Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein arginine methyltransferase 7 promotes breast cancer cell invasion through the induction of MMP9 expression

Recent evidence points to the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family of enzymes playing critical roles in cancer. PRMT7 has been identified in several gene expression studies to be associated with increased metastasis and decreased survival in breast cancer patients. However, this has not been extensively studied. Here we report that PRMT7 expression is significantly upregulated in both primary breast tumour tissues and in breast cancer lymph node metastases. We have demonstrated that reducing PRMT7 levels in invasive breast cancer cells using RNA interference significantly decreased cell invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Conversely, overexpression of PRMT7 in non-aggressive MCF7 cells enhanced their invasiveness. Furthermore, we show that PRMT7 induces the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), a well-known mediator of breast cancer metastasis. Importantly, we significantly rescued invasion of aggressive breast cancer cells depleted of PRMT7 by the exogenous expression of MMP9. Our results demonstrate that upregulation of PRMT7 in breast cancer may have a significant role in promoting cell invasion through the regulation of MMP9. This identifies PRMT7 as a novel and potentially significant biomarker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.
Human responses to augmented virtual scaffolding models

This study investigated the effect of adding real planks, in virtual scaffolding models of elevation, on human performance in a surround-screen virtual reality (SSVR) system. Twenty-four construction workers and 24 inexperienced controls performed walking tasks on real and virtual planks at three virtual heights (0, 6 m, 12 m) and two scaffolding-platform-width conditions (30, 60 cm). Gait patterns, walking instability measurements and cardiovascular reactivity were assessed. The results showed differences in human responses to real vs. virtual planks in walking patterns, instability score and heart-rate inter-beat intervals; it appeared that adding real planks in the SSVR virtual scaffolding model enhanced the quality of SSVR as a human – environment interface research tool. In addition, there were significant differences in performance between construction workers and the control group. The inexperienced participants were more unstable as compared to construction workers. Both groups increased their stride length with repetitions of the task, indicating a possibly confidence- or habit-related learning effect. The practical implications of this study are in the adoption of augmented virtual models of elevated construction environments for injury prevention research, and the development of programme for balance-control training to reduce the risk of falls at elevation before workers enter a construction job.
PDA and smartphone use by individuals with moderate-to-severe memory impairment: Application of a theory-driven training programme

We describe a structured, theory-driven training programme for individuals with moderate-to-severe memory impairment in the use of emerging commercial technology. We demonstrate its application to 10 individuals with memory impairment from a variety of aetiologies. A within-subject, ABAB multi-case experimental design was used to evaluate the impact of personal digital assistant or smartphone use on day-to-day memory functioning at baseline, immediately post-intervention, at return to baseline, and at short-term follow-up (range = 3–8 months). An errorless fading-of-cues protocol enabled all participants to acquire the skill set necessary to operate their PDA or smartphone independently. All 10 individuals showed robust improvement in day-to-day functioning post-intervention as quantified across a number of ecologically valid questionnaire and task-based measures. This was further corroborated by family members with whom six of the participants resided. These findings demonstrate that individuals with moderate-to-severe memory impairment can acquire the skills necessary to independently, flexibly and broadly apply commercial technology to support their everyday memory functioning. Moreover the findings confirm that the gap between individuals with memory impairment and potent emerging technology can be closed by the application of a systematic theory-driven training programme.
Evaluation of free psa isoforms, psa complex formation, and specificity of anti‐psa antibodies by hplc and page‐immunoblotting techniques

Both high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis‐immunoblotting (PAGE‐immunoblotting) procedures have been established for the study of isoforms of free prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) and the complex formation between free PSA and protease inhibitors, and for the evaluation of the specificities of various anti‐PSA antibodies. We found multiple isoforms of free PSA on PAGE, which were all capable of forming complexes with protease inhibitors. The same isoform pattern can be produced from the original seminal fluid. The PSA isoforms differ from each other most likely in charge because they could be converted to one band on SDS‐PAGE and to a single peak by gel filtration chromatography. We found it difficult to form large quantities of PSA complex when mixing free PSA from seminal fluid with protease inhibitors, regardless of whether the free PSA or the protease inhibitors were in excess. Except for the PSA‐ACT complex, which was consistently detectable by both HPLC and PAGE‐immunoblotting techniques after incubation, these two procedures disagreed in their detection of PSA‐A2M and PSA‐AT complexes. The PSA‐A2M complex was usually observable by immunoblotting techniques but barely detectable on HPLC, whereas PSA‐AT was totally invisible by immunoblotting but appeared as a peak in the HPLC elution profile. Mixing free PSA with serum clearly resulted in both PSA‐ACT and PSA‐A2M complexes. However, more PSA‐ACT than PSA‐A2M was formed; the result was also confirmed by using 125I‐PSA for mixing. PSA could be separated into active and inactive PSA by DEAE Sepharose chromatography with a 14‐fold difference in protease activity. The difference in enzymatic activity apparently had no effect on complex formation. All the anti‐PSA antibodies examined in this study reacted with PSA isoforms, PSA‐ACT and PSA‐A2M complexes. We conclude that it would be almost impossible to establish an assay to measure all forms of PSA in the serum and to expect to produce precise and accurate PSA values. ©1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Different susceptibility of B19 virus and mice minute virus to low pH treatment

BACKGROUND: Parvoviridae are small nonenveloped viruses that are known to be highly resistant to physico‐chemical treatments. Because low pH is frequently applied to process intermediates or final products, the impact of such conditions on the human erythrovirus B19 (B19V) and the mouse parvovirus (mice minute virus, MMV) was assessed, which is often used as a model for B19V. Owing to the lack of a suitable cultivation and/or detection system for B19V no such data exist so far.
The Achievable Distortion of DF Relaying with Average Power Constraint at the Relay

This letter concerns the achievable distortion of a Gaussian source over a two-hop network with the aid of a relay, where the relay is subject to an average power constraint and employs the decode and forward strategy. It is assumed that the Gaussian source is hierarchically encoded through the use of a scalable source coding approach and is sent to the relay using a multi-layer channel code. Then, the relay encodes the retrieved information through the use of a single-layer code and transmit the encoded information to the destination. Accordingly, the optimal power allocation strategy is derived, showing the proposed method outperforms existing works addressed in the literature when the relay is subject to an average power constraint and the objective is to minimize the mean square distortion at the destination.
Adaptive Visual Tracking with Minimum Uncertainty Gap Estimation

A novel tracking algorithm is proposed, which robustly tracks a target by finding the state that minimizes the likelihood uncertainty. Likelihood uncertainty is estimated by determining the gap between the lower and upper bounds of likelihood. By minimizing the gap between the two bounds, the proposed method identifies the confident and reliable state of the target. In this study, the state that provides the Minimum Uncertainty Gap (MUG) between likelihood bounds is shown to be more reliable than the state that provides the maximum likelihood only, especially when severe illumination changes, occlusions, and pose variations occur. A rigorous derivation of the lower and upper bounds of the likelihood for the visual tracking problem is provided to address this issue. Additionally, an efficient inference algorithm that uses Interacting Markov Chain Monte Carlo (IMCMC) approach is presented to find the best state that maximizes the average of the lower and upper bounds of likelihood while minimizing the gap between the two bounds. We extend our method to update the target model adaptively. To update the model, the current observation is combined with a previous target model with the adaptive weight, which is calculated according to the goodness of the current observation. The goodness of the observation is measured using the proposed uncertainty gap estimation of likelihood. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method robustly tracks the target in realistic videos and outperforms conventional tracking methods.
The earliest pathologic alterations in dysferlinopathy

Background: Dysferlinopathies are associated with proximal or distal muscular dystrophy. Dysferlin immunolocalizes to the muscle fiber periphery but does not associate with the dystrophin–glycoprotein complex; its function in humans, and the mechanism by which it causes muscle fiber injury, are not known. The authors therefore searched for pathogenetic clues by examining early abnormalities in nonnecrotic muscle fibers in dysferlinopathy. Five dysferlin-deficient patients were investigated. Weakness was distal in two, proximal in one, and both proximal and distal in two. Patient 5 was only mildly affected. Methods: Immunoblot analysis, membrane attack complex (MAC) immunolocalization, and quantitative electron microscopy. Results: In Patients 1 through 4, but not in 5, part or the entire surface of isolated nonnecrotic muscle fibers immunostained for MAC. Quantitative electron microscopy of 175 nonnecrotic muscle fibers revealed one or more of the following: 1) small (0.11 to 1.8 μm) plasmalemmal defects in 64% of fibers; 2) thickened basal lamina over some defects; 3) replacement of the plasma membrane by one to multiple layers of small vesicles in 57% of fibers; 4) papillary projections, frequently disintegrating, in 24 to 36% of fibers in Patients 1 through 4 but absent in fibers of Patient 5; 5) small subsarcolemmal vacuoles, some undergoing exocytosis, in 57% of fibers; and 6) infrequent subsarcolemmal regions containing rough endoplasmic reticulum and abundant free ribosomes. Conclusions: Dysferlin is likely required for maintaining the structural integrity of the muscle fiber plasma membrane, and plasma membrane injury is an early event in the pathogenesis of dysferlinopathy. MAC activation can participate in but is not an initial or primary event causing muscle fiber injury.
Interactive effects of isoprenaline, forskolin and acetylcholine on Ca2+ current in frog ventricular myocytes.

1. Calcium currents (ICa) were measured in single cells isolated from frog ventricle using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique and a perfused pipette. The dose‐dependent stimulatory effects of isoprenaline (Iso, 0.1‐100 microM) and forskolin (Fo. 0.1‐50 microM) on ICa were determined in the presence and absence of acetylcholine (ACh, 10 microM) and/or threshold concentrations of Fo (0.2 microM) and Iso (0.05 microM), respectively. EC50 (i.e. concentration of Iso or Fo at which the response was 50% of the maximum) and Emax (i.e. maximal stimulation of Ica expressed as percentage increase in ICa with respect to control) were measured under each condition. 2. ACh increased EC50 for the stimulatory action of Iso on ICa from 0.84 to 3.72 microM while it reduced Emax from 658 to 185%. Thus, ACh mainly reduced the efficacy of Iso to stimulate ICa. 3. ACh increased EC50 for the stimulatory action of Fo on ICa from 2.06 to 10.26 microM but only slightly reduced Emax from 893 to 778%. Thus, ACh mainly reduced the potency of Fo to stimulate ICa. 4. Intracellular perfusion with 100 microM of hydrolysis‐resistant GTP analogues, GTP‐gamma‐S [guanosine‐5'‐O‐(3‐thiotriphosphate)] and Gpp (NH)p (5'‐guanylylimido‐diphosphate), had no effect on basal ICa but reduced by greater than 50% the stimulatory effect of 2 microM‐Iso on ICa. 5. In the presence of Gpp(NH)p or GTP‐gamma‐S, Fo (3 microM) reversibly increased ICa by 490%, as compared to a 717% increase in control (GTP) intracellular solution. Although ACh could still inhibit Fo‐stimulated ICa, the degree of inhibition was significantly smaller than in the presence of GTP. 6. Extracellular perfusion with low concentrations of a combination of Iso (33 nM) and Fo (330 nM) enhanced ICa to a much greater extent than did either agent alone at 3 times higher concentrations. Thus, low concentrations of Iso and Fo appear to increase ICa in a synergistic fashion. 7. ICa stimulated by a combination of Iso and Fo appeared to be more resistant to inhibition by ACh than when stimulated by either alone. It was the efficacy, rather than the potency, of ACh to inhibit ICa that was reduced upon dual stimulation of ICa. 8. In the presence of 0.2 microM‐Fo, EC50 and Emax for the effects of Iso on ICa were 0.27 microM and 619%, respectively. By comparison with the effects of Iso alone, Fo reduced EC50 approximately 3 times with no significant change in maximal stimulation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Surveillance of deaths on board Danish merchant ships, 1986-93: implications for prevention.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and analyse the types and circumstances of all natural and non-natural deaths among seamen on board Danish merchant ships. METHODS: Data on 147 cases were obtained from maritime authorities, an insurance company, shipping companies, hospitals, death registers, and death certificates in the period from 1986-93. RESULTS: The 53 natural deaths were dominated by cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases. Insufficient treatment on board was identified as a contributing factor for death in some cases. Medical advice was not always sought and the advice given was in some cases insufficient. 73 fatal accidents were identified. The incidence of accidents of 5.29/10,000 person-years was 11.5 times higher than the incidence of 0.46/10,000 for the Danish male workforce ashore. 23 accidents (31%) were due to maritime casualties and 26 (36%) were occupational accidents. The remaining 24 (33%) were accidents during off duty hours including six self intoxications. Rough weather, inadequate awareness of safety, lack of use of personal protection devices, and inexperience were associated with many of the fatal injuries directly related to work. Alcohol played a major part in 12 out of 18 fatal injuries occurring during off duty hours. CONCLUSIONS: The maritime workplace was identified as a high risk workplace and in many aspects differs from the conditions ashore. Acute diseases and serious injuries pose special risks to seamen because of a lack of direct access to professional medical care at sea. Primary prevention of certain diseases is needed and possible. Improved training, improved systems of work, improved safety awareness, and greater use of personal protection devices are needed to prevent fatal injuries. Medical training of ships' officers providing medical care on board and specific training of doctors giving medical advise to ships should be improved to meet the needs.
Dementia: a public health priority

Zakljucno, potrebno je i nadalje svakodnevno raditi na prevenciji demencije, osiguravati resurse i osmisljavati strategije borbe protiv demencije, jer ce broj osoba s demencijom i u Hrvatskoj u buducnosti biti veci. No, s obzirom da se u svijetu ulažu znatna sredstva u podrucju istraživanja demencije, za ocekivati je pozitivnih pomaka, kako na podrucju terapije, rane dijagnostike, tako i na podrucju rehabilitacije osoba s demencijom. Stoga - vrijeme je na nasoj strani!
Down‐regulation of natural killer cell activity by autologous polymorphonuclear leucocytes

It has been recently reported that neutrophils are involved in the regulation of NK cell activity. However, the mechanism of such regulation is unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the mechanisms involved in the regulation of NK cytotoxicity by human neutrophils. The role of indomethacin, an anti‐inflammatory drug, in this interaction was studied. NK cells were purified from peripheral blood obtained from normal individuals. NK cell cytotoxicity was tested on K 562 cell line by Cr release assay, Autologous neutrophils obtained from peripheral blood were stimulated by opsonized zymosan either in the presence or absence of indomethacin. The role of neutrophil supernatant containing oxygen radicals and prostaglandins on NK cytotoxicity was examined. It was shown that supernatants from stimulated neutrophils significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) the autologous NK cell cytotoxicity. The presence of indomethacin in the in vitro reaction mixture, or given orally to donors, partially or completely abolished the inhibitory effect of neutrophil supernatant. Indomethacin inhibited prostaglandin E2 release, and luminol‐enhanced, myeloperoxidase‐mediated chemiluminescence of activated PMN. Diafiltration of neutrophil supernatant showed that the inhibitory activity was present in the fraction containing molecules lower than 5,000 daltons. In conclusion, our findings indicate that down‐regulation of NK cytotoxicity is mediated by prostaglandins produced by stimulated neutrophils and possibly by oxygen radicals.
Development of common metrics for donation attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention for the blood donation context

The Theory of Planned Behavior has been widely used in blood donation research, but the lack of uniform, psychometrically sound measures makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions or compare results across studies. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to develop such measures of donation attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention.
Electoral competition and the welfare state

Abstract The article investigates how parties compete over the welfare state by emphasising specific welfare state issues. The core argument is that two issue-specific factors determine how much parties emphasise individual welfare state issues: the character of policy problems related to the policy issues and the type of social risks involved. To test the argument, a new large-N dataset is employed, with election manifestos from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The dataset contains information on how much parties have talked about health care, education, and labour market protection in national elections since 1980. With the data at hand, it is possible to provide the first systematic investigation of how parties compete for votes over the welfare state. The approach here is able to explain the empirical fact that health care is consistently receiving increased attention everywhere, while particularly labour market protection has witnessed a decline in attention.
Door-Opening Control of a Service Robot Using the Multifingered Robot Hand

Service robots are spreading their application areas to human coexisting real environments. However, it is still difficult to find an autonomous robot that is capable of manipulation services in a real environment. The three major difficulties of manipulation service can be summarized as follows: 1) unstructured human-centered environment; 2) limited resources in a robot; and 3) uncertainties in real environments. This paper deals with the autonomous manipulation task by a service robot in human coexisting environment. We focus on a door-opening problem. In this paper, we concentrate on three issues from the viewpoint of service-robot applications. The first issue is to estimate kinematic parameters by using an active-sensing strategy to overcome uncertainties in a real environment. The second issue is to provide an integrated strategy of motion coordination for door-opening control. This paper discusses the role assignment of each subsystem that depends on the physical characteristics. The third issue is to use the fingertip-contact forces to estimate the external force from a doorknob, instead of using an additional high-cost force sensor at the wrist. The proposed scheme is shown to be useful through experimental results.
Poliempreende Project

The Portuguese polytechnic high education network has developed a reference project with an institutional cooperation and entrepreneurship education methodology of development and implementation, for more than 15 years now. The concern of promoting and empowering entrepreneurs as a response to the paradigm shift of “a job for life” gave form to the Poliempreende Project which is a teaching design method, enterprise-oriented, to promote and develop new business projects. The main goal is to present and demonstrate the impact of the Poliempreende project in the students and in their business creation process. In order to do that, the authors will follow a case study methodology to analyse how and why this entrepreneurship education methodology is implemented and how it has achieved success. This will be done by integrating the project within the European entrepreneurship education policies, showing how it addresses and follows the European guidelines for entrepreneurship competencies development, and supports innovation and business projects can be turned into new enterprises in a sustainable way.
GPU based implementation of a 64-channel polyphase channalizer

Polyphase filter bank channalizers are essential components in numerous communication systems involving signal separation and sample rate conversion. In this paper, a novel fully parallelized 64 channels polyphase channalizer has been implemented using general purposes graphic processing units (GPGPU). The implemented models have been compared with a corresponding serial implemented model. The comparison indicates that the parallel models provide a computation speed of 9-16 times faster than the serial one using Nvidia GeForce GT520M and Quadro 600 GPUs.