Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flavopiridol potentiates STI571-induced mitochondrial damage and apoptosis in BCR-ABL-positive human leukemia cells.

PURPOSE The goal of this study was to characterize interactions between the Bcr/Abl kinase inhibitor STI571 and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol in Bcr/Abl(+) human leukemia cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN K562 leukemia cells were exposed to STI571 +/- flavopiridol for 24 or 48 h, after which mitochondrial damage, caspase activation, expression/activation of signaling and cell cycle regulatory proteins, and apoptosis were assessed. RESULTS In K562 cells, coadministration of marginally toxic concentrations of STI571 (200 nM) and flavopiridol (150 nM) for 48 h resulted in a marked increase in mitochondrial damage (e.g., cytochrome c release), activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and Bid, and apoptosis. Similar interactions were observed in Bcr/Abl(+) LAMA-84 cells but not in leukemic cells that fail to express Bcr/Abl (e.g., HL-60, U937, Jurkat). STI571/flavopiridol-mediated apoptosis was associated with the caspase-independent down-regulation of Bcl-x(L) and Mcl-1, activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase, and the caspase-dependent release of Smac/DIABLO and loss of deltapsi(m). Coadministration of flavopiridol and STI571 did not result in changes in levels of expression of Bcl-2, phopho-Stat5, phospho-p34(cdc2), or Bcr/Abl. Finally, STI571/flavopiridol effectively induced apoptosis in STI571-resistant K562 cells displaying amplification of the Bcr/Abl protein. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings indicate that the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol induces multiple perturbations in signaling pathways in STI571-treated Bcr/Abl(+) human leukemia cells that culminate in mitochondrial injury, caspase activation, and apoptosis. They also suggest that simultaneous disruption of survival signaling and cell cycle regulatory pathways may represent an effective strategy in Bcr/Abl(+) malignancies.
The incidence of, and returns to overeducation in the UK

The 1991 wave of the British Household Panel Survey is used to examine the extent of, and the returns to overeducation in the UK. About 11% of the workers are overeducated, while another 9% are undereducated for their job. The results show that the allocation of female workers is more efficient than the allocation of males. The probability of being overeducated decreases with work experience, but increases with tenure. Overeducated workers earn less, while undereducated workers earn more than correctly allocated workers. Both the hypothesis that productivity is fully embodied and the hypothesis that productivity is completely job determined are rejected by the data. It is found that there are substantial wage gains obtainable from a more efficient allocation of skills over jobs.
Do Managers Always Know Better? Relative Accuracy of Management and Analyst Forecasts

We examine the relative accuracy of management and analyst forecasts of annual EPS. We predict and find that analysts’ information advantage resides at the macroeconomic level. They provide more accurate earnings forecasts than management when a firm's fortunes move in concert with macroeconomic factors such as Gross Domestic Product and energy costs. In contrast, we predict and find that management's information advantage resides at the firm level. Their forecasts are more accurate than analysts’ when management's actions, which affect reported earnings, are difficult to anticipate by outsiders, such as when the firm's inventories are abnormally high or the firm has excess capacity or is experiencing a loss. Although analysts are commonly viewed as industry specialists, we fail to find evidence that analysts have an information advantage over managers at the industry level. The two have comparable abilities to forecast earnings for firms with revenues or earnings that are more synchronous with their industries.
Dental diseases in a Jordanian population on renal dialysis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the levels of periodontal disease and dental caries in individuals on renal dialysis in a Jordanian population. METHOD AND MATERIALS A total of 47 individuals (mean age = 42.9 years, standard deviation [SD] 12.5) were examined for plaque deposits, gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental caries using the Silness and Löe plaque index (PII), Löe and Silness gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT), respectively. Gingival recession also was recorded using the distance from the cementoenamel junction to the gingival margin. Patients were categorized into three subgroups based on their renal dialysis histories: on dialysis for less than 1 year; on dialysis for 1 to 3 years; or on dialysis longer than 3 years. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in PII, GI, PPD, and gingival recession among the three subgroups examined. The GI revealed that 55% scored more than 2, indicating moderate to severe gingivitis. None of the individuals in this study displayed an absence of gingival inflammation. DMFT index showed that there were statistically significant differences between subjects on renal dialysis for less than 1 year and subjects on dialysis for 1 to 3 years and more than 3 years. The group DMFT index mean was 8.5 (SD 2.88). CONCLUSION Gingival and dental diseases are prevalent in the renal dialysis population. The dental community's awareness of the implication of poor oral health within this population should be elevated and daily oral health maintenance should be reinforced by the dialysis team.
How Auctions Work for Wine and Art

interview auctioneers, and even to buy a little wine. ' In the meantime I have also had the opportunity (with John Abowd, 1988) to observe and collect data on the auction sale of impressionist and contemporary paintings. This paper reports on some of the empirical regularities that I and others have observed in the actual operation of the auction markets for these items. In view of the rich and diverse array of theoretical literature on auctions it seems high time economists began to spell out precisely what facts it is meant to explain.2
Assessing Health Numeracy Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Quantitative information occupies a central role within health care decision making. Despite this, numeracy has attracted little research attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) describe the health numeracy skill of a nonclinical, Canadian community-based senior population and (2) determine the relationship between health numeracy skill and prose health literacy, education, and math anxiety in this population. A convenience sample of 140 men and women, 50 + years, completed a questionnaire assessing demographic details, math anxiety, functional health literacy (Shortened Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults STOFHLA), general context numeracy, and health context numeracy skills. Most participants had adequate functional health literacy (prose and numeracy) as measured by the STOFHLA, poorer general context numeracy skill, higher health context numeracy skill, and moderate math anxiety. Approximately 36% of the variation in general context numeracy scores and 26% of the variation in health context numeracy scores were explained by prose health literacy skill (STOFHLA), math anxiety, and attained education. This research offers an initial assessment of health numeracy skills as measured by three existing numeracy scales among a group of independently functioning older Canadian adults. This work highlights the need for clarification of the numeracy concept and refinement of health numeracy assessment instruments. Moreover, identifying patients' numeracy strengths and weaknesses will enable the development of focused numeracy interventions and may contribute to moving individuals further along the continuum of health literacy proficiency.
Underreaction to Dividend Reductions and Omissions

Using a sample of 2,337 cash dividend reduction or omission announcements over the 1927 to 1999 period, this study reports significant negative post-announcement long-term abnormal returns, which last 1 year only. However, this long-term abnormal performance is driven by the post-earnings-announcement drift. After controlling for the earnings performance and the skewness of buy-and-hold abnormal returns, there is no compelling evidence of a post-dividend-reduction or post-dividend-omission price drift. Copyright 2008 by The American Finance Association.
Detecting Mergers and Acquisitions Effects on Performance, Efficiency, and Productivity with a Bootstrap Mixed Logit Approach: Evidence from Greece

In this paper, we examine the effects on performance, efficiency, and productivity of horizontal and vertical mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the Greek manufacturing sector during the period 1995 – 2002. The purpose is to determine whether M&As actually do enhance the value of acquired firms, thus offering synergy gains, or if they tend to be value-neutral or value-reducing. Taking into consideration the endogeneity of M&A decisions, we analyze the effects using the matching estimator approach, which is based on the estimated propensity score. We estimate the propensity score using a more recent econometric procedure: the Bootstrap Mixed Logit approach (BMXL, or Bootstrap Random Coefficients Logit Model), which captures observed and unobserved heterogeneity both within and between firms. The findings exhibit a significant improvement through BMXL in comparison to other models such as the simple Logit model and propensity score weighting. In general, the results provide evidence that acquisitions (both horizontal and vertical) tend to be value-reducing rather than value-neutral or value-enhancing. Additionally, contrary to previous studies, we find a considerable amount of acquisitions that are performed under managerial discipline motives.
The effects of prolactin and oxytocin on milk secretion and on the permeability of the mammary epithelium in the rabbit.

The effects of prolactin or oxytocin on milk secretion and the permeability of the mammary epithelium have been investigated in rabbits. 2. Milk yield was increased by prolactin treatment in late (25‐28 days) but not in established (11‐14 days) lactation. 3. Prolactin treatment increased milk [lactose] and [K] and decreased [Na] and [Cl] in late lactation, and thus reversed the normal changes in late lactation, but had no significant effect in established lactation. 4. [14C]sucrose movements from blood to milk were significantly decreased to levels characteristic of established lactation, following prolactin treatment in late lactation. No significant effect was evident with treatment in established lactation. Na and Cl movements showed similar trends. 5. It is suggested that prolactin in some way affects paracellular movements of ions and small molecules like lactose across the mammary epithelium, and that this mechanism is responsible for the changes in the composition of the aqueous phase of milk. 6. Immediately following a single dose of 100 m‐u. oxytocin no significant effects on milk composition were evident but after 1 u. milk [Na] and [cl] were significantly increased. 7. Twenty‐four hr after 1 u. oxytocin, milk [Na] and [cl] were decreased while [K], [lactose], [fat] and [protein] were increased. 8. During an I.V. infusion of oxytocin milk [Na] and [Cl] increased while [K] and [lactose] decreased. The passage of [(14)C]sucrose, 24Na and (36)Cl from blood to milk also increased. 9. These effects of oxytocin are discussed in relation to the permeability of the mammary epithelium and the pathways for ion movements, and to other studies on milk composition in the rabbit involving the administration of oxytocin to aid in the evacuation of milk.
Initial combination therapy with ambrisentan and tadalafil in connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH): subgroup analysis from the AMBITION trial

Background Patients with connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH), in particular systemic sclerosis (SSc), had an attenuated response compared with idiopathic PAH in most trials. Thus, there is uncertainty regarding the benefit of PAH-targeted therapy in some forms of CTD-PAH. Objective To explore the safety and efficacy of initial combination therapy with ambrisentan and tadalafil versus ambrisentan or tadalafil monotherapy in patients with CTD-PAH and SSc-PAH enrolled in the AMBITION trial. Methods This was a post hoc analysis of patients with CTD-PAH and SSc-PAH from AMBITION, an event-driven, double-blind trial in patients with WHO functional class II/III PAH. Treatment-naive patients were randomised 2:1:1 to once-daily initial combination therapy with ambrisentan plus tadalafil or monotherapy with ambrisentan or tadalafil, respectively. The primary endpoint was time to the first clinical failure event (first occurrence of death, hospitalisation for worsening PAH, disease progression or unsatisfactory long-term clinical response). Results In the primary analysis set (N=500), 187 patients had CTD-PAH, of whom 118 had SSc-PAH. Initial combination therapy reduced the risk of clinical failure versus pooled monotherapy in each subgroup: CTD-PAH (HR 0.43 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.77)) and SSc-PAH (0.44 (0.22 to 0.89)). The most common AE was peripheral oedema, which was reported more frequently with initial combination therapy than monotherapy in the two PAH subgroups. The relative frequency of adverse events between those on combination therapy versus monotherapy was similar across subgroups. Conclusions This post hoc subgroup analysis provides evidence that CTD-PAH and SSc-PAH patients benefit from initial ambrisentan and tadalafil combination therapy. Trial registration number NCT01178073, post results.
China's Agrarian Reform and the Privatization of Land: a contrarian view

Many reporters and scholars outside China advocate the privatization of land ownership in China as a necessary step for the transformation of China's agriculture system into a modern, large-scale, market-oriented and technology-intensive one. Chinese scholars advocating land privatization, for their part, typically argue that land privatization would better protect farmers’ rights and interests. We present a contrarian view to these calls for land privatization. Under China's current system of collective land ownership and individualized land use rights, agriculture has modernized rapidly in China in a way that has avoided privatization's many downsides. Land privatization, by contrast, would only exacerbate class inequality and social tension in rural China and further weaken farmers’ positions in dealing with more powerful actors. Through analyzing six dimensions of this issue—increasing investment in land and agricultural productivity, promoting scaled-up modern agriculture, protecting farmers’ land rights and preventing land grabs, enhancing rural livelihoods, and facilitating rural migrants’ integration into cities—we maintain that strengthening the current system is superior to privatizing rural land.
Where Did the Productivity Growth Go? Inflation Dynamics and the Distribution of Income

A basic tenet of economic science is that productivity growth is the source of growth in real income per capita. But our results raise doubts by creating a direct link between macro productivity growth and the micro evolution of the income distribution. We show that over the entire period 1966-2001, as well as over 1997-2001, only the top 10 percent of the income distribution enjoyed a growth rate of real wage and salary income equal to or above the average rate of economy-wide productivity growth. Growth in median real wage and salary income barely grew at all while average wage and salary income kept pace with productivity growth, because half of the income gains went to the top 10% of the income distribution, leaving little left over for the bottom 90%. Half of this inequality effect is attributable to gains of the 90th percentile over the 10th percentile; the other half is due to increased skewness within the top 10%. In addition to its micro analysis, this paper also asks whether faster productivity growth reduces inflation, raises nominal wage growth, or raises profits. We find that an acceleration or deceleration of the productivity growth trend alters the inflation rate by at least one-for-one in the opposite direction. This paper revives research on wage adjustment and produces a dynamic interactive model of price and wage adjustment that explains movements of labour's share of income. What caused rising income inequality? Economists have placed too much emphasis on 'skill-biased technical change' and too little attention to the sources of increased skewness at the very top, within the top 1% of the income distribution. We distinguish two complementary explanations, the 'economics of superstars,' i.e., the pure rents earned by sports and entertainment stars, and the escalating compensation premia of CEOs and other top corporate officers. These sources of divergence at the top, combined with the role of deunionization, immigration, and free trade in pushing down incomes at the bottom, have led to the wide divergence between the growth rates of productivity, average compensation, and median compensation.
The diabetes risk score: a practical tool to predict type 2 diabetes risk.

OBJECTIVE Interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes should be directed toward individuals at increased risk for the disease. To identify such individuals without laboratory tests, we developed the Diabetes Risk Score. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A random population sample of 35- to 64-year-old men and women with no antidiabetic drug treatment at baseline were followed for 10 years. New cases of drug-treated type 2 diabetes were ascertained from the National Drug Registry. Multivariate logistic regression model coefficients were used to assign each variable category a score. The Diabetes Risk Score was composed as the sum of these individual scores. The validity of the score was tested in an independent population survey performed in 1992 with prospective follow-up for 5 years. RESULTS Age, BMI, waist circumference, history of antihypertensive drug treatment and high blood glucose, physical activity, and daily consumption of fruits, berries, or vegetables were selected as categorical variables. Complete baseline risk data were found in 4435 subjects with 182 incident cases of diabetes. The Diabetes Risk Score value varied from 0 to 20. To predict drug-treated diabetes, the score value >or=9 had sensitivity of 0.78 and 0.81, specificity of 0.77 and 0.76, and positive predictive value of 0.13 and 0.05 in the 1987 and 1992 cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The Diabetes Risk Score is a simple, fast, inexpensive, noninvasive, and reliable tool to identify individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes.
Marine04 Marine Radiocarbon Age Calibration, 0–26 Cal Kyr Bp

New radiocarbon calibration curves, IntCal04 and Marine04, have been constructed and internationally ratified to replace the terrestrial and marine components of IntCal98. The new calibration data sets extend an additional 2000 yr, from 0–26 cal kyr BP (Before Present, 0 cal BP = AD 1950), and provide much higher resolution, greater precision, and more detailed structure than IntCal98. For the Marine04 curve, dendrochronologically-dated tree-ring samples, converted with a box diffusion model to marine mixed-layer ages, cover the period from 0–10.5 cal kyr BP. Beyond 10.5 cal kyr BP, high-resolution marine data become available from foraminifera in varved sediments and U/Th-dated corals. The marine records are corrected with site-specific 14C reservoir age information to provide a single global marine mixed-layer calibration from 10.5–26.0 cal kyr BP. A substantial enhancement relative to IntCal98 is the introduction of a random walk model, which takes into account the uncertainty in both the calendar age and the 14C age to calculate the underlying calibration curve (Buck and Blackwell, this issue). The marine data sets and calibration curve for marine samples from the surface mixed layer (Marine04) are discussed here. The tree-ring data sets, sources of uncertainty, and regional offsets are presented in detail in a companion paper by Reimer et al. (this issue).
The Performance Advantages for SMEs of Product Innovation and Marketing Resource–Capability Complementarity in Emerging Economies

This study argues that small and medium‐sized enterprises () must possess both resources and capabilities at a superior level, and those resources and capabilities must be complementary with one another to achieve superior financial performance. The resources and capabilities of interest are product innovation and marketing. Using data from manufacturing , the results suggest that product innovation resource–capability complementarity, marketing resource–capability complementarity, and their interaction are positively related to financial performance through product innovation and customer performance. The findings suggest that some may outperform others not only because they possess a specific individual resource–capability complementarity but also because they create synergy and asset interconnectedness.
Obesity modifies the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and natriuresis in children

BackgroundThe objective in the present study was to evaluate if obesity beginning in the first two decades of life influences the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and urinary sodium excretion. Design and MethodsEighty-five obese and 88 non-obese children aged 3–19 years were included in the study. For each subject, a 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and a complete urine collection were simultaneously performed according to the protocols designed. The averages of ambulatory blood pressure and of the urinary excretion rates for sodium, potassium and creatinine were calculated separately for 24-h, awake and sleep periods as defined by a mini-diary. ResultsWeight and sodium excretion are directly associated with systolic blood pressure; however, the relationship between blood pressure and sodium excretion seems to be modified in obese children as compared to controls. The interaction between sodium excretion and weight was negative indicating that the rate of change of systolic blood pressure by sodium unit is smaller for the obese than for the non-obese, even though at the same urinary sodium excretion level the obese children had higher ambulatory systolic blood pressure. ConclusionsObesity during the first two decades of life seems to restrict sodium excretion, leading to higher blood pressure values. The capacity to excrete sodium seems to be heterogeneous, the lowest capacity being at the highest blood pressure values. Subsets of the obese, those with the lowest ability to excrete sodium, may be further protected by low sodium intake in order to prevent a rise in blood pressure.
The Interaction Effects of Gender on Teaching Evaluations

Student evaluations remain a widely used method of assessing courses and the quality of teaching in higher education for personnel and merit decisions. Yet much controversy surrounds the student evaluation as a measurement of teaching effectiveness. One aspect of this controversy deals with the effect gender has on these evaluations. Does the gender of the instructor affect results on student evaluation instruments? Are female instructors at a disadvantage in the student evaluation process? Does the gender of the student have an effect on the evaluation process? This study was designed to explore answers to these and a number of other questions. It focuses on the field of mass communication, a previously unexamined field with regard to this type of investigation.