Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-analysis of survival in African American and white American patients with breast cancer: ethnicity compared with socioeconomic status.

PURPOSE The extent to which socioeconomic disadvantages and inadequate health care access account for the disproportionately elevated mortality hazard observed in African American compared with white American patients with breast cancer is poorly defined. METHODS We identified 20 studies reported between January 1980 and June 2005 that provided survival analyses in patients with breast cancer after adjusting for ethnicity and some measurement of socioeconomic status. These studies also adjusted for age and stage of disease at time of diagnosis. RESULTS The pooled outcome data yielded estimates for the mortality hazard in 14,013 African American and 76,111 white American patients with breast cancer. Studies varied in their methods for assigning socioeconomic status, with most relying on area-wide measures such as census tract and census block data. The combined analysis (adjusted for age, stage, and socioeconomic status) revealed that African American ethnicity was associated with a statistically significant excess mortality risk in overall survival (mortality hazard, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.38) and in breast cancer-specific survival (mortality hazard, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.29). CONCLUSION Our pooled analysis demonstrated that African American ethnicity is a significant and independent predictor of poor outcome from breast cancer, even after accounting for socioeconomic status by conventional measures. These findings support the need for further investigation of the biologic, genetic, and sociocultural factors that may influence survival in African American patients with breast cancer.
Funding gap, what funding gap? Financial bootstrapping: Supply, demand and creation of entrepreneurial finance

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to make sense of the “funding gap” by exploring how and why informal entrepreneurial finance is made available to entrepreneurs. By challenging the epistemological and ontological assumptions of the “funding gap”, an enactment perspective of entrepreneurial finance, supported by a social constructionist stance, is proposed in this paper.Design/methodology/approach – The study on which this paper reports was conducted through a longitudinal fieldwork process. Networks in two Chinese cities, Shanghai and Hong Kong, were chosen because of their differences in institutional context yet exceptionally high level of entrepreneurial activities.Findings – This paper highlights the active role entrepreneurs play in managing their financial needs in the process of new venture creation. The results show that entrepreneurs are actively managing the demand as well as supply of entrepreneurial finance to narrow the “funding gap”. Furthermore, individuals work to fill the funding gap by.
Why Self-Interest Means Less Outside of a Social Context

Rational choice theories could be improved, their scope broadened, and their explanations made more powerful by asking not only `How do people go about getting what they know they want? ' but also `Why do people want what they want in the first place? '. The advantages of combining a theory of goal direction, which is the operational base of rational choice, and a theory of preference formation are manifold: a monistic conception of cause as self-interest is replaced by a pluralistic conception of culture allowing for a variety of motives for action; master objectives, which play out over a sequence of moves, supersede immediate objectives that cover only the next act; concentration on how institutional rules influence incentives, though valuable in and of itself, gives way to a parallel consideration of how individuals shape institutions; and the overwhelming concentration on material self-interest, which discomforts so many social scientists who might otherwise be well disposed to rational choice explanations, opens up into a diversity of selves who construct a variety of interests in the service of different ways of life (or cultures).
Water scarcity in the desert metropolis: how environmental values, knowledge and concern affect Las Vegas residents’ support for water conservation policy

This paper examines important associations between environmental values, knowledge, concern and attitudes about water conservation policies in a desert metropolis. Specifically, we consider: (a) the combined influence of environmental value orientation, knowledge of drought conditions and concern about water use on support for water conservation policies; (b) the relative association of each individual variable on policy support; (c) factors explaining support to increase water prices and restrict water use; and (d) associations between socio-demographic factors and water policy support. Based on data from the 2009 Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Social Survey, we find that environmental value orientation, knowledge and concern are all significant predictors of water conservation, but concern stands out as the primary predictor for water policy support. Knowledge of drought conditions is the strongest predictor of support for water price increases, while concern predicts support for water use restrictions. We discuss theoretical implications and offer suggestions for water management, conservation and outreach.
Odd Couples: Understanding 
the Governance of Firm–NGO Alliances

We leverage insights and theories from the extensive inter-firm alliance literature to explore the effect of the sector of the partners on Firm–NGO (B2N) alliance governance. Our analysis suggests that the sector of the partners has an important impact on alliance governance, not only because it constrains the availability of some governance mechanisms but also because it makes alternative mechanisms available or relevant to the partners. Specifically, we predict that B2N alliances will rely on contracts, a restricted scope, and non-equity hostages, such as reputational hostages and stakeholder involvement, rather than equity, leading to limited protection against opportunism. As a consequence, B2N alliance partners will need to rely on trust-based governance mechanisms to a greater extent than B2B alliance partners, although trust will be harder to build in B2N alliances.
Observed and Projected Future Shifts of Climatic Zones in Europe and Their Use to Visualize Climate Change Information

Abstract A Web site questionnaire survey in Finland suggested that maps illustrating projected shifts of Koppen climatic zones are an effective visualization tool for disseminating climate change information. The climate classification is based on seasonal cycles of monthly-mean temperature and precipitation, and it divides Europe and its adjacent land areas into tundra, boreal, temperate, and dry climate types. Projections of future changes in the climatic zones were composed using multimodel mean projections based on simulations performed with 19 global climate models. The projections imply that, depending on the greenhouse gas scenarios, about half or possibly even two-thirds of the study domain will be affected by shifts toward a warmer or drier climate type during this century. The projected changes within the next few decades are chiefly located near regions where shifts in the borders of the zones have already occurred during the period 1950–2006. The questionnaire survey indicated that the informa.
Triple-entry Bookkeeping: A Critique

Abstract This paper reviews Ijiri's proposals for triple-entry bookkeeping systems. The first part summarises the essential elements of Ijiri's proposals. Ijiri examines two different versions of triple-entry bookkeeping—temporal and differential; however, Ijiri himself concludes that temporal triple-entry bookkeeping is unsatisfactory and so this paper concentrates almost exclusively on differential triple-entry bookkeeping. Ijiri's theoretical approach is then examined, with the conclusion that it is methodologically unsound. There are two problems here. Ijiri does not define the objectives of his proposed system ex ante, and his integrity criterion is an arbitrary and imperfect one. Differential triple-entry bookkeeping is then analysed in detail and it is concluded that it may be imperfect in terms of Ijiri's own logical criteria. Potential usefulness is also examined, and it is concluded that this is at best problematic.
Bright CD38 expression is an indicator of MYC rearrangement

The MYC gene (at 8q24, previously referred to as C-MYC) rearrangement (R) with immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IGH) [t(8;14)(q24;q32)] or light chain genes [t(2;8)(p12;q24) or t(8;22)(q24;q11.2)] is an essentially constant genetic feature of Burkitt lymphoma [1]. However, this rearrangement can also be observed occasionally in other high grade Bcell lymphomas [2–5], many of which likely belong to the newly proposed category of ‘B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma’ in the 2008 WHO classification scheme. The prompt diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma and its histological mimics carrying MYC R is of great clinical importance because of the aggressiveness of these lymphomas and the requirement of different therapeutic strategies. Previous studies have largely focused on immunohistochemical markers, such as high proliferation fraction (MIB-1 or Ki-674 90%), typical immunophenotype of CD10þ/bcl-6þ/bcl-27, and CD38þ/ CD44/T-cell leukemia-1þ(TCL-1), to predict the presence of MYC R [2–6]. Recently, two groups reported that differential gene expression patterns could accurately distinguish between high grade B cell lymphoma with or without MYC R [7,8]. Although these markers have moderate to excellent predictive power, they are not available to make immediate management decisions. In contrast, multi-parameter flow cytometry (MFC) immunophenotyping can be available within hours of a primary diagnostic procedure, such as a biopsy or fine needle aspiration (FNA). In light of the differential expression of CD38 in high grade B-cell lymphoma with and without MYC R, we aimed at defining the predictive power of CD38 expression analysed by MFC for MYC R. We used the institutional MFC and cytogenetics databases to search for cases of CD10(þ) B-cell lymphoma of medium to large cell size (so-called high grade B-cell lymphoma) with available MYC R fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis and/or conventional cytogenetics diagnosed from 2002 to 2008. This yielded 106 cases that were divided according to MYC status into three groups: 54 cases with MYC R in group I [50 cases with t(8;14)(q24;q32), 3 with t(2;8)(p12;q24) and 1 with t(8;22)(q24;q11.2)], 13 cases with numerical abnormalities of MYC (extra MYC signal) in group II, and 39 cases with normal MYC in group III. Of note, about one fourth of cases had a conventional karyotype, none of which showed evidence for other recurrent translocations such as t(14;18). The remaining cases were subjected to FISH analysis for t(8;14) only. In the cases with MYC R, there were no additional aberrant signals involving chromosome 14 to suggest a concurrent translocation involving immunoglobulin heavy chain gene [such as t(14;18)]. The four 4-color combinations (FITC/PE/PerCP/ APC) used to characterise the B-cell populations were CD10/CD19/CD20/CD38, kappa/lambda/20/ 38, lambda/kappa/CD5/CD19 and FMC-7/CD23/ CD5/CD19. The level of CD38-APC expression (clone HB7 from BD Biosciences) was quantified as mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and classified as
Efficacy of sublingual allergen vaccination for respiratory allergy in children. Conclusions from one meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Sublingual route, that allows the safe administration of allergen vaccination at home and without injections, is a highly attractive alternative to parenteral delivery, especially among the youngest population. However, its efficacy in children has been questioned. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy (symptom and medication scores) of sublingual allergen vaccination compared to placebo in paediatric patients. SEARCH STRATEGY MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were explored (completed in January/04) for potentially relevant studies. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials involving children < or = 14 years-old with either rhinitis or asthma of proved allergic aetiology. Data collection and analysis. Two reviewers analyzed independently the eligibility of studies for inclusion. The combined standardized mean difference (SMD) method was used to evaluate differences. Since heterogeneity was expected, probably due to the different procedures from each trial, we used the random effect model to obtain SMD. However, we also present the SMD values from the fixed effect model. The main outcomes were clinical symptom (asthma, rhinitis and conjunctivitis) and drug requirement scores. Safety, immunological and clinical changes were also reviewed. RESULTS Seven double-blind placebo-controlled trials, enrolling 256 children (129 treatment and 127 placebo recipients), were analyzed. We observed decreases in symptom (SMD: -1.42 for asthma, -0.44 for rhinitis and -1.49 for conjunctivitis) and medication requirement (SMD: -1.01) scores. Only reductions in asthma (p=0.01) and drug dosage (p=0.06) scores reached statistical significance with the random effect model but changes in rhinitis symptoms (p=0.27) or conjunctival symptoms (p=0.19) were not statisticaly significant. Results obtained with the fixed effect model were similar in magnitude (SMD: -1.60 for asthma, SMD: -0.47 for rhinitis, SMD: -1.09 for conjunctivitis and, SMD: -0.54 for drug intake). Safety was a constant in all the studies; neither severe nor systemic reactions were observed and, oral and gastrointestinal complains were the most common adverse effects. CONCLUSION In children, sublingual delivery of allergen vaccination constitutes a safe and effective alternative to the sublingual route to reduce allergy respiratory symptoms and drug intake. Further studies in this group of age are required to establish the optimal conditions for sublingual allergen vaccination.
Rabbit eye exposure to broad-spectrum fluorescent light.

Two F40CW fluorescent lamps mounted in an EYS-2404 fixture and 300 nm, 5 nm waveband UV radiation were used to expose pigmented rabbit eyes. The results of the exposures to the eye were evaluated with the biomicroscope, ophthalmoscope, light microscope and electron microscope. The following conclusions were reached: The adverse ocular responses to fluorescent radiation exposure were due to long-duration, broadband radiation. These reactions were more generalized for fluorescent exposures when the cornea and lens are compared to UV exposures. The differences between the levels of threshold exposure needed to cause damage for the fluorescent source and UV radiation were attributed to exposure duration and the rate of delivery of the radiation. Corneal and lenticular damage was mild when compared with UV 300 nm exposures, and the threshold occurred after 8 h to 12 h of exposure. The effect of the radiation was to interfere with the normal functions of the cell while changes to the inert materials in the tissues was secondary to injury to the cell. The damage was mild in the corneal epithelium, somewhat more severe in the corneal endothelium, but minimal in the corneal stroma. Early retinal changes were found after 8 h of exposure to the fluorescent source. These induced changes were evident in the neural retina as spaces and were assumed to represent oedema. The retinal oedema was initially found only in the receptor cell, outer nuclear and nerve fibre layers. Many vacuoles or spaces were located in the junctional area between the ganglion cell and nerve fibre layers while smaller spacing occurred also within the nerve fibre layer. Twelve h of exposure to the fluorescent source produced a further increase in the oedema in the retina. The outer segments of the receptor cells appear to disintegrate and significant open spaces are evident among the inner and outer segments of the receptors. The inner plexiform layer shows an increased number of spaces within and among the neural elements, and the mitochondria appeared to be undergoing changes. The 20-h and longer exposure induced severe changes affecting all layers of the retina. These changes include massive retinal oedema with degenerative signs in all retinal neurons. A sympathetic reaction of the unexposed, contralateral eye occurred as the result of the damage to the exposed eye. Minimal sympathetic responses to the cornea and the lens began at exposure durations at or above 12 h, while the retina showed the sympathetic reaction beginning at 8 h. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The labour market impact of body weight in China: a semiparametric analysis

While a positive wage effect of Body Mass Index (BMI) is widely observed in low-income developing countries, a negative wage effect of BMI is often observed in high-income developed countries. To fill the gap between these previous findings, we investigate the relationship between body weight and wages in transition economies. We focus on China, whose rapid economic growth of the 1990s was followed by a rapid increase in overweight and obesity while still experiencing significant food insecurity and underweight. we first use several parametric regression strategies to obtain a consistent estimate of the wage effects of weight. Second, we adopt a semiparametric partially linear model that allows for endogeneity of weight. Parametric regressions provide mixed results, and the sign and magnitude of their estimates are sensitive to the choice of samples and regression strategies. Semiparametric estimates provide evidence of a wage penalty for very heavy and thin persons among both men and women. The wage penalty is more significant among men than among women. Semiparametric results also indicate that parametric estimates can overstate and misrepresent the wage effects of weight for healthy weight persons due to their restrictive functional form assumptions.
Understanding the organizational impact of PLM systems: evidence from an aerospace company

Purpose – The implementation of product lifecycle management (PLM) technologies poses different challenges in comparison to the ones faced by companies using other information systems. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of PLM on both new product development (NPD) process and on users' individual work, and also to analyse the linkages between PLM's organizational impact and users' attitudes towards technology.Design/methodology/approach – This research is based on a survey of PLM end‐users in an aerospace company.Findings – This paper shows that in the NPD process, PLM favoured a tighter workflow logic, easier product carryover, and more efficient product data retrieval. At the individual level, this has led users to spend more time on technical work, without impacting their productivity. This was true in the product design department and for older workers with low job seniority in particular.Research limitations/implications – Although the findings were drawn from a singl.
Pre-/Post-Knowledge Assessment of an Earth Science Course for Elementary/Middle School Education Majors

Many K-12 educators never experience active learning processes in their science courses that are part of their formal teacher preparation program because of the prevalence of the didactic teaching approach (lecture-read-answer) used in undergraduate science classrooms. From an educational perspective there are substantial benefits to experiencing the process of science through active learning strategies. A 16-week, one semester course entitled, “Earth Systems Science for Educators” has been designed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to use an active learning approach to improve student knowledge of basic Earth science concepts. To evaluate the extent to which their knowledge has improved, we developed a fairly simple assessment instrument, which consists of 38 statements in which the student responds true-false-“I do not know. ” Based on pre- and post-course assessments of 108 elementary and middle-level education majors who took the class in 5 different semesters from 1998 to 2000, there was an average increase in their content knowledge of 30 percent.
Syntactic methods for topic-independent authorship attribution

Abstract The efficacy of syntactic features for topic-independent authorship attribution is evaluated, taking a feature set of frequencies of words and punctuation marks as baseline. The features are ‘deep’ in the sense that they are derived by parsing the subject texts, in contrast to ‘shallow’ syntactic features for which a part-of-speech analysis is enough. The experiments are made on two corpora of online texts and one corpus of novels written around the year 1900. The classification tasks include classical closed-world authorship attribution, identification of separate texts among the works of one author, and cross-topic authorship attribution. In the first tasks, the feature sets were fairly evenly matched, but for the last task, the syntax-based feature set outperformed the baseline feature set. These results suggest that, compared to lexical features, syntactic features are more robust to changes in topic.
Market penetration strategies and the fee–performance relationship: the case of Spanish money mutual funds

This article shows that market penetration strategies are common practice during the product introduction stage in the money mutual funds in Spain. During this stage there is no relation between fees and performance because this strategy is optimal. In order to analyse this relationship during the other stages of the product life cycle, funds under three years old were omitted from the analysis. Among the remaining funds, those with the highest fees are found to present a higher gross return than the low-fee funds, although the difference is not statistically significant. Nevertheless, in terms of net returns, low-fee funds are observed to stochastically dominate high-fee funds for any risk-averse investor. These findings hold for any managerial skill level or segmentation by the mutual fund family type.
Teachers' preferred contexts for Mathematical Literacy as possible initiators for Mathematics for Action

Abstract The reasons provided by teachers for the contextual issues they would prefer and not for learners to deal with in Mathematical Literacy were analysed. This analysis rendered that teachers consider situations from the background of the learners and those that will not conflict with teachers' personal pedagogical ideologies as important contexts to be used in Mathematical Literacy. Issues from learners' background are intensely political and this leads to the wonderment whether the handling of such issues should remain at a level of awareness- making. To deal with this wonderment the notion of mathematics in action is extended to mathematics for action. It is concluded that teachers' preferred contexts to be used in Mathematical Literacy open the possibility for the inclusion of an action component which can contribute towards societal transformation as desired by the South African Mathematical Literacy curriculum.