Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of immunohistochemical testing and electron microscopy in the diagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.

BACKGROUND This article presents the results of histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural examinations of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. MATERIAL/METHODS 20 tumors were tested histologically, 13 immunohistochemically, and 5 under electron microscopy. RESULTS We found that in cases when the entire tumor or large specimens were obtained for estimation, it was possible by examining many areas of the neoplasm to establish a diagnosis on the basis of testing paraffined sections, routinely HE stained. Our evaluation of the value of certain additional histological methods indicated only slight diagnostic usefulness for tumors of this kind. Among the immunohistochemical methods we evaluated, the desmin assay had the greatest practical applicability, due to the fact that this antigen is also expressed in highly immature cells; in second place was myoglobin. Differences are pointed out in the results obtained by assaying myoglobin using DAB and the DAKO kit. Ultrastructural examinations revealed myofilaments of myosin and actin in all types of cells, including immature cells. Particular attention is drawn to the possibility of using material fixed in formalin for ultrastructural examination. The preservation of intact myofilaments in material prepared in this way constitutes an essential diagnostic aid. CONCLUSIONS In diagnosing embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma the most useful examination, apart from histological examination, is electron microscopy, followed by immunomorphological examination.
Wilms tumour gene 1 overexpression in bone marrow as a marker for minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukaemia

Objectives: Wilms tumour gene 1 (WT1) is overexpressed in leucocytes of most acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients. However, the clinical relevance of WT1 gene expression as minimal residual disease (MRD) marker in AML has been questioned.
Non‐invasive foetal RHD genotyping via real‐time PCR of foetal DNA from Chinese RhD‐negative maternal plasma

Background A majority of studies predicting the foetal RhD blood group in free foetal DNA from RhD‐negative maternal plasma have been conducted in Caucasian populations, whereas limited data have been accumulated for Asian populations. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of prenatal genotyping of RHD in RhD‐negative Chinese pregnant women.
Physical insights on graphene nanoribbon mobility through atomistic simulations

We present an investigation of the main mechanisms which limit mobility in GNR-FETs, by means of atomistic simulations based on the NEGF formalism. In particular, we focus on i) line edge roughness (LER), ii) single defects; iii) ionized impurities, iv) acoustic and optical phonons. Results show that the effect of ionized impurities is negligible, while phonons, LER and defects largely limits carrier mobility, especially for narrower GNRs.
Is Relationship Lending Still a Mixed Blessing? A Review of Advantages and Disadvantages for Lenders and Borrowers

Relationship lending is a common lending technology that is assumed to bring several benefits to small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and to financial institutions that adopt it. Notably, it could reduce information asymmetries, permitting banks to offer better credit terms to the borrower. However, it also entails some costs for both sides. The empirical evidence so far has not been conclusive in determining under what conditions relationship lending can be beneficial or harmful. Most of the studies suggest that SMEs that engage in relationship lending benefit from more credit availability (especially during a financial crisis), and lower interest rates. This occurs when they are served by small banks, are geographically close to the lender, when the bank is adequately decentralized and when it is the dominant creditor of the firm. However, under certain circumstances, banks can extract rents from the borrower or be captured by him. In addition, the consequences and the future of relationship lending will be remarkably affected by the level of competition among banks, their ownership structure, the regulatory framework and the business model that banks will have to adopt accordingly.
Detection of Aspergillus fumigatus serum precipitins by counterimmunoelectrophoresis

Detection of serum precipitins to Aspergillus fumigatus by counterimmunoelectrophoresis is compared with the immunodiffusion technique. Eight of nine (89%) sera from patients with proven A. fumigatus infection were positive by both methods. No serum from subjects with other systemic mycoses, bacterial infections, or healthy controls had detectable precipitins. The highest serum precipitin titers were found in sera of patients with the mycetomal and invasive forms of the disease. Detection of A. fumigatus serum precipitins by counterimmunoelectrophoresis compares favourably with immunodiffusion and has the advantage of significantly reducing the time required for results.
PHY-Layer Spoofing Detection With Reinforcement Learning in Wireless Networks

In this paper, we investigate the PHY-layer authentication that exploits radio channel information (such as received signal strength indicators) to detect spoofing attacks in wireless networks. The interactions between a legitimate receiver and spoofers are formulated as a zero-sum authentication game. The receiver chooses the test threshold in the hypothesis test to maximize its utility based on the Bayesian risk in the spoofing detection, whereas the spoofers determine their attack frequencies to minimize the utility of the receiver. The Nash equilibrium of the static authentication game is derived, and its uniqueness is discussed. We also investigate a repeated PHY-layer authentication game for a dynamic radio environment. As it is challenging for the radio nodes to obtain the exact channel parameters in advance, we propose spoofing detection schemes based on Q-learning and Dyna-Q, which achieve the optimal test threshold in the spoofing detection via reinforcement learning. We implement the PHY-layer spoofing detectors over universal software radio peripherals and evaluate their performance via experiments in indoor environments. Both simulation and experimental results have validated the efficiency of the proposed strategies.
2.8 Gb/s 176 mW byte-interleaved and 3.0 Gb/s 118 mW bit-interleaved 8:1 multiplexers

2.8 Gbps/176 mW byte-interleaved and 3.0 Gbps/l18 mW bit-interleaved 8:1 multiplexers use 0.15 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. A byte-interleaving scheme divides input-registers into two symmetrical matrices to realize a high-density layout. Both chips have the same 8:1 time-division multiplexing core with a static shift-register architecture. The critical path delay is reduced by introducing dual-outputs D-FFs for the shift-registers. Bit-clock and byte-clock are precisely distributed to maximize speed. Direct interface with ECL circuits uses a negative supply of -2 V (VTT) and high-speed I/O buffers.
Leaf litter dynamics and nitrous oxide emission in a Mediterranean riparian forest: implications for soil nitrogen dynamics.

Mediterranean riparian zones can experience severe drought periods that lead to low soil moisture content, which dramatically affects their performance as nitrate removal systems. In the Mediterranean riparian zone of this study, we determined that N2O emission was practically nil. To understand the role of forest floor processes in nitrogen retention of a Mediterranean riparian area, we studied leaf litter dynamics of two tree species, London planetree [Platanus x acerifolia (Aiton) Willd. ] and alder [Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. ], for two years, along with soil nitrogen mineralization rates. Annual leaf litter fall equaled 562.6 +/- 10.1 (standard error) g dry wt. m(-2), 68% of which was planetree and 32% of which was alder. The temporal distribution of litterfall showed a two-peak annual cycle, one occurring in midsummer, the other in autumn. Planetree provided the major input of organic nitrogen to the forest floor, and the amount of planetree leaves remaining on the forest floor was equivalent to approximately four years of stock. Leaf litter decomposition was three times higher for alder (decay coefficient [k] = 1.13 yr(-1)) than for planetree (k = 0.365 yr(-1)). Mineralization rates showed a seasonal pattern, with the maximum rate in summer (1.92 mg N kg(-1) d(-1)). Although the forest floor was an important sink for nitrogen due to planetree leaf accumulation, 7.5% of this leaf litter was scoured to the streambed by wind. This loss was irrelevant for alder leaves. Due to the litter quality, the forest floor of this Mediterranean riparian forest acts as a nitrogen sink.
Nedd4 Regulates Egress of Ebola Virus-Like Particles from Host Cells

ABSTRACT Ebola virus budding is mediated by two proline-rich motifs, PPxY and PTAP, within the viral matrix protein VP40. We have previously shown that a Nedd4-like protein BUL1, but not Nedd4, positively regulates budding of type D retrovirus Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (J. Yasuda, E. Hunter, M. Nakao, and H. Shida, EMBO Rep. 3:636-640, 2002). Here, we report that the cellular E3 ubiquitin ligase Nedd4 regulates budding of VP40-induced virus-like particles (VLPs) through interaction with the PPxY motif. Mutation of the active site cysteine (C894A), resulting in abrogation of ubiquitin ligase activity, impaired the function of Nedd4 on budding. In addition, the WW domains of Nedd4 are essential for binding to the viral PPxY motif, and a small fragment of Nedd4 containing only WW domains significantly inhibited Ebola VLP budding in a dominant-negative manner. Our findings suggest that the viruses containing PPxY as an L-domain motif specifically use E3 in the process of virus budding. We also examined the effects of overexpression of Tsg101 and its mutant. As expected, Tsg101 enhanced VP40-induced VLP release, and TsgΔC, which lacks its C-terminal half, inhibited VLP release. These results indicate that Nedd4, together with Tsg101, plays an important role in Ebola virus budding.
Upregulation of SPRR3 Promotes Colorectal Tumorigenesis

Hereditary colorectal cancer develops through a series of well-defined genetic and histological changes. However, elucidation of the canonical pathway based on hereditary colorectal cancer has not provided a clear explanation of the molecular mechanisms of sporadic colorectal cancer. To identify the alterative pathways involved in sporadic colorectal tumorigenesis, we performed gene expression analysis in patients with sporadic colorectal tumors. A comparison analysis of gene expression profiles revealed a pattern of upregulation of small proline rich repeat protein 3 (SPRR3) in tumor samples. SPRR3 has previously been reported to be downregulated in esophageal cancer. However, in the present study, we observed that SPRR3 was strongly upregulated in 31 of 35 samples of sporadic colorectal tumors (88%). We also determined that overexpression of SPRR3 not only accelerates colorectal cancer cell proliferation but also is associated with lymphovascular invasion in colorectal cancer. Moreover, AKT was activated and p53 levels were decreased in cells that overexpressed SPRR3. In contrast to the pattern seen in esophageal cancer, these results suggest that increased expression of SPRR3 is involved in colorectal tumorigenesis.
Clinical decision rules "in the real world": how a widely disseminated rule is used in everyday practice.

BACKGROUND Widespread, appropriate use of clinical decision rules would result in many benefits for health care. While it is known that clinicians report using these rules, little is known about how the rules are actually used in everyday practice. OBJECTIVES To conduct a survey of emergency physicians to examine whether they use the Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) consistently, exclusively, and accurately. METHODS A postal survey was administered to 399 emergency physicians randomly selected from the membership list of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians using Dillman's tailored design method for postal surveys. Results were analyzed via frequency distributions and linear regression. RESULTS Response rate was 69.7% (262 of 376 eligible respondents), of whom 99.2% were familiar with the OAR. Most physicians (89.6%) reported using the OAR always or most of the time in appropriate circumstances, while only 42.2% reported basing their decisions to order radiography primarily on the rule. Physicians reported considering non-rule factors that are not related to the presence of a fracture (e.g., swelling: 54%), and factors that add no more predictive value over and above the rule (e.g., age >55 years: 55.2%). While 82.4% reported not having reviewed the rule for months or years, only 30.9% of the respondents were able to correctly remember the components of the rule. Errors in remembering rule components were more common among part-time (beta = 0.18, p = 0.009) and older (beta = 0.18, p = 0.04) physicians, and those who do not apply the rule consistently (beta = 0.14, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Most physicians report using and applying the OAR consistently, but most report that the rule is not the primary determinant of their decisions. Most apply this rule without referring to memory aids, yet their memory for this simple rule is imperfect. Future work should study how different memory aid strategies might improve the accuracy of rule application and reduce the use of nonpredictive cues.
Improved long-term prognosis after myocardial infarction 1984-1991.

AIMS We set out to examine whether long term prognosis in terms of 2-year mortality after myocardial infarction has improved after the introduction of intravenous beta-blockers, nitroglycerin infusion, aspirin and thrombolytics, in an unselected population of patients hospitalized with a myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated retrospectively 3791 acute myocardial infarctions in 3187 Göteborg women and men (1039 women and 2148 men), who were consecutively admitted to the coronary care unit at the Ostra hospital during 1984-1991. Throughout this period, data were entered continuously into the coronary care unit database. Mortality data were collected through the Swedish cause-specific mortality register. The primary end-point was mortality within 2 years after the onset of the index infarction. Two-year mortality decreased from 36% in 1984 to 25% in 1991. In a Cox regression model (including myocardial infarctions up to 1993) year of hospitalization, age, diabetes mellitus, sex, prior myocardial infarction and indeterminable infarct location all had a significant impact on survival after myocardial infarct. Thrombolytic therapy and hypertension had no prognostic significance. CONCLUSION Against a background of radical changes in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction during 1984-1991 we have seen decreasing in-hospital mortality as well as a substantial decrease in 2-year mortality.
Sustainable Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Business Strategic Approach for Sustainable Development

This paper proposes sustainable entrepreneurial orientation (SEO) as a multidimensional construct that offers researchers the possibility of empirically testing their theoretical proposals in the sustainable entrepreneurship field. The authors propose an integration of different theories. In accordance with the dynamic capabilities view, SEO is approached under an organizational paradigm of strategic orientations delimited by competitive culture and multiple orientation perspectives. Furthermore, SEO’s nature is conceived at a firm-based entrepreneurship level and is based on an integrated triple bottom line sustainability. This approach is conceptualized using a categorization scheme and defined in accordance with the organizational predisposition perspective. Several research lines are proposed, all based on relational models with SEO as the key concept.
Differential expression of VEGF isoforms in mouse during development and in the adult

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a factor that is critical for development of the vascular system in mouse embryos, exists as at least three isoforms, VEGF120, VEGF164, and VEGF188. The isoforms have different affinities for heparan sulfate as well as for the three known VEGF receptors, VEGFR‐1 (Flt‐1), VEGFR‐2 (Flk‐1), and neuropilin‐1, suggesting that different VEGF isoforms may play distinct roles in vascular development. To determine whether there are differences in the organ‐specific expression patterns that would support this concept, we used a quantitative RNase protection assay (RPA) to determine the distribution of different VEGF isoform mRNA in developing and adult mouse organs. Results revealed that the ratios of the three VEGF isoforms changed during organ development and that adult organs expressed different levels of the three VEGF isoforms. Because the lung expressed the highest levels of VEGF188 isoform, we used VEGF isoform‐specific in situ hybridization in the developing lung and determined that type II alveolar epithelial cells were expressing high levels of VEGF188 mRNA. Finally, targeted exon deletion of the VEGF gene revealed that mice that developed in the absence of the heparan sulfate binding isoforms VEGF164 and VEGF188, displayed a variety of vascular defects, including abnormal pulmonary vascular development. Our results support the concept that different VEGF isoforms have distinct functions in vascular development. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Impacts of combined supplementation with ascorbic acid and thiamine on certain biochemical and morphologic indexes of testes in mice treated by lead].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impacts of the combined administration of ascorbic acid and thiamine on certain biochemical and morphologic indexes of testes in mice exposed to lead. METHOD s 75 male mice were divided into control groups, groups received with 0.2% lead acetate and groups treated by the same lead acetate dose in combination with ascorbic acid and thiamine (subdivided into:low, middle and high-dose) ad libitum with 15 mice in each. 5 mice in each group were sacrificed at 2, 4 and 6 weeks respectively, and then testes were separated from mice. To evaluate the lead toxicity in testis, the levels of TGFbeta1 and Caspase-3 were detected by immunohistochemistry, apoptotic cell was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL); DNA damage of germ cells was assessed by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE or Comet assay). RESULTS The levels of TGFbeta1 and Caspase-3, apoptotic index were significantly higher in groups given by lead than those in control groups( P < 0.05 ). After intervention of low and middle-dose vitamins, DNA damage and the number of apoptotic cell in testis were obviously lower than those of groups exposed to lead( P < 0.05 ) . Also, the impaired tissues were markedly ameliorated under light microscope. Groups administrated with vitamins at the highest dose, however, promoted testicular cell apoptosis via elevated expression of TGFP, and Caspase-3, percentage of tail cell and tail length were reduced significantly. CONCLUSION Thiamine and ascorbic acid could antagonize the action of certain toxicity of testes in mice treated by lead acetate.
Plant-mediated whitefly–begomovirus interactions: research progress and future prospects

Abstract Plant-mediated interactions between begomoviruses and whiteflies exert important influences on the population dynamics of vectors and the epidemiology of plant diseases. In this article, we synthesize the relevant literature to identify patterns to the interactions. We then review studies on the ecological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions and finally elaborate on the most interesting issues for future research. The interactions between begomoviruses and the insect vector, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, via their shared host plants can be mutualistic, neutral or negative. However, in contrast to a pattern of improved performance of vectors on virus-infected plants that has been observed with persistently transmitted RNA viruses, the number of cases exhibiting mutualistic, neutral or negative effects in the indirect interactions between begomoviruses and whiteflies appear evenly distributed. With regard to the mechanisms of plant-mediated positive effects on whiteflies, two case studies indicate that suppression of plant defence and/or alteration in plant nutrition as a result of virus infection can be important. Our review shows that we are only just beginning to understand the tripartite interactions between begomoviruses, whiteflies and plants. Future efforts in this area should try to expand the number and diversity of pathosystems for investigation to reveal the patterns of interactions, to investigate the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of the interactions using a multidisciplinary approach, and to examine the virus–plant–vector interactions in the field and in natural plant communities.
Telomere Length Among the Elderly and Oldest-Old

Abstract Human chromosomes terminate in a number of repeats of the sequence TTAGGG. At birth, each chromosome end is equipped with approximately 15 kb of telomere sequence, but this sequence is shortened during each cell division. In cell cultures telomere shortening is associated with senescence, a phenomenon that has also been observed in normal adult tissues, indicating that telomere loss is associated with organismal ageing. Previous work has established that the rate of telomere loss in humans is age dependent, and recent work shows a sex-specific difference in telomere length and shortening in individuals over the age span of 20 to 75 years. Here, terminal restriction fragment lengths on DNA purified from whole blood were measured to examine the mean telomere length in a cross-sectional cohort of 816 Danish individuals of age 73 to 101 years. In this age group, females show a linear correlation between telomere length and age, whereas the pattern tends to be nonlinear (quadratic in age) for males. This difference in telomere length dynamics between the 2 sexes may be caused by several different mechanisms, including differences in selection by mortality, differences in leukocyte population or different telomerase expression pattern.
Do Stock Price Reactions to Public Information Reflect its Long-run Effect on the Firms’ Fundamental Value? The Case of an Emerging Market†

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) induced by various events and long-term operating performances in the post-event period. We gather six events from KRX Disclosure System over 2000–2011 and then ascertain the different CAR patterns. While most of other studies have focused on a single type of events, we deal with various types of events. Based on the general valuation model, stock return or price should reflect the firm’s fundamental value and we expect CARs to show a close relationship with the firm’s fundamental value over a long horizon. However, no distinct relationship between CARs and operating performances is found. The stock price reactions which are temporary and unrelated to the firm’s fundamental values may be explained by market inefficiency in Korea.