Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High independent prognostic and predictive value of circulating tumor cells compared with serum tumor markers in a large prospective trial in first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer, but comparisons with serum tumor markers (CA 15-3, carcinoembryonic antigen and lactate dehydrogenase) variations are needed. PATIENTS AND METHODS CTCs were counted with CellSearch® at baseline, before cycle 2 (C2) and cycle 3 or 4 (C3/4) in 267 metastatic breast cancer patients on first-line chemotherapy with/without targeted therapy. RESULTS Baseline CTC detection rate was 65% with ≥1 CTC/7.5 ml threshold and 44% with ≥5 CTC/7.5 ml and was independent of subtypes (luminal, triple negative, human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+). CTCs were associated with tumor markers, bone/liver involvement, tumor burden and performance status. CTC detection ≥1 CTC/7.5 ml was a strong prognostic factor for progression-free survival (PFS), P < 0.0001. Threshold of CTC ≥5 was statistically significant for PFS and overall survival (OS), P = 0.03 on multivariate analysis. Among patients with ≥5 CTC/7.5 ml at baseline, 50% had <5 CTC/7.5 ml at C2. Changes were correlated with both PFS and OS (P < 0.0001). All patients receiving anti-HER2 therapy had <5 CTC/7.5 ml after three cycles of treatment. CONCLUSION This is the largest prospective series validating the prognostic value of CTC independently from serum tumor marker. Elevated CTCs before C2 are an early predictive marker of poor PFS and OS, which could be used to monitor treatment benefit. CTC decrease under treatment seems stronger with targeted therapy.
Perceptions in Transfusion Medicine: A Pilot Field Study on Risk and Ethics for Blood and Blood Substitutes

A pilot study was undertaken in the UK in February 2005 to identify the perceptions of risk, effectiveness and ethicality of different hypothetical transfusion options, including blood substitutes derived from different sources, among young adults. Forty-nine men and 92 women completed the questionnaire, aging between 18 and 25 years old (mean ± standard deviation = 19.7 ± 1.2 years). Twenty-three percent of respondents had donated blood, an average of 3.1 times. The study assessed the perceptions of donor blood versus 3 different types of potential “artificial blood” [i.e. “chemical” (synthetic), “grown from bacteria” (recombinant hemoglobin), or “based on cow blood” (bovine hemoglobin)] on three dimensions, namely risk, effectiveness, and ethicality, each scored on a 1 (least) to 7 (most) Likert-type scale. Donor blood was rated as significantly (P < 0.05) less risky, more effective and more ethical than any of the blood substitutes. The chemical-based blood substitute was rated second least risky, second most effective and second most ethical followed by bacteria grown substitute. The bovine-based blood substitute was rated as significantly riskier, least effective and least ethical. All the blood products differed significantly for perceived ethicality, with donor blood considered as most ethical and a blood substitute derived from bovine blood as least ethical. Judgments of risk correlated negatively with effectiveness (all transfusion options) and ethicality (all the blood substitutes). Overall, these results indicate that donor blood is currently preferred over blood substitutes in the UK and that judgments of risk about different hypothetical transfusion options are related to perceptions of effectiveness and ethicality.
Highly-Skilled Migration Patterns and Development: The Case of Egypt

This paper analyzed the highly skilled migration patterns in Egypt and its impact on Egyptian development. The main question herein, is whether highly skilled migration patterns in the case of Egypt induces development or underdevelopment. The study found out that highly skilled migration patterns from Egypt, to the OECD and the Gulf, contribute positively to the development process of Egypt. Highly skilled migrants, find more employment opportunities outside of Egypt, whose labor market is incapable of absorbing high numbers of highly skilled individuals. Moreover, highly skilled migrants are capable of sending a large amount of remittances, amounting to 4 percent of the Egyptian GDP. Last but not least, highly skilled migration is an important contributor to "brain circulation", which increases the entrepreneurial skills of a large number of Egyptian migrants. Concerning highly-skilled immigrants in Egypt, their presence is of no threat to the Egyptian development process; on the contrary, their presence produces more small-scale businesses, which in turn creates employment in the Egyptian labour market. The Egyptian government's policies encourage migration of the highly skilled, through multilateral and bilateral agreements, and through the creation of training centers for prospected highly skilled migrants. However, these policies are not sufficient, and should be accompanied with more bilateral agreements both in the OECD and Gulf Countries, which precipitate more skill match-making between the supply side of the Egyptian highly-skilled migrants and the demand side of the OECD and Gulf Countries.
Does Conservative Stock Option Accounting Lead to Aggressive Cash Flow Reporting?

In this paper, we examine whether recognizing higher option-based compensation expense leads to lower quality operating cash flows when options are exercised. FAS 123(R) changes the classification of the tax benefit from employee stock options in the statement of cash flows by splitting it into two parts: one reported in the operating section and the other in the financing section. Moreover, the proportion reported in the operating section increases with the amount of compensation expense previously recognized. We show that the tax benefit differs from other items of operating cash flows because it has no reliable association with future earnings. We also show that the predictive ability of current period earnings components declines when the tax benefit is classified as an operating cash flow. Finally, we find evidence that investors overprice the tax benefit, suggesting investors do not distinguish it from other operating cash flows. Taken together, our results suggest that the revised treatment of the tax benefit under FAS 123(R) gives rise to a curious situation where more conservative reporting at the grant date increases the proportion of future tax benefits that is included in the operating section, thereby lowering the quality of future reported cash flows.
Effect of superfine grinding on the physico-chemical, morphological and thermogravimetric properties of Lentinus edodes mushroom powders.

BACKGROUND Lentinus edodes is an edible mushroom commonly known as shiitake, which is the second most produced and consumed edible mushroom in the world and is an important nutrient source in the human diet. To fully use L. edodes, the mushrooms are occasionally ground into powder as a flavourful and functional food additive. METHODS This study produces powders from the cap and stipe of Lentinus edodes mushrooms through superfine grinding. These powders are composed of sub-micron range particles with various size distributions. The superfine grinding process is then compared with shear pulverisation to determine the different effects on both the cap and stipe powders in terms of particle size and physico-chemical, morphological and thermogravimetric properties. RESULTS When average particle size was reduced to 0.54 and 0.46 µm, respectively, the moisture and protein content, angles of repose and slide, and water holding capacity of the powders decreased to varied extents. However, soluble dietary fibre, water solubility index, and swelling capacity increased. Scanning electron microscope images suggested that the superfine grinding process effectively changed the original surface structure of the L. edodes powders. The curves of thermogravimetric analysis and those of the derivatives of thermogravimetry indicated that superfine grinding can improve the thermostability of L. edodes powders. Furthermore, superfinely ground L. edodes powders may be used as pharmaceutical or food additives in various fields. CONCLUSION The present study suggests that superfinely ground L. edodes powders may be applied in various fields as pharmaceutical or food additives.
A variable-radius multichannel MAC protocol for high-throughput low-power heterogeneous ad hoc networking

In this paper, we propose the multichannel variable-radius multiple access (M-VRMA) scheme for power-controlled multichannel medium access control (MAC) in mobile ad hoc networks. We propose the RTS/object-to-sending (OTS)/VP-CTS (ROV) protocol based on M-VRMA, multiple access with lag time, OTS, and VP-CTS for efficient variable-radius supports in heterogeneous ad-hoc networks, without relying on busy-tone or any mechanisms that require expensive specialized hardware or more than one transceivers per device. Our simulation results demonstrate that for the same radio bandwidth, ROV can achieve considerably higher throughput as compared to fixed-radius IEEE 802.11 or previous power-controlled RTS/CTS protocols without variable-radius supports.
The Australian Annuity Market

In Australia, a means-tested old-age public pension is paid from general tax revenues. A full pension (equivalent to roughly a quarter of the average wage) is currently paid to more than half the aged population, and a reduced pension is paid to another quarter of the aged population. About 20 percent receive no old-age public pension because of the level of their income or assets. There is also a compulsory system under which employers contribute at least 7 percent of salaries into a superannuation plan for the vast majority of employees. (This minimum rate will gradually rise to 9 percent in 2002.) More than 80 percent of superannuation benefits are received as lump sums; when public sector employees are excluded, the figure rises to almost 90 percent. The market for private life annuities with longevity insurance is very small. Greater use is made of allocated annuities, which are similar to income drawdowns in the United Kingdom or scheduled withdrawals in Latin American countries. The value of life annuities, measured by the money's worth ratio, compares favorably with that of annuities available in the United Kingdom and United States. But these ratios are calculated on the basis of conservative government bond yields. Many investors prefer allocated annuities--which are perceived to offer considerable advantages in flexibility and higher potential returns--despite the absence of longevity insurance.
Tests of Glycemia in Diabetes

M onitoring of glycemic status, as performed by patients and health care providers, is considered a cornerstone of diabetes care. Results of monitoring are used to assess the efficacy of therapy and to make adjustments in diet, exercise, and medications to achieve the best possible blood glucose control. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge about the tests used most widely in monitoring the glycemic status of people with diabetes. The review addresses both patientand physician/laboratory-based testing, and it includes tests of urine glucose and ketones and tests of blood glucose and glycated proteins (hemoglobin and serum proteins). The major emphasis is on the advantages and limitations of each test for routine clinical practice. Use of these tests for diabetes screening and diagnosis will not be addressed in this review.
Immune responses associated with protection in sheep vaccinated with a recombinant antigen from Taenia ovis

This paper describes the evaluation of the protective antibody response of sheep to vaccination against Taenia ovis infection with a defined recombinant antigen (45W). Sera from 181 vaccinated sheep, collected prior to experimental challenge with T.ovis, were assessed for 45W specific IgA, IgG, IgG1, IgG2 and IgM levels and these results correlated with protection data. There were significant relationships (P < 0.001) between IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 titres and protection. Serum IgA levels did not correlate with protection and there were no significant levels of 45W specific IgM detected. Killing of several other taeniid cestodes has been shown to be complement mediated and the findings in this study are consistent with the involvement of this immune mechanism in 45W vaccinated sheep. A comparison of the adjuvants used in this study (saponin and oil in water) demonstrated that whereas both adjuvants stimulated the production of similar levels of 45W specific IgG1, the IgG2 response was significantly higher in sheep vaccinated with oil adjuvant.
Modeling Molecular Kinetics with tICA and the Kernel Trick

The allure of a molecular dynamics simulation is that, given a sufficiently accurate force field, it can provide an atomic-level view of many interesting phenomena in biology. However, the result of a simulation is a large, high-dimensional time series that is difficult to interpret. Recent work has introduced the time-structure based Independent Components Analysis (tICA) method for analyzing MD, which attempts to find the slowest decorrelating linear functions of the molecular coordinates. This method has been used in conjunction with Markov State Models (MSMs) to provide estimates of the characteristic eigenprocesses contained in a simulation (e.g., protein folding, ligand binding). Here, we extend the tICA method using the kernel trick to arrive at nonlinear solutions. This is a substantial improvement as it allows for kernel-tICA (ktICA) to provide estimates of the characteristic eigenprocesses directly without building an MSM.
Assessing Cognitive Performance in Badminton Players: A Reproducibility and Validity Study

Abstract Fast reaction and good inhibitory control are associated with elite sports performance. To evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a newly developed Badminton Reaction Inhibition Test (BRIT), fifteen elite (25 ± 4 years) and nine non-elite (24 ± 4 years) Dutch male badminton players participated in the study. The BRIT measured four components: domain-general reaction time, badminton-specific reaction time, domain-general inhibitory control and badminton-specific inhibitory control. Five participants were retested within three weeks on the badminton-specific components. Reproducibility was acceptable for badminton-specific reaction time (ICC = 0.626, CV = 6%) and for badminton-specific inhibitory control (ICC = 0.317, CV = 13%). Good construct validity was shown for badminton-specific reaction time discriminating between elite and non-elite players (F = 6.650, p < 0.05). Elite players did not outscore non-elite players on domain-general reaction time nor on both components of inhibitory control (p > 0.05). Concurrent validity for domain-general reaction time was good, as it was associated with a national ranking for elite (p = 0.70, p < 0.01) and non-elite (p = 0.70, p < 0.05) players. No relationship was found between the national ranking and badminton-specific reaction time, nor both components of inhibitory control (p > 0.05). In conclusion, reproducibility and validity of inhibitory control assessment was not confirmed, however, the BRIT appears a reproducible and valid measure of reaction time in badminton players. Reaction time measured with the BRIT may provide input for training programs aiming to improve badminton players’ performance.
Corporate governance and corporate finance : evidence from Chinese listed companies

This thesis explores the linkages between corporate governance and corporate finance, making use of a large panel of Chinese listed firms over the period 2003-2010. We investigate three main themes. First, we examine the impact of managerial ownership and other corporate governance variables on firms’ exporting decisions, which are characterized by considerable risk and information asymmetries. We document that both export propensity and intensity increase with managerial ownership up to a point of around 23%-27%, and decrease thereafter. We also find a negative association between state ownership and export intensity. Furthermore, we observe that the larger the board size, the lower the firm’s export propensity and intensity, and that firms with a higher proportion of independent directors in the board are generally less likely to export. These findings are driven by privately controlled firms during the post-2006 split share structure reform period. Second, we examine the relationship between managerial ownership and corporate investment decisions. We find that investment decisions are systematically related to managerial ownership in two ways. Firstly, managerial ownership exerts a positive direct effect on corporate investment decisions, by aligning management’s incentives with the interests of shareholders. Secondly, we document that, by acting as a form of collateral to lenders, managerial ownership helps to reduce the degree of financial constraints faced by firms. Third, we examine the impact of ownership and corporate governance on agency costs. We measure the latter in two ways: using the sales to assets ratio, and the general administration and selling expenses scaled by assets. We find that, especially in the post-2006 split share structure reform period, increased managerial ownership and debt financing work as effective corporate governance mechanisms, by mitigating agency problems. We also find evidence that while legal person shareholding helps to mitigate agency costs for privately controlled firms in the post-reform period, large boards of directors are associated with higher agency costs in government controlled firms. From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that the Chinese government’s recent policies aimed at reforming ownership structure and encouraging managerial ownership in listed firms have helped to reduce agency and asymmetric information problems, thereby enabling firms to enhance investment efficiency and international activities. Our study recommends that greater attention should therefore be paid to compensation contracts of the management team and to board characteristics, and that state ownership should be further reduced. This would help further enhance resource allocation efficiency and sustain high levels of economic growth.
Environmental risk factors for inflammatory bowel diseases: Evidence based literature review.

AIM Advances in genetics and immunology have contributed to the current understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). METHODS The current opinion on the pathogenesis of IBD suggests that genetically susceptible individuals develop intolerance to dysregulated gut microflora (dysbiosis) and chronic inflammation develops as a result of environmental insults. Environmental exposures are innumerable with varying effects during the life course of individuals with IBD. Studying the relationship between environmental factors and IBD may provide the missing link to increasing our understanding of the etiology and increased incidence of IBD in recent years with implications for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Environmental factors are heterogeneous and genetic predisposition, immune dysregulation, or dysbiosis do not lead to the development of IBD in isolation. RESULTS Current challenges in the study of environmental factors and IBD are how to effectively translate promising results from experimental studies to humans in order to develop models that incorporate the complex interactions between the environment, genetics, immunology, and gut microbiota, and limited high quality interventional studies assessing the effect of modifying environmental factors on the natural history and patient outcomes in IBD. CONCLUSION This article critically reviews the current evidence on environmental risk factors for IBD and proposes directions for future research.
Ceftazidime in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with Febrile Neutropenia: Helpfulness of Continuous Intravenous Infusion in Maximizing Pharmacodynamic Exposure

ABSTRACT The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic profile of a fixed 6-g daily continuous intravenous infusion of ceftazidime was assessed in 20 febrile neutropenic patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Mean steady-state ceftazidime concentrations averaging 40 mg/liter from day 2 on ensured maximized pharmacodynamic exposure (values close to four to five times the MIC breakpoint against Pseudomonas aeruginosa). However, large intra- and interindividual pharmacokinetic variability was documented throughout the study period.
Important determinants of self-efficacy in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

OBJECTIVE To define the presenting characteristics of a population of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain seen in a tertiary rheumatology clinic, and to investigate which factors are associated with self-efficacy in these patients. METHODS Data were collected prospectively for 196 patients who attended the clinic for the first time between October 2000 and August 2002. The primary outcome measure was self-efficacy, measured using the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were pain intensity and disability due to pain. The data were analyzed using both univariate and multiple regression methods. RESULTS These patients had typically undergone extensive investigations and tried various therapies but were left with persisting pain and poor self-efficacy. Multiple regression analysis showed that after adjustment for other factors, the presence of depressive symptoms and employment status were associated with self-efficacy. Patients who reported depressive symptoms had mean self-efficacy scores 7.0 units lower (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.2-11.9) than those who did not. Being employed was associated with higher self-efficacy. The retired had scores 8.3 units lower than employed people (95% CI: 2.4-14.2), whereas housewives and the unemployed had scores approximately 14 units lower (95% CI: 8.0-20.9 and 7.5-19.0, respectively) than employed people. There was also some evidence that distribution of painful sites was associated with self-efficacy. Patients with extensive pain had scores 4.1 units (95% CI: -0.4-8.6) lower than those with limited pain. CONCLUSION Depressive symptoms, occupational status, and possibly distribution of pain are associated with the reported confidence of these patients with chronic pain in their ability to carry out everyday activities. Possible links to the idea of legitimacy of pain are discussed.
Customer responses to CSR in the Pakistani banking industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to empirically analyse how customer corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions impact on the perceived service quality (PSQ)-loyalty relationship in the banking industry of Pakistan; and to evaluate the mediating role of customer trust in that model. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a field survey of 408 customers of five different banks of Pakistan, the hypothesized model is tested through partial least squares based structural equation modelling. Findings – The findings demonstrate that banking customers in Pakistan recognise CSR as a multidimensional construct that serves as a direct determinant of PSQ, trust, repurchase and word of mouth (WOM) intentions. PSQ also influences customer trust directly and positively and trust has a direct and positive impact on repurchase and WOM intentions. On the contrary, PSQ does not influence repurchase and WOM intentions directly. Its effect is mediated by customer trust. Practical implications – Contrary.