BandMap: Application Mapping with Bandwidth Allocation forCoarse-Grained Reconfigurable Array

This paper proposes an application mapping algorithm, BandMap, for coarse-grained reconfigurable array (CGRA), which allocates the bandwidth in PE array according to the transferring demands of data, especially the data with high spatial reuse, to reduce the routing PEs. To cover bandwidth allocation, BandMap maps the data flow graphs (DFGs), abstracted from applications, by solving the maximum independent set (MIS) on a mixture of tuple and quadruple resource occupation conflict graph. Compared to a state-of-art BusMap work, Bandmap can achieve reduced routing PEs with the same or even smaller initiation interval (II)

Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities and hypoglycemic effects of soluble dietary fibers purified from Lentinula edodes

Abstract Lentinula edodes (L. edodes), which imparts various health benefits to humans, is considered a novel source of soluble dietary fiber (SDF). In this study, ultrasonic-assisted hot-water method was used to extract SDF (U-SDF) from L. edodes, and physicochemical, antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties of the U-SDF were investigated. Physicochemical properties of U-SDF showed that water solubility, water holding capacity, swelling capacity, and oil holding capacity were higher than that the SDF extracted using hot water method without ultrasonication. The DPPH, •OH, and •O2- radical clearance rates indicated that U-SDF exhibited better antioxidant activities. U-SDF also exhibited notable α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition activities. Treatment with U-SDF alleviated glucose and peroxidation metabolism disorders in vivo. Histological analysis indicated that U-SDF improved the oxidative tissue damage in diabetic mice. These results provided a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of SDF derived from L. edodes

Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharides alleviate hyperglycemia by regulating gut microbiota and its mmetabolites in high-fat diet/streptozocin-induced diabetic mice

IntroductionThe polysaccharides found in Cordyceps cicadae (C. cicadae) have received increasing academic attention owing to their wide variety of therapeutic activities.MethodsThis study evaluated the hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of polysaccharides from C. cicadae (CH-P). In addition, 16s rDNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were used to estimate the changes and regulatory relationships between gut microbiota and its metabolites. The fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was used to verify the therapeutic effects of microbial remodeling.ResultsThe results showed that CH-P treatment displayed hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects and alleviated tissue damage induced by diabetes. The CH-P treatment significantly reduced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increased the abundance of Bacteroides, Odoribacter, Alloprevotella, Parabacteroides, Mucispirillum, and significantly decreased the abundance of Helicobacter and Lactobacillus compared to the diabetic group. The alterations in the metabolic pathways were mostly related to amino acid biosynthesis and metabolic pathways (particularly those involving tryptophan) according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Correlation analysis showed that Bacteroides, Odoribacter, Alloprevotella, Parabacteroides, and Mucispirillum were positively correlated with indole and its derivatives, such as 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid. Indole intervention significantly improved hyperglycemic symptoms and insulin sensitivity, and increased the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in diabetic mice. FMT reduced blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance, and increased insulin sensitivity in diabetic mice. However, FMT did not significantly improve GLP-1 levels.DiscussionThis indicates that C. cicadae polysaccharides alleviate hyperglycemia by regulating the production of metabolites other than indole and its derivatives by gut microbiota. This study provides an important reference for the development of novel natural products

Phase II Efficacy and Pharmacogenomic Study of Selumetinib (AZD6244; ARRY-142886) in Iodine-131 Refractory Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with or without Follicular Elements

A multicenter, open-label, phase II trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of selumetinib in iodine-refractory papillary thyroid cancer (IRPTC)

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Human Cerberus Prevents Nodal-Receptor Binding, Inhibits Nodal Signaling, and Suppresses Nodal-Mediated Phenotypes

<div><p>The Transforming Growth Factor-ß (TGFß) family ligand Nodal is an essential embryonic morphogen that is associated with progression of breast and other cancers. It has therefore been suggested that Nodal inhibitors could be used to treat breast cancers where Nodal plays a defined role. As secreted antagonists, such as Cerberus, tightly regulate Nodal signaling during embryonic development, we undertook to produce human Cerberus, characterize its biochemical activities, and determine its effect on human breast cancer cells. Using quantitative methods, we investigated the mechanism of Nodal signaling, we evaluated binding of human Cerberus to Nodal and other TGFß family ligands, and we characterized the mechanism of Nodal inhibition by Cerberus. Using cancer cell assays, we examined the ability of Cerberus to suppress aggressive breast cancer cell phenotypes. We found that human Cerberus binds Nodal with high affinity and specificity, blocks binding of Nodal to its signaling partners, and inhibits Nodal signaling. Moreover, we showed that Cerberus profoundly suppresses migration, invasion, and colony forming ability of Nodal expressing and Nodal supplemented breast cancer cells. Taken together, our studies provide mechanistic insights into Nodal signaling and Nodal inhibition with Cerberus and highlight the potential value of Cerberus as anti-Nodal therapeutic.</p></div

Teachers’ competences in dealing with instructional constraints to develop higher quality of learning

Competence is usually associated with highly professional performance and there is a direct link in the field of education between a teacher’s professional competence and students’ performance. The present study explores teachers’ competences in dealing with instructional constraints to develop a higher quality of learning. The participants were pre-service junior high school teachers. The analysis includes teachers’ strategies in encountering the various constraints and problem faced by the teachers in conducting teaching and learning process. This study made use of a qualitative research design in which the data were analyzed analytically with deep argumentation and presented descriptively. Data were collected through direct observation and in-depth interviews with the selected junior high school teachers. The findings of the present study indicated that pre-service junior school teachers employed some strategies in dealing with the students' learning constraints which mainly modifying teaching strategies and motivating the students to learn more actively. This study suggests that teachers should continually develop their competence in dealing with various problems found in the classroom

Equilibrium binding and rate constants.

<p>(est): Binding rates were calculated by separately fitting association and dissociation rate constants for each concentration and taking the average of the calculated binding rate constants.</p><p>†: Binding rates were calculated by fitting each individual concentration and taking the average of the calculated binding rate constants.</p><p>Equilibrium binding and rate constants.</p

Cerberus suppresses breast cancer cell colony-forming ability.

<p><b><i>(A)</i></b> Representative images of colony formation assay for MCF-7 (left) and MDA-MB-231 cells (right) (10X magnification). Cells were grown in serum containing medium supplemented with 0 nM (top, control), 17.8 nM (not shown) or 178 nM (bottom) Cerberus. <b><i>(B)</i></b> Analysis of colony formation assay for MCF-7 (right) and MDA-MB-231 (left) cells (3A). Images were analyzed using ImageJ to determine number of colonies. Experiments were carried out with 0 nM (blue), 17.8 nM (red), or 178 nM (green) Cerberus. Colony formation assays were performed in triplicates in 6 well plates.</p

Cerberus ligand binding.

<p><b><i>(A)</i></b> Recombinant Cerberus construct. Full length human Cerberus was fused at the C-terminus to a human Igg1 Fc fragment via a linker containing a TEV cleavage site. <b><i>(B)</i></b> Coomassie Blue stained SDS-PAGE of Cerberus shown on the left side of the panel, Western blot using anti-Cerberus antibody RnD Systems, AF1075 is shown on the right side of the panel. Recombinant Cerberus is purified from Chinese Hamster Ovary cell conditioned medium using protein A capture. Overall, Cerberus-Fc is pure; size heterogeneity may be introduced by variations in glycan structure. The observed smaller Cerberus-Fc fragment could correspond is likely a proteolytic product. We have tested a Cerberus construct that is smaller than the proteolytic product (manuscript in preparation). Nodal binding activity of the shorter Cerberus-Fc is indistinguishable from full-length Cerberus-Fc. <b><i>(C)</i></b> Nodal-Cerberus interaction. Cerberus-Fc was immobilized on an SPR sensor chip and different concentrations of Nodal were injected as shown. The Nodal-Cerberus association constant (<i>k_a</i>) is 1.3×10⁴ M^-1s^-1, the dissociation constant (<i>k_d</i>) is 1.4×10^-5 s^-1, and the equilibrium dissociation constant (<i>K_d</i>) is 1.0 nM. Fitted curves (orange lines) are superimposed over experimental curves. <b><i>(D)</i></b> BMP-2-Cerberus interaction. Cerberus-Fc was immobilized on an SPR sensor chip and different concentrations of BMP-2 were injected as shown. The sensograms could not be fitted to a global kinetic model due to the extremely fast dissociation rate. Single curve fitting and averaging yielded an estimated BMP-2-Cerberus association rate constant (<i>k_a</i>) of ~2.4×10⁴ M^-1s^-1, a dissociation constant (<i>k_d</i>) of ~0.072 s^-1, and an equilibrium dissociation constant (<i>K_d</i>) of ~3,000 nM. <b><i>(E)</i></b> GDF-11-Cerberus interaction. Cerberus-Fc was immobilized on an SPR sensor chip and different concentrations of GDF-11 were injected as shown. The sensograms were fit to a global kinetic model that yielded an association rate constant of 1.2×10³ M^-1s^-1, a dissociation rate constant of 0.014 s^-1, and an equilibrium dissociation constant of 5,800 nM. Fitted curves (grey lines) are superimposed over experimental curves. <b><i>(F)</i></b> Comparison of ligand binding to human Cerberus. Cerberus-Fc was immobilized on an SPR sensor chip and different TGFß family ligands were injected at a concentration of 80 nM as shown. Injections were performed at 40 µl/min. Ligands marked with an asterisk (*), including Nodal, BMP2 and others (Activin A and BMP4), have been shown to interact with Cerberus of different species. Nodal (red) most convincingly binds human Cerberus.</p