Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MIIP haploinsufficiency induces chromosomal instability and promotes tumour progression in colorectal cancer

The gene encoding migration and invasion inhibitory protein (MIIP), located on 1p36.22, is a potential tumour suppressor gene in glioma. In this study, we aimed to explore the role and mechanism of action of MIIP in colorectal cancer (CRC). MIIP protein expression gradually decreased along the colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence and was negatively correlated with lymph node and distant metastasis in 526 colorectal tissue samples (p < 0.05 for all). Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed that decreased MIIP expression was significantly associated with MIIP hemizygous deletion (p = 0.0005), which was detected in 27.7% (52/188) of CRC cases, and associated with lymph node and distant metastasis (p < 0.05 for both). We deleted one copy of the MIIP gene in HCT116 CRC cells using zinc finger nuclease technology and demonstrated that MIIP haploinsufficiency resulted in increased colony formation and cell migration and invasion, which was consistent with the results from siRNA‐mediated MIIP knockdown in two CRC cell lines (p < 0.05 for all). Moreover, MIIP haploinsufficiency promoted CRC progression in vivo (p < 0.05). Genomic instability and spectral karyotyping assays demonstrated that MIIP haploinsufficiency induced chromosomal instability (CIN). Besides modulating the downstream proteins of APC/CCdc20, securin and cyclin B1, MIIP haploinsufficiency inhibited topoisomerase II (Topo II) activity and induced chromosomal missegregation. Therefore, we report that MIIP is a novel potential tumour suppressor gene in CRC. Moreover, we characterized the MIIP gene as a novel CIN suppressor gene, through altering the stability of mitotic checkpoint proteins and disturbing Topo II activity. Copyright © 2016 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Competitive speciation and costs of choosiness

We investigate how costs of choosiness affect the evolution of assortative mating in a simple model of competitive speciation. The model allows for a comprehensive analysis by analytical and numerical techniques. We obtain results for two types of costs: mating costs, which restrict the number of males a choosy female can evaluate, and viability costs, which decrease a choosy female's survival. Mating costs significantly reduce the range of parameters for which speciation is possible, but only if the number of males a female can evaluate is small (less than 10). This type of costs can be eliminated if females are allowed to mate randomly at the end of the mating period. Although, in this case, it is not possible to achieve complete reproductive isolation, our results show partial isolation with strong phenotypic clustering. Viability costs counteract selection for assortative mating. As this selection is typically weak, speciation is possible only if viability costs, too, are weak. The above restrictions are less severe if extreme phenotypes have an intrinsically higher carrying capacity.
Ovipositor morphology of cosmetid harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores): A new source of informative characters

The external morphology of the penis is an important source of systematic characters in phylogenetic studies of harvestmen. Modern taxonomic studies generally include micrographs generated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to illustrate penis morphology. In contrast, the external morphology of the ovipositor has largely been ignored for harvestmen belonging to the suborder Laniatores. Comparative studies of ovipositor microanatomy using SEM are especially lacking for species belonging to the superfamily Gonyleptoidea. In an effort to determine if the ovipositor could be a useful source of informative characters for these harvestmen, we investigated interspecific variation in the external morphology of the ovipositor for 14 species from the family Cosmetidae. Our SEM‐based study revealed that the external surface of the distal tips of the ovipositors of most species was generally divided into four symmetrical lobes, although we observed a bilobed condition in Erginulus clavotibialis and Erginulus subserialis. The distal surfaces were also generally smooth, with the exception of the ovipositor of Erginulus weyerensis, which featured small surface setae. In addition, we observed considerable interspecific variation in the morphology of the peripheral setae on the distal tip, especially with respect to relative size, morphology of the shaft, and number, symmetry, and shapes of the distal tips. The functional significance, if any, of variation in the structure of the peripheral setae is unclear. Additional behavioral studies of copulation and oviposition are needed to determine the functional relationships between reproductive morphology and behavior. The morphological variation that we observed suggests that future taxonomic studies of cosmetid harvestmen, and potentially other gonyleptoidean taxa, would benefit from the inclusion of descriptions of ovipositor morphology. J. Morphol. 275:1376–1385, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Analysing consumer motivation towards purchasing fashion online

This study adopts a quantitative research design and approach following a positivist standpoint. Secondary literature was first analysed to provide theoretical knowledge with which to develop hypotheses. Primary data was then collected to examine consumer motivations to shop online. 133 samples of males and females were collected using online questionnaire data collection method and 16 questionnaires were excluded as respondents did not shop online. The results were analysed using multiple regression analysis. The findings of this research illustrated that consumers are motivated to shop online by utilitarian motivation as well as hedonic motivation. The most significant finding of this study was that convenience was of prime importance in influencing online shopping motivation.
Women's Employment and the Ownership of Household Durable Goods in Britain and India

This thesis is concerned with the decision-making processes which take place between husband and wife. It focuses on the ownership of time-saving durable goods: why do some households own goods such as washing-machines and microwave ovens, whereas other households do not? This thesis considers three approaches to studying this issue, of which the first two are conventional in economics. The first approach assumes that a household behaves as if it had a single decision-maker (due to consensus, or because one person imposes his/her will on other household members); this suggests that ownership may be related to the price-of-time of the wife. The second approach assumes that different members of a household disagree about priorities, and bargain with each other - each attempting to obtain his/her preferred spending pattern; in this 'bargaining' approach, the wife's weekly actual or potential earnings (relative to those of her husband) may determine her success in bargaining. I also consider a third approach, associated with the sociology of Jan Pahl: that the system of financial management adopted by a household tells us about underlying structures within that household. This thesis uses survey data from Britain and India to test the above approaches. The British data are from UK government surveys - especially the British Household Panel Study, and the Family Expenditure Surveys. These give a representative picture of the whole British population, and provide data on durable goods ownership since 1969. For India, I use data from two surveys commissioned for this thesis, carried out in 1992 and 1997. The Indian survey data are limited to the four largest Indian cities (Bombay, Madras, Delhi and Calcutta) This thesis finds considerable support for Jan Pahl's approach, in both Britain and India, and recommends this as a way forward for economics.
Functional MRI of human olfaction.

PURPOSE Our goal was to use functional MRI (fMRI) to measure brain activation in response to olfactory stimuli. METHOD fMRI brain scans were obtained in 17 normal subjects (9 men, 8 women) using-multislice FLASH MRI in response to three olfactory stimuli (pyridine, menthone, amyl acetate) in three coronal brain sections selected from anterior to posterior temporal brain regions. Activation images were derived using correlation analysis, and ratios of areas of brain activated to total brain areas were calculated. RESULTS Activation was present in each section in all subjects. Subjective estimation of vapor intensity followed relative vapor pressure of stimuli presented (pyridine > amyl acetate > menthone) and were similar for both men and women. However, brain activation did not follow subjective responsiveness order but rather pyridine > menthone > amyl acetate, a pattern demonstrated by both men and women. Brain activation in women was consistently lower than in men for all vapors in all brain sections, although regions of activation did not differ. Activation occurred in regions previously recognized as associated with olfactory stimulation, including orbitofrontal and entorhinal cortex; however, extensive regions within frontal cortex including cingulate gyrus were also activated. Brain regions activated to odors considered pleasant or unpleasant did not differ. CONCLUSION The techniques used in this study demonstrated that brain activation to olfactory stimuli could be measured quantitatively such that differences between groups of subjects (in this case men and women) could be compared. Although localization of brain activation was not the major thrust of this study, activation to olfactory stimuli was found not only in brain regions previously associated with processing of olfactory information but also in several other areas of frontal cortex, in cingulate gyrus, and in several components of the limbic system. This is the first study in which activation in human brain parenchyma of normal humans to olfactory stimuli has been quantitated by fMRI.
Modeling Human Capital in Life-Cycle Portfolio Choice: Riskless or Risky?

We study the impact of risky human capital in life-cycle portfolio choice and survey the academic literature on the optimal asset allocation over the individual's life-cycle. A distinction is made between the riskless conception of human capital as having bond-like characteristics, and the risky conception of seeing this future income stream as having stock-like properties. In particular, attention will be paid to the models presented in Cocco, Gomes, and Maenhout (2005) and Benzoni, Collin-Dufresne, and Goldstein (2007). We use the idea of Benzoni et al. (2007) to study the welfare implications of portfolio choice when labor income and dividends are co-integrated. This dynamic portfolio choice problem is analyzed for two sectors, public and construction, and for the Netherlands as a whole. The results indicate that hump-shaped asset allocations are welfare improving for all three groups. However, our results are more moderate compared to Benzoni et al. (2007) as we find positive asset holdings in the beginning of the agent's career instead of zero (or even negative) holdings. These discrepancies might be explained by a difference in wage profiles between the US and the Netherlands.
Effect of water absorption on dielectric properties of nano-silica/polyethylene composites

The effect of moisture content on the dielectric properties of polymer/nano-silica blends was investigated. It was found that the DC breakdown strength, electrical conductivity and complex permittivity were all strongly influenced by absorbed water. However, a control sample without nano-silica was largely unaffected by changes in moisture content. This has important implications for researchers and cable designers.
Prognostic significance of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 activation in breast cancer.

PURPOSE Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs)were shown to be activated in mammary carcinoma. Because different STAT factors are likely to have different functions in these tumors, an assessment of their individual role is mandatory. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In this study we have separately determined activation of STAT1, STAT3, and STAT5 by measuring their DNA binding activity and tyrosine phosphorylation in breast cancer tissue samples. The predictive value of STAT activation on relapse-free and overall survival among women who received treatment for primary breast cancer was evaluated in a retrospective study. RESULTS Survival analysis demonstrated that patients with high STAT1 activation have substantially longer overall and relapse-free survival, irrespective of whether STAT1 activation was determined by its DNA binding activity (P = 0.003 and 0.010, respectively) or by its tyrosine phosphorylation (P = 0.046 and 0.011, respectively). In accordance, Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed an enhanced hazard of death (hazard ratio, 3.77; P = 0.018) and relapse of disease (hazard ratio, 6.55; P = 0.013) for the group of women with low STAT1 activation. After adjusting for known prognostic variables (lymph node status, stage of disease, estrogen receptor status, and cathepsin D), STAT1 activation remained an independent prognostic value. Activation of STAT3 and STAT5 DNA binding did not significantly correlate with prognosis. CONCLUSION Our study reveals a favorable and independent prognostic significance of STAT1 activation in mammary carcinoma, and is in accordance with the documented role of STAT1 in growth arrest, and in pro-apoptotic signaling pathways.
Improving the Teaching of Software Design with Automated Modelling of Syntactic Dependencies

We present the use of a new IDE plugin for introducing students to the analysis of software design. Without a concrete method to evaluate their ideas, designing for modifiability was a challenging topic for our students. Prior work showed that students can quickly learn about dependency graphs and use them to make design decisions. However, students frequently made mistakes creating the graphs and identifying ripple effects. We developed a tool that automatically generates dependency graphs from code. The plugin allows users to select seed modifications and then highlights dependent modules. The tool removed the common mistakes from the process and enabled us to teach design to students with less experience. In this paper, we present our findings teaching workshops for second-year undergraduates using the tool. The students were able to use the tool to analyze and compare designs. Students indicated they are likely to continue to use the technique.
Isolation and identification of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in pig's lungs at farms and their sensitivity to antibiotics.

The presence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae has been established in all suspected cases of pleuropneumonia at several farms that have been included in the research. Equal incidence of pleuropneumonia has been found both among piglets for breeding and for fattening. The health monitoring of herds is extremely important, firstly because of the need for the adequate strategy to be chosen for controlling the Actinobacillus-caused pleuropneumonia and, at the same time, in order to prevent enormous economic losses that this disease may cause. The morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of isolated strains of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae were completely identical to those of referent strains. It has been found that Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae grows most abundantly on chocolate agar when PolyVitex (bioMerieux) is used as the substrate. Out of 237 samples of altered parts of swine lungs, 13 bacterial species have been found in 193 (81%), and the incidence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae within this percentage was 33%. Of all bacterial species isolated in pure culture from all investigated specimen the most dominant species were Pasteurella multocida with the incidence of 32.64% and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae with 29.01%. Their common incidence in all positive findings was 61.65%. If one adds to this their participation in mixed infections (2.59%), this percentage is higher (64.24%). The high percentage of these two bacterial species shows that they are at the same time the most common bacterial pathogens causing pneumonia in pigs. The incidence of other species of bacteria isolated from the lungs of diseased pigs ranged from 0.51 to 10.88%. The sensitivity of isolated strains of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae to the selected range of antibiotics used in clinical veterinary medicine (penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephalosporin (III gen.) gentamycin, streptomycin, neomycin, thylosine, enrofloxacin, linkomycin-spectinomycin, tetracycline, florphenycol, trimethoprimsulphomethoxazol and tulatromycin) was tested by the disc-diffusion method, with the implementation of antibiogram tabletes (Torlak) and
Strategic factors influencing international human resource management practices: an empirical study of Australian multinational corporations

A theory-driven conceptual model is used to identify factors that shape the international human resource management (IHRM) activities of Australian multinational corporations (MNCs) in their overseas subsidiaries. The findings show that their IHRM activities appear to be shaped, to varying degrees, by strategic factors. The most important explanatory variables are subsidiary role and national cultural distance between home and host countries, although the results of national culture may change through adopting a more sophisticated framing and measurement of the variable. Interestingly enough, the parent HR managers were found to stress the role of subsidiary company factors in determining HR policies and practices in the subsidiaries. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution because the cross-sectional nature of the study is limited in explaining very complicated HRM phenomena that evolve over time.
Toxicoepidemiology in Zimbabwe: Pesticide Poisoning Admissions to Major Hospitals

Background. Acute pesticide poisoning (APP) is a well-recognized cause of morbidity and mortality but is not well described in developing countries. We describe the toxicoepidemiology of APP in Zimbabwe. Methods. All cases of APP admitted to eight major referral hospitals in Zimbabwe from January 1998 to December 1999 (inclusive) were identified using ICD-9 codes and ward registers and relevant information recorded on a standard data collection sheet. Results. There were a total of 914 single pesticide exposures. Almost half (49.1%) resulted from oral exposure to rodenticides, 42.2% from anticholinesterase-type pesticides (AChTP), mostly organophosphates (OP) that were responsible for over 90% of admissions from AChTP. Accidental and deliberate self-poisoning (27.1% and 58.6%, respectively) accounted for most cases with only eight homicides. The case fatality rate (CFR) in deaths/100 admissions was 6.8 [62 deaths; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 5.2–8.6] and was significantly higher in males (9.4) than females (4.1) (CI for difference in proportions; 2.0–8.5). In addition, the CFR for deliberate self-poisoning (DSP), 6.5 deaths/100 admissions, was also significantly higher than that for accidental poisoning (0.8 deaths/100 admissions) (CI for difference in proportions 3.2–7.9). Organophosphates were implicated in 70.9% of all fatalities, with over 20% resulting from oral exposure to rat poison (RP). Conclusion. Organophosphates and rat poison (RP) are the leading causes of APP admissions to major referral hospitals in Zimbabwe, with most of the admissions being the result of deliberate self-poisoning. Greater control in the sale and use of these products could help prevent significant morbidity and mortality.
A Bayesian approach to financial model calibration, uncertainty measures and optimal hedging

In this thesis we address problems associated with financial modelling from a Bayesian point of view. Specifically, we look at the problem of calibrating financial models, measuring the model uncertainty of a claim and choosing an optimal hedging strategy. Throughout the study, the local volatility model is used as a working example to clarify the proposed methods. This thesis assumes a prior probability density for the unknown parameter in a model we try to calibrate. The prior probability density regularises the ill-posedness of the calibration problem. Further observations of market prices are used to update this prior, using Bayes law, and give a posterior probability density for the unknown model parameter. Resulting Bayes estimators are shown to be consistent for finite-dimensional model parameters. The posterior density is then used to compute the Bayesian model average price. In tests on local volatility models it is shown that this price is closer than the prices of comparable calibration methods to the price given by the true model. The second part of the thesis focuses on quantifying model uncertainty. Using the framework for market risk measures we propose axioms for new classes of model uncertainty measures. Similar to the market risk case, we prove representation theorems for coherent and convex model uncertainty measures. Example measures from the latter class are provided using the Bayesian posterior. These are used to value the model uncertainty for a range of financial contracts priced in the local volatility model. In the final part of the thesis we propose a method for selecting the model, from a set of candidate models, that optimises the hedging of a specified financial contract. In particular we choose the model whose corresponding price and hedge optimises some hedging performance indicator. The selection problem is solved using Bayesian loss functions to encapsulate the loss from using one model to price and hedge when the true model is a different model. Linkages are made with convex model uncertainty measures and traditional utility functions. Numerical experiments on a stochastic volatility model and the local volatility model show that the Bayesian strategy can outperform traditional strategies, especially for exotic options.
United States-China Trade at the Commodity Level and the Yuan-Dollar Exchange Rate

"In 1978 when China began her economic reforms of moving toward a free market economy and trade liberalization, the trade balance between China and the United States was in favor of the United States in the magnitude of 600 million dollars. Over the 1978-2002 period, however, it has changed in favor of China such that in 2002 China had a surplus of 120 billion dollars against the United States. Over the same period, the Chinese yuan has depreciated almost fourfold. Is real depreciation of the yuan against the dollar a factor in the trade between the two countries? In this article, we employ data at the industry level (88 two- and three-digit industries) and recent advances in error-correction modeling to show that indeed the real yuan-dollar rate has played a significant role. This contradicts most previous research that used trade data at the aggregate level. " ("JEL" F31, F32, F14) Copyright 2007 Western Economic Association International.