Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apolipoprotein E Gene Polymorphisms and Retinal Vascular Signs: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Objective To examine the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms and retinal microvascular signs. Methods Population-based, cross-sectional study. Participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (n = 10 036; aged 49-73 years) had retinal photographs taken in 1 randomly selected eye. Photographs were graded for presence of retinal microvascular signs using a standardized protocol; a computer-assisted method was used to measure retinal vessel diameter. DNA from blood samples was analyzed for commonAPOEalleles. Results After adjusting for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and other covariates,APOEe4 was associated with nondiabetic retinopathy in white (multivariate-adjusted odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.6) and black (multivariate-adjusted odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.1) individuals. Other retinal microvascular signs were not strongly associated withAPOEpolymorphisms. Neither retinal arteriolar nor venular diameter was associated withAPOEpolymorphisms in white or black individuals. Conclusions Apolipoprotein E e4 was weakly associated with retinopathy in persons without diabetes. Other signs were less consistently associated withAPOEpolymorphisms.
Identification of miR-423 and miR-499 polymorphisms on affecting the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in a large-scale population.

AIMS MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and act as tumor suppressors or enhancers in oncogenesis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs could alter the processing or actions of mature miRNA. So far, the association of miR-423 rs6505162 with cancers has not been explored, while the association of miR-499 rs3746444 was only reported in small-sized samples of different types of populations. METHODS To evaluate the association of miR-499 rs3746444 and miR-423 rs6505162 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we performed a large-scale case-control study of 984 patients with HCC and 991 cancer-free controls. RESULTS The risk of HCC was significantly higher with miR-499 rs3746444 TC+CC genotypes compared with those with the TT genotype (odds ratio [OR]=1.372, 95% confidence intervals [CI]=1.099-1.713, p=0.005), as was the risk of hepatitis B virus-related HCC (OR=1.437, 95% CI=1.128-1.831, p=0.003). Moreover, subjects with the TC+CC genotypes were more vulnerable to advanced HCC with larger tumor size (χ(2)=13.014, p=0.001) and/or higher total bilirubin (p=0.004), which suggested that a TT genotype or T allele might serve as a protective factor. miR-423 rs6505162 had no effect on the risk of HCC. CONCLUSIONS miR-499 rs3746444 may contribute to the risk and prognosis of HCC, indicating that this SNP could be developed as a biomarker for HCC prediction.
Retailers and International Markets: Motives for Expansion

Multinational retail operations are becoming an increasingly important element in the modern retail environment. Until recently, multinational organisations have been limited in number, particularly because of the inhibiting cultural and organisational problems associated with international retail operations. The under‐researched issue of the motivations which lie behind multinational retail operations is addressed by discussing the findings of earlier relevant research and presenting the findings of a survey carried out among leading United Kingdom multinational retailers. An investigation is made of the motivating factors behind international expansion and the significance of problems encountered. The survey suggests retailers′ attitudes to international operations changed during the 1980s and this has important implications for future developments in multinational retailing.
Risk management in public procurement of innovation: a conceptualization

This book focuses on Public Procurement for Innovation. Public Procurement for Innovation is a specific demand-side innovation policy instrument. It occurs when a public organization places an order for a new or improved product to fulfill certain needs that cannot be met at the moment of the order. The book provides evidence of the potential benefits to public and private actors from the selective use of this policy instrument and illustrates the requirements and constraints for its operationalization. The book intends to significantly improve the understanding of key determinants of effective public procurement aiming to promote innovative capabilities in the supplying sectors and beyond. It provides both case studies and conceptual contributions that help extend the frontier of our understanding in areas where there are still significant gaps.
Environmental health research in Europe: bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND This article describes a bibliometric review of the environmental health research literature in Europe for a period of 10 years. The work, within the study SPHERE (Strengthening Public Health Research in Europe) aimed to provide an overview of the extent of published environmental health research in Europe and to assess recent output in this research field and future research direction. METHODS Medline was used via the PubMed online service of the US National Library of Medicine. Only original, peer-reviewed research journal articles were retrieved, which were published from mid-1995 to mid-2005 and by authors from the 28 (then) countries in Europe of the European Economic Area plus Switzerland. RESULTS In the PubMed database, 6329 references were located and were allocated to 11 pre-defined topic areas and 31 subtopic areas. The largest number of articles was in the topic area of work environment and health (2339) followed by environmental exposures (1314) and environmental illnesses (952) and these were the primary foci of 73% of the published articles. There were marked differences between countries in the number of published articles. Ten countries contributed 81% of all publications. It is apparent that economic factors have a major role for research outputs of countries in environmental health. CONCLUSIONS Major advances have been made during recent years in the understanding of associations between health and environment, and of biological, environmental and social mechanisms involved in this association. More emphasis should be placed on investigations of complex environmental health problems such as complex exposures to different pollutants at different levels and their combined health impact in different populations.
Customer satisfaction and retail banking: an assessment of some of the key antecedents of customer satisfaction in retail banking

Understanding the antecedents to and outcomes of customer satisfaction is a critical issue for both academics and bank marketers. Previous research has identified service quality, expectations, disconfirmation, performance, desires, affect and equity as important antecedents of customer satisfaction. The current paper reports findings from a survey which looked into the impact of service quality dimensions and customer expertise on satisfaction. A sample of 167 respondents took part in this study. Findings indicate that both core and relational dimensions of service quality appear to be linked to customer satisfaction. Findings also indicate that expertise is negatively related to satisfaction. The paper discusses implications for bank managers.
The Impact of Expanded Bank Powers on Loan Portfolios Decisions

This paper investigates the impact of the integration of traditional and nontraditional banking activities on loan portfolio management at the consolidated level. The increased risk exposure to nontraditional banking assets, e.g., trading and merchant banking assets, has a nontrivial impact on traditional loan portfolios and, in particular, on the supply of short-term credits. The findings show that confronted with the market-wide shock of the financial crisis, commercial-focused banks which hold larger amounts of risky nontraditional banking assets gravitate their loan portfolios away from business and consumer loan sectors. The results from a quasi-natural experiment reveal that in response to an exogenous regulatory shock of FAS No. 166 and 167, which required banks to transfer off-balance sheet securitized loans onto bank balance sheets, securitizer banks tend to reduce business credits substantially more due to their pre-existing exposures to nontraditional assets.
A prospective, randomized trial of sclerotherapy versus ligation in the management of bleeding esophageal varices

We conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing sclerotherapy and ligation in 120 patients with acute bleeding of esophageal varices. All the patients were cirrhotic, 59 received sclerotherapy, and 61 received ligation. Treatment was repeated regularly until the varices were obliterated. The mean follow‐up period was 295 ± 120 days and 310 ± 105 days for the sclerotherapy and ligation groups, respectively. The control of active bleeding was 12/15 (80%) in the sclerotherapy group and 18/19 (94%) in the ligation group (P = .23). The numbers of treatment sessions required to achieve variceal obliteration were 6.5 ± 1.2 in the sclerotherapy group and 3.8 ± 0.4 in the ligation group (P < .001). Recurrent bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract was 51% in the sclerotherapy group compared with 33% in the ligation group (P < .05). Recurrent bleeding from esophageal varices was 36% in the sclerotherapy group and 11% in the ligation group (P < .01). However, bleeding from ectopic varices and congestive gastropathy was less common in the sclerotherapy group (7%) than in the ligation group (18%) (P = .05). Significant complications were encountered in 19% of the sclerotherapy group and in 3.3% of the ligation group (P < .01). Comparison of Kaplan‐Meier estimates of time to death of both groups showed a significantly lower mortality in the ligation group (P = .011). Both sclerotherapy and ligation can effectively arrest active bleeding from esophageal varices. However, ligation is more‐effective than sclerotherapy in decreasing the risk of rebleeding from esophageal varices with fewer complications. Ligation can also achieve obliteration of esophageal varices more rapidly than sclerotherapy. Survival was significantly more improved after ligation than after sclerotherapy. However, there was a greater incidence of bleeding from sites other than the esophageal varices after ligation. (Hepatology 1995; 22:466–471.)
Logistics of low cost country sourcing

Increasing globalisation creates new possibilities for sourcing from low cost countries (LCC), but also comes with a range of logistics challenges and issues to be dealt with. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how logistics and its impacts are considered in LCC sourcing decisions. An exploratory multiple case study of industrial product companies engaged in distant LCC sourcing serves as an empirical base. Findings reveal that firms do not explicitly take logistics into account during LCC sourcing decisions. Even if logistics is considered, it is generally in a reactive way and takes a transactional cost focus. Instead, we propose a framework to proactively consider logistics factors in the early stages of LCC sourcing. This is done through identifying product and supplier related logistics factors and their impact on pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction elements in the Total Cost of Ownership model.
Executive Compensation and Macroeconomic Fluctuations

Macroeconomic fluctuations affect corporations’ performance through demand and cost conditions. Incentive effects of performance-based compensation schemes for management may be weakened or biased by macroeconomic influences if management is unable to forecast macroeconomic fluctuations or unable to adjust operations in response to changes in macroeconomic conditions. In this paper we analyze the impact of macroeconomic, industry and firm-specific factors on salaries and bonus of CEOs in 131 Swedish corporations during the period 2001–2006. A distinction is made between anticipated and unanticipated macroeconomic fluctuations. The macroeconomic influences on performance and compensation can be expected to vary from firm to firm in terms of magnitude of effects, as well as in terms of relevant macroeconomic variables. The estimates obtained in this paper refer to the average impact across the sample of firms. We find that the average Swedish CEOs’ compensation is explained to a substantial extent by macroeconomic factors; less so by unanticipated factors alone.
MNE competence‐creating subsidiary mandates

The determinants of R&D intensity differ between subsidiaries in a multinational enterprise (MNE). Previous literature suggests that whether a subsidiary achieves a competence‐creating output mandate depends on the qualities of its location. R&D strategies in competence‐creating subsidiaries are supply‐driven while those in purely competence‐exploiting subsidiaries are demand‐driven. Using data on U.K. subsidiaries of non‐U.K. MNEs, we find that the level of subsidiary R&D depends on MNE group‐level and subsidiary‐level characteristics as well as locational factors. The R&D of mandated subsidiaries rises with acquisition, but for non‐mandated subsidiaries R&D falls upon acquisition. MNEs that grow through acquisition have more inter‐subsidiary R&D diversity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Systemic hyperthermia and ICE chemotherapy for sarcoma patients: rationale and clinical status.

Preclinical studies are consistent with the concept that 41.8 degrees C whole body hyperthermia (WBH) can enhance the therapeutic index of specific chemotherapeutic agents. These laboratory investigations resulted in 2 phase I clinical studies, which also support this hypothesis. These trials were extended to 2 sequential phase II investigations of WBH plus ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (ICE) for refractory sarcoma patients. The first study (involving 12 patients) using extra-corporeal WBH was prematurely closed to adopt a less toxic WBH technology, i.e., the radiant heat Aquatherm. To date, 12 patients have been accrued to the Aquatherm trial. Projections regarding reduced morbidity were correct. The response rate for ICE/WBH is currently 63%. The review to follow will summarize the results of these trials, as well as the laboratory and clinical data which serve to explicate the dramatic clinical results observed to date.
A Lingering Question of Priorities: Athletic Budgets and Academic Performance Revisited1

Many organization theories suggest that divergent goals can hamper an organization's pursuit of its primary mission. An earlier version of this article analyzed the effect of the pursuit of divergent goals on American public schools. This is an update of the original article that adds two years of data to the original study. Using an educational production function, this article assesses the relationships between athletic budgets and various aggregate measures of academic performance. Controlling for various known components of academic performance, athletic budgets have a significant negative relationship with academic performance. Schools that devote a large amount of resources to athletic budgets have lower levels of academic achievement. A focus on athletics seems to institutionalize goals that conflict with the schools’ academic missions.
Estrogen Protects against Radiation-Induced Cataractogenesis

Abstract Dynlacht, J. R. , Valluri, S. , Lopez, J., Greer, F. , DesRosiers, C. , Caperell-Grant, A. , Mendonca, M. S. and Bigsby, R. M. Estrogen Protects against Radiation-Induced Cataractogenesis. Radiat. Res. 170, 758–764 (2008). Cataractogenesis is a complication of radiotherapy when the eye is included in the treatment field. Low doses of densely ionizing space radiation may also result in an increased risk of cataracts in astronauts. We previously reported that estrogen (17-β-estradiol), when administered to ovariectomized rats commencing 1 week before γ irradiation of the eye and continuously thereafter, results in a significant increase in the rate and incidence of cataract formation and a decreased latent period compared to an ovariectomized control group. We therefore concluded that estrogen accelerates progression of radiation-induced opacification. We now show that estrogen, if administered continuously, but commencing after irradiation, protects against radiation cataractogenesis. Both the rate of progression and incidence of cataracts were greatly reduced in ovariectomized rats that received estrogen treatment after irradiation compared to ovariectomized rats. As in our previous study, estradiol administered 1 week prior to irradiation at the time of ovariectomy and throughout the period of observation produced an enhanced rate of cataract progression. Estrogen administered for only 1 week prior to irradiation had no effect on the rate of progression but resulted in a slight reduction in the incidence. We conclude that estrogen may enhance or protect against radiation cataractogenesis, depending on when it is administered relative to the time of irradiation, and may differentially modulate the initiation and progression phases of cataractogenesis. These data have important implications for astronauts and radiotherapy patients.
Convolutional neural network for high-accuracy functional near-infrared spectroscopy in a brain–computer interface: three-class classification of rest, right-, and left-hand motor execution

Abstract. The aim of this work is to develop an effective brain–computer interface (BCI) method based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). In order to improve the performance of the BCI system in terms of accuracy, the ability to discriminate features from input signals and proper classification are desired. Previous studies have mainly extracted features from the signal manually, but proper features need to be selected carefully. To avoid performance degradation caused by manual feature selection, we applied convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as the automatic feature extractor and classifier for fNIRS-based BCI. In this study, the hemodynamic responses evoked by performing rest, right-, and left-hand motor execution tasks were measured on eight healthy subjects to compare performances. Our CNN-based method provided improvements in classification accuracy over conventional methods employing the most commonly used features of mean, peak, slope, variance, kurtosis, and skewness, classified by support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Specifically, up to 6.49% and 3.33% improvement in classification accuracy was achieved by CNN compared with SVM and ANN, respectively.
Value of comparative genomic hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization for molecular diagnostics in multiple myeloma

Summary. Chromosomal abnormalities, such as 13q deletions, are emerging as important prognostic factors in multiple myeloma. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using specific DNA probes is the technique most widely used for the determination of genomic aberrations in this disease. The utility of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) for molecular diagnostics in plasma cell malignancies has not been systematically analysed. We investigated tumour samples of patients with multiple myeloma (n = 43) or plasma cell leukaemia (n = 3) using CGH and FISH with five DNA probes localized to chromosome bands 1p22, 6q21, 11q22–q23, 13q14 and 17p13. By CGH, the most frequent genomic changes were gains on chromosomes 1q, 9q and 11q, as well as losses on chromosomes 13q, 6q, Xp and Xq. By FISH, trisomy 11q was identified at a similar frequency to the 13q deletion (42%). Compared with FISH data, the sensitivity of CGH was 80·7% and the specificity was 97·5%. Thirty‐two aberrations found by FISH were not identified by CGH, mostly as a result of the proportion of cells carrying the respective aberrations, or because of the limited spatial resolution of CGH. Our data indicate that, for clinical molecular diagnostics in multiple myeloma, FISH with a disease‐specific DNA probe set is superior to CGH analysis.
THE EFFECT OF ALLIANCE NETWORK DIVERSITY ON MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE

This paper examines the impact of alliance network diversity on multinational enterprise (MNE) economic performance. We consider competing hypotheses derived, alternatively, from transaction cost theory and network theory. Using a latent variable structural equation modeling approach on a sample of 580 large MNEs, we find that MNEs with more diverse alliance networks experience lower economic performance on average than those with less diverse alliance networks. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nuanced Accountability: Voter Responses to Service Delivery in Southern Africa

Various theories of democratic governance posit that citizens should vote for incumbent politicians when they provide good service, and vote for the opposition when service delivery is poor. But does electoral accountability work as theorized, especially in developing country contexts? Studying Southern African democracies, where infrastructural investment in basic services has expanded widely but not universally, we contribute a new empirical answer to this question. Analyzing the relationship between service provision and voting, we find a surprising negative relationship: improvements in service provision predict decreases in support for dominant party incumbents. Though stronger in areas where opposition parties control local government, the negative relationship persists even in those areas where local government is run by the nationally dominant party. Survey data provide suggestive evidence that citizen concerns about corruption and ratcheting preferences for service delivery may be driving citizen attitudes and behaviors. Voters may thus be responsive to service delivery, but perhaps in ways that are more nuanced than extant theories previously recognized.
Autonomic nervous system involvement in rheumatoid arthritis. 50 cases.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is rarely discussed. METHODS Fifty cases of RA were selected, excluding all patients liable to develop dysautonomia or having a treatment interfering with ANS. They were investigated by cardiovascular tests of heart rate variations in deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver and orthostatic change in posture. These quantified tests were reported as ratios: breathing, Valsalva and 30/15. A control series of 82 healthy subjects was tested to determine the abnormal threshold for each one of the 3 tests and allowed a correlative study. Dysautonomia was defined when 2 of the 3 tests were pathological. According to these criteria, 30 patients with RA with ANS dysfunction were retained. RESULTS The clinical examination of these patients showed no neurological sign or autonomic sign but there was an inflammatory syndrome. Rheumatoid factors (RF) were frequently present as were slowly progressive articular destructions. The statistical study revealed a significant difference between the series of RA patients and the control series, only for the Valsalva maneuver (p < 0.01) and there was no obvious correlation between ANS dysfunction in RA and markers of inflammation, presence of RF, duration of disease or degree of articular destructive lesions. CONCLUSION Our study is in agreement with the literature which reports an ANS involvement in RA with a same frequency but remaining primarily subclinical and probably isolated from other peripheral or central nervous system damage. The physiopathology of this form of dysautonomia is discussed and an immunological mechanism is suggested.