Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Value of Proliferation Markers: Immunohistochemical Ki-67 Expression and Cytometric S-Phase Fraction of Women with Breast Cancer in Libya

Background: We evaluated the association of the immunohistochemical Ki-67 expression, and S-phase fraction with clinicopathological variables and patient outcome. Patients and methods: Histological samples from 100 primary Libyan breast carcinoma patients were retrospectively studied with monoclonal antibody to Ki-67. S-phase fraction was determined by DNA image cytometry. Results: The median Ki-67 percentage for all tumors was 27.5%, ranging from 1 to 80% and the median S-phase fraction (SPF) was 11%, ranging from 0 to 62 %. Tumors with high Ki-67 expression were found in 76% of patients and with high SPF values in 56%. Ki-67 expression was more frequent in tumors with high SPF than low SPF. High Ki-67 and high SPF were associated with advanced stages, poor differentiation of tumors, positive lymph nodes, and distant metastasis. The Ki-67 was associated with hormone receptor negative tumors. The SPF was higher in young patients (<50 years) than in older patients. In the overall population (median follow-up 49 months), patients with high Ki-67 and high SPF had shorter survival time and predicted recurrence than patients with low Ki-67 and low SPF. In a Cox multivariate analysis, high SPF (p= 0.007), hormonal status (p= 0.001) and clinical stage (p=0.005) were independent predictors of disease-specific survival. The Ki-67 (p=0.065) in borderline significance proved to be independent predictor of disease-free survival. The SPF showed more statistically significance with a high grade of malignancy and survival time than Ki-67. Conclusions: The SPF value is useful cell proliferation marker to assess tumor prognosis. These markers may reflect the aggressive behavior of Libyan breast cancer and predict of the recurrence. It is therefore important to take these markers into consideration to select a high risk subgroup of the patients for intensive treatment.
Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing epidural, patient-controlled intravenous morphine, and continuous wound infiltration for postoperative pain management after open abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND Continuous wound infiltration (CWI), i.v. patient-controlled analgesia (i.v.-PCA), and epidural analgesia (EDA) are analgesic techniques commonly used for pain relief after open abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these techniques. METHODS A decision analytic model was developed, including values retrieved from clinical trials and from an observational prospective cohort of 85 patients. Efficacy criteria were based on pain at rest (VAS ≤ 30/100 mm at 24 h). Resource use and costs were evaluated from medical record measurements and published data. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) was performed. RESULTS When taking into account all resources consumed, the CWI arm (€ 6460) is economically dominant when compared with i.v. -PCA (€ 7273) and EDA (€ 7500). The proportion of patients successfully controlled for their postoperative pain management are 77.4%, 53.9%, and 72.9% for CWI, i.v. -PCA, and EDA, respectively, demonstrating the CWI procedure to be both economically and clinically dominant. PSA reported that CWI remains cost saving in 70.4% of cases in comparison with EDA and in 59.2% of cases when compared with PCA. CONCLUSIONS Device-related costs of using CWI for pain management after abdominal laparotomy are partly counterbalanced by a reduction in resource consumption. The cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that CWI is the dominant treatment strategy for managing postoperative pain (i.e. more effective and less costly) in comparison with i.v. -PCA. When compared with EDA, CWI is less costly with almost equivalent efficacy. This economic evaluation may be useful for clinicians to design algorithms for pain management after major abdominal surgery.
Antiretroviral concentrations in breast-feeding infants of women in Botswana receiving antiretroviral treatment.

BACKGROUND The magnitude of infant antiretroviral (ARV) exposure from breast milk is unknown. METHODS We measured concentrations of nevirapine, lamivudine, and zidovudine in serum and whole breast milk from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected women in Botswana receiving ARV treatment and serum from their uninfected, breast-feeding infants. RESULTS Twenty mother-infant pairs were enrolled. Maternal serum concentrations of nevirapine were high (median, 9534 ng/mL at a median of 4 h after nevirapine ingestion). Median breast-milk concentrations of nevirapine, lamivudine, and zidovudine were 0.67, 3.34, and 3.21 times, respectively, those in maternal serum. The median infant serum concentration of nevirapine was 971 ng/mL, at least 40 times the 50% inhibitory concentration and similar to peak concentrations after a single 2-mg/kg dose of nevirapine. The median infant serum concentration of lamivudine was 28 ng/mL, and the median infant serum concentration of zidovudine was 123 ng/mL, but infants were also receiving zidovudine prophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS HIV-1 inhibitory concentrations of nevirapine are achieved in breast-feeding infants of mothers receiving these ARVs, exposing infants to the potential for beneficial and adverse effects of nevirapine ingestion. Further study is needed to understand the impact of maternal ARV treatment on breast-feeding HIV-1 transmission, infant toxicity, and HIV-1 resistance mutations among infected infants.
Workplace Stress in the United States: Issues and Policies

Despite relative affluence, workplace stress is a prominent feature of the US labour market. To the extent that job stress causes poor health outcomes – either directly through increased blood pressure, fatigue, muscle pain, etc. or indirectly through increased rates of cigarette smoking – policy to lessen job stress may be appropriate. Focusing predominantly on the United States, this report reviews the literature on a variety of economic concerns related to job stress and health. Areas in which economists may provide valuable insights regarding job stress include empirical selection concerns in identifying the effect of stress on health; measurement error with respect to stress; the existence and magnitude of compensating differentials for stress; and the unique “job lock” effect in the United States created by a system of employer-provided health insurance. This report concludes with a brief discussion of US policies related to job stress. This Working Paper relates to the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/United States ). Stress au travail aux Etats-Unis : questions et actions Malgre une relative prosperite, le stress au travail constitue une caracteristique importante du marche du travail aux Etats-Unis. Dans la mesure ou il genere des problemes de sante, soit directement par une hausse de la tension arterielle, de la fatigue, des douleurs musculaires, etc., soit indirectement par une augmentation de la consommation tabagique, il semble utile d’entreprendre des actions visant a attenuer le stress au travail. Ce rapport, qui porte essentiellement sur les Etats-Unis, passe en revue les articles publies sur diverses problematiques economiques liees au stress au travail et a la sante. Parmi les domaines dans lesquels les economistes pourraient apporter un eclairage interessant sur le stress au travail, on peut citer les problemes de selection empirique lors de la determination de l’effet du stress sur la sante, les erreurs de mesure en rapport avec le stress, la presence et l’ampleur des differentiels compensatoires lies au stress, ainsi que l’effet – propre aux Etats-Unis – de « retention de l’emploi » cree par un systeme d’assurance-maladie fournie par l’employeur. Le present rapport se conclut par une breve analyse des mesures prises dans le pays pour lutter contre le stress au travail. Ce document de travail est lie a l’Etude economique 2014 des Etats-Unis menee par l’OCDE (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/United States).
Taxation and the Allocation of Talent

Taxation affects the allocation of talented individuals across professions by blunting material incentives and thus magnifying nonpecuniary incentives of pursuing a “calling. ” Estimates from the literature suggest that high-paying professions have negative externalities, whereas low-paying professions have positive externalities. A calibrated model therefore prescribes negative marginal tax rates on middle-class incomes and positive rates on the rich. The welfare gains from implementing such a policy are small and are dwarfed by the gains from profession-specific taxes and subsidies. These results depend crucially on externality estimates and labor substitution patterns across professions, both of which are very uncertain given existing empirical evidence.
Effect of circular arc feet on a control law for a biped

SUMMARY The purpose of our research is to study the effects of circular arc feet on the biped walk with a geometric tracking control. The biped studied is planar and is composed of five links and four actuators located at each hip and each knee thus the biped is underactuated in single support phase. A geometric evolution of the biped configuration is controlled, instead of a temporal evolution. The input-output linearization with a PD control law and a feed forward compensation is used for geometric tracking. The controller virtually constrains 4 degrees of freedom (DoF) of the biped, and 1 DoF (the absolute orientation of the biped) remained. The temporal evolution of the remained system with impact events is analyzed using Poincaré map. The map is given by an analytic expression based on the angular momentum about the contact point. The effect of the radii of the circular arc feet on the stability is studied. As a result, the speed of convergence decreases when the radii increases, if the radius is larger than the leg length the cyclic motion is not more stable. Among the stable cyclic motion, larger radius broadens the basin of attraction. Our results agree with those obtained for passive dynamic walking on stability, even if the biped is controlled through the geometric tracking.
Communicating emotions in online chat using physiological sensors and animated text

We present a chat system that uses animateddynamic text associated with emotional information to show the affective state of the user. The system obtains the affective state of a chat user from a physiological sensor attached to the user's body. This paper describes preliminary experiments and provides examples of possible applications of our chat system. Observations from informal experiments comparing our animated chat system with a conventional system suggest that an online interface that conveys emotional information helps online users to interact with each other more efficiently.
Textual complexity as a predictor of difficulty of listening items in language proficiency tests

In this paper we explore to what extent the difficulty of listening items in an English language proficiency test can be predicted by the textual properties of the prompt. We show that a system based on multiple text complexity features can predict item difficulty for several different item types and for some items achieves higher accuracy than human estimates of item difficulty.
Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences

This paper describes early work trying to predict stock market indicators such as Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P 500 by analyzing Twitter posts. We collected the twitter feeds for six months and got a randomized subsample of about one hundredth of the full volume of all tweets. We measured collective hope and fear on each day and analyzed the correlation between these indices and the stock market indicators. We found that emotional tweet percentage significantly negatively correlated with Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P 500, but displayed significant positive correlation to VIX. It therefore seems that just checking on twitter for emotional outbursts of any kind gives a predictor of how the stock market will be doing the next day.
When my robot smiles at me Enabling human-robot rapport via real-time head gesture mimicry

People use imitation to encourage each other during conversation. We have conducted an experiment to investigate how imitation by a robot affect people’s perceptions of their conversation with it. The robot operated in one of three ways: full head gesture mimicking, partial head gesture mimicking (nodding), and non-mimicking (blinking). Participants rated how satisﬁed they were with the interaction. We hypothesized that participants in the full head gesture condition will rate their interaction the most positively, followed by the partial and non-mimicking conditions. We also performed gesture analysis to see if any differences existed between groups, and did ﬁnd that men made signiﬁ-cantly more gestures than women while interacting with the robot. Finally, we interviewed participants to try to ascertain additional insight into their feelings of rapport with the robot, which revealed a number of valuable insights.
Increased Sensitivity to Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies of End-Stage Disease R5 HIV-1 Correlates with Evolution in Env Glycosylation and Charge

Background Induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies, such as the monoclonal antibodies IgGb12, 2F5 and 2G12, is the objective of most antibody-based HIV-1 vaccine undertakings. However, despite the relative conserved nature of epitopes targeted by these antibodies, mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of circulating HIV-1 variants to broadly neutralizing antibodies are not fully understood. Here we have studied sensitivity to broadly neutralizing antibodies of HIV-1 variants that emerge during disease progression in relation to molecular alterations in the viral envelope glycoproteins (Env), using a panel of primary R5 HIV-1 isolates sequentially obtained before and after AIDS onset. Principal Findings HIV-1 R5 isolates obtained at end-stage disease, after AIDS onset, were found to be more sensitive to neutralization by TriMab, an equimolar mix of the IgGb12, 2F5 and 2G12 antibodies, than R5 isolates from the chronic phase. The increased sensitivity correlated with low CD4+ T cell count at time of virus isolation and augmented viral infectivity. Subsequent sequence analysis of multiple env clones derived from the R5 HIV-1 isolates revealed that, concomitant with increased TriMab neutralization sensitivity, end-stage R5 variants displayed envelope glycoproteins (Envs) with reduced numbers of potential N-linked glycosylation sites (PNGS), in addition to increased positive surface charge. These molecular changes in Env also correlated to sensitivity to neutralization by the individual 2G12 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Furthermore, results from molecular modeling suggested that the PNGS lost at end-stage disease locate in the proximity to the 2G12 epitope. Conclusions Our study suggests that R5 HIV-1 variants with increased sensitivity to broadly neutralizing antibodies, including the 2G12 mAb, may emerge in an opportunistic manner during severe immunodeficiency as a consequence of adaptive molecular Env changes, including loss of glycosylation and gain of positive charge.
Demonstration of Cross-Protective Vaccine Immunity against an Emerging Pathogenic Ebolavirus Species

A major challenge in developing vaccines for emerging pathogens is their continued evolution and ability to escape human immunity. Therefore, an important goal of vaccine research is to advance vaccine candidates with sufficient breadth to respond to new outbreaks of previously undetected viruses. Ebolavirus (EBOV) vaccines have demonstrated protection against EBOV infection in nonhuman primates (NHP) and show promise in human clinical trials but immune protection occurs only with vaccines whose antigens are matched to the infectious challenge species. A 2007 hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Uganda demonstrated the existence of a new EBOV species, Bundibugyo (BEBOV), that differed from viruses covered by current vaccine candidates by up to 43% in genome sequence. To address the question of whether cross-protective immunity can be generated against this novel species, cynomolgus macaques were immunized with DNA/rAd5 vaccines expressing ZEBOV and SEBOV glycoprotein (GP) prior to lethal challenge with BEBOV. Vaccinated subjects developed robust, antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses against the GP from ZEBOV as well as cellular immunity against BEBOV GP, and immunized macaques were uniformly protected against lethal challenge with BEBOV. This report provides the first demonstration of vaccine-induced protective immunity against challenge with a heterologous EBOV species, and shows that Ebola vaccines capable of eliciting potent cellular immunity may provide the best strategy for eliciting cross-protection against newly emerging heterologous EBOV species.
Immune Defense in Upper Airways: A Single-Cell Study of Pathogen-Specific Plasmablasts and Their Migratory Potentials in Acute Sinusitis and Tonsillitis

Background Despite the high frequency of upper respiratory tract (URT) infections and use of the nasal mucosa as route for vaccination, the local immune mechanism and dissemination of effector lymphocytes from the URT have been insufficiently characterized. To devise a single-cell approach for studying the mucosal immune response in the URT, we explored URT-originating B effector lymphocytes in the circulation of patients with one of two common respiratory infections, acute sinusitis or tonsillitis. Methods Patients with acute sinusitis (n = 13) or tonsillitis (n = 11) were investigated by ELISPOT for circulating pathogen-specific antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) of IgA, IgG and IgM isotypes approximately one week after the onset of symptoms. These cells’ potential to home into tissues was explored by assessing their expression of tissue-specific homing receptors α4β7, L-selectin, and cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA). Results Pathogen-specific ASCs were detected in the circulation of all patients, with a geometric mean of 115 (95% CI 46–282) /106 PBMC in sinusitis, and 48 (27–88) in tonsillitis. These responses were mainly dominated by IgG. In sinusitis α4β7 integrin was expressed by 24% of the ASCs, L-selectin by 82%, and CLA by 21%. The proportions for tonsillitis were 15%, 80%, and 23%, respectively. Healthy individuals had no ASCs. Conclusions URT infections–acute sinusitis and tonsillitis–both elicited a response of circulating pathogen-specific plasmablasts. The magnitude of the response was greater in sinusitis than tonsillitis, but the homing receptor profiles were similar. Human nasopharynx-associated lymphoid structures were found to disseminate immune effector cells with a distinct homing profile.
Developing Assessment Instrument as a Mathematical Power Measurement

This was a field research (literature review and exploration) with descriptive quantitative approach. This study aims: (1) to develop a model (scheme) to assess mathematical power, (2) to test the validity of instruments of mathematical power assessment, and (3) to developa valid and reliable test and non-test instrument prototypes as a mathematical power measurement. The research instruments consist of 4 items of essay test, 20 sheets of observation on investigative activities, and 20 items of questionnaires. Validity test was conducted through constructions built up from 3 aspects of mathematical power ability. Result of instrument analysis showed that: (1) the r of instrument test = 0.947, meaning that the instrument is reliable, (2) the r of activity observation sheets = 0.912, meaning that the instrument is reliable, and (3) the r of questionnaires = 0.770, meaning that the questionnaire is reliable on 0.05 significance level. This study concludes: (a) the steps in the model (scheme) of mathematical power assessment may be used as a reference for assessing mathematical power, (b) test and non-test instruments are valid and reliable, and (c) prototypes of test and non-test instruments may be used as a measurement in mathematical power assessment.
OULU BUSINESS SCHOOL

71 Abstract Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) should trade at a price equal to their fundamental Net Asset Value (NAV). However, ETFs' can occasionally pose economically significant premiums/discounts to their NAV prices, i.e. arbitrage opportunities. The theoretical part focuses on ETF arbitrage and explains why this arbitrage trading is attractive to high-frequency traders (HFTs). In the empirical part, we introduce HFT activity proxies to a factor model explaining the observed SPDR trust (SPY) premiums during 2.1. 2002–15.1. 2013. A range of statistical and econometrical tools are then employed to study the detailed relationship between these factors and the SPY premiums. In addition, we replicate a popular method used to study HFTs' effects on stock markets, and apply it to analyze HFTs' effects on ETF pricing process. By utilizing an exogenous technology shock (implementation of Regulation National Market System) which improved U.S. market infrastructure, we should be able to dissect the effects caused by heightened HFT activity. The absolute size of SPY premium is significantly related to endogenous ETF factors. The exogenous factors serving as proxies for available arbitrage capital improve the explanatory power. The Reg. NMS implementation fails to serve as an exhaustive structural break point in ETF pricing dynamics. Although, the post-Reg. NMS era has very low ETF premiums and higher trading volumes. This can indicate that Reg. NMS made markets more suitable for HFT, and therefore high-frequency ETF arbitrage might have been more efficient during the post-Reg. NMS era. Simple implications are: ETF premiums can be significant in relation to their annual expense ratios and investors can improve their trade execution by understanding the drivers behind ETF premiums. ETF premium volatility modeling can also be useful in risk management and in investment decision making. Understanding HFTs' role in ETF mispricing adds to our incomplete knowledge on the effects of individual HFT strategies.
Addressing Methodical Aspects of Interdependent Standardization Decisions

Standards and technologies (e.g. in the area of web services) will strongly change IT-based communication. However, the decision of an agent (e.g. a firm) to adopt a standard is accompanied by the risk that other agents do not adopt the standard as well. The interdependencies among the agents’ standardization decisions due to positive network effects result in a coordination problem called “standardization problem”. If each agent autonomously decides about the adoption of a standard based on incomplete information about the other agents (e.g. unknown cost structure), this problem is characterized by a decentralized decision structure and incomplete information. A well-known approach in this context is the Decentralized Standardization Model. Based on analysing methodical issues of this model, we propose a novel approach that explicitly and consistently takes into account the interdependencies among the adoption decisions by means of a system of inequalities. Game theoretical analyses reveal that this approach goes along with higher average net standardization benefits per agent as well as a lower fraction of incorrect individual agents’ decisions than the Decentralized Standardization Model.