Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased expression of tumor protein D54 is associated with clinical progression and poor prognosis in patients with prostate cancer

Tumor protein D54 (TPD54) has been reported to be involved in the prognosis of several cancers. However, the involvement of TPD54 in prostate cancer (PCa) is yet to be elucidated. In the present study, 117 patients with PCa were enrolled. The mRNA and protein levels of TPD54 in PCa tissues and adjacent normal prostate tissues were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. TPD54 expression was also determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in paraffin-embedded PCa tissues. The association between TPD54 expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis was evaluated. The results revealed that the expression levels of TPD54 mRNA and protein were upregulated in PCa tissues compared with adjacent normal prostate tissues. In addition, moderate/strong staining of TPD54 was observed in 91.4% (107/117) of PCa tissues, but only in 32.5% (38/117) of adjacent normal prostate tissues, as assessed by IHC. TPD54 expression was significantly associated with Gleason score (P=0.0001). In addition, patients with PCa with moderate/strong TPD54 expression had shorter biochemical recurrence-free survival times compared with those with negative/weak TPD54 expression (P=0.002). Multivariate analysis indicated that TPD54 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for patients with PCa (hazard ratio, 2.259; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–4.679; P=0.028). Taken together, these results indicated that TPD54 is a predictor of poor outcome for patients with PCa, and may be a potential prognostic marker for patients with PCa.
VALIDITY OF USING WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENTS TO DETERMINE BODY COMPOSITION OF YOUNG SYRIAN MEN

Summary This study examined the relation between waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and triceps skin-fold thickness and percentage body fat in young Syrian men. The aim was to develop equations that can use these anthropometric characteristics to estimate percentage body fat in this group of subjects. A total of 2470 healthy Syrian men aged 18–19 years were enrolled in the study in 2010–2011. The anthropometric characteristics of all subjects were measured. The percentage body fat of 213 of the subjects was determined using the deuterium dilution (DD) technique as a reference method. The validity of using WC, HC, WHpR and WHtR to calculate percentage body fat, in comparison with the reference method (DD technique), was assessed by calculating biases and limits of agreement. The estimates of percentage body fat using ‘WC’ and ‘WC with triceps skin-fold’ measurements ranged from 13.00±5.56% to 14.55±8.63%, and were lower than those determined using the reference method (21.32±6.42%). A better prediction equation is proposed for young adults, based on a multiple linear regression model using WC, HC and WHtR.
Delivering Skills: Apprenticeship Program Sponsorship and Transition from Training

Many open-shop contractors in the U.S. construction sector sponsor training cooperatively in unilateral multi-employer apprenticeship programs. Their proponents view these coordinated efforts as an alternative to the training organized jointly by a union and signatory contactors. This paper uses a new data set to compare the performance of these program types in terms of the transition probabilities and durations of apprentices. It shows that in open-shop multiple-employer programs: (1) the completion rate is higher but still lags behind that of the union-management programs; (2) quitters leave training before substantial build-up of skills; (3) graduates complete requirements at a faster pace. While these results are disconcerting in view of the skilled labor shortage in construction, they are consistent with the open-shop sector's preference to rely extensively on semi-skilled workers.
Relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire to assess nutrient intake in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND To date, there are no food frequency questionnaires that have been validated to assess nutrient intakes in pregnant women in Ireland. The present study aimed to assess the relative validity of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire during pregnancy. METHODS The food frequency questionnaire was administered once during pregnancy between 12 and 34 weeks. Participants also completed a 3-day food diary during each trimester of pregnancy (reference method) and intakes from both the food frequency questionnaire and the mean of the 3-day food diaries were compared in a sample of 130 participants from the control arm of an intervention study. RESULTS Energy-adjusted Pearson's correlation coefficients ranged from 0.24 (riboflavin) to 0.59 (magnesium) and were all statistically significant (P < 0.05). The food frequency questionnaire tended to report higher energy and nutrient intakes compared to the food diaries. On average, 74% of participants were classified into the same ± 1 quartile and 7% into opposing quartiles by the two methods. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our food frequency questionnaire showed good relative validity. We conclude that a single administration of a food frequency questionnaire is a valid tool for ranking women in accordance with their nutrient intakes during pregnancy.
Analysis of Technology Integration in the Teaching-Learning Process in Selected Career and Technical Education Programs

This study addressed the level that instructional technology is integrated in the teaching/learning process in three secondary career and technical education (CTE) programs, namely, agriscience, business, and marketing education. CTE teachers are most active in exploring the potential of using technology in the teaching/learning process, and in adopting technology for regular use in instruction, but are not very active experimenting with technology or with advanced technology integration. The CTE teachers did not experience substantial barriers in their efforts to integrate technology in the teaching/learning process and perceive they are good teachers. In general, CTE teachers experienced some technology anxiety that prevents them from using technology in their instruction. Six factors (technology training, self-perceived teaching effectiveness, availability of technology, perceived barriers, technology anxiety, and teachers having a home Internet connection) combined in various ways in four multiple regression models to explain teachers’ technology integration in the teaching-learning process.
Kinetic Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate Granule Formation in Wautersia eutropha H16 by Transmission Electron Microscopy

ABSTRACT Wautersia eutropha, formerly known as Ralstonia eutropha, a gram-negative bacterium, accumulates polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as insoluble granules inside the cell when nutrients other than carbon are limited. In this paper, we report findings from kinetic studies of granule formation and degradation in W. eutropha H16 obtained using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In nitrogen-limited growth medium, the phenotype of the cells at the early stages of granule formation was revealed for the first time. At the center of the cells, dark-stained “mediation elements” with small granules attached were observed. These mediation elements are proposed to serve as nucleation sites for granule initiation. TEM images also revealed that when W. eutropha cells were introduced into nitrogen-limited medium from nutrient-rich medium, the cell size increased two- to threefold, and the cells underwent additional volume changes during growth. Unbiased stereology was used to analyze the two-dimensional TEM images, from which the average volume of a W. eutropha H16 cell and the total surface area of granules per cell in nutrient-rich and PHB production media were obtained. These parameters were essential in the calculation of the concentration of proteins involved in PHB formation and utilization and their changes with time. The extent of protein coverage of the granule surface area is presented in the accompanying paper (J. Tian, A. He, A. Lawrence, P. Liu, N. Watson, A. J. Sinskey, and J. Stubbe, J. Bacteriol. 187:3825-3832, 2005).
Investment Subsidies and Wages in Capital Goods Industries: To the Workers Go the Spoils?

This paper looks at the impact of investment tax subsidies on the labor market for capital goods workers. Using data during a decade with considerable variation in the tax cost of capital (1979-1988), the results show that tax subsidies to investment drive up capital goods workers' wages. A10 percent investment tax credit, for example, raises the relative wages of such workers, on average, by 2.5 percent -3.0 percent relative to comparable manufacturing workers in other sectors and more for certain types of workers. Rising wages make up an important part of the rising supply curve for capital goods and reflects imperfect short-run mobility of production workers across sectors.
Becoming Multicultural: Raising Awareness and Supporting Change in Teacher Education

A ancient Chinese uroverb informs us that a iourney of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The process of "becoming multicultural" unquestionably supports this profound notion. Developing a multicultural lens through which our lives and work can be viewed and through which our actions can be directed requires personal and professional growth and a willingness to embark upon such a trek. Movement along such a continuum is a journey that requires reflection, reconstruction, and response. Routes differ for each traveler as experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and values inform the course of the voyage. Rather than being a means to an end, the process is continuous, with each bend eliciting new cognition, affect, and action. Becoming multicultural has been defined as a process whereby an individual develops competencies of perceiving, evaluating, believing, and doing in multiple ways (Banks, 1988). Nieto (1996) argues that "becoming a multicultural teacher means first becoming a multicultural person. Without this transformation of ourselves, any attempts at developing a multicultural perspective will be shallow and superficial" (p. 353). Multicultural development discourse is particularly relevant for 21st century educators. While the number of minority students in U.S. schools has increased to approximately 40 percent, minority teacher representation continues to decrease and is currently estimated at only nine percent (Torres, Santos, Peck, & Cortes, 2004). Limited representation in the nation's teaching force by minority educators is a problem in and of itself, and the demographics of the current majority compound the problem. A 1990 American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) study of prospective teachers found that nearly all of the white students surveyed grew up in European American neighborhoods, went to colleges serving mainly European Americans, and reported spending a majority of their time with European Americans. Similarly, when asked their preference of a teaching assignment, 80 percent of European American students expressed a strong inclination to work in a "majority" setting (Gomez, 1996). Remarkably similar findings were documented by Zimpher (1989), who reported that a striking 82 percent of preservice teachers desire to teach in either suburban or rural populations, with a mere 15 percent expressing inBecoming multicultural
Understanding Changes in Tumor Texture Indices in PET: A Comparison Between Visual Assessment and Index Values in Simulated and Patient Data

The use of texture indices to characterize tumor heterogeneity from PET images is being increasingly investigated in retrospective studies, yet the interpretation of PET-derived texture index values has not been thoroughly reported. Furthermore, the calculation of texture indices lacks a standardized methodology, making it difficult to compare published results. To allow for texture index value interpretation, we investigated the changes in value of 6 texture indices computed from simulated and real patient data. Methods: Ten sphere models mimicking different activity distribution patterns and the 18F-FDG PET images from 54 patients with breast cancer were used. For each volume of interest, 6 texture indices were measured. The values of texture indices and how they changed as a function of the activity distribution were assessed and compared with the visual assessment of tumor heterogeneity. Results: Using the sphere models and real tumors, we identified 2 sets of texture indices reflecting different types of uptake heterogeneity. Set 1 included homogeneity, entropy, short-run emphasis, and long-run emphasis, all of which were sensitive to the presence of uptake heterogeneity but did not distinguish between hyper- and hyposignal within an otherwise uniform activity distribution. Set 2 comprised high-gray-level-zone emphasis and low-gray-level-zone emphasis, which were mostly sensitive to the average uptake rather than to the uptake local heterogeneity. Four of 6 texture indices significantly differed between homogeneous and heterogeneous lesions as defined by 2 nuclear medicine physicians (P < 0.05). All texture index values were sensitive to voxel size (variations up to 85.8% for the most homogeneous sphere models) and edge effects (variations up to 29.1%). Conclusion: Unlike a previous report, our study found that variations in texture indices were intuitive in the sphere models and real tumors: the most homogeneous uptake distribution exhibited the highest homogeneity and lowest entropy. Two families of texture index reflecting different types of uptake patterns were identified. Variability in texture index values as a function of voxel size and inclusion of tumor edges was demonstrated, calling for a standardized calculation methodology. This study provides guidance for nuclear medicine physicians in interpreting texture indices in future studies and clinical practice.
Pharmacokinetics of Green Tea Catechins in Extract and Sustained-Release Preparations

Catechins are a major constituent of green tea. For green tea to have cancer therapeutic benefit, catechin concentrations in the range of 100 nM are required continuously until apoptosis (programmed cell death) is induced. To prolong elevated plasma and interstitial concentrations of catechins, a sustained-release formulation of green tea extract was tested and compared to a commercial green tea extract (Tegreen97®). Sustained-release formulations are usually developed in the pharmaceutical industry to slowly deliver the compound over a period of time and increase the dosing interval. Plasma and interstitial fluid (ISF) pharmacokinetics of catechins were determined following an oral dose in the rat. The sustained-release formulation profile included multiple smaller peaks of total catechins in both plasma and ISF. Interstitial fluid profiles of green tea extract indicate that higher catechins concentration and longer duration in tissue than in blood may make a sustained-release form unnecessary.
Leisure Constraints Research: Its Value as a Framework for Understanding Tourism Seasonability

Tourism seasonality is a major issue within tourism but is poorly understood. This paper argues for the adoption of a leisure constraints framework to develop more in-depth insights into seasonal variations in tourism. The structure of this argument consists of three parts: (1) the limitations of existing understandings of seasonality in tourism; (2) the nature of leisure constraints theory and its underutilisation in a tourism context; and (3) the benefits of adopting this theoretical framework in terms of its relative sophistication and hierarchical models.
Sustainability: the missing ingredient in strategy

Purpose – This paper explores ways in which different dimensions of sustainability can be addressed at the strategic level within organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Building upon previous research, the authors provide a conceptual overview before developing a framework that outlines how sustainability can be addressed during the strategic decision‐making process and as part of the organization's corporate, business and functional level strategies.Findings – Research has demonstrated that many managers do not understand how to make their organizations more sustainable, even though they recognize the benefits of doing so. The framework developed in this paper suggests a way for managers to integrate sustainability into strategy. It focuses on the strategic decision‐making process, including the cognitive characteristics of strategic decision‐makers and the strategy content at the corporate, business and functional levels. The authors also address the role of organizational culture and vision in sup.
Global Income Inequality by the Numbers: In History and Now --An Overview--

The paper presents an overview of calculations of global inequality, recently and over the long-run as well as main controversies and political and philosophical implications of the findings. It focuses in particular on the winners and losers of the most recent episode of globalization, from 1988 to 2008. It suggests that the period might have witnessed the first decline in global inequality between world citizens since the Industrial Revolution. The decline however can be sustained only if countries'mean incomes continue to converge (as they have been doing during the past ten years) and if internal (within-country) inequalities, which are already high, are kept in check. Mean-income convergence would also reduce the huge"citizenship premium"that is enjoyed today by the citizens of rich countries.
Can Schools Make Scotland a More Inclusive Society

'Education, education, education' was identified by Tony Blair as the key policy priority for his government on winning the general election in May 1997. Education is seen as a means to achieving a major New Labour public policy goal, that of social inclusion. The high profile of this goal is evident in the decision to establish a Social Exclusion Unit in 10 Downing Street. In Scotland, a Social Inclusion Network was formed in 1998, consisting of representatives of Government and other national public and private sector organisations, alongside individuals with direct experience of tackling social exclusion. The network has agreed three areas for priority attention:
New Jersey’s Family Cap and Welfare Births: An Examination of Racial Differences in Fertility Within the Framework of Proximate Determinants

ABSTRACT: New Jersey’s family cap policy was designed to encourage responsible childbearing among welfare recipients by placing an economic disincentive on births conceived while the mother was receiving welfare. In this study, we use data from an experiment conducted with 8,400 women from October 1992 to December 1996 to determine which of the proximate determinants (abortion, contraception, or family planning visits) are critical in women’s decisions to give birth while on welfare. We use structural equations modeling to trace the total effect of these proximate determinants on births and the indirect effect of family cap, time on welfare, mother’s age, and race. Our analysis shows that length of time on welfare, family cap limitations, and mother’s race are indicative of distinctive patterns of proximate determinant use.
Sexual orientation and health : general and minority stress factors explaining health differences between lesbian, gay, bisexual and heterosexual individuals

Previous studies show that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals report more health problems than heterosexual individuals. However, several important gaps remain in the knowledge regarding the explanations for these health differences. In general, there is a lack of differentiation between subgroups in the LGB population, a lack of specific attention for older LGB individuals and LGB youth who grow up in relatively tolerant countries, and a lack of combined between-and-within-groups study designs that examine factors associated with health differences. These gaps are addressed in the current dissertation. Although some gender and sexual orientation differences were found in the associations between risk factors and health problems, the presented studies that addressed potential gender and sexual orientation differences in the association between minority stress factors and mental health, sexual health, substance use, and social wellbeing provide no reason to suspect that the usefulness of the minority stress model differs substantially for sexual minority women and men or for lesbian/gay and bisexual individuals. In addition, the minority stress model seems to be a useful model for explaining health problems of both LGB youth and ageing LGB individuals. Research combining between-and-within-groups study designs was shown to be a useful way of examining health differences between LGB and heterosexual individuals. Firstly, using a between-and-within-groups design enabled showing that feelings of loneliness as well as sexual health problems of LGB individuals can be explained by general risk factors as well as by LGB-specific factors. To be most effective, interventions aiming to decrease sexual health problems among LGB adults or loneliness among elderly LGB individuals should therefore target both types of factors. Secondly, the use of a between-and-within-groups study design clearly showed the hypothesized, additive health compromising effects of minority stress factors. These findings provide important and novel support for one of the main assumptions of the minority stress model, that minority stress is a form of additive stress that is experienced by minority groups in addition to the stressors that are also experienced by members of the social majority, and that it is this additional stress takes its toll on LGB individuals and affects their health over and above general health risk factors.
Equality of Opportunity in Education in the Middle East and North Africa

This paper is an empirical investigation of inequality of education opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We use student scores from tests administered by the international consortium Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for a number of MENA countries and over time since 1999 to estimate the effect of circumstances children are born into on their academic achievement in science and mathematics. From the variation in inequality of education opportunities across countries and over time we draw lessons on the ini¬‚uence of different education systems or changes in policy on equality of opportunity. We find that inequality of opportunities explains a signifcant part of the inequality in educational achievements in most MENA countries, but in a few cases, notably Algeria, its role is small. Family background variables are the most important determinants of inequality in achievement, followed by community characteristics. Inequality of education opportunities are high in several MENA countries, and have either stayed the same or worsened in recent years. The results show that, despite great efforts in past decades to invest in free public education, in most MENA countries are less opportunity equal in educational achievement that European countries, and several are less equal than Latin America countries and the United States. There is plenty of room for policy to further level the playing feld in education. We discuss how our results shed light on policy choices in education that can contribute to greater equality of education and income in the region.