Uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma located in uterine myometrium: MRI appearance

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Ueda, M.; Otsuka, M.; Hatakenaka, M. [Dept. of Radiology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Beppu (Japan); Torii, Y. [Dept. of Radiology, Saga Prefectural Hospital (Japan)

2000-05-01

Two cases of uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma whose main mass was located in uterine myometrium are reported. They mimicked uterine leiomyoma with cystic degeneration or uterine leiomyosarcoma. Endometrial stromal sarcoma should be suggested in the differential diagnosis of mass lesion in uterine myometrium. (orig.)

Fibroid explants reveal a higher sensitivity against MDM2-inhibitor nutlin-3 than matching myometrium

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Markowski Dominique N

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Spontaneous cessation of growth is a frequent finding in uterine fibroids. Increasing evidence suggests an important role of cellular senescence in this growth control. Deciphering the underlying mechanisms of growth control that can be expected not only to shed light on the biology of the tumors but also to identify novel therapeutic targets. Methods We have analyzed uterine leiomyomas and matching normal tissue for the expression of p14Arf and used explants to see if reducing the MDM2 activity using the small-molecule inhibitor nutlin-3 can induce p53 and activate genes involved in senescence and/or apoptosis. For these studies quantitative real-time RT-PCR, Western blots, and immunohistochemistry were used. Statistical analyses were performed using the student's t test. Results An in depth analysis of 52 fibroids along with matching myometrium from 31 patients revealed in almost all cases a higher expression of p14Arf in the tumors than in the matching normal tissue. In tissue explants, treatment with the MDM2 inhibitor nutlin-3 induced apoptosis as well as senescence as revealed by a dose-dependent increase of the expression of BAX as well as of p21, respectively. Simultaneously, the expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67 drastically decreased. Western-blot analysis identified an increase of the p53 level as the most likely reason for the increased activity of its downstream markers BAX and p21. Because as a rule fibroids express much higher levels of p14Arf, a major negative regulator of MDM2, than matching myometrium it was then analyzed if fibroids are more sensitive against nutlin-3 treatment than matching myometrium. We were able to show that in most fibroids analyzed a higher sensibility than that of matching myometrium was noted with a corresponding increase of the p53 immunopositivity of the fibroid samples compared to those from myometrium. Conclusions The results show that uterine fibroids represent a cell

Proteoglycans in Leiomyoma and Normal Myometrium: Abundance, Steroid Hormone Control, and Implications for Pathophysiology.

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Barker, Nichole M; Carrino, David A; Caplan, Arnold I; Hurd, William W; Liu, James H; Tan, Huiqing; Mesiano, Sam

2016-03-01

Uterine leiomyoma are a common benign pelvic tumors composed of modified smooth muscle cells and a large amount of extracellular matrix (ECM). The proteoglycan composition of the leiomyoma ECM is thought to affect pathophysiology of the disease. To test this hypothesis, we examined the abundance (by immunoblotting) and expression (by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) of the proteoglycans biglycan, decorin, and versican in leiomyoma and normal myometrium and determined whether expression is affected by steroid hormones and menstrual phase. Leiomyoma and normal myometrium were collected from women (n = 17) undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy. In vitro studies were performed on immortalized leiomyoma (UtLM) and normal myometrial (hTERT-HM) cells with and without exposure to estradiol and progesterone. In leiomyoma tissue, abundance of decorin messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein were 2.6-fold and 1.4-fold lower, respectively, compared with normal myometrium. Abundance of versican mRNA was not different between matched samples, whereas versican protein was increased 1.8-fold in leiomyoma compared with myometrium. Decorin mRNA was 2.4-fold lower in secretory phase leiomyoma compared with proliferative phase tissue. In UtLM cells, progesterone decreased the abundance of decorin mRNA by 1.3-fold. Lower decorin expression in leiomyoma compared with myometrium may contribute to disease growth and progression. As decorin inhibits the activity of specific growth factors, its reduced level in the leiomyoma cell microenvironment may promote cell proliferation and ECM deposition. Our data suggest that decorin expression in leiomyoma is inhibited by progesterone, which may be a mechanism by which the ovarian steroids affect leiomyoma growth and disease progression. © The Author(s) 2015.

Alterations in antioxidant system, mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy in preeclamptic myometrium

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Polina A. Vishnyakova

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication which causes significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although intensive research has been performed in the last 40 years, the pathology of preeclampsia is still poorly understood. The present work is a comparative study of the myometrium of women with normal pregnancy, and those with late- and early-onset preeclampsia (n = 10 for each group. We observed significant changes in the levels of antioxidant enzymes, markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy proteins in preeclamptic myometrium. Levels of superoxide dismutase 1 and catalase were lower in both preeclamptic groups than the control group. In late-onset preeclampsia, expression levels of essential mitochondria-related proteins VDAC1, TFAM, hexokinase 1, PGC-1α and PGC-1β, and autophagy marker LC3A, were significantly elevated. In the myometrium of the early-onset preeclampsia group OPA1 and Bcl-2 were up-regulated compared to those of the control (p < 0.05. These findings suggest that crucial molecular changes in the maternal myometrium occur with the development of preeclampsia.

Modulation of myometrium mitochondrial membrane potential by calmodulin antagonists

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S. G. Shlykov

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Influence of calmodulin antagonists on mitochondrial membrane potential was investigated using­ a flow cytometry method, confocal microscopy and fluorescent potential-sensitive probes TMRM and MTG. Influence of different concentrations of calmodulin antagonists on mitochondrial membrane potential was studied using flow cytometry method and a fraction of myometrium mitochondria of unpregnant rats. It was shown that 1-10 µМ calmidazolium gradually reduced mitochondria membrane potential. At the same time 10-100 µМ trifluope­razine influenced as follows: 10 µМ – increased polarization, while 100 µМ – caused almost complete depolarization of mitochondrial membranes. In experiments which were conducted with the use of confocal microscopy method and myometrium cells it was shown, that MTG addition to the incubation medium­ led to the appearance of fluorescence signal in a green range. Addition of the second probe (ТМRM resulted in the appearance of fluorescent signal in a red range. Mitochondrial membrane depolarization by 1µМ СССР or 10 mМ NaN3 was accompanied by the decline of “red” fluo­rescence intensity, “green” fluorescence was kept. The 10-15 minute incubation of myometrium cells in the presen­ce 10 µМ calmidazolium or 100 µМ trifluoperazine was accompanied by almost complete decrease of the TMRM fluorescent signal. Thus, with the use of potential-sensitive fluorescent probes TMRM and MTG it was shown, that calmodulin antagonists modulate mitochondrial membrane potential of myometrium cells.

Protective effects of potassium transport in mitochondria from rat myometrium under activation of mitochondrial permeability transition pore

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O. B. Vadzyuk

2015-12-01

Full Text Available We demonstrated using PBFI K+-sensitive fluorescent probe an enhancement of both components of K+-cycle – the ATP-sensitive K+-uptake and quinine-sensitive K+/H+-exchange – under the Ca2+ induced opening­ of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP in rat myometrium mitochondria. Addition of CaCl2 (100 μM to K+-free medium results in the enhancement of reactive oxygen species (ROS production, which was eliminated by cyclosporine A. Addition of CaCl2 to K+-rich medium did not increase the rate of ROS production, but blocking of mitoK+ATP-channels with glybenclamide (10 μM increased production of ROS. We conclude that K+-cycle exerts a protective influence in mitochondria from rat myometrium by regulation of matrix volume and rate of ROS production under the condition of Ca2+-induced MPTP.

The accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging for preoperative deep myometrium assessment in endometrial cancer

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Wan-Ju Wu

2013-06-01

Conclusion: In patients with endometrial cancer, a preoperative MRI contributes to accurate staging, allowing planning for the scale of surgery and preoperative counseling. In our study, the pretreatment identification of myometrium invasion provided the opportunity for small-scale surgery in the premenopausal women with early endometrial cancer. However, for the postmenopausal patients, the standard surgical procedure is indicated even if the degree of myometrium invasion is low.

Effects of oxytocin and methacholine on cyclic nucleotide levels of rabbit myometrium.

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Schlageter, N; Janis, R A; Gualtieri, R T; Hechter, O

1980-03-01

The effects of oxytocin and methacholine on cyclic nucleotide levels in estrogen-primed rabbit myometrium were studied in the presence and absence of 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine (MIX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. In the absence of MIX, methacholine increased guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels at a time when contraction was decreasing, but had no influence on adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels. In contrast, oxytocin did not elevate cGMP, but rapidly decreased cAMP levels. MIX (1 mM) increased both cAMP and cGMP levels. Oxytocin or methacholine further increased cGMP, indicating activation of guanylate cyclase. Oxytocin- but not methacholine-induced stimulation of guanylate cyclase was abolished in Ca2+-free solution. Oxytocin increased cAMP over the levels produced by MIX alone, whereas methacholine decreased cAMP below the MIX control values; these effects were insensitive to indomethacin. Tissue levels of cGMP and cAMP did not directly correlate with isometric tension. The results also indicate that both oxytocin and methacholine stimulate guanylate cyclase but have opposing effects on adenylate cyclase of rabbit myometrium.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging of endometrial cancer. Optimizing the imaging delay for tumour-myometrium contrast

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Park, Sung Bin; Moon, Min Hoan; Sung, Chang Kyu; Oh, Sohee; Lee, Young Ho

2014-01-01

To investigate the optimal imaging delay time of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in women with endometrial cancer. This prospective single-institution study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from the participants. Thirty-five women (mean age, 54 years; age range, 29-66 years) underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging with a temporal resolution of 25-40 seconds. The signal intensity difference ratios between the myometrium and endometrial cancer were analyzed to investigate the optimal imaging delay time using single change-point analysis. The optimal imaging delay time for appropriate tumour-myometrium contrast ranged from 31.7 to 268.1 seconds. The median optimal imaging delay time was 91.3 seconds, with an interquartile range of 46.2 to 119.5 seconds. The median signal intensity difference ratios between the myometrium and endometrial cancer were 0.03, with an interquartile range of -0.01 to 0.06, on the pre-contrast MR imaging and 0.20, with an interquartile range of 0.15 to 0.25, on the post-contrast MR imaging. An imaging delay of approximately 90 seconds after initiating contrast material injection may be optimal for obtaining appropriate tumour-myometrium contrast in women with endometrial cancer. (orig.)

Loss of functional K+ channels encoded by ether-à-go-go-related genes in mouse myometrium prior to labour onset

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Greenwood, I A; Yeung, S Y; Tribe, R M; Ohya, S

2009-01-01

There is a growing appreciation that ion channels encoded by the ether-à-go-go-related gene family have a functional impact in smooth muscle in addition to their accepted role in cardiac myocytes and neurones. This study aimed to assess the expression of ERG1–3 (KCNH1–3) genes in the murine myometrium (smooth muscle layer of the uterus) and determine the functional impact of the ion channels encoded by these genes in pregnant and non-pregnant animals. Quantitative RT-PCR did not detect message for ERG2 and 3 in whole myometrial tissue extracts. In contrast, message for two isoforms of mERG1 were readily detected with mERG1a more abundant than mERG1b. In isometric tension studies of non-pregnant myometrium, the ERG channel blockers dofetilide (1 μm), E4031 (1 μm) and Be-KM1 (100 nm) increased spontaneous contractility and ERG activators (PD118057 and NS1643) inhibited spontaneous contractility. In contrast, neither ERG blockade nor activation had any effect on the inherent contractility in myometrium from late pregnant (19 days gestation) animals. Moreover, dofetilide-sensitive K+ currents with distinctive ‘hooked’ kinetics were considerably smaller in uterine myocytes from late pregnant compared to non-pregnant animals. Expression of mERG1 isoforms did not alter throughout gestation or upon delivery, but the expression of genes encoding auxillary subunits (KCNE) were up-regulated considerably. This study provides the first evidence for a regulation of ERG-encoded K+ channels as a precursor to late pregnancy physiological activity. PMID:19332483

Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression in the Rat Myometrium During Pregnancy, Term Labor, and Postpartum1

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Nguyen, Tina Tu-Thu Ngoc; Shynlova, Oksana; Lye, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

Pregnancy, spontaneous term labor (TL), and postpartum (PP) involution are associated with changes in the cellular and extracellular matrix composition of the uterus. Both the uterine smooth muscle (myometrium) and the infiltrating peripheral blood leukocytes involved in the activation of labor secrete extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases, MMPs) that can modulate cellular behavior and barrier function. MMP expression is induced by mechanical stretch in several tissues. We hypothesized that the expression and activity of myometrial MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) are modulated in preparation for TL and PP involution and are regulated by mechanical stretch of uterine walls imposed by the growing fetus. Myometrial tissues were collected from bilaterally and unilaterally pregnant rats across gestation, TL, and PP. Total RNA and proteins were subjected to real-time PCR and immunoblotting, respectively, and tissue localization and activity was examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ zymography. We found that Mmp7, Mmp11, and Mmp12 mRNA levels were upregulated during TL and PP, while Mmp2, Mmp3, Mmp8, Mmp9, Mmp10, and Mmp13 mRNAs were only upregulated during PP. Timp1–Timp4 were stably expressed throughout gestation with some fluctuations PP. Active MMP2 was induced in the empty uterine horn during gestation and in the gravid PP uterus, suggesting negative regulation by biological mechanical stretch. We conclude that specific subsets of uterine MMPs are differentially regulated in the rat myometrium in preparation for two major events: TL and PP uterine involution. PMID:27251092

Expression Pattern of G-Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor in Myometrium of Uteri with and without Adenomyosis

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Jin-Jiao Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To compare the expression of G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER in the junctional zone and outer myometrium of the proliferative and secretory phases of women with and without adenomyosis. Methods. A total of 76 women were included in this study, 42 with adenomyosis (proliferative phase, n=23; secretory phases, n=19 and 34 controls (proliferative phase, n=16; secretory phases, n=18. Protein and total RNA were extracted from the junctional zone (JZ and outer myometrium (OM. GPER protein and mRNA expression levels were evaluated by the use of western blotting and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR. Results. The expression of GPER protein and mRNA in women with adenomyosis was significantly higher than that of control subjects, both in the junctional zone and in the outer myometrium and both in the proliferative and in the secretory phases. Conclusion. The significant and consistent increase in GPER expression in adenomyosis compared with control subjects, regardless of whether it was in the proliferative or secretory phases and regardless of whether it was in the JZ or OM, suggests that GPER plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the adenomyosis.

Expression and organization of basement membranes and focal adhesion proteins in pregnant myometrium is regulated by uterine stretch.

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Shynlova, Oksana; Chow, Michelle; Lye, Stephen J

2009-10-01

The mechanisms underlying the preparation of the uterus for labor are not fully understood. We have previously found a significant increase in the expression of messenger RNA (mRNAs) encoding extracellular basement membrane (BM) proteins of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in late pregnant rat myometrium. At term, the myometrium is stretched by growing fetuses and these mechanical signals are transmitted from extracellular matrix into SMCs through focal adhesions (FA). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of gravidity on the expression and spatiotemporal distribution of major BM proteins, laminin-gamma2 and collagen IV, as well as typical FA constituents, vinculin and paxillin, in the myometrium during gestation and parturition, using a unilaterally pregnant rat model. We found that the expression of laminin-gamma2 and collagen IV proteins increased significantly with gestational age (P proteins were not affected. Near term, BM proteins from gravid horn myometrium demonstrated increased extracellular immunostaining and major rearrangement from sporadic protein distribution to organized, continuous, and regular structures surrounding the plasma membrane of each myocyte. Examination of FA proteins revealed that paxillin was translocated from the cytoplasm to the cell periphery, while vinculin was sequestered specifically to FAs. At labor, BM and FA proteins, organized in similar bead-like structures, were localized on opposing sides of SMC plasma membrane into 2 different compartments. We suggest that these stretch-induced changes facilitate formation of stable cell-matrix adhesions and provide the molecular basis for optimal force transduction during labor contractions.

[Morphological features of the myometrium in connective tissue dysplasia in women with uterine inertia].

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Konovalov, P V; Mitrofanova, L B; Gorshkov, A N; Ovsyannikov, F A

2015-01-01

to reveal the morphological features of the lower uterine segment myometrium in connective tissue dysplasia (CTD) in women with uterine inertia. Histological, immunohistochemical (with antibodies against collagen types I and III, matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 9 (MMR-1, MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), fibronectin; fibulin-5, connexin-43), electron microscopic, and electron immunocytochemical studies with morphometry of myometrial fragments from 15 parturient women with CTD and uterine inertia (a study group) and those from 10 women without CTD (a control group). The myometrium in CTD exhibited the decreased expression of connextin-43, fibulin-5, TIMP-1, collagens types I and III with collagen type III predominance and the unchanged levels of fibronectin and MMP-1 and MMP-9. Electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry showed fewer intercellular contacts and the dramatically lower expression of connexin-43 than in the control. A set of found myometrial changes in women with uterine inertia is a manifestation of CTD.

Effects of ovarian steroids upon responses mediated by adrenoceptors in separated layers of the myometrium and in the costo-uterine muscle of the guinea-pig

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Hartley, Margaret L.; Pennefather, Jocelyn N.; Story, Margot E.

1983-01-01

1 This study describes the effects of ovarian steroid hormones upon the responses to adrenoceptor agonists of isolated myometrium, separated into its longitudinal and circular layers, and of costo-uterine muscle from guinea-pigs. The preparations were field-stimulated at 100 s intervals, and the adrenoceptor agonists phenylephrine and isoprenaline produced enhancement or inhibition of the evoked contractions. 2 Isoprenaline produced propranolol-sensitive inhibitory effects in longitudinal and circular myometrium and costo-uterine muscle preparations from animals from all experimental groups: i.e. from nonsteroid-treated animals (ovariectomized and intact); intact animals treated with either oestrogen or progesterone alone; ovariectomized animals treated with oestrogen; ovariectomized and intact animals treated with progesterone following oestrogen priming; and from animals 1-4 days post-partum. Longitudinal myometrial preparations from progesterone-treated oestrogen-primed and from post-partum animals were most sensitive to this agonist. 3 Phenylephrine produced phentolamine-sensitive excitatory effects in circular myometrial and costo-uterine muscle preparations from animals from all the experimental groups. In contrast, propranolol-sensitive inhibitory responses to phenylephrine occurred in longitudinal myometrial preparations taken from animals treated with progesterone following oestrogen priming, and from post-partum animals. Longitudinal myometrium from animals from the remaining experimental groups exhibited phentolamine-sensitive excitatory responses to phenylephrine. 4 The basis for the selective effect upon the longitudinal myometrium of exposure to progesterone following a period of oestrogen priming, is discussed. The results described are consistent with the possibility that in the longitudinal layer of guinea-pig uterus exposed to progesterone following oestrogen priming there is an increase in the proportion of β-adrenoceptors in this layer. This

Inflammatory aetiology of human myometrial activation tested using directed graphs.

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2005-07-01

Full Text Available THERE ARE THREE MAIN HYPOTHESES FOR THE ACTIVATION OF THE HUMAN UTERUS AT LABOUR: functional progesterone withdrawal, inflammatory stimulation, and oxytocin receptor activation. To test these alternatives we have taken information and data from the literature to develop causal pathway models for the activation of human myometrium. The data provided quantitative RT-PCR results on key genes from samples taken before and during labour. Principal component analysis showed that pre-labour samples form a homogenous group compared to those during labour. We therefore modelled the alternative causal pathways in non-labouring samples using directed graphs and statistically compared the likelihood of the different models using structural equations and D-separation approaches. Using the computer program LISREL, inflammatory activation as a primary event was highly consistent with the data (p = 0.925, progesterone withdrawal, as a primary event, is plausible (p = 0.499, yet comparatively unlikely, oxytocin receptor mediated initiation is less compatible with the data (p = 0.091. DGraph, a software program that creates directed graphs, produced similar results (p= 0.684, p= 0.280, and p = 0.04, respectively. This outcome supports an inflammatory aetiology for human labour. Our results demonstrate the value of directed graphs in determining the likelihood of causal relationships in biology in situations where experiments are not possible.

HEALTHY AND PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF MYOMETRIUM: PREGNANT MYOMETRIUM, UTERINE FIBROIDS AND LEIOMYOSARCOMA. Cambios normales y patológicos del miometrio: miometrio del embarazo, fibrosis uterina y leiomiosarcoma

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Pasquapina Ciarmela

2016-03-01

Full Text Available El miometrio, la pared muscular del útero, puede modificar su misma masa y las propiedades celulares en el embarazo y también en los tumores como el leiomioma y el leiomiosarcoma. El leiomioma, dicho también fibroma, es un tumor benigno del útero y se considera como  una de las causas más frecuentes de infertilità en el período reproductivo femenino. El leiomiosarcoma, en cambio, es un tumor maligno y agresivo de la musculatura lisa uterina. La presente revisión discute las características generales del leiomioma y el leiomiosarcoma y los relativos tratamientos clínicos actualmente usados y además describe las características del miometrio normal en el embarazo.  The myometrium, the muscular wall of the uterus, can modify its mass and cellular properties in pregnancy as well as in tumor conditions such as leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. Leiomyomas, also known as fibroids, are benign tumors of the uterus, considered to be one of the most frequent causes of infertility in reproductive years of women. Leiomyosarcomas in turn, are rare aggressive malignant uterine smooth-muscle tumors. The present review is discussing the general features of leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma with their current treatments and also discussing the characteristics of normal pregnant myometrium and compare with leiomyoma.

Basic study of healing of injuries to the myometrium and amniotic membrane using photocrosslinkable chitosan.

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Suzuki, Keitaro; Shinya, Masaru; Kitagawa, Michihiro

2006-04-01

We performed in vivo and in vitro adhesion experiments on the use of photocrosslinkable chitosan (PC) for healing of the myometrium and the amniotic membrane to test its usefulness in the perinatal field. To determine the adhesion conditions of PC in the healing of the myometrium and amniotic membrane, we applied two concentrations (30 and 50 mg/mL) of PC to the postpartum amniotic membrane, and radiated it with ultraviolet (UV) light for 10, 20, 30 or 60 s. Next, we created incisions of three sizes (pinhole, 5 mm and 10 mm), and performed PC adhesion followed by pressure application experiments. Subsequently, we laparotomized 12-day-pregnant rats under anesthesia, created a 5-mm incision, applied PC and closed the abdomen. We removed the uterus at 20 days of pregnancy, and histologically examined the site of PC application. The optimal adhesion conditions of PC were 50 mg/mL, and the optimal time of UV irradiation was 30 s or longer. In pressure application experiments, the bonding strength of PC was so high that even 10-mm incisions withstood a mean pressure of 92 mmH2O. The bonding strength of PC was significantly higher than that of fibrin glue that was tested in parallel. Histological examination of the rat myometrium showed a mild foreign body reaction with no inflammatory findings, confirming the usefulness of PC. PC is a wound-healing drug, an improvement on the naturally occurring polysaccharide chitosan, and is safer and has a higher bonding strength than biological adhesives including fibrin, making it promising for fetal surgical and perinatal applications.

Ca(2+-dependent regulation of the Ca(2+ concentration in the myometrium mitochondria. II. Ca(2+ effects on mitochondria membranes polarization and [Ca(2+](m

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L. G. Babich

2017-06-01

Full Text Available It is known that Ca2+ accumulation in the mitochondria undergoes complex regulation by Ca2+ itself. But the mechanisms of such regulation are still discussed. In this paper we have shown that Ca ions directly or indirectly regulate the level of myometrium mitochondria membranes polarization. The additions of 100 µM Ca2+ were accompanied by depolarization of the mitochondria membranes. The following experiments were designed to study the impact of Ca2+ on the myometrium mitochondria [Ca2+]m. Isolated myometrium mitochondria were preincubated without or with 10 μM Са2+ followed by 100 μM Са2+ addition. Experiments were conducted in three mediums: without ATP and Mg2+ (0-medium, in the presence of 3 mM Mg2+ (Mg-medium and 3 mM Mg2+ + 3 mM ATP (Mg,ATP-medium. It was shown that the effects of 10 μM Са2+ addition were different in different mediums, namely in 0- and Mg-medium the [Ca2+]m values increased, whereas in Mg,ATP-medium statistically reliable changes were not registered. Preincubation of mitochondria with 10 μM Са2+ did not affect the [Ca2+]m value after the addition of 100 μM Са2+. The [Ca2+]m values after 100 μM Са2+ addition were the same in 0- and Mg,ATP-mediums and somewhat lower in Mg-medium. Preliminary incubation of mitochondria with 10 μM Са2+ in 0- and Mg-mediums reduced changes of Fluo 4 normalized fluorescence values that were induced by 100 μM Са2+ additions, but in Mg,ATP-medium such differences were not recorded. It is concluded that Са2+ exchange in myometrium mitochondria is regulated by the concentration of Ca ions as in the external medium, so in the matrix of mitochondria. The medium composition had a significant impact on the [Са2+]m values in the absence of exogenous cation. It is suggested that light increase of [Са2+]m before the addition of 100 μM Са2+ may have a positive effect on the functional activity of the mitochondria.

Terms, definitions and measurements to describe sonographic features of myometrium and uterine masses

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Van den Bosch, Thierry; Dueholm, Margit; Leone, FP

2015-01-01

imaging. The terms and definitions described may form the basis for prospective studies to predict the risk of different myometrial pathologies, based on their ultrasound appearance, and thus should be relevant for the clinician in daily practice and for clinical research. The sonographic features and use......The MUSA (Morphological Uterus Sonographic Assessment) statement is a consensus statement on terms, definitions and measurements that may be used to describe and report the sonographic features of the myometrium using gray-scale sonography, color/power Doppler and three-dimensional ultrasound...

HSPB8 and the Cochaperone BAG3 Are Highly Expressed During the Synthetic Phase of Rat Myometrium Programming During Pregnancy.

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Marsh, Noelle M; Wareham, Angela; White, Bryan G; Miskiewicz, Ewa I; Landry, Jacques; MacPhee, Daniel J

2015-05-01

The small heat shock protein (HSP) B family of proteins are a group of molecular chaperones that enable tissues to adapt to changes in their local environments during differentiation, stress, or disease conditions. The objective of this research was to characterize the expression of HSPB8 and its cochaperone Bcl2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) in nonpregnant (NP) and pregnant rat myometrium during myometrial programming. Rat myometrium was collected from NP and pregnant rats as well as 1 day postpartum (PP) and samples prepared for immunoblot and immunofluorescence analysis. Immunoblot analysis determined that HSPB8 protein expression was significantly elevated at Day (D) 15, D17, and D19 compared to expression at NP and D6, while BAG3 expression was significantly elevated at D15 compared to NP, and D17 compared to NP, D6, D23, and PP time points (P BAG3 were predominantly localized to myometrial cells throughout pregnancy, with intense cytoplasmic HSPB8 and BAG3 detection on D15 and D17 in both longitudinal and circular muscle layers. Immunoblot analysis of HSPB8 and BAG3 protein expression in myometrium from unilateral pregnancies also revealed that expression of both proteins was significantly increased at D15 in gravid compared to nongravid horns. Thus, HSPB8 and BAG3 are highly expressed during the synthetic phase of myometrial differentiation marked by initiation of uterine distension and myometrial hypertrophy. HSPB8 and BAG3 could be regulators of the protein quality control required for this process. © 2015 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Porcine calbindin-D9k gene: expression in endometrium, myometrium, and placenta in the absence of a functional estrogen response element in intron A.

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Krisinger, J; Jeung, E B; Simmen, R C; Leung, P C

1995-01-01

The expression of Calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) in the pig uterus and placenta was measured by Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. Progesterone (P4) administration to ovariectomized pigs decreased CaBP-9k mRNA levels. Expression of endometrial CaBP-9k mRNA was high on pregnancy Days 10-12 and below the detection limit on Days 15 and 18. On Day 60, expression could be detected at low levels. In myometrium and placenta, CaBP-9k mRNA expression was not detectable by Northern analysis using total RNA. Reverse-transcribed RNA from both tissues demonstrated the presence of CaBP-9k transcripts by means of PCR. The partial CaBP-9k gene was amplified by PCR and cloned to determine the sequence of intron A. In contrast to the rat CaBP-9k gene, the pig gene does not contain a functional estrogen response element (ERE) within this region. A similar ERE-like sequence located at the identical location was examined by gel retardation analysis and failed to bind the estradiol receptor. A similar disruption of this ERE-like sequence has been described in the human CaBP-9k gene, which is not expressed at any level in placenta, myometrium, or endometrium. It is concluded that the pig CaBP-9k gene is regulated in these reproductive tissues in a manner distinct from that in rat and human tissues. The regulation is probably due to a regulatory region outside of intron A, which in the rat gene contains the key cis element for uterine expression of the CaBP-9k gene.

Interobserver variation in measurements of Cesarean scar defect and myometrium with 3D ultrasonography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Lene Duch; Glavind, Julie; Uldbjerg, Niels

Objectives: To evaluate the Cesarean scar defect depth and the residual myometrial thickness with 3-dimensional (3D) sonography concerning interobserver variation. Methods: Ten women were randomly selected from a larger cohort of Cesarean scar ultrasound evaluations. All women were examined 6......-16 months after their first Cesarean section with 2D transvaginal sonography and had 3D volumes recorded. Two observers independently evaluated “off-line” each of the 3D volumes stored. Residual myometrial thickness (RMT) and Cesarean scar defect depth (D) was measured in the sagittal plane with an interval...... of Cesarean section scar size and residual myometrium needs further investigation....

Physiological Uptake of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose in Uterine Endometrium and Myometrium: Correlation with Uterine Motility Evaluated by Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kido, A.; Nishizawa, S.; Okada, H.; Nakamoto, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Fujimoto, K.; Togashi, K.

2009-01-01

Background: Accumulation of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) in the uterine endometrium and uterine motility are dependent on menstrual cycle. However, the relationship between them remains unknown. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between radiometabolic activity of 18 F-FDG in the uterus and uterine motility observed by cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 65 healthy, fertile women, selected from 229 women who underwent positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), and MRI for cancer screening at our facility. They were divided into three groups according to their menstrual cycle phases: menstrual, follicular-periovulatory, and luteal. Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed over the endometrium and myometrium to calculate the standardized uptake value (SUV). Uterine peristalsis and contraction shown by cine MR imaging were evaluated visually, and the correlation between FDG uptake and uterine movements was assessed. Results: After excluding nine patients due to inadequate images, 56 patients (19 follicular-periovulatory, 27 luteal, and 10 menstrual) were analyzed. FDG uptake of the endometrium, frequency of peristalsis, and the presence of sustained contraction varied according to the menstruation cycle, with a tendency toward greater uptake in the menstrual phase, but there was little relationship between the frequency of uterine peristalsis and FDG accumulation in the uterus. Significantly higher FDG accumulation in the endometrium was observed in patients with sustained contractions (3.32±1.47) than in those without contractions (2.45±0.66). Conclusion: Our preliminary data suggest that FDG accumulation in the endometrium tends to be higher in patients with uterine contraction, although there was no significant correlation between uterine peristalsis and FDG uptake in the uterine myometrium or endometrium

Physiological Uptake of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose in Uterine Endometrium and Myometrium: Correlation with Uterine Motility Evaluated by Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kido, A.; Nishizawa, S.; Okada, H. (Hamamatsu Medical Imaging Center, Hamamatsu Medical Photonics Foundation, Hamakita City, Shizuoka (Japan)); Nakamoto, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Fujimoto, K.; Togashi, K. Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Kyoto Univ. Hospital, Kyoto City, Kyoto (Japan))

2009-05-15

Background: Accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in the uterine endometrium and uterine motility are dependent on menstrual cycle. However, the relationship between them remains unknown. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between radiometabolic activity of 18F-FDG in the uterus and uterine motility observed by cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 65 healthy, fertile women, selected from 229 women who underwent positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), and MRI for cancer screening at our facility. They were divided into three groups according to their menstrual cycle phases: menstrual, follicular-periovulatory, and luteal. Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed over the endometrium and myometrium to calculate the standardized uptake value (SUV). Uterine peristalsis and contraction shown by cine MR imaging were evaluated visually, and the correlation between FDG uptake and uterine movements was assessed. Results: After excluding nine patients due to inadequate images, 56 patients (19 follicular-periovulatory, 27 luteal, and 10 menstrual) were analyzed. FDG uptake of the endometrium, frequency of peristalsis, and the presence of sustained contraction varied according to the menstruation cycle, with a tendency toward greater uptake in the menstrual phase, but there was little relationship between the frequency of uterine peristalsis and FDG accumulation in the uterus. Significantly higher FDG accumulation in the endometrium was observed in patients with sustained contractions (3.32+-1.47) than in those without contractions (2.45+-0.66). Conclusion: Our preliminary data suggest that FDG accumulation in the endometrium tends to be higher in patients with uterine contraction, although there was no significant correlation between uterine peristalsis and FDG uptake in the uterine myometrium or endometrium

Unchanged mitochondrial phenotype, but accumulation of lipids in the myometrium in obese pregnant women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gam, Christiane Marie Bourgin Folke; Larsen, Lea Hüche; Mortensen, Ole Hartvig

2017-01-01

myometrial mitochondrial capacity or quantity could contribute as a pathophysiological mechanism to labour dystocia. Data did not support reduced myometrial mitochondrial capacity or quantity in the myometrium at term in obese women, but a reduced myocyte density with increased triglyceride content...... to reduced mitochondrial capacity or quantity, could be a possible mechanism leading to reduced efficiency of uterine contractility during labour. In the present study of 36 women having an elective Caesarean section at term, obesity did not change mitochondrial phenotype in the myometrial myocyte obtained...... in obese women. In conclusion no indication of myometrial mitochondrial dysfunction in the isolated state was found, but the observed increase of lipid content might play a role in the pathophysiological mechanisms behind labour dystocia in obese women....

Locostatin, a disrupter of Raf kinase inhibitor protein, inhibits extracellular matrix production, proliferation, and migration in human uterine leiomyoma and myometrial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Janjusevic, Milijana; Greco, Stefania; Islam, Md Soriful; Castellucci, Clara; Ciavattini, Andrea; Toti, Paolo; Petraglia, Felice; Ciarmela, Pasquapina

2016-11-01

To investigate the presence of Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) in human myometrium and leiomyoma as well as to determine the effect of locostatin (RKIP inhibitor) on extracellular matrix (ECM) production, proliferation, and migration in human myometrial and leiomyoma cells. Laboratory study. Human myometrium and leiomyoma. Thirty premenopausal women who were admitted to the hospital for myomectomy or hysterectomy. Myometrial and leiomyoma tissues were used to investigate the localization and the expression level of RKIP through immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Myometrial and leiomyoma cells were treated with locostatin (10 μM) to measure ECM expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction, GSK3β expression by Western blotting, cell migration by wound-healing assay, and cell proliferation by MTT assay and immunocytochemistry. The expression of RKIP in human myometrial and leiomyoma tissue; ECM components and GSK3β expression, migration, and proliferation in myometrial and leiomyoma cells. RKIP is expressed in human myometrial and leiomyoma tissue. Locostatin treatment resulted in the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway (ERK phosphorylation), providing a powerful validation of our targeting protocol. Further, RKIP inhibition by locostatin reduces ECM components. Moreover, the inhibition of RKIP by locostatin impaired cell proliferation and migration in both leiomyoma and myometrial cells. Finally, locostatin treatment reduced GSK3β expression. Therefore, even if the activation of MAPK pathway should increase proliferation and migration, the destabilization of GSK3β leads to the reduction of proliferation and migration of myometrial and leiomyoma cells. Our results indicate that RKIP may be involved in leiomyoma pathophysiology. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Resistance of the functional systems of the smooth muscle cells of isolated myometrium to long-term incubation in Ringer-Locke solution at 4 degrees C].

Science.gov (United States)

Peshikov, V L; Tsirkin, V I; Burmistrova, T D; Bordunovskaia, V P

1977-09-01

Contractile effects of adrenaline, acethylcholine and hyperpotassium solution on the isolated myometrium strips (non-pregnent rats, and women; pregnant rabbits, cats, and women) are studied. The amplitudes of these contractile effects were seen decreasing if the strips were previously immersed in the Ringer-Lokk solution at 4 degrees C 5--9 days prior to observation.

Human myometrial adrenergic receptors during pregnancy: identification of the alpha-adrenergic receptor by [3H] dihydroergocryptine binding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, M.M.; Hayashida, D.; Roberts, J.M.

1985-01-01

The radioactive alpha-adrenergic antagonist [ 3 H] dihydroergocryptine binds to particulate preparations of term pregnant human myometrium in a manner compatible with binding to the alpha-adrenergic receptor (alpha-receptor). [ 3 H] Dihydroergocryptine binds with high affinity (KD = 2 nmol/L and low capacity (receptor concentration = 100 fmol/mg of protein). Adrenergic agonists compete for [ 3 H] dihydroergocryptine binding sites stereo-selectively ([-]-norepinephrine is 100 times as potent as [+]-norepinephrine) and in a manner compatible with alpha-adrenergic potencies (epinephrine approximately equal to norepinephrine much greater than isoproterenol). Studies in which prazosin, an alpha 1-antagonist, and yohimbine, and alpha 2-antagonist, competed for [ 3 H] dihydroergocryptine binding sites in human myometrium indicated that approximately 70% are alpha 2-receptors and that 30% are alpha 1-receptors. [ 3 H] dihydroergocryptine binding to human myometrial membrane particulate provides an important tool with which to study the molecular mechanisms of uterine alpha-adrenergic response

Sodium leak channel, non-selective contributes to the leak current in human myometrial smooth muscle cells from pregnant women.

Science.gov (United States)

Reinl, Erin L; Cabeza, Rafael; Gregory, Ismail A; Cahill, Alison G; England, Sarah K

2015-10-01

Uterine contractions are tightly regulated by the electrical activity of myometrial smooth muscle cells (MSMCs). These cells require a depolarizing current to initiate Ca(2+) influx and induce contraction. Cationic leak channels, which permit a steady flow of cations into a cell, are known to cause membrane depolarization in many tissue types. Previously, a Gd(3+)-sensitive, Na(+)-dependent leak current was identified in the rat myometrium, but the presence of such a current in human MSMCs and the specific ion channel conducting this current was unknown. Here, we report the presence of a Na(+)-dependent leak current in human myometrium and demonstrate that the Na(+)-leak channel, NALCN, contributes to this current. We performed whole-cell voltage-clamp on fresh and cultured MSMCs from uterine biopsies of term, non-laboring women and isolated the leak currents by using Ca(2+) and K(+) channel blockers in the bath solution. Ohmic leak currents were identified in freshly isolated and cultured MSMCs with normalized conductances of 14.6 pS/pF and 10.0 pS/pF, respectively. The myometrial leak current was significantly reduced (P < 0.01) by treating cells with 10 μM Gd(3+) or by superfusing the cells with a Na(+)-free extracellular solution. Reverse transcriptase PCR and immunoblot analysis of uterine biopsies from term, non-laboring women revealed NALCN messenger RNA and protein expression in the myometrium. Notably, ∼90% knockdown of NALCN protein expression with lentivirus-delivered shRNA reduced the Gd(3+)-sensitive leak current density by 42% (P < 0.05). Our results reveal that NALCN, in part, generates the leak current in MSMCs and provide the basis for future research assessing NALCN as a potential molecular target for modulating uterine excitability. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Differential expression of caveolin-1 in human myometrial and uterine leiomyoma smooth muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yu; Ren, Yuanyuan; Cui, Lihua; Li, Zongjin; Zhu, Yingjun; Lin, Wanjun; Wang, Yuebing

2014-11-01

Uterine leiomyomas, the most common neoplasms of the female genital tract, are benign tumors of the uterus arising from the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of the myometrium with an involvement of estrogen. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a major protein component in caveolae membrane lipid rafts, is down-regulated in several estrogen-related cancer cells, and overexpression of Cav-1 inhibits proliferation of cancer cells and vascular SMCs as well. Therefore, we hypothesize that Cav-1 is down-regulated in human uterine leiomyoma. Western blot using tissues from clinical patients showed that Cav-1 expression was significantly lower or undetectable in uterine leiomyoma compared with their matched myometrium (P leiomyomas was also significantly lower as detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis (P = .001). To further study the underlying mechanism, we performed primary cell culture, and found that the expression of Cav-1 remained low in cultured leiomyoma SMCs (P = .009). Serum withdrawal did not change Cav-1 expression in leiomyoma SMCs, but increased expression in myometrial SMCs (P = .006). 17-β estradiol inhibited the expression of Cav-1 protein (P = .047) and mRNA (P = .007) in leiomyoma SMCs, whereas it stimulated expression in myometrial SMCs (P = .043). 17-β estradiol, although activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in both SMCs, did not stimulate their proliferation. We conclude that human uterine leiomyomas in vitro express low levels of Cav-1, which may result from estrogen inhibition. This effect of estrogen may contribute to the pathogenesis of uterine leiomyoma. Further studies in vivo are needed to verify these results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vivo imaging of estrogen receptor concentration in the endometrium and myometrium using FES PET - influence of menstrual cycle and endogenous estrogen level

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuchida, Tatsuro [Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan)]. E-mail: tsucchy@fmsrsa.fukui-med.ac.jp; Okazawa, Hidehiko [Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Mori, Tetsuya [Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Kobayashi, Masato [Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Yoshida, Yoshio [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Fujibayashi, Yasuhisa [Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Itoh, Harumi [Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan)

2007-02-15

Purpose: The goals of this study were to measure estrogen receptor (ER) concentration in the endometrium and myometrium using 16{alpha}-[{sup 18}F]fluoro-17{beta}-estradiol (FES) positron emission tomography (PET) and to investigate the relationship between changes in these parameters with the menstrual cycle and endogenous estrogen levels. Methods: Sixteen female healthy volunteers were included in this study. After blood sampling to measure endogenous estrogen level, FES PET image was acquired 60 min postinjection of FES. After whole-body imaging of FES PET, averaged standardized uptake values (SUVs) in the endometrium and myometrium were measured, and the relationship between FES uptake and menstrual cycle or endogenous estrogen level was evaluated. Results: Endometrial SUV was significantly higher in the proliferative phase than in the secretory phase (6.03{+-}1.05 vs. 3.97{+-}1.29, P=.022). In contrast, there was no significant difference in myometrial SUV when the proliferative and secretory phases were compared (P=.23). Further, there was no correlation between SUV and endogenous estrogen level in the proliferative phase. Conclusions: The change of ER concentration relative to menstrual cycle as characterized by FES PET was consistent with those from previous reports that used an immunohistochemical technique. These data suggest that FES PET is a feasible, noninvasive method for characterizing changes in ER concentration.

In vivo imaging of estrogen receptor concentration in the endometrium and myometrium using FES PET - influence of menstrual cycle and endogenous estrogen level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchida, Tatsuro; Okazawa, Hidehiko; Mori, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Masato; Yoshida, Yoshio; Fujibayashi, Yasuhisa; Itoh, Harumi

2007-01-01

Purpose: The goals of this study were to measure estrogen receptor (ER) concentration in the endometrium and myometrium using 16α-[ 18 F]fluoro-17β-estradiol (FES) positron emission tomography (PET) and to investigate the relationship between changes in these parameters with the menstrual cycle and endogenous estrogen levels. Methods: Sixteen female healthy volunteers were included in this study. After blood sampling to measure endogenous estrogen level, FES PET image was acquired 60 min postinjection of FES. After whole-body imaging of FES PET, averaged standardized uptake values (SUVs) in the endometrium and myometrium were measured, and the relationship between FES uptake and menstrual cycle or endogenous estrogen level was evaluated. Results: Endometrial SUV was significantly higher in the proliferative phase than in the secretory phase (6.03±1.05 vs. 3.97±1.29, P=.022). In contrast, there was no significant difference in myometrial SUV when the proliferative and secretory phases were compared (P=.23). Further, there was no correlation between SUV and endogenous estrogen level in the proliferative phase. Conclusions: The change of ER concentration relative to menstrual cycle as characterized by FES PET was consistent with those from previous reports that used an immunohistochemical technique. These data suggest that FES PET is a feasible, noninvasive method for characterizing changes in ER concentration

Differential effects of tumor necrosis factor-α on matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in human myometrial and uterine leiomyoma smooth muscle cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuebing; Feng, Guowei; Wang, Jiyuan; Zhou, Yu; Liu, Yixin; Shi, Yiquan; Zhu, Yingjun; Lin, Wanjun; Xu, Yang; Li, Zongjin

2015-01-01

Does tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) differentially regulate matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression in leiomyomas compared with normal myometrium? TNF-α up-regulates MMP-2 expression and stimulates cell migration through the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway in leiomyoma smooth muscle cells (SMCs), but not in normal myometrial SMCs. Uterine leiomyoma, the benign smooth muscle cell tumor, is the single most common indication for hysterectomy. High expression of MMPs or TNF-α has been reported in uterine leiomyomas; however, the molecular mechanism underlying these observations remains unknown. Samples were obtained between 2009 and 2013 from 12 women of reproductive age at the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle by hysterectomy. Leiomyomas and matched normal myometrium from each woman were analyzed in vitro. Western blot, RT-qPCR and a wound-healing assay were used to investigate the effects of TNF-α on MMP-2 expression and intracellular signal transduction in cultured SMCs from leiomyomas and matched myometrium. Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses using tissues from clinical patients showed that the levels of MMP-2 protein (P = 0.008) and mRNA (P = 0.009) were significantly higher in uterine leiomyomas compared with their matched myometrium. Treatment with TNF-α significantly up-regulated the protein (P = 0.039) and mRNA (P = 0.037) levels of MMP-2 in cultured leiomyoma SMCs but not in matched myometrial SMCs. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathways were activated by TNF-α in leiomyoma SMCs. Specific inhibitors of the ERK or NF-κB pathway (PD98059 or Bay11-7082) suppressed TNF-α-induced MMP-2 expression in leiomyoma SMCs. The wound-healing assay revealed that TNF-α promoted the migration of cultured leiomyoma SMCs (P = 0.036); however, PD98059 compromised the cell migration triggered by TNF-α. This study is descriptive and although we observed clear

A dynamical systems model of progesterone receptor interactions with inflammation in human parturition.

Science.gov (United States)

Brubaker, Douglas; Barbaro, Alethea; R Chance, Mark; Mesiano, Sam

2016-08-19

Progesterone promotes uterine relaxation and is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. Withdrawal of progesterone activity and increased inflammation within the uterine tissues are key triggers for parturition. Progesterone actions in myometrial cells are mediated by two progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms, PR-A and PR-B, that function as ligand-activated transcription factors. PR-B mediates relaxatory actions of progesterone, in part, by decreasing myometrial cell responsiveness to pro-inflammatory stimuli. These same pro-inflammatory stimuli promote the expression of PR-A which inhibits the anti-inflammatory activity of PR-B. Competitive interaction between the progesterone receptors then augments myometrial responsiveness to pro-inflammatory stimuli. The interaction between PR-B transcriptional activity and inflammation in the pregnancy myometrium is examined using a dynamical systems model in which quiescence and labor are represented as phase-space equilibrium points. Our model shows that PR-B transcriptional activity and the inflammatory load determine the stability of the quiescent and laboring phenotypes. The model is tested using published transcriptome datasets describing the mRNA abundances in the myometrium before and after the onset of labor at term. Surrogate transcripts were selected to reflect PR-B transcriptional activity and inflammation status. The model coupling PR-B activity and inflammation predicts contractile status (i.e., laboring or quiescent) with high precision and recall and outperforms uncoupled single and two-gene classifiers. Linear stability analysis shows that phase space bifurcations exist in our model that may reflect the phenotypic states of the pregnancy uterus. The model describes a possible tipping point for the transition of the quiescent to the contractile laboring phenotype. Our model describes the functional interaction between the PR-A:PR-B hypothesis and tissue level inflammation in the pregnancy uterus and is a

Estrogen biosynthesis in human uterine adenomyosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urabe, Mamoru; Yamamoto, Takara; Kitawaki, Jo; Honjo, Hideo; Okada, Hiroji

1989-01-01

Estrogen biosynthesis (aromatiase activity) was investigated in human adenomyosis tissue and compared with that of the normal myometrium, endometrium, and endometrical cancer tissues. Homogenates were incubated with [1,2,6,7- 3 H]androstenedione and NADPH at 37 deg. C for 1 h. After stopping the enzymatic reaction with ethyl acetate, [4- 14 C]estrone and [4- 14 C]estradiol-17β were added to the incubated sample. Estrone and estradiol were purified and identified by Bio-Rad AG1-X2 column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography and co-crystallization. Estrogen formed in the incubated sample was calculated from the 3 H/ 14 C ratio of the final crystal. The value for estrone formed from androstenedione was 52-132 fmol . h -1. g -1 wet weight. Aromatase activity in the adenomyosis tissues was higher than that in normal endometrial or myometrial tissues, but lower than that found in myometrial or endometrial tumour tissue. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of danazol, progresterone, and medroxyprogesterone acetate on adenomyosis cells in primary cultures. Aromatase activity in adenomyosis was blocked by danazol, but stimulated by progesterone and MPA. These results indicate that aromatase activity in adenomyosis may contribute to the growth of the ectopic endometrial tissue which occurs in this disease. (author)

Comparative studies of placentation and immunology in non-human primates suggest a scenario for the evolution of deep trophoblast invasion and an explanation for human pregnancy disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Anthony M

2011-04-01

Deep trophoblast invasion in the placental bed has been considered the hallmark of human pregnancy. It occurs by two routes, interstitial and endovascular, and results in transformation of the walls of the spiral arteries as they traverse the decidua and the inner third of the myometrium. Disturbances in this process are associated with reproductive disorders such preeclampsia. In contrast, trophoblast invasion in Old World monkeys occurs only by the endovascular route and seldom reaches the myometrium. Recently, it was shown that this pattern is maintained in gibbons, but that the human arrangement also occurs in chimpanzee and gorilla. There is an interesting parallel with results from placental immunology regarding the evolution of the major histocompatability complex class I antigen HLA-C and its cognate receptors. HLA-C is not present in Old World monkeys or gibbons. It emerged in the orangutan and became polymorphic in the lineage leading to gorilla, bonobo, chimpanzee, and human. Interaction between HLA-C1 and HLA-C2 on the surface of trophoblast and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) expressed by uterine natural killer cells are important regulators of trophoblast invasion. Evolution of this system in great apes may have been one prerequisite for deep trophoblast invasion but seems to have come at a price. The evidence now suggests that certain combinations of maternal genotype for KIRs and fetal genotype for HLA-C imply an increased risk of preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and recurrent abortion. The fetal genotype is in part derived from the father providing an explanation for the paternal contribution to reproductive disorders.

Defense Human Resources Activity > PERSEREC

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Skip to main content (Press Enter). Toggle navigation Defense Human Resources Activity Search Search Defense Human Resources Activity: Search Search Defense Human Resources Activity: Search Defense Human Resources Activity U.S. Department of Defense Defense Human Resources Activity Overview

The Natural Product Acivicin as a Tool for ABPP and the Activity of Serine Hydrolases in Uterine Fibroids

OpenAIRE

Kreuzer, Johannes

2015-01-01

The target proteins of acivicin and structure derived probes in tumor cells were identified using activity-based protein profiling. The target proteins were further characterized and their relation to the antitumor activity of acivicin pointed out. In a further project, the activity of serine hydrolases in myoma and myometrium was examined from tissue samples. This revealed a different activity of mast cell proteases. Mittels Activity-based Protein Profiling wurde eine Identifikation der Z...

17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate vehicle, castor oil, enhances the contractile effect of oxytocin in human myometrium in pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Sullivan, Michael D; Hehir, Mark P; O'Brien, Yvonne M; Morrison, John J

2010-05-01

The possibility exists that the vehicle for 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, castor oil, exerts an effect on human uterine contractility. The aim of this study was to evaluate its effects on contractility of myometrial preparations that were obtained during pregnancy. Myometrial strips were suspended under isometric conditions. Contractility was induced with oxytocin. Strips were incubated in castor oil or physiologic salt solution and suspended for a further oxytocin challenge. Contractile integrals were compared between both groups. Strips that were exposed to castor oil demonstrated increased contractile activity that was elicited by oxytocin (mean contractility value, 165.53%+/-17.03%; n=8; P=.004), compared with control strips (mean contractility value, 72.57%+/-7.48%; n=8; P=.003). There was a significant increase in contractile activity of the castor oil-exposed strips, compared with those that were exposed to physiologic salt solution (n=8; Pcastor oil results in enhanced oxytocin-induced contractility. Copyright (c) 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Human activity recognition and prediction

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

This book provides a unique view of human activity recognition, especially fine-grained human activity structure learning, human-interaction recognition, RGB-D data based action recognition, temporal decomposition, and causality learning in unconstrained human activity videos. The techniques discussed give readers tools that provide a significant improvement over existing methodologies of video content understanding by taking advantage of activity recognition. It links multiple popular research fields in computer vision, machine learning, human-centered computing, human-computer interaction, image classification, and pattern recognition. In addition, the book includes several key chapters covering multiple emerging topics in the field. Contributed by top experts and practitioners, the chapters present key topics from different angles and blend both methodology and application, composing a solid overview of the human activity recognition techniques. .

Role of cyclic GMP in cells with the properties of smooth muscle cultured from the rat myometrium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krall, J.F.; Morin, A.

1986-01-01

Cells growing in culture with previously described properties of rat uterine smooth muscle accumulated 45 Ca 2+ from the medium. Ca 2+ uptake by these cells was stimulated by the addition to the medium of 8-bromo-cGMP but not by 8-bromo-cAMP. Ca 2+ uptake was also stimulated by carbachol and by the nitro-vasodilator nitroprusside. Although cholinergic agonists have been shown previously to stimulate contraction but not cGMP synthesis in the rat myometrium, both carbachol and nitroprusside stimulated cGMP production by the cultured cells. These results suggested the cells had cholinergic receptor-medicated functions that reflected some neurotransmitter-sensitive properties of uterine smooth muscle in situ. When determined by a specific radioligand binding assay, subcellular fractions of the cultured cells bound muscarinic cholinergic agonists and antagonists with affinities expected of the muscarinic receptor. The cells were also sensitive to the β-adrenergic catecholamine agonist isoproterenol, which stimulated cAMP production but not Ca 2+ uptake. Carbachol failed to inhibit isoproterenol-dependent cAMP production, which is an important property of the cholinergic receptor in uterine smooth muscle in situ. These results suggest some but not all acetylcholine-sensitive properties of uterine smooth muscle may be retained in cell culture

Efeitos das isoflavonas sobre o miométrio de ratas adultas Effects of isoflavones on the adult rat myometrium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rejane Mosquette

2006-04-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: avaliar as alterações no miométrio de ratas após o tratamento com isoflavonas, comparando-as às dos estrogênios, por técnicas histológicas e morfométricas. MÉTODOS: 28 ratas adultas castradas foram divididas, ao acaso, em quatro grupos que receberam: GPropi propilenoglicol; GExtr10 - extrato de soja (10 mg/kg por dia; GExtr300 - extrato de soja (300 mg/kg por dia e GEce - estrogênios conjugados eqüinos (Ece - 200 µg/kg por dia. Após 21 dias de tratamento, todos os animais foram sacrificados, os úteros retirados e pesados, e fragmentos dos cornos uterinos foram coletados e fixados em formol a 10% e processados para inclusão em parafina. Os cortes histológicos foram corados pela hematoxilina e eosina e examinados em microscópio acoplado a analisador de imagens para avaliação da espessura, número de vasos sanguíneos e de eosinófilos no miométrio. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância (ANOVA, seguida pelo teste de comparações múltiplas de Tukey-Kramer. RESULTADOS: as isoflavonas, na concentração de 300 mg/kg, induziram aumento significante na espessura do miométrio (GExtr300=25,6±5,0 mm em relação ao controle (GPropi=5,5±0,5 mm. O efeito desta alta é comparável ao efeito dos estrogênios (GEce=27,5±7,9 mm. Em doses baixas (10 mg/kg, os valores foram similares ao controle. Além disso, as isoflavonas (GExtr300 induziram aumento no número de vasos sangüíneos (GExtr300=10,2±3,6/mm²; GPropi=3,5±1,6 vasos/mm² e de eosinófilos (GExtr300=4,3±0,9; GPropi=0,15±0,01 eosinófilos/mm², igualmente comparáveis aos efeitos obtidos pelo tratamento com Ece (GEce=9,2±1,1 eosinophils/mm². CONCLUSÃO: as isoflavonas em doses altas (300 mg/kg por dia, durante 21 dias têm efeito proliferativo no miométrio de ratas, semelhante ao dos estrogênios.PURPOSE: to evaluate histomorphometric changes in the rat myometrium upon treatment with isoflavones, as compared with estrogens, using

A Review of Human Activity Recognition Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michalis eVrigkas

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Recognizing human activities from video sequences or still images is a challenging task due to problems such as background clutter, partial occlusion, changes in scale, viewpoint, lighting, and appearance. Many applications, including video surveillance systems, human-computer interaction, and robotics for human behavior characterization, require a multiple activity recognition system. In this work, we provide a detailed review of recent and state-of-the-art research advances in the field of human activity classification. We propose a categorization of human activity methodologies and discuss their advantages and limitations. In particular, we divide human activity classification methods into two large categories according to whether they use data from different modalities or not. Then, each of these categories is further analyzed into sub-categories, which reflect how they model human activities and what type of activities they are interested in. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the existing, publicly available human activity classification datasets and examine the requirements for an ideal human activity recognition dataset. Finally, we report the characteristics of future research directions and present some open issues on human activity recognition.

The role of voltage-gated potassium channels in the regulation of mouse uterine contractility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abel Peter W

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Uterine smooth muscle cells exhibit ionic currents that appear to be important in the control of uterine contractility, but how these currents might produce the changes in contractile activity seen in pregnant myometrium has not been established. There are conflicting reports concerning the role of voltage-gated potassium (Kv channels and large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium (BK channels in the regulation of uterine contractility. In this study we provide molecular and functional evidence for a role for Kv channels in the regulation of spontaneous contractile activity in mouse myometrium, and also demonstrate a change in Kv channel regulation of contractility in pregnant mouse myometrium. Methods Functional assays which evaluated the effects of channel blockers and various contractile agonists were accomplished by quantifying contractility of isolated uterine smooth muscle obtained from nonpregnant mice as well as mice at various stages of pregnancy. Expression of Kv channel proteins in isolated uterine smooth muscle was evaluated by Western blots. Results The Kv channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP caused contractions in nonpregnant mouse myometrium (EC50 = 54 micromolar, maximal effect at 300 micromolar but this effect disappeared in pregnant mice; similarly, the Kv4.2/Kv4.3 blocker phrixotoxin-2 caused contractions in nonpregnant, but not pregnant, myometrium. Contractile responses to 4-AP were not dependent upon nerves, as neither tetrodotoxin nor storage of tissues at room temperature significantly altered these responses, nor were responses dependent upon the presence of the endometrium. Spontaneous contractions and contractions in response to 4-AP did not appear to be mediated by BK, as the BK channel-selective blockers iberiotoxin, verruculogen, or tetraethylammonium failed to affect either spontaneous contractions or 4-AP-elicited responses. A number of different Kv channel alpha subunit proteins were

Human Activity in the Web

OpenAIRE

Radicchi, Filippo

2009-01-01

The recent information technology revolution has enabled the analysis and processing of large-scale datasets describing human activities. The main source of data is represented by the Web, where humans generally use to spend a relevant part of their day. Here we study three large datasets containing the information about Web human activities in different contexts. We study in details inter-event and waiting time statistics. In both cases, the number of subsequent operations which differ by ta...

Brain Activity and Human Unilateral Chewing

Science.gov (United States)

Quintero, A.; Ichesco, E.; Myers, C.; Schutt, R.; Gerstner, G.E.

2012-01-01

Brain mechanisms underlying mastication have been studied in non-human mammals but less so in humans. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate brain activity in humans during gum chewing. Chewing was associated with activations in the cerebellum, motor cortex and caudate, cingulate, and brainstem. We also divided the 25-second chew-blocks into 5 segments of equal 5-second durations and evaluated activations within and between each of the 5 segments. This analysis revealed activation clusters unique to the initial segment, which may indicate brain regions involved with initiating chewing. Several clusters were uniquely activated during the last segment as well, which may represent brain regions involved with anticipatory or motor events associated with the end of the chew-block. In conclusion, this study provided evidence for specific brain areas associated with chewing in humans and demonstrated that brain activation patterns may dynamically change over the course of chewing sequences. PMID:23103631

Menstrual cyclic changes of human physiological uterus analized by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuzawa, Michio

1989-01-01

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is useful facilitation to perform analysis of tissue structures with the gray scale. By use of super-conducting MRI with 0.5T resistive magnet, present study was designed to analyse characteristic features of the human uterus throughout menstrual cycle. Both T 1 and T 2 values of the endometrium, the junctional zone and the myometrium were estimated on total nine volunteers of nomal healthy women aged from 21 to 30 y.o. during menstrual cycle. MRI was taken in the mid ∼ late proliferative, the secretory, and the menstrual stage. Moreover, relative square ratio of the endometrium and the junctional zone to the corpus uteri were measured by computed image analyser (Lusex 500). Following results were obtained. 1) Both T 1 and T 2 values of the endometrium and the junctional zone were lowest in the menstrual phase. In the myometrium, T 1 values were shown as same tendency comparing with the above two layers but T 2 values were lowest in the proliferative phase and the menstrual one. 2) Proportional values of the endometrium to the corpus uteri increased from 13.8% in the proliferative phase to 17.9% in the secretory phase and decreased to 8.0% in the menstrual phase. While that in the junctional zone decreased from 26.6% to 23.4% in secretory phase and increased to 35.0% in the menstrual phase. (author)

Menstrual cyclic changes of human physiological uterus analized by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yasuzawa, Michio

1989-05-01

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is useful facilitation to perform analysis of tissue structures with the gray scale. By use of super-conducting MRI with 0.5T resistive magnet, present study was designed to analyse characteristic features of the human uterus throughout menstrual cycle. Both T/sub 1/ and T/sub 2/ values of the endometrium, the junctional zone and the myometrium were estimated on total nine volunteers of nomal healthy women aged from 21 to 30 y.o. during menstrual cycle. MRI was taken in the mid /similar to/ late proliferative, the secretory, and the menstrual stage. Moreover, relative square ratio of the endometrium and the junctional zone to the corpus uteri were measured by computed image analyser (Lusex 500). Following results were obtained. (1) Both T/sub 1/ and T/sub 2/ values of the endometrium and the junctional zone were lowest in the menstrual phase. In the myometrium, T/sub 1/ values were shown as same tendency comparing with the above two layers but T/sub 2/ values were lowest in the proliferative phase and the menstrual one. (2) Proportional values of the endometrium to the corpus uteri increased from 13.8% in the proliferative phase to 17.9% in the secretory phase and decreased to 8.0% in the menstrual phase. While that in the junctional zone decreased from 26.6% to 23.4% in secretory phase and increased to 35.0% in the menstrual phase. (author).

ActivityNet: A Large-Scale Video Benchmark for Human Activity Understanding

KAUST Repository

Heilbron, Fabian Caba

2015-06-02

In spite of many dataset efforts for human action recognition, current computer vision algorithms are still severely limited in terms of the variability and complexity of the actions that they can recognize. This is in part due to the simplicity of current benchmarks, which mostly focus on simple actions and movements occurring on manually trimmed videos. In this paper we introduce ActivityNet, a new largescale video benchmark for human activity understanding. Our benchmark aims at covering a wide range of complex human activities that are of interest to people in their daily living. In its current version, ActivityNet provides samples from 203 activity classes with an average of 137 untrimmed videos per class and 1.41 activity instances per video, for a total of 849 video hours. We illustrate three scenarios in which ActivityNet can be used to compare algorithms for human activity understanding: untrimmed video classification, trimmed activity classification and activity detection.

ActivityNet: A Large-Scale Video Benchmark for Human Activity Understanding

KAUST Repository

Heilbron, Fabian Caba; Castillo, Victor; Ghanem, Bernard; Niebles, Juan Carlos

2015-01-01

In spite of many dataset efforts for human action recognition, current computer vision algorithms are still severely limited in terms of the variability and complexity of the actions that they can recognize. This is in part due to the simplicity of current benchmarks, which mostly focus on simple actions and movements occurring on manually trimmed videos. In this paper we introduce ActivityNet, a new largescale video benchmark for human activity understanding. Our benchmark aims at covering a wide range of complex human activities that are of interest to people in their daily living. In its current version, ActivityNet provides samples from 203 activity classes with an average of 137 untrimmed videos per class and 1.41 activity instances per video, for a total of 849 video hours. We illustrate three scenarios in which ActivityNet can be used to compare algorithms for human activity understanding: untrimmed video classification, trimmed activity classification and activity detection.

Obésité et grossesse : étude de l'influence d'un marqueur de l'obésité sur les mécanismes cellulaires et tissulaires de l'accouchement dans un modèle d'explants myométriaux humains

OpenAIRE

Wendremaire, Maeva

2012-01-01

Maternal obesity is associated with a wide spectrum of delivery disorders, such as delayed or post-term delivery, that might be explained partly by the increase in plasma leptin levels in obese women, as leptin inhibits in vitro myometrial contractility. Delivery involves uterine apoptosis and remodelling of the extracellular matrix, via the activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). This study was aimed to assess the role of leptin on human myometrium, by studying the interaction of lept...

Dietary Flavonoids as Therapeutics for Preterm Birth: Luteolin and Kaempferol Suppress Inflammation in Human Gestational Tissues In Vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, Courtney; Lim, Ratana; Poljak, Marin; Lappas, Martha

2013-01-01

Infection/inflammation is commonly associated with preterm birth (PTB), initiating uterine contractions and rupture of fetal membranes. Proinflammatory cytokines induce matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and prostaglandins which initiate uterine contractions. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activator-protein- (AP-)1 have key roles in the formation of these prolabour mediators. In nongestational tissues, dietary flavonoids such as luteolin and kaempferol inhibit NF-κB, AP-1, and their downstream targets. The aim of this study was to determine if luteolin and kaempferol reduce infection-induced prolabour mediators in human gestational tissues. Fetal membranes were incubated with LPS, and primary amnion cells and myometrial cells were incubated with IL-1β in the absence or presence of luteolin or kaempferol. Luteolin and kaempferol significantly reduced LPS-induced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8) and prostaglandins (PGE2 and PGF2α) in fetal membranes, IL-1β-induced COX-2 gene expression and prostaglandin production in myometrium, and IL-1β-induced MMP-9 activity in amnion and myometrial cells. Luteolin and kaempferol decreased IL-1β-induced NF-κB p65 DNA binding activity and nuclear c-Jun expression. In conclusion, luteolin and kaempferol inhibit prolabour mediators in human gestational tissues. Given the central role of inflammation in provoking preterm labour, phytophenols may be a therapeutic approach to reduce the incidence of PTB. PMID:23840918

[THE PECULIARITIES OF UTERINE STRUCTURE AFTER DELIVERY IN RATS WITH THE MYOMETRIAL SCAR].

Science.gov (United States)

Maiborodin, I V; Pekarev, O G; Yakimova, N V; Pekareva, Ye O; Maiborodina, V I; Perminova, Ye I

2015-01-01

The uterine tissues of female rats (n=30) with a scarred myometrium were examined by methods of light microscopy after the delivery. 1.5-2 months after the delivery no significant differences in the parameters of blood and lymph flow in the deep layers of the endometrium, myometrium and the myometrial scar tissue were found between the intact rats, nulliparous rats with a scarred uterus, rats that gave birth after laparotomy only and those that gave birth under the conditions of myometrial scar. In the course of pregnancy and labor activity, the damage of the tissues was observed not in the uterine scar proper, but at its borders with the myometrium. This is supported by the old hemorrhages and lymphostasis phenomena, greater number of lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages and erythrocytes. In determining the indications and contraindications to vaginal childbirth in women with scarred uterus it is necessary to examine not only the scar proper, but also its border with the myometrium. The myometrial scar by itself, is not an absolute contraindication to vaginal delivery, the natural delivery is feasible in the absence of cavities with liquid and hemorrhages in the tissues of the uterine scar and at its border with myometrium.

HUMAN ACTIVITY MONITORING USING SMARTPHONE

OpenAIRE

TOKALA, SAI SUJIT; ROKALA, RANADEEP

2014-01-01

The main aim of the project is to develop an algorithm which will classify the activity performed by a human who is carrying a smart phone. The day to day life made humans very busy at work and during daily activities, mostly elderly people who are at home have an important need to monitor their activity by others when they are alone, if they are inactive for a long time without movement, or in some situations like if they have fallen down, became unconscious for sometime or seized with a car...

Basic studies on the human uterus by magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuzawa, Michio

1990-01-01

This study was designed to analyze characteristic features of the human uterus by using a 0.5 Tesla super-conducting magnet. Relative square ratios of the endometrium and the junctional zone to the uterine body were measured during menstrual cycle with a computed image analyser. Nine healthy volunteers aged 21 to 30 years underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the proliferative, secretory, and menstrual phases. Relaxation times of the endometrium, junctional zone, and myometrium were determined. The relative ratio of the endometrium to the uterine body was 13.8% in the proliferative phase, 17.9% in the secretory phase, and 8.0% in the menstrual phase. The ratio of the junctional zone decreased from 26.6% in the proliferative phase to 23.4% in the secretory phase, and increased to 35.0% in the menstrual phase. Relaxation times of the endometrium and junctional zone were the shortest in the menstrual phase. For the myometrium, T 1 values showed the same tendency. T 2 values were the shortest in the proliferative phase. MRI was also performed in 39 patients with hydatidiform (one), myoma uteri (11), adenomyosis uteri (one), carcinoma of the uterine body (3), and carcinoma of the uterine cervix (23). Myoma nodule without degeneration appeared at low intensity, and had the shortest T 1 and T 2 values. Myoma uteri with degeneration had an increased intensity and larger T 1 and T 2 values. Adenomyosis uteri showed a diffuse low intensity with high intensity spots. Malignant lesions of both the uterine body and cervix showed a high intensity on T 2 -weighted image and similar T 1 and T 2 values. These T 1 and T 2 values were, however, shorter than tissue of unmarried normal women. MRI was considered useful for the observation of menstrual cyclic and quantitative change in the human physiologic uterus, as well as for the differentiation of malignant from benign uterine diseases. (N.K.)

Sprouting angiogenesis in human midterm uterus and fallopian tube is guided by endothelial tip cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Rusu, M C; Motoc, A G M; Pop, F; Folescu, R

2013-01-01

Five samples of human midterm fetal uterus and fallopian tube (four donor bodies) were used to assess whether or not processes of angiogenesis are guided by endothelial tip cells (ETCs), and if cytokine-receptors, such as CD117/c-kit and PDGFR-α, are expressed in the microenvironment of the endothelial tubes. CD34 labeled microvessels in the uterine wall (myometrium and endometrium) and in the wall of the uterine (fallopian) tube, and accurately identified ETCs in both organs. We conclude that sprouting angiogenesis in the developing human female tract is guided by ETCs. Moreover, CD117/c-kit antibodies labeled mural networks of pericytes, α-SMA-positive and desmin-negative, related to the endometrial (but not myometrial) microvessels, and similar labeling was identified in the wall of the uterine tube. PDGFR-α positive labeling, stromal and pericytary, was also found. Thus, sprouting angiogenesis in human fetal genital organs appears to be guided by tip cells and is influenced by tyrosine kinase receptor signaling.

Electrohysterographic Characterization of Labor Contractions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Eva; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, Anders; Petersen, Olav Bjørn

2012-01-01

Background: Better methods are needed for preterm labor diagnostication. We hypothesize 1) that depolarization of the myometrium propagates from fundus to isthmus, 2) that the propagation velocity (PV) is faster in labor than in non-labor, and 3) that PV can be determined by electromyography (EMG......). PV may be the best EMG-predictor of preterm labor. Knowledge on how to determine PV is insufficient though. Objective: To investigate EMG-signals from laboring myometrium and to develop a method for determining PV. Method: We included 10 women in active labor. EMG-signals were obtained via three...... of the vertical electrode order. Conclusion: Depolarization of the laboring myometrium may therefore not occur in the direction from fundus to isthmus. Further investigation is needed for PV determination....

Immunoprofiling of human uterine mast cells identifies three phenotypes and expression of ERβ and glucocorticoid receptor [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bianca De Leo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Human mast cells (MCs are long-lived tissue-resident immune cells characterised by granules containing the proteases chymase and/or tryptase. Their phenotype is modulated by their tissue microenvironment. The human uterus has an outer muscular layer (the myometrium surrounding the endometrium, both of which play an important role in supporting a pregnancy. The endometrium is a sex steroid target tissue consisting of epithelial cells (luminal, glandular surrounded by a multicellular stroma, with the latter containing an extensive vascular compartment as well as fluctuating populations of immune cells that play an important role in regulating tissue function. The role of MCs in the human uterus is poorly understood with little known about their regulation or the impact of steroids on their differentiation status. The current study had two aims: 1 To investigate the spatial and temporal location of uterine MCs and determine their phenotype; 2 To determine whether MCs express receptors for steroids implicated in uterine function, including oestrogen (ERα, ERβ, progesterone (PR and glucocorticoids (GR. Methods: Tissue samples from women (n=46 were used for RNA extraction or fixed for immunohistochemistry. Results: Messenger RNAs encoded by TPSAB1 (tryptase and CMA1 (chymase were detected in endometrial tissue homogenates. Immunohistochemistry revealed the relative abundance of tryptase MCs was myometrium>basal endometrium>functional endometrium. We show for the first time that uterine MCs are predominantly of the classical MC subtypes: (positive, +; negative, - tryptase+/chymase- and tryptase+/chymase+, but a third subtype was also identified (tryptase-/chymase+. Tryptase+ MCs were of an ERβ+/ERα-/PR-/GR+ phenotype mirroring other uterine immune cell populations, including natural killer cells. Conclusions: Endometrial tissue resident immune MCs have three protease-specific phenotypes. Expression of both ERβ and GR in MCs mirrors

Human myometrial adrenergic receptors: identification of the beta-adrenergic receptor by [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashida, D.N.; Leung, R.; Goldfien, A.; Roberts, J.M.

1982-01-01

The radioactive beta-adrenergic antagonist [ 3 H] dihydroalprenolol (DHA) binds to particulate preparations of human myometrium in a manner compatible with binding to the beta-adrenergic receptor. The binding of DHA is rapid (attaining equilibrium in 12 minutes), readily reversible (half time = 16 minutes), high affinity (K/sub D/ = 0.50 nM), low capacity (Bmax = 70 fmoles/mg of protein), and stereoselective ([-]-propranolol is 100 times as potent as [+] -propranolol in inhibiting DHA binding). Adrenergic agonists competed for DHA binding sites in a manner compatible with beta-adrenergic interactions and mirrored β 2 pharmacologic potencies: isoproterenol > epinephrine >> norepinephrine. Studies in which zinterol, a β 2 -adrenergic agonist, competed for DHA binding sites in human myometrial particulate indicated that at least 87% of the beta-adrenergic receptors present are β 2 -adrenergic receptors. Binding of DHA to human myometrial beta-adrenergic receptors provides a tool which may be used in the examination of gonadal hormonal modification of adrenergic response in human uterus as well as in the analysis of beta-adrenergic agents as potentially useful tocolytic agents

Anti-complement activities of human breast-milk.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogundele, M O

1999-08-01

It has long been observed that the human milk possesses significant anti-inflammatory properties, while simultaneously protecting the infant against many intestinal and respiratory pathogens. There is, however, a paucity of information on the degree and extent of this anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of different fractions of human milk on serum complement activity were analysed. Colostrum and milk samples from healthy voluntary lactating donors at different postpartum ages were obtained and pooled normal human serum was used as source of complement in a modified CH50 assay. Inherent complement activity in human milk was also investigated by measuring the deposition of an activated C3 fragment on a serum-sensitive bacteria, and by haemolytic assays. Most whole- and defatted-milk samples consistently showed a dose-dependent inhibition of the serum complement activity. This inhibition was greater in mature milk compared to transitional milk samples. It was enhanced by inactivation of milk complement, and diminished by centrifugation of milk samples, which partly removed fat and larger protein components including casein micelles. Inherent complement activity in human milk was also demonstrated by haemolysis of sensitised sheep erythrocytes and deposition of C3 fragments on solid-phase bacteria. These activities were highest in the colostrum and gradually decreased as lactation proceeded. Several natural components abundant in the fluid phase of the human breast-milk have been shown to be inhibitors of complement activation in vitro. Their physiological significance probably reside in their ability to prevent inflammatory-induced tissue damage of the delicate immature gastrointestinal tract of the new-born as well as the mammary gland itself, which may arise from ongoing complement activation.

ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES FOR REGIONAL INNOVATION ACTIVITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. R. Lukyanova

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the issues of human resource development regarding an innovation activity. Concepts of labor and human resources have been surveyed. An integral index for assessment of human resources for regional innovation activity has been developed and assessment of the Russian regions has been made on the basis of it. Development tendencies of modern human resources for innovation activity in Russia have been revealed.

Decreased expression of microRNA-29 family in leiomyoma contributes to increased major fibrillar collagen production.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Erica E; Steinberg, Marissa L; Parker, J Brandon; Wu, Ju; Chakravarti, Debabrata; Bulun, Serdar E

2016-09-01

To determine the expression and function of the microRNA-29 family (miRNA-29a, miRNA-29b, miRNA-29c) in human leiomyoma and myometrium. Basic science experimental design. Academic medical center. Women undergoing surgery for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Overexpression and knockdown of miRNA-29a, miRNA-29b, and miRNA-29c in primary leiomyoma and myometrial cells. [1] Expression of the miRNA-29 family members in vivo in leiomyoma versus myometrium; [2] Major fibrillar collagen (I, II, III) expression in leiomyoma and myometrial cells with manipulation of miRNA-29 species. Members of the miRNA-29 family (29a, 29b, 29c) are all down-regulated in leiomyoma versus myometrium in vivo. The expression of the miRNA-29 family can be successfully modulated in primary leiomyoma and myometrial cells. Overexpression of the miRNA-29 family in leiomyoma cells results in down-regulation of the major fibrillar collagens. Down-regulation of the miRNA-29 species in myometrium results in an increase in collagen type III deposition. The miRNA-29 family is consistently down-regulated in leiomyoma compared to matched myometrial tissue. This down-regulation contributes to the increased collagen seen in leiomyomas versus myometrium. When miRNA-29 members are overexpressed in leiomyoma cells, protein levels of all of the major fibrillar collagens decrease. The miRNA-29 members are potential therapeutic targets in this highly prevalent condition. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monetary reward activates human prefrontal cortex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thut, G.; Roelcke, U.; Nienhusmeier, M.; Missimer, J.; Maguire, R.P.; Leenders, K.L.; Schultz, W.

1997-01-01

We present a rCBF PET activation study, in which we demonstrated that reward processing in humans activates a cortical-subcortical network including dorsolateral prefrontal, orbital frontal, thalamic and midbrain regions. It is suggested that, as found for non-human primates, the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical system is implicated in reward processing. (author) 1 fig., 3 refs

A Review on Video-Based Human Activity Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shian-Ru Ke

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This review article surveys extensively the current progresses made toward video-based human activity recognition. Three aspects for human activity recognition are addressed including core technology, human activity recognition systems, and applications from low-level to high-level representation. In the core technology, three critical processing stages are thoroughly discussed mainly: human object segmentation, feature extraction and representation, activity detection and classification algorithms. In the human activity recognition systems, three main types are mentioned, including single person activity recognition, multiple people interaction and crowd behavior, and abnormal activity recognition. Finally the domains of applications are discussed in detail, specifically, on surveillance environments, entertainment environments and healthcare systems. Our survey, which aims to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the field, also addresses several challenges associated with these systems and applications. Moreover, in this survey, various applications are discussed in great detail, specifically, a survey on the applications in healthcare monitoring systems.

Real-time Human Activity Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Albukhary, N.; Mustafah, Y. M.

2017-11-01

The traditional Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) system requires human to monitor the CCTV for 24/7 which is inefficient and costly. Therefore, there’s a need for a system which can recognize human activity effectively in real-time. This paper concentrates on recognizing simple activity such as walking, running, sitting, standing and landing by using image processing techniques. Firstly, object detection is done by using background subtraction to detect moving object. Then, object tracking and object classification are constructed so that different person can be differentiated by using feature detection. Geometrical attributes of tracked object, which are centroid and aspect ratio of identified tracked are manipulated so that simple activity can be detected.

Human body contour data based activity recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Myagmarbayar, Nergui; Yuki, Yoshida; Imamoglu, Nevrez; Gonzalez, Jose; Otake, Mihoko; Yu, Wenwei

2013-01-01

This research work is aimed to develop autonomous bio-monitoring mobile robots, which are capable of tracking and measuring patients' motions, recognizing the patients' behavior based on observation data, and providing calling for medical personnel in emergency situations in home environment. The robots to be developed will bring about cost-effective, safe and easier at-home rehabilitation to most motor-function impaired patients (MIPs). In our previous research, a full framework was established towards this research goal. In this research, we aimed at improving the human activity recognition by using contour data of the tracked human subject extracted from the depth images as the signal source, instead of the lower limb joint angle data used in the previous research, which are more likely to be affected by the motion of the robot and human subjects. Several geometric parameters, such as, the ratio of height to weight of the tracked human subject, and distance (pixels) between centroid points of upper and lower parts of human body, were calculated from the contour data, and used as the features for the activity recognition. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is employed to classify different human activities from the features. Experimental results showed that the human activity recognition could be achieved with a high correct rate.

Scaling behavior of online human activity

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhi-Dan; Cai, Shi-Min; Huang, Junming; Fu, Yan; Zhou, Tao

2012-11-01

The rapid development of the Internet technology enables humans to explore the web and record the traces of online activities. From the analysis of these large-scale data sets (i.e., traces), we can get insights about the dynamic behavior of human activity. In this letter, the scaling behavior and complexity of human activity in the e-commerce, such as music, books, and movies rating, are comprehensively investigated by using the detrended fluctuation analysis technique and the multiscale entropy method. Firstly, the interevent time series of rating behaviors of these three types of media show similar scaling properties with exponents ranging from 0.53 to 0.58, which implies that the collective behaviors of rating media follow a process embodying self-similarity and long-range correlation. Meanwhile, by dividing the users into three groups based on their activities (i.e., rating per unit time), we find that the scaling exponents of the interevent time series in the three groups are different. Hence, these results suggest that a stronger long-range correlations exist in these collective behaviors. Furthermore, their information complexities vary in the three groups. To explain the differences of the collective behaviors restricted to the three groups, we study the dynamic behavior of human activity at the individual level, and find that the dynamic behaviors of a few users have extremely small scaling exponents associated with long-range anticorrelations. By comparing the interevent time distributions of four representative users, we can find that the bimodal distributions may bring forth the extraordinary scaling behaviors. These results of the analysis of the online human activity in the e-commerce may not only provide insight into its dynamic behaviors but may also be applied to acquire potential economic interest.

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α enhances fatty acid oxidation in human adipocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Joo-Young; Hashizaki, Hikari; Goto, Tsuyoshi; Sakamoto, Tomoya; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Kawada, Teruo

2011-01-01

Highlights: → PPARα activation increased mRNA expression levels of adipocyte differentiation marker genes and GPDH activity in human adipocytes. → PPARα activation also increased insulin-dependent glucose uptake in human adipocytes. → PPARα activation did not affect lipid accumulation in human adipocytes. → PPARα activation increased fatty acid oxidation through induction of fatty acid oxidation-related genes in human adipocytes. -- Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) is a key regulator for maintaining whole-body energy balance. However, the physiological functions of PPARα in adipocytes have been unclarified. We examined the functions of PPARα using human multipotent adipose tissue-derived stem cells as a human adipocyte model. Activation of PPARα by GW7647, a potent PPARα agonist, increased the mRNA expression levels of adipocyte differentiation marker genes such as PPARγ, adipocyte-specific fatty acid-binding protein, and lipoprotein lipase and increased both GPDH activity and insulin-dependent glucose uptake level. The findings indicate that PPARα activation stimulates adipocyte differentiation. However, lipid accumulation was not changed, which is usually observed when PPARγ is activated. On the other hand, PPARα activation by GW7647 treatment induced the mRNA expression of fatty acid oxidation-related genes such as CPT-1B and AOX in a PPARα-dependent manner. Moreover, PPARα activation increased the production of CO 2 and acid soluble metabolites, which are products of fatty acid oxidation, and increased oxygen consumption rate in human adipocytes. The data indicate that activation of PPARα stimulates both adipocyte differentiation and fatty acid oxidation in human adipocytes, suggesting that PPARα agonists could improve insulin resistance without lipid accumulation in adipocytes. The expected effects of PPARα activation are very valuable for managing diabetic conditions accompanied by obesity, because

Human rights education (HRE) and transnational activism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mihr, A.; Schmitz, Hans-Peter

2007-01-01

Transnational human rights activism occupies today a significant place in the practice and scholarship of current global affairs. This article reviews the past successes and limits of this activism and suggests Human Rights Education (HRE) as a strategic tool currently underutilized by activists and

Analysis of Gait Pattern to Recognize the Human Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay Prakash Gupta

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Human activity recognition based on the computer vision is the process of labelling image sequences with action labels. Accurate systems for this problem are applied in areas such as visual surveillance, human computer interaction and video retrieval. The challenges are due to variations in motion, recording settings and gait differences. Here we propose an approach to recognize the human activities through gait. Activity recognition through Gait is the process of identifying an activity by the manner in which they walk. The identification of human activities in a video, such as a person is walking, running, jumping, jogging etc are important activities in video surveillance. We contribute the use of Model based approach for activity recognition with the help of movement of legs only. Experimental results suggest that our method are able to recognize the human activities with a good accuracy rate and robust to shadows present in the videos.

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{alpha} enhances fatty acid oxidation in human adipocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Joo-Young; Hashizaki, Hikari; Goto, Tsuyoshi; Sakamoto, Tomoya; Takahashi, Nobuyuki [Laboratory of Molecular Function of Food, Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kawada, Teruo, E-mail: fat@kais.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Laboratory of Molecular Function of Food, Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan)

2011-04-22

Highlights: {yields} PPAR{alpha} activation increased mRNA expression levels of adipocyte differentiation marker genes and GPDH activity in human adipocytes. {yields} PPAR{alpha} activation also increased insulin-dependent glucose uptake in human adipocytes. {yields} PPAR{alpha} activation did not affect lipid accumulation in human adipocytes. {yields} PPAR{alpha} activation increased fatty acid oxidation through induction of fatty acid oxidation-related genes in human adipocytes. -- Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{alpha} (PPAR{alpha}) is a key regulator for maintaining whole-body energy balance. However, the physiological functions of PPAR{alpha} in adipocytes have been unclarified. We examined the functions of PPAR{alpha} using human multipotent adipose tissue-derived stem cells as a human adipocyte model. Activation of PPAR{alpha} by GW7647, a potent PPAR{alpha} agonist, increased the mRNA expression levels of adipocyte differentiation marker genes such as PPAR{gamma}, adipocyte-specific fatty acid-binding protein, and lipoprotein lipase and increased both GPDH activity and insulin-dependent glucose uptake level. The findings indicate that PPAR{alpha} activation stimulates adipocyte differentiation. However, lipid accumulation was not changed, which is usually observed when PPAR{gamma} is activated. On the other hand, PPAR{alpha} activation by GW7647 treatment induced the mRNA expression of fatty acid oxidation-related genes such as CPT-1B and AOX in a PPAR{alpha}-dependent manner. Moreover, PPAR{alpha} activation increased the production of CO{sub 2} and acid soluble metabolites, which are products of fatty acid oxidation, and increased oxygen consumption rate in human adipocytes. The data indicate that activation of PPAR{alpha} stimulates both adipocyte differentiation and fatty acid oxidation in human adipocytes, suggesting that PPAR{alpha} agonists could improve insulin resistance without lipid accumulation in adipocytes. The expected

Cholesterol esterase activity of human intestinal mucosa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponz de Leon, M.; Carubbi, F.; Di Donato, P.; Carulli, N.

1985-01-01

It has been suggested that cholesterol absorption in humans is dependent on bile acid pool composition and that expansion of the cholic acid pool size is followed by an increase of the absorption values. Similar observations were reported in rats. In the present study, therefore, the authors investigated some general properties of human intestinal cholesterol esterase, with particular emphasis on the effect of bile acids on this enzymatic activity. Twenty-nine segments of small intestine were taken during operations; the enzymatic activity was studied by using mucosal homogenate as a source of enzyme and oleic acid, cholesterol, and 14 C-labeled cholesterol as substrates. The time-activity relationship was linear within the first two hours; optimal pH for esterification ranged between 5 and 6.2. There was little difference between the esterifying activity of the jejunal and ileal mucosa. Esterification of cholesterol was observed with all the investigated fatty acids but was maximal with oleic acid. Bile acids did not affect cholesterol esterase activity when present in the incubation mixture at 0.1 and 1.0 mM; the enzymatic activity, however, was significantly inhibited when bile acids were added at 20 mM. In conclusion, this study has shown that the human intestinal mucosa possesses a cholesterol esterase activity; at variance with the rat, however, the human enzyme does not seem to be stimulated by trihydroxy bile acids

Ovarian steroid hormones modulate the expression of progesterone receptors and histone acetylation patterns in uterine leiomyoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sant'Anna, Gabriela Dos Santos; Brum, Ilma Simoni; Branchini, Gisele; Pizzolato, Lolita Schneider; Capp, Edison; Corleta, Helena von Eye

2017-08-01

Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign smooth muscle cell tumors in women. Estrogen (E2), progesterone (P4) and environmental factors play important roles in the development of these tumors. New treatments, such as mifepristone, have been proposed. We evaluated the gene expression of total (PRT) and B (PRB) progesterone receptors, and the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and deacetylase (HDAC) activity after treatment with E2, P4 and mifepristone (RU486) in primary cell cultures from uterine leiomyoma and normal myometrium. Compared to myometrium, uterine leiomyoma cells showed an increase in PRT mRNA expression when treated with E2, and increase in PRB mRNA expression when treated with E2 and P4. Treatment with mifepristone had no significant impact on mRNA expression in these cells. The HDAC activity was higher in uterine leiomyoma compared to myometrial cells after treatment with E2 and E2 + P4 + mifepristone. HAT activity was barely detectable. Our results suggest that ovarian steroid hormones modulate PR, and mifepristone was unable to decrease PRT and PRB mRNA. The higher activity of HDAC leiomyoma cells could be involved in transcriptional repression of genes implicated in normal myometrium cell function, contributing to the maintenance and growth of uterine leiomyoma.

Fire, Climate, and Human Activity: A Combustive Combination

Science.gov (United States)

Kehrwald, N. M.; Battistel, D.; Argiriadis, E.; Barbante, C.; Barber, L. B.; Fortner, S. K.; Jasmann, J.; Kirchgeorg, T.; Zennaro, P.

2017-12-01

Ice and lake core records demonstrate that fires caused by human activity can dominate regional biomass burning records in the Common Era. These major increases in fires are often associated with extensive land use change such as an expansion in agriculture. Regions with few humans, relatively stable human populations and/or unvarying land use often have fire histories that are dominated by climate parameters such as temperature and precipitation. Here, we examine biomass burning recorded in ice cores from northern Greenland (NEEM, (77°27'N; 51°3.6'W), Alaska (Juneau Icefield, 58° 35' N; 134° 29'W) and East Antarctica (EPICA DOME C; 75°06'S; 123°21'E), along with New Zealand lake cores to investigate interactions between climate, fire and human activity. Biomarkers such as levoglucosan, and its isomers mannosan and galactosan, can only be produced by cellulose combustion and therefore are specific indicators of past fire activity archived in ice and lake cores. These fire histories add another factor to climate proxies from the same core, and provide a comparison to regional fire syntheses from charcoal records and climate models. For example, fire data from the JSBACH-Spitfire model for the past 2000 years demonstrates that a climate-only scenario would not increase biomass burning in high northern latitudes for the past 2000 years, while NEEM ice core and regional pollen records demonstrate both increased fire activity and land use change that may be ascribed to human activity. Additional biomarkers such as fecal sterols in lake sediments can determine when people were in an area, and can help establish if an increased human presence in an area corresponds with intensified fire activity. This combination of specific biomarkers, other proxy data, and model output can help determine the relative impact of humans versus climate factors on regional fire activity.

Brain Activation During Singing: "Clef de Sol Activation" Is the "Concert" of the Human Brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavridis, Ioannis N; Pyrgelis, Efstratios-Stylianos

2016-03-01

Humans are the most complex singers in nature, and the human voice is thought by many to be the most beautiful musical instrument. Aside from spoken language, singing represents a second mode of acoustic communication in humans. The purpose of this review article is to explore the functional anatomy of the "singing" brain. Methodologically, the existing literature regarding activation of the human brain during singing was carefully reviewed, with emphasis on the anatomic localization of such activation. Relevant human studies are mainly neuroimaging studies, namely functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography studies. Singing necessitates activation of several cortical, subcortical, cerebellar, and brainstem areas, served and coordinated by multiple neural networks. Functionally vital cortical areas of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes bilaterally participate in the brain's activation process during singing, confirming the latter's role in human communication. Perisylvian cortical activity of the right hemisphere seems to be the most crucial component of this activation. This also explains why aphasic patients due to left hemispheric lesions are able to sing but not speak the same words. The term clef de sol activation is proposed for this crucial perisylvian cortical activation due to the clef de sol shape of the topographical distribution of these cortical areas around the sylvian fissure. Further research is needed to explore the connectivity and sequence of how the human brain activates to sing.

Human Activity Recognition in AAL Environments Using Random Projections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robertas Damaševičius

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Automatic human activity recognition systems aim to capture the state of the user and its environment by exploiting heterogeneous sensors attached to the subject’s body and permit continuous monitoring of numerous physiological signals reflecting the state of human actions. Successful identification of human activities can be immensely useful in healthcare applications for Ambient Assisted Living (AAL, for automatic and intelligent activity monitoring systems developed for elderly and disabled people. In this paper, we propose the method for activity recognition and subject identification based on random projections from high-dimensional feature space to low-dimensional projection space, where the classes are separated using the Jaccard distance between probability density functions of projected data. Two HAR domain tasks are considered: activity identification and subject identification. The experimental results using the proposed method with Human Activity Dataset (HAD data are presented.

Human Activity Recognition in AAL Environments Using Random Projections.

Science.gov (United States)

Damaševičius, Robertas; Vasiljevas, Mindaugas; Šalkevičius, Justas; Woźniak, Marcin

2016-01-01

Automatic human activity recognition systems aim to capture the state of the user and its environment by exploiting heterogeneous sensors attached to the subject's body and permit continuous monitoring of numerous physiological signals reflecting the state of human actions. Successful identification of human activities can be immensely useful in healthcare applications for Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), for automatic and intelligent activity monitoring systems developed for elderly and disabled people. In this paper, we propose the method for activity recognition and subject identification based on random projections from high-dimensional feature space to low-dimensional projection space, where the classes are separated using the Jaccard distance between probability density functions of projected data. Two HAR domain tasks are considered: activity identification and subject identification. The experimental results using the proposed method with Human Activity Dataset (HAD) data are presented.

Smartphone-based human activity recognition

OpenAIRE

Reyes Ortiz, Jorge Luis

2014-01-01

Cotutela Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya i Università degli Studi di Genova Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is a multidisciplinary research field that aims to gather data regarding people's behavior and their interaction with the environment in order to deliver valuable context-aware information. It has nowadays contributed to develop human-centered areas of study such as Ambient Intelligence and Ambient Assisted Living, which concentrate on the improvement of people's Quality of Lif...

Degalactosylated/desialylated human serum containing GcMAF induces macrophage phagocytic activity and in vivo antitumor activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuchiike, Daisuke; Uto, Yoshihiro; Mukai, Hirotaka; Ishiyama, Noriko; Abe, Chiaki; Tanaka, Daichi; Kawai, Tomohito; Kubo, Kentaro; Mette, Martin; Inui, Toshio; Endo, Yoshio; Hori, Hitoshi

2013-07-01

The group-specific component protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) has various biological activities, such as macrophage activation and antitumor activity. Clinical trials of GcMAF have been carried out for metastatic breast cancer, prostate cancer, and metastatic colorectal cancer. In this study, despite the complicated purification process of GcMAF, we used enzymatically-treated human serum containing GcMAF with a considerable macrophage-stimulating activity and antitumor activity. We detected GcMAF in degalactosylated/desialylated human serum by western blotting using an anti-human Gc globulin antibody, and Helix pomatia agglutinin lectin. We also found that GcMAF-containing human serum significantly enhanced the phagocytic activity of mouse peritoneal macrophages and extended the survival time of mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumors. We demonstrated that GcMAF-containing human serum can be used as a potential macrophage activator for cancer immunotherapy.

Similarity of hydrolyzing activity of human and rat small intestinal disaccharidases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oku T

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Tsuneyuki Oku¹, Kenichi Tanabe¹, Shigeharu Ogawa², Naoki Sadamori¹, Sadako Nakamura¹¹Graduate School of Human Health Science, University of Nagasaki, Siebold, Nagayo, Japan; ²Juzenkai Hospital, Kagomachi, Nagasaki, JapanBackground: The purpose of this study was to clarify whether it is possible to extrapolate results from studies of the hydrolyzing activity of disaccharidases from rats to humans.Materials and methods: We measured disaccharidase activity in humans and rats using identical preparation and assay methods, and investigated the similarity in hydrolyzing activity. Small intestinal samples without malignancy were donated by five patients who had undergone bladder tumor surgery, and homogenates were prepared to measure disaccharidase activity. Adult rat homogenates were prepared using small intestine.Results: Maltase activity was the highest among the five disaccharidases, followed by sucrase and then palatinase in humans and rats. Trehalase activity was slightly lower than that of palatinase in humans and was similar to that of sucrase in rats. Lactase activity was the lowest in humans, but was similar to that of palatinase in rats. Thus, the hydrolyzing activity of five disaccharidases was generally similar in humans and rats. The relative activity of sucrose and palatinase versus maltase was generally similar between humans and rats. The ratio of rat to human hydrolyzing activity of maltase, sucrase, and palatinase was 1.9–3.1, but this was not a significant difference. Leaf extract from Morus alba strongly inhibited the activity of maltase, sucrase, and palatinase, but not trehalase and lactase, and the degree of inhibition was similar in humans and rats. L-arabinose mildly inhibited sucrase activity, but hardly inhibited the activity of maltase, palatinase, trehalase and lactase in humans and rats. The digestibility of 1-kestose, galactosylsucrose, and panose by small intestinal enzymes was very similar between humans and

Human activities affecting trace gases and climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braatz, B.; Ebert, C.

1990-01-01

The Earth's climate has been in a constant state of change throughout geologic time due to natural perturbations in the global geobiosphere. However, various human activities have the potential to cause future global warming over a relatively short amount of time. These activities, which affect the Earth's climate by altering the concentrations of trace gases in the atmosphere, include energy consumption, particularly fossil-fuel consumption; industrial processes (production and use of chlorofluorocarbons, halons, and chlorocarbons, landfilling of wastes, and cement manufacture); changes in land use patterns, particularly deforestation and biomass burning; and agricultural practices (waste burning, fertilizer usage, rice production, and animal husbandry). Population growth is an important underlying factor affecting the level of growth in each activity. This paper describes how the human activities listed above contribute to atmospheric change, the current pattern of each activity, and how levels of each activity have changed since the early part of this century

Decision Support System Development for Human Extravehicular Activity

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The extension of human presence into deep space will depend on how successfully human planetary extravehicular activities (EVAs) are conducted without real-time...

Modeling and Visualization of Human Activities for Multicamera Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aswin C. Sankaranarayanan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Multicamera networks are becoming complex involving larger sensing areas in order to capture activities and behavior that evolve over long spatial and temporal windows. This necessitates novel methods to process the information sensed by the network and visualize it for an end user. In this paper, we describe a system for modeling and on-demand visualization of activities of groups of humans. Using the prior knowledge of the 3D structure of the scene as well as camera calibration, the system localizes humans as they navigate the scene. Activities of interest are detected by matching models of these activities learnt a priori against the multiview observations. The trajectories and the activity index for each individual summarize the dynamic content of the scene. These are used to render the scene with virtual 3D human models that mimic the observed activities of real humans. In particular, the rendering framework is designed to handle large displays with a cluster of GPUs as well as reduce the cognitive dissonance by rendering realistic weather effects and illumination. We envision use of this system for immersive visualization as well as summarization of videos that capture group behavior.

Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

maintenance of pregnancy, but it is rather controversial whether polymorphisms of the gene encoding for eNOS are associated ... specific human leukocyte antigen alleles that seem to be ... prevents the contractions of the uterine myometrium directly or by an ... an anatomical factor, to avoid this possible bias all candidates.

A human activity approach to User Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Susanne

1989-01-01

the work situations in which computer-based artifacts are used: The framework deals with the role of the user interface in purposeful human work. Human activity theory is used in this analysis. The purpose of this article is to make the reader curious and hopefully open his or her eyes to a somewhat...

Human activities threatening the biodiversity of the Uzungwa Scarp ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Studies of human activities in the Uzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve, Udzungwa Mountains, were conducted in March-April and September 1997, in the western and southern parts of the forest. Different human activities, such as timber and pole cutting and withies harvesting, as well as the collection of non-timber forest ...

Detection of cardiac activity changes from human speech

Science.gov (United States)

Tovarek, Jaromir; Partila, Pavol; Voznak, Miroslav; Mikulec, Martin; Mehic, Miralem

2015-05-01

Impact of changes in blood pressure and pulse from human speech is disclosed in this article. The symptoms of increased physical activity are pulse, systolic and diastolic pressure. There are many methods of measuring and indicating these parameters. The measurements must be carried out using devices which are not used in everyday life. In most cases, the measurement of blood pressure and pulse following health problems or other adverse feelings. Nowadays, research teams are trying to design and implement modern methods in ordinary human activities. The main objective of the proposal is to reduce the delay between detecting the adverse pressure and to the mentioned warning signs and feelings. Common and frequent activity of man is speaking, while it is known that the function of the vocal tract can be affected by the change in heart activity. Therefore, it can be a useful parameter for detecting physiological changes. A method for detecting human physiological changes by speech processing and artificial neural network classification is described in this article. The pulse and blood pressure changes was induced by physical exercises in this experiment. The set of measured subjects was formed by ten healthy volunteers of both sexes. None of the subjects was a professional athlete. The process of the experiment was divided into phases before, during and after physical training. Pulse, systolic, diastolic pressure was measured and voice activity was recorded after each of them. The results of this experiment describe a method for detecting increased cardiac activity from human speech using artificial neural network.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging to assess physiologic variations of myometrial perfusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomassin-Naggara, Isabelle [Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Department of Radiology, Hopital Tenon, Paris (France); Universite Rene Descartes, Laboratoire de Recherche en Imagerie-INSERM U970, Paris (France); Hopital Tenon, Service de Radiologie, Paris (France); Balvay, Daniel [Universite Rene Descartes, Laboratoire de Recherche en Imagerie-INSERM U970, Paris (France); Cuenod, Charles A. [Universite Rene Descartes, Laboratoire de Recherche en Imagerie-INSERM U970, Paris (France); Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou (HEGP), Department of Radiology, Paris (France); Darai, Emile [Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Department of Gynaecology-Obstetrics, Hopital Tenon, Paris (France); Marsault, Claude; Bazot, Marc [Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Department of Radiology, Hopital Tenon, Paris (France)

2010-04-15

To prospectively evaluate the ability of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to assess physiological microvascular states in normal myometrium. Eighty-five women (62 women of reproductive age, 23 postmenopausal) undergoing DCE-MRI of the pelvis were included. Microvascular parameters for the inner and outer myometrium were analysed using a pharmacokinetic model. These parameters were tissue blood flow (F), blood volume fraction (V{sub b}), permeability-surface area product (PS), interstitial volume fraction (V{sub e}) and lag time (Dt). In the women of reproductive age, the inner myometrium displayed higher F and PS, lower V{sub b} and V{sub e}, and longer Dt than the outer myometrium (p = 0.02, p = 0.01, p = 0.005, p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively). The inner myometrium presented microvascular variations during the menstrual cycle with a pre-ovulatory peak followed by a fall reaching a nadir of F and V{sub b} about 4 days after ovulation. Compared with women of reproductive age, in the postmenopausal state, F and V{sub b} decreased in the outer myometrium, while PS, V{sub e} and Dt increased (p < 0.0001, p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.03 and p = 0.0004, respectively). DCE-MRI is a non-invasive technique that can measure variations of myometrial microcirculation, and thereby be potentially useful to help characterize the role and states of the myometrium in assisted reproductive therapy. (orig.)

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging to assess physiologic variations of myometrial perfusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassin-Naggara, Isabelle; Balvay, Daniel; Cuenod, Charles A.; Darai, Emile; Marsault, Claude; Bazot, Marc

2010-01-01

To prospectively evaluate the ability of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to assess physiological microvascular states in normal myometrium. Eighty-five women (62 women of reproductive age, 23 postmenopausal) undergoing DCE-MRI of the pelvis were included. Microvascular parameters for the inner and outer myometrium were analysed using a pharmacokinetic model. These parameters were tissue blood flow (F), blood volume fraction (V b ), permeability-surface area product (PS), interstitial volume fraction (V e ) and lag time (Dt). In the women of reproductive age, the inner myometrium displayed higher F and PS, lower V b and V e , and longer Dt than the outer myometrium (p = 0.02, p = 0.01, p = 0.005, p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively). The inner myometrium presented microvascular variations during the menstrual cycle with a pre-ovulatory peak followed by a fall reaching a nadir of F and V b about 4 days after ovulation. Compared with women of reproductive age, in the postmenopausal state, F and V b decreased in the outer myometrium, while PS, V e and Dt increased (p < 0.0001, p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.03 and p = 0.0004, respectively). DCE-MRI is a non-invasive technique that can measure variations of myometrial microcirculation, and thereby be potentially useful to help characterize the role and states of the myometrium in assisted reproductive therapy. (orig.)

Enhanced casein kinase II activity in human tumour cell cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prowald, K; Fischer, H; Issinger, O G

1984-01-01

Casein kinase II (CKII) activity is enhanced as much as 2-3 fold in established and 4-5-fold in transformed human cell lines when compared to that of fibroblasts and primary human tumour cell cultures where CKII activity never exceeded a basic level. The high activity of CKII in transformed cells...

Human activity understanding for robot-assisted living

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hu, N.

2016-01-01

This thesis investigated the problem of understanding human activities, at different levels of granularity and taking into account both the variability in activities and annotator disagreement. To be able to capture the large variations within each of the action classes, we propose a model that uses

Human Activity Recognition as Time-Series Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyesuk Kim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a system that can recognize daily human activities with a Kinect-style depth camera. Our system utilizes a set of view-invariant features and the hidden state conditional random field (HCRF model to recognize human activities from the 3D body pose stream provided by MS Kinect API or OpenNI. Many high-level daily activities can be regarded as having a hierarchical structure where multiple subactivities are performed sequentially or iteratively. In order to model effectively these high-level daily activities, we utilized a multiclass HCRF model, which is a kind of probabilistic graphical models. In addition, in order to get view-invariant, but more informative features, we extract joint angles from the subject’s skeleton model and then perform the feature transformation to obtain three different types of features regarding motion, structure, and hand positions. Through various experiments using two different datasets, KAD-30 and CAD-60, the high performance of our system is verified.

Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kandhasamy Sowndhararajan

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The influence of fragrances such as perfumes and room fresheners on the psychophysiological activities of humans has been known for a long time, and its significance is gradually increasing in the medicinal and cosmetic industries. A fragrance consists of volatile chemicals with a molecular weight of less than 300 Da that humans perceive through the olfactory system. In humans, about 300 active olfactory receptor genes are devoted to detecting thousands of different fragrance molecules through a large family of olfactory receptors of a diverse protein sequence. The sense of smell plays an important role in the physiological effects of mood, stress, and working capacity. Electrophysiological studies have revealed that various fragrances affected spontaneous brain activities and cognitive functions, which are measured by an electroencephalograph (EEG. The EEG is a good temporal measure of responses in the central nervous system and it provides information about the physiological state of the brain both in health and disease. The EEG power spectrum is classified into different frequency bands such as delta (0.5–4 Hz, theta (4–8 Hz, alpha (8–13 Hz, beta (13–30 Hz and gamma (30–50 Hz, and each band is correlated with different features of brain states. A quantitative EEG uses computer software to provide the topographic mapping of the brain activity in frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital brain regions. It is well known that decreases of alpha and beta activities and increases of delta and theta activities are associated with brain pathology and general cognitive decline. In the last few decades, many scientific studies were conducted to investigate the effect of inhalation of aroma on human brain functions. The studies have suggested a significant role for olfactory stimulation in the alteration of cognition, mood, and social behavior. This review aims to evaluate the available literature regarding the influence of fragrances on the

Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response

Science.gov (United States)

Sowndhararajan, Kandhasamy; Kim, Songmun

2016-01-01

The influence of fragrances such as perfumes and room fresheners on the psychophysiological activities of humans has been known for a long time, and its significance is gradually increasing in the medicinal and cosmetic industries. A fragrance consists of volatile chemicals with a molecular weight of less than 300 Da that humans perceive through the olfactory system. In humans, about 300 active olfactory receptor genes are devoted to detecting thousands of different fragrance molecules through a large family of olfactory receptors of a diverse protein sequence. The sense of smell plays an important role in the physiological effects of mood, stress, and working capacity. Electrophysiological studies have revealed that various fragrances affected spontaneous brain activities and cognitive functions, which are measured by an electroencephalograph (EEG). The EEG is a good temporal measure of responses in the central nervous system and it provides information about the physiological state of the brain both in health and disease. The EEG power spectrum is classified into different frequency bands such as delta (0.5–4 Hz), theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz) and gamma (30–50 Hz), and each band is correlated with different features of brain states. A quantitative EEG uses computer software to provide the topographic mapping of the brain activity in frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital brain regions. It is well known that decreases of alpha and beta activities and increases of delta and theta activities are associated with brain pathology and general cognitive decline. In the last few decades, many scientific studies were conducted to investigate the effect of inhalation of aroma on human brain functions. The studies have suggested a significant role for olfactory stimulation in the alteration of cognition, mood, and social behavior. This review aims to evaluate the available literature regarding the influence of fragrances on the

The significance of human factors in nuclear activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weil, L.; Berg, H.P.

1999-01-01

Human factors is an aspect increasingly investigated in the last few years in efforts and programmes for enhancing the operational safety of nuclear systems. Methodology has been elaborated for analysis and evaluation of human reliability, or development of instruments supporting the decisions to be taken by the operators at the man-control room interface of nuclear installations, as well as initial approaches to introduce organisational factors which may influence the man-machine function allocation, and thus are an element of the safety culture concept. The significance of human factors in nuclear activities, as well as activities at the national and international level for optimisation of the man-machine interface and the man-organisation interface are discussed. (orig./CB) [de

Towards discrete wavelet transform-based human activity recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Khare, Manish; Jeon, Moongu

2017-06-01

Providing accurate recognition of human activities is a challenging problem for visual surveillance applications. In this paper, we present a simple and efficient algorithm for human activity recognition based on a wavelet transform. We adopt discrete wavelet transform (DWT) coefficients as a feature of human objects to obtain advantages of its multiresolution approach. The proposed method is tested on multiple levels of DWT. Experiments are carried out on different standard action datasets including KTH and i3D Post. The proposed method is compared with other state-of-the-art methods in terms of different quantitative performance measures. The proposed method is found to have better recognition accuracy in comparison to the state-of-the-art methods.

Predicting human activities in sequences of actions in RGB-D videos

Science.gov (United States)

Jardim, David; Nunes, Luís.; Dias, Miguel

2017-03-01

In our daily activities we perform prediction or anticipation when interacting with other humans or with objects. Prediction of human activity made by computers has several potential applications: surveillance systems, human computer interfaces, sports video analysis, human-robot-collaboration, games and health-care. We propose a system capable of recognizing and predicting human actions using supervised classifiers trained with automatically labeled data evaluated in our human activity RGB-D dataset (recorded with a Kinect sensor) and using only the position of the main skeleton joints to extract features. Using conditional random fields (CRFs) to model the sequential nature of actions in a sequence has been used before, but where other approaches try to predict an outcome or anticipate ahead in time (seconds), we try to predict what will be the next action of a subject. Our results show an activity prediction accuracy of 89.9% using an automatically labeled dataset.

The influence of human activity in the Arctic on climate and climate impacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huntington, H.P. [23834 The Clearing Dr., Eagle River, AK 99577 (United States); Boyle, M. [Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6S 1K4 (Canada); Flowers, G.E. [Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6 (Canada); Weatherly, J.W. [Snow and Ice Division, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Hamilton, L.C. [Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, 20 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 (United States); Hinzman, L. [Water and Environment Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 755860, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (United States); Gerlach, C. [Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757720, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (United States); Zulueta, R. [Department of Biology, Global Change Research Group, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, PS-240, San Diego, CA 92182 (United States); Nicolson, C. [Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA , 01003 (United States); Overpeck, J. [Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona, 715 North Park Avenue, 2nd Floor, Tucson, AZ, 85721 (United States)

2007-05-15

Human activities in the Arctic are often mentioned as recipients of climate-change impacts. In this paper we consider the more complicated but more likely possibility that human activities themselves can interact with climate or environmental change in ways that either mitigate or exacerbate the human impacts. Although human activities in the Arctic are generally assumed to be modest, our analysis suggests that those activities may have larger influences on the arctic system than previously thought. Moreover, human influences could increase substantially in the near future. First, we illustrate how past human activities in the Arctic have combined with climatic variations to alter biophysical systems upon which fisheries and livestock depend. Second, we describe how current and future human activities could precipitate or affect the timing of major transitions in the arctic system. Past and future analyses both point to ways in which human activities in the Arctic can substantially influence the trajectory of arctic system change.

Exploring Human Activity Patterns Using Taxicab Static Points

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Jiang

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the patterns of human activities within a geographical space by adopting the taxicab static points which refer to the locations with zero speed along the tracking trajectory. We report the findings from both aggregated and individual aspects. Results from the aggregated level indicate the following: (1 Human activities exhibit an obvious regularity in time, for example, there is a burst of activity during weekend nights and a lull during the week. (2 They show a remarkable spatial drifting pattern, which strengthens our understanding of the activities in any given place. (3 Activities are heterogeneous in space irrespective of their drifting with time. These aggregated results not only help in city planning, but also facilitate traffic control and management. On the other hand, investigations on an individual level suggest that (4 activities witnessed by one taxicab will have different temporal regularity to another, and (5 each regularity implies a high level of prediction with low entropy by applying the Lempel-Ziv algorithm.

A Pattern Mining Approach to Sensor-based Human Activity Recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gu, Tao; Wang, Liang; Wu, Zhanqing

2011-01-01

Recognizing human activities from sensor readings has recently attracted much research interest in pervasive computing due to its potential in many applications such as assistive living and healthcare. This task is particularly challenging because human activities are often performed in not only...

Humpback Dolphin (Genus Sousa) Behavioural Responses to Human Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Piwetz, Sarah; Lundquist, David; Würsig, Bernd

2015-01-01

Humpback dolphins (genus Sousa) use shallow, near-shore waters throughout their range. This coastal distribution makes them vulnerable to recreational and commercial disturbances, especially near heavily populated and industrialized areas. Most research focusing on Sousa and human activities has emphasized direct impacts and threats, involving injury and death, with relatively little focus on indirect effects on dolphins, such as changes in behaviour that may lead to deleterious effects. Understanding behaviour is important in resolving human-wildlife conflict and is an important component of conservation. This chapter gives an overview of animal behavioural responses to human activity with examples from diverse taxa; reviews the scientific literature on behavioural responses of humpback dolphins to human activity throughout their range, including marine vessel traffic, dolphin tourism, cetacean-fishery interactions, noise pollution, and habitat alteration; and highlights information and data gaps for future humpback dolphin research to better inform behaviour-based management decisions that contribute to conservation efforts. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Human Activity Differentially Redistributes Large Mammals in the Canadian Rockies National Parks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Kimo. Rogala

2011-09-01

Full Text Available National parks are important for conservation of species such as wolves (Canis lupus and elk (Cervus canadensis. However, topography, vegetation conditions, and anthropogenic infrastructure within parks may limit available habitat. Human activity on trails and roads may lead to indirect habitat loss, further limiting available habitat. Predators and prey may respond differentially to human activity, potentially disrupting ecological processes. However, research on such impacts to wildlife is incomplete, especially at fine spatial and temporal scales. Our research investigated the relationship between wolf and elk distribution and human activity using fine-scale Global Positioning System (GPS wildlife telemetry locations and hourly human activity measures on trails and roads in Banff, Kootenay, and Yoho National Parks, Canada. We observed a complex interaction between the distance animals were located from trails and human activity level resulting in species adopting both mutual avoidance and differential response behaviors. In areas < 50 m from trails human activity led to a mutual avoidance response by both wolves and elk. In areas 50 - 400 m from trails low levels of human activity led to differential responses; wolves avoided these areas, whereas elk appeared to use these areas as a predation refugia. These differential impacts on elk and wolves may have important implications for trophic dynamics. As human activity increased above two people/hour, areas 50 - 400 m from trails were mutually avoided by both species, resulting in the indirect loss of important montane habitat. If park managers are concerned with human impacts on wolves and elk, or on these species' trophic interactions with other species, they can monitor locations near trails and roads and consider hourly changes of human activity levels in areas important to wildlife.

Retosiban Prevents Stretch-Induced Human Myometrial Contractility and Delays Labor in Cynomolgus Monkeys.

Science.gov (United States)

Aye, Irving L M H; Moraitis, Alexandros A; Stanislaus, Dinesh; Charnock-Jones, D Stephen; Smith, Gordon C S

2018-03-01

Stretch of the myometrium promotes its contractility and is believed to contribute to the control of parturition at term and to the increased risk of preterm birth in multiple pregnancies. To determine the effects of the putative oxytocin receptor (OTR) inverse agonist retosiban on (1) the contractility of human myometrial explants and (2) labor in nonhuman primates. Human myometrial biopsies were obtained at planned term cesarean, and explants were exposed to stretch in the presence and absence of a range of drugs, including retosiban. The in vivo effects of retosiban were determined in cynomolgus monkeys. Prolonged mechanical stretch promoted myometrial extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation. Moreover, stretch-induced stimulation of myometrial contractility was prevented by ERK1/2 inhibitors. Retosiban (10 nM) prevented stretch-induced stimulation of myometrial contractility and phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of retosiban on stretch-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation was prevented by coincubation with a 100-fold excess of a peptide OTR antagonist, atosiban. Compared with vehicle-treated cynomolgus monkeys, treatment with oral retosiban (100 to 150 days of gestational age) reduced the risk of spontaneous delivery (hazard ratio = 0.07, 95% confidence interval 0.01 to 0.60, P = 0.015). The OTR acts as a uterine mechanosensor, whereby stretch increases myometrial contractility through agonist-free activation of the OTR. Retosiban prevents this through inverse agonism of the OTR and, in vivo, reduced the likelihood of spontaneous labor in nonhuman primates. We hypothesize that retosiban may be an effective preventative treatment of preterm birth in high-risk multiple pregnancies, an area of unmet clinical need.

Human Activity Recognition from Body Sensor Data using Deep Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Mohammad Mehedi; Huda, Shamsul; Uddin, Md Zia; Almogren, Ahmad; Alrubaian, Majed

2018-04-16

In recent years, human activity recognition from body sensor data or wearable sensor data has become a considerable research attention from academia and health industry. This research can be useful for various e-health applications such as monitoring elderly and physical impaired people at Smart home to improve their rehabilitation processes. However, it is not easy to accurately and automatically recognize physical human activity through wearable sensors due to the complexity and variety of body activities. In this paper, we address the human activity recognition problem as a classification problem using wearable body sensor data. In particular, we propose to utilize a Deep Belief Network (DBN) model for successful human activity recognition. First, we extract the important initial features from the raw body sensor data. Then, a kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are performed to further process the features and make them more robust to be useful for fast activity recognition. Finally, the DBN is trained by these features. Various experiments were performed on a real-world wearable sensor dataset to verify the effectiveness of the deep learning algorithm. The results show that the proposed DBN outperformed other algorithms and achieves satisfactory activity recognition performance.

Human prostatic cancer cells, PC3, elaborate mitogenic activity which selectively stimulates human bone cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkel, V.S.; Mohan, S.; Herring, S.J.; Baylink, D.J.; Linkhart, T.A.

1990-01-01

Prostatic cancer typically produces osteoblastic metastases which are not attended by marrow fibrosis. In the present study we sought to test the hypothesis that prostatic cancer cells produce factor(s) which act selectively on human osteoblasts. Such a paracrine mechanism would explain the observed increase in osteoblasts, unaccompanied by an increase in marrow fibroblasts. To test this hypothesis we investigated the mitogenic activity released by the human prostatic tumor cell line, PC3. PC3 cells have been reported previously to produce mitogenic activity for cells that was relatively specific for rat osteoblasts compared to rat fibroblasts. However, the effects of this activity on human cells has not been examined previously. PC3-conditioned medium (CM) (5-50 micrograms CM protein/ml) stimulated human osteoblast proliferation by 200-950% yet did not stimulate human fibroblast proliferation ([3H]thymidine incorporation). PC3 CM also increased cell numbers in human osteoblast but not fibroblast cell cultures. To determine whether the osteoblast-specific mitogenic activity could be attributed to known bone growth factors, specific assays for these growth factors were performed. PC3 CM contained 10 pg insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I, less than 2 pg IGF II, 54 pg basic fibroblast growth factor, and 16 pg transforming growth factor beta/microgram CM protein. None of these growth factors alone or in combination could account for the observed osteoblast-specific PC3 cell-derived mitogenic activity. Furthermore, when 5 micrograms/ml PC3 CM was tested in combination with maximally effective concentrations of either basic fibroblast growth factor, IGF I, IGF II, or transforming growth factor beta, it produced an additive effect suggesting that PC3 CM stimulates osteoblast proliferation by a mechanism independent of these bone mitogens

RNA-Guided Activation of Pluripotency Genes in Human Fibroblasts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiong, Kai; Zhou, Yan; Blichfeld, Kristian Aabo

2017-01-01

-associated protein 9 (dCas9)-VP64 (CRISPRa) alone, or a combination of dCas9-VP64 and MS2-P65-HSF1 [synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system] mediated activation of five pluripotency genes: KLF4 (K), LIN28 (L), MYC (M), OCT4 (O), and SOX2 (S) in human cells (HEK293T, HeLa, HepG2, and primary fibroblasts...... could be obtained from these SAM fibroblasts. In conclusion, our study showed that CRISPR/Cas9-based ATFs are potent to activate and maintain transcription of endogenous human pluripotent genes. However, future improvements of the system are still required to improve activation efficiency and cellular...

Magnetogastrographic detection of gastric electrical response activity in humans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irimia, Andrei; Richards, William O; Bradshaw, L Alan

2006-01-01

The detection and characterization of gastric electrical activity has important clinical applications, including the early diagnosis of gastric diseases in humans. In mammals, this phenomenon has two important features: an electrical control activity (ECA) that manifests itself as an electric slow wave (with a frequency of 3 cycles per minute in humans) and an electrical response activity (ERA) that is characterized by spiking potentials during the plateau phase of the ECA. Whereas the ECA has been recorded in humans both invasively and non-invasively (magnetogastrography-MGG), the ERA has never been detected non-invasively in humans before. In this paper, we report on our progress towards the non-invasive detection of ERA from the human stomach using a procedure that involves the application of principal component analysis to MGG recordings, which were acquired in our case from ten normal human patients using a Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer. Both pre- and post-prandial recordings were acquired for each patient and 20 min of recordings (10 min of pre-prandial and 10 min of post-prandial data) were analysed for each patient. The mean percentage of ECA slow waves that were found to exhibit spikes of suspected ERA origin was 41% and 61% for pre- and post-prandial recordings, respectively, implying a 47% ERA increase post-prandially (P < 0.0001 at a 95% confidence level). The detection of ERA in humans is highly encouraging and points to the possible use of non-invasive ERA recordings as a valuable tool for the study of human gastric disorders

Impact of the human activities on the climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deque, M.

2007-01-01

In the framework of the A2 scenario of the GIEC, the possible impacts on the french climate, of the human activities are examined. It seems that the human activities imposed and will be able to impose a faster change of the climate than the natural changes. For the hundred coming years the main characteristics could be: an increase of the temperature, an increase of the rains in winter and a decrease in summer, a decrease of the water in soils expected in freezing areas and an increase of the drought periods. (A.L.B.)

Elevation of telomerase activity in chronic radiation ulcer of human skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiaoying; Zhao Po; Wang Dewen; Yang Zhixiang

1997-01-01

Objective: To investigate the levels of telomerase activity in chronic radiation ulcers of human skin and the possible relationship between the enzyme and cancer transformation. Method: Using nonisotopic telomere repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), detections were performed in 20 cases of chronic radiation ulcers of human skin, 5 cases of normal skin tissues and 5 cases of carcinoma. Results: The positive rates for telomerase activity were 30.0%(6/20), 0(0/5) and 100%(5/5) in chronic radiation ulcers of human skin, normal skin and carcinoma, respectively. The telomerase activity in radiation ulcer was weaker than in carcinoma. Conclusion: The telomerase activity assay might be used as a marker for predicting the prognosis and the effect of treatment in chronic radiation ulcer of human skin

Human Reliability Assessment and Human Performance Evaluation: Research and Analysis Activities at the U.S. NRC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramey-Smith, A.M.

1998-01-01

The author indicates the themes of the six programs identified by the US NRC mission on human performance and human reliability activities. They aim at developing the technical basis to support human performance, at developing and updating a model of human performance and human reliability, at fostering national and international dialogue and cooperation efforts on human performance evaluation, at conducting operating events analysis and database development, and at providing support to human performance and human reliability inspection

Prolonged labour associated with lower expression of syndecan 3 and connexin 43 in human uterine tissue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malmström Anders

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prolonged labour is associated with greater morbidity and mortality for mother and child. Connexin 43 is a major myometrial gap junction protein found in human myometrium. Syndecan 3 seems to prevail in the human uterus among heparan sulphate proteoglycans, showing the most significant increase during labour. The aims of the present study were to investigate syndecan 3 and connexin 43 mRNA expressions and protein distributions in human uterine tissue during normal and prolonged labour. Methods Uterine isthmic biopsies were collected from non-pregnant (n = 7, term pregnant women not in labour (n = 14, in normal labour (n = 7 and in prolonged labour (n = 7. mRNA levels of syndecan 3 and connexin 43 were determined by real time RT-PCR. The localization and expression were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. Results In women with prolonged labour, the mRNA expressions of syndecan 3 and Connexin 43 were considerably lower than the expression level at normal labour (p Conclusion The high expression of syndecan 3 and connexin 43 and their co-localization to the smooth muscle bundles during normal labour, together with the significant reduction in prolonged labour, may indicate a role for these proteins in the co-ordination of myometrial contractility.

The Activation Pathway of Human Rhodopsin in Comparison to Bovine Rhodopsin*

Science.gov (United States)

Kazmin, Roman; Rose, Alexander; Szczepek, Michal; Elgeti, Matthias; Ritter, Eglof; Piechnick, Ronny; Hofmann, Klaus Peter; Scheerer, Patrick; Hildebrand, Peter W.; Bartl, Franz J.

2015-01-01

Rhodopsin, the photoreceptor of rod cells, absorbs light to mediate the first step of vision by activating the G protein transducin (Gt). Several human diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa or congenital night blindness, are linked to rhodopsin malfunctions. Most of the corresponding in vivo studies and structure-function analyses (e.g. based on protein x-ray crystallography or spectroscopy) have been carried out on murine or bovine rhodopsin. Because these rhodopsins differ at several amino acid positions from human rhodopsin, we conducted a comprehensive spectroscopic characterization of human rhodopsin in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. We show by FTIR and UV-visible difference spectroscopy that the light-induced transformations of the early photointermediates are very similar. Significant differences between the pigments appear with formation of the still inactive Meta I state and the transition to active Meta II. However, the conformation of Meta II and its activity toward the G protein are essentially the same, presumably reflecting the evolutionary pressure under which the active state has developed. Altogether, our results show that although the basic activation pathways of human and bovine rhodopsin are similar, structural deviations exist in the inactive conformation and during receptor activation, even between closely related rhodopsins. These differences between the well studied bovine or murine rhodopsins and human rhodopsin have to be taken into account when the influence of point mutations on the activation pathway of human rhodopsin are investigated using the bovine or murine rhodopsin template sequences. PMID:26105054

Combination of Accumulated Motion and Color Segmentation for Human Activity Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Briassouli Alexia

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The automated analysis of activity in digital multimedia, and especially video, is gaining more and more importance due to the evolution of higher-level video processing systems and the development of relevant applications such as surveillance and sports. This paper presents a novel algorithm for the recognition and classification of human activities, which employs motion and color characteristics in a complementary manner, so as to extract the most information from both sources, and overcome their individual limitations. The proposed method accumulates the flow estimates in a video, and extracts "regions of activity" by processing their higher-order statistics. The shape of these activity areas can be used for the classification of the human activities and events taking place in a video and the subsequent extraction of higher-level semantics. Color segmentation of the active and static areas of each video frame is performed to complement this information. The color layers in the activity and background areas are compared using the earth mover's distance, in order to achieve accurate object segmentation. Thus, unlike much existing work on human activity analysis, the proposed approach is based on general color and motion processing methods, and not on specific models of the human body and its kinematics. The combined use of color and motion information increases the method robustness to illumination variations and measurement noise. Consequently, the proposed approach can lead to higher-level information about human activities, but its applicability is not limited to specific human actions. We present experiments with various real video sequences, from sports and surveillance domains, to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

Combination of Accumulated Motion and Color Segmentation for Human Activity Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioannis Kompatsiaris

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The automated analysis of activity in digital multimedia, and especially video, is gaining more and more importance due to the evolution of higher-level video processing systems and the development of relevant applications such as surveillance and sports. This paper presents a novel algorithm for the recognition and classification of human activities, which employs motion and color characteristics in a complementary manner, so as to extract the most information from both sources, and overcome their individual limitations. The proposed method accumulates the flow estimates in a video, and extracts “regions of activity” by processing their higher-order statistics. The shape of these activity areas can be used for the classification of the human activities and events taking place in a video and the subsequent extraction of higher-level semantics. Color segmentation of the active and static areas of each video frame is performed to complement this information. The color layers in the activity and background areas are compared using the earth mover's distance, in order to achieve accurate object segmentation. Thus, unlike much existing work on human activity analysis, the proposed approach is based on general color and motion processing methods, and not on specific models of the human body and its kinematics. The combined use of color and motion information increases the method robustness to illumination variations and measurement noise. Consequently, the proposed approach can lead to higher-level information about human activities, but its applicability is not limited to specific human actions. We present experiments with various real video sequences, from sports and surveillance domains, to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

Antiproliferative activity of recombinant human interferon-λ2 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Antiproliferative activity of recombinant human interferon-λ2 expressed in stably ... The representing 26 kDa protein band of IFN-λ2 was detected by SDS-PAGE and ... The antiproliferative activity of hIFN-λ2 was determined by MTT assay.

Human activity and climate variability project: annual report 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harle, K.J.; Heijnis, H.; Henderson-Sellers, A.; Sharmeen, S.; Zahorowski, W.

2002-01-01

Knowledge of the state of the Australian environment, including natural climate variability, prior to colonial settlement is vital if we are to define and understand the impact of over two hundred years of post-industrial human activity on our landscape. ANSTO, in conjunction with university partners, is leading a major research effort to provide natural archives of human activity and climate variability over the last 500 years in Australia, utilising a variety of techniques, including lead-210 and radiocarbon dating and analyses of proxy indicators (such as microfossils) as well as direct evidence (such as trace elements) of human activity and climate variability. The other major project objectives were to contribute to the understanding of the impact of human induced and natural aerosols in the East Asian region on climate through analysis and sourcing of fine particles and characterisation of air samples using radon concentrations and to contribute to the improvement of land surface parameterisation schemes and investigate the potential to use stable isotopes to improve global climate models and thus improve our understanding of future climate

Food & Fitness. Directory. Human Nutrition Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

Activities of the following regulatory and food service agencies of the Department of Agriculture are described: (1) Agricultural Research Service; (2) Cooperative State Research Service; (3) Economic Research Service; (4) Human Nutrition Information Service; (5) Office of Grants and Program Systems; (6) Office of International Cooperation and…

CALIX[4]ARENE C-99 INHIBITS MYOSIN ATPase ACTIVITY AND CHANGES THE ORGANIZATION OF CONTRACTILE FILAMENTS OF MYOMETRIUM.

Science.gov (United States)

Labyntseva, R D; Bevza, A A; Lul'ko, A O; Cherenok, S O; Kalchenko, V I; Kosterin, S O

2015-01-01

Calix[4]arenes are cup-like macrocyclic (polyphenolic) compounds, they are regarded as promising molecular "platforms" for the design of new physiologically active compounds. We have earlier found that calix[4]arene C-99 inhibits the ATPase activity of actomyosin and myosin subfragment-1 of pig uterus in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of calix[4]arene C-99 with myosin from rat uterine myocytes. It was found that the ATPase activity of myosin prepared from pre-incubated with 100 mM of calix[4]arene C-99 myocytes was almost 50% lower than in control. Additionally, we have revealed the effect of calix[4]arene C-99 on the subcellular distribution of actin and myosin in uterus myocytes by the method of confocal microscopy. This effect can be caused by reorganization of the structure of the contractile smooth muscle cell proteins due to their interaction with calix[4]arene. The obtained results demonstrate the ability of calix[4]arene C-99 to penetrate into the uterus muscle cells and affect not only the myosin ATPase activity, but also the structure of the actin and myosin filaments in the myometrial cells. Demonstrated ability of calix[4]arene C-99 can be used for development of new pharmacological agents for efficient normalization of myometrial contractile hyperfunction.

Calix[4]arene C-99 inhibits myosin ATPase activity and changes the organization of contractile filaments of myometrium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. D. Labyntseva,

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Calix[4]arenes are cup-like macrocyclic (polyphenolic compounds, they are regarded as promising molecular “platforms” for the design of new physiologically active compounds. We have earlier found that сalix[4]arenе C-99 inhibits the ATPase activity of actomyosin and myosin subfragment-1 of pig uterus іn vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of calix[4]arene C-99 with myosin from rat uterine myocytes. It was found that the ATPase activity of myosin prepared from pre-incubated with 100 mM of calix[4]arene C-99 myocytes was almost 50% lower than in control. Additionally, we have revealed the effect of calix[4]arene C-99 on the subcellular distribution of actin and myosin in uterus myocytes by the method of confocal microscopy. This effect can be caused by reorganization of the structure of the contractile smooth muscle cell proteins due to their interaction with calix[4]arene. The obtained results demonstrate the ability of calix[4]arene C-99 to penetrate into the uterus muscle cells and affect not only the myosin ATPase activity, but also the structure of the actin and myosin filaments in the myometrial cells. Demonstrated ability of calix[4]arene C-99 can be used for development of new pharmacological agents for efficient normalization of myometrial contractile hyperfunction.

A Multiscale Survival Process for Modeling Human Activity Patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tianyang; Cui, Peng; Song, Chaoming; Zhu, Wenwu; Yang, Shiqiang

2016-01-01

Human activity plays a central role in understanding large-scale social dynamics. It is well documented that individual activity pattern follows bursty dynamics characterized by heavy-tailed interevent time distributions. Here we study a large-scale online chatting dataset consisting of 5,549,570 users, finding that individual activity pattern varies with timescales whereas existing models only approximate empirical observations within a limited timescale. We propose a novel approach that models the intensity rate of an individual triggering an activity. We demonstrate that the model precisely captures corresponding human dynamics across multiple timescales over five orders of magnitudes. Our model also allows extracting the population heterogeneity of activity patterns, characterized by a set of individual-specific ingredients. Integrating our approach with social interactions leads to a wide range of implications.

BACTERICIDAL ACTIVITY OF HUMAN SERA AGAINST ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

hi-tech

East African Medical Journal Vol. 77 No. 12 December 2000. BACTERICIDAL ACTIVITY OF HUMAN SERA AGAINST SALMONELLA TYPHI AND SALMONELLA PARATYPHI A, B, C. E.O. Igumbor, BSc, MSc, PhD, Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe P.O. Box Al78, Avondale, ...

A Novel Wearable Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition Approach Using Artificial Hydrocarbon Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponce, Hiram; Martínez-Villaseñor, María de Lourdes; Miralles-Pechuán, Luis

2016-07-05

Human activity recognition has gained more interest in several research communities given that understanding user activities and behavior helps to deliver proactive and personalized services. There are many examples of health systems improved by human activity recognition. Nevertheless, the human activity recognition classification process is not an easy task. Different types of noise in wearable sensors data frequently hamper the human activity recognition classification process. In order to develop a successful activity recognition system, it is necessary to use stable and robust machine learning techniques capable of dealing with noisy data. In this paper, we presented the artificial hydrocarbon networks (AHN) technique to the human activity recognition community. Our artificial hydrocarbon networks novel approach is suitable for physical activity recognition, noise tolerance of corrupted data sensors and robust in terms of different issues on data sensors. We proved that the AHN classifier is very competitive for physical activity recognition and is very robust in comparison with other well-known machine learning methods.

Human activity and the spread of Phytophthora ramorum

Science.gov (United States)

Hall J. Cushman; Michelle Cooper; Ross K. Meentemeyer; Shelly Benson

2008-01-01

Increasing numbers of studies are finding that humans can facilitate the spread of exotic plant species in protected wildlands. Hiking trails commonly serve as conduits for invaders and the number of exotic plant species occurring in protected areas is often correlated positively with visitation rates. Despite such evidence linking human activity to the spread of...

Influence of vestibular activation on respiration in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Monahan, Kevin D.; Sharpe, Melissa K.; Drury, Daniel; Ertl, Andrew C.; Ray, Chester A.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the semicircular canals and otolith organs on respiration in humans. On the basis of animal studies, we hypothesized that vestibular activation would elicit a vestibulorespiratory reflex. To test this hypothesis, respiratory measures, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were measured during engagement of semicircular canals and/or otolith organs. Dynamic upright pitch and roll (15 cycles/min), which activate the otolith organs and semicircular canals, increased respiratory rate (Delta2 +/- 1 and Delta3 +/- 1 breaths/min, respectively; P < 0.05). Dynamic yaw and lateral pitch (15 cycles/min), which activate the semicircular canals, increased respiration similarly (Delta3 +/- 1 and Delta2 +/- 1, respectively; P < 0.05). Dynamic chair rotation (15 cycles/min), which mimics dynamic yaw but eliminates neck muscle afferent, increased respiration (Delta3 +/- 1; P < 0.05) comparable to dynamic yaw (15 cycles/min). Increases in respiratory rate were graded as greater responses occurred during upright (Delta5 +/- 2 breaths/min) and lateral pitch (Delta4 +/- 1) and roll (Delta5 +/- 1) performed at 30 cycles/min. Increases in breathing frequency resulted in increases in minute ventilation during most interventions. Static head-down rotation, which activates otolith organs, did not alter respiratory rate (Delta1 +/- 1 breaths/min). Collectively, these data indicate that semicircular canals, but not otolith organs or neck muscle afferents, mediate increased ventilation in humans and support the concept that vestibular activation alters respiration in humans.

a Three-Step Spatial-Temporal Clustering Method for Human Activity Pattern Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, W.; Li, S.; Xu, S.

2016-06-01

How people move in cities and what they do in various locations at different times form human activity patterns. Human activity pattern plays a key role in in urban planning, traffic forecasting, public health and safety, emergency response, friend recommendation, and so on. Therefore, scholars from different fields, such as social science, geography, transportation, physics and computer science, have made great efforts in modelling and analysing human activity patterns or human mobility patterns. One of the essential tasks in such studies is to find the locations or places where individuals stay to perform some kind of activities before further activity pattern analysis. In the era of Big Data, the emerging of social media along with wearable devices enables human activity data to be collected more easily and efficiently. Furthermore, the dimension of the accessible human activity data has been extended from two to three (space or space-time) to four dimensions (space, time and semantics). More specifically, not only a location and time that people stay and spend are collected, but also what people "say" for in a location at a time can be obtained. The characteristics of these datasets shed new light on the analysis of human mobility, where some of new methodologies should be accordingly developed to handle them. Traditional methods such as neural networks, statistics and clustering have been applied to study human activity patterns using geosocial media data. Among them, clustering methods have been widely used to analyse spatiotemporal patterns. However, to our best knowledge, few of clustering algorithms are specifically developed for handling the datasets that contain spatial, temporal and semantic aspects all together. In this work, we propose a three-step human activity clustering method based on space, time and semantics to fill this gap. One-year Twitter data, posted in Toronto, Canada, is used to test the clustering-based method. The results show that the

Affinity purification of recombinant human plasminogen activator ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Affinity purification of recombinant human plasminogen activator from ... Screening antibody was performed using rhPA milk in an ELISA-elution assay. ... useful for purifying other tPA mutants or other novel recombinant milkderived proteins.

Robust Indoor Human Activity Recognition Using Wireless Signals.

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Wang, Yi; Jiang, Xinli; Cao, Rongyu; Wang, Xiyang

2015-07-15

Wireless signals-based activity detection and recognition technology may be complementary to the existing vision-based methods, especially under the circumstance of occlusions, viewpoint change, complex background, lighting condition change, and so on. This paper explores the properties of the channel state information (CSI) of Wi-Fi signals, and presents a robust indoor daily human activity recognition framework with only one pair of transmission points (TP) and access points (AP). First of all, some indoor human actions are selected as primitive actions forming a training set. Then, an online filtering method is designed to make actions' CSI curves smooth and allow them to contain enough pattern information. Each primitive action pattern can be segmented from the outliers of its multi-input multi-output (MIMO) signals by a proposed segmentation method. Lastly, in online activities recognition, by selecting proper features and Support Vector Machine (SVM) based multi-classification, activities constituted by primitive actions can be recognized insensitive to the locations, orientations, and speeds.

Robust Indoor Human Activity Recognition Using Wireless Signals

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Yi Wang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Wireless signals–based activity detection and recognition technology may be complementary to the existing vision-based methods, especially under the circumstance of occlusions, viewpoint change, complex background, lighting condition change, and so on. This paper explores the properties of the channel state information (CSI of Wi-Fi signals, and presents a robust indoor daily human activity recognition framework with only one pair of transmission points (TP and access points (AP. First of all, some indoor human actions are selected as primitive actions forming a training set. Then, an online filtering method is designed to make actions’ CSI curves smooth and allow them to contain enough pattern information. Each primitive action pattern can be segmented from the outliers of its multi-input multi-output (MIMO signals by a proposed segmentation method. Lastly, in online activities recognition, by selecting proper features and Support Vector Machine (SVM based multi-classification, activities constituted by primitive actions can be recognized insensitive to the locations, orientations, and speeds.

Biologic activities of recombinant human-beta-defensin-4 toward cultured human cancer cells.

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Gerashchenko, O L; Zhuravel, E V; Skachkova, O V; Khranovska, N N; Filonenko, V V; Pogrebnoy, P V; Soldatkina, M A

2013-06-01

The aim of the study was in vitro analysis of biological activity of recombinant human beta-defensin-4 (rec-hBD-4). hBD-4 cDNA was cloned into pGEX-2T vector, and recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) cells. To purify soluble fusion GST-hBD-4 protein, affinity chromatography was applied. Rec-hBD-4 was cleaved from the fusion protein with thrombin, and purified by reverse phase chromatography on Sep-Pack C18. Effects of rec-hBD-4 on proliferation, viability, cell cycle distribution, substrate-independent growth, and mobility of cultured human cancer cells of A431, A549, and TPC-1 lines were analyzed by direct cell counting technique, MTT assay, flow cytofluorometry, colony forming assay in semi-soft medium, and wound healing assay. Rec-hBD-4 was expressed in bacterial cells as GST-hBD-4 fusion protein, and purified by routine 3-step procedure (affine chromatography on glutathione-agarose, cleavage of fusion protein by thrombin, and reverse phase chromatography). Analysis of in vitro activity of rec-hBD-4 toward three human cancer cell lines has demonstrated that the defensin is capable to affect cell behaviour in concentration-dependent manner. In 1-100 nM concentrations rec-hBD-4 significantly stimulates cancer cell proliferation and viability, and promotes cell cycle progression through G2/M checkpoint, greatly enhances colony-forming activity and mobility of the cells. Treatment of the cells with 500 nM of rec-hBD-4 resulted in opposite effects: significant suppression of cell proliferation and viability, blockage of cell cycle in G1/S checkpoint, significant inhibition of cell migration and colony forming activity. Recombinant human beta-defensin-4 is biologically active peptide capable to cause oppositely directed effects toward biologic features of cancer cells in vitro dependent on its concentration.

Physical activity and human health

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Paulina Wojciechowska

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The dynamic development of the automotive industry, transport, and the media means that human life has become much easier. At the same time, the comfortable living conditions have decreased physical activity. Biologically conditioned, the need of activity has been minimised by the ever-increasing pace of life. As a result, it may lead to the loss of physical and mental health. Active recreation is not only an excellent source of activity, but also a source of satisfaction. Youths and adults should therefore spend their free time primarily on various forms of physical activity. Aim of the research : To evaluate the physical fitness of students who regularly practice physical exercise, those who occasionally practice, and those not practicing any form of physical activity. Material and methods : In the research we used a questionnaire of the Ruffier test and an orthostatic test. The study involved a group of 15 people aged 20–25 years. Participation in the study was entirely voluntary and anonymous. The study group consisted only of women. Results obtained from the questionnaire survey were fully reflected during exercise tests performed. Results and conclusions: Only regularly practiced physical activity has an effect on our body. Regular exercise increases our body’s physical capacity. Activity is the best means of prevention of lifestyle diseases. Youths and adults should spend their free time mainly doing various forms of physical activity.

Exploring Techniques for Vision Based Human Activity Recognition: Methods, Systems, and Evaluation

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Hong Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available With the wide applications of vision based intelligent systems, image and video analysis technologies have attracted the attention of researchers in the computer vision field. In image and video analysis, human activity recognition is an important research direction. By interpreting and understanding human activity, we can recognize and predict the occurrence of crimes and help the police or other agencies react immediately. In the past, a large number of papers have been published on human activity recognition in video and image sequences. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of the recent development of the techniques, including methods, systems, and quantitative evaluation towards the performance of human activity recognition.

Combining users' activity survey and simulators to evaluate human activity recognition systems.

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Azkune, Gorka; Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Chen, Liming

2015-04-08

Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant.

Combining Users’ Activity Survey and Simulators to Evaluate Human Activity Recognition Systems

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Gorka Azkune

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant.

Combining Users' Activity Survey and Simulators to Evaluate Human Activity Recognition Systems

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Azkune, Gorka; Almeida, Aitor; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Chen, Liming

2015-01-01

Evaluating human activity recognition systems usually implies following expensive and time-consuming methodologies, where experiments with humans are run with the consequent ethical and legal issues. We propose a novel evaluation methodology to overcome the enumerated problems, which is based on surveys for users and a synthetic dataset generator tool. Surveys allow capturing how different users perform activities of daily living, while the synthetic dataset generator is used to create properly labelled activity datasets modelled with the information extracted from surveys. Important aspects, such as sensor noise, varying time lapses and user erratic behaviour, can also be simulated using the tool. The proposed methodology is shown to have very important advantages that allow researchers to carry out their work more efficiently. To evaluate the approach, a synthetic dataset generated following the proposed methodology is compared to a real dataset computing the similarity between sensor occurrence frequencies. It is concluded that the similarity between both datasets is more than significant. PMID:25856329

Evaluation of perfluoroalkyl acid activity using primary mouse and human hepatocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, Mitchell B.; Das, Kaberi P.; Wood, Carmen R.; Wolf, Cynthia J.; Abbott, Barbara D.; Lau, Christopher

2013-01-01

While perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been studied at length, less is known about the biological activity of other perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) detected in the environment. Using a transient transfection assay developed in COS-1 cells, our group has previously evaluated a variety of PFAAs for activity associated with activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα). Here we use primary heptatocytes to further assess the biological activity of a similar group of PFAAs using custom designed Taqman Low Density Arrays. Primary mouse and human hepatoyctes were cultured for 48 h in the presence of varying concentrations of 12 different PFAAs or Wy14,643, a known activator of PPARα. Total RNA was collected and the expression of 48 mouse or human genes evaluated. Gene selection was based on either in-house liver microarray data (mouse) or published data using primary hepatocytes (human). Gene expression in primary mouse hepatocytes was more restricted than expected. Genes typically regulated in whole tissue by PPARα agonists were not altered in mouse cells including Acox1, Me1, Acaa1a, Hmgcs1, and Slc27a1. Cyp2b10, a gene regulated by the constitutive androstane receptor and a transcript normally up-regulated by in vivo exposure to PFAAs, was also unchanged in cultured mouse hepatocytes. Cyp4a14, Ehhadh, Pdk4, Cpt1b, and Fabp1 were regulated as expected in mouse cells. A larger group of genes were differentially expressed in human primary hepatocytes, however, little consistency was observed across compounds with respect to which genes produced a significant dose response making the determination of relative biological activity difficult. This likely reflects weaker activation of PPARα in human versus rodent cells as well as variation among individual cell donors. Unlike mouse cells, CYP2B6 was up-regulated in human hepatocytes by a number of PFAAs as was PPARδ. Rankings were conducted on the limited

Water quality degradation effects on freshwater availability: Impacts to human activities

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Peters, N.E.; Meybeck, Michel

2000-01-01

The quality of freshwater at any point on the landscape reflects the combined effects of many processes along water pathways. Human activities on all spatial scales affect both water quality and quantity. Alteration of the landscape and associated vegetation has not only changed the water balance, but typically has altered processes that control water quality. Effects of human activities on a small scale are relevant to an entire drainage basin. Furthermore, local, regional, and global differences in climate and water flow are considerable, causing varying effects of human activities on land and water quality and quantity, depending on location within a watershed, geology, biology, physiographic characteristics, and climate. These natural characteristics also greatly control human activities, which will, in turn, modify (or affect) the natural composition of water. One of the most important issues for effective resource management is recognition of cyclical and cascading effects of human activities on the water quality and quantity along hydrologic pathways. The degradation of water quality in one part of a watershed can have negative effects on users downstream. Everyone lives downstream of the effects of some human activity. An extremely important factor is that substances added to the atmosphere, land, and water generally have relatively long time scales for removal or clean up. The nature of the substance, including its affinity for adhering to soil and its ability to be transformed, affects the mobility and the time scale for removal of the substance. Policy alone will not solve many of the degradation issues, but a combination of policy, education, scientific knowledge, planning, and enforcement of applicable laws can provide mechanisms for slowing the rate of degradation and provide human and environmental protection. Such an integrated approach is needed to effectively manage land and water resources.

Regulation of calcium homeostasis in activated human neutrophils ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives. The objectives of the current study were to: (i) present an integrated model for the restoration of calcium homeostasis in activated human neutrophils based on current knowledge and recent research; and (ii) identify potential targets for the modulation of calcium fluxes in activated neutrophils based on this model ...

HuAc: Human Activity Recognition Using Crowdsourced WiFi Signals and Skeleton Data

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Linlin Guo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The joint of WiFi-based and vision-based human activity recognition has attracted increasing attention in the human-computer interaction, smart home, and security monitoring fields. We propose HuAc, the combination of WiFi-based and Kinect-based activity recognition system, to sense human activity in an indoor environment with occlusion, weak light, and different perspectives. We first construct a WiFi-based activity recognition dataset named WiAR to provide a benchmark for WiFi-based activity recognition. Then, we design a mechanism of subcarrier selection according to the sensitivity of subcarriers to human activities. Moreover, we optimize the spatial relationship of adjacent skeleton joints and draw out a corresponding relationship between CSI and skeleton-based activity recognition. Finally, we explore the fusion information of CSI and crowdsourced skeleton joints to achieve the robustness of human activity recognition. We implemented HuAc using commercial WiFi devices and evaluated it in three kinds of scenarios. Our results show that HuAc achieves an average accuracy of greater than 93% using WiAR dataset.

Study on the relationship between the growth of uterine leiomyoma and the level of hormone in serum and the content of ER and PR in uterus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Manhua; Cheng Ying; Guan Weiqun; Tao Qian; Zheng Yanli; Yang Qichang

2003-01-01

Objective: To study the relationship between expressions of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in uterine leiomyoma, its adjacent sites and myometrium with the uterine leiomyoma. Methods: Expressions of ER and PR in uterine leiomyoma, its adjacent site and myometrium were determined by immunohistochemical SP method in 30 patients with uterine leiomyoma and serum prolactin (PRL), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E 2 ), progesterone (P) and testosterone (T) concentrations were measured with radioimmunoassay, with normal cycling women served as the controls. Results: (1) contents of ER and PR were significantly higher in leiomyoma than in its adjacent site and myometrium (P 0.05). Conclusion: The growth of uterine leiomyoma is associated with strong expression of ER, PR in uterine tissue. When myometrectomy is performed, the myometrium around the leiomyoma should be cut at the same time

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN HUMAN ACTIVITY OF THE INFORMATION AGE: HUMAN AND ICT

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Oleksandr Yu. Burov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the article a brief overview of projects initiated by the U.S. National Science Foundation that related to new knowledge on integration and mutual development of social systems is proposed. The projects have a potential for transformation of science and researches, improvement of life quality and economy prosperity, as well as they should ensure outrunning development of information and communication technologies for all spheres of human activity: anthropocentric computerization, integration of information and informatics, robust intelligence, cyber-human systems, as well as two cross-technical areas - human and/or robots interaction, security and information protection.

Functional assessment of human enhancer activities using whole-genome STARR-sequencing.

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Liu, Yuwen; Yu, Shan; Dhiman, Vineet K; Brunetti, Tonya; Eckart, Heather; White, Kevin P

2017-11-20

Genome-wide quantification of enhancer activity in the human genome has proven to be a challenging problem. Recent efforts have led to the development of powerful tools for enhancer quantification. However, because of genome size and complexity, these tools have yet to be applied to the whole human genome.  In the current study, we use a human prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP as a model to perform whole human genome STARR-seq (WHG-STARR-seq) to reliably obtain an assessment of enhancer activity. This approach builds upon previously developed STARR-seq in the fly genome and CapSTARR-seq techniques in targeted human genomic regions. With an improved library preparation strategy, our approach greatly increases the library complexity per unit of starting material, which makes it feasible and cost-effective to explore the landscape of regulatory activity in the much larger human genome. In addition to our ability to identify active, accessible enhancers located in open chromatin regions, we can also detect sequences with the potential for enhancer activity that are located in inaccessible, closed chromatin regions. When treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, genes nearby this latter class of enhancers are up-regulated, demonstrating the potential for endogenous functionality of these regulatory elements. WHG-STARR-seq provides an improved approach to current pipelines for analysis of high complexity genomes to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of transcriptional regulation.

Human Activity-Understanding: A Multilayer Approach Combining Body Movements and Contextual Descriptors Analysis

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Consuelo Granata

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A deep understanding of human activity is key to successful human-robot interaction (HRI. The translation of sensed human behavioural signals/cues and context descriptors into an encoded human activity remains a challenge because of the complex nature of human actions. In this paper, we propose a multilayer framework for the understanding of human activity to be implemented in a mobile robot. It consists of a perception layer which exploits a D-RGB-based skeleton tracking output used to simulate a physical model of virtual human dynamics in order to compensate for the inaccuracy and inconsistency of the raw data. A multi-support vector machine (MSVM model trained with features describing the human motor coordination through temporal segments in combination with environment descriptors (object affordance is used to recognize each sub-activity (classification layer. The interpretation of sequences of classified elementary actions is based on discrete hidden Markov models (DHMMs (interpretation layer. The framework assessment was performed on the Cornell Activity Dataset (CAD-120 [1]. The performances of our method are comparable with those presented in [2] and clearly show the relevance of this model-based approach.

Ensemble Manifold Rank Preserving for Acceleration-Based Human Activity Recognition.

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Tao, Dapeng; Jin, Lianwen; Yuan, Yuan; Xue, Yang

2016-06-01

With the rapid development of mobile devices and pervasive computing technologies, acceleration-based human activity recognition, a difficult yet essential problem in mobile apps, has received intensive attention recently. Different acceleration signals for representing different activities or even a same activity have different attributes, which causes troubles in normalizing the signals. We thus cannot directly compare these signals with each other, because they are embedded in a nonmetric space. Therefore, we present a nonmetric scheme that retains discriminative and robust frequency domain information by developing a novel ensemble manifold rank preserving (EMRP) algorithm. EMRP simultaneously considers three aspects: 1) it encodes the local geometry using the ranking order information of intraclass samples distributed on local patches; 2) it keeps the discriminative information by maximizing the margin between samples of different classes; and 3) it finds the optimal linear combination of the alignment matrices to approximate the intrinsic manifold lied in the data. Experiments are conducted on the South China University of Technology naturalistic 3-D acceleration-based activity dataset and the naturalistic mobile-devices based human activity dataset to demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the new nonmetric scheme for acceleration-based human activity recognition.

Activated human mast cells induce LOX-1-specific scavenger receptor expression in human monocyte-derived macrophages.

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Mervi Alanne-Kinnunen

Full Text Available Activated mast cells in atherosclerotic lesions degranulate and release bioactive compounds capable of regulating atherogenesis. Here we examined the ability of activated human primary mast cells to regulate the expression of the major scavenger receptors in cultured human primary monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDMs.Components released by immunologically activated human primary mast cells induced a transient expression of lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor (LOX-1 mRNA in HMDMs, while the expression of two other scavenger receptors, MSR1 and CD36, remained unaffected. The LOX-1-inducing secretory components were identified as histamine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1, which exhibited a synergistic effect on LOX-1 mRNA expression. Histamine induced a transient expression of LOX-1 protein. Mast cell -induced increase in LOX-1 expression was not associated with increased uptake of oxidized LDL by the macrophages.Mast cell-derived histamine, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 act in concert to induce a transient increase in LOX-1 expression in human primary monocyte-derived macrophages. The LOX-1-inducing activity potentially endows mast cells a hitherto unrecognized role in the regulation of innate immune reactions in atherogenesis.

Human Activity Recognition by Combining a Small Number of Classifiers.

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Nazabal, Alfredo; Garcia-Moreno, Pablo; Artes-Rodriguez, Antonio; Ghahramani, Zoubin

2016-09-01

We consider the problem of daily human activity recognition (HAR) using multiple wireless inertial sensors, and specifically, HAR systems with a very low number of sensors, each one providing an estimation of the performed activities. We propose new Bayesian models to combine the output of the sensors. The models are based on a soft outputs combination of individual classifiers to deal with the small number of sensors. We also incorporate the dynamic nature of human activities as a first-order homogeneous Markov chain. We develop both inductive and transductive inference methods for each model to be employed in supervised and semisupervised situations, respectively. Using different real HAR databases, we compare our classifiers combination models against a single classifier that employs all the signals from the sensors. Our models exhibit consistently a reduction of the error rate and an increase of robustness against sensor failures. Our models also outperform other classifiers combination models that do not consider soft outputs and an Markovian structure of the human activities.

A Flexible Approach for Human Activity Recognition Using Artificial Hydrocarbon Networks.

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Ponce, Hiram; Miralles-Pechuán, Luis; Martínez-Villaseñor, María de Lourdes

2016-10-25

Physical activity recognition based on sensors is a growing area of interest given the great advances in wearable sensors. Applications in various domains are taking advantage of the ease of obtaining data to monitor personal activities and behavior in order to deliver proactive and personalized services. Although many activity recognition systems have been developed for more than two decades, there are still open issues to be tackled with new techniques. We address in this paper one of the main challenges of human activity recognition: Flexibility. Our goal in this work is to present artificial hydrocarbon networks as a novel flexible approach in a human activity recognition system. In order to evaluate the performance of artificial hydrocarbon networks based classifier, experimentation was designed for user-independent, and also for user-dependent case scenarios. Our results demonstrate that artificial hydrocarbon networks classifier is flexible enough to be used when building a human activity recognition system with either user-dependent or user-independent approaches.

Differential Antifungal Activity of Human and Cryptococcal Melanins with Structural Discrepancies.

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Correa, Néstor; Covarrubias, Cristian; Rodas, Paula I; Hermosilla, Germán; Olate, Verónica R; Valdés, Cristián; Meyer, Wieland; Magne, Fabien; Tapia, Cecilia V

2017-01-01

Melanin is a pigment found in all biological kingdoms, and plays a key role in protection against ultraviolet radiation, oxidizing agents, and ionizing radiation damage. Melanin exerts an antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and parasites. We demonstrated an antifungal activity of synthetic and human melanin against Candida sp. The members of the Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii species complexes are capsulated yeasts, which cause cryptococcosis. For both species melanin is an important virulence factor. To evaluate if cryptococcal and human melanins have antifungal activity against Cryptococcus species they both were assayed for their antifungal properties and physico-chemical characters. Melanin extracts from human hair and different strains of C. neoformans ( n = 4) and C. gattii ( n = 4) were investigated. The following minimum inhibitory concentrations were found for different melanins against C. neoformans and C. gattii were (average/range): 13.7/(7.8-15.6) and 19.5/(15.6-31.2) μg/mL, respectively, for human melanin; 273.4/(125->500) and 367.2/(125.5->500) μg/mL for C. neoformans melanin and 125/(62.5-250) and 156.2/(62-250) μg/mL for C. gattii melanin. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy we observed that human melanin showed a compact conformation and cryptococcal melanins exposed an amorphous conformation. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed some differences in the signals related to C-C bonds of the aromatic ring of the melanin monomers. High Performance Liquid Chromatography established differences in the chromatograms of fungal melanins extracts in comparison with human and synthetic melanin, particularly in the retention time of the main compound of fungal melanin extracts and also in the presence of minor unknown compounds. On the other hand, MALDI-TOF-MS analysis showed slight differences in the spectra, specifically the presence of a minor intensity ion in synthetic and human melanin, as well as in some fungal melanin extracts. We

Profiling gene expression induced by protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2 activation in human kidney cells.

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Jacky Y Suen

Full Text Available Protease-Activated Receptor-2 (PAR2 has been implicated through genetic knockout mice with cytokine regulation and arthritis development. Many studies have associated PAR2 with inflammatory conditions (arthritis, airways inflammation, IBD and key events in tumor progression (angiogenesis, metastasis, but they have relied heavily on the use of single agonists to identify physiological roles for PAR2. However such probes are now known not to be highly selective for PAR2, and thus precisely what PAR2 does and what mechanisms of downstream regulation are truly affected remain obscure. Effects of PAR2 activation on gene expression in Human Embryonic Kidney cells (HEK293, a commonly studied cell line in PAR2 research, were investigated here by comparing 19,000 human genes for intersecting up- or down-regulation by both trypsin (an endogenous protease that activates PAR2 and a PAR2 activating hexapeptide (2f-LIGRLO-NH(2. Among 2,500 human genes regulated similarly by both agonists, there were clear associations between PAR2 activation and cellular metabolism (1,000 genes, the cell cycle, the MAPK pathway, HDAC and sirtuin enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, and anti-complement function. PAR-2 activation up-regulated four genes more than 5 fold (DUSP6, WWOX, AREG, SERPINB2 and down-regulated another six genes more than 3 fold (TXNIP, RARG, ITGB4, CTSD, MSC and TM4SF15. Both PAR2 and PAR1 activation resulted in up-regulated expression of several genes (CD44, FOSL1, TNFRSF12A, RAB3A, COPEB, CORO1C, THBS1, SDC4 known to be important in cancer. This is the first widespread profiling of specific activation of PAR2 and provides a valuable platform for better understanding key mechanistic roles of PAR2 in human physiology. Results clearly support the development of both antagonists and agonists of human PAR2 as potential disease modifying therapeutic agents.

Effect of losartan on human platelet activation.

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Guerra-Cuesta, J I; Montón, M; Rodríguez-Feo, J A; Jiménez, A M; González-Fernández, F; Rico, L A; García, R; Gómez, J; Farré, J; Casado, S; López-Farré, A

1999-03-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that losartan can block the thromboxane A2 receptor on the vascular wall. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of losartan on human platelet activation. Platelets were obtained from 15 healthy men, aged 26-40 years. Platelet activation was measured by changes in the light transmission of platelet-rich plasma stimulated by the thromboxane A2 analog U46619 (5 x 10(-6) mol/l) or ADP (10(-5) mol/l). U46619-stimulated platelet aggregation was significantly inhibited by losartan in a dose-dependent manner. Only a high dose of EXP 3174 (5 x 10(-5) mol/l), the in vivo active metabolite of losartan, was able to attenuate U46619-induced platelet activation. Captopril, an angiotensin I converting inhibitor, failed to modify U46619-induced platelet aggregation. Furthermore, the binding of [3H]-U46619 to platelets was competitively inhibited by losartan, whereas only a high dose of EXP 3174 reduced the binding of [3H]-U46619. Captopril failed to modify the binding of [3H]-U46619 to platelets. Losartan also reduced the platelet activation induced by ADP (10(-5) mol/l), a platelet agonist partially dependent on thromboxane A2. In addition, when thromboxane A2 generation was blocked by aspirin, ADP-induced platelet aggregation was inhibited to a similar degree to the inhibition induced by losartan. Exogenous angiotensin II did not elicit any modification of either U46619- or ADP-stimulated platelet aggregation. Losartan decreased platelet aggregation by a thromboxane A2-dependent mechanism. EXP 3174 was less potent than losartan in reducing thromboxane A2-dependent platelet activation. Captopril and exogenous angiotensin II had no effect on human platelet activation. These results suggest that losartan reduced thromboxane A2-dependent platelet activation independently of its effect on angiotensin II.

Elastin distribution in the normal uterus, uterine leiomyomas, adenomyosis and adenomyomas: a comparison.

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Zheng, Wei-Qiang; Ma, Rong; Zheng, Jian-Ming; Gong, Zhi-Jing

2006-04-01

To describe the histologic distribution of elastin in the nonpregnant human uterus, uterine leiomyomas, adenomyosis and adenomyomas. Uteri were obtained from women undergoing hysterectomy for benign conditions, including 26 cases of uterine leiomyomas, 24 cases of adenomyosis, 18 adenomyomas and 6 cases of autopsy specimens. Specific histochemical staining techniques were employed in order to demonstrate the distribution of elastin. The distribution of elastin components in the uterus was markedly uneven and showed a decreasing gradient from outer to inner myometrium. No elastin was present within leiomyomas, adenomyomas or adenomyosis. The distribution of elastin may help explain the normal function of the myometrium in labor. It implies that the uneven distribution of elastin components and absence of elastin within leiomyomas, adenomyomas and adenomyosis could be of some clinical significance. The altered elastin distribution in disease states may help explain such symptoms as dysmenorrhea in uterine endometriosis.

Metabolic activity and collagen turnover in human tendon in response to physical activity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjaer, M; Langberg, H; Miller, B F

2005-01-01

Connective tissue of the human tendon plays an important role in force transmission. The extracellular matrix turnover of tendon is influenced by physical activity. Blood flow, oxygen demand, and the level of collagen synthesis and matrix metalloproteinases increase with mechanical loading. Gene...... of overuse tendon injuries occurring during sport, work or leisure-related activities....

Differential effects of human activity on Hawaiian spinner dolphins in their resting bays

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Heather L. Heenehan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Hawaiian spinner dolphins display predictable daily behavior, using shallow bays to rest during the daytime, bays that are also frequented by humans. All previous research on the potential response of Hawaiian spinner dolphins to human activity has been conducted visually, at the surface. In this study we take a different approach by using passive acoustic monitoring to analyze dolphin behavior and assess whether human activity affects the behavior of the animals. We used days (n=99 and hours (n=641 when dolphins were confirmed present in visual surveys between January 9, 2011 and August 15, 2012 and metrics generated from concomitant 30-second sound recordings (n=9615. Previous research found that the dolphins were predictably silent during rest and that acoustic activity matched general activity of the dolphins with higher acoustic activity before and after rest, and silence during rest. The daily pattern of dolphin whistle activity in Bay 2 and 4 (Kealakekua and Kauhako matched what would be expected from this earlier work. However, in Bay 1 and 3 (Makako and Honaunau there was no drop in dolphin whistle activity during rest. After assessing the relationship between time of day and dolphin acoustic activity, data on human presence were used to determine how variability in the dolphins’ acoustic activity might be explained by human activity (i.e. the number of vessels, kayaks and swimmer snorkelers present. Bay 2, the bay with the most human activity, showed no relationship between dolphin whistle activity and human presence (either vessels, kayaks, or swimmer/snorkelers. Although the relationships were weak, Bay 1 displayed a positive relationship between dolphin whistle activity and the number of vessels and swimmer/snorkelers present in the bay. Bay 4 also showed a positive relationship between dolphin whistle activity and the number of swimmer snorkelers. We also documented less sound being added to the soundscape with each additional

Tactile interactions activate mirror system regions in the human brain.

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McKyton, Ayelet

2011-12-07

Communicating with others is essential for the development of a society. Although types of communications, such as language and visual gestures, were thoroughly investigated in the past, little research has been done to investigate interactions through touch. To study this we used functional magnetic resonance imaging. Twelve participants were scanned with their eyes covered while stroking four kinds of items, representing different somatosensory stimuli: a human hand, a realistic rubber hand, an object, and a simple texture. Although the human and the rubber hands had the same overall shape, in three regions there was significantly more blood oxygen level dependent activation when touching the real hand: the anterior medial prefrontal cortex, the ventral premotor cortex, and the posterior superior temporal cortex. The last two regions are part of the mirror network and are known to be activated through visual interactions such as gestures. Interestingly, in this study, these areas were activated through a somatosensory interaction. A control experiment was performed to eliminate confounds of temperature, texture, and imagery, suggesting that the activation in these areas was correlated with the touch of a human hand. These results reveal the neuronal network working behind human tactile interactions, and highlight the participation of the mirror system in such functions.

Human activity spaces and plague risks in three contrasting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Since 1980 plague has been a human threat in the Western Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. However, the spatial-temporal pattern of plague occurrence remains poorly understood. The main objective of this study was to gain understanding of human activity patterns in relation to spatial distribution of fleas in Lushoto ...

Cytotoxic activities of Coriolus versicolor (Yunzhi) extracts on human ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SERVER

2007-08-06

Aug 6, 2007 ... four human liver cancer (7703, HepG2, 7721, PLC) and four human breast cancer (Bcap37, ZR75-30,. MCF-7, T-47D) cell lines ... Key words: Coriolus versicolor, fruit body, polysaccharide, anti-tumor. INTRODUCTION. Coriolus ... somewhat in structure, composition, and physiological activity. The present ...

Selective activation of neuromuscular compartments within the human trapezius muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holtermann, A; Roeleveld, K; Mork, P J

2009-01-01

of the human trapezius muscle can be independently activated by voluntary command, indicating neuromuscular compartmentalization of the trapezius muscle. The independent activation of the upper and lower subdivisions of the trapezius is in accordance with the selective innervation by the fine cranial and main...... branch of the accessory nerve to the upper and lower subdivisions. These findings provide new insight into motor control characteristics, learning possibilities, and function of the clinically relevant human trapezius muscle....

Ex-vivo α-galactosylceramide activation of NKT cells in humans and macaques.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Caroline S; Cameron, Garth; Godfrey, Dale I; Kent, Stephen J

2012-08-31

NKT cells are key mediators of antiviral and anticancer immunity. Experiments in mice have demonstrated that activation of NKT cells in vivo induces the expression of multiple effector molecules critical to successful immunity. Human clinical trials have shown similar responses, although in vivo activation of NKT cells in humans or primate models are far more limited in number and scope. Measuring ex vivo activation of NKT cells by the CD1d-restricted glycolipid ligand α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) through cytokine expression profiles is a useful marker of NKT cell function, but for reasons that are unclear, this approach does not appear to work as well in humans and non-human primate macaque models in comparison to mice. We performed a series of experiments on human and macaque (Macaca nemestrina) fresh whole blood samples to define optimal conditions to detect NKT cell cytokine (TNF, IFNγ, IL-2) and degranulation marker (CD107a) expression by flow cytometry. We found that conditions previously described for mouse splenocyte NKT cell activation were suboptimal on human or macaque blood NKT cells. In contrast, a 6h incubation with brefeldin A added for the last 4h, in a 96-well plate based assay, and using an α-GalCer concentration of 1 μg/ml were optimal methods to stimulate NKT cells in fresh blood from both humans and macaques. Unexpectedly, we noted that blood NKT cells from macaques infected with SIV were more readily activated by α-GalCer than NKT cells from uninfected macaques, suggesting that SIV infection may have primed the NKT cells. In conclusion, we describe optimized methods for the ex vivo antigen-specific activation of human and macaque blood NKT cells. These assays should be useful in monitoring NKT cells in disease and in immunotherapy studies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Understanding Usability Work as a Human Activity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Mie

Three core themes are explored in eight papers: Usability work as a human activity, usability practice and methods, and persuasiveness of evaluation results and feedback. We explore how usability work is much more than methods and work procedures, and argue that maturing our understanding...

A THREE-STEP SPATIAL-TEMPORAL-SEMANTIC CLUSTERING METHOD FOR HUMAN ACTIVITY PATTERN ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Huang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available How people move in cities and what they do in various locations at different times form human activity patterns. Human activity pattern plays a key role in in urban planning, traffic forecasting, public health and safety, emergency response, friend recommendation, and so on. Therefore, scholars from different fields, such as social science, geography, transportation, physics and computer science, have made great efforts in modelling and analysing human activity patterns or human mobility patterns. One of the essential tasks in such studies is to find the locations or places where individuals stay to perform some kind of activities before further activity pattern analysis. In the era of Big Data, the emerging of social media along with wearable devices enables human activity data to be collected more easily and efficiently. Furthermore, the dimension of the accessible human activity data has been extended from two to three (space or space-time to four dimensions (space, time and semantics. More specifically, not only a location and time that people stay and spend are collected, but also what people “say” for in a location at a time can be obtained. The characteristics of these datasets shed new light on the analysis of human mobility, where some of new methodologies should be accordingly developed to handle them. Traditional methods such as neural networks, statistics and clustering have been applied to study human activity patterns using geosocial media data. Among them, clustering methods have been widely used to analyse spatiotemporal patterns. However, to our best knowledge, few of clustering algorithms are specifically developed for handling the datasets that contain spatial, temporal and semantic aspects all together. In this work, we propose a three-step human activity clustering method based on space, time and semantics to fill this gap. One-year Twitter data, posted in Toronto, Canada, is used to test the clustering-based method. The

Nuclear factor-kappaB activation correlates with better prognosis and Akt activation in human gastric cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byung Lan; Lee, Hye Seung; Jung, Jieun; Cho, Sung Jin; Chung, Hee-Yong; Kim, Woo Ho; Jin, Young-Woo; Kim, Chong Soon; Nam, Seon Young

2005-04-01

Because the biological significance of constitutive nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in human gastric cancer is unclear, we undertook this study to clarify the regulatory mechanism of NF-kappaB activation and its clinical significance. Immunohistochemistry for NF-kappaB/RelA was done on 290 human gastric carcinoma specimens placed on tissue array slides. The correlations between NF-kappaB activation and clinicopathologic features, prognosis, Akt activation, tumor suppressor gene expression, or Bcl-2 expression were analyzed. We also did luciferase reporter assay, Western blot analysis, and reverse transcription-PCR using the SNU-216 human gastric cancer cell line transduced with retroviral vectors containing constitutively active Akt or the NF-kappaB repressor mutant of IkappaBalpha. Nuclear expression of RelA was found in 18% of the gastric carcinomas and was higher in early-stage pathologic tumor-node-metastasis (P = 0.019). A negative correlation was observed between NF-kappaB activation and lymphatic invasion (P = 0.034) and a positive correlation between NF-kappaB activation and overall survival rate of gastric cancer patients (P = 0.0228). In addition, NF-kappaB activation was positively correlated with pAkt (P = 0.047), p16 (P = 0.004), adenomatous polyposis coli (P Smad4 (P = 0.002), and kangai 1 (P Akt. NF-kappaB activation was frequently observed in early-stage gastric carcinoma and was significantly correlated with better prognosis and Akt activation. These findings suggest that NF-kappaB activation is a valuable prognostic variable in gastric carcinoma.

A study of monoamine oxidase activity in fetal membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekizawa, A; Ishikawa, H; Morimoto, T; Hirose, K; Suzuki, A; Saito, H; Yanaihara, T; Arai, Y; Oguchi, K

1996-05-01

To study the role of decidual monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A and -B activities before delivery, the relationship between MAO activity in fetal membranes and catecholamine (CA) concentration in amniotic fluid (AF) was determined. Fetal membranes and AF were obtained at the time of elective Cesarean section (CS group, n = 11) and Cesarean section due to fetal distress without labor pains (FD group, n = 5). MAO-A and -B activities were radiometrically measured using 14C-5-hydroxytriptamine for MAO-A substrate and 14C-benzylamine for MAO-B substrate. CA concentrations in AF were measured by high performance liquid chromatograph with an electro-chemical detector. Both MAO-A and -B activities in decidua obtained from CS were significantly lower than those obtained from FD. Both norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EP) concentrations were significantly lower in the CS group than the FD group. A significant positive correlation between decidual MAO-A activity and NE concentration in AF was observed. No significant correlation was observed between MAO-B activity and the concentration of NE in AF. There was no correlation between EP concentrations and MAO activities. These results suggest that CA concentration in AF may be related to the activity of MAO in fetal membranes, determined by certain physiological processes during pregnancy. It has been suggested that metabolism of monoamines in fetal membranes also plays an important role in reducing monoamine influx into maternal myometrium from the AF.

Monitoring Human Activity through Portable Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Sebestyen

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Monitoring human activity may be useful for medical supervision and for prophylactic purposes. Mobile devices like intelligent phones or watches have multiple sensors and wireless communication capabilities which can be used for this purpose. This paper presents some integrated solutions for determining and continuous monitoring of a person’s state. Aspects taken into consideration are: activity detection and recognition based on acceleration sensors, wireless communication protocols for data acquisition, web monitoring, alerts generation and statistical processing of multiple sensorial data. As practical implementations two case studies are presented, one using an intelligent phone and another using a mixed signal processor integrated in a watch.

Plasticizers May Activate Human Hepatic Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Less Than That of a Mouse but May Activate Constitutive Androstane Receptor in Liver

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Yuki; Nakamura, Toshiki; Yanagiba, Yukie; Ramdhan, Doni Hikmat; Yamagishi, Nozomi; Naito, Hisao; Kamijima, Michihiro; Gonzalez, Frank J.; Nakajima, Tamie

2012-01-01

Dibutylphthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), and di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA) are used as plasticizers. Their metabolites activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α, which may be related to their toxicities. However, species differences in the receptor functions between rodents and human make it difficult to precisely extrapolate their toxicity from animal studies to human. In this paper, we compared the species differences in the activation of mouse and human hepatic PPARα by these plasticizers using wild-type (mPPARα) and humanized PPARα (hPPARα) mice. At 12 weeks old, each genotyped male mouse was classified into three groups, and fed daily for 2 weeks per os with corn oil (vehicle control), 2.5 or 5.0 mmol/kg DBP (696, 1392 mg/kg), DEHP (977, 1953 mg/kg), and DEHA (926, 1853 mg/kg), respectively. Generally, hepatic PPARα of mPPARα mice was more strongly activated than that of hPPARα mice when several target genes involving β-oxidation of fatty acids were evaluated. Interestingly, all plasticizers also activated hepatic constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) more in hPPARα mice than in mPPARα mice. Taken together, these plasticizers activated mouse and human hepatic PPARα as well as CAR. The activation of PPARα was stronger in mPPARα mice than in hPPARα mice, while the opposite was true of CAR. PMID:22792086

Plasticizers May Activate Human Hepatic Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Less Than That of a Mouse but May Activate Constitutive Androstane Receptor in Liver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuki Ito

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Dibutylphthalate (DBP, di(2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP, and di(2-ethylhexyladipate (DEHA are used as plasticizers. Their metabolites activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR α, which may be related to their toxicities. However, species differences in the receptor functions between rodents and human make it difficult to precisely extrapolate their toxicity from animal studies to human. In this paper, we compared the species differences in the activation of mouse and human hepatic PPARα by these plasticizers using wild-type (mPPARα and humanized PPARα (hPPARα mice. At 12 weeks old, each genotyped male mouse was classified into three groups, and fed daily for 2 weeks per os with corn oil (vehicle control, 2.5 or 5.0 mmol/kg DBP (696, 1392 mg/kg, DEHP (977, 1953 mg/kg, and DEHA (926, 1853 mg/kg, respectively. Generally, hepatic PPARα of mPPARα mice was more strongly activated than that of hPPARα mice when several target genes involving β-oxidation of fatty acids were evaluated. Interestingly, all plasticizers also activated hepatic constitutive androstane receptor (CAR more in hPPARα mice than in mPPARα mice. Taken together, these plasticizers activated mouse and human hepatic PPARα as well as CAR. The activation of PPARα was stronger in mPPARα mice than in hPPARα mice, while the opposite was true of CAR.

Aloe vera extract activity on human corneal cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Woźniak, Anna; Paduch, Roman

2012-02-01

Ocular diseases are currently an important problem in modern societies. Patients suffer from various ophthalmologic ailments namely, conjunctivitis, dry eye, dacryocystitis or degenerative diseases. Therefore, there is a need to introduce new treatment methods, including medicinal plants usage. Aloe vera [Aloe barbadensis Miller (Liliaceae)] possesses wound-healing properties and shows immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory or antioxidant activities. NR uptake, MTT, DPPH• reduction, Griess reaction, ELISA and rhodamine-phalloidin staining were used to test toxicity, antiproliferative activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduction, nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine level, and distribution of F-actin in cells, respectively. The present study analyzes the effect of Aloe vera extracts obtained with different solvents on in vitro culture of human 10.014 pRSV-T corneal cells. We found no toxicity of ethanol, ethyl acetate and heptane extracts of Aloe vera on human corneal cells. No ROS reducing activity by heptane extract and trace action by ethanol (only at high concentration 125 µg/ml) extract of Aloe vera was observed. Only ethyl acetate extract expressed distinct free radical scavenging effect. Plant extracts decreased NO production by human corneal cells as compared to untreated controls. The cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10) production decreased after the addition of Aloe vera extracts to the culture media. Aloe vera contains multiple pharmacologically active substances which are capable of modulating cellular phenotypes and functions. Aloe vera ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts may be used in eye drops to treat inflammations and other ailments of external parts of the eye such as the cornea.

Expression of the Small Conductance Ca(2+)-Activated Potassium Channel Subtype 3 (SK3) in Rat Uterus after Stimulation with 17β-Estradiol

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rahbek, Mette; Nazemi, Sasan; Odum, Lars

2014-01-01

the expression of SK3 in the uterus of rats stimulated with 17β-estradiol and progesterone in order to get an in depth understanding of the rat uterine SK3. Using immunohistochemistry SK3 was localized to the glandular and luminal endometrial lamina epitheliali. Furthermore, a weak signal was observed...... in the myometrium. Using Western blot the protein level of SK3 was found to increase in uteri from animals treated with 17β-estradiol, an effect that was not reflected at the mRNA level. The levels of mRNA for SK3 were significantly lower in the uterus of 17β-estradiol-treated animals than in the uterus...... of ovariectomized animals. We conclude that the SK channels are present in the endometrial epithelium, and possibly also in the myometrium of the rat uterus. Furthermore, the hormonal effect on SK3 caused by 17β-estradiol includes divergent regulation at mRNA and protein levels....

Differential Antifungal Activity of Human and Cryptococcal Melanins with Structural Discrepancies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Néstor Correa

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Melanin is a pigment found in all biological kingdoms, and plays a key role in protection against ultraviolet radiation, oxidizing agents, and ionizing radiation damage. Melanin exerts an antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and parasites. We demonstrated an antifungal activity of synthetic and human melanin against Candida sp. The members of the Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii species complexes are capsulated yeasts, which cause cryptococcosis. For both species melanin is an important virulence factor. To evaluate if cryptococcal and human melanins have antifungal activity against Cryptococcus species they both were assayed for their antifungal properties and physico-chemical characters. Melanin extracts from human hair and different strains of C. neoformans (n = 4 and C. gattii (n = 4 were investigated. The following minimum inhibitory concentrations were found for different melanins against C. neoformans and C. gattii were (average/range: 13.7/(7.8–15.6 and 19.5/(15.6–31.2 μg/mL, respectively, for human melanin; 273.4/(125–>500 and 367.2/(125.5–>500 μg/mL for C. neoformans melanin and 125/(62.5–250 and 156.2/(62–250 μg/mL for C. gattii melanin. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy we observed that human melanin showed a compact conformation and cryptococcal melanins exposed an amorphous conformation. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR showed some differences in the signals related to C-C bonds of the aromatic ring of the melanin monomers. High Performance Liquid Chromatography established differences in the chromatograms of fungal melanins extracts in comparison with human and synthetic melanin, particularly in the retention time of the main compound of fungal melanin extracts and also in the presence of minor unknown compounds. On the other hand, MALDI-TOF-MS analysis showed slight differences in the spectra, specifically the presence of a minor intensity ion in synthetic and human melanin, as well as in some fungal

Setting the scene: Human activities, environmental impacts and governance arrangements in Antarctica

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tin, T.; Lamers, M.A.J.; Liggett, D.; Maher, P.T.; Hughes, K.A.

2014-01-01

The scope and intensity of human activity in the Antarctic region has changed considerably over the past 100 years, resulting in significant modifications to the Antarctic environment and its ecosystems, and to the institutional arrangements governing human activities. Since the nineteenth century,

Deep trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodelling in the placental bed of the lowland gorilla

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pijnenborg, R; Vercruysse, L; Carter, Anthony Michael

2011-01-01

In contrast to baboon or rhesus macaque, trophoblast invasion in the human placental bed occurs by the interstitial as well as the endovascular route and reaches as deep as the inner myometrium. We here describe two rare specimens of gorilla placenta. In the light of recent findings in the chimpa......In contrast to baboon or rhesus macaque, trophoblast invasion in the human placental bed occurs by the interstitial as well as the endovascular route and reaches as deep as the inner myometrium. We here describe two rare specimens of gorilla placenta. In the light of recent findings...... in the chimpanzee, we postulated the occurrence of deep invasion in gorilla pregnancy. Tissues were processed for histology (PAS, orcein), lectin staining (Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1) and immunohistochemistry (cytokeratin 7/17, α-actin). A specimen of young but undetermined gestational age included deep placental...... no definite conclusions about the origin of the intramural trophoblast and the time-course of spiral artery invasion. A different late second trimester placenta specimen showed scattered extravillous trophoblast in the basal plate and underlying decidua, as well as a remodelled spiral artery containing...

Context-dependent spatially periodic activity in the human entorhinal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadasdy, Zoltan; Nguyen, T Peter; Török, Ágoston; Shen, Jason Y; Briggs, Deborah E; Modur, Pradeep N; Buchanan, Robert J

2017-04-25

The spatially periodic activity of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex (EC) of the rodent, primate, and human provides a coordinate system that, together with the hippocampus, informs an individual of its location relative to the environment and encodes the memory of that location. Among the most defining features of grid-cell activity are the 60° rotational symmetry of grids and preservation of grid scale across environments. Grid cells, however, do display a limited degree of adaptation to environments. It remains unclear if this level of environment invariance generalizes to human grid-cell analogs, where the relative contribution of visual input to the multimodal sensory input of the EC is significantly larger than in rodents. Patients diagnosed with nontractable epilepsy who were implanted with entorhinal cortical electrodes performing virtual navigation tasks to memorized locations enabled us to investigate associations between grid-like patterns and environment. Here, we report that the activity of human entorhinal cortical neurons exhibits adaptive scaling in grid period, grid orientation, and rotational symmetry in close association with changes in environment size, shape, and visual cues, suggesting scale invariance of the frequency, rather than the wavelength, of spatially periodic activity. Our results demonstrate that neurons in the human EC represent space with an enhanced flexibility relative to neurons in rodents because they are endowed with adaptive scalability and context dependency.

[Spatial structure of the calixarene-aminophosphonic acids is important for their inhibition of the Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in plasma membrane of smooth muscle cells].

Science.gov (United States)

Veklich, T O; Shkrabak, O A; Rodik, R V; Boĭko, V I; Kal'chenko, V I; Kosterin, S O

2010-01-01

It was found that calixarene C-107 (5,17-diamino(2-pyridyl)methylphosphono-11,23-di-tret-butyl-26,28-dihydroxy-25,27-dipropoxycalix[4]arene) could effectively reduce Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity of the myometrium cell plasmatic membranes (the value of the apparent constant of inhibition I0.5 was 33 +/- 4 nM) while it practically did not influence the "basal" Mg2(+)-ATPase activity of the same membrane. In comparative experiments, we have shown that the model calixarene C-150--the calixarene "scaffold" (26,28-dihydroxy-25,27-dipropoxycalix[4]arene), and the model compound M-3 (4-hydroxyaniline(2-pyridine)methylphosphonic acid)--a fragment of the calixarene C-107, had practically no influence on the enzymatic activities of Na+,K(+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase over a wide range of concentrations. Hence, the influence of calixarene C-107 on Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity was caused by the joint action of two aminophosphonic substituents on the upper rim of the calixarene bowl. The isomer of calixarene C-107--calixarene C-160 (5,11-diamino(2-pyridyl)methylphosphono-17,23-di-tret-butyl-26,28-dihydroxy-25,27-dipropoxycalix[4]arene) also did not influence the Na+,K(+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities of plasmatic membrane of myometrium cells. We carried out molecular modeling of calixarenes C-107 and C-160 and showed differences in interatomic distance between aminophosphonic substituents of mentioned calixarenes. We came to the conclusion that spatial structure of calixarene C-107, namely localization of two aminophosphonic substituents in 5,17 position of the upper rim of this calixarene, is crucial for inhibition of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity. Using laser correlation spectroscopy it was found that the 100 microM solution of calixarene C-107 and 2.5% DMSO had microparticles with size range from 100 nm to 10 microm. Plasma membrane vesicles had average hydrodynamic diameter 401 +/- 17 nm, but after interaction of these vesicles with calixarene C-107 we have registered the creation of

Elevated personal exposure to particulate matter from human activities in a residence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, Andrea R; Kopperud, Royal J; Hildemann, Lynn M

2004-01-01

Continuous laser particle counters collocated with time-integrated filter samplers were used to measure personal, indoor, and outdoor particulate matter (PM) concentrations for a variety of prescribed human activities during a 5-day experimental period in a home in Redwood City, CA, USA. The mean daytime personal exposures to PM(2.5) and PM(5) during prescribed activities were 6 and 17 times, respectively, as high as the pre-activity indoor background concentration. Activities that resulted in the highest exposures of PM(2.5), PM(5), and PM(10) were those that disturbed dust reservoirs on furniture and textiles, such as dry dusting, folding clothes and blankets, and making a bed. The vigor of activity and type of flooring were also important factors for dust resuspension. Personal exposures to PM(2.5) and PM(5) were 1.4 and 1.6 times, respectively, as high as the indoor concentration as measured by a stationary monitor. The ratio of personal exposure to the indoor concentration was a function of both particle size and the distance of the human activity from the stationary indoor monitor. The results demonstrate that a wide variety of indoor human resuspension activities increase human exposure to PM and contribute to the "personal cloud" effect.

Incorporating twitter-based human activity information in spatial analysis of crashes in urban areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Jie; Liu, Pan; Yu, Hao; Xu, Chengcheng

2017-09-01

The primary objective of this study was to investigate how to incorporate human activity information in spatial analysis of crashes in urban areas using Twitter check-in data. This study used the data collected from the City of Los Angeles in the United States to illustrate the procedure. The following five types of data were collected: crash data, human activity data, traditional traffic exposure variables, road network attributes and social-demographic data. A web crawler by Python was developed to collect the venue type information from the Twitter check-in data automatically. The human activities were classified into seven categories by the obtained venue types. The collected data were aggregated into 896 Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ). Geographically weighted regression (GWR) models were developed to establish a relationship between the crash counts reported in a TAZ and various contributing factors. Comparative analyses were conducted to compare the performance of GWR models which considered traditional traffic exposure variables only, Twitter-based human activity variables only, and both traditional traffic exposure and Twitter-based human activity variables. The model specification results suggested that human activity variables significantly affected the crash counts in a TAZ. The results of comparative analyses suggested that the models which considered both traditional traffic exposure and human activity variables had the best goodness-of-fit in terms of the highest R 2 and lowest AICc values. The finding seems to confirm the benefits of incorporating human activity information in spatial analysis of crashes using Twitter check-in data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The anti-papillomavirus activity of human and bovine lactoferricin.

Science.gov (United States)

Mistry, Nitesh; Drobni, Peter; Näslund, Jonas; Sunkari, Vivekananda Gupta; Jenssen, Håvard; Evander, Magnus

2007-09-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) cause common warts, laryngeal papilloma and genital condylomata and is necessary for the development of cervical cancer. We have previously found that lactoferrin has antiviral activity against HPV-16 and others have demonstrated that lactoferricin, an N-terminal fragment of lactoferrin, has inhibitory activities against several viruses. Two cell lines and two virus types, HPV-5 and HPV-16, were used to study if lactoferrin and lactoferricin could inhibit HPV pseudovirus (PsV) infection. We demonstrated that bovine lactoferrin (bLf) and human lactoferrin (hLf) were both potent inhibitors of HPV-5 and -16 PsV infections. Among the four lactoferricin derivatives we analyzed, a 15 amino acid peptide from bovine lactoferricin (bLfcin) 17-31 was the most potent inhibitor of both HPV-5 and HPV-16 PsV infection. Among the other derivatives, the human lactoferricin (hLfcin) 1-49 showed some antiviral activity against HPV PsV infection while bLfcin 17-42 inhibited only HPV-5 PsV infection in one of the cell lines. When we studied initial attachment of HPV-16, only bLfcin 17-42 and hLfcin 1-49 had an antiviral effect. This is the first time that lactoferricin was demonstrated to have an inhibitory effect on HPV infection and the antiviral activity differed depending on size, charge and structures of the lactoferricin.

Social touch modulates endogenous μ-opioid system activity in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Nummenmaa, Lauri; Tuominen, Lauri; Dunbar, Robin; Hirvonen, Jussi; Manninen, Sandra; Arponen, Eveliina; Machin, Anna; Hari, Riitta; Jääskeläinen, Iiro P; Sams, Mikko

2016-09-01

In non-human primates, opioid-receptor blockade increases social grooming, and the endogenous opioid system has therefore been hypothesized to support maintenance of long-term relationships in humans as well. Here we tested whether social touch modulates opioidergic activation in humans using in vivo positron emission tomography (PET). Eighteen male participants underwent two PET scans with [11C]carfentanil, a ligand specific to μ-opioid receptors (MOR). During the social touch scan, the participants lay in the scanner while their partners caressed their bodies in a non-sexual fashion. In the baseline scan, participants lay alone in the scanner. Social touch triggered pleasurable sensations and increased MOR availability in the thalamus, striatum, and frontal, cingulate, and insular cortices. Modulation of activity of the opioid system by social touching might provide a neurochemical mechanism reinforcing social bonds between humans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Human Activity by Discovering Temporal Sequence Patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kang; Fu, Yun

2014-08-01

Early prediction of ongoing human activity has become more valuable in a large variety of time-critical applications. To build an effective representation for prediction, human activities can be characterized by a complex temporal composition of constituent simple actions and interacting objects. Different from early detection on short-duration simple actions, we propose a novel framework for long -duration complex activity prediction by discovering three key aspects of activity: Causality, Context-cue, and Predictability. The major contributions of our work include: (1) a general framework is proposed to systematically address the problem of complex activity prediction by mining temporal sequence patterns; (2) probabilistic suffix tree (PST) is introduced to model causal relationships between constituent actions, where both large and small order Markov dependencies between action units are captured; (3) the context-cue, especially interactive objects information, is modeled through sequential pattern mining (SPM), where a series of action and object co-occurrence are encoded as a complex symbolic sequence; (4) we also present a predictive accumulative function (PAF) to depict the predictability of each kind of activity. The effectiveness of our approach is evaluated on two experimental scenarios with two data sets for each: action-only prediction and context-aware prediction. Our method achieves superior performance for predicting global activity classes and local action units.

Proteasome LMP2/β1i subunit as biomarker for human uterine leiomyosarcoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takuma Hayashi

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Uterine leiomyosarcoma (Ut-LMS develops more frequently in the myometrium of the uterine body than in the uterine cervix. Although the development of gynecological tumors is often correlated with the secretion of female hormones that of Ut-LMS does not, and its risk factor(s remain unknown. Importantly, a diagnostic biomarker that can distinguish malignant tumor Ut-LMS from benign tumor leiomyoma (LMA, has yet to be established. Therefore, the risk factor(s associated with Ut-LMS need to be examined in order to establish a diagnosis and clinical treatment method. Mice with a homozygous deficiency for the proteasome b-ring subunit, low-molecular mass polypeptide (LMP2/b1i spontaneously develop Ut-LMS, with a disease prevalence of ~40% by 14 months of age. In recent studies, we showed that LMP2/b1i expression was absent in human Ut-LMS, but present in other human uterine mesenchymal tumors including uterine LMA. Moreover, LMP2/b1i is also known to negatively regulate human Ut-LMS tumorigenesis. Additional experiments furthermore revealed the differential expression of cyclin E and calponin h1 in human uterine mesenchymal tumors. Therefore, LMP2/b1i is a potential diagnostic biomarker when combined with the candidate molecules, cyclin E and calponin h1 for human Ut-LMS, and may be a targeted molecule for a new therapeutic approach.---------------------------------------------Cite this article as: Hayashi T, Horiuchi A Aburatani H, Ishiko O, Yaegashi N, Kanai Y, Zharhary D, Tonegawa S, Konishi I. Proteasome LMP2/ß1i subunit as biomarker for human uterine leiomyosarcoma. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(1:02018.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14319/ijcto.0201.8

Mitochondria from rat uterine smooth muscle possess ATP-sensitive potassium channel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga B. Vadzyuk

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to detect ATP-sensitive K+ uptake in rat uterine smooth muscle mitochondria and to determine possible effects of its activation on mitochondrial physiology. By means of fluorescent technique with usage of K+-sensitive fluorescent probe PBFI (potassium-binding benzofuran isophthalate we showed that accumulation of K ions in isolated mitochondria from rat myometrium is sensitive to effectors of KATP-channel (ATP-sensitive K+-channel – ATP, diazoxide, glibenclamide and 5HD (5-hydroxydecanoate. Our data demonstrates that K+ uptake in isolated myometrium mitochondria results in a slight decrease in membrane potential, enhancement of generation of ROS (reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial swelling. Particularly, the addition of ATP into incubation medium led to a decrease in mitochondrial swelling and ROS production, and an increase in membrane potential. These effects were eliminated by diazoxide. If blockers of KATP-channel were added along with diazoxide, the effects of diazoxide were removed. So, we postulate the existence of KATP-channels in rat uterus mitochondria and assume that their functioning may regulate physiological conditions of mitochondria, such as matrix volume, ROS generation and polarization of mitochondrial membrane. Keywords: ATP-sensitive potassium channel, Diazoxide, 5-hydroxydecanoate, Myometrium, Mitochondria, Mitochondrial swelling, Mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS

Magnetic resonance imaging in the differential diagnosis of true placenta accreta: a clinical case

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E. V. Tarachkova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available True placenta accreta is the attachment of chorionic villi to the myometrium, possibly penetrating into the thickness of the myometrium and its outside, including through the serous tunic. The main current diagnostic techniques are considered to be ultrasonography, laboratory diagnosis (elevated human chorionic gonadotropin and placental lactogen levels, and clinical data (pain and vaginal discharge. Magnetic resonance imaging is deemed to be an adjuvant technique. By using a clinical example, this paper considers the capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose this abnormality and to choose a right treatment policy. The abnormality is compared with the conditions (trophoblastic tumor and myoma with lysis that are similar in their diagnosis and magnetic resonance pattern. The disorder in question is rather rare and its detailed consideration, determination of the capabilities of various techniques, and comparison with externally similar cases areimportant for the development of diagnostic opportunities.

Elastolytic activity of human blood monocytes characterized by a new monoclonal antibody against human leucocyte elastase. Relationship to rheumatoid arthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, H S; Christensen, L D

1990-01-01

The leucocyte elastase of human blood monocytes was investigated by applying a new monoclonal antibody which did not block the enzyme activity against elastin. In a fixed population of mononuclear cells (MNC) and using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), the human leucocyte elastase (HLE...

Robust, synergistic regulation of human gene expression using TALE activators.

Science.gov (United States)

Maeder, Morgan L; Linder, Samantha J; Reyon, Deepak; Angstman, James F; Fu, Yanfang; Sander, Jeffry D; Joung, J Keith

2013-03-01

Artificial activators designed using transcription activator-like effector (TALE) technology have broad utility, but previous studies suggest that these monomeric proteins often exhibit low activities. Here we demonstrate that TALE activators can robustly function individually or in synergistic combinations to increase expression of endogenous human genes over wide dynamic ranges. These findings will encourage applications of TALE activators for research and therapy, and guide design of monomeric TALE-based fusion proteins.

3D Data Acquisition Platform for Human Activity Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-02

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: In this project, we incorporated motion capture devices, 3D vision sensors, and EMG sensors to cross validate...multimodality data acquisition, and address fundamental research problems of representation and invariant description of 3D data, human motion modeling and...applications of human activity analysis, and computational optimization of large-scale 3D data. The support for the acquisition of such research

COURAGE AND FEAR IN THE CONTEXT OF OPPOSITION OF HUMAN ACTIVITY AND INACTIVITY: EXISTENTIAL ASPECT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmytro Yu. Snitko

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to analyse fear and courage in the history of philosophy in the context of opposi-tion of human activity and inactivity that may lead to a profound understanding of the essence, causes and existen-tial aspects of human activity and inactivity. The implementation of the objective assumes the solution of the follow-ing tasks: analysis of philosophical interpretation of fear and courage; investigation of the relationship of fear and courage with active and passive forms of human being; revelation of existential dialectic of human activity and inac-tivity through the opposition of fear and courage. Methodology. The application of phenomenological approach and other methods of existential philosophy enabled to discover the importance of fear and courage for human existence. Significant contribution to the importance of the investigation of the fear-courage opposition in the context of hu-man activity and inactivity was made by M. Heidegger who pointed to the main modes of human being - «authen-tic» and «inauthentic» in the context of human activity and passivity. The application of hermeneutic method made possible the reconstruction of the reflection of fear-courage opposition in the history of philosophy. Scientific nov-elty. For the first time the analysis of the fear-courage opposition in the context of human activity and inactivity was carried out. Due to the analysis the fundamental existential character of the fear and courage opposition and its es-sential relationship with active and passive forms of human being were justified. Conclusions. In the course of this research it was found out that fear is closely connected with passive modes of human being. If classical philosophy placed emphasis on courage and associated fear with human mind and conscious decision, non-classical philosophy of the XIX century and existentialism focused on existential and ontological character of fear, its fundamental mean

COURAGE AND FEAR IN THE CONTEXT OF OPPOSITION OF HUMAN ACTIVITY AND INACTIVITY: EXISTENTIAL ASPECT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmytro Yu. Snitko

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to analyse fear and courage in the history of philosophy in the context of opposition of human activity and inactivity that may lead to a profound understanding of the essence, causes and existential aspects of human activity and inactivity. The implementation of the objective assumes the solution of the following tasks: analysis of philosophical interpretation of  fear and courage; investigation of the relationship of fear and courage with active and passive forms of human being; revelation of existential dialectic of human activity and inactivity through the opposition of  fear and courage. Methodology. The application of phenomenological approach and other methods of existential philosophy enabled to discover the importance of fear and courage for human existence. Significant contribution to the importance of the investigation of the fear-courage opposition in the context of human activity and inactivity was made by M. Heidegger who pointed to the main modes of human being - «authentic» and «inauthentic» in the context of human activity and passivity. The application of hermeneutic method made possible the reconstruction of the reflection of fear-courage opposition in the history of philosophy. Scientific novelty. For the first time the analysis of the  fear-courage opposition in the context of human activity and inactivity was carried out. Due to the analysis the  fundamental existential character of the fear and courage opposition and its essential relationship with active and passive forms of human being were justified. Conclusions. In the course of this research it was found out that fear is closely connected with passive modes of human being.  If classical philosophy placed emphasis on courage and associated fear with  human mind and conscious decision,  non-classical philosophy of the XIX century and existentialism focused on existential and ontological character of fear, its fundamental meaning

SRS-A leukotrienes decrease the activity of human respiratory cilia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bisgaard, H; Pedersen, M

1987-01-01

We have studied the effects of the slow reacting substance of anaphylaxis (SRS-A) constituents leukotrienes (LT) C4 and D4 on the ciliary activity of human respiratory cells. The ciliary beat frequency on human nasal cells harvested by cell scraping from the inferior turbinate was measured...

Human Activity Recognition Using Hierarchically-Mined Feature Constellations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oikonomopoulos, A.; Pantic, Maja

In this paper we address the problem of human activity modelling and recognition by means of a hierarchical representation of mined dense spatiotemporal features. At each level of the hierarchy, the proposed method selects feature constellations that are increasingly discriminative and

Dioxin-like activity of environmental compounds in human blood and environmental samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Long, Manhai; Bonefeld-Jørgensen, Eva Cecilie

2012-01-01

and humans. We found that some pesticides, plasticizers and phytoestrogens can activate the AhR, and the combined effect of compounds with no or weak AhR potency cannot be ignored. The significant DL-activity in the wastewater effluent indicates the treatment is not sufficient to prevent contamination...... of surface waters with dioxins. Our results from human studies suggest that the serum DL-activity reflect the complex mixture of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Greenlandic Inuit had lower serum DL-activity level compared to Europeans, probably due to long distance from the dioxin sources and UV...

Dioxin-like activity in environmental and human samples from Greenland and Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Long, Manhai; Bonefeld-Jørgensen, Eva Cecilie

2012-01-01

and humans. We found that some pesticides, plasticizers and phytoestrogens can activate the AhR, and the combined effect of compounds with no or weak AhR potency cannot be ignored. The significant DL-activity in the wastewater effluent indicates the treatment is not sufficient to prevent contamination...... of surface waters with dioxins. Our results from human studies suggest that the serum DL-activity reflect the complex mixture of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Greenlandic Inuit had lower serum DL-activity level compared to Europeans, probably due to long distance from the dioxin sources and UV...

Albinism-causing mutations in recombinant human tyrosinase alter intrinsic enzymatic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolinska, Monika B; Kovaleva, Elena; Backlund, Peter; Wingfield, Paul T; Brooks, Brian P; Sergeev, Yuri V

2014-01-01

Tyrosinase (TYR) catalyzes the rate-limiting, first step in melanin production and its gene (TYR) is mutated in many cases of oculocutaneous albinism (OCA1), an autosomal recessive cause of childhood blindness. Patients with reduced TYR activity are classified as OCA1B; some OCA1B mutations are temperature-sensitive. Therapeutic research for OCA1 has been hampered, in part, by the absence of purified, active, recombinant wild-type and mutant human enzymes. The intra-melanosomal domain of human tyrosinase (residues 19-469) and two OCA1B related temperature-sensitive mutants, R422Q and R422W were expressed in insect cells and produced in T. ni larvae. The short trans-membrane fragment was deleted to avoid potential protein insolubility, while preserving all other functional features of the enzymes. Purified tyrosinase was obtained with a yield of >1 mg per 10 g of larval biomass. The protein was a monomeric glycoenzyme with maximum enzyme activity at 37°C and neutral pH. The two purified mutants when compared to the wild-type protein were less active and temperature sensitive. These differences are associated with conformational perturbations in secondary structure. The intramelanosomal domains of recombinant wild-type and mutant human tyrosinases are soluble monomeric glycoproteins with activities which mirror their in vivo function. This advance allows for the structure - function analyses of different mutant TYR proteins and correlation with their corresponding human phenotypes; it also provides an important tool to discover drugs that may improve tyrosinase activity and treat OCA1.

Albinism-causing mutations in recombinant human tyrosinase alter intrinsic enzymatic activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika B Dolinska

Full Text Available Tyrosinase (TYR catalyzes the rate-limiting, first step in melanin production and its gene (TYR is mutated in many cases of oculocutaneous albinism (OCA1, an autosomal recessive cause of childhood blindness. Patients with reduced TYR activity are classified as OCA1B; some OCA1B mutations are temperature-sensitive. Therapeutic research for OCA1 has been hampered, in part, by the absence of purified, active, recombinant wild-type and mutant human enzymes.The intra-melanosomal domain of human tyrosinase (residues 19-469 and two OCA1B related temperature-sensitive mutants, R422Q and R422W were expressed in insect cells and produced in T. ni larvae. The short trans-membrane fragment was deleted to avoid potential protein insolubility, while preserving all other functional features of the enzymes. Purified tyrosinase was obtained with a yield of >1 mg per 10 g of larval biomass. The protein was a monomeric glycoenzyme with maximum enzyme activity at 37°C and neutral pH. The two purified mutants when compared to the wild-type protein were less active and temperature sensitive. These differences are associated with conformational perturbations in secondary structure.The intramelanosomal domains of recombinant wild-type and mutant human tyrosinases are soluble monomeric glycoproteins with activities which mirror their in vivo function. This advance allows for the structure - function analyses of different mutant TYR proteins and correlation with their corresponding human phenotypes; it also provides an important tool to discover drugs that may improve tyrosinase activity and treat OCA1.

Immediate-early gene region of human cytomegalovirus trans-activates the promoter of human immunodeficiency virus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, M.G.; Kenney, S.C.; Kamine, J.; Pagano, J.S.; Huang, E.S.

1987-01-01

Almost all homosexual patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome are also actively infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The authors have hypothesized that an interaction between HCMV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the agent that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, may exist at a molecular level and contribute to the manifestations of HIV infection. In this report, they demonstrate that the immediate-early gene region of HCMV, in particular immediate-early region 2, trans-activates the expression of the bacterial gene chloramphenicol acetyltransferase that is fused to the HIV long terminal repeat and carried by plasmid pHIV-CAT. The HCMV immediate-early trans-activator increases the level of mRNA from the plamid pHIV-CAT. The sequences of HIV that are responsive to trans-activation by the HDMV immediate-early region are distinct from HIV sequences that are required for response to the HIV tat. The stimulation of HIV gene expression by HDMV gene functions could enhance the consequences of HIV infection in persons with previous or concurrent HCMV infection

Report: EPA Prepared to Implement Strategic Human Capital Management Activities But Challenges Remain

Science.gov (United States)

Report #2004-P-00024, September 20, 2004. EPA’s headquarters and regional offices are prepared to implement strategic human capital management activities, but an alignment of office-level activities to the Agency’s Strategy for Human Capital is lacking.

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of uterine leiomyomas following uterine artery embolization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutter, Olivier; Shotar, Eimad; Guerrache, Youcef; Place, Vinciane; Oprea, Raluca; Le Dref, Olivier; Boudiaf, Mourad; Soyer, Philippe; Dohan, Anthony; Dautry, Raphael; Sirol, Marc; Ricbourg, Aude

2016-01-01

To test whether variations in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of uterine leiomyomas after uterine artery embolization (UAE) may correlate with outcome and assess the effects of UAE on leiomyomas and normal myometrium with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Data of 49 women who underwent pelvic MRI before and after UAE were retrospectively reviewed. Uterine and leiomyoma volumes, ADC values of leiomyomas, and normal myometrium were calculated before and after UAE. By comparison with baseline ADC values, a significant drop in leiomyoma ADC was found at 6-month post-UAE (1.096 x 10"-"3 mm"2/s vs. 0.712 x 10"-"3 mm"2/s, respectively; p < 0.0001), but not at 48-h post-UAE. Leiomyoma devascularization was complete in 40/49 women (82 %) at 48 h and in 37/49 women (76 %) at 6 months. Volume reduction and leiomyoma ADC values at 6 months correlated with the degree of devascularization. There was a significant drop in myometrium ADC after UAE. Perfusion defect of the myometrium was observed at 48 h in 14/49 women (28.5 %) in association with higher degrees of leiomyoma devascularization. Six months after UAE, drop in leiomyoma ADC values and volume reduction correlate with the degree of leiomyoma devascularization. UAE affects the myometrium as evidenced by a drop in ADC values and initial myometrial perfusion defect. (orig.)

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of uterine leiomyomas following uterine artery embolization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sutter, Olivier; Shotar, Eimad; Guerrache, Youcef; Place, Vinciane; Oprea, Raluca; Le Dref, Olivier; Boudiaf, Mourad [Hopital Lariboisiere, AP-HP, Department of Body and Interventional Imaging, Paris (France); Soyer, Philippe; Dohan, Anthony [Hopital Lariboisiere, AP-HP, Department of Body and Interventional Imaging, Paris (France); Universite Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Paris (France); UMR INSERM 965, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris (France); Dautry, Raphael; Sirol, Marc [Hopital Lariboisiere, AP-HP, Department of Body and Interventional Imaging, Paris (France); Universite Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Paris (France); Ricbourg, Aude [Hopital Lariboisiere-AP-HP, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Paris (France)

2016-10-15

To test whether variations in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of uterine leiomyomas after uterine artery embolization (UAE) may correlate with outcome and assess the effects of UAE on leiomyomas and normal myometrium with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Data of 49 women who underwent pelvic MRI before and after UAE were retrospectively reviewed. Uterine and leiomyoma volumes, ADC values of leiomyomas, and normal myometrium were calculated before and after UAE. By comparison with baseline ADC values, a significant drop in leiomyoma ADC was found at 6-month post-UAE (1.096 x 10{sup -3} mm{sup 2}/s vs. 0.712 x 10{sup -3} mm{sup 2}/s, respectively; p < 0.0001), but not at 48-h post-UAE. Leiomyoma devascularization was complete in 40/49 women (82 %) at 48 h and in 37/49 women (76 %) at 6 months. Volume reduction and leiomyoma ADC values at 6 months correlated with the degree of devascularization. There was a significant drop in myometrium ADC after UAE. Perfusion defect of the myometrium was observed at 48 h in 14/49 women (28.5 %) in association with higher degrees of leiomyoma devascularization. Six months after UAE, drop in leiomyoma ADC values and volume reduction correlate with the degree of leiomyoma devascularization. UAE affects the myometrium as evidenced by a drop in ADC values and initial myometrial perfusion defect. (orig.)

Application of activity theory to analysis of human-related accidents: Method and case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Young Sik; Ham, Dong-Han; Yoon, Wan Chul

2016-01-01

This study proposes a new approach to human-related accident analysis based on activity theory. Most of the existing methods seem to be insufficient for comprehensive analysis of human activity-related contextual aspects of accidents when investigating the causes of human errors. Additionally, they identify causal factors and their interrelationships with a weak theoretical basis. We argue that activity theory offers useful concepts and insights to supplement existing methods. The proposed approach gives holistic contextual backgrounds for understanding and diagnosing human-related accidents. It also helps identify and organise causal factors in a consistent, systematic way. Two case studies in Korean nuclear power plants are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method. Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) was also applied to the case studies. The results of using HFACS were then compared with those of using the proposed method. These case studies showed that the proposed approach could produce a meaningful set of human activity-related contextual factors, which cannot easily be obtained by using existing methods. It can be especially effective when analysts think it is important to diagnose accident situations with human activity-related contextual factors derived from a theoretically sound model and to identify accident-related contextual factors systematically. - Highlights: • This study proposes a new method for analysing human-related accidents. • The method was developed based on activity theory. • The concept of activity system model and contradiction was used in the method. • Two case studies in nuclear power plants are presented. • The method is helpful to consider causal factors systematically and comprehensively.

Immunosuppressive activity of human cord-blood lipoproteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forte, T.M.; Davis, P.A.; Curtiss, L.K.

1985-01-01

It is now known that the role of plasma lipoproteins is multifunctional. More recently it has been shown that lipoproteins may regulate immune responses as well. Low-density lipoproteins carrying apolipoprotein B (apoB) are known to suppress phytohemagglutinin (PHA) activated lymphocytes by inhibiting DNA synthesis. More recently, an immunoregulatory role has been described for another apolipoprotein, apoE, which is found in low quantities in normal plasma. In these studies with human umbilical-cord blood the authors were intrigued by two factors: the low level of LDL and hence apoB, and the elevated quantity of apoE. This study examines the hypothesis that apoE may regulate lymphocyte function in the human fetus

Human temporal cortical single neuron activity during working memory maintenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Zamora, Leona; Corina, David; Ojemann, George

2016-06-01

The Working Memory model of human memory, first introduced by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), has been one of the most influential psychological constructs in cognitive psychology and human neuroscience. However the neuronal correlates of core components of this model have yet to be fully elucidated. Here we present data from two studies where human temporal cortical single neuron activity was recorded during tasks differentially affecting the maintenance component of verbal working memory. In Study One we vary the presence or absence of distracting items for the entire period of memory storage. In Study Two we vary the duration of storage so that distractors filled all, or only one-third of the time the memory was stored. Extracellular single neuron recordings were obtained from 36 subjects undergoing awake temporal lobe resections for epilepsy, 25 in Study one, 11 in Study two. Recordings were obtained from a total of 166 lateral temporal cortex neurons during performance of one of these two tasks, 86 study one, 80 study two. Significant changes in activity with distractor manipulation were present in 74 of these neurons (45%), 38 Study one, 36 Study two. In 48 (65%) of those there was increased activity during the period when distracting items were absent, 26 Study One, 22 Study Two. The magnitude of this increase was greater for Study One, 47.6%, than Study Two, 8.1%, paralleling the reduction in memory errors in the absence of distracters, for Study One of 70.3%, Study Two 26.3% These findings establish that human lateral temporal cortex is part of the neural system for working memory, with activity during maintenance of that memory that parallels performance, suggesting it represents active rehearsal. In 31 of these neurons (65%) this activity was an extension of that during working memory encoding that differed significantly from the neural processes recorded during overt and silent language tasks without a recent memory component, 17 Study one, 14 Study two

Human Temporal Cortical Single Neuron Activity During Working Memory Maintenance

Science.gov (United States)

Zamora, Leona; Corina, David; Ojemann, George

2016-01-01

The Working Memory model of human memory, first introduced by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), has been one of the most influential psychological constructs in cognitive psychology and human neuroscience. However the neuronal correlates of core components of this model have yet to be fully elucidated. Here we present data from two studies where human temporal cortical single neuron activity was recorded during tasks differentially affecting the maintenance component of verbal working memory. In Study One we vary the presence or absence of distracting items for the entire period of memory storage. In Study Two we vary the duration of storage so that distractors filled all, or only one-third of the time the memory was stored. Extracellular single neuron recordings were obtained from 36 subjects undergoing awake temporal lobe resections for epilepsy, 25 in Study one, 11 in Study two. Recordings were obtained from a total of 166 lateral temporal cortex neurons during performance of one of these two tasks, 86 study one, 80 study two. Significant changes in activity with distractor manipulation were present in 74 of these neurons (45%), 38 Study one, 36 Study two. In 48 (65%) of those there was increased activity during the period when distracting items were absent, 26 Study One, 22 Study Two. The magnitude of this increase was greater for Study One, 47.6%, than Study Two, 8.1%, paralleling the reduction in memory errors in the absence of distracters, for Study One of 70.3%, Study Two 26.3% These findings establish that human lateral temporal cortex is part of the neural system for working memory, with activity during maintenance of that memory that parallels performance, suggesting it represents active rehearsal. In 31 of these neurons (65%) this activity was an extension of that during working memory encoding that differed significantly from the neural processes recorded during overt and silent language tasks without a recent memory component, 17 Study one, 14 Study two

Telomere elongation in immortal human cells without detectable telomerase activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryan, T M; Englezou, A; Gupta, J; Bacchetti, S; Reddel, R R

1995-09-01

Immortalization of human cells is often associated with reactivation of telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that adds TTAGGG repeats onto telomeres and compensates for their shortening. We examined whether telomerase activation is necessary for immortalization. All normal human fibroblasts tested were negative for telomerase activity. Thirteen out of 13 DNA tumor virus-transformed cell cultures were also negative in the pre-crisis (i.e. non-immortalized) stage. Of 35 immortalized cell lines, 20 had telomerase activity as expected, but 15 had no detectable telomerase. The 15 telomerase-negative immortalized cell lines all had very long and heterogeneous telomeres of up to 50 kb. Hybrids between telomerase-negative and telomerase-positive cells senesced. Two senescent hybrids demonstrated telomerase activity, indicating that activation of telomerase is not sufficient for immortalization. Some hybrid clones subsequently recommenced proliferation and became immortalized either with or without telomerase activity. Those without telomerase activity also had very long and heterogeneous telomeres. Taken together, these data suggest that the presence of lengthened or stabilized telomeres is necessary for immortalization, and that this may be achieved either by the reactivation of telomerase or by a novel and as yet unidentified mechanism.

Chloride transport in human fibroblasts is activated by hypotonic shock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rugolo, M.; Mastocola, T.; Flamigni, A.; Lenaz, G. (Universita' di Bologna (Italy))

1989-05-15

Incubation of human skin fibroblasts in hypotonic media induced the activation of {sup 36}Cl- efflux which was roughly proportional to the decrease in the osmolality of the media. The efflux of {sup 36}Cl- was insensitive to DIDS plus furosemide and inhibited by addition of a Cl- channel blocker such as 5-nitro-2-(3-phenyl propylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB). We propose that a conductive pathway for Cl- transport, almost silent in isotonic conditions, is activated by exposing human fibroblasts to hypotonic shock, this conclusion being supported by evidence that also {sup 36}Cl- influx was enhanced by hypotonic medium.

Activation of ERK mitogen-activated protein kinase in human cells by the mycotoxin patulin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, T.-S.; Yu, F.-Y.; Su, C.-C.; Kan, J.-C.; Chung, C.-P.; Liu, B.-H.

2005-01-01

Patulin (PAT), a mycotoxin produced by certain species of Penicillium and Aspergillus, is often detectable in moldy fruits and their derivative products. PAT led to a concentration-dependent and time-dependent increase in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Exposure of HEK293 cells to concentrations above 5 μM PAT for 30 min induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation; activation of ERK1/2 was also observed after 24 h incubation with 0.05 μM of PAT. Treatment of human PBMCs for 30 min with 30 μM PAT dramatically increased the phosphorylated ERK1/2 levels. Both MEK1/2 inhibitors, U0126 and PD98059, suppressed ERK1/2 activation in either HEK293 or MDCK cells. In HEK293 cells, U0126-mediated inhibition of PAT-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation resulted in a significant decrease in levels of DNA damage, expressed as tail moment values, in the single cell gel electrophoresis assay. Conversely, U0126 did not affect cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase release, and the DNA synthesis rate in PAT-treated cultures. Exposure of HEK293 cells for 90 min to 15 μM PAT elevated the levels of early growth response gene-1 (egr-1) mRNA, but not of c-fos, fosB, and junB mRNAs. These results indicate that in human cells, PAT causes a rapid and persistent activation of ERK1/2 and this signaling pathway plays an important role in mediating PAT-induced DNA damage and egr-1 gene expression

A Hierarchical Representation for Human Activity Recognition with Noisy Labels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hu, N.; Englebienne, G.; Lou, Z.; Kröse, B.

2015-01-01

Human activity recognition is an essential task for robots to effectively and efficiently interact with the end users. Many machine learning approaches for activity recognition systems have been proposed recently. Most of these methods are built upon a strong assumption that the labels in the

Does solar activity affect human happiness?

Science.gov (United States)

Kristoufek, Ladislav

2018-03-01

We investigate the direct influence of solar activity (represented by sunspot numbers) on human happiness (represented by the Twitter-based Happiness Index). We construct four models controlling for various statistical and dynamic effects of the analyzed series. The final model gives promising results. First, there is a statistically significant negative influence of solar activity on happiness which holds even after controlling for the other factors. Second, the final model, which is still rather simple, explains around 75% of variance of the Happiness Index. Third, our control variables contribute significantly as well: happiness is higher in no sunspots days, happiness is strongly persistent, there are strong intra-week cycles and happiness peaks during holidays. Our results strongly contribute to the topical literature and they provide evidence of unique utility of the online data.

Guinea pig complement potently measures vibriocidal activity of human antibodies in response to cholera vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyoung Whun; Jeong, Soyoung; Ahn, Ki Bum; Yang, Jae Seung; Yun, Cheol-Heui; Han, Seung Hyun

2017-12-01

The vibriocidal assay using guinea pig complement is widely used for the evaluation of immune responses to cholera vaccines in human clinical trials. However, it is unclear why guinea pig complement has been used over human complement in the measurement of vibriocidal activity of human sera and there have not been comparison studies for the use of guinea pig complement over those from other species. Therefore, we comparatively investigated the effects of complements derived from human, guinea pig, rabbit, and sheep on vibriocidal activity. Complements from guinea pig, rabbit, and human showed concentration-dependent vibriocidal activity in the presence of quality control serum antibodies. Of these complements, guinea pig complement was the most sensitive and effective over a wide concentration range. When the vibriocidal activity of complements was measured in the absence of serum antibodies, human, sheep, and guinea pig complements showed vibriocidal activity up to 40-fold, 20-fold, and 1-fold dilution, respectively. For human pre- and post-vaccination sera, the most potent vibriocidal activity was observed when guinea pig complement was used. In addition, the highest fold-increases between pre- and post- vaccinated sera were obtained with guinea pig complement. Furthermore, human complement contained a higher amount of V. cholerae- and its lipopolysaccharide-specific antibodies than guinea pig complement. Collectively, these results suggest that guinea pig complements are suitable for vibriocidal assays due to their high sensitivity and effectiveness to human sera.

Assessment of physical activity of the human body considering the thermodynamic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hochstein, Stefan; Rauschenberger, Philipp; Weigand, Bernhard; Siebert, Tobias; Schmitt, Syn; Schlicht, Wolfgang; Převorovská, Světlana; Maršík, František

2016-01-01

Correctly dosed physical activity is the basis of a vital and healthy life, but the measurement of physical activity is certainly rather empirical resulting in limited individual and custom activity recommendations. Certainly, very accurate three-dimensional models of the cardiovascular system exist, however, requiring the numeric solution of the Navier-Stokes equations of the flow in blood vessels. These models are suitable for the research of cardiac diseases, but computationally very expensive. Direct measurements are expensive and often not applicable outside laboratories. This paper offers a new approach to assess physical activity using thermodynamical systems and its leading quantity of entropy production which is a compromise between computation time and precise prediction of pressure, volume, and flow variables in blood vessels. Based on a simplified (one-dimensional) model of the cardiovascular system of the human body, we develop and evaluate a setup calculating entropy production of the heart to determine the intensity of human physical activity in a more precise way than previous parameters, e.g. frequently used energy considerations. The knowledge resulting from the precise real-time physical activity provides the basis for an intelligent human-technology interaction allowing to steadily adjust the degree of physical activity according to the actual individual performance level and thus to improve training and activity recommendations.

Screening vaccine formulations for biological activity using fresh human whole blood.

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Brookes, Roger H; Hakimi, Jalil; Ha, Yukyung; Aboutorabian, Sepideh; Ausar, Salvador F; Hasija, Manvi; Smith, Steven G; Todryk, Stephen M; Dockrell, Hazel M; Rahman, Nausheen

2014-01-01

Understanding the relevant biological activity of any pharmaceutical formulation destined for human use is crucial. For vaccine-based formulations, activity must reflect the expected immune response, while for non-vaccine therapeutic agents, such as monoclonal antibodies, a lack of immune response to the formulation is desired. During early formulation development, various biochemical and biophysical characteristics can be monitored in a high-throughput screening (HTS) format. However, it remains impractical and arguably unethical to screen samples in this way for immunological functionality in animal models. Furthermore, data for immunological functionality lag formulation design by months, making it cumbersome to relate back to formulations in real-time. It is also likely that animal testing may not accurately reflect the response in humans. For a more effective formulation screen, a human whole blood (hWB) approach can be used to assess immunological functionality. The functional activity relates directly to the human immune response to a complete formulation (adjuvant/antigen) and includes adjuvant response, antigen response, adjuvant-modulated antigen response, stability, and potentially safety. The following commentary discusses the hWB approach as a valuable new tool to de-risk manufacture, formulation design, and clinical progression.

Versican Proteolysis by ADAMTS Proteases and Its Influence on Sex Steroid Receptor Expression in Uterine Leiomyoma.

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Gueye, Ndeye-Aicha; Mead, Timothy J; Koch, Christopher D; Biscotti, Charles V; Falcone, Tommaso; Apte, Suneel S

2017-05-01

Leiomyomas have abundant extracellular matrix (ECM), with upregulation of versican, a large proteoglycan. We investigated ADAMTS (a disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motifs) protease-mediated versican cleavage in myometrium and leiomyoma and the effect of versican knockdown in leiomyoma cells. We used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RNA in situ hybridization for analysis of myometrium, leiomyoma and immortalized myometrium and leiomyoma cells. Short interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knockdown versican in leiomyoma cells. This study was performed in an academic laboratory. Study subjects were women with symptomatic or asymptomatic leiomyoma. We quantified messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for versican splice variants. We identified ADAMTS-cleaved versican in myometrium and leiomyoma and ADAMTS messenger RNAs and examined the effect of VCAN siRNA on smooth muscle differentiation and expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors. The women in the symptomatic group (n = 7) had larger leiomyoma (P = 0.01), heavy menstrual bleeding (P leiomyomas of symptomatic versus asymptomatic women (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively). Abundant cleaved versican was detected in leiomyoma and myometrium, as well as in myometrial and leiomyoma cell lines. ADAMTS4 (P = 0.03) and ADAMTS15 (P = 0.04) were upregulated in symptomatic leiomyomas. VCAN siRNA did not effect cell proliferation, apoptosis, or smooth muscle markers, but reduced ESR1 and PR-A expression (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Versican in myometrium, leiomyomas and in the corresponding immortalized cells is cleaved by ADAMTS proteases. VCAN siRNA suppresses production of estrogen receptor 1 and progesterone receptor-A. These findings have implications for leiomyoma growth. Copyright © 2017 by the Endocrine Society

Statistics and risk philosophy in human activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Failla, L.

1983-01-01

Two leading interpretations of the use of statistics exist, the first one considering statistics as a physical law regulating the phenomena studied, and the other considering statistics as a method allowing to achieve exhaustive knowledge of the phenomena. The Author chooses the second theory, applies this concept of statistics to the risk involved in human activities and discusses the different kinds of risk in this field. The Author distinguishes between the risk that can be eliminated or at least reduced, and the risk inherent in the activity itself, that can never be completely eliminated -unless the activity is suppressed-; yet, also this kind of risk can be kept under control. Furthermore, she distinguishes between risks that can or cannot be foreseen. The Author supports the theory according to which the risk foreseen must be prevented through up-to-date techniques: this should be done coherently with the aim of the activity but independently of the economic cost. The theory considering risk probability as a physical law is mainly based on events happened in the past: it uses the occurrence probability as a law. This theory accepts the statistical risk and estimates its costs, including the ''human cost''. The Author examines the different statistical possibilities to study this specific phenomenon: so, the possibility to avoid the risks may arise along with -last but not least- the opportunity to eliminate or reduce the damage connected. On the contrary, statistics used as a physical law implies the acceptable of a given amount of risk compared with the cost of improving the technical conditions required to eliminate damages. In the end, a practical example of this theory is described

Activation of human herpesvirus replication by apoptosis.

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Prasad, Alka; Remick, Jill; Zeichner, Steven L

2013-10-01

A central feature of herpesvirus biology is the ability of herpesviruses to remain latent within host cells. Classically, exposure to inducing agents, like activating cytokines or phorbol esters that stimulate host cell signal transduction events, and epigenetic agents (e.g., butyrate) was thought to end latency. We recently showed that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, or human herpesvirus-8 [HHV-8]) has another, alternative emergency escape replication pathway that is triggered when KSHV's host cell undergoes apoptosis, characterized by the lack of a requirement for the replication and transcription activator (RTA) protein, accelerated late gene kinetics, and production of virus with decreased infectivity. Caspase-3 is necessary and sufficient to initiate the alternative replication program. HSV-1 was also recently shown to initiate replication in response to host cell apoptosis. These observations suggested that an alternative apoptosis-triggered replication program might be a general feature of herpesvirus biology and that apoptosis-initiated herpesvirus replication may have clinical implications, particularly for herpesviruses that almost universally infect humans. To explore whether an alternative apoptosis-initiated replication program is a common feature of herpesvirus biology, we studied cell lines latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus/HHV-4, HHV-6A, HHV-6B, HHV-7, and KSHV. We found that apoptosis triggers replication for each HHV studied, with caspase-3 being necessary and sufficient for HHV replication. An alternative apoptosis-initiated replication program appears to be a common feature of HHV biology. We also found that commonly used cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents activate HHV replication, which suggests that treatments that promote apoptosis may lead to activation of latent herpesviruses, with potential clinical significance.

Transposable element activity, genome regulation and human health.

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Wang, Lu; Jordan, I King

2018-03-02

A convergence of novel genome analysis technologies is enabling population genomic studies of human transposable elements (TEs). Population surveys of human genome sequences have uncovered thousands of individual TE insertions that segregate as common genetic variants, i.e. TE polymorphisms. These recent TE insertions provide an important source of naturally occurring human genetic variation. Investigators are beginning to leverage population genomic data sets to execute genome-scale association studies for assessing the phenotypic impact of human TE polymorphisms. For example, the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analytical paradigm has recently been used to uncover hundreds of associations between human TE insertion variants and gene expression levels. These include population-specific gene regulatory effects as well as coordinated changes to gene regulatory networks. In addition, analyses of linkage disequilibrium patterns with previously characterized genome-wide association study (GWAS) trait variants have uncovered TE insertion polymorphisms that are likely causal variants for a variety of common complex diseases. Gene regulatory mechanisms that underlie specific disease phenotypes have been proposed for a number of these trait associated TE polymorphisms. These new population genomic approaches hold great promise for understanding how ongoing TE activity contributes to functionally relevant genetic variation within and between human populations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First forensic records of termite activity on non-fossilized human bones in Brazil

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R. A. Queiroz

Full Text Available Abstract The aim of this study was to describe the first records of termite activity on non-fossilized human bones in Brazil. The cases reported in this study resulted from forensic analysis of six human skeletons found in northeastern Brazil between 2012 and 2014. Traces of tunnels and nests commonly produced by termites were found on several human bone surfaces as well as the specimens and characteristic signs of osteophagic activity. In four cases, the species were identified: Amitermes amifer Silvestri, 1901, Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky, 1855 (on two skeletons, and Microcerotermes indistinctus Mathews, 1977. In two other cases, the activity of termites on bone surfaces was evidenced by remains of nests and tunnels produced by these insects. At least in the samples of human remains available for this report, the number of termites collected was greater on bones found during autumn, the rainy season in the Northeast of Brazil. The human bones examined showed termites like insects with lots of strength at bone degradation, capable of continuing the process of decomposition of human remains even in completely skeletonized bodies.

Activities of IAEA related to human interface in man-machine system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishiwaki, Yasushi

1988-01-01

The present paper outlines some activities of IAEA related to human interface in man-machine systems. It has been recognized for quite some time that in large and complex man-machine interactive systems human errors can contribute substantially to failures of these systems, and that the improvement in the human interface in man-machine systems is essential for the safety of the plant. Many important surveys have been made in some member countries. These studies and operational experience have shown that it is possible to substantially reduce this adverse impact of human errors in nuclear power plant operations by the application of human factors technology. This technology. This technology includes: (1) selection of people with the requisite skills and knowledge and providing them with job-relevant training, (2) maintenance of the necessary job qualifications for each person in the plant, (3) design of man-machine interfaces which are fully compatible with the capabilities and limitations of the people in the system, and (4) design of job operations, including written materials, to facilitate required quality of human performance. A review is made of education/training, operator support systems, human error data collection, analysis of safety significant events and future activities. (Nogami, K.)

Study of the water content and relaxation properties of the uterine junctional zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, S.; Scott, G.; Majumdar, S.; Thompson, S.; Shapiro, B.; Lange, R.; Gore, J.

1988-01-01

Nine hysterectomy specimens were imaged at 1.5T (General Electric Sigma), 5-mm single section, repetition time msec/echo time msec = 2,000/ 20, 40, 60, 80; and 500/20. With the use of tissue thickness measured from the images, weighed samples of myometrium, junctional zone, and endometrium were excised for determination of T1 and T2 in a 20-MHz spectrometer and then dried for determination of water content. The remainder of the uterus, examined with special histopathologic stains, demonstrated no significant difference in the number of blood vessels, smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, elastin, iron, collagen, mucin, polysaccharide, or amyloid. The junctional zone water content (79.28%) was significantly lower than those of endometrium (82.88%; P = .004) and myometrium (8.05%; P = .0046). The T1 of the junctional zone (643) was significantly lower than those of endometrium (836, P = .004) and myometrium (709; P = .0114). Junctional zone T2 (58) was significantly lower than those of endometrium (87; P = .0114) and myometrium (66.7; P = .006)

A Review on Human Activity Recognition Using Vision-Based Method.

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Zhang, Shugang; Wei, Zhiqiang; Nie, Jie; Huang, Lei; Wang, Shuang; Li, Zhen

2017-01-01

Human activity recognition (HAR) aims to recognize activities from a series of observations on the actions of subjects and the environmental conditions. The vision-based HAR research is the basis of many applications including video surveillance, health care, and human-computer interaction (HCI). This review highlights the advances of state-of-the-art activity recognition approaches, especially for the activity representation and classification methods. For the representation methods, we sort out a chronological research trajectory from global representations to local representations, and recent depth-based representations. For the classification methods, we conform to the categorization of template-based methods, discriminative models, and generative models and review several prevalent methods. Next, representative and available datasets are introduced. Aiming to provide an overview of those methods and a convenient way of comparing them, we classify existing literatures with a detailed taxonomy including representation and classification methods, as well as the datasets they used. Finally, we investigate the directions for future research.

Convolutional Neural Networks for Human Activity Recognition Using Body-Worn Sensors

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Fernando Moya Rueda

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Human activity recognition (HAR is a classification task for recognizing human movements. Methods of HAR are of great interest as they have become tools for measuring occurrences and durations of human actions, which are the basis of smart assistive technologies and manual processes analysis. Recently, deep neural networks have been deployed for HAR in the context of activities of daily living using multichannel time-series. These time-series are acquired from body-worn devices, which are composed of different types of sensors. The deep architectures process these measurements for finding basic and complex features in human corporal movements, and for classifying them into a set of human actions. As the devices are worn at different parts of the human body, we propose a novel deep neural network for HAR. This network handles sequence measurements from different body-worn devices separately. An evaluation of the architecture is performed on three datasets, the Oportunity, Pamap2, and an industrial dataset, outperforming the state-of-the-art. In addition, different network configurations will also be evaluated. We find that applying convolutions per sensor channel and per body-worn device improves the capabilities of convolutional neural network (CNNs.

Physical Human Activity Recognition Using Wearable Sensors

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Ferhat Attal

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a review of different classification techniques used to recognize human activities from wearable inertial sensor data. Three inertial sensor units were used in this study and were worn by healthy subjects at key points of upper/lower body limbs (chest, right thigh and left ankle. Three main steps describe the activity recognition process: sensors’ placement, data pre-processing and data classification. Four supervised classification techniques namely, k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN, Support Vector Machines (SVM, Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM, and Random Forest (RF as well as three unsupervised classification techniques namely, k-Means, Gaussian mixture models (GMM and Hidden Markov Model (HMM, are compared in terms of correct classification rate, F-measure, recall, precision, and specificity. Raw data and extracted features are used separately as inputs of each classifier. The feature selection is performed using a wrapper approach based on the RF algorithm. Based on our experiments, the results obtained show that the k-NN classifier provides the best performance compared to other supervised classification algorithms, whereas the HMM classifier is the one that gives the best results among unsupervised classification algorithms. This comparison highlights which approach gives better performance in both supervised and unsupervised contexts. It should be noted that the obtained results are limited to the context of this study, which concerns the classification of the main daily living human activities using three wearable accelerometers placed at the chest, right shank and left ankle of the subject.

Physical Human Activity Recognition Using Wearable Sensors.

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Attal, Ferhat; Mohammed, Samer; Dedabrishvili, Mariam; Chamroukhi, Faicel; Oukhellou, Latifa; Amirat, Yacine

2015-12-11

This paper presents a review of different classification techniques used to recognize human activities from wearable inertial sensor data. Three inertial sensor units were used in this study and were worn by healthy subjects at key points of upper/lower body limbs (chest, right thigh and left ankle). Three main steps describe the activity recognition process: sensors' placement, data pre-processing and data classification. Four supervised classification techniques namely, k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM), and Random Forest (RF) as well as three unsupervised classification techniques namely, k-Means, Gaussian mixture models (GMM) and Hidden Markov Model (HMM), are compared in terms of correct classification rate, F-measure, recall, precision, and specificity. Raw data and extracted features are used separately as inputs of each classifier. The feature selection is performed using a wrapper approach based on the RF algorithm. Based on our experiments, the results obtained show that the k-NN classifier provides the best performance compared to other supervised classification algorithms, whereas the HMM classifier is the one that gives the best results among unsupervised classification algorithms. This comparison highlights which approach gives better performance in both supervised and unsupervised contexts. It should be noted that the obtained results are limited to the context of this study, which concerns the classification of the main daily living human activities using three wearable accelerometers placed at the chest, right shank and left ankle of the subject.

Training Classifiers with Shadow Features for Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition.

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Fong, Simon; Song, Wei; Cho, Kyungeun; Wong, Raymond; Wong, Kelvin K L

2017-02-27

In this paper, a novel training/testing process for building/using a classification model based on human activity recognition (HAR) is proposed. Traditionally, HAR has been accomplished by a classifier that learns the activities of a person by training with skeletal data obtained from a motion sensor, such as Microsoft Kinect. These skeletal data are the spatial coordinates (x, y, z) of different parts of the human body. The numeric information forms time series, temporal records of movement sequences that can be used for training a classifier. In addition to the spatial features that describe current positions in the skeletal data, new features called 'shadow features' are used to improve the supervised learning efficacy of the classifier. Shadow features are inferred from the dynamics of body movements, and thereby modelling the underlying momentum of the performed activities. They provide extra dimensions of information for characterising activities in the classification process, and thereby significantly improve the classification accuracy. Two cases of HAR are tested using a classification model trained with shadow features: one is by using wearable sensor and the other is by a Kinect-based remote sensor. Our experiments can demonstrate the advantages of the new method, which will have an impact on human activity detection research.

High Accuracy Human Activity Recognition Based on Sparse Locality Preserving Projections.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xiangbin; Qiu, Huiling

2016-01-01

Human activity recognition(HAR) from the temporal streams of sensory data has been applied to many fields, such as healthcare services, intelligent environments and cyber security. However, the classification accuracy of most existed methods is not enough in some applications, especially for healthcare services. In order to improving accuracy, it is necessary to develop a novel method which will take full account of the intrinsic sequential characteristics for time-series sensory data. Moreover, each human activity may has correlated feature relationship at different levels. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a three-stage continuous hidden Markov model (TSCHMM) approach to recognize human activities. The proposed method contains coarse, fine and accurate classification. The feature reduction is an important step in classification processing. In this paper, sparse locality preserving projections (SpLPP) is exploited to determine the optimal feature subsets for accurate classification of the stationary-activity data. It can extract more discriminative activities features from the sensor data compared with locality preserving projections. Furthermore, all of the gyro-based features are used for accurate classification of the moving data. Compared with other methods, our method uses significantly less number of features, and the over-all accuracy has been obviously improved.

Training Classifiers with Shadow Features for Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Fong

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel training/testing process for building/using a classification model based on human activity recognition (HAR is proposed. Traditionally, HAR has been accomplished by a classifier that learns the activities of a person by training with skeletal data obtained from a motion sensor, such as Microsoft Kinect. These skeletal data are the spatial coordinates (x, y, z of different parts of the human body. The numeric information forms time series, temporal records of movement sequences that can be used for training a classifier. In addition to the spatial features that describe current positions in the skeletal data, new features called ‘shadow features’ are used to improve the supervised learning efficacy of the classifier. Shadow features are inferred from the dynamics of body movements, and thereby modelling the underlying momentum of the performed activities. They provide extra dimensions of information for characterising activities in the classification process, and thereby significantly improve the classification accuracy. Two cases of HAR are tested using a classification model trained with shadow features: one is by using wearable sensor and the other is by a Kinect-based remote sensor. Our experiments can demonstrate the advantages of the new method, which will have an impact on human activity detection research.

High Accuracy Human Activity Recognition Based on Sparse Locality Preserving Projections.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangbin Zhu

Full Text Available Human activity recognition(HAR from the temporal streams of sensory data has been applied to many fields, such as healthcare services, intelligent environments and cyber security. However, the classification accuracy of most existed methods is not enough in some applications, especially for healthcare services. In order to improving accuracy, it is necessary to develop a novel method which will take full account of the intrinsic sequential characteristics for time-series sensory data. Moreover, each human activity may has correlated feature relationship at different levels. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a three-stage continuous hidden Markov model (TSCHMM approach to recognize human activities. The proposed method contains coarse, fine and accurate classification. The feature reduction is an important step in classification processing. In this paper, sparse locality preserving projections (SpLPP is exploited to determine the optimal feature subsets for accurate classification of the stationary-activity data. It can extract more discriminative activities features from the sensor data compared with locality preserving projections. Furthermore, all of the gyro-based features are used for accurate classification of the moving data. Compared with other methods, our method uses significantly less number of features, and the over-all accuracy has been obviously improved.

Application of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for occupational therapy research.

Science.gov (United States)

Giesbrecht, Ed

2013-08-01

Theoretical models provide a framework for describing practice and integrating evidence into systematic research. There are few models that relate specifically to the provision of assistive technology in occupational therapy practice. The Human Activity Assistive Technology model is an enduring example that has continued to develop by integrating a social model of disability, concepts from occupational therapy theory and principles of assistive technology adoption and abandonment. This study first describes the core concepts of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model and reviews its development over three successive published versions. A review of the research literature reflects application of the model to clinical practice, study design, outcome measure selection and interpretation of results, particularly among occupational therapists. An evaluative framework is used to critique the adequacy of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for practice and research, exploring attributes of clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility and importance. Finally, recommendations are proposed for continued development of the model and research applications. Most of the existing research literature employs the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for background and study design; there is emerging evidence to support the core concepts as predictive factors. Although the concepts are generally simple, clear and applicable to occupational therapy practice and research, evolving terminology and outcomes become more complex with the conflation of integrated theories. The development of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model offers enhanced access and application for occupational therapists, but poses challenges to clarity among concepts. Suggestions are made for further development and applications of the model. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Neutrophil activation during acetaminophen hepatotoxicity and repair in mice and humans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, C. David; Bajt, Mary Lynn [Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS (United States); Sharpe, Matthew R. [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, KS (United States); McGill, Mitchell R. [Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS (United States); Farhood, Anwar [Department of Pathology, St. David' s North Austin Medical Center, Austin, TX 78756 (United States); Jaeschke, Hartmut, E-mail: hjaeschke@kumc.edu [Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS (United States)

2014-03-01

Following acetaminophen (APAP) overdose there is an inflammatory response triggered by the release of cellular contents from necrotic hepatocytes into the systemic circulation which initiates the recruitment of neutrophils into the liver. It has been demonstrated that neutrophils do not contribute to APAP-induced liver injury, but their role and the role of NADPH oxidase in injury resolution are controversial. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to APAP overdose and neutrophil activation status was determined during liver injury and liver regeneration. Additionally, human APAP overdose patients (ALT: > 800 U/L) had serial blood draws during the injury and recovery phases for the determination of neutrophil activation. Neutrophils in the peripheral blood of mice showed an increasing activation status (CD11b expression and ROS priming) during and after the peak of injury but returned to baseline levels prior to complete injury resolution. Hepatic sequestered neutrophils showed an increased and sustained CD11b expression, but no ROS priming was observed. Confirming that NADPH oxidase is not critical to injury resolution, gp91{sup phox}−/− mice following APAP overdose displayed no alteration in injury resolution. Peripheral blood from APAP overdose patients also showed increased neutrophil activation status after the peak of liver injury and remained elevated until discharge from the hospital. In mice and humans, markers of activation, like ROS priming, were increased and sustained well after active liver injury had subsided. The similar findings between surviving patients and mice indicate that neutrophil activation may be a critical event for host defense or injury resolution following APAP overdose, but not a contributing factor to APAP-induced injury. - Highlights: • Neutrophil (PMN) function increases during liver repair after acetaminophen overdose. • Liver repair after acetaminophen (APAP)-overdose is not dependent on NADPH oxidase. • Human PMNs do not appear

Acute activation, desensitization and smoldering activation of human acetylcholine receptors.

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Barbara G Campling

Full Text Available The behavioral effects of nicotine and other nicotinic agonists are mediated by AChRs in the brain. The relative contribution of acute activation versus chronic desensitization of AChRs is unknown. Sustained "smoldering activation" occurs over a range of agonist concentrations at which activated and desensitized AChRs are present in equilibrium. We used a fluorescent dye sensitive to changes in membrane potential to examine the effects of acute activation and chronic desensitization by nicotinic AChR agonists on cell lines expressing human α4β2, α3β4 and α7 AChRs. We examined the effects of acute and prolonged application of nicotine and the partial agonists varenicline, cytisine and sazetidine-A on these AChRs. The range of concentrations over which nicotine causes smoldering activation of α4β2 AChRs was centered at 0.13 µM, a level found in smokers. However, nicotine produced smoldering activation of α3β4 and α7 AChRs at concentrations well above levels found in smokers. The α4β2 expressing cell line contains a mixture of two stoichiometries, namely (α4β22β2 and (α4β22α4. The (α4β22β2 stoichiometry is more sensitive to activation by nicotine. Sazetidine-A activates and desensitizes only this stoichiometry. Varenicline, cytisine and sazetidine-A were partial agonists on this mixture of α4β2 AChRs, but full agonists on α3β4 and α7 AChRs. It has been reported that cytisine and varenicline are most efficacious on the (α4β22α4 stoichiometry. In this study, we distinguish the dual effects of activation and desensitization of AChRs by these nicotinic agonists and define the range of concentrations over which smoldering activation can be sustained.

The impact of human activities in the Wulan Delta Estuary, Indonesia

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Fadlillah, L. N.; Sunarto; Widyastuti, M.; Marfai, M. A.

2018-04-01

The increasing of human population in the watershed and the coastal area and the need of life exert pressure in the delta that provides various resources. Wulan Delta is one of active Delta in Central Java, Indonesia. It has been experienced multiple pressures because of natural factors and human factors. In order to provide the scientific solution and to analyze the impact of human intervention in delta, we collected several pieces of evidence based on secondary data and primary data. The secondary data is water quality data on sites 6 and 7, meanwhile the secondary data is the water quality data in site 1 to 5. This paper present a review and problems identification in Wulan Delta, based on hydrological condition, land use, and human activities in the delta. Meanwhile, the human intervention in the land which is land use exchange leads to several problems such as the land use changes, high sediment load, and water degradation. Almost 80% of Delta has been transformed into the fish pond by local communities.

Mapping Cumulative Impacts of Human Activities on Marine Ecosystems

OpenAIRE

, Seaplan

2018-01-01

Given the diversity of human uses and natural resources that converge in coastal waters, the potential independent and cumulative impacts of those uses on marine ecosystems are important to consider during ocean planning. This study was designed to support the development and implementation of the 2009 Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan. Its goal was to estimate and visualize the cumulative impacts of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems in the state and federal waters off of Ma...

Alternative pathways of thromboplastin-dependent activation of human factor X in plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marlar, R.A.; Griffin, J.H.

1981-01-01

To determine the interrelationships of the major coagulation pathways, the activation of 3H-labeled factor X in normal and various deficient human plasmas was evaluated when clotting was triggered by dilute rabbit or human thromboplastin. Various dilutions of thromboplastin and calcium were added to plasma samples containing 3H-factor X, and the time course of factor X activation was determined. At a 1/250 dilution of rabbit brain thromboplastin, the rate of factor X activation in plasmas deficient in factor VIII or factor IX was 10% of the activation rate of normal plasma or of factor XI deficient plasma. Reconstitution of the deficient plasmas with factors VIII or IX, respectively, reconstituted normal factor X activation. Similar results were obtained when various dilutions of human thromboplastin replaced the rabbit thromboplastin. From these plasma experiments, it is inferred that the dilute thromboplastin-dependent activation of factor X requires factors VII, IX, and VIII. An alternative extrinsic pathway that involves factors IX and VIII may be the physiologic extrinsic pathway and hence help to explain the consistent clinical observations of bleeding diatheses in patients deficient in factors IX or VIII

Timing of nurses activities: human resources management

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Hamid Hosein Poor

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Costs of human resources include a high percentage of hospital’s costs; therefore, determination of number of real and optimal employees needed for organizations is very important. In the meantime, the optimal organization of nurses, as the biggest human resource in health care organizations, is of great importance. The present study aimed to assess the distribution of nurses’ activities in shifts and the results of productivity in human resources management in Imam Khomeini hospital in Shirvan. The present cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. All nurses, working in three shifts of morning, afternoon, and evening in emergency unit and general units of Imam Khomeini hospital, Shirvan, were enrolled into the study through census methods. The instrument, used in this study, was the checklist of timing activities and patients’ satisfaction from nurses. The statistical software SPSS was used for analysis. Mean age of employees in these two units/wards was 31 years and mean duration of work experience was 5.24 years, The difference was significant between the two wards. necessity of the work, especially in emergency unit, are issues that need more assessment and need to be adjusted. Given the high volume of non-care matters of nursing staff, including writing services, including completing paper records and work with HIS (Hospital Information System, which has been emphasized in several studies, new definition of service and use of artificial intelligence with high efficacy is proposed. The status of the available equipment, availability, and efficiency of digital equipment and hoteling state of wards and hospitals also play an important factor in the distribution of time of nursing care activities. Employment of nurses to perform non-nursing duties, because of the shortage of other classes or lack of their permanent presence and based on Although there were differences in standard time of direct and indirect care in emergency unit and

A Low Power, Parallel Wearable Multi-Sensor System for Human Activity Evaluation.

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Li, Yuecheng; Jia, Wenyan; Yu, Tianjian; Luan, Bo; Mao, Zhi-Hong; Zhang, Hong; Sun, Mingui

2015-04-01

In this paper, the design of a low power heterogeneous wearable multi-sensor system, built with Zynq System-on-Chip (SoC), for human activity evaluation is presented. The powerful data processing capability and flexibility of this SoC represent significant improvements over our previous ARM based system designs. The new system captures and compresses multiple color images and sensor data simultaneously. Several strategies are adopted to minimize power consumption. Our wearable system provides a new tool for the evaluation of human activity, including diet, physical activity and lifestyle.

Human activities threaten coral reefs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tveitdal, Svein; Bjoerke, Aake

2002-01-01

Research indicates that 58 per cent of the coral reefs of the world are threatened by human activities. Pollution and global heating represent some of the threats. Coral reefs just beneath the surface of the sea are very sensitive to temperature changes. Since 1979, mass death of coral reefs has been reported increasingly often. More than 1000 marine species live in the coral reefs, among these are one fourth of all marine species of fish. It is imperative that the coral reefs be preserved, as coastal communities all over the world depend on them as sources of food and as they are the raw materials for important medicines. The article discusses the threats to the coral reefs in general and does not single out any particular energy-related activity as the principal threat. For instance, the El-Nino phenomenon of the Pacific Ocean is probably involved in mass death of coral reefs and in the North Sea large parts of deep-water reefs have been crushed by heavy beam trawlers fishing for bottom fish

Gemfibrozil, a lipid lowering drug, inhibits the activation of primary human microglia via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β.

Science.gov (United States)

Jana, Malabendu; Pahan, Kalipada

2012-08-01

Microglial activation participates in the pathogenesis of various neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. However, mechanisms by which microglial activation could be controlled are poorly understood. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) are transcription factors belonging to the nuclear receptor super family with diverse effect. This study underlines the importance of PPARβ/δ in mediating the anti-inflammatory effect of gemfibrozil, an FDA-approved lipid-lowering drug, in primary human microglia. Bacterial lipopolysachharides (LPS) induced the expression of various proinflammatory molecules and upregulated the expression of microglial surface marker CD11b in human microglia. However, gemfibrozil markedly suppressed proinflammatory molecules and CD11b in LPS-stimulated microglia. Human microglia expressed PPAR-β and -γ, but not PPAR-α. Interestingly, either antisense knockdown of PPAR-β or antagonism of PPAR-β by a specific chemical antagonist abrogated gemfibrozil-mediated inhibition of microglial activation. On the other hand, blocking of PPAR-α and -γ had no effect on gemfibrozil-mediated anti-inflammatory effect in microglia. These results highlight the fact that gemfibrozil regulates microglial activation by inhibiting inflammatory gene expression in a PPAR-β dependent pathway and further reinforce its therapeutic application in several neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

Active Site Mapping of Human Cathepsin F with Dipeptide Nitrile Inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitz, Janina; Furtmann, Norbert; Ponert, Moritz; Frizler, Maxim; Löser, Reik; Bartz, Ulrike; Bajorath, Jürgen; Gütschow, Michael

2015-08-01

Cleavage of the invariant chain is the key event in the trafficking pathway of major histocompatibility complex class II. Cathepsin S is the major processing enzyme of the invariant chain, but cathepsin F acts in macrophages as its functional synergist which is as potent as cathepsin S in invariant chain cleavage. Dedicated low-molecular-weight inhibitors for cathepsin F have not yet been developed. An active site mapping with 52 dipeptide nitriles, reacting as covalent-reversible inhibitors, was performed to draw structure-activity relationships for the non-primed binding region of human cathepsin F. In a stepwise process, new compounds with optimized fragment combinations were designed and synthesized. These dipeptide nitriles were evaluated on human cysteine cathepsins F, B, L, K and S. Compounds 10 (N-(4-phenylbenzoyl)-leucylglycine nitrile) and 12 (N-(4-phenylbenzoyl)leucylmethionine nitrile) were found to be potent inhibitors of human cathepsin F, with Ki values nitriles from our study, a 3D activity landscape was generated to visualize structure-activity relationships for this series of cathepsin F inhibitors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Human hair identification by instrumental neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, S.Y.; Jang, S.G.; Chung, Y.S.

1998-01-01

Nondestructive neutron activation technique was used to analyze 17 elements (Al, As, Au, Ba, Br, Cl, Cu, Hg, I, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Sb, Sr, V and Zn) in 75 human hair samples in 5 different locations, respectively, from 15 glassware workers. The analytical results were treated further statistically to find the elemental distribution among different human hairs and to identify the individual's hair. The identifying probability of one's hair by the comparison of elemental concentrations is found to be 10 4 -10 6 times higher from the same person's than from any other person's. The standard deviation of the elemental concentrations of samples taken from 5 different locations of one person is about 5 time smaller than the standard deviation for individual's hair. These data support the possibility of using NAA of hair for human hair identification. (author)

Linguistic Human Rights Discourse in Deaf Community Activism

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Joseph J.

2015-01-01

The past three decades of activism for linguistic human rights (Skutnabb-Kangas 2000) have witnessed examples of language planning by various national and supranational actors in national and international spaces, with an exchange of ideas and strategies employed by national, regional, and worldwide organizations. In many countries a key goal of…

Activation of human T lymphocytes by Leishmania lipophosphoglycan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kemp, M; Theander, T G; Handman, E

1991-01-01

This study describes Leishmania antigen-induced activation of lymphocytes isolated from Kenyan donors, previously treated for visceral leishmaniasis, and from Danish and Kenyan controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from cured Kala-Azar patients proliferated and produced Interferon......, the results suggest that human T lymphocytes can respond to glycolipid antigens....

Development and oversight of ethical health promotion quality assurance and evaluation activities involving human participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Sainsbury, Peter

2015-12-01

This paper considers the role of ethics and ethics review processes in the development of health promotion quality assurance and evaluation activities involving human participants. The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and associated documents provide the framework for the ethical conduct and independent review of research (including quality assurance and evaluation) involving humans in Australia. Identifying the level of risk to which participants may be exposed by participation in quality assurance and evaluation activities is essential for health promotion workers undertaking such activities. Organisations can establish processes other than review by a Human Research Ethics Committee for negligible and low risk research activities. Health promotion quality assurance and evaluation activities often involve negligible and low risk to participants. Seven triggers that indicate the need for ethics review of quality assurance and evaluation activities and a procedural checklist for developing ethical quality assurance and evaluation activities are provided. Health promotion workers should be familiar with the NHMRC's National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. When ethical considerations underpin the planning and conduct of all quality assurance and evaluation from the very beginning, the activity is the better for it, independent 'ethics approval' can mostly be secured without much trouble and workers' frustration levels are reduced. So what? Health promotion quality assurance and evaluation activities must be ethically justified. Health promotion workers should be familiar with the NHMRC's National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and should use it when developing health promotion quality assurance and evaluation activities.

Effects of Age, Season, Gender and Urban-Rural Status on Time-Activity: Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey 2 (CHAPS 2)

OpenAIRE

Matz, Carlyn J.; Stieb, David M.; Davis, Karelyn; Egyed, Marika; Rose, Andreas; Chou, Benedito; Brion, Orly

2014-01-01

Estimation of population exposure is a main component of human health risk assessment for environmental contaminants. Population-level exposure assessments require time-activity pattern distributions in relation to microenvironments where people spend their time. Societal trends may have influenced time-activity patterns since previous Canadian data were collected 15 years ago. The Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey 2 (CHAPS 2) was a national survey conducted in 2010–2011 to collect time-...

Statins Activate Human PPAR Promoter and Increase PPAR mRNA Expression and Activation in HepG2 Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Makoto Seo

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Statins increase peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR mRNA expression, but the mechanism of this increased PPAR production remains elusive. To examine the regulation of PPAR production, we examined the effect of 7 statins (atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin on human PPAR promoter activity, mRNA expression, nuclear protein levels, and transcriptional activity. The main results are as follows. (1 Majority of statins enhanced PPAR promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells transfected with the human PPAR promoter. This enhancement may be mediated by statin-induced HNF-4. (2 PPAR mRNA expression was increased by statin treatment. (3 The PPAR levels in nuclear fractions were increased by statin treatment. (4 Simvastatin, pravastatin, and cerivastatin markedly enhanced transcriptional activity in 293T cells cotransfected with acyl-coenzyme A oxidase promoter and PPAR/RXR expression vectors. In summary, these data demonstrate that PPAR production and activation are upregulated through the PPAR promoter activity by statin treatment.

Effects of Butyltins (BTs) on Mitogen-Activated-Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase (MAP3K) and Ras Activity in Human Natural Killer Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Celada, Lindsay J.; Whalen, Margaret M.

2013-01-01

Butyltins (BTs) contaminate the environment and are found in human blood. BTs, tributyltin (TBT) and dibutyltin (DBT), diminish the cytotoxic function and levels of key proteins of human natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are an initial immune defense against tumors, virally-infected cells and antibody-coated cells and thus critical to human health. The signaling pathways that regulate NK cell functions include mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Studies have shown that exposure to BTs leads to the activation of specific MAPKs and MAPK kinases (MAP2Ks) in human NK cells. MAP2K kinases (MAP3Ks) are upstream activators of MAP2Ks, which then activate MAPKs. The current study examined if BT-induced activation of MAP3Ks was responsible for MAP2K and thus, MAPK activation. This study examines the effects of TBT and DBT on the total levels of two MAP3Ks, c-Raf and ASK1, as well as activating and inhibitory phosphorylation sites on these MAP3Ks. In addition, the immediate upstream activator of c-Raf, Ras, was examined for BT-induced alterations. Our results show significant activation of the MAP3K, c-Raf, in human NK cells within 10 minutes of TBT exposure and the MAP3K, ASK1, after one hour exposures to TBT. In addition, our results suggest that both TBT and DBT are impacting the regulation of c-Raf. PMID:24038145

Knockdown of MAGEA6 Activates AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) Signaling to Inhibit Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Xueting; Xie, Jing; Huang, Hang; Deng, Zhexian

2018-01-01

Melanoma antigen A6 (MAGEA6) is a cancer-specific ubiquitin ligase of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The current study tested MAGEA6 expression and potential function in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MAGEA6 and AMPK expression in human RCC tissues and RCC cells were tested by Western blotting assay and qRT-PCR assay. shRNA method was applied to knockdown MAGEA6 in human RCC cells. Cell survival and proliferation were tested by MTT assay and BrdU ELISA assay, respectively. Cell apoptosis was tested by the TUNEL assay and single strand DNA ELISA assay. The 786-O xenograft in nude mouse model was established to test RCC cell growth in vivo. MAGEA6 is specifically expressed in RCC tissues as well as in the established (786-O and A498) and primary human RCC cells. MAGEA6 expression is correlated with AMPKα1 downregulation in RCC tissues and cells. It is not detected in normal renal tissues nor in the HK-2 renal epithelial cells. MAGEA6 knockdown by targeted-shRNA induced AMPK stabilization and activation, which led to mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in-activation and RCC cell death/apoptosis. AMPK inhibition, by AMPKα1 shRNA or the dominant negative AMPKα1 (T172A), almost reversed MAGEA6 knockdown-induced RCC cell apoptosis. Conversely, expression of the constitutive-active AMPKα1 (T172D) mimicked the actions by MAGEA6 shRNA. In vivo, MAGEA6 shRNA-bearing 786-O tumors grew significantly slower in nude mice than the control tumors. AMPKα1 stabilization and activation as well as mTORC1 in-activation were detected in MAGEA6 shRNA tumor tissues. MAGEA6 knockdown inhibits human RCC cells via activating AMPK signaling. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Characterization of STAT3 activation and expression in canine and human osteosarcoma

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Li Pui-Kai

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Dysregulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3 has been implicated as a key participant in tumor cell survival, proliferation, and metastasis and is often correlated with a more malignant tumor phenotype. STAT3 phosphorylation has been demonstrated in a subset of human osteosarcoma (OSA tissues and cell lines. OSA in the canine population is known to exhibit a similar clinical behavior and molecular biology when compared to its human counterpart, and is often used as a model for preclinical testing of novel therapeutics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential role of STAT3 in canine and human OSA, and to evaluate the biologic activity of a novel small molecule STAT3 inhibitor. Methods To examine STAT3 and Src expression in OSA, we performed Western blotting and RT-PCR. OSA cells were treated with either STAT3 siRNA or small molecule Src (SU6656 or STAT3 (LLL3 inhibitors and cell proliferation (CyQUANT, caspase 3/7 activity (ELISA, apoptosis (Western blotting for PARP cleavage and/or viability (Wst-1 were determined. Additionally, STAT3 DNA binding after treatment was determined using EMSA. Expression of STAT3 targets after treatment was demonstrated with Western blotting, RT-PCR, or gel zymography. Results Our data demonstrate that constitutive activation of STAT3 is present in a subset of canine OSA tumors and human and canine cell lines, but not normal canine osteoblasts. In both canine and human OSA cell lines, downregulation of STAT3 activity through inhibition of upstream Src family kinases using SU6656, inhibition of STAT3 DNA binding and transcriptional activities using LLL3, or modulation of STAT3 expression using siRNA, all resulted in decreased cell proliferation and viability, ultimately inducing caspase-3/7 mediated apoptosis in treated cells. Furthermore, inhibition of either Src or STAT3 activity downregulated the expression of survivin, VEGF, and MMP2, all known

Characterization of STAT3 activation and expression in canine and human osteosarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fossey, Stacey L; Liao, Albert T; McCleese, Jennifer K; Bear, Misty D; Lin, Jiayuh; Li, Pui-Kai; Kisseberth, William C; London, Cheryl A

2009-01-01

Dysregulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been implicated as a key participant in tumor cell survival, proliferation, and metastasis and is often correlated with a more malignant tumor phenotype. STAT3 phosphorylation has been demonstrated in a subset of human osteosarcoma (OSA) tissues and cell lines. OSA in the canine population is known to exhibit a similar clinical behavior and molecular biology when compared to its human counterpart, and is often used as a model for preclinical testing of novel therapeutics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential role of STAT3 in canine and human OSA, and to evaluate the biologic activity of a novel small molecule STAT3 inhibitor. To examine STAT3 and Src expression in OSA, we performed Western blotting and RT-PCR. OSA cells were treated with either STAT3 siRNA or small molecule Src (SU6656) or STAT3 (LLL3) inhibitors and cell proliferation (CyQUANT), caspase 3/7 activity (ELISA), apoptosis (Western blotting for PARP cleavage) and/or viability (Wst-1) were determined. Additionally, STAT3 DNA binding after treatment was determined using EMSA. Expression of STAT3 targets after treatment was demonstrated with Western blotting, RT-PCR, or gel zymography. Our data demonstrate that constitutive activation of STAT3 is present in a subset of canine OSA tumors and human and canine cell lines, but not normal canine osteoblasts. In both canine and human OSA cell lines, downregulation of STAT3 activity through inhibition of upstream Src family kinases using SU6656, inhibition of STAT3 DNA binding and transcriptional activities using LLL3, or modulation of STAT3 expression using siRNA, all resulted in decreased cell proliferation and viability, ultimately inducing caspase-3/7 mediated apoptosis in treated cells. Furthermore, inhibition of either Src or STAT3 activity downregulated the expression of survivin, VEGF, and MMP2, all known transcriptional targets of STAT3. These data

Sympathetic activation during early pregnancy in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvis, Sara S; Shibata, Shigeki; Bivens, Tiffany B; Okada, Yoshiyuki; Casey, Brian M; Levine, Benjamin D; Fu, Qi

2012-01-01

Sympathetic activity has been reported to increase in normotensive pregnant women, and to be even greater in women with gestational hypertension and preeclampsia at term. Whether sympathetic overactivity develops early during pregnancy, remaining high throughout gestation, or whether it only occurs at term providing the substrate for hypertensive disorders is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that sympathetic activation occurs early during pregnancy in humans. Eleven healthy women (29 ± 3 (SD) years) without prior hypertensive pregnancies were tested during the mid-luteal phase (PRE) and early pregnancy (EARLY; 6.2 ± 1.2 weeks of gestation). Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and haemodynamics were measured supine, at 30 deg and 60 deg upright tilt for 5 min each. Blood samples were drawn for catecholamines, direct renin, and aldosterone. MSNA was significantly greater during EARLY than PRE (supine: 25 ± 8 vs. 14 ± 8 bursts min−1, 60 deg tilt: 49 ± 14 vs. 40 ± 10 bursts min−1; main effect, P < 0.05). Resting diastolic pressure trended lower (P = 0.09), heart rate was similar, total peripheral resistance decreased (2172 ± 364 vs. 2543 ± 352 dyne s cm−5; P < 0.05), sympathetic vascular transduction was blunted (0.10 ± 0.05 vs. 0.36 ± 0.47 units a.u.−1 min−1; P < 0.01), and both renin (supine: 27.9 ± 6.2 vs. 14.2 ± 8.7 pg ml−1, P < 0.01) and aldosterone (supine: 16.7 ± 14.1 vs. 7.7 ± 6.8 ng ml−1, P = 0.05) were higher during EARLY than PRE. These results suggest that sympathetic activation is a common characteristic of early pregnancy in humans despite reduced diastolic pressure and total peripheral resistance. These observations challenge conventional thinking about blood pressure regulation during pregnancy, showing marked sympathetic activation occurring within the first few weeks of conception, and may provide the substrate for pregnancy induced cardiovascular complications. PMID:22687610

Human Error Probability Assessment During Maintenance Activities of Marine Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabiul Islam

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Maintenance operations on-board ships are highly demanding. Maintenance operations are intensive activities requiring high man–machine interactions in challenging and evolving conditions. The evolving conditions are weather conditions, workplace temperature, ship motion, noise and vibration, and workload and stress. For example, extreme weather condition affects seafarers' performance, increasing the chances of error, and, consequently, can cause injuries or fatalities to personnel. An effective human error probability model is required to better manage maintenance on-board ships. The developed model would assist in developing and maintaining effective risk management protocols. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop a human error probability model considering various internal and external factors affecting seafarers' performance. Methods: The human error probability model is developed using probability theory applied to Bayesian network. The model is tested using the data received through the developed questionnaire survey of >200 experienced seafarers with >5 years of experience. The model developed in this study is used to find out the reliability of human performance on particular maintenance activities. Results: The developed methodology is tested on the maintenance of marine engine's cooling water pump for engine department and anchor windlass for deck department. In the considered case studies, human error probabilities are estimated in various scenarios and the results are compared between the scenarios and the different seafarer categories. The results of the case studies for both departments are also compared. Conclusion: The developed model is effective in assessing human error probabilities. These probabilities would get dynamically updated as and when new information is available on changes in either internal (i.e., training, experience, and fatigue or external (i.e., environmental and operational conditions

Effect of ligand activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) in human lung cancer cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Pengfei; Borland, Michael G.; Zhu Bokai; Sharma, Arun K.; Amin, Shantu; El-Bayoumy, Karam; Gonzalez, Frank J.; Peters, Jeffrey M.

2008-01-01

There is compelling evidence that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ (PPARβ/δ) mediates terminal differentiation and is associated with inhibition of cell growth. However, it was recently suggested that growth of two human lung cancer cell lines is enhanced by PPARβ/δ. The goal of the present study was to provide insight in resolving this controversy. Therefore, the effect of ligand activation of PPARβ/δ in A549 and H1838 human lung cancer cell lines was examined using two high affinity PPARβ/δ ligands. Ligand activation of PPARβ/δ caused up-regulation of a known PPARβ/δ target gene, angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4) but did not influence expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) or phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt), and did not affect cell growth. Results from this study demonstrate that two human lung cancer cell lines respond to ligand activation of PPARβ/δ by modulation of target gene expression (Angptl4), but fail to exhibit significant modulation of cell proliferation

Human Research Program Science Management: Overview of Research and Development Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, John B.

2007-01-01

An overview of research and development activities of NASA's Human Research Science Management Program is presented. The topics include: 1) Human Research Program Goals; 2) Elements and Projects within HRP; 3) Development and Maintenance of Priorities; 4) Acquisition and Evaluation of Research and Technology Proposals; and 5) Annual Reviews

Human innate responses and adjuvant activity of TLR ligands in vivo in mice reconstituted with a human immune system.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Liang; Zhang, Zheng; Li, Guangming; Li, Feng; Wang, Li; Zhang, Liguo; Zurawski, Sandra M; Zurawski, Gerard; Levy, Yves; Su, Lishan

2017-10-27

TLR ligands (TLR-Ls) represent a class of novel vaccine adjuvants. However, their immunologic effects in humans remain poorly defined in vivo. Using a humanized mouse model with a functional human immune system, we investigated how different TLR-Ls stimulated human innate immune response in vivo and their applications as vaccine adjuvants for enhancing human cellular immune response. We found that splenocytes from humanized mice showed identical responses to various TLR-Ls as human PBMCs in vitro. To our surprise, various TLR-Ls stimulated human cytokines and chemokines differently in vivo compared to that in vitro. For example, CpG-A was most efficient to induce IFN-α production in vitro. In contrast, CpG-B, R848 and Poly I:C stimulated much more IFN-α than CpG-A in vivo. Importantly, the human innate immune response to specific TLR-Ls in humanized mice was different from that reported in C57BL/6 mice, but similar to that reported in nonhuman primates. Furthermore, we found that different TLR-Ls distinctively activated and mobilized human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), myeloid DCs (mDCs) and monocytes in different organs. Finally, we showed that, as adjuvants, CpG-B, R848 and Poly I:C can all enhance antigen specific CD4 + T cell response, while only R848 and Poly I:C induced CD8 + cytotoxic T cells response to a CD40-targeting HIV vaccine in humanized mice, correlated with their ability to activate human mDCs but not pDCs. We conclude that humanized mice serve as a highly relevant model to evaluate and rank the human immunologic effects of novel adjuvants in vivo prior to testing in humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AS THE GUARANTOR OF LEGAL PROTECTION OF A HUMAN IN THE FIELD OF AVIATION ACTIVITIES OF UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuriy Pyvovar

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The effectiveness of human rights protection in the Council of Europe largely depends on activities of the European Court, which demonstrates high standards of justice, particularly in matters of human rights protection in the field of aviation activities. The article offers a critical assessment of Ukrainian national legislation in terms of its internal legal consistency and compliance with international legal acts. Methods: The methods of legal analysis are used to study court decisions in the aviation field; methods of comparative legal analysis, forecasting and dialectical - in the study of problems in the further improvement of Ukrainian legislation. Also in article applied the theory of legal comparative, approaches to applying the analogy of legal and law in process of making decisions on similar court cases. Results: The article deals with the analysis of the European Court of Human Rights jurisdiction on cases of protection of human rights in the field of aviation activities. Two groups of cases in which Ukraine is a defendant are identified: a cases of international concern (in particular the Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777-200ER crash; b cases of national character (citizens of Ukraine against the State of Ukraine. The author's position on deciding the cases in the field of aviation activities is based on the principles of respect for the European Convention on Human Rights, 1950. Discussion: The conclusion about the necessity of amending some national laws, taking into account the legal positions of the European Court (in particular, regarding the right of airlines workers to strike is made, and the fact that the issues of States and airlines activities to respect human and civil rights in the field of aviation activities are covered by jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights and occupy an important place in its practice is indicated.

Endothelin receptors and activity differ in human, dog, and rabbit lung.

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, K O; Armour, C L; Black, J L

1996-01-01

In this study, we have examined dog and rabbit airways as potential models for human airways in regard to the activity of endothelin. The receptors involved in the response to endothelin-1 (ET-1) in airway tissue from human, rabbit, and dog lung were investigated, as was the mechanism responsible for the contraction to ET-1 in tissue from the three species. By using specific endothelin receptor agonists and antagonists, we have demonstrated that ETB receptors predominate in rabbit and human airways and ETA receptors in dog airways. The contraction to ET-1 is not dependent on cyclooxygenase products of arachidonic acid, as indomethacin had no effect on the response to ET-1. Extracellular calcium influx via voltage-dependent channels is necessary for contraction to ET-1 in rabbit and dog airways. These results are in contrast to our previously reported results in human airways, in which neither removal of extracellular calcium nor verapamil affected the ET-1 response. The sustained phase of the contraction to ET-1 in all three species may be mediated in part by activation of protein kinase C (PKC), as the inhibitor staurosporine significantly altered the time course of the response to endothelin. We therefore conclude that in rabbit airways ET-1 activates ETB receptors, triggers the influx of extracellular calcium through voltage-dependent channels, and induces a contractile response that is, in part, dependent upon stimulation of PKC. The same mechanism is triggered in dog bronchus; however, the receptors involved in this species are of the ETA type. Finally, in human airways, the contractile response to ET-1, while independent of extracellular calcium influx, is dependent upon PKC activation after binding of the peptide to ETB receptors.

Neuronal medium that supports basic synaptic functions and activity of human neurons in vitro

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bardy, C.; Hurk, M. van den; Eames, T.; Marchand, C.; Hernandez, R.V.; Kellogg, M.; Gorris, M.A.J.; Galet, B.; Palomares, V.; Brown, J.; Bang, A.G.; Mertens, J.; Bohnke, L.; Boyer, L.; Simon, S.; Gage, F.H.

2015-01-01

Human cell reprogramming technologies offer access to live human neurons from patients and provide a new alternative for modeling neurological disorders in vitro. Neural electrical activity is the essence of nervous system function in vivo. Therefore, we examined neuronal activity in media widely

IgE-dependent activation of human mast cells and fMLP-mediated activation of human eosinophils is controlled by the circadian clock.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, Anja; Feilhauer, Katharina; Bischoff, Stephan C; Froy, Oren; Lorentz, Axel

2015-03-01

Symptoms of allergic attacks frequently exhibit diurnal variations. Accordingly, we could recently demonstrate that mast cells and eosinophils - known as major effector cells of allergic diseases - showed an intact circadian clock. Here, we analyzed the role of the circadian clock in the functionality of mast cells and eosinophils. Human intestinal mast cells (hiMC) were isolated from intestinal mucosa; human eosinophils were isolated from peripheral blood. HiMC and eosinophils were synchronized by dexamethasone before stimulation every 4h around the circadian cycle by FcɛRI crosslinking or fMLP, respectively. Signaling molecule activation was examined using Western blot, mRNA expression by real-time RT-PCR, and mediator release by multiplex analysis. CXCL8 and CCL2 were expressed and released in a circadian manner by both hiMC and eosinophils in response to activation. Moreover, phosphorylation of ERK1/2, known to be involved in activation of hiMC and eosinophils, showed circadian rhythms in both cell types. Interestingly, all clock genes hPer1, hPer2, hCry1, hBmal1, and hClock were expressed in a similar circadian pattern in activated and unstimulated cells indicating that the local clock controls hiMC and eosinophils and subsequently allergic reactions but not vice versa. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunocapture and microplate-based activity and quantity measurement of pyruvate dehydrogenase in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaowen; Pervez, Hira; Andersen, Lars W; Uber, Amy; Montissol, Sophia; Patel, Parth; Donnino, Michael W

2015-01-01

Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity is altered in many human disorders. Current methods require tissue samples and yield inconsistent results. We describe a modified method for measuring PDH activity from isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). RESULTS/METHODOLOGY: We found that PDH activity and quantity can be successfully measured in human PBMCs. Freeze-thaw cycles cannot efficiently disrupt the mitochondrial membrane. Processing time of up to 20 h does not affect PDH activity with proteinase inhibitor addition and a detergent concentration of 3.3% showed maximum yield. Sample protein concentration is correlated to PDH activity and quantity in human PBMCs from healthy subjects. Measuring PDH activity from PBMCs is a novel, easy and less invasive way to further understand the role of PDH in human disease.

Regulation of the human SLC25A20 expression by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in human hepatoblastoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tachibana, Keisuke; Takeuchi, Kentaro; Inada, Hirohiko; Yamasaki, Daisuke; Ishimoto, Kenji; Tanaka, Toshiya; Hamakubo, Takao; Sakai, Juro; Kodama, Tatsuhiko; Doi, Takefumi

2009-01-01

Solute carrier family 25, member 20 (SLC25A20) is a key molecule that transfers acylcarnitine esters in exchange for free carnitine across the mitochondrial membrane in the mitochondrial β-oxidation. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in the regulation of β-oxidation. We previously established tetracycline-regulated human cell line that can be induced to express PPARα and found that PPARα induces the SLC25A20 expression. In this study, we analyzed the promoter region of the human slc25a20 gene and showed that PPARα regulates the expression of human SLC25A20 via the peroxisome proliferator responsive element.

Structure of human milk bile salt activated lipase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, T.; Downs, D.; Jackson, K.W.; Tang, J.; Wang, Chi-Sun

1991-01-01

The structure and some functional sites of human milk bile salt activated lipase (BAL) were studied by cDNA cloning and chemical analysis of the enzyme. Eighteen cDNA clones of human BAL were identified from lactating human breast cDNA libraries in λgt11 and λgt10 with antibody and synthetic oligonucleotides as probes. The sequence of four clones was sufficient to construct a 3018-bp BAL cDNA structure. This sequence codes for an open reading frame of 742 amino acid residues. There is a putative signal sequence of 20 residues which is followed by the amino-terminal sequence of BAL, and the mature BAL contains 722 amino acid residues. The cDNA sequence also contains a 678-base 5'-untranslated sequence, a 97-base 3'-untranslated region, and a 14-base poly(A) tail. The sequence of a 1.8-kbp insert of clone G10-4A differs from that of the other cDNA in that it contains a deletion of 198 bases (1966-2163) corresponding to 66 amino acid residues. By use of BAL cDAN as probe, it was found that the major molecular species of BAL mRNA in human mammary gland HBL-100 cells had a size of 2.9 kb and two minor species had sizes of 3.8 and 5.1 kb by Northern blot analyses. These chemical studies established that the active site of human milk BAL is located at serine-194, the N-glycosylation site is present at asparagine-187, the O-glycosylation region is in the 16 repeating units near the C-terminus, and the heparin binding domain is in the N-terminal region. The authors have also determined the location of disulfide bridges as Cys64-Cys80 and Cys246-Cys257. The cyanogen bromide cleavage and the partial sequencing of CNBr peptides also confirmed the location of methionines in the polypeptide chain as well as the deduced cDNA sequence of BAL

Human activity recognition based on feature selection in smart home using back-propagation algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Hongqing; He, Lei; Si, Hao; Liu, Peng; Xie, Xiaolei

2014-09-01

In this paper, Back-propagation(BP) algorithm has been used to train the feed forward neural network for human activity recognition in smart home environments, and inter-class distance method for feature selection of observed motion sensor events is discussed and tested. And then, the human activity recognition performances of neural network using BP algorithm have been evaluated and compared with other probabilistic algorithms: Naïve Bayes(NB) classifier and Hidden Markov Model(HMM). The results show that different feature datasets yield different activity recognition accuracy. The selection of unsuitable feature datasets increases the computational complexity and degrades the activity recognition accuracy. Furthermore, neural network using BP algorithm has relatively better human activity recognition performances than NB classifier and HMM. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enabling Collaborative Human-Machine (H-M) Decision Making in Time-critical Activities

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Self-adjusting autonomous systems (SAS) are spreading from well-defined control activities, such as manufacturing, to complex activities with multi-faceted human...

Modification of the gasless fetoscopy technique for the treatment of large myelomeningocele: a study in sheep

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denise Araujo Lapa Pedreira

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To change the gasless fetoscopy technique in order to reduce the diameter of entry orifices in the myometrium. Methods: Seven pregnant ewes were submitted to fetoscopy for repairing a large skin defect measuring 4.0 x 3.0 cm, created in the fetal lumbar region at the gestational age of 100 days. The defect was repaired through continuous suture of the skin with approximation of borders. Gasless fetoscopy was used for performing the suture with three orifices to allow entry of the trocar into the myometrium. A 5.0-mm optical trocar, and 3.5-mm grasping, dissecting and suturing forceps were used. After surgery, pregnancy was maintained until the animals were euthanized on the 133rd day of gestation, and the fetuses were evaluated. Results: Seven pregnant ewes underwent surgery; the first two cases were characterized as the Pilot Group, in which the endoscopic technique was modified and caliber reduction was possible in two out of three entry orifices in the myometrium. In the five remaining cases (Study Group, the repair was successfully carried out in all the fetuses, and the mean duration of fetoscopy was 98 minutes. There was a case of maternal death attributed to intrauterine infection. Mean intrauterine permanence after surgery was 12 days. Conclusions: The technique was successfully modified, allowing reduction of the uterine orifices necessary to perform the repair of a skin defect in the fetal lumbar region through a new fetoscopy technique. The impact of this modification in repair of myelomeningocele in human fetuses should be studied.

Sitting is the new smoking : online complex human activity recognition with smartphones and wearables

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shoaib, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Human activity recognition plays an important role in fitness tracking, health monitoring, context-aware feedback and self-management of smartphones and wearable devices. These devices are equipped with different sensors which can be used to recognize various human activities. A significant amount of

Active site of tripeptidyl peptidase II from human erythrocytes is of the subtilisin type

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomkinson, B.; Wernstedt, C.; Hellman, U.; Zetterqvist, Oe.

1987-11-01

The present report presents evidence that the amino acid sequence around the serine of the active site of human tripeptidyl peptidase II is of the subtilisin type. The enzyme from human erythrocytes was covalently labeled at its active site with (/sup 3/H)diisopropyl fluorophosphate, and the protein was subsequently reduced, alkylated, and digested with trypsin. The labeled tryptic peptides were purified by gel filtration and repeated reversed-phase HPLC, and their amino-terminal sequences were determined. Residue 9 contained the radioactive label and was, therefore, considered to be the active serine residue. The primary structure of the part of the active site (residues 1-10) containing this residue was concluded to be Xaa-Thr-Gln-Leu-Met-Asx-Gly-Thr-Ser-Met. This amino acid sequence is homologous to the sequence surrounding the active serine of the microbial peptidases subtilisin and thermitase. These data demonstrate that human tripeptidyl peptidase II represents a potentially distinct class of human peptidases and raise the question of an evolutionary relationship between the active site of a mammalian peptidase and that of the subtilisin family of serine peptidases.

Neuronal medium that supports basic synaptic functions and activity of human neurons in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Bardy, Cedric; van den Hurk, Mark; Eames, Tameji; Marchand, Cynthia; Hernandez, Ruben V; Kellogg, Mariko; Gorris, Mark; Galet, Ben; Palomares, Vanessa; Brown, Joshua; Bang, Anne G; Mertens, Jerome; Böhnke, Lena; Boyer, Leah; Simon, Suzanne; Gage, Fred H

2015-05-19

Human cell reprogramming technologies offer access to live human neurons from patients and provide a new alternative for modeling neurological disorders in vitro. Neural electrical activity is the essence of nervous system function in vivo. Therefore, we examined neuronal activity in media widely used to culture neurons. We found that classic basal media, as well as serum, impair action potential generation and synaptic communication. To overcome this problem, we designed a new neuronal medium (BrainPhys basal + serum-free supplements) in which we adjusted the concentrations of inorganic salts, neuroactive amino acids, and energetic substrates. We then tested that this medium adequately supports neuronal activity and survival of human neurons in culture. Long-term exposure to this physiological medium also improved the proportion of neurons that were synaptically active. The medium was designed to culture human neurons but also proved adequate for rodent neurons. The improvement in BrainPhys basal medium to support neurophysiological activity is an important step toward reducing the gap between brain physiological conditions in vivo and neuronal models in vitro.

A novel framework for intelligent surveillance system based on abnormal human activity detection in academic environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Nawashi, Malek; Al-Hazaimeh, Obaida M; Saraee, Mohamad

2017-01-01

Abnormal activity detection plays a crucial role in surveillance applications, and a surveillance system that can perform robustly in an academic environment has become an urgent need. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for an automatic real-time video-based surveillance system which can simultaneously perform the tracking, semantic scene learning, and abnormality detection in an academic environment. To develop our system, we have divided the work into three phases: preprocessing phase, abnormal human activity detection phase, and content-based image retrieval phase. For motion object detection, we used the temporal-differencing algorithm and then located the motions region using the Gaussian function. Furthermore, the shape model based on OMEGA equation was used as a filter for the detected objects (i.e., human and non-human). For object activities analysis, we evaluated and analyzed the human activities of the detected objects. We classified the human activities into two groups: normal activities and abnormal activities based on the support vector machine. The machine then provides an automatic warning in case of abnormal human activities. It also embeds a method to retrieve the detected object from the database for object recognition and identification using content-based image retrieval. Finally, a software-based simulation using MATLAB was performed and the results of the conducted experiments showed an excellent surveillance system that can simultaneously perform the tracking, semantic scene learning, and abnormality detection in an academic environment with no human intervention.

Legal regime of human activities in outer space law

Science.gov (United States)

Golda, Carlo

1994-01-01

Current developments in space activities increasingly involve the presence of humans on board spacecraft and, in the near future, on the Moon, on Mars, on board Space Stations, etc. With respect to these challenges, the political and legal issues connected to the status of astronauts are largely unclear and require a new doctrinal attention. In the same way, many legal and political questions remain open in the structure of future space crews: the need for international standards in the definition and training of astronauts, etc.; but, first of all, an international uniform legal definition of astronauts. Moreover, the legal structure for human life and operations in outer space can be a new and relevant paradigm for the definition of similar rules in all the situations and environments in which humans are involved in extreme frontiers. The present article starts from an overview on the existing legal and political definitions of 'astronauts', moving to the search of a more useful definition. This is followed by an analysis of the concrete problems created by human space activities, and the legal and political responses to them (the need for a code of conduct; the structure of the crew and the existing rules in the US and ex-USSR; the new legal theories on the argument; the definition and structure of a code of conduct; the next legal problems in fields such as privacy law, communications law, business law, criminal law, etc.).

Bitter taste receptors as targets for tocolytics in preterm labor therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Kaizhi; Lu, Ping; Delpapa, Ellen; Bellve, Karl; Deng, Ruitang; Condon, Jennifer C; Fogarty, Kevin; Lifshitz, Lawrence M; Simas, Tiffany A Moore; Shi, Fangxiong; ZhuGe, Ronghua

2017-09-01

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, with few prevention and treatment options. Uterine contraction is a central feature of PTB, so gaining new insights into the mechanisms of this contraction and consequently identifying novel targets for tocolytics are essential for more successful management of PTB. Here we report that myometrial cells from human and mouse express bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) and their canonical signaling components ( i.e., G-protein gustducin and phospholipase C β2). Bitter tastants can completely relax myometrium precontracted by different uterotonics. In isolated single mouse myometrial cells, a phenotypical bitter tastant (chloroquine, ChQ) reverses the rise in intracellular Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ) and cell shortening induced by uterotonics, and this reversal effect is inhibited by pertussis toxin and by genetic deletion of α-gustducin. In human myometrial cells, knockdown of TAS2R14 but not TAS2R10 inhibits ChQ's reversal effect on an oxytocin-induced rise in [Ca 2+ ] i Finally, ChQ prevents mouse PTBs induced by bacterial endotoxin LPS or progesterone receptor antagonist mifepristone more often than current commonly used tocolytics, and this prevention is largely lost in α-gustducin-knockout mice. Collectively, our results reveal that activation of the canonical TAS2R signaling system in myometrial cells produces profound relaxation of myometrium precontracted by a broad spectrum of contractile agonists, and that targeting TAS2Rs is an attractive approach to developing effective tocolytics for PTB management.-Zheng, K., Lu, P., Delpapa, E., Bellve, K., Deng, R., Condon, J. C., Fogarty, K., Lifshitz, L. M., Simas, T. A. M., Shi, F., ZhuGe, R. Bitter taste receptors as targets for tocolytics in preterm labor therapy. © FASEB.

Characterization of a plasminogen activator from human melanoma cells cultured in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heussen, C.

1982-08-01

This thesis describes the work that have been done on the isolation and characterization of a plasminogen activator, Mel-PA, that is released by human melanoma cells cultured in vitro. This enzyme was compared to the urinary plasminogen activator, urokinase. The human melanoma cell line released large amounts of Mel-PA into the surrounding medium when cultured under serum-free conditions. These cells released only one type of plasminogen activator. A technique was developed in which plasminogen activators were seperated electrophoretically and detected in polyacrylamide gel slabs. Mel-PA was concentrated and partially purified by affinity chromatography on benzamidine-sepharose. A study of the distribution of plasminogen activators in tissues and body fluids showed that all mammals examined had two immunochemically distinct plasminogen activators that corresponded, in their distribution, to the urokinase-like and Mel-PA like enzymes of man. A comparitive study of the kinetic behaviour of Mel-PA and urokinase showed numerous differences between the catalytic activities of these two enzymes

Impacts of human activity modes and climate on heavy metal "spread" in groundwater are biased.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming; Qin, Xiaosheng; Zeng, Guangming; Li, Jian

2016-06-01

Groundwater quality deterioration has attracted world-wide concerns due to its importance for human water supply. Although more and more studies have shown that human activities and climate are changing the groundwater status, an investigation on how different groundwater heavy metals respond to human activity modes (e.g. mining, waste disposal, agriculture, sewage effluent and complex activity) in a varying climate has been lacking. Here, for each of six heavy metals (i.e. Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd and Cu) in groundwater, we use >330 data points together with mixed-effect models to indicate that (i) human activity modes significantly influence the Cu and Mn but not Zn, Fe, Pb and Cd levels, and (ii) annual mean temperature (AMT) only significantly influences Cu and Pb levels, while annual precipitation (AP) only significantly affects Fe, Cu and Mn levels. Given these differences, we suggest that the impacts of human activity modes and climate on heavy metal "spread" in groundwater are biased. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced bag of words using multilevel k-means for human activity recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Motasem Elshourbagy

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to enhance the bag of features in order to improve the accuracy of human activity recognition. In this paper, human activity recognition process consists of four stages: local space time features detection, feature description, bag of features representation, and SVMs classification. The k-means step in the bag of features is enhanced by applying three levels of clustering: clustering per video, clustering per action class, and clustering for the final code book. The experimental results show that the proposed method of enhancement reduces the time and memory requirements, and enables the use of all training data in the k-means clustering algorithm. The evaluation of accuracy of action classification on two popular datasets (KTH and Weizmann has been performed. In addition, the proposed method improves the human activity recognition accuracy by 5.57% on the KTH dataset using the same detector, descriptor, and classifier.

EVALUATION OF HUMAN RELIABILITY IN SELECTED ACTIVITIES IN THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erika SUJOVÁ

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on evaluation of human reliability in the human – machine system in the railway industry. Based on a survey of a train dispatcher and of selected activities, we have identified risk factors affecting the dispatcher‘s work and the evaluated risk level of their influence on the reliability and safety of preformed activities. The research took place at the authors‘ work place between 2012-2013. A survey method was used. With its help, authors were able to identify selected work activities of train dispatcher’s risk factors that affect his/her work and the evaluated seriousness of its in-fluence on the reliability and safety of performed activities. Amongst the most important finding fall expressions of un-clear and complicated internal regulations and work processes, a feeling of being overworked, fear for one’s safety at small, insufficiently protected stations.

The influence of periodic increases of human activity on crepuscular and nocturnal mammals: Testing the weekend effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Nix, Joshua H; Howell, Ryan G; Hall, Lucas K; McMillan, Brock R

2018-01-01

Human recreation can negatively affect wildlife, particularly on weekends when human activity is highest (i.e., the weekend effect). Much of what we understand about the weekend effect is based on research conducted on diurnal species, which have greater temporal overlap with humans. Because nocturnal species generally avoid times when humans are active, they are likely less affected by anthropogenic activity on weekends. Our objective was to test the weekend effect in relation to the degree of nocturnality of mammals in a recreational area. We predicted that as nocturnality increased, the effect of human activity would decrease. To address our objective, we placed 50 remote cameras along the Diamond Fork River in Utah from January to June 2015. We found that three out of the four focal species supported our predictions. Mule deer (crepuscular) reduced activity throughout our entire study area during weekends and avoided campgrounds. Beavers and mountain lions (both nocturnal) did not negatively respond to increased human activity. Raccoons (nocturnal) reduced activity during weekends, but only within campground areas. Our findings indicate that as the temporal overlap increases between wildlife and humans, so does the influence that humans have on wildlife. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activity of upper limb muscles during human walking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhtz-Buschbeck, Johann P; Jing, Bo

2012-04-01

The EMG activity of upper limb muscles during human gait has rarely been studied previously. It was examined in 20 normal volunteers in four conditions: walking on a treadmill (1) with unrestrained natural arm swing (Normal), (2) while volitionally holding the arms still (Held), (3) with the arms immobilized (Bound), and (4) with the arms swinging in phase with the ipsilateral legs, i.e. opposite-to-normal phasing (Anti-Normal). Normal arm swing involved weak rhythmical lengthening and shortening contractions of arm and shoulder muscles. Phasic muscle activity was needed to keep the unrestricted arms still during walking (Held), indicating a passive component of arm swing. An active component, possibly programmed centrally, existed as well, because some EMG signals persisted when the arms were immobilized during walking (Bound). Anti-Normal gait involved stronger EMG activity than Normal walking and was uneconomical. The present results indicate that normal arm swing has both passive and active components. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relating Eye Activity Measures to Human Controller Remnant Characteristics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Popovici, A; Zaal, P.M.T.; Pool, D.M.; Mulder, M.; Sawaragi, T

2016-01-01

This study attempts to partially explain the characteristics of the human perceptual remnant, following Levison’s representation of the remnant as an equivalent observation noise. Eye activity parameters are recorded using an eye tracker in two compensatory tracking tasks in which the visual

Immunocapture and microplate-based activity and quantity measurement of pyruvate dehydrogenase in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaowen; Pervez, Hira; Andersen, Lars W; Uber, Amy; Montissol, Sophia; Patel, Parth; Donnino, Michael W

2015-01-01

Background Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity is altered in many human disorders. Current methods require tissue samples and yield inconsistent results. We describe a modified method for measuring PDH activity from isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Results/Methodology We found that PDH activity and quantity can be successfully measured in human PBMCs. Freeze-thaw cycles cannot efficiently disrupt the mitochondrial membrane. Processing time of up to 20 h does not affect PDH activity with proteinase inhibitor addition and a detergent concentration of 3.3% showed maximum yield. Sample protein concentration is correlated to PDH activity and quantity in human PBMCs from healthy subjects. Conclusion Measuring PDH activity from PBMCs is a novel, easy and less invasive way to further understand the role of PDH in human disease. PMID:25826140

Current status and issues of nuclear human resource development/General activities of Japan nuclear human resource development network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murakami, Hiroyuki; Hino, Sadami; Tsuru, Hisanori

2013-01-01

The Japan Nuclear Human Resource Development Network (JN-HRD Net) was established in November 2010 with the aim of developing a framework for mutual cooperation and information sharing among nuclear-related organizations. Although the tasks and goals of developing human resources in the nuclear field have been shifted since the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the necessity of fostering capable personnel in this field stays unchanged and the importance of our network activities has further emphasized. The meeting of JN-HRD Net was held on the 5th of February 2013, where its activities by each field were reported and views and opinions were actively exchanged between more than 90 participants. This paper briefly describes current status and issues of JN-HRD Net and its general activities conducted by the JN-HRD Net secretariat. (J.P.N.)

Human Protein C produces anticoagulation and increased fibrinolytic activity in the cat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burdick, M.D.; Schaub, R.G.

1986-01-01

The effect of activated human Protein C (PCa) infusion on the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems of the Nembutal anesthetized cat was assessed. Human Protein C was activated by incubation with thrombin or by passage over a column of thrombin immobilized on CNBr Sepharose 4B. Cats were given bolus i.v. injections of either vehicle or PCa in a dose range of 3-16 μg/mL of calculated whole body volume. Citrated blood samples (9:1) were taken from a femoral vein prior to and at 5, 10, 20, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min. after PCa. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT) euglobulin clot lysis (ECLT) and I-125 fibrin release (FR) was measured. Vehicle treated cats had no change in any parameter. PCa produced a dose and time dependent prolongation of APTT while TT was unchanged. Anticoagulation was evident immediately after PCa infusion and began to normalize within 20 min. Fibrinolytic activity measured by ECLT and FR was also stimulated by PCa but was not evident until 40-60 minutes after PCa injection. The results show that human PCa induces anticoagulation effects in the cat similar to other species. However, stimulation of fibrinolysis requires a longer period of time before expression. This delay of fibrinolytic stimulation should be considered when assessing the effects of human Protein C in other species

Characterizing human activity induced impulse and slip-pulse excitations through structural vibration

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Shijia; Mirshekari, Mostafa; Fagert, Jonathon; Ramirez, Ceferino Gabriel; Chung, Albert Jin; Hu, Chih Chi; Shen, John Paul; Zhang, Pei; Noh, Hae Young

2018-02-01

Many human activities induce excitations on ambient structures with various objects, causing the structures to vibrate. Accurate vibration excitation source detection and characterization enable human activity information inference, hence allowing human activity monitoring for various smart building applications. By utilizing structural vibrations, we can achieve sparse and non-intrusive sensing, unlike pressure- and vision-based methods. Many approaches have been presented on vibration-based source characterization, and they often either focus on one excitation type or have limited performance due to the dispersion and attenuation effects of the structures. In this paper, we present our method to characterize two main types of excitations induced by human activities (impulse and slip-pulse) on multiple structures. By understanding the physical properties of waves and their propagation, the system can achieve accurate excitation tracking on different structures without large-scale labeled training data. Specifically, our algorithm takes properties of surface waves generated by impulse and of body waves generated by slip-pulse into account to handle the dispersion and attenuation effects when different types of excitations happen on various structures. We then evaluate the algorithm through multiple scenarios. Our method achieves up to a six times improvement in impulse localization accuracy and a three times improvement in slip-pulse trajectory length estimation compared to existing methods that do not take wave properties into account.

An implicit spatiotemporal shape model for human activity localization and recognition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oikonomopoulos, A.; Patras, I.; Pantic, Maja

2009-01-01

In this paper we address the problem of localisation and recognition of human activities in unsegmented image sequences. The main contribution of the proposed method is the use of an implicit representation of the spatiotemporal shape of the activity which relies on the spatiotemporal localization

Down-regulation of telomerase activity in DLD-1 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells by tocotrienol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eitsuka, Takahiro; Nakagawa, Kiyotaka; Miyazawa, Teruo

2006-01-01

As high telomerase activity is detected in most cancer cells, inhibition of telomerase by drug or dietary food components is a new strategy for cancer prevention. Here, we investigated the inhibitory effect of vitamin E, with particular emphasis on tocotrienol (unsaturated vitamin E), on human telomerase in cell-culture study. As results, tocotrienol inhibited telomerase activity of DLD-1 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells in time- and dose-dependent manner, interestingly, with δ-tocotrienol exhibiting the highest inhibitory activity. Tocotrienol inhibited protein kinase C activity, resulting in down-regulation of c-myc and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression, thereby reducing telomerase activity. In contrast to tocotrienol, tocopherol showed very weak telomerase inhibition. These results provide novel evidence for First time indicating that tocotrienol acts as a potent candidate regulator of telomerase and supporting the anti-proliferative function of tocotrienol

The Evolution of Lineage-Specific Regulatory Activities in the Human Embryonic Limb

OpenAIRE

Cotney, Justin; Leng, Jing; Yin, Jun; Reilly, Steven K.; DeMare, Laura E.; Emera, Deena; Ayoub, Albert E.; Rakic, Pasko; Noonan, James P.

2013-01-01

The evolution of human anatomical features likely involved changes in gene regulation during development. However, the nature and extent of human-specific developmental regulatory functions remain unknown. We obtained a genome-wide view of cis-regulatory evolution in human embryonic tissues by comparing the histone modification H3K27ac, which provides a quantitative readout of promoter and enhancer activity, during human, rhesus, and mouse limb development. Based on increased H3K27ac, we find...

Use of human tissue to assess the oncogenic activity of melanoma-associated mutations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chudnovsky, Yakov; Adams, Amy E; Robbins, Paul B; Lin, Qun; Khavari, Paul A

2005-07-01

Multiple genetic alterations occur in melanoma, a lethal skin malignancy of increasing incidence. These include mutations that activate Ras and two of its effector cascades, Raf and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). Induction of Ras and Raf can be caused by active N-Ras and B-Raf mutants as well as by gene amplification. Activation of PI3K pathway components occurs by PTEN loss and by AKT3 amplification. Melanomas also commonly show impairment of the p16(INK4A)-CDK4-Rb and ARF-HDM2-p53 tumor suppressor pathways. CDKN2A mutations can produce p16(INK4A) and ARF protein loss. Rb bypass can also occur through activating CDK4 mutations as well as by CDK4 amplification. In addition to ARF deletion, p53 pathway disruption can result from dominant negative TP53 mutations. TERT amplification also occurs in melanoma. The extent to which these mutations can induce human melanocytic neoplasia is unknown. Here we characterize pathways sufficient to generate human melanocytic neoplasia and show that genetically altered human tissue facilitates functional analysis of mutations observed in human tumors.

An Alternative to the Human Hemoglobin Test in the Investigation of Bloodstains Treated with Active Oxygen: The Human Glycophorin A Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Castelló

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In criminal investigations, there are three stages involved when studying bloodstains: search and orientation, confirmation, and individualization. Confirmatory tests have two aims: to show that the stain contains a human biological fluid and to confirm the type of biological fluid. The need to determine the nature of the evidence is reflected in the latest bibliography, where the possibility of employing mRNA and miRNA markers for this purpose is proposed. While these new proposals are being investigated, the kits for determining human hemoglobin currently provide a simple solution for resolving this issue. With these kits, the possibility of obtaining false positives and false negatives is well known. However, recently, a new problem has been detected. This involves the interference caused by new cleaning products that contain sodium percarbonate (or active oxygen when determining human hemoglobin. With the aim to resolve this problem, this work studied the ability of the human glycophorin A test to determine human blood in samples that have been treated with active oxygen. Our results show that the human glycophorin A test has a greater resistance to the destructive effect of the new detergents containing active oxygen; consequently, it provides an alternative to be taken into consideration in the confirmatory diagnoses of bloodstains.

Protein S binding to human endothelial cells is required for expression of cofactor activity for activated protein C

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hackeng, T. M.; Hessing, M.; van 't Veer, C.; Meijer-Huizinga, F.; Meijers, J. C.; de Groot, P. G.; van Mourik, J. A.; Bouma, B. N.

1993-01-01

An important feedback mechanism in blood coagulation is supplied by the protein C/protein S anticoagulant pathway. In this study we demonstrate that the binding of human protein S to cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) is required for the expression of cofactor activity of

Regulation of the human SLC25A20 expression by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in human hepatoblastoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tachibana, Keisuke, E-mail: nya@phs.osaka-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Takeuchi, Kentaro; Inada, Hirohiko [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Yamasaki, Daisuke [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Ishimoto, Kenji [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Tanaka, Toshiya; Hamakubo, Takao; Sakai, Juro; Kodama, Tatsuhiko [Laboratory for System Biology and Medicine, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8904 (Japan); Doi, Takefumi [Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

2009-11-20

Solute carrier family 25, member 20 (SLC25A20) is a key molecule that transfers acylcarnitine esters in exchange for free carnitine across the mitochondrial membrane in the mitochondrial {beta}-oxidation. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR{alpha}) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in the regulation of {beta}-oxidation. We previously established tetracycline-regulated human cell line that can be induced to express PPAR{alpha} and found that PPAR{alpha} induces the SLC25A20 expression. In this study, we analyzed the promoter region of the human slc25a20 gene and showed that PPAR{alpha} regulates the expression of human SLC25A20 via the peroxisome proliferator responsive element.

Human dignity and the future of the voluntary active euthanasia debate in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordaan, Donrich W

2017-04-25

The issue of voluntary active euthanasia was thrust into the public policy arena by the Stransham-Ford lawsuit. The High Court legalised voluntary active euthanasia - however, ostensibly only in the specific case of Mr Stransham-Ford. The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the High Court judgment on technical grounds, not on the merits. This means that in future the courts can be approached again to consider the legalisation of voluntary active euthanasia. As such, Stransham-Ford presents a learning opportunity for both sides of the legalisation divide. In particular, conceptual errors pertaining to human dignity were made in Stransham-Ford, and can be avoided in future. In this article, I identify these errors and propose the following three corrective principles to inform future debate on the subject: (i) human dignity is violable; (ii) human suffering violates human dignity; and (iii) the 'natural' causes of suffering due to terminal illness do not exclude the application of human dignity.

Human dignity and the future of the voluntary active euthanasia debate in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donrich W Jordaan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The issue of voluntary active euthanasia was thrust into the public policy arena by the Stransham-Ford lawsuit. The High Court legalised voluntary active euthanasia – however, ostensibly only in the specific case of Mr Stransham-Ford. The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the High Court judgment on technical grounds, not on the merits. This means that in future the courts can be approached again to consider the legalisation of voluntary active euthanasia. As such, Stransham-Ford presents a learning opportunity for both sides of the legalisation divide. In particular, conceptual errors pertaining to human dignity were made in Stransham-Ford, and can be avoided in future. In this article, I identify these errors and propose the following three corrective principles to inform future debate on the subject: (i human dignity is violable; (ii human suffering violates human dignity; and (iii the ‘natural’ causes of suffering due to terminal illness do not exclude the application of human dignity.

Contributions of climate change and human activities to runoff change in seven typical catchments across China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Ran; Tao, Fulu

2017-12-15

Climate change and human activities are two major factors affecting water resource change. It is important to understand the roles of the major factors in affecting runoff change in different basins for watershed management. Here, we investigated the trends in climate and runoff in seven typical catchments in seven basins across China from 1961 to 2014. Then we attributed the runoff change to climate change and human activities in each catchment and in three time periods (1980s, 1990s and 2000s), using the VIC model and long-term runoff observation data. During 1961-2014, temperature increased significantly, while the trends in precipitation were insignificant in most of the catchments and inconsistent among the catchments. The runoff in most of the catchments showed a decreasing trend except the Yingluoxia catchment in the northwestern China. The contributions of climate change and human activities to runoff change varied in different catchments and time periods. In the 1980s, climate change contributed more to runoff change than human activities, which was 84%, 59%, -66%, -50%, 59%, 94%, and -59% in the Nianzishan, Yingluoxia, Xiahui, Yangjiaping, Sanjiangkou, Xixian, and Changle catchment, respectively. After that, human activities had played a more essential role in runoff change. In the 1990s and 2000s, human activities contributed more to runoff change than in the 1980s. The contribution by human activities accounted for 84%, -68%, and 67% in the Yingluoxia, Xiahui, and Sanjiangkou catchment, respectively, in the 1990s; and -96%, -67%, -94%, and -142% in the Nianzishan, Yangjiaping, Xixian, and Changle catchment, respectively, in the 2000s. It is also noted that after 2000 human activities caused decrease in runoff in all catchments except the Yingluoxia. Our findings highlight that the effects of human activities, such as increase in water withdrawal, land use/cover change, operation of dams and reservoirs, should be well managed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier

Inhibition by nucleosides of glucose-transport activity in human erythrocytes.

OpenAIRE

Jarvis, S M

1988-01-01

The interaction of nucleosides with the glucose carrier of human erythrocytes was examined by studying the effect of nucleosides on reversible cytochalasin B-binding activity and glucose transport. Adenosine, inosine and thymidine were more potent inhibitors of cytochalasin B binding to human erythrocyte membranes than was D-glucose [IC50 (concentration causing 50% inhibition) values of 10, 24, 28 and 38 mM respectively]. Moreover, low concentrations of thymidine and adenosine inhibited D-glu...

Metabolites of alectinib in human: their identification and pharmacological activity

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Mika Sato-Nakai

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Two metabolites (M4 and M1b in plasma and four metabolites (M4, M6, M1a and M1b in faeces were detected through the human ADME study following a single oral administration of [14C]alectinib, a small-molecule anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor, to healthy subjects. In the present study, M1a and M1b, which chemical structures had not been identified prior to the human ADME study, were identified as isomers of a carboxylate metabolite oxidatively cleaved at the morpholine ring. In faeces, M4 and M1b were the main metabolites, which shows that the biotransformation to M4 and M1b represents two main metabolic pathways for alectinib. In plasma, M4 was a major metabolite and M1b was a minor metabolite. The contribution to in vivo pharmacological activity of these circulating metabolites was assessed from their in vitro pharmacological activity and plasma protein binding. M4 had a similar cancer cell growth inhibitory activity and plasma protein binding to that of alectinib, suggesting its contribution to the antitumor activity of alectinib, whereas the pharmacological activity of M1b was insignificant.

Complex Human Activity Recognition Using Smartphone and Wrist-Worn Motion Sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shoaib, M.; Bosch, S.; Durmaz, O.; Scholten, Johan; Havinga, Paul J.M.

2016-01-01

The position of on-body motion sensors plays an important role in human activity recognition. Most often, mobile phone sensors at the trouser pocket or an equivalent position are used for this purpose. However, this position is not suitable for recognizing activities that involve hand gestures, such

Isothiocyanates: An Overview of Their Antimicrobial Activity against Human Infections

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Letizia Romeo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The use of plant-derived products as antimicrobial agents has been investigated in depth. Isothiocyanates (ITCs are bioactive products resulting from enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates (GLs, the most abundant secondary metabolites in the botanical order Brassicales. Although the antimicrobial activity of ITCs against foodborne and plant pathogens has been well documented, little is known about their antimicrobial properties against human pathogens. This review collects studies that focus on this topic. Particular focus will be put on ITCs’ antimicrobial properties and their mechanism of action against human pathogens for which the current therapeutic solutions are deficient and therefore of prime importance for public health. Our purpose was the evaluation of the potential use of ITCs to replace or support the common antibiotics. Even though ITCs appear to be effective against the most important human pathogens, including bacteria with resistant phenotypes, the majority of the studies did not show comparable results and thus it is very difficult to compare the antimicrobial activity of the different ITCs. For this reason, a standard method should be used and further studies are needed.

Anthocyanin contents in the seed coat of black soya bean and their anti-human tyrosinase activity and antioxidative activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Jhan, J-K; Chung, Y-C; Chen, G-H; Chang, C-H; Lu, Y-C; Hsu, C-K

2016-06-01

The seed coat of black soya bean (SCBS) contains high amount of anthocyanins and shows antioxidant and anti-mushroom tyrosinase activities. The objectives of this study were to analyse the anthocyanins in SCBS with different solvents and to find the relationship between anthocyanin profile with anti-human and anti-mushroom tyrosinase activities. SCBS was extracted with hot water, 50 and 80% ethanol, 50 and 80% acetone and 50 and 80% acidified acetone. Total phenol and total flavonoid contents in the extracts were determined. Anthocyanins in the extracts were analysed using HPLC and LC/MS/MS. A genetically engineered human tyrosinase was used to evaluate the anti-tyrosinase potential of the extracts from SCBS. 80% acetone extract from SCBS obtained the highest total phenol, total flavonoid and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) contents among all the extracts, whereas the hot water extract showed the lowest antioxidant contents. Three anthocyanin compounds were found in all the extracts from SCBS, and the analysis of HPLC and LC/MS/MS indicated that they were C3G, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (D3G) and peonidin-3-O-glucoside (P3G). The ratios of C3G (2.84 mg g(-1) ), D3G (0.34 mg g(-1) ) and P3G (0.35 mg g(-1) ) in 80% acidified acetone extract were 76.6, 9.1 and 9.3%, respectively. All the extracts from SCBS possessed anti-human tyrosinase activity. Moreover, a good correlation was found between the anti-human tyrosinase activities and C3G contents in the extracts. Antioxidants in SCBS also possess anti-human and anti-mushroom tyrosinase activities. © 2015 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

Quantitation of fibroblast activation protein (FAP-specific protease activity in mouse, baboon and human fluids and organs

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Fiona M. Keane

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP is a specific marker of activated mesenchymal cells in tumour stroma and fibrotic liver. A specific, reliable FAP enzyme assay has been lacking. FAP's unique and restricted cleavage of the post proline bond was exploited to generate a new specific substrate to quantify FAP enzyme activity. This sensitive assay detected no FAP activity in any tissue or fluid of FAP gene knockout mice, thus confirming assay specificity. Circulating FAP activity was ∼20- and 1.3-fold less in baboon than in mouse and human plasma, respectively. Serum and plasma contained comparable FAP activity. In mice, the highest levels of FAP activity were in uterus, pancreas, submaxillary gland and skin, whereas the lowest levels were in brain, prostate, leukocytes and testis. Baboon organs high in FAP activity included skin, epididymis, bladder, colon, adipose tissue, nerve and tongue. FAP activity was greatly elevated in tumours and associated lymph nodes and in fungal-infected skin of unhealthy baboons. FAP activity was 14- to 18-fold greater in cirrhotic than in non-diseased human liver, and circulating FAP activity was almost doubled in alcoholic cirrhosis. Parallel DPP4 measurements concorded with the literature, except for the novel finding of high DPP4 activity in bile. The new FAP enzyme assay is the first to be thoroughly characterised and shows that FAP activity is measurable in most organs and at high levels in some. This new assay is a robust tool for specific quantitation of FAP enzyme activity in both preclinical and clinical samples, particularly liver fibrosis.

The Effects of Context and Attention on Spiking Activity in Human Early Visual Cortex

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Self, Matthew W.; Peters, Judith C.; Possel, Jessy K.; Reithler, Joel; Goebel, Rainer; Ris, Peterjan; Jeurissen, Danique; Reddy, Leila; Claus, Steven; Baayen, Johannes C.; Roelfsema, Pieter R.

2016-01-01

Here we report the first quantitative analysis of spiking activity in human early visual cortex. We recorded multi-unit activity from two electrodes in area V2/V3 of a human patient implanted with depth electrodes as part of her treatment for epilepsy. We observed well-localized multi-unit receptive

The Effects of Context and Attention on Spiking Activity in Human Early Visual Cortex

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Self, Matthew W; Peters, Judith C; Possel, Jessy K; Reithler, Joel; Goebel, Rainer; Ris, Peterjan; Jeurissen, Danique; Reddy, Leila; Claus, Steven; Baayen, Johannes C; Roelfsema, Pieter R

Here we report the first quantitative analysis of spiking activity in human early visual cortex. We recorded multi-unit activity from two electrodes in area V2/V3 of a human patient implanted with depth electrodes as part of her treatment for epilepsy. We observed well-localized multi-unit receptive

Wearable-Based Human Activity Recognition Using an IoT Approach

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Diego Castro

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel system based on the Internet of Things (IoT to Human Activity Recognition (HAR by monitoring vital signs remotely. We use machine learning algorithms to determine the activity done within four pre-established categories (lie, sit, walk and jog. Meanwhile, it is able to give feedback during and after the activity is performed, using a remote monitoring component with remote visualization and programmable alarms. This system was successfully implemented with a 95.83% success ratio.

Active glass-type human augmented cognition system considering attention and intention

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Bumhwi; Ojha, Amitash; Lee, Minho

2015-10-01

Human cognition is the result of an interaction of several complex cognitive processes with limited capabilities. Therefore, the primary objective of human cognitive augmentation is to assist and expand these limited human cognitive capabilities independently or together. In this study, we propose a glass-type human augmented cognition system, which attempts to actively assist human memory functions by providing relevant, necessary and intended information by constantly assessing intention of the user. To achieve this, we exploit selective attention and intention processes. Although the system can be used in various real-life scenarios, we test the performance of the system in a person identity scenario. To detect the intended face, the system analyses the gaze points and change in pupil size to determine the intention of the user. An assessment of the gaze points and change in pupil size together indicates that the user intends to know the identity and information about the person in question. Then, the system retrieves several clues through speech recognition system and retrieves relevant information about the face, which is finally displayed through head-mounted display. We present the performance of several components of the system. Our results show that the active and relevant assistance based on users' intention significantly helps the enhancement of memory functions.

A Similarity Analysis of Audio Signal to Develop a Human Activity Recognition Using Similarity Networks

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Alejandra García-Hernández

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Human Activity Recognition (HAR is one of the main subjects of study in the areas of computer vision and machine learning due to the great benefits that can be achieved. Examples of the study areas are: health prevention, security and surveillance, automotive research, and many others. The proposed approaches are carried out using machine learning techniques and present good results. However, it is difficult to observe how the descriptors of human activities are grouped. In order to obtain a better understanding of the the behavior of descriptors, it is important to improve the abilities to recognize the human activities. This paper proposes a novel approach for the HAR based on acoustic data and similarity networks. In this approach, we were able to characterize the sound of the activities and identify those activities looking for similarity in the sound pattern. We evaluated the similarity of the sounds considering mainly two features: the sound location and the materials that were used. As a result, the materials are a good reference classifying the human activities compared with the location.

Actively learning human gaze shifting paths for semantics-aware photo cropping.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Luming; Gao, Yue; Ji, Rongrong; Xia, Yingjie; Dai, Qionghai; Li, Xuelong

2014-05-01

Photo cropping is a widely used tool in printing industry, photography, and cinematography. Conventional cropping models suffer from the following three challenges. First, the deemphasized role of semantic contents that are many times more important than low-level features in photo aesthetics. Second, the absence of a sequential ordering in the existing models. In contrast, humans look at semantically important regions sequentially when viewing a photo. Third, the difficulty of leveraging inputs from multiple users. Experience from multiple users is particularly critical in cropping as photo assessment is quite a subjective task. To address these challenges, this paper proposes semantics-aware photo cropping, which crops a photo by simulating the process of humans sequentially perceiving semantically important regions of a photo. We first project the local features (graphlets in this paper) onto the semantic space, which is constructed based on the category information of the training photos. An efficient learning algorithm is then derived to sequentially select semantically representative graphlets of a photo, and the selecting process can be interpreted by a path, which simulates humans actively perceiving semantics in a photo. Furthermore, we learn a prior distribution of such active graphlet paths from training photos that are marked as aesthetically pleasing by multiple users. The learned priors enforce the corresponding active graphlet path of a test photo to be maximally similar to those from the training photos. Experimental results show that: 1) the active graphlet path accurately predicts human gaze shifting, and thus is more indicative for photo aesthetics than conventional saliency maps and 2) the cropped photos produced by our approach outperform its competitors in both qualitative and quantitative comparisons.

Correlation between proliferative activity and cellular thickness of human mesenchymal stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsube, Yoshihiro; Hirose, Motohiro; Nakamura, Chikashi; Ohgushi, Hajime

2008-01-01

A cell's shape is known to be related to its proliferative activity. In particular, large and flat mammalian adult stem cells seem to show slow proliferation, however using quantitative analysis to prove the phenomenon is difficult. We measured the proliferation and cellular thickness of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by atomic force microscopy and found that MSCs with high proliferative activity were thick while those with low proliferative activity were thin, even though these MSCs were early passage cells. Further, low proliferative MSCs contained many senescence-associated β-galactosidase positive cells together with high senescence-associated gene expression. These findings suggest that the measurement of cellular thickness is useful for estimating the proliferative activity of human MSCs and is expected to be a practical tool for MSC applications in regenerative medicine

Environmental Health in Relation to Urban Planning and Human Physical Activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliver, L.H.L.; Siti Nur Afiqah Mohamed Musthafa; Dasimah Omar

2015-01-01

The world is changing everyday in a fast pace that makes majority of the urbanized areas becoming more congested and polluted by the development. The planning of the urban world has brought about a great impact towards the environment and health. With the large number of human population, urban areas will have various kinds of activities that contributed to the higher rate of pollutants compared to areas with less development. In a car oriented urban development pattern, majority of the population will choose automobiles as their transportation modes rather than walking or cycling. Due to that, the air emission in urban areas will increase rapidly, and reduce the physical activity. Air pollutants contribute to various health problems, especially respiratory infection. Besides, lacking of physical activities also increase the health risk. However, there is limited study on the relationship between urban land use setting and health in developing country. Thus, a study had been carried out to establish the relationship between urban setting and human health. It involved air quality data collection, observation on land use setting, and questionnaire survey on human health and the lifestyle. Findings from the relationship analysis had been discussed with suitable recommendation and conclusion. (author)

Focus-of-attention for human activity recognition from UAVs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burghouts, G.J.; Eekeren, A.W.M. van; Dijk, J.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a system to extract metadata about human activities from full-motion video recorded from a UAV. The pipeline consists of these components: tracking, motion features, representation of the tracks in terms of their motion features, and classification of each track as one of the

Downregulation of telomerase activity in human promyelocytic cell line using RNA interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Miri-Moghaddam, E; Deezagi, A; Soheili, Z S

2009-12-01

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex. It consists of two main components, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and human telomerase RNA. High telomerase activity is present in most malignant cells, but it is barely detectable in majority of somatic cells. The direct correlation between telomerase reactivation and carcinogens has made hTERT a key target for anticancer therapeutic studies. In this study, for the first time, we evaluated the ability of the new generation of short interfering RNA (siRNA) to regulate telomerase activity in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60). Transient transfection cell line by hTERT siRNAs resulted in statistically significant suppression of hTERT messenger RNAs which were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, while the expressed hTERT protein levels were measured by flow cytometry. The results of telomeric repeat amplification protocol showed that telomerase activity was significantly reduced upon transfection of the HL-60 cell line with hTERT siRNAs. The results of this study showed that telomerase activity and cell proliferation were efficiently inhibited in the hTERT siRNA-treated leukemic cell line.

Diurnal Human Activity and Introduced Species Affect Occurrence of Carnivores in a Human-Dominated Landscape.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dario Moreira-Arce

Full Text Available Diurnal human activity and domestic dogs in agro-forestry mosaics should theoretically modify the diurnal habitat use patterns of native carnivores, with these effects being scale-dependent. We combined intensive camera trapping data with Bayesian occurrence probability models to evaluate both diurnal and nocturnal patterns of space use by carnivores in a mosaic of land-use types in southern Chile. A total of eight carnivores species were recorded, including human-introduced dogs. During the day the most frequently detected species were the culpeo fox and the cougar. Conversely, during the night, the kodkod and chilla fox were the most detected species. The best supported models showed that native carnivores responded differently to landscape attributes and dogs depending on both the time of day as well as the spatial scale of landscape attributes. The positive effect of native forest cover at 250 m and 500 m radius buffers was stronger during the night for the Darwin's fox and cougar. Road density at 250 m scale negatively affected the diurnal occurrence of Darwin´s fox, whereas at 500 m scale roads had a stronger negative effect on the diurnal occurrence of Darwin´s foxes and cougars. A positive effect of road density on dog occurrence was evidenced during both night and day. Patch size had a positive effect on cougar occurrence during night whereas it affected negatively the occurrence of culpeo foxes and skunks during day. Dog occurrence had a negative effect on Darwin's fox occurrence during day-time and night-time, whereas its negative effect on the occurrence of cougar was evidenced only during day-time. Carnivore occurrences were not influenced by the proximity to a conservation area. Our results provided support for the hypothesis that diurnal changes to carnivore occurrence were associated with human and dog activity. Landscape planning in our study area should be focused in reducing both the levels of diurnal human activity in

Diurnal Human Activity and Introduced Species Affect Occurrence of Carnivores in a Human-Dominated Landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreira-Arce, Dario; Vergara, Pablo M; Boutin, Stan

2015-01-01

Diurnal human activity and domestic dogs in agro-forestry mosaics should theoretically modify the diurnal habitat use patterns of native carnivores, with these effects being scale-dependent. We combined intensive camera trapping data with Bayesian occurrence probability models to evaluate both diurnal and nocturnal patterns of space use by carnivores in a mosaic of land-use types in southern Chile. A total of eight carnivores species were recorded, including human-introduced dogs. During the day the most frequently detected species were the culpeo fox and the cougar. Conversely, during the night, the kodkod and chilla fox were the most detected species. The best supported models showed that native carnivores responded differently to landscape attributes and dogs depending on both the time of day as well as the spatial scale of landscape attributes. The positive effect of native forest cover at 250 m and 500 m radius buffers was stronger during the night for the Darwin's fox and cougar. Road density at 250 m scale negatively affected the diurnal occurrence of Darwin´s fox, whereas at 500 m scale roads had a stronger negative effect on the diurnal occurrence of Darwin´s foxes and cougars. A positive effect of road density on dog occurrence was evidenced during both night and day. Patch size had a positive effect on cougar occurrence during night whereas it affected negatively the occurrence of culpeo foxes and skunks during day. Dog occurrence had a negative effect on Darwin's fox occurrence during day-time and night-time, whereas its negative effect on the occurrence of cougar was evidenced only during day-time. Carnivore occurrences were not influenced by the proximity to a conservation area. Our results provided support for the hypothesis that diurnal changes to carnivore occurrence were associated with human and dog activity. Landscape planning in our study area should be focused in reducing both the levels of diurnal human activity in native forest remnants

Elemental analysis of human serum and serum protein fractions by thermal neutron activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woittiez, J.R.W.

1984-01-01

Some applications of thermal neutron activation for the determination of elemental contents in human serum and human serum protein fractions are presented. Firstly total serum is dealt with, secondly serum protein fractions obtained by gel filtration are described. A brief review on the role of (trace) elements in human health and disease and a compilation of literature data for elemental contents in human serum, as obtained by neutron activation techniques, are given. The most important sources of statistical and systematic errors are evaluated. Results for the contents of sodium, potassium, magnesium, bromine, iron, copper, zinc, selenium, rubidium, cesium and antimony in serum are given, with emphasis on control of accuracy and precision. The possible relation between selenium in blood and cancer occurrence in humans is discussed. The results of elemental analyses from cancer patients and from a patient receiving a cytostatic treatment are presented. A survey of literature results for the determination of protein-bound elemental contents in serum is presented. Subsequently, results from a study on the behaviour of elements during gel filtration are discussed. Gel-element and protein-element interactions are studied. Finally the protein-bound occurrence of trace elements in human serum is determined by gel filtration and neutron activation analysis. Results for both desalting and fractionation are given, for the elements bromine, copper, manganese, vanadium, selenium, zinc, rubidium, iron and iodine. (Auth.)

Antagonistic activity of antibiotic producing Streptomyces sp. against fish and human pathogenic bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nazmul Hossain

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, attempts were made to isolate Streptomyces sp. from soil samples of two different regions of Bangladesh and evaluate their antagonistic activity against fish and human pathogenic bacteria. A total of 10 isolates were identified as Streptomyces sp. based on several morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. Cross streak method was used to observe the antagonistic activity of the Streptomyces sp. isolates against different fish pathogens belonging to the genus Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Edwardsiella and human clinical isolates belonging to the genus Klebsiella, Salmonella and Streptococcus. Seven Streptomyces sp. isolates showed antagonism against both fish and human pathogenic bacteria. Four isolates viz., N24, N26, N28 and N47 showed broad spectrum of antagonistic activity (80-100% against all genera of fish and human pathogenic bacteria. The isolate N49 exhibited highest spectrum of antagonism against all fish pathogens (90-100% but comparatively lower degree of antagonism against human pathogens (50-60%. Rest of the two isolates (N21 and N23 showed variability in their antagonism. Results showed that broad spectrum antibiotic(s could be developed from the isolates N24, N26, N28 and N47against several human and fish pathogens. The isolate N49 could be a potential source of antibiotic, especially for fish pathogenic bacteria.

Toshiba's activity concerning technology succession and human resource development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogura, Kenji; Hoshide, Akehiko

2008-01-01

Recently, from the viewpoint of the reduction of carbon-dioxide emission that cause global warming and the energy security, the importance of nuclear power generation is recognized again as an effective approach for solving the problems, and many nuclear power plants are planed to be constructed worldwide. On the other hand, the experienced engineers will face the time of the retirement in the near future and technology succession and human resource development has become important problems. In this paper, Toshiba's Nuclear Energy Systems and Services Division's activity concerning technology succession and human resource development will be introduced. (author)

AMP-activated protein kinase activation mediates CCL3-induced cell migration and matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in human chondrosarcoma

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3), also known as macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, is a cytokine involved in inflammation and activation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. CCL3 has been detected in infiltrating cells and tumor cells. Chondrosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that causes distant metastasis. However, the effect of CCL3 on human chondrosarcoma metastasis is still unknown. Here, we found that CCL3 increased cellular migration and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 in human chondrosarcoma cells. Pre-treatment of cells with the MMP-2 inhibitor or transfection with MMP-2 specific siRNA abolished CCL3-induced cell migration. CCL3 has been reported to exert its effects through activation of its specific receptor, CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5). The CCR5 and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor or siRNA also attenuated CCL3-upregulated cell motility and MMP-2 expression. CCL3-induced expression of MMP-2 and migration were also inhibited by specific inhibitors, and inactive mutants of AMPK, p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 or p38-MAPK), and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) cascades. On the other hand, CCL3 treatment demonstrably activated AMPK, p38, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, the expression levels of CCL3, CCR5, and MMP-2 were correlated in human chondrosarcoma specimens. Taken together, our results indicate that CCL3 enhances the migratory ability of human chondrosarcoma cells by increasing MMP-2 expression via the CCR5, AMPK, p38, and NF-κB pathways. PMID:24047437

Human-robot interaction: kinematics and muscle activity inside a powered compliant knee exoskeleton.

Science.gov (United States)

Knaepen, Kristel; Beyl, Pieter; Duerinck, Saartje; Hagman, Friso; Lefeber, Dirk; Meeusen, Romain

2014-11-01

Until today it is not entirely clear how humans interact with automated gait rehabilitation devices and how we can, based on that interaction, maximize the effectiveness of these exoskeletons. The goal of this study was to gain knowledge on the human-robot interaction, in terms of kinematics and muscle activity, between a healthy human motor system and a powered knee exoskeleton (i.e., KNEXO). Therefore, temporal and spatial gait parameters, human joint kinematics, exoskeleton kinetics and muscle activity during four different walking trials in 10 healthy male subjects were studied. Healthy subjects can walk with KNEXO in patient-in-charge mode with some slight constraints in kinematics and muscle activity primarily due to inertia of the device. Yet, during robot-in-charge walking the muscular constraints are reversed by adding positive power to the leg swing, compensating in part this inertia. Next to that, KNEXO accurately records and replays the right knee kinematics meaning that subject-specific trajectories can be implemented as a target trajectory during assisted walking. No significant differences in the human response to the interaction with KNEXO in low and high compliant assistance could be pointed out. This is in contradiction with our hypothesis that muscle activity would decrease with increasing assistance. It seems that the differences between the parameter settings of low and high compliant control might not be sufficient to observe clear effects in healthy subjects. Moreover, we should take into account that KNEXO is a unilateral, 1 degree-of-freedom device.

Activation of the lectin complement pathway on human renal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aimed to investigate the roles of high glucose and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) on the activation of the lectin complement pathway (LCP) on human renal glomerular endothelial cells (HRGECs) in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis, immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to detect the cell surface ...

Human factors in remote control engineering development activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, M.M.; Hamel, W.R.; Draper, J.V.

1983-01-01

Human factors engineering, which is an integral part of the advanced remote control development activities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is described. First, work at the Remote Systems Development Facility (RSDF) has shown that operators can perform a wide variety of tasks, some of which were not specifically designed for remote systems, with a dextrous electronic force-reflecting servomanipulator and good television remote viewing capabilities. Second, the data collected during mock-up remote maintenance experiments at the RSDF have been analyzed to provide guidelines for the design of human interfaces with an integrated advanced remote maintenance system currently under development. Guidelines have been provided for task allocation between operators, remote viewing systems, and operator controls. 6 references, 5 figures, 2 tables

Human Spaceflight. Activities for the Primary Student. Aerospace Education Services Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartsfield, John W.; Hartsfield, Kendra J.

Since its beginning, the space program has caught the attention of young people. This space science activity booklet was designed to provide information and learning activities for students in elementary grades. It contains chapters on: (1) primitive beliefs about flight; (2) early fantasies of flight; (3) the United States human spaceflight…

Interaction of Human Enterochromaffin Cells with Human Enteric Adenovirus 41 Leads to Serotonin Release and Subsequent Activation of Enteric Glia Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Westerberg, Sonja; Hagbom, Marie; Rajan, Anandi; Loitto, Vesa; Persson, B David; Allard, Annika; Nordgren, Johan; Sharma, Sumit; Magnusson, Karl-Eric; Arnberg, Niklas; Svensson, Lennart

2018-04-01

Human adenovirus 41 (HAdV-41) causes acute gastroenteritis in young children. The main characteristics of HAdV-41 infection are diarrhea and vomiting. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism of HAdV-41-induced diarrhea is unknown, as a suitable small-animal model has not been described. In this study, we used the human midgut carcinoid cell line GOT1 to investigate the effect of HAdV-41 infection and the individual HAdV-41 capsid proteins on serotonin release by enterochromaffin cells and on enteric glia cell (EGC) activation. We first determined that HAdV-41 could infect the enterochromaffin cells. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the cells expressed HAdV-41-specific coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR); flow cytometry analysis supported these findings. HAdV-41 infection of the enterochromaffin cells induced serotonin secretion dose dependently. In contrast, control infection with HAdV-5 did not induce serotonin secretion in the cells. Confocal microscopy studies of enterochromaffin cells infected with HAdV-41 revealed decreased serotonin immunofluorescence compared to that in uninfected cells. Incubation of the enterochromaffin cells with purified HAdV-41 short fiber knob and hexon proteins increased the serotonin levels in the harvested cell supernatant significantly. HAdV-41 infection could also activate EGCs, as shown in the significantly altered expression of glia fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in EGCs incubated with HAdV-41. The EGCs were also activated by serotonin alone, as shown in the significantly increased GFAP staining intensity. Likewise, EGCs were activated by the cell supernatant of HAdV-41-infected enterochromaffin cells. IMPORTANCE The nonenveloped human adenovirus 41 causes diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and low-grade fever mainly in children under 2 years of age. Even though acute gastroenteritis is well described, how human adenovirus 41 causes diarrhea is unknown. In our study, we analyzed the effect of human adenovirus 41

Disturbances of electrodynamic activity affect abortion in human

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Jandová, A.; Nedbalová, M.; Kobilková, J.; Čoček, A.; Dohnalová, A.; Cifra, M.; Pokorný, J.

2011-12-01

Biochemical research of biological systems is highly developed, and it has disclosed a spectrum of chemical reactions, genetic processes, and the pathological development of various diseases. The fundamental hypothesis of physical processes in biological systems, in particular of coherent electrically polar vibrations and electromagnetic activity, was formulated by H. Fröhlich he assumed connection of cancer process with degradation of coherent electromagnetic activity. But the questions of cellular structures capable of the coherent electrical polar oscillation, mechanisms of energy supply, and the specific role of the endogenous electromagnetic fields in transport, organisation, interactions, and information transfer remained open. The nature of physical disturbances caused by some diseases (including the recurrent abortion in humans and the cancer) was unknown. We have studied the reasons of recurrent abortions in humans by means of the cell mediated immunity (using immunologic active RNA prepared from blood of inbred laboratory mice strain C3H/H2K, infected with the lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus-LD V) and the cytogenetic examination from karyotype pictures. The recurrent abortion group contained women with dg. spontaneous abortion (n = 24) and the control group was composed of 30 healthy pregnant women. Our hypothesis was related to quality of endometrium in relation to nidation of the blastocyst. The energetic insufficiency (ATP) inhibits normal development of fetus and placenta. We hope that these ideas might have impact on further research, which could provide background for effective interdisciplinary cooperation of malignant and non-malignant diseases.

Disturbances of electrodynamic activity affect abortion in human

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jandová, A; Cifra, M; Pokorný, J; Nedbalová, M; Dohnalová, A; Kobilková, J; Cocek, A

2011-01-01

Biochemical research of biological systems is highly developed, and it has disclosed a spectrum of chemical reactions, genetic processes, and the pathological development of various diseases. The fundamental hypothesis of physical processes in biological systems, in particular of coherent electrically polar vibrations and electromagnetic activity, was formulated by H. Fröhlich; he assumed connection of cancer process with degradation of coherent electromagnetic activity. But the questions of cellular structures capable of the coherent electrical polar oscillation, mechanisms of energy supply, and the specific role of the endogenous electromagnetic fields in transport, organisation, interactions, and information transfer remained open. The nature of physical disturbances caused by some diseases (including the recurrent abortion in humans and the cancer) was unknown. We have studied the reasons of recurrent abortions in humans by means of the cell mediated immunity (using immunologic active RNA prepared from blood of inbred laboratory mice strain C3H/H2K, infected with the lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus-LD V) and the cytogenetic examination from karyotype pictures. The recurrent abortion group contained women with dg. spontaneous abortion (n = 24) and the control group was composed of 30 healthy pregnant women. Our hypothesis was related to quality of endometrium in relation to nidation of the blastocyst. The energetic insufficiency (ATP) inhibits normal development of fetus and placenta. We hope that these ideas might have impact on further research, which could provide background for effective interdisciplinary cooperation of malignant and non-malignant diseases.

Semi-synthetic salinomycin analogs exert cytotoxic activity against human colorectal cancer stem cells.

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Klose, Johannes; Kattner, Sarah; Borgström, Björn; Volz, Claudia; Schmidt, Thomas; Schneider, Martin; Oredsson, Stina; Strand, Daniel; Ulrich, Alexis

2018-01-01

Salinomycin, a polyether antibiotic, is a well-known inhibitor of human cancer stem cells. Chemical modification of the allylic C20 hydroxyl of salinomycin has enabled access to synthetic analogs that display increased cytotoxic activity compared to the native structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the activity of a cohort of C20-O-acyl analogs of salinomycin on human colorectal cancer cell lines in vitro. Two human colorectal cancer cell lines (SW480 and SW620) were exposed to three C20-O-acylated analogs and salinomycin. The impact of salinomycin and its analogs on tumor cell number, migration, cell death, and cancer stem cell specifity was analyzed. Exposure of human colorectal cancer cells to the C20-O-acylated analogs of salinomycin resulted in reduced tumor cell number and impaired tumor cell migration at lower concentrations than salinomycin. When used at higher (micromolar) concentrations, these effects were accompanied by induction of apoptotic cell death. Salinomycin analogs further expose improved activity against cancer stem cells compared to salinomycin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ionizing Radiation Activates AMP-Activated Kinase (AMPK): A Target for Radiosensitization of Human Cancer Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanli, Toran; Rashid, Ayesha; Liu Caiqiong

2010-01-01

Purpose: Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated kinase (AMPK) is a molecular energy sensor regulated by the tumor suppressor LKB1. Starvation and growth factors activate AMPK through the DNA damage sensor ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM). We explored the regulation of AMPK by ionizing radiation (IR) and its role as a target for radiosensitization of human cancer cells. Methods and Materials: Lung, prostate, and breast cancer cells were treated with IR (2-8 Gy) after incubation with either ATM or AMPK inhibitors or the AMPK activator metformin. Then, cells were subjected to either lysis and immunoblotting, immunofluorescence microscopy, clonogenic survival assays, or cell cycle analysis. Results: IR induced a robust phosphorylation and activation of AMPK in all tumor cells, independent of LKB1. IR activated AMPK first in the nucleus, and this extended later into cytoplasm. The ATM inhibitor KU-55933 blocked IR activation of AMPK. AMPK inhibition with Compound C or anti-AMPK α subunit small interfering RNA (siRNA) blocked IR induction of the cell cycle regulators p53 and p21 waf/cip as well as the IR-induced G2/M arrest. Compound C caused resistance to IR, increasing the surviving fraction after 2 Gy, but the anti-diabetic drug metformin enhanced IR activation of AMPK and lowered the surviving fraction after 2 Gy further. Conclusions: We provide evidence that IR activates AMPK in human cancer cells in an LKB1-independent manner, leading to induction of p21 waf/cip and regulation of the cell cycle and survival. AMPK appears to (1) participate in an ATM-AMPK-p21 waf/cip pathway, (2) be involved in regulation of the IR-induced G2/M checkpoint, and (3) may be targeted by metformin to enhance IR responses.

Human movement activity classification approaches that use wearable sensors and mobile devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kaghyan, Sahak; Sarukhanyan, Hakob; Akopian, David

2013-03-01

Cell phones and other mobile devices become part of human culture and change activity and lifestyle patterns. Mobile phone technology continuously evolves and incorporates more and more sensors for enabling advanced applications. Latest generations of smart phones incorporate GPS and WLAN location finding modules, vision cameras, microphones, accelerometers, temperature sensors etc. The availability of these sensors in mass-market communication devices creates exciting new opportunities for data mining applications. Particularly healthcare applications exploiting build-in sensors are very promising. This paper reviews different approaches of human activity recognition.

The spatial structure of transnational human activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Deutschmann, Emanuel

2016-09-01

Starting from conflictive predictions of hitherto disconnected debates in the natural and social sciences, this article examines the spatial structure of transnational human activity (THA) worldwide (a) across eight types of mobility and communication and (b) in its development over time. It is shown that the spatial structure of THA is similar to that of animal displacements and local-scale human motion in that it can be approximated by Lévy flights with heavy tails that obey power laws. Scaling exponent and power-law fit differ by type of THA, being highest in refuge-seeking and tourism and lowest in student exchange. Variance in the availability of resources and opportunities for satisfying associated needs appears to explain these differences. Over time (1960-2010), the Lévy-flight pattern remains intact and remarkably stable, contradicting the popular notion that socio-technological trends lead to a "death of distance." Humans have not become more "global" over time, they rather became more mobile in general, i.e. they move and communicate more at all distances. Hence, it would be more adequate to speak of "mobilization" than of "globalization." Longitudinal change occurs only in some types of THA and predominantly at short distances, indicating regional rather than global shifts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Subtype of Inhibitory Interneuron with Intrinsic Persistent Activity in Human and Monkey Neocortex

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Bo Wang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A critical step in understanding the neural basis of human cognitive functions is to identify neuronal types in the neocortex. In this study, we performed whole-cell recording from human cortical slices and found a distinct subpopulation of neurons with intrinsic persistent activity that could be triggered by single action potentials (APs but terminated by bursts of APs. This persistent activity was associated with a depolarizing plateau potential induced by the activation of a persistent Na+ current. Single-cell RT-PCR revealed that these neurons were inhibitory interneurons. This type of neuron was found in different cortical regions, including temporal, frontal, occipital, and parietal cortices in human and also in frontal and temporal lobes of nonhuman primate but not in rat cortical tissues, suggesting that it could be unique to primates. The characteristic persistent activity in these inhibitory interneurons may contribute to the regulation of pyramidal cell activity and participate in cortical processing.

A survey on using domain and contextual knowledge for human activity recognition in video streams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onofri, L.; Soda, P.; Pechenizkiy, M.; Iannello, G.

2016-01-01

Human activity recognition has gained an increasing relevance in computer vision and it can be tackled with either non-hierarchical or hierarchical approaches. The former, also known as single-layered approaches, are those that represent and recognize human activities directly from the extracted

The stability of complement-mediated bactericidal activity in human serum against Salmonella.

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Colette M O'Shaughnessy

Full Text Available The complement cascade includes heat-labile proteins and care is required when handling serum in order to preserve its functional integrity. We have previously used a whole human serum bactericidal assay to show that antibody and an intact complement system are required in blood for killing of invasive isolates of Salmonella. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the conditions under which human serum can be stored and manipulated while maintaining complement integrity. Serum bactericidal activity against Salmonella was maintained for a minimum of 35 days when stored at 4°C, eight days at 22°C and 54 hours at 37°C. Up to three freeze-thaw cycles had no effect on the persistence of bactericidal activity and hemolytic complement assays confirmed no effect on complement function. Delay in the separation of serum for up to four days from clotted blood stored at 22°C did not affect bactericidal activity. Dilution of serum resulted in an increased rate of loss of bactericidal activity and so serum should be stored undiluted. These findings indicate that the current guidelines concerning manipulation and storage of human serum to preserve complement integrity and function leave a large margin for safety with regards to bactericidal activity against Salmonella. The study provides a scheme for determining the requirements for serum handling in relation to functional activity of complement in other systems.

Using human brain activity to guide machine learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Ruth C; Scheirer, Walter J; Cox, David D

2018-03-29

Machine learning is a field of computer science that builds algorithms that learn. In many cases, machine learning algorithms are used to recreate a human ability like adding a caption to a photo, driving a car, or playing a game. While the human brain has long served as a source of inspiration for machine learning, little effort has been made to directly use data collected from working brains as a guide for machine learning algorithms. Here we demonstrate a new paradigm of "neurally-weighted" machine learning, which takes fMRI measurements of human brain activity from subjects viewing images, and infuses these data into the training process of an object recognition learning algorithm to make it more consistent with the human brain. After training, these neurally-weighted classifiers are able to classify images without requiring any additional neural data. We show that our neural-weighting approach can lead to large performance gains when used with traditional machine vision features, as well as to significant improvements with already high-performing convolutional neural network features. The effectiveness of this approach points to a path forward for a new class of hybrid machine learning algorithms which take both inspiration and direct constraints from neuronal data.

DREAM Is Involved in the Genesis of Inflammation-Induced Prolabour Mediators in Human Myometrial and Amnion Cells

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Priyanka Goradia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Preterm birth is the primary cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Inflammation induces a cascade of events leading to preterm birth by activating nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB. In nongestational tissues, downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM regulates NF-κB activity. Our aims were to analyse DREAM expression in myometrium and fetal membranes obtained at term and preterm and to determine the effect of DREAM inhibition on prolabour mediators in primary myometrial and amnion cells. DREAM mRNA expression was significantly higher in fetal membranes obtained after spontaneous labour compared to nonlabour and in amnion from women with histological preterm chorioamnionitis when compared to amnion from women without chorioamnionitis. In primary myometrial and amnion cells, the effect of DREAM silencing by siRNA was a significant decrease in the expression of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, the chemokines IL-8 and MCP-1, the adhesion molecule ICAM-1, MMP-9 mRNA expression and activity, and NF-κB transcriptional activity when stimulated with the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, the bacterial products fsl-1 or flagellin, or the viral dsRNA analogue poly(I:C. These data suggest that, in states of heightened inflammation, DREAM mRNA expression is increased and that, in myometrial and amnion cells, DREAM regulates proinflammatory and prolabour mediators which may be mediated via NF-κB.

Structure-activity relationships of diverse xanthones against multidrug resistant human tumor cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiwen; Ma, Chenyao; Ma, Yun; Li, Xiang; Chen, Yong; Chen, Jianwei

2017-02-01

Thirteen xanthones were isolated naturally from the stem of Securidaca inappendiculata Hassk, and structure-activity relationships (SARs) of these compounds were comparatively predicted for their cytotoxic activity against three human multidrug resistant (MDR) cell lines MCF-7/ADR, SMMC-7721/Taxol, and A549/Taxol cells. The results showed that the selected xanthones exhibited different potent cytotoxic activity against the growth of different human tumor cell lines, and most of the xanthones exhibited selective cytotoxicity against SMMC-7721/Taxol cells. Furthermore, some tested xanthones showed stronger cytotoxicity than Cisplatin, which has been used in clinical application extensively. The SARs analysis revealed that the cytotoxic activities of diverse xanthones were affected mostly by the number and position of methoxyl and hydroxyl groups. Xanthones with more free hydroxyl and methoxyl groups increased the cytotoxic activity significantly, especially for those with the presence of C-3 hydroxyl and C-4 methoxyl groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Super Normal Vector for Human Activity Recognition with Depth Cameras.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaodong; Tian, YingLi

2017-05-01

The advent of cost-effectiveness and easy-operation depth cameras has facilitated a variety of visual recognition tasks including human activity recognition. This paper presents a novel framework for recognizing human activities from video sequences captured by depth cameras. We extend the surface normal to polynormal by assembling local neighboring hypersurface normals from a depth sequence to jointly characterize local motion and shape information. We then propose a general scheme of super normal vector (SNV) to aggregate the low-level polynormals into a discriminative representation, which can be viewed as a simplified version of the Fisher kernel representation. In order to globally capture the spatial layout and temporal order, an adaptive spatio-temporal pyramid is introduced to subdivide a depth video into a set of space-time cells. In the extensive experiments, the proposed approach achieves superior performance to the state-of-the-art methods on the four public benchmark datasets, i.e., MSRAction3D, MSRDailyActivity3D, MSRGesture3D, and MSRActionPairs3D.

Workshop on Human Activity at Scale in Earth System Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, Melissa R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Aziz, H. M. Abdul [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Coletti, Mark A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kennedy, Joseph H. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Nair, Sujithkumar S. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Omitaomu, Olufemi A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-01-26

Changing human activity within a geographical location may have significant influence on the global climate, but that activity must be parameterized in such a way as to allow these high-resolution sub-grid processes to affect global climate within that modeling framework. Additionally, we must have tools that provide decision support and inform local and regional policies regarding mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. The development of next-generation earth system models, that can produce actionable results with minimum uncertainties, depends on understanding global climate change and human activity interactions at policy implementation scales. Unfortunately, at best we currently have only limited schemes for relating high-resolution sectoral emissions to real-time weather, ultimately to become part of larger regions and well-mixed atmosphere. Moreover, even our understanding of meteorological processes at these scales is imperfect. This workshop addresses these shortcomings by providing a forum for discussion of what we know about these processes, what we can model, where we have gaps in these areas and how we can rise to the challenge to fill these gaps.

THE HUMAN ACTIVITY AS AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE UNIT: A HISTORIC-CULTURAL APPROACH

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Lígia Márcia Martins

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article puts in question the affectional-cognitive unit which sustains the human activity, with the purpose to light incorrectness of approaches which dichotomize reason and emotion. It asserts that such dissociations are founded in theorical-methodological principles which set bounds for explanations about the human psychism, so that the overcoming of referred dualisms puts on as a method matter. For making explicit that assertion, it resorted to Historic-Cultural Psychology, based on that it explains about the psychism as subjective image of objective reality, of Vygotskyan criticisms to Cartesian dualism and the need of a historic-cultural approach on emotion studies, intend to analyzing the human activity as a affective-cognitive unit and the imbricated relations that are waged, within it, among affections, emotions, feelings and thoughts. Once presented the interrelations between emotions and cognitions this exhibition argues that the concepts are necessary as a minimum unit of analysis both of thought and feelings.

Multiplexed activity-based protein profiling of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus reveals large functional changes upon exposure to human serum.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiedner, Susan D; Burnum, Kristin E; Pederson, LeeAnna M; Anderson, Lindsey N; Fortuin, Suereta; Chauvigné-Hines, Lacie M; Shukla, Anil K; Ansong, Charles; Panisko, Ellen A; Smith, Richard D; Wright, Aaron T

2012-09-28

Environmental adaptability is critical for survival of the fungal human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus in the immunocompromised host lung. We hypothesized that exposure of the fungal pathogen to human serum would lead to significant alterations to the organism's physiology, including metabolic activity and stress response. Shifts in functional pathway and corresponding enzyme reactivity of A. fumigatus upon exposure to the human host may represent much needed prognostic indicators of fungal infection. To address this, we employed a multiplexed activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) approach coupled to quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to measure broad enzyme reactivity of the fungus cultured with and without human serum. ABPP showed a shift from aerobic respiration to ethanol fermentation and utilization over time in the presence of human serum, which was not observed in serum-free culture. Our approach provides direct insight into this pathogen's ability to survive, adapt, and proliferate. Additionally, our multiplexed ABPP approach captured a broad swath of enzyme reactivity and functional pathways and provides a method for rapid assessment of the A. fumigatus response to external stimuli.

Multiplexed Activity-based Protein Profiling of the Human Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus Reveals Large Functional Changes upon Exposure to Human Serum*

Science.gov (United States)

Wiedner, Susan D.; Burnum, Kristin E.; Pederson, LeeAnna M.; Anderson, Lindsey N.; Fortuin, Suereta; Chauvigné-Hines, Lacie M.; Shukla, Anil K.; Ansong, Charles; Panisko, Ellen A.; Smith, Richard D.; Wright, Aaron T.

2012-01-01

Environmental adaptability is critical for survival of the fungal human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus in the immunocompromised host lung. We hypothesized that exposure of the fungal pathogen to human serum would lead to significant alterations to the organism's physiology, including metabolic activity and stress response. Shifts in functional pathway and corresponding enzyme reactivity of A. fumigatus upon exposure to the human host may represent much needed prognostic indicators of fungal infection. To address this, we employed a multiplexed activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) approach coupled to quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to measure broad enzyme reactivity of the fungus cultured with and without human serum. ABPP showed a shift from aerobic respiration to ethanol fermentation and utilization over time in the presence of human serum, which was not observed in serum-free culture. Our approach provides direct insight into this pathogen's ability to survive, adapt, and proliferate. Additionally, our multiplexed ABPP approach captured a broad swath of enzyme reactivity and functional pathways and provides a method for rapid assessment of the A. fumigatus response to external stimuli. PMID:22865858

Human serum activates CIDEB-mediated lipid droplet enlargement in hepatoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singaravelu, Ragunath [Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6 (Canada); Lyn, Rodney K. [Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6 (Canada); Srinivasan, Prashanth [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6 (Canada); Delcorde, Julie [Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6 (Canada); Steenbergen, Rineke H.; Tyrrell, D. Lorne [Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta (Canada); Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, Katz Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2S2 (Canada); Pezacki, John P., E-mail: John.Pezacki@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca [Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6 (Canada)

2013-11-15

Highlights: •Human serum induced differentiation of hepatoma cells increases cellular lipid droplet (LD) size. •The observed increase in LD size correlates with increased PGC-1α and CIDEB expression. •Induction of CIDEB expression correlates with rescue of VLDL secretion and loss of ADRP. •siRNA knockdown of CIDEB impairs the human serum mediated increase in LD size. •This system represents a cost-efficient model to study CIDEB’s role in lipid biology. -- Abstract: Human hepatocytes constitutively express the lipid droplet (LD) associated protein cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector B (CIDEB). CIDEB mediates LD fusion, as well as very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) maturation. However, there are limited cell culture models readily available to study CIDEB’s role in these biological processes, as hepatoma cell lines express negligible levels of CIDEB. Recent work has highlighted the ability of human serum to differentiate hepatoma cells. Herein, we demonstrate that culturing Huh7.5 cells in media supplemented with human serum activates CIDEB expression. This activation occurs through the induced expression of PGC-1α, a positive transcriptional regulator of CIDEB. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy revealed a correlation between CIDEB levels and LD size in human serum treated Huh7.5 cells. Human serum treatment also resulted in a rapid decrease in the levels of adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP). Furthermore, individual overexpression of CIDEB was sufficient to down-regulate ADRP protein levels. siRNA knockdown of CIDEB revealed that the human serum mediated increase in LD size was CIDEB-dependent. Overall, our work highlights CIDEB’s role in LD fusion, and presents a new model system to study the PGC-1α/CIDEB pathway’s role in LD dynamics and the VLDL pathway.

Human serum activates CIDEB-mediated lipid droplet enlargement in hepatoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singaravelu, Ragunath; Lyn, Rodney K.; Srinivasan, Prashanth; Delcorde, Julie; Steenbergen, Rineke H.; Tyrrell, D. Lorne; Pezacki, John P.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Human serum induced differentiation of hepatoma cells increases cellular lipid droplet (LD) size. •The observed increase in LD size correlates with increased PGC-1α and CIDEB expression. •Induction of CIDEB expression correlates with rescue of VLDL secretion and loss of ADRP. •siRNA knockdown of CIDEB impairs the human serum mediated increase in LD size. •This system represents a cost-efficient model to study CIDEB’s role in lipid biology. -- Abstract: Human hepatocytes constitutively express the lipid droplet (LD) associated protein cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector B (CIDEB). CIDEB mediates LD fusion, as well as very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) maturation. However, there are limited cell culture models readily available to study CIDEB’s role in these biological processes, as hepatoma cell lines express negligible levels of CIDEB. Recent work has highlighted the ability of human serum to differentiate hepatoma cells. Herein, we demonstrate that culturing Huh7.5 cells in media supplemented with human serum activates CIDEB expression. This activation occurs through the induced expression of PGC-1α, a positive transcriptional regulator of CIDEB. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy revealed a correlation between CIDEB levels and LD size in human serum treated Huh7.5 cells. Human serum treatment also resulted in a rapid decrease in the levels of adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP). Furthermore, individual overexpression of CIDEB was sufficient to down-regulate ADRP protein levels. siRNA knockdown of CIDEB revealed that the human serum mediated increase in LD size was CIDEB-dependent. Overall, our work highlights CIDEB’s role in LD fusion, and presents a new model system to study the PGC-1α/CIDEB pathway’s role in LD dynamics and the VLDL pathway

Bacterial expression of human kynurenine 3-monooxygenase: Solubility, activity, purification☆

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, K.; Mole, D.J.; Binnie, M.; Homer, N.Z.M.; Zheng, X.; Yard, B.A.; Iredale, J.P.; Auer, M.; Webster, S.P.

2014-01-01

Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) is an enzyme central to the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism. KMO has been implicated as a therapeutic target in several disease states, including Huntington’s disease. Recombinant human KMO protein production is challenging due to the presence of transmembrane domains, which localise KMO to the outer mitochondrial membrane and render KMO insoluble in many in vitro expression systems. Efficient bacterial expression of human KMO would accelerate drug development of KMO inhibitors but until now this has not been achieved. Here we report the first successful bacterial (Escherichia coli) expression of active FLAG™-tagged human KMO enzyme expressed in the soluble fraction and progress towards its purification. PMID:24316190

DMEM enhances tyrosinase activity in B16 mouse melanoma cells and human melanocytes

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Panpen Diawpanich

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Media components may affect the activities of cultured cells. In this study, tyrosinase activity was evaluated by using B16-F10 mouse melanoma cell lines (B16-F10 and primary human melanocytes cultured in different media. An optical density measurement and a L-dopa reaction assay were used as the determination of the tyrosinase activity. The study of B16-F10 found the optical density to be 2010, 2246 and 2961 in cells cultured in RPMI Medium 1640 (RPMI1640,Minimum Essential Medium (MEM and Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM, respectively. Moreover, compared to RPMI 1640 and MEM, DMEM showed the darkest color of melanin formation in culture media and in cells after the L-dopa reaction assay. Addition of kojic acid showed a significant inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity in all media.Whereas MCDB153 showed no significant effect on human melanocytes, DMEM caused a dramatic increase in tyrosinase activity after 4 days of cultivation. Addition of kojic acid showed a significant tyrosinase inhibitory effect in DMEM only. Furthermore, an active ingredient in green tea, epigallocathechin gallate (EGCG could inhibit tyrosinase activity in both B16-F10 and human melanocytes cultured in DMEM. In summary, these results suggest that DMEM is a suitable medium that provides high detection sensitivity in a tyrosinase inhibition assay.

Xanthine oxidase activity regulates human embryonic brain cells growth

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Kevorkian G. A.

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Aim. Involvement of Xanthine Oxidase (XO; EC1.1.3.22 in cellular proliferation and differentiation has been suggested by the numerous investigations. We have proposed that XO might have undoubtedly important role during the development, maturation as well as the death of human embryos brain cells. Methods. Human abortion material was utilized for the cultivation of brain cells (E90. XO activity was measured by the formation of uric acid in tissue. Cell death was detected by the utility of Trypan Blue dye. Results. Allopurinol suppressed the XO activity in the brain tissue (0.12 ± 0.02; 0.20 ± 0.03 resp., p < 0.05. On day 12th the number of cells in the culture treated with the Allopurinol at the early stage of development was higher in comparison with the Control (2350.1 ± 199.0 vs 2123 ± 96 and higher in comparison with the late period of treatment (1479.6 ± 103.8, p < < 0.05. In all groups, the number of the dead cells was less than in Control, indicating the protective nature of Allopurinol as an inhibitor of XO. Conclusions. Allopurinol initiates cells proliferation in case of the early treatment of the human brain derived cell culture whereas at the late stages it has an opposite effect.

Energy-Efficient Real-Time Human Activity Recognition on Smart Mobile Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Lee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, human activity recognition (HAR plays an important role in wellness-care and context-aware systems. Human activities can be recognized in real-time by using sensory data collected from various sensors built in smart mobile devices. Recent studies have focused on HAR that is solely based on triaxial accelerometers, which is the most energy-efficient approach. However, such HAR approaches are still energy-inefficient because the accelerometer is required to run without stopping so that the physical activity of a user can be recognized in real-time. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for HAR process that controls the activity recognition duration for energy-efficient HAR. We investigated the impact of varying the acceleration-sampling frequency and window size for HAR by using the variable activity recognition duration (VARD strategy. We implemented our approach by using an Android platform and evaluated its performance in terms of energy efficiency and accuracy. The experimental results showed that our approach reduced energy consumption by a minimum of about 44.23% and maximum of about 78.85% compared to conventional HAR without sacrificing accuracy.

Understanding the Functionality of Human Activity Hotspots from Their Scaling Pattern Using Trajectory Data

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Tao Jia

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Human activity hotspots are the clusters of activity locations in space and time, and a better understanding of their functionality would be useful for urban land use planning and transportation. In this article, using trajectory data, we aim to infer the functionality of human activity hotspots from their scaling pattern in a reliable way. Specifically, a large number of stopping locations are extracted from trajectory data, which are then aggregated into activity hotspots. Activity hotspots are found to display scaling patterns in terms of the sublinear scaling relationships between the number of stopping locations and the number of points of interest (POIs, which indicates economies of scale of human interactions with urban land use. Importantly, this scaling pattern remains stable over time. This finding inspires us to devise an allometric ruler to identify the activity hotspots, whose functionality could be reliably estimated using the stopping locations. Thereafter, a novel Bayesian inference model is proposed to infer their urban functionality, which examines the spatial and temporal information of stopping locations covering 75 days. Experimental results suggest that the functionality of identified activity hotspots are reliably inferred by stopping locations, such as the railway station.

Action Search: Learning to Search for Human Activities in Untrimmed Videos

KAUST Repository

Alwassel, Humam

2017-06-13

Traditional approaches for action detection use trimmed data to learn sophisticated action detector models. Although these methods have achieved great success at detecting human actions, we argue that huge information is discarded when ignoring the process, through which this trimmed data is obtained. In this paper, we propose Action Search, a novel approach that mimics the way people annotate activities in video sequences. Using a Recurrent Neural Network, Action Search can efficiently explore a video and determine the time boundaries during which an action occurs. Experiments on the THUMOS14 dataset reveal that our model is not only able to explore the video efficiently but also accurately find human activities, outperforming state-of-the-art methods.

Opinion formation in a social network: The role of human activity

Science.gov (United States)

Grabowski, Andrzej

2009-03-01

The model of opinion formation in human population based on social impact theory is investigated numerically. On the basis of a database received from the on-line game server, we examine the structure of social network and human dynamics. We calculate the activity of individuals, i.e. the relative time devoted daily to interactions with others in the artificial society. We study the influence of correlation between the activity of an individual and its connectivity on the process of opinion formation. We find that such correlations have a significant influence on the temperature of the phase transition and the effect of the mass media, modeled as an external stimulation acting on the social network.

Human Secretory IgM Antibodies Activate Human Complement and Offer Protection at Mucosal Surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelsen, T E; Emilsen, S; Sandin, R H; Granerud, B K; Bratlie, D; Ihle, O; Sandlie, I

2017-01-01

IgM molecules circulate in serum as large polymers, mainly pentamers, which can be transported by the poly-Ig receptor (pIgR) across epithelial cells to mucosal surfaces and released as secretory IgM (SIgM). The mucosal SIgM molecules have non-covalently attached secretory component (SC), which is the extracellular part of pIgR which is cleaved from the epithelial cell membrane. Serum IgM antibodies do not contain SC and have previously been shown to make a conformational change from 'a star' to a 'staple' conformation upon reaction with antigens on a cell surface, enabling them to activate complement. However, it is not clear whether SIgM similarly can induce complement activation. To clarify this issue, we constructed recombinant chimeric (mouse/human) IgM antibodies against hapten 5-iodo-4-hydroxy-3-nitro-phenacetyl (NIP) and in addition studied polyclonal IgM formed after immunization with a meningococcal group B vaccine. The monoclonal and polyclonal IgM molecules were purified by affinity chromatography on a column containing human SC in order to isolate joining-chain (J-chain) containing IgM, followed by addition of excess amounts of soluble SC to create SIgM (IgM J+ SC+). These SIgM preparations were tested for complement activation ability and shown to be nearly as active as the parental IgM J+ molecules. Thus, SIgM may offer protection against pathogens at mucosal surface by complement-mediated cell lysis or by phagocytosis mediated by complement receptors present on effector cells on mucosa. © 2016 The Foundation for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

Fish invasions in the world's river systems: when natural processes are blurred by human activities.

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Fabien Leprieur

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Because species invasions are a principal driver of the human-induced biodiversity crisis, the identification of the major determinants of global invasions is a prerequisite for adopting sound conservation policies. Three major hypotheses, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive, have been proposed to explain the establishment of non-native species: the "human activity" hypothesis, which argues that human activities facilitate the establishment of non-native species by disturbing natural landscapes and by increasing propagule pressure; the "biotic resistance" hypothesis, predicting that species-rich communities will readily impede the establishment of non-native species; and the "biotic acceptance" hypothesis, predicting that environmentally suitable habitats for native species are also suitable for non-native species. We tested these hypotheses and report here a global map of fish invasions (i.e., the number of non-native fish species established per river basin using an original worldwide dataset of freshwater fish occurrences, environmental variables, and human activity indicators for 1,055 river basins covering more than 80% of Earth's surface. First, we identified six major invasion hotspots where non-native species represent more than a quarter of the total number of species. According to the World Conservation Union, these areas are also characterised by the highest proportion of threatened fish species. Second, we show that the human activity indicators account for most of the global variation in non-native species richness, which is highly consistent with the "human activity" hypothesis. In contrast, our results do not provide support for either the "biotic acceptance" or the "biotic resistance" hypothesis. We show that the biogeography of fish invasions matches the geography of human impact at the global scale, which means that natural processes are blurred by human activities in driving fish invasions in the world's river systems

Geo-spatial Cognition on Human's Social Activity Space Based on Multi-scale Grids

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ZHAI Weixin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Widely applied location aware devices, including mobile phones and GPS receivers, have provided great convenience for collecting large volume individuals' geographical information. The researches on the human's society behavior space has attracts an increasingly number of researchers. In our research, based on location-based Flickr data From 2004 to May, 2014 in China, we choose five levels of spatial grids to form the multi-scale frame for investigate the correlation between the scale and the geo-spatial cognition on human's social activity space. The HT-index is selected as the fractal inspired by Alexander to estimate the maturity of the society activity on different scales. The results indicate that that the scale characteristics are related to the spatial cognition to a certain extent. It is favorable to use the spatial grid as a tool to control scales for geo-spatial cognition on human's social activity space.

Development of organophosphate hydrolase activity in a bacterial homolog of human cholinesterase

Science.gov (United States)

Legler, Patricia; Boisvert, Susanne; Compton, Jaimee; Millard, Charles

2014-07-01

We applied a combination of rational design and directed evolution (DE) to Bacillus subtilis p-nitrobenzyl esterase (pNBE) with the goal of enhancing organophosphorus acid anhydride hydrolase (OPAAH) activity. DE started with a designed variant, pNBE A107H, carrying a histidine homologous with human butyrylcholinesterase G117H to find complementary mutations that further enhance its OPAAH activity. Five sites were selected (G105, G106, A107, A190, and A400) within a 6.7 Å radius of the nucleophilic serine O?. All 95 variants were screened for esterase activity with a set of five substrates: pNP-acetate, pNP-butyrate, acetylthiocholine, butyrylthiocholine, or benzoylthiocholine. A microscale assay for OPAAH activity was developed for screening DE libraries. Reductions in esterase activity were generally concomitant with enhancements in OPAAH activity. One variant, A107K, showed an unexpected 7-fold increase in its kcat/Km for benzoylthiocholine, demonstrating that it is also possible to enhance the cholinesterase activity of pNBE. Moreover, DE resulted in at least three variants with modestly enhanced OPAAH activity compared to wild type pNBE. A107H/A190C showed a 50-fold increase in paraoxonase activity and underwent a slow time- and temperature-dependent change affecting the hydrolysis of OPAA and ester substrates. Structural analysis suggests that pNBE may represent a precursor leading to human cholinesterase and carboxylesterase 1 through extension of two vestigial specificity loops; a preliminary attempt to transfer the Ω-loop of BChE into pNBE is described. pNBE was tested as a surrogate scaffold for mammalian esterases. Unlike butyrylcholinesterase and pNBE, introducing a G143H mutation (equivalent to G117H) did not confer detectable OP hydrolase activity on human carboxylesterase 1. We discuss the importance of the oxyanion-hole residues for enhancing the OPAAH activity of selected serine hydrolases.

In-vitro archaeacidal activity of biocides against human-associated archaea.

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Saber Khelaifia

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Several methanogenic archaea have been detected in the human intestinal microbiota. These intestinal archaea may contaminate medical devices such as colonoscopes. However, no biocide activity has been reported among these human-associated archaea. METHODOLOGY: The minimal archaeacidal concentration (MAC of peracetic acid, chlorhexidine, squalamine and twelve parent synthetic derivatives reported in this study was determined against five human-associated methanogenic archaea including Methanobrevibacter smithii, Methanobrevibacter oralis, Methanobrevibacter arboriphilicus, Methanosphaera stadtmanae, Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis and two environmental methanogens Methanobacterium beijingense and Methanosaeta concilii by using a serial dilution technique in Hungates tubes. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: MAC of squalamine derivative S1 was 0.05 mg/L against M. smithii strains, M. oralis, M. arboriphilicus, M. concilii and M. beijingense whereas MAC of squalamine and derivatives S2-S12 varied from 0.5 to 5 mg/L. For M. stadtmanae and M. luminyensis, MAC of derivative S1 was 0.1 mg/L and varied from 1 to ≥ 10 mg/L for squalamine and its parent derivatives S2-S12. Under the same experimental conditions, chlorhexidine and peracetic acid lead to a MAC of 0.2 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively against all tested archaea. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Squalamine derivative S1 exhibited a 10-200 higher archaeacidal activity than other tested squalamine derivatives, on the majority of human-associated archaea. As previously reported and due to their week corrosivity and their wide spectrum of antibacterial and antifungal properties, squalamine and more precisely derivative S1 appear as promising compounds to be further tested for the decontamination of medical devices contaminated by human-associated archaea.

Activation of the insular cortex during dynamic exercise in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Williamson, James; Nobrega, A C; McColl, R

1997-01-01

role as a site for regulation of autonomic activity. 2. Eight subjects were studied during voluntary active cycling and passively induced cycling. Additionally, four of the subjects underwent passive movement combined with electrical stimulation of the legs. 3. Increases in regional cerebral blood flow...... during active, but not passive cycling. There were no significant changes in rCBF for the right insula. Also, the magnitude of rCBF increase for leg primary motor areas was significantly greater for both active cycling and passive cycling combined with electrical stimulation compared with passive cycling...... alone. 5. These findings provide the first evidence of insular activation during dynamic exercise in humans, suggesting that the left insular cortex may serve as a site for cortical regulation of cardiac autonomic (parasympathetic) activity. Additionally, findings during passive cycling with electrical...

Human activated protein C variants in a rat model of arterial thrombosis

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Dahlbäck Björn

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Activated protein C (APC inhibits coagulation by degrading activated factor V (FVa and factor VIII (FVIIIa, protein S (PS functioning as a cofactor to APC. Methods By mutagenesis of the vitamin K-dependent Gla domain of APC, we have recently created an APC variant having enhanced anticoagulant activity due to increased affinity for negatively charged phospholipid membranes. In the present study, the potential antithrombotic effects of this APC variant, and of a variant APC that is additionally mutated in the serine protease domain, have been evaluated in a blind randomized study in a rat model of arterial thrombosis. In this model, we have previously found the combination of bovine APC and PS to be highly antithrombotic. Four treatment groups each containing 10 rats were, in a blind random fashion, given intravenous bolus injections of wild-type or mutant variants of APC (0.8 mg/kg together with human PS (0.6 mg/kg or human PS (0.6 mg/kg alone. A control group with 20 animals where given vehicle only. Results A trend to increased patency rates was noted in a group receiving one of the APC variants, but it did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion In conclusion, administration of human APC variants having enhanced anticoagulant efficacy together with human PS in a rat model of arterial thrombosis did not give an efficient antithrombotic effect. The lack of effect may be due to species-specific differences between the human protein C system and the rat hemostatic system.

Clinical and pathological observation of transcatheter embolization for uterine fibroids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiaoming; Du Juan; Zuo Yuewei; Sun Dawei; Hu Xiaoping; Lin Huahuan; Luo Pingfei; Hong Danhua

2001-01-01

Objective: To investigate the efficiency and safety of transcatheter uterine artery embolization (TUAE) as well as the pathological changes and it's significance after embolization. Methods: 44 cases of uterine fibroids were treated by TUAE using lipiodol-pingyangmycin emulsion (LPE) and Gelfoam sponge particle. Seven of 44 cases underwent hysterectomy or myomectomy from 1 to 6 weeks after TUAE. The specimens were studied to observe pathological changes of fibroids and myometrium. 37 of 44 patients were followed up for 1 to 6 months to observe the changes of fibroid size and uterine volume. The changes of ovarian function and myometrium after TUAE were found out by observation on mensis, test of ovarian hormone, premenstrual diagnostic curettage and pathology of the resected specimens. Results: Total improvement of symptoms occurred in 91.9%(34/37), including control of menorrhagia in 91.4%(32/35), disappearance of lumbago and lower abdominal pain in 85.3% (29/34), relief of frequency and urgency of micturition in 50.0%(7/14). Average decrease of fibroid and uterine volume at 6 months after TUAE was 61.3% and 50.6% respectively. No amenorrhea happened. Premenstrual diagnostic curettage showed secretory endometrium. There was no significant difference in ovarian hormone level before and after embolization. Pathological study showed that lipiodol was found to deposit in fibroids and was no seen in myometrium. Spotty necrosis 2 weeks occurred in fibroid and extensive patchy necrosis 3 weeks after embolization. The necrotic area became larger with elapse of time postoperative. Necrosis was not seen in myometrium. Conclusion: TUAE is a new, and effective procedure for uterine fibroid and LPE as an embolizing agent is safe without damage on myometrium

Alterations in calcium metabolism during human monocyte activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scully, S.P.

1984-01-01

Human peripheral blood monocytes have been prepared from plateletpheresis residues by counterflow centrifugal elutriation in sufficient quantities to enable quantitative studies of cell calcium. Kinetic analysis of 45 Ca exchange data in resting monocytes was compatible with a model of cellular calcium containing three exchangeable calcium pools. These pools are thought to represent a putative ectocellular pool, a putative cytoplasmic chelated pool, and a putative organelle sequestered pool. Exposure of monocytes to the plant lectin Con A at a concentration that maximally simulated superoxide production caused an increase in the size and a doubling in the exchange rate of the putative cytoplasmic pool without a change in the other cellular pools. The cytoplasmic ionized calcium, [Ca]/sub i/, measured with the fluorescent probe, Quin 2 rose from a resting level of 83 nM to 165 mN within 30 sec of exposure to Con A. This increase in cytoplasmic calcium preceded the release of superoxide radicals. Calcium transport and calcium ATPase activities were identified and characterized in plasma membrane vesicles prepared from monocytes. Both activities were strictly dependent on ATP and Mg, had a Km/sub Ca/ in the submicromolar range and were stimulated by calmodulin. Thus, it seems that monocyte calcium is in a dynamic steady state that is a balance between efflux and influx rates, and that the activation of these cells results in the transition to a new steady state. The alteration in [Ca]/sub i/ that accompany the new steady state are essential for superoxide production by human monocytes

HMM Adaptation for Improving a Human Activity Recognition System

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Rubén San-Segundo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available When developing a fully automatic system for evaluating motor activities performed by a person, it is necessary to segment and recognize the different activities in order to focus the analysis. This process must be carried out by a Human Activity Recognition (HAR system. This paper proposes a user adaptation technique for improving a HAR system based on Hidden Markov Models (HMMs. This system segments and recognizes six different physical activities (walking, walking upstairs, walking downstairs, sitting, standing and lying down using inertial signals from a smartphone. The system is composed of a feature extractor for obtaining the most relevant characteristics from the inertial signals, a module for training the six HMMs (one per activity, and the last module for segmenting new activity sequences using these models. The user adaptation technique consists of a Maximum A Posteriori (MAP approach that adapts the activity HMMs to the user, using some activity examples from this specific user. The main results on a public dataset have reported a significant relative error rate reduction of more than 30%. In conclusion, adapting a HAR system to the user who is performing the physical activities provides significant improvement in the system’s performance.

Deep Recurrent Neural Networks for Human Activity Recognition

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Abdulmajid Murad

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Adopting deep learning methods for human activity recognition has been effective in extracting discriminative features from raw input sequences acquired from body-worn sensors. Although human movements are encoded in a sequence of successive samples in time, typical machine learning methods perform recognition tasks without exploiting the temporal correlations between input data samples. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs address this issue by using convolutions across a one-dimensional temporal sequence to capture dependencies among input data. However, the size of convolutional kernels restricts the captured range of dependencies between data samples. As a result, typical models are unadaptable to a wide range of activity-recognition configurations and require fixed-length input windows. In this paper, we propose the use of deep recurrent neural networks (DRNNs for building recognition models that are capable of capturing long-range dependencies in variable-length input sequences. We present unidirectional, bidirectional, and cascaded architectures based on long short-term memory (LSTM DRNNs and evaluate their effectiveness on miscellaneous benchmark datasets. Experimental results show that our proposed models outperform methods employing conventional machine learning, such as support vector machine (SVM and k-nearest neighbors (KNN. Additionally, the proposed models yield better performance than other deep learning techniques, such as deep believe networks (DBNs and CNNs.

Human PrimPol activity is enhanced by RPA.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Jiménez, María I; Lahera, Antonio; Blanco, Luis

2017-04-10

Human PrimPol is a primase belonging to the AEP superfamily with the unique ability to synthesize DNA primers de novo, and a non-processive DNA polymerase able to bypass certain DNA lesions. PrimPol facilitates both mitochondrial and nuclear replication fork progression either acting as a conventional TLS polymerase, or repriming downstream of blocking lesions. In vivo assays have shown that PrimPol is rapidly recruited to sites of DNA damage by interaction with the human replication protein A (RPA). In agreement with previous findings, we show here that the higher affinity of RPA for ssDNA inhibits PrimPol activities in short ssDNA templates. In contrast, once the amount of ssDNA increases up to a length in which both proteins can simultaneously bind ssDNA, as expected during replicative stress conditions, PrimPol and RPA functionally interact, and their binding capacities are mutually enhanced. When using M13 ssDNA as template, RPA stimulated both the primase and polymerase activities of PrimPol, either alone or in synergy with Polε. These new findings supports the existence of a functional PrimPol/RPA association that allows repriming at the exposed ssDNA regions formed in the leading strand upon replicase stalling.

Deep Recurrent Neural Networks for Human Activity Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Murad, Abdulmajid; Pyun, Jae-Young

2017-11-06

Adopting deep learning methods for human activity recognition has been effective in extracting discriminative features from raw input sequences acquired from body-worn sensors. Although human movements are encoded in a sequence of successive samples in time, typical machine learning methods perform recognition tasks without exploiting the temporal correlations between input data samples. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) address this issue by using convolutions across a one-dimensional temporal sequence to capture dependencies among input data. However, the size of convolutional kernels restricts the captured range of dependencies between data samples. As a result, typical models are unadaptable to a wide range of activity-recognition configurations and require fixed-length input windows. In this paper, we propose the use of deep recurrent neural networks (DRNNs) for building recognition models that are capable of capturing long-range dependencies in variable-length input sequences. We present unidirectional, bidirectional, and cascaded architectures based on long short-term memory (LSTM) DRNNs and evaluate their effectiveness on miscellaneous benchmark datasets. Experimental results show that our proposed models outperform methods employing conventional machine learning, such as support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (KNN). Additionally, the proposed models yield better performance than other deep learning techniques, such as deep believe networks (DBNs) and CNNs.

Assessment of Nicotine Exposure From Active Human Cigarette Smoking Time

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Cahours Xavier

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The burning of a cigarette is a series of consecutive sequences of both passive and active burnings when a smoking cycle is applied to the cigarette. A previous study, using a smoking machine, showed that cigarette nicotine yields are dependent linearly on the difference between the time of smouldering (passive burning and the time of smoking (active burning. It is predicted that the smoker’s nicotine yield increases when the intensity of smoking increases, i.e., when the time to smoke a cigarette (smoking time decreases. Note that observations made on machines might not be comparable to human behaviours. The aim of this study was to determine whether nicotine mouth-level exposure could be predicted through measurement of human smoking time. A smoking behaviour study was conducted to compare human smoking nicotine yields obtained from both filter tip analysis and the cigarette burning time model. Results showed that smokers’ exposure to the smoke depends essentially on the speed at which the cigarette is smoked. An increase in human smoking intensity, resulting in a decrease in smoking time, generates an increase in smoke exposure, whatever the puff number, puff duration, puff volume and filter ventilation (open or blocked. The association of a machine smoking yield with a corresponding smoking time, and the time taken by a consumer to smoke the cigarette would provide information on the exposure to smoke constituents in a simple and effective manner.

[-25]A Similarity Analysis of Audio Signal to Develop a Human Activity Recognition Using Similarity Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Hernández, Alejandra; Galván-Tejada, Carlos E; Galván-Tejada, Jorge I; Celaya-Padilla, José M; Gamboa-Rosales, Hamurabi; Velasco-Elizondo, Perla; Cárdenas-Vargas, Rogelio

2017-11-21

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is one of the main subjects of study in the areas of computer vision and machine learning due to the great benefits that can be achieved. Examples of the study areas are: health prevention, security and surveillance, automotive research, and many others. The proposed approaches are carried out using machine learning techniques and present good results. However, it is difficult to observe how the descriptors of human activities are grouped. In order to obtain a better understanding of the the behavior of descriptors, it is important to improve the abilities to recognize the human activities. This paper proposes a novel approach for the HAR based on acoustic data and similarity networks. In this approach, we were able to characterize the sound of the activities and identify those activities looking for similarity in the sound pattern. We evaluated the similarity of the sounds considering mainly two features: the sound location and the materials that were used. As a result, the materials are a good reference classifying the human activities compared with the location.

Correlation between the dielectric properties and biological activities of human ex vivo hepatic tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hang; You, Fusheng; Fu, Feng; Dong, Xiuzhen; Shi, Xuetao; He, Yong; Yang, Min; Yan, Qingguo

2015-01-01

Dielectric properties are vital biophysical features of biological tissues, and biological activity is an index to ascertain the active state of tissues. This study investigated the potential correlation between the dielectric properties and biological activities of human hepatic tissue with prolonged ex vivo time through correlation and regression analyses. The dielectric properties of 26 cases of normal human hepatic tissue at 10 Hz to 100 MHz were measured from 15 min after isolation to 24 h at 37 °C with 90% humidity. Cell morphologies, including nucleus area (NA) and alteration rate of intercellular area (ICAR), were analyzed as indicators of biological activities. Conductivity, complex resistivity, and NA exhibited opposing changes 1 h after isolation. Relative permittivity and ex vivo time were not closely correlated (p > 0.05). The dielectric properties measured at low frequencies (i.e. <1 MHz) were more sensitive than those measured at high frequencies in reflecting the biological activity of ex vivo tissue. Highly significant correlations were found between conductivity, resistivity and the ex vivo time (p < 0.05) as well as conductivity and the cell morphology (p < 0.05). The findings indicated that establishing the correlation between the dielectric properties and biological activities of human hepatic tissue is of great significance for promoting the role of dielectric properties in biological science, particularly in human biology. (paper)

Bacterial expression of human kynurenine 3-monooxygenase: solubility, activity, purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, K; Mole, D J; Binnie, M; Homer, N Z M; Zheng, X; Yard, B A; Iredale, J P; Auer, M; Webster, S P

2014-03-01

Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) is an enzyme central to the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism. KMO has been implicated as a therapeutic target in several disease states, including Huntington's disease. Recombinant human KMO protein production is challenging due to the presence of transmembrane domains, which localise KMO to the outer mitochondrial membrane and render KMO insoluble in many in vitro expression systems. Efficient bacterial expression of human KMO would accelerate drug development of KMO inhibitors but until now this has not been achieved. Here we report the first successful bacterial (Escherichia coli) expression of active FLAG™-tagged human KMO enzyme expressed in the soluble fraction and progress towards its purification. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Through-wall bio-radio location and characterization of human activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Lei; Gui, Yong-Sheng; Hu, Can-Ming

2016-01-01

In this paper, a through-the-wall life detection system has been developed by using a broadband microwave technique. This system can not only determine and characterize human movement behind an obstacle but also determine the person’s position by employing the Fourier transform technique. The effectiveness of this system is shown by the experimental results where the presence of stationary and moving person behind an obstacle can be identified upto a distance of 17 and 30 m respectively. Since the movement of a human body is continuous, an averaged background subtraction technique has been developed which allows real time detection of human activities without requiring any prior knowledge of the environment, thus making the system suitable for practical applications. (paper)

Application of cultured human mast cells (CHMC) for the design and structure-activity relationship of IgE-mediated mast cell activation inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Argade, Ankush; Bhamidipati, Somasekhar; Li, Hui; Carroll, David; Clough, Jeffrey; Keim, Holger; Sylvain, Catherine; Rossi, Alexander B; Coquilla, Christina; Issakani, Sarkiz D; Masuda, Esteban S; Payan, Donald G; Singh, Rajinder

2015-01-01

Here we report the optimization of small molecule inhibitors of human mast cell degranulation via anti-IgE-mediated tryptase release following cross-linking and activation of IgE-loaded FcεR1 receptors. The compounds are selective upstream inhibitors of FcεR1-dependent human mast cell degranulation and proved to be devoid of activity in downstream ionomycin mediated degranulation. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) leading to compound 26 is outlined. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Novel Class of Small Molecule Agonists with Preference for Human over Mouse TLR4 Activation.

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Jason D Marshall

Full Text Available The best-characterized Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 ligands are lipopolysaccharide (LPS and its chemically modified and detoxified variant, monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL. Although both molecules are active for human TLR4, they demonstrate a potency preference for mouse TLR4 based on data from transfected cell lines and primary cells of both species. After a high throughput screening process of small molecule libraries, we have discovered a new class of TLR4 agonist with a species preference profile differing from MPL. Products of the 4-component Ugi synthesis reaction were demonstrated to potently trigger human TLR4-transfected HEK cells but not mouse TLR4, although inclusion of the human MD2 with mTLR4 was able to partially recover activity. Co-expression of CD14 was not required for optimal activity of Ugi compounds on transfected cells, as it is for LPS. The species preference profile for the panel of Ugi compounds was found to be strongly active for human and cynomolgus monkey primary cells, with reduced but still substantial activity for most Ugi compounds on guinea pig cells. Mouse, rat, rabbit, ferret, and cotton rat cells displayed little or no activity when exposed to Ugi compounds. However, engineering the human versions of TLR4 and MD2 to be expressed in mTLR4/MD2 deficient mice allowed for robust activity by Ugi compounds both in vitro and in vivo. These findings extend the range of compounds available for development as agonists of TLR4 and identify novel molecules which reverse the TLR4 triggering preference of MPL for mouse TLR4 over human TLR4. Such compounds may be amenable to formulation as more potent human-specific TLR4L-based adjuvants than typical MPL-based adjuvants.

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis for trace elements evaluation of human milk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gill, K.P.; Zaidi, J.H.; Ahmad, S.

2003-01-01

The principal objective pursued in this study is to establish the base-line data on the status of elemental composition in human milk from Pakistani subjects of Rawalpindi/Islamabad area. Radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) methodology was developed and successfully employed to determine the concentration of 18 minor and trace elements (essential, toxic and nonessential) in human milk. This methodology has significantly improved the detection limits of most of these elements due to suppression of Compton background. The data provide the base-line values of these elements in human milk of low- and medium-income group subjects of the region. The results obtained show good compatibility with the data reported by the WHO on elemental composition of human milk from different geological regions. (orig.)

Definitive characterization of human thymine glycol N-glycosylase activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higgins, S.A.; Frenkel, K.; Cummings, A.; Teebor, G.W.

1987-01-01

An N-glycosylase activity that released cis-[ 3 H]-5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydrothymine (thymine glycol, TG) from chemically oxidized poly(dA-[ 3 H]dT) was unambiguously characterized both in extracts of HeLa cells and in purified Escherichia coli endonuclease III. This was accomplished by use of a microderivatization procedure that quantitatively converted cis-TG to 5-hydroxy-5-methylhydantoin (HMH). The reaction products were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography before and after derivation by using cis-[ 14 C]TG and [ 14 C]HMH, which had been independently synthesized, as reference compounds. This technique facilitated construction of a v/[E]/sub t/ plot for the enzyme activity in HeLa cells, permitting estimation of its specific activity. The results obtained prove the existence of both human and bacterial N-glycosylase activities that effect removal of TG from DNA

Activity of the hypoxia-activated prodrug, TH-302, in preclinical human acute myeloid leukemia models.

Science.gov (United States)

Portwood, Scott; Lal, Deepika; Hsu, Yung-Chun; Vargas, Rodrigo; Johnson, Megan K; Wetzler, Meir; Hart, Charles P; Wang, Eunice S

2013-12-01

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic neoplasm. Recent evidence has shown the bone marrow microenvironment in patients with AML to be intrinsically hypoxic. Adaptive cellular responses by leukemia cells to survive under low oxygenation also confer chemoresistance. We therefore asked whether therapeutic exploitation of marrow hypoxia via the hypoxia-activated nitrogen mustard prodrug, TH-302, could effectively inhibit AML growth. We assessed the effects of hypoxia and TH-302 on human AML cells, primary samples, and systemic xenograft models. We observed that human AML cells and primary AML colonies cultured under chronic hypoxia (1% O2, 72 hours) exhibited reduced sensitivity to cytarabine-induced apoptosis as compared with normoxic controls. TH-302 treatment resulted in dose- and hypoxia-dependent apoptosis and cell death in diverse AML cells. TH-302 preferentially decreased proliferation, reduced HIF-1α expression, induced cell-cycle arrest, and enhanced double-stranded DNA breaks in hypoxic AML cells. Hypoxia-induced reactive oxygen species by AML cells were also diminished. In systemic human AML xenografts (HEL, HL60), TH-302 [50 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) 5 times per week] inhibited disease progression and prolonged overall survival. TH-302 treatment reduced the number of hypoxic cells within leukemic bone marrows and was not associated with hematologic toxicities in nonleukemic or leukemic mice. Later initiation of TH-302 treatment in advanced AML disease was as effective as earlier TH-302 treatment in xenograft models. Our results establish the preclinical activity of TH-302 in AML and provide the rationale for further clinical studies of this and other hypoxia-activated agents for leukemia therapy. ©2013 AACR.

Early development of synchrony in cortical activations in the human.

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Koolen, N; Dereymaeker, A; Räsänen, O; Jansen, K; Vervisch, J; Matic, V; Naulaers, G; De Vos, M; Van Huffel, S; Vanhatalo, S

2016-05-13

Early intermittent cortical activity is thought to play a crucial role in the growth of neuronal network development, and large scale brain networks are known to provide the basis for higher brain functions. Yet, the early development of the large scale synchrony in cortical activations is unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the early intermittent cortical activations seen in the human scalp EEG show a clear developmental course during the last trimester of pregnancy, the period of intensive growth of cortico-cortical connections. We recorded scalp EEG from altogether 22 premature infants at post-menstrual age between 30 and 44 weeks, and the early cortical synchrony was quantified using recently introduced activation synchrony index (ASI). The developmental correlations of ASI were computed for individual EEG signals as well as anatomically and mathematically defined spatial subgroups. We report two main findings. First, we observed a robust and statistically significant increase in ASI in all cortical areas. Second, there were significant spatial gradients in the synchrony in fronto-occipital and left-to-right directions. These findings provide evidence that early cortical activity is increasingly synchronized across the neocortex. The ASI-based metrics introduced in our work allow direct translational comparison to in vivo animal models, as well as hold promise for implementation as a functional developmental biomarker in future research on human neonates. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Amplification of a transcriptionally active DNA sequence in the human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakovlev, A.G.; Sazonov, A.E.; Spunde, A.Ya.; Gindilis, V.M.

1986-01-01

The authors present their findings of tissue-specific amplification of a DNA fragment actively transcribed in the human brain. This genome fragment was found in the library complement of cDNA of the human brain and evidently belongs to a new class of moderate repetitions of DNA with an unstable copying capacity in the human genome. The authors isolated total cell RNA from various human tissues (brain, placenta), and rat tissues (brain, liver), by the method of hot phenol extraction with guanidine thiocynate. The poly(A + ) RNA fraction was isolated by chromatography. Synthesis of cDNA was done on a matrix of poly(A + ) RNA of human brain. The cDNA obtained was cloned in plasmid pBR322 for the PstI site using (dC/dG) sequences synthesized on the 3' ends of the vector molecule and cDNA respectively. In cloning 75 ng cDNA, the authors obtained approximately 10 5 recombinant. This library was analyzed by the hybridization method on columns with two radioactive ( 32 P) probes: the total cDNA preparation and the total nuclear DNA from the human brain. The number of copies of the cloned DNA fragment in the genome was determined by dot hybridization. Restricting fragments of human and rat DNA genomes homologous to the cloned cDNA were identified on radio-autographs. In each case, 10 micrograms of EcoRI DNA hydrolyzate was fractionated in 1% agarose gel. The probe was also readied with RNA samples fractionated in agarose gel with formaldehyde and transferred to a nitrocellulose filter under weak vacuum. The filter was hybridized with 0.1 micrograms DNA pAG 02, labeled with ( 32 P) to a specific activity of 0.5-1 x 10 9 counts/min x microgram. The autograph was exposed with amplifying screens at -70 0 C for 2 days

Active numerical model of human body for reconstruction of falls from height.

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Milanowicz, Marcin; Kędzior, Krzysztof

2017-01-01

Falls from height constitute the largest group of incidents out of approximately 90,000 occupational accidents occurring each year in Poland. Reconstruction of the exact course of a fall from height is generally difficult due to lack of sufficient information from the accident scene. This usually results in several contradictory versions of an incident and impedes, for example, determination of the liability in a judicial process. In similar situations, in many areas of human activity, researchers apply numerical simulation. They use it to model physical phenomena to reconstruct their real course over time; e.g. numerical human body models are frequently used for investigation and reconstruction of road accidents. However, they are validated in terms of specific road traffic accidents and are considerably limited when applied to the reconstruction of other types of accidents. The objective of the study was to develop an active numerical human body model to be used for reconstruction of accidents associated with falling from height. Development of the model involved extension and adaptation of the existing Pedestrian human body model (available in the MADYMO package database) for the purposes of reconstruction of falls from height by taking into account the human reaction to the loss of balance. The model was developed by using the results of experimental tests of the initial phase of the fall from height. The active numerical human body model covering 28 sets of initial conditions related to various human reactions to the loss of balance was developed. The application of the model was illustrated by using it to reconstruct a real fall from height. From among the 28 sets of initial conditions, those whose application made it possible to reconstruct the most probable version of the incident was selected. The selection was based on comparison of the results of the reconstruction with information contained in the accident report. Results in the form of estimated

Anti-proliferation activity of terpenoids isolated from Euphorbia kansui in human cancer cells and their structure-activity relationship.

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Hou, Jin-Jun; Shen, Yao; Yang, Zhou; Fang, Lin; Cai, Lu-Ying; Yao, Shuai; Long, Hua-Li; Wu, Wan-Ying; Guo, De-An

2017-10-01

Euphorbia kansui is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of edema, pleural effusion, and asthma, etc. According to the previous researches, terpenoids in E. kansui possess various biological activities, e.g., anti-virus, anti-allergy, antitumor effects. In this work, twenty five terpenoids were isolated from E. kansui, including thirteen ingenane- and eight jatrophane-type diterpenoids (with two new compounds, kansuinin P and Q) and four triterpenoids. Eighteen of them were analyzed by MTS assay for in vitro anticancer activity in five human cancer cell lines. Structure-activity relationship for 12 ingenane-type diterpenoids in colorectal cancer Colo205 cells were preliminary studied. Significant anti-proliferation activities were observed in human melanoma cells breast cancer MDA-MB-435 cells and Colo205 cells. More than half of the isolated ingenane-type diterpenoids showed inhibitory activities in MDA-MB-435 cells. Eight ingenane- and one jatrophane-type diterpenoids possessed much lower IC 50 values in MDA-MB-435 cells than positive control staurosporine. Preliminary structure-activity relationship analysis showed that substituent on position 20 was important for the activity of ingenane-type diterpenoids in Colo205 cells and substituent on position 3 contributed more significant biological activity of the compounds than that on position 5 in both MDA-MB-435 and Colo205 cells. Copyright © 2017 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Human activities and climate and environment changes: an inevitable relation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, Aretha

2009-01-01

The human interference in the environment and the consequent climate change is today a consensus. The climate change can be local, regional and global. The global climate change is mainly caused by the greenhouse gases, and consequently the climate change intervenes in the environment. The interference cycle emerges in several forms and results in several consequences. However, the Global Warming has certainly the most import global impact. The main cause of the increase in the temperature (Greenhouse Effect) is the intensive use of the fossil fuels. Thus, to minimize the climatic changes actions are necessary to reduce, to substitute and to use with more efficient the fossil fuels. Looking at the past, the old agriculturists may have released greenhouse gases since thousand years ago, thus, modifying slowly but in significant form the earth climate much before the Industrial Age. If this theory is confirmed, its consequences would be decisive for the man history in the planet. For example, in parts of the North America and Europe the current temperatures could be even four Celsius degrees smaller. This change in temperature is enough to hinder agricultural used of these regions and consequently to diminish the human development. The main focus of this work is to perform a retrospective in some of civilizations who collapse due to environmental problems and make a historical description of the human activities (agriculture and livestock) since the primordium of the man up to the Industrial Age, aiming at the man interference on the natural dynamics of the global climate and the environment. This work will show through data comparisons and inferences that the gases emissions from these activities had a significant magnitude comparatively by the emissions after the Industrial Age. It is also demonstrated that the climate and environment interference was inevitable because the human evolution was caused by these activities. Another important point of this work is to

A triboelectric motion sensor in wearable body sensor network for human activity recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Hui Huang; Xian Li; Ye Sun

2016-08-01

The goal of this study is to design a novel triboelectric motion sensor in wearable body sensor network for human activity recognition. Physical activity recognition is widely used in well-being management, medical diagnosis and rehabilitation. Other than traditional accelerometers, we design a novel wearable sensor system based on triboelectrification. The triboelectric motion sensor can be easily attached to human body and collect motion signals caused by physical activities. The experiments are conducted to collect five common activity data: sitting and standing, walking, climbing upstairs, downstairs, and running. The k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) clustering algorithm is adopted to recognize these activities and validate the feasibility of this new approach. The results show that our system can perform physical activity recognition with a successful rate over 80% for walking, sitting and standing. The triboelectric structure can also be used as an energy harvester for motion harvesting due to its high output voltage in random low-frequency motion.

Active role of a human genomic insert in replication of a yeast artificial chromosome.

Science.gov (United States)

van Brabant, A J; Fangman, W L; Brewer, B J

1999-06-01

Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) are a common tool for cloning eukaryotic DNA. The manner by which large pieces of foreign DNA are assimilated by yeast cells into a functional chromosome is poorly understood, as is the reason why some of them are stably maintained and some are not. We examined the replication of a stable YAC containing a 240-kb insert of DNA from the human T-cell receptor beta locus. The human insert contains multiple sites that serve as origins of replication. The activity of these origins appears to require the yeast ARS consensus sequence and, as with yeast origins, additional flanking sequences. In addition, the origins in the human insert exhibit a spacing, a range of activation efficiencies, and a variation in times of activation during S phase similar to those found for normal yeast chromosomes. We propose that an appropriate combination of replication origin density, activation times, and initiation efficiencies is necessary for the successful maintenance of YAC inserts.

Human activities on the deep seafloor in the North East Atlantic: an assessment of spatial extent.

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Angela R Benn

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Environmental impacts of human activities on the deep seafloor are of increasing concern. While activities within waters shallower than 200 m have been the focus of previous assessments of anthropogenic impacts, no study has quantified the extent of individual activities or determined the relative severity of each type of impact in the deep sea. METHODOLOGY: The OSPAR maritime area of the North East Atlantic was chosen for the study because it is considered to be one of the most heavily impacted by human activities. In addition, it was assumed data would be accessible and comprehensive. Using the available data we map and estimate the spatial extent of five major human activities in the North East Atlantic that impact the deep seafloor: submarine communication cables, marine scientific research, oil and gas industry, bottom trawling and the historical dumping of radioactive waste, munitions and chemical weapons. It was not possible to map military activities. The extent of each activity has been quantified for a single year, 2005. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Human activities on the deep seafloor of the OSPAR area of the North Atlantic are significant but their footprints vary. Some activities have an immediate impact after which seafloor communities could re-establish, while others can continue to make an impact for many years and the impact could extend far beyond the physical disturbance. The spatial extent of waste disposal, telecommunication cables, the hydrocarbon industry and marine research activities is relatively small. The extent of bottom trawling is very significant and, even on the lowest possible estimates, is an order of magnitude greater than the total extent of all the other activities. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To meet future ecosystem-based management and governance objectives for the deep sea significant improvements are required in data collection and availability as well as a greater awareness of the relative impact of

Tracking a Subset of Skeleton Joints: An Effective Approach towards Complex Human Activity Recognition

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Muhammad Latif Anjum

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present a robust algorithm for complex human activity recognition for natural human-robot interaction. The algorithm is based on tracking the position of selected joints in human skeleton. For any given activity, only a few skeleton joints are involved in performing the activity, so a subset of joints contributing the most towards the activity is selected. Our approach of tracking a subset of skeleton joints (instead of tracking the whole skeleton is computationally efficient and provides better recognition accuracy. We have developed both manual and automatic approaches for the selection of these joints. The position of the selected joints is tracked for the duration of the activity and is used to construct feature vectors for each activity. Once the feature vectors have been constructed, we use a Support Vector Machines (SVM multiclass classifier for training and testing the algorithm. The algorithm has been tested on a purposely built dataset of depth videos recorded using Kinect camera. The dataset consists of 250 videos of 10 different activities being performed by different users. Experimental results show classification accuracy of 83% when tracking all skeleton joints, 95% when using manual selection of subset joints, and 89% when using automatic selection of subset joints.

The impact of the human DNA topoisomerase II C-terminal domain on activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma L Meczes

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Type II DNA topoisomerases (topos are essential enzymes needed for the resolution of topological problems that occur during DNA metabolic processes. Topos carry out an ATP-dependent strand passage reaction whereby one double helix is passed through a transient break in another. Humans have two topoII isoforms, alpha and beta, which while enzymatically similar are differentially expressed and regulated, and are thought to have different cellular roles. The C-terminal domain (CTD of the enzyme has the most diversity, and has been implicated in regulation. We sought to investigate the impact of the CTD domain on activity.We have investigated the role of the human topoII C-terminal domain by creating constructs encoding C-terminally truncated recombinant topoIIalpha and beta and topoIIalpha+beta-tail and topoIIbeta+alpha-tail chimeric proteins. We then investigated function in vivo in a yeast system, and in vitro in activity assays. We find that the C-terminal domain of human topoII isoforms is needed for in vivo function of the enzyme, but not needed for cleavage activity. C-terminally truncated enzymes had similar strand passage activity to full length enzymes, but the presence of the opposite C-terminal domain had a large effect, with the topoIIalpha-CTD increasing activity, and the topoIIbeta-CTD decreasing activity.In vivo complementation data show that the topoIIalpha C-terminal domain is needed for growth, but the topoIIbeta isoform is able to support low levels of growth without a C-terminal domain. This may indicate that topoIIbeta has an additional localisation signal. In vitro data suggest that, while the lack of any C-terminal domain has little effect on activity, the presence of either the topoIIalpha or beta C-terminal domain can affect strand passage activity. Data indicates that the topoIIbeta-CTD may be a negative regulator. This is the first report of in vitro data with chimeric human topoIIs.

Depth-based human activity recognition: A comparative perspective study on feature extraction

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Heba Hamdy Ali

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Depth Maps-based Human Activity Recognition is the process of categorizing depth sequences with a particular activity. In this problem, some applications represent robust solutions in domains such as surveillance system, computer vision applications, and video retrieval systems. The task is challenging due to variations inside one class and distinguishes between activities of various classes and video recording settings. In this study, we introduce a detailed study of current advances in the depth maps-based image representations and feature extraction process. Moreover, we discuss the state of art datasets and subsequent classification procedure. Also, a comparative study of some of the more popular depth-map approaches has provided in greater detail. The proposed methods are evaluated on three depth-based datasets “MSR Action 3D”, “MSR Hand Gesture”, and “MSR Daily Activity 3D”. Experimental results achieved 100%, 95.83%, and 96.55% respectively. While combining depth and color features on “RGBD-HuDaAct” Dataset, achieved 89.1%. Keywords: Activity recognition, Depth, Feature extraction, Video, Human body detection, Hand gesture

Molecular analysis of human papillomavirus virus-like particle activated Langerhans cells in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodham, Andrew W; Raff, Adam B; Da Silva, Diane M; Kast, W Martin

2015-01-01

Langerhans cells (LC) are the resident antigen-presenting cells in human epithelium, and are therefore responsible for initiating immune responses against human papillomaviruses (HPV) entering the epithelial and mucosal layers in vivo. Upon proper pathogenic stimulation, LC become activated causing an internal signaling cascade that results in the up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and the release of inflammatory cytokines. Activated LC then migrate to lymph nodes where they interact with antigen-specific T cells and initiate an adaptive T-cell response. However, HPV manipulates LC in a suppressive manner that alters these normal maturation responses. Here, in vitro LC activation assays for the detection of phosphorylated signaling intermediates, the up-regulation of activation-associated surface markers, and the release of inflammatory cytokines in response to HPV particles are described.

Enhanced stimulus-induced gamma activity in humans during propofol-induced sedation.

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Neeraj Saxena

Full Text Available Stimulus-induced gamma oscillations in the 30-80 Hz range have been implicated in a wide number of functions including visual processing, memory and attention. While occipital gamma-band oscillations can be pharmacologically modified in animal preparations, pharmacological modulation of stimulus-induced visual gamma oscillations has yet to be demonstrated in non-invasive human recordings. Here, in fifteen healthy humans volunteers, we probed the effects of the GABAA agonist and sedative propofol on stimulus-related gamma activity recorded with magnetoencephalography, using a simple visual grating stimulus designed to elicit gamma oscillations in the primary visual cortex. During propofol sedation as compared to the normal awake state, a significant 60% increase in stimulus-induced gamma amplitude was seen together with a 94% enhancement of stimulus-induced alpha suppression and a simultaneous reduction in the amplitude of the pattern-onset evoked response. These data demonstrate, that propofol-induced sedation is accompanied by increased stimulus-induced gamma activity providing a potential window into mechanisms of gamma-oscillation generation in humans.

Physical activity is associated with retained muscle metabolism in human myotubes challenged with palmitate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Green, C J; Bunprajun, T; Pedersen, B K

2013-01-01

in satellite cells challenged with palmitate. Although the benefits of physical activity on whole body physiology have been well investigated, this paper presents novel findings that both diet and exercise impact satellite cells directly. Given the fact that satellite cells are important for muscle maintenance......  The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical activity is associated with preserved muscle metabolism in human myotubes challenged with saturated fatty acids. Human muscle satellite cells were isolated from sedentary or active individuals and differentiated into myocytes in culture...... and correlated positively to JNK phosphorylation. In conclusion, muscle satellite cells retain metabolic differences associated with physical activity. Physical activity partially protects myocytes from fatty acid-induced insulin resistance and inactivity is associated with dysregulation of metabolism...

Effects of PVA-coated nanoparticles on human T helper cell activity.

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Strehl, Cindy; Schellmann, Saskia; Maurizi, Lionel; Hofmann-Amtenbrink, Margarethe; Häupl, Thomas; Hofmann, Heinrich; Buttgereit, Frank; Gaber, Timo

2016-03-14

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) are used as high-sensitive enhancer for magnetic resonance imaging, where they represent a promising tool for early diagnosis of destructive diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since we could demonstrate that professional phagocytes are activated by amino-polyvinyl-alcohol-coated-SPION (a-PVA-SPION), the study here focuses on the influence of a-PVA-SPION on human T cells activity. Therefore, primary human CD4+ T cells from RA patients and healthy subjects were treated with varying doses of a-PVA-SPION for 20h or 72h. T cells were then analyzed for apoptosis, cellular energy, expression of the activation marker CD25 and cell proliferation. Although, we observed that T cells from RA patients are more susceptible to low-dose a-PVA-SPION-induced apoptosis than T cells from healthy subjects, in both groups a-PVA-SPION do not activate CD4+ T cells per se and do not influence mitogen-mediated T cells activation with regard to CD25 expression and cell proliferation. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that CD4+ T cells from RA patients and healthy subjects differ in their response to mitogen stimulation and oxygen availability. We conclude from our data, that a-PVA-SPION do neither activate nor significantly influence mitogen-stimulated CD4+ T cells activation and have negligible influence on T cells apoptosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural and functional analyses of DNA-sensing and immune activation by human cGAS.

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Kato, Kazuki; Ishii, Ryohei; Goto, Eiji; Ishitani, Ryuichiro; Tokunaga, Fuminori; Nureki, Osamu

2013-01-01

The detection of cytosolic DNA, derived from pathogens or host cells, by cytosolic receptors is essential for appropriate host immune responses. Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is a newly identified cytosolic DNA receptor that produces cyclic GMP-AMP, which activates stimulator of interferon genes (STING), resulting in TBK1-IRF3 pathway activation followed by the production of type I interferons. Here we report the crystal structure of human cGAS. The structure revealed that a cluster of lysine and arginine residues forms the positively charged DNA binding surface of human cGAS, which is important for the STING-dependent immune activation. A structural comparison with other previously determined cGASs and our functional analyses suggested that a conserved zinc finger motif and a leucine residue on the DNA binding surface are crucial for the DNA-specific immune response of human cGAS, consistent with previous work. These structural features properly orient the DNA binding to cGAS, which is critical for DNA-induced cGAS activation and STING-dependent immune activation. Furthermore, we showed that the cGAS-induced activation of STING also involves the activation of the NF-κB and IRF3 pathways. Our results indicated that cGAS is a DNA sensor that efficiently activates the host immune system by inducing two distinct pathways.