Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic relevance of P-glycoprotein expression in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND P-glycoprotein (Pgp) expression has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis in some malignancies such as neuroblastoma, soft tissue sarcoma and acute myeloid leukemia. The prognostic role of Pgp expression in breast cancer is still unclear. We investigated the expression of Pgp in primary and metastatic breast cancer tissues in relation to patient characteristics and treatment outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS Pgp expression was evaluated in 92 primary and 12 metastatic breast cancers by the use of immunohisto/cytochemistry with three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (JSB-1, C219, MRK16), and an RNAse protection assay. Follow-up information was available for 77 primary breast cancer patients (median follow-up 42 months; range 2-63 months). RESULTS Concordance among the anti-Pgp MAbs varied, the highest being between JSB-1 and MRK16 (71%; p=0.002). Pgp expression was more frequent in metastatic disease (58%) than in primary breast cancer (29%) (JSB-1; p=0.055). Pgp expression as assessed with JSB-1 (univariate analysis; p<0.05) was associated with shorter overall survival (OS). Nineteen (21%) primary breast cancers had Pgp expression in fibroblasts in desmoplastic stroma and this did not correlate with Pgp expression in the tumor. The combination of Pgp-positive tumor cells and Pgp-expressing fibroblasts was the strongest prognostic factor for OS by multivariate analysis. Subgroup analysis suggested that Pgp expression was associated with a shorter OS in tamoxifen-treated patients, but not in those who received chemotherapy (most often CMF). CONCLUSIONS Pgp expression in tumor cells, and especially when accompanied by Pgp expression in fibroblasts in desmoplastic stroma, has prognostic value in primary breast cancer patients and is likely to be a marker of a more malignant phenotype. Pgp expression of tumor cells might play a role in tamoxifen resistance. These findings may have important implications for teh treatment of breast cancer patients, and warrant further prospective investigation in a larger patient population.
2 . 1 Utilising a Digital Compass to Control the Servo Motor ’ s Rotation

Transitioning to university is recognised as a challenging endeavour for commencing students. For commencing Computer Science students specifically, evidence suggests a link between poor performance in introductory technical courses, such as programming, and high attrition rates. Building resilience in students, particularly at the start of their academic journey, can potentially reduce the likelihood of student attrition. One way to develop resilience is through strong disciplinary engagement. We aim to increase student engagement by using popular low cost embedded platforms that provide a physical environment for novice programmers. This physical programming environment allows novice programmers to better appreciate the broad application of programming to everyday objects. Several experiments with the physical computing devices were designed and implemented for a first-year Computer Science programming course. These experiments were evaluated through a survey. Results indicate that whilst students found the environment more challenging than the normal computer-based environment, they felt more engaged in the programming process and enjoyed seeing the practical applications of hardware programming.
Nanotechnologies in Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

Pancreatic cancer has been classified as a cancer of unmet need. After diagnosis the patient prognosis is dismal with few surviving over 5 years. Treatment regimes are highly patient variable and often the patients are too sick to undergo surgical resection or chemotherapy. These chemotherapies are not effective often because patients are diagnosed at late stages and tumour metastasis has occurred. Nanotechnology can be used in order to formulate potent anticancer agents to improve their physicochemical properties such as poor aqueous solubility or prolong circulation times after administration resulting in improved efficacy. Studies have reported the use of nanotechnologies to improve the efficacy of gemcitabine (the current first line treatment) as well as investigating the potential of using other drug molecules which have previously shown promise but were unable to be utilised due to the inability to administer through appropriate routes—often related to solubility. Of the nanotechnologies reported, many can offer site specific targeting to the site of action as well as a plethora of other multifunctional properties such as image guidance and controlled release. This review focuses on the use of the major nanotechnologies both under pre-clinical development and those which have recently been approved for use in pancreatic cancer therapy.
Biogenesis of Mitochondria in Imbibed Peanut Cotyledons : II. DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT AND HEAVY MITOCHONDRIA.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF MITOCHONDRIA PRESENT IN IMBIBED PEANUT COTYLEDONS: a light type (density 1.182 grams per cubic centimeter) and a heavy type (density 1.205 grams per cubic centimeter). The membrane fractions from these two types can be distinguished using sucrose density gradient analysis, and differences in membrane density between the light and heavy types are reflected in differences in their protein N and phospholipid P composition. With increasing time after imbibition, there is a substantial increase in the amount and activity of the light type of mitochondria due to their de novo synthesis. The membrane density of the light mitochondrial fraction declines over 5 days after the start of imbibition as the phospholipid P to protein N ratio increases. The heavy mitochondrial fraction declines during the first 3 days after the start of imbibition, and then it remains at a low, but constant, level thereafter. Even during the decline, however, there is synthesis of proteins comparable to that into light mitochondria. The mitochondrial biogenesis that has been observed in peanut cotyledons is of the light type, the function and physiological importance of the minor heavy type is not known.
SEGMENT REPORTING UNDER IFRS 8 – EVIDENCE FROM SPANISH LISTED FIRMS

This paper investigates the recent adoption of IFRS 8 by Spanish listed firms and gives a detailed image of segment disclosures under the new standard. Results show that operating segments are mainly based on lines of business, but the geographical segments are associated with a higher disaggregation. Under IFRS 8 a small portion of the sample still remain as single segment firms and a significant part fails to meet the mandatory Entity-Wide information and not disclose separately most of items indicated on IFRS 8. Size and profitability are, respectively, factors positively and negatively related to higher disclosure practices.
HYDROGEL SCAFFOLDS EMBEDDED WITH HGF ENCAPSULATED PLGA NANOSPHERES USING PRIMARY RAT HEPATOCYTES 6

Orthotopic liver transplantation is the only treatment clinically available for patients suffering from end stage liver failure caused by chronic disorders. However, poor donor availability of healthy liver tissue, immune rejection and lifelong immuno suppressive treatment restricts the potential of transplantation. Alternative approach like hepatic lineage (e.g., hepatocytes) transplantation in the injured liver has been found to overcome present limitations [1, 2]. But availability of fresh and healthy cells for restoration of functional hepatocytes is extremely challenging as the primary hepatocytes rapidly lose its viability and functionality due to the trans-differentiation to other type of cells [3, 4].
Isotype switching and titer variation of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies over time in 100 patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD).

OBJECTIVE To correlate the clinical course of the disease with the titer, the isotype profile and the switch of the anti-Ro/SSA antibodies in a cohort of patients affected by UCTD. METHODS One hundred selected patients with anti-Ro/SSA antibodies detected by counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE), and affected by UCTD with a mean follow-up of 7.6 years (SD 4.8 yrs.), were studied. The titer of IgA, IgG and IgM anti-Ro/SSA antibodies was determined in two different sera, obtained at the time of diagnosis and at the last visit, by ELISA with Ro/SSA recombinant proteins as substrate. RESULTS Thirty-five patients evolved from UCTD to a different connective tissue disease, while 65 showed a stable disease. Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies were detected in 91% and 97% of the patients, at baseline and during follow-up, respectively. IgG dominates the anti-Ro response. The titer of IgA, IgM and IgG anti-Ro/SSA did not differ significantly between the two groups of patients with UCTD. An increasing trend of IgG and IgA anti-Ro/SSA titer could be detected in patients evolving in primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS), but only the increase of IgG anti-Ro/SSA was significant (p=0.0235). CONCLUSION IgG dominates the anti-Ro/SSA response in patients with UCTD. No substantial change of the antibody isotype against Ro/SSA peptides could be observed during follow-up. The titer of IgG anti-Ro/SSA significantly raised in the group of patients evolving in pSS.
Randomised controlled trial adapting US school obesity prevention to England

Objectives: To determine whether a school obesity prevention project developed in the United States can be adapted for use in England. Methods: A pilot cluster randomised controlled trial and interviews with teachers were carried out in 19 primary schools in South West England. Participants included 679 children in year 5 (age 9–10). Baseline and follow-up assessments were completed for 323 children (screen viewing) and 472 children (body mass index). Sixteen lessons on healthy eating, physical activity and reducing TV viewing were taught over 5 months by teachers. Main outcome measures were hours of screen activities, body mass index, mode of transport to school and teachers’ views of the intervention. Results: Children from intervention schools spent less time on screen-viewing activities after the intervention but these differences were imprecisely estimated: mean difference in minutes spent on screen viewing at the end of the intervention (intervention schools minus control schools) adjusted for baseline levels and clustering within schools was −11.6 (95% CI −42.7 to 19.4) for a week day and was −15.4 (95% CI −57.5 to 26.8) for a Saturday. There was no difference in mean body mass index or the odds of obesity. Conclusions: It is feasible to transfer this US school-based intervention to UK schools, and it may be effective in reducing the time children spend on screen-based activities. The study has provided information for a full-scale trial, which would require 50 schools (∼1250 pupils) to detect effects on screen viewing and body mass index over 2 years of follow-up.
The research and development of the vehicle’s lateral anti-collision warning system

The car brings modern civilization to people as well as great and startling harm. Especially in recent years, with the development of the expressway and the high speed of vehicles, malignant traffic accidents occurr from time to time, bringing huge losses to people's lives and property. Traffic accidents have become "the first killer" of human beings. In these accidents, malignant large accidents account for a very large proportion, among which the accidents on the highway are the worst, where a few cars or dozens of cars, sometimes even as many as over a hundred cars collide and the casualties are extremely horrible. Therefore, the research and development of active safety devices, for example, anti-collision device of vehicles which is to reduce drivers’ burden and errors in judgment will play an important role in improving the traffic safety. Use GPS to measure the current driving speed of the car, and then send the data through the CAN bus to the control processing unit. The main control unit calculates the safety distance and compares it with the actual distance measured by the ultrasonic. After analysis and judgment, the unit give alarm to drivers before a dangerous accident occurs. On the basis of previous studies, anti-interference is designed for the system to improve the instantaneity and reliability of the system.
Successful Combined Partial Auxiliary Liver and Kidney Transplantation in Highly Sensitized Cross‐Match Positive Recipients

Combined liver and renal transplantations can be performed against a positive cross‐match, indicating that the liver protects the kidney from the harmful HLA antibodies. This led us to the hypothesis that a partial auxiliary liver graft may have a similar protective effect when performed together with the kidney in highly sensitized patients. Seven patients, with broadly reacting HLA antibodies and positive crossmatches, were transplanted with a partial liver and a kidney from the same donor. In one of the cases a living donor was used. We performed lymphocytotoxic and flow cross‐matches before and after the transplantation. Cross‐matches turned negative after grafting in five of seven cases. The kidney function was excellent, without rejections, during the follow‐up (24–60 months) in these patients. In two cases the cross‐match remained positive after transplantation, one with a never‐functioning renal graft and the other with an early graft failure, probably due to humoral rejection. A simultaneous transplantation of a partial auxiliary liver graft from the same donor, with the sole purpose of protecting the kidney from harmful lymphocytotoxic antibodies, can be performed successfully despite a positive cross‐match and may thus be a new option of treatment for highly sensitized patients waiting for a kidney transplant.
DIFFUSION CHARACTERIZATION OF ANTIMONY-BASED TYPE-II SUPERLATTICES USING ELECTRON BEAM INDUCED CURRENT AND TIME-RESOLVED PHOTOLUMINESCENCE BY NARAE YOON

The infrared wavelength range is of vital importance for thermal imaging, molecular sensing, astronomy, and a variety of other health, medicine, and security and defense applications. Infrared detectors, capable of light detection in this vital wavelength range are thus of significant technological importance. In the past 10-15 years, type-II superlattices (T2SLs), primarily utilizing antimony-based III-V materials, have gained significant interest for their mid-wave or long-wave infrared (MWIR or LWIR) detection capabilities. Although T2SLs are predicted to have superior performance, when compared to the current state-of-the-art infrared detectors, such performance has yet to be demonstrated. A primary limiting factor in T2SL device performance is the thermal generation of carriers via a variety of defects and impurities in the T2SL material. Understanding these defects is key to improving T2SL detector performance. This thesis shows how to quantitatively characterize T2SL materials by using electron beam induced current (EBIC) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) technologies. Moreover, we investigate how the molar composition of antimony and gallium affect on the diffusion characteristics of this materials.
Access to Finance and Technological Innovation : Evidence from Antebellum America ∗

This paper provides new evidence on how access to finance impacts technological innovation and establishes labor scarcity as a novel economic mechanism. We exploit antebellum America, a unique setting with (1) staggered passage of free banking laws across states and (2) well-documented differences in labor scarcity between free and slave states. We find that access to finance spurred technological innovation as measured by patenting activities, especially in free states where labor was relatively scarcer. Notably, in slave states, access to finance encouraged technological innovation that substituted for free labor but discouraged technological innovation that substituted for slave labor.
Long-term survival in differentiated thyroid cancer is worse after low-activity initial post-surgical 131I therapy in both high- and low-risk patients.

CONTEXT Recent trial results have revived interest in low-activity initial (131)I therapy (RIT) of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). OBJECTIVE This study sought to compare different initial (131)I activities for outcome. DESIGN AND SETTING A database study was performed in a University hospital. PATIENTS 1298 DTC patients were included (698 low risk, 434 high risk M0, and 136 M1), grouped according to ablation activity (I, ≤ 2000 MBq [54 mCi]; II, 2000-3000 MBq [54-81 mCi]; and III, >3000 MBq [81 mCi]), subdivided by age (<45 and ≥ 45 y at diagnosis). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Complete remission (CR, defined as thyroglobulin [Tg] below functional sensitivity combined with visually negative (131)I diagnostic whole-body scintigraphy), recurrence, DTC-specific mortality, and relative survival rates were studied. RESULTS Low-risk patients: In patients <45 years, a lower median cumulative activity was required to achieve CR in group III (3590 MBq) than in groups I (8050 MBq) and II (6300 MBq). In patients at least 45 years of age, DTC-specific mortality was significantly higher in group I than in groups II and III (15-y: 16.1 ± 7.7%, 0.8 ± 0.8%, and 7.2 ± 5.5%, respectively; P = .004). High-risk M0 patients: In patients at least 45 years of age, the recurrence rate (15-y: 44.4 ± 16.6%, 24.1 ± 7.6%, and 8.6 ± 3.9%; P = .001) and DTC-specific mortality (15-y: 51.8 ± 15.8%, 13.2 ± 4.4%, and 9.5 ± 3.7%; P = .004) were significantly higher in group I than in groups II and III. M1 patients: There were no significant differences in survival results between different activity groups in either age category. CONCLUSION Before adopting low initial activity RIT for, especially older, low-risk patients, results of long-term followup should be regarded critically. Low-activity RIT in older, high-risk patients is not to be recommended.
Screening for mutations in factor VIII gene using the single‐strand conformation polymorphism

Hemophilia A is an X-linked bleeding disorder affecting approximately 1 in 5,000 males. It is caused by deficiency of factor VIII of blood coagulation. The factor VIII gene located in Xq28 is a large gene (186 kb) and is composed of 26 exons that encode a 9-kb mRNA. For more than onethird of the hemophiliacs' families, the available intragenic polymorphisms are not informative. Furthermore, 30% of the cases correspond to neomutation, and the percentage of germinal mosaicism is unknown. In the case of carrier detection or prenatal diagnosis, the characterization of the mutations is then of utmost importance. A variety of mutations have been reported, using several strategies (Tuddenham et al., 1991). The efficiency of DGGE has been demonstrated (Higuchi et al., 1991); however, this technique is somewhat cumbersome. Recently, we have successfully applied the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) method for mutation detection in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (Nafa et al., 1993)' and this method has been used in some genetic diseases. The great advantage of the SSCP method is its low cost. We describe here the usefulness of SSCP for mutation detection in the factor VIII gene.
Dissertations Title Investigation of A New Method for Improving Individual Vehicle Speeds Estimation with Advanced Loop Data Permalink

OF THE THESIS Investigation of A New Method for Improving Individual Vehicle Speeds Estimation with Advanced Loop Data By Yiqiao Li Master of Science in Civil Engineering University of California, Irvine, 2017 Professor Stephen G. Ritchie, Chair In this study, a previous speed estimation model supported by advanced loop data was evaluated in a new dataset with a high volume of large vehicles. With 23% large vehicles in the traffic stream, the performance of the previous model got worse. Duration of a vehicle traversing the loop sensor, which was the feature selected to develop the previous model was easily influenced by the variation of vehicle lengths. Leading edge duration which indicates the time period from when the front bumper of the vehicle first gets onto the loop to the vehicle fully covering the loop was investigated. A new speed estimation model with a new feature (leading edge duration) was developed. The leading edge duration was justified as a more reliable feature than duration to be used in speed estimation. Two models based upon the corresponding features were compared. Finally, results of the model comparison and suggestions for the further model improvements were provided.
Antimicrobial resistance of bacterial organisms isolated from rats.

OBJECTIVE To determine if antimicrobial resistance occurs in various bacterial species isolated from rats. METHOD Two hundred and fifteen rats were trapped from areas in and around Nairobi, Kenya. They were sacrificed and their intestinal, liver and spleen specimens obtained. Various bacterial species were isolated from these specimens. The species were analysed for antimicrobial susceptibility to 12 commonly used antimicrobials using the disc diffusion technique. RESULTS The bacterial species isolated included pathogenic and potentially pathogenic ones such as Escherichia coli 137, Salmonella typhimurium 1, Klebsiella pneumoniae 2, Enterobacter cloacae 4, Enterobacter sakazakii 2, Citrobacter freundii 3, Morganella morganii (2), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 and Burkhoddria cepacia 6. Depending on the species, the resistance to the various antimicrobials were: 0-100% for cefotaxime, nalidixic acid, cefuroxime, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, co-amoxyclav, sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, trimethoprim and cephradine, 0-66.6% for gentamicin and 0-25% for apramycin. CONCLUSION The results showed that, rats from the study area harboured bacterial species with antimicrobial resistance. These micro-organisms may form an important reservoir for antibiotic resistance which could pose a public health hazard. Control of rat populations, better management of sewer systems and waste dumping sites are recommended in order to reduce occurrence of these drug resistance reservoirs.
, and NicolaVarrone ~ 47 ~ Analysis of Private Socially Responsible Investment : The Impact of Personal Concern with Corporate Social Responsibility

Are many years that academics and professionals dealing with the so-called socially responsible investment (SRI). Yet, still it persists today the need of a better knowledge of personal reasons underlying the investment decision. This is evidenced by inconclusive and contradictory findings of decades of empirical research. So, this paper aims at contributing to fill this gap, by deepening whether the level of personal concerns with corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the personal preferences towards the screening criteria adopted by socially responsible funds (SRFs) affect the decision to choose a socially responsible investment. In order to connect the investment choice with the personal concerns for CSR, this study refers to an experimental survey that proposes different investment scenarios and several five point Likert statements referred to corporate social responsibility. Findings confirm that the traditional risk/return trade-off is not sufficient to explain the decision to invest socially responsibly, going beyond a purely financial return. In fact, the level of personal concerns with CSR and the preference for investment screens related to the safeguard of natural environment and human rights incentive individuals to invest in SRFs.