Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase II study of everolimus in children and adults with neurofibromatosis type 2 and progressive vestibular schwannomas.

BACKGROUND Activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is thought to be a key driver of tumor growth in Merlin (NF2)-deficient tumors. Everolimus is an oral inhibitor of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) with antitumor activity in a variety of cancers. METHODS We conducted a single-institution, prospective, 2-stage, open-label phase II study to estimate the response rate to everolimus in neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patients with progressive vestibular schwannoma (VS). Ten eligible patients were enrolled, including 2 pediatric patients. Everolimus was administered at a daily dose of 10 mg (adults) or 5 mg/m(2)/day (children <18 y) orally in continuous 28-day courses, for up to 12 courses. Response was assessed every 3 months with MRI, using 3-dimensional volumetric tumor analysis, and audiograms. Nine patients were evaluable for the primary response, defined as ≥15% decrease in VS volume. Hearing response was evaluable as a secondary endpoint in 8 patients. RESULTS None of the 9 patients with evaluable disease experienced a clinical or MRI response. No objective imaging or hearing responses were observed in stage 1 of the trial, and the study was closed according to predefined stopping rules. CONCLUSION Everolimus is ineffective for the treatment of progressive VS in NF2 patients. We are currently conducting a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic ("phase 0") study of everolimus in presurgical VS patients to elucidate the biological basis for apparent treatment resistance to mTORC1 inhibition in these tumors.
Differentiating Malignant From Benign Wall Thickening in Postoperative Stomach Using Helical Computed Tomography: Results of Multivariate Analysis

Objective: To determine significant computed tomography (CT) predictors for differentiating malignant from benign wall thickening in postoperative stomach. Methods: Sixty-nine patients with perianastomotic wall thickening (25 malignant, 44 benign) after gastric surgery were identified. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT with the administration of oral contrast agents such as air, diluted barium, or water. Two radiologists analyzed CT images regarding enhancement of thickened wall, obliteration of wall layering, heterogeneity, asymmetry, perigastric infiltration, proximity to metallic suture material, lymphadenopathy, adjacent bowel thickening, and periceliac soft-tissue density. Another radiologist measured the wall thickness and the mean CT value of the lesion and normal mucosa. Individual CT findings relevant as predictors were determined using the univariate test. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the most predictable factors. Results: Malignant wall thickening was significantly thicker than benign one. Isoattenuation and high attenuation of thickened wall were more frequently seen in malignant than in benign cases. Multivariate analysis showed that isoattenuation or high attenuation of thickened wall, proximity to suture material, and perigastric infiltration were only 3 variables that independently differentiated malignant from benign thickening in postoperative stomach. Conclusion: Isoattenuation or high attenuation of thickened wall, perigastric infiltration, and wall thickening without metallic suture material are the 3 main factors distinguishing malignant from benign thickening in postoperative stomach.
Growing Cities Sustainably

Problem, research strategy, and findings: It is commonly asserted that so-called compact development is the urban form most able to sustainably accommodate growth by reducing travel distances and conserving land, but credible supportive evidence remains limited. This study rigorously and realistically tested the relative performance of spatial options over the next 30 years for three distinct kinds of English city regions. Statistical models first forecast the behavior of people within interacting markets for land and transport. These outputs were then fed to established simulation models to generate 26 indicators measuring the economic efficiency, resource use, social impact, and environmental impact of the spatial options. This permitted an explicit comparison of the costs and benefits of compact against sprawling urban forms for these regions. While the prototypes (i.e., compaction, sprawl, edge expansion, and new towns) were indeed found to differ in their sustainability, no one form was clearly superior. Rather, the change to “white collar” lifestyles and associated population growth dominates the impacts on the natural environment and resources, far overwhelming those attributable to spatial urban form. Takeaway for practice: Urban form policies can have important impacts on local environmental quality, economy, crowding, and social equity, but their influence on energy consumption and land use is very modest; compact development should not automatically be associated with the preferred spatial growth strategy. Research support: The research was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council.
Multidrug resistance transporters in the olfactory receptor neurons of Xenopus laevis tadpoles

Olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) are the only class of neurons that is directly exposed to the environment. Therefore, they need to deal with xenobiotic and potentially cytotoxic substances. Here we show for the first time that ORNs possess transporter systems that expel xenobiotics across the plasma membrane. Using calcein and calcium‐indicator dyes as xenobiotics, we demonstrate that ORNs appear to express the multidrug resistance P‐glycoprotein (MDR1) and multidrug resistance‐associated proteins (MRP). This endows ORNs with the ability to transport a large number of substrates including calcium‐indicator dyes and calcein across their plasma membranes. Conversely, blocking P‐glycoprotein and MRP increases the net uptake of these dyes.
A Simplified Life Cycle Approach for Assessing Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Wind Electricity

A full life cycle assessment (LCA) is usually a time, energy, and data‐intensive process requiring sophisticated methodology. Our meta‐analysis of life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of wind electricity highlights several key, sensitive parameters to provide a better understanding of the variability in LCA results, and then proposes a methodology to establish a simplified, streamlined approach based on regressions built on these key parameters. Wind electricity's environmental performance can be linked to three essential components: technological (e.g., manufacturing), geographical (e.g., wind speed), and LCA methodology (e.g., product lifetime).
Farmers' Preferences and Social Capital Regarding Agri‐environmental Schemes to Protect Birds

type="main" xml:id="jage12104-abs-0001"> The steady decline of birds living in cereal steppe lands is a worrying situation that the European Common Agricultural Policy is attempting to remedy through the application of agri-environmental schemes (AES). We assess farmers' preferences towards these AES, which call for a number of environmental practices to protect birds. Using a face-to-face survey in farming communities in Aragon (Spain), and through the estimation of an Ordered Logit model (OL), we assess the ranking of AES attributes, and obtain their economic valuation according to the farmers' preferences. We find that social factors are also important in determining farmers' decisions. In particular, the importance of social trust and expectation of compliance by other neighbours, encourage farmers to sign up to AES. These and other results may be used to design more effective AES and help to solve this important biodiversity problem.
Factors Affecting the Probability of Consuming Fish and Shellfish in the Away from Home and at Home Markets

Abstract Models are developed to measure the effect of socioeconomic factors on the probability of consuming fish and shellfish in both the away from home and at home markets. Factors that significantly affect the likelihood of eating fish and shellfish at home include: urbanization, region, race, ethnicity, age, diet status and income. On the other hand, region, employment, diet status, household size, age and income significantly affect the likelihood of eating fish and shellfish away from home.
Shopping Online for Freedom, Control, and Fun

Consumers shop online for both goal-oriented and experiential reasons. However, goal-oriented motives are more common among online shoppers than are experiential motives. This article identifies and discusses attributes that facilitate goal-oriented online shopping, including accessibility/convenience, selection, information availability, and lack of unwanted sociality from retail sales help or shopping partners such as spouses. Importantly, consumers report that shopping online results in a substantially increased sense of freedom and control as compared to offline shopping. While consumers are more likely to describe offline rather than online shopping in experiential terms, evidence of experiential motivations for online shopping is emerging. Also, while closing transactions at web sites is one important e-commerce goal, companies should not lose site of the continuing importance and power of their web site as an information and communications vehicle.
The Investment Performance of UK “Ethical” Unit Trusts

Examines the impact on investment returns of stated non‐financial criteria by utilizing information on UK “ethical” unit trusts. Over a limited period of observation there was weak evidence of some overperformance on a risk‐adjusted basis by “ethical” unit trusts. Suggests arguments that might intuitively explain overperformance or underperformance. There is clear evidence that the “ethical” trusts have UK investment portfolios more skewed towards companies with low market capitalization than the market as a whole. Associated with this, they tend to be invested in low dividend yield companies. The degree of international diversification varies and a suitable international benchmark may be needed to separate out any “ethical” effect.
Transmission of Exchange-Rate Variations in an Estimated, Small Open-Economy Model

This paper addresses the transmission of exchange-rate variations in an estimated, small open-economy model. In contrast to the standard set-up of New Open Economy Macroeconomics models, imported goods are treated here as material inputs to production. The resulting model structure is transparent and tractable while also able to account for imperfect pass through of exchange-rate shocks. The model is estimated with Bayesian methods on German data and the key finding is that a substantial depreciation of the nominal exchange rate leads to only modest effects on CPI-inflation. An extended version of the model reveals that relatively small weight is placed on foreign consumption.
Intentions to Move and Actual Moving Behaviour in The Netherlands

This study examines how anticipated triggers for moving and individual, household and regional characteristics hamper or stimulate actual moving behaviour of people who intend to move. It uses a longitudinal dataset from the Netherlands, in which survey data from the Housing Demand Survey 2002 are combined with register data from the Social Statistical Database. The study finds that people with a strong intention to move are almost four times as likely to move as people with a less strong intention to move. Homeowners are more likely to realise a strong intention to move than renters who want to move within the rental sector of the housing market. The probability of actually moving is particularly great for those wishing to move from owner-occupied to rented housing and those with more resources, whereas it is small for people whose search location is in the Randstad.
Quota dei profitti e redditività del capitale in Italia: un tentativo di interpretazione

Profit share in Italy has been growing between the mid '70s and the mid '90s, remaining stable at historically high levels since than. After the drop of the first half of the seventies, originated by an unprecedented rapid rise of wages, profit share started to recover. The rise of the '80s, that involved the entire business sector, was part of this recovery process. During the '90s, profit share continued to grow on average, but with large cross-sector differences. Profit share in manufacturing, more exposed to international competition, declined together with the returns on capital stock, but increased in the rest of the business sector. We show that the better performance of the non-manufacturing business sector is mainly due to those industries more affected by the large-scale privatisations and restructuring of State owned companies, started in the first half of the '90s. They granted a rapid growth of total factor productivity and a deceleration of wage dynamics, without a major impact on market power of privatised companies. Our evidence is thus supportive of the hypothesis that profit share growth during the '90s, observed also in other countries, was mainly due to rents redistribution, instead of to biased technological change.
Assessment of the completeness and accuracy of computer medical records in four practices committed to recording data on computer.

BACKGROUND General practice computer databases are being increasingly seen as a source of data for public health monitoring and commissioning. Such ambitions depend on routine clinical data being recorded with acceptable completeness and accuracy. AIM The aim of this study was to assess the completeness and accuracy of the computer medical records in four high-recording general practices. METHOD Four general practices in the Trent Region that use the EMIS computer system, and were known to be high recorders of clinical data on their computer databases, were selected. A retrospective analysis of the computer records, a prospective comparison of a sample of computer records with manual records, and a prospective comparison between videorecorded consultations and their manual and computer records were undertaken. RESULTS Checks for completeness in computer recording of diabetes mellitus and glaucoma showed high levels of accurate recording, 97% and 92% respectively. Prevalence rates between practices were reasonably comparable. No practice consistently, across 10 diagnoses, recorded prevalences higher or lower than the other practices; those diagnoses with recognized objective diagnostic criteria were recorded with a more consistent prevalence than those without. Lifestyle data recording was low; overall, smoking habits and alcohol consumption were recorded for 52% and 38% of patients aged over 16 years, respectively. Comparison of the manual records with the computer records showed that the computer records were sufficiently complete with regard to diagnoses (82% of all items recorded), prescriptions (100%) and referrals (67%), but missed most of the remaining data that a manual record captured. The videorecorded validation study showed that there were no important lapses in the recording of diagnoses, prescriptions or referrals when the computer recording was compared to the actual process of the consultations. CONCLUSION In these four high-recording practices the data in computer records were of sufficient completeness and accuracy to allow meaningful data aggregation for some diagnoses, prescriptions and referrals. Standardized protocols for defining which patients are included and excluded from major disease groups are required.
Transfer of Loads Between Lumbar Tissues During the Flexion‐Relaxation Phenomenon

Study Design and Methods This study used an anatomically detailed model of the lumbar tissues, driven from biologic signals of vertebral displacement and myoelectric signals, to estimate individual muscle and passive tissue force-time histories during the performance of the “flexion-relaxation” maneuver. Eight male university students performed three trials each of the “flexion-relaxation” maneuver with six pairs of surface myoelectirc electrodes monitoring the right side of the trunk musculature, an electromagnetic device to record lumbar flexion, and videotape to record body segment displacement. Objectives To examine the loads on individual tissues during the transfer of moment support responsibility from predominantly active muscle to predominantly passive tissue. Summary of Background Data No previous studies, to the authors' knowledge, have examined individual tissue loading during the flexion-relaxation maneuver. Results Although most subjects were able to “relax” their lumbar extensors in full flexion, activity remained in the thoracic extensors and abdominals. Tissue load predictions suggested that while the lumbar extensor muscles were neurally “relaxed” (i.e., myoelectric silence), substantial elastic forces would assist the passive tissues in extensor moment support. On average, subjects sustained almost 3 kN in compressive load on the lumbar spine and about 755 N of anterior shear during full flexion with only 8 kg held in the hands. Conclusions The “relaxation” of lumbar extensor muscles appeared to occur only in an electrical sense because they generated substantial force elastically through stretching. Loading of the interspinous and supraspinous ligaments, in particular, was high relative to their failure tolerance.
Growing the terrestrial planets from the gradual accumulation of submeter-sized objects

Significance The fact that Mars is so much smaller than both Earth and Venus has been a long-standing puzzle of terrestrial planet formation. Here we show that a new mode of planet formation known as “Viscous Stirred Pebble Accretion,” which has recently been shown to produce the giant planets, also naturally explains the small size of Mars and the low mass of the asteroid belt. Thus there is a unified model that can be used to explain all of the basic properties of our solar system. Building the terrestrial planets has been a challenge for planet formation models. In particular, classical theories have been unable to reproduce the small mass of Mars and instead predict that a planet near 1.5 astronomical units (AU) should roughly be the same mass as Earth. Recently, a new model called Viscously Stirred Pebble Accretion (VSPA) has been developed that can explain the formation of the gas giants. This model envisions that the cores of the giant planets formed from 100- to 1,000-km bodies that directly accreted a population of pebbles—submeter-sized objects that slowly grew in the protoplanetary disk. Here we apply this model to the terrestrial planet region and find that it can reproduce the basic structure of the inner solar system, including a small Mars and a low-mass asteroid belt. Our models show that for an initial population of planetesimals with sizes similar to those of the main belt asteroids, VSPA becomes inefficient beyond ∼ 1.5 AU. As a result, Mars’s growth is stunted, and nothing large in the asteroid belt can accumulate.
Position-Taking and Electoral Accountability in the U.S. House of Representatives

While past research has offered some initial evidence linking patterns of position-taking behavior with incumbents’ electoral fortunes, we are left without a comprehensive study that informs us whether individual roll-call votes can be electorally consequential and lends insight into the conditions under which position-taking on roll calls may yield electoral implications. This article takes a step toward filling that void by examining the electoral implications of hundreds of House roll calls since the early 1970s. We find that, after controlling for the usual factors, a wide range of individual roll-call decisions have significant effects on incumbents’ electoral margins. We also find that the extent to which a particular roll call is controversial, salient, and a catalyst for intra-party disagreement affects whether it has electoral implications. In sum, our analysis addresses longstanding questions regarding how and when legislators are rewarded or punished at the polls for their behavior in Congress.
Competitive management and working capital

Working capital is a necessary input to the production process and yet is ignored in most economic models of production. The implications of modelling the time dimension of production, and hence the working capital requirements of firms, are explored, with particular stress placed on the competitive advantage gained by firms that retain flexibility in the time structure of their production.
Muscle injury after repeated bouts of voluntary and electrically stimulated exercise.

UNLABELLED Repeated bouts of eccentric exercise reduce the amount of exercise-induced muscle injury. PURPOSE This study sought to evaluate the importance of neural adaptations by comparing the repeated bout effect on muscle injury caused by voluntary and electrically stimulated eccentric exercise. METHODS Sixteen subjects (nine men, seven women) were assigned into two groups; electrical stimulation (STIM) and voluntary (VOL). Each group performed 2 identical bouts of 80 eccentric contractions of the quadriceps femoris (QF) through a 90 degree arc at approximately 45 degrees x s(-1), separated by 7 wk. T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of the QF were obtained before and 3 d after each exercise bout. Injury was assessed by determining changes in T2 relaxation time and muscle volume 3 d after exercise, and changes in isometric force and ratings of soreness for 28 d after exercise. RESULTS The initial bout of exercise caused significant changes in T2 relaxation time, isometric force, and ratings of soreness in both STIM and VOL groups (P < 0.05). After the repeated bout, significantly smaller changes were noted in soreness ratings (P < 0.05), mean change in T2 (P<0.05), and percentage of the QF demonstrating an increase in T2 (P < 0.05) compared with the initial bout in both exercise groups. CONCLUSIONS A repeated-bout effect was observed after electrically stimulated exercise, and the magnitude of the effect was similar to that observed with voluntary exercise. This suggests that the primary mechanism for the reduction in muscle injury after repeated exercise bouts is not related to changes in muscle recruitment and is potentially related to structural changes within the muscles.
Do Bid-Ask Spreads Or Bid and Ask Depths Convey New Information First?

This paper investigates the order in which new information is first reflected in the market – through changes in spreads or through updated depths. We develop an error correction model of spreads and depths and estimate Gonzalo-Granger common factor components using two years of tick-by-tick quote data on all stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. We show that indeed depths rather than spreads are first to impound new information that leads to new quote trends. Specifically, (bid and ask) depths convey information first in virtually every stock in both years, while spreads almost never convey information in 1998, and do so in only 8 out of 30 cases in 1995. Even in those 8 cases, the percentage of new information revealed by spreads ranges from 50-59% with the depths accounting for the rest. Our results have important implications for academic research on asymmetric information trading, for security market design, and for public policy.
Potential sources of bias in research fellowship assessments: effects of university prestige and field of study

In this study we analysed the committee peer review process used by an international foundation for the promotion of basic research in biomedicine (Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds) as to whether the scientific field of study within which the research project is proposed and the institutional prestige of the grant applicant's university influenced the decision to award doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships. The results of the comprehensive empirical analyses show statistically significant evidence of a bias in the review process towards certain fields of study, but no evidence of a bias towards applications for fellowships from researchers affiliated with prestigious universities. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.