We analyzed the influence of donor killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene haplotypes on the risk of relapse and probability of event-free survival (EFS) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who received HLA-haploidentical transplantation of ex vivo T-cell depleted peripheral blood stem cells. The KIR gene haplotype was evaluated in 85 donors and the KIR B-content score

OBJECTIVE: The concordance index (c-index) is the standard way of evaluating the performance of prognostic models in the presence of censored data. Constructing prognostic models using artificial neural networks (ANNs) is commonly done by training on error functions which are modified versions of the c-index. Our objective was to demonstrate the capability of training directly on the c-index and t

The current paper considers the asymptotic local power of second-generation panel unit root tests that are robust to the presence of cross-section dependence in the form of common factors. As a basis for our analysis, we take the PANIC approach of Bai and Ng (A PANIC Attack on Unit Roots and Cointegration, Econometrica 72, 1127–1177, 2004; Panel Unit Root Tests with Cross-Section Dependence: A Fur

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. There have been several reports of miRNA deregulation in prostate cancer and the biological evidence for an involvement of miRNAs in prostate tumorigenesis is increasing. In this study, we show that miR-34c is downregulated in prostate cancer (p = 0.0005) by performing qRT-PCR on 49 TURPs from prosta

Since the formulation of the mobilities paradigm, research has shown that movement is increasingly at the heart of our social identities. This paper argues that mobility, and indeed, hypermobility, constitutes to a growing extent who we are, whilst societal perspectives on mobility increasingly dictate how we need to move in time and space in order to accrue network capital. In this critical revie

Current optical space telescopes rely upon silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to detect and image the incoming photons. The performance of a CCD detector depends on its ability to transfer electrons through the silicon efficiently, so that the signal from every pixel may be read out through a single amplifier. This process of electron transfer is highly susceptible to the effects of solar proto

In order to find previously unknown subgroups in biomedical data and generate testable hypotheses, visually guided exploratory analysis can be of tremendous importance. In this paper we propose a new dissimilarity measure that can be used within the Multidimensional Scaling framework to obtain a joint low-dimensional representation of both the samples and variables of a multivariate data set,

Prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)), released through mast cell activation, is used as a non-invasive biomarker in patients with asthma. Since PGD(2) can elicit opposing effects on airway tone via activation of the PGD(2) receptors DP(1) and DP(2) as well as the thromboxane receptor TP, the aim of this study was to characterize the receptors that are activated by PGD(2) in the guinea pig lung parenchyma.

Invasive species and bottom-water hypoxia both constitute major global threats to the diversity and integrity of marine ecosystems. These stressors may interact with unexpected consequences, as invasive species that require an initial environmental disturbance to become established can subsequently become important drivers of ecological change. There is recent evidence that improved bottom-water o

There is accumulating evidence that gestational diabetes (GDM) is a growing problem. The lack of internationally standardized diagnostic procedures prevents consistent diagnosis and the burden of GDM must be determined in country-specific studies. In southern Sweden, GDM is defined as a 2-hour capillary plasma glucose concentration of ≥10.0 mmol/L during a universal 75 g oral glucose tolerance tes

Increased serum concentrations of the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG beta) are associated with adverse prognosis in several cancers. The aim of the present study was to analyse the association between serum hCG beta recurrence, and survival, in patients with colorectal cancer. The concentrations of hCG beta were determined in serum collected preoperatively from 324 patients with

We demonstrate how nanofluidic channels can be used as a tool to rapidly determine the number and sizes of plasmids in bacterial isolates. Each step can be automated at low cost, opening up opportunities for general use in microbiology labs.

We develop a set of nonparametric rank tests for non-stationary panels based on multivariate variance ratios which use untruncated kernels. As such, the tests do not require the choice of tuning parameters associated with bandwidth or lag length and also do not require choices with respect to numbers of common factors. The tests allow for unrestricted cross-sectional dependence and dynamic heterog

A < sc > bstract We analyse the influence of market thickness for skills on initial wages and the early job market career of university graduates. Using Swedish micro-level panel data on a cohort of graduates, we show that two out of three graduates move to large cities upon graduation. Large cities increase employment probabilities and yield higher rewards to human capital, even after controllin

This paper analyzes rigidities in the behavior of the mark-up on regular, midgrade and premium varieties of petrol in the New York area using a set of weekly frequency data and a methodology that analyzes the pricing process using deterministic and stochastic techniques. The results are consistent across methodologies and indicate that the speeds of adjustment to the long run equilibrium mark-up d

This paper explores focus group discussions of registered nurses in municipal palliative care for older people, using data collected by researchers with an interest in health sciences. The linguisti- cally based discourse analyis builds on a combi- nation of Bakhtinian notions of dialogicity, the Other and addressivity, the use of quotations, and also van Leeuwen’s framework for legitima- tion in

One subproject within the global Chromosome 19 Consortium is to define chromosome 19 gene and protein expression in glioma-derived cancer stem cells (GSCs). Chromosome 19 is notoriously linked to glioma by 1p/19q codeletions, and clinical tests are established to detect that specific aberration. GSCs are tumor-initiating cells and are hypothesized to provide a repository of cells in tumors that ca