Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracellular vesicles in the urine: markers and mediators of tissue damage and regeneration

As in several body fluids, urine is a rich reservoir of extracellular vesicles (EVs) directly originating from cells facing the urinary lumen, including differentiated tubular cells, progenitor cells and infiltrating inflammatory cells. Several markers of glomerular and tubular damage, such as WT-1, ATF3 and NGAL, as well as of renal regeneration, such as CD133, have been identified representing an incredible source of information for diagnostic purposes. In addition, urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs) appear to be involved in the cell-to-cell communication along the nephron, although this aspect needs further elucidation. Finally, uEVs emerge as potential amplifying or limiting factors in renal damage. Vesicles from injured cells may favour fibrosis and disease progression whereas those from cells with regenerative potential appear to promote cell survival. Here, we will discuss the most recent findings of the literature, on the light of the role of EVs in diagnosis and therapy for damage and repair of the renal tissue.
Knowledge Flows Between Advertising and Other Disciplines: A Social Exchange Perspective

Knowledge flows between advertising and other academic disciplines are examined to identify the structure of scientific knowledge, the extent of social exchange and the scientific status of the field. Bibliometric analysis is used to identify who is citing our research and who we cited. Cocitation patterns for the leading advertising journals (Journal of Advertising [JA], Journal of Advertising Research [JAR], International Journal of Advertising [IJA], Journal of Interactive Advertising [JIA], and Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising [JCIRA]) and the top 50 citing and cited journals with citation relationships from 2005 to 2014 were examined. Findings revealed that advertising is citing advertising scholarship the most, followed by marketing, consumer research, psychology, and communication. This suggests a “maturing field” where scholars look within the discipline's body of knowledge. In turn, advertising research is cited by advertising, marketing, business (general), communication, and psychology. The overall citing-to-cited ratio suggests that advertising is more a “receiver” than “provider” of knowledge to other disciplines; however, there is variation across the advertising journals. The positioning of advertising journals in the larger disciplinary framework shows close relationships to consumer research and interactive communication. The most common focus among the top-cited articles is digital media, with few articles focusing on traditional advertising. The implications of our findings for the field of advertising are discussed.
DETECTION OF THE SECOND ECLIPSING HIGH-MASS X-RAY BINARY IN M 33

Chandra data of the X-ray source [PMH2004] 47 were obtained in the ACIS Survey of M 33 (ChASeM33) in 2006. During one of the observations, the source varied from a high state to a low state and back, in two other observations it varied from a low state to respectively intermediate states. These transitions are interpreted as eclipse ingresses and egresses of a compact object in a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) system. The phase of mideclipse is given by HJD 245 3997.476 ± 0.006, the eclipse half angle is 30. °6 ± 1. °2. Adding XMM–Newton observations of [PMH2004] 47 in 2001 we determine the binary period to be 1.732479 ± 0.000027 days. This period is also consistent with ROSAT HRI observations of the source in 1994. No short-term periodicity compatible with a rotation period of the compact object is detected. There are indications for a long-term variability similar to that detected for Her X–1. During the high state the spectrum of the source is hard (power-law spectrum with photon index ∼0.85) with an unabsorbed luminosity of 2 ×1037 erg s−1 (0.2–4.5 keV). We identify as an optical counterpart a V ∼ 21.0 mag star with Teff>19000 K, log(g)>2.5. The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope optical light curves for this star show an ellipsoidal variation with the same period as the X-ray light curve. The optical light curve together with the X-ray eclipse can be modeled by a compact object with a mass consistent with a neutron star or a black hole in an HMXB. However, the hard power-law X-ray spectrum favors a neutron star as the compact object in this second eclipsing X-ray binary in M 33. Assuming a neutron star with a canonical mass of 1.4 M☉ and the best-fit companion temperature of 33,000 K, a system inclination i = 72° and a companion mass of 10.9 M☉ are implied.
Robust and accurate multi-view reconstruction by prioritized matching

This paper proposes a prioritized matching approach for finding corresponding points in multiple calibrated images for multi-view stereo reconstruction. The approach takes a sparse set of seed matches between pairs of views as input and then propagates the seeds to neighboring regions by using a prioritized matching method which expands the most promising seeds first. The output of the method is a three-dimensional point cloud. Unlike previous correspondence growing approaches our method allows to use the best-first matching principle in the generic multi-view stereo setting with arbitrary number of input images. Our experiments show that matching the most promising seeds first provides very robust point cloud reconstructions efficiently with just a single expansion step. A comparison to the current state-of-the-art shows that our method produces reconstructions of similar quality but significantly faster.
Health Disparity among Latina Women: Comparison with Non-Latina Women

Analyzing the Latino community and focusing on the women that make up this fast-growing demographic create a better understanding of the needs and considerations for health-care professionals and social policies. It is important that national health and health-care data on the Latino ethnic group be presented by gender in order to determine areas specific to women. This review focuses on the existing health and health-care data of Latino women (Latinas). The ability to distinguish the health-care experiences of Latinas will increase the understanding of existing barriers to their health care, the initiatives needed to overcome them, and increase the overall quality of health among Latina women.
Transient decrease in F‐actin may be necessary for translocation of proteins into dendritic spines

It remains poorly understood as to how newly synthesized proteins that are required to act at specific synapses are translocated into only selected subsets of potentiated dendritic spines. Here, we report that F‐actin, a major component of the skeletal structure of dendritic spines, may contribute to the regulation of synaptic specificity of protein translocation. We found that the stabilization of F‐actin blocked the translocation of GFP‐CaMKII and inhibited the diffusion of 3‐kDa dextran into spines (in 2–3 weeks cultures). Neuronal activation in hippocampal slices and cultured neurons led to an increase in the activation (decrease in the phosphorylation) of the actin depolymerization factor, cofilin, and a decrease in F‐actin. Furthermore, the induction of long‐term potentiation by tetanic stimulation induced local transient depolymerization of F‐actin both in vivo and in hippocampal slices (8–10 weeks), and this local F‐actin depolymerization was blocked by APV, a N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. These results suggest that F‐actin may play a role in synaptic specificity by allowing protein translocation into only potentiated spines, gated through its depolymerization, which is probably triggered by the activation of NMDA receptors.
Tail Mean Estimation is More Ecient than Tail Median: Evidence From the Exponential Power Distribution

We investigate the relative eciency of the empirical \tail median" vs. "tail mean" as estimators of location under random sampling from the exponential power distribution (EPD). By considering appropriate probabilities so that the quantile of the untruncated EPD (population tail median) and mean of the left-truncated EPD (population tail mean) coincide, limiting results are established concerning the ratio of asymptotic variances of the corresponding estimators. The most remarkable nding is that in the limit of the right tail, the asymptotic variance of the tail median is approximately 36% larger than that of the tail mean, irrespective of the EPD shape parameter. This discovery has important repercussions for quantitative risk management practitioners, where the tail median and tail mean correspond to value-at-risk and expected shortfall, respectively. From a purely academic standpoint, the ndings also oer a generalized solution to the age-old statistical quandary: which of the sample median vs. sample mean is the most ecient estimator of centrality?
Pedagogical knowledge base underlying EFL teachers’ provision of oral corrective feedback in grammar instruction

Abstract The present study investigated the pedagogical knowledge base underlying EFL teachers’ provision of oral corrective feedback in grammar instruction. More specifically, we explored the consistent thought patterns guiding the decisions of three Iranian teachers regarding oral corrective feedback on grammatical errors. We also examined the potential variations across these patterns as a function of the participants’ academic backgrounds. The data were collected through stimulated recall techniques. Content analysis of transcripts of stimulated recall sessions revealed 19 pedagogical thought categories which were classified into three major themes of professional knowledge, procedural knowledge, and personal knowledge. The results of statistical analysis revealed a significant positive correlation across patterns of thought categories. In addition, comparison of frequencies and average rates of reported pedagogical thought units indicated significant differences across the participants in terms of academic backgrounds. Implications of the findings for teacher professional development and suggestions for further research are provided.
A Case of Neonatal Neutropenia Due to Anti-Fc Gamma Receptor IIIb Isoantibodies Treated with Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor

Alloimmunization to granulocyte-specific antigens can occur during pregnancy. Maternal antibodies of IgG class can cross the placenta to result in alloimmune neonatal neutropenia. Antibodies to human neutrophil antigens anti-HNA-1a, HNA-1b, and HNA-2a have been most commonly reported to cause alloimmune neonatal neutropenia. Isoantibodies to Fc gamma RIIIb (CD16) if mother is a HNA-null phenotype are rarely involved in neonatal neutropenia. We report on a case of severe neutropenia (440 neutrophils/μL) due to anti-Fc gamma RIIIb (CD16) isoimmunization. On day 14 severe omphalitis developed, which was treated for 7 days by an antibiotic (ceftriaxone in a dose of 80 mg/kg/d) according to umbilical swab finding. Omphalitis persisted for 10 days in spite of antibiotic therapy and only resolved upon the introduction of rhG-CSF therapy. Therapy with rh-GCSF proved efficient and led to neutrophil count increase to 1970/μL and cure of omphalitis. However, therapeutic effect on granulocyte count was of transient nature, as granulocyte count fell to 760 n/μL on day 4 of therapy discontinuation. Neutropenia persisted for 2 months. The newborn was discharged from the hospital on day 26 with normal clinical status with clinical and laboratory control examinations at 2-week intervals. No additional infections were observed during the course of neutropenia.
Language Proficiency and Earnings of Non-Official Language Mother Tongue Immigrants: The Case of Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City

This study uses data from the 2006 Canadian Census on non-official language mother tongue immigrants over a wide range of birthplaces to examine the determinants of official language proficiency and earnings in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City. The definition of language proficiency is based on the reported knowledge of the two official languages. The focus is on English language proficiency in Toronto and on both English and French language proficiency in Montreal and Quebec City. The results suggest that language proficiency is improved with education attainment, duration of residence, but that it is negatively correlated with age at immigration and minority language concentration. They also indicate that being bilingual in the Canadian official languages is very important for the immigrants who live in Montreal and Quebec City, while it is not necessary for those living in Toronto.
Calcium Absorption Measured by Stable Calcium Isotopes (42Ca & 44Ca) among Northern Chinese Adolescents with Low Vitamin D Status

An adequate calcium intake and vitamin-D status is important for bone mineralization in adolescents. In Northern China, calcium intake and plasma vitamin-D level of adolescents is low due to low consumption of dairy foods and inadequate sunshine exposure. True fractional calcium absorption (TFCA) in Chinese adolescents has never been performed. This study aims to evaluate nutritional adaptation namely, TFCA and urinary calcium excretion among Chinese adolescents in northern China.
Obesity-Induced Inflammation and Insulin Resistance

Immune response and metabolic regulation are highly integrated and this interface maintains a central homeostatic system, dysfunction of which can cause obesity-associated metabolic disorder such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance is an underlying basis for the pathogenesis of these metabolic diseases. Overnutrition or obesity activates the innate immune system with subsequent recruitment of immune cells such as macrophages and T cells, which contributes to the development of insulin resistance. In particular, a significant advance in our understanding of obesityassociated inflammation and insulin resistance has been recognition of the critical role of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs). ATMs are a prominent source of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-a and IL-6, that can block insulin action in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver autocrine/paracrine signaling and cause systemic insulin resistance via endocrine signaling, providing a potential link between inflammation and insulin resistance.
Obtaining smooth solutions to large, linear, inverse problems

It is not uncommon now for geophysical inverse problems to be parameterized by 10 4 to 10 5 unknowns associated with upwards of 10 6 to 10 7 data con­ straints. The matrix problem defining the linearization of such a system (e.g., ~m = b) is usually solved with a least-squares criterion (m = (~t~ -) ~ t b). The size of the matrix, however, discourages the direct solution of the system and researchers often tum to iterative techniques such as the method of conjugate gradients to obtain an estimate of the least-squares solution. These iterative methods take advantage of the sparse­ ness of ~, which often has as few as 2-3 percent of its elements nonzero, and do not require the calculation (or storage) of the matrix ~t~. Although there are usually many more data constraints than unknowns, these problems are, in general, underdetermined and therefore require some sort of regularization to obtain a solution. When the regularization is simple damping, the conjugate gradients method tends to converge in relatively few iterations. However, when derivative-type regularization is applied (first derivative constraints to obtain the flattest model that fits the data; second deriv­ ative to obtain the smoothest), the convergence of parts ofthe solution may be drastically inhibited. In a series of I-D examples and a synthetic 2-D crosshole tomography example, we demonstrate this problem and also suggest a method of accelerating the convergence through the preconditioning of the conjugate gradient search direc­ tions. We derive a I-D preconditioning operator for the case of first derivative regularization using a WKBJ approximation. We have found that preconditioning can reduce the number of iterations necessary to obtain satisfactory convergence by up to an order of magnitude. The conclusions we present are also relevant to Baye­ sian inversion, where a smoothness constraint is im­ posed through an a priori covariance of the model.
Plasticity of visual attention in Isha yoga meditation practitioners before and after a 3-month retreat

Meditation has lately received considerable interest from cognitive neuroscience. Studies suggest that daily meditation leads to long lasting attentional and neuronal plasticity. We present changes related to the attentional systems before and after a 3 month intensive meditation retreat. We used three behavioral psychophysical tests - a Stroop task, an attentional blink task, and a global-local letter task-to assess the effect of Isha yoga meditation on attentional resource allocation. 82 Isha yoga practitioners were tested at the beginning and at the end of the retreat. Our results showed an increase in correct responses specific to incongruent stimuli in the Stroop task. Congruently, a positive correlation between previous meditation experience and accuracy to incongruent Stroop stimuli was also observed at baseline. We also observed a reduction of the attentional blink. Unexpectedly, a negative correlation between previous meditation experience and attentional blink performance at baseline was observed. Regarding spatial attention orientation as assessed using the global-local letter task, participants showed a bias toward local processing. Only slight differences in performance were found pre- vs. post- meditation retreat. Biasing toward the local stimuli in the global-local task and negative correlation of previous meditation experience with attentional blink performance is consistent with Isha practices being focused-attention practices. Given the relatively small effect sizes and the absence of a control group, our results do not allow clear support nor rejection of the hypothesis of meditation-driven neuronal plasticity in the attentional system for Isha yoga practice.
CMIP5 Projected Changes in the Annual Cycle of Indian Monsoon Rainfall

The annual cycle of Indian monsoon rainfall plays a critical role in the agricultural as well as the industrial sector. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the behaviour of the monsoon annual cycle in a warming climate. There are several studies on the variability and uncertainty of the Indian monsoon. This study, examines the impact of climate change on the annual cycle of monsoon rainfall in India from 1871–2100 by applying 20 model simulations designed by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) coupled with the model inter-comparison Project 5 (CMIP5). It is found that the models MPI-ESM-LR, INM-CM4 and MRI-CGCM3 best capture the spatial patterns of the monsoon rainfall peak month (MRPM) of the winter monsoon compared to observations, whereas HadGEM2-AO and MIROC-ESM-CHEM best capture the MRPM of the summer monsoon. The MIROC, MIROC-ESM, and MIROC-ESM-CHEM models best capture the average rainfall intensity as well as the MRPM of all-India rainfall. This paper examines the future spatial distribution of the MRPM for meteorological sub-divisions of India, that can have crucial implications for water resources and management. Although the future projections as per the CMIP5 models indicate no changes in the MRPM of the all-India rainfall, a reduction in average intensity can be expected. The projections indicate a shift in the MRPM in some meteorological sub-divisions, particularly with regard to the summer monsoon but no significant change has been projected for the winter monsoon. For example, the summer monsoon MRPM is projected to move from July to August in northern and central India.
A Novel Study for the Modeling of Monthly Evaporation Using K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithms for a Semi-Arid Continental Climate

This study aims to reveal a reliable and efficient method for predicting the monthly evaporation. For this purpose, the accuracy of machine learning algorithms, MLA, that include k-nearest neighbor, k-NN, was used in modeling monthly evaporation. The tenfold cross-validation approach was employed to determine the performances of prediction methods for MLA. The results revealed that k-NN algorithms outperformed the other MLA (ANN and SVM), with the R value of 0.95, the RMSE value of 1.01 mm, MAE value of 0.78 mm, and RME value of 0.04 mm. It is concluded that the suggested k-NN model can be successfully employed for predicting monthly evaporation for a semi-arid continental climate.
A construção da Reunião Especializada sobre Agricultura Familiar (REAF) do Mercosul: sociogênese de uma plataforma de diálogos entre Governos e Movimentos Sociais

A Reuniao Especializada sobre Agricultura Familiar (REAF) do Mercosul e um forum de dialogos politicos entre governos e movimentos sociais para a producao de politicas publicas. Ademais, a REAF tambem e um ator coletivo que domina capacidades institucionais, ocupando uma posicao-chave na formulacao da agenda das politicas para a agricultura familiar nao apenas no contexto sul-americano, mas em escala global. Este artigo analisa a genese deste forum, apontando os atores centrais a sua construcao, seus posicionamentos e as justificativas mobilizadas para sustentar suas escolhas politicas. A pesquisa contou com a observacao de tres reunioes regionais, revisao documental e entrevistas com ministros, gestores publicos, liderancas sociais, pesquisadores e consultores. Os resultados chamam a atencao para a singularidade e irreplicabilidade do contexto no qual a REAF foi arquitetada, haja vista a coalizao que se formou na ultima decada entre governos de centro-esquerda abertos a novos formatos de governanca multilateral e redes transnacionais de movimentos sociais engajados na producao de politicas publicas .
Bibliographic Analysis of Nature Based on Twitter and Facebook Altmetrics Data

This paper presents a bibliographic analysis of Nature articles based on altmetrics. We assess the concern degree of social users on the Nature articles through the coverage analysis of Twitter and Facebook by publication year and discipline. The social media impact of a Nature article is examined by evaluating the mention rates on Twitter and on Facebook. Moreover, the correlation between tweets and citations is analyzed by publication year, discipline and Twitter user type to explore factors affecting the correlation. The results show that Twitter users have a higher concern degree on Nature articles than Facebook users, and Nature articles have higher and faster-growing impact on Twitter than on Facebook. The results also show that tweets and citations are somewhat related, and they mostly measure different types of impact. In addition, the correlation between tweets and citations highly depends on publication year, discipline and Twitter user type.
Causal Mediation Analysis

Estimating the mechanisms that connect explanatory variables with the explained variable, also known as “mediation analysis,” is central to a variety of social-science fields, especially psychology, and increasingly to fields like epidemiology. Recent work on the statistical methodology behind mediation analysis points to limitations in earlier methods. We implement in Stata computational approaches based on recent developments in the statistical methodology of mediation analysis. In particular, we provide functions for the correct calculation of causal mediation effects using several different types of parametric models, as well as the calculation of sensitivity analyses for violations to the key identifying assumption required for interpreting mediation results causally.