Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Organizational and Developmental Dynamics of Project Review Teams in Technology Environmen

This paper is the result of a week long participant observation of a technical project review team within a large organization. A detailed log was maintained during the study and the results were analyzed to understand the relationship of the observations to prior research in organizational dynamics. Some of the existing literature implies that the current research on organizational development may be applicable to entities of various sizes. In some cases the observations from this research fell within the framework of the existing theories. However, alterations must be made to the current theories to apply specifically to small work groups who have specific missions and limited working time frames. Understanding the dynamics of these "suborganization" may lead to more effective management and result in a higher quality work product.
Population dynamics and intra-litter transmission patterns of Isospora suis in suckling piglets under on-farm conditions

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-litter infection dynamics of Isospora suis under natural conditions, and to study any association between parasite transmission and the contamination level of the farrowing pen by applying different interventions in order to reduce the transmission of I. suis infection within the litter. The study was divided in 2 trials including in total 22 litters (254 piglets). The first trial included 4 litters (where standard procedures practiced routinely on the farm piglets were applied) and the piglets were followed coprologically from farrowing until 2 weeks after weaning. The sows of those litters were also examined at various intervals before and after farrowing. The second trial included the application of 3 different management procedures: (A) standard farm hygiene and management procedures, (B) standard farm hygiene and management procedures+the first piglets found to excrete I. suis oocysts in each pen were removed from the pen, and (C) reduced cleaning. Each procedure was studied in 2 litters. This was replicated 3 times to yield a total of 18 litters. The results suggested that (i) the sow does not play an important role in transmission of I. suis in the farrowing pen; (ii) in natural infections, both the age of the piglet age at onset of oocyst excretion and the oocyst excretion patterns may vary considerably; (iii) the course of oocyst excretion or development of diarrhoea is related to the time of initial infection and (iii) piglets, which are heavy at birth, are more prone to acquire I. suis infection. Moreover, it was demonstrated that cleaning could be an effective means of restricting the spread of the parasite within the litter and thus the development of diarrhoea.
Estrogen receptor in the human eye: influence of gender and age on gene expression.

PURPOSE Many epidemiologic studies indicate an increased incidence of certain vision threatening conditions in postmenopausal women. These data suggest that changes in sex steroid homeostasis may affect the physiology of the eye. To provide support to this hypothesis, the expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) in human eye tissues was investigated. METHODS Complementary studies including RNA analysis by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, and immunocytochemistry were used to provide evidence of ERalpha expression. Protein detection was carried out using a mouse monoclonal antibody raised against an epitope located in the ligand binding domain of the human receptor. Cellular localization was studied on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded eye sections using conventional immunohistochemical techniques. RESULTS Gender and age differences in ERalpha mRNA expression were observed in retina. The 65-kDa ERalpha protein was detected in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of young female eyes but not in eye tissues dissected from men and postmenopausal women. Immunocytochemistry corroborated ERalpha staining of a young female neurosensory retina and RPE. In addition, ERalpha could be detected in the ciliary body, in the iris, and in the epithelium of the lens. CONCLUSIONS The presence of the ERalpha in the human eye suggests that the sex steroid hormone axis may play a role in the pathogenesis of certain ocular diseases.
The Solow Residual, Technical Change, and Aggregate Production Functions

The aggregate production function, complete with the neoclassical marginal productivity theory of factor pricing, lies at the heart of much macroeconomic theorizing. Ever since Solow's (1956, 1957) and Swan's (1956) seminal papers, the concept has been widely used in both theoretical and applied analysis of economic growth and there is now a plethora of studies estimating production functions. The recent interest in endogenous growth theory is also based on the aggregate production function and, paradoxically, has led to a revival of interest in the (augmented) Solow growth model (Mankiw et al., 1992). Likewise, the real business cycle has led to a renewed interest in the "Solow residual. " The neoclassical growth accounting approach, now over 40 years old, has recently been used putatively to determine the proximate sources of growth of the East Asian Tigers with controversial results (Young, 1992, 1995). Yet a moment's thought will show just how remarkable is the concept of the aggregate production function. It combines industries with technologies as diverse as-taking some examples at randomfurniture making, apparel, oil refining, and retailing. The implication is that it is meaningful to fit a single functional form (whether
Spontaneous pneumothorax in children – management, results, and review of the literature

Introduction Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) occurs at a frequency of 7.4-18 cases per 100 000 population per year. The PSP typically occurs in young adults and is uncommon in children. The aim of this study was to review our institutional experience with PSP in children. Material and methods Twenty-two paediatric patients with confirmed PSP, treated from 2004 to 2014 at the Paediatric Surgery Clinic. There were 18 boys and 4 girls. The mean age was 16 years, 6 months ± 1 month (range 14-17). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 20.1 (ranging from 17 to 24). Results The recurrence rate of PSP was 48%. The mean interval of the recurrence was 5 months ± 1 month (range from 3 weeks to 2 years). Recurrent pneumothorax was evacuated by thoracostomy with success in four patients. The first video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) procedure had a failure rate of 50%. After second VATS procedure, we did not observe recurrent PSP in two patients. One patient with recurrent PSP, after two VATS procedures, was treated with success, with an open mini axillary thoracotomy. The mean follow-up period was 4 years 3 months ± 1 month (range 6 months – 10 years). We have not noted any intraoperative complications. Conclusions Although our study is limited by the small number of patients, we conclude that most patients resolve their spontaneous pneumothorax and air leak with tube thoracostomy alone. For those patients in whom chest tube drainage is not effective, and for those with recurrent PSP, early VATS and bullectomy combined with pleural abrasion is the most efficient intervention.
Bioactive Fraction of Geopropolis from Melipona scutellaris Decreases Neutrophils Migration in the Inflammatory Process: Involvement of Nitric Oxide Pathway

The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of the ethanolic extract of geopropolis (EEGP) from Melipona scutellaris and its fractions on the modulation of neutrophil migration in the inflammatory process, and the participation of nitric oxide (NO) pathway, as well as to check the chemical profile of the bioactive fraction. EEGP and its aqueous fraction decreased neutrophil migration in the peritoneal cavity and also the interaction of leukocytes (rolling and adhesion) with endothelial cells. The levels of chemokines CXCL1/KC and CXCL2/MIP-2 were not altered after treatment with EEGP and the aqueous fraction. It was found that the injection of NO pathway antagonists abolished the EEGP and the aqueous fraction inhibitory activity on the neutrophil migration. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM-1) was reduced, and nitrite levels increased after treatment with EEGP and aqueous fraction. In the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, EEGP and the aqueous fraction showed antiedema activity. No pattern of flavonoid and phenolic acid commonly found in propolis samples of Apis mellifera could be detected in the aqueous fraction samples. These data indicate that the aqueous fraction found has promising bioactive substances with anti-inflammatory activity.
Successful Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes among HIV/TB Coinfected Patients Down-Referred from a District Hospital to Primary Health Clinics in Rural South Africa

Background HIV and tuberculosis (TB) coinfection remains a major public health threat in sub-Saharan Africa. Integration and decentralization of HIV and TB treatment services are being implemented, but data on outcomes of this strategy are lacking in rural, resource-limited settings. We evaluated TB treatment outcomes in TB/HIV coinfected patients in an integrated and decentralized system in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods We retrospectively studied a cohort of HIV/TB coinfected patients initiating treatment for drug-susceptible TB at a district hospital HIV clinic from January 2012-June 2013. Patients were eligible for down-referral to primary health clinics(PHCs) for TB treatment completion if they met specific clinical criteria. Records were reviewed for patients’ demographic, baseline clinical and laboratory information, past HIV and TB history, and TB treatment outcomes. Results Of 657(88.7%) patients, 322(49.0%) were female, 558(84.9%) were new TB cases, and 572(87.1%) had pulmonary TB. After TB treatment initiation, 280(42.6%) were down-referred from the district level HIV clinic to PHCs for treatment completion; 377(57.4%) remained at the district hospital. Retained patients possessed characteristics indicative of more severe disease. In total, 540(82.2%) patients experienced treatment success, 69(10.5%) died, and 46(7.0%) defaulted. Down-referred patients experienced higher treatment success, and lower mortality, but were more likely to default, primarily at the time of transfer to PHC. Conclusion Decentralization of TB treatment to the primary care level is feasible in rural South Africa. Treatment outcomes are favorable when patients are carefully chosen for down-referral. Higher mortality in retained patients reflects increased baseline disease severity while higher default among down-referred patients reflects failed linkage of care. Better linkage mechanisms are needed including improved identification of potential defaulters, increased patient education, active communication between hospitals and PHCs, and tracing of patients lost to follow up. Decentralized and integrated care is successful for carefully selected TB/HIV coinfected patients and should be expanded.
Exposure to Ambient Air Fine Particulate Matter Prevents VEGF-Induced Mobilization of Endothelial Progenitor Cells from the Bone Marrow

Background: Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5; < 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) induces endothelial dysfunction and increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to postnatal endothelial repair and regeneration. In humans and mice, EPC levels are decreased upon exposure to elevated levels of PM2.5. Objective: We examined the mechanism by which PM2.5 exposure suppresses circulating levels of EPCs. Methods: Mice were exposed to HEPA-filtered air or concentrated ambient fine particulate matter (CAP, 30–100 µg/m3) from downtown Louisville (Kentucky) air, and progenitor cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow were analyzed by flow cytometry or by culture ex vivo. Results: Exposure of the mice to CAP (6 hr/day) for 4–30 days progressively decreased circulating levels of EPCs positive for both Flk-1 and Sca-1 (Flk-1+/Sca-1+) without affecting stem cells positive for Sca-1 alone (Sca-1+). After 9 days of exposure, a 7-day exposure-free period led to complete recovery of the circulating levels of Flk-1+/Sca-1+ cells. CAP exposure decreased circulating levels of EPCs independent of apoptosis while simultaneously increasing Flk-1+/Sca-1+ cells in the bone marrow. We observed no change in tissue deposition of these cells. CAP exposure suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation in the aorta, and it prevented VEGF/AMD3100-induced mobilization of Flk-1+/Sca-1+ cells into the peripheral blood. Treatment with stem cell factor/AMD3100 led to a greater increase in circulating Flk-1+/Sca-1+ cells in CAP-exposed mice than in mice breathing filtered air. Conclusion: Exposure to PM2.5 increases EPC levels in the bone marrow by preventing their mobilization to the peripheral blood via inhibition of signaling events triggered by VEGF-receptor stimulation that are upstream of c-kit activation. Suppression of EPC mobilization by PM2.5 could induce deficits in vascular repair or regeneration.
Structure, diffusion and rheology of Brownian suspensions by Stokesian Dynamics simulation

The non-equilibrium behaviour of concentrated colloidal dispersions is studied using Stokesian Dynamics, a molecular-dynamics-like simulation technique for analysing suspensions of particles immersed in a Newtonian fluid. The simulations are of a monodisperse suspension of Brownian hard spheres in simple shear flow as a function of the Péclet number, Pe, which measures the relative importance of hydrodynamic and Brownian forces, over a range of volume fraction 0.316 [les ] ϕ [les ] 0.49. For Pe < 10, Brownian motion dominates the behaviour, the suspension remains well-dispersed, and the viscosity shear thins. The first normal stress difference is positive and the second negative. At higher Pe, hydrodynamics dominate resulting in an increase in the long-time self-diffusivity and the viscosity. The first normal stress difference changes sign when hydrodynamics dominate. Simulation results are shown to agree well with both theory and experiment.
Industrialization from Scratch: The Persistent Effects of China's 'Third Front Movement'

This paper studies the long-run impacts of industrial investment on the structural transformation of agrarian local economies. We exploit a massive industrialization campaign in China known as the "Third Front Movement," which invested heavily in the industrial sector in China's remote and largely agrarian areas (the Third Front Region) in the 1960s and 1970s. Exploiting the quasi-randomness in the geographic distribution of the Movement's investment, we find that local economies that received more investment continue to have larger and faster-growing modern sectors over two decades after the Movement ended. Urbanization is mainly accounted for by rural-to-urban transformation within the same local economy, rather than inter-regional migration. Therefore, the effects of the Movement are captured by the local residents. We find that the persistent effects are sustained by positive spillovers to a fast-growing non-state sector and explore several channels through which those spillovers take place. Finally, we discuss the welfare implications of the Movement at the national level.
Neural mechanisms of motor program switching in the mollusc Pleurobranchaea. II. Role of the ventral white cell, anterior ventral, and B3 buccal neurons

Identified buccal neurons in the mollusc Pleurobranchaea were stimulated and recorded intracellularly while recording the resultant identified motor program from buccal muscles (reduced preparation) or nerves (isolated central nervous system). Neurons studied included the ventral white cell (VWC), members of the anterior ventral (AV) population, and interneuron B3. Each of these neurons elicited the egestion motor program or its characteristic components when stimulated intracellularly. The characteristic prolonged plateau potential of the VWC was frequently associated with the egestion motor program but never with the ingestion motor program or its characteristic components. Intracellular recordings from these same neurons during spontaneous or induced buccal motor programs were consistent with the view that these neurons participate in production of the egestion motor program. The VWC discharged also during the neutral buccal rhythm, although in a different pattern from that seen during the egestion motor program, suggesting that it is multifunctional. Synaptic targets of the VWC are unknown, but synaptic influences of the AV and B3 neurons were found and are appropriate to their proposed role in egestion. This study therefore indicates that an interrelated cluster of buccal neurons is specialized to command the egestion motor program.
Ownership structure, corporate governance and corporate liquidity policy: Evidence from the Ghana Stock Exchange

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of ownership structure and corporate governance on corporate liquidity policy from a developing country perspective, Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). Design/methodology/approach - The authors adopt multiple regression analysis in estimating the relationship between ownership structure, corporate governance and corporate liquidity policy as well as the impact of corporate governance on insider ownership. Findings - The authors find that foreign share ownership significantly predicts corporate cash holding on the GSE. The empirical result also portrays positive and statistically significant relationship between board size, financial leverage, firm size, profitability and corporate liquidity holding, and a negative and statistically significant relationship between board composition and corporate liquidity holding. The authors also document positive and statistically significant relationship between the various industry classifications namely manufacturing, distribution and the pharmaceutical industry and corporate cash holdings on the GSE but did not however find significant relationship between corporate governance and insider ownership on the GSE. The authors found positive relationship between Tobin's Q and inside ownership. Originality/value - The main value of this paper is to analyze the relationship between ownership structure, corporate governance and corporate liquid policy from a developing country perspective.
Taxing to Control Social Costs: The Case of Alcohol

Whether taxation of alcoholic beverages is an appropriate means of reducing social costs of alcohol consumption is a continuing public policy issue. Some argue that "the public health costs and other external costs associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages are so significant as to justify substantial excise taxes on those beverages. "' Others counter that "a tax on alcohol would reduce consumption indiscriminately. and therefore reduce the satisfaction experienced by millions of sensible drinkers without necessarily reducing the harm caused by a few excessive drinkers. " 2 This paper presents and applies a framework for evaluating these two views of the efficiency (welfare) effects of alcohol taxes. Determining the efficiency implications of alcohol taxes is complicated by the question of whether and how much abusers, especially alcoholics, benefit from alcohol consumption. Standard welfare theory assumes that all consumers of alcohol enjoy positive net benefits (consumer surplus). However, it is possible that alcoholics over-consume in the sense that consumer surplus from their
Suppression-induced forgetting on a free-association test

The repeated suppression of thoughts in response to cues for their expression leads to forgetting on a subsequent test of cued recall (Anderson & Green, 2001). We extended this effect by using homograph cues and presenting them for free association following suppression practice. Cue–target pairs were first learned under integrating imagery instructions; then in the think/no-think phase students practised suppressing thoughts connected to some homograph cues, with or without the assistance of thought substitutes that changed their meaning. Below-baseline forgetting on the subsequent free-association test was found in the production of suppressed targets. Following aided suppression this effect was also obtained in the production of other responses denoting the target-related meaning of the homograph cues. Discussion emphasises the ecological value of the test; rarely do people deliberately attempt recall of unwanted thoughts.
Large scale CMB anomalies from thawing cosmic strings

Cosmic strings formed during inflation are expected to be either diluted over super-Hubble distances, i.e., invisible today, or to have crossed our past light cone very recently. We discuss the latter situation in which a few strings imprint their signature in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Anisotropies after recombination. Being almost frozen in the Hubble flow, these strings are quasi static and evade almost all of the previously derived constraints on their tension while being able to source large scale anisotropies in the CMB sky. Using a local variance estimator on thousand of numerically simulated Nambu-Goto all sky maps, we compute the expected signal and show that it can mimic a dipole modulation at large angular scales while being negligible at small angles. Interestingly, such a scenario generically produces one cold spot from the thawing of a cosmic string loop. Mixed with anisotropies of inflationary origin, we find that a few strings of tension GU = 𝒪(1) × 10−6 match the amplitude of the dipole modulation reported in the Planck satellite measurements and could be at the origin of other large scale anomalies.
FGFR1 mRNA and Protein Expression, not Gene Copy Number, Predict FGFR TKI Sensitivity across All Lung Cancer Histologies

Purpose: FGFR1 gene copy number (GCN) is being evaluated as a biomarker for FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) response in squamous cell lung cancers (SCC). The exclusive use of FGFR1 GCN for predicting FGFR TKI sensitivity assumes increased GCN is the only mechanism for biologically relevant increases in FGFR1 signaling. Herein, we tested whether FGFR1 mRNA and protein expression may serve as better biomarkers of FGFR TKI sensitivity in lung cancer. Experimental Design: Histologically diverse lung cancer cell lines were submitted to assays for ponatinib sensitivity, a potent FGFR TKI. A tissue microarray composed of resected lung tumors was submitted to FGFR1 GCN, and mRNA analyses and the results were validated with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) lung cancer data. Results: Among 58 cell lines, 14 exhibited ponatinib sensitivity (IC50 values ≤ 50 nmol/L) that correlated with FGFR1 mRNA and protein expression, but not with FGFR1 GCN or histology. Moreover, ponatinib sensitivity associated with mRNA expression of the ligands, FGF2 and FGF9. In resected tumors, 22% of adenocarcinomas and 28% of SCCs expressed high FGFR1 mRNA. Importantly, only 46% of SCCs with increased FGFR1 GCN expressed high mRNA. Lung cancer TCGA data validated these findings and unveiled overlap of FGFR1 mRNA positivity with KRAS and PIK3CA mutations. Conclusions: FGFR1 dependency is frequent across various lung cancer histologies, and FGFR1 mRNA may serve as a better biomarker of FGFR TKI response in lung cancer than FGFR1 GCN. The study provides important and timely insight into clinical testing of FGFR TKIs in lung cancer and other solid tumor types. Clin Cancer Res; 20(12); 3299–309. ©2014 AACR.