Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polycomb group genes are targets of aberrant DNA methylation in renal cell carcinoma

The combined effects of genetic and epigenetic aberrations are well recognized as causal in tumorigenesis. Here, we defined profiles of DNA methylation in primary renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and assessed the association of these profiles with the expression of genes required for the establishment and maintenance of epigenetic marks. A bead-based methylation array platform was used to measure methylation of 1,413 CpG loci in ~800 cancer-associated genes and three methylation classes were derived by unsupervised clustering of tumors using recursively partitioned mixture modeling (RPMM). Quantitative RT-PCR was performed on all tumor samples to determine the expression of DNMT1, DNMT3B, VEZF1 and EZH2. Additionally, methylation at LINE-1 and AluYb8 repetitive elements was measured using bisulfite pyrosequencing. Associations between methylation class and tumor stage (p = 0.05), LINE-1 (p < 0.0001) and AluYb8 (p < 0.0001) methylation, as well as EZH2 expression (p < 0.0001) were noted following univariate analyses. A multinomial logistic regression model controlling for potential confounders revealed that AluYb8 (p < 0.003) methylation and EZH2 expression (p < 0.008) were significantly associated with methylation class membership. Because EZH2 is a member of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), we next analyzed the distribution of Polycomb group (PcG) targets among methylation classes derived by clustering the 1,413 array CpG loci using RPMM. PcG target genes were significantly enriched (p < 0.0001) in methylation classes with greater differential methylation between RCC and non-diseased kidney tissue. This work contributes to our understanding of how repressive marks on DNA and chromatin are dysregulated in carcinogenesis, knowledge that might aid the development of therapies or preventive strategies for human malignancies.
The southern European social model: familialism and the high rates of female employment in Portugal

This paper focuses on the high rates of female full-time employment in Portugal and examines whether these are consistent with the familialistic features that typify the southern European social model. It employs a comparative methodology to investigate the extent to which recent policy developments and current social values in Portugal are aligned with the familialistic southern European tradition or whether they signal a departure from the model. The analysis reveals that the high rates of female employment are associated with particular features of the case of Portugal, namely, lower gender-based labour market segmentation and welfare state support for dual-earner families. However, this study also shows that the country still retains familialistic characteristics, which are particularly visible in the organization of care and in the persistence of traditional gender values. The article contributes to debates on the southern European social model and sheds light on how high female employment levels can be compatible with relatively high levels of familialism.
Is Crowdfunding Different? Evidence on the Relation between Gender and Funding Success from a German Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform

Abstract According to the literature on traditional banking, lenders often discriminate against female borrowers. However, studies of peer-to-peer lending in the United States find that female borrowers have better chances of obtaining funds than do males. We provide evidence on the success of female borrowers at a large German peer-to-peer lending platform. Our results show that there is no effect of gender on the individual borrower’s chance to receive funds on this platform, ceteris paribus. Several robustness checks confirm this finding. Hence, female discrimination seems to be eased by the ‘wisdom of the lending crowd’.
Dose to radiosensitive organs during routine chest CT: effects of tube current modulation.

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to estimate the dose to radiosensitive organs (glandular breast and lung) in patients of various sizes undergoing routine chest CT examinations with and without tube current modulation; to quantify the effect of tube current modulation on organ dose; and to investigate the relation between patient size and organ dose to breast and lung resulting from chest CT examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty voxelized models generated from images of patients were extended to include lung contours and were used to represent a cohort of women of various sizes. Monte Carlo simulation-based virtual MDCT scanners had been used in a previous study to estimate breast dose from simulations of a fixed-tube-current and a tube current-modulated chest CT examinations of each patient model. In this study, lung doses were estimated for each simulated examination, and the percentage organ dose reduction attributed to tube current modulation was correlated with patient size for both glandular breast and lung tissues. RESULTS The average radiation dose to lung tissue from a chest CT scan obtained with fixed tube current was 23 mGy. The use of tube current modulation reduced the lung dose an average of 16%. Reductions in organ dose (up to 56% for lung) due to tube current modulation were more substantial among smaller patients than larger. For some larger patients, use of tube current modulation for chest CT resulted in an increase in organ dose to the lung as high as 33%. For chest CT, lung dose and breast dose estimates had similar correlations with patient size. On average the two organs receive approximately the same dose effects from tube current modulation. CONCLUSION The dose to radiosensitive organs during fixed-tube-current and tube current-modulated chest CT can be estimated on the basis of patient size. Organ dose generally decreases with the use of tube current-modulated acquisition, but patient size can directly affect the dose reduction achieved.
Continuity and Change

This article aims to understand the evolution of health care governance in the Dutch hospital and home care sector. We pay particular attention to how institutionalized governance structures shape policy reform. Professionally-dominated governance structures are likely to continue to exist to some degree, even when new policy measures seek to introduce hierarchical control or market mechanisms in order to restrict professional autonomy. In contrast to the home care profession, the dominance of the medical profession with its high corporate power has been institutionalized into the governance structure, constraining actors’ choices in ways that only permit incremental changes in hospital care.
In LNCaP cells enhanced expression of both androgen receptor and costimulatory protein p300 compensate for antisense oligonucleotide suppression of bcl-2

Background: Antisense oligonucleotides (oligos) have been employed against in vivo and in vitro prostate cancer models targeting growth stimulatory gene products. While most oligos have targeted growth factors or their receptors, others have been directed against inhibitors of apoptosis and mediators of androgen action. In LNCaP cells we evaluated a set of oligos which targeted and comparably suppressed the expression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein bcl-2. LNCaP cells adapted to this restoration of apoptosis with an enhanced expression of the androgen receptor (AR) suggesting an increased sensitivity to androgens. In a continuation of this study, we now evaluate the expression of p300, an AR coactivating protein expressed in the later stages of prostate cancer. Method and results: In previous experiments, monospecific and bispecific oligos directed against bcl-2 suppressed both the targeted bcl-2 protein (an inhibitor of apoptosis) and the nontargeted caspase-3 (a promoter of apoptosis), potentially negating the effect on apoptosis produced by specific inhibition of bcl-2. In a further study we reported that expression of the AR was significantly enhanced by these oligos. We now report that expression of p300 is similarly enhanced. LNCaP cells are hormone sensitive and the untreated cells expressed minimal p300 activity. Conclusions: The enhanced expression which followed oligo treatment makes its induction more impressive, and implies a pattern of gene expression more associated with later stage (androgen-insensitive) disease. This suggests that oligo treatment directed against bcl-2 not only can be evaded through compensatory changes in AR expression which promotes tumor growth, but the induced expression of p300 may transition the tumor to a more dedifferentiated and aggressive phenotype.
Challenging Assumptions and Managing Expectations: Moving Towards Inclusive Social Protection in Southeast Asia

Social protection has become part and parcel of the development response in Southeast Asia and across the globe and is likely to gain even greater prominence in light of the post-2015 development agenda. Its set of objectives has steadily widened with social protection now expected to fulfil a plethora of functions ranging from household-level consumption smoothing to macro-level economic stabilization. Notwithstanding the many achievements of social protection to date, this paper aims to inject a healthy dose of realism into current debates about its appropriate roles. This paper particularly reflects on the productivity-enhancing and growth-inducing focus within social protection — a particularly strong feature in Southeast Asia — and how this undermines principles of inclusivity, human rights and social justice. As an antidote to this Machiavellian type of social protection, this paper argues for "Inclusive Social Protection", focusing on equitable coverage, realistic expectations and better integration of policies and programmes.
Determination of S-phenylmercapturic acid by GC-MS and ELISA: a comparison of the two methods

Abstract S-phenylmercapturic acid (PMA) is a specific urinary biomarker of benzene at exposure levels lower than 1 ppm. However, measuring PMA in urine is an expensive task by either GC or HPLC due to the necessity of extensive sample pretreatment. In the present study, a commercial chemiluminescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for PMA and GC-MS were used for screening urine samples of 60 workers employed in petrochemical settings. The ELISA results were evaluated by comparison with the GC-MS. Overall, the ELISA test proved sensitive (limit of detection = 0.1 µg l−1), rapid, robust and reliable, affording results in good agreement with the GC-MS (54% of measurements) and no false-negatives. On the other hand, 46% of the ELISA assays were assigned as false-positives (arbitrarily established when ELISA >5 µg l−1, GC-MS <5 µg l−1) and a correlation coefficient of 0.687 was calculated between the two methods. It appears that urinary PMA routine biomonitoring on large numbers of samples is carried out in a cost-effective and rapid approach by preliminary screening with the ELISA assay followed by GC-MS confirmation of concentrations exceeding the biological exposure index for PMA.
Measuring Service Quality of the Computerized Food and Beverage Cost Control System in Hong Kong Hotels Using a Gaps Model Approach

Computerized food and beverage cost control systems have evolved rapidly during recent years. These computerized systems are designed to remove much of the calculation drudg ery in manual cost control systems, such as budgeting, inventory control, and recipe cost ing. However, many users complain that these systems do not meet their needs. This sug gests that there is a gap in the performance of computerized systems compared with users' actual needs. This article explores the expectations and experience of users of the comput erized Food and Beverage Cost Control Systems (FBCCSs) in some Hong Kong hotels. With the application of the Information System (IS) Service Perception Gap Model bor rowedfrom the marketing discipline, the major problems in the areas of data/information, hardware/software environment, operational procedures, technical support, and security are identifted. A number of suggestions are proposed for system developers to improve the existing computerized FBCCSs.
Group Tour Management: Does Good Service Produce Satisfied Customers?

A modified version of the expectation/performance paradigm was applied in a specific group tour situation to measure the relative importance of tourism services and attractions to satisfaction with a weekend motorcoach tour to Niagara Falls. It was determined that the experience level of the traveler did not significantly affect expectations norperformance ratings. Utilizing repeated measures ANOVA, two service features (tour escort service and convenience of departurepoints) and one attraction (sightseeing) were singled out as being the attributes which contributed significantly to satisfaction with the trip and to intention to book another tour. These three variables were not rated as most important in the travelers' tour selection processes.
Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Treatment of Dermatophytoses

The antifungal properties of short chain fatty acids were first recognized by the food industry, when it was noticed they inhibited fungal growth in baked goods. Soon it was found they also inhibited the proliferation of mold on cheese. Peck and Rosenfeld, in 1938,' observed that organic fatty acids present in sweat had fungicidal activity with no skin-irritating effects, in contrast to existing preparations used for treating dermatophytoses.
Marriage Matching with endogenous labor supply

In this ongoing project, we attempt to integrate the recent developments in the analysis of household labor supply into a search model of marriage. Following Shimer and Smith (2000), matching on the marriage market is assumed time-intensive and, as in the original model of Becker (1973), is driven by output from the match. We explicitly introduce labor supply in the model by (i) linking the output from the match to the productivities (wage) of the partners and (ii) assuming collective labor supply inside the resulting household. Based on numerical simulations, the theoretical analysis assesses whether the standard result of positive assortative matching still holds when the output from the match is both endogenous and non-transferable. We plan to specify and estimate an econometric model of search to test the predictions. The data to be used come from the 1996 wave of the SIPP. By reconciling those two strands of literature, our model should account for some well-documented stylized facts on both marriage patterns ‐ such as the declining age gap between spouses, the rise in wage inequalities inside households or changes in home production technologies ‐ and recent trends in the labor market ‐ e.g. changes in female labour supply and gender wage gap. Policy implications range from the economic consequences of, among others, active policies aimed at sharing care responsibilities for children, targeting social benefits on one spouse rather than the household as a whole or promoting female labour supply.
Seasonal and Spatial Variations in Demand for and Elasticities of Fish Products in the United States: An Analysis Based on Market-Level Scanner Data

Seasonally and spatially varying demand elasticities would provide important information to seafood producers and marketers as well as policy makers. We analyzed the effects of season and space on (i) demand (translation effects) and (ii) price as well as expenditure elasticities of demand (scaling effects) for 13 finfish species in the United States. The paper used market-level scanner data for 52 U.S. markets. Results suggest that not only the quantity demanded, but also the demand elasticities vary across species, seasons, and geography; not only does the degree of competition among finfish products vary considerably over space, but substituting products themselves change. These results highlight the importance of studying consumer demand behavior at species level, across seasons and geography, particularly as it sheds important light on some important policy issues such as the potential substitution between catfish and tilapia in the U.S. markets.
Synthesis and evaluation of in vitro antiviral activity of 2-[3-(substituted phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-5-pyrazolyl]benzofuran-3-yl chloride derivatives

3-Chlorobenzofuran-2-carbaldehyde was condensed with substituted acetophenone by using the Claisen-Schmidt condensation to obtain 3-(3-chlorobenzofuran-2-yl)-1-(substituted phenyl)-2-propen-1-one (2a-m) which upon further treatment with hydrazine hydrate gave 2-[3-(substituted phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-5- pyrazolyl)benzofuran-3-yl chloride derivatives (3a-m). All the newly synthesized derivatives were evaluated in vitro for cytotoxicity and antiviral activity in Crandell-Rees Feline Kidney cell, human embryonic lung (HEL) cell, HeLa cell and Vero cell cultures against different viruses. Several compounds, i.e. 2f, 2g, 2i, 2m, 3b, 3d, 3g, 3h and 3m proved quite cytotoxic to the host cells (minimum cytotoxic concentration: 1-10 μg/mL). No specific antiviral activity [50% antivirally effective concentration (EC50) ≥ 5-fold lower than the minimum cytototoxic concentration] was observed for any of the compounds.
Epistemic commitment and cognitive disunity toward fair-value accounting

This paper critically explores knowledge/professionalization relationships in a jurisdictional context characterized by shifting standards of practice. Focusing on the growing movement toward fair value within accounting standards, we examine practitioners' reactions to the growing compulsory application of fair-value accounting standards. To make sense of these reactions, we introduce the notion of epistemic commitment, that is to say one's degree of allegiance to a given knowledge template. Utilizing 27 interviews with Canadian experienced accountants, we rely on epistemic commitment to analyze the extent of variability in practitioners' reactions to the standardization movement toward fair-value accounting. Our analysis demonstrates an important level of variability in practitioners' epistemic commitment toward fair-value accounting, highlighting a lack of cognitive unity in the field. Our findings point to other important professionalization issues: practitioners' inclinations to refer to profitability issues when reflecting on the appropriateness of standards; practitioners' conception of accounting as an objective technology; practitioners' hesitations in voicing deep-level concerns over implementation ambiguities and lack of professional cognitive authority. Overall, our study raises doubts about the professional status of accountancy.
The Determinants of Debt Maturity in Australian Firms

We examine the determinants of debt maturity in the Australian capital market with the Top 400 firms listed on the Australian Securities Exchange for the period 1989–2006. We find that Australian firms not only exhibit a positive leverage–maturity relationship but also use short-term debt to signal their high quality to the market. Our results are robust to different estimation methods that control for endogeneity and error-dependence. We also find that ignoring the interaction between leverage and maturity can lead to erroneous conclusions about the support for the matching principle, the agency costs hypothesis and the transaction costs hypothesis.
Rationalizing oligomerization in dimethylindium(III) chalcogenolates (Me2InER') (E = O, S, Se): a structural and computational study.

The effect on oligomerization of increased steric bulk in dimethylindium(III) chalcogenolates (Me(2)InER') (E = O, S, Se) has been examined. The facile reaction of Me(3)In with a series of phenols, thiophenols and selenophenols afforded the compounds [Me(2)InO(C(6)H(5))](2) (1), [Me(2)InO(2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3))](2) (2), Me(2)InO(2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(3)) (3), [Me(2)InS(C(6)H(5))](infinity) (4), [Me(2)InS(2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(3))](infinity) (6), [Me(2)InSe(C(6)H(5))](2) (7), [Me(2)InSe(2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(3))](infinity) (8) and [Me(2)InSe(2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(3))](infinity) (9). All compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, melting point, FT-IR, FT-Raman, solution NMR, and X-ray crystallography. The structures of 1-2 are dimeric via short intermolecular In-O interactions, yielding a symmetric In(2)O(2) unit and a distorted tetrahedral C(2)O(2) bonding environment for indium. Increasing steric bulk in 3 results in the isolation of a monomeric species, exhibiting a distorted trigonal planar C(2)O bonding environment for indium. In contrast to 1, the thiolate analogue 4 exhibits a polymeric structure via mu(2)-SPh groups and a distorted tetrahedral C(2)S(2) bonding environment for indium. Increasing steric bulk resulted in the formation of a chain of weakly coordinated monomers via intermolecular In.S interactions in [Me(2)InS(2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(2))](infinity) (6). Although 7 shows a dimeric species similar to 1, the 2,4,6-trimethyl substituted selenolate analogue 8 exhibits a polymeric structure, while the -Se-2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(3) analogue (9) showing a similar structure to 6. Comparison to previously reported structures of diorganoindium chalcogenolates demonstrates the importance of the methyl substituents on indium in facilitating the isolation of higher (non-dimeric) oligomers. Theoretical calculations demonstrate the significance of altering the R and R' groups and E on the degree of oligomerization in [R(2)InER'](n) species.
Complications of cochlear implant surgery in children.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the intraoperative problems and postoperative complications in children receiving cochlear implants. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective analysis of the clinical records of 366 children, aged 1 to 14 years, who had received cochlear implants. RESULTS Intraoperatively, obliteration of the cochlea occurred in 66 patients, cochlear dysplasia in 8, and CSF leakage in 7, and nearly 5% of patients had signs of infection in the mucosa of the middle ear. Postoperatively, early complications occurred in 1% to 2.5% of patients: flap complications, electrode dislocation, facial nerve problems, and incorrect insertion of the electrode. Delayed complications included otitis media and stimulation of the facial nerve. CONCLUSION Proper preparation of the implantation site, experienced and well-trained surgeons, and awareness of the operative and postoperative risks are necessary.
Development of Suspending Agent from Sodium Carboxymethyl Mungbean Starches

ABSTRACT Three sodium carboxymethyl mungbean starches (SCMMSs) were selected, based on the physicochemical profiles and evaluated as potential pharmaceutical suspending agent in comparison with a sodium carboxymethyl tapioca starch and other five commercial suspending agents. Ibuprofen suspension was employed as a model formulation with 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% w/v of suspending agents. Evaluation parameters included the determination of sedimentation volume ratio, redispersibility, viscosity and rheological properties and content uniformity studies. The results revealed that a high-viscosity modified mungbean starch, MMS-M-04, possessed suitable properties as a suspending agent and, at 1% concentration, was as effective as sodium carboxymethylcellulose and xanthan gum, two most-commonly used suspending agents. This modified starch could be further developed and employed as a new commercial suspending agent in the pharmaceutical industry.