Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunohistochemical analysis of NY‐ESO‐1 antigen expression in normal and malignant human tissues

NY‐ESO‐1, a member of the CT (cancer/testis) family of antigens, is expressed in normal testis and in a range of human tumor types. Knowledge of NY‐ESO‐1 expression has depended on RT‐PCR detection of mRNA and there is a need for detecting NY‐ESO‐1 at the protein level. In the present study, a method for the immunochemical detection of NY‐ESO‐1 in paraffin‐embedded tissues has been developed and used to define the expression pattern of NY‐ESO‐1 in normal tissues and in a panel of human tumors. No normal tissue other than testis showed NY‐ESO‐1 reactivity, and expression in testis was restricted to germ cells particularly spermatogonia. In human tumors, the frequency of NY‐ESO‐1 antigen expression corresponds with past analysis of NY‐ESO‐1 mRNA expression e.g., 20–30% of lung cancers, bladder cancers and melanoma, and no expression in colon and renal cancer. Co‐typing of NY‐ESO‐1 antigen and mRNA expression in a large panel of lung cancers showed a good correlation. There is great variability in NY‐ESO‐1 expression in individual tumors, ranging from an infrequent homogeneous pattern of staining to highly heterogeneous antigen expression. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polypyrrole as an adsorbent for solid-phase extraction of warfarin from human plasma and urine.

The aim of this work was to develop a method for the clean-up and preconcentration of warfarin from biological sample employing a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a selective adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE). This MIP was synthesized using warfarin as a template, pyrrole as a functional monomer and vinyl triethoxysilane as a cross-linker. The molar ratio of 1:4:20 (template-functional monomer-cross-linker) showed the best results. Nonimprinted polymers (NIPs) were prepared and treated with the same method, but in the absence of warfarin. The prepared polymer was characterized by Fourier transmission infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. An adsorption process (SPE) for the removal of warfarin using the fabricated MIPs and NIPs was evaluated under various conditions. Effective parameters on warfarin extraction, for example, type and volume of elution solvent, pH of sample solution, breakthrough volume and maximum loading capacity, were studied. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.0035-0.0050 µg mL(-1). Linearity of the method was determined in the range of 0.0165-10.0000 µg mL(-1) for plasma and 0.0115-10.0000 µg mL(-1) for urine with coefficients of determination (R(2)) ranging from 0.9975 to 0.9985. The recoveries for plasma and urine samples were >95%.
Sensitivity Analysis on Linear Programming Problems with Trapezoidal Fuzzy Variables

In the real word, there are many problems which have linear programming models and sometimes it is necessary to formulate these models with parameters of uncertainty. Many numbers from these problems are linear programming problems with fuzzy variables. Some authors considered these problems and have developed various methods for solving these problems. Recently, Mahdavi-Amiri and Nasseri (2007) considered linear programming problems with trapezoidal fuzzy data and/or variables and stated a fuzzy simplex algorithm to solve these problems. Moreover, they developed the duality results in fuzzy environment and presented a dual simplex algorithm for solving linear programming problems with trapezoidal fuzzy variables. Here, the authors show that this presented dual simplex algorithm directly using the primal simplex tableau algorithm tenders the capability for sensitivity (or post optimality) analysis using primal simplex tableaus.
Phase-Inductance-Based Position Estimation Method for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

This paper presents a phase-inductance-based position estimation method for interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs). According to the characteristics of phase induction of IPMSMs, the corresponding relationship of the rotor position and the phase inductance is obtained. In order to eliminate the effect of the zero-sequence component of phase inductance and reduce the rotor position estimation error, the phase inductance difference is employed. With the iterative computation of inductance vectors, the position plane is further subdivided, and the rotor position is extracted by comparing the amplitudes of inductance vectors. To decrease the consumption of computer resources and increase the practicability, a simplified implementation is also investigated. In this method, the rotor position information is achieved easily, with several basic math operations and logical comparisons of phase inductances, without any coordinate transformation or trigonometric function calculation. Based on this position estimation method, the field orientated control (FOC) strategy is established, and the detailed implementation is also provided. A series of experiment results from a prototype demonstrate the correctness and feasibility of the proposed method.
Vascularised Joint Transfer in the Management of Recurrent Giant Cell Tumour of the Second Metacarpal

This paper presents the medium-term follow-up results (34 and 40 months, respectively) of two cases of recurrent giant cell tumour of the head of the second metacarpal, treated by marginal excision and reconstruction with a vascularised toe joint transfer. Both patients had painless, stable joints with excellent ranges of motion at the metacarpophalangeal joint of 80° and 70°, respectively, no degenerative changes and no recurrence of the tumours.
Culture and assessment of manic symptoms

Summary Cultural background may influence the perception of psychiatric symptoms. We examined the effects of cultural biases on the identification of manic symptoms using the Young Mania Rating Scale. Two video interviews, each with an American person with mania, were shown to psychiatrists from three countries (US, UK and India). Total scores on the scale differed significantly between the US and UK (P < 0.001) and between India and UK (P < 0.001) rater groups. Overall, differences between India and US rater groups were less marked (P=0.28). These differences suggest that cultural biases influence the interpretation of manic symptoms.
Host finding by Uscana lariophaga (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in stored cowpea: the effect of distance, time interval, host patch size and spatial orientation

Abstract Host finding and parasitization by Uscana lariophaga Steffan, a potential biocontrol agent of the storage pest Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius), were investigated in stored cowpea. Host finding was shown to be a function of distance, time, host patch size and the spatial position of U. lariophaga relative to the host patch. Uscana lariophaga females were able to find hosts up to 75 cm horizontal distance from the host patch, which was the largest distance tested. The probability that a host patch was found when an individual U. lariophaga female was released at 2.5 cm horizontal distance from the host patch ranged from 0.6 after 2 h foraging time to 0.9 after 8 h foraging time. At 10 cm from the host patch, host finding probability ranged from 0.2 to 0.45 at these respective foraging times. Finding probabilities doubled compared to horizontal distances when U. lariophaga was released below the host patch, and halved when it was released above the host patch. The negative geotaxic response was shown not to be an artefact of the release method. The median net displacement rate in the direction of the host patch was two beans per hour (1.4 cm h−1). The results suggest that U. lariophaga females start searching for hosts regardless of the quality of the olfactory information they receive. Additional observations indicated that U. lariophaga is adapted to a host with a patchy distribution, which implies that host finding over larger distances is relevant for U. lariophaga.
The independent effects of environmental, social and governance initiatives on the performance of UK firms

We investigate the effect of environmental, social and governance factors on the financial performance of UK firms. We examine the three factors separately to disentangle the relation of each with performance. We find no difference in the performance of firms with high or low environmental, social or governance rankings. The firms also do not differ in their systematic risks, book-to-market ratios or momentum exposures. However, high-rated firms are consistently larger. Our findings demonstrate that UK investors can incorporate environmental, social or governance criteria into their investment strategies without incurring any significant cost (or benefit) in terms of risk or return.
Analysing the Risk and Return Profile of Chinese Residential Property Markets

Abstract This research examines the performance and diversification benefits of five leading Chinese residential property markets. On six years of reliable quarterly data, the low income returns were relatively stable compared to the considerable variations overtime and across markets in capital growth. The marked variations between the performance profiles suggested that speculative Chinese residential property markets appeared to operate independently and are influenced by local factors. Based on an efficient frontier model, residential property risk profiles can be lowered considerably with a well diversified residential property portfolio. On the available data, the optimum allocation is a residential portfolio anchored by a Beijing residential property with exposure to all markets. This achieved a 40% improvement in risk adjusted returns to that of a single location residential property portfolio. Similarly, for Chinese high net worth investors, the benefits of diversification, by combining an investor’s primary location with an additional residential property in an alternative location, lead to at least a 16% improvement in the risk adjusted returns. For an astute Chinese investor, this diversified portfolio approach provides superior stable long term returns than short term risky speculative residential property investments.
Atypical clinical features of pediatric appendicitis.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of appendicitis remains challenging in children. Delays in diagnosis, or misdiagnosis, have important medical and legal implications. The typical, or classic, presentation of pediatric appendicitis has been modeled after adult disease; however, many children present atypically with subtle findings or unusual signs. OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of atypical clinical features among pediatric patients with appendicitis and to investigate which atypical features are the strongest negative predictors for appendicitis among patients being evaluated for appendicitis. METHODS Children and adolescents with suspected appendicitis were enrolled over 20 consecutive months. Pediatric emergency physicians completed standardized data collection forms on eligible patients. Final diagnosis was determined by pathology or follow-up telephone call. Typical and atypical findings were defined strictly a priori. RESULTS Seven hundred fifty-five patients were enrolled. The median age was 11.9 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 8.5, 14.9 yr); 36% of patients were diagnosed with appendicitis. Among patients with appendicitis, the most common atypical features included absence of pyrexia (83%), absence of Rovsing's sign (68%), normal or increased bowel sounds (64%), absence of rebound pain (52%), lack of migration of pain (50%), lack of guarding (47%), abrupt onset of pain (45%), lack of anorexia (40%), absence of maximal pain in the right lower quadrant (32%), and absence of percussive tenderness (31%). Forty-four percent of patients with proven appendicitis had six or more atypical characteristics. The median number of atypical features for patients with proven appendicitis was five (IQR: 4.0, 7.0). The greatest negative predictors, on the basis of likelihood ratios, were as follows: white blood cell count (WBC) of <10,000 per cubic millimeter (likelihood ratios [LR], 0.18), absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of <7,500 per cubic millimeter (LR, 0.35), lack of percussive tenderness (LR, 0.50), lack of guarding (LR, 0.63), and no nausea or emesis (LR, 0.65). CONCLUSIONS Appendicitis in pediatric patients is difficult to diagnose because children present with a wide variety of atypical clinical features. Forty-four percent of patients with appendicitis presented with six or more atypical features. Two atypical features are the strongest negative predictors of appendicitis in children: WBC of <10,000 per cubic millimeter and an ANC of <7,500 per cubic millimeter.
Comparison of the Chemotactic Response to Conditioned Medium of Balb/c3T3 Fibroblasts and their SV 40 Transformants

The chemotactic migration of transformed cells out of their tissue of origin might represent an essential component of tumor invasion and metastasis. In the Boyden chamber assay SV 40 virus-transformed BALB-c3T3 fibroblast (SV/3T3) showed an increased chemotactic response to fibroblasts-conditioned medium in comparison to non-transformed BALB/c3T3 cells. This was verified for a large range of incubation times and cell densities. Fibroblast-conditioned medium contains components of the extracellular matrix of connective tissue. Since organs rich in connective tissue are often the site of metastasis, the enhanced chemotaxis of virus-transformed cells to conditioned medium could contribute to explain the malignancy of these cells.
Mean-Lower Partial Moment Asset Pricing Model: Some Empirical Evidence

Bawa [3] has argued that mean-lower partial moment portfolio selection rules are more general than mean-variance rules in that they rely on fewer restrictive assumptions regarding investor utility functions and/or distributions of security returns. As with the mean-variance model, it is possible to formulate equilibrium security prices under the assumption that expected utility-maximizing investors utilize mean-lower partial moment portfolio selection rules. This paper has investigated the empirical relationship between the resultant mean-lower partial moment pricing model and the long established mean-variance pricing model.
“[U]Nited and Actuated by Some Common Impulse of Passion”1: Challenging the Dispersal Consensus in American Housing Policy Research

ABSTRACT: A large and influential group of American scholars studying urban and low-income housing policy have coalesced around the central idea that the best way to ameliorate the plague of urban poverty in the United States is to disperse (or deconcentrate) the urban poor into wealthier (usually outlying suburban) neighborhoods. This article refers to this group of scholars as the Dispersal Consensus (or DC for short). It finds that the DC’s zeal to promote dispersal policies leads many of its members to engage in suspect and problematic practices, both in their research and policy prescription efforts. Such findings suggest that the DC’s near hegemonic influence over the academic discourse of American urban and low-income housing policy should be challenged. This challenge will help stimulate a more open and productive debate regarding how best to ameliorate urban poverty (and related social problems) in the United States.
3D Reconstruction Model of Metal Fracture SEM Image and Realization

In this paper, a new neural-based reflectance model of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) image is proposed. The idea of this method is to adapt imaging mechanism of real secondary electron SEM. The conventional cost function is modified, which smoothness constraint is replaced by fractal constraint. The proposed method overcomes the disadvantage of tradition shape from shading algorithm. The detail features of metal fracture surface are reconstructed better. The contrastive experiments are performed by the conventional SFS model and our new model. The maximum brightness error of SEM image is decreased from 23.84% to 6.28% and the average brightness error is decreased from 4.46% to 1.07%. The experimental results show that the algorithm is very efficiency and accuracy for single metal fracture SEM image of the unknown light source direction.
The Identification of Fiscal and Macroeconomic Imbalances - Unexploited Synergies under the Strengthened EU Governance Framework

In the light of the lessons learned from the euro area sovereign debt crisis, the EU fiscal and macroeconomic governance framework was overhauled in 2011. Against this background, this paper analyses whether the broadened surveillance of fiscal and macroeconomic indicators under the strengthened governance framework would have facilitated the identification of emerging imbalances, had it been in place before the crisis. The findings suggest that the strengthened governance framework would have given earlier signals about emerging excessive fiscal and macroeconomic imbalances. Euro area countries thus would have been obliged to take preventive and corrective action at an earlier stage, provided that the stricter rules had been effectively implemented. At the same time, the paper concludes that the increased reliance of the EU fiscal governance framework on unobservable magnitudes such as the structural budget balance, which are difficult to measure in real time, will continue to impede the timely identification of underlying fiscal imbalances. It is suggested that the new macroeconomic imbalance procedure could have given earlier indications about the emergence of excessive macroeconomic imbalances, which in turn posed risks for fiscal sustainability. Looking forward, these preliminary findings suggest possible synergies between the, until now largely unrelated, fiscal and macroeconomic governance frameworks. JEL Classification: H3, H6, E02, E61
What Determines the Tenure of Cabinet Members? A Comparative Study of Korea and the United States, 1948-2013

This article analyzes the determinants of the tenure of cabinet members in Korea and the United States from 1948 to 2013. It concentrates on three sets of factors that can affect the tenure of cabinet members: the personal characteristics of the cabinet member, his or her political characteristics, and the characteristics of the president under whom the cabinet member serves. This article finds that some of the personal and political characteristics of the cabinet member affect the length of a minister's tenure in Korea. However, these same characteristics do not affect the length of tenure of cabinet members in the United States, although the characteristics of the president do have an impact on the tenure length of cabinet members in both Korea and the United States. The mix of a presidential system with a parliamentary system in Korea perhaps accounts for difference between the two countries. Therefore, this article raises the possibility that the theories and practices of public administration and political science in the United States may not be applicable in Korea.
3D Face Recognition by Surface Classification Image and PCA

An approach of 3D face recognition by using of facial surface classification image and PCA is presented. In the step of pre-processing, the scattered 3D points of a facial surface are normalized by surface fitting algorithm using multilevel B-splines approximation. Then, partial-ICP method is utilized to adjust 3D face model to be in the right front pose for a better recognition performance. By using the normalized facial depth image been acquired through the two previous steps, and by calculating the Gaussian and mean curvatures at each point, the surface types are classified and the classification result is used to mark different kinds of area on the facial depth image by 8 gray-levels. This achieved gray image is named as Surface Classification Image (SCI) and the SCI now represents the 3D features of the face and then it is input to the process of PCA to obtain the SCI eigenfaces to recognize the face. In the experiments conducted on 3D Facial database ZJU-3DFED of Zhejiang University, we obtained the rank-1 identification score of 94.5%, which outperformed the result of using PCA method directly on the face depth image (instead of SCI) by 16.5%.
The neuropharmacology of serotonin and noradrenaline in depression

&NA; Several classes of antidepressant drug exist, divided into three broad families, the monoamine reuptake inhibitors, the monoamine oxidase inhibitors and the monoamine receptor antagonists. All these drugs have a common pharmacological effect, to raise the synaptic concentrations of noradrenaline and serotonin. Although different drugs have different relative selectivity for noradrenaline and serotonin systems, these two neurotransmitter pathways work in parallel and in a coherent manner to produce the same final antidepressant response. The lag‐time in the onset of action of antidepressants can be explained by the activation of inhibitory autoreceptors on serotonergic and noradrenergic neurones which initially attenuate the effects of antidepressants on synaptic transmitter levels. Over time, these autoreceptors desensitize, allowing the emergence of an overt antidepressant response. This theory has led to the proposition that antagonists at these autoreceptors such as pindolol may be useful adjuncts to antidepressant treatment, in order to hasten the appearance of a clinical response. Evidence for the clinical validity of this idea remains equivocal, however. The use of central monoamine depletion studies has demonstrated that it is elevated synaptic monoamine levels themselves, rather than some downstream postsynaptic changes in, for example, receptor sensitivity, that are responsible for the therapeutic effect of antidepressant drugs. Taken together, the data collected over the last 40 years have allowed the emergence of a unified monoamine hypothesis of antidepressant drug action.
Reverse transcriptase from simian foamy virus serotype 1: purification and characterization

Chromatography on heparin-Sepharose, known for its affinity for nucleotide-binding polypeptides, was used to purify the viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) from the core polypeptides of simian foamy virus type 1. This procedure allowed the recovery of highly purified enzyme with a high specific activity. The average molecular weight of this monomeric enzyme is 81,000 and is thus comparable to that found for other known primate retroviruses. Reverse transcriptase activity of simian foamy virus type 1 requires a ribonucleotide template as a primer or otherwise a DNA with 3'-OH ends. Other optimal conditions of activity are reviewed. Heat inactivation studies led to the concept of an enzyme with two loci, one specific for the substrate and the other for the template-primer.
The silver staining procedure of sodium dodecyl sulfate‐gels may be accelerated by shortening fixation time

In most silver staining methods the first step in the staining of proteins separated after sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is a rather protracted fixation of the gels. Optimum fixation should be short, cause no background staining and effectively immobilize the proteins in the gel without masking the proteins for reaction with the staining solution. Further, the concentration of the fixing compounds should be as low as possible due to the potentional toxicity of fixatives. Fixation for only 5 min with mixtures of very low concentrations of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde in ethanol, or a solution of formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde in picric acid and ethanol, fulfill these demands, provided that the gels were prefixed in ethanol‐acetic acid for 10 min. As a consequence of these results a fast and sensitive silver staining procedure is proposed.