Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Safety of ixazomib for the treatment of multiple myeloma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Despite a major positive impact of proteasome inhibitors (PI), such as bortezomib and carfilzomib, on the survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) over the last few years, their use in clinical practice is limited by the development of drug resistance, significant side-effects or constraining administration schedules. Ixazomib is the first, and for now the only, oral PI, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2015 and by the European Medicines Agency in 2016. Areas covered: In this review, we provide an overview of the preclinical and early-phase studies of ixazomib used as single-agent and in combination. Furthermore, we discuss the results of a recently published pivotal trial, which evaluated the safety profile and clinical benefit of the combination of ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone in 722 patients with relapsed/refractory MM. Expert opinion: Ixazomib combines the comfort of oral administration, substantial clinical efficacy and a good safety profile with manageable side-effects, which mainly comprise low-grade hematological, digestive or cutaneous events, and the agent will therefore play an active part in long-term treatment strategies, both as single agent and as part of combination regimens. Ongoing phase III trials are currently defining its place in first-line, maintenance and relapse settings.
Sampled-data feedback practical semi-global controllability and stabilization for time-varying systems

We deal with the problems of the closed-loop controllability and stabilization for time-varying systems whose dynamics are in general unbounded with respect to time. It is shown that a general notion of global asymptotic controllability, being in general, non-uniform with respect to initial values of time, implies existence of a family of continuous control Lyapunov functions, and this enables the establishment of practical semi-global closed-loop controllability by means of a sampled-data time-varying feedback. Moreover, the usual concept of global asymptotic controllability, being uniform with respect to the initial values of time, implies practical semi-global stabilization by sampled-data feedback. The work is a continuation of a recent paper of the author in the same journal and extends Krichman's (2000) result relying practical stabilization of time-varying systems with bounded in time dynamics.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE FINANCIAL FIRMS IN BAHRAIN

: The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between corporate governance and performance of the financial firms in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The study uses annual data of all listed financial firms on the Bahrain Bourse over the period of 2011-2016. The results show that board size, ownership concentration and auditor’s reputation have a positive and significant impact on firms’ return on assets (ROA), whereas the percentage of independent directors and the annual number of board meetings have negative and significant impact on firms’ return on equity (ROE). CEO duality is found to not be an important determinant factor of firms’ performance, as the results suggest that it shows insignificant effect on ROA, ROE and stock returns (SPR). Furthermore, firm’s size and leverage are found to have negative and insignificant relationship with firms’ performance. Similarly, and Yi’s (2015) on a sample of 16 companies on the of 2007 2012. Their results showed insignificant relationship between the board size and firm performance. In another research, Guo and (2012) investigated the relationship between board size and firm performance in research conducted on firms listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) whereby data for this study was collected from 174 companies in the year 2010 and processed by multiple regression analysis. Their findings showed that board size had a marginal negative relationship with the profitability of the firms.
Augmented reality to improve STEM motivation

This paper presents an exploratory study about educational potentialities of an augmented reality (AR) application developed for DC circuit fundamentals. Particularly the study aims to characterize student involvement using the application as well as its use as an additional experimental tool and to characterize how students perceive their experience and their learning through the use of this AR application. It is also briefly described how this application was developed and how the exploratory study was implemented involving STEM students. The AR application confirmed to be manageable and students have explored its configurations intuitively. Additionally, the AR tool usability according to our preliminary results showed to be effective for the AR developed application purposes, has induced student satisfaction and revealed very good student perceptions about learning perspectives. So, this study showed this AR application for DC circuits has a great educational potential.
Humanizing Products with Handwritten Typefaces

The loss of a sense of humanness that stems from increasing mechanization, automation, and digitization gives firms an impetus to develop effective ways to humanize products. On the basis of knowledge activation theory, this article systematically investigates a novel humanization approach: the use of typefaces that appear to be handwritten. Across several laboratory and field studies, the authors provide evidence of the positive effect of handwritten typefaces, reveal the mechanisms that lead to these outcomes, and outline some boundary conditions. Specifically, the results show that handwritten typefaces create perceptions of human presence, which lead to more favorable product evaluations (and behavior) by enhancing the emotional attachment between the consumer and the product. However, these effects are mitigated for brands to which consumers already feel a sense of attachment. Finally, the effects reverse when the products are functionally positioned or functional in nature. The present article thus extends understanding of humanization processes and provides guidelines for how and when brands should use handwritten typefaces.
Effect of Supplementary Feeding of Concentrate on Nutrient Utilization and Production Performance of Ewes Grazing on Community Rangeland during Late Gestation and Early Lactation

Malpura and Kheri ewes (76) in their late gestation, weighing 34.40±0.95 kg were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups of 19 each (G1, G2, G3 and G4). Ewes in all the groups were grazed on natural rangeland from 07.00 h to 18.00 h. Ewes in G1were maintained on sole grazing while ewes in G2, G3 and G4, in addition to grazing received concentrate mixture at the rate of 1% of their body weight during late gestation, early lactation and entire last quarter of pregnancy to early quarter of lactation, respectively. The herbage yield of the community rangeland was 0.82 metric ton dry matter/hectare. The diet consisted of (%) Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) bhusa, (59.2), Babool pods and leaves (17.2), Bajra (Pennisetum typhoides) stubbles (8.8), Doob (5.3), Aak (4.2) and others (5.3). The nutrient intake and its digestibility were higher (p<0.01) in G2, G3 and G4 as compared to G1 because of concentrate supplementation. The intakes of DM (g/kg W 0.75 ), DCP (g/kg W 0.75 ) and ME (MJ/kg W 0.75 ) were 56.7, 5.3 and 0.83; 82.7, 12.2 and 1.16; 82.7, 12.1 and 1.17 and 83.1, 12.3 and 1.18 in G1, G2, G3 and G4, respectively. The per cent digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF, ADF and cellulose was 57.9, 68.8, 68.7, 52.3, 37.5 and 68.4; 67.6, 76.1, 82.3, 60.6, 44.5 and 73.4; 67.6, 76.1, 81.5, 60.6, 44.8 and 74.5 and 67.6, 76.1, 82.3, 60.6, 44.7 and 73.3 in G1, G2, G3 and G4, respectively. The nutrient intake of G2, G3 and G4 ewes was sufficient to meet their requirements. The ewes raised on sole grazing lost weight at lambing in comparison to advanced pregnancy. However, ewes raised on supplementary feeding gained 1.9-2.5 kg at lambing. The birth weight of lambs in G2 (3.92) and G4 (4.07) was higher (p<0.01) than G1 (2.98), where as in G1 and G3 it was similar. The weight of lambs at 15, 45 and 60 days of age were higher in G2, G3 and G4 than in G1. Similarly, the average daily gain (ADG) after 60 days was also higher in G2, G3 and G4 than in G1. The milk-yield of lactating ewes in G2, G3 and G4 increased up to 150-250 g per day in comparison to G1. The birth weight, weight at 15, 30, 45 and 60 days, weight gain and ADG at 30 or 60 days was similar both in male and female lambs. It is concluded from this study that the biomass yield of the community rangeland is low and insufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of ewes during late gestation and early lactation. Therefore, it is recommended concentrate supplementation at the rate of 1% of body weight to ewes during these critical stages to enhance their production performance, general condition as well as birth weight and growth rate of lambs. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2003. Vol 16, No. 7 : 983-987)
Loan Syndication Structures and Price Collusion

How does the organizational form of loan syndicates evolve and what are the effects on price collusion? We develop a novel measure of distance in lending expertise among syndicate lenders, and relate this novel measure to the organizational form of loan syndicates and loan pricing. Studying the U.S. syndicated loan market from 1989 to 2017, we find that the organizational form of loan syndicates significantly varies across our lender measure based on similar specializations in lending which we call syndicated distance. Large lead arrangers prefer to form close and concentrated syndicates by letting lenders with similar lending expertise into their syndicates and allocating those lenders higher loan shares. Analyzing loan pricing, we find that concentrated syndicates possess improved screening abilities, but collude on loan pricing. Consistent with Hatfield et al. (2017), we find however that price collusion of concentrated syndicates only occurs during periods of low market concentration. Our findings imply that both the organizational form of loan syndicates and the level of market concentration affect price collusion.
Coordinating regulatory agencies for improved tourism policy in Tanzania

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the institutional challenges of coordinating regulatory agencies and the costs associated with compliance requirements in Tanzania’s tourist industry.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on qualitative research conducted in the northern tourism circuit of Tanzania. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with owner-managers of tourism enterprises, heads of regulatory agencies and leaders of business associations (n=60). The findings were analysed through triangulating the data from various sources to establish emerging themes and patterns in accordance with the theoretical underpinnings and research objectives.FindingsThe findings show that tourism enterprises are governed by a multitude of national, sub-national and sectoral institutions mandated to impose several taxes, fees and levies on enterprises. As a result, tourism enterprises are required to obtain duplicate licences and are subjected to uncoordinated inspections. The poor treatment by regulatory agencies, the unclear basis for estimating taxes and levies, inadequate tax education and closure of businesses were also reported as key regulatory challenges. Most challenges emerge from agentification of the public sector and the lack of a legal framework in which to formally facilitate coordination and information sharing amongst government agencies.Practical implicationsThe paper proposes streamlining the functions of divergent institutions governing the industry by increasing intergovernmental coordination through delegating some functions, sharing information and enforcing formal inter-ministerial and cross-government consultation structures.Originality/valueThis paper adds value to previous regulatory assessments by empirically analysing the specific sector and showing how the principal–agent relationship for the public sector can be improved through enforcing coordination of the multiple agencies governing the tourist industry.
Choosing Schools, Building Communities? The Effect of Schools of Choice on Parental Involvement.

Proponents of school choice argue that schools of choice build stronger parent communities. Using data from the National Household Education Surveys Program, a nationally-representitive cross-section of U.S. households, I examine the empirical evidence for this claim. To account for the diculties in identifying causal eects in cross-sectional observational data, I estimate a model that includes the parent’s unobserved propensity to both participate in school activities and to choose a public or private school other than their geographically assigned public school.
Ochratoxin A in human blood in relation to nephropathy in Tunisia

The determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in human blood in Tunisian populations is underway. The range of conta mination is between 0.7 to 7.8 ng ml-1 for the general popu lation and 12 to 55 ng ml-1 for people suffering from chron ic renal failure. It appears that 21 to 64% of people suffer ing from nephropathy are OTA positive with a detection limit of 1ng ml-1. This situation prompted us to search for possible association of OTA contamination and nephropa thy resembling Balkan endemic nephropathy. The classifi cation of the ill population into chronic interstitial nephropathy (CIN), chronic glomerular nephropathy (CGN), chronic vascular nephropathy (CVN) and others, indicated that the largest is the CIN group which is signifi cantly different from the other groups, and from the con trol (P < 0.005). Furthermore, it presented the highest OTA mean values (25 to 59 ng ml-1) compared with the control, CGN, CVN and other groups (6 to 18 ng ml-1) according to the designated region in Tunisia. The rural population seems to be more exposed to ochratoxins in Tunisia, as has been previously reported in the Balkans and Western Europe. Altogether, these results emphasise that in Tunisia an endemic ochratoxin-related nephropathy is probably occurring.
Cohesivity of Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: Development and Clinical Implications of a Novel Assay, Pilot Validation with a Five-Point Grading Scale, and Evaluation of Six U.S. Food and Drug Administration–Approved Fillers

Background: Biophysical characteristics of hyaluronic acid gel fillers reflect individual manufacturing processes. They confer rheologic properties that provide scientific rationale with Evidence Level II clinical correlation for selection of appropriate fillers for specific clinical applications. Cohesivity, a key property, maintains gel integrity, contributes to tissue support with natural contours, and diminishes surface irregularities. In this publication, a new, standardized visual assay for hyaluronic acid cohesivity is presented, applied, and discussed. Methods: Colored hyaluronic acid gel specimens were automatically extruded under standardized conditions into sterile water stirred at a constant rate. Based on 90 digital images showing ratios of intact to dispersed gel during assay of 10 Communauté Européenne–marked fillers, the five-point visual Gavard-Sundaram Cohesivity Scale was developed. Six plastic surgeons and dermatologists performed pilot validation of the scale, subsequently used to evaluate six U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved fillers. Results: Validation of the Gavard-Sundaram Cohesivity Scale showed substantial repeatability and interrater consistency. Mean cohesivity scores from three assays of each tested filler showed significant differences. Cohesivity was high for Cohesive Polydensified Matrix (Belotero Balance), medium-high for Hylacross (Juvéderm Ultra 2/Ultra XC and Ultra 3/Ultra Plus XC), low-medium for Vycross (Juvéderm Voluma), and low for non–animal-stabilized hyaluronic acid (Restylane and Perlane). Conclusions: An evidence-based approach requires clinical corroboration of in vitro data. This new, reproducible cohesivity assay may have value together with elasticity (G') and viscosity measurements to understand and leverage distinct tissue distribution patterns and clinical behaviors of different hyaluronic acid products. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, V.
Does general surgery residency prepare surgeons for community practice in British Columbia?

BACKGROUND Preparing surgeons for clinical practice is a challenging task for postgraduate training programs across Canada. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a single surgeon entering practice was adequately prepared by comparing the type and volume of surgical procedures experienced in the last 3 years of training with that in the first year of clinical practice. METHODS During the last 3 years of general surgery training, I logged all procedures. In practice, the Medical Services Plan (MSP) of British Columbia tracks all procedures. Using MSP remittance reports, I compiled the procedures performed in my first year of practice. I totaled the number of procedures and broke them down into categories (general, colorectal, laparoscopic, endoscopic, hepatobiliary, oncologic, pediatric, thoracic, vascular and other). I then compared residency training with community practice. RESULTS I logged a total of 1170 procedures in the last 3 years of residency. Of these, 452 were performed during community rotations. The procedures during residency could be broken down as follows: 392 general, 18 colorectal, 242 laparoscopic, 103 endoscopic, 85 hepatobiliary, 142 oncologic, 1 pediatric, 78 thoracic, 92 vascular and 17 other. I performed a total of 1440 procedures in the first year of practice. In practice the break down was 398 general, 15 colorectal, 101 laparoscopic, 654 endoscopic, 2 hepatobiliary, 77 oncologic, 10 pediatric, 0 thoracic, 70 vascular and 113 other. CONCLUSION On the whole, residency provided excellent preparation for clinical practice based on my experience. Areas of potential improvement included endoscopy, pediatric surgery and "other," which comprised mostly hand surgery.
Consequences of nutrition and growth retardation early in life for growth and composition of cattle and eating quality of beef

Summary Severe growth retardation of cattle early in life is associated with reduced growth potential, resulting in smaller animals at any given age. Growth potential diminishes as age of onset of nutritional restriction declines, and severe, prolonged intra–uterine growth retardation may result in slower growth of cattle throughout life. Severe weight loss during the months immediately after weaning or slow growth after early– weaning also limits compensatory growth. Carcass composition of small and large newborns is similar at heavier market weights. At equivalent weights, calves grown slowly to weaning subsequently have carcasses of similar or leaner composition than those grown rapidly, unless high energy concentrate feed is provided post–weaning, causing increased fatness. Adverse effects of early–life growth on eating quality at market weights are not evident. When differences occur, they suggest that cattle restricted early in life may have slightly more tender meat. We propose that within pasture–based systems, plasticity of carcass tissues, particularly muscle which maintains a stem cell population, allows cattle growth–retarded early in life to attain normal composition at equivalent weights in the long–term, albeit at older ages. However, nutrition during recovery or following early–weaning is important in determining the subsequent composition of young, light–weight cattle relative to heavier counterparts.
Diurnal Variations in Coagulation and Fibrinolysis in Vital Exhaustion

Objective Vital exhaustion (VE) predicts a first myocardial infarction (MI) and new cardiac events after a coronary angioplasty. To explore potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, we tested whether VE is associated with more pronounced diurnal variations in hemostasis. Methods Blood was drawn from 29 VE and 30 control males, all healthy and nonsmokers, to assess hemostatic measures at 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Results All measures of fibrinolysis were in their normal range and showed significant diurnal variations. These variations were more pronounced in VE as all fibrinolytic measures were significantly higher in VE at 7:00 AM and similar to those of controls at 6:00 PM, thus supporting our hypothesis with respect to fibrinolysis. Diurnal decreases in tPA and tPA-PAI ranged from 1.5 (VE) to 1.3 (controls), whereas the diurnal decrease in PAI-1 was more than fourfold in VE and 2.7-fold in controls. This suggests a decreased fibrinolytic capacity in VE during the early morning. All coagulation measures were in their normal range, and prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), thrombin-antithrombin complexes, and activated factor VII showed significant diurnal variations. These variations were similar in VE and control individuals, thus not supporting our hypothesis with respect to coagulation. Finally, F1+2 and fibrinogen were both significantly higher throughout the day in VE. Conclusions VE is associated with decreased early morning fibrinolysis and increased fibrinogen levels throughout the day. These hemostatic changes may promote thrombus formation and provide a potential pathophysiological mechanism by which VE is related to MI and its circadian variation.
Understanding the organizational impact of integrated IT application infrastructure through agility

This dissertation examines how and why integrated IT application infrastructures, such as ERP infrastructure, impact firms' competitive agility. In this research, we make a distinction between a company’s overall business agility and information systems agility, or the ability to change information systems to support business agility. Based on literature review and an exploratory study that involves 9 phone interviews with 7 US based large companies, we identified six key characteristics of integrated IT application infrastructure that may contribute to information systems agility, and therefore business agility. These six factors are: data integration, process integration, built-in flexibility, availability of “add-on” software applications, availability of internal IT staff skills, and availability of prior specific consultant knowledge. A questionnaire was designed to test the research model. Data analyses of the survey responses from 131 US firms across a mix of industries suggest that process integration, availability of “add-on” software applications, and availability of internal IT staff skills are important factors that contribute to business agility. INDEX WORDS: Agility, ERP, Information Systems, IT infrastructure, Integration UNDERSTANDING THE ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT OF INTEGRATED IT APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH AGILITY: THE CASE OF ENTERPRISE RESOURCES PLANNING INFRASTRUCTURE