Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Successful Cochlear Implantation in a Patient with Bilateral Progressive Sensorineural Hearing Loss after Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Brain Contusion

Objectives: We address the proper indications for cochlear implantation for profound deafness with possible retrocochlear involvement by reporting successful implantation in a patient with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and brain contusion. Methods: We present a patient (55-year-old man) who had bilateral progressive sensorineural hearing loss after traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and brain contusion. Preoperative imaging and functional studies were done, as well as routine tests, to evaluate the possible performance of the cochlear implant. Results: Sensorineural hearing loss developed promptly after head trauma with progressive deterioration. The cause of progressive sensorineural hearing loss remained unknown. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions demonstrated bilateral inner ear (outer hair cell) damage. Highly impaired speech discrimination despite less marked pure tone average elevation and a focal lesion in the left middle temporal gyrus suggested the possibility of coexisting retrocochlear lesions. After thorough discussion of the possible outcomes, cochlear implantation was successfully performed 25 months after the trauma. The patient became able to use a telephone. Conclusions: We advocate that profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss caused by traumatic head injury, even with possible involvement of central auditory pathways, should not be regarded as a contraindication to cochlear implantation, as long as bilateral inner ear dysfunction is clearly demonstrated and there is no obvious evidence of central deafness.
Simultaneous measurement of foliar glutathione, gamma-glutamylcysteine, and amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography: comparison with two other assay methods for glutathione.

The recent production of transformed plants with enhanced capacity for glutathione synthesis has highlighted the interactions between foliar glutathione and turnover of free amino acid pools. The development of a convenient method for simultaneous measurement of glutathione, gamma-glutamylcysteine, and 16 amino acids is reported. This method utilizes derivatization of compounds with o-phthalaldehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol followed by separation using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Eluted compounds are detected fluorimetrically. The method was tested using untransformed poplars and poplars in which foliar thiol contents have been enhanced by overexpression of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. Foliar contents of glutathione determined by this method were comparable to those measured in common extracts by two other techniques.
Option pricing of earnings announcement risks

This paper uses option prices to learn about the equity price uncertainty surrounding information released on earnings announcement dates. To do this, we introduce reduced-form models and estimators to separate price uncertainty regarding earnings announcements from normal day-to-day volatility. Empirically, we find strong support for the importance of earnings announcements. We find that the anticipated price uncertainty is quantitatively large, varies across time, and is informative about the future return volatility. Finally, we quantify the impact of earnings announcements on formal option pricing models.
Differential Expression of Collagen Types XVIII/Endostatin and XV in Normal, Keratoconus, and Scarred Human Corneas

Purpose: This study was designed to clarify the expression of 2 closely related collagen (Col) types XVIII and XV, and the proteolytically derived endostatin fragment of ColXVIII in normal, keratoconus, and scarred human corneas. Methods: Immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, immunoelectron microscopy, and Western immunoblotting were used for human corneal samples obtained from penetrating keratoplasty. Results: In the normal cornea, ColXVIII was immunolocalized to the corneal and conjunctival epithelial basement membrane (EBM), Descemet s membrane, and the limbal and conjunctival capillaries. Immunoreaction for endostatin was otherwise similar, but it also was present in corneal epithelial cells. Western immunoblotting showed that normal cornea contains several endostatin fragments ranging from 20 to 100 kDa. ColXV was present in the EBM of the limbus and conjunctiva, but not in EBM of the clear cornea. In situ hybridization revealed that corneal basal epithelial cells were responsible for the synthesis of ColXVIII mRNA. Keratoconus cases were characterized by an irregular EBM immunoreactivity for ColXVIII and endostatin and patchy immunoreactivity beneath EBM. In scarred corneas, highly increased immunoreactivity for ColXVIII, endostatin, and ColXV was present within stroma. Conclusions: The results indicate that ColXVIII and ColXV are differentially expressed in normal human corneas. Constant expression of ColXVIII by corneal EBM suggests that it is an important structural molecule. Aberrant expression of ColXVIII, endostatin, and ColXV in keratoconus and scarred corneas emphasizes the active role these molecules in the wound healing process.
Cold-Specific Induction of a Dehydrin Gene Family Member in Barley

An interval on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) chromosome 7 accounting for significant quantitative trait locus effects for winter hardiness were detected in a winter (Dicktoo) x spring (Morex) barley population (P.M. Hayes, T. Blake, T.H.H. Chen, S. Tragoonrung, F. Chen, A. Pan, and B. Liu [1993] Genome 36: 66–71). Two members of the barley dehydrin gene family, Dhn1 and Dhn2, were located within the region defining the winter hardiness quantitative trait locus effect (A. Pan, P.M. Hayes, F. Chen, T. Blake, T.H.H. Chen, T.T.S. Wright, I. Karsai, Z. Bedo [1994] Theor Appl Genet 89: 900–910). To investigate the possible role of Dhn1 and Dhn2 in winter hardiness, we examined the expression pattern of six barley dehydrin gene family members in shoot tissue in response to cold temperature. Incubation of 3-week-old barley plants at 2[deg]C resulted in a rapid induction of a single 86-kD polypeptide that was recognized by an antiserum against a peptide conserved in the dehydrin gene family. Northern blot analysis confirmed the induction of an mRNA corresponding to Dhn5. The expression patterns of cold-induced dehydrins in shoot tissue for Dicktoo and Morex were identical under the conditions studied, in spite of the known phenotypic differences in their winter hardiness. These results, together with the allelic structure of selected high- and low-survival lines, suggest that the Dicktoo alleles at the Dhn1 and Dhn2 may not be the primary determinants of winter hardiness in barley.
Determinants of customer loyalty in online group-buying: the self-regulation mechanism

ABSTRACT Based on self-regulation mechanism, this study integrates the perspectives of expectation–confirmation model, fairness, service quality, and commitment to develop a theoretical model to examine the antecedents of customer loyalty in online group-buying. Data collected from 191 customers of Groupon were used to test the proposed model. The results show that affective commitment and satisfaction are the key predictors of customer loyalty, while calculative commitment exerts a significant effect on affective commitment. The results also reveal that satisfaction have a positive effect on calculative commitment and affective commitment, whereas confirmation of procedural fairness and confirmation of price fairness affect satisfaction significantly. On the other hand, the results show that environment quality and outcome quality influence confirmation of procedural fairness significantly. Finally, outcome quality exerts a positive effect on confirmation of price fairness. The implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
China’s plans and policies for reducing CO2 emission from biomass-fired power plants: Modeling and economic study

ABSTRACT The main strategies for biomass utilization are the development of biomass-fired power plants, which can minimize the emissions and pollutants from fossil fuels combustion, the improvement of energy density from biomass materials, and the economic development, especially in the rural areas. In the present paper, an economic study of catalytic biomass combustion was carried out to determine the potential of catalysts for CO2 capture. The effects of catalyst type and feed input (Mfeed (kg/h)) on CO2 concentration and total plant cost (TPC) were studied. Results were showed that on increasing Mfeed from 500 kg/h to 2500 kg/h, TPC increases from 2125 kEuro2014 to 6428 kEuro2014 for CaCO3, from 2270 kEuro2014 to 7734 kEuro2014 for MgCO3, and from 2410 kEuro2014 to 7927 kEuro2014 for CaCO3-MgCO3, due to an enhancement in the size of burner with increasing Mfeed.
External Debt and Economic Growth in India

Throughout the nineties, the Indian economy faced an adverse balance of payment (BOP) situation. To overcome the situation, India was required to lift its reserves by borrowing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). External borrowing seems to be an important component in improving economic conditions, thus allowing a return to a normal state and reviving a struggling economy. It is believed that external debt helps to financeproductive investment and so contributes to economic growth. However, beyond a certain level, additional debt is likely to hamper economic growth. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of external debt on India’s economic growth using the Ordinal Least Square analysis (OLS), on data spanning from 1990-91 to 2015-16.
Histopathologic changes induced by the microtubule‐stabilizing agent Taxol in the rat hippocampus in vivo

Microtubules and their associated proteins play a prominent role in neuronal morphology, axonal transport, neuronal plasticity, and neuronal degeneration. It has been proposed that microtubule damage is sufficient to induce neuronal death. In this regard, the microtubule‐stabilizing agent Taxol could be a useful tool to reproduce some aspects of neurodegenerative diseases associated with disturbances of the cytoskeleton and alterations in axonal transport. Although differential effects of Taxol on neuronal viability have been found in vitro, Taxol toxicity in the central nervous system remains to be addressed. We studied the effects of Taxol on neuronal morphology and viability as well as changes in microtubule‐associated proteins MAP2 and tau in rat hippocampus. Our results show that Taxol induces dose‐dependent neuronal death accompanied by the loss of MAP2 and the presence of dystrophic neurites. Interestingly paired helical filament (PHF)‐1 immunoreactivity, which is associated with a phosphorylated epitope of tau proteins, was induced in the damaged hippocampus. Our results suggest that microtubule dynamics have a role in maintenance of neuronal morphology and survival in vivo, and that modifications in microtubule dynamics, may alter the content and neuronal distribution of MAP2 and promote alterations in the phosphorylation state of tau. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamics of cerebral metabolism in patients with chronic subdural hematoma evaluated with phosphorous 31 MR spectroscopy before and after surgery.

PURPOSE To determine whether the depression of cerebral bioenergetic metabolism caused by chronic subdural hematomas can account for neurologic dysfunction and whether the degree of metabolic depression may be useful for clinical assessment and therapy. METHODS Sixteen patients who had chronic subdural hematomas with hemiparesis and/or mental disturbances underwent phosphorous 31 MR spectroscopy before and 10 to 14 days after surgery. Phosphorous 31 MR spectroscopy was also performed on 5 patients who had chronic subdural hematomas with only slight headaches who were treated by conservative therapy and on 10 healthy volunteers. RESULTS The peroperative phosphocreatine-to-inorganic phosphate ratio (2.10 +/- 0.36) improved to normal values (2.69 +/- 0.44) after evacuation of hematomas. This improvement was accompanied by complete disappearance of hemiparesis and/or mental disturbance. Brain tissue pH also improved from 7.07 +/- 0.11 to 7.205 +/- 0.13 after surgery. On the other hand, patients who had chronic subdural hematomas with only slight headaches had the same phosphocreatine-to-inorganic phosphate ratio and brain intracellular pH as healthy volunteers. CONCLUSION The phosphocreatine-to-inorganic phosphate ratio may be useful for determining when to operate on patients with chronic subdural hematomas and to assess the efficacy of treatment.
Dependency and self-criticism in bipolar and unipolar depressed women.

OBJECTIVES The dependency and self-criticism scores of women with histories of either unipolar disorder (N = 74) or bipolar disorder (N = 20) or no psychiatric history (N = 24) were compared to determine the influence of state depression on these personality dimensions. DESIGN All women completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. Patients were divided into currently depressed and remitted groups. RESULTS Currently depressed women with unipolar disorder were more self-critical and dependent than non-psychiatric controls; women with unipolar disorder whose depression remitted were more self-critical only. Women in both the depressed and remitted bipolar groups were more self-critical than controls. Depressed bipolar patients did not differ from the controls in their level of dependency; remitted bipolar patients were significantly less dependent than controls. CONCLUSIONS Dependency needs in depressed women are heavily influenced by mood state. Self-criticism appears to be a-characterological trait in both major depression and bipolar disorder. Women with bipolar disorder in remission report fewer dependency needs than women with no history of psychiatric disorder. The data provide partial support for Blatt's (1974) hypothesis that dependency and self-criticism reflect relatively stable personality dimensions in patients with a mood disorder.
Worsening of steatosis is an independent factor of fibrosis progression in untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C and paired liver biopsies

Background and aims: Steatosis, a frequent histological finding in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), has been suggested to influence liver fibrosis progression. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in patients with CHC and paired liver biopsies the relationship between the evolution of steatosis and that of fibrosis between the two biopsies. Methods: Ninety six patients were selected according to the following criteria: absence of treatment; absence of cirrhosis at initial biopsy; and serum hepatitis B surface antigen and human immunodeficiency virus antibody negativity. Degrees of necroinflammatory activity, fibrosis, and steatosis grades were assessed in the two biopsies. In addition to histological lesions, parameters studied included the source of infection, duration of infection, body mass index, alcohol intake, alanine aminotransferase levels, hepatitis C virus genotype, and viral load. Results: The mean interval between the two biopsies was 48 (32) months. Steatosis was found in 54% of patients at first biopsy, and was severe in 9%. Worsening of steatosis was observed in 34% of patients, stability in 50%, and improvement in 16%. Worsening of steatosis was significantly associated with hepatic fibrosis progression in patients with (p=0.03) or without (p<0.03) steatosis at diagnosis. Overall, fibrosis progression was observed in 31% of patients and stability in 69%. In a univariate analysis, fibrosis progression was associated with male sex (p=0.05), worsening of histological activity (p=0.04), and worsening of steatosis (p=0.0003). In a multivariate analysis, the only factor independently associated with fibrosis progression was worsening of steatosis (worsening v improvement/stability: odds ratio 4.7 (95% confidence interval 1.3–10.8); p=0.0001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that in untreated patients with CHC and serial liver biopsies, fibrosis progression is strongly associated with worsening of steatosis.
CFTR inactivation by lentiviral vector-mediated RNA interference and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in human airway epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND Polarized airway epithelial cell cultures modelling Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) defect are crucial for CF and biomedical research. RNA interference has proven its value to generate knockdown models for various pathologies. More recently, genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9 artificial endonuclease was a valuable addition to the toolbox of gene inactivation. METHODS Calu-3 cells and primary HAECs were transduced with HIV-1-derived lentiviral vectors (LVV) encoding small hairpin RNA (shRNA) sequence or CRISPR-Cas9 components targeting CFTR alongside GFP. After sorting of GFP-positive cells, CFTR expression was measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot in polarized or differentiated cells. CFTR channel function was assessed in Ussing chambers. Il-8 secretion, proliferation and cell migration were also studied in transduced cells. RESULTS shRNA interference and CRISPRCas9 strategies efficiently decreased CFTR expression in Calu-3 cells. Strong CFTR knockdown was confirmed at the functional level in CRISPR-Cas9-modified cells. CFTR-specific shRNA sequences did not reduce gene expression in primary HAECs, whereas CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene modification activity was correlated with a reduction of transepithelial secretion and response to a CFTR inhibitor. CFTR inactivation in the CRISPR-Cas9-modified Calu-3 cells did not affect migration and proliferation but slightly increased basal interleukin-8 secretion. CONCLUSION We generated CFTR inactivated cell lines and demonstrated that CRISPR-Cas9 vectorised in a single LVV efficiently promotes CFTR inactivation in primary HAECs. These results provide a new protocol to engineer CF primary epithelia with their isogenic controls and pave the way for manipulation of CFTR expression in these cultures.
A Stochastic Algorithm for Generating Realistic Virtual Interstitial Cell of Cajal Networks

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) play a central role in coordinating normal gastrointestinal (GI) motility. Depletion of ICC numbers and network integrity contributes to major functional GI motility disorders. However, the mechanisms relating ICC structure to GI function and dysfunction remains unclear, partly because there is a lack of large-scale ICC network imaging data across a spectrum of depletion levels to guide models. Experimental imaging of these large-scale networks remains challenging because of technical constraints, and hence, we propose the generation of realistic virtual ICC networks in silico using the single normal equation simulation (SNESIM) algorithm. ICC network imaging data obtained from wild-type (normal) and 5-HT2B serotonin receptor knockout (depleted ICC) mice were used to inform the algorithm, and the virtual networks generated were assessed using ICC network structural metrics and biophysically-based computational modeling. When the virtual networks were compared to the original networks, there was less than 10% error for four out of five structural metrics and all four functional measures. The SNESIM algorithm was then modified to enable the generation of ICC networks across a spectrum of depletion levels, and as a proof-of-concept, virtual networks were successfully generated with a range of structural and functional properties. The SNESIM and modified SNESIM algorithms, therefore, offer an alternative strategy for obtaining the large-scale ICC network imaging data across a spectrum of depletion levels. These models can be applied to accurately inform the physiological consequences of ICC depletion.
Class and Campus Life: Managing and Experiencing Inequality at an Elite College

In Class and campus life: Managing and experiencing inequality at an elite college, Lee contributed to the conversation around the difficulties and opportunities of cross-class interactions in college. Focusing on low socio-economic status (SES) students at an elite college, Lee explained how their class status is associated with estimations of worth and legitimacy of membership. The intent was to answer the various ways in which class inequality is manifested and interpreted within an elite institutional context. Through her qualitative approach, the author provided substantial evidence that both students and colleges are engaged in the “semiotics of class morality—a process continuously in play through discourse and interaction” (p. 8). The book’s most important contribution to the field is an exploration of how class inequality emerges through interactions and is experienced by students. There is an abundance of scholarly research on elite colleges, most of which has focused on the admissions process and elite colleges’ contributions to social stratification. Lee provides novel insights into how low SES students manage the inequities they experience at an elite college. Higher education scholars and student affairs administrators will benefit from this in-depth analysis and the recommendations for supporting low SES students in elite colleges.
EARLY PERITONITIS AND ITS OUTCOME IN INCIDENT PERITONEAL DIALYSIS PATIENTS.

BACKGROUND Early-onset peritonitis is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and is associated with heightened risks of technique failure and death. The risk factors for early peritonitis and its outcomes are unknown. METHODS This registry study examined all incident Australian PD patients between 2003 and 2014. The primary outcome was early peritonitis, defined as onset within 12 months of starting therapy. Secondary outcomes were medical cure, relapse/recurrence, catheter removal, peritonitis-associated technique failure, and peritonitis-associated death. RESULTS Of 9,845 patients, 2,615 experienced 3,827 early-peritonitis episodes (0.50 episodes per patient-year). Early peritonitis was more common in patients who were male, obese, had a history of cigarette smoking or cerebrovascular disease, used continuous ambulatory PD, and had received prior renal replacement therapy for > 90 days. Remoteness was a risk modifier for the association between race and early peritonitis; remote Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Maori and Pacific Islander patients had the highest risk. Obese patients were more likely to achieve medical cure. Older patients were less likely to achieve cure and more likely to experience peritonitis-associated death. CONCLUSIONS In summary, several factors predicted early peritonitis in incident PD patients. Modified approaches to patient selection, training techniques, and prevention strategies should be considered in high-risk individuals.
New Evidence on Cyclical Variation in Labor Costs in the U.S

Employer-provided nonwage benefit expenditures now account for one-third of U.S. firms' labor costs. We show that a broad measure of real labor costs including such benefit expenditures has become countercyclical during 1982-2014, contrary to the conventional view that labor costs are procyclical. Using BLS establishment-job data, we find that even real wages, the main focus of prior literature, have become countercyclical. Benefit expenditures are less rigid than nominal wages, although both components of labor costs have become more rigid. These rigidities, along with the rising relative importance of aggregate demand shocks (including the financial crisis), help explain countercyclical labor costs.