Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
miR-520b Regulates Migration of Breast Cancer Cells by Targeting Hepatitis B X-interacting Protein and Interleukin-8*

MicroRNAs play important roles in tumor metastasis. Recently, we reported that the level of miR-520b is inversely related to the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-520b in breast cancer cell migration. We found that miR-520b suppressed the migration of breast cancer cells with high metastatic potential, including MDA-MB-231 and LM-MCF-7 cells, although the inhibition of miR-520b enhanced the migration of low metastatic potential MCF-7 cells. We further discovered that miR-520b directly targets the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of either hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) or interleukin-8 (IL-8), which has been reported to contribute to cell migration. Surprisingly, tissue array assays showed that 75% (38:49) and 94% (36:38) of breast cancer tissues and metastatic lymph tissues, respectively, were positive for HBXIP expression. Moreover, overexpression of HBXIP was able to promote the migration of MCF-7 cells. Interestingly, HBXIP was able to regulate IL-8 transcription by NF-κB, suggesting that the two target genes of miR-520b are functionally connected. In addition, we found that miR-520b could indirectly regulate IL-8 transcription by targeting HBXIP. Thus, we conclude that miR-520b is involved in regulating breast cancer cell migration by targeting HBXIP and IL-8 via a network in which HBXIP promotes migration by stimulating NF-κB-mediated IL-8 expression. These studies point to HBXIP as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.
Abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Copyright © 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society. A 76-year-old woman presents with a 2-day history of left-lower-quadrant pain. A computed tomographic (CT) scan reveals diverticulitis and an incidental 5.6-cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. Her medical history is notable for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity. She is a current smoker, with an 80 pack-year history. How should her case be managed?
Global continuous fields of vegetation characteristics: A linear mixture model applied to multi-year 8 km AVHRR data

As an alternative to the traditional approach of using predefined classification schemes with discrete numbers of cover types to describe the geographic distribution of vegetation over the Earth's land surface, we apply a linear mixture model to derive global continuous fields of percentage woody vegetation, herbaceous vegetation and bare ground from 8 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Pathfinder Land data. Linear discriminants for input into the mixture model are derived from 30 metrics representing the annual phenological cycle, using training data derived from a global network of scenes acquired by Landsat. We test the stability and robustness of the method by assessing the consistency of results derived independently for each year in the 1982 to 1994 AVHRR data set. For those forested locations where land cover variability would not be expected, the percentage woody estimates displayed standard deviations over the 12 years of less than 10%. Problems with the method occur in high latitudes where snow cover in some years and not others produces inconsistencies in the continuous fields. Overall, the results suggest that the method produces fairly consistent results despite apparent problems with artifacts in the multi-year AVHRR data set due to calibration problems, aerosols and other atmospheric effects, bidirectional effects, changes in equatorial crossing time, and other factors. Comparison of continuous fields with other land cover data sets derived from remote sensing suggests 69% to 84% agreement in the per cent woody field, with the highest agreement when per cent woody is averaged over the 12 years. In comparison with regional data sets for the US and Bolivia, the method overestimates per cent woody vegetation for grassland and sparsely wooded locations. We conclude that the method, with possible refinements and more sophisticated methods to include multiple endmembers, improved estimates of endmember values and nonlinear responses of vegetation to proportional cover, can potentially be used to indicate changes in land cover characteristics over time using multi-year data sets as inputs when perfect calibration and consistency between years cannot be assumed.
Fuzzy Logic Control for Lane Change Maneuvers in Lateral Vehicle Guidance

This paper investigates the feasibility of a fuzzy logic control (FLC) algorithm for lateral control in a lane change maneuver in an automated highway system (AHS). The lane change maneuver takes the vehicle from lane following control in one lane to lane following control in an adjacent lane. A lateral accelerometer is the only sensor used for feedback during the maneuver. The rules of the FLC are developed based on human driving experience.
The Effects of the Odstock Drop Foot Stimulator on Perceived Quality of Life for People With Stroke and Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction. Gait speed is often used as a proxy for gait quality. However, some users of FES devices for correction of dropped foot choose to continue to use the device despite no significant change in speed. The Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) was used to evaluate the effects of the Odstock Dropped Foot Stimulator (ODFS) on perceived quality of life (QOL) for people with stroke and multiple sclerosis (MS) and was compared with change in walking speed. Method. A total of 21 people with stroke and 20 with MS completed the PIADS questionnaire after 18 weeks of using the ODFS. Walking speed was recorded more than 10 m with and without stimulation. Results. Both groups recorded positive median scores for all three sections of the PIADS questionnaire: Competence (1.25 stroke, 0.91 MS), Adaptability (1.25 stroke, 0.50 MS), and Self‐esteem (0.88 stroke, 0.75 MS). These were significantly greater for the stroke than the MS group for Competence, p= 0.04 and Adaptability, p= 0.006. There was no significant correlation between changes in PIADS and changes in walking speed. Conclusions. FES for correction of dropped foot has a beneficial effect on perceived QOL for people with stroke and MS but this is not correlated with an objective measures of gait.
Few-mode fiber optical parametric amplifier

A few-mode fiber with a central depressed index region is designed for few-mode fiber parametric amplification. Such a design allows the zero dispersion wavelengths of both the LP<sub>01</sub> and the LP<sub>11</sub> modes shifted to the center of the C band. High gain and large bandwidth parametric amplification is demonstrate for both the LP<sub>01</sub> and the LP<sub>11</sub> modes in a single fiber.
The Incidence of Eye Injuries in Sports

Squash 24 18 6 Soccer 19 19 0 Badminton 16 6 10 Tennis 11 9 2 Rugby 6 6 0 Cricket 5 4 1 Basketball 3 1 2 Hockey 3 2 1 Golf 2 2 0 Marbles 1 1 0 Karate 1 1 0 Lacrosse 1 0 1 TOTALS 92 69 23 Contusion: eg racket sports, football, boxing Perforating: eg squash, golf Radiation: (Including UV) e.g. ski-ing, sailing, climbing Black eye Subconjunctival haemorrhage Hyphaema Iridodialysis Angle recession Cataract Retinal detachment / tear Commotio retinae Blowout fracture Corneal lacerations Iris prolapse Subluxation of crystalline lens Intraocular foreign bodies Photokeratitis Cortical cataracts Pterygium
Introgressive Hybrids of Arisaema sikokianum and A. tosaense (Araceae) Confirmed through Nuclear and Chloroplast DNA Comparisons

Morphologically putative introgressive hybrids of Arisaema sikokianum Franch. et Sav. and A. tosaense Makino were newly found in Kochi and Tokushima Prefectures in Japan. All the individuals have the same morphological characteristics as A. tosaense excluding a purple spathe. Molecular analysis using PCR-RFLP of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) in nuclear DNA (nrDNA) indicates that these putative introgressive hybrids have the same pattern as A. tosaense. Moreover, the sequences of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) of the putative introgressive hybrids were identical to A. sikokianum from Kochi Prefecture and A. tosaense from Tokushima Prefecture. The results suggest that the plants are introgressive hybrids of A. sikokianum and A. tosaense and that they have highly exchanged genes with A. tosaense.
Analysis of the DNA-binding and dimerization activities of Neurospora crassa transcription factor NUC-1

NUC-1, a positive regulatory protein of Neurospora crassa, controls the expression of several unlinked target genes involved in phosphorus acquisition. The carboxy-terminal end of the NUC-1 protein has sequence similarity to the helix-loop-helix family of transcription factors. Bacterially expressed and in vitro-synthesized proteins, which consist of the carboxy-terminal portion of NUC-1, bind specifically to upstream sequences of two of its target genes, pho2+ and pho-4+. These upstream sequences contain the core sequence, CACGTG, a target for many helix-loop-helix proteins. A large loop region (47 amino acids) separates the helix I and helix II domains. Mutations and deletion within the loop region did not interfere with the in vitro or in vivo functions of the protein. Immediately carboxy-proximal to the helix II domain, the NUC-1 protein contains an atypical zipper domain which is essential for function. This domain consists of a heptad repeat of alanine and methionine rather than leucine residues. Analysis of mutant NUC-1 proteins suggests that the helix II and the zipper domains are essential for the protein dimerization, whereas the basic and the helix I domains are involved in DNA binding. The helix I domain, even though likely to participate in dimer formation while NUC-1 is bound to DNA, is not essential for in vitro dimerization.
Dietary omega-3 fatty acids and the risk for age-related maculopathy: the Alienor Study.

PURPOSE Previous studies have suggested a lower risk for age-related maculopathy (ARM) in subjects with high dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The authors report the associations of ARM with past dietary intakes in French elderly subjects. METHODS The Alienor Study is a population-based epidemiologic study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in residents of Bordeaux 73 years of age and older. Six hundred sixty-six subjects (1289 eyes) with complete data were included in the analyses. ARM was classified from retinal photographs taken in 2006 to 2008 in five exclusive stages: late neovascular ARM (n = 21 subjects, 29 eyes); late atrophic ARM (n = 19 subjects, 33 eyes); large soft indistinct drusen and/or reticular drusen and/or large distinct drusen with pigment abnormalities (early ARM2, n = 67 subjects, 100 eyes); large soft distinct drusen alone or pigment abnormalities alone (early ARM1, n = 119 subjects, 163 eyes); and no ARM (n = 440 subjects, 964 eyes). Dietary intakes were estimated from a 24-hour dietary recall performed by dieticians (2001-2002). Associations were estimated using logistic Generalized Estimating Equation. RESULTS After multivariate adjustment, subjects with high intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFA showed a decreased risk for early ARM1 (odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.71-0.98; P = 0.03) and late neovascular ARM (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08-0.83; P = 0.02). Associations with late atrophic ARM were in the same direction but did not reach statistical significance (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.52-1.06; P = 0.10). Overall, high intakes of long-chain omega-3 PUFA were associated with reduced risk for late ARM (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.88; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS These results confirm a decreased risk for ARM in subjects with high intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFA.
Oil Price Shocks and the Nigeria Economy: A Variance Autoregressive (VAR) Model

Oil prices have been highly volatile since the end of World War II. The volatility becomes even more serious in recent time. This has implications for the economies of oil exporting countries, particularly oil dependent countries like Nigeria. The paper examined the impact of these fluctuations on macroeconomic of Nigeria. Using VAR, the impact of crude oil price changes on four key macroeconomic variables was examined. The results show that oil prices have significant impact on real GDP, money supply and unemployment. It impact on the fourth variable, consumer price index is not significant. This implies that three key macroeconomic variables in Nigeria are significantly explained by exogenous and the highly volatile variable. Hence, the economy is vulnerable to external shocks. Consequently, the macroeconomic performance will be volatile and macroeconomic management will become difficult. Diversification of the economy is necessary in order to minimize the consequences of external shocks.
Some Issues in Korean Syntax and Processing: Rethinking Scope

The standard view of how the language faculty is organized posits both a grammar, which is responsible for matters of well-formedness, and a processor, which uses grammatical information as it goes about producing and interpreting sentence in the course of actual speech (e.g., Fodor 1989:177ff, Frazier & Clifton 1996:9 & 25, Frazier 1998:126, Jackendoff 2002:31 & 57). Moreover, on most accounts, there is a sharp asymmetry in the relationship between the two cognitive systems: the processor is subservient to the grammar. The ‘most basic assumption about the nature of the human sentence processor,’ Ferreira, Christianson, & Hollingworth (2001:13) write, is ‘that it obeys the fundamental principles of grammar when constructing interpretations. ’ This notwithstanding, it is widely recognized that there is a certain tension between the grammar and the processor, in that either system could in principle be responsible for the unacceptability of particular types of sentences. A very early example of this tension is exemplified in the work of Fodor (1978), who suggested that the contrast between sentences such as the following was better attributed to a processing constraint than a syntactic principle.
Cellular mechanisms of cold stress-related immunosuppression and the action of interleukin 1.

Recent studies of the immunomodulatory cytokines, especially interleukin 1 (IL-1), as the mediators of immunoneuroendocrine links have suggested their important physiological role in the development of host resistance during stress reaction. The present study examined the effects of cold stress (-20 degrees C, 20 min) in rats on the value of humoral immune response, lymphocyte activating factor (LAF) production by peritoneal macrophages, as well as IL-1 beta action on lymphocyte proliferation, and the level of general antibody titers. Cold stress exposure led to a considerable elevation of corticosterone (Cs) in rat blood serum and to pronounced suppression of humoral immune response. This kind of experimental stress induced peritoneal macrophages in rats to release LAF without additional stimulation within 24 h after termination of cooling. At the same time LAF production by macrophages after their additional stimulation by LPS in vivo and heat-killed staphylococcus in vitro was decreased during cold stress reaction. Cold stress exposure suppressed the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to proliferate in response to concomitant action of IL-1 beta. Immunoprotective effect of rat recombinant IL-1 beta administrated i.p. to rats before cooling was revealed. It is suggested that IL-1 beta modulates immunological and neuroendocrine responses to stress and plays a critical physiological role in realization of stress reaction.
Technical quality of root fillings in an adult Swedish population.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the technical quality of root fillings in a sample representative of the Swedish population. The material consisted of radiographs of the mandibular premolar and molar regions from 861 individuals (20–60 years old). Pulpoiomies and root fillings were registered and the periapical status and the technical quality of the root fillings were evaluated. The results showed that more than 60% of the root-filled teeth were inadequately sealed. The defect most commonly found was incomplete obturation of the root canal. Periapical lesions were observed in 31% of the root-filled teeth. In teelh with completely obturated root canals, only 7% had a periapical lesion, as compared to 45% of the teeth with inadequately sealed root canals.
Channel Modeling and Characterization for Visible Light Communications

In this paper, we present a comprehensive channel modeling and characterization study for visible light communications. Our study is based on ray tracing, which allows for an accurate description of the interaction of rays emitted from the lighting source within a specified confined space. Contrary to existing works, which are mainly limited to ideal Lambertian sources and purely diffuse reflections, our approach is capable of obtaining channel impulse responses (CIRs) for any nonideal sources, as well as specular and mixed specular-diffuse reflections. Furthermore, we can precisely reflect the presence of objects (e.g., furniture) and wavelength-dependent reflection characteristics of surface materials (e.g., ceilings, floor, walls, and furniture) in a channel study. As case studies, we consider a number of indoor environments with various dimensions and different surface materials, i.e., plaster, gloss paint, wood, aluminum metal, and glass. We further consider various scenarios with different transmitter specifications (i.e., single versus multiple transmitters and array type) and receiver specifications (i.e., location and rotation). For each environment, we obtain CIRs and present a channel characterization study where channel parameters, such as channel DC gain, root mean square (RMS) delay spread, coherence bandwidth, and mean excess delay, are obtained. We also make one-to-one comparisons between infrared and visible-light CIRs for the same environments to emphasize the differences between two optical bands.
Financial decision making: teacher involvement and the need for trust

Suggests that a desire on the part of teachers to be more involved in the corporate affairs of the school may stem from a lack of trust in the decision makers and the decision‐making processes. To assist those involved in the management of schools, presents a theoretical framework for research and a financial decision‐making model, based on the establishment of a management philosophy built on trust. Demonstrates how this model helps to differentiate management and classroom or technical decisional issues. Identifies the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the processes. Outlines procedures for effective financial decision making at the school site.
The Virtual Environment Performance Assessment Battery (VEPAB):Development and Evaluation1

The Virtual Environment Performance Assessment Battery (VEPAB) is a set of tasks developed to support research on training applications of virtual environment (VE) technology. VEPAB measures human performance on vision, locomotion, tracking, object manipulation, and reaction time tasks performed in three-dimensional, interactive VEs. It can be used to provide a general orientation for interacting in VEs and to determine both entry level performance and skill acquisition of users. In addition, VEPAB allows comparison of task performance, side effects and aftereffects, and subjective reactions across different VE systems. By providing benchmarks of human performance, VEPAB can promote continuity in training research involving different technologies, separate research facilities, and dissimilar subject populations. This paper describes the development of VEPAB and summarizes the results of two experiments, one to test the sensitivity of the tasks to differences between input control devices and the other to examine practice effects.
A Fitness Monitoring System based on Fusion of Visual and Sensorial Information

We present a method that recognizes exercising activities performed by a single human in the context of a real home environment. Towards this end, we combine sensorial information stemming from a smartphone accelerometer, with visual information from a simple web camera. Low-level features inspired from the audio analysis domain are used to represent the accelerometer data, while simple frame-wise features are used in the visual channel. Extensive experiments prove that the fusion approach achieves 95% of overall performance when user calibration is adopted, which is a 4% performance boosting compared to the best individual modality which is the accelerometer data.
Selective Inhibition of HIV‐1 Reverse Transcriptase (HIV‐1 RT) RNase H by Small RNA Hairpins and Dumbbells

We present here the design of a novel class of RNA inhibitors of the RNase H domain of HIV‐1 RT, a ribonuclease activity that is essential for viral replication in vivo. Specifically, we show that small RNA hairpins and dumbbells can selectively inhibit the RNase H activity of HIV‐1 RT without affecting other cellular RNases H (e.g., E. coli and human RNase H). These results suggest that the inhibitors do not interact with the nucleic acid binding site of RT RNase H, as this region should be well conserved among the various enzymes. The most potent inhibitors displayed IC50 values in the 3–8 μM range. Remarkably, the DNA polymerase activity, an intrinsic property of HIV RT, was not inhibited by the hairpin and dumbbell aptamers, a property not previously observed for any nucleic acid aptamer directed against RT RNase H. The results described here suggest a noncompetitive binding mechanism, as outlined in the differential inhibitory characteristics of each of the nucleic acid aptamers against the bacterial, human, and viral RNase H homologues.
Multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction block in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis on infliximab therapy.

within synovial fluid is not known and remains speculative. Two cases of bisphosphonate-induced pseudogout are reported in the literature, in association with cyclical oral etidronate [3] and intravenous pamidronate [4]. This is the first report of acute pseudogout following alendronate therapy, despite its widespread use as a daily preparation. In this case the more novel weekly preparation was used, and it may be that acute pseudogout is more likely to occur with the higher-dose weekly bisphosphonates. As weekly formulations become more popular, it will be of interest to see if further cases of acute pseudogout are reported.
Measuring Market Orientation: Further Evidence on Narver and Slater's Three-Component Scale

A mail survey of a national random sample of 2,000 marketing managers was conducted. The data provided by 222 respondents were analyzed to assess the dimensionality of Narver and Slater's 15-item measure of market orientation. A confirmatory factor analysis, using LISREL 8.53, provided support for each of the separate dimensions of customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. However, a combined 3-factor model of market orientation was not supported. Directions for research are suggested.