Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Next steps in geoengineering scenario research: limited deployment scenarios and beyond

ABSTRACT Climate engineering has received increasing attention, but its discussion has remained on the sidelines of mainstream climate policy. The policy relevance of this previously exotic option is poised to rise because of the gap between the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement and slow global mitigation efforts. It is therefore crucial to understand the risks and benefits of the proposed schemes, and the social implications of policy choices. Assessment of the risks and benefits of solar geoengineering strongly depends on scenarios, but previous scenarios have not reflected the full range of social choices. In light of concerns over risks, a newer set of scenarios is desirable, which represents both uncertainties and social choices more fully. Borrowing and extending lessons from recent literature on the new community climate scenario process, we envision a possible scenario-building process that combines interdisciplinary scholarship with the involvement of stakeholders and citizens. The resultant scenarios would better characterize uncertainties of, and policy choices for, solar geoengineering, and foster critical appraisal of its risks and benefits. Such societal choices might include not only total ban and large-scale deployment, but also limited deployment, which has received less attention in the scenario literature. The interaction between scenario and governance research would be able to highlight the central issues at stake, including ethical, social, and political dimensions. Key policy insights A more comprehensive assessment of solar geoengineering is necessary to evaluate its risks and benefits, necessitating new scenario research It is crucial to reflect the full span of policy choices and uncertainties with interdisciplinary collaboration in such scenarios Such societal choices might include not only total ban and large-scale deployment, but also limited deployment, which has received less attention in the scenario literature Participatory scenario research would enable incorporating the concerns and opinions of stakeholders and citizens in scenario creation
Probabilistic Forecasting of Electricity Load with Inhomogeneous Markov Switching Models

In this paper we suggest a novel inhomogeneous Markov switching approach for probabilistic forecasting of electricity load of industrial companies, for which the load switches at random times between a production and a standby regime. The model we propose describes the transitions between the regimes by a hidden Markov chain with time-varying transition probabilities depending on calendar variables. The demand during the production regime is modeled by an ARMA process with seasonal patterns, whereas we use a much simpler model for the standby regime to reduce complexity. The maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters is implemented with a Differential Evolution algorithm. Using the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS) to evaluate the goodness of fit of our model for probabilistic forecasting it is shown that this model often outperforms classical additive time series models as well as homogeneous Markov switching models. We also propose a simple procedure to classify load profiles into ones with and without regime-switching behavior.
Study Effect of Fluctuations in Macroeconomic Indicators on Unconditional Conservatism

Investors pay great attention to macroeconomic factors in their decisions about their investments. This fact shows that they seek to reduce systematic investment risks in order to earn expected returns. The present study aims to investigate the impact of macroeconomic factors (economic growth, liquidity and inflation) on unconditional conservatism in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during the years 2006 to 2014. For this purpose, model of Beaver and Ryan (2000) has been used to measure conservative unconditional accounting. Data analysis is done through the combined panel data using random effects model. The results of this study show that the factors of economic growth, liquidity and inflation have positive and significant impact on unconditional conservatism. Therefore, an accurate knowledge about the effects of macroeconomic factors can help investors in correct decision-making; it can also help policy makers in giving direction to economic policies. Eventually, policy makers can determine the effects of these policies on company-specific factors.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Ecotoxicology in Marine Ecosystems

Low levels of oil and hence polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are naturally present in the marine environment, although levels have increased significantly following human extraction and use of oil and gas. Other major anthropogenic sources of PAHs include smelters, the use of fossil fuels in general, and various methods of waste disposal, especially incineration. There are two major sources for PAHs to marine ecosystems in Norway: the inshore smelter industry, and offshore oil and gas production activities. A distinction is generally made between petrogenic (oil-derived) and pyrogenic (combustion-derived) PAHs. Although petrogenic PAHs appear to be bioavailable to a large extent, pyrogenic PAHs are often associated with soot particles and less available for uptake into organisms. There is extensive evidence linking sediment-associated PAHs to induction of phase-I enzymes, development of DNA adducts, and eventually neoplastic lesions in fish. Most studies have focused on high-molecular-weight, carcinogenic PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene. It is less clear how two- and three-ring PAHs affect fish, and there is even experimental evidence to indicate that these chemicals may inhibit some components of the phase I system rather than produce induction. There is a need for increased research efforts to clarify biological effects of two- and three-ring PAHs, PAH mixtures, and adaptation processes in marine ecosystems.
Predominant effect of kidney disease on mortality in Pima Indians with or without type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND We examined the effect of kidney disease (KD) on mortality in nondiabetic and diabetic Pima Indians aged > or = 45 years old. METHODS Deaths and person-years of follow-up were stratified in a time-dependent fashion into categories of (1) no proteinuria and normal serum creatinine (SCr); (2) proteinuria and normal SCr; (3) high SCr [SCr > or = 133 micromol/L (1.5 mg/dL) in men, > or = 124 micromol/L (1.4 mg/dL) in women] but not on renal replacement therapy (RRT); or (4) RRT. RESULTS Among 1993 subjects, 55.8% had type 2 diabetes at baseline. Overall death rates increased with declining kidney function in both the nondiabetic and diabetic subjects (P < 0.0001). Death rates were similar in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects with comparable levels of kidney function, although the number of deaths among nondiabetic subjects with advanced KD was small. Infections and malignancy were the leading causes of death in nondiabetic subjects with KD. Among diabetic subjects, overall mortality increased with diabetes duration (P = 0.0001) and was highest in those on RRT (P < 0.0001). High SCr was associated with higher death rates from cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetic nephropathy (DN), infections, and malignancy. CONCLUSION Death rates increased comparably with worsening kidney function in both nondiabetic and diabetic subjects and were similar in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects without KD. KD was associated with excess mortality from DN, CVD, infections, and malignancy in diabetic subjects, and from infections in those without diabetes.
Plasma cholesterol homeostasis, HDL remodeling and function during the acute phase reaction[S]

Acute phase reaction (APR) is a systemic inflammation triggered by several conditions associated with lipid profile alterations. We evaluated whether APR also associates with changes in cholesterol synthesis and absorption, HDL structure, composition, and cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC). We analyzed 59 subjects with APR related to infections, oncologic causes, or autoimmune diseases and 39 controls. We detected no difference in markers of cholesterol synthesis and absorption. Conversely, a significant reduction of LpA-I- and LpAI:AII-containing HDL (−28% and −44.8%, respectively) and of medium-sized HDL (−10.5%) occurred in APR. Total HDL CEC was impaired in APR subjects (−18%). Evaluating specific CEC pathways, we found significant reductions in CEC by aqueous diffusion and by the transporters scavenger receptor B-I and ABCG1 (−25.5, −41.1 and −30.4%, respectively). ABCA1-mediated CEC was not affected. Analyses adjusted for age and gender provided similar results. In addition, correcting for HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, the differences in aqueous diffusion total and ABCG1-CEC remained significant. APR subjects displayed higher levels of HDL serum amyloid A (+20-folds; P = 0.003). In conclusion, APR does not associate with cholesterol synthesis and absorption changes but with alterations of HDL composition and a marked impairment of HDL CEC, partly independent of HDL-C serum level reduction.
Interdialytic Weight Gain and Cardiovascular Outcome in Incident Hemodialysis Patients

Background: Interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) has been regarded as a surrogate of volume overload, but also as a marker of a better nutritional status in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis (HD). This paradoxical meaning of IDWG requires further investigation, particularly in adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1,013 incident HD patients from 36 HD centers of the Clinical Research Center for ESRD in Korea was included. Patients were categorized into five groups according to the IDWG%, a ratio of absolute IDWG to dry weight: <1.0, ≥4.0, and every 1.0 increment in between. Primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Results: During a mean follow-up of 18.7 months, primary outcome was observed in 104 patients (10.3%). In multivariate analysis, compared to patients with IDWG% of 1.0-1.9 (reference group), the hazard ratios (HRs) for primary outcome in the IDWG% <1.0, 2.0-2.9, 3.0-3.9, and ≥4.0 groups were 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-2.20, p = 0.80], 1.15 (95% CI 0.59-2.27, p = 0.68), 1.80 (95% CI 0.95-3.41, p = 0.07), and 1.93 (95% CI 1.02-3.64, p = 0.04), respectively. Furthermore, even when residual renal function and 24-hour urine volume were adjusted, IDWG% ≥4.0 remained as a significant predictor of primary outcome (HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.02-4.02, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Increased IDWG% is a significant independent predictor of MACCE in incident HD patients. It could be helpful to prevent excessive IDWG for improving clinical outcomes in incident HD patients.
Antigenic and immunogenic epitopes shared by human papillomavirus type 16 and bovine, canine, and avian papillomaviruses

All types of papillomaviruses (PV) share common, so-called group-specific epitopes. To identify the major group-specific epitopes, we immunized 26 guinea pigs or rabbits with purified bovine PV type 1 (BPV), canine PV, or avian PV from the common chaffinch. The resulting hyperimmune sera, as well as a commercially available rabbit antiserum to BPV and seven monoclonal antibodies to BPV, were tested in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a set of 66 overlapping 20-amino-acid peptides representing the complete sequence of the major capsid proteins (L1 and L2) of human PV type 16 (HPV 16). Sera from the same animals before immunization were used as controls. The minimal reactive epitopes within each peptide were further characterized by testing of truncated peptides. The cross-reactive epitopes were clustered in two regions of L1, an internal region (at positions 171 to 235), which contained three epitopes, and the more reactive region at the carboxy terminus (at positions 411 to 475), which contained six epitopes. The most reactive of the HPV 16 broadly cross-reactive epitopes was a carboxy-terminal epitope which had the sequence DTYRF and which reacted with nine of the antisera to BPV, canine PV, or avian PV, with the commercially available rabbit antiserum to BPV, and also with a mouse monoclonal antibody to BPV. Antipeptide antisera to all of the HPV 16 L1 peptides and to the most antigenically reactive of their truncated analogs were made in guinea pigs. Antipeptide antisera reactive with BPV were obtained for three of the cross-reactive epitopes, and one of these antisera allowed highly sensitive detection of group-specific PV antigen by immunoperoxidase staining.
Bifurcation analysis of on-chip LC VCOs

Since the beginning of the last century, the problem of oscillator circuit design is a main subject for analog circuit designers. In recent years, the study of differential VCOs has received attention because of their importance in a number of applications. We present an analysis of the steady state oscillation of integrated differential VCOs which is based on a nonlinear model of the oscillator. Starting from the Andronov Hopf theorem, we analyze the stability and we also apply methods to predict the amplitude.
Adaptive Resource Allocation Algorithm with Fairness for MIMO-OFDMA System

This paper investigates the subcarrier and power allocation problems of MIMO-OFDMA systems in order to maximize the total system capacity subject to the total power and proportional rate constraints of each user. We proposed an efficient resource allocation algorithm to determine the number of subcarriers for each user and then assign the subcarriers to each user. Simulation results show that the proposed resource allocation algorithm can make the capacity be distributed more fairly, very close to the ideal rate constraints, among users than the scheme which maximizes the system capacity only
Effects of lipopolysaccharide on the biliary excretion of bile acids and organic anions in rats

Background: Lipopolysaccharide is known to be a cause of cholestasis associated with sepsis. It has also recently been reported to down‐regulate the basolateral and canalicular transporters. The aim of the present study was to examine simultaneously the effect of lipopolysaccharide on the biliary excretion of typical substrates of bile salt export pump and multidrug resistance protein 2 in vivo, and the effect of lipopolysaccharide on the amount of these transporters.
Indicator expression directed by regulatory sequences of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene: In vivo comparison of distinct GFAP‐lacZ transgenes

An increase in the expression of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene by astrocytes appears to constitute a crucial component of the brain's response to injury because it is seen in many different species and features prominently in diverse neurological diseases. Previously, we have used a modified GFAP gene (C‐339) to target the expression of β‐galactosidase (β‐gal) to astrocytes in transgenic mice (Mucke et al.; New Biol 3:465–474 1991). To determine to what extent the in vivo Throughout this text, “in vitro” refers to cells grown in culture in culture and “in vivo” to living animals. expression of GFAP‐driven fusion genes is influenced by intragenic GFAP sequences, the E. coli lacZ reporter gene was either placed downstream of approximately 2 kb ofmurine GFAP 5′ flanking region (C‐259) or ligated into exon 1 of the entire murine GFAP gene (C‐445). Transgenic mice expressing C‐259 versus C‐445 showed similar levels and distributions of β‐gal activity in their brains. Exclusion of intragenic GFAP sequences from the GFAP‐lacZ fusion gene did not diminish injury‐induced upmodulation ofastroglial β‐gal expression or increase β‐gal expression in non‐astrocytic brain cells. These results demonstrate that 2 kb ofmurine GFAP 5′ flanking region is sufficient to restrict transgene expression primarily to astrocytes and to mediate injury‐responsiveness in vivo. This sequence therefore constitutes a critical target for mediators of reactive astrocytosis. While acute penetrating brain injuries induced focal increases in β‐gal expression around the lesion sites in C‐259, C‐445, and C‐339 transgenic mice, infection of C‐339 transgenic mice with scrapie led to a widespread upmodulation of astroglial β‐gal expression. Hence, GFAP‐lacZ transgenic mice can be used to monitor differential patterns of astroglial activation in vivo. These and related models should facilitate the assessment of strategies aimed at the in vivo manipulation of GFAP expression and astroglial activation. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proteomic screening of glucose‐responsive and glucose non‐responsive MIN‐6 beta cells reveals differential expression of proteins involved in protein folding, secretion and oxidative stress

The glucose‐sensitive insulin‐secretion (GSIS) phenotype is relatively unstable in long‐term culture of beta cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate relative changes in the proteome between glucose‐responsive (low passage) and glucose non‐responsive (high passage) murine MIN‐6 pancreatic beta cells. The 2D‐DIGE and subsequent DeCyder analysis detected 3351 protein spots in the pH range of 4–7. Comparing MIN‐6(H) to MIN‐6(L) and using a threshold of 1.2‐fold, the number of proteins with a decrease in expression level was 152 (4.5%), similar was 3140 (93.7%) and increased 59 (1.8%). From the differentially expressed proteins identified in this study, groups of proteins associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and proteins involved in oxidative stress were found to be significantly decreased in the high‐passage (H passage) cells. These proteins included endoplasmic reticulum protein 29 (ERp29); 78‐kDa glucose‐related protein, (GRP78); 94‐kDa glucose‐related protein (GRP94); protein disulphide isomerase; carbonyl reductase 3; peroxidoxin 4 and superoxide dismutase 1. These results suggest that non‐GSIS MIN‐6 cells do not have the same ability/capacity of glucose‐responsive MIN‐6 cells to successfully fold, modify or secrete proteins and counteract the problems associated with oxidative stress.
Typical 2‐Cys peroxiredoxins – structures, mechanisms and functions

Peroxiredoxins are abundant cellular antioxidant proteins that help to control intracellular peroxide levels. These proteins may also function, in part, through an evolved sensitivity of some peroxiredoxins towards peroxide‐mediated inactivation in hydrogen peroxide signaling in eukaryotes. This review summarizes recent progress in our understanding of the catalytic and regulatory mechanisms of ‘typical 2‐Cys’ peroxiredoxins and of the biological roles played by these important enzymes in oxidative stress and nonstress‐related cellular signaling. New evidence suggests localized peroxide buildup plays a role in nonstress‐related signaling.
Frontal, Striatal, and Medial Temporal Sensitivity to Value Distinguishes Risk-Taking from Risk-Aversive Older Adults during Decision Making

Aging compromises the frontal, striatal, and medial temporal areas of the reward system, impeding accurate value representation and feedback processing critical for decision making. However, substantial variability characterizes age-related effects on the brain so that some older individuals evince clear neurocognitive declines whereas others are spared. Moreover, the functional correlates of normative individual differences in older-adult value-based decision making remain unclear. We performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in 173 human older adults during a lottery choice task in which costly to more desirable stakes were depicted using low to high expected values (EVs) of points. Across trials that varied in EVs, participants decided to accept or decline the offered stakes to maximize total accumulated points. We found that greater age was associated with less optimal decisions, accepting stakes when losses were likely and declining stakes when gains were likely, and was associated with increased frontal activity for costlier stakes. Critically, risk preferences varied substantially across older adults and neural sensitivity to EVs in the frontal, striatal, and medial temporal areas dissociated risk-aversive from risk-taking individuals. Specifically, risk-averters increased neural responses to increasing EVs as stakes became more desirable, whereas risk-takers increased neural responses with decreasing EV as stakes became more costly. Risk preference also modulated striatal responses during feedback with risk-takers showing more positive responses to gains compared with risk-averters. Our findings highlight the frontal, striatal, and medial temporal areas as key neural loci in which individual differences differentially affect value-based decision-making ability in older adults. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Frontal, striatal, and medial temporal functions implicated in value-based decision processing of rewards and costs undergo substantial age-related changes. However, age effects on brain function and cognition differ across individuals. How this normative variation relates to older-adult value-based decision making is unclear. We found that although the ability make optimal decisions declines with age, there is still much individual variability in how this deterioration occurs. Critically, whereas risk-averters showed increased neural activity to increasingly valuable stakes in frontal, striatal, and medial temporal areas, risk-takers instead increased activity as stakes became more costly. Such distinct functional decision-making processing in these brain regions across normative older adults may reflect individual differences in susceptibility to age-related brain changes associated with incipient cognitive impairment.
Behavior of myc and ras oncogenes in transformation of rat embryo fibroblasts

The requirements for transformation of rat embryo fibroblasts (REFs) by transfected ras and myc oncogenes were explored. Under conditions of dense monolayer culture, neither oncogene was able to transform REFs on its own. However, the introduction of a ras oncogene together with a selectable neomycin resistance marker into REFs allowed killing of the normal nontransfected cells and the outgrowth of colonies of ras transformants, 10% of which survived crisis and became tumorigenic. These cells expressed greater than 10-fold-higher levels of ras p21 than tumorigenic cells cotransfected with ras and myc oncogenes. The myc oncogene similarly was unable to induce tumorigenic conversion of REFs unless especially refractile colonies of oncogene-bearing cells, produced by use of a cotransfected selectable marker, were picked and subcultured. Tumorigenic conversion of REFs by single transfected oncogenes appears to require special culture conditions and high levels of gene expression.