Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cancer mortality in Europe, 2005-2009, and an overview of trends since 1980.

BACKGROUND After a peak in the late 1980s, cancer mortality in Europe has declined by ~10% in both sexes up to the early 2000s. We provide an up-to-date picture of patterns and trends in mortality from major cancers in Europe. METHODS We analyzed cancer mortality data from the World Health Organization for 25 cancer sites and 34 European countries (plus the European Union, EU) in 2005-2009. We computed age-standardized rates (per 100,000 person-years) using the world standard population and provided an overview of trends since 1980 for major European countries, using joinpoint regression. RESULTS Cancer mortality in the EU steadily declined since the late 1980s, with reductions by 1.6% per year in 2002-2009 in men and 1% per year in 1993-2009 in women. In western Europe, rates steadily declined over the last two decades for stomach and colorectal cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukemias in both sexes, breast and (cervix) uterine cancer in women, and testicular cancer in men. In central/eastern Europe, mortality from major cancer sites has been increasing up to the late 1990s/early 2000s. In most Europe, rates have been increasing for lung cancer in women and for pancreatic cancer and soft tissue sarcomas in both sexes, while they have started to decline over recent years for multiple myeloma. In 2005-2009, there was still an over twofold difference between the highest male cancer mortality in Hungary (235.2/100,000) and the lowest one in Sweden (112.9/100,000), and a 1.7-fold one in women (from 124.4 in Denmark to 71.0/100,000 in Spain). CONCLUSIONS With the major exceptions of female lung cancer and pancreatic cancer in both sexes, in the last quinquennium, cancer mortality has moderately but steadily declined across Europe. However, substantial differences across countries persist, requiring targeted interventions on risk factor control, early diagnosis, and improved management and pharmacological treatment for selected cancer sites.
Low noise photonic Millimeter-wave generation using an integrated reciprocating optical Modulator

We generated low-phase-noise millimeter waves by using a reciprocating optical modulator. A lightwave modulated by a 44-GHz millimeter wave was obtained from a microwave signal, with a phase noise of -88.5 dBc/Hz at an offset of 10 kHz. The intensity of the millimeter waves generated was quite stable, and the linewidth was less than 1 Hz. The noise figure obtained in our reciprocating modulation process was lower than the theoretical limit for conventional frequency multipliers.
Accounting Information Quality and Market Reaction: A Survey of Banking Industries Listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of accounting information quality in terms of qualitative characteristics of accounting information toward market reaction. Research was conducted on 35 banking industries listed in the Indonesia Stock Exchange and analyzed using SEM-PLS method. The empirical result indicates that accounting information quality has a positive and significant effect on market reaction. Keywords: accounting information quality, qualitative characteristics, market reaction, stock return.
Which Measure of Drop Jump Performance Best Predicts Sprinting Speed?

Barr, MJ and Nolte, VW. Which measure of drop jump performance best predicts sprinting speed? J Strength Cond Res 25(7): 1976-1982, 2011—The purpose of this study was to evaluate which measure of a drop jump (DJ) has the highest correlation with sprinting speed over 60 m. For use of comparison, maximal leg strengths in a front squat, countermovement jump, and squat jump were also assessed. The subjects in the study were all high-caliber female university rugby players. Subjects did DJs from 0.12, 0.24, 0.36, 0.48, 0.60, 0.72, and 0.84 m. Jump height and reactive strength index (RSI) were calculated at each drop height. Pearson correlations were used to analyze the relationship between the strength and jumping measures with sprinting speed. The DJ height from 0.84 m had the highest negative correlation with 0- to 10-m split (r = −0.66), the 10- to 30-m split (r = −0.86) and 30- to 60-m split (r = −0.86). The use of RSI is questioned as a measurement of DJ performance. It is suggested that maximal height achieved in a DJ is the most important DJ measure. If it is desired to measure ground contact time, then it may be more useful to use a second test where the jump height for the athlete is set by having the athlete jump onto a box or touch a target overhead set at a standard height and measure the ground contact time with a switch mat or force plate.
The Measurement of Intra‐abdominal Pressure as a Criterion for Abdominal Re‐exploration

Acute elevation of intra-abdominal pressure above 30 mmHg caused oliguria in 11 postoperative patients. Operative re-exploration and decompression in seven patients resulted in immediate diuresis. Four patients who were not re-explored developed renal failure and died. If intra-abdominal pressure rises above 25 mmHg in the early postoperative period and is associated with oliguria and normal blood pressure and cardiac index, the patient should undergo re-exploration and decompression of the abdomen.
The Trade-off Between Quantity and Quality of Information in Gender Responses to Advertising

ABSTRACT Unlike females, males tend to process informational ads in a heuristic manner and form their judgments based on the mere number of product assertions presented in a message. Consistent with this prediction, there was a positive linear relationship between argument quantity and message persuasiveness for males, and it persisted even when brand attributes conveyed in an ad were relatively unimportant. Alternatively, females' responses exhibited an S-shaped relationship between argument quantity and advertising effectiveness, and were affected by the strength of message claims. The author argued that this pattern occurred because females engaged in more detailed yet selective processing of advertising information.
Lumbar spine kinesthesia in patients with low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN Single-group, posttest only, using a sample of convenience. OBJECTIVE To measure the repositioning error of subjects with low back pain for lumbar sagittal movement using a simple kinesthetic test previously described. BACKGROUND Patients with low back pain are commonly observed to have difficulty in adopting a mid or neutral position of the lumbar spine. METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS Twenty subjects with low back pain were required to reproduce an upright neutral posture of the lumbar spine following movement into flexion in a sitting position. Trunk positioning accuracy was measured with an electromagnetic tracking device. RESULTS The mean absolute value of the repositioning error in the sagittal plane was 2.25 degrees +/-0.88 degrees on day 1 and 2.32 degrees +/-1.62 degrees on day 2. The performance of patients with low back pain was similar to that of asymptomatic patients in a previous study, although subjects with low back pain overshot the neutral position more frequently (79%) than did nonimpaired subjects (50%). CONCLUSIONS Subjects with low back pain may have attempted to use extra mechanoreceptive cues to compensate for some kinesthetic deficit. Nevertheless, the kinesthetic test used was not sensitive enough to detect any repositioning deficits, and reasons for this are explored.
Fundamental Valuation of Extra-Financial Information

In this study, we augment seminal models based on Ohlson (1995) by integrating the value impact of ratings related to three different extra-financial categories, i. e. corporate governance, human capital, and innovation capital. For a sample of large European public firms, we find that a model including human capital information and analysts' earnings forecasts best explains current stock prices. Our model based on human capital information (without analysts' forecasts) best identifies under- and overvalued companies and is thus useful for generating future positive hedge returns. This supports the findings of Dechow et al. (1999), who hold that models incorporating analysts' forecasts are superior in explaining contemporaneous market prices and models lacking this information exhibit the greatest predictive ability. We find that extra-financial information indeed conveys value relevant information beyond accounting figures and analysts' earnings forecasts.
Increased Superoxide Generation and Decreased Stress Protein Hsp90 Expression in Human Umbilical Cord Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) from Pregnancies Complicated by Preeclampsia

Objective: Endothelial dysfunction is associated with increased oxidative stress in the vascular system in women with preeclampsia (PE), a hypertensive disorder occurring during human pregnancy. However, due to the nature of the disease, direct evidence of increased endothelial oxidative stress in the maternal vascular system at an in vivo situation is still lacking. We previously reported that primary cultured endothelial cells (ECs) from umbilical cords (HUVECs) from pregnancies complicated by PE exhibit phenotypic changes compared to those from normal pregnancies such as reduced eNOs expression associated with disorganized endothelial junction protein distribution and increased endothelial permeability. In this study, we sought to determine whether increased oxidative stress was also present in primary cultured HUVECs from women with PE. Methods: HUVECs were isolated from normal and PE pregnancies and EC oxidative stress was examined by superoxide generation using positive nuclear dihydroethidium (DHE) staining as an indicator. Since Hsp90 is believed to have protective effects on endothelial function, we also determined mRNA and protein expression for Hsp90. Using Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin (GA), we further determined the potential role of Hsp90 in superoxide generation, eNOs expression, and prostacyclin production of altered EC function associated with PE pregnancies. Results: We found that primary cultured ECs from PE pregnancies showed an increase in DHE positive cells, p < 0.01. Hsp90 protein expression was significantly decreased in ECs from PE compared with that from normal pregnancies, p < 0.05. Inhibition of Hsp90 by GA resulted in an increase in superoxide generation and a decrease in eNOs protein expression. Decreased prostacyclin production was also found in ECs treated with GA. Conclusion: These in vitro HUVEC data suggest that increased endothelial oxidative stress may also occur in the fetal compartment during preeclampsia.
Cerebral activation covaries with movement rate

An important aspect in brain activation studies is the relationship between neuronal activity and measurable indices of function. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate blood flow- related MR signal changes in response to different rates of repetitive movements of the index finger. The contralateral precentral gyrus and the posterior frontomesial cortex revealed a significant increase in MR signal over baseline for 1, 2 and 3 Hz finger movements, with a linear effect of rate in the precentral gyrus. Increased firing of neuronal aggregates or recruitment of additional neuronal units within the primary motor cortex necessary for increased output to target neurons and maintaining posture of nearby distal and proximal joints may contribute to the activation pattern.
Potassium channels involved in human sperm volume regulation—quantitative studies at the protein and mRNA levels

KCNE1, KCNA5 and KCNK5 have been identified, by using specific blockers, as K+‐channels involved in sperm volume regulation under physiological conditions. All three channels were localised on the cytoplasmic droplets and tail of human ejaculated spermatozoa by fluorescence microscopy. Using flow cytometric quantification, KCNE1 was found to be present in 80% or more spermatozoa and KCNK5 in only about 20%, with KCNA5 expressed by 20–90% of cells. Whereas the extents of such protein expression did not differ statistically between semen donors and subfertile patients, the former group exhibited higher capacities for sperm volume regulation which were correlated with other sperm qualities including normal morphology and motile sperm number in the ejaculate. Channel identification was further confirmed at the protein level using Western blotting. RT‐PCR analysis of testicular and sperm RNA of proven quality indicated the presence of Kcne1, Kcna5 and Kcnk5 transcripts. Subsequent sequencing of PCR products demonstrated that the nucleotide sequences of the entire encoding regions of Kcne1 and Kcnk5 were identical to those published in the database, whereas that of Kcna5 mRNA showed a single nucleotide synonymous deviation that agrees with the published genomic sequence. Quantitative real‐time PCR analysis of sperm RNA revealed the amounts of Kcne1 > Kcna5 > Kcnk5, in the same order as for protein expression. Thus, KCNE1 is probably the major K+‐channel involved in regulatory volume decrease in human spermatozoa, and channel activity is regulated beyond the extent of protein expression. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 659–668, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analisis Kinerja Daya Saing Industri Teh Indonesia

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengukur dan menganalisis daya saing industri teh Indonesia di dunia berdasarkan kinerja perdagangan internasional. Ada empat langkah yang dilakukan secara berkesinambungan untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut. Pertama, mengukur daya saing teh Indonesia dengan Relative Trade Advantage (RTA), kedua mengidentifikasi faktor-faktor determinan daya saing melalui survei kepada stakeholder industri teh, ketiga menganalisis faktor-faktor determinan dengan Model Diamond Porter, dan keempat menggambarkan perubahan faktor-faktor determinan daya saing teh Indonesia. Tingkat daya saing industri teh Indonesia merupakan kemampuan industri teh dalam negeri untuk bertahan dalam persaingan dalam pasar global. Penelitian ini membandingkan kinerja daya saing teh Indonesia pada tahun 2010 dan 2016 dengan sejumlah pertimbangan. Dari hasil perhitungan, tingkat daya saing teh pada dua tahun tersebut berada di atas level 1 yang berarti teh Indonesia lebih kompetitif jika dibandingkan dengan komoditas dalam negeri lainnya. Survei dan wawancara mendalam yang dilakukan pada 12 responden dari perusahaan BUMN, swasta, pemerintah, asosiasi, dan lembaga penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penerapan PPn perkebunan 10% dan regulasi pembatasan masuknya teh ke Uni Eropa menjadi perhatian utama seluruh responden karena menghambat kinerja daya saing industri teh. Sementara itu, faktor yang mendukung daya saing industri teh tampak dari berkembangnya industri agrowisata dan perusahaan minuman siap saji teh.
Effects of the ligand sequence modifications on the retargeted transduction by the retroviral vector having a ligand-chimeric Env protein.

There have been various attempts to redirect the cell entry receptor tropism of the murine leukemia virus vectors. We have recently reported the successful retargeting of the ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus vector. This vector (S3-D84K) contains a viral envelope (Env) protein into which a full-length (68 aa) stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) was inserted at Pro-79. The S3-D84K vector transduces a certain human cell line through the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) at a titre of about 10(4) c.f. u. ml(-1). Here, the S3-D84K vector was found to transduce another human cell line through CXCR4 with a titre close to 10(6) c.f. u. ml(-1). The SDF-1alpha ligand of the S3-D84K Env protein was modified in different ways. In one, C-terminal truncations (by 3-51 aa) with or without a Cys-to-Gly change were performed, and in the other, Cys-to-Ala changes of the disulfide-forming cysteines without truncation were made. Seven truncation and three alanine mutant chimeric Env proteins were examined for virion incorporation, and the retroviral vectors displaying the mutant protein were examined for CXCR4 binding and retargeted transduction. Two mutant vectors showed transduction through CXCR4 with titres not higher than those of the S3-D84K vector, while the other mutant vectors minimally transduced cells through CXCR4 either due to a defect in virion incorporation of the chimeric Env protein or an inability to bind to CXCR4. These results suggest that a full-length sequence that may fold into a distinct domain within the chimeric Env protein is preferable as a targeting ligand.
Associations with resident physicians' early adoption of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation

Background Use of the electronic cigarette for nicotine delivery has increased dramatically in recent years. Information continues to emerge on its role as a smoking cessation aid, but little is known about resident physician use of the device in clinical practice. Methods In 2015, an electronic survey was administered to resident physicians in one healthcare system in Columbus, Ohio. The survey included questions about personal smoking exposure, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes about electronic cigarettes and early adoption of electronic cigarettes with patients. Data were dichotomised based on a ‘stages of change’ model that assessed resident physician adoption of electronic cigarettes for therapeutic use. Data were analysed through χ2 tests and logistic regression using ORs and 95% CIs. Results Of 338 residents, 142 (42%) responded. Of all residents, 25 (17.7%) reported that they have been recommending electronic cigarettes to their patients for the past 6 months or longer. In the multivariate model, residents ≥postgraduate year (PGY)-3 (OR=3.68, 95% CI 1.20 to 11.29), peer-reviewed article exposure (OR=6.65, 95% CI 1.56 to 28.38) and the view that addictive potential is definitely or somewhat less than traditional cigarettes (OR=5.05, 95% CI 1.48 to 17.24) were associated with recommendation of electronic cigarettes. Conclusions Few residents report recommending electronic cigarettes to patients who smoke. These residents consider the electronic cigarette less addicting than traditional cigarettes, supporting harm reduction strategies over strict abstinence. Most residents require further evidence-based education on efficacy and long-term safety of electronic cigarettes before recommending to their patients.
Institutional Investment in Social Housing in Dublin City: Potential Solutions to Encourage Institutional Investors to Deliver Social Housing to the Dublin City Market

The residential real estate investment market in Ireland has gained interest from both institutional investors and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs1) in recent years and has begun to form part of their real estate asset portfolios. This is evidenced in the increasing percentage of investment spend on residential investment assets in Ireland, approximately 26% in the first half of 2018 up from 13% for the full year in 2012. Residential investment to date has been in private housing, and other than Part V housing, investors have not invested directly in social housing. In Dublin City the supply of new social housing is currently one unit for every 9.88 persons on the social housing wait list which is nearly four times higher than Ireland’s average household size of 2.75 persons per household. The author’s aim is to research the relationship between the social housing needs of the current population in Dublin City, the policy framework in place to supply social housing and the potential role of institutional investors and REITs. The current mechanisms for the delivery of social housing to the Dublin City market were found to be predominantly debt financing of housing associations and local authorities with little scope for institutional investors to invest directly in social housing assets. The results of development appraisals comparing a private housing scheme with a social housing scheme highlight the need for incentive mechanisms to be introduced to encourage institutional investors to participate in the direct acquisition of social housing schemes. Changes to policy at Government level are required if a mechanism to deliver social housing by institutional investors and REITs is to be introduced with the aim of alleviating the supply demand imbalance currently witnessed in the Dublin City market.
Evaluation and Comparison of Lean Manufacturing Practices in Britain and France: A Case Study of a Printing Solutions Organisation

Purpose: The objective of this research is to investigate and analyse the implementation of Lean philosophy in two production plants SMEs –one in Britain and one in France- both belonging to the same global American printing solutions and technology services organisation. The aim of the study is to analyse the impact of lean practices on employees and on the organisation itself as well as the critical factors for a successful implementation. Design/methodology/approach: Using a case study approach, the collection of primary data for this dissertation consisted of semi-structured face-to-face interviews – seven in Britain and five in France - as well as observations in both SMEs during the visits on-site. Findings; The evaluation of Lean practices in both companies revealed significant similarities concerning the principal Lean practices implemented and a general agreement about the importance of Lean in the current work place. On the other hand, the study indicated differences in terms of cultural issues and internal barriers for a successful Lean adoption. Research Limitations/Implications: The samples between both companies were different in terms of job position distribution. This study provides recommendations beneficial to other organisations adopting Lean. Originality/Value: The novelty of this study stems from the exploration of workers’ points of view in relation to Lean practices, their implementation and their value in the work environment. Although the investigation undertaken in this research is based on only two SMEs with different backgrounds, this study would recommend how SMEs can develop and improve their Lean practices in the working place.
tDNA insulators and the emerging role of TFIIIC in genome organization

Recent findings provide evidence that tDNAs function as chromatin insulators from yeast to humans. TFIIIC, a transcription factor that interacts with the B-box in tDNAs as well as thousands of ETC sites in the genome, is responsible for insulator function. Though tDNAs are capable of enhancer-blocking and barrier activities for which insulators are defined, new insights into the relationship between insulators and chromatin structure suggest that TFIIIC serves a complex role in genome organization. We review the role of tRNA genes and TFIIIC as chromatin insulators, and highlight recent findings that have broadened our understanding of insulators in genome biology.
Abnormally low electron energy and heating-mode transition in a low-pressure argon rf discharge at 13.56 MHz.

The electron energy distribution function measured with improved energy resolution revealed a large number ({approx}90%) of low-energy electrons having an abnormally low electron temperature ({ital T}{approx}0.3 V) resulting in a considerably lower mean electron energy than found in all published probe measurements in argon rf discharges at 13.56 MHz. With increasing gas pressure an abrupt transition to a high-temperature mode was found. The low-temperature mode and the observed transition are attributed to a change from stochastic to collisional electron heating enhanced by the Ramsauer effect.