Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of renal function in kidney donors using serum cystatin C and β 2-microglobulin

Background: The usefulness of serum cystatin C and serum β 2-microglobulin (B2M) as markers of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were compared in kidney donors before and after nephrectomy. Methods: Blood samples were taken from 28 donors (15 women and 13 men) for serum creatinine, urea, cystatin C and B2M estimation a median of 7 days before and 10 days after nephrectomy. Results: Estimated GFR decreased from a median of 86.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 to 60.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, a median decrease of 28.6%. Serum creatinine increased by 40% and urea by 30.4%; serum cystatin C increased by 31.2% and serum B2M increased by 65.6%. Using published data on biological variation, critical values were calculated. An increase in serum creatinine above 18 µmol/L detected the decline in renal function in 26/28 (92.9%) subjects. Increases in serum B2M greater than a critical value of 0.94 mg/L detected 24/28 (85.7%) of these subjects, but the critical value of 0.59 mg/L for cystatin C detected only 8/28 (28.6%). Conclusion: Using critical values, serial measurement of serum creatinine was better than serum B2M in detecting reduced renal function. Because of its large intraindividual variation, serial serum cystatin C estimation was very poor in detecting reduced renal function.
Policy reform in nurse education and its implementation in the Caribbean region

In 2006, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – a federation of sovereign Caribbean states – decided that the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree would be the standard qualification for entry to nursing practice in its English-speaking member countries. Indications were that by 2011 all of the English-speaking states had not implemented the regional policy. This research study was conducted to reveal the origin and nature of the 2006 CARICOM nursing education reform, trace its pattern of implementation, and determine the implications of that pattern for the coverage and coherence of healthcare in the region. An interpretive study with a multiple case design was conducted. Six case units were investigated through a staged approach to this empirical study. The research drew on the findings of interviews with selected policy actors, and on findings from the review of relevant documentary sources. The main findings were that the reform was not fully adopted in the region; that system tensions delayed its implementation; and that country-specific factors produced the variation in its adoption by member states. These findings have implications for the harmonization of nursing across CARICOM and, by extension, for CARICOM’s functional cooperation in nursing services. They also have implications for the region’s accomplishment of the World Health Organisation’s objective of universal access to quality healthcare – part of its Universal Health Coverage by the year 2030 agenda. The results should be useful to Caribbean and international health and education policy scholars and actors.
Vitamin D Status Is Associated With Grip Strength in Centenarians

Low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) have been associated with poor physical function in older adults, but few, if any, studies have examined this relationship in the very old. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine this relationship in the very old. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were obtained from 194 centenarians and near centenarians (98 years and older). The associations between 25(OH)D concentrations and measures of physical function were evaluated with unadjusted and adjusted regression models. We found that 35% of centenarians had 25(OH)D concentrations less than 50 nmol/L. Adjusted mean grip strength was lower for centenarians with 25(OH)D concentrations less than 75 nmol/L than for centenarians with higher concentrations (P<0.05). However, there were no differences in the Georgia Centenarian Study (GCS) Composite Scale, a global measure of physical function, between those with higher and lower 25(OH)D concentrations. We conclude that low 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with poor grip strength, but not GCS Composite Scale, in the very old. Considering the high burden of poor physical function in older adults, understanding the relationship between vitamin D and different measures of physical function, including strength, becomes increasingly important.
Negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals: A transformational agenda for an insecure world

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal set of seventeen goals and 169 targets, with accompanying indicators, which were agreed by UN member states to frame their policy agendas for the fifteen-year period from 2015 to 2030. Written by three authors who have been engaged in the development of the SDGs from the beginning, this book offers an insider view of the process and a unique entry into what will be seen as one of the most significant negotiations and global policy agendas of the twenty-first century. The book reviews how the SDGs were developed, what happened in key meetings and how this transformational agenda, which took more than three years to negotiate, came together in September 2015. It dissects and analyzes the meetings, organizations and individuals that played key roles in their development. It provides fascinating insights into the subtleties and challenges of high-level negotiation processes of governments and stakeholders, and into how the SDGs were debated, formulated and agreed. It is essential reading for all interested in the UN, sustainable development and the future of the planet and humankind.
Micro-History of the Spread of Islam in West Africa

Burkina Faso is ranked among “low human development” countries (UNDP), despite the fact that it is the number-one cotton producer in Africa. For ten centuries until the colonial period, cotton growing and processing were closely linked, contributing to the regional and continental development. In fact, cotton was at the heart of a political, economic, and religious system brought by Muslim traders coming from the northern Africa. This Muslim history was discovered by focusing on the most productive cotton area of the country, Bwamu, proving that it was involved in a continental historical process. Historical ties were revealed by building the monographs of five villages. They proved that the Bwa people were connected to Muslim political entities and historical figures.
Automatic Building Detection From High-Resolution Satellite Images Based on Morphology and Internal Gray Variance

Automatic building extraction remains an open research topic in digital photogrammetry and remote sensing. While many algorithms have been proposed for building extraction, none of them solve the problem completely. This is even a greater challenge in urban areas, due to high-object density and scene complexity. Standard approaches do not achieve satisfactory performance, especially with high-resolution satellite images. This paper presents a novel framework for reliable and accurate building extraction from high-resolution panchromatic images. Proposed framework exploits the domain knowledge (spatial and spectral properties) about the nature of objects in the scene, their optical interactions and their impact on the resulting image. The steps in the approach consist of 1) directional morphological enhancement; 2) multiseed-based clustering technique using internal gray variance (IGV); 3) shadow detection; 4) false alarm reduction using positional information of both building edge and shadow; and 5) adaptive threshold based segmentation technique. We have evaluated the algorithm using a variety of images from IKONOS and QuickBird satellites. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is both accurate and efficient.
Passivity-Based Stability Analysis of Electricity Market Trading with Dynamic Pricing

This paper deals with passivity-based stability analysis of electricity market trading with dynamic pricing. In the deregulated electricity market, power consumers and generators will participate in market trading as market players. For such a new kind of the market trading system, the dynamic pricing procedure has to be taken into account of the intermittent participation of power consumers and generators. Then, this paper discusses the stability of the electricity market trading system including power flow using passivity analysis. This paper also shows that the optimal power demand, supply and electricity prices are asymptotically stable and these values are derived in a distributed manner through market trading.
Measuring public acceptance on renewable energy (RE) development in Malaysia using ordered probit model

In 2009, government of Malaysia has announced a National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan as part of their commitment to accelerate the growth in renewable energies (RE). However, an adoption of RE as a main source of energy is still at an early stage due to lack of public awareness and acceptance on RE. Up to date, there are insufficient studies done on the reasons behind this lack of awareness and acceptance. Therefore, this paper is interested to investigate the public acceptance towards development of RE by measuring their willingness to pay slightly more for energy generated from RE sources, denote as willingness level and whether the importance for the electricity to be supplied at absolute lowest possible cost regardless of source and environmental impact, denote as importance level and other socio-economic factors could improve their willingness level. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to achieve the research objectives. A total of 164 respondents from local universities in Malaysia participated in a survey to collect this relevant information. Using Ordered Probit model, the study shows that among the relevant socio-economic factors, age seems to be an important factor to influence the willingness level of the respondents. This paper concludes that younger generation are more willing to pay slightly more for energy generated from RE sources as compared to older generation. One of the possible reason may due to better information access by the younger generation on the RE issues and its positive implication to the world. Finding from this paper is useful to help policy maker in designing RE advocacy programs that would be able to secure public participation. These efforts are important to ensure future success of the RE policy.
Economic impact of the change in tax rate on small enterprises of manufacturing and construction sectors: Evidence from Russia 2006-2014

The hypothesis about positive influence of lower tax rate was tested on the Russian small businesses of construction and manufacturing sectors. The period from 2006 to 2014 includes the three-year gap, during which the net income tax rate was the same for all Russian regions, and the six-year interval of regionally differentiated tax rates. Quantitative estimates of the consequences of tax change without time lag, with time lags 1 and 2 year were made on the basis of double logarithmic regressions with fixed effects. Positive effect of lower tax rate was documented. The number of enterprises was the indicator, which was influenced most. A regional tax rate decrease by 1 per cent results in an increase of the number of small enterprises by 0.1-0.2%. This effect becomes evident in the first year of regional tax rate change and remains on the same level during the following two years. 1% decrease in tax rate led to 0.1% increase in the turnover of the company. Tax stimulus led to an increase of employment in manufacturing industry (the coefficient of elasticity is 0.1), while the impact on employment in construction sector was not identified. There is a potential for expanding tax revenues to the Russian budget system by increasing the taxation base with the help of the positive effect from tax rate reduction.
Effects of Chronic Octreotide Treatment on GH Secretory Dynamics and Tumor Growth in Rats Bearing an Ectopic Somatotroph (GC) Tumor

The effects of octreotide, a long‐acting somatostatin agonist selective of the sstr2/sstr3/sstr5 receptor subtypes, on ectopic GH secretion and tumor growth were investigated in Wistar‐Furth female rats implanted with GH secreting (GC) cells which express mostly somatostatin receptors of the sstr1 and sstr2 subtypes. Octreotide dose dependently inhibited thymidine incorporation (−57%) and GH secretion (−41%) from GC cells in culture. In vivo, 6 weeks after GC cell implantation, plasma GH, IGF‐1 and insulin levels were highly elevated. Cluster analysis of GH secretory dynamics revealed that GH secretion was less pulsatile in GC‐implanted than in control animals. Furthermore, in GC‐implanted animals, passive immunization either with SRIH or GHRH antisera did not affect GH plasma levels. Three weeks after GC cell implantation, when tumors became palpable, octreotide (1 μg/h/kg BW) or saline was infused constantly for three weeks by osmotic minipumps. In octreotide treated rats, GH, IGF‐1 and insulin levels were not different from sham‐implanted animals and tumors weight were reduced by 80%. High affinity somatostatin binding sites were found in equivalent amounts on tumors from octreotide‐treated or saline‐treated animals. These findings indicate that GH secretion in GC‐rats is mainly derived from the tumors and independent of hypothalamic control and that octreotide reduces both GH secretion and tumor growth. We conclude that the GC‐implanted rat represents a good animal model to test the antisecretory and antitrophic properties of somatostatin analogs in vivo.
Sudden death in infants sleeping on polystyrene-filled cushions.

BACKGROUND Infants are at risk for both the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation. On postmortem examination, however, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other without information from the scene of death. Healthy infants are assumed to be able to turn their heads and, if not otherwise restrained, to obtain fresh air. We assessed this assumption in an investigation of infant deaths that occurred during sleep on cushions filled with polystyrene beads. METHODS We obtained data on 25 deaths from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. We also used mechanical and animal models to study physiologic aspects of ventilation relevant to these results, by simulating the effects on an infant of breathing into a cushion. We measured the effects of softness, malleability (molding of the cushion about an infant's head), airflow resistance, and rebreathing of expired gases. RESULTS All 25 study infants were prone when found dead, and at least 88 percent were face down with nose and mouth obstructed by the cushion. SIDS was the diagnosis in 19 of the 23 infants who underwent autopsy. Our findings show, however, that the cushion would have limited movement of the infant's head to obtain fresh air, and the amount of rebreathing we estimated to have occurred in the infants was lethal in a rabbit model. CONCLUSIONS Accidental suffocation by rebreathing was the most likely cause of death in most of the 25 infants studied. Consequently, there is a need to reassess the cause of death in the 28 to 52 percent of the victims of SIDS who are found with their faces straight down. Safety regulations setting standards for softness, malleability, and the potential for rebreathing are needed for infant bedding.
Structural basis of the C1q/C1s interaction and its central role in assembly of the C1 complex of complement activation

Complement component C1, the complex that initiates the classical pathway of complement activation, is a 790-kDa assembly formed from the target-recognition subcomponent C1q and the modular proteases C1r and C1s. The proteases are elongated tetramers that become more compact when they bind to the collagen-like domains of C1q. Here, we describe a series of structures that reveal how the subcomponents associate to form C1. A complex between C1s and a collagen-like peptide containing the C1r/C1s-binding motif of C1q shows that the collagen binds to a shallow groove via a critical lysine side chain that contacts Ca2+-coordinating residues. The data explain the Ca2+-dependent binding mechanism, which is conserved in C1r and also in mannan-binding lectin-associated serine proteases, the serine proteases of the lectin pathway activation complexes. In an accompanying structure, C1s forms a compact ring-shaped tetramer featuring a unique head-to-tail interaction at its center that replicates the likely arrangement of C1r/C1s polypeptides in the C1 complex. Additional structures reveal how C1s polypeptides are positioned to enable activation by C1r and interaction with the substrate C4 inside the cage-like assembly formed by the collagenous stems of C1q. Together with previously determined structures of C1r fragments, the results reported here provide a structural basis for understanding the early steps of complement activation via the classical pathway.
Indigenous students: Barriers and success strategies-A review of existing literature

There are many factors that effect the post-secondary completion rate of Indigenous students. The Indigenous student completion rate is a reflection of the number of students entering post-secondary education but is significantly affected by withdrawal rates (institutional withdrawals and student voluntary withdrawals). In the Saskatchewan Polytechnic School of Nursing, the Indigenous student withdrawal rate was 4.2% higher than the total nursing student population. Lower success rates among Indigenous students is a concerning issue in nursing programs. Continuing to operate programs and teach in the same fashion is not improving success rates. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (2012) highlighted the need to examine strategies and develop policies to enhance Indigenous student success. To this end, recent literature was reviewed to determine trends among Indigenous nursing students, their struggles, and more importantly, the successful strategies currently being implemented. Indigenous peoples are not a homogenous group; rather, they are a mosaic of cultures, languages and nations. The authors examined the literature to determine key factors that enabled or prevented the success of post-secondary Indigenous students. Twenty-one articles on current research regarding Indigenous student success facilitators and barriers were examined. These articles encompassed research from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The purpose of this literature review was to identify themes and gaps, drive positive change in education, and guide future research. The research team found four common themes: academic preparedness, cultural safety, intrinsic student factors, and student support.
MECHANISMS OF GENOTOXICITY OF PARTICLES AND FIBERS

With regard to genotoxicity testing and cancer risk assessment, particles and fibers form a rather specific group among all toxicants. First, the physicochemical behavior of fibrous and nonfibrous particles is usually very different from that of nonparticulate, chemical carcinogens. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are believed to play a major role in primary genotoxicity of particles, which may derive from their surface properties, the presence of transition metals, intracellular iron mobilization, and lipid peroxidation. Other aspects relevant to primary genotoxicity are particle size, shape, crystallinity (e.g., silica), and solubility, and may also include particle uptake, interaction with cell division machinery (e.g., asbestos), and the presence of mutagens carried with the particle (e.g., diesel exhaust particles, DEP). Excessive and persistent formation of ROS from inflammatory cells is considered as the hallmark of the secondary genotoxicity of nonfibrous and fibrous particles. Since lung inflammation is known to occur and persist only at sufficient particle dose, this secondary pathway is considered to contain a threshold (Greim et al., 2001). Identification of (mechanisms of) particle genotoxicity has been/can be achieved via (1) acellular assays, (2) in vitro tests, (3) in vivo studies, usually in mice or rats, and finally (4) biomarker studies in humans with (occupational) exposure. The significance of acellular assays and biomarker studies for risk assessment is limited, but has provided some mechanistic insights (e.g., in oxidant generating properties of quartz and asbestos) and may also contribute to hazard identification. In vitro studies have lead to identification of primary genotoxic properties of particles, whereas recent in vivo studies provide further support for the correlation between particle-induced lung inflammation and secondary genotoxicity. Proper risk assessment of particles necessitates identification of the relative impact of primary versus secondary genotoxicity in realistic exposure conditions. However, since it is impossible to discern between primary and secondary genotoxicity with current in vivo tests, concomitant in vitro assays are required to determine primary genotoxicity. In vivo tests should ideally be designed using different doses to allow dose-effect analysis for both inflammation and genotoxicity.
Molecular epidemiology of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Central Kenya before vaccine introduction, 2009–2014

Between July 2009 and June 2014, a total of 1,546 fecal specimens were collected from children <5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis admitted to Kiambu County Hospital, Central Kenya. The specimens were screened for group A rotavirus (RVA) using ELISA, and RVA‐positive specimens were subjected to semi‐nested RT‐PCR to determine the G and P genotypes. RVA was detected in 429/1,546 (27.5%) fecal specimens. RVA infections occurred in all age groups <59 months, with an early peak at 6–17 months. The infections persisted year‐round with distinct seasonal peaks depending on the year. G1P[8] (28%) was the most predominant genotype, followed by G9P[8] (12%), G8P[4] (7%), G1P[4] (5%), G9P[4] (4%), and G12P[6] (3%). In the yearly change of G and P genotypes, a major shift from G9P[8] to G1P[8] was found in 2012. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the VP7 and VP4 genes of seven strains with unusual G8 or P[6] showed that the VP7 nucleotide sequences of G8 were clustered in lineage 6 in which African strains are included, and that there are at least two distinct VP4 nucleotide sequences of P[6] strains. These results represent basic data on RVA strains circulating in this region before vaccine introduction. J. Med. Virol. 89:809–817, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.