Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malignancy rate in nondominant nodules in patients with multinodular goiter: Experience with 1,606 cases evaluated by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology

Background: Conventional medical sources recommend the use of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for single thyroid nodules and the dominant nodule in multinodular goiter (MNG). The purpose of the present study was to analyze the utility of FNAC for multiple thyroid nodules in patients with MNG and to determine the rate of malignancy in teh nondominant nodules. Materials and Methods: Our private practice performed ultrasound-guided FNAC on 1,606 patients between February 2001 and February 1, 2010. In the MNG cases, samples were taken from the dominant nodule and from trhee suspicious / nonsuspicious nodules larger than 1 cm on ultrasound. Ninety-four cases were diagnosed as ‘suspiciously malignant’(SUS) or ‘malignant’ (POS) based on FNAC. Results: The rate of an SUS / POS diagnosis was 5.7% in the dominant nodules; 2.3% of the nondominant nodules had a SUS / POS diagnosis in FNAC (p = 0.0003). Follow-up revealed malignancy in 15 (35.7%) nondominant nodules and in 27 (64.2%) dominant nodules, with 42 MNG cases undergoing surgery. X test showed a ‘p-level of 0.0003’ between the percentages of SUS / POS diagnosis in dominanat and nondominanat nodules. It was less than the significance level of 0.05. Therefore, the result was regarded to be statistically significant. Conclusions: Nondominant nodules could harbor malignancy. The risk of malignancy in nondominant nodules in MNG should not be underestimated. We have shown that the dominant nodule in patients with MNG was in fact about 2.5 times more likely to be malignant than a nondominant nodule. The use of FNAC for nondominant nodules could enhance the likelihood of detecting malignancy in an MNG.
Investigation of Overhauser effects between pseudouridine and water protons in RNA helices

The inherent chemical properties of RNA molecules are expanded by posttranscriptional modification of specific nucleotides. Pseudouridine (ψ), the most abundant of the modified bases, features an additional imino group, NH1, as compared with uridine. When ψ forms a Watson–Crick base pair with adenine in an RNA helix, NH1 is positioned within the major groove. The presence of ψ often increases thermal stability of the helix or loop in which it is found [Hall, K. B. & McLaughlin, L. (1992) Nucleic Acids Res. 20, 1883–1889]. X-ray crystal structures of transfer RNAs [e.g., Arnez, J. & Steitz, T. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 7560–7567] have depicted water molecules bridging ψNH1 groups and nearby phosphate oxygen atoms, but direct evidence for this interaction in solution has not been acquired. Toward this end, we have used a rotating-frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy-type NMR pulse sequence with a CLEAN chemical-exchange spectroscopy spin-lock pulse train [Hwang, T. -L. , Mori, S. , Shaka, A. J. & van Zijl, P. C. M. (1997) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119, 6203–6204] to test for ψNH1–water cross-relaxation effects within two RNA helices: (i) a complementary duplex, in which ψ is not associated with structural change, and (ii) an RNA duplex representing the eukaryotic pre-mRNA branch-site helix from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in which a conserved ψ extrudes the branch-site adenosine from the helix. Our data implicate a water–ψNH1 hydrogen bond both in stabilizing the complementary helix and in favoring formation of the unique structure of the branch-site helix.
Alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in rat cerebral cortex: relationship between receptor occupancy and response and effects of denervation.

The characteristics of catecholamine-mediated breakdown of inositol phospholipids in rat cerebral cortex slices have been examined using a direct assay involving prelabeling with [3H]inositol and examining the production of labelled inositol phosphates in the presence of lithium. Noradrenaline produced a marked stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation and this response could be potently and competitively antagonised by the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin. The alpha 2-antagonist yohimbine was almost 1000-fold less potent at antagonising noradrenaline inositol phospholipid response. Noradrenaline and adrenaline were full agonists at alpha 1-adrenoceptors but phenylephrine and methoxamine were only partial agonists in their ability to stimulate inositol phospholipid metabolism. There was a significant correlation between the ability of a variety of agonists and antagonists to activate or inhibit [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation and their ability to displace the alpha 1-adrenoceptor selective ligand [3H]prazosin from specific binding sites when assays were performed on rat cerebral cortical slices under identical conditions. The similarity of EC50 values of agonists stimulating inositol phosphate accumulation and their IC50 values in [3H]prazosin binding experiments suggested a close relationship between receptor occupancy and alpha 1-mediated inositol phosphate accumulation. Further experiments were performed to examine this directly by inactivating alpha 1-adrenoceptors with the alkylating antagonist phenoxybenzamine. After washing out unbound antagonist, [3H]prazosin binding was reduced to a very similar proportion to that observed on the maximal noradrenaline-stimulated accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates in the slices. The EC50 values for noradrenaline-stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation was unaltered and the affinity of [3H]prazosin for the remaining sites was equally unaffected. In rats treated 14 days previously with i.c. v. 6-hydroxydopamine (2 X 250 micrograms) there was a small increase in alpha 1-adrenoceptor binding sites but a parallel shift to the left in the noradrenaline [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation dose-response curve. On the other hand, the partial agonist phenylephrine induced a larger maximal response in denervated animals without a change in the EC50 values. When slices from 6-hydroxydopamine treated animals were preincubated with phenoxybenzamine, the loss in alpha 1-adrenoceptor binding sites was greater than the reduction in the maximal response to noradrenaline. This may indicate the development of a small receptor reserve after denervation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A Review of Turbine Blade Tip Heat Transfer

Abstract: This paper presents a review of the publicly available knowledge base concerning turbine blade tip heat transfer, from the early fundamental research which laid the foundations of our knowledge, to current experimental and numerical studies utilizing engine‐scaled blade cascades and turbine rigs. Focus is placed on high‐pressure, high‐temperature axial‐turbine blade tips, which are prevalent in the majority of today's aircraft engines and power generating turbines. The state of our current understanding of turbine blade tip heat transfer is in the transitional phase between fundamentals supported by engine‐based experience, and the ability to a priori correctly predict and efficiently design blade tips for engine service.
Playing with metaphors: a methodology to design video games for learning abstract programming concepts

Learning to program a computer is a difficult task for many Computer Science students. Constructivism theory states that learning is unavoidably done through association of new concepts with existing ones. In order to learn abstract programming concepts, like memory indirection and execution threads, students must build them upon life experience concepts. We hypothesize that easing the association process by using metaphors, and letting students program them directly through video games, can foster learning of abstract concepts. We propose a methodology to design video games under this principle, and provide an example using metaphors for difficult abstract programming concepts.
Inactivation of Dengue and Yellow Fever viruses by heme, cobalt‐protoporphyrin IX and tin‐protoporphyrin IX

To investigate the effect of heme, cobalt‐protoporphyrin IX and tin‐protoporphyrin IX (CoPPIX and SnPPIX), macrocyclic structures composed by a tetrapyrrole ring with a central metallic ion, on Dengue Virus (DENV) and Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) infection.
A 10-Bit 80-MS/s Decision-Select Successive Approximation TDC in 65-nm CMOS

This paper presents a 10-bit 80-MS/s successive approximation time-to-digital converter (TDC) with a decision-select structure for on-chip timing measurement applications. Time-domain successive approximation is realized utilizing a relative timing difference between input and reference timings. While the successive approximation scheme allows high bit resolutions and low power consumptions, the decision-select structure enables fast bit conversions that lead to high sampling rates. The decision-select structure unrolls the successive approximation iteration loop and removes time-consuming timing estimation and adjustment procedures to minimize bit conversion times. As the successive approximation scheme relies on a binary search, exponential delay lines are adopted to achieve good power and noise performances by reducing the total number of delay stages. The proposed TDC uses only 0.048 delay stages per bit conversion. A test-chip prototype fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS technology consumes 9.6 mW at 80-MS/s and demonstrates 0.23-pJ/conversion-step figure-of merit (FOM) and 0.5-LSB single-shot precision.
Emergency: The ABCs of CPR—Again

OverviewSurvival rates for cardiac arrests that occur in hospitals and outside them continue to be low (17% and 6%, respectively), and fewer than one-third of patients who have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Consequently, a number of changes were made
Clinical role of FDG PET in evaluation of cancer patients.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic imaging technique that allows identification of biochemical and physiologic alterations in tumors. Use of PET performed with 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) significantly improves the accuracy of tumor imaging. In terms of oncologic applications, FDG PET has already gained widespread acceptance in the initial staging of cancer, management of recurrent cancer, and monitoring the response to therapy. With conventional imaging modalities, size criteria are used to distinguish between benign and malignant disease in lymph nodes; conversely, FDG PET is based on identification of fundamental aspects of tumor metabolism. FDG uptake in tumors is proportional to the metabolic rate of viable tumor cells, which have an increased demand for glucose. The high sensitivity and high negative predictive value of FDG PET in most malignant tumors enable this technique to play an even greater role in tumor management at initial staging and follow-up.
Transient fetal structure, the gangliothalamic body, connects telencephalic germinal zone with all thalamic regions in the developing human brain

Previous studies reported that telencephalic proliferative zones contribute to the development of the pulvinar thalamic nucleus in the human brain (Rakić and Sidman [1969] Z. Anat. Entwicklungsgesch. 129:53–82). The present study examined their possible contribution to the development of other thalamic nuclei. Postmortem brain tissue from human fetuses ranging between 10.5 and 40 weeks of gestation (wg) was processed by Nissl staining, Golgi impregnation, and MAP2 (microtubule‐associated protein 2) immunocytochemistry. The gangliothalamic body, suggested to serve as a conduit for cells migrating from the ganglionic eminence to the thalamus, was found in the period from 15 to 34 wg in all rostrocaudal thalamic regions, particularly at the level of the anterior nuclear complex, mediodorsal and pulvinar nucleus, and in addition, the lateral geniculate nucleus. In Nissl‐stained sections, the gangliothalamic body is a thin cellular layer situated beneath the thalamic surface, near the telencephalo‐diencephalic junction. In Golgi‐ and MAP2‐stained sections, it is a stream of mostly bipolar cells extending from the ganglionic eminence to the medial thalamus. In addition, MAP2‐immunoreactivity confirms the neuronal nature of its cells. The present study further supports the hypothesis that certain neurons migrate from the ganglionic eminence to the thalamus through the transient gangliothalamic body during fetal development. Moreover, our data indicate that both the association (mediodorsal and pulvinar), as well as the anterior (limbic) and specific relay nuclei are potential recipients of the telencephalic neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 384:373–395, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tibialis anterior stretch reflex in early stance is suppressed by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

A rapid plantar flexion perturbation in the early stance phase of walking elicits a large stretch reflex in tibialis anterior (TA). In this study we use repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to test if this response is mediated through a transcortical pathway. TA stretch reflexes were elicited in the early stance phase of the step cycle during treadmill walking. Twenty minutes of 1 Hz rTMS at 115% resting motor threshold (MTr) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the magnitude of the later component of the reflex at a latency of ∼100 ms up to 25 min after the rTMS. Control experiments in which stretch reflexes were elicited during sitting showed no effect on the spinally mediated short and medium latency stretch reflexes (SLR and MLR) while the long latency stretch reflex (LLR) and the motor‐evoked potential (MEP) showed a significant decrease 10 min after 115% MTr rTMS. This study demonstrates that 1 Hz rTMS applied to the leg area of the motor cortex can suppress the long latency TA stretch reflex during sitting and in the stance phase of walking. These results are in line with the hypothesis that the later component of the TA stretch reflex in the stance phase of walking is mediated by a transcortical pathway. An alternative explanation for the observed results is that the reflex is mediated by subcortical structures that are affected by the rTMS. This study also shows that rTMS may be used to study the neural control of walking.
Agent-oriented software engineering: a model-driven approach

A recent trend in Agent-Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE) is the adoption of a model-driven approach for designing Multiagent Systems (MASs). OMG's Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) provides standards useful for a model-driven software engineering process. Bringing MDA and AOSE together, we propose that building interoperable agents for various existing agent methodologies requires the definition of two things: (1) a core metamodel unifying the basic agent-oriented concepts, and (2) its complementing framework supporting the design, development and execution of agent systems in a model-driven manner. This paper presents a step towards the definition of this framework. For this purpose, we take a given Platform-Independent Model for Service-Oriented Architectures (PIM4SOA) and discuss how service models, designed in accordance with the PIM4SOA can be deployed in agent platforms, such as JACK and JADE, using principles of Model-Driven Development (MDD). Additionally, this provides a foundation for incorporating autonomous agents into different architectures, for example, SOA.
Estrogen Decreases Anoikis of Ovarian Cancer Cell Line Caov-3 Through Reducing Release of Bit 1

Few studies have referred to the implication of anoikis processes following hormonal treatment. No data are available on the influence of estrogen in ovarian cancer anoikis. To gain insights into the effects and mechanism of estrogen in ovarian cancer cells, we have carried out studies on the anoikis of ovarian cancer cells treated with estrogen and on the pathways involved. We observed an anti-anoikis role of E2 in suspended Caov-3 cells, and this was mainly due to the decreasing of Bit1 level in cytosol. We also found that estrogen receptor a (ERa) was the main mediator involved in this process. To study the signaling pathways well, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT were further investigated. Results demonstrated that the decreasing of the Bit1 level in cytosol mediated by E2 binding to ERa was mainly through PI3K/AKT pathways. Overall, these findings disclose a new perspective for estrogen on ovarian cancer therapy.
Epithelial and connective tissue cell CTGF/CCN2 expression in gingival fibrosis

Gingival overgrowth is a side effect of certain medications and occurs in non‐drug‐induced forms either as inherited (human gingival fibromatosis) or idiopathic gingival overgrowth. The most fibrotic drug‐induced lesions develop in response to therapy with phenytoin; the least fibrotic lesions are caused by cyclosporin A; and intermediate fibrosis occurs in nifedipine‐induced gingival overgrowth. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) expression is positively related to the degree of fibrosis in these tissues. The present study has investigated the hypothesis that CTGF/CCN2 is expressed in human gingival fibromatosis tissues and contributes to this form of non‐drug‐induced gingival overgrowth. Histopathology/immunohistochemistry studies showed that human gingival fibromatosis lesions are highly fibrotic, similar to phenytoin‐induced lesions. Connective tissue CTGF/CCN2 levels were equivalent to the expression in phenytoin‐induced gingival overgrowth. The additional novel observation was made that CTGF/CCN2 is highly expressed in the epithelium of fibrotic gingival tissues. This finding was confirmed by in situ hybridization. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses of RNA extracted from drug‐induced gingival overgrowth tissues for CTGF/CCN2 were fully consistent with these findings. Finally, normal primary gingival epithelial cell cultures were analysed for basal and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) or lysophosphatidic acid‐stimulated CTGF/CCN2 expression at protein and RNA levels. These data indicate that fibrotic human gingival tissues express CTGF/CCN2 in both the epithelium and connective tissues; that cultured gingival epithelial cells express CTGF/CCN2; and that lysophosphatidic acid further stimulates CTGF/CCN2 expression. These findings suggest that interactions between epithelial and connective tissues could contribute to gingival fibrosis. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transfected β3- but Not β2-Adrenergic Receptors Regulate Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Activity via a New Pathway Involving the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases

We have shown previously that in a heterologous mammalian expression system A549 cells, β3-adrenoceptor (β3-AR) stimulation regulates the activity of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel. The present investigation was carried out to determine the signaling pathway involved in this regulation. A549 cells were intranuclearly injected with plasmids encoding human CFTR and β3-AR. CFTR activity was functionally assessed by microcytofluorimetry. The application of 1 μM 4-[3-t-butylamino-2-hydroxypropoxy]benzimidazol-2-1 hydrochloride (CGP-12177), a β3-AR agonist, produced a CFTR activation that was not abolished by protein kinase A inhibitors. In pertussis toxin-pretreated cells, the CFTR activation induced by CGP-12177 was abolished. The overexpression of β-adrenoceptor receptor kinase, an inhibitor of βγ subunits, abolished the CGP-12177–induced CFTR activation, suggesting the involvement of βγ subunits of Gi/o proteins. The pretreatment of A549 cells with selective inhibitors of either phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), wortmannin, and 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-1(4H)-benzopyran-4-one hydrochloride (LY294002), or extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), 2′-amino-3′-methoxyflavone (PD98059), and 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(2-aminophynyltio)butadiene (U0126), abolished the effects of CGP-12177 on the CFTR activity. Immunohistochemical assays showed that only the cells expressing β3-AR exhibited MAPK activation in response to CGP-12177. Furthermore, CFTR activity increased in cells pretreated with 10% fetal bovine serum both in A549 cells injected only with CFTR and in T84 cells, which endogenously express CFTR, indicating that CFTR activity can be regulated by the MAPK independently of the β3-AR stimulation. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that CFTR is regulated through a Gi/o/PI3K/ERK1/2 MAPK signaling cascade dependently or not on an activation of β3-ARs. This pathway represents a new regulation for CFTR.
Video quality dependence on satellite transponder broadcasting plan

This paper analyze the results of real time experimental tests made on television (TV) channels with real video content broadcasted by satellites over Europe. The tests were performed using a general application designed for this purpose by the author that can measure and monitor in real time the viewer Perceptual Video Quality (PVQ) in order to specify the influences on the PVQ score of the transponder broadcasting plan and receiving earth station parameters. The paper presents the measurement platform that is able to real time measure and monitor simultaneously all the TV channels on a satellite transponder and to detect the cause of a possible low PVQ score and the experimental results. The measurements were done on transponders with different broadcasting plans. The purpose of this analyze was to determine the influence of the satellite transponder broadcasting plan on the video quality of the TV channels delivered by the transponder.
Low complexity pilot aided frequency synchronization for OFDMA uplink transmission

For the uplink transmission of an OFDMA system, frequency synchronization is particularly challenging due to the presence of multiple Carrier Frequency Offsets (CFOs). This problem is investigated in this paper, and we propose a novel low complexity pilot aided frequency synchronization algorithm based on two consecutive OFDMA blocks, which are assigned with identical tile structure and pilot symbols. The pilot symbols can be used for both the CFO estimation and the channel estimation and hence effectively increases the spectral efficiency, since no additional pilot symbols or training sequence are needed exclusively for the CFO estimation. However, the solution to this multi-parameter estimation problem is prohibitively complex since it demands a multi-dimensional search. To solve this problem, we propose an iterative joint CFO estimation and compensation algorithm, which reduces the multi-dimensional search to only one simple one-dimensional search. In addition, the proposed scheme allows the CFO estimation and compensation to operate without the channel information and thereby further reduces the computational complexity. We analyze the identifiability in the CFO estimation and derive the analytical mean square error (MSE) of the CFO estimates to serve as the performance benchmark. The simulation results show that the synchronization algorithm achieves fast convergence in two iterations, and the accuracy of the CFO estimates matches the benchmark performance closely at moderate and high SNRs and outperforms an existing similar algorithm proposed in the literature.