Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A stock-flow consistent framework for the analysis of stranded assets and the transition to a low carbon economy.

This dissertation presents a stock-flow consistent (SFC) model with an integrated input-output (IO) model for the study of the economic mechanisms by which capital assets might be stranded in the fossil fuel extraction and energy generation sectors. It assesses the major macroeconomic and financial implications of both capital asset stranding in these sectors and different transitions to a low carbon economy. The model is that of a pure credit economy that consists of three firm sectors, two household sectors and a banking sector. The three firm sectors are a fossil fuel energy sector (the ‘brown’ sector), a renewable energy sector (the ‘green’ sector), and a firm sector that produces non-energy goods (the ‘other’ sector). The two household sectors are an ‘ethical’ household sector and a ‘normal’ household sector. The model is used to investigate a number of claims from the stranded assets literature regarding the effects of different types of transitions to a low carbon economy (slow, fast, anticipated and unanticipated) and different changes in market conditions (due to changes in policy, financing conditions, technology or social norms). The results of the transition simulations support a number of the arguments made in the stranded assets literature, namely that faster transitions and unanticipated transitions are likely to strand more assets and have more disruptive effects on financial markets than slower transitions and anticipated transitions. The results of the market conditions simulations suggest that changes in market conditions that affect the real side of the economy are likely to lead to larger effects on demand and asset stranding than changes in market conditions that primarily affect firms’ borrowing costs. In addition, these simulations suggest that changes in market conditions are unlikely to have a large effect on the demand for different types of energy (and therefore on stranding) unless renewable energy becomes a close substitute for fossil fuel energy.
Identification of novel microRNA targets based on microRNA signatures in bladder cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate protein‐coding genes. To identify miRNAs that have a tumor suppressive function in bladder cancer (BC), 156 miRNAs were screened in 14 BCs, 5 normal bladder epithelium (NBE) samples and 3 BC cell lines. We identified a subset of 7 miRNAs (miR‐145, miR‐30a‐3p, miR‐133a, miR‐133b, miR‐195, miR‐125b and miR‐199a*) that were significantly downregulated in BCs. To confirm these results, 104 BCs and 31 NBEs were subjected to real‐time RT‐PCR‐based experiments, and the expression levels of each miRNA were significantly downregulated in BCs (p < 0.0001 in all). Receiver‐operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the expression levels of these miRNAs had good sensitivity (>70%) and specificity (>75%) to distinguish BC from NBE. Our target search algorithm and gene‐expression profiling in BCs (Kawakami et al., Oncol Rep 2006;16:521–31) revealed that Keratin7 (KRT7) mRNA was a common target of the downregulated miRNAs, and the mRNA expression levels of KRT7 were significantly higher in BCs than in NBEs (p = 0.0004). Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed significant inverse correlations between KRT7 mRNA expression and each downregulated miRNA (p < 0.0001 in all). Gain‐of‐function analysis revealed that KRT7 mRNA was significantly reduced by transfection of 3 miRNAs (miR‐30‐3p, miR‐133a and miR‐199a*) in the BC cell line (KK47). In addition, significant decreases in cell growth were observed after transfection of 3 miRNAs and si‐KRT7 in KK47, suggesting that miR‐30‐3p, miR‐133a and miR‐199a* may have a tumor suppressive function through the mechanism underlying transcriptional repression of KRT7. © 2009 UICC
Pulmonary Fibrosis on High-Resolution CT of Patients With Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis.

OBJECTIVE The CT findings of pulmonary fibrosis in patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) are not yet well defined. The objective of this study was to evaluate the CT findings of PAP with a focus on pulmonary fibrosis secondary to PAP. MATERIALS AND METHODS High-resolution CT (HRCT) scans of 44 patients with PAP were evaluated retrospectively with a focus on pulmonary fibrosis: 33 patients had autoimmune PAP, and 11 patients had secondary PAP. The intervals between the initial and last CT examinations ranged from 1 to 284 months (median, 60 months). The HRCT images were assessed by two chest radiologists independently; when the two radiologists disagreed, a final decision was made by consensus. RESULTS A crazy-paving pattern was a more common HRCT finding in patients with autoimmune PAP than in those with secondary PAP. Traction bronchiectasis was found in four patients (9%) on the initial scans and in 10 patients (23%) on the last scans. There was no honeycombing on the initial scans. Honeycombing developed in two patients (5%): It was detected on 2-year follow-up in one patient and on 6-year follow-up in the other patient. Among the patients with autoimmune PAP, those with fibrosis detected on HRCT during follow-up had a worse prognosis than those without fibrosis detected on HRCT (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION Fibrosis develops in approximately 20% of patients with PAP. The CT findings of parenchymal fibrosis suggest a poor outcome.
Fetal Injury Associated With Cesarean Delivery

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and type of fetal injury identified in women undergoing cesarean delivery. METHODS: Between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2000, a prospective cohort study of all cesarean deliveries was conducted at 13 university centers. Information regarding maternal and infant outcomes was abstracted directly from hospital charts. RESULTS: A total of 37,110 cesarean deliveries were included in the registry, and 418 (1.1%) had an identified fetal injury. The most common injury was skin laceration (n=272, 0.7%). Other injuries included cephalohematoma (n=88), clavicular fracture (n=11), brachial plexus (n=9), skull fracture (n=6), and facial nerve palsy (n=11). Among primary cesarean deliveries, deliveries with a failed forceps or vacuum attempt had the highest rate of injuries (6.9%). In women with a prior cesarean delivery, the highest rate of injury also occurred in the unsuccessful trial of forceps or vacuum (1.7%), and the lowest rate occurred in the elective repeat cesarean group (0.5%). The type of uterine incision was associated with fetal injury, 3.4% “T” or “J” incision, 1.4% for vertical incision, and 1.1% for a low transverse (P=.003), as was a skin incision–to–delivery time of 3 minutes or less. Fetal injury did not vary in frequency with the type of skin incision, preterm delivery, maternal body mass index, or infant birth weight greater than 4,000 g. CONCLUSION: Fetal injuries complicate 1.1% of cesarean deliveries. The frequency of fetal injury at cesarean delivery varies with the indication for surgery as well as with the duration of the skin incision–to–delivery interval and the type of uterine incision. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-3
Population sizes and dispersal pattern of tsetse flies: rolling on the river?

The West African trypanosomoses are mostly transmitted by riverine species of tsetse fly. In this study, we estimate the dispersal and population size of tsetse populations located along the Mouhoun river in Burkina Faso where tsetse habitats are experiencing increasing fragmentation caused by human encroachment. Dispersal estimated through direct (mark and recapture) and indirect (genetic isolation by distance) methods appeared consistent with one another. In these fragmented landscapes, tsetse flies displayed localized, small subpopulations with relatively short effective dispersal. We discuss how such information is crucial for designing optimal strategies for eliminating this threat. To estimate ecological parameters of wild animal populations, the genetic measures are both a cost‐ and time‐effective alternative to mark–release–recapture. They can be applied to other vector‐borne diseases of medical and/or economic importance.
Everyday Market Helping Behavior

Research in marketing includes many examples of consumers helping other consumers. However, most research has studied helping behavior from the recipients’ perspective by examining the use of personal sources of information. Consequently, very little is known about the prevalence of market helping or why market helpers provide assistance. The authors examine the incidence of a variety of everyday market helping activities and identify a few key antecedents of market helping behavior. The results of a study of 302 heads of household confirm significant relationships between market helping and two hypothesized predictors: general altruism and marketplace involvement. The market maven construct is shown to mediate completely the relationship of these predictors with market helping behavior. The authors discuss the implications of the results for public policymakers and consumer welfare.
Glycosaminoglycan concentration in synovium and other tissues of rabbit knee in relation to synovial hydraulic resistance.

1. The hydraulic resistance of the synovial lining of a joint, a key coupling coefficient in synovial fluid turnover, is thought to depend on the concentration of biopolymers (glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen) in the synovial intercellular spaces, because these polymers create hydraulic drag. The primary aim of this study was to obtain microscopically separated, milligram samples of the very thin synovium from eight rabbit knees, and to analyse these quantitatively for GAGs (chondroitin sulphate, heparan sulphate and hyaluronan) and collagen to allow comparison with published hydraulic resistance data. Synovial fluid and femoral cartilage were also studied. 2. Synovium comprised 73 +/‐ 3% water by weight (mean +/‐ S.E.M.). Of the 270 mg solid per gram of wet tissue, protein formed 136 mg (by automated amino acid analysis), and of this 94 mg was collagen by hydroxyproline analysis. From the collagen mass and fibril volume fraction (0.153 of tissue by morphometry), fibrillar specific volume was calculated to be 1.43 ml per gram of molecular collagen, and fibril water content 47% by volume. 3. The concentration of chondroitin 4‐sulphate (C4S) plus chondroitin 6‐sulphate (C6S), measured by capillary zone electrophoresis was 0.55 mg per gram of synovium‐‐much greater than in synovial fluid (0.04 mg g‐1) and much less than in cartilage (27.8 mg g‐1). The C4S/C6S ratio in synovium (7.3) differed from that in cartilage (0.7), indicating that different proteoglycans predominated in synovium. The heparan sulphate concentration, assayed by radioactive Ruthenium Red binding, was 0.92 mg per gram of synovium (synovial fluid, 0.08 mg g‐1; cartilage, 0.72 mg g‐1). 4. In contrast to sulphated GAGs, the hyaluronan concentration was highest in synovial fluid (3.53 mg g‐1; biotinylated G1 domain binding assay). The concentration in synovial interstitium was only 0.56 mg g‐1 (corrected for interstitial volume fraction, 0.66), even though there is open contact between synovial interstitium and synovial fluid. This may be due to exclusion or washout. 5. Total GAG mass was approximately 4 mg per gram of synovial interstitium. A model of trans‐synovial flow indicated that a uniform GAG concentration of 4 mg g‐1 is less than 1/3rd of that required to explain the experimental estimate of synovial hydraulic resistance. Errors in the resistance estimate do not appear to be large enough to resolve the problem. It is possible, therefore, that additional polymeric material in the interstitium, such as glycoproteins and proteoglycan core protein, may contribute to the hydraulic resistance.
Absence of glucose transporter 4 diminishes electrical activity of mouse hearts during hypoxia

• What is the central question of this study? The aim of this study was to examine quantitatively whether glucose transporter 4 deficiency leads to more severe alterations in cardiac electrical activity during cardiac stress. • What is the main finding and what is its importance? When compared with hearts from corresponding control littermates, the measured epicardial potentials from the surface of cardiac‐selective glucose transporter 4‐ablated mouse hearts during hypoxia showed the following differences: (i) significant decreases in the maximal downstroke of the potentials; (ii) increased activation time; and (iii) greater alterations in the activation sequence.
Autoantigen Recognition Is Required for Recruitment of IGRP206–214-Autoreactive CD8+ T Cells but Is Dispensable for Tolerance

The progression of autoimmune responses is associated with an avidity maturation process driven by preferential expansion of high avidity clonotypes at the expense of their low avidity counterparts. Central and peripheral tolerance hinder the contribution of high-avidity clonotypes targeting residues 206–214 of islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein (IGRP206–214) during the earliest stages of autoimmune diabetes. In this study, we probe the molecular determinants and biochemical consequences of IGRP206–214/Kd recognition by high-, intermediate-, and low-avidity autoreactive CD8+ T cells, and we investigate the effects of genetic IGRP206–214 silencing on their developmental biology. We find that differences in avidity for IGRP206–214/Kd map to CDR1α and are associated with quantitative differences in CD3ε proline-rich sequence exposure and Nck recruitment. Unexpectedly, we find that tolerance of high-avidity CD8+ T cells, unlike their activation and recruitment into the pancreas, is dissociated from recognition of IGRP206–214, particularly in adult mice. This finding challenges the view that tolerance of pathogenic autoreactive T cells is invariably triggered by recognition of the peptide–MHC complex that drives their activation in the periphery, indicating the existence of mechanisms of tolerance that are capable of sensing the avidity, hence pathogenicity of autoreactive T cells without the need to rely on local autoantigen availability.
Endometrial scratching for women with previous IVF failure undergoing IVF treatment

Abstract The purpose of this study was to find out whether endometrial scratching could improve live birth rate in women with previous IVF failure undergoing fresh IVF cycle. In a randomized controlled trial, 387women with previous IVF failure were divided into two groups. Group A (193 women) was subjected to endometrial biopsy procedure twice. Group B (194 women) was subjected to a placebo procedure. Our results showed no difference in live birth rate between the two groups of women (47.2% versus 38.1%, p = 0.08). However, regression analysis revealed that endometrial scratching was an independent predictor of live birth in the subgroup of women with two or more previous failure after control of other independent predictors (odds ratio (OR) 3.4, p = 0.005). We conclude that endometrial scratching does not improve live birth rate in women undergoing IVF treatment with previous one IVF failure. Nevertheless, it may improve live birth in women with two or more previous IVF failures.
Molecular interactions of neural chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in the brain development.

Aggrecan family proteoglycans, phosphacan/RPTPzeta/beta, and neuroglycan C (NGC) are the major classes of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan in the developing mammalian brain. A multidomain is a common structural feature of these proteoglycans which can interact with various molecules including growth factors, cell adhesion molecules, and extracellular matrix molecules. Individual proteoglycans are distributed in the developing brain in a distinct temporal and spatial pattern, suggesting that they are involved in distinct phases of the brain development through multiple molecular interactions. This review mainly summarizes recent studies on the involvement of these three classes of proteoglycan in cell-cell and cell-substratum interactions during the brain development. Their expressions and proposed functional roles in injured brains are also mentioned. In addition, this review briefly covers potential functions of other neural chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans such as decorin, testican, NG2 proteoglycan, and amyloid precursor protein (APP) in developing and injured brains.
Characteristics of stroke in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND Stroke is a common neurological disorder that is encountered in most hospitals in both developed and developing countries. This two-year study was designed to show the characteristics of the problem at the King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHOD This was a prospective study of all Saudi stroke patients admitted to the medical wards in the study period. All patients were assessed individually by one of the two available neurologists. Data was collected on pre-designed protocol, and analysis was performed using tables and figures, and EpiInfo A(R) computer software. RESULTS The 329 Saudi patients studied fulfilled the criteria for stroke. The male:female ratio of the patients was 1:1, and their ages ranged between 42 and 92 years (mean 62.8+/-11.1) for males, and between 20 and 100 years (mean 59.6+/-15.4) for females. The relative frequencies of stroke subtypes were ischemic infarcts (79%), of which 46% were lacunar infarcts, intracerebral hemorrhage (18.8%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (2.2%). The most common risk factor was concomitant hypertension with diabetes mellitus (40.4%), hypertension alone (24.9%), diabetes alone (11.6%), atrial fibrillation (5.8%), other cardiac factors (5.5%), transient ischemic attack (TIA) and prior stroke (2.1% each), and smoking (1.8%). No risk factor was detected in 5.8% of the patients. The overall in-hospital mortality was 10.0%, with a significant male preponderance. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that stroke is a common neurological condition in the Al-Hassa region of the Kingdom. The male:female ratio was dissimilar from that observed in other parts of Saudi Arabia. The study also showed that hypertension with diabetes constituted a potent risk factor. Sickle cell anemia was not found to be a risk factor. The case fatality was low and both the incidence and mortality showed seasonal preference. We believe that there is a need to establish a Stroke Register at the King Fahad Hospital at Hofuf for the Al-Hassa region.
The Role of Pharmacies in the Care of Drug Users: What Has Changed in Ten Years

This article assesses changes over 10 years in the role of pharmacies in the care of drug misusers – needle/syringe provision and methadone treatment supervision – in the Swiss French-speaking Canton of Vaud (636,000 inhabitants, 238 pharmacies). A review of data collected in four surveys (1991, 1994, 1996, 2003) on the provision of sterile material (and methadone treatment supervision in 2003) including all the pharmacists of the Canton of Vaud was conducted, as well as a review of data of the monitoring of needle exchange programmes introduced since 1996 in this canton, and of methadone treatment statistics. In 2003, interviews with pharmacists complemented the survey. Pharmacies play an important role in the ‘frontline’ services to drug misusers: the provision of needles/syringes to drug users by pharmacies remains important in spite of a decrease in the provision of sterile material by them since the advent of needle exchange programmes, and they are included in the supervision of two thirds of the methadone treatments. However, they do not feel integrated enough in the network of care to drug misusers and ask for more training and better recognition of their role.
Potential medicinal plants for CNS disorders: an overview

Although very few drugs are currently approved by regulatory authorities for treating multi‐factorial ailments and disorders of cognition such as Alzheimer's disease, certain plant‐derived agents, including, for example, galantamine and rivastigmine (a semi‐synthetic derivative of physostigmine) are finding an application in modern medicine. However, in Ayurveda, the Indian traditional system of medicine which is more than 5000 years old, selected plants have long been classified as ‘medhya rasayanas’, from the Sanskrit words ‘medhya’, meaning intellect or cognition, and ‘rasayana’, meaning ‘rejuvenation’. These plants are used both in herbal and conventional medicine and offer benefits that pharmaceutical drugs lack. In the present article, an attempt has been made to review the most important medicinal plants, including Ginkgo biloba, St John's wort, Kava‐kava, Valerian, Bacopa monniera and Convolvulus pluricaulis, which are widely used for their reputed effectiveness in CNS disorders. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lipoprotein Lipase Enhances the Binding of Native and Oxidized Low Density Lipoproteins to Versican and Biglycan Synthesized by Cultured Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells*

Retention of low density lipoproteins (LDL) by vascular proteoglycans and their subsequent oxidation are important in atherogenesis. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) can bind LDL and proteoglycans, although the effect of different proteoglycans to influence the ability of LPL to act as a bridge in the formation of LDL-proteoglycan complexes is unknown. Using an electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay, [35S]SO4-labeled versican and biglycan, two extracellular proteoglycans secreted by vascular cells, bound native LDL in a saturable fashion. The addition of bovine milk LPL dose-dependently increased the binding of native LDL to both versican and biglycan, approaching saturation at 30–40 μg/ml LPL for versican and 20 μg/ml LPL for biglycan. LDL was oxidized by several methods, including copper, 2,2-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane)-2HCl and hypochlorite. Extensively copper- and hypochlorite-oxidized LDL bound poorly to versican and biglycan. Proteoglycan binding to LDL was correlated inversely with the extent of LDL; however, the addition of LPL to oxidized LDL together with biglycan or versican allowed the oxidized LDL to bind the proteoglycans in an LPL dose-dependent manner. Addition of LPL had a greater relative effect on the binding of extensively oxidized LDL to proteoglycans compared with native LDL. LPL had a slightly greater effect on increasing the binding of native and oxidized LDL to biglycan than versican. Thus, LPL in the artery wall might increase the atherogenicity of oxidized LDL, since it enables its binding to vascular biglycan and versican.
Sex-Specific Predictors of Suicidality Among Runaway Youth

Examined predictors of suicidality (ideation and attempts) among 348 adolescent runways (197 boys; 56% African American; M age =16) using sex-specific models that tested the impact of the three domains of the Social Action Model: individual characteristics, interpersonal influences, and life events. Twenty-five percent of the girls and 14% of the boys had attempted suicide at least once. Male suicidality was mainly predicted by individual characteristics: identifying as gay, emotional distress, fewer conduct problems, and avoidant reasons for drug use. The interpersonal influence of suicidal friends also predicted suicidality. Variables from all three domains influenced girls: individual characteristics of lower age, lower self-esteem, and emotional distress; interpersonal influence of suicidal friends; and life events of having lived on the streets and assaults. Findings suggest some sex-specific interventions, but decreasing emotional distress and lessening the influence of suicidal friends may be useful for both boys and girls.