Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Importance of HOX genes in normal prostate gland formation, prostate cancer development and its early detection

The aims of this paper were to review the published literature on the role of HOX genes in the development of the normal prostate gland and in prostate cancer and to discuss the potential role of the HOX family member, Engrailed‐2 (EN2), as a diagnostic test of PCa. Hox genes were first described in the fruit fly Drosphila melanogaster, where they specify the body plan and control the formation of body segments. They belong to a family of homeodomain‐containing transcription factors that determine cell and tissue identity during normal embryonic development. They have been shown to be re‐expressed by several different types of cancers. Studies have shown that different Hox genes are responsible for the development of the separate lobes of the prostate gland, the seminal vesicles and the epididymis. All HOX13 paralogues are expressed in the adult human prostate, suggesting the possibility of similarities between the function and expression of HOX genes within urological structures at similar anterior–posterior positions. The oncogenic and tumour suppressor signalling pathways associated with PCa converge on the HOX gene network, which ultimately controls gene expression, affecting tumour formation and metastatic progression. The Engrailed genes (EN1 and EN2) from the HOX gene family show a very high degree of functional conservation during embryonic development. Urinary EN2 is being investigated as a potential diagnostic marker of early PCa. It is secreted into the urine by PCa cells but not by normal prostatic tissue. A recent study has shown an association between urinary EN2 levels and cancer volume in radical prostatectomy specimens. The ability to predict tumour volume could inform the treatment decision‐making process for patients with localized PCa choosing between active surveillance and radical treatment options.
Control of flux by narrow passages and hidden targets in cellular biology

Critical biological processes, such as synaptic plasticity and transmission, activation of genes by transcription factors, or double-strained DNA break repair, are controlled by diffusion in structures that have both large and small spatial scales. These may be small binding sites inside or on the surface of the cell, or narrow passages between subcellular compartments. The great disparity in spatial scales is the key to controlling cell function by structure. We report here recent progress on resolving analytical and numerical difficulties in extracting properties from experimental data, from biophysical models, and from Brownian dynamics simulations of diffusion in multi-scale structures. This progress is achieved by developing an analytical approximation methodology for solving the model equations. The reported results are applied to analysis and simulations of subcellular processes and to the quantification of their biological functions.
On decomposing Boolean functions via extended cofactoring

We investigate restructuring techniques based on decomposition/factorization, with the objective to move critical signals toward the output while minimizing area. A specific application is synthesis for minimum switching activity (or high performance), with minimum area penalty, where decompositions with respect to specific critical variables are needed (the ones of highest switching activity for example). In this paper we describe new types of factorization that extend Shannon cofactoring and are based on projection functions that change the Hamming distance of the original minterms and on appropriate don't care sets, to favor logic minimization of the component blocks. We define two new general forms of decomposition that are special cases of the pattern F = G(H(X),Y). The related implementations, called P-Circuits, show experimentally promising results in area with respect to Shannon cofactoring.
A prospective study of haematological changes after switching from stavudine to zidovudine-based antiretroviral treatment in HIV-infected children

Long-term use of stavudine is associated with a high incidence of lipodystrophy, warranting its substitution with zidovudine in first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens. In a prospective observational study, we determined the spectrum and severity of haematological changes after switching from stavudine- to zidovudine-based ART in Indian children aged 2–18 years who had received a stavudine-based ART regimen for at least 48 weeks. They were followed for 48 weeks for changes in haematological parameters and CD4 cell counts after switching to zidovudine. Of the 60 children analysed, 45 (75%) showed a significant fall in Hb (>1 g/dl). A majority developed grade 1 anaemia (14 [31%]) while only three (6%) developed grade 4 anaemia. The lowest Hb was recorded between 12 and 16 weeks with spontaneous improvement noticed after 28 weeks. A significant drop in absolute neutrophil count (5067 cells/mm3 to 3625 cells/mm3; p = 0.004) was also observed but none developed severe neutropenia. No significant changes were observed in platelet and CD4 cell counts. Since the incidence of severe drug toxicity was low with zidovudine and the majority of children recovered without intervention, drug toxicity should not preclude its routine use in poor countries.
Evaluation of the expression of human CAP18 gene during neutrophil maturation in the bone marrow

To understand the gene expression of CAP18 (18‐kDa cationic antibacterial protein), a member of cathelicidins, we evaluated mRNA and protein expression of CAP18 using human bone marrow cells and mature neutrophils. Northern blot analysis revealed that CAP18 mRNA was expressed more abundantly in bone marrow cells than mature neutrophils, whereas Western blot analysis indicated that CAP18 protein was more abundant in mature neutrophils than bone marrow cells. Consistent with this, in situ hybridization using bone marrow cells demonstrated that the expression of CAP18 mRNA was neutrophil lineage‐specific and was observed primarily in myelocytes (>95%) with limited expression in more immature cells (promyelocytes) and mature cells (metamyelocytes, band cells, and segmented neutrophils). Furthermore, immunohistochemical study indicated that, coincident with the increase of CAP18 mRNA levels, CAP18‐positive cells increased markedly at myelocyte stage, and the increased levels remained almost constant (>95%) in metamyelocytes, band cells, and segmented neutrophils, although the mRNA levels were remarkably reduced in these cells. Together these observations indicate that CAP18 gene transcription likely occurs lineage‐ and stage‐specifically at the myelocyte stage of neutrophil maturation in the bone marrow and results in the synthesis and cytoplasmic accumulation of CAP18, which is present in the subsequent stages of neutrophil maturation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 64:845–852; 1998.
Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of the combination of aneurysm embolization and cerebrospinal fluid replacement in the treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical efficacy of aneurysm embolization and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) replacement in the treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy-nine patients with grade III-IV aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, who were treated in the hospital from Jan. 2012 to Jan. 2014, were included in this study. These patients were treated with different methods based on the cause of disease and the treatment chosen by their families. In the treatment group, 42 patients received aneurysm embolization and cerebrospinal fluid replacement, while 37 patients in the control group received simple aneurysm embolization. The treatment efficacy and the occurrence of complications in both groups were compared. RESULTS The occurrence of cerebral vasospasm and hydrocephalus in the treatment group was significantly lower than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. However, the mortality rate was decreased in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Both methods had the advantage of minimal invasiveness and rapid post-operative recovery. But using combination of these two methods is clinically rational and could decrease the rate of disability and mortality.
The VoodooIO gaming kit: a real-time adaptable gaming controller

Existing gaming controllers are limited in their end-user configurability. As a complement to current game control technology, we present the VoodooIO Gaming Kit, a real-time adaptable gaming controller. We introduce the concept of appropriable gaming devices, which allow players to define and actively reconfigure their gaming space, making it appropriate to their personal preference and gaming needs. The technology and its conceived usage are illustrated through its application to two commercially available computer games, as well as through the results of a formal user study.
Development of miniature filters for wireless applications

Miniature filters have been under development for wireless applications from 500 MHz to over 6 GHz using thin piezoelectric films on common substrates. Ladder filters have achieved insertion losses in the 3 dB range using aluminum nitride films for the piezoelectric and appropriate substrates such as silicon, sapphire, and glass. The ladder filters consist of interconnected series and shunt resonators forming a monolithic structure on a single die. This paper discusses recent results in the development of miniature filters with application to cellular phone, GPS, PCN, and other wireless systems. <<ETX>>
Compositional Validation of Time-Critical Systems Using Communicating Time Petri Nets

An extended Petri net model which considers modular partitioning along with timing restrictions and environment models is presented. Module constructs permit the specification of a complex system as a set of message passing modules with the timing semantics of time Petri nets. The state space of each individual module can be separately enumerated and assessed under the assumption of a partial specification of the intended module operation environment. State spaces of individual modules can be recursively integrated, to permit the assessment of module clusters and of the overall model, and to check the satisfaction of the assumptions made in the separate analysis of elementary component modules. In the intermediate stages between subsequent integration steps, the state spaces of module and module clusters can be projected onto reduced representations concealing local events that are not essential to the purposes of the analysis. The joint use of incremental enumeration and intermediate concealment of local events allows for a flexible management of state explosion, and permits a scalable approach to the validation of complex systems.
An Improved Branch-and-Bound Method for Maximum Monomial Agreement

The NP-hard maximum monomial agreement problem consists of finding a single logical conjunction that is most consistent with or “best fits” a weighted data set of “positive” and “negative” binary vectors. Computing weighted voting classifiers using boosting methods involves a maximum agreement subproblem at each iteration, although such subproblems are typically solved in practice by heuristic methods. Here, we describe an exact branch-and-bound method for maximum agreement over Boolean monomials, improving on the earlier work of Goldberg and Shan [Goldberg, N. , C. Shan. 2007. Boosting optimal logical patterns. Proc. 7th SIAM Internat. Conf. Data Mining, SIAM, Philadelphia, 228--236]. Specifically, we develop a tighter upper bounding function and an improved branching procedure that exploits knowledge of the bound and the particular data set, while having a lower branching factor. Experimental results show that the new method is able to solve larger problem instances and runs faster within a linear programming boosting procedure applied to medium-sized data sets from the UCI Machine Learning Repository. The new algorithm also runs much faster than applying a commercial mixed-integer programming solver, which uses linear programming relaxation-based bounds, to an integer linear programming formulation of the problem.
Cadherin-Dependent Cell Morphology in an Epithelium: Constructing a Quantitative Dynamical Model

Cells in the Drosophila retina have well-defined morphologies that are attained during tissue morphogenesis. We present a computer simulation of the epithelial tissue in which the global interfacial energy between cells is minimized. Experimental data for both normal cells and mutant cells either lacking or misexpressing the adhesion protein N-cadherin can be explained by a simple model incorporating salient features of morphogenesis that include the timing of N-cadherin expression in cells and its temporal relationship to the remodeling of cell-cell contacts. The simulations reproduce the geometries of wild-type and mutant cells, distinguish features of cadherin dynamics, and emphasize the importance of adhesion protein biogenesis and its timing with respect to cell remodeling. The simulations also indicate that N-cadherin protein is recycled from inactive interfaces to active interfaces, thereby modulating adhesion strengths between cells.
A Dual-Polarized Magneto-Electric Dipole With Dielectric Loading

A plusmn45degdual-polarized magneto-electric dipole loaded with dielectric substrate is presented. This antenna is composed of shorted-circuited patches and planar dipoles and is fed by four Gamma-shaped probes. The height of a prototype antenna operated at 1.9 GHz is only 24 mm (0.15lambdao). A wide impedance bandwidth of 24.9% is achieved. The average gain is about 8.2 dBi and the isolation between the two ports is higher than 29 dB over the operating bandwidth. It is demonstrated that the antenna performance can be improved by adding metallic side walls.
Survival of pleural malignant mesothelioma in Italy: A population‐based study

A median survival time of about 9 months is generally reported among malignant pleural mesothelioma cases. Recently, better results in terms of survival and performance status have been reported in clinical trials that included highly selected patients. We describe the survival of pleural mesothelioma patients and the factors predictive of survival in an unselected, population‐based setting. Pleural mesothelioma cases (4,100) registered from 1990 to 2001 by 9 Italian regional mesothelioma registries contributing to the network of the National Mesothelioma Registry were followed until December 31, 2005. Univariate (Kaplan‐Meier) and multivariate (Cox proportional hazards regression) analyses of survival were carried out according to selected individual characteristics, including limited information on treatment in a subset of 578 cases. The median survival time was 9.8 months (95% confidence interval: 9.4–10.1). In multivariate analysis, younger age at diagnosis and epithelioid histotype were associated with significantly reduced hazard ratios. Positive effects of gender (women) and being diagnosed in a hospital with a thoracic surgery unit were of border‐line statistical significance. No association with calendar period of diagnosis or asbestos exposure was present. Treatment was not associated with a statistically significant improvement in survival. This is the largest population‐based study on survival in patients with pleural mesothelioma to date. Age and morphology were the main prognostic factors. Results regarding the effect of treatment were disappointing but may be useful to assess the future impact, at the population level, of recently introduced therapies. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Air Pollution Deaths in Europe 2020: A Survey

This paper discusses air pollution mortality in Europe by projecting future incomes and the associated air pollution until 2020. A gravity model for transboundary emissions is introduced to investigate the role of emission trade between countries. Important determinants of air pollution deaths, such as urbanization and technical progress in medicine are evaluated. The results show that in spite of considerable increase in incomes, air pollution and induced deaths will decrease in most countries. Journal of Economic Literature: Q01, Q53, Q54, J11
Allergic contact dermatitis among construction workers detected in a clinic that did not specialize in occupational dermatitis.

BACKGROUND Contact dermatitis is one of the common work-related dermatoses. Among bricklayers, cement can cause both allergic contact dermatitis and primary contact irritative dermatitis. The personal protective equipment (rubber gloves) may favor the development of allergic contact dermatitis. OBJECTIVES 1) to evaluate the frequency of allergic contact dermatitis among construction workers between January 2005 and December 2009; 2) to determine the major sensitizing agents in the study group; and 3) to compare the data obtained from the construction workers to that of a group of patients who were not construction workers. METHODS A retrospective analysis of patch tests. Patients were separated into two groups: 1) bricklayers and 2) non-bricklayers. RESULTS Of the 525 patch tests analyzed, 466 (90%) were from non-bricklayers and 53 (10%) from bricklayers. The hands were affected in 38 (61%) of them. 13 patients (24%) had irritative contact dermatitis and 40 (76%) had allergic contact dermatitis. The group of construction workers had a high frequency of sensitization to cement, and 29 (54.7%) had sensitization to rubber vulcanizing agents. 23 patients (43.4%) had sensitization to both cement and rubber. CONCLUSIONS Among the bricklayers the presence of allergic contact dermatitis to rubber and cement in the same patient is common and demonstrates the importance of the patch test.
Network-Based Practical Consensus of Heterogeneous Nonlinear Multiagent Systems

This paper studies network-based practical leader-following consensus problem of heterogeneous multiagent systems with Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics under both fixed and switching topologies. Considering the effect of network-induced delay, a network-based leader-following consensus protocol with heterogeneous gain matrix is proposed for each follower agent. By employing Lyapunov–Krasovskii method, a sufficient condition for designing the network-based consensus controller gain is derived such that the leader-following consensus error exponentially converges to a bounded region under a fixed topology. Correspondingly, the proposed design approach is then extended to the case of switching topology. Two numerical examples with networked Chua’s circuits are given to show the efficiency of the design method proposed in this paper.
Sequence and functional differences between Schmidt-Ruppin D and Schmidt-Ruppin A strains of pp60v-src

We show that Schmidt-Ruppin D pp60v-src kinase activity is reduced by a mutation previously shown to be associated with Schmidt-Ruppin A pp60v-src temperature sensitivity and that its reduced transforming activity is associated with a conformational change in the SH3 region. The evolutionary relationship of seven v-src strains was studied by using parsimony analysis.
Force matching at the elbow joint is disturbed by muscle soreness

These experiments are concerned with the ability of human subjects to match isometric torque in their elbow flexor muscles when biceps of one arm is made sore. Pain was induced by injection of hypertonic saline. Subjects were asked to generate a level of torque, 30% of maximum, with one arm, the reference arm. To achieve the required torque, subjects were given visual feedback. Subjects were then asked to match this torque with their other arm, the indicator arm. In control measurements, subjects were consistent in their matching ability and often were quite accurate. However, when biceps of one arm was made sore, subjects consistently and significantly underestimated the level of torque being generated by the sore arm. Painful heat applied to the skin over biceps produced a similar pattern of errors. Heating skin remote from elbow flexors had no significant effect. One interpretation of these findings is that the nociceptive input from the sore region of skin or muscle leads to reduced excitability of the motor cortex. That, in turn, disturbs the relationship between the centrally generated effort and motor output, leading to matching errors.
OBJECT-ORIENTED SIMULATION OF FLUIDS USING SOFTWARE AGENTS

Object-oriented frameworks are suitable tools to support simulation models of different kinds of collective processes. Software objects, called agents, can perform autonomous tasks, perceiving and reacting to external stimuli, resembling in their way the behavior of fluid particles interacting with the sorrounding environment. In this article, the multiagent framework BUBBLE, implemented in Java language, is applied to recreate bubbly fluid flows.
H ∞ Almost Output Synchronization for Heterogeneous Networks in the Presence of External Disturbances without Exchange of Controller States

— We consider the H ∞ almost output synchronization and regulated output synchronization problem for heterogeneous directed networks with external disturbances where agents are introspective (i.e. agents have access to a part of their own state). A decentralized protocol is designed for each agent, without exchanging internal controller states with neighboring agents, to achieve output synchronization and regulation while holding back the H ∞ norm from the disturbances to the synchronization errors in the closed-loop transfer function of the network. The method is illustrated by simulation examples.
Using Eye Tracking and Electroencephalography to Assess and Evaluate Students' Cognitive Dimensions

Field dependence-independence (FD/FI) is an important dimension of cognitive styles. The current thesis seeks to identify individuals’ level of field independence during visual stimulus tasks processing. It intends to examine brain signals with the use of the EEG neuroimaging method and the eye tracking device. Specifically, it aims to value the relationship between the Hidden Figure Test (HFT) scores, the Eye Tracking metrics and the EEG brain signals device by examine whether and how humans’ cognitive behaviour (cognitive abilities) can be identified and clarified through the two cutting edge technologies. Additionally, it seeks to investigate if differences exist among the cognitive groups on a sample of students retrieved from a Public University in Cyprus. The progress achieved so far is outlined and further agenda of the work-in-progress is addressed.