Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progesterone Receptor Immunohistochemical Quantitation Compared With Cytosolic Assay: Correlation With Prognosis in Breast Cancer

Quantitation of estrogen and progesterone receptors (PR) represents the standard of care in the treatment of patients with breast cancer. Historically this was performed by cytosolic assay; current methods utilize immunohistochemical staining, which may be quantitated visually or by image cytometry. Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded sections from 95 breast carcinomas were immunostained with an avidin-biotin complex technique, steam antigen retrieval, and a monoclonal PR antibody (1/40 Biogenex). Nuclear immunostain was quantitated visually as the percentage of immunopositive nuclei, scored as 0 to 4. By image cytometry, the percentage of positively staining nuclear area (PPNA) was determined in 15 hpf using the CAS 200 Image Analyzer. Dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) ligand binding assay data were divided into negative (<10 fmol), low positive (10–50), or positive (>50). A statistically significant correlation was found between stage (P = 0.0001), the presence of nodal metastases (P = 0.0001), cytosolic assay (P = 0.036), image cytometry (P = 0.01), and disease-free survival. Only stage (P = 0.0001) and PR quantitation per cytosolic assay (P = 0.0001) correlated with overall survival. The method of choice for the assessment of PR hormone status in breast carcinomas is the DCC ligand binding assay. This method correlates with both survival and disease-free survival. Image cytometric quantitation of PR immunohistochemical staining correlates only with disease-free survival. The commonly used method of visual quantitation of PR immunostaining fails to relate either to survival or disease-free survival.
Aalborg Universitet Part-based Pedestrian Detection and Feature-based Tracking for Driver Assistance

Detecting pedestrians is still a challenging task for automotive vision systems due to the extreme variability of targets, lighting conditions, occlusion, and high-speed vehicle motion. Much research has been focused on this problem in the last ten years and detectors based on classifiers have gained a special place among the different approaches presented. This paper presents a state-of-the-art pedestrian detection system based on a two-stage classifier. Candidates are extracted with a Haar cascade classifier trained with the Daimler Detection Benchmark data set and then validated through a part-based histogram-of-orientedgradient (HOG) classifier with the aim of lowering the number of false positives. The surviving candidates are then filtered with feature-based tracking to enhance the recognition robustness and improve the results’ stability. The system has been implemented on a prototype vehicle and offers high performance in terms of several metrics, such as detection rate, false positives per hour, and frame rate. The novelty of this system relies on the combination of a HOG part-based approach, tracking based on a specific optimized feature, and porting on a real prototype.
Work engagement, psychological contract breach and job satisfaction

This study extends both Social Exchange Theory and the Job Demands–Resources model by examining the link between psychological contract breach (PCB) and work engagement, and by integrating job satisfaction into this exchange relationship. We argue that PCB reflects employees' feelings of resource loss, and that these feelings impact work engagement through their impact on job satisfaction. Levels of employee work engagement can therefore be viewed as reciprocation for the exchange content provided by employers. We conduct structural equation modeling on longitudinal survey data from 191 employees, and our results suggest that the negative effect of PCB on work engagement is mediated by job satisfaction.
Greed vs. Love of Science in Young Economists A Field Experiment

This paper reports a field experiment involving manipulation of invitations to register in an experimental economics subject database. Two types of invitations were sent, one emphasizing pecuniary and the other non-pecuniary benefits of participation. It was found that first-year economicsmajors weremuch more money-oriented, i.e. relatively more attracted by the first type of invitation, than any other group. This supports the view that the often-observed selfishness of economists results from selection and, if anything, is mitigated by training.
The effect of feeding different levels of dried tomato pomace on the performance of Rhode Island Red (RIR) grower chicks

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding dried tomato pomace (DTP) with commercial ration on the performance of Rhode Island Red (RIR) grower chicks. A total of one hundred RIR grower chicks at eight weeks of age were grouped into 20 pens of 5 chicks each, and randomly assigned to five treatments (control; 5% DTP; 10% DTP; 15% DTP; 20% DTP) according to a completely randomized design (RCD). Birds fed on 5, 10, 15 and 20% DTP had higher dry matter intake (72.93, 72.75, 72.98 and 73.15 g/bird/day) than the control group (72.10 g/bird/day). The daily body weight gain of birds ranged from 13.3 to 15.3 g/day, the highest being on birds fed on 5% DTP; The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of birds were 5.3, 4.8, 5.0, 5.3 and 5.5 for the control and for birds that consumed 5, 10, 15, and 20% DTP, respectively, with significant difference observed between 5 and 20% DTP. The economic efficiency of the experimental diets was 1.35, 1.79, 1.80, 1.78 and 1.82 for a group fed on the control, 5, 10, 15 and 20% DTP, respectively. There was a higher significant (p<0.05) difference on a group fed on DTP and the control diet. 20% DTP brought the highest economic efficiency among the groups. Based on this, it could be concluded that dried tomato pomace could be incorporated in grower chick rations at the level of 20% without any adverse effect on growth performance in order to increase the economic efficiency. Key words: Dried tomato pomace (DTP), feed conversion ratio (FCR), dry matter (DM) intake, weight gain, economic efficiency
A Conceptual Review of Age Effect on L2 Acquisition

The importance of age effect on an additional language (L2) acquisition has long been recognized in the field of L2 education. Research was conducted to reveal the influence of age to the rate and ultimate attainment of L2 teaching and learning, yet controversial results were discovered. Consequently, stereotypes and misunderstanding exist among educators, practitioners, parents and/or guardians, which may affect students’ L2 learning. This article reviewed the significant studies in the past and discussed the current agreements and debates around the age effect on L2 acquisition. It provides a comprehensive overview of the topic that is beneficial for L2 education. The author proposed that more contributions are needed to provide additional evidence to explore this issue. Keywords: age, second language acquisition, L2 acquisition, Critical Period Hypothesis
A longitudinal study of epigenetic variation in twins

DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mechanism involved in the developmental regulation of gene expression. Alterations in DNA methylation are established contributors to inter-individual phenotypic variation and have been associated with disease susceptibility. The degree to which changes in loci-specific DNA methylation are under the influence of heritable and environmental factors is largely unknown. In this study, we quantitatively measured DNA methylation across the promoter regions of the dopamine receptor 4 gene (DRD4), the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4/SERT) and the X-linked monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) using DNA sampled at both ages 5 and 10 years in 46 MZ twin-pairs and 45 DZ twin-pairs (total n=182). Our data suggest that DNA methylation differences are apparent already in early childhood, even between genetically identical individuals, and that individual differences in methylation are not stable over time. Our longitudinal-developmental study suggests that environmental influences are important factors accounting for interindividual DNA methylation differences, and that these influences differ across the genome. The observation of dynamic changes in DNA methylation over time highlights the importance of longitudinal research designs for epigenetic research.
Contribution of platelets and the vessel wall to the antithrombotic effects of a single bolus injection of Fab fragments of the antiplatelet GPIIb/IIIa antibody 7E3 in a canine arterial eversion graft preparation.

The contribution of platelets and the vessel wall to the antithrombotic effects of a single intravenous bolus injection of 0.8 mg/kg Fab fragments of the monoclonal antiplatelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antibody 7E3 (7E3-Fab), combined with continuous heparin anticoagulation (100 U/kg bolus and 50 U/kg per hour), was studied in a canine preparation consisting of an everted (inside out) carotid arterial segment that had been inserted into a transected femoral artery. In all 6 control dogs without antibody, persistent or transient eversion graft occlusion occurred during an initial 2-hour observation period, and 5 of the 6 grafts were occluded at 24 hours. In 6 dogs given 7E3-Fab 24 hours before receiving an everted carotid artery segment from a donor dog, cyclic occlusion and reflow occurred in all dogs, whereas the grafts were patent at the end of a 2-hour observation period in 5 of the 6 dogs (P = .056 versus control). When transferred back to the donor dogs, the patient eversion segments showed brief periods of cyclic occlusion and reflow within 2 hours in 3 of 5 dogs (P = .034 versus control), whereas all of the 5 eversion segments were patent at 24 hours (P < .005 versus control). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Carbon Credits: Who is the Leader of the Pack?

We provide the first intraday analysis on the contribution to price discovery of two emissions carbon credits: European Union Allowances (EUAs) and Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). We find that EUAs lead price discovery but CERs play a growing role and, therefore, should not be ignored.
Speed kills: ineffective avian escape responses to oncoming vehicles

Animal–vehicle collisions cause high levels of vertebrate mortality worldwide, and what goes wrong when animals fail to escape and ultimately collide with vehicles is not well understood. We investigated alert and escape behaviours of captive brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in response to virtual vehicle approaches of different sizes and at speeds ranging from 60 to 360 km h−1. Alert and flight initiation distances remained similar across vehicle speeds, and accordingly, alert and flight initiation times decreased at higher vehicle speeds. Thus, avoidance behaviours in cowbirds appeared to be based on distance rather than time available for escape, particularly at 60–150 km h−1; however, at higher speeds (more than or equal to 180 km h−1) no trend in response behaviour was discernible. As vehicle speed increased, cowbirds did not have enough time to assess the approaching vehicle, and cowbirds generally did not initiate flight with enough time to avoid collision when vehicle speed exceeded 120 km h−1. Although potentially effective for evading predators, the decision-making process used by cowbirds in our study appears maladaptive in the context of avoiding fast-moving vehicles. Our methodological approach and findings provide a framework to assess how novel management strategies could affect escape rules, and the sensory and cognitive abilities animals use to avoid vehicle collisions.
Interest Rate Reform and Real Sector Performance:Evidence from Nigeria

This study seeks to identify the effect of the interest rate liberalization policy of the government (introduced in 1986 under the structural adjustment programme) on the performance of the industrial sector in Nigeria. Specifically, the study examines the extent to which movements in lending or loan rate and its major determinants like exchange rate, inflation rate and financial depth (independent variables) account for the trend in output performance of Nigeria's industrial sector (dependent variable). Annual data on the variables, sourced from the publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria, were analyzed using the analytical technique of the vector error correction model (VECM). The study shows that exchange rate volatility has an insignificant positive impact on industrial output performance. It also shows evidence of significant positive impact of lending rate and financial depth on industrial output growth. However, evidence from the study shows that inflation has a significant negative effect on the output of the sector. To enhance the performance of the sector in Nigeria, government should seek to stabilize exchange rate movements through proper diversification of sources of foreign exchange inflow as well as reduce its outflow in order to support her import-dependent industrial sector while simultaneously pursuing the development of an adequate and efficient infrastructure base for the economy. Properly functioning infrastructure will, among other things, greatly enhance the realization of low price levels and hence low level of inflation required to boost domestic production capacity
Spontaneous Colitis in Muc2-Deficient Mice Reflects Clinical and Cellular Features of Active Ulcerative Colitis

Background The colonic mucus layer plays a critical role in intestinal homeostasis by limiting contact between luminal bacteria and the mucosal immune system. A defective mucus barrier in animal models allows bacterial contact with the intestinal epithelium and results in spontaneous colitis. A defective mucus barrier is also a key feature of active ulcerative colitis (UC). Alterations in the immune compartment due to intestinal bacterial breach in mice lacking the colon mucus barrier have not been characterized and correlated to active UC. Aims To characterize alterations in the immune compartment due to intestinal bacterial breach in Muc2−/− mice, which lack the colon mucus barrier, and correlate the findings to active UC. Methods Bacterial contact with colon epithelium and penetration into colon tissue was examined in Muc2−/− mice and colon biopsies from patients with active UC using fluorescence microscopy and qPCR. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, CD103+ dendritic cell subsets and macrophages in colon from Muc2−/− mice and biopsies from UC patients were quantitated by flow cytometry. Results Inflamed UC patients and Muc2−/− mice had bacteria in contact with the colon epithelium. Bacterial rRNA was present in colonic mucosa in humans and Muc2−/− mice and in the draining lymph nodes of mice. Inflamed Muc2−/− mice and UC patients had elevated colon neutrophils, T cells and macrophages while a reduced frequency of CD103+ DCs was present in the inflamed colon of both mice and humans. Conclusions The parallel features of the colon immune cell compartment in Muc2−/− mice and UC patients supports the usefulness of this model to understand the early phase of spontaneous colitis and will provide insight into novel strategies to treat UC.
Protein Kinase A Is a Negative Regulator of Renal Branching Morphogenesis and Modulates Inhibitory and Stimulatory Bone Morphogenetic Proteins*

Protein kinase A (PKA) regulates morphogenetic responses to bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) during embryogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which PKA regulates BMP function are unknown. During kidney development, BMP-2 and high doses of BMP-7 inhibit branching morphogenesis, whereas low doses of BMP-7 are stimulatory (Piscione, T. D., Yager, T. D., Gupta, I. R., Grinfeld, B., Pei, Y., Attisano, L., Wrana, J. L., and Rosenblum, N. D. (1997) Am. J. Physiol. 273, F961–F975). We examined the interactions between PKA and these BMPs in embryonic kidney explants and in the mouse inner medullary collecting duct-3 model of collecting duct morphogenesis. H-89, an inhibitor of PKA, stimulated branching morphogenesis and enhanced the stimulatory effect of low doses of BMP-7 on tubule formation. Furthermore, H-89 rescued the inhibition of tubulogenesis by BMP-2 (or high doses of BMP-7) by attenuating BMP-2-induced collecting duct apoptosis. In contrast, 8-bromo-cAMP, an activator of PKA, inhibited tubule formation and attenuated the stimulatory effects of low doses of BMP-7. To determine mechanisms underlying the interdependence of BMP signaling and PKA activity, we examined the effect of PKA on the known signaling events in the BMP-2-dependent Smad1 signaling pathway and the effect of BMP-2 on PKA activity. PKA did not induce endogenous Smad1 phosphorylation, Smad1-Smad4 complex formation, or Smad1 nuclear translocation. In contrast, BMP-2 increased endogenous PKA activity and induced phosphorylation of the PKA effector, cAMP-response element-binding protein, in a PKA-dependent manner. We conclude that BMP-2 induces activation of PKA and that PKA regulates the effects of BMPs on collecting duct morphogenesis without activating the known signaling events in the BMP-2-dependent Smad1 signaling pathway.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Children Treated With Peginterferon and Ribavirin for Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe the 5-year follow-up of children who received peginterferon and ribavirin in a global, open-label study. Methods: A 5-year follow-up study of 107 children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 years with chronic hepatitis C virus infection who received peginterferon and ribavirin for 24 or 48 weeks. No drugs were administered during follow-up. Results: Ninety-four patients were enrolled in the long-term follow-up portion of the study; the median duration of follow-up was 287 weeks (range, 73–339). Of 63 patients with sustained virologic response who were enrolled, 54 completed 5 years of follow-up; none had relapse in the 5-year follow-up period. Significant decreases in height z scores were observed during treatment. The effect of treatment on height z score was larger in patients treated for 48 weeks compared with those treated for 24 weeks (mean change from baseline to the end of treatment was −0.13 [P < 0.001] and −0.44 [P < 0.001] in the 24- and 48-week treatment groups, respectively). Among patients treated for 24 weeks, full recovery of height z scores to baseline was observed by 1 year of follow-up, whereas only partial recovery was observed during 5 years of follow-up in patients treated for 48 weeks (mean change from baseline to the final follow-up visit was −0.16 (P = NS) and −0.32 (P < 0.05) in the 24- and 48-week treatment groups, respectively). Similar patterns were observed for weight and body mass index z scores. Conclusions: Impairment of growth should be considered when assessing the risk-benefit profile of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy in children with hepatitis C virus infection. In deciding to treat children with chronic hepatitis C virus, considerations should include both deferring treatment in patients during optimal growth periods, and the possibility that interferon-free regimens may be available to children in the next 5 to 10 years.
Aiding Conflict: The Impact of U.S. Food Aid on Civil War

This paper examines the effect of U.S. food aid on conflict in recipient countries. To establish a causal relationship, we exploit time variation in food aid caused by fluctuations in U.S. wheat production together with cross-sectional variation in a country's tendency to receive any food aid from the United States. Our estimates show that an increase in U.S. food aid increases the incidence, onset and duration of civil conflicts in recipient countries. Our results suggest that the effects are larger for smaller scale civil conflicts. No effect is found on interstate warfare.
Brood size and environmental conditions sex-specifically affect nestling immune response in the European starling Sturnus vulgaris

In sexually size-dimorphic species, the larger sex can be more sensitive to stressful environmental conditions, often resulting in reduced growth and elevated mortality rates. Development of the immune system is regarded as highly resource dependent, and recent data suggest that nestling passerines experience a possible resource-based trade-off between growth and immunity. Given the hypothesized importance of maximizing growth for the larger sex, the corresponding immune system may also exhibit similar sensitivity to limited resources. To better understand how natural variation in brood size and resources might differentially affect growth and immune function in nestlings of a sexually size-dimorphic species, we examined the relationship between brood size and inter-sexual differences in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and survival in European starling Sturnus vulgaris nestlings where males are larger in both mass and structural size. We hypothesized that male CMI response should be negatively impacted by increasing sibling competition (brood size), especially during periods of low resource availability. In a year of reduced parental provisioning rates and reduced chick growth rates, male offspring exhibited the predicted negative relationship, whereas female CMI response was unaffected. However, in a year of improved provisioning rates and chick growth, neither sex exhibited a negative relationship between immune response and brood size. Thus, natural variation in brood size can affect sex-specific immunity differently in offspring of a sexually size-dimorphic passerine. However, this relationship appears resource-dependent, suggesting that the hypothesized resource-based trade-off may be compensated for in years of adequate resource abundance.
Perceptions and Misperceptions of Fiscal Inflation

The Great Recession and worldwide financial crisis have exploded fiscal imbalances and brought fiscal policy and inflation to the forefront of policy concerns. Those concerns will only grow as aging populations increase demands on government expenditures in coming decades. It is widely perceived that fiscal policy is inflationary if and only if it leads the central bank to print new currency to monetize deficits. Monetization can be inflationary. But it is a misperception that this is the only channel for fiscal inflations. Nominal bonds, the predominant form of government debt in advanced economies, derive their value from expected future nominal primary surpluses and money creation; changes in the price level can align the market value of debt to its expected real backing. This introduces a fresh channel, not requiring explicit monetization, through which fiscal deficits directly affect inflation. The paper describes various ways in which fiscal policy can directly affect inflation and explains why these fiscal effects are difficult to detect in time series data.
Patterns of genetic diversity in southern and southeastern Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Kuntze relict populations

Habitat fragmentation and a decrease in population size may lead to a loss in population genetic diversity. For the first time, the reduction in genetic diversity in the northernmost limit of natural occurence (southeastern Brazil) of Araucaria angustifolia in comparison with populations in the main area of the species continuous natural distribution (southern Brazil), was tested. The 673 AFLPs markers revealed a high level of genetic diversity for the species (Ht = 0.27), despite anthropogenic influence throughout the last century, and a decrease of H in isolated populations of southeastern Brazil (H = 0.16), thereby indicating the tendency for higher genetic diversity in remnant populations of continuous forests in southern Brazil, when compared to natural isolated populations in the southeastern region. A strong differentiation among southern and southeastern populations was detected (AMOVA variance ranged from 10%-15%). From Bayesian analysis, it is suggested that the nine populations tested form five “genetic clusters” (K = 5). Five of these populations, located in the northernmost limit of distribution of the species, represent three “genetic clusters”. These results are in agreement with the pattern of geographic distribution of the studied populations.