Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Steroid Sulfatase as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Endometrial Cancer

Purpose The aim of the study was to determine steroid sulfatase (STS) expression in endometrial cancer patients and its correlation with disease prognosis. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective study in 59 patients who underwent surgery with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer from January 2000 to December 2011 at Hanyang University Hospital. Immuno-histochemical staining of STS was performed using rabbit polyclonal anti-STS antibody. Results Sixteen of the 59 patients (27.1%) were positive for STS expression. Disease free survival (DFS) was 129.83±8.67 [95% confidence interval (CI): 112.84–146.82] months in the STS positive group (group A) and 111.06±7.17 (95% CI: 97.01–125.10) months in the STS negative group (group B) (p=0.92). Overall survival (OS) was 129.01±9.38 (95% CI: 110.63–147.38) months and 111.16±7.10 (95% CI: 97.24–125.07) months for the groups A and B, respectively (p=0.45). Univariate analysis revealed that FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy are significantly associated with DFS and OS. However, in multivariate analysis, FIGO stage and adjuvant therapy did not show any statistical significance with DFS and OS. STS was also not significantly associated with DFS and OS in univariate and multivariate analysis. Conclusion STS expression was not significantly associated with DFS and OS, despite positive STS expression in 27% of endometrial cancer patients. Therefore, the role of STS as a prognostic factor in patients with endometrial cancer remains unclear and requires further research.
Epigenetic Loss of MLH1 Expression in Normal Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Clones is Defined by the Promoter CpG Methylation Pattern Observed by High-Throughput Methylation Specific Sequencing

Normal human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPC) lose expression of MLH1, an important mismatch repair (MMR) pathway gene, with age. Loss of MMR leads to replication dependent mutational events and microsatellite instability observed in secondary acute myelogenous leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. Epigenetic CpG methylation upstream of the MLH1 promoter is a contributing factor to acquired loss of MLH1 expression in tumors of the epithelia and proximal mucosa. Using single molecule high-throughput bisulfite sequencing we have characterized the CpG methylation landscape from −938 to −337 bp upstream of the MLH1 transcriptional start site (position +0), from 30 hematopoietic colony forming cell clones (CFC) either expressing or not expressing MLH1. We identify a correlation between MLH1 promoter methylation and loss of MLH1 expression. Additionally, using the CpG site methylation frequencies obtained in this study we were able to generate a classification algorithm capable of sorting the expressing and non-expressing CFC. Thus, as has been previously described for many tumor cell types, we report for the first time a correlation between the loss of MLH1 expression and increased MLH1 promoter methylation in CFC derived from CD34+ selected hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
Reducing Violence in Hayward, California: Learning from Homicides

This product is part of the RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment working paper series. RAND working papers are intended to share researchers' latest findings and to solicit informal peer review. They have been approved for circulation by RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment but have not been formally edited or peer reviewed. Unless otherwise indicated, working papers can be quoted and cited without permission of the author, provided the source is clearly referred to as a working paper. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. is a registered trademark. iii Preface This working paper is a descriptive analysis of homicides from 1998 to 2002 in Hayward, California. It complements earlier analyses of violence in several other California jurisdictions, including Attorney's offices, is a strategic, coordinated approach to reducing gun violence in America. The role of RAND researchers in the Hayward project is to provide research and support for the strategic planning components of the initiative. The goals of this program are to (1) increase the capacity of Project Safe Neighborhood task forces to design data-driven strategies that produce measurable decreases in firearms-related crime and (2) improve the long-term ability of federal, state, and local agencies to work together to understand, prosecute, and prevent firearms-related violent crime within their jurisdictions. The purpose of this working paper is to describe homicide violence in Hayward. The analysis described here should be of use to Project Safe Neighborhoods task forces in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere as well as to others interested in crime and safety issues. Readers should understand that this document is a synopsis of analysis done to date and is not a final product prepared for either the funding source or the U.S. Attorney. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This study was conducted within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment, which is a unit of the RAND Corporation. Among other areas, RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment conducts research and analysis that helps inform policymakers and communities in the area of public safety, including law enforcement, terrorism preparedness, immigration, emergency response and management, and natural disasters; criminal justice, including sentencing and corrections policy, firearms, and community violence; and drug policy, including problems related to illegal drugs and substance abuse. Inquiries regarding RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment …
Gender wage gaps in post-reform rural China

In the Mao era, the employment status of women in China rose from one of the lowest in the world to one in which equality between men and women reached a level matched by few developing countries. Before the 1950s, women in China suffered from a tradition of Confucian ideology. Subordinate to men and destined to serve others, women had access to few formal employment opportunities and those that did suffered from wage and work standard discrimination. Under Socialism, leaders instituted policies designed to provide equal pay for equal work. Female work participation in urban areas reached more than 90 percent prior to the reforms and their sense of entitlement to their work and equal pay was high. Although wage discrepancies still existed in rural areas and the opportunities to work off the farm were limited by policy, the wage gaps in agricultural jobs were small relative to other countries in the world.
The Real Effects of Credit Default Swaps András

We examine the effect of introducing Credit Default Swaps (CDSs) on firms’ investment and financing policies. Our model allows for dynamic investment and dynamic financing using equity and debt, and credit risk can be hedged using CDSs. A calibrated version of the model allows us to do a counterfactual analysis, in which we compare an economy with to an economy without a CDS market. Both the negative effect of CDSs of increasing the probability of bankruptcy and the positive effect of reducing the risk of strategic default are present in the model. The effect of reducing the cost of debt dominates, allowing the firm to gain from a source of financing less costly than equity, which leads to higher investment and firm value. Our model is able to reconcile seemingly conflicting empirical evidence regarding the effect of CDSs in reducing the cost of debt capital and in increasing the default probability. Finally, we show that the real effect on investment and firm value is largest for firms that are small and have high growth opportunities.
The impact of the transition economy on gender composition in employment in the Russian heavy industry

The emergence of the Russian Federation as an independent country has resulted in vast social, political and economic change; for example, economic instability has led to the diminution of women’s labour market participation. Through in-depth interviews with managers, employees and trade union officials of a case-study organization, `Ruscoal`, and another mining company in the region, this research examines the social and economic dimensions that impact on the gender composition of employment in the Russian coal industry. It will also explain continuity and changes in gender composition during a period of transition, which has implications for both female and male employment in the `Ruscoal' Mining Company. Through the theoretical lens of patriarchy, this research draws attention to the experiences of women and their interaction with the social and work environments; it also explores their employment and work experience subsequent to transitional restructuring in Russia. Sixty-five per cent of work placements are legally prohibited for females under the Russian Labour legislation. Prohibited placements are classified as professions with working conditions that are harmful or dangerous for women’s reproductive health; the majority of these workplaces are in heavy industry. As a result of this protective legislation, women are often excluded from numerous skilled jobs. Moreover, women are categorized as workers who require more social benefits, and strict rules must be followed for their employment; thus, they have become a second-class group of workers. This research shows that the pressure of the double burden of paid and unpaid work on women during transition has not only remained but also increased. Gender inequality was present in the Soviet Union, and during the transition period it has been reinforced not only by objective problems of the transitional period but also by a reassertion of the patriarchal system of Russian society. Nevertheless, this thesis emphasizes the importance of considering the role of occupational communities and how their norms and traditions also influence the behavioural norms of the local population.
Adipose derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy in the treatment of isolated knee chondral lesions: design of a randomised controlled pilot study comparing arthroscopic microfracture versus arthroscopic microfracture combined with postoperative mesenchymal stem cell injections

Introduction The management of intra-articular chondral defects in the knee remains a challenge. Inadequate healing in areas of weight bearing leads to impairment in load transmission and these defects predispose to later development of osteoarthritis. Surgical management of full thickness chondral defects include arthroscopic microfracture and when appropriate autologous chondrocyte implantation. This latter method however is technically challenging, and may not offer significant improvement over microfracture. Preclinical and limited clinical trials have indicated the capacity of mesenchymal stem cells to influence chondral repair. The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology of a pilot randomised controlled trial comparing arthroscopic microfracture alone for isolated knee chondral defects versus arthroscopic microfracture combined with postoperative autologous adipose derived mesenchymal stem cell injections. Methods and analysis A pilot single-centre randomised controlled trial is proposed. 40 participants aged 18–50 years, with isolated femoral condyle chondral defects and awaiting planned arthroscopic microfracture will be randomly allocated to a control group (receiving no additional treatment) or treatment group (receiving postoperative adipose derived mesenchymal stem cell treatment). Primary outcome measures will include MRI assessment of cartilage volume and defects and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. Secondary outcomes will include further MRI assessment of bone marrow lesions, bone area and T2 cartilage mapping, a 0–10 Numerical Pain Rating Scale, a Global Impression of Change score and a treatment satisfaction scale. Adverse events and cointerventions will be recorded. Initial outcome follow-up for publication of results will be at 12 months. Further annual follow-up to assess long-term differences between the two group will occur. Ethics and dissemination This trial has received prospective ethics approval through the Latrobe University Human Research Ethics Committee. Dissemination of outcome data is planned through both national and international conferences and formal publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Trial registration number Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR Trial ID: ACTRN12614000812695).
Subjective visual perception: from local processing to emergent phenomena of brain activity

The combination of electrophysiological recordings with ambiguous visual stimulation made possible the detection of neurons that represent the content of subjective visual perception and perceptual suppression in multiple cortical and subcortical brain regions. These neuronal populations, commonly referred to as the neural correlates of consciousness, are more likely to be found in the temporal and prefrontal cortices as well as the pulvinar, indicating that the content of perceptual awareness is represented with higher fidelity in higher-order association areas of the cortical and thalamic hierarchy, reflecting the outcome of competitive interactions between conflicting sensory information resolved in earlier stages. However, despite the significant insights into conscious perception gained through monitoring the activities of single neurons and small, local populations, the immense functional complexity of the brain arising from correlations in the activity of its constituent parts suggests that local, microscopic activity could only partially reveal the mechanisms involved in perceptual awareness. Rather, the dynamics of functional connectivity patterns on a mesoscopic and macroscopic level could be critical for conscious perception. Understanding these emergent spatio-temporal patterns could be informative not only for the stability of subjective perception but also for spontaneous perceptual transitions suggested to depend either on the dynamics of antagonistic ensembles or on global intrinsic activity fluctuations that may act upon explicit neural representations of sensory stimuli and induce perceptual reorganization. Here, we review the most recent results from local activity recordings and discuss the potential role of effective, correlated interactions during perceptual awareness.
Discontinuation rates of biologics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: are TNF inhibitors different from non-TNF inhibitors?

Objective To compare discontinuation rates of first and second biologics in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by tumour-necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) status and identify predictors and reasons for discontinuation. Methods From 1998 to 2011, self-reported medication use for RA was assessed every 6 months via questionnaire in a longitudinal study in the USA. Time-on-drug analyses were conducted for individual biologics and groups, and annual rates reported. Time to discontinuation of TNFi and non-TNFi was compared, unadjusted and adjusted using propensity score analyses. Baseline and time-varying predictors of biologic discontinuation were derived through Cox regression. Results Of 2281 patients initiating their first biologic, 1100 (48%) discontinued and of 1097 initiating a second biologic, 537 (49%) discontinued. The annual discontinuation rate was 17% (median 4 years) for first biologic and 20% (median 3.3 years) for second biologic. TNFi had lower discontinuation rates than non-TNFi after propensity score adjustment: HR for first biologic 0.49 (0.34 to 0.71) and 0.68 (0.51 to 0.90) for second biologic. The annual discontinuation rate was significantly lower in patients starting their first biologic before January 2005 vs after (16 vs 25%, p=0.005). Predictors of discontinuation for the first biologic included smoking, higher comorbidity index, worse overall health and not using concomitant methotrexate. Conclusions In this large cohort, patients with RA tended to remain on their first and second biologics for relatively long periods suggesting the drugs’ effectiveness. Discontinuation rates were lower in patients using TNFi, and all rates increased after January 2005 when the number of biologics available increased.
Assessing the Influence of the MJO on Strong Precipitation Events in Subtropical, Semi-Arid North-Central Chile (30°S)

AbstractAnnual precipitation in subtropical, semiarid north-central Chile (30°S) during rainy years comprises a few (3–5) strong events in the fall and winter, which are presumably modulated by the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). Precipitation from 1979–2009 was recorded daily at three stations along the Elqui Valley. The relationship between the MJO and precipitation is investigated from two perspectives: 1) examining a MJO index (MJOI) based on the actual precipitation events and 2) examining the likelihood of precipitation based on a favorable MJOI. About 80% of the strong precipitation events at the coast in La Serena are related to an active MJO near the central equatorial Pacific. These events are often typified by broad, slow moving synoptic systems in phase with the MJO propagation. Blocking in the far southeast Pacific is associated with precipitation 75% of the time, while deep troughs make up the rest.A relationship between a MJOI and strong rainfall suggests that, though it could be used as a.
Impact of applied progressive deep muscle relaxation training on the level of depression, anxiety and stress among prostate cancer patients: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the impact of applied progressive muscle relaxation training on the levels of depression, anxiety and stress among prostate cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A quasi-experimental study was conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) over six months. Prostate cancer patients from UMMC received the intervention and patients from UKMMC were taken as controls. The level of depression, anxiety and stress were measured using Depression, Anxiety Stress Scales - 21 (DASS-21). RESULTS A total of 77 patients from the UMMC and 78 patients from the UKMMC participated. At the end of the study, 90.9% and 87.2% of patients from the UMMC and UKMMC groups completed the study respectively. There were significant improvements in anxiety (p<0.001, partial ? 2=0.198) and stress (p<0.001, partial ? 2=0.103) at the end of the study in those receiving muscle training. However, there was no improvement in depression (p=0.956). CONCLUSIONS The improvement in anxiety and stress showed the potential of APMRT in the management of prostate cancer patients. Future studies should be carried out over a longer duration to provide stronger evidence for the introduction of relaxation therapy among prostate cancer patients as a coping strategy to improve their anxiety and stress.
A Neural Model of Auditory Space Compatible with Human Perception under Simulated Echoic Conditions

In a typical auditory scene, sounds from different sources and reflective surfaces summate in the ears, causing spatial cues to fluctuate. Prevailing hypotheses of how spatial locations may be encoded and represented across auditory neurons generally disregard these fluctuations and must therefore invoke additional mechanisms for detecting and representing them. Here, we consider a different hypothesis in which spatial perception corresponds to an intermediate or sub-maximal firing probability across spatially selective neurons within each hemisphere. The precedence or Haas effect presents an ideal opportunity for examining this hypothesis, since the temporal superposition of an acoustical reflection with sounds arriving directly from a source can cause otherwise stable cues to fluctuate. Our findings suggest that subjects’ experiences may simply reflect the spatial cues that momentarily arise under various acoustical conditions and how these cues are represented. We further suggest that auditory objects may acquire “edges” under conditions when interaural time differences are broadly distributed.
Testing Market Efficiency Using Statistical Arbitrage with Applications to Momentum and Value Strategies

This paper introduces the concept of statistical arbitrage, a long horizon trading opportunity that generates a riskless profit and is designed to exploit persistent anomalies. Statistical arbitrage circumvents the "joint hypothesis" dilemma of traditional market efficiency tests because its definition is independent of any equilibrium model and its existence is incompatible with market efficiency. We provide a methodology to test for statistical arbitrage and then empirically investigate whether momentum and value trading strategies constitute statistical arbitrage opportunities. Despite controlling for transaction costs and the influence of small stocks, we find evidence that these strategies generate statistical arbitrage. Furthermore, their profitability does not appear to decline over time.
Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase reduces nicotine withdrawal

Abrupt discontinuation of nicotine, the main psychoactive component in tobacco, induces a withdrawal syndrome in nicotine‐dependent animals, consisting of somatic and affective signs, avoidance of which contributes to drug maintenance. While blockade of fatty acid amide hydrolase, the primary catabolic enzyme of the endocannabinoid arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), exacerbates withdrawal responses in nicotine‐dependent mice, the role of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the main hydrolytic enzyme of a second endocannabinoid 2‐arachidonylglycerol (2‐AG), in nicotine withdrawal remains unexplored.
Different trajectories of industrial evolution: demographical turnover in the European motorcycle industry, 1885-1993

Technological innovation is widely considered as one of the most influential determinants of industry evolution. Along this line of inquiry, the seminal work of Tushman and Anderson (1986) presents one of the most compelling theoretical argumentations. Yet, the empirical support for their theory has been relatively weak, and an academic agreement is still lacking about the long-term consequences of technological innovation for the demographic composition of industries. This paper uses the information collected on 1,906 manufacturers during the period 1895 and 1993, to investigate the influence of technological innovation on the evolution of four different organizational populations - i.e. Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy. The findings of this research only partially agree with the theory. Our results show that, while innovations promoted entries, incumbent firms survived to environmental changes. The implications of this work are related to the literatures of strategic management and population ecology.