Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geographical variation in cancer patient survival in Finland: chance, confounding, or effect of treatment?

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to determine whether survival of cancer patients in Finland varies with their place of residence, and if so, what proportion of the variation might be due to health services rather than to confounding variables. DESIGN--Patients with breast and prostatic cancer diagnosed in Finland between 1970 and 1981 were classified by place of residence (from 21 hospital districts), and area specific 5 year relative survival rates were estimated. SETTING--This was a population based survey of the whole of Finland. PATIENTS--16,754 cases of breast cancer and 9483 cases of prostatic cancer were identified. Of these, 0.5% of breast cancers and 4.1% of prostatic cancers were excluded because diagnosis was based only on necropsy findings or because the only information available was from the death certificate. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--There was a large variation in rates, ranging from 59% to 76% for breast cancer, and from 30% to 65% for prostatic cancer. However, after accounting for age of patient and extent of disease, the standardised differences for prostatic cancer closely followed random distribution, indicating equal results of treatment in different areas. For breast cancer there was more variation than expected by chance and patients resident in any of the university central hospital districts with modern radiotherapy equipment survived better than other patients. CONCLUSIONS--There is little indication that large variations in crude mortality rates from these two cancers in different parts of Finland are due to inequalities of medical care, though a small effect on breast cancer survival which might be care related was shown.
Machine Learning at Central Banks

We introduce machine learning in the context of central banking and policy analyses. Our aim is to give an overview broad enough to allow the reader to place machine learning within the wider range of statistical modelling and computational analyses, and provide an idea of its scope and limitations. We review the underlying technical sources and the nascent literature applying machine learning to economic and policy problems. We present popular modelling approaches, such as artificial neural networks, tree-based models, support vector machines, recommender systems and different clustering techniques. Important concepts like the bias-variance trade-off, optimal model complexity, regularisation and cross-validation are discussed to enrich the econometrics toolbox in their own right. We present three case studies relevant to central bank policy, financial regulation and economic modelling more widely. First, we model the detection of alerts on the balance sheets of financial institutions in the context of banking supervision. Second, we perform a projection exercise for UK CPI inflation on a medium-term horizon of two years. Here, we introduce a simple training-testing framework for time series analyses. Third, we investigate the funding patterns of technology start-ups with the aim to detect potentially disruptive innovators in financial technology. Machine learning models generally outperform traditional modelling approaches in prediction tasks, while open research questions remain with regard to their causal inference properties.
Body Height Preferences and Actual Dimorphism in Stature between Partners in Two Non-Western Societies (Hadza and Tsimane')

Body height influences human mate preferences and choice. A typical finding in Western societies is that women prefer men who are taller than themselves and, equivalently, men prefer women who are shorter than themselves. However, recent reports in non-Western societies (e.g., the Himba in Namibia) challenge the view on the universality of such preferences. Here we report on male and female height preferences in two non-Western populations—the Hadza (Tanzania) and the Tsimane' (Bolivia)—and the relationships between body height preferences and the height of actual partners. In the Hadza, most individuals preferred a sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS) with the man being much taller than the woman. Preferences for SDS and actual partner SDS were positively and significantly correlated in both men and women, suggesting that people who preferred larger height differences also had larger height differences with their partners. In the Tsimane', the majority of men preferred an SDS with the man being taller than the woman, but women did not show such a preference. Unlike in the Hadza, SDS preference was not significantly correlated to actual partner SDS. We conclude that patterns of height preferences and choices in the Hadza and Tsimane' are different than those observed in Western societies, and discuss possible causes for the observed differences between non-Western and Western societies.
Honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) distribution and potential for supplementary pollination in commercial tomato greenhouses during winter.

This study examined the use of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. , to supplement bumble bee, Bombus spp. , pollination in commercial tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Miller, greenhouses in Western Canada. Honey bee colonies were brought into greenhouses already containing bumble bees and left for 1 wk to acclimatize. The following week, counts of honey and bumble bees foraging and flying throughout the greenhouse were conducted three times per day, and tomato flowers open during honey bee pollination were marked for later fruit harvest. The same counts and flower-marking also were done before and after the presence of honey bees to determine the background level of bumble bee pollination. Overall, tomato size was not affected by the addition of honey bees, but in one greenhouse significantly larger tomatoes were produced with honey bees present compared with bumble bees alone. In that greenhouse, honey bee foraging was greater than in the other greenhouses. Honey bees generally foraged within 100 m of their colony in all greenhouses. Our study invites further research to examine the use of honey bees with reduced levels of bumble bees, or as sole pollinators of greenhouse tomatoes. We also make specific recommendations for how honey bees can best be managed in greenhouses.
Staphylococcus aureus Operates Protein-tyrosine Phosphorylation through a Specific Mechanism*

Protein phosphorylation on tyrosine has been originally characterized in animal systems and has been shown to be involved in several fundamental processes including signal transduction, growth control, and malignancy. It has been later demonstrated to occur also in a number of bacteria, and recent data suggest that it may participate in the control of bacterial pathogenicity. In this work, we provide evidence that the Gram-positive human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus harbors a protein-tyrosine kinase activity. This activity is borne by a protein, termed Cap5B2, whose phosphorylating capacity is expressed only in the presence of a stimulatory protein, either Cap5A1 or Cap5A2, that enhances its affinity for the phosphoryl donor ATP. In fact, the last 27/29 amino acids of the C-terminal domain of either polypeptide are sufficient for stimulating Cap5B2 activity. The stimulation of Cap5B2 by Cap5A1 involves essentially three amino acid residues in a helix of Cap5A1 (Asp202, Glu203, and Asp205) and three residues in a helix (helix 7) of Cap5B2 (Glu190, Lys192, and Lys193), thus suggesting helix-helix interaction between these two proteins. This type of helix-helix interaction resembles the interaction required for the activation of MinD ATPase by MinE protein in the process of septum-site determination, MinD sharing sequence similarity with Cap5B2. Such activation mechanism is described here in a Gram-positive bacterial tyrosine kinase, and differs from the activation mechanism previously proposed for Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, it appears that S. aureus, and possibly other Gram-positive bacteria, utilizes a specific molecular mechanism for triggering protein-tyrosine kinase activity.
Département des Sciences Économiques de l'Université catholique de Louvain Brain drain in developing countries

Relying on an original data set on international migration by educational attainment for 1990 and 2000, we analyze the determinants of the brain drain from developing countries. We start from a simple decomposition of the brain drain in two multiplicative components, the degree of openness of sending countries (as measured by their average emigration rate) and the schooling gap (as measured by the relative education level of emigrants compared to natives). Using various regression models, we put forward the determinants of these components and explain cross-country differences in skilled migration. Unsurprisingly, the brain drain is strong in small countries which are not too distant from the major OECD regions, which share colonial links with OECD countries and which send most of their migrants to host countries where quality-selective immigration programs exist. More interestingly, the brain drain increases with political instability and the degree of fractionalization at origin; it globally decreases with natives' human capital.
A minimally invasive surgical technique with an enamel matrix derivative in the regenerative treatment of intra-bony defects: a novel approach to limit morbidity.

AIMS This study was undertaken to describe a new surgical approach (minimally invasive surgical technique, MIST) and to evaluate preliminarily its clinical performance and patient perception associated with the application of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) in the treatment of isolated deep intra-bony defects. METHODS Thirteen deep isolated intra-bony defects in 13 patients were surgically accessed with the MIST. This technique was designed to limit the mesio-distal flap extension and the corono-apical reflection in order to reduce the surgical trauma and increase flap stability. The incision of the defect-associated papilla was performed according to the principles of the papilla preservation techniques. EMD was applied on the debrided root surfaces. Stable primary closure of the flaps was obtained with internal modified mattress sutures. Surgery was performed with the aid of an operating microscope and microsurgical instruments. Clinical outcomes were collected at baseline and at 1 year. Intra-operative and post-operative patient perception was also recorded. RESULTS Early wound healing was uneventful: primary wound closure was obtained and maintained in all sites with the exception of one site with a small wound dehiscence at week 1. No oedema or haematoma were noted. Patients did not report any pain. Three patients experienced slight discomfort for 2-days post-operatively. The 1-year clinical attachment level (CAL) gain was 4.8+/-1.9 mm. The 1-year percent resolution of the defect was 88.7+/-20.7%, and reached 100% of the baseline intra-bony component in seven sites. Residual probing depths (PD) were 2.9+/-0.8 mm. Differences between baseline and 1-year CAL and PD were both clinically and statistically highly significant (p<0.0001). A minimal increase of 0.1+/-0.9 mm in gingival recession between baseline and 1 year was recorded (p=0.39). CONCLUSIONS This case cohort indicates that MIST associated with EMD resulted in excellent clinical improvements while limiting patient morbidity. These preliminary findings need to be confirmed in a larger study.
Exploiting color spaces for the task of foreground detection

This paper proposes optimal color space based probabilistic foreground detector. The intuition is to employ two most widely used color spaces (RGB and YCbCr) one at a time to model background. A decision criteria to select optimal color space is based on mean squared error (MSE). Initial frames (say 100) without any foreground information are used to compute MSE for both color spaces. Color space with minimum MSE is selected as optimal color space (OCS). Afterwards, OCS is used to model background and detect moving information. Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) based foreground detector is used for the purpose. Furthermore, foreground mask is cleaned from undesirable noise using morphological operations. The proposed method is tested using change detection dataset. It shows promising results and outperforms conventional GMM.
Lessons learned from Inflation Targeting

This paper analyzes the policy of targeting inflation in emerging economies. More specifically, the development of this work aims to study the effectiveness and the performance of this strategy of monetary policy in the emerging economies. The analysis of the efficiency and performance of the inflation targeting policy of emerging economies performs well through a stable macroeconomic environment (GDP and inflation rate). The results show a significant difference in inflation performance and macroeconomic performance in an economic environment characterized by high volatility in macroeconomic indicators.
Observations on the phylogeny of Opisthadena Linton, 1910 and related genera (Hemiuridae: Opisthadeninae) from Australian and French Polynesian waters.

Mitrostoma nototheniae Manter, 1954 is redescribed from Aplodactylus arctidens Richardson, off northern Tasmania. Opisthadena dimidia Linton, 1910 is reported from Kyphosus bigibbus Lacepède, Ningaloo, Western Australia, K. cinerascens (Forsskål), off Heron Island and Ningaloo, Western Australia, Kyphosus cornelii (Whitley), off Kalbarri, Western Australia, K. sydneyanus Günther, off Fremantle, Western Australia, K. sydneyanus ? , Ningaloo, Western Australia and K. vaigiensis (Quoy et Gaimard), off Heron and Lizard Islands, Queensland and Moorea, French Polynesia: measurements and an illustration are given. Neopisthadena habei Machida, 1980 is reported from K. sydneyanus off Fremantle, Western Australia: measurements and an illustration are given. Data derived from these specimens are used to recode a data-matrix developed by León-Règagnon et al. (1996), and the resultant tree produced is almost congruent with that of these authors. Our data indicate that this group of parasites is associated mostly with herbivorous hosts and that O. dimidia, while geographically widespread, is stenoxenic to the genus Kyphosus.
Estimation of the Spillover Effect between Patents and Innovation Using the GARCH–BEKK Model

This study examines the mean and variance spillovers between patents filed and total factor productivity in Pakistan during the period lasting from 1964 to 2015. Using the multivariate generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroskedasticâ€“Baba, Engle, Kraft and Kroner (GARCHâ€“BEKK) model, we find no evidence of mean spillover effects between patents filed and productivity growth. However, the results support the existence of the variance spillover effect, which illustrates that the innovations may affect productivity in the longâ€ run. Moreover, bidirectional causality in the mean and variance between innovation and productivity growth is nonâ€ existent. We find that R&D/GDP, skilled labour force and economic freedom are the significant factors affecting technological advancements in the country. We also determine that R&D/GDP and economic freedom are the important factors affecting patent activities in Pakistan. Our findings suggest that the government needs to emphasize the regulations of the patent system to safeguard the interests of investors, which ultimately promotes economic growth.
Response of bone metabolism related hormones to a single session of strenuous exercise in active elderly subjects

Objective: To evaluate the effect of strenuous exercise on bone metabolism and related hormones in elderly subjects. Methods: Twenty one active elderly subjects (11 men and 10 women; mean age 73.3 years) showing a mean theoretical Vo2max of 151.4% participated. Concentrations of plasma ionised calcium (iCa), serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and 1.25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (1.25(OH)2D3), as well as the bone biochemical markers type I collagen C-telopeptide for bone resorption and osteocalcin and bone alkaline phosphatase for bone formation, were analysed before and after a maximal incremental exercise test. Results: At basal level, iPTH was positively correlated with age (r = 0.56, p<0.01) and negatively correlated with 25(OH)D (r = −0.50; p<0.01) and 1.25(OH)2D3 (r = −0.47; p<0.05). Moreover, 25(OH)D and 1.25(OH)2D3 levels were negatively correlated with age (r = −0.50, p<0.01 and r = −0.53, p<0.01, respectively). After exercise, iCa and 25(OH)D decreased (p<0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively) while iPTH increased (p<0.001). The levels of 1.25(OH)2D3, bone biochemical markers, haematocrit, and haemoglobin were unchanged. The variations in iCa and 25(OH)D were not related to age and/or sex. The iPTH variation was directly related to basal iPTH levels (p<0.01) and indirectly related to age. Conclusions: In active elderly subjects, strenuous exercise disturbed calcium homeostasis and bone related hormones without immediate measurable effect on bone turnover. Although an increase in iPTH could have an anabolic action on bone tissue, our findings from our short term study did not allow us to conclude that such action occurred.
Effects of Ropivacaine on a Potassium Channel (hKv1.5) Cloned from Human Ventricle

Background Ropivacaine, a new amide local anesthetic agent chemically related to bupivacaine, is able to induce early after depolarizations in isolated cardiac preparations. The underlying mechanism by which ropivacaine induces this effect has not been explored, but it is likely to involve K sup + channel block. Methods Cloned human cardiac K sup + channels (hKv1.5) were stably transfected in Ltk cells, and the effects of ropivacaine on the expressed hKv1.5 currents were assessed using the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique. Results Ropivacaine (100 micro Meter) did not modify the initial activation time course of the current, but induced a fast subsequent decline to a lower steady‐state current level with a time constant of 12.2 +/‐ 0.6 ms. Ropivacaine inhibited hKv1.5 with an apparent KD of 80 +/‐ 4 micro Meter. Block displayed an intrinsic voltage‐dependence, consistent with an electrical distance for the binding site of 0.153 +/‐ 0.007 (n = 6) (from the cytoplasmic side). Ropivacaine reduced the tail current amplitude recorded at ‐40 mV, and slowed the deactivation time course, resulting in a “crossover” phenomenon when control and ropivacaine tail currents were superimposed. Conclusions These results indicate that: (1) ropivacaine is an open channel blocker of hKv1.5; (2) binding occurs in the internal mouth of the ion pore; and (3) unbinding is required before the channel can close. These effects explain the ropivacaine availability of induction early after depolarizations and could be clinically relevant.
Are professional basketball players reference-dependent?

ABSTRACT Models with reference-dependent preferences suggest that agents exert considerable effort to avoid falling below a reference point and ‘losing’. We provide visual and statistical evidence that player performances in the National Basketball Association (NBA) bunch at salient, normatively extraneous round numbers. Using data on nearly three million shot attempts with precise (, ) coordinates, we find that players improve free throw accuracy and attempt shots closer to the hoop when shooting for a round number. The results are strongest for players on home teams, suggesting that the reference-dependent enters preferences through an external, social evaluation channel.
Nuclear membrane-derived autophagy, a novel process that participates in the presentation of endogenous viral antigens during HSV-1 infection

Complex membrane trafficking events are involved in the regulation of antigen processing and presentation of both endogenous and exogenous antigens. While these processes were believed to involve mainly organelles along the endo/phagocytic and the biosynthetic pathways, recent studies have shown that autophagy also participates actively in both innate and adaptive immunity. We have shown recently that, in macrophages infected with the Herpes simplex type 1 virus, autophagy plays a key role in the targeting of viral proteins to hydrolytic compartments, and their processing for presentation on MHC class I molecules. This pathway involves a novel type of autophagosomes formed by coiling of the nuclear membrane where viral proteins are highly enriched. The ability to enhance the contribution of autophagy to antigen presentation in various conditions suggests that this pathway could be used to boost the immune response against viral infection and develop new vaccines.
Strategic Attractiveness and Release Decisions for Cultural Goods

We study how producers of cultural goods can strategically invest in raising the attractiveness of their goods in order to secure the most profitable release dates. In a game‐theoretic setting, where two producers choose their investment expenditure before simultaneously setting the release date of their good, we prove that two equilibria are possible: releases are either simultaneous (at the demand peak) or staggered (one producer delays). In the latter equilibrium, the first‐mover secures its position by investing more in attractiveness. We test this prediction on a dataset of more than 1500 American movies released in 10 countries over 12 years. Results are consistent with the theoretical predictions, indicating that higher budget movies are released closer to seasonal demand peaks.
Is perceived nervousness and anxiety a predictor of premature mortality and severe morbidity? A longitudinal follow up of the Swedish survey of living conditions

Study objective: To find out if people perceiving nervousness, uneasiness, and anxiety have excess risks of premature death and severe morbidity. Design, setting, participants: Random samples of the Swedish population aged 16–74 years in 1980–81, 1988–89, and 1995–96 were followed up for 5 and 10 years with regard to deaths and hospital admissions for different causes. Relative risks were estimated by Poisson regression, comparing those who reported perceived nervousness, uneasiness, and anxiety with those who did not and adjustments were made for baseline characteristics as age, education, smoking, and longstanding illness. Main results: Perceived nervousness, uneasiness, and anxiety was strongly related to subsequent risks of suicide attempt and psychiatric disease. Those perceiving severe complaints of anxiety had a relative risk (fully adjusted) for suicide attempt of 9.2 (95% CI 3.0 to 28.8) for men and 3.1 (1.4 to 7.1) for women. Even for less severe complaints, there was a significant, but less pronounced excess risk. These negative feelings were also associated with later risks for all cause mortality, hospital care, and ischaemic heart disease, although to a lesser extent and more strongly among men. Unchanged relative risks over time shows no trend in response attitude and perceived anxiety seems to be a better predictor of a negative health outcome than self reported longstanding illness. Conclusions: Positive responses to self report survey questions about anxiety/nervousness are associated with adverse health outcomes, particularly hospital admission for deliberate self harm. This is an alarming signal bearing in mind the rapid increase in prevalence of perceived anxiety in the Swedish society.