Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Multi-Drug Resistance-1 (MDR1) Gene Polymorphism with Leukocytopenia in Breast Cancer Patients treated with Chemotherapy

Breast cancer incidence rates tend to increase in Indonesia and worldwide. Chemotherapy is an important breast cancer treatment which improve survival rate but also has many side effects. Leukocytopenia is one of the most common side effects that can be life-threatening due to opportunistic infection. Genetic polymorphism has been linked to inter-individual variations in terms of toxicity response of anticancer drugs. C3435T polymorphism in exon 26 of Multi-Drug Resistance 1 (MDR-1) gene which encodes P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is considered to be associated with increase of leukocytopenia incidence during chemotherapy. This study aim to investigate the association between MDR1 C3435T polymorphism with the grading of leukocytopenia in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. 72 Indonesian female breast cancer patients from Haji Adam Malik Hospital who received chemotherapy containing doxorubicin-paclitaxel were selected for this cohort study. DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes and MDR1 C3435T polymorphism was analyzed with polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP). Patient data were collected for 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Association between MDR1 C3435T polymorphism with the grading of leukocytopenia was assessed using Kruskal-Wallis test. Decline of absolute leucocyte count during 3 cycles of chemotherapy was assessed using Wilcoxon test. Genotype deviation and allele frequencies were also determined by HardyWeinberg Equilibrium. Patients were divided into 4 ethnics: Bataknese, Minangkabau, Javanese and Acehnese. Distribution of MDR1 C3435T polymorphism was varied among these ethnics. The frequencies of MDR1 C3435T genotype for wildtype (CC) was 22 (30,6%), heterozygous (CT) was 38 (52,8%) and homozygous mutant (TT) was 12 (16,7%). There was no association between MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and the grading of leukocytopenia (p>0,05). The average of absolute leukocyte count was differ after the second chemotherapy and after the third chemotherapy (p<0,05). The allele and genotype frequency from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium showed no significant deviation. MDR1 C3435T polymorphism had no association with leukocytopenia in breast cancer patients treated with doxorubicin-taxan regimen, meanwhile there was a trend of absolute leukocyte count declining post chemotherapy cycle 2. Keywords— MDR1 C3435T polymorphism, leukocytopenia, doxorubicin-paclitaxel, breast cancer
ANALYSIS OF SOIL MICROBIAL BIOMASS DYNAMICS IN RAINFED WHEAT FIELDS IN ARID ZONE OF PAKISTAN

Soil Microbial Biomass (SMB) dynamics in rainfed wheat fields was assessed. In study ½ NP @ of 40:20 kg ha -1 and full recommended dose of NP @ of 80:40 kg ha -1 was applied. A composite soil sample was taken and its electrical conductivity (ECe) was 0.38 dS m -1 . SMB parameters such as Cmic, Nmic, Pmic, Cmic: Nmic and Cmic: Pmic were determined by fumigation extraction method. The Cmic, Cmic: Nmic and Cmic: Pmic values were highest at the early stage of crop then declined in the middle and lowest at the crop maturity. Whilst Nmic and Pmic were low in the initial growth period and at peak in middle and lowest at maturity. All indices of SMB were increased by utilization of a balance fertilizer as in CK, the total amount of Cmic, Nmic, Pmic, Cmic: Nmic and Cmic: Pmic during wheat growth was 861.08 mg kg -1 -1 ,
Board Composition and Corporate Performance: How the Australian Experience Informs Contrasting Theories of Corporate Governance

In many respects, Australian boards more closely approach normative “best practice” guidelines for corporate governance than boards in other Western countries. Do Australian firms then demonstrate a board demographic-organisational performance link that has not been found in other economies? We examine the relationships between board demographics and corporate performance in 348 of Australia’s largest publicly listed companies and describe the attributes of these firms and their boards. We find that, after controlling for firm size, board size is positively correlated with firm value. We also find a positive relationship between the proportion of inside directors and the market-based measure of firm performance. We discuss the implications of these findings and compare our findings to prevailing research in the US and the UK.
From mosques to khanqahs: the origins and rise of Sufi institutions

This paper examines the theme of the evolution of Sufi institutions from the realm of the mosque institution to independent and self-governing bodies and establishments which catered to the needs of the ever-proliferating Sufi community. The relationship between Sufi institutions and other Islamic socio-political, educational and religious institutions is also discussed. The focus of the paper, firstly, is on the historical Sufi needs which called for the creation of self-governing Sufi institutions. That is followed by discussing the Sufi notion of travel and how much such an important Sufi tradition facilitated the gradual emergence of Sufi institutions. Then, the emergence of Sufi institutions from simple duwayrahs (small houses or convents) to ribats and multipurpose khanqah complexes, are examined.
TRACKING TEMPORAL CHANGES OF MOISTURE CONTENT IN SOUTHERN YELLOW PINES USING TIME-DOMAIN REFLECTOMETERY

Moisture storage in living trees is fundamental to tree health and poorly understood due to the destructive nature of most sampling methods. Low cost systems that continuously monitor moisture content (MC) of standing trees are required. Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) was explored as an option to monitor moisture content (MC) of standing trees. TDR data was collected from 10 Pinus elliottii Engelm. (slash pine) and 10 Pinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) trees on the Lower Coastal Plain and 10 P. taeda from the Piedmont on a weekly basis for one year. Site specific calibrations were used to predict MC, but owing to a pronounced wound response it was not possible to accurately track changes in whole-tree MC with time. If calibrations more oriented toward living trees can be obtained I believe TDR could be used to monitor temporal changes in standing tree MC. INDEX WORDS: Time-domain reflectometry, TDR, moisture content, dielectric constant, water usage TRACKING TEMPORAL CHANGES OF MOISTURE CONTENT IN SOUTHERN YELLOW PINES USING TIME-DOMAIN REFLECTOMETERY
Phenotypical and metabolical-induced variation of meat nutritive value within the same variety of Roman snail (Helix pomatia var. Banatica )

Interand intraspecific variations of snail meat nutritive value are well documented. The same may be true even within the same species variety. Both active and hibernating snails were collected from two distinct sites from geographical and subclimatic point of view. Using bidimensional data processing, statistical, and biochemical analyses we assessed the actions of environmental factors and metabolical status on intra� variety changes of aperture morphological features and foot meat chemical composition. We demonstrated that aperture area tended to be larger in wetter areals whereas relationships between aperture height and foot weight sugested the lack of scientific background for calibration of wild snails. As regards the influence of metabolic status and location on foot chemical composition our results pointed to raw protein as possible predictor of genetic and environmentalinduced biochemical variations within the same species variety while percentage content of raw protein in the total amount of dry matter displayed, regardless of origin, a relatively constant variation in relation to the metabolic status.
Identification of minerals and meteoritic materials via Raman techniques after capture in hypervelocity impacts on aerogel

Abstract— Mineral particles analogous to components of cosmic dust were tested to determine if their Raman signatures can be recognized after hypervelocity capture in aerogel. The mineral particles were accelerated onto the silica aerogel by light‐gas‐gun shots. It was found that all the individual minerals captured in aerogel could be identified using Raman (or fluorescence) spectra. The laser beam spot size was ˜5 micrometers, and in some cases the captured particles were of a similar small size. In some samples fired into aerogel, a broadening and a shift in the wave numbers of some of the Raman bands was observed, a result of the trapped particles being at elevated temperatures due to laser heating. Temperatures of samples were also estimated from the relative intensities of Stokes and anti‐Stokes Raman bands, or, in the case of corundum particles, from the wave number of fluorescence bands excited by the laser. The temperature varied greatly, dependent upon laser power and the nature of the particle. Most of the mineral particles examined had temperatures below 200 °C at a laser power of about 3 mW at the sample. This temperature is sufficiently low enough not to damage most materials expected to be found captured in aerogel in space. In the worst case, some particles were shown to have temperatures of 500–700 °C. In addition, selected meteorite samples were examined to obtain Raman signatures of their constituent minerals and were then shot into aerogel. It was possible to find Raman signatures after capture in aerogel and obtain a Raman map of a whole grain in situ in the aerogel. It is concluded that Raman analysis is indeed well suited for an in situ analysis of micrometer‐sized materials captured in aerogel.
Angiosperm Clades in the Potomac Group: What Have We Learned since 1977?

Abstract In their 1977 study on Potomac Group angiosperms, Hickey and Doyle made only broad comparisons with living taxa. Newer data, especially discoveries of fossil flowers in the Potomac and coeval deposits and increasingly robust molecular phylogenies of living angiosperms, allow more precise phylogenetic placement of fossils. Hickey and Doyle compared most early Potomac leaves (Aptian—early Albian) with “magnoliids,” a paraphyletic group as then defined, but several clades can now be recognized. Leaves and dispersed cuticles share epidermal features with woody members of the basal ANITA grade, and in some cases crown group Austrobaileyales, whose presence is confirmed by flowers called Anacostia. Aptian—Albian flowers (Monetianthus, Carpestella) and whole plants (Pluricarpellatia) are nested in crown group Nymphaeales; Potomac reniform leaves could belong to this clade. Several Potomac leaves have chloranthoid teeth, venation, and opposite phyllotaxis consistent with Chloranthaceae, while Aptian to Cenomanian flowers reveal the presence of both crown group Chloranthaceae (Asteropollis plant, near Hedyosmum) and stem relatives of this family and/or Ceratophyllum (Canrightia, Zlatkocarpus, Pennipollis plant, possibly Appomattoxia). Phylogenetic analyses confirm interpretations of Aptian Liliacidites pollen and Acaciaephyllum as monocots. Ternately lobed leaves such as Vitiphyllum may represent basal eudicots, in or below Ranunculales. In the late Potomac (middle to late Albian), the rise of tricolpate pollen and local dominance of angiosperm leaves mark the influx of near-basal eudicot clades. Associated floral receptacles confirm that Nelumbites leaves were related to Nelumbo (Proteales), while heads of unisexual flowers indicate that both palmately lobed “platanoid” and pinnatifid Sapindopsis leaves (previously compared with rosids) were stem relatives of Platanus (also Proteales). Flowers called Spanomera are related to Buxaceae. Several Albian and early Cenomanian flowers belong to Magnoliidae in the new monophyletic sense, including Archaeanthus in Magnoliales and Virginianthus and Mauldinia in Laurales; Laurales are common in the late Albian leaf record.
Does Over-education Influence French Economic Growth?

In the last two decades, France has experienced an increase in mismatches between education and work. This article studies twenty two years of French productivity to highlight the causes and effects of over-education on the employee wages and the national income. From the INSEE and Cereq data, this analysis shows a positive effect in the short term on wages of the least qualified and overeducated worker. Furthermore, over-education phenomenon does not penalize the higher graduates. Paradoxically, if it is always profitable for individuals to increase their education investment; in term of growth, over-education of the higher graduates produce an unfavourable short term effect on GDP.
Effects of some environmental Variables on urease in germinating chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L. ) seed

Received April 23, 2013Enzyme activity is influenced by a large number of factors. Environmental conditions such as pH, temperature, salt concentration, substrate concentration, activators, and inhibitors may change the three dimensional shape of an enzyme, altering its rate of activity and/or its ability to bind substrate. The effects of such environmental factors were evaluated. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified urease were 7.2 and 48
Changes in Job Structure and Rising Wage Inequality in Urban China, 1995-2007

We use household surveys from 1995, 2002, and 2007 to examine how changes in job structure contributed to China's rising urban wage inequality, considering three job characteristics: occupation, industry, and firm ownership. The explanatory power of job structure for wage inequality increased between 1995 and 2007. Both the change in relative number of jobs (composition effect) and the change in between-job and within-job wage gaps (price effect) contributed to rising wage inequality. Price effect was the major contributor, whereas composition effect played a larger role in the 1995-2002 period than in the 2002-2007 period, and at the lower-half distribution. Between-job inequality played a major role in the first period, and within-job inequality played a major role in the second period. Our results suggest that both technological change and institutional features influence job structure and wage inequality.
Author version Multilayer 3D Filter Paper Constructs for the Culture and Analysis of Aortic Valvular Interstitial Cells

Culturing aortic valvular interstitial cells in an environment that models the aortic valve is an essential step towards understanding the progression of calcific aortic valve disease. Here the adaption of a 3D stacked paper-based culture system is presented for analyzing valve cells in a thick collagen gel matrix. Filter paper layers, modeled after a 96-well plate design, were printed with a wax well-plate template and then seeded with valve cell and collagen mixtures that quickly gelled into 3D cultures. Stacking these layers permitted extensive customization of culture thickness and cell density profiles to model the full thickness of native valve tissue. Aortic valvular interstitial cells seeded into the paper-based constructs consistently demonstrated high survival up to 14 days of culture with significant increases in cell number through the first 3 days of culture. After 4 days following seeding, valve cells in single layer cultures showed reduced smooth muscle α-actin expression with a stabilized cell density, suggesting a transition from an activated phenotype to a more quiescent state. Valve cells in multilayer cultures demonstrated the ability to migrate from layer to layer and had the highest smooth muscle αactin expression in areas with predicted low oxygen tensions. These results establish the filter paper-based method as a viable culture system for analyzing valve cells in an in vitro 3D model of the aortic valve.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC LISTED COMPANIES: PRE AND POST IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MALAYSIAN CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The last two decades have witnessed a flurry of government initiatives around the world to improve their corporate governance (CG) in order to woo back foreign investments following the financial economic crisis1. Prior studies (Mitton, 2002; Tam & Tan 2007) indicate that the crisis was to a certain extent, due to weak CG. The sample comprises panel data of 293 companies listed on the Main and Second Board of Bursa Malaysia spanning over a period of twelve-years from 1995 to 2006. Prior studies did not include small companies in their sample and also concentrate on a few years (Petra, 2002). Therefore, this study sets to examine the impact of CG and ownership structures on firm performance before and after the implementation of MCCG in 2001. Subsequently, multiple linear regressions using fixed effect method was conducted for each period before and after implementation of MCCG in 2001 and by sector to determine the effects (if any).
Effect of organic and inorganic amendments on the heavy metal content of soil and wheat crop irrigated with wastewater.

Field experiment was conducted to study the effect of wastewater irrigation and different organic and inorganic amendments on the phytoavailability of metals to wheat crop. Wheat was grown in (2x1 m plot) irrigated with wastewater generated from HIE (Hayatabad Industrial Estate, Peshawar, Pakistan) and municipal wastes during 2008. Five different amendments viz farm yard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), diammonium phosphate (DAP), triple super phosphate (TSP) and humic acid (HA) were applied and mixed with soil prior to crop growing. In addition, a control (Tubewell irrigation TW) and only wastewater (WW) irrigation plot (without amendments) was also set up for comparison. The FYM and PM were applied at the rate of 10 tons ha -1 . The DAP and TSP were added @ of 150 kg ha -1 as P where as HA was added @ of 1.5 kg ha -1 . A Basal dose of N and K @ of 120 and 60 kg respectively were also added to all experimental plots except control. The results showed that wheat yield and yield components were significantly increased with the addition of all the amendments compared to control and the higher increase was noted in HA treated plots. The effect of different amendments applied on AB-DTPA extractable metals was significant for Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb (P<0.05) and non significant for Cd, Cr and Zn. Higher concentration were noted in the wastewater applied plots with exception of Zn that was lowest in wastewater irrigated plots. The effect of all the amendments on ABDTPA extractable metals was comparable with exception of Pb that was significantly reduced by DAP. It was concluded that all the metals under study were below the toxicity level in soil and none of the essential nutrient was deficient. The leaves metal concentrations showed that higher values of all the metal under study were noted in leaves when irrigated with WW and TW irrigated plants resulted minimum accumulation of metals in leaves. The effect of different amendments on the plant uptake of metal was variable. Addition of HA reduced the uptake of Cd, Cr, Mn whereas DAP was effective in reducing the phytoavailability of Pb and Zn.
RELIABILITY AND GENERALIZABILITY OF CONSECUTIVE MAXIMUM CONTRACTIONS AS A TEST OF NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTION

The aim of the study was to explore the intra- and inter- session reliability, generalizability, as well as the factorial validity of the recently proposed novel test of neuromuscular function. Twelve participants took part in the first experiment, performing the standard strength test (SST) and a novel test based on consecutive maximum contractions (CMC) tests on the knee extensor muscle. Within the second experiment, additional 36 participants performed the SST and CMC tests on the knee and elbow flexor and extensor muscles. The obtained results for the SST and CMC revealed high day by day and test-retest reliability in most measured variables (ICC in the range of 0.80 - 0.92). The principal component analysis (PCA) applied on the SST variables revealed 3 factors that explained 81.2% of the non-normalized and 66.1% of the normalized data. The PCA applied on all 16 non-normalized variables of the CMC test revealed 3 factors that explained 80% of the total variance. Another PCA with the rate of force development and relaxation (RFD and RFR) normalized in regards to the PF revealed 4 factors that explained 70.9% of the total variance. Non-normalized factors were not loaded with different muscle groups, but with variables of the same muscle group. After the applied normalization, the individual factors were loaded with the variables recorded from individual muscles. The results of the CMC suggest that the ability of the RFD and RFR could be partially independent. The CMC may be a feasible alternative to SST since it could assess the same strength properties from muscles through a single trial, based on a relatively low and transient force.
Calibration of a multi-species model for chlorophyll estimation in seedlings of Neotropical tree species using hand-held leaf absorbance meters and spectral reflectance

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to calibrate a multi-species model for assessing leaf chlorophyll content in seedlings of six Neotropical rainforest tree species. Two hand-held chlorophyll absorbance meters (SPAD-502 and ClorofiLog) and the chlorophyll normalized difference leaf reflectance index (ND705) were tested. Measurements of leaf absorbance and reflectance, contents of chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), and total chlorophyll (Chl t), leaf area (LA), and leaf mass per area (LMA) were performed on fully expanded leaves. A total of 200 leaves were used for the calibration of the multiple-species model. The relative root mean square calibration errors (RMSec, %) were calculated based on estimated chlorophyll values for multiple-species models and on measured values for each of the six species. The average values of LA varied between 14.2 and 29.5 cm-2, LMA between 34.8 and 98.9 g m-2, and Chl t between 3 and 815 mg m-2. For all indices, the highest values of the coefficients of determination (R2) were observed for Chl a (R2 ≥ 0.91), followed by Chl t (R2 ≥ 0.89) and Chl b (R2 ≥ 0.82). The highest values of R2 were obtained for ND705 (R2 ≥ 0.86) followed by SPAD-502 (R2 ≥ 0.83) and ClorofiLog (R2 ≥ 0.82). The present study showed that ClorofiLog and SPAD-502 indices could be safely interconverted by a simple linear regression model (R2 = 0.98). RMSec values were lower than 20%, which confirmed the feasibility of the multi-species model for estimating the chlorophyll content using hand-held chlorophyll absorbance meters and leaf reflectance.
Crystallization of low silica Na-A and Na-X zeolites from transformation of kaolin and obsidian by alkaline fusion

Zeolites Na-A and Na-X were successfully synthesized from kaolin and obsidian, respectively, following the alkaline fusion method. Raw materials were hydrothermally activated with NaOH to synthesize zeolites Na-A and Na-X. The transformation of the starting materials into zeolites has been evaluated by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy to elucidate the crystallization process of zeolites. The use of low cost materials in zeolite synthesis become an area of important interest and research, playing an active role in promoting technological advances, research and technology transfer related to the production of zeolytic materials under well-optimized experimental conditions.
Fund manager characteristics and performance

This study establishes a multitier framework to evaluate how fund manager characteristics systematically affect mutual fund performance. The framework includes three tiers of performance elements: comprehensive performance; return and risk; and timing skill and picking ability. Using performance decomposition, our evidence indicates that various characteristics take distinct channels to influence return, risk and fund manager abilities, which in turn affect comprehensive performance. In particular, having a degree of Master of Business Administration or a Chartered Financial Analyst qualification is significantly associated with a fund manager's better stock-picking ability, higher excess returns and better comprehensive performance.