Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of SLAMF7 in multiple myeloma: impact on therapy

ABSTRACT Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM), a mature B-cell neoplasm, is the second most common hematologic malignancy worldwide. Despite significant improvements in outcome with new therapies, the majority of responding patients will eventually develop resistance to treatment. Furthermore, patients swith disease refractory to both proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) have a poor prognosis. Areas covered: Several new therapeutic approaches are emerging and immunotherapeutic strategies present an important advance for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory MM. Among the monoclonal antibodies under development in MM, those targeting SLAMF7 and CD38 have shown the most consistent benefit in trials to date. In this review, we will specifically focus on elotuzumab (anti-SLAMF7 antibody), and provide a summary of the mechanism of action, the clinical results and the safety profile of this new drug. Expert commentary: Although elotuzumab has no single agent activity in MM, randomized trials in relapsed/refractory MM have demonstrated significantly improved progression-free survival when the agent is added to bortezomib-dexamethasone or lenalidomide-dexamethasone. Furthermore, this agent with its novel mechanism of action can be combined with standard therapies without a significant increase in toxicity. Elotuzumab is a highly effective therapy and future data are necessary to identify the best place for this therapy in the setting of MM.
Privacy concerns and expectation of control

This study collected empirical data from over 200 Web users and investigated the relationships between three constructs related to privacy of Web users’ data: user privacy concern about personal data collection, user expectation of control over collected personal data, and user self-regulation. A structural model showed that significant relationships existed among the three constructs. The results suggest that businesses would be wise to address the need that users feel for increased privacy, and that personal characteristics such as self-regulation may be used to tailor the level of user control over personal data.
Factors Influencing the Success of an ERP System: A Study in the Context of an Agricultural Enterprise in Thailand

The study examined factors in user satisfaction with ERP implementation pig farming and processing organization in northern Thailand. The target population included ERP users and government advisers involved with its implementation. A theoretical model with six determinants (Business Process of Reengineering, Top Management Support, Education and Training, Information Quality, System Quality and Perceived Usefulness) of User Satisfaction was developed. Data was collected using a questionnaire (n =228). From a theoretical perspective the findings supported most of those in previous studies whereby Top Management Support had the greatest effect on User Satisfaction followed in order by Perceived Usefulness, System Quality, and Information Quality while Business Process Reengineering and Education and Training had relatively small effects on User Satisfaction. New findings showed that contrary to those in previous studies: Top Management Support and Education and Training did not have significant effects on System Quality; Business Process Engineering only had significant indirect effects on Perceived Usefulness and User Satisfaction; and Education and Training only had a significant indirect effect on User Satisfaction. From a practical perspective the findings enabled the formulation of a hierarchy of objectives aimed at increasing user satisfaction each with an associated hierarchy of actions. Key Words: Enterprise resource planning (ERP); Critical success factors (CSF); Information and system quality and net benefits
The intergenerational congruence of mothers’ and preschoolers’ narrative affective content and narrative coherence

Intergenerational congruence of mothers’ and preschoolers’ narratives about the mother–child relationship was examined in a sample of 198 Hispanic (59.1%), Black (19.2%), and White (21.7%) mothers and their preschool child. Mothers’ narratives were obtained with the Five Minute Speech Sample and were coded for negative and positive affective content and narrative coherence. Preschoolers’ narratives were collected with the MacArthur Story Stem Battery and were coded for the portrayal of the mother-child relationship and narrative coherence. Across ethnoracial groups, maternal narrative coherence, but not narrative affective content, was related to preschoolers’ positive portrayal of the mother–child relationship. Our findings highlight the importance of maternal narrative coherence for understanding intergenerational continuity of relational representations.
Effects of Language Anxiety on Three Proficiency‐Level Courses of Spanish as a Foreign Language

Abstract: This article investigates the effects of language anxiety on course achievement in three foreign language proficiency levels of Spanish, namely, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Participants completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) and a background questionnaire. Results showed that language anxiety actually differed across proficiency levels. In the present study, advanced learners showed higher levels of anxiety than beginning and intermediate learners. In addition, there was an interrelation between language anxiety and course achievement. However, students with high levels of anxiety did not necessarily exhibit lower course achievement in comparison to students with low levels of language anxiety, as concluded in previous studies. Furthermore, there was a medium level of language anxiety among most participants, with no significant effect on course achievement.
Significance of p53 and ki-67 expression in prostate cancer

Background: Prostate cancer is a major health problem throughout the developed world. Tumor grade is one of the most important prognostic factors of prostate cancer. At present, adequate prognostic markers for prostate cancer progression are still lacking, in spite of intensive investigation. Accordingly, we studied the role of immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of p53 and Ki-67 as a prognostic factor in carcinoma prostate and correlated their expression with Gleason's grade. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, a total of 60 cases including 50 cases of prostate carcinoma and 10 of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were taken. Tumor grade was determined according to Gleason's grading system. p53 and Ki-67 expressions were determined by IHC staining. The obtained results were analyzed and evaluated using Spearman's statistical test (SPSS version 20). Results: In BPH, p53 was expressed in only 2 of 10 (20%) cases while in carcinoma it was expressed in 38 of 50 (76%) cases. Ki-67 was expressed in only 1 of 10 (10%) BPH cases while in carcinoma it was expressed in 32 of 50 (64%) cases. In present study, 1 of 4 (25%) well differentiated, 23 of 31 (74.19%) moderately differentiated and 14 of 15 (93.33%) poorly differentiated tumors revealed p53 immunopositivity and a statistically significant correlation was observed between p53 expression and increased Gleason's grade (P = 0.038). All 4 (100%) cases of well-differentiated carcinoma were negative for Ki-67 expression. Nineteen of 31 (61.29%) moderately differentiated and 13 of 15 (86.66%) poorly differentiated tumors were positive for Ki-67 and a statistically significant correlation was observed between Ki-67 positivity and increased Gleason's grade (P = 0.002). Conclusions: Both p53 and Ki-67 were significantly up-regulated in malignant lesions as compared to benign lesions and a strong relationship with the Gleason's grading was noticed, therefore, we propose that these markers can be applied along with other prostate cancer prognostic factors.
Successful Treatment of Macroglossia Due to Lymphatic Malformation With Sirolimus

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of sirolimus therapy in a child with macroglossia due to lymphatic malformation. Methods: Sirolimus treatment was applied to the patient with an initial dosing of 0.8 mg/m2 per dose, administered orally, twice daily at approximately 12-hour intervals. Results: After 9 months of sirolimus therapy, there was a nearly complete resolution of lymphatic malformation. The last evaluation was performed 6 months after withdrawal of treatment, and the lesion had almost completely resolved. Conclusion: This article presents a novel approach to the treatment of lymphatic malformation of the tongue using sirolimus, which appears to be safe and effective for the management of complex cases.
AIS Electronic

The importance of governance in IT investment has been garnering increased attention in the business world. If firms can successfully measure their IT investment governance, such measurement can help boards of directors and top level management ensure their IT investments contribute positively to the organisation’s overall performance. This paper reports the development of measures to help assess the extent to which a firm governs its IT investments (i.e., IT investment governance). Given its potential for improving business process performance and, hence, the firms performance, IT investment governance is attracting increasing attention in the practical and academic realms of information systems management. Based on a domain definition grounded in the literature, this study reports the initial work in developing an empirically reliable and valid measure of IT investment governance. Adopting a rigorous method used in the derivation of this measure, the preliminary result is a four-factor, 16-item instrument for assessing IT investment governance. The factors are IT investment decision making, IT investment value monitoring, IT implementation evaluation and IT investment project management. Boards of directors and top managers can use these empirically validated factors to help assess the quality of their firm’s IT investments governance.
Presynaptic excitability changes following traumatic brain injury in the rat

Pathological processes affecting presynaptic terminals may contribute to morbidity following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Posttraumatic widespread neuronal depolarization and elevated extracellular potassium and glutamate are predicted to alter the transduction of action potentials in terminals into reliable synaptic transmission and postsynaptic excitation. Evoked responses to orthodromic single‐ and paired‐pulse stimulation were examined in the CA1 dendritic region of hippocampal slices removed from adult rats following fluid percussion TBI. The mean duration of the extracellularly recorded presynaptic volley (PV) increased from 1.08 msec in controls to 1.54 msec in slices prepared at 1 hr postinjury. There was a time‐dependent recovery of this injury effect, and PV durations at 2 and 7 days postinjury were not different from controls. In slices removed at 1 hr postinjury, the initial slopes of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were reduced to 36% of control values, and input/output plots revealed posttraumatic deficits in the transfer of excitation from pre‐ to postsynaptic elements. Manipulating potassium currents with 1.0 mM tetraethylammonium or elevating potassium ion concentration to 7.5 mM altered evoked responses but did not replicate the injury effects to PV duration. Paired‐pulse facilitation of fEPSP slopes was significantly elevated at all postinjury survivals: 1 hr, 2 days, and 7 days. These results suggest two pathological processes with differing time courses: 1) a transient impairment of presynaptic terminal functioning affecting PV durations and the transduction of afferent activity in the terminals to reliable synaptic excitation and 2) a more protracted deficit to the plasticity mechanisms underlying paired‐pulse facilitation. J. Neurosci. Res. 60:370–379, 2000 © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Induction of multidrug resistance gene expression during cholestasis in rats and nonhuman primates

P‐glycoprotein, an energy‐dependent plasma membrane drug‐efflux pump capable of reducing the intracellular concentration of a variety of hydrophobic xenobiotics, is encoded by mdr 1, a member of the multidrug‐resistant (mdr) gene family. The physiological function of this protein is unknown. Because of its location on the bile canalicular domain of the hepatocyte, we and others have hypothesized that P‐glycoprotein may have a physiological role as a biliary transporter of xenobiotics and endobiotics and that its expression may therefore be altered in cholestasis. Both obstructive and α‐naphthylisothiocyanate‐induced cholestasis increased mdr 1a and 1b gene expression in rat liver. Hepatic P‐glycoprotein levels were also increased, and the protein remained localized at the biliary hepatocyte domain. Induction of mdr 1a and mdr 1b gene expression in rat liver was accomplished by means of increased transcription. α‐Naphthylisothiocyanate‐induced cholestasis in cynomolgus monkeys increased hepatic expression of both the mdr 1 and 2 genes. To investigate the possible role of P‐glycoprotein as a biliary efflux transporter, biliary excretion of vinblastine, a representative substrate of P‐glycoprotein, was studied in rats. Increased hepatic mdr messenger RNA and P‐glycoprotein levels, mediated by the xenobiotic inducer 2‐acetylaminofluorene, resulted in a significant increase in biliary excretion of vinblastine, which was antagonized by the P‐glycoprotein inhibitor verapamil. These findings suggest that P‐glycoprotein functions as a biiary efflux pump for xenobiotics and, possibly, for unidentified physiological inducers that may mediate increased transcription of the mdr gene observed during cholestasis. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;17:854–860.)
Sources of Value Creation Through Private Equity-Backed Mergers and Acquisitions: The Case of Buy-and-Build Strategies

This article documents a new value creation function of private equity investors who carry out buy-and-build strategies. Buy-and-build strategies constitute an initial acquisition of a firm, serving as a 'platform', by a private equity investor and follow-on private equity-backed acquisitions ('add-ons'). The investor merges the platform and add-ons into a single entity. Additionally to the selection of well performing firms by the investors prior to the transaction, we identify value-enhancing potentials which private equity investors explore through buy-and-builds. The investors bring together platforms with lower capacity utilization and lower returns, and add-ons with higher utilization and higher returns in order to allocate resources and capacity more efficiently and to improve firms' performance. However, the buy-and-build strategies only have a positive impact on the profitability of firms with increasing industry adjusted utilization. Consequently the more efficient deployment of assets for the generation of sales drives the improved performance after buy-and-builds.
Membrane association, localization and topology of rat inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase B: implications for membrane traffic and Ca2+ homoeostasis.

We previously reported the isolation of a rat cDNA clone encoding a protein with significant sequence homology to the B isoform of human myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase (IP3 3-kinase B); this protein was thus designated rat IP3 3-kinase B [Thomas, Brake, Luzio, Stanley and Banting (1994) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1220, 219-222]. However, no IP3 kinase isoform had been shown to generate the physiologically important isoform of inositol tetrakisphosphate, i.e. inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. We now present direct evidence that the putative rat IP3 3-kinase B is genuinely an IP3 3-kinase. We also show that the enzyme exists both as a peripheral membrane protein tightly associated with the cytosolic face of the extended endoplasmic reticulum network, and as a cytosolic protein. Association of the IP3 3-kinase with membranes is not affected by treatment with brefeldin A, Na2CO3 (pH 11.5), 2 M NaCl, or alteration of [Ca2+]. However, treatment of isolated membranes with 4 M urea leads to dissociation of the kinase from the membrane, implying that membrane association involves specific, conformation-dependent protein-protein interactions. The fact that IP3 3-kinase B is localized exclusively to membranes of Ca2+ stores, is consistent with a model where this kinase plays a role in IP3-dependent Ca2+ release.
BAY AREA TRANSPORTATION DECISION MAKING IN THE WAKE OF ISTEA : PLANNING STYLES IN CONFLICT AT THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

This is a study of the Bay Areaâ€™s Metropolitan Transportation Commissionâ€™s (MTC) transportation decision making process after the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in 1991. This innovative federal legislation promised to make transportation policy at state and regional levels more flexible across modes and more participatory among a wider range of players. MTC was one of the first Metropolitan Planning Organizations off the mark in implementing this legislation, setting up a Bay Area Partnership of all the transportation providers and key regulators in the region to work collaboratively to come up with plans and policies. This innovative effort offered an excellent opportunity for learning about the potential for and obstacles to change in transportation policy making. In particular it offered us the opportunity to look at what seemed a new model of collaborative decision making across agencies and jurisdictions.
Strategic objectives, parent control and performance: A study of Sino-European international joint ventures

The study explores the relationship between the strategic objectives of foreign firms entering international joint ventures, foreign parent control, and joint venture performance in the context of Sino-European IJVs. Using an integrative approach, this study incorporates market power, transaction costs, and organisational learning theories which provide a more comprehensive understanding of IJV strategic objectives. The findings reveal that foreign partners consider market-developing and knowledge-acquiring objectives as important and IJV performance in relation to these objectives as satisfactory. This study found different categories of objectives perform differently in IJVs. The relationship between parent control and IJV overall performance received strong support. Direct and indirect relationships between strategic objectives and IJV overall performance are found. The empirical evidence confirms the significant moderating effects of parent control on attainment of strategic objectives. The moderating effects of parent control do not merely intensify or weaken the relationship between strategic objectives and satisfaction in relation to these objectives, but also parent control has different moderating effects in relation to different strategic objectives. Research in international joint ventures is often associated with financial problems because of geographical constraints. This study concentrated initially on a web-based survey, using a mail survey to increase response rate as needed. The majority of respondents (87%) completed the questionnaire online. This provides excellent evidence for researchers to make use of web-based surveys in future international marketing studies. Finally, China, as the biggest recipient of foreign direct investment in developing countries, seems the logical choice for the analytical context. This research thus contributes to the IJV literature on the Chinese experience.
Investment, Dividends, Firm Performance and Managerial Incentives: Another Insight into the Role of Corporate Governance

We combine the incentive schemes offered to managers in practice into a single incentive package and construct a governance index to analyze the role of governance and the incentive package in addressing the agency costs of free cash flow. Using US based data, we find empirical evidence that managers in practice do not consume perks but make a tradeoff when they allocate the cash flows of the firm between investment and dividends. In general, managers in practice underinvest and overpay dividends; an increase in their incentive package would retract both investment and dividends toward the optimal levels; hence, firm performance would improve. We also find that governance is used as a control mechanism rather than as a substitute for the incentive package. Principals employ governance to slow down investment and increase dividends when there is a high informational asymmetry between the manager and the investors, and set these variables close to the optimal levels otherwise. Moreover, we find that firms in practice do not use dividends as a substitute for governance. Furthermore, we find monotone relations between investment, firm performance and dividends on the one hand, and governance and the incentive package on the other hand.
SERIAL PERIPHERAL BLOOD INTERLEUKIN-18 AND PERFORIN GENE EXPRESSION MEASUREMENTS FOR PREDICTION OF ACUTE KIDNEY GRAFT REJECTION

Background. We and others have shown that expression of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte effector gene perforin in the peripheral blood is a strong predictor of acute rejection in the early posttransplant period. In the present study we investigated whether interleukin (IL)-18, an immunostimulatory gene that up-regulates perforin-dependent cytotoxicity and promotes tissue damage through other noncytotoxic T-lymphocyte mechanisms alone or in combination with perforin gene expression, may serve as a better predictor of renal allograft rejection in the first weeks after transplantation. Methods. Peripheral blood was collected twice weekly, and gene expression was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results. Recipients with acute rejection (n=17) showed higher levels of perforin and IL-18 transcript on days 5 to 7, 8 to 10, and 11 to 13, compared with patients without rejection (n=37, P <0.01 in all cases). Rejection diagnosis using gene expression criteria was possible 1 to 32 days before traditional diagnosis (median 11 days). High specificity was associated with IL-18 expression (72%–93%), and high sensitivity was associated with perforin expression (63%–90%). Positive predictive value was optimized (78%–100%) by using combined up-regulation in both genes as a diagnostic criterion (double-positive). Using high expression in “either or both” genes as a diagnostic criterion yielded high sensitivity (82%–91%) and negative predictive value (91%–96%). Conclusions. Our data indicate that combined perforin and IL-18 gene expression measurements are useful tools for the recognition of graft rejection in its earliest stages. Serial measurements could be implemented as a monitoring system to identify patients at higher risk of rejection, making them candidates for biopsy or prophylactic increases in immunosuppression.
Photonic Metamaterials: Magnetism at Optical Frequencies

Photonic metamaterials are man-made materials with "lattice constants" smaller than the wavelength of light. Tailoring the properties of their functional building blocks (atoms) allows one to go beyond the possibilities of usual materials. For example, magnetic dipole moments at optical frequencies (mune1) become possible. This aspect substantially enriches the possibilities of optics and photonics and forms the basis for the so-called negative-index metamaterials. Here, we describe the underlying physics and review the recent progress in this rapidly emerging field