Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pancreatic Cancer Cachexia: Current Concepts and Clinical Management

There has been great progress over the last decade in understanding the pathophysiology of cachexia associated with pancreatic cancer. However, there is a large need to find bet ter therapeutic options to successfully manage this complex and challenging condition. Patients with pancreatic cancer have some of the highest prevalence and often the most severe degrees of cachexia, which is described as a multifactorial metabolic syndrome that is associated with unintended weight loss of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in the setting of anorexia. This chapter will review the current concepts surrounding pancreatic cancer cachexia, its clinical diagnosis, pathophysiology, and its known and proposed ther-apeutics. A multimodal approach utilizing nutritional support and pharmaceutical thera- pies is proposed to lead to the most successful management of pancreatic cancer cachexia.
Co-resident and absent mothers: Motherhood and labour force participation in South Africa

The effects of motherhood on women's labour force participation are estimated usually for mothers who are co-resident with their children. This paper, however, shows that a co-residency requirement upwardly biases the negative effects of motherhood in a country where labour force participation includes (temporary) migration to places of employment. In contrast to co-resident mothers in South Africa, not co-resident mothers are significantly more likely to be labour force participants. The selection on co-residency, which excludes mothers who are labour migrants, therefore overestimates the negative relationship between motherhood and labour force participation. We find also that women who are not biological mothers are significantly less likely to be labour force participants if they live in households with children, consistent with the foster age of children in extended households.
Turbulent entrainment across turbulent-nonturbulent interfaces in stably stratified mixing layers

The entrainment process in stably stratified mixing layers is studied in relation to the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) using direct numerical simulations. The statistics are calculated with the interface coordinate in an Eulerian frame as well as with the Lagrangian fluid particles entrained from the non-turbulent to the turbulent regions. The characteristics of entrainment change as the buoyancy Reynolds number Reb decreases and the flow begins to layer. The baroclinic torque delays the enstrophy growth of the entrained fluids at small Reb while this effect is less efficient for large Reb. The entrained particle movement within the TNTI layer is dominated by the small dissipative scales, and the rapid decay of the kinetic energy dissipation rate due to buoyancy causes the entrained particle movement relative to the interface location to become slower. Although the Eulerian statistics confirm that there exists turbulent fluid with strong vorticity or with large buoyancy frequency near the TNTI, the entrained fluid particles circumvent these regions by passing through the TNTI in strain-dominant regions or in regions with small buoyancy frequency. The multi-particle statistics show that, once the non-turbulent fluid volumes are entrained, they are deformed into flattened shapes in the vertical direction and diffuse in the horizontal direction. When Reb is large enough for small-scale turbulence to exist, the entrained fluid is able to penetrate into the turbulent core region. Once the flow begins to layer with decreasing Reb, however, the entrained fluid volume remains near the outer edge of the turbulent region and forms a stably stratified layer without vertical overturning. ∗ watanabe.tomoaki@c.nagoya-u.jp
More Than Comparing with Majorities: The Importance of Alternative Comparisons between Children from Different Minority Groups

Using a social identity perspective as the guiding framework, this article examines how children of minorities use alternative comparisons to achieve positive distinctiveness of their minority group. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with 60 Portuguese children (Black, White and Gypsy) who were asked for their group preferences and attributions towards their own and other groups. Majority children showed in-group favoritism on both preference and attribution measures, but members of both minorities showed greater preference for majority members as well as for members of the in-group than for members of the other minority group. We concluded that, as predicted by social identity theory, one creative identity management strategy is that minorities emphasize their similarity with the high status majority while downgrading another minority.
Corsican Pine (Pinus laricio Poiret) Stand Management: Medium and Long Lasting Effects of Thinning on Biomass Growth

With the aim of acquiring better comprehension of the ecological and productive aspects of the management of pine forests, we monitored logging damage and evaluated the effects of thinning on stand growth 20 years after the treatment in a Pinus laricio Poiret stand in central Italy. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the injury levels to the remaining trees after thinning; to assess logging damage in the long-term by monitoring residual trees at the end of thinning; to evaluate the effect of damage on the radial growth of trees; to assess the stand dynamics in relation to injury levels and the treatment applied in a twenty-year range; to understand a possible treatment return time; and to evaluate the existence of the “thinning shock”. The results were that 20 years after treatment, the stand dynamics showed a complete recovery; logging damage did not affect the radial growth of P. laricio over time; a second treatment seem to be sustainable starting from the fifteenth year after the previous treatment; and the thinning shock can be clearly evaluated in the first six to seven years after the treatment.
Phenotypic Variation among Thick-billed Murres from Colonies in Hudson Strait

Thick-billed Murres ( Uria lomvia ) breeding in the Canadian Arctic are restricted to a small number of colonies, all comprising more that 10,000 pairs. Five of these colonies are scattered through Hudson Strait. We collected adult breeders at three of the colonies - Digges Island, Hantzsch Island, and Akpatok Island - and compared wing and bill measurements and body weights to look for inter-colony differences. Significant inter-colony differences were present for all measurements and a discriminant function analysis showed that some individuals fall completely outside the range of variation for the other colonies. Because of the presence of the Laurentide ice-sheet over Hudson Strait, the present colony sites could not have been occupied for more than 10,000 years. If the observed differences reflect differences in genotype then their evolution must have occurred over this period. Key words: Thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia , phenotypic variation, Hudson Strait, evolution
Innovation network building in the Hungarian region of South Transdanubia

The economic attraction of the regions depends on the spatially balanced network-based co-operation of different research bases, SMEs and organisations involved in innovation development these days. The research on regional innovation examines the correlation between regional innovation development, innovation potential and the innovation networks. This study summarises the research trends on the innovation network theory and introduces experiences of the European network building in order to gain best practice in the introduction of network-oriented regional innovation development for the Hungarian region of South Transdanubian . After the introduction of the innovation endowments of the region I discuss the database of the potential network actors and organisations, the possible phases of the regional network building and the preparatory works of the regional innovation strategy under implementation.
The role of the Health Promotion Foundation in building capacity to treat tobacco dependence in Poland: past, present and future

The Health Promotion Foundation (HPF) was established in 1991 with the goal of countering Poland’s lung cancer epidemic through conducting research, building the health competence of the Polish population and organising training in smoking cessation for healthcare professionals. The HPF trained thousands of Polish doctors and nurses using as its main tool the Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence, a set of guidelines elaborated and recommended by the leading medical associations in Poland, which was distributed with support of the National Medical Chamber to each doctor in Poland. The HPF prepared a guide for smokers and healthcare providers “How to quit smoking” (Witold Zatoński) published from 1990s until now in about 1.5 million pieces. It was a sequential important element of tobacco control in Poland. At the same time, the HPF engaged in activities to increase the availability of smoking cessation drugs, and in particular disseminating the knowledge on cytisine. The HPF’s work culminated in Poland becoming the first country in Eastern Europe to launch nicotine replacement therapy, in the 1990s, as well as to register and introduce bupropion on the market. The HPF’s comprehensive activities have already helped millions of Poles quit smoking. Its current work is focused on developing ways of engaging medical doctors in the treatment of tobacco dependence and the use of novel technologies in supporting effective cessation efforts, both on the side of providers and of patients. Especially, implementation of tobacco dependence treatment procedures into hospitals in Poland would be activity of special attention. Key wordS: tobacco dependence treatment, smoking cessation, training for medical doctors, building capacity, Poland. addreSS For correSpoNdeNce: Kinga Janik-Koncewicz, Health Promotion Foundation, 51 Mszczonowska Street, 05-830 Nadarzyn, Poland, phone: +48 22 378 00 22, e-mail: biuro@promocjazdrowia.pl DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/jhi.2017. 74202
State-Space Modeling and Performance Analysis of Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Based on a Model Predictive Control Approach

Advancements in wind energy technologies have led wind turbines from fixed speed to variable speed operation. This paper introduces an innovative version of a variable-speed wind turbine based on a model predictive control (MPC) approach. The proposed approach provides maximum power point tracking (MPPT), whose main objective is to capture the maximum wind energy in spite of the variable nature of the wind’s speed. The proposed MPC approach also reduces the constraints of the two main functional parts of the wind turbine: the full load and partial load segments. The pitch angle for full load and the rotating force for the partial load have been fixed concurrently in order to balance power generation as well as to reduce the operations of the pitch angle. A mathematical analysis of the proposed system using state-space approach is introduced. The simulation results using MATLAB/SIMULINK show that the performance of the wind turbine with the MPC approach is improved compared to the traditional PID controller in both low and high wind speeds.
International Journal of Environmental and Science Education

ING & INDEXING CONTACT I J E S E W e l c o m e t o T h e I J E S E The International Journal of Environmental and Science Education (IJESE) publishes original research from throughout the world dealing with environmental education and science education. It publishes articles on psychological, sociological, economic and organizational aspects of environment and science education, as well as evaluation studies of curriculum development in these fields. Its main aim is to allow specialists working in these areas the opportunity of publishing their findings for the benefit of institutions, teachers, and students. It is hoped that the journal will encourage high quality research that will lead to more effective practices, behaviours and curricula in environment and science education. The journal is quarterly journal published online six times annually.
Cold Start SI Passenger Car Emissions from Real World Urban Congested Traffic

The tailpipe exhaust emissions were measured under real world urban driving conditions by using a EURO4 emissions compliant SI car equipped with an on-board heated FTIR for speciated gaseous emission measurements, a differential GPS for travel profiles, thermocouples for temperatures, and a MAX fuel meter for transient fuel consumption. Emissions species were measured at 0.5 Hz. The tests were designed to enable cold start to occur into congested traffic, typical of the situation of people living alongside congested roads into a large city. The cold start was monitored through temperature measurements of the TWC front and rear face temperatures and lubricating oil temperatures. The emissions are presented to the end of the cold start, defined when the downstream TWC face temperature is hotter than the front face which occurred at ~350-400oC. Journeys at various times of the day were conducted to investigate traffic flow impacts on the cold start. The test route had traffic and pedestrian crossing lights, several major road junctions and a busy shopping area. The time aligned vehicle moving parameters with pollutant emission data and fuel consumption enabled the micro-analysis of correlations between these parameters. The average cold start emissions, fuel consumption and temperature data are presented for the journeys into different levels of congestion (based on the mean speed of the cold start journey). The mean complete journey speed during was shown to reasonably correlate the emissions, which increased as mean speed reduced. The cold start congested traffic portion was separately analysed to show the much higher emissions for equivalence mean speeds. Engine vehicle specific power (VSP) output was calculated and used together with the fuel flow to determine the instantaneous and average thermal efficiency. Three way catalysts (TWC) light off was approximately 200 seconds, much longer than for the NEDC test cycle. Currently urban air quality monitoring does not include cold start into congested traffic from vehicles at houses along the road, but does have procedures where cold start occur at large car parks.
Board size and firm operating performance: Evidence from Germany

Determining the optimum size of corporate boards is an important task for companies. Agency theory suggests that either too large or too small boards cause negative effects on firm operating performance. For a given sample of 113 listed firms in the German Prime market, we tested the effect of board size on return on assets and return on equity. Our findings provide evidence that there is a significant negative Management Board size effect both on return on assets and return on equity. The results are consistent with the assumption of dysfunctional norms of behaviour within the German two-tier board structure.
Hydrodynamic structures of droplets in square micro-channels

This paper reports on numerical simulations of the hydrodynamics inside droplets in rectangular micro-channels. We use a finite-volume/front-capturing method that allows us to perform two- and three-dimensional simulations with a reasonable cost. The numerical method is an interface-capturing technique without any interface reconstruction. Therefore no complex or expensive interface tracking is needed. Droplet interface deformation and velocity fields inside both droplets and continuous phase can then be followed. This study leads to important results about droplet deformation and inner streamlines for mass and heat transfer studies. More particularly, the capillary number seems to have a great influence on the liquid/liquid flow hydrodynamics whatever is the channel width.
Party Institutionalization and the Removal of Presidential Term Limits in Latin America

An explanation of the recent wave of constitutional changes in favor of more permissive reelection rules in Latin America is presented based on a principal-agent model of intraparty relations within the presidential party. The theoretical model suggests causal mechanisms through which institutionalized presidential parties constrain the decision to scrap term limits. The theoretical implications are tested using both quantitative and qualitative evidence. Results from logistic regression suggest that the likelihood of removing term limits in Latin American countries (1990-2013) significantly declines with the level of presidential party institutionalization. Case study evidence illustrates the operation of the theoretically-derived causal mechanisms.
The low-temperature, high-magnetic-field critical current characteristics of Zr-added (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes

Critical current performances of state-of-the-art Zr-added (Gd, Y)BaCuO tapes have been investigated over a temperature range of 20–77 K, in magnetic fields up to 9 T and over a wide angular range of magnetic field orientations. The peak in critical current that is commonly observed in the field orientation perpendicular to the tape in BaZrO3 (BZO) containing superconducting tapes is found to vanish at 30 K in magnetic fields at 1–9 T. While the critical current of 15% Zr-added tapes was about 40% lower than that of 7.5% Zr-added tapes at 77 K, the pinning force values of the former were found to be 18–23% higher than those of the latter in the temperature range of 20–40 K and in magnetic fields of 3–5 T. The results from this study emphasize the importance of optimization of coated conductor fabrication processes for optimum performance not just in low magnetic fields at 77 K but also at the operating conditions of low temperatures and high magnetic fields that are of interest, especially for rotating superconducting machinery applications.
Exploring Curricular Internships in Italy: Towards Entrepreneurial Universities

This paper presents a database of the curricular internships offered by all Italian universities in different Courses of Studies (CoS), in the light of the challenge faced by university managers in shifting their institutions to a more entrepreneurial mode within a i°triple helix approachi± that highlights the relation between universities, government and enterprises. We built our database considering University Credits (UCs) attributed during the academic year 2014/15, consulting the websites of the Italian Ministry of Education and the official websites of 91 Italian universities. Although 3139 out of 4428 CoS (70.89%) offer curricular internships, these learning experiences in most scientific areas have a minor role in learning paths. These results also highlight the general sense of mistrust Italian universities place in the entrepreneurial world. The paper should enable university managers and policy makers to evaluate the activities carried out during curricular internships in Italy. The paper also provides useful insights to redefine the CoS offer in Italy. Data could be collected and updated yearly in order to monitor how the scenario is evolving. This paper contends that internships should be placed within the teaching mission in order to have an impact on entrepreneurship.
Note on the characteristic rank of vector bundles

We define the notion of characteristic rank, charrankX(ξ), of a real vector bundle ξ over a connected finite CW-complex X. This is a bundle-dependent version of the notion of characteristic rank introduced by Július Korbaš in 2010. We obtain bounds for the cup length of manifolds in terms of the characteristic rank of vector bundles generalizing a theorem of Korbaš and compute the characteristic rank of vector bundles over the Dold manifolds, the Moore spaces and the stunted projective spaces amongst others.
"Oft expectation fails": a time-series analysis of construction starts in the London office market

Expectations of future market conditions are generally acknowledged to be crucial for the development decision and hence for shaping the built environment. This empirical study of the Central London office market from 1987 to 2009 tests for evidence of adaptive and naive expectations. Applying VAR models and a recursive OLS regression with one-step forecasts, we find evidence of adaptive and naive, rather than rational expectations of developers. Although the magnitude of the errors and the length of time lags vary over time and development cycles, the results confirm that developers’ decisions are explained to a large extent by contemporaneous and past conditions in both London submarkets. The corollary of this finding is that developers may be able to generate excess profits by exploiting market inefficiencies but this may be hindered in practice by the long periods necessary for planning and construction of the asset. More generally, the results of this study suggest that real estate cycles are largely generated endogenously rather than being the result of unexpected exogenous shocks.
Strategic Human Resource Management and Organizational Performance in Singapore

Many academics and practitioners have noted the emergence of a new generation of workers characterized by decreased company loyalty and increased expectations on various aspects of work life. At the same time, increasing emphasis on knowledge-based competition has accelerated the importance of human capital and hence the strategic role of the human resource management (HRM) function in any organization. This article includes a study of 191 Singapore firms. The study found a positive relationship between various aspects of a company’s strategic HRM policies/practices and its HR performance. However, the relationship seems weaker when it comes to a firm’s financial outcome. The study reveals that these two aspects of organizational performance may be affected by different HRM components. It also discusses how proper management of human capital can be a critical source of competitive advantage.
Mapping sediment–landform assemblages to constrain lacustrine sedimentation in a glacier-fed lake catchment in northwest Spitsbergen

ABSTRACT Changes in the deposition of fine-grained rock-flour in glacier-fed lakes reflect glacier variability. This meltwater-driven signal is, however, often overprinted by other processes. To constrain the signature of lacustrine sedimentation, we mapped the catchment of glacier-fed Lake Hajeren in northwest Spitsbergen, identifying sediment sources and linking them to surface processes. To this end, we employed a combined approach of aerial image interpretation and field mapping. Our map comprises sediment–landform assemblages commonly found in pro-, peri- and paraglacial landsystems on Spitsbergen, including weathered moraines outboard Little Ice Age limits. Based on the presented map, we argue that mass-wasting does not directly impact lake sedimentation. Also, due to the scarcity of fines in historical glacial deposits, we suggest that modified glacigenic sediments only briefly affect a recorded glacier signal, following retreat. These findings highlight the value of geomorphological maps as tools to constrain catchment processes, improving the interpretation of lake sediment records.
Economising, Strategising and the Vertical Boundaries of the firm

Abstract We bridge the organisational economics and industrial economics literatures on the vertical boundaries of the firm by contextualising the transaction cost approach to the make-or-buy decision within an oligopolistic market structure. Firms invest in the quality of the intermediate resulting in the endogenous determination of the price of the intermediate and marginal production cost of the final good. We highlight new strategic incentives to outsource and/or vertically integrate and show how these incentives can result in asymmetric-mode-of-operations, investment and costs. We apply our model to a number of different international trading setups.