Malignant phyllodes tumors display mesenchymal stem cell features and aldehyde dehydrogenase/disialoganglioside identify their tumor stem cells.

IntroductionAlthough breast phyllodes tumors are rare, there is no effective therapy other than surgery. Little is known about their tumor biology. A malignant phyllodes tumor contains heterologous stromal elements, and can transform into rhabdomyosarcoma, liposarcoma and osteosarcoma. These versatile properties prompted us to explore their possible relationship to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and to search for the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in phyllodes tumors.MethodsParaffin sections of malignant phyllodes tumors were examined for various markers by immunohistochemical staining. Xenografts of human primary phyllodes tumors were established by injecting freshly isolated tumor cells into the mammary fat pad of non-obese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) mice. To search for CSCs, xenografted tumor cells were sorted into various subpopulations by flow cytometry and examined for their in vitro mammosphere forming capacity, in vivo tumorigenicity in NOD-SCID mice and their ability to undergo differentiation.ResultsImmunohistochemical analysis revealed the expression of the following 10 markers: CD44, CD29, CD106, CD166, CD105, CD90, disialoganglioside (GD2), CD117, Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH), and Oct-4, and 7 clinically relevant markers (CD10, CD34, p53, p63, Ki-67, Bcl-2, vimentin, and Globo H) in all 51 malignant phyllodes tumors examined, albeit to different extents. Four xenografts were successfully established from human primary phyllodes tumors. In vitro, ALDH+ cells sorted from xenografts displayed approximately 10-fold greater mammosphere-forming capacity than ALDH- cells. GD2+ cells showed a 3.9-fold greater capacity than GD2- cells. ALDH+/GD2+cells displayed 12.8-fold greater mammosphere forming ability than ALDH-/GD2- cells. In vivo, the tumor-initiating frequency of ALDH+/GD2+ cells were up to 33-fold higher than that of ALDH+ cells, with as few as 50 ALDH+/GD2+ cells being sufficient for engraftment. Moreover, we provided the first evidence for the induction of ALDH+/GD2+ cells to differentiate into neural cells of various lineages, along with the observation of neural differentiation in clinical specimens and xenografts of malignant phyllodes tumors. ALDH+ or ALDH+/GD2+ cells could also be induced to differentiate into adipocytes, osteocytes or chondrocytes.ConclusionsOur findings revealed that malignant phyllodes tumors possessed many characteristics of MSC, and their CSCs were enriched in ALDH+ and ALDH+/GD2+ subpopulations

A novel algorithm for the signal interpolation of the displacement measurement based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer

Current commercial interferometers reveal excellent measurement performances, because of its major advantage which enables the displacement measurement with the characterization of the high resolution under the large measuring range. Fabry-Perot interferometer is a compact interferometer with the structure of common optical path. In comparison with the ordinary commercial laser interferometers having non-common optical path, Fabry-Perot interferometer is more insensitive to environmental disturbances. But the disadvantages of Fabry-Perot interferometer are the limited measuring range and the considerable visibility decadence of the interference pattern. To enlarge the measuring range, the folded Fabry-Perot interferometer in which a corner cube reflector severs as the measurement mirror has been proposed in the previous research. However, either the conventional Fabry-Perot interferometer or the folded Fabry-Perot interferometer still have the problem of the considerable visibility decadence of the interference pattern. When the length of optical cavity is changed, the overlapped state of the laser beams will be varied strongly. Hence, it is indispensible to offer a proper signal interpolation algorithm for various signal distributions during the displacement measurement in the whole measuring range. An advanced signal interpolation algorithm for the above-mentioned Fabry-Perot interferometer has been proposed in this investigation. The novel algorithm is able to solve the problem of the displacement measurement due to the considerable visibility decadence of the interference pattern. With this algorithm, a high precision displacement measurement in the large measuring range can be realized by the folded Fabry-Perot interferomete

A Collaborative Model for Calculus Reform-A Preliminary Report

Abstract For the past two decades, both pros and cons of calculus reform have been discussed. A question often asked is, "Has the calculus reform project improved students' understanding of mathematics?" The advocates of the reform movement claim that reform-based calculus may help students gain an intuitive understanding of mathematical propositions and have a better grasp of the real-world applications. Nonetheless, many still question its effect and argue that calculus reform purges calculus of its mathematical rigor and poorly prepares students for advanced mathematical training. East Asian students often rank in the top 10 of TIMSS and PISA. However, out-performing others in an international comparison may not guarantee their success in the learning of calculus. Taiwanese college students usually have a high failure rate in calculus. The National Science Council of Taiwan therefore initiated several projects in 2008 for improving students' learning in calculus. This paper provides a preliminary report on one of the projects, PLEASE, and discusses how it was planned to respond to the tenets of calculus reform movement

Automatic calibration system for micro-displacement devices

With the industrial development and the advances in micro - displacement technology, the demands on piezo transducers are increasing. For piezo transducers, the error inspections of the non-linearity and the hysteresis are necessary procedure before piezo transducers utilized. Due to the possible decline or damage during the employment of the transducers, it is important to provide the automatic calibration system. In this investigation, a self-developed automatic calibration system for micro-displacement devices is proposed. The automatic system according to the international specification of ASTM-E2309 has been developed. This system designed for the calibration of piezo transducers is based on the interferometric structure of the common optical path and possesses the resolution of the nanometer order. The experimental verifications demonstrate that the repeatability of the Fabry-Perot interferometer is less than 11 nm. Experimental results of the synchronic measurement with the self-developed interferometer and a commercial interferometer reveal that the differences of the maximum nonlinearity error and maximum hysteresis error are less than 1%. With the proposed correct equations, the maximum non-linearity error can be minimized to 1% and the maximum hysteresis error will be less than 5.2%

Recurrent disturbances and the degradation of hard coral communities in Taiwan

Recurrent disturbances can have a critical effect on the structure and function of coral reef communities. In this study, long-term changes were examined in the hard coral community at Wanlitung, in southern Taiwan, between 1985 and 2010. In this 26 year interval, the reef has experienced repeated disturbances that include six typhoons and two coral-bleaching events. The frequency of disturbance has meant that species susceptible to disturbance, such as those in the genus Acropora and Montipora have almost disappeared from the reef. Indeed, almost all hard coral species have declined in abundance, with the result that total hard coral cover in 2010 (17.7%) was less than half what it was in 1985 (47.5%). In addition, macro-algal cover has increased from 11.3% in 2003 to 28.5% in 2010. The frequency of disturbance combined with possible chronic influence of a growing human population mean that a diverse reef assemblage is unlikely to persist on this reef into the future

Optimization of the optical parameters in Fabry-Perot interferometer

Due to insensitivity to the environmental disturbances, Fabry-Perot interferometers are suitable for displacement measurements under ordinary conditions. In the structure of folded Fabry-Perot interferometer, the results of the signal subdivision are affected by the optical parameters in the resonant cavity. In this paper, the analysis of the Fabry-Perot interferometer for the measurement of the micro-displacement and the long-distance are investigated. By considering the reflectance of the planar mirror and the intensity loss in the resonant cavity, the parameters of systematic optimization which are suitable for the measurement of the micro-displacement and the long-distance are proposed. The experimental and simulated results reveal that the intensity loss in the resonant cavity is 86% and the optimized reflectance of the planar mirror is 12%