Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
β-catenin and SKP2 proteins as predictors of grade and stage of non-muscle invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma.

BACKGROUND To evaluate the expression of beta-catenin (β-catenin) and SKP2 proteins in superficial bladder cancer cases and their correlation with tumor grade and stage. METHODS After institutional review board approval, we retrospectively evaluated the expression of β-catenin and SKP2 proteins in tissue specimens from patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and compared their results with a cohort of chronic nonspecific cystitis's. Then we and explored these markers association with tumor grade and stage. RESULTS A total of 40 patients were retrospectively identified, 50% was NMIBC and the rest were chronic nonspecific cystitis. β-catenin was expressed in 18 (90%) patients of the NMIBC group in comparison to 14 (70%) of the control group with (P=0.1), while SKP2 protein was only expressed in NMIBC groups (P=0.03). A statistically significant correlation was identified between nucleocytoplasmic localization of β-catenin and SKP2 with tumor grade, stage. CONCLUSIONS β-catenin and SKP2 expression are providing promising results for differentiating higher grade and stage non muscle invasive bladder cancers.
A 1.5 V 28 GHz Beam Steering SiGe PLL for an 81-86 GHz E-Band Transmitter

This letter presents measurement results for a low supply voltage 28 GHz beam steering PLL, designed in a SiGe bipolar process with fT = 200 GHz. The PLL, designed around a QVCO, is intended for a beam steering 81-86 GHz E-band transmitter. Linear phase control is implemented by variable current injection into a Gilbert type phase detector, with a measured nominal phase control sensitivity of 2.5 °/μA. The demonstrated LO generation method offers great advantages in the implementation of beam steering mm-wave transmitters, since only the low frequency PLL reference signal of 1.75 GHz needs to be routed across the chip to the different transmitters. Except for an active loop filter, used to extend the locking range of the PLL, the design uses a low supply voltage of 1.5 V. The PLL obtains a measured in band phase noise of -107 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. The power consumption equals 54 mW from the 1.5 V supply plus 1.8 mW for the variable supply of the active low pass filter.
Monitoring Temporal and Spatial Trends in Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in Eggs of Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) on the Coast of British Columbia, Canada, 1983–1998

Abstract Eggs from 21 resident great blue heron (Ardea herodias) rookeries were monitored from 1983 to 1998 along the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for contamination with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and biphenyls (PCBs). Dominant congeners (1,2,3,7,8-PnCDD, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD and 2,3,4,7,8-PnCDF) fell markedly in the early 1990s after pulp mills changed from molecular chlorine bleaching to alternative bleaching technologies, and the use of chlorophenolic wood preservatives and anti-sapstains was severely restricted. Strong positive linear regressions between prey fish and heron egg contaminant levels suggested that local dietary uptake was an important route of exposure for herons. Toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQs) sufficient to produce embryotoxicity in great blue heron chicks were measured in eggs from 1985 to 1991 at some colonies. Despite reduction in PCDD/Fs, estimated TEQs remained elevated throughout the 1980s at some urban colonies due to contributions from PCBs.
Feedback Inhibition of Catecholamine Release by Two Different &agr;2-Adrenoceptor Subtypes Prevents Progression of Heart Failure

Background—Elevated plasma norepinephrine levels are associated with increased mortality in patients and in animal models with chronic heart failure. To test which &agr;2-adrenoceptor subtypes operate as presynaptic inhibitory receptors to control norepinephrine release in heart failure, we investigated the response of gene-targeted mice lacking &agr;2-adrenoceptor subtypes (&agr;2-KO) to chronic left ventricular pressure overload. In addition, we determined the functional consequences of genetic variants of &agr;2-adrenoceptors in human patients with chronic heart failure. Methods and Results—Cardiac pressure overload was induced by transverse aortic constriction. Three months after aortic banding, survival was dramatically reduced in &agr;2A-KO (52%) and &agr;2C-KO (47%) mice compared with wild-type and &agr;2B-deficient (86%) animals. Excess mortality in &agr;2A- and &agr;2C-KO strains was attributable to heart failure with enhanced left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis and elevated circulating catecholamines. The clinical importance of this finding is emphasized by the fact that heart failure patients with a dysfunctional variant of the &agr;2C-adrenoceptor had a worse clinical status and decreased cardiac function as determined by invasive catheterization and by echocardiography. Conclusions—Our results indicate an essential function of &agr;2A- and &agr;2C-adrenoceptors in the prevention of heart failure progression in mice and human patients. Identification of heart failure patients with genetic &agr;2-adrenoceptor variants as well as new &agr;2-receptor subtype–selective drugs may represent novel therapeutic strategies in chronic heart failure and other diseases with enhanced sympathetic activation.
Role of the CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein-α Transcription Factor in the Glucocorticoid Stimulation of p21 waf1/cip1 Gene Promoter Activity in Growth-arrested Rat Hepatoma Cells*

The preceding paper (Cha, H. H., Cram, E. J., Wang, E. C., Huang, A. J., Kasler, H. G., and Firestone, G. L. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 0000–0000(478563) defined a glucocorticoid responsive region within the promoter of the p21 CDK inhibitor gene that contains a putative DNA-binding site for the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα). Wild type rat BDS1 hepatoma cells as well as as4 hepatoma cells, which express antisense sequences to C/EBPα and ablate its protein production, were utilized to investigate the role of this transcription factor in the glucocorticoid regulation of p21 gene expression. The stimulation of p21 protein levels and promoter activity, as well as inhibition of CDK2-mediated retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation, by the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, required the expression of C/EBPα. Overexpression of C/EBPα in as4 cells rescued the dexamethasone responsiveness of the p21 promoter. Site-directed mutagenesis of the p21 promoter revealed that dexamethasone stimulation of p21 promoter activity required the C/EBP consensus DNA-binding site. Furthermore, in glucocorticoid receptor-defective EDR1 hepatoma cells, dexamethasone failed to stimulate C/EBPα and p21 protein expression and promoter activities. Our results have established a functional link between the glucocorticoid receptor signaling pathway that mediates a G1 cell cycle arrest of rat hepatoma cells and the transcriptional control of p21 by a cascade that requires the steroid induction of C/EBPα gene expression.
Merging Neuroimaging and Multimedia: Methods, Opportunities, and Challenges

Neuroimaging and brain mapping can provide meaningful guidance to multimedia analyses. and advanced computational multimedia analysis can be used to better understand the functional mechanisms of the human brain. Essentially, brain imaging and brain mapping techniques can serve as a bridge that links the digital representation of multimedia and the perception and comprehension of its content. This paper summarizes methods that integrate brain imaging with multimedia analysis and discusses the opportunities and challenges in this interdisciplinary field. In general, quantitative modeling of brain responses during multimedia comprehension has advanced content-based multimedia studies such as image and video classification and tagging. Multimedia analysis has promoted functional brain mapping by using naturalistic multimedia as stimuli during neuroimaging. Challenges and opportunities in merging neuroimaging and multimedia include the quantification of the brain's responses, the quantification of multimedia, and the mapping between brain responses and computational multimedia features.
Dynamic changes in matrix metalloproteinase 9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 levels during wound healing in diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND We investigated the mechanism of delayed would healing caused by diabetes and measured the dynamic changes in matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) levels. We noted differences in the ratio of MMP-9 to TIMP-1 in the wounds of diabetic and nondiabetic rats. METHODS Forty-two Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250 g were randomly assigned to either the control group or the streptozotocin-induced diabetes group. Then, full-thickness excision wounds were created on the middle of the back of each animal. Skin biopsy specimens were obtained on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 after incision. The content of collagen was quantified by Masson's staining and the macrophage marker, and CD68 was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. Messenger RNA and protein expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 was measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS Diabetic rats exhibited slower wound healing than control animals (P < .05). On days 3, 7, and 14 after incision, higher levels of MMP-9 messenger RNA and protein expression were detected in the diabetic group compared with the control group (P < .05), and expression of TIMP-1 messenger RNA and protein was significantly decreased. In addition, the ratio of MMP-9 to TIMP-1 was stable in controls, whereas there was a marked increase in the ratio in diabetic skin wounds. CONCLUSIONS The balance between MMP-9 and its inhibitor, TIMP-1, is disturbed in diabetic skin tissue after injury, which may lead to histologic abnormality of diabetic skin and delayed wound healing.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 virion‐derived US11 inhibits type 1 interferon‐induced protein kinase R phosphorylation

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) VRTK− strain that was previously isolated in our laboratory as an acyclovir‐resistant thymidine kinase (TK)‐deficient mutant, is more sensitive to type 1 interferon than is the parent strain VR3. The properties of this mutant were investigated to clarify the mechanism for its hyper‐sensitivity to interferon (IFN). It was found that: (i) IFN‐pretreated cells, but not those treated with IFN after adsorption, are hyper‐sensitive to IFN; (ii) the mutant cannot inhibit protein kinase R phosphorylation efficiently during the early stage of replication (2 hrs post‐infection); (iii) expression of US11 in infected cells and its incorporation into the virion is reduced in the mutant compared to the wild type, despite the fact that a similar degree of DNA synthesis occurs during replication of both strains and; (iv) over‐expression of wild‐type viral TK has no effect on the phenotype of the VRTK− strain, indicating that the phenotype is induced by a mutation(s) that does not involve the TK gene. These results suggested that the presence of US11 in the virion, but not that expressed after infection, plays an important role in the escape function of HSV‐1 from the antiviral activity of type 1 IFN.
Banks and finance after the crisis: Lessons and challenges

The double-dip recession that hit the Italian economy between 2008 and 2013 has caused severe difficulties for the banking sector in the last few years, which have been aggravated by cases of malfeasance. This speech discusses the response of the Bank of Italy’s supervision and the measures adopted to solve the crises that have concerned some banks. It then examines the questions still open regarding the new European financial regulation framework, especially those concerning State aid and bank resolution, as well as its flaws, including the lack of crisis management rules designed to avoid a disorderly exit of banks from the market. Finally, it looks at the main challenges facing Italy’s banking sector, i.e. recovering profitability and adjusting to changes in the production system and in technology. JEL codes : G21, G33, G38 Keywords :Italy’s banking sector, banking crises, bank resolution
Stakeholder Identification and Salience After 20 Years: Progress, Problems, and Prospects

To contribute to the continuing challenge of explaining how managers identify stakeholders and assess their salience, in this article, we chronicle the history, assess the impact, and evaluate the possibilities opened by Mitchell, Agle, and Wood (MAW-1997). We do so through two types of qualitative analysis, and also through utilizing a quantitative network analysis tool. The first qualitative analysis categorizes the major contributions of the most influential papers succeeding MAW-1997; the second identifies and compares the relevant issues with MAW-1997 at the time of initial publication and today. We apply main path analysis, a quantitative tool, to map how this scholarly domain has evolved. These three analyses robustly depict the impact of MAW-1997 and the ensuing scholarly conversation, and they enable us to illustrate the current state and trajectory of stakeholder identification and salience scholarship. We close by discussing pressing topics related to the broader body of stakeholder theory literature.
A flash assisted dynamic range segmented successive approximation register (SAR) analog to digital converter

A new SAR ADC design is presented in this paper, which applies a flash ADC for the segmentation of its dynamic range. An n bit flash component of the proposed ADC divides the dynamic range into 2n segments. Each of these segments are further resolved by finer SAR ADCs. Application of the n-bit flash ADC reduces n execution cycles of the SAR ADC, thus enhancing the sampling rate. Hardware addition costs nominal power overhead, which helps to improve the figure-of-merit (FoM) significantly. Two SAR ADCs using the proposed technique are designed and simulated in a 180 nm CMOS process. 6-bit and 7-bit ADCs with the proposed design produce signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 32.42 dB and 38.07 dB respectively. FoM of 6-bit and 7-bit proposed ADCs are 0.54 and 0.38 fraction of their conventional counterparts respectively.
Monocular localization within sparse voxel maps

We introduce a method that uses a single camera to localize a vehicle within a pre-constructed map consisting of a voxel occupancy grid and road-line marker positions. Sophisticated mapping hardware is capable of creating high-accuracy 3D maps of road environments, but localizing a vehicle within such maps is one of the challenges at the forefront of automated driving. A solution which is robust to dynamic environments, while using only inexpensive sensors, is a difficult problem. In addition, maps that enable precise localization consume a lot of data which is impractical for the expansive environments encountered in real-world road networks. We show how using the area of edge regions shared between rendered views of a compact voxel map and in-vehicle camera images can be coupled with non-linear optimization methods to determine the camera position and pose.
[Use of hormone replacement therapy by Icelandic women in the years 1996-2001.].

INTRODUCTION Since the late seventies the use of hormone replacement therapy by peri- and postmenopausal women has been steadily increasing. This was shown in a former study of hormonal use among Icelandic women who had responded to a questionnaire when attending cancer screening at the Cancer Detection Clinic (CDC) of the Icelandic Cancer Society in the years 1979-1996. This current study is an independent extension of the former study with the goal of investigating menopausal hormone use among Icelandic women during the period of 1996-2001 and comparing the results with the former study period of 1979-1995. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used data from the CDC for the period of 1996-2001 and reviewed the responses from Icelandic women aged 40-69 years to questions regarding hormonal use. We investigated changes in the proportion of women using hormones, the proportion of women using combined hormone replacement therapy, the proportion using long-time hormone replacement therapy, and also the relationship between hormonal use and smoking. We also compared our results to the former study results. RESULTS During the period 1996-2001, 16.649 women aged 40-69 years responded to the questionnaire on hormonal use. There was an increase in use during that period, and also an increase compared to the period 1979-1995. Women born 1941-1945 were more likely to have ever used hormones (68%) than women born 1931-35 (42%). Present use of hormones was most prevalent among 52-57 year old women (57%). The proportion of women aged 50-55 years reporting present use did not change over the period ( approximately 50%). Long term use increased steadily during the period. During 1996-98 the proportion of women who had used hormones for more than 5 years was 49%, compared to 67% of women 1999-2001. This is also a considerable increase compared to the former study period. In the years 1996-2001, 19% of the women reported hormone use for 14 years or more. Smoking was more common among ever users of hormone replacement therapy (63%) than among never users of hormone replacement therapy (53%). CONCLUSIONS The proportion of women who had used hormones and the duration of hormone use increased steadily during the period of 1996-2001. There was also a considerable increase compared to the former study period.
Randomised controlled trial of montelukast plus inhaled budesonide versus double dose inhaled budesonide in adult patients with asthma

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) affect many inflammatory pathways in asthma but have little impact on cysteinyl leukotrienes. This may partly explain persistent airway inflammation during chronic ICS treatment and failure to achieve adequate asthma control in some patients. This double blind, randomised, parallel group, non-inferiority, multicentre 16 week study compared the clinical benefits of adding montelukast to budesonide with doubling the budesonide dose in adults with asthma. Methods: After a 1 month single blind run in period, patients inadequately controlled on inhaled budesonide (800 μg/day) were randomised to receive montelukast 10 mg + inhaled budesonide 800 μg/day (n=448) or budesonide 1600 μg/day (n=441) for 12 weeks. Results: Both groups showed progressive improvement in several measures of asthma control compared with baseline. Mean morning peak expiratory flow (AM PEF) improved similarly in the last 10 weeks of treatment compared with baseline in both the montelukast + budesonide group and in the double dose budesonide group (33.5 v 30.1 l/min). During days 1–3 after start of treatment, the change in AM PEF from baseline was significantly greater in the montelukast + budesonide group than in the double dose budesonide group (20.1 v 9.6 l/min, p<0.001), indicating faster onset of action in the montelukast group. Both groups showed similar improvements with respect to “as needed” β agonist use, mean daytime symptom score, nocturnal awakenings, exacerbations, asthma free days, peripheral eosinophil counts, and asthma specific quality of life. Both montelukast + budesonide and double dose budesonide were generally well tolerated. Conclusion: The addition of montelukast to inhaled budesonide is an effective and well tolerated alternative to doubling the dose of inhaled budesonide in adult asthma patients experiencing symptoms and inadequate control on budesonide alone.
Thirlwall's Law and the Specification of Export and Import Functions

The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it proposes general specifications for export and import functions that encompass the contributions of both Kaldorian and Schumpeterian literatures on the determinants of trade performance. Second, the paper provides evidence of the impact of nonprice competitiveness, measured by the growth of relative economic efficiency on export and import growth in different technological sectors. Third, it shows that the magnitude of income elasticities of demand is partially determined by relative economic efficiency.
Iron Regulation through the Back Door: Iron-Dependent Metabolite Levels Contribute to Transcriptional Adaptation to Iron Deprivation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) responds to iron deprivation both by Aft1-Aft2-dependent transcriptional activation of genes involved in cellular iron uptake and by Cth1-Cth2-specific degradation of certain mRNAs coding for iron-dependent biosynthetic components. Here, we provide evidence for a novel principle of iron-responsive gene expression. This regulatory mechanism is based on the modulation of transcription through the iron-dependent variation of levels of regulatory metabolites. As an example, the LEU1 gene of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis is downregulated under iron-limiting conditions through depletion of the metabolic intermediate α-isopropylmalate, which functions as a key transcriptional coactivator of the Leu3 transcription factor. Synthesis of α-isopropylmalate involves the iron-sulfur protein Ilv3, which is inactivated under iron deficiency. As another example, decreased mRNA levels of the cytochrome c-encoding CYC1 gene under iron-limiting conditions involve heme-dependent transcriptional regulation via the Hap1 transcription factor. Synthesis of the iron-containing heme is directly correlated with iron availability. Thus, the iron-responsive expression of genes that are downregulated under iron-limiting conditions is conferred by two independent regulatory mechanisms: transcriptional regulation through iron-responsive metabolites and posttranscriptional mRNA degradation. Only the combination of the two processes provides a quantitative description of the response to iron deprivation in yeast.
Effect of Normal Saline on Cleaning Uterine Cavity During Cesarean Delivery.

INTRODUCTION Cesarean delivery is the most common and costly gynaecologic surgery, with an increase in rate all over the world. AIM The present study aimed to estimate the effect of uterine cavity cleansing with normal saline solution during cesarean delivery on the rate of infection, fever, bleeding and postoperative gastrointestinal complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was a clinical trial carried out on 90 pregnant women who underwent elective cesarean delivery. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups of 45 individuals, including rinsing in 500ml of normal saline solution during cesarean delivery (intervention group) and non-rinsed (control group). Postoperative complications include bleeding, fever, wound infection were examined. The data related to postoperative gastrointestinal complications and endometritis at the second day and one and six weeks after surgery were collected and data were analysed through SPSS 17. RESULTS There was no significant difference between two groups regarding febrile morbidity two days after the surgery. The rate of one-week postoperative febrile morbidity was higher in the control group but not statistically significant. The difference in the incidence of fever, wound infection and endometritis on the second day and on the first week was not statistically significant but the incidence of endometritis on the sixth week after surgery was significant in the intervention group than control group and was less in the intervention group, the wound infection at sixth week after surgery was fewer in the intervention group but not statistically significant. There was no significant difference between two groups in terms of gastrointestinal complications. CONCLUSION Uterine cavity cleansing with normal saline solution during cesarean delivery may decrease postoperative complication, although the reduction is not statistically significant.