Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patients with both pancreatic adenocarcinoma and melanoma may harbor germline CDKN2A mutations

Germline mutations of the CDKN2A tumor suppressor gene have been identified in melanoma kindreds linked to 9p21, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the second most common malignancy in some of these families. We hypothesized that unselected patients with both primary cancers, i.e., pancreatic cancer and malignant melanoma, have a genetic predisposition to tumor development, and that this susceptibility may be due to germline CDKN2A mutations. Fourteen patients, with both pathologically verified pancreatic adenocarcinoma and melanoma, were assessed for germline CDKN2A mutations by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of six overlapping fragments encompassing exons 1α and 2. A yeast two‐hybrid assay was used to assess the functional consequences of CDKN2A variants. Germline CDKN2A mutations were identified in 2/14 patients: I49S, a novel substitution in exon 1α, and M53I, a previously reported missense mutation in exon 2. Both variants lead to compromised CDKN2A function. We conclude that the occurrence of both pancreatic cancer and melanoma, in the same patient, signals an inherited susceptibility to cancer, and that this predisposition is, in some cases, due to germline CDKN2A mutations. This finding has important implications not only for the proband, but also for other family members. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 27:358–361, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Using the Delphi method to assess the potential of Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector

The purpose of the present study is to identify the various factors that influence the competitiveness of the hot springs tourism sector. The research draws on the models of Ritchie and Crouch, Dwyer and Kim, and Enright and Newton, who concluded that destination competitiveness is determined by three major components: resources and attractors, destination strategies and environments. The investigation produced both qualitative and quantitative data using the Delphi technique. An expert panel reached consensus about priorities for the development of Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector and provided written justifications for their responses. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of the three-round Delphi survey and provides a supply-side perspective on Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector. An examination of the expert comments concluded that the Taiwanese are increasingly concerned with good health and longevity. This emerging characteristic offers new business opportunities for the providers of hot springs tourism experiences to extend their appeal into health protection and medical treatments. However, if they are to achieve sustainable development and ensure high-quality visitor experiences, hot springs proprietors will need to work closely with local governments and communities to promote sustainable use of natural hot springs and to conduct routine inspections of spa premises. Overall, the future of the hot springs tourism sector appears to be promising. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Atypically low rate of cytochrome b evolution in the scleractinian coral genus Acropora

Unexpectedly low levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b sequence divergence are found between species of the scleractinian coral genus Acropora. Comparison of 964 positions of the cytochrome b gene of two out of the three Caribbean Acropora species with seven of their Pacific congeners shows only 0.3 – 0.8 % sequence difference. Species in these biogeographic regions have been evolving independently for at least three million years (since the rise of the Isthmus of Panama) and this geological date is used to estimate nucleotide divergence rates. The results indicate that the Acropora cytochrome b gene is evolving at least 10 – 20 times slower than the ‘standard’ vertebrate mtDNA clock and is one of the most slowly evolving animal mitochondrial genes described to date. The possibility is discussed that, unlike higher animals, cnidarians may have a functional mtDNA mismatch repair system.
Pharmacology of Ketamine Isomers in Surgical Patients

To assess the intraoperative and postoperative effects of the optical isomers of ketamine. compared with the racemic mixture as sole anesthetics, equianesthetic doses of racemic ketamine (RK), 2 mg/kg, (+)ketamine (PK), 1 mg/kg, and (−)ketamine (MK), 3 mg/kg, were administered intravenously in a randomized, double-blind fashion to 60 healthy patients undergoing elective outpatient operations. Intraoperative effects, adequacy of anesthesia, and need for adjunctive agents were assessed by the same two anesthesiologists. Psychologic assessment was achieved utilizing a trait anxiety scale, a profile of mood states questionnaire, an open-ended sentence-completion form, and a postoperative check list, as well as observations made by a psychologist in the recovery room. Samples of plasma and urine were obtained for gas chromatographic analysis of ketamine and its major metabolites. The durations of anesthesia (35 ± 4 min) were the same in all three groups; however, the amounts of drug needed ranged from 2.4 mg/kg in the PK group to 8.5 mg/kg in the MK group. At the termination of anesthesia, mean plasma levels of the parent compounds were 0.9 (RK), 0.5 (PK), and 1.7 pg/ml (MK), consistent with a PK:MK potency ratio of 3.4:1. The slopes of the plasma decay curves were not significantly different among the three groups. PK was judged to produce more effective anesthesia than RK or MK (95 vs. 75 vs. 68 per cent). Verbal responses in the postanesthetic period suggested significantly more psychic emergence reactions after MK than after RK or PK (37 vs. 15 vs. 5 per cent). Furthermore, MK produced more agitated behavior than did RK or PK (26 vs. 10 vs. 0 per cent). Postoperative pain occurred more commonly in the RK (10 per cent) and MK (16 per cent) groups than in the PK group (0 per cent). The incidences of dreaming (84 per cent) were the same in all three groups. Relative to preoperatively, fear was decreased to a greater extent postoperatively in the PK group than in the RK and MK groups (43 vs. 13 vs. 30 per cent). Finally, patients found PK more acceptable than either RK or MK (85 vs. 65 vs. 63 per cent). The study disclosed differences in anesthetic potencies, intraoperative effects, analgesia, physical side effects, incidences and types of postanesthetic emergence phenomena, and anesthetic preferences among the optical isomers of ketamine. Parallelism of the plasma decay curves and similarities in the patterns of appearance and excretion of the ketamine metabolites for the three groups suggest that the differences were due to pharmacodynamic factors.
Dimensional Dependence of Magnetic Properties in Arrays of CoFe/Au Barcode Nanowire

We report the synthesis method and dimension-dependent magnetic properties of CoFe/Au barcode nanowire arrays. Well-separated multisegment nanowire arrays are synthesized by a pulsed electrodeposition process in a single bath. Samples with four different aspect ratios defined as the CoFe thicknesses to the nanowire diameter are prepared to investigate dimensional effects on the magnetic properties. It is evident except for very low aspect ratio case that each hysteresis loop shows a soft magnetic characteristic with an easy axis parallel to the nanowire axis. Magnetic reversal in most samples is primarily dominated by a transverse domain wall mode.
Differential control of ATGL-mediated lipid droplet degradation by CGI-58 and G0S2

Lipid droplets (LDs) are intracellular storage sites for triacylglyerols (TAGs) and steryl esters, and play essential roles in energy metabolism and membrane biosynthesis. Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) is the key enzyme for TAG hydrolysis (lipolysis) in adipocytes and LD degradation in nonadipocyte cells. Lipase activity of ATGL in vivo largely depends on its C-terminal sequence as well as coactivation by CGI-58. Here we demonstrate that the C-terminal hydrophobic domain in ATGL is required for LD targeting and CGI-58-independent LD degradation. Overexpression of wild type ATGL causes a dramatic decrease in LD size and number, whereas a mutant lacking the hydrophobic domain fails to localize to LDs and to affect their morphology. Interestingly, coexpression of CGI-58 is able to promote LD turnover mediated by this ATGL mutant. Recently we have discovered that G0S2 acts as an inhibitor of ATGL activity and ATGL-mediated lipolysis. Here we show that G0S2 binds to ATGL irrelevantly of its activity state or the presence of CGI-58. In G0S2-expressing cells, the combined expression of CGI-58 and ATGL is incapable of stimulating LD turnover. We propose that CGI-58 and G0S2 regulate ATGL via non-competing mechanisms.
Communications of the Association for Information Systems Communications of the Association for Information Systems

: Many scholars are not well trained in conducting a standalone literature review, a scholarly paper that in its entirety summarizes and synthesizes knowledge from a prior body of research. Numerous guides that exist for information systems (IS) research mainly concentrate on only certain parts of the process; few span the entire process. This paper introduces the rigorous, standardized methodology for the systematic literature review (also called systematic review) to IS scholars. This comprehensive guide extends the base methodology from the health sciences and other fields with numerous adaptations to meet the needs of methodologically diverse fields such as IS research, especially those that involve including and synthesizing both quantitative and qualitative studies. Moreover, this guide provides many examples from IS research and provides references to guides with further helpful details for conducting a rigorous and valuable literature review. Although tailored to IS research, it is sufficiently broad to be applicable and valuable to scholars from any social science field.
Dynamic End-To-End QoS Management for Advanced RF Telemetry Networks

Abstract : We present iMANPOL -- a dynamic end-to-end QoS management system for advanced RF telemetry networks with the red-black separation constraints. iMANPOL system encompasses network resource monitoring, allocation, and enforcement techniques to increase throughput and reduce end-to-end delay of telemetry traffic while protecting priority mission-critical flows. These goals are achieved through adaptive techniques for providing Differentiated Services, Admission Control Function, and Flow Preemption. The iMANPOL system has been implemented and tested in an emulated environment. The test results confirm that the admission control, particularly when coupled with preemption, can significantly increase the performance of priority flows in congested networks. An iMANPOL deployment in the integrated enhanced network telemetry would make more network resources available for high-priority tests and enable more dynamic test scheduling.
Ear-Canal Reflectance, Umbo Velocity, and Tympanometry in Normal-Hearing Adults

Objective: This study compares measurements of ear-canal reflectance (ECR) to other objective measurements of middle ear function including audiometry, umbo velocity (VU), and tympanometry in a population of strictly defined normal-hearing ears. Design: Data were prospectively gathered from 58 ears of 29 normal-hearing subjects, 16 females and 13 males, aged 22 to 64 yr. Subjects met all of the following criteria to be considered as having normal hearing: (1) no history of significant middle ear disease; (2) no history of otologic surgery; (3) normal tympanic membrane on otoscopy; (4) pure-tone audiometric thresholds of 20 dB HL or better for 0.25 to 8 kHz; (5) air-bone gaps no greater than 15 dB at 0.25 kHz and 10 dB for 0.5 to 4 kHz; (6) normal, type-A peaked tympanograms; and (7) all subjects had two “normal” ears (as defined by these criteria). Measurements included pure-tone audiometry for 0.25 to 8 kHz, standard 226 Hz tympanometry, ECR for 0.2 to 6 kHz at 60 dB SPL using the Mimosa Acoustics HearID system, and umbo velocity (VU) for 0.3 to 6 kHz at 70 to 90 dB SPL using the HLV-1000 laser Doppler vibrometer (Polytec Inc). Results: Mean power reflectance (|ECR|2) was near 1.0 at 0.2 to 0.3 kHz, decreased to a broad minimum of 0.3 to 0.4 between 1 and 4 kHz, and then sharply increased to almost 0.8 by 6 kHz. The mean pressure reflectance phase angle (∠ECR) plotted on a linear frequency scale showed a group delay of approximately 0.1 msec for 0.2 to 6 kHz. Small significant differences were observed in |ECR|2 at the lowest frequencies between right and left ears and between males and females at 4 kHz. |ECR|2 decreased with age but reached significance only at 1 kHz. Our ECR measurements were generally similar to previous published reports. Highly significant negative correlations were found between |ECR|2 and VU for frequencies below 1 kHz. Significant correlations were also found between the tympanometrically determined peak total compliance and |ECR|2 and VU at frequencies below 1 kHz. The results suggest that middle ear compliance contributes significantly to the measured power reflectance and umbo velocity at frequencies below 1 kHz but not at higher frequencies. Conclusions: This study has established a database of objective measurements of middle ear function (ECR, umbo velocity, tympanometry) in a population of strictly defined normal-hearing ears. These data will promote our understanding of normal middle ear function and will serve as a control for comparison to similar measurements made in pathological ears.
Cocoa Flavonols and Procyanidins Promote Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Homeostasis in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells1

Evidence suggests that certain flavan-3-ols and procyanidins (FP) can have a positive influence on cardiovascular health. It has been previously reported that FP isolated from cocoa can potentially modulate the level and production of several signaling molecules associated with immune function and inflammation, including several cytokines and eicosanoids. In the present study, we examined whether FP fractions monomers through decamers modulate secretion of the cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 from resting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). A total of 13 healthy subjects were studied and grouped according to their baseline production of TGF-β1. When cells from individuals with low baseline levels of TGF-β1 (n = 7) were stimulated by individual FP fractions (25 μg/ml), TGF-β1 release was enhanced in the range of 15%–66% over baseline (P < 0.05; monomer, dimer, and tetramer). The low-molecular-weight FP fractions (≤pentamer) were more effective at augmenting TGF-β1 secretion than their larger counterparts (≥hexamer), with the monomer and dimer inducing the greatest increases (66% and 68%, respectively). In contrast to the above, TGF-β1 secretion from high TGF-β1 baseline subjects (n = 6) was inhibited by individual FP fractions (P < 0.05; trimer through decamer). The inhibition was most pronounced with trimeric through decameric fractions (28%–42%), and monomers and dimers moderately inhibited TGF-β1 release (17% and 23%, respectively). Given the vascular actions associated with TGF-β1, we suggest that in healthy individuals, homeostatic modulation of its production by FP offers an additional mechanism by which FP-rich foods can potentially benefit cardiovascular health.
Chlordecone exposure and risk of prostate cancer.

PURPOSE Determining whether environmental estrogens are associated with the risk of prostate cancer may have important implications for our general understanding of this disease. The estrogenic insecticide chlordecone was used extensively in the French West Indies, contaminating the population for more than 30 years. We analyzed the relationship between exposure to chlordecone and the risk of prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We investigated 623 men with prostate cancer and 671 controls. Exposure was analyzed according to case-control status, using either current plasma concentration or a cumulative exposure index based on years of exposure. We genotyped two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3829125 and rs17134592) in the gene encoding chlordecone reductase. RESULTS We found a significant increase in the risk of prostate cancer with increasing plasma chlordecone concentration (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.58 for the highest tertile of values above the limit of detection [LD]; P trend = .002) and for cumulative exposure index (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.88 for the highest quartile; P trend = .004). Stronger associations were observed among those with a positive family history of prostate cancer and among those who had lived in a Western country. The rs3829125 and rs17134592 allele variants were in complete linkage disequilibrium and were found at low frequency (0.04). Among subjects with plasma chlordecone concentrations above the LD, carriers of the allele variants had a higher risk of prostate cancer (OR, 5.23; 95% CI, 0.82 to 33.32). CONCLUSION These findings support the hypothesis that exposure to environmental estrogens increases the risk of prostate cancer.
Validation of the Out-of-School-Time Snacks, Beverages, and Physical Activity Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND Recent research has highlighted the potential for out-of-school-time (OST) environments to impact children's energy balance. Expanding upon this evidence requires validated measures to assess nutrition and physical activity (PA) environments across large samples of OST programs. The aim of this study was to assess the criterion validity of the Out-of-School-Time Snacks, Beverages, and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OST-SBPA), an online questionnaire designed to measure OST nutrition and PA environments by program leaders' reports. METHODS The study consisted of two samples of OST programs (total n=65). Objective data across program meetings were compared to program leaders' reports of usual snack, beverage, and PA offerings. All 65 programs provided snack and beverage data; PA data were available from 31 programs. Validity was assessed using percent agreement, Cohen's kappa, and Spearman's correlations. RESULTS All OST-SBPA items demonstrated agreement above 60% when dichotomized (e.g., none/some versus most/all of the time for frequency items). Most OST-SBPA items were significantly correlated with objective data, including how often fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, salty snacks, sweet snacks, protein snacks, milk, juice, and sweetened beverages were offered and four PA measures (r=0.43-0.78; p<0.01), whereas one item, the frequency that water was offered, was not (r=0.13; p=0.37). The water item demonstrated validity once water from water fountains was recoded and not considered a program-provided beverage. CONCLUSIONS These findings fill a gap in the literature through the validation of a brief questionnaire that can be used to assess OST nutrition and PA environments. The current results support the use of the OST-SBPA in studies aiming to assess and impact these environments.
Itopride in functional dyspepsia: results of two phase III multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common disorder but there is currently little efficacious drug therapy. Itopride, a prokinetic approved in several countries, showed promising efficacy in FD in a phase IIb trial. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy and safety of this drug in FD. Methods: Two similar placebo-controlled clinical trials were conducted (International and North America). Males and females, 18–65 years old, with a diagnosis of FD (Rome II) and the absence (by upper endoscopy) of any relevant structural disease were recruited. All were negative for Helicobacter pylori and, if present, heartburn could not exceed one episode per week. Following screening, patients were randomised to itopride 100 mg three times daily or identical placebo. The co-primary end points were: (1) global patient assessment (GPA) of efficacy; and (2) Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire (LDQ). Symptoms were evaluated at weeks 2, 4 and 8. Secondary measures of efficacy included Nepean Dyspepsia Index (NDI) quality of life. Results: The GPA responder rates at week 8 on itopride versus placebo were similar in both trials (45.2% vs 45.6% and 37.8 vs 35.4%, respectively; p = NS). A significant benefit of itopride over placebo was observed for the LDQ responders in the International (62% vs 52.7%, p = 0.04) but not the North American trial (46.9% vs 44.8%). The safety and tolerability profile were comparable with placebo, with the exception of prolactin elevations, which occurred more frequently on itopride (18/579) than placebo (1/591). Conclusion: In this population with FD, itopride did not show a difference in symptom response from placebo.
Virtual Channel Based LLR Calculation for LDPC Coded SC-FDE System in 60-GHz WPAN

To deal with the multi-path delay spread in non- line-of-sight (NLOS) environments, single-carrier frequency- domain equalization (SC-FDE), a.k. a. , single-carrier block transmission (SCBT), is thought to be an effective alternative of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). On the other hand, the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding is considered as the high-performance channel coding scheme due to its good tradeoff between performance and complexity. To facilitate using LDPC for SC-FDE, we proposed a virtual channel based log-likelihood ratio (LLR) calculation method aided by the Unique Word (UW). The proposed method can significantly improve the LDPC decoding performance in SC-FDE system, and does not need additional overhead or complexity. This is very promising to support ultra high-data-rate wireless transmission.
Assessment of muscle mass, risk of falls and fear of falling in elderly people with diabetic neuropathy

Objective : To assess muscle mass, risk of falls and fear of falling in elderly adults with diabetic neuropathy (DNP). Methods : 50 elderly patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic neuropathy (NPD) participated in this study. Risk of falling was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Fear of falling was assessed by means of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). Muscle mass was assessed by tetrapolar bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and Janssen's equation. Subjects were divided into two groups: one with a history of falls in the six months before study enrollment (G1) and the other without history of falls (G2). Results : There were statistically significant differences between G1 and G2 regarding lean body mass (p < 0.05), risk of falls as measured by the BBS (p < 0.01), and fear of falling as measured by the FES-I (p < 0.01). In addition, there was a significant correlation between the BBS and BIA (r = 0.45 and p < 0.01), showing that the greater the lean body mass, the lower the risk of falling. Conclusions : We found an association between lean mass, risk of falls and fear of falling in elderly adults with DNP and a history of falls from own height.
Energy consumption architecture for wireless sensor networks with different clusters

Sensor networking architectures concentrating on the cluster nodes, sensor devices stack protocols, network standards, range of communication networks and standard protocols for riskless performance. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is taking major responsibilities for data transactions; here sensor devices energy consumption is a highly essential part. Ad hoc nodes energy consumption is a primary part to extend the network lifetime. Based on clustering mechanisms life time of sensors and its energy consumption methods metrics of measuring is also vary. We may not modify the predefined WSN architectures, in the mean time some of the possibilities are there in between applications. An emblematic node has an inbuilt sensor system and this fully depending on applications (Sensor network application, Node application and Sensor application). This paper is focusing on sensor nodes energy consumption within its own cluster's support and LEACH protocols.