Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Extent of Welfare Loss is Caused by the Disparity between Perceived and Scientific Risks? A Case Study of Food Irradiation

Abstract An individual perceived risk often differs from an objective risk based on the scientific evidence; risks about nuclear power generation and food technology including genetic modification and food irradiation are typical such cases. However, the extent to which welfare loss is caused by the disparity between perceived and scientific risks is unclear. Based on this gap in the literature, we conduct a discrete choice experiment to estimate the welfare loss. At the same time, we must tackle two issues arising in the estimation: endogeneity and ambiguity in the perceived risk. We construct an empirical model based on maxmin expected utility to consider ambiguity and apply a control function approach to alleviate endogeneity bias. The results show that 1) the disparity between perceived and scientific risks causes a significant welfare loss; 2) the ambiguity in the perceived risk exacerbates the welfare loss; and 3) endogeneity largely biases welfare measurement.
Organizational Structure and Organizational Learning

In this chapter, we aim to provide a concise overview of the literature on the relationship between organizational structure and organizational learning. The objective is to organize rather than survey the literature in depth, with a view to making opportunities for further research more salient. We consider two dimensions of organizational structure: the extent to which influence patterns are clustered and symmetric, as well as two forms of organizational learning - online and offline. Arraying the existing results from the literature along these dimensions shows exactly where the empirical and theoretical gaps are, and we suggest these are particularly amenable to approaches combining models and experiments on groups.
Genes mediate the association between P3 amplitude and externalizing disorders.

Reduced P3 amplitude has been consistently linked to a spectrum of externalizing disorders. Utilizing data from a large sample of adolescent male twins (N=1196), we used biometric modeling to assess the genetic and environmental contributions to the association between reduced P3 amplitude and a general vulnerability to externalizing disorders. Externalizing vulnerability was indexed by a composite of symptoms of conduct disorder, adult antisocial behavior, and alcohol, nicotine, and drug dependence. The sample included two independent age cohorts, providing an internal replication of the findings. For the best-fitting model, genetic influences alone accounted for the association between P3 amplitude and externalizing disorders, with an estimated genetic correlation of r(g)=-. 22. Results replicated across the two age cohorts and demonstrate that reduced P3 amplitude is a marker of the biological vulnerability to externalizing disorders.
Phronesis and Resource Curse Hypothesis in Post-Independent Sierra Leone

This study was undertaken with a view of presenting a balanced critical discourse on the concept of Phronesis as applied in the political economy of Sierra Leone. The country is renowned for being endowed with the abundance of non(renewable) natural resources, while at the same time for poor management of resources which has given rise to its classification under the brand name of ‘resource curse or Dutch disease’. Based on critical phenomenological discourses of scholarly literature and the analytical hermeneutics of secondary data collected, evidence to some extent have pointed to the fact that both colonial and post-independence governance contributed immensely to the resource curse syndrome in Sierra Leone; a situation where poor management of natural resources has been a disaster, rather than a blessing in the country's sustained pathway of development. The paper thus conclude that Sierra Leone, is capable of recovering from the alleged symptom of ‘resource curse/Dutch disease’, but only in a situation where the rule of law is effectively applied with perpetrators of unethical acts leading to the exploitation of natural (non) renewable resources are (severely) punished to deter future cases of unethical practices.
Preoperative radiation, surgical margins, and local control of extremity sarcomas of soft tissues

The relationship between status of the surgical margin and local control of soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities by preoperative radiation therapy has been assessed in 132 consecutive patients from 1974 to 1988. The 5‐year actuarial local control rate was 94% for all patients; the rates were 97% and 82% for the 104 tumors with negative marigins and the 28 tumors with positive margins, respectively. The local control rate was independent of the extent of the negative margin. For primary sarcomas, the local control rates were 96%, 97%, and 100%, respectively, for margins that were negative at ≤1 mm or > 1 mm, or the specimens were negative for tumor; for positive margins the results was 83%. The overall local control rate was lower (not significant) for recurrent than for primary sarcomas: 88% vs. 94%. On the other hand, when stratifying by margin status, no difference was observed in local control results, i.e.: (1) 97% and 91% for primary and recurrent tumors with negative margins, respectively, and (2) 83% and 80% for primary and recurrent tumors with positive margins, respectively. Local control was not significantly higher in those patients who were treated by surgical resection (S), radiation (RT), and re‐excision of the previous tumor bed than in those whose radiation therapy was started after the biopsy and followed by one surgical resection. For primary sarcomas that were resected with negative margins the results were: 100% of 15 patients treated by S‐RT‐S and 96% of 75 patients treated by RT‐S. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Essays on the Economics of Migration: an Empirical Perspective

This thesis comprises three essays on determinants and consequences of international labor migration at individual, family and country level. The first chapter explores the effect of parents' absence due to migration on the educational outcomes of children left behind. The estimated reduced form model relies on an educational production function where the total effect of migration is the combination of the positive effect of remittances, and the negative effect of a parent's absence. The results suggest that parental absence offsets the positive impact of remittances on children's schooling achievements and that a mother's absence is more detrimental than a father's absence. The second chapter examines the effects of family size and demographic structure on offspring's international migration. The potential endogeneity of parental fertility choices is addressed by using infertility shocks and miscarriage before first birth as exogenous variation in family size. The positive correlation between fertility and migration disappears when the potential endogeneity of sibship size is addressed. A deeper analysis reveals that the chances to migrate are not equally distributed across children within the family. Older siblings are more likely to migrate, while having more sisters than brothers may increase the chances of migration, particularly among girls. The third chapter studies the effect of granting the right to vote in local elections to non citizens of non Eu origin. In the spirit of a differences-in-differences strategy, election results and economic outcomes of municipalities with more immigrants entitled to vote are compared with municipalities with a smaller share of immigrant voters, before and after the introduction of a new law. Preliminary results indicate that, depending on the economic and demographic context, and on the immigration policies, the effect can vary substantially: the pro immigrants parties can either gain on lose votes, with relevant consequences for public good expenditures.
NMR studies of body fluids

High resolution, high frequency, in vitro, proton NMR spectra of various body fluids, including urine, sweat, aqueous humour, amniotic fluid, seminal plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid and blood plasma are described and discussed. Applications include the detection of metabolic disorders, investigations of the biochemical basis of drug and xenobiotic metabolism, organ damage, and diagnoses for sick babies. The determination of metabolite concentrations is straightforward for fluids with a low protein content such as urine. In fluids with a high protein content such as blood plasma, it is possible to detect not only small molecules but also mobile regions of macromolecules, and to demonstrate the interaction of anions such as lactate with proteins. It seems likely that these methods will soon become established in modern pathology laboratories.
Changes in Peripheral Lipoatrophy, Surrogate Markers of Cardiovascular Disease, and Mitochondria after Rosiglitazone in HIV-infected individuals with Lipoatrophy

by MARISA TUNGSIRIPAT Background: Lipoatrophy, subcutaneous fat wasting, is a stigmatizing complication of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Thiazolidenediones are potent PPARγ agonists and expected to reverse lipoatrophy. Methods: We evaluated rosiglitazone’s effect on several facets of lipoatrophy: 1) limb fat, 2) surrogate markers cardiovascular disease, and 3) mechanistic measures. We conducted a 48-week randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of rosiglitazone in HIV-infected subjects with lipoatrophy on thymidine nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (tNRTI)-sparing regimens. Results: Rosiglitazone significantly (p=0.02) improved peripheral lipoatrophy in the absence of tNRTIs. Carotid intima media thickness (IMT), oxidative, and some inflammatory markers worsened over time in these subjects on stable ART, regardless of the rosiglitazone assignment. Conclusion: In the absence of tNRTIs, rosiglitazone improved peripheral lipoatrophy. Observed limb fat improvement after rosiglitazone was not associated with changes in surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease or mitochondrial indices. Lipoatrophy can in part be overcome by the PPAR-γ pathway independent of mitochondrial toxicity.
An investigation in efficient spatial patterns mining

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Polysaccharides from probiotics: New developments as food additives

Summary Microbial polysaccharides with nutraceutical potential and bioactive properties have been investigated in detail during the last few decades. There is an increasing demand in food industries for live microbes or polysaccharides produced by them which assert health benefits other than dietetic constituents. Although there are a large number of exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing bacteria, the titers are low for commercialization. This manuscript deals with the polysaccharides produced by probiotic strains, with major emphasis on the EPSs, their properties, applications and some of the strategies adopted which would be helpful in better understanding of the process in the near future. Research on the improved EPS biosynthesis is essential for obtaining high yields. Therefore, to reach commercialization, metabolic engineering must be applied.
Pheochromocytoma: a review on preoperative treatment with phenoxybenzamine or doxazosin.

BACKGROUND During surgical treatment of pheochromocytoma,`haemodynamic instability may occur. To prevent this, patients receive preoperative treatment with an alpha-blocker. Nowadays, some centres use phenoxybenzamine, while others use doxazosin. The purpose of this review is to analyse the current evidence of the benefits and risks of phenoxybenzamine and doxazosin in the preoperative treatment of pheochromocytoma. METHODS The literature was reviewed by searching PubMed using the following search terms: pheochromocytoma, phenoxybenzamine, doxazosin and alpha-blockade. The filter was set on English language. RESULTS No randomised controlled trials were found. Five follow-up studies comparing phenoxybenzamine and doxazosin in the treatment of pheochromocytoma were retrieved and analysed. There was a trend that systolic arterial pressure is slightly better controlled by phenoxybenzamine. However, this resulted in more pronounced postoperative hypotension as well. The use of an alpha-blocker was often accompanied by other vasoactive agents. phenoxybenzamine was often accompanied by a beta-blocker to control reflex tachycardia, while patients on doxazosin received significantly more additional antihypertensive medicines. Most of the studies showed that the use of vasoactive drugs and fluid infusion does not differ significantly between the two drugs. Phenoxybenzamine caused significantly more orthostatic hypotension, oedema and complaints of a stuffy nose. CONCLUSION On the basis of the current evidence, there is no evidently superior alpha-blocker for the pretreatment of patients with pheochromocytoma. Perioperative haemodynamics seem to be slightly better controlled with phenoxybenzamine, at the cost of more pronounced postoperative hypotension. Side effects occurred less often in the doxazosin group.
Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and cardiovascular outcomes in chronic dialysis patients: a population-based cohort study.

Comment. To my knowledge this is the first study to report that smokers of mentholated cigarettes, and in particular women and non–African Americans, have significantly increased odds of stroke compared with nonmentholated cigarette smokers. Although potential causal links cannot be established and further research is required to confirm the findings, the association between mentholated cigarette smoking and stroke is noteworthy, given that the results are based on large population-level data, with data spanning nearly a decade, and given that the relationship is independent of multiple sociodemographic, smoking behavior, and health status confounders. The mentholated cigarette–stroke association may even be underestimated because this analysis included only current smokers and not former smokers. Increased cigarette particulate matter entering the lungs because of facilitation of reflex breath-holding through menthol-induced upper airway cold receptor stimulation serves as a potential mechanism for how mentholated cigarettes might potentially cause increased stroke over nonmentholated cigarettes. It is curious why smoking mentholated cigarettes would not result in an increase in forms of cardiovascular disease, other than stroke, like myocardial infarction and hypertension. A possible explanation is that mentholated cigarettes exert some selective effects on the cerebrovascular system. Potentially in support of this theory, smoking mentholated cigarettes has been found to result in increased carotid artery stiffness compared with smoking nonmentholated cigarettes, whereas equal decreases in coronary artery reserve flow were observed between the 2 cigarettes types. Other potential explanations for the mentholated cigarette–stroke relationship deserve mention. First, smokers with stroke may have a greater predisposition for smoking mentholated cigarettes than regular cigarettes (ie, reverse causality). Second, confounders not included in the analysis may potentially explain the association (eg, the presence or not of medical therapy). Third, the mentholated cigarette–stroke relationship may be erroneous, as a result of several sources of potential bias associated with the analysis (eg, recall bias, prevalence bias). Finally, there is less than 5% probability that the association found between mentholated cigarette smoking and stroke is one of chance. The fact that multiple disease outcomes were examined increases to some degree the finding of a “chance” association. These results highlight the need for further review of the last legally allowed tobacco additive in North America, given that mentholated cigarettes may be placing individuals at even greater risk of potentially devastating cerebrovascular disease than regular cigarettes.
The Cap-binding Protein eIF4E Promotes Folding of a Functional Domain of Yeast Translation Initiation Factor eIF4G1*

The association of eucaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4G with the cap-binding protein eIF4E establishes a critical link between the mRNA and the ribosome during translation initiation. This association requires a conserved seven amino acid peptide within eIF4G that binds to eIF4E. Here we report that a 98-amino acid fragment of S. cerevisiae eIF4G1 that contains this eIF4E binding peptide undergoes an unfolded to folded transition upon binding to eIF4E. The folding of the eIF4G1 domain was evidenced by the eIF4E-dependent changes in its protease sensitivity and 1H-15N HSQC NMR spectrum. Analysis of a series of charge-to-alanine mutations throughout the essential 55.4-kDa core of yeast eIF4G1 also revealed substitutions within this 98-amino acid region that led to reduced eIF4E bindingin vivo and in vitro. These data suggest that the association of yeast eIF4E with eIF4G1 leads to the formation of a structured domain within eIF4G1 that could serve as a specific site for interactions with other components of the translational apparatus. They also suggest that the stability of the native eIF4E-eIF4G complex is determined by amino acid residues outside of the conserved seven-residue consensus sequence.
A membrane-associated, fluorogenic reporter for mammalian phospholipase C isozymes

A diverse group of cell-surface receptors, including many G protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases, activate phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes to hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate into the second messengers diacylglycerol and 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate. Consequently, PLCs control various cellular processes, and their aberrant regulation contributes to many diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite the widespread importance of PLCs in human biology and disease, it has been impossible to directly monitor the real-time activation of these enzymes at membranes. To overcome this limitation, here we describe XY-69, a fluorogenic reporter that preferentially partitions into membranes and provides a selective tool for measuring the real-time activity of PLCs as either purified enzymes or in cellular lysates. Indeed, XY-69 faithfully reported the membrane-dependent activation of PLC-β3 by Gαq. Therefore, XY-69 can replace radioactive phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate used in conventional PLC assays and will enable high-throughput screens to identify both orthosteric and allosteric PLC inhibitors. In the future, cell-permeable variants of XY-69 represent promising candidates for reporting the activation of PLCs in live cells with high spatiotemporal resolution.
Clinical Performance of the (1,3)-β-d-Glucan Assay in Early Diagnosis of Nosocomial Candida Bloodstream Infections

ABSTRACT Microbiological diagnosis of nosocomial candidemia is negatively affected by suboptimal culture yield. Alternative methods are not fully reliable as an aid in candidemia diagnosis. Recently, the detection of (1,3)-β-d-glucan (BG) has been shown to be very promising in this setting. We carried out a prospective study on the clinical usefulness of BG detection in early diagnosis of candidemia. BG detection was performed in patients with fever unresponsive to antibacterial agents and risk factors for candidemia. BG detection was done with the Fungitell test. A total of 152 patients were included in the study; 53 were proven to have candidemia, while in 52 patients candidemia was excluded on microbiological and clinical bases. The remaining 47 patients were considered to have possible candidemia. In summary, 41 of 53 candidemia patients (77.3%), 9 of 52 patients without candidemia (17.3%), and 38 of 47 patients with possible candidemia (80.8%) were positive in the BG assay. With these results, the sensitivity and the specificity of the assay were 77% and 83%, respectively. BG levels of >160 pg/ml were highly predictive of candidemia. In 36 of 41 patients with candidemia and positive BG testing, the BG assay was performed within 48 h from when the first Candida-positive blood sample for culture was drawn, thus allowing a possible earlier start of antifungal therapy. Based on these results, the BG assay may be used as an aid in the diagnosis of nosocomial candidemia. The timing of assay performance is critical for collecting clinically useful information. However, the test results should be associated with clinical data.
Amundsen Sea Bathymetry: The Benefits of Using Gravity Data for Bathymetric Prediction

Bathymetric charts are essential for modeling oceanic processes, yet, in remote areas, direct measurements of seafloor depth are often scarce. It is possible to augment sparse depth soundings with dense satellite-derived gravity data to provide additional bathymetric detail in regions devoid of sounding data. We demonstrate this method by using marine gravity derived from the European Remote Sensing (ERS-1) satellite altimeter, combined with depth soundings, to form a bathymetric prediction of the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica. We estimate the root mean square error of depth estimates at unsurveyed locations in our solution to be ~120 m. We use a Monte Carlo method to assess the value of gravity as a bathymetric predictor in sparsely surveyed regions by comparing our solution to predictions formed from depth soundings alone. When less than ~11% of 10-km grid cells contain depth soundings, inclusion of gravity data improves the depth accuracy of the solution by up to 17%, as compared to a minimum curvature surface interpolation of the depth soundings alone. When depth data are sparse, our gravity-derived prediction reveals additional short-wavelength bathymetric features, such as troughs on the continental shelf, which are not resolved by interpolations of the depth soundings alone.