Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison and combination of imaging techniques for three dimensional analysis of electrical trees

Imaging of electrical trees has been an important tool for studying the phenomenon. The authors have previously shown that electrical trees can be three-dimensionally (3D) imaged and virtual replicas generated using X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) or Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBFSEM). Here these techniques are evaluated and compared for 3D analysis of electrical trees along with conventional optical methods. A number of types of laboratory created trees showing range of morphologies were grown and examined to delineate the capabilities of each technique. Cross-sectional images and virtual replicas of the electrical trees from XCT and SBFSEM techniques were compared both qualitatively and quantitatively. SBFSEM provides greater detail than XCT, evidenced by imaging smaller sub-branches and when comparing parameters such as the number of tree channels, tree length or tree volume captured. On average, SBFSEM captures almost double the number of tree channels per slice than XCT, and virtual replicas in most of the cases have larger volumes. However, SBFSEM is a destructive technique, which makes the imaging process less reliable than XCT and not suitable for multi-stage of tree growth experiments. For full analysis, a combination of imaging techniques is proposed. Optical methods are used first to monitor tree growth. Then, micro-XCT which provides pixel size down to ~0.4 μm with a field of view of around 1 mm x 1 mm, can be used to reveal the overall 3D structure of a normal/mature electrical tree. Nano-XCT can be used to explore in more detail regions of interest, with a pixel size of ~65 nm, but a limited field of view of 65 μm. Finally, sections of the tree can be analyzed in even greater detail using SBFSEM, which can provide resolutions below 50 nm. Using this approach, a deeper and more complete analysis of the structure of electrical trees can be achieved.
Computer Monitoring of Work Performance: Extending the Social Facilitation Framework to Electronic Presence1

This study demonstrated the utility of employing a social facilitation framework to the study of computer monitoring of work performance. The physical presence of an observer watching a subject work on a complex task (as a supervisor might “look over an employee's shoulder“) was contrasted with four conditions involving the electronic presence of computer-based work monitoring (as a supervisor might monitor an employee's work remotely via computer) and a control condition of subjects working alone without any monitoring of their work. Task performance was severely impaired for participants who were monitored electronically as well as for those who were monitored “in person. ” Two interventions, providing participants with a sense of control over their work conditions and monitoring participants as a group rather than as individuals, each reduced the negative impact of monitoring on task performance by almost 40%. Results also indicated that individuals with an external locus of control (who believe reinforcements received are primarily determined by factors outside of themselves, e. g., other people) experience greater anxiety than those with an internal locus of control under monitoring conditions. Implications of these findings for social facilitation and the rapidly expanding use of computer-based work monitoring are discussed.
Breast Cancer Resistance Protein and P-Glycoprotein Influence In Vivo Disposition of 11C-Erlotinib

11C-erlotinib is a PET tracer to distinguish responders from nonresponders to epidermal growth factor receptor–targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors and may also be of interest to predict distribution of erlotinib to tissues targeted for treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate if the known interaction of erlotinib with the multidrug efflux transporters breast cancer resistance protein (humans, ABCG2; rodents, Abcg2) and P-glycoprotein (humans, ABCB1; rodents, Abcb1a/b) affects tissue distribution and excretion of 11C-erlotinib and has an influence on the ability of 11C-erlotinib PET to predict erlotinib tissue distribution at therapeutic doses. Methods: Wild-type and Abcb1a/b or Abcg2 knockout mice underwent 11C-erlotinib PET/MR scans, with or without the coinjection of a pharmacologic dose of erlotinib (10 mg/kg) or after pretreatment with the ABCB1/ABCG2 inhibitor elacridar (10 mg/kg). Integration plot analysis was used to determine organ uptake (CLuptake) and biliary excretion (CLbile) clearances of radioactivity. Results: 11C-erlotinib distribution to the brain was restricted by Abcb1a/b and Abcg2, and CLuptake into the brain was only significantly increased when both Abcb1a/b and Abcg2 were absent (wild-type mice, 0.017 ± 0.004 mL/min/g of tissue; Abcb1a/b(−/−)Abcg2(−/−) mice, 0.079 ± 0.013 mL/min/g of tissue; P < 0.001). The pretreatment of wild-type mice with elacridar increased CLuptake into the brain to levels comparable to Abcb1a/b(−/−)Abcg2(−/−) mice (0.090 ± 0.007 mL/min/g of tissue, P < 0.001). The absence of Abcb1a/b and Abcg2 led to a 2.6-fold decrease in CLbile (wild-type mice, 0.025 ± 0.005 mL/min/g of tissue; Abcb1a/b(−/−)Abcg2(−/−) mice, 0.0095 ± 0.001 mL/min/g of tissue; P < 0.001). There were pronounced differences in distribution of 11C-erlotinib to the brain, liver, kidney, and lung and hepatobiliary excretion into intestine between animals injected with a microdose and pharmacologic dose of erlotinib. Conclusion: ABCG2, ABCB1, and possibly other transporters influence in vivo disposition of 11C-erlotinib and thereby affect its distribution to normal and potentially also tumor tissue. Saturable transport of erlotinib leads to nonlinear pharmacokinetics, possibly compromising the prediction of erlotinib tissue distribution at therapeutic doses from PET with a microdose of 11C-erlotinib. The inhibition of ABCB1 and ABCG2 is a promising approach to enhance brain distribution of erlotinib to increase its efficacy in the treatment of brain tumors.
Predictive factors for outcome in a phase II study of gefitinib in second-line treatment of advanced esophageal cancer patients.

PURPOSE The efficacy of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib was assessed in a phase II study in patients with advanced esophageal cancer. Several biologic features were investigated as potential markers of gefitinib activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced esophageal cancer, who had failed one line of prior chemotherapy, were administered gefitinib 500 mg/d. Response was evaluated every 8 weeks. Tumor material obtained before gefitinib treatment was investigated for gene mutations in EGFR, k-ras, and PIK3CA; protein expression levels of EGFR, p-Akt, and p-Erk; and EGFR gene amplification. RESULTS Of the 36 enrolled patients, one (2.8%) achieved a partial response, 10 (27.8%) had stable disease, 17 (47.2%) experienced progression on treatment, and eight (22.2%) were not assessable for response. The progression-free survival time was 59 days, and the median overall survival time was 164 days. Although EGFR or PIK3CA mutations were absent, k-ras mutations were found in two patients with progressive disease. High EGFR gene copy number was identified in two patients experiencing partial response or progressive disease. A higher disease control rate (response plus stable disease) was observed in females (P = .038) and in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; P = .013) or high EGFR expression (P = .002). CONCLUSION Gefitinib has a modest activity in second-line treatment of advanced esophageal cancer. However, the patient outcome was significantly better in female patients and in patients demonstrating high EGFR expression or SCC histology. The selection of esophageal cancer patients for future studies with EGFR-TKIs based on the level of EGFR expression in their tumors or SCC histology should be considered.
Transformational Leadership, Cohesion Perceptions, and Employee Cynicism About Organizational Change

The impact of supervisors' transformational leadership (TFL), informational and interpersonal justice, and group cohesion perceptions on employee cynicism about organizational change (CAOC) was investigated in a sample of 469 employees from a large Chinese organization undergoing major organizational change. Results indicate that (a) TFL is negatively related to employee CAOC; (b) employee perceptions of group cohesion moderate the relationship between TFL and CAOC such that the higher the cohesion perceptions, the stronger the influence of TFL on employee CAOC; (c) the moderating effect of cohesion perceptions on the TFL—CAOC relationship is fully mediated by interpersonal justice; and (d) informational and interpersonal justice partially mediate the TFL—CAOC relationship. The theoretical and practical implications of the process by which TFL impacts CAOC are discussed.
Myosin VI mediates the movement of NHE3 down the microvillus in intestinal epithelial cells

ABSTRACT The intestinal brush border Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 is tightly regulated through changes in its endocytosis and exocytosis. Myosin VI, a minus-end-directed actin motor, has been implicated in endocytosis at the inter-microvillar cleft and during vesicle remodeling in the terminal web. Here, we asked whether myosin VI also regulates NHE3 movement down the microvillus. The basal NHE3 activity and its surface amount, determined by fluorometry of the ratiometric pH indicator BCECF and biotinylation assays, respectively, were increased in myosin-VI-knockdown (KD) Caco-2/Bbe cells. Carbachol (CCH) and forskolin (FSK) stimulated NHE3 endocytosis in control but not in myosin VI KD cells. Importantly, immunoelectron microscopy results showed that NHE3 was preferentially localized in the basal half of control microvilli but in the distal half in myosin VI KD cells. Treatment with dynasore duplicated some aspects of myosin VI KD: it increased basal surface NHE3 activity and prevented FSK-induced NHE3 endocytosis. However, NHE3 had an intermediate distribution along the microvillus (between that in myosin VI KD and untreated cells) in dynasore-treated cells. We conclude that myosin VI is required for basal and stimulated endocytosis of NHE3 in intestinal cells, and suggest that myosin VI also moves NHE3 down the microvillus.
Nurse staffing levels and hospital mortality in critical care settings: literature review and meta-analysis.

AIM This paper reports a review of the literature on the association between critical care nurse staffing levels and patient mortality. BACKGROUND Statistically significant inverse associations between levels of nurse staffing and hospital mortality have not been consistently found in the literature. Critical care settings are ideal to address this relationship due to high patient acuity and mortality, high intensity of the nursing care required, and availability of individual risk adjustment methods. METHODS Major electronic databases were searched, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The search terms included critical/intensive care, quality of health care, mortality/hospital mortality, personnel staffing and scheduling, and nursing staff (hospital). Only papers published in English were included. The original search was conducted in 2002 and updated in 2005. RESULTS Nine studies were selected from 251 references screened. All nine were observational. Six were conducted in the United States of America, one in Austria, one in Brazil, and one in Scotland. The unadjusted risk ratio of nurse staffing (high vs. low) on hospital mortality were combined meta-analytically (five studies). The pooled estimate was 0.65 (95% confidence interval 0.47-0.91). However, after adjusting for various covariates within each study, the individually reported associations between high nurse staffing and low hospital mortality became non-significant in all but one study. CONCLUSION The impact of nurse staffing levels on patients' hospital mortality in critical care settings was not evident in the reviewed studies. Methodological challenges that might have impeded correct assessment of the association include measurement problems in exposure status and confounding factors, often uncontrolled. The lack of association also indicates that hospital mortality may not be sensitive enough to detect the consequences of low nurse staffing levels in critical care settings.
Virtual Network Embedding with Coordinated Node and Link Mapping

Recently network virtualization has been proposed as a promising way to overcome the current ossification of the Internet by allowing multiple heterogeneous virtual networks (VNs) to coexist on a shared infrastructure. A major challenge in this respect is the VN embedding problem that deals with efficient mapping of virtual nodes and virtual links onto the substrate network resources. Since this problem is known to be NP-hard, previous research focused on designing heuristic-based algorithms which had clear separation between the node mapping and the link mapping phases. This paper proposes VN embedding algorithms with better coordination between the two phases. We formulate the VN em- bedding problem as a mixed integer program through substrate network augmentation. We then relax the integer constraints to obtain a linear program, and devise two VN embedding algo- rithms D-ViNE and R-ViNE using deterministic and randomized rounding techniques, respectively. Simulation experiments show that the proposed algorithms increase the acceptance ratio and the revenue while decreasing the cost incurred by the substrate network in the long run.
Incorporation of chimeric gag protein into retroviral particles

The product of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) gag gene, Pr76gag, is a polyprotein precursor which is cleaved by the viral protease to yield the major structural proteins of the virion during particle assembly in avian host cells. We have recently shown that myristylated forms of the RSV Gag protein can induce particle formation with very high efficiency when expressed in mammalian cells (J. W. Wills, R. C. Craven, and J. A. Achacoso, J. Virol. 63:4331-4343, 1989). We made use of this mammalian system to examine the abilities of foreign antigens to be incorporated into particles when fused directly to the myristylated Gag protein. Our initial experiments showed that removal of various portions of the viral protease located at the carboxy terminus of the RSV Gag protein did not disrupt particle formation. We therefore chose this region for coupling of iso-1-cytochrome c from Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Gag. This was accomplished by constructing an in-frame fusion of the CYC1 and gag coding sequences at a common restriction endonuclease site. Expression of the chimeric gene resulted in synthesis of the Gag-cytochrome fusion protein and its release into the cell culture medium. The chimeric particles were readily purified by simple centrifugation, and transmission electron microscopy of cells that produced them revealed a morphology similar to that of immature type C retrovirions.
Internal Invalidity in Studies Employing Self-Report Instruments: A Suggested Remedy.

It is axiomatic that, given a choice between a self-report and a behavioral measure of the same phenomenon, researchers will choose the behavioral measure. Likewise, when behavioral and self-report indices of the same construct show substantial discrepancies, it is seen as a signal to suspect the self-report measure rather than the behavioral measure (cf. Nisbett & Wilson, 1977). Hence, we have the time-honored practice of utilizing a behavioral measure as a criterion to determine the validity of a self-report instrument. In many areas of research, however, good behavioral measures are unavailable or extremely difficult to obtain (cf. Webb, Campbell, Schwartz, & Sechrest, 1966). Instructors are well aware, for example, of the difficulties encountered when trying to measure the attainment of affective objectives, and frequently the only way to determine whether such objectives have been met is by having students report their preferences or values before and after a particular course. Thus, it becomes important that researchers develop the best possible self-report measures, statistical procedures for analyzing self-report data, and research designs that effectively employ them. Howard, Ralph, Gulanick, Maxwell, Nance, and Gerber (in press) describe a potential confounding effect present in research designs which use self-report instruments. The potential confounding is caused by a phenomenon that the authors call a "responseshift. " This paper describes the theory of response-shifts and the manner in which retrospective pretests may be used to deal with them. While Howard et al. examine the phenomenon in group training settings, the study described in the present paper is designed to demonstrate it in a classroom setting. Considerable attention has been devoted to the development of research designs which can be applied to a wide range of research problems (e.g., Campbell & Stanley, 1963; Cook & Campbell, 1976). Each design can be evaluated with respect to the degree to which it controls for the various sources of internal and external invalidity. True experimental designs (Campbell and Stanley's designs 4, 5, and 6) are commonly thought to control for all threats to internal validity (Campbell & Stanley, 1963). Two factors which might cause internal invalidity are history (specific events occurring between the first and second measurement in addition to the experimental variable) and instrumentation (changes in the calibration of a measuring instrument or changes in raters' standards). Use of a control group allows one to ascertain changes due to history with multiple "blind" raters and randomized rating material equalizing the effects of instrument decay for both the treatment and control groups. Thus, when history and instrumentation are considered singly their detrimental effects are controlled in true experimental designs. However, when self-report instruments are used, it is the research subjects themselves who serve as raters, and since treatment subjects have different
Paupers or riches: The perception of immigrants, tourists and ingroup members in a sample of Spanish children

The aim of this study is to analyse the perception a group of 221 Spanish school children aged 10 and 11 years (116 girls and 105 boys) have of themselves, tourists and immigrants. The survey was carried out in an area of south-east Spain in which there is a significant presence of both tourists and immigrants. The children answered a series of open-ended questions and a semantic differential scale with questions regarding these three groups. Results show that although in absolute terms immigrants are not perceived negatively, their image is worse than that held of tourists and ingroup members. The opinion held about immigrants becomes more negative as children get older, especially among male participants. Moreover, immigrants are better perceived if they are seen as workers - less 'strange' and with more money - and if there is also a better perception held towards tourists. We explain these results from a socio-psychological perspective.
Seeking a Better Work-Life Balance: Expectations and Perceptions of Work-Related Practices and Attitudes of Recent Immigrants to New Zealand

The retention of immigrant employees has been long recognized as a challenge. Understanding immigrants' expectations and work-related experiences is important in the development of interventions to retain immigrant employees. The reported research investigated recent immigrants' reasons for migration, and their work-related attitudes and perceptions of New Zealand's work-related practices. The immigrants' responses were compared to individuals who had only ever lived and worked in New Zealand. Lifestyle factors were more important than work-related factors in the immigrants' reasons for migration. Overall job satisfaction was high and work-family conflict low, and the immigrants showed fewer behaviors associated with workaholism than did the New Zealand-based group. Moreover, immigrants showed more positive behaviors and perceptions of their current, as compared with their previous, employment. The results are discussed in terms of attraction and retention of immigrant employees and their acculturation to New Zealand.
Protein Kinase C &dgr; Deficiency Enhances Megakaryopoiesis and Recovery From Thrombocytopenia

Objective— We previously determined that protein kinase C &dgr; (PKC&dgr;) regulates platelet function. However, the function of PKC&dgr; in megakaryopoiesis is unknown. Approach and Results— Using PKC&dgr;-/- and wild-type littermate mice, we found that deficiency of PKC&dgr; caused an increase in white blood cells and platelet counts, as well as in bone marrow and splenic megakaryocytes (P<0.05). Additionally, the megakaryocyte number and DNA content were enhanced in PKC&dgr;-/- mouse bone marrow after culturing with exogenous thrombopoietin compared with wild-type (P<0.05). Importantly, thrombopoietin-induced signaling was also altered with PKC&dgr; deletion because both extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Akt308 phosphorylation were heightened in PKC&dgr;-/- megakaryocytes compared with wild-type. Finally, PKC&dgr;-/- mice recovered faster and had a heightened rebound thrombocytosis after thrombocytopenic challenge. Conclusions— These data suggest that PKC&dgr; is an important megakaryopoietic protein, which regulates signaling induced by thrombopoietin and represents a potential therapeutic target.
Big mice die young: early life body weight predicts longevity in genetically heterogeneous mice

Small body size has been associated with long life span in four stocks of mutant dwarf mice, and in two varieties of dietary restriction in rodents. In this study, small body size at ages 2–24 months was shown to be a significant predictor of life span in a genetically heterogeneous mouse population derived from four common inbred mouse strains. The association was strongest for weights measured early in adult life, and somewhat weaker, though still statistically significant, at later ages. The effect was seen both in males and females, and was replicated in an independent population of the same genetic background. Body size at ages 2–4 months was correlated with levels of serum leptin in both males and females, and with levels of IGF‐I and thyroid hormone in females only. A genome scan showed the presence of polymorphic alleles on chromosomes 2, 6, 7 and 15 with significant effects on body weight at 2–4 months, at 10–12 months, or at both age ranges, showing that weight gain trajectory in this stock is under complex genetic control. Because it provides the earliest known predictor of life span, body weight may be usefully included in screens for induced mutations that alter aging. The evidence that weight in 2‐month‐old mice is a significant predictor of life span suggests that at least some of the lethal diseases of old age can be timed by factors that influence growth rate in juvenile rodents.
Comparison of surgically induced astigmatism between horizontal and X-pattern sutures in the scleral tunnel incisions for manual small incision cataract surgery

Various ways of suturing the scleral tunnel incisions have been described in the literature. [2] The author chose to compare two such methods. However, if the study was aimed at finding the effect of suturing technique, in that case, the site of incision should not have been altered. This has created another variable in the study. There is no information regarding the magnitude of astigmatism for which the incision placement was changed. Temporal incisions are known to induce lesser astigmatism. [3]