Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor-induced macrocytosis.

BACKGROUND The tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) sunitinib and imatinib were shown to induce macrocytosis in patients with renal cell cancer (RCC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), presumably through inhibition of the c-KIT dependent signaling pathway of erythroid progenitor cells of the bone marrow. PATIENTS AND METHODS Hematology charts of patients with RCC, breast cancer (BC), GIST, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and hepatocellular cancer (HCC), receiving single-agent sunitinib, imatinib, sorafenib, erlotinib and BI 2992 (Tovok) at the recommended dose for at least 3 months were reviewed retrospectively for the occurrence of macrocytosis. RESULTS Macrocytosis occurred in all patients with RCC and BC treated with sunitinib and in all patients with GIST treated with imatinib. The percentage increase of the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of peripheral red blood cells (RBC) compared with baseline at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months was 12.4%, 16.8%, 16.6%, 12.7% and 0.7%, 5.6%, 5.9%, 5% with sunitinib and imatinib respectively. The values at 3, 6 and 9 months between both groups were significantly different. Sorafenib, erlotinib and BI 2992 did not induce macrocytosis. CONCLUSION Sunitinib-induced macrocytosis was not confined to patients with RCC alone but also occurred in patients with BC. Imatinib also induced macrocytosis in patients with GIST but to a significantly lower degree. Because both drugs were used at an effective pharmacodynamic dose inhibiting c-KIT, these data strongly suggest that pathways in addition to c-KIT and not common to both agents are involved in the TKI-induced macrocytosis.
International Capital Flows and Portfolio Equilibrium

This paper develops a model of international capital flows from a general equilibrium model of the financial markets of an open economy. Capital flows are viewed as the mechanism by which a domestic excess demand for money is removed and consequently the key explanatory variables in the model are changes in domestic income, the currentaccount balance, changes in domestic monetary instruments, and changes in foreign interest rates since these will all affect either the demand for or supply of money. The quarterly estimates of the capital flow equation for Australia, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands appear to be consistent with the hypotheses derived from the model.
Foreign aid and political influence of the development assistance committee countries

This paper empirically examines whether voting coincidence in the United Nations General Assembly increases between donors and recipients after foreign aid is distributed. It extends previous literature by expanding the donor countries considered and by testing the long-run political influence of aid. The results show that Canada, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom exhibit a positive relationship between voting coincidence and aid distribution. The results also show a positive relationship between voting coincidence and aid for the United States, but only in the long run when the yearly panels are collapsed into three-year averages. The latter result may provide an explanation for why previous studies find mixed results as to whether the United States uses aid for political support. The results are robust to the inclusion of measures of economic power, military power, dependence on foreign support, and international trade patterns. Keywords
Market Power, Economic Profitability and Productivity Growth Measurement: An Integrated Structural Approach

The purpose of this paper is to treat scale economies, profit-maximizing markups, economic profitability, capacity utilization and productivity growth within an integrated structural model, and to assess their interactions empirically using annual two-digit U.S. manufacturing data. Attention is focused on error biases in measuring productivity using traditional accounting procedures. An important conjecture by Robert Hall, that the coexistence of normal economic profits and positive markups of price over marginal cost imply the existence of substantial scale economies and excess capacity, is then examined using this structure. The empirical results suggest that markups in most U.S. manufacturing firms have increased over time, and tend to the countercyclical. However, procyclical capacity utilization and scale economies tend to offset the short run profit potential from markup behavior. As a result, on average economic profits are normal, but declining profitability is prevalent in most industries since the early 1970s. Also, although cost and revenue shares tend to be approximately equal, the error biases in standard productivity growth measures resulting from input fixity and scale economies are substantial, particularly over business cycles.
The Nexus Between Gender and Perceived Career Opportunities

Although the horizontal representation of women in the U.S. workforce has significantly increased, numerous studies have found that there is still a substantial underrepresentation of women at high-level positions. In light of this fact, this article examines differences in perceived career opportunities between men and women in the federal workforce as well as the evolution of these differences between 2006 and 2013. To do this, a heterogeneous choice model is used to examine representative samples of two waves of the U.S. federal employee viewpoint survey. We come to the finding that a difference in perceived career opportunities exists and, surprisingly, that this difference did not decrease or increase during the examined time period.
Cognitive and behavioural factors as predictors of abstinence following treatment for alcohol dependence.

AIM To assess how far causal attributions about abstinence and relapse, drinking self-efficacy, drinking locus of control expectancy and coping behaviour discriminate abstainers from relapsers following treatment for alcohol dependence. DESIGN A multicentre 6-month follow-up study. SETTING Mental health centres and self-help groups in Vizcaya (Spain). PARTICIPANTS The sample was formed by 201 alcoholics who were assessed at their centres and groups on two occasions: while they were in treatment and 6 months later. MEASUREMENTS During treatment, participants completed several questionnaires related to cognitive and behavioural variables. Drinking problem and background variables were also assessed. Six months later their drinking status and treatment attendance were examined. FINDINGS Multivariate tests showed that self-efficacy expectancy and long previous time in abstinence independently discriminated alcoholics who maintained abstinence from those who did not. Other cognitive-behavioural variables showed bivariate association with abstinence, but did not add predictive power to these two measures. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are consistent with the extensive literature that confirms the predictor power of self-efficacy. Unexpectedly, it did not find independent positive relationships between other psychological variables and abstinence. Given that self-efficacy can predict outcome in the medium term, it is suggested that treatment could target this variable.
Do country or firm factors explain capital structure? Evidence from SMEs in France and Greece

We investigate the capital structure determinants of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) using a sample of Greek and French firms. We address the following questions: Are the capital structure determinants of SMEs in the two countries driven by similar factors? Are potential differences driven by country-specific or firm-specific factors? Are the size and structure of their financial markets important factors to explain any cross-country differences on SME capital structure? To answer these questions we apply panel data methods to the sample of firms for the period 1998 to 2002. We assess the extent to which the debt to assets ratio of firms depends upon their asset structure, size, profitability and growth rate. The results show that the SMEs in both countries exhibit similarities in their capital structure choices. Asset structure and profitability have a negative relationship with leverage, whereas firm size is positively related to their debt to assets ratio. Growth is statistically significant only for France and is positively related to debt. We attribute these similarities to their institutional characteristics and in particular the commonality of their civil law systems. We find differences in the intensity of the capital structure relationship between the two countries. We provide evidence that these differences are due to firm-specific rather than country factors.
Acoustic Signal based Optimal Route Selection Problem: Performance Comparison of Multi-Attribute Decision Making methods

Multiple attribute for decision making including user preference will increase the complexity of route selection process. Various approaches have been proposed to solve the optimal route selection problem. In this paper, multi attribute decision making (MADM) algorithms such as Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Weighted Product Method (WPM), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and Total Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods have been proposed for acoustic signature based optimal route selection to facilitate user with better quality of service. The traffic density state conditions (very low, low, below medium, medium, above medium, high and very high) on the road segment is the occurrence and mixture weightings of traffic noise signals (Tyre, Engine, Air Turbulence, Exhaust, and Honks etc) is considered as one of the attribute in decision making process. The short-term spectral envelope features of the cumulative acoustic signals are extracted using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Classifier (ANFC) is used to model seven traffic density states. Simple point method and AHP has been used for calculation of weights of decision parameters. Numerical results show that WPM, AHP and TOPSIS provide similar performance.
Relationship between capital, risk and efficiency: A comparative study between Islamic and conventional banks of Bangladesh

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relationship between capital risk and efficiency of Islamic and conventional banks operating in Bangladesh. In this pursuit, the research attempts to answer these questions: do inefficient banks assume more risk? Is there any major difference between Islamic and conventional banks in terms of efficiency and risk taking behavior? Design/methodology/approach – The study collects various bank-level data from the audited financial statements of Islamic and conventional banks for the period of 2001 to 2011. Collected data are analyzed using Stochastic Frontier Analysis for efficiency estimation and Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) approach for assessing the relationship between capital, risk, and efficiency. Findings – Analysis of data shows that conventional banks are more efficient in managing cost than Islamic banks. Moreover, the SUR results show that the relation between capital and efficiency are bidirectional and negative, whereas the relation between cap.
The Ethics of Tax Evasion: A Survey of Law and Business Students in Argentina

The ethics of tax evasion has been discussed sporadically in the theological and philosophical literature for at least 500 years. Martin Crowe wrote a doctoral thesis that reviewed much of that literature in 1944. The debate revolved around about 15 issues. Over the centuries, three main views evolved on the topic. This paper begins with a review of the literature and identifies the main issues and summarizes the three main viewpoints that have emerged over the centuries. It then reports on the results of a survey of Argentinean law and business students who were asked their opinions on the ethics of tax evasion. The survey consisted of 18 statements, representing the 15 issues and 3 viewpoints that have emerged over the centuries plus 3 statements representing more recent issues. Participants were asked to signify the extent of their agreement with each statement by placing a number from 1 to 7 in the space provided. Two hundred eighteen (218) usable responses were received. The data were then analyzed to determine which of the three viewpoints was dominant among the sample population. The two groups were compared to determine whether their responses were different. Male scores were also compared to female scores to determine if the responses differed by gender.
Variation and stability in Dutch noise policy: an analysis of dominant advocacy coalitions

Noise exposure has harmful effects on human health. Despite policy on the prevention and reduction of noise, the environmental burden is increasing, specifically due to road traffic noise. Noise policy in the Netherlands is organised in a rather complex way, with different legal frameworks for the various sources of noise. Whereas noise limits have frequently been adjusted in the traffic noise policy subsystem, the industrial and aviation noise policy subsystems are characterised by stability in norm setting. This paper aims to explain the differences in dynamics within the noise policy subsystems, by applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). We conclude that the dynamics in the traffic noise policy subsystem is mainly due to two adversary coalitions advocating legislative arrangements to accommodate respective spatial claims. The stability in industrial and aircraft noise policy subsystems is explained by ‘balanced’ coalitions and a dominant economy coalition, respectively. We identified the (only) path to policy change in Dutch noise policy to be cross-coalition learning in which ‘policy brokerage’ might be crucial. We conclude with some reflections on the use of ACF in empirical research and the role of professional forums and institutional arrangements in stability and/or change in policy subsystems.
Disseminated Tumor Cells in Bone Marrow and Circulating Tumor Cells in Blood of Breast Cancer Patients: Current State of Detection and Characterization

Despite the progress resulting from early detection and improved adjuvant therapy, the prognosis of breast cancer patients is still limited by the occurrence of distant metastases largely due to clinically occult micrometastases that remain undetected at primary diagnosis even by high-resolution imaging approaches. Recent research efforts have concentrated on the identification of additional parameters allowing individual risk assessment and stratification of patients for targeted therapies, since traditional prognostic factors are not sufficient to predict metastatic relapse and treatment decisions are still mainly based on statistical risk parameters. Highly sensitive and specific immunocytochemical and molecular assays now enable the detection and characterization of disseminated and circulating tumor cells (DTCs and CTCs, respectively) at the single cell level in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood, providing insights into the first crucial steps of the metastatic cascade. However, because of the still high variability of results in DTC/CTC detection, the necessity of standardized approaches will be discussed. A large number of studies showed that the presence of DTCs in BM has prognostic impact for primary breast cancer patients. DTCs are likely to escape from chemotherapy by maintaining a dormant nonproliferating state. There is also evidence for a stem cell-like phenotype of DTCs, probably contributing to the opportunity to escape from dormancy control and to start expansion to manifest metastases. Blood would also be an ideal source for the detection and monitoring of CTCs because of an easy noninvasive sampling procedure enabling repeated analyses. While prognostic significance of CTCs could be reliably demonstrated for metastatic breast cancer, studies to analyze the impact of CTCs in primary breast cancer patients and the potential to replace or supplement BM analysis are still ongoing. Furthermore, molecular characterization of CTCs might contribute to improving targeted and more individualized cancer therapies.
The benefit of environmental improvement in the southeastern United States: Evidence from a simultaneous model of cancer mortality, toxic chemical releases and house values

A simultaneous model of house values, cancer mortality and total releases is estimated to study the economic cost of environmental health risks. Health risks include county level total releases from the Toxics Release Inventory, number of Superfund sites, and cancer mortality in the Southeastern U.S. The generalized spatial two stage least squares model is applied to obtain parameter estimates. Results suggest the average value of statistical life for a representative at the county level to be 4.77 million in 2000 dollars. Further, based on model simulations, we find that a 1 percent reduction in releases should result in the total benefits of $3.3 billion in perpetuity. Copyright (c) 2008 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2008 RSAI.
The Impact of Manufactured Housing on Adjacent Residential Property Values: A GIS Approach Based on Three North Carolina Counties

This empirical study examines the impact of manufactured housing (MH) on the values of adjacent siteâ€ built residential properties using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and large data samples for three counties in North Carolina, USA, for the period of 1994â€ 2000. Both property appreciation rates (AR) and property values (PV) are examined with respect to proximity to MH. While ARs are based on a simple measure of value appreciation, PVs are estimated in a linear regression based hedonic price model, which is designed to captures the contributions of structure and location attributes to property values. Results indicate that the appreciation rates slightly decreased with distance from a MH unit in Buncombe and Wake, but the reverse is true in Pitt. The statistical analyses reveal that proximity to a manufactured home influences the value of nearby siteâ€ built residential property. Estimated property values show that the further away from a manufactured home, the higher the siteâ€ built property value, other things being equal.
Stability and change in US city policymaking: evidence and a path forward

A central issue in urban political analysis is the way in which city-governing institutions prioritize and react to changing demands for policies and services. In this article, we examine these dynamics in American city governments through the lens of two policy process frameworks: incrementalism and punctuated equilibrium. Using panel data from all 278 Michigan cities from 2005 to 2011, the empirical analysis mostly finds evidence of punctuated processes, though the degree of punctuatedness varies systematically across city governments and by issues domain. Considerable stability is a central feature of US city policymaking; but so too are rapid and extreme changes in policy priorities – particularly in domains outside the ‘basic maintenance’ functions of American city governments, such as community development, social welfare, and recreation and culture. Ultimately, this research challenges incremental models of city policymaking, while adding breadth to the growing literature on punctuated equilibrium in national and subnational governments.
Disrupting assembly of the inner membrane complex blocks Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage development

Transmission of malaria parasites relies on the formation of a specialized blood form called the gametocyte. Gametocytes of the human pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum, adopt a crescent shape. Their dramatic morphogenesis is driven by the assembly of a network of microtubules and an underpinning inner membrane complex (IMC). Using super-resolution optical and electron microscopies we define the ultrastructure of the IMC at different stages of gametocyte development. We characterize two new proteins of the gametocyte IMC, called PhIL1 and PIP1. Genetic disruption of PhIL1 or PIP1 ablates elongation and prevents formation of transmission-ready mature gametocytes. The maturation defect is accompanied by failure to form an enveloping IMC and a marked swelling of the digestive vacuole, suggesting PhIL1 and PIP1 are required for correct membrane trafficking. Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry we reveal that PhIL1 interacts with known and new components of the gametocyte IMC.
Stock Market Integration, Return Forecastability and Implications for Market Efficiency: A Panel Study

Using a panel data set for 18 stock countries, this paper finds fairly strong integration among national equity markets. A country's stock index price can be decomposed into a common trend component and a stationary country-specific component. Results show that the 18 country indexes reverse to the world trend with a speed of 18% per year, and that the Hong Kong market converges to other markets with a speed of 22% per year or a half life of around three years. The two components can be separately estimated using maximum likelihood. The country-specific component displays substantial variability and is found to have both mean reversion over the long horizon and momentum over the short horizon. A simple parametric trading strategy exploiting simultaneously mean reversion and momentum effects produces an excess return of 16.7% per year, which exceeds those of strategies based on momentum or mean reversion separately. The excess return is statistically significant, and cannot be explained by systematic risk factors or by transaction costs. The results seem to support the behavioralist overreaction view vis-ˆj-vis an efficient markets view.
Development of Pure Prolactin Receptor Antagonists*

Prolactin (PRL) promotes tumor growth in various experimental models and leads to prostate hyperplasia and mammary neoplasia in PRL transgenic mice. Increasing experimental evidence argues for the involvement of autocrine PRL in this process. PRL receptor antagonists have been developed to counteract these undesired proliferative actions of PRL. However, all forms of PRL receptor antagonists obtained to date exhibit partial agonism, preventing their therapeutic use as full antagonists. In the present study, we describe the development of new human PRL antagonists devoid of agonistic properties and therefore able to act as pure antagonists. This was demonstrated using several in vitro bioassays, including highly sensitive assays able to detect extremely low levels of receptor activation. These new compounds also act as pure antagonists in vivo, as assessed by analyzing their ability to competitively inhibit PRL-triggered signaling cascades in various target tissues (liver, mammary gland, and prostate). Finally, by using transgenic mice expressing PRL specifically in the prostate, which exhibit constitutively activated signaling cascades paralleling hyperplasia, we show that these new PRL analogs are able to completely revert PRL-activated events. These second generation human PRL antagonists are good candidates to be used as inhibitors of growth-promoting actions of PRL.