Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated vascular endothelial growth factor pretreatment levels are correlated with the tumor burden in Hodgkin lymphoma and continue to be elevated in prolonged complete remission.

BACKGROUND Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been described as an essential cytokine in the regulation of angiogenesis. Its elevation in peripheral blood or bone marrow has been associated with an unfavorable outcome in different hematologic neoplasms. Hodgkin lymphoma represents approximately one fifth of all lymphomas, and the roles of angiogenesis and VEGF in Hodgkin lymphoma have not been well defined at present. PATIENTS AND METHODS Vascular endothelial growth factor serum levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 54 newly diagnosed patients, 26 patients in prolonged complete remission (CR), and 54 healthy controls. Vascular endothelial growth factor levels were compared among the different populations and correlated with prognostic factors and disease evolution. RESULTS Newly diagnosed patients showed an increase in VEGF level compared with the CR subgroup (549 pg/mL vs. 327.5 pg/mL; P = 0.023) and with healthy controls (549 pg/mL vs. 140 pg/mL; P < 0.001). Patients in CR also showed an elevated VEGF with respect to healthy controls (327.5 pg/mL vs. 140 pg/mL; P = 0.01). Elevated VEGF was also statistically correlated with newly diagnosed patients with a greater tumor burden (594.5 pg/mL vs. 391 pg/mL; P = 0.009), with > or = 4 involved areas (608 pg/mL vs. 507 pg/mL; P = 0.036), and with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of > or = 1 (812 pg/mL vs. 447pg/mL; P = 0.005). Vascular endothelial growth factor was also elevated in advanced-stage disease, in patients with B symptoms, and poor-risk groups, but none of them became statistically significant. CONCLUSION Pathologic angiogenesis is an activated pathway in Hodgkin lymphoma and participates in Hodgkin lymphoma progression. This has been shown by an elevated VEGF level in patients: before first treatment, with greater tumor burden, and with a higher number of involved areas. Furthermore, VEGF continues to be elevated in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma after prolonged CR.
Prognostic significance of inverted T waves in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND The significance of inverted T waves remains unclear in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS AND RESULTS The relationship of the number of leads with inverted T waves to the severity of PE in 40 patients with acute PE was studied. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to the number of leads with inverted T waves on the admission electrocardiogram (ECG): 15 patients, <or=3 leads (group L); 12 patients, 4-6 leads (group M); and 13 patients, >or=7 leads (group H). In groups L, M and H, the rates of right ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography were 47%, 92% and 100% (p<0.01), respectively, and the rates of in-hospital complicated events (including death or the need for catecholamine support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or mechanical cardiovascular support because of hemodynamic instability) were 0%, 8% and 46% (p=0.004), respectively. On multivariate analysis, arterial hypotension at presentation (odds ratio (OR) 8.96, p=0.049) and inverted T waves in >or=7 leads on the admission ECG (OR 16.8, p=0.037) were the only independent predictors of in-hospital complicated events. CONCLUSIONS The number of leads with inverted T waves may be a useful and simple marker of increased risk for early complications in patients with acute PE.
Designing a liveable compact city: physical forms of city and social life in urban neighbourhoods

This paper reports findings from recent research examining the relationship between urban design and layout and aspects of social and communal life in urban neighbourhoods. To address this, six UK neighbourhoods of varying densities and layouts were selected for detailed investigation. Data on social interactions, social activities and social networks along with perceptions of the built and social environment of the neighbourhoods were collected through observations, questionnaire surveys and secondary data sources. Neighbourhood design and layout were analysed using spatial network and visibility graph analysis methods. Correlation and multiple regression tests were conducted to test the claimed associations. Findings indicate differences between socializing patterns and structure of social networks in high- and low-density areas. Low-density areas were associated with widely spread social networks and activities with very few strong relationships. In high-density neighbourhoods, respondents had small networks but stronger ties were found. Detailed investigation shows that much of this can be attributed to, among other physical factors: the location of public spaces, visibility from and to these spaces, visual links between neighbourhoods', typology and physical form of development rather than density alone. This indicates that some of the negative social impacts found within high-density urban development might be rectified with better design of neighbourhoods. It is clear that to deliver sustainable development, the compact city will have to be designed with specific spatial and built environment characteristics.
The Association of Early and Recent Psychosocial Life Stress With Leukocyte Telomere Length

Objectives Chronic exposure to psychosocial stressors is related to worse somatic health. This association applies both to stressors early in life, such as childhood adversities, and more recent life stress, such as stressful life events. This study examined whether accelerated telomere shortening, as an indicator of cellular aging, might be an explanatory mechanism. Methods We examined whether childhood adversities and recent stressful life events were associated with shorter telomeres in 2936 participants (mean [standard deviation] age = 41.8 [13.1] years, 66% women, 57% current depression) of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Telomeres are specialized nucleic acid–protein complexes at the ends of linear DNA that shorten with age; telomere length (TL) was measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results Childhood life events (&bgr; = .004, p = .805) and childhood trauma (&bgr; = −.023, p = .205) were not related to shorter TL. However, we found negative associations between recent stressful life events and TL. Persons had shorter telomeres if they reported more stressful life events in the past year (&bgr; = −.039, p = .028) and 1 to 5 years ago (&bgr; = −.042, p = .018, adjusted for sociodemographics). The relationship between stressful life events and TL became borderline significant when further adjusted for smoking status. No associations with TL were found when stressful life events occurred more than 6 years ago (p > .10). Conclusions Results show that recent stressful life events are associated with shorter TL. This association is not observed for psychosocial stressors that occur earlier in life. Whether these results are indicative of physiological resiliency remains to be explored by future longitudinal research.
An Empirically‐based Simulation Study of Functional versus Cellular Layouts with Operations Overlapping

Cellular and functional layouts were investigated under a variety of real‐world conditions via a two‐stage computer simulation study. In the first stage, simulation models were developed for three actual companies. Six different cell formation procedures were used to develop the cellular layouts and CRAFT was used to develop the functional layout. The following six variables were used to measure shop performance: average flow time, maximum flow time, average distance travelled by a batch, average work‐in‐process level, the maximum level of work‐in‐process, and the longest average queue. Factors observed in the first stage of the study that appear to make cellular manufacturing less beneficial than might otherwise be expected were found to be small batch sizes, a small number of different machines the parts require in their processing, short processing times per part, the existence of bottleneck machines (i.e. machines with insufficient capacity), and the absence of natural part families (i.e. sets of part.
Organic-Solvent-Tolerant Bacterium Which Secretes Organic-Solvent-Stable Lipolytic Enzyme

A bacterial strain which could be grown in a medium containing organic solvents and which could secrete lipolytic enzyme was isolated. The stability of the lipolytic activity of the supernatant of the culture increased significantly in the presence of organic solvents such as toluene, cyclohexane, ethanol, and acetone.
A model of migration and remittances applied to western Kenya.

Existing models treat migration as either an individual or household decision. In this paper, migration is modeled as the outcome of joint utility maximization by the prospective migrant and other household members. This approach encompasses the Todaro and household models as special cases of a more general model. It provides a theoretical rationale for the inclusion of a richer set of explanatory variables in an econometric model of migration. Further, it links the determinants of migration with existing work on remittances. Empirical evidence from a rural household survey in western Kenya provides support for the model. Copyright 1994 by Royal Economic Society.
Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes in the Skin of Man, Rat, and Pig

The mammalian skin has long been considered to be poor in drug metabolism. However, many reports clearly show that most drug metabolizing enzymes also occur in the mammalian skin albeit at relatively low specific activities. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on drug metabolizing enzymes in the skin of human, rat, and pig, the latter, because it is often taken as a model for human skin on grounds of anatomical similarities. However only little is known about drug metabolizing enzymes in pig skin. Interestingly, some cytochromes P450 (CYP) have been observed in the rat skin which are not expressed in the rat liver, such as CYP 2B12 and CYP2D4. As far as investigated most drug metabolizing enzymes occur in the suprabasal (i.e. differentiating) layers of the epidermis, but the rat CYP1A1 rather in the basal layer and human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase rather in the stratum corneum. The pattern of drug metabolizing enzymes and their localization will impact not only the beneficial as well as detrimental properties of drugs for the skin but also dictate whether a drug reaches the blood flow unchanged or as activated or inactivated metabolite(s).
Insider employee stock option trading and stock prices

We examine the information content of insider employee stock option trading and its value to market investors using a US dataset. There should be no presumption that option trading would not convey valuable information and indeed, the exercise of option rights is likely to signal insider knowledge. Our results from Granger-causality tests suggest that the actions of directors, officers (senior management) and the other groups, such as company lawyers, do indeed have predictive power for future returns. However, the actions of large shareholders have no additional information content over that which is publicly available. Evidence from predictive regressions largely supports these results, but is often weaker in significance. This seems to arise as the Granger-causality approach utilises a longer lag length and suggests that it takes time for the market to assimilate the information from insider actions. Overall, the results suggest that any outsider who can mimic the behaviour of certain insider groups could benefit in predicting future returns. Finally, the results confirm the belief that the market is unlikely to be strong-form efficient and that this is particularly true with smaller firms. In contrast, larger firms appear to be priced more efficiently than smaller ones.
Reverse Technology Spillover from Outward FDI: The Case of China

One of the main purposes of Chinese “going out” strategy is to get the access to overseas advanced technology and enhance Chinese firm’s technological innovation capability. As an integral part of “going out” strategy, outward foreign direct investment (FDI) can facilitate technology spillover into home country through R&D resources sharing mechanism, one-way technology communication mechanism, and overseas market competition mechanism. This paper conducts an empirical study on the relationship between the outcome of patent and outward FDI, using the data from 1985 to 2007. It gives a conclusion that outward FDI is significantly and positively relative to Chinese patent application and patent licensing, which indicates the existence of reverse technology spillover from outward FDI.
Strategies for Managing the TQ Agenda

Reports the findings of a research project into the development of a total quality methodology for strategic use by senior management teams aimed at enabling them to audit current approaches, revise where necessary, and then implement in order to produce TQM programmes which are resilient in the medium/long term. Recounts the empirical and theoretical work underpinning a partially inductively derived map of approaches to TQM, comprising four TQM paradigms which are postulated to be the product of managerial mindsets and which result in predominant and implicit TQM cultures in management teams. Explores the role of TQM in strategic cultural change. Finally details the development of a methodology (TQM2) based on the research findings.
Waterborne Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts in the Yukon, Canada

Several outbreaks of waterborne giardiasis have occurred in southern Canada, but nothing has been reported from the Canadian North. The objective of this study was to collect information relevant to waterborne giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in the Yukon including epidemiological data and analyses of water, sewage, and animal fecal samples. Remote, pristine water samples were found to be contaminated with Giardia cysts (7 of 22 or 32%) but not with Cryptosporidium oocysts. Giardia cysts were found in 21% (13 of 61) of animal scats, but no Cryptosporidium oocysts were observed (small sample size). Whitehorse's drinking water was episodically contaminated with Giardia cysts (7 of 42 or 17%) and Cryptosporidium oocysts (2 of 42 or 5%). Neither were found in Dawson City's water supply. The only water treatment in the Yukon is chlorination, but contact times and free chlorine residuals are often too low to provide adequate protection by disinfection. Raw sewage samples from the five largest population centers in the Yukon contained 26 to 3,022 Giardia cysts and 0 to 74 Cryptosporidium oocysts per liter. Treated sewage from Whitehorse contained fewer Giardia cysts but more Cryptosporidium oocysts on average. Both were detected in Lake Laberge, downstream of Whitehorse, which has a history of fecal coliform contamination. Daily monitoring of raw sewage from the suburbs of Whitehorse showed a summertime peak of Giardia cysts and occasional Cryptosporidium oocysts after springtime contamination of drinking water. Despite this evidence, epidemiological data for the Yukon showed an endemic infection rate of only 0.1% for giardiasis (cryptosporidiosis is not notifiable). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Turnover of Top Executives in Russian Companies

Efficient corporate governance and the Russian economy have long been considered to be virtually incompatible. This viewpoint has been supported by numerous studies as well as by extensive anecdotal evidence, a substantial part of which, however, dates back to the early 1990s. This article presents new evidence on Russian corporate governance, obtained from a study of chief executive turnover in Russian companies. Its main finding runs contrary to widely held beliefs that corporate governance is non-existent in Russia. Managers of Russian firms do face the threat of dismissal if they perform inefficiently. The article also challenges the view that the state is a passive shareholder in Russian companies. Finally, it presents evidence of how managerial succession is influenced by the ownership structure of companies.
Development of a Common Outcome Data Set for Fall Injury Prevention Trials: The Prevention of Falls Network Europe Consensus

The prevention of injury associated with falls in older people is a public health target in many countries around the world. Although there is good evidence that interventions such as multifactorial fall prevention and individually prescribed exercise are effective in reducing falls, the effect on serious injury rates is unclear. 1,2 Historically, trials have not been adequately powered to detect injury endpoints, and variations in case definition across trials have hindered meta‐analysis. 1 It is possible that fall‐prevention strategies have limited effect on falls that result in injuries or are ineffective in populations who are at a higher risk of injury. Further research is required to determine whether fall‐prevention interventions can reduce serious injuries.
Further results on stability analysis for discrete-time T-S fuzzy stochastic systems subject to time-varying delayed signals

This paper presents the stability analysis for discrete-time T-S fuzzy stochastic nonlinear systems (FSNSs) subject to time-varying delayed signals (TVDSs). The novel summation inequality method is employed in the context of discrete-time T-S FSNSs. By using the novel Lyapunov-Krasokii functional and theory of stochastic white noise, the sufficient conditions subject to discrete-time stochastic nonlinear systems are obtained. At last, we address an example to test the superiority of the developed approach.
Top Executive Pay: Tournament or Teamwork?

Tournament mechanisms suggest the need for ever larger rewards to motivate those at the highest organizational levels. But arguments for the efficiency of executive pay compression have also been made. This study reports the results of an empirical investigation of executive compensation using over two-hundred firms and in excess of two thousand executives per year over a 5-year period. Results are consistent with the operation of tournaments but fail to find support for the empirical importance of considerations of pay equity at the top of corporations.
Mandibular molar with merging mesiobuccal and distal root canals.

A lower 2nd molar with an anomalous root canal anatomy is described. The floor of the pulp chamber showed the usual anatomic configuration with 2 mesial and 1 distal canal orifices. The mesiolingual canal had a normal course. However, the mesiobuccal and the distal canals merged to form 1 single canal in the apical 3 mm of the root.
Key Features of Australian Business Cycles

This paper identifies and describes the key features of Australian business cycles during the period 1959-2002. In particular, we identify the chronologies in Australia's classical cycle (expansions and contractions in the level of output) and growth cycle (periods of above-trend and below-trend rates of economic growth). We find that while there are large asymmetries in the duration and amplitude of phases in Australia's classical cycle, on both measures the Australian growth cycle is much more symmetric. Further, our results indicate that over the sample period Australian (filtered) output and prices have moved in a counter-cyclical fashion, suggesting a dominance of shocks to aggregate supply affecting the Australian economy. Copyright 2004 University of Adelaide and Flinders University of South Australia and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
Implications of “Online Display Advertising: Targeting and Obtrusiveness”

T he commentaries on our work suggest several broader implications of our ﬁndings as well as a concern that we understate the size of the effect. In this rejoinder, we discuss our views on the regulatory implications, the implications for ﬁrm strategies, and the implications for our understanding of the underlying behavioral processes. We also acknowledge that our original calculation of $464 million in cost savings for industry is conservative. We conclude with a call for “privacy engineering” research that combines computer science tools with an understanding of consumer behavior and economics to improve marketing and economic outcomes while safeguarding consumer privacy.
A City's First Female Officeholder: "Coattails" for Future Female Officeseekers?

M CUCH OF THE literature on women in politics has focused on attitudinal barriers to either their candidacy or their election. ' The general conclusion has been that traditional public attitudes toward the "proper role of women" have to be changed before women candidates can succeed in winning elections. Much has been written about how much public opinion must change to allow that initial election. Yet little research has attempted to measure the effects of that first female victory in changing public opinion about women in office. This study seeks to determine whether a newly elected female can help dissolve negative stereotypes about women holding public office and to what extent her performance can change public opinion about women office seekers in general. In a recent study entitled "Preference for Men as Bosses and Professionals," Ferber, Huber, and Spitze found that, regardless of gender, persons "generalize their exposure to competent [incompetent] females more than their exposure to competent [incompetent] males. "2 Their findings reaffirmed those of Ehrlich3 and Kanter4 which showed that the tendency in the corporate world to "generalize attributes of tokens to an entire collectivity. "5 In politics, this tendency to generalize, if it applies, may work to the benefit of future women candidates if the first female elected is perceived by the public to have performed well in office. Clearly Ferber et al.'s finding that "exposure to women in atypically feminine occupations tends to break down stereotypical images"6 can be tested in the political world where holding public office has traditionally been viewed as a male occupation.