Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Splenectomy ameliorates hematologic toxicity of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a promising modality for peritoneal carcinomatosis. Splenectomy is frequently required, however effect upon hematotoxicity is unknown. METHODS 195 patients undergoing the procedure were evaluated and granulocyte colony stimulating factor administered for white blood cell counts <4.0. RESULTS 52% of 195 underwent splenectomy; average white blood cell and platelet nadirs were 6.1,172. Non-splenectomy patients averaged white blood cell nadir 4.6, platelet nadir 164.1. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor administered in 29% of splenectomy, 43% of non-splenectomy (P=0.043). CONCLUSION Splenectomy ameliorates hematotoxicity of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy and significantly reduces post-operative granulocyte colony stimulating factor requirements.
Increasing employability in the emerging tourism sector in Mozambique: Results of a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Mozambique’s tourism sector could play a key role in the country’s socio-economic development, especially in the region of Cabo Delgado where the demand for tourist services is expected to increase. Nonetheless, several constraints (e.g. the lack of adequate training) are hindering the capacity of local people to take full advantage of this opportunity. Qualitative research has been performed in order to align vocational training programmes with the needs of the emerging tourism sector. Local and foreign key informants were interviewed in order to gain a better understanding of training needs and to gain insights into developing training programmes that can enhance local people’s employability. The main findings highlight the lack of symbolisation of tourism and its correlates from local communities. Therefore, rather than just delivering technical skills, training programmes should also promote a ‘culture of tourism’ and a more favourable attitude towards ‘working in the tourism sector’.
A Single-Factor Consumption-Based Asset Pricing Model

We propose a single-factor asset pricing model based on an indicator function of consumption growth being less than its endogenous certainty equivalent. This certainty equivalent is derived from generalized disappointment-aversion preferences, and it is located approximately 1 standard deviation below the conditional mean of consumption growth. Our single-factor model can explain the cross section of expected returns for size, value, reversal, profitability, and investment portfolios at least as well as the Fama–French multifactor models. Our results show strong empirical support for asymmetric preferences and question the effectiveness of the smooth utility framework, which is traditionally used in consumption-based asset pricing.
γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase Stimulates Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand Expression Independent of Its Enzymatic Activity and Serves as a Pathological Bone-resorbing Factor*

A novel bone-resorbing factor was cloned using an expression cloning technique, which involved a Xenopus oocyte expression system and an assay for osteoclast formation. A candidate clone was isolated from a BW5147 mouse T-lymphoma cell cDNA library. Sequencing analysis identified the factor as γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), which is an enzyme involved in glutathione metabolism. The addition of purified GGT protein to mouse bone marrow culture effectively induced formation of osteoclasts. An antibody against GGT inhibited osteoclast formation but not the enzymatic activity. We also demonstrated that an inactive form of GGT, the enzymatic activity of which had been blocked by chemical modification with a specific inhibitor, acivicin, supported osteoclast formation. These results indicate that GGT acts on osteoclast formation independent of its own enzymatic activity. Furthermore, both native GGT and inactive GGT stimulated the expression of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) mRNA and protein from bone marrow stromal cells. This report is the first demonstration of a novel biological activity of GGT protein in a manner independent of its enzymatic activity.
Retinyl esters are the substrate for isomerohydrolase.

Regeneration of 11-cis retinal from all-trans retinol in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a critical step in the visual cycle. The enzyme(s) involved in this isomerization process has not been identified and both all-trans retinol and all-trans retinyl esters have been proposed as the substrate. This study is to determine the substrate of the isomerase enzyme or enzymatic complex. Incubation of bovine RPE microsomes with all-trans [(3)H]-retinol generated both retinyl esters and 11-cis retinol. Inhibition of lecithin retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) with 10-N-acetamidodecyl chloromethyl ketone (AcDCMK) or cellular retinol-binding protein I (CRBP) diminished the generation of both retinyl esters and 11-cis retinol from all-trans retinol. The 11-cis retinol production correlated with the retinyl ester levels, but not with the all-trans retinol levels in the reaction mixture. When retinyl esters were allowed to form prior to the addition of the LRAT inhibitors, a significant amount of isomerization product was generated. Incubation of all-trans [(3)H]-retinyl palmitate with RPE microsomes generated 11-cis retinol without any detectable production of all-trans retinol. The RPE65 knockout (Rpe65(-/-)) mouse eyecup lacks the isomerase activity, but LRAT activity remains the same as that in the wild-type (WT) mice. Retinyl esters in WT mice plateau at 8 weeks-of-age, but Rpe65(-/-) mice continue to accumulate retinyl esters with age (e.g., at 36 weeks, the levels are 20x that of WT). Our data indicate that the retinyl esters are the substrate of the isomerization reaction.
Th17 development and autoimmune arthritis in the absence of reactive oxygen species

Dendritic cells (DC) express a functional NADPH oxidase and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon interaction with microbes and T cells. Exposure to ROS leads to DC activation and maturation, as evidenced by phenotypic and functional changes. We have evaluated how endogenous ROS production affects the cytokine secretion pattern and T cell‐activating capacity of bone marrow‐derived murine DC. DC treated with ROS scavengers, as well as DC from mice that lack a functional NADPH oxidase (and thereby inherently deficient in ROS production) produced significantly increased levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α and TGF‐β in response to microbial activation. DC deficient in ROS production induced high levels of IFN‐γ and IL‐17 in responding T cells after Ag‐specific or superantigen‐induced activation. Finally, we show that ROS deficiency affected the induction of a T cell‐dependent inflammatory condition, collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA). C57BL/6 mice that lack a functional NADPH oxidase developed a severe and erosive CD4‐dependent CIA, whereas the majority of the congenic wild‐type animals remained healthy. These data suggest that ROS act as immunomodulators in DC‐driven T cell activation and perhaps also in T cell‐dependent immunopathology.
Progress or Tokenism? Female Candidate Selection by Parties in Local Elections under an Informal Quota Regime

Why do political parties support the introduction of legislated gender quota and then fail to implement them? Drawing on a rational choice approach, some claim that deputies only vote for such quotas because of the belief that increased competition from females will increase their incumbency advantage (Self-Interest Theory). Others that legislation is introduced as a response to electorate demands and that variations in the levels of implementation of the quota are the result of a male bias at selectorate level and the effects of incumbency and ideology (Selectorate Bias Theory). This study tests the selection behaviour of political parties in local elections under an informal quota. Overall the study finds a positive effect of the quota on female selection. There is an increase in absolute and relative presence of women on the slate. In addition, in overall terms, the study does appear to support a self-interest explanation of party behaviour, as post quota there was a small, if very significant, negative effect of marginality. Detailed analysis showed that this negative reaction was shared by most parties, with the exception of Labour, but was only significant for one, SF. Further study on selection as opposed to election data is required if future assessments of quota schemes can truly establish measures of progress over tokenism.
Feasibility of a ward-based psychological intervention to improve staff and patient relationships in psychiatric rehabilitation settings.

OBJECTIVES Recent inquiries highlight the anti-therapeutic nature of inpatient psychiatric care. We aim to assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of a ward-based psychological intervention to improve staff-patient relationships in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. METHODS A single-blind cluster randomized design compared the intervention with treatment as usual (TAU) on measures of relationships, staff well-being, and patient functioning. Assessments were carried out at baseline and at 6 months. RESULTS Fifty-one patients and 85 staff were recruited across 10 wards. Fifteen patients and 11 staff were lost to follow-up, with primary reason being ward discharge. Uptake to the intervention was variable but on average lower than anticipated (mean number of sessions 3.5, range 0-11). Despite this lower than anticipated uptake, compared with TAU, patients in the intervention arm felt significantly less criticized by their key workers and reported improvements in ward atmosphere. Staff in the intervention arm also reported significantly lower levels of depersonalization post-intervention. Although trend level data favoured the intervention group, in this relatively small feasibility study, we were not able to demonstrate statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of staff perceptions of relationships, staff stress, and longer-term patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This psychologically informed ward-based intervention shows potential in improving relationships, although findings and feasibility may be enhanced if further measures are put into place to ensure that all members of the team attend intervention sessions on a more frequent basis. Loss at follow-up due to discharge also needs to be factored into future power calculations. PRACTITIONER POINTS It is feasible to implement and trial a ward-based psychological intervention (team-based formulation) in long-stay psychiatric settings using a cluster randomized design. Developing psychological formulations with frontline ward staff around patients' needs has the potential to improve staff-patient relationships. The small sample size and loss of data at follow-up may have limited the power of the study to detect the full range of treatment effects. Larger trials are needed to assess the reliability and generalizability of our findings across different wards.
Pharmacokinetics of sparfloxacin and serum bactericidal activity against pneumococci

Sparfloxacin, a new fluorinated quinolone, exhibits higher in vitro activity against pneumococci than do ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. Since up to 30% of cases of pneumococcal pneumonia are associated with bacteremia, and since an increasing percentage of pneumococci are resistant against penicillin, we studied the serum bactericidal activity of sparfloxacin against pneumococci in eight healthy, middle-aged volunteers. Pharmacokinetics in serum and urine after a 400-mg oral dose of sparfloxacin were comparable to those described by other authors. Inhibitory and bactericidal activities in serum were measured for four pneumococcal isolates representing penicillin-susceptible (one isolate), intermediately resistant (two isolates), and highly resistant (one isolate) strains. Geometric mean inhibitory titers ranged between 1:2.4 and 1:6.3 and bactericidal titers ranged between 1:1.3 and 1:3.6 during a time period of 1 to 6 h after drug intake. Although such titers were not sufficient to predict a clinical response based on previous pharmacodynamic studies using quinolone antibiotics, data obtained with volunteers may only partially reflect the clinical situation in which a rise of humoral antibodies directed against pneumococcal antigens may help to reinforce the bactericidal action of the antibiotic.
AP1-Dependent Galectin-1 Expression Delineates Classical Hodgkin and Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphomas from Other Lymphoid Malignancies with Shared Molecular Features

Purpose: Galectin-1 (Gal1) is an immunomodulatory glycan-binding protein regulated by an AP1-dependent enhancer in Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells. We recently found that Reed-Sternberg cell Gal1 promotes the immunosuppressive T-helper 2/T-regulatory cell–skewed microenvironment in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We sought to investigate whether the coordinate expression of activated AP1 pathway components and Gal1 serves as a diagnostic signature of cHL. In addition, because there are common signaling and survival pathways in cHL and additional non–Hodgkin lymphomas, we also evaluated whether the AP1/Gal1 signature is shared by other molecularly or morphologically related lymphomas. Experimental Design: We evaluated 225 cases of primary cHL and non–Hodgkin lymphoma for evidence of a functional AP1/Gal1 signature by immunohistochemical techniques. Results: Gal1 is selectively expressed by malignant Reed-Sternberg cells in >90% of primary cHLs, and Gal1 expression is concordant with the activated AP1 component, c-Jun. In contrast, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, and another Hodgkin-related entity, nodular lymphocyte–predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, do not express Gal1. However, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), consistently expresses both Gal1 and its transcriptional regulator, c-Jun. The presence of activated c-Jun, indicative of functional AP1 activity, was confirmed by phospho-c-Jun immunostaining in cHL and ALCL. Conclusions: These findings establish a functional AP1 signature that includes Gal1 expression in cHL and ALCL and suggests a common mechanism for tumor immunotolerance in these diseases. In addition, the combination of Gal1 and c-Jun serve as diagnostic biomarkers that delineate cHL and ALCL from other lymphomas with shared morphologic and/or molecular features.
Calculation of the electric field resulting from human body rotation in a magnetic field

A number of recent studies have shown that the electric field and current density induced in the human body by movement in and around magnetic resonance imaging installations can exceed regulatory levels. Although it is possible to measure the induced electric fields at the surface of the body, it is usually more convenient to use numerical models to predict likely exposure under well-defined movement conditions. Whilst the accuracy of these models is not in doubt, this paper shows that modelling of particular rotational movements should be treated with care. In particular, we show that v × B rather than −(v · ∇)A should be used as the driving term in potential-based modelling of induced fields. Although for translational motion the two driving terms are equivalent, specific examples of rotational rigid-body motion are given where incorrect results are obtained when −(v · ∇)A is employed. In addition, we show that it is important to take into account the space charge which can be generated by rotations and we also consider particular cases where neglecting the space charge generates erroneous results. Along with analytic calculations based on simple models, boundary-element-based numerical calculations are used to illustrate these findings.
A Comparative Survey of Environmental Education Goals Between the UNESCO Framework and 10th Grade Palestine Curriculum.

The present research, being one string of the Environmental Education (EE), aims to study, and analyze EE objectives in the Palestinian 10th grade textbook from an international point view , namely : to conduct a comparative survey of environmental education goals between the UNESCO framework and 10th grade Palestine Curriculum. To achieve this aim, the researcher refers to the UNESCO framework as a standard tool of EE, then analyzes the Palestinian 10th grade textbook in light of this tool. The finding of the research indicated that there are partial consistently between the UNESCO EE, and Palestinian 10th grade textbook in two levels of objectives (2 and 3), while there is no match on the other two levels of objectives (1 and 4), on the light of these finding the researcher recommends to policy makers, and the Palestinian writing team of the Environmental Education Curriculum to reform objectives on the light of international trends toward Environmental Education.
Market Reactions to Dividends Announcements and Payouts. Empirical Evidence from the Warsaw Stock Exchange

The main goal of this paper is the empirical examination of the Polish stock market reactions to dividend announcements and dividend payouts made by the companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). The research sample comprises 56 companies (WIG index constituents) that announced dividend payments and completed the payout during 2013. In the analysis, event study methodology is employed including either calculating abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns around the event day or testing their statistical significance using parametric and nonparametric tests. The average cross-sectional abnormal return calculated for the entire sample is found to be significant on the dividend announcement day (t = 0, 0.86%) and on one day after (t = 1, 0.59%) at the 1% and 10% significance levels, respectively. The outcomes of the analysis conducted within the three distinguished subsamples are rather more diverse. In the subgroup of the first announced dividends (or dividends announced after a minimum one-year break), the significant average abnormal return is found on day t = 1 (0.90%, 5% significance level), whereas in the case of the dividend decreases subsample, the significant average abnormal returns (at the 10% significance level) occur on days t = −4 (-1.44%) and t = 2 (-1.15%). The average abnormal return calculated within the subsample of dividend increases turns out to be positive and significant on day t = 1 (1.03%, 10% significance level). The results obtained for the average cumulative abnormal returns corroborate the findings reached for the average cross-sectional abnormal returns in the case of the first dividend and dividend increase subsamples. However, the average cross-sectional abnormal returns calculated within the eleven-day-long event window around the dividend payment day turn out to be statistically insignificant. The obtained results provide evidence that the Polish stock market reaction to dividend announcements is positive and immediate. However, the market does not significantly react to dividend payouts, which may lead to the conclusion that the WSE directly incorporates news on dividends into stock prices. Moreover, the reaction of the market for dividend announcements is consistent with the sign of the dividend change: dividend-increase (-decrease) announcements are interpreted as a positive (negative) signal by the investors. Such results support both the informational content of the dividend hypothesis and the dividend signaling hypothesis. Considering that the observed abnormal market behavior disappears within two days at most after the announcement date, the results of the study can be useful for financial practitioners only with regard to short-term investment decisions.
Packet loss recovery for RTP-based transmission of JPEG2000 images enabling backward compatibility with standard decoder

This paper deals with a packet loss recovery technique that enables backward compatibility with a standard decoder for transmission of JPEG2000 images over the Internet using RTP. The proposed scheme utilizes packet-level FEC, the JPEG2000 layered structure, and a data embedding technique. Prior to transmission, packets containing some portions of compressed data that related to a predetermined compression rate (bits/pixels) or acceptable image quality, are strongly protected using FEC across packets. At the receiver, the redundant packets are utilized to reconstruct any lost packets of the protected data. With a slight modification in the SOT marker segment of the codestream and careful placement of the redundant packets, the generated codestream is complaint with the standard decoder. Simulations using RTP in an IP network transmission confirmed the proposal's effectiveness.
Circadian rhythms of melatonin, cortisol and prolactin in patients with obsessive‐compulsive disorder

Plasma melatonin, cortisol and prolactin (PRL) levels were measured over a 24‐h period in 13 drug‐free patients with obsessive‐compulsive disorder and in matched healthy subjects. The circadian profiles of melatonin and PRL were altered in patients; the circadian rhythm of cortisol was preserved, although at a higher level compared with normal controls. These changes were significantly related to the severity of the obsessive‐compulsive symptoms. Further studies need to clarify the state‐ or trait‐dependent character of these abnormalities.
Observational study of suspected maltreatment in Italian paediatric emergency departments

Aims: To evaluate how often children seen in paediatric accident & emergency (A&E) departments were suspected of abuse or neglect, and to explore some of the correlates of suspected child maltreatment. Methods: Multicentre, cross-sectional study of 15 randomised census days during a six month period. Trained research assistants working with local paediatric staff completed a purpose made anonymised checklist covering sociodemographic and medical information. A six point suspicion index was used to rate compatibility with child maltreatment based on the occurrence of observable harm. Statistical analysis was carried out on the basis that a score of 4 or more was suspicious of child maltreatment. Nineteen hospitals provided standardised paediatric A&E consultation data on 0–14 year olds presenting between 10 am and 10 pm. Results: Of 10 175 assessed children, 204 aroused suspicion of child maltreatment (95% CI 163 to 214 per 10 000). In a logistic regression model of suspected maltreatment statistically significant associations were found with socioeconomic disadvantage, children living in single parent families, and developmental delay. There was no correlation with pre-school age, male gender, foreign origin, or living in urban areas. Conclusions: Child maltreatment based on immediate scoring of suspicion, focused on observable harm, occurred in 2% of a representative sample of paediatric emergency consultations in Italy. This was more common if there were associated social and developmental vulnerabilities. True prevalence of child maltreatment in emergency departments remains elusive because of changing definitions and forensic validation problems.
Estimating Stochastic Volatility Within a Trading Day

This thesis uses high-frequency data to characterize the volatility of asset prices within a trading day. The estimation procedure applies the generalized method of moments (GMM) to the Heston (1993) model of stochastic volatility. I apply the estimation to SPY in chapter 1 and to other 8 assets in chapter 2. I compare estimation results and discuss the implications and applicability of the model. In Chapter 3 I examine the path behavior of realized volatility and provide evidence that it is important to allow jumps in the Heston model.