Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
, Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Breast Cancer: Its Relation with Cancer Type and Estrogen Receptor Status.

We read with great interest the paper by Heer et al., (1) published recently in Clinical Cancer Research. In their paper, the authors show serum VEGF is elevated in patients with breast cancer compared with normal healthy control subjects. However, questions have been raised over the accuracy of using serum VEGF as a marker, with the observation that VEGF is released from platelets during venepuncture (2, 3). Studies have additionally shown that the association of high serum levels of VEGF with poor prognosis in cancer patients may be correlated with an elevated platelet count (4). We have addressed this by comparing VEGF in serum and plasma in a cohort of breast cancer patients and matched controls. Using a cohort matched for size and geographical location we showed that plasma VEGF and not serum VEGF is increased compared with controls in breast cancer patients (5). The observation by Heer et al. (1) that serum VEGF levels were increased in patients with invasive ductal carcinomas but not invasive lobular carcinomas is in keeping with previous observations of a difference in VEGF protein expression between these two biologically distinct tumor types (6). Indeed, the lack of an association between immunohistochemically detected VEGF protein expression and microvessel density in lobular carcinomas suggests the possibility of dissociation between VEGF production and angiogenesis in these tumours. The observation by Heer et al. (1) of a marked increase in serum VEGF with ductal carcinoma in situ is of great interest given recent suggestions that angiogenesis is important in the transition from preinvasive to invasive disease and the potential for therapeutic intervention with antiangiogenic agents (7). Given the possibility that invasive diagnostic procedures may result in platelet activation and elevate serum rather than plasma VEGF, it would be interesting to know whether there was any possibility that preoperative hookwire insertion could have influenced the serum levels. The authors showed a correlation between VEGF and ER (? ) positivity but dismiss the possibility of a steroid promoter(s) in the VEGF response element. We would like to point out that the VEGF gene contains consensus estrogen response elements both at the 5 and 3 ends (8). Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence of an inhibitory relationship between ER expression and production of angiogenic factors, with the observation of down regulation of VEGF in breast cancer xenografts engineered to overexpress ER (9). VEGF is arguably the single most important angiogenic factor identified to date. Until the factors influencing its expression are better understood, determination of blood levels will be of limited diagnostic or prognostic use in the clinic. Claire E. Murphy Mark R. J. Lansdown Valerie Speirs Pauline J. Carder Leeds Breast Cancer Research Group The Breast Unit St. James’s University Hospital Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom
Relative importance of various regeneration recruits in different recovery stages of Quercus variabilis forest after selective logging

Aim of study: Quercus variabilis (Chinese cork oak) reproduces asexually and sexually. This study aimed to determine the status and growth of asexual and sexual recruits of Q. variabilis in different forest recovery stages. Area of study: Three selective logged stands and one unlogged stand in Q. variabilis forest, Shaanxi Province, China. Material and methods: Origin, number, basal diameter, height and size structure of Q. variabilis shoots (height ≤ 200 cm) were investigated in the plots of 5, 10, and 20-years post-logging stands and unlogged stand. Effects of recovery stage on the density and growth of the three original recruits (stump sprouts, stem base sprouts and true seedlings) were analysis by One-way ANOVA. Main results: Sprouts dominated logged stands, whereas true seedlings dominated unlogged stand, stem base sprouts only existed in 20-years post-logging and unlogged stands. Stump sprout density and sprout number per stump both declined with extended post-logging time. True seedlings density increased from 7 to 20 shoots/100 m 2 as the post-logging time extended, and peaked in unlogged stand (94 shoots/100 m 2 ). An ongoing size structure was observed in true seedlings in all stands. Stump sprouts were taller and greater than true seedlings. Research highlights: Stump sprouts contributed more to Q. variabilis forest recovery in the early stage after disturbance. The contribution of true seedlings was limited in the same stage, but they were beneficial for population long-term development. Stem base sprouts were most likely to be a survival strategy rather than a reproductive strategy.
Assessment of Heavy Metal Contents in Commercial Feedstuffs and Broiler (Gallus domesticus) Meat and Its Impact on Swiss Albino Mice as an Animal Model

This study was designed to examine the effect of commercially available poultry feedstuff on the broiler, subsequently, its impact on the experimental animal. The proximate composition as well as concentrations of Pb, Ni, Mn, As and Zn in broiler feed and meat were determined using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. Higher levels of Cr, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni were observed in broiler feed, broiler meat and in the liver of the experimental mice Swiss albino treated with BB1 and BB2. The concentration of these (Cr, Pb and As) metal were 0.182, 0.18, 0.163 µg/g and 0.233, 0.08, 0.158 µg/g, respectively. The blood cholesterol and LDL were significantly higher in the broiler meat treated experimental mice. Remarkable degeneration observed in the liver and kidney of broiler meat-treated mice. It is concluded that although broiler has nutritional benefits the quality of this meat may be compromised as a consequence of contamination through various anthropogenic activities and the presence of toxic metals in commercial poultry feed.
The Relationship between Mentoring Functions Received and Psychological Empowerment: The Role of Trust and Political Skill ¤

There are studies focusing on mentoring functions received and its motivational outcomes, but most of these studies fail to show how and when mentoring relates to these outcomes. In order to fulfill this gap, we investigated the mediating effect of trust in mentor and the moderating role of political skill of the mentor on the relationship between mentoring functions received and psychological empowerment. We collected data from 164 employees who work in public and private organizations in Kazakhstan, and conducted a moderated mediation analysis. Based on the findings, protégés feel psychologically empowered as mentoring functions received instilled trust in mentor. However, it was also revealed that the relationship between mentoring functions received and psychological empowerment was stronger only when the mentor was perceived to have high political skill. Based on these findings, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
University of Birmingham Unpacking the effect of strategic ambidexterity on performance

This study tests whether strategic ambidexterity improves Product-service innovation (PSI) outcomes for manufacturing multinational enterprises (MMNEs). It also tests successful pathways to develop PSI properly by organizing exploitation and exploration activities. Data from a survey of 338 MMNEs are analysed through Structural Equations Modelling. The sample contains firms from five world regions, including emerging economies. This approach enables contrast to determine cross-country heterogeneity in PSI outcomes. The results show that, to maximise firm performance, PSI must be developed through a sequential Exploitation-Exploration pathway. Although this optimal sequence is consistent across all world regions (except Japan), noticeable contextual differences emerge in the relative importance of exploration and exploitation to firm performance. Our findings show that exploitation (i.e., cost efficiency through PSI design) and exploration (i.e., PSI R&D) capabilities are equally important in emerging economies.
Canine cavitary effusion: a retrospective study of 304 cases in Brazil

 The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of different categories of specific and general classification in canine cavitary effusions (CE), as well as their association with the underlying etiologies. The laboratorial and clinical data from 304 cases of canine CE were retrospectively assessed. In 32.9% (100 cases), at least one of the specific classification categories was established, with a subtotal predominance of neoplasia (42%), bacterial serositis (24%) and hemorrhage (16%). Neoplasia was confirmed by effusion cytology in 57.5% of the cases with histopathological confirmation. From the cases in which the specific classification was not obtained, 35.8% were classified as modified transudate, 30.4% as pure transudate, 21.1% % as exudate and 12.7% was not included in any general category. The most common causes of effusion among these cases were hypoproteinemia and/or hipoalbuminemia (HPHA) (25.8%), hepatopathy (22.5%), cardiac insufficiency (15.5%) and cytologically undetected cases of neoplasia (12.4%). In conclusion, HPHA, hepatopathy and neoplasia represents important etiologies for canine CE development. Classification of effusions, solely based on [TP] and TNCC, might be an inaccurate diagnostic tool of effusions. New laboratorial classification methods for canine CE should be
Improvement of the accuracy of references in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia </Emphasis>

A previous study indicated that there were many citation errors in the Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia After this report, editors o f the Journal requested any contributors, whose papers were accepted for publication, to verify the accuracy o f reference citation by including a photocopy o f the first page o f each reference. The present study examined i f the accuracy o f the reference list had improved. We compared citation errors between volumes o f 1990 and 1994. One hundred references from each year's publication were randomly selected. After citations o f nonjournal articles were excluded, the remaining 190 citations were carefully scrutinized. Authors' names, article title, journal title, volume number, page numbers, and year were examined in each selected reference. A reference was deemed correct i f each element o f the citation was identical to its source. Of the examined references, 48% and 22% contained one or more errors in 1990 and 1994, respectively. Errors in the title and author field o f citation were most common in the either o f the two years, occurring in about 700/o o f the references which contained some errors. Citation errors in Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia were considerably improved after the request to verify citation accuracy. Although this check-system probably contributes to the improvement o f accuracy o f reference citation, the rate o f citation errors remains high. We believe that contributors'efforts will enhance the value o f the journal.
EFFICIENCY OPTIMISED CONTROL OF INTERIOR MOUNTED PERMANENT MAGNET MACHINES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRACTION

Electric vehicles (EV) are playing a momentous role to the wide society as they facilitate the use of clean energy technologies. Interior mounted permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous machines are commonly employed in EVs owing to their superior characteristics such as high efficiency and power density and a wide field weakening operating range. High efficiency motor operation extends EVs drive range with the same amount of energy. Advanced control techniques to achieve high efficiency operation and smooth output torque production are, therefore, highly important areas to be researched. This thesis deals with the state-of-art motor drives and further develops advanced control strategies for minimum loss operation with good torque control quality. Modern AC drives can be classified in two groups, viz., field oriented control (FOC) and direct torque control (DTC). Whilst the former controls the phase currents for torque realization, the latter controls the torque directly. This thesis researches both and the novel advanced techniques are underpinned by extensive simulations and supported by experimental validations on a prototype motor designed for a specific class of EVs. The biggest challenge associated with the FOC drives is to improve the efficiency due to highly nonlinear characteristics of IPM machines. It has been discovered that even if the machine parameters are accurately modelled and stored in controllers to achieve optimal efficiency operation in a great number of FOC based IPM drives, there is still much deviation from the ideal operating points. A novel approach for online efficiency optimisation is proposed and comprehensively analysed in this thesis. The challenges pertinent to the DTC based IPM drives are to improve the observer quality and to reduce the strong coupling and the nonlinearity in the control loops. Novel observer structures, and the decoupled and linearized control techniques are among the novel contributions for DTC drives in this thesis. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between stator flux vector and the torque has not been performed in the literature. The detailed analysis is made in this thesis and the maximum torque per voltage (MTPV) control theory for DTC drives is introduced. It is noteworthy that this thesis is based on comparative studies between the state-of-art and the proposed techniques throughout, and hence offers an insightful understanding for modern IPM drives.
Helium isotope ratio and Hokkaido Island, heat discharge rate in the Northeast Japan

We have collected 21 gas samples of various kinds such as volcanic gas, hot spring gas and CH4-rich natural gas in the Hokkaido Island. Helium and neon in the samples were purified in a vacuum line and the 3He/4He and 4He/20Ne ratios were measured by a mass spectrometer. Observed 3He/4He and 4He/20Ne ratios vary significantly from 0.242 x 10-6 to 9.58 x 10-6 and from 0.53 to 96, respectively. There is no correlation between the 3He/4He and 4He/20Ne ratios. Taking into account present data as well as published ones, geographical distribution of 3He/4He ratios indicates a clear contrast, high in the volcanic arc and low in the forearc region. The distribution pattern agrees well with the data of North east Japan (Sano and Wakita, 1985) and those of the North Island of New Zealand (Sano et al., 1987). Higher 3He/4He ratios than air in the volcanic arc region can be well explained by the presence of an uprising magma. Lower 3He/4He ratio in the forearc region is attributed to the radiogenic helium ac cumulated in crustal rocks. A positive correlation is found between the common logarithms of 3He/4He ratio and heat discharge rate of hot springs in the area. The tendency can be explained by a combination of magma aging and the dilution of magmatic fluids by local groundwater.
A Fast Method for Agent-Based Model Fitting of Aggregate-Level Diffusion Data

This paper provides theoretical arguments and simulation evidence regarding how a differential equation-based diffusion model (DE) can be used to improve the efficiency of an agent-based model (ABM) fitting market-level diffusion data. Using computational experiments, we observe that the DE fits ABM diffusion processes very well and that the linear correlativity between the ABM parameters and their corresponding DE estimates is very well in a wide range of settings. However, as significantly systematic biased forecasts of the DE for ABM diffusion processes exist, the ABM cannot be replaced by the DE to forecast real-world diffusion. Based on these findings, we design a fast parameter estimation method for the ABM by integrating the DE into a component to locate an initial point near the optimal solution.The empirical study demonstrates that the proposed procedure can search out the optimal solution by evaluating only a small number of points. Furthermore, the empirical study also demonstrates that certain ABMs and the simple averaging method have better explanatory and forecasting performance than the DE. This method prepares the ABM to forecast innovation diffusion and also makes a contribution to the literature on the validation of ABM.
The potential antifeedant activity of lichen-forming fungal extracts against invasive slug species Arion vulgaris

: The protection of horticultural crops from slug feeding can be achieved using slug pellets; however, application of molluscicides is not always safe to the environment. There is a need for alternative methods to reduce the palatability of crop plants. Chemical properties of secondary compounds from lichens influence the feeding behaviour of slugs. Liquid extracts of three lichen species, Cladonia rangiferina (L.) F.H. Wigg. , Cladonia stellaris (Opiz) Pouzar & Vězda and Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf, were applied to three different crops and tested for their antifeedant properties against an important agricultural pest, the Spanish slug Arion vulgaris (Moquin-Tandon, 1855). All three extracts had specific activity, showing a decrease in grazing intensity and also slug weight loss after feeding on treated food. Slugs significantly gained weight after feeding under control condition; however, they did not gain weight when fed on extract-treated food. The most effective extract was from P. furfuracea . We propose to use properties of lichen extracts to develop new environmentally friendly molluscicides.
N otes oN taxoNomy aNd distributioN of M yrsidea serini (s éguy , 1944) (P hthiraPtera : a mblycera : m eNoPoNidae ) oN s outherN s outh a mericaN PasseriNe birds (a ves : P asseriformes )

Myrsidea serini (Séguy, 1944) is recorded from three different passerine hosts from Argentina and Chile: Carduelis barbata (Molina, 1782) (Fringillidae), Chrysomus thilius petersi (Laubmann, 1934) and Agelaioides badius badius (Vieillot, 1819) (Icteridae). Somatic features and body measurements from available specimens belonging to these host-populations are compared with those recorded from Old World hosts, finding only some slight differences in certain body measurements (here interpreted as correlated to differences in host sizes), but none in chaetotaxy. This species was synoxenic with Myrsidea psittaci Carriker, 1955 on C. t. petersi in at least two localities in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Comparative studies of external chorionic architecture of the eggs, preferential sites of oviposition, prevalence has been carried out for both species, along with some remarks concerning the still problematic species, Myrsidea argentina (Kellogg, 1906), originally recorded off Carduelis magellanica (Vieillot, 1805).
Opportunities for improvement in five groups of SMEs by a new lean assessment tool

The object of this research was to evaluate the implementation of lean manufacturing for Small and Medium Enterprises of five industries in Northeast Thailand. The five industries were Machinery Industry, Food industry, Rubber Industry, Packaging industry and Garment Industry. The instruments used were applying the lean assessment tool. There were five steps. The first was a lean assessment providing a baseline of 14 items for lean perspective. The 14 items were Kanban system, Visual management, Supplier responsibility, 5s, Operation base layout, Line balancing, Quick changeover, Multi-skill, Standard operation procedure, Poka-yoke, Total preventive maintenance, Policy deployment, Awareness of 7 waste, and Kaizen. The second step was the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for process evaluation by Approach Deployment Learning and Integration (ADLI). The ADLI included performance evaluation items classified 0 - 4 for in depth evaluation reflecting level of operations. The last steps were selecting a case study, visiting the SME plants, and data analysis. The findings of the lean assessment process were amazingly at a high level of leanness in the garment industry in all cases. The rubber industry was the lowest.
A new decade for social changes

Many organizations around the world are pursuing space exploration with hopes of going further and further away from Earth. Spaceflight itself has significant implications on humans, meaning that it is important to understand the magnitude of effects that astronauts would feel during these missions. Some pressing concerns are the increased isolation due to social interactions as well as situational factors, which would lead to a decline in mental and physical health. Additionally, the possibility of substance abuse due to stress and access to medications can lead to significant reductions in mental health. To deal with these issues, virtual reality has presented itself as a unique solution that would help provide better overall mental health. The technology is frequently used in various clinical settings to deal with anxiety and depression, through techniques such as exposure therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. Exposure therapy for anxiety with virtual reality targets anxiety-causing stimulus and works towards changing the patient’s response, in a controlled setting. Cognitive behavioural therapy immerses the patient into a simulated world to provide them with experiences that mitigate the depression they are feeling. On the mission, exposure therapy would potentially be available to deal with stimulants of anxiety, while cognitive behavioural therapy would provide a happiness break. With further research in the field, virtual reality thus presents itself as a feasible opportunity to plan longer duration human space missions. This review compiles and investigates sources from literary research done in the respective fields.
Oncogenic Activation of NF- k B

Recent genetic evidence has established a pathogenetic role for NF- k B signaling in cancer. NF- k B signaling is engaged transiently when normal B lymphocytes respond to antigens, but lymphomas derived from these cells accumulate genetic lesions that constitutively activate NF- k B signaling. Many genetic aberrations in lymphomas alter CARD11, MALT1, or BCL10, which constitute a signaling complex that is intermediate between the B-cell receptor and I k B kinase. The activated B-cell-like subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma activatesNF- k Bbyavarietyof mechanismsincludingoncogenicmutationsin CARD11anda chronic active form of B-cell receptor signaling. Normal plasma cells activate NF- k B in response to ligands in the bone marrow microenvironment, but their malignant counterpart, multiple myeloma, sustains a variety of genetic hits that stabilize the kinase NIK, leading to constitutive activation of the classical and alternative NF- k B pathways. Various oncogenic abnormalities in epithelial cancers, including mutant K-ras, engage unconventional I k B kinases to activate NF- k B. Inhibition of constitutive NF- k B signaling in each of these cancer types induces apoptosis, providing a rationale for the development of NF- k B pathway inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. signaling is key to the pathogenesis of ABC DLBCL. CD79B and CD79A ITAM mutations in the mouse cause hyperactive BCR signaling, suggesting that CD79 ITAM mutations in ABC DLBCL may amplify antigen-stimulated BCR signaling. CD79 ITAM mutations increase surface BCR expression and decrease activation of LYN kinase, a negative regulator of BCR signaling, potentially resulting in increased signaling to NF- k B and greater clonal expansion. A separate step leading to chronic active BCR signaling in ABC DLBCL is the acquisition of spontaneous BCR clustering, which is not caused by the ITAM mutations. The BCR clustering phenotype could theoretically be acquired either before or after the CD79 mutations. Finally, ABC DLBCLs must acquire additional oncogenic hits to become fully malignant.