being an active entrepreneur). We also found that subjects who scored higher on drive were relatively more risk seeking while those who scored higher on pessimism were more patient. The results of our study highlight the importance of studying personality traits to better understand what drives people to own a business.
Complete Genome Sequence of Coriobacteriaceae Strain 68-1-3, a Novel Mucus-Degrading Isolate from the Swine Intestinal Tract

ABSTRACT A novel Coriobacteriaceae bacterium (strain 68-1-3) was isolated from the ileum of the swine intestinal tract using a selective mucus-based medium. Here we present the finished genome sequence for the swine commensal, totaling 1.97 Mb in size.
Tailoring circuit-switched network-on-chip to application-specific system-on-chip by two optimization schemes

As the number of cores on a chip increases, power consumed by the communication structures takes a significant portion of the overall power budget. In this article, we first propose a circuit-switched interconnection architecture which uses crossroad switches to construct dedicated channels dynamically between any pairs of cores for nonhuge application-specific SoCs. The structure of the crossroad switch is simple, which can be regarded as a NoC-lite router, and we can easily construct a low-power on-chip network with these switches by a system-level design methodology. We also present the design methodology to tailor the proposed interconnection architecture to low-power structures by two proposed optimization schemes with profiled communication characteristics. The first scheme is power-aware topology construction, which can build low-power application-specific interconnection topologies. To further reduce the power consumption, we propose the second optimization scheme to predetermine the operating mode of dual-mode switches in the NoC at runtime. We evaluate several interconnection techniques, and the results show that the proposed architecture is more low-power and high-performance than others under some constraints and scale boundaries. We take multimedia applications as case studies, and experimental results show the power savings of power-aware topology approximate to 49% of the interconnection architecture. The power consumption can be further reduced approximately 25% by applying partially dedicated path mechanism.
Periodic Breathing and Apnea in Preterm Infants

ABSTRACT: The relationship between periodic breathing and idiopathic apnea of prematurity was investigated. We recorded respiratory impedance, heart rate, pulse oximetry and end-tidal CO2 from 68 untreated infants of less than or equal to 34 wk gestation with a diagnosis of idiopathic apnea of prematurity. Mean birth wt was 1476 g (SD 420) and mean gestational age was 29.9 wk (SD 2.6). Apneas of more than 15 s duration that were associated with hypoxemia or bradycardia were identified by semiautomated analysis of computerized records. A total of 1116 significant apneic spells were identified, only one of which occurred during an epoch of periodic breathing, five others occurred within 2 min of the end of an epoch of periodic breathing. Less than 0.6% of significant apneic spells occur within 2 min of periodic breathing. In all of the 12 infants that were monitored starting in the first 12 h or life, significant apneic spells were identified before 36 h of age and no precipitating factors were identified. Periodic breathing did not occur during the first 48 h of life, a finding that supports the concept that the peripheral chemoreceptor is inactive in the first 48 h of life. Periodic breathing in the premature infant is not a precursor to significant apnea.
Changing differences in intelligence? Comparisons between groups of 13-year-olds tested from 1960 to 1990.

Abstract The purpose of the investigation is to study changes in verbal, spatial and reasoning intelligence among Swedish 13 year‐olds between 1960 and 1990. Identical tests have been used for representative samples on five occasions. On the verbal test, the scores tend to rise up to 1980, whereupon the tendency is reversed. The consequence of these contradictory trends is that the pupils’ verbal ability seems to be the same in 1990 as it was thirty years before. However, behind this stability, big differences on item‐level are hidden. The results on the spatial and the reasoning tests have risen considerably up to 1990. However, the whole increment for the girls, and the largest part of that for the boys, have taken place during the 60's and 70's. The gender differences in all tests are rather small compared to the differences between youngsters with different social backgrounds. However, during the late 80's, the differences between boys and girls, as well as those between social groups have increased.
Toxic alkaloids and their interaction with microsomal cytochrome P‐450 in vitro

Studies on the binding spectra of certain alkaloids with rat liver microsomes revealed that brucine, scopolamine and strychnine are type I compounds, whereas boldine, emetine, nicotine, reserpine and sanguinarine show type II binding. In contrast, colchicine and solanine failed to produce any measurable binding spectra. In vitro incubation of colchicine, nicotine or scopolamine with microsomal suspensions and NADPH resulted in demethylation of these alkaloids, while the incubation of boldine, brucine, emetine, reserpine, sanguinarine or solanine showed little or no dealkylation reaction. Furthermore, the effect of these alkaloids on the in vitro microsomal metabolism of a drug, benzphetamine, has also been studied.
Rectal versus intravenous quinine for the treatment of childhood cerebral malaria in Kampala, Uganda: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Although artemesinin derivatives are promising for the treatment of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria, intravenous quinine remains the most affordable treatment. However, administration of intravenous quinine is often not feasible in rural areas in Africa because of the lack of simple equipment or trained staff. We compared the efficacy and safety of intrarectal quinine with those of intravenous quinine in the treatment of childhood cerebral malaria. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial at Mulago Hospital (Kampala, Uganda), Uganda's national referral hospital, we studied 110 children aged 6 months to 5 years who had cerebral malaria. Patients were randomized to receive either intrarectal or intravenous quinine. Main outcome measures included parasite clearance time, fever clearance time, coma recovery time, time to sit unsupported, time to begin oral intake, time until oral quinine was tolerated, and death. RESULTS Overall, there was no difference in the clinical and parasitological outcomes between the 2 groups (data are mean+/-standard deviation, intrarectal quinine group vs. intravenous quinine group): coma recovery time, 19.4+/-18.1 h versus 17.0+/-12.1 h; fever clearance time, 26.7+/-16.1 h versus 29.9+/-18.1 h; and parasite clearance time, 43.2+/-14.2 h versus 41.9+/-15.2 h. Mortality was similar in both groups; 4 of 56 patients in the intrarectal quinine group died, and 5 of 54 patients in the intravenous quinine group died (odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-5.2). Intrarectal quinine was well tolerated, and no major immediate adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS Intrarectal quinine is efficacious and could be used as an alternative in the treatment of childhood cerebral malaria, especially in situations in which intravenous therapy is not feasible.
Timing of the daily temperature cycle affects the critical arousal temperature and energy expenditure of lesser long-eared bats

SUMMARY Daily patterns of body temperature (Tb) and energy expenditure in heterothermic endotherms are affected by changes in ambient temperature (Ta) and selection of suitable microclimates, yet most laboratory studies employ constant Ta to measure metabolic rates. In particular, exposure to a daily temperature cycle, even within rest shelters, may be important in timing of torpor and arousal and determining resting energy costs in wild animals. We tested how captive bats (Nyctophilus geoffroyi; 7 g) exposed to a diurnal Ta fluctuation (between 13°C and 27°C), similar to natural conditions in their summer tree roosts, adjusted the timing of daily arousals. To distinguish the effects of Ta and passive rewarming from time of the day, we shifted the heating phase to commence at 06:00 h, 09:00 h or 12:00 h on each day. Bats entered torpor overnight and aroused the next day at a time corresponding to rising Ta and passive rewarming. The critical Ta (and torpid Tb) for arousal was not fixed, however, but was lower when heating occurred later in the rest phase, providing the first evidence that the critical arousal Ta is affected by time of the day. Bats re-entered torpor in response to cooling late in the afternoon, yet always aroused at lights off. A period of normothermic thermoregulation was therefore closely synchronised with maximum daily Ta, indicating a trade-off between the benefits and energetic costs of normothermia during resting. Our experiment clearly shows that a daily Ta cycle affects the thermoregulatory behaviour and energetics of these small bats. More generally, these results demonstrate the critical influence of behavioural decisions on the daily energy expenditure of small heterothermic mammals.
Analysis of the Interaction of Small Heat Shock Proteins with Unfolding Proteins*

The ubiquitous small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are efficient molecular chaperones that interact with nonnative proteins, prevent their aggregation, and support subsequent refolding. No obvious substrate specificity has been detected so far. A striking feature of sHsps is that they form large complexes with nonnative proteins. Here, we used several well established model chaperone substrates, including citrate synthase, α-glucosidase, rhodanese, and insulin, and analyzed their interaction with murine Hsp25 and yeast Hsp26 upon thermal unfolding. The two sHsps differ in their modes of activation. In contrast to Hsp25, Hsp26 undergoes a temperature-dependent dissociation that is required for efficient substrate binding. Our analysis shows that Hsp25 and Hsp26 reacted in a similar manner with the nonnative proteins. For all substrates investigated, complexes of defined size and shape were formed. Interestingly, several different nonnative proteins could be incorporated into defined sHsp-substrate complexes. The first substrate protein bound seems to determine the complex morphology. Thus, despite the differences in quaternary structure and mode of activation, the formation of large uniform sHsp-substrate complexes seems to be a general feature of sHsps, and this unique chaperone mechanism is conserved from yeast to mammals.
Adaptive Tests for Detecting Gene-Gene and Gene-Environment Interactions

There has been an increasing interest in detecting gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in genetic association studies. A major statistical challenge is how to deal with a large number of parameters measuring possible interaction effects, which leads to reduced power of any statistical test due to a large number of degrees of freedom or high cost of adjustment for multiple testing. Hence, a popular idea is to first apply some dimension reduction techniques before testing, while another is to apply only statistical tests that are developed for and robust to high-dimensional data. To combine both ideas, we propose applying an adaptive sum of squared score (SSU) test and several other adaptive tests. These adaptive tests are extensions of the adaptive Neyman test [Fan, 1996], which was originally proposed for high-dimensional data, providing a simple and effective way for dimension reduction. On the other hand, the original SSU test coincides with a version of a test specifically developed for high-dimensional data. We apply these adaptive tests and their original nonadaptive versions to simulated data to detect interactions between two groups of SNPs (e.g. multiple SNPs in two candidate regions). We found that for sparse models (i.e. with only few non-zero interaction parameters), the adaptive SSU test and its close variant, an adaptive version of the weighted sum of squared score (SSUw) test, improved the power over their non-adaptive versions, and performed consistently well across various scenarios. The proposed adaptive tests are built in the general framework of regression analysis, and can thus be applied to various types of traits in the presence of covariates.