Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blockade of Hedgehog Signaling Synergistically Increases Sensitivity to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines

Aberrant activation of the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway has been implicated in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem-like cell (CSC) maintenance; both processes can result in tumor progression and treatment resistance in several types of human cancer. Hh cooperates with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway in embryogenesis. We found that the Hh signaling pathway was silenced in EGFR-TKI-sensitive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, while it was inappropriately activated in EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLC cells, accompanied by EMT induction and ABCG2 overexpression. Upregulation of Hh signaling through extrinsic SHH exposure downregulated E-cadherin expression and elevated Snail and ABCG2 expression, resulting in gefitinib tolerance (P < 0.001) in EGFR-TKI-sensitive cells. Blockade of the Hh signaling pathway using the SMO antagonist SANT-1 restored E-cadherin expression and downregulate Snail and ABCG2 in EGFR-TKI-resistant cells. A combination of SANT-1 and gefitinib markedly inhibited tumorigenesis and proliferation in EGFR-TKI-resistant cells (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that hyperactivity of Hh signaling resulted in EGFR-TKI resistance, by EMT introduction and ABCG2 upregulation, and blockade of Hh signaling synergistically increased sensitivity to EGFR-TKIs in primary and secondary resistant NSCLC cells. E-cadherin expression may be a potential biomarker of the suitability of the combined application of an Hh inhibitor and EGFR-TKIs in EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLCs.
Putting Families Into Place: Using Neighborhood-Effects Research and Activity Spaces to Understand Families.

Neighborhood is an important context in which individuals and families are embedded. Yet family studies researchers have been relatively slow to incorporate spatial approaches into family science. Although limited theoretical and methodological attention has been devoted to families in neighborhood-effects research, family scholars can contribute greatly to theories about neighborhood effects, and neighborhood-effects research can help move the field of family studies forward. This article reviews the theories, applications, and limitations of research on neighborhood effects and discusses how family studies can benefit from incorporating a spatial perspective from neighborhood-effects research. I then present an innovative methodology-referred to as activity spaces-emerging in neighborhood-effects research, and I discuss how this approach can be used to better understand the complexity and heterogeneity of families. Last, I highlight ways to incorporate space into family studies by "putting families into place. "
Effect of Helix aspersa extract on TNFα, NF-κB and some tumor suppressor genes in breast cancer cell line Hs578T

Background: The garden snail, Helix aspersa, is a big land snail widely found in the Mediterranean countries. It is one of the most consumed species and widely used in zootherapy. Objective: The present study was carried out to investigate for the first time the first time the antitumor activity of an aqueous extract from Helix aspersa. Materials and Methods: The effect of H. aspersa extract was studied on a triple negative breast cancer cell line Hs578T. Firstly, the morphological changes and the mode of cell death induced by the extract have been evaluated by microscopy and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. The effect of the extract at dilution 0.1% and 1% was then tested on some genes, regulators of cell death and proliferation like tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), NF- κB, and the tumor suppressor genes P53 and PTEN. Results: Data demonstrate that the extract induces necrosis in tumor cells. It enhances significantly the expression of TNFα; mRNA levels were 20 and 10 times more important in treated cells compared to nontreated cells. NF-κB and PTEN were inhibited with the dilution 1% after 8 and 24 hours of treatment. P53 expression was further inhibited but only with the highest dose, after 4, 8, and 24 hours. Conclusion: Our results show that H. aspersa extract has an antitumor activity against Hs578T cells; it is a potent stimulator for TNFα and a good inhibitor for NF-κB. Abbreviations used: AO: acridine orange; Bcl-2: B cell lymphoma 2. cDNA: complementary DNA; ELISA: enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; EB: ethidium bromide; IC50: the half maximal inhibitory concentration; mRNA: messenger RNA. MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; NF-κB: nuclearfactorkappa B; PBS: phosphate buffered saline. PI3K: phospho-inositol 3 kinase; PTEN: phosphatase and tensin homolog; ROS: reactive oxygen species. RT-PCR: reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; TNFα: tumor necrosis factor alpha. TNFR1: TNF receptor-1; TP53: tumor protein 53
Incremental Innovations in Ghanaian SMEs: Propensity, Types, Performance and Management Challenges

Incremental innovation has been recognised as a key factor to SMEs’ survival and growth in today’s hyper-competitive business world. Notwithstanding this inspired recognition, analytical and empirical studies on SMEs’ incremental innovation practices are still measly in emerging economies. Drawing from the dynamic capabilities theory, the present study sought to examine SMEs’ incremental innovation practices in Accra, Ghana. The study followed a multiple-case qualitative methodology using a semi-structured interview and a simple random sampling method to select 17 SMEs for the study while an inductive approach was used to analyse the transcribed data from the informants. The findings disclosed that the incremental innovation propensity and innovation types in the SMEs differ from small firms to medium firms and from manufacturing firms to service firms. It was further disclosed that the incremental innovation practices have improved the performance of the SMEs in terms of increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, sales growth, competitiveness, and global market reach, while their paramount innovation management challenges were lack of financial resources, infrastructure, specialized personnel, and information on technology. These findings add to SMEs theory and practice and offer novel theoretical insights for researchers and valuable managerial implications for SMEs’ managers in emerging economies.
Aspiration to community: Community responses to rejection

While people may belong to multiple psychological communities, each has a have primary community which reinforces norms, values, identities and, provide structures and social support systems that are crucial to the well-being of its members. In some situations, people aspire to membership of a community, but are rejected. This paper examines the responses of coloured South Africans and Anglo-Indians in their aspirations to membership of European communities. By the use of status borrowing, relative advantage, and social comparison, these groups tried to enhance the importance of the language and culture they shared with the Europeans, while rejecting the indigenous parts of their heritage. However, the European groups rejected them as "inferiors", while still providing them with some degree of status and privilege above that of the indigenous groups. It was found that socially constructed differences and social distances between communities, racism, and other negative outcomes associated with rejection and marginality operated at social and psychological levels to suppress the members of the aspirant groups. A proposal of immediate and longer term responses to the social stratifications and inequities are set forward in order to understand the adjustments over time that must be made by these groups. It is recommended that understandings of response to oppression and marginalization should go beyond the individual level to include community level responses.
The impact of diverse corporate social responsibility practices on consumer product evaluations

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts that are oriented toward shared value creation generate any perceptual advantages in terms of consumer product attributes evaluations compared with other types of CSR. The study also uncovers consumers’ pathways that channel the impacts of corporate associations on corporate and product evaluations and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a between-subjects experimental design. In all, 274 undergraduate students from a North American university participated in the 2 (low versus high corporate ability levels) × 4 (CSR types) study. The data were analyzed using the methodologies of path analysis and multiple group analysis in the context of structural equation modeling procedure. Findings The findings show that in the context of shared-value CSR, CSR image (i.e. consumer judgments on the moral aspect of the company) can spill over to product attributes evaluations, including perceptions of “product innovativeness” and “product social responsibility,” which, in turn, translate to purchase willingness. Meanwhile, perceived corporate trustworthiness mediates the effects of CSR image and corporate ability (CA) image on the overall corporate evaluation, which subsequently influences consumer product evaluation and purchase intention. Research limitations/implications The research provides direct evidence showing that companies have the potential to improve their corporate brand and, in turn, their product evaluations by putting a stronger emphasis on the social responsibility components of their image and placing this at the core of their strategic agenda. Importantly, a contribution to the literature by identifying differential effects of CA image versus CSR image on consumer perception of product innovativeness within different CSR categories is made. The limitations of the research are discussed, which include the usage of a fictitious company and brand and a convenience sample. Practical implications The study offers guidance to managers in regard to their choice of different CSR practices to fulfill their company’s product-related strategic goals. Originality/value The present study takes a critical stance to show that previous experimental work investigating the impact of CSR image on product evaluations relied predominantly on bipolar manipulations of CSR practices (bad versus good) rather than bringing many shades of CSR into consideration. By incorporating a wide array of CSR formats, especially value-creating CSR, current research generates potential implications based on differential effects of various CSR focuses, which have not been captured by previous studies.
Selling Fast and Buying Slow: Heuristics and Trading Performance of Institutional Investors

Are market experts prone to heuristics, and if so, do they transfer across closely related domains—buying and selling? We investigate this question using a unique dataset of institutional investors with portfolios averaging $573 million. A striking finding emerges: while there is clear evidence of skill in buying, selling decisions underperform substantially—even relative to random selling strategies. This holds despite the similarity between the two decisions in frequency, substance and consequences for performance. Evidence suggests that an asymmetric allocation of cognitive resources such as attention can explain the discrepancy: we document a systematic, costly heuristic process when selling but not when buying.
Inclusive and Ecologically-Sound Food Crop Cultivation at Tropical Non-Tidal Wetlands in Indonesia

Productivity and cropping intensity on non-tidal wetland in South Sumatra are considerably low and has been underutilized up to now. The majority of farmers in this ecosystem are smallholders with limited adoption capacity on introduced technologies and modern agricultural practices. The objectives of this research were (1) to comprehensively capture multidimensional constrains that restrained local farmers in increasing their agricultural productivity; and (2) to identify, assess, and develop substantially-relevant, financially-affordable, and socially-acceptable agricultural technologies and practices for smallholder farmers to increase productivity. This research was organized in three main activities: qualitative research employing Grounded Theory procedure, quantitative questionnaire-guided survey, and a series of laboratory and field experiments. The research results indicated that the main constraints in increasing productivity and cropping intensity on the non-tidal wetland in South Sumatra include (1) unpredictable flooding occurrence and low soil nutrients content (agronomic constraint), (2) low financial and technology adoption capacity of local farmers (economic constraint), and (3) public policy has not significantly escalated farmer’s motivation to increase food production (social and institutional constraint). This research suggests that multidimensional (technical, financial, ecological, and socio-cultural) approaches should be integrated in collective efforts for sustainably intensifying food production on the non-tidal wetland.
Pengaruh Experiental Marketing Terhadap Repurchase Intention Melalui Customer Satisfaction Sebagai Intervening Variabel (konsumen Di Nanny's Pavillon Home (konsumen Di Nanny's Pavillon Home )

Para pemasar berlomba-lomba untuk membuat suatu hal yang baru bagi konsumen, yang pada akhirnya lahirlah kafe-kafe restoran-restoran yang menawarkan experience bagi para konsumen untuk memenuhi kebutuhan emosional para konsumen tersebut. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: (a) untuk mengetahui experiental marketing, customer satisfaction, dan repurchase intention pada Nanny’s Pavillon home (b) untuk mengetahui besarnya pengaruh experiental marketing terhadap customer satisfaction pada Nanny’s Pavillon Home, (c) untuk mengetahui besarnya pengaruh customer satisfaction terhadap repurchase intention pada Nanny’s Pavillon Home. Penelitian ini termasuk ke dalam penelitian deskriptif dengan pendekatan kuantitatif yang melibatkan 100 konsumen yang pernah mengunjungi Nanny’s Pavillon Home sebagai responden, dengan pengambilan sampel meenggunakan teknik Incidental sampling. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan yaitu analisis jalur (Path Analysis) yang sebelumnya diuji dengan asumsi klasik yaitu uji normalitas, uji multikolineritas, uji heteroskedestisitas, uji-t. Hasil penelitian diketahui secara parsial bahwa Experiental Marketing (X) mempunyai pengaruh secara positif signifikan terhadap customer satisfaction (Y) dengan nilai thitung (6.903) tidak berada diantara -1,985 dan 1,985 artinya experiental marketing berpengaruh secara positif dan signifikan terhadap customer satisfaction. Sedangkan untuk variabel customer satisfaction (Y) mempunyai pengaruh positif terhadap repurchase intention (Z) dengan thitung (5.112) yang artinya customer satisfaction berpengaruh secara positif terhadap repurchase intention. Berdasarkan koefisien determinasi , diketahui nilai 32,7 % pada variabel experiental marketing terhadap customer satisfaction dan nilai 21,1 % pada variabel customer satisfaction terhadap repurchase intention artinya terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan. Kata Kunci : Experiental Marketing, Customer Satisfaction, Repurchase Intention, Analisis Jalur
Risk Factors Associated With Survival to Hospital Discharge of 54 Horses With Fractures of the Radius.

OBJECTIVE To determine (1) survival to discharge of horses with radial fractures (excluding osteochondral fragmentation of the distal aspect of the radius and stress fractures); and (2) risk factors affecting survival to hospital discharge in conservative and surgically managed fractures. STUDY DESIGN Case series. ANIMALS Horses (n = 54). METHODS Medical records (1990-June 2012) and radiographs of horses admitted with radial fracture were reviewed. Horses with osteochondral fragmentation of the distal aspect of the radius or stress fractures were excluded. Evaluated risk factors were age, fracture configuration, surgical repair method, surgical duration, hospitalization time, implant failure rate, and surgical site infection (SSI) rate. RESULTS Of 54 horses, overall survival to discharge was 50%. Thirteen (24%) were euthanatized on admission because of (1) fracture severity; (2) presence of an open fracture; or (3) financial constraints. Fourteen (26%) horses with minimally displaced incomplete fractures were conservatively managed and 12 (86%) survived to discharge. Twenty-seven (50%) horses had surgical treatment by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and 15 (56%) survived to hospital discharge. Open fractures were significantly more likely to develop SSI (P = .008), which also resulted in a 17-fold increase in implant failure (P < .005). Six of 8 surgically managed horses with an open fracture did not survive to discharge. Outcome was also adversely affected by age (P < .005) and surgical duration > 168 minutes (P < .027). Presence of SSI trended toward a decreased survival rate (P = .09). CONCLUSION Prognosis for survival to discharge with minimally displaced incomplete fractures is good. Young horses have a good prognosis survival to discharge for ORIF, whereas ORIF in adult horses has a poor prognosis and SSI strongly correlates with catastrophic implant failure.
The Role of Adaptive Immunity in Atherosclerosis

Abstract: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease induced by a lipid metabolic disturbance at sites of hemodynamic strain in the vasculature. Studies in both man and experimental animal models show an involvement of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms in the disease process. Our recent studies in apoE‐knockout mice show that the level of hypercholesterolemia affects the functional properties of the immune response. Modulating immune activity by injections of polyclonal immunoglobulins inhibits disease progression, suggesting that immunomodulation may be useful to treat atherosclerosis. Analysis of T cell receptor (TCR) mRNA in atherosclerotic lesions shows expansions of T cells expressing TCR‐Vβ6, a receptor type that is also expressed by T cells recognizing oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL). This suggests that oxLDL is an autoantigen that induces strong, local T cell responses in the plaque. Further characterization of this and other candidate antigens, such as heat shock proteins and macromolecular components of Chlamydia pneumoniae, may provide important information on which specific interference with the disease process could be based.
Cross-Coupled YBCO Filters With Spurious Suppression Using Tap-Connection Technique and Skew-Symmetric Feeds

Narrow-band microstrip cross-coupled band-pass filters based on a quadruplet geometry are designed for wireless-communication applications. We have fabricated the high-Tc (HTS) superconducting filters by patterning doubie-sided deposited YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO) films. The 4-pole 15-mm-square and 20-mm-square filters with skew-symmetric feeds are designed with center frequencies of 2.45 and 1.90 GHz, respectively. The inductive non-adjacent coupling between the resonators produces a pair of transmission zeros near the pass-band edge. Also observed is an additional pair of transmission zeros that enhance the out-of-band rejection characteristics, which is originated from the skew-symmetric-feed structure. Furthermore, a tap-connection technique by tapping the input/output microstrip lines at certain locations is applied to the band-pass filters so as to suppress the second and/or the third passbands, which are spurious and undesirable. In this paper, it is confirmed that tapping somewhere along the lambdainput/output microstrip lines with lambda /4 open-circuited stub or a lambda/2 short-circuited stub, where lambda refers to the guided wavelength at 2fo or 3fo, may effectively suppress harmonics at 2fo and/or 3fo by more than 20 dB. The realized YBCO filters show a low insertion loss with high spurious suppressions. The temperature-dependent microwave properties are discussed.
Comparing Business Models for Event Sport Tourism: Case Studies in Italy and Slovenia

A business model (BM) describes how value is created and delivered to consumers. This managerial concept has gained growing popularity in the last few decades. However, it seems the analytical possibilities of a BM framework have not been recognized by sport tourism researchers. This article intends to fill a void that would link the BM concept to the area of sport tourism. Its aim is to examine, from the perspective of the sporting event organizer, the BMs of two cycling tourism events. Using the case study method, this article highlights the interplay of key resources and processes in designing and setting customer value. The findings indicate that although the BMs of the two events differ in many aspects, they both have a strong emphasis on networks and managerial processes aimed at ensuring participant safety and preservation of the environment. Besides providing a better understanding of the BM concept within the context of sport tourism, the findings would be of great interest for event-related sport practitioners and particularly for the design of management and marketing strategies for the sporting events they organize.
Non-malignant respiratory tract fistula from the oesophagus. A lethal condition for which novel therapeutic options are emerging.

OBJECTIVES Fistulas between the oesophagus and the respiratory tract can occur as a complication to anastomotic dehiscence after oesophageal resection, without any signs of local residual tumour growth. Other causes that are, by definition, benign may rarely prevail. The traditional therapeutic approach is to divert the proximal portion of the oesophagus and transpose the conduit into the abdominal cavity. With the introduction and development of self-expandable metal stents (SEMS), new therapeutic options have emerged for these severe complications. We have evaluated our stent-based strategy for managing these life-threatening situations. METHODS At Karolinska University Hospital, all patients admitted with an oesophago-respiratory fistula during the period 2003-2011 followed a stent-based strategy. On clinical suspicion, a prompt computed tomography scan was performed with contrast ingestion, to visualize the status of the anastomosis and the potential communications. Often an endoscopy was done to assess the oesophagus and the conduit. The respiratory tree was inspected through a concomitant bronchoscopy. The double-stent strategy presently applied meant that covered self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) were applied on the alimentary and airway sides to adequately cover the fistula orifice on both sides. The subsequent clinical course determined the ensuing therapeutic strategy. RESULTS During the study period, 17 cases with oesophago-respiratory fistulas were treated at our unit, of which 13 exhibited fistulation following an oesophageal resection due to cancer and 4 cases had a benign underlying disease. The cancer patients did not show any obvious demographic profile when it came to the cancer sub-location, histological type of cancer, or treatment with neoadjuvant chemo- and radiochemotherapy. There was an equal distribution between hand-sutured and stapled anastomoses. In 10 of the cases, the anastomoses were located in the upper right chest; the remainder in the neck, and all reconstructions were carried out by a tubulized stomach. The diagnosis of the fistula tract between the anastomotic area and the respiratory tract was attained on the 15th postoperative day (median), with a range from 5 to 24 days. CONCLUSIONS When an oesophago-respiratory fistula is diagnosed, even in a situation where no neoplastic tissue is prevailing, attempts should be made to close the fistula tract by SEMS from both directions, i.e. from the oesophageal as well as the respiratory side. By this means, a majority of these patients can be initially managed conservatively with prospects of a successful outcome, although virtually all will eventually require a single-stage resection and reconstruction.