Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors potentiating the risk of sudden infant death syndrome associated with the prone position.

BACKGROUND In several studies the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been significantly associated with sleeping in the prone position. It is not known how the prone position increases the risk of SIDS. METHODS We analyzed data from a case-control study (58 infants with SIDS and 120 control infants) and a prospective cohort study (22 infants with SIDS and 213 control infants) in Tasmania. Interactions were examined in matched analyses with a multiplicative model of interaction. RESULTS In the case-control study, SIDS was significantly associated with sleeping in the prone position, as compared with other positions (unadjusted odds ratio, 4.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.1 to 9.6). The strength of this association was increased among infants who slept on natural-fiber mattresses (P = 0.05), infants who were swaddled (P = 0.09), infants who slept in heated rooms (P = 0.006), and infants who had had a recent illness (P = 0.02). These variables had no significant effect on infants who did not sleep in the prone position. A history of recent illness was significantly associated with SIDS among infants who slept prone (odds ratio, 5.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.8 to 19) but not among infants who slept in other positions (odds ratio, 0.83). In the cohort study, the risk of SIDS was greater among infants who slept prone on natural-fiber mattresses (odds ratio, 6.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 33) than among infants who slept prone on other types of mattresses (odds ratio, 1.8). CONCLUSIONS When infants sleep prone, the elevated risk of SIDS is increased by each of four factors: the use of natural-fiber mattresses, swaddling, recent illness, and the use of heating in bedrooms.
Predictors of smoking initiation--results from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in Poland 2009-2010.

INTRODUCTION Improving the access to information on determinants of the smoking epidemic is essential for increasing the effectiveness of tobacco control policies. While the statistics of smoking prevalence in Poland are available, data on smoking initiation and its social correlates are still poorly described. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of socio-demographic indicators with regular smoking initiation among adults. MATERIALS AND METHOD Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) on socio-demographic and smoking-related characteristics of respondents were used. GATS is a nationally representative household survey. GATS provided data on a representative sample of 7,840 adult individuals--2,207 male and 1,321 female ever smokers. Logistic regression analysis was performed and the χ2 test for relevant calculations. RESULTS Among males, the regular smoking initiation rate was significantly higher compared to females (59.2% vs. 34.2%; p<0.01). Mean age of smoking initiation was lower in men compared to women (18.4±3.6 vs. 20.0± 4.7 p < 0.01). Lack of awareness on smoking health consequences was strongly associated with initiating of regular smoking among both genders (unaware vs. aware respondents: OR = 3.0 CI 2.3-4.0; p < 0.001 in men and OR = 3.07 CI 2.3-3.9; p<0.001 in women). Older age, vocational education and unemployment were associated with regular smoking initiation among men and women. Also, not being religious considerably contributed to increased likelihood of smoking initiation in women (OR = 4.4 CI 2.5-7.7; p<0.001). CONCLUSION The results indicate that policies focused on preventing smoking onset among Poles are needed to reduce tobacco epidemic, with the ultimate goal of translating evidence into policy.
Transactivation of programmed ribosomal frameshifting by a viral protein

Significance Ribosomes synthesize proteins by translating mRNAs into linear chains of amino acids through the decoding of consecutive nucleotide triplets (codons). Specific mRNA signals, however, can stimulate ribosomes to shift into an alternative triplet reading frame (ribosomal frameshifting) resulting in translation of a different protein. Typically, such signals are regions of intramolecular nucleotide base-pairing in the mRNA which form structures that stall ribosome progress. Here we show that the frameshifting signal used to express the nsp2TF and nsp2N proteins of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, an important swine pathogen, requires the action of a transacting viral protein rather than a structured RNA. This novel mechanism of gene expression may also be used by other viruses or in cellular gene expression. Programmed −1 ribosomal frameshifting (−1 PRF) is a widely used translational mechanism facilitating the expression of two polypeptides from a single mRNA. Commonly, the ribosome interacts with an mRNA secondary structure that promotes −1 frameshifting on a homopolymeric slippery sequence. Recently, we described an unusual −2 frameshifting (−2 PRF) signal directing efficient expression of a transframe protein [nonstructural protein 2TF (nsp2TF)] of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) from an alternative reading frame overlapping the viral replicase gene. Unusually, this arterivirus PRF signal lacks an obvious stimulatory RNA secondary structure, but as confirmed here, can also direct the occurrence of −1 PRF, yielding a third, truncated nsp2 variant named “nsp2N. ” Remarkably, we now show that both −2 and −1 PRF are transactivated by a protein factor, specifically a PRRSV replicase subunit (nsp1β). Embedded in nsp1β’s papain-like autoproteinase domain, we identified a highly conserved, putative RNA-binding motif that is critical for PRF transactivation. The minimal RNA sequence required for PRF was mapped within a 34-nt region that includes the slippery sequence and a downstream conserved CCCANCUCC motif. Interaction of nsp1β with the PRF signal was demonstrated in pull-down assays. These studies demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that a protein can function as a transactivator of ribosomal frameshifting. The newly identified frameshifting determinants provide potential antiviral targets for arterivirus disease control and prevention. Moreover, protein-induced transactivation of frameshifting may be a widely used mechanism, potentially including previously undiscovered viral strategies to regulate viral gene expression and/or modulate host cell translation upon infection.
Household food demand in rural China

This article explores rural household food consumption behaviour in China using a large household data set from Jilin Province. Data are classified into four main food groups—grain, vegetable products, animal products and other foods. A household food demand system, incorporating four household characteristics, is estimated using an LA-AIDS model, assuming a three-stage budgeting procedure. Expenditure elasticities for a range of food groups are estimated, with a particular focus on animal products. The inclusion of household characteristics did not have a big impact on the elasticity values in any of the three stages of the budgeting process. The total expenditure elasticity for grain (Stage II) was 0.64, suggesting substantial future growth in household demand for fine grains such as rice and wheat, as per capita incomes continue to grow in rural areas. The highest conditional and total expenditure elasticity values were for the animal products (Stage II) group, 1.22 and 0.76, respectively. Within this group the elasticities were highest for the meat sub-group at 1.14 and 0.87, respectively, suggesting an almost proportionate increase in demand as household incomes grow. Added demand pressures from animal production will likely keep grain policy high on the political agenda.
Kinetics of ordering for correlated initial conditions.

Nonequilibrium domain growth in a system with a nonconserved order parameter is considered for power-law correlated initial conditions, [\ensuremath{\varphi}(r)\ensuremath{\varphi}(0)]\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{r}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}(\mathit{d}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}})}$, appropriate to, e.g., a quench to the ordered phase from the critical point (\ensuremath{\sigma}=2-\ensuremath{\eta}). The long-range correlations are shown to be relevant (in the renormalization-group sense), and lead to a new scaling function for the structure factor, provided that \ensuremath{\sigma} exceeds a critical value. In this regime (which includes \ensuremath{\sigma}=2-\ensuremath{\eta}) the autocorrelation function A(t)==[\ensuremath{\varphi}(r,t)\ensuremath{\varphi}(r,0)] has the asymptotic behavior A(t)\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{t}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}(\mathit{d}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}})/4}$.
Intensive Remedial Instruction for Children with Severe Reading Disabilities

Sixty children with severe reading disabilities were randomly assigned to two instructional programs that incorporated principles of effective instruction but differed in depth and extent of instruction in phonemic awareness and phonemic decoding skills. All children received 67.5 hours of one-to-one instruction in two 50-minute sessions per day for 8 weeks. Both instructional programs produced very large improvements in generalized reading skills that were stable over a 2-year follow-up period. When compared to the growth in broad reading ability that the participants made during their previous 16 months in learning disabilities resource rooms, their growth during the intervention produced effect sizes of 4.4 for one of the interventions and 3.9 for the other. Although the children's average scores on reading accuracy and comprehension were in the average range at the end of the follow-up period, measures of reading rate showed continued severe impairment for most of the children. Within 1 year following the intervention, 40% of the children were found to be no longer in need of special education services. The two methods of instruction were not differentially effective for children who entered the study with different levels of phonological ability, and the best overall predictors of long-term growth were resource room teacher ratings of attention/behavior, general verbal ability, and prior levels of component reading skills.
Hairpin line bandpass filter for 1.8 GHz FDD-LTE eNodeB receiver

This paper presents a bandpass filter designed to passes the required uplink frequency in the band-3 for eNodeB LTE (1.710–1.785 GHz). The filter is designed using hairpin line method, 0.01 dB ripple Chebyshev response, and Duroid RT- 5880 as the substrate to result a bandwidth of 75 MHz. The results of measurement at the center frequency (1.7475 GHz) are −0.5005 dB on the insertion loss, −24.8062 dB on the return loss, and 1.1221 on the VSWR.
Youth probation officers' interpretation and implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act: A case study of youth justice in Canada

Many juvenile justice systems are characterized by an amalgam of different principles and ideologies, which have been incorporated into laws and policies regarding youth crime. This study examines the perceptions of youth probation officers (YPOs) concerning the 2003 Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) in Canada, which is one recent case example of a mixed model of juvenile justice. For instance, although the Act emphasizes diversion and community-based sanctions for first time and minor offenders, it also allows for adult-length custody sentences for the most serious and violent youth. This study asked YPOs about their understanding of the YCJA and their ability to apply the Act in their daily work as well as their access to community programs in 2004 and 2007. The results as well as previous research on the YCJA and policy implications are discussed.
Measurement Matters: Recent Results from Monetary Economics Reexamined

Inferences about the effects of money on economic activity may depend importantly on the choice of a monetary index because simple-sum aggregates cannot internalize pure substitution effects. This hypothesis is investigated by replicating five recent studies that have challenged an aspect of the "conventional wisdom" about the effects of money on aggregate activity. In four of the five cases, the qualitative inference in the original study is reversed when a simple-sum monetary aggregate is replaced by a Divisia index of the same asset collection. The results are mixed in the fifth case.
Pyelonephritogenic Escherichia coli and killing of cultured human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells: role of hemolysin in some strains

Acute pyelonephritis, a complication of Escherichia coli bacteriuria, must represent a bacterial invasion through the kidney epithelium. To study this process, we overlaid bacterial suspensions onto monolayers of cultured human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells and measured cytotoxicity by release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Thirty-four isolates cultured from patients with acute pyelonephritis were screened for the ability to cause pyelonephritis in CBA mice by transurethral challenge. The eight most virulent strains (greater than or equal to 70% of mice challenged developed greater than or equal to 10(3) CFU/g of kidney after 48 h) were selected for study. Each strain displayed mannose-resistant hemagglutination of human O erythrocytes; three strains were phenotypically and genotypically hemolytic. Pyelonephritogenic strains were significantly more cytotoxic (30.1 +/- 9.5% LDH release after 18 h) than eight fecal control strains (13.5 +/- 11.5% LDH release; P = 0.0068). We selected the most cytotoxic strain, CFT073, for further study. Sterile filtrate from this hemolytic strain was significantly more cytotoxic than was the filtrate of the fecal control strain, FN414. Transposon mutagenesis of CFT073 with TnphoA abolished hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity by both whole cells and sterile filtrate. Southern blot analysis revealed that the Tnphoa insertion mapped to the E. coli chromosomal hly determinant within a 12-kilobase SalI restriction fragment. Transformation of a nonhemolytic strain, CPZ005 with plasmid pSF4000, which carries a cloned hemolysin determinant, resulted in highly elevated cytotoxicity. Light micrographs of proximal tubular epithelial cell cultures demonstrated cell damage by pyelonephritogenic strains that was not induced by a fecal strain or the hemolysin-deficient mutant. Results indicate that pyelonephritogenic E. coli strains are more frequently cytotoxic for a putative target, that is, human renal tubular epithelium, than are fecal isolates. Hemolysin, in some strains, is apparently responsible for this cytotoxicity.
Effect of Pregnancy on Bone Mineral Density in Healthy Women

Despite numerous studies and case reports of changes in bone mineral density (BMD) during pregnancy, the postpartum, and lactation, controversy exists regarding the time course of BMD changes and recovery to baseline levels. The degree to which pregnancy affects BMD long-term remains unclear. Several influencing factors, including breast-feeding, length of amenorrhea after pregnancy, and parity, have been studied with respect to changes in BMD in healthy women. We conducted the first systematic review of its kind on this topic and evaluated the 23 identified citations according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force rating scale. Six studies qualified as Level II-2, 12 were Level II-3, and 5 were Level III. There seems to be good evidence that calcium is mobilized from the maternal skeleton to that of the developing fetus during pregnancy. However, the eventual return of BMD to prepregnancy values suggests that maternal bone loss may not be permanent. Results from the studies that specifically evaluated the effect of lactation on BMD were varied, ranging from a decrease in BMD to no change. Of the studies that evaluated the effect of parity on BMD, none found an association linking a greater number of pregnancies to greater decreases in BMD. Pregnancy-associated osteoporosis seems to be uncommon, based on the limited published reports. Overall, no long-term adverse clinical effects have been noted in healthy women who had at least one ongoing pregnancy, despite the good evidence that some bone loss does occur soon after delivery. Additional longitudinal studies need to be undertaken to provide more definitive information on the effects of pregnancy on BMD and risk of osteoporosis later in life. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader will be able to summarize the current literature on the effects of pregnancy on bone mineral density and list the factors associated with loss of bone mineral density during pregnancy.
The British Experience under a Statute Prohibiting Unfair Dismissal

Statutory protection against unfair dismissal was introduced in Britain in 1971. This article examines the origin, nature, and effectiveness of that statute, which is enforced by publicly funded, tripartite tribunals. The authors show that only a minority of dismissed employees enter claims under the statute; only a minority of claimants win any relief; and only a minority of successful claimants win re-employment, most receiving instead relatively small sums of money. The authors offer explanations for that pattern and describe the reaction of British unions and employees to the statute.
Essays On Spatial Econometrics: Estimation Methods And Applications

ESSAYS ON SPATIAL ECONOMETRICS: ESTIMATION METHODS AND APPLICATIONS by Osman Dogan Adviser: Professor Wim Vijverberg This dissertation consists of four essays on the estimation methods and applications of spatial econometrics models. In the first essay, we consider a spatial econometric model containing spatial lags in the dependent variable and the disturbance terms with an unknown form of heteroskedasticity in the innovations. We first prove that the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) is generally inconsistent when heteroskedasticity is not taken into account in the estimation. We show that the necessary condition for consistency of the MLE depends on the specification of the spatial weight matrices. Then, we extend the robust generalized method of moment (GMM) estimation approach in Lin and Lee (2010) for the spatial models allowing for a spatial lag not only in the dependent variable but also in the disturbance term. We show the consistency of the robust GMM estimator and determine its asymptotic distribution. Finally, through a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation, we compare the finite sample properties of the robust GMM estimator with other estimators proposed in the literature. In the second essay, the finite sample properties of heteroskedasticity robust estimators suggested for the spatial autoregressive models are compared through simulation studies. Most of the estimators suggested for the estimation of spatial autoregressive models are inconsistent in the presence of an unknown form of heteroskedasticy. The estimators formulated from the GMM and the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) frameworks can be robust to an unknown form of heterokedasticity. In this essay, the finite sample properties of the robust GMM estimators and the Bayesian estimators based on MCMC approach are compared for the spatial autoregressive models. To this end, a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation is designed for the spatial models containing a spatial lag in the dependent variable and/or disturbance term. In the second part of the study, two empirical
Fiscal Incentive Effects of the Australian Equalisation System

Equalisation grants can affect a state's fiscal behaviour because its tax policies can affect the size of its grant. For a large state, an increase in its tax rate will increase the standard tax rate used to calculate the grant for that base and thereby reduce (increase) the state's grant if it has a high (low) relative fiscal capacity with respect to that base. In addition, a state's grant will increase if its relative fiscal capacity declines when it raises its tax rates. Our econometric results indicate that the equalisation system may have affected the Australian states' choice of tax rates. Copyright 2003. The Economic Society of Australia.
The Distributional Impact of a Carbon Tax in Ireland

We study the effects of carbon taxation and revenue recycling across the income distribution in Ireland. Price changes of fuels and all other final goods and services are taken into account. If applied only to the emissions not covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, a carbon tax of €20/tCO2 would cost the poorest households around €3.5/week and the richest ones €5/week. The tax is regressive, therefore. However, if the revenue is used to increase social benefits and tax credits, households across the income distribution can be made better off without exhausting the total carbon tax revenue.
Quantification of shape of flow‐volume loop of healthy preschool children and preschool children with wheezing disorders

The earliest change associated with airflow obstruction in small airways is reflected in a concave shape on the maximum expiratory flow‐volume loop (MEFVL). The shape of the MEFL changes with age but reference values for curvilinearity indices (CI) for preschool children have not been published. We aimed to describe the normal curvilinearity of healthy preschool MEFVL by CI (the β angle and the ratio of maximum expiratory flow when 50% of forced vital capacity remains to be expired/peak expiratory flow (MEF50%/PEF)) and to test their capacity in detecting concavity in preschool children with wheezing disorders.
Experience, Attitudes, and Willingness to Pay for Public Safety

Conditions of fiscal stress in local governments prompt researchers and public officials to seek to assess citizens’ attitudes about public services and their inclination to fund enhanced service levels and quality. This study explores the questions of how citizens’ attitudes about services influence their willingness to pay for them and how direct and mediated experience with services influence attitudes about them. The authors draw from two broad bodies of work: the public finance literature about demand and the psychology literature about attitudes. The authors propose a conceptual model of the relationships between citizens’ direct and mediated exposure to public services, their attitudes about these services, and their willingness to pay for them. The authors present data from a survey of Connecticut adults and use these data to estimate statistical models of the relationship between media exposure and attitudes with regression analysis. They find evidence that direct experience and media exposure affect attitudes and that attitudes predict willingness to pay.
Board of Director Characteristics, Institutional Ownership and Fraud: Evidence from Australia

Due to the high incidence of fraud in Australia, regulatory reports suggest strengthening the monitoring role of the board of directors (BOD). These reports recommend greater independence and no duality (chairperson of the BOD should not be the CEO) on the BOD. While there is no Australian evidence, research evidence in the U.S. supports these suggested reforms. It is not clear whether the research evidence observed in the U.S. will generalize to the Australian setting because of contextual differences. This study extends the U.S. findings to the Australian context and investigates the relationship between two attributes of the BOD, independence and duality, and fraud. In addition, I examine whether institutional ownership plays a role in the context of fraud. The more highly concentrated institutional ownership in Australia suggests the presence of some relationship. Using a matched sample of fraud and no‐fraud firms from 1988–2000, I find that as the percentage of independent directors and the percentag.