Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cyfra 21-1 as a biologic marker of non-small cell lung cancer. Evaluation of sensitivity, specificity, and prognostic role.

BACKGROUND Cytokeratins are epithelial markers whose expression is not lost during malignant transformation. Cyfra 21-1 is a cytokeratin-19 fragment that is soluble in serum and may be a useful circulating tumor marker. STUDY OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were (1) to confirm sensitivity and specificity of Cyfra 21-1 in detecting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and especially the squamous cell subtype, (2) to assess the potential relationship between Cyfra 21-1 and disease stage of the disease in NSCLC, and (3) to evaluate prognostic effect of Cyfra 21-1 in NSCLC. METHODS An immunoradiometric assay of serum Cyfra 21-1 was performed in 161 patients with lung cancers and 71 others with benign lung diseases. The ability of Cyfra 21-1 to detect different histologic subtypes of lung cancer vs benign lung diseases was assessed through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and comparisons with other tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen, neuron-specific enolase, and squamous cell carcinoma antigen. Comparisons of Cyfra 21-1 levels according to histologic subtype and disease stage were done using Kruskal-Wallis test. Independent prognostic value of Cyfra 21-1 was studied with a multivariate analysis of survival (Cox's model). RESULTS Using a threshold of 3.3 ng/mL for Cyfra 21-1, sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 0.59 and 0.94 in NSCLC, 0.68 and 0.94 in the subgroup of the squamous cell carcinoma, and 0.19 and 0.94 in small cell lung cancer. Cyfra 21-1 levels were significantly higher in advanced NSCLC than in early-stage disease. All 29 patients with serum concentrations > 32 ng/mL had stage IIIB-IV and only one of 14 patients with stage I-II disease had Cyfra 21-1 level > 18 ng/mL. In the multivariate analysis of survival, Cyfra 21-1 was an independent prognostic factor along with performance status and disease stage in NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS Cyfra 21-1 is a sensitive and specific tumor marker of NSCLC, especially of squamous cell subtype. It also reflects the extent of the disease and has an independent prognostic role along with performance status and disease stage in NSCLC. IMPLICATIONS A high level of Cyfra 21-1 in apparently early-stage NSCLC should be an indication for more extensive workup before thoracotomy. The independent prognostic role of Cyfra 21-1 level may be useful in stratifying populations with advanced NSCLC or early-stage resected NSCLC as elevated Cyfra 21-1 levels might identify those patients at high risk for treatment failure.
Financial Development and Economic Growth in Ghana: Is There a Causal Link?

This study seeks to find out whether financial development in Ghana conforms to either the Supply-leading, demand-following or Patrick’s Stages of development hypotheses. A bivariate VAR model is estimated in four scenarios, after which Granger-causality Test, Impulse Response Function and Variance Decomposition analyses were conducted for each respective scenario of the VAR. Whereas there is some evidence in support of demand-following hypothesis, when growth of broad money to GDP ratio is used as a measure of financial development, there is no significant evidence to support either the supply-leading or demand-following hypotheses when growth in domestic credit to GDP ratio, private credit to GDP ratio, and private credit to domestic credit ratio are used as proxies for financial development. Also, in all the four scenarios, there is no statistical evidence to support Patrick’s stages of development hypothesis in Ghana.
Synergistic effects of cyclic AMP and nerve growth factor on neurite outgrowth and microtubule stability of PC12 cells

The outgrowth of neurites from rat PC12 cells stimulated by combined treatment of nerve growth factor (NGF) with cAMP is significantly more rapid and extensive than the outgrowth induced by either factor alone. We have compared the responses of PC12 cells under three different growth conditions, NGF alone, cAMP alone, and combined treatment, with respect to surface morphology, rapidity of neurite outgrowth, and stability of neurite microtubules, to understand the synergistic action of NGF and cAMP on PC12. Surface events at early times in these growth conditions varied, suggesting divergent pathways of action of NGF and cAMP. This suggestion is strongly supported by the finding that cells exposed to saturating levels of dibutyryl cAMP without substantial neurite outgrowth initiated neurites within 5 min of NGF. This response has been adopted as a convenient assay for NGF. Neurites that regenerated in the three growth conditions showed marked differences in stability to treatments that depolymerize microtubules. The results indicate that microtubules in cells treated with both NGF and cAMP are significantly more stable than in either growth factor alone. We suggest that a shift of the assembly equilibrium favoring tubulin assembly is a necessary prerequisite for the initiation of neurites by PC12.
Proximity in Coalition Building

Voting power methodology offers insights to understand coalition building in collective decision making. This paper proposes a new measure of voting power inspired from Banzhaf (1965) accounting for the proximity between voters by capturing how often they appear in winning coalitions together. Using this proximity index, we introduce a notion of relative linkages among coalition participants as determinant of coalition building. We propose an application to the governance structure of the International Monetary Fund, with linkages being represented by bilateral volumes of trade between voters. The results are able to explain several important features of the functioning of this particular voting body, and may be useful for other applications in international politics.
Rapamycin-Induced Apoptosis in HGF-Stimulated Lens Epithelial Cells by AKT/mTOR, ERK and JAK2/STAT3 Pathways

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) induced the proliferation of lens epithelial cells (LECs) and may be a major cause of posterior capsule opacification (PCO), which is the most frequent postoperative complication of cataract surgery. To date, several agents that can block LECs proliferation have been studied, but none have been used in clinic. Recently, accumulating evidence has suggested rapamycin, the inhibitor of mTOR (mammalian target of Rapamycin), was associated with the induction of apoptosis in LECs. The purpose of our study was to investigate the potential effects of rapamycin on HGF-induced LECs and the underlying mechanisms by which rapamycin exerted its actions. Using cell proliferation, cell viability and flow cytometric apoptosis assays, we found that rapamycin potently not only suppressed proliferation but also induced the apoptosis of LECs in a dose-dependent manner under HGF administration. Further investigation of the underlying mechanism using siRNA transfection revealed that rapamycin could promote apoptosis of LECs via inhibiting HGF-induced phosphorylation of AKT/mTOR, ERK and JAK2/STAT3 signaling molecules. Moreover, the forced expression of AKT, ERK and STAT3 could induce a significant suppression of apoptosis in these cells after treatment of rapamycin. Together, these findings suggested that rapamycin-induced apoptosis in HGF-stimulated LECs is accompanied by inhibition of AKT/mTOR, ERK and JAK2/STAT3 pathways, which supports its use to inhibit PCO in preclinical studies and provides theoretical foundation for future possible practice.
The role of social awareness in technology acceptance of groupware in virtual learning

IT is everywhere and the need for Groupware support of collaborative learning between geographically distributed students working in teams arises. In this paper we focus on the technology acceptance of Groupware in virtual learning teams in part-time adult education. We apply Davis’ Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in a qualitative fashion to analyze and interpret the chronological sequence of events leading to the acceptance of the Groupware technology. The data were gathered through an in-depth qualitative Action Research study of four virtual learning teams within two different Masters education programs. By extracting empirical date from one of these virtual teams we show that the TAM model can be used in a qualitative fashion to investigate Groupware technology acceptance. We find that the causal relationship between ease of use and perceived usefulness, postulated by the TAM model, is not present in the case of Groupware technology in a virtual learning team setting. Finally we also find that social awareness plays an important role in the acceptance of such technology to support collaboration.
International Journal of Information Management Why Do People Buy Virtual Goods? Attitude toward Virtual Good Purchases versus Game Enjoyment

Article history: Keywords: Freemium Business model Virtual goods Free-to-play Online game a b s t r a c t In this study we investigate purchase behavior for virtual goods in three free-to-play game environments. In the modern free games, publishers sell virtual goods in order to generate revenue. However, game publishers face dire negative attitudes toward the business model as it can entice publishers to degrade the enjoyment of the game in order to sell more virtual goods that address the artificial gaps in the game. This study focuses on this looming question in the game industry whether people buy virtual goods because they enjoy the game and want to keep on playing it or rather because their attitudes toward virtual goods are favorable and they believe it is also accepted in the peer-group. Player responses (N = 2791) were gathered from three different game types: social virtual world (Habbo) (n = 2156), first-person shooters (n = 398), and social networking games (Facebook games) (n = 237). The results support both main hypotheses (1) enjoyment of the game reduces the willingness to buy virtual goods while at the same time it increases the willingness to play more of the game. Continued use, however, does positively predict purchase intentions for virtual goods. (2) Attitude toward virtual goods and the beliefs about peers' attitudes strongly increase the willingness to purchase virtual goods. Beyond these interesting results the paper points to several further lines of inquiry.
TITLE: Brain Vulnerability to Repeated Blast Overpressure and Polytrauma PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

s/Presentations Shoge, R.O. Pressure profiles of shock tube exposures. Invited platform presentation at the Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care (ATACCC) Meeting, St. Pete’s Beach FL, Aug, 2010. Riccio C. , Bentley T.B. , and Long J.B. Blast overpressure injury in rats produces widespread fiber degeneration. Poster at the Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care (ATACCC) Meeting, St. Pete’s Beach FL, Aug, 2010. Long, J.B. Experimental Evaluation of Blast-induced Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats Using a Cylindrical Shock Tube. Invited speaker at the Third DOD Brain Injury Computational Modeling Expert Panel Meeting, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel MD, Dec 2010.
Effects of Midlevel Dry Air on Development of the Axisymmetric Tropical Cyclone Secondary Circulation

AbstractIdealized experiments conducted with an axisymmetric tropical cyclone (TC) model are used to assess the effects of midlevel dry air on the axisymmetric TC secondary circulation. Moist entropy diagnostics of convective parcels are used to determine how midlevel dry air affects the distribution and strength of convection. Analyzing upward and downward motions in the Eulerian radius–height coordinate system shows that the moistest simulation has stronger vertical motions and a wider overturning circulation compared to drier simulations. A Lagrangian entropy framework further analyzes convective motions by separating upward higher-entropy streams from downward lower-entropy streams. Results show that the driest simulation has a weaker mean overturning circulation with updrafts characterized by lower mean entropy compared to moister simulations. Turbulent entrainment of dry air into deep convection at midlevels is small, suggesting that the influence of midlevel dry air on convective strength and the s.
Addressing Extreme Poverty in a Sustainable Manner: Evidence from CFPR programme

BRAC initiated an innovative programme known as Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction (CFPR) in 2002 to address the extreme poverty in Bangladesh. Impact assessment studies on the first phase of CFPR (2002-06) have shown that the programme had significant positive impacts on the livelihoods of the participant households. However, whether this impact on livelihoods is sustainable or not remained the key research question. Based on panel data from three rounds of survey (2002, 2005 and 2008), this study explores sustainability of livelihood impacts of the first phase of CFPR. The findings show that programme impacts on income, employment, food security and asset holding were mostly sustainable in the long-run. Magnitude of impact on per capita income was found to be increased over time. Livestock and poultry holding increased substantially among the programme participants due to mainly transfer of these assets by the programme and the increase sustained in the long-run. The findings of this study also show that although the programme did not have significant impact on education in the short-run, in the long-run it had a modest positive impact on boysâ€™ primary enrolment. Qualitative exploration reveals that determination, confidence, social network, asset management skill, and hard work of the participant women are the key factors for effectively using the supports provided by the CFPR programme. [CFPR Working paper No. 19]
Abstinence from Cocaine and Sucrose Self-Administration Reveals Altered Mesocorticolimbic Circuit Connectivity by Resting State MRI

Previous preclinical studies have emphasized that drugs of abuse, through actions within and between mesocorticolimbic (MCL) regions, usurp learning and memory processes normally involved in the pursuit of natural rewards. To distinguish MCL circuit pathobiological neuroadaptations that accompany addiction from general learning processes associated with natural reward, we trained two groups of rats to self-administer either cocaine (IV) or sucrose (orally) followed by an identically enforced 30 day abstinence period. These procedures are known to induce behavioral changes and neuroadaptations. A third group of sedentary animals served as a negative control group for general handling effects. We examined low-frequency spontaneous fluctuations in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal, known as resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), as a measure of intrinsic neurobiological interactions between brain regions. Decreased rsFC was seen in the cocaine-SA compared with both sucrose-SA and housing control groups between prelimbic (PrL) cortex and entopeduncular nucleus and between nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Moreover, individual differences in cocaine SA escalation predicted connectivity strength only in the Acb-dmPFC circuit. These data provide evidence of fronto-striatal plasticity across the addiction trajectory, which are consistent with Acb-PFC hypoactivity seen in abstinent human drug addicts, indicating potential circuit level biomarkers that may inform therapeutic interventions. They further suggest that available data from cross-sectional human studies may reflect the consequence of rather a predispositional predecessor to their dependence.
Structure-function studies of the mammalian peroxisomal multifunctional enzyme type 2 (MFE-2)

Mammalian peroxisomes contain two parallel multifunctional enzymes (MFE), MFE type 1 and MFE type 2 (MFE-2), which are responsible for the degradation of fatty acids. They both catalyze the second and third reactions of the β-oxidation pathway, but through reciprocal stereochemical courses. MFE-2 possesses (2E)-enoyl-CoA hydratase-2 and (3R)-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities. In addition, the carboxy-terminal part is similar to the sterol carrier protein type 2 (SCP-2). The purpose of this work was to study the structure-function relationship of functional domains of mammalian MFE-2 by recombinant DNA technology, enzyme kinetics and X-ray crystallography. The work started with the identification of conserved regions in MFE-2. This information was utilized when dehydrogenase, hydratase-2 and/or SCP-2-like domain were produced as separate recombinant proteins. Subsequently, both dehydrogenase and SCP-2-like domains were crystallized and their crystal structures were solved. The structure of the dehydrogenase region of rat MFE-2 contains the basic α/β short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) fold and the four-helix bundle at the dimer interface, which is typical of dimeric SDR enzymes. However, the structure has a novel carboxy-terminal domain not seen among the known structures. This domain lines the active site cavity of the neighbouring monomer, reflecting cooperative behaviour within a homodimer. The monomeric SCP-2-like domain of human MFE-2 has the same fold as rabbit SCP-2. The structure includes a hydrophobic tunnel occupied by an ordered Triton X-100 molecule, demonstrating the ligand-binding site. Compared to the unliganded rabbit SCP-2 structure, the position of the carboxy-terminal helix is different. The movement of this helix in the liganded human SCP-2-like domain resulted in the exposure of a peroxisomal targeting signal, suggesting ligandassisted protein import into peroxisomes. The roles of conserved protic residues in the hydratase-2 region of human MFE-2 were studied by mutating them to alanine. In the first step, the ability of mutated variants to utilize oleic acid in vivo was tested with Saccharomyces cerevisiae fox-2 cells (devoid of endogenous MFE-2). Subsequently, in vitro characterization of the mutant enzymes revealed two amino acid residues, Glu366 and Asp510, vital for hydratase-2 activity. The results indicate that the acid-base catalysis is valid for
The Market for Corporate Assets: Who Engages in Mergers and Asset Sales and are There Efficiency Gains?

We analyze the market for firms, divisions, and plants of manufacturing firms using a large sample of plant-level data for the period 1974-92. There is an active market for corporate assets, with over 7 percent of plants transacted through mergers and asset sales in expansion years in the economy. Transactions through partial firm sales represent more than half of these transactions. The probability of asset sales and full firm transactions is related to firm organization and buyer and seller ex ante productivity. We find that these transactions result in ex post productivity increases especially for asset sales from peripheral divisions of selling firms to main divisions of other buyers. Finally we find that productivity increases are significantly higher the more productive the buying firm. This timing of sales and the pattern of productivity gains suggests that the transactions that occur, especially through asset sales of plants and divisions, tend to improve the allocation of resources and are consistent with a simple neoclassic model of profit maximizing by firms. The decision to participate in the market for corporate assets and the subsequent gains realized from transactions are affected both by firm productivity and firm organization.
Simplified dynamic deviation reduction-based Volterra model for Doherty power amplifiers

A simplified 2nd-order dynamic deviation reduction-based Volterra series model is proposed for characterizing wideband multi-carrier Doherty power amplifiers. By removing several redundant terms, this model has much less complexity but maintains excellent modeling performance, compared to the full-size model. Experimental results show that both nonlinear distortion and memory effects in the Doherty PA can be almost completely removed by employing digital predistortion with proposed model, when excited by 2- and 4-carrier WCDMA signals.
Eliciting Willingness to Pay Without Bias: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Concern exists that hypothetical willingness to pay questions overestimate real willingness to pay. In a field experiment, we compare two methods of removing hypothetical bias, a cheap talk approach and a certainty approach, with real purchases. We find evidence of hypothetical bias for unadulterated contingent valuation. Contingent valuation with certainty statements removes the hypothetical bias, but the cheap talk approach has no significant impact. Our findings suggest that willingness to pay can be accurately estimated by adding a simple follow-up question about the certainty of responses and that cheap talk is not a generally effective approach.
Notes on o-Minimality and Variations

The article surveys some topics related to o-minimality, and is based on three lectures. The emphasis is on o-minimality as an analogue of strong minimality, rather than as a setting for the model theory of expansions of the reals. Section 2 gives some basics (the Monotonicity and Cell Decomposition Theorems) together with a discussion of dimension. Section 3 concerns the Peterzil–Starchenko Trichotomy Theorem (an o-minimal analogue of Zil’ber Trichotomy). There follows some material on definable groups, with powerful applications of the Trichotomy Theorem in work by Peterzil, Pillay and Starchenko. The final section introduces weak o-minimality, P -minimality, and C-minimality. These are analogues of o-minimality intended as settings for certain henselian valued fields with extra structure.
The 1994 Currency Crisis in Turkey

As a result of Turkey's currency crisis in 1994, output fell 6 percent, inflation rose to three-digit levels, the Central Bank lost half of its reserves, and the exchange rate (against the US dollar) depreciated by more than half in the first three months of the year. The author presents stylized facts associated with the government's debt-financing mechanisms and other relevant macroeconomic variables to show the system's inherent fragility at the time of the crisis and to clarify the extent to which different factors contributed to the crisis. The author argues that huge requirements for public sector borrowing in 1993 and early 1994, combined with major policy errors in financing the deficit, led to the currency crash. As a result of interventions to control interest rates and treasury borrowing at the same time, the market for domestic borrowing almost disappeared, the government turned to monetization for financing, and the value of the overappreciated Turkish lira plummeted.
REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF WELL-KNOWN METHODS FOR MOVING OBJECT DETECTION AND TRACKING IN VIDEOS

Moving object detection and tracking (D&T) are important initial steps in object recognition, context analysis and indexing processes for visual surveillance systems. It is a big challenge for researchers to make a decision on which D&T algorithm is more suitable for which situation and/or environment and to determine how accurately object D&T (real-time or non-real-time) is made. There is a variety of object D&T algorithms (i.e. methods) and publications on their performance comparison and evaluation via performance metrics. This paper provides a systematic review of these algorithms and performance measures and assesses their effectiveness via metrics.