Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A systematic review of the role of adjuvant and neoadjuvant pharmacotherapy in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy

Introduction: Between 25 and 30% of patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer are classified as high risk for an adverse prognosis. A significant number of these will progress to biochemical or clinical relapse. As there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment of these cases, a multimodal therapeutic approach, including radical prostatectomy, remains an option. Areas covered: The Pubmed/Medline database was searched to identify trials that have evaluated adjuvant and neoadjuvant pharmaceutical protocols combined with radical prostatectomy and provided information regarding efficacy and safety. Expert opinion: Improvements in adverse pathological findings, following operations in patients who received neoadjuvant treatment, have been reported in the majority of the reviewed studies. Furthermore, the addition of pharmacotherapy to radical prostatectomy has produced beneficial results in survival surrogates. However, no benefits in overall survival were observed with adjuvant or neoadjuvant protocols and toxicity was a concern, especially in combination regimens. New studies on the effects of current pharmacotherapy and of new agents on overall survival and quality of life, after defining well-established criteria for patient stratification and inclusion, are required urgently.
Could Efficiency Analysis Help in Predicting Bank Failure? The Case of the 2001 Turkish Crisis

Inefficient, or weak banks, are continuously pointed out as threatening financial stability as they are more likely to fail than efficient ones and thus to weaken the whole banking sector (BIS, 2002). Consequently, banks' efficiency analysis, a measure of bank's management efficiency, should be a useful tool for policy makers to predict bank failure. This paper tests the usefulness of efficiency analysis in predicting bank failure by using the 2001 Turkish banking crisis as a case study. It implements in a first step both parametric, Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA), and non-parametric, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), to predict Turkish banks' efficiency scores over 1996 to 2001. During this period, 19 out of 55 were taken over by the Turkish Saving and Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF). In a second step, efficiency scores are tested against the standard CAMELS model to check their capacity in predicting banks' probability to fail, i.e. SDIF taken-over. The findings indicate that banks taken-over were less cost efficient than others. Moreover, banks which were lending to connected parties were also less cost efficient than others. On the methodology side, our results using a parametric approach are found to be more significant than the non-parametric ones.
How safe are our schools?

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to provide national estimates of the frequency and cost of school injuries. METHODS Six years of National Health Interview Survey data were used to estimate nonfatal injury incidence rates, multiple sources were used to estimate fatalities, and national highway crash data were used to estimate school bus injury incidence. RESULTS Each year, 3.7 million children suffer a substantial injury at school, resulting in an estimated $3.2 billion in medical spending and $115 billion in good health lost. Nonschool fatalities greatly exceed school fatalities; from an incidence per hour perspective, however, school hours are no safer than nonschool hours despite greater formal supervision. School bus injuries account for half of school injury deaths but less than 1% of total school injury costs. CONCLUSIONS Nonfatal injury is a problem in schools. The concentration of injury at secondary schools suggests that interventions there may be most cost-effective. Data on school injury causes are greatly needed.
Quality management practices in Australian industry

Over the past few years a dramatic shift towards strategic quality management has been witnessed in some of Australia's leading companies. This dramatic shift in perspective has elicited senior management interest and involvement; linked quality with profitability and seen the inclusion of quality in strategic planning. This paper presents the results of an investigation on the quality management practices of a number of Australian companies with a known commitment to quality. It addresses general management practices, human resource issues, quality control practices and quality program evaluation.
The Output Gap, Expected Future Inflation and Inflation Dynamics: Another Look

Abstract The empirical test of the New Keynesian Phillips curve is often implemented by estimating a hybrid specification that includes both lagged and future inflation and then by examining whether the estimated coefficient on future inflation is significantly larger than the one on lagged inflation. This article presents evidence that supply shocks matter. Results in previous research – the output gap is irrelevant and expected future inflation is the major determinant of inflation – arise if the hybrid specification is estimated omitting supply shocks and/or lagged inflation. With supply shocks included, the output gap is significant and the estimated coefficient on lagged inflation is significantly larger than the one on future inflation. The estimated coefficient on lagged inflation is unity if in the hybrid specification inflation responds also to a change in the output gap. Together these results suggest that expected future inflation is not the major determinant of current inflation.
Ovarian histology of Ochotona princeps, the Rocky Mountain pika

Our present-day concepts of mammalian reproduction are based on results obtained from the study of reltatively few species. Mossman and Judas ('49) have called attention to our lack of accurate information concerning reproductive phenomena in the great majority of mammals. The current trend of research, in the field of mammalian reproduction, is toward experimentation with drugs and hormones on the stock laboratory mammals. Valuable as this type of research is, there also is need for detailed anatomical studies of the reproductive tract of the many species of mammals as yet unstudied. According to Simpson ('45) there are 4 genera of the order Lagomorpha found in North America. Information on reproduction in this order is based largely, if not entirely, on studies of the European rabbit Oryetolagus. Detailed anatomical studies have been made on none of the North Amerimn genera of this mammalian order. Efforts by the author during the past few years have been directed toward remedying this lack of information in the North American lagomorphs. Abstracts of preliminary investigations on this group have been published (Duke, '47, '48, '49, '50a, '50b, '51a, '51b). This paper is the first of a projected series describing the histology of the reproductive tract (male and female) of the lagomorphs.
Power Allocation for an Energy Harvesting Transmitter with Hybrid Energy Sources

In this work, we consider a point-to-point communication link where the transmitter has a hybrid supply of energy. Specifically, the hybrid energy is supplied by a constant energy source and an energy harvester, which harvests energy from its surrounding environment and stores it in a battery which suffers from energy leakage. Our goal is to minimize the power consumed by the constant energy source for transmission of a given amount of data in a given number of time intervals. Two scenarios are considered for packet arrival. In the first scenario, we assume that all data packets have arrived before transmission begins, whereas in the second scenario, we assume that data packets are arriving during the course of data transmission. For both scenarios, we propose an optimal offline transmit power allocation scheme which provides insight into how to efficiently consume the energy supplied by the constant energy source and the energy harvester. For offline power allocation, we assume that causal and non-causal information regarding the channel and the amount of harvested energy is available a priori. For optimal online power allocation, we adopt a stochastic dynamic programming (DP) approach for both considered scenarios. For online power allocation, only causal information regarding the channel and the amount of harvested energy is assumed available. Due to the inherent high complexity of DP, we propose suboptimal online algorithms which are appealing because of their low complexity. Simulation results reveal that the offline scheme performs best among all considered schemes and the suboptimal online scheme provides a good performance-complexity tradeoff.
The Analytic Relationship between Intervaling and Nontrading Effects in Continuous Time

Empirical studies in finance generally use data defined over the shortest return period available. Originally, data bases such as CRSP, tended to have data collected over monthly periods and most analyses tended to use monthly data rather than data compounded over periods greater than a month with the implicit argument that the more data the “better”. Since the development of data bases with data collected over shorter differencing intervals, there has been a growing tendency in finance to use returns data defined over increasingly shorter differencing intervals. This development is desirable, but is not without problems. The problem with using data defined over shorter differencing intervals is that, although greater estimating efficiency will be achieved, nontrading effects could be introduced into the analysis. These will lead to biased beta estimators and biases in tests of capital market efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, analytically, the interrelation of the intervaling and nontrading effects both in estimating beta factors and in testing capital market efficiency.
Estimating intergenerational utility distribution preferences

Resource management decisions influence not only the output of the economy but also the distribution of utility between groups within the community. The theory of Benefit Cost Analysis provides a means of incorporating this distributional change through the application of distributional or welfare weights. This paper reports the results of research designed to estimate distributional weights suitable for inclusion in a Benefit Cost Analysis framework. The findings of a choice modelling experiment estimating community preferences with respect to intergenerational utility distribution are presented to illustrate this innovative application of a stated preference technique.
Using Fathers' Child Support Payments to Test Income Pooling

A large proportion of divorced and separated fathers form new partnerships. The new partner’s preferences are likely to put a much lower weight (if any) on expenditures on the man’s children from his previous union. As a consequence, his own and his partner’s income would have different impacts on his child support payments if partners’ relative incomes affect bargaining power in household decisions. Estimating these impacts requires information on whether or not men have dependent children living elsewhere and on their new households, which is relatively rare. Furthermore, preferences favouring child support may be correlated with the father’s and his partner’s income, making estimates based on between-family variation from crosssection data suspect. This paper exploits within-family variation in the British Household Panel Survey (1991-2003) to estimate the impacts of partners’ incomes on child support payments from a sample of formerly married men whose histories indicate that they should have a dependent child living elsewhere. Our estimates indicate that a higher share of father’s income in household income increases child support relative to household income, suggesting that partners’ relative incomes affect their bargaining power in household decisions.
Intestinal phosphate absorption: influence of vitamin D and non-vitamin D factors.

The transport of inorganic phosphate (P) was measured in the absence of electrochemical gradients across rat jejunum in vitro. Active P absorption was demonstrated in young, vitamin D-deficient (-D) rats, whereas active P secretion was found in normal, non-vitamin D-deficient adult rats, suggesting regulation of intestinal P transport by age-dependent but vitamin D-independent mechanisms. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] stimulated mucosal-to-serosal P flux (Jm----s) without affecting serosal-to-mucosal P flux (Js----m), causing further increases in net P absorption (Jnet) in -D rats and reduction in net P secretion in normal adult rats, confirming a previously described role of this hormone on P absorption. We then examined the effect of increasing extracellular (buffer) P concentration [P] on this 1,25(OH)2D3-stimulated active P absorption in jejunum from -D rats. At [P] of 0.024, 0.24, and 2.4 mM, 1,25(OH)2D3 consistently stimulated Jm----s without affecting Js----m, causing an increment in Jnet. At 7.5 mM [P], however, this Jm----s stimulatory effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 was no longer observed. Moreover, at this [P] the Js----m exceeded Jm----s in both -D and 1,25(OH)2D3-repleted rats, converting the active P absorption into active P secretion in both treatment groups. These observations suggest the participation of local mechanisms, such as the ambient [P] of the transporting enterocytes, in the regulation of intestinal P absorption. Finally, the influence of dietary P deprivation on P absorption was studied in -D rats, with or without either vitamin D3 or 1,25(OH)2D3 repletion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The rat H3 receptor: gene organization and multiple isoforms.

Genomic DNA analysis revealed that the coding region of the rat histamine H3 receptor comprises three exons interrupted by two introns of approximately 1 kb each. Several H3 receptor mRNA variants were identified by PCR and cDNA cloning and sequencing. Four variants generated by pseudo-intron retention/deletion at the level of the third intracellular loop were designated H3(445), H3(413), H3(410), and H3(397), according to the length of their deduced amino acid sequence and display differential tissue expression. When expressed in CHO-K1 or Cos-1 cells, the H3(445), H3(413), and H3(397) were found to generate specific 125I iodoproxyfan binding of similar pharmacological profile. In addition, we identified two short variants, termed H3(nf1) and H3(nf2), which correspond to frame shift and stop codon interposition, respectively, and are presumably nonfunctional, among which H3(nf2) displays brain expression similar to that of the longer isoforms.
Radiosensitization and DNA repair inhibition by pentoxifylline in NIH3T3 p53 transfectants

Purpose : To examine the role of p53 mutations in the modulation of DNA repair and radiotoxicity by pentoxifylline. Materials and methods : NIH3T3 murine cells transfected with mutant p53 constructs were examined for the influence of pentoxifylline on radiotoxicity to Co 60 γ-irradiation by colony assay. DNA repair (0-100 Gy) was measured by constant-field gel electrophoresis. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry with the annexin-V-binding assay. Results : In the two p53 hot-spot mutant cell lines p53-S269R and p53- + 15, the SF 10 radiotoxicity enhancement factors induced by the pentoxifylline were 8.0 and 9.7, respectively. In the p53 deletion mutant p53- ΔA cell line, the radiotoxicity enhancement factor was 2.6. No radiosensitization was obtained in the untransfected p53 wild-type cell line U-Wt and in the transfected p53 double-wild-type p53-Wt cell line. When pentoxifylline was added after irradiation at the time of maximum G2 block expression, no radiosensitization was observed in any of the five cell lines. Constant-field gel electrophoresis analyses after 20 h of repair showed that pentoxifylline suppresses DNA double-strand break repair in all p53 mutant cell lines, as indicated by repair inhibition factors of 2.0-2.3. No repair suppression was found in the p53 wild-type cell lines. Conclusions : p53 mutations are a general requirement for radiosensitization by pentoxifylline and the level of radiosensitization depends upon the location of the p53 mutation.
Is renal lithium clearance altered in essential hypertension?

In order to assess whether enhanced fractional sodium reabsorption in the proximal tubule might contribute to the development of essential hypertension, we examined the relationship between arterial blood pressure and lithium clearance (CLi; used as an estimate of end-proximal fluid delivery) or fractional lithium excretion [FELi; measured using the clearances of creatinine and 51Cr ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as estimates of glomerular filtration rate] in normal young males (n=32) and in patients with essential hypertension (n=44). In neither group was there evidence of a negative correlation between blood pressure and CLi or FELi. Mean values for CLi and FELi in a subgroup of hypertensive patients (n=20) were almost identical to those in 20 normotensives matched for age, sex and race. These results provide no support for suggestions that a defect in proximal tubular sodium handling is an important factor in the development and/or maintenance of essential hypertension.
Balancing Cost and Precision in Hospital Accountability Sampling

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between sample size and cost using a benefit to cost ratio in the context of hospital accountability measures. We argue that the decision to use larger samples should include an assessment of the marginal benefit in terms of the cost to obtain the samples. Our main conclusion is that without recognizing and balancing the cost of different sampling schemes and developing reasonable cost limits we lose an opportunity at efficiency.
Anticonvulsant effect of progabide in rats during ontogenesis.

The action of progabide against motor seizures elicited by pentylenetetrazol was studied in 7-, 12-, 18-, 25-day-old and adult rats. Progabide (dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide) was injected in doses from 12.5 to 150 mg/kg i.p. 30 min before pentylenetetrazol. Minimal seizures were not affected by solvent or progabide pretreatment. The action of progabide against major, i.e. generalized tonic-clonic seizures, changed with age: adult rats exhibited a tendency to suppression of whole major seizures, whereas specific suppression of the tonic phase was observed in rat pups during the first three weeks of life. The only effect seen in 25-day-old animals was prolongation of the latency of major seizures after the highest dose of progabide.
Planned Marketing Adaptation and Multinationals’ Choices between Acquisitions and Greenfields

International marketing studies have extensively examined the antecedents of firms’ marketing standardization/ adaptation decisions. However, it is unclear whether such decisions, once planned, codetermine the choice between buying and building foreign subsidiaries. Analyzing a sample of 150 foreign entries by Dutch firms, the authors find that the level of marketing adaptation planned for a wholly owned subsidiary is positively related to the likelihood that the subsidiary will be established through an acquisition rather than through a greenfield investment. Moreover, the authors find substantial evidence that this positive relationship is stronger for firms that (1) are establishing relatively larger subsidiaries, (2) have less experience with the industry entered, or (3) are entering less developed countries. The findings show that firms pursuing higher levels of marketing adaptation assign more value to the marketing adaptation advantages of acquisitions over greenfields, especially if the risks associated with implementing the planned adaptation level are high. In addition, firms typically strive for a fit between their international marketing strategy and their mode of foreign establishment.
Topological entropy in wireless networks subject to composite fading

We analyze topological entropy in wireless networks that are subject to local scattering and macroscopic shadowing effects. To this end, we model a network as a random geometric graph with probabilistic pair connections (due to channel randomness) and define uncertainty as the Shannon entropy of the underlying graph ensemble. We present new bounds on topological entropy that are functionals of the underlying composite fading distributions and use these to show that different fading models lead to very different network entropies under certain conditions, a result that has significant implications for self-organization and storage of the network state. We also study the behavior of the entropy bounds as the number of nodes n in the network grows large while the typical connection range r0 varies monotonically with n. This analysis leads to two key results that quantify the rate of growth or decay of r0, as a function of the number of nodes n, that must be obeyed in order for the entropy bounds to converge to a positive limit. Although the contributions of this paper are theoretical, they have applications in systems such as ad hoc networks employing opportunistic routing and device-to-device (D2D) networks for future cellular communication.
How we manage immune thrombocytopenia in the elderly

With prolonged life expectancy, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is frequent in elderly people. In this setting, ITP diagnosis is challenging because of the concern about an underlying myelodysplastic syndrome. Studies of older adults are lacking, and recommendations for treatment are based mainly on expert opinion. The therapeutic strategy differs from that for younger patients and must take into account the greater risk of bleeding and thrombosis, presence of comorbidities, possible impaired cognitive performance or poor life expectancy and concomitant medications, such as anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy. Steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy remain the first‐line treatments in elderly patients, but prolonged treatment with steroids should be avoided and IVIg treatment may lead to renal failure. Splenectomy is less effective than in young patients and risk of thrombosis is increased. Severe co‐morbidities can also contraindicate surgery. Therefore, other second‐line treatments are frequently preferred. Danazol and dapsone can be an option for the less severe ITP form. Rituximab is a good option except in patients with a history of infection or with hypogammaglobulinaemia. Thrombopoietin agonists are attractive, especially for patients with severe comorbidities or with limited life expectancy but the risk of thrombosis is a concern.
HPK1, a hematopoietic protein kinase activating the SAPK/JNK pathway.

In mammalian cells, a specific stress‐activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) pathway is activated in response to inflammatory cytokines, injury from heat, chemotherapeutic drugs and UV or ionizing radiation. The mechanisms that link these stimuli to activation of the SAPK/JNK pathway in different tissues remain to be identified. We have developed and applied a PCR‐based subtraction strategy to identify novel genes that are differentially expressed at specific developmental points in hematopoiesis. We show that one such gene, hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (hpk1), encodes a serine/threonine kinase sharing similarity with the kinase domain of Ste20. HPK1 specifically activates the SAPK/JNK pathway after transfection into COS1 cells, but does not stimulate the p38/RK or mitogen‐activated ERK signaling pathways. Activation of SAPK requires a functional HPK1 kinase domain and HPK1 signals via the SH3‐containing mixed lineage kinase MLK‐3 and the known SAPK activator SEK1. HPK1 therefore provides an example of a cell type‐specific input into the SAPK/JNK pathway. The developmental specificity of its expression suggests a potential role in hematopoietic lineage decisions and growth regulation.