Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ERG Status Is Unrelated to PSA Recurrence in Radically Operated Prostate Cancer in the Absence of Antihormonal Therapy

Purpose: About 50% of prostate cancers have TMPRSS2–ERG fusions with concurrent ERG overexpression. The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical differences exist between ERG-positive and ERG-negative cancers in surgically treated patients not exposed to antihormonal therapy. A secondary aim was to search for differences between these tumor classes. Experimental Design: A tissue microarray containing samples from more than 2,800 prostate cancers with clinical data was analyzed for ERG alterations by immunohistochemistry and FISH. Results were compared with tumor phenotype, biochemical recurrence, and molecular features considered important for prostate cancer. The effect of ERG on androgen receptor (AR)-dependent transcription was analyzed in cell lines. Results: ERG expression was found in 52.4% of 2,805 cancers with a 95% concordance between ERG expression and ERG gene rearrangement detected by FISH. ERG expression was unrelated to clinical outcome and tumor phenotype. Differences in AMACR, Annexin A3, Bcl2, CD10, ALCAM, chromogranin A, epidermal growth factor receptor, HER2, mTOR, p53, and synaptophysin status were significant but minimal in absolute numbers. The most striking difference was found for AR expression, which was markedly higher in ERG-positive cancers. In vitro studies showed ERG-dependent impairment of AR-mediated transcriptional activity. Conclusions: The striking similarities between these two types of prostate cancers rules out a major impact of ERG on tumor aggressiveness in early, not hormonally treated cancer. The marked difference in AR levels between ERG-positive and -negative cancers supports a systematic difference in potential response to hormonal therapy as previously observed in clinical trials. Clin Cancer Res; 17(18); 5878–88. ©2011 AACR.
Methacrylate hydrogels reinforced with bacterial cellulose

Composite hydrogels consisting of nanofibrous bacterial cellulose (BC) embedded in a biocompatible polymeric matrix of various methacrylates were synthesized by UV polymerization using the ever-wet technique. The effect of monomer(s) type and ratio, system dilution at polymerization, monomer(s) hydrophilicity, crosslink density and cellulose/hydrogel ratio was investigated. The effect of BC reinforcement on equilibrium swelling depends on whether the neat gel swells more when brought into contact with water. The major improvement achieved by introduction of 1%2% BC concerns mechanical properties. Compared with neat gels, the storage shear modulus G' increased by a factor 10-20, and the loss part G? also rose significantly. The compression modulus ranged from 2 to 5.5 MPa for composites swollen to equilibrium (20-70 wt% water). The BC-hydrogel composites are considered for application in the tissue engineering area.
Prognostic value of sarcopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Sarcopenia is a common syndrome in chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis. The association between sarcopenia and outcomes, such as complications and survival has recently been described in various patient groups. However, study results remain inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review the impact of sarcopenia on outcome in patients with cirrhosis. Methods and findings We conducted a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) on the impact of sarcopenia on outcome in liver cirrhosis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Of the 312 studies identified, 20 were eligible according to our inclusion criteria. Most of the studies used CT to diagnose sarcopenia. Two studies used bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), 10 studies used skeletal muscle index (SMI) and 8 studies used total psoas muscle area (TPA). Seven studies included Asian participants and the remaining 13 studies included Western participants. The prevalence rate of sarcopenia among participants was mean 48.1%, and appeared more among men with a rate of 61.6% whereas the rate was 36% for women. With respect to clinical outcomes, patients with sarcopenia had poorer survival rates and an increased risk of complications such as infection compared to those without sarcopenia. According to the analysis of race subgroup, Asians had a HR 2.45 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.44–4.16, P = 0.001) of mortality whereas Westerners had a HR 1.45 (95% CI = 1.002–2.09, P<0.05). Conclusions Based on this SR and MA, the presence of sarcopenia is related to a poor prognosis and occurrence of cirrhotic complications and could be used for risk assessment. Moreover, Asian participants had higher mortality related to sarcopenia compared to the Western participants.
Hybrid Position and Image Based Visual Servoing for mobile robots

Visual servoing requires the target object to be in the field of view of the camera all the time. At the same time, we also want to achieve optimal path planning and controllability of the robot pose. This paper presents a new hybrid fuzzy control method for visual servoing of mobile robots to meet these requirements. IBVS (Image Based Visual Servoing) calculates the motion plan directly from the image space using the inverse image Jacobian so that the target object always stays within the field of view. In contrast, PBVS (Position Based Visual Servoing) uses an image-to-work space transform to plan an optimal pose trajectory directly in the cartesian. The proposed fuzzy control then integrates these two types of visual servoing through a warning signal indicating the target may escape the field of view. Also, we use the neural network for the prediction of the target position for a robust timely tracking of the object. Simulation and real experimental work based on MORIS, our mobile robot test bed, verify the efficacy of this approach.
Expression of Cx26, Cx32 AND Cx43 gap junction proteins in normal and neoplastic human tissues

This report concerns the expression of the gapjunction proteins Connexin (Cx)26, 32 and 43 in different malignant and nonmalignant human tissues. Affinitypurified polyclonal antibodies against Cx26, 32 and 43 were used for immunohistochemical as well as immunoblot analysis. Cx32, the major gapjunction protein in rat and mouse liver, was detected in human liver and kidney. By contrast, Cx43 was expressed in epithelial and mesenchymal tissues and Cx26 was detected in different epithelia. Whereas all of the benign tumors studied, and some malignant ones, showed stable expression of gapjunction proteins, breast cancer, renalcell cancer and sarcomas showed a significant decrease in gapjunction proteins as opposed to normal tissue. Cx43, not detected in human normal liver, was found in human hepatocellular carcinoma and Cx26, not detected in human adult skin, was observed in tissue samples of basalcell carcinoma. In immunoblot analysis, Cx32 antibodies recognized a 27‐kDa protein in human liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. A 43‐kDa polypeptide was detected in human kidney, renalcell carcinoma, normal breast, connective tissue of invasiveduct carcinoma of the breast and hepatocellular carcinoma. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What does mos do in oocytes and somatic cells?

Mos, a protein kinase, is specifically expressed and functions during meiotic maturation (or G2/M progression) of vertebrate oocytes. When expressed ectopically, however, it can also readily induce oncogenic transformation (or uncontrolled G1/S transitions) in somatic cells. In both of these cell types, Mos activates mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), which seems largely to mediate its different functions in both oocyte maturation and cellular transformation. In oocyte maturation, the Mos‐MAPK pathway probably serves to activate and stabilize M‐phase promoting factor (MPF) (possibly by inhibiting some negative regulator(s) of this factor), while in cellular transformation, it seems to stabilize and activate the nuclear oncoprotein c‐Fos as well as to induce transcription of its gene. Thus, the different functions of Mos in oocytes and somatic cells may arise chiefly from its different MAPK‐mediated targets in the respective cell types. This review discusses the cellular basis that may enable Mos to act differently in oocytes and somatic cells.
What Is Sensitive Skin? A Systematic Literature Review of Objective Measurements

Despite sensitive skin being highly prevalent, no consensus on the definition and pathomechanism of sensitive skin exists. Here we report the results of a systematic literature review of diagnostic methods for sensitive skin at clinical, histological and biophysical levels. A systematic search revealed 27 out of 1,701 articles which we appraised in detail. Impaired skin barrier function and increased vascular reactivity are most often associated with sensitive skin. We identified key reasons causing an ambiguity around the sensitive skin phenomenon. We propose using standardized selection methods of subjects by a multifactorial questionnaire spanning a range of provocations, including those of chemical, mechanical and environmental origin, followed by clinical, histological and top-notch biophysical measurements. This could lead to a breakthrough in the understanding of the sensitive skin phenomenon, fueling advances of biomedical and dermatological science. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
Analysis System of Speech Acts and Discourse Structures Using Maximum Entropy Model

We propose a statistical dialogue analysis model to determine discourse structures as well as speech acts using maximum entropy model. The model can automatically acquire probabilistic discourse knowledge from a discourse tagged corpus to resolve ambiguities. We propose the idea of tagging discourse segment boundaries to represent the structural information of discourse. Using this representation we can effectively combine speech act analysis and discourse structure analysis in one framework.
Allocating Modules to Processors in a Distributed System

The author studies the complexity of the problem of allocating modules to processes in a distributed system to minimize total communication and execution costs. He shows that unless P=NP, there can be no polynomial-time epsilon -approximate algorithm for the problem, nor can there exist a local search algorithm that requires polynomial time per iteration and yields an optimum assignment. Both results hold even if the communication graph is planar and bipartite. On the positive side, it is shown that if the communication graph is a partial k-tree or an almost-tree with parameter k, the module allocation problem can be solved in polynomial time. >
GAP-43 in growth cones is associated with areas of membrane that are tightly bound to substrate and is a component of a membrane skeleton subcellular fraction

To ascertain the subcellular localization of the growth-associated protein GAP-43 in growth cones, we isolated growth cones from the forebrains of neonatal rats. Anti-GAP-43 immunoreactivity in these isolated growth cones (IGCs) resembled that seen in cultured growth cones in 2 respects: First, in substrate-attached IGCs, as in cultured growth cones, immunoreactivity was intracellular, punctate, and extended throughout the IGCs and their processes. Second, when IGCs were dislodged from this substrate, patches of membrane that were highly immunoreactive for GAP-43 were left behind. Extracting IGCs in nonionic detergents revealed that almost all the particulate GAP-43 colocalized with a membrane skeleton fraction: It was not present in the cytoskeleton. The association of GAP-43 with the membrane skeleton was not due to nonspecific aggregation, nor was it calcium dependent. Examination of this fraction under the electron microscope showed it to consist of membrane fragments associated with amorphous material that could be visualized with tannic acid. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that anti-GAP-43 immunoreactivity was localized to this amorphous material. Fodrin, talin, and a-actinin immunoreactivity could be detected in the membrane skeleton fraction, and actin and tubulin were also identifiable from SDS gels. The association of GAP-43 with the membrane skeleton, which by analogy with other cell types is involved in the dynamic regulation of cell shape, implies that GAP-43 in growth cones may be involved in this function.
High Throughput Genome-Wide Survey of Small RNAs from the Parasitic Protists Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis

RNA interference (RNAi) is a set of mechanisms which regulate gene expression in eukaryotes. Key elements of RNAi are small sense and antisense RNAs from 19 to 26 nt generated from double-stranded RNAs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a major type of RNAi-associated small RNAs and are found in most eukaryotes studied to date. To investigate whether small RNAs associated with RNAi appear to be present in all eukaryotic lineages, and therefore present in the ancestral eukaryote, we studied two deep-branching protozoan parasites, Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis. Little is known about endogenous small RNAs involved in RNAi of these organisms. Using Illumina Solexa sequencing and genome-wide analysis of small RNAs from these distantly related deep-branching eukaryotes, we identified 10 strong miRNA candidates from Giardia and 11 from Trichomonas. We also found evidence of Giardia short-interfering RNAs potentially involved in the expression of variant-specific surface proteins. In addition, eight new small nucleolar RNAs from Trichomonas are identified. Our results indicate that miRNAs are likely to be general in ancestral eukaryotes and therefore are likely to be a universal feature of eukaryotes.
Block placement for reduced delay uncertainty in high performance clock distribution networks

Uncertainty in the delay of the clock signal is introduced by a number of factors that affect the clock distribution network, examples of which include process and environmental parameter variations and interconnect noise. The more strict the setup and hold time constraints of a combinational data path, the more sensitive the timing of a data path is to delay uncertainty. A design methodology to reduce the delay uncertainty of the clock signal, particularly at the most critical data paths within a system is presented in this paper. A placement algorithm is utilized that is based on the sequence-pair placement representation which determines the minimal placement area for a set of circuit blocks. The sequence-pair placement approach is modified to prioritize the placement of the blocks containing the critical registers of a circuit. The cost function for placement is also modified. Alternatively to minimal area, the placement objective for the critical blocks is to minimize the non-common portion of the clock tree among the registers of the critical blocks. Once the placement of the critical blocks is determined, the remaining blocks in a circuit are being placed. The proposed methodology is applied to a set of benchmark circuits. It is demonstrated that a reduction of up to 77% on the non-common portion among the critical clock paths can be achieved. The tradeoff of this approach is an increase of up to 9% in the total circuit area
Network Traffic Obfuscation and Automated Internet Censorship

Internet censors seek ways to identify and block internet access to information they deem objectionable. Increasingly, censors deploy advanced networking tools such as deep-packet inspection (DPI) to identify such connections. In response, activists and academic researchers have developed and deployed network traffic obfuscation mechanisms. These apply specialized cryptographic tools to attempt to hide from DPI the true nature and content of connections. In this survey, we give an overview of network traffic obfuscation and its role in circumventing Internet censorship. We provide historical and technical background that motivates the need for obfuscation tools, and give an overview of approaches to obfuscation used by state of the art tools. We discuss the latest research on how censors might detect these efforts. We also describe the current challenges to censorship circumvention research and identify concrete ways for the community to address these challenges.
Robust Real-Time Visual SLAM Using Scale Prediction and Exemplar Based Feature Description

Two major limitations of real-time visual SLAM algorithms are the restricted range of views over which they can operate and their lack of robustness when faced with erratic camera motion or severe visual occlusion. In this paper we describe a visual SLAM algorithm which addresses both of these problems. The key component is a novel feature description method which is both fast and capable of repeat-able correspondence matching over a wide range of viewing angles and scales. This is achieved in real-time by using a SIFT-like spatial gradient descriptor in conjunction with efficient scale prediction and exemplar based feature representation. Results are presented illustrating robust realtime SLAM operation within an office environment.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Habit in the physical activity domain : integration with intention stability and action control

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Susceptibility to endotoxin induced uveitis is not reduced in mice deficient in BLT1, the high affinity leukotriene B4 receptor

Aim: To investigate the role of arachidonic acid derived chemotactic factor, LTB4, in the development of endotoxin induced uveitis (EIU), using mice deficient in the BLT1 gene which encodes the high affinity LTB4 receptor. Methods: BLT1 gene deficient and wild type BALB/c mice were injected intravitreally with Escherichia coli 055:B5 lipopolysaccharide (250 ng/2 μl). Number of leukocytes invading the anterior chamber 24 hours later were counted on tissue cross sections. Results: In all mice, EIU was characterised by a polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cell infiltrate. Numbers of infiltrating cells did not differ significantly between control and BLT1 gene knockout mice. Conclusion: Chemotactic factors other than LTB4 are primarily responsible for leukocyte migration into the eye during murine EIU.
Shipbuilding and mesothelioma in Monfalcone, Italy

The Monfalcone area, northeastern Italy, a small industrial district with large shipyards, shows a high incidence of asbestos-related mesothelioma. In order to reconstruct some features of the Monfalcone shipbuilding activity during World War II and its health effects, the shipyard roll were examined, and people hired in 1942 were identified. The list of 2,776 persons hired in 1942 was coupled with the Pathological Anatomy Units archives of the Monfalcone and the Trieste Hospitals. Eighteen of the above persons had been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in the period 1981-2005. Eight patients had their first exposure in 1942, and the others had histories of previous exposures. Of 557 persons aged 14-15 years in 1942, six had a diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma. Necropsy findings were available in 14 cases. The burdens of lung asbestos bodies, isolated in 11 cases, showed wide variation (from 150 to 600,000 bodies per gram of dried tissue). While probably underestimated, the present data indicate a high incidence of mesothelioma among the shipyard workers of Monfalcone.
The Tradeoff between Online Community Activity and Consumption: Evidence from Online Poker

This research explores the connection between online consumption and online community participation activity. Using longitudinal data that contains detailed information about 4,475 online poker players' gaming activity and online community activity over 58 months, this paper finds that the general positive relationship between consumption and community activity is very strong at the level of the community, but weak at the level of individual participants. Participants experience a trade-off between community activity and consumption. An analysis of consumer lifecycles reveals that community activity substitutes actual consumption: Consumers increase community activity and decrease consumption during their usage of the poker service.
Prevalence and drivers of HIV stigma among health providers in urban India: implications for interventions

HIV stigma inflicts hardship and suffering on people living with HIV (PLHIV) and interferes with both prevention and treatment efforts. Health professionals are often named by PLHIV as an important source of stigma. This study was designed to examine rates and drivers of stigma and discrimination among doctors, nurses and ward staff in different urban healthcare settings in high HIV prevalence states in India.
Rotational molding of polyethylene composites based on agave fibers

In this study, agave fiber/linear medium density polyethylene composites were manufactured by rotational molding. A laboratory scale biaxial machine was used, where the internal air temperature during the processing cycle was measured. Two sizes of agave fibers (50 and 100 mesh) were used separately and mixed together (50/50) at concentrations varying between 0 and 15 wt%. The initial mixtures were obtained by dry blending, rotomolded under different operation conditions (oven temperature, processing cycle time, and rotational speeds), and the final pieces were compared. For each process condition, a complete morphological analysis was performed to relate with mechanical properties in terms of tensile, impact, and flexural strength. The results show that there is an optimum fiber concentration around 10%, and blending fiber sizes gave better tensile properties than using each size alone. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 00:000–000, 2012. a 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Real-time and equilibrium 19F-NMR studies reveal the role of domain–domain interactions in the folding of the chaperone PapD

PapD is a periplasmic chaperone essential for P pilus formation in pyelonephritic strains of E. coli. It is composed of two domains, each of which contains a tryptophan residue (Trp-36 and Trp-128, in the N- and C-terminal domains, respectively). To explore the role of domain–domain interactions during folding, the protein was labeled with 6-fluorotryptophan for use in 19F-NMR experiments. 19F-NMR data collected as a function of urea concentration revealed the presence of a resonance caused by Trp-128 that was distinct from either the folded or unfolded resonances. The time course of refolding from urea was monitored by stopped-flow fluorescence, CD, and 19F-NMR, each method showing multiple kinetic phases. The 19F-NMR stopped-flow spectra, collected at 70 μM of protein with a fluorine cryoprobe, demonstrated that the intermediate was populated early in the folding process (<5 s). The slow disappearance of the intermediate and unfolded resonance occurred at the same rate as the appearance of the native resonances of both domains. The data are consistent with a model in which the C-terminal domain collapses rapidly to an intermediate, whereas the stabilization of the final structure is slow and requires folding of the N-terminal domain with concomitant readjustment of the C-terminal domain structure.