Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nontoxic doses of suramin enhance activity of doxorubicin in prostate tumors.

We recently reported that acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors (aFGF and bFGF) confer a broad-spectrum chemoresistance in solid tumors, and that inhibitors of these proteins enhanced the antitumor activity of several anticancer drugs. The present study investigated the effect of FGF inhibitors on doxorubicin activity in human prostate PC3 tumors. In in vitro studies, conditioned medium (CM) obtained from histocultures of rat MAT-LyLu lung metastases and different combinations of recombinant FGF induced a 7- to 15-fold doxorubicin resistance. Suramin had no effect on the doxorubicin activity in the absence of CM or FGF, but reversed the CM- and FGF-induced resistance by > or =90% at concentrations that had no cytotoxicity (i.e., 1-17 microM suramin). In the in vivo study, immunodeficient mice bearing well established, subcutaneous PC3 tumors (approximately 100 mg in size) were treated intravenously with doxorubicin (5 mg/kg) and suramin (10 mg/kg), administered twice weekly for 3 weeks. The suramin dose, selected to yield plasma concentration of below 50 microM, had neither antitumor activity nor toxicity. Doxorubicin alone reduced tumor growth rate by approximately 60%, reduced the density of nonapoptotic tumor cells by approximately 60%, enhanced the apoptotic cell fraction by 4-fold, and reduced the body weight by approximately 15% (p < 0.05 compared with control). Addition of suramin to doxorubicin therapy did not increase weight loss but significantly enhanced the antitumor effect, resulting in complete inhibition of tumor growth, an additional 3-fold reduction in the density of nonapoptotic tumor cells, and an additional 2-fold enhancement of the apoptotic tumor cell fraction (p < 0.05 compared with all other groups). These data indicate significant enhancement of the effectiveness of doxorubicin in prostate tumors by nontoxic and subtherapeutic doses of suramin.
A Model and Literature Review of Professional Skepticism in Auditing

This paper reviews research that examines professional skepticism (hereafter, PS) in auditing. Consistent with much research and with recent regulatory concerns, the paper defines PS as ‘‘indicated by auditor judgments and decisions that reflect a heightened assessment of the risk that an assertion is incorrect, conditional on the information available to the auditor. ’’ In many circumstances the assertion in question will be a client’s assertion that the financial statements are free of material misstatement, but the definition could apply to other assertions as well (e.g., attesting to the effectiveness of a client’s internal controls). This definition reflects more of a ‘‘presumptive doubt’’ than a ‘‘neutral’’ view of PS, implying that auditors who exhibit high PS are auditors who need relatively more persuasive evidence (in terms of quality and or quantity) to be convinced that an assertion is correct. Depending on how an auditor’s decisions are evaluated, it is possible under this definition for an auditor to exhibit too much PS, in that they could design overly inefficient and expensive audits.
Out of Flatland: The Role of the Notion of a Worldview in the Science of Well-being

This paper discusses the suggestion of the notion of a worldview as part of the Science of Well-Being. We present, at first, an allegoric comparison as to why the view of a ternary unity of being (i.e. a coherence of the three parts of the being, body, mind, and psyche to maximize well-being) is difficult to grasp. We also discuss that humans do have unique experiences and memories, but that we are also connected to both all living things and to our environment. Finally, we point to a ternary model of personality to increase our understanding of a person's well-being: Temperament, character, and identity.
SELECTING A PORTFOLIO OF CREDIT RISKS BY MARKOV CHAINS.

Abstract : The paper assumes that a credit applicant, will, if accepted, pay debts in a probabilistic manner as described by a finite state Markov Chain. There are assumed to be a number of credit classes described by different Markov chains. Using the results of a previous paper with H. Davidson (Estimation of the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts by Markov Chains) AD-258 182 the authors compute the present value of accepting a customer in given class, and his net addition to overall expected value and variance. Customers are accepted beginning in the best credit category and proceding to successively less good categories, until the coefficient of variation exceeds 1 percent, at which time no further customers are accepted. This model thus permits dynamic evaluation of the portfolio of credit risks which take into account the riskiness of customers already accepted.
Social capital and economic performance: trust and distrust in eighteenth-century gold shipments from Brazil

This article discusses agency problems in a period of market boom. It takes Portuguese trade with Brazil as a case study to discuss the impact of colonial market expansion on social capital. The hypothesis is that social capital depletion prompted an uneven distribution of information and a limited access to honest individuals, who might afford a premium to certain forms of agency. Given the states' inability to provide legal sanctioning in colonial regions, this article focuses on private-order mechanisms which were effective for selecting reputable individuals. The exploration of network analysis identifies the mechanism that responds to such an adverse environment and supports the argument that business organizations which counted on the geographical mobility of agents had comparative advantages. The approach followed in this article brings new insights on informal institutional arrangements and on itinerancy in contexts of low levels of social capital.
Ecosystem Services under Benefit and Cost Uncertainty: An Application to Soil Carbon Sequestration

Benefit and cost uncertainty in provisioning of ecosystem services are investigated in the context of soil carbon sequestration. Multiple parcel-level carbon sequestration options are considered. Uncertainty has been a widely stated reason for not including soil carbon sequestration in the portfolio of greenhouse gases reduction measures. Biophysical simulation models are used to generate a distribution of resulting environmental benefits. An econometric model of conservation practice adoption is used to generate a distribution of costs. The results provide a magnitude of uncertainty discount for soil carbon offsets and the budget margin of safety, and may assist in formulating carbon sequestration policy. (JEL D81, Q24)
Successful Factors For A Travel Web Site: Perceptions Of On-Line Purchasers In Hong Kong

With the increasing popularity of on-line traveling, many studies have been stating numerous competitive advantages for setting up a travel Web site. However, the number of published articles that scrutinize the view of on-line travel purchasers on the factors for a successful travel Web site appears to be very limited. This research note reports on a study about investigating how on-line travel purchasers in Hong Kong view these successful factors. Empirical evidence from a large-scale omnibus survey indicates that 22.5% of the Hong Kong participants had visited one or more travel Web sites and that 6.54% of these e-travelers were also on-line travel purchasers. In general, e-buyers consider “secure payment methods” and “specifically designed for travelers in Asia Pacific” as the most and least important factors, respectively, for a successful travel Web site.
Management and employee buy‐outs from the Austrian public sector

This paper seeks to extend our understanding of the nature and effects of privatization to the case of Austria, a relatively small economy in which management buy-outs have been a numerically important but neglected part of the privatization programme. The study reviews the development of privatization in Austria and sets management and employee buy-outs within this context. The paper identifies 35 privatization buy-outs, analysing their form and industrial distribution. Evidence from detailed interviews with the 22 largest is used to analyse the effects of buy-out on corporate change, the role of insiders and performance. Comparisons are made with the UK, where management and employee buy-outs have also been an important part of the privatization programme.
Epidemiological profile of patients with extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis from the city of Curitiba, south of Brazil.

OBJECTIVES To describe the epidemiological profile of patients with extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (ExRA) from an university-affiliated rheumatology center; to report the prevalence of ExRA and to compare it with available data; and to identify, if possible, ExRA predictors. METHODS This study reviewed 262 medical charts of patients previously diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) according to the 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria, and attending that rheumatology center in 2010. The statistical analysis comprised simple mathematical calculations, Student t and chi-square tests, and a significance level of 5% (α= 0.05). RESULTS During the course of the disease, 120 patients (45.8%) had ExRA. Pulmonary manifestation, rheumatoid nodules and Sjögren's syndrome were the most common manifestations found. Rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody were positive in most patients tested. Most patients were classified as Steinbrocker functional classes 1 and 2. The mean DAS-28 was 3.629, and the mean HAQ score, 1.12. Patients with ExRA had longer disease duration (P < 0.05), and current smoking habit associated with the presence of ExRA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of ExRA during disease course was 45.8%, and current smoking habit correlated with the presence of ExRA.
Eating at School: How the National School Lunch Program Affects Children's Diets

This article examines the impact of participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) on children's dietary intake at lunchtime and over 24 hours. Using a fixed effects model to control for selection bias, we find that NSLP participation leads to increased 24-hour intake of six vitamins and minerals—calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B12, and riboflavin—as well as dietary fiber. Participation also leads to a trade-off between children's intake of dietary fat and added sugars whereby participants have higher intakes of dietary fat than nonparticipants but lower intakes of added sugars. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.
The dependence of tumor neutralization on bone‐marrow‐derived cells

Radiosensitive host cells capable of potentiating tumor neutralization by immunocytes in normal recipients are present only in the bone marrow and not in the spleen or thymus. This was shown by selectively eliminating either the bone marrow, spleen or thymus of groups of mice and then subcutaneously injecting these animals with sensitized splenocytes and tumor cells. Bone marrow ablation was accomplished by the administration of the bone‐seeking radioactive isotope 88Sr which did not reduce thymic or splenic cellularity. Sensitized splenocytes completely inhibited the growth of admixed tumor cells in normal, nude, splenectomized, or 88Sr‐treated animals, but the sensitized cells were as ineffective in 89Sr‐treated recipients as in 900‐rad irradiated mice. Bone marrow cells of normal donors admixed with sensitized splenocytes and the sensitizing tumor cells caused a significant inhibition of tumor growth in 900‐rad and 89Sr‐treated mice. Therefore, the radiation‐sensitive host cells that potentiate the tumor‐inhibitory effect of sensitized splenocytes are unique to the marrow and, in the intact animal, apparently emigrate from this organ to interact with sensitized immunocytes at the site of tumor growth.
The Joint Dynamics of Spot and Forward Exchange Rates

One and three-month forward exchange rates for the deustche mark, french franc, sterling pound, yen and peseta, relative to the US dollar, seem to be cointegrated with future spot rates, but not with current exchange rates. We confirm the unbiasedness hypothesis for this data set, as a robust cointegrating relation between forward and future spot rates, although forward rates are poor predictors of future exchange rates.
Inactivation of Escherichia coli, F′ Episomes at Transfer, and Bacteriophage Lambda by Psoralen Plus 360-nm Light: Significance of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Cross-Links

We have investigated some biological consequences of light-induced psoralen-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) adducts and find that for several Escherichia coli functions (killing of strain AB2480 recA13 uvrA6, inactivation of phage lambda plaque-forming ability in wild type and uvrA6 hosts, loss of ability to transmit intact Flac+ episomes), a light exposure sufficient for production of a single cross-link per DNA molecule correlates well with the biological consequence. Although one cross-link per genome is apparently lethal to recA13 uvr− strains, mutants carrying the recA13 or uvrA6 markers survive light exposures producing 6.7 and 16 cross-links per genome, respectively, and wild-type cells recover from 65 psoralen cross-links. Evidently, the excision and recombinational repair systems complement one another in reconstructing an intact genome from cellular DNA containing psoralen photoproducts. The above bacterial and phage strains, in which DNA repair processes are minimized, are also extremely sensitive to pyrimidine dimer-forming 254-nm UV light (without psoralen), and were expected to respond similarly to formation of psoralen-pyrimidine base monoadducts in their DNA. Since the biological inactivation by psoralen correlates well with cross-link formation, we suggest that the sensitizing action of this drug primarily derives from its ability to form DNA cross-links.
Toll-Like Receptor Agonists: Are They Good Adjuvants?

Therapeutic immunization leading to cancer regression remains a significant challenge. Successful immunization requires activation of adaptive immunity, including tumor specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. Generally, the activation of T cells is compromised in patients with cancer because of immune suppression, loss of tumor antigen expression, and dysfunction of antigen-presenting cells. Antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells (DCs) are key for the induction of adaptive antitumor immune responses. Recently, attention has focused on novel adjuvants that enhance dendritic cell function and their ability to prime T cells. Agonists that target toll-like receptors are being used clinically either alone or in combination with tumor antigens and showing initial success both in terms of enhancing immune responses and eliciting antitumor activity. This review summarizes the application of these adjuvants to treat cancer and the potential for boosting responses in vivo.
Pattern Of Hearing Loss In A Rat Model Of Cochlear Implantation Trauma

Hypothesis: Trauma caused by cochlear implant electrode insertion is attributable to the combination of direct physical trauma and the delayed cell death of oxidative stress-injured auditory sensory cells. Background: Histologic evaluation of cochlear implant electrode trauma has demonstrated that the extent of sensory cell losses is proportional to the degree of injury. However, the impact of delayed oxidative stress within injured cochlear tissues and the progressive loss of injured hair cells by way of apoptosis are at present unknown. Methods: Laboratory rats were evaluated for hearing acuity before and after electrode insertion, before and after round window membrane incision only. Hearing was measured before trauma or incision and over the next 7 days. Objective measurements of hearing function were distortion products of otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in the frequency range of 2 to 32 kHz and tone-burst (i.e., 4-32 kHz) evoked auditory brain stem responses (ABRs). Results: For the experimental cochleae, there were progressive increases in ABR thresholds and decreases in ABR amplitudes. The amplitude of the DPOAEs in the experimental cochleae also showed progressive decreases. For the contralateral control and round window membrane surgical control ears, there were no significant changes in either DPOAE or ABR thresholds. Conclusion: These results document a progressive loss of hearing acuity postimplantation and strongly suggest that electrode insertion trauma generated oxidative stress within injured cochlear tissues.
Improving Workplace Safety in the Ontario Manufacturing Industry, 1914–1939

The safety of workers and the costs to employers and the economy as a whole became a serious problem in industrializing nations. Workplace safety in the Ontario manufacturing industry deteriorated at the end of the nineteenth century. In response, the province legislated to regulate safety standards and factory inspection. However, this strategy failed to reduce accident rates. As in the United States, it was the enactment of workers' compensation legislation that generated the economic incentives for Ontario's employers to invest in safety. Yet in contrast to the United States, where safety was predominantly organized inside firms, employers in Ontario developed a comprehensive institutional framework to organize a range of safety actions.
Ornithine Decarboxylase Gene Deletion Mutants of Leishmania donovani *

A knockout strain of Leishmania donovani lacking both ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) alleles has been created by targeted gene replacement. Growth of Δodccells in polyamine-deficient medium resulted in a rapid and profound depletion of cellular putrescine pools, although levels of spermidine were relatively unaffected. Concentrations of trypanothione, a spermidine conjugate, were also reduced, whereas glutathione concentrations were augmented. The Δodc L. donovaniexhibited an auxotrophy for polyamines that could be circumvented by the addition of the naturally occurring polyamines, putrescine or spermidine, to the culture medium. Whereas putrescine supplementation restored intracellular pools of both putrescine and spermidine, exogenous spermidine was not converted back to putrescine, indicating that spermidine alone is sufficient to meet the polyamine requirement, and that L. donovani does not express the enzymatic machinery for polyamine degradation. The lack of a polyamine catabolic pathway in intact parasites was confirmed radiometrically. In addition, the Δodc strain could grow in medium supplemented with either 1,3-diaminopropane or 1,5-diaminopentane (cadaverine), but polyamine auxotrophy could not be overcome by other aliphatic diamines or spermine. These data establish genetically that ODC is an essential gene in L. donovani, define the polyamine requirements of the parasite, and reveal the absence of a polyamine-degradative pathway.
The Effects OF Celebrity Endorsement in Advertisements

Celebrities are the personalities that are well known in public either because of their credibility or of their attractiveness or because of both of these. To leverage this, advertisers use celebrities in their advertisement to increase the effectiveness and heighten the credibility of commercials. Research has proven that celebrity endorsement does cast its impact, but other schools of thought attest the contrary. This study moves on the same line and affirms the impact of celebrity endorsement on customers’ buying intention. It will identify the factors that lead to celebrity’s influence on audience and also examine the effect of celebrity endorsement in advertisement. The study will examine celebrity endorsement from a strategic perspective and the impact of social networks on an organisation’s celebrity endorsement strategy.The study will focus on the way the audience receive, associate and identify with the product and social influence it creates.The purpose of this paper is to help organizations, business people and media to understand the importance of advertising as well as the best ways and tools to use in developing messages for advertisements to reach their target audience. This study will help marketers in making the right choice of celebrities to use in endorsing advertisements as well as considering how far advertisement will be effected. This paper will critically analyze how celebrity endorsement in advertisement as a tool affects and influences people’s opinions in marketing and its effect in the society compared to other forms of advertising. The methodology of collecting data for this paper will be through secondary research which will involve reviewing relevant literature such as journals, articles, texts, print media, social media and electronic media in this area of study. The data collected will be qualitative and quantitative which will be analysed and presented in forms of charts and tables.
Micromachined Vibratory Gyroscopes Controlled by a High-Order Bandpass Sigma-Delta Modulator

This work reports on the design of novel closed-loop control systems for the sense mode of a vibratory-rate gyroscope based on a high-order sigma-delta modulator (SigmaDeltaM). A low-pass and two distinctive bandpass topologies are derived, and their advantages discussed. So far, most closed-loop force-feedback control systems for these sensors were based on low-pass SigmaDeltaM's. Usually, the sensing element of a vibratory gyroscope is designed with a high quality factor Q to increase the sensitivity and, hence, can be treated as a mechanical resonator. Furthermore, the output characteristic of vibratory rate gyroscopes is narrowband amplitude-modulated signal. Therefore, a bandpass SigmaDeltaM is a more appropriate control strategy for a vibratory gyroscope than a low-pass SigmaDeltaM. Using a high-order bandpass SigmaDeltaM, the control system can adopt a much lower sampling frequency compared with a low-pass SigmaDeltaM while achieving a similar noise floor for a given oversampling ratio (OSR). In addition, a control system based on a high-order bandpass SigmaDeltaM is superior as it not only greatly shapes the quantization noise, but also alleviates tonal behavior, as is often seen in low-order SigmaDeltaM control systems, and has good immunities to fabrication tolerances and parameter mismatch. These properties are investigated in this study at system level
Politiques du marché du travail et négociations par branches d’activité dans un modèle d’appariement

Dans la plupart des pays europeens, la redefinition du contrat de travail et de ses modalites de rupture est au cœur des debats contemporains de politique economique de marche du travail. Ces debats s’appuient sur l’imposante litterature consacree aux liens entre protection de l’emploi et performance du marche du travail developpee au cours des dix dernieres annees. Toutefois, une source de divergence importante entre les marches du travail europeens, le degre de centralisation des negociations salariales, a ete curieusement eludee dans la plupart de ces etudes. L’objet de cet article, est precisement d’envisager d’un point de vue theorique la nature des interactions entre politiques du marche du travail et niveaux de negociation. Dans cette perspective, nous developpons un modele dynamique du marche du travail dans la lignee des travaux Pissarides (2000) integrant differentes branches d’activite. Notre analyse montre que dans ce cadre de reference, les negociations de branche conduisent systematiquement a une allocation inefficace des ressources. Il existe alors une justification explicite a l’introduction des politiques d’emploi. Nous montrons alors qu’un ensemble de politiques, notamment fiscales et de protection de l’emploi est susceptible d’assurer l’equivalence entre equilibre de branches et optimum.