Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy after contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the outpatient setting.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES No prospective study has reported the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) or the associated morbidity and mortality after contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in the outpatient setting. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We enrolled and followed a prospective, consecutive cohort (June 2007 through January 2009) of patients who received intravenous contrast for CECT in the emergency department of a large, academic, tertiary care center. Outcomes measured were as follows (1) CIN: An increase in serum creatinine > or =0.5 mg/dl or > or =25% 2 to 7 d after contrast administration; (2) severe renal failure: An increase in serum creatinine to > or =3.0 mg/dl or the need for dialysis at 45 d; and (3) renal failure as a contributing cause of death (consensus of three independent physicians) at 45 d. RESULTS The incidence of CIN was 11% (70 of 633) among the 633 patients enrolled. Fifteen (2%) patients died within 45 d, including six deaths after study-defined CIN. Seven (1%) patients developed severe renal failure, six of whom had study-defined CIN. Of the six patients with CIN and severe renal failure, four died, and adjudicators determined that renal failure significantly contributed to all four deaths. Thus, CIN was associated with an increased risk for severe renal failure and death from renal failure. CONCLUSIONS CIN occurs in >10% of patients who undergo CECT in the outpatient setting and is associated with a significant risk for severe renal failure and death.
Knocking Down of Isoprene Emission Modifies the Lipid Matrix of Thylakoid Membranes and Influences the Chloroplast Ultrastructure in Poplar1

Isoprene emission in plants is correlated with structural organization and function of plastidic membranes. Isoprene is a small lipophilic molecule with important functions in plant protection against abiotic stresses. Here, we studied the lipid composition of thylakoid membranes and chloroplast ultrastructure in isoprene-emitting (IE) and nonisoprene-emitting (NE) poplar (Populus × canescens). We demonstrated that the total amount of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, digalactosyldiacylglycerols, phospholipids, and fatty acids is reduced in chloroplasts when isoprene biosynthesis is blocked. A significantly lower amount of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly linolenic acid in NE chloroplasts, was associated with the reduced fluidity of thylakoid membranes, which in turn negatively affects photosystem II photochemical efficiency. The low photosystem II photochemical efficiency in NE plants was negatively correlated with nonphotochemical quenching and the energy-dependent component of nonphotochemical quenching. Transmission electron microscopy revealed alterations in the chloroplast ultrastructure in NE compared with IE plants. NE chloroplasts were more rounded and contained fewer grana stacks and longer stroma thylakoids, more plastoglobules, and larger associative zones between chloroplasts and mitochondria. These results strongly support the idea that in IE species, the function of this molecule is closely associated with the structural organization and functioning of plastidic membranes.
Linking the communicative turns in democracy, learning, planning, and resource management : toward a conceptual framework for environmental planning and decision making

I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . III LIST OF FIGURES . VI CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 BACKGROUND . 1 1.2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES . 7 1.3 METHODS . 7 1.4 CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE . 14 1.5 THESIS ORGANIZATION . 16 CHAPTER 2 – COMMUNICATIVE ACTION, LEARNING, DEMOCRACY, AND PLANNING: FROM HABERMAS TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND BACK . 17 2.
Brazil in Transition: Agriculture, Labor, and Health

Brazil in Transition: Agriculture, Labor, and Health by Charles Austin Davis Chair: Martha Bailey and David Lam My dissertation studies major transitions in labor, agriculture, and health in Brazil. In recent decades, Brazil moved from a relatively poor, highly unequal country to an increasingly prosperous and egalitarian middle-income country. These successes, combined with the breadth and detail of available data, offer the opportunity to discover new insights about process of development. In each of three chapters, I focus on different but related topics in the growing Brazilian economy: the adoption of mechanical harvesting in one of Brazils major crops, measuring the effect of air pollution on health, and the transitions of workers exposed to technological change. I combine confidential, country-wide microdata with modern statistical methods to overcome identification challenges and to draw lessons from the experience of Brazil. My results emphasize that market forces can lead to technology adoption when government intervention does not, that remote sensing data is an inadequate substitute for ground-based pollution monitoring, and that local labor market conditions are primary determinants of workers’ success in coping with technological displacement.
Fiscal Rules and Discretion Under Limited Enforcement

We study a fiscal policy model in which the government is present‐biased towards public spending. Society chooses a fiscal rule to trade off the benefit of committing the government to not overspend against the benefit of granting it flexibility to react to privately observed shocks to the value of spending. Unlike prior work, we examine rules under limited enforcement: the government has full policy discretion and can only be incentivized to comply with a rule via the use of penalties which are joint and bounded. We show that optimal incentives must be bang‐bang. Moreover, under a distributional condition, the optimal rule is a maximally enforced deficit limit, triggering the maximum feasible penalty whenever violated. Violation optimally occurs under high enough shocks if and only if available penalties are weak and such shocks are relatively unlikely. We derive comparative statics showing how rules should be calibrated to features of the environment.
Mexican students’ perspectives on ICT competencies. A gender-based analysis

Introduction: Today, human beings live in ever-changing environments that demand Higher Education Institutions (HEI), in México and the world, to innovate and respond to the demands of the labour market. HEI need to update their curricula to include the effective management of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which require students to possess certain competencies to achieve meaningful learning. Methods: This research study is based on information collected from students participating in the XI National Marathon of Knowledge organised by Mexico’s National Association of Faculties and Schools of Accounting and Administration (ANFECA). Results and discussion: The data show that female students’ perceived level of competence in ICT is higher than that of their male counterpart. The most representative differences were detected in the comparison between the geographical zones in which the ANFECA is divided.
Albuminuria in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Patients: Prevalence, Clinical Associations and Impact on Survival

Chronic kidney disease is common after hematopoietic cell transplant. We prospectively measured urinary albumin to creatinine ratios (ACR) in 142 patients. Total (intact) monomeric albumin was determined by liquid chromatography of untreated urine samples collected weekly to day 100 after transplant. Albuminuria was defined as ACR (mg/g creatinine) >30 and proteinuria as ACR >300. Cox and logistic regressions analyses evaluated ACR as a risk factor for clinical events. The prevalence of albuminuria at baseline, day 100 and 1 year was 37%, 64% and 50%, respectively. Proteinuria occurred in 4% of patients at baseline, 15% at day 100 and 4% at 1 year. Characteristics associated with albuminuria include age, gender, donor type, hypertension and sinusoidal obstruction syndrome. Albuminuria was associated with an increased risk of acute GVHD and bacteremia, but not acute kidney injury. Albuminuria at day 100 was associated with chronic kidney disease at 1 year (OR= 4.0; 95%CI 1.1–14.6). Non-relapse mortality risk was elevated (HR=6.8; 95%CI 1.1–41.5) among patients with overt proteinuria at day 100. Albuminuria occurs frequently after HCT and correlates with acute GVHD, bacteremia, hypertension and progression of renal disease. Proteinuria at day 100 is associated with an 6-fold increased risk of non-relapse mortality by one year post transplant.
Neurotrophin‐3 Induces BMP‐2 and VEGF Activities and Promotes the Bony Repair of Injured Growth Plate Cartilage and Bone in Rats

Injured growth plate is often repaired by bony tissue causing bone growth defects, for which the mechanisms remain unclear. Because neurotrophins have been implicated in bone fracture repair, here we investigated their potential roles in growth plate bony repair in rats. After a drill‐hole injury was made in the tibial growth plate and bone, increased injury site mRNA expression was observed for neurotrophins NGF, BDNF, NT‐3, and NT‐4 and their Trk receptors. NT‐3 and its receptor TrkC showed the highest induction. NT‐3 was localized to repairing cells, whereas TrkC was observed in stromal cells, osteoblasts, and blood vessel cells at the injury site. Moreover, systemic NT‐3 immunoneutralization reduced bone volume at injury sites and also reduced vascularization at the injured growth plate, whereas recombinant NT‐3 treatment promoted bony repair with elevated levels of mRNA for osteogenic markers and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP‐2) and increased vascularization and mRNA for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial cell marker CD31 at the injured growth plate. When examined in vitro, NT‐3 promoted osteogenesis in rat bone marrow stromal cells, induced Erk1/2 and Akt phosphorylation, and enhanced expression of BMPs (particularly BMP‐2) and VEGF in the mineralizing cells. It also induced CD31 and VEGF mRNA in rat primary endothelial cell culture. BMP activity appears critical for NT‐3 osteogenic effect in vitro because it can be almost completely abrogated by co‐addition of the BMP inhibitor noggin. Consistent with its angiogenic effect in vivo, NT‐3 promoted angiogenesis in metatarsal bone explants, an effect abolished by co‐treatment with anti‐VEGF. This study suggests that NT‐3 may be an osteogenic and angiogenic factor upstream of BMP‐2 and VEGF in bony repair, and further studies are required to investigate whether NT‐3 may be a potential target for preventing growth plate faulty bony repair or for promoting bone fracture healing. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Environmental enrichment enhances auditory takeover of the occipital cortex in anophthalmic mice

Enrichment of the environment is an effective means of enhancing neuronal development and plasticity but its effect on the cross‐modal compensation resulting from sensory deprivation has never been investigated. The present study used c‐Fos immunohistochemistry and dextran–biotin neuronal tracing to examine the reorganization of sensory modalities in the brain of anophthalmic mutant mice (ZRDCT/An) raised in either enriched or standard environments. Auditory stimulation was found to elicit strong neuronal activation in thalamic and cortical structures that are normally visual. An important finding was that the latter auditory‐evoked cortical activity was considerably enhanced in blind mice raised in the enriched environment. The axonal tracing study demonstrated auditory inputs from the inferior colliculus to the visual thalamus. This animal model will be useful for understanding neuronal mechanisms underlying some cross‐modal sensory phenomena observed in blind or deaf humans.
IL-10 and TNF-alpha polymorphisms in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome in Mexico.

BACKGROUND there has been recent evidence of an alteration in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) immune regulation, as well as variations in cytokine polymorphisms. AIMS to determine the frequency of the IL-10 (-1082G/A) and TNF-alpha (-308G/A) polymorphisms in subjects with IBS in Mexico. METHODS volunteers answered the Rome II Questionnaire and were classified as IBS (n = 45) and controls (n = 92). The IBS subjects were then categorized as IBS-D: 22.2%, IBS-C: 28.9%, and IBS-A/M: 48.9%. The polymorphism frequency among groups was compared. RESULTS there were no differences between IBS vs. controls in the frequency of the high (8.9 vs. 18.5%), intermediate (60.0 vs. 57.6%), or low (23.9 vs. 38.9%) producer IL-10 genotypes, p = 0.315. Neither were there differences in the high (0 vs. 1.1%), intermediate (55.4 vs. 43.2%), or low (43.5 vs. 56.8%) producer TNF-alpha genotypes, p = 0.296. However the low producer of IL-10 was more frequent in IBS-D vs. IBS-C vs. IBS-A/M (63.6 vs. 7.1 vs. 33,3%) p = 0.023. CONCLUSIONS in this group of volunteers in Mexico, the frequency of the IL-10 (-1082G/A) and TNF-alpha (-308G/A) genotypes was similar in IBS and controls. However, there was a greater frequency of the low producer of IL-10 in those subjects with IBS-D, suggesting a genetic predisposition to abnormal immune regulation due to a lower anti-inflammatory component in this subgroup.
Differential brain responses to social exclusion by one's own versus opposite-gender peers

Human peer relations provide tangible benefits, including food and protection, as well as emotional benefits. While social exclusion poses a threat to all of these benefits, the psychological threat is particularly susceptible to modulation by the relation of the excluders to the excluded person. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the effects of manipulating the gender relation of participants to their excluders during an interactive ball-toss game. Ventral anterior cingulate cortex activation was higher during exclusion by same-gender peers, while right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation negatively correlated with self-reported distress in other-gender exclusion. Results imply that exclusion by one's own gender is fundamentally different from exclusion by the opposite gender, and suggest a regulatory role for ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in response to out-group exclusion. Individual differences in implicit gender attitudes modulated neural responses to exclusion. The importance of these findings to investigations of social cognition is discussed.
Methods for long-term electric load demand forecasting; a comprehensive investigation

Long-term demand forecasting presents the first step in planning and developing future generation, transmission and distribution facilities. One of the primary tasks of an electric utility accurately predicts load demand requirements at all times, especially for long-term. Based on the outcome of such forecasts, utilities coordinate their resources to meet the forecasted demand using a least-cost plan. In general, resource planning is performed subject to numerous uncertainties. Expert opinion indicates that a major source of uncertainty in planning for future capacity resource needs and operation of existing generation resources is the forecasted load demand. This paper presents an overview of the past and current practice in longterm demand forecasting. It introduces methods, which consists of some traditional methods, neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy rules and wavelet networks.
Entrepreneurship Education in a Poverty Context: An Empowerment Perspective

Empowerment is an important but understudied phenomenonExperiential Learning in entrepreneurship education. We integrate literatures on empowerment theory and experiential learning to propose a conceptual model of empowerment‐based entrepreneurship education. The concept of entrepreneurial empowerment is introduced as a cognitive state characterized by meaning, competence, self‐determination, and impact toward entrepreneurial activities. The model proposes that empowerment has a mediating role in the relationship between experiential learning approaches in a poverty context and the acquisition of learning outcomes. The model is illustrated using an entrepreneurship and adversity program that supports local low‐income individuals in starting and growing their ventures.
Biodegradation of pesticide profenofos by the free and immobilized cells of Pseudoxanthomonas suwonensis strain HNM

Profenofos is an organophosphate pesticide used extensively in agriculture to control pests. A bacterium capable of degrading profenofos was isolated from pesticide‐contaminated soil samples and identified as Pseudoxanthomonas suwonensis strain HNM based on its morphological and biochemical characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. 4‐Bromo‐2‐chlorophenol was identified as a metabolite of profenofos degradation by HPLC and GC‐MS analysis. The organism degraded profenofos by hydrolysis to yield 4‐bromo‐2‐chlorophenol which was further utilized as carbon source for growth. The organism utilized various organophosphate pesticides such as temephos, quinalphos, and chloropyrifos as carbon sources. The optimum conditions for degradation of profenofos by P. suwonensis strain HMN were found to be at pH 7 and 30 °C. We have investigated the rate of degradation of profenofos by the free and immobilized cells of P. suwonensis strain HNM in various matrices such as sodium alginate (SA), sodium alginate‐polyvinyl alcohol (SA‐PVA), and SA‐bentonite clay. The rate of degradation of 3 and 6 mM profenofos by the freely suspended cells were compared with that by immobilized cells in batches and semi‐continuous with shaken cultures. The SA‐bentonite clay‐immobilized cells showed higher rate of degradation of 3 and 6 mM profenofos then freely suspended cells and cells immobilized in SA and SA‐PVA. The SA‐bentonite clay‐immobilized cells of P. suwonensis strain HNM could be reused for more than 32 cycles without losing their degradation capacity. Thus, the immobilized cells are more efficient than freely suspended cells for the degradation of organophosphate pesticide contaminated water.
Does Twitter chatter matter? Online reviews and box office revenues

ABSTRACT With a rapid rise of text-based social media and online Word-of-Mouth (WOM) activity, millions of people express their thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. Considering that nowadays WOM is a most influential source of information when guiding consumers’ choice and purchase decisions, in this paper we look at the relationship between Twitter messages (tweets) and cinema box office revenues. Using static and dynamic panel data regression approaches, we show that the frequency, sentiment and timing of tweets posted about a film are correlated to different extent with the movie’s box office revenues, with negative tweets being particularly damaging to the box office revenues. From a managerial perspective, this is important to know, such that film production companies and distributors can adjust their strategy accordingly.
Film and the Construction of Memory in Psychoanalysis, 1940–1960

Argument This paper explores the relationship between the medium of motion-picture film and the representation of autobiographical memory during the middle decades of the twentieth century. The paper argues that a reciprocal relationship developed between film and memory, in which film was understood as an externalized form of memory, and memory an internalized record of personal experience similar in many respects to film. Memory was often represented as an object-like entity, preserved in stable form within the body, and able to be extracted by the right stimulus or trigger. A particularly important community in which this representation was developed was psychotherapeutic practitioners with psychoanalytic orientations, particularly during and shortly after the Second World War. In special circumstances, therapists and others claimed, records of past life events could be projected, film-like, onto the screen of an individual's conscious, replaying previous experiences in real time. The paper develops a social historical account of this relationship, and reflects on its significance for the history of selfhood in the twentieth century.
The development and subsequent elimination of aberrant peripheral axon projections in Semaphorin3A null mutant mice.

Semaphorin3A (previously known as Semaphorin III, Semaphorin D, or collapsin-1) is a member of the semaphorin gene family, many of which have been shown to guide axons during nervous system development. Semaphorin3A has been demonstrated to be a diffusible chemorepulsive molecule for axons of selected neuronal populations in vitro. Analysis of embryogenesis in two independent lines of Semaphorin3A knockout mice support the hypothesis that this molecule is an important guidance signal for neurons of the peripheral nervous system (M. Taniguchi et al., 1997, Neuron 19, 519-530; E. Ulupinar et al., 1999, Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 13, 281-292). Surprisingly, newborn Semaphorin3A null mutant mice exhibit no significant abnormalities (O. Behar et al., 1996, Nature 383, 525-528). In this study we have tested the hypothesis that guidance abnormalities that occurred during early stages of Semaphorin3A null mice development are corrected later in development. We have found that the extensive abnormalities formed during early developmental stages in the peripheral nervous system are largely eliminated by embryonic day 15.5. We demonstrate further that at least in one distinct anatomical location these abnormalities are mainly the result of aberrant projections. In conclusion, these findings suggest the existence of correction mechanisms that eliminate most sensory axon pathfinding errors early in development.
Impact of Frequent and Persistent Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) on Hypoglycemia Fear, Frequency of Emergency Medical Treatment, and SMBG Frequency After One Year

Background: We assessed the impact of “almost daily” use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in adults with type 1 diabetes who had at least 1 year of CGM experience. Methods: In this single-center survey, we utilized a 16-item questionnaire to assess changes hypoglycemia fear, incidence of emergency medical treatment and utilization of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) before and after 1 year of CGM use. Participation was restricted to individuals who used the same brand of CGM system to avoid confounding responses due to differences between commercial devices. Participants were recruited on an “as-seen” basis from a major, urban internal medicine clinic and associated diabetes education center. The questionnaire was completed during the clinic visit. Responses to the survey were analyzed by standard descriptive statistics. Results: Seventy-four patients completed the survey: 42.9 years (range: 23-71 years), 38 (51%) female, 59 current insulin pump users. Most (84%) reported wearing their devices “almost daily” (n = 58) or 3 weeks per month (n = 4). “Almost daily” users reported an 86% reduction in incidence of emergency medical treatment events (P = .0013) and >50% reduction in daily SMBG frequency (P < .0001). Reductions in hypoglycemia fear were apparent but not statistically significant (P = .7359). Conclusions: “Almost daily” use of CGM with the Dexcom G4 system reduced incidence of emergency treatment events and daily SMBG utilization among survey respondents and a trend toward reduced hypoglycemia fear. This may indicate cost savings in reduction of emergency medical intervention and likely improved quality of life without increasing safety concerns related to hypoglycemia.