Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA-200b is downregulated in colon cancer budding cells

Background The microRNA-200 (miR-200) family acts as a major suppressor of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Impaired miR-200 expression may lead to EMT initiation and eventually cancer dissemination. The presence of tumor budding cells (TBC) is associated with metastasis and poor prognosis, and molecular similarities to EMT indicate that these cells may reflect ongoing EMT. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-200b in budding cells of colon cancer and the relationship with the EMT-markers E-cadherin, β-catenin and laminin-5γ2. Material & methods MiR-200b was investigated by in situ hybridization in 58 cases of stage II (n = 36) and III colon (n = 22) cancers with tumor budding. Expression of E-cadherin, β-catenin and laminin-5γ2 was examined by immunohistochemistry. A multiplex fluorescence assay combining miR-200b with cytokeratin and laminin-5γ2 was employed on a subset of 16 samples. Results MiR-200b was downregulated in the TBC at the invasive front of 41 out of 58 (71%) cases. The decline was present in both mismatch satellite stable and instable adenocarcinomas. The majority of cases also showed loss of membranous E-cadherin and increased nuclear β-catenin in the TBC, while laminin-5γ2 expression was upregulated at the invasive front and in the tumor buds of approximately half the adenocarcinomas. However, the miR-200b decline was not statistically associated with the expression of any of the EMT-markers. The miR-200b decline was also documented by multiplex fluorescence. Fourteen out of fifteen cases showed a decrease in miR-200b expression in the majority of the TBC, but no obvious relationship between miR-200b and laminin-5γ2 expression was observed. Conclusion: The findings support the assumption of a miR-200b related downregulation in colon cancer budding cells. Whether miR-200b expression may be of clinical significance awaits further studies.
Boosting Productivity, Innovation, and Growth through a National Innovation Foundation

America’s Challenge Action is essential. Innovation drives economic growth, determining America’s living standards and those of its metropolitan areas. However, as global competition stiffens, the nation’s leadership in innovation is under threat. For example, the United States’ share of worldwide total domestic R&D spending fell from 46 percent in 1986 to 37 percent in 2003. Moreover, expanded support for basic research and science education, while important, will not be enough to respond to this challenge. Without a robust, targeted, and explicit federal innovation push, U.S. competitiveness will slip and economic growth will lag.
Muscle fibre size and capillarity in Korean diving women.

AIM Effects of prolonged habitual cold-water immersion on fibre size and capillarity in vastus lateralis muscle were studied in human beings. The hypothesis tested in the present study was that cold acclimatized human skeletal muscle would have reduced muscle fibre size and higher capillarity, favouring the idea of efficacy of recruitment under cold environment. METHODS Ten women breath-hold divers (BHDs) and 10 active women (controls CONs) participated in this study. Muscle biopsy was obtained from vastus lateralis and determined fibre type composition and capillary density. RESULTS A major finding was that all BHDs revealed a markedly smaller cross-sectional area (CSA) in all fibre types than the CONs, or even than any other morphological data reported in previous investigations. Furthermore, mean CSA of type II fibre (range 1205-2766 microm2) was much smaller than type I fibre (2343-4327 microm2). The number of capillaries per fibre in different fibre types in the BHDs was higher than in the CONs (P < 0.001), and diffusional area was smaller in type II fibres than in type I fibres (P < 0.001). The BHDs and the CONs have similarity in the percentage of type I fibres, but type II fibre was predominant in both groups. Interestingly the proportion of type IIx fibre in the BHDs was higher (31%) than in the CONs (22%). No significant difference was found in the thigh circumference between the groups. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrates that prolonged habitual cold-water immersion may induce a decrease in fibre size and an increase in capillarity in human skeletal muscle.
Have You Tried Project Management?

What Is Project Management? To arrive at an understanding of what project management is, it would perhaps be best to start with a consideration of some of its more unique characteristics. First of all, project management connotes the use of a team for the accomplishment of some specific objective. Also peculiar to the project is the idea of transience. The project is not a permanent entity, but one whose primary measure of success is its ultimate dissolution. Typically, a project will last one to three years; but there have also been projects which have lasted longer than five years and those which have been disbanded in less than six months. In many respects, the project is like a company within a company. In fact, it has been referred to by some as a form of "simulated decentralization. " Properly executed, project management encompasses yet another popular concept in management-the systems approach. Rather than simply concentrating on one functional area, the project sees the undertaking as a system composed of multiple interdependent subsystems and its members devote much of their initial effort toward gaining an understanding of the nature of the interdependence as well as the impact of the environment. Under the guidance of the project manager, the efforts of the project members are integrated within the informal structure and atmosphere of the project organization. Formal lines and mechanisms of communication (e.g., memoranda for the record, formal letters, etc.) are eschewed. The emphasis is on higher quality communicationface-to-face conversation. Even where the project group is small and members have to draw upon the resources of supporting independent organizations, traditional chains of command tend to be ignored. Rather than climb the hierarchy, project members characteristically exhibit extreme horizontal and diagonal mobility in getting to the person who either has the information, or the authority to make the decision. This mobility can be, at the least, unsettling for the executive schooled in the proprieties of the formal organization. At first blush, project management might seem to the reader to be nothing more than a modem version of the venerable ad hoc committee. As Wickesberg and Cronin point out, however, there are several real and distinct differences between project management and ad hoc committees or staff consultants. 1 First and foremost are their end products. In the latter case, the end products are normally in the form of reports to higher authority, which can be ac-
PET-based primary tumor volumetric parameters and survival of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to assess metabolic tumor volume and total glycolytic activity of the primary tumor as prognostic parameters for outcome in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-nine patients who had undergone a baseline staging PET/CT examination at our institution for the diagnosis of NSCLC were retrospectively identified. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)), metabolic tumor volume, and total glycolytic activity were segmented from PET using the gradient method; 12-month survival and overall survival at the end of follow-up were used as outcome measures. Multivariate logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves for survival analysis were generated and compared using the Mantel-Cox log-rank test. RESULTS The mean gradient-based metabolic tumor volume and gradient-based total glycolytic activity were significantly greater in the patients who died (93.3 mL and 597.5 g) than in those who survived (19.3 mL and 193.9 g, respectively) (p < 0.003 and p < 0.031). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean SUV(max) between the patients who survived (12.7) at 12 months and those who had died (13.1) (p = 0.85). On multivariate analysis, gradient-based metabolic tumor volume was the only variable associated with 12-month mortality when adjusted for all other factors. (.) The area under the curve (AUC) for gradient-based metabolic tumor volume was 0.77 (p < 0.006). A significant difference in the time to survival was observed between high and low gradient-based metabolic tumor volume (log-rank p < 0.05) cohorts using the median gradient-based metabolic tumor volume (9.7 mL) as the cut point. CONCLUSION PET-based volumetric imaging parameters are potential prognostic markers of outcome in patients with NSCLC.
Effects of umbrella palms and wastewater depth on wastewater treatment in a subsurface flow constructed wetland

Abstract On‐site subsurface flow constructed wetlands are designed to provide secondary quality effluent. Plants and wetland volume are considered in their design. There have been no studies, however, comparing wastewater treatment at different wastewater depths, and plant effects in wetlands are not completely understood. Investigations were conducted on these variables using four wetland cells 2.28 m wide by 4.75 m long containing I to 5 cm diameter river rock. Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella palms) were planted in one cell, and side‐by‐side comparisons were made between the planted and a control cell. Side‐by‐side comparisons were also made between cells with equal surface areas and different depths. At best, umbrella palms improved effluent 5‐day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) by 8%, suspended solids by 6 %, and did not improve fecal coliform or P wastewater quality in July. When ambient air temperatures were ≤12°C during December, plants did not improve most treatment parameters. They did, however, significantly improve NH4 + treatment, even when ambient air temperatures were as low as 8°C. Increasing wastewater depth enhanced fecal coliform die‐off but did not reduce effluent BOD5, suspended solids, NH4 +, or P in effluent. Umbrella palms should be considered when maximum NH4 + reduction is a treatment goal and it is not necessary to reduce other parameters. Surface area was more important to wastewater treatment than depth
Stillbirth in developing countries: a review of causes, risk factors and prevention strategies

Objective. To understand the rates, causes and risk factors for stillbirth in developing countries as well as the strategies that have been evaluated to reduce stillbirth. Methods. We searched the English literature for 2003–2008 for all articles related to stillbirth and perinatal mortality in developing countries and reviewed all related publications. Results. Despite the large number of stillbirths worldwide, the topic of stillbirths in developing countries has received very little research, programmatic or policy attention. In many developing countries, almost half of the deliveries occur at home, and under-reporting of stillbirths is a significant problem. Reliable data about rates and causes are unavailable in many areas of the world. Nevertheless, of the estimated 3.2 million stillbirths that occur yearly world-wide, the vast majority occur in developing countries. Rates in many developing countries are 10-fold greater or more than in developed countries. There is not a standard international classification system that defines cause of death, nor is there agreement about the lower limits of birthweight or gestational age that define stillbirth, making comparisons of causes of stillbirth or rates over time or between sites problematic. From available data, prolonged and obstructed labour, pre-eclampsia and various infections, all without adequate treatment, appear to account for the majority of stillbirths in developing countries. Identification and treatment of maternal syphilis has been effective in reducing stillbirth risk, as has improvements in access to emergency obstetrical services and particularly caesarean section. Conclusions. Further research is needed to understand the causes and the best preventive strategies for stillbirth specific to geographic areas. However, based on current data, better access to appropriate obstetric care, particularly during labour and delivery and better screening and treatment of syphilis should reduce developing country stillbirth rates dramatically.
Nicotinamide inhibits tissue factor expression in isolated human pancreatic islets: implications for clinical islet transplantation1

Background. Islet-produced tissue factor (TF) triggers an adverse clotting reaction, the instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction (IBMIR), providing a likely explanation for the need of tissue from multiple donors in clinical islet transplantation. In this study, the authors investigated whether compounds previously shown to affect TF and macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 expression in monocytes and endothelial cells have the same effect in human islet cells. Methods. Islets were cultured in the presence of l-arginine, cyclosporine A, enalapril, or nicotinamide for 48 hr, after which the TF content and MCP-1 expression were assessed. The effect of nicotinamide on IBMIR was evaluated by exposing the treated islets to fresh human ABO-compatible blood in an in vitro loop model. Results. Nicotinamide was the only compound that significantly reduced both TF and MCP-1. This reduction was dose-dependent. The level of MCP-1 was strongly correlated with TF expression (r2=0.98). In addition, the level of TF was also correlated with the ability of the islets to initiate IBMIR (r2=0.94). Conclusions. TF and MCP-1 expression in human islets can be decreased by adding nicotinamide to the culture medium. These observations indicate that the adverse effects of IBMIR in clinical islet transplantation could be reduced without endangering the recipient using antithrombotic drugs.
A Common Scheme for Cross-Sensory Correspondences across Stimulus Domains

Following Karwoski, Odbert, and Osgood (1942, Journal of General Psychology 26 199–222), it is proposed that cross-sensory correspondences can arise from extensive, bi-directional cross-activation between dimensions of connotative meaning. If this account is correct, the same set of cross-sensory correspondences (eg brightness with high pitch, high pitch with sharpness, smallness with brightness) should emerge regardless of the sensory channel (auditory, visual, or tactile) that is probed. To test this prediction, participants rated a range of auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli on a series of rating scales relating to different dimensions of connotative meaning. With only a few minor exceptions, the same set of cross-sensory correspondences emerged from all types of stimulus variation. This supports the suggestion that cross-sensory correspondences can reflect reciprocal interactions between dimensions of connotative meaning, and indicates that Spence's (2011, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 73 971–995) theoretical framework might be usefully extended to include semantically-based correspondences.
Cardiovascular Effects of Protamine Sulfate in Man

The effect of protamine sulfate on several cardiovascular and biochemical variables was studied in man under clinical conditions. This study was performed to quantitate these effects in 15 adult patients who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass for coronary artery bypass grafting. Protamine was administered in typical clinical doses (3 mg/kg) at typical clinical rates (total dose infused over 5 minutes). This infusion rate is greatly in excess of the 50 mg/10 min suggested in the protamine package insert. No statistically significant changes in mean arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, central venous pressure, total or ionized calcium, Pao2, Paco2, pH, Na+, or K+ were found during or after administration of protamine sulfate. Hypotension was observed after administration of protamine to one patient, but no etiologic mechanism was apparent. Previous reports suggest cardiovascular depression by protamine in the dog, a species highly susceptible to these effects. Data obtained in man in this study do not corroborate the canine studies.
Mitigating the Davos dilemma: towards a global self-sustainability index

ABSTRACT The ‘Davos dilemma’ posits a sustainability crisis, provoked by rising human population and intense competitive behaviours, in terms of control and access to depleting natural resources. More broadly understood as an ecological problem, rather than just socio-economic behavioural deficiencies, the call is for better integrated social, natural and business-indexed reporting within planetary boundaries. This poses challenges for nationally governed societies to equitably account for self-sustainability performance, in enabling their successive government agendas to re-orientate policies and industry investments as innovation towards achieving this in the longer term. We propose and test a global self-sustainability index for countries across four metrics: economic, environmental, social and innovation. Our tentative findings from a cross-country analysis of 27 countries during 2007–2010 illustrate the approach for wider systematic analysis and as a basis for future large-scale assessments on self-sustainability within and between countries.
Linguistic analysis of differences in portrayal of movie characters

We examine differences in portrayal of characters in movies using psycholinguistic and graph theoretic measures computed directly from screenplays. Differences are examined with respect to characters’ gender, race, age and other metadata. Psycholinguistic metrics are extrapolated to dialogues in movies using a linear regression model built on a set of manually annotated seed words. Interesting patterns are revealed about relationships between genders of production team and the gender ratio of characters. Several correlations are noted between gender, race, age of characters and the linguistic metrics.
New Types of Toxin A-Negative, Toxin B-Positive Strains among Clostridium difficile Isolates from Asia

ABSTRACT A total of 56 C. difficile strains were selected from 310 isolates obtained from different hospitals in Japan and Korea and from healthy infants from Indonesia. Strains that had been previously typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and PCR ribotyping, were characterized by toxinotyping and binary toxin gene detection. When toxinotyped, 35 strains were determined to be toxinotype 0, whereas 21 strains showed variations in toxin genes and could be grouped into 11 variant toxinotypes. Six of the toxinotypes had been described before (I, III, IV, VIII, IX, and XII). In addition, five new toxinotypes were defined (XVI to XX). Three of the new toxinotypes (XVIII, XIX, and XX) vary only in repetitive regions of tcdA and produce both toxins. In two strains from toxinotypes XVI and XVII, the production of TcdA could not be detected with commercial immunological kits. Strain J9965 (toxinotype XVII) was in PaLoc similar but not identical to another known A−B+ strain, C. difficile 8864. Strain SUC 36 (toxinotype XVI), on the other hand, was similar to well-defined group consisting of toxinotypes V, VI, and VII, which thus far includes only A+B+ strains. Toxinotypes XVI and XVII represent two new groups of A−B+ strains. Strains of the well-known A−B+ group from toxinotype VIII have a nonsense mutation at the beginning of tcdA gene, and the introduction of a stop codon at amino acid position 47 results in nonproduction of TcdA. The 5′-end sequence of tcdA in two newly described A−B+ strains does not contain an identical mutation. The prevalence of variant C. difficile strains varied greatly among nine hospitals. Only five strains from four different hospitals were positive in PCR for amplification of the binary toxin gene.
Returns from Financial Statement Analysis Among Low Book-to-Market Stocks: Evidence from India

The motivation behind this paper was to see if financial statement analysis could be employed by investors to design portfolios of low book-to-market stocks that could help them earn excess returns in the Indian context. Using a modified framework from Mohanram (2005), which employs a G_SCORE, capable of separating ex post winners from losers among low book-to-market companies, and portfolio formation on the basis of the G_SCORE, we find convincing evidence that financial statement analysis can help investors form profitable portfolios among low book-to-market stocks. We show that portfolios with high G_SCORE (6 to 7) provide outstanding returns both on absolute and risk-adjusted basis and far outperform the markets. At the same time, portfolios with low G_SCORE (0 to 3) offer very poor returns and always under-perform the markets on both absolute and risk-adjusted returns. Thus a growth investor could shift his distribution of returns rightwards by investing in portfolios of only high G_SCORE stocks; simultaneously shorting low G_SCORE portfolios would further amplify the returns.
Can the Prerequisites for Diffusion of Innovations Be Enhanced in a Local Government? - A case study of Lerum’s local government in Sweden

Innovation has been a field of studies where the focus on the private sector has been prominent. However, in recent years, the interest for public sector innovation has increased. In addition, also the field of diffusion of innovation has gained increased attention, but with limited studies within the context of a local government. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the work with innovations in the public sector by addressing what factors that affect the diffusion of innovation in a local government, and how the prerequisites for diffusion can be enhanced by an improved implementation process. In order to fulfil the purpose, data has been collected at Lerum’s local government in terms of two interview rounds and a conducted survey. The empirical findings were analysed together with the reviewed literature concerning diffusion of innovation theory, implementation theory as well as theory regarding public sector innovation. The study resulted in one conceptual model illustrating the diffusion of innovations and one guide for implementation being of a more practical character. The diffusion model includes an innovation-decision process, where individuals and their adoption process are affected by a number of factors both within and outside the organisation. The communication is also seen as one integrated and important part of this process. The implementation guide highlights areas being recommended for practitioners to take into account in order to improve the implementation process and thereby also the prerequisites for diffusion of innovation. After the development of the model and the guide, they were validated by a group of local experts and after this, revised in order to fit the operations of Lerum’s local government. The result of this study will be valuable for Lerum’s local government as well as other local governments.