Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-analysis of radiofrequency ablation in combination with transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM To compare radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with RFA monotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS We searched PubMed, Medline, Embase and Chinese databases (CBMdisc and Wanfang data) for randomized controlled trails comparing RFA plus TACE and RFA alone for treatment of HCC from January 2000 to December 2012. The overall survival rate, recurrence-free survival rate, tumor progression rate, and safety were analyzed and compared. The analysis was conducted on dichotomous outcomes and the standard meta-analytical techniques were used. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95%CIs were calculated using either the fixed-effects or random-effects model. For each meta-analysis, the χ(2) and I(2) tests were first calculated to assess the heterogeneity of the included trials. For P < 0.05 and I(2) > 50%, the assumption of homogeneity was deemed invalid, and the random-effects model was used; otherwise, data were assessed using the fixed-effects model. All statistical analysis was conducted using Review manager (version 4.2.2.) from the Cochrane collaboration. RESULTS Eight randomized controlled trials were identified as eligible for inclusion in this analysis and included 598 patients with 306 treated with RFA plus TACE and 292 with RFA alone. Our data analysis indicated that RFA plus TACE was associated a significantly higher overall survival rate (OR1-year = 2.96, 95%CI: 1.84-7.74, P < 0.001; OR2-year = 3.72, 95%CI: 1.24-11.16, P = 0.02; OR3-year = 2.65, 95%CI: 1.81-3.86, P < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival rate (OR3-year = 3.00, 95%CI: 1.75-5.13, P < 0.001; OR5-year = 2.26, 95%CI: 1.43-3.57, P = 0.0004) vs that of RFA alone. The tumor progression rate in patients treated with RFA alone was higher than that of RFA plus TACE (OR = 0.60, 95%CI: 0.42-0.88, P = 0.008) and there was no significant difference on major complications between two different kinds of treatment (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 0.31-4.62, P = 0.79). Additionally, the meta-analysis data of subgroups revealed that the survival rate was significantly higher in patients with intermediate- and large-size HCC underwent RFA plus TACE than in those underwent RFA monotherapy; however, there was no significant difference between RFA plus TACE and RFA on survival rate for small HCC. CONCLUSION The combination of RFA with TACE has advantages in improving overall survival rate, and provides better prognosis for patients with intermediate- and large-size HCC.
Testable Bounded Degree Graph Properties Are Random Order Streamable

We study which property testing and sublinear time algorithms can be transformed into graph streaming algorithms for random order streams. Our main result is that for bounded degree graphs, any property that is constant-query testable in the adjacency list model can be tested with constant space in a single-pass in random order streams. Our result is obtained by estimating the distribution of local neighborhoods of the vertices on a random order graph stream using constant space. We then show that our approach can also be applied to constant time approximation algorithms for bounded degree graphs in the adjacency list model: As an example, we obtain a constant-space single-pass random order streaming algorithms for approximating the size of a maximum matching with additive error epsilon n (n is the number of nodes). Our result establishes for the first time that a large class of sublinear algorithms can be simulated in random order streams, while Omega(n) space is needed for many graph streaming problems for adversarial orders.
Railroad Development and Market Integration: The Case of Tsarist Russia

Up until the mid-nineteenth century Russia had an enserfed peasantry, a mere 1,000 or so miles of railways, and a small, almost insignificant market sector. When serfdom was abolished (1861) and the expansion of railroads started to occupy a prominent place in development policy toward the end of the nineteenth century, Russia was launched on a transformation from a state of preindustrial and pre-capitalistic backwardness into a path of modernization and industrialization.
Transforming growth factor beta s and wound healing.

The Transforming Growth Factor beta superfamily (TGF beta) is one of the most complex groups of cytokines with widespread effects on many aspects of growth and development. The TGF beta isoforms and other family members, e.g. Activins and BMPs, have diverse effects in similar physiological situations. TGF beta is involved in the wound healing process. The three mammalian isoforms (TGF beta 1, 2 and 3) and recently other family members, e.g. Activin, have been localised in healing wounds. Manipulation of the ratios of TGF beta superfamily members, particularly the ratio of TGF beta 1 relative to TGF beta 3, reduces scarring and fibrosis. Such manipulations include reducing the levels of TGF beta 1/TGF beta 2 using neutralising antibodies or preventing the activation of TGF beta s. In chronic or impaired wounds the exogenous addition of TGF beta superfamily members accelerates aspects of the healing process. This review summarises evidence for the role of TGF beta superfamily members in wound healing and how modulation of TGF beta levels can prevent scarring and fibrosis.
Europe’s Golden Age, 1950-1973: Speculations from a Long-run Perspective

T he achievements of the European economy in the quarter century that followed the Second World War were so impressive that the period has been referred to as the golden age. The word miracle has also been used. Between 1950 and 1973, the real per caput GDP of western Europe grew more than twice as fast as the secular trend and faster than any other comparably large group of countries (table 1). At the same time, cyclical fluctuations were mild2 and inflation rates socially acceptable.3 And, what mattered most in the long run, 'by the end of this period the perpetual possibility of serious economic hardship, which had earlier always hovered over the lives of three-quarters of the population now menaced only about one-fifth of it. '4 This episode in the economic history of Europe has attracted a considerable amount of attention from economists and historians alike but its ultimate causes remain less than satisfactorily explained. In this article I try to show that the golden age is likely to be better understood only when long-run trends and institutional developments are taken into account. Like table 1, the article as a whole takes an extremely aggregate approach: Europe-or rather western Europe-is seen as a single unit, a region of the world economy. Country-specific developments are discussed
SEARCH UNEMPLOYMENT WITH ADVANCE NOTICE

This paper studies the effects of employment protection legislation when job separation requires a mandatory advance notice or a firm's costly closure. In a tight labor market, firms use mandatory notice since job-to-job transitions reduce the expected firing costs. In a world without the lengthy procedure imposed by advance notice, job turnover is mainly accommodated by unemployment inflows. As notice length increases, the fraction of job turnover accounted for by job-to-job movements increases. These results are consistent with the fact that the North American and European markets, despite their difference in employment protection legislation, have different unemployment flows but similar job flows.
Incorporating climate change adaptation strategies in urban water supply planning: the case of central Chile

Water management systems have been typically designed and operated under the assumption of stationarity. This assumption may no longer be valid under climate change scenarios. Water availability may change dramatically at some locations due mainly to possible impacts of changes in temperature and precipitation over streamflow volume and seasonality, adding pressure to water supply systems. It has been shown that snowmelt-dominated basins are particularly sensitive to such changes. Hence, human settlements and economic activities developed in such areas are particularly vulnerable. The Maipo river basin in Central Chile – where more than 6 million people live – is one of these areas. We used a calibrated water resources model of the Maipo river basin, in order to propose a general framework to evaluate adaptation options at the urban level. When comparing a mid-21st century period to a historic control period, results for three selected performance metrics showed a decrease in water system performance. Adaptation measures were evaluated in their capacity to maintain current water security standards. Two alternatives stand as highly effective options to this end: water rights purchases and improvements in water use efficiency. The political and economic costs of implementing these options, which could deem them unviable, are not considered here but are worthy of further research.
Leveraging tenant-incubator social capital for organizational learning and performance in incubation programme

This article seeks to construct and examine a model of entrepreneurial learning in incubation programmes by investigating focal tenants’ proactive leveraging of incubator-tenant social capital. Few have examined the interrelationships between social capital, interorganizational learning and incubation from a perspective treating tenant firms as focal actors. Surveys were collected from incubation programmes in Taiwan, where innovation and knowledge-based entrepreneurship is a critical success factor for both social and economic progress. Data were analysed by multiple regression and structural equation modelling. Results indicate that tenants’ proactive utilization of tenant-incubator social capital positively influences interorganizational learning mechanisms (OLM), which in turn transforms the benefit of social relationships into tenants’ performance, in terms of technological capability, managerial competence and satisfaction with (the) incubation programme. Theoretically, this article complements interorganizational network and interorganizational relation perspectives of social capital to understand the complex entrepreneurial learning, value creation and appropriation for entrepreneurial firms in incubation programmes. We argue that strong relationship and network contents with the hub organization can complement weakness in structural status. Practically, design for strategic networking practices, interorganizational learning management for capability building and innovation and policy considerations are discussed.
Comprehensive Analysis of Genomic Variation in the LPA Locus and Its Relationship to Plasma Lipoprotein(a) in South Asians, Chinese, and European Caucasians

Background—Functional copy number variation in the apolipoprotein(a) gene (LPA) underlies a variable number of protein kringle domains repeated in tandem in the lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] particle. Genomic analysis of LPA, including both single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and kringle IV type 2 (KIV-2) copy number, has yet to be performed. Methods and Results—First, we genotyped 49 SNPs within 100 kb of LPA in a multiethnic sample comprising South Asians (n=330), Chinese (n=304), and European Caucasians (n=272). Second, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we estimated the KIV-2 copy number in each sample. European Caucasians had the lowest KIV-2 copy number but displayed the strongest correlation between KIV-2 copy number and plasma Lp(a) concentration (rs=−0.31, P=4.2×10−7). SNP rs10455872, only prevalent in European Caucasians, was strongly associated with both plasma Lp(a) concentration (P=4.2×10−29) and KIV-2 copy number (P=7.2×10−5). LPA SNP rs6415084, within the same haplotype block as the KIV-2 variation, was significantly associated with both Lp(a) concentration and KIV-2 copy number in the same direction in all 3 ethnicities [Lp(a), P=5.3×10−7; KIV-2, P=2.6×10−4]. SNPs and KIV-2 copy number together explain a larger proportion of variation in plasma Lp(a) concentrations in European Caucasians (36%) than in Chinese (27%) or South Asians (21%). Conclusions—LPA SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium with KIV-2 copy number, but KIV-2 copy number explains an increment in plasma Lp(a) variation over SNPs alone. Thus, both SNPs and KIV-2 copy number should be included in future genetic epidemiology studies of Lp(a).
Cutaneous Penetration of Bisphenol A in Pig Skin

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor with weak estrogenic activity, used in epoxy resin and polycarbonate plastic. Human exposure may occur by contamination from food or food-contact material and by occupational scenarios. Occupational health hazards may be associated with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) secondary to BPA exposure. Most ACD occurs in workers handling BPA products, such as plastic-product workers, and those exposed to epoxy adhesive tapes, foams, and dental products. The present study examined in vitro cutaneous penetration of BPA through pig skin, using a Franz cell. After 2, 5, and 10 h of exposure, total BPA skin content was 3, 6.9, and 11.4% of the applied dose, respectively. BPA remained essentially on the skin surface and penetration mainly accumulated in the dermis. As the pig skin model is a reliable predictor of percutaneous penetration in humans, these findings may be reassuring for workers in contact with BPA-based products.
The Missing Link: Research on Teacher Education

Teacher education has recently come under attack for its perceived lack of efficacy in preparing teachers for classroom duty. A lack of comprehensive research in teacher education makes it difficult to understand the effects of teacher education programs on student learning. There is a missing link between what happens in teacher education programs how it affects student learning outcomes. Methodological issues make it difficult for researchers to isolate the contributions of teacher education programs to teacher learning. This article examines what research tells us about teacher education quality and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The Role of Network Effects in the US VCR Market, 1978-1986

This paper estimates the importance of indirect network effects in the US video cassette recorder (VCR) market between 1978 and 1986. Estimation reveals the significant role of networks in the format competition between VHS and Beta. The paper also finds that if Sony, the system sponsor of Beta, had aggressively introduced its VCRs at the early stage of competition, Beta would likely have dominated the market in 1985; instead, the format disappeared in 1989. Finally, the paper measures consumer welfare for the value of network effects in VCRs, and assesses the consumer welfare effect of standardization. Copyright (c) 2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Beach Time, Bridge Time, and Billable Hours: The Temporal Structure of Technical Contracting

This paper uses data from career histories of technical contractors to explore how they experience, interpret, and allocate their time and whether they take advantage of the temporal flexibility purportedly offered by contract work in the market. Technical contractors offer a unique opportunity for examining assumptions about organizations, work, and time because they are itinerant professionals who operate outside any single organizational context. We find that contractors do perceive themselves to have flexibility and that a few achieve a kind of flexibility unattained by most permanent employees doing similar work, but rather than take advantage of what they call “beach time” and “downtime,” the majority work long hours and rarely schedule their time flexibly. The contractors' use of time is constrained by the cyclic structure of employment, the centrality of reputation in markets for skill, the practice of billing by the hour, and the nature of technical work. Our research suggests that markets place more rather than fewer constraints on workers' time.
Maintenance strategy selection and its impact in maintenance function

Purpose – This paper aims to synthesize and categorize the published literatures related to maintenance strategies formulation, selection and implementation in various industries. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework based on literature review for formulation of maintenance strategies, selection and the implementation of selected strategies. Further, to study on impact of maintenance strategies implementation in maintenance function. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review has been carried out to identify the existing frameworks related to maintenance strategies formulation, selection of maintenance strategy and implementation of maintenance strategy in the industry. Literature support for all the conceptual constructs referred in the framework has been discussed to establish a logical sequence. Findings – A conceptual framework for maintenance strategies formulation, selection and implementation and its impact in maintenance function has been developed. Further, constr.
Creativity, clusters and the competitive advantage of cities

Purpose – The article marries Michael Porter’s industrial cluster theory of traded and local clusters to Richard Florida’s occupational approach of creative and routine workers to gain a better understanding of the process of economic development. By combining these two approaches, four major industrial-occupational categories are identified. The shares of U.S. Employment in each – creative-in-traded, creative-in-local, routine-in-traded and routine-in-local – are calculated and a correlation analysis is used to examine the relationship of each to regional economic development indicators. Our findings show that economic growth and development is positively related to employment in the creative-in-traded category. While metros with a higher share of creative-in-traded employment enjoy higher wages and incomes overall, these benefits are not experienced by all worker categories. The share of creative-in-traded employment is also positively and significantly associated with higher inequality. After accounting for higher median housing costs, routine workers in both traded and local industries are found to be relatively worse off in metros with high shares of creative-in-traded employment, on average.
The agencification of Europe: explaining the establishment of European Community agencies

Governance in the European Union is being transformed through the increased use of agencies to perform a range of functions in a variety of policy areas. The European Commission believes that agencies can add value but admits that their establishment has not been accompanied with a “common understanding” of their roles and purposes. In this thesis, I take the approach that such an understanding is best reached through examination of existing agencies. Focusing on the most common type of agency in the EU, i.e. Community Agencies, this thesis provides a four-level analysis. At the conceptual level, the thesis deals with the ‘agency’ concept. Drawing on public management literature, the empirical level involves classification of these diverse bodies. The contribution of the thesis at the theoretical level is to identify the key driving factors behind agency establishment; following a theoretical framework devised from new institutionalist theories I trace and analyse the establishment process of four case study agencies. The research reveals that to fully understand the establishment of agencies we need to draw on more than one strand of new institutionalism, as they can explain different aspects of agency creation. As a wider outlook the thesis reflects on the role of agencies, relating it to the wider academic debates on the ‘regulatory state’ and its implications for legitimacy.
Daily Rhythms of Fos Expression in Hypothalamic Targets of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus in Diurnal and Nocturnal Rodents

Little is known about the differences in the neural substrates of circadian rhythms that are responsible for the maintenance of differences between diurnal and nocturnal patterns of activity in mammals. In both groups of animals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) functions as the principal circadian pacemaker, and surprisingly, several correlates of neuronal activity in the SCN show similar daily patterns in diurnal and nocturnal species. In this study, immunocytochemistry was used to monitor daily fluctuations in the expression of the nuclear phosphoprotein Fos in the SCN and in hypothalamic targets of the SCN axonal outputs in the nocturnal laboratory rat and in the diurnal murid rodent, Arvicanthis niloticus. The daily patterns of Fos expression in the SCN were very similar across the two species. However, clear species differences were seen in regions of the hypothalamus that receive inputs from the SCN including the subparaventricular zone. These results indicate that differences in the circadian system found downstream from the SCN contribute to the emergence of a diurnal or nocturnal profile in mammals.
Transmission Network Unbundling and Grid Investments: Evidence from the UCTE Countries

The European Commission's proposal to unbundle electricity transmission network encouraged a great debate among involved players. Mainstream economists suggest that unbundling of both the transmission network and the interconnections can be seen as a structural solution to the problem of low investments in the grid and consequent high concentration of markets in favour of incumbents (among others, Leautier, 2001). Other scholars point out that benefits have to be compared to costs of unbundling (Kwoka, 2002). Recent literature underlines that net effect is ambiguous; more empirical evidence is needed (Pollitt, 2008). This paper proposes an empirical analysis to evaluate whether, and to what extent, unbundling measures are related to the increase of grid investments, focussing on 14 UCTE countries between 2001 and 2010. Results are twisted: legal and ownership unbundling show higher investments in the network, although, only for ownerhip unbundling, a substantial lack of quality emerges, confirming the risks of diseconomies of coordination in ownership unbundled systems and the need of incentive regulation.
Style consistency of hedge fund indexes across providers

This article investigates the consistency of style returns of hedge funds across eight providers of style indexes. We select 10 style categories which are defined in a relatively consistent way across the various providers, so that the natural null hypothesis is that the returns should behave very similarly. We compare the results of a principal component analysis with tests of the hypothesis that unconditional mean returns and first order autocorrelation coefficients of returns are equal across the different providers for the same style. Our findings reveal a substantial degree of heterogeneity of index returns within the same style and cast serious doubts on their usefulness as benchmarks in the asset management industry.
Niger Delta youth restiveness and socio-economic development of Nigeria

This paper examines youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, and the challenges it posed to Nigeria democracy and foreign investment. Non-parametric statistical and content analyses were essentially used as tools of analysis. The results showed that dissatisfaction of the people of Niger Delta especially the youths on the level of attention given to the development of their region and the damages to their ecology by oil spillage are the major causes of the alarming youth restiveness. Surprisingly, the Niger Delta region constitutes about 80% to the revenue of Nigeria. It is against this backdrop that the paper suggests an immediate review of the current revenue sharing formula. The new formula should be made to address poverty, and neglect of the Niger Delta region. Oil companies operating in the region should pay a greater percentage of their royalty directly to the host communities in the Niger Delta region.