Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in the management of bacterial brain abscesses: a review of 102 cases over 17 years.

The records of 102 patients with brain abscesses treated over 17 years were analyzed. In recent years, cardiac and pulmonary causes were less frequent, the abscesses were smaller, and fewer patients were in poor neurological condition. There has been no significant change in the type or number of infective organisms or in the number of abscesses during the study period. Computed tomographic brain scanning was the most important factor in reducing the mortality rate from 41% to 4%. The patients were grouped according to the treatment received: excision (n = 46), aspiration (n = 33), or nonsurgical therapy (n = 17). Patients treated nonsurgically were more likely to have smaller abscesses and multiple lesions than were patients in the other two groups. There were no significant differences in the morbidity or mortality rates between treatment groups. Patients whose abscesses were excised had a significantly shorter course of antibiotics than the other patients. Organisms were identified in 85% of the cultures from surgical specimens. The use of preoperative antibiotics was significantly associated with sterile cultures; 30% of patients who received antibiotics preoperatively had sterile cultures, compared with only 4% of patients who did not receive such treatment. The mortality rate among all treated patients (the diagnosis of brain abscess was missed in 6 patients before computed tomographic scanning became routine) was significantly related to the initial neurological grade and the size of the lesion but not to age, sex, or the number of abscesses. Four of the 8 treated patients who died had congenital cyanotic heart disease; an aggressive surgical approach is recommended for such patients. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
On blow-up "twistors" for the Navier--Stokes equations in $R^3$: a view from reaction-diffusion theory

Various formal blow-up scenarious for the Navier--Stokes equaitons in 3D are discussed. A particular interest is payed to "twistor mechanisms" based on angular logarithmic blow-up travelling waves, and to a formation of "blow-up tornado" about the singular stationary Slezkin--Landau solutions (1934--44) of a submerged jet. A survey on various related aspects of singularity analysis for nonlinear parabolic PDEs is enclosed.
Names in Chindali

This paper explores naming practices among speakers of Chindali (a Bantu language), including the act of naming, the selection of names, their significance and uses, as well as the impact of sociocultural changes on naming. The author uses data from an ongoing study gathered in Ileje, Rungwe and Mbozi districts in Tanzania. Members of Chindali-speaking communities bear at least five types of names: childhood names and associated praise names, personal names, clan names and clan praise names. Grandparents play an important role in the choice and bestowal of childhood names. Clan names are prescribed: they are transmitted from generation to generation through sons and signal common descent. Parents select personal names for their children but the latter may select others later in life. Childhood, personal and clan names have meanings, mainly linked to the circumstances of birth, and convey cultural and social values. Contact with other languages Kinyakyusa, English, Swahili and the migration of Chindali speakers to Rungwe and Mbozi districts have had impacts on naming practices. Chindali speakers have borrowed foreign names and nativized them and speakers of other languages have modified Chindali names. Clan names and associated praise names generally appear resistant to some of these changes.
Combined Id1 and Id3 Deletion Leads to Severe Erythropoietic Disturbances

The Inhibitor of DNA Binding (Id) proteins play a crucial role in regulating hematopoiesis and are known to interact with E proteins and the bHLH family of transcription factors. Current efforts seek to elucidate the individual roles of Id members in regulating hematopoietic development and specification. However, the nature of their functional redundancies remains elusive since ablation of multiple Id genes is embryonically lethal. We developed a model to test this compensation in the adult. We report that global Id3 ablation with Tie2Cre-mediated conditional ablation of Id1 in both hematopoietic and endothelial cells (Id cDKO) extends viability to 1 year but leads to multi-lineage hematopoietic defects including the emergence of anemia associated with defective erythroid development, a novel phenotype unreported in prior single Id knockout studies. We observe decreased cell counts in the bone marrow and splenomegaly to dimensions beyond what is seen in single Id knockout models. Transcriptional dysregulation of hematopoietic regulators observed in bone marrow cells is also magnified in the spleen. E47 protein levels were elevated in Id cDKO bone marrow cell isolates, but decreased in the erythroid lineage. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies reveal increased occupancy of E47 and GATA1 at the promoter regions of β-globin and E2A. Bone marrow transplantation studies highlight the importance of intrinsic Id signals in maintaining hematopoietic homeostasis while revealing a strong extrinsic influence in the development of anemia. Together, these findings demonstrate that loss of Id compensation leads to dysregulation of the hematopoietic transcriptional network and multiple defects in erythropoietic development in adult mice.
Contributions on Overlapping Generations models: Increasing Returns,Durable Goods and Optimality

This thesis has been written within the European Doctorate in Economics - Erasmus Mundus (EDEEM), with the purpose to obtain a joint doctorate degree in economics at the Department of Economics of Universite Paris 1-Pantheon Sorbonne and at the Department of Business Administration and Economics at Universitat Bielefeld
Pegylated interferon‐α2a kinetics during experimental haemodialysis: impact of permeability and pore size of dialysers

Background : Therapeutics in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) has to consider potential drug clearance during the dialysis procedure. Pegylated interferon‐α (PEG‐IFN‐α), a middle‐size protein drug active against viral hepatitis, allows convenient once‐weekly dosing due to prolonged plasma half‐life.
Rheb interacts with Raf-1 kinase and may function to integrate growth factor- and protein kinase A-dependent signals

Rheb is a recently described member of the Ras family that was originally identified as an immediate-early gene in brain but is also widely expressed in other tissues. Here we demonstrate that Rheb interacts with and appears to regulate Raf-1 kinase, an essential component of the H-Ras signaling pathway. In direct contrast to H-Ras, however, the interaction of Rheb with Raf-1 is potentiated by growth factors in combination with agents that increase cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels. Protein kinase A-dependent phosphorylation of serine 43 within the regulatory domain of Raf-1 reciprocally potentiates its interaction with Rheb and decreases its interaction with H-Ras. A single amino acid in the G2 effector domain is critical for the differential properties of Rheb. Since Rheb is an immediate-early gene, our studies suggest that Rheb functions in concert with H-Ras to dynamically integrate cAMP and growth factor signaling.
Second-Rate Citizens: Junian Latins and the Constitutio Antoniniana

The introduction of citizenship of the European Union in 1992 is mirrored by a famous grant of ‘universal’ citizenship by the Roman Emperor Caracalla in 212 AD. The similarity even extends to the 1997 clarification that European citizenship is complementary to national citizenship, an idea that is also found in earlier grants of Roman citizenship. Caracalla's grant is often held to cover (nearly) all inhabitants of the Roman world with the exception of slaves. However, there are reasons to believe it merely gave limited citizenship to a certain class of freedmen, the Junian Latins, who remained in a state of dependency vis-à-vis their former masters. In previous grants of citizenship or of other honorifics, Roman Emperors had been careful to safeguard existing rights and local identities, and it is quite likely that Caracalla's chancery followed legal precedent in drafting the ‘universal’ grant. This paper argues that the Constitutio Antoniniana could only succeed as an integrative force, uniting the Roman world under a common citizenship, by not upsetting the framework of Roman society.
Role of Ki-67, P53 and Bcl-2 in Advanced Colorectal Carcinoma (Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Study)

6 Abstract: Colorectal cancer accounts for about 10% of all cancers and it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death globally. It is the second leading cause of death from malignancy in the industrialized world. Environmental and genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. The aim of the study is to perform a complex morphologic investigation on a series of adenocarcinomas with colonic and rectal location, with comparison of immunohistochemical profiles of ki-67, P53 and bcl-2 markers and evaluation of the predictive value of the investigated markers. This study included 30 archival cases of cancer colon. 14 cases from the right colon, 5 cases from the left colon,7 cases from the sigmoid colon, 1 case from rectosigmoid and 3 cases from the rectum. Immnunohistochemical study of the cases using P53, Ki-67 and bcl-2 antibodies was performed. The immunohistochemical evaluation of Ki-67, P53 and bcl-2 yields refined information on colorectal tumor biology with statistically significant relations with tumor grade and stage. This information could be integrated with the clinical and biologic tumoral framework for good assessment of the studied cases.
Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics Systematic Mistakes in the Mortgage Market and Lack of Financial Sophistication

Institutions often offer a menu of contracts to consumers in an attempt to create a separating equilibrium that reveals borrower types and provides better pricing. We test the effectiveness of a specific set of contracts in the mortgage market: mortgage points. Points allow borrowers to exchange an upfront amount for a decrease in the mortgage rate. We document that, on average, points takers lose about $700. Also, points takers are less financially savvy (less educated, older), and they make mistakes on other dimensions (e.g., inefficiently refinancing their mortgages). Overall, our results show that borrowers overestimate how long they will stay with the mortgage.
Osmotolerant yeast species differ in basic physiological parameters and in tolerance of non‐osmotic stresses

Osmotolerance is the ability to grow in an environment with a high osmotic pressure. In this study we compared the physiological parameters and tolerance to osmotic and non‐osmotic stresses of three osmotolerant yeast species, Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia farinosa (sorbitophila) and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, with those of wild‐type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although the osmotolerant species did not differ significantly in their basic parameters, such as cell size or growth capacity, they had different abilities to survive anhydrobiosis, potassium limitation or the presence of toxic cationic drugs. When their osmotolerance was compared, the results revealed that some of the species isolated as sugar/polyol‐tolerant (e.g. P. farinosa) are also highly tolerant to salts and, vice versa, some strains isolated from an environment with high concentration of salt (e.g. Z. rouxii ATCC 42981) tolerate high concentrations of sugars. None of the tested strains and species was osmophilic. Taken together, our results showed that P. farinosa (sorbitophila) is the most robust species when coping with various stresses, while Z. rouxii CBS 732, although osmotolerant in general, is not specifically salt‐tolerant and is quite sensitive to most of the tested stress conditions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rising alcohol consumption and a high prevalence of problem drinking in black men and women in Cape Town: the CRIBSA study

Background To determine the prevalence and determinants of problematic alcohol use (CAGE ≥2) in 25–74-year-old black population in Cape Town in 2008/2009 and examine the changes in self-reported alcohol consumption between 1990 and 2008/2009 in 25–64-year-olds. Methods In 2008/2009, a representative cross-sectional sample, stratified for age and sex, was randomly selected from the same townships sampled in 1990. Socio-demographic characteristics, the ability to cope with psychosocial stress (sense of coherence) and adverse life events were determined. Ordinal logistic regression analysis assessed the determinants of problem drinking. Results There were 1099 participants, 392 men and 707 women, in 2008/2009. Prevalence of alcohol consumption in 2008/2009 (men: 68.5%, 95% CI 62.7 to 73.7; women: 27.4%, 95% CI 23.7 to 31.5) was higher than in 1990 (men: 56.7%, women: 15.1%). Prevalence of problem drinking was significantly higher in men (49.7%, 95% CI 44.6 to 54.9) than in women (18.1% 95% CI 15.3 to 21.2) (p<0.001). In men, greater alcohol use was associated with >7 years of education (p=0.012), being unemployed compared with employed (p=0.008) and coping poorly with stress (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05, p=0.042), and in women with spending more than half their life in the city (p<0.001) and coping poorly with stress (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04, p=0.039). The odds for greater alcohol use with increasing number of adverse life events, after adjusting for the other factors, was significant in men (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.19, p=0.010) and women (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.16, p=0.005). Conclusions Problem drinking is a major problem in this population and requires urgent interventions to curtail the misuse.
Potential net clinical benefit of population-wide implementation of apixaban and dabigatran among European patients with atrial fibrillation

Summary Vitamin K antagonists (e.g. warfarin) are commonly underutilised, due to limitations such as the need for monitoring, in high-risk atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. We therefore aimed to model the potential impact on clinical outcomes in patients with AF with the use of the novel oral anticoagulant (OAC) drugs, apixaban and dabigatran. We identified all high-risk (CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥2) patients with non-valvular AF and known one-year follow-up from the EuroHeart Survey on AF (EHS-AF). We modelled the expected numbers of clinical events on the novel OACs using published hazard ratios from their respective phase 3 clinical trials and calculated the numbers needed to treat and the mathematical net clinical benefit. Our analysis included 3,400 patients [39% females; mean (SD) age 67 (12) years; CHA2DS2-VASc score 3.0 (1.8)] of which 330 were excluded from the modelling analysis due to concomitant use of OAC and antiplatelet drugs. During one-year follow- up, 108 (3.2%) patients experienced thromboembolism, 51 (1.5%) major bleeds and 146 (4.3%) died. Compared to current treatments (i.e. warfarin, aspirin or nothing) the use of apixaban in highrisk patients would have potentially prevented an additional 17 deaths, 27 strokes and eight major bleeds within this cohort. With use of dabigatran 150 mg BID, 34 strokes could have been prevented and for dabigatran110 mg BID, 16 strokes and six major bleeds would be avoided. Extrapolation of the data from the EHS-AF to the whole of Europe would translate into the prevention of an additional 64,573 major cardiovascular events and deaths each year among patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2, by the use of apixaban, 43,235 with the use of dabigatran 150 mg bid and 27,272 with the use of dabigatran 110 mg bid. In conclusion, based on this modelling exercise, the utilisation of apixaban and dabigatran for thromboprophylaxis could provide a profound annual mathematical net clinical benefit on stroke and major bleeds, in European AF patients. Note: The editorial process for this paper was fully handled by Prof. C. Weber, Editor in Chief.
GPI‐anchored proteins: now you see ’em, now you don’t

Many cell surface proteins are attached to membranes via covalent glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors that are posttranslationally linked to the carboxy‐terminus of the protein. Removal of the GPI lipid moieties by enzymes such as GPI‐specific phospholipases or by chemical treatments generates a soluble form of the protein that no longer associates with lipid bilayers. We have found that the removal of lipid moieties from the anchor can also have a second, unexpected effect on the antigenicity of a variety of GPI‐anchored surface molecules, suggesting that they undergo major conformational changes. Several antibodies raised against GPI‐anchored proteins from protozoa and mammalian cells were no longer capable of binding the corresponding antigens once the lipid moieties had been removed. Conversely, antibodies raised against soluble (delipidated) forms reacted poorly with intact GPI‐anchored proteins, but showed enhanced binding after treatment with phospholipases. In the light of these findings, we have reevaluated a number of publications on GPI‐anchored proteins. Many of the results are best explained by lipid‐dependent changes in antigenicity, indicating this might be a widespread phenomenon. Since many pathogen surface proteins are GPI‐anchored, researchers should be aware that the presence or absence of the GPI lipid moieties may have a major impact on the host immune response to infection or vaccination. —Bütikofer, P., Malherbe, T. , Boschung, M. , Roditi, I. GPI‐anchored proteins: now you see 'em, now you don't. FASEB J. 15, 545–548 (2001)
A comparative study of agricultural literacy of urban vs. rural third and fourth graders: before and after an agricultural program

Agricultural literacy is an important part of education in the United States. Public and policy maker understanding of agricultural and natural resources is a national research priority set forth by the American Association for Agricultural Education. The purpose of this study was to discover the level of agricultural literacy with third and fourth grade students in an urban area compared to students in a rural area before and after an agricultural program. Due to the ever increasing urban population students in today’s world do not have the knowledge to be conversationally literate about agriculture. Agricultural programs have been put into place to help teach students about agriculture. This study employed a pretest and posttest, based upon the Food and Fiber Systems Literacy Framework, to determine if students were gaining agricultural knowledge through the Kids & Kows & More program. Data was compared to measure students’ agricultural knowledge before and after the agricultural program. Overall, findings indicate that students do increase their knowledge from before to after an agricultural program. It was also found that urban students had a higher mean score on both the pretest and posttest. The study concluded that students involved in agricultural programs do increase their knowledge of agriculture through the teaching and experiential learning involved. Also, the study concluded that urban students have a higher level of agricultural literacy than rural students.
The prodomain of BMP4 is necessary and sufficient to generate stable BMP4/7 heterodimers with enhanced bioactivity in vivo

Significance Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are made as inactive precursor proteins that dimerize and are cleaved to generate a bioactive ligand along with prodomain fragments that lack signaling activity. BMP ligands signal as either homodimers, or as heterodimers that display significantly higher activity in vivo. Recombinant homodimeric BMP ligands are used clinically to stimulate bone healing, but this requires supraphysiological doses due to the short half-life of the implanted protein. The current studies demonstrate that properties intrinsic to the BMP4 prodomain contribute to the formation and activity of BMP homodimers and heterodimers in vivo. Understanding how the prodomain regulates the activity of the ligand when it is made in vivo may lead to changes in the way BMP ligands are used clinically. Bone morphogenetic proteins 4 and 7 (BMP4 and BMP7) are morphogens that signal as either homodimers or heterodimers to regulate embryonic development and adult homeostasis. BMP4/7 heterodimers exhibit markedly higher signaling activity than either homodimer, but the mechanism underlying the enhanced activity is unknown. BMPs are synthesized as inactive precursors that dimerize and are then cleaved to generate both the bioactive ligand and prodomain fragments, which lack signaling activity. Our study reveals a previously unknown requirement for the BMP4 prodomain in promoting heterodimer activity. We show that BMP4 and BMP7 precursor proteins preferentially or exclusively form heterodimers when coexpressed in vivo. In addition, we show that the BMP4 prodomain is both necessary and sufficient for generation of stable heterodimeric ligands with enhanced activity and can enable homodimers to signal in a context in which they normally lack activity. Our results suggest that intrinsic properties of the BMP4 prodomain contribute to the relative bioactivities of homodimers versus heterodimers in vivo. These findings have clinical implications for the use of BMPs as regenerative agents for the treatment of bone injury and disease.
Quantifying and valuing post-consumer food waste in South Africa

Food waste is problematic on a number of levels; including the loss of a potentially valuable food source or resource for use in other processes; wasted resources and emissions in the food supply chain; and problems associated with the disposal of organic waste to landfill. We quantify the post-consumer food waste stream in South Africa, in order to bring attention to the magnitude of the problem. In addition, we estimate the economic value of the wasted food, as well as the costs associated with disposing putrescible food waste to landfill; in order to highlight the associated costs to society. Costs associated with the loss of a potentially valuable food source are valued using a weighted average market price of the wasted food. Costs associated with the disposal of food waste to landfill are estimated based on per-unit financial and external costs for landfilling estimated in previous work. In total, the costs to society associated with these two food-waste related problems are estimated at approximately R32.5 billion (approximately US$4 billion) per annum, or 1.22% of annual GDP. These costs are significant, particularly considering that food waste (as well as resource use and emissions) at pre-consumer stages of the food supply chain, which is where the majority of food waste occurs in developing countries, are ignored.