Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Prostate-Specific Antigen and Hormone Levels among Men in Singapore and the United States

Prostate cancer incidence rates markedly vary between countries. The highest rates of prostate cancer are observed in Western countries such as the United States, whereas the lowest rates are seen in Asian countries such as Singapore. To gain an understanding of the difference in prostate cancer burden between low-risk and high-risk populations, we examined serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels among Singapore-Chinese men (n = 315) from the Singapore Chinese Health Study and African-American (n = 440), U.S. White (n = 355), U.S. Latino (n = 523), and Japanese-American (n = 349) men from the Hawaii-Los Angeles Multiethnic Cohort Study. All men had no history of prostate cancer at the time of blood draw. PSA measurements were assayed by one centralized diagnostic facility. Testosterone and 3α-androstanediol glucuronide levels were examined in a subsample of men. Scheffe's multiple comparison tests were used to evaluate differences in PSA and hormone levels between groups. PSA levels among the Singapore-Chinese (geometric mean = 1.43 ng/mL) were similar to that of African-Americans (1.46 ng/mL), U.S. Whites (1.28 ng/mL), and Japanese-Americans (1.22 ng/mL) and significantly higher than U.S. Latinos (1.18 ng/mL; P = 0.038). Although there was a strong correlation (R2 = 0.89) between PSA levels and U.S. ethnic group–specific prostate cancer incidence rates before PSA screening (1983-1987), the levels among the Singapore-Chinese completely failed to relate to their low incidence rate. Testosterone and 3α-androstanediol glucuronide levels did not reflect racial/ethnic patterns of disease. Our results highlight a potentially large group of Singapore-Chinese men with undiagnosed prostate cancer. Given that the overall mortality rate of prostate cancer in Singapore is low, these undiagnosed cancers may be of nonaggressive type. Alternatively, PSA may be a poor marker of prostate cancer in this low-risk population.
COPD in nonsmokers: the biomass hypothesis – to be or not to be?

The Global Burden of Disease study estimated that exposure to particulates resulting from household solid fuel or biomass burning is the third leading risk factor for global disease burden between 1990 and 2010, and that 5% of the world’s disability-adjusted life-years could be attributed to those exposures [1]. Based on population surveys and census data on households using solid fuels for cooking, the report draws public health attention to what is a prevalent, yet preventable or modifiable, health risk for some major lung and heart diseases (respiratory tract and lung cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cerebrovascular and ischaemic heart disease). The message is of particular interest for developing countries where the exposure is more common and the estimated attributable burden of disease is considerably higher than in developed countries. In 2010, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) published an official policy statement inviting us to think of COPD differently. Novel risk factors for COPD, in addition to cigarette smoking, were proposed, including exposure to indoor air pollution due to biomass combustion for domestic purposes [2]. The statement was supported by increasing ecological evidence and epidemiological studies suggesting that chronic respiratory disease is more common in populations where the use of biomass is widespread, and that nonsmoking COPD …
A parallel algorithm for line segment intersection

The algorithm of line segment intersection is the core algorithm for vector map overlay. The traditional method is based on the plane-sweep process to find the intersections of two groups of lines. Although such method proves to be efficient in serial system, the basic data structure of this kind of algorithm needs to maintain a tree structure, which has the data-lock in multi-core system. In addition, with the development of data volume and the enhancement of user requirement, a parallel algorithm is needed in order to compute the line segment intersections correctly and efficiently. In this paper, we present a parallel algorithm for line segment intersection to process the large and complex spatial data, which is efficient in multi-core system and cluster environment. In the experiment results, our algorithm leads to an accurate result compared with ArcGIS. And in the test of large spatial data, our algorithm demonstrates a good performance of speed-up with the increasing of cores.
Anthropomorphic agents, transparent automation and driver personality: towards an integrative multi-level model of determinants for effective driver-vehicle cooperation in highly automated vehicles

This paper introduces a model integrating research on antecedents of safe and enjoyable interaction with highly automated advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It focuses on the psychological processes during the initial encounters with a system, in which system features interact with personality factors in building up beliefs and attitudes about a system affecting the further usage of the system. Our ongoing study is conducted online and aims at validating and elaborating the introduced model. In the study, participants are introduced to a self-driving agent, with whom they interact in a very simplified way. Besides testing our model the study investigates the effects of system transparency and anthropomorphism on user perceptions and their cooperation with the system. Our study will provide insights on how individual differences can be respected in designing interfaces that promote certain psychological conditions in turn leading to efficient cooperation with automated systems.
STAT3 and NF-κB cooperatively control in vitro spontaneous apoptosis and poor chemo-responsiveness in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an adult disease characterized by in vivo accumulation of mature CD5/CD19/CD23 triple positive B cells and is currently incurable. CLL cells undergo spontaneous apoptosis in response to in vitro cell culture condition but the underlying mechanism is unclear. We hypothesize that the sensitivity of CLL cells to spontaneous apoptosis may be associated with the constitutive activities of transcription factors STAT3 and/or NF-κB. We now show that the sensitivity of fresh CLL cells to spontaneous apoptosis is highly variable among different patients during 48 hours’ cell culture and inversely correlated with in vivo constitutively activated STAT3 and NF-κB (p < 0.001). Both activated STAT3 and NF-κB maintain the levels of anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1/Bcl-xL and autocrine IL-6 production. CLL cells with higher susceptibility to in vitro spontaneous apoptosis show the greatest chemosensitivity (p < 0.001), which is reflected clinically as achieving a complete response (CR) (p < 0.001), longer lymphocyte doubling times (p < 0.01), time to first treatment (p < 0.01), and progression free survival (p < 0.05). Our data suggest that the sensitivity of CLL cells to in vitro spontaneous apoptosis is co-regulated by constitutively activated STAT3 and NF-κB and reflects the in vivo chemo-responsiveness and clinical outcomes.
Application of ENVISAT ScanSAR interferometry to long-range fault creep: a case study of the Xianshuihe fault in the eastern Tibetan margin area

The Xianshuihe fault of Sichuan province, southwest China, is a highly active strike-slip fault approximately 350 km long. Previous studies have described left-lateral slip of up to 10–17 mm/year on the Xianshuihe fault during recent decades, as indicated by geological criteria and GPS observations. Satellite InSAR observations provide an alternative effective technique used to measure the crustal deformation on the active fault. In this article, we present ScanSAR interferometry applied to ENVISAT WSM ASAR data to produce a deformation map of about 400 × 400 km over the Xianshuihe fault zone and the Garzê-Yushu fault zone. The preliminary stacked deformation results of six WS–WS interferograms indicated a northeast–southwest deformation trend nearly perpendicular to the two fault zones and demonstrated the potential to monitor such wide-ranging deformation using ENVISAT WSS data.
Expression of the gene for multidrug-resistance-associated protein and outcome in patients with neuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND Overexpression of the gene for the multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP) has been linked with resistance to chemotherapeutic agents (multidrug resistance) in vitro. The expression of MRP by neuroblastoma cells correlates with N-myc oncogene amplification, a well-established prognostic indicator in patients with neuroblastoma. METHODS To relate MRP gene expression to established prognostic markers and the clinical outcome of neuroblastoma, we analyzed MRP expression in specimens of primary tumors from 60 patients with neuroblastoma. RESULTS Levels of MRP gene expression were significantly higher in tumors with N-myc amplification than in tumors without such amplification (P < 0.001). High levels of MRP expression were strongly associated with reductions in both survival and event-free survival (P < 0.001) in the overall study population and in subgroups of patients without N-myc amplification and patients with localized disease. For the overall study population, the five-year cumulative survival rates in the groups with high and low levels of MRP expression were 57 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 37 to 78 percent) and 94 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 86 to 100 percent), respectively. In contrast, expression of the MDR1 multi-drug-resistance gene was not predictive of survival or event-free survival. After adjustment by multivariate analysis for the effects of N-myc amplification and other prognostic indicators, high levels of MRP expression retained significant prognostic value for poor survival (relative hazard, 14.9; P = 0.01) and poor event-free survival (relative hazard, 9.7; P = 0.004), whereas N-myc amplification had no prognostic value. CONCLUSIONS High levels of MRP gene expression in patients with neuroblastoma correlate strongly with poor outcome. The findings suggest that expression of this multidrug-resistance gene accounts for the association between N-myc amplification and reduced survival.
Mycobacteria contain two groEL genes: the second Mycobacterium leprae groEL gene is arranged in an operon with groES

In contrast to other bacterial species, mycobacteria were thus far considered to contain groEL and groES genes that are present on separate loci on their chromosomes, Here, by screening a Mycobacterium leprae lambda gt11 expression library with serum from an Ethiopian lepromatous leprosy patient, two DNA clones were isolated that contain a groEL gene arranged in an operon with a groES gene. The complete DNA sequence of this groESL operon was determined. The predicted amino acid sequences of the GroES and GroEL proteins encoded by this operon are 85–90% and 59–61% homologous to the sequences from previously characterized mycobacterial GroES and GroEL proteins. Southern blotting analyses with M. leprae groES‐ and groEL‐specific probes demonstrate that similar groESL homologous DNA is present in the genomes of other mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This strongly suggests that mycobacteria contain a groESL operon in addition to a separately arranged second groEL gene. Using five T‐cell clones from two leprosy patients as probes, expression of the M. leprae GroES protein in Escherichia coli after heat shock was demonstrated. Four of these clones recognized the same M. leprae‐specific GroES‐derived peptide in a DR2‐restricted fashion. No expression of the groEL gene from this operon was detected in E. coli alter heat shock, as tested with a panel of T‐cell clones and monoclonal antibodies reactive to previously described GroEL proteins of mycobacteria.
Effects of hormone therapy on bone mineral density: results from the postmenopausal estrogen/progestin interventions (PEPI) trial. The Writing Group for the PEPI.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of hormone therapy on bone mineral density (BMD) in the spine and hip of postmenopausal women. DESIGN A 3-year, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS A total of 875 healthy women aged 45 to 64 years recruited at 7 clinical centers. INTERVENTIONS Treatments were (1) placebo; (2) conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), 0.625 mg/d; (3) CEE, 0.625 mg/d plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), 10 mg/d for 12 d/mo; (4) CEE, 0.625 mg/d plus MPA, 2.5 mg/d daily; or (5) CEE, 0.625 mg/d plus micronized progesterone (MP), 200 mg/d for 12 d/mo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Bone mineral density at baseline, 12 months, and 36 months. RESULTS Participants assigned to the placebo group lost an average of 1.8% of spine BMD and 1.7% of hip BMD by the 36-month visit, while those assigned to active regimens gained BMD at both sites, ranging from 3.5% to 5.0% mean total increases in spinal BMD and a mean total increase of 1.7% of BMD in the hip. Changes in BMD for women assigned to active regimens were significantly greater than those assigned to placebo. Women assigned to CEE plus continuous MPA had significantly greater increases in spinal BMD (increase of 5%) than those assigned to the other 3 active regimens (average increase, 3.8%). Findings were similar among those adhering to assigned therapy, although, among adherent participants, there were no significant differences in BMD changes among the 4 active treatment groups. Older women, women with low initial BMD, and those with no previous hormone use gained significantly more bone than younger women, women with higher initial BMD, and those who had used hormones previously. CONCLUSIONS Postmenopausal women assigned to placebo demonstrated decreased BMD at the spine and hip, whereas women assigned to estrogen therapy increased BMD during a 36-month period. These findings demonstrate that estrogen replacement therapy increases BMD at clinically important sites.
Biologically produced nanosilver: Current state and future perspectives

Silver nanoparticles are one of the most commercialized nanomaterials. They are widely applied as biocides for their strong antimicrobial activity, but also their conductive, optic and catalytic properties make them wanted in many applications. The chemical and physical processes which are used to synthesize silver nanoparticles generally have many disadvantages and are not eco‐friendly. In this review, we will discuss biological alternatives that have been developed using microorganisms or plants to produce biogenic silver. Until now, only their antimicrobial activity has been studied more into detail. In contrast, a wide range of practical applications as biocide, biosensor, and catalyst are still unexplored. The shape, size, and functionalization of the nanoparticles is defined by the biological system used to produce the nanoparticles, hence for every application a specific biological production process needs to be chosen. On the other hand, biogenic silver needs to compete with chemically produced nanosilver on the market. Large scale production generating inexpensive nanoparticles is needed. This can only be achieved when the biological production system is chosen in function of the yield. Hence, the true challenge for biogenic silver is finding the balance between scalability, price, and applicability. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2422–2436. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The analysis of high-speed repulsion actuator and performance comparisons with permanent magnetic actuator in vacuum circuit breaker

The high-speed operation switchgears are required by more and more situations in power system, such as high-speed DC circuit breaker and some power-transfer locations. In this paper, a novel vacuum circuit breaker with high-speed repulsion actuator is designed, where, the characteristics of high-speed repulsion actuator are analyzed with finite element method (FEM) through changing design parameters of repulsion actuator, and good trends for generating bigger force are given. The performance comparisons with permanent magnetic actuator (PMA) are also given in this paper, experiments shows that vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) based on high-speed repulsion actuator can present good operate performance than PMA.
Genetic engineering of embryonic stem cells via site-directed DNA recombination

This article reviews recent advances in genetic engineering of mammals utilizing DNA recombination techniques to produce targeted genome modifications. The general objective of these technologies is to discover novel gene functions via manipulation of gene expression, regulation, or encoded protein sequences. The advantage of gene site-directed DNA recombination is that the engineered variant remains in the normal context of its chromosomal locus. This feature is especially important for studying gene function in the context of its regulation in animal development. The target gene can be subject to both gain of function or loss of function mutations. In addition to precisely crafted modifications of single genes, alternatively, site-directed DNA recombination can also produce chromosomal changes including segment deletion, or inversion, or loss of heterozygosity between a homologous chromosome pair. Site-directed recombination is accomplished by certain mechanisms of DNA exchanges that were first discovered in bacteria and their viruses (bacteriophages). We will illustrate how these systems permit specific modification of the mammalian genome. Recombination enzymes of the integrase family such as the Cre protein (cyclization recombinase) have a well-characterized site-specific recombination mechanism. Cre recombinase catalyzes DNA strand exchanges in palindromic DNA target sequences called the locus of crossover (lox site). The biochemical flexibility of Cre interactions with lox sites permits a novel approach to mammalian gene targeting. For example, lox site orientation and-or change of sequences can modify the specificity of DNA exchange in fascinating ways. This approach has been most successfully adapted for site-directed recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells (ES cells). For in vivo analyses, ES cells can be implanted into embryos to contribute in utero to the germline tissues. In progeny chimerical mice, the novel genetic trait may be transmitted via sperm or egg to offspring. ES cells also differentiate in vitro into numerous cell types allowing direct assessment of cell lineage phenotypes. Some of the differentiation properties of mouse ES cells in vitro have been confirmed in both human and primate ES cells. An understanding of ES cell genetic engineering and its potential applications is therefore of critical medical and ethical importance. Despite the successes of these approaches in murine ES cells, site-directed recombination technology has unresolved questions about its utility for human genetic and tissue therapy.
Brain Atlas of an Emerging Teleostean Model: Nothobranchius furzeri

Nothobranchius furzeri has emerged as a new fish model for neurobiological and age research over recent years, due to the exceptionally short lifespan, age‐dependent cognitive/behavioral decline, expression of age‐related biomarkers. The growing interest in this teleost has raised the need to construct an atlas of the whole brain of N. furzeri. The study has been carried out on adult specimens belonging to the long lived strain, originating from Mozambique and named MZM 04/10. In the atlas, the external features of brain, images of sections stained with luxol fast bleu/violet and schematic drawings of the most representative sections are showed. The identification and description of brain structures has been carried out on methodological and hodological studies. Comparative analyses have revealed remarkable and peculiar neuroanatomical characteristics of N. furzeri brain architecture. Thus, a comprehensive whole brain atlas of N. furzeri has been constructed aiming to provide a baseline for structural and functional future experiments on this emerging model organism. Anat Rec, 296:681–691, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tell me where to go and what to do next, but do not bother me

In this demonstration, we present a system that recommends to the user the locations and activities she/he might be interested in according to history GPS trajectories and public places of interest (POI) data. Its innovation lies in the acceptable performance of recommendations in cases where no user comments on activity types are available. Such situations are more realistic considering the restrictions on mobile devices' abilities, users' privacies, or business secret. For this purpose, we first extract stay points according to uses' trajectories, and label them with the top-k common activities which have the most possibility in terms of the POI dataset. Then, by taking stay points as observations, and activities as hidden states, a Hidden Markov model is built to learn the transfer possibilities between activities and the generation probabilities between activities and stay points. Finally, with the obtained model, our system can perform two types of recommendation, i.e. the history based recommendation and the similarity based recommendation. The results of former type are those stay points from user's own history positions. While, the latter one conducts collaborative filtering by taking history based recommendation results from similar users. The demonstration shows the running effects of the implemented prototype system, in which the Microsoft GeoLife trajectories dataset and the "DianPing.com" POI dataset were loaded. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate the feasibility.
Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases reveals a role for bis-(3#-5#)-cyclic-GMP in virulence The Harvard made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals and chronic respiratory disease in patients with cystic ﬁbrosis. Cyclic nucleotides are known to play a variety of roles in the regulation of virulence-related factors in pathogenic bacteria. A set of P. aeruginosa genes, encoding proteins that contain putative domains characteristic of diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) and phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that are responsible for the maintenance of cellular levels of the second messenger bis-(3 (cid:1) -5 (cid:1) )-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) was identiﬁed in the annotated genomes of P. aeruginosa strains PAO1 and PA14. Although the majority of these genes are components of the P. aeruginosa core genome, several are located on presumptive horizontally acquired genomic islands. A comprehensive analysis of P. aeruginosa genes encoding the enzymes of c-di-GMP metabolism (DGC- and PDE-encoding genes) was carried out to analyze the function of c-di-GMP in two disease-related phenomena, cytotoxicity and bioﬁlm formation. Analysis of the phenotypes of DGC and PDE mutants and overexpressing clones revealed that certain virulence-associated traits are controlled by multiple DGCs and PDEs through alterations in c-di-GMP levels. A set of mutants in selected DGC- and PDE-encoding genes exhibited attenuated virulence in a mouse infection model. Given that insertions in different DGC and PDE genes result in distinct phenotypes, it seems likely that the formation or degradation of c-di-GMP by these enzymes is in highly localized and intimately linked to particular targets of c-di-GMP action.