Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
α3β1 integrin promotes radiation-induced migration of meningioma cells

Cell motility is influenced by the microenvironment, signal transduction and cytoskeleton rearrangement. Cancer cells become resistant to these control mechanisms and gain the ability to move throughout the body and invade healthy tissues, which leads to metastatic disease. Integrins respond to context-dependent cues and promote cell migration and survival in cancer cells. In the present study, we analyzed the role of integrins in radiation-induced migration of meningioma cells. Migration and cell proliferation assays revealed that radiation treatment (7 Gy) significantly increased migration and decreased proliferation in two cell lines, IOMM-Lee and CH-157-MN. α3 and β1 integrins were overexpressed at both the protein and transcript levels after radiation treatment and a function-blocking α3β1 antibody inhibited the radiation-induced migration. Immunofluorescence studies illustrated the localization of α3 integrin and F-actin at the migration front of irradiated cells. Further, an increase in phosphorylation of FAK and ERK was observed, while both FAK phosphorylation inhibitor and FAK shRNA inhibited ERK phosphorylation and downregulated uPA and vinculin. In addition to the co-localization of FAK and ERK at the migration front, these FAK-inhibition results link the downstream effects of ERK to FAK. Correspondingly, U0126 quenched ERK phosphorylation and reduced the expression of molecules involved in migration. Furthermore, brain sections of the animals implanted with tumors followed by radiation treatment showed elevated levels of α3 integrin and active ERK. Taken together, our results show that radiation treatment enhances the migration of meningioma cells with the involvement of α3β1 integrin-mediated signaling via FAK and ERK.
Cement Augmentation in a Thoracolumbar Fracture Model: Reduction and Stability After Balloon Kyphoplasty Versus Vertebral Body Stenting

Study Design. In vitro biomechanical investigation. Objective. To assess differences in kyphosis after balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) or vertebral body stenting (VBS). Summary of Background Data. Cement augmentation techniques allow early mobilization in patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures. Biomechanically, the grade of reduction and preservation are as important as in nonosteoporotic fractures. With BKP, negative effects of balloon deflation on the reduction and whether specific combinations of materials may preserve the reduction are as yet unclear. Methods. Twelve bisegmental human thoracolumbar specimens (6 × T12–L2, 6 × L3–L5; age at death, 76.3 yr; range, 63–89 yr; female:male ratio, 3:3; bone mineral density, 68.1 g/cm3; mean, 12.9 g/cm3) were tested in a spine simulator with pure moments of 7.5 Nm to assess primary and secondary stability. After flexibility testing of the intact specimens, an eccentric compression force induced standardized fractures, which were reduced using either BKP or VBS against a flexional moment of 2.5 Nm. Primary and secondary stability were assessed using range of motion in a spine tester. The specimens were tested after each of 3 periods of cyclic flexion loading. The kyphotic angle of the index vertebra was measured radiographically. Results. The 2 techniques achieved comparable reduction against a relatively high bending moment in this model. Neither technique restored the stability of the intact state; with increasing loads, the range of motion continuously increased to the level of fractured specimen to the level of the fractured specimen. Although the deflation effect on the kyphotic angle was lower with VBS (P ⩽ 0.05), there were no significant differences between the techniques relative to angle restoration. Conclusion. Both augmentation techniques are able to restore vertebral body height after thoracolumbar fractures. The deflation effect on the kyphotic angle was less with VBS than with BKP. High flexion moments during implantation limit the effectiveness of reduction using cement augmentation methods. Level of Evidence: N/A
From Parliamentarism to Pluralism

Academic observers have long criticized the European Union for being plagued with a `democratic deficit', a critique that is based on the European parliamentary model of democracy. Although widely considered to be a valid foundation for democratic evaluation of the Union, the parliamentary model is irrelevant to the EU's supranational context and character. This irrelevance brings the mainstream democratic deficit literature into question. The American `pluralist' model, with its emphasis on societal interest groups and a fragmented governmental structure, provides a more appropriate foundation for democratic decision-making at the EU's supranational level. This framework explains recent contributions to the literature, and suggests a transition from the traditional democratic deficit critique to a new theoretical conception of democracy in the European Union.
Intermodulation Distortion Behavior Of GaAs Power FETS

The 4 GHz intermodulation distortion (IMD) behavior of several Power GaAs FETs from different manufacturers is studied. The two-tone IMD and AM to PM conversion is a function of the source and load impedances. The IMD is not "well-behaved" in general (3:1 IMD slope), and therefore the third-order intercept point is not valid in characterizing these power FET's. This data was applied in the design of a 2 watt 3.7-4.2 GHz linear amplifier. lts linearity performance is compared to that of a 2 GHz linear bipolar amplifier.
A new adjustable glaucoma drainage device.

PURPOSE This work is focused on the testing of a new experimental noninvasively adjustable glaucoma drainage device (AGDD) that allows for the control of its outflow resistance to modulate intraocular pressure (IOP) in a customized fashion. METHODS Six AGDDs were directly connected to a pressure transducer and a perfusion system continuously delivering saline solution at rate of 2 μL/min. The steady-state pressure was measured and reported as a function of the angular position of the AGDD disk. Ex vivo experiments were conducted on six freshly enucleated rabbit eyes. The IOP was measured, and the flow rate was increased with a syringe pump to simulate elevated IOP associated with glaucoma. After insertion of the implant in the anterior chamber, the position of the disk was sequentially adjusted. RESULTS The relation between the pressure drop and the angular position of the AGDD disk is nonlinear. The functional range lies between 80° and 130°, which allows for four or five different reproducible adjustment positions. Above 130° the implant is considered to be closed (no outflow), and below 80° it is considered to be open (minimum resistance to flow). CONCLUSIONS The resistance to outflow of the experimental AGDD can be adjusted to keep IOP in the desired physiological range. This feature could be useful for addressing the risk of hypotony in the early postoperative stages and could provide a means to achieve optimal IOP under a wide range of postoperative conditions.
Foreground soft segmentation for search space reduction

This paper proposes the foreground soft segmentation to reduce the search space for human pose estimation. Our contributions are twofold: (i) using a quad-tree structure to efficiently obtain a binary label image for foreground; and (ii) search space reduction by limiting the locations within the only area based on segmented foreground. We show that the proposed method achieves segmentation of foreground in the various environments and poses.
Predictive molecular markers in non–small cell lung cancer

Recent biotechnologic knowledge has enabled the discovery of a cornucopia of genetic abnormalities commonly involved not only in cancer but also in other diseases ranging from the plague to arteriosclerosis. The wealth of possibilities uncovered by this knowledge inspires the hope that today’s dream of a unified concept of common treatment for multiple diseases could become a future reality. This review arbitrarily categorizes recent findings into five major areas. First, cisplatin resistance associated with the nucleotide excision repair pathway can help clinical oncologists to choose between cisplatin and noncisplatin combinations. Second, the relevant role of nuclear factor-κB as a predictor of chemosensitivity can lead to the development of new drugs abrogating nuclear factor-κB expression. Third, the presence of tubulin mutations, which are directly involved in resistance to microtubule-interactive drugs, can guide chemotherapy based on taxane or nontaxane combinations. In addition, certain chromosomal deletions affect genes involved in deoxyribonucleotide synthesis, like ribonucleotide reductase, that intervene in gemcitabine metabolism; this raises interest in investigating deletion at chromosome 11p15.5 as a potential mechanism of gemcitabine resistance. Finally, an overwhelming number of publications have analyzed genes involved in cell cycle regulation and development as predictive markers of survival; however, where these pieces fit into the puzzle of cancer management is still unclear.
Theory of acoustic band structure of periodic elastic composites.

We study an elastic composite described by the position-dependent mass density \ensuremath{\rho}(r), the longitudinal speed of sound ${\mathit{c}}_{\mathit{l}}$(r), and the transverse speed of sound ${\mathit{c}}_{\mathit{t}}$(r). For a spatially periodic composite---a ``phononic crystal''---we derive the eigenvalue equation for the frequencies ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\omega}}}_{\mathit{n}}$(K), where n is the serial number of the band and K is the Bloch wave vector. This is applied to the special case of a binary composite and, further, to the case of infinite cylinders that form a two-dimensional lattice. For this configuration (and no wave-vector component parallel to the cylinders) there are two independent modes of vibration. The elastic displacement u(r) is parallel to the cylinders for one of them---the transverse polarization mode. The other one is a mixed (longitudinal-transverse) polarization mode with u(r) perpendicular to the cylinders. Specifically we consider circular cylinders that form a square lattice. We compute the band structures for the transverse modes of nickel alloy cylinders in an aluminum alloy host, and vice versa. In both situations we find band gaps which extend throughout the Brillouin zone. Within these gaps the transverse vibrations, sound, and phonons are forbidden. We also investigate the dependence of the band gap on the filling fraction and on the material parameters.
Trust, risk and the (mis)management of contingency and discretion through new information technologies in children’s services

• Summary: While UK social work’s core purpose in children’s services continues to invoke the ready virtues of universal care, protection from significant harm and a child rights led approach as foundational to effective intervention, there is a ‘real-world’ context of organizational practices that inevitably mediate who gets what services and why. This was ever thus. What has changed however is not so much the claims by social work to a virtuous purpose (the ethic of care offers a durable discourse from which to cast service users as worthy and our efforts as honourable) but that new risk-reduction technologies are exposing a worrying gap between the rhetoric of a humane-oriented project of care and the actionable decision-making of professionals drawing upon administrative targeting systems that seek to reduce organizational exposure to error, blame, reputational damage and unwanted external scrutiny. • Findings: The article exposes a gap between core values and risk management by examining the erosion of trust in professional social work and consequent shift towards new information technologies which intend to generate system confidence, such as the Integrated Children’s System (ICS) which seeks to provide a more accountable management of contingency. Drawing on data from our recent multi-method research of frontline practice funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, we challenge the view that the uncertainty and ambiguity of risk-immersed social work can be more safely moderated by computer-based technologies for reporting and decision-making. • Applications: The findings of this study suggest the need for significant reform of the ICS system. Our explorations in front line decision-making suggests that the IT workflow systems that channel and shape the way need is responded to in order to make actions and their often distributed ownership transparent and justifiable, have the unintended potential to obscure risk. We outline ways in which risk in its institutional and personal contexts in children’s services may become less evident and tractable to moderation by the ICS systems that seek this very purpose. In doing so we consider the balance between professional trust and system confidence and consider whether the time has come to shift the balance back to the former if we are to re-engage more fully with the occupation’s humane mission.
The Nobel Prize in behavioral and experimental economics: a contextual and critical appraisal of the contributions of Daniel Kahneman and Cernon Smith

Daniel Kahneman and Vernon Smith were the joint recipients of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics. Kahneman's work challenges the assumption that individuals behave in a manner consistent with conventional economic wisdom. He maintains that individuals tend to be systematically error prone and possibly irrational. Smith, on the other hand, developed experiments and experimental environments to test hypotheses emanating from the conventional economic wisdom. Smith finds that, in spite of Kahneman's work, economic agents are rational and that economies are efficient. These differing views are discussed and placed in the context of the methodological and public policy debates in economics.
T cell responses to human type II collagen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls.

OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence of T cell responses to human type II collagen (CII) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with or without antibodies to CII, and in healthy controls. METHODS Assays were performed to study T cell proliferative responses to CII in peripheral blood from 69 patients with RA (11 with anti-CII antibodies and 58 without) and 28 healthy controls. Further analysis was made of the time course of the response and the epitopic specificity, using peptides derived from the cyanogen bromide 11 (CB11) fragment of CII. RESULTS Significant proliferative responses to CII were found in 50% of patients with anti-CII, 5.3% of RA patients without these antibodies, and 35.7% of healthy controls. Responses in RA patients differed from those in healthy controls; the former had kinetics suggestive of a recall response and the latter that of a primary response. Some common epitopes within CB11 were recognized by T cells from patients and controls. CONCLUSION Proliferative T cell responses to CII occur in some healthy individuals, suggesting that thymic tolerance for this antigen may be incomplete. Most patients with RA have no evidence of a T cell response to CII, possibly indicating the development of peripheral tolerance to this antigen as a consequence of cartilage breakdown. However, in a minority of patients, T and B cell responses to CII persist, and may contribute to joint damage.
Simulation and Feasibility Study of Flow Sensor on Flexible Polymer for Healthcare Application

Development of microfabrication technology, along with an ever-increasing demand for reliable, low-cost clinical healthcare has led to the realization of various BioMEMS devices. Present study aims at developing a flexible flow sensor on polymer substrate to monitor real-time blood flow and determine plague formation satisfying sensitivity, biocompatibility, and reliability requirements. Transient simulation of temperature and velocity profile of the thermal-anemometer-based sensor wrapped around the catheter has been studied. Initial fabrication of the sensor over polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer along with thermal coefficient of resistance (TCR) measurement and flow sensing over straight heater has also been performed. The simulation and fabrication works show promising results toward successful development of a flow sensor for effective healthcare delivery.
Organisational culture and environmental responsibility: a study of textile industry in India

The Corporate Social Responsibility principle is mainly concerned with the accountability of organisations towards all its stakeholders. In this article, we assess the culture of the organisations and correlate it with their level of environmental responsibility. We have analysed the organisational culture and environmental responsibility of the sample organisations. By matching the Environmental Performance and Environmental Responsiveness of organisations with their environmental responsibility (BOD level and Technology) in a matrix form. We found four types of matching. Those which have low culture and low environmental responsibility are called low matching, with high culture and low environmental responsibility are called facade, with high environmental responsibility and high culture are called high matching and at last those with high environmental responsibility and low culture are called disconnect type. The results highlight the importance of matching the measures of Environmental Responsiveness (ER; technology and BOD level) with the beliefs of people (culture) to assess the organisational position on ER, that could vary from committed to facade (only talk) to disconnect (responsiveness as an administrative/procedural issue). We conclude that the culture of an organisation influences its policy and strategy for protecting the environmental pollution.
Early life risk factors for adult asthma: a birth cohort study of subjects at risk.

BACKGROUND Prediction of adult asthma is important, and early prevention strategies should be targeted at those most at risk. Identifying high-risk children at an early age, however, is currently difficult. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine those factors present in early life that predict an increased risk of adult asthma. METHODS A prospective cohort study of subjects at risk of asthma and atopy was undertaken in Poole, England. One hundred babies of atopic parents were recruited at birth. During the first 5 years of life, subjects were recalled annually, all respiratory events were reported, and skin prick tests and total serum IgE measurements were performed. At 11 and 22 years, bronchial hyperresponsiveness was also measured. Seventy-three subjects were followed up at 5 years, 67 at 11 years, and 63 at 22 years. RESULTS Twenty-three (37%) adult subjects reported wheezing within the previous 12 months. Fifteen (25%) of these subjects showed signs of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and were regarded as asthmatic. Wheezing before the age of 2 years occurred in 28% and was not significantly related to adult asthma (odds ratio, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.03-1.7; P = .19). A positive skin prick test response to hen's egg, cow's milk, or both in the first year was independently predictive of adult asthma (odds ratio, 10.7; 95% CI, 2.1-55.1; P = .001; sensitivity, 57%; specificity, 89%). CONCLUSION Prediction of adult asthma remains difficult. In this study of subjects at risk of atopy, skin sensitivity to hen's egg or cow's milk in the first year was predictive of adult asthma.
Evaluating a complex intervention with a single outcome may not be a good idea: an example from a randomised trial of stroke case management.

OBJECTIVES to estimate the extent to which a case-management intervention for persons newly discharged into the community following an acute stroke effected a change in stroke outcome in comparison with usual care. DESIGN a re-analysis of stratified, balanced, randomised clinical trial. SETTING five university-affiliated acute-care hospitals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS a total of 190 persons (mean age 70 years) returning home directly from the acute-care hospital following a first or recurrent stroke with a need for health-care supervision post-discharge because of low function, co-morbidity or isolation. INTERVENTION for 6 weeks following discharge a nurse case manager delivered, depending on need, over 50 different nursing interventions (range 2-15 per person), which targeted physical, emotional and psychological impairments, role participation restrictions and health perception. MEASUREMENTS seven of the SF-36 subscales were used to measure the targeted constructs, at the post-intervention and 6 month evaluations. Seven binary response variables were created with a change of 10 points the criterion for individual response. Generalised estimating equations, equivalent to a logistic regression for multiple outcomes, were used. RESULTS the odds of responding to one or more outcomes was 41% greater in the intervention group than in the control group [odds ratio (OR): 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.79]. CONCLUSION an analysis considering the complexity of the intervention and outcomes targeted indicated effectiveness of the nurse case-management post-stroke, whereas the traditional one outcome analysis did not.
Beyond Ricardo: The Link between Intra-Industry Trade and Peace

In this article, it is argued that horizontal intra-industry trade is associated with reduced conflict propensity within dyads. Horizontal intra-industry trade is characterized by participation in international markets for similar – in many cases, branded – commodities, resulting from economies of scale and consumer tastes for variety. Conversely, inter-industry trade in accordance with the Ricardian and Heckscher–Ohlin models, while providing valuable trade gains, in some instances provokes vulnerability to trade partners, such that its overall impact on dyadic conflict is ambiguous. Support for this expectation is found in empirical tests spanning from 1963 to 2001. Additionally, there is evidence that development is insufficient to preclude conflict when jointly developed dyads engage in no intra-industry trade.
Local food: a source for destination attraction

Purpose This study aims to explore factors affecting travellers’ food-related behaviour by focusing on the local food market. By doing so, the study contributes to the research on food experience in tourism and food-based regional development. The local food phenomenon presents essential research issues from various perspectives. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire provided to attendees of a travel fair gauges respondents’ food attitudes and food-related behaviour related to information sourcing and perceptions of food experiences. Findings The study reveals three types of food-related behaviour. Experiencers are committed; they perceive food as essential to destination choices. They search for food-related information before their trips and value originality, newness and locality, as well as authenticity and uniqueness in local food, which eventually have an impact on travel satisfaction. Enjoyers have more casual attitudes towards food, though they view it as an important aspect of their holiday. For survivors, the local food of their destination serves mainly physiological needs. Practical implications Travellers’ food-related attitudes vary, and they behave according to these variations. This information serves as a means to brand hospitality and tourism businesses. Local food attracts travellers and it contributes to the tourist experience, indicating marketing potential for hospitality industries, tourism business and regional development. Originality/value This study adds to tourism research by exploring the effect of food attitudes on behaviours related to local food and local food markets. In particular, it highlights information sourcing, including local food and restaurants, and reveals food and eating characteristics that contribute to various types of travellers’ local food experiences, which have received little prior research attention.