Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
c-Jun Induces Mammary Epithelial Cellular Invasion and Breast Cancer Stem Cell Expansion*

The molecular mechanisms governing breast tumor cellular self-renewal contribute to breast cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. The ErbB2 oncogene is overexpressed in ∼30% of human breast cancers. c-Jun, the first cellular proto-oncogene, is overexpressed in human breast cancer. However, the role of endogenous c-Jun in mammary tumor progression is unknown. Herein, transgenic mice expressing the mammary gland-targeted ErbB2 oncogene were crossed with c-junf/f transgenic mice to determine the role of endogenous c-Jun in mammary tumor invasion and stem cell function. The excision of c-jun by Cre recombinase reduced cellular migration, invasion, and mammosphere formation of ErbB2-induced mammary tumors. Proteomic analysis identified a subset of secreted proteins (stem cell factor (SCF) and CCL5) induced by ErbB2 expression that were dependent upon endogenous c-Jun expression. SCF and CCL5 were identified as transcriptionally induced by c-Jun. CCL5 rescued the c-Jun-deficient breast tumor cellular invasion phenotype. SCF rescued the c-Jun-deficient mammosphere production. Endogenous c-Jun thus contributes to ErbB2-induced mammary tumor cell invasion and self-renewal.
Endothelin-1 Limits Vascular Smooth Muscle &bgr;-Adrenergic Receptor Sensitivity by a PKC-Dependent Pathway

Endothelin-1 reduces the chronotropic and inotropic effects of the β-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol in rabbit isolated atria. Vascular interactions between endothelin-1 and isoproterenol have not been reported. Rings of the rabbit aorta without endothelium were mounted on myographs to measure isometric tension. Vessels were precontracted to similar levels with phenylephrine (30 &mgr;mol/L) or endothelin-1 (30 nmol/L). Relaxation to isoproterenol and forskolin were obtained. Vascular sensitivity (p D2) to isoproterenol was not different in the presence of endothelin-1 (7.6 ± 0.3; n = 13) and phenylephrine (7.5 ± 0.3; n = 11). The maximal relaxation (Emax) however, was doubled (P < 0.05) by endothelin-1 (42 ± 5%), as compared with phenylephrine (23 ± 4%). In the presence of endothelin-1, chelerythrine (protein kinase C inhibitor; 10 &mgr;mol/L) increased (P < 0.05) vascular sensitivity to isoproterenol (8.6 ± 0.4, n = 7), but had no influence on the Emax. In contrast, in the presence of phenylephrine, p D2 was unaffected by chelerythrine, whereas the Emax to isoproterenol was increased (P < 0.05; 50 ± 4%, n = 8). Vascular sensitivity and Emax to forskolin were similar in the presence of endothelin-1 and phenylephrine. In conclusion, endothelin-1 reduces vascular sensitivity to isoproterenol in a PKC-dependent pathway. The permissive effect of endothelin-1 appears to directly target the β-adrenoceptor/G protein complex upstream of adenylate cyclase.
Single Image Super-Resolution Using Compressive Sensing With a Redundant Dictionary

In medical imaging and astronomical observation, high-resolution (HR) images are urgently desired and required. In recent years, many researchers have proposed various ways to achieve the goal of image super-resolution (SR), ranging from simple linear interpolation schemes to nonlinear complex methods. In this paper, we deal with the SR reconstruction problem based on the theory of compressive sensing, which uses a redundant dictionary instead of a conventional orthogonal basis. We further demonstrate better results on true images in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) and give several important improvements, compared with other methods.
Instruction Scheduling Beyond Basic Blocks

Instruction scheduling consists of the rearrangement of transformation of program statements, usually at the intermediate language or assembly code level, in order to reduce possible run-time delays between instructions. Such transformations must preserve data dependency and are subject to other constraints. Highly optimizing compilers employing instruction-scheduling techniques have proven to be effective in improving the performance of pipeline processors. Considerable attention has been given to scheduling code within the scope of basic blocks, i.e., straight-line sections of code. In this paper the authors present techniques for scheduling beyond basic blocks. This allows a further reduction in run-time delays such as those due, e.g., to branches and loops, enabling the exploiting of pipeline architectures which would not otherwise be possible.
A Review on Protective Role of Phytoconstituents Against Isoproterenol Induced Myocardial Necrosis

Heart disease remains the principal cause of death claiming millions of lives every year. Owing to technology and changes in life style the myth of myocardial infarction primarily affecting elderly people has been busted with heart disease claiming significant number of lives among young people also. Myocardial infarction occurs when a section of the heart is deprived of oxygen leading to necrosis of the tissue. Isoproterenol induced myocardial necrosis came to light during the late fiftees. Conventional drugs are likely to reduce mortality, but their general applicability is limited by problems with toxicity and cost. Herbal medicine is used by more than one-fifth of the global population and it is an adept alternate to synthetic drugs. The objective of current review is to assess the cardio protective potential of phyto constituents like alkaloids, organo sulphur, carotenoids, flavonoids, glycosides, terpenoids, saponins and phenolic acid against isoproterenol induced myocardial necrosis in rats. Pretreatment of rats with these phytoconstituents significantly prevented the deviated biochemical variations such as marker enzymes, lipid profile and antioxidant parameters to near normal status. This review article provides a comprehensive account of structure, dose and medical efficacy of cardio protective phytoconstituents.
FinFET resistance mitigation through design and process optimization

The intrinsic FinFET device structure can provide an estimated 10–20% reduction in delay relative to planar FETs at the 22nm technology node due to superior electrostatics. However, FinFETs are more prone to parasitic resistance and capacitance due to the thin body channel and 3-dimensional device architecture. Here we present strategies for minimizing FinFET parasitic resistance, and discuss overall device design optimization. Using FinFETs built at 45nm node dimensions, we have demonstrated FinFETs with an NFET/PFET external resistance of 230/350 Ω-um.
Bariatric surgery and fertility

Purpose of review Bariatric surgery is the most reliable way to sustain weight loss in the morbidly obese. Reproductive age women comprise the majority of bariatric patients, and many may be interested in conceiving after surgery. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the recent literature on bariatric surgery and fertility to assist providers in patient counseling. Recent findings Obesity adversely impacts fecundability and IVF outcomes through a variety of mechanisms. The body of literature on reproductive outcome after bariatric surgery is sparse and of mixed quality. Bariatric surgery has been shown to improve menstrual cyclicity in anovulatory women, but little is published on the impact of surgical weight loss on spontaneous or IVF-treatment-related pregnancy rates. The increased risk of miscarriage in obese women may decline after bariatric surgery. There are currently insufficient data to support recommendations regarding the ideal timing for pregnancy after bariatric surgery. Summary Obesity has been shown to adversely impact fertility, and weight loss is associated with significant improvement in many parameters of reproductive function. Further research is required as to the specific impact of surgical weight loss on pregnancy and miscarriage rates, as well as the optimal timing of pregnancy after bariatric surgery.
Best practice in placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy with jejunal extension tube for continuous infusion of levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel in the treatment of selected patients with Parkinson’s disease in the Nordic region

Abstract Objective. Continuous infusion of levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is associated with a significant improvement in the symptoms and quality of life of selected patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy with jejunal extension (PEG/J) was first described in 1998 and has become the most common and standard technique for fixing the tubing in place for LCIG infusion. Material and methods. A workshop was held in Stockholm, Sweden, to discuss the PEG/J placement for the delivery of LCIG in Parkinson’s disease patients with the primary goal of providing guidance on best practice for the Nordic countries. Results. Suggested procedures for preparation of patients for PEG/J placement, aftercare, troubleshooting and redo-procedures for use in the Nordic region are described and discussed. Conclusions. LCIG treatment administered through PEG/J-tubes gives a significant increase in quality of life for selected patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. Although minor complications are common, serious complications are infrequent, and the tube insertion procedures have a good safety record. Further development of delivery systems and evaluation of approaches designed to reduce the demand for redo endoscopy are required.
The acute-phase response and serum amyloid A inhibit the inflammatory response to Acinetobacter baumannii Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging pathogen in nosocomial pneumonia. Trauma and postsurgical patients display a profound acute-phase protein response and are susceptible to pneumonia. METHODS To study the way in which the acute-phase response induced by sterile tissue injury influences pulmonary host defense, mice were injected subcutaneously with turpentine or saline in both hind limbs either 2 or 5 days before intranasal inoculation with A. baumannii. RESULTS Turpentine-injected mice demonstrated strong increases in levels of the acute-phase proteins serum amyloid A (SAA) and serum amyloid P. The inflammatory response to A. baumannii was significantly impaired in turpentine-injected mice, as shown by decreased local cytokine and chemokine levels, reduced neutrophil influx and lung myeloperoxidase activity, less pulmonary inflammation on histological examination, and lower total protein levels in their bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, which was associated with reduced bacterial clearance of A. baumannii. The late acute-phase protein response still caused lower pulmonary cytokine levels and neutrophil recruitment. Furthermore, previous injection of SAA, a major acute-phase protein, also reduced inflammatory responses to A. baumannii pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the acute-phase response and SAA inhibit the local inflammatory response to A. baumannii pneumonia, which may facilitate bacterial outgrowth.
An 860-Mb/s (8158,7136) Low-Density Parity-Check Encoder

Low-density parity-check codes achieve coding performance which approaches the Shannon limit. An (8158,7136) encoder was implemented in a five-metal, 0.25-mum CMOS process. Use of generator polynomial reconstruction, partial product multiplication and functional sharing in the parity register results in a highly efficient design. Only 1492 flip-flops along with a programmable 21-bit look-ahead scheme are used to achieve an 860-Mb/s data throughput for this rate 7/8 LDPC code. A comparable two-stage encoder requires 8176 flip-flops
Paracetamol – misused good old drug?

THE SO-CALLED coal tar analgesics paracetamol (Nacetyl-p-aminophenol) and phenacetin are paraaminophenol derivatives which have been widely used as analgesics and antipyretics all over the world. Paracetamol was first used in medicine by von Mering over a hundred years ago (1). In the 1940s it was recognized that paracetamol was the major metabolite of phenacetin (2). Phenacetin is now little used due to serious adverse effects but paracetamol has gained popularity, especially in paediatrics. It is no doubt one of the most used analgesics and antipyretics in the world. Unlike nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), paracetamol has a minimal anti-inflammatory activity and lacks the typical side-effects of the NSAIDs. Paracetamol is the analgesic and antipyretic of choice in patients in whom NSAIDs are contraindicated. Like other antipyretic analgesics, paracetamol was seldom used for adult postoperative pain until the 1980s. It is only recently that the interest in using antipyretic analgesics for postoperative pain has increased. In this issue, Hein with his co-workers Jacobson and Ryberg discuss the reasons for the failure of rectal paracetamol to reduce postoperative pain after minor gynaecological surgery (3). From the viewpoint of a paediatric anaesthetist, the result is not surprising. The rectal dose of paracetamol in this study was not more than 16 mg/kg. In the last few years several studies have shown that, in the doses recommended by the manufacturers, paracetamol is ineffective or the efficacy is very poor in treatment of postoperative pain in children. In 1988 Gaudreault and co-workers published the first report on the failure of rectal paracetamol in a dose of 20 mg/kg to treat postoperative pain after adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy in children (4). Similar results were obtained also after the preoperative administration of oral paracetamol in doses of 10 mg/kg (5) and 15 mg/kg (6) after myringotomy. However, both Verghese et al. (7) and Tobias et al. (8) have demonstrated that oral paracetamol
Classroom Technology Transformation using the 4 T's Framework - International Partnerships between K-12 Teachers and University

How do educators develop the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills required of 21st century teachers? Teachers need effective technology exposure and practice in order to develop the skills required to integrate current technologies into daily lessons. A partnership between Education Department faculty in the United States and K-12 private school teachers in Southern Europe revealed the necessity of the 4Ts of Time, Tools, Training, and Teamwork when exposed to emergent technologies.
Multi-arm/finger grasping: one view to the stability problem

The paper deals with the rotational stability of a rigid body under the constant internal forces. For this problem, first, the stiffness tensor is constructed and its basic properties are analyzed. The internal force parameterization is done with the use of the virtual linkage/spring model. Within this parameterization, necessary and sufficient conditions of stability are obtained in the analytical form. In the space of the internal forces they form a region given by intersection of a plane and a singular quadric. Since the stability conditions guarantee only positive definiteness of the stiffness tensor, the contact friction is taken into account separately. In this paper analysis of the unilateral constraints is done under a study case, where achieving stable grasp of a convex object, with the stretching internal forces created by friction, is studied in an analytical example.
MUSCULOSKELETAL ADAPTATIONS TO 16 WEEKS OF ECCENTRIC PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE TRAINING IN YOUNG WOMEN

We investigated the musculoskeletal adaptations and efficacy of a whole-body eccentric progressive resistance-training (PRT) protocol in young women. Subjects (n = 37; mean age, 24.3) were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: high-intensity eccentric PRT (HRT), low-intensity eccentric PRT (LRT), or control. Subjects performed 3 sets of 6 repetitions at 125% intensity or 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% intensity in the HRT and LRT groups, respectively, 2 times per week for 16 weeks. Strength was determined by the concentric 1-repetition maximum (1RM) standard. Bone mass and body composition were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Blood and urine samples were obtained for deoxypyridinoline, osteocalcin, creatine kinase, and creatinine. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance with post hoc comparisons. Strength increased 20–40% in both training groups. Lean body mass increased in the LRT (0.7 ± 0.6 kg) and HRT (0.9 ± 0.9 kg) groups. Bone mineral content increased (0.855 ± 0.958 g) in the LRT group only. Deoxypyridinoline decreased and osteocalcin increased in the HRT and LRT groups, respectively. These findings suggest that submaximal eccentric training is optimal for musculoskeletal adaptations and that the intensity of eccentric training influences the early patterns of bone adaptation.
Lowering of sodium deoxycholate-induced nasal ciliotoxicity with cyclodextrins.

AIM To lower the nasal ciliotoxicity of sodium deoxycholate (SDC) in combination with cyclodextrins (CD). METHODS The erythrocyte hemolysis test was carried out to evaluate the damaging effect of SDC on the erythrocyte membrane. The in situ toad palate model and scanning electron microscope technique were used to investigate the nasal ciliotoxicity of SDC solution in combination with CD. The inclusion effect between SDC and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) was studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffractometry. RESULTS The hemolysis test showed that beta-CD and dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD) could effectively protect the erythrocyte membrane against damage by SDC at the molar ratios of 1:1 and 2:1. When SDC combined with beta-CD or DM-beta-CD at a molar ratio of 1:2 or 1:3, the ciliotoxicity of SDC was greatly alleviated and the percent lasting time of the ciliary movement increased to 50 % or above. Scanning electron microscope investigations showed that SDC combined with beta-CD at a molar ratio 1:2 had no marked damage on the rat nasal mucosa after nasal administration thrice a day for a week. DTA and X-ray diffractometry investigations showed that SDC formed an inclusion with beta-CD. CONCLUSION Combining beta-CD or DM-beta-CD with SDC can greatly lower the hemolytic effect and ciliotoxicity of SDC and the optimal molar ratio of SDC to CD is 1:2. Such protection provided by CD is due to the inclusion effect between SDC and CD.
Effect of decoupling terms on the performance of PR current controllers implemented in stationary reference frame

The PI-based current control scheme in dq-frame and PR-based one in αβ-frame are the two most popular current control schemes. It is commonly known that there exists axes cross-coupling in dq-frame, while in αβ-frame it doesn't. And decoupling terms are usually performed to decouple dq-axes cross-coupling. However, PR control scheme presents different performance, when compared with dq-frame PI control scheme containing decoupling terms. In this paper, the meaning of “cross-coupling” was extended to αβ-frame. And the decoupling terms can also be implemented for αβ-frame control schemes. They can provide benefit to PR current control performance, such as improving the transient performance with less transient phase error and less frequency variation sensitivity, especially for low switching frequency applications with limited current control bandwidth. Finally, simulation and experimental results were shown to verify the analysis.
Enrollment of older patients in cancer treatment trials in Canada: why is age a barrier?

PURPOSE To evaluate the enrollment of older patients (>/= 65 years) in Canadian cancer treatment trials and compare accrual of older patients in Canada and the United States. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of the number of older patients enrolled in National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group (NCIC CTG) treatment trials between 1993 and 1996 was performed. These rates were compared with the corresponding rates in the general population of patients who were >/= 65 years old and had cancer, obtained from Statistics Canada, and those published by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) in the United States. RESULTS Between 1993 and 1996, 4,174 patients were enrolled onto 69 NCIC CTG trials of 16 tumor types. Older patients accounted for 22% of trial enrollees, compared with 58% of the Canadian population with cancer. This discrepancy existed in all cancer types except for multiple myeloma. The percentages of older patients enrolled were also analyzed by study type: 15% in adjuvant trials, 25% in metastatic trials, 29% in investigational new drug trials, 24% in phase I trials, and 21% in supportive care trials. The overall proportion of older patients enrolled onto Canadian trials (22%) was slightly lower than that in SWOG trials (25%). CONCLUSION Age remains a barrier for accrual onto cancer treatment trials, even when reimbursement is not an issue. Strategies to overcome this barrier, including the implementation of trials specifically tailored to patients aged >/= 65 years, are prudent in light of our aging population.
Alcohol: a recently identified risk factor for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is so common that about 10% of women will be diagnosed with this disease during their lifetime. And yet we know little about its causes. Combining all known risk factors for breast cancer — older age at birth of first child, earlier onset of menses, later age at menopause, increased
A Hybrid Model for Object-Oriented Software Maintenance

An object-oriented software system is composed of a collection of communicating objects that co-operate with one another to achieve some desired goals. The object is the basic unit of abstraction in an OO program; objects may model real-world entities or internal abstractions of the system. Similar objects forms classes, which encapsulate the data and operations performed on the data. Therefore, extracting, analyzing, and modelling classes/objects and their relationships is of key importance in understanding and maintaining object-oriented software systems. However, when dealing with large and complex object-oriented systems, maintainers can easily be overwhelmed by the vast number of classes/objects and the high degree of interdependencies among them. In this thesis, we propose a new model, which we call the Hybrid Model, to represent object-oriented systems at a coarse-grained level of abstraction. To promote the comprehensibility of objects as independent units, we group the complete static description of software objects into aggregate components. Each aggregate component logically represents a set of objects, and the components interact with one other through explicitly defined ports. We present and discuss several applications of the Hybrid Model in reverse engineering and software evolution. The Hybrid Model can be used to support a divide-and-conquer comprehension strategy for program comprehension. At a low level of abstraction, maintainers can focus on one aggregate-component at a time, while at a higher level, each aggregate component can be understood as a whole and be mapped to coarse-grained design abstractions, such as subsystems. Based on the new model, we further propose a set of dependency analysis methods. The analysis results reveal the external properties of aggregate components, and lead to better understand the nature of their interdependencies. In addition, we apply the new model in software evolution analysis. We identify a collection of change patterns in terms of changes in aggregate components and their interrelationships. These patterns help to interpret how an evolving system changes at the architectural level, and provides valuable information to understand why the system is designed as the way it is.