Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMP2/IGF2BP2 expression, but not IMP1 and IMP3, predicts poor outcome in patients and high tumor growth rate in xenograft models of gallbladder cancer

Overexpression of the oncofetal insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IMP2/IGF2BP2) has been described in different cancer types. Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a rare but highly aggressive cancer entity with late clinical detection and poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IMP2 in human GBC. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) of an international multi-center GBC sample collection from n = 483 patients were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. IMP2 immunoreactivity was found in 74.3% of the tumor samples on TMA, of which 14.0% showed strong and 86.0% low staining intensity. 72.4% of the tumor samples were IMP1 positive, but IMP1 showed lower expression in tumor tissue compared to control tissues. IMP3 immunoreactivity was observed in 92.7% of all tumors, of which 53.6% revealed strong IMP3 expression. Kaplan-Meier analysis linked high IMP2 expression to shorter survival time (p = 0.033), whereas neither IMP1 nor IMP3 expression was linked to a decreased survival time. Eight different human biliary tract cancer (BTC) cell lines were evaluated for tumor growth kinetics in mouse xenografts. Cell lines with high IMP2 expression levels showed the fastest increase in tumor volumes in murine xenografts. Furthermore, IMP2 expression in these cells correlated with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and RAC1 expression in BTC cells, suggesting RAC1-induced ROS generation as a potential mechanism of IMP2-promoted progression of GBC. In conclusion, IMP2 is frequently overexpressed in GBC and significantly associated with poor prognosis and growth rates in vivo. IMP2 might therefore represent a new target for the treatment of advanced GBC.
Empirical Econometric Modelling of Food Consumption Using a New Informational Complexity Approach

This paper is concerned with empirical econometric modeling of food consumption in the USA and the Netherlands. Using autoregressive distributed lag models (ADLs) selected via the Informational Complexity (ICOMP) criterion, we study the relationship between food consumption and income. Whether food consumption obeys the homogeneity postulate is tested using information criteria. Using information-theoretic techniques, we identify the optimal information set and lag order for a Vector Autoregressive (VAR) forecast of food consumption in the Netherlands we demonstrate how multisample cluster analysis, a combinatorial grouping of samples or data matrices, can be used to determine when the pooling of data sets is appropriate, and how ICOMP can be used in conjunction with the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to determine the optimal predictors in the celebrated seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model framework.
Local Government Policy Diffusion in a Decentralised System: Childbirth Support Policy in South Korea

Abstract South Korean local governments have recently adopted pronatalist policies to cope with the pressing problem of low and declining fertility, despite this central coordination by the national government has been limited in this policy domain. This study attempts to explain the process by which childbirth support policies have spread among localities over time by addressing two questions: whether interjurisdictional and internal factors of policy diffusion have been at work; and how vertical and horizontal diffusion mechanisms have interactively affected local policy adoptions in the developing country. Empirical findings show that horizontal and vertical mechanisms of diffusion considerably outperform intrajurisdictional factors in spreading childbirth support policies among localities. Furthermore, the vertical influence from the central government has a positive conditional effect that stimulates horizontal interactions among local governments for policy formulation. These findings thus suggest that horizontal interactions among localities can provide an important route for the nationalisation of a domestic social policy in the nascent decentralised system.
An in vivo study to determine the range of posterior teeth disclusion on working side in canine-guided occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study was done with the objectives to determine the range of functional zone between the intercuspal positions and edge to edge position, the range of incomplete and complete disclusion of posterior teeth in canine-guided occlusion, and to have a gender comparison and comparison between right and left sides of the obtained values. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-five subjects showing canine-guided occlusion and Angle's class I canine and molar relation were chosen for the study. Maxillary midline and a corresponding line on the mandible were marked in maximum intercuspation with marker pen in the patient's mouth. Lines from 1 to 5 mm were marked on maxillary central incisor with marker pen. A dental floss was looped around the distal surface of mandibular last molar and the subject was asked to make left lateral movement (working side) at 1-mm intervals. The point at which floss was freed posteriorly was considered as initial disclusion and the point at which edges of maxillary and mandibular canines contacted was considered as complete disclusion. RESULTS Most of the male and female subjects in the study showed progressive disclusion on right side and delayed disclusion on left side. The range of complete disclusion was 3-4 mm in males and 2-3 mm in females irrespective of the side. The range of functional zone was 1-4 mm irrespective of side or gender. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION There is a need to redefine canine guidance in terms of immediate disclusion, delayed disclusion, and progressive disclusion.
Improving vascular grafts: the importance of mechanical and haemodynamic properties

In the last 40 years, as techniques and materials have improved, the success rate of vascular prostheses with a diameter greater than 6mm has risen steadily, 5‐year survival rates exceeding 95% in most centres. With smaller grafts no comparable improvement has occurred, the majority failing within 5 years, usually as a result of intimal hyperplasia and, ultimately atherosclerosis, in and around the downstream anastomosis. Clinical evidence suggests that the patency rates of small grafts are improved by matching the elastic properties of the graft to that of the artery into which it is placed. Although there is little reliable evidence that ‘elastic mismatch’ per se is the cause of intimal hyperplasia, it is generally accepted that mechanical factors are important in its genesis. These include disturbed flow at the anastomosis leading to fluctuations in shear stress at the endothelium (a known cause of intimal hyperplasia in normal arteries), injury due to suturing and stress concentration at the anastomosis. Few suitable materials or techniques have yet been developed to improve the long‐term survival rates of small grafts. Recent advances in tissue engineering in which prostheses are manufactured by culturing vascular smooth muscle cells on a tubular scaffold of biodegradable polymer may ultimately make it possible to manufacture biologically and haemodynamically compatible grafts with diameters as small as 1mm. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Semi-automatic 3D construction of liver using single view CT images

Liver is the largest and most important organ within the human body. It is important to detect if any abnormality lies in the liver and aid surgeons in their planning before performing the surgery. In our work, we segment the liver from CT images using the distance regularized edge based level set method and demonstrate the application of the developed algorithm in performing 3D construction of liver using only the axial slices from the abdominal CT scan. The 3D construction of liver is achieved by stacking the evolved contours of individual slices over one another. The initialization is done by evolving the initial input contour to the liver boundaries. The above resulting contour then behaves as the initial contour for the adjacent slices, thereby making this process a semi-automatic one. By controlling certain parameters such as the number of iterations, standard deviation and window size of the Gaussian blurring kernel an optimal segmentation result can be generated and no interfacing with third party toolkit is required.
Improving Hurricane Power Outage Prediction Models Through the Inclusion of Local Environmental Factors

Tropical cyclones can significantly damage the electrical power system, so an accurate spatiotemporal forecast of outages prior to landfall can help utilities to optimize the power restoration process. The purpose of this article is to enhance the predictive accuracy of the Spatially Generalized Hurricane Outage Prediction Model (SGHOPM) developed by Guikema et al. (2014). In this version of the SGHOPM, we introduce a new two‐step prediction procedure and increase the number of predictor variables. The first model step predicts whether or not outages will occur in each location and the second step predicts the number of outages. The SGHOPM environmental variables of Guikema et al. (2014) were limited to the wind characteristics (speed and duration of strong winds) of the tropical cyclones. This version of the model adds elevation, land cover, soil, precipitation, and vegetation characteristics in each location. Our results demonstrate that the use of a new two‐step outage prediction model and the inclusion of these additional environmental variables increase the overall accuracy of the SGHOPM by approximately 17%.
Data mining in electronics packaging

In this paper the most common methods of data mining have been investigated and their application in electronics will be reflected. The current developments are systematized by the type of the used techniques. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review of data mining in electronics has been accomplished. The paper describes the usage of data mining in defect cause analysis, effects of process parameter for quality, deployment of equipment and maintenance. Examples of data mining applications in the literature have been summarized. A comprehensive experimental setup was the basis for the investigation on the effects on void generation. Statistical analysis and data mining techniques were used to identify the main causes for voids. The data file encompasses materials, suppliers, process parameters and inspection results. For a detailed analysis the x-ray inspection data of voids has been clustered into groups according to the dedicated package type. Finally, a neural network approach is applied to the experimental data and the model results are discussed.
Neural Mechanisms for the Benefits of Stimulus‐Driven Attention

Abstract Stimulus‐driven attention can improve working memory (WM) when drawn to behaviorally relevant information, but the neural mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test competing hypotheses regarding the nature of the benefits of stimulus‐driven attention to WM: that stimulus‐driven attention benefits WM directly via salience detection, that stimulus‐driven attention benefits WM incidentally via cognitive control mechanisms recruited to reduce interference from salient features, or that both mechanisms are co‐involved in enhancing WM for salient information. To test these hypotheses, we observed activation in brain regions associated with cognitive control and salience detection. We found 2 cognitive control regions that were associated with enhanced memory for salient stimuli: a region in the right superior parietal lobule and a region in the right inferior frontal junction. No regions associated with salience detection were found to show this effect. These fMRI results support the hypothesis that benefits to WM from stimulus‐driven attention occur primarily as a result of cognitive control and top‐down factors rather than pure bottom‐up aspects of stimulus‐driven attention.
Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Activity and Antioxidant Properties of Nepeta crassifolia Boiss & Buhse and Nepeta binaludensis Jamzad

This article reports phytochemical and biological studies on Nepeta binaludensis and Nepeta crassifolia. Both species were investigated for their angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and antioxidant properties through three in vitro models [2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay]. Aerial parts were extracted with methanol and partitioned between water and subsequently n‐hexane, ethyl acetate and n‐butanol. N. binaludensis methanol extract exerted significantly higher reducing power (1.9 μM Fe(II)/g) than did the positive control butylhydroxytoluene (63.2 μM Fe(II)/g) in FRAP assay. The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity was found for N. crassifolia, with IC50 values of 9.6 and 12.1 µg/mL for ethyl acetate and n‐butanol fractions, respectively. n‐Butanol fraction of both species showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of 59.3 and 81.7 µg/mL for N. binaludensis and N. crassifolia, respectively. Phytochemical investigations resulted in the isolation of ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, apigenin, luteolin and ixoroside. Apigenin‐7‐O‐glucoside, 8‐hydroxycirsimaritin and cirsimaritin were furthermore identified in N. crassifolia ethyl acetate‐soluble fraction. Nepetanudoside B was isolated from the n‐butanol fraction of N. binaludensis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Ethiopian-Eritrea war

The Ethiopia-Eritrea war of 1998–2000 stands apart from other contemporary conflicts in Africa in a number of critical ways. First, the multiplicity of its proximate and distant historical causes, coupled with its diverse forms of manifestation, renders fitting it into neat conventional categories a very challenging undertaking. Analysing and adopting policies and measures demands a prior ability to fit conflicts into known categories. Conflicts are commonly believed to fit into either the (1) inter-state (inter-national) or (2) the intra-state (domestic) categories. The latter is further divided into (a) inter-communal or inter-ethnic and (b) intra-communal or intra-ethnic. The main argument of this paper is that the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict defies attempts to fit it neatly into just one of these types.
Subthalamotomy in cervical dystonia: A case study of lesion location and clinical outcome

Here we report a 63‐year‐old woman with primary cervical dystonia (CD) whose symptoms subsided for more than 30 years following a unilateral stereotactic subthalamotomy contralateral to the overactive left sternocleidomastoid muscle but then gradually recurred over a period of several months. The aim of the present study was to correlate the topography of the stereotactic lesion with the long lasting therapeutic effect. High‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging and subsequent stereotactic analysis were performed to determine the anatomical localization of the lesion. The primary coagulation focus comprised the posterior subthalamic white matter in the prelemniscal radiation and field H of Forel. Neighboring structures were implicated to various extents. It is suggested that the posterior subthalamic area, with its abundance of interconnecting fibers and related nuclei, represents an effective target for the neurosurgical treatment of CD that may be explored further with deep brain stimulation. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
The Effect of the Trading System on IPO Underpricing: Evidence from the 1997 Order-Handling Rules

This study uses a natural experiment resulting from the 1997 Securities and Exchange Commission rule mandating a change in the order handling rules (OHR) for all NASDAQ stocks to test whether secondary market structure affects IPO underpricing. We find that the increase in liquidity that the OHR represent led to a decrease in underpricing for cold IPOs suggesting that the expected cost of underwriter price support is a factor in the level of IPO underpricing for cold IPOs, at least on markets where the lead underwriter and principal secondary market maker are usually the same entity.
High power factor control using load resonant frequency auto tracking phase shift inverter

This paper proposes a new method for frequency control and for output power control using a load resonant frequency auto tracking phase shift inverter. The proposed method employs a phase shift inverter with a single output current sensor. The fundamental waveform signal of the output voltage of a phase shift inverter is generated by using the proposed method because the conventional method produces an output voltage that has a pulse waveform. The proposed control strategy to utilize load resonant frequency easily achieves unity power factor control with high efficiency. In the proposed method, the fundamental waveform signal of the inverter output voltage coincides with the detected inverter output current wave form. Moreover, as the inverter output power is regulated by controlling the phase angle of each inverter leg using the proposed method, soft-switching control can be realized. The experimental results presented in this paper confirm the validity of the proposed methods.
Matrix Screen Identifies Synergistic Combination of PARP Inhibitors and Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) Inhibitors in Ewing Sarcoma

Purpose: Although many cancers are showing remarkable responses to targeted therapies, pediatric sarcomas, including Ewing sarcoma, remain recalcitrant. To broaden the therapeutic landscape, we explored the in vitro response of Ewing sarcoma cell lines against a large collection of investigational and approved drugs to identify candidate combinations. Experimental Design: Drugs displaying activity as single agents were evaluated in combinatorial (matrix) format to identify highly active, synergistic drug combinations, and combinations were subsequently validated in multiple cell lines using various agents from each class. Comprehensive metabolomic and proteomic profiling was performed to better understand the mechanism underlying the synergy. Xenograft experiments were performed to determine efficacy and in vivo mechanism. Results: Several promising candidates emerged, including the combination of small-molecule PARP and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) inhibitors, a rational combination as NAMPTis block the rate-limiting enzyme in the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a necessary substrate of PARP. Mechanistic drivers of the synergistic cell killing phenotype of these combined drugs included depletion of NMN and NAD+, diminished PAR activity, increased DNA damage, and apoptosis. Combination PARPis and NAMPTis in vivo resulted in tumor regression, delayed disease progression, and increased survival. Conclusions: These studies highlight the potential of these drugs as a possible therapeutic option in treating patients with Ewing sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7301–11. ©2017 AACR.
Adaptation of the acetogen Clostridium thermoautotrophicum to minimal medium

Clostridium thermoautotrophicum was adapted to minimal medium and cultivated at the expense of glucose, methanol, or H2-CO2. No supplemental amino acids were required for growth of the adapted strain, and nicotinic acid was the sole essential vitamin. Neither N2 nor nitrate could replace ammonium as the nitrogen source, and biotin was preferentially stimulatory for glucose cell lines. Growth in minimal medium yielded substantially higher acetate concentrations per unit of biomass formed than did growth in undefined medium.
Effects of Ava II and Hinc II polymorphisms at the LDL receptor gene on serum lipid levels of Brazilian individuals with high risk for coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) has presented high prevalence in the Brazilian population. Nevertheless, studies of genetic risk factors for CHD in our country are insufficiently carried out. We have investigated the effects of Ava II (exon 13) and Hinc II (exon 12) polymorphisms at the low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene on circulating lipids of 170 white unrelated individuals presenting a lipid profile with high risk for CHD (HRG) and 130 controls (CG) from São Paulo City, Brazil. Ava II and Hinc II polymorphic regions at the LDLR gene were amplified by PCR and analyzed by enzymatic isotyping. The frequency of the genotypes A+A+ (Ava II) and H+H+ (Hinc II) was greater in HRG group compared to that of the controls (32 vs. 16% and 32 vs. 18%, respectively). Moreover, in the HRG group, A+A+ and H+H+ genotypes were associated with high concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL‐C in serum (P = 0.0001). Our results indicate that Ava II and Hinc II polymorphisms at the LDLR locus contribute to the variability of total cholesterol and LDL‐C levels in HRG individuals. These data suggest that the LDLR polymorphism remains a useful genetic marker for predicting CHD risk. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 13:251–258, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
IT outsourcing in the public sector: A conceptual model

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to propose a theoretical model explaining information technology outsourcing performance in the public sector as well as a set of empirically testable propositions to improve the understanding of key determinants of success. Design/methodology/approach – Based on Fountain ' s technology enactment framework, the authors integrated inter-organizational factors, such as trust, knowledge sharing, and quality of outsourcing interfaces, in the model and added organizational culture alignment between service providers and public administration to enhance Fountain ' s original framework. Findings – The authors proposed 17 empirically testable propositions to establish the relationships between key variables in IT outsourcing projects in the public sector. Research limitations/implications – The proposed model provides guidance for future research aimed at advancing knowledge of IT outsourcing. Originality/value – The contribution lies in the development of specific variabl.
Feedback on individual academic presentations: exploring Finnish university students’ experiences and preferences

With an increasing emphasis on measuring the outcomes of learning in higher education, assessment is gaining an ever more prominent role in curriculum design and development as well as in instructional practices. In formative assessment, feedback is regarded as a powerful pedagogical tool driving student engagement and deep learning. The efficacy of feedback, however, depends on a multitude of factors. From a learning cultures perspective (James 2014), assessment strives for an appropriate balance between structural constraints and individual agency. To have a better grasp of how feedback functions in practice, it is useful to investigate students’ views and preferences as well as the immediate and wider contexts shaping these constructs. The small-scale research reported in this article explores Finnish university students’ prior experiences and initial preconceptions regarding feedback on individual academic presentations with a view to enhancing feedback practices.
Cultural Suppression of Female Sexuality

Four theories about cultural suppression of female sexuality are evaluated. Data are reviewed on cross-cultural differences in power and sex ratios, reactions to the sexual revolution, direct restraining influences on adolescent and adult female sexuality, double standard patterns of sexual morality, female genital surgery, legal and religious restrictions on sex, prostitution and pornography, and sexual deception. The view that men suppress female sexuality received hardly any support and is flatly contradicted by some findings. Instead, the evidence favors the view that women have worked to stifle each other's sexuality because sex is a limited resource that women use to negotiate with men, and scarcity gives women an advantage.