Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
miR-200 Enhances Mouse Breast Cancer Cell Colonization to Form Distant Metastases

Background The development of metastases involves the dissociation of cells from the primary tumor to penetrate the basement membrane, invade and then exit the vasculature to seed, and colonize distant tissues. The last step, establishment of macroscopic tumors at distant sites, is the least well understood. Four isogenic mouse breast cancer cell lines (67NR, 168FARN, 4TO7, and 4T1) that differ in their ability to metastasize when implanted into the mammary fat pad are used to model the steps of metastasis. Only 4T1 forms macroscopic lung and liver metastases. Because some miRNAs are dysregulated in cancer and affect cellular transformation, tumor formation, and metastasis, we examined whether changes in miRNA expression might explain the differences in metastasis of these cells. Methodology/Principal Findings miRNA expression was analyzed by miRNA microarray and quantitative RT–PCR in isogenic mouse breast cancer cells with distinct metastatic capabilities. 4T1 cells that form macroscopic metastases had elevated expression of miR-200 family miRNAs compared to related cells that invade distant tissues, but are unable to colonize. Moreover, over-expressing miR-200 in 4TO7 cells enabled them to metastasize to lung and liver. These findings are surprising since the miR-200 family was previously shown to promote epithelial characteristics by inhibiting the transcriptional repressor Zeb2 and thereby enhancing E-cadherin expression. We confirmed these findings in these cells. The most metastatic 4T1 cells acquired epithelial properties (high expression of E-cadherin and cytokeratin-18) compared to the less metastatic cells. Conclusions/Significance Expression of miR-200, which promotes a mesenchymal to epithelial cell transition (MET) by inhibiting Zeb2 expression, unexpectedly enhances macroscopic metastases in mouse breast cancer cell lines. These results suggest that for some tumors, tumor colonization at metastatic sites might be enhanced by MET. Therefore the epithelial nature of a tumor does not predict metastatic outcome.
GATA-3 Directly Remodels the IL-10 Locus Independently of IL-4 in CD4+ T Cells

IL-10 is a major regulator in inflammatory responses. Although various transcription factors were defined to enhance IL-10, the molecular mechanism for the initiation of Il-10 transcription, remains unknown. mRNA profiling of six distinct primary CD4+ T cell populations showed differential expression of the transcription factor GATA-3 correlated with levels of IL-10 expression. We showed that ectopic expression of GATA-3 in naive primary CD4+ T cells enhanced expression of IL-10 by these cells and uncovered a possible mechanism for this effect. We found that GATA-3 induced changes of the chromatin structure at the Il-10 locus and that these changes occur even in the absence of IL-4. Furthermore we found that in the presence of GATA-3 the histones at the Il-10 locus become acetylated. Despite being recruited in vivo to two locations on the Il-10 locus, GATA-3 did not transactivate the IL-10 promoter. We therefore suggest a key role of GATA-3 in instructing Il-10 gene expression in primary CD4+ T cells, possibly by switching and stabilizing the Il-10 locus into a transcriptionally competent status.
The 12th International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP‐12)

The 12th International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP‐12) was held in August 2012 in Tarrytown, New York. The objectives of the IWOP meetings are to: (1) serve as a forum for exchange of new information among active researchers concerning the basic biology, molecular genetics, immunology, biochemistry, pathogenesis, drug development, therapy, and epidemiology of these immunodeficiency‐associated pathogenic eukaryotic microorganisms that are seen in patients with AIDS and (2) foster the entry of new and young investigators into these underserved research areas. The IWOP meeting focuses on opportunistic protists, e.g. the free‐living amoebae, Pneumocystis, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, the Microsporidia, and kinetoplastid flagellates. This conference represents the major conference that brings together research groups working on these opportunistic pathogens. Slow but steady progress is being achieved on understanding the biology of these pathogenic organisms, their involvement in disease causation in both immune‐deficient and immune‐competent hosts, and is providing critical insights into these emerging and reemerging pathogens. This IWOP meeting demonstrated the importance of newly developed genomic level information for many of these pathogens and how analysis of such large data sets is providing key insights into the basic biology of these organisms. A great concern is the loss of scientific expertise and diversity in the research community due to the ongoing decline in research funding. This loss of researchers is due to the small size of many of these research communities and a lack of appreciation by the larger scientific community concerning the state of art and challenges faced by researchers working on these organisms.
Morphological changes in the cochlear nuclear complex in primate phylogeny and development

The primate cochlear nuclear complex exhibits several characteristic morphological differences in the various primate families from Lorisidae through Hominidae. The most striking differences occur in the organization of the dorsal cochlear nucleus in which the laminar pattern becomes progressively obscured. Granule cells form an external granular layer as well as being intermixed within the molecular and pyramidal layers in slow lorises and squirrel and rhesus monkeys. Whereas a prominent external granular layer remains in chimpanzees, granule cells are scant in other portions of the nucleus. Human adults lack an external granular layer. A small number of granule cells occur but with inconstant distribution. Primates lack the linear array of pyramidal cells oriented perpendicularly to the epithelial surface as seen in cats.
Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of the Squid Na+–Ca2+ Exchanger (NCX-SQ1)

We have cloned the squid neuronal Na+–Ca2+ exchanger, NCX-SQ1, expressed it in Xenopus oocytes, and characterized its regulatory and ion transport properties in giant excised membrane patches. The squid exchanger shows 58% identity with the canine Na+–Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1.1). Regions determined to be of functional importance in NCX1 are well conserved. Unique among exchanger sequences to date, NCX-SQ1 has a potential protein kinase C phosphorylation site (threonine 184) between transmembrane segments 3 and 4 and a tyrosine kinase site in the Ca2+ binding region (tyrosine 462). There is a deletion of 47 amino acids in the large intracellular loop of NCX-SQ1 in comparison with NCX1. Similar to NCX1, expression of NCX-SQ1 in Xenopus oocytes induced cytoplasmic Na+-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake; the uptake was inhibited by injection of Ca2+ chelators. In giant excised membrane patches, the NCX-SQ1 outward exchange current showed Na+-dependent inactivation, secondary activation by cytoplasmic Ca2+, and activation by chymotrypsin. The NCX-SQ1 exchange current was strongly stimulated by both ATP and the ATP-thioester, ATPγS, in the presence of F− (0.2 mM) and vanadate (50 μM), and both effects reversed on application of a phosphatidylinositol-4′,5′-bisphosphate antibody. NCX1 current was stimulated by ATP, but not by ATPγS. Like NCX1 current, NCX-SQ1 current was strongly stimulated by phosphatidylinositol-4′,5′-bisphosphate liposomes. In contrast to results in squid axon, NCX-SQ1 was not stimulated by phosphoarginine (5–10 mM). After chymotrypsin treatment, both the outward and inward NCX-SQ1 exchange currents were more strongly voltage dependent than NCX1 currents. Ion concentration jump experiments were performed to estimate the relative electrogenicity of Na+ and Ca2+ transport reactions. Outward current transients associated with Na+ extrusion were much smaller for NCX-SQ1 than NCX1, and inward current transients associated with Ca2+ extrusion were much larger. For NCX-SQ1, charge movements of Ca2+ transport could be defined in voltage jump experiments with a low cytoplasmic Ca2+ (2 μM) in the presence of high extracellular Ca2+ (4 mM). The rates of charge movements showed “U”-shaped dependence on voltage, and the slopes of both charge–voltage and rate–voltage relations (1,600 s−1 at 0 mV) indicated an apparent valency of −0.6 charges for the underlying reaction. Evidently, more negative charge moves into the membrane field in NCX-SQ1 than in NCX1 when ions are occluded into binding sites.
Neuronal circuits associated with the output of the dorsal cochlear nucleus through fusiform cells.

1. Intracellular recordings were made from 21 anatomically identified fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) of mice in slices. The aim of the experiments was to dissect the synaptic responses to shocks of the auditory nerve to correlate functional characteristics with the different classes of synaptic inputs. 2. When depolarized from rest (-57 +/- 5 mV) with current pulses, fusiform cells fired regular, overshooting action potentials that were followed by two undershoots. The frequency of firing increased with the strength of injected current by between 100 and 300 spikes/s/nA. The current-voltage relationship rectified between 10 and 15 mV below the resting potential. The slopes of current-voltage relationships of fusiform cells in the range between the resting potential and 10 mV hyperpolarization indicated an average input resistance of 86 +/- 37 M omega. 3. In each of the labeled fusiform cells frequent, spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) were recorded singly or in bursts. Some, but not all, IPSPs were preceded by a slowly rising excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP). The temporal association of spontaneous EPSPs and IPSPs suggests that they are driven by a common source, possibly granule cells. 4. Shocks to the auditory nerve evoked synaptic responses consisting of early (1 to approximately 10 ms) and late (approximately 10 to 100 ms) components. 6,7-Dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX) at 20 to 40 microM eliminated all detectable excitation and all late IPSPs. Late bursts of IPSPs, therefore, are mediated through a polysynaptic pathway that includes a DNQX-sensitive stage. Strong shocks to the nerve root elicited single monosynaptic IPSPs, indicating that inhibitory interneurons have processes close to the auditory nerve. Strychnine at 0.5 microM eliminated all detectable inhibition. 6. Cuts through the posteroventral cochlear nucleus (PVCN), which severed the descending branches of auditory nerve fibers, eliminated early EPSPs and IPSPs leaving late, slowly rising EPSPs and bursts of IPSPs in responses to shocks of the auditory nerve. Late, slowly rising EPSPs and bursts of IPSPs, as well as monosynaptic IPSPs, could also be evoked by stimulating the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN). 7. Focal applications of glutamate evoked excitation and inhibition from many parts of a slice, with patterns varying among cells, indicating that fusiform cells receive inputs through several groups of interneurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Towards an imperfect robot for long-term companionship: case studies using cognitive biases

The research presented in this paper aims to find out what affect cognitive biases play in a robot's interactive behaviour for the goal of developing human-robot long-term companionship. It is expected that by utilising cognitive biases in a robot's interactive behaviours, making the robot cognitively imperfect, will affect how people relate to the robot thereby changing the process of long-term companionship. Previous research carried out in this area based on human-like cognitive characteristics in robots to create and maintain long-term relationship between robots and humans have yet to focus on developing human-like cognitive biases and as such is new to this application in robotics. To start working with cognitive biases `misattribution' and `empathic gap' have been selected which have been shown to be very common biases in humans and as such play a role on human-human interactions and long-term relationships.
The ChEMBL database in 2017

ChEMBL is an open large-scale bioactivity database (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembl), previously described in the 2012 and 2014 Nucleic Acids Research Database Issues. Since then, alongside the continued extraction of data from the medicinal chemistry literature, new sources of bioactivity data have also been added to the database. These include: deposited data sets from neglected disease screening; crop protection data; drug metabolism and disposition data and bioactivity data from patents. A number of improvements and new features have also been incorporated. These include the annotation of assays and targets using ontologies, the inclusion of targets and indications for clinical candidates, addition of metabolic pathways for drugs and calculation of structural alerts. The ChEMBL data can be accessed via a web-interface, RDF distribution, data downloads and RESTful web-services.
Robust super-resolution for face images via principle component sparse representation and least squares regression

Face image super-resolution (SR) reconstruction is the problem of inducing a high-resolution (HR) face image from a low-resolution (LR) one. Traditional face SR methods are either sensitive to noise, i.e., local patch based technologies, or lacking facial details, i.e., global face reconstruction, thus could not achieve a satisfying result. In order to overcome these problems, we propose in this paper a novel face SR method. Taking full advantages of Principle Component analysis and Sparse Representation (PCSR), it aims to obtain an accurate and noise robust representation, transforming the image patch to the principle component sparse feature space (PC-SFS). Moreover, in PC-SFS, we try to learn a mapping function between the LR image patches and HR ones through Least Squares Regression. Given a LR patch, we first transform it to the LR PC-SFS by PCSR to obtain the robust and accurate representation, and then project the representation to the HR PC-SFS thus get the target HR patch. Experiments on the frontal faces SR in noise conditions demonstrate our method outperforms state of the art.
The SpanCache : SoftwareControlled TagChecksand CacheLine Size EmmettWitchelandKrsteAsanović

Thespan cache is ahardware-softwaredesignfor anew kind of energy-efficient microprocessor datacachewhich hastwo key features.Thefirst is direct addressing which allows software to accesscachedata without the hardwareperforminga cachetagcheck.Thesetag-uncheck ed loadsandstoressave theenergy of performinga tagcheck whenthe compilercanguaranteean accesswill be to the sameline asan earlieraccess.The secondkey featureis softwarecontrolledline size.Thisletsthecompilerspecify how muchdatato fetchon a miss,allowing greatercache utilization andreducingmemorybandwidthrequirements. Two possiblehardwareimplementationsof softwarecontrolled line sizearesketchedanddiscussed.
To Sign Up, or not to Sign Up?: Maximizing Citizen Science Contribution Rates through Optional Registration

Many citizen science projects ask people to create an account before they participate - some require it. What effect does the registration process have on the number and quality of contributions? We present a controlled study comparing the effects of mandatory registration with an interface that enables people to participate without registering, but allows them to sign up to 'claim' contributions. We demonstrate that removing the requirement to register increases the number of visitors to the site contributing to the project by 62%, without reducing data quality. We also discover that contribution rates are the same for people who choose to register, and those who remain anonymous, indicating that the interface should cater for differences in participant motivation. The study provides evidence that to maximize contribution rates, projects should offer the option to create an account, but the process should not be a barrier to immediate contribution, nor should it be required.
From optical flow of lines to 3D motion and structure

We establish the motion equations for rigidly moving 3D lines and the structure equations that relate the optical flow of a line to its kinematic screw and 3D representation. We also show that if the time derivative of the optical flow is available, then five simple motion equations can be derived that relate the kinematic screw, the optical flow, and their time derivatives.
2-Methylbutyryl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency: A New Inborn Error of L-Isoleucine Metabolism

An 4-mo-old male was found to have an isolated increase in 2-methylbutyrylglycine (2-MBG) and 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine (2-MBC) in physiologic fluids. In vitro oxidation studies in cultured fibroblasts using 13C- and 14C-labeled branched chain amino acids indicated an isolated block in 2-methylbutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (2-MBCDase). Western blotting revealed absence of 2-MBCDase protein in fibroblast extracts; DNA sequencing identified a single 778 C>T substitution in the 2-MBCDase coding region (778 C>T), substituting phenylalanine for leucine at amino acid 222 (L222F) and absence of enzyme activity for the 2-MBCDase protein expressed in Escherichia coli. Prenatal diagnosis in a subsequent pregnancy suggested an affected female fetus, supporting an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. These data confirm the first documented case of isolated 2-MBCDase deficiency in humans.
Energy-Efficient Server Selection Algorithms for Network Applications

In information system, it is critical to reduce the total electrical power consumption. We have discussed a power consumption model for communication-based applications. Then, we have proposed a pair of PCB (power consumption-based) and TRB (transmission rate-based) algorithms to select a server so that the total power consumption of the servers is reduced. In addition, we showed the PCB algorithm is more useful for reducing the total power consumption in the communication-based applications. However, in the PCB algorithm, only the power consumption where a server transmits a file to a client at time T when the server starts transmitting the file is considered. The server might be transmitting files to other clients at time T. Therefore, the power consumption where the server transmits files to other clients has to be considered for enhancing the estimation of the power consumption. In this paper, we propose an extended power consumption-based (EPCB) algorithm by improving the PCB algorithm. In the evaluation, we show the total power consumption can be reduced by the EPCB algorithm compared with the PCB and TRB algorithms.
High-Speed Packet Processing using Reconfigurable Computing

Internet applications, notably streaming video, demand extremely high communication speeds in core networks, currently 100 Gbps and moving toward 400 Gbps and beyond. Data packets must be processed at these rates, presenting serious challenges for traditional computing approaches. This article presents a tool chain that maps a domain-specific packet-processing language called PX to high-performance reconfigurable-computing architectures based on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. PX is a declarative language with object-oriented semantics. A customized computing architecture is generated to match the exact requirements expressed in the PX description. The architecture includes components for packet parsing and editing, and for table lookups. It is expressed in a register transfer level (RTL) description, which is then processed using standard FPGA implementation tools. The architecture is dynamically programmable via custom firmware updates when the packet-processing system is in operation. The authors illustrate the language, tool chain, and implementation results through a practical example involving a 100-Gbps OpenFlow implementation.
A panel of microsatellite loci from two species of octopus, Pareledone turqueti (Joubin, 1905) and Pareledone charcoti (Joubin, 1905)

Eighteen dinucleotide microsatellite loci were isolated from two octopus species, Pareledone turqueti and Pareledone charcoti, which are endemic to the Southern Ocean. Genetic diversity was assessed in samples of P. charcoti and P. turqueti from Elephant Island and Shag Rocks respectively. All except one locus (which has proved to be polymorphic in other species) were variable in the focal species and amplified between six and 30 and between four and 28 alleles for P. charcoti and P. turqueti respectively; mean expected heterozygosities varied between 0.38 and 0.95 (P. charcoti) and between 0.34 and 0.97 (P. turqueti), with significant (P < 0.05) departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium at seven loci; three of these loci provided significant (P < 0.05) evidence for null alleles. Two pairs of loci isolated from P. turqueti demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) linkage disequilibrium. We are presently using these genetic markers to quantify spatial genetic structure in the genus Pareledone.
H-shaped Dielectric Resonator Antenna for future 5G application

This paper presents the design of H-shaped Dielectric Resonator Antenna (DRA) of high permittivity (εr = 30) for future 5G application especially above 6 GHz. The antenna is consisted with a rectangular shaped dielectric on a ground plane and it is excited by a coaxial probe. The proposed antenna has impedance bandwidth of 58%. The average gain within the band is 5.5dBi. The result shows the ability of this antenna to be used for future 5G application.
Intradermal Therapy (Mesotherapy) for the Treatment of Acute Pain in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Preliminary Study

Background The carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common cause of severe hand pain. In this study we treated acute pain in CTS patients by means of local intradermal injections of anti-inflammatory drugs (mesotherapy). Methods In twenty-five patients (forty-five hands), CTS diagnosis was confirmed by clinical and neurophysiological examination prior to mesotherapy. A mixture containing lidocaine 10 mg, ketoprophen lysine-acetylsalycilate 80 mg, xantinol nicotinate 100 mg, cyanocobalamine 1,000 mcg plus injectable water was used. Sites of injection were three parallel lines above the transverse carpal ligament and two v-shaped lines, one at the base of the thenar eminence, and the other at the base of the hypothenar eminence. Results The day after the treatment, all but four patients reported a significant reduction in pain and paresthesias. After 12 months, 17 patients had a complete pain relief, eight patients reported recurrence of pain and sensory symptoms and four out of them underwent surgical treatment. Conclusions With the obvious limits of a small-size open-label study, our results suggest that mesotherapy can temporary relieve pain and paresthesias in most CTS patients and in some cases its effect seems to be long-lasting. Further controlled studies are needed to confirm our preliminary findings and to compare mesotherapy to conventional approaches for the treatment of CTS.
Fingertip force and position control using force sensor and tactile sensor for Universal Robot Hand II

Various humanoid robots and multi-fingered robot hands are used in research and development. As these robot hands grasp and manipulate an object, the control phase is divided into an “approach phase” and a “manipulation phase. ” In the approach phase, a position control method is necessary to control the posture of the robot hand. In the manipulation phase, a force control method is necessary to control the fingertip force of the robot hand. However, it is difficult to control both the force and position of these hands at the same time. In this paper, we propose a grasping force control method based on position control for manipulation. In this proposed method, the finger position is controlled in the direction of the force vector. With this control method, any external force is cancelled and the initial force is kept constant, or the setting force is applied to an object.