Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased risk of prostate cancer associated with AA genotype of cyclin D1 gene A870G polymorphism

CCND1 mRNA is alternatively spliced to produce 2 transcripts, and the splicing pattern may be modulated by a frequent A870G single‐nucleotide polymorphism within the conserved splice donor site of exon 4. Several studies have suggested a significant association between the CCND1 genotype and onset or progression of various cancers. To investigate the correlation of the polymorphism with genetic susceptibility to PCa and its disease status, we examined the polymorphism in 214 cases of PCa, 234 cases of BPH and 254 male controls. The CCND1 A allele was more frequently observed in the PCa group (p = 0.015) and the BPH group (p = 0.018) than the control group. Men with the AA genotype had an increased risk of PCa (aOR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.13–3.30, p = 0.016) and BPH (aOR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.09–3.09, p = 0.023) compared to those with the GG genotype. No significant association was observed when men with the AG genotype were compared to those with the GG genotype (PCa: aOR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.65–1.54, BPH: aOR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.60–1.39). The risk of PCa associated with the AA genotype appeared to be stronger in men aged 73 years or younger (aOR = 2.89, 95% CI 1.38–6.01, p = 0.005), whereas no association was found in men older than 73 years (aOR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.44–2.34). No significant difference in genotype frequency was found among patients with low‐, intermediate‐ and high‐grade tumors (p = 0.730) or between patients with localized and metastatic PCa (p = 0.679). However, in patients with high‐grade or metastatic PCa, a significantly increased risk associated with the AA genotype compared to controls was observed, while no significant results were found in those with low/intermediate or localized PCa. The A allele of the CCND1 A870G polymorphism was recessively associated with susceptibility to PCa and BPH in a Japanese population, giving a 2‐fold increased risk of PCa and BPH in men with the AA genotype compared to those with the GG genotype. Although the risk of PCa associated with the AA genotype appeared to contribute especially to men aged 73 years or younger and the A allele may be associated with disease status of PCa, these conjectures require validation in future studies on a larger number of subjects. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Experimental Results of Large-Current Capacity HTS Conductors

Large-current capacity high-temperature superconducting (HTS) conductors suitable for high-field large-scale DC magnets, such as of helical-type fusion reactor FFHR, are being designed by employing YBCO tapes. As the first step of R&D of such an HTS conductor, we have fabricated short conductor samples using Bi-2223/Ag tapes. The HTS conductor was made by simply stacking and soldering Bi-2223/Ag tapes inside a copper sheath. The HTS conductor sample was fabricated in a hair-pin configuration and was tested under a bias magnetic field of 8 T. The conductor was thermally insulated by epoxy and GFRP and was conduction-cooled by liquid helium from the ends. Resistive heaters attached to the surface of the GFRP-insulated conductor were used to increase the temperature of the conductor for testing at elevated temperatures up to 30 K. The critical currents of the HTS conductor at 4.2 K, 10 K, 20 K, and 30 K were measured in a bias magnetic field of 8 T. The stability margin of the HTS conductor was examined in conduction-cooled conditions at different temperatures. The conductor was found to be very stable even at high currents closer to the critical currents.
Total quality management and supply chain management: similarities and differences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review, contrast and compare the differences and similarities between total quality management (TQM) and supply chain management (SCM). Design/methodology/approach – An extensive overview of the core concepts of TQM and SCM are examined from the literature and are then compared to explore how the philosophical perspectives, goals, evolution, and integration of these concepts could be further developed.Findings – TQM and SCM have different starting points and primary goals, which can complicate an integrated implementation. However, they have evolved in similar ways to reach the same ultimate goal: customer satisfaction. TQM emphasizes internal (employee) participation and SCM focuses on external (business partners) partnerships but there is a need to emphasize both internal and external partnerships to further strengthen the emphasis on “total” TQM and the entire supply chain in SCM.Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to discuss compa.
Quanti fi cation of lymph node transit times reveals differences in antigen surveillance strategies of naïve CD 4 + and CD 8 + T cells

Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Systems Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106; Institute of Pathology, Charité University Hospital, 10117 Berlin, Germany; and Department of Systems and Computational Biology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
Euclidean Distance Distortion Based Robust and Blind Mesh Watermarking

The three-dimensional (3D) polygonal meshes are recently widely used in several domains, which necessitate the realistic visualization of the objects. Moreover, there is an urgent need to protect the 3D data properties for preventing unauthorized reproduction. The 3D digital watermarking technology is one of the best solutions to protect data from piracy during transmission through the internet. The current work proposed a novel robust watermarking scheme of polygonal meshes for copyright protection purposes. The proposed algorithm is based on the characteristics of the mesh geometry to embed a sequence of data bits into the object by slightly adjusting the vertex positions. Furthermore, the proposed method used a blind detection scheme. The watermarked model is perceptually indistinguishable from the original one and the embedded watermark is invariant to affine transformation. Through simulations, the quality of the watermarked object as well as the inserted watermark robustness against various types of attacks were tested and evaluated to prove the validity and the efficiency of our algorithm.
Interactions within the MHC contribute to the genetic architecture of celiac disease

Interaction analysis of GWAS can detect signal that would be ignored by single variant analysis, yet few robust interactions in humans have been detected. Recent work has highlighted interactions in the MHC region between known HLA risk haplotypes for various autoimmune diseases. To better understand the genetic interactions underlying celiac disease (CD), we have conducted exhaustive genome-wide scans for pairwise interactions in five independent CD case-control studies, using a rapid model-free approach to examine over 500 billion SNP pairs in total. We found 14 independent interaction signals within the MHC region that achieved stringent replication criteria across multiple studies and were independent of known CD risk HLA haplotypes. The strongest independent CD interaction signal corresponded to genes in the HLA class III region, in particular PRRC2A and GPANK1/C6orf47, which are known to contain variants for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and early menopause, co-morbidities of celiac disease. Replicable evidence for statistical interaction outside the MHC was not observed. Both within and between European populations, we observed striking consistency of two-locus models and model distribution. Within the UK population, models of CD based on both interactions and additive single-SNP effects increased explained CD variance by approximately 1% over those of single SNPs. The interactions signal detected across the five cohorts indicates the presence of novel associations in the MHC region that cannot be detected using additive models. Our findings have implications for the determination of genetic architecture and, by extension, the use of human genetics for validation of therapeutic targets.
Structuring Corporate Boards for Wealth Protection And/Or Wealth Creation: The Effects of National Institutional Characteristics

Manuscript Type. Empirical. Research Questions/Issue. This study examines variation among firms in different countries in terms of how corporate boards are structured for effective governance. We discuss the fiduciary role of boards along two dimensions: (1) boards as wealth protectors and (2) boards as wealth creators. We explore how external governance mechanisms affect the emphasis placed on these two board role dimensions.Research Findings/Insights. Using data from 23 countries and 19 industries, we show that board structure choices depend upon national institutional characteristics. Specifically, Investor Protection, Rule of Law, and Open Markets institution act as complements or substitutes to how a board is structured to emphasize two different aspects of corporate governance. The results hold while controlling for firm, industry, and other country level effects. Theoretical/Academic Implications. We offer a more nuanced understanding of the linkages between internal/firm and external/institution level governance mechanisms by studying them in tandem. Our results imply that external governance mechanisms within a nation alter the costs and benefits of designing boards for a certain fiduciary role. This finding contributes to the governance bundles literature by articulating how governance mechanisms from both firm and nation levels configure together to form national governance bundles. Practitioner/Policy Implication. As opportunities and constraints differ by country due to distinct institutional characteristics, firms varyingly structure their boards in accordance with the environment. They emphasize stronger wealth protection and/or wealth creation, or neither. This paper contributes to public policy by presenting how corporate laws and de/regulating markets may affect board structure choices.
Powassan Meningoencephalitis, New York, New York, USA

Disease caused by Powassan virus (POWV), a tick-borne flavivirus, ranges from asymptomatic to severe neurologic compromise and death. Two cases of POWV meningoencephalitis in New York, USA, highlight diagnostic techniques, neurologic outcomes, and the effect of POWV on communities to which it is endemic.
Epidemiologic evidence for a changing natural history of myasthenia gravis

Objective: To survey the epidemiologic literature for evidence of an increasing prevalence of myasthenia gravis (MG) over time, and to explore the reasons for the increase. Data Sources: We found population-based reports of the epidemiology of MG by searching bibliographic databases. We used MG, epidemiology, prevalence, incidence, and mortality as search terms. Study Selection: We included population-based studies that reported the number of cases and the time period from which rates were calculated. Statistical Methods: We performed a regression analysis of rates versus date of study, comparing the slopes of regression lines for prevalence, incidence, and mortality. We performed a second analysis grouping rates by decade of study and calculating a mean rate weighted by the size of the population studied. We calculated 95% confidence intervals for each rate. Results: We included 33 studies from 1950 through 1995. Prevalence and incidence rates increased over time, but the regression line for prevalence significantly exceeded that for incidence. Mortality rates declined slightly. The weighted means for prevalence rose significantly, but there was no significant change in incidence or mortality. Conclusion: The prevalence of MG has increased over the past forty-five years, probably because patients with the disease have longer life spans owing to present-day treatment. NEUROLOGY 1996;47: 1233-1238
The Principal Problem in Political Economy: Income Distribution in the History of Economic Thought

The paper considers the history of theories of income distribution, from the time of Adam Smith until the 1970s. It is divided into two main parts. Part I considers the positive theory of income distribution, beginning with the classical economists’ analysis of the functional distribution of income between wages, profits and rent. It goes on to present the new theories that emerged with the marginalist revolution and which were based on maximizing behaviour and market equilibrium. The main focus during the early stages of the new developments was on the markets for consumer goods and the role of marginal utility in price determination. The later neoclassical economists, including Alfred Marshall and Knut Wicksell, paid more attention to the special features that characterized the labour market and the role of marginal productivity in wage formation. In the 20th century the neoclassical theory was extended to include analysis of the role of imperfect competition, human capital and risk-taking. Also included in this part of the paper is a discussion of statistical and institutional approaches. Part II covers normative theories of income distribution and their implications for redistributive policy. It begins with a consideration of the value judgements implicit in the policy recommendations of the classical economists and continues with the attempts to establish an analytical foundation for welfare economics. The rise of Paretian welfare theory with its emphasis on the impossibility of interpersonal comparisons of utility made it difficult to draw conclusions regarding income redistribution, but the older utilitarian approach, including equal sacrifice theories, continued to live on in the modern analysis of optimal redistribution. A short Part III contains some concluding reflections on the position of income distribution theory within economics as a whole.
Monetary Policy with Uncertain Parameters

In a simple dynamic macroeconomic model, it is shown that uncertainty about structural parameters does not necessarily lead to more cautious monetary policy, refining the accepted wisdom concerning the effects of parameter uncertainty on optimal policy. In particular, when there is uncertainty about the persistence of inflation, it is optimal for the central bank to respond more aggressively to shocks than if the parameter were known with certainty, since the central bank wants to avoid bad outcomes in the future. Uncertainty about other parameters, in contrast, acts to dampen the policy response.
Digital Game Brand Image Information Influence to the Inexperienced Consumer's Product Evaluation

It is widely held that brands positively influence the perceived quality of products. Further, brands act as signals of quality when attribute level data is missing. Hence, brands are often posited to enhance evaluation, particularly among the less experienced consumers. Surprisingly little evidence, however, exists to support these beliefs in the context of digital games, pointing us to wonder the reasoning behind brand investments.In this experimental research, the ideas from the information processing theory of consumer choice by Bettman are used to study the brand influence to consumer evaluations in the context of digital games. The results of this study indicate that evaluation is not greatly biased by the brand image.
Price Discovery in the Treasury Futures Market

We investigate the mechanism by which price discovery takes place within the futures market for U.S Treasury securities. Specifically, given the strong theoretical linkage between the U.S. Treasury cash and futures markets, we compare how orderflow contributes to price discovery as well as analyze how and when information flows from one market to the other. We also consider how a number of environmental variables (trader type, financing rates and liquidity) impact the information flows between these two markets. Our findings provide new evidence on the extent to which price discovery happens away from a primary market.
Social Capital and Access to Credit among Cassava Farming Households in Ogun State, Nigeria

The Nigerian Government Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) has its core thrust in increased cassava production for economic development. However, past efforts were bedeviled by constraints amongst which access to credit is chief; hence, this study examined the effect of social capital on access to credit among cassava farming households (CFHs) in Ogun State, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty CFHs were surveyed using a multi-stage sampling technique. Analyses included descriptive statistics and regression technique. Social capital dimensions considered are density of membership index, cash contribution index, labour index, decision making index, meeting attendance index, and heterogeneity index and the obtained indices were 49.5%, 35.5%, 51%, 57.3%, 55.1%, and 48.3% respectively. Some 44.2% and 35% of respondents sourced capital from personal savings and rotating savings & credit associations respectively, and the mean credit granted represented 45.5% of CFHs’ credit needs. Logistic regression analysis of access to credit revealed that increasing values of decision making index, age, and payback period correspond to increasing odds of having access to credit. Conversely, increasing values of heterogeneity index and household size correspond to decreasing odds of having access to credit. Policy directed at investment in social capital development that enhances access to credit is recommended.
Exploring the future of the traditional UK zoo

In light of the increasingly competitive day visit market and concern about the keeping of wild animals in captivity for human amusement, traditional UK zoos must balance carefully the demands of the paying visitor with those of maintaining credibility as conservation and education-oriented organisations. Utilising the model of the product life cycle this paper analyses the current position of UK zoos in the visitor attraction market. Issues surrounding their future success are explored and, following a national survey of visitors (n = 241) and latent visitors (n = 304), the core strengths and weaknesses of their unique offering are examined. Views on zoos offer hope. Visitor numbers are likely to be steady, but at a lower level, and while some zoos may falter, there is scope for success and continued existence.
High School Pre-Engineering Programs: Do They Contribute To College Retention?

The study examines the retention of studentsin the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma StateUniversity that enter college with a defined course sequence in a pre-engineeringprogram from a regional career technology center as compared with the retentionrates of university engineering students for the same time period. In additionto descriptive data, results from one-sample
Deficit Bias and Moral Hazard on the Road to the EMU: The Political Dimension of Fiscal Policy in Hungary

The obligation to introduce the euro is widely assumed to provide incentives for fiscal consolidation in the new member states of the European Union. Without questioning the general validity of this thesis this article calls attention to the potential for an opposite effect and the possibility of exacerbating rather than reducing the deficit bias in these countries. The argument proceeds in three steps. First, it shows that, given a weaker institutional environment in emerging economies, the new member states of the EU are particularly prone to deficit bias. Second, the incentives from the EMU are analysed and the potential moral hazard problem is identified for the current members as well as the candidate states. Third, a closer examination of Hungarian fiscal policy developments between 2002 and 2005 illustrates how weak institutions and strong market confidence can result in excessive deficits. The main implication of the article is that without complementing the EMU fiscal framework with mandatory procedural rules at the national level the deficit bias is unlikely to be eliminated in the new member states, which could result in considerable imbalances after these countries join the euro zone.
Planning Electric Power Systems Under Demand Uncertainty with Different Technology Lead Times

Demand uncertainty is a key concern of electric utility planners. While the greater use of short lead time technologies provides one possible way to deal with this problem, it is not clear how they are best deployed. The approach taken in this paper is to examine a capacity mix model that explicitly accounts for differences in technology lead times. Key results that are obtained include the characterization of the optimal solution and the development of a new set of technology screening criteria. In practice, the "lead time order" i.e., the set of available technologies ordered by ascending length of lead time is typically the inverse of the so-called merit order i.e., the set of available technologies ordered by ascending operating cost. We show that for this case, the optimal solution may be determined with relative ease. A numerical example demonstrates that some short lead time technologies screened out by standard planning methods may enter the optimal solution when differences in lead time are considered, while some long lead time technologies may leave. In addition, the optimal expected level of reliability may be greater.
Change and Power in Complex Democratic Organizations. The Case of Norwegian Elite Sports

Abstract This article examines how models for elite sports are negotiated within sport organizations that combine mass and elite sport. The analysis is based on a qualitative case study of a decision-making process within the Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sport (NOC) in 2004–2006, where the autonomy of the elite sports unit was being debated. A theoretical perspective on radical organizational change, which focuses on the power and interests of sub-units, is used to analyze the processes of negotiation within the NOC and the outcome of these processes. It is concluded that the proponents of change failed in their attempt at giving the elite sport unit a more autonomous status, because this would be in opposition to deep-seated values and practices within the organization, first and foremost the principle of one single organizational model. This is explained through the concept of systemic power, a type of power that is taken for granted and that operates through daily practices and routines in organizations.
‘There will be burning and a‐looting tonight’: The Social and Political Correlates of Law‐breaking

In the aftermath of the August 2011 riots, politicians and commentators offered a range of explanations for the social unrest and wanton violence. Drawing on survey and focus-group data, this paper investigates those explanations by analysing how socio-economic, normative and political factors shape contemporary attitudes towards law breaking in Britain. The paper finds that both economic deprivation and personal moral values help to explain attitudes toward illegal behaviour, but citizens’ mistrust of political leaders and their disengagement from public affairs are also an important factor. The findings suggest that politicians who want to provide moral leadership need to do so through their actions as well as their words.
Commentary: Is Urban Design Still Urban Planning? An Exploration and Response

This article considers the factors contributing to the recent international trend for a differentiation between planning and urban design. It considers these highly related fields from the perspective of neoliberalism, global competition, and the doxa of New Urbanism. The article argues that urban design needs to be retained as an important subset of planning practice, concerned with the physical design of cities, so that the core planning values of serving the public interest in the attainment of social equity, democratic civil society, and an ecologically sustainable future may be maintained in our city-building processes.