Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liver resection in the aged (seventy years or older) with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Thirty-two patients who were 70 years of age or older underwent hepatic resection in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. There were 25 men and 7 women. Age ranged from 70 to 84 years, averaging 74 +/- 3 years (mean +/- SD). Underlying liver diseases were associated in all patients but one, cirrhosis of the liver in 22, and chronic hepatitis in nine. METHODS AND RESULTS The operative mortality rate within 1 month was 12.5%, and the overall in-hospital death rate was 18.8%. The 5-year survival rate was 17.6% for all patients and 24.3% when six hospital deaths were excluded. The Child's grade was a good predictor for early and late morbidity and death, the 5-year survival rate of patients with Child's class A disease being 30%. Retrospective comparisons were conducted between the current patients and patients younger than 50 years old who had been operated on during the same period: resectability rate, 61.5% versus 57.8%; hospital mortality rate, 18.8% versus 11.6%; and 5-year survival rate, 24.3% versus 48.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These results seem to indicate that the treatment policy of hepatocellular carcinoma in the aged should be identical to that in young people.
Decline in Human Fertility Rates with Male Age: A Consequence of a Decrease in Male Fecundity with Aging?

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of male age on human fertility, defined as the birth rate for a given population. Methods: Data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) for the year 2004 from a total of 454,753 newborn infants and sorted by male and female age groups were evaluated. In order to correct the influence of female age-related fertility, a different analysis was performed considering only women under 30 years of age. Results: From a demographic point of view, male fertility started to decline at 35–39 years of age. This decline is constant and follows an exponential pattern (slope –0.11 to –0.12). The trend persisted when the data were adjusted for every 1,000 men in the age group, as well as when only women under the age of 30 were considered. Male fertility showed a 21–23% annual decrease starting at the age of 39. Conclusion: An exponential decrease in human fertility which is independent of the woman’s age was observed with male aging. This decay is probably due to a downfall in male fecundity, closely related to a decline in sperm quality. However, social or behavioral causes for this trend cannot be excluded.
Primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the chest wall (Askin tumors): CT and MR findings.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to describe the CT and MR appearances of primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the thoracopulmonary region (Askin tumor), which typically manifest as large tumors involving the chest wall and pleura. This rare malignant neoplasm, seen predominantly in children and young adults, originates in soft tissues of the chest wall, occasionally in bone, or, rarely, in the periphery of the lung. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study group included two boys and six girls, 7-18 years old, with thoracic primitive neuroectodermal tumors who had had CT and MR studies at presentation. In seven of these patients, the preoperative imaging interpretation was compared with surgical observations. RESULTS Seven tumors were large. Unilateral chest wall involvement was seen in all eight patients, pleural involvement in seven, and rib destruction in five. All tumors were heterogeneous on CT scans and T2-weighted MR images, and seven were heterogenous on T1-weighted MR images. The smallest tumor was homogeneous on T1-weighted MR images. Seven tumors had a signal intensity greater than that of skeletal muscle on T1-weighted MR images, and seven showed hemorrhage or necrosis. Invasion of muscle in the chest wall was noted on MR images in seven patients and on CT scans in four patients. CT scans and MR images showed extension of tumor into adjacent lung in four patients but were indeterminate in three patients. One patient had no extension of tumor into adjacent lung. Pulmonary metastases were noted on MR images in one patient and on CT scans in three patients. CT and MR studies correctly showed pleural (n = 6), rib (n = 4), pericardial (n = 1), diaphragmatic (n = 1), and vertebral/spinal cord (n = 1) involvement, confirmed during surgery. CT and MR scans of five patients imaged before surgery were indeterminate for adjacent lung invasion. CONCLUSION The described radiologic features of Askin tumors may be useful in deciding when to include this entity in the differential diagnosis. Areas of hemorrhage and necrosis in the large tumors are responsible for their heterogeneous appearance on CT scans and MR images. CT scans and MR images are complementary for determining the extent of disease. MR imaging is informative for determining invasion of chest wall muscle, whereas CT scanning is preferred for detecting small pulmonary metastases. Neither technique is adequate for predicting invasion of adjacent lung.
Gambling and problem gambling in Switzerland.

AIMS To provide an overview of gambling and problem gambling in Switzerland, including historical aspects, past and current legislation and policies, treatment options and the research base. METHODS A literature search was conducted on two databases (PubMed and PsycINFO), and official government and statistical reports selected from the official websites of four sources (Federal Office of Justice; Federal Gambling Board; Federal Office of Statistics; Swiss Lottery and Betting Board). RESULTS After a history of banning or partial banning, Swiss gambling became regulated at the beginning of the 20th century through successive laws. The current system is characterized by important differences in the law and policies for casinos and lotteries, and contradictions in the regulation of these two areas are still under debate in order to develop new legislation. Gambling is widespread in Switzerland, and the prevalence of problem gambling in this country was comparable to that in other European countries in 2014. Most gambling treatment facilities are integrated into mental health treatment services that have out-patient programmes, and treatment for problem gambling is covered by a universal compulsory Swiss health insurance system. The availability of public funding for gambling research is still limited. CONCLUSIONS Switzerland needs to develop a more coherent regulatory and prevention policy approach to gambling, overcoming conflicts in the current dual system of federal and cantonal regulation. Recent efforts to enhance funding for gambling research are promising, and could lead to a more systematic analysis of the efficacy of prevention and treatment programmes.
Achieving and Sustaining Business-IT Alignment

This article identifies the major enablers and inhibitors in the achievement of business-Information Technology (IT) alignment. Alignment involves the activities that management performs to achieve cohesive goals across the IT and functional (e.g., finance, marketing, manufacturing) organizations. Therefore, alignment addresses both how IT is in harmony with the business, and how the business should or could be in harmony with IT. IT requires strong support from senior management, good working relationships, strong leadership, appropriate prioritization, trust, and effective communication, as well as a thorough understanding of the business environment. This article develops a methodology that leverages the most important enablers and inhibitors to business-IT alignment.
Rifampicin mono-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Bujumbura, Burundi: results of a drug resistance survey.

SETTING Bujumbura, Burundi. OBJECTIVES To determine resistance levels of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) to the main anti-tuberculosis drugs after 11 years of a DOTS programme using a WHO-recommended partially intermittent 6-month rifampicin (RMP) first-line regimen and fixed-dose drug combinations (FDCs). DESIGN Drug susceptibility testing of systematic samples of M. tuberculosis isolated from newly registered sputum smear-positive cases in the capital during a 15-month period (2002-2003). RESULTS Of 496 strains from new cases, 16.1% showed resistance to any drug, 6.3% to isoniazid (INH), 2.0% to RMP (1.4% multidrug-resistant TB [MDR-TB]), 13.3% to streptomycin and 1.6% to ethambutol. Among 69 strains from previously treated cases, the prevalence of resistance was 30%, 19%, 15% (12% MDR-TB strains), 25% and 6%, respectively. CONCLUSION Levels of drug resistance in Bujumbura are higher than average for Africa, despite long-term use of the DOTS strategy with FDCs and a ban on sales of TB drugs. Most worrying is the appearance of MDR-TB and RMP-resistant, INH-susceptible strains in new cases. Although a survey cannot prove that high HIV prevalence, elevated levels of resistance to some other drugs and irregular intake allowed acquisition of drug resistance, the effectiveness and safety of 6-month regimens with (partially) intermittent RMP throughout under such conditions should be investigated.
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL ON JOB SATISFACTION AMONG THE AGRICULTURE FACULTY MEMBERS IN UNIVERSITY OF TEHRAN, IRAN

The main purpose of this study was to investigation the influence of social capital dimensions on job satisfaction of the agriculture faculty members in university of Tehran (Iran). The statistical population consisted of all the agriculture faculty members in university of Tehran (Iran), (N=218), that 132 of them were selected for studying by proportionate stratified random sampling method. The main instrument of the study was a questionnaire that its validity and reliability were confirmed by panel of experts and calculation of Cronbach's alpha coefficient respectively. Data were analyzed by SPSSWin20 and LISREL8.54 software in two parts of descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings of the research revealed that the present situation of social capital and job satisfaction of faculty members was in an average level. According to results of structural equation modeling, social capital dimensions i.e. structural social capital, relational social capital and cognitive social capital had highly positive and significant effects on job satisfaction of faculty members, in such a way that they could determine 78 percent of variance changes in their job satisfaction. Finding of this study has appropriate achievements for manager, planners and policymakers of higher agricultural education system in order to improve the job satisfaction and human resources development of agricultural faculty members.
Microstructural and Chemical Characterization of Ordered Structure in Yttrium Doped Ceria

Abstract The ordered structures in different doping levels (x = 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3) of yttrium doped ceria (YDC, Ce(1−x)Y x O2−δ) electrolytes were investigated by electron diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning TEM, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Oxygen vacancy ordering was experimentally confirmed within the ordered structures. With increasing the doping level, the concentration of trivalent Ce cations was increased in YDC samples and such trivalent Ce cations were supposed to mainly exist in the ordered structures. Based on our electron microscopic observation and microanalysis, a crystal model for the ordered structures is proposed.
Okul Müdürlerinin Yerinden Yönetim Hakkındaki Görüşleri

Bu arastirmanin amaci, ‘Kamu Yonetimi Temel Kanunu Yasa Tasarisi’ ile gundeme gelen egitimin yerinden yonetimi konusunda egitim yoneticilerinin egitimle ilgili alinan kararlara iliskin goruslerini incelemektir. Bu arastirma ile egitim yoneticilerinin verdigi bilgiler dogrultusunda egitimin yerinden yonetimi ile ilgili tartismalara katkida bulunmak beklenmektedir. Arastirmada, egitimin yerel birimlere devri surecindeki uygulamalarin etkililiginin yonetici algilarina gore saptanmasi ve ortaya cikan bulgular isiginda oneriler gelistirilmesi amaclanmaktadir. Arastirmanin evrenini Eskisehir merkez devlet (resmi) ilkogretim ve ortaogretim kurumlarinda gorev yapan okul mudurleri olusturmaktadir. Orneklemi ise random yoluyla secilen 52 okul muduru olusturmaktadir. Arastirmanin verileri “Egitimin Yerinden Yonetimi Olcegi” araci ile toplanmistir. Verilerin cozumlenmesinde SPSS paket programindan yararlanilarak yuzde ve frekans hesaplamalari yapilmistir. Arastirma bulgulari, orneklem dâhilindeki egitim yoneticilerinin yerinden yonetim konusunda karar duzeyi olarak verilen birimlerden Bakanlik-Il-Okul ucgenine agirlik verdigini ortaya cikarmaktadir. Bir baska ifade ile egitim yoneticilerinin bolge, ilce ve belediyelerin yerellesme konusunda pek fazla etkin olmasini istemedikleri; bu birimleri birer karar duzeyi olarak kabul etmedikleri gorulmektedir. Arastirma sonuclarina gore egitim yoneticilerinde, egitimin yerinden yonetimi konusunda ortak kultur olusturma eksikligi ve bilgi yetersizligi oldugu soylenebilir.
The New Frontier of Experience Innovation

As competition intensifies and profit margins shrink, managers are under overwhelming pressure to create value. Traditional prescriptions such as cost reduction, reengineering and outsourcing, while critically important, cannot solve the problem. The need to innovate is greater than ever, but the focus of innovation must change, say the authors. Managers are discovering that neither value nor innovation can any longer be successfully and sustainably generated through a company-centric, product-and-service-focused prism. By synthesizing societal trends and early experimentation in companies such as General Motors, LEGO and Medtronic, the authors paint a picture of the "next practices" of innovation in which the locus of value creation will inevitably shift from products and services to "experience environments. " The intent of experience innovation is not to improve a product or service, per se, but to enable the co-creation of an environment in which personalized, evolvable experiences are the goal, and products and services are a means to that end. Profitable company growth will then result from individual consumers co-creating their own unique value, supported by a network of companies and consumer communities. From that perspective, say the authors, managers must learn to view existing and emerging technologies not as enhancers of products, features and functions, but as facilitators of experiences. They offer examples of how technological capabilities such as miniaturization, networked communication and adaptive learning are fostering experience innovation at companies such as Sony, Apple, Microsoft and TiVo, illustrating their contention that technology will be the key facilitator of the nascent trend toward experience innovation.
Factors affecting morbidity, mortality, and survival in patients undergoing Ivor Lewis esophagogastrectomy.

OBJECTIVES To examine the safety of transthoracic esophagogastrectomy (TTE) in a multidisciplinary cancer center and to determine which clinical parameters influenced survival and the rates of death and complications. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Although the incidence of cancer at the gastroesophageal junction has been rising rapidly in the United States, controversy still exists about the safety of surgical procedures designed to remove the distal esophagus and proximal stomach. Alternatives to TTE have been proposed because of the reportedly high rates of death and complications associated with the procedure. METHODS Data from 143 patients treated by TTE by one author (1989-1999) were entered into a computerized database. Preoperative clinical parameters were tested for effect on death, complications, and survival. RESULTS The patient population consisted of 127 men and 16 women. One hundred twenty-one patients had a history of tobacco abuse, and 118 reported the regular ingestion of alcohol. One hundred fifteen patients had adenocarcinoma, 16 had squamous cell cancer, 6 had another form of esophageal tumor, and 6 had high-grade dysplasia associated with Barrett epithelia. Fifty-six patients had adenocarcinomas arising in Barrett epithelium. Twenty-eight patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation before surgery. Three patients died within 30 days of surgery (mortality rate 2.1%). Five patients (3.5%) had a documented anastomotic leak; three died). Overall, 42 patients had complications (29%). Twenty-six had pulmonary complications (19%). The mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 3.35 days; the mean hospital length of stay was 13.54 days. The overall 3-year survival rate was 29.6%. CONCLUSIONS A high ASA score and the development of complications predicted an increased length of stay. The presence of diabetes predicted the development of complication and an increased length of stay. None of the other parameters tested predicted perioperative death or complications. Only disease stage, diabetes, and blood transfusion affected overall survival. From these results with a large series of patients with gastroesophageal junction cancers, TTE can be performed with a low death rate (2.1%), a low leak rate (3. 5%), and an acceptable complication rate (29%).
Asian Economic Integration: ASEAN+3+1 or ASEAN+1s?

This paper presents the economic rationale for a regional trade bloc in Asia comprising the ASEAN economies, China, Japan, Korea and India, i.e. the ASEAN+4. The inclusion of India in the trade bloc is justified on the basis of increasingly intense trade relations between India and ASEAN+3 and also the increasing importance that India has come to acquire as a market for the ASEAN+3. Alternative approaches to the alignment of ASEAN and the plus four economies for the formation of the ASEAN+4 trade bloc have been evaluated in terms of their efficiency costs. Efficiency costs are determined by the extent of trade distortion and trade diversion implied by each country's participation in the proposed trade bloc. The findings of this analysis underscore the efficiency of a prior alignment with ASEAN for all the plus four economies.
Measuring the Efficiency of Spanish First-Division Soccer Teams

The aim of this article is to measure the efficiency of the professional soccer teams that play in the Spanish First Division in their activity of converting attacking moves during the match into sporting success. The timeline of the study is the three seasons from 1998 to 2001. To that end, we apply the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology, taking as input variables the players used, attacking moves, the minutes of possession of the ball, and the shots and headers; as output, we considered the number of points achieved. Our main conclusion is that the efficient teams in the activity analyzed do not always correspond with those that finished highest in the league at the end of the season.
The Normative Characterization of Aggregate Consumers' Surplus Measures

When explicit account is taken of the fact that consumer surplus measures are typically used in a many-consum er setting, two issues arise. Namely, what is the information require d to utilize the measure, and what are the normative principles entai led by their use? This paper develops measures which are applicable w hen individual preferences come from either of two classes. Their inf ormational requirements are analyzed and the social orderings which t hey induce on consumption allocations are characterized. A means of e xtending these results into wider individual preference classes is th en developed. Copyright 1987 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
Distinct patterns of MCM protein binding in nuclei of S phase and rereplicating SV40‐infected monkey kidney cells

Simian Virus 40 (SV40) infection of growth‐arrested monkey kidney cells stimulates S phase entry and the continued synthesis of both viral and cellular DNA. Infected cells can attain total DNA contents as high as DNA Index, DI = 5.0–6.0 (10–12C), with host cell DNA representing 70–80% of the total. In this study, SV40‐infected and uninfected control cells were compared to determine whether continued DNA replication beyond DI = 2.0 was associated with rebinding of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) hexamer, the putative replicative helicase, to chromatin.
Media Content and Stock Returns: The Predictive Power of Press

This paper examines whether tone (positive and negative) and volume of firm-specific news media content provide valuable information about future stock returns, using UK news media data from 1981–2010. The results indicate that both tone and volume of news media content significantly predict next period abnormal returns, with the impact of volume more pronounced than tone. Additionally, the predictive power of tone is found to be stronger among lower visibility firms. Further, the paper finds evidence of an attention-grabbing effect for firm-specific news stories with high media coverage, mainly seen among larger firms. A simple news-based trading strategy produces statistically significant risk-adjusted returns of 14.2 to 19 basis points in the period 2003–2010. At the aggregate level, price pressure induced by semantics in news stories is corrected only in part by subsequent reversals. Overall, the findings suggest firm-specific news media content incorporates valuable information that predicts asset returns.
Valuation of equity-linked life insurance contracts with surrender guarantees in a regime-switching rational expectation model

We develop a regime-switching rational expectation model, where both the market value of a reference fund and the surrender intensity of a policyholder change randomly over time according to the evolution of a continuous-time Markov chain with a finite number of states. The contract value of a representative policyholder is characterized as a solution of a system of coupled PDEs, which we solve numerically by the Crank–Nicolson scheme combined with a penalty method. The paper is complemented by extensive numerical experiments, where we study the effect of the model parameters on the contract values and, particularly, surrender option values and also compare our regime-switching rational expectation model with the regime-switching American-style surrender model.
Transcription factor HNF and hepatocyte differentiation

To know the precise mechanisms underlying the life or death and the regeneration or differentiation of cells would be relevant and useful for the development of a regenerative therapy for organ failure. Liver‐specific gene expression is controlled primarily at a transcriptional level. Studies on the transcriptional regulatory elements of genes expressed in hepatocytes have identified several liver‐enriched transcriptional factors, including hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)‐1, HNF‐3, HNF‐4, HNF‐6 and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein families, which are key components of the differentiation process for the fully functional liver. The transcriptional regulation by these HNFs, which form a hierarchical and cooperative network, is both essential for hepatocyte differentiation during mammalian liver development and also crucial for metabolic regulation and liver function. Among these liver‐enriched transcription factors, HNF‐4 is likely to act the furthest upstream as a master gene in transcriptional cascade and interacts with other liver‐enriched transcriptional factors to stimulate hepatocyte‐specific gene transcription. A link between the extracellular matrix, changes in cytoskeletal filament assembly and hepatocyte differentiation via HNF‐4 has been shown to be involved in the transcriptional regulation of liver‐specific gene expression. This review provides an overview of the roles of liver‐enriched transcription factors in liver function.