Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unraveling the crucial roles of Meis1 in leukemogenesis and normal hematopoiesis.

The “cancer stem cell” hypothesis has emerged as the leading paradigm in how we view the origin and perpetuation of neoplastic-initiating cells in leukemia and solid tumors (for review, see Buzzeo et al. 2007). Central to this model is the concept that only a rare subpopulation of cells in the malignant clone retains or acquires the ability to self-renew and proliferate to initiate and maintain the disease. Although hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) with inherent self-renewal properties are generally believed to be the initiating cells for malignant transformation in acute leukemias, it is now evident that the target stem cell of origin for select oncogenic mutations includes committed hematopoietic progenitors. While substantial evidence supports a leukemic stem cell (LSC) model in both acute myeloid and chronic leukemias, details of the molecular processes regulating LSC properties remain poorly resolved. Insights into these processes have recently emerged from recognition that many key regulators of HSCs and LSCs are transcription factors, as evidenced by their obligatory expression in normal primitive hematopoietic cells and/or their involvement in leukemia-specific translocations. Chromosomal translocations involving the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene (11q23) fuse N-terminal sequences of MLL to one of >40 functionally diverse group of C-terminal fusion partners (Daser and Rabbitts 2005) and constitute 5% of all acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases and 22% of those with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (De Braekeleer et al. 2005). Leukemias associated with MLL rearrangements generally have a poor prognosis and are associated with poor response to chemotherapy (Eguchi et al. 2005). Gene expression analyses of all types of MLL fusion-associated leukemias revealed HOX gene dysregulation (Rozovskaia et al. 2001; Armstrong et al. 2002; Yeoh et al. 2002; Ferrando et al. 2003), implicating HOX genes as integral factors in MLL fusion-associated leukemias. This is not surprising, as both wild-type MLL and MLL oncogenic fusions directly bind to regulatory regions within Hox gene clusters and maintain the active transcription state of these genes (Yu et al. 1995, 1998; Milne et al. 2005; Caslini et al. 2007). Furthermore, coactivation of HOXA9 with the HOX cofactor MEIS1 is a frequent occurrence in leukemias associated with MLL rearrangements (Yeoh et al. 2002; Kohlmann et al. 2003; Tsutsumi et al. 2003; Fine et al. 2004), and may represent a common molecular pathway that unifies the oncogenic potential of these diverse MLL fusion genes. Indeed, Meis1 is also a transcriptional target of select MLL oncoproteins (Milne et al. 2005) and co-overexpression of HoxA9 and Meis1 in murine bone marrow (BM) can recapitulate MLL-ENL-induced immortalization of myeloid progenitor cells (Zeisig et al. 2004).
EEG Power Spectra of Adolescent Poor Readers

EEG power spectra were studied in two poor-reading adolescent groups (dysphonetic and phonetic) as the students viewed strings of letters and easy words (seven categories). The students ranged in age from 12 to 16 years; 29 were male, 9 were female. Bilateral results are reported from frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. Significant Group × Hemisphere effects were found in the alpha and beta bands, with the phonetic group showing right greater than left asymmetry. This finding was interpreted to reflect more circumscribed and mature processing in the phonetically abler poor readers, given that normally reading adults typically show right greater than left asymmetry in word tasks. Overall, the dysphonetic group had higher beta power than the phonetic group, which may reflect greater effort.
From manuals towards product embedded interactive learning environments

Late developments in information and communication technology show high impact on current implementation of technical documentation. The traditional use of technical documentations was solely defined as technical product information to aid the customer in cases of product learning or handling product malfunctions. Embedding technical documentation into the actual product opens new potentials for consumer learning as well as for various marketing purposes. For private sectors, in form of consumer electronics, and also for business scenarios like testing facilities or manufacturing installations, embedded learning environments enrich the product and open communication channels. By implementing feedback channels, interactive systems can be developed, providing useful information for users and letting businesses gain insights into product usage behaviors at the same time. We identify seven relevant factors for successful implementations of such systems. First implementations for diverse branches to demonstrate the current state-of-the-art in embedded interactive learning environments are depicted. In a critical analysis regarding the selected cases, current limitations and future potentials are highlighted. Finally, we focus on the product engineer's perspective. Utilizing the product as major communication channel expands the engineer's responsibilities, requiring new knowledge in business communication. A paradigm shift in the education of engineers is depicted as consequence of future developments.
Altruism, reciprocity and Islamic equity finance

Purpose - This paper argues how Islamic altruism and reciprocity can enhance or drain the supply of Islamic equity finance. It analyzes the feasibility of Islamic equity finance through the lens of the traditions of New Institutional Economics (NIE) and Transaction Cost Economics (TCE). Design/methodology/approach - One of the salient contributions by NIE is to support the proposition that effective contracting depends greatly on institutions in terms of "rules that constrain economic behavior", including informal or intangible institutions such as religion, culture and customary practices. This paper draws on the theoretical contributions of the NIE and TCE, and applies some of these contributions to an analysis of general altruism and reciprocity in Islamic economies. Findings - It is said that solutions based on the Islamic injunctions (collectively termed as Spiritual Quotient) could serve to mitigate agency risks. However, in theory, the Muslim principal (particularly fund providers) is exposed to higher agency risk unless appropriate rules of protecting the right of the principal (or of punishing the agent when its opportunistic behavior is revealed) are devised, because the Muslim fund providers have the divine obligation to share risks in enterprise under the PLS scheme as well as to share a portion of income with the poor or those entrepreneurs who face difficulties in fund-raising. Originality/value - Many scholars refer to the lack of the "formal" institutions that hinder the sound development of Islamic venture capital (VC). This paper contributes to shedding an analytical light on the unique feature of the Muslims' "informal" constraints which make them hesitate to invest in Islamic VC. To develop the Islamic VC market, this paper provides a theoretical background to suggest how important it would be for the national financial system to devise some tangible provisions installing enterprise-friendly regulations as well as adequate incentive and protection mechanisms consistent with Islamic principles.
Activation of human NK cells by plasmacytoid dendritic cells and its modulation by CD4+ T helper cells and CD4+ CD25hi T regulatory cells

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) represent a specialized cell population that produce type I interferon (IFN) in response to virus. Although type I IFN is a natural killer (NK) cell modulator, a direct role for pDC in coordinating NK cell functions has not yet been elucidated in detail, especially in humans. Here we report that human pDC, following engagement of Toll‐like receptor (TLR) 9, not only activate autologous NK cells, as indicated by the induction of CD69 expression, but also enhance their effector functions, especially cytotoxicity. Moreover, they can induce selective proliferation of CD56bright CD16– NK cells. This activity can be strongly augmented by the addition of autologous CD4+ CD25– T helper cells in an IL‐2‐dependent fashion. Strikingly, CD4+ CD25hi T regulatory (Treg) cells completely abrogate this IL‐2‐dependent proliferation of NK cells, while they are not able to influence NK cell activation or proliferation solely induced by pDC. Our data show that TLR9‐engaged pDC represent a critical stimulus for human NK cells and that CD4+ Th cells and CD4+ CD25hi Treg cells play an important role in modulating human NK cell responses.
New measure for objective evaluation of mesh segmentation algorithms

3D segmentation methods and their evaluation are important problems in computer graphics. Many 3D segmentation techniques are available in the literature, how to efficiently evaluate these methods is an important issue. In this paper we propose a new objective evaluation metric suitable for the evaluation of 3D segmentation methods, based on the Dice Coefficient (DC). Dice Coefficient is a similarity coefficient, designed to compute the degree of similarity between sample data sets. We extend this approach to mesh segmentation evaluation, since the regions of a segmented mesh can be seen as sample data sets. Many of the existing metrics does not take into consideration the irregularity of the 3D meshes, our proposal integrate the surface of faces in the adaptation of the Dice Coefficient to evaluate the segmentation of both regular and irregular meshes. Experimental results confirm the potential of the proposed metric.
High multiple paternity and low last‐male sperm precedence in a hermaphroditic planarian flatworm: consequences for reciprocity patterns

It is difficult to predict a priori how mating success translates into fertilization success in simultaneous hermaphrodites with internal fertilization. Whereas insemination decisions will be determined by male interests, fertilization will depend on female interests, possibly leading to discrepancies between insemination and fertilization patterns. The planarian flatworm Schmidtea polychroa, a simultaneous hermaphrodite in which mating partners trade sperm was studied. Sperm can be stored for months yet individuals mate frequently. Using microsatellites, maternity and paternity data were obtained from 748 offspring produced in six groups of 10 individuals during four weeks. Adults produced young from four mates on average. Reciprocal fertilization between two mates was found in only 41 out of 110 registered mate combinations, which is clearly less than what is predicted from insemination patterns. Multiple paternity was high: > 80% of all cocoons had two to five fathers for only three to five offspring per cocoon. Because animals were collected from a natural population, 28% of all hatchlings were sired by unknown sperm donors in the field, despite a 10‐day period of acclimatization and within‐group mating. This percentage decreased only moderately throughout the experiment, showing that sperm can be stored and used for at least a month, despite frequent mating and sperm digestion. The immediate paternity a sperm donor could expect to obtain was only about 25%. Male reproductive success increased linearly with the number of female partners, providing support for Bateman's principle in hermaphrodites. Our results suggest that hermaphrodites do not trade fertilizations when trading sperm during insemination, lending support to the view that such conditional sperm exchange is driven by exchange of resources.
Relationship between Cash Flow of Companies in Risaralda and Regional Gross Domestic Product for the Industrial Sector in the 2002-2011 Period

This study aimed at analyzing the cash flows of some companies in Risaralda of the industrial sector in the 2002-2011 period, in their operating, financing and investing activities, as well as at determining their relationship with the regional economic environment during the same period. The mentioned relationship is represented by economic variables such as Gross Domestic Product, unemployment, interest rates and financial indices such as the Colombia Stock Exchange General Index (IGBC), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Representative Market Exchange Rate (MER) and Fixed Term Deposit (FDT), which were analyzed and explained based on the information to the Superintendency of Corporations. To achieve the goal of the study, a documentary, descriptive and correlational research was carried out by debugging cash flow accounts of financing, investment, operation, and total flow cash and by correlating them with the time series of macroeconomic variables of Risaralda, through statistical packages such as SPSS and tools such as Excel. In the
Celiac syndrome; chemotherapy in infections of the respiratory tract associated with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas; observations with penicillin and drugs of the sulfonamide group, with special reference to penicillin aerosol.

THE clinical recognition of congenital pancreatic deficiency has become more frequent in recent years with the clearer delineation of the clinical features of the disease and the possibility of confirming the diagnosis by assay of the duodenal juice for pancreatic enzymes,1The problems of therapy have become correspondingly pressing. Treatment directed toward the nutritional difficulty has been discussed in a previous paper.2Treatment of infection of the respiratory tract forms the subject of the present report. There is evidently a close relationship between the nutritional difficulty and the infection of the respiratory tract, since the latter has not appeared in those few patients who have received appropriate dietary therapy prior to the onset of a chronic cough.2It seems reasonable to believe that the failure of these children to absorb adequate amounts of vitamin A on a normal diet may contribute to their susceptibility to bronchitis, but
Video Game Addiction in Children and Teenagers in Taiwan

Video game addiction in children and teenagers in Taiwan is associated with levels of animosity, social skills, and academic achievement. This study suggests that video game addiction can be statistically predicted on measures of hostility, and a group with high video game addiction has more hostility than others. Both gender and video game addiction are negatively associated with academic achievement. Family function, sensation seeking, gender, and boredom have statistically positive relationships with levels of social skills. Current models of video game addiction do not seem to fit the findings of this study.
Climacteric-Like Disorders in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With LHRH Agonists

We assessed long-term side effects with characteristics of female climacteric disorders in prostate cancer patients treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists. Such side effects are not considered to be serious, though they can significantly affect patient quality of life. Sixty-four prostate cancer patients treated with LHRH agonists and 30 benign prostatic hyperplasia patients, as a control group, were surveyed by questionnaire. The median age of the cancer patients was 74.9 years old, ranging from 60 to 94 years, and the median LHRH agonist dosing period was 16.5 months, ranging from 1 to 64 months. The results of the questionnaires were compared between the patients and the controls, as well as between different variables. Sixty (93.8%) of 64 patients claimed symptoms similar to female climacteric disorders. Further, more than 50% of the symptoms included in the questionnaire were reported by 14 (21.9%) of the patients. Symptoms reported by the patients were more severe than those by the controls. Hot flashes, sleep disturbance, and fatigue recorded high scores in the patient questionnaires as compared with those of the controls. In addition, as the term of LHRH agonist use increased, complaints of sweating or coldness in hands and feet increased. Patients without bone metastasis frequently experienced heaviness in the head and headaches compared to those with bone metastasis. The results of our questionnaire-based outcome study showed that side effects similar to female climacteric disorders in prostate cancer patients treated with LHRH agonists were more severe than in the control group, which could be detrimental to quality of life and general well-being.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Marine Reserves on Unsustainably Harvested Long‐Lived Sessile Invertebrates

Abstract: Although the rapid recovery of fishes after establishment of a marine reserve is well known, much less is known about the response of long‐lived, sessile, benthic organisms to establishment of such reserves. Since antiquity, Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum) has been harvested intensively for use in jewelry, and its distribution is currently smaller than its historical size throughout the Mediterranean Sea. To assess whether establishment of marine reserves is associated with a change in the size and number of red coral colonies that historically were not harvested sustainably, we analyzed temporal changes in mean colony diameter and density from 1992 to 2005 within red coral populations at different study sites in the Medes Islands Marine Reserve (established in 1992) and in adjacent unprotected areas. Moreover, we compared colony size in the Medes Islands Marine Reserve, where recreational diving is allowed and poaching has been observed after reserve establishment, with colony size in three other marine protected areas (Banyuls, Carry‐le‐Rouet, and Scandola) with the enforced prohibition of fishing and diving. At the end of the study, the size of red coral colonies at all sampling sites in the Medes Islands was significantly smaller than predicted by growth models and smaller than those in marine protected areas without fishing and diving. The annual number of recreational dives and the percent change in the basal diameter of red coral colonies were negatively correlated, which suggests that abrasion by divers may increase the mortality rates of the largest red coral colonies within this reserve . Our study is the first quantitative assessment of a poaching event, which was detected during our monitoring in 2002, inside the marine reserve. Poaching was associated with a loss of approximately 60% of the biomass of red coral colonies.
What is the role of high-dose therapy in the management of lymphoma?

Registry data demonstrate that lymphoma is the commonest indication for autologous haemopoietic transplantation in Europe, with 2645 transplants reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) in 1996. This reflects the increasing number of cases presenting in western countries, a more widespread use of highdose therapy to improve treatment outcomes, and improvements in technology, which have extended the upper age limit to which such therapy can safely be offered. Recent guidelines from the EBMT [1] and an international consensus conference [2] have provided useful frameworks for discussion about which patients are suitable for high-dose therapy. They also highlight the limitations posed by the lack of good quality randomized data and the questions that remain unanswered as a consequence. This review will summarize the current position and highlight some controversies.
A date to remember: the nature of memory in savant calendrical calculators

Background. Savant calendar calculators can supply with speed the day of the week of a given date. Although memory is suggested to be an important component of this unusual ability, memory function has never been systematically investigated in these skilled yet learning impaired individuals. Methods. Eight savant calendrical calculators, most of whom had autism, were compared with eight verbal IQ, age and diagnosis matched controls on digit and word span tests and measures of long-term memory for words and calendrical information (individual years). In an analogue to the ‘generation effect’, the savants' memory for dates was also compared following calculation and study/read tasks. Results. The savants did not differ from controls on measures of general short- and long-term memory. They did, however, show a clear recall superiority for the long-term retention of calendrical material. They also remembered calculated dates better than those that were only studied. Conclusions. A general mnemonic advantage cannot explain savant date calculation skills. Rather, through exposure to date information, the savants are suggested to develop a structured calendar-related knowledge base with the process of calculation utilizing the interrelations within this knowledge store. The cognitive processing style characteristic of autism may also play a role in the acquisition of this savant ability.
Interrelations between prostaglandins and vasoconstrictor hormones: contribution to blood pressure regulation.

Angiotensin II and norepinephrine promote formation of prostaglandins (PG), e.g., PGE2 and PGI2, that are capable of counteracting the vasoconstrictor actions of these pressor hormones. During activation of the renin-angiotensin and/or the sympathetic nervous systems, the administration of prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors causes vasoconstriction in renal and probably in extrarenal vasculatures, which suggests that antagonism of vasoconstrictor systems by prostaglandins is a feature of processes controlling arterial vascular tone. It follows, then, that endogenous prostaglandins may contribute to the regulation of blood pressure by opposing hormone-induced vasoconstriction. This implies that an uncompensated reduction in prostaglandin synthesis could cause blood pressure to rise. However, reports that prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors cause elevation of blood pressure conflict with reports that they do not. Obscuring the interpretation of such studies is the fact that inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis also lower plasma renin activity, which may offset any tendency of blood pressure to rise consequent to reduced synthesis of antihypertensive prostaglandins. Hence it is premature to draw any firm conclusion regarding the full extent of the contribution of prostaglandins to blood pressure control. Nonetheless, the reviewed evidence commands consideration of the antagonism of the action of vasoconstrictor hormones by one or more prostaglandins as a feature of antihypertensive mechanisms.
Association between multiple sclerosis and erectile dysfunction: a nationwide case-control study.

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly affects young adults who may be sexually active, with sexual dysfunction being a significant, but often underestimated, symptom of MS. However, no large-scaled study has investigated the association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and MS in an Asian population to date. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to estimate the association between ED and a prior diagnosis of MS using a population-based dataset with a case-control design in Taiwan. METHODS The data were sourced from National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 38,139 patients with ED as cases and randomly selected 262,848 subjects as controls. We then used conditional logistic regression to compute the odds ratio for having previously received a diagnosis of MS between cases and controls. RESULTS The prevalence of prior MS was 0.037% and 0.015% for cases and controls, respectively (P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that cases were 2.23 times (95% confidence interval = 1.15-4.32) more likely to have been previously diagnosed with MS than controls after adjusting for monthly income, geographic location, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence syndromes. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed an association between ED and prior MS even after adjusting for potential confounders.