Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stearic acid‐induced cardiac lipotoxicity is independent of cellular lipid and is mitigated by the fatty acids oleic and capric acid but not by the PPAR agonist troglitazone

The objective of this study was to examine the potential of stearic acid to induce cardiomyocyte cell death and the hypothesis that the amount of cellular lipid is a determinant of cell death. In cardiomyocytes from embryonic chick heart, stearic acid (SA) produced a significant (P < 0.001) concentration‐dependent increase in cell death with an ED50 of 71 μm. In contrast, capric (C10:0) or oleic acid (OA; C18:1), at <200 μm, did not alter cell viability. Stearic acid‐induced cell death was significantly reduced by OA and to a lesser extent by capric acid. Neither OA nor capric acid altered cell death produced by potassium cyanide and deoxyglucose. Stearic acid (100 μm) induced a significant (P < 0.05) twofold increase in cellular lipid as assessed by Nile blue and Sudan Black staining. A role for cellular lipid in cardiomyocyte death was excluded because OA increased cellular lipid, at concentrations that did not induce cell death; OA did not alter SA‐induced cellular fat stores but reduced cell death; and the PPARγ agonist troglitazone at concentrations that reduced cellular lipid content did not alter cell death. High concentrations of troglitazone, however, induced cell death. In summary, SA is a potent inducer of cardiac cell death and intracellular lipid accumulation. The amount of intracellular lipid, however, is not a determinant of cardiomyocyte cell death. Troglitazone has potential cardiotoxicity at high doses but, at lower concentrations, does not prevent cardiac lipotoxicity, which can be completely prevented by low concentrations of oleic acid.
Education and income differentials in breast and cervical cancer screening. Policy implications for rural women.

OBJECTIVES Despite substantial evidence of socioeconomic differences in the use of breast and cervical cancer screening, the mechanisms explaining these differences, and therefore their policy implications are not well understood. We investigated the way that education and income influence rural women's use of mammograms and Pap tests, including financial barriers to medical care, knowledge and attitudinal barriers, and nonfinancial factors related to health-care access. METHODS Data were from a population-based telephone survey of 2,346 rural Wisconsin women aged 40 years and older. Logistic regression analyses and simulation exercises were conducted. RESULTS The strongest barriers to screening in this rural population were nonfinancial impediments to access. Removing economic barriers did not lead to significant increases in screening when other types of barriers were present. CONCLUSIONS Policies and interventions that focus on the most visible differences that exist between rural women of differing socioeconomic levels (ie, differences in the ability to afford health services) and do not simultaneously address knowledge, attitudinal, and health-care access barriers will fall short of their goal to increase breast and cervical cancer screening.
Surface electromyography using electrode arrays: A study of motor neuron disease

The use of electromyography (EMG) is limited, particularly in the investigation of children, by the invasive nature of needle electrodes. Surface electrode techniques are an attractive alternative but the detected signals are greatly influenced by volume conductor effects, thus making their interpretation problematic. Using finite element analysis we investigated the relationship between surface potential distribution and motor unit depth, incorporating anisotropic conductivity to model muscle tissue and a range of subcutaneous fat thicknesses. The modeling results were used to analyze data recorded with a 16‐channel surface electrode array, from 10 normals subjects and 12 patients with motor neuron disease. Differences in the motor units between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.01) and are consistent with reinnervation and increased motor unit territory in the patient group. This noninvasive technique shows promise as a more acceptable alternative to the use of conventional needle electrodes for neurophysiological investigations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 24: 223–230, 2001
Blockade and Staircase Phenomena of Holes in Mesoscopic Scale  $\lambda $ -Deoxyribonucleic Acid/SiO2/Si Structure

Coulomb blockade/staircase phenomena of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule have been observed so far. Here, we show a non-Coulomb blockade/staircase phenomenon of holes in a mesoscopic scale λ-DNA, which serves as a channel on SiO2/Si structure. It is considered that the phenomena are due to the penetration of the wave function in the DNA into the Si source and drain electrodes via the contacts constructed by DNA/allyl glycidyl ether/Si electrodes.
Feedstocks for Second-Generation Biodiesel: Microalgae’s Biology and Oil Composition

The solar energy is an inexhaustible source, while other energy reserves, like fossil and nuclear fuels, are limited in quantity and are depleted as years go by. Renewable energy is necessary to replace petroleum-derived fuels. The first generation biofuels, which are produced from oil seeds and crops, are a possible alternative, but they are limited in their capacity to provide all the energy demanded in the world. Therefore, new sources for the sustainable production of renewable energy are being looked for. This concern has promoted the keen interest in developing second generation biofuels, which are produced from other feedstocks, such as microalgal oils (Schenk et al., 2008; Mata et al., 2010). Some microalgal species are capable of producing biomass yields containing high percentages of oils (Aaronson et. al., 1980). In addition, microalgal systems can use low value natural resources, such as arid lands and saline water, thus offering the potential for large biomass energy contributions without competing for prime agricultural or forest land. Most microalgae grow photoautotrophically by using solar energy and mainly carbon dioxide as carbon source. Alternatively, some species can grow heterotrophically or mixotrophically using organic compounds as energy and carbon sources (Kitano et al., 1997; Hu & Gao, 2003; Xu et al., 2006; Liang et al., 2009). Some microalgae are called oleaginous because they synthesize and accumulate substantial amounts of neutral lipids, mainly as triacylglycerol (TAG), under diverse stress conditions (Bigogno et al., 2002; Hu et al., 2008; Gardner et al., 2010; Damiani et al., 2010). TAGs as storage lipids are the best substrate to produce biodiesel (Xu et al., 2006; Schenk et al., 2008). This biofuel is obtained by transesterification of oil or fat with a monohydric alcohol, yielding the corresponding mono-alkyl esters (Knothe, 2005). Since transesterification maintains the relative ratio of fatty acids present in the feedstock (Costa Neto et al., 2000), the profile of the fatty acid methyl esters is a reflection of the feedstock fatty-acid composition (Lang et al. 2001; Ferrari et al. 2005). Biodiesel production from microalgae is technically feasible (Xu et al., 2006; Patil et al., 2008; Francisco et al., 2010), but for an effective use of this renewable resource as biofuel, it is necessary to be able to modify microalgal growth conditions in order to obtain high biomass productivity and the desired lipid quantity and quality. Those interested in
AIS Electronic

As its name suggests, Business Process Management seeks to manage the processes companies typically undertake on a day to day basis. In line with many management techniques, improvements can made through analysing at varying granularity how processes are actually undertaken compared to how management may consider they are being accomplished and vice versa. One innovative way Business Process Management may be improved is through the use of Social Network Analysis to observe actual working relationships among employees. This latter technique permits the workflow manager specifically to consider how well matched employees are to their workflow and as a result of this, we have a means of either reconstructing workflows or alternatively employee practices. A small research-in-progress case study is presented illustrating how these principles may be applied in practice. Overall one may consider such improvements as aiding in the knowledge management of the organization as a whole.
Value Co-Creation in Business via Social Media: a Technology Affordance Approach

Organizations are increasingly employing social media in business and this phenomenon has also attracted attention from researchers. Social media is used in value co-creation to allow consumers to take an active role and co-create value for companies. However, the way in which social media can enhance an enterprise’s value co-creation capability has not been studied to the same extent. Based on the technology affordance theory and value co-creation theory, this study examines how social media can help to leverage value co-creation. We present an exploratory case study based on the qualitative date collected in an online travel service company. We find that the case company applies social media due to its dialogue, accessibility, monitorability, and transparency affordances, which aid cooperation and co-create value with customers. The findings of the investigation provide empirical evidence illustrating the social media affordances of value co-creation.
Priming and treatment with molgramostim (rhGM‐CSF) in adult high‐risk acute myeloid leukemia during induction chemotherapy: a prospective, randomized pilot study

Abstract: In a randomized study of 18 adult patients with high‐risk or advanced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) we investigated the effect of supplementing conventional induction chemotherapy with recombinant human granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (rhGM‐CSF). For comparison, a historical control group of 90 patients treated for de novo AML with conventional chemotherapy during the previous period, 1984–1990, was also analyzed. Before induction chemotherapy, 10 patients were randomized to receiving rhGM‐CSF, starting on day 1 to 3 before chemotherapy and continued for a maximum of 21 days after the start of induction treatment. Fatal complications and treatment outcome did not differ between the study groups and historical controls. Nor were there any differences between the groups in terms of hematological toxicity, e.g. time to three‐lineage regeneration and need for supportive therapy. However, sequential weekly bone marrow examinations revealed a prolonged reduction of the relative number of myeloid (CD33‐positive) marrow cells in the rhGM‐CSF treated group. Although the small number of patients studied may not permit a definite conclusion, this randomized study did not demonstrate major beneficial effects of combining rhGM‐CSF with standard induction chemotherapy in high‐risk patients with AML.
Demand and Response in Smart Grids for Modern Power System

Micro-grid plays a vital role in fulfilling the increasing demand by using distributed renewable energy resources. Demand and response technique can be broadly classified under the setup DR deployed (e.g. ISO’s/RTO’s). Demand response program can be implemented to improve power system quality, reliability and increasing demand. In modern power industry, strategic player can take more benefit from more emphasized DR study in terms of social benefit (uninterrupted power supply to consumers) and economy. This paper proposes the distributed micro-grid control and implemented control setup implemented demand response algorithm, which provides better power system reliability. This paper presents contingencies control demand and response for micro-grid. The main advantage of implementation of demand and response algorithms in Micro-grids provides reliable power supplies to consumers. The proposed micro-grid TCP/IP setup provides a chance to respond the contingencies to recover the shed to active condition. Micro-grid controller implements demand and response algorithm reasonable for managing the demand of the load and intelligent load scheme in case of blackout.
Détection de nouveautés en utilisant un nouveau score de détection de "groupes-outliers"

Résumé. Dans cet article, nous introduisons une nouvelle mesure pour qualifier “l’outlier-ness“ de chaque groupe/cluster. Cette mesure, nommée GOF, est intégrée et estimée dans un processus d’apprentissage non supervisé en utilisant les cartes topologiques. Ceci permet d’apprendre la structure des données tout en fournissant un nouveau score (GOF). Ce paramètre est basé sur la densité et quantifie ainsi la particularité de chaque groupe (cluster) : plus la valeur est grande, plus le groupe est susceptible d’être un ”groupe-outlier“. GOF est utilisé par la suite comme classifieur pour le problème de détection de nouveautés.
Pharmacological characterization of MP‐412 (AV‐412), a dual epidermal growth factor receptor and ErbB2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB2 are currently recognized as validated target molecules in cancer treatment strategies. MP‐412 (AV‐412) is a potent dual inhibitor of EGFR and ErbB2 tyrosine kinases, including the mutant EGFRL858R,T790M, which is clinically resistant to the EGFR‐specific kinase inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib. In an enzyme assay, MP‐412 inhibited the EGFR variants and ErbB2 in the nanomolar range with over 100‐fold selectivity compared with other kinases, apart from abl and flt‐1, which were both moderately sensitive to the compound. In cells, MP‐412 inhibited autophosphorylation of EGFR and ErbB2 with IC50 of 43 and 282 nM, respectively. It also inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐dependent cell proliferation with an IC50 of 100 nM. Moreover, MP‐412 abrogated EGFR signaling in the gefitinib‐resistant H1975 cell line, which harbors a double mutation of L858R and T790M in EGFR. In animal studies using cancer xenograft models, MP‐412 (30 mg/kg) demonstrated complete inhibition of tumor growth of the A431 and BT‐474 cell lines, which overexpress EGFR and ErbB2, respectively. MP‐412 suppressed autophosphorylation of EGFR and ErbB2 at the dose corresponding to its antitumor efficacy. When various dosing schedules were applied, MP‐412 showed significant effects with daily and every‐other‐day schedules, but not with a once‐weekly schedule, suggesting that frequent dosing is preferable for this compound. Furthermore, MP‐412 showed a significant antitumor effect on the ErbB2‐overexpressing breast cancer KPL‐4 cell line, which is resistant to gefitinib. These studies indicate that MP‐412 has potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of cancers expressing EGFR and ErbB2, especially those resistant to the first generation of small‐molecule inhibitors. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1977–1984)
Control of Effector CD8+ T Cell Function by the Transcription Factor Eomesodermin

Activated CD8+ T cells play a critical role in host defense against viruses, intracellular microbes, and tumors. It is not clear if a key regulatory transcription factor unites the effector functions of CD8+ T cells. We now show that Eomesodermin (Eomes), a paralogue of T-bet, is induced in effector CD8+ T cells in vitro and in vivo. Ectopic expression of Eomes was sufficient to invoke attributes of effector CD8+ T cells, including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), perforin, and granzyme B. Loss-of-function analysis suggests Eomes may also be necessary for full effector differentiation of CD8+ T cells. We suggest that Eomesodermin is likely to complement the actions of T-bet and act as a key regulatory gene in the development of cell-mediated immunity.
Improved Survival for Patients With Upper and/or Middle Mediastinal Lymph Node Metastasis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lower Thoracic Esophagus Treated With 3-Field Dissection

Objective:To evaluate the outcomes with 2 and 3 lymph node dissection for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower thoracic esophagus at a single institution. Background:Extensive lymph node dissection, including the upper mediastinum, for carcinoma of the lower thoracic esophagus is advocated as a standard surgical procedure with curative intent in Japan. However, its efficacy remains controversial. Methods:From January 1988 to December 1997, 532 patients with carcinomas of the thoracic esophagus underwent transthoracic esophagectomy and extensive lymph node dissection with curative intent at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo. Of these, 495 (93%) had squamous cell carcinomas. A total of 156 (29%) with tumors of the lower thoracic esophagus were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Of the 156 patients, 55 (35%) underwent 2-field and 101 (65%) underwent 3-field lymph node dissection. The operative morbidity and 30-day and in-hospital mortality rates were 68.0%, 1.3%, and 2.6%, respectively. The overall 5-year survival rate for the entire series was 49.3%. One hundred and seven (69%) had lymph node metastases. Upper and/or middle mediastinal lymph node metastases occurred in 42% of the series. The 5-year survival rate for patients with lymph node metastases in the upper and/or middle mediastinum was 23.3%. Among them, the values after 2- and 3-field lymph node dissection were 5.6% and 30.0%, respectively (P = 0.005). Thirteen (27%) of 48 patients with upper and/or middle mediastinal lymph node metastases treated with 3-field dissection had simultaneous cervical lymph node metastases and their 5-year survival rate was 23.1%. Conclusion:The 3-field approach for extensive lymph node dissection provides better survival benefit for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower thoracic esophagus compared to 2-field lymph node dissection when lymph node metastases are present in the upper and/or middle mediastinum.
Afferent nerve endings in the ganglia of the intermuscular plexus of the dog's oesophagus

In the course of studies on the innervation of the heart, elaborate nerve endings with flattened branches were seen in the ganglia of the intermuscular nerve p'lexus (myenteric plexus in the intestine) in portions of the oesophagus that had been left attached together with the trachea to the hearts of newborn and very young puppies. The blocks had been impregnated with the Cajal technique after fixation in the alcohol-chloral hydrate mixture. Since it seemed probable that the nerve endings observed had not completed their development, longitudinal sections of the oesophagus of older puppies were prepared with the same technique. In all, the oesophagi of puppies of the following ages were examined : 1 day, 4 days, 7 days, 6 weeks and 23 months old. The outstanding feature of the branches of the endings to be described is their characteristic position in the periphery of each ganglion, where they occur immediately beneath and in contact with the connective tissue capsule that envelops it. This accounts to some extent for the lamellated aspect of the branches, which is most conspicuous in the ganglia of the younger puppies. The position of the branches and the fibers from which they arise has been represented in cliagramatic form in figure 1. Good examples of the suhcapsular lamellated branches are found in surface views and in tangential sectiorir
Use of transformation to construct Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with altered lipooligosaccharides

DNA isolated from a nalidixic acid- and rifampin-resistant derivative of Neisseria gonorrhoeae serum-resistant strain 302 (MUG116), a strain that reacts with monoclonal antibody (MAb) 2-1-L8, was used to transform N. gonorrhoeae DOV, a serum-sensitive strain, to antibiotic resistance and/or reactivity with the MAb. MAb 2-1-L8 binds to a 3.6-kilodalton lipooligosaccharide (LOS). Reactivity with MAb 2-1-L8 transformed as a single marker and was unlinked to either of the antibiotic resistance markers. Immunoblot analysis of LOSs separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that new LOSs were synthesized in the transformed cells and that these LOSs corresponded to those of the DNA donor. Although multiple LOS components were made by the transformants, the MAb recognized only one. All transformants that were selected for on the basis of strong reactivity with MAb 2-1-L8 were serum resistant; however, the level of resistance correlated with the apparent loss of recipient LOS components. MAb 2-1-L8-reactive transformants that still produced DOV LOS components remained serum sensitive.
MAKING SENSE OUT OF NONSENSE: MECHANISTIC INSIGHT INTO SELENOPROTEIN SYNTIIESIS FACTORS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DMSION OF THE UNNERSITY

Selenium is an essential micronutrient linked to various aspects of health. Selenium exerts its biological activity through incorporation of the amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec), into a unique class of proteins termed selenoproteins. Sec incorporation occurs cotranslationaIly at UGA codons in archaea, prokaryotes, and eukaryotes. UGA codons specify Sec coding rather than termination by the presence of secondary structures in mRNAs termed selenocysteine insertion (SECIS) elements, and trans-acting factors that associate with SECIS elements. Selenoprotein mRNAs are potential targets for degradation via nonsense-mediated decay, due to the presence of in-frame UGA codons. When UGA recoding is inefficient, as occurs when selenium is limiting, termination occurs at these positions. Based on predicted exon-intron structure, fourteen of the 25 human selenoprotein mRNAs are predicted to be sensitive to nonsense-mediated decay. Among these, sensitivity varies, resulting in a hierarchy of selenoprotein synthesis. Potential factors dictating this hierarchy are the SECIS binding proteins, SBP2 and nucleolin. To investigate the role of these proteins in the hierarchy of selenoprotein synthesis, we carried out knockdowns of SBP2 expression and assessed the effects on selenoprotein mRNA levels. We also investigated in vivo binding of selenoprotein mRNAs by SBP2 and nucleolin, via immunoprecipitation and quantitation of bound mRNAs. We report that SBP2 exhibits preferential binding to some selenoprotein mRNAs over others, whereas nucleolin exhibits minimal binding differences. Thus SBP2 is a determinant in dictating the hierarchy of selenoprotein synthesis via differential selenoprotein mRNA translation and sensitivity to nonsense-mediated decay.
Variance Estimators for Three “Probabilities of Causation”

This article introduces the definitions of three “probabilities of causation” suggested by Pearl (1999) , which are used to evaluate the causal effect of an exposure on a disease in epidemiological studies. Pearl (1999) and Tian and Pearl (2000a, 2000b) provided identification formulas for three “probabilities of causation” from statistical data under some assumptions. In order to examine the estimation accuracy problem, this article derives variance estimators for three “probabilities of causation” correspondent to each case in Pearl (1999) and at the same time clarify their properties. In addition, we conduct simulation experiments and show that the proposed method can approximate sufficiently to the variance of “probabilities of causation. ” The results of this article provide a complete framework for using “probabilities of causation” effectively in order to analyze responsibility and susceptibility in epidemiological studies.
Software Development Methodology for Fast Changing Environment

This paper presents the usage of the agile and Scrum methods for SW projects in extremely dynamic environments. It describes the benefits of using Scrum process in fast changing environments and addressing the most crucial problems described by IT project surveys. The paper is focused on extremely short projects and delivery times counted on days and hours and changing the Scrum process accordingly. The key focus practices include team collaboration, team responsibility for the quality delivery on time and with right functionality, and customer integration into the process.