Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the land resource–food price nexus of the Sustainable Development Goals

Researchers apply an economic model to trade-offs facing the UN’s ambitious Sustainable Development Goals agenda. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for a comprehensive new approach to development rooted in planetary boundaries, equity, and inclusivity. The wide scope of the SDGs will necessitate unprecedented integration of siloed policy portfolios to work at international, regional, and national levels toward multiple goals and mitigate the conflicts that arise from competing resource demands. In this analysis, we adopt a comprehensive modeling approach to understand how coherent policy combinations can manage trade-offs among environmental conservation initiatives and food prices. Our scenario results indicate that SDG strategies constructed around Sustainable Consumption and Production policies can minimize problem-shifting, which has long placed global development and conservation agendas at odds. We conclude that Sustainable Consumption and Production policies (goal 12) are most effective at minimizing trade-offs and argue for their centrality to the formulation of coherent SDG strategies. We also find that alternative socioeconomic futures—mainly, population and economic growth pathways—generate smaller impacts on the eventual achievement of land resource–related SDGs than do resource-use and management policies. We expect that this and future systems analyses will allow policy-makers to negotiate trade-offs and exploit synergies as they assemble sustainable development strategies equal in scope to the ambition of the SDGs.
Retracted: Additive antitumor effects of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib (Iressa), and the nonsteroidal antiandrogen, bicalutamide (Casodex), in prostate cancer cells in vitro

Progression from an androgen‐dependent to an androgen‐independent state often occurs in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) who undergo hormonal therapy. We have investigated whether inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway affects the antitumor effect of a nonsteroidal antiandrogen. Gefitinib (Iressa), an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and bicalutamide (Casodex), a nonsteroidal antiandrogen [androgen receptor (AR) antagonist], were administered alone and in combination to AR‐positive human PCa cell lines. FACS analysis showed lower EGFR expression levels on AR‐positive cells (LNCaP, CWR22, CWR22R 2152 and AR‐transfected DU145 cell lines) compared with AR‐negative cells (DU145, PC3 and TSU‐Pr1). Moreover, in AR‐transfected DU145 cells, chronic treatment with bicalutamide increased EGFR expression to levels similar to androgen‐independent DU145 cells. All AR‐positive PCa cell lines were sensitive to gefitinib (IC50 = 0.1–0.6 μM), whereas higher concentrations of bicalutamide were needed to reduce AR‐positive PCa cell line proliferation (IC50 = 0.8–2.0 μM). Low doses of gefitinib increased the antitumor effects of bicalutamide by strongly reducing the IC50 of bicalutamide (approximately 10‐fold). Similarly, bicalutamide increased the antiproliferative effects of gefitinib by reducing the IC50 of gefitinib (approximately 5‐fold). Taken together, our data suggest that in androgen‐dependent cell lines, addition of gefitinib in combination with bicalutamide results in concurrent dual inhibition of AR and EGFR/HER2 pathways. This causes a significant delay in the onset of EGFR‐driven androgen independence. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tobacco use measurement, prediction, and intervention in elementary schools in four states: the CATCH Study.

BACKGROUND The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) is a multistate field trial examining the effects of school environment, classroom curricula, and family intervention components in promoting the cardiovascular health of elementary school students. The purpose of this paper is to describe the CATCH tobacco use intervention and measurement, including the adoption of tobacco-free school policies. METHODS In this study, changes in school tobacco use policies and smoking experimentation among students were assessed. Smoking experimentation was measured in all CATCH schools when the students were in their fifth-grade year. A total of 6,527 subjects in 96 schools in California, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas answered questions about behaviors and potential correlates of smoking as part of the CATCH health behavior questionnaire in Spring 1994. School tobacco use policy, an important complement to classroom- and home-based prevention efforts, was promoted as part of the CATCH intervention. The degree to which such policy was implemented was measured using surveys of school officials. RESULTS At the end of fifth grade, only 4.8% of the subjects indicated that they had experimented with tobacco. School intervention condition was not a factor in the prediction of experimentation. Those whose best friend or sibling smoked, or who had ready access to cigarettes in the home, were more likely to have experimented with smoking. In the 3 years of the study, the percentages of tobacco-free schools went up from 49.7 to 76.8%. Though differences in the rate of policy adoption could not be directly attributed to the CATCH intervention, the implementation of the tobacco-free schools' policies did vary substantially from state to state. Minnesota and Texas, with stronger state laws supporting local policy, had nearly completely smoke-free schools. In spite of a statewide tobacco control initiative, California was slower to implement school policies. Louisiana, which allows local decision making regarding smoking policy, had the most difficulty establishing a policy for all districts. CONCLUSION Future studies should examine the impact of parallel policy interventions that are ongoing at both school and state levels. Tobacco-free policies appear to be a crucial part of school-based interventions and must be tailored to political and regional factors affecting a given school district.
Sacar La Voz: A Manifesto For My Latinx Peers

This thesis was originally concerned with the use of expressive arts therapy with Latinx survivors of domestic violence. As the author carried out the review of literature, she began to encounter fundamental issues in the way that the Latinx community is approached in research. Instead of carrying out a traditional review of literature, the author approached the literature through three main questions: "Who is the research about? ," "Who is the research by? ,” and "Who is the research for? " Reductive generalizations, missing information, and disempowering assumptions were found. These problematic realities are presented as symptomatic of larger systemic issues, which the author connects to her experiences in formal education, as well as to relevant personal and professional experiences. The paper concludes by exhorting mental health counselors and expressive arts therapists to give up the idea of being apolitical because trauma work, especially with those experiencing compounded marginalization, is inherently political.
Why do physicians prescribe dialysis? A prospective questionnaire study

Introduction The incidence of unplanned dialysis initiation (DI) with consequent increased comorbidity, mortality and reduced modality choice remains high, but the optimal timing of dialysis initiation (DI) remains controversial, and there is a lack of studies of specific reasons for DI. We investigated why and when physicians prescribe dialysis and hypothesized that physician motivation for DI is an independent factor which may have clinical consequences. Methods In the Peridialysis study, an ongoing multicenter prospective study assessing the causes and timing of DI and consequences of unplanned dialysis, physicians in 11 hospitals were asked to describe their primary, secondary and further reasons for prescribing DI. The stated reasons for DI were analyzed in relation to clinical and biochemical data at DI, and characteristics of physicians. Results In 446 patients (median age 67 years; 38% females; diabetes 25.6%), DI was prescribed by 84 doctors who stated 23 different primary reasons for DI. The primary indication was clinical in 63% and biochemical in 37%; 23% started for life-threatening conditions. Reduced renal function accounted for only 19% of primary reasons for DI but was a primary or contributing reason in 69%. The eGFR at DI was 7.2 ±3.4 ml/min/1.73 m2, but varied according to comorbidity and cause of DI. Patients with cachexia, anorexia and pulmonary stasis (34% with heart failure) had the highest eGFR (8.2–9.8 ml/min/1.73 m2), and those with edema, “low GFR”, and acidosis, the lowest (4.6–6.1 ml/min/1.73 m2). Patients with multiple comorbidity including diabetes started at a high eGFR (8.7 ml/min/1.73 m2). Physician experience played a role in dialysis prescription. Non-specialists were more likely to prescribe dialysis for life-threatening conditions, while older and more experienced physicians were more likely to start dialysis for clinical reasons, and at a lower eGFR. Female doctors started dialysis at a higher eGFR than males (8.0 vs. 7.1 ml/min/1.73 m2). Conclusions DI was prescribed mainly based on clinical reasons in accordance with current recommendations while low renal function accounted for only 19% of primary reasons for DI. There are considerable differences in physicians´ stated motivations for DI, related to their age, clinical experience and interpretation of biochemical variables. These differences may be an independent factor in the clinical treatment of patients, with consequences for the risk of unplanned DI.
Flow cytometric evaluation of platelet activation in blood collected into EDTA vs. Diatube‐H, a sodium citrate solution supplemented with theophylline, adenosine, and dipyridamole

With platelet activation, there is modulation of platelet surface molecule expression. In flow cytometric analyses of in vivo platelet activation, results are often confounded by activation induced in vitro by the preparative procedures. It is particularly important therefore to prevent or retard platelet activation as soon as possible after withdrawal of the blood sample. Taking blood into paraformaldehyde, or fixing the cells with paraformaldehyde as soon as possible after withdrawal, has been employed to prevent platelet activation in vitro, but paraformaldehyde‐fixed platelets cannot be further used in functional studies. We investigated the efficacy of Diatube‐H, a commercially available combination of platelet antagonists (theophylline, adenosine, and dipyridamole), in preventing or retarding platelet activation in vitro, along with its effects on modulation of platelet membrane glycoproteins (GP) and adhesion molecules. In contrast to blood taken into EDTA, blood taken into Diatube‐H vacutainer tubes could be stored at room temperature for up to 4 hr prior to paraformaldehyde fixation without significant in vitro platelet activation, as measured by CD62P, CD63 and modulation of GPIb and GPIIbIIIa surface expression. Hence, paraformaldehyde fixation could be deferred for several hours, permitting transport of samples from distant sites. Studies of thrombin‐induced platelet activation indicated that platelets taken into Diatube‐H remained functional i.e. were able to be activated. Expression of the CD29, CD49b and CD31 adhesion molecules on the platelet surface was unaffected by storage in Diatube‐H. The results suggest that Diatube‐H may be a useful reagent for flow cytometric studies of platelets when the samples cannot be processed immediately.
Childhood trajectories of peer victimization and prediction of mental health outcomes in midadolescence: a longitudinal population-based study

BACKGROUND: Exposure to peer victimization is relatively common. However, little is known about its developmental course and its effect on impairment associated with mental illnesses. We aimed to identify groups of children following differential trajectories of peer victimization from ages 6 to 13 years and to examine predictive associations of these trajectories with mental health in adolescence. METHODS: Participants were members of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a prospective cohort of 2120 children born in 1997/98 who were followed until age 15 years. We included 1363 participants with self-reported victimization from ages 6 to 13 years and data available on their mental health status at 15 years. RESULTS: We identified 3 trajectories of peer victimization. The 2 prevailing groups were participants with little or moderate exposure to victimization (441/1685 [26.2%] and 1000/1685 [59.3%], respectively); the third group (244 [14.5%]) had been chronically exposed to the most severe and long-lasting levels of victimization. The most severely victimized individuals had greater odds of reporting debilitating depressive or dysthymic symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27–5.17), debilitating generalized anxiety problems (OR 3.27, CI 1.64–6.51) and suicidality (OR 3.46, CI 1.53–7.81) at 15 years than those exposed to the lowest levels of victimization, after adjustment for sex, childhood mental health, family hardship and victimization perpetration. The association with suicidality remained significant after controlling for concurrent symptoms of depression or dysthymia and generalized anxiety problems. INTERPRETATION: Adolescents who were most severely victimized by peers had an increased risk of experiencing severe symptoms consistent with mental health problems. Given that peer victimization trajectories are established early on, interventions to reduce the risk of being victimized should start before enrolment in the formal school system.
Revisiting the Breen–Goldthorpe Model of educational stratification

We present an extension of the classic rational choice model for educational decisions that is able to explain recent empirical findings by Gabay-Egozi et al. who established that Israeli students from disadvantaged social strata tend to hedge long-term utility with short-term risk when choosing among subjects for their matriculation exams. Adding to that, we show that the assumption of relative risk aversion as formulated in the Breen–Goldthorpe Model can be relaxed to a significant degree without losing its explanatory power regarding the persistence of class differentials in educational choices. This fact casts considerable doubt on the measurement of relative risk aversion in empirical research on the Breen–Goldthorpe Model and hence on the interpretation of the results of such studies.
A Population-Based Survey Assessing Support for Mandatory Domestic Violence Reporting by Health Care Personnel

SUMMARY Background: State laws mandating health care personnel to contact police when treating patients injured as a result of domestic violence are controversial. Attitudes toward these laws have been studied in select groups, but never in a large population-based sample. Methods: We measured support for mandatory reporting (MR) among 845 women in 11 cities who participated in a telephone survey assessing risk factors for intimate partner violence. Abused women were over-sampled to create equal groups (427 abused and 418 non-abused); results are presented stratified by abuse status or weighted based on prevalence of abuse among women who were screened. Results: The estimated prevalence of physical violence or threat of physical violence from an intimate partner during the past two years was 11.7%; 72% (95% CI = 69%–75%) of women supported MR. Abused women were significantly less likely to support MR compared to non-abused women (59% versus 73%, p < 0.01). Reasons that endorsed support included: victims would find it easier to get help (81%) and would like health care personnel to call the police (68%). Reasons that endorsed opposition included: victims would be less likely to disclose abuse (77%), would resent someone else having control (61%), and reporting would increase the risk of perpetrator retaliation (44%). Conclusions: Most women support mandatory reporting by health care personnel. However, abused women were significantly less supportive than those not abused.
Protective efficacy of Marek's disease virus (MDV) CVI-988 CEF65 clone C against challenge infection with three very virulent MDV strains.

Comparative 50% protective dose (PD50) assays were performed using a plaque-purified preparation of Marek's disease virus (MDV) strain CVI-988 at the 65th chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) passage level (MDV CVI-988 CEF65 clone C) and three commercial MD vaccines: herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) FC126, MDV CVI-988 CEF35, and a bivalent vaccine composed of HVT FC126 and MDV SB-1. In addition, comparative PD50 assays were performed in groups of chickens with maternal antibody to each of the three vaccines. Three representatives of the newly emerged biovariant very virulent (vv) MDV strains-RB/1B, Tun, and Md5-were employed as challenge virus. The experiments made feasible the differentiation between virulent MDV and vvMDV strains, within serotype 1. Vaccination with CVI-988 clone C vaccine resulted in PD50 estimates of about 5 plaque-forming units (PFUs) against challenge infection with each of the three vvMDV strains. The PD50 estimate of CVI-988 clone C vaccine was 12-fold below the PD50 of HVT FC126. The protective synergism of bivalent vaccine, composed of HVT and SB-1, was confirmed by groups given the lowest vaccine doses. The bivalent vaccine, however, resulted in incomplete protection in groups given the highest vaccine doses. Homologous maternal antibodies to serotype 1 caused a fivefold increase in the PD50 estimate of CVI-988 clone C. Heterologous maternal antibodies against HVT did not interfere with efficacy of CVI-988 clone C vaccination. However, the combination of maternal antibodies against both HVT and SB-1 (serotypes 2 and 3) showed a strong adverse effect on CVI-988 clone C vaccine. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Heme Environment of Mouse Neuroglobin

Neuroglobin (Ngb) is a newly discovered oxygen-binding heme protein that is primarily expressed in the brain of humans and other vertebrates. To characterize the structure/function relationships of this new heme protein, we have used resonance Raman spectroscopy to determine the structure of the heme environment in Ngb from mice. In the Fe2+CO complex, two conformations of the Fe–CO unit are present, one of which arises from an open conformation of the heme pocket in which the CO is not interacting with any nearby residue, and the other arises from a closed conformation where a positively charged residue near the CO group stabilizes the complex. For the Fe2+O2 complex, we detect a single νFe-OO stretching mode at a frequency similar to that of oxymyoglobins and oxyhemoglobins of vertebrates (571 cm−1). Based on the Fe-C-O frequencies of the closed conformation of Ngb, a highly polar distal environment is indicated from which the O2 off-rate is predicted to be lower than that of Mb. In the absence of exogenous ligands, a heme pocket residue coordinates to the heme iron, forming a six-coordinate complex, thereby predicting a low on-rate for exogenous ligands. These structural properties of the heme pocket of Ngb are discussed with respect to its proposed in vivo oxygen delivery function.
Comparison of Beclomethasone Dipropionate Aerosol and Prednisolone in Reversible Airways Obstruction

This paper describes a double-bond crossover trial of prednisolone and beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol in 38 steroid-dependent patients with reversible diffuse airways obstruction. Altogether there was no difference in the patient's preference of the two treatment groups or in the number of times they used their bronchodilator aerosol, or in the forced expiratory volume in one second, vital capacity, or peak expiratory flow rate in the two treatment groups. The plasma cortisol levels when the patients were on the aerosol were much higher than when they were on prednisolone. The use of inhaled aerosol steroids seems to be preferable as it eliminates the usual complications of oral steroid therapy.
Comparison of bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate with standard transurethral prostatectomy: shorter stay, earlier catheter removal and fewer complications

Authors from Detroit assess the use of the bipolar TURP against the monopolar technique; there were relatively few patients, reflecting the decreasing requirement for TURP in the USA. In addition, the amount of resected tissue was not particularly large, almost certainly a reflection of the decreasing size of resected prostatic tissue in that country. They found the bipolar TURP to have many advantages over standard monopolar TURP, and these are described.
Research in patients with heart failure: challenges in recruitment.

BACKGROUND Published studies of patients with heart failure may not include details about the challenges in the recruitment process. OBJECTIVES To describe the recruitment process during the first 18 months of a study being conducted to evaluate cognitive deficits in patients with chronic heart failure. METHODS Details of the recruitment process are described for 2 clinic sites. RESULTS A total of 4,027 echocardiograms were screened at site 1 to evaluate eligibility. Of the 161 patients eligible, 61 (38%) were invited to participate, and 29 of the 61 (48%) completed the study. At site 2, four hundred thirty-seven medical records of patients were screened, resulting in 163 eligible patients (37%). The staff invited 70 of the 163 patients (43%) to participate, and 52 of the 70 (74%) completed the study. The refusal rate was 23% at site 1 and 21% at site 2. CONCLUSIONS Successful recruitment in studies involving patients with heart failure often requires screening of a large group of patients.
Mediation of cognitive bias modification for alcohol addiction via stimulus-specific alcohol avoidance association.

BACKGROUND Cognitive bias modification (CBM) studies have provided evidence that cognitive biases play a causal role in alcohol use disorders. In this study, data from a CBM experiment in alcoholic patients were re-analyzed. In the original study, no mediation by associations measured with an Implicit Association Test (IAT) was found. In this study, we explored the possibility that relevant alcohol-related automatic processes may be cue-specific. METHODS Data from a previous clinical study in a sample of 214 alcohol-addicted patients were re-analyzed. Patients were assigned to a CBM intervention or control condition, performed an alcohol-approach IAT, and were followed up for relapse data a year after training. In this study, bias scores measured via the IAT were calculated and analyzed separately for different stimulus categories: Alcohol, Soft drink, Approach, and Avoid. RESULTS Training reversed the alcohol-approach bias for all categories. This reversal of bias also predicted reduced relapse, but involved a complex stimulus category-dependent pattern in which an avoidance bias for Alcohol stimuli was most predictive of reduced relapse. CONCLUSIONS The results contribute to evidence that CBM indeed affects relapse probability via changes in automatic processes, although future study is needed to determine the precise nature of mediating processes. Automatic processes underlying alcohol-related associations may be stimulus-specific, which may be important for the methods of future studies involving implicit measures.
Multicentric evaluation of the DiaMed enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay malaria antibody test for screening of blood donors for malaria

Background The risk of malaria transmission by blood transfusion is critical due to extensive travel from endemic areas to non‐endemic areas. An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) malaria antibody test has been developed that is claimed to perform better than the immunofluorescence assay test (IFAT). The assay contains antigens to both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. A multicentre study was performed to evaluate the appropriateness of replacing the IFAT by the new ELISA test.