Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
End-of-treatment but not interim PET scan predicts outcome in nonbulky limited-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND Early interim positron emission tomography (PET) scans appear powerfully predictive of outcome in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), particularly in advanced-stage disease where it has been predominantly studied. The prognostic value of interim PET in limited-stage patients with nonbulky disease has not been well established. PATIENTS AND METHODS Ninety-six patients with nonbulky limited-stage HL were identified who had interim and end-of-treatment PET scans. Response rate, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated. RESULTS Four-year PFS and OS for the entire cohort were 88% and 97%, respectively. Interim PET did not predict outcome, with PFS in positive and negative patients 87% versus 91% (P=0.57), respectively. End-of-treatment PET result was predictive of outcome, with PFS of 94% in end PET-negative patients versus 54% in end PET-positive patients (P<0.0001). Four-year OS was 100% in end PET-negative patients and 84% in end PET-positive patients (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Interim PET scans were not predictive of outcome, compared with scans carried out at completion of therapy. End-of-treatment PET was highly predictive of PFS and OS, regardless of interim PET result. In this low-risk patient population, even patients with interim positive PET scans show a favorable prognosis.
Associations of the estrogen receptors 1 and 2 gene polymorphisms with the metabolic syndrome in women.

BACKGROUND Genetic variation of the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) and beta (ESR2) has been associated with components of the metabolic syndrome. METHODS The relationships of two ESR1 (rs2234693 and rs9340799) and three ESR2 (rs1271572, rs1256049, and rs4986938) polymorphisms with the metabolic syndrome were examined in 532 Caucasian female participants (median age 63.1 years) in the Women's Health Study. Most women (99.1%) were postmenopausal. The associations between ESR1 and ESR2 genotypes and haplotypes with the metabolic syndrome were evaluated. Effect modification by hormone therapy was also assessed. RESULTS Genotype and haplotype distributions were similar between women with and without metabolic syndrome. We found no consistent associations between the genotypes and haplotypes tested and the metabolic syndrome, or its components, in logistic regression models. No effect modification by hormone therapy use was noted. CONCLUSIONS No association between these genetic variants in ESR1 and ESR2 and the metabolic syndrome was observed among these Caucasian women. Further investigation regarding the potential involvement of estrogen receptor genes and the metabolic syndrome may be warranted in other ethnic groups.
Search quality in the financial services industry: a contingency perspective

Financial services are inherently intangible and high on experience and credence qualities. In order to promote them effectively, a service provider must first identify the dimensions used by consumers to evaluate the service quality of banks prior to becoming a customer. Based on responses from customers of a credit union, the current study identifies four dimensions – empathy/assurance, tangibility, routine transaction cost, and loan transaction cost – which form the domain of consumer's evaluation of search quality in the financial services industry. Further, the relationships between these search quality factors and overall assessment of respondents' current bank is also investigated. The results indicate that higher levels of importance accorded to search quality factors, especially loan transaction costs, were associated with extreme (good or bad) assessment of current bank. The importance accorded to these search quality factors was also tested against contingency variables such as gender, marital status, age, household income, employment status, education, and house ownership. Of these, gender and home ownership emerged as the strongest determinants. These findings suggest that bank managers should be cognizant of search quality factors and their relations with the appropriate contingency variables.
Matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in bile as a marker of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Matrix metallproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9 are associated with cancer invasion and metastasis. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities have never been assayed in bile. In the present study we investigated whether MMP-2 and -9 activities in the bile could be a marker for evaluation of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. Fifty-three patients underwent colorectal resection for histologically verified adenocarcinoma. Twenty-six patients had colorectal cancer without liver metastasis and 27 patients had metastatic liver tumor. Six patients were studied as carcinoma-free control. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were assayed in bile using gelatin zymography and quantitated. Active MMP-2 activity of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis group (24.1 +/- 2.5 pixel count) was significantly higher than that of colorectal cancer without liver metastasis group (11.4 +/- 1.3 pixel count) (P < 0.001) or of control group (6.4 +/- 1.0 pixel count) (P < 0.001). Active MMP-9 was not detected in bile. ProMMP-9 activity of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis group (530.3 +/- 127.5 pixel count) was significantly higher than that of colorectal cancer without liver metastasis group (213.9 +/- 33.2 pixel count) (P = 0.008). This is the first report showing that the levels of active MMP-2 and proMMP-9 in bile were significantly higher in liver metastasis of colorectal cancer than in metastasis-free colorectal cancer. The results suggest that activities of active MMP-2 and proMMP-9 in the bile may be useful markers for predicting liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.
Net Neutrality, Broadband Market Coverage, and Innovation at the Edge

Net neutrality (NN) is a widely debated policy issue that has the potential to alter the dynamics of accessing online content. The focal point of the debate lies in whether broadband service providers (BSPs) should be allowed to charge content providers for the preferential delivery of their digital content. This decision will affect broadband market coverage for end consumers as well as the issues of long-term competition and innovation in the market of digital content. Our research aims to analyze and address these issues. We propose a game theoretical model with three players—the BSP, the content providers, and the consumers—where the BSP, in its capacity as a gatekeeper between the content providers and the consumers, is modeled as a two-sided market platform. We find that while abandoning the principle of NN might sometimes result in increased consumer surplus and broadband market coverage, it can also hinder the ability of startups to compete against established rivals and thus reduce innovation at the edge. The results should be of great interest to policymakers as they debate on this very crucial issue.
Medical Injection Use Among Adults and Adolescents Aged 15 to 64 Years in Kenya: Results From a National Survey

Background:Unsafe medical injections remain a potential route of HIV transmission in Kenya. We used data from a national survey in Kenya to study the magnitude of medical injection use, medication preference, and disposal of medical waste in the community. Methods:The Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012 was a nationally representative population-based survey. Among participants aged 15–64 years, data were collected regarding medical injections received in the year preceding the interview; blood samples were collected from participants for HIV testing. Results:Of the 13,673 participants who answered questions on medical injections, 35.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 34.5 to 37.3] reported receiving ≥1 injection in the past 12 months and 51.2% (95% CI: 49.7 to 52.8) preferred receiving an injection over a pill. Among those who received an injection from a health care provider, 95.9% (95% CI: 95.2 to 96.7) observed him/her open a new injection pack, and 7.4% (95% CI: 6.4 to 8.4) had seen a used syringe or needle near their home or community in the past 12 months. Men who had received ≥1 injection in the past 12 months (adjusted odds ratio, 3.2; 95% CI: 1.2 to 8.9) and women who had received an injection in the past 12 months, not for family planning purposes (adjusted odds ratio, 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2 to 5.5), were significantly more likely to be HIV infected compared with those who had not received medical injection in the past 12 months. Conclusions:Injection preference may contribute to high rates of injections in Kenya. Exposure to unsafe medical waste in the community poses risks for injury and infection. We recommend that community- and facility-based injection safety strategies be integrated in disease prevention programs.
Mechanistic Comparison of Human High-Affinity Copper Transporter 1-Mediated Transport between Copper Ion and Cisplatin

The human high-affinity copper transporter (hCtr1) plays an important role in the regulation of intracellular copper homeostasis. hCtr1 is involved in the transport of platinum-based antitumor agents such as cisplatin (CDDP); however, the mechanisms that regulate hCtr1-mediated transport of these agents have not been well elucidated. We compared the mechanisms of hCtr1-mediated transport of copper and CDDP. We found that replacements of several methionine residues that are essential for hCtr1-mediated copper transport conferred a dominant-negative effect on the endogenous hCtr1’s function, resulting in reduced rates of Cu(I) and CDDP transport and increased resistance to the toxicities of copper and CDDP treatments. Kinetic constant analyses revealed that although these mutations reduced maximal transport rates (Vmax) for Cu(I) and CDDP, reduction of Km only for Cu(I) but not for CDDP was observed. Mutation in Gly167, which is located in the third transmembrane domain and is involved in helix packing of hCtr1, also conferred dominant-negative property of Cu(I) transport but not of CDDP transport. Deleting the N-terminal 45 amino acids that contain two methionine-rich motifs resulted in cytoplasmic localization of the hCtr1 and abolished the dominant-negative function of these mutants. Nonetheless, these mutations did not affect the capacities of hCtr1 oligomerization induced by copper or CDDP, suggesting a distinct structural requirement between metal transport and oligomerization. Finally, we also observed that expressing the dominant-negative hCtr1 mutants up-regulates endogenous hCtr1 mRNA expression, consistent with our previous report that intracellular copper homeostasis and homeostatic levels of hCtr1 mRNA are mutually regulated.
Uncertainty in the reconstruction of ancestral character states and limitations on the use of phylogenetic comparative methods

Phylogenetic approaches to the study of comparative data have a long history in the field of animal behaviour (e.g. Lorenz 1941; Greene & Burghardt 1978; Gittleman 1981). However, since the publication in 1991 of Brooks & McLennan’s Phylogeny, Ecology and Behavior and Harvey & Pagel’s The Comparative Method in Evolutionary Biology, there has been a huge increase in the use of phylogenetic methods in comparative studies. Indeed, a comparative study would be unpublishable in most journals today if it did not incorporate phylogenetic methods of analysis, or at least a discussion of phylogenetic relationships. Welcome as this development is, the time has come for a critical reappraisal of phylogenetic methods for the analysis of comparative data (Ricklefs & Starck 1996; Price 1997; Cunningham et al. 1998). A variety of methods have now been published and one might wonder how much an analysis is affected by the choice of method. More generally, given that the use of phylogenetic methods now appears to be standard practice, one might also wonder whether situations exist in which phylogenetic methods are unnecessary or even inappropriate.
Influence of subsidiary network pattern and location on multinational enterprise performance

The paper develops two sets of concepts to describe the strategic choices of Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) with respect to finn expansion and the subsequent effect of these choices on perfonnance. The first set of concepts reflects firm level factors of scope, intensity and location pattern of finn international network of subsidiaries. In chapter 1, these novel concepts are explored by n1ultidin1ensional scaling, correspondence and principal cOlnponent analyses and regression n1ethods, and tested for theoretical relevance on a sample of 1052 Japanese finns with 11288 subsidiaries outside Japan. Network scope is defined as nun1ber of countries in which a MNE has subsidiaries. Network intensity refers to the level of involven1ent in each host country. Location pattern shows the individual geographical distribution of scope and intensity for each firm. The exploratory effort showed that scope is genuine strategic dimension, on which MNEs differ by choosing a scope between the minimum of two subsidiaries in two continents and over more than 30 countries in six continents. Intensity is strongly associated with investment in China. Location pattern analyses show that, although investors generally rank the host countries in terms of market size and production costs, only few countries major Asian countries and US are at the center of investors' strategies. Three hypothesis tests show that scope is strongly associated with firm resources and experience, location pattern depends on firm timing of initial expansion, and intensity is associated with high level of product adaptation to
MICA and MICB microsatellite alleles in HLA extended haplotypes.

The present study is a contribution to the definition of the linkage disequilibrium relationship of MICA and MICB with adjacent loci and to the characterization of extended HLA haplotypes. These issues are of importance for the identification of disease associations and for a better definition of donor-recipient compatibility in bone-marrow grafts through the typing of haplospecific markers. The distribution of the five alleles of MICA and the 13 alleles of MICB microsatellites, located, respectively, in MICA transmembrane exon 5 and in MICB intron 1, was examined in 133 healthy Italian individuals previously typed for HLA class I, class II and complement loci and for the TNFa microsatellite. The MICB microsatellite was also analysed in 49 HTCLs for which MICA typing was already available. Very strong linkage disequilibria with HLA-B and TNFa were detected in the Italian population for both MICA and MICB microsatellite alleles, in spite of the high mutability rate of the larger MICB alleles. Some strong associations were also detected between MICB and DRB1. The strongest associations (P < 0.001, D' > 0.7) were those of MICA-A4 with HLA-B18, B27 and TNFa1, MICA-A5 with HLA-B35, B61 and B62, MICA-A5.1 with HLA-B7, B8, B13, B63 and MICB-CA24, MICA-A6 with HLA-B51, MICA-A9 with HLA-B39, B57 and TNFa2, MICB-CA14 with HLA-B14, B27 and TNFa1, MICB-CA15 with HLA-B52, TNFa4 and TNFa13, MICB-CA17 with HLA-B7 and TNFa11, MICB-CA18 with HLA-B13 and TNFa7, MICB-CA22 with HLA-B57, and MICB-CA24 with HLA-B8 and TNFa2. From pairwise associations in the random panel and results for the homozygous cell lines it was possible to deduce the MICA and MICB microsatellite alleles present in many of the well-known Caucasoid extended haplotypes.
Building brand equity with cause-related marketing: A comparison with sponsorship and sales promotion

Building brand equity is a key objective for a range of communication activities; however, greater understanding is required on how different communication options compare in their impact on consumer response to a brand. In particular, firms are increasingly using cause-related marketing (CRM) to achieve business as well as social objectives, yet there has been limited research comparing the effectiveness of this strategy to other communication methods that may achieve similar brand-related outcomes. Using an experimental design, we examine consumer attitudes toward CRM and CRM's impact on brand attitude compared with two other communication options: sponsorship and sales promotion. Our results show that consumers respond more positively to CRM and that this strategy can be more effective in achieving brand-related objectives. However, consumers must perceive that the partnered cause fits with the brand. In fact, perception of fit plays a more critical role in determining the impact of CRM than in the impact of sponsorship or sales promotion. These findings suggest that when firms are considering their communication mix, CRM can be a more effective way of developing favorable brand associations, but managers must associate with causes that consumers will perceive to fit with the brand. Furthermore, this fit should be communicated.
The Effects of Culture and Socioeconomics on the Performance of Global Brand Image Strategies

Developing and managing brand image is an important part of a firm's marketing program. However, little research has been done (1) on linking the use of brand image strategies to product performance or (2) on managing brand images in global markets. The author examines the brand image-performance linkage for consumer goods in two categories marketed internationally. He also develops a conceptual framework that identifies various cultural and socioeconomic environmental characteristics of foreign markets that are hypothesized to affect brand image performance. Results from a 10 country/60 region study indicate that cultural power distance, cultural individualism, and regional socioeconomics affect the performance of functional (problem prevention and solving), social (group membership and symbolic), and sensory (novelty, variety, and sensory gratification) brand image strategies. The author then discusses the implications for managers marketing brands internationally and the directions for further research.
Gate-keeping in the Age of Information Society

Despite ten years of direct regulation, our study of Danish lower secondary schools shows that they do not provide online access to the GPA for individual public schools (N=1,592). Using Lipsky’s gatekeeping theory, we investigate the lack of data provision as indicator not only of professionals’ being reluctant to accept imposed standards and control from central level (top-down) but also avoiding demands from parents (and children) on transparency and accountability (bottom-up). The lack of accessibility of grades on the web can thus be seen as a classical gate-keeping mechanism evolving in the age of information society where expectations of end-of-gatekeeping by providing accessibility and transparency using information systems has been outnumbered by classical forces of gate-keeping.
Towards absorbing outer boundaries in general relativity

We construct exact solutions to the Bianchi equations on a flat spacetime background. When the constraints are satisfied, these solutions represent in- and outgoing linearized gravitational radiation. We then consider the Bianchi equations on a subset of flat spacetime of the form [0, T] × BR, where BR is a ball of radius R, and analyse different kinds of boundary conditions on ∂BR. Our main results are as follows. (i) We give an explicit analytic example showing that boundary conditions obtained from freezing the incoming characteristic fields to their initial values are not compatible with the constraints. (ii) With the help of the exact solutions constructed, we determine the amount of artificial reflection of gravitational radiation from constraint-preserving boundary conditions which freeze the Weyl scalar Ψ0 to its initial value. For monochromatic radiation with wave number k and arbitrary angular momentum number ℓ ⩾ 2, the amount of reflection decays as (kR)−4 for large kR. (iii) For each L ⩾ 2, we construct new local constraint-preserving boundary conditions which perfectly absorb linearized radiation with ℓ ⩽ L. (iv) We generalize our analysis to a weakly curved background of mass M and compute first-order corrections in M/R to the reflection coefficients for quadrupolar odd-parity radiation. For our new boundary condition with L = 2, the reflection coefficient is smaller than that for the freezing Ψ0 boundary condition by a factor of M/R for kR > 1.04. Implications of these results for numerical simulations of binary black holes on finite domains are discussed.
In Search of Cushion? Crash Aversion and the Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns Worldwide

This paper examines whether investors receive a compensation for holding stocks with a strong sensitivity to extreme market downturns in a worldwide sample covering 40 different countries. I find that stocks with strong crash sensitivity earn higher average returns than stocks with weak crash sensitivity. The risk premium is particularly strong in countries that rank high on the individualism index developed by Hofstede (2001). My findings are consistent with the `cushion hypothesis' by Weber and Hsee (1998) and Hsee and Weber (1999): Crash sensitivity is only marginally compensated in socially-collectivist countries where an investor's social network serves as a cushion in the case of large financial losses. However, there exists a statistically and economically important premium in individualistic countries where investors personally bear the risk of large financial losses.
Incumbent strategic behavior in financial markets and the exit of entrepreneurial start-ups

This paper empirically investigates the forces that shape the post-entry exit probability of entrepreneurial start-ups, with an emphasis on the impact of incumbents' strategic behavior in financial markets. We find that entrepreneurial start-ups in highly competitive industries are more likely to exit and that leverage compounds this exit risk. However, the latter result only holds when potential adverse selection and moral hazard problems in financial markets are large at start-up. Under these circumstances, competitors can negatively influence creditors' perceptions on entrepreneurial quality or behavior through aggressive strategic actions to impede future financing and induce the start-up's exit.
Identification of conserved hepatic transcriptomic responses to 17β-estradiol using high-throughput sequencing in brown trout

Estrogenic chemicals are major contaminants of surface waters and can threaten the sustainability of natural fish populations. Characterization of the global molecular mechanisms of toxicity of environmental contaminants has been conducted primarily in model species rather than species with limited existing transcriptomic or genomic sequence information. We aimed to investigate the global mechanisms of toxicity of an endocrine disrupting chemical of environmental concern [17β-estradiol (E2)] using high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) in an environmentally relevant species, brown trout (Salmo trutta). We exposed mature males to measured concentrations of 1.94, 18.06, and 34.38 ng E2/l for 4 days and sequenced three individual liver samples per treatment using an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Exposure to 34.4 ng E2/L resulted in 2,113 differentially regulated transcripts (FDR < 0.05). Functional analysis revealed upregulation of processes associated with vitellogenesis, including lipid metabolism, cellular proliferation, and ribosome biogenesis, together with a downregulation of carbohydrate metabolism. Using real-time quantitative PCR, we validated the expression of eight target genes and identified significant differences in the regulation of several known estrogen-responsive transcripts in fish exposed to the lower treatment concentrations (including esr1 and zp2.5). We successfully used RNA-Seq to identify highly conserved responses to estrogen and also identified some estrogen-responsive transcripts that have been less well characterized, including nots and tgm2l. These results demonstrate the potential application of RNA-Seq as a valuable tool for assessing mechanistic effects of pollutants in ecologically relevant species for which little genomic information is available.