Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Relationship between the expression of beta-cat, cyclin D1 and c-myc and the occurance and biological behavior of pancreatic cancer].

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship between the abnormal expression of beta-catenin (beta-cat) and the high expressions of cyclin D1 and c-myc and the occurance, proliferation, infiltration, metastasis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer, and to provide rational basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS Immunohistochemical PicTure trade mark was used to examine the expressions of beta-cat, cyclin D1 and c-myc in 47 cases of the cancerous tissue of pancreas, 12 cases of the pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and 10 cases of normal tissue of pancreas, respectively. Pancreatic cancer proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was also tested as the index of the extent of proliferation of the pancreatic cancer. RESULTS beta-cat was expressed normally in the 10 cases of the normal pancreatic tissue, while cyclin D1 and c-myc were negative. The expression rates of beta-cat, cyclin D1 and c-myc in the tissues of the pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and the pancreatic cancer had no significant difference [6/12 and 68.1% (32/47), 6/12 and 74.5% (35/47), 5/12 and 70.2% (33/47) respectively;P values were all more than 0.05]. The abnormal expression rate of beta-cat was significantly correlated to the metastasis of the pancreatic cancer and the one-year survival rate (both P < 0.05), but had no relation with the size, the extent of differentiation, the activity of proliferation, or infiltration of the pancreatic cancer (both P > 0.05). The expression rate of cyclin D1 was correlated with the proliferation of the pancreatic cancer and the extent of differentiation (both P < 0.05), but not with the size, infiltration, metastasis, or one-year survival rate of the pancreatic cancer (both P > 0.05). The expression rate of c-myc was not correlated with the size, the extent of proliferation, infiltration, metastasis, or one-year survival rate (both P > 0.05), but closely with the proliferation activity of the cancerous tissue of pancreas (P < 0.05). The abnormal expression of beta-cat and the high expressions of cyclin D1 and c-myc had a parallel relationship with the pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and pancreatic cancer (both P < 0.05, gamma = 1.000, 0.845, 0.437, 0.452). CONCLUSIONS The abnormal expression of beta-cat activates cyclin D1 and c-myc, and results in the unchecked proliferation and differentiation, which may play an important role in the genesis of the pancreatic cancer. The abnormal expression of beta-cat is one of the mechanisms for the spread of pancreatic cancer and an index in the molecular biology to determine the metastasis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.
Predicting caregiver burden and depression in Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of caregiver burden and depression, including objective stressors and mediation forces influencing caregiving outcomes. METHODS This investigation is based on the 1994 Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) database. Participants were 613 individuals with dementia, living in either the community or an institution, and their informal caregivers. Participants for the CSHA were identified by screening a large random sample of elderly persons across Canada. Structural equation models representing four alternative pathways from caregiving stressors (e.g., functional limitations, disturbing behaviors, patient residence, assistance given to caregiver) to caregiver burden and depression were compared. RESULTS The data provided the best fit to a model whereby the effects on the caregiver's well-being are mediated by appraisals of burden. A higher frequency of disturbing behavior, caring for a community-dwelling patient, and low informal support were related to higher burden, which in turn led to more depressive symptomatology. Caregivers of patients exhibiting more disturbing behaviors and functional limitations received less help from family and friends, whereas those whose care recipients resided in an institution received more informal support. DISCUSSION Our findings add to the preexisting literature because we tested alternative models of caregiver burden using an unusually large sample size of participants and after overcoming methodological limitations of past research. Results highlight the importance of the effective management of disturbing behaviors, the provision of formal services for caregivers with highly impaired patients and no informal support, and the improvement of coping skills in burdened caregivers.
1999 Young Investigator Research Award Runner-Up: Effect of Augmentation on the Mechanics of Vertebral Wedge Fractures

Study Design. The effect of cement augmentation of wedge-fractured vertebral bodies on spine segment compliance was studied in 16 cadaver specimens. Objectives. 1) To assess the mechanical effects of cement augmentation of vertebral wedge fractures. 2) To determine whether a new reduction/injection procedure has the same mechanical effects as the established direct injection procedure. Summary of Background Data. Although wedge fractures cause pain and disability in hundreds of thousands of people, few effective treatments are available. Clinical studies have shown that cement augmentation, a new procedure, effectively relieves pain and restores mobility in patients suffering from weak or fractured vertebrae. However, only a few studies have examined the mechanics of vertebral augmentation. Methods. A wedge fracture was created in the middle vertebra of 16 three-vertebra cadaver spine segments. Neutral and full-load compliance of each fractured spine segment in flexion/extension and lateral bending were assessed by measuring the relative rotation of the vertebral bodies in response to applied moments. Eight of the fractured vertebral bodies were then augmented using direct injection, while the remaining eight fractured vertebral bodies were augmented using a combined reduction/injection procedure. Compliance of the augmented segments was then assessed. Results. Augmentation significantly reduced the neutral compliance (reduction of 25% ± 23%) (mean ± standard deviation) and the full-load compliance (reduction of 23% ± 20%) in flexion/extension (P < 0.005). Augmentation also significantly reduced the neutral compliance (reduction of 34% ± 20%) and the full-load compliance (reduction of 26% ± 17%) in lateral bending (P < 0.0001). No significant difference was found between the two procedures for compliance reduction. Conclusions. Augmentation of wedge fractures using both direct injection and reduction/injection reduces spine segment compliance significantly.
Outcomes of Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgical Decortication in 274 Patients with Tuberculous Empyema.

OBJECTIVE The present work aimed to retrospectively assess the outcomes associated with decortication by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in patients with tuberculous empyema. METHODS Patients (n = 274) who underwent decortication by VATS for surgical management of pleural empyema between January 2000 to 2010 were included. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative characteristics were observed for all patients, which were followed up for 12 months to evaluate surgical outcomes such as postoperative complications and disease recurrence. RESULTS No patients required conversion to thoracotomy, and no death or postoperative bleeding was reported. The mean operation time was 104.5 ± 20.4 min, with 271.5 ± 41.3 ml intraoperative blood loss and median length of hospital stay of 7.2 ± 3 . 4 days. Of the 274 patients, 262 were followed up for 12 months; 26 (9.9%) patients showed complications, including incomplete lung re-expansion (11 patients) and persistent air leak (6 patients). While early disease recurrence was observed in 3 (1.1%) patients after surgery, late recurrence was reported for 6 (2.3%) individuals. Interestingly, the complication rate was much higher in patients with chronic empyema (15/34, 44.1%) than in subjects with acute empyema (11/228, 4.8%). CONCLUSIONS Decortication by VATS decreases postsurgical complications, and results in decreased disease recurrence. This study demonstrated improved outcomes by decortication by VATS, even in patients with stage III tuberculous empyema.
Lost in Transmission: Evaluating Internet Effects on Citizens' Attitudes Towards the European Union in Times of Crisis

Previous studies suggest that citizens' attitudes towards the European Union (EU) are influenced by media coverage of EU institutions and policies. To date, empirical studies have investigated the effects of TV and newspaper consumption on euro-skepticism. However, the role of the Internet remains under-explored. In this study we combine data on broadband availability with respondent geo-location data from the 2011 Irish National Election Study, which allows us to measure whether respondents live in an area with broadband coverage. We use this dataset to perform a quasi-experimental analysis that identif es the e ffect of online news-gathering on citizens' evaluations of the extent to which the European Union and the Euro are culpable for the current economic crisis. To allow for heterogeneous treatment effects, we implement local average response functions (LARF) in our analysis. We find that those citizens who source political information online are more prone to blame the EU for (mis)managing the current economic crisis than those who do not.
Sectoral Regulation in Austria before and after EU Accession — The Network Industries as a Case in Point

The network industries, which had been organized in a monopolistic fashion up to Austria's EU accession, were opened to competition following a number of EU Directives and are now mostly regulated by sectorspecific authorities. This fundamental change to the regulatory system has so far developed quite positively, both in economic terms and from a regulatory perspective regarding the transparency of these authorities' decision-making processes. Accession to the EU served as an essential catalyst for reforming the relevant regulations, which had come to meet their original purpose of correcting market failures only in part. Thus, Austria's EU entry extended the principle of competition from the already exposed manufacturing sector to other sectors of the Austrian economy. However, chances are that the network industries would have been opened to competition even without Austria joining the EU, e.g. on account of its WTO membership or the discrimination against other sectors which would eventually have demanded such reforms.
Copper in infant nutrition: safety of World Health Organization provisional guideline value for copper content of drinking water.

BACKGROUND Copper is an essential nutrient for humans. Recently, a limit of 31.48 micromol/l (2 mg/l) was proposed by the World Health Organization as the provisional guideline value for copper content of drinking water. The objective of the study was to determine the tolerance of chronic exposure to drinking water with low or high copper content in infants. METHODS Healthy infants (n = 128) were randomly assigned to receive drinking water with less than 1.57 micromol/l (<0.1 mg/l) (n = 48) or 31.48 micromol/l (2 mg/l) of copper (n = 80) from 3 to 12 months of age. At 6, 9, and 12 months of age, serum concentrations of copper, ceruloplasmin, and superoxide dismutase; erythrocyte metallothionein; bilirubin; transaminases; and gamma-glutamyl transferase were measured. RESULTS Small differences in biochemical indexes of copper nutrition were observed between the groups, but there was no evidence of adverse or toxic effects. These findings may be explained by an adaptive response to the higher copper intake, limiting copper absorption, and increasing biliary secretion, as well as by an increase in copper storage. It is also possible that the sensitivity of the biochemical indicators employed to detect differences in copper status is limited. CONCLUSION No acute or chronic adverse consequences of consuming water with copper content of 31.48 micromol/l (2 mg/l) were detected in infants during the first year of life. The results support the safety of the World Health Organization's provisional guideline value for copper in drinking water during infancy.
Risk sharing, avversione al rischio e stabilizzazione delle economie regionali in Italia

We investigate the extent of risk sharing among the Italian regions with respect to both longrun and short-run income fluctuations. We use Vector Equilibrium Correction Models (VEqCMs) with the aim of testing all implications of the theory without preliminar data filtering, and without imposing constraints on the homogeneity of preferences across regions. Our estimates over the 1960-1995 period show that preferences are not homogeneous across regions and that the evidence in favour of regional risk sharing is more pronounced than commonly emphasized in previous research, although for some regions a high degree of risk aversion restricts the full effectiveness of the stabilisation strategies.
Neoliberalism in ecotourism? The new development paradigm of multinational projects in Africa

As a global phenomenon, ecotourism is influenced by numerous stakeholders ranging from local charities to international governments and non-governmental organisations (NGO). Within the continent of Africa, multinational NGO and government involvement is at the forefront of ecotourism development as a strategy for natural resource management, economic gains, and increased quality of life. While many African countries are attempting to create a ‘self-reliant’ society, they still encourage extensive direct foreign investment. This paper asserts that, as the international voice that attempts to link conservation with domestic and foreign audiences, multinational agencies control the power structures that invariantly reinforce the concept of neoliberal conservation. It is argued that there is a need to better understand a multinational agency's role in ecotourism development; therefore, through an analysis of six multinational conservation agencies headquartered in Washington, DC, this paper presents an analysis of prevailing approaches to ecotourism development in Africa. The qualitative findings relay four overarching organisational values: sensitivity to local needs/culture, organisational partnerships, capacity building, and monitoring. Additionally, policies and protocols that encourage the sustainability of these values are presented, along with lessons learnt.
Social Security and Democracy

Abstract Using some new international data sets to produce both across-country econometric estimates as well as case studies of South American and southern European countries, we find that Social Security policies vary according to economic and demographic factors but that very different political histories can result in the same Social Security policy. We find weak partial correlation between democracy and the size of Social Security budgets, on how those budgets are allocated, or how economic and demographic factors affect Social Security. If there is any observed difference between democracies and non-democracies, it is that the former spend a little less of their GDP on Social Security, grow their budgets a bit more slowly, and cap their payroll tax more often, than do economically and demographically similar non-democracies. Democracies and non-democracies are equally likely to have benefit formulas inducing retirement and, conditional on GDP per capita, equally likely to induce retirement with a retirement test vs. an earnings test.
The value premium and the January effect

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the seasonal effect in the value premium puzzle. It studies whether the book-to-market effect is an outcome of the January effect observed among stock returns. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses returns of portfolios based on size and BE/ME ratios as Fama and French suggest to define value premium and investigate the seasonality of the BE/ME effect. The paper tests whether the value premiums observed among large and small stocks are different in January and non-January months. It examines the turn-of-the-year effect on the value premium by analyzing the returns of BE/ME portfolios during the first and last ten trading days of a calendar year. Findings - Empirical evidence supports the fact that value premium has different patterns in January and non-January months for large and small capitalization firms. It was found that large stocks have a significant value premium only in January and this high January value premium among large stocks is mainly driven by loser stocks at the turn of the year. In contrast with large stocks, the value premium of small stocks occurs only in non-January months. Originality/value - This paper shows that value premium of large and small stocks are different in January and non-January months. Furthermore, the past performance of stocks plays a key role in the observed January value premium among large stocks. Finally, this study provides evidence to show that the value premium among large stocks may be explained by investor trading behavior.
EFECTOS DE LOS FLUJOS EXTERNOS Y LAS REMESAS EN EL CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO REGIONAL: UN ANÁLISIS DE DATOS DE CORTE TRANSVERSAL

The present study establishes a relationship between the impact of the economic openness process and the family remittances into the regional economic growth in Mexico. Aiming to estimate the effect of the economic openness process, it is established a transversal econometric model with dichotomy variables to estimate the impact of the external flows derived from the economic openness process, as well as the intensity of regional family remittances participation into regional growth. Empirical results demonstrate that in some regions the family remittances participation have intensified into the GDP per capita. Although the openness process shows a positive effect on the regional economic growth and convergence, the family remittances do not demonstrate a significant effect on it, due perhaps to a greater consumption than the expansion of the regional production supply. By its own, the flows of the international trade have demonstrated a positive effect on the regional economic growth.
The relational capital of the IT department

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how the relational capital of the information technology (IT) department creates value in organizations. In addition, the paper presents a multi-dimensional scale to measure and manage relational capital in the IT department. Design/methodology/approach – In the first, explorative phase of the study, interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to develop a new measurement scale, which was subsequently tested through a survey questionnaire (212 respondents). Findings – This research suggests that the relational capital of the IT department is a very important resource for the creation of strategic value. The statistical analysis conducted for this study confirmed the validity and reliability of the novel scale developed to measure this resource. Finally, thanks to factor analysis, five dimensions for the scale were identified. Research limitations/implications – Data were collected in northern Italy only. Further studies are advisable to confi.
Foreign aid fungibility and military spending: The case of North Cyprus

The present article examines if the foreign aid to North Cyprus is fungible and if it is in a long-run equilibrium relationship with military spending using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing procedure from 1977 to 2007. The results suggest that neither tax revenues nor public expenditures are in a long-run equilibrium relationship with foreign aid. However, strong evidence emerges that defence expenditures are in a long-run equilibrium relationship with foreign aid, and that the latter seem to cause the former.
Decline of tactile acuity in aging: a study of body site, blood flow, and lifetime habits of smoking and physical activity

Tactile acuity of 60 older subjects (≥ 65 years) and 19 younger subjects (18–28 years) was assessed by two-point gap thresholds at the upper and lower surfaces of the forefinger, at the upper and lower surfaces of the feet, and at the volar surface of the forearm. The older subjects were assigned to one of four groups of 15 subjects each, depending on reported lifetime habits of physical activity and smoking: (1) active smokers, (2) active nonsmokers, (3) inactive smokers, and (4) inactive nonsmokers. Peripheral blood flow was assessed at the forefinger, foot, and forearm by means of laser-Doppler imaging and skin temperature recordings, under resting conditions and during and after a 5-min exposure to mild cooling (28°C). Consistent with previous studies, tactile acuity thresholds in the foot and finger averaged about 80% higher in the older subjects than in the younger subjects, but only about 22% higher in the forearm. Although the upper surface of the fingertip was more sensitive than the lower surface in both younger and older subjects, the age-related decline in tactile acuity was nearly identical on both sides of the finger and foot. The latter finding refutes the hypothesis that the larger effect of aging in the extremities results from greater physical wear and tear on the contact surfaces of the hands and feet. Self-reported lifetime histories of physical activity and smoking were not significantly associated with measures of cutaneous blood flow or tactile thresholds. Possible reasons for this lack of association are discussed, including the inherent limitations of testing only healthy older subjects, and the concept of “successful aging”.
Technical Change and Total Factor Productivity Growth for Chinese Provinces: A Panel Data Analysis

We present in this paper the panel econometrics estimation approach of measuring the technical change and total factor productivity (TFP) growth of 30 Chinese provinces during the period of 1993 to 2003. The random effects model with heteroscedastic variances has been used for the estimation of the translog production functions. Two alternative formulations of technical change measured by the single time trend and the general index approach are used. Based on the measures of technical change, estimates of TFP growth could be obtained and its determinants were examined using regression analysis. The parametric TFP growth measure is compared with the non-parametric Solow residual. TFP has recorded positive growth for all provinces during the sample period. Regional breakdown shows that the eastern and central regions have higher average TFP growth when compared with the western region. Foreign direct investment (FDI) and information and communication technology (ICT) investment are found to be significant factors contributing to the TFP difference. While these two factors are found to have significant influence on TFP, their influence on production is relatively small compared to traditional inputs of production.
Determinants of Financial Development: The Case of Mauritius

An overwhelming amount of research has shown that financial development fosters economic growth and thus this paper aims to identify the major determinants of financial development. This study investigates the determinants of financial development using a time series analysis for the period 1970-2008 for Mauritius, by means of the ARDL approach and using two different proxies for financial development. The results show that trade openness and financial liberalisation are important determinants of financial development. In addition, investment rate, per capita and literacy rates are also deemed to be important factors in stimulating financial development while inflation adversely influence financial development both in the short and long run. The research findings were supplemented by a questionnaire survey and the results validate the above and further reveal that the level of institutional quality is very important as well. It also shows that cultural or religious forces play an insignificant role in determining financial development in a multi-cultural and relatively educated society like Mauritius.